"The witch kept her word and got them to Cold Claw, where they took ship. They sailed north across the Waken Sea, lashed by terrible storms. Two weeks they spent in the dark hold, packed in with the fearful and the desperate.

And then they saw it; Huttsgalor, the City of Chains. Long ago, it was part of the Imperium, where slaves came from far and wide to work in quarries. Now, it's a free city. But I use the term loosely.

Sail through those black cliffs, and you'll see what the slaves of old saw; the Gallows welcoming you. That's where their ship landed with all the rest."

Dak just sat there, crammed in the hall of the ship with the rest of the refugees. There was barely room to move, and the food was almost beyond human consumption. Aveline had been quiet throughout the entire journey, just clutching Wesley's shield and rubbing the cleanest cloth she could find against it.

There had been an incident where they were almost not allowed to board the ship because of their Dire Wolves; in the end, they had to pay some extra coin to allow the captain to lead them on board, which left them penniless.

Leyla had to sell her staff so they could get that much money. She was now sitting next to Mother, keeping her company and Dak at the scale of any men trying to move on her.

Dak looked at Aveline. "I could do with some fresh air. Want to join?"

She nodded, and the two of them made their way onto the deck.

They could already see the cliffs coming into view through the thick mist.

"You can just make out the cliffs," said Aveline.

They soon began to sail through the cliffs, and the first thing they saw were two statues on either side, their hands covering their faces as if they were weeping. They were statues of all slaves from the Imperium back when it controlled the continent.

Ahead of them was the Gallows, which was also the Circle of Magi. However, unlike the Circle Tower in Midgard, it looked more like a prison than a place of learning. The walls were high, making it impossible for anyone to climb over them. In the centre was a large tower that overlooked the entire prison. Even if prisoners were to escape, there was nowhere to go because it was slapped down in the middle of the water.

"Not the most welcoming of ports," said Dak.

Aveline nodded. "You'd think they would redesign it after the fall of the Imperium."

"I hope we did make the mistake of coming," said Dak.

"You're worried about your sister?" Aveline assumed.

"Huttsgalor does have a fearsome reputation when it comes to handling mages."

"Weasly told me a few of the rumours, and while he was certain they were greatly exaggerated, I'm not so sure. After all, there's no smoke without fire."

Upon mentoring Wesley, she looked down at the water's surface.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"No," she said.

They soon reached shore but found they had a new problem.

"They're not letting anyone into the city," Aveline noted.

Leandra blinked. "What? That can't be."

"It's true. Look at them all."

Sure enough, hundreds of refugees were scattered around the courtyard in various stages of desperation, and city guards prevented anyone from entering.

"Can't say I'm surprised," said Dak, folding his arms. "Everyone's fleeing the Blight, just as we are."

Aveline shook her head. "And they would throw us all back to the wolves. Unbelievable."

"So long as we're safe, that's more important," said Leyla.

Dak enjoyed his sister's optimism, especially given her circumstances, but he didn't consider them safe until they were inside the city.

"We need to find Duggard," said Leandra. "Our family have always been highly regarded in Huttsgalorl. He can do something; I'm sure of it!"

"Let's hope he received your letter," said Dak, though he was rather sceptical.

According to the way that his Mother described him, he wasn't exactly the most decisive.

"The guards seem to be reporting to that man," Leandra pointed. "Perhaps we should speak to him."

The guardsman guarding the front of the gate was exactly the welcoming sort. In fact, he would want nothing more than to cast the refugees back out into the sea. He also said something rather troubling, indicating that the Knight-Commander of the Templars was, in fact, the real power within the city.

Dak had heard that the templars were very powerful within Huttsgalor, but he had no idea that they practically controlled the city. This meant that Leyla was in more danger than they first thought but had nowhere else to go.

The guard then pointed them in the direction of Captain Ewald, who was currently in the courtyard. When they got there, they found that he seemed to be in the middle of an argument with seven refugees. Judging from how heavily armed they were, they were either bandits or maybe even deserters.

"Let me through, you flaming blighter!" the refugees' leader ordered. "We're not staying in this pit!"

"Then get back on your ship and leave," said Captain Ewald, narrowing his eyes. "Huttsgalor has no more room for refugees."

"The ship's already gone! We paid for coin getting here!" said another refugee.

"You and half of Midgard. There's nothing I can do! The city is full!"

"One of the guards said you were letting people who have business in the city," said Dak as they approached Captain Ewald.

"That's right!" said the refugee leader. "We've seen you take lots of people through!"

Captain Ewald groaned. "Citizens and merchants that make it worth our while." He then looked at Dak. "I'll assume that you don't have any more coin than these gentlemen? We've been letting you Midgardains in for months. You're too late. There's no more room!"

"But we've got family here!" said Leyla angrily.

Captain Ewald rubbed his temples. "I've heard claims like that a thousand times already. Trust me. We'll find some ships to take you back to Midgard—eventually. Until then, you stay here."

"Our uncle is Duggard Amell," said Dak. "He knows we're coming. Surely someone could find him."

"Duggard. I know that name…"

Leyla stepped forward eagerly. "He's a nobleman here in the city. Our family has an estate."

The guard blinked. "A nobleman? The only Duggard is a simpleton who couldn't rub two coppers together." He shrugged. "If he comes, I'll bring you to him. But I don't have time to—"

"What?" said the refugee leader furiously. "You're going to let them through?"

"I didn't say anything about—"

"We've been here for four days!" a refugee yelled. "They just got here!"

"That's it! We're carving away out of here. Men!"

Dak quickly moved in as he drew his sword and began engaging with the refugee leader. Leyla, who was weaponless and unable to use her magic in front of so many people, pulled Mother away from the fight. At the same time, Aveline jumped in to help him. Summer and Winger then performed a charge, knocking them off their feet and allowing them to take them down.

Eventually, the rest of the guards arrived, but they had already handled the situation by then.

"Unbelievable," Captain Ewald muttered.

The guard from the front of the gates then came rushing up. "Captain! Are you all right?"

"I am, no thanks to you," said Captain Ewald, turning on him, clearly not impressed with the slow reaction time. "Where is everyone? Go find them. I want this kept under control."

The guards saluted and did what they were told.

Captain Ewald turned to Dak gratefully. "You have my thanks." He hesitated a moment, then sighed. "Look, I can't get you into the city. It's not my decision, but I'll find your uncle and bring him here."

Their assistance to the captain may not have provided them with entrance into the city, but he did let them through the first set of gates, granting them a more secure place to wait.

Aveline was pacing again. "It's been three days. This waiting has to end."

"I'm sure it won't be much longer," said Leandra, trying to comfort the other woman. "Duggard must still be looking for us."

"And if he's not?" Aveline asked.

Dak looked up. "Wait. I think someone is coming."

They all turned and saw a man with a thick brown beard and powerful-looking arms had just entered the courtyard. However, he wasn't exactly dressed like a noble; it was easy to mistake him for another refugee.

"Leandra!" he beamed. "You haven't changed one bit."

"Duggard!" said Leandra joyously, throwing her arms around him.

Duggard returned the hug but sighed. "I wasn't expecting you to show up, and they certainly were not expecting the Blight and the death of your husband. To be honest, I never expected to see you again. And I don't even know if I can help you get in."

Dak very much expected this. He was confident that he, Leyla, and Aveline could look after themselves, but he was more concerned about his Mother. "I'm more concerned about Mother. Can you get her in, at least?"

Duggard shook his head. "I was hoping to grease some palms, but the knight-commander's been cracking down. We're gonna need more grease."

"But…" Leandra shook her head in confusion. "What about the estate? Surely Father left something when he died."

"Right, about the estate…" Duggard shifted nervously. "It's, uh, gone. To settle a debt. I've been meaning to write to you."

Mother then burst into tears, and Leyla tried to comfort her. Dak had been expecting this when Captain Ewald mentioned Gamlen, but he had hoped it was just a common name.

"Then there's no hope," Leandra sniffed.

"Not quite," said Duggard. "I know some people who might help…" He wouldn't quite meet their eyes. "If you're not too delicate about the company you keep."

"Mother said our family was wealthy," said Dak, sounding irritated. "You really can't help us?"

"I am trying to help you," said Duggard. "Look, I know someone who's got the coin to open those gates."

"I still can't believe you sold the estate," said Leandra, shaking her head, her expression crushed. "Duggard, how could you?"

"I never expected you and your family to show up on my doorstep," Duggard admittedly. "But I do have a nice place in Lowtown. You'll see. It'll all work out."

Dak sighed as it appeared that, once again, they had no other choice. "We don't have any choice, do we? I need to get my family into Huttsgalor."

"I talked to my contacts, and I found someone who might be willing to pay your way into the city." Duggard hesitated, shifting his weight and eyes. "The catch is both you and your sister will have to work off the debt. For a year."

"A year!" Leandra stared.

"It's the best I could do," said Duggard defensively. "Trust me when I say a bunch of refugees won't get a better option anywhere else."

Dak shook his head in disbelief. "So you're selling us into indentured servitude? That's your idea?"

"Think of it as having a job waiting for you and your new home!" Gamlen shrugged.

"I guess it's only for a year, right?" said Leyla.

"I managed to convince my contact to come to the Gallows to meet you personally," said Duggard. "Look for Meeran. He heads up the mercenary company, the Red Iron. All you need to do is find him in the courtyard and convince them you're worth the trouble."

Dak looked back at Leyla. "What do you think about this, Ley?"

Leyla shrugged. "What can I say? Better here than nowhere."

"What kind of a man is this Meeran?" Dak asked.

"He's a hired sword. What do you expect him to be like?" Duggard shrugged. "I wouldn't bring him home for dinner or anything, but he's got a decent reputation. I wouldn't have asked him if I thought he'd cross you."

"Let's find him and see what he has to say," said Dak.

Leandra gave them a worried look. "Oh, Duggard, I don't know about this."

"It's a lot of coin, Leandra," Duggard pointed out. "Don't go expecting our name to carry the kind of weight it used to."

Aveline stepped forward. "And what of me? I will not allow others to incur debts on my behalf."

Duggard shrugged. "Can't see it makes a difference. You look like a lady who can pull her own weight."

Leandra held out a hand to the other woman. "Then you'll come with us."

Aveline blinked, clearly touched by the offer. "I… have no real option. Thank you."

They found Meeran and several of his other mercenaries. Looking at him, he could already tell the man was tough and stern because of the way he stood.

"Meeran," said Dak.

Meeran looked at him and Leyla curiously. "Huh. So you're Leyla and Dak? The niece and nephew? Your uncle talked up a storm about the two of you. He better not be blowing more smoke out of his ass."

"Getting us into the city will take a lot of coin," said Dak.

Meeran laughed. "Did I mention the Red Iron gets paid pretty well?" His eyes then turned to Leyla. "Not to mention, your uncle said you were a mage. We're willing to pay for that."

Leyla groaned. "I didn't realise Duggard told you that."

"You stick with us; you'll be safe," Meeran assured. "For the year, at least."

"So what do we need to do to prove ourselves?" Dak asked.

"Noble bastard named Friedrich is here in the Gallows. Gave us bad info almost killed my men. Now he's hiding out here, waiting for a ship. He sees us coming, he'll run for sure. But he doesn't know you. Go kill him and his men. We'll make sure no one asks why."

Leyla clearly didn't like the prospect of killing someone, especially when they made the mistake. Fortunately, those misgivings about killing him vanished completely as he proved to be a pompous ass. Clearly, he was a noble who liked to throw his money around and brag.

In truth, he was the one who started the conflict, but they ended it. Apparently, he was not too bright either, as the men he hired two for his protection turned out to be nothing more than two-bit thugs.

Once they were finished, they made their way back to Meeran.

"We've done what you asked," said Dak, not taking any satisfaction in it.

"Good," Meeran smiled. "May the bloody vultures feast on his corpse and shit him into the ocean."

"We're not going to regret this, are we?" Leyla asked.

Dak did not like the prospect of indentured servitude to a mercenary company, but this was an opportunity to make a name for themselves. Working with this mercenary company would allow them to get inside the city and make some contacts, so it was worth the risk.

"Welcome to the Red Iron," said Meeran as he opened his arms in a fatherly way. "Tell your uncle I'm making the arrangements now."

Duggard was waiting in the courtyard with Mother.

"So, how did it go?" Duggard.

"We're in," said Dak.

"I knew you could do it," Duggard smiled.

"Did you really have to tell him that I was a mage?" Leyla asked.

"It was the only way to get his interest," said Duggard. "It's not easy trying to recruit mages, especially here in Huttsgalor; it's even rarer to find one so well-trained. However, the Red Iron has a reputation of protecting its own, and they do not go back on their word."

"I guess we did it. We're here to stay, at least for a while," said Dak.

Leyla sighed. "The Blight may still spread, but for now, we have a new home."

"If only Weasley were here with us," said Aveline.

"Let's just see what happens," said Dak. "We have a long year ahead of us." He then turned and looked at Aveline. "Aveline, you aren't bound by the year."

"Yes, but…"

Leyla gave her a small smile. "Any debt you incurred getting into the city has long since been paid."

She shook her head. "After all you've done for me, it seems wrong to just walk off and leave you."

"I think we all know you're not one to work outside the law."

Aveline nodded. "True, I'll say if any jobs are going for the city guards."

"Then I guess, guest, we'll see you around," Dak smiled.

Aveline nodded, and they went to the port, where a ship would take them to their new home.