Chapter 13

Bartz, Falca, and Nata left the castle grounds to ride through the shining city streets. The area around the castle was the elegant, pricey part of town. The streets were painted gold and clean enough to eat off of. There were soldiers on every corner chatting with young nobles or munching on fried snacks. It was all very charming and secure, the ideal environment for relaxing vigilance and making plans.

“What’s our first step?” Nata asked.

“We’re going to need a tech,” Bartz said decisively.

“I was afraid of that.”

“Nata, you know perfectly well that a tech is needed.”

Nata nodded slowly. “I assume you have one in mind.”

“You betcha!” Bartz answered with a grin. “My old friend Tomas. He’s one of the best techs around, if not the best. He is good with his hands and good in a scrape. If he had not been born a tech, he would have made a fine woodworker or perhaps even a knight.”

“Well, let’s head to his abode and get him,” Nata said.

Bar