Ellio tailed after Azhar, who skipped out of the guildhall’s entrance without a glance in either direction. Something startled her to a halt, and he hurried out the stone archway, turning to follow her line of sight. Palul leaned against the stone pillar across the street. Seeing them, he smiled, waved, and made his way across the street.

  “What do you want?” Jules came up beside Ellio, crossing her arms over her chest and shifting her weight.

  “Ah, I sense your immense happiness to see me, hmm?” He smiled widely, making Jules grimace a bit. “At least you will be, once you see what I brought.”

  “Oh? Confident, I see.” Despite her words, Jules peered around him, to where he kept his hands. Ellio, taller than Palul, glanced around to see several papers and a couple thin books in his hand.

  Palul hesitated, glancing at Ellio before pulling the items around and showing them. “I do not know what you were looking for exactly, but I asked around.”

  “Folklore and children’s stories?” Jules looked over the books, taking them into her hands when he held them out for her.

  He shuffled through the papers, sitting them on top. “And this! Documents.” Then, almost shyly, “I am not versed in magic and whatnot, so I don’t know how useful they’ll be. But I was told they might make sense to scholars, like yourselves.”

  Ellio took the papers, keeping them low enough for Jules and Azhar to read. He scanned over it briefly, translating Old Anish mixed with current. Documented magical shifts in history, the theorized occurrences of rifts, and something called ‘the ecosystem of magic’.

  “This is… incredibly helpful, Palul.” Ellio said, noticing his eyes light up a bit.

  Palul smiled widely, showing his teeth. “Yes? I brought the books, too. Not legal to sell. But if the kids in our group lost their books,” he shrugged, “what can I say, children lose things.”

  “Children’s stories usually come from cautionary tales of old. There’s usually some truth and history hidden in them.” Jules nodded to them, flipping a page open. “It’s useful. I’ll work on translating them from Thelccean once we get back to Winolin.”

  “Back? You’re leaving?” Palul’s shoulders visibly shrunk. “Already?”

  “Ah, we’re returning to Winolin. We plan to start our journey tomorrow. We’ll be buying supplies today. It’s mid-winter now, so it’ll be a difficult journey unprepared.

  He blinked. “Why even go? Wait until it’s warm, yes?”

  “We have friends waiting for us in Winolin.” Jules pulled the papers from Ellio and slipped them under her arm. “And we need to figure out how to help the Guardian Spirits.”

  He nodded, “I see.”

  Jules tapped a foot, her impatience showing. “So? What do you want for the books?”

  Ellio blinked at her. How unlike Jules to show her appreciation.

  Palul smiled. “A reward?” He thought about it for a long moment, his eyes lingering on Jules’ foot. “Lunch then? Since you leave so soon.” He directed the invite solely to Jules.

  She however, as Ellio knew well, was not so easily flustered. “You pay.”

  Palul pulled back, cocking an eyebrow. “My reward, but I pay?”

  Jules nodded. “My time is your reward, isn’t it? Besides,” she nudged Ellio, “Ellio and Azhar would surely love to try luxury foods above our budget.”

  She swindled him. Ellio sighed, red heating his face from embarrassment. “I’m sorry—”

  “No, no!” Palul broke out into a fit of laughter. “Your time, my money. You want to pick a restaurant, too?” He shot at Jules.

  “I’m classy. You can choose. It is your reward, after all.”

  Another fit of laughter, and Ellio pressed his hands over his face to keep his blush from showing. “Jules, please…”

  He peeked between his fingers to see her shrug. Why was she always like this?

  “Alright then, Miss Classy Jule,” Palul bowed forward, holding a hand out for her to accept, “allow me to escort you three to lunch.”

  She let him stand in that position for uncomfortably long before she took his hand. Ellio pulled back, hoping he wasn’t truly angry. But to his shock, he found only amusement on Palul’s face. He has the patience as wide as the ocean. He briefly wondered if all Thelcceans were like this, but Palul flashed a gentle smile at her when Jules accepted his escort, and relief flooded Ellio. No. He was simply unbothered.

  Ellio knew these were the kindest of people. He only hoped his judgement didn’t prove wrong. He turned as a honeyed hum drew his attention. Both Palul and Jules looked to Azhar as her mouth opened and she sang the sweetest of melodies.

  “Azhar.” Uneasiness spiked through him as half a dozen pairs of eyes from within the guildhall drew towards the song’s source. He stepped close, tapping her as she hovered over a potted plant.

  “Hmm?” She paused her hum, her eyes flashing up at him.

  He paused. Her eyes focused on him easily. She wasn’t lost in her mind. He let out a breath he didn’t realize he held. “We’re going to lunch. Come on?”

  Ellio waited for her nod before turning back to Jules and Palul. Jules stared from her to him with eyes telling him she expected a conversation later. Of course she would notice such a voice. She knew more than he about the different peoples of Anu. Maybe it was better she knew now. Nonetheless, he dreaded their future conversation.

  “What a voice!” Palul smiled at her. “Quite the singer, hmm?”

  Azhar ran up to him with an ease that kept Ellio on his toes. She nodded, smiling back. “I’ve been told that before.”

  He laughed again. “I’m sure.”

  When Azhar pranced out of the guildhall, Ellio caught Palul’s eyes linger on Azhar’s back, slightly narrowed and his smile tempered. It paused Ellio a moment before Palul turned back towards him, “Shall we?”

  Ellio nodded, moving past Jules and keeping Azhar in sight as she danced on the street. When Palul came up behind him, he told them the place he wanted to take them was only down the main street, quite close to the stall they met the day prior. Then, he said something to Jules, which she replied to shortly, and Ellio focused forward.

  What was that look? Ellio thought on how Palul looked at Azhar, and how different it was from the look he gave Jules. No, the sharp look he gave Azhar seemed almost… knowing. Jules was one thing; having studied magics and meeting several sirens in the past. He knew it would only be a matter of time before she noticed.

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  But another? Ellio watched Azhar twirl around him, saying something to Jules. Land-walking sirens were incredibly rare, a handful being born in a generation throughout the entire world. Someone’s first response to hearing a beautiful voice couldn’t possibly be…

  “Ellio!” Jules tapped her foot, hands on her hips. “Hurry up!”

  They’d walked all the way to the restaurant while he was lost in his thoughts. Azhar’s hand was in his, and her fingertips tapped his palm. “I want to eat birds.” She smiled, pointing into the sky as a group of gulls soared above.

  “I… don’t think they sell those here.” Ellio grimaced at the thought before looking over the high-end storefront, decorated in the silks and patterns of Thelccea.

  He followed behind Palul, Jules, and Azhar through the archway and into a wide, open space, lit by a stained-glass dome, sunlight pouring in through patterned shapes matching the silks strewn about.

  “Why not?” Azhar asked no one in particular, peeking around plant-covered lattice barriers meant for privacy.

  “They are boney.” Palul said more from amusement, based on his smile, than anything else.

  “Are you sure?” She asked, curiosity filling her.

  Palul accepted this nonsensical challenge. “Of course I am. I am a connoisseur of these bird rats.”

  Jules eyes him with an unamused glare, which he shrugged to. When they found an open table, Ellio made it a point to sit beside Azhar, while Jules took point in sitting beside Palul. He had a feeling their reasonings were polar opposites, and it made Ellio chuckle a little.

  After Palul ordered more food than Ellio thought they could eat, he asked, “tell me about this illness. You said the Guardian Spirits are sick?”

  Jules nearly spat out her drink, spinning around them for any listening ears. “Are you kidding me?? Am I the only one with awareness of how secret this is??”

  Palul waved the concern away. “There’s no one around, and very few here speak Anish well enough to understand. And, well, those that can wouldn’t repeat a thing they hear.”

  Ellio assumed Palul worked as some sort of ambassador for the merchant group. He oversaw the Thelcceans and made sure they were kept safe during their stay in Lanria. Perhaps for them, this gave him rank. Because when Ellio looked through the lattice, he realized the two closest groups around them had moved.

  Who was Palul?

  Jules, who seemed to hold the same train of thought as Ellio, cautiously answered. “They seem to be losing their innate corruption. I assume that’s common knowledge in Thelccea as well?”

  He nodded, shuffling through the papers Jules set on the table. “There’s one here, yes, this one,” he tapped a page, “I got it from our doctor. You met her before. It talks about magical make ups. You see?”

  Ellio leaned over the table, struggling to read the small print from his spot. But Jules, closer, nodded. “This matches what we know. Good, at least we aren’t entirely wrong.”

  They discussed the papers and books, Ellio and Jules glossing over them. Overall, nothing novel or new, but it did support some information they questioned. Thelccea did not develop magic laws in the way their parents did. At first opportunity, Jules pulled their parents’ red notebook and plopped it onto the table.

  “There’s ways for humans to determine patterns of magic flows in the world.” Jules started ecstatically, flipping the notebook open to a forever bookmarked page. “Our father said humans were made outside of magical confines. But that didn’t mean we weren’t part of its flow.”

  Whether Palul had actual interest in the subject or simply amused Jules, Ellio couldn’t tell. But he let her talk as much as she wanted on the subject while they ate. He occasionally asked a question, which Ellio would answer before Jules continued on as if there’d been no interruption.

  She’d guest lectured a few times at the academy in Monx, whenever the professors could lure her from her research. She taught students well, though it was outside her typical interests. Ellio had only ever been her assistant, but he enjoyed her talks about their parents’ work.

  “And you are continuing their work?” Palul asked when he paid for the food.

  Jules nodded. “They set fantastic groundwork for us to build from. I want to expand their magic laws in a way that we humans can translate into everyday life. We can understand why magic waxes and wanes at certain times of the year, how magic stones harness power, where the next magical hotspot will be.”

  “It’s good work.” Palul said, leading them from the restaurant once they’d finished eating their meal and paid.

  She nodded. “You aren’t worried about the Guardian Spirits?”

  He shrugged. “It is an Anu problem. Not a worldwide one. I do hope they heal, of course. We cannot lose such precious beings, no matter where they are. But there is little I can do about it myself, and we’ll leave when our trades here end. That being said,” he paused, turning around to her, “I would not be opposed to hearing how your adventure went next time we’re in Lanria.”

  His interest was apparent, and Jules seemed to bite his bait. Palul’s time spent listening to her in the restaurant seemed to pay off. “Maybe. Only if we have reason to visit.”

  Ellio watched her turn from where Palul disappeared down the street. This was about how she handled all her relationships. He’d only ever seen Jules pursue one person herself, and the woman she’d chosen ended up stealing Jules’ work before publishing it as her own. She’d been more cautious of anyone since.

  They made their way to the square, picking up jerky and salted meats for the trip. Ellio purchased an extra bag of mixed grain for Ghost, in case the cold wore him out, and an extra layer of padding for him to help Ghost retain his heat. He shopped while keeping an eye on Azhar.

  After making his purchase, Jules ran up to him from behind, pale faced. “I lost it.”

  “Lost… what?” Ellio looked his sister over, noting nothing obvious missing.

  “My wallet!” She snapped, turning and digging back through her bag. “I bought a notebook and noticed it missing! Someone bumped into me earlier. I think they lifted it off me.” She spiralled into a slew of curses in Monx, drawing a couple of glances their way.

  “Hold on, let’s look for it at the shops you visited.” This suggestion was met with a look of pure annoyance.

  “Yes, Ellio, because I didn’t think of that!” So she already checked. “We won’t have enough money for food or lodgings on the way at this rate! It’ll be too cold to camp out every night on the way there. And if one of us gets sick and—”

  “Jules,” Ellio hushed her, setting his hands on her shoulders. “It’s fine. I’ll take a few odd jobs. It’ll delay us, but it’s not a big deal. We can see if the guildhall has any decent paying jobs we can take.”

  “Yeah,” Jules' eyes unfocused a moment. “Odd jobs…”

  Then, after several long moments, her eyes snapped to focus, something in the distance catching her attention. He turned, spotting Palul entering the square, talking to a few Thelcceans and looking over papers in hand.

  Jules marched off without another word, straight for him. Ellio chased after, bringing Azhar in tow. Someone in Palul’s party noticed, getting his attention. Palul spotted her, smiled, and signalled for the others to step back.

  “Hello again!” He smiled, “missed me already?”

  “You’re sweet on me, yes?” Jules asked, hands on her hips.

  Palul raised an eyebrow, his expression faltering a moment. “I’m not desperate enough yet to answer that?”

  She huffed. “If a thief stole something, would you know about it?”

  He paused, his eyes hardening a little. “I would. I do not permit crimes from my people. Why?”

  “Well.” She hesitated. “I don’t know if they were Thelccean… would you still know?”

  “It doesn’t matter. Anything of note comes across my desk. Thelccean or not, as it can still affect my people.”

  “Someone stole my wallet,” she mumbled it, looking away and pursing her lips.

  So her solution was asking for help finding it. Ellio sighed. “It’s fine, we can make up the money, Jules.”

  His eyes lightened, a small smile spreading across Palul’s face. “Ah, a petty theft, hmm?” He laughed, which earned him a small glare from Jules.

  “Well, can you help or not?”

  “I see why you asked if I was sweet on you. A free favor, hmm?” Palul considered. “I can look into it, but no promises.”

  Ellio nearly smiled. He admitted his interest in Jules, even without saying it directly. She always had people in the palm of her hand, somehow. “If you can’t, it’s alright. I’ll look for some work in the meantime.”

  Palul waved Ellio off, shaking his head. “Ah, I can help with that, too, if you’d like.” He smiled, turning back to Jules. “You said you can speak Monx and Enrishi, yes?”

  She paused, nodding. She had told him over lunch when he questioned the languages in her notebook. “I’m fluent in Monx. Conversational in Enrishi.”

  Palul nodded, pleased. “There is a translation problem from some traders. I can pay well,” he smiled wider, “since I’m so sweet on you.”

  Ellio, too, could speak those languages. But he said nothing. He had just an inkling of a feeling that the offer was for Jules, and Jules alone. And besides, whatever job he’d take would be one where he could bring Azhar along.

  Jules tapped a foot, thinking it over though her smile already revealed her response. “Fine. When do I start?”