"Everything all right?" the guildmaster asked, staring at me with deep concern, the scales along his cheekbones shifting from green to a dark blue.

  "Yes," I said, casually leaning a hand atop the paper I’d stolen. "My apologies for the…um…unexpected outburst.”

  I scrunched up the paper, then hurried over toward the girls' table, aware of everyone's eyes on me—everyone’s, except for the person sitting in the far corner of the room. A Beachstrider, like me, with inky black hair that reached well below his shoulders, his skin a pale white, the scales brushing his cheeks clear as glass. He scowled at the mask in front of him, muttering to himself as she scratched out a design.

  I gave a quick glance at the others in the room, flashing them a reassuring smile before plopping down at the girls' table. "Pardon," I said, looking toward the one with emerald streaks in her brown hair, "but can you repeat that?"

  She was smiling, seeming almost amused at my sudden appearance and, no doubt, my unexpected shout. "The Festival of the Triple Solstice," she said. "They're hosting a competition and the winner gets to set foot in the shrine."

  My heart skipped a beat, my eyes going wide. “A competition?"

  "A race," she said, "out toward one of the Tidesong Isles and back."

  I was nodding fast, tapping a finger against the tabletop…my stomach sinking. Yes, my body was built to swim, but any full-blooded Tidewalker had the advantage.

  "It's really exciting, if you think about it," the girl said, glancing toward her friends, who still seemed a bit shocked from my sudden approach. "The Triple Solstice happens only every hundred years, and the books I've read say the shrine sparkles, and practically shines like the sun! It’s absolutely breathtaking."

  She kept talking, but the words "Triple Solstice" echoed in my mind, reminding me of excited conversations I'd heard just a few days ago. Apparently, it was happening at the end of the week which, I discovered, consisted of ten days. But why try my odds at beating a couple of fish people in a race when I could sneak into the shrine?

  "Is there another way to get in?" I asked, lowering my voice. "Into the shrine, I mean."

  The girl, who’d been talking, stopped mid-sentence. She pursed her lips then shook her head. "Not that I know of. I mean, even the acolytes of the temple can't get in. Not unless there's a Triple Eclipse."

  "Wait," I said, "you mean the door to the shrine only opens every one hundred years?" I was so shocked I was no longer whispering. Previous to this conversation, I was under the impression that one could just waltz in. I'd even considered joining the religion surrounding that shrine just to get inside.

  "An opportunity of a lifetime," one of the other girls said, twirling her bright green hair and gazing off into space. Her green glowing orb-ghost-thing rested on her shoulder, pulsing softly.

  “Agreed!” the girl with the emerald streaks said. "World religions get me way too excited, and I wouldn’t pass this opportunity up for anything.” She shrugged. "And, of course, this is the only place in the entire kingdom with a full-on Masketeer Guild."

  As they continued their rant I nodded slowly, barely hearing them, my mind already working. I had no other leads on how to get off this planet…a planet with impossible things: water I could materialize from my skin, creatures I’d never seen before, stats showing up in front of me. If a book claimed that a relic or a goddess capable of warping space and time inhabited the heart of that shrine, then who was I to doubt?

  It was worth a shot. Even if I did set foot in the shrine only to find it empty, the worst was that I would have followed a false lead. I had no other responsibilities other than coming to study at this guild, so it wouldn’t be a huge blow. Besides, I had all the time in the world.

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  “I…didn't realize how interested you were in the shrine, Zale," the girl with the emerald streaks said, carving into the mask on the table in front of her, one shaped like a heart.

  "I am," I said, my heart skipping. So…Zale had a relationship of some sort with this girl too, then. "I don't talk about it much, but, well, it's something that's been on my mind lately…” I trailed off, feeling a little awkward, not sure where to go from there.

  "I think it's been on everyone's mind lately," the girl said, blessedly carrying the conversation as she scratched away at her mask, an air of calm radiating from her, putting me at ease. Her little round green spirit-thing bobbed near her shoulder, watching me with those two twinkling eyes.

  "The competition," I asked, "how does, um, one sign up for it?" I asked, feeling a little embarrassed. I’m sure it was common knowledge, but there was just so much I didn't know, and I wasn't about to ask any of the Tidewalkers. Even now, there was one sitting nearby, her silver scales glinting from the glowing lights above.

  "Even if you did sign up," the silver-scaled Tidewalker said, cutting off the answer I was hoping to get from the emerald-streaked girl, "you'd be lucky to get accepted. The race to the island strains even the most physically advanced of Tidewalkers," she said, slowly looking me up and down, "which obviously isn’t you.”

  "No," I said, surprised at how level my voice was and how calm I felt in that moment. "No, I'm not the most physically advanced Tidewalker, but how many Beachstriders do you know with the skills of a Masketeer?"

  She scrunched her nose, ignoring my question, and I smiled, grateful for her rude interruption, because at that moment a plan bubbled up in my mind—one no longer involving a mask of stealth, but of speed.

  "What mask," the silver-scaled girl continue, setting down one of her styluses, "could you possibly make in a week that would give you an advantage over Tidewalkers who've been training for this competition for—“

  Someone cleared their throat loudly. The guildmaster, who had been making his rounds throughout the entire room, glared at the two of us, hands behind his back, thrusting out his belly and lifting his chin.

  Everyone around me immediately turned to their work but I clenched up, that haughty expression making my heart pulse, my cheeks flare. The ghost of a familiar face—a disturbingly triumphant one—replaced the guildmaster's, dredging up memories those final moments on Earth, back when I’d held my hand to my bloody chest, the life force draining from a hole in my back.

  I tore my eyes away, focusing on the polished table in front of me, breathing deeply, trying to calm my pounding heart. The guildmaster was a good man, as Tidewalkers went, and I had to remind myself that he wasn't them…wasn't the ones who screwed me in my past life. He was just doing his job.

  I pushed against the table and scooted my stool back, rising up and heading toward my table, where my mask lay unfinished. I couldn't stay at th girls’ table, couldn't talk anymore, at least not until the guildmaster was distracted again.

  A hand stopped me, fingers wrapping around my forearm, a soothing warmth flowing past skin and scales. It was the girl with the emerald streaks in her brown hair, staring up at me with those wildly vibrant eyes, a crooked smirk splitting her face.

  "Tell you what," she whispered quickly, "meet me at the Manta Moo tonight at the Ninth Bell. I'll tell you everything I know…and more.” She then gave me a huge smile, and my heart fluttered. I blinked, surprised at the sudden offer. "Now get back to your desk before he kicks us out."

  She jerked her head toward the guildmaster, who had continued his stroll but watched us out of the corner of his eye. Nodding fast, I stumbled toward my table, footsteps sounding loud in the silent room. After settling down and scooting my stool in, I pulled out some sandpaper and began rubbing off the marks I'd made on the mask, almost without thinking.

  [New Quest: Manta Moo]

  [This girl, who is still an un-named mystery, has invited you to the Manta Moo. She has more information on the ceremony, and could prove a vital asset.]

  [Objective: Meet her at the Manta Moo tonight at the Ninth Bell.]

  [Reward: Crucial information on how to win the competition.]

  [Bonus Reward: ???]

  I blinked the interface away, rubbing where she’d grabbed my forearm. That touch, that sudden offer… I glanced over at the girl, her expression soft and kind, her attention riveted on the mask before her, her fingers working quick as she carved marks along the wooden shape.

  Why invite me to the Manta Moo? That was a bar, floating a ways from the island. The only explanation I could dredge up on why she’d treated me so kindly, and how quickly she'd offered to tell me more, was that she'd known Zale pretty well, though…I hadn't spoken to her since waking up in this world. And I’d been here for at least a week!

  I shrugged, rubbing off the symbols on my mask with sandpaper. Whatever. If she wanted to help, I’d take it, no matter what her motives her, because if I was going to win that race at the end of the week and step into the heart of that shrine, I needed all the advantages I could get.