As I followed Tannix and the knight along the main street, I inspected the city around me. The port area was fairly flat, before the land sloped up to reach the height of the rest of the island. West Draulin's fortress loomed above us, reminding me a little of the Cliffs of Loth. The main street took us right to the base of one of the tall walls, before following the wall up towards the gates to the fortress. Dark marks stained the stone. There were a few burned ruins in Zianna's lower city, so I knew what I was looking at.

Tannix and his knight were behaving very informally towards each other, which made me feel it was acceptable enough to interrupt their conversation. "Tannix?"

They were a few steps ahead. Tannix stopped and turned around. "Yes?"

I nodded towards the scorch marks. "Was West Draulin attacked?"

He followed my gaze. "Oh, no. That's from the Great Port Fire. Great referencing its size, of course. It happened when I was..." he paused, and glanced at Acen. "It was in 411? I would have been seven. I was in the fortress the whole time, of course, but I remember the smoke filling the air so thickly it was hard to see the ocean. My uncles were both in West Draulin at the time, so they were involved in containing it."

"Mine was, as well," Acen said.

"Was he a knight, too?" I asked. Acen seemed friendly enough.

He nodded. "Serving the Tandrans is a bit of a family tradition at this point."

I looked at the burned stones again. It must have been a huge fire. "Were a lot of people hurt?"

"Unfortunately, yes. But miraculously there weren't many deaths. It happened at night, so the majority of the ships and boats weren't fully crewed. The ones that were fully crewed mostly set out before the fire reached them. And the alarm was called quickly enough to get most people to safety. There was a lot of damage, but my father and uncles used Tandran money to pay everyone for what they had lost."

I couldn't even wrap my head around how much money that must have been. Tannix's family was so rich it was hard to understand. Most of the money was probably wrapped up in running their city and paying their soldiers and navy, but the amount they apparently had access to was still staggering.

Tannix and Acen started walked again, but instead of trailing behind them I rushed to catch up. They were talking about people I didn't know, but I liked listening anyway.

When we finally reached the gates to the fortress, we were met by a large portcullis flanked by guards. One of them stepped forward slightly. He nodded at Acen, then bowed to Tannix.

"Lord Tandrix, welcome home."

"Thank you," Tannix said, as the second guard called through the portcullis to the men by the wheels. Tannix spoke with the guards while we waited, and soon we were walking under the heavy metal grate.

I almost stopped short in awe. The fortress was huge. There were a cluster of buildings in front of us, including what I recognized as a Teltish church. To our right, another gate opened into a busy courtyard swarming with soldiers—probably the barracks. On the left, past some gardens, stood the castle.

It looked nothing like the castle in Zianna. Instead of turrets and battlements, the roof was fairly flat. The whole building was wide, with six rows of windows. It was slightly taller than the walls around the fortress, although the multiple guard towers still rose high above it. The view of the ocean, and the sunset, must have been amazing from those towers.

Between greeting various people who walked past us, Tannix answered questions I hadn't even asked yet. "Originally the fortress was supposed to be able to contain the entire population of West Draulin in case of attack. The city's grown a lot since then, so even if everyone fit we wouldn't be able to sustain them for long. We've got our own gardens," he gestured to them. "And along the far wall there's housing for important people. Advisors, foreign dignitaries, some of the higher-ranking knights. That tower—" he pointed at the thickest and tallest of the guard towards, along what he had just called the far wall. "—is the cannon tower."

"The what?"

"It's a relic from Teltar Proper," Tannix explained, as if that actually answered my question. "It hasn't worked in living memory, but it's one of the reasons West Draulin's never been attacked."

"What does it do?"

"Oh, I suppose it's some sort of catapult." Tannix moved on smoothly, even though I was still curious. "The army barracks and stables take up the whole Eastern section of the fortress. But Acen and my men live in the castle barracks," he pointed at another walled complex tucked between the castle and the huge fortress walls. "Actually, I heard you were given one of the houses?"

Acen nodded. "My wife wouldn't have enjoyed living in the barracks," he laughed.

"No, I guess not. Are the others training?"

"Hold on. I was given specific instructions to keep you away from the barracks until you've seen your family."

Tannix sighed good-naturedly. "If you insist."

We had to walk past another set of guards to get into the castle. After multiple staircases and richly decorated hallways, we finally came to a large wooden door. Two older knights stood at attention in front of it.

"Lord Tandrix," one of them said with a kind smile. "Welcome home. Sir Atricen, you must be relieved to have your charge back under your protection."

Acen grinned. "Thank the Goddess."

"Thank you, Yorc," Tannix said. "It's nice to be back."

The knight nodded at the second one, and together they pushed open the doors. Tannix strode in confidently; I hesitated and decided to follow Acen's lead. He stepped into the room, but stayed back near the wall with his hands casually clasped behind his back. I joined him nervously.

The room looked like a meeting room, with a large wooden table shaped like a circle with one side shaved off to create a flat edge. That was where Tannix's father was sitting, with a few pieces of parchment spread around him. He looked just as I had remembered him from Tannix's ceremony the previous year. Regal and strong despite his older age, neat blond hair streaked with silvery grey, and a friendly smile. He got to his feet when he noticed his son.

"Tannix! It's wonderful to finally have you home!"

Tannix grinned as he made his way around the table and embraced his father. "I'm definitely happy to be home."

"How was the trip?"

"Pleasant, as always," Tannix said. "Roland said he'll come see you later tonight after he's settled some affairs in the port. Money he owes, I assume."

Lord Tandrael sighed. "That man is a good friend and a wonderful captain, but he is a terrible gambler. Sir Atricen, the ladies are in the library; please tell them Tannix has arrived."

Acen bowed and left, leaving me feeling very exposed and alone suddenly. Tannix caught my eye across the table and he waved me over. Reluctantly, I walked around the table, keeping my eyes trained on the floor the entire time. When I reached his side I froze.

"Father, this is Finn," Tannix said, clapping me on the shoulder a little rougher than he probably intended. "Tandrin's plan actually worked."

I tentatively looked up to see that Lord Tandrael was looking me over carefully. He might have seen me at the ceremony, but it didn't seem like he recognized me. Instead I got the feeling he was trying to understand why his sons would bother saving me. His gaze landed on Tannix's hand, still on my shoulder. He raised one eyebrow as he looked at his son again.

"You're sure he had nothing to do with the attempt on Edarius' life?"

"I'm sure," Tannix said firmly. "I explained it all in my letters."

Lord Tandrael looked at us both a moment longer before nodding. "If you trust him, I believe you. But I'm not sure what you would want with a slave. You used to barely tolerate your men following you around."

"Runs in the family," Tannix said with a teasing smile. "Regardless, he's a good friend. Buying him as a slave was the only way to save him."

"All right. I suppose—"

The doors swung open once again, and all three of us looked over. Acen walked through, followed by two women.

Tannix's mother and sister looked very alike. I remembered him once telling me his mother was half Native, and it showed. Her brown hair was done up in a fancy braid, and her skin was just a shade darker than her husband's or children's. Tannix's sister, Tairia, was about my age. Her long blond hair was curly and hanging loosely around her shoulders. Both women were very beautiful.

Tairia dropped all pretense of formality, lifted her dress slightly in one hand, and ran around the table to jump into Tannix's arms. Tannix hugged her tightly for a moment, her feet not even touching the ground.

Lady Clairia patiently waited her turn to step forward and pull her son into a hug. She had to stretch to the tips of her toes to kiss his forehead. "I'm so proud of you."

"You should have come home last year after your ceremony," Tairia spoke up. "Let Tandrin handle all the politics. We didn't miss him, anyway."

"Of course we did," Lord Tandrael corrected with a chuckle. He draped his arm over Tairia's shoulders and tugged her against his side. "We missed both of them."

Tairia ducked out of her father's half-hug. "But we'd just seen him. I haven't seen Tannix in years. You should have made Tandrin come home with you. We haven't been together for five years!"

"I know," Tannix agreed. "I tried, but you know Tandrin. He's busy. He said he'll try to come in a few weeks."

"Finally," Tairia sighed dramatically. "So, is this the Native you bought?" She stepped around her brother, suddenly coming face to face with me. Her eyes showed a bit of her mother's Native blood. They were Teltish blue, but darkened to brown around her pupils.

"He's tiny," Tairia suddenly declared.

"He's the same size as you." Tannix nudged his sister back a step. "And don't be rude. He has a name. It's Finn."

"It isn't my fault you didn't introduce me properly," Tairia replied. "Hello, Finn."

"Hello, Lady Tairia," I said, as clearly and politely as possible.

"Tannix's letters said that you're a thief."

I glanced at him, and when he didn't interrupt, I nodded. "Yes, my lady. But I did it to survive, not because I wanted to."

"Oh. I'm sorry," Tairia said, with the same honesty I was used to from Tannix. "That isn't fair. I'm glad Tannix rescued you. You'll never need to steal anything again."

"Thank you, my lady. I'm glad too."

Tannix cleared his throat. "All right. I need to go see my knights. By your leave, father?"

Lord Tandrael smiled. "You don't need to, but you can go. We'll have plenty of time to talk at dinner."

"So, are they training?" Tannix asked, as we walked down a long hallway.

"Yes," Acen said. "They got back from an extended vacation yesterday, and I told them to get back in shape for your return."

"So they expect me?"

"They know you're arriving today, but we didn't know what time to expect you."

Tannix smiled. "Oh, good. I'll surprise them, then."

I followed them quietly. The day had been both fascinating and overwhelming. In Zianna, Tannix had rarely talked about his personal guard. I didn't know what to expect. Tandrin had briefly explained that they had been chosen for Tannix by a set of contests to ensure they were the best. I imagined a group of men like Acen. Tall, noble Telts. And Crelans. Tannix had mentioned that two of them were Roland's nephews.

We stepped out into a busy courtyard. Everywhere I looked there were men, dressed in various different armour styles, either dueling each other or hacking away at practice dummies. Some of them glanced our way, but most of them ignored us and kept training. Tannix and Acen worked their way through the hustle and bustle as easily as I slipped through the marketplace in Zianna. It was all I could do to follow at their heels.

We crossed the courtyard, and walked through a maze of little alleyways between the many buildings in the castle barracks. We were about to step out into another courtyard when Tannix stopped so abruptly I almost bumped into him. Without any explanation, he drew his sword, then strolled into the sunshine.

There was a pair of knights sparring in the middle of the courtyard. Tannix stepped right into the middle of their fight, and in one swift movement blocked one of the swords and knocked the other man's sword from his hand.

The two knights stared at him in shock for a moment, until the one who'd dropped his sword exclaimed, "Tannix!"

"He used to do that all the time." Acen was still standing in the shadows with me, his arms crossed.

I let out a breath I hadn't held on purpose. "He did?"

Acen nodded slowly. "He's an excellent swordsman, always has been. Finn, I hope you know that there's no reason to be wary around me. You and I serve the same person. The same goes for all of my men."

Acen was quickly turning into one of those men who looked like a typical Telt but acted nothing like I had always been taught they would. Like Tannix and his brother. His sincerity inspired a little sincerity of my own. "I've never really liked guards. They tend to be trying to arrest me."

A small smile crossed his face. "Ah, that's understandable. So it's a good thing we're not city guards."

I tentatively smiled in return. "I guess it is."

The rest of the knights had gathered around Tannix. There were a lot of jostling and hearty claps on shoulders. After a moment, Tannix stepped back from the group and waved at me and Acen.

"Finn, come here," he called.

Acen followed me as we walked across to Tannix. When I stepped up beside Tannix, he draped an arm over my shoulder in a comforting gestured that managed to seem more companionable than anything else. He waved his arm at the men, who had moved to stand in a loose line. Acen joined them.

"Finn, my personal guard," Tannix said proudly. He had been like that the whole day, proudly and enthusiastically introducing me to his city. He was more himself here than he had even been in Zianna.

I let my eyes rake over the line of men quickly. Roland's nephews were easy to pick out, with their short dark hair, green eyes, and identical faces that I assumed meant they were twins. They looked like the youngest of the group. I imagined Acen was in his mid-twenties, the Crelans looked closer to Tannix's age. They were slighter than the other men, and though they both had swords on their belts I guessed that their real specialty were the bows slung over their shoulders.

Beside them stood one of the largest men I had even seen, as if Tros, the war god himself, had decided to appear in a human body. He was taller than Acen and heavyset, with a broad chest and thick arms. His skin was the same colour as mine, so he was at least partially Native Zian.

The last two men in the line were Telts, with similar builds. There the similarities ended. One of the pair was neat and tidy, his blond hair tied back, face cleanshaven. His clothing was perfect—every button was polished; every strap was properly in place. The second Telt was scruffy. His hair was a shade darker, and hung loosely to his shoulders. It looked like he had a gone a few days without shaving, a bit of a beard darkened his cheeks. His sleeves were rolled up informally. None of his scruffiness looked bad, which made me suspect it was somewhat deliberate.

Tannix continued his introduction. "Six of the best men in the West Draulin army, handpicked through competitive and grueling tests to serve and protect me."

One of Roland's nephews spoke up. "Gruelin' implies we had real competition, and we di—" he was cut off when his brother nudged him sharply.

Tannix laughed. "My mistake. So, Finn, you know Acen. Sir Lord Atricen if we were being formal. He's an excellent swordsman. And of course, the only man capable of keeping the rest of them in line," he joked, before moving on. "Kor and Ender, archers."

They nodded in unison. The twin who hadn't spoken before said, "Welcome to West Draulin, lad."

"And we're grateful to you for keepin' our beloved Lord Tandrix distracted for a whole year so we could extend our break, aye?" the second added, with a grin. They spoke with a subtler version of their uncle's accent.

Tannix cast Acen an amused glance. "They've slipped."

"All right then," the same talkative twin said. "Leave it alone, mate."

The other twin must have noticed that I looked confused. "The lads here like to tease us about our accents," he explained, then his voice changed, just slightly. "But whenever we spend time with our uncle, we lapse back into it. Usually it isn't so pronounced. Kor, mate. Cut it out."

Kor, the talkative brother, sighed. "All right."

Tannix gestured at the enormous man next. "This is Mandell. Flails, maces, giant broadswords. He fights with anything too heavy and cumbersome for the rest of us to even consider using."

Mandell chucked. "Cumbersome?" he repeated in his deep voice.

"Would you prefer unwieldy?" Tannix asked. "In all honesty, Mandell's probably the strongest man I've ever met. So, next, this is Jalor. Or, like Acen, we could be formal and say Sir Lord Jalor."

I wasn't surprised when it was the neat and tidy Telt who nodded. "You could, but also like Acen, I value the Sir part of the title more. I was a cavalryman in the army, but we don't guard on horseback too often. So now I suppose I'm more of a swordsman."

"And a fantastic one," Tannix added. "And this is Evrik."

"Nice to meet you," the younger Telt said. With the twins and Mandell, I had expected their slight accents. Evrik's surprised me. Even in those four words he already didn't sound quite as proper as Tannix, Acen and Jalor did. His purposeful scruffiness suddenly made a bit more sense.

"Where are you from?" I asked, before wondering if it was a rude question.

Evrik smiled. "Ah, wondering why I'm not as fancy as Jalor?" He gave the other knight a friendly shove. "I was a farmer. As far socially from these three gentlemen as possible. But here I am anyway."

Tannix nodded. "Talent far outweighs birth, at least in my family's opinion. Anyway." He took a step away from me. "Who's going to challenge me to a duel?"