"It doesn't count as poaching if the position doesn't exist yet," Effie said with a determined expression as the three children climbed up the stairs to the apartment. On her head was a white headband with cute deer antlers and a mane of gold, plush-stuffed fabric for hair, along with two bells, one under each antler.

"I can't understand dragons," Terry said as she followed behind Effie wearing her own headband with four layered, pale blue dragon horns, bells, and ribbons. "But I think they were very interested in coming to work for you."

"Dragons can not only send messages, but deliver things long distance and through rough weather," Cio, wearing a black headband with four layered black dragon horns with bells, was at the end of the little parade. "They would be useful to hire, but they're so expensive."

Tailing behind them was Henry, who not only carried Effie's backpack, but several bags of souvenirs bought at the dragon-related gift shop on the island. The children bought dragon figurines, apparel with dragon images, and their dragon headbands, which they insisted on wearing all the way back.

Henry assumed it was a sign of prestige in children society to show that they had gone to see and ride the dragons. He moved past them when they reached the top floor hall and unlocked the door.

The inside was already well lit and there was a scent of food in the air.

"How were the dragons?" Hana was sitting at the dining table, hunched over some papers and with a pencil clutched in her hand. The papers were full of designs and diagrams of what Henry assumed were products they were working on.

"Put your stuff away and wash your hands," Ash called from the kitchen. He stuck his head out and it could be seen that he was still wearing an apron. He paused when he saw the three children. "Did you buy me a headband, too?"

"You didn't ride the dragons," Effie replied as she bounced past him. Henry turned his head and let out a little snort laugh.

Ash looked affronted as he stood up straight and glared at the back of his sister's head. "You still could've gotten me a headband!"

"Second Brother, you are an adult. These headbands are for kids!" Effie retorted.

Ash scowled. "I bet they had some for adults…."

"They did." Henry reached into a bag and rummaged, taking out two larger headbands. One was silver with gold horns while the other was like Effie's headband, only in pink and with violet flowers instead of bells. He took the silver one and put it on top of Ash's head as if laying it on a table.

"Thank you, Brother!" Ash beamed as he quickly put it on. "Heh…I can't wait until Effie sees this."

"Thank you, Brother!" Hana dropped her pencil and happily accepted the pink headband, also putting it on and then grinning with Ash.

"Ah!" Effie stepped out and pointed at the two of them, her face flush with horror. "Why do you two have them!"

"Ash and Hana were supposed to go with us, so I had tickets to buy two more," Henry told her.

"Two more?" Effie slumped forward. "I could've bought two more!"

"Don't be greedy." Henry put his large had atop her head and gave her a gentle shake.

"Brother, did you get one, too?" Hana asked as she adjusted her souvenir headband.

"I bought one for Elka."

"Ooohh…."

"Shut up." Henry rolled his eyes. He put the bags he was carrying on the nearest sofa and went to wash his hands in the kitchen. Hana gathered her things and moved them to the coffee table so Henry and Ash could carry in the food.

The children took on the easier job of setting the table. Wealthy merchant families had help, but children weren't raised to be helpless and ignorant. Raising them as such would weaken a family's power.

Everyone took their seats. As the eldest, the others waited for Henry to begin eating. He picked up his utensils, moving them over his plate, and then paused. He looked around at the faces that were looking back at him, wondering why he'd stopped.

"Brother?" Ash asked, hand still raised in mid-grab for a serving spoon.

Henry crinkled his eyes. "You're not all going to wear those throughout dinner, are you?" he asked, looking at each of the headbands on each of the diners.

Ash looked him dead in the eyes, and answered in a serious voice. "I'd wear it to sleep if I wasn't worried I'd crush it."

Several heads nodded in agreement. Henry pursed his lips. It was his fault for asking. He lowered his eyes and shook his head. "Never mind. You can start."

The table sounded with utensils against plates, dishes being moved, and the chatter of several voices.

"Was anyone hurt?" Terry asked when the topic eventually touched on the fire and building collapse that caused Ash and Hana to leave before lunch could be eaten.

Ash paused and Hana's shoulder shrunk. "Unfortunately, there were injuries. Most were minor," Hana told the children in a placating voice. "And the medic center and its staff worked swiftly and efficiently."

Effie and Terry nodded their heads. Cio looked up from his plate. "Did anyone die?"

"Ugh." Terry shot him an annoyed glare. "Your timing is terrible!"

"It's a valid question!" Cio replied with puffed cheeks.

"During dinner?" Terry glared.

Before Henry could calm them, Ash motioned for the two to calm down. "There was a casualty. An investigation is in process and a key witness is being searched for."

"But the casualty may have also caused the fire to begin with," Hana told them. "They shouldn't have rushed into the kitchen."

The children mumbled in agreement, with Terry confirming that it was dangerous to be in the kitchen unsupervised.

"Maybe we'll find out more when the investigation clears," Ash said, giving the three children a reassuring smile. "Did you see any rare dragons? I heard there was a horned eastern mane."

Most dragons who were employed by the Federation were a specific species, as their respective skill sets were best for different missions. Most were winged and had some sort of air or wind affinity. Earth dragons and some species of fire dragons did not have wings or could fly. Also, fire dragons were notorious for attacking humans who came to close, as Ash and Henry could attest to.

"There were three!" Effie sat up straight, full of energy, throwing her arm in the air and sending a piece of pasta off her fork. The table went quiet. Effie quietly brought her arm down and placed it carefully on the rim of her plate before sliding off her chair to pick up the escaped pasta. Without a word, she went to throw it away, wash her hands in the kitchen, and then return to her seat. "Sorry."

Cio handed her a napkin to dry her hands. "We were told there were three, but we only saw two," Cio said. "Effie got to ride the small one."

"Her name is Zumi, and I want to hire her one day!" Effie said, almost repeating her earlier over-enthusiastic arm motion. She barely stopped herself and almost seemed to have to force herself to pull her arm back down.

"You tried to poach a messenger dragon? In front of their handlers?" Hana raised a brow and then let out a slight whistle. "That's mighty brave of you,,,, Effie."

"I didn't poach her! I complimented her and she said she is interested!" Effie insisted. She chewed on her pasta.

"Another group had another adolescent horned eastern mane, but it was air and wind affiliated," Henry replied.

"What about the third?"

"It's Zumi's mommy!" Effie said, puffing her chest. "Uta is also a storm dragon, but we didn't get to see her as she was working while there. Her scales, horns, and mane are all silver."

"You saw her?" Cio furrowed his brows. "I didn't see her."

"Zumi told me," Effie said. "I told her about Momma and then it turns out that our moms are similar."

Henry bit his lips to stop himself from asking how in the world, aside from hair and scale colors respectively, was Nera similar to an adult storm dragon?

"Zumi's mommy is the dragon they use when something urgent needs to be sent through the worst weather conditions. She doesn't have a rider, and also doesn't have a handler," Terry told them.

"An experienced employee," Ash said with a nod. "That's always a plus."

The children went on to describe their flights. While Terry was more than satisfied, if not shaky legged, after her first and only flight, Effie and Cio had also gone up with Azurite. Effie had been the only one who dared to go with Zumi, and this was because Zumi let her.

Eastern maned dragons did not have riders, so those that were present were only there to be shown. Effie went up by herself.

"You let her go unescorted on a dragon?" Hana looked at Henry with dismay.

"Zumi was not allowed to do any tricks, just fly around normally," Henry said. "And there are saddles and rider straps for eastern maned dragons, but they're just not usually used. I'm fairly certain Zumi made an exception."

Low, triumphant chuckling came from the little girl with two white balls on her head behind her dragon headband. "All the staff envied me."

Hana also appeared envious as she nodded. "There are many benefits to being a beast master."

After dinner, Hana helped the children get ready for bed while Ash and Henry cleaned up. As Ash dried the washed dishes, he leaned against the kitchen counter with a thoughtful expression. "He's probably going to come looking for us tomorrow."

"Prince Tae's people have been watching Minister Heikohbi's group and will send a report to both us and Talam," Henry replied. "Maybe his people saw more of what happened."

He caught Ash glancing at him with suspicion. "Do you think the altercation started because they were confronting one of the exiled elders?"

"Oh, I have no doubt that's what happened," Henry said. "With Ashtar's isolation, the amount of non-military abroad is the smallest it's ever been, with almost all elderly noble heads and one or two of their escort guards. Talam is the only real exception to this that we know of, and he had special permission. As for the exiled elders, there are at least twenty to thirty of them wandering the continents. Considering the Invitational at Shae is the place to be for business at this time, they'd certainly come here."

"Are you sure?" Ash asked.

Henry grinned. "They may be exiled, but they weren't the head of their families and threatening enough for the Old Bastard to send away for nothing."

"If that's the case, where were that elderly man's escort guards?"

"If he was at the restaurant, he may have been eating, which means his guards would've been outside or further away at the time," Henry said. "The big question is what did they want with him? From what you told me the witnesses described; it was more than just a casual greeting or check-in."

"Perhaps questioning them on their status? A whole group against an old man would've also been an intimidation tactic," Ash replied.

Henry raised a brow. "Then...was Minister Heikohbi's purpose not to gain allies or spread influence, but to check on the exiled and make sure they're not getting anywhere?"

Ash clicked his tongue and lowered his gaze dejectedly. "It's not enough to exile all those old people. They have to harass them, too."

"There could be another reason," Henry said.

Ash looked up at him. "What's that?"

"What Auntie is doing."

Ash stopped moving; the dishcloth was still in one hand while holding on to a dessert plate. He swallowed hard, causing the lump in his throat to move. "She'd only contacted a few heads. News of allegiance, if it had reached Ashtar, would be a rumor at best if it got out."

Henry gave Ash a knowing look. "But you know that Old Bastard."

Ash clenched his jaw. "When people are starving and fleeing a famine, he didn't do a thing, but if there is a rumor...?"

"It's not certain. I'm just speculating," Henry told him. "We can find out more if they capture that old man."

Ash let out a low breath. "Hopefully Talam or Prince Tae will come tomorrow, and we can find out more about what Minister Heikohbi's people are doing. I didn't think he'd get in so soon."

"He likely bought their way in," Henry replied, nodding. "If Talam doesn't reach out to us, we'll reach out to him and meet with him over dinner, after Auntie's obstacle course event tomorrow."

Henry already made a mental note to send a message the next morning, after they left the teahouse, but he found he wouldn't need to. The teahouse manager knocked on their door at dawn to tell them that someone wanted to speak to them. Had it not been for the door notification crystal and periodic ringing, they would have slept through Talam's arrival.

Ash and Henry quickly washed their faces and got dressed. Ash toll Hana where they were going of the kids woke before they got back.

Downstairs, on the ground floor of the still closed teahouse, was Talam and his two guards. Talam was seated by an interior table while his two escorts sat at another table a bit further away. The linens were down, but the tableware had yet to be placed for the day. Two people were preparing the tables while the unmistakable scent of bread being baked was in the air.

Henry checked his watch. There was at least another thirty minutes before the teahouse opened. They still had time for a private conversation.

Ash still activated a slip and put it on the table in between them as he and Henry approached.

Upon seeing them enter, Talam rose to his feet to greet them. Henry and Ash gave him a nod. Henry motioned for him to take a seat. "Good morning, Mr. Heigoren. If you're here this morning, it seems you know about what happened at Southend."

Talam furrowed his brows and took his seat. He let out a low breath and nodded. "His Highness Prince Tae has been kind enough to send me reports on the movements of Minister Heikohbi and his entourage…." He squinted as he looked at the top of Ash's head. "That's an interesting…headpiece, Second Young Master."

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Henry took a deep breath and restrained himself from looking at Ash. Ash smiled and lifted a hand to touch his dragon headband. "Thank you. Brother bought it for me. We're going to be wearing them when we watch our mother's event later."

Talam nodded dumbly. "I see…."

Henry leaned forward to try to get the conversation back on track. "I haven't asked, but do you know who was part of his entourage and what they were doing here. I suspect they bought their way in considering how we found them."

Talam's face grew serious, and he frowned. "About four days after I arrived, they managed to buy their way in. I don't know who the merchants were, but Prince Tae says he will look into it. As for the entourage, I know who each of them is, though not personally. If the description is correct, the one who died yesterday was Caine Pasha."

Ash raised a brow and Henry narrowed his eyes. "Pasha of the Earls of Pasha?" Henry asked.

Talam blinked. "You know of them?"

Henry knew many noble families considering he was once the crown prince and needed to know his courtiers. However, now he was just the eldest son of a merchant family.

"Ashtar is currently an untapped market, so we've been looking into nobles there," Ash answered on his behalf and Henry didn't stop him. "We were told that they have heavy influence in Ashtari business, even if they themselves are not merchants."

Talam nodded. "Yes, they are. At first, I suspected that they were also here to make business connections, only with a group of people who were supporting the current Crown Prince," he said. "The Heikohbi family is the maternal family of the Emperor's younger brother, who is the only living sibling of his after he took the throne. The Prince Royale cannot walk without assistance."

The two brothers nodded. "Then they really are trying to get support for the Crown Prince."

Talam shook his head. "I simply don't understand why they'd support him. The Prince Royale never showed any interest, let alone affection for any of his nephews or nieces."

"Well, now that it seems that the Crown Prince is going to be the next Emperor, he can focus all his efforts on him to assure his survival and the survival of the people behind him," Henry said.

"Does the Crown Prince have a lot of supporters?" Ash asked.

Talam frowned. "I wouldn't call the majority of the court supporters. It's just that there are no other options for heir. All my brothers-in-law have passed, and no princess has been allowed to compete for the throne in three generations, which is archaic, if you ask me." Talam frowned as he almost slapped a hand on the tabletop. "What modern nation doesn't have a female leader? Dareisol has a dowager empress and a crown princess. Suna's ruler is a woman."

Henry raised a brow, a bit amused. He felt the same, but following the situation, which would mean Talam's wife, his younger sister, would be up to challenge the Crown Prince.

"Wouldn't that make your wife a possible contender?" Ash asked. It seemed he was thinking the same.

Talam jerked his head back. He thought for a moment and shook his head. "Varellian is brilliant, but she is not suitable to deal with that court." His words may have sounded harsh and critical on the surface, but his tone was that of a man protecting his wife.

It looks like their sister had married a sincere man.

Ash nodded, but muttered under his breath in Lunapsar. "Probably because she's bossy and controlling…."

Henry kicked him under the table.

"My sisters-in-law are still young, and they are not suitable either. The position requires education to rule from a young age," Talam told them with some disappointment. "My sisters-in-law are just trying to survive."

The table went quiet. Henry knew very well that if the Old Bastard became paranoid enough, he'd want to get rid of his daughters, too.

Ash narrowed his eyes. "Unfortunately, your wife married out. Your children won't have a lot of claim to the throne."

Talam face flooded with a blush, and he lowered his eyes. "We don't have children yet." Though he appeared embarrassed, he was still smiling at the thought of having children.

Ash made a slight face and Henry kicked him again. He sent him a silencing look and wanted to remind Ash that those were his future nieces and nephews, regardless of how they were made.

"The Emperor doesn't have any other children for heir, but what about the Crown Prince? He's…how old now?" Henry asked, despite already knowing.

"Mid-twenties," Talam replied. "And he does have his own Court of Imperial Wives. All consorts, no princess, yet."

"The highest-ranking position must be reserved for someone who not only has the right lineage, but the background to support him," Henry said. It wasn't something he considered in his own relationship, as he was confident in his own abilities and backing.

"Surprisingly, with a handful of consorts, the Crown Prince doesn't have any children," Talam told them. He leaned forward and lowered his voice. "It's rumored that now that the Crown Prince is amassing a lot of influence, the Emperor wanted to have more children, but has been unable to. The Crown Prince has also been urged to have children, but he hasn't, and it doesn't seem to be due from lack of trying."

Henry's brows shot up. That was interesting news. At the Crown Prince's age and with his consorts, it should've been likely that he had children. The corner of Henry's lip curled up, satisfied with the news. "Well…it looks like the gods really don't approve of this Crown Prince."

Talam gave him a solemn nod. "The High Temple is growing more critical because of this."

Henry and Ash exchanged looks. Henry dared to look back at Talam with a thoughtful expression. "We heard rumors that the eternal flame is waning."

Talam sucked in a sharp breath. He lowered his eyes and nodded. "It's not as well kept as they hoped, it seemed. In a year, at most, that flame is going to go out. If it does, everyone will see it as a sign that Ashtar has lost the sun goddess' blessing."

"I'm surprised it lasted this long," Ash said with a slight frown. "The Traceras are the people of the sun goddess and the last of their lineage was hunted down in Ashtar."

It was personal to both him and Henry. Ash carried the Traceras magic lineage and Henry carried its blood. From what Ash had told him, those who stole magic targeted Traceras clan members, systematically weakening the clan further until the only one left was Henry's mother.

"It seems that some of those noble families need discipline," Henry said. "As much as others need support."

Talam sat up straight, as if reminded of something.

"I also heard that the city authorities are looking for an elderly man who fled the scene. He was the one who Caine Pasha had chased into the kitchen," Talam said. "I suspect it may be one of the noble elders who'd been sent out." A look of sadness reached his face. "If it was a friendly encounter, there wouldn't have been a fire."

Henry couldn't' help but feel that their brother-in-law wasn't as naïve as he appeared. This was a good thing.

"If they find him, they can ask for more details. I'll doubt he'll be of any trouble," Henry told him.

Talam nodded listlessly. "I haven't met any of the elders yet. I was almost certain that I'd run into at least one here, but it's been a week since I arrived, and I still haven't met any."

"There are many people here and I don't think there are many elders who were sent out," Ash replied. The odds were against Talam if they were being realistic.

Although, it didn't matter, as the important person Talam had to meet with was Nera. If Nera wanted, she could get him in touch with all of them.

"Part of me is concerned that they're going to harass any elders they see," Talam said with a frown.

"Then that's an even bigger reason for you to stay away from them," Henry told him with a frown. "If you see them, avoid them."

Talam nodded once more. "That's my plan." He lowered his eyes. "I've left my information with merchants you've recommended and made appointments to meet at this teahouse." Talam could be assured privacy there under the authority of Henry, so he wouldn't be cornered even if Minister Heikohbi's men found him.

"Then good luck to you," Henry said. "Try to stay out of the streets as much as possible."

"Also, our family is relatively well known in the Federation," Ash told him. "So, they may come looking for us."

"At this time, we've instructed our staff to send people looking for us away, but they may leave their names, and we will reach out after the Invitational," Henry added.

"Are you not going to attend any more the events?" Ash asked.

Talam released a low breath and shook his head. "No, I have work to do and after finding out that Minister Heikohbi's entourage entered the city, I'm hesitant to go anywhere besides where I need to go."

"Smart man," Henry agreed. "We're only attending the events with my aunt, so the rest of the time, we're taking the children to play. If you need us, let the manager know."

"Thank you, Young Master."

"Pancake Café…Pancake Café…." A light sing-song voice came from the stairs and a little girl appeared wearing her headband. "Brothers! It's been decided!" Effie said upon catching sight of them before she reached the top of the stairs. "Pancake Café for breakfast!"

Ash slumped his shoulders and sighed. "Again? We've been going there almost every day."

"They have quality breakfast!" Effie defended.

"And who exactly decided this? Cio, Terry, or you?" Ash asked with a suspicious look and crossed arms.

"It was a unanimous decision!" Effie lifted her chin in defiance and mirrored Ash's crossed arms.

Henry watched his siblings argue and gave Talam an apologetic look. "It seems we've been summoned," he said with a slight smile. "Please excuse us."

Talam smiled and nodded, rising to his feet to see them off. "Not at all. It's good to see Effie doing better after what happened."

Henry looked at his sister, who was now trying to convince Ash that there were so many things at the Pancake Café that they needed to go multiple times to try them all. Aside from waking up a few times for two nights, a bit disoriented and jumpy, Effie didn't seem to carry much trauma this time.

Perhaps it was because she was rescued so soon, that aside from the concept of being kidnapped itself, Effie had felt it was more an inconvenience than a life-threatening situation.

"Brother Talam!" Since the kidnapping, Effie was much more friendly to Talam, though Henry couldn't help but feel she was treating him like someone younger. She waved an arm at him. "Do you want to go with us to the Pancake Café?"

From the momentary flinch on Talam, who hadn't been able to finish the sugar-loaded pancake tower Effie ordered for him the first time he went, it was clear Talam was not willing to go.

"Thank you for the offer, Effie, but I have a meeting here later and usually just have tea and a light breakfast," Talam told her. Henry caught the accusatory glances from Talam's escorts, as if they were asking if he was serious about a 'light breakfast.'

"A shame," Effie said with a disappointed sigh. She shook her head. "Well, we'll leave you to it. Brothers!" She turned on her heel and pointed. "To the Pancake Café!"

Ash grumbled, but followed behind her. Henry could hear him muttering under his breath. "If I have to eat one more sweet crepe because she can't finish, I'm going to riot…."

Henry chuckled, but didn't stop Effie from ordering a sweet crepe when they ate breakfast. Afterwards, he took them to the stands alongside one of the hills. It overlooked an area outside the gates, as the 'obstacle course' event required a large amount of space that couldn't be utilized inside the city itself.

This was the most magic-heavy of the events, as while the space had been prepared and there were real obstacles and landmarks to use, all of them had been manipulated, if not completely created, for the event using magic. This was done to keep the course a surprise to everyone, as well as prevent home field advantage for local representatives.

The playing field below had been marked off into five sections and each section was a miniature world of different terrains that each competitor had to traverse in order to reach the delivery point with their package; the vase they would be carrying.

Each competitor was given a leather messenger bag with a lightly packaged vase that also functioned as a tracking device. If the vase were broken, the spell on it would detect it and the competitor carrying that vase would be disqualified and receive no points.

As for the miniature worlds, they were created using complex illusion magic supplied by the Magic Tower. Once a competitor entered a zone, they would disappear into the illusion. They could only be tracked by glowing dots hovering above the illusion, which told the audience here a specific competitor was.

In a way, it was a bit boring just watching a dot.

"So many years of doing this and all they do is keep that stupid dot," Ash said as he leaned back and crossed his arms. "You'd think they'd innovate and improve the tracking system."

"I agree," Hana said. They were seated in Prince Tae's booth once more and had a clear view of the area that had been marked. "People want to see the action. What they should have been screens that show us what the competitors are doing."

Ash raised a brow and looked at her, curious. "Screens?"

Hana nodded, still frowning as she looked out at the field. "What would be better would be to have drones following each competitor and sending a life feed to those screens. Then we could see all the action in real time"

Ash narrowed his eyes and leaned towards her. "Drones?"

Hana opened her mouth to explain, but Prince Tae called out behind them. "Ash, why are they still using the Magic Tower for this illusion work? You're leagues better than they are."

Ash looked up and sighed, giving a dismissive wave. "Mages who are related to competitors can't work on the illusion to be fair to everyone. The Magic Tower doesn't compete, so they're considered a 'fair' resource. They asked after the last Invitational, but Momma planned to compete, so I couldn't."

"Ash, if Auntie isn't doing this next time, we should get involved. Show them what we can do with drones and screens and real time streaming!" Hana perked up, filled with sudden energy and an almost obsessed glint in her eye.

Ash nodded, and cocked his head. "Okay, but what are drones?"

Henry didn't pay attention to the two of them and stood by the balcony, squinting as he looked over the crowds of people who'd gathered and the massive scoreboard. According to the legend, Carthage Harbor's glowing dot would be teal.

On the score column next to Nera's name and Carthage Harbor's symbol, there were top marks in all combat events, but the glaring zero for the regatta still bothered him. Regardless, Nera was still within the top half of her superior performance in the combat events. He'd wager that if she won this event, she'd break the top five.

"How do you think she'll do?" Prince Tae asked as he joined Henry.

"As long as nothing else strange happens, she'll win," Henry answered. He motioned his chin towards the scoreboard. "Notice anything different?"

Prince Tae followed his gaze and looked at the scoreboard. "Several people have dropped and also got zero points in the last few events."

"Three names are crossed out," Henry said. "The horses for the chariot race at the paddock went crazy yesterday, apparently. A few people were injured, including competitors for the all-around."

Yesterday was one of the competitors' rest days in between major events. However, they wouldn't spend it just resting. Most of the time, they were preparing for the next event. It was customary to get to know the horses they'd be using for the chariot race as soon as the horses were ready, so most of them must've gone to see paddock the day before.

Ash had sent people to check, and Nera had been fine. In fact, she'd assisted in calming down the horses and likely saved the life of a competitor before a horse could trample her to death. Whether the incident was man-made or an accident was still under investigation.

Prince Tae frowned. "Then, we've lost several competitors at this point."

Henry nodded. "I hope Auntie will be careful."

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"I want you all to be careful." Nera sat in a large, comfortable carriage that was bringing them from the competitor's dormitory to the fields. "After everything that has happened lately, we should be on guard against any 'accidents'."

Several people in the carriage with her nodded, and a few responded with obedient 'yes, master's.

"I cannot stress enough to follow your intuition," Nera continued. "If for some reason, you feel something is wrong or you cannot continue, do not hesitate to pause or turn back and reassess. Your health and safety are more important than winning. If you are injured now, you cannot continue to compete."

They all agreed with her, with some appearing more relaxed after hearing her instructions. Nera knew her status amongst the other competitors. She was a veteran of the event and the one who'd won the most. Most competitors, especially those who were familiar with her, highly respected her.

In turn, she saw them as her own, giving them instruction and guidance.

During the Regatta, she'd been the one to direct the rescue, even taking on one of the people herself knowing there was a large chance she'd be disqualified. The competitor who carried the other injured person volunteered to do so, as well despite her warnings about disqualification.

Nera respected that greatly.

During the combat events, after each one, she'd instruct competitors who looked up to her carefully, even meeting with them on the days of rest to hone their craft. The two who called her master had improved in rank the last few Invitationals, and had come in second and third placed behind her in the last two.

The day before, when the horses went crazy, Nera had been at the paddock since morning, talking to the horses and selecting the ones she felt she had a good relationship with best for the race. She'd even aided the horses' physical checks with veterinarians and other beast masters.

She had been calming a mare when she heard another horse say something smelling strange. All of a sudden, the horses began to sneeze and buck. She turned around to try to calm them, but it was too late.

She didn't know what they inhaled, as she nor anyone else in the paddock had been able to see or smell anything, but it affected the horses. It took her a moment to realize there as something in the air, and she had to use one of the slips Ash gave her. She carried them on her person when she was not competing.

The air was clear, but the horses were still panicking, and it took them a while to calm down. What was most important was to get people out of the way from flying hooves. One of the competitors who'd just earlier been feeding a horse a carrot, was now laying in the medical center with a dislocated shoulder.

She wouldn't be able to compete for the rest of the competition, and everyone was upset about it. Since then, Nera had warned everyone to take their time and be cautious. She planned to take this slow, as well.

The carriage exited the gate, and as they approached the starting point, they could hear the cheers from the crowds. Nera closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She fidgeted with the bands on her wrist that limited her strength to that of a normal human's. Perhaps a little less than that, at her request.

The door to the carriage opened and one by one, they were introduced as they stepped out.

"Nera Atractas for Carthage Harbor!" She stepped out of the carriage and stood on the top step, straightening her back and raising her arms to wave at the crowds with a wide smile. Her eyes were hidden with a veil, but everyone was used to this.

She stepped down and went to line up to receive her supplies for the event that would go into the night, and all the way to the next morning. Once she got her bag with basic supplies and aid, as well as emergency flares, she got her vase. The vase wasn't large; it was more like a fancy glass goblet, but it had more cup and less neck.

The vase was inspected, and a drop of her blood was dropped on it to activate her tracker. She looked towards the score board and found the teal dot beside Carthage Harbor began to glow. Once they entered, they would need to find a way to better pad the vase.

Nera walked to the starting point and then turned around to look at the crowds. She saw her children immediately in one of the suites with Prince Tae, and waved. The children screamed and jumped up and down. Nera chuckled.

"Where did they get those headbands?" she asked with a slight grin. Beneath her veil, her eyes crinkled into crescents. "They're so cute…Henry should've worn one, too."

"Master, are you ready?" a large bald man asked beside her. Nera looked over at him and smiled, nodding.

"As I'll ever be," she said. She took a step towards him and raised her hand. The man gasped and quickly stood still, lowering his head to accept the blessing.

"Master, me, too!" Another person rushed and Nera smiled as she gave several competitors safety blessings. Henry said that when she gave them, he'd often feel a cool, but comforting energy around him that also helped calm him. Nera hoped this would keep everyone calm and focused when making decisions.

"Stay safe. Stay well," she told them as she stepped back. She slung her bag over her body. Everyone was told to prepare to enter the first miniature world. Nera took a deep breath. "I will see you all at the finish line."

With the remaining competitors at their starting positions, a dozen purple-robed men and women began activating the illusion.

In front of her, the serene green pasture with some clumps of trees to one side and a quaint village peaking in the distance began to fade into a bustling city marketplace.

While the illusion each year was slightly different, the themes and world orders were always the same, so everyone knew what to expect. The first obstacle represented the pickup of goods to be shipped. Their mission was to get out of the city's winding, maze-like streets and exit through the city gate, at which it acted like a check-in.

They'd be given a few minutes to rest and then be prompted to enter another world for the next leg.

A loud horn blared, drowning out the sounds of the crowds cheering them on. Nera grasped her bag and ran forward.

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