Hey guys, here is chapter two. I hope you like it.

To the guest that reviewed on the previous chapter, I am not going to be posting twice a week, as I'm struggling with working on Fire and Ice. I will concede, though, to posting an extra chapter for you all on Christmas day.

-owl

Based on the information from the captain of the Tellun's Pride, they planned to get dropped on a sandbar and wade into the city, near the fishing wharf, in hopes of avoiding questioning looks. Apparently Xin Kao Dai was prone to heavy morning fogs this time of year, and they were going to use that to their advantage.

Rollan just wished that they had come up with a plan that didn't end up with them so wretchedly wet. He also wished that they didn't have to carry as much as they did. To back up their disguises as puppeteers, Tarik was carrying a large lantern in addition to his traveling pack. Rollan and Abeke had large puppets in their arms and strapped to the top of their packs, while Conor carried the sail that they would be using as a screen.

Everything around them was silent, save the gently lapping water. All the spirit animals that could be in passive state were as such. Essix, of course, was somewhere above them.

"How close are we to shore?" Abeke finally asked.

"Close," Tarik said. "I am starting to see fish traps."

Rollan couldn't help himself, he had to ask. "Are they dangerous?"

"Only to fish."

The conversation lapsed after that, and once again the only sound was the water. Slowly they started passing through rows upon rows of fish traps. Luckily none of them ended up stepping into any of them, though Rollan came close a couple of times.

When they finally reached land and started weaving between ramshackle houses, Rollan couldn't have been happier. As they ducked between houses and under clotheslines, Rollan almost tripped. For, in front of him was no longer the fog and houses and hanging clothes. Instead he was looking at the sunrise from above the fog. And the fog was burning off too quickly. They wouldn't be able to merge with the crowds unnoticed at this rate. That was a large problem because that was the entire point of the plan; to get into the city without anyone questioning them.

"The fog is burning away, fast! We need to either make a new plan or get our rears in gear!" Rollan advised, trying not to let his voice shake. In the year that he and Essix had so far been bonded, he had never been able to see out of her eyes like that. It was cool, yes, but while he had been able to see with her sharp eyes, Rollan had to process the information with his own not-so-sharp brain.

"Could we wait until nightfall?" Conor asked. "Or once everyone is out of their houses, fishing..."

Tarik shook his head. "That won't work, the women and children will likely still be in their homes throughout the day. And there's no guarantee that there won't be patrols. There's a market block, up ahead. We can go there."

Everyone nodded in agreement, and they changed their course to fit the new plan. It seemed like it was going to work, at least until Rollan caught sight of a pair of guards at the entrance of the market. He hissed in displeasure.

Now, if they were ordinary city guards, this would be one thing, but they both had the look about them that they were part of the Conqueror army. That and they both had spirit animals. The woman had a stoat and the other had a snake that was wrapped around his wrist.

Abeke mimed shooting an arrow. Rollan shook his head. That could not end well, shooting a guard in the middle of a crowded market.

"I'll distract them," Rollan declared, turning his jacket inside out and messing up his hair. "Once I lose them, I'll meet you three by the... biggest pie-seller stall."

"Pie-seller stall?"

"There's always a pie stand in the market."

Abeke looked doubtful. "In Amaya, maybe, but would it be the same in Zhong?"

Tarik nudged Rollan and pointed at a tall tower. "Let's meet at that tower," he suggested.

Rollan nodded. "The shady side." As he separated himself from the other three, he began to shout. "Poison! Her animal poisoned me!" he yelled, pointing at the stoat that accompanied the female guard.

Once Rollan had tricked the guards into what was essentially a trash heap, he decided to make one personal stop before finding the others. After taking longer than he wanted to find it, Rollan was able to track down a market stall that kept messenger birds.

He wanted to send a letter to Lucette, seeing as she was missing out on the journey. The woman behind the stall offered Rollan a large smile alongside a paper and writing utensil.

Lucette, we just made it to Xin Kao Dai, and will be going into the somewhat nearby swamp and rain forest in search of Dinesh. We miss you and look forward to seeing you when we return to Greenhaven. -your honorary brother, Rollan.

When they had returned from Northern Eura, still high on the euphoria of collecting the Iron Boar, Olvan had broken the terrible news. Nicolai had been captured by the Conquerors. It hit them all hard, he had been a friend to all of them and had gone with them on the journey to find Arax. Unsurprisingly, it hit Lucette the hardest.

She had fallen apart. Not that she would have dealt with it well in the first place, but she was already mentally drained already by both the panic attack from being locked in the trunk, as well as trying to comfort Conor after Dawson had visited them. She had practically fallen over when she heard the news, only avoiding crashing into the floor because Rollan caught her and lowered her to the floor gently.

He couldn't truly understand what she was dealing with, as he had no true family of his own, but he was close to both her and her brother. That, if anything, was what made him take the Greencloak vows. Nicolai had been a constant presence for Rollan while he had been staying at Greenhaven, and his quiet way of emulating what the Greencloaks stood for was going to be missed. Rollan felt like he owed it to Nicolai, and Lucette, to become an official Greencloak.