After half an hour, Kieren and Rash were dressed in the clean armor.

  "A small problem—how will I fly like them?" Rash asked.

  "I want you to concentrate on your upper back. Just like you change your hands, push energy there and imagine wings. It should be easy for you since you’re used to the hands."

  Rash closed his eyes and concentrated, and suddenly small wings sprouted from his shoulders.

  "Very good! Now try to make them larger, so they can support your weight."

  Rash closed his eyes again, and the wings grew, filling the entire room and crushing Kieren against the wall.

  "Smaller!!!" Kieren shouted, and the wings shrank to a normal size.

  "I said carry you, not the whole city," Kieren said.

  "Sorry, sorry," Rash apologized.

  They went outside, and Rash began to flap his wings. He flew up a bit and fell.

  "Take a deep breath. You’ll see that your body will recognize the movement, and it will be like walking."

  Rash breathed and began to hover slowly upward. Shadow arms emerged from Kieren's shoulders and took the shape of wings, and he began to fly. They flew toward the city and reached a guard station located above the city’s entrance gate.

  "Tom and Mirk, what happened? You're a bit late. Usually, you're early. Enjoying yourselves with the rats?" a guard with a white dragon helmet asked them.

  "We thought we saw some rats leaving the houses; turned out it was just a fox wandering around," Kieren replied, pressing on Rash's shoulder to calm him.

  "Come on, Bern, it’s our turn to watch the rats and apparently foxes too. Let's go," the guard said to another guard sitting on a nearby bench with his helmet in his hands.

  "I'm coming, calm down already, Kullan," the guard replied and put on his helmet. Then, eagle-like wings grew from his back, and he flew away. Kullan grew large bat wings and flew after him.

  Once they were out of earshot, Rash whispered to Kieren: "I know nobles look down on the Earth-born, but I didn't think someone who is barely not an Earth-born, from the bottom of the merchant class, would call us rats."

  "That is human nature. To rise, one must push someone else down," Kieren replied. "Now come, we need to split up. You go to the dungeon, and I need to go elsewhere, but remember to control yourself—no one must know we are here."

  "How will I know where to go? And how will I manage to get Daschal out?" Rash asked.

  "Tell him Eliberax sent you. You just exit the station and go hard left until you reach the edge of the city; the dungeon is there."

  Rash nodded, and they continued toward the station exit. As they left, Kieren told him:

  "After you get him out, take him to the station and wait for me there. I’ll meet you there."

  Rash nodded and headed left. Kieren waited until he was out of sight, then a small shadow arm emerged from him, detached, and became a tiny version of Kieren.

  "Follow him and make sure he is alright. If Daschal causes trouble, appear before him to convince him." The shadow figure nodded, jumped back into Kieren's shadow, and disappeared.

  After that, Kieren went right and immediately bumped into a soldier with a purple helmet.

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  "Mirk, I know you’re in a hurry to get home, but watch where you’re going. You know if it were any other commander, you’d be thrown into the dungeon right now."

  Kieren nodded and saluted, then used Mirk's memories and added: "Sorry, Commander Edmund, it won't happen again."

  The commander smiled and walked away. After he left, Kieren realized he couldn't walk the streets like that, so he turned into a dark alley and vanished into the building's shadow. Above, on the roof of the building, a soldier with a blue helmet watched in amazement as the soldier below him vanished into the shadow of a building.

  *********

  After leaving Kieren, Rash headed toward the dungeon. After a few minutes, a soldier with a green helmet suddenly approached him and said: "Scum, halt! What are you doing here? There's no place for scum in these neighborhoods."

  Rash stopped, not knowing what to answer. Suddenly, something black jumped from the shadow of the building beside him, expanded, and swallowed the soldier, and a second later swallowed Rash as well. Rash saw black for a moment, and then the soldier suddenly vanished, and in his place was a tiny black version of Kieren that said to him: "Now you have a green helmet. Be careful not to have any more mishaps; this version is very limited."

  Rash nodded, and the small version jumped and entered his helmet. Rash continued on, and along the way, he saw several more soldiers with green helmets. He kept going until he reached the edge of the city as the sun began to rise.

  At the edge of the city, there was a large gate in the wall, and two soldiers with white helmets stood at the entrance and stopped him. "Identify yourself!"

  Rash removed his helmet, truly hoping Kieren's illusion was working. "Sir Cassian Wayne. I have arrived by order of Sir Julian to transfer a prisoner to the station for interrogation."

  "We haven't received any report of a prisoner transfer," the guard on the right replied.

  "Scum, listen to me and listen well. I need to take someone for interrogation. The question is whether it will be the prisoner or you. Your choice," Rash answered, mimicking the condescending tone he had heard from the soldier who stopped him.

  "You... you may enter," the guard on the right stammered and opened the gate.

  Rash entered, and before the gate closed, he turned around. "Furthermore, scum, Sir Julian ordered that no one know of this. So only if Sir Julian or Lord Edric ask, you say nothing about it. Am I clear?"

  The guards nodded vigorously, and then the door closed. Rash took a torch from the wall and continued down the stairs. When he reached the first floor, another guard with a white helmet was waiting for him.

  "Scum, take me to the prisoner Daschal now."

  The guard took him ten more floors down. On the way, they passed many prisoners who looked miserable. When they reached the bottom floor, there was only one cell. Rash signaled the guard to open the cell and then signaled him to go back up.

  After the guard went up, he opened the cell and said: "Daschal Salchar, please stand up." Then, as his eyes adjusted to the light, he saw the figure of a huddled man chained to the corner.

  "How exactly do you want me to stand up when I'm chained to the floor, you stupid Scales?"

  The shadow figure jumped from Rash's shoulder and opened the shackles. "I am not a Scale, I am here on a mission for someone else, for Eliberax. I've come to free you."

  Daschal laughed a bitter laugh. "Why should I trust you based on a legend? If such a person existed, he would have come here, to the city he helped found, a long time ago."

  Suddenly, the shadow figure grew to normal size and said: "Daschal Salchar, stand up. I have much to make up for, but this is the beginning."

  "It takes much more than that to make me trust you, but I will come with you." Daschal stood up and walked toward the exit.

  "Wait, before you go out, I ask for your forgiveness, but to keep up the act until we leave the city, I need you to put shackles on your hands," Rash apologized.

  Daschal nodded, and they began to climb the stairs. Daschal struggled slightly due to the prolonged imprisonment. When they reached the top, Rash said to the guard: "Scum, open the door for me immediately!"

  The guard opened the door from the inside, and Rash exited with Daschal, and they headed toward the station. They reached the station when the sun was already high in the sky (close to ten in the morning). When they entered, Rash said to two guards with white helmets: "Scum, arrange a private room for me with a sofa, a table, and new shackles. I need to interrogate the prisoner."

  One guard ran to arrange food, and the second took him to another room. When they entered the room, Rash said to Daschal: "Sit on the chair for now as if I am going to interrogate you, until they bring the food. After that, we will eat and wait for Kieren."

  Daschal nodded and sat in the chair. A minute later, there was a knock on the door, and the guard returned with two trays full of food. He placed them on the table and left. Rash locked the door and said:

  "Eat, and then sleep on the sofa until Kieren returns." Daschal nodded and began to eat.