Eighth day after Sun's Height, 30016 DC

Tynan let Shadow lead the party, and the dark elf steered them rapidly back to the waterfront through Northport's back streets. Privately, Emlyn was impressed – he knew he wouldn't have been able to find his way so surely, even with the slope of the town and the sun burning overhead to help him choose a direction.

'I feel guilty about leaving Jilly and Markiss to explain things to the guards,' the young fighter said, as they stepped out into the blazing sunshine of the main street, blinking. 'We don't even know them that well.'

Tynan grinned at him. 'I wouldn't worry about them. I give it – what, maybe five minutes? – before Jilly has the sergeant eating out of her hand.'

'That man was using magic,' said Ensa, glancing up from where she was feeding Star fragments of bread and making a fuss of the rat. 'At least, I think so. There was something about the way everyone relaxed… I've read about spells like that, with the magic in the music, but I've never seen it done before. I wonder if the instrument itself was enchanted or if he was using it to channel wild power? It's a subtle way to work, because everyone knows that music has its own power anyway, but I should think it would take a lot of skill. I wonder if he could tell me –?' She stopped and glanced over her shoulder as if hoping the bards might still be in sight.

Tynan laughed. 'Don't go back to find out. You're bound to find another chance, and we don't really want to get ourselves mixed up with the guards. They won't do anything to us, but it could result in hours of pointless bureaucracy. Jilly won't get that.'

They wandered absently along the harbour's edge, away from the crowds of the main streets, and sat on a low wall, looking out to where one of the big merchant vessels was beginning to move out, the ship's motion ponderous by contrast to the men who hustled across her decks and the gulls wheeling and screamining overhead.

Ensa turned away, blinking, the dazzle from the water too much for her weak eyes, and caught sight of the fair-haired girl, who'd followed them from the east gate. She had flipped herself upside down, balancing on her hands on the top of the narrow wall, her hair falling in a short wild halo about her head.

Ensa blinked in surprise. 'You are a tumbler. Should you be doing that with your arm?' The half-orc could still see the red blood where someone's blade had sliced across the girl's brown skin.

The girl flexed her wrists and sprang up and back, landing on her feet in the street. 'Of course!' she said, scornfully. 'When I can't do a simple handstand I'll be dead.'

'What if you just had a broken arm or something?' Emlyn asked, innocently.

'Very funny. I'd just do this, dope.' The girl threw herself forwards again, kicking her legs upwards – but this time she blanced on just one hand, lifting the other from the ground to display her strength and control. She came upright again, barely breathing hard. 'See?'

Emlyn didn't see the glance that Tynan and Shadow exchanged, but Ensa did. She frowned slightly and stroked Star with one finger.

'All right, that was pretty good,' Emlyn said. 'What else can you do?'

'What else?' The girl was incredulous. 'If you knew anything about tumbling you would be a lot more impressed. I'm the best!'

Emlyn laughed. 'You're pretty young for that.' By his judgement, the girl was a good few years younger than him – not much more than a child.

'Don't patronise me! I suppose you think you're so good? Well, look at this!' The fair girl bent over backwards until she dropped onto her hands, her body arched, then kicked her legs upwards and flipped them over her head to land standing the right way up a couple of feet from where she had started. Then she did it again, faster, throwing herself over backwards, her feet leaving the ground long before her hands reached it behind her, the glittering silver strip of material in her costume picking up the light and throwing it back dazzlingly into their eyes. Finally she jumped backwards, tucking her body into a tight ball and rolling over in the air before landing smoothly on her feet, poised at the very edge of the walkway. An inch further backwards and she would have tumbled into the harbour.

Emlyn drew in a sharp breath of amazement, and applauded – along with his friends, and the small crowd who had been attracted to the girl's display of talent. 'All right! You are good!'

He meant it honestly, but the girl took it as a forced and grudging acknowledgement and stuck her chin out belligerently. 'Yeah, and I'd like to see you do better! Who's so good now?'

Stung by her reaction to his genuine praise, Emlyn opened his mouth for a hurt retort when Tynan intervened. 'Enough. Why don't you come and sit down and let me take a look at your arm? I can see it isn't serious, but if it gets infected it could be, so it should be cleaned out. What's your name?'

The ranger had flipped open the flap of the pack resting by his knees and lifted out a roll of bandage and his waterskin. The girl's wound had already almost stopped bleeding, so he just tore off a corner of the bandage and soaked it in water to use as a swab.

The fair-haired girl eyed him suspiciously, but despite his weapons and armour Tynan didn't look threatening, so she came over and perched on the wall beside him, holding out her arm. 'I'm Alika Ballari. Is this going to hurt?'

'No.' Tynan began to sponge dried blood off her arm. 'It's not serious enough for me to drag you off to the temple of Amarill and get them to give you a cream to kill off any infection in there. That hurts. I'm Tynan Orn, and for my sins, I'm the responsible one. The huge reprobate with the sword and the armour is my cousin, Emlyn Ulmer, the elf is our friend Shadow, and the lady –' the young acrobat made a slight surprised noise, which Tynan ignored '– is Ensa Dragontongue. Oh, and the rat is called Star. Did I miss anyone?'

'No,' said Ensa. Perhaps she hadn't heard Alika's quiet exclamation, Emlyn decided, glaring angrily at the girl. The wizard certainly didn't look as if she had. But her face wasn't built to show much emotion anyway…

However much she'd heard or realised, Ensa's voice was steady as she carried on, 'Star is quite impressed you remembered her, though.' Everyone looked down at the rat, who had been perched on Ensa's pack sunning herself, but was now sitting up, looking at Tynan with intelligence and an air of smugness. Emlyn shivered a little. It was strange and unsettling to meet an animal like Star, who behaved as if she understood every word said.

'She likes you, Tynan,' said Shadow, and added, deadpan, 'there's no accounting for taste.'

Emlyn frowned. He had to assume that Shadow was joking – but in that flat monotone it just sounded as if the elf was insulting his cousin. He stood up abruptly and moved a few feet down the wall, sitting down with a thud on Ensa's other side and dumping his pack between them.

'Where are you from, Alika?' asked Tynan, casually, ignoring Shadow. Emlyn shifted slightly, annoyed. If it was him he'd have tackled the elf.

Ensa mistook the source of his bad temper. 'Don't you like the little acrobat, then?' she enquired softly.

'Oh, her!' Even through his temper Emlyn remembered to keep his voice down. 'She's just a brat. Still, I can put up with her for a while, and she'll be gone soon.'

'Are you sure?'

Emlyn turned his head sharply to meet her pale, watery eyes. Ensa had raised her hood again to shade herself from the sun and she was watching him from the shadows. 'What do you mean?'

'Are you sure Tynan isn't considering asking her whether she'd like to stick around?'

Emlyn jerked his gaze over to his cousin. Tynan had finished rising out Alika's cut and she had got up and was walking on her hands along the water's edge for the benefit of a small group of urchins who were hanging around this area of the docks. Meanwhile Tynan and Shadow were deep in conversation, glancing over at the young tumbler occasionally.

'Tynan!' he hissed, then dodged round Ensa to get closer to his cousin as the ranger looked round. 'You can't do this! She'll drive me mad! She'll drive us all mad in a few weeks.'

Tynan looked up at his tall cousin, not sure how serious he was. 'You'd get used to it, Emlyn. And she's got skills that might be useful. Besides – she may need us. She's travelling by herself, and I don't think she has any idea of the risks.'

'How is travelling with us going to help her?'

Tynan frowned. 'Come on, Emlyn. Travelling with a large mixed party –'

'But we're not a large mixed party, are we? We're three men. She's been fine so far, I don't suppose she intends to go anywhere especially dangerous, and travelling with us isn't going to help her reputation any. She doesn't even know us, so she'll refuse even if you do ask. Anyone would!'

'He's right there,' Shadow put in, quietly. 'Inviting a lone girl that age along might not be the smartest thing we could do.'

Emlyn was forced to do a quick rethink of his argument. He'd been determined to oppose Alika's joining them. But if Shadow didn't want it, was it possible that it could be a blessing in disguise? 'On the other hand…' he said, slowly, '…that was a brave thing she did, tackling that man back there. I mean, yes, it was foolish, but it was herself she had the most chance of hurting. And she must have nerve or she couldn't pull those stunts.'

Tynan nodded. 'And notice that the first thing she did was put his weapon out of action? She's got sense or she's got training – and either is good for us. And if she refuses to come along… well, at least I'll know she's got some sense! So how about it? Emlyn?'

The young fighter nodded. 'I might be making a mistake, but… let's give her a chance.' He looked defiantly at Shadow.

The elf gave no sign that he'd noticed, keeping his dark eyes, glittering green in the sunlight, on Tynan's face. At last he nodded slowly. 'All right. A chance.'

'Thank you.' Tynan smiled at them. 'We can at least steer her clear of some of the pitfalls.'

'What's all the intense discussion?' Alika called across to them, her voice brash and cheerful. She stood upright again and pushed her short hair out of her face. 'You look very serious.'

'We were wondering if you'd like to come along with us for a bit,' Tynan told her, coolly.

The girl tipped her head on one side, considering. 'I might. Where are you going?'

Tynan shugged. 'Wherever we feel like. We generally just wander. Go any place that seems interesting. Occasionally we have to settle down for a bit and find some work.'

Alika wrinkled her nose up. 'Yeah, all right. Why not?' She sat down on the dirty stonework of the harbour's edge and then, without apparent effort, swept her legs outwards until they formed a perfectly straight line on either side of her body.

Emlyn blinked in disbelief. What for him had been a life changing decision had passed for this girl in a matter of seconds, and she exuded a general air of paying no attention at all.

He had just opened his mouth – to ask Are you sure you know what you're doing? – when Alika beat him to it. She looked up and said, 'So where are we going? And when? I have to get my bag from the inn at the east gate before we leave.'

Tynan laughed. 'I don't know. Where do you want to go? Anyone? Emlyn?'

'I still want to look around Northport,' Emlyn said, quickly. 'We needn't be long. Just a day or two. I want to see the temples. And the City Hall. And the Island Charter.'

Alika groaned. 'You want to go sightseeing? I've joined up with a bunch of people who want to go and investigate culture and history and boring stuff like that!'

Emlyn stared at her. 'What do you mean, boring stuff like that? Didn't I hear you say you're from Starold? You grew up in the biggest city in the world, the home of the Arcane Academy and the Celestial Tower and Star Keep, and you're not interested in history? Some people don't deserve their luck!'

'Yeah, I grew up in the biggest city in the world,' Alika rapped back. 'So I know how to appreciate it. The good thing about a city – about Starold – is that it's full of people and crowds and marketplaces. It's exciting and dynamic, and a performer can pick up a big haul if she's good. There's always people around from different parts of the world and you can hear different languages and it's full of great things to see and smell and touch. That's what's good about a city, none of this 'cultural heritage' stuff – as you'd know if you weren't an ignorant country boy!'

'Hey!' Emlyn drew his breath in sharply. 'You're a fine one to talk, with your big mouth and your prejudice! I come from the nation with the longest tradition of freedom and equality in the whole world, and I'm proud of it – but that isn't going to stop me appreciating the amazing things I can see elsewhere, and you'd do better to keep an open mind and see what you can learn, too!'

'Stop it.' Tynan's firm voice cut through the quarrel.

'He started it,' Alika muttered, looking mutinous.

'I don't care who started it! You're arguing over nothing at all. So Emlyn is interested in historical landmarks and Alika isn't. Big deal!' Tynan paused, and then cracked a rueful grin. 'Anyway, don't argue about it, because you are doing the one unforgivable thing, which is making me feel like your parent. Which I am not old enough to be. Not even nearly.'

Emlyn gave him a reluctant smile, feeling sheepish. 'Sorry, Tynan. Sorry, Alika.'

The young acrobat rolled her eyes. 'It's Ali.'

'Sorry?'

'My name. To my family. Even if we only behave like we're related!'

Acting on a sudden impulse, Emlyn caught Tynan's eye and winked swiftly before turning to the girl and giving her a cautious look. 'I never had a sibling. I'm not sure if I want one like you.'

'Hey!' She frowned. 'I'm insulted! That was a very…' She tailed off suspiciously as she caught sight of Emlyn trying to hide a grin, and groaned. 'I don't believe I fell for that.'

'Serious now, let's get this straight,' said Tynan. 'Who wants to come up to the City Hall and have a look at the Island Charter? Emlyn, I assume. Ali not, right?'

'I have a choice?' the girl asked suspiciously, running a hand through her short hair so it stood up in spikes.

'I'm not a drill sergeant,' said Tynan, mildly. 'If you wanted to slope off somewhere then you could meet us later.'

'Oh well, in that case… I s'pose I'll come with you.' Ali wrinkled her nose. 'Then at least I can tell my ma I saw that stuff.'

'Fine. Emlyn, Ali – Ensa. What are you doing? Heading out to Master Eladrissinel's house?'

'Yes, I suppose so.' Ensa was still sitting on the wall in the sunshine with her shoulders hunched up under her robe, and her grating, gravelly voice was uncertain. 'Only I do have this feeling that the Island Charter is one thing I really ought to see, since I'm here, so I don't know…'

'Well, come with us, then,' Tynan said, sensibly. 'You can always head east tomorrow. If that riddle's been unsolved for more than a hundred years, another day isn't going to hurt.'

'Yes, do, Ensa,' added Emlyn. 'Maybe we could get you and Star something to eat?'

Ali glanced up at the sun, which was approaching its peak. 'Maybe we could all have something?' she asked, hopefully.

Tynan laughed. 'All right then, you lot.' He hefted his pack onto his back, and shooed them up the quay with wafting movements of his hands. 'Shall we go?'