Nico, along with Leo and Kiah, wandered the wet and poorly lit streets of the city, not knowing where he and his friends would spend the night. Elan Din's big party had been moved indoors because of the summer downpour. Houses, inns, taverns: every place seemed crowded, and they couldn't find anywhere to go in and warm up. The water on the streets had soaked everyone, leaving the alleys smelling of rotten flowers and stagnant water that covered the streets like a muddy carpet. The flickering lanterns cast long, distorted shadows behind them. Every closed door was a small rejection, every lit window a vain temptation.

  Finally, they came across an inn with its door ajar: an unlikely refuge. As soon as they crossed the threshold, the smell of burnt wood, hops, and sweat hit Nico's nose.

  At least, Nico thought, they could sit here, and if they managed to squeeze in, they might even find a place near the small embers to dry their clothes a little.

  He settled himself on a wobbly stool near the bar. Kiah was on one side, Leo on the other. The innkeeper, a big, bearded, fat, flabby man, eyed them askance. Nico clasped his hands on his knees, trying to calm his heartbeat.

  Leo ordered mutton and three mugs of beer with excessive enthusiasm; Kiah followed him with a nervous smile, his face lit up by the golden steam rising from the mugs. The beer was warm, but for them it was a small luxury: a respite from the road.

  Leo, as always, couldn't sit still: he talked rapidly, gestured, and laughed. He leaned toward Nico, his voice full of excitement.

  "Damn, guys, do you realize what's happening to us?"

  Nico and Kiah looked at him puzzled. Nico thought that Kiah shared his doubts about the choice of inn: it looked like one of those places in bad shape. Nico noticed that the patrons were eyeing them suspiciously; he had already noticed more than a few suspicious glances. Perhaps they could become victims of theft or even a beating: they didn't have much money on them.

  "Lower your voice," Kiah whispered in a vain attempt to calm Leo's enthusiasm.

  In other circumstances, Nico thought that he too would have been caught up in the fun. It was the first beer he had ever come across, and even though it was just a game simulation in his head, the idea of getting drunk still gave him a thrill of excitement.

  "What do you want? Just have fun. Have you ever tasted beer?" Leo continued, recounting how, as a child, he had always tried to sneak a sip from his father without ever succeeding. "Once I got caught with the liquor cabinet open and all hell broke loose. I was grounded for like three months that time."

  Leo grabbed the mug, took a huge gulp, and exploded with an exclamation, banging his fist on the counter.

  "Come on, Nico, try it, you absolutely have to try it!"

  Nico nodded and brought the mug to his lips. The pungent smell made his nose wrinkle, the steam made his eyes water. He took a sip: the foam was thick, warm, strangely tasty. When he took his lips away, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and looked at Leo with satisfaction.

  Perhaps it was the beer talking, but Nico already felt calmer. "Come on, Kiah, Leo's right, let's try to enjoy ourselves. Maybe this inn stays open all night and we can stay here."

  Kiah nodded, looking at him uncertainly. "Maybe you're right," she murmured, then picked up her mug and brought it to her lips. Kiah's eyes widened: amazement and satisfaction crossed her face. When she lowered the mug, a streak of foam remained on her upper lip.

  Leo cheered and, in the commotion, accidentally knocked over the mug. Beer splashed everywhere and hit a man sitting nearby. The man was large, with a gaunt face and a scar running from his temple to his cheek; his eyes flashed with anger.

  "Hey! Do you realize what you've done?" the man growled, jumping to his feet. His clenched fist was ready to strike Leo.

  Nico felt a shiver run down his spine. Kiah grabbed Leo's arm, trying to pull him back, but the man advanced slowly and menacingly, closing the distance step by step.

  As he backed away, staring in horror at the man's fist, Nico bumped into something soft. He turned around: a huge man with a drinker's belly and small, piggy eyes that horribly reminded Nico of Bruno was blocking their way.

  Nico looked around and saw angry faces, cruelly enjoying themselves; they already seemed to be anticipating the fight, or rather, Nico thought to himself, almost a massacre.

  Then, from a corner of the room, a loud, scratchy voice murmured, "If I were you, I wouldn't do that."

  Everyone turned toward the voice. It was a tall figure, wrapped in a brown cloth cloak that covered everything: the only thing visible was a pair of worn boots covered in dirt. "If I were you, I'd leave the boys alone," said the voice.

  Nico caught a faint glow of embers flickering under the cloak and thought it must be a pipe.

  "If I were you, I'd leave the boys alone."

  "Mind your own business, dog!" roared the man with the scar. "If you get involved, I'll come and get you too."

  Leo was pinned by the arms by a tall, skeletal man; he struggled but couldn't break free. The scarred man raised a hook, and Nico saw a silvery flash dart across the room. Instead of hitting Leo, the man's fist smashed into the bar.

  "I know you work with your hands, that's why I didn't hurt you," said the cloaked man. "But if you and your henchmen don't leave the boys alone, you'll find my daggers in some very unpleasant places."

  The man with the scar pulled the dagger from the hem of his sleeve and dropped it on the ground. He and the others turned toward the cloaked man, their eyes hungry.

  The fat man tried to grab the cloaked man, but he slipped away like water.

  "Perhaps you'd better go," he said to the three of them.

  It was the taller man's turn. The cloaked man stabbed him in the arm with a dagger as he broke free from his grip. On the third attempt, one of the scarred man's henchmen managed to grab him.

  "Come on, guys, it was just for fun, right? Nothing really happened. Your sleeve just needs a couple of stitches," he said to the man with the scar. "You know how to work with a needle and thread, right? I can see you've done a nice job on that pretty face."

  The man with the scar punched him straight in the stomach.

  Nico saw the pipe slip from the cloaked man's lips, a small reddish flash that faded in midair.

  "And while you're at it with the needle, give your friend here a stitch too."

  A punch straight to the face silenced him for a second. The hood slipped off, revealing the face of a man in his forties: tight skin on his cheeks, a three-day-old salt-and-pepper beard, pronounced cheekbones, and a hooked nose, perhaps broken in another fight. Nico stared at the scene in horror; Leo cursed,

  Kiah whimpered that something had to be done.

  Two sea-blue eyes fixed on Nico; a fist struck him squarely in the face, causing a thin trickle of blood to run down his right cheekbone.

  The air beside him sizzled like an electric current; then, from one of the tables, a thin wisp of smoke rose, from which a small flame emerged.

  "Fire!" someone shouted. The men stopped beating him to see what was happening.

  The flame grew, perhaps fueled by the wine and beer mugs spilled here and there.

  Nico felt a blow and then a roar of pain.

  "Go!" shouted the man in the cloak.

  They all rushed out of the inn. It was starting to rain again, a thick drizzle. Behind them, he heard the man with the scar growl, "They went that way."

  Nico heard a whistle, then the voice of the cloaked man taunting him, "Hey, angel face, over here."

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  The men turned to follow the man in the brown cloak.

  They ran at breakneck speed, zigzagging through the alleys and hoping no one would see them. They found themselves in an unfamiliar part of town: the so-called new town, with its houses and merchants' shops, had given way to decay.

  They were surrounded by old, dilapidated wooden shacks and two- or three-story warehouses. Stray cats swarmed around them, and the air was thick with the smell of salt and rotten fish.

  "Ugh, this is disgusting," Leo muttered, pulling his jacket collar up over his nose. "What kind of place is this?"

  Suggested correction:

  "Ugh, this is disgusting," Leo muttered, pulling his jacket collar up over his nose. "What kind of place is this?"

  "Never been to a fish market?" Kiah asked, not expecting an answer. Leo gagged. "We have to get out of here, now!" he said, pale.

  They wandered among slimy stalls and empty crates, Nico's stomach churning.

  "Ugh, I'm tired of walking," Leo muttered.

  "Do you think we enjoy wandering around aimlessly?" Kiah roared.

  "Well," said Nico, trying to nip the argument in the bud, "we could see if one of these shacks is uninhabited."

  "That's not a bad idea. I think they're structures made for storing nets and fishing gear."

  "That's disgusting. I'm not sleeping with this stench," said Leo.

  "Do you have a better idea?"

  Leo crossed his arms but didn't reply.

  They approached and pressed their ears against the door of a shack next to a large warehouse.

  "Hey, did you see that weird thing at the inn?" whispered Leo.

  "What are you talking about?" asked Kiah, his ear still pressed against the door; then he shook his head. Nico realized there was someone inside.

  They tried again and again, but Nico thought no fisherman would leave his tools unattended.

  "Yeah, I thought it was weird that guy in the brown cloak butting in," Nico muttered, walking alongside Leo.

  "No, that's not what I meant," Leo said, waving his hand. "Then remind me to introduce you to my brothers, Peppe and Giorgio: as stupid as they are nosy.

  If they don't come home with a black eye each Saturday night, they're not themselves."

  Kiah shook his head, but Nico saw, beyond the disappointment, a hint of a smile on his lips.

  "So, what shall we do?" asked Nico, looking around. He stepped on something thin and long, but soft: a cat let out a sharp meow. Nico saw the big orange tabby disappear behind a warehouse door; he thought that perhaps the back door was open.

  "Come on."

  Kiah and Leo followed him. "I mean that little fire that started for no reason. Spontaneous combustion... Disturbing."

  Kiah laughed. "Come on. Really? But it was me, obviously."

  "Yet you've never done anything like that before," Nico observed.

  "Well, because I haven't had the chance yet, but I learned how to do these little tricks, let's say sleight of hand, almost immediately. And then I have these," she said, patting the bag where Nico knew her most precious possessions resided: her books.

  "So far, I've understood the theory, but I haven't had time to practice properly. I really hope that between the summons and the mission, we'll be given some time to learn."

  Nico tried to push open the back door of the warehouse. The door creaked, and they entered.

  "What's there to learn?" said Leo.

  Nico heard his friend's voice echoing in the dark space.

  "I don't study. I learn by doing," said Leo.

  "Oh, really? And tell me, what have you learned so far?" asked Kiah in her know-it-all tone that Nico had come to know well. Here we go again, thought Nico.

  A ravenous roar echoed through the dark warehouse. Kiah and Leo fell silent; Nico was grateful for that. Then came frantic barking and the clanking of chains.

  "Damn, damn, damn!" Leo exclaimed.

  They rushed out of the warehouse. A metallic thud echoed, and attached to a chain, they saw a large mastiff, foaming at the mouth, furious. Nico imagined the last link in the chain, taut and ready to break.

  A whistle broke the silence, and they turned around.

  Nico looked around for a makeshift weapon and grabbed a piece of wood as long as his forearm. A cat hissed at him from under a crate; he jumped back in horror. The dog, seeing them leave, had calmed down and returned to the warehouse.

  He gripped the wood with both hands, as if it were a sword, ready to throw it if necessary.

  The cloaked man emerged from the shadow of a warehouse with his hands in the air. Two evil blue eyes darted in Nico's direction. "It's okay, buddy, it's me," he said ironically, winking at him.

  Nico lowered the piece of wood and dropped it on the ground. The mastiff barked, probably disturbed by the noise.

  "It seems you really enjoy getting yourselves into trouble. Isn't that right?" asked the man ironically, not expecting an answer.

  "I have a small boat moored at the harbor," he said, pointing with his thumb behind him. "If you don't have a place to stay... Ah, I'm Dan."

  They followed Dan along a series of dark, winding alleys as the lapping of the water became increasingly audible. Then, the darkness of the alley opened up before their eyes, revealing a dense line of boats and a horizon dotted with stars and illuminated by the moon.

  Dan maneuvered along the pier, signaling for silence as they passed some boats where people were sleeping.

  Finally, Dan stopped. Nico's legs ached and his eyes were heavy.

  The boat was small, made of light, gnarled wood, marked by time but still solid. Nico looked at it silently: it had just two seats, one for rowing and the other for a companion; at the bow there was a small space covered by a roof of planks and tarpaulin, where one could shelter from the rain or a sudden downpour.

  Nico touched the side of the boat. The wood was smooth under his fingers.

  "Meet Ania," said Dan, patting the hull of the small boat.

  Nico heard Leo's stomach growl loudly.

  "Looks like thunder tonight," said the man, laughing, then placed a hand on Leo's shoulder. "How long has it been since you last ate, kid?"

  Leo's face contorted in what looked like pain, then he began counting on his fingertips.

  Kiah quickly intervened: "We ate strawberries this morning in a grove outside the city."

  "Yeah..." Leo muttered, dejectedly. "We ordered mutton, but before they served us, well, that mess happened and nothing," he concluded disconsolately.

  Then, as if he had forgotten something, he said, "Oh, I'm sorry about your pipe."

  Dan nodded, amused. "Yeah... me too."

  Dan got in, and Nico and the others followed him.

  "I only have bread and cheese, but..."

  "Looks like a storm tonight," said the man with a laugh, placing a hand on Leo's shoulder. "How long has it been since you last ate, kid?"

  Leo's face contorted into a pained grimace, then he began counting on his fingers.

  Kiah quickly interjected, "We ate strawberries in a grove outside of town this morning."

  "Yeah..." Leo muttered dejectedly. "We ordered mutton, but before it was served, this mess happened and now we have nothing," he concluded gloomily.

  Then, as if he had forgotten something, he said, "Oh, I'm sorry about your pipe."

  Dan nodded, amused. "Yeah... me too."

  Dan got in, Nico and the others followed him.

  "I only have bread and cheese, but..."

  "We received a summons from the king," Kiah replied curtly.

  "Oh yeah? The king who calls on kids to fight his war?" asked Dan.

  "We're not kids," Leo muttered, spitting out a few bread crumbs.

  The man laughed softly. "All right, all right. Even if only kids get drunk after one sip of beer."

  Nico laughed too, but then looked at him seriously. "And you? Why are you here?"

  The man leaned against the wood of the boat behind him, his tone becoming lower.

  "For the same reason as you, I think. Except that I wasn't summoned: let's say I... invited myself."

  "What do you mean?" asked Kiah suspiciously.

  "That my letter is fake. I want to go into the palace and hear what the king has to say with my own ears. I don't trust him, or this story about the Nothing."

  Kiah frowned, her eyes narrowing to slits.

  "Why do you talk like that? The king doesn't want to do anything wrong. The Nothing is destroying the world. I saw it outside the city gates: a dark mass devouring everything. I still have chills. I don't understand why you defend him."

  Dan shook his head.

  "I'm not defending it. I'm just saying that when such a great power moves, there's always a reason. Maybe the Nothing isn't just evil... maybe it's a consequence. Something we caused."

  Nico frowned. He didn't fully understand what he meant, but the conversation made him uncomfortable.

  "I saw a child at the circus," Nico said quietly. "One of those monsters: black liquid, like oil, dripped onto him and he turned into a creature made of shadow.

  Things like that shouldn't happen. Ever. If the king asks us to fight, it's right to do so."

  Dan looked up at the sky, his blue eyes reflecting the stars.

  "Maybe you're right," Dan murmured. "But I've seen too many kings use fear to hide their mistakes. I want to know the truth before I take sides."

  A heavy silence fell between them.

  Nico looked down at the remaining bread, Kiah pressed her lips together.

  Leo, for once, said nothing.

  A long time passed before anyone spoke. Then Dan clapped his hands on his thighs and stood up. "All right, come on. I'm sorry if I've upset you. Go on, find yourselves a corner," he said, pointing to the wooden floorboards, "and tomorrow we'll see what our king has to say."