The first night's walk after leaving Dead Girl's Crater had been uneventful, apart from the unfortunate incident with the scorpion, and it was followed by a comparatively dull day's rest. They resumed their journey as evening fell again, on the final stretch across the barren desert to Fools' Escape, according to Abbikson and Lytette's calculations.

The sun had long since fallen below the horizon, and night settled in. The air felt cooler there, less oppressive. Irikhart was tired of the desert already. In fact, he strongly disliked it. He had descended from the sky and landed in Rordynne Forest, just where he wanted to be. With Ryleine.

She was still warming up to Irikhart, preferring the company of her own friends in the mean time. He only needed to prove himself, and he was sure that finding this coin in Fools' Escape would be sufficient to do so. How much more could she ask of him?

"What is Fools' Escape, exactly?" he asked of no one in particular.

"It was a port once," ventured Abbikson when no one else offered an answer, "even before the mainland vanished. Strong currents made it difficult to follow the coast in bad weather. The bay offered respite from the high seas, but in return provided hazardous submerged rocks and a difficult channel into port. Even then, the town was a sanctuary for exiled criminals. It became well known that only fools would sail into the bay, no matter how desperate the cause."

"Hold on," said Kyrnrie. "It has a port? Why did we just walk for days across the desert? Could we not have sailed?"

"Did you not hear what I just explained about the rocks and the bandits?"

"Still would have been nice of you to give us the options," added Ryleine.

"I haven't set foot on a ship since your parents were washed overboard, Ryleine. I wasn't about to watch you being claimed by the sea too."

"What about the return journey?" she asked. "Do you intend to go back the same way? Through Dead Girl's Crater?"

Abbikson didn't answer, and a silence quickly settled on the group.

"The Three are close behind us, Abe," said Lytette. "We must consider taking a boat, if there is one to be taken."

"We need to find the coin first," said Kyrnrie, "and we don't really know where to look. It's not as if valuable golden coins simply lie around, glinting in the sun without anyone noticing."

"No," admitted Lytette, "but when you're looking for something that has been hidden, you can generally eliminate all the obvious places first."

"Hidden?" said Kyrnrie. "Don't you mean lost?"

Lytette shrugged, and Irikhart found himself beckoning the furthest reaches of his memory. There was something there, something about coins being hidden. Seven coins.

"If they were hidden, then why does my grandfather have one?" asked Ryleine.

"I assume he found it in the forest."

"And the bakerwoman?"

"In the city, I suppose."

"And... if these coins – that somebody has carefully hidden – are used to find the mainland..." said Ryleine cautiously.

"... Then that would suggest," continued Kyrnrie, "that the mainland didn't vanish by accident!"

Irikhart battled with his memories. Had someone hidden it? Was it... Him? No, that didn't sound right. Oh, why had he spent so much of his time watching the girls...?

"Lytette?" prompted Abbikson.

"There it is!" she exclaimed, pointing ahead of them, with a smile that suggested she would happily use the sight of Fools' Escape to avoid answering the questions.

They neared the ruined town in silence, leaving Ryleine, Kyrnrie and Abbikson without answers, likely all pondering the implications of the demon-goddess's revelation while she kept the details to herself.

Irikhart eyed the deserted settlement cautiously, searching for any sign of movement as he fidgeted with his sword. The lack of life in the desert was unnerving, but a dead town was even worse.

A single street wound from the desert through to the port, with small buildings on either side, most without even a second floor. None of the windows emitted any light; not a single candle burned in the town. They followed the street all the way to the port, where a lone ship was docked.

The rigging looked well kept, no snapped lines, nothing loose. The sails were furled neatly, the decks and hull clean and varnished. Like the town, the ship was bathed only in the dim light from the stars.

"I am starting to feel that we have walked into a trap," said Irikhart as he drew his sword in preparation.

Ryleine glanced at him, and then raked her eyes up and down the length of his body, and finally shook her head gently with a smile.

"You may be right," she said, "but if we get out of this, I am taking you shopping. You look ridiculous. I doubt anyone could attack without bursting into laughter mid-charge."

Shopping? With Ryleine? Irikhart brightened up at that, something to look forward to. Another reason to defeat whatever enemy lurked in the town, and to collect the prized coin for his love.

"Anyone see any obvious hiding places?" asked Ryleine. "Kyrnrie, your thief eyes drawn to anything?"

"Yes," he said, resigned. "The well."

In the centre of the town, to one side of the main street, stood a rough brick well. A bucket lay beside it, a thin rope connecting it to a wooden winch.

"I'll go down at first light," said the thief. "I am not mad enough to do it in the dark."

They all surrounded the well, peering down into the blackness. Abbikson dropped a stone which took a surprisingly long time to splash into the water. Irikhart glanced back towards the port, at the sea reflecting the light of the stars, the water level much higher than that of the well.

"Shouldn't—"

"Yes, it should," agreed Abbikson.

"Then why—"

"I don't know," admitted the old man. "This is the first well I have come across in the desert. They're not usually worth digging."

"It should be me," said Irikhart after a moment of silence. "I am the hero here. I will collect the coin from the bottom of the well."

"Normally I would happily agree," said Kyrnrie, "but this is much more my line of work. You stay here and watch for... anything. Your sword is far more valuable out in the open."

As morning broke, Kyrnrie prepared to begin his descent. He tied the rope around his waist, and tightened his clothing wherever possible. Irikhart still felt he should be the one to go, but the job did seem more appropriate for a professional thief.

"Be careful," said Ryleine, her hand resting on his forearm.

Ryleine was such a sweet girl. She would be Irikhart's in little time, just as soon as he proved his love.

They watched Kyrnrie glide into the dark tunnel and begin climbing down the roughly laid rocks on its outer rim. It wasn't long before he vanished from sight, the only sign of him being the rope slowly slipping down from the coil beside the well.

The sound of a throat being cleared caught Irikhart's attention, and he swung around immediately to find four men standing in the street, silhouetted in the morning light. They were all tall, strong, and broad shouldered, wearing light cloth that was flapping in the breeze. They carried heavy, curved blades, held loosely before them, their tips resting on the street.

"We are the Guardians of the Lost Light," proclaimed one of them as he stepped forward. "You have trespassed, and you will pay with your lives."

"Let me handle this!" said Lytette stepping forward. "Guardians, do you know who I am? Do you know what I am?"

"Demon-goddess, you are not welcome here. Like your companions, you will pay with your life. The very ground you stand on drains your power, makes you weak. It renders you mortal."

Lytette's face screwed up in anger, and she paced forward to meet the guardians.

"Wait," said Irikhart. "Have you tried reasoning with them?"

"What?" she hissed.

Irikhart stepped in front of the demon-goddess, taking the initiative.

"Excuse me," he said. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Irikhart—"

"We know who you are!"

"Excellent! That will save me some time, then," he said flashing a smile. "You see, we don't mean to cause any trouble. We are looking for a little gold coin. Once we find it, we will be on our way, and out of your hair. Nothing to worry about."

The leader of the guardians barked a short incredulous laugh.

"Nothing to worry about? Irikhart, what do you think we are here to protect?"

Irikhart glanced around at the deserted buildings surrounding them.

"The town?" he ventured.

The guardians all chuckled as they darted looks amongst themselves.

"The coin, fool. We are the guardians of the Navigator's Coin!"

"Really? So you know where it is?" he asked, amazed at how their luck had turned. "Is it in the well?"

"What? Yes of course we know where it is. How else could we protect it?"

"It's in the well, isn't it?" he said, getting excited.

"No... well, I'm not telling you where it is."

"You don't know where it is, do you!"

The guardian's jaw dropped, but Irikhart couldn't help but notice his left hand fidgeting near his pocket.

"It's in your pocket, isn't it? You didn't even hide it!"

"This might be the only time I say it Irikhart," said Lytette behind him, "but... well done!"

"It's not in my pocket," insisted the guardian after a moment of hesitation, but Irikhart could see the lie. "Look, it doesn't matter where it is. We are going to kill you all, so shut up... and let us get this over with."

The four guardians began advancing, raising their blades in front of them. Irikhart drew his own sword, sad that his negotiations had failed. He swung it in the air a few times to get a feel for the weight, aimed, and threw it with all his strength at the leader of the guardians, who stepped aside and watched it fly past him.

"What the hell was that?" spat Lytette.

"What the hell was that?" snickered the guardian.

"Godsdammit," added Abbikson with a sigh as he began approaching the guardians with his hands held open before him. "Might I suggest a deal?"

Irikhart noticed the long curved blade tucked into the belt behind the hold man, but even he could tell it was a futile move. He was considering what he could do next when he felt something odd in the air. A darkness appeared, a shadow without a body, the daylight disturbed beyond his comprehension. In barely an instant, the guardians all screamed in turn, falling to the dust, motionless.

The shadow eased through the air and stopped before them, taking form just beyond reality, with no body or face to speak of, but a shape somehow familiar nonetheless. It spoke in a cold voice.

"Consider my debt paid, Lytette, demon-goddess of the desert."

Lytette nodded without a word, and the shadow drifted towards Abbikson, pausing for a few moments – hanging eerily in the air before it suddenly vanished, leaving the morning sun to flood the street once again.

"Nothing down here," said Kyrnrie, as he poked his head out of the well.

Irikhart walked over to the fallen guardians and collected the gold coin from the leader's corpse. It was just like the previous one, with seven stars on one side, and a ship on the other. Even covered in dust it shone brightly in the sunlight.

"Don't worry, Kyrnrie," yelled Irikhart, "I found it!"

He looked at Ryleine, smiling, hoping his white teeth shone brighter than the coin as he held it before him.

"And now, my love," he said. "Have I proved myself? Have—"

"Now is not the time," interrupted Lytette. "You need to get back to Helen's Bay before The Three catch up. I propose you take their ship. Any objections?"

"I don't suppose you are going to answer any more of our questions, Lytette?" queried Ryleine with a hopeless tone, as she began walking toward the ship. "Wait. What do you mean you? You're not coming with us?"

There was only silence in answer. The demon-goddess was nowhere to be seen.