As the sun sank, they reconnected with a path and shortly came upon the autocoach, waiting just off the path near a stream. Mask still in place, Mira led the way inside. Cole found his bow where he had left it.

“You kids shouldn’t wander off like that,” Bertram scolded warmly. “We have places to go. Still bound for Middlebranch?”

“Yes,” Mira said.

“We’ll arrive late tomorrow morning,” Bertram said. “Off we go.”

The autocoach started rolling forward. They took off their masks. Body scraped and bruised, feet sore, eyes drooping, Cole found the coach much more comfortable than the night before.

Chapter 29

MIDDLEBRANCH

Middlebranch was a larger town than Cole expected. The bustling community made him realize he hadn’t seen a real town since coming to the Outskirts—just Skyport, Declan’s hidden castle, and the empty country where the slave caravan had traveled.

The typical buildings in Middlebranch had stone foundations that stuck up above ground level to support wooden walls. Several main streets crisscrossed the town. Not including the outlying farms they had passed in the last hour before reaching the town, Middlebranch had dozens of buildings, maybe hundreds, some of them four stories tall.

They reached a stone-paved street featuring several mansions with gated grounds. Cole craned to view the impressive homes. The strangest one of them boasted many turrets and gables, and was partly constructed from glossy black stone, partly from bricks of various shades of blue, and partly from golden-hued wood. The end result was quirky and visually confusing, not helped by the spacious quartz fountain out front.

“Look at that crazy house,” Cole said.

“Probably belongs to the lead shaper,” Mira guessed. “Only shapers would build so eccentrically.”

“I kind of like it,” Twitch said. “It’s original.”

“Should we talk to the lead shaper?” Cole asked.

“Usually the lead shaper is tight with the local government,” Mira said. “That often equals being tight with my father. This street is probably all government officials. We should look for Gerta the herb woman. Bertram? Could you take us to the town’s main inn?”

“There are two of significant popularity,” Bertram replied.

“How about the one the local officials visit least often?” Mira said.

“That would be Spinner’s Lodge,” he said.

“Let’s go there,” Mira said.

Jace was rooting around in the storage space under his seat. He looked up, a brown sack in his hand. “This is full of ringers,” he said.

“They told us they gave us money,” Mira said.

“I remember,” Jace explained. “But this is full! Copper ringers, silver, gold, even platinum. We could buy a ranch and have money to spare. We could buy one of those mansions.”

“We have to be careful not to show it,” Mira said. “Nothing draws trouble quicker than flashing money around.”

Grinning, Jace started sliding simple rings of equal size onto one end of a leather cord. “I’m free and I have money.”

“That’s too much,” Mira scolded. “No gold. Certainly no platinum. Use mostly copper, and a couple silver if you must.”

“I won’t show it off,” Jace promised. “I just want an emergency fund. We already almost lost the coach once.”

“Your coins are rings?” Cole asked.

“Most people in the five kingdoms use ringers,” Mira said. “They’re officially called ringaroles. I guess it’s new to you. Ten coppers in a silver, five silvers in a gold, ten gold in a platinum. There are also copper bits, worth a quarter of a copper, and silver bits, worth half a silver. Those are smaller and square.”

“No bits in here,” Twitch said, adding ringers to his own cord.

“It’s against the law to shape ringers,” Mira said. “Some shapers are employed to check if ringers are authentic. My guess is Declan shaped these, and I suspect nobody would be able to tell.”

“I should grab some,” Cole said. “You know, in case of emergencies.”

“Don’t get caught with too much on you,” Mira warned. “They’ll think you robbed a money house.” She claimed a small handful and began threading a cord through them.

Cole took a short cord from the bag, loaded it with gold and platinum ringers, then tied it around his leg inside of his sock. Satisfied, he started loading a longer cord with mostly copper ringers to wear around his neck.

“You’ll jingle,” Twitch said.

“What?” Cole asked.

“The ringers on your leg will jingle,” Twitch said. “It won’t fool anyone.”

“How should I do it?” Cole asked.

“Use less and spread them out,” Twitch said. “A few ringers in one boot, a few in the other. A couple inside your belt. Use knots to separate some on a cord and bind that around your leg.”

“What are you, a smuggler?” Cole asked.

“I’ve traveled,” Twitch said.

“Or you could sew some secret pockets,” Jace mentioned.

“You sew?” Cole asked.

Jace shrugged.

Cole untied his cord and started rearranging his ringers. He noticed an autocoach similar to theirs pass them heading the opposite direction.

“There’s the lodge, up on the left,” Mira said.

“Correct,” Bertram affirmed. “I’m afraid I’ll have to wait in the autocoach.”

“Wait,” Jace said. “I see something I need. I’ll catch up.” Before anyone could respond, he opened the door and jumped down from the moving coach.

“Want me to follow him?” Twitch asked.

“We have to trust one another,” Mira said. “He’s a big boy. He’ll stay out of trouble.”

“It’s his first real day of freedom with his pockets full of money,” Twitch reminded her.

Mira couldn’t quite hide a look of panic. “He has to get used to the idea at some point.”

The autocoach halted smoothly. “We have arrived,” Bertram said. “I’ll wait nearby.”

“Thanks,” Mira said, climbing out of the coach. Cole and Twitch followed.

Cole noticed people glancing at them. Down the street he saw another autocoach, so they couldn’t be too rare. Maybe the people weren’t used to strangers. Or maybe it was because of their ages.