Ashe had beaten me to the pulp during training. Luckily, him doing so caused me to be exhausted, so I slept early.

I was wondering why I didn't have another dream, but I got the answer as soon as someone started shaking me awake. Almost slapping them, I scrambled up from my bedroll.

"Shh," Rysdan whispered. "Avaloryn'a tent is in front of yours. She might hear." He helped me to my feet and handed me clothes. "Wear these and get going."

I stared at him, then the clothes.

"Let's go!" he breathed.

Fine then. I quickly removed my clothes and put on the new ones. They were made from hide, and the bones were used as buttons. At least they were resourceful.

When I finished, I looked up at Rysdan, who had turned away. "Let's go. Are we walking?" I asked.

"Horse. But only one since we don't anyone to be suspicious."

As we exited my tent, I saw that it was dusk. There was few people awake, but they didn't pay much attention to us since my cloak hid away my face.

Rysdan climbed on the horse. "Get on," he ordered me.

I grabbed the saddle and hoisted myself up. The fake and real Amulet was tucked away in the inside pocket of my cloak, bouncing around as Rysdan galloped is away.

I couldn't believe I was out of here. I never saw any cities other than Malakette whenever I'd sneak out. Rysdan kept quiet, not talking much during the ride, but I glanced around and saw small building pass us. Some had clothes hung outside; I was guessing to dry? I saw children running around, dirty, but laughing as their mothers and fathers watched them jump around.

"How long will it take to get to Garbade?" I asked Rysdan.

"Around two hours," he responded as he jerked the reins to the left. "If we don't have any disturbance."

Smiling to myself, I looked back to the environment. I knew Kampa and Garbade were in Southern Thaeleck, so the terrain was more forested with dry trees. Malakette was near the Everest Ocean, so it was often humid with few trees. Bairin—another name for Northern Thaeleck—was close to the Wall of Cadice, and was deserted and wastelands after the burst of magic from the Wall years ago.

*~⚜️~*

Two hours of horseback later and Rysdan only spoke a few words with me. I let him ignore me as I tied the reins of the horse to a pole.

"The entrance to the catacombs is behind that building." Rysdan gestured to a tall, stone built building with citizens walking in and out of. "A clothing shop." He groaned and adjusted his cloak on his head. Royal guards were on either side of the building, patrolling up and down the street. "Keep your eyes down."

"I just want to tell you that I hid daggers under my shirt," I added.

He looked at me, lifting a brow. "Interesting." Rysdan looked back at the building. "We'll have to go through the building and out the back. Oh, and here." Reaching into his pockets, he pulled out a purple vial. "Pour this in your hair." He pulled another vial out. "Drop these into your eyes."

"It's going to change my eye and hair color?" I asked, taking the vials out of his hand.

"Yes." He took another two vials and quickly dropped liquid in his eyes and poured another on his hair.

I did the same. "How do I look?"

"Your hair is dark brown and so are your eyes." He took the vials out of my hand and shoved broke them on the ground.

Rysdan's light brown hair turned darker, and his brown eyes turned a mixture of green and brown. I was almost startled by how much someone's apperance could change just by the color of their features.

"We're a married couple trying out clothes," he said. I snapped my neck at him, blinking. "There's windows in the dressing rooms. We'll break out from there."

I was about to argue against that alibi, but I knew it made sense. Damn him, and damn this situation.

We walked across the street of carriages and guards. I silently prayed that none of the guards would stop us, and luckily, the saints granted my wish.

A short, stumpy looking man greeted us at the front. "'ello dere! Could I 'elp ya beautiful folk today?"

"Ma 'usband and I would like to try on clothes," I responded, mimicking his accent so we'd sound like commoners.

"Ay, buh ya know dat da common clothes are tried on separately?" the stumpy man said.

"Ma wife wants ma opinion on clothes," Rysdan stated. "Ya know I can't upset my beautiful wife, eh?"

I kept myself from just punching the stumpy man in the face and forcing myself past.

"Sorry, man. Dem are da rules. Unless ya lookin' for uncommonly clothes." The stumpy man sighed and crossed his arms, waiting for a reply.

Saints, I hated what I was about to say, but I knew I was just doing what I needed to do.

"Ya know, ya seem like a smart fellow," I said, bending down to make eye contact with him. "I'm lookin' for da more naughty clothes, eh? We're lookin' for a bit of spice in our lives, and I want 'is opinion on the variety on laces and whatnot."

Rysdan coughed sharply as I straightened back up and smiled at the stumpy man.

"Well, we do 'ave a place where couples try on private clothes." The stumpy man gestured us to follow after. Rysdan mumbled a series of curses as he dragged himself behind me.

"Why are you so mad? You get to see me in 'naughty clothes'," I whispered to Rysdan, placing a hand on his arm as we walked. His face dipped to scarlet as he looked down at me, then grinned.

"Right 'ere, milady. Just pick out yer favorite items and walk into da fitting rooms. A lady will be waiting dere to give ya a private room." The stumpy man walked off.

"This... was not how I imagined this would go." Rysdan gave a quick glance at the lacy clothes hanging on a rack next to him head.

I bumped him with my hip and handed him a satin sapphire blue nightgown with silver lace outlines. "We'll be fine. Just take a few clothes so we don't seem suspicious and walk right into the rooms."

"I mean, it can't get much worse than this, right?" Rysdan plucked a red robe off a rack. "Red would look good on you."

"We're not actually buying things, Rysdan," I reminded, tossing him a gold undergarment set. "Just grab random stuff and move. Don't think to much about it."

"I'm trying," he croaked from behind me. "It's getting awfully hot in here."

"It's pretty chilly, actually." I had three sets of clothes. When I looked back at Rysdan, he had five, most of them being red, similar to the shade on his face. "Saints, you look defeated."

"Let's go try them on." Rysdan grabbed my arm and pulled me along to the dressing rooms.

My grin stayed pinned on my face as the lady there looked at us up and down, then led us to a private room with red velvet walls and sofas.

"Just knock da door five times and I'll open da door for ya to leave," she advised, then shut and locked the doors behind.

"Want to have some fun?" I told Rysdan, winking as I dropped all but on set of clothes. A deep red laced robe with black satin accents.

Rysdan's scarlet face dipped darker.

"Come now, we only need a few minutes. Nothing too long for you." I sat on the sofa, the robe still in my hands.

I could've sworn I saw gas leak from under the cracks of the door, but then again, I had been seeing that gas everywhere in the store.

Rysdan blinked and bent above me, his lips only a few inches from mine. "Little demon woman."

"Demon woman? My, my, what an awful thing to call your wife." I pulled his cloak off and watched it fall to the ground. "Don't pick it up."

"I wasn't planning to." His arms wrapped around me, and he lifted me into his arms. Instinctively, my legs wrapped around his waist, and I gently pushed him back against the door of the room, watching the clothes that was in his hands fall and cover the slit on the bottom of the door. "Push harder and you might break a hole in the wall."

"Who cares?" I muttered while I grabbed a fistful of his hair and yanked his head back, exposing his neck.

Rysdan quickly switched position, slamming my back into the door. "Hands off me."

"Absolutely not." I yanked his hair again, this time I felt a few of his hairs come off his head. My lips hovered over his neck, my breath hot against his boiling skin.

Rysdan hoisted me higher in his arms and used his free hand to lift my chin up. "Eyes on me."

"Why?" I teased, bucking my hips against him. He stumbled backward and fell into the sofa, me on top of him. "Your clothes are blocking the view."

"View of what?"

I grinned, beginning to unbutton his shirt. "Shh," I whispered, putting a finger to Rysdan's lips. "We wouldn't want visitors, would we?"

Right when I was leaning down to finally kiss him, the world spun. Rysdan threw his head back and hit it on the wall behind, and I felt sick to my stomach.

"Shit," he groaned, rubbing his head. "They're drugging people here." Rysdan threw me off him and looked at the door. "The clothes covered the gas. They do this so people buy the clothes."

I rubbed my back as I struggled to get up. "What kind of people would do that?"

"Desperate people. Luckily"—Rysdan pointed at the clothes that covered the slit under the door—"the clothes kept out the gas."

"Oh, damn them!" I threw a velvet pillow at the door. "I bet they listen, too."

"Fortunately, this won't happen again," Rysdan grumbled. He walked up to the window and lifted it up. "Let's get out of here."

He jumped out first, and I swung myself out after. We landed behind the building, guards nowhere in sight.

"Over here," Rysdan called to me.

I did my best to forget what had happened in the dressing room, but it was getting harder and harder to forget. Especially when Rysdan slammed me into the door and most likely left a bruise on my back.

"Give me a sword." I gestured for a sword. Taped under his cloak was two swords. He handed me one in its scabbard.

Rysdan went behind a tree, and on the ground was the crest of House Daen, the ruling House of Thaeleck.

"Do you think this is a good idea?" I asked a final time.

Rysdan turned the crest, the ground splitting and revealing the entrance to the catacombs. "Nope."

"Good." The stairs that led down into the catacombs revealed themselves. "I'd be concerned if you did." Without another word, I took the first step down into the catacombs.