Lux’s statement was met with an uproar of outrage and spit. Five beings, all equally furious, shouted over one another, their voices merging into a chaotic storm that made Lux’s ears ring. The air buzzed with agitation, and the sharp tang of saliva and adrenaline spattered the dusty ground.

  Twiggs' voice was the loudest: “I will not be doing manual work!” His protest cut through the chaos like a snapped branch.

  “A lowly human like you thinks you can boss me around?” Magenta retorted, her eyes flaring like hot coals beneath her dark brows.

  “What was Silver thinking, bringing a human like this to Silver City?” someone spat, their words sharp as broken glass.

  “This is outrageous! Us! Doing all the work!” Another stomped a foot, sending a small cloud of dirt into the smoky air, thick with the remnants of last night’s campfire.

  Lux felt his heart thud in his chest, a drumbeat of nerves. His palms were sticky with sweat as he waited for their complaints to subside. He masked his anxiety behind a slow, confident smile, ignoring the evening breeze that chilled his skin.

  When silence finally settled, broken only by the distant crackle of the campfire, he pressed on. “I’ll be sure to inform Silver of your decision when he returns.” He let his words hang in the smoky air, watching their effect. His lips twitched at the edges, warmth spreading beneath his skin. He was betting on their loyalty to Silver, and it seemed he was about to win.

  After two weeks around Silver, Lux knew just how intimidating the silver-haired man could be. Silver was a one-man army; even the blue fire and swirling black energy from the two women earlier paled compared to the pressure Silver could exert with just his presence. Lux recalled the electric hush that descended whenever Silver uttered even one word.

  Sure enough, Lux watched as the group huddled together, whispering furiously. Then Twiggs was shoved out as their spokesperson, almost stumbling over a jutting root, the twigs in his green hair rattling.

  “Lux, don’t take our words to heart. We were just surprised, that’s all. We’d love to help build Silver City,” he said, forcing a tight smile.

  More shoving came from behind, urging Twiggs to continue. “You won’t tell Silver about this misunderstanding, right?” came a nervous voice, tinged with the scent of sweat and fear.

  A grin threatened Lux’s poker face. He had them! The fear of Silver was intoxicating after weeks of living in his shadow. Now, finally safe, Lux could almost taste his glee, sharp and sweet like biting into an unripe apple. He could enjoy his “vacation” by bossing around powerful beings. When would he ever get this chance again?

  Besides, there was nothing else to do out here. The cold, clear air buzzed with potential. He might as well treat this like a city-building game. Lux almost rubbed his hands together, barely restraining his glee. “If Silver sees some progress in Silver City, I doubt he’ll care about a little misunderstanding.”

  “That’s right, Silver likes results! What should we do first?” Azura asked, his earlier bluster dissolving. Even his voice seemed smaller in the cool dusk.

  Lux glanced at the fading light, the sky streaked with smoky lavender, the campfire’s warmth brushing his cheeks. “It’s getting dark, so there’s nothing we can do today. We’ll start work tomorrow.” On his way to his room, he snatched a bit more food off Twiggs: a hunk of smoky meat, still faintly warm from the fire, savouring a moment of peace as he chewed on the juicy meat in his mouth.

  The next morning, Lux stretched in his soft bed, reluctant to leave its cocoon of warmth. The wool blanket scratched his bare feet as he debated a few more minutes in bed until someone knocked. “Lux, we are waiting for you to have breakfast.” Twiggs’ voice was unmistakable, muffled by the thick wooden door.

  “Coming.” Lux hurried to dress, pulling on his shirt, then picked up the stone he’d brought inside yesterday and scratched another tally into the wall, seventeen days in Mystic Beau. He ran his thumb over the notches, feeling the cool, rough wood beneath his skin, then stepped outside.

  The air was crisp, biting at his cheeks, and the smoky scent of wood hung heavy. Someone had arranged four large logs around a fire, with a pot bubbling over the flames, sending up clouds of savoury, steam. Lux joined the group, feeling the fire’s heat lick his skin, and realised he still didn’t know the red-haired woman’s name.

  As he tried to think of a polite way to ask, someone beat him to it. “Ruby, can you pour the meals, please?”

  Lux watched as Ruby picked up the pot with her bare hands, steam swirling around her fingers, and began ladling stew into bowls. When she handed him his, he noticed her skin was unmarked by the heat. The bowl’s warmth seeped into his hands, and the broth smelled rich, notes of something gamey simmering beneath.

  “Thanks,” he mumbled, still a bit stunned at the constant, casual displays of magic everywhere.

  This world and its people really were incredible. Lux wondered if he’d ever have the chance to learn magic. He hadn’t heard of humans doing so, but maybe it wasn’t impossible.

  Twiggs started chatting as they ate. “Lux, what’s on the schedule for today?”

  Lux swallowed a mouthful of stew, the heat gave him a pleasant burn on his tongue. “First, clear the rubble scattered on the ground. Nobody will want to move here if they can’t even walk safely.”

  “That sounds like a waste of time. What’s wrong with a little uneven ground?” Magenta narrowed her eyes, tilting her head so the morning sun set her hair aglow.

  Lux leaned in, raising an eyebrow. “Tell me, which city have you been to that has rubble everywhere?”

  Magenta opened her mouth, then closed it, her lips pressed thin as the wind teased a lock of her black hair. Lux bit back a smirk. “Thought so.”

  “Fine. Twiggy will clear the rubble today,” Magenta said, flicking her raven hair and volunteering the green-haired man.

  “What? Why just me? We should all help!” Twiggs protested, voice pitching high and almost echoing off the empty stone walls.

  Magenta blew him a kiss, mock sweetness in her tone. “You’ll get it done in five minutes, so stop complaining.”

  The sticks in Twiggs’ hair trembled, but he didn’t answer. The rest of the group grinned at him; Lux couldn’t suppress a small smile of his own.

  “Great, that’s settled. Twiggs clears the rubble, the rest of you start chopping trees.”

  “Oh, darling Lux, do you honestly think these hands are meant for anything so brutish as chopping wood?” Magenta held up her flawless hands for Lux to examine, turning them so the sunlight glinted off her polished nails. “Besides, even if we wanted to, we don’t have any axes.”

  If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  Lux felt a prickle of embarrassment crawl up his neck. He’d forgotten about tools, a rookie mistake. His grand city-building plan seemed doomed before it started.

  Twiggs, with a syrupy smile, turned to Magenta. “You can just open a portal to a settlement and fetch some axes.” The honey in his voice barely masked his payback.

  Magenta tossed her bowl to the ground with a clang, glaring daggers at Twiggs. “Twiggs, dear, if you had even a modicum of common sense, you'd know my talents lie far beyond mere errands.”

  “It’s decided, Magenta will go shopping,” Ruby interrupted briskly, steam from her bowl curling up past her chin. “Lux, make a list of what you need, it’s better to get it all at once.” Magenta tried to protest, but Ruby steamrolled her. “Silver is counting on us. Why else would he ask us to take care of the human?”

  “He only asked us to keep him safe!” Magenta snapped. “Look, he hasn’t got a scratch on him!”

  Ruby folded her arms, the embroidered fabric of her sleeves whispering as she moved. “Think. If all he wanted was to keep Lux safe, Silver could have left him in the safe zone. But he didn’t; he spoke to all of us. Why do you think that is?”

  Magenta frowned, then relented, her shoulders drooping. “Fine, you’re right. He wouldn’t have bothered if it wasn’t important.”

  Lux exhaled, tension draining from his shoulders, a knot in his chest finally loosening. The misunderstanding was working in his favour. He could keep playing his city-building game. Now he just needed to know if he had a budget. “What funds do we have for city building?” he asked Ruby, who seemed to be the de facto leader.

  “I’m not sure. Silver keeps most of the money on him, but I can lend you some for now and get it back from Silver later.” Ruby reached into a black pouch and tossed a heavy coin purse to Lux.

  He almost fumbled the catch, the weight of the purse stung on impact. The coarse leather felt cold against his skin. He placed his bowl down and opened the pouch. Inside, gold coins gleamed, catching the firelight and scattering golden flecks across the wooden floor.

  “How much is this?” he asked. The amount inside left his mind reeling on how it fit into such a tiny purse.

  “One thousand gold coins. Should keep you going,” Ruby replied with a shrug.

  Lux blinked, his pulse quickening as a hot rush thrummed in his ears. “Can you walk me through the currency here, Ruby? I need to plan properly.”

  Magenta scoffed. “You don’t even know that? Are you sure you’re qualified for this?”

  Lux ignored her, focusing on Ruby.

  “Bronze is the lowest. One hundred bronze to a silver, and one hundred silver to a gold,” Ruby explained.

  Lux nodded, setting the coin purse aside. With no skilled workforce available, he'd have to keep things simple. Building houses was out of the question, no sense in filling the city with poorly constructed buildings.

  Beyond clearing the area, the biggest challenge was food. If ordinary people moved here, they’d need a way to survive. He doubted everyone in Mystic Beau could live off the land like this group. Otherwise, why build city walls?

  He visualised the land he'd explored, a farm near the lake would be ideal, and his current "helpers" could handle it. "Ruby, do you have a pen and paper? I need to make Magenta's list."

  As he said it, another thought crossed his mind, would Magenta even be able to read his writing? Then, something else struck him. “Hey Ruby, how is it that we can all understand each other anyway?” He’d noticed different accents already.

  “Mystic Beau automatically casts a translation spell on newcomers,” she replied casually, as if discussing the weather.

  “That’s brilliant. I wonder if it sticks when I go back to Earth…” Lux shrugged and started scribbling his list, the scratch of pen on paper oddly comforting.

  Suddenly, the ground began to tremble. Lux’s heart pounded, a dull roar building in his ears. Earthquake? Monster? But the others didn’t react, they just kept eating, spoons clinking quietly. Pebbles started rolling, gathering toward the same spot. Lux looked up to see all the rubble forming a neat pile at the edge of camp.

  “What the… What’s going on?” He stared wide-eyed, the hair on his arms standing on end.

  “I’m clearing the area, like you asked,” Twiggs replied with a casual wave.

  Relief swept over Lux, followed by a surge of awe. No wonder Magenta volunteered him! Twiggs could make a fortune in construction back home.

  “Twiggs, you’re incredible! Thank you for helping.” Lux couldn’t help but praise him, and Twiggs’ grin showed he appreciated the rare compliment. “This won’t slow your recovery, will it?”

  Twiggs shook his head. “No problem. This takes barely any energy.”

  When the rumbling ceased, the ground was smooth, and the grass looked lusher. Twiggs had even filled in small holes, leaving the air tinged with the scent of fresh earth.

  Lux’s eyes gleamed with plans, preparing a field for crops would be a breeze with Twiggs around. Now, with such power at his disposal, Lux’s shopping list grew longer by the minute.

  Instead of just a few vegetables, he included everything he could think of, describing each for Magenta: wheat, barley, rice, potatoes, carrots, beans, lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, broccoli, basil, thyme, parsley, fruit trees. With one thousand gold coins, he could afford it all.

  He handed Magenta the list and pouch. “Thank you for going shopping.”

  Magenta rolled her eyes and began tracing an intricate gesture. A black ball of energy materialized, growing until it was the size of a door, crackling with static, it’s surface shimmering like oil, it made the tiny hairs on Lux’s neck stand up, then she stepped through and vanished.

  Lux stared, still getting used to how magic worked here. “That was incredible.” He wondered if Magenta could take others with her or if it was a solo trick. Maybe, when Silver trusted him more, he could get Magenta to take him to see a real town.

  While he awaited her return, excitement started to spread through Lux, fizzing in his chest like a mouthful of sweet cider. He had so many ideas on how to build the farm that he needed to start putting them to paper.

  Before he did, he turned to the idle Twiggs, “Could you clear a path to the lake?”

  Twiggs nodded, already moving, and Lux let himself relax for the first time all morning. Maybe, just maybe, this would work.