Night had fallen on their fourth day on the road, and Ember ate his meat skewer as he flexed his hand. His arm was tired, but not as bad as it was yesterday.

  “It feels so weird,” he stated.

  Chris, who sat across from him, his face lit up by the glow of the campfire, chuckled. “Trust me, it gets even weirder.”

  Ember frowned slightly. A chill remained in his body, traveling from his right hand up his arm into his chest, though it wasn’t as prevalent as before.

  “Will it always be like this? The coldness?”

  Chris shrugged. “You get used to it. Once you use ichor long enough, it just becomes a part of you. Think of it as an inconvenience for power.”

  Ember slid off the next piece of meat from his skewer. It was a little tough and chewy, but really good. He still wasn’t exactly sure what kind of meat he was eating, but Chris put enough spices on it for it not to matter.

  “Why are you helping me?” Ember asked. It had been on his mind for a while. “I mean, no matter how I think about it, it just doesn’t make any sense. You didn’t even have to save me. Those religious people said they’d let you go if you just gave me over. So why? Why are you helping me? I don’t understand.”

  Chris froze. He chewed on the end of his stick as he thought.

  “I guess I haven’t told you, have I?” he replied at last. “My purpose for being here.”

  Ember shook his head. He knew Chris wasn’t normal. That much was obvious. If the blue hair didn’t signal him as special, the way he carried himself did. Elgant and regal, if not cocky.

  “There’s a unique stipulation to the Frontier and how it’s connected to the civilized world,” Chris began. “As I told you before, Bling controls all the territory and the resources in the Frontier. However, that’s only as long as land isn’t claimed. Whatever land isn’t claimed is under Bling’s direct control—the main merchant company of the civilized world. They have a lot of power.” Chris drew into the ground the symbol of Bling.

  “They get all the goods and resources that come out of the frontier, doing what they want with them, though there are regulations.” He drew a land mass with a money symbol on it. Ember thought it strange that this world used the same one as Earth.

  “As for land that becomes claimed, it belongs to whoever claimed it. Anyone can make a claim, though you need the proper credentials and enough backing from either Bling themselves or one of the six major cities. Once it goes through, the land is yours, and Bling will secede all rights and resources to you.

  “So the Frontier is becoming a large player in the civilized world, for better and worse. There was a migration not long ago—people who came here specifically to create their own kingdoms and carve out their own places in the world. And I am one of those people, though no one has yet made a successful claim.”

  Chris stood and began to pace, swinging his stick in the air absently. “I want to build my own kingdom here. It’s the only reason I came in the first place. I threw away everything I had to make the trip. And what do you think I need to build a kingdom?”

  Ember thought for a moment, pulling on his experience with history in his world. “I suppose manpower... and maybe influence?”

  “Almost right,” Chris said, pointing to him. “You need powerful people. Not just manpower in general—powerful people. Ones strong enough to fight entire armies or change the landscape itself. Warriors, political masterminds. Assassins.”

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  He pointed toward the sword that rested against the wagon not far away.

  “That is a powerful weapon. I told you before that I went to the cathedral to take their sword. That was to begin my ascension. But you beat me to it. Unfortunately, I can’t just kill you and take the weapon because there’s a possibility I’m not compatible with it, which is a whole other can of worms I don’t want to get into right now.”

  He spun and tapped the warm end of the stick to Ember’s chest, “But you—you’re powerful. You will become powerful, because you have that weapon.”

  He spread his hands. “It’s as simple as that. I will make you strong enough to fill the role I need until I can find another.”

  Ember frowned. “If it’s so simple, then why haven’t you found people before? You said you’ve been here a while.”

  Chris rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “I might have stretched the truth a little. In reality, I’ve only been here a couple of months. Most of that time was spent trying to find my way to Basintown. I didn’t go through the main port city to the west. I came in from the east, and there is basically no infrastructure for landing parties. It was quiet the ordeal.”

  Ember sat there, thinking. I don’t know if I can trust this guy... but at the same time, I don’t really have a choice. What would I even do if I left? Wander around until some monster lopped my head off?

  He looked at Chris, who was staring at him expectantly.

  “So let me get this straight,” Ember said. “You want to use me for what—the rest of my life? Turn me into a slave?”

  Chris waved a hand dismissively. “No, no, I’d never do that. If you wish to leave, you can whenever you want. I’m not forcing you to stay. But you don’t understand the situation you’re in. What you have will make your name ring across the Frontier. People will want to see you just because of what you have. Good and bad.

  “Now, imagine what happens if your name becomes popular and I’m there. I can piggyback off your popularity to start building the foundation of my kingdom. So if anything, I’m the one leeching off you.” Chris sat back down, picking up a meat skewer.

  “As I said, you can choose to leave whenever you want. I’m not going to force you. But at the very least, I’d like to accompany you across this land to the main port city—if that’s where you’re headed. The way I see it, you need a purpose. I’m willing to give you one until you find your own.”

  He held up his hand as Ember opened his mouth to respond, “You don’t need to reply right away. You can have a couple of days to think about it. In fact, I’d prefer if you did think about. Rash decisions are a great way to end up in a ditch.”

  Chris went back to eating, not elaborating further.

  Ember chewed thoughtfully on a particularly rough piece of meat. A port city... I guess that’s the main way out. No, it makes sense. If that’s where people first landed, of course, it would be the main port.

  He glanced at Chris, who leaned against one of the wagon wheels, picking his teeth with a spinter, then back to his food. A purpose? I never had one back home. And even now... I don’t know what I’d even do. But... I guess the port city is a good place to start.

  As Ember chewed on his food, a question kept nagging him. Chris seemed content with what he told him, but Ember couldn’t let the question linger.

  “Why? Why try to build a kingdom in a place here?” He asked.

  Chris stared at Ember intensely, chewing on the end of his splinter, before tossing it and putting his forearms on his knees, head hanging. It was a surprisingly vulnerable image.

  “I was tired of the expectations.” He said quietly. “The stares. Out here, I’m nothing but a blob of potential. I will only get back what I put in. But most of all, I just stopped caring.” He didn’t look at Ember. Nor did he elaborate.

  Ember averted his gaze. Expectations. Something I thought I had. Ember couldn’t help but think back to his time in college. The hope his parents had for him. The hope he had for himself. It all came crashing down.

  With a grunt, he stood, leaving Chris to his thoughts. Ember lay on his blanket. Sleeping bags didn’t exist, but he had several layers of cloth to keep him off the ground. He stared at his canvas roof, the warm glow from the fire playing across the cloth.

  A kingdom. I can’t even imagine what that will take. And he wants me as his beacon. He said I’ll become strong. How strong? Is that a guarantee? What happens if I don’t?

  Ember didn’t need to think about the consequences, because they were clear. He’d die. I need to stay by his side until I can survive by myself. Then we’ll see how I feel. He wants to give me a purpose. I don’t see a reason to say no.

  Ember turned onto his side, closing his eyes. Besides, he saved my life. I owe him that much at least. If nothing else, I won’t die alone.

  With that morbid thought and a small spike of fear, Ember felt sleep begin to take him.