“You know, I think I prefer the scent of dead horse,” Clide said as he stood on a ladder to reach a chandelier. 

“Just finish it quickly,” Dia retorted.

Keenin looked up from where he sat on one of the long benches and sighed. He Knew why they told him not to touch that death trap, but was there really nothing for him to do here? 

He looked to Rupert who was polishing a large set of armor in the corner which appeared to have a genuine sword held in its gauntlets and pointed at the ground. Someone had fashioned a stone face to sit behind the open visor. But how that thing had anything to do with the god of life, he couldn't say. 

“Uh guys,” Keenin tried to get their attention. 

“Even rotten bird eggs smell better.” 

"Hey, Clide. I have an idea. We can put it on your scales… I mean your skin," Dia teased. 

A bar of polish hit the ground and dented like butter. 

“Uug,” Dia said clamping a hand over her nose. 

“Guys I don’t mean to interrupt whatever this is, but why are you so happy?” Keenin asked. 

“Because festivals are fun,” Dia said.  

“Oh, so we are going.” 

“I thought about it last night,” Dia confessed. “There was something bothering me and now I have a solution. I’m going to find out the date of my death.” 

“Ah, good for you? I think?”

“You bet.” 

“Actually I…” Keenin started to say, but he suddenly looked at Clide to see what the dragon thought of all this. That guy noticed, gave a slight smile and pointed to himself as if to say ‘yes, you should be happy too’. 

“I…,” Keenin mumbled. “I was hoping we wouldn’t go.”

“What?” 

“Nothing. Hey Rupert. Who is that anyways?”

All the statues and murals were sort of interesting, but with so many they did start to lose their uniqueness.

“This is the knight Ikabod,” Rupert said, pausing to make a grand gesture towards the figure, “ The last chosen champion during the dragon wars.”

“Dragaon wars?” he repeated. As in multiple dragons? 

“That’s what the story says. He’s the reason we don’t have to worry about dragons eating us. He got rid of them.”

Maybe don’t say that part in front of the dragon, Keenin though. Clearly there is still a dragon alive. 

“Really. He doesn't sound very nice. Doesn’t seem to follow the theme around here.”

“Like I said he was the gods chosen champion.”

The words sank in. Oh… like him Keenin realized.

Keenin scrutinized the statue's face a little harder as if the imitation could reveal. An imagined scene rose in his mind, fighters were roaring and clashing on a battlefield, he was standing atop a hill holding a sword pointed down into the soft ground. Dead bodies burned around him. 

He rubbed his eyes and blinked back to reality. Everything was fine. Nobody seemed to notice his thoughts. 

“Keenin,” Rupert called for attention. “I’ve been meaning to ask what it’s like to travel.”

“What for?”

“I’ve been thinking of going on a pilgrimage. I don’t just want to look at these idols for the rest of my life. One day I want to see more. I want to see the places mentioned in stories.”

“Rupert, do you realize, you probably won’t know what those places look like.” Stories were exaggerated and wasn’t it the case that many years had passed. 

“And don’t they say it’s also about the journey.”

“Hmmm.”

Keenin thought about it. He thought about all the things he could never say, he sorted through the quiet lonely times, and reminisced on unexpected good luck. Then when Keenin spoke he started to weave the fictional story of how he set out with his siblings to find their parents who had years before left them with a distant relative during the war. He explained that on the way back home they heard old news from places their parents had passed through and received tales of the battle. How they had recently been unable to secure a ride and had traveled their first time in the wilds.

“…And then I learned how to kill something for food. Honestly, this trip has been awful. Nothing is easy,” Keenin told him.

“He’s right,” Dia added. “We’ve only been lucky recently.”

“Still,” Rupert noted. “It sounds like you had fun. And hey, if you want to stay, I think I could work something out for you. You know, if you decide not to go home. Your parents are sure to forgive you for finding a place to settle down,” Rupert let him know.

That statement made Keenin pause. But then Keenin also thought of Alaban sitting alone in his house as it grew cold.

***

Keenin found herself looking blankly at some glowing stone. He couldn't say why it glowed. He couldn't exactly say that he wanted it either. The time when he had truly wanted these material things had passed. And the last trinket he had wanted had led him to the old man Aleban. Instead of another trinket he would rather find the way back there. How convenient then that this whole night was about fate and discovering the way. 

Around him children ran with ribbons. Couples walked with hands bound together through various means. Costumes and matching outfits were worn. And then there were the various forms of divination being performed publicly and privately. 

Dia was in one such tent nearby. Someone picked up a stone from the market stall beside him, the one carved with a dragon. 

“So pretty. Do you want one, Keenin?” Dia asked. 

He put the stone down.

“No. What did they say?”

“They were too nice and didn't want to talk about my death.”

“Another fake.”

“Maybe. Let's ask someone else.”

Dia handed the stone to Clide who had approached with a drink in hand and hurried to the next tent. 

“Is she really going to believe the first person who gives her a date of death?” Keenin asked in concern. 

“Of course not. She will keep asking until two fortune tellers say the same date.”

“Unlikely.”

“Exactly.”

“Will you buy that?”

Clide considered the stone. “Are you jealous?”

“Of course not. Not like we're dating. And you're her best friend.”

Clide twirled the stone between his fingers. “Too bad.” He set the stone down.

Clide held out his drink. “Want to try it?”

“No.”

He wasn't sharing a cup with a dragon. 

“Well they sell it over there.”

Keenin followed to where the guy pointed and saw the banner advertising psychedelic drinks for helping you stumble upon your fate. “That can't be healthy,” he muttered. 

Keenin saw a booth that involved guessing to win money. He approached to watch. He didn't believe in these games, but the faster they got money to travel…we'll then the faster he would have Lester and then Aleban back together. This particular game involved placing money under a cup, shuffling it among three options, and trying to guess the correct one. He watched a few rounds where only small prizes were found and knew the game owner was definitely cheating. It wasn’t that hard to follow the scrambled cups. If it were him there would be holes in the table to slip out the prize.

A guy casually came to stand beside him, hand raised to chin in thought. He took out a coin, flipped it, and caught it. This drew Keenin’s attention. No way. Was this person seriously trying to determine his luck with whatever that shabby divination was? 

The guy pocketed the coin. Keenin almost sighed in relief when the guy pulled out a pile of cards and shuffled. 

No really? Keenin judged.

He pulled his gaze away and noticed the delighted look of the game owner. Keenin gently rested a hand on the arm of the guy shuffling cards. The shuffle paused. 

“Sir,” Keenin addressed, “There are some food gambling stalls further up. Isn't it better to fill your stomach while gambling.”

The guy blinked and Keenin wasn’t sure if he would be upset with the interruption.

“You're right,” he mumbled. 

The game owner practically glared at Keenin while the guy moved on. Keenin tossed a coin to the table. When he turned he heard a different crunch when his boot hit the ground. Curious, he looked down at a facedown card, the same that guy had been shuffling. He was tempted to rough it up under his foot in distaste, but even touching it seemed like bad luck. 

Then there was Dia suddenly crouching down in front of him and clearly interested. He lifted his foot slightly so she could pick it up. 

“What do you know? Quite accurate,” Dia noted.

She showed him the picture of a skull and the words DEATH. Clide plucked it from her grasp. 

“Well nobody is dying today, I hope. Now follow me. I found something worth winning." 

A crowd of spectators had formed around a small area situated outside a large white stone building that seemed mainly suspended by many stone pillars. It looked suspiciously like a temple. One at a time people were directed to take a turn performing a talent of their choice. 

“Why is this so familiar?” Keenin said. 

“I asked someone at the inn yesterday. Apparently the local inns hold little competitions as practice for this. Five winners and their guests get to enjoy the special hot spring facility inside.” 

"Aren't you an ice dragon? You won’t melt, will you?”

“What do you think?” 

“I’ve heard rumors of hot springs. This would be amazing,” Dia exclaimed. 

“This place…,” Keenin noted. “Is this what I think it is?”

“If you are thinking this is fates template, then yes.” 

“How are they judging?” Dia asked. 

“I was told the circle thing on the stage lights up for the winners.” 

Everything about this was so suspicious, Keenin thought. 

“Clide you have to try,” Dia encouraged her friend. 

“And what, terrify them?”

“No. You have magic.”

“Yes. I can freeze them to death. Perfect.”

“Clide, come on. You can't back out when you brought us here.”

“I think Keenin should try.”

“Are you crazy? Forget freezing them…you want to…” 

“Actually,  he's quite good. I saw him practicing.” 

*

“Our next contestant is Keenin. He’s going to show us his talent with illusion.”

Yes illusion. Keenin stood in the center of the stage rubbing his arms in nervousness. His eyes locked with Dia who made a tossing motion.

He sighed and brought his palms together. A small flame ignited. After a few blinks it became a spherical fiery ball  like the fortune tellers relied on. He pressed his hands tighter until the ball shrank and vanished as his hands met and were held like they contained a tiny thing.  

He caught sight of someone else in the crowd, Vindice. A cold sweat broke out on his back as she stood with a thin knife pressed to her lips in what suspiciously looked like a motion for silence.

Then he saw Dia practically jumping and tossing her hands.

He followed her lead and tossed his hands up, a small fiery bird fluttered up, free from his grasp. The crowed awed and kids giggled. It fluttered and burst into sparks. He motioned to swipe one of the sparks like it was some star and opened his hand to a butterfly. The other sparks were suddenly butterflies too, and spread over the crowd. As people reached up to grasp these they vanished like they had never been there. 

 People looked his way in confusion. ‘Was he done? Was that it?’ Their eyes asked him.

He bowed like previous showmen. The silence lasted a beat long, then something on the ground glowed, and the onlookers cheered and clapped.

Dis pulled him away. “You were great!”

“Uh, Dia,” he wasn’t sure they could just waltz into the sacred temple. And he wanted to look for Vindice. 

“Dia I want to try one of those drinks!” he yelled.

They came to a stop.

“Hehe. I knew it. Hurry and get one,” she urged, now pushing him towards the stalls, “I'm going inside. Clide wait here and show him the way. This guy gets lost easy.”

Keenin sighed as he saw her run towards the temple entrance, then pointed at him, likely to say we were a winning group. 

“Why do think I'll get lost?” he mumbled.

“Hey kid,” Clide caught his attention. “Bring me one too.”

“Ya, ya alright,” Keenin waved him off and turned to go.

He wasn't sure which was more annoying, Dia acting overly happy or Clide acting It was expected he would win. 

Keenin found the drink stand, but no Vindice. He ordered two drinks and glanced back. Clide was leaning against a wall with his eyes closed. He would have thought that defenseless pose was stupid except the guy was a dragon so he let himself feel grateful. He neared a bush and took a tiny sip, tasting bitter cranberry, before dumping most of it. 

The full cup meant for Clide was pulled from his grasp by Vindice who swirled it playfully.

“Using magic in the open. Not smart,” she stated.

She held back the cup and Keenin noticed red stains on her fingertips.

*

He leaned his head back against the edge of the tile basin in a quiet corner. The voices of other guests reverberated. 

“That star shape is supposed to be the mark of the warrior. And that one represents merchants.” 

As he was forced to overhear the chatter, Keenin looked to the clump of stars through the open ceiling. He didn’t particularly care what each speck was called, they made him forget and that was enough. 

“Is it your first time in a hot spring?”

“Of course. Who can afford this?” 

“I used to think the river was a luxury," another said. 

A different sky had come to Keenin's mind. Spread with drifting clouds and tinged with dancing leaves. They sat at the river bank, feet cool in the water. Lester nudged Keenin's leg so he looked over. 

“Why are you crying? We’re going to find our parents and learn our real names right.”

He had forgotten this. It didn't matter to him anymore. At least let Lester be safe.

A sinking feeling came over him, actually slipping, sideways. He jerked awake in time to right himself in the bath. He examined the real stars and bouncing candlelight. Near him the candles had mostly blown out and he suspected the supernatural. 

“Annoying.”

“What is?” Dia asked. 

She stood out of the water with a towel wrapped around her body.

“It's annoying that we're stuck in this place.”

“Actually we can leave in the morning.” 

“There isn’t enough money to take us,” Keenin said. 

“Silly kid. You're working with a dragon and a master ghost hunter here," Dia exclaimed. “Clide prepared some animal skins to sell. We have our share covered.”