The column of guards marched past, their spears barely wavering as they moved. Their loose tan pants ruffled in the evening breeze, but Rajhu had his eyes on their black breastplates, and the gleaming scimitars at their hips. The guardsmen of king Serafa were not to be trifled with. And Rajhu had trifled, indeed.

He snaked his way into an alley, the sandstone buildings rising up on either side of him. The sun may have been setting, but it was still hot. That was the problem with this country. It was always hot outside. And if it wasn’t, it was far too cold. Night was the only relief from the inhuman heat, and day was the only escape from the frigid cold.

Grabbing the large bag that hung over his shoulder, he groped desperately, until his hands wrapped around the shape of the lamp. The solid gold, ancient lamp. He still couldn’t believe his little confidence scam had turned out such a wonder. With this prize, things would change for him. He reached up to his face and peeled away the bushy moustache. Relief washed over him as the appliance fell away. He scratched his lip, and sighed openly.

It had been a good day.

The sound of marching soldiers echoed through the streets, and Rajhu picked up his pace, weaving through the alleys as fast as his feet would carry him. It was late, and soon the city gates would close. If he had any hope for his future, he needed to be out of the city before that happened.

Skidding around a corner, the alleyway opened up, revealing a wide street, lined on both sides with open shop faces. Men and women still mulled about, but the scene was far from what it would be in the morning, or afternoon.

The clang of metal on metal rang out above half hearted calls for people to come see this or that, to buy now, while prices were low. It drummed above all of this, and Rajhu’s eyes settled onto the form of a young man, slaving away over red metal and anvil.

Smiling, Rajhu hurried forward, walking up to the lad and ruffling his tidy brown hair.

The boy jerked backward, looking up with anger and alarm. His features softened when he realised who it was.

‘Oh, it’s you…’

‘Good evening to you, too, Will.’

The boy wiped his brow, drawing sweat and soot across his already dirty face. His complexion was sullied by the day’s work, but Rajhu knew the boy to be very fair. Much fairer than his own people from the mountains and valleys of Ohmi. Will was a child of the north countries. Rajhu didn’t remember their names, but knew they existed. Will was an orphan of them, as Rajhu was of his own country.

‘I have this!’ Rajhu insisted, digging in his bag and producing the gold lamp.

Will stopped his work again and looked at the thing, his eyes going wide.

‘With such an amount of gold, you won’t have to work anymore. We can get out of this dreadful country and go somewhere nice.’

‘Put it away!’ Will insisted, striding forward and pushing the lamp hastily back into Rajhu’s satchel. ‘Who’d you con this off of, anyway?’

Rajhu frowned. ‘I paid the man, Will.’

‘Yeah… you gave him a pittance, Raj. It’s not honest. What I do here…’ he opened his arms, then let them fall to his sides. ‘It’s honest…’

‘And you make the finest swords in the land, Will. A true testament to the art of Smithing. But this isn’t where you belong. You’re no apprentice Blacksmith. You’re a master! A swordsman!’

‘And I’m not a con man, Raj… Listen, I know we’ve been through a lot, but I just can’t deal with this conning business. That’s why I got the job here in the first place. So we could earn some honest money.’

‘We don’t need honest money, Will! We need money. Period. How do you think the King gained his riches. I guarantee you, it wasn’t honestly. So we take a little from dishonest people. I pay them a part of the worth, and they are happier for it.’

‘But when does it end?’

‘Tonight! Tonight it ends. Will, you are my only friend, yeah? Tonight, we are finally rich men. Tonight, we are freemen! Now, let’s start living like it!’

Will smiled. ‘Freemen, hey? Okay, I’m not gonna lie, I like the sound of that.’

‘Exactly, my boy! Exactly! We can do whatever we want!’

Will walked past the forge, folding his hands across his chest. ‘So… we could go to the north countries?’

‘Of course!’

‘Try and find my parents?’

‘Will, I’m your friend. I would be honoured to help you find them.’

‘Could we… start our own country?’

Rajhu smiled. ‘It’s been a dream of mine for as long as I’ve been alive. You know that!’

‘Can we call the country Willtopia?’

Rajhu sagged. ‘That is honestly the worst name I have ever heard.’

Will laughed. ‘I thought it was pretty good!’

There was a sudden commotion somewhere behind him, and Rajhu heard someone calling out. Turning, he could see the column of soldiers walking through the marketplace. The Captain at the head of the group pointed toward Rajhu, his scimitar drawn.

‘Stop there, thief!’

‘We can talk about names and such later. Right now, we need to be getting out of the city.’

Will’s shoulders fell. ‘What have you done now, Raj?’

He scrunched up his face, bobbling his head. ‘I may have taken the King for a walk. I may have told him I was his lost son. I may have told him that my Mother was sick, and dying. I may have told him I needed… two thousand Flank. He might have given it to me…’

‘You have been busy!’ Will grimaced.

The column of soldiers rushed forward, falling on them in a moment. Will kicked out, catching the Captain in the leg; he sputtered a curse, and crashed to the ground.

A spear darted out, and Raj stepped to the side as it whistled past his face. He grabbed the shaft and pulled it free from the hands of his attacker, ramming the butt into his face. Blood spurted from the man’s nose, and he fell backward, just as Raj rammed the back of the spear into his breastplate, sending him sprawling to the ground.

More soldiers rushed in, and as they did, the Captain climbed to his feet, growling as he brandished his scimitar. He whirled, turning to face Raj, his teeth bared. He raised his sword, stepping forward. The blade came down, but before it could cleave Raj’s skull in two, Will stepped between them, his own sword raised. The width of the blade took the impact, and he pushed back, parrying the blow.

The Captain cursed, swinging again, but Will stepped, then brought his sword up, the flat slamming into the side of the Captain’s head. He stumbled back, and Will moved again. His sword flashed, and the Captain barked. Metal impacted metal, and Raj saw the man’s scimitar clatter to the sandy ground.

Will drove the pommel of his weapon into the man’s face and he, like his sword, fell to the ground, unmoving.

Spear men moved in, and Will turned. He batted an attack away with his blade, then slashed upward, clipping the arm of the attacker. The guard stumbled back, and Will charged, bowling over the man, as Rajhu smiled, darting through the crowd of stunned soldiers. Before they could completely register what had happened, Will and Raj were at a full run.

A cry of rage rose up from their ranks, but it was lost to Rajhu as he and Will darted around a corner and immediately began to descend a narrow set of stone stairs. Behind them, Raj glimpsed the trailing attackers, but they burst free from the stairwell onto even ground, and disappeared behind yet another sharp corner.

They ran in spurts, for nearly half of an hour. At long last, Rajhu saw the gates to the mighty city: Two massive wooden doors that raised half the height of the stone walls. The city was known for being near impossible to penetrate, and almost harder to escape - if the need arose.

‘Made it!’ Will panted, coming to a stop beside Rajhu. ‘With time to spare, too! They haven’t even started to close the gates, yet!’

As he spoke the words, a great grinding noise split the air. Rajhu gave the boy a whithering glance, and darted forward.

‘How was I supposed to know they’d start closing them?’ Will protested. ‘Hey, you cannot blame me for this!’

They sprinted, and Rajhu felt his legs giving renewed protest. His body was tired, his mind was tired. But they were so incredibly close. Beyond those gates lay freedom the likes of which he hadn’t known in years; the likes of which Will had probably never experienced.

Above them, there were cries from the gatehouse. Raj smiled. They were closing on the gates now. The doors still stood halfway open.

An arrow whizzed by him, stabbing into the ground. He cursed.

‘They’re a little upset, Will!’ he called. ‘I think I’ve angered the whole city this time!’

More arrows rained down, but they were crossing under the gatehouse now. Rajhu laughed as they darted through the closing gates, out of the city, and into the open flat expanse beyond. The last flecks of sunlight were fading as the gates closed behind them. Above, there was a host of cursing. He knew they were looking for them, waiting for a chance to pin them both to the ground with their arrows. After such an escape, Raj wouldn’t allow himself such an ignominious end. Silently, he lead Will away from the gatehouse. They stayed in the shadow of the city walls, until they were sure the guardsmen had given up. Then they broke away from the wall and started their long journey away from the city, and into the vast unknown.

‘You almost got me killed!’ Will growled through a smile, hitting Raj hard in the arm.

‘I got us out…’ he smiled. ‘Will… We are freemen, now!’ He laughed, twirling around as he kicked up the sand at his feet. ‘I knew today was auspicious! What a turn of luck! And it all stems from my crowning achievement…’ He reached into his bag, pulling free the golden lamp. ‘My lamp… The golden wonder! The signal of our future, Will. This… This is just the beginning, my friend.’

Will laughed. ‘You’re crazy, Raj…’

Rajhu stopped, peering at his friend through the darkness. The moon burst light onto the desert through the veil of a pale cloud.

‘But of course… I’m Raj Heroh. You must have heard of me. Dashing, powerful, the master of a thousand charms and disciplines…’

‘And a very lucky con man, too!’

Rajhu laughed. ‘Maybe you’re right…’ he conceded, bobbling his head. ‘But tonight, Will, I am Raj. King of the world!’

Will laughed, and Rajhu kissed the lamp delicately before stowing it back in his bag. Tonight was a new beginning. Tonight, truly, he was standing on the edge of greatness. He had left the squalor and the failure behind. His past was dead in the city behind them. Now, the future was as bright as gold.

Rajhu was sure. There was nothing stopping them, now.