Clara slinked through the throng of people. She couldn’t see much of the convoy because of her short height. When she found an abandoned crate in an alley, she took it and used it to hoist herself up.

A group of firis cantered along the boulevard, their horned heads tossed high, tails streaming in the wind. Then came a prowl of oversized jaguars flying in the air, guarding the convoy on either side, drizzled in the honey-gold light of the sinking sun. Fiery and copper red, they opened their mouths to give silent roars. They looked like spectres from a fading dream.

“A hologram?” Clara whispered.

The Vanguard’s magic,  the thought came to her mind.

The crowd chanted and clapped. Clara saw the floating lanterns whirling around the jaguars, each shining a different color. Mecha trailed their pattern and for a moment, Clara felt envious of it.

Huge animals followed the firis. She could feel the tremor beneath her boots.

The creatures were twenty feet high with bent horns between their eyes. Their brown skins were tough and wrinkled, their mouths curved like the beaks of ragars. They had frills around their necks, with six long spikes.

Clara gaped at them. “Rhinos?”

They couldn’t be rhinos but the resemblance was noticeable. She counted the creatures and found them to be twenty in total. Between their powerful shoulders sat warriors in silver armor. All were armed with bows and arrows, spears, swords, maces and even firearms. All except one and he sat alone in the center of the troop, riding one of the strange creatures.

“It’s him! It’s Coran!” a man said.

“Look at him. So brave and handsome!” a woman cried out.

“Coran! Coran! Coran!” the crowd shouted in unison.

The Vanguard of Kaaf wore a suit of black armour, white hair falling down the helmet on his head. It brushed his shoulders. Clara could spot no weapons on his body but knew better than to be deceived. He wasn’t unarmed, no, for when he turned his head in her direction she felt a surge of energy speed towards her.

She could see it in her mind. His magic. Copper red and powerful, it churned like a cyclone sweeping everything in its path. Concentrating, Clara drew her own power and created a round shield around herself. She pushed it outwards, letting the white helices of light coil around the waves of red energy, neither harming nor receding.

Clara realized he wasn’t trying to overwhelm her. He was merely prodding her magic as though to send a greeting between mages. When the red waves retreated, Coran looked away but not before she saw the twinkle in his red eyes.

She exhaled a breath she didn’t know she had been holding.

“Oh, he looked at me!” a woman shrieked.

Clara glanced over her shoulder. The woman swooned on the ground, hands clutching at her heart. Her friend brandished a paper fan and whipped it over her face. Clara rolled her eyes. She turned to watch the Vanguard until the convoy disappeared around the corner.

“Bless the Bloodseeker!”

The man who had spoken the words was a Mirian. She squeezed through a group of merchants to reach him. He was bare-chested with gold bangles around his hands and earrings on his ears.

“What does Bloodseeker mean?” Clara asked him.

“When Coran marks his enemies, he will hunt them down until they are destroyed. No one can escape from him.” The man sneered. “Not even the devil himself!”

Such was the power of a Vanguard. She’d felt his magic and although she had met it with an equal force, Clara suspected he had held back. She needed to get stronger if she was meant to defeat the enemy.

 You are not ready to face them, Helima’s words slithered in her mind.

The black witch had been right. What did she need to do to get stronger? She’d tried speaking to the entity in her necklace but it had never responded.

When the crowd thinned, Clara strolled back to the inn. Tamer was standing under a tree, hands in his pockets, his shirt rakishly left open at the collar.

“I saw him, Tamer. I felt his magic,” she said. “He’s strong.”

Tamer motioned for the double doors of the inn. “They all are.”

During supper, Tamer told her about the Vanguards. They served as the commanders of the king’s army, the best warriors in Aurion. They were three in total and each protected a section of the kingdom. He’d shown her the holographic map, pointing at each region. Coran maintained peace in Kaaf. The other two took care of Rafka and Lamr.

She also learned that the Vanguards met with the king once per month to discuss the state of the regions. The king also held annual meetings with the guild masters from Amarant and Nerium, the Magus and the Vanguards.

---------

The Hans and Buns pub stank of cigar smoke, old sweat and roasted meat. The customers were noisy, with faces red from drinking and mouths stuffed with food. Clara saw Rai and Eryx sitting at the far end of the establishment, near a narrow hallway.

They joined them. Eryx greeted them with a polite nod. Rai poured a ruby drink into a glass and slid it to Tamer. He refused to take it.

“Bad things happen when I drink,” Tamer said to her.

Clara smiled. The last time Rai had convinced him to drink alcohol, she remembered he’d ended up crushing plates on the Amarant tables and singing at the top of his lungs.

Rai passed the drink to her. She placed the glass in front of her nose, sniffing the liquid. It smelled of ripe cherries. She took a small sip and coughed when it burned her throat. Rai laughed. She didn’t pick up the glass after that.

“Did you speak to Umardt?” Tamer asked Rai.

“Yes, he gave us good news. This gentleman here is in good spirits." He poked Eryx in the ribs with his elbow.

“Tell us,” Tamer said.

“Amarant will be freed in three days. The wall has thinned.” Rai shook the bottle of liquor. “Lady Alora said everything was okay. We should focus on saving the remaining seals.”

She was glad to know everyone was safe. Although she didn’t know majority of the guild members, she hadn’t forgotten Freya and Lady Alora.

“What did Enki tell you?” Eryx asked.

Tamer didn’t say anything. The two men stared at each other, their expressions turning solemn by the seconds.

“We’ll talk about Enki later,” Clara said. “Please?”

“Yes. As I was saying to Eryx,” Rai said, changing the topic. “We have to draw in as many people in here as possible. There could be some workers in the back rooms. We’ll distract all of them then sneak through that door. It should lead us to the underground room.” He pointed at the door behind the bartender.

“We need the key to that door at the back.” Eryx traced the rim of his glass with his finger.

“I can pick the lock,” Tamer said.

Rai clucked his tongue. “The owner would be stupid to use a normal lock. It must be hexed. I saw him putting the key in his pocket when he walked out of the door.”

“Where is the owner?” Clara asked.

Eryx showed him the man in question. He was sitting with a group of friends, a blue turban placed at an angle on his head. Clara gazed at the rest of the patrons and the interior of the pub. The hall had wooden walls. There was an intricate star symbol with ten corners next to the front door.  

Rai called the waitress and ordered two glasses of milk. She was surprised when the woman didn’t raise her eyebrows in scepticism.

They serve milk in a pub. Brilliant, Clara thought.

“Ah, such beauty.” Rai angled his head to the side, eyes bored into the woman’s back when she left their table.

Eryx slapped the top of his head. “Pay attention.”

Tamer stretched out in his chair, sighing with boredom. “Yes, let’s get this done.”

Rai scowled at Eryx. “Relax, old man.” He tipped his chair back, balancing it on two back legs, hands clutching the edge of the table. “Right right. Plan Alfiz: Pose as thieves.”

“Too late for that. We’re already inside,” Tamer said.

What’s Alfiz?” Clara asked.

“First letter in the Shimian alphabet,” Eryx said.

Rai set his chair properly. “Plan Bahz: Seduce the target. We can get the key nice and easy.”

All three men looked at her. Confused, Clara waited for an explanation. An idea struck her. She folded her arms over her chest and glared at them. “I refuse!”

“No,” Tamer said at the same time.

Rai wriggled his eyebrows. “No, Tamer?”

“You heard her,” Tamer retorted.

The waitress returned with the drinks. Rai placed one of the mugs in front of Clara and the other, next to Tamer’s hand. Clara studied the milk, wondering if it had been spiked with alcohol.

“You drink it,” Tamer told his friend.

Rai wrung his fingers together. “No, you drink it. It’s yours.”

“I didn’t order it.” Tamer pushed the milk to his friend.

Picking up her mug, Clara brought it to her lips. Rai tilted his mug at her for a toast. Their glasses clinked.

A muscle twitched in Tamer’s eye. “Don’t ignore me, Rai.”

Rai released a long sigh. “Fine, do whatever you want with it. On to Plan Zahl.”

“Zahl? That sounds like the last letter,” Clara said. “I thought C would come next.”

“That wouldn't be fun.” Rai winked.

Eryx snorted.

“Let’s take Plan Zahl.” Tamer smirked. “Heads or tails, Rai?”

“Tails,” Rai replied.

“They love this one,” Eryx said to Clara.

With the coin in hand, Tamer tossed it in the air. When it landed on the table, the head was up. Tamer’s smile morphed into an impish grin. “My turn.”

“Don’t go hogging all the fun,” Rai drawled.

Standing up, Tamer grabbed his mug. He took a long swig before walking to the table with the owner, a light skip in his step. Mecha jumped off his shoulder, bounced against his chair and fell into the glass of liquor she had abandoned. She expected to see sparks and soot but it didn't seem the least bit affected.

“What’s Tamer doing?” Clara picked up the wet bug.

Rai chortled. “Watch and learn.”

Tamer set his mug on the table with a bang, the milk splashing on the owner’s hand. Glaring at the stout man, he said, “You, you ugly old fart! You’re going to pay for what you did to my sister!”

Astounded, the old man blinked. He scratched his bald head, his mouth betraying him when he blurted out, “Er…was it Zuraya? Lora? Or Mina?”

Tamer grubbed his shirt by the scuffs, pulling him up and shaking him until the turban fell off his head. “I’m going to kill you.”

The spectacle had drawn the patrons’ attention. The bartender stopped cleaning glasses and looked at the two men with interest.

Clara leaned towards Rai. “Does this plan of yours truly work?”

A wicked glint shone in Rai’s eyes. “Every single time.”

The owner’s eyes widened. He struggled to free himself but Tamer held tight. Sweat trickled down the man’s forehead. He gulped. In a timid voice, he said, “L-let’s discuss t-this, yes? Is it money you want? I can give you money. How much do you need?”

Tamer growled. Raising his fist, he pounded it at the owner’s face. The man lost his balance, toppling back and crushing into the next person. In a matter of minutes, the public house was transformed into a place of chaos. Men were cursing, chairs were breaking and glasses were shattering.

Rai joined the brawl, using a broken piece of a table to wallop the fighters. Clara observed the scene, shaking her head at the men trying to wring each other’s necks.

Eryx skidded a crystal stone towards her. “Do you know what that symbol is?”

She picked up the purple shard, drawing her thumb over the cloud symbol, fitting her nail into the diagonal lines above it. “The Smog symbol.”

“Yes. Tamer told you,” he said.

She nodded. “I tried using it while fighting the giant in Ibisa Mountains but it didn’t work.”

“Remember what I told you about concentrating? You have to believe in yourself. Trust in your power. Magic follows the will of the caster. Never forget that,” Eryx said.

Clara squeezed the shard in her hand, the grunts and shouts from the pub turning to fading whispers. The fighting men became an unrecognizable mass of moving bodies. She summoned her power and felt it awaken, ready to do as commanded.

Feel the energy moving to your hand, Eryx had once told her.

She channelled it to her palm, never letting her concentration waver.

Pass it to the object.

The energy weaved into the crystal, flowed through the symbol to become a part of it.

Give it life.

The Smog symbol lit up in a warm light. She unlocked her fingers from her palm and showed it to Eryx.

“Very good,” Eryx said, his tone pleased. “Don’t throw it yet. Wait for my signal.”

Eryx activated his own shard and glimpsed at the unruly fighters. No one seemed to notice them. He made his way to the door, removed his dagger and used it to scratch off the star symbol to the left of the doorway.

“I destroyed the Interceptor. Our magic stones should work without any problem,” he said when he returned to stand beside her.

Clara spotted Tamer kicking a drunkard in the knee and Rai dodging an elbow hit from a fellow Shima.

“Won’t Tamer and Rai be caught in the smog?” she asked.

“Only if you consider them your enemy,” Eryx said. “Magic stones affect only those you deem your targets.” He hurled the crystal in the air then caught it. “Throw it in the center of the brawl. It doesn’t matter who gets hit. They will all be blinded except for the four of us. Right, on the count of three. Ready?”

 When Eryx gave his signal, Clara flung her shard at the brawlers. Thick flumes draped the pub, coating everything in shadows.

“I can’t see!” a man said.

“Argh! Don’t sit on me!” groaned another.

A table splintered, a bottle crushed and a tray rolled. The men lowered their fists, ricocheting apart and scuffling in confusion. They pushed each other and groped through the darkness like headless chickens. Clara pressed her lips together, stopping herself from laughing.

Tamer entangled from the group to join them, a ring with a key dangling in his hand. “All set.”

Rai waved his hand, sitting on the counter. He pointed at the back door. Behind him, a man scrambled to his feet, reaching a hand to grab the till. Swinging his legs to the other side, Rai clipped him on the forehead. He fell on the floor.

“That will teach you a lesson,” Clara heard him say to the unconscious man.

She finished her drink, leaving the empty glass on their table. They moved to the other end of the pub where the path across was clear. 

Tamer stepped forward to open the door. “After you.”

They entered a hallway packed with barrels and stocks of liquor and descended through a winding staircase. Torches hissed on the walls, spiders hid behind a lacework of webs and dust rose to coat their shoes. At the bottom of the stairs, they were greeted by an iron door, the black paint on its surface chipped and cracked at the edges.

Tamer slipped needles with hooked ends out of his pocket. He used them to pick the lock. When it clicked, he pushed down the door handle.

The underground section turned out to be a dungeon. It was enfolded in complete darkness. Frowsty air wrapped about them. Clara ignited a globe of light, allowing it float above them. Mecha stalked the orb.

The floor was damp with moss. Clara ran her hand along the ancient walls and rusted bars.

“Turn right,” Tamer said when they reached the end of the corridor.

Rai lit a flashlight, waving it around. “Why is it that no one knows of a coliseum underneath the town?”

Eryx shrugged. “Maybe a massive sandstorm buried it thousands of years ago.”

“Shouldn’t there be some relics of the past? Like sculptures of warriors in the streets or ancient weapons scattered around?” Clara asked. “I didn’t see any of that unless you consider Nerium’s stone giant.”

Tamer frowned. “It doesn’t count.”

It was strange that no one had taken notice of an underground coliseum. It was too big to hide in a place full of people. Clues of its existence should have been dug out. She could understand why the secret chamber in Seira Temple had remained unnoticed. Apart from its relatively small size, the worshippers would be too busy praying to their god to investigate what lay beneath the floors.

Ibisa Mountains and Kasar Cove are far away from any settlements. It makes sense to hide seals in there. Vanguard Naaji must have chosen the coliseum because it can’t be found. Why can’t it be found?

She had almost forgotten the seal in Shabar. Tamer had mentioned it had been hidden in the ruins.

There’s no use in thinking of that one. We couldn’t save the seal.

 “Here.” Tamer slid open the bars and gestured at a cell. “The coliseum lies below us.”

“Why this cell? We could have dug anywhere in the dungeon,” Rai said.

“The vision led me here,” Tamer replied.

Clara clasped her hands together. “Please stand back. I’ll make a hole.”

They stepped out of the damp cell. Clara knelt on one knee, pushing her palms on the grimy floor. Hard cement crackled as it became fragile crystal, mourning the loss of its resilience. When she stood up, the crystal shattered, leaving a hole wide enough to fit four people.

Rai squatted down to peer through the hole. “Looks deep.”

Eryx sent an oversized orb of light down the dark pit. They watched its downward tumble until it exploded in a shower of blue sparks.

“Very deep,” Tamer said. “About three hundred meters.”

“How are we going to get down?” Rai asked.

What lay waiting for them? Like the other sanctuaries, Clara was convinced the coliseum would have traps. She was also worried about the seal. It might be difficult to find it in the vast amphitheatre.

“Clara, we’ll combine our powers,” Eryx said. “Create a platform for us. I’ll keep it afloat.”

She filled the hole with a circular dais and reinforced it with her magic. At the same time, Eryx flicked a burst of blue energy at the platform, preventing it from sinking down.

Rai cleared his throat. “Is it safe to step on it?”

“Yes,” Clara replied. Jerking her head at Eryx, she said, “It’s a long way down. I’ll help you.”

When they had stepped on the platform, it began descending. Closing her eyes, she fed her power into the crystal, meshing it with Eryx’s magic. The orb of light she had conjured followed them. She didn’t dare look at the surroundings, fearing she may lose her concentration and put a strain on her friend.

The platform settled on soft sand. Musty air filled her nose, snugging to her clothes. Clara opened her eyes and shut her power. The orb wasn’t strong enough to shine through the darkness. It blinked out.

A blustery wind blew across the underground coliseum, and with it came an eerie whistling like an unmelodic note from a sad requiem.