At a dock upstream on the Peniwyo River, Abner, Fors, and Gwen's Extraordinary Team, hired to "protect" them, had just disembarked from a riverboat when a burst of gunfire came from the valley where Lansell Town lay.
The valley was far enough away that the ordinary passengers noticed nothing. Apart from Gwen, Lydia, Tran, Fors, and Abner, only a few sharp-eared members of Gwen's team heard it.
Lydia signaled to the team members who had heard the shots and gone on alert, warning them not to make it too obvious. If they scared off their "employers," they would have no reason to stay, and that would complicate things.
Gwen let Lydia's warning stand. Still, she felt guilty for drawing Fors and Abner into danger, so she went over to protect the pair, who were disguised as a professor and his assistant.
Having advanced to Guardian and carrying the Dawnsilver Sword, Gwen was confident in her defensive abilities.
Seeing this, Fors's opinion of Gwen improved at once. With Abner shielding their conversation from everyone else's senses, she said, "Miss Gwen seems like a good person. No wonder Xio had nothing but praise for her when she returned from her first voyage."
Fors now knew that the woman she had hired was the newly appointed Vice Admiral Dragon Rider, Miss Annie Gwen—the same woman who had explored a cave with Xio and Abner and helped kill the Dragon-Eyed Giant Python.
Fors had heard her name plenty of times from Xio, but this was their first meeting.
"She really is tall... I guess Xio wasn't joking when she said she could only kick Gwen's knees when they sparred..." Fors muttered.
Abner glanced at her and smiled. "Gwen is at the same Sequence as you, and this is your Travel. Unless things reach a