“We’ve told you, ma’am, we’re looking for a fugitive that’s travelling with a monkey that matches this one’s description. We need to investigate.”

  Agrona scoffed. “Are you calling me a fugitive? Go on then. Try to arrest me. Don’t think I’ll fall for some low-brow hooligans trying to play at being authorities. You haven’t even identified yourselves. You think you can throw around your weight in the Stoneholds? Try it.”

  Felix felt an icy dread crawl up his spine as he listened to them. He squeezed his eyes shut, half to focus on the conversation and half in fear. He waited as the front room of the shop went quiet. Eventually, he heard someone clear their throat.

  “It’s not like that, ma’am. As we said, we just want to speak to the owner of the monkey. We’re looking for a boy who’s travelling with one. We aren’t looking to cause any trouble, but we won’t leave until we’re sure he isn’t here.”

  ”How dare you call him a monkey! Little Augustus Vermicelli Derturamul is like a son to me! Isn’t that right, Augustus?”

  Felix heard another brief pause before Menium let out a very confused chirp.

  “You see? That’s settled, now be on your way before I call the guards.”

  “Ma’am, we just need to have a look around the store to confirm he isn’t here, and we’ll be out of your hair.”

  “Ha! And why should I let you rummage around my store? Don’t think I didn’t notice how you’ve been avoiding showing identification. If you’re really—”

  Felix didn’t hear the end of her sentence as an unexpected hand on his shoulder forced him to choke back a scream.

  Spinning around, he saw Borin signalling him to keep quiet. It took a moment for Felix’s heart to stop hammering painfully against his ribs, but once it did, he nodded.

  Borin quietly led Felix to a workbench on the side of the store, where he pointed to a window. Felix immediately realised what he meant. Biting his lip, he nodded. He could meet up with the other three at Agrona’s, but staying would be stupid. Felix nodded at Borin and mouthed a thank you before he made for the window.

  Before he could leave, he was stopped again. Borin held out his new quarterstaff with a stern look. Felix was so nervous he’d nearly forgotten it. He quickly wiped his clammy hand on his shirt before grabbing it. With a final nod, he stuck his head out the window. Once he confirmed the alley was clear, he hopped out with a smooth motion and hurried down the street.

  As quickly as he could move without drawing attention to himself, he moved away from the store, paying little regard to where he was going. At every step he took, he expected to hear the pounding of boots behind him or the yells for him to stop.

  Only after he was sure he’d gotten away did he duck into another alley to collect himself. Seeing a couple of derelict crates near the end of the alley, he hid behind them. Sinking to the floor with his back against the damp stone wall, the realisation of what happened hit him.

  Knotting his fingers through his hair, he breathed out a curse. “Spokes, how did they find us? It hasn’t been that long.”

  Anxiety built in his chest like a rising tide of frigid water, his breaths became shallow and fast, his vision grew dark around the edges. “What are we going to do?”

  The sound of people chatting as they walked past the entrance of the alley forced him to hold his breath. He went as still as he could when they walked past mentioning something about a pub he breathed out. They weren’t after him. They were just a couple of dwarves getting a drink.

  The moment passed. The brief pause let him calm down a little, just enough to think clearly. “Right, they found us. I can’t change that. What did Grandma say? Focus on the things you can control. What can I control right now?”

  Felix allowed his consciousness to drop into his Inner World. He didn’t do anything with it. He just let the familiar surroundings calm him. Instead of remembering plans or strategies, he remembered a cup of tea. He didn’t want to make any hasty decisions, which would only make things worse.

  He slowly sipped his tea, forcing himself to be still, to not plan, to not jump into action. Between sips, he endured the bombardment of thoughts that tried to move him, to drive him into a spiral of despair. Every time he’d take another sip and focus on the taste. Only for the thoughts to come again once he swallowed.

  One cup, then two, then three. Finally, he felt like his mind was still, like he could think without being dragged into a swamp of despair.

  ”What can I do? Leave the Stonehold? But then we wouldn’t be able to join the caravan. Wait in the city? Would the caravan even take us if we’re being hunted? No, in the first place, could we even leave the city as things stand? If they tracked us here, then they’re watching the gate. If they’re checking all the holds, then it’s an even larger problem…”

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  Felix allowed his thoughts to race, trying every angle to try and figure out a way forward. Minutes ticked by as he tried to come up with a plan.

  ”This isn’t working. I need more information.”

  Biting his lip, he thought about it.

  “I should get back to Agrona’s, maybe she learned something about those two in the shop.”

  Felix clenched his fist.

  “But what if they see me? What if they followed her home? No, I can’t just go there openly. There’s no way I can just blend into a crowd of dwarves. If I try that, I might as well just announce my presence from the rooftops.

  “I can take backstreets, but if they’re searching the backstreets, I’d have nowhere to hide. I don’t think I can afford anything that would make me invisible either. So that only leaves a disguise.”

  Felix winced.

  “Right… I just need to disguise a one-armed human that looks like he’s too young to leave home on his own and travels with a monkey so he won’t stand out in a city of dwarves. That should be easy.”

  Felix chuckled dryly. He allowed himself a moment to stare blankly at the grimy wall on the other side of the alley. When his back started itching, recognising that it was resting on something just like it, he forced himself to go on.

  “Focus on what you can do in this moment, Felix. We can worry about the rest as it comes. So what can I do? I need to get back to Agrona’s house. Right now, I don’t need to worry about Menium. So how do I disguise myself?”

  He looked down at the empty sleeve that should have held his left arm.

  “That’s going to be the most important thing. It’s rare for people to walk around with missing limbs.”

  Scratching his beardless chin absentmindedly, he paused.

  “It’s not the only thing, though. It would be a dead giveaway if someone is looking at me up close, but what if I never gave them a reason to look so closely?”

  Felix squinted his eyes as a plan started coming together. He quickly ran through the streets he passed in his memories and took stock of the nearby shops.

  “That will do. It will have to do for now.”

  Creeping to the mouth of the alley, he scanned his surroundings to make sure no one was looking for him. The streets weren’t empty, but with the number of people stuck on Main Street preparing for the Vermillion Bird, it wasn’t busy either.

  Taking a breath, he steeled his resolve, and without hesitating, he exited the alley and started walking back in the direction he came from. He didn’t have to go far to find the little alchemy store he was looking for. He quickly scanned his surroundings again while trying his best to not look suspicious before he ducked inside.

  The smell of plants immediately hit him as he took in the room. A middle-aged dwarven man was standing behind a counter with his back turned to the door while two women who were unpacking a few crates stood in the middle of the floor. Tinctures and vials lined the walls in the front of the shop while shelves behind the counter were filled with countless little boxes.

  Further back, Felix could see a garden where the live plants were no doubt cultivated. His examination was interrupted when one of the women unpacking the crates called out to him.

  “Welcome, dear. Do you need help, or are you just looking around?”

  “Ah, I need to pick up a few specific herbs.”

  “Of course, dear, you can speak to old Olin behind the counter. He can help you with that.”

  “Thanks.”

  Walking through the shop, he let his eyes wander over everything on offer. After the second display, it hit him that he wasn’t in the Feywild anymore. The shop might be the size of some of the smaller shops he’d seen in some of the towns, but seeing the price of healing balms and insect repellants he started worrying that they might not have everything he needed.

  While trying to come up with a list of alternative ingredients available locally, he kept moving towards the counter. He froze before he reached it. In a neatly organised display sat vials of golden liquid. A sign above the display read. “Belthezar’s Brilliant Beard Balm. Grow a breathtaking beard before you know it!”

  Without realising it, his hand had already reached out towards the display. Catching himself in the act, he stopped, but it took a chuckle from behind the counter to drag away his attention from the display.

  “You’ll grow one in time, lad, no need to rush.”

  Felix let out a sigh and shot a forlorn look at the display.

  “I’m seventeen.” After thinking about it for a second, he added. “And I’m human.”

  After a moment of very loud silence, the Olin cleared his throat.

  “I see, well. Balthazar’s really does work. Why don’t you give it a try? A friend of mine couldn’t grow a decent beard for years. Even picked up the nickname Patches, Balthazar’s fixed him right up. I’ve stocked it ever since.”

  Felix was about to decline when he remembered why he was there. With a sparkle in his eyes, he turned back to the shopkeeper.

  “How long does it take to work?”

  “Eh? A few seconds, no need to worry.”

  By the time Olin finished his sentence, Felix had already paid and snatched a vial. He was busy opening it before he looked up.

  “Ah, uh, you mind if I try it here?”

  “I’m too scared to stop you, go ahead.”

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