Taelord woke to the sound of poorly suppressed laughter.

“Hush, Aiiva,” a voice he recognized as Syafa’s said from the other room. “You’ll wake them.”

Taelord rolled over and stretched, his arms over his head. He couldn’t remember the last time he had slept like that. He had been worried about what had been said last night, but it couldn’t compare to sleeping in the Volcarren, not knowing if he’d wake up suddenly with a knife against his throat. He had slept soundly for the first time in… he didn’t know how long. He glanced to his side. His mother still slept, but Veth and Scar-shoulder were gone.

It felt strange, just lying there, knowing that he didn’t need to immediately get up. Taelord’s life had been divided into two: the times in Srung, when he had been imprisoned by stone walls; and the times he had escaped from it, when he had needed to wake well before dawn if he was to avoid the Imperial patrols Ahnvad had sent after him.

Lying here, with the knowledge that neither was the case… Taelord wasn’t quite sure what to do. Perhaps there was nothing he could do. Nothing aside from remaining here, where there was good food and a roof over his head, and simply waiting for Utgar to secure his future. Taelord felt uneasy at the prospect. He had always had some plan, some course he knew to take. Now he… just sat and waited.

Taelord cast the thought aside and got up. If all he could was wait, then he might as well enjoy where he was. Leaving his mother still sleeping, he crossed the small room and eased open the door.

Syafa, Aiiva, and Rehs were sitting at the table, talking in low voices. Aiiva had her hand over her mouth, apparently overcome with suppressed laughter, and Rehs looked as though he was trying to be angry and failing.

“Taelord,” Syafa said as he entered. She stood, crossed to the fire, and began ladling something into a bowl from a pot. “Did you sleep all right?” she asked as she turned and put the bowl down in front of him. “I do hope the straw was comfortable enough, and the nights can get cold here in Helsng…”

“It was easily the best sleep I’ve had in years,” Taelord told her. She smiled, and he sat. The bowl seemed to contain some sort of fluffy, yellowish material, mixed with cooked vegetables and grain. Taelord had no idea what it was, but he picked up the fork Syafa provided and started eating.

“Are you needed anywhere?” Rehs asked. “Anything you have to do?”

Taelord shook his head, and swallowed. “As far as I know, we’re here until the scouts come back. They left with some Imperial guides three days ago, when we were still in the Red Flats.”

“It will be at least a week before they return,” Syafa said from the fireplace, where she was scooping out the pot into a bowl.

Rehs nodded. “Look,” he said, turning back to Taelord, “let me show you around. I’ve been all over Helsng – I can show you what it’s like.”

Taelord glanced up. “I thought… I thought you were farmers,” he said uncertainly. “I thought maybe I could help—”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Rehs said. “You’re a hero! You shouldn’t be working in the fields.”

Taelord frowned.

“Anyway,” Rehs continued, “the harvest is in. Father’s supervising the storage of the grain, but there’s nothing for you or me to do right now.”

“Where’s Veth?” Taelord asked, noting his and Scar-shoulder’s absence for the first time.

“They left early,” Syafa said. “I think they wanted to see the rest of Helsng. You might as well let Rehs show you the city,” she added. “He’s been talking about nothing else.”

Aiiva gave a giggle which she managed to turn into a passable cough.

Taelord glanced at the door of the storeroom, where his mother still slept.

“She’ll be fine,” Syafa assured him. “I’ll keep some breakfast warm for her, and she can come with me when I go to the Rows – we’re nearly out of Eris roots.”

Taelord didn’t know what the Rows were, but he thanked her anyway.

“Come on,” Rehs said, standing. “I’ll show you the Docks. You’ve probably never seen so much water.”

Taelord shrugged, scraped the last bit of food from his bowl, and stood.

“I’ll go with you,” Aiiva said, getting to her feet as well. “Neresa’s home is on the way.”

Rehs frowned. “I wish you would stop going there,” he said.

Aiiva fixed him with a look. “I need to learn a trade,” she said. “Neresa is the best weaver in Helsng, and she’s willing to let me help her.”

“She’s an Imperial,” Rehs objected.

Aiiva rolled her eyes. “She’s kind,” she said. “And she’s not obsessed with politics, like some other people I know.”

“Fine,” Rehs sighed. “But don’t expect me to walk you in the door.”

“Like you ever do,” Aiiva said, a smile tugging at her lips.

“Come on,” Rehs muttered, turning to Taelord. He pulled open the door, and Taelord followed him out, Aiiva bringing up the rear.

“Be careful,” Syafa called after them.

Rehs waved to her, and then jumped. His wings snapped out on either side, and then swept downwards, shoving his body up. Behind Taelord, Aiiva jumped as well, her wings pulling her skyward.

Taelord sighed. He preferred walking, but he supposed he’d have to get used to flying. He wasn’t in the Volcarren any longer. He bent his knees, and then leapt upwards, snapping his wings out and down. It was surprisingly easy, once he got used to having nothing below him but air. He rocketed upwards, not quite as controlled as Rehs or Aiiva, then leveled, doing his best to follow them.

They flew over a winding maze of houses, some little more than conical tents, others built with stone foundations like G’shar’s home. Most were in between, formed out of mud with straw roofs, or built from wooden poles and animal hides. There seemed to be no order to the homes or the streets between them: houses had been built wherever there was room. Sometimes a road would simply end, blocked off by homes at random angles.

Near the middle of the maze, Taelord saw a large tent. Volcarren guards seemed to surround it, and beyond them, a sizeable crowd of people had gathered. Utgar. Taelord shook his head. Of course he hadn’t trusted anyone enough to let Runa sleep in a strange house.

They sped by the tent, then more homes, then came to the first straight road Taelord had seen. It was wide, ran across their path, and seemed to be laid with flat stones. It was completely empty.

Beyond it, the homes were different. Here, they were orderly, forming straight lines, with wide streets between them. They were constructed out of stone blocks, and all seemed to be squarish or rectangular. They were also massive. Each one of them could have easily fit at least four homes the size of G’shar’s inside, some of them more.

Rehs and Aiiva angled downwards, and Taelord followed. The stone street rushed up to meet him, and he leveled out quickly, coming to a wobbly landing. Aiiva and Rehs alighted beside him.

They seemed to be in some sort of merchant quarter. Ter, a ramshackle village near Srung, had possessed something similar, a simple square where Volcarrens sold Ranta spines and Taklay silk to the Imperials, in exchange for food.

Here, the large square buildings were open on the street side, and kyrie within were buying goods which had been placed on shelves or hung against walls. Taelord saw large bails of wool being loaded into carts, and various furs on display in another building. Nearest them, bolts of cloth had been hung outside, all dyed brilliant colors, some with patterns woven into them.

“Tell mother I’ll be back before dark,” Aiiva said. She waved, and ducked inside the cloth-seller’s building. Rehs frowned after her.

“Why are these homes different?” Taelord asked, turning on the spot, looking at them all.

“These are merchants,” Rehs said, a hint of anger in his voice. “Imperials,” he added, when Taelord glanced at him. “They have all the money. They like to live here, in their straight streets and large homes, charging impossible fees when we try to buy anything from them. Come on,” he added. “I don’t want to be seen here.”

He unfolded his wings, but a call behind them made him stop.

“You there! Stay where you are!”

They turned, and Taelord saw two Imperial guards diving towards them from the sky. They landed on the street a short distance away, and approached quickly. They weren’t as armored as the soldiers Taelord had seen in the Red Flats, but they wore breastplates, bracers, and shin guards, and each had a long straight sword strapped to their left leg.

“State your name,” one of them barked at Rehs, while the other watched Taelord, hand on his sword.

Taelord guessed he was supposed to feel intimidated by the soldier’s glare, the strength of his grip on his weapon, the way his wings flared out behind him, looming over Taelord. But he had learned he couldn’t be intimidated by people if he was to survive Ahnvad. So he simply crossed his arms and observed the soldier silently.

“What’s this about?” Rehs said, scowling at the guard.

“Your name,” the soldier repeated, stepping up to Rehs and towering over him.

“Rehs.”

“And are you a citizen of Helsng, Rehs?”

“Of course I am.”

“What’s the name of your father?”

“G’shar,” Rehs said, his scowl intensifying. He glared at the soldier.

“There’s a G’shar here,” the other guard said grudgingly, still watching Taelord. “He has a son. They’re freemen,” he added, glancing at his companion.

The guard and Rehs watched each other for a moment, neither saying a word. Finally, the guard turned away. “If I were you,” he said to Rehs, “I would stay away from them” — he pointed to Taelord. “We wouldn’t want people to get the wrong idea about you and your family.”

“No,” Rehs agreed. “We wouldn’t.” He stepped purposefully closer to Taelord, still glaring.

The guard looked like he wanted to respond, but the other soldier grabbed his arm. “Let’s go,” he said.

The guard nodded, though he still frowned at Rehs. They stepped away, then jumped to the air, flying back the way they had come.

“What was that about?” Taelord asked.

Rehs shrugged. “The Empire’s on edge,” he said. “They’ve been paranoid for a while now, looking for rebels everywhere, and now you’ve arrived.”

“They were looking for rebels?”

Rehs shrugged again. “They probably saw us together, and thought that anyone with a Volcarren must be a rebel. Groundling Imperials… they’ll have to arrest half the city with that logic.”

“But,” Taelord said, watching the retreating forms of the two soldiers, “do you think they’re right? About rebels being here?”

“I hope so,” Rehs said, his voice growing eager. “If the Empire is starting to stop random people on the street, they obviously think so.”

Rebels. Soldiers. Conflict. If Taelord had hoped G’shar was wrong about the unrest in Valhalla, here was proof otherwise. They had walked into the beginnings of a revolt, and Taelord knew from experience that those never ended well. They had to get out of Helsng while they could.

And yet, he felt a twinge of guilt. G’shar and Syafa – and probably most of the people here – had taken the Volcarrens in, given them food and beds… leaving them to their own problems seemed poor repayment.

“Come on,” Taelord said. “Show me the docks.”