Aldeheid watched as Kon became a diminishing speck in the west. Back-dropped by the blaze of the setting sun, it was a jewel in the savanna's crown. He leaned his head against the tree onBellyn's back and soaked in the crisp breeze. His muscled relaxed as he breathed deep, taking the savanna's essence deep into his body. This was the least tense he'd been in years. And he wondered if this strange sense of peace would last. Or if it was the calm before the storm.

Kitaya was a cape on his shoulders, the fabric spilling over his arm and fanning out on the grass beside him. He ran his hands over the material – soft as silk, light as a breeze, and fluid as water.

"I take it I make a good cape?" she asked, her voice filling his head.

"The best cape," he said, watching the cloth billow in the breeze. "How much longer before we get to the backlands?"

"The border is just ahead. Take that thing off your face."

Aldeheid cringed. She wanted him to uncover the brand on his cheek, walk around proudly with it. Because it would make him look like an outcast. That's all that populated the Backlands, outcasts, defectors, criminals, or those who refused to live under the crown of Kon. Or any of the other savanna nations.

His lips twisted into a grimace as he reached up and poked and prodded his cheek before slipping his finger under the rubbery material that covered his scar. Peeling it away was akin to shedding his clothes in front of millions. He felt exposed, naked with his brand uncovered. But he supposed it was a small thing compared to what Kitaya had to do.

Since she was a known member of the royal house, she'd have to keep her face covered whenever she wasn't on his shoulders. She'd gotten them "new" clothes. Raggedy old things that would help them blend in.

Aldeheid had only his sword, a bag with a few more pieces of clothes and a small pouch of coin. Everything of importance was packed away in the box, save for his earring. He'd missed having the weight on his ear and didn't want to give it up.

"I'm not getting you a new one if we get mugged, angel eyes," Kitaya had said.

A flash lit up Aldeheid's peripheral as she changed to normal form.

"We should get off here, and walk the rest of the way." She rifled through her bag and pulled out her mask, tying it so it hung around her neck.

They'd travelled a ways north of their intended target to avoid the battlefield from the night before. But from his vantage point, Aldeheid saw patches of scorched ground. He remembered the magic in the air stinging his exposed skin, the smells of burning grass, the shouts combined with the pounding of his heart.

"Angel eyes?" Kitaya's voice pulled him from his trance. "Everything alright?"

He tore his eyes away from the battlefield. "Yes. Uh..." He scooped up both their bags and shouldered them, hiding the shaking in his hands. "We should keep moving if we want to make it to the backlands before dusk."

Aldeheid breezed past her and slid down from Bellyn's back, landing in grass that swallowed him up to his waist. He patted Bellyn on the trunk as Kitaya hopped down. "Thanks for the ride."

The monolith made a low grumbling sound before turning to head back to Kon.

"Shall we?" Aldeheid extended his marked hand, palm up. She slid her hand in his, and for the first time, he noticed their marks met together perfectly. Magician and cape. Wielder and source. The perfect duo.

It was still surreal and comforting, knowing he had a cape of his own. That he wasn't doomed to be a worthless magician for all his days. He never wanted this feeling to go away.

Light radiated from Kitaya's chest, spilling down her arms, and a flash later she was an emerald green cape again. He clasped her at his shoulder and began the trek to the backlands.

The tall grass bowed to the whims of the savanna breeze, their shadows arching in the setting sun. A lull had settled over the air, like the land was taking a breath after the commotion from the battle.

"Had I known being carried around was this wonderful, I would've gotten myself a magician ages ago," Kitaya said.

"I'll carry you to the ends of Magika and beyond, my lady." Aldeheid grinned as he imagined her rolling her eyes.

"You and your silver tongue."

He plucked a blade of grass and ran his finger along its edge. "So, these backlands. Are they a Nation of their own or...?" Kitaya had only given him a brief rundown of what to expect before they'd left Kon, but told him nothing of the politics of where they were going.

"The Backlands are a group of towns, each existing autonomously to each other. They each have their own form of government, ranging from a free-for-all to complete draconian. The town we're headed to is somewhere in the middle. I'm not sure how friendly and forthcoming the people are there, so I raided the castle treasury."

"I see. We'll have our work cut out for us now that we have to get the information for Eriani in addition to looking for Mellidius." Aldeheid wound the blade of grass around his fingers.

"Aldeheid. I don't want you to feel as though you need to toady to Eriani's whims."

"You call it toadying. I call it self-preservation. I don't want to give your altori new reasons to hate me." He let the wind carry the grass away and toyed with the pommel of his sword instead.

"Fair point."

To the east, smoke curled into the sky, but whether that was a good or bad thing was yet to be seen. A wooden structure rose from the sea of grass growing taller and taller the further Aldeheid walked.

"That's it," Kitaya said. "Keep your cool angel eyes and remember talk is cheaper than silence."

Aldeheid only nodded not wanting to say anything out loud in case they were being watched. They came up on the town's entrance – ramshackle wooden gate with pores and pockets where insects had made it their home. A stiff enough breeze would likely take it down. A lone guard stood watch – a burly fellow wearing armour that exposed his thick, hairy arms.

"State your business," the guard said with a growl in his voice, peering up at Aldeheid with deep-set eyes that smoldered like hot coals.

"Just a weary traveler looking for a place to rest my head." He adjusted his bags on his shoulder and brandished a gold coin from his pouch. "Any good inns in town?"

The guard snatched the coin as though he were afraid Aldeheid would take it back. The growl was notably gone from his voice when he spoke again. "The Stone Viper is the best in town. But that may be because it's the only one. Enjoy your stay."

Aldeheid nodded and walked through the gate. The main market area was small, with a few stands cramped together into the space along the dirt road. All were boarded up for the day save for two – a stall laden with produce, manned by a woman and child and another selling dried meats, with a cage of livestock flanking it.

"Go to the fruit vendor," Kitaya said. "Put that silver tongue of yours to good use."

Aldeheid resisted the urge to roll his eyes and walked up to the lady.

She watched him with wary brown eyes and tucked the child closer to her. "Can I help you?" She had her marked hand tucked into her pocket, and Aldeheid was willing to wager that there were ether stones in there.

He brandished more coins, silver ones this time, as Kitaya had warned him not to flaunt too much. "It's been a while since I've had fresh fruit."

The vendor gave him a toothy grin. "What would you like?"

Aldeheid pointed out two at random.

"You look like you've travelled far," she said, as she tucked his goods into a cloth bag.

"I did. But I ran into some trouble on the way here. Some masked people in black." He gave a mock shiver. "They seemed to be conducting a ritual."

The vendor's lips curled. "Those people. They've been lurking around the backlands for a while. And not just here. Travelers from all over have stories about them. They're like some kind of plague."

"It seems I was right to be wary about them then." He nodded to her and accepted his fruit. "Thank you for your time. Can you point me to the Stone Viper?"

"Sure. Just keep following this road until you see a two-story stone building with lots of ruckus coming from inside. You can't miss it."

"That was smooth. I'm impressed," Kitaya said. "She didn't give us anything useful though. Hopefully, there will be more people to talk to at the inn."

Aldeheid continued his trek through the town. The people who were still out and about gave him leery stares. The look one would give to some suspicious wild beast – curious, but wary. He pulled his hood over his head and kept his eyes forward.

They finally arrived at the Stone Viper. The building was one of the lesser worn structures Aldeheid had seen so far. The variegated stones had runes on every corner, the ward making the air hum. A snake carved from dark stone stood guard by the door. It had two glowing orbs for eyes, and Aldeheid's hair stood on edge when he looked at it.

He stepped through the open door and was absorbed by the cacophony beyond. Magicians and capes filled the opened space, some seated around the low wooden tables others at the bar. A dais was off to the left where a scantily clad duo was dancing to a drum ensemble. Those whoweren't enraptured with their sultry performance were shooting dice or playingTactica.

Aldeheid weaved through the tables, feeling gazes of curiosity or scorn light on him like blood-thirsty insects. He made it to the bar and took a seat between two vacant stools. "I don't like this place..." he said. It made him feel the same way monoliths did – on edge, like danger was always just over his shoulder.

As he waited for the bartender to take his order, he glanced around. His eyes were drawn to a board to the right of the bar. It held hand-drawn pictures of people wanted by the town's council. He scanned the photos, his jaw falling as he stared at one near the top.

"That's..." The rest of the words died in his throat.

"Mellidius," Kitaya finished for him. "Looks like your dear old mentor has gotten himself into some trouble out here."

The prize for Mellidius' head was fifty thousand gold pieces. So, Aldeheid didn't want to imagine what his mentor had done.

"What can I get for you?" The barmaid said, and Aldeheid jumped. "Sorry, stranger. I didn't mean to scare you." She gave him a toothy grin that made dimples light on her cheeks.

"It's fine. I was just admiring your wall here."

"Indeed, the Council is looking for quite a few heads. Quick money if you're up to the task."

"Is that so...?" Aldeheid pointed to Mellidius' picture. "What can you tell me about this one?"

"I can tell you to choose someone else. I have no idea what he did, but the head of the Council has a serious problem with him. He has the highest bounty because those who go after him, don't come back. Well, except Abor. But he came back with some... missing parts."

Aldeheid's eyebrows shot up. "Any idea where I can find this Abor?"

"Just stick around a while. Buy him a drink, and he'll tell you anything."

"I see." He slid her a few silver pieces. "One mug of ale, and the rest is for you." He winked at her, and she gave him another grin before flouncing off.

"Good work, angel eyes. We're making more headway than I expected." Kitaya sounded somewhere between surprised and impressed. "Keep it up and we may find Mellidius yet."

A frothy mug of ale landed in front of him a moment later. "Let me know if you need anything else," the barmaid said.

Aldeheid saluted her with his glass before taking a sip. It was smooth and had a fruity undertone that excited his taste buds. "So what's the plan?"

"We'll ask this Abor fellow when and where he found Mellidius," Kitaya explained. "Then we start there. From what the barmaid said, it doesn't sound like he's hiding." She lapsed into silence and Aldeheid imagined her biting down on her thumbnail. "We'll get a room. Hole up for now. If we're going after Mellidius, I'd rather do it under the cover of night."

"Do you think he'll send us back with a few parts missing too?"

Kitaya snorted. "I'm not afraid of that fool. I'll drag him back to Kon by his hair if I have to."

The barmaid waved to Aldeheid and tilted her head towards the entrance. Someone had just stumbled through.

A man with dreadlocks that hung down his back, and a peg where his left foot was supposed to be. He hobbled around the tables and took a seat right next to Aldeheid. "Hey, bar maiden let me get some of what he has." He jerked a thumb at Aldeheid, the only finger left on his marked hand.

"That's our premium ale. You have coin for it?" She quirked an eyebrow at him.

Abor pat down his clothes before fishing coins from various pockets. "Enough?" The barmaid shook her head at him.

Aldeheid seized the opportunity. He took out two silver coins and flicked them so they tumbled end over end onto the top of the pile. "How about now?"

"That'll do it." The barmaid swiped the coins into her apron pocket and went off to tap the ale.

"Thanks stranger," Abor said.

Aldeheid saluted him with his mug of ale. "Expect little more of it. I might go broke soon if I don't find some work." He looked up at the wall of wanted posters. "Think I might give one of these a try."

"Yeah?" He scratched his hair and Aldeheid noticed for the first time that two fingers on his marked hand were missing. "There's a bounty hunting guild in town. You might want to check in with them first. They don't like people muscling in on their turf."

"I suppose I'd be upset if someone tried to muscle in on my fifty thousand gold bounty." He took another swig of ale, pretending not to notice Abor's slack-jawed shock.

"You might want to pick a different target. That one made me retire from bounty hunting." His ale landed in front of him and he swallowed half of it in one draught. "And I'm lucky. At least I came back alive. Can't say the same for the others who went after him."

"Was he really that powerful?"

Abor stared into his half-empty tankard, a distant look entering his eyes. "It was like he wasn't human. His cape looked strange too."

Aldeheid did his best to hide his shock. Cape...? Mellidius had found and bonded with a new cape.

"The magic he used was unreal. And the way he moved... I couldn't even touch him," Abor continued. "I'm sure he only sent me back as a warning to the rest. To stay out of his way. So unless you're looking for a way out of this world, I'd suggest you pick another picture. Any other one."

"And what if I am looking for a way out. And a challenge before I go."

Abor breathed a laughed. "You're crazy, stranger. If you really want to find him, you can start looking through the northern end of the Backlands, then slowly make your way east. It would also be helpful if you made a ruckus about going after him. Word spreads fast, and the Council believes he has spies out here."

"And how does one make a ruckus?"

He saluted Aldeheid with his tankard. "Buy me another drink, and I'll spread the word for you."

"Deal."

An hour later he was turning the key to his room while balancing two bowls of stew and a fresh loaf of bread on his arm. Their accommodations were unremarkable. The bed took up one side of the room, and a set of shelves for their belongings took up the other, while a small table sat across from the door.

He set the food down before tucking their bags away. To think, finding a lead on Mellidius had been that easy... It almost felt too easy.

Kitaya flashed into normal form and laid out on the bed with a sigh. "Looks like three weeks will be more than we need to find Mellidius."

"He has another cape. It makes me wonder why he never returned home." Aldeheid sat on the bed beside her and handed her a bowl of stew.

"Perhaps he got mixed up with the wrong people, disgraced himself and the royal house of Kon. And now he's too ashamed to go back and face Eriani." She looked thoughtfully at her bowl of stew before taking a bite. "We'll take tonight to rest, give Abor until sunset tomorrow to spread the word for us. Then we head north."

He nodded and kicked off his boots. "Perhaps we should've gotten two rooms instead of one."

"I can sleep on the floor if you're bothered."

"N-no, I'm not bothered." His face burned. "But if anything, I should sleep on the floor. I mean, I doubt could sleep comfortably in this bed anyway."

"Indeed. There is a lot of you, but I believe you can fit fine if you curl up." She shrugged. "I'll just sleep in cape form on your back then."

"That sounds good." Aldeheid turned his head so she wouldn't see how red his face had gotten and continued stuffing his face.