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“Alright,” he agrees. “What about those tarts?”

“I almost forgot.” Glancing around the market, James tries to find a bakery but can’t make one out. “Let’s walk around and if we don’t find one, we’ll just head back to the inn, agreed?”

“Agreed.” Miko leads the way and though they fail to find a bakery, they do come across a man selling what reminds James of a cinnamon roll but instead of cinnamon it has a red jelly spread across the top and in the middle. They buy six and head back to the inn. Eating as they go, they both agree that they are delicious and end up eating them all before returning to the inn.

That night as he lies in bed, James has trouble falling asleep, the words of the woman still echo in his mind. ‘Another walks with you, he will be the key, a lock must be opened’. That’s got to be a reference to Miko. But what lock will he open? He’s not a thief.

The rest of it doesn’t make much more sense:

With the star, seal your fate,

A giant knocks upon the gate.

Pillars of Flame dispel the night,

Out of darkness blossoms a light.

A friend’s wrath you shall feel,

Destroy the land so it may heal.

Return the lost, stones to dust,

Remember in all your heart to trust.

I’m sure it will make sense after it would have been useful to know, he reasons. After a while of wrestling with it, he finally succumbs to sleep.

Early the next morning, they gather their things and head down to the common room. There they discover the lower floor of the inn to be aswarm with people. The buzz of conversation flowed throughout the room like a hive of excited bees.

“…I didn’t believe it myself at first…”

“…lucky to be alive if you ask me…”

“…simply incredible, you should see her…”

Spying one of the serving girls, James catches her attention and asks, “What’s going on?”

Giving him a surprised look, she says, “Haven’t you heard? Serenna’s ball exploded during a foretelling last night.”

“Oh really?” he asks. “Is she alright?”

“She’s fine,” replies the serving girl, “though her face and arms were struck when the ball exploded. No one knows what happened to the person for whom she was doing the foretelling.” Suddenly, she notices his face and the numerous fresh puncture marks it bears. She looks at his arms and sees matching wounds there as well. “You?”

“I’m afraid so, but let’s not make too much out of it okay?” he asks. “I would just like some breakfast.”

“Sure thing,” she says as she backs away and heads toward the kitchen. On the way she pauses to whisper to another serving girl who glances over at him with a wide eyed expression. The other serving girl then turns to another person and soon, the conversations within the inn quiet as word of his appearance spreads. Eyes looking fearful take in the wounds caused by the shattering of the ball which dot his face and arms. James was beginning to feel a little self conscious beneath such scrutiny.

“Wonder why such a reaction?” Miko asks.

“Don’t know,” he replies. “Let’s just eat and then get out of here fast.”

Beginning to feel uncomfortable too, Miko says “Yeah, it’s getting kind of creepy.” Taking a seat at a small table in the corner of the common room, they wait for the serving girl to appear.

When their meal arrives, the girl sets it on the table then backs away fast. Wishing for nothing else but to rid themselves of the watchful crowd, they eat their meal quickly. Most of those within the inn, seeing that James is not behaving in any way out of the norm, return to the conversations they were having before.

James can’t help but notice the way everyone continues to cast glances their way. After a bit, he also notices that the crowd within the inn seems to be getting larger. Over in the corner are several youngsters talking amongst themselves. One girl from the group, who couldn’t be more than twelve, is given an encouraging shove from another as she timidly makes her way over to his table. She stops several feet away and asks nervously, “Can I ask you a question?”

James says,