Cass lay on the bed staring at the ceiling and her stats window.

  Stamina: 138/138

  Focus: 549/549

  Health: 101/133

  The value had increased in the last 3 days since they’d returned from the catacombs. In that time, she’d barely seen Alyx.

  Alyx was busy.

  It was that simple.

  Alyx had a dragon to impress.

  It had nothing to do with Alyx avoiding her.

  It had nothing to do with Cass avoiding Alyx.

  Salos’s necklace lay cold against her chest. He was still asleep. He still had no idea Cass had told Alyx about him.

  About them.

  She should try to sleep. Sleep would raise her Health faster than staring at it.

  She closed her eyes but wasn’t tired. And she could still read her Status window with her eyes closed if she wanted to.

  Health: 101/133

  She rolled over onto her side. A small book pile was stacked on the far side of the bed. She could read. The levels of Jothi Language Comprehension were coming slower now. Did she need more complicated books? But there were still so many words in these that she was still guessing.

  Maybe if she had a teacher?

  She groaned and rolled over to stare at the ceiling again.

  Health: 101/133

  Nope. This wasn’t happening.

  Cass popped up. Mopping around like this wasn’t working.

  She refused to lie about again today. Her Health had improved a lot. Over two-thirds full. She could use an outing. Maybe she could tag along with Alyx on dragon impressing.

  Cass dressed and grabbed her staff. And if Alyx didn’t want Cass around, then Cass would find something else to do today. She was strong enough to start looking for more leads.

  Cass pulled open her suite door to see the back of Alyx’s head. The swordswoman was pacing the hall outside Cass’s room. She spun on her heels as Cass’s door swung open.

  “Oh, Cass!” Alyx’s hand clenched around her sword’s hilt. Her eyes flicked back and forth, looking for something.

  “Alyx?” Cass raised an eyebrow. What was she doing outside her room?

  Telis stood against the wall opposite the door, a silent, suffering expression on her face, her arms folded over her chest. “I told you.”

  Alyx shot her butler a glare.

  Telis didn’t quite roll her eyes, but she said nothing else.

  “Did you need something?” Cass asked. Had Alyx and Telis been arguing about something outside her door? Why? About Cass? Did Alyx tell Telis about the demon thing?

  Alyx looked away. “I had some free time today. I thought I might check on you.”

  Cass cocked her head to one side. But Alyx had been walking away when she’d opened the door. Had she changed her mind? “I’m doing better.”

  Alyx nodded. “Good.” Were Alyx’s eyes lingering on Cass’s chest? About where Salos’s necklace rested? Or was Cass just being too sensitive?

  “Did you—” decide how you feel about me and Salos, she wanted to ask. But Telis was here. They were in the manor’s hallway. Who knew how many servants were passing by under stealth? This wasn’t a conversation she wanted to have with so many eyes.

  It wasn’t a conversation she wanted to have at all.

  “—want to do something today?” Cass asked instead.

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  Alyx froze.

  “You said you had some free time,” Cass continued, suddenly finding the wall much more interesting. Why was her heart pounding? She already had plans for if Alyx rejected her. “But, if you don’t have that much—”

  “I was going to invite you to come with me to the smith’s,” Alyx interrupted. “If you’re feeling up to it.” Alyx’s hand gripped her sword’s pommel, her eyes on her feet.

  The smith’s?

  For equipment. That was the only reason to go to the smith’s. And they only needed equipment if they were going to continue traveling together. Which could only happen if Alyx had set aside her concerns about Salos.

  “I would love to go,” Cass said, her entire body releasing the tension she’d been building for days.

  Alyx returned the smile, relief mirrored in her eyes.

  ***

  The upper district was busy as they passed through it. There must have been hundreds of people on the street, most carousing from open garden to open garden, greeting well-dressed hosts and partaking in sparkling drinks or rich appetizers. Most wore brightly colored glass masks and sumptuous silk clothes brocaded to the nines.

  Over the street, the sounds of string instruments played loudly, half a dozen different songs drifting together in the street between their countless venues and mixing with the chatter of the festival goers and the chime of the wind chimes hanging from every balcony and overhang.

  “Could we get some of that?” Cass asked as they walked past yet another open garden with tantalizing appetizers on offer. These were some sort of sliced and toasted bread loaded high with what might have been a buttered egg and tomato mixture.

  “No,” Alyx said without looking. “That’s for allies and vassals. I don’t have the standing to become an ally, and I will not become just anyone’s vassal. Besides, we aren’t dressed for that kind of party.”

  Cass pouted but left it alone. She had no interest in sticking her nose in the duchy’s politics. Certainly not over free food.

  They crossed the river. The bridge was decked out in silk ribbons and endless glass wind chimes. Their chime was insistent enough to match the roar of the river below. From the bridge, Cass could see both the Academy tower, today decorated with billowing flags and a magic light show, and the spire floating over the river crowned in a building of glass bricks. Hundreds of people loitered on the bridge, watching the light show on the Academy tower. The crowd here was mixed. Many wore glass masks and silken robes, but others wore simpler cottons and either wore no masks or masks carved from wood or sculpted from clay.

  Alyx walked fast and with purpose, one hand on her sword’s hilt, the other in her pocket. Her eyes scanned the crowds.

  Those crowds only increased in the lower city. Cass had to walk quickly to stay close to Alyx, or the crowds would squeeze into the space between them.

  The only gaps in the crowds were the bubbles of space around street performers, people throwing fire or juggling knives. Some did coordinated cartwheels while others spun into the air via magic or wires or both. Street vendors shouted through the crowds, promising deals in honor of the duchess, the dragons, or the festival.

  It was a madhouse and all thoughts Cass had of scooping up a snack evaporated in her desperate need to stay close to Alyx.

  Eventually, they moved away from the city’s main street and into a quieter district. The buildings spread out some, still not to the degree of the upper city manors with their sprawling gardens, but enough that most lots had a dirt yard. Most of these were filled with racks or work tables. There was a distinct smell of sulfur over the street.

  Not that the celebrations had ended. Just as many yards featured bonfires and barbecues as were empty, it was just less overwhelmingly busy than the city proper had been.

  “Why aren’t we heading to your workshop for this?” Cass asked. The last time they’d upgraded her staff, they’d done it themselves. Cass had thought Alyx liked to make her own equipment.

  “There is a big difference between modifying an existing sword and forging a new one. Besides, I don’t know how to work with most of the materials we gathered.” Alyx shrugged. “When I don’t know what to do with something, I take it to a friend of mine.”

  “You have other friends?” Cass blurted before she could think better of it.

  Alyx glowered at Cass. “Hurtful. But yes. Surprisingly, I know other people. Some of them I’m friendly with.”

  Cass shrugged. That was fair, she supposed.

  “Is there anywhere else you want to go when we’re done with the smiths?” Alyx asked.

  Cass shrugged. “I’m not sure. I haven’t thought of anywhere specific that might have more information. If I weren’t with you, I’d wander until something caught my eye.”

  “Information?” Alyx paused. “Oh. About going home.”

  “Or my siblings. Or Salos.” Cass said. Alyx being in the know meant she could finally ask someone besides Salos for ideas on fixing him. Not now, of course. But later. When they were alone.

  Alyx looked like she wanted to say something, but her eyes flicked to her retainers behind them. So she hadn’t told Telis or Marco about it yet. That was good. Cass had worried she had. But if she hadn’t, that meant she understood, right?

  “I was actually thinking of more mundane shopping,” Alyx said finally.

  “Shopping?” Cass echoed. She supposed there were probably more supplies to buy. They’d exhausted most of her medical herbs, after all.

  “You know, clothing? Personal effects?” Alyx prodded. “Unless you want to exclusively wear things borrowed from the manor.”

  Cass hadn’t thought about where the robe she was wearing had come from. Telis had left a small collection of clothing in her closet so she would have something to wear beside her Ethereal Robe. “Is this yours?”

  Alyx shook her head. “It looks like it’s from the hospitality closet. It’s for guests.” She frowned at Cass. “Do you not provide clothing to your guests where you’re from?”

  Cass shook her head. She had no idea how things were in ye olden days, but in her modern day, people brought their own clothing when traveling.

  “Anyway, if you are going to be here for a while, you should have clothing made for you that you like,” Alyx said. There was an emphasis on ‘here’. Alyx wasn’t just referring to the city or even the duchy when she said it.

  She meant this world.

  Cass frowned down at the dusty dirt road. She didn’t want to plan on staying that long. She wanted to believe the duchy’s Vault would solve the returning home problem and that finding Kaye or Robin would be straightforward. She hoped separating Kaye or Robin from the god that claimed them would be simple.

  She desperately wanted an answer that didn’t involve throwing herself into dangerous fights until she reached level 100.

  But what had been easy so far?

  If the only way home was amassing levels, she’d do it. If the only way to bring her sibling home with her was to fight a god… Cass grimaced at the thought. Well, more levels would certainly help.

  They’d brought her here. They’d dragged her into this. The least she could do was make it their problem.