It was cloudy the day that Akello and the blind archer reached the gates of Port Albert. The rolling hills and lush grass of home were replaced by the smells of damp wood and fish. As they made their way across a ridge, they finally caught sight of the walled town. It was cold and grey, surrounded by a dark sea that stretched to the horizon. The buildings were packed tightly together, all seemingly gathered around a large white temple with a tall tower. The sounds of cawing seagulls echoed through the heavy air. Jack Fairway’s next letter felt closer than ever.

  “It’s no Alta Flora.” Alfonso joked as they wandered towards the gates.

  The blind man had been a welcome addition to Akello’s adventure. He was easy company, cooked well, and had incredible knowledge of the world around him. He would spend evenings sat by the fire, smoking his pipe, telling stories, but he refused to ever talk about his necklace or his eyes. Every so often, at the end of the night, Alfonso’s breezy nature would fade, and Akello would spot what looked like a hint of quiet sadness across the blind man’s weathered face. By the morning, he would be back to his normal self.

  Akello looked down at his hand.

  His wounds had mostly healed, just as the blind archer had told him. The slash across his back had mostly vanished, and the dagger hole in his hand had worn into a thick scar. The pain stopped after a few days, but a glance down at Akello’s left hand would never fail to remind him of the cold metal running through it. It had been a week since the attack, but the memory of the thin man’s smile seemed ever fresh in Akello’s mind.

  “Don’t worry, kid, all the best swordsmen have cool scars.” Alfonso reassured, “If you see a knight without any, odds are he hasn’t been in a proper fight.”

  “Or he hasn’t been hit.” Akello responded in a pensive tone.

  Alfonso smacked his lips. “True.”

  As they made their way across the flat fields to the wooden gate, Akello wondered what the Sunsworn Examiner would’ve thought of his performance against the soldiers in the woods.

  “Papers, please.” Said the guard at the gate. He was a butch and proud looking man, dressed in armour of blue and grey, adorned with the emblem of a red fish. He was guarding the gates as if a great treasure was within them.

  “Papers?” Alfonso echoed.

  Akello didn’t even know what kind of papers he was meant to have.

  “Lord Trout’s orders.” The guard elaborated, “been seeing a lot more fire spice smugglers coming through as of late.”

  Alfonso raised an eyebrow. “Do I look like I’ve got a load of spice on me?”

  The guard didn’t budge. “If you haven’t got the correct papers, I can’t let you in, sir.”

  Alfonso scoffed in disbelief. “What if I showed you this…” Alfonso leaned slightly closer, revealing his Sunsworn necklace to the guard.

  For a moment, the gold flashed in his wide eyes, but the guard’s stern expression quickly returned. “That’s quite the valuable item you have there, man. Where did you find it?”

  “It was placed on my neck by the hand of Master Leon Keldrick of the Sunsworn, ”

  The guard chuckled. “I’m to believe that? A Sunsworn Knight without eyes? I am a knight of Lord Talbot Trout, and I will not let you in without seeing your papers.”

  “Are you serious, fish knight?” Said Alfonso, annoyed.

  “I am.” said the guard, leaning slightly closer. “So you and your boyfriend are gonna have to have your honeymoon in a different seaside town, aren’t ya?”

  Akello got nervous as he saw the blind archer’s hand tremble over his bow.

  “Here,” said Akello, “Why don’t we make this easier for all of us?” He moved closer and subtly took out a golden coin from Dayani Fairway’s purse. The guard seemed entranced by it. As he tried to snatch it, Akello swiped it momentarily out of view.

  “You’ll have to excuse that our papers come in the round and golden form, sir.” Said Akello, cheekily, “Would that be alright?”

  The guard nodded, with a face like a dog waiting for a bone.

  Port Albert’s winding muddy streets were even more grey and fishy than they appeared to be from the gates. For Akello, it only added to the charm of the place. There were bustling stalls of shouting fishwives, warmly lit bars with drunken men pouring out into the streets, and people of the likes that Akello had never seen before. Sailors and merchants from as far west as Banjar or Shao Lung were selling spices of incredible colour, and their strong smell shot up Akello’s nose like an arrow.

  “Don’t tell me you’re impressed, chico.” Said Alfonso, and Akello realised he had to pick up his jaw. “This is like being impressed by the sight of a shit in a privy.”

  “Well what if I’d never seen anything like it?” Akello asked, trying to be clever.

  “Then I’d count you very lucky, chico.” Alfonso held his nose as a bucket of human waste was thrown out onto the street next to him. “Come on, let’s find somewhere to stay. Hopefully somewhere that doesn’t smell of fish.”

  They arrived at a small inn, far from the bustle of the town center. It was perched nicely atop a small mound, giving Akello a view of the sea as they made their way in. A sign swung from the door saying “The Waving Siren”, with a loose drawing of a nude mermaid. The wood had rotted after years of wind and rain.

  “My kind of place.” Alfonso remarked as they stepped in.

  The lobby inside was snug and cosy, bathed in warm orange candlelight. There were women from every corner of the world sat promiscuously across a small sofa and hovering in the doorways. They were all smiling at Akello and Alfonso as they entered.

  Alfonso leant on the desk and greeted the clerk.“Good day to you, madam.”

  “Welcome, sir.” She said in a voice like a gentle wave. “Are you here to dine or stay?”

  “Stay.” Said Alfonso, “But I might have a look at your menu if I feel peckish.” He nodded at the women decorating the sofa.

  “Oh yes?” The clerk inquired. She had pale skin and dark hair, slightly older than the rest, but no less awe-inspiring in her dark teal dress that sparkled like fish skin.

  Her makeup reflected the theme. “We have flavours from every corner of Utopa. Please feel free to help yourselves.”

  Akello noticed one of the ladies, a sweet and slender young thing with caramel skin and dark hair, smiling warmly at him. He blushed.

  “My friend here isn’t hungry.” Alfonso tilted Akello’s head back to the clerk. “We’ll take a room, two singles.”

  “That’ll be 5 copper pieces each.”

  Alfonso tossed one of the golden coins onto the desk and winked, “Keep the change.”

  The room was quaint enough. It was coloured with shades of reds and pinks and oranges. A large window gave a view to the dark sea, with a cool breeze seeping in. There were single beds on opposite sides of the room. As soon as his head hit the pillow, Akello fell into a heavy slumber.

  When he awoke, it was raining. Alfonso was sat in a chair facing out the window, smoking his pipe. Akello coughed on its sweet smoke as he rubbed his eyes.

  “Sleep well?” Alfonso asked.

  “Like a log.”

  “I bet. Nothing better than a soft mattress after a long journey.” The blind man tapped his pipe out of the window, and sighed. “So what are we looking for in this fishbowl of a town, chico?”

  “The Sun Temple. I need to get into the crypts.”

  “Ah, that’ll be that giant slab of marble there.” Alfonso pointed at the white tower down in the centre of town. From here, its white cleanliness was almost blinding.

  “Ugly thing.” Alfonso remarked, and Akello silently disagreed.

  Suddenly, Alfonso’s head turned quickly to Akello. “Hold still.”

  Akello was afraid as Alfonso slowly approached his bed. He lifted the sheets, revealing a small spider. Alfonso scooped it up delicately, and spoke lovingly in a language Akello didn’t understand. He set it down outside on the window sill, and smiled as it scurried away. The moment slowly faded, and Alfonso snapped back to his normal self.

  “I’m going to go and check out the bar.” said Alfonso, making his way to the doorway. “Don’t talk to the women. They’re night ladies, and they’ll take your money.”

  “Night ladies?” Akello asked.

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  Alfonso froze halfway through lighting his pipe, “You serious?”

  Akello looked oblivious.

  “Night ladies? Women of the town? Prostitutes?” Alfonso paused. “They sleep with you for money.”

  “Why?” Akello asked.

  “Because they don’t have anything better to do.” Said Alfonso, smoking his pipe.

  “Do people not like sleeping on their own in this town?”

  Alfonso laughed and left the room, “See you later, chico.”

  He spent the rest of the afternoon reading over Fairway’s letters. As the daylight turned into evening, Akello put them down and looked out of the window. The afternoon rain had cleared up, and light was reflecting in the puddles under a purple sky. There was a strong chill coming from the sea, and Akello wrapped himself up tightly in his green cloak as he made his way down to the temple.

  Port Albert seemed to only grow more alive and exciting as the sun drew closer to the horizon. The bars were now hubs of song and laughter, illuminated by warm night lanterns, and the fishy smell had been replaced by the scent of a hot dinner. He could feel the taverns’ heat as he walked by, and was almost tempted to stop inside and grab a drink. But the light of the Sun Temple beckoned him to continue with his quest.

  The temple was illuminated a golden white by dusk, and Akello noticed that a choir of beautiful voices were humming from within its walls. The grand wooden doors were open, so he wandered in, and quickly realised he’d never seen a building so magnificent.

  It was a symphony of firelight and marble. There were statues of Suncaller Kings and Queens dotted around the hall, and white long benches for the townsfolk. Men, women, and children were all smiling and swaying to the sound of the choir, and Akello felt a warm sense of calm as he sat himself down in the last row.

  At the front of the hall, a line of Sun Sisters—women of the faith—stood peacefully, dressed in white robes covering their hair. They held candles with their eyes closed, as if feeling the harmonies passing through them. As the hymn finished, Akello saw an important-looking man in a white cloak take to the centre of a circular podium. Several other Sun Seekers accompanied him, but Akello’s attention had mostly been stolen by an incredibly tall knight in golden armour. The knight was broad shouldered, with a wide neck, proud face, and dark hair stretching down into mutton chops on his cheeks. Akello was in awe as he noticed the sigil of a golden circle on the knight’s chest, the mark of the Sunsworn.

  The audience politely clapped at the High Seeker’s arrival, which Akello felt obliged to join in with, until the High Seeker calmly raised both of his hands, and the applause softly faded.

  “Ladies, gentlemen of the Sun,” he started, “children of Solon. I’m so pleased to see you gathered here with me this evening on this very special occasion. As I’m sure you’re all aware, today marks the 585th year since the arrival of our lord from the heavens. As your High Seeker, it is my honour to begin this celebration with all of you, as we enter the summer months ahead.”

  Suddenly the life and light in the streets made sense. It was Arrival Day.

  The High Seeker was a sweet looking old man. His face was wrinkled, his back was arched, and he had a tuft of clear white hair on the top of his head. Around his neck, there was a golden necklace with a bright red jewel as its pendant, it seemed to glow in the evening light. His smile was soft like silk.

  “Solon, our great protector, our saviour, came down from the skies on that evening long ago, not with conquest or death, but with love. With the snap of a finger, Solon was a man capable of spreading destruction, but instead, he arrived here in service of the common man, and offering only his affection. For that, we are eternally grateful, and we will always remember him, not for his power, but the love that he preached unto us. The Sun Sisters will now spread the light of Solon for Prayer.”

  The women in white started to move along the rows with quiet efficiency, lighting candles for every member of the congregation, until one arrived at Akello. She was a short and sweet young woman with fair skin and green eyes. Her rosy cheeks were peppered with caramel freckles. She seemed to be smiling more sweetly than anyone else.

  She offered him a candle and their eyes met. For a moment, it felt like time had stopped, so much so that they didn’t realise the girl’s sleeve had caught fire. What followed were a few seconds of chaos and confusion. There was an awkward apology, but Akello reassured the girl that nothing was wrong. He helped her to pat out the flames, but it became increasingly apparent that the freckled Sun Sister seemed more terrified of what would follow.

  And suddenly the High Seeker was upon them.

  “Clean her up.” He whispered with a cold tone.

  “I’m so sorry, High Seeker,” she pleaded, “I didn’t—“

  “Quiet, Sister Gwendolyn,” said the High Seeker, “I’ll talk to you later.”

  And like a wave washing away the sand, the freckled Sun Sister, Gwendolyn, was swept out of the hall. The ceremony continued as if nothing had happened, but Akello couldn’t stop thinking about the girl as he walked back to the Inn that night.

  The streets had quietened down to a soft simmer of warm light and quiet chatter as he walked back up the hill. He thought about the girl and how light her arm had felt in his hand as he helped her put out the small flames. He felt bad that he’d gotten her in trouble. The High Seeker had looked upon the girl with that same look that Akello hated.

  Back at the Waving Siren, Akello ran upstairs to tell Alfonso about his evening. As he approached the door, he heard the sound of a girl laughing, but it didn’t register for long enough to stop him. He swung open the door and was surprised to see one of the night ladies in bed with Alfonso. She quickly moved from on top of him and covered herself, and Akello felt like maybe he should’ve knocked.

  Alfonso sighed, “This better be good, chico.”

  “I’m sorry—I didn’t know you had company.” Said Akello, awkwardly.

  “It’s alright. I didn’t know I left the door unlocked.” Alfonso handed the lady her clothes, and they both started to get dressed.

  The girl had a round face of olive skin and dark features. She had large brown eyes, which widened when she smiled politely at Akello, “Who is your friend?”

  “This is…” Alfonso paused and looked over at Akello with a puzzled expression, “Wait—what was your name, again?”

  Akello raised his eyebrows, unimpressed, “Akello.”

  Alfonso clicked his finger and pointed to him, “Yeah, that. He’s my protégé. We’ve been travelling together. Chico, this is Sapphire”

  “Where are you going?” Said Sapphire sweetly.

  “Here.” Said Akello, “I need to get into the crypts of the Sun Temple.”

  Sapphire raised an eyebrow, “Are you religious?”

  “There’s something we need from there.”

  “Just some old letters.” Said Alfonso, fastening his belt, "But we don’t know how to get in.”

  “The crypts are only open to the High Seeker for solitary prayer.” Sapphire explained, and the three of them moved over to the window. They looked out at the moonlit city.

  “So how are we going to get in?” Said Akello

  “We could try to sneak in,” said Alfonso, lighting his pipe, “but it would be dangerous.”

  “And busy,” Sapphire added, “it’s Arrival Day. And you’ll need a key to open the chamber.” She seemed excited to be involved.

  Alfonso smoked the silvery dust from his pipe, “The High Seeker’s office will be at the top of the tower. I’d start there.”

  “How do you know that?” Akello frowned.

  “Don’t ask.”

  They all thought for a moment, staring out at the port town. Akello felt the breeze on his face and tried to remember if he saw any kind of key on the High Seeker’s person. It was hard to tell, and even then, how would he take the key from him? Akello was no pickpocket.

  “I know!” said Sapphire, cheerfully, “One of our clients is a Sun Seeker. I could check if he’s due to arrive tonight.”

  “And do what?” Asked Alfonso.

  “Make him sleep, take his clothes, sneak in, no?”

  Alfonso and Akello were silent for a moment.

  “Make him sleep?” Said Akello.

  “Yes. I have a strong tonic. We use them on disruptive clients.”

  Akello didn’t respond.

  “I will check.” She ran out of the room, leaving the boys. A cloud of Alfonso’s silvery smoke blew into Akello’s face, making him cough..

  “Sorry.” Alfonso tried to angle the smoke away from the boy.

  “It’s fine.” Said Akello, starting to feel a little fuzzy. It was quiet. The town was gently humming in celebration below. The temple was shining like a beacon.

  “It’s funny,” Alfonso started, “I spent so much of my life chasing that white light…”

  When he turned to the blind archer, Akello began to notice that his lip had started to slightly quiver. It was subtle, and it was hard to tell without seeing his eyes, but there was a sadness to the man.

  And then Sapphire rushed back in.

  “Okay guys, good news!” She said excitedly, “The priest is already here!”

  Akello and Alfonso looked at each other nervously.

  “Are you sure you want to do this, se?orita?” Asked Alfonso.

  “It’s no problem!” She assured, “I don’t even have to sleep with him! I’ll take the Seeker next door and knock three times on the wall when I’m ready for you to come in.”

  She ran out of the room, then instantly ran back in to say one more thing. “I’m just so excited to be involved!”

  It was another few minutes before Akello and Alfonso heard Sapphire bring the Seeker upstairs and next door. They could tell by her chirpy voice. As they heard the door shut, Alfonso sat himself on the bed, leaning against the wall separating the two rooms.

  He chuckled, “This should be good.”

  Akello sat himself down by a desk near the wall.

  “Go on, listen.” Said Alfonso through a cloud of silver smoke. “There’s so much that people miss in the world by not listening.”

  Like a Seeker about to sleep with a prostitute? Akello thought to himself, but he pressed against the wall nevertheless.

  It started with talking.

  “Well, well, well. Looks like someone’s been a very sinful little girl.” The Seeker was putting on a low voice. Akello couldn’t tell whether he was trying to be seductive or intimidating, but Alfonso’s chuckle suggested he was achieving neither.

  Sapphire seemed to be going along with it. “Oh Seeker, please absolve me of my crimes, in the light of the Sun!”

  This went on for a while.

  Then there was a sort of wet smooching sound, and the Seeker was making a weird sort of groan. She went along with it. Akello felt more and more uncomfortable with every second, while Alfonso couldn’t help but laugh. “Listen, listen.” He would whisper with a grin every time Akello would flinch.

  “Why don’t you help yourself to a drink, Seeker?” Sapphire asked suggestively.

  “I’m only thirsty for dirty little sinners, girl.” He replied, with a ruffling sound, like he was going through a bag.

  “Are you sure, sir?” She asked, “This wine is from Solis. It’s said to increase pleasure with every drop…”

  “Enough with the wine! Get on that bed.” His tone was abrupt, and it startled Akello and Alfonso alert. They weren’t sure whether to intervene. Sapphire tried to stay calm and play along with it, but the Seeker’s role-play only escalated.

  The first of her cries was playful, the second was not.