《Hodgepodge》 The Destruction of Riordiana Year Zero Abigal Knife Spine clutched her two boys to her chest as she joined the other refugees on the bridge of ice leading away from her home. Her daemon waited to be summoned, but there wasn¡¯t an immediate threat to use it against for the moment. And it wouldn¡¯t be a help with what the rest of the survivors were doing. She looked back at her former home. Riordiana had been a mighty seaport, moving cargo from the ocean to the interior through the various methods that her citizens used. Mostly daemons had done the work like they were doing now to save the remaining people as they fled into the ocean. A tower of black smoke whipped tentacles in the air as flying daemons released their attacks into it. Some of the daemons were big enough to carry their owners into combat. Things emerged from the ebony mass, overwhelming the defenders. The fliers retreated, throwing out their attacks as they tried to buy time for the rest to get away. One by one, the daemons and riders were plucked from the air and ripped into pieces. Those who lost their daemons but not their lives would be scarred forever. Abigail saw the end of the bridge break off from the shore. She saw her countrymen fighting with things rushing from the darkness. She frowned as she tried to decide what to do. Boats formed a flotilla around the ice bridge. Daemons pushed the sails out with gusts of winds. Others secured grips on the ice to pull it with them toward safety. She looked down at her boys. Victor and Brandon were too young to call on daemons despite being marked. Moshe had almost refused to do the ceremony, but he had when he saw the center of the port collapse inward from the rising of the darkness. His shaking hand had etched the blood signs and his daemon had helped heal the boys when he was done. Abigail had been so grateful. Moshe had been crushed by a building trying to rescue someone else. His daemon had wailed until it exploded. Daemons didn¡¯t last long without their partners. The fragments that had chased after the fliers descended on the boats and the ice. Their eyes glowed in the starlight. No one could be allowed to escape. Abigail summoned her daemon, calling it from inside of her through the blood marks on her torso and arms. It flowed from her, dropping on the bridge, tipping the other end in the air with its weight. ¡°I need you to do what you can to protect us, Razor Back,¡± she said. The giant boar snorted on the children before she advanced in front of the group. She glared up in the sky. The fragments descended through lines of fire, water, lightning, and other things to get at the fleeing people. The pig swelled like a bladder filling with water. Then she compressed, releasing the new mass. Spines erupted from the pig as it shrank. They cut through any of the strange birds that flew in front of the storm. Abigail smiled. Razor Back wasn¡¯t much of a projector, but what she could do was something many daemons couldn¡¯t do. They could blast at things, and most were more powerful in their output, but few could strike the same target with hundreds of needles capable of punching through rock. Razor Back huffed as she looked at the ragged things. She had cleared a portion of Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.the sky. That would attract them down on where she stood. She couldn¡¯t let anything happen to Abi and her pups. The pups started crying. Abi would have to take care of them. Silencing them wouldn¡¯t mean anything if the wings came again to tear them apart. Two daemons appeared on either side of Razor Back. They weren¡¯t a threat to the giant beast. They growled at the sky as the ice bridge carried the people away from their ruined home. Razor Back pushed the two small daemons back with her snout. She paused. She didn¡¯t know a red and yellow nine tailed fox, or a blue and silver walking lizard with small wings on its back. Who summoned these daemons? She put the thought out of her head as the wings came on, trying to get through the lines of fire from the other projectors. She started to swell up to fire her needles into the sky again. She paused. Out of the corner of her eye, the foxes were multiplying and spitting small sparks into the air. The blasts went off but were more startling then dangerous. On her other side, the lizard fired a globe of spit at a wing swooping down on them. The bubble hit and ate its target until the sphere was gone. Razor Back swelled up and fired her own attack. The needles hammered its targets as they swooped down. Bloody bits fell to the bridge and marked it with oozing decay. ¡°Good job,¡± said Abigail. She hugged the boar with one arm, while holding her crying infants with the other. ¡°Who are your friends?¡± The small daemons faded back to their homes. Daemons worked on fixing the floating platform, burning the remains of the wings off the ice before repairing the hole. ¡°It¡¯s Festus!,¡± said someone in the crowd. He pointed at the sky above the dark tower. ¡°It¡¯s Festus!¡± ¡°What happens to us if Primrose drops a big egg?,¡± asked an older woman. Her daemon, a white bear who had lost an eye at some point, crouched over her. ¡°The impact will reach us out here.¡± ¡°We have to move faster than this,¡± said Abigail. ¡°We need big sails and a way to mount them. We have to get out of here. The wave will sink us.¡± Citizens urged their daemons into hurried work. Primrose was a giant dragon whose main attack consisted of a large rock flying at a target. Festus didn¡¯t use it that much. A daemon who could claw a lesser daemon to shreds like Primrose could generally didn¡¯t have to use its special attacks. When Primrose did use its special attack, foreign ships in the harbor were sunk to the bottom of the bay. A large stone dropped from high in the sky. It¡¯s shape resembled an egg with the wide end plummeting toward the tower. It struck in an aura of burning air. The remains of the port collapsed as the shock from the strike ripped at the front of the buildings. More rocks fell on the city. A crater formed from the impacts. The wind of the blows pushed the sail boats in front of it. The citizens fought to keep their boats righted under the sudden storm. Water rushed into the bowl created by Primrose. It buried anything that might have survived the high speed collisions in an oceanic cover. Abigail rubbed Razor Back¡¯s head. She fought back the tears in her eyes. The city was gone. Festus had destroyed it with the power of his daemon. If they turned around, they would have to deal with the complete flattening of their land with the new harbor in the middle of it. And would the land be safe to live on after what they had just witnessed? That dark mass of flesh reaching for the clouds had not looked like any daemon she had ever seen. What if the meteors and the ocean had not killed the thing for good? That would be a problem for them if they tried to reclaim their land. And their neighbors would try to take advantage of their rebuilding. Some had tried to take their children into service. That had lasted until Festus had dropped a rock on the grounds of the offending ruler¡¯s castle. Primrose turned and flew over the fleet. The dragon headed out to sea, winging away from the boats and ice bridge. Abigail looked around. Some of the people around her wouldn¡¯t last long without a place to get warm. She looked at her boys. They cried as she tried to rock them back to sleep. ¡°It will be fine,¡± she said. ¡°Things will be better.¡± Razor Back nuzzled her arm with a wide snout. The pig settled beside them, and snorted. The boys started playing with her jowls instead of crying. In the distance, an island took shape. The refugees pointed at the collection of rocks growing out of the ocean. The next few years would be tough, but they would live. Abigail rocked her babies and smiled. Her daemon snorted at her side. Her boys had a chance to grow. Shelter and food would have to come next. She looked around. The other new mothers and older women and their children were gathering. As soon as they reached the island they would have to carve something out of the rock, or figure a way to transport wood from the mainland to their new home to build houses. Abigail held her boys so they could see the new Riordiana. They would have a chance after all. Parole From Hell Year Zero Manny grimaced at the paperwork on his desk. Topside had a bunch of new guys trying to make it worse for everyone else, which was making it worse for him. He had more guys coming in than what he knew what to do with, and most were getting recycled almost as fast as the line would move them out. The community service they were performing wasn¡¯t doing enough for the place to matter before they were shuttled to the jump zone to be shot to their new lives. The babies were the worst. They came in, and went right back out without adding anything and draining resources. He hated to admit it, but he was going to have to give Topside a helping hand to stop the flow. Miss Vale, his secretary, came into his office. She held a stack of paperwork almost half as tall as she was. She deposited the load on his desk. He glared at the pile as he jumped to his feet. ¡°What¡¯s this?,¡± he waved at the stack of notices. ¡°We have a massive inflow from the city of Riordiana,¡± said Miss Vale. She waved her hand at the papers. ¡°Most causes were eldritch abominations, with collateral damage from the looks of things. There are a bunch of pink notices where the souls were consumed and used up.¡± ¡°Seriously?,¡± Manny said. He thumbed through the top of the notices. ¡°How many did we lose?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know yet,¡± said Miss Vale. ¡°It¡¯s a disaster. Festus Rock Thrower wiped most of his minor sins away blowing the thing up. He¡¯s moved up to hero status.¡± ¡°He¡¯s going right to Recycled, and back to the world as soon as possible,¡± said Manny. ¡°He might even be able to jump to the head of the line if he keeps being heroic. I have to go down to the Pit. I want you to get me a hundred cards for the worst troublemakers Topside has. We have to calm things down. The humans are working us to death.¡± ¡°Sending back a Dead Man?,¡± Miss Vale asked. ¡°That¡¯s a drastic step.¡± ¡°I know,¡± said Manny. He slammed his hand down on the top of the pile of dead notices. ¡°But it has to be done. If this keeps up, we won¡¯t have a Topside to send people back to. They¡¯ll do their Community and have to live with us. That will cause more problems than having a Dead Man collecting scalps. I don¡¯t like humans enough to share more space than I have to with them.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get the authorization and warrants ready,¡± said Miss Vale. She walked out of the plain office with a lot more hip swing than was necessary. Manny straightened his appearance, making sure his scales were bright and fiery, horns sharp and filed down, his tunic and pants were clean. He strapped on his sword of office and walked out of his office. Stupid humans, he fumed as he made his way down to the Pit. All they have to do is not do anything to each other and they would be Recycled back to a new life after doing a small amount of Community Service. No. That¡¯s too easy. Feeding souls to a Doom Engine is so much better than just keeping problems to a minimum. Manny carried his fuming thoughts from his office near the top of his tower where the souls arrived from the living world to be processed down level after level of areas where people struggled to perform their Community Service under the eye of demons to keep the realm running smoothly to the entrance to the Pit. Several of the souls wiped their last sin clean while he moved by and was separated out. A runner was attached to them to take them to Recycle to put them in the waiting line for a new life. Manny entered the Pit, pausing to take in the depth of it. The way things were going this would be the hub for new housing for the new souls that would be filling the realm shortly. ¡°Executive Mandeous,¡± said Bundle, the demon in charge of the digging. ¡°What can I do for you?¡± ¡°Who¡¯s the worst guy you have here?,¡± Manny asked. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. A guy who didn¡¯t have much on his record didn¡¯t wind up in the Pit, or any of the other massive construction projects across the Underworld. ¡°Soul Nine One Three Nine One Four Nine One Zero,¡± said Bundle. ¡°Multiple murderer, and other crimes.¡± ¡°Is he reliable?,¡± Manny asked. ¡°I suppose,¡± said Bundle. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°I¡¯m thinking about giving him a new job,¡± said Manny. ¡°Can you send him up to my office?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± said the overseer. ¡°I¡¯ll get him off the chain and get a couple of guys to take him upstairs for you.¡± ¡°Thanks, Bundle,¡± said Manny. ¡°If he doesn¡¯t work out, I¡¯ll need the next worst guy here.¡± ¡°Understood, sir,¡± said the demon. ¡°Be careful with Nine One Three Nine One Four Nine One Zero. He¡¯s been here so long, he¡¯s not as scared of us as he should be.¡± ¡°Hopefully this will be something we can work out without any problems,¡± said Manny. Manny started the long climb back to his office. Would it be too much of a problem to add a lift? He wished he had the energy to fly back up to his office. He didn¡¯t have enough happy thoughts for that. He walked into his office and unbelted the sword. He put it in an umbrella stand on his side of the desk in case he needed it. It had been a while since he had put a soul down. Hopefully his candidate wouldn¡¯t push luck as far as that was concerned. The prisoner was escorted into the office by two of Bundle¡¯s green and yellow lemmings. They sat the soul down in a visitor¡¯s chair and backed up. If he tried to do anything but sit, he would be clouted. That was understood. ¡°How¡¯s it going?,¡± asked Manny. ¡°I had you brought up here to offer you a deal.¡± The prisoner stared stonily ahead. ¡°Here¡¯s the deal,¡± said Manny. ¡°I¡¯m prepared to send you Topside so you can take care of some business for me. That will go toward mitigating your sentence and move you closer to your next life when you¡¯re done.¡± The prisoner said nothing. ¡°On the other hand, I¡¯m prepared to take the next best man if he will do the job,¡± said Manny. ¡°What I am asking for is not for the faint of heart.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the business?,¡± said the prisoner. ¡°There¡¯s some guys up there that are causing us trouble,¡± said Manny. He leaned back in his chair. ¡°I want you to go up there and stop them. They¡¯re flooding us with souls and I don¡¯t want to work that hard.¡± ¡°You¡¯re pretty honest for a bureaucrat,¡± said the prisoner. ¡°Let¡¯s say I want to do this job for you. How much mitigation am I looking at?¡± ¡°A small portion for every one you bring down,¡± said Manny. He should have known the negotiation was where things were going to get interesting. ¡°I want a full pardon,¡± said the prisoner. ¡°I think rounding up some bad guys deserves that much.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s make this a full on challenge,¡± said Manny, amethyst fires burning in his eyes. ¡°You bring me everyone on the warrant cards I am having drawn up in a hundred years of Topside time, I will sign the papers to move you to the head of the Recycled line.¡± ¡°Sounds fair,¡± said the prisoner. ¡°If you don¡¯t, all the bad things they do will shift to your record,¡± said Manny. ¡°Wait,¡± said the prisoner. ¡°That has the potential of doubling my sentence.¡± ¡°Tripling, I would say,¡± said Manny. ¡°I¡¯ll need some kind of transportation to get from place to place,¡± said the prisoner. ¡°These guys won¡¯t be living in the same place if you¡¯re giving me such a big time limit.¡± ¡°It¡¯s tempting to just let you procure a mount on your own,¡± said Manny, ¡°but I will allow for one of the horses to go with you.¡± ¡°When do I get started?,¡± said the prisoner. ¡°As soon as Miss Vale arrives with the warrant cards,¡± said Manny. ¡°Don¡¯t try to abuse your borrowed time. I want you to hunt these humans down as swiftly as possible. Then I will carry out my end of the bargain.¡± ¡°What if I do want to abuse my borrowed time?,¡± asked the prisoner. ¡°The body we are going to put you in will fail at some point ,¡± said Manny. ¡°The best we can claim is a hundred years. It might fail before that.¡± ¡°And if it fails before I am done, then I am stuck with all the unpaid crimes,¡± said the prisoner. ¡°Exactly,¡± said Manny. Miss Vale entered the office. She held a set of black cards in her hands. She handed them to her boss and stepped back. Manny flipped through them with a thumb. He paused at one in particular. ¡°This is an Alvas,¡± he said. ¡°He causing a lot of damage on the borders between his country and the humans,¡± said Miss Vale. ¡°Our opposite number wants it stopped. She doesn¡¯t care how.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any objection if you don¡¯t,¡± said Manny. He passed the black warrant cards to the soul. ¡°I think that¡¯s the last of our business if we have a deal.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll need some more things before I get started,¡± said the prisoner. ¡°I¡¯m going to need weapons.¡± ¡°You can get those Topside,¡± said Manny. ¡°No, you can¡¯t unless you buy, or trade for, them,¡± said the human soul. ¡°I don¡¯t want to do either.¡± ¡°You can take them from the hands of your dead enemies,¡± said Manny. ¡°If you get lucky and don¡¯t get killed doing it,¡± said the prisoner. ¡°You want these cards filled out, I want a chance to do it. I don¡¯t see what the big deal is unless you¡¯re setting me up to fail.¡± ¡°Take him to the armory,¡± said Manny. ¡°Don¡¯t let him have anything a Topsider wouldn¡¯t have.¡± ¡°Thanks, boss,¡± said the prisoner. ¡°Don¡¯t let me down,¡± said Manny. The prisoner tossed off a salute before being led away by his escort. ¡°I hope I didn¡¯t make a terrible mistake,¡± Manny said. ¡°If he can calm some of the problems down, it might be worth it,¡± said Miss Vale. ¡°If he just tries,¡± said Manny. ¡°It might be worth it. Let me get started on these files from Riordiana. Fast track any infants and toddlers to the Recycled line. I¡¯ll start work on the older children before the adults.¡± Seven Brothers 1 Year Minus Fifty 1 Will Stalking Light frowned as he looked at the fairy glow in the distance. He and his six brothers had been contracted out as regulators for the Steps of Corwin down below. They were looking for a missing child, and here were fairy lights. He didn¡¯t like that at all. He made the call of the common owl as he went to investigate the lights. Something was going on. It was his job to make sure the town was safe. His brothers answered his call with calls of their own. They were on the way to help him. Will pulled an arrow from his quiver as he moved forward. He was the best shot of the seven of them, and the most patient in his opinion. He could wait for hours for the best shot and then hit the bull¡¯s eye every time. He angled in to get a better look at the coming battlefield. He didn¡¯t like the looks of things. The lights drifted around a set of standing stones on an outcropping from the face of the mountain. The forest fell short of the natural platform. Once he was out in the open, he would have maybe two shots against some kind of magician, or natural monster, from the looks of things. Clouds scudded across the sky, blocking moonlight occasionally but not enough to hurt his vision. What did the magician want to do? He decided it had to be a magician, and that the fairy lights were a spell building up energy. If it was a monster, he would have to reassess how to battle it when he saw it. If the girl was there, he would have to rescue her while he was dealing with the monster. It wouldn¡¯t be the first monster he had put down since becoming a regulator for the town. He was sure it wouldn¡¯t be the last. A dog barking told him that Wendall was close. His brother could take care of any close in work if it came to that. Wendall had a natural talent for movement. Swords were his dancing partners. Anyone who got too close learned what it meant to try to cut in from him. Will didn¡¯t answer the bark. He was too close. If the magician, or monster, heard him, it might make them suspicious and then they would do something to the little girl to spite him and his brothers. He moved to the edge of the trees. Shadows danced inside the standing stone circle. He was going to have to make a move without his brothers. He moved forward. He nocked his arrow as he went. He needed to be ready to shoot as soon as he had a target. Things came out of the shadows. Too long teeth and eyes that dripped red fire contrasted with the blue flame of the fairy lights. He shot one in the eye as it charged him. Wendall exploded out of the darkness on his left. His twin blades sent black blood to boil the air as he cut into the guardians. Will pulled another arrow and shot another black thing as fast as lightning. He was pleased that the arrow had enough power to carve a hole through the head of his target. The other five brothers appeared out of the night with weapons in hand. They slashed about with swords and one axe, killing the guardians as swiftly as they could. ¡°Get the girl, Wendall!,¡± demanded the eldest brother, Wilson. ¡°Get her clear so we can retreat.¡± Wendall barked like a dog as he sliced through the guardians in his way to get to the central stone of the ring. It was a flat cube raised out of the ground. The fairy lights danced around it as someone spoke words that ground on the ears. He sliced through the wool restraints and pulled the victim loose. He backed up with the girl in his arms. Will shot the guardian nearest Wendall in the face. His brothers were working so well as a distraction, he could shoot at will. He couldn¡¯t make out the magician. His creatures were a cloud in front of him. If he had one good shot, he could end this. Wendall dropped the girl outside the circle so he could draw his weapons again. He waved her away as he backed up to defend her from any threats. She would have to make her own way home until they were done with this. Hopefully they would catch up with her on the way back to town and hand her over If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.to her parents in the morning. They had to kill the monster behind everything before they could do that. Wendall sliced through anything coming at him. He barely had to move as his swords sent blood burning into the ground. He wanted to kill the magician, but the beasts were coming out of everywhere to stop him. The chorus reached a crescendo. Blue fire filled the air. Wayne¡¯s axe knocked one of the black protectors out of the way by splitting its head so that it fell to the ground at his feet. Will had an arrow ready to go. When he saw the cloaked figure revealed behind the falling thing burning the ground, he released the string. He cursed when he saw that the arrow hit some kind of protection and only partially stabbed into the magician. He drew another arrow to finish the job. Whatever else happened, their foe could not be allowed to do what he wanted. They were charged with protecting the Steps of Corwin from things like this. Wayne raised his axe as he moved to slice at the magician. Blue flame covered the seven brothers. The magician looked up at the sky. He looked down at his burned hands. He considered explanations for what he had done to the townpeople who lived below. Everyone knew that the Stalking Light brothers were honest and brave to a fault. He couldn¡¯t sell them on all seven of them leaving town. He had missed his chance. Their interference meant he would have to wait another hundred years. He shook his hands as he turned from the circle. He still had enough of the light inside to drop down to town and walk to his residence. He should be fixing his hands by the time anyone tried to approach the circle to see if there was anything to the lights and sounds they had heard in the night. If the girl made it home, that would give the town enough evidence that the brothers had been killed in the line of duty. All he had to do after that was go along with the story until everyone believed it was real. He considered if he should help the girl back to town. He decided that it would be better if everyone thought the brothers had killed him, and he didn¡¯t want the girl to point out he had been on the mountain in the night too. He checked the scratch from where the arrow had bit into his armored shirt. That had been a piece of luck on his part to have armor proofed against such wounds. It hadn¡¯t worked out as well as he had thought it would, but it had worked. He walked to the edge of the outcropping and looked down. The town slept below. Someone would be up, but he doubted anyone would see him. He concentrated on his hands. Marks appeared in the burned flesh. He would have to look into fixing them when he got home. He couldn¡¯t have his neighbors commenting on his hands when they would be suspicious of any magic user that might come their way in the near future. And while he might be able to wipe out the town, what happened if someone blindsided him. He didn¡¯t want to be hanged by the authorities, or stabbed in the back by someone he missed, or set on fire when he had used all of his magic up defending himself. It was better to readopt his disguise and continue as if nothing had happened. He jumped from the outcropping and let the fairy lights surround him as he fell. He aimed for a spot behind the mayor¡¯s house. If the man saw him, he could kill him and say the same enemy that killed the seven brothers had killed him too. He landed gently and let the lights expire. He buried his cloak, mailed shirt, and face mask in a space where the mountain formed a crevice. He shoved a stone in place so no one would find his disguise without some serious looking. He crept around the house and headed for the street. His own house was down the terraced steps near the entrance of the valley. He should be able to reach home with no problems. If the girl didn¡¯t arrive home in the morning, he would lead a search party for her. That would help him cover his misdeeds until he was ready to have them revealed to the world. He crept down to his house, moving from shadow to shadow. He didn¡¯t see anyone, and he didn¡¯t think anyone saw him. He reached his house through his backyard and stepped inside. Several dogs barking hurried him along. He didn¡¯t need a neighbor to ask him what he was doing in the middle of the night. He made sure his shutters were closed before he lit the small lantern in his kitchen. He inspected his hands under the flame. He winced at the sight of them. The brothers had cost him some function in them. He gathered some ingredients together in a bowl. He sliced them with his knife, smiling as the vegetables whispered under the assault. He used a pestle to further reduce the mix into a paste. He spread on one hand, and then the other. Blue fire danced around his hands as he felt the aches and pains in them fade away. He cracked open the covering on his hands. He worked the dried paste away until his hands were free. He smiled. The burning looked as bad as something you would get from touching a hot pot. He could live with that. He cleaned the bowl and put everything away, ate some fruit, and then headed for the bed he had built into a wall. He needed to be fresh for when the sun came up and he had to hide what he had done from them. He needed to work on his surprised expression so he could slip pass the initial excitement of his neighbors. He didn¡¯t want them thinking about him when they should be thinking about other things. He wondered if he could fool the next regulators as well as he had fooled the seven brothers. He smiled. Of course he could. All he needed was a big smile and a helpful attitude. He drifted off to sleep as he thought about how close had come to absolute power. Waiting another hundred years didn¡¯t seem fair, but he could draw on the people in town to do things while he was waiting. He might be able to help expand the town into a real city state equal to Riordiana, or Messer¡¯s Reach. On the mountain, a little girl refused to cry. She stood at the edge of the forest and looked at the seven statues that had joined the standing stones. She knew they had died to defend her. She looked up at the sky. She turned away and headed into the trees. She picked a path heading down toward the town and her unknown enemy. One day they would meet again, and she would show him that he hadn¡¯t escaped the consequences of his crimes. She listened to a dog barking somewhere and smiled as she walked in darkness. Seven Brothers 2 Manny looked up from his paperwork. Miss Vale stood there in her jacket and skirt, red hair forming a fiery corona, emerald eyes hidden behind emerald glasses. One of the functionaries from a midlevel floor stood with her. He sat back in his chair, and made a gesture for one of them to start talking. ¡°These seven guys,¡± said the functionary. ¡°We need to get rid of them. They¡¯re disrupting business.¡± ¡°Seven guys?,¡± said Manny. He felt his eyebrows raise up to his forehead, but he couldn¡¯t help it. He didn¡¯t know what the demon was talking about. ¡°The Stalking Light brothers,¡± said Miss Vale. ¡°The ghosts.¡± ¡°I thought we told them to stay away from the people doing their service,¡± said Manny. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that was the conditions of their staying here until something happened to wake them up.¡± ¡°Well, they¡¯re not doing that,¡± said the functionary. ¡°They¡¯re helping people do their Community Service. The jobs are getting done, but the sins are not coming off as fast.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go down and talk to them,¡± said Manny. ¡°Sooner, or later, someone is going to wake them up and they will be back Topside. We can hold on until then but they definitely should keep out of the process¡¯s works.¡± ¡°Thank you, sir,¡± said the functionary. ¡°They¡¯re driving my guys crazy keeping an eye out, especially the one that barks like a dog.¡± ¡°Barks like a dog?,¡± said Manny. ¡°Wendall,¡± said Miss Vale. ¡°Are you sure that we have to hang on to them. Can¡¯t we just send them back Topside?¡± ¡°I wish,¡± said Manny. ¡°But the rules of magic have been invoked and it¡¯s up to us to make sure things work until we get the high sign.¡± The fact they might not get the high sign for centuries didn¡¯t matter. Manny stood while Miss Vale ushered the complainer out of his office. He pulled on his sword of office and wished that things could go smoothly. Now he had to deal with a guy who barked like a dog so he could make sure his souls completed their sentences. Didn¡¯t he have enough to do? Those seven misfits had appeared in the Pickup area from Topside. All souls appeared there for Orientation and Judgement. Sentences and marking numbers were handed down. Light sentences got light duty, heavy sentences went to the heavy duty construction areas across the Underworld. The seven got moved to the Ghost Ward to wait out the conditions of their return to the Topside. As long as their bodies remained intact, it should be okay to do that. If their bodies were destroyed while they were waiting, then maybe they could move through Orientation, to Judgement, to their sentences, and then to Recycled where they would get new existences so they could work on their flaws until they could pass through from one end of the process to the Big Sky. Except these seven figured a way out of the Ward and started raising a ruckus. The Underworld had to chase them down and return them to the Ward so they could break out to be hunted down to be returned. Manny finally called for a meeting and laid down the law to these roughnecks. They either stayed in the Ward, or they got sent somewhere a whole heck lot more unpleasant until they got recalled. He wound up feeding them to a leviathan. They still got loose somehow. Worse, they brought the leviathan into the docks and wrecked them for any soul who got sentenced to Community Service in the seas of the Underworld. That was the last straw. After that, they were put on a chain gang in the Pit. That lasted until they tried to lead a revolt against the overseers. Manny finally gave them a map and told them to start walking. The brothers circled through the Underworld for years but they seemed to have never found their way out to the living world. And now here they were causing trouble again. Manny felt a headache coming on as he made his way down from his office to the sprawling midlevel complex that housed most of the souls on light duty. He spotted one of the brothers helping some old woman soul scrub the floor. The sin was moving off her sleeve a little faster than what it should. ¡°Hey, you!,¡± called Manny. ¡°Where¡¯s your brothers?¡± The ghost looked at him and growled. He took off down the corridor. ¡°Of course I would get the one who barks,¡± said Manny. He walked after the brother. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Where was the clown going? The Underworld only had one exit, and you couldn¡¯t get through it if you had sins to work off. Maybe they had snapped wandering around in the dark. He wouldn¡¯t be surprised. The civilized parts of the Underworld had stopped torturing souls for the fun of it generations ago. It just wasn¡¯t practical with the growing number of souls needing to be processed and sent to new lives. The outer areas still liked to beat a soul now and then. Manny found the brothers waiting for him in an atrium leading off to other corridors and staircases. They held their weapons ready to use. ¡°I thought we had an agreement for you not to come back before we get the signal to send you back,¡± said Manny. He didn¡¯t pull his own sword. It was better to keep things as peaceable as he could before he decided that he should throw his weight around. ¡°We got bored,¡± said the eldest, Wilson. ¡°So we decided to see if we could backtrack ourselves from where we were.¡± ¡°No one Topside has figured out what happened to you yet,¡± said Manny. ¡°It might take centuries.¡± ¡°Centuries?,¡± said one of the brothers. Manny thought it was Wilson. Who named their kids Wayne, William, Wilson, Wendall, Wyatt, Walter, and Wesley? Their parents must have liked the sound. ¡°It depends on the living,¡± said Manny. ¡°And I am not going to send someone to check things out for you. So find a place to settle and quit harassing the help.¡± ¡°What if we don¡¯t want to stop harassing the help?,¡± said Walter. ¡°There¡¯s two ways this can go,¡± said Manny. ¡°I¡¯ve tried everything else. You can stop trying to interfere in Operations and wait until someone twigs on to what happened Topside, or you can go back Topside as you are now and never see your next lives. People are cleaning their slates to get a better show next time around. They don¡¯t need your help, and it¡¯s ruining their chances.¡± ¡°We need to do something,¡± said Wayne. ¡°Isn¡¯t there something in this whole place we can do to help people?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said Manny. ¡°I¡¯ll ask around. Maybe I can come up with something. Leave the residents alone.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± said Wayne. He tucked his axe in his belt. ¡°We just want to belong.¡± ¡°You¡¯re alive,¡± said Manny. ¡°You belong somewhere you have been banned from at the moment. I am sure that someone will free you. Topside is pretty static right now. It will be like taking a long nap when you get your bodies back.¡± ¡°Hey, Manny,¡± said a voice in the air. The speaker vanished a second later. ¡°Who was that?,¡± asked Wilson. ¡°Another pain in my keister,¡± said Manny. ¡°Stay out of trouble until I can work things out.¡± ¡°Can you work things out?,¡± asked Walter. ¡°I don¡¯t know yet,¡± said Manny. ¡°Quit throwing the overseers over the railings, okay? Can I at least count on you not to do that?¡± ¡°They like to whip the old people,¡± said Wilson. ¡°The old people have the most sins to work off,¡± said Manny. ¡°You want to protect someone, protect the young. But do it in such a way I don¡¯t have to hear about it until you get sent Topside and are out of my hair.¡± The brothers smiled at each other. Wendall let out a small bark. ¡°Do not cause any trouble,¡± said Manny. ¡°You got me? I don¡¯t want to hear any more problems. And Community Service has to be done, so don¡¯t think you can just whisk the kids out of here on some joy ride so they can shirk off.¡± ¡°We would never do that,¡± said Wayne. ¡°We¡¯ll abide by your restrictions until you have something to say to us.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± said Manny. He turned and headed for his office. He grumbled under his breath as he walked up the stairs. Why couldn¡¯t they get a lift? Was that too much to ask? Topsiders had them. They seemed easy to construct. He put that on the list of the next major project he wanted done. ¡°Hey, Manny,¡± said the voice out of the air again. ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡± Stupid living ghost had to show up while he was trying to deal with the brothers. What had he done to deserve this? ¡°Sorry for the in and out,¡± said the voice again. ¡°Fighting a horde trying to overrun this town. Getting killed a lot.¡± ¡°I imagine,¡± said Manny. He struggled up the stairs. ¡°Why don¡¯t you put in a lift?,¡± asked the voice. ¡°I keep asking myself that all the time,¡± said Manny. ¡°This might be my last death for a while,¡± said the voice. ¡°Some guys from Riordiana just showed up. Tell Miss Vale I miss her.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Manny. He shook his head as the words touched the empty air. He was an administrator for the dead. Why did he have all these living clowns making his life miserable? Maybe he had pushed some old lady down the well in a former existence and this was his washing of the sins. He reached his office and settled behind his desk. He frowned at the sword poking into him. He stood and unstrapped it. He put it in a bucket beside his desk. If the Stalking Light brothers kept their word, things should quiet down. Then he remembered Geoff¡¯s comment about fighting an army. Some of those should be processing in. Would Orientation and Judgement hold the first few until their comrades joined them, or send them through one at a time? It was hard to tell the length of the processing with those sloths. ¡°It looks like an armed conflict just turned hot,¡± said Miss Vale. She dropped a small stack of papers on her desk. ¡°Geoff told me,¡± said Manny. ¡°He said to give you his love.¡± ¡°Ghosts,¡± said Miss Vale. ¡°You can¡¯t keep them tied up in the closet.¡± ¡°He said it might be a while before he showed up again,¡± said Manny. ¡°Some of Riordiana¡¯s summoners had showed up on the scene.¡± ¡°Thanks, sir,¡± said Miss Vale. ¡°Let me get some coffee and see what I can do about sorting some of this out.¡± ¡°Do me a favor,¡± said Manny. ¡°Call down to Engineering and ask them for a lift in the tower. Ask them how much effort would have to be taken to put one in.¡± ¡°Tired of walking up and down the steps?,¡± Miss Vale asked. ¡°Yes,¡± said Manny. ¡°Especially when I have ghosts throwing some of my guys down walk ways out of some sense of fair play.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll send a message,¡± said Miss Vale. ¡°You know Engineering only works for itself. It doesn¡¯t care about personal happiness.¡± ¡°Anything is better than the nothing we have right now,¡± said the demon. ¡°I wonder when I lost the ability to fly.¡± ¡°When you earned your desk, I suppose,¡± said Miss Vale. ¡°You were always a worry wart, and the position has made you even more of a worrier.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± said Manny. ¡°You¡¯re going to bring on some more problems with that attitude,¡± said Miss Vale. ¡°Let¡¯s see what we can do about a lift.¡± Manny shook his head. He pulled the papers to him so he could read the sentencing and see where he could use his new recruits. Maybe he could turn some of them into practice problems for the brothers. That might let them work off some steam. Seven Brothers 3 Year Fifty He didn¡¯t have a name. He had lost it somewhere. It didn¡¯t bother him as much as it used to for some reason. He supposed it was because he had been traveling for a long time with weapons and warrants at hand. He had served more than a few in the fifty years he had worn the burning star on his shirt. It had been a real pleasure in some cases. He brought his horse to a halt and looked at the town in front of him. It had grown a little, but he could still see the village that had used to stand before it. He pulled out the warrant card that had dragged him to the place, and wondered where he would find his quarry. The card gave a name, general appearance, and rough location. At the bottom were a list of crimes that formed the core of the warrant. When he served the warrant, the card would glow to point at the presence of the guilty party. If it actually touched the guilty party, or if he had to kill the culprit, the card would burn up and take the culprit to wherever he was supposed to go. He felt like he should know that too, but there was a gap there. ¡°How do you do?,¡± asked an elderly lady in a patched dress and jacket. Her hair was thin and whiter than any mountain snow. Her eyes were sharp blue crystal in the dried skull of her face. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± said the traveler. ¡°Got an inn around here?¡± ¡°Down the street a bit,¡± said the lady. She turned to look back the way she came. She pointed to a building with a hitching post in front of it. ¡°Horses can be lodged in a corral behind the place.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± said the traveler. He urged the horse forward. The horse turned to look at the lady, snorting quietly. ¡°I don¡¯t have any sugar for you,¡± said the old lady. ¡°Maybe the inn will.¡± ¡°Hold on,¡± said the rider. ¡°Do you know a Finn Star Eater?¡± ¡°Certainly,¡± said the old lady. ¡°He¡¯s one of the old men of the village. He lives in that cottage over there.¡± She pointed at a small house that looked normal at first, but showed signs of deals with things men weren¡¯t meant to know. He pushed back the wide brimmed hat he wore as he examined the place. ¡°One of the old men of the village,¡± said the traveler. He kicked his horse forward. A few of the old men he had met recently needed to meet their reward, and eventual recycling after the next few centuries. This might be the same type of old man as the others. He dismounted and let the reins drop as he looked at the house. It seemed similar to the others, but was far older. It had come first, then the neighbors had moved in around him. He pulled a knife from under his traveling cloak and cut a finger. Flame dripped from the cut. It hit the edge of the lawn and burned something in the grass. He dripped more of the flaming blood in a line across the edge of the yard. Little bits of blue exploded as he watched. Let¡¯s see what the inside of this place looks like. He put the knife away. He pulled the front of the cloak away and draped it over his shoulder. He had a set of belts carrying things that looked like crossbows, but didn¡¯t have the arms. A short sword hung beside his knife from one of the belts. He walked up to the front door of the house and knocked, holding the black warrant card in his left hand. Once he executed this warrant, there was another target a few days ride away. It had only been chance that he had turned to ride into the Steps of Corwin before he went the other way. And now he might have his target in hand, and too old to put up a struggle. He doubted that last. Every old man he had served had left some kind of scar. They were mean, petty, vicious whoresons to the end. And he had been extremely happy to put all of them down. He knocked on the door. If this was the right guy, he was getting a dose of hellfire and a quick trip to where he belonged. If it wasn¡¯t, then he would have to ask around for the right guy. He had done that enough in the last fifty years since he had dug out of his unmarked grave. He knocked on the door again when he didn¡¯t get a response. He frowned as he listened. Maybe the honorable old man wasn¡¯t home. He knocked once more. He thought he heard rustling inside, but he wasn¡¯t sure. Maybe he should kick the door in. He had a finite amount of time. He knew that somehow. Serving the warrants and the way his body kept saying go to sleep forever told him that. He needed to check this old man, and then move on. ¡°Not home?,¡± asked the old lady. ¡°Why don¡¯t we have some tea at Mrs. Chaplain¡¯s. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.She has the best tea. I tell her so myself.¡± ¡°Tea?,¡± said the traveler. ¡°Unless you¡¯re going to break in the door and murder Master Eater in his own home,¡± said the old lady. ¡°I think a spot of tea will do us both some good, especially on this day of all days.¡± ¡°What¡¯s so important about this day?,¡± asked the traveler. He pulled his cloak down to cover his upper body. He tucked the card away. He gave one more look at the door before walking across the grass to join her. ¡°This is the day we lost the Stalking Light brothers,¡± said the lady. She turned to walk toward a neighbor¡¯s house on the corner. ¡°They were turned to statues up there.¡± She pointed to a piece of rock sticking out of a mountain looming above the town. He glanced at it. It didn¡¯t mean anything to him. ¡°They saved my life that day, and I will never forget it,¡± said the lady. The traveler grabbed the reins of his horse and led the beast after the townswoman. He glanced back at the house. Finn Eater could be in there. He should break the door down and go about his business. On the other hand, if the man wasn¡¯t there and saw him trying to execute the warrant card, he might run. Some kind of magic was involved. Did he really want to run into that when he could just shoot the old man from across the street when he showed his face. He had time to sip some tea and hear some local legend while waiting to execute the warrant. And once the deed was done, he could move on with a minimum of fuss. Besides he could look on the tea as a break from the endless riding he had to do to do his task. His horse would like some time with him out of the saddle. He could tell that in the way he tried to walk with the old lady. ¡°Mistress Chaplain,¡± called the old lady as she tried the door of the house. ¡°It¡¯s me, Clara.¡± She went in, calling the name of her friend. The rider dropped the reins so the horse would guard the door while he walked in with his new companion. They found Mistress Chaplain sitting at a table in the kitchen, looking at some sewing she was trying to do. ¡°Mistress Chaplain, have you seen Mister Eater?,¡± asked Clara. ¡°This stranger would like to talk to him.¡± ¡°No,¡± said the woman. She wasn¡¯t as elderly as Clara, but seemed more broken by life. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen him since he came home last night.¡± ¡°Mistress Chaplain and her daughters handle a lot of the clothing repair in town,¡± said Clara. ¡°I was wondering if we could get some tea, madam.¡± ¡°Yes, Clara,¡± said Mistress Chaplain. ¡°So you¡¯re looking for old Finn. It doesn¡¯t surprise me none. What are you, some kind of demon?¡± ¡°Bounty hunter,¡± said the rider. ¡°I have a warrant for your neighbor¡¯s arrest. Mistress Clara suggested we get some tea while we wait for him to come home.¡± ¡°He won¡¯t be coming home,¡± said the seamstress. ¡°He¡¯s been spending the last week on the mountain. He doesn¡¯t think I noticed him coming home from up there, but that¡¯s where he¡¯s been.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing on the mountain except the stones,¡± said Clara. She put a pot of water on to boil. ¡°I think that¡¯s where he¡¯s going,¡± said Mistress Chaplain. ¡°I don¡¯t know why.¡± ¡°These stones?,¡± asked the traveler. ¡°What are they?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know,¡± said Clara. ¡°They¡¯ve been standing there for a long time. And like I said, they¡¯re where the seven brothers were turned into statues.¡± ¡°How sure of you of that?,¡± asked the traveler. ¡°I was there,¡± said Clara. ¡°I was a little girl then. But I saw most of it before Wendall told me to leave. As I came down the mountain, there was flash. The next day I took my father up there and we found them standing in poses to say they were still fighting.¡± ¡°Are the statues still there?,¡± asked the traveler. ¡°Yes,¡± said Clara. ¡°I go up there a few times a month. They still look like the day they were cast.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been up there when I was much younger than this,¡± said Mistress Chaplain. ¡°Clara is right. No normal statue resists the snow and the rain like these do. And sometimes you can hear a dog barking when there is no dog.¡± ¡°A dog barking when there is no dog?,¡± asked the traveler. ¡°Wendall Stalking Light had an accident when he was younger,¡± said Clara. ¡°He could only talk by making dog sounds.¡± ¡°And he was the most kind and graceful of the brothers,¡± said Mistress Chaplain. ¡°My mother told me stories about the brothers you wouldn¡¯t believe.¡± ¡°I think we should look at these statues,¡± said the traveler. ¡°Tea first,¡± said Clara. She pulled down three cups and put them on the table. ¡°Then I will show you the way.¡± ¡°Time?,¡± asked the rider. ¡°If he¡¯s up there, he won¡¯t be coming down here until after the sun goes down,¡± said Clara. ¡°That means we have plenty of time to go up and see what he¡¯s doing in the dead of night.¡± ¡°You think he turned your friends into statues,¡± said the rider. He thought that was an accurate reading. ¡°I do now,¡± said Clara. ¡°Your arriving on the anniversary explains a lot if you accept that he¡¯s some kind of magician.¡± ¡°It might be luck,¡± said the rider. ¡°I¡¯m more worried if he is going to try whatever he was trying a hundred years ago,¡± said Clara. ¡°It might be bad for the town.¡± The rider couldn¡¯t argue with that. If the spell was special enough, there was no telling how far it could expand to cover things. And the town was below the outcropping and its stone circle. What happened if whatever was summoned fell on the town? They drank tea and talked about the local happenings. A lot of it was gossip in his opinion. The sun started its slow walk down to the other side of the world. ¡°Let¡¯s have another cake, and then we should go,¡± said Clara. ¡°Thank you for your hospitality, Mistress Chaplain.¡± ¡°It was nothing compared to what you have done for me,¡± said the seamstress. ¡°Come back when this is over so we can talk some more, young man.¡± ¡°It will be a pleasure,¡± the traveler said. He tipped his hat as he stood. ¡°It will be a rough climb for a horse,¡± Clara said. ¡°Leave him here. The neighbors won¡¯t do anything to him.¡± The traveler took some food from his saddle bags and fed the horse by hand. He wiped the sides of his horse with a rag. ¡°Stay here until I come back,¡± he said. The horse nodded his head. ¡°What¡¯s his name?,¡± Clara asked. ¡°Doesn¡¯t have one,¡± said the rider. ¡°He should have a name,¡± said Clara. ¡°Something to reflect his personality.¡± The rider looked at the horse in concentration. The horse looked back, lips drawn from blocky teeth. ¡°Stupid is good enough,¡± said the rider. The horse snorted, and shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re stupid at all,¡± said Clara. ¡°I think a better name is Dasher.¡± The horse nodded with another blocky grin. ¡°I¡¯ll see if I can get you some more oats when I get home,¡± said Clara. She led the way from the houses toward the mountain with a spry step. The traveler looked back at his horse looking at him. He could swear the animal was grinning at him. He shook the feeling and concentrated on following the trail up the mountain. Before the night was over, he figured he would be coming down the mountain after facing another insane old man. But he would be one more card away from the end of his job. Seven Brothers 4 Clara led the way up the mountain. She picked places that were easier to walk, but he expected she did it for him. She didn¡¯t know him, what he could do. Taking it easy on him was a way to help speed things along without drawing attention to the fact she didn¡¯t think he could keep up with her unless she made allowances. The fact that she was a hundred years old and was not breathing hard at the exertion they were doing said something to him. He didn¡¯t like the implication that maybe Clara just looked elderly because she wanted to, instead of the ravages of time doing its work. He might have to serve up two bullets before the night was over. The prospect didn¡¯t bother him. He had a variety of peoples among the warrant cards. Some of them were women. The ones he had caught up with had been put down just as quickly as the men. He couldn¡¯t afford to lose when he didn¡¯t know what would happen if he did. And the women he had served had tried to kill him just as fast as the men. Clara paused beside a tree. She looked around. ¡°Something wrong?,¡± he asked. His hat shadowed his face except for the gleaming of his eyes that burned with the reflection of starlight. She held up her hand for silence. He heard something that sounded like a dog barking. He looked around, pushing back his cloak. His hand dropped to the weapon reversed on his hip. He didn¡¯t see a dog among the trees. ¡°Wendall,¡± said Clara. ¡°That¡¯s Wendall. Let¡¯s go on.¡± She hurried among the trees, using them as levers to push forward. She led him up and over a stone sticking up as a digit pointing at the sky until they reached a flat section of land that led out over the valley below. The traveler put out a hand for her to stop walking. This was where he had to do things that most people preferred not to do, and he couldn¡¯t let her get in the way. ¡°I want you to stay here,¡± whispered the traveler. ¡°If things go bad, I¡¯m going to need you to tell the town so they can be ready to try to handle things.¡± ¡°Be careful,¡± said Clara. ¡°When I was a little girl, he had things he had summoned for protection.¡± The traveler threw his cloak back and walked forward. Blue balls of flame danced around the circle. His hands drifted down to the butts of the weapons he carried. His goal had to be the magician, and not the beasts. He realized he might not be able to do that if there were too many of the guardians. He might die here, trying to carry out his duty. He steeled himself for the confrontation. This is what he was made to do. Other men had families to care for, and responsibilities to help their communities. He had a life of protecting people from other monsters. ¡°Eater,¡± said the traveler. ¡°I have a warrant for you. Come along quietly.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s possible,¡± said the hooded figure at the other side of the stone circle. Flames danced around his hands. ¡°I have something that I need to do. I won¡¯t be stopped like I was the last time.¡± The traveler drew out the black warrant cards. One of them glowed from its place in the pack. He pulled it and put the others back. ¡°I have been sent here to execute this warrant,¡± said the traveler. ¡°I would appreciate it if you went along quietly.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll do that,¡± said Eater. Black shadows came to life around him. Sparks for eyes lit up in their strangely shaped heads. Teeth were everywhere. The traveler took a moment to think the brothers were a lot braver than anyone thought to fight these things before he pulled his weapons from their places at his hips. These things weren¡¯t meant to be seen by humans, much less fought on equal terms. Hellfire lit the night as he fired the blasters into the beasts. Every shot burned a hole through a shadow. Some of them boiled away instantly. Some required an extra shot while they were writhing on the ground. ¡°Why do I always have this interference?,¡± said the magician. He pointed a hand at the hunter. Blue flames struck in a rain of motes. ¡°First, it was those stupid brothers, and now you. Why can¡¯t I be allowed to finish this one thing to my satisfaction. Do you know how long I waited for this?¡± Eater raised his gauntleted hands. Blue flames erupted from the metal, tracing around the stone circle and the seven statues. Whatever else happened, he was going to free the seven dragons from their slumber and command them to do his bidding. He would build his power with the Steps of Corwin as his seat until he ruled everything around Corwin¡¯s Mount. Nothing could be allowed to stop him. He had already wasted a hundred years waiting for the best conditions to conduct his spell. Nothing was getting in his way. The black shadows swarmed the wounded hunter. They would strip his flesh in Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.seconds. That would only help the spell run its sequence. Eater heard the cracking of stone and smiled. His spell was working. Soon, he would command the terrors of the sky to be his private army. The rest of his plans would come to fruition. Nothing could stop him now. Why was a dog barking? Eater realized his mistake. He had released the Stalking Light brothers from their statues. He needed to put them down before they threatened his plans. He had thought he was done with them forever. He should have known something like this would happen. Why hadn¡¯t he moved the statues out of the circle before he began the spell? He told himself to worry about making excuses later. He had to do what he could to salvage his plan now. Wayne Stalking Light appeared out of the night, axe in hand. He swung at the magician. One killing blow should stop all of this. Eater flung him away with blue flames. He had to release the dragons. Once he finished that, it didn¡¯t matter what the brothers thought they could do to stop him. An arrow poked him through his mail shirt. He pulled it loose and flung the missile away. He pointed a hand at Will Stalking Light. Blue flame descended on the target. He wasn¡¯t sure he had hit, but at least the archer had been sent scrambling. A blast of hellfire picked Eater up. He hit the ground. The front of his armor had a hole in it bigger than his fist. He raised his hand to cast flames to protect him while he tried to finish the spell and free the dragons. If he could just do that, the battle would be over. The dragons would eat the seven brothers and the hunter. Then he could set them loose on the town to feed until they were full and ready for the next step in his plan. Another blast of fire picked him up and threw him off the outcropping. He raised his hands. He could still slow his fall and survive. He wouldn¡¯t be able to raise the dragons, but he should be able to make his escape. An arrow appeared in the middle of the dying flames in his chest. He looked down at it. Another appeared beside it. He looked up. Will Stalking Light drew and shot a third arrow as he tried to raise a shield against the attack. Finn Star Eater hit the side of the mountain before he could call on his power to protect himself. He bounced down to the valley and rolled to a landing outside of town. ¡°It¡¯s Joe,¡± said Walter. ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡± ¡°All right,¡± said the traveler. He had a vague memory of dealing with the seven brothers somewhere. It must have been before he dug himself out of the ground. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re all mobile.¡± ¡°Thanks to you,¡± said Wayne. ¡°How did you know to find our bodies?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± said Joe. ¡°I was just executing a warrant.¡± ¡°Really?,¡± said Wilson. ¡°Someone sent you after an old man on the eve of the night we were sent to the Underworld.¡± ¡°I had a card with his name on it,¡± said Joe. He picked up the weapons he had dropped and holstered them. He saw the archer and the barker talking to the old lady that had been his guide. ¡°The old lady showed me how to get up here.¡± ¡°This is Clara,¡± said Will. ¡°Our Clara.¡± ¡°You all look so young to me now,¡± said Clara. ¡°I remember when all the older girls wanted to be your wives.¡± ¡°I remember when you were knee high to a grass hopper,¡± said Will. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I was that short,¡± said Clara. ¡°Your place still stands. No one wanted to go near it. Everyone thought it was cursed. You¡¯ll have to put some work into it to make it livable again.¡± ¡°What about you, Joe?,¡± asked Walter. ¡°You going to hang around with us?¡± Joe pulled out the small stack of black cards from his belt. He riffed through them with a thumb. ¡°This is how many fugitives I have to track down,¡± he said. He put the cards away. ¡°I can¡¯t settle down while they are still out there. Maybe when I am done, I can come back and look around.¡± They all knew that was a lie. Whatever was waiting Joe on his journey, he would only be back to town if one of his fugitives led him that way. ¡°Do you want any help?,¡± asked Wayne. He looked around. The brothers gave silent backing to the thought. ¡°Get me down the mountain so I can pick up Stupid, and I¡¯ll be on my way,¡± Joe said. ¡°Dasher,¡± said Clara. ¡°We agreed that Dasher was his name.¡± ¡°If you say so,¡± said Joe. He felt a smile on his face. That was a first. The horse didn¡¯t look like a Dasher to him. ¡°We¡¯ll go down and have a nice meal,¡± said Clara. ¡°You all can stay at my place the rest of the night. Then Joe and Dasher can leave in the morning, while I take you boys over to your old property.¡± Clara led the way down the mountain. She tried to smooth over the fact they had been gone for a hundred years. They would have some catching up to do. Joe walked at the back of the group. He didn¡¯t really know the brothers. How could he? But he sensed that he had dealt with them some time, and they were willing to help him. He decided that he couldn¡¯t drag them into his private mission. He had been given the cards, and the mission. Others couldn¡¯t walk on his path for long before they had their own priorities taking over their lives. And the brothers had to figure out how to fix their lives after coming back from the dead. People would fear them as monsters if their story spread too far, too fast. Joe listened as Clara caught the brothers up on what had happened to their contemporaries. He shook his head at the number of weddings, births, and deaths that had happened. It wasn¡¯t enough to change his mind. He had to keep moving on until he was done with his mission. At least he knew he had friends in the brothers if he did come back this way. Clara led them into town. She pointed out the new housing with the new citizens as they entered the edges of the community. Joe followed the base of Corwin¡¯s Mount until he found the corpse with the arrows sticking out of its chest. He pulled out the arrows, and set the body on fire. Somewhere down below, a new addition to the Underworld¡¯s work force was given a shovel and told to dig. Joe wished him the best of luck with that. Clara stood off to one side. She nodded at the swiftly dying fire. ¡°Wherever he is, I didn¡¯t want to give him a chance to come back,¡± said Joe. ¡°I understand,¡± said Clara. ¡°The boys have gone ahead. I figured you needed someone to walk with you for a while.¡± ¡°How does it feel?,¡± asked Joe. ¡°You¡¯re the older person, and they are still young.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve lived my life,¡± said Clara. ¡°I was going to do that whether they were here, or not. I¡¯m grateful they gave me that chance at the loss of so much potential that they could have used on their own lives.¡± ¡°It was a pleasure to meet you, Clara,¡± said Joe. He tipped his hat. ¡°I have to get back on the trail.¡± ¡°So you won¡¯t stay?,¡± said Clara. ¡°I have a list of murderers and worse to track down,¡± said Joe. ¡°I have to keep moving. Thanks for everything.¡± ¡°The boys said they knew you down there,¡± said Clara. ¡°They said you were the most honest person they had seen getting punished. You didn¡¯t deserve what you got.¡± ¡°I did deserve it,¡± said Joe. ¡°I deserved worse. But this reprieve is teaching me the things I thought were weakness and lack of readiness is also a source of strength. I just didn¡¯t know it then.¡± She hooked her arm through his. She led him down the street to where his horse waited, cropping someone¡¯s favorite flowers. The horse lazily strolled closer and nudged his master. ¡°Bring him back when you can, Dasher,¡± said Clara. ¡°I only have so many years left.¡± The horse gave her a blocky grin and a nod of its head. Third Person Murder Mystery Year Two Miss Vale looked at the paperwork on her desk. Some of it had to be sent over to Operations, some down to Engineering, and one message had to be sent to a soul working Community Service down in the light section of the Underworld. She looked at the note to the dead soul downstairs. She couldn¡¯t decide if she should deliver it, or hand it off to a messenger. ¡°Hey, Beautiful,¡± said a voice in the air. ¡°How¡¯s things going for you?¡± ¡°Hello, Geoff,¡± Miss Vale said. ¡°Dead again, I see.¡± ¡°A small case of poisoning,¡± said Geoff. ¡°Anybody else would be in your hands right now. I would like to be in your wonderful, dextrous, shapely, strong hands myself, but I don¡¯t know how long I have before I have to go home.¡± ¡°We can make do before you go back Topside,¡± Miss Vale said. ¡°I would love that, Vicky,¡± said Geoff. ¡°It makes this constant shuttling bearable.¡± ¡°Let me get into something a little slinkier,¡± said Miss Vale. She reached up and unpinned her hair. The burning tendrils reached upward without the pin. ¡°Every day, you get more beautiful,¡± said Geoff. ¡°Flattery will get you something,¡± said Miss Vale. She smiled at the living soul. ¡°Miss Vale!,¡± shouted her boss in the office next room over. ¡°Have you seen the drawings for the lift for the tower? Engineering is giving me a ton of guano over it.¡± ¡°Better go take care of your boss,¡± said Geoff. ¡°I don¡¯t think he approves of us.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take care of him all right,¡± said Miss Vale. She pinned her hair back in place before picking up what could be the relevant papers from her desk. ¡°Try not to go anywhere.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do anything I wouldn¡¯t do,¡± said Geoff. He smiled as she sashayed away. That walk made his insides do things that he liked, but would find embarrassing in mixed company. He sat behind her desk and thought about what was going on Topside. Someone up there thought they could poison him and get away with it. Too bad they didn¡¯t know he would spit out anything lesser than the mix inside now. How had he been poisoned? Once he knew that, he could scrub any other suspect. He found a piece of chalk on Miss Vale¡¯s desk. He picked it up and stared at it. How much time did he have before he shook off the poison? Usually he snapped back almost instantly from something like that. It must be eating his insides as fast as his body fixed it. That limited things to spells and certain things he had come across in his wanderings. He took the chalk on the wall and wrote down a list of everything he was aware of that could be that persistent. He marked the likelier elements in play. The assumption was that the poisoner didn¡¯t have access to things from Rialt on the other side of the world when they had few contacts with the main countries, and landlocked Baldwin in particular. Still, there were ways to get things if you had the pull, and he didn¡¯t know anything about any of the suspected murderers. He wrote down the list of people who could have poisoned him. That was a bigger help. He could only think of six, or seven, people who had the opportunity to get close to his food at dinner and slip something in it. Some of them were certainly dead if they ate the poison in their food too. That would cut down on his list of suspects. He wrote down what he did know about the suspects beside their names. The information was only three, or four, words apiece. He stared at the wall and shook his head. It was possible he had met each of the seven people at dinner under different circumstances. He would have been recognizable to them, but time would have altered their appearance into an effective disguise if they changed anything distinctive about their behavior while he was around. That was the problem with being an immortal wandering adventurer. Sometimes you missed killing an enemy who wanted revenge for something you had forgotten about after so many years on the road. For you, it was a thing done to get dinner. To them, it was the most important thing that happened to them. He wrote down what he had eaten next to his suspect list. He thought back to sitting at dinner. Everyone had eaten the same things. He was sure of that. He pictured the The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.dinner, step by step, then he remembered that he had a double dose of soup. He had taken the hostess¡¯s soup because she said she didn¡¯t want any. He made a question mark next to the soup. Was that the murder weapon? He looked at the suspect list. If the hostess had been the intended victim, that meant his suspect list had shrank by three. He put question marks by the three main people he thought could poison her food. He wondered if anyone had found his body yet. He supposed it smelt if it was pushing the poison out any way it could. What would they do once they found him? He supposed they would bury him, or burn him. If the murderer found him first, concealment of his body would be important. A murder would look bad, and anyone could be the killer. And when the real target was killed, that would double efforts to find the killer. How much time did he have left before he woke up wherever he was going to wake up and start putting some of this to good use? Too bad he couldn¡¯t ask Vicky to check to see which one of his suspects had accidental murder on his record. He thought that would press on their long range romance in ways that would be detrimental to what they had now. It was one of the few real anchors he had and he wasn¡¯t ready to give that up despite the lack of convenience on both sides meeting for any real length of time. He had asked her once how she felt about their arrangement. She had told him that he was her only real prospect unless she wanted to push Manny down some steps and take over. Then everyone would want to be her romantic and professional friend. It had been one of the few times that he had been in the Underworld for any length of time. He had been buried and had to dig himself out. He would dig a few inches, then die, then snap back to life. At one point, the snapping had made him a visitor that flickered as he went on his date with the beautiful assistant of the guy in charge of dead people. She had been the most beautiful thing around for miles as far as he was concerned. He wondered if there was another person who could have done the deed as he stared at the wall. It had to be one of these three people. How did he prove it? Could he prove it? That was a question he didn¡¯t have an answer to at the moment. How much longer did he have for his visit? He smiled. When he was alive, he had all the time in the world. When he was dead, he only had a few minutes, maybe hours, before he was recalled. The burial had given him a month in the Underworld with the rapid flickering that entailed while he was trying to dig himself out of his grave Topside. Vicky came back into the room. She took a moment to compose her features while pushing her annoyance at her boss away. Her love was here so they could at least snuggle, maybe do a bit more, before he had to leave. She pulled off her emerald lens glasses and undid her hair. She decided they were going to try to do a bit more before Geoff returned Topside. ¡°You look beautiful,¡± said Geoff. He put the chalk down on her desk. ¡°Every day I come here, you look better and better.¡± ¡°I work at it,¡± she said. Emerald fires burned in her eyes. ¡°Come here and kiss me before the worry wart wants something else.¡± They met in front of the desk. Geoff wrapped his arms around her, locked her lips in a kiss. Then he vanished. ¡°Damn it, Geoff,¡± Miss Vale said. She laughed a little. So much for their romantic interlude. She rubbed her face with both hands. The fires in her eyes returned to their usual glow as she put on her glasses. She straightened her suit, pushing the skirt down. She pinned her hair back in place last. Why couldn¡¯t Manny have waited for a few minutes? He was worse than her mother. Now she would have to wait for Geoff to get killed again so they could have some time together. She looked at the scribbling on the wall. Geoff must have done that while he was waiting for her to come back. She decided to leave it up in case he needed it his next visit. She glanced at the names and decided that making note of them would be all right. They weren¡¯t dead yet, so she couldn¡¯t see what they had done. When they came through Judgement, she would get a list of sins they would have to pay off before getting Recycled. Assault on an immortal boyfriend would be on that list. She wondered why she was taking this so personally. She decided that she didn¡¯t have a problem with the ordinary attacker attacking Geoff where he could defend himself, but poisoning the wrong person was out of bounds. Maybe his way of looking at things was rubbing off on her. Geoff had been killed so many times in fair fights and brawls, he thought of it as the cost of living. He had only been murdered through other means a few times. This was one of those times. She knew he wouldn¡¯t let things go until he knew what had happened. What if the murderer knew some way around his immortality? What if murdering people had become a hobby? What if someone should be there to encourage people to fix their problems before they did their time? That would make her job a little easier. Miss Vale looked at her desk and shook her head. Notices were scattered everywhere. She started putting everything back in order. She decided she needed a couch for the next time Geoff dropped in. She filled out the requisition and dropped it in her mail tray. Hopefully she could get one without too much haggling. Some of the Quartermasters could be as bad as Engineering about the reasons you wanted certain things. She almost had to go down there with a mace just to get a bottle of ink one time. A couch would be great for what she wanted to do in her opinion. ¡°I¡¯m back,¡± said Geoff as he appeared in the office. ¡°Probably only for a second.¡± ¡°Did you figure it out?,¡± said Miss Vale. ¡°Yes,¡± said Geoff. He sat down on the edge of the desk. ¡°It was family politics all along.¡± ¡°You figured it out in half an hour, and got killed again?,¡± said Miss Vale. ¡°This time was an accident,¡± said Geoff with a shrug. ¡°I misjudged the speed and the height. Who hasn¡¯t done that at one time, or the other?¡± ¡°Who hasn¡¯t?,¡± Miss Vale said. She hadn¡¯t for one. ¡°I just wanted to come by and say I was sorry that we couldn¡¯t have a wild time,¡± said Geoff. ¡°And I love you.¡± Miss Vale opened her mouth to say I love you too, but he was already gone back to Topside. A couple of notices fluttered into her IN tray. She pulled them out and looked at the names and the sins listed on them. She looked up at the scribbling on the wall. She decided she wanted to meet these two in person. She grabbed her mace from its hook on the wall and left the office. Her new souls should be coming through Orientation and be attached to overseers to take them to their duties. That was going to be her, and their new duties would be feeding the wildlife the Underworld contained. The Machinist 1 Year Zero 1 Zachariah Eight Arms cried. It was the first time in a long time that he had done that. He wiped his face with the back of his hand. He had to think of some way out of this mess. He had to save his daughter if he could. His wife had been ripped apart in front of him as he tried to think of some way to escape the thing plowing through the buildings. Then their building had fallen down on top of him, and Sola. He couldn¡¯t tell if she was all right in the pile of bricks and wooden beams. He knew he needed to do something. The thing had erupted in the middle of the city. Daemons would respond with as much force as they could wield to kill it. His building, the remains of his building, were in the target zone. He needed to get himself and Sola out of that imaginary circle before even more bad things happened to them. How could he do that pinned down like he was? He had to summon his daemon and put it to work. It was the only way. It was slow, but maybe it could build something to move the bricks before the counterattack started. He concentrated and his daemon pushed out of the pores of his torn skin. He smiled as he tried to think of his next move. He needed light to see with, and a way to move the rubble pinning him down. His daemon ate some of the rubble and split apart until a swarm filled the spaces around him. The familiar buzzing made him smile. A small light kicked on next to his face. He turned his head as much as he could to preserve his vision. The swarm collapsed into one six-legged bug. ¡°Good job, Gold Bug,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I need you to build something to move this stuff off of me. I need you to hurry. I have a feeling that I don¡¯t have long.¡± Festus and Primrose would be in the air by now if they were still alive. He had to get free before they acted. ¡°Sola!,¡± called Zachariah. ¡°Can you hear me? I¡¯m trying to free us.¡± Gold Bug chewed on the rubble, and split. Each component chewed on a piece, then split apart. Then the clones chewed and split. They did this a hundred times. Each time they split apart, they remained connected by a thread of silver. They shaped the silver until they had something that resembled a lamp on a stand. The light came on and the brick vanished in the glare. Zachariah waited for the lamp to cut off before he shrugged out of the pile that remained. His daemon knew everything he did, and he had studied far and wide before coming home. A little concentrated light would be in their wheelhouse. ¡°Sola!,¡± He shouted. ¡°I¡¯m looking for you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m over here, Da!,¡± cried the little girl. ¡°I¡¯m over here.¡± ¡°Can you summon your daemon?,¡± asked Zachariah. It was still weak, but it might be useful in this situation. Gold Bug just wasn¡¯t fast enough in his opinion. ¡°I think so,¡± said Sola. ¡°Hardy, Hardy!¡± A flying insect appeared in the light. It buzzed as its skin shimmered. It looked around, finally lighting on a pile of brick. ¡°We need to free Sola and get out of here,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I need something to help move the rock, Gold Bug. It will be up to you to get her free, Hardy.¡± Zachariah turned the lamp to point up. He turned on the power for a moment. The collapsed ceiling burned away above. It gave him an excellent view of flying things with too many eyes and teeth circling above. It also gave them an excellent view of him struggling to free his daughter. Some of them swooped down to make a meal of this sudden prize. Gold Bug took the lamp apart as Zachariah tried to use it. It pointed the lens at the pile of rock where Sola must be. A distortion in the air sent the rubble flying up through the hole in the ceiling. The reverse rain scattered the flying things, but several had been too close when the rubble started flying and crashed in the street and against other houses in bloody rags that used to be bodies. ¡°Who taught you how to do that?,¡± asked Zachariah. ¡°That was totally marvelous.¡± Gold Bug applied the ray carefully until Sola was visible. Hardy waited for the beam to cut off before pulling her clear of the pile. Luckily the beams that supported the roof had fell in such a way that nothing fell directly on top of her and hurt her too much that she couldn¡¯t move. ¡°Use the beam on the wall, Gold Bug,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We¡¯re going to need to escape before more of those show up and try to kill us.¡± The golden ant directed the beam at the intact wall farthest from the black column The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.still battling other residents in the street. Nothing happened except some shaking of dust in the air. ¡°Go, Hardy, go,¡± commanded Sola. She pointed at the offending wall. Her daemon punched through the wall after a moment to gather flight speed. It landed outside and remained in place so they could move under its watchful eyes. Zachariah picked up his daughter and ducked through the hole. He was happy that the rest of the wall hadn¡¯t fallen in on him. He ran from their building, not looking back. They had to get out of the city if they wanted to live. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We have to get out of here as fast as possible.¡± Hardy picked him up and carried father and daughter down the streets away from the ocean. Gold Bug returned home to its nest so it could rest up for the next challenge. The second bug started to fade when its strength was gone. Zachariah ran. His daughter wasn¡¯t as light as she had been, but they were still making good time. How long did they have before Festus dropped the hammer on the many tentacled thing behind them? That was how long they had to live. Other citizens flew on the same path as him. Some carried others on the backs of their daemons. He couldn¡¯t do that with Gold Bug. The daemon could only create fragile devices to alter the world¡¯s natural laws, and more importantly was only six inches long if that much. The best he could hope for was to create a swarm big enough to create a machine big enough to carry him and Sola out of danger. That would take too long considering his calculations. Flying daemons and their riders blasted the mountainous beast with the energies under their control. He supposed it was to buy time for those on the ground to escape. One by one, they were snuffed out by the monster and its minions. He stumbled over a boy and his daemon. He managed to keep upright as he stepped to keep from falling. ¡°What are you doing?,¡± asked Zachariah. ¡°Run. Run for your lives.¡± ¡°You run, old man,¡± said the boy. ¡°Knife and me can handle those flying things easily.¡± ¡°Stay and die then,¡± said Zachariah. He started jogging toward the edge of town again. He saw more of the minions swoop down on the straggling line, but there was nothing he could do. Gold Bug didn¡¯t have any offensive ability other than his bite. Pulses of light fired into the wrongly designed birds. The boy and his daemon ran at Zachariah¡¯s side. He realized that the daemon was mechanical like his own. It had produced a projector from its back to protect the trio as they fled down the avenue. A whistling filled the air. Zachariah looked up. Something large was dropping on the city. They were dead. He kept running. If Sola could summon Hardy, the flying creature could carry her away from the destruction. They didn¡¯t both have to die. ¡°What¡¯s going on?,¡± asked the boy. ¡°We¡¯re about to die,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Protective wall, Knife!,¡± shouted the boy. ¡°Bubble!,¡± shouted Zachariah. ¡°Do a bubble if you can.¡± ¡°Do it,¡± said the boy. The spider¡¯s metallic shell split open. The gun came apart and then came back together in a new configuration. The shell slammed shut. A blue bubble encircled the three. ¡°Hunch down, and hope your daemon can hold the field,¡± said Zachariah. He wrapped himself around Sola and held her close. The boy tried to do the same for his daemon, but it was three times as big as he was, and yanked him under it. The rock hit the meat tower in the center of the ruined port. The wave of air picked the ball up and flung it away as buildings on all sides started falling over. ¡°Hold on!,¡± screamed Zachariah. ¡°Don¡¯t let the bubble drop no matter what. It¡¯s the only thing keeping us alive.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me twice,¡± said the boy. The bubble, riding the blast wave, crashed through a building and bounced off a roof to land on a street and then roll to a stop. The center of the city was gone. Fragile creatures caught in the force from the rock drop had been rendered into meat rags pressed against the surviving walls of the city. ¡°Don¡¯t let the bubble drop,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Festus won¡¯t stop with just one.¡± ¡°How do you know?,¡± asked the boy. ¡°He¡¯ll make sure he¡¯s exterminated that thing whatever it was,¡± said the machinist. ¡°That means he¡¯s going to drop more rocks on the center of the city until he is sure he wiped it out.¡± ¡°We¡¯re in that blast radius,¡± said the boy. ¡°Look at what he¡¯s already done.¡± ¡°We need to hunker down until we¡¯re sure he¡¯s stopped, or we need to start running and hope he has stopped,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°He hasn¡¯t stopped,¡± said Sola. She pointed at a second rock falling next to the crater of the first strike. ¡°Hunker down and hope we can keep riding the wave to safety,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I don¡¯t know if Knife can take more,¡± said the boy. ¡°Can he just keep the bubble going for a little bit longer?,¡± said Sola. The boy consulted with his spider, rubbing the metallic head. He nodded. ¡°We can keep it up for a little bit,¡± he said. Sola concentrated. Hardy appeared from her hand. He buzzed into the air on extended wings. ¡°Hardy,¡± said Sola. ¡°I need you to get this bubble moving with your ram. Otherwise, we¡¯ll die.¡± Hardy picked up the spider and started in the air. He poured on the speed as the whistling of more impacts sounded in the air. The wave of pushed air hit the bubble and sent it soaring through the air. The daemon stopped flying as the pressure pushed them out of the wrecked port. The kids screamed in fear, but Zachariah looked behind them as much as he could as they tumbled through the air. They hit and bounced in a field far away from where Riordiana had once stood. Knife let the field drop as they looked at the ocean filling in where the once mighty port had been. Zachariah fought back the tears as he watched the water spin where his home used to be. Flying daemons that hadn¡¯t been knocked out of the sky turned and flew out to sea. ¡°Where are they going?,¡± Sola asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We need to move away from here in case there are more of those flying bats around.¡± ¡°Knife can handle them,¡± said the boy. ¡°Name¡¯s Bolan.¡± ¡°Zachariah Eight Arms,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°This is my daughter, Sola. Thank you for your help. We couldn¡¯t have survived without you and your daemon.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have either,¡± said Bolan. ¡°What do we do now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m heading inland for a bit,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°There seem to be survivors heading to sea. You might be able to catch up with them and see what they are going to do.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s stick together for a while,¡± said Bolan. ¡°I don¡¯t have anywhere to be.¡± ¡°Parents?,¡± asked Zachariah. ¡°They were going to the square when that thing appeared,¡± said Bolan. The Machinist 2 A year and a half after the death of his wife, and the annihilation of his city, Zachariah Eight Arms watched the gauges on his flying machine, and smiled. Sola and Bolan rode in the back so they could enjoy the ride and not criticize him on the performance of the thing that he had built. It had taken a year of work to build all the parts he needed. He had performed odd jobs to get the food and shelter they needed. He had moved east from Riordiana¡¯s crater all that time. Rumors circulated that some of the neighbors had invaded and been repulsed by his people. Festus had wiped out his own city to stop whatever it was that had erupted in the middle of the capitol. There was no telling what he would do to people trying to take advantage of the situation. Zachariah planned to travel to Messer¡¯s Reach and study there for a bit. He hoped that his ability would allow him to work on the machines that the city was famous for while he improved his own knowledge. He and Bolan had been able to fix every problem thrown at them so far, and when they had to resort to manual labor, Sola¡¯s Hardy had been able to help them with enough rudimentary tasks that they had earned their pay and been able to move on without any problems. They talked about going back, but there really wasn¡¯t anything for them to go back to. Zachariah¡¯s beloved Wanda had been ripped out of the sky while he watched. And Bolan¡¯s parents had been in the square when the thing had erupted. There was a chance they were still alive, but Bolan wanted to prove how useful Knife was before going back. And the spider was a moving tool box that could make itself into anything they needed to get the job done. Between Gold Bug and Knife, Zachariah didn¡¯t see anything they couldn¡¯t repair, or make, if they had enough time. The flying machine they rode in was a case in point. It had taken hours to build. Gold Bug had to make the parts while Knife fitted them together. Hardy had lifted the mechanism where needed so they could attach the various components together. It still needed work, but the rough start was over so they could work on refining the process. The library at Messer¡¯s Reach might give them the means to boost the speed of the thing so it could go faster than a horse¡¯s trot without burning something up. A horse appeared on the trail ahead of them. The rider sat in his seat and let the horse walk along picking at the grass on the side of the road. The animal looked up and whinnied at the sight of the silver carriage floating along the trail, stirring up dust. The rider looked over his shoulder and smiled. He pulled the horse off the trail so they could pass without spraying the two with debris thrown up by the jets along the bottom of the thing. Zachariah moved to the left of the trail so he didn¡¯t spray the rider. Twigs and chewed bushes exploded from the jet as the engine cut most of it up and used it for fuel. That was a good idea, thought Zachariah. It kept the engine moving and anything providing fuel meant they could use their garbage from camping as a source. Three men stepped out in the middle of the road. The middle one held up one hand. The other dropped to the hilt of his sword. ¡°Highwaymen,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°They probably want the cart.¡± ¡°They¡¯re not getting it,¡± said Bolan. ¡°We put too much time in this thing to hand it over to some thieves.¡± ¡°Bolan is right,¡± said Sola. She held Hardy in her arms. The flying insect was bigger than what Zachariah remembered. He looked about the size of a house cat now. How big could he grow if they kept using him to lift things? Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Zachariah put that speculation out of his head. He had to deal with the bandits in front of him. He had the inclination to just ram through their line, but thought that was exceedingly dangerous with the children in the cart. ¡°Stand and deliver!,¡± shouted the bandit over the buzzing of the cart as it hovered in place. ¡°Throw down your valuables, or we will kill you and your children.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have any valuables,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Please step aside. We are trying to go to Messer¡¯s Reach.¡± ¡°No valuables?,¡± said the bandit. ¡°Then how did you get this magical cart?¡± ¡°We built it from parts,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Please let us pass. We don¡¯t want any trouble.¡± ¡°They¡¯re aren¡¯t listening,¡± said Bolan. ¡°We might have to resort to violence.¡± The bushes rattled to one side of the cart. A man flew out on the road. He had a growing lump on his face. There were more sounds on that side of the road. The three bandits and the Riordianians looked at the undergrowth. Something snapped and a man screamed. The rider from earlier stepped out of the bushes. He wore a smile as he looked at the three bandits in the road. ¡°How¡¯s it going?,¡± said the lone traveler. ¡°Name¡¯s Cantrell, Geoff Cantrell. That last one was a bit clumsy of me. Had to break his leg. I think he might be all right if you can get him to a medician.¡± ¡°We can still kill you,¡± said the lead bandit. His hand dropped to the hilt of his sword. ¡°Hold on,¡± said Geoff. ¡°If you pull steel, I¡¯ll have to kill you. It¡¯s nothing personal. I understand. I messed up your ambush, broke your friend¡¯s leg, maybe hurt some of these other guys, so a certain irritation is to be expected. But if I have to pull my sword, I¡¯ll have to kill all of you and I don¡¯t want to do that. It makes my girlfriend think I don¡¯t appreciate her. So just walk away and rob someone else.¡± ¡°Do you really think you can take the three of us?,¡± said the bandit. He looked at his friends. They didn¡¯t look so confident of the odds. ¡°If you want to die and get your friends killed, you pull that sword and see what happens,¡± said Geoff. He wore a smile on his round face. His eyes were pieces of coal. ¡°I get a dispensation for killing idiots.¡± The two bandits fled from their leader. ¡°Besides you don¡¯t want to rob Riordins,¡± said Geoff. ¡°Their king has been making examples of people. You don¡¯t want to be the guy who caused a giant rock to fall out of the sky and wipe out your whole village, do you?¡± ¡°I suppose not,¡± said the lead bandit. ¡°We¡¯re going to ride on and let you figure out how to get your friends home,¡± said Geoff. He waved at Zachariah to drive on. ¡°Do something else. You don¡¯t want to be scrubbing latrines for eighty years to work off your sins. The Underworld is a horrible place as far as that goes.¡± Zachariah pushed the throttle forward and his mechanized cart floated through the busted barricade and kept going. He looked behind him. Geoff¡¯s horse had walked out of the trees and the knight swung up in the saddle. He gave a cheery wave before urging the horse to start walking again. ¡°That was something,¡± said Bolan. ¡°I was about to call Knife and have him do something to get us clear.¡± ¡°If we had fought, the men in the trees would have come forward to take us by surprise,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We would have looked like easy pickings if we were surrounded on all sides.¡± ¡°Hardy would have taken care of them,¡± said Sola. ¡°He¡¯s bigger now.¡± She rubbed the beetle¡¯s shell. He looked like a cat in her arms. ¡°We didn¡¯t have to fight, and that¡¯s what matters,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Once we get to Messer¡¯s Reach, we can improve the cart into something faster than a horse, maybe find a way to make a bunch of them at the same time so we can turn our attention to other things.¡± ¡°That Geoff said that Riordiana is rebuilding,¡± said Bolan. ¡°They¡¯ll be able to help us more than any outsider.¡± ¡°We can ask to put a factory there,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°But until we figure out the power dynamics and how to get a bit more power to her, no one is going to want this as it is now. You can¡¯t even plow a field with it.¡± ¡°If we increase the pull, we¡¯ll rip up the ground as we go,¡± said Bolan. ¡°The suction would chop dirt apart in an instant.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll look like a giant snake¡¯s trail,¡± said Sola. ¡°It kind of looks like that now, but not as wide.¡± ¡°Maybe we should add wings to it,¡± said Bolan. ¡°That would give it lift.¡± ¡°I would like to go home, Da,¡± said Sola. ¡°There¡¯s nothing there for us, Sola,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Everything is gone.¡± ¡°What happens if we can¡¯t mass build these flying carts?,¡± said Bolan. ¡°I have been working on some other things we can do,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Long range transportation and cargo placement has always been there, but most people prefer horses. We might be able to change that if we can come up with the right solution for the problem.¡± ¡°How much work are we talking about doing?,¡± asked Bolan. ¡°I don¡¯t know yet,¡± admitted Zachariah. ¡°The initial designs call for a much bigger engine than the one we put in our cart.¡± ¡°How big, Da?,¡± asked Sola. ¡°I don¡¯t have it worked out yet, but bigger than this by far,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We might have to keep moving if we can¡¯t find a place to work on things.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t the government want these things if it will replace the horse?,¡± said Bolan. ¡°Only if we can figure out how to make them go faster, and spray less,¡± said Zachariah. The Machinist 3 Zachariah eased the throttle to neutral so the cart floated in place as he joined a long line heading into Messer¡¯s Reach. The kids had been lulled to sleep by the vibration of the machine. He watched the guards check the drivers and wagons before they were cleared to go inside the walls. He knew his cart didn¡¯t have any hollow features for them to check. He supposed he should make sure they didn¡¯t stick their hands in the suction. He floated the cart up to the gate as gently as possible. He glanced in the back. Bolan and Sola were still asleep. Hardy rested in Sola¡¯s arms. If anything happened, the insect might batter the guards out of the way with its hardened shell body. He would have to push the throttle wide open to take advantage and crash the gate before someone tried to stop him. ¡°Welcome to Messer¡¯s Reach,¡± said one of the guards. ¡°What is your name and the purpose of your visit?¡± ¡°Zachariah Eight Arms, and I am here to consult with the great library about improving my cart,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°This is Sola, my daughter, and this is Bolan, my ward. We¡¯re hoping to find work while I do my research.¡± ¡°You¡¯re from Riordiana?,¡± asked the guard. ¡°Yes,¡± said Zachariah. He supposed everyone wanted to know what had happened to his city. ¡°The Riordianan Ambassador left a request that any of his countrymen should be directed to the embassy if they arrived,¡± said the guard. ¡°Do you know how to get there?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take them, bud,¡± said Geoff Cantrell, riding his slow horse up to the head of the line. ¡°Geoff Cantrell, I am passing through to Baldwin, then Corwin¡¯s Mansions, then parts further northeast, but I haven¡¯t decided where yet.¡± ¡°And you do know where the embassy is?,¡± said the guard. He gave Geoff a skeptical look. ¡°I just saved these people from some bandits,¡± said Geoff. ¡°I think I can escort them to where they have to be.¡± ¡°He did do that,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°The bandits fled after he showed them who was boss.¡± ¡°The ambassador might be able to fix you up with some lodging for your stay,¡± said the guard. He wrote out three passes. ¡°Keep these with you at all times. Unless something happens, when the time is up, you will be expected to leave in three days.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± said Zachariah. He put the three passes in his boot. ¡°I appreciate it.¡± ¡°Sorry about your city,¡± said the guard. He waved the cart and horse through the gate. Geoff waved at the guards as he kicked his horse into a slight trot to get in the wall and out of the line. He steered the horse through the local beggars who fled the cart as it followed. The wandering knight led the way to a house with a central courtyard. Zachariah recognized the design from his youth. If someone went after the gate, people could climb the wall and repel them. Mostly it was daemons doing the repelling and the means were not pleasant from what he had heard. A doorman stood by the opened door to give people access to the central courtyard. If someone managed to knock down the main door, daemons above them and in position in front of them would be able to inflict greater injuries depending on what was used. A lava type would put a stop to most people¡¯s shenanigans. ¡°I¡¯m going to keep riding,¡± said Geoff. ¡°It was a pleasure to meet you.¡± ¡°Thank you for your help,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I would have never had found this place in the time limit the guards gave us.¡± ¡°Sure you would have,¡± said Geoff. ¡°Someone would have given you directions. I¡¯ll try to drop in the next time I am in town.¡± ¡°My house will always be open,¡± said Zachariah. He told Hardy to guard the cart and his daughter before he climbed down from the control seat. He walked over to the door and pulled a bell rope to be recognized. A functionary opened the door. He smiled out of habit at seeing a visitor on the door step. Zachariah didn¡¯t smile back. ¡°The guards at the gate said the ambassador wanted to see anyone from Riordiana,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Zachariah Eight Arms.¡± ¡°Come with me,¡± said the functionary. ¡°I will get you some tea. The ambassador will be with you in a moment.¡± The functionary led Zachariah to the central court. A small table and chairs had been set up so you could watch the fish in the carved pond in the pavered floor. He studied the fish but felt they weren¡¯t daemons. Zachariah felt the ambassador had contact with Riordiana, or what was at Riordiana. He should already know about the destruction of the city, and what had happened afterward. Why interview people who were reaching Messer¡¯s Reach almost two years later. The door to the courtyard opened. A wider man than the functionary appeared. He wore a suit of gray and black. His hair had decided that it mostly didn¡¯t want anything to do with the knobby head he possessed and jumped ship. ¡°I¡¯m Campbell,¡± said the ambassador. ¡°Would you like some tea and biscuits?¡± ¡°My daughter is waiting for me,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°The guard said you put a request for people to talk to you.¡± ¡°The king and the council are still trying to figure out what happened, and how to combat it in the future,¡± said Campbell. ¡°They are collecting survivor reports in hopes of learning the origin of whatever it was that attacked the city.¡± ¡°It was creature pulled from the Abyss,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I don¡¯t know if the summoner survived the summoning, or what Festus did later, but I do know what I saw. I¡¯m sure that Festus got a clear look at it when he destroyed the city.¡± Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°How sure are you of that?,¡± asked the Ambassador. ¡°I am positive of what I saw,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°It was a tower of black flesh with eyes and tentacles and things moving on it. My daughter and I had been buried in my workshop when it appeared in the central district. My wife was killed defending us.¡± ¡°How did you get to Messer¡¯s Reach?,¡± asked Campbell. ¡°My daughter and I have worked odd jobs to get here so I could consult the Grand Library,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°There was nothing tying us to my work shop since it was destroyed with the rest of the city.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± said Campbell. ¡°They have partially rebuilt the city in the ocean since you¡¯ve been gone. Bridges have been built to the mainland so trade can resume. Hunters have cleared the odd creatures out of the land surrounding where the old city once stood.¡± ¡°Those bat things?,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Those and some other things that came across when the main horror was summoned,¡± said Campbell. ¡°Word reached here after the initial event and I was ordered to stay in place and gather any reports from any survivors. They have mostly been the same with the loss of flying daemons and their riders, complete loss of the city to a terror beyond words, and then the king destroying the land. Messengers have kept me appraised of conditions back home.¡± ¡°What if the summoner is still alive?,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°He might try again.¡± ¡°Access to the island is restricted from what I hear,¡± said Campbell. ¡°Only our people are allowed to land there. Everyone else is directed to the new harbor.¡± Zachariah nodded. That would make it harder for another attack, but not impossible. All it would take was one man determined enough to get through the defenses. Then he could wipe out the new city just as effectively as the old. ¡°You said your workshop fell on top of you and your daughter?,¡± said Campbell. ¡°Where was your workshop?¡± ¡°It stood in the middle of Aurora Avenue, about fifty to sixty feet from the Central Square,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I¡¯m a machinist, and worked on designs for buildings and boats.¡± ¡°How¡¯s your daughter?,¡± asked Campbell. ¡°She¡¯s fine,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°She has been helping me with the odd jobs I have picked up.¡± ¡°I have been arranging work tickets for our people to stay here in the city beyond their three days,¡± said Campbell. ¡°Ask Leonard for one when you leave.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Are you going back?¡± ¡°My posting will be up in a few years,¡± said Campbell. ¡°I will probably be asked to serve somewhere else at the discretion of the king.¡± ¡°If you want some honest work, I will be glad to have you,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°It was a pleasure to meet you.¡± ¡°The pleasure was all mine,¡± said Campbell. ¡°I have some functions I have to attend to for the local government, but the door is always open.¡± Zachariah nodded. He walked to the exit from the garden. He almost smiled. At least the city had reclaimed its land and the harbor for trade. It could be prosperous again even after the devastating attack he had witnessed. He could do the same thing if he worked hard enough. He met the functionary on the way to the door. The man stood there with hands behind his back. ¡°Are you Leonard?,¡± Zachariah asked. ¡°Yes,¡± said the functionary. ¡°I¡¯m supposed to get a work permit from you,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I have one right here,¡± said Leonard. He handed over a card made of blue fiber. ¡°Don¡¯t lose it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be setting up a workshop,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°If you need anything fixed, come by and get me once I have it going.¡± ¡°It will be my pleasure,¡± said Leonard. ¡°Take care, sir.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± said Zachariah. He walked out of the front doors and headed down to the cart resting on its skids. They still needed a place to live, and a way to improve the cart so it was practical. They needed a place they could use for their workshop as well as living quarters unless they combined the two. He thought about it as he climbed into his seat. He started the engine and let the jet whine up before he pushed the throttle down. Pedestrians pointed at him as he drove through town. He supposed they had never seen a cart like his before. He knew that Messer¡¯s Reach was known for advancements in science and magic. Someone must have thought of his idea before this. He needed a place to stay for himself and his kids. Campbell hadn¡¯t really pointed out a place for him to go. Perhaps he should ask a guard for help. And he realized he didn¡¯t know where the grand library was either. He laughed softly at himself. He had planned so much on just getting to the walled city. He had given no thought on what to do when he got there. He should have at least done more than listen to people on the road. He decided the best thing he could do was try to find a place where he could park the cart, build a workshop around it, and add on sleeping quarters for himself and the children. He needed something like a warehouse. He couldn¡¯t rent one. He needed one that was unused and derelict. He could fix the building to suit his needs if most of the interior was still there. The daemons would have to do most of the work like they had been doing, but they were patient about things, and had no problem in that regard. For every piece of wire, or shaft, created by Gold Bug, Hardy and Knife had to put it in place, or hold things so they could be put together. Putting a roof, or part of a wall, together shouldn¡¯t be that much of a problem for the three daemons working together. Something howled on Zachariah¡¯s left. He glanced that way, expecting to see a hideous tower of flesh ripping up the city. He blinked and saw that a metal cart was pulling a line of boxes behind it inside the wall. He smiled. It was the city¡¯s famous train. He wouldn¡¯t mind looking at that. It might help him with his own design problems. He didn¡¯t want a place near its path. The noise would keep him from thinking about what he should be doing. But it would be nice to have a place that he could watch the train in action when he wanted. That would make it easier to make design notes and fix problems that arose while he worked on his own ideas. ¡°What was that?,¡± asked Bolan. ¡°It sounded huge.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the train,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°It¡¯s what we¡¯re going to be measuring our future carts against.¡± ¡°That was a loud noise, Da,¡± said Sola. She stretched out her arms. ¡°I know, Hardy. Just a little longer.¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking for a place we can stay without having to pay any money,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°It has to be some place no one else wants so we can work in peace, and do odd jobs on the side while we experiment.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll send Hardy out, Da,¡± said Sola. ¡°He can find us a place faster than we will just driving around town.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Hardy, we need a space a bit bigger than my workshop back home, no matter the condition, not too close to the train.¡± ¡°Find it, Hardy,¡± said Sola. ¡°We¡¯ll be looking from here.¡± The bug jetted into the sky. He zoomed above the roofs of the white brick and plain glass buildings. He vanished after a few seconds. He returned a few seconds later, circling over the cart. He led the way through the city, making allowances for the cart to travel on the streets below. He picked one building in the middle of some others that looked in better shape. ¡°What does the sign say, Da?,¡± asked Sola. She pointed at a piece of wood nailed to the door of the place. ¡°Condemned,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Shall we look it over?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t Condemned mean unlivable?,¡± asked Bolan. ¡°It does,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I hope to renovate the property and turn it into my workshop. And we¡¯ll need a place to live if we want to stay here and improve the cart.¡± ¡°Can we just take over a building?,¡± asked Bolan. ¡°I don¡¯t see why not,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Let¡¯s look inside. Leave the sign up so no one thinks about coming inside while we¡¯re working.¡± They climbed out of the cart. Zachariah pulled the door open. It about fell off in his hands. He shook his head at the nearly destroyed hinges. He led the way inside the building and looked at everything. It would take a lot of work to get set up, but this could be the place they needed. His mental list of repairs stretched on without stopping as he assessed everything. ¡°This place is a wreck,¡± said Bolan. ¡°How are we going to fix this up?¡± ¡°The first thing we¡¯re going to need to do is clean all this debris out,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Then we can think of a way to replace the roof. Then we can do the minor things.¡± ¡°Like replace the door?,¡± said Bolan. ¡°Like replace the door,¡± said Zachariah. He looked around the wide empty shell once more. ¡°Now that we have a potential home, maybe we can get something to eat.¡± ¡°Sounds good to me,¡± said Bolan. ¡°Food would be good, but not here,¡± said Sola. ¡°Let¡¯s clean the place up before we try to eat in here.¡± The Machinist 4 Zachariah looked at the parts spread on the table in front of him. They looked as good as anything he could find anywhere. Gold Bug and Knife were a good team. ¡°Master Baker is here, Da,¡± said Sola. ¡°He wants to know if you are done.¡± ¡°Tell him I am putting the mixer back together right now,¡± said Zachariah. He fitted the pieces into a whole in seconds. Then he wiped everything down so it wouldn¡¯t be greasy to the touch. He wrapped the thing in paper and tied the bundle with string so it wouldn¡¯t flop around. He glanced at the other things he needed to work on as he took the bundle to the foyer of their building. It had taken some time, but they had a thriving business now. He wouldn¡¯t have thought it possible when he first drove the cart into Messer¡¯s Reach. If he had a few more machinists, he could open another shop and have someone else take some of the work off his hands. He smiled at that. He doubted there was really that much use for other Machinists in the city. Maybe some day when machines were more common, but not now. ¡°Master Baker,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Here is your mixer.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± said the heavyset customer. He took the bundle in wide hands. ¡°What was wrong with it?¡± ¡°One of the gears had stripped some teeth,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I had to replace the gears and make sure they would turn together. No big deal.¡± ¡°Thank you again,¡± said Master Baker. He handed over a pouch of clinking coins. ¡°Here is your payment.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± said Zachariah. He walked the man to the service entrance and told him to come by if he had any more trouble before closing the door. He handed Sola the pouch to be counted and put away. She handled their finances and made sure they had enough money for food and basic necessities. Zachariah was not the haggler she was, and knew it. She took after her mother in that regard. He looked around again before retreating into his small workshop. They had done a good job on the building. It looked brand new on the inside, and a little better than average on the outside. Cleaning the place up had been as simple as turning Gold Bug loose and telling him to eat everything not wanted. By the time the daemon was through, there were thousands of ants chewing on trash and debris. Once that was done, they used the eaten trash to form the basis of a new roof by having the swarm extend lines across the open areas above them. Hardy had to carry them one by one in his talons as they laid the line. Bolan and Knife had gone over the walls and made sure the internal supports were taken down and replaced one by one so that the roof wouldn¡¯t fall in on them. Then they had cleaned the floor with some kind of spray gun Knife produced from his back. That got a lot of the stains out almost instantly. The rest had been dividing up the internal space so they had a big workshop for the cart prototypes, a small workshop for any business they might have to do to support themselves, a living area for the three of them which was divided up into personal spaces so everyone had their own place to go when they didn¡¯t want to talk to the others. A small library and office space had been built in between Zachariah¡¯s personal rooms and the cart room so he could work on designs between jobs. Odd jobs had started as soon as they made sure the outside was repainted white to blend in with the rest of the neighborhood. Zachariah and Bolan had been called to fix pumps, normal carts, broken cooking utensils, and dozens of other things. The jobs had been easy with the help of Gold Bug and Knife. The two consulted together just as much as their human counterparts. And when everything was over for the day, Zachariah would go up on the roof and watch the train go by, thinking about ways to make his own vehicle faster and more responsive. He had worked in some improvements so he was sure that he could set up a line to make carts on demand. The problem was that it wasn¡¯t faster than a horse, and the noise of the jet scared most animals that it came close to on the road. People using horse and oxen would not appreciate their animals fleeing from a noisy machine. If the animals were hurt, that would be more cause for recriminations. Zachariah turned his attention to the next thing he had to fix. Someone had broken their best metal bowl and they wanted it put back together. He picked at the fragments with his fingers and wondered how they had shattered something like that. He doubted it was some kind of accident like he was told. Maybe they had frozen it somehow and that had made the substance brittle enough to break. He liked that explanation but couldn¡¯t think what could have broken the bowl other than some kind of magic. And he couldn¡¯t fix anything magical. ¡°We¡¯re going out, Da,¡± said Sola. ¡°I¡¯m putting the closed sign on the door so no one bothers you while we¡¯re gone.¡± ¡°Going out?,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Going out where?¡± ¡°The Air Race is today,¡± said Sola. ¡°Hardy and I want to watch.¡± ¡°It should be spectacular,¡± said Bolan. ¡°We¡¯ll get to see some flying.¡± Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°I forgot that was today,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I suppose we can take the cart and drive over to the field.¡± ¡°We figured that some of the flying machines would be the equal of what we have,¡± said Bolan. ¡°If we could get a look at them, maybe that would give us some pointers on how to improve our own machine.¡± ¡°People will be coming in from miles around to watch things,¡± said Sola. ¡°We might not be able to get on the field to see anything.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll think of something,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Maybe you two are right. Maybe I have been thinking too small.¡± ¡°You want to turn the cart into a flying machine?,¡± said Bolan. ¡°Could we do that?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°It might be more dangerous, but I don¡¯t see why the engine wouldn¡¯t power it across the country.¡± ¡°A real flying machine?,¡± asked Sola. ¡°Can you do it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see why not,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Let¡¯s go down to the field and see what we see.¡± ¡°This will be great,¡± said Bolan. ¡°We might not be able to equal what we see at first,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We¡¯ll have to judge what we can do by what¡¯s already been done.¡± ¡°We built the cart on wild guesses and daemon spit,¡± said Bolan. ¡°We can build a flying machine if we want to do it. Do we want to do it is all we need to know.¡± Zachariah nodded. Bolan was right. They had built the cart without knowing anything except that Gold Bug could fashion things for them, and Knife and Hardy could put it together. A flying machine would be more of the same. He climbed behind he controls of the cart and powered it up. He turned it in the confines of the space and pointed the nose at the outer doors. Sola and Hardy opened the doors for him to pull out in the street. They shut the doors and Knife applied a lock so they could leave without worrying about someone breaking in. Zachariah waited for the children to get on board before turning and driving through the streets. He hoped they hadn¡¯t waited too long. The air show would be crowded with people who wanted to fly. He thought about modifications to the cart so he could get it higher than three feet off the ground. It would need a lot more power in his estimation which might require a bigger engine. He waved at people heading in the same direction that he was. He got different types of waves back. He gritted his teeth at the rude gestures. At least the children didn¡¯t know what they meant so he could conceal that much from them until they were older. ¡°Up your mother¡¯s fundament!,¡± shouted Bolan. ¡°Yeah, what he said!,¡± said Sola. ¡°What?,¡± said Zachariah. He looked over his shoulder. Bolan and Knife were giving rude gestures back. Knife had a lot of extra limbs to do that. ¡°Do you two mind?¡± ¡°No,¡± said Bolan. A grin covered his face. ¡°This is the best part.¡± ¡°Stop harassing the crowd,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We¡¯re going out to have a great day, not shout epitaphs at strangers.¡± ¡°If you say so,¡± said Bolan. ¡°I don¡¯t see why we can¡¯t do both.¡± ¡°They started it, Da,¡± said Sola. ¡°Does that make it right?,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I guess not,¡± she said. He knew she was sulking, but there was nothing he could do about that. He had to find a place to pull the cart so they could walk to the edge of the field and get a spot for the show. He expected some of the flying machines to be on the field so he could look at them. He doubted he would be able to learn much from their designs without plans but he should be able to guess at certain things. And Gold Bug should be able to discern things to help with manufacturing copies of what he did see. Testing would be the main problem. He didn¡¯t think he should try to send someone up unless he was sure they wouldn¡¯t die. He expected that the machinery might explode if he misjudged a single piece. He wasn¡¯t willing to risk anyone until he was sure that they could survive a crash at the minimum. The three Riordianians found a place at the edge of the field. A melting pot of people surrounded them. Everyone looked at the winged machines sitting on the grass. Some Riordianians walked their dragons/birds/winged creatures around to get ready for the race. An Alvas stood beside what looked like a tree. Two stumpy, barrel shaped Wurves stood beside a giant dagger that glittered with lines along its skin. ¡°Looks like someone invested some magic into things,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I wonder how it will do against the rest.¡± ¡°Why a tree?,¡± asked Bolan. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Because the tree is magic,¡± said Sola. ¡°I bet there is some kind of lifting spell that picks it up and puts it down somewhere else.¡± ¡°That makes sense,¡± said Bolan. ¡°But will it be fast?¡± Sola shrugged. There was no telling how fast the tree or the dagger were compared to the rest of the field. She doubted they would have entered the race if they were very slow. ¡°Can everyone hear me?,¡± said a voice booming over the field. ¡°This is Ronald Bell Thrower. I need everyone to go to your machines and start your engines.¡± Zachariah called Gold Bug to sit on his shoulder and watch things with him. The insect should be able to measure things as they happened. The pilots boarded their vehicles and animals as they waited for the announcer to commence the starting spiel to get them into the air. Various noises erupted from the grounded vehicles as they readied to fly. ¡°All right,¡± said Ronald. ¡°When I give the word, you will launch according to your number, circle the city twice, and then head for Baldwin. As soon as you check in there, you should get some rest, refuel, and then head out for the next leg of the race which is over Corwin¡¯s Mansions, and then to Lobster Castle. Once you reach Lobster Castle, you are to do two loops around the island and then head southwest to the Crater Desert. Once you reach the checkpoint there, you are to fly to Riordiana Harbor, then back here to the field. Pilots should keep their checkpoint tallies in hand at all times to verify that you landed and talked to race officials. Everyone understand the route?¡± Zachariah didn¡¯t know who he was asking. Was he asking the pilots, or the crowd? ¡°So they aren¡¯t staying in the city?,¡± said Bolan. ¡°How are we supposed to study them?¡± ¡°I already am,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Do you think Knife can record what he sees for us?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t think of that,¡± said Bolan. ¡°Knife can draw anything he can look at. That¡¯s how we put together Master Ryan¡¯s red boat.¡± ¡°Better get him started,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°It won¡¯t be long before the race starts.¡± Knife dropped to the ground. Its eight eyes focused on the crowd. Some of the nearby crowd focused on it and moved away. ¡°We need you to do drawings of the flying machines,¡± said Bolan. ¡°Can you do it?¡± Knife whirred internally. A tray opened in its belly. A piece of paper showing the assemblage on the ground fell out. ¡°Keep doing that until the race has started,¡± said Bolan. ¡°We might need pictures of the planes in flight too if you can do that.¡± Knife chittered quietly. He slid more drawings out as the machines jostled for position to lift off and head on the route determined by the commission. The machines started down the field one by one, lifting off gracefully as the pilots turned on the circle they were supposed to follow around the inner wall over the train tracks. The daemons launched with a flap of their wings, some of them vanishing as they made the turn and headed on the circle. The flying dagger launched from the ground and circled amidst the other fliers. The tree was last, waiting for its number to be called. Then the roots carried it forward like big feet, the limbs began to spin at the top of the trunk. It floated into the air and chased after the other fliers. Bolan picked up the pictures and smiled as he watched the colorful vehicles head out. ¡°I want to do that next year,¡± he said. The Machinist 5 Zachariah sat on the roof of his workshop. He watched the city¡¯s air as he thought about what he had done, what he had to do, and what he could do with what he had. He had a bottle of tea by his leg as he watched the clouds. The improvements on the cart were coming along. He could go faster along the ground if he wanted. It tended to scare animals with the sound, but otherwise it was well in hand. The flying machine was not going so well. They had an engine design from the cart that they could adapt, but they were having problems with the weight and how the design of the wings should go to give them lift and speed. One of the reasons he had decided to sit on the roof was he and Bolan were snapping at each other over every decision. They had made progress, and the air race was still months away. If they could iron things out, they could get a flying machine in the air on time. At the moment, things weren¡¯t going as smoothly as either of them wanted, and Zachariah didn¡¯t know how to fix that. When he finished his tea, he would go over the plans again. Maybe he would see something that he had missed. He heard an expletive from below. Maybe one of the children had done something to the neighbors. He had found they loved doing tricks when they weren¡¯t helping him. He pushed himself to his feet, grabbed his bottle, and walked to the edge of the roof. He looked down in the street. He sipped his tea as he frowned at the tableau below. One of Zachariah¡¯s neighbors had a hand upraised. Her cart lay on its side. Vegetables and broken eggs had been dumped in the street. Some loud language escaped her lips as she railed on a stranger standing in the street next to the cart. The stranger looked at her and walked away. He trailed a rod behind him as he walked. A small spark cut into the road as he moved. He walked in a circle, then added some lines with the rod. Zachariah had the feeling he had seen that drawing before somewhere else. Where? It bothered him, and his memory didn¡¯t want to help ease his mind. The man walked away, ignoring the ranting woman as he moved. He carried the rod across his shoulder as he made his way down the street. Zachariah went to the hatch he had cut in the roof so he could get up there in the first place. He looked down in his shop. Bolan stood at the work table with a drawing in hand. Sola sat on the floor playing fetch with Hardy. He had grown to the size of a hunting dog. How big would he get? Zachariah didn¡¯t have the time to consider the answer to that question. He had something he had to do right now. ¡°Bolan!,¡± Zachariah shouted. ¡°I need you to go outside and help Mistress Tom with her cart. There¡¯s a drawing carved in the street. I need a picture of it. This is important.¡± Bolan placed the drawing on the table and jogged to the door. Knife dropped from its nest and followed with its eight legs. He vanished into the street. ¡°Sola,¡± Zachariah called down. ¡°I need Hardy.¡± ¡°You heard Da,¡± said Sola. ¡°It¡¯s time for work.¡± Hardy extended his wings and flew up to the roof. He regarded Zachariah with his composite eyes in a way that said what do you want, old man? ¡°I need you to find a man that just left here,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°He was carrying a rod made of orange material. He went east from here, but he might have turned in any direction. I need you to find him and follow him.¡± Hardy sailed into the air. He pulled his wings in and blasted across the sky like cannon shot. Zachariah went to the edge of the roof. Bolan had the cart on its wheels. He and Knife were picking up the vegetables and putting them in the wooden box. He needed to get downstairs. The symbol was the most important thing, but he didn¡¯t know why. He had to find that memory and there was only one way to do it. He had to build a memory machine with Gold Bug and hope that it showed him the right memory. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Zachariah descended the ladder he had hooked to the hatch and secured to the floor at the bottom. He had used the three daemons to put everything in place. He stepped off the ladder and went to the supply room. He needed a piece of metal to give his daemon. Gold Bug could build wonderful things. They weren¡¯t permanent. They only had one, maybe two uses, before they broke apart under the strain. Anything they wanted to use based on what the daemon did had to be built from scratch out of real parts. Zachariah didn¡¯t mind. It made fixing things for other people easier, and gave a challenge to building things for himself. ¡°Come out, Gold Bug,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We have work to do.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on, Da?,¡± asked Sola. ¡°I saw something from the roof,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°It reminded me of something. I asked for Hardy to follow the man responsible in case we needed to know where he went.¡± ¡°So what do you plan to do now?,¡± Sola asked. She waved a hand at her father pulling pieces of metal for Gold Bug to eat. ¡°Gold Bug is going to make a memory machine so I can remember what was important about the drawing,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Once I know why it is important, then I can figure out what to do.¡± Bolan burst into the workshop with a piece of paper in his hand. Knife skittered behind him, mechanical legs tapping on the floor. ¡°Here¡¯s your drawing,¡± said Bolan. ¡°Mistress Tom said the guy you were interested in knocked her cart over to move it out of the way for what he did in the street.¡± ¡°I feel she is lucky to be alive,¡± said Zachariah. He took the drawing and looked at it. It triggered the same feeling even replicated by the daemon spider. ¡°All right,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°This is the plan at the moment. Gold Bug is going to build a memory machine for me. Hopefully this will tell me what I am trying to remember. When that is done, we will consider options.¡± ¡°We might have to chase the guy down is what I am hearing,¡± said Bolan. ¡°Then you are hearing incorrectly, because we don¡¯t know where he went, or if Hardy caught up with him,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Now I need a chair, then we can get to work. I¡¯ll need the two of you to make notes about the memory. I don¡¯t know how lucid I will be.¡± ¡°Are you sure you want to do this, Da?,¡± asked Sola. ¡°We could just ask the man after Hardy comes back and tells us where he settled for the night.¡± ¡°He might not want to answer our questions,¡± said Zachariah. He turned the chair to face the only wall clear of drawings and plans. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be bothered by this if it weren¡¯t the memory popping up. Once I know, it will probably be something unimportant.¡± The two children looked at each other. Memories didn¡¯t rate more than a brief mention from the machinist. He didn¡¯t talk about them for more than a second, didn¡¯t seem to care about them except as things to show him not to do things that would get him hurt or killed. They had never seen him so much as obsess over a memory of a treasured item in the almost two years the three of them had been living together. If it wasn¡¯t about fixing a current problem, Zachariah didn¡¯t seem to care one way, or the other. Now he was proposing hooking himself to a machine and finding out what a weird drawing meant to him. That was an abrupt change in his basic nature. Zachariah sat down in the chair. He gestured for Gold Bug to get to work. The insect ate all of the metal to multiply and create the process it needed to build the machine his partner wanted. It affixed all the components to the chair, with the last being a mask over the Riordianian¡¯s face. ¡°Get ready, Knife,¡± said Bolan. ¡°We¡¯ll need drawings for all this.¡± Gold Bug flipped a switch on one of the components. The mask created a light beam that struck the wall. Pictures formed of someone walking in a street. ¡°That¡¯s Riordiana,¡± said Sola. ¡°That¡¯s the old workshop ahead.¡± ¡°No wonder your father had problems remembering things,¡± said Bolan. Knife produced drawing after drawing of the memory as they watched. The point of view turned in place. A drawing marked the street at the corner of the intersection close to the shop. One hand went up as if to rub a chin as the point of view stared at the drawing. People, and daemons, moved back and forth in the line of sight, as he contemplated the drawing. The point of view looked up to see a woman on a flying insect drop down out of the sky. ¡°That¡¯s my ma,¡± said Sola. ¡°She¡¯s wearing the scarf she got before she was killed.¡± ¡°He saw the drawing before the destruction of the city,¡± said Bolan. ¡°The only reason he remembered it is because he studied it because it was something new in the neighborhood. He was probably trying to figure out what it meant.¡± ¡°Ma got her scarf a few days before she was killed,¡± said Sola. The light snapped off. Zachariah raised the mask. It crumpled in his grip. He winced at that. ¡°The memory was bad, Da,¡± said Sola. ¡°Are you sure you want to look at the drawings?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I have to know.¡± He held out his hand. Bolan took the stack of drawings from the tray and handed them over. The boy stood back as the machinist went through the memory. ¡°This is not as bad as I thought,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We might still have time. Sola, I want you to go to Ambassador Campbell¡¯s residence and tell him what we¡¯ve discovered. I think alerting him that someone is trying to destroy Messer¡¯s Reach will get us some help. Bolan, I want you and Knife to try to destroy that drawing. We can¡¯t let it stay in the ground, then I want you to look for more of them.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Bolan. ¡°It¡¯s magic. We might have to be really destructive.¡± ¡°Do whatever you have to do,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Warn the neighbors so they can move away until this is settled.¡± He walked to the door with his daemon on his shoulder. ¡°What are you doing, Da?,¡± asked Sola. ¡°I¡¯m going to try to find Hardy and our mystery man,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We can¡¯t let him trigger that drawing if it¡¯s the same as the one that brought that thing down on our city. More of these people will die than ours just because they lack daemons to help them.¡± He stepped through the door and kept walking. The Machinist 6 Sola hurried through the streets of Messer¡¯s Reach. She should have asked for the cart. She could drive it on her own now. She needed a better way to get through the crowded streets than the cart, or a horse. Hardy would have carried her, but he had been sent after the drawing man. Her da had seemed too excited when he had seen the drawings from his memory. She should have asked Bolan to find Hardy and let her da try to fix the street. She didn¡¯t like that he was looking for someone he held responsible for the destruction of their city. There were so many things that could go wrong. Her da didn¡¯t seem that much of a fighter. If he did find the man, Hardy would have to protect him in case of trouble. The beetle would do it, but she didn¡¯t want either of them hurt when the city¡¯s guards could handle things much better than they could. She spotted the ambassador¡¯s square house. If she could convince him to do something, maybe he could find her da with his daemon. She realized she didn¡¯t what it was. Maybe it was some kind of plant with extending limbs, or a cat that isn¡¯t there, or a dragon like Primrose and capable of wiping out the city. If he couldn¡¯t threaten Messer¡¯s Reach for Riordiana, why was he there? She ran to the front door and banged on it with her fist. She stepped back when no one answered her knocking. She spotted a bell pull and yanked on it until the bell roared overhead. The door snapped open. The ambassador¡¯s assistant stood there. Anger flickered across his stoic face before he calmly said, ¡°Do you mind? I can still hear.¡± ¡°I¡¯m in a hurry,¡± said Sola. ¡°Is the Ambassador in? I need to talk to him right now.¡± ¡°He has some guests,¡± said the functionary. ¡°Wait here, and I will get him for you.¡± The functionary closed the door in her face. She gritted her teeth as she thought about what she should do. She had to do something to save the city. She decided that she would count until she reached five hundred. After that, she was going to do what she had to do. Sola reached the number and the door still hadn¡¯t opened. It was time for her to take matters into her own hands. She pushed on the door. It wouldn¡¯t budge. If she had Hardy, the heavy wood wouldn¡¯t have been much of a problem. She looked around for her next option. She walked down to the corners of the square house. She found a set of trash containers in the right hand alley. She nodded as she looked up at the roof line and measured the distance with her eye. She could maybe jump up and grab the gutter. It might come away from the wall, and roof. It might not. She didn¡¯t have the time to care. And Bolan could fix anything she broke with Knife. She climbed up on the trash containers. They were round things of metal with Reach Cleaning on the blue sides in white letters. She looked up at the gutter. She looked down at her feet. She looked back up. Sola bent her knees and jumped. She caught the gutter with one hand. She quickly secured a grip with her other hand. She used her sandaled feet on the wall and pulled herself over the edge of the roof and climbed up the shallow slope to a flat top. She looked down from the roof. Ambassador Campbell and some others she didn¡¯t know were playing cards at a table under one of the trees. She frowned. She had been held up for a card game. She walked down to the edge of the roof. She noticed a gutter ran on the inside of the wall too. She used that to drop to the ground. She brushed her hands on her pants as she walked toward the group. ¡°Miss Sola?,¡± Campbell said. They had met after her da had set up the shop so they could live in the city. Paperwork had to be filed. ¡°Ambassador Campbell,¡± said Sola. She glanced at the other two men, but she didn¡¯t know them, and they weren¡¯t important unless they tried to stop her. ¡°Messer¡¯s Reach is about to be destroyed. I need you to send a message back home to let the King know.¡± ¡°How do you know this?,¡± said one of the men. He stood, green light glowing in his eye. ¡°My da is looking for the man,¡± said Sola. ¡°I have to get back to the shop and try to track him down. This is what my da remembered from before the attack on Riordiana. This one was from a few hours ago. It¡¯s taken me a while to get here on foot.¡± She handed over the drawings to Campbell. He examined them side by side. He made a huffing noise as he stood. ¡°Miss Sola, this is Grimes from Baldwin,¡± said Campbell. He folded the drawings up as he indicated the man with the green light in his eye. ¡°This is Sourby from Messer¡¯s Reach¡¯s Diplomatic Corps.¡± Sourby didn¡¯t stand. She noticed he had a cane at hand, leaning against the table next to him. He wore silver and blue like most of the Reach¡¯s citizens. A patch covered one eye, she thought the same side as the wounded leg. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you,¡± said Sola. ¡°I have to go. Bolan is trying to dig up the sign right now. I don¡¯t know if he is succeeding, and my da is wandering the city.¡± ¡°One moment,¡± said Campbell. ¡°Grimes will take you back to where you need to be. Sourby and I will follow as soon as we can.¡± Campbell put the paper in a metal tube from his pocket. He took a piece of paper from a pad from another pocket and wrote a note on it with a pencil. He put the note in the Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!tube with the drawings. A bird made of fire burst from his shoulder. ¡°I have a job for you, Streak,¡± said Campbell. He clipped the note on one leg of the bird. ¡°The king has to see this as soon as possible. Go directly to his office. If he is not there, go to his apartments. Understood?¡± The small orange bird sang a melody. ¡°All right,¡± said Campbell. ¡°I need you to come back as soon as possible. We might need you to help us search the city for an expatriate and a magician.¡± Streak sang another song. ¡°Go ahead,¡± said Campbell. ¡°Come back as soon as possible.¡± The bird took flight, flapping his wings to climb into the sky from the courtyard. When he was high enough, he exploded in a streak of fire across the sky. ¡°He¡¯ll be in Riordiana in a couple of minutes,¡± said Campbell. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, Grimes, I think you should go to the drawing and make sure nothing will happen while I wait for the king to give me an answer.¡± ¡°Come along, young lady,¡± said the Baldwin. He stepped into the air. Sola followed, dragged by an invisible hand. They streaked across the sky. Sola gave directions as best she could. Everything looked different from the air. ¡°There¡¯s Bolan,¡± said Sola. She pointed at the crowd of people, the boy, and his spider. Red light came from the back of the spider as they tried to cut into the drawing. ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like he¡¯s having much success,¡± said Grimes. He brought them down for a landing. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you in the air race?,¡± asked Sola. ¡°We¡¯re not allowed to use our gift for personal profit,¡± said Grimes. ¡°And some of us are faster than any machine could ever hope to be. There¡¯s no point in kicking a man when he¡¯s down.¡± ¡°My ma said that was the best time to kick a man,¡± said Sola. She led the way to where Bolan looked at the drawing and shook his head. ¡°Knife can¡¯t seem to cut this up,¡± said Bolan. ¡°It grows back everything we do to it.¡± ¡°This is Master Grimes,¡± said Sola. ¡°Master Grimes, this is Bolan, and his daemon, Knife.¡± ¡°Pleased to meet you,¡± said Bolan. He stepped closer and whispered, ¡°I thought you were going to get us some help with this?¡± ¡°The ambassador has sent a message to the king,¡± said Sola. ¡°He will be here when he gets an answer. His daemon is pretty fast, maybe the fastest I have ever seen.¡± ¡°So we wait for him to get here?,¡± said Bolan. ¡°I think I can handle this for you,¡± said Grimes. ¡°Then we can talk about finding Sola¡¯s father and the man who drew this.¡± ¡°Be my guest,¡± said Bolan. He waved a hand at the drawing as he stepped back. Knife backed up with him, smoke curling from the barrels sticking out of his back. Sola joined them at the edge of the crowd. Grimes walked out to the edge of the drawing. He looked at it. The green light in his eye pulsed slightly. The street repaired itself after a second of arguing with his talent. ¡°That¡¯s great,¡± said Bolan. ¡°How did you do that?¡± ¡°I have been given command of a reality altering force,¡± said Grimes. ¡°And using it on someone else¡¯s reality altering was a small work.¡± ¡°Would you like some ale?,¡± said Bolan. ¡°I think we still have some in the icebox.¡± ¡°We have to find my da,¡± said Sola. ¡°Knife can do that on his own faster than he can with the three of us following him around,¡± said Bolan. ¡°And someone is going to have to tell Ambassador Campbell that if this is the only drawing, we have saved the city from a fate worse than death.¡± ¡°And he will be able to inform King Festus of that,¡± said Grimes. ¡°The question is this the only drawing, or are there more?¡± ¡°You can tell from the air,¡± said Sola. ¡°The memory machine only showed us the one my da noticed back home.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Grimes. ¡°I will do a study and see if I can find any more of these drawings.¡± He took to the air in a flash of green light. He vanished over the roof tops. ¡°Can Knife find Da and Hardy?,¡± asked Sola. ¡°Can you find Zachariah and Hardy, Knife?,¡± asked Bolan. The mechanical spider cast about, turning on its eight legs. Then it skittered off in that direction. ¡°Follow him,¡± said Bolan. ¡°I¡¯ll get the cart and catch up.¡± Sola jogged after the fleeing spider as it clinked along the street. An antenna extended from its back. A small rectangular box turned on the end of the antenna as the daemon moved forward. He turned right, or left, where the street was blocked from heavy traffic, but he kept on the same general line deeper into the merchant district. Knife paused in front of a building that looked like an inn. The antenna on his back turned as he considered the information it was giving him. He needed to go in and look around to make sure he was at the right place. Master Eight Arms had saved their lives and given them a place and a purpose. It would be a pleasure to pay him back after the last two years. And he was the only one of the daemons with weapons of any type. Gold Bug was harmless unless it had eaten and had time to build something. Hardy could only ram a target. That was effective against some targets, but not everything would fall to a battering ram. Sometimes you needed a lightning gun to punch through a barricade. And look, he happened to have one he could extend on the pseudo-mechanical arms he possessed. Knife waited for Sola to open the doors for him to proceed. He crossed the lobby in a skittering of legs as he zeroed in on the route he had to take. He went to the stairs and waited for Sola to open those doors too. He skittered inside, climbing the wall to where he felt Master Eight Arms the most. He dropped down to the landing to the eight floor as he checked his antenna. They were close now. The sounds of furniture breaking attracted his attention. It could be anything but he had feeling that was where his fellow daemons and Master Eight Arms were. He extended his lightning gun and skittered to the door. Did he really want to get involved in what he was hearing inside the room? And Sola expected him to do something. Knife didn¡¯t have a way to tell her that Bolan was the brave one of their pairing. Something had to be done. He might as well get to work. The sooner started, the sooner done. Knife blasted the door to splinters. He charged into the room, lightning blasting the air. Something flung him through the window as he looked for targets. He grabbed the outside of the wall before he crashed into the street. The daemon paused before it tried to pull itself back into the room. Why go in when you can do your fighting from the outside? He secured a line to another building in case something happened to the wall he clung to before he was done. Then he used a remote vision pod attached to the lightning gun to take aim. The wall came apart under him. He retracted the line and swung clear as that part of the building fell down in the street. He saw that people were running to get clear and thought that was a good thing. He landed on the other building and made sure his anchor was secured with his weight before he took aim at the hole in the wall across the street. He didn¡¯t like the lack of targets. He didn¡¯t want to shoot Master Eight Arms by accident. Bolan would not like that at all. The room cleared of darkness. Master Eight Arms stood with Hardy in his arms. He patted the daemon on the back as he looked around. Sola burst into the room from the hall. He handed the beetle over gently. The thing was half as big as the girl now. If it kept growing, she would be able to ride it like some flying daemons. Gold Bug looked unsure what it should be doing. The machinist picked the ant up and put it on his shoulder as he examined the battlefield. He seemed satisfied that he had done enough damage. He ushered Sola out of the room with one hand. Knife walked down the wall to meet them in the street. He had done nothing useful, but he had tried to do his task as well as he could. He couldn¡¯t do any better. ¡°Good job, Knife,¡± said Sola. ¡°You¡¯re a good daemon.¡± Master Eight Arms looked down at the spider. He smiled the small smile he usually did when things went better than expected. ¡°Let¡¯s find your master, and see what we can do about fixing our mess,¡± said the machinist. The Machinist 7 Zachariah Eight Arms wiped his hands with a rag as he looked at the mass of wires and components. He had designed the new engine with the help of Gold Bug¡¯s skill at building complicated machines that didn¡¯t last. They needed to test it, but it should work better than the cart they had put together. He walked the length of the hull. He had left off wings. The flying machine didn¡¯t need them, and he wanted things to be as simple as possible after the complicated engine array. He didn¡¯t know how much power it would produce, but if it performed well in the air race, he could think about making an assembly line to make more of them. Then he could work on the next invention impinging on his mind. He had a thought he could build automatic building workers to put things together for carpenters and masons. The public door opened. He looked up. He didn¡¯t expect any business. Maybe someone needed him to look at something. He walked out of the work space and into the foyer. He paused when he saw Ambassador Campbell and his associates. ¡°Ambassador?,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°What do I owe the pleasure?¡± ¡°We came by to talk to you about the summoner you killed,¡± said Campbell. Zachariah winced at the bold wording, but he had killed the man with a weapon designed by Gold Bug. He couldn¡¯t take that back now. And the man deserved it for trying to kill Messer¡¯s Reach. ¡°What about him?,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Can we sit somewhere?,¡± asked the Reacher. He leaned on a cane. ¡°Then we will go over this and get it done so we can go about our businesses and claim due diligence.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I didn¡¯t think about that. We can use the common room.¡± He led the way through the shop to the living area they had set up to share. He pulled the wooden chairs together so they could sit. ¡°Let me get you some ale,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Would you like something to eat?¡± ¡°Ale would be enough,¡± said Campbell. ¡°I don¡¯t think you should have to cook for us. We won¡¯t be here that long.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°What do you want to know?¡± He retreated to the small cooking area. An icebox had been set up to keep drinks cool. He reached in and pulled out four bottles of ale. He handed over three of the bottles before popping the seal on his. ¡°Let¡¯s start with the drawing,¡± said Grimes. ¡°Then go ahead with how you tracked the man down, and the ensuing battle.¡± ¡°I was on the roof thinking about the work we were doing to get into the air race,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I saw him write the drawing into the street after pushing one of my neighbors out of the way. ¡°He started walking off. I didn¡¯t know anything about the drawing, but it bothered me because I had seen something like it at some point. So I came down here and asked my daemon to build a machine to help me remember where I had seen the drawing. Once I knew where I had seen the drawing, I borrowed Sola¡¯s daemon, and I used it to find the man before he could go to ground. The rest was a simple walk to where Hardy was and then I talked to the man checking in guests to find out which room he was in. ¡°I took the daemons up to the room in the hope that he would peacefully give up and erase the drawing,¡± finished Zachariah. ¡°Instead the two of you wrecked that floor of the building, dropped part of the wall on the street, and threatened the lives of anyone who couldn¡¯t get away from you,¡± said the Reacher. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t put it like that,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°How would you put it?,¡± asked the third man. One of his eyes projected green light as he looked at the machinist. ¡°I defended myself from someone who might have had something to do with killing This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.an untold number of people, and might have done the same thing here if I hadn¡¯t asked him what was going on,¡± said the machinist. ¡°Would you do it again?,¡± asked the Reacher. ¡°Not like that,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I would have thought about what I could do with the situation if I had to do it over again. I definitely wouldn¡¯t have given him a chance to summon something.¡± ¡°The witnesses said there were fell beasts loosed in the building during the confrontation,¡± said the Reacher. ¡°I don¡¯t doubt it,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Bolan¡¯s daemon arrived and caused a fracture in their group. It didn¡¯t last long, but it was enough for me to use something Gold Bug built to end the fight.¡± ¡°The governments of Messer¡¯s Reach and Riordiana are going to give you awards for your action,¡± said Campbell. ¡°I received the note before we came to talk to you.¡± ¡°Tell them no,¡± said Zachariah. He looked down at his empty bottle. He went to the icebox and got another one. ¡°I don¡¯t want it.¡± ¡°Why not?,¡± said the man with the green light. ¡°I didn¡¯t do what I did for a noble reason,¡± said Zachariah. He put the broken seal on the sideboard. ¡°I did it because this is my home at the moment. And I didn¡¯t want to start over.¡± ¡°There is a reward involved,¡± said the Reacher. ¡°I¡¯ll let that go too,¡± said Zachariah. The three men looked at each other. It had been a long time since anyone had turned down an award for doing the right thing. ¡°What would you like me to tell the king?,¡± asked Campbell. ¡°Tell him to give it to someone better than me,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Is there anything else, gentlemen? I have to get back to work.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Campbell. He stood up awkwardly. ¡°One last question, Master Eight Arms,¡± said the man with the light in his face. ¡°Did you see anyone else in the room with this magician?¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°When we burst in, he was all alone.¡± ¡°Thank you for your time,¡± said the man. ¡°At the very least, we know what we¡¯re looking for if this shows up again.¡± ¡°What do you mean shows up again?,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°The man¡¯s dead. We reduced him to paste.¡± ¡°You reduced a man to paste,¡± said the Reacher. ¡°But he was part of a unit from the looks of things. There are others out there. We¡¯re looking for them.¡± ¡°So someone else might try to do this again?,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Maybe,¡± said the Reacher. ¡°We don¡¯t know. They might not like what you did.¡± ¡°If I come across one of these madmen, I will gladly take him prisoner so he can be questioned,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I have built a new life here. I won¡¯t let someone take it from me without a fight.¡± ¡°If you see anything else, let us know,¡± said Campbell. ¡°This might be the major threat until we stop them.¡± ¡°I will keep an eye out,¡± said Zachariah. He showed the men out. The visit had cooled the elation of his flying machine actually looking like it will fly in the air race. Zachariah put the bottles in a wooden box to take back to the ale house to get them refilled before he went back to his flying machine. He walked along the skeleton waiting for plating. Bolan and Sola could handle that now that he had the innards working. The interior would have to go in over everything with a space inset for the controls. Gold Bug appeared on his shoulder. He looked at the hull as he stood in place. The machine looked better than he thought it would. ¡°We¡¯re going to have to go back to the library,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Campbell and his friends think our magician was not working alone. There might be a trail we can find if we look through some of the histories.¡± Gold Bug climbed down, walked over to the table with his supplies, and climbed up so he could reach the lumps of metal that was useless for anything. He ate into the pile. When he was done, he divided until he could build a machine that sat on the desk. He stood back from his creation. ¡°And what does this do?,¡± asked Zachariah. He looked at the square without picking it up. Gold Bug pressed the switch on the device. A square of paper ejected from the top of the device. A picture slowly drifted into view as the paper sat there. Zachariah looked at the picture. It was him, but he could see the markings that allowed him to summon Gold Bug from his home. ¡°We can use this, or something like it to find any other city killers,¡± said the machinist. ¡°We can build it in the air ship.¡± Gold Bug waved his antennae as he backed away from the device. ¡°We can make pictures of everyone we come across and the one that seems the most dangerous could be one of them,¡± said Zachariah. Gold Bug pushed the machine to an upright position. He pointed it at the door. He pressed the button again. The resulting picture had some hot spots but they didn¡¯t look that serious to the machinist. Then he realized what the problem was. He needed something to do what the machine did, but constantly without guidance. It had to show him what people looked like while he went about his business. He nodded. ¡°This is good but we need something that works constantly,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°And we need to be able to mount them so we can watch the whole city. That is a lot of work for the three of us.¡± Gold Bug stared at him with its composite eyes. ¡°I like the idea,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°It just needs to be finetuned. First, we have to build the mechanical watchers. Then we have to mount them in places that could watch the street without being seen. And lastly they would have to send the pictures back here to be collected so we could watch for people at random who might fit the profile. ¡°That is a major undertaking.¡± Zachariah paused. ¡°We could install an alarm here so the watchers would trigger it when they saw someone who fit the profile so we don¡¯t have to watch everybody,¡± said the machinist. ¡°What do you think of that?¡± Gold Bug made a chittering noise with its mandibles. ¡°All right then,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°But before we do all that, we have to get ready for the race.¡± The Queens Knight No Year ¡°Hello, Arthur,¡± said a woman¡¯s voice. It was everywhere and nowhere. He floated in blackness, looking for the source. ¡°I suppose you¡¯re wondering why I called you here.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± said Arthur. He looked down at his hands. He noted that they were made of blocks of light, instead of flesh and blood. He looked around for the voice, ignoring the queasy feeling in his stomach. ¡°I lost the war with the Abyssal Plane,¡± said the voice. ¡°I let my world fall down into the darkness after a long struggle. I underestimated the resources that could be brought to bear against the meager defenses of my heroes. Baldwin was the last to fall, but it did fall. Now there¡¯s nothing left.¡± ¡°If there¡¯s nothing left, where are we?,¡± asked Arthur. ¡°In the belly of the beast,¡± said the voice. ¡°I¡¯m protecting you with the last of myself. I need you to do something for me, Arthur. I need you to take on a task a normal man was not meant to do.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like I have a choice,¡± said Arthur. ¡°What¡¯s the job, lady?¡± ¡°I need you to go back to the start of history, and change time,¡± said the voice. ¡°You will grow incredibly old trying to stop the end of my universe. You will be bitter. Everyone you know will grow old and die around you. If you can reach the end of the world in that timeline, I will release you, and find some other to take your place.¡± ¡°So I have to fight the future until I stop this from happening,¡± said Arthur. ¡°Will you do it?,¡± asked the voice. ¡°Will you be my knight?¡± ¡°I can stay here and die, or I can change the future as much as I can but still die trying to save the day,¡± said Arthur. ¡°It¡¯s not much of a choice.¡± ¡°I know,¡± said the voice. ¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± said Arthur. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can do it, but I have nothing to lose. Do what you can.¡± ¡°Good luck, my knight,¡± said the voice. The air grew excited as whispers of light pierced the mass around them. Arthur caught a vision of the loveliest woman he had ever seen, but she was the size of a giant, and burned with energy coursing under her skin. She struck the squamous mass with her fist. Blinding light blasted through the eyes and tentacles and mouths and other organs that he didn¡¯t want to think about and couldn¡¯t unsee. Arthur realized that the goddess, the queen, had used the mass to power her last spell. He frowned. How did he help her when he didn¡¯t know how to help himself? A massive hand of blue steel and white lightning picked him up. He flew through the opening created in the universe, falling back through the years. He felt things slicing him as he fell toward his end goal. He hit the ground and rolled. He thought he heard a bone snap, but when he stood, he didn¡¯t feel anything hurting out of the ordinary pains of falling on his face. Where was he? When was he? He realized the flaw in the goddess¡¯s plan. How was he going to change the future if he didn¡¯t know where he was, and what lines he was supposed to change? He supposed that would be his first fix. He sat down in the long grass. His head was full of things he shouldn¡¯t know. He raised his hand to his eye to keep it from blasting out of its socket. He couldn¡¯t move as he fought down the line of known knowledge from the forefront of his brain. He closed his eyes and concentrated on how to find out where and when he was. Once he knew that, he could start trying to fix things for the Queen. He pulled a handful of grass out of the ground. He pulled the dirt from the roots and Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.squeezed. A small metal disk rested in the palm of his hand. He crushed the grass together until he had wires hanging from his hand. He fitted the wires to the disk. He shook his head. What was he missing? He needed some more parts. He gathered some leaves. He worked them with his fingers as he stretched the material. He smiled when he could fit them on the disk as covers. The wires plugged in the disc easily. He needed one more thing to make it work. He looked around. He found a rock laying by itself. It begged to be used. He picked it up and massaged it into the shape he wanted. He fused it with the disc. He pressed the changed rock with his thumb. Numbers and symbols lit up the glass he had made. ¡°So Baldwin is going to be here in another few thousand years,¡± said Arthur. ¡°That¡¯s great. They¡¯re the last country to survive the onslaught from the enemy. Why?¡± He cast about for the reason. His memory flooded in with the green lights. They were able to change reality with their ability. And that ability allowed them to hold out against the Abyss longer than anyone else. But he didn¡¯t see the source of that ability. What could it be? He realized this was his first fix in the timeline. The green lights had to be created with a device. No one knew who had made that device. It had been found buried during a construction project. And then someone had made it work, but history didn¡¯t say who. He closed his device. He knew what he had to do. He had to create the device to create the green lights that protected Baldwin. Then he could move on to other places where he could shore up reality¡¯s defenses. He decided the best thing he could do was build whatever he was going to build in a pit as close to the original find as he could. Then he could bury it and let the future Baldwin grow up and find the thing. He also needed some clothes. He couldn¡¯t go around without them. He decided that the best thing he could do was create a device to make creating other devices easier. That should help him create the thing used by the green lights. And he needed clothes so he didn¡¯t have problems moving in the woods that dominated this part of the world. In the distance, he could see mountains. He supposed they were Corwin¡¯s Mansions. He couldn¡¯t see moving through them unless he wanted to fix things. He grabbed a stick. He straightened it out into a rod. He cast it into metal with a small jewel at one end. He realized that he had recreated one of the most famous magic sticks in history. He should have foreseen that. He might have to recreate it at some point in the future. Right now, it was going to help him with his two problems before he did something else to help the Queen. He took some grass and used that to patch his pale blue suit, and darker shirt. He looked down at himself. He smiled. Now he had pockets for his equipment. He dug out a pit to what he thought was the right dimensions. He walked to a nearby tree and gathered up some of the loose limbs. He laid the limbs in a circle in the bottom of the pit. He used the rod to join the limbs together. Then he rubbed dirt on the ring to change the circle into a thing of metal. He inserted a changed rock to power it up. He smiled. The more green lights invested in the system, the stronger their powers would be. It should be enough to do protect Baldwin at the end of the world. What about the rest of the world? He couldn¡¯t count on the green lights protecting the world from the threat on their own. Everyone they lost would cut into their powers. When they lost their majority, they would lose everything. He decided not to reverse the energy matrix. He needed them to police the world as much as they could. Once the Abyss broke through, they would have to fight for their lives just like everyone else. He covered the ring over with dirt and hardened it against anything that might open the time capsule before it was ready. The vault would know when it needed to be opened. He rubbed his face as he looked the scene over. He had to start moving. He wondered what he would see, who he would meet, what he could do to keep the world moving in the right direction. How long did he have before the Abyss started trying to stop him? He would know it was close when they started breaking down the boundaries. He had to have most of his pieces in play by that time. He doubted he would last the amount of time granted him. Things happened. He expected to get killed in the first attempt to stop the Abyss. He laughed as he walked. He would probably lose his mind carrying out his mission long before he had to worry about getting killed by some unnatural expressions from another universe. He wondered how many people he was going to sacrifice to save the planet. He decided that he needed to find someone to talk to so he didn¡¯t go crazy and kill the first person he ran into after he went out of his mind. He pulled out his rod and started shaping limbs into a rough skeleton as he walked. He placed the skeleton on the ground. A dog barked at him. He patted its head. ¡°Let¡¯s get a bite to eat, and figure out how we¡¯re going to save the world,¡± he said. He put the rod inside his jacket. ¡°I think Woody would be a good name for you.¡± The dog barked and wagged its tail. ¡°I know,¡± he said. ¡°You know I can¡¯t remember what my name is. Isn¡¯t that odd?¡± The dog barked. ¡°I¡¯ll think of something,¡± he said as he kept walking. The List This is the list before the stories. Pokemon, the man with no name, demonic bureaucracies, seven brothers, and maybe Madoka. Hero 1: Alan Scott Hero 2: Hal Jordan Hero 3: Jade Hero 4: John Taylor Hero 5: Ben Ten Villain 1: Kulak Villain 2: Dormmannu Villain 3: Mordru Villain 4: Undead Thomas Edison (Atomic Robo) Villain 5: Vilgax Support 1: StarGate Command Support 2: Boston Brand, Deadman Support 3: Katherine Corrigan Support 4: The Green Lantern Corps Support 5: Gwen Ten Support 6: Max Tennyson Support 7: Mab Support 8: Hank Pym Support 9: Artemis Gordon Support 10: Johnny Thunder Anything 1: Ibis Anything 2: Immortal Man (Already Used) Anything 3: G-8 Anything 4: Micheal Carpenter Anything 5: Scott Lang Anything 6: Hope Pym Anything 7: James West Anything 8: Lord Heisengard (Atomic Robo) Anything 9: Hydroman Anything 10: Original Daredevil Suggestions handed in A coworker named Jim suggested He Man beating up Strawberry Shortcake and My Little Pony. Train that runs on human souls Josh h Terminator, Matrix, and/or Doctor Who Saffron Angel Phineas and Ferb Deadpool Disney Princesses. As villain''s minions. peanut butter and jalepeno sandwich Hitchhiker''s Guide Dune opal sparrow An evil minion with healing powers... thematically subversive to say the least. ecolaserbuilder Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Guppies A peanut butter and [something other than jelly] sandwich Comet Hale¨CBopp A city destroyed by kudzu A Tea Ceremony Caligula''s Horse Br''er Rabbit and of course, the Travelling Shovel of Death. LaSalle Foundation Nac mac feegles Serpent Rose Avatar: The Last Airbender The Darksword Trilogy The Deathgate Cycle The Codex Alera. kctejada Haitian Voodoo Drugs from my friend, Ray Dread Pirate Roberts, characters from the Princess Bride Mechanical Procrastinator Two quotes from my son ¡°It was a dark and stormy night. Suddenly, a shot rang out! A door slammed. The maid screamed. Suddenly, a pirate ship appeared on the horizon! While millions of people were starving, the king lived in luxury. Meanwhile, on a small farm in Kansas, a boy was growing up.¡± Once there was an ugly barnacle. He was so ugly that everyone died. The end. From Headache Spaz Trollz Peter Pan and Neverland (Captain Hook and the crocodile) Monty Python and the Holy Grail internet cat memes Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Scooby-Doo Chronicles of Narnia Charlie and the Chocolate Factory other children''s books by Roald Dahl (Matilda, James and the Giant Peach, the BFG...) From Saltulra Totoro TunnelTy Treasure Planet Courage, Boomhauer, Kenny from South Park, and Donny Thornberry arguing about the last piece of a pizza- Josh H and Andrew B. From Falco Vega This is the list after what I have written so far The Air Race 1 Year Three Zachariah Eight Arms looked at the crowd that had arrived on the field. Tomorrow was the start of the Continental Air Race launching from Messer¡¯s Reach. Tonight, they were drawing lots on who would launch first. He wanted to go last. That would give him time for any last minute adjustments before he was committed. His flying machine was the only one like it in the world. He didn¡¯t want to blow it up before he got to use it on this test run. ¡°Master Eight Arms?,¡± said a stranger. He wore a light sky colored suit with a dark shirt underneath the jacket. A wooden dog paced at his heel. ¡°How do you do?¡± ¡°Do I know you?,¡± asked Zachariah. The machinist knew he was looking at some kind of magic in the dog. It wasn¡¯t a daemon as far as he could tell, and it didn¡¯t move with the various forms of motion he associated with types of clockworks. ¡°We haven¡¯t met,¡± said the stranger. He smiled. ¡°My name is Errant. The reason I dropped by is I want to hire you to do a piece of work for me after you are done with the race.¡± ¡°What kind of work?,¡± asked Zachariah. If his flying machine worked as well as he intended, he planned to try to figure out a way to produce them for other interests. He doubted he would need to do outside jobs to keep afloat after that. ¡°When King Festus Rock Thrower counterattacked the Abyssal creature that was summoned to destroy Riordiana, he didn¡¯t kill all of it,¡± said Errant. He pulled out a machine and opened the cover. ¡°In two years and some months, it will attack again. Before that happens, I would like to hire you to find it in the ocean and kill it.¡± ¡°How do you know this?,¡± asked Zachariah. ¡°Because the machine goes ding when I¡¯m right,¡± said Errant. The machine in his hand sounded a bell. ¡°Do you see what I mean?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Explain it to him, Woody,¡± said Errant. He put the small machine in his jacket. The dog barked, whined, growled, and danced around on its wooden legs before sitting beside its master once more. ¡°See?,¡± said Errant. ¡°Not really,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Trust me,¡± said Errant. ¡°There¡¯s not a lot of time, and you¡¯re the only one I know who can build a boat to function underwater. Everyone else with your technical knowhow won¡¯t have the time or the ability to get the boat to the harbor to conduct the search.¡± ¡°There are others who could build an undersea boat?,¡± asked Zachariah. ¡°Technically any Green Light out of Baldwin could, but they don¡¯t need it, and you will,¡± said Errant. ¡°Watch out for the Lightning over Corwin¡¯s Mansions and the rest of the race will be a walk in a park.¡± ¡°Do you think so?,¡± said Zachariah. He looked around at his fellow fliers. They seemed more confident in their abilities than he was in his. When he turned his attention back to the other man, the other man had vanished. His wooden dog sat in place, looking around at the crowd. ¡°Where did he go?,¡± Zachariah asked the dog. The dog barked and wagged his tail before he stood and walked from the field. He vanished into the crowd. Zachariah blinked. He admitted that was a strange encounter. And the wooden dog didn¡¯t seem the strangest part of things. He looked at the flying machines around him. They were some of the fastest things on the planet built by men, Alvas, and Wurves. Mechanics and pilots went over their machines to check for any last minute problems. Bolan was doing the same for their own machine while he waited for the drawing of the lots. Sola and the daemons should be helping him and staying out of trouble. ¡°Hey, buddy,¡± said a four foot tall rabbit in overalls. His eyes watched everything with the twitching of his nose. ¡°Can you spare a carrot?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any food,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°If you want to wait, you can join me and my assistants for some tea.¡± ¡°That¡¯s okay,¡± said the rabbit. ¡°Riordianian?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Yourself?¡± ¡°Pooka from Rheim,¡± said the rabbit. ¡°They call me Brother Rabbit.¡± ¡°Really?,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Are you flying a tree this year?¡± ¡°No,¡± said the pooka. ¡°I have a winged horse like you Riordianians.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have a winged horse,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I have a flying machine.¡± ¡°I thought all Riordianians flew around on summoned animals,¡± said Brother Rabbit. ¡°Not all of us,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°My daughter might be able to if her daemon gets big enough, but my daemon will never be able to carry me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that,¡± said the bunny. ¡°Why are you talking to this troublemaker?,¡± asked a blue-haired boy with a long nose and not enough chin. ¡°Pookas can¡¯t be trusted.¡± Another boy with a sandwich and a furry thing with a duck¡¯s bill and feet, beady eyes, and a skull cap trooped up behind the first boy. The second boy was built like a Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.column with a patch of hair over the top of his cylindrical head. The furry thing eyed Zachariah angrily. June bugs struggled in the crushed nuts used on the bread. The boy took a bite and chewed crunchily. ¡°We¡¯re the most trustworthy of all the denizens of Rheim,¡± said Brother Rabbit. ¡°Many a time have I personally saved wanderers from problems.¡± ¡°How many did you cause first?,¡± said the first boy. ¡°I¡¯ll show you a problem,¡± said the rabbit. He rolled up his arm fur like shirt sleeves. ¡°Not now,¡± another pilot walked by. ¡°The Baldwins will kick you out of the race.¡± ¡°I see,¡± said Brother Rabbit. ¡°That¡¯s a good move. Disqualification before I could even get started. It¡¯s worthy of a Shae. Very good, boys. Very good. Well met.¡± The boys looked at each other. They started backing away. The pooka smiled with a display of unrabbitlike teeth. ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting for you in the air,¡± he said. ¡°Brother Rabbit,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°It was a pleasure to meet you.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your name, Riordianian?,¡± said the pooka. ¡°Zachariah Eight Arms,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°My assistants and I will be flying Sara¡¯s Rocket if it launches the way we intend.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be watching for you, Zach,¡± said Brother Rabbit. The pooka walked around to where refreshments had been set up for the pilots. He joined some of them. Zachariah hoped he left the boys alone. He didn¡¯t need something bad happening in the air while he was trying to keep his own vessel from exploding. Those boys better watch out. The Shae were not known for their forgiving personalities and warm natures. ¡°Everybody,¡± said an official at the stage where the drawing cup was being placed for the determining of the order. ¡°It¡¯s my duty to announce the drawing of the numbers. Could the pilots please form a line to my right, please? The faster we get this done, the faster you can go back to mixing.¡± Zachariah waited until the line was formed and joined at the end. He didn¡¯t want to launch first. He was testing the flying machine. He didn¡¯t need to blow it up before it got off the field. Hopefully, the officials would let him switch with whomever got the last position. Then he could go back and get ready for the next day. The line rolled through the process pretty smoothly from where Zachariah stood. Some of the pilots had been in other air races so were familiar with the drawing. There were twenty pilots/riders in the race this year. None of them were Baldwin law officers/government officials. Errant was right. Any ship piloted, or worked on, by one of the green fires would be unbeatable under most conditions. And beating them under the right conditions would be like rolling dice and hoping that you rolled the same number, in the dark, through obstacles, into a little hole where the die stacked up one on top of the next one in a neat little pile. The pilot drew out a chip with a number on it. He handed the chip to the next official down the line. His name was filled in the board slot of the number by another official. Supposedly you couldn¡¯t cheat the system, but Zachariah was sure that someone had tried at least once to change his standing so he could launch in front of everyone else. Since a monitor was placed in the equipment to keep track of the flying craft, he didn¡¯t see the point. Either your vessel was fast enough, or it wasn¡¯t. Being exposed as a cheater wouldn¡¯t do you any favors. Zachariah watched the board as he saw the names being filled in. He frowned as he saw Gear Octo being entered in the last slot. Would the pilot switch with him? He thought it was the same man who had warned Rabbit from violence. Maybe they could trade. He didn¡¯t think that would be too much of a problem. Whatever chip he drew had to be better than last place unless Octo was going for last place too. Zachariah took his turn. His number was eleven. He took it to the official in charge. ¡°Master Eight Arms,¡± said the man. ¡°Number eleven, I see.¡± ¡°I was wondering if I could switch it with another pilot,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Is there anything in the rules about that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± said the official. ¡°Who would you like to switch with?¡± ¡°Gear Octo,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I would like to let the others get out ahead of me because this will be my first flight.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± said the official. ¡°Let me see if Octo is still here. If he agrees to the swap, we¡¯ll see if it¡¯s legal. There¡¯s no point looking at the rules if he won¡¯t do it in the first place.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I¡¯ll wait here for you to come back.¡± The official walked off the stage. He disappeared into the revelers for a few minutes. He returned with the other pilot trailing behind him. ¡°Zachariah Eight Arms?,¡± said the other man. He wore old leather armor and carried a soft leather helmet by running his arm through the strap and letting the thing hand on the back of his shoulder. Gray pushed at the brown his hair could have been once, lines carved into his broad face. ¡°Master Keel said you wanted to switch places for the race.¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly right,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I want to go last if that is fine with you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have a problem with it,¡± said Octo. ¡°Master Keel?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll check the rules,¡± said Keel. ¡°We haven¡¯t ever had a substitution like this.¡± Keel pulled a book of paper and leather from his official coat. He gestured for the other two officials to join him. They flipped through the pages before coming to an agreement. ¡°There¡¯s no rule against a switch,¡± he said. ¡°We¡¯ll switch your names. Remember where you need to line up tomorrow.¡± ¡°Thank you, sir,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Thank you, Master Octo.¡± ¡°I fly for Lobster Castle,¡± said Octo. ¡°If your flying machine is as good as you think, the government might want to buy some from you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just testing it,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°The theory isn¡¯t proven yet.¡± ¡°What are you using for fuel?,¡± asked Octo. ¡°The air,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°The jets scoop up anything that gets in front of them and pulls them in to be chopped into parts and sent to the engine. The main problem is going to be launching in the first place with the starter tank. Once we¡¯re in the air, we hope to make adjustments to keep us going to the finish line.¡± ¡°And if that doesn¡¯t work?,¡± asked Octo. Zachariah made a crashing gesture with one hand heading toward the ground. ¡°But if it does work, how fast do you think she¡¯ll go?,¡± asked Octo. ¡°We hope that she¡¯ll be the fastest thing in the air,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°But until then you are field testing it in the biggest air race across the continent with some ruthless people in the air with you,¡± said Octo. ¡°It¡¯s the only way to get it going so we can shake out any design errors,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°If everything works, we¡¯ll be able to turn it over to other mechanics and let them build their own versions.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t make much gold that way,¡± said Octo. ¡°I don¡¯t have to make any gold,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I build things because I want to, not because I want to make gold. Sola handles that part of the business.¡± ¡°She¡¯s going to tell you to keep a monopoly for as long as you can,¡± Octo said. ¡°And I agree with her.¡± ¡°The main problem is we may never be able to duplicate the Rocket¡¯s engine,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°If we can¡¯t do that, then we can¡¯t do anything.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± said Octo. ¡°If you do have the engine worked out, and it¡¯s fast, I would like to try to fit two or three into my squad¡¯s machines. Lobster Castle always needs new weapons.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Thank you,¡± said Octo. ¡°Good luck. Stay away from those kids, and the rabbit. One of them on their own is bad enough, both of them together is a disaster waiting to happen.¡± ¡°Thank you for the advice,¡± said Zachariah. The machinist went to the buffet table set aside for the celebration feast. He grabbed three plates and heaped them with food. He balanced them in his arms as he carried his load to the Rocket. This should be enough for them tonight. Tomorrow, they would be trying to get to Baldwin to eat at the official stopping point there. He thought he heard someone running up behind him, and then a growl of some kind. By the time, he had turned around, there was nothing to support the noise. Someone had left a shovel next to the rocket. He called up. The children and their daemons looked down on him. ¡°Take these please,¡± he said. ¡°Let me stow this shovel in case we need it when we¡¯re grounded.¡± The Air Race 2 Zachariah, Sola, and Bolan stood beside their aircraft. Gold Bug rode on Zachariah¡¯s shoulder as he normally did. Knife and Hardy stood by their partners. Hardy seemed to have grown another half-inch to Zachariah¡¯s eye. If he kept growing, he would have to ride on the outside of any craft they built, or in his nest where he waited to be summoned. ¡°We¡¯re going to have to do our checks in a few minutes,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Keep an eye out for those boys. I think they would sabotage us if we let them.¡± ¡°The Keller Kids,¡± said Bolan. ¡°The rumor is they crash other pilots so they can win the race, but they have only won two, or three, times in the last ten years.¡± ¡°They probably just like to mess other people up,¡± said Sola. ¡°Oh, look at the rabbit. He¡¯s so cute.¡± Zachariah noted that the cute rabbit impersonator was carrying some kind of lizard in his hands. He wondered what kind of lizard it could be, but he didn¡¯t know if he should presume to ask. Brother Rabbit had shown he was ready to fight at the drop of a personal insult. The rabbit walked their way as he headed for his slot in the take offs. His ears stood tall as he grinned at the Riordianians. ¡°Hello, Zach,¡± said Brother Rabbit. ¡°This your boat?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°This is my daughter, Sola. This is my assistant, Bolan.¡± The children made gestures of greeting. ¡°Is that your pet?,¡± said Sola. She concentrated on the lizard in the pooka¡¯s hands. ¡°No,¡± said Brother Rabbit. ¡°This is Pearl. She¡¯s going to be carrying me for the race. We made a deal. If we succeed, she gets half the winnings.¡± ¡°She looks too small to carry you,¡± said Sola. ¡°She will do fine once she wakes up,¡± said Brother Rabbit. ¡°Luckily, we¡¯ll be able to use some of your countrymen as cover when we launch.¡± ¡°Bolan told me the Kellers, the boys we ran into last night, wreck racers,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Be careful, and keep your eyes open.¡± ¡°They¡¯re mechanical prodigies,¡± said Brother Rabbit. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I can take care of myself.¡± Zachariah nodded. He couldn¡¯t do anything more for the Shae. His responsibility was to his racer and his crew. If things went bad, he would do what he could, but the Rocket needed to be tested before he could do anything more with it. ¡°Let me take my spot,¡± said Brother Rabbit. ¡°They¡¯ll be calling us out in a few more minutes.¡± ¡°We need to start doing our own checks,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Well met, Brother Rabbit.¡± ¡°Well met, master maker,¡± said the pooka. He walked down the track to where three, or four, Riordianians waited with their daemons ready to carry them in the sky. Other racers hurried by the Rocket as Zachariah and his crew watched the field. Gear Octo waved a gloved hand as he jogged to where his flying machine needed to be checked for take off. ¡°Let¡¯s get going,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We need to make sure we don¡¯t blow up on take off.¡± ¡°This baby will roll,¡± said Bolan. ¡°I don¡¯t understand how you put the engine together, but I looked at all the notes. The only thing we have to worry about is sabotage from one of the other teams.¡± ¡°And it won¡¯t explode?,¡± asked Sola. ¡°Only if someone puts a keg of powder aboard,¡± said Bolan. ¡°Which is why we¡¯re going to do the checks and watch anyone coming too close to the Rocket until we launch,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Make sure the map reader is working, Sola. Bolan and I can keep the Racer in the air. You¡¯re the one making sure we don¡¯t get lost.¡± ¡°Right,¡± said Sola. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Hardy. We¡¯re going to be the best navigators ever.¡± If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Sola helped Hardy into the cabin of the flying machine. She climbed up after and went to her station to the right of the pilot¡¯s seat. She powered up the compass and movable map parts. She put in the route for the whole race. The picture squares flipped as she watched them mark out the line of travel for her. They came to a stop when the phantom racer reached Messer¡¯s Reach from the other side of the continent. That part seemed to work out well enough. She powered up the other consoles. Everything looked fine to her. Readings on moving squares told her the Rocket stood ready. All they needed was the signal from the officials to take flight. She heard Bolan and Da walking the undershell. They had a checklist of things to be in place before launching. It sounded like they were almost through with it. Da had explained if one thing went wrong before they got off the ground, it was fixable. If the same thing happened in the air and they hadn¡¯t looked for it before taking flight, then that was careless and deserved whatever fate decided to mete out. ¡°All the consoles look ready,¡± Sola called down. ¡°Readings are consistent so far.¡± ¡°We¡¯re ready to go,¡± said Bolan. Zachariah nodded. It had taken a bit of doing, and devising the engine based on one of Gold Bug¡¯s machines had been most of the work, but they were ready to take to the air. He couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°Let¡¯s get aboard,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We¡¯re going to have a long flight to Baldwin. I think if things go right, we might be able to pass most of the others on the way.¡± ¡°How fast do you think we¡¯ll be able to fly?,¡± asked Bolan. ¡°Faster than the next man in the sky,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We¡¯re in the last slot, Da,¡± said Sola. She sat down in front of the navigation board. ¡°We¡¯ll have to burn the sky up to catch some of those other racers.¡± ¡°We won¡¯t be able to catch them all,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°But we will be able to catch the slower ones. Some of those machines weren¡¯t meant for a race like this.¡± ¡°The only ones we¡¯ll have problems with are the Keller boys and some of the daemon riders,¡± said Bolan. ¡°Those babies can sprint for miles to get ahead, and then glide the rest of the way in.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be able to catch them on a long stretch,¡± said Zachariah. He settled in the pilot¡¯s chair. ¡°But this is a giant lap around. We could be surprised by whatever the others have hidden. They have been racing a lot longer than we have.¡± Bolan settled in the chair on the right. He had the readings from the engines, power couplings, and everything else at his fingertips. A glance said everything looked good to him. ¡°All we need now is our launch call,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I should have brought some food for our wait.¡± ¡°I packed a lunch,¡± said Sola. ¡°Let¡¯s wait until we¡¯re on the way to Baldwin before we start trying to eat.¡± ¡°We can picnic in flight,¡± said Bolan. ¡°That¡¯ll be great.¡± ¡°Excellent,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I should have thought about the lunch.¡± ¡°You were both busy with the last minute things we needed to have done,¡± said Sola. ¡°Besides I would rather have it to eat instead of waiting until we land.¡± ¡°Can everyone hear me?,¡± said a voice booming over the field. ¡°This is Ronald Bell Thrower. I need everyone to go to your machines and start your engines.¡± Zachariah and Bolan looked at their instruments and changing number squares. The machinist looked over at his assistant. The boy nodded in confirmation. ¡°All right,¡± said Ronald. ¡°When I give the word, you will launch according to your number, circle the city twice, and then head for Baldwin. As soon as you check in there, you should get some rest, refuel, and then head out for the next leg of the race which is over Corwin¡¯s Mansions, and then to Lobster Castle. Once you reach Lobster Castle, you are to do two loops around the island and then head southwest to the Crater Desert. Once you reach the checkpoint there, you are to fly to Riordiana Harbor, then back here to the field. Pilots should keep their checkpoint tallies in hand at all times to verify that you landed and talked to race officials. Everyone understand the route?¡± ¡°Who is he asking?,¡± said Sola. ¡°The crowd, maybe?,¡± said Bolan. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We have to keep an eye on the racer ahead of us, Sir Dormir.¡± ¡°The Alvas?,¡± said Bolan. ¡°Yes,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°It looks like he entered another tree this year.¡± ¡°So as soon as he is in the air, we go,¡± said Bolan. ¡°Why does he enter trees? They¡¯re not very efficient for flying things.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I should have asked him how he was deploying the magic in case we needed help on our own design.¡± ¡°We couldn¡¯t use it,¡± said Bolan. ¡°Not as magic,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We could have adapted our own methods to work around if needed it.¡± ¡°Everyone is going,¡± said Sola. ¡°Is the tree moving yet?¡± ¡°Not yet,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°There¡¯s still a few racers ahead of him.¡± Brother Rabbit walked up to the start line. He watched the racers in the air as he waited to be called. When the announcer called his name, he threw Pearl to the ground. She grew into an enormous dragon lizard. He climbed aboard as the dragon exploded into the air. ¡°Maybe they have a chance after all,¡± said Bolan. ¡°That¡¯s a big lizard,¡± said Sola. ¡°It¡¯s almost as big as the Rocket.¡± ¡°Everyone has to show off,¡± said Zachariah. Sir Dormir¡¯s tree advanced behind the other fliers on its roots. When his name was called, he commanded the tree to fly. It floated from the start line, following the designated flight path. ¡°I wonder how he gets any thrust,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°But it is flying.¡± ¡°We can worry about that later, Da,¡± said Sola. ¡°Take us up to the finish line so we can launch.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± said Zachariah. He worked the throttle and the Rocket floated to its spot at the start line. As the sky cleared some, Zachariah¡¯s name was called and he jammed the throttle open while working the stick. The Rocket launched into the air with a burst of speed. The kids cheered as Zachariah smiled to himself. The Air Race 3 ¡°All right,¡± said Bolan. ¡°I¡¯m switching the engines.¡± ¡°Hold on,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Let me pull the throttle back before you do that. We don¡¯t know what will happen if we have it wide open and then switch engines.¡± ¡°Right,¡± said Bolan. ¡°Give me a signal.¡± ¡°Pulling back on the throttle now,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Lighting main engine,¡± said Bolan. ¡°Engine is engaged.¡± ¡°Opening the throttle,¡± said Zachariah. The Racer surged forward, sucking in air as she went. ¡°Readouts are good, Zachariah,¡± said Bolan. He watched the flipping image squares. ¡°We aren¡¯t losing anything after the switch.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± said the machinist. He watched the other racers as they climbed above him. ¡°Once we are out of the city, we¡¯ll open her up.¡± ¡°We¡¯re about halfway through our first loop,¡± said Sola. ¡°We have to go around twice before we clear the wall.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I¡¯ll try to keep Sir Dormir between us and the other racers until we¡¯ve satisfied the lap rule.¡± ¡°Right,¡± said Sola. ¡°I¡¯ll let you know when you can climb out of the enclosed part of the city. We don¡¯t want to be penalized on the first part of the race.¡± ¡°There are penalties?,¡± said Bolan. ¡°If you don¡¯t stick to the visible layout, they add on time,¡± said Sola. ¡°It¡¯s the same if they think you¡¯re using magic to teleport the distance instead of flying.¡± ¡°Anything but pure flight is cheating,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°On the other hand, if you can demonstrate your speed in action, they exonerate you and make sure your record is clean for the next race.¡± ¡°But until you get that, everyone thinks you¡¯re a cheat,¡± said Sola. ¡°That¡¯s why they put the trackers on so they know where we are all the time.¡± ¡°Some of the living things are faster than us,¡± said Bolan. ¡°How are we supposed to beat them.¡± ¡°While winning would be excellent,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We¡¯re here to make sure our racer can race. Next year, we will be able to take the data I¡¯m recording and make a racer than can go faster than anything short of a green light.¡± ¡°Faster than a green light?,¡± said Bolan. ¡°Nothing is faster than a green light.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know that yet,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I hope to be able to travel to one of the moons eventually.¡± ¡°Really, Da?,¡± said Sola. ¡°Do you really think this thing will be able to do that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I have been asked to build a boat that sails under the water to find a sleeping monster. I don¡¯t see what difference heading to the moon and sailing under the water could have.¡± ¡°They might be the same depending if there is air or water above the clouds,¡± said Bolan. ¡°The problem is we don¡¯t know how the Rocket will go if there isn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Place adding fuel tanks for exploration on the list of things for altering,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°As long as we have water, we should be able to fly using Gold Bug¡¯s engine design.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s scarier,¡± said Sola. ¡°We haven¡¯t got to the quarter mark of the race we¡¯re in and you two are planning on flying to one of the moons, or the fact that you two are planning to fly to one of the moons.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see why we can¡¯t do two things at once,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Because you¡¯re going to lose the race if you don¡¯t pay attention,¡± said Sola. Zachariah looked out the window. He veered around the tree. He winced at Sir Dormir giving him some kind of Alvas gesture. He waved back with one hand. ¡°Exactly,¡± said Sola. ¡°Pay attention. We¡¯re not alone up here.¡± ¡°Point taken,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°But if we were able to get to a moon, it might change everything we know about travel.¡± ¡°It might also strand us, kill us, and blow us to a million pieces because of all the things we don¡¯t know,¡± said Sola. ¡°Let¡¯s get through this race first, then we can worry about sailing under the sea, or flying to a moon. I expect that you think the Rocket can do all that with some alteration.¡± ¡°The same basic design should do it,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°The engine will run on anything so operating in the ocean should be no problem,¡± said Bolan. ¡°The moon on the other hand is a different kettle of fish since we don¡¯t know anything about how high things are, the effects of the planets, if the Rocket will have problems with running on just the starter engine.¡± ¡°But the main problem will be proofing the hull for leaks,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°What kind of leaks?,¡± asked Sola. ¡°Water leaks for example,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°If any water gets in the equipment, we¡¯ll lose the part until it can be replaced.¡± ¡°And if we lose our air,¡± said Bolan. ¡°I don¡¯t have to tell you what will happen there.¡± The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°All right,¡± said Sola. ¡°Let¡¯s get through the second lap. Some of the others are already heading out of the city.¡± Zachariah kept an eye on the air speed number as he steered inside the wall. He wondered how many of his predecessors had crashed into the wall before they could climb out and head for the next stop. ¡°All right,¡± said Sola. ¡°It looks like we only have a few more feet before we can pull up and climb out of the city¡¯s air.¡± ¡°Passing Sir Dormir again,¡± said Bolan. ¡°He needs to go to some other speciality if he wants to compete in this.¡± ¡°He only has to cross the finish line at a faster speed than the other racers,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°He can start out as slow as he wants and build up speed to get to where he has to be. I am not sure a tree is a good design for this. I would have went with something like a bird if I could.¡± ¡°Something that¡¯s supposed to fly in other words,¡± said Bolan. Zachariah nodded. He had built the Rocket on a javelin design with the engine pouring everything out the back, the tanks for the starter engine below, and the crew seats up front and at the top of the design. The engine didn¡¯t need lift to help it so he had left off wings to keep the look smooth. The other machines needed wings to help their engines to get them in the air. He had examined them as well as he could without taking them apart. He felt that he had them beat with his engine. ¡°All right, Da,¡± said Sola. ¡°We can pull up and head for Baldwin. We have a few fliers behind us, but the front runners are probably at the first checkpoint.¡± ¡°I doubt that,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°They are probably strung out in front of us, but there is no way they are in Baldwin, unless they have some kind of super machinery that I totally missed when I was watching them.¡± ¡°We won¡¯t know until we get a move on, will we?,¡± said Sola. ¡°I think we should let Hardy be the navigator,¡± said Bolan. ¡°You are so funny,¡± said Sola. ¡°Knife is a better engineer.¡± The daemons chattered behind the two. Hardy shook. Knife made a bunch of instruments appear and disappear to show off his skills. ¡°We have to win before we can argue,¡± said Zachariah. He looked at the changing route squares on his instrument panel. He was almost on line with the route. ¡°I¡¯m going to climb and see what happens when we get high enough in the air. Bolan, watch the instruments for any problems.¡± He pulled back on the stick. The Rocket¡¯s nose rose off the horizon. He lifted above the clouds. He smiled at the edge of space visible from his control area. ¡°The engine is out,¡± reported Bolan. ¡°Our air supply just kicked in. The outside temperature has dropped below freezing.¡± ¡°Maybe I should have put the wings on after all,¡± Zachariah told himself. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s what I want to hear,¡± said Bolan. ¡°All right, we have weak input coming in. The engine is firing. The main engine is turning over, but not fast enough.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We now know two things about high air travel. One, flying high enough will kill you without air and protective areas on your flying machine. And two, the air is so thin that eventually our engine has nothing to suck in and use for fuel.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Bolan. ¡°Everything is lighting. Main power is back on. It looks like the upper limit is off our scale for height.¡± ¡°We never thought we could fly so high when we put the numbers in,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Nobody knows how far the sky goes.¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to need fuel if you want to go to the moon,¡± said Bolan. ¡°We won¡¯t be able to depend on it between the ground and there from the looks of things.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll put that down for the next redesign,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We¡¯ll need personal air supplies in case something happens to the main air for the Rocket.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll need a way to make charts as we go,¡± said Sola. ¡°Otherwise, how will we find our way back.¡± ¡°Good point,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I¡¯ll put that on my list.¡± ¡°We¡¯re cruising pretty fast, Zachariah,¡± said Bolan. ¡°How far away is Baldwin from Messer¡¯s Reach?¡± ¡°A week on a horse, I think,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Maybe a little more, or less, depending on ground conditions. Why?¡± ¡°I think we¡¯re getting close to their air space,¡± said Bolan. ¡°He¡¯s right, Da,¡± said Sola. ¡°That trip in the upper air must have given us some kind of kick.¡± ¡°Really?,¡± said Zachariah. He looked at the small portion of his instrument panel that was the flipping pictures of the route he was getting from Sola¡¯s maps. ¡°We should be able to see it at the rate we¡¯re going.¡± The kids stood to look out the front windows. Towers reaching into the sky reflected the sun to the right. Small airships floated on tethers to the top of some of the buildings. A web of train rails extended beyond the metal walls of the city. Green light shone on the Rocket and one of Baldwin¡¯s peacekeepers floated next to the flying machine. ¡°Where did I put that badge?,¡± said Zachariah. He started patting his pockets. ¡°I have it,¡± said Sola. She held up a yellow card for the green light to look at so he would know they were in the race and visiting. The flying man nodded. He waved at them to follow him. He headed down. Zachariah lined up and started pushing the stick to get the nose down. This would be his first real landing. He hoped it went as well as he thought it would. ¡°Better strap in,¡± he warned the children. ¡°The last thing I need is the two of you going through the windshield after I drive the nose into the ground.¡± The children did as they were told. Their daemons took up station behind their chairs in case they needed something extraordinary to save the day. Zachariah pulled up on the stick within a hundred feet of the ground. He switched the control from flight to hover. He steered into a spot pointed out by the Baldwin and gradually cut power until the Rocket settled on skids extended from the belly. He shut the engine down, and locked the stick in place. He didn¡¯t want to trigger an accident now that they were on the ground. He triggered the cockpit to open so they could disembark. The Baldwin stood on the ground, looking up at the bullet shape of the Rocket. The official almost smiled. ¡°You¡¯re hours earlier than we expected,¡± said the green light. ¡°Did you find a shorter route?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I have some readings I have to go over where we were high in the atmosphere. Maybe that will tell me what happened.¡± ¡°How high were you, Master Eight Arms?,¡± asked the official. ¡°Above the cloud cover,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°The instruments weren¡¯t calibrated for the height. We ran out of air, and the temperature dropped to freezing according to the ship¡¯s readers.¡± ¡°Were you high enough to see the stars?,¡± asked the official. ¡°Yes,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°You might have caught a wind,¡± said the official. ¡°Excuse me,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°A wind circles the globe,¡± said the Baldwin. ¡°Some of our people have used it help us respond to emergencies. Most people can¡¯t reach it with what we have down here.¡± ¡°So you know about it?,¡± said Bolan. ¡°What causes it?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know,¡± said the Baldwin. ¡°But when you¡¯re in a hurry, you can maximize your speed if you can hold your reality long enough. There¡¯s a lot of conflicting things going on, and you have to counter all the conditions.¡± ¡°That sounds neat,¡± said Sola. ¡°It can kill you,¡± said the Baldwin. He stared off into space. ¡°It looks like a few more of you will be coming in for a landing in the next few hours. Let me see your yellow card.¡± Sola handed it over. He stared at it. He handed it back. A flame was embossed on the front of the card. She placed the card in her boot so she wouldn¡¯t lose it. ¡°We have to go over the data from the instruments,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°The Rocket needs to be prepped for launch tomorrow. And I need to think about redesigns. Anything else?¡± ¡°We have to eat, Da,¡± said Sola. ¡°Let¡¯s do that first.¡± The Air Race 4 Zachariah had borrowed a table after dinner. He spread his papers out and held them down with pieces of metal that made up Gold Bug¡¯s tool making supply. He went over the notes, comparing things by one finger on one thing, while placing another finger on a second thing. The speed in the wind had been incredible as far as he could tell. He wondered if it went over Corwin¡¯s Mansions. That would make things incredibly easy for them if the Rocket could lift to the edge of the sky and ride the moving current until they had to descend to land at their target. Brother Rabbit hopped across the landing field. Pearl rested on his shoulder. He smiled as he approached the table. ¡°How¡¯s it going, Zach?,¡± the pooka asked, hands in the pockets of his trousers, ears drooping down over his expressive bunny face. ¡°Fairly well, Brother Rabbit,¡± said Zachariah. He held his place with a finger while he considered what he could say to make the rabbit go away while he was working. ¡°That was really impressive how you went from dead last, to first,¡± said Brother Rabbit. ¡°We caught a wind,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I think about right here.¡± He pointed at a paper with the chart on it, and the speed and altitude of the Rocket. He moved some of his research around to either side of the mark up. ¡°What¡¯s all this?,¡± asked Brother Rabbit. He waved his hand at the paperwork. ¡°These are recordings copied from the instruments in the cockpit. They took down everything that happened,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I¡¯m trying to figure out a way to duplicate the result.¡± ¡°Just fly high again,¡± said Brother Rabbit. ¡°The engine cut off in the thinner air,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We need to be able to switch engines, fly in the wind, then drop down and switch engines again for regular flight to the landing area, then land. Otherwise, we have to increase our weight carrying onboard fuel and use that to power the main engine.¡± He made a few notes in a notebook next to the papers. He drew a larger reserve tank on a drawing of the Rocket. He nodded to himself. ¡°Now if we can map the current, we can fly anywhere faster than at lower altitudes,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Glad to be of help, Zach,¡± said Brother Rabbit. ¡°The current might change,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°How would we note that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have a clue,¡± said Brother Rabbit. ¡°It¡¯s not like you can plant flags in the sky.¡± He saw the machinist¡¯s eyes glaze over and knew he had said the wrong thing. ¡°No,¡± said Brother Rabbit. ¡°Think about doable stuff first. You can¡¯t plant flags in the sky.¡± ¡°I can,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I just don¡¯t know how yet.¡± ¡°So anyone can ride this wind?,¡± asked Rabbit, trying to get his mind off the idea of planting markers everywhere. ¡°Yes,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°The Green Light that guided us in said they used it to respond to emergencies. Maybe the route is constant.¡± ¡°Maybe it stops when it crosses the Mansions,¡± said Brother Rabbit. ¡°Or it might turn and go across the mountains to the coast.¡± ¡°Could it do that?,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about how the air moves.¡± ¡°Not many people do,¡± said Brother Rabbit. ¡°How high did you fly?¡± ¡°We were at the edge of the sky,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We could see stars moving above us.¡± ¡°That¡¯s high,¡± said Brother Rabbit. ¡°Not many people can do that.¡± ¡°The air cut off too,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Anything that needs air would choke before they got that high unless they had protection, and a way to breathe.¡± ¡°The Shae need to breathe too,¡± said Brother Rabbit. ¡°And I am not planting flags for you either.¡± ¡°It was just a thought,¡± said Zachariah. He wrote down a need for indicators to check the wind of the super current. ¡°You¡¯re going to need to get helpers if you want to do everything in that book,¡± said Brother Rabbit. ¡°They¡¯re just ideas at the moment,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Getting into the race has opened up avenues of thought that never occurred to me before this.¡± ¡°You have to win the race before you can think about chasing the wind, or flying to a star in the sky,¡± said Brother Rabbit. ¡°Practical things are the backbone of anything.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really have to win the race,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I just have to get to the finish line to prove my flying machine works. After that, I can improve the design until it can do anything I want it to.¡± ¡°And you¡¯ve already shown that it can handle a rough ride,¡± said Brother Rabbit. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°Exactly,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°The wind current intrigues me. If we could find a way to put ships that high that were lighter than what we have now, it could act as a river. Transportation time could be halved.¡± ¡°Only one way,¡± said Brother Rabbit. ¡°Excuse me,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°The wind only pushes in one direction,¡± said the pooka. ¡°You would have to double your time sailing against it, or even sailing at a lower altitude.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°The only good it would do is to push people from Messer¡¯s Reach to Baldwin unless it traveled further west. If it wrapped around the world in a track, we could send things like that. But going the other way would be just as slow as always.¡± ¡°So what are you going to do,¡± said Brother Rabbit. ¡°I¡¯m going to find out if the current changes paths and use that for shipping when I can,¡± said Zachariah. The bunny ears drooped. ¡°But first I am going to get to the finish line of this race,¡± said Zachariah with a smile. ¡°Good one, Zach,¡± said the pooka. ¡°Did you notice anything while you were in the air?,¡± asked Zachariah. ¡°Not really,¡± said Brother Rabbit. ¡°But we didn¡¯t fly that high. We were more interested in staying away from those kids. They have weird written on them like you wouldn¡¯t believe.¡± ¡°My assistant says they like to cheat,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°They probably didn¡¯t get that much of a chance in the short time between here and Messer¡¯s Reach, but when we head over the Mansions, we can expect them to try something on some of the other racers and ourselves.¡± ¡°They have that eye,¡± agreed Brother Rabbit. Gear Octo came across the field, face covered with grease. He smiled when he saw the rabbit and his sleeping dragon. ¡°You two are the biggest liars I have ever met,¡± the pilot said. ¡°My machine isn¡¯t really that fast. I want to start in the back so I can really test it out. And your flying lizard. That thing got out in front and stayed there for a long time. I almost blew my engines trying to keep up.¡± ¡°Pearl loves to fly,¡± said Brother Rabbit. ¡°She doesn¡¯t get to do that much back home.¡± ¡°We were talking about the wind I caught,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Do you know anything about it?¡± ¡°The one at the edge of the world,¡± said Octo. ¡°Yes. All the old pilots talk about it. It carries rain to this side of the mountains from the Western Ocean.¡± ¡°Does it turn?,¡± asked Zachariah. ¡°Yes,¡± said Octo. ¡°It follows the mountains and falls into the Eastern Ocean.¡± ¡°So it doesn¡¯t go over the mountains,¡± said Zachariah. So much for riding it down to Lobster Castle. ¡°It turns and some it splinters through the passes, but for most part, it heads to the ocean,¡± said Octo. ¡°Some of our weather people say it might turn back from the coast and head south, but not inland, but no one knows for sure the exact trail.¡± ¡°So we could measure it,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°How would you do that?,¡± asked Octo. ¡°Floating buoys?¡± Zachariah¡¯s eyes went blank as he considered the idea. He could set up floating buoys to measure wind speed. He could use a variant of his gravity engine in each buoy. The fuel would be the air itself. ¡°See what you¡¯ve done,¡± said Rabbit. ¡°Snap out of it, Zachariah. That¡¯s years out of your lifetime trying to prove something¡¯s real.¡± ¡°Not years, necessarily,¡± said the machinist. ¡°I could build the first one and teach others to build the other ones. The problem is the long term effect of using the air as fuel. It¡¯s bound to hurt something somewhere.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the gain from knowing which way the wind blows?,¡± said Octo. ¡°We can use it to transport goods faster, predict the weather, and harness it for power,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°You would need a host of people to make that happen,¡± said Octo. ¡°Or maybe two Baldwin Green Lights,¡± said the Rabbit. ¡°I doubt they would lend a hand unless you could convince them it was for the greater good.¡± ¡°I could do that,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°The ambassador to Messer¡¯s Reach seems like a reasonable man. I could show him my ideas, and he could get some of the Lights to help build them.¡± ¡°You better have a lot more than notes on a piece of paper to show him,¡± said Brother Rabbit. ¡°If you could set something like this up, where do you think it would take you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I think you should think about the ramifications of things first before you start building things no one understands and does stupid things with before they can understand them,¡± said Brother Rabbit. ¡°You don¡¯t want to wind up with a duckbilled freak as a sidekick, do you?¡± ¡°The pooka has a point,¡± said Octo. ¡°I have to deal with mad inventions all the time. The inventors never think about the bad idea that led them to building something that eats bricks and shoots fireballs with no off button.¡± ¡°I assure you both I would never be a bad example to my daughter,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Let¡¯s stick with this thing you¡¯ve built,¡± said Octo. ¡°What can it do? Is it safe? Will it come to life and eat people?¡± ¡°It is perfectly safe and non-intelligent,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°It exceeded our scale of numbers on both speed and height. The only drawback is I couldn¡¯t think of a way for it to pilot itself for when the trip gets tedious.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t try,¡± said Octo. ¡°There are too many ways that can be turned around on you, and in the air, that can be catastrophic.¡± ¡°Also any magician will be able to control your ship from the outside if it has an artificial brain in it,¡± said Brother Rabbit. ¡°I hadn¡¯t thought of that,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Zachariah,¡± said Bolan. ¡°Everything looks good from what Knife and I can see.¡± ¡°Bolan, this is Brother Rabbit, and Gear Octo,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°This is my assistant, Bolan. Everything looks good? We¡¯ve been talking about the wind we encountered. Everyone knew about it, but us, it seems.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not dedicated fliers,¡± said Bolan. ¡°Of course, real fliers knew about it.¡± ¡°We just can¡¯t take advantage of it like you did,¡± said Octo. ¡°You¡¯ll need a closed cockpit, air, and better fuel injectors,¡± said Bolan. ¡°I don¡¯t think Pearl can climb that high, and, if she could, I don¡¯t know how she would do without air.¡± ¡°I could rig the both of you air supplies,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°But the cold might be a bit much, and I don¡¯t know how to fix that.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± said Brother Rabbit. ¡°Pearl and I like it close to the ground.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know we had visitors,¡± said Sola. Hardy carried a tray of food on his back as they approached. ¡°Give me a few minutes and I will get you something. You can eat with us.¡± ¡°That would be lovely,¡± said Brother Rabbit. ¡°We don¡¯t eat meat.¡± ¡°Anything is good,¡± said Octo. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s hot, or cold.¡± She placed the tray on the paperwork and vanished inside the Rocket. Bolan and Zachariah inspected their plates, sampling the food with their fingers. Pearl hissed at the food. Zachariah handed her a chopped tomato. She took it in her forepaws and put it in her mouth. ¡°Good manners, Pearl,¡± said Brother Rabbit. ¡°We¡¯re guests here.¡± ¡°How does she change size,¡± asked Zachariah. ¡°She expanded a hundred times, maybe a thousand times, her length from this.¡± ¡°I have no idea,¡± said Brother Rabbit. ¡°I put it down to Shae finery. This is the first dragon that wanted to compete in the air race.¡± ¡°She looked good,¡± said Octo. ¡°I don¡¯t know if she has the stamina to finish the race,¡± said Rabbit. ¡°She¡¯ll finish it,¡± said Octo. ¡°She might not win, but she¡¯ll finish it.¡± Pearl offered them a toothy smile as she chewed on the tomato. Sola returned with two more plates. One was a thing of greens and fruits that she handed to Brother Rabbit. The other had a variation of what she had made for her father and Bolan that she handed to Octo. ¡°Let¡¯s eat,¡± said Sola. The Air Race 5 Zachariah and Bolan checked the Rocket out the next day. Everything looked fine. Sola and Hardy loaded water for the starter engine. The giant beetle pulled a vat of water from a nearby fountain and helped pour the liquid in. ¡°So you guys are starting last again?,¡± said the talkative Keller boy. His brother had a spread of creamed nuts and jelly drops on bread in his hands. ¡°How does that feel?¡± ¡°It is fine,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°It¡¯s the rules of the race. The best finishers are the last starters. Have you thought about the route over Corwin¡¯s Mansions?¡± ¡°The Betsy can handle anything your bucket can,¡± said Keller. ¡°I¡¯m sure it can,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Remember if the air gets too thin, you could possibly crash and die on one of the mountains.¡± ¡°We have air built in to the cabin,¡± said Keller. He looked at his brother. ¡°Don¡¯t we?¡± The brother shrugged. He took a bite out of his sandwich. ¡°Let¡¯s make sure,¡± said Keller. He led the way to their flying machine. ¡°Why did you tell them about the altitude sickness?,¡± asked Bolan. ¡°They¡¯ve been in other air races,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°They already know even if they might have let it slip their minds. The reason I reminded them was I didn¡¯t want to have to go back and search for them if they did crash.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t argue with the reasoning,¡± said Bolan. ¡°Master Eight Arms,¡± said Sir Dormir as he passed in his Alvas armor. ¡°Sir Dormir?,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Could I ask you a question?¡± ¡°I suppose,¡± said the armored figure. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I was wondering why you picked a tree to base your design on instead of a flying creature,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I don¡¯t understand the choice made.¡± ¡°That seems a reasonable question,¡± said Sir Dormir. ¡°Before I give you my answer, I would like to ask a question myself.¡± ¡°Go ahead,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Why did you pick the design that you picked?,¡± said Sir Dormir. ¡°I see that you eschew wings unlike the rest of your kind.¡± ¡°The engine that I built will lift the Rocket up without using air pressure,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°The other machines can¡¯t do that. They need the lift provided by the wings to keep them in the air and help with maneuvering.¡± He broke into a technical discussion about the gravity engine, the need for smooth aerodynamics, the use of light alloys with padding underneath, the thought that they could mass produce the design for a variety of other jobs like surveying hostile environments. Sir Dormir raised his hand to stem the flow of words. He smiled. ¡°I see that despite this being your first race, you are an educated flier,¡± said the knight. ¡°I am like you. I am trying to perfect a design for a native aircraft. The main objective is not to fly fast, but endurance. The tree design is to be used as sentries along the border first, and for internal transport inside the border second. They have to be able to hover in place when necessary.¡± ¡°So if you were building for speed, you would use something like a bird as your primary shape?,¡± asked Zachariah. ¡°Certainly,¡± said Sir Dormir. ¡°I would have enchanters put on as many runes as I thought it would carry.¡± ¡°Gear Octo said they need plenty of flying machines for his country,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Alvas crafting can only be used by Alvas,¡± said Sir Dormir. ¡°I am not inclined to hand that over, but if I was, Lobster Castle could not use it. They have very little magic in their part of the world. Most experts I have heard talk about it are in agreement that something in the air drains magic and promotes monsters.¡± ¡°I see,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°So they have no way to use your magical trees?¡± ¡°They would have to import magicians from other countries,¡± said Sir Dormir. ¡°I doubt they would want that.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± said Zachariah. What country wanted to depend on outsiders to defend it against impossible odds? ¡°If the tree succeeds this year, I can show my count that it works,¡± said Sir Dormir. ¡°Then I can think about the flying bird that you suggested.¡± ¡°Good luck,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°It was a pleasure talking to you.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± said Sir Dormir. ¡°I¡¯ll see you at the finish line.¡± The Alvas strolled away, armor glinting in the sun. He nodded at other pilots he knew from other races. He patted his tree down as he started his walkaround. He had finished last, and had to launch first when the Baldwins called for time. ¡°Learn anything?,¡± said Bolan with a smile. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°I don¡¯t think the tree is going to last long in this,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Sir Dormir said he planned to use the design for flying sentries. I don¡¯t think an air race like this is the optimal testing conditions.¡± ¡°He probably doesn¡¯t expect to win,¡± said Bolan. ¡°We didn¡¯t expect to be in first place after our launch yesterday.¡± ¡°Too true,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Let¡¯s give the Rocket another going over. I want to make sure we can launch without problems. I didn¡¯t see the Kellers¡¯ duck billed monster when they came by. I want to make sure they hadn¡¯t used the opportunity to sabotage us.¡± ¡°Too bad we can¡¯t check it for magic,¡± said Bolan. ¡°Alvas aren¡¯t known for forgiving and forgetting.¡± ¡°I know,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Do you see Brother Rabbit around?¡± ¡°He and Pearl are in their position,¡± said Bolan. He pointed at the big eared rider. ¡°Ask him to check the Rocket for magic,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Pookas are known for their sensitivity.¡± Bolan ran over to the giant rabbit. He explained the situation with some gesturing. The pooka nodded and walked back with the boy. ¡°So you think Sir Dormir put a spell on your ship?,¡± said Brother Rabbit. ¡°We want to make sure nothing goes wrong,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°And we don¡¯t have any way to check for magic by any of the racers. And to be honest, you¡¯re the only one we trust.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a great compliment,¡± said Brother Rabbit. He walked around the Rocket, glasses on his snout. He nodded at the end of his inspection. ¡°It looks clean. The best thing to do is have an exorcist go over it before launching and do a cleansing if you have any doubts.¡± ¡°Thank you for your time,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Thank you for dinner last night,¡± said Brother Rabbit. He rubbed his stomach. ¡°That was some good stuff.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see you on the other side of the Mansions,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting for you,¡± said Brother Rabbit. He waved as he walked back to where Pearl waited for him. He was in the middle of the pack again with some of the Riordianians ahead while some of the regular flying machines had dropped back from their lead. ¡°We¡¯re ready, Zachariah,¡± said Bolan. ¡°I was warned before the race that the real trouble would be flying over the Mansions,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°If the man who warned me is right, the rest of the race will be far easier once we reach Lobster Castle.¡± ¡°Really?,¡± said Bolan. ¡°I didn¡¯t take him seriously at the time,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°But being in this race is causing my paranoia to run wild, and I would like to think once we were done with the mountain chain, we could relax and not worry about being sabotaged by the others.¡± ¡°I know what you mean,¡± said Bolan. ¡°That monster that walks around with the Kellers creeps me out.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get ready to fly,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Sir Dormir is taking off in his tree.¡± The tree jogged forward. It leaped into the air. Its limbs pulled. It floated upwards and headed toward the mountains. ¡°For something designed to float in place, he made great time yesterday,¡± said Sola. ¡°Excuse me,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I heard what he said,¡± said Sola. ¡°The tree flew from Messer¡¯s to here three seconds slower than the slowest machine.¡± ¡°So the tree is faster than what it looks like to us,¡± said Bolan. ¡°I think he¡¯s lying about what it can really do,¡± said Sola. ¡°Even though we can¡¯t use the design ourselves, there¡¯s nothing to say we can¡¯t take what we have observed to a magician and ask him to craft a similar artifact,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be us to worry about,¡± said Bolan. ¡°Brother Rabbit is right there. Rhiem and Alvas aren¡¯t on good terms. He probably doesn¡¯t want Brother Rabbit to go back to his people and report what he saw, or report the most important part.¡± ¡°The tree has a secret mode that allows it to fly faster than what it does when we can watch it,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°And he probably doesn¡¯t want us blabbing that around while he is out here testing it,¡± said Bolan. ¡°So that¡¯s another thing we¡¯ll have to keep our eye on until the end of the race,¡± said Zachariah. The regular flying machines with their props rolled down to the launch point and took to the air one after the other. The Baldwins made sure there was enough space so they didn¡¯t crash into each other as they headed out of the city of steel and glass. Pearl expanded to her full length when it came her time to fly. Brother Rabbit rode on her back, chewing on a carrot as he watched the city slide by. He waved to the crowd on the ground as he went. Gear Octo, the Kellers, and the fliers from Riordiana took off next one by one. Octo and the Kellers had jets similar to what the Rocket had. Zachariah doubted the fuel usage was as good as the Rocket. Zachariah and his crew sat in place. The engines ran, but not enough to lift the Rocket off the ground. They would be penalized if they tried to take off earlier than the Baldwin waved his hand for them to go. ¡°There are five, or six, passes that will take us through the mountains,¡± said Sola. ¡°I marked out the course headings and sent them over to your controls, Da.¡± Zachariah held his hand over the switch on his dashboard that showed the courses plotted. He nodded. ¡°Thank you,¡± he said. ¡°If worse comes to worse, we¡¯ll find a short mountain and fly over that now that we know the limitations on flight.¡± ¡°Hold on,¡± said Sola. She swiped through the charts she had fitted into the keyboard. ¡°All right, this is the shortest mountain known, and it¡¯s the farthest down the chain.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Which ones will the others use? The only ones who look like they have our degree of life support is Gear Octo and the Kellers. The others will have to fly low to the ground.¡± ¡°Brother Rabbit and Pearl might be able to stand a higher altitude,¡± said Bolan. ¡°They are Rhiems.¡± ¡°And we don¡¯t know how well Sir Dormir¡¯s tree will protect him from the lack of air and cold,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°He might have to use his own magic for that.¡± ¡°So five out of twenty of us can go over a mountain,¡± said Bolan. ¡°Some of the rest will be flying faster than us,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°They might be able to get through a pass before we can even reach the Mansions.¡± The Baldwin waved them to the start line. He floated out of the way as the Rocket lifted off its skids and the gear slid inside the aircraft. The thing floated to the line. ¡°The starter engine is running smooth,¡± said Bolan. ¡°I¡¯m ready to do the engine switch once we¡¯re running.¡± ¡°Course is laid in for the first pass on the map,¡± said Sola. ¡°I¡¯m ready to replot if there is any trouble.¡± ¡°Here is the official,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°He¡¯s checking his clock from the looks of things.¡± The Baldwin raised his hand. He dropped it. Zachariah hit the throttle. The Rocket exploded off the line, burning up the water fueling the starter engine. He pulled on the stick to pull the flying machine into a climb to get over the gleaming wall surrounding Baldwin. Then they were free and clear. ¡°All right,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°It looks like we¡¯re right on course.¡± ¡°Veer a little more to the right, Da,¡± said Sola. ¡°We¡¯ll be on the mountains in minutes according to this.¡± ¡°Got it,¡± said Zachariah. He tilted the stick until the Rocket glided on the path picked out to get through the mountains the quickest. ¡°Get ready to switch to the main engine,¡± said Bolan. He held his hand over the control. ¡°Cutting the throttle,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Three...Two...One...Go!¡± Bolan pressed the control buttons in rapid succession. He listened to the flying machine. Then the big engine shook to life. He felt the pull through the deck. Zachariah pushed the throttle open, watching the numbers on his dashboard turn over as the engine roared to life. The Air Race 6 Zachariah roared out of Baldwin, the rolling pieces of his dashboard pointing him in the right direction. He pulled into a climb to get over the Mansions. He steered into the first pass the rest of the racers would be using to get through the mountain chain and head northeast to Lobster Castle. ¡°Everything is in line,¡± said Bolan. ¡°Nothing indicates stress on my board.¡± ¡°We¡¯re on point to hit Buckley¡¯s Pass,¡± said Sola. ¡°Are we gaining on the others?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We¡¯re flying higher than most of them can go. If we were higher, the engine would start cutting out.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not exceeding the speed limit like we did earlier,¡± said Bolan. ¡°It looks like we¡¯re not on the path,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°As long as it¡¯s not pushing against us, we should be okay.¡± ¡°Is that storm clouds?,¡± asked Sola. She pointed at a storm bank rolling in. ¡°We have to keep flying,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°This must be the lightning I was warned about.¡± ¡°The animal riders are going to have problems if it catches up with them,¡± said Bolan. He turned his seat to look at the oncoming storm. ¡°We will too,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Lightning will interfere with our systems if we¡¯re struck.¡± ¡°It¡¯s moving faster than we are,¡± said Bolan. ¡°That would indicate a high wind,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°That should be trying to push us off course.¡± ¡°We¡¯re dead on for the pass,¡± said Sola. ¡°There¡¯s something unnatural about this,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I have a bad feeling.¡± ¡°We need something that looks through clouds,¡± said Bolan. ¡°I¡¯ll add that to the modifications list,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°There are planes coming out of that cloud, Da,¡± said Sola. Zachariah took a moment to look at the sparks erupting from the clouds. They were flying machines in the mode of the Kellers, or Octo. He noted weapons of some kind built in the noses. His eyes went to the black flags painted on the noses of the vehicles. He shook his head. ¡°Pirates,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We¡¯re about to be chased by pirates.¡± ¡°You¡¯re kidding,¡± said Bolan. ¡°We¡¯ll have to go off course to outrun them, Da,¡± said Sola. ¡°The racing commission will want to know why.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll have to get away from them before we can worry about the commission,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Maybe we can lose them in the pass,¡± said Bolan. ¡°We can try that,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I have been meaning to test how well the Rocket steers in a bad situation.¡± ¡°Now is the time of the test, Da?,¡± asked Sola. ¡°Seriously?¡± ¡°Just make sure everything is strapped down,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We¡¯re going in.¡± The kids took several rushed seconds to check on anything loose, and their daemons, before strapping themselves in their chairs and locking the chairs down so the wild maneuvering they expected to come wouldn¡¯t throw them to the floor. Zachariah wondered if it would be better to charge at the pirate planes. Their weapons only seemed to face front. If he could get behind them, they couldn¡¯t shoot at him. He already had the Rocket in a shallow dive. To get behind them now would be to fly upside down in a loop. He didn¡¯t know if the Rocket could handle that. Zachariah steered into the pass. He thought he should fly up and turn into the cloud. He wasn¡¯t sure the Rocket could take a thunderstorm. Bright pulses of light blinded him for a few seconds. He should have put in a tinted window. That would be something for the next design. ¡°They¡¯re shooting lightning at us,¡± said Bolan. ¡°That could cause a systems crash.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to hit the underjets and stall out,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Hopefully that will Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.cause the flying machines to overshoot us. We¡¯ll be behind them, so we can chase them while we think of a strategy.¡± ¡°We just have to get close enough for Hardy to fly over and back,¡± said Sola. ¡°He can take care of those planes for us.¡± ¡°And Knife still has the light beamer we came up with to cut with at the shop,¡± said Bolan. ¡°We¡¯ll incorporate that in the designs for the next Rocket,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Get ready. This could be rough.¡± Zachariah cut the thrust, and directed all the energy to the belly jets. He wished he had some way to see behind them. He hovered in place and hoped the other fliers went around the sudden obstacle in their way. ¡°A bear was flying that one plane, Da,¡± said Sola. ¡°We¡¯ll worry about that later,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Now we¡¯re behind them, we can use Hardy to knock some of them out of the air.¡± ¡°Incoming,¡± said Bolan. Fire birds erupted from one of the enemy machines and headed for the Rocket. Zachariah cut the belly jets and poured power from the main jet in the stern. He opened the cockpit. ¡°Knife,¡± he said. ¡°We need a shield.¡± The mechanized spider surged forward. He climbed up to see out the cockpit. His back split open to extrude the shield projector he used. A ball of blue light surrounded the Rocket as it whipped back and forth after the sky pirates. The energy birds hit the shield. Knife rocked in place as he fought to keep the shield up. Sparks and a small bit of smoke rose from his back. ¡°He can¡¯t keep that up,¡± said Bolan. ¡°We need to do something else.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Zachariah. The enemy fliers seemed to be faster than the Rocket, but they had less maneuverability in his opinion. He might be able to drive them into the walls. The flier with the bear at the controls whipped next to the Rocket. A red haired girl pushed the cover back so she could stand while the thing whipped around. She pulled a bow from inside the aircraft. She nocked an arrow and took aim at the open cockpit. Zachariah cut the throttle. He pulled the stick back so the other vehicle flew by. The arrow missed and struck the cliff on the other side of the Rocket. The stone carved itself into a semblance of a bear. ¡°All right,¡± said Zachariah. He pushed the throttle wide open again. ¡°That was interesting.¡± ¡°What happens to us if she does that to the Rocket?,¡± asked Sola. ¡°I have no idea,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Maybe it cuts the engine off and we fall down into the bottom of the pass. If that happens, we¡¯re out of the race unless we come up with a solution we can use.¡± ¡°It looks like the others are in just as much trouble as we are,¡± said Bolan. ¡°Maybe we can pull up and climb over the mountain.¡± Zachariah had to agree with the assessment. The other racers were flying evasively in the pass with the pirates in hot pursuit. The Kellers had opened their jet, and the silent boy was playing a song on a musical instrument while eating a sandwich of nuts and peppers. Waves of sound rocked enemy and potential ally alike. Zachariah thought about his next move, wondering if he should be flying at all. Maybe someone else should be doing this. He firmed up his face and decided he was getting his kids out of danger. ¡°Give me the shovel,¡± said Zachariah. He held out his hand for the digging tool. Bolan unstrapped from his seat and pulled himself to the locker next to his dashboard. He opened the door and pulled out the shovel. He handed it over, and then strapped back in. ¡°Drop the shield, Knife,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°It¡¯s time we did something about this mess.¡± The redhead took aim at the Rocket as the bear kept them steady in their flight. One shot would be the end of the flier, and then she could take aim at the next pilot who needed to be taken down a notch. Zachariah urged the Rocket forward. The throttle lever stood in the full power slot as the aircraft tried to overtake the other vehicle. Knife fired small pulses of light at anything that looked dangerous to it. The bursts made the flier swing side to side and lose distance. The Rocket closed on the faster air vehicle. Zachariah stood. The red head stood too. Zachariah threw the shovel. The tool spun through the air. It bounced off the cockpit cover and flew off into the sky. The bear overcorrected and crashed into the mountain on the right side. ¡°One down,¡± said Zachariah, sitting down in his seat. ¡°Let¡¯s see what else we can do.¡± He chased after the raiders, watching lightning being thrown after his colleagues. He needed to do more. Knife¡¯s pulses did minimal damage when they hit. He needed something more. One of the raiders threw something like an apple at the Kellers¡¯s plane. The older boy played a chord on his instrument. The apple exploded in a cloud of fire that caused the younger boy to jerk out of reach of the wave. The other flier stayed on him, preparing to throw another grenade at the Keller jet. ¡°Shoot at her, Knife,¡± said Zachariah. His instinct said let the Kellers get blown out of the sky. Clearing them meant they could fly out of the way if they wanted. Keeping them in the air kept them as targets for the air pirates, which meant one less plane chasing his. The daemon fired at the flying machine in front of them. The pilot avoided the pulses of light, but let go of the exploding apple so that it flew behind her. Zachariah pushed the stick to the side, fanning the engine to tilt the Rocket in the desired direction. He didn¡¯t want that thing exploding in his face. The resulting explosion rocked the flying machine, but he didn¡¯t see what he could do about that. He righted the vehicle and charged in to help the Kellers again. ¡°Power is going down,¡± said Bolan. ¡°We¡¯re going to crash.¡± ¡°No, we¡¯re not,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Gold Bug, I need you to patch the damage any way you can. It just has to hold until we get through the pass and can land somewhere.¡± The ant scurried out the opened window and made its way out of sight. ¡°Knife, do you still have the ball gun set up?,¡± asked Zachariah. ¡°That¡¯s what we need here.¡± Knife pulled in the torch and pushed out a variant of the force field projector. Bolan had taught him how to catch things with it so they wouldn¡¯t hit the ground and suffer breakage. Blue balls of light danced across the sky. That caused the flying machines on both sides to twist and turn as they made their way through the pass. One of the balls hit a goat and trapped it on its perch as the fighters flew by. ¡°All right,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We¡¯re costing them speed as they try to avoid us. If we get close, Hardy is going to have to ram one of the fighters.¡± ¡°That looks dangerous, Da,¡± said Sola. Hardy buzzed as he bounced to the front of the compartment. His mandibles looked ready to chew through steel. ¡°We have to knock some of these other flying machines out of the air,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Power is still dropping,¡± said Bolan. ¡°Can Gold Bug fix this by himself?¡± ¡°He¡¯ll have to,¡± said Zachariah. The Air Race 7 Zachariah watched the changing numbers on his board and the sky in front of him as he flew. The Rocket wouldn¡¯t be able to stay in the air much longer if Gold Bug couldn¡¯t fix the problem. And they still had a handful of fliers circling the race course like vultures. The machinist closed his eyes and thought for a moment. How could they get out of this? How could he keep his daughter and assistant safe from harm? He needed the Rocket to be faster than what they had dreamed of when they had built her. Zachariah opened his eyes. He knew what had to be done. He didn¡¯t like it. ¡°Bolan, take the stick,¡± he said. He unstrapped from his chair. ¡°I need you not to hit anything, and let Knife do what he¡¯s doing.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said the boy. He unstrapped from his seat. After a minute of clumsy exchanging of places, he sat in the pilot¡¯s chair. Zachariah stood on the deck. ¡°I¡¯m going back to the engine compartment,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Don¡¯t take any risks. Don¡¯t hit anything.¡± ¡°The power is going down fast,¡± said Bolan. ¡°I won¡¯t be able to keep her in the air at this rate.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to try to help Gold Bug fix that,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Do not hit the belly jets while he is out there.¡± ¡°We can handle this, Da,¡± said Sola. ¡°There is a lake not far from here. We can aim for that. Hardy will make sure that Gold Bug is protected.¡± The beetle clacked its mandibles at the mention. ¡°All right,¡± said Zachariah. He staggered to the compartment door separating the engine from the rest of the ship. He opened it up and slipped inside. He looked at the glowing rods and coils before moving to the changing number squares flipping around on a dashboard hooked to the engine. One of the boxes indicated problem areas for him to check. Something must have been severed by the explosion he had tried to avoid. He knelt down and pulled access panels out of the way. He scanned various wires and components, using his finger as an indicator of where he should look. He found a spike sticking out of the bottom of the vent. He surmised that had been driven in by the bomb the air pirate had thrown. The spike withdrew from the hole by something on the outside. He smiled when he saw fragments of his daemon pouring into the hole. Some worked on the component, others worked on the engine itself. He checked the dashboard. The power numbers flipped higher. The damage bar flipped to no damage as he watched it. The ants filled the holes in the hull as he checked their work. They had added some new components, but it didn¡¯t look like anything that would blow the ship up. ¡°Good job,¡± said Zachariah. The ants popped out of existence as their fuel wore off. Zachariah did one more check before he shut the panels and made his way back to the front of the cockpit. What would the modifications do? He traded with Bolan who traded with Sola. He strapped in one handed as he looked at the dashboard. The numbers rotated to the end as far as air speed. They should have thought they would exceed the scale they had set down. ¡°The power is half, but we¡¯re off the scale for our speed,¡± said Bolan from the engineering panel. ¡°We¡¯re halfway through the pass, Da,¡± said Sola. ¡°How fast are we going?¡± ¡°Those are secondary concerns right now,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We need to get out of the pass and knock as many enemy fliers as we can out of the way to do it. The rest will have to fall in line behind us if they want to use us for a shield.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Sola. Gold Bug climbed over the eave of the opened chamber. He settled on Zachariah¡¯s shoulder. He went back into his metaphysical lair until he was needed again. ¡°We definitely need to add weapons if we want to keep flying,¡± said Zachariah. Knife made a clicking sound as he fired at the plane with the exploding apples. He seemed dogged in trying to hit that one particular jet over the others. Lightning missed the Rocket as more of the pirates flew down from behind. Zachariah wondered what would happen if he spun the flying machine in place. How fast could he do it? ¡°Get ready, Knife,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I¡¯m going to give you targets.¡± He jerked on the stick, triggering the turn with a foot pedal. The Rocket spun in the air so the nose pointed in the opposite direction. Knife fired balls at the two jets behind them, spraying the force fields as fast as he could as the flying machine kept spinning in the air. ¡°Don¡¯t do that again, Da,¡± said Sola. ¡°I think I¡¯m going to be sick.¡± ¡°Be sick after we get out of this mess,¡± said Zachariah. He spotted Brother Rabbit You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.ahead. Should he act as cover for the pooka and his fairy dragon? ¡°We¡¯re going to loop around and see if we took those two other flying machines with Knife¡¯s projector,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Keep your eyes open for more chasing us.¡± ¡°Ready,¡± said Bolan. ¡°Go ahead,¡± said Sola. Zachariah turned, wishing he had made a spot where Knife could shoot from without them opening the compartment up to the wind. He looked around for the enemy fliers. He passed them, cutting down the middle of their twin paths. He saw a woman with a lizard on her shoulder on his right. A white-haired woman with a stone in her forehead passed on the left. Knife blasted at both as they passed each other. The balls missed by inches as the aircraft tilted by each other. Zachariah spotted the Kellers still dueling with the black-haired woman with the apples. They danced around each other like fighting birds, exchanging apples and musical notes. He had the throttle wide open. He aimed to fly as close to the apple thrower as he could before circling around to help the others out. Hopefully the distraction of his passage would give the Kellers an opening. The flier saw the Rocket coming right at her. She tilted away from the other aircraft, then spun wing over wing to hold in place to get a clear shot at the gray bullet. She didn¡¯t count on the Keller boys¡¯ monster throwing a shovel at her as she tried to line up on the flying machine. The digging implement bounced into an engine in the wing. An explosion marked her going down to the valley¡¯s floor. The musical Keller gave Zachariah an all clear sign with one hand before playing four chords on his instrument. ¡°All right,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Let¡¯s see if we can help Brother Rabbit out.¡± ¡°Did you see that shovel, Da?,¡± asked Sola. ¡°What about it?,¡± asked Zachariah. ¡°I think it was ours,¡± said Sola. ¡°That¡¯s unlikely,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I¡¯m sure that was the same shovel,¡± said Sola. ¡°Where did you get it?¡± ¡°It was leaning against the Rocket when I came back from switching places with Octo,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Can we worry about the shovel later?,¡± said Bolan. ¡°We still have to get through the pass, avoid the killer women fliers, and beat everyone to Lobster Castle.¡± ¡°And there¡¯s the thunderstorm coming into the pass after us,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Only it doesn¡¯t look like a normal thunderstorm.¡± He pointed at the large gray cloud crackling in front of them. He eyeballed the distance and felt the cloud moved faster than it should have been. The idea of an artificial cloud prompted two things in his brain. Why didn¡¯t he think of that for the Rocket? What did the cloud hide from view? He turned in a circle to head after the rest of the fliers. Lighting missed the Rocket as he blasted down the valley. ¡°We might be facing a leviathan,¡± he said. ¡°This could be bad for us.¡± ¡°What do you mean a leviathan?,¡± asked Sola. ¡°I think the cloud is hiding a flying machine big enough to carry the little fliers we have been dealing with, armed enough to shoot lightning at us as it comes, and fast enough to catch us if we don¡¯t get out of here,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We might have to climb out of the pass and head over the peaks and down the other side to get away from that thing.¡± ¡°Why are they attacking the race?,¡± asked Bolan. ¡°That¡¯s sure to draw the attention of the officials.¡± ¡°What will the officials do about it?,¡± asked Zachariah. ¡°The only ones who can get up here are the Green Lights. The Reach can¡¯t reach up here to enforce the racing commission¡¯s rules.¡± ¡°How do you want to do this?,¡± asked Bolan. ¡°We run,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°If we have to climb over the pass and default to another route, then that¡¯s what we have to do. We definitely need to stay away from that cloud since we don¡¯t know what¡¯s inside it and if the Rocket can take a blast of lightning.¡± Gear Octo had turned back to take the attack to their unknown enemies. He used a spinning projectile thrower to send slugs at the four fighters trying to chase down the Kellers. The boys slung musical blasts behind them as they flew up the pass. Some of the blasts cut close to their fellow pilot. He buzzed them, gesturing at them to watch what they were doing. ¡°Concentrate fire on the rearmost jet, Knife,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Try for the engines. If you can block them, that will knock them out of the air without having to damage the plane itself.¡± The Rocket closed on the melee. Spheres of light cut through the air. One of the bubbles hit the white-haired woman¡¯s plane. A glow erupted around her. The field exploded. ¡°Did you see that?,¡± asked Bolan. ¡°I saw it,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to do about that.¡± ¡°I do,¡± said Sola. ¡°Get us in close, Da.¡± Zachariah maneuvered after the flier. He hoped his daughter knew what she was doing. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Hardy standing in the open window. He brought the Rocket close to the pirate. She glared at them. Blue light glowed in the stone in her forehead. Hardy launched, blasting across the space and punching through the tail of her pirate ship. He arced around and landed on the outside skin of their flying machine. The white-haired pirate went into a spin and headed for the floor of the valley below. ¡°Good job, Hardy,¡± said Sola. ¡°Do you think he can take the other pirates?,¡± asked Zachariah. ¡°We can get him close enough if the Kellers get out of the way.¡± ¡°Big rabbit on the scene,¡± said Bolan. ¡°Big rabbit.¡± Brother Rabbit and Pearl blocked the passage with bodies grown to gigantic size. His long ears pointed behind him. He brought up a shovel and swung it with both hands. The blade, as big as one of the flying machines, knocked one of the jets out of the air. The other two turned to retreat from the hulking monster. ¡°He has our shovel,¡± said Sola. ¡°How did he get it?¡± ¡°I think we¡¯re safe for the moment,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Let¡¯s button up and fly out of here.¡± Hardy and Knife climbed back into the Rocket. Zachariah closed the lid. He checked the flipping numbers. He didn¡¯t know how fast they were going, but they were at the top of the scale. Brother Rabbit and Pearl shrank to their normal flying proportions. The pooka held up the shovel over his head and shook it. The Shae dragon streamed through the sky. Gear Octo flew up beside the Rocket and gave a good job signal with his hand. He pressed the throttle of his jet forward and he rocketed after Brother Rabbit. ¡°How did he get our shovel?,¡± asked Sola. ¡°Magic,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°How did he get so big?,¡± asked Bolan. ¡°Magic,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°The edge of the pass is coming up, Da,¡± said Sola. ¡°Good,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We definitely need to check the repairs Gold Bug did as soon as we reach Lobster Castle.¡± ¡°Do you think the Rocket will fail?,¡± asked Bolan. ¡°No,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°But Gold Bug¡¯s work is fragile. We need to make sure the parts will keep working to the end of this leg of the race at least.¡± ¡°Right,¡± said Bolan. ¡°I¡¯ll get Knife to check it with his scanner when we land for the day.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°How long do you think we have before we reach Lobster Castle, Sola?¡± ¡°Three, or four, hours at the speed we¡¯re going,¡± said Sola. ¡°We need to turn a little to the right to stay on course when we get to the end of the valley.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I wonder how fast we¡¯re going.¡± ¡°There¡¯s some more racers ahead,¡± said Bolan. ¡°I think I can see Sir Dormir¡¯s tree.¡± ¡°Propellor and natural animals,¡± said Zachariah. The Riordianians sprinted across the sky on their flying creatures. ¡°We¡¯re going to pass them if the patch holds.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be big enough to do that too, Hardy,¡± said Sola. She rubbed the wing case of the giant beetle. ¡°We¡¯ll have to build a cargo bay for the Rocket if he does,¡± said Bolan. The Air Race 8 Zachariah watched his dashboard. The numbers told him that his air speed had flipped the numbers, the Rocket was below its ceiling so he didn¡¯t have to worry about the engine choking off, and the map function said he was holding the course. ¡°I only see the Kellers, and Brother Rabbit,¡± said Sola. ¡°We must be leaving the others way behind.¡± ¡°They may have diverted off the path,¡± said Bolan. ¡°The Riordianians might have needed a break, and we still don¡¯t know how fast Sir Dormir¡¯s tree is supposed to be.¡± ¡°He¡¯ll need to land in the middle of the fliers to have a chance at the best time,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Right now, we have it according to our watch clock.¡± ¡°So he has to beat our times for the rest of the race,¡± said Bolan. ¡°There¡¯s no way he can do it.¡± ¡°Running last might be all the tree is good for,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We can¡¯t assume that. The Alvas are as deserving of their reputation as the Shae. Crossing one is unwise.¡± The Kellers flew by on the right. The boys waved at their rivals as they passed. The duckbilled monster gave them an obscene gesture. Then their flying machine flew into the lead on a trail of flame. ¡°Did you see what I saw?,¡± said Bolan. ¡°Yes,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I wonder how much fuel they are burning up to do that.¡± ¡°It might have been some kind of secret weapon,¡± said Bolan. ¡°I don¡¯t know why they wanted to use it now.¡± ¡°Maybe because the cloud is still chasing us,¡± said Sola. ¡°That¡¯s a fast cloud,¡± said Bolan. ¡°All my readings are at the top of the board. If we went any faster, the Rocket would break in two.¡± ¡°The engine would have to be worked on to get any more speed out of it,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°That¡¯s not something I would like to try while in flight.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We have to buy some time for the others to disperse so the cloud can¡¯t chase them all.¡± ¡°How are we going to do that?,¡± asked Bolan. ¡°We¡¯re going to have to do something incredibly stupid,¡± said Zachariah. He turned the Rocket in a wide loop to face the cloud. Lightning blasted at the rest of the racers. One of the propellor driven machines blew up from one of the strikes. The riders split apart, their daemons firing into the cloud with their breath weapons. ¡°I think this is a job for Gold Bug,¡± said Zachariah. He opened the cockpit. Octo rushed in, firing his jet¡¯s weapons into the cloud. ¡°The problem is we can¡¯t see what we need to do.¡± Lightning missed the Rocket as it barreled at the cloud. Zachariah realized that he couldn¡¯t just take the thing apart if he couldn¡¯t see what he was doing. He needed a better plan. ¡°Knife, see if you can do something about the fog,¡± said Zachariah. He altered course so the ship wouldn¡¯t enter the fog. ¡°Then we¡¯ll know what we have to work with for this.¡± The spider extruded the force ball projector from its back. It fired at the cloud. It didn¡¯t matter where the target was as long as there was something to hit. The first volley trapped the fog in a roughly rectangular shape against its flying base. ¡°That is a big flying machine,¡± said Bolan. ¡°That¡¯s years beyond what we have.¡± ¡°Months,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We just need more hands to help us out.¡± ¡°What are we going to do about helping the others?,¡± said Sola. ¡°Let¡¯s stay on course.¡± ¡°I have a crazy plan that might work,¡± said Zachariah. He looped around the cloud. He noted that one of the force balls blew up. A lightning gun must have been behind that one. He cut the rear output and opened the belly jets so the Rocket hovered in place behind the huge ship. ¡°We need you to damage the engines, Knife,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Maybe a cutter will do for this.¡± Knife switched tools as he climbed to the top of the cockpit opening. He took aim at one of the juggernaut¡¯s round openings spewing exhaust. He fired blasts of light that he used to cut things into the vent. Black smoke joined the gray fog. The giant flying platform listed in the air. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°All right,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We may have hampered their ability to pursue. Let¡¯s get out of here before they figure out how to fix the problem we caused and chase after us.¡± He switched back to directional thrust and pushed pass the behemoth. He closed the cockpit as he guided the Rocket back on course. Zachariah watched the leviathan as he flew around her. The slower fliers circled and took shots at the slowed down ship. The force balls took most of the hits, but occasionally they would hit an open spot and something would catch fire. Octo circled the behemoth, and then the racers followed him away from the pirate boat. Small explosions marked where something had caught fire from the racers attacking and reached something volatile inside the shell. Zachariah pointed the Rocket after the Kellers. They were in the lead. He wondered how far their engine modification had carried them before their flying machine had to land. Could he do the same thing with the gravity engine? He turned the thoughts over in his head as he cruised along. He decided against it. It was better to be able to increase the upper limit of what the engine could lift, and how it worked on the material already in place rather than adding on something that might kill the crew with a button push. A booster that increased the speed that you flew could be done under the right circumstances. Maybe weapons and a tougher hull might be a better modification to work on to keep other sky pirates at bay while in the air. If he could build something like Knife¡¯s force ball beam, that would be a great offensive weapon. Once trapped in one of those, the other flier would have to break out before they could do anything else. He thought about it and shook his head. The other flier could still ram the Rocket. Still something on the back of the Rocket would allow for coverage of the sky if he mounted it on a spinning wheel. Then he would only have to worry about the belly of the flying machine. The belly jets would destroy anything placed in front of them. What would be a good alternative? He didn¡¯t think he could weaponize the jets against targets moving at a distance. ¡°Here¡¯s a sandwich, Da,¡± said Sola. ¡°We¡¯re halfway to Lobster Castle.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± said Zachariah. He took the bread and meat. He looked at the chronometer. He had spent an hour in a fugue thinking about what he could do to the Rocket. He took a bite and nodded to himself. They had made better time than what he had thought. The modification to the engine must be pushing them faster than they had dreamed when they started out. ¡°I didn¡¯t see any sign of the Kellers at all,¡± said Bolan. ¡°Do you think they made it to Lobster Castle.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°It depends on a lot of variables that we don¡¯t know and have no way to check unless we can take their flying machine apart. A lot depends on how much fuel they had, and how fast they burned it with that flare they did.¡± ¡°What about that giant flying ship?,¡± asked Bolan. ¡°I can totally see building one of those, but it would take us years.¡± ¡°Once the design work was done, it might take two years to build a hull as big as that,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°The question is why would you want it? A Green Light could take one of those apart in an instant.¡± ¡°Good point,¡± said Bolan. ¡°Wait. It could be used for a cargo hauler.¡± ¡°A cargo hauler?,¡± said Sola. ¡°Yes,¡± said Bolan. ¡°Look at that thing. It had to have hauled those little fliers. That means we can build something to do the same thing.¡± ¡°That is a lot of cargo,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°You would be able to supply part of a large city with a cargo hauler that big.¡± ¡°And who would pay for that cargo?,¡± asked Sola. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said Bolan. ¡°But we can ask around.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s put it on the idea list,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°The Rocket is doing better than we thought. Governments will pay to have their own. We can use those resources to think about building something to fly products across the realm.¡± ¡°They¡¯ll want them for flying weapons, Da,¡± said Sola. ¡°Do we want to let anyone have that much power in their hands?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good point,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°The problem is there is already one flying fortress in the sky. We have a decision to create a counterforce, or specialize in small flying machines to try to knock it out of the sky.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like it,¡± said Sola. ¡°Let¡¯s table this for later,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We don¡¯t know if we¡¯ll reach Lobster Castle. When we get there, we can look the Rocket over and talk about the future.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Bolan. ¡°What should I look for when we land?¡± ¡°We need to make sure Gold Bug¡¯s patches are stable and won¡¯t come off,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°If not, we¡¯ll have to make more solid patches and weld them on. I¡¯ll have to look at the modifications of the engine. If there is a danger of blowing the engine up, I¡¯ll have to take the engine apart and put it back together with the spare parts.¡± ¡°How can I help, Da?,¡± said Sola. ¡°We¡¯re going to need you and Hardy to help Bolan with the inspection,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°You might have to scavenge parts from Lobster Castle, or get material so we can build our own. We won¡¯t know how bad things are until we land. Right now, everything looks okay. Tomorrow when we launch might be a different story.¡± ¡°Sounds okay,¡± said Sola. ¡°Hopefully we won¡¯t have any more trouble before we get to the landing zone.¡± ¡°I hope so,¡± said Zachariah. He thought about the strange warning he had received from the man with the wooden dog. Everything would be simpler once he had dealt with the Lightning. He should have warned the others, but the conversation had slipped his mind. He put the guilt away. He had done what he could to save the racers. He wasn¡¯t responsible for the man they had lost. There was nothing he could do about that. He didn¡¯t like the thought that he might have been able to get that one flier to take another route if he had remembered. He examined the thought from all sides as he chewed on his food. He put it away. You couldn¡¯t change the past, and he hadn¡¯t initiated the attack. The loss of the one racer was on the flying ship, and its crew of pirates. He was pleased to have caused some of them to crash and give the other racers a fighting chance to get away, even the Kellers. He wanted to go back and shoot the thing out of the sky. He frowned at himself at the thought. He would have to add that to the list of things he wanted to do. The Rocket would be blown apart just as fast as that other racer if it took a direct hit from the ship¡¯s lightning guns. The only course before him was to report to the authority at Lobster Castle and let them spread the word to the other city states. The Air Race 9 Zachariah spotted Lobster Castle in the distance. He smiled. The end of the second leg of their race loomed in the distance. All he had to do was land and validate the card. Then they could get cleaned up and check the Rocket out. The Kellers¡¯ flying machine rested on the ground in a designated area. They hustled around it, looking it over for damage in his opinion. He didn¡¯t want to put down next to their flying machine. He looked at the people on the ground. Referees in red and yellow waved him to land as close to that spot as he could so he could be dragged into position. The referee insisted with the flag in his hand. ¡°We¡¯re going to have to land next to the Kellers,¡± Zachariah reported. ¡°I¡¯m bringing her down now.¡± He cut the throttle and switched the system so the belly jets allowed the Rocket to hover. He swung into the space and let the flying machine sink down on the skids dropped from underneath. The referee nodded as the metal cooked the grass after the jets had been cut. Zachariah slid the window back so they could disembark. The referee waited for them under the nose. He held a clipper of some kind in his hand. The machinist realized that clipper had to mark their card to show they had landed in Lobster Castle¡¯s field. He climbed down from the crew area and stood still when he touched the ground. The solidity felt good after the cruising vibration they had been subjected to on their flight. He turned and helped Sola down, then stepped out of the way so Bolan could make his own way down. Knife climbed down the wall of the Rocket and dropped to the ground. Hardy hovered to a landing beside Sola. ¡°Do you have your card?,¡± said the referee. Hardy opened his wing case so Sola could show the referee the card. He winced at the spindling it had received by being hidden on the daemon. He poked out a small lobster¡¯s claw on the card before handing it back. Sola put the card back in the wing case. Hardy chittered. She rubbed his head between his antennae. ¡°We lost one of the racers,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I don¡¯t know which one.¡± ¡°The boys said there was a fight in the air,¡± said the referee. ¡°We were attacked by a giant flying ship, and small flying machines like our own,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°It looked like most of the others made it out all right, but we did lose the one. I don¡¯t know if he¡¯s trapped on the mountain, or dead.¡± ¡°I will alert the Air Patrol,¡± said the referee. ¡°Someone will fly out to check on the downed pilot.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Do you want us to help out?¡± ¡°Do you have any weapons on your flying machine?,¡± asked the official. ¡°Not really,¡± said Zachariah. He looked at the daemons, and his crew. ¡°I could come up with something if given a small amount of time.¡± ¡°The Air Patrol are already armed,¡± said the referee. ¡°Refuel and work on your machine if you need to. Launch time will be when the last racer arrives.¡± Zachariah nodded, but he didn¡¯t like the fact that as soon as the last racer came in, the flier had to lead the parade back out again as soon as he had refueled his craft. It made for undue stress on the racer in last place. He frowned at what could happen if the flier fell asleep in the air. He supposed it would be all right for Sir Dormir. His tree flew by magic. It might be able to fly itself. Flying machines similar to Gear Octo¡¯s lined up one after another on the grass field. A man in plain gray waved a flag to get them to launch in sequence. They vanished into the sky with a roar of jet engines. ¡°We have an unknown amount of time to do our check and rest,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Sola, do we have anything left to eat while in flight?¡± ¡°We have some sandwiches that I am keeping cool,¡± said Sola. ¡°But nothing that will This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.carry us for a long trip. I thought we would have dinner here before leaving.¡± ¡°Take Hardy and scrounge up enough dry food and water to carry us over the desert,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Bolan and I will go over the Rocket. As soon as you¡¯re back, we¡¯ll store everything and get some sleep. We¡¯ll need it if we¡¯re flying out as soon as the last racer comes in.¡± ¡°Right, Da,¡± said Sola. ¡°Come on, Hardy. We have to do the real work around here as usual.¡± Hardy chittered as they walked away to get what they could for the next leg of the trip. ¡°All right, Bolan,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with. The sooner we make sure everything is patched up and ready, the sooner we can get some rest for the next leg.¡± They quickly walked the length of the Rocket. Then Zachariah dropped underneath to look at the patches Gold Bug had performed while they were in the air. The fibrous mass seemed tougher than he remembered his daemon doing. He poked at it but it resisted his effort. ¡°I am going to check the engine,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I think Gold Bug¡¯s patches will hold until we get home and can replace the whole sheet.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Bolan. ¡°This has been rougher than I thought it would be when I asked if we could fly in the Race last year.¡± ¡°I admit I didn¡¯t think I would have to hit someone in the head with a shovel,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We¡¯re doing all right. The Rocket is doing better than I dreamed. All we have to do is get across the desert, back to Riordiana, and then to Messer¡¯s Reach. If we can do that without problems, we¡¯re set to win.¡± ¡°We still have to beat them,¡± said Bolan. He nodded at the Kellers working on their own flying machine. ¡°Maybe they will blow themselves up,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I hope so,¡± said Bolan. ¡°Let¡¯s look at that engine.¡± They climbed up into the Rocket and went to the rear compartment. They took down access panels and inspected everything. Zachariah still didn¡¯t know what the new parts did, but he didn¡¯t see any way to remove them without taking the engine apart. That was a huge job that he couldn¡¯t do in the middle of the race. They would have to stay until the race was over unless they blew up first. He hoped Gold Bug had done something to make the pieces more durable than his usual work. They put everything right again with notes on what they could do if something happened to the pieces. Bolan and Knife could make those patches anywhere if it came down to that. Zachariah wiped his hands off on a rag. He put the rag back in its box on the wall. He walked forward to look out the front of the Rocket. He should have put wider windows on the sides to see better. Sola and Hardy pushed a cart on the field. She directed it to the Rocket. She waved at her father. ¡°I bought enough for two days,¡± said Sola. ¡°I concentrated on things that would do well at room temperature.¡± ¡°That¡¯s very good,¡± said Zachariah. He swung over the side and climbed down. ¡°Let me help you with that. We¡¯re going to have to take off when the others arrive.¡± Bolan appeared at the window. Zachariah handed up the supplies in their baskets. The boy pulled them in and set them at the rear of the compartment. He wiped his forehead when he was done with the work. ¡°Are you sure this is necessary?,¡± asked Bolan. ¡°We¡¯ll be in the air three more days,¡± said Sola. ¡°We don¡¯t know when we will able to eat again. Anything we don¡¯t use, we can share out.¡± ¡°That sounds good,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We need to get some sleep before the rest of the racers come in. We¡¯ll have to fly out as soon as everyone is accounted for and the rest have refueled.¡± ¡°It¡¯s going to be cramped in the crew quarters,¡± said Bolan. ¡°You two take that,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I¡¯ll sleep in the engine room.¡± ¡°There¡¯s even less space in there for you,¡± said Sola. ¡°I will be fine,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Did we pack blankets? I don¡¯t remember.¡± ¡°Yes, we did,¡± said Sola. ¡°I put them in the locker next to the tool locker.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Let¡¯s button up. The faster we get some sleep, the better we¡¯ll be when we launch.¡± ¡°Right,¡± said Bolan. ¡°Guard duty?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that will be necessary,¡± said Zachariah. He watched the referees checking the field for the racers to land on. ¡°I will ask Gold Bug to keep an eye on things for us.¡± ¡°And how will he warn us?,¡± asked Bolan. ¡°I was thinking he could chew any potential saboteurs to pieces,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I think we can have Knife do a better job than that,¡± said Bolan. ¡°Can he stand guard for us?,¡± asked Zachariah. Knife popped out an array of weaponry to show he was ready to carve up anyone trying to get at the Rocket. A torch lit up to emphasize his point. ¡°All right,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°You¡¯ll have to decide what the best place to keep an eye on everything will be. We¡¯re going to lock down. If you have someone you don¡¯t think you can shoot without causing a problem, use the sounder to wake us up.¡± Knife nodded. He had already decided that he could project a force ball around the Rocket to protect it for the few hours they would be on the ground. He could rest in his web while they were in the air. ¡°All right,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Let¡¯s see what we can get done. We don¡¯t know how long we have before we need to launch.¡± He gestured for Sola to climb up. He followed her. He slid by to the storage locker and pulled out a set of blankets. He split them so each of them could have one. Then he helped them bed down on the floor next to their stations. He pushed the window closed and locked it. Hardy lay down next to Sola, eyes alert for trouble. Zachariah went into the engine room. He braced the door open because he wasn¡¯t quite sure if he should be spending a lot of time around the engine when he wasn¡¯t fixing it. He pulled the blanket around him as he sat down with the door at his back. He closed his eyes and waited for sleep to come. Visions of floating battleships danced through his head as he nodded off. If he scaled up the gravity engine, he could lift something a hundred times heavier than the Rocket. He just needed material to build it. He pondered on how to get tons of metal pounded into sheets as he dropped off. Maybe he could get Brother Rabbit to help him out there. The pooka must know of a smith that could do the job. The Air Race 10 Zachariah awoke with Sola shaking his shoulder. He blinked his sleep out of his eyes. He looked up. ¡°What¡¯s going on?,¡± he asked. He tried to force the sleep out of his voice. ¡°Someone wants to talk to you,¡± said Sola. ¡°Knife kept him away apparently until Brother Rabbit vouched for him. Knife woke us up with his horn.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t hear the horn,¡± said Zachariah. He looked around at the engine compartment. ¡°The walls are doing their job all right.¡± ¡°Come on,¡± said Sola. ¡°Knife almost shot our visitor full of holes.¡± ¡°Good,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°That¡¯s what we wanted.¡± ¡°We think he¡¯s a racing official,¡± said Sola. ¡°We don¡¯t want to be disqualified because Knife set someone on fire.¡± ¡°That would be bad,¡± said Zachariah. He got to his feet. He wrapped his blanket around his shoulders. ¡°Let¡¯s see what our guest wants.¡± He followed Sola back to the front of the Rocket. He noticed that the kids¡¯ blankets were folded and put in his seat. He could add his when he was done talking to their visitor. He waited for Sola to climb down from the compartment before following her. Bolan, Knife, and Hardy already stood with the lean man. He wore the same type of flight suit that Gear Octo wore when flying. Maybe he was a pilot for Lobster Castle. ¡°How do you do?,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°My daughter said you wanted to talk to me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Gear Primus,¡± said the pilot. ¡°I command the air force here in Lobster Bay. I wanted to hear from you what happened in the air during the race.¡± ¡°We were attacked by fliers that I believe were launched from a huge battleship in the air,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I believe that we accounted for three of the enemy but I am not sure. We lost one of the others. I don¡¯t know which one.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Primus. ¡°We found signs of battle, and crashed aircraft. No bodies except for the downed racer.¡± ¡°Brother Rabbit knocked one out of the air,¡± said Bolan. ¡°I saw it with my own eyes. You didn¡¯t find a body for that?¡± ¡°No,¡± said Primus. ¡°Corwin¡¯s Mansions are at the edge of our flying area. They are a no man¡¯s land between us and Baldwin. I dispatched a message to their government to warn them of what¡¯s going on up there.¡± ¡°What is going on up there?,¡± asked Sola. ¡°Lobster Bay has a tendency to produce mad machinists,¡± said Primus. He nodded at the Keller boys. ¡°They tend to attract trouble. I think the giant ship you encountered was owned by the Earl of Lightning. He has tried to overthrow our government several times in the past.¡± ¡°Lightning?,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± said Primus. ¡°The scheme before this was a clockwork giant that we blew up before it could reach the castle.¡± ¡°I was warned about trouble in the mountains,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I blew it off. It looks like the man who warned me knew what he was talking about.¡± ¡°Are you continuing in the race?,¡± said Primus. ¡°Yes,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We still need to test the Rocket. Then I have a commission to build a boat that sails under the water. Gear Octo asked us to consider creating copies of the Rocket for your government. And I am.¡± ¡°Really?,¡± said Primus. He nodded. ¡°All right. You¡¯re going to have to arm these copies. Our fliers have to be able to engage an enemy in the air.¡± ¡°As soon as we handle our other commission, I will be glad to build you copies,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°What about copying that giant battleship?,¡± asked Bolan. ¡°That thing was huge.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see how we can do that without resources,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°That thing was huge and armed.¡± ¡°We can do it if we had more resources,¡± said Bolan. ¡°I think Bolan is right, Da,¡± said Sola. ¡°Once we have an engine big enough to lift the weight of the thing, we can easily put together a body big enough to match what we saw.¡± ¡°Lobster Bay would like a weapon like that,¡± said Primus. ¡°We have to deal with Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.monsters from the ocean, and meeting Lightning on even ground would be marvelous.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I¡¯ll need to draw up plans to show I can still do that part of things. Then I¡¯m going to need resources to build it in the first place.¡± ¡°I will talk to my commander to see what we can do to get you what you need,¡± said Primus. ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Maybe I can get some of the Green Lights to help me with some of it. I¡¯ll have to talk to their ambassador when I get back to Messer¡¯s Reach.¡± ¡°A joint project with Baldwin?,¡± said Primus. He didn¡¯t look overjoyed at the prospect. ¡°The size of the ship we saw was incredible,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I don¡¯t know how he built it without people knowing to be honest. A Green Light, or maybe one of my countrymen, could put an end to it by themselves. The rest of us will need a bigger stick.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± said Primus. ¡°I will send someone to Messer¡¯s Reach to talk to you when the race is over.¡± ¡°We¡¯re down on Key Street,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Look for the explosions,¡± said Bolan. Primus smiled before walking off. ¡°So we¡¯re really going to build a battleship for the Lobsters?,¡± said Bolan. ¡°Maybe,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I was thinking of using it to go to the moon.¡± ¡°Wait,¡± said Sola. ¡°You¡¯re promising them a battleship, but you are going to build a space ship instead?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see why not,¡± said the machinist. He rubbed his hands together. ¡°I¡¯m hungry. How long until we start launching again?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know,¡± said Bolan. ¡°I don¡¯t know if Sir Dormir landed yet.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get some dinner,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Then we can wait until we launch. We¡¯re last except for the Kellers.¡± ¡°Sounds good,¡± said Bolan. ¡°A spaceship and a battleship. That¡¯s a really big thing to try, Zachariah.¡± ¡°I know,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We won¡¯t be doing it on our own. We¡¯ll have the Lobsters behind us if we can show we are getting results.¡± ¡°Where would we build such a thing?,¡± said Sola. ¡°To match what we saw, we would need an open space as big as our street back home.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll worry about that later,¡± said the machinist. ¡°Right now, let¡¯s concentrate on winning the race and building the undersea boat. We can maybe use the Rocket design for that, and then use it as a prototype for our battleship.¡± ¡°What about small flying machines to launch like that other one?,¡± asked Bolan. ¡°We would have to include a space for storage and mechanical work,¡± said Zachariah. He looked up at the Rocket. ¡°We might have to change the shape if we wanted to include fighters.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t dream away reality completely,¡± said Sola. ¡°We still have to win the race.¡± ¡°We will,¡± said Bolan. ¡°We¡¯ve beaten everybody else in our times.¡± ¡°Not everybody,¡± said Zachariah. He nodded at the Kellers. ¡°We can beat them again on the next two legs,¡± said Bolan. ¡°Unless they are going to blow up their engine trying to keep up with us.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t put it past them to try,¡± said Zachariah. Brother Rabbit appeared. He smiled as he leaned on his shovel. Pearl rode on his shoulder. ¡°A reversal of roles?,¡± asked Zachariah. ¡°For the moment,¡± said Brother Rabbit. ¡°That was some fancy footwork earlier.¡± ¡°What about the growing and using the shovel as a bludgeon,¡± said Bolan. ¡°That was impressive.¡± ¡°It was a trick,¡± said the pooka. ¡°That was one big trick,¡± said Bolan. ¡°I know,¡± said Rabbit. ¡°Most of the Shae can do things that look impressive, but aren¡¯t really that awesome when you stop to think about it. It¡¯s like your daemons. They scare people not used to them, but they are really just complex magic at work to simulate life.¡± ¡°I suppose,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°When are you two heading back in the air?¡± ¡°We¡¯re behind Octo and that red dragon,¡± said Rabbit. He pointed with the shovel at the daemon and his rider. ¡°That one is tricky. We were chasing Octo, and then the dragon whisked by like lightning.¡± ¡°Daemons can be fast,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We were about to eat something and do our check out. Would you like to eat with us?¡± ¡°That would be great,¡± said Rabbit. ¡°I thought I would be able to forage, but this race is more taxing than I thought it would be.¡± ¡°This leg especially,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Has Sir Dormir launched yet?¡± ¡°He hasn¡¯t arrived yet,¡± said Rabbit. ¡°We¡¯re still waiting on him. After he gets here, he has two hours to rest up and then take to the air. The rest of us will be right behind him.¡± ¡°I wonder if something happened to him,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°The Lobsters are going to give him an hour, then they are going to check on him,¡± said Rabbit. ¡°The Lord of Lightning might have taken him.¡± ¡°They won¡¯t be able to free him,¡± said Bolan. ¡°That thing was huge.¡± ¡°You¡¯re telling me,¡± said Rabbit. ¡°Why are you hanging out with that troublemaker?,¡± the youngest Keller shouted from his airship. ¡°He¡¯s bad luck.¡± ¡°He brought back our shovel,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I would suggest you not try to use your boost any more than you have to. I¡¯m afraid it might blow up.¡± ¡°No way,¡± said the Keller. ¡°Our machining is on point.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± said Zachariah. He spread his hands in a way to show what he thought of their machining. ¡°Let¡¯s get that dinner. We¡¯ll be in the air for hours when we do launch.¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t happen to have some carrots, would you?,¡± said Rabbit. ¡°Somewhere,¡± said Sola. ¡°Let¡¯s see what we have and how we can turn it into a cold meal.¡± She climbed up into the crew compartment. They heard noises as she started selecting ingredients to use. Zachariah gestured for Bolan to help out. He looked back blankly, then shrugged. He climbed up into the open space. ¡°Do you think there will be more trouble?,¡± asked the pooka. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°It¡¯s going to be a long flight. We might have some problems just crossing the desert. At least when we reach Riordiana, we¡¯ll be a short hop to Messer¡¯s Reach.¡± ¡°Thanks for helping me,¡± said Rabbit. ¡°The shovel fell out of the air.¡± ¡°I threw it at one of the sky pirates,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°It seems to have bounced across the sky until you caught it. Keep it. You might need it before things are over.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± said Rabbit. One of his ears turned. He looked at the noise it directed to him. ¡°It looks like the Alvas is finally here.¡± ¡°So we have two hours from when he lands until he launches,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Plenty of time for eating and drinking.¡± ¡°I agree with you,¡± said the pooka. ¡°I hope your half men can cook.¡± ¡°They are my daughter and assistant,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°And they are still growing up. Hopefully they will be able to build bigger things than what I dream of doing.¡± ¡°Bigger than what you dream?,¡± said Rabbit. ¡°I want to touch the moons,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°You¡¯re a little crazy,¡± said Rabbit. The Air Race 11 The racers lined up behind Sir Dormir on the field. Most of them had taken the time to rest and eat while waiting for the flying tree to come in for a landing. They had spent the two hours given him to refuel and rest checking over their equipment. The referees walked the field, looking over things. Zachariah stood by the Rocket. He drank some of their stored water out of a canteen. They would need more than what they had stored if they went down in the desert. He smiled at being in the top five. The flying machine had performed better than he had expected, even surviving the air battle. He turned his thoughts of using the design for a boat to sail underwater. It should be fine, except they would need a way to enter and exit the ship for repairs if nothing else. The crew compartment would have to be a separate compartment from that. He had no clue what kind of weapons he could use underwater. That was something he would have to devote some time thinking about while trying to figure the dimensions they needed. He felt sure that the gravity engine would work underwater just as well as in the sky. All he had to do was duplicate the engine for the new shell. ¡°We¡¯re ready,¡± said Bolan. ¡°All we need is a referee to wave the flag for us.¡± Zachariah looked up and nodded. The patch job Gold Bug had done was still holding. He wondered if his daemon had made the patch out of the shrapnel that it had taken from the skin of the ship. That would explain the unexpected toughness of the patches. Zachariah looked across the field. Brother Rabbit and Pearl stood at the starting takeoff position. Gear Octo, the Lobster ace, had rolled his flying machine behind the pooka. The referee watched the last racer climbing away from the field. He climbed up and took his position. He started the engine, but didn¡¯t direct power to the jets yet. Rabbit had to take off before he could get in line behind Octo. ¡°Everything looks good,¡± said Bolan. ¡°Everything is green from what I can see.¡± ¡°The maps look good too, Da,¡± said Sola. ¡°We¡¯re ready to go when we get the flag.¡± ¡°My board looks good too,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°What kind of heading should I have, Sola?¡± ¡°Southwest into the Desert, and then straight west toward the other side of the continent,¡± said Sola. ¡°I didn¡¯t see any natural obstructions.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll probably be sailing below the end of Corwin¡¯s Mansions,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°The Desert will hopefully be free of sandstorms when we start sailing by. The only thing we will have to worry about is the local empire down there.¡± ¡°There¡¯s an empire in the desert?,¡± asked Bolan. ¡°What kind of empire?¡± ¡°There is a small country built in the desert,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°They are fighting the nomads over control of giant creatures that live underground. Apparently you can boost your mental ability with something taken from those creatures. The empire uses it create artifacts that run on mind power. The nomads prefer that doesn¡¯t happen.¡± ¡°Has either side interfered with the air race?,¡± asked Bolan. ¡°No one knows,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°If we have to land in the desert, we are going to have to avoid either side. Otherwise the Rocket will be up for grabs.¡± ¡°Have you dealt with these people, Da?,¡± asked Sola. ¡°No,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Everything I know is rumor and suspect. If we have to touch down for any reason, we¡¯re going to try to avoid both sides. Nothing can happen to the Rocket while we are racing.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Bolan. ¡°We should be okay. The engines and fuel supply are good on my board.¡± ¡°Keep an eye on it,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We¡¯ve seen enough trouble that we can¡¯t get overconfident now.¡± Zachariah watched as Brother Rabbit threw Pearl in the air and the fairy dragon expanded. Pooka and flying monster climbed into the sky. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Gear Octo rolled into the starting slot. The pilot gave the referee the thumb¡¯s up while waiting for approval to launch. Zachariah opened the belly jets up and lifted the Rocket off the ground. He directed the flying machine behind the Lobster machine, and dropped it back down on its skids. He waited for Octo to be cleared to be launched. The Kellers piled into their own machine and closed everything for their own takeoff. They seemed worried about their plane. Zachariah wished them the best of luck. The referee waved Octo into the air. He fired the jets built into the wings of his machine. The aircraft rolled down the runway and then lifted off. It banked and assumed a course to take its pilot to his next destination. ¡°All right,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Time to fly.¡± He lifted the Rocket in the air when the referee waved his flag. He directed the thrust through the main engine when he was high enough and roared over the ocean and turned to get on course toward the desert. Lobster Bay held a small fleet of boats in the protective arms of its harbor. Lobster Castle rested in the center of things. Its long body pointed toward the mouth of the harbor. The tower of the keep formed a tail, while claws hovered over the water. ¡°At least now we know why they call it Lobster Bay,¡± said Sola. ¡°I¡¯ll say,¡± said Bolan. ¡°It looks just like a lobster from the air.¡± ¡°What are those?,¡± asked Sola. She pointed to golden fins breaking the water as the Rocket turned to head inland. ¡°Guppies,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Guppies?,¡± said Sola. ¡°They¡¯re humongous.¡± ¡°Years ago something was spilled into the water off Lobster Castle,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°It creates giants. Sometimes they are aggressive. I thought about trying to do the same, but my speciality is mechanics and not alchemistry.¡± ¡°You wanted to make giant monsters?,¡± asked Bolan. ¡°I was thinking about creating bigger food for the city,¡± said Zachariah. He checked the course, and his position on it. ¡°A few of my friends said I should stick to building things no one knew how to operate.¡± ¡°I suppose that¡¯s reasonable,¡± said Bolan. He exchanged glances with Sola who shrugged. ¡°What else were you working on?¡± ¡°Sara and I had a widget we thought could help sailors at night,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We worked on it and had it ready to test when the city was ruined.¡± ¡°What did this widget do?,¡± said Bolan. ¡°It listened for fish and told the helm where he could go to throw his net,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°The testing was in the control sections. If the helm could spot the fish and tell the captain where they were, then the widget passed the test.¡± ¡°Do you still have it?,¡± asked Bolan. ¡°The working model was destroyed when the shop was destroyed,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Maybe Gold Bug could make us a copy.¡± ¡°We can put it on the Rocket and use it to monitor other flying machines in the air,¡± said Bolan. ¡°Probably,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I never thought we could use it for that.¡± ¡°Air travel is only going to grow when people realize that we can put these machines into the sky on a regular basis,¡± said Bolan. ¡°Being able to see other machines is going to be necessary.¡± ¡°No one is going to want to fly across the world,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°No one but racers.¡± ¡°Eventually people will want to move across the country faster than what they can now,¡± said Bolan. ¡°They are going to want to move cargo up and down the coast faster than what they do now. If you show that you can fly from one spot to another faster than you can sail, they will use your service to do that.¡± ¡°We would have to build bigger aircraft than the Rocket for that,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°To turn it into a commercial venture, we would need more machinists on the payroll.¡± ¡°We would have to operate at a loss for the first few years,¡± said Sola. ¡°We would need a lot of capital to build a bigger machine than the Rocket to haul cargo around.¡± ¡°We would also have to train pilots to fly any aircraft we build,¡± said Bolan. ¡°Right now, Lobster Castle has a lot of them working for them to protect the castle.¡± ¡°They also have the best weapon engineers,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We should have asked them for design notes for the undersea boat you want to build,¡± said Bolan. ¡°I know,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I¡¯m an idiot. I could have asked if anyone had built one as a test case. I just assumed that I was asked to build one because there wasn¡¯t one built yet.¡± ¡°There¡¯s also the fact that even if one is built, the owner might not want to let us use it,¡± said Sola. ¡°Especially if he is a pirate of some kind like what we saw in the Mansions,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°But it would have been a great shortcut if we had thought of it.¡± ¡°We can recruit some of them to help us design and build the submarine,¡± said Bolan. ¡°If you can sell it as something we can give to Lobster Castle, they might even help us with the material and stuff we¡¯ll need.¡± ¡°And they want an airship to match the pirates,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°So we ask them to provide support for the underwater boat first, then we get their support for the sky boat,¡± said Bolan. ¡°Maybe,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°It sounds doable. We might be able to get help from Riordiana once we let them know that we suspect something is in the water.¡± ¡°There are daemons who can hunt and find things underwater,¡± said Sola. ¡°I think that it would be bad if anything living had contact with the water,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°What do you mean bad?,¡± asked Bolan. ¡°Whatever is there might be able to kill daemons in the water,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We can¡¯t ask the king to send someone into danger to check if something is possibly in the water if we¡¯re not sure if that something will kill the person, or daemon, checking.¡± ¡°So something not alive should be used,¡± said Sola. ¡°Exactly,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We don¡¯t want to lose anyone when we can just come up with our own version of that lightning gun and put it to use.¡± The Keller boys passed them so close the Rocket shook in the passing of air. Zachariah smiled as he opened up the throttle. Whatever happened, they were not going to win this race. The Air Race 12 The Rocket reached the edge of Crater Desert. The natural wall around the expanse held the watchtowers of the border guards. Torches marked their lookouts. Outsiders were not allowed to travel through the desert on foot. The Crater Desert empire, the Houses of Ilian, protected their holdings from all comers. They had a source for mental powers in their borders and they didn¡¯t want to share it with the other governments on the continent. They allowed the air race to fly overhead, with the provision that if any of the ships, or creatures, should land, they would be treated as if they were searching for the Houses¡¯ source of power. The punishment was death by slow staking under the hot sun. The Houses did not tell the racing commission if they had done this to some of the racers lost in the region. Zachariah watched the sky as they flew over the bowl-like depression in the ground. He wondered what could have caused such a natural phenomena. The Houses didn¡¯t tell outsiders what they thought of it. ¡°We¡¯re making good time,¡± said Sola. ¡°We should be out of the desert in a few hours the way we¡¯re going.¡± ¡°You better get some sleep while you can,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°You might have to spell me at the controls at the end of those few hours.¡± ¡°You said there are storms over the desert,¡± said Sola. ¡°Sometimes,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°No one knows what causes them, but they mostly remain in the bowl. If you see one while you¡¯re at the lever, climb and see if you can get over the top so it doesn¡¯t wreck the Rocket.¡± ¡°Have you ever been here?,¡± asked Sola. ¡°No,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I think everything I know about the Crater Desert is from travel books.¡± ¡°Travel books?,¡± asked Sola. ¡°Do we have any of those onboard?¡± ¡°No,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I left them back at the workshop. They were part of the process while we were putting the Rocket together.¡± ¡°Do you remember anything you can tell me?,¡± Sola asked. ¡°I remember that whatever we do, if we crash, we have to lift off as soon as possible,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°The Houses and the wandering tribes on the ground do not like outsiders. There are no exceptions as far as I know. Also there¡¯s a breed of giant burrowing monsters that live in the desert. If we crash, we have to watch out for them. They are listed as leviathans.¡± ¡°They could wreck the Rocket,¡± said Sola. ¡°Potentially,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°That¡¯s why we have to keep on the lookout for hazards in the sky. There a lot of dangers on the ground, and we might not be able to overcome them to get back in the race.¡± Sola didn¡¯t comment on the fact they were certainly going to have to fight their way out of any trouble with their daemons if they did crash into the ground. And they would have to survive a crash in the first place. They might be able to lift the Rocket back off the ground if they were lucky. She foresaw a long walk across the desert trying to dodge the native dangers all the way. She didn¡¯t like the thought of that. At least Hardy could carry her part of the way before she had to let him rest. ¡°There¡¯s a spout forming there,¡± said Zachariah. He pointed out the window. Sola left her seat and went to stand behind the pilot¡¯s chair. The desert danced, leaping up in the air. Then it turned into a spinning dervish as they watched. More and more sand joined the dance as the turbulent air tried to decide which way to go. Then it collapsed without warning. ¡°I didn¡¯t see a cause,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°Some kind of localized wind,¡± said Sola. ¡°I have never seen anything like that.¡± ¡°We could build careers just trying to figure out how that worked,¡± said Zachariah. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°We would have to have permission just to look at that from the ground,¡± said Sola. She went back to her seat. ¡°But I would love to try to figure that out when no one else has.¡± ¡°So would I,¡± said Zachariah. Zachariah spotted the flying tree ahead. He smiled. At least the Alvas was still in the race. This was the first racer he had seen since the launch from Lobster Castle. He had been glad to leave the Kellers in his wake as he shot across the continent. He gave the flying tree a wide berth. He didn¡¯t need any entanglements. The controls turned in his hands. He frowned as he tried to keep on course. He tried to pull up. The nose pointed directly into the desert. ¡°I need help!,¡± shouted Zachariah. ¡°I need help!¡± Sola and Bolan crowded at his shoulders. They grabbed the stick and pulled on it. It wouldn¡¯t budge. Hardy appeared from his nest. He grabbed the stick with his large, front grippers. He pulled back, pushing with his other four legs. The Rocket started to nose up. Zachariah pressed the switch to activate the belly jets. The Rocket jerked as the rear jets snapped off and the belly jets came on. Sand sprayed from the blasts as the aircraft hovered in place. ¡°What was that?,¡± asked Bolan. ¡°Did something go wrong with the Rocket?¡± ¡°No,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Look.¡± He pointed at the ground. Men in shapeless clothes fled from the scalding given by the driven sand. They mounted giant scorpions and rode off. ¡°It looks like they tried to pull us down into the desert with some kind of magic,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Are you two all right?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± said Bolan. ¡°I was having such a good dream too.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, Da,¡± said Sola. ¡°What are we going to do about this?¡± ¡°What should we do about it?,¡± asked Zachariah. ¡°We can¡¯t land at the nearest village and ask to speak to the House in charge of the area. We would be executed like common criminals.¡± ¡°So what do we do about this?,¡± said Sola. ¡°We can¡¯t let them get away with trying to crash our ship.¡± ¡°We have a more important question to consider,¡± said Bolan. He wiped the leftover sleep from his eyes. ¡°What¡¯s that?,¡± asked Sola. ¡°Did they force the other racers to crash too?,¡± said Bolan. ¡°What do we do about it if they did?,¡± said Sola. ¡°We can¡¯t land and risk our ship to save them.¡± ¡°We have to do something,¡± said Bolan. ¡°We can¡¯t leave them here.¡± ¡°We are going to do something,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°The first thing we are going to do is send out a warning to the racing commission.¡± ¡°How?,¡± asked Sola. ¡°We are going to talk to Sir Dormir,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Let¡¯s get started.¡± ¡°The Alvas?,¡± said Bolan. ¡°We might have saved his life by sanding our attackers with the jets,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We have to tell someone what¡¯s going on if we want to do anything else.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Bolan. ¡°Let¡¯s put things in motion,¡± said Zachariah. He switched the jets so that the Rocket could move forward. He turned the airship around to fly back in the direction of the flying tree. He spotted it in a few seconds of flying. He switched the Rocket to hover. He took up a position next to the tree and opened the window. ¡°Master Eight Arms,¡± said the Alvas. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± ¡°Some of the locals tried to crash the Rocket with their magic,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We don¡¯t know if they did that to the others, but we thought we should warn you of trouble ahead. We¡¯re going to look for the other racers. If you could tell the commission, that would be good.¡± ¡°Do you mind if I assisted you?,¡± said Sir Dormir. ¡°I really need to test some of the other capabilities of Bark here.¡± ¡°You could win if the rest of us are out of the race,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°True, but I could knock the rest of you out of the race and win if I wanted to be a dishonorable villain,¡± said Sir Dormir. ¡°That is for lesser knights.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°How do you want to start?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s start with finding the pooka,¡± said Sir Dormir. He closed his golden eyes and raised his hands. Light appeared in the shape of a jewel. Another light appeared in the distance. ¡°That is your rabbit friend,¡± said Sir Dormir. ¡°The others might be with him. If they are, that will make things easier. If they aren¡¯t, we will have to look a little harder.¡± ¡°How long can you keep that up?,¡± asked Zachariah. ¡°As long as I want,¡± said the knight. ¡°Shall we go?¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Zachariah. He closed his window. He turned the Rocket and headed for the light. The tree followed with the whirling limbs carrying it on the air. The light burst from the sand. Zachariah wondered if all the other racers had crashed into the ground. ¡°Gear Octo¡¯s plane is there,¡± said Bolan. He pointed to the right of the glowing light. ¡°It looks smashed.¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to put down,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We don¡¯t know if those tribesmen are still in the area. Keep an eye out while I try to find the others.¡± ¡°Be careful, Da,¡± said Sola. ¡°If anything happens, lift off,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°It¡¯s more important that someone knows what happened than rescuing me. Gold Bug and I can make our own way as long as we don¡¯t have to worry about you two.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll do what we can,¡± said Bolan. ¡°You can believe that.¡± Zachariah nodded. He brought the Rocket down for a gentle landing. He waited for the sand to fall back before opening the window. He climbed out of the air ship, asking for his daemon to appear. ¡°All right, Gold Bug,¡± said Zachariah. His daemon sat on his hand, antennae working. ¡°We think that most of the other racers were forced down by desert people. Brother Rabbit is supposedly the source of that glow. How do we dig him up and find the others?¡± Gold Bug climbed down his body. The daemon slowly walked to the wreck of Gear Octo¡¯s plane. Mandibles ripped pieces of the wing away. That led to duplication and production of machinery. Zachariah smiled as he studied what his partner created. The Air Race 13 Zachariah picked up Gold Bug¡¯s creations. One was a variation of the gravity engine. He had used something like it to save Messer¡¯s Reach. The target had been reduced to a splotch when he pressed the button on the device. The other was a pair of goggles with a power pack built into the side. Machinery took in light and allowed the wearer to see through solid objects. He put the goggles on over his eyes and pushed the button on the power pack. The ground thinned to the opaqueness of a thin sheet of dirty glass. He found most of the other racers been buried in the sand. All he had to do was dig them up and get them back in the air before the authorities from the Houses arrived. The thought of instant execution for the crime of walking on the ground didn¡¯t sit well with him. Not everyone had a use for special chemical formulae in the outside world. Zachariah used the gravity gun to scoop sand off the racers. He tried to be gentle with it. One wrong move could pulp a human body. Sir Dormir landed at the edge of where the machinist worked. He gestured and green light dug a hole away from the nearest buried person. ¡°All right,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°How do we get them the help they need?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see the dragon,¡± said Sir Dormir. ¡°Pearl?,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Pearl! Can you hear me?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t sense her,¡± said Sir Dormir. ¡°They took Pearl,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°The pooka will be devastated if he doesn¡¯t know.¡± ¡°How do we get them out of here?,¡± asked Sir Dormir. ¡°We fly them out of here together in their own plane,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We have to fix up the one who is the best pilot so we can send them on the way, and then take to the air ourselves.¡± ¡°Gear Octo is the best pilot I think,¡± said Sir Dormir. He pointed at the sand. The ace from Lobster Castle drifted up from his grave. ¡°He looks hurt.¡± ¡°Gold Bug,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Do what you can for him. We need him able to fly out of here with everyone else if you can get that done.¡± The daemon ate more of the wrecked jet from Lobster Bay. Its duplication process put together a lantern. The beam turned on but it only shown on the desert. The machinist walked over and turned the light on the racer. ¡°Knife is sending an alert,¡± shouted Bolan from the Rocket. ¡°We might have problems on the way.¡± ¡°We have to get them into the air somehow,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°If we leave them, they are done.¡± ¡°Can you buy time for us, Hardy?,¡± asked Sola. ¡°Don¡¯t do anything except be annoying. We don¡¯t want to hurt anybody.¡± The beetle spread its wings and flew off. Sola watched it go with worry on her face. ¡°What happened?,¡± asked Gear Octo. ¡°You crashed,¡± said Sir Dormir. ¡°You were brought down,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I am about to ask Gold Bug to try to get your aircraft worthy enough to try to fly out of here. You¡¯re going to have to take some of the others with you.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Octo. ¡°I think I can handle that.¡± ¡°Is everyone here, Sir Dormir?,¡± asked Zachariah. ¡°Yes,¡± said the Alvas. ¡°But none of the daemons, or the dragon, are present.¡± ¡°Brother Rabbit?,¡± asked Zachariah. He didn¡¯t know how attached the rabbit was to his mount, but he doubted that his rival would give up his carrier. ¡°The pooka is mind bound,¡± said Sir Dormir. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to wake him.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s start with the lamp,¡± said Zachariah. He turned the light on the pooka. The creature didn¡¯t move. ¡°That didn¡¯t help.¡± ¡°Let me see if I can break the spell,¡± said Sir Dormir. He raised his hand. A bolt of lightning came out of the sky and sent Brother Rabbit hurling through the air. The pooka hit the sand a good distance away. He spit out the sand. ¡°There is nothing lightning won¡¯t fix.¡± Zachariah didn¡¯t quite agree, but it had worked wonders this time. ¡°What was that?,¡± said Brother Rabbit. He squeezed out a tiny flame on the fur of his arm. ¡°Sorry,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We had to wake you. Do you remember what happened?¡± ¡°I was flying along and then everything went black,¡± said the pooka. ¡°Where¡¯s Pearl?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I¡¯m going to look for her. We¡¯re trying to get everyone into the air. Touching down in Crater Desert is an executable offense by the Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.local empire.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll help you look for her,¡± said Brother Rabbit. ¡°I can call her real name if she is awake and can hear me.¡± Zachariah looked around. The majority of the racers were out of the fight. He doubted any of them were tough enough to take a lightning bolt to wake them up. The daemons and Pearl were missing. If anything happened to the daemons, their partners would die. If anything happened to Pearl, he had the feeling he would have an enraged giant stomping on anything that happened to live on the surface of the desert. ¡°We need to split up so we can get things done,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Bolan, Sola, Sir Dormir, Octo. I need you four to get the racers into the air and out of the desert. Gold Bug will help you with that. Have him install the healing lamps in your transport to use on the other racers. Rabbit and I will look for Pearl and the daemons. We will find our own way out if we have to. Get everybody to safety. That has to be the priority. Then the racing commission has to be informed. We can rest in Riordiana after we make our escape. We don¡¯t have any way to inform the Kellers. Hopefully, when we¡¯re done, there won¡¯t be any danger for them to stumble into when they fly over.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Sir Dormir. ¡°This has to be the most exciting race I have ever been in.¡± ¡°I have to say the same,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Come on, Rabbit. Let¡¯s find the missing sentients.¡± The pair started across the sand. Zachariah thought about the mental power he had fought earlier. If that was used on him, he would lose. He needed some way to block it. He should have brought Gold Bug with them instead of leaving him in charge of building transport for the other racers. The daemon could build any machinery they might need to deal with this problem. He hoped Rabbit was up to the challenge ahead. They might both get killed trying to free Pearl. ¡°I¡¯m going to use these goggles to search for a lair,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Then we¡¯ll have to think of some way to break in and free the rest of our followers.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that,¡± said Rabbit. He rolled the fur on his arms like they were sleeves as he padded along. ¡°I can get us in easily enough, if you can do the other.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see what Gold Bug¡¯s glasses can do,¡± said Zachariah. The machinist pulled the goggles down over his eyes and turned them on. He nodded as he pointed at a desert dweller hidden under a shallow pile of sand. Then another on the other side of the path they were walking. They weren¡¯t far enough away from the crash site in his opinion. Brother Rabbit vanished as he looked for more guards. He hadn¡¯t expected that. He thought the pooka would sneak around with him to get behind one of the guards, then the other. He turned to look at the sentries. One sank into the desert without uttering a scream. The other guard looked over at the pile of sand settling where his comrade used to be. He stood up. The desert opened under him and he was gone. Brother Rabbit exploded out of the ground. His tunnel closed behind him as he stood at Zachariah¡¯s side. ¡°Any more guards?,¡± Brother Rabbit asked. ¡°I don¡¯t see any,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Let¡¯s see what we can do about finding whatever cave they have adapted to their cause.¡± The machinist led the way along the desert. He paused when he saw a tower standing in the distance. He counted three more buried guards out front, and several sentries walking carved out battlements. ¡°They have three guards in front of the gates, and it looks like six men standing guard up in the middle of that pile,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°How do you want to deal with this?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to take the guards in front of the door,¡± said Rabbit. ¡°Once I do that, I will have access to the doors to get inside. The rest will be trying to figure out how to get inside without turning on the alarm bells.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Maybe I can cause a distraction from here.¡± ¡°Give me a few moments to clear the guards on the ground,¡± said Brother Rabbit. ¡°Go ahead,¡± said Zachariah. He nodded at the spire sticking out of the sand. The pooka vanished into the sand. Zachariah watched him swim across the desert. Then he yanked his victims deep into the sand before returning to the surface next to the giant gate. Zachariah took aim with the gravity gun. He turned the dial all the way open. He pulled the trigger. The right gate bent enough under the pressure that his ally squeezed through the opening without a problem. He fired random bolts at the guards. He smiled as they flew into the air for a few moments. Then they crashed down against the spire, or went over the edge and fell to the sand. Hopefully he had taught them a lesson that would carry them to the next race that happened to fly overhead. The gates blasted open as he watched for trouble. Pearl crashed through. Rock fell out of place as the daemons followed. Some fired blasts of energy inside the spire to discourage the guards from doing anything. Brother Rabbit dropped off Pearl. He became a giant before he hit the ground. He pulled the shovel from his pocket. He swung it into the spire with all of his strength. The rock tipped over and fell. He put the shovel away. The pooka grabbed the back of his circling dragon and shrank to ride it back to where they had left the racers. Some of the daemons looked like they had been hit with something. Zachariah turned to follow them back to where he had left the Rocket. All they had to do was get out of the desert before they got into trouble with one of the Houses. Pearl circled to swoop down. She picked up Zachariah in her claws and flung him in the air. She caught him with her back as he started to come down. ¡°Those rats will remember what happened until their children¡¯s children have turned gray,¡± said Rabbit. His ears flapped in the wind caused by their flight. He pulled a carrot from his overalls and gnawed on it. ¡°Did you happen to find out why they caused the racers to crash?,¡± asked Zachariah. ¡°They wanted the living carriers for some stupid revolution,¡± said Rabbit. ¡°They used a ton of the local brain mix to mind control everyone into the ground. Then they took the animals to use as living weapons.¡± ¡°Is that why the Houses forbid anyone from landing?,¡± asked Zachariah. ¡°Maybe,¡± said the pooka. ¡°They might want total control on being able to put the whammy on people. Having that escape the borders would allow people like you to whammy them back.¡± ¡°People like me?,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Yep,¡± said the giant bunny. ¡°You all want to chase things in the dark because you¡¯re unafraid of what might be waiting there, and really want to know what happens if you set your ideas on fire.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t go that far,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°You want to go to the moons,¡± said Brother Rabbit. ¡°I think I have not gone far enough in my description. Who would want to go to the moon when they have their mother¡¯s birthright here?¡± ¡°I want to go to new places and find out new things,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°That¡¯s why I entered the air race. I wanted to build a flying boat better than anyone else could.¡± ¡°How¡¯s that working out for you?,¡± asked Brother Rabbit. ¡°Better than I expected,¡± said the machinist. ¡°It would almost have to be at this point,¡± said Brother Rabbit. The Kellers¡¯ ship blasted across the sky above them. Weird music drifted down to them. ¡°Let¡¯s meet up with the others so we can get back into this race,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°The Kellers can¡¯t be allowed to win another leg.¡± ¡°So we¡¯re going to try to catch them,¡± said Rabbit. He finished his carrot. ¡°We¡¯re going to chase them down and overrun them,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Do you see the Rocket anywhere?¡± Brother Rabbit pointed a hairy finger at the white shape hovering in place. ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡± said Zachariah. The Air Race 14 Zachariah protected his face as Bolan brought the Rocket down. He helped Rabbit up the ladder before he climbed up. He took the pilot¡¯s seat as Rabbit moved to the back of the compartment. ¡°Octo took the others on what Gold Bug built out of his wreck,¡± said Bolan. ¡°Knife and Hardy helped with some of the fine tuning.¡± ¡°Was he all right to fly?,¡± asked Zachariah. He checked the controls as he strapped in. ¡°He said he could handle it,¡± said Sola. ¡°We sent the others with him to watch him.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Zachariah. He lifted the Rocket off the sand. He saw men approaching on horses. He didn¡¯t know if they were more rebels, or guards from one of the Houses. He couldn¡¯t let either side capture him and his passengers. He switched the jet and lunged after the other air ship. Zachariah considered the map as he rushed after the other aircraft. Gold Bug crawled up his arm and sat on his shoulder. The bug watched the sky beyond the window as his partner thought. ¡°We¡¯re going to have to let the Kellers win this leg,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We have to stick with Octo to make sure he can make it.¡± ¡°The riders and Sir Dormir have already headed for the wall,¡± said Sola. ¡°We can¡¯t catch any of them now.¡± ¡°How¡¯s Pearl doing?,¡± asked Zachariah. ¡°She¡¯s fine, Master Eight Arms,¡± said Brother Rabbit. ¡°She seems ready to fly.¡± ¡°As soon as we¡¯re over the wall and away from the desert, we¡¯ll let you out,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°That would be excellent,¡± said the pooka. He held the miniature dragon close. ¡°I can¡¯t believe the Alvas helped us. They aren¡¯t usually friendly to others.¡± ¡°I think he didn¡¯t like the interference,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°He¡¯s not trying to win the race. I think he¡¯s watching us.¡± ¡°He did say he¡¯s testing his flying tree,¡± said Bolan. ¡°He¡¯s not testing it for speed,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°He¡¯s testing the actual spell work,¡± said Rabbit. ¡°The Alvas can do a lot with their magic, but flying trees aren¡¯t what they would consider natural working material.¡± ¡°But they can make trees servants,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°And adding flight to that would make their trees able to attack anything from the air.¡± ¡°And protection from airships like this,¡± said Brother Rabbit. ¡°It¡¯s no good to have a wall when your enemies can fly over it and drop spells and technological weapons down on top of you.¡± ¡°Ground attacks would already be stymied by their normal defenses,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Their government must be trying to get on equal footing with the other nations trying to take to the air.¡± ¡°Their king is said to be prescient,¡± said the pooka. He flicked an ear. ¡°Strengthening the wards against air attacks makes sense. They can¡¯t afford to lose a majority of their dragon power.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Is that Octo¡¯s aircraft?¡± Bolan came forward to look out the window. ¡°Yes, it is,¡± said apprentice. ¡°It¡¯s flying great. Gold Bug did a good job with it.¡± He returned to his seat and strapped in. ¡°I¡¯ll say so,¡± said Zachariah. The daemon had taken Octo¡¯s wrecked jet and rebuilt it with some improvements from what Zachariah could see. He would like to see what the engine looked like now. ¡°We¡¯re almost to the wall,¡± said Sola. ¡°Another five minutes maybe.¡± Zachariah looked at the silhouette of the other pilot. He saw the other man raise his hand. He nodded at the hand signal. The ace felt like he could make it to the landing spot in Riordiana. ¡°He just told us to leave him,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I think we are going to hold position until we reach the wall.¡± Zachariah knew that Gold Bug¡¯s machinery worked as advertised. It was more fragile than building things by hands. A bird hitting Octo¡¯s airship could punch a hole through it if it hit a section made solely of the daemon¡¯s webbing. The wall bordering the desert loomed closer. Zachariah pulled the stick to gain Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.altitude. He watched Octo mirror his move. In the distance, a spark of light marked the Kellers chasing after the Riordianians and other pilots who had not been taken by the rebels¡¯ trap. ¡°Are you sure you two can make it from here?,¡± asked Zachariah. ¡°What do you think, Pearl?,¡± said the rabbit. He smiled at the lizard in his arms. The lizard squeaked in reply. ¡°This is two favors you have done us, machinist. At this rate, we¡¯ll never pay you back.¡± ¡°One day, I will need your help to get something done,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°You can pay me back then.¡± ¡°I will be ready,¡± said Brother Rabbit. ¡°All right,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I¡¯m going to land so we can let you out.¡± ¡°No need,¡± said the pooka. ¡°Open the window.¡± Zachariah pressed the levers to divert the jets. He slid the window out of the way. Brother Rabbit came forward with Pearl in his arms. He threw her through the opened window. He hopped into the sky after her. The pair circled the Rocket. The pooka waved as the dragon circled to start climbing. Then she surged after the other racers. Zachariah slid the window shut. He smiled as the dragon clawed at the air, chasing the pack. Octo roared by in his patched ship. He waved as he went by. Then he was chasing the dragon. ¡°It looks like we¡¯re last,¡± said Bolan. ¡°I think we need to get a move on.¡± Zachariah switched the jet. He smiled as the Rocket sped forward. He watched the gauges as the engine clicked away in its compartment. He settled in, watching the route map flipping along on his dashboard. ¡°Let¡¯s see if we can fly out of last place,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I doubt that,¡± said Bolan. ¡°There¡¯s no way we can boost the output of the engine.¡± ¡°There¡¯s ways,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Let¡¯s see if we can catch up with the others without resorting to doing something drastic.¡± The Rocket caught up with Rabbit and Pearl first. The dragon looked tired as it swam through the air. The official resting point was far ahead. If they landed now, they could get some rest on the ground and catch up later. The race officials didn¡¯t care about taking a break on a leg. They just recorded when you landed at a checkpoint. He was sure there were some racers that never made it around the circuit. It was up to them to report in and tell the officials what had happened. He passed Octo again. The other¡¯s scratch jet was still holding on. If it blew up now, the pilot would be on his own when he hit the ground. Zachariah watched the spark of the Kellers¡¯ airship drawing closer. He passed several daemons and riders as well as he chased after the other jet. He passed a propellor driven aircraft still hanging on. He wondered how that pilot had avoided being stopped by the desert people. Sir Dormir came into view. His tree rotated its branches as it sailed through the air. He waved an acknowledgment as the Rocket whipped by. He sipped his tea as he watched the airship chase after the lead. Zachariah eyed the Kellers¡¯ vehicle as he chased after it. It would be so easy to have Gold Bug take the thing apart in midair. He smiled to himself. He was only mad that they had passed him because of their obnoxiousness. He put the thoughts away. He had entered the race to test the Rocket out. He was doing it now by trying to catch up to a ship with a lead. If he could do it, he would have something to be proud of doing. And it would show the Kellers they weren¡¯t as good as he and Gold Bug were. He passed the other aircraft. He waved at the boys as he moved ahead. It looked like he would be touching down in Riordiana first. Zachariah watched his numbers flipping as he roared along. He was chasing the night now. He wondered how far he would be along before the sun caught up with them. He rubbed his eyes. He needed to get some sleep. He looked around. Bolan and Sola were asleep at their stations. He shook his head. He looked at the map flipping along. He could hold on for few more minutes. They were almost across the plains leading to the coast. He should be able to see Riordiana before the sun blotted the ground out. He saw the ocean ahead. Riders on daemons held station. One of the riders pointed to a cleared spot next to the bay that Festus had created with his Primrose. He brought the Rocket in for a landing. He lowered the skids and cut the engine as soon as they had touched down. Now he had to report what had happened in the desert, and talk about what he had been asked to find in the water. Then he could get some sleep until the race started again. He slid the window back. He looked at the daemons. They stared back. ¡°You¡¯re on guard duty until I get back,¡± he said. ¡°After that, the kids can take you sightseeing.¡± Knife and Hardy clacked cheerfully. Gold Bug refused to move from his shoulder. ¡°Going with me, buddy?,¡± asked Zachariah. Gold Bug waved his antennae around. ¡°All right,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°You two guard the ship and don¡¯t let anybody board her.¡± Knife produced weapons and tools from his back like an angry porcupine. Anybody trying to get onboard the Rocket would get a shock. Zachariah climbed down the side of the Rocket. An official came forward. The man held the official stamp in his hands. ¡°How do you do?,¡± Zachariah said. ¡°I need to stamp your card so I can put down the official time,¡± said the functionary. ¡°Hold on,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°My daughter has the card. She¡¯s asleep.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll need to stamp it before any of the others come in,¡± said the official. ¡°Some of them might be delayed,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We had some trouble flying over the Crater Desert.¡± ¡°What kind of trouble?,¡± asked the official. ¡°Some of the desert people attacked us,¡± said Zachariah. He climbed up inside the Rocket. He held up his hands so that Knife wouldn¡¯t shoot. ¡°It¡¯s just me.¡± Zachariah walked over to where his daughter slept. He shook her gently. Her eyes came open for a second. ¡°I need the card so we can be declared winners,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Hardy has it,¡± Sola said. She started snoring again. ¡°Cough it up, Hardy,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°As soon as I get this done, I can check to see if Festus is around so we can talk to him.¡± Hardy opened up his wing case so the machinist could take the card. He put it back when he had it stamped. ¡°The desert people caused problems?,¡± said the official. ¡°How? They can¡¯t fly.¡± ¡°Apparently they can move things with their minds,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Luckily, we didn¡¯t get the brunt of it like the others. Is Festus around? I have to talk to him about something.¡± ¡°He¡¯s on the island,¡± said the official. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to get out there without a pass.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I have two overenthusiastic watchdogs on the Rocket. Knock and announce first before you try to climb aboard. They might set you on fire by accident.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pass the word around,¡± said the official. The Air Race 15 Zachariah walked through the harbor town that was built on the edges of old Riordiana. He looked out in the ocean. His old shop should be out there in the middle of the new harbor. He felt a pang but there was nothing he could do about that. Festus had destroyed the city with Primrose. It was the only thing he could do to save the people who were trying to escape the thing that had been summoned in the middle of the city. Zachariah had no regrets the way he and Gold Bug had dealt with the other summoner in Messer¡¯s Reach. The one Green Light in the city would have had to do the same thing to the Reach that Festus had done to his home city. And the Reachers had no means to escape the unleashed carnage. The machinist made his way down to the ferry set up to visit the New Riordiana. He noted the walls out in the middle of the ocean. He supposed boats from other sea countries were warned off by watchmen with flying daemons. He walked down to the dock. He inspected things with his critical eyes, nodding at the solid buildings around him. Daemon work stood out from other brick and metal structures. Daemons and their partners wearing badges of authority inspected the crowd boarding the ferry. Zachariah wondered how many lived out in the sea, and how many lived on land. He supposed it depended on how many were afraid of being caught out at sea with no way to run from another thing summoned in their midst. Zachariah admitted to himself he didn¡¯t want to be stuck out in the middle of the ocean with no way to build a life raft. He boarded the ferry. He moved to take a spot near the bow. He noted that the craft had been built out of something metallic. He supposed that daemons had shaped things with their breath weapons. He heard the vibration of a motor. A machinist had put that in. The person and their daemon wasn¡¯t as good as he and Gold Bug in his estimation. The ferry sailed smoothly across the harbor toward a gate in the wall around the island created by the Riordianians after the destruction of their city. Trees and various flowers and plants grew everywhere to cover the barren rock they had started with at first. Homes had been built, or carved from the rock, depending on the daemon involved. Zachariah saw signs of machinist workings in some of the outbuildings as the ferry sailed to its dock. He supposed they were getting water from the sea with filters built in those buildings. Maybe they handled waste removal depending on things. He followed the other passengers off the ferry. He noted watchmen checking people as he descended to the dock. He decided he might as well ask one of them for directions. ¡°Hello,¡± Zachariah said. He paused at one of the watchmen. The man¡¯s daemon glared at him with feathers of fire from his shoulder. ¡°I would like to talk to Festus. Is he around?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said the watchman. ¡°I expect that he¡¯s up at the government center.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± said Zachariah. He started up the dock to the streets leading into the city. ¡°Wait,¡± said the watchman. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Zachariah Eight Arms,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Is that important?¡± ¡°We have to know what you¡¯re doing here since you don¡¯t seem to be a resident,¡± said the watchman. ¡°I¡¯m a machinist and I have been commissioned to build something to dive underwater here in the harbor,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I plan to talk to Festus about this and see if I need permission to build my boat here in a temporary shop, or will I have to build it in Messer¡¯s Reach and have it shipped here in pieces to be put together so I can dive when that¡¯s done.¡± ¡°There are daemons that can dive,¡± said the watchman. ¡°Some of our fishing fleet use them.¡± ¡°My impression on why I was hired is the water isn¡¯t safe where I am supposed to be diving,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Sounds like the Demon Wake,¡± said the watchman. ¡°It¡¯s a poisonous spot in the Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.harbor.¡± ¡°Something new?,¡± asked Zachariah. He believed that confirmed why he had been hired. If something was left over from the attack on the city, it might kill the fish and any daemon unlucky to get close enough to it. ¡°Yes,¡± said the watchman. ¡°It seems to be getting worse from what I have seen.¡± ¡°Hopefully I will have a solution for the problem,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Do you know if Carson One Thumb is still in business?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± said the watchman. ¡°He has a shop at the top of the street, to the left as you head into the city.¡± ¡°I should talk to him in case I need more help than what I have at the moment,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Thank you for your time.¡± The watchman nodded. Zachariah walked off the dock. He decided that the Government Center building would be in the center of town, on the peak. He thought that would be the place for a lookout on the ocean, and why build two different places when one would do. He would check in on Carson on the way back down to the ferry. Talking to Festus would give him more of a sense of what he would need to get started. Carson had been a rival in the old city. The man¡¯s squid was a good daemon for building things, but not nearly as good as Gold Bug. Zachariah had given him jobs that were simple to do when he had been scrambling for time. It was no surprise that he had become prominent after the destruction of the city. He had been a solid worker, and most people didn¡¯t need the odd constructs that Zachariah worked on. The machinist walked up the hill, looking around as he went. He nodded at the construction and layout of the city. Three years didn¡¯t seem that long a time, but things looked better than he would have thought. He shouldn¡¯t be surprised. Daemons made things easier. They could alter circumstances with ease with the right partner. Zachariah found the government center after a few stops to ask directions. He noted the ramparts for sighting on the ocean. He doubted any daemon other than Primrose could hit the water from where the building stood. He turned and looked back. He smiled at the city spread out below the point. He wondered if he could have set up a new shop here. Had he made the right decision moving to Messer¡¯s Reach? He shook himself. You couldn¡¯t change the past. You could only change the future. Zachariah turned to go into the building. He noticed Primrose for the first time as he headed for the door. The dragon curled its massive length on the round roof. If something happened to attract its attention, it could launch and be on the scene in a few seconds. He walked into the government center. Halls leading to offices branched off from the lobby. The Watch¡¯s offices and small jail seemed to be underneath the public part of the building from the signs he could see. He went to the counter where a young lady and her lizard daemon passed a small stone back and forth on the top. ¡°Hello,¡± said the lady. She passed the stone back with a flick of her finger. The lizard caught the stone and held it. ¡°How can I help you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here to talk to Festus,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Is he busy?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll check,¡± said the lady. She motioned to her daemon. The green and yellow reptile flickered on her desk. It shook its head. ¡°Apparently not. He¡¯s in his office at the top of the stairs.¡± She pointed at a set of stairs concealed in an alcove off the first hall to the left. ¡°Thank you for your help,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°It¡¯s no problem,¡± said the lady. ¡°I don¡¯t know you. Have you been here before?¡± ¡°No,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I moved away after the destruction of the city. This is my first time back. Zachariah Eight Arms.¡± ¡°Lydia Water Lifter,¡± said the lady. ¡°Are you moving back?¡± ¡°I have been hired to find something,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I need to talk to Festus about it before I get started.¡± ¡°Does your daemon find things?,¡± asked Lydia. ¡°Gold Bug and I are machinists,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I noticed your lizard can teleport.¡± ¡°Skate can only teleport himself right now,¡± said Lydia. ¡°But his range is great. I can get him to take messages all over the island from here.¡± Zachariah nodded. If the lizard¡¯s power kept growing, he would be able to reach at least Messer¡¯s Reach before he topped out. He could still reach the other city in a series of jumps if he could get across to the mainland in one try. He would probably never be able to take his human partner with him. The machinist didn¡¯t think his opinion should be said. ¡°Thank you for your help, Lydia,¡± said Zachariah. He walked to the stairs and headed up to find the king of the island. Zachariah walked down the hall until he found a closed plain door. A small sign told him this was Festus¡¯s office. He heard voices inside. He knocked. ¡°Come in,¡± said an older male voice. A little boy with blond hair opened the door for Zachariah. ¡°Hello,¡± said the boy. Another boy joined him at the door. ¡°Hello,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°How do you do?¡± ¡°Boys,¡± said a woman coming to the door. ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯s here to see you.¡± ¡°Come in,¡± said Festus. He filled the door behind the woman. ¡°I will be home on time, Abigail.¡± ¡°You better,¡± said Abigail. She kissed her husband on the cheek before ushering the two children out of the office. ¡°Come on, boys.¡± ¡°Hello,¡± said Festus. He walked to his desk and sat down. Paperwork covered the top as he gestured for Zachariah to take the visitor¡¯s seat on the right. ¡°Hello, Festus,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I¡¯m Zachariah Eight Arms. I¡¯m a machinist and I have been asked to build a diving machine to search the harbor for an egg from the thing that attacked the city three years ago.¡± ¡°What do you mean an egg?,¡± said Festus. He leaned back in his chair. ¡°I am participating in the Continental Air Race,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Before lift off, I was asked to build a diving machine to look for this egg. I was told that I have two years before it hatches.¡± ¡°Hatches into what?,¡± asked Festus. Zachariah shrugged. The Air Race 16 Zachariah stood at the rampart and looked at the ocean. He turned when he heard footsteps coming up to the roof. Primrose shifted some of her bulk as the newcomers invaded her space. ¡°Zachariah Eight Arms?,¡± said the stouter of the arrivals. He laughed. ¡°I thought you were dead.¡± ¡°Hello, Carson,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°How¡¯s Maureen and the boys?¡± ¡°Maureen is better machinist than me now,¡± said Carson. He gestured with a wide, callused hand. ¡°The boys want to do other things. Their daemons are only suitable for machining in tangential ways, but they know enough they can fix things if they want. How¡¯s Sara and Sola?¡± ¡°Sara died,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Sola is waiting for me on the landing field set aside for racers. We finally put together a flying machine. It¡¯s faster than I thought it would be.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry about Sara,¡± said Carson. ¡°We thought you were dead after what had happened. A lot of people were killed when that thing attacked. We still don¡¯t know how many.¡± ¡°It ripped its victims to shreds,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Anyone who was too close to that thing when it answered its summons died.¡± ¡°You lived,¡± said the other new arrival. He wore the Watch¡¯s badge of authority, and a patch over one eye. His daemon, a red ferret, hung on his shoulders. ¡°My assistant¡¯s daemon can create fields for protection,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Between that and my daughter¡¯s daemon, it was enough to get us out of the city during the rock attack.¡± ¡°She named him Hardy, didn¡¯t she?,¡± said Carson. ¡°He was only as big as your Gold Bug the last time we worked together.¡± ¡°He¡¯s grown in the last few years,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°He¡¯s almost half her height now. Who knows how big he will get before he reaches the end of it.¡± ¡°Half her height?,¡± said Carson. He put a hand in the air to indicate his estimate. Zachariah lifted the hand a few more inches. ¡°That big?¡± ¡°And he seems to be getting bigger,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°He might grow as big as Primrose, but all he can do is fly and pull things. We use him to move things around.¡± ¡°This is all very well, but why are we here?,¡± asked the Watch commander. ¡°Go ahead and tell them what you told me,¡± said Festus. He leaned against Primrose. ¡°Once we have the explanation out of the way, we can make a plan.¡± ¡°I have built an air machine, and have entered the Continental Air Race with my daughter and assistant acting as my crew,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Before the race started, I was approached by a man and a wooden dog. He wished to commission me to explore the waters around the harbor here to search for an egg dropped into the sea. The thought is when the egg hatches, it will release something like the black tower that Festus destroyed with Primrose¡¯s natural weapon. I have two years to build such a boat, arm it, and start searching.¡± ¡°How reliable is this information?,¡± asked the Watch commander. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I am going to get started in case it is very reliable. That means I will set up another shop on the mainland to build what I need and then start looking.¡± ¡°So what does this have to do with us?,¡± asked the Watch commander. ¡°Carson One Thumb is going to help with this expedition,¡± said Festus. ¡°We¡¯re going to need people who can come up with the solutions for the problems that are going to come up. And if the egg hatches before we can find it, the Watch is going to have to be ready to repel it from the city.¡± ¡°And I think the reason a machine is required is because the egg poisons anything that gets close to it unprotected,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We can¡¯t use daemons to look for it if we think we¡¯ll lose the daemons.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said the Watch commander. ¡°I can start getting the Watch together and do fly overs to train for coordinated attacks, escape routes from the city, work on creating instant walls for more protection.¡± ¡°I can get equipment set up for a boat building,¡± said Carson. ¡°You¡¯re going to need air recyclers and other things while you¡¯re under. I have never considered trying to build a boat to go underwater.¡± ¡°I thought about modifying the Rocket, but it¡¯ll still take a lot of work,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Do you have plans for the Rocket with you?,¡± asked Carson. ¡°I can start laying a hull if I had them.¡± ¡°They¡¯re back in Messer¡¯s Reach,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to bring them in case something happened to us.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± said Carson. ¡°Can we go down and look at the Rocket?¡± ¡°That would be good,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We plan to kill this thing in the water. The If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.thing inside won¡¯t allow us to exist if it hatches. And once we¡¯re gone, it¡¯ll start reaching for the other cities on the continent and wipe out as many people as it can before it can be wiped out.¡± ¡°It won¡¯t leave the ocean,¡± said Festus. ¡°We¡¯ve lost too much. We won¡¯t lose anyone else.¡± ¡°Come on, Carson,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We¡¯re going to need the fish finder and any of those artificial lights you came up with for the automatic carriages.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to fly out for a bit, George,¡± said Festus. ¡°When I get back, we¡¯ll start trying to put more patrol boats on the water while we¡¯re looking at getting our people ready.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll talk to my assistants about what skills we have,¡± said the Watch commander. ¡°We¡¯ll start on target practice as soon as we have our list of projectors ready.¡± ¡°Put a man on ferry duty,¡± said Festus. ¡°We want one projector riding with citizens until we¡¯re sure we¡¯re not going to have another attack.¡± ¡°Right,¡± said George. ¡°How soon can you get started on this, Master Eight Arms?¡± ¡°I plan to fly into Messer¡¯s Reach to finish the race,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°It will take me a small amount of time to gather my plans, and then fly back. Carson and I will have to plan a keel, put in controls, and test it to make sure I won¡¯t kill myself when I go in the water. Then it will take some time to find the egg and kill it. That part is in the unknown range, but the rest might take a year at most.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, George,¡± said Carson. ¡°Zachariah is the best machinist in the world. I¡¯m second best. Between the two of us, we¡¯ll be able to sail around the world under the sea without any problem by the time we¡¯re done.¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to get ready in case the time table moves,¡± said Festus. ¡°Conditions might change before your boat can be readied.¡± ¡°If it does, I will add arms to the Rocket so she can attack from the air to help hold the line,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Lobster Bay might give me a look at the weapons they put on their air ships so I¡®ll have some idea on how to mount them.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get started,¡± said Festus. He straightened. ¡°I expect reports from all of you when things are fully going.¡± ¡°I will have Campbell to send a message when I get back to the Reach and when I am on the way back,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°His bird seems faster than sound from what my daughter said.¡± ¡°I have one more question,¡± said George. ¡°Did you really kill someone in Messer¡¯s Reach?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Why?,¡± asked George. ¡°I lost my Sara with the city,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°He was going to do the same thing to millions of people who don¡¯t have a lot of natural weapons at their disposal. He needed to be stopped.¡± ¡°And it¡¯s the same reason we¡¯re going to take this warning seriously,¡± said Festus. ¡°We can¡¯t lose any more people, and we can¡¯t let anything try to kill everybody we might know whether they are Riordianians, or not.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go down and look at this famous Rocket of yours,¡± said Carson. ¡°A flying machine and an underwater boat. I never thought of trying to build either one.¡± ¡°The flying machine was Sola and Bolan¡¯s idea,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°They wanted to fly in the air race when they saw it.¡± The machinists took the stairs to get down to the lobby, and out to the street. As they walked toward the harbor, the shadow of a long dragon swam through the air on tiny wings. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about Sara,¡± said Carson as they walked to the dock for the ferry. ¡°So am I,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°She was everything good about me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true but I didn¡¯t want to say it,¡± said Carson. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Gold Bug came up with an engine design that works on gravity. We built a working unit from the prototype he put together. It works like a dream.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see this,¡± said Carson. ¡°The most I have been able to do is engines for the ferry so it will run on the sea water.¡± ¡°Sea water?,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°It works fine to charge the engine which turns the paddle,¡± said Carson. ¡°It¡¯s not fast.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be for what it does,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Do you mind if I look at the design work?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t,¡± said Carson. ¡°How did you get the gravity thing to work?¡± ¡°We had to design a new metal and a projector apparatus,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Just finding the right combination took months. The prototype blew apart halfway through testing.¡± Carson nodded. He had suffered similar explosions trying to put things together for the island. ¡°The other racers will be coming in soon,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Some might already be on the field. Gold Bug built an air machine from scrap. I need to look at that before something happens to it.¡± ¡°An air machine built from scrap?,¡± said Carson. ¡°How did that happen?¡± Zachariah recounted the race to his friend while they boarded the ferry and rode back across the harbor to the coastal part of the city. He answered questions as well as he could about the air pirates and the desert raiders. He put in guesses about motives and means where he had to guess at what was going on. ¡°A lightning gun sounds a little dangerous to use underwater,¡± said Carson. ¡°It¡¯s not my first choice,¡± admitted Zachariah. ¡°The boat would have to be specially insulated from any feedback. I don¡¯t want to fire it and then have everything turn to mush around me.¡± ¡°I agree with that sentiment,¡± said Carson. ¡°How many are going to be on the crew?¡± ¡°Right now, just me,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Sola and Bolan are going to have to remain on the surface to mount a rescue if something goes wrong. They¡¯ll probably need you to help with anything like that.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to need someone to help with your search on the boat,¡± said Carson. ¡°Have you considered that?¡± ¡°This is going to be dangerous, Carson,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Anyone who rides with me on this will likely be killed if things go wrong. There are things in the sea more immediately dangerous than an unhatched egg of evil.¡± ¡°I would still like to go,¡± said Carson. ¡°And if I am helping build this, I am going to be one of the few able enough to fix things if there is a problem.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°This is against my best judgement, but we¡¯ll put in an engineer¡¯s console for you to ride along. If you get killed, I am not going to tell your family anything. I won¡¯t face them.¡± ¡°George will do that for you, if you give him something to use,¡± said Carson. ¡°And he probably will do it better than you could anyway.¡± ¡°If the egg hatches, I hope he can lead his men enough to protect the city,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°If that thing hatches into another one of those towers while we¡¯re in the water, that is going to be the least of our problems,¡± said Carson. He made a waterspout motion with his hands. Zachariah nodded. That was another reason he wanted something to kill giants onboard. ¡°It looks like your Rocket isn¡¯t alone,¡± said Carson. He nodded at the fliers coming in for landings. ¡°Look out for these boy machinists from Lobster Bay,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°They like to cause trouble.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± said Carson. He smiled. ¡°I have never been involved in the air race. Thank you for the chance.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s find the kids and then I have to check on Gear Octo¡¯s air machine,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°He might have to sit the rest of the race out.¡± The Air Race 17 Zachariah and Carson walked around the shell of an air ship Gear Octo had brought in from Crater Desert. They pointed at various things as they went. Carson shook his head at the list they had produced after five minutes of talking. The pilot, Brother Rabbit, Sola, and Bolan watched the two pointing out flaw after flaw. The pooka twitched his nose. ¡°Sounds like you were lucky to make it to a landing,¡± Brother Rabbit said. He chewed on a carrot. ¡°Tell me about it,¡± said Octo. He looked down at his torn flight suit. ¡°At least the officials were able to work on my injuries so I can finish the race.¡± ¡°We owe that Alvas for the rescue,¡± said the bunny. ¡°That¡¯s pretty humiliating in my opinion.¡± ¡°Tell me about it,¡± said Octo. Zachariah and Carson stopped in front of the small group. The shorter machinist looked back at the air ship. He turned and smiled at the group. ¡°It¡¯s a wreck, but I think I can do something with it,¡± said Carson. ¡°Carson is going to have to fly back to Lobster Bay with you,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°He¡¯s going to make sure it won¡¯t crash while you¡¯re trying to get home. Festus already talked to the officials about you picking him up as cargo.¡± ¡°So I¡¯m flying with a passenger?,¡± said Octo. ¡°What about the jet?¡± ¡°Carson is going to work on improving it before lift off tomorrow,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Then it should carry the both of you across the continent, barring problems with that battleship we dealt with in Corwin¡¯s Mansions.¡± ¡°This has been an exciting race,¡± said Brother Rabbit. ¡°I can¡¯t believe that the end is in sight.¡± ¡°Festus is throwing a dinner for us,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°After that, Carson and I will be working on Octo¡¯s machine. Bolan, I want you to go over the Rocket and make sure she¡¯s ready to fly. Then we¡¯ll need to get some sleep before takeoff.¡± ¡°Can we look at the island?,¡± said Sola. ¡°I know it¡¯s a ferry ride over and back.¡± Zachariah paused. He hadn¡¯t expected that. He should have realized that Sola would want to see if others had survived the destruction of the city like they had. ¡°Go ahead,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Be back for the dinner. We¡¯re having it here.¡± ¡°Come on, Bolan,¡± said Sola. She patted Hardy on the head so he lumbered after her. ¡°I can stay,¡± said Bolan. ¡°Go with her,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I¡¯m afraid she is going to get a lot of bad news. One of us should be there to brace her. Carson and I will be taking apart Octo¡¯s machine and getting it ready to fly.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Bolan. ¡°I don¡¯t like it.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a sweet shop halfway to the top of the hill,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°If you stop there, you can see most of the city from that side of the hill. I think there¡¯s some other shops around there in case she wants to get a souvenir.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Bolan. ¡°I¡¯ll look after her.¡± ¡°Enjoy the day,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°When we¡¯re done with the race, we have to get to work and start working on our boat.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± said Bolan. ¡°Knife and I can handle anything we need to do.¡± ¡°Come on, Bolan,¡± called Sola. ¡°We¡¯re going to miss the ferry and will have to wait for the next one as slow as you¡¯re moving.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t swim until we figure out what we¡¯re looking for down there,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I got it,¡± said Bolan. He walked toward where Sola waited for him to hurry. Knife followed with the clicking of his mechanical legs. ¡°Do you know who his parents were?,¡± asked Carson. He watched the pair walk toward the docks. ¡°He doesn¡¯t talk about them, and he didn¡¯t give me their names,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I expect that if he wanted to find them, he could. When we met, he said his parents were in the square when the thing erupted. Unless they show up, I think they were killed before Festus sank the city.¡± ¡°Festus sank the city?,¡± said Octo. ¡°With what?¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t you been paying attention?,¡± said Brother Rabbit. ¡°He did it with his dragon.¡± ¡°Could you do that with Pearl?,¡± asked Octo. ¡°Not a chance,¡± said Rabbit. ¡°She¡¯s not a fighting monster.¡± ¡°You guys can take off and get out of our way,¡± said Carson. ¡°I think we can handle this. Maybe you should go with the kids.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to get some sleep,¡± said Brother Rabbit. ¡°I¡¯m tuckered out.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to get a drink from the local saloon before dinner,¡± said Octo. ¡°Can you get this thing in better shape?¡± ¡°I think so,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Carson¡¯s daemon and Gold Bug are decent fabricators. Between the four of us, we should have your plane improved enough to make it home from Messer¡¯s Reach. Carson is going along to make sure it doesn¡¯t fall apart because we missed something.¡± ¡°If I didn¡¯t think it would be safe, I wouldn¡¯t fly in it,¡± said Carson. ¡°Trust me on Stolen story; please report.that.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll talk to the force command and see if I can get the both of you some kind of compensation,¡± said Octo. ¡°I¡¯m going to get that drink. I¡¯ll be back before the dinner.¡± The machinists watched him walk off. Brother Rabbit had already vanished while they were distracted. ¡°I thought they would never leave,¡± said Carson. ¡°Let¡¯s get started,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We want to be done by the time dinner is served.¡± ¡°I¡¯m with you,¡± said Carson. His daemon floated from the marks on his arms and torso. She waved her arms in the air as she looked at her partner. ¡°We have a big job to do, Ferra. We¡¯re taking this air machine apart and putting it back together in better shape.¡± ¡°While Ferra is doing her part, Gold Bug, I need you to check on all the controls, wiring and so forth,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Test as you go if you don¡¯t mind.¡± The ant waved its antennae. He climbed down from Zachariah¡¯s shoulder. He trundled to Octo¡¯s repaired machine. He climbed up the side and dropped inside the seating area. Ferra floated over to the air machine. Her ten tentacles started going over the seams binding the parts together. In a few minutes, the thing was disassembled and spread over its slot on the launch field. She started putting it back together slower than she had taken it apart. Each segment looked new as she went over it, and slotted it to the next segment in line. Gold Bug worked his way along the inside of the craft, checking every line, and bolt, and inner seam as he went. He had to use his resin to patch things in certain places. He felt that was a good fix, and an improvement in some cases. Zachariah nodded as the air machine came back together. Ferra still had her touch. Carson should be proud of his daemon. He walked around the air machine, checking the repairs with his eyes. Even the wheels looked new to his eyes. He nodded. The real question was how she would do in flight. They couldn¡¯t take her up until the race restarted, so they couldn¡¯t know if the overhaul on the engine and controls had made things better until they launched for real. He hoped Carson and Ferra could ride it out if there was trouble with the engine, or the controls. ¡°She¡¯ll do fine,¡± said Carson. ¡°Ferra thinks she¡¯s better than when she rolled off the assembly table.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure there won¡¯t be a problem,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I have to go spend my last night with my family,¡± said Carson. ¡°I will be back in time for the launch tomorrow.¡± ¡°Go ahead, Carson,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We¡¯ll be here when you come back.¡± Gold Bug climbed up Zachariah¡¯s body to perch on his shoulder. He watched his rival and rival¡¯s partner walk off the field. The work had fitted together smoothly from his perspective. ¡°Things are going to be busy tomorrow,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I need one more thing from you before you take a break if you don¡¯t mind.¡± Gold Bug waited patiently on his shoulder. ¡°I need you to create a model of various armaments we can take into the water in your opinion,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We¡¯re going to have to build a working type to use with our boat once it¡¯s in the water.¡± Gold Bug climbed down to the ground again. He stood in the grass, waiting for Zachariah to hand him some metal to use. His partner handed him a small piece of iron to consume. He bit into the iron cube. Every bite split off another ant to take a bite. The cube vanished under the assault. The swarm created three unpowered models to fit what Zachariah wanted. The ants recombined as the time limit on what the metal gave him wore out. He took in each duplicate while he waited for Zachariah to say something. ¡°This looks like a gravity gun,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°And a lightning gun. What¡¯s this last one? I don¡¯t recognize it.¡± Gold Bug made a power source resembling a crystal tube and plugged that into the miniature gun. He triggered it. A section of the grass and part of the dirt vanished. He pulled the power source out of the model weapon. ¡°How well will that work underwater?,¡± asked Zachariah. The ant made a clack with his mandibles that indicated that he didn¡¯t know how it would work against a different environment. ¡°We¡¯ll mark it down as something that needs development,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I think we will keep this idea to ourselves. Warfare has enough weapons in my opinion.¡± Gold Bug climbed up his partner¡¯s leg. He vanished into his hive. Zachariah picked up the three models. He looked at the divot blown out of the field. What would happen if the weapon fired in the water and blew back on itself? Did he want to be around if that happened? He should do some tests before he considered using the weapon on his underwater boat. The last thing he wanted was punch a big hole in his craft while he was stuck inside of it. He also needed to learn how to swim. That was something he had neglected to pursue machining. Zachariah stored the models in the Rocket. He decided that he would talk to Bolan about running the tests. If the weapon was unsafe, they couldn¡¯t use it to kill the egg. Either the gravity gun, or the lightning gun, would have to do to get things done. He settled in his seat and closed up the window. He needed a nap after all the excitement they had gone through the last few days. The kids would be back to wake him up for the dinner. He closed his eyes and thought about the undersea boat. He compared what he wanted to the rocket. He knew he had fallen asleep when he found himself in a vast area of parts and moving metal arms on tracks. He looked around as he walked. White walls and moving pieces were everywhere. ¡°Hello, old chum,¡± said Gold Bug. He smoked on a pipe as he walked among the parts on his back legs. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure, I¡¯m sure.¡± ¡°Hello, Gold Bug,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to talk to you like this. This is a nice place you have here.¡± ¡°I like it,¡± said the ant. He gestured down an aisle with one of his torso arms. ¡°Are you sure we should try to find this egg?¡± ¡°Not really,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°What¡¯s your opinion?¡± ¡°We could get killed if we¡¯re not careful,¡± said Gold Bug. He walked down the aisle. He puffed on his pipe as he went. ¡°There¡¯s a risk,¡± agreed Zachariah. ¡°I¡¯m hoping to minimize it as much as possible.¡± Gold Bug paused in front of a section of vehicles. They were models to Zachariah¡¯s eyes, but he was sure they would work. He looked at the rows of cradles stretching out of sight. ¡°These are marvelous,¡± he said. He wanted to take them off their cradles and see what they could do. ¡°It¡¯s your imagination,¡± said Gold Bug. ¡°One of these should suit your purposes if you can translate the design to the real world.¡± ¡°One of these?,¡± said Zachariah. He walked among the cradles. He found a design that looked like a combination of a sailing boat and his Rocket. A hatch for divers to leave from the bottom indicated two decks inside the shell. ¡°Is it possible to look inside?¡± ¡°Open up Design Two Five Five!,¡± commanded Gold Bug. Metal hands descended from the tracks on the ceiling. They pulled the design apart to show how the inside was laid out. One set of arms held the upper deck to be inspected while the lower deck sat on the cradle. Zachariah took mental pictures of the craft. He noted space set aside for cabins for the crew, a bigger gravity engine, and weapon systems that looked like a combination of gravity guns and the new model of weapon Gold Bug had put together. ¡°This is very nice,¡± said the machinist. ¡°Do you think we can build this in a year?¡± ¡°I can build a prototype in a few hours,¡± said Gold Bug. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be able to take much in the open water.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°The faster we find out if the egg is there, the better things will be. Another eruption would finish the survivors here.¡± ¡°If it grows like you think it will, the island would only be the first,¡± said Gold Bug. He puffed on his pipe. ¡°We might lose a good portion of the continent before the Green Lights wipe it out.¡± ¡°If the Green Lights can wipe out,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± said Gold Bug. The world shook around them. ¡°It looks like it¡¯s time for you to wake up,¡± said Gold Bug. ¡°Have a good time at the dinner.¡± The Air Race 18 Zachariah watched the other racers ready to launch for the last leg. He noted the absence of three of the propellor aircraft. He hoped he hadn¡¯t left them in the desert when he was saving the others. Carson and Gear Octo talked beside the ace¡¯s improved plane. He doubted the machine would come apart after the going over they had done to it, but it was always good to have a machinist along on a test flight. The Kellers crawled over their own aircraft with tools in hand. He expected some kind of booster to be put in play to give them a flight advantage in speed. He couldn¡¯t worry about that. The Riordians in the race readied their daemons. The two days rest had done the flying creatures some good in his opinion. More than one had thanked him as they went by. He told them to thank the Alvas knight. Sir Dormir had done most of the hard work of freeing them with his magic. Brother Rabbit waved as he went to his spot, Pearl on his shoulders. He chewed on a carrot as he eyed the sky. He nodded as if to say today was a good day to fly. Zachariah agreed with that sentiment. There wasn¡¯t a cloud in the sky. You could see the edge of the world when you climbed high enough. He expected to be in Messer¡¯s Reach about the middle of the night if the Rocket performed like she had been doing. He also expected to beat the rest of the racers there. Entering the race had been a good thing on the whole despite the dangers. It had made Sola happy for one. He had tested out his technology for another. He had met some interesting people who could give him work down the line. He had also met his rival in the Keller boys, and it had given him some insight on how others became machinists. ¡°Ready to fly?,¡± asked Festus. He had come up from behind the Rocket. He smiled at the way Zachariah jumped. ¡°Yes,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I am waiting on my crew to return from their last minute shopping.¡± ¡°Really?,¡± said the king. ¡°It¡¯s the first time Sola and I have been here since the destruction,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°She wanted a chance to look around before we left.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve done what we can to rebuild things,¡± said Festus. ¡°Do you really think this threat is real?¡± ¡°The person who warned me warned me about an attack on the race in Corwin¡¯s Mansions,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I think he knows something, but since I have no way to track him down, I have to proceed and see what I can find on my own.¡± ¡°I talked with the race officials,¡± said Festus. ¡°They have informed me that the Houses have been informed about the attack over the desert and the use of their precious drug to do it. I have asked if they wanted some of our fliers to assist in chasing the rebels out in the open.¡± ¡°I think we lost three of our mechanical fliers,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I think we missed them when we were freeing the others.¡± ¡°Mechanical fliers?,¡± asked Festus. ¡°They had air machines powered by combustion engines,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I think anything about it while making our escape and getting Gear Octo back in the air, but I don¡¯t see them here. And we lost one racer to the attack in the mountains.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do about it, but I expect the Houses block any rescue party from entering their region of control,¡± said Festus. ¡°It was a lot of dickering so the air route could be traced over the desert if I recall correctly.¡± ¡°Can you get the racers back?,¡± asked Zachariah. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to the Baldwin ambassador here in the city,¡± said Festus. ¡°Green lights should be able to extract them without any problem. They might be able to do it without the Houses being aware a mission had been launched.¡± ¡°What if they won¡¯t,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I¡¯ll think of something,¡± said Festus. ¡°I have to give the commencement speech. You might want to get ready to fly.¡± ¡°Thank you for checking on this,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I didn¡¯t think about it until now. I was too happy just getting out of the desert after getting the Rocket back into the air.¡± ¡°It¡¯s understandable,¡± said Festus. ¡°None of your fellow racers even noticed, or presumed your missing racers were dead. I¡¯ll check into it. There¡¯s Abigail, and the boys. I have to go.¡± Festus joined a woman and two young boys making their way toward the pavilion set up for him to speak from at the end of the launch way. The boys waved their arms to be lifted by the king as he walked toward the pavilion. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Zachariah smiled. He remembered the group from his visit to the government center the first day he had been back. He wiped his face with his hand as he turned to check the Rocket one last time. Everything looked okay to his naked eye. Panels were in place. The spaces for the landing skids to retract were clear. Nothing fouled the jets. ¡°We¡¯re back, Da!,¡± called Sola. ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± said Zachariah. He waved at her as he stepped from behind the Rocket. ¡°What have you got there?¡± ¡°Some souvenirs,¡± said Sola. ¡°I also got you eye protectors for flying.¡± ¡°Really?,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°The king is about to give the speech. I think you should stow your souvenirs so we can power up and get ready to fly.¡± ¡°Here,¡± said Bolan. He handed over glasses with dark lenses. ¡°These should do until we tint the windows to block out the sun when we¡¯re flying.¡± Zachariah put the glasses on. He lifted them. He dropped them over his eyes. He nodded in satisfaction. ¡°I should have thought of these before we launched from the Reach,¡± he said. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°No problem,¡± said Bolan. He had a number of packages in his arms. He said something to Knife. The spider ran up the side of the Rocket. Then it pulled the packages up to the compartment using metallic tentacles from its back. ¡°The others will be launching in a bit,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Sir Dormir is first in line again.¡± ¡°He needs something faster than a tree,¡± said Sola. ¡°I think the tree is a trick,¡± said Bolan. ¡°It makes him look like he¡¯s racing, but he¡¯s really spying on us for the Alvas.¡± ¡°Any why would he do that?,¡± asked Sola. ¡°Because of those skirmishes along the border with Bern,¡± said Bolan. ¡°There is also the possibility that Sir Dormir is exactly what he says he is which makes him eccentric by the Alvas standard,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Let¡¯s go, children.¡± ¡°Eccentric, Da?,¡± asked Sola. She waved for Bolan to climb up to the compartment. ¡°The Alvas have a reputation for unchanging methods,¡± said Zachariah. He waited for his daughter to climb up the ladder before he did. ¡°The few that we see trying to improve something are considered eccentric, or borderline mad, by the rest of their society.¡± ¡°That means trouble for him back in his homeland instead of accolades, doesn¡¯t it?,¡± asked Bolan as Zachariah pulled himself into the pilot¡¯s chair. ¡°Probably,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°No one appreciates innovation unless it can be proved to be helpful in some way. And the Alvas as a whole feel they don¡¯t have to innovate since they have a huge degree of magic at their control.¡± ¡°So they won¡¯t accept the flying trees unless Sir Dormir can show they¡¯re useful?,¡± said Sola. ¡°And we can¡¯t duplicate what he¡¯s doing in a natural way,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°So a flying tree is an impossibility for most of the rest of us.¡± ¡°Thanks for coming today,¡± said Festus, cutting across their conversation. ¡°As you know, we¡¯re the last stopping point for the Great Air Race. The fliers are on their way back to the finish line to claim the prize. I am pleased that so many of our people are trying out their skills in this. I have high hopes that the cup will reside in Riordiana for the next year. When my son gives the signal, the officials will wave you into the air. Good luck.¡± ¡°His son is giving the signal?,¡± asked Sola. ¡°He¡¯s a bright boy from all accounts,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Get ready to launch. This is going to be lot faster since there aren¡¯t any obstructions to fly over.¡± ¡°What about Carson?,¡± asked Bolan. ¡°He¡¯s flying with Octo back to Lobster Castle,¡± said the machinist. ¡°He¡¯ll get a lift back to Messer¡¯s Reach when he has looked at their flying machines for them. It¡¯s a fine piece of gold for him if he can upgrade them with his daemon.¡± ¡°The squid?,¡± said Sola. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± said Zachariah. He watched the officials take their places beside the racers on the field. He hoped they didn¡¯t stand in front of the jets when the flying machines took off. That would lead to some heavy burns in his opinion. A nine-tailed fox appeared. Then there were a pack of them. They opened their mouths and flames shot in the sky and exploded. Sir Dormir lifted off under the revolving limbs of his tree. He sailed across the sky from the harbor. ¡°That¡¯s an artillery piece when he gets older,¡± said Bolan. ¡°How do the boards look?,¡± asked Zachariah. He brought the engine alive and let it idle while he checked the flipping numbers of his console. ¡°Everything looks good here,¡± said Bolan. ¡°The map looks ready,¡± said Sola. ¡°The compass is on track.¡± The officials worked their way down the lines of racers. Zachariah watched the fliers take off with an eye on overtaking the faster ones and winning the race. ¡°It¡¯s down to the four of us,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Brother Rabbit is next, Octo and Carson, the Kellers, and then us.¡± ¡°We¡¯re good to go,¡± said Bolan. ¡°Everything is still in the green.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Zachariah. He watched the official that stood beside the Rocket. When they lifted off, he didn¡¯t want to turn the man into mush. ¡°Powering up the underbelly jets,¡± said Zachariah. Brother Rabbit threw Pearl in the air, and grabbed a leg as the dragon swam off. One of his gauges fluctuated as he watched his console. ¡°We have a problem in the number three jet.¡± Gear Octo pushed his jet out of position and roared down the strip. He launched into the air. ¡°There¡¯s some kind of blockage,¡± said Bolan. ¡°Power down. I¡¯ll check it.¡± The Kellers roared down the strip while he cut the engines. He saw one of the boys give him a thumb¡¯s up. He knew they had sabotaged the jet to ground him for the precious minutes they needed to get ahead. ¡°No,¡± said Zachariah. He slid the window back after cutting the power. ¡°I have this.¡± He climbed down the side of the Rocket and walked down to number three. Gold Bug rode on his shoulder. The ant clacked its mandibles together. ¡°What¡¯s the problem?,¡± asked the race official. ¡°Someone sabotaged the number three jet so it would blow up when I ran full power to it,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°See this rock. It¡¯s not supposed to be blocking the output. When the engine blew, the rock would be driven into the ground and the evidence would be gone unless we lucked out and found it in a search for causes.¡± ¡°Cheaters, eh?,¡± said the official. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I think I can fix this if you can give me five minutes.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said the official. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to the others. Word will be sent to Messer¡¯s Reach to knock the time off.¡± ¡°What do you think, Gold Bug?,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Do you think you can clear the jet?¡± Gold Bug clacked its mandibles. He lifted his arm so his daemon could reach the jet. The rock disappeared piece by piece as hundreds of Gold Bugs split and split again across the hull of the Rocket. They reassembled into one ant as Zachariah looked at the alteration of the hull. He held his hand up so the manufacturer could shift back to his shoulder. ¡°Let¡¯s see what this does,¡± said Zachariah as he ran to climb back to his seat. The Air Race 19 The belly jets of the Rocket fired. Zachariah checked his gauges. He didn¡¯t see anything else reading funny. They might have a chance to catch up after all. The official waved at him to launch from outside the zone of debris being pushed by the jets. He pointed in the direction of travel. Zachariah waved back that he understood and hovered into position. Then he switched jets and barreled after the other racers in the air. ¡°That was a dirty trick to clog the intake,¡± said Bolan. ¡°It¡¯s all right,¡± said Zachariah. He pushed the throttle wide open. ¡°I think Gold Bug reworked the jets to give us a bit of extra speed.¡± ¡°How much extra?,¡± asked Bolan. His gaze turned to the number cubes flipping on their spokes. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We¡¯re about to hit our upper limit. We¡¯ll see what happens after that.¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to catch up to the leaders?,¡± said Sola. ¡°We¡¯re moving fast across the map.¡± The picture cubes changed faster than she could read them. She checked the compass. It held steady. A vibration ran through the Rocket. Zachariah looked at his gauges. The machine flew at the top of the board, but seemed to be flying faster than that. He glanced at Gold Bug. The ant waved his antennae from his place on the machinist¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Bolan,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Look out the sides of the window for me.¡± The apprentice unstrapped from his seat. He came forward and looked out both sides of the window. Wings extended from the back of the Rocket. Small engines burned the air behind them. Then the wings fell away in a plume of flame that pushed the flying machine forward and shook the sky around them. Bolan held on to the pilot¡¯s chair to prevent himself from flying to the back of the compartment. Knife pulled himself forward and caught his partner in a grip. He used his grip on the floor to get the apprentice to his seat and help strap him in. Bolan rubbed his shiny head as he looked at the gauges. ¡°We¡¯re below the red lines,¡± said Bolan. ¡°How is that possible?¡± ¡°Gold Bug¡¯s machine was a booster with its own power source,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°It gave us a lot of directed force while burning itself up. We should see our speed dropping soon. Our own engines won¡¯t keep this up without the booster.¡± ¡°We¡¯re halfway to Messer¡¯s Reach, Da,¡± said Sola. ¡°We¡¯ll be there in an hour at this speed.¡± ¡°It won¡¯t last,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We might drop down to reasonable speeds without crashing, but with the booster gone, we will be dropping down. Good work, Gold Bug.¡± ¡°I¡¯m starting to see a bit of a strain on the engine,¡± said Bolan. ¡°We¡¯re going to have to slow down somehow.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not going to be able to do it until the boost runs out,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We can power down the throttle, and coast for as long as possible.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Bolan. Zachariah cut the throttle back. He watched the height measurer as he held on course. The last thing he wanted was to go in a spin and dig a line through the ground to Messer¡¯s Reach. The speed numbers stopped clicking on their spokes. He nodded. The booster was wearing off as expected. All he had to do was hold steady and cut the throttle back up when the numbers had reached a certain point. ¡°We should be able to see the city wall from here, Da,¡± said Sola. ¡°I see it,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We¡¯ll be there soon enough. I think I see a green light and some balloon over the city.¡± ¡°We have to spiral down inside the wall,¡± said Sola. ¡°That¡¯s the only way to be certified as a finisher in place.¡± ¡°That means we have to burn off some of this speed if we want to do that,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Suggestions?¡± ¡°Direct engine flow through the belly jets and use them for brakes,¡± said Bolan. ¡°What happens if inertia keeps the engine coming through the compartment?,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t,¡± said Bolan. ¡°There¡¯s a chance that we might flip over if the jets fire at the wrong time.¡± ¡°So we cut the forward push,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Then hit the belly jets while the push is lessening behind us.¡± He eased down the throttle. Then he hit the switch. He checked his air speed. They were still moving fast. He worked the stick so the Rocket bled off speed in a set of turns. He smiled as they Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.came to a stop at the edge of the wall and hovered in place. He poured enough power on to lift them over the barrier. He descended on the other side, riding the belly jets. ¡°We have to go around three times, Da,¡± said Sola. ¡°I have it,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I don¡¯t see any of the officials.¡± ¡°We¡¯re ahead of schedule,¡± said Bolan. ¡°They¡¯re probably still at home waiting for messages from Riordiana that we launched.¡± ¡°That means we¡¯ll be stuck here while we wait for someone to check us in,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Maybe we can get Campbell to help us check in.¡± ¡°What can he do?,¡± asked Bolan. ¡°As an ambassador, he can call his opposite number and see if anyone in Messer¡¯s Reach knows where the race commission is,¡± said Zachariah. The green light dropped down to hover outside the Rocket¡¯s window. He tapped on the sliding door with a fist. Zachariah reached up and slid the window out of the way. He was glad that he was wearing the sunglasses Bolan had given him. ¡°How do you do?,¡± said the green light. ¡°What brings you to Messer¡¯s Reach?¡± ¡°I¡¯m competing in the air race, and it looks like I¡¯m the first to reach the finish line,¡± said Zachariah. He frowned. He had answered without thinking. ¡°These are my daughter and apprentice.¡± ¡°You¡¯re competing in the air race?,¡± said the green light. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Zachariah Eight Arms,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°This is Sara¡¯s Rocket.¡± Hardy opened up his wing case and produced the racing card. The green light took it gingerly. He nodded at the checkpoints listed on the card. He set the one for the finish in it with a gaze. He handed the card back for safekeeping. ¡°I want you to land next to the staging area,¡± said the green light. ¡°I¡¯ll mark the time in the book, and get someone to witness your arrival. Land and wait for me, please.¡± ¡°I will be glad to, sir,¡± said Zachariah. The green light flew away with a nod. Zachariah closed the window. He looked around. He didn¡¯t know how many more turns they needed before they landed. ¡°How many more turns do we need?,¡± asked Zachariah. ¡°One and a half,¡± said Sola. ¡°Better do two from here to make sure.¡± ¡°Right,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I wonder how fast we completed this last leg. He seemed surprised to see us.¡± ¡°We¡¯re hours ahead of time according to the clock,¡± said Bolan. ¡°One more turn,¡± said Sola. ¡°We¡¯re almost done.¡± ¡°There¡¯s an award ceremony,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°A dinner for the racers. That will be tomorrow. After that, we have to start thinking about the two jobs we have.¡± ¡°Two jobs?,¡± asked Sola. ¡°What two jobs?¡± ¡°Our man in blue wanting us to search the bottom of the Riordiana harbor is one job,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°The other is the call for the battleship for Lobster Bay.¡± ¡°So we¡¯re really going to try to do that,¡± said Bolan. ¡°A flying battleship will take a ton of materials and manpower to build.¡± ¡°I know,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I¡¯m sure we can build both craft in a matter of months if we can get the material together. Carson will be able to help with that. The main problem is designing the things so they operate like they are intended so they will be easy to put together, won¡¯t break apart under trouble, and are easy to maintain if we hand them over to others.¡± ¡°Are we going to hand them over?,¡± asked Bolan. ¡°I haven¡¯t decided yet,¡± said Zachariah. He veered from hitting the wall at the last moment. He cautioned himself to pay attention to what he was doing. ¡°Something has to be done with that menace in Corwin¡¯s Mansions.¡± ¡°I guess a flying craft capable of taking him on toe to toe would be the right thing to do,¡± said Bolan. ¡°He won¡¯t bring that thing against Baldwin, but he might still attack the Reach, or Riordiana.¡± ¡°If he attacked Riordiana, he better stop Festus from launching before attacking any of the holdings,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Anything else would ask to be decimated by Primrose¡¯s attack.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think Messer¡¯s Reach has any flying forces,¡± said Bolan. ¡°And there¡¯s the Alvas and the Rhiem.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not exactly an easy assault,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°A lot depends on what other forces he can deploy. All we saw were a few pilots with their own craft. What if he has ground forces capable of holding any land seized. It would be a struggle to evict him until a green light arrived. And even green lights can be killed under the right circumstances.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Bolan. ¡°I can see that thing cutting a path through the Alvas until they got their magic working.¡± ¡°If they got their magic working,¡± said Sola. ¡°Good point,¡± said Bolan. They had gotten lucky over Corwin¡¯s Mansions flying against that big thing in the sky. Knife¡¯s tool kit had made all the difference. If that thing dropped down on Riordiana, or Messer¡¯s Reach, there was no telling how many people would be killed before a counterattack was launched against it. There was no telling if a counterattack could be launched against it from the ground. He didn¡¯t want to be on the ground trying to do that when an air attack gave him a chance with the right flying machine. ¡°We¡¯ve made the last turn, Da,¡± said Sola. ¡°We can land as directed.¡± Zachariah put down next to the stage as directed. He cut the jets so the Rocket settled on its skids as gently as possible. He pushed the cockpit door back and unstrapped. He climbed out and descended to the ground. Sola and Bolan joined him a few moments later. They worked on stretching out kinks from the short ride across the continent. ¡°It will be good to get back to the shop after this,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I don¡¯t think I am cut out for adventures.¡± Bolan and Sola looked at each other. They tried not to laugh at the sentiment. ¡°So do we have to wait for the officials to come down?,¡± asked Sola. ¡°You two should be okay to go about your business,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I think Gold Bug and I can talk to the officials and have everything certified without you.¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to stay just in case,¡± said Sola. ¡°I don¡¯t want to lose because we were supposed to be here and we weren¡¯t.¡± ¡°And we¡¯re going to have to show that we were on the Rocket with you when Gold Bug¡¯s machine activated,¡± said Bolan. ¡°They¡¯re going to think we cheated, Da,¡± said Sola. ¡°I can see that,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We did complete the last leg in record time.¡± ¡°And we don¡¯t have the booster unit,¡± said Bolan. ¡°It broke off in flight.¡± ¡°Gold Bug¡¯s machines do tend to do that,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°So we have to wait and talk to the officials,¡± said Sola. ¡°After that, we can head home and sleep in our own beds tonight.¡± ¡°The celebration will be tomorrow night if all the racers can get back tonight,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°That will be great,¡± said Sola. A group of men in commission livery walked across the field. Some of them adjusted their uniforms as they approached the Rocket. One held a book to record the times and names of the winners. Zachariah put down his name as the pilot, and his passengers¡¯ names as crew. He displayed the yellow card to show when he had arrived. That was also put down next to his name. The officials released him from the field until the awards ceremony. He asked if he could remove the Rocket. ¡°We¡¯re going to have to inspect it first,¡± said the lead official. ¡°And we¡¯re going to have to make sure everything is as it was.¡± Zachariah looked down at his kids. They both indicated silence on his part. ¡°Go ahead,¡± he said to the officials. The Air Race 20 Zachariah looked at the papers pinned to his work table. He thought he had enough for working models of his next two projects. Gold Bug could build them easily enough. Once he had the models, he could think about gathering the materials necessary to do the job. Carson and his squid would be a real help in assembling things. Bolan and Knife would be stuck doing inspections to make sure everything worked right. Gold Bug would have to put some of the fine tuning together for them as they worked. They might need extra hands, but he didn¡¯t know who they recruit for this. There weren¡¯t that many machinists operating. They might be able to get some people from Lobster Bay¡¯s air corps. It was an option they needed to look at before they went forward. Carson could do the work of dozens of men with his daemon. When he was concentrating on something specific, more hands meant more general work being done that he couldn¡¯t get to at the moment. Zachariah didn¡¯t think they needed that many more people, but he wanted to be sure about things. A knock sounded on the door. Zachariah looked up. He wasn¡¯t expecting anyone. The children and Carson had gone to the celebration without him. His shop had been closed down for the race, so he didn¡¯t think any customers would be by, and it was later than he received customers at any rate. He handed Gold Bug a piece of metal to chew on before he went to the door. If there was trouble, he wanted one of them to be ready for it. ¡°Who¡¯s there?,¡± Zachariah asked. ¡°It¡¯s Campbell, Master Eight Arms,¡± said the ambassador to Messer¡¯s Reach. ¡°Can I come inside?¡± ¡°Certainly,¡± said the machinist. He unlocked the door and let his visitor inside. ¡°Would you like something to drink?¡± ¡°That would be excellent,¡± said the ambassador. ¡°Thank you. Do you have some ale?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Hold on. Please, have a seat.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± said Campbell. He went to a visitor¡¯s chair and settled in. Zachariah handed him a cold bottle of ale moments later. He smiled as he took it. ¡°What brings you by, Ambassador?,¡± asked the machinist. He had some cold tea in a cup for himself. ¡°I have been sent news that you are going home,¡± said Campbell. ¡°I have a temporary job in the harbor,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°And I have a commission for Lobster Bay. I am hoping to complete both of them before the next air race.¡± ¡°The commission has taken complaints that you cheated to win this year¡¯s race,¡± said Campbell. ¡°Really?,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°The Kellers.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± said the ambassador. ¡°They contend that your Rocket had to fly many times faster than survivable by an aircrafting.¡± ¡°They are right and wrong,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°A flying machine with the right shape can fly as fast as the engine can carry it, but if the flying machine is the wrong shape, or shoddily built, there is a chance that it might come apart if pushed hard enough.¡± ¡°I have heard that some magical craftings can also go faster than what is normally survivable in a flying machine,¡± said Campbell. ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about magic,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Who does?,¡± said Campbell. ¡°The survey on your flying machine matches what they took before the race began, so you are clear.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± said Zachariah. It was lucky the booster machine had broken up in the air while they were flying to Messer¡¯s Reach. The fact was he had cheated to overtake the racers. The booster had been something his partner had built, but he should have foreseen the trouble with it. The fact that their cheating had not been discovered didn¡¯t make it less wrong. On the other hand, it felt satisfying paying the Kellers back for their cheating. He would never be able to prove they had stuck the rock in the belly jet, but the list of suspects were short, and they were the only technical people on the runway. He had dismissed the Riordianians, Octo, and Rabbit as suspects because of their lack of technical prowess. Sir Dormir didn¡¯t seem to care if he won, and would have used Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.something else to jam the Rocket. That left the Kellers as the only ones with the means and the motive. He just didn¡¯t see how they could have done it. Maybe the monster they had could have done it while his attention was elsewhere. ¡°Do you plan to enter next year¡¯s race?,¡± asked Campbell. ¡°It depends on how fast my commissions goes,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I have two big jobs to do. I hope to have at least one done by the time the race comes up again.¡± ¡°Some of my opposite numbers are conferring with the Houses about flight routes over the Crater Desert,¡± said Campbell. ¡°The route might have to be sent further south toward Bern.¡± ¡°Why aren¡¯t they included in the route now?,¡± asked Zachariah. ¡°They have monster problems,¡± said Campbell. ¡°They blame it on the Rheim and the Alvas, but no one knows where these monsters are coming from, or how to stop them. And the Bern refuse all help with what they see as an internal problem.¡± ¡°I suppose they think an invasion would happen if they took help from outside,¡± said Zachariah. He realized his cup was empty. He needed some more tea. ¡°Probably,¡± said Campbell. He took a long pull from his bottle. ¡°Would you be able to solve their problem?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I would have to look at it for a bit to come up with a solution. And if it¡¯s magic, I don¡¯t see how I can do anything about it.¡± ¡°If it wasn¡¯t magic?,¡± asked Campbell. ¡°Gold Bug and I could come up with a rough solution, but I wouldn¡¯t know how effective it would be until I actually tried to use it,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°That¡¯s a lot more danger than I want to face.¡± ¡°I understand that,¡± said Campbell. ¡°That was why I took my ambassadorship.¡± ¡°Would you like another bottle?,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I have to be going,¡± said Campbell. ¡°It was a pleasure as always.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t be out of the city for long,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I will ask Sourby to see that your building is still here when you get back,¡± said Campbell. He stood. ¡°Thank you for the ale.¡± ¡°It¡¯s no problem,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°As soon as my associate arrives from Lobster Bay, we¡¯ll be moving to a temporary shop in Riordiana.¡± ¡°Associate?,¡± asked Campbell. ¡°I have asked Carson One Thumb to help me with these two jobs,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°He¡¯s a machinist I have worked with before on other projects.¡± ¡°I see,¡± said Campbell. ¡°I¡¯ll see you when you return.¡± ¡°Have a good night, sir,¡± said Zachariah. He saw the ambassador to the door and watched as the man boarded a carriage. His neighbors tried to not look snoopy and failed as the carriage pulled away from the curb. He closed the door and locked it. ¡°I should have foreseen the Kellers calling us out for cheating,¡± said Zachariah. He went to get himself another cup of tea. ¡°They are from Lobster Bay, so they should have some practical knowledge of the limits on flying machines.¡± Gold Bug chewed through the metal he had been given. He didn¡¯t turn his attention to his partner while he was working. ¡°Did we cheat?,¡± asked Zachariah. The ant finished its meal. It held the metal in reserve for something they would need to make in the future. It could do that for a day. ¡°What do you think about Bern?,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Should we go down there and see if there is something we can do about their problems?¡± The ant shook its antennae. They had enough problems just trying to solve their commissions. They didn¡¯t need to take on other people¡¯s problems before they had theirs in check. ¡°I agree,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I would love to look at it, just to say I had a solution that could be used, but you¡¯re right. We have to make sure that egg isn¡¯t in the water before we can think about cleaning up a whole city.¡± Gold Bug settled on part of a blueprint. It clacked its mandibles. ¡°I know,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We¡¯ll need a bigger gravity engine for power because I plan to have crew quarters and a small galley put in. That way we can sail for as long as we have supplies.¡± Gold Bug moved to another part of the blueprints. It waved one antenna. ¡°I haven¡¯t decided on what weapons would be optimal for an undersea craft,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Heavy insulation would be best if we use the lightning model. I am not sure what will happen if we use the gravity gun, or the new design you came up with. We don¡¯t want anything that might backfire on us when we use it.¡± Gold Bug clacked its mandibles. ¡°We will test miniature versions in the water to see what happens,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°If we can¡¯t put them on the water version, we will definitely try them out on the battleship for Lobster Bay.¡± He doubted the Lord of Lightning had a defense against concentrated gravity, but he was prepared to be surprised. He wasn¡¯t the only machinist in the world building things for people. Zachariah finished his tea and went to make another cup. He was looking at the biggest commissions of his life. Even splitting the fees with Carson would make him wealthy enough where he could just invent for invention¡¯s sake. He could modify the battleship designs to head for the moons if he wanted after this. How would he build it without help from a nation was something he had to put aside. Time and money would be more than he could be expected to have for something as big as an aerial battleship. He would have to settle for another Rocket designed for breaching the atmosphere. Like the underwater machine, it would have to operate without air on the outside. He glanced at the plans for the boat. He could take the technology from that and add on flight capability. He didn¡¯t know how long he sat in a daze before he heard the front door unlocking. He looked over. ¡°We¡¯re home, Da,¡± said Sola. She led the way into the lobby of the shop. Bolan and Carson followed her. She had a box in her hands. ¡°We brought some of the dinner home with us.¡± ¡°We also brought home the cup,¡± said Bolan. He held up the trophy for Zachariah to examine. ¡°That¡¯s nice,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I¡¯m flying out in the morning,¡± said Carson. ¡°Octo¡¯s rebuilt jet handles well if I say so myself.¡± ¡°We told Octo we would build a flying battleship for Lobster Bay if he could meet our price,¡± said Bolan. ¡°I don¡¯t know if they will go for it.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t worry about that,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We already have one client that is asking for us to complete a big job for them. I had hoped that we could build both vessels side by side, but there¡¯s plenty of time to work out any negotiations.¡± ¡°The jet will show we can do the job, Zachariah,¡± said Carson. ¡°I¡¯m not worried,¡± said Zachariah. He took the box and opened it. ¡°Steak and potatoes, and a slice of pie. You¡¯re too good to me, Sola.¡± He smiled as he took the box into the kitchen. Doreens Duel Year Three Doreen of the Water that Moves Briskly looked over her shoulder as she walked down to the pond created at the base of the Flaming Hills. Several streams collided there at the end of their runs. Her totem rode on her shoulder, silvery and transparent at the same time. It chattered in her ear as she walked. ¡°I know I can¡¯t avoid Bernie forever,¡± Doreen said. ¡°I just want to avoid him today.¡± Doreen pushed through some brush and found someone sitting with his back to a tree. A dog made of wood lay at his side. He looked up and smiled halfheartedly. It was the kind of smile that said ¡®Look, a stranger has intruded and I don¡¯t see any way to be polite about saying go away.¡¯ The dog flicked an ear, but otherwise didn¡¯t move. ¡°Look, Woody, a visitor,¡± said the stranger. He smiled a little more. ¡°How do you do?¡± The dog turned his head away. He settled in, curling his wooden body around like a comma. ¡°Sorry,¡± said the stranger. ¡°I promised him a lazy day. He gets cantankerous when he doesn¡¯t get to just lay around.¡± The dog made a noise of disagreement, but did not move. ¡°You know it¡¯s true,¡± said the stranger. He petted the dog¡¯s side. ¡°We can leave,¡± said Doreen. She started to turn away. She wanted to avoid trouble, and these two had trouble written all over them. A man in light blue clothing and a wooden dog had no reason to sit at the edge of the training grounds. As soon as the other students found out, they would converge on her and cause problems. Her totem leaped from her shoulder. It raced across the grass and leaped on the dog. It stared at the man in blue with its glassy eyes. ¡°Interesting shape,¡± said the stranger. ¡°Why does it look like a squirrel? I would have thought a water elemental would pick another shape closer to its element.¡± ¡°Tapper is great as an undine,¡± said Doreen. ¡°Why is your totem a dog?¡± ¡°Totem?,¡± said the man in blue. ¡°Woody isn¡¯t a totem. He¡¯s my familiar.¡± The dog barked before settling again. ¡°And he doesn¡¯t like squirrels,¡± said the man in blue. He picked up Tapper with the palm of his hand. ¡°He has them at the top of his list of animals he hates.¡± Tapper leaped to his shoulder. The squirrel patted his face with a paw. ¡°He¡¯s very friendly,¡± said the man in blue. He reached up and stroked the watery surface of the totem. ¡°I know,¡± said Doreen. ¡°We¡¯re supposed to be getting ready for the tournament next month. He won¡¯t fight the other totems. He runs.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem so bad,¡± said the man in blue. He cradled the squirrel in his hands. ¡°There doesn¡¯t seem like a lot of things he would be good facing.¡± Woody grumbled. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how much you sleep, you¡¯ll never get any better looking,¡± said the stranger. He stood. ¡°Can you pull out of the tournament?¡± ¡°No,¡± said Doreen. ¡°If we lose, they¡¯ll take Tapper and render him back to nothingness.¡± ¡°That seems a little extreme,¡± said the stranger. He tossed the squirrel into the air. The beast elongated to land on his shoulder like a silver ribbon. He smiled. ¡°That¡¯s very good.¡± ¡°He¡¯s really fast, and really helpful,¡± said Doreen. ¡°He doesn¡¯t like to fight. And if he can¡¯t fight, then the school doesn¡¯t want him to exist, and they won¡¯t let me stay. I¡¯ll have to go home and admit I couldn¡¯t make a simple totem work like I needed.¡± ¡°Maybe all he needs is some coaching,¡± said the stranger. ¡°The problem is all my talent lies in other directions. What do you think, Woody? Maybe you could teach him something.¡± The wooden dog lifted his head. He regarded the three of them. He barked once Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.before he got to his feet. He walked over and barked at the totem. The squirrel dropped down to the ground. They marched off together into the trees. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± said the stranger. ¡°Woody is great at that sort of thing.¡± ¡°What sort of thing?,¡± asked Doreen. ¡°Coaching,¡± said the stranger. ¡°I know he looks all polished and everything, but he knows some back alley tricks.¡± ¡°You said he isn¡¯t a totem?,¡± said Doreen. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± said the stranger. He smiled. ¡°What do you know about the world?¡± Doreen paused. She felt that this was a trick question. How much did she know beyond the basic history of her nation, the cold war with the shapers across the mountain chain to the west, and other nations further south. She had heard tales of the creature called Geoff who killed with a blade sharper than any steel. There were even stories of places across the ocean. ¡°Just what I have been told at school,¡± said Doreen. ¡°So not much,¡± said the man in blue. He looked at the pond, rubbing his head. ¡°The spellwork your people do is deprived from a simple spell learned by the first shaper. He used it to move his chosen element with his mind, and then he learned to control more than one. But his control doesn¡¯t grant any sentience to what he does.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I want to hear any more,¡± said Doreen. ¡°Pay attention,¡± said the stranger. ¡°You¡¯ll need this if you want to win the tournament. So listen.¡± The man in blue gathered his thoughts, watching the pond. Doreen turned to look at the water. She could see images in the water. She frowned. One of the fleeting images was her companion talking to an elderly man on his death bed. ¡°The first shaper wanted his work to continue, but he felt no one would follow in his footsteps,¡± said the stranger. ¡°When he died, he promised to return to teach his skills to others. In that gap between the first and second shaper, a fraud appeared to try to take advantage. He knew enough of shaping to almost pull it off, but he realized that he could use another magic from across the ocean and combine it with his shaping to give his power a body of its own. Things looked good for him until the second shaper arrived. The fraud was exiled with his new talent, and told never to return.¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying that Emperor Silver Gleaming in the Moonlight was a shaper,¡± said Doreen. ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone else. They¡¯ll turn you in for heresy.¡± ¡°Here¡¯s the part you should take away,¡± said the man in blue. ¡°Tapper is only as ready to fight as you are. You have to want it before he will do anything. If you don¡¯t want to win, he will never win. Silver Moonlight, a more pretentious name than the one he was born with, fought off scores of shapers with his ability to summon a water snake. You can do the same if you want to.¡± ¡°I thought his totem was a rock oxen,¡± said Doreen. ¡°No,¡± said the stranger. ¡°It was a water snake.¡± ¡°How do you know this?,¡± asked Doreen. She didn¡¯t hide her disbelief. ¡°I was there at the start,¡± said the stranger. ¡°The schism happened while I was doing something on the other side of the world. When I returned, your people had split in half with one side on this side of the Demarcation, and the other over there.¡± This man was insane, decided Doreen. There was no way he was thousands of years old. Silver Gleaming in the Moonlight had led his people to their new home at the dawn of their recorded history. ¡°It¡¯s Doreen Loses her Water,¡± said a snide voice. ¡°Who¡¯s this? No one is allowed on the grounds other than students and masters. Looks like we have someone to take in for punishment.¡± Doreen rubbed her face. Bernard and his friends stood at the edge of the clearing around the pond. He invoked his totem. A bird of flame sat on the special bracer he wore. He grinned at her. ¡°One of your fellow students?,¡± said the madman. Doreen nodded. ¡°Could you leave?,¡± asked the stranger. ¡°We¡¯re having a private conversation.¡± ¡°The only talking you are going to do is to the headmaster,¡± said Bernard. ¡°What do you say about that?¡± ¡°I invoke dueling privileges,¡± said Doreen. ¡°You hear that,¡± said Bernard. ¡°Cowardly Doreen wants to duel me.¡± ¡°I think I have the right to duel first,¡± said the man in blue. ¡°No, you do not,¡± said Doreen. ¡°This is between me and Bernard.¡± ¡°You can have the other three,¡± said the stranger. ¡°I want to show your friend some manners.¡± ¡°You can have the other three,¡± said Doreen. ¡°It¡¯s not satisfying ripping sycophants apart,¡± said the stranger. ¡°I invoked the privilege, I get to choose who to fight,¡± said Doreen. ¡°And you don¡¯t have a totem.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need one,¡± said the man in blue. ¡°I¡¯m the Queen¡¯s Knight. That¡¯s enough.¡± ¡°Hold on,¡± said Bernard. ¡°You both want to fight me with your weak totems?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fighting you,¡± said Doreen. ¡°He can take on your halfwits.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± said the Queen¡¯s Knight. ¡°When do you want to start?¡± ¡°Now,¡± said Bernard. He swung his arm. His firebird swept out its wings and sprayed fire at the pair. Doreen jumped to one side. The Knight held up a hand and sent the flame at one of the other duelists. That forced the minion to dance out of the way to avoid being burned to a crisp. ¡°Tapper!,¡± Doreen screamed. ¡°I need you.¡± A streak of silver dived into the pond. The water joined into a more coherent form. The giant squirrel looked down on the combat. A massive paw slapped Bernard into a tree. The other duelists turned to flee with the giant elemental chasing them. Tapper fell on them like a tsunami. Doreen heard screams as the wave vanished in the trees. Woody strolled into view. He settled on a dry patch of ground under a tree and curled up to nap. ¡°Do that for your tournament, and you can¡¯t lose,¡± said the man in blue. He gave Bernard a kick in the stomach. ¡°Good job.¡± Doreen fought back the urge to vomit. Tapper, back to his normal height and weight, climbed up to her shoulder and patted her face. She smiled as she tried out various explanations to explain what had happened. She definitely had to leave out the crazy guy so someone would believe that she had been attacked. Deathbed Talk Minus Year 9000- Maren Grabbing the Stars From the Sky looked at the ceiling of his bedroom. He could feel the stresses inside his frail body. He wouldn¡¯t last the night. All of his teachings would be gone with him. He wished he had more time to learn and to teach. A wooden dog entered the room and walked over to his shallow bed. It looked at him with carved eyes. Then it sat at his side. ¡°Woody?,¡± said a voice from the door. ¡°Where have you gone?¡± The dog barked. It didn¡¯t move from Maren¡¯s side. The wooden eyes seemed intent on the ancient man¡¯s face. A man in a light blue costume came into the room. He wore a dark shirt under his jacket. He pushed back strands of dark hair from his weathered face. Eyes the color of his wardrobe assessed the dying man calmly and passionlessly. ¡°I can¡¯t do anything for him, Woody,¡± said the stranger. ¡°He¡¯s reached the end of his personal timeline. We have to let him go to the Underworld to work off his sins.¡± ¡°Who are you?,¡± said Maren. He didn¡¯t like that his home was invaded by a man who talked to wooden dogs. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± said the stranger. ¡°My name is Errant. This is Woody.¡± The dog barked at the mention of his name. ¡°He¡¯s wanted to visit you for a while, but we¡¯ve had some things to do, so this is the first time we¡¯ve had time to come by,¡± said Errant. ¡°I¡¯m sorry we¡¯re too late to cure your malady. We could have given you another few years.¡± ¡°I would need a century to teach what I know to my people,¡± said Maren. ¡°I have barely scratched the surface. No one else has been able to master the Four Points. They seem to master one and remain there.¡± ¡°Not many can see the functionality of it,¡± said Errant. ¡°Exactly,¡± said Maren. ¡°They want to stay with the thing they are best at doing. I want them to be able to reshape their lives.¡± ¡°They are already doing that with what you have given them,¡± said Errant. ¡°Learning more that they don¡¯t want is a waste. And let¡¯s face it, you¡¯re dying. You won¡¯t be in a position to judge things in a bit.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have to die,¡± said Maren. ¡°I could live forever.¡± ¡°I suppose, but you would have to know something that no one else knows,¡± said Errant. ¡°And I don¡¯t think you¡¯re quite there yet.¡± ¡°I suppose,¡± said Maren. ¡°I thought that being able to do all the shaping I wanted would be enough to make myself happy. Then I thought raising a family would be enough to make myself happy. Then I thought teaching others would make myself happy. Now I am at the end and I don¡¯t think I have ever been happy at all.¡± ¡°And how would you be happy as an immortal?,¡± said Errant. ¡°You would never be happy moving among your people if you were never happy now.¡± ¡°I could learn happiness,¡± said Maren. ¡°I doubt it,¡± said Errant. ¡°I would like to have the chance,¡± said Maren. He held up a hand that was more bone than anything else. ¡°Can you help me?¡± Woody barked a full three seconds. It was enough to lay out a whole argument. He This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.wagged his tail when he was done. ¡°He could still turn evil and kill everyone,¡± Errant pointed out. Woody put a paw on the dying man¡¯s chest. He barked once. Then he sneezed. ¡°Woody says you should be given a chance to prove your mettle,¡± said Errant. ¡°I can¡¯t give you immortality, but I can give you reincarnation until you satisfy the conditions on the gift and no longer need it.¡± ¡°How would that work?,¡± asked Maren. ¡°You¡¯ll be reborn with all of your knowledge every time you die,¡± Errant said. ¡°There may be gaps between lives, but you will be returned all the same. The souls that are supposed to be born instead of you will be shunted to the next available life.¡± ¡°What happens to the souls I will be replacing?,¡± asked Maren. ¡°Nothing,¡± said Errant. ¡°They just get put in the next available life down the line. The Underworld isn¡¯t going to keep them around if they can get rid of them as soon as possible.¡± ¡°How do you know this?,¡± asked Maren. ¡°Because that¡¯s my job,¡± said Errant. ¡°That¡¯s why we came up to talk to you in the first place. Your successor could be a force for good like no other, but so could you with the right amount of time and experience.¡± Woody barked in agreement. ¡°And Woody thinks that maybe if you go around enough, you¡¯ll be able to protect this part of the world when trouble does come,¡± said Errant. ¡°I don¡¯t really agree with him.¡± Woody barked. ¡°Because going around enough can break the mind that it is happening to,¡± said Errant. ¡°You know that. It¡¯s basic humanity.¡± ¡°But you will give me a chance,¡± said Maren. ¡°Yes,¡± said Errant. ¡°Are you sure you want to do this? You might live thousands of lives until things start.¡± ¡°I can do it,¡± said Maren. He didn¡¯t know if he could but he was more concerned about dying and staying dead. ¡°All right,¡± said Errant. ¡°Let me make the connection. A lot of people won¡¯t believe you¡¯re the same person. You¡¯re going to have to deal with that on top of retraining to get back in shape after your deaths.¡± ¡°Retraining?,¡± said Maren. ¡°Dying is going to hurt your memory,¡± said Errant. ¡°You¡¯re going to have to work on your skills and abilities until you remember everything.¡± ¡°I can do that,¡± said Maren. ¡°All right,¡± said Errant. He pulled a rod with a jewel on one end from out of his jacket. ¡°I¡¯m making the connection now.¡± Maren felt the air shift around him. He closed his eyes. He sensed a pull on his heart. He wondered if he was being foolish. No one should live forever. And did this Errant really have the power to do what he said? Pain shot through Maren. His eyes opened wide. His heart beat against his chest like a panicked bird in a room. He looked at the two visitors. The wooden dog had its ears back. The man in the suit held his rod in the air and wore blue light through his skin. ¡°That should do it,¡± said Errant. He put the rod in the inner pocket of his jacket. ¡°I don¡¯t feel any differently,¡± said Maren. He looked at his hands. ¡°You have to die before the effect kicks in,¡± said Errant. ¡°I think we should leave you to it.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± said Maren. ¡°I don¡¯t want to die.¡± ¡°No one does,¡± said Errant. ¡°But you will live another life and another until you don¡¯t need to do that anymore.¡± ¡°Will you wait with me?,¡± asked Maren. ¡°Is that too much of an imposition after what you have already done?¡± ¡°I suppose not,¡± said Errant. He looked around. He settled on a cushion. Woody lay down beside him. ¡°I feel so tired,¡± said Maren. ¡°But I can¡¯t sleep. I haven¡¯t felt this way in a long time.¡± Errant nodded. ¡°I remember when I first learned to shape the earth,¡± said Maren. ¡°It was the first thing I learned how to control. You should have seen the looks on my friends¡¯ faces.¡± ¡°I imagine,¡± said Errant. ¡°Had fun with it, did you?¡± ¡°Yes, but then I started working on using the other elements,¡± said Maren. ¡°It took me years to show that I could do it.¡± ¡°What did the other masters think?,¡± said Errant. ¡°They didn¡¯t like the fact that I had mastered the Four Points, and they couldn¡¯t,¡± said Maren. ¡°They tried to stop me from teaching.¡± ¡°How long have you been trying to teach others all four elemental curves?,¡± said Errant. Maren closed his eyes. He tried to breathe, but everything seemed to collapse inside. He slowly sank away under the darkness. Errant stood. He frowned at the dead body laying on its bed. Woody put his paw on the bed. ¡°I think we should go,¡± said Errant. He wrote a note on a piece of paper and placed it on the body. ¡°There¡¯s nothing else we can do here.¡± Woody howled before he pulled his paw back. The two immortals left the room, letting the students sleep in the outer chamber. They would discover their master before long. Errant held the door for his companion so they could walk out of the school and head into town. He still had things to do to get ready for the future. Setting up someone to teach elemental forces to his people seemed a good way to hinder the Abyss when it did arrive to destroy things. Errant hoped he hadn¡¯t made a mistake. Three Meetings 1 Year Minus 1500 1 The first meeting between Geoff Cantrell and the Dai was because an orphanage was on fire. The day had gone well enough for Geoff. He was riding through the Shaper side of the Demarcation on what he considered his rounds. He saw the smoke in the distance and decided to see what was going on. Cantrell traveled the world. He rode through most of the human territories, sailing the seas when he reached the coasts. It took him years to circumnavigate the globe. He didn¡¯t mind. He had nothing but time, and wandering kept people from realizing that he was immortal. Occasionally, he would run into someone who knew him. They asked how he had been. He told them of some of his travels and things he had seen. And he liked meeting new people and doing new things. Boredom was his enemy more than anyone or anything he ran into on the road. So when he saw the smoke, he thought that it might be something natural, but he had met people using fires to cook for the whole community. Those had also been good times. He kicked his horse into a trot and headed for the base of the cloud. He wanted to conserve the horse¡¯s strength in case they had to run for it. He had no way to fight a major fire, and the horse would want to run away as fast as possible. If there was a fight to be had, he needed to be loose so he could get away if he felt like running. He usually didn¡¯t feel like running unless it was against superior numbers. Then he retreated and picked off his enemies one by one until there was nothing left to fight over. For the most part, clearing out a section of men was enough to make the rest more wary of running roughshod over the people living in the area. Sometimes he had to do that more than once. Geoff pulled his horse up when he saw that the smoke came from a building on fire. He thought he heard screams inside. He dismounted and rushed to what he thought of as the front door. He found a board had been set up to keep the doors from being opened from the inside. He wrenched the board out of the way and threw it to the ground. He pushed open the doors and went inside. He hoped he wasn¡¯t doing something stupid when he could just walk away. ¡°Is there anybody in here?,¡± Geoff shouted. He pulled up his collar to shield his face. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°We need help!,¡± called a voice. It sounded like a boy to Geoff. He started toward it. The burns he took scabbed over and healed as he moved. Geoff paused at another door. It had another lockbar on it. He tried to get his hands around the wood, but his fingers wouldn¡¯t fit under the space. He stepped back. How did he solve this? ¡°The door is barred,¡± shouted Geoff. ¡°I¡¯m going to try to kick it in.¡± ¡°Go ahead,¡± said the voice. ¡°I¡¯m holding back the flame in this room.¡± ¡°Right,¡± said Geoff. Geoff pulled his sword. He stepped back to give himself room. Then he swung the blade against the piece of wood. It split apart and fell to the floor. He slammed against the door. The panel flew out of his way. He smiled. ¡°All right,¡± said Geoff. He waved at the cloud of smoke drifting around him. ¡°I think we should go.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± said one of the kids. She waved at the other children to gather around. ¡°How do we get around the fire?¡± ¡°I can push the fire out of our way,¡± said the original speaker. ¡°Get behind me.¡± Geoff nodded. He stepped out of the door. The kid made a gesture and a wind pushed the smoke and fire out of their way. He ushered the children out of the burning building. He carried the ones that looked too small to make it on their own. He stepped outside and paused at the group of men waiting on him and his charges. He put the smaller students down so he could have his hands free. ¡°We didn¡¯t set the orphanage on fire to allow them to live,¡± said one of the bandits. ¡°Now we have to do things the hard way.¡± ¡°You could walk away,¡± said Geoff. He eyed the opposition as he stepped in front of the children. ¡°You can come back and try to kill them when I¡¯m not around.¡± ¡°We can kill them now,¡± said the spokesman. ¡°One of these children is the future Dai. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.We don¡¯t want him to grow into his authority.¡± ¡°There¡¯s six of you,¡± said Geoff. ¡°Anyone who walks away gets to live. Anyone who wants to kill these kids will get chopped up. This is my last word on this.¡± ¡°Kill him,¡± said the spokesman. He fell down with a knife sticking out of his eye. The other five men hadn¡¯t seen Geoff move. They had raised their hands to create weapons from the elements. Then their leader fell over. And then the swordsman was charging at them, blade in hand. Three of the five controlled the earth. One controlled the air. The last controlled water. Their leader had controlled fire, and had set the fire. They had wanted the burning to resemble an accident. Now it would just look like the massacre they had hoped to avoid doing to evade any investigation. The three earth movers pushed walls up to block their enemy from getting close to them. They had already seen his speed once. That was enough. The air user pushed a wind across the battlefield. The idea was to throw the target for a loss so the others could deal with him. The water master created a wave of water to cover the children. Once that was done, he intended to freeze it in place. Neither Geoff, or the orphans, cooperated with those plans. The immortal used the walls advancing on him to block the wind long enough for him to climb over them in a display of footwork that left the closest target stunned. That was long enough for a quick stab to the chest and a kick to free the blade. Four left. The water master¡¯s wave met a wind flowing from the kids. That turned his creation into a waterspout between him and the suspected Dai. He frowned at being stymied. The frown didn¡¯t last long. Two steps and a swing left his neck open to the air. He clutched at the wound, trying to keep the blood from spurting into the air. A backhand chop fixed that with flying fingers and head. The two remaining earth movers threw rocks at Geoff. He thought that was a good plan. It kept him at a distance. There was plenty of substance to use. They just needed to get lucky once to stop him from shielding the children. The air user moved to pit his wind power against the kids. Once they took care of the knight, let the future Dai try to stop them then. Geoff ducked through the rain of rocks, moving through where they were headed before they got there. His sword increased his reach so he just lunged at the closest man and dropped him to the ground with a stab to the neck. The last earth mover surrounded his body with stone in a casing to protect himself from injury. He stood too close to the wandering knight now. Throwing things only worked when the target wasn¡¯t almost in arm¡¯s reach and coming on fast. Geoff stabbed him through the eye slits left over in the helmet part of the thing and left him to fall. Geoff turned to face his last opponent. He found the man trying to overcome several of the children with his wind powers. Their combined output kept pushing every blast to one side, or another. The wanderer decided that he didn¡¯t need to see which side won the contest of wills. He had warned the shapers to keep moving. He put his sword away as he approached the man. The air mover looked up at his closeness. A punch to the face said it was already too late for him to do anything to save himself. Geoff kicked the man in the head after he fell down. Then he used the man¡¯s sleeves to make bonds to tie him up. That should keep him out of trouble until they talked to someone who knew what was going on. ¡°Thank you,¡± said one of the kids. ¡°You saved us.¡± ¡°Do you children have someone to look after you?,¡± asked Geoff. ¡°I think we should find them and see about putting this fire out.¡± ¡°They live up in the big house,¡± said a little girl with curly hair, and not enough teeth. She pointed at a place that was smaller than the barracks the kids had been in before he had come along. He nodded. ¡°They¡¯re not there,¡± said the future Dai. ¡°They were supposed to go into town for supplies. We were supposed to do chores until they got back.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Geoff. ¡°How many of you can move elements around?¡± A majority raised their hands. ¡°All right,¡± said Geoff. ¡°All of the water shapers look for water. We want to use the water to put as much of the fire out as we can. Fire shapers, try to herd the fire into one spot to make it easier to put out. Earth shapers, we need you to help douse the fire with thin slats of dirt moved on the fire where you can. Air shapers, keep the smoke blowing away from us.¡± The kids scrambled to follow his orders. He hoped they knew enough to do things without hurting themselves. ¡°All of you,¡± said Geoff. He frowned at the rest of the orphans. ¡°I want you to get buckets to help dump water on the fire. Can you do that?¡± The children ran off. He hoped they stayed out of trouble while he kept the movers acting to carry out most of the work. Within minutes, the fire was out. It wasn¡¯t as smooth as Geoff would have liked it, but it was better than most adults he had dealt with in his travels. The survivor woke up after everything was done. He found Geoff considering him from a few feet away. ¡°The sprouts say their foster parents will be back soon,¡± said Geoff. ¡°Here¡¯s your chance to come clean. Did you hurt them first?¡± ¡°No,¡± said the air master. ¡°They¡¯re being held in town until we get back. They¡¯re supposed to be let loose when we confirm the orphans are dead.¡± ¡°Who paid you?,¡± asked Geoff. He frowned at the hesitation of an answer. ¡°It¡¯s best you give me the name. He won¡¯t know it was you that told, and I don¡¯t want to start using a piece of hot iron on you. It¡¯s best to save ourselves a bit of unpleasantness that will be unpleasant for you if you don¡¯t answer my questions.¡± The air shaper looked at the dead men that used to be his friends. This stranger had sliced them apart in a minute. Did he dare try to negotiate, or did he try to make things easier for himself so he wasn¡¯t executed like a sheep for mutton? ¡°Clyde talked to the man,¡± said the minion. He indicated the fire worker who had been stabbed in the eye in the opening moves. ¡°He told us that he had been paid to try to disturb the succession so the Dai would not ascend to the throne in our lifetimes.¡± ¡°And these children?,¡± asked Geoff. ¡°They¡¯re the candidates for the next Dai as far as I know,¡± said the captive. ¡°We¡¯re going to get the foster parents,¡± said Geoff. ¡°I¡¯m willing to cut you loose afterwards, but if you cross me, I will chop you down.¡± The air shaper nodded his head frantically. Geoff had the kids help him bury their enemies. He rode out with his captive walking behind him on a tether. A few hours later, their caretakers arrived with a full wagon of supplies. They had a story about a werewolf saving them from a cell and giving them a bag of coins to buy supplies. It would be another five hundred years before the Dai would see Geoff Cantrell again. Three Meetings 2 Geoff Cantrell rode into the Dai¡¯s encampment on a horse that he had purchased when it was just old enough to carry a man in armor around. It was at the end of its life as he looked at the fighters surrounding him in their armor. He thought he could cut any one of them down. The whole army might be a different story. Geoff smiled as he rode through. He and his horse were of the same mind to take things slow. He didn¡¯t need to look for trouble. It would come at him when it wanted. ¡°I know you,¡± said a thin, middle aged man. ¡°You¡¯re Cantrell. How are you here?¡± And here trouble was in the flesh. ¡°Have we met?,¡± asked Geoff. ¡°I don¡¯t recognize the face.¡± ¡°I¡¯m the Dai,¡± said the man. ¡°I didn¡¯t look like this the last time we met.¡± Geoff searched his memory. Everything he had ever done was stored down in a vault that he could pick through in a moment¡¯s notice. His mind compared the middle-aged man in a dark robe and pants to the millions of people he had met. He didn¡¯t see a resemblance to any of them. ¡°I was an orphan boy five hundred years ago,¡± said the Dai. ¡°I remember that,¡± said Geoff. ¡°How did things go for you after I left?¡± ¡°I became the Dai and did some things, and then I died,¡± said the Dai. ¡°But how are you still alive so long after that?¡± ¡°I made a bad deal,¡± said Geoff. ¡°What seems to be the problem, Lord Dai?¡± ¡°We have blocked passage to the Animal Elementals throughout most of the Demarcation,¡± said the Dai. ¡°We have forced most of them down to this valley. We are preparing to close it so they can¡¯t come through to our side. It¡¯s the only way I can see to make peace.¡± ¡°They¡¯ll be able to cut through any wall you make,¡± said Geoff. He had spent time among the animal elementals. Their ability to create beasts from their chosen element rivaled the shapers. ¡°We plan to build fortifications along the areas that we have closed off,¡± the Dai said. ¡°So if they want to get to your side of the continent, they have to go around, or force their way through a defending force,¡± said Geoff. ¡°Either way will eat up a lot of resources for them.¡± ¡°It will eat up a lot of resources for holding the border against them,¡± said the Dai. ¡°You can¡¯t have everything,¡± Geoff said. ¡°What happens if they try to crack your defensive line?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know yet,¡± said the Dai. ¡°I am hoping that the force of shapers I put in place will defend our territory without invading theirs. The strategy should be sound for a few years until I can think of something better.¡± ¡°Thought about a parley?,¡± asked Geoff. ¡°Yes,¡± said the Dai. ¡°They don¡¯t want it yet. Maybe in a century, or two, they will.¡± ¡°Not exactly a short process,¡± said Geoff. ¡°Time changes things,¡± said the Dai. ¡°You should know that better than anyone. Right now I am hoping that eventually things will improve so that there is a peace process in the future. Right now, it looks like war after war unless we keep them away from our side of the mountains and maintain that line.¡± ¡°I can see that,¡± said Geoff. ¡°Master Dai!,¡± shouted a messenger, riding up on a horse. He brought the horse to a skidding stop in the middle of the encampment. ¡°The animals are coming.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s look at this and see what¡¯s going on,¡± said the Dai. He kicked against the ground and leaped out of the camp. Geoff looked at the flying form and shook his head. There was no way he could beat that on Goat Fred. The horse would kill itself trying to keep up with something like that. He let the horse amble after the shaper. Most of the camp was heading that way. He wondered how much bad news they were willing to take. He couldn¡¯t leave now. His path had been through the valley and down into the Animal Elementals land. Now that it was going to be closed off, he would have to find a new way to ride his route to the coast. By the time Geoff reached the front line where the Dai stood, he had loosened his sword. He had a bow and about twenty arrows, but he was surrounded by men who had bows and could shoot further than he could. He wouldn¡¯t give them a chance against him with a sword in his hand. ¡°It looks like they¡¯re massing for an assault up the valley,¡± said the Dai. ¡°We¡¯ll have to go down and fight them until we can clear the valley and close it.¡± ¡°Let them charge,¡± said Geoff. He dismounted from Goat Fred and patted the horse on the side. ¡°Take care of him for me. He¡¯s old but he¡¯s been faithful. I¡¯ll go down and hold the pass. Drop the sides of the valley on the center to close things like you planned.¡± ¡°Are you sure you can do that?,¡± asked the Dai. ¡°I¡¯ve gotten better with a sword in the last five hundred years,¡± said Geoff. ¡°Either that, or everyone else is so bad they shouldn¡¯t carry one.¡± If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°I understand that feeling,¡± said the Dai. ¡°I will ready the earth shapers to collapse the walls of the valley.¡± ¡°Let me go down and do what I got to do,¡± said Geoff. ¡°Be good for the Dai, Fred. I¡¯ll come back to get you when I can.¡± Geoff started walking down into the valley. The other army was shaping up to lead a charge across the space. He decided to wait for them halfway. It might make them hesitate. On the other hand, it might embolden them to charge into the face of the army at the other end of the valley with the hope their animals could do more damage than the shapers could throw at them. It wasn¡¯t a choice he would like to make for a bunch of people who might be killed in the conflict. Geoff stopped when he thought he was halfway down the valley. He pulled his sword and drew a line in the dirt. He put the sword away. Either they would charge and try to kill him, or someone would come out to talk to him. Then he would know where he stood. All he was really doing was buying time for the Dai and his army to shut the pass down. How long did he have to stall the army? How long would it take to collapse the pass? How many would he personally have to wound and kill to hold them in place? A small party approached. He assumed that one of them was the leader of the army. He could be wrong. The leader could be in the back of things. It didn¡¯t matter. He was barring their way. They probably thought he was the Dai, the shaper who could shape all the elements to his will. They wanted to be cautious because they didn¡¯t want sandstorms dropping fireclouds on top of them. Geoff studied the parley party. He had a rock ox, a firebird, an air horse, and a water snake of some kind. He decided that the air and water controllers had to go first since he couldn¡¯t touch their animals with his sword. Then he could concentrate on the firebird. He didn¡¯t care about the ox one way, or the other. It just didn¡¯t seem that dangerous to him compared to the others. He conceded he could be wrong in his assessment, but he was willing to improvise in the face of danger. ¡°How¡¯s it going?,¡± said Geoff. ¡°Geoff Cantrell for the Shapers. I have been asked to tell you not to cross this line.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Captain Death From Above in a Streak of Fire,¡± said the firebird. ¡°Why would the Shapers send you out here to parley for them?¡± ¡°I know the Dai,¡± said Geoff. ¡°We talked, and I said I would come down here since he would need most of his army to close the pass. Now as you must know, I¡¯m not a shaper. It just isn¡¯t in my bag of skills. On the other hand, the skills I do have will allow me to inflict losses on your army that you don¡¯t need. Just take your men down out of the valley. Then the valley will be closed. No one has to be hurt on either side.¡± ¡°So I should believe you?,¡± said the captain. ¡°I don¡¯t have a reason to lie to you,¡± said Geoff. ¡°I¡¯m just telling you the plan. The valley will be closed whether you¡¯re standing in it, or not. I¡¯m just here to give you a chance to walk away. Go home and tell your leaders this way is closed.¡± ¡°What if we don¡¯t want to do that?,¡± said the firebird. He waved at the valley walls. ¡°The Dai wouldn¡¯t have sent you if he thought you would be hurt when the walls collapsed down on us.¡± ¡°The Dai knows something about me that you don¡¯t,¡± said Geoff. ¡°He knows he can¡¯t kill me.¡± ¡°The earth is moving,¡± said Rock Ox. ¡°We need to retreat, Captain.¡± ¡°Kill him,¡± said the captain. He flung his firebird at Geoff. He was dead before his arm finished the gesture. Geoff pulled his other knife from his belt as he charged forward. He wanted them to run. If they wouldn¡¯t do that, he was prepared to cut them down. The water snake looped around to keep him from its master. He sliced the head off as he passed. The master tried to pull his own sword as the fighter came on. A stab in the neck stopped that. The horse and the ox carried their summoners to the enemy lines. Neither tried to contest skills with Geoff. He put his weapons away as he watched the valley vibrate. He grabbed his knife out of the captain¡¯s eye as he jogged back toward the Shaper line. Geoff paused as he spotted the walls of the valley starting to rush together. He sprinted toward the end of the valley. The stone encased him before he ran a hundred feet. ¡°How do you get out of this?,¡± Geoff asked himself. He still had his knife in his hand. He started to chip at the stone. After minutes of digging, Geoff found himself walking through an ornate hall being cleaned by people chained to rails, watched by guys in different colored suits. They gave him the look of not liking him on their turf. ¡°How¡¯s it going?,¡± said Geoff. He might as well try to be friendly first since he didn¡¯t seem to have his armor, or weapons, with him. ¡°It¡¯s a ghost,¡± said one of the watchdogs. ¡°It¡¯s not supposed to be wandering around down here.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll have to send a runner upstairs and have the Exec look into this,¡± said one of the other guards. Geoff snapped back to digging. He wondered what had happened. Maybe he had taken some kind of mental damage. He couldn¡¯t do anything about that now. He had to get out of his tomb as fast as he could. He worked on the wall until he was back in the hall. He looked around. A woman in a suit and skirt frowned at him. Her red hair was pinned up to frame her face. Shaded glasses covered her eyes. ¡°How¡¯s it going?,¡± said Geoff. He smiled. ¡°Name¡¯s Geoff Cantrell.¡± ¡°My name is Miss Vale,¡± said the woman. She tapped a mace in her delicate hand. ¡°I assist the Executive in running this portion of the Underworld. You¡¯re not supposed to be here.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the story of my life,¡± said Geoff. ¡°As soon as I meet a pretty woman, it¡¯s get out and don¡¯t come back.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re still alive Topside,¡± said Miss Vale. ¡°Therefore, you are not supposed to be appearing in the Underworld like this. You¡¯re what we call a ghost.¡± ¡°I¡¯m buried up there,¡± said Geoff. ¡°I guess I keep dying and coming back to life. Sorry for the inconvenience.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t just keep moving back and forth across the Dead Sea,¡± said Miss Vale. ¡°We need to find a way to stop this.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll let you work on that,¡± said Geoff. ¡°I have to go.¡± Geoff spent the next month cycling back and forth from digging to visiting the Underworld. The demons got to where they didn¡¯t even mind that he wandered around loose as long as he kept his hands to himself. He spent a bunch of time in the company of Miss Vale. Later, he would tell her she was the only reason he hadn¡¯t lost his mind and maintained his connection to the Underworld when he was temporarily killed. Eventually he punched his way through the wall. He climbed out into the night, breathing fresh air for the first time in a long time. His stomach rumbled and he agreed that food would be good to have. Geoff walked back into camp. It looked like building fortifications hadn¡¯t started yet. He figured that was the price of government. He found a chow hall under a tent and dirt construction. He settled in and ate his fill while soldiers moved around him. No one said anything to him. He supposed that was because of the way he looked. ¡°Hey, bud,¡± Geoff called to one of the soldiers. ¡°The Dai still around.¡± The man looked at the dirty savage in front of him. He thought about the way the savage looked at him with a friendly moon face and narrowed eyes. ¡°He was recalled to the capital,¡± the soldier said. The narrowed eyes actually looked more open. ¡°The council can¡¯t do anything without him to moderate them.¡± ¡°Do you know if he took my horse with him?,¡± said Geoff. ¡°An older chestnut gelding. Pretty even tempered.¡± ¡°There was such a horse,¡± said the soldier. ¡°He joined it to his train when they left.¡± ¡°Fred was on his last legs,¡± said Geoff. ¡°Can you get a message sent to the Dai?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± said the soldier. ¡°Any message I sent would be stopped by the clerks.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s in charge of the official dispatches,¡± said Geoff. ¡°I have to send a note to the Dai.¡± ¡°I think the supply officer,¡± said the soldier. ¡°Let¡¯s go talk to him,¡± said Geoff. He got up from the table. He snagged one more piece of bread to chow down on while they went to talk to the supply officer. Three Meetings 3 Geoff Cantrell sat at an outdoor table five hundred years later. He had crossed Rialt in that time more than he had counted. Then sailing on to the next continent had been the order of the day. The times were changing, but people remained the same, and he was still fighting countless little battles as he rode around the world. He wondered if he was saving anything, or making a difference sometimes. He looked at the meal that was coming to his table. He decided that even if he wasn¡¯t helping anyone else, he was making sure this restaurant was getting help staying open. ¡°Another server is bringing the rest of your food, sir,¡± said the waitress. She wore a robe with too many pink flowers that didn¡¯t go with her complexion, or hair. ¡°Thank you very much,¡± said Geoff. ¡°Do you mind if I start on this while I wait?¡± ¡°Of course not,¡± said the waitress. ¡°Enjoy your meal.¡± Geoff bowed his head in acknowledgment and watched her leave. It was a good thing he was taken, or he would be getting into trouble every place he visited that had a pretty girl on hand. He began to slowly go through his meal. He liked sampling the food that he ordered from places. He had decided a long time ago that he only had the ability to burn rice, and he liked to enjoy what others cooked when he could. The second waitress arrived as he picked through the first part of his meal. He sat back out of the way so that she could place the bowls down on the table in front of him. ¡°Thank you,¡± said Geoff. ¡°The service here is excellent.¡± ¡°Thank you, sir,¡± said the waitress. She smiled as she walked away. Geoff smiled as he went about the business of eating in a calm and methodical way. He didn¡¯t have to rush things. He wasn¡¯t going to kill someone as soon as he was done. He didn¡¯t have anywhere to be yet. It was the perfect day to savor the flavor that life was giving him right then. ¡°Cantrell?,¡± said an older lady. She stood outside the area marked for the restaurant. She had a familiar look in her eye that Geoff couldn¡¯t quite place. It was like looking at something known but strange at the same time. She wore a black tunic and pants in the simple style of all the peasant Shapers. ¡°Would you like to eat with me?,¡± said Geoff. ¡°I¡¯m indulging myself with some money I took from some bad men.¡± ¡°That will be fine,¡± said the lady. She pulled a chair from the table and sat down so she could watch the rest of the outside world moving on. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since last we met,¡± said the lady. ¡°You still haven¡¯t changed.¡± ¡°Not in the cards,¡± said Geoff. He picked up a bowl of finger meats and tried them one at a time. ¡°I don¡¯t know what it means to settle down after all this time.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid that I am in the same boat,¡± said the lady. ¡°When I first proposed the deal I made, I didn¡¯t think I would be facing a bureaucracy that would fight me at every turn.¡± This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°What did you think would happen?,¡± asked Geoff. ¡°I thought I would be teaching shapers to shape different elements,¡± said the lady. ¡°I didn¡¯t think I would be running the nation with small breaks for centuries.¡± ¡°Sounds rough,¡± said Geoff. He put the empty bowl down and looked for the next thing he wanted to eat. ¡°The paperwork is backbreaking,¡± said the lady. ¡°You could always quit,¡± said Geoff. ¡°The administration would always be able to find me when I am younger with little memory of what happened before,¡± said the lady. ¡°It would be more in their interest if something happened to me so they could put their own puppet on the throne and attack the Animal Shapers in the low country.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how I can help you,¡± said Geoff. ¡°I plan to cross the low country and head for the ocean beyond.¡± A group of men approached. They all had military, or at least mercenary, bearings. Their hands were on their swords. They stopped and surrounded the Dai. Some of them looked at Geoff. He could see they didn¡¯t consider him important. He didn¡¯t mind. It made it easier to kill people when they thought he couldn¡¯t do anything to them. ¡°We have been asked to retrieve you for the council,¡± said the leader of the men. ¡°No,¡± said Geoff. He picked up a bowl of soup. ¡°Go away.¡± ¡°Silence, outlander,¡± said the leader. ¡°I will cut your tongue out if you speak again.¡± Geoff laughed at him. He put down the bowl so he wouldn¡¯t spill his soup. The other frowned at him. ¡°Why are you laughing?,¡± said the leader. A frown indicated he didn¡¯t like being laughed at by some tramp. ¡°May I?,¡± said the Dai. She wore a smile on her leathery face. Geoff waved at her to go ahead. He fought back the laughter until it became hiccups. ¡°This gentleman that you are threatening with the removal of his tongue is Geoff Cantrell,¡± said the Dai. ¡°The moment you interrupted his meal was the moment he decided to kill all of you. Now I understand that you think Geoff Cantrell is a story made up to scare children. You are wrong about that.¡± ¡°Kill them both,¡± said the leader. He went down with a knife sticking out of his eye after giving the last order he would ever give. Geoff stood up from his chair. He grabbed the closest two plates and flung them at the group. One of the men swept the plate coming at him aside by gesturing the air into a wall. The other took boiled cabbage to the face, making him step back. The Dai pointed at the air shaper. A jet of fire picked the man up and flung him into the wall of a medicinal shop. He tried to pick himself up, but he had cracked his skull on impact and decided to stay on the ground and try to remember his own name. Geoff smiled as he pulled his sword, and other knife. He had been looking at six to one odds. Now it was four to one. Things were a little more manageable from his perspective. And one of those four was trying to get cabbage juice out of his eyes so he wasn¡¯t likely to be more than a temporary object of interest. Geoff danced around earth walls and fire blasts. One by one, he chopped his enemies down. He wasn¡¯t that much faster than an ordinary man, but he had spent a lot of time practicing on hitting the same area on a human body while protecting his own. He looked at the last man standing. The man reached for the liquids in the foods for ammunition. The Dai punched him with the air. He hit the wall beside his friend. Then the soups fell on top of him. ¡°It looks like you were right about the bureaucracy,¡± said Geoff. He cleaned and sheathed his weapons. ¡°Now my food is ruined. I had planned to enjoy myself for the next hour, or so.¡± ¡°I will compensate you for the food,¡± said the Dai. ¡°Would you accompany me to the hall of justice?¡± ¡°I suppose,¡± said Geoff. He grabbed a bottle of wine and put it in his traveling bag. ¡°What about this lot?¡± ¡°What about them?,¡± said the Dai. She waved her hand. Stone encased the survivors instantly. ¡°They¡¯ll stay here until I send someone to get them. You still have your knack with the throwing knife.¡± ¡°You throw a knife a million times, you get better at throwing it,¡± said Geoff. ¡°The real trick is in the draw.¡± ¡°Why is that?,¡± said the Dai. ¡°The reflexes just aren¡¯t what they were,¡± said Geoff. ¡°So you can hit the other guy a hundred times. That doesn¡¯t matter if he¡¯s faster than you.¡± ¡°How many have you met that are faster than you?,¡± asked the Dai. ¡°A few,¡± said Geoff. He shrugged at her look. ¡°How many of them are still alive?,¡± asked the Dai. ¡°One maybe,¡± said Geoff. ¡°It depends.¡± ¡°Depends on what?,¡± said the Dai. Their conversation took them from the restaurant to a law officer¡¯s station. The Dai asked for her attackers to be picked up. ¡°Depends on what?,¡± said the Dai, picking up the thread of their conversation. ¡°Whether he hit the rocks, or the ocean,¡± said Geoff. The Burning City 1 He came across the four of them sitting around a campfire. He dismounted and flung his closed cape over his shoulder so he could get to his weapons that much easier. Three years on the road, and the warrant cards tucked in his belt had pulled him south to Bern. The four gibbered at each other until they saw him. They had something in a fire. The gibbering seemed to be over who got the final piece of dinner. The eight eyes seemed to think he was another piece of meat. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t happen to have room for a stranger riding through?,¡± said the man with no name. The four conversed in their strange lingo, turning to block their faces from being seen. He had an idea they wanted to place him on the fire next. ¡°Maybe you four can help me,¡± said the man with no name. He pulled out the black warrant cards that pointed him to the people he needed to track down. Four of them glowed with blue fire. He pulled them out of the pack and put the rest up. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t happen to have seen a group of cannibals, would you?¡± The four monsters stood on their side of the fire. He stepped back to give himself some room. The lavender dog on the end of the line bulked up into a dire wolf as he watched. The heavily cloaked gnome in the middle raised mittened hands beside the dog. The third thing, a tall skinny man, drank from a flask as he stamped his boots. His skinny arms didn¡¯t seem that strong but looks could be deceiving. The last one, a boy with wild hair and triangular teeth, bounced in place like a monkey. Sparks of light denoted animals arriving at his call. The dead man pulled the pistols he had found in his gear with his horse. Hellfire blasted out four times as he fired at his four targets. The dog wolf blew up. The kid on the end ordered his monsters to block the flames heading his way. The gnome went down, hole in his middle. The blond jumped the campfire and evaded the blast meant for him. He grabbed his opponent¡¯s arms to keep him from shooting at them again. They struggled for control of which way the pistols should point. The dead man leaned back so the other missed a bite to the neck. He leaned forward with a bit more speed. His hat fell off as their heads met. The cannibal staggered back, reaching up to his forehead. A hellfire blast made it just the two left. Beasts made of shadow charged the gunman. They snapped their jaws as they reached for him. He didn¡¯t take notice of what animals they were supposed to be imitating. He sprayed hellfire across the battlefield as he moved back from the onslaught. He found a space and took a shot at the monkey thing jumping up and down. He paused as the shadows looked at their creator burning up in front of them. They popped like dirty balloons. The gnome started to sit up. It looked down at the hole in its body. Then angry saucer eyes glared at the dead man. The gunman took the last blue glowing card and threw it at the gnome. The underworld paper touched the other¡¯s chest, then leg. Blue light took him downstairs. The man with no name holstered his weapons, and let his cloak drop down. He picked up his hat and brushed it off before he put it on his head. He grabbed the reins for his horse. He had seven more cards to take care of in and near Bern. Serving them would be a pleasure. He had dug himself out of the ground three years ago. He had found his horse waiting for him. His gear and clothes had been stored in saddlebags for him. Since then he had put down four other monsters out of the hundred he had started with before reaching the campfire. Every one of them had deserved the harsh measures he had meted out in his opinion. He needed to get in the city and hunt for the seven roaming inside the walls, before Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.heading further south into the Rhiem. Then he could start his way up to Lobster Bay and into the Mansions. ¡°Come on, Stupid,¡± said the dead man. ¡°Let¡¯s see what Bern has to offer us.¡± The horse shook its head, but walked along placidly at the dead man¡¯s side. It hadn¡¯t been out of the Underworld before, and the vistas of the living had been satisfying so far. On the other hand, serving warrants and chasing troublemakers wasn¡¯t its job. They let the leg in the fire burn. There wasn¡¯t anything they could do for the owner, and a decent cremation didn¡¯t seem out of place. The pair of revenants came across a furry giant standing next to the road ahead. Wide eyes seemed amazed to see them. How many other travelers had been killed by the four cannibals before they had been served? The pooka put a human grin on its rabbity face. ¡°We¡¯re heading into Bern,¡± said the dead man. ¡°Any problems with that?¡± The pooka shook its head slowly. It raised an arm and pointed at a grove of trees. It made a sound resembling a long fake wolf howl. The trees parted and city lights stood out in the dark. ¡°Thank you for the passage,¡± said the dead man. ¡°Hopefully I will be able to return the favor one day.¡± The pooka nodded once. It pulled an umbrella from its fur and opened it. A wind picked its furry mass up and it floated into the air. It vanished into the night sky after a few moments. The man with no name mounted and rode down the new trail toward the city. He surveyed the lay of the land as he approached the sprawl in front of him. He needed to find the streets marked down on his warrants, and then the addresses, so he could deal with his targets. He might need a local guide if he wanted to take care of his business in a few days. He had been lucky to snatch up the four he had come across while they were together. He couldn¡¯t count on that holding for the rest of the eleven on his list. And he doubted they would come along easily. If they were bad enough that the warrants had been issued, they were bad enough to think they could stand up to him when he came calling. The dead man rode down into the city, wondering at the lack of walls and the rails running next to the road. The road had been cobbled over with tan bricks from what he could see. He heard a whistle, but didn¡¯t see the cause. He rode under lamps with fiery wisps floating in them. They regarded him with eyes made of flame inset in their fireball bodies. People crowded the stone sidewalks. Horse riders, horse drawn carriages, and horseless carriages shared the paved roads. Swords, axes, and clubs seemed the favored weapons from what he could tell. He spotted several men, and one lady, with weapons that were close to what he carried. He decided to ask directions for the first name on his list. That was better than wandering around until he happened on it. ¡°Hey, mister!,¡± he called. ¡°Do you know where Dibbons Street is?¡± ¡°It¡¯s four streets down, then a right, one street, then a left,¡± said the man. He pointed at the direction of travel. ¡°Thanks,¡± said the dead man. He let Stupid have his way. The horse was smart enough to follow the directions without anything said to it. Once he had bagged the first name on his list, the rest should follow pretty fast. The only exception he could think would be the Alvas. There wasn¡¯t an address listed on his warrant card. How many Alvas lived in the city? He had a feeling he was going to find out before he was through. Stupid carried him to the designated street, halting at the corner. The dead man pulled out the warrant card for his quarry. He looked up and down the avenue. He directed the horse into a left turn. ¡°We¡¯re looking for Campton Yellow,¡± said the dead man. Stupid made a snort of understanding. He was just there to carry his rider. It was up to the other to take care of business. The horse stopped in front of a yellow house embedded in a street full of other houses that seemed poured out of a giant mold one at a time. The dead man dismounted. He looked things over as he patted the horse on the neck. He didn¡¯t see any signs of trouble. He decided to inspect the grounds before charging up to the door. There might be some kind of protection put in place. He wanted to take his quarry with as little of fuss as possible. He didn¡¯t want magic spells and fell beasts loosed on the neighbors while they were fighting. Ideally, he didn¡¯t want a fight at all. He just wanted one clear shot to the head. Then he could move on to the next warrant he had to serve. He didn¡¯t see any defenses around the yellow house. He wondered if he had come to the right address. He decided to knock and see what happened. The dead man noted what looked like an electric eye to one side of the door as he walked up the two stairs to the low stoop in front of the door. He knocked on the wooden barrier as casually as he could. He wanted his mark to step out where he could see him. Kicking down the door was the last resort as far as he was concerned. ¡°Who is it?,¡± asked what sounded like someone talking with their nose. ¡°I would like to talk to Montague Pythonic,¡± said the dead man. ¡°He doesn¡¯t want to talk to you,¡± said the nose. ¡°Go away.¡± The Burning City 2 Arlo Pike looked out his window. He didn¡¯t have much of a view. It just allowed him to think about what people were telling him. He didn¡¯t want to look at their faces, or gestures. Those caused a connection that he didn¡¯t like. ¡°The Guard say you can find anyone in the city, Mr. Pike,¡± said the potential client, Marvin Remora. ¡°My girl has been gone for three days. That¡¯s unlike her. I need to know if she is all right.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll need specifics, Mister Remora,¡± said Pike. ¡°I¡¯ll also need some kind of picture. I need to know what I¡¯m looking for to find it.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± said Remora. He had a bag with him. He picked it up off the floor and opened the top. He pulled out several portraits of his little girl. He handed them over. ¡°What do you need?¡± Pike took the top portrait. He looked at his client. He looked at the portrait. The two of them didn¡¯t look anything alike. He handed the portrait to his partner, Jason. He didn¡¯t have to look at the crusader to know the same thought was going through his brain. Remora had stood two heads shorter than Pike when he entered the room. He had a round face, with sunken eyes. He carried a lot of weight in a ball shape in a cheap suit. His hair had acquired streaks of gray among the brown. The girl in the portrait was slim, even in the face. Her eyes did not rest so far into her skull. Her hair seemed to be the same shade of brown as her father, but that was the only thing they had in common. ¡°She takes after her mother,¡± said Remora. ¡°Where did you last see your daughter, Mister Remora?,¡± asked Pike. He put the portrait down on his desk. ¡°She talked to me right before she was supposed to see some traveling minstrel show,¡± said Remora. His face twisted at the words minstrel show. ¡°She was supposed to meet some of the other girls from her school. They said she never showed up. I don¡¯t want to think they are witches, but they have to be witches.¡± ¡°Not necessarily,¡± said Pike. ¡°It could just be that your daughter never made the meeting. Where was it supposed to be?¡± ¡°They were supposed to meet in front of the show,¡± said Remora. ¡°Rowena said she was going to take the train down and then meet them there. They were supposed to go out to a club afterwards.¡± ¡°Then she was supposed to come home?,¡± said Pike. ¡°Not go back to the school?¡± ¡°Rowena lives with us, and commutes to school, Marsh Excellence,¡± said Remora. ¡°So she would have had to take a taxi, or the train, home after the show.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Pike. ¡°Where was the show? That will tell us which train she had to take to get there. We¡¯ll work our way along until we find her.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll bring her home?,¡± said Remora. The hope lit up his face. ¡°We¡¯ll look for her,¡± said Pike. ¡°Things are going on in the city right now. There¡¯s a chance that she might be seriously hurt, or has run into something in the dark. I don¡¯t want to get your hopes up.¡± ¡°But you¡¯ll find out?,¡± said Remora. The fat face sagged in despair. ¡°We will,¡± said Jason. ¡°We will find out what happened, and if something needs to be sorted out, we will do that too.¡± Remora nodded. The promise of justice didn¡¯t lessen his grief, but someone would stand before the bar for what they had done. He couldn¡¯t ask for much more. ¡°We¡¯ll find out what happened,¡± said Pike. ¡°That¡¯s our profession. We¡¯ll be able to tell you more by tomorrow, or the next night depending on how things go. Do you know the names of these girls your daughter was supposed to meet. We might need Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.to talk with them before this is over.¡± ¡°Debra Shrike, Leticia Falcon, Laverne Gato, and Maureen Kelpie,¡± said Remora. Pike wrote the names down on the top sheet of a pack of paper with a quill. He waited for the ink to dry before he folded the paper up and put it in his carry bag. ¡°Go home, and wait,¡± said Pike. ¡°It will take us a little bit of time to trace things down. As soon as we know something, we¡¯ll send a messenger, or the Guard, to notify you what we found.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± said Remora. ¡°Is there anything else I can do?¡± ¡°What was the name of the band?,¡± asked Jason. ¡°We might need to talk to the people at the venue in case someone saw something there.¡± ¡°The Pelicans,¡± said Remora. ¡°They¡¯re from Lobster Bay is what my daughter said. They like to use some kind of new string instruments.¡± ¡°If we have any more questions, we¡¯ll come by to talk to you,¡± said Pike. ¡°This should be straightforward and well within our ability to solve for you.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± said Remora. ¡°Thank you both.¡± He pushed himself to his feet and picked up his case. He headed for the office door. He didn¡¯t look up from the floor. That wasn¡¯t a good sign in Pike¡¯s opinion. ¡°Do you want to talk to the girls, while I retrace Rowena¡¯s steps?,¡± asked Pike. ¡°They might know something they didn¡¯t want to tell Mister Remora,¡± said Jason. ¡°There might be a boy in the picture somewhere.¡± ¡°Or she might be dead in an alley and the girls didn¡¯t want to get involved, or killed her for whatever reason of their own,¡± said Pike. ¡°Both valid theories, but she might have been set on by a predator that we will be bound to hunt down and kill,¡± said Jason. ¡°I know,¡± said Pike. ¡°I hope it is a monster, and not anything the girls did.¡± Pike had seen enough of both things not to like either option. There were too many weird things going on in Bern, and mixed in with that was the normal human craziness. And then you had the visiting other races like the Rhiem and Alvas sometimes starting problems. Pike stood. He looked down at the portrait. He knew that whatever else they might stumble on, the girl was already dead. He could feel it like a memory that hadn¡¯t happened yet. ¡°No matter what we do, I don¡¯t think Mister Remora will be happier at the end of this,¡± said Pike. ¡°We¡¯re not here to make him happy,¡± said Jason. He went to his desk and opened the top drawer. He pulled out a sheathed sword and strapped it on. ¡°We¡¯re here to inflict a little justice on this world before we pass on.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not so sure about that,¡± said Pike. He looked out the window as he felt the twinge of wanting answers start yanking on him. ¡°I am,¡± said Jason. He smiled. ¡°Before this is over, we might put at least one monster out of commission. That will make the world a safer place.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll leave the monster hunting to you,¡± Pike said. He pulled on his old coat over the tunic and breeches he wore. He took one last look at the portrait before picking up his carry bag. ¡°Marsh Excellence is an all girl school,¡± said Jason. ¡°Even the staff are female. If it was boy trouble, it wasn¡¯t within the school.¡± ¡°It might have been girl trouble,¡± said Pike. ¡°See what you can do with those girls. Maybe they can give us a shortcut.¡± ¡°Better look after yourself,¡± said Jason. ¡°I can handle school girls. Where do you want to meet?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said Pike. ¡°I don¡¯t know what I will see.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll meet at the Toad in two hours,¡± said Jason. ¡°If you¡¯re not there, I¡¯ll come looking for you.¡± ¡°Better make it three,¡± said Pike. ¡°I don¡¯t know where I¡¯ll be once I get started.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Jason. ¡°You¡¯d better have something when you get to the Toad.¡± ¡°Maybe,¡± said Pike. ¡°I don¡¯t know. If I can¡¯t make the meeting, I¡¯ll try to leave you a message.¡± ¡°Right,¡± said Jason. He left the office, whistling some song about working. Pike shook his head. His partner had been touched by the gods. It had made him a little strange. Pike shook his head. He didn¡¯t have any room to talk. He had been touched by his mother. She had given him a gift that made things hard for him as a boy, but allowed him to make a living as a man. And here he was about to earn that copper as best he could. He hung his bag across his body as he stepped out of the office. Jason had disappeared as silently as a cat in the space of time it had taken him to cross the room. He headed downstairs. Pike hit the street. He knew a guy who knew a thing about singers and bands. He could figure out where the show had been from there. The rest would be selecting the right train and following it to Rowena. The decision to ride the local train to the show bothered him, but he thought it was because Rowena was trying to be independent. All of her friends went to school with her. If they lived on campus, and she didn¡¯t, they might have said something about her using a cab, or private carriage, to get to the show. He followed the street to the club district. He knew some people who could tell him where any singer worth their salt would be playing. Once he knew where the Pelicans had set up, he could move to the next step of the plan. He doubted Jason would get anywhere with the girls. This had the feel of something dark hiding in the shadows. They would have to yank it out by the roots if they wanted to report a solution to their client. If they dealt with the threat, Jason would be happy. Protecting the city was his calling. Stopping a monster was part of that, and the part that made him smile the most. Pike walked on, while avoiding looking at people as he went. The Burning City 3 ¡°Where are we going, Pavel?,¡± asked the little girl. Pavel Konstantin paused in his walking to look down at her. He racked his brain. Did he know this girl? How did he know her? He decided the best thing to do was keep walking. If he knew her, he would remember her name eventually. If he didn¡¯t, it was best to not deal with strange girls you didn¡¯t know. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Pavel?,¡± said the little girl. ¡°We used to be such good friends.¡± ¡°Keep walking,¡± Pavel told himself. ¡°Keep walking.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ignore me, Pavel,¡± said the little girl. ¡°I will do something rude if you do.¡± ¡°Go ahead,¡± said Pavel. He kept walking. ¡°I have to get to my job. I don¡¯t have time for you.¡± ¡°Your job is more important than me?,¡± asked the little girl. ¡°I have to say yes,¡± said Pavel. ¡°The coppers I earn feed my wife and children. I can¡¯t just stop because a strange girl wants to talk to me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s me, Pavel,¡± said the girl. ¡°It¡¯s Ivanoviska.¡± ¡°You¡¯re messing with me now,¡± said Pavel. He waved a hand at the girl. ¡°Ivanoviska is a large, ugly, bald man with scars on his face. You¡¯re a little girl. You don¡¯t look anything alike.¡± ¡°I tell you I am Ivanoviska, and I need your help,¡± said the little girl. She clouted Pavel on the leg with a tiny fist. ¡°I stole this body so we could talk.¡± ¡°You have my attention,¡± said Pavel. He rubbed his leg. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said Ivanoviska. ¡°I was walking home and there was this thing. I tried to run. I ran out of my body. It took me a while to think of what to do, and the only thing I could think of was to talk to you and get some idea on what to do next.¡± ¡°The little girl?,¡± asked Pavel. He waved a hand at the body. ¡°I found out that I could take someone over,¡± said Ivanoviska. ¡°This was the only way I could think to talk to you.¡± ¡°Take the girl back where you found her,¡± said Pavel. ¡°Make sure she¡¯s looked after. I will talk to you after work.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a ghost, aren¡¯t I?,¡± said Ivanoviska. He looked down at the petite body. ¡°I would be surprised if you aren¡¯t,¡± said Pavel. ¡°Take the girl back. I will meet you at the city clock after I am done with work.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t fix this, can you?,¡± asked the ghost. ¡°It depends on if your body is still alive,¡± said Pavel. ¡°We will have to look for it and make sure.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like this at all,¡± said Ivanoviska. ¡°Look at me. I can¡¯t bend iron with these puny arms.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t help you while you¡¯re riding someone helpless,¡± said Pavel. ¡°Take her back, and then meet me. We¡¯ll think of some way to deal with this.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting by the clock,¡± said Ivanoviska. Pavel watched the ghost walk away. He scratched his head. He couldn¡¯t think of a quick fix for the problem. Ivanoviska would have to move on. He couldn¡¯t stay among the living. He turned and headed to his job. He looked at the problem from every angle that he could. He didn¡¯t see any way for Ivanoviska to have his old life again. The best he could think of was the ghost possessing someone who couldn¡¯t think on their own and live out another life as that person. That had a whole lot of problems on its own from his perspective. Pavel put the problem at the back of his mind. He couldn¡¯t do anything for Ivanoviska at the moment. He probably couldn¡¯t do anything ever. He would think on it while he was working. He always thought better when he had something rote to do. He walked into the Lodestan Financial Exchange and waved at the clerks getting ready for the day. He went to his own cubicle and sat down at his desk. He had a ton of paperwork to fill out from the day before. He grimaced at the stack. The invoices for credits and debits always arrived right after he went home. He wondered if it was magic. He had never checked into it, but it was an irksome habit of his employer. Pavel sorted the paperwork into what had to be done, what could be done, and what Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!he didn¡¯t want to do. He quickly went through the first stack. Critical information had to be sent back as soon as possible. Computers kept track of every exchange of monies and credit with every invoice he sent down to their hands. The second stack was full of requests about credit and the asking price of things. It took him a bit longer to sort out what he had to sign for and what he had to send back to the other branch, or other bank if that was the case. Eventually he finished those after lunch time. That left him the third stack of things he didn¡¯t want to do. He looked at that stack. There was nothing he could do about it. He had to go through and send them out. The things in that stack were eviction notices, land seizures, forfeiture notices on businesses that hadn¡¯t been as profitable as the entrepreneur had thought they would be. He didn¡¯t like signing the notices, but he couldn¡¯t let his own workplace suffer. It was a bind that he didn¡¯t like being in, but couldn¡¯t think of a way to leave without putting his own family at risk. Pavel put the last note in the outgoing mail and thought about Ivanoviska¡¯s problem. How did he fix the man being a ghost, and if he couldn¡¯t fix that, how did he help Ivanoviska face the future as a wandering spirit? He had thought a solution would come to him, but he didn¡¯t see one. And he still needed to send a note to his wife to let her know he would be home late. She would not be happy about that. There were too many things wandering Bern at night now. He had to send the note. Then he had to meet Ivanoviska. The future would take care of itself after that. He wrote out a quick explanation on the letter card the exchange allowed its employees to use for business interactions. He called out his wife¡¯s name. The note passed from his hand to his wife¡¯s. He checked his desk and nodded. All of his work was clear. He looked up at the clock. He stood up. The rest of the clerks had gone home from the looks of things. The final things always took him the longest. He wasn¡¯t cut out for depriving people of their homes. He should switch to some other part of the exchange when he was able. He pulled on his light coat and started toward the exit. Pavel looked back and saw one of the mail men coming into the room. He paused near the door to watch the man. The man put small stacks on his coworkers¡¯ desks as he worked his way down the aisle until he had one stack of papers left. He placed that largest stack on Pavel¡¯s desk with a smile. Then he took his cart and walked back out the other exit. Pavel went back to his desk. He sorted the notices and took the stacks of didn¡¯t want to do, and delay doing and spread them around to the other clerks in his section. He nodded to himself. If the same thing happened tomorrow, he would think of a more permanent solution. Pushing the mail man down the stairs to the mail room leaped immediately to the clerk¡¯s mind. He rubbed his hands at the thought. He closed his eyes and mentally pushed the image away. He had to talk to Ivanoviska before he could plan his revenge. Once he had the ghost sorted out, he could think about his revenge on the mail man. He would have to ask his wife what would she approve of before doing anything. He didn¡¯t want to be a wanted criminal without her support. And Pavel admitted to himself, she was the brains of their marriage. He checked the room one last time before leaving for good. Let his coworkers enjoy tomorrow. That was all he had to say. Pavel walked out of the building. He waved at his coworkers as he went. He smiled back. He walked to the center of Bern where the city clock stood in a small square surrounded by flowers and stones that threw rainbows in the air. He took up a position next to the clock stand and waited. He doubted Ivanoviska would use the girl again. But you never knew. Ghosts did what they wanted for the most part. He looked in the direction where his house stood in the middle of other similar houses. He should be there with his wife and children. He wondered when he had lost the taste for helping people and having adventures. He supposed that he had lost it when he had married and had his first child. ¡°Pavel,¡± said a man clad in mason clothes. It was a better look than the little girl as far as the clerk was concerned. ¡°It is me, Ivanoviska.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s walk,¡± said Pavel. ¡°Let¡¯s go down to where you last remember being alive.¡± ¡°Are you sure?,¡± said Ivanoviska. ¡°That sounds dangerous.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all right,¡± said Pavel. ¡°I already sent a note to my wife. If anything happens, she will take care of it.¡± ¡°Your wife hates me,¡± said Ivanoviska. ¡°What can she do to you?,¡± said Pavel. ¡°You¡¯re already dead.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not as comforting a thought as you seem to think,¡± said Ivanoviska. ¡°You¡¯re dead,¡± said Pavel. He gestured for the ghost to start walking. ¡°There¡¯s not much more she can do to you without killing your ride. She would never do that.¡± ¡°And yet she was the Terror of The Muskians,¡± said Ivanoviska. He marched away from the clock. ¡°Don¡¯t call her that to her face,¡± said Pavel. He put his hands in his pockets as he walked beside the ghost. ¡°It gets on her nerves.¡± ¡°You married a witch, Pavel,¡± said Ivanoviska. ¡°It¡¯s the way of things.¡± ¡°Definitely don¡¯t call her that,¡± said Pavel. ¡°Everyone says it,¡± said the ghost. Pavel punched him in the face. He had spent some of his youth fighting before going on adventures with his wife. He knew better to punch the bones of a bigger man¡¯s face, but anger had caused the reaction. ¡°Don¡¯t call her a witch,¡± said Pavel. ¡°That is my last word on this, Ivanoviska.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± said the ghost. He rubbed his face. ¡°That hurt.¡± ¡°You¡¯re riding someone else,¡± said Pavel. ¡°You¡¯re going to feel what they feel. It won¡¯t be good for either of you if things go wrong.¡± ¡°What can go wrong?,¡± said Ivanoviska. ¡°There are things out there that eat ghosts,¡± said Pavel. ¡°What happens if one of them decide they can get a two for one deal out of your situation?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that why we¡¯re trying to find out what happened?,¡± said Ivanoviska. ¡°I might still be alive.¡± ¡°You¡¯re dead,¡± said Pavel. ¡°The question is why aren¡¯t you all the way dead. Once we figure that out, then we can think of a way to move you on to your next life.¡± ¡°What if I want to stay here?,¡± said the ghost. He made fists as he walked. ¡°I like this city.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not my call,¡± said Pavel. ¡°It¡¯s not your¡¯s either.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like it,¡± said Ivanoviska. ¡°I know,¡± said Pavel. ¡°Maybe we can put in a word with the Underworld to give you a lenient sentence.¡± ¡°You can do that?,¡± said Ivanoviska. ¡°I know someone who might be able to do that,¡± said Pavel. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t expect too much of it. He might be able to help you when we figure out what happened in the first place.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± said Ivanoviska. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for calling your wife a witch.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make me punch you again.¡± The Burning City 4 Errant tugged on the front of his blue suit jacket as he walked the streets. Bern had a lot of problems. He saw some of them getting fixed in the near future. Once he had dealt with the one problem that intrigued him, he might stay and watch how things went. He paused at a corner to look around. He sniffed the air. What he wanted was close by. He could feel it. ¡°What do you think, Woody?,¡± he said. His companion barked at him twice. ¡°We should go left?,¡± said Errant. A flash of something sparked across his eyes. He nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go left.¡± The two wanderers started down the street, watching the sides for problems. They were confidant in their abilities to handle any problem, but they didn¡¯t want any trouble before they reached their destination. That was when the trouble usually began. ¡°Mad magician, you think?,¡± asked Errant. Woody barked once. His wooden body gleamed under the street lights. Being the size of a lion gave him enough confidence not to worry about a common street bandit. His companion was a human male dressed in a light blue suit and a dark shirt who didn¡¯t look as nearly as dangerous as he was on any given day. Woody thought the fake smile and fast talk was what convinced people they were dealing with someone normal and harmless. And then things escalated, explosions of some kind happened, and then his friend blew up the opposition before they could stop him. Sometimes Woody leant a hand, but it was more of a formality for the wizard. You didn¡¯t lend a hand to the lightning. ¡°I¡¯m sure we¡¯re close, Woody,¡± said Errant. ¡°I can practically feel the magic vibrating against my face. It seems a little risky inside the city like this.¡± Errant and Woody walked along, checking the air until Woody sniffed one door in particular and barked. He sat down in front of the door. ¡°This is the place, eh?,¡± said Errant. He raised a hand. Glowing lines revealed themselves. ¡°It looks like it¡¯s shielded from the ordinary people who have to pass this way.¡± He traced the lines until he found a knot in the air. He twisted the locus. The shield temporarily inverted to let him and Woody pass before going back to keeping people out again. He walked over to the door. He tried the knob. He made a noise that an ordinary lock was keeping him out of the building after inverting the shield like he had. He pulled a wand from inside his jacket and pointed the end at the lock. A moment of concentration left a hole where the lock had been. He pushed the door out of the way. He looked around as he stepped inside. He pushed the door closed so no one would be likely to notice the hole in the door and think about looking around. He felt that would be more trouble stacked on to whatever was hidden in the place. Light cascaded in the center of the room. He saw people standing around inside a signature circle. Some of the people looked like they had died where they stood. He walked closer to get a better look. As the Queen¡¯s Knight, Errant had enough personal power to break the circle. What would happen to the people inside it? He expected he might be trapping their minds inside the circle forever if he just cut everything off. On the other hand, he wasn¡¯t comfortable just letting the circle throw magic out in the world with no one around to supervise it. That¡¯s how you got the many wills of the wisps that annoyed travelers. ¡°Some kind of mind trap, Woody?,¡± Errant said. He put the wand away as he analyzed the circle. ¡°Seems extensive.¡± Woody barked once. ¡°I know,¡± said Errant. ¡°What is the point of all this?¡± He paused at the edge of the circle and knelt. The lines did channel a lot of energy. He supposed it was mystical energy from the people he could see. He had some options. Most involved killing the people who were still alive. He didn¡¯t like those. He thought that he could pull them out one by one which would involve The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.severing the connection to the circle and hoisting them out of contact. He imagined a lot of pushback against anything like that if the dream was pleasant enough. ¡°What do you think, Woody?,¡± said Errant. ¡°Some kind of life link, do you suppose?¡± Woody sniffed the air. Then he barked once. ¡°That¡¯s what I think too,¡± said Errant. ¡°I wonder what all of this is for. What good is it?¡± Woody barked twice. ¡°A magical simulation of reality?,¡± said Errant. ¡°What good is that? Why not let things grow in the real reality?¡± Woody shook his head. He didn¡¯t know why someone would set up another plane to create a fake world, link people to it, and try to shield it from outside forces. That was not his part of their partnership. ¡°I think I am going to have to go in and see what this is about,¡± said Errant. ¡°It looks like you get to stay outside where it¡¯s safe and keep anyone from doing anything rash while I am in.¡± Woody chuffed at that. ¡°I can¡¯t help that I have thumbs,¡± said Errant. He held up both hands. ¡°I¡¯ll let you enter the next demiplane we discover.¡± Woody barked at that. ¡°I will,¡± said Errant. ¡°I¡¯ll even give you a fancy translator thing so you can talk to people without barking.¡± Woody laid down on the floor. He lowered his head on his paws. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of this and come right out,¡± said Errant. ¡°How hard could it be?¡± Errant stepped inside the circle. He felt a moment of disorientation. The empty space around the circle disappeared. He found himself in a city resembling Bern without signs, or transportation, that he could see. He frowned as he looked around. What was the purpose of this? Errant looked around. He decided that he would walk toward the center of the city. If he ran into one of the trapped people, he would take the chance to talk to them. Whatever was going on had to be nefarious. Why else hide it from the authorities under a shield? If it was straightforward, the circle would have been set up in a business, university, or government place. He would have seen mages monitoring things to make sure people like him couldn¡¯t meddle. That wouldn¡¯t have stopped him, but he would have been more inclined that something was being done that wasn¡¯t dangerous to the people locked in this secondary world. He would have been more inclined to let things be, and talk to the creator of the circle when he was sure things were done. Now he felt he should stop the circle, tell everyone to leave, and call whatever authority handled magicians gone mad. Unless he was forced to handle the magician gone mad. Then everything that followed fell under self defense. ¡°How are things looking, Woody?,¡± he asked the empty air. ¡°I seem to have switched scenery.¡± Woody barked. The sound filled the air. ¡°So I haven¡¯t gone anywhere,¡± said Errant. ¡°This is just a mental construct. That¡¯s good to know.¡± It meant that he had a line of defense if he wanted to shut things down. All he had to do was wish for things to stop. That would affect the others stuck in the circle with him. He wondered what their function was. Maybe they had signed up for the spell to do what it was supposed to do. This wouldn¡¯t be the first cult he had put down in his long life. Errant saw people moving around as he walked the city streets. He realized most of them were constructs. He wondered why. It probably had something to do with the purpose of the circle, and since he didn¡¯t know what that was, he had to make guesses about the fake people. He wondered if he had stumbled into some kind of experimental magic. That might explain everything. What did he want to do about it? He supposed a talk with the creator was in order. Once he had his questions answered, he could make a decision on what to do. He spotted one of the men from the circle in the street ahead. Maybe he could get answers from him. Then he saw another one. The two men looked at each other. They pulled swords of lightning from their belts. He raised a hand to attract their attention. The last thing he wanted was a public duel before he got his answers. ¡°Excuse me,¡± Errant called. He looked at the fake people scattering from the duel. ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± ¡°What do you mean what¡¯s going on here?,¡± asked the first man Errant had seen. ¡°We¡¯re playing the Game.¡± ¡°Wait,¡± said the second man. ¡°Who are you? I don¡¯t remember you being in the group.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not really in the group,¡± said Errant. ¡°I walked into the circle to find out what was going on. This is an extraordinary work of magic in my opinion. And it¡¯s to play a game?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± said the two men. ¡°How did you get in here?,¡± asked the first man. He held his lightning sword so he could attack either of the other two with a step in their respective direction. ¡°Your circle leaks,¡± said Errant. ¡°Woody and I found it while walking around Bern.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not our magic circle, it¡¯s Bass¡¯s,¡± said the second man. ¡°He set it up so we can play without hurting anyone.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid some of your number are dead in the real world,¡± said Errant. ¡°I guess his safeguards weren¡¯t that good.¡± Or never meant to be safe at all if he wanted the players to kill each other. ¡°What do you mean dead?,¡± asked the first man. ¡°Several of the people in the circle are dead,¡± said Errant. ¡°That¡¯s what prompted me to find out what was going on before I called the authorities.¡± ¡°No one is supposed to be dead,¡± said the second man. The duelists looked at each other. ¡°This is supposed to be a perfectly safe war game.¡± ¡°Really?,¡± said Errant. ¡°I think we should sit down somewhere and you two should tell me what you think is going on. We should probably get everyone together for our talk.¡± ¡°Everyone is hunting everyone else,¡± said the first man. ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll want to sit still and talk about things.¡± ¡°Good point,¡± said Errant. ¡°We should ask.¡± He pulled his wand from his jacket and held it up in the air. The simulated buildings flattened to nothing. All the players except two looked around at the loss of their cover. The two exceptions were fighting a duel and didn¡¯t have time for a change of venue. Errant clapped his hands to get their attention. He put the wand away. ¡°Everyone, We¡¯re having tea and sympathy,¡± he shouted. ¡°Gather around. I have some questions for you.¡± A Rialt tea house lifted itself out of the ground. Errant waved at everyone to join him as he went inside. The Burning City 5 Moe Eisen wondered what he was doing for the hundredth time. He had created several alchemical solutions to problems, but his failures weighed on him more than he liked. He studied the glowing glop he had created as it rested in the bottom of the vial. It should be glowing, but it also should be indicating the movement of air inside the vial. He couldn¡¯t understand why it remained frozen in place when it should be pointing, or at least swirling along lines of invisible force. He shook his head. If he had been able to make it work, he could have put it on an immobile sign and showed air travelers which way the wind was blowing so they could come into the city safer than what they had now. Bern received aircraft from other nations, but didn¡¯t have any of its own. Moe hoped his chemical solutions would be useful in getting a new port open for the city off the ground. Then he could expand into other things. He would have to consult with other alchemists and see what they had cooking. Maybe he could share his work, and get some feedback on his own. At least he had this failure he could give to someone to see what they could do with it. Moe took the vial and poured the substance into the holding tank set up in his shop. He closed the lid before the fumes could knock him out. He would have to flush the thing soon. He had run short on neutralizer while working. So every failed experiment so far went into the holding tank until he could get some. One pour of that into the tank would shut the reactions down and render everything into a poisonous but mostly harmless solution. He knew he had been lucky so far that none of the reactions had triggered each other while they were in the tank. That could spell disaster for him. ¡°Hey, Grandpa!,¡± called one of the neighborhood kids from the front of the shop. ¡°I¡¯m here to do business.¡± Moe groaned. He wanted time to go over his notes. He didn¡¯t want to deal with Mistress Isenhour¡¯s mental problems at that moment. He closed his eyes. He still had to run a business. The faster he got rid of the kid, the better. Then he could try to figure out why his air director hadn¡¯t worked. He went to the front of the shop, closing the door to the back room. He wiped his hands on a rag he kept on the counter for that. ¡°What can I do for you today, Bernard?,¡± asked Moe. He walked down to the end of the counter. His appearance seemed to have startled the boy. ¡°Grandma wants some more of that stuff you sell for headaches,¡± said Isenhour¡¯s grandson. ¡°She says it works wonders.¡± ¡°Did you tell her she might want to see a doctor?,¡± said Moe. ¡°She¡¯s not having it, Pa,¡± said Bernard. He peered over the counter, using both hands to hoist himself up. ¡°She says she knows what¡¯s wrong with herself better than any medicine man.¡± Moe frowned. He didn¡¯t know what was irritating him more. Mistress Isenhour demanded pain killer when she could go and get her problem fixed for good, or her grandson calling him Pa both got on his nerves. He supposed the old lady bothered him more. He shouldn¡¯t be giving her anything without some kind of note saying what her problem was. He checked the shelves for the solution he usually gave Bernard to give his grandmother. He didn¡¯t have any of it out. Maybe he had some in the back room. ¡°Wait here,¡± said Moe. ¡°I have to see if I have any of the pain killer I usually sell your grandmother.¡± ¡°I can wait, Pa,¡± said Bernard. ¡°I don¡¯t have anywhere else I have to be.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Moe. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back.¡± Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Moe stepped into the back room. He left the door open so he could see part of the front room if he wanted to check on Bernard. The boy was so small the counter hid him from sight. Moe found a bottle of the chemicals he wanted. He needed to parse it out into a separate jar for Bernard to take with him. Then he could get back to seeing why his experiments had failed. He heard the bell on the door tinkle. He looked up from where he had Mistress Isenhour¡¯s pain killer half separated. Why did he always get customers when he didn¡¯t want them, but when he was bored out of his mind, he couldn¡¯t sell a thing. ¡°Hide Pa,¡± said Bernard. He ran into the back room and closed the door. He couldn¡¯t reach the lock bar. ¡°It¡¯s the Shariff.¡± ¡°What?,¡± said Moe. ¡°The Shariff?¡± The back room door burst open. Bernard was knocked to the holding tank. He tried to get up. The figure in the doorway waved a hand to let him know he might want to stop moving. Moe frowned at the invader. The Shariff wore clothes made of rags from other clothes. He leaned on a walking stick with a cat head at the top. His hat had seen better days from the way the brim had been folded up in the front. He took a puff on a big cigar in his mouth. Little faces danced in the smoke. ¡°Can I help you?,¡± asked Moe. He wiped the chemicals from the pain killer from his hands. ¡°I heard your boy tell you who I am,¡± said the Shariff. ¡°He¡¯s not my boy,¡± said Moe. ¡°He¡¯s Lolita Isenhour¡¯s boy. Secondly, your name means nothing to me. So what can I do for you today?¡± ¡°You¡¯re very cool under pressure,¡± said the Shariff. ¡°You don¡¯t see that much these days.¡± ¡°I served the Army for a bit before I opened my shop,¡± said Moe. ¡°It seemed the thing to do at the time.¡± The Shariff took a long puff on his cigar. His eyes glazed over with white shells before clearing again. He smiled with too many crooked teeth at Moe. ¡°I have it on good authority that you are a decent alchemist,¡± said the Shariff. ¡°I invented some things in my time,¡± said Moe. He didn¡¯t like the way this was going. He especially didn¡¯t like Bernard being in the same room as this negotiation, if that was what this conversation was. The boy could be hurt at any time, and the alchemist wouldn¡¯t be able to stop it. ¡°That¡¯s what I heard,¡± said the Shariff. ¡°I still have to make Mistress Isenhour¡¯s solution for Bernard to carry back to her,¡± said Moe. ¡°Is there anything I can do for you?¡± ¡°I need an extension of the drug I take,¡± said the Shariff. ¡°Everyone says you know how to alter the effects of said drug to match what I need.¡± ¡°What everyone says, and what I can do might be two different things,¡± said Moe. ¡°Do you have a sample of this drug that I can examine?¡± ¡°As a matter of fact, I do,¡± said the Shariff. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a paper wrapped package. He handed it over. He took another puff of his cigar. Moe took the package to a counter devoid of work equipment. He carefully unwrapped the paper. Five purple leaves lay in the nest. They looked dry to him. How was he going to break this down into something he could use? He scratched his balding head. Did he even have the right tools for the job? ¡°Is something wrong, Mr. Eisen?,¡± asked the Shariff. ¡°I¡¯m trying to figure out where to get started,¡± said Moe. He decided that maybe just looking at one of the leaves would give him some kind of inspiration. He went to a drawer and pulled out a magnifying glass. He used that to examine the parts of the leave. He frowned at the irregular vein structure he saw. ¡°Is it all right if I damage these?,¡± asked Moe. ¡°I need to run some simple tests to see if I can do what you want.¡± ¡°By all means, let your examination be as complete as you can make it,¡± said the Shariff. He made an expansive gesture with his free hand while he puffed on his cigar. ¡°All right,¡± said Moe. ¡°This is going to take some time. At least a couple of days. Can you come back the day after tomorrow?¡± ¡°I will give you three days,¡± said the Shariff. He smiled. ¡°And an object lesson if you intend to betray me.¡± He pointed his stick at the holding tank above where Bernard still sat. He puffed on his cigar. A hole punched through the side of the tank. The chemicals inside fell on Bernard, dousing him in glowing light. ¡°What?,¡± said Moe. He looked around for neutralizer before remembering he didn¡¯t have any. ¡°Why did you do that?¡± ¡°To show you I mean business,¡± said the Shariff. ¡°Have what I need ready, or the same will happen to you.¡± The alchemist seized a bucket of water he kept around to wash his hands. He poured that on the shrieking boy. The Shariff might have killed him as painfully as possible to illustrate his point. Moe filled the bucket from a pump he had set up when he bought the place. He looked at Bernard. He doubted he was helping. Why hadn¡¯t he kept up the neutralizer? He had let complacency lure him into a trap sprung by someone else. ¡°Bernard!,¡± Moe shouted. ¡°Can you stand?¡± The boy stood. Glowing light flared under the dousing he had received. Moe poured more water on the boy. He didn¡¯t like the sigils burning along the exposed skin he could see. If the boy survived the next few minutes, then Moe planned to take him to the local medicinian. That was the best he could do. He wasn¡¯t capable of healing something like this. He doubted anyone in Bern was capable of healing something like this. And he wasn¡¯t sure they could impose on the Alvas for help. Why would the enemy help heal a boy they didn¡¯t know? Why had the Shariff thought he could help with the purple leaves? Moe pumped another bucket of water as he tried to concentrate on the most important thing first. The Burning City 6 The Man with No Name tried to push the door man out of the way. He wanted to look for the owner of the place with his own two eyes. The door slammed against him before he could brace himself. He fell back from the blow. He checked the cards in his belt. One of them glowed blue. He was at the right place. He had to go in and deal with this. He hoped the person who had given his mission was okay with the collateral damage he was going to have to do. Pythonic probably had a horde of minions inside the house. He might have to shoot them up to serve his warrant. He doubted the locals would understand unless he could prove something bad was happening. He pulled his pistols and kicked the door. He winced and stepped back. The door had a metal core under the wood face. He shook his head. How many people needed that kind of extra protection? He pointed his pistols at the doorknob. He blasted away. Hellfire struck the area, heating it up to a pleasant red glow. The knob fell off after a few more blasts. The dead man kicked the door. It swung out of his way on heavy hinges. ¡°Pythonic?,¡± he called. ¡°I have a warrant for you. Don¡¯t make this any harder than it has to be.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s make it as hard as we can,¡± said a voice from above the man with no name. ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are, but no bounty hunter is going to take me in.¡± Men in suits dropped from the ceiling. They carried umbrellas and walking sticks for weapons. Something was wrong with the way they stood. They seemed off-balance to the dead man. ¡°I¡¯m only here for Pythonic,¡± said the man with no name. ¡°Stand aside and you won¡¯t get hurt.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t be able to get by us,¡± said one of the men. He stood on his toes, weasel face grimacing at his enemy. ¡°We¡¯re here to protect the professor. Turn around and leave. We don¡¯t respect any authority you may represent.¡± The dead man looked at the squad. They spread out around him. They walked oddly. He wondered what was going on. He needed to get by them. He planned to shoot the center two out of his way. Then he could work the sides while he tried to punch through to whatever door they were trying to keep him from opening. Maybe his quarry was behind that door. Then he could serve his warrant and move on to the next one. He just had to be ready for any tricks they might try to spring on him while he was moving. He wondered how many other dead men had to put up with this crap. The men attacked, kicking with their strange legs. He tried to move away but they landed some heavy blows while he was trying to avoid them. He lost one of his pistols as a foot jostled his arm. He cursed as the firearm was sent sliding under a chair. A foot landed and he hit a wall. The kickers lined up to do their best. He hated to think he was going to die again before he really started his job. The group spread out so he couldn¡¯t hit all of them at the same time. He had already lost one of his weapons. Once they made him drop the other, he would be easy pickings. The dead man blasted away with his remaining pistol. Hellfire sent the group running for cover. He frowned at the speed they moved with their weird gaits. They almost danced around the blasts he sent after them. He could retreat, but that would let Pythonic escape if his minions weren¡¯t already providing cover for him to head out the back of the place. He had to change the odds if he wanted to serve his warrant. The dead man charged the weakest looking member of the opposition. The smaller man swung his umbrella out to try to divert the rush. He grabbed the black suit and bore him into the wall. He fired into the man at point blank range. The hole in the Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.cloth burned at the edges as he let the corpse fall to the floor. ¡°He killed Davy,¡± called one of the other men in suits. ¡°We have to make him pay for that.¡± The man with no name waited with the wall at his back. He was about to take a beating, but if he could latch on to any of the remaining fighters, he could take them apart with the hellfire from his pistol. Would they break? If he could make them run, he could serve the warrant and let someone else deal with them. He doubted the powers that be cared about them one way, or the other. He didn¡¯t. He didn¡¯t have a card for them. He wouldn¡¯t be fighting them at all if they got out of his way and let him pass. He supposed that was what his quarry wanted in a group of henchmen. He waited for them to make the next move. He couldn¡¯t charge into them. They were individually faster on their feet than he was. They would kick him silly if he tried to take the fight to them. ¡°You killed Davy,¡± said the spokesman. ¡°You got anything to say for yourself.¡± ¡°I asked you to move out of the way,¡± said the man with no name. ¡°You don¡¯t want to do that. There¡¯s nothing else to say.¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to dance on your face until it comes out the back of your head,¡± said the spokesman. ¡°All right, boys. Time to do the waltz.¡± The dead man waited. He had lost his hat somewhere and wasn¡¯t happy about that either. It was one more irritation on a flow of them. The dancers came in, their weird gaits accentuating the dance moves that went with them. He took a couple of kicks to the body, felt a rib almost give way. He put a bolt of flame in the foot of one of the enemy, smiling at the hopping he caused. A fist knocked the smile off his face. He hit the wall. Another punch came for his face. He blasted away at point blank range. The boxer staggered back with burning holes through his chest. The dead man grabbed the body and shoved it toward one of his unwounded enemies as he shot the hopper in the other leg to make him fall on his face. He shot the man he shoved the body on with a backhanded move. Now there was only one left out of the group. He pointed the pistol at the last man. ¡°Kill me,¡± said the last man. ¡°You¡¯ve done for the others.¡± ¡°Your friend with the holes in his legs will live if you carry him to someone who can look after him,¡± said the dead man. ¡°What do you want to do?¡± ¡°Why should I believe you?,¡± said the survivor. ¡°I have a hundred cards to serve,¡± said the dead man. ¡°I don¡¯t get anything extra for dealing with riffraff. Take off if you want to live.¡± The dead man waited patiently for the two last members of the group of silly walks to leave before he went and got his other pistol and holstered the both of them. He hoped he didn¡¯t have to burn a hole through any of the inner doors to get where he wanted. He wondered about the speed of his attackers, but decided he could investigate that after he had done the job. He wasn¡¯t hunting people to satisfy his curiosity. He wondered about the remembered deadline but let it pass for now. It was the only thing that prompted him to keep moving. He investigated the inner door and found it folded out of the way. He found a small chamber with a switch handle sticking out of the left wall. He stepped inside the room. He pulled on the handle and the room descended out of sight of the battlefield. He nodded at the appearance of a tunnel leading down. How much of the city was dug out below the small house on the surface? Did Pythonic have another line of defense in his lair? The gunfighter kept one hand on his gun as he waited for something to happen. He was in a small room with only one entrance. All it would take to deal with him now was someone with a bow and arrows. He didn¡¯t plan to make it easy for them. The room stopped moving to let him step off in a large room that resembled a shack full of junk. Lightning sparked between two of the junkpiles. What was going on here? ¡°Pythonic?,¡± said the dead man. ¡°Where are you?¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you like to know?,¡± said a thin voice from behind pieces of equipment on the other side of the room. ¡°I have a warrant card,¡± said the dead man. ¡°Come out. I give you the card. I leave. You leave.¡± ¡°What if I don¡¯t want to do that?,¡± said Pythonic. ¡°Then I have to do whatever I have to put the warrant card in your hand,¡± said the dead man. ¡°Don¡¯t make this any more difficult than it has to be. I already had to kill some of the men that felt indebted to you for whatever you did for their legs.¡± ¡°I let them walk again when no one else offered them a chance,¡± said the unseen Pythonic. ¡°I gave them replica legs that worked.¡± ¡°And they died when they didn¡¯t have to do that,¡± said the dead man. ¡°Step out so we can finish our business.¡± Something clanked into view. It looked like a knight in black armor. It carried a sword in its hand. ¡°A black knight?,¡± said the man with no name. ¡°I¡¯m not going back to Lobster Bay,¡± said Pythonic. ¡°Now, buzz off.¡± ¡°Are you sure you want to do this?,¡± said the bounty hunter. He pushed his seraphe out of the way. ¡°Never more sure,¡± said Pythonic. The dead man pulled both of his pistols. Hellfire blew holes out of the suit of armor, dropping it on its back. Burning oil and cogs fell out of the wounds. He put holes in the equipment, working his way left to right. He ignored the sparks of wild lightning running loose. ¡°You¡¯re wrecking everything,¡± said an elderly man as he stepped into view. Half of his visible body seemed to be metal. Hellfire lit his normal flesh up before he could do more than protest. One pistol went into its holster as the bounty hunter pulled out his deck of cards. The glowing one burned up as he stepped back. The dead man put the stack back as he turned away from the carnage he had committed. He still had some more fugitives in the city, then he could move on. Let the normal authorities deal with the mess he had created. The Burning City 7 Arlo Pike drifted through the city. It had taken a little bit of time to check on where the Pelicans had played four days ago. It was a small theater in the north part of the city. The city train system had a branch in that area that looped back to the main line at the end of the branch. Checking in with the Guard had given him Rowena¡¯s possible routes from either the school, or her house. It had also painted a small picture of Mister and Mistress Remora for him. The father wanted the girl back. The mother didn¡¯t. Mister Remora was getting charged for the work, so they were going to try to return the girl from wherever she was at the moment. If Mistress Remora didn¡¯t like that, then she could try to argue with Jason about what was right and true. Pike decided to try the train station closest to the Remora house. Maybe he could pick up the trail there. Then he could follow it to where she would have boarded the sidetrain to get to the theater. Then he could see if he could find any traces from there. Jason would probably have found something from the girls by that time. Pike decided that he wasn¡¯t going to make his meeting at the Toad. He needed to send a message to Jason to prevent him from rushing all over the city looking for him. Pike found a cab driver sitting at the curb. The man looked bored. The finder nodded. He had a messenger if the man would agree to the job. ¡°I need to send a message to the Toad saloon,¡± said Pike. ¡°I was wondering if I could hire you to deliver it.¡± ¡°I suppose,¡± said the driver. ¡°I don¡¯t really have anything else to do right now.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± said Pike. He took paper and pen from his bag. He wrote a simple note to let Jason know he was going to be on the trains heading north for a bit. He folded the paper up and put it in an envelope from his bag. He handed it over. He pulled out a gold piece and handed that over too. The driver bit the gold piece to see if it was real. ¡°My partner is named Jason,¡± said Pike. ¡°He¡¯s about my height, dark hair, dark eyes. He¡¯s wearing a basket sword on his belt. He will give you another gold piece on delivery. If he¡¯s not there, hand the note to the owner Terrence. He¡¯s a big man with a tattoo on his face. Tell him that I said I would cover a gold piece to you on delivery. Tell him to get the gold piece from Jason.¡± ¡°Take the note to the Toad, hand it to Jason, or Terrence. Ask for a gold piece from either one,¡± said the driver. ¡°Sounds easy enough.¡± ¡°Better hurry,¡± said Pike. ¡°Jason will be there shortly. He will be looking for me.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he won¡¯t be waiting long for another gold piece,¡± said the cab driver. He climbed on the bench of his taxi and released the brake. He cracked the reins and his team of horses started pulling the cab away from the curb. Pike watched the cab roll out of sight. He hoped he hadn¡¯t made a mistake. He shook his head. He had made his choice. He had to push on with the rest of his job. He walked down to the train station. He caught glimpses of Rowena as he walked. She seemed happy enough. He caught her in a turn and she was smiling about something. He decided that whatever had happened she had not run away from home, and she hadn¡¯t had any kind of personal trouble. She was too happy as she headed for the train station. Something beyond her control had kept her from returning home. Once he knew what that was, he felt that he would be able to hand that over to Jason without any regrets. It wouldn¡¯t be the first time they had started looking for one thing to find something completely different trying to keep its existence hidden from the world so it could eat its fill without attracting attention. That led to Jason cutting it to pieces with the sword he had been given. Pike boarded the local and rode it to the platform where Rowena would have to transfer to the north side express. Once he was at the station, he would do the same thing to see where she got off. He would follow that to where she had wound up. If she had wound up in trouble by human hands, Jason would grant them the same mercy as he would any monstrous predator working in the city. It would just take a lot more explaining to the Guard why they had left human beings scatterd along the rails. Pike knew his partner would stick to any story he came up with to tell the Guard why he had slain the villains instead of turning them in. Pike would cover anything Jason said, or come up with an alibi to show he wasn¡¯t in Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.the area. The finder stepped off on the transfer platform. He stepped away from the doors. The express would be coming through soon. Once he was onboard, he could look for the traces he needed. The express came into the station. He frowned as it stopped for the transfer. Rowena didn¡¯t board this train. Why hadn¡¯t she boarded the express to see the Pelicans? He looked around for something that could help him. He saw Rowena standing on the platform. She boarded a train, but not the express. What other train came through here? The train authority didn¡¯t have anything written down on their schedules. ¡°You lost, Mister?,¡± asked a voice from near the stairs. Pike looked at the source. The voice belonged to a young girl with too big eyes and hair cut asymmetrically so one side was nearly bald, and the other was long. She wore three marks of the Rhiem on the cheek on the short hair side of her face. ¡°No,¡± said Pike. ¡°I was looking for a girl who got on the express to go to a show in the North Side.¡± ¡°She didn¡¯t get on any normal train,¡± said the girl. ¡°Anyway, she¡¯s dead. Go home and be happy you didn¡¯t get on the death train with her.¡± ¡°Death train?,¡± Pike asked. That was a new one on him. Jason would love it as a challenge. ¡°There¡¯s a train that poses as the North Side Express,¡± said the girl. ¡°People get on it, but they don¡¯t come back to this station. The locals call it the Death Train.¡± ¡°Do you know anybody who has ever seen it?,¡± asked Pike. ¡°I have,¡± said the girl. ¡°I was waiting on the Express. This train comes into the station about ten-fifteen minutes early. I thought about boarding, but something told me to wait. A guy got on. The train took off. I heard screaming as the train rolled away. Then the real Express came in.¡± ¡°And this happens a lot?,¡± said Pike. ¡°I guess,¡± said the girl. ¡°What are you thinking?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to ask my partner if he wants to destroy a train,¡± said Pike. ¡°Thanks for you help.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want to get involved with this,¡± said the girl. ¡°It could eat your soul.¡± ¡°My partner is a monster hunter,¡± said Pike. ¡°He lives for this sort of thing.¡± ¡°You two are going to get yourselves killed,¡± said the girl. ¡°The Death Train runs on its own time. You won¡¯t know when it¡¯s coming in.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need to know when it¡¯s coming in,¡± Pike said. ¡°I just need a general time.¡± ¡°Are you sure you want to do this?,¡± said the girl. ¡°We promised her father we would figure out what happened and take steps,¡± said Pike. ¡°Thanks for your help. I have to meet my partner and talk things over with him.¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re going to need my help,¡± said the girl. ¡°You haven¡¯t seen it yet.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll have to ride the train back, or get a cab,¡± said Pike. ¡°Which do you prefer?¡± ¡°I think we can take the train,¡± said the girl. ¡°My name¡¯s Arlo Pike,¡± said Pike. ¡°Tilda Crass,¡± said the girl. ¡°You said you have a partner?¡± ¡°His name is Jason,¡± said Pike. ¡°We went into business together and he takes care of a lot of our cases after I find what we¡¯re looking for.¡± ¡°Sounds okay,¡± said Tilda. ¡°I wonder if I could do that. How hard is it?¡± ¡°You have to have a lot of patience, a knack for finding people who can point you in the right direction, some charm, and a lot of luck,¡± said Pike. ¡°All I have is the patience and the luck. Jason covers the other half.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go talk to him,¡± said Tilda. ¡°I think you two should leave the Death Train alone and work on finding something else.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t do that at the moment,¡± said Pike. ¡°Rowena Remora has been missing for four days by this point. We have to show that she¡¯s dead somehow. Punishing her murderer will be icing on the cake if you¡¯re right about the train.¡± ¡°I¡¯m positive about what I saw,¡± said Tilda. ¡°The word spreading around means others saw similar things but are afraid to go to the Guard for whatever reason.¡± ¡°That¡¯s where we come in,¡± said Pike. ¡°We take up the slack the Guard leaves us to make sure everything is better.¡± ¡°How exactly does that work?,¡± asked the girl. ¡°People want answers to their questions,¡± said Pike. ¡°They want to know if their loved ones vanished of their free will, or were taken. The Guard is not set up to answer those questions. So someone like me has to get the answers for our clients. After that, they have to decide what they want to do.¡± ¡°And you think your client is going to want to destroy the Death Train?,¡± said Tilda. ¡°Jason will,¡± said Pike. ¡°And since he is going to do it regardless, I might as well lend a hand where I can. He has a lot of experience killing things. If this fake train is alive, he¡¯ll figure out how to kill it.¡± ¡°Do you think so?,¡± asked Tilda. ¡°Jason can be relentless when he wants to be,¡± said Pike. ¡°I don¡¯t think a train has a chance against him.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see about that,¡± said Tilda. ¡°We¡¯ll go down and meet Jason at the Toad, then we¡¯ll know where we stand and can plan what to do next,¡± said Pike. ¡°You don¡¯t have to get involved with this.¡± ¡°I could have saved that guy if I had been quicker,¡± said Tilda. ¡°I could have stopped him from getting on the Death Train. Now I don¡¯t even know who he was, or if anyone is looking for him, or anything. I don¡¯t even know if he was a commuter like me, or if he had just wanted to get home and took the train as a one time thing.¡± ¡°If he is still alive, we¡¯ll find him,¡± said Pike. ¡°And if he isn¡¯t,¡± said Tilda. ¡°Then his killer won¡¯t be alive either,¡± said Pike. ¡°Jason won¡¯t allow it.¡± ¡°Really?,¡± said Tilda. ¡°He takes killing monsters seriously,¡± said Pike. ¡°Here comes our train.¡± ¡°He takes killing monsters seriously?,¡± said Tilda. Her eyebrows went up with the question. ¡°He loves that stuff,¡± said Pike. ¡°It¡¯s not really part of the finding business, but he comes in handy when I have to collect debts.¡± ¡°Really?,¡± said Tilda. Pike nodded. They waited for the train to come to a stop. Tilda checked the car before they opened. They boarded and Pike went to the back of the car. He stood next to the door at the back. If there was a problem, he had the exit right next to him to duck out. Jason was the fighter in their partnership. He had told Pike to always be ready to get out if he thought he couldn¡¯t handle things. The finder had taken the advice to heart and always made sure he had a way out of any room he was in. If he couldn¡¯t get out of the door, he had a window at his other side. Two possible exits was better than standing in the center of the car and having to choose two in the sides where they were close enough together that he might have to run to the front of the car to get out with people trying to kill him. ¡°Not sitting?,¡± said Tilda. She sat down in the open seat. ¡°I like to be ready in case there¡¯s trouble,¡± said Pike. Another piece of advice was never to sit down on a train. You never knew when you had to defend yourself, or break for the doors. The Burning City 8 Jason looked at Rowena Remora¡¯s friends. He wondered what they weren¡¯t telling him. He knew they were keeping something secret. He could tell from the way they twitched when he asked them a question. You usually saw that amount of guilt from criminals who knew they were on the edge of going to the brig, and were trying to back things up. ¡°So none of you saw Rowena the night of the concert?,¡± asked Jason. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± said Laverne Gato. She seemed to be the oldest and positioned herself as the one answering his questions. ¡°What do you know about this?,¡± asked Jason. ¡°A lot of people go missing up where the Pelicans performed,¡± said one of the other girls. Laverne looked at her. ¡°You know it¡¯s true, Verne,¡± said the girl. She raised her hands in a supplicating way. ¡°A lot of people go missing up there after dark. The Guard knows, but they aren¡¯t doing anything.¡± ¡°Up at the train stations?,¡± said Jason. ¡°Yes,¡± said Laverne. ¡°We asked Rowena not to use the trains. We would have split the cost for a cab if she wanted to do that. Too many people have ridden the train in that section of the city and never made it home.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Jason. He believed that part of things. He didn¡¯t believe anything else they told him. He just felt too many twinges. Were they even going to see the Pelicans at all? Jason didn¡¯t have a way to break them down. He decided to talk with Pike. Maybe his partner would see a solution to the problem. ¡°If you think of anything else, please leave a message at my office,¡± said Jason. He handed over a card. ¡°My partner and I will get back to you.¡± He left the group of girls to head to the Toad. Once he had talked to Pike, maybe a course would be clearer. He glanced back once as he reached the gates of the school grounds. The group stood with Laverne out front. They hadn¡¯t moved from where he had confronted them. Which one could he break down and get some truth out of to help what he was doing? The girl who had broken ranks might give him something. He would have to try again when she was alone. The others wouldn¡¯t let her talk. They had a secret to protect, and no one to trust. Jason walked across Bern to the Toad. He watched everything. Someone had to know what was going on. Maybe he should ask some of the Guard who patrol the areas he was interested in. Stories would have been told. They wouldn¡¯t be believed, but someone would have seen something, and told others about what they had seen. And that would take him to the heart of the matter and allow him to carve that heart out. He hoped Pike had something more solid than what he had at the moment. He noted an Alvas following him at one point. He paused every now and then to keep an eye out. The Alvas vanished at one point. He put that down on the list of things to talk to Pike about when they met. An Alvas was rare in Bern, but they stood out when they did travel through the city to get to places north. They dressed in rich garments and beautiful armor. They didn¡¯t dress in rags and skulk in the shadows trying not to be seen. Jason didn¡¯t like an Alvas showing up when he was looking at the disappearance of a young lady, and her friends had a secret. It said something to the rule of threes and he hated every arrival of such a thing when he saw it. Jason saw the Toad ahead and paused as he looked at the street. His partner was nowhere on the street. He wondered if Pike had been able to do his tour in the time they had allowed. There had better be a message, or there was going to be trouble. The last time Pike had wandered off by himself, there had been an underground fight and three buildings had collapsed before Jason could find him. Extracting him from the situation had cost Jason part of his hair, clothes, and some flesh. Jason entered the Toad and frowned. Pike was nowhere to be found. ¡°Hey, Jason,¡± said the waitress/owner, Sadie Blackwing. She looked forty, was maybe seventy, and could knock a man out with one punch. She had opened the Toad as a way to keep moving and hear things from beyond Bern. ¡°Your brother sent a note for you. You owe me a gold piece.¡± Jason shook his head. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°I don¡¯t have a brother, I have a partner who has decided to saddle me with a great debt,¡± said Jason. He traded the gold piece for the note and read it. He put the note in his pocket. He would be waiting for a bit. He decided to get a table at the back of the drinking room and avoid anyone who wanted to start a problem. He sat down at his table. Sadie brought him his mead and left him alone to think. He pulled out a notebook from an inner pocket of his jacket. He wrote down everything he knew at the moment. He looked at the basic facts in front of him. The girls and the Alvas interested him. He searched his memory, and found the Alvas standing there at the edge of the group as he gathered them together. He hadn¡¯t noticed that before since he was more intent on hearing what the friends were telling him and reading their faces. And when he walked away from the school, the Alvas did too. He saw him a couple of times as he walked down the street. He didn¡¯t see when the Alvas quit following him. So what did someone like the Alvas want with a girl¡¯s school? Maybe he should ask the Alvas some pointed questions about what was going on at the school. Pike strolled in with a girl in his wake. He said something to Sadie. He walked back to where Jason waited. The finder looked reserved amidst the drinkers coming into the Toad. ¡°Jason, this is Tilda,¡± said Pike. He gestured at the girl. ¡°Tilda, this is my partner, Jason.¡± Jason put his notebook away and stood. He bowed slightly at the introduction. ¡°It is a pleasure to meet you, madam,¡± he said. ¡°What did you find at the girl¡¯s school?,¡± asked Pike. He took a seat so he could see the rest of the room. Jason was on his left. ¡°The girls are lying about something,¡± said Jason. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what. There was also an Alvas interested in our conversation for some reason. I am still trying to think of what he could have wanted.¡± ¡°Rowena?,¡± asked Pike. ¡°They said they arranged to go up to the show, and had warned Rowena to be careful because of the disappearances. Apparently the north side is ripe with that kind of thing,¡± said Jason. ¡°So if they are hiding their link to the missing girl, I would have expected the we didn¡¯t see her at the very least.¡± ¡°Tilda said there is a death train operating on the tracks into the North Side,¡± said Pike. ¡°A death train?,¡± said Jason. ¡°Tell me more.¡± ¡°There¡¯s another train running the tracks on that side of town,¡± said Tilda. ¡°I saw it once. I think it picks up people and never lets them go.¡± ¡°How do we find this death train?,¡± asked Jason. ¡°I think it copies the schedule for the regular express,¡± said Pike. ¡°Finding it won¡¯t be a problem. Stopping it will be the problem, depending on what it is.¡± ¡°And we still wouldn¡¯t be sure if it took Rowena,¡± said Jason. ¡°On the other hand, we have nothing to lose by looking at this train and seeing what it can tell us. After we have discarded it, we can look at other options.¡± ¡°So you two think you can take on a train?,¡± asked Tilda. ¡°It depends on what it is,¡± said Jason. ¡°Some things are easier to take on than others.¡± ¡°How do you want to handle this?,¡± asked Pike. ¡°We should look at this death train,¡± said Jason. ¡°Then we¡¯ll know if we can take it on, and if we¡¯ll be able to ask it for Rowena back, or where it took her. It goes without saying that if we find any evidence that it is eating people, it will have to be put down whatever it really is.¡± ¡°I would like to see this,¡± said Tilda. ¡°I have never heard of anyone executing a train before.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve done some things,¡± said Jason. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you want to sit in on this, Tilda. It could be dangerous.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve done some things too,¡± said Tilda. ¡°I think I can handle myself.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Jason. ¡°Let¡¯s get some dinner, and some rest. Tomorrow, we¡¯ll head over to the North Side, and set up to catch this train.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going to try for it tonight?,¡± asked Tilda. ¡°We might have to wander the byways of the tracks for days before we catch it,¡± said Jason. ¡°I think we need to look at this with a plan. We certainly aren¡¯t going to try to take this thing on with just one of us on the scene.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Tilda. ¡°When do you want to start?¡± ¡°Come by the office at sundown,¡± said Jason. ¡°We¡¯ll start roaming the tracks then.¡± ¡°Dinner is on us tonight,¡± said Pike. ¡°Put it down as a partial payment for helping us. We¡¯ll have some kind of coins after we get answers for Mister Remora.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Tilda. She squinted at the partners. ¡°Where do you want to eat?¡± ¡°Go ahead and pick somewhere,¡± said Pike. ¡°Let¡¯s eat at the Wall,¡± said Tilda. ¡°I can walk home from there.¡± ¡°And the food is cheap,¡± said Jason. ¡°I like it.¡± ¡°I knew you would,¡± said Pike. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Right now?,¡± said Tilda. ¡°I haven¡¯t got a drink yet.¡± ¡°You can drink while we eat,¡± said Pike. He stood. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Jason stood too. He smiled. ¡°I advise drinking lightly if you want to search for an evil train tomorrow,¡± said Jason. ¡°I can drink like a fish,¡± said Tilda. ¡°I would like to see that,¡± said Jason. ¡°But not tonight. Tomorrow, we hunt. You¡¯ll have to be sober.¡± ¡°I can still drink like a fish and be ready to go tomorrow,¡± said Tilda. She joined the partners as they walked to the front door. ¡°That¡¯s what every amateur says,¡± said Jason. ¡°You know what happens?¡± ¡°What?,¡± said Tilda. ¡°They wind up with everything on fire, lost their hat, and can¡¯t figure out which way to run,¡± said Jason. ¡°I don¡¯t wear a hat,¡± said Tilda. She smiled at him. ¡°That¡¯s the other thing they always do,¡± said Jason. ¡°Really?,¡± said Tilda. ¡°I don¡¯t wear a hat,¡± said Jason. Pike shook his head. He led the way through the streets until they reached the Wall. Jason and Tilda talked about things, but not about themselves, or the death train. That seemed to be things they would leave for when they knew each other better. He covered the cost of the meal for the three of them. His mind drifted to the idea of a murdering machine just wandering the town without anyone knowing about it. He thought the Guard, or some of the local witch hunters, would have taken notice. The three separated after dinner. Tilda walked off in the direction of her apartment. Jason and Pike started in the direction of their office. After a few blocks of walking, Jason veered toward the nearest train station. ¡°What are you doing?,¡± asked Pike. He followed in his friend¡¯s wake. ¡°We¡¯re not waiting for tomorrow,¡± said Jason. ¡°We¡¯re going to see if we can find the death train tonight before it murders someone else.¡± ¡°Are you sure this is something we should be doing on our own?,¡± asked Pike. ¡°We¡¯re the only ones who can,¡± said Jason. ¡°Tilda would have gotten hurt trying to help us. It was better for her to take the rest of the night off and then come by the office tomorrow. If we don¡¯t find it tonight, I¡¯ll try to come up with an excuse why she can¡¯t go out with us.¡± ¡°She¡¯s dealt with the Rhiem,¡± said Pike. ¡°That means she can take care of herself.¡± ¡°And that has nothing to do with things,¡± said Jason. ¡°We¡¯re not here to drag others into our hunting, we¡¯re here to protect them from monsters.¡± Pike made a face as he followed his friend into the night. The Burning City 9 Pavel Konstantin and Ivanoviska walked to where Ivanoviska last remembered being alive. Once they were there, the plan was to look for his body. If they couldn¡¯t find it on their own, Pavel planned to ask his wife if she would help him out. It wouldn¡¯t be the first time they had hunted something down in the city. ¡°I think it was down here somewhere,¡± said Ivanoviska. He pointed a borrowed finger at an alley next to a restaurant and a saloon. ¡°I remember coming out of the saloon, and looking around.¡± ¡°Looking around?,¡± asked Pavel. He put his hands in his coat pockets. ¡°Looking around for what?¡± ¡°There was a whistle, then a bell,¡± said Ivanoviska. ¡°Then I heard something like a roar. That was when I started running.¡± ¡°You heard this from the alley?,¡± asked Pavel. ¡°I think so,¡± said the spirit. ¡°I was running for my life, so I didn¡¯t look back to see if anything was chasing me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s understandable,¡± said Pavel. He had done the same thing often enough in the past not to condemn someone else for cowardice. ¡°Let¡¯s see if your monster is still there.¡± ¡°What happens if the same thing happens to you?,¡± asked Ivanoviska. ¡°My wife will be extremely upset at the both of us,¡± said Pavel. ¡°I do not want her upset at me,¡± said Ivanoviska. ¡°I have enough problems.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fair,¡± said Pavel. He paused at the mouth of the alley. He looked at the walls, and then the floor. He looked up at the sky. He sniffed the air. ¡°I don¡¯t see anything strange,¡± said Pavel. ¡°You said you heard a bell?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± said Ivanoviska. ¡°I don¡¯t see any bells around. I don¡¯t see anything that might whistle either.¡± Pavel stepped into the alley. He looked things over. He hunkered down and looked at the floor. He put his hand on scratches in the brick floor. He wondered what had made those scratches. ¡°It looks like something was here, Ivanoviska,¡± said Pavel. ¡°That could have been made by anything,¡± said the spirit. ¡°No,¡± said Pavel. ¡°These were just made in the last few days.¡± ¡°So the killer made these?,¡± said Ivanoviska. ¡°What kind of person makes these?¡± ¡°Not a person,¡± said Pavel. ¡°I don¡¯t think a Rhiem would make these.¡± ¡°Something from the Alvas?,¡± said Ivanoviska. ¡°Maybe,¡± said Pavel. He started down the alley. Pavel raised a hand, scanning the walkway. He didn¡¯t see any immediate trail. It puzzled him. Had the thing flown down on Ivanoviska? Was the sound the effect of its flight? What kind of monster did that? He didn¡¯t know of anything that caused a bell sound when it flew. Maybe his wife knew. She knew a lot about things people weren¡¯t meant to know. ¡°Do you hear that?,¡± asked Ivanoviska. ¡°I hear the sound of air moving.¡± Pavel looked around. He saw debris drifting to a point at the end of the alley. He didn¡¯t like that. ¡°I think we should run,¡± said Pavel. He started down the alley to the street. He pushed Ivanoviska ahead of him. The air turned black. Pavel didn¡¯t pause. He wondered if he should leave Ivanoviska behind as he tried to reach the safety of the street. He should have asked his wife to meet them at the murder scene. The wind grabbed Pavel and Ivanoviska and pulled them to the spot where it became a point. He heard a bell in the air. Something was on the other side of the gate making that noise. The whistling was the sound of the air moving. The sensation of falling gripped Pavel. He was off-balance and unsure which way he Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.was moving. He tucked himself into a ball and waited for impact. He crashed down into something solid, bounced and hit the ground. He winced at the pain shooting up his side from the impact. ¡°Pavel?,¡± shouted Ivanoviska. He sounded close by. ¡°Pavel Konstantin? Can you hear me?¡± Pavel took a moment to catch his breath. He checked himself with his hands. He didn¡¯t feel any broken bones, or open wounds. He might have some bruises when things were done. That was better than being dead in his opinion. ¡°I¡¯m all right,¡± shouted Pavel. He got to his feet. ¡°I don¡¯t see you.¡± ¡°Hold on,¡± said Ivanoviska. ¡°You may hear some shouting. Ignore it.¡± Pavel frowned as something hit the shield on his brain. He looked around. He saw a glimmer of light floating in the air. He could almost make out a face. It flew off to his right. Someone screaming in the background woke him up enough to follow the light through the weirdly crooked streets of yellow amber. Buildings rose on all sides, but they looked like they were made of food. He exhaled as he saw the glimmer disappear into the hijacked man buried in what looked like honey. The man fell silent when he saw the clerk approaching on the street. ¡°Can you get me out of this, Pavel?,¡± asked Ivanoviska. ¡°I tried to bring you here with the body power, but I was rebuffed.¡± ¡°Naturally,¡± said Pavel. He doubted he could move the huge bulk of the stolen body with his own. He didn¡¯t have enough mass. He needed something he could use as a lever. ¡°I am going to look around for something I can use to get you out of that,¡± said Pavel. ¡°Don¡¯t go anywhere.¡± ¡°You are so funny,¡± said Ivanoviska. Pavel looked around until he found a broken piece of wood. He took the limb back to where Ivanoviska waited. He held the limb out to be grabbed. Ivanoviska grabbed the end of the branch. He frowned at it. He shook his head. He worked his hands up the length of the thing, tugging himself free slowly. He didn¡¯t want to pull his rescuer into the mess with him. He got to the edge of the pit and was able to secure a grip on solid land. He pulled himself out of the morass. ¡°Drowning in honey is not the way I wanted to go,¡± said Ivanoviska. ¡°I can understand that,¡± said Pavel. He looked around. ¡°This reminds me of some of the old stories we used to hear about the Alvas.¡± ¡°Like what?,¡± said Ivanoviska. He looked down at the honey coating his boots and the lower legs of his trousers. He shook his head. He wasn¡¯t wiping that off with his hands. ¡°How they had places between the real world they could use as their own personal kingdoms,¡± said Pavel. ¡°They supposedly use it for their architecture.¡± ¡°So this could be a big room?,¡± said Ivanoviska. He spread his arms wide to encompass the entire space they stood in. ¡°In a tiny cottage,¡± said Pavel. ¡°We should look for an exit before we get into any more trouble.¡± He didn¡¯t mention that the evidence looked like an Alvas had killed Ivanoviska for some reason they didn¡¯t know yet. And he didn¡¯t want to meet such an Alvas on its home ground. ¡°What about the rest of me?,¡± asked Ivanoviska. He shook his borrowed legs as he followed Pavel through the recreation of a small town. ¡°I am pretty sure that it is buried somewhere in this place,¡± said Pavel. ¡°And I don¡¯t think you are getting it back.¡± ¡°So I am stuck as a ghost borrowing other people¡¯s bodies?,¡± said Ivanoviska. ¡°I don¡¯t like that at all.¡± ¡°If we run into your murderer, I think you will like that even less,¡± said Pavel. He paused to check out the false storefront in front of him before moving on. ¡°You think an Alvas killed me, don¡¯t you?,¡± said the spirit. ¡°I would be surprised if that was not the case,¡± said Pavel. ¡°I don¡¯t see any way out of here.¡± ¡°We fell out of the sky,¡± said Ivanoviska. He pointed up at the black sky. ¡°Maybe our exit is up there.¡± ¡°Neither of us can fly,¡± said Pavel. He shook his head. ¡°You can fly. Go get help.¡± ¡°Where would I get help from?,¡± said Ivanoviska. ¡°And what would you do to this body to keep it under control while I was gone?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said Pavel. ¡°On the other hand, if the owner of this space doesn¡¯t like us, we can both be in hot water.¡± ¡°I would rather take my chances instead of dealing with your wife,¡± said Ivanoviska. ¡°She¡¯s practically harmless,¡± said Pavel. He kept walking along the street. He didn¡¯t see any exit from the space. It led him to believe they would have to talk to the owner first. ¡°How long have you been married, Pavel,¡± said Ivanoviska. He tried a door and found the thing wasn¡¯t a door, but a wall with a knob sticking out of it. ¡°A few years,¡± said Pavel. He paused to look at his companion. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I think you have a biased opinion of your wife that doesn¡¯t match reality,¡± said Ivanoviska. ¡°Are we getting on the witch horse again?,¡± asked Pavel. ¡°I will punch you in the face again.¡± ¡°We both know this is true, and more importantly, we need it to be true if we want to get out of this with our skins,¡± said Ivanoviska. ¡°I think something is in here with us. I don¡¯t like what that could mean for either one of us.¡± ¡°I¡¯m thinking the same thing,¡± said Pavel. ¡°And I don¡¯t like how everything is made out of candy.¡± ¡°I hadn¡¯t noticed but you¡¯re right,¡± said the spirit. ¡°Everything does look it has been made of sweets. I wonder why.¡± ¡°I think we are about to find out,¡± said Pavel. ¡°There¡¯s something coming at us. Get ready to fight.¡± ¡°I¡¯m always ready,¡± said Ivanoviska. ¡°Let¡¯s see what this fiend looks like.¡± A throne of red wires marched toward the two men on legs made of ovoids joined together by amber blocks. A woman with red hair sat on the throne in a dress that revealed more than it hid. She smiled as she raised her interlaced hands to her chin. ¡°I think I am in love,¡± said Ivanoviska. ¡°She is beautiful.¡± Pavel punched him in the face. He staggered back from the blow. ¡°What was that for?,¡± asked Ivanoviska. He rubbed the sore spot with his hand. ¡°This is your murderer, idiot,¡± said Pavel. He waved a hand at the pale woman. She smiled back. ¡°Don¡¯t fall in love with your murderer, monkey brain.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure it was a misunderstanding,¡± said Ivanoviska. ¡°Shut up,¡± said Pavel. ¡°This is so much trouble. My wife is going to kill me, and then you. Get ready to run.¡± ¡°I thought we were going to fight,¡± said Ivanoviska. ¡°I think it would be better if we ran,¡± said Pavel. He waved at the woman. ¡°Hello, how are you today?¡± ¡°I think I am doing a lot better than you two,¡± said the woman. She waved one of her hands. Amber flowed out of the street into yellow dogs. They growled at the two. ¡°It was a pleasure meeting you. Goodbye,¡± said Pavel. He ran for the closest alley. Ivanoviska stared after him. He looked at the dogs advancing on him. He turned and ran too. The Burning City 10 Errant nodded at the large center room of the tea house. Tables formed around the edges of the room. Faceless waiters appeared to help people to their seats and to pour tea for them. A lot of the contestants looked at each other and him with suspicion. ¡°How do you do?,¡± said the Queen¡¯s Knight, looking around the room. He put on a smile in the face of their questions. ¡°I¡¯m Errant. I want you to look around the room and see if everyone you know is here.¡± He doubted everyone would be present. Someone had to have made the dead bodies he and Woody had found in the real world. ¡°Maureen is missing,¡± said one of the women. ¡°I don¡¯t see her.¡± ¡°Anyone else?,¡± asked Errant. He didn¡¯t know who Maureen was, but he had an idea she was one of the dead bodies suspended in the magic circle Woody was guarding from the outside. ¡°All the people I dueled aren¡¯t here,¡± said one man. He wore something that looked like a soldier¡¯s breastplate and armored sleeve. He had a scar on his face. It looked like something he had brought over from reality, and not an affection. ¡°Is that true for all of you?,¡± asked Errant. He looked around the room. There seemed to be some agreement on that. ¡°I have some bad news for you. All of those people are dead.¡± That caused an uproar. He stood in the center of the room and waited for things to calm down. ¡°This is some kind of trick,¡± shouted one of the men. ¡°You¡¯re wrong. Bass said this was perfectly safe.¡± ¡°Your friend isn¡¯t here, is he?,¡± said Errant. The man stopped and looked around. He stood up and examined the whole room. He looked at the others at his table. They shook their heads. ¡°He¡¯s not here and some of these people aren¡¯t in our class,¡± said the man. He indicated two tables on the other side of the room. ¡°Did you hear that, Woody?,¡± asked Errant. ¡°There might be more circles out there on the outside.¡± Woody barked in understanding. ¡°What was that?,¡± asked one of the duelists, standing up. ¡°That was my familiar,¡± said Errant. ¡°Does everyone have some tea? I¡¯m going to tell you some things, and then we¡¯re going to deal with the situation from there. This is a bad situation for you folks, and it might get worse if your friend is monitoring what you¡¯ve been doing in here. Would anyone like some imaginary food to go with your imaginary tea?¡± ¡°Get on with it, please,¡± said the soldier. He looked at the rest of the crowd for support. Some of them said the same thing with different words. ¡°All right,¡± said Errant. He gestured for imaginary tea from an imaginary waiter. A giant cup was given to him. ¡°The magic circle you are in, I¡¯m going to say more than one now, has created a mental construct so that all of you can meet in the same place and interact. I assume you all thought this was safe, or at least didn¡¯t think about what would happen if it wasn¡¯t.¡± He took a sip of the tea. It was just the way he liked it. ¡°The problem is that all of you were under the impression that no one could be hurt in this place,¡± said Errant. He waved a hand at the tea house dining room. ¡°You were wrong. Fighting here is like magic dueling. Everyone you killed here died out there.¡± ¡°You have to be wrong,¡± said the man who spoke up first. ¡°You have to be. Bass wouldn¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°They could be alive,¡± said Errant. ¡°Woody? Can you check on any of the nonactive people in the circle we found. We need to know if they are alive, or not.¡± The familiar made a noise. He barked a few seconds later. ¡°Some of them are alive?,¡± said Errant. ¡°How many?¡± Woody barked a response. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± said Errant. ¡°Some of them did live. That¡¯s great.¡± ¡°How many did we kill?,¡± asked one of the other duelists. She adjusted her glasses at one of the tables near the doors. Woody barked an answer. ¡°A few,¡± said Errant. ¡°So what do we do now? We need to unhook you people from this, and then call the authorities to take care of the dead. I can help the wounded if I¡¯m quick about it, but only the wounded in the circle where my body is. Once I unhook everything, the wounded in the other circles will die too.¡± ¡°Some of us have some magic skills,¡± said one of the others. ¡°We can help the wounded if we are released, and if they aren¡¯t too far gone.¡± ¡°That would be great,¡± said Errant. He sipped his tea. ¡°All right. If we run into Bass, I¡¯ll handle it. The rest of you stay out of the way. We don¡¯t need any more trouble than what¡¯s already happened.¡± He finished his cup, and handed it back to the waiter. He looked around the room. The volunteers looked back at him with mixed expressions. He hoped Bass didn¡¯t show up while he was putting everyone back where they belonged. That could make things messy in a big way. ¡°Everyone ready?,¡± Errant asked. The group stood. Some of them reached inside to call forth the edge of their training. ¡°All right. Let¡¯s look at the outside world and see where we have to go.¡± The teahouse collapsed to reveal a white expanse. Errant pulled out his wand. He raised it. A simple flare showed the mind people where they stood in the real world, and who was closer to the wounded. ¡°I¡¯m going to start severing the links,¡± said Errant. ¡°As soon as you can, move off the circles where you are. I¡¯ll be around to make sure everyone is all right. I¡¯ll bring help for the injured. Just keep them alive until help gets wherever you land.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll handle it,¡± said the soldier. Errant nodded. He looked around to gauge the healers in the group. He started sending them back first. Each one vanished with a pop. He started working on the rest. He heard voices talking where he had left Woody. He hoped none of them tried to do anything to his body. Bites from a wooden jaw with wooden teeth still hurt. After a few minutes, he was alone. He looked around. He wondered what Bass would do now. He hadn¡¯t shown himself. Was he monitoring the mental space? If he wasn¡¯t, he was going to come back and find that all of his victims were gone. ¡°Is everyone free?,¡± asked Errant. He didn¡¯t want to miss anyone in the space. Once he left, they would be on their own until someone found their body and the circle they were in. It had been luck that he and Woody had stumbled on the circle they had found. ¡°I think so,¡± came a voice through the circle connection. ¡°It¡¯s a mess here.¡± Woody barked in agreement with that assessment. ¡°All right,¡± said Errant. ¡°I¡¯m going to finish shutting down the circle. Then I¡¯ll be able to help you on the outside.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going anywhere,¡± said a voice floating in the expanse. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Bass,¡± said one of the volunteers. ¡°I don¡¯t see his body. Where is he sending from?¡± A man in wizard robes appeared. On arrival, the featureless white turned into a chamber of runes and glowing lights. He crossed his arms as he glared at the meddler in front of him. ¡°How do you do?,¡± asked Errant. ¡°Your magic circle posed a threat to the people that were using it, so I shut it down.¡± ¡°What gave you the right to do that?,¡± said Bass. ¡°I worked hard to make sure the circles would do what I wanted from them. You ruined everything.¡± ¡°That¡¯s kind of my job,¡± said Errant. ¡°You see I like the idea of a magic circle that allows people to communicate long distances. It would help build better connections between people in my estimation. Showing them parts of other places would be a bonus. I can¡¯t allow it to be used as a harvester. That¡¯s just asking too much.¡± ¡°Do you really think you can stop me?,¡± asked the wizard. ¡°I control this mental sphere. There¡¯s nothing you can do.¡± Errant looked around. The chamber filled with trees and flowers. Terraces of flowing water pulled themselves out of the floor. The walls vanished to allow blue skies as far as anyone could see. ¡°You don¡¯t have anything I don¡¯t allow,¡± said Errant. He put his hands in his pockets. ¡°I think now is the time to consider what your future could be, instead of what you want it to be.¡± Bass created a lance of lightning and threw it across the space between them. Mental energy could kill just as well as real magic. He didn¡¯t try to reassert his claim on his domain. He could feel the will bearing down on him, conflicting with his control. It was better to kill this nuisance and take his energy for personal use. Errant raised one hand. The blast energy collected in his palm. Then it blasted back at the magician. Bass raised a shield. The barrier caught the blast before it shattered. He flew across the garden and destroyed a hedge. Errant walked forward. He cleared the garden out of the way until they were on the same white plane where they had started. He waited. ¡°I won¡¯t give up my dream,¡± said Bass. ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± ¡°Then live it,¡± said Errant. He raised a hand. The magic circle that built the place they were in shifted around them. He vanished in front of the wizard. Woody snuffled when Errant stepped out of the circle. ¡°He has more than one of these with wounded and dead,¡± said Errant. He waved his hand at the people trying to help their own. Some of them were beyond help. ¡°We need to make sure everyone is all right. As all right as we can.¡± Woody barked once. ¡°I left him in his dream world,¡± said Errant. ¡°He won¡¯t be able to bother anyone else until he can discern truth from fiction.¡± Woody snuffled again. ¡°I¡¯m sure he will snap out of it one day,¡± said Errant. ¡°Someone will find him. That kind of thing. Until then, he¡¯s doing what he wanted to do in his mind.¡± The Burning City 11 Moe Eisen didn¡¯t like what was going on with Bernard. He also didn¡¯t have any means to stop it. He should have stored neutralizer for this kind of emergency. He told himself that he couldn¡¯t read the future. He couldn¡¯t have known that someone would turn Bernard into a promise of violence before his eyes. You couldn¡¯t account for bad luck. ¡°How do you feel, Bernard?,¡± Eisen asked. The boy shivered from the buckets of water poured on him to try to wash the mixed alchemical formulas off of him. That had been a partial success from what the alchemist could tell. Bernard opened his eyes. The irises were shifting chemical symbols. His visible skin was cover in interlocking gears with combinations of the same symbols locked inside. Gray streaked through the brown of his hair. His skin had lost most of its color, reducing him to a ghost whiteness from the tan complexion he had before their encounter with the Sharriff. One of the gears glowed as Eisen watched. He frowned, wondering what it meant. How long did they have before Bernard died? They needed to get him to a competent healer to try to erase the effects. ¡°I am suffering degradation,¡± said Bernard. His voice was a monotone. ¡°Estimation of lifespan is three years. Normal biological processes have been suspended. Flushing system is impossible at this time.¡± Eisen didn¡¯t like that. How did he break the news to Bernard¡¯s grandparents that the boy would only live another three years? They would hold him responsible for this. He needed to get the boy to a healer. ¡°I¡¯m going to take you to a medic and have him look at you,¡± said Eisen. ¡°Maybe there is a way to fix this so your degradation can be stabilized.¡± ¡°It won¡¯t matter,¡± said Bernard. ¡°There is no way to fix it as far as I can see.¡± ¡°We can try,¡± said Eisen. He put the bucket on a counter. He gathered up the leaves and wrapped them again. That could wait until after he was sure Bernard wouldn¡¯t turn into a monster. He opened a small vault under the counter. He placed the leaves inside and closed the door. He made sure the door was locked. He would give it back if the medicians couldn¡¯t help Bernard. He had other things to keep his attention. A commission from a criminal would have been all right until he doused Bernard. If he thought the Guard would do anything, he would have turned everything over to them to see what they would do. He didn¡¯t because he thought of the Guard as corrupt and useless. ¡°Come on,¡± said Eisen. ¡°Let¡¯s see if we can get a second opinion that is more hopeful.¡± ¡°They won¡¯t be able to do anything for me,¡± said Bernard. He looked down at his hands. ¡°This is set up like a curse, but the only way to get rid of it is to pull all the chemicals out of my system. I don¡¯t think that is possible without killing me.¡± ¡°How do you know all this?,¡± asked Eisen. He pulled on his coat over his work apron. ¡°This allows me to know everything about my body and heal it from harm,¡± said Bernard. He pointed at the glowing symbol. ¡°It also tells me what the other symbols do, and how to use them.¡± ¡°All of these gears are different abilities?,¡± asked Eisen. He gestured for Bernard to lead the way out of the back room. He would have to replace the tank when all this was over. ¡°Yes,¡± said Bernard. The glow faded from his symbol. Tears ran down his face. ¡°I only have three years, Pa? Three years?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see what a medician says first,¡± said Eisen. ¡°Maybe a second opinion will spur some idea of how you can be helped.¡± ¡°We still need to get the headache powder,¡± said Bernard. ¡°Grandma needs it.¡± ¡°It can wait for the moment,¡± said Eisen. He ushered the boy out of the shop. He Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.put the close sign up and stepped outside. He locked the door. Anyone who wanted could still break in. The lock was for the casual visitor. ¡°Let¡¯s walk down the street here. I can take care of your grandmother while we¡¯re getting you checked out.¡± ¡°How are you going to do that, Pa?,¡± asked Bernard. He looked down at his wet clothes. ¡°I¡¯m soggy as milk toast.¡± ¡°I know some people,¡± said Eisen. He paused at another alchemical shop. He opened the door for them and gestured for Bernard to go inside. He walked in, and let his eyes adjust to the lighting. ¡°Hello, Larry.¡± Larry Kobach nodded at his visitors. He had lost most of his hair on top, the rest filling out the sides of his head in graying red. He wore the same type of stained apron as Eisen. Small eyes and a sharp nose completed the picture. ¡°Hello, Moe,¡± said Larry. He rubbed his hands together on a rag. ¡°What can I do for you? What happened to the boy?¡± ¡°I need to send some headache powder and a note to his grandmother,¡± said Eisen. ¡°A pushy customer spilled my tank of failures on him, and I need to get him looked at by a healer of some kind.¡± ¡°That¡¯s bad, Moe,¡± said Larry. He turned and searched his shelf. ¡°The whole tank?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said Eisen. ¡°I didn¡¯t check the inside of the tank. I¡¯ll pick up some neutralizer on the way back to the shop to take care of the rest. I might need at least a gallon.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get you some,¡± said Larry. ¡°Are you taking this, or do you need it sent?¡± ¡°Send it, Larry,¡± said Eisen. ¡°I¡¯ll need to send a note with it so she knows everything is fine for right now.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± said Larry. ¡°Put it on your account?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± said Eisen. ¡°She already paid me, so I¡¯ll pay you at the end of the month like always. I¡¯m hoping that a healer can help the boy, and then I can get back to work.¡± ¡°Let me have the address and the note,¡± said Larry. ¡°I¡¯ll send it out as soon as Raven gets back.¡± ¡°Thanks, Larry,¡± said Eisen. He wrote a note explaining that he was taking Bernard to get looked at because of an accident in the lab, and there was nothing to be worried about. The boy would be home as soon as the healer could tell them something. He folded the paper up and wrote the address and the name of Bernard¡¯s grandmother on the outside. Larry copied the address on a wrapper and wrapped the headache powder bottle. He placed it to one side. ¡°If anyone comes looking for me, Larry, tell them the truth,¡± said Eisen. ¡°The man who did this to Bernard will not have any scruples about hurting an old man.¡± ¡°You¡¯re older than I am, Moe,¡± said Larry. ¡°I understand the situation. What about the Guard?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think they can help,¡± said Eisen. ¡°It¡¯s something I will have to take care of after Bernard is checked.¡± ¡°Understood,¡± said Larry. He nodded at the strange pair. ¡°Good luck.¡± Eisen nodded. He ushered Bernard out of the shop and they started down the street. The alchemist noted the gears moving around. The one for the self diagnosis had shrank and had slipped to one side. He kept an eye on it as they walked. It grew slowly as they passed door after door to the small park surrounding the Wayne Temple of Healing. It suggested a time constraint on Bernard¡¯s abilities, whatever they were. He didn¡¯t want to test that. What if the three years meant that it would take that long for the abilities to be used up and kill Bernard in the process? Removing them would be for the best before that happened in his opinion. ¡°We¡¯ll go in and have you looked over, Bernard,¡± said Eisen. ¡°Once we know where we stand, we¡¯ll see what options we have.¡± ¡°The Sharriff won¡¯t like you not working on the weed he brought,¡± said Bernard. He looked doubtful about the whole enterprise. ¡°Then he shouldn¡¯t have caused this,¡± said Eisen. ¡°Now I have to worry about you and your grandmother. I have to think about my oath. And I have two and a half days to work on his problem, if I want to work on it at all.¡± ¡°I think it will be bad if you ignore his demand,¡± said Bernard. ¡°He might burn your shop down.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t worry about that now,¡± said Eisen. ¡°First, I have to do what I can for you. If I had neutralized the mix, you wouldn¡¯t be in this situation at all.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be all right, Pa,¡± said Bernard. ¡°I can deal with only having three more years to live.¡± ¡°You might have longer if you don¡¯t use your abilities,¡± said Eisen. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Hopefully someone will be able to tell us something we can use.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to try to cure this?,¡± said Bernard. He gestured at the whole of his body. ¡°I¡¯m going to do what I can,¡± said Eisen. He led the way to the front of the Temple. ¡°I can¡¯t make any promises.¡± ¡°Thanks, Pa,¡± said Bernard. They walked into the Temple. They spent a good chunk of time waiting for someone to look at Bernard. Then they spent more time while tests were being done. In the end, the ranking cleric tried for a healing ritual. He shook his head as it failed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Master Eisen,¡± said the cleric, Doctor Tiablo. ¡°Whatever happened to the boy has changed him at the base level.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± said Eisen, but he did. He just didn¡¯t like it. ¡°The mix of formulae soaked in his skin has changed him from a human boy into something else,¡± said Tiablo. He gestured with his hands which made the symbol for Trenchen the Healer dance on the light blue tunic he wore. ¡°And that has turned all of his biological processes into something that runs on that formulae. And when it runs out, so will he.¡± ¡°How long?,¡± said Eisen. Healers knew enough about the body¡¯s problems, they could give him an estimate on time of death. ¡°Two to three years from the feedback I received,¡± said Tiablo. He folded his hands in front of him. ¡°Thank you,¡± Eisen said. He gestured for Bernard to follow him. He had three years to find a cure. The Burning City 12 The man with no name looked at the warrant card in his hand. He looked at the houses clustered together until they resembled one big ramshackle house. He put the card away. He doubted the residents would want to talk to him. He represented some kind of authority. And authority was best avoided at even the best of times. Anyone he grabbed would play dumb, or lie so that he would move on down a false trail. He spotted some kids playing with a ball. He rode up to them. The older ones ran. He snagged a young boy by the back of his shirt before the child could flee. He held the boy up so they could see eye to eye. ¡°How do you do?,¡± said the dead man. ¡°I¡¯m looking for Canterwell Court. Do you know where it is?¡± ¡°It¡¯s three houses down, one house over, then across the courtyard,¡± said the boy. He tried to point, but swivelled in the grip of the gunfighter. His shirt bunched up to try to choke him. ¡°Let¡¯s go over and have a look around,¡± said the man with no name. He urged Stupid forward, and pulled the boy along as the horse ambled toward their destination. The directions were good. The dead man smiled when he saw a sign pointing him the rest of the way. He dropped the boy to the ground and tossed him a coin. ¡°You better run,¡± said the man with no name. ¡°You don¡¯t want to be around when I go up to ask my questions.¡± The urchin tucked the coin away and ran at full speed from the coming confrontation. He didn¡¯t look back. Stupid carried his rider up to the circle of houses that made up Canterwell Court. Numerous eyes glared at the stranger as he approached the one house he wanted. He looked around as he dismounted. He didn¡¯t want to kill anyone who wasn¡¯t being served, but if they gave him no choice, some of the people around him would join his target. He couldn¡¯t turn aside from the task he had been given. And he didn¡¯t want to turn aside. He had been given a hundred names to a hundred people in the black cards he carried. Everyone he had tracked down so far had been doing things they knew were wrong, or damaging to the people around them. Everyone he took made the world safer in his opinion. And he didn¡¯t think he was about to meet the exception to the rule. The man with no name went to the door of the place he wanted. It was crammed between two other houses. He felt the buzz of wards kick in as he stood on the porch. Something nasty would happen if he tried to force his way inside unless he shut the buzzing off. He flung his poncho out of the way so he could pull his guns. He knocked on the door. He listened. He glanced at the crowd coming nearer. He eyed the ragged men and women as he knocked on the door again. How many would he have to kill in the next few seconds? ¡°Ben Carriff, come on out,¡± said the man with no name. ¡°I have a warrant I need to serve.¡± Silence answered his request. He looked at the crowd. Some of them had armed themselves with pipes and knives. They drew closer. ¡°The Sharriff isn¡¯t home,¡± said one of the men. He looked at the crowd for strength. ¡°Why don¡¯t you clear out? We don¡¯t recognize any authority but the Sharriff¡¯s.¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t happen to know where he is?,¡± said the man with no name. ¡°I have a job to do, and I need to find him so I can do my job.¡± ¡°Why should we tell you anything?,¡± said the spokesman. He scanned the crowd, drawing confidence in their numbers. ¡°Because I will kill anyone that so much as raises a hand,¡± said the man with no name. ¡°I¡¯m going to take your word that Carriff isn¡¯t here. Tell him I¡¯m looking for him. When I find him, he¡¯ll get what he deserves.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t get to make threats,¡± said the spokesman. He held up an arm to include all of the people with him. ¡°This is our neighborhood. We make the threats here.¡± The man with no name looked at the crowd. He straightened his hat. One hand dipped down. Flame ate the air as it roared across the space between him and his target. The spokesman looked down at the part of a pipe he held. The metal glowed from the impact. ¡°I¡¯m only here for Carriff,¡± said the dead man. The muzzle of the gun tracked across This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.the front of the crowd. ¡°I could care less about the rest of you. Don¡¯t make me care about you.¡± The crowd started to break across the front as some of the people realized what would happen if one of those lances of flame actually touched them. None of the smarter ones wanted to have a hole in the middle of their bodies. The man with no name edged down to where Stupid waited. The horse had decided to crop the grass until it was needed to do something. One ear flicked back and forth. Anyone getting behind the animal was going to have a bad day. The dead man swung up in his saddle. He held his firearm close to his body as he urged Stupid to start walking. The crowd parted to let him go. He holstered the weapon when he was clear. He shook his head. It looked like his target was the head of the neighborhood watch. How did he get around that? He admitted subterfuge wasn¡¯t his strong point. He preferred direct methods to solve his problems. Burning that part of the city down didn¡¯t seem the best way to get things done. And he didn¡¯t want to kill everyone in his way. He didn¡¯t know how that would look on his conscience while he was trying to serve the rest of his warrants. ¡°Let¡¯s look for an inn so I can think about what I should do about this,¡± said the dead man. ¡°Maybe something will present itself. If it doesn¡¯t, we can try for one of the others that are nearby.¡± Stupid flicked his ears. He lifted his head and looked around. He turned and headed down the street out of the neighborhood of shacks to a better neighborhood of brick and glass. He sniffed the air and carried his rider to an inn with his ambling walk. ¡°The Lionfish?,¡± said the man with no name. He eased his hat back. ¡°You want some oats before I go in?¡± The horse snorted an affirmative, stomping his foot. Oats would be good. The dead man slid out of the saddle. He reached in the saddlebag and pulled out a cloth bucket. He halfway filled the bucket with oats from a bag. He pushed the strap over Stupid¡¯s head so the horse could eat in peace. ¡°Don¡¯t go anywhere,¡± said the dead man. ¡°I¡¯m just getting one drink, and then we¡¯re moving on.¡± The man with no name entered the inn. The locals glared at him from their tables, but said nothing. He nodded as he walked to the bar. He took an empty place at the end. He waited for the tender to come down to take his order. He looked around. The people seemed okay, a little prosperous from the look of their clothes. They slowly went back to their conversations. He supposed they didn¡¯t see many strangers in that part of town. The tender finally walked down to talk to the stranger. He wiped his wide hands on a towel. The towel went over his shoulder. Beady eyes glared at his newest customer. ¡°What can I do for you?,¡± asked the tender. His graying hair looked like a spider on the top of his head. Tiny scars on his face revealed themselves when he stood close. ¡°I just want a beer, and directions to Elzay Tower,¡± said the man with no name. ¡°Hold on,¡± said the tender. He retreated down the bar. He returned with a bottle, and a glass. He popped the top of the bottle and poured the beer in the glass. He placed the glass down in front of his customer. ¡°The Elsi is across the bridge on the north side,¡± said the tender. He pointed in the direction he meant. ¡°You can take the train to get over there from here.¡± ¡°Sounds easy,¡± said the man with no name. He sipped his beer. ¡°Is it a landmark?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± said the tender. ¡°Supposedly some witches and monsters started fighting with the Alvas there. The only thing left over from the battle is the tower. It looks like a tree made of stone.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± said the dead man. ¡°That¡¯s really helpful.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a problem,¡± said the tender. ¡°Do you want another beer?¡± ¡°No,¡± said the dead man. He finished his beer and put a silver on the bar. He started for the door. The Elzay Tower was on one of the cards he carried. Scoping it out might give him a lead on a target not surrounded by a mob. Then he could get back to work. Warrants weren¡¯t going to serve themselves. He smiled at that. Maybe they could if he knew the right spell to put on them. The man with no name walked over to his horse. The animal flicked an ear at him as he munched on the oats in the feed bag. ¡°We¡¯re going north to see if we can find a stone tree,¡± said the dead man. He climbed up in the saddle. ¡°You can eat while we go.¡± Stupid ambled away from the inn and made his slow way across town. They didn¡¯t need speed yet. That would come later when they were chasing some villain who wanted to set a poor riding animal on fire. Or when they were chasing someone who didn¡¯t want to be set on fire. The man with no name kept his eyes moving. Someone from the crowd might be following him. Maybe one of his targets had enough magical strength to keep an eye on him. Maybe something random was going to get in his way. He wanted to be ready no matter what happened. He patted Stupid¡¯s neck as the horse carried him along. The beast¡¯s gentle nature and slow moving said he wasn¡¯t as dangerous as his rider. Some people had found out the hard way that wasn¡¯t true. The strange pair paused when they made it to the Elzay Tower. A tree turned to stone stood in the middle of a park for the city. Nests for birds covered the upper branches. The man with no name slid off his horse. He took the feed bag off and cleaned it with water from his canteen. He put it back in the saddle bag. He wanted Stupid ready to bite if he had to bite someone. The dead man pulled out his cards. He flipped through them until he found the one he wanted. He saw a sliver of blue running through the card. The target was here. All he had to do was find him, or her. He started toward the tower. He looked up at the branches. He supposed someone could live up there if they could climb the stone trunk. He decided to circle and see if he could find his quarry in the park. That seemed safer than trying to climb the tower and seeing if the target was up there above the city. If he had to head up to the sky, he would. He couldn¡¯t turn away from another target after missing one. He drifted along, holding the card in his hand. He stopped when it glowed blue in his hand. He saw the flash from the corner of his eye, then a closer look said the warrant was close enough to touch the person who was supposed to receive it. He looked at the people walking around him. Which one was supposed to be served the card? The Burning City 13 Arlo Pike looked up and down the station. He wondered what he was doing. He found things. Killing monsters was something he would love to pawn off on the city guard. His partner didn¡¯t agree. Jason stood still as he observed the station. He frowned at what he saw. ¡°I thought we were looking for the train tomorrow,¡± said Tilda. She stood by the steps leading to the street. ¡°We¡¯re looking the ground over,¡± said Jason. He didn¡¯t quite frown, or resort to an active defense for trying to send her out of harm¡¯s way. ¡°Don¡¯t kid a kidder,¡± said Tilda. She smiled. ¡°You project the lie too much.¡± Pike felt a nagging strike his spine. He looked down the tracks. He concentrated. He decided this was the train they were looking to board. ¡°Are you sure you want to do this, Tilda?,¡± asked Pike. He watched the tracks. They vibrated with the weight of the thing coming toward them. ¡°There¡¯s some real danger involved in this.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ready if you two are,¡± said Tilda. ¡°All right,¡± said Pike. He stepped back from the edge of the platform. He didn¡¯t want to fall on the tracks at the worse possible time. Jason let his hand fall down to the hilt of his sword. He looked down the tracks. He nodded to himself. ¡°How do you guys want to handle things?,¡± asked Tilda. She frowned at the false train approaching. ¡°We board, look for the brain, cut it apart,¡± said Jason. ¡°We deal with anything in our way trying to stop us.¡± ¡°Sounds simple,¡± said Tilda. She flexed her hands. ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± said Jason. He stared at the train, taking in details he might have to use later. The train slid to a stop in front of the trio. It looked close enough to the real thing to fool anyone not paying attention. Pike didn¡¯t like the windows that looked like they were lit from within but weren¡¯t glass, the gray metal skin looked more like scales than paint, and the front cowcatcher looked more like a jaw of sharp teeth than anything meant to push obstacles off the tracks. ¡°Definitely a monster,¡± said Jason. He rubbed the fingers of his free hand together. ¡°We¡¯re going to have to do something about this.¡± ¡°We could just walk away,¡± said Tilda. She looked around. No one else was on the platform. ¡°Let someone at the next station handle this.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no one at the next station who can handle this,¡± said Jason. ¡°Besides it¡¯s my job to deal with things like this.¡± ¡°You can walk away, Tilda,¡± said Pike. He walked up to the fake door. They opened for him. ¡°This isn¡¯t your problem.¡± He tried not to think of how much the door looked like a mouth. He regretted taking Jason as his partner for the hundredth time as he stepped inside the dark interior. He wasn¡¯t surprised that it didn¡¯t match the exterior it showed its victims. Jason and Tilda boarded behind him. He didn¡¯t spare them a glance. They needed to take care of themselves while he called up his talent. He needed to find the weak spot to attack so they could survive the death trap they were in. ¡°This looks like a giant stomach,¡± said Jason. He pulled his sword. The blade burned the air around it. ¡°I wonder how many got on the train and never made it to their destination.¡± ¡°I think this stomach has teeth,¡± said Tilda. She pointed at triangular protrusions emerging from the walls, ceiling, and floor. ¡°I knew this was a bad idea.¡± ¡°We want to go this way,¡± said Pike. He pointed down the inside of the fake train. ¡°We¡¯re going to have to cut through anything in our way as we go.¡± ¡°Follow me,¡± said Jason. He slashed the closing walls with his sword. It burned the interior lining of the esophagus as the flesh split on impact. Something screamed around them, but the swordsman paid no heed. ¡°I think it¡¯s dropping stomach acid on top of us,¡± said Tilda. She raised a hand. The ceiling compressed under an unseen punch. ¡°Keep moving,¡± said Pike. ¡°It¡¯ll finish eating us as soon as it can crush us into paste. This is what happened to the girl we were hired to find.¡± ¡°It looks like we have some kind of barrier in the way ahead,¡± said Jason. ¡°I¡¯m going to cut through it.¡± Jason brought his sword down in a diagonal slash. The bone he had sliced into split apart, letting tissue and bodily fluid fly back from its cavity. Something knocked the waste out of the way so it didn¡¯t bury them. ¡°That smell is awful,¡± said Tilda. She covered her face with one hand. ¡°Keep moving,¡± said Pike. He covered his face with a rag from his bag. ¡°We¡¯ll die if we stop now.¡± Jason sliced his way through to the front of the train. Every place his sword blade touched turned black and curled away from the glowing metal. He didn¡¯t seem You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.bothered by the stench and the liquid underfoot. ¡°Get out of the way!,¡± shouted Tilda. ¡°I want to do something before the smell kills me.¡± Jason stepped out of the tunnel he had been cutting. He kept an eye on the closing walls. If things got closer, he would just cut through the walls and hope they survived jumping from the false train. Tilda stepped forward and punched the air. A channel exploded in front of her fist. She swayed on her feet. The partners could see starlight streaming in from the other end of the tunnel. ¡°She missed the brain!,¡± shouted Pike. He grabbed Tilda to keep her from falling in the filth. ¡°It¡¯s all right,¡± said Jason. He cut at the healing channel. The burned away tissue stopped regenerating as the sword cursed the monster flesh. ¡°I think I can handle the rest of the job.¡± Jason forced himself forward. Every wound he caused dropped more of the flesh away, widening the tunnel punched out by Tilda. Pike followed, keeping Tilda on her feet as he looked behind them. He shook his head. They had to do something, or they would be crushed by the parts of the train that were still working. ¡°It¡¯s still trying to seal everything behind us so we can¡¯t go back,¡± said Pike. ¡°It looks like it¡¯s having problems healing over where you cut it.¡± ¡°It should,¡± said Jason. He sliced along the top of the ceiling, trying to find the brain of the thing. ¡°It¡¯s a cluster above and to your right,¡± said Pike, glancing at the ruined braincase of the monster. ¡°You and Tilda have already done a lot of damage to its thinking capacity. The part where it quits moving is up there. Ruin that and the train will quit moving.¡± Jason stabbed as directed. The ceiling burned away from his sword¡¯s touch. He found a series of connectors that almost looked like a wide spinal cord. He sliced through them several times. The burned material came apart and seemed unable to heal up from the wounding. ¡°It looks like we¡¯ve done for the death train,¡± said Jason. ¡°Now we have to get out of here before we meet a real train on the tracks.¡± ¡°What happens if a train hits this?,¡± Pike asked. ¡°It might smash this corpse apart,¡± said Jason. ¡°How long do we have before the next train comes along?¡± ¡°I have no idea,¡± said Pike. ¡°Twenty five minutes,¡± said Tilda. She flexed her hand. ¡°Let¡¯s get off the tracks before it gets here.¡± ¡°It¡¯s simple enough to do,¡± said Jason. He started slicing through the wall to his side. He pushed the material out of the way as he kept chopping. The opening widened as he hacked away. The city slowly walked by he cut more of the wall out of the way. He finally had a hole so they could jump through one at a time. ¡°It¡¯s time for us to go,¡± said Jason. ¡°Arlo?¡± ¡°Got it,¡± Pike said. He handed Tilda to his partner. He waited until his talent told him he should jump. Then he did. He landed and rolled to save his legs from being broken. He ran after the slowing monster. He doubted Jason would just leave Tilda on the train. So he had to be in a position to catch her if Jason threw her off before he jumped. Jason had Tilda in his arms. He jumped from the train, walking on landing to ease the shock. He came to a stop as the monster kept rolling along the track. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s dead?,¡± asked Pike. ¡°If it isn¡¯t, it will be when the real train catches up to it,¡± said Jason. ¡°I think we should warn the train officials,¡± said Pike. ¡°They should at least know there¡¯s something on the track.¡± ¡°The station is that way,¡± Jason pointed. ¡°Let¡¯s see if we can rouse someone to take care of the rest of this.¡± ¡°The train might derail when it hits that thing,¡± said Pike. He started jogging for the station. ¡°That might kill someone.¡± ¡°I hadn¡¯t considered that,¡± said Jason. He started after Pike, Tilda on his shoulder. He didn¡¯t show any effort in carrying her weight as he ran. Pike reached the station. He looked around for any way to reach the train officials. He found an emergency push button near the kiosk for tickets. Pike leaned on the button as Jason hopped on the platform from the ground. He placed Tilda on the ground. She looked as weak as a kitten to him. ¡°This is the Bern Train System,¡± said a voice from the air. ¡°How can I direct your call?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a dead monster on the tracks in the North Side,¡± said Pike. ¡°You might want to warn the Express so it doesn¡¯t derail.¡± ¡°Is this some kind of prank?,¡± said the voice. ¡°No, ma¡¯am,¡± said Pike. ¡°I am Arlo Pike, a registered Finder. My partner and I stepped on this thing we thought was a train, but it was some kind of monster. My partner used his weapon and skills on it and we escaped. It¡¯s on the track heading north from...¡± Pike realized he didn¡¯t know where they were. He looked around for a sign. ¡°Pentacle Street,¡± said Jason. ¡°Pentacle Street,¡± said Pike. ¡°We also have a third person who might need medical care.¡± ¡°Are you, or your partner, hurt?,¡± asked the voice. ¡°I have what looks like an acid burn,¡± said Pike. ¡°Jason?¡± Jason shook his head. ¡°Jason says he wasn¡¯t touched,¡± said Pike. ¡°All right,¡± said the operator. ¡°Crews are on their way. Someone will be with them to look at you. I¡¯m going to need you to stay at the station until they get there.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not going anywhere,¡± said Pike. ¡°You might want to hurry.¡± ¡°You two wouldn¡¯t have lasted two minutes without me,¡± said Tilda. She looked up from her spot next to the station wall. ¡°The Rheim teach you that trick you pulled?,¡± asked Jason. ¡°It was very impressive.¡± ¡°Flattery gets you nothing, fibber,¡± said Tilda. ¡°That¡¯s so true,¡± said Jason. He bent down and checked her forehead with the back of his hand. ¡°You don¡¯t have a fever. The emergency call people said there will be people here to clear the track. You want to take most of the credit for the killing?¡± ¡°No way,¡± said Tilda. ¡°Everyone will know my name. There will be problems.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s best if we say Pike did most of the work?,¡± said Jason. ¡°Hold on,¡± said Pike. ¡°I already said you did most of the work. And they are going to see the sword cuts you committed. There¡¯s no way we can get out of this. And Tilda blew a hole in the thing. That¡¯s something neither of us can do.¡± ¡°Maybe we should leave,¡± said Jason. ¡°We can¡¯t do that either,¡± said Pike. ¡°I already gave my name. Just leaving is just going to cause problems down the road.¡± ¡°So we¡¯re stuck for this,¡± said Jason. He waved at the hulk down the tracks. Some of it twitched, but none of it moved like it was going to start riding the tracks again. ¡°It was bound to happen,¡± said Pike. ¡°You¡¯ve killed a lot of monsters. One of them was bound to leave something behind for the city to clean up.¡± ¡°Are we sure that thing killed Rowena?,¡± said Jason. ¡°If it didn¡¯t, we¡¯ll have to keep looking.¡± ¡°We got the right monster,¡± said Pike. He faced the bulk. ¡°I¡¯ll have to tell her father that she was randomly killed while trying to go around with her friends. That shouldn¡¯t be too hard.¡± ¡°At least I get to act like I was just a victim,¡± said Tilda. ¡°That¡¯ll let me stay under the radar.¡± ¡°Is that what you really want?,¡± asked Jason. ¡°Here¡¯s your chance for fortune and glory.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that going to do for me?,¡± asked Tilda. ¡°Not getting involved in this was better than having my name pasted everywhere. People are going to want their money if I get famous.¡± ¡°Act like you don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on,¡± said Jason. ¡°Here come the Guard.¡± Men in city livery walked on the platform. They held long rifles and halberds ready for action. They paused at the two men pointing down the tracks. A senior sergeant went to the end of the platform and stared at the monster corpse blocking the tracks. ¡°How did you two kill that?,¡± asked the sergeant. ¡°It wasn¡¯t easy,¡± said Jason. The Burning City 14 Pavel Konstatin ran down the alleys between candy buildings. He wondered how he kept getting into trouble like this. He heard Ivanoviska running behind him in his borrowed body. The baying of honey hounds filled the air behind the spirit. They were going to die in a place between places and he hadn¡¯t even said goodbye to his wife. She would be furious when she found out. At least he wouldn¡¯t to worry about that if he could get through the underworld fast enough. He might be able to move on to his next life without being summoned back. Running seemed good at the moment, but he needed to think of a way out. They couldn¡¯t run forever. He didn¡¯t know about Ivanoviska, but he would tire and be easy game for their pursuers unless he thought of something. He tried the doors to the buildings as he ran by them. They weren¡¯t doors, but false fronts. The windows were the same way. He frowned at being in a place where everything was really solid gumdrops on a floor of honey and sugar. Would the hounds be thrown off if the two of them could get to the top of the fake buildings? How did they do that? He didn¡¯t see any fire escapes, or ladders. There had to be a way to buy time. The longer they could hold out, the more likely his wife would arrive and bail them out. And the queen of candy didn¡¯t seem inclined to hurry things along. Pavel had no doubt his wife could handle this situation with her usual brilliance. ¡°We need to get off the ground,¡± Pavel said. He measured the space between buildings with his eyes. ¡°We need to buy as much time as we can.¡± ¡°I¡¯m all ears,¡± said Ivanoviska. He looked behind them for the baying of the hounds. ¡°Brace against the walls,¡± said Pavel. ¡°We can get on the roof and try to stay out of reach.¡± ¡°Anything is better than staying down here and being eaten,¡± said Ivanoviska. The two men braced themselves against the sides of the alley. They inched their way up the walls as fast as they could. Pavel didn¡¯t like the way his feet sank into the construction, but felt it didn¡¯t matter if they could still make the roof. He got to the top of the alley and realized he would have to turn around to reach either one of the roofs. He hadn¡¯t counted on that. Ivanoviska made a noise and kicked out from the building they were using as a foot brace. He turned in midleap and grabbed the edge of the building they were using as a backbrace. He pulled himself on the roof. He stood. ¡°Need a hand, Pavel?,¡± he said. His face said he was glad to still be alive. ¡°That would be excellent,¡± said Pavel. Ivanoviska held out a hand for Pavel to grab. He straightened his legs and leaned away from the alley. That dragged the clerk on the roof. ¡°That went better than I thought,¡± said the spirit. ¡°At least we bought ourselves some time,¡± said Pavel. He brushed off his sleeves. ¡°How do we get out of here?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think we can unless we deal with the candy lady,¡± said Ivanoviska. He gestured at the floor of the alley. The hounds had poured into the space and growled at them. Pavel looked around. He frowned at the horizon of gumdrop buildings, candy cane trees, and patches of amber roads just visible from where he stood. He didn¡¯t see an obvious exit. That meant it didn¡¯t matter which way they went as long as they didn¡¯t go down, or back toward the candy queen. She probably had other things at her beck and call than unnatural dogs. ¡°We have to stall for time,¡± said Pavel. He took one more look around. He wished his wife was there. It would make some of this so much easier. ¡°Let¡¯s keep going along the roofs until we can¡¯t go any further. The dogs can¡¯t get to us, and we¡¯re running away from that woman.¡± ¡°How big a space do you think this is?,¡± asked Ivanoviska. He waved both hands at the city of candy around them. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said Pavel. He frowned at the expanse. ¡°Some of this might just be an illusion like putting a mirror on the other side of an empty room. I suppose a lot depends on the initial starting spell and how much she has invested in it since then.¡± ¡°You¡¯re talking about using dead people to expand this area,¡± said Ivanoviska. ¡°Almost certainly,¡± said Pavel. He ran and jumped across and alley to the next roof. ¡°Maybe we can lose the dogs if we¡¯re careful enough.¡± The two men worked their way across the roofs in a straight line from the direction of the candy queen. The dogs were quickly lost behind them. A lone howl filled the air to signal the weird canines couldn¡¯t follow their prey. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Pavel paused at the edge of the last roof. He looked behind him. He rubbed his face. The candy queen sat on her throne in front of him. He looked around and recognized the landmarks from their first meeting. The small domain was smaller than he had thought. The candy queen looked up at them and smiled. She wiggled her index finger for them to come down and face her. Pavel shook his head. If she wanted to kill them, and harvest whatever life they had left, she was going to have to come up and get them. ¡°She doesn¡¯t look angry enough,¡± said Ivanoviska. He looked around. ¡°I don¡¯t see anything she can use against us.¡± ¡°She can shape this whole place any way she likes,¡± said Pavel. He frowned at the queen. ¡°What¡¯s her next move? She can¡¯t let us live.¡± ¡°Maybe your wife is famous,¡± said Ivanoviska. He readied himself for another punch in the face at the implication. ¡°I think it works the opposite way,¡± said Pavel. He jogged to the other side of the building. He jumped over to the next building. ¡°If this witch knew who my wife was, I think we would be in a lot more trouble than a game of hide and seek.¡± ¡°So she would be actively trying to kill us?,¡± said Ivanoviska. He followed the clerk away from the weird woman on her throne. ¡°And covering up that we had actually been summoned here,¡± said Pavel. He picked another building to jump to and went ahead. Ivanoviska followed silently. His new gift of spirit riding didn¡¯t seem that useful in this place. There were only two people he could possess and Pavel was untouchable, and he was sure the candy queen had a similar shield to keep ghosts like him away. And he suspected that he was closer to what she wanted to use for her realm of sweets than Pavel. He didn¡¯t want to think what would happen if she managed to get her hands on him. The man he was riding, and his own spirit, would be turned into some licorice tree judging by what they had seen so far. The sound of something soft hitting something hard rushed to their ears. They looked back. One of the buildings of the maze had slumped over on the next one in line. The baying of hounds on the hunt followed the sight of the fused gumdrops. ¡°I guess she wanted to make things more exciting,¡± said Pavel. He ran to the next gumdrop building and jumped the narrow alley. ¡°I can do without that,¡± said Ivanoviska. The only good thing about his new situation was he didn¡¯t seem to get tired from exertion. He could run forever. He doubted the hounds were going to give them that much time. Another building slumped over to the fugitives¡¯ right. It fell away from them to prevent them from jumping to it was what Pavel thought at first. Then more of the living honey surged up the new ramp. He groaned as he veered to the left. They needed a place to make a stand. Where could they find such a place when the whole place was at the command of their enemy. Any weapon they might pick up would be fodder for the queen¡¯s command. He wished he had time to say goodbye to his wife. That would make dying easier in his opinion. Now he felt like he had unfinished business. At least he had fixed those double dealers in his department. He could count that as a win. The sky opened up above with the ringing of a bell filling the air. The stranded men looked up. Figures fell out of a hole in the blackness above. ¡°What is this?,¡± Pavel asked. He ran to the edge of the building and jumped the next alley. Ivanoviska landed heavily beside him. When the big man looked up, his eyes were different. ¡°Where am I?,¡± said the stolen body¡¯s owner. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Explanations will have to wait,¡± said Pavel. ¡°We¡¯re in a lot of trouble, and you¡¯re going to have to run until we figure out what is going on.¡± ¡°I can do that,¡± said the stranger. ¡°I¡¯m Piotr Wulf.¡± ¡°Pavel Konstantin,¡± said Pavel. He looked behind them. The hounds had paused in their pursuit. They started barking, and then started fleeing toward the ramp to the street. ¡°I think we should follow them and see how bad things are.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Wulf. ¡°I don¡¯t remember anything. I must have had a lot to drink considering all of this.¡± ¡°An acquaintance of mine roped you into this,¡± explained Pavel. ¡°I¡¯m afraid he abandoned us.¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t seem like much of a friend,¡± said Wulf. ¡°He¡¯s not,¡± said Pavel. ¡°I know him from the old neighborhood. He came to me when he got into trouble, and roped you in along the way. There was a magic user we were running from when those fancy dress people showed up from the sky. Maybe we can use them to get out of here.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Wulf. ¡°I am going to want to talk to your friend after this.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do,¡± said Pavel. He doubted he could get Ivanoviska together with his horse after this. The spirit probably thought they were going to get killed by whatever was happening. Pavel paused when he reached a point where he could see the street. Five girls in costumes attacked the candy maker with weapons of light and metal. She defended herself with the surrounding park. The girls hadn¡¯t even come close enough to make her throne move in his estimation. Then the hounds entered the combat, harrying the girls with candy corn teeth. More oozed from the pavement as the pack tried to get close enough to bite without being stabbed or crushed out of existence by the weapons in hand. The sound of a gong filled the air. Pavel looked up. A hole punched through the sky. A woman in a pink dress floated down to the ground. Her dark hair was braided so it fell to her waist instead of the ground. Jewelry she had created herself covered her hands and forearms. ¡°Who¡¯s this?,¡± said Wulf. He gestured at the new arrival. ¡°That¡¯s my wife,¡± said Pavel. He rubbed his chin. ¡°Will you be all right up here by yourself? I have to get down there and help her.¡± ¡°Go ahead,¡± said Ivanoviska. ¡°I think I have done enough to save the day.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the devil, Ivanoviska,¡± said Pavel. ¡°The owner of the body you¡¯re wearing wants to talk to you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll worry about that when we¡¯re clear of this, Pavel,¡± said the spirit. ¡°Take care of your wife.¡± Pavel ran to the edge of the building. He braced his body between the gumdrops and slid down to the ground. He dropped to the ground and ran out to where his wife stood. He could feel the glare she was giving off as he closed on her. The girls in costumes, hounds, and the candy queen all looked at her like they had found a dragon in a box. ¡°So which of you dead women are going to start telling me what¡¯s going on?,¡± asked Mrs. Konstantin. ¡°Hello, beloved,¡± said Pavel, reaching her side. ¡°This is a mess, husband,¡± said Mrs. Konstantin. She waved her hand at the assemblage against her. ¡°Dead women, Alvas constructed space, and dogs that will rot your teeth if you try to eat them.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget Ivanoviska being turned into a body stealing ghost,¡± said Pavel. ¡°Don¡¯t remind me,¡± said Mrs. Konstantin. ¡°I almost sent him to the underworld before he could explain his dragging you into this quagmire. Now, that I¡¯m here, let¡¯s see what we can do to fix things. Who wants to tell me what¡¯s going on here other than my clueless husband and his more clueless and even more worthless childhood friend?¡± The Burning City 15 Errant and Woody watched as the Guard took over for them. He stood across the street, hands in his pockets. The dog sat at his feet. ¡°Those circles could be something useful,¡± said Errant. ¡°They allow for people to mentally meet and share a collective image of what could be done. Spells could be crafted and used through an interface in the real world. Someone would try to use it for harvesting unless that was blocked off.¡± Woody barked, pointing out the obvious. ¡°I noticed that the spell did the same as the Alvas room magic,¡± said Errant. ¡°No physical bounds, but a mental transference instead. I wonder where Bass got his inspiration. Do you think he talked to an Alvas about how some of their magic worked?¡± Woody made a snuffling for his comment on the likelihood of that. The Alvas were not known for their sharing of their abilities despite the one who regularly raced across the continent. ¡°I am curious if he was helped,¡± said Errant. ¡°And we are suddenly at loose ends since we solved the magic leakage problem faster than I thought we would.¡± Woody barked about not being a cat, and they should let things lie if it wasn¡¯t their business. ¡°But it is our business,¡± said Errant. ¡°It¡¯s what the Queen would want, and we have pledged ourselves to looking into possible threats to the realm. Anything threatening the future has to be faced. That¡¯s our field of expertise.¡± Woody snuffled but he knew he couldn¡¯t stop his creator from looking into things. He was the Knight. He had taken up that task, and he couldn¡¯t put it down now. They had walked all over the sphere, growing bulwarks to keep back chaos where they could, and pruning out threats that tried to ruin everything. An Alvas teaching magic wasn¡¯t much of a threat unless the magic threatened to take the entire city apart. Causing an open war between Bern and the Alvas to the South was trouble. The Rhiem would join in just to make their neighbors miserable. The underworlds on both sides would be flooded with the dead. Woody barked a change of mind after the reconsideration he gave the problem. An Alvas trying to spark a war had to be stopped before he tipped things over to the other side of the scales. ¡°I¡¯m glad you agree with me,¡± said Errant. ¡°Let¡¯s start where Bass lived. Maybe we can find a clue to how he devised his circle. At the very least we should keep his work out of the hands of the irresponsible so they didn¡¯t make more circles to harvest personal power from others.¡± The Queen¡¯s Knight pulled a metal folder from under his light blue jacket. He opened the cover. Numbers floated in the air over the folder. He nodded at the list of things Time told him had happened and what had been changed by what he had done. It wasn¡¯t much of a help, but every little bit was something. He closed the holder and placed it back under his jacket. ¡°We should go this way,¡± said Errant. He pointed the path he wanted to walk out as he headed down an alley down the street from the wrecked magic site. They stepped out on a quiet street of tenements crammed together. He stood under a lamp, looking at the numbers and names on the front of the buildings around them. ¡°I think it¡¯s that one,¡± said Errant. He pointed to one building that seemed better looking than the others around it. ¡°Let¡¯s go up and see if we can get in without too much of a problem.¡± They walked over to the building, pausing at a locked outside door. A twist of fingers jerked the lock and the magic shield out of the way. They stepped into a foyer. ¡°It looks like he was doing his experiments with others on the premises,¡± said Errant. He looked at the marked doors. ¡°On the other hand, if he had access to the mental circle, he didn¡¯t need that much space to work. He had as much as his mind would allow.¡± Woody sniffed at the doors. He chuffed a little at what he smelled coming from under This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.the doors. He shook himself and trotted back to where the man in blue waited. ¡°What do you mean everyone¡¯s dead?,¡± asked Errant. Woody barked his confirmation of his findings. The residents in the apartments on the ground floor were dead as far as his nose was concerned. If that had to be seen to be believed, he was fine with being doubted by his more insensitive colleague. Errant looked up the stairs that went to the other apartments in the building. Were all the residents dead? Had Bass used them for their lives before he recruited the others he had turned into murderers? Maybe he should have put a harsher punishment on the mental wizard. That was something that could be addressed when they got around to talking to him again. That might be a long time in the future. Errant started up the stairs. He kept his eye on the designations on the doors. He trusted Woody¡¯s assessment of the scene. Once they had conducted their search, he would call the Guard to take care of the dead. It was all he could do for them now. He paused at the door. He turned off the security, and the physical locks. He pushed the door open. The room was dark. He snapped his fingers and a spark of light floated to a lamp. The lamp lit up to cast a dim glow over the thousands of physical drawings on the walls. ¡°I would say that we have come to the right place,¡± said Errant. He scanned the room without entering. ¡°This was where he started trying to build his circle.¡± Woody sniffed the air. He made a grunt noise to indicate they were alone and all the scents he could smell were old. No one had been in the place for a while. ¡°So this is where he got started,¡± said Errant. He looked up and down the hall. None of the other doors moved. ¡°He works his way through his neighbors. No one noticed that they were all going away. Maybe they did and he smoothed things over so there¡¯s a reasonable explanation somehow. Maybe he created a zone in the building and everyone thought all their neighbors were alive when they weren¡¯t. Sound reasonable?¡± Woody snorted he didn¡¯t have a better explanation for what they had found so far. ¡°I think we should take all of these drawings and make sure none of it will hurt anyone else,¡± said Errant. ¡°Then we should find his real work space.¡± Woody barked his concern over the implication. ¡°I think he did a lot of testing to find the right combination he wanted here,¡± said Errant. He pointed at a wall. ¡°The notes indicate that someone gave him the initial circle and showed him how to make more. I am going to say an Alvas did that.¡± Errant gestured and the lamp directed light on another section. He frowned as he followed the writing and drawings. ¡°Here is where he thinks he can use the drawings for harvesting more magic,¡± said Errant. ¡°He has records of killing his neighbors, and how he did it. He reported gains to his personal reserve here.¡± Woody barked at the numbers. ¡°None of his neighbors were magicians,¡± said Errant. He rubbed his face as he thought about the pitiable amount of energy stolen to feed the rising menace. ¡°Their numbers wouldn¡¯t give him much. He needed to take the life energy of real magicians if he wanted to expand his power.¡± The wanderer paused in his examination. He nodded at the different hand on one of the drawings. He reassessed the work with that as the central starting point. ¡°All right,¡± Errant said. ¡°There is definite proof that one of the Alvas gave Bass his start. That means we have a renegade working against the city. I think we need to finish cleaning up behind Bass, and find this problem causer. There¡¯s no telling what other things he is doing if he feels he¡¯s untouchable.¡± Errant looked around the room. He found a leather folder sitting on a chair. He grabbed and opened it wide with both hands. Blue light pulled the drawings from the wall and stacked them in the folder. Research notes followed as the spell went through the room and picked up everything related to the circle. Drawings done in the fabric of the building were erased by the light. Errant turned in a circle. The spell scrubbed the rest of the building. It wouldn¡¯t leave the Guard much to work with when he was done, but the murderer was already in solitary. There was nothing they could do to him until they found his body and woke him up. The crime he had been turned in for would be enough for capital punishment without adding on the murders that had been discovered afterwards. The Knight wondered how much more he could personally add on to what he wanted Bass to suffer. He decided that he should not let his clouded judgement let him do something he would regret later. He had done enough things that he would take back if he could. Adding on to the tally wouldn¡¯t help him all that much as far as he was concerned, and being immortal just gave him more time to think about the bad decisions he had made when he should be thinking about doing better things to offset the harm he had caused. The blue light snapped off when the spell was sure it was done with the building. The folder closed in his hands. He hefted it before sticking it in pocket under his jacket. Maybe down the road, he would have a use for it other than taking other people¡¯s magic and adding it to his own. ¡°Let¡¯s let the Guard know what we found, Woody,¡± said Errant. ¡°While they are cleaning the building, we can look for the main lab he moved to from here. Hopefully he hasn¡¯t killed a bunch of people around it.¡± Woody wagged his tail. He doubted Bass had allowed people to live while he was trying to figure out what he was doing. Most humans weren¡¯t that smart when they were chasing a dream. They walked out of the building. The Burning City 16 Moe Eisen led the way back to the neighborhood. His thoughts were full of what he could tell Bernard¡¯s grandmother. The fact that the boy¡¯s condition was his fault was not lost on him. He would have to check his books. He couldn¡¯t remember a case like this. No one alive had ever absorbed as varied a mixture as was in his waste tank. And neutralizer wouldn¡¯t work after a potion had been used. An activated potion spent what was in it. Neutralizer spent ingredients without activating them. A potion might last forever depending on what it did, and how it was kept. It only lasted for a few seconds once exposed to the curative. ¡°What are you thinking, Pa?,¡± asked Bernard. He looked at the gears moving on his hands as he walked. ¡°I¡¯m trying to think of a reasonable explanation, but I don¡¯t have the words,¡± said Eisen. ¡°I get like that too,¡± said Bernard. ¡°Three years is not a long time, Bernard,¡± said Eisen. ¡°I¡¯m hoping that I can find a cure for you in the first year.¡± ¡°It¡¯s too late for that,¡± said Bernard. ¡°I¡¯m incurable. When I did the self-check, it showed me how it was keeping an eye on things. Even if I don¡¯t use the self-check again, the alchemy is using up whatever I got inside.¡± ¡°So there¡¯s no cure,¡± said Eisen. ¡°That¡¯s going to be even harder to tell your grandmother.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± said Bernard. ¡°I¡¯ll tell her. Maybe there¡¯s something out there we can use if we think hard about it. This is only the first day.¡± ¡°Are you sure about that?,¡± asked Eisen. ¡°There¡¯s tons of things that cure stuff,¡± said Bernard. ¡°We need a list, and we need to start looking. I think the first place we should start is with the Alvas. They know a lot about magic. Maybe one of them will know how to fix me.¡± ¡°They don¡¯t usually help outsiders,¡± said Eisen. ¡°I know,¡± said Bernard. ¡°I¡¯m hoping this is strange enough that they will jump at the chance to help me.¡± ¡°I doubt that,¡± said Eisen. ¡°I also think we should talk to your grandmother. She might not think that traveling will help you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to have to do it, even if I have to go by myself,¡± said Bernard. ¡°Maybe the Green Lights can help me.¡± ¡°They have an embassy here in the city,¡± said Eisen. ¡°Would you like to see if they will help you?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have anything to lose,¡± said Bernard. Eisen had to agree. Bernard¡¯s life was on the line. If the Green Lights could help him, that would be excellent. The alchemist paused when he saw Raven standing outside of the apartment building where Bernard lived. The messenger leaned against a light pole until she saw them. Her expression said Bernard was in for some more bad news. ¡°Wait here,¡± said Eisen. He gestured for Bernard to stay in front of a building neighboring the one they wanted. ¡°What¡¯s going on, Raven?,¡± asked Eisen. ¡°The old lady you sent the medicine to died,¡± said the girl. She brushed her dark hair back from her face. ¡°Her neighbors are up there guarding the body.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Eisen. ¡°I have to tell Bernard and take him up there to see what we can do. I don¡¯t like this at all.¡± ¡°Old age will do that,¡± said Raven. She made a gesture to indicate time taking its toll. ¡°Bernard will be alone,¡± said Eisen. He looked at the boy. ¡°He just found out he only has two years to live, and now this. It¡¯s bad. He might crack.¡± ¡°He has to know,¡± said Raven. ¡°There¡¯s no way he can stay here without someone paying the rent. I doubt he has a job to earn money.¡± ¡°I know,¡± said Eisen. ¡°We¡¯ll go up and look around. If the old woman died, her neighbors might have stolen anything not nailed down while we were at the Temple.¡± ¡°I have to get back to work,¡± said Raven. She faded into a shadow between two buildings. He thought he heard the flap of a wing, but it could have been anything. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Eisen walked back to where Bernard waited. The boy frowned. He knew it was bad. The alchemist gathered his wits together. ¡°That was Raven,¡± Eisen said. ¡°She works for Larry Kobach, the alchemist we visited before we went down to the Temple. She said your grandmother died. She wasn¡¯t sure what happened. Do you want to go up and make sure?¡± ¡°She didn¡¯t know my grandmother,¡± said Bernard. ¡°We should make sure it was Grandma that died and not someone on her floor.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Eisen. ¡°Let¡¯s go. If it is your grandmother, I will arrange for her burial.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good, Pa,¡± said Bernard. Eisen wondered how much more could the boy take before he broke down. This day had turned into the worst in his life. If he ran off and used whatever he had gained from the mixture, there was a chance he would burn up. The amount of damage he could do if he had something offensive was unsure, but it was there. And he was responsible for what happened. He should have sent the boy out the back door. He had never expected anyone to burst open the waste tank like the Sharriff had done. Bernard needed whatever help he could give. Finding a cure was part of that. If they had to leave the city, and travel into the badlands, he would do it. Before they did travel to other places to find a cure, he would take the boy over to the Baldwin embassy to talk with the Green Light in residence. Eisen led the way up the rickety stairs inside the building to the floor where Bernard lived with his grandmother. He paused on the landing to look around. A crowd was at the other end of the hall. Hadn¡¯t they seen a dead woman before? ¡°What¡¯s going on?,¡± Eisen asked as he walked down the hall. Bernard trailed behind him. ¡°We don¡¯t know,¡± said one of the men. ¡°The old lady died, but there is something stinking up the apartment worse than death. It¡¯s flooding the building.¡± Eisen sniffed the air. He frowned. There was something in the air. He had just thought it was his imagination when he had first noticed it. Out where he was, it didn¡¯t seem that bad. Inside the apartment, it might be far worse. There was no telling how much worse it could be as it flowed through the walls to the other places around the apartment. ¡°Has anybody gone in to see what¡¯s causing it?,¡± asked Eisen. ¡°We know it¡¯s the old lady,¡± said the informant. ¡°What else could it be?¡± ¡°It could be anything,¡± said Eisen. He shook his head. ¡°Clear a path. I¡¯m going to go in and open a window. Stay out here, Bernard, until I clear the air.¡± ¡°I should go in too,¡± said the boy. ¡°I don¡¯t want to worry about you suffocating,¡± said Eisen. ¡°Stay out here until I need you.¡± He also didn¡¯t want Bernard seeing his grandmother in a bad state. Clearing the air, and making sure the old lady was laid out properly was something he could do without involving the boy at all. Eisen pulled a cloth out of his pocket. He covered his face with it as he pushed his way to the door. He looked at the crowd. Everyone looked at him, no one moved. ¡°You might want to step back,¡± he said. He pushed on the door. A cascade of foul miasma rolled out into the hall. He was sure that wasn¡¯t natural. He had been around plenty of bodies before and none of them were that bad so soon after death unless something else had taken a hand. He strode into the room. If he could get air moving through the space, that would help the smell. He ignored the sounds of choking behind him. He had warned them to move. He found a window in the far wall. He tried it. The frame wouldn¡¯t move at all. He picked up a paperweight off the nearest table and used that to punch the glass out. He looked around for another window to vent. He didn¡¯t see the old lady. Someone must have put her in her bedroom. He frowned under his cloth mask. He would have to go in there and make sure the body wasn¡¯t the source of the smell filling the building now. The alchemist went to the door with his paperweight in hand. He looked around. He spotted three other doors and a space for a small kitchen. The front room, the parlor, took up most of the space he could see and it had a set of shelves full of mementoes, two chairs, a couch for visitors, and two end tables next to the chairs. He steeled himself to open the door to the old lady¡¯s room. He didn¡¯t want to go in there. He also didn¡¯t want Bernard to go in there either. And he doubted he could count on the neighbors gagging in the hall to do whatever was necessary. Someone should have called the undertaker for Bernard instead of waiting for him to come home to find his grandmother dead in their place. Eisen opened the bedroom door and stepped back. The room looked worse than he imagined it would. Bernard¡¯s grandmother had been placed on her bed. The front of her black dress had been ripped apart. He frowned as he looked at it. The dress had been pushed outward. He could see a corset pushed apart in the same way. Her hands looked like mittens. They didn¡¯t look like what he remembered the few times he had seen her in person. Her gray hair lay in a tangle around her head. She usually tied it up in a bun. Now it covered her face. The stench came from her. Why was it coming from her? He looked around. He didn¡¯t see any other source. Something in the corpse filled the air. What should he do? He wondered if moving the body outside would lessen the effect. He didn¡¯t want to touch the body. He couldn¡¯t ask the neighbors to help him. They wouldn¡¯t cross the threshold as long as the miasma filled the air. He didn¡¯t want to ask Bernard. The boy shouldn¡¯t see his grandmother like this. The body moved. Eisen squinted at it. If the grandmother wasn¡¯t dead, she was in worse shape than Bernard. What should he do? He decided he had to open a window in the room. Then he should find a lamp and make sure the woman was dead. Then he should leave and wait for the apartment to clear out, or see if anyone had a fan of some kind to help clear the air. Eisen started for the window on the other side of the room. One blow from the paperweight would let the smell out in the city. He kept an eye on the corpse. The skin that he could see didn¡¯t look right. He didn¡¯t want to get close to it and trigger something else to happen. He pulled his arm back when he thought he was close enough to the window to smash it open. A groan sounded behind him. He looked over his shoulder. The corpse¡¯s skin at her chest bubbled like fat on a hot frying pan. He decided that he should get out of the room. He ran for the door as the splitting of skin sounded a warning behind him. The Burning City 17 The man with no name turned in a circle, holding his glowing warrant card out in front of him. He stopped when it brightened and then faded. He brought it back until he had a thin sliver of candidates to consider. He loosened his guns as he stalked forward. One of his targets was in front of him. He didn¡¯t know what the target looked like, but he didn¡¯t have to as long as he held the warrant card. Once he touched the right person, the card would take the wanted person where they had to go. Then he could go back to Carriff¡¯s, or look for another target in the city. The hard part would come if the target realized whom the dead man was trying to find, and if resistance should be put up. And resistance would be put up. That part always happened. No one wanted to see the issuer of the cards. They always wanted to kill his representative. The man with no name was used to it by now. The card homed in on a woman in a green cloak. She leaned on her staff of wood that looked like a twisted rod with a claw at the top. She kept her face hidden with the hood of her cloak. ¡°Ellesby Vanhert,¡± said the man with no name. ¡°I have something for you.¡± ¡°A dead man,¡± said Vanhert. She showed him the blank mask she used to cover her face. Different pictures danced across it. He realized the pictures were line drawings of different animal faces. He paused to wonder about it, but he had a job to do. He should get on with it instead of trying to figure out what kind of magic did that. ¡°I have a warrant to give you, Madam Vanhert,¡± said the man with no name. ¡°Once that¡¯s done, so is our business.¡± ¡°What if I don¡¯t want it?,¡± said the madam. She pushed back her cloak to reveal the green dress she wore. It was almost the same shade as the cloak. ¡°I think you should tell your master you couldn¡¯t serve your paper.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make this harder than it has to be,¡± said the dead man. ¡°Take the card and let¡¯s be done with this. I don¡¯t want a fight, and I don¡¯t want any trouble for just doing my job.¡± ¡°You have come to the wrong place for that, my friend,¡± said the woman. ¡°I¡¯m nothing but trouble.¡± The man with no name tucked the card back in his belt. He flexed his hands as he waited. Whomever hit first won the day. ¡°You¡¯re not backing off?,¡± said Vanhert. ¡°I just need to give you the card,¡± said the man with no name. ¡°Then I have to find the next name on my list. There¡¯s no reason for a fight.¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re about to regret taking on this work for the devils,¡± said Vanhert. ¡°Goodbye, dead man.¡± The man with no name pulled both of his pistols as she dropped the claw end of her staff to point at him. Fire and green glass met for a second as they activated their weapons. Vanhert¡¯s mask took on a dragon face as she surged forward behind the protection of her green shield. Flames erupted from the dragon¡¯s mouth. The gout sent people screaming away from the battle as the man with no name threw himself to one side. Why can¡¯t one of them go along peacefully? It¡¯s always blood and guts with a side of screaming and a pinch of some kind of explosive pain. The man with no name leaped for cover from the jet of fire. He slid behind the stone tower. He needed to do something tricky if he wanted to get out of this without getting burned to a crisp. He moved around the stone tree. He couldn¡¯t see Vanhert. He doubted she had remained in place when it would be better that she escaped, or went around the tree to attack him from behind. Which way should he go? He decided to circle around the tower. He had nothing to lose doing that, and everything depended on his enemy either following him, or running away. He paused when he reached the edge of his cover. He didn¡¯t want to charge into a fiery pit. ¡°Come out, dead man,¡± called Vanhert. ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with. I have other things I want to do with my time.¡± The man with no name paused to consider the situation. He decided that running out in the open would be a bad move. Her shield would stop his guns, and she could attack while he had no defense against her. He needed something to change the odds. He looked up. The tower looked like a tree without branches at the lower part. It had cracks in the stony bark. He holstered his weapons and tested his grip against the bark. He smiled as he pulled himself up a bit. This might be what he was looking for to change the odds. He looked around. The bystanders had cleared the area around them. He had space to move without worrying about someone getting in his way. He gripped a ridge formed by two cracks running up the stone tree and pulled. He If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.worked his way up until he could yank himself into the branches at the midline of the tower. He thought maybe he was twenty feet above the ground. The trunk kept going to what looked like some kind of perch at the top. The upper branches spiraled out from around this. He worked his way around the tree as silently as he could. He saw that Vanhert had taken up an angle where she could see both sides of the tree. If he ducked out either way, she was ready to pour more fire on him. She didn¡¯t seem to be looking up in the tree at all. He worked his way out to the end of the branch he was on. Then he jumped with his arms extended. Vanhert looked up at the rustling of cloth through the air. She had to make a decision. Should she raise the shield to blunt the attack, or let loose with flame from her mask? She froze for a second. In that second, her enemy had crossed most of the space between them with his fall from above her. She decided to raise her shield. Once it was between her and her attacker, she could attack at close range with her mask. There was no way he could dodge a point blank attack. His masters in the Underworld would be displeased. The man with no name fell on her before she could raise her staff. The both of them rolled to the ground. They separated into two heaps of clothing. The man with no name rolled over. He looked at the target. She looked at him. He saw the glint of fire as the dragon¡¯s mouth moved into position. He pulled one of his pistols and shot at her first. The flaming bullet struck the mask. The wood and cloth thing blew up. Fire surrounded Vanhert¡¯s head. She screamed and beat on the flames with her hands. The dead man stood and pulled the trigger again. The bullet added to the flame, but there was no head underneath. The cloak continued to burn, the dress catching as the flames spread. He holstered his weapon. His hat lay on the ground to one side. He pulled it to him and then got to his feet. He dusted off his clothes as he walked to where the staff had been knocked to the ground. He picked it up. He didn¡¯t have a gift for magic, but maybe someone else could use it for better purposes than his target. Stupid strolled forward. He grazed on the grass as he went. He made a noise as the man with no name shoved the staff through a binding on his saddle bags. ¡°I plan to give it to someone who needs it after we take the rest of our warrants here in the city,¡± said the dead man. Stupid nodded his head and went back to chopping the grass down. He might as well enjoy the break while he could. Who knew what lay down the road? The man with no name inspected the five other cards for the fugitives he still wanted to hunt down. Carriff might be the toughest with all those people surrounding his house, but there was an Alvas on his list with no set abode. He shook his head at that. He might be in Berne for years at this rate. He decided to let the rest go until he tracked down the Alvas. They all had abodes, or at least favorite haunts. He put all the cards back except that one. If he could spiral through the city, he might be able to cut a trail. Then he would just need to catch up. He had a feeling that the Alvas was preying on unsuspecting citizens and moving on. He wasn¡¯t staying in one place long enough for anything to be called his home. The dead man admitted that trailing someone with no ties was going to be a bit harder than the rest of the fugitives that he had tracked down. The address on the card was usually good enough. When it wasn¡¯t, he had been able to find somebody who knew something. He mounted Stupid and looked around. He needed a direction to go. He decided that he should go north. Once he reached the edge of the city, he could work the limits in a spiral until the card lit up. Then he would just need to catch up to his quarry. He didn¡¯t wonder why he got an Alvas with the rest of the human warrants he had been asked to serve. That wasn¡¯t part of the job. If the Alvas was like most of the rest he had hunted down, he needed a shooting too. He sat back in his saddle and let Stupid have his way after pointing him in the general direction. He doubted he would just run into the Alvas on the street. If he did, he would take his shot and go back to hunting the rest of the fugitives on his list. He wondered how much longer he had to deal with the warrants. He knew he had a physical limit. He had taken enough hits that he had gone to an alchemist to get potions to get him back in shape. What happened if he wore out before he got to the end of his list? He hoped he took enough of them down that if he had a replacement the other dead man didn¡¯t have to work so hard. That would be a nice gesture on his part even if he thought so himself. I took all these villains. The rest is yours. He had a feeling that if he didn¡¯t get to the end of the list he would find out what the underworld had in store for him. He doubted it would be pretty. The city allowed him to pass without serious challenge. A man riding a horse was not unusual. The card didn¡¯t glimmer as he cut through the central part of the city. When they reached the tip of the city, he asked Stupid to stop. The horse was content to wait as he looked around. He waved the card around. He decided to go right when nothing happened. He tugged on the reins to get the horse to turn the way he wanted. He looked down at the card in his hand. It didn¡¯t give an indication he was on the right path. He pushed his hat back and hoped he was doing the right thing. If he couldn¡¯t find his enemy before nightfall, he would find a place to shelter. He could start searching again in the daylight. It didn¡¯t matter if he paused for a few hours. If the Alvas was moving, he would probably pass one of the inns at one point just by luck. The man with no name almost smiled. There was no way he would be that lucky. He would probably run into the Alvas on the street. There would be a battle. The civil authority would be summoned. Then he would have do something about that. He wasn¡¯t sure if they would let him go about his business. Wearing the demon star might get him a pass if he needed it. He rode down the edge of the city from the north. He paused when the card lit up. He looked around for the source of the flash. He didn¡¯t see anyone but the homeless. They scuttled from him as he looked for the target. He held the card up. The line seemed to get stronger in one of the alleys. He dismounted. He didn¡¯t want Stupid to get caught in a crossfire. ¡°Stay here until I get back,¡± said the dead man. ¡°Something¡¯s not right about this.¡± He tucked the card away as he walked toward the alley. He wasn¡¯t concerned about Stupid. The horse could take care of himself. He was more worried about not seeing anybody in the alley after seeing the flash on the card. Where was the Alvas? He pulled a box of matches from his wallet and struck one of the matches. The back of the alley looked blank. It didn¡¯t open into the street behind the buildings it ran between. Trash covered the floor. He spotted one lone shoe. He looked around as the match started to go out. He didn¡¯t see the other one. He heard a bell. The floor of the alley gave way and he fell on a tower¡¯s roof. He picked himself up and put the matches away. He frowned at the concentration of clear sky around him. He didn¡¯t see a way inside the structure from the roof. How did he get down to the ground? He went to the edge of the roof. He couldn¡¯t see a ground from where he was. He took a moment to think before he did something stupid. The man with no name wondered what would happen if he used one of his pistols on the tower. Maybe he could blast his way in. The Burning City 18 Arlo Pike sat in one of the visitor chairs. Tilda sat in the other. She still looked tired. His partner, Jason, stood behind her chair. He didn¡¯t look affected by slicing a giant monster worm apart as it tried to eat him. They had spent time at the scene answering questions, and now they were waiting on the captain in charge of the Guard to talk to them. More questions to be answered didn¡¯t thrill Pike. And he still had to tell their client that his daughter had been eaten. He didn¡¯t want to do it, but it was part of his responsibility. He had been hired to find the girl. He couldn¡¯t do that. He had to refund the part of the money they had been paid, and report the circumstances. The client would still think his girl was alive if they couldn¡¯t come up with absolute proof. Pike had no way to produce that. ¡°Why do they want to talk to us?,¡± asked Tilda. ¡°I have to get to work. I don¡¯t have time for this.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just procedure,¡± said Jason. ¡°They want to know how we killed the thing, and if they can be taught to do the same thing.¡± ¡°Can you teach them to do the same thing?,¡± asked Tilda. She looked up at the monster hunter. ¡°Sure,¡± said Jason. ¡°The first step is to sell your humanity to the Master of the Hunt. Then you have to train. Then you have to forge the weapon you need to kill the monsters. It takes about ten years before you¡¯re ready to hunt on your own.¡± ¡°Did you have to go through that, Pike?,¡± asked Tilda. ¡°Not a monster hunter,¡± said Pike. He refused to open his eyes, or raise his head. ¡°I just track lost things.¡± ¡°He¡¯s the best finder around,¡± said Jason. ¡°He¡¯s worth every cent we charge our clients.¡± ¡°I need some extra money,¡± said Tilda. ¡°Maybe I could throw in with you two.¡± ¡°We would be happy to have you,¡± said Jason. ¡°I admit I thought that you would get killed trying to help us. I apologize for that.¡± ¡°I almost did,¡± said Tilda. ¡°What I did takes a big charge. I could have blown up part of my brain.¡± The office door opened. A Guard captain in the familiar blue and sporting a giant mustache came into the room. He sat down behind his desk with a smile at his guests. He leaned back in his chair and took them in without saying anything. ¡°I¡¯m Captain Munroe,¡± he said. ¡°I am told that you three killed a death worm. My subordinates are impressed. I admit I am too. How did you get on to it?¡± Jason and Tilda looked at Pike slumped in his chair. ¡°Arlo?,¡± asked Jason. ¡°Captain Munroe would like to know how you found the death worm.¡± ¡°It was a conclusion based on what Tilda told me about the North Side,¡± said Pike. ¡°It was just luck that we stumbled on it the first night we started to look for it.¡± ¡°Why were you looking for it in the first place?,¡± asked Munroe. He focused on Pike. He frowned at the way the man barely moved in his chair. ¡°We were hired to find a missing girl,¡± said Pike. ¡°We leaped to the conclusion that the death worm had eaten her, but we weren¡¯t sure. Then we stumbled on it. Jason did most of the work of killing it.¡± ¡°Really?,¡± asked the captain. He turned his gaze on the monster hunter. ¡°I have permission from the Master of the Hunt to kill monsters,¡± said Jason. ¡°And the blessing came in handy. We had to fight our way out from the inside. That¡¯s what led to killing the beast.¡± ¡°Jason cut its brain up with that sword of his,¡± said Tilda. She made swinging gestures with her arms. ¡°I can believe that,¡± said Munroe. ¡°How would you three like to work for the city?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you have your own finders?,¡± asked Jason. ¡°What would you need us to do that your own people are already doing?¡± ¡°There is a shadow war going on in the city,¡± said Munroe. ¡°The city council doesn¡¯t want me to ask for help from other cities. They want me to find people here and recruit them to sort things out.¡± ¡°So they don¡¯t want you to ask the Green Lights for help?,¡± asked Jason. ¡°For example?¡± ¡°And they don¡¯t want us to ask the Rhiem or the Alvas for better border controls either,¡± said Munroe. ¡°The general feeling is the city should defend itself against all threats.¡± ¡°I suppose that¡¯s reasonable,¡± said Jason. ¡°I admit I am not a strategist in any shape.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t control what¡¯s going on,¡± said Munroe. ¡°We need someone who can find the threat, and stop the threat, without having to call someone from outside. You three The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.could be the answer to the general problem.¡± ¡°You want us to hunt monsters for you?,¡± asked Jason. ¡°Essentially,¡± said Munroe. ¡°While you three were dealing with the death worm, someone shut down a virtual world designed to kill the people using it. We have people going missing all over the city. And a dead man killed a mad scientist from Lobster Bay and a masked magician at the Elzay Tower.¡± ¡°Do you want us to find out why all these people are disappearing?,¡± asked Jason. ¡°That will be the first job I need you to handle,¡± said Munroe. ¡°If you can deal with the dead man if you come across him, I won¡¯t deny that will be one less problem stirring the pot.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll need a starting point, and twenty gold pieces up front,¡± said Pike. ¡°That will cover our expenses for a bit. We don¡¯t guarantee the work, but summaries of what we did will be written and provided for you to show that we are doing the job if we can do the job. If we can¡¯t do the job, the money less what we needed will be refunded.¡± ¡°Twenty gold pieces is steep,¡± said Munroe. ¡°Some of that will have to go to bribes,¡± said Pike. He didn¡¯t look up. ¡°That many people missing and no one has found them looks like a conspiracy at work. We¡¯ll have to pay someone for a way to link the things together.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Captain,¡± said Jason. ¡°We will deal with this as smoothly as butter on toast.¡± ¡°Butter on toast?,¡± said Tilda. ¡°I¡¯m a bit hungry,¡± said Jason. ¡°I thought we could get something to eat after our meeting.¡± ¡°Do you have a list of the missing people and where they live?,¡± asked Pike. ¡°That¡¯s where we¡¯ll start.¡± ¡°We have a collection of reports stored in a room next to the cells,¡± said Munroe. ¡°How much cooperation are we going to get?,¡± asked Pike. ¡°We are going to have to talk to the patrol men on their rounds to get a sense of these people.¡± ¡°I will give you a writ to make things easier,¡± said Munroe. ¡°Don¡¯t try to abuse this in the name of helping the city.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t need permission to break things,¡± said Jason. ¡°We already know how to do that.¡± ¡°Not me,¡± said Tilda. ¡°I¡¯m an innocent bystander.¡± Munroe gave her a look. She smiled back. ¡°We¡¯ll get started while you¡¯re getting the writ and the gold,¡± said Pike. He stood. ¡°Could you show us the files? We¡¯ll start by reading what your patrol men have already collected. Then we¡¯ll go out and ask questions. Hopefully, we¡¯ll have some idea on how to focus on what we need to give you some kind of solution. Don¡¯t expect too much. A big enough conspiracy could be inside the Guard, and the Council. There might not be anything we can do except what we do best. If that happens, it might be best if you never saw us.¡± Munroe looked at the finder, and then his partner. Pike still looked at the floor. Jason grinned. ¡°Can you stop whatever is going on?,¡± asked Munroe. Pike looked him in the eye for the first time. The captain saw a glint there. It was a surge of something that was buried as the finder looked at the floor again. ¡°If we can¡¯t, it can¡¯t be stopped by people,¡± said Pike. ¡°I hope you know a demigod who can lend a hand if we need something extra.¡± ¡°Let me show you the work space,¡± said the captain. ¡°Then I¡¯ll get you the gold and writ.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Captain,¡± said Jason. ¡°We have tracked some ruffians in our time. This won¡¯t be any different.¡± Munroe nodded as he led the way out of the office. He took them down to the cell block underneath the building. Two cells had been set aside from the looks of the cabinets pressed against the wall and the long table taking up one cell. ¡°I¡¯ll be back,¡± said Munroe. He retreated from the cell block, nodding at the guard on duty at the partition door. ¡°What¡¯s a dead man?,¡± asked Tilda. ¡°There¡¯s a rumor that sometimes the Underworld gets overworked, or maybe wants to grab someone to be punished early instead of waiting for the natural order of things to occur,¡± said Jason. He pulled his sword. He sliced the wall between the two cells with his blade. He stacked the free stones out of the way. ¡°When that happens, they send someone to do the job.¡± ¡°So a dead man is a messenger from the underworld?,¡± said Tilda. ¡°He¡¯s a finder like us,¡± said Pike. ¡°Only he has to find whatever the Underworld wants instead of being for hire like we are.¡± ¡°Their reputation is for exceptional single mindedness and a lack of qualms about how much violence they have to use,¡± said Jason. ¡°I¡¯ve never dealt with one personally but there are stories.¡± ¡°And one of these is loose in the city,¡± said Tilda. ¡°How do we stop it?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t,¡± said Pike. ¡°Once it¡¯s collected its bounties, it will return to the Underworld. The best thing we can do is stay out of its way and hope that one of the people it¡¯s looking for is what¡¯s causing all these disappearances.¡± ¡°That wouldn¡¯t help us hold up our exceptional reputation,¡± said Jason. ¡°Stopping a dead man from grabbing any evil doers its boss wants is not on my list of things to throw my life away over,¡± said Pike. He started pulling out the reports and placing them on the table. ¡°Now I have a lot of reading to do. See if you can get me some food and drink while I go through this. We might need a map of the city also.¡± ¡°Hunting grounds?,¡± said Jason. ¡°Some of these will be because of the death worm,¡± said Pike. ¡°Once we rule out anyone seen trying to board a train, we can start on the rest.¡± ¡°Rowena¡¯s father?,¡± asked Jason. ¡°We have to talk to him too,¡± said Pike. ¡°He won¡¯t believe that his girl was eaten by a fake train.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll talk to him while you are collecting information,¡± said Jason. ¡°We¡¯ll bring back food from any place close enough to bring it in hot.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± said Pike. ¡°This might be connected to the dead man somehow.¡± ¡°It would be asking too much if it wasn¡¯t,¡± said Jason. Pike nodded. ¡°Come along, apprentice monster hunter,¡± said Jason with a smile. ¡°First, we¡¯re going to have to break some bad news, and then we will bring back our meal to this dungeon so we may spend the next few hours thinking about not being in a dungeon.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget the map,¡± said Pike. ¡°We might need pins also.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t, Arlo,¡± said Jason. ¡°Don¡¯t overwork yourself on the first day. There will be time enough to chase our culprit, or culprits, down so they can face justice.¡± Pike nodded. He didn¡¯t look up from his reading. Jason and Tilda left their friend alone. Munroe came back briefly and put the writs and gold down on the table. Pike moved just enough to drop the items in a drawer of one of the cabinets. He barely looked up from his reading. How many of these cases were because of the death worm? Once he had all those ruled out, then the real work could commence. He put the dead man aside too. They would know soon enough if they were chasing the same thing. If they were, then they would meet somewhere down the line as Pike and Jason started looking for the link between the cases. Something bad was going on if the Underworld sent a personal representative to deal with it. By the time, Jason and Tilda returned with their meal, he was ready for a break. He had set the read files in two stacks. The North Side stack had to be checked but he felt most of the missing persons there was because of the false train. The other stack was for the rest of the city. Those files would have to be gone over again for a place to start looking for their villain. The Burning City 19 Pavel Konstantin decided to let his wife do the talking for both of them. She had a lot of knowledge of arcane subjects, and she had pronounced all of the combatants around them as walking dead. None of the females seemed to like that from the look on their faces. Pavel wasn¡¯t sure he liked it either. ¡°We¡¯re not dead,¡± cried one of the girls. She looked down at her hands. ¡°I¡¯m still alive.¡± ¡°None of you are,¡± said Mrs. Konstantin. She glared at the group. ¡°And one of you tried to kill my husband. I can¡¯t have that.¡± ¡°What do you think you can do about that?,¡± asked the mistress of the honey dogs. She smiled to show her smugness. Pavel rubbed his face. Someone was about to learn a lesson in real magic now. He didn¡¯t want to be close enough to be involved in the teaching. ¡°Husband, take these girls and find Ivanoviska,¡± said Mrs. Konstantin. ¡°I don¡¯t want them in the way.¡± ¡°Yes, dear,¡± said Pavel. He waved at the girls in their silly looking costumes. ¡°Come along. You don¡¯t want to be this close.¡± He started walking toward where he had left the ghost and his victim. The sound of crackling filled the air. He reached where the gumdrop building had fallen over and started climbing. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to help that woman?,¡± asked one of the girls. Pavel glanced at her. She pointed back the way they had come. ¡°You heard my wife,¡± said Pavel. ¡°She is already dead. There¡¯s no help for her now.¡± ¡°That woman is your wife,¡± said the girl. ¡°What about the witch?¡± ¡°She is already dead,¡± said Pavel. ¡°Sonya doesn¡¯t like undead monsters.¡± ¡°And she has a bad temper,¡± said Ivanoviska. He waved at them to hurry to his perch above the candyland. ¡°She is angry at you, Ivanoviska,¡± said Pavel. ¡°What else is new?,¡± said the ghost. ¡°How do you do, ladies? I am Ivanoviska. I have taken up a temporary residence in this body until I can get some things straightened out.¡± Thunder sounded from where Mrs. Konstantin and her enemy discussed each other¡¯s futures. The smell of cooked sugar filled the air. ¡°She is very angry indeed,¡± said Ivanoviska. ¡°Does anyone want to explain what is going on?,¡± asked Pavel. He snapped his fingers to get their attention. ¡°There are five of you in fancy dress, and you came here to fight the candy woman. I think some answers are in order.¡± ¡°We signed up to fight witches,¡± said one of the girls. ¡°And that¡¯s why we are here.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that around Pavel¡¯s wife,¡± said Ivanoviska. ¡°You¡¯ll find out what a real witch can do fast enough.¡± Pavel glared at his old friend in his new body. He would have some words with him later. ¡°So you became undead monsters to fight witches?,¡± asked Pavel. He made air quotes at the word witches. ¡°We¡¯re not dead,¡± said someone else in the crowd. ¡°Why do you keep saying that?¡± Ivanoviska¡¯s face flickered for a moment. He shook his head. ¡°You¡¯re dead all right,¡± said Ivanoviska. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to grab in any of you.¡± ¡°Ivanoviska is a spirit who can possess others,¡± said Pavel. ¡°He¡¯s saying that none of you are alive to be possessed.¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t the deal,¡± said the leader again. She looked at her friends. They all had expressions of fear and disbelief. ¡°We were supposed to be vessels for power to fight the witches that infested the city.¡± ¡°It looks like part of that didn¡¯t work out,¡± said Pavel. ¡°Maybe Sonya can fix that part of things for you, but I don¡¯t know how. Ivanoviska?¡± ¡°I¡¯m still getting used to being a ghost myself,¡± said Ivanoviska. ¡°Someone messed up big time, Pavel.¡± ¡°If they made a mistake at all,¡± said Pavel. He rubbed his chin. ¡°I think this is what our deal maker wanted. I just don¡¯t know why.¡± If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°What happens to us?,¡± asked the leader. ¡°We knew there would be danger, but we didn¡¯t think the empowerment would kill us.¡± ¡°My wife will know what to do,¡± said Pavel. ¡°Don¡¯t worry until she tells you to worry.¡± ¡°She does have a good reputation,¡± said Ivanoviska. ¡°She¡¯s always helping people.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we be helping her fight that witch?,¡± asked one of the girls. ¡°There¡¯s no way she could beat one on her own. They control the space they set up.¡± ¡°Sonya will ask for help when she needs it,¡± said Pavel. ¡°I don¡¯t know what we¡¯ll do about all this when she is done. I¡¯m not sure Ivanoviska is supposed to be wandering around body to body like he is.¡± ¡°It¡¯s tough being dead, Pavel,¡± said Ivanoviska. A blast of thunder washed over the group. Lightning poured down out of the strange sky. The smell of fired sugar filled the air. ¡°All right,¡± said Pavel. ¡°We should be going home in a minute. How do you want to deal with your conditions?¡± ¡°Can we have some time?,¡± said the leader of the witch hunters. She looked at her friends. ¡°This is a bit much to take in right now.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Pavel. ¡°I¡¯m Pavel Konstantin. If you want to talk, we live in the South near the Fae, and the Alvas. We will be glad to have you come by. What about you, Ivanoviska?¡± ¡°I think I am going to keep on with whatever this is until someone from the Underworld decides they want to take me away,¡± said the ghost. He smiled with his borrowed face. ¡°I¡¯ll have to make sure to stay away from anybody who can kill me again.¡± ¡°You¡¯re asking for trouble,¡± said Pavel. ¡°Any magician who sees you will want to make you his servant.¡± ¡°Let them try, Pavel,¡± said Ivanoviska. ¡°Maybe in a few years, I will get tired of this half-life and ask to be put down. Until then, I plan to enjoy every moment I can.¡± Pavel shook his head. One wrong encounter with an exorcist and Ivanoviska would be destroyed and reduced to ether on the wind. The building they stood on started melting. Cries of anguish and relief filled the air around them. Pavel covered his ears as he watched streams of spirits heading up into the sky. The group touched down on the ground. Mrs. Konstantin wiped the smoke from her hands as she approached. Her grim face boded ill for the remainder of her problems. ¡°I think I will be leaving now,¡± said Ivanoviska. His face changed as the mind he used woke up from its sleep. ¡°He came back, didn¡¯t he?,¡± said Piotr Wulf. ¡°And left again,¡± said Pavel. ¡°Ladies, this is Master Wulf. We¡¯re taking him home with us so he can get on with his life.¡± ¡°Where is Ivanoviska?,¡± asked Mrs. Konstantin. ¡°He fled,¡± said Pavel. ¡°The girls here will be joining us for dinner at some undetermined time in the future. I have already extended our hospitality.¡± ¡°Is that so?,¡± asked Mrs. Konstantin. ¡°I suppose that will be all right for the time being. We will need to talk about what is going on. Am I understood?¡± The candied land burned away bit by bit around them. The girls frowned at the older woman. Her hair floated in some unfelt wind as she looked at them. ¡°We would be glad to have dinner with you,¡± said the leader of the witch hunters. ¡°Will three days be soon enough?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± said Pavel. ¡°Stay out of trouble until then, but if you can¡¯t, send a message to my home. We will try to work something out for you.¡± ¡°I am going to open the door,¡± said Mrs. Konstantin. ¡°Once we are clear, this space will collapse and break apart. We will split up until the appointed time. You are also welcome to eat with us, Master Wulf.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± said the unpossessed Wulf. ¡°If you see your friend, give him a kick for me.¡± ¡°I will be glad to do that,¡± said Pavel. Mrs. Konstantin raised her arms. The jewelry on her hands and forearms glowed with fire. She twisted her hands and a sound like a gong washed down over them. Then the group began floating up. ¡°This is great,¡± said one of the girls. ¡°We¡¯re flying.¡± ¡°We¡¯re falling upwards,¡± said Mrs. Konstantin. ¡°Be ready when we reach the door. The ground will be hard on the other side.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± said the leader. ¡°We can handle a landing.¡± Mrs. Konstantin nodded at the assurance. Pavel looked down. The place that used to be home to gumdrop buildings and honey hounds broke apart as they fled. He could see pieces falling away to nothing as everything came apart below them. He closed his eyes. If the door closed on them, they would die trying to get out. He could feel that. He looked up and willed the flight to speed up out of the trap they were in. He reached the door and passed through. He saw the ground coming up. Reflexes took over and he landed on his feet, catching his wife before she could fall. One hand grabbed Wulf¡¯s arm to help steady him so he didn¡¯t fall to the floor of the alley they stood in. ¡°Back where everything started,¡± said Pavel. ¡°This was a boil that needed to be lanced,¡± said Mrs. Konstantin. ¡°Even if it was for Ivanoviska.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the first time we didn¡¯t have to fight one of the witches,¡± said the youngest witch hunter. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be fighting them anyway,¡± said Mrs. Konstantin. ¡°I will see you in three days.¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± said the witch hunters as a group. They waved as they fled down the alley. ¡°I have to go too,¡± said Wulf. ¡°Thank you for bringing me back from wherever that was.¡± ¡°Ivanoviska shouldn¡¯t have involved you,¡± said Pavel. ¡°I know he did it because he needed a body, but there are other ways. If you need help, call on us and we will do what we can.¡± ¡°Thank you for that,¡± said Wulf. ¡°Fair days, Konstantins.¡± ¡°Shall we go?,¡± Pavel said. He made a curtsey-like wave of his arm. ¡°We shall, husband,¡± said Mrs. Konstantin. She smiled slightly at the gesture. ¡°We have much to talk about.¡± ¡°I know,¡± said Pavel. ¡°I finally caught that jerk of a mailman loading my desk with extra work. I am thinking about pushing him down some stairs if he does it again.¡± ¡°I was thinking about the dead girls,¡± said Mrs. Konstantin. ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± said Pavel. ¡°They will be eating with us in three days. I can think about other things for that amount of time.¡± ¡°Like what?,¡± said Mrs. Konstantin. Pavel leaned over and whispered in her ear. She blushed furiously. Then she swatted his arm. ¡°You nearly died,¡± said Mrs. Konstantin. ¡°Your stupid friend did die. And we know there is someone making walking dead. And that¡¯s the most important thing you can think of at the moment.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t die, Ivanoviska will find some use out of his new ability which I hope he doesn¡¯t attract so much attention that an exorcist is called, and I am not chasing anybody for the rest of the night,¡± said Pavel. ¡°I think that I am being reasonable.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Mrs. Konstantin. ¡°We¡¯ll see who wakes the neighbors.¡± Pavel hugged his wife with a smile. The Burning City 20 Errant and Woody stood on a street corner. He held up his hands to frame the surroundings. He turned in a circle to take it all in. ¡°He shielded it very well,¡± said Errant. He dropped his hands. ¡°A casual look isn¡¯t turning up anything useful. Any suggestions?¡± Woody sniffed the air. He turned his head, scenting the atmosphere with his nose. He pointed at one apartment building in particular. ¡°Are you sure?,¡± asked Errant. Woody sat and barked at him. ¡°No need for name calling,¡± said Errant. ¡°I was just asking.¡± Woody huffed on the insult to his nose that had been given. ¡°Fine,¡± said Errant. ¡°I apologize for insulting your nose. I will never doubt its power again. It is a mighty nose.¡± Woody wagged his tail at the acknowledgment of his superiority. ¡°It is the biggest part of your face,¡± said Errant. He started for the building in question. ¡°It should be useful for something.¡± He pulled his wand from its place in his jacket and let it hum. A door snapped open in a wall. He smiled at the revealing of a secret passage. ¡°Secret room,¡± he said. He pointed the wand as he went to the threshold, letting the magic disarm any possible trap that might be waiting for them. He put the wand away when he was sure nothing would happen. He stepped inside looked around at lines carved in a large room. Bass slept in the center of the circle. He could stay there until their search was done. Errant walked around. Charts on functions and processes hung everywhere. He gathered it all up and stored it in his jacket. He looked at Bass when he was done. He decided to leave the man trapped in his mind. It would keep him out of trouble. He stepped out of the hidden room and closed it back up. You wouldn¡¯t know a door had been crafted into the wall, unless you were actually looking for it. He locked it in place when he was done so someone would have to expend effort to get in. That would alert him that he should come back and deal with whomever was trying to break in. ¡°All right,¡± said Errant. ¡°We¡¯re done here until Bass wakes up from his dream world.¡± Woody barked. He was familiar enough with his wizard that would never happen. When Errant put someone down, they stayed down. ¡°We still have the Alvas to find,¡± said Errant. ¡°I wonder if we do that, the problems in the city will go down to almost nothing.¡± Woody huffed. Once they stopped the Alvas, things had to calm some. The humanoid was handing out magic left and right without a care of what he was doing. That had to be stopped to prevent any more damage to the people living with the monsters being created. They would have their familiar problems of people living together in a large city. ¡°We should check on Doreen when this is over,¡± said Errant. Woody wagged his tail at that. The totem user had seemed afraid of her own shadow until they had their little chat. Teaching her squirrel had given her some confidence that she didn¡¯t have. And she would be facing other totem users in a tournament. It would be great if she took the lessons to heart and did her best. Woody would like another day lazing by the lake if he could get it. ¡°What is the next thing on our agenda?,¡± Errant asked. Woody barked. They should check for the Alvas on the north side of town where the good food was. ¡°You don¡¯t eat,¡± said Errant. Woody barked in disagreement. ¡°Seriously?,¡± said Errant. ¡°When did you take a liking to cheese cabbage?¡± Woody barked out an estimate of time. ¡°A thousand years ago?,¡± said Errant. ¡°You don¡¯t have a stomach. How are you This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.eating cheese cabbage?¡± Woody sniffed his displeasure. ¡°It¡¯s no use trying to put a better face on it,¡± said Errant. ¡°You are a living statue. Food requires something to break it down. You don¡¯t have any of that.¡± Woody disagreed with a sneeze. ¡°What do you mean you¡¯ve been working on getting a stomach?,¡± asked Errant. He paused in his walking search. Woody looked away. ¡°I am your friend,¡± said Errant. ¡°I don¡¯t remember you saying anything about getting a new body. Why didn¡¯t you say anything?¡± Woody barked at that. ¡°Yes, I would have helped,¡± said Errant. ¡°You know better than that.¡± Woody looked away. ¡°I get it,¡± said Errant. ¡°You wanted to do it on your own. It would have been me holding your paw if I had helped out.¡± Woody chuffed at his assessment. ¡°How long have we been friends?,¡± said Errant. ¡°A long time. I would have helped you if you had said something. It¡¯s almost trivial to give you real parts. I would have made sure they worked for as long as you wanted them.¡± Woody barked at that. ¡°I¡¯m not a mind reader,¡± said Errant. ¡°You have to state things you want.¡± Woody growled. ¡°I know I have vast magic powers,¡± said Errant. ¡°I don¡¯t read minds. That would be unethical.¡± Woody barked. ¡°I know I have done some things,¡± said Errant. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make those things right just because I decided to do them instead of letting anyone else do it.¡± Woody made another noise. ¡°Abusing the authority of the Queen is a quick way to have that authority yanked. You know that,¡± said Errant. ¡°And it almost happened. They were talking about reducing you back to sticks. I couldn¡¯t let them do that to you.¡± Woody rubbed against Errant¡¯s leg. Errant didn¡¯t understand why his wooden dog would want more of a living process since he ran on magic and always had. What good is a sandwich to a piece of wood come to life? He decided those questions should be kept to himself for the time being. It looked like Woody wanted to be a real dog after all the years they had traveled together. How would that affect his immortality? Errant thought he could do another immortality spell for him, but he wasn¡¯t sure. He wasn¡¯t supposed to hand that out, even if the other person was his best friend. He wondered if Woody wanted to go out on his own, maybe find someone else to follow around. They had been together for a long time. He might be tired of wandering around and fixing other people¡¯s problems. ¡°Do you like this life we lead?,¡± Errant asked. Woody looked at the knight. His ears pointed at his friend as he waited for a clarification of the question. ¡°I mean, we do a lot of traveling and fixing things,¡± said Errant. ¡°I could see it if you wanted to settle down somewhere. I would still have to travel, but you could have a place of your own.¡± Woody whined. ¡°I know,¡± said Errant. He petted his friend. ¡°I have been dragging you around for a long time. I¡¯m trying to say that if you need a break, I am willing to set you up with a place somewhere so you can be lazy, or run around, or read. I don¡¯t have a problem with that. Doing the same thing over and over tends to lead to burning out.¡± Woody barked. ¡°Yes, I will miss you,¡± said Errant. ¡°You¡¯re my best friend. Let me do what I can about this Alvas, and then I will set you up somewhere.¡± Woody placed a paw on Errant¡¯s leg. He looked up at the human. ¡°You¡¯re my best friend,¡± said Errant. He smiled. ¡°We could be hanging out too much together. Maybe a separation would do us both good.¡± Errant rubbed his chin. Woody looked up at him. ¡°Who¡¯s a good dog?,¡± he said. ¡°Who¡¯s the best dog?¡± Woody took him down with a tackle to the chest. He hit the ground with a laugh. Then he felt the pain of stone on flesh running up his back. ¡°Okay, Woody,¡± Errant said. He pushed the dog up with both hands. ¡°You¡¯re the best dog.¡± Woody bounded around. Then he settled on his haunches. He grinned with his tongue hanging out. ¡°We still have work to do,¡± said Errant. He picked himself up. He wiped the dirt and stains off his light blue suit. ¡°Where would you be if you were an Alvas up to mischief?¡± Woody barked. ¡°Somewhere on the city¡¯s north side?,¡± said Errant. ¡°I like it. Let¡¯s go up and look around.¡± Woody wagged his tail. They trekked to the local train network and rode up as far as they could. Someone had killed a death worm on the track, and the city was still trying to deal with it. Errant shook his head at the news. What was a death worm doing inside a city? ¡°Let¡¯s have a look at this,¡± said Errant. ¡°Maybe we can lend some magical muscle to help out while we¡¯re looking for our villain.¡± Woody huffed at the idea. ¡°I know we can¡¯t fix everything,¡± said Errant. ¡°We¡¯re just going to lend a hand while we¡¯re looking for our main instigator of trouble.¡± They walked the streets paralleling the train tracks until they spotted the death worm. The city didn¡¯t seem to have made any progress getting it moved. Errant paused when he was directly across from the bulk. He pulled his wand out of his breast pocket and pointed it at the giant corpse. He snapped his wrist and a piece of time wrote on the dead beast. ¡°That should take care of things,¡± said Errant. He put the wand away. ¡°It¡¯ll take a bit. I can¡¯t just throw magic around like it¡¯s water.¡± Woody sniffed the air. ¡°I put on a spell that slowly vaporizes the target,¡± said Errant. ¡°It speeds up natural processes. It¡¯ll make the death worm break down faster which will clear the track faster which will push the scavengers to eat their fill faster.¡± Woody growled slightly. ¡°Of course it will stink some in the short term,¡± said Errant. ¡°But it was always going to stink. There¡¯s no getting around that.¡± Woody barked in disagreement. ¡°You¡¯re just being contrary because you want me to get rid of the stink too,¡± said Errant. ¡°It¡¯s going to stink. I thought dogs liked the smell of dead things.¡± Woody howled. ¡°Stop that,¡± said Errant. ¡°I was wrong. You don¡¯t like the smell of dead things. I know that now. It¡¯s not my problem. I have other things to consider other than your sensitive nose.¡± Woody barked. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± said Errant. ¡°I have other things to consider. I have a responsibility to the Queen. If your nose is so sensitive, maybe it can sniff out our magic distributing Alvas.¡± Woody looked at him. ¡°I¡¯ll understand if you can¡¯t do it,¡± said Errant. ¡°You¡¯re not really a tracking dog.¡± Woody growled and walked away. The Burning City 21 Moe Eisen didn¡¯t pause at the bedroom door. Whatever was going on with Bernard¡¯s grandmother, it was worse than what he had expected to find. The tearing sound told him that the body wouldn¡¯t be in one piece when this was over. Screaming filled the room as he ran. He couldn¡¯t tell if it was him, or the dead grandmother coming back to life. Something wrapped around his neck. He could feel his skin burning. He reached up and tried to pull the choking thing away. Something bad had seized Bernard¡¯s grandmother. And it had seized him too. ¡°That¡¯s not right,¡± said Bernard from the door. ¡°What have you done with Grandma?¡± Eisen waved for him to clear the room. He didn¡¯t want the boy hurt. The whole point of trying to find a cure was so he could live the rest of his life as normal as possible. The gears on Bernard¡¯s skin spun as some alchemical process started working. He raised both hands. Streams of smoking liquid flew by the alchemist and struck the source of the tentacle around his neck. Screaming erupted from the bedroom. Eisen flew through the air. He hit a chair and knocked it over. He rolled across the floor to put more distance between himself and the thing that used to be a grandmother. ¡°Bernard!,¡± shouted Eisen. He picked himself up. He couldn¡¯t let anything else happen to the boy. It was his responsibility. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Pa,¡± said Bernard. He stepped forward, spraying acid in the bedroom as he went. ¡°This will take care of a solid monster.¡± Eisen waved his hand in front of his face. The smell of the acid working didn¡¯t go well with the odor that had already pervaded the room. He shouldn¡¯t have gone into the bedroom, but something had to be done to air the place out. Bernard paused at the threshold of the bedroom. He stopped spraying acid. He started shaking as he silently cried about what had happened to him. Eisen cursed himself for making the boy use up some of his remaining time in a rescue. The alchemist walked over to the bedroom and looked inside. He shook his head at the damage done. Acid had reduced the bed and body on it into a slurry. Parts of the beast writhed on the floor. The smell had started to approach weapon status. Something had to be done about this before it became something worse. ¡°I still have some of the acid power left, Pa,¡± said Bernard. ¡°I have to open the window to let the smell out,¡± said Eisen. ¡°If you could melt the pieces that are flopping around without dumping too much on the floor, I think that will be a big help.¡± ¡°Be careful, Pa,¡± said Bernard. ¡°Those things might be contagious.¡± ¡°You have to be more careful,¡± said Eisen. ¡°You could send the whole room down to the apartment below. Try to keep things contained.¡± ¡°I can be careful,¡± said Bernard. He sprayed the closest tentacle piece with his acid and it melted under the liquid. Eisen made his way across the room, avoiding the acid and tentacles. He tried to open the window. He grimaced when it wouldn¡¯t move. He picked up an end table and knocked the glass out with it. That small amount of damage was nothing compared to what the boy had done with his alchemy. The smell drifted out the window. Eisen touched Bernard on the shoulder and gestured for him to fall back. The acid would cut through the floor, or not. There was nothing he could do about that now. He imagined the landlord would be upset, but he didn¡¯t care. ¡°I think we have done enough damage, Bernard,¡± said Eisen. ¡°Get your things so we can go.¡± Bernard headed for his small cubby off the main room. He found a bag. He stuffed it with his clothes and a ragged stuffed rabbit. He threw the bag over his shoulder and came back to the door. ¡°Do you have everything you want?,¡± asked Eisen. ¡°You might not be able to come back.¡± Bernard looked around. He picked up two pictures from a table beside a big chair that must have been his grandmother¡¯s. He put the frames in the bag with his clothes and rabbit. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the Baldwin embassy and see if they can help you,¡± said Eisen. ¡°That would be swell, Pa,¡± said Bernard. He looked down at his hands and the gears moving across his skin. The two of them walked out of the apartment. The crowd had backed up from the Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.sounds of distress that had come from inside, but approached the door when they saw the survivors. ¡°It¡¯ll take a while for the smell to die down,¡± said Eisen. ¡°I think we¡¯ve done for the thing wearing the dead body. Pack everything up and send it down to my shop. Don¡¯t go inside there until the smell dies down. You could die from the chemicals we used to kill the thing.¡± Eisen led the way down the hall. If the Baldwins could help, he could move on to thinking of ways of dealing with the Sharriff. The man wouldn¡¯t take his refusal to work lightly. ¡°The acid power is wearing off,¡± said Bernard. ¡°It will be a while before I can use it again.¡± ¡°If your grandmother had gone to a doctor, we might not have had to use that, Bernard,¡± said Eisen. ¡°That thing must have been growing in her for a while.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t like them, Pa,¡± said Bernard. ¡°Preferred to wait things out.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t wait on everything,¡± said Eisen. ¡°Sometimes you have to do to make things go.¡± ¡°Old people, Pa,¡± said Bernard. Eisen frowned, then shook his head at the statement. ¡°We¡¯ll go over to the Baldwins from here, then once we know what they can do, we¡¯ll try to think of our next move,¡± said Eisen. ¡°Hungry,¡± said Bernard. ¡°I haven¡¯t eaten in a while.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll stop at that fish place before we cross into Midtown,¡± promised Eisen. ¡°Thanks, Pa,¡± said Bernard. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll never come back here.¡± ¡°That apartment was ruined,¡± said Eisen. ¡°I don¡¯t think it would have been safe for you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the only place I know,¡± said Bernard. ¡°I¡¯m losing everything, piece by piece.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll get you fixed up, and then we¡¯ll find a place,¡± said Eisen. ¡°I know you wouldn¡¯t want to stay with me, so we¡¯ll look around and find someone who can take you in. Don¡¯t you have any other family other than your grandmother?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± said Bernard. ¡°No one ever visited Grandma, except some priest from the Willows.¡± ¡°I noticed he wasn¡¯t with the crowd when we went to talk to your grandmother,¡± said Eisen. ¡°We could have used someone with a connection to make things easier on your grandmother and us.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯s a real priest,¡± said Bernard. ¡°He just likes to wear the robe.¡± ¡°Then he is asking for trouble neither one of us want to get mixed up in,¡± said Eisen. ¡°There¡¯s the train station. Let¡¯s ride up to where we want to go, then eat, and then see if we can talk to the Baldwins.¡± ¡°That sounds easy enough,¡± said Bernard. ¡°Do you think they can fix me?¡± ¡°The Green Lights have a reputation for doing magical things,¡± said Eisen. ¡°They¡¯re the only magicians I know with a good reputation, and a history of altruism. Our only other choices are to look for someone in the South Side, or try to get the Sharriff to help us with whatever magic he can do.¡± ¡°I doubt the Sharriff can fix this,¡± said Bernard. He gestured at the spinning gears on his body. ¡°Even if he could fix it, I doubt he would without some kind of constraint put in place,¡± said Eisen. Bernard nodded in agreement. The only reasons the Sharriff would fix his condition was to show he had the power, hoped to get something out of it, or as a partial means of creating leverage. He wouldn¡¯t do it out of the kindness of his heart. There wasn¡¯t any money in that. Bernard wondered if he should break away for a few minutes and show the Sharriff how he felt about things. He didn¡¯t know if his new powers could do anything against the magician. He wanted to find out. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it,¡± said Eisen. ¡°Leave Sharriff to his enemies. We don¡¯t know if using your abilities is speeding up your deterioration. You could create an alchemical lashing that would take out more than the one man you want.¡± ¡°How much more?,¡± asked Bernard. ¡°Enough to take out chunks of the city,¡± said Eisen. ¡°Let¡¯s get this cure if we can, and then we¡¯ll need to get you a home life away from this.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think there is one of those, Pa,¡± said Bernard. ¡°I am going to do the best I can to try,¡± said Eisen. They walked into the train station. The alchemist noted that tracks on the North Side had been shut down. That didn¡¯t concern him. They weren¡¯t going that far. He found the track he wanted and led the way across the station. ¡°We have a few minutes,¡± said Eisen. ¡°As soon as the train comes in, we¡¯ll be heading to Midtown without all this walking.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think the Green Lights can help me,¡± said Bernard. He sat on the platform and looked at his hands. ¡°I don¡¯t think anybody can.¡± ¡°We have to try,¡± said Eisen. ¡°Giving up is for the weak. We can beat this. If we couldn¡¯t, I wouldn¡¯t even try.¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t even try?,¡± asked Bernard. He looked up from his hands. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t,¡± said Eisen. ¡°I have been looking for new compounds for years. I have found some too. I wouldn¡¯t waste my time on something I was sure would fail. I would look for other things to do.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure I want to hear that right now,¡± said Bernard. ¡°Bernard,¡± said Eisen. ¡°There have been times when I had to do things I thought were necessary. It didn¡¯t make them right. This is both necessary and right. Giving up is not the way forward.¡± ¡°I guess I can understand that,¡± said Bernard. ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel right.¡± ¡°Sometimes that¡¯s way it is,¡± said Eisen. ¡°Here comes the train. We have a few minutes of riding ahead of us which I am glad to have, and then we¡¯re walking again.¡± ¡°You¡¯re getting too old to do all this walking around,¡± said Bernard. He smiled. ¡°Maybe you should hire one of those wheeled beds for old people.¡± ¡°I am not old,¡± said Eisen. ¡°I am seasoned.¡± ¡°Seasoned?,¡± said Bernard. He got to his feet to watch the train pull into the station. ¡°Like fine wine,¡± said Eisen. ¡°Like vinegar,¡± said Bernard. ¡°I don¡¯t remember asking your opinion of my good health,¡± said Eisen. The train rolled to a stop in front of the two. The doors slid open. The crowd onboard started making their way home. Eisen and Bernard waited until they had a cleared path before stepping onboard. ¡°You don¡¯t have to ask,¡± said Bernard. ¡°I¡¯m willing to give it to you.¡± ¡°Thank you for that,¡± said Eisen. He walked down the aisle and settled in a window seat. He looked out as the train started moving again. The trains had changed the city some, but it still felt like a frontier monster town to him. He supposed it always would. Bernard settled in a seat on the other side of the aisle. People who noticed the moving gears changed seats to make a distance between them and the boy. He looked like he was going to cry. Eisen moved to sit in the seat next to him. He didn¡¯t need a window that badly. ¡°People are scared of me now,¡± said Bernard. ¡°They think you¡¯re a Fae, or Alvas,¡± said Eisen. ¡°That¡¯s because they¡¯re idiots.¡± He said it loud enough that the people around them were insulted and had to think about taking on an old man, and a young boy monster. Eisen glared at them with a coldness in his eye. The Burning City 22 The man with no name thought about his predicament a little more before he started shooting. He didn¡¯t know what would happen if he fell off the tower. He didn¡¯t know if there was a person responsible for the thing. And he didn¡¯t know how much trouble he was actually in. He did know it was connected to the Alvas he had been hunting, but he didn¡¯t see his quarry anywhere. He had walked into an alley, and then fell here. He had crossed a dimensional border somewhere. And he had no way to cross back. He bent down and examined the blocks he stood on. They were wooden to the touch, about ten feet long, and looked to be cut eight by eight thick. They were uniform enough to come from a saw mill, or magic design. He didn¡¯t see any openings. He paced the roof of the tower as he thought about his next move. He thought that if he had some kind of door magic this wouldn¡¯t be that much of a problem. He could just reverse the process and land back in the alley. He looked over the side again. He didn¡¯t see the ground. There were too many clouds in the way. He saw something poking out of the wall of the tower. It looked like one shoe. He supposed he knew what happened to the owner of the single shoe from the alley now. He wondered if he was going to undergo the same process. He didn¡¯t like that at all. He didn¡¯t have anything to worry about as long as nothing came at him while he was trying to think of a way out of the place. Maybe Stupid would think of something. He smiled at that. He doubted the horse cared about what happened to him as long as he found someone else to feed him. And somehow he knew as long as he was in this place, he didn¡¯t have to worry about the time limit he was under until he got back to the real world. The only thing he had to worry about was what might be in the space with him. And finding someone who could send him back might be the best way to use his time. He still had a stack of cards to serve. He couldn¡¯t depend on someone coming to look for him just because he had fallen off the map. That would be asking too much for a second man with no name to find him. One of the pieces of wood started to slide away from the roof. He watched it as it fell off the roof and headed down into the clouds. He saw that there was a second layer of wood crosswise to the roof pieces. He frowned as he considered pieces of wood being pulled out of the tower while he was still at the top. What would happen him if the thing collapsed? Would he survive any type of fall? How much could he take before he couldn¡¯t go on anymore? Did he want to find that out? He needed to start making his way down before he found out the hard way. He decided to kick one of the edge pieces over the side. He could keep doing that to make steps if he was careful enough. He walked over to the edge of the roof and pushed one of the roof pieces off. It felt lighter than it should from the way it was built. He didn¡¯t watch it fall. He considered the next piece he needed to push off. A piece from lower in the tower was pulled out. He felt the ground shake as the wood moved under unseen hands. How many more could be pulled out before the thing fell over. He had to work faster if he didn¡¯t want to be crushed, or drop into a bottomless hole. He picked a piece on the layer under him and sent it out into space. That gave him part of a step. The third layer was crosswise in the same direction as the roof. He nodded. That was just like he expected. He decided on a piece there as another piece was shoved out from a random layer below him. He decided that the piece pulling was to seem fair for some reason. Four pieces pulled out in the same place could drop part of the tower like that. Apparently it was better to just pull one out in a different layer and let the tower drop when it reached a certain limit. He had to be below that limit if he wanted to keep moving down. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. He kicked out the third layer piece and decided that might give him a hand hold if he decided to start climbing down the outside of the tower instead of waiting for it to fall. He looked for a fourth layer piece and decided to knock one of the edges out so he could have another handhold. He might be able to form a ladder if he was fast enough. Was that what the other guy thought before he was crushed? The dead man took a moment as the next piece was pulled far below. There was no way he could knock out enough pieces with his hands to avoid the problem of the tower falling. He needed a faster way down that didn¡¯t require him pulling pieces out. He couldn¡¯t climb down because the pieces were too smooth to get a grip and the edges were pressed together so he couldn¡¯t get his fingers in the edges. If he tried that, he would just slide to his death. And he was not willing to be beaten before he was done with his job. He leveled one of his pistols at the floor. He pulled the trigger. Flame blasted a hole in the wood. He nodded. He was going to have to shoot his way out of his problem. He pulled his other pistol and started shooting. He wished had the foresight to bring his heavy carbine, but he hadn¡¯t thought the blaster was necessary. He knew better now. He sensed the pieces being pulled faster below him in the way the tower swayed but concentrated fire on the floor below him. He blasted holes through the wooden pieces and kicked them out of the way where he could. The remains held up the edges as he worked his way down. He thought he heard a growl of anger but let his pistols drown the sound out. He could see the walls on either side of him swaying. He knew the pieces above him might start coming down at any moment. He needed to do something about that if he wanted to get out of this with his skin intact. He blasted at the pieces to his right. He saw part of the wall collapse and fall into nothing. It took that part of the roof with it. He smiled as turned and blasted the left. That part started collapsing on top of him. He started blasting the floor, trying to outrun the wooden beams coming down on top of him. He fell into a clear space as the beams dropped into where he had been standing. That had been a piece of luck. He didn¡¯t try to stand. The hole above him was covered with crossbeams. He had to keep going down. He fired into the floor and continued working his way through the wood. He decided that the invisible forces running the tower knew he was still alive. He could hear other pieces being removed as he worked. How many more could be taken out before the whole thing fell over? He realized he didn¡¯t know how far off the ground he was if there was a ground in the first place. The tower might be the only thing in the dimension. And he was wrecking it while trying to figure out what was going on. A voice boomed in the air that he had reached level fifty. He paused for a second to consider what that meant. He had either reached the midpoint of the pile, if the pile was a hundred levels. Or he had a long way to go to reach the bottom. He decided that he had reached the midpoint and needed to fight his way down the rest of the way before the tower finished collapsing. He had bought himself some time knocking the top off. He needed to keep using that to keep moving. He couldn¡¯t wait to talk to whomever had created this monstrosity. They might not be on his warrant cards but he doubted he and the man with one shoe were the only ones that had stumbled into the space. He also doubted any of the others had firearms to defend themselves like he did. Being crushed by falling blocks because you were trying to climb down some magical tower needed to be avenged by his way of thinking. And luckily an avenger was right there to do that. He continued to work his way down. The barrels of his pistols were red hot from the constant firing. He let one cool down and holstered it. He would need it later. He couldn¡¯t overwork it now. The dead man hit a clear space and thought he had reached another spot that had been drawn from on his way down. He saw holes where he could see the sky beyond. Clouds drifted by to let him know he was closer to the ground than he supposed. He knew real clouds didn¡¯t circle like those did unless caught up in a wind funnel. He moved to the edge and looked out. He could see the ground now. It was a platform of wooden blocks around the tower. They stretched to the horizon, but the horizon was close. He supposed the world was smaller than he liked. A piece flew out of the tower close to the ground. He could see the rest sway. A few more like that and it would fall over with him riding it to the ground. He decided he could take a risk now that he was close to the ground. He didn¡¯t like it, but it was better than letting an unknown monster kill him. He shook the red hot weapon to cool it down to holster it. He drew the other one. He looked down the sides of the rectangular cube. He was going to have to get out on the wall and use that to reach the bottom without getting killed. It sounded easier than it looked as he readied himself to go. He climbed out through the opening. He started sliding down the side of the tower. He took aim and fired his pistol at the wall below him. A divot appeared as he headed for his doom. He was able to put his foot in the divot and stop his slide. He hugged the wall to keep from falling backwards to his death. He waited for a second as a crosspiece fell out of the tower somewhere above where he should be. He shot and dropped again. The top of the tower swayed as he caught himself. The wood started to fall in his direction. He dropped the last few feet and moved to let the wood crash off the stand that he stood on. ¡°You won,¡± said a voice in the air. ¡°Let¡¯s play again.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± said the dead man. ¡°I think you should stop with your games. You¡¯re killing people for fun.¡± ¡°Why else would I kill people?,¡± said the voice. ¡°Let¡¯s play again.¡± ¡°No,¡± said the dead man. ¡°Play time is over.¡± A face surrounded by arms appeared in the sky above him. It snarled as the arms reached down to teach him a lesson. No one decided play time was over until she decided play time was over. The Burning City 23 Arlo Pike sat back in his chair and looked at the two piles of work that he had put together. Some of it would have to be handed off to Jason, and Tilda. He would have to take care of the things they couldn¡¯t do. And the first thing he had to do was confirm if all the missing people from the North Side had got on the Death Train before Jason had hacked its brain out. Once he had done that, he could pass the word up that those people were dead and digested. It would take some time and wandering around the city to make sure but he was confident he could do it. The other stack went to Jason and Tilda to look around the other neighborhoods, and ask questions of the relatives. No one had found any missing bodies, and it was easy to blame everything on the Train, but he didn¡¯t believe that, and he knew Jason wouldn¡¯t. The hunting grounds were too wide apart for that. Jason and Tilda came in. He gestured at their stack on his desk in their official Guard office at the bottom of the building. ¡°I need you to go over the general areas of those reports and look for anything out of the ordinary,¡± said Pike. ¡°See if you can narrow things down to a street. I have to take this other stack and cross all the names off myself. Once I do that, we can go back over your stack, and hopefully put my stack in the solved filing for the Guard.¡± ¡°Have you thought about taking a break, Arlo?,¡± asked Jason. ¡°You have been down here for two days.¡± ¡°I plan to go by my place when I get done looking around,¡± said Pike. ¡°Once I make sure all of my victims are dead, I can take a bath and start thinking about how to find the other people we¡¯re looking for in your stack.¡± ¡°Do you think any of these people are alive?,¡± asked Jason. ¡°Not the ones in my stack,¡± said Pike. ¡°I want to make sure so I can tell Captain Munroe we¡¯re pursuing all leads.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Jason. ¡°I will take my apprentice around and show her the ropes.¡± ¡°Avoid the dead man if you can,¡± said Pike. ¡°At some point, we might have to talk to him about his mission, but let¡¯s save that until we have a handle on this wider problem first.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a chance he is looking for the same person, or persons, we are,¡± said Jason. ¡°We¡¯re not in a race, and with this many people missing, it is either a lot of people involved, or monsters,¡± said Pike. ¡°If it is a bunch of monsters operating, we¡¯re going to look at what they are before we get too close.¡± ¡°The Alvas?,¡± asked Jason. ¡°What about him?,¡± asked Pike. ¡°Where do you think he fits in?,¡± asked Jason. ¡°Does he fit in?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said Pike. ¡°If he shows up while you¡¯re looking around, he has to fit in somewhere even if it¡¯s to watch whatever is going on. He might be the cause of some of this. If he is, we might have to find a way to take him off the board to simplify things enough to fix them.¡± ¡°The Alvas are not known for their inability to fight,¡± said Jason. He split his stack in half and gave Tilda the top part. ¡°If he is the one causing all of this, we can¡¯t let him run around,¡± said Pike. ¡°That¡¯s just asking for him to pay us a visit when we¡¯re not looking.¡± ¡°I agree with that,¡± said Tilda. She flipped through the small stack in her hands. ¡°The Alvas will want to kill us if we cross him.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I carry my sword,¡± said Jason. He tucked his stack under an arm. ¡°We¡¯ll need bags to carry all of these.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Pike. He stood up. He looked around. He found his coat and pulled it on. He grabbed up his notes, and pencil and put them in his pocket. ¡°Take the writ and the gold in case you need it. I¡¯m heading up to the North Side to look around.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Jason. ¡°You want to meet later?¡± ¡°Just bring everything back here to the office when you¡¯re done,¡± said Pike. ¡°I plan to go home when I get done. We¡¯ll meet here tomorrow in the morning to go over what we have got done, and what we need to do for the rest.¡± ¡°Sounds good,¡± said Jason. He grabbed the writ and the gold and put it in his inner coat pocket. ¡°Come along, Apprentice. I will show you the fine art of beating people in a back alley for information.¡± ¡°I already know how to do that,¡± said Tilda. ¡°That¡¯s how I found out my last boyfriend was seeing another girl down the block.¡± ¡°I think I need to see your technique,¡± said Jason. ¡°Maybe I can pick up some pointers.¡± Pike watched them go with a sigh. He hoped they didn¡¯t send their quarry into a frenzy of prevention before they knew what they were looking to find. He doubted Munroe wanted them to hack their enemy apart without proof. But if something jumped out at Jason, it was on the monster for what happened next. The monster hunter was not one to run if he could cut his enemy down. The finder and his partners worked their ways across the city. Pike traced each of the victims on his list from their neighborhoods up to the North Side. Each trail ended with the station where they had met the disguised worm on the tracks. He marked off each name at the end of the trail. There were not going to be any bodies for the Guard to hand back to the families waiting for the news of their loved ones. He was glad he wasn¡¯t going to have to deliver those words. Jason and Tilda¡¯s work was more convoluted. None of their victims had been anywhere they needed to use the train. Instead they had vanished close to their haunts, almost within sight of others. Some of the witnesses and the local Guard told them that the sound of a bell had been heard at the time their victims had gone missing. There was another thread visible to the monster hunter that he didn¡¯t like. Some of the people had disappeared close to a local hotel. He had looked the place over and he didn¡¯t like it. He wasn¡¯t the finder his partner was, but he was sure they would This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.have to go in there and sort things out eventually. He relished the chance to do that. ¡°What do you think?,¡± Tilda finally asked. They had decided to take a break and get something to eat not far from Rowena¡¯s school. ¡°I think we¡¯re going to have to kill a lot of monsters in the next few weeks, maybe months,¡± said Jason. He inspected his johnny cake and bacon with a critical eye. ¡°Arlo was right about that.¡± ¡°I thought there was something wrong about that Love Hotel,¡± said Tilda. ¡°I did too,¡± said Jason. ¡°I think that was separate from the rest of the problem. It¡¯s something we¡¯ll have to suss out with Arlo.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going in there on your own?,¡± asked Tilda. She had cheese and fried ham on two pieces of bread. ¡°I would love to, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that important compared to these other sites,¡± said Jason. ¡°When we have the majority of our missing accounted for, then we¡¯ll look at that hotel and see why it looks bad to us.¡± ¡°I can see that,¡± said Tilda. She dug in. ¡°What do you think is going on?¡± ¡°I think our dead man is here chasing after whatever is causing the monsters,¡± said Jason. He cut the cake and bacon up and used a fork on the mix. ¡°If we found him, and could track him to his targets, we might be able to shortcut all this searching.¡± ¡°I can see that,¡± said Tilda. She sipped her lemonade. ¡°We don¡¯t have any way to check with him about who he¡¯s chasing. He might be here after something else. He is a finder after all.¡± ¡°That would be one more problem on our plate that we would have to take care of eventually,¡± said Jason. ¡°I¡¯m hoping he finishes his business before we can get to him. If he solves our problems while he is doing that, I am more than willing to give him a hearty thank you and farewell.¡± ¡°You ever run into one before?,¡± asked Tilda. ¡°No, but there are stories,¡± said Jason. ¡°And the stories are bad enough on their own.¡± ¡°Tell me one,¡± demanded Tilda. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you while we¡¯re walking,¡± said Jason. He hastily finished his meal and downed his tea. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Tilda stood and sipped her lemonade. She put the cup down as she hurried to catch up with the monster hunter. She ate her sandwich as she walked beside him. He seemed intent on something down the street. ¡°You promised a story,¡± said Tilda. ¡°What are we doing?¡± ¡°We¡¯re walking,¡± said Jason. He smiled at her. She noted that his hand rode on his sword as he walked. ¡°A story,¡± said Tilda. ¡°You¡¯re very single-minded,¡± said Jason. Tilda made a gesture for him to get on with it. ¡°All right,¡± said Jason. ¡°Let me think.¡± They walked along. Tilda noted they were following a group of girls from the school. She didn¡¯t know who they were, but felt Jason would tell her when he decided to do more than walk behind them. ¡°Several cities had engaged in battle,¡± said Jason. ¡°This was before they had consolidated into what we have now. Magic and powers were being thrown around like balls. It looked like it was something that would drag on for years as each power jockeyed for position.¡± The pair walked along slowly. Jason had his eye on his surroundings and thought he had seen his Alvas moving behind them. He said nothing. If the vagrant approached they would have words. ¡°It was said that things had come down to a mad magician and his wooden dog blowing things up,¡± said Jason. ¡°Before that, a dead man got involved. The story goes he cut his way through two armies to get to one of the magicians throwing spells. He supposedly killed hundreds with arrows made of fire, and a sword of light. Once he killed the magician, one side dispersed and left most of their magical equipment behind. Then the magician got involved and blew everything up to keep people from using what was left.¡± ¡°Do you believe that?,¡± asked Tilda. ¡°They say that¡¯s where the Crater came from, and why the Rhiem and Alvas are south of Bern,¡± said Jason. ¡°You¡¯re kidding,¡± said Tilda. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that,¡± said Jason. He smiled. ¡°The story says the explosion created the desert and pushed most of the survivors out, but the sandworms are all that is left over from that war.¡± ¡°I know you¡¯re pulling my leg now,¡± said Tilda. She would have laughed, but had an image to maintain. ¡°Believe what you want,¡± said Jason. ¡°Some of my forebears killed sandworms that weren¡¯t confined inside the desert. The reports were of a bloody mess.¡± ¡°Monster hunters were there?,¡± asked Tilda. ¡°Some of us,¡± said Jason. ¡°Perseus Macri was the one to report the dead man on the field.¡± The girls formed up in front of a small house in a shabby neighborhood toward the southeast of the city. They seemed to be undecided on what they should do next. Jason stood down the street. He watched the neighborhood. He thought he saw the Alvas down the street in a reflection of a window. He wondered what the interest was, and where it really lay. Was the Alvas watching the girls, or him? An older man in a plain shirt and pants opened the door. He smiled at the girls as he waved them to come into the house. He looked across the street at Jason and Tilda, and then further down toward where the Alvas lurked. Then he shut the door in their faces. ¡°What do you think?,¡± asked Tilda. ¡°He¡¯s an adventurer,¡± said Jason. He frowned as he examined the neighborhood again. He almost fit in with the clothes around him, but he had been picked out almost instantly by the other man. He knew the people who should be there, and the two of them shouldn¡¯t be. ¡°I think we should ask him some questions about what¡¯s going on.¡± ¡°Do you really think we should just butt in?,¡± asked Tilda. ¡°That¡¯s part of our job,¡± said Jason. ¡°Just watch for an Alvas in rags so he doesn¡¯t come up behind us.¡± He started toward the house. He spotted the warding almost immediately. If you weren¡¯t human, you weren¡¯t going to live to get to the door from what he could see. Maybe the other man was a monster hunter like himself. ¡°I saw your man,¡± whispered Tilda. She trailed behind Jason. ¡°He¡¯s hiding in an alley down the street, on the left, next to the little alchemy shop.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t step off the marked path,¡± said Jason. ¡°We don¡¯t want to start anything by accident.¡± Tilda nodded. She stayed behind him in case she had to use him for a shield. Jason knocked on the door. He tried to look less of a threat. He had the bag with the files in it, his coat, pants and boots. His sword rode at his hip. He might look like a traveler if he tried enough. Tilda didn¡¯t look like much of a threat with her slim frame, black clothes and hair long on one side of her head and gone on the other. Anyone seeing the marks of the Rhiem on her cheek would think different. The Fae didn¡¯t have a good reputation in Bern. The door opened. The adventurer looked at them. He smiled, but he was ready to fight. Jason could see it in the way he held himself. And he was ready to punch Tilda first from the way he looked at them. ¡°Hello,¡± said Jason. ¡°I¡¯m Jason, and this is Tilda Crass. We¡¯re finders. We wondered if we could ask some questions of the young girls that came in a few minutes ago.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see why I should allow that,¡± said the home owner. ¡°We¡¯re trying to find the monsters,¡± said Jason. ¡°We think they are involved somehow.¡± ¡°Really?,¡± said the home owner. Jason knew he was going to lie. He could see it in the way the man¡¯s face shifted. ¡°Let them in, husband,¡± said a woman from inside the house. ¡°We might need a monster hunter before this is over.¡± ¡°Welcome to my home,¡± said the ex-adventurer. ¡°I¡¯m Pavel Konstantin, and this is my wife, Sonya.¡± The woman indicated wore various bracelets and rings, a yellow dress with pink flowers sewn into it, and a ribbon to tie her graying hair back. Her eyes were dark and a little irritated at the intrusion. ¡°Hello, girls,¡± said Jason. ¡°We meet again.¡± Tilda waved the fingers of one hand at the group. ¡°I think we should have dinner, and then we will talk,¡± said Madam Konstantin. ¡°Take them into the dining room, husband. I will get the plates ready.¡± ¡°We already ate,¡± said Tilda. ¡°You can stand to eat a little more as thin as you are,¡± said Madam Konstantin. ¡°Now go. Afterwards, we will talk business.¡± ¡°Come with me,¡± said Pavel. ¡°She has been slaving all day in the kitchen. Refusal will cost you an arm and a leg.¡± Jason hoped he meant figuratively and not literally. Pavel led them into a room lit by lamps hung overhead. A massive table dominated the space. Places had been set for the girls and the Konstantins. He waved Jason and Tilda to empty spots. ¡°I will be right back with your plates and silverware,¡± said Pavel. ¡°We hadn¡¯t expected more guests.¡± He bustled out of the room. Jason looked the room over. It seemed bigger than the house. He leaned back in his chair and unbuckled his sword. He laid it down beside his chair where he could get at it if he need it, but it wasn¡¯t poking him while he sat for dinner. He doubted it would do him much good against Pavel¡¯s wife in any case. ¡°This is kind of awkward,¡± said Tilda. The Burning City 24 ¡°This is a bad idea,¡± Pavel told his wife. ¡°Very bad.¡± ¡°We need the help, and not from those dead girls,¡± said Sonya. ¡°A monster hunter is the sort we need to keep an eye on things while we do the real work.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Pavel. He took two more plates from a cabinet, and some silverware from a drawer. ¡°I don¡¯t like it. We might have to protect them more than doing what needs to be done.¡± ¡°This is not the first time we have used decoys,¡± reminded his wife. ¡°It didn¡¯t go well for the decoys then either,¡± said Pavel. He paused to take a breath. ¡°Let us try to figure out what is really going on.¡± ¡°We will, husband,¡± said Sonya. ¡°The soup is almost ready.¡± ¡°Let us begin our dinner and hear the tales of our guests,¡± said Pavel. He put on his smile. ¡°How bad could it really be?¡± ¡°Husband, why do you ask such questions in the face of atrocity?,¡± asked Sonya. ¡°You know better than that.¡± ¡°I know,¡± said Pavel. ¡°I just couldn¡¯t help myself.¡± ¡°Go while I get the food ready to serve,¡± said Sonya. Pavel took the plates into the dining room and put them in front of his uninvited guests. He put on the face of a good host as he did so. The monster hunter said thank you with a smile, the other nodded. Sonya came out of the kitchen with a pot for soup. She put it on a wooden platter in the center of the table. She pulled the lid to reveal the ladle inside. She went back to the kitchen for the rest of the food. ¡°All right,¡± said Pavel. ¡°Let¡¯s serve up the soup.¡± ¡°What if I don¡¯t like soup?,¡± asked one of the girls. ¡°You don¡¯t get a say in the matter,¡± said Pavel. ¡°Plate, please.¡± He dipped one spoon from the pot for her, and two for the rest of the table. He smiled at her grimace. Sonya arrived with a second pot of rice. She put that down next to the soup. She went back to get more food for their guests. Pavel dipped the rice out on the soup, sniffing the air as the two clouds of steam mixed together. Sonya returned with a bowl of mixed vegetables, a stack of bowls and a bottle of dressing for it. Pavel scooped the vegetables out into the bowls and passed them around the table. He poured the dressing on his own salad and passed the bottle around the table for anyone who wanted to use it to pour their own. ¡°Any other dressing?,¡± asked the soup complainer. ¡°No,¡± said Pavel. He put the stopper in when the bottle made its way back to him. Sonya returned with an oven tray carried in an oven mitt. She sat that down on its own spot. She handed Pavel a cake trowel before going back into the kitchen. He used the trowel to cut the contents of the tray up and place a piece on the rice of each guest. He nodded when he was done. He placed two pieces on his own plate. ¡°I think we are missing something,¡± said Pavel. He looked over the table. ¡°Everyone has tea, and food. What are we missing?¡± ¡°Bread, husband,¡± said Sonya. She held a plate of rolls and a small saucer of butter with a knife. ¡°We are missing bread.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± said Pavel. He took two of the rolls for himself and passed them down the table. He passed the butter afterwards. ¡°Is everyone happy?,¡± asked Sonya. There were a chorus of assents with the soup complainer saying no. ¡°No one cares about you, dead girl,¡± said Sonya. She made a sign with one hand, and murmured something. ¡°Now we can eat.¡± Sonya took her place at the head of the table, Pavel sitting at her right. They began to eat. Everyone else looked at their plates. Jason finally cut a piece of the baked meat and rice out and tried it. He nodded at the taste. ¡°This is really good,¡± said Jason. ¡°It¡¯s a recipe my mother handed down to me,¡± said Sonya. ¡°She was an excellent cook.¡± ¡°And so are you,¡± said Jason. ¡°So it¡¯s not poisoned?,¡± asked the soup complainer. ¡°Why would I poison you?,¡± asked Sonya. ¡°I have spent a lot of time cooking this meal, and I am preparing to help you with your problem. Be a little more grateful, dead girl.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not dead,¡± said the complainer. Sonya snapped her fingers. The complainer fell face forward in her dinner. ¡°I suggest the rest of you eat, and then we will talk,¡± said Sonya. ¡°But my patience is not infinite.¡± This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°Did you kill her?,¡± asked Jason. He calculated how fast he could draw his sword and throw before a finger snap reached him. It didn¡¯t look good. ¡°No, Master Monster Hunter,¡± said Sonya. ¡°All of these girls are dead, and have been for a bit of time.¡± She snapped her fingers. The complainer sat up, making a face at the food covering her face and hair. She held up her hands. A sob escaped her. Pavel stood and walked around the table. He shook his head as he wiped her face off with a cloth. He folded it over and offered her the clean side. ¡°There is a bathroom down the hall so you can wash your hair off,¡± said Pavel. ¡°It¡¯s the third door down. Don¡¯t touch anything. We have a rude guard dog.¡± The girl took the cloth and fled the room. Pavel shook his head. His expression said the example was a bit much. Jason looked at Rowena¡¯s friends. They all looked at the complainer leaving the room. He elbowed Tilda in the side. She looked at him, and then nodded. She stood up and followed the crying girl. ¡°I had hoped that we could have a quiet dinner, and talk afterwards,¡± said Sonya. ¡°Do we put that aside, and go directly to business?¡± ¡°I¡¯m eating,¡± said Jason. ¡°We can talk later. But it will be a long talk.¡± He looked at the girls, but they wouldn¡¯t look at him. Pavel bent down and whispered in his wife¡¯s ear. She looked annoyed by the crook of her lip. He frowned. ¡°I will be back in a moment,¡± said Sonya. She stood and left the room. Jason dumped Tilda¡¯s plate on his own and dug in. ¡°Your friend,¡± said Pavel. ¡°My apprentice can hunt and cook her own food,¡± said Jason. ¡°Such is the way of the wild.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Pavel. He took his own seat. ¡°You are old enough to take the consequences of your actions.¡± Jason smiled. He continued to eat as he watched the table. The girls had pushed away from the table. Apparently they hadn¡¯t known they had a problem. He considered that as he enjoyed his repast. Pavel shook his head. He had thought dinner would be a problem, but he hadn¡¯t known how much of a problem it could be. He should have asked Sonya to meet with them somewhere else so the girls would be more comfortable, and he didn¡¯t have a monster hunter sitting at his table. Sonya came back into the room a few minutes later. She frowned at the untouched food, raised an eyebrow at Jason cleaning his plate, and shook her head at Pavel having half finished his own food. She took her seat as Tilda and the complainer came in the room. Tilda looked at her empty plate and punched Jason in the arm. She snarled at him. ¡°You can get seconds,¡± said Tilda. ¡°You said you didn¡¯t want anything, so I took a liberty,¡± said Jason. He smiled at her. ¡°Any more liberties like that and you¡¯re missing fingers, sirrah,¡± said Tilda. She shook her head. ¡°The nerve of some people. Are you going to eat theirs too?¡± ¡°Maybe not all of it, but the main treat is very good indeed,¡± said Jason. ¡°I am an excellent cook,¡± said Sonya. The complainer¡¯s hair had been cleaned and tied back from her face. She didn¡¯t look happy, but she never did as far as Jason could remember. They had spent the time cleaning her up, and letting her cry but it hadn¡¯t changed the problem. ¡°Do you mind?,¡± asked Tilda. She grabbed her plate and dipped more rice and soup on it, reaching through the space where the girls had sat down. She grabbed the remainder of the rolls. She eyed the empty casserole platter. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you.¡± ¡°It was very good,¡± said Jason. He wiped his mouth and chin. ¡°I would love to eat here again under more pleasant circumstances.¡± ¡°I would love to eat here when I didn¡¯t have a greedy partner around to eat my share,¡± said Tilda. She remained standing and ate out of Jason¡¯s reach. ¡°We would love to have you with more notice,¡± said Pavel. ¡°A lot more notice.¡± ¡°I know,¡± said Jason. ¡°It was rude of me to insist on joining your gathering. There are some strange things going on, and we have been hired to stop them. And I feel that these girls are at the root of some of it.¡± ¡°They are,¡± said Pavel. ¡°Is everyone done? I have to clear the table if you are. Wife?¡± ¡°Allow me a few more minutes,¡± said Sonya. ¡°Please take our guests into the parlor. I¡¯ll put the food away at least before I join you.¡± ¡°Do you want help?,¡± asked Tilda. ¡°I think I can handle it,¡± said Sonya. She smiled. She waved at the group. ¡°Go ahead. I will be along shortly.¡± ¡°Come along,¡± said Pavel. ¡°We can sit and relax before we have our talk.¡± ¡°Rowena?,¡± whispered one of the girls to Jason as they walked down to the parlor. He thought she was Verne. ¡°Died,¡± whispered Jason. ¡°She was killed by a monster impersonating a train. We did for it when we found it.¡± Verne nodded. He wondered what she had seen to believe something like that. Pavel looked the group over as he opened the door to the parlor. He ushered them into a room that looked more like a patio in a wide lawn than a room in a house. He frowned at the lack of chairs for his additional guests. ¡°Excuse me for a second,¡± he said. ¡°I have to get some more chairs. I will be right back.¡± ¡°Do you want help?,¡± asked Jason. ¡°I have it,¡± said Pavel. ¡°The house gets fussy when things are moved around.¡± Pavel returned with two chairs and put them at the end of the line that had already been set up. He gestured for everyone to sit. A table with a pitcher and a stack of glasses stood to one side for anyone to get something to drink while they talked. ¡°Who wants to start?,¡± asked Pavel. ¡°I think the girls should start,¡± said Jason. ¡°And then we¡¯ll explain why we followed them here from their school.¡± ¡°Go ahead, Verne,¡± said the complainer. Verne looked around. The other girls waved at her in encouragement. The strange girl with the marks on her cheek stood with her arms crossed. Pavel sat in his own chair, leaned back and looking relaxed. Jason tapped the hilt of his sword as it leaned against his chair. ¡°This Alvas rescued me from this thing,¡± said Verne. ¡°He was dressed like a beggar. He said he needed people who could stand up and fight for the city. There was a rogue in the city creating monsters. He needed someone he could empower to fight back. I rescued the others from the witches and asked them to join me. We were going to ask Rowena to join us when she disappeared.¡± ¡°What happened to Rowena?,¡± asked Pavel. ¡°She was killed by a monster on the North Side,¡± said Jason. ¡°Have you talked to this Alvas after this empowering event?¡± ¡°I called him when I asked the others to join,¡± said Verne. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen him since he empowered Mo.¡± She waved at the complainer. ¡°These witches,¡± said Jason. ¡°How many are there?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know,¡± said Verne. ¡°Two more show up after we kill one of them.¡± ¡°They are dead girls,¡± said Sonya. ¡°And they are what happens at the end of the process.¡± ¡°What process?,¡± asked Jason. ¡°This Alvas has turned each of these girls into incubators,¡± said Sonya. ¡°Every time they go out to hunt, there is a small chance they will turn into one of these false witches. It is obvious he did it on purpose, but I have no idea why.¡± She closed the door to the parlor and walked to the pitcher. She poured some lemonade for herself before she sat down. Jason tapped the hilt of his sword as he thought. ¡°This Alvas is keeping track of the girls,¡± said Jason. ¡°We saw him following us while we were following them.¡± ¡°If he is still there, I will have a talk with him,¡± said Sonya. ¡°What else needs to be known before we can act?¡± Jason handed over the bag of files to Pavel. He gestured for Tilda to do the same. ¡°This is all the Guard knows at the moment,¡± he said. ¡°Let¡¯s take a look then,¡± said Pavel. The Burning City 25 Errant and Woody had trekked across the city after their quarry. They hadn¡¯t seen him in person, but they had run into a few things that Errant had to put down in the course of his duties. He didn¡¯t like it but he couldn¡¯t allow another growing death worm, or a spreading vine, to remain in the city and eat their fill. Eventually they would have wiped out the city as they tried to keep up their dietary requirements. And he had a duty not to allow that. Still, their quarry was staying ahead of them despite Woody¡¯s sharp wooden nose on the trail. There were a lot of circles around various schools. And then the trail led them to a residential area that looked well lived in by the residents. The dog paused at an alley by an alchemy shop. He snorted. ¡°He was here?,¡± said Errant. He pulled out his wand and a light clicked on in the alley. ¡°He¡¯s not here now from the looks of things. Did you see the house down the street? It looked brilliant.¡± Woody barked. ¡°I know,¡± said Errant. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen anything like it in a long time.¡± He put his wand away and walked down the street and looked at the protections on the house. He nodded, as he rubbed his hands. He walked up to the door and knocked. He wondered if he knew who had built the layers of lights he saw. They seemed familiar. He traveled a lot, and dealt with a lot of magicians. Maybe this was one of the people he had dealt with coming into their own. It would be nice to know they hadn¡¯t turned into slobbering madmen. Woody sat beside him on the porch. He put on his best friendly dog face. That was easy for him to do. Errant knocked again. He conceded he might have come at a bad time. He might have to go on with his search and circle back to the house later. The door opened. A squarish face looked at the man in blue. Recognition flared in the soft eyes. Then a punch knocked Errant back a few steps. ¡°What was that for?,¡± asked the Queen¡¯s Knight, rubbing his face. ¡°That was for leaving us in that viper¡¯s nest against the Rhiem,¡± said Pavel. ¡°Where is my axe?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not be hasty, Pavel,¡± said Errant. ¡°It was something that had to be done. I tried to come back for you, but there were some complications.¡± ¡°What kind of complications?,¡± asked Pavel. ¡°There was a thing that caused some problems, and I lost a few years,¡± said Errant. ¡°Tell him, Woody.¡± The dog howled at the top of his lungs. It was the kind of howl that caused all the other dogs in the neighborhood to howl back in sympathy. Pavel looked down at the howling dog on the porch and frowned. ¡°Shut up,¡± said Pavel. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear your excuses either, fiend of the Underworld.¡± Woody quit howling and tried to look friendly again. ¡°The puppy look is not going to work either,¡± said Pavel. ¡°You¡¯re too old to be a puppy.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t hurt his feelings,¡± said Errant. ¡°He¡¯s been thinking about his age lately.¡± ¡°Husband?,¡± asked Sonya. ¡°Who is at the door?¡± ¡°Errant,¡± said Pavel. Sonya appeared with some others behind her, mostly girls. Another man appeared with his hand on the hilt of a straight sword with a basket hilt. Puzzlement covered his face. ¡°Your daughters are quite lovely,¡± said Errant. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Errant.¡± He bowed slightly. ¡°Madman with a wooden dog,¡± he heard one of the girls say. ¡°They are not my daughters,¡± said Sonya. ¡°They are clients. Excuse us. We need to discuss this. Don¡¯t go anywhere until we are done talking.¡± She closed the door in his face. ¡°I should have known this was Sonya¡¯s work,¡± said Errant. ¡°She was always great on defenses.¡± Woody huffed. ¡°Not everyone is going to believe you¡¯re not a fiend,¡± said Errant. ¡°That¡¯s just a hazard. You know that. Good howl for mercy. I liked it.¡± Woody wagged his tail. ¡°I should have known Pavel and Sonya would come through,¡± said Errant. ¡°They complement each other, and Sonya is a powerful magic user.¡± Woody barked. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°I know, but I should have checked anyway,¡± said Errant. ¡°I just moved on because it was easier to assume they were dead than thinking how ten years in the clutches of Mim would have been for them.¡± He also believed they had gotten free because he had destroyed most of Mim¡¯s command and control. So the villain had likely not had much left at the end of their duel if he survived. He definitely wouldn¡¯t have had enough to stop Sonya. He had lost ten years because of that. Maybe defending reality wasn¡¯t all it cracked up to be as a job, but he was going to keep trying the best that he could. The door opened. Pavel and Sonya stood there. They frowned at him. ¡°You may go inside, Woody,¡± said Pavel. ¡°Don¡¯t touch anything. The monster hunter will take you to the parlor.¡± ¡°Come along, wooden dog,¡± said the monster hunter. ¡°This might be more fractious than what you want to watch.¡± Woody barked and entered the house, sliding by Pavel with his great bulk. He barked once at Sonya, then followed his guide through the house. He took care his huge body didn¡¯t knock any of the bric-a-brac to the floor, or upend some of the numerous tables. ¡°It¡¯s been twenty five years, Errant,¡± said Sonya. ¡°And now we have troubles, and here you are again.¡± ¡°I have been doing a lot of traveling,¡± said Errant. ¡°It¡¯s just happenstance that I ran into you again.¡± ¡°Really?,¡± said Sonya. ¡°Yes,¡± said Errant. ¡°If I had known you were here, I would have come by sooner. I just saw all the magic defenses and thought these are brilliant. I need to meet whomever put them up. That¡¯s why I knocked on the door.¡± ¡°You just knocked on the door to meet the person who put up the defenses around the house?,¡± asked Pavel. He rubbed his face with both hands. ¡°You haven¡¯t changed a bit.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that,¡± said Errant. ¡°I¡¯m a little bit crankier now than I used to be.¡± ¡°I guess that is something,¡± said Pavel. ¡°We do have a problem,¡± said Sonya. ¡°Maybe you could help us.¡± ¡°I would love to,¡± said Errant. He grinned. ¡°Woody and I have come across someone giving away magic secrets and we¡¯re looking for him, but I would love to take a whack at whatever you have brewing. It might be a simple fix to it that I can arrange.¡± ¡°What kind of magic secrets?,¡± asked Sonya. She shared a glance with her husband. ¡°Someone gave an amateur a set of circles that can link people¡¯s minds over long distance so they can share the same mental space,¡± said Errant. ¡°The amateur trapped some people inside after telling them it was a war game, and they should hunt their fellow players.¡± ¡°It was to trap them into killing each other, wasn¡¯t it?,¡± asked Sonya. ¡°Yes,¡± said Errant. ¡°He was harvesting magic potential.¡± ¡°What did you do to him?,¡± asked Pavel. ¡°Nothing,¡± said Errant. He frowned at the disbelief in their faces. ¡°Nothing. He came at me, and I put him to sleep. He¡¯s dreaming of ruling the universe wherever his body really is.¡± ¡°What do you think, Husband?,¡± asked Sonya. ¡°I trust the wooden dog more,¡± said Pavel. ¡°He never ran out on us, and then came back with a big lie like I slept ten years away.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not really a lie,¡± said Errant. ¡°I was stuck somewhere else for ten years. Things happen. It¡¯s not like I can control where a hole in reality will dump me.¡± ¡°You could if you wanted to,¡± said Pavel. ¡°I would have to have time to prepare to change wherever the hole went to where I wanted it to go,¡± said Errant. ¡°How long a time would that take?,¡± asked Pavel. ¡°More than an instant,¡± said Errant. ¡°Let me tell you there¡¯s a bunch of math involved.¡± ¡°Say no more,¡± said Pavel. He held up a hand to forestall any explanation of the math that might come spewing out. ¡°You are the same old Errant,¡± said Sonya. ¡°A little more ragged, a little more absentminded, but the same old man who talks a lot to cover what he¡¯s really thinking.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t go that far,¡± said Errant. ¡°We need your help,¡± said Sonya. ¡°We can¡¯t not accept it when we have four human bombs in my parlor.¡± ¡°I will be glad to look at them,¡± said Errant. ¡°I don¡¯t usually get a chance to help before something goes wrong.¡± ¡°Something has already gone wrong,¡± said Pavel. ¡°Someone is turning girls into monsters.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t have that,¡± said Errant. ¡°There are already too many monsters around as it is.¡± Pavel and Sonya led him through the house. He paused every now and then to examine something on a stand, or some particular spellwork. He gave oblique answers to questions about what he had been doing since he had came home except for talking about a student and her pet. He implied that Woody would like to go back there and keep an eye on things. ¡°I don¡¯t remember Woody ever leaving your side,¡± said Sonya. ¡°He wants to settle down,¡± said Errant. ¡°We roam a lot, and I think he wants a place of his own to look after.¡± ¡°He would be a terrifying sheep dog,¡± said Pavel. Errant smiled. ¡°He¡¯s really friendly and likes children,¡± said Errant. ¡°But not squirrels.¡± ¡°Who does?,¡± asked Pavel. They led their guest into the parlor. Errant looked around. ¡°This is a nice use of space,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m glad you approve,¡± said Sonya. ¡°So these are your problem children?,¡± said Errant. He frowned at Woody chasing a stick thrown by the girls. The monster hunter stood out of the way to let them play. The Queen¡¯s Knight smiled as he watched. It had been a long time since they just played instead of taking care of other people¡¯s problems. He decided to let it run its course. He went to the desk and started poking through the paperwork there. He frowned as he sorted things more to his liking. He didn¡¯t like what he was seeing. ¡°We took care of the one here,¡± said Pavel, looking over his shoulder. He indicated a section of reports around an inn. ¡°Nasty monster using candy to make her demirealm.¡± ¡°Really?,¡± said Errant. ¡°That¡¯s the stuff of nightmares.¡± ¡°Tell me about it,¡± said Pavel. ¡°What do you think about all this?,¡± asked the monster hunter. ¡°Not much,¡± said Errant. ¡°I mean right now there are at least eight manifestations of mental problems given life and allowed to hunt people to fuel their abilities and domains. Theoretically, someone who knew something about domain doors could shut these eight domains off from our reality and leave the monsters in there to starve. At that point, the domains would close on their own. But we also have a secondary problem which I don¡¯t like.¡± ¡°The Alvas is making them out of girls, and he won¡¯t stop unless we stop him,¡± said the monster hunter. ¡°Exactly,¡± said Errant. ¡°Until we find all of the girls he has infected, and do something about that, more of these domains will open. That will lead to more deaths and so forth. And eventually he will find a girl he can use to wipe the city off the map.¡± ¡°Are you sure about that?,¡± asked the monster hunter. ¡°A lot depends on the mental strength and the obsession of the girl involved,¡± said Errant. ¡°It¡¯s possible that he will find one capable of turning the city into her domain. If that happens, Bern is as good as gone. The only people who will survive are the ones who can cross dimensions.¡± ¡°So we have to find this Alvas,¡± said Jason. ¡°I need to get my partner on this. He can find anything.¡± ¡°Go ahead,¡± said Sonya. ¡°The girls will be safe with us. Be careful. You might be seen as a weak piece to be taken off the board.¡± ¡°I would like to meet him,¡± said the monster hunter. ¡°Tilda, stay here. When I get back, we¡¯re moving.¡± The Burning City 26 Moe Eisen looked at his empty shop. He had packed away everything he could carry in a pack on his back. Everything else had been given away. He had asked Larry Kobach to strip everything he needed out of the shop, and spread the word around that he was pulling up stakes. He had gained enough money to live on while he worked on Bernard¡¯s cure. The boy had helped them move the equipment and shelving out of the shop. Eisen had cautioned him to take it easy, but he had only slowed to switch abilities when the one he was using quit working. The last order of business was to return the leaves he had been given. He had not bothered to work on them while he was emptying his shop, and didn¡¯t plan to work on them at all once he had decided to leave Bern. The consultation with the Green Light at Baldwin¡¯s embassy had been frustrating and hopeful. The man couldn¡¯t cure Bernard with his power. That would take constant concentration. One wrong thought and the spell caused fix would revert back to Bernard¡¯s new normal.. The Green Light did tell him there were people in Baldwin who might be able to help Bernard if they could make the track overland to the other city state. That had prompted Eisen to divest himself of his belongings to get money to travel on. The Sharriff would not be happy at the news, but Eisen didn¡¯t care. He would have to get some other alchemist to look at his plant. He had pulled out his old short sword and knife and strapped on the belt. He had no illusions that their leaving would be peaceful. The kingpin would want some kind of satisfaction for the lack of work on what he wanted broken down so it could be better exploited. He had warned Larry Kobach to stay clear of the devil weed. The last thing he needed was problems at his shop, and troubles from the neighborhood, and the Sharriff. Eisen took mental inventory of his plan, his remaining belongings, and what he should work on if they found a way to heal Bernard. He could reopen a shop anywhere. Healing Bernard would take special considerations and time. And he didn¡¯t like the pressure exerted to make him do the work. Bernard came in to the stripped work space. He ran his hands over the new clothes Eisen had gotten him. The old ones from his grandmother¡¯s would not last the trip without falling apart. ¡°Ready to go?,¡± asked Eisen. ¡°I think so, Pa,¡± said Bernard. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to sell your shop.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be fine,¡± said Eisen. ¡°If the Green Lights can¡¯t fix your problem, we¡¯ll have to find someone who can. By the time we return to Bern, I¡¯ll be ready to set up a shop somewhere else in the city. Larry will help me.¡± ¡°Are you sure about that?,¡± asked Bernard. ¡°If he doesn¡¯t, I will do things to him like you never saw before,¡± said Eisen. ¡°I guess I can see that,¡± said Bernard. ¡°The Sharriff is going to want his leaves looked at when we¡¯re gone. He will go to Master Kobach to get the next best alchemist once we leave.¡± ¡°I told Larry to direct him to someone he hated,¡± said Eisen. ¡°That¡¯s the best I can do unless I run across him and stab him before we leave.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that,¡± said Bernard. ¡°The Sharriff has ears everywhere.¡± ¡°And hopefully we¡¯ll be leaving some of those behind us too when we leave the city,¡± said Eisen. ¡°I like that,¡± said Bernard. The front door of the shop slammed open. The Sharriff swept in, long coat wrapping around his ankles. He puffed on a cigar wrapped with green and yellow striped paper. He glared at the alchemist and boy monster. He pushed his hat back from his face as he used the cane in his other hand to point at them. ¡°What are you doing?,¡± the Sharriff growled. ¡°We¡¯re leaving the city,¡± said Eisen. ¡°I thought you would be by sooner. Here is your leaves back. Since that is the last order of business tying us to the city, we¡¯re heading north to Baldwin.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t be serious,¡± said the Sharriff. ¡°I don¡¯t see why not,¡± Eisen said. He held out the package he had been given at the start of things. ¡°Pressco is the next best alchemist. I¡¯m sure he can handle what you want done.¡± ¡°What if I want the best?,¡± asked the Sharriff. ¡°We¡¯re everywhere,¡± said Eisen. ¡°A lot of them are better than me.¡± Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡°I can kill this boy to make my point,¡± said the Sharriff. ¡°What do you say to that?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve already killed him,¡± said Eisen. ¡°And that¡¯s why I am handing your leaves back to you and telling you to have someone else experiment on them. I won¡¯t.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t defy me for long,¡± said the Shariff. He slashed his cane at Bernard. The boy jumped out of the way, ready for the attack. Eisen came in, swinging a right hand instead of drawing his army sword. He didn¡¯t have time to pull it clear of its sheath if he wanted to try to solve his problem before he got killed. The Sharriff pushed him away with a backswing of the cane arm. That was enough to cause Eisen to stumble but he kept his feet under him as he prepared to face the magician. ¡°You should have let us leave,¡± said Bernard. ¡°Now we¡¯re going to have to go through you. And that won¡¯t be pleasant.¡± ¡°Do you really think an old man and a stupid boy can stand up to the king of the city?,¡± asked the Sharriff. ¡°I am not stupid,¡± said Bernard. ¡°I am just angry.¡± Bernard expanded until he was four times as tall as normal. He filled the work room with his added bulk. He swung a fist at the man he hated. The wrecking ball of flesh sent the Sharriff flying through the front window. ¡°Good job, Bernard,¡± said Eisen. He pulled his sword. ¡°I think you took him by surprise.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see if I can beat on him some more before he thinks of a way to deal with this,¡± said Bernard. He ran to the front of the shop. He ducked back as agitated air sliced through anything in its way. Eisen went the other way, going out the back of the shop. He circled around as the noise of a collision filled the air. He wondered if Bernard had knocked the front of the shop down on their enemy. Was his new body that strong? He reached the corner and looked out on the street. He frowned at the destruction. Bernard had knocked part of the wall out on the street. The Sharriff stood in the middle of the road. He puffed on his cigar as he stabbed with his cane. A section of brick and mortar came apart under the blast. What would Bernard throw next was a question Eisen was not prepared to guess the answer. He decided that he should try to end this fight with one blow. He just had to come at the target off line so he was coming from the back. He couldn¡¯t take a blast of magic like Bernard. His old bones would break under the abuse. Eisen tried to be swift but silent. He didn¡¯t know how much the Sharriff was paying attention to the world around as bricks flew through the air at his head, but he didn¡¯t want the man turning at the wrong time. One of those blasts would put him out of the fight. The alchemist closed on his enemy. He grimaced as the magician started to turn. He must have heard footsteps through the racket that had already occurred on the street. The cane swept toward him. He brought his sword up and down. The cane dropped to the ground from the counter blow. Then Bernard was there. His giant fist struck in a blur of motion. The Sharriff was sent flying through the air, and into a clothing shop. Eisen didn¡¯t want Bernard to keep fighting. He had already seen too much. He should be spared more bad experiences if that could be done. The old alchemist didn¡¯t know how he was going to do that with the Sharriff standing up and throwing his bent cigar down. He glared at the two of them. ¡°When I am done with the two of you, you will know worse horrors than the Underworld!,¡± the Sharriff screamed. ¡°Deal with me while I¡¯m on fire!,¡± Bernard screamed back. Then he exploded into a giant fireball hurtling across the space between them. The magician had just enough time to raise his hands before he was slammed through the shop and out the back. Clothes on display and material on shelves caught fire at the monster¡¯s boy passage. Eisen picked up the Sharriff¡¯s cane. He swung it against the corner of the burning building. He did it again and the wood snapped apart. He threw the two pieces away. He needed to get Bernard and escape the scene before the Guard arrived. The last thing they needed was to be held up while Bernard¡¯s time was ticking away. The alchemist circled the building instead of plowing through it like his ward had done. He frowned as he came on the battlefield on the next street. The two of them were slugging it out in the middle of the road. Exploding fire bursts and shields of green light moved back and forth until Bernard¡¯s power ran out and his flame vanished and he shrank to his normal size. ¡°It looks like the shoe is on the other foot now,¡± said the Sharriff. He looked battered, burnt, and part of his hair had been creased away in the fight. His clothes was covered with ash and had been torn along the seams. ¡°We¡¯ll see who takes a beating now.¡± Eisen pulled his knife and threw it. He didn¡¯t expect it to do much, but the blade found a leg and stabbed in. He nodded as he rushed forward. The Sharriff turned to face him, yanking at the knife. He grimaced at the pain. His leg trembled as blood poured down from the wound. ¡°That was a mistake,¡± said the Sharriff. He switched the knife to his other hand so he could reach down and clamp down on his wound. ¡°Blood magic is the most potent magic around. I think it is time I deal with the both of you in a way that you will be an example for the rest of the city.¡± Eisen didn¡¯t wait for him to cast his spell. He rushed forward and stabbed out with his sword. You had to be alive to cast spells. His blade sank into a miasma and remained floating in the air. He tried to pull it back. It refused to move. ¡°You¡¯ll learn what it means to disobey me,¡± said the Sharriff. Green fluid sprayed him down. That added to the fog as the acid ate at him. He raised a hand, watching it melt from the corrosive he was covered with. He looked at the boy glaring at him. More acid fell on top of him. Eisen¡¯s sword came free. He stabbed forward again. This time the blade cut into flesh. He stepped back as screams filled the air. ¡°It didn¡¯t have to be this way,¡± said Eisen. More acid covered the Sharriff. His body and clothes turned into a puddle in the street. Whatever he had planned to do stopped with his passing. The miasma of his magic cleared away. Eisen ignored the screaming faces coming apart with the red cloud. ¡°I think that is enough, Bernard,¡± said Eisen. ¡°We should go.¡± ¡°Right, Pa,¡± said Bernard. ¡°We don¡¯t want to be around when the Guard get here and start asking questions.¡± ¡°It couldn¡¯t be helped,¡± said Eisen. He looked at the burning clothing store. ¡°We definitely don¡¯t have the funds to pay for the damage we caused. Grab your pack and we¡¯ll head to the train station and start out. We¡¯ll need horses, or a public carriage outside the city.¡± Bernard ran around the burning building, the gear for his acid slowly coming to a stop in its spin as the power wound down. The Burning City 27 The man with no name stared up at the face in the sky. He had been tasked with hunting human monsters. He supposed his sponsor wouldn¡¯t care if he killed something unhuman and dangerous. ¡°We¡¯re going to play again,¡± said the face in the sky. It took a breath to calm down. ¡°It should be two out of three after all.¡± ¡°Do you really want to push this?,¡± asked the dead man. ¡°I have a job to do. I don¡¯t have time for games.¡± ¡°It looks like you¡¯ll have to make time since you can¡¯t leave unless I say you can,¡± said the face in the sky. ¡°We¡¯re playing again.¡± The man with no name pointed his pistols at the face and pulled the triggers as fast as he could. He was not disappointed in the fire lighting up the monster above him. He ignored the screaming and the invective. His job came first. And he didn¡¯t feel merciful to something that ate people with relish after working them to death in a giant game. He didn¡¯t feel like mercy was in his job description. Giant columns of wood fell out of the sky. They hit the weird ground and bounced, or rolled, on impact. None of them were close to the dead man. He put it down to bad aim. The roar of a giant beast told him that he had been wrong. The columns had been placed where they were supposed to be. They had made something other than a giant tower. The dead man looked over his shoulder. A giant lizard marched toward him on legs of wood connected to a barrel torso reaching into the purple tinged sky. Small forelimbs bent to the chest of the thing. The head looked as big as half of the body he looked at with teeth made of blunt wood dowels. It couldn¡¯t cut him if it bit him, but it could crush anything it grabbed in its massive mouth. The man with no name shook his head at the new enemy as it charged at him. He fired at its legs, burning the wood away with the fire from the revolvers. The beast fell on its stomach. It slid forward, snapping at him. He stepped back and unloaded his weapons into the beast¡¯s mouth, blowing the head apart with concentrated fire. ¡°You¡¯ve killed Barney!,¡± shouted the face from above. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you killed Barney!¡± The man with no name turned to look at the face. He raised his weapons, aiming them at a spot above the tip of its nose. He fired into that spot. Something lit up under the fusillade but he couldn¡¯t make out what it was. The face cracked apart. Something screamed as it faded away to nothing above him. The dead man watched the sky. The purple faded under his gaze. He had killed the thing and protected the outside world, but it looked like he was stuck. When his weapons cooled, he holstered them. They weren¡¯t going to do much good in this situation. He wished he had been given instructions on how to get out of a situation like this. He couldn¡¯t remember anything about how to escape another reality when the reality creator was dead. Something fell out of the sky. He frowned at it. It looked like a rope. He nodded to himself. It was a rope. Better than that, it was his rope. He grabbed it, wrapping it around his waist. The rope retreated back into the sky. He looked down. The edges of the pocket were coming apart in little flowers that faded to black. He started pulling himself up the rope to speed things along. He could feel the sky drifting away from him. He had to get clear before that drifted to nothing. His status wouldn¡¯t protect him from a natural mechanism of the universe. The dead man fell to the floor of an alley. He pulled himself along a few more feet for safety. A bell sounded behind him. He closed his eyes and lay there. He was alive. Stupid dropped the end of the rope in his mouth and snorted quietly. He bent down and breathed on the dead man¡¯s neck. He shook his head when the rider looked up. ¡°I got caught playing a child¡¯s game as a murder device,¡± the dead man said. ¡°Thanks for the rope. It was exactly what I needed.¡± Stupid snorted and nodded his head. He displayed his blocky teeth in a grin. The dead man got to his feet. He brushed his clothes off and straightened his hat. He picked up the rope and start winding it up. One end had a clean cut where more should be. He shook his head. He supposed when the pocket had stopped, the door sliced through the rope and consigned the rest to the nothingness he saw. He stored the rope back where it belonged in his saddle bag. He grabbed the reins and led Stupid out of the alley. He still needed to track the rest of his quarry down before he ran into something that could stop him for good. He needed rest first. He felt weariness crowding down on him. He needed to take a minute to recoup before he went back into battle. And he might be trying to hunt the Alvas in the wrong way. He might need to rethink his strategy. He should give it some thought while he settled in. Maybe the Alvas had known he was on the hunt and lured him in front of the face in the purple sky. Letting him think the trap had worked might be the way to go for now. Stupid probably needed a break from carrying him around everywhere at this point. Letting him have a little time without work might be the thing to do until their path opened up in front of them. The dead man decided they should retreat south and find an inn to house them until If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.they were ready to move again. If they happened to come across another of the people named on a warrant card, they would grab them up. Otherwise, they should change their methods to meet their prey. The dead man didn¡¯t think they could change much. He liked making sure the person he was chasing was dead and gone. That required being able to see the whites of the target¡¯s eyes. ¡°We¡¯re going to stop at an inn down the way,¡± the dead man said. ¡°I need a moment to think about our next move, and some food that wasn¡¯t cooked by me.¡± Stupid snorted in his ear. He pushed the horse face away. ¡°You¡¯ll be able to wait in a corral with other horses while we¡¯re at a stop,¡± said the dead man. ¡°It¡¯ll be a chance for you to take it easy until I¡¯m sure what we can do.¡± Stupid snorted again. ¡°I¡¯m not giving up,¡± said the dead man. ¡°This Alvas on the list has to be the most dangerous fugitive given us. If we nail him, the rest of the fish here will be easy by comparison. The problem is finding him. I need to think of a way we can do that without just wandering around and hoping we see him.¡± Stupid nodded his head in agreement. A destination was better than just roaming for the sake of riding around. ¡°Wait,¡± said the dead man. He pulled one of the cards from the pack and held it up. A light blue stripe marked the border. He looked at the building that had attracted his attention. ¡°One of our fugitives is in that building somewhere.¡± Stupid froze at the realization that they might be fighting their next target in seconds. He didn¡¯t want to stand that close to his rider if that was in the offing. ¡°We need to set up in a place where we can keep an eye on that building,¡± said the dead man. ¡°Once we¡¯re sure, we can go in and look for him.¡± Stupid started walking again, pulling on the reins with his great weight. He led the way to an inn a few blocks away from the building identified as a hotel by the sign out front. He paused at the corral for guest horses. ¡°I¡¯ll go in and get some temporary lodgings,¡± said the dead man. ¡°Then we can see what is going on at the hotel.¡± Stupid nodded. He jumped the fence and started talking to the other horses in the corral. They whinnied back at the new arrival. The dead man left him to gather up the local gossip and walked inside the inn. He looked the common area over before walking to the bar, and talking to the owner. He needed a room for the next few days, and the place looked clean enough. He had been in worse places since he had started handing out his cards. ¡°I was hoping to get a room for a few days,¡± said the dead man. ¡°Do you have anything open?¡± ¡°I have a room at the back of the top floor,¡± said the keeper. ¡°There¡¯s not much of a view from the window.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need a view,¡± said the dead man. ¡°I just need a place to rest up for a bit before moving on. I have some business to take care of north of here.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a gold piece a day,¡± said the keep. ¡°Food is additional.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± said the dead man. ¡°Can I see it?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have one of the boys take you up,¡± said the innkeep. ¡°Give me a second.¡± The dead man waited silently. He noticed people taking notice of him, but no one came forward to ask questions. He didn¡¯t have a lot of answers to give. ¡°Are you the new lodger?,¡± asked a boy. ¡°Master Bors asked me to take you up to the last room at the top.¡± ¡°Go ahead,¡± said the dead man. He took one last look around the room as the servant started up the stairs. He followed silently. The boy led him up two flights of stairs, down the hall to the back of the building, and then to the last door of a hall around the back. He figured there were four rooms forming a block to look out the front and right side of the building, while the rooms on the other side of the L looked out the back and left sides. His room was in a corner with windows looking at the building next to his, and the back alley behind the inn. The boy opened the door for him and showed him the room. He noted that there were three entrances/exits. The door could be blocked at night, but there were windows on either side of the corner of the wall. The bed was against the wall away from the windows so you didn¡¯t get a sudden breeze blowing across you while you slept. No fireplace for heat. This room would be the worst room to have in the middle of winter. ¡°Thanks,¡± said the dead man. He gave the boy a copper and shut the door in his face. He went to the windows and looked out. He could jump to the next building¡¯s ledge, or climb up on the inn¡¯s roof from where he was. He thought he might be able to jump down to the ground without killing himself if he was desperate enough. It wouldn¡¯t be the first time in his new job he had done something like that. He needed to get some dinner, and see about Stupid. He didn¡¯t want the farrier next to the inn trying to sell his horse. That would just cause problems all around. Someone had tried to steal the horse once. The dead man had found him on the side of the road with his head kicked in. His murderer stood there chewing grass like nothing had happened. He had gathered his stolen things, saddled the horse and went back to his business. He left the body for the monsters to eat. The dead man went downstairs. He attracted the innkeep¡¯s attention again. The man came over with a smile. ¡°Do you serve food here?,¡± the dead man asked. ¡°I do,¡± said the keeper. ¡°My wife is a great cook.¡± ¡°I have to settle my horse,¡± said the dead man. ¡°Could you prepare a dinner for me to eat upstairs.¡± ¡°We surely can,¡± said the innkeep. ¡°I¡¯ll have Owen bring it up when it¡¯s done.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± said the man with no name. ¡°I¡¯ll be back as soon as I make sure Stupid is settled.¡± ¡°Stupid?,¡± asked the innkeep. ¡°My horse,¡± said the man with no name. He walked out of the inn and down to the corral. His horse pranced over as soon as he saw the dead man walking toward the fence. The other horses kept to the other side of the fenced area. Apparently he had shown them who the boss was until they could be sold down to another owner, or their owner could come back and pick them up. It was time for him to warn the farrier about the dangerous beast he had in with the regular animals. ¡°I need to arrange for your board,¡± said the dead man. ¡°Don¡¯t kill anybody unless you have to.¡± Stupid grinned at him. ¡°Seriously,¡± said the dead man. ¡°Don¡¯t kill anybody unless you have to. Leaving bodies behind us is part of our job, but let¡¯s try to only leave bodies that deserve it.¡± Stupid whickered at him. The suggestion that he would do anything like that was hurtful. The dead man nodded. He walked around the corral and the building of stalls where the horses could be put up at night to the little shack that served as an office for the enterprise. He glanced at the two guys inside, looking at horseshoes from a local smith. It was better than he expected. At least the office looked clean enough to his eye. ¡°How can I help you?,¡± asked the smaller of the farriers. He was still taller and wider than the dead man. ¡°I need to board my horse for a couple of days while I take care of things,¡± said the man with no name. ¡°How much would the cost be?¡± ¡°Two coppers a day,¡± said the farrier. The dead man handed him a gold coin. ¡°This should cover to the end of the week,¡± said the man with no name. ¡°Hopefully, I¡¯ll have my business finished and we¡¯ll be moving on. If you have any trouble, come get me at the Inn.¡± ¡°Trouble, sir?,¡± asked the farrier. ¡°He thinks he¡¯s smart,¡± said the dead man. ¡°Just keep an eye on him and give him some food and water. Don¡¯t try to get too close, and don¡¯t try to sell him. He will kill you.¡± ¡°Thanks for the warning,¡± said the farrier. ¡°We¡¯ll be gone by the end of the week,¡± said the dead man. ¡°If we can¡¯t do the job, we¡¯ll have to move on to the next one and come back later.¡± ¡°Yes, sir,¡± said the farrier. ¡°Your horse will be here waiting on you when you come to get him.¡± The dead man went back to the inn, stopping to talk to the horse on the way. Both of them would eat a meal, and then start sorting out their problems. The Burning City 28 Arlo Pike lived in a small building not far from their office. He said it made it easier for him to keep an eye on the place. Jason thought it was because the landlord¡¯s wife tended to wander, and the landlord needed them to find her. So it was easier to make sure she didn¡¯t hurt herself if someone was there to keep an eye out. The monster hunter didn¡¯t think she had long in this world. He had seen other cases over the years. The ancients wound up lost in their memories until they died. That wasn¡¯t a concern at the moment. He needed to get his partner and they needed to track down their villain. After that, some type of justice would have to be dispensed. Hunting monsters was Jason¡¯s life. Hunting monsters who made other monsters was just a wrinkle that he rarely encountered. It would be good to deal with the source of so many problems and cut that off at the root. The fact that the city was threatened just made the hunt all the more vital in his opinion. Exposing and killing the mastermind would allow them to find any other girls he had turned into wombs for his creations. Then they could do something about the girls they had already lost to this madness. The fact that Percy Macri¡¯s madman and his wooden dog was on the scene made it possible the city could be turned into a crater at any moment. Anyone else would have doubted they were dealing with the same individual. Jason had looked the man in the eyes and had seen something. He didn¡¯t know what it was, but it wasn¡¯t human. And the wooden dog was unique enough to identify the man. Constructs of various types were common in Bern. The Rhiem and Alvas occupied the lands in the south. Machinists and summoners worked in the city proper. You could pick out one of the artificial creatures anywhere you went. None of them had the life Woody had. The dog had his own mind, and you could see that in the way he moved. And he was just as dangerous as his companion in blue. Jason assessed risks all the time. He knew a confrontation with the two would end badly if he were by himself. He might be able to chop the dog apart, but the magician would rip him up while he was doing it. His respect for the Konstantins grew if they had dealt with the man and walked away with all their limbs intact. Jason climbed the steps to Pike¡¯s apartment. He knocked on the door. His partner was probably asleep in his chair. He had sorted everything for them and handled the search through the North Side. His skill took a lot to use. And they needed to put it to use once more if they wanted to stop their enemy in his tracks. The fact that he had kept an eye on the girls had not been lost on Jason. Either he was watching to make sure no one like Jason interfered, or he was watching to see which one would explode next. Did he know Sonya Konstantin? If he did, he knew the girls were close to someone who could help them. If he didn¡¯t, did he have some way to trigger the process and kill all the girls at once? That was something that could be important if they couldn¡¯t come up with a cure quickly. Jason knocked again and listened. He heard movement. He pictured Pike stumbling around in the dark, trying to get to the door. He put on a smile when the wooden barrier moved out of the way a few inches. ¡°I thought we were meeting tomorrow,¡± said Pike. He held a poker in one hand to use as a club. ¡°We have a development in the Rowena case,¡± said Jason. ¡°I need your eyes.¡± ¡°What kind of development?,¡± asked Pike. He leaned the poker against the door, and smoothed down his hair with his hand. ¡°Rowena¡¯s friends made a deal with the Alvas I told you about,¡± said Jason. ¡°In exchange for fighting murdering witches, he turned them into potential murdering witches. We need to find him.¡± Jason watched the gears turn in his friend¡¯s brain. Pike nodded as pieces fell into place. ¡°All the missing people that wasn¡¯t in the North Side are connected to this,¡± said Pike. ¡°The missing school girls are most likely our culprits,¡± said Jason. ¡°Their change happened and they set up their hunting grounds sideways to the city.¡± ¡°Let me get dressed,¡± said Pike. ¡°You can tell me what I need to know on the way.¡± Pike closed the door. He roamed his apartment for a few minutes. Then he opened the door in a fresh suit and his messenger bag. He pulled on his coat. He shut the place up as he waved for Jason to lead the way. ¡°I need some coffee,¡± Pike said. ¡°We¡¯ll get it on the way back to the Konstantins¡¯ neighborhood,¡± said Jason. ¡°That¡¯s where I last saw our quarry.¡± ¡°How sure are you of all this?,¡± asked Pike. They clomped down the stairs of his building. ¡°Reasonably sure,¡± said Jason. ¡°We might have a bit of a time limit if the Konstantins and their guest can¡¯t stop the changes from happening.¡± ¡°Guest?,¡± asked Pike. ¡°While we were discussing options, one of the Konstantins¡¯ old friends showed up with his wooden dog,¡± said Jason. ¡°He seems to be an expert in magic.¡± ¡°Wooden dog?,¡± said Pike. ¡°A living wooden dog,¡± said Jason. He smiled at Pike¡¯s puzzlement. ¡°You¡¯ll see for yourself when we get there.¡± ¡°What did this expert think?,¡± asked Pike. ¡°That we have eight monsters loose in the city eating people and using the Alvas room magic as a spider web,¡± said Jason. ¡°Which is what we thought when we started isolating the cases.¡± ¡°Eight of them could be bad,¡± said Pike. ¡°We¡¯ll have to let the Guard know we might need one of their magicians to help us deal with it.¡± ¡°I think our expert is all we need,¡± said Jason. ¡°It seems he destroyed Mim¡¯s Tower This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.by himself.¡± ¡°You¡¯re kidding,¡± said Pike. ¡°I overheard them talking before I had to show the wooden dog to the parlor,¡± said Jason. ¡°The Konstantins and their friend were there. And their friend destroyed Mim¡¯s tower and ended the battle. He said he lost ten years doing that.¡± ¡°The Alvas might come into the city looking for him if they know he is here,¡± said Pike. ¡°I think most reasonable Alvas will be scared to confront someone who blew up part of their border by himself and walked away from it,¡± said Jason. ¡°Whatever he is, I doubt he¡¯s human enough to have to worry about any attempt they might make to get revenge for what he did.¡± ¡°So we might possibly be dealing with a minor god,¡± said Pike. He rubbed his face with his hands. ¡°I need some coffee.¡± ¡°He¡¯s friendly enough,¡± said Jason. ¡°He reminded Tilda of the Crater Desert legend I told her. It might be the same man, or god if you prefer.¡± ¡°You¡¯re making this sound worse and worse as you go along,¡± said Pike. ¡°Quit talking.¡± ¡°Our part in this will be the easy part,¡± said Jason. ¡°We¡¯re going to have to hunt the Alvas down and take him so he can¡¯t cause any more trouble. The Konstantins and the expert are going to have to do something about the monsters.¡± ¡°So we¡¯re getting the most dangerous part of things,¡± said Pike. ¡°Would you have it any other way?,¡± asked Jason. ¡°You know the answer is yes,¡± said Pike. ¡°What kind of question is that? Of course, I would love to let someone else take on a magic using menace so I can stay way back out of the way. I find things, not fight things.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re the perfect partners,¡± said Jason. ¡°You find the things we need to kill, and I kill them. Make no mistake, this Alvas needs to be killed. He is sponsoring death across the city.¡± ¡°He might be what the dead man is looking for,¡± said Pike. He broke off their line of travel and went into a place that just sold coffee for people heading into work and passing by. Jason waited for him on the sidewalk. The sky filled with stars as he waited. This close to the Rheim, and some of them danced in their positions before settling down. He considered the words and agreed with his partner. They had an agent of chaos in the city. The Underworld was reportedly against chaos since it fouled up their process. Sending a dead man to put a stop to the disruption would be the kind of thing they would do. The others slain could be targets of opportunity, or names on a list. Jason couldn¡¯t decide which would fit better, but he could see both things happening, and if more than one problem was in the city, it explained why the dead man hadn¡¯t moved on yet. He liked that other forces than him and his partner were looking for their menace, and wanted to do away with him. How many other enemies did the Alvas have? Pike returned with a cup of coffee in his hands. He gestured for Jason to lead on. He sipped at his coffee as they walked. Jason let the finder wander in his own mind. He knew his friend perceived connections that others didn¡¯t. That was how he found things. Putting this Alvas down as the main cause of their problems in the city probably shone a light on a lot of other minor problems that had been in the files and the monster hunter had missed. And they would put him down. Jason assured himself of that. The city was done losing citizens to cursed girls. And Jason was done with having innocents victimized by their desire to help others. ¡°I¡¯m going to need a starting point,¡± said Pike as they headed back to the old neighborhood. ¡°The last place I saw him was an alley down the street from the Konstantins,¡± said Jason. ¡°Errant, the Konstantins¡¯ friend, was also looking for him and missed him which means he moved when he sensed a greater power in the area.¡± ¡°He is afraid of this Errant, but not of you, or the Konstantins?,¡± asked Pike. ¡°That¡¯s my reading,¡± said Jason. ¡°If we have to deal with Errant, it would be a tough fight decided by how fast we are.¡± ¡°He would murder us if he was ready,¡± said Pike. ¡°I have no doubt in my mind that he is just as fast as a monster hunter, and prone to throwing lightning,¡± said Jason. ¡°I doubt protective measures would stand up to what he can do.¡± ¡°That¡¯s unexpected of you,¡± said Pike. ¡°It¡¯s a realistic assessment of our capabilities matched against a perception of a legendary action,¡± said Jason. ¡°If he is the same man that destroyed Mim¡¯s tower, and created the Crater Desert, atop of what I saw, he could destroy part of the city with a wave of his hand.¡± ¡°And if the Alvas saw him coming, it would be enough to make the Alvas flee,¡± said Pike. ¡°If he assessed things the same way I did, without knowing the other things,¡± said Jason. ¡°If he was at Mim¡¯s tower with the Konstantins and Errant, he knows who and what he is dealing with, and knows he might have a small chance in an open duel.¡± ¡°So he hides until Errant goes away, doubles down and makes more problems until he is caught, or runs,¡± said Pike. ¡°I doubt he will run,¡± said Jason. ¡°I don¡¯t think that is an option. It¡¯s more likely he will go after Errant and the Konstantins and think he can beat them while ignoring us.¡± ¡°How likely?,¡± asked Pike. ¡°I would give it good enough odds to bet on it,¡± said Jason. ¡°A sure thing then,¡± said Pike. ¡°He won¡¯t survive the fight if he goes that way,¡± said Jason. ¡°I expect some kind of hostage taking, or a trap to tilt the odds in his favor. It¡¯s what I would do if I was a ruthless monster.¡± ¡°I see where this is going, and I don¡¯t like it,¡± said Pike. ¡°We¡¯re the best ones to be the designated hostages,¡± said Jason. ¡°After all, we¡¯re the only ones who can find him now that we know he¡¯s responsible.¡± ¡°Why not let Errant be the designated hostage?,¡± asked Pike. ¡°Because our enemy would never let him get that close,¡± said Jason. ¡°You don¡¯t let a cannon point at your front door for long.¡± ¡°I hate this plan,¡± said Pike. ¡°And I think the only reason you came up with it is because you want to personally skewer this monster maker, instead of letting others do the job.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget it¡¯s a reasonable risk for us to take,¡± said Jason. ¡°He won¡¯t be expecting us when he is on the lookout for the others.¡± ¡°Tilda?,¡± asked Pike. ¡°It¡¯s too risky to have her along,¡± said Jason. ¡°She¡¯s marked by the Rhiem, and I doubt the Alvas will let us get close if he can see her coming a mile away. And he knows she is with me since he was following us while we were following his experimental subjects.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s because you don¡¯t want to get a girl killed,¡± said Pike. ¡°It would be a blemish on my spotless record,¡± said Jason. ¡°And I need to keep that as spotless as I can when I have my final reckoning with the Master.¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t count for your record?,¡± asked Pike. ¡°You qualify as my assistant,¡± said Jason. ¡°Theoretically, I could use you as bait and not have to worry about if you get killed other than our friendship.¡± ¡°That¡¯s nice to know,¡± said Pike. ¡°I would never let one of my assistants die unless I had to,¡± said Jason. ¡°That¡¯s even nicer to know,¡± said Pike. ¡°I think I should go home.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t do this without you,¡± said Jason. ¡°The fate of the city rests in your hands. Errant believes our quarry wants to find the one girl he can use to destroy the city. We can¡¯t let him do that.¡± ¡°I guess we can¡¯t let him do that,¡± said Pike. ¡°Here¡¯s the train station,¡± said Jason. ¡°Let¡¯s get over to the Konstatins and check in, and then we can get started. I have a feeling that if this Alvas has a lair, it will be sideways to the city.¡± ¡°So we might have to find a door to get into his place so we can kill him,¡± said Pike. ¡°He might have doors scattered across the city.¡± ¡°I know,¡± said Jason. ¡°It will be a lot easier if we can catch him in the open. Chasing him into his home can¡¯t be a good move unless we¡¯re desperate.¡± ¡°Maybe we can get this Errant to shut down any doors in the city,¡± said Pike. ¡°That might give us a chance either way.¡± ¡°I see what you mean,¡± said Jason. ¡°If we can trap him in his home, we can search a limited area for him. If we can trap him out of his home, he has a harder time hiding from us.¡± ¡°It makes our job easier no matter how we look at it,¡± said Pike. ¡°The hard part would be what happens when we do find him because I don¡¯t see him giving up on his own.¡± ¡°I agree with that,¡± said Jason. ¡°He¡¯s invested a lot of time in this scheme.¡± ¡°Especially with the amount of missing and presumed dead people we have on our list,¡± said Pike. ¡°We might have another problem,¡± said Jason. ¡°I put it aside so we can talk about this primary problem that we¡¯re dealing with first.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s hear this other problem,¡± said Pike. He watched the platform, noting the people to make sure no one was a threat. ¡°We found a building that might not be involved in the Alvas¡¯s planning,¡± said Jason. ¡°I planned to check it when we were done with the Alvas.¡± ¡°It looks bad?,¡± asked Pike. ¡°It¡¯s a hotel,¡± said Jason. ¡°It seems threatening to me. I just planned to take a closer look to cross it off our planning.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Pike. ¡°What attracted your attention?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a random circle around the hotel of bodies being found with bite marks,¡± said Jason. ¡°It¡¯s a possible monster using it as a lair of some kind. I didn¡¯t have time to look at it closely before we followed the girls from Rowena¡¯s school down to the Konstantin house.¡± ¡°But we know it¡¯s not the Alvas because bodies are being left behind,¡± said Pike. ¡°Exactly,¡± said Jason. ¡°Here comes our train.¡± The Burning City 29 Pavel heard the doorbell and went to get it. Errant and Sonya were conducting tests and they didn¡¯t need him at the moment. As long as nothing happened with the girls, he didn¡¯t have anything to worry about. He doubted Errant would let monsters overrun the city while he was standing there and could try to prevent it. Pavel checked the porch with a window next to the door before opening it. The monster hunter had returned with his partner. ¡°Master Konstantin,¡± said Jason. ¡°This is my partner, Arlo Pike.¡± The man refused to look up from the porch floor. He merely nodded at the introduction. Pavel stepped out of the way so they could enter the house. ¡°They are still doing tests in the parlor,¡± he said. He waved at the partners to follow him back to the parlor. Pavel heard whispering behind him. He supposed Pike could see something wrong in the way the house was set up. He made a shrugging motion with his head. The house was how Sonya liked it. She had expanded the inside to suit their needs after arriving back in the city from the battles they had fought. The additions had been put up later to help improve their comfort in their declining years. Pavel opened the parlor for them and they stepped inside. He nodded at the sky above and the grass floor of the room. It seemed like the real thing instead of a room in a house. ¡°Arlo, this is Mistress Konstantin, Errant, Debra Shrike, Leticia Falcon, Laverne Gato, and Maureen Kelpie, and Woody,¡± said Jason. ¡°This is my partner, Arlo Pike.¡± The rest nodded at the introductions. Woody barked once. ¡°Arlo and I are going to look for our Alvas friend,¡± said Jason. ¡°Is there anything we need to know before we leave.¡± ¡°Sonya and I think we have a cure,¡± said Errant. ¡°Of course, we will need to test it and make sure, but we are convinced that we can pull out the incubation parts without killing anyone.¡± ¡°If we are wrong, we will kill everyone close by,¡± said Sonya. She made a face at the thought. ¡°What do you think, Woody?,¡± asked Pavel. The wooden dog barked once, and then sneezed. ¡°That is an idea,¡± said Errant. ¡°Are you sure?¡± The dog barked again. ¡°I am not a dunderhead,¡± said Errant. ¡°Containment could be useful. I should have thought of it before.¡± Woody barked in agreement. ¡°I think I will go with these two since you don¡¯t need me,¡± said Pavel. ¡°Be careful with the putting things in jars.¡± ¡°You be careful, Husband,¡± said Sonya. ¡°We¡¯re going to need you to help out with the incubators, Tilda,¡± said Jason. ¡°They¡¯ll need your muscle if things go wrong.¡± ¡°What makes you say that?,¡± said Tilda. ¡°This man caused the Crater Desert.¡± ¡°Because if things go wrong, we expect you to try to get the girls out of here,¡± said Jason. ¡°And save the city if possible.¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re trying to cut me out on the action,¡± said Tilda. ¡°Again.¡± ¡°There¡¯s not going to be any action,¡± said Jason. ¡°If there were, we wouldn¡¯t take Master Konstatin with us.¡± ¡°Pavel,¡± said Pavel. ¡°Let me get my coat, and axe. I will be right back.¡± Pavel left the parlor and the argument and walked down to the storage closet they had put in. He opened it up and pulled out his old axe. He rarely used it anymore, but now seemed like the time it would be most handy. He strapped it on so the handle could be pulled easily. He pulled on his coat over it for concealment. He returned to the parlor and went to kiss his wife. She held his face with both hands. ¡°Be safe, husband,¡± said Sonya. ¡°I will be safer than you,¡± said Pavel. He hugged her. ¡°I will be mad if something bad The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.happens, Woody. I expect you to keep an eye on things.¡± The dog barked in reply. He knew his responsibilities. ¡°Let us go, gentlemen,¡± said Pavel. ¡°Let us conduct our search before I change my mind.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll have to start where the Alvas was last seen,¡± said Pike. He still refused to look up. ¡°We can expand our search from there if he is here in this reality and not in a private space somewhere.¡± ¡°We last saw him in the alley next to the alchemist shop up the street,¡± said Jason. ¡°Let¡¯s go and look around,¡± said Pike. ¡°Maybe he left something we can use to find him.¡± Pavel led the way back through the house. He locked the front door behind them before leading the way to the street. He took a moment to take in his surroundings. He didn¡¯t see anything unusual. ¡°If he is watching the house, he¡¯s not visible,¡± said Pike. ¡°Where is this alley?¡± ¡°It¡¯s this way,¡± said Jason. ¡°How did you meet your wife, Pavel?¡± ¡°It was on a train bound to nowhere,¡± said Pavel. ¡°I thought monster hunters worked alone.¡± ¡°I failed my actual hunt examinations,¡± said Jason. ¡°It was determined that while I could kill monsters when I came across them, I couldn¡¯t find them except by chance. So I decided to find someone who could hunt the monsters for me so I would have an easier time of things.¡± ¡°Sounds reasonable,¡± said Pavel. Pavel watched Pike go about his business. The man glanced around, frowning at the buildings, but mainly kept his eyes pointed at the ground. He wondered if there was a drawback to the skill. Pike paused in the alley. He inspected the floor, moving across the stone slowly. He stopped at the end, running his hand over a wall. ¡°He went into the wall here,¡± said Pike. He pulled out a piece of chalk from a bag under his jacket. He marked the spot with his initials. ¡°Teleportation?,¡± asked Jason. ¡°I think it was a sideways room like we talked about,¡± said Pike. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the school. Maybe there¡¯s something there we can use.¡± Jason led the way out of the alley. He turned and headed north. Pavel noted they were passing close to the bank he worked at as they walked along. ¡°Any thoughts, Arlo?,¡± asked Jason as they walked. ¡°I need to look things over,¡± said Pike. ¡°We could be wrong about the secret room.¡± ¡°Secret room,¡± asked Pavel. ¡°Arlo thinks our Alvas has a place sideways to the city,¡± said Jason. ¡°If he¡¯s right, we have been thinking of strategies to deal with it.¡± ¡°Why did the girls consult you, Master Konstantin?,¡± asked Pike. ¡°Jason wasn¡¯t clear other than your wife uses magic, and this Errant I met blew up Mim¡¯s tower.¡± ¡°We¡¯re involved because of my old friend, Ivanoviska,¡± said Pavel. He smiled ruefully. ¡°I don¡¯t think your friend heard the story with so much going on so I will tell it to you while we travel to this school.¡± He explained about encountering his friend as a ghost, investigating what had killed him, and how they had encountered one of the witches the girls had signed up to fight. The girls and the wife arrived. There was gnashing of teeth and lightning thrown around, and at the end the wife asked for the girls to come eat with them because they were growing things inside of them. ¡°And then you and Errant showed up to make my day complete,¡± said Pavel, with a smile. ¡°Did Errant blow up Mim¡¯s tower?,¡± asked Jason. ¡°Probably,¡± said Pavel. ¡°It is more likely that he asked Mim to stand down, and the Alvas did not and attacked with his magic power. And that was probably reflected somewhere delicate and the tower collapsed.¡± ¡°Is that possible?,¡± asked Jason. ¡°I have never heard of anyone being able to do that.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± admitted Pavel. ¡°The wife and I talked about it while escaping. She was of the opinion then that he had ruptured part of the membrane holding the magic around the tower in place. And it rushed into that split.¡± ¡°And that caused the explosion and resulted in the peace with the Alvas,¡± said Jason. ¡°It forced them to reevaluate what the cost of an invasion would be,¡± said Pavel. ¡°The Alvas do not like to throw assets away if they can¡¯t get what they want just so.¡± ¡°This Alvas appears to be different,¡± said Jason. ¡°He is not getting his way now that the wife is involved,¡± said Pavel. ¡°She has already decided.¡± ¡°I wonder if he knows Errant,¡± said Jason. ¡°That might make him change his strategy.¡± ¡°He might decide that growing witches is taking too long?,¡± said Pavel. He considered the implications. ¡°He might decide to come out in the open and show us what he can really do,¡± said Jason. ¡°I think that would be a bad move on his part,¡± said Pavel. ¡°What do you think, Arlo?,¡± asked Jason. He glanced at his silent partner. ¡°He is thinking that he might have to come right at us,¡± said Pike. ¡°We¡¯re making it where that is his only choice. The question is when.¡± ¡°I would assume while we are looking for his way around the city, and his lair,¡± said Pavel. ¡°He might wait for a bit to see what we¡¯re doing,¡± said Pike. ¡°None of us are magical so we¡¯re not a serious threat. Eventually, he will try to stop Errant by taking hostages. That¡¯s his only real move.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t work,¡± said Pavel. ¡°Errant doesn¡¯t care about us except in an abstract way.¡± ¡°He would tell the Alvas to work his way on us to prevent a future problem,¡± said Jason. ¡°I understand that.¡± ¡°His answer to the demand would be explosive,¡± said Pavel. ¡°That¡¯s why he blew up Mim¡¯s tower, isn¡¯t it?,¡± said Pike. ¡°It was a contributing factor,¡± said Pavel. ¡°He might not care about us, but using us for blackmail is a bad idea if he gets close.¡± ¡°I noticed the dog,¡± said Pike. ¡°Magic?¡± ¡°Probably, but Woody is Errant¡¯s constant companion,¡± said Pavel. ¡°And he is as dangerous in his own way as the man.¡± ¡°There is the school,¡± said Jason. ¡°Where do we start, Arlo?¡± ¡°Take me to where you last saw the Alvas,¡± said Pike. ¡°I¡¯ll have a look around.¡± The trio covered the grounds. Pike led the way. They discovered a small ritual site along with several places marked down for doors to other places. The search led them back to the main gate. Pike looked over their search area again, frowning at the scene. ¡°I want you two to wait here for a bit,¡± said Pike. ¡°I want to walk over the grounds one more time before we head back to the house.¡± ¡°Did you find something?,¡± asked Pavel. ¡°No,¡± said Pike. ¡°I just want one look by myself. I¡¯ll be right back.¡± Jason was about to argue against it, but Pavel shook his head. He put his hands in his coat. ¡°Go ahead,¡± he said. ¡°We will wait on you to return.¡± Pike disappeared in the darkness, head down, looking for something not there. ¡°He found something,¡± said Jason. ¡°Perhaps,¡± said Pavel. The Burning City 30 Errant looked at the chalkboards he had set up in the parlor. He fiddled with the numbers with his wand. He frowned and gave his head a shake. Fixing this would not be as easy as he had assured the girls. They had committed themselves to a ritual to be mothers of monsters. Magic didn¡¯t care if the reasons were lies. It only cared that it worked like a machine being told to go. And the magic gathering would turn these four girls into a collection of people eaters in no time. Sonya Konstatin¡¯s house was slowing the effect, but it was going to happen unless he did something. But doing something could be just as bad for the girls as not. He had condemned people to fates worse than death, but never accidentally. ¡°Could you check my math, Woody?,¡± said Errant. ¡°I don¡¯t want to make a mistake.¡± The wooden dog approached the boards. He sniffed the numbers. Some of them glowed as he worked his way across the board. He barked softly. One number changed. ¡°Forgot to carry the one?,¡± said Errant. ¡°Not good.¡± Woody agreed. ¡°Think it¡¯s all right now?,¡± he asked. Woody flicked an ear. It should work but he didn¡¯t want to be the one responsible for the go ahead. ¡°Let¡¯s try it on,¡± said Errant, clapping his hands together. ¡°What do we have to lose?¡± Woody shook his hand and went to lie out of the way of things. Wood and fire did not mix in his opinion. ¡°Do you know what you¡¯re doing?,¡± asked Sonya. Errant was tempted to lie. He winced at her expression. A lie would not go over well at the moment. ¡°My associate and I,¡± began Errant. Woody barked what he thought of the blame sharing. ¡°My associate and I, if someone would not be so rude, think there is a fair chance of things going as planned.¡± ¡°The dog is smarter than you, isn¡¯t he?,¡± asked Tilda. She smiled a bit. ¡°Maybe, but I will never admit it,¡± whispered Errant. Then louder to carry across the room, he said,¡°Never. He¡¯s a dog. What does he know about rituals such as this?¡± Woody barked twice to show how much he knew about rituals such as this. ¡°What are we doing?,¡± asked Verne. She looked at her group. She had brought them in. She was responsible for them. ¡°Do any of you know anything about magic?,¡± asked Errant. He stood in front of the chalkboards, hands in his pockets. ¡°Not really,¡± said Mo. ¡°I don¡¯t think any of us had enough potential to get into the magician track at school.¡± ¡°I have some alchemy training,¡± said Debbie. ¡°Getting the suit just made me better at it.¡± ¡°The suit?,¡± asked Errant. ¡°It¡¯s what we call our other selves,¡± said Verne. She raised a hand. Her school uniform turned into a set of gray armor with black stripes. Cat ears protruded from an open helmet on her head. She wore blades built into the back of her gauntlets. ¡°The transformation powers the change,¡± said Errant. He held up his wand. He frowned at the reading it gave him. ¡°The more you change, the faster you will change.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve been fighting witches for a while,¡± said Tish. ¡°You¡¯re saying one of us could have changed into a witch while getting ready to fight another one.¡± ¡°Depends,¡± said Errant. He put the wand away. ¡°It¡¯s likely that something bad would have happened eventually unless you killed the eight witches without changing yourselves. A secondary plan might have been enacted if you got that lucky.¡± ¡°Can you fix this?,¡± said Verne. ¡°I like helping people. I like being able to change into something that lets me be more capable than what I usually am.¡± ¡°Do you really think this makes you more capable?,¡± asked Sonya. ¡°Yes,¡± said Verne. ¡°We¡¯ve killed some of these witches, saved lives, helped the city.¡± ¡°You want to keep fighting?,¡± asked Errant. He looked the girls over. He had taken off his prankster mask for a moment. Tilda could believe this was the man who had turned a section of land into a desert populated by desperate people and monsters in the ground. Verne flinched back. Something had come into the room that wasn¡¯t quite human enough to be comforting. ¡°I would like to use these abilities to help people,¡± said Verne. ¡°I think I have done If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.a good job with them.¡± ¡°What about the rest of you?,¡± asked Errant. His sharp gaze focused on each of the girls in turn. ¡°You won¡¯t be human afterwards. Are you willing to give that up?¡± The girls huddled together. Errant went back to his chalkboard. He placed his hand on some of the numbers and they changed places. ¡°Are you sure about this?,¡± Sonya whispered at his side. Tilda joined them, keeping an eye on the girls. ¡°It¡¯s their choice,¡± said Errant. ¡°If we tried to remove the curses, and they fought us, we might has well turn them into witches ourselves.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not happy with this,¡± said Sonya. ¡°It¡¯s out of our hands,¡± said Errant. ¡°It¡¯s better to have cooperation over coercion. A warning is the best we can do.¡± ¡°We could do more,¡± said Sonya. ¡°We can¡¯t protect everyone,¡± said Errant. He smiled. ¡°We can only improve their odds.¡± ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± said Tilda. ¡°As long as they are no longer a threat to the city, they deserve to pick their poison.¡± ¡°So we help them keep being cursed instead of returning them to normal?,¡± said Sonya. ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem reasonable.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the best we can do,¡± said Errant. ¡°We¡¯re not meant to be gods to change the world to make ourselves happy at the expense of others. That never works. Sometimes people have to find out on their own what they are really getting, and not what they imagine they are getting.¡± Sonya nodded. ¡°All right, ladies,¡± said Errant, turning from the chalkboard and clapping his hands together. ¡°Have you decided what you want to do?¡± The girls looked at each other. Worry and fear rode their faces. ¡°We would like to keep using our powers to help people without becoming witches,¡± said Verne. ¡°You won¡¯t get your humanity back,¡± said Errant. ¡°Is that something you want to give up?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve already given it up, haven¡¯t we?,¡± asked Mo. ¡°I suppose,¡± said Errant. ¡°But there are degrees. I guess we can get ready and do this. Afterwards, you¡¯re going to have to stay here until we have things worked out. Sonya will explain everything to your school.¡± ¡°I will have to explain things?,¡± said Sonya. ¡°I do not think so.¡± ¡°Jason will deal with that,¡± said Tilda. ¡°The Guard love him after what he did on the train tracks.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Errant. ¡°Let¡¯s see what we can do with the jars Mistress Konstantin provided.¡± He handed each of the jars to the girls. He searched until he found some tea brought in to drink while they worked on the problem. He poured the tea into the jars until each one was half full. He looked at the chalkboards. He pulled out his wand, pointing the jewel on the end at the girls. ¡°This is going to be a bit messy,¡± Errant said. ¡°I would close my eyes if I were you.¡± ¡°What if we don¡¯t want to close our eyes?,¡± asked Mo. ¡°Suit yourself,¡± said Errant. He looked at the boards, and wrote the lead number in the equation in the air with his wand. The numbers and signs vanished from the chalkboards. They wrote themselves on the girls, forming a spell cutting into their spirits. Alvas chains broke apart as fire surged upwards from their eyes. Bile ran from the girls as magic reshaped them into what it wanted. Tiny specks flopped from the personal devastation and fell into the jars of tea. Steam rolled into the air as the liquid cooled the keystones of the enchantments. Errant stepped back, putting his wand away. He gave a sigh. ¡°I think they will need baths and clean clothes, Sonya,¡± said Errant. He ran his hand through his brown hair. ¡°You might want to explain they¡¯re immortal now.¡± ¡°They don¡¯t look the same, Errant,¡± said Sonya. She hurried forward and turned Debbie over. The girl¡¯s face had become animalistic, almost bird-like. ¡°They look like members of the Rheim.¡± ¡°I know,¡± said Errant. ¡°That¡¯s one of the problems with leaving your humanity behind. I am going for a walk. Woody will stay and keep an eye on things. The Alvas will probably know these pawns are off the board. I expect we will see the others before the sun goes down tomorrow, unless Pavel and Jason can find him first.¡± ¡°These girls will be dismayed by this, Errant,¡± said Sonya. ¡°They will not accept this change.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve done the best I can,¡± said Errant. ¡°I have to take a minute to get my breath back. I¡¯ll be back in a few. If there are any problems while I¡¯m gone, Woody can handle it. He¡¯s the best dog in the world.¡± Woody barked. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± said Errant. ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon enough.¡± He left the parlor, head down, hands in his pockets. He left the house. He made sure to close the door and lock it down. The ladies would be busy trying to get the parlor clean, and taking care of his mess. He didn¡¯t want problems for them because he was wallowing in depression. He walked down the street, not really watching things, but letting the city talk to him. Bern had problems. He couldn¡¯t fix them all. He had probably wrecked the girls¡¯ futures by letting them choose how things should go. He should have thought of something to show them the possibilities of their choice. He should have done things better. How many more mistakes would he make before he reached the end? How many more lives would he ruin? Something hulking walked behind him. He could see the shadow off to one side. He smiled. It appeared to be aping his walk as well as a giant egg could imitate a human. Errant glanced over his shoulder. A giant, round bunny walked behind him. It grinned when it saw him looking back. He smiled. ¡°You were at Mim¡¯s tower,¡± said Errant. ¡°You and the small furballs.¡± The Rhiem nodded. It raised its arms and howled into the sky. The two of them lifted off, sailing straight up out of the city. Errant laughed. He rarely flew anywhere. This pushed adrenaline through his system as he looked around. The Rhiem pulled an umbrella from its fur and opened it. It held on to the handle with one hand. The other held Errant so they could float over the buildings laid out below them. ¡°This is really lovely,¡± said Errant. ¡°I don¡¯t get to fly that much nowadays. I usually use the secret paths.¡± The Rhiem nodded. It did the same thing normally, but tonight it wanted to fly around. They dropped down toward a series of buildings set up in a U inside a wall. Errant realized the Rhiem had brought him to the girls¡¯ school. Why had it done that? He noticed Pavel and Jason standing at the gate. He waved at them as the Rhiem dropped out of the night breeze. It let go of Errant when they touched down. ¡°Hello,¡± said Errant. ¡°Toto, I¡¯m sure you remember Pavel. This is Jason, a local finder and monster hunter.¡± Toto howled quietly. He shot up into the sky, waving at his new acquaintances as he vanished into the night. ¡°How are the girls?,¡± asked Pavel. ¡°They¡¯re fine,¡± said Errant. He put on a smile. ¡°I see you are one short on your party.¡± ¡°Arlo had something he wanted to examine before we headed back to the house,¡± said Jason. ¡°He should be along any minute to tell us what he found.¡± ¡°Where did you find Toto?,¡± asked Pavel. He gestured at the empty sky above them. ¡°He was outside your house,¡± said Errant. ¡°He might have been looking for Sonya.¡± ¡°Really,¡± said Pavel. ¡°I was taking a walk and ran into him,¡± said Errant. ¡°He didn¡¯t have the furballs with him.¡± ¡°Maybe they grew up without him,¡± said Pavel. ¡°How bad was your exorcism?¡± ¡°Not bad at all,¡± said Errant. ¡°It went better than I expected.¡± ¡°At least they are alive,¡± said Pavel. The Burning City 31 Moe Eisen walked into the train station with his pack on his shoulder. Bernard trailed behind, eyes on the crowd. Some of the people moved away from him when they noticed the gears on his face and hands. ¡°Our train will take us up to the main road,¡± said Eisen. He pointed at a sign showing the times of trains due in on the track. ¡°From there, we¡¯ll have to hire a carriage, or join someone heading overland. We might have to walk part of the way.¡± ¡°Are you going to be able to walk that far, Pa?,¡± asked Bernard. ¡°I think I can partially fly on my own. I would have to leave you behind if I did.¡± ¡°Do you know how far you can fly?,¡± asked Eisen. He wasn¡¯t surprised. The boy had already shown a weird array of talents. What was one more? ¡°Not really,¡± said Bernard. ¡°I would have to test it out. I think maybe I could get across the city before the time ran out if I was lucky.¡± Eisen nodded. That wasn¡¯t an indicator of how fast Bernard could move in the air, but it was a respectable distance. If push came to shove, he could ask the boy to fly on alone and the flight would help him cover a lot of ground. ¡°If anything happens to me, Baldwin is due north beyond what is called the Crater Desert,¡± said Eisen. ¡°Don¡¯t go in the Crater. The people there are unfriendly to strangers.¡± ¡°How unfriendly?,¡± asked Bernard. ¡°They kill anyone that isn¡¯t one of theirs,¡± said Eisen. ¡°And neither of us could blend in for long.¡± Bernard nodded at that. He couldn¡¯t really blend in with the people he had grown up with his whole life. How would he blend in with a bunch of strangers? ¡°How long do you think it will take us to get to Baldwin?,¡± asked Bernard. Going to another city had seemed like something you did when you were desperate before he had been doused. He realized they were desperate. It was something he hadn¡¯t considered before standing in the train station. ¡°Two days to get to the road,¡± said Eisen. He paused to calculate in his head. ¡°Maybe as much as a week on the road depending on if we can get transportation instead of walking. Maybe a month if we have to walk the whole way.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a long walk,¡± said Bernard. ¡°I think I would rather fly.¡± ¡°Remember what I said,¡± said Eisen. ¡°Head due north. You should be able to find signs to point to Baldwin once you get around the Crater Desert.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± said Bernard. ¡°It might take me some time, but straight flying should get me there with breaks in a few days depending on how much trouble I have to avoid.¡± Eisen nodded. He knew there was just as much trouble for things in the air as things on the ground. He had dealt with predatory animals that could grab a man up off the ground and fly away with him in a second. How much easier would that be for a boy. It wouldn¡¯t be that easy with Bernard. The boy had shown he could combine the effects in his body. Anything grabbing him in the air better be ready to be doused with acid, or flame, for its trouble. He would be the one in trouble if they encountered anything dangerous on the road. ¡°Here comes our train,¡± said Eisen. ¡°The number Eighty One. Let¡¯s go wait on the platform for it to pull in.¡± The odd pair walked through the crowd. Eisen kept an eye on things. He didn¡¯t want someone deciding that Bernard was a Rhiem and needed to be pushed around. Some Rhiem would take that, but some wouldn¡¯t. And he was sure that Bernard would not after all they had gone through at this point. He didn¡¯t need a giant boy deciding to throw people through the roof of the train station in a fit of anger and indignation. That would cost them precious time with the authorities asking them the types of questions he didn¡¯t want to answer. And if they made the connection between Bernard in the train station with what happened in front of his shop, that would make things even worse for them. The vigilante action they had committed could be explained as self defense, but he Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!didn¡¯t want to chance an encounter with the Guard when they could walk away. And Bernard didn¡¯t have the time to spend in the machine awaiting trial. The train rolled into the station in a cloud of black smoke. There were some that ran on magic, but this one still used steam and wood to get around. Eisen approved. Magic could fail at the worst time and be unfixable. You could always mend a regular engine as long as it didn¡¯t blow up. ¡°I got a private compartment,¡± said Eisen. ¡°It should be toward the end of the train.¡± ¡°What about food?,¡± asked Bernard. ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a dining car that will feed us for the two days we¡¯re on the train,¡± said Eisen. ¡°After that, we¡¯ll have to scrounge for food.¡± ¡°I can do that,¡± said Bernard. ¡°How hard could it be to catch a bunch of rats in the woods?¡± Eisen nodded. He had scrounged things while he was in the army. Some of it had been fine. Some had not. People got off the train. Some had bags. Some didn¡¯t. Conductors walked the train, pointing where the passengers could claim belongings that had been stowed away. When the flood had passed, the same conductors waved people to board. Eisen looked at his ticket. He started up the steps. He looked at the signs above the doors as he made his way down the length of the first passenger car. He found the private compartment after a few minutes. He let them in and threw his bag on the bottom bunk. ¡°We have beds?,¡± asked Bernard. ¡°This is great. Food?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll have to wait for the train to get underway before we can go down to the dining car,¡± said Eisen. ¡°I¡¯m sure there will be a crowd wanting to eat.¡± ¡°So we wait for the train to get started and try to go eat after everyone else has cleared out?,¡± said Bernard. ¡°I think it will save us a lot of hassle,¡± said Eisen. ¡°Dining cars are notoriously small. I don¡¯t want to get into an altercation because I knocked someone¡¯s food out of their hands.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want someone to knock the food out of my hands,¡± said Bernard. ¡°That is the most important part of anything food related,¡± said Eisen, with a smile. ¡°We¡¯ll be able to see the landscape moving in the daytime. I will be able to check our map against it.¡± ¡°Did you travel much in the army?,¡± asked Bernard. ¡°A fair bit,¡± said Eisen. ¡°Bern had several small wars with the Alvas, and skirmishes with the Rhiem. The Baldwins helped us sign a treaty to keep things in check. That¡¯s how the demilitarized zone came to be. The city government asked the Green Lights to not interfere after that. I think they were scared.¡± ¡°Scared?,¡± asked the boy. He sat down at the window in one of the fold out chairs provided by the car designers. ¡°The Green Lights took to the field and pushed the Alvas back across their own border with what looked like minimum effort,¡± said Eisen. ¡°Something like that is bound to scare whomever in charge that they could do the same to him.¡± ¡°I can see that,¡± said Bernard. ¡°If you¡¯re Rally Kenzo making deals and having problems with Ditko on the next corner, you don¡¯t want Koldere to stick around after he buries Ditko somewhere. He might get ideas that he doesn¡¯t need you either.¡± ¡°I think that was the fear in the government circles,¡± said Eisen. ¡°They don¡¯t tell the people at the bottom the reasons decisions were made.¡± ¡°Were you an alchemist in the army?,¡± asked Bernard. ¡°That came later,¡± said Eisen. ¡°I discovered I had a knack for chemicals and when I got out, I worked my way to a license and opened my own shop.¡± ¡°That sounds okay,¡± said Bernard. ¡°I¡¯m glad you approve of my decision,¡± said Eisen. A knock sounded on the door. Eisen went and opened it. A conductor smiled at him from the hall. ¡°How do you do?,¡± asked the conductor. ¡°I¡¯m just checking tickets before we leave.¡± Eisen pulled out the papers and handed them over. The conductor inspected them with a glass. He handed the authorization back. ¡°Thank you,¡± said the conductor. ¡°If you need anything, don¡¯t hesitate to ask.¡± ¡°Do you know of any transport from the end of the line?,¡± asked Eisen. ¡°My grandson and I are headed up to Baldwin.¡± ¡°There is three, or four, companies that provide coaches, or allow for transportation using cargo wagons,¡± said the conductor. ¡°There is also a Rioridanian company that transports people and cargo through the air. Some of their company participate in the Air Race.¡± ¡°This far east?,¡± asked Eisen. ¡°Ever since their city was destroyed, some of them have worked this way,¡± said the conductor. ¡°Rumor is there is a track laying company negotiating with the train service to extend out beyond the end of the line and into Baldwin itself.¡± ¡°That sounds good,¡± said Eisen. ¡°It¡¯s just a rumor right now,¡± said the conductor. ¡°I have to get back to work. Have a good trip.¡± Eisen shut the door as the official went down to the next compartment to ask for the tickets of the riders there. He scratched his head as he went back to the bunk and sat down. ¡°What does that mean?,¡± said Bernard. ¡°It means we can fly if the company has a daemon big enough to carry us, and they don¡¯t charge much for the privilege,¡± said Eisen. ¡°That would be so neat,¡± said Bernard. ¡°I¡¯ve never flown before.¡± ¡°Neither have I,¡± said Eisen. ¡°It¡¯s a consideration to cut time off our journey.¡± ¡°We should do it just to do it,¡± said Bernard. ¡°So what if it cuts time off our travel to Baldwin? We might not be able to do that again.¡± ¡°So you want to fly?,¡± said Eisen. ¡°I would like that very much,¡± said Bernard. ¡°Let¡¯s see if we have enough to cover a flight into Baldwin,¡± said Eisen. ¡°Surely they won¡¯t charge that much for just the two of us and our bags.¡± ¡°Even a small amount of time would be great,¡± said Bernard. ¡°We don¡¯t have to make it all the way to Baldwin.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Eisen. ¡°Maybe we can get a lift to someone traveling overland.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great,¡± said Bernard. ¡°We need to get something to eat.¡± ¡°Wait,¡± said Eisen. ¡°We haven¡¯t left the station yet.¡± ¡°We can still go up and grab a table, right?,¡± said Bernard. ¡°I¡¯ve never ate somewhere fancy before.¡± The train shook under their feet. ¡°Let¡¯s see what fancy dining waits for us,¡± said Eisen. The Burning City 32 The man with no name sat on the roof of the inn where he was staying. He watched the suspect hotel in the distance. He had decided that he should go in and look around. One of his fugitives was in the building. The pertinent card glowed slightly whenever he went by it. And the target had not come out the three days that he had watched the place. He had to go in and look for him. And in three days he had been on watch, one of his other cards had dispersed. He knew that was because one of his fugitives had been taken without any help from him. He couldn¡¯t count on natural enemies dealing with the rest of the fugitives. It would be nice, but why would he be given the job of chasing them down if they were that easy to disposal by their rivals. The dead man decided the easiest thing to do was ask for a room and use that to look around the building. That was the easy part of things as far as he could make out. He doubted the staff would allow a guest to bother whomever owned the building, or anyone who had a permanent room there. He was likely going to get killed and dumped on the street as a common burglar. He had gone over the building, and just asking for a room seemed his best bet. The second idea he had thought of consisted of using another building to get in through the roof door and just look around. He liked breaking in more than sneaking around. The man with no name decided he should put his plan in motion. He still had cards to serve nearby. If he could take this one out of play, that would get him closer to being able to chase down the rest on his list outside the city. Once he was done with the hotel, he still needed to track down the Alvas on his list. Maybe a circuit of the city would let him get lucky enough to get close to his enemy so he could track the fugitive down without too much effort. He doubted it would be that easy. His quarry didn¡¯t have a listed place, and there were too many places to hide. Add in possible magic, and it might take years to find the target. He decided that he would give himself some reasonable time, but if he couldn¡¯t do the job on the first pass, he would head out of the city and find the rest of the names on the cards he carried. He didn¡¯t have to devote his time to one name when he had so many he needed to deal with before he was done with his job. And if he was picking up others, maybe someone here in the city would take care of the Alvas for him. The dead man walked over to the hotel. He entered the establishment. He nodded at the wooden walls shining under the electric lights in the ceiling. The carpet cushioned his steps as he walked toward the wide reception desk. It looked the same as the walls, except a brass rail had been installed to put your foot on while you stood and waited for the clerk to acknowledge you. ¡°Welcome, sir,¡± said the clerk. ¡°How can I help you?¡± ¡°I would like a room for the night,¡± said the dead man. ¡°Then I have to get my horse and ride on in the morning.¡± ¡°Certainly, sir,¡± said the clerk. ¡°Please fill out the guest book, while I get your room key.¡± The dead man wrote down a fictitious identity and lodging in another city while waiting for the clerk to return. He took the key with a nod and headed for the stairs leading up to the floor where his room rested. He supposed there were hidden doors in the walls. He would look for them when he searched his room. He checked the card he had set aside for the hotel. The blue stripe still ran down the front. His target was close. He just had to find him. The dead man stepped into his room. He ignored the luxurious appearance of the room and went over every inch for anything out of place. If he could find a passage, he could get inside the hidden part of the building and really start talking with people. He found a shutter disguised as part of the wall. He assumed it was to let someone in and out of the room without having to use the outside halls. Pulling and pushing on it told him it was locked on the inside. He pulled one of his pistols and fired into the shutter. The whipcrack of flame punched a hole through the wood. He peered inside at the dark room. He reached inside and felt around for the lock. He worked the knob. The hidden door opened up. He stepped inside the passage. He found a lantern hanging on the wall just inside the doorway. He paused to light If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.it up. He didn¡¯t want to stumble around in the dark while he was exploring. He followed the passage to a set of stairs. Side halls seemed to go to the rest of the rooms on his floor. He wondered how many people went to a bad end while trying to stay in the place before moving on. He found a ladder at the end of the hall. He looked up, then down. He decided that any work would be at the bottom of the ladder. Why carry a body up, when you can just drop them down to where you need to go? He looked around the ladder. He found a dumb waiter hidden in one of the walls. It was big enough for a body to be carried to wherever they took bodies. Should he take the ladder, or the dumb waiter? He decided to take the ladder. If he ran into someone, he could shoot down the shaft at them. The dumb waiter was a trap where he could be kept pinned until someone found something to deal with him. And he didn¡¯t know if he could fight his way out of the waiter against whatever was hidden at the bottom of the hotel. He started down the ladder, pistol holstered, lamp in one hand. He kept an eye out, but the only light seemed to be from his lamp and whatever was at the bottom of the shaft. He heard movement, but it sounded like they weren¡¯t expecting someone like him to invade the hidden parts of their facility. He didn¡¯t blame them. Would he be doing this if he didn¡¯t have a warrant card telling him his enemy was on the premises? He doubted it. The only thing they would have to worry about is the local authority stumbling over their operation and putting an end to whatever it was. If they had a spotter out, things could be moved before a raid happened. He wondered what they could do to stop him. He reached the bottom of the ladder and put the lantern down on the floor next to it. He might have to get out in a hurry. Being able to find the ladder seemed more important than lighting his way when there were electric lights everywhere. The dead man took in the scene slowly. A lair had been built under the hotel. Wiring and pipes went everywhere. There were consoles with levers taking most of the central space. Tubes of green liquid reflected the light from the overheads. Things moved in the tubes. He looked around. No one else seemed to be in the room with him. He didn¡¯t expect that to last. Someone had to check on what they were growing in the tubes. He would have to ask them where his quarry was. He decided whatever he had to do, the tubes had to be destroyed. He couldn¡¯t let what was growing out on the city. That was just adding to the problem instead of solving it. He pulled out the faintly glowing blue card from his deck. His quarry was close. He should look around and see how close. He could wrap this up in the next few minutes and move on to the next names on his list. The man with no name crossed the room, eye on the tubes as he went. He had an idea one of the levers he noted could open the tubes and dump the growing monsters in the room with him. He didn¡¯t like that idea at all. He couldn¡¯t do anything about that until he tracked the target down. If someone got to a lever, he would deal with it. The dead man found living quarters off the laboratory. A desk held a pile of papers. A rumpled bed rested against the far wall. A small area made up a kitchen. A door led off at the end of the kitchen counter to what he assumed was a bathroom. He didn¡¯t feel like there was anybody in the rooms. He checked the other door to be sure. It was an empty bathroom like he thought. He decided to find another door. That was where people would come in when they didn¡¯t have to grab people from their rooms. That would take him to other parts of the hotel. He might have to deal with the staff. He doubted this was a one man show. He supposed if he made a lot of noise the Guard would rush in and have a look around. Who knew where that would lead, if anywhere? The dead man found a door on the other side of the lab. He frowned at it. It was heavier than a regular door of its size. He supposed the people behind this thought their main door should be fortified long enough for them to escape through another door, or up the ladder. Did the ladder go all the way to the roof? Was there another exit up there from the hotel? The main door swung open. The dead man stepped back as silently as he could, leaning against the wall. He pulled the pistols from his holsters and waited. ¡°We are close to a breakthrough,¡± said one of the men entering the room. ¡°The train experiment worked. No one knew they were boarding a monster designed to look like a train. We couldn¡¯t have foreseen someone being able to kill it from the inside.¡± ¡°I know,¡± said the other man. ¡°Still, we have almost enough to seed the city and watch everything grow. It will be amazing.¡± The dead man didn¡¯t think it would be amazing unless you counted a massacre as something amazing. ¡°Which one of you gentlemen is Emil Moreau?,¡± he asked from the darkness. ¡°I have a warrant for you.¡± The men spun to face him. One of them reached for something at his belt. That was a bad move on his part. A bullet of flame lifted him up and dropped him down on the floor. ¡°Are you going to kill me too?,¡± asked the survivor. He glanced at the burning body of the other man. A small trace of sweat ran down his face from his thin hair to his pointed chin. ¡°No,¡± said the dead man. He put one of the pistols up. He pulled out the glowing card from his deck and flicked it at the other man. ¡°I¡¯m just here to give you papers for court.¡± As soon as the card touched Moreau, it turned into a flash. The fugitive vanished straight down through the floor. The man with no name smiled. Another job well done without a lot of fuss. He doubted the rest of his fugitives would go along so quietly. He shut the vault door and walked back to the ladder. He fired his pistol into the tubes as he went. The solution the things moved in must have been flammable because each shot released a wave of heat and fire in the air. The room might contain the fire, or it might burn the building down. He needed to raise the alarm somehow. He decided to do that from the outside. He reached the top of the ladder. He hoped the seeds they were talking about went down with the hotel. Otherwise, they were out there waiting for someone to stumble over them and release them in the city. The dead man pushed out on the roof of the hotel. He took time to shoot into a locker holding miniature tubes like the giant ones he had seen downstairs. He hoped this was the seeds they wanted to let loose. He jumped to the next roof and made his way down to the street. He still had to make sure the innocent people were cleared out of the hotel and none of the other buildings burned down because of what he had done. Then he could get Stupid and move on. The Burning City 33 Arlo Pike stood in the courtyard in the center of the campus. He put his bag down on a nearby stone bench. He sat beside it. He thought about what he was going to do. Pavel and Jason would have to get Pavel¡¯s wife to finish the job. All he had to do was open the door and leave it open for them to find. He didn¡¯t know if she could do what was needed, but he had an estimate that she could give the Alvas a run for his money. Posing as a distraction was not his first choice, but he didn¡¯t see any other way to save the city. Bearding monsters in there lair was more what Jason would do. His partner lived for that sort of thing. Pike reached out and grabbed the edge of the door left on the school grounds with his talent. He forced it to open with his mind. He could feel the eye of his talent defining what the thing was, and pushing it open so he could step through. He stood and walked through the arch. The door shut behind him. He wasn¡¯t concerned. The others would find his bag and realize what he had done. They would not be happy, but there was a good chance he would be dead so they couldn¡¯t complain about what he had done. Pike found himself in a garden covered with plants and flowers he wasn¡¯t familiar with. Some of them turned as he passed. He supposed if he fell off the trail for any reason, they would be on him in a second. He followed the path laid out with cobblestones until he reached an open air pavilion. The place looked huge from a distance and the effect only increased as he walked closer. He noted the group under the red shingled roof and wondered if he had done the right thing after all. Maybe he should have requested assistance before trying out his scheme. Pike decided he didn¡¯t have anything to lose at this point. He shrugged in his coat. His talent for finding would just have to carry him through like it had so many other times. He stepped under the pavilion, nodding at the girls in their school uniforms, and the Alvas in his rags and bandages. He inspected what looked like a layout of tea, finding most of it edible or drinkable. He poured himself a cup of tea, and picked up a biscuit to munch. He nodded as he crunched on the biscuit. ¡°Hello,¡± Pike said around a bite of biscuit. He sipped the tea to clear his mouth. ¡°How do you do?¡± ¡°Who are you?,¡± demanded the Alvas. ¡°How did you get in here?¡± ¡°Arlo Pike, finder for the Guard,¡± said Pike. ¡°I¡¯m here to ask you to stop performing your transformations on these school girls and turn yourself in. I imagine the city will talk to your local ambassador, and then you will be deported.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?,¡± asked one of the girls. ¡°This Alvas has been turning girls into monsters,¡± said Pike. He sipped the rest of the tea in his cup. ¡°The city is going to want to talk to him about the deaths that caused, and they are going to demand he fix the damage. After that, I assume he will be sent back across the border.¡± ¡°But we¡¯ve been saving lives,¡± said one of the other girls. ¡°Your powers change you into what you¡¯re hunting,¡± said Pike. He poured himself another cup of tea. ¡°This is good tea.¡± ¡°He¡¯s lying,¡± said the Alvas. ¡°The city Guard would have shown up in force, not send one man.¡± ¡°My partner is outside the door,¡± said Pike. ¡°I just came in by myself in the hopes of a peaceful resolution. Jason is a monster hunter, and he considers you a monster. If I had brought him in with me, he would have cut you down like that. This way, we don¡¯t have to hurt anybody, and everything can be patched over. Jason¡¯s way, we send you home in a box and tell the Alvas royalty what happens when they let one of their renegades run loose. Also a consultant on this wants to talk to you too.¡± ¡°What do you mean changes you into what we¡¯re hunting?,¡± asked one of the girls. They were looking at Pike and the Alvas with horror. ¡°What consultant?,¡± said the Alvas. ¡°Hold on,¡± said Pike. He held up the tea cup. ¡°I can only answer one question at a time. Girls, you have been turned into baby monsters. Every time you change form, you feed your eventual transformation into people eaters. We¡¯re clear on this, right?¡± ¡°We¡¯re turning into witches,¡± said one of the girls. The ripple that went through them was unsettling to Pike. He gritted his teeth at what may have been a bad idea. ¡°Yes,¡± said Pike. ¡°I suppose none of you knew this.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right about that,¡± said the first girl. ¡°You¡¯re turning us into witches?¡± This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°He¡¯s lying,¡± said the Alvas. He gestured at the finder with one of his bandaged hands. ¡°There¡¯s no way the process can do that, and there¡¯s no way he could know that if it did.¡± ¡°We already found your whole team from Marsh Excellence,¡± said Pike. ¡°But you know that already. Jason said he saw you following him around.¡± ¡°Shut up,¡± said the Alvas. ¡°I¡¯ve had enough of your lies.¡± ¡°Did you really think you were going to get away with it?,¡± asked Pike. ¡°We identified eight of your victims, and their lairs. As soon as the Guard is done talking to you, we¡¯re going to wipe them out on our own, or force your countrymen to do it for us under the agreement. You¡¯ve accomplished nothing.¡± ¡°You have been lying to us this whole time, haven¡¯t you?,¡± said the eldest, the first girl. ¡°You have been using us. We thought we were helping the city. Instead, we¡¯ve just been making things worse.¡± The girls emitted a soft glow one after the other. Pike hurried to finish his tea. He didn¡¯t like this at all. He wanted a peaceful resolution. It looked like the next few minutes were going to be anything but peaceful. ¡°What are you doing?,¡± asked the Alvas. ¡°You created us to be heroes and to right wrongs,¡± said one of the girls. ¡°That¡¯s what we¡¯re going to do,¡± said another. Pike put the tea cup down and backed away. There were a lot of weapons being brandished now. He didn¡¯t want to be in front of them if they could throw magic bolts around. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious,¡± said the Alvas. ¡°None of you have the ability to fight me. Don¡¯t wreck everything because of some stranger.¡± ¡°We¡¯re done with you,¡± said one of the girls. ¡°It¡¯s obvious now that you have been using us from the start. Callie went missing, and we thought she had soloed out. She didn¡¯t, did she? She turned into a witch. You turned my sister into a witch. And you¡¯re going to pay for that.¡± Callie¡¯s sister flung a handful of pellets at her benefactor. They exploded on impact. The Alvas was thrown across the room. Pike backed up to the edge of the room. He frowned. He was going to have to wait until the action stopped before he could do anything else. He certainly wasn¡¯t going to run into trouble if he could avoid it. ¡°So that¡¯s how it¡¯s going to be,¡± said the Alvas. He picked himself up, shedding his rags and bandages for a suit of armor that gleamed in the light. He flicked his hand and a sword appeared in it. ¡°I¡¯m going to show you girls what happens when you question your betters.¡± Callie¡¯s sister began to throw her projectiles so fast her arms became blurs. Explosions blasted across the room as she looked for a weakness in her armored target. The other girls came at the Alvas from both sides. He was forced to use magic spells and blindingly fast bladework to keep the monster hunters at bay. Scratches and dents marked where blows were getting through, but he was doing more damage to them than they were to him. Pike decided he needed to lend a hand. And he thought that was the dumbest idea he had come up with all day. He took off his coat and waited for an opening. He closed on the fight, approaching from behind the Alvas as much as possible. When he had a clear shot, he threw the coat over the Alvas¡¯s head. He held on, trying to apply a choke hold Jason had taught him once. One of the girls with a staff swung it against their benefactor¡¯s legs so he would fall to his knees. A girl with a hammer whacked against the coat repeatedly until the Alvas stopped moving. That¡¯s when Pike noted that other girls had seized the villain¡¯s arms so he couldn¡¯t stab anyone, or point a spell to get free. Pike pulled his coat away and let his enemy fall to the ground. He frowned at the golden ichor covering the inside of his apparel. He should have looked for something else to use as a blinder. ¡°That could have gone better,¡± Pike said. He threw the coat on a nearby chair that was marked but still intact. He looked around. What he considered to be a small reception hall used as a parlor had a few small fires burning, a plant bursting out of the ground that several of the girls still hacked at with swords, wrecked furniture, and sliced walls and floors. Some of the girls had been wounded. Pike frowned at that. They didn¡¯t seem bothered at the blood dripping from the cuts and stabs they had taken. One girl had been caught in a fire strike and didn¡¯t seem to care about the burns across her face and neck. Pike checked the Alvas to make sure he was dead. The last thing they needed was for the magician to sit up and start throwing spells again. ¡°I guess that¡¯s good work,¡± said Pike. He wiped his hands of ichor with a rag blown from a table cloth. ¡°Where do we go from here?¡± ¡°What happens to us?,¡± said the apparent leader of the monster hunters. ¡°We¡¯ll still turn into witches. We can¡¯t avoid that.¡± ¡°My partner found someone working on a cure,¡± said Pike. ¡°I suppose if you don¡¯t want to be a threat to the city, you could stay here if it doesn¡¯t work.¡± ¡°I think you should explain who you are, and how you know everything,¡± said the girl. ¡°Like I said, I work for the city as a finder,¡± said Pike. ¡°We actually just got started on this because of a missing person case we handled. Then we ran into these other magic girls, and found most of the rest of it out as a result. The door I used to get in here is based on the Marsh Excellence campus, and my partner is waiting on me. He didn¡¯t know I came in here on my own, so he¡¯s going to be a little irritated.¡± ¡°That you put yourself in danger?,¡± asked another girl. ¡°No,¡± said Pike. ¡°Jason loves to kill monsters. It¡¯s his favorite thing in the world, even more than chasing women and eating good. His day is not great until he chases something down and cuts its head off. He¡¯s going to be irritated he didn¡¯t get his chance to get rid of this monster.¡± The girls looked at each other. The second girl pointed at the first. The first girl shrugged and smiled. The second girl quirked her lip in a rueful expression. ¡°Jason and Pavel Konstantin are outside this dimensional pocket,¡± said Pike. ¡°I don¡¯t know if it is safer for you to stay in here, or to change back and go out. Something about the transformations is what turns you into witches.¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to have to stay like this until we heal,¡± said the first girl. ¡°And we¡¯re not going to be able to stay here. This place will vanish soon.¡± ¡°Follow me,¡± said Pike. ¡°We¡¯ll go out the door I came through, and talk to Jason and the others. Maybe they came up with something to help you.¡± ¡°You said you started this with a missing person case,¡± said the second girl. ¡°Did you find her?¡± ¡°She was eaten by a train,¡± said Pike. ¡°That¡¯s why the Guard asked us to stop all this.¡± ¡°Eaten by a train?,¡± asked the second girl. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± said Pike. ¡°Jason killed it. There¡¯s the garden ahead.¡± The Burning City 34 Pavel frowned when he saw Arlo Pike leading an armed group of girls in colorful armor toward him. He almost reached for his axe, but stopped himself. ¡°What¡¯s going on, Arlo?,¡± asked Jason. ¡°Introductions are in order, I suppose,¡± said Pike. ¡°Ladies, this is Jason, Pavel Konstantin, and Errant.¡± He pointed to each man as he named them. ¡°Gentlemen, this is the Magical Girl Guild of Bern,¡± said Pike. ¡°Really?,¡± asked Pavel. He crossed his arms as he looked the group over. ¡°We still have work to do, Master Pike.¡± ¡°The girls killed the Alvas,¡± said Pike. He brought his fist down. ¡°Beat him with a hammer.¡± The girls looked at the one member of their group who carried a two handed hammer over her shoulder. ¡°He deserved every whack,¡± said the girl. ¡°What are we going to do with the rest of you?,¡± asked Pavel. ¡°There¡¯s still the witches to deal with, and your conditions.¡± ¡°Take them home, Pavel,¡± said Errant. ¡°I doubt we can fight all eight witches tonight. We should rest and then think of a plan.¡± ¡°We can fight them,¡± said one of the older girls. ¡°I mean we have to heal up first, but we¡¯re ready to fight them all now if you know where they are. That¡¯s always been the hardest part.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a chance you could turn into a witch in the middle of the fight,¡± said Pavel. ¡°And Laverne¡¯s group might want a piece of the action, once they know part of this is resolved,¡± said Jason. ¡°I think we should regroup and rearm before we go out. Without the Alvas around, things should be smoother.¡± ¡°And I have to tell my wife that we¡¯re expected to hunt monsters in the morning,¡± said Pavel. ¡°She will be so happy with this development.¡± ¡°Sonya loves houseguests,¡± said Errant. ¡°She treats them like family.¡± ¡°Now is not the time for joking,¡± said Pavel. He considered everything. ¡°All right, we¡¯ll retreat to my house and wait out the night. Tomorrow, we will have breakfast and start our campaign. Errant, you will have to stay on hand to make sure none of these girls turn into witches.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not sealing them in?,¡± asked Errant. ¡°Witches can open a door anywhere they can reach,¡± said the spokeswoman of the Magical Girl Guild. ¡°The more powerful ones have doors everywhere.¡± ¡°So even if we sealed it, a witch can still draw in victims,¡± said Jason. ¡°And we would be back where are now.¡± ¡°Except we would be back to looking for the doors instead of roughly knowing where they are,¡± said Errant. ¡°And they will continue to feed to grow their power.¡± ¡°So we have to kill them,¡± said Jason. ¡°I agree that we should regroup. The other girls should be asked if they want to be included in this.¡± ¡°Come along,¡± said Pavel. ¡°I suppose we can put you up in the spare bedrooms. The grocery bill is going to be out of sight this month.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll pay you out of city funds,¡± said Jason. ¡°That¡¯s the only right thing to do at this point.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Pavel. ¡°We¡¯ll get some rest and worry about the rest of this tomorrow.¡± ¡°How did you meet these children, Master Pike?,¡± asked Pavel. He kept his voice down to keep his thoughts between them. ¡°I found them after I opened one of the doors I found around campus,¡± said Pike. ¡°There was another one near your house.¡± ¡°That¡¯s how he got away,¡± said Jason. ¡°Makes sense.¡± ¡°We should talk about this back at the house,¡± said Pavel. ¡°The wife will not like all this.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure she will be fine,¡± said Errant. He smiled with confidence. Pavel looked at him. The look said, ¡°Who are you kidding, old man?¡± He covered his face with one hand. ¡°She loves children,¡± Errant said. ¡°She would be a great mother to her kids.¡± Stolen novel; please report. ¡°We have kids,¡± said Pavel. ¡°They are with my mother until we can sort this out. Now they will be there longer. None of the family will be happy, least of all the wife. I think you should explain all this.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t,¡± said Errant. ¡°I have a few more things to do before I leave town.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± said Pavel. ¡°We still have to deal with these girls, and there is the matter of the witches.¡± ¡°Sonya can do everything I can do at this point,¡± said Errant. ¡°My notes are still in your parlor. And Woody will be there to guarantee everything.¡± ¡°Twenty five years is a long time for you to disappear again,¡± said Pavel. ¡°What is the real problem?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said Errant. ¡°I have been fixing things, and for every one thing I fix, something else breaks. I have a machinist investigating an Abyssal egg under the water off Riordiana. If he can kill it, that will be one more menace stopped. But another one will pop up to be dealt with. I suppose I am tired of fixing things.¡± ¡°What did you do the ten years you were away?,¡± asked Pavel. ¡°Pushed a lot of people into dying,¡± said Errant. ¡°It was open war there for a bit. Peace was not negotiable until the enemy had been forced back to the core of their own territory.¡± ¡°But there was a peace?,¡± said Pavel. ¡°Oh, yeah,¡± said Errant. ¡°It took a bit to get them to accept terms.¡± ¡°What are you leaving out?,¡± asked Pavel. He had a good idea what was being left out. He probably would have left those parts out himself. ¡°Nothing,¡± said Errant. ¡°You have saved my life, and Sonya¡¯s,¡± said Pavel. ¡°We¡¯re your friends.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± said Errant. ¡°Don¡¯t think I won¡¯t clout you in the face,¡± said Pavel. ¡°Okay,¡± said Errant. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± said Pavel. ¡°You¡¯re too old to worry about things you can no longer do anything about. The past is the past. You can¡¯t fix it.¡± ¡°Technically, you can,¡± said Errant, holding up one hand to indicate he was about to start a lecture on how you could fix past mistakes through time travel. ¡°In the face,¡± warned Pavel. ¡°Hard as I can.¡± ¡°But you don¡¯t need to know that,¡± said Errant. ¡°It¡¯s doable if you¡¯re willing to change everything else. And you would have to be really desperate for that to be going on.¡± Pavel wondered what Errant had gone through to be what he was. He certainly wasn¡¯t human. He had touched the gods and they had touched him back in a way that most mortals were glad had not been done to them. He decided Errant wouldn¡¯t want his pity on top of everything else going on at the moment. ¡°Do we have a plan?,¡± one of the girls asked. Pavel took her for the unofficial leader of the group gathered by Pike. ¡°Yes, we do,¡± said Errant, holding up one hand. ¡°We¡¯re dumping everything on my wife and hoping for the best,¡± said Pavel. ¡°Luckily, I will be visiting my mother and retrieving my children while she sorts everything out. This skinny scarecrow will be assisting her if he knows what¡¯s good for him.¡± ¡°I am competent,¡± said Errant. ¡°Untrustworthy is the word I am thinking best applies,¡± said Pavel. ¡°I¡¯m Pavel Konstantin, this is Errant.¡± ¡°The Queen¡¯s Knight,¡± said Errant, bowing as he walked. ¡°The queen of what?,¡± asked the girl. ¡°Everything,¡± said Errant. He smiled slightly. ¡°Your name?¡± ¡°Victoria Valorius,¡± said the girl. ¡°I lead the girls from Mirabelle. Velma Burnham leads the girls from Rabbiton.¡± ¡°Which one is she?,¡± asked Errant. He looked at the trailing line behind them. ¡°She¡¯s the one with brown hair and orange surplice,¡± said Victoria. She indicated a crying girl walking by herself. ¡°We think her sister already turned into a witch.¡± Pavel frowned. Of course, some of the girls would have shared their change with their families. If the transformations caused the change, a hard pusher would have changed before their peers did. And the sibling would be the blame for the loss. Pavel didn¡¯t know what to say to make things better. He had delivered enough bad news in his time, but words had seemed unimportant in the face of grief. Pike fell into step beside her and walked with her. Pavel nodded. Maybe the finder could help her where the rest of them couldn¡¯t. ¡°What do you know about it, Miss Valorus?,¡± asked Errant. He put his hands in his pockets so they wouldn¡¯t wave around. ¡°Only what your friend told us,¡± said the magical girl. ¡°As soon as Velma heard about what could happen, she pressed on Mimzy. When he didn¡¯t give her a straight answer, I followed her lead. Can you help us?¡± ¡°Did you say Mimzy?,¡± said Errant. Pavel thought their expressions matched at the moment despite not looking alike. ¡°Yes,¡± said Victoria, surprised at their reaction. ¡°We have to make sure,¡± said Pavel, drawing his axe. ¡°I agree,¡± said Errant. He looked around. ¡°Jason! Jason!¡± The monster hunter frowned as the older men jogged toward him. His hand was on his sword reflexively. ¡°Get these girls to Sonya as fast as you can,¡± said Errant. ¡°Tell Woody to do the cure. Tell him to do it as fast as he can. Do you understand?¡± ¡°No,¡± said Jason. ¡°But we will speed things up. Problem?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± said Errant. ¡°I don¡¯t know how much time you have, so you have to hurry. Steal horses, whatever.¡± Pavel ran back to the school. He should have known Mim was behind this. It was something he would have come up with in the old days if he could make it work. Errant was at his side in a minute, looking around. ¡°Where do you think the door is?,¡± Pavel asked as they ran toward the center of the campus. Errant grabbed some stones off the ground and worked them with his hands as they ran. He threw the rocks in front of them. The altered material became a ring spinning through the air like a tossed coin until it hit an invisible obstruction. It froze in place, hovering so that a circle was formed in the air. The center of the construct was a garden instead of Marsh Excellence. ¡°Do you think they killed him?,¡± asked Pavel. He loosened the grip on his axe for a moment so his hands wouldn¡¯t seize up at the wrong moment. ¡°I have no idea,¡± said Errant. ¡°I would say no. You should stay out here. I don¡¯t want to explain things to Sonya.¡± ¡°Neither do I,¡± said Pavel. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± They stepped through the circle and into the garden. Pavel looked around. Nothing moved. He expected some of the flowers to come to life and attack him. ¡°This way,¡± said Errant. ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with before he does something else.¡± Pavel could only agree. If he triggered the working on the ten girls they had met while they were out in the street, it would be bad for the city. Letting monsters that could reshape reality loose would drive civilian deaths off the scale. Bern would cease to exist in the face of that kind of catastrophe. He could not let that happen. The Burning City 35 Errant strolled through the sprawling home of his enemy. He whistled as he walked around. He shook his head at some of the things on display. ¡°I can¡¯t believe he had one of these stuffed and mounted,¡± he said. He pointed at a lizard on a tree limb in a display case. ¡°That will earn him punishment from the Rheim.¡± ¡°He could be triggering the end of the city,¡± said Pavel. ¡°Not unless he gets out,¡± said Errant. He slowly turned in a circle to look around a giant parlor that had sustained battle damage to the walls and furnishings. ¡°The door I created is the only door he can use unless he can beat the spell.¡± ¡°So he¡¯s in here with us,¡± said Pavel. ¡°We just have to find him.¡± ¡°I imagine he is going to want to set us on fire after the embarrassment we put him through,¡± said Errant. ¡°I seem to remember that I was outside while you were doing whatever it was you were doing,¡± said Pavel. ¡°I was saving the day,¡± said Errant. He flexed his fingers as if warming up to play a piano. ¡°It¡¯s what I do after all.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I would say,¡± said Pavel. He smiled. ¡°Which way should we go from here?¡± ¡°I think we shouldn¡¯t chase after him,¡± said Errant. ¡°He can make rooms to cover him faster than we can search for him.¡± ¡°How do we find him?,¡± asked Pavel. Errant turned in a circle. He tapped the scarred table with the knuckles of a loose fist. He nodded his head. He knew how to handle this. ¡°Get ready,¡± said Errant. ¡°There¡¯s going to be some after effects.¡± He hunkered down, and slammed both hands against the floor. The room shook under the impact. ¡°What are you doing?,¡± asked Pavel. He looked around the room, watching for any enemy to appear under the shaking. ¡°I¡¯m taking control of this space,¡± said Errant. He smiled as he brought his hands up away from the floor. ¡°Once I do that, we can flush Mim out of hiding.¡± He slammed his hands against the floor again. The walls shook. Part of the ceiling fell behind where Pavel stood. The room cracked apart to reveal the white plain and emptiness from where the room was drawn. Errant smiled as the trappings were cleared away so that only he, Pavel, and Mim remained. The Alvas growled at them in his armor. He pulled his sword with the sound of cutting air. ¡°Do you really want to battle this out, Mim?,¡± said Errant. ¡°You lost so badly the last time we met. Why not learn from your mistake and walk away.¡± ¡°I knew you would show up and start interfering,¡± said Mim. ¡°That¡¯s why I decided to start my working in Bern. Just because you found some of my experiments, doesn¡¯t mean you found them all.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a dead man looking for you, Mim,¡± said Pavel. ¡°Whatever happens here, you¡¯re hunted in the outside world. They never give up.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of any emissary of the underworld,¡± said Mim. He raised his free hand. ¡°One snap of my fingers will give them more work in the next few minutes than they have had in the last ten years.¡± ¡°Your countrymen will be blamed for your deeds,¡± said Pavel. ¡°They will be destroyed by the rest of the city states and the Rhiem.¡± ¡°What do I care about those cowards?,¡± said Mim. ¡°They abandoned me when my tower was destroyed.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t do what you say,¡± said Errant. ¡°I think it is time that we talk about this in good faith.¡± ¡°What do you mean?,¡± asked Mim. ¡°I have cut off your room and access,¡± said Errant. ¡°The only magic you can do is right here. Woody is dealing with your girls. I expect the Guard has found some of the things you have put in motion and put them down. Your only bargaining chip is how fast you can kill Pavel before I act. That¡¯s not something I would like to bet on. Let¡¯s cut out all the bluster and just put everything on the table. You¡¯re going to have to go back to the Alvas, and stop trying to cause problems for everyone else. It¡¯s that, or we duel to see who the better magician is. I¡¯m willing to forgo the punishment you deserve for a peaceful resolution.¡± ¡°And you think you¡¯re a better magician than me after winning one duel with a dirty trick?,¡± asked Mim. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°A win is a win,¡± said Errant. He flexed his fingers. ¡°Why don¡¯t you think about this and decide to let peace be the way to go.¡± ¡°I would rather reduce myself to giblets first,¡± said Mim. ¡°Have at you!¡± He swung his sword to produce a crescent of flame flying toward his enemy. He raised the other hand and tendrils of purple smoke reached out. Errant raised one hand and caught the energy wave. He flung it back, aiming for the tendrils. He didn¡¯t want to be poisoned on top of having to defend himself. Mim flung up a shield against his reflected attack. It protected him from most of the harm, but he was still driven back. He growled, preparing to bolster his tendrils into a killing smog. Errant pointed at the armored Alvas. Different points of gravity activated at the same time. The target ragdolled through the air with a cry. The Queen¡¯s Knight punched the air. The purple threat dispersed under a screaming wind. Mim swept his sword around him. He needed time to put a strategy in place. He had forgotten how dangerous his enemy was. He needed to do better than applying force in this situation. He needed a strong defense to hide behind so he could mount his own offense. An iron wall appeared to cut him off from the rest of the white plain. That should give him time to start attacking without worrying about something ripping him up while he was trying to gain the upper hand. Mim gestured and minotaurs carved themselves out of the air. They roared their battle cries as they charged across the white plain. All he had to do was keep adding on to his army until his enemy was overwhelmed. He sent some of his new creations after the old adventurer. There was no point allowing him to stand on the sidelines when he needed to be killed so the plan could advance. Let Errant deal with that while he worked on his next move. The human magician punched the air to scatter the minotaurs. Then he punched again. A hole appeared in Mim¡¯s iron wall. He stepped away from it in case another punch struck him too. A third punch knocked the circular barrier over with Mim still inside its embrace. The Alvas decided that he needed to turn his barrier into an attack. Millions of needles striking at the same time should do something to his enemy. He pushed on his barrier, exerting his will. Once the needles had flown, he could do something else. His minotaurs were on the field. They could distract Errant enough to give him an opening. The needles blasted across the empty battlefield. Some of the minotaurs got in the way. The burst of metal sliced through them to get to the real target. Errant held up a hand. The needles stopped in the air in front of him. He pushed and the spray reversed direction. They struck Mim¡¯s armor, ripping up the right side of his body as he tried to get out of the way. Errant looked at the minotaurs. Pavel had killed some with his axe. Spells being flung around had killed some of the others. He shook his head. He put the survivors to sleep. That was another problem to fix on top of the ones he already had. ¡°How are you doing, Pavel?,¡± asked Errant. He didn¡¯t want to take the time for a healing spell when he had to deal with his still mobile enemy in front of him. ¡°I should be all right,¡± said Pavel. He let the minotaur blood drip from his axe. ¡°We should take care of this and leave. We have no idea what¡¯s going on in the city.¡± Errant agreed. They were in a bubble next to the real world. They needed to make sure Mim had not been able to get the signal out and hurt anyone else. First they needed to make sure he couldn¡¯t hurt anyone else with his schemes. Errant crossed the space between him and Mim. He frowned at the tattered armor and flesh beneath. The Alvas tried to point his sword to unleash lightning or fire. The knight just kicked it out of reach. ¡°I won¡¯t beg for my life,¡± said Mim. ¡°I will at least have that satisfaction.¡± ¡°If I wanted to kill you, I would have done it when we first met,¡± said Errant. ¡°As long as you remained across the border, and weren¡¯t a threat, I would have let things remain neutral. The problem is you couldn¡¯t be satisfied with that. You took the ten years I was away and devised some harebrained scheme to destroy the only human city facing your nation. You turned your pawns into murderers of their friends and bystanders. I just can¡¯t let this go like I would a straight magical attack against the city.¡± Mim reached for his sword with his unharmed hand. He couldn¡¯t quite reach it. ¡°Make better choices your next life,¡± said Errant. Blue flame erupted from inside the Alvas. He screamed as he burned away in seconds. Errant stood in place. He considered his options. Had he made the right decision? Was it his responsibility to execute every threat he found? How much longer could he keep doing this? Maybe he needed to ease back and let others do the job for him. There was nothing wrong with delegating to others. How much longer could he keep doing things before he corroded away to something he was scared of being? Was it already too late? ¡°Errant,¡± said Pavel. The sound drew him out of his personal space. He looked at his comrade. ¡°We have to check on the girls. We have to make sure they made it to the house before something happened to them.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, Pavel,¡± said Errant. He tried to smile, but it looked crooked and wrong. ¡°Let¡¯s take care of the rest of this before something worse happens.¡± ¡°Then we will get drunk,¡± said Pavel. ¡°I think that is what we both need at the moment.¡± Errant made a shrug. He picked up the fallen sword and tucked it under his jacket. He turned away and walked toward the circle hanging in the air. He paused as Pavel wiped off his axe and sheathed it under his coat. Then they stepped back into Bern, standing on the campus grounds. ¡°I think you are right and we should make sure Sonya and Woody handled things,¡± said Errant. He folded the circle until it was a small curve the size of a dagger. He put that in his jacket pocket. You never knew when a portable hole might be useful. Pavel led the way out of the school grounds. He looked around for a cab to take them across the city. Errant followed more slowly. He looked across town as he walked down the street. It looked like a building was on fire over that way. Should he lend a hand? A blast of water dropped out of the sky. Someone else was handling that problem. He nodded. That was good. He kept walking, lost in his thoughts. ¡°Climb aboard,¡± called Pavel from a carriage rolling up beside him. ¡°I have transport for us.¡± The Burning City 36 The man with no name went back to the inn where he had rented lodgings. The hotel fire was under the control of the city¡¯s fire fighters. He had made sure to empty out the building so no one was hurt. He had to get Stupid from his corral and look for the last two names on his list. The Alvas had been killed by someone else, which made him no longer a concern. The last two names in the city seemed to be using the same haunts day after day. If he grabbed both of them up tonight, he could leave the city and look for the next person on his wanted list further north. He didn¡¯t know if he would have to come back to Bern in the future, but it didn¡¯t matter. His fugitives were bound to start moving once they learned he was on the trail. Then he would really start earning his pay. He expected some of them would try to stop him from serving their cards, just like the ones he had already met. He felt ready to handle that. The dead man paused at the corral. Stupid walked over. A blocky grin covered the horse¡¯s face. ¡°We¡¯re going to have to ride around for a bit,¡± said the dead man. ¡°I only have two names left. I want to grab them tonight before they start thinking Bern isn¡¯t safe for what they are doing.¡± Stupid turned and went to the stable at one end of the corral. He waited patiently for the rider to either climb the fence, or go to the stable and break into the barn. He couldn¡¯t put his saddle on with his hooves. The dead man climbed the fence and made his way through the horses being let to roam the enclosure. He walked over to the stable and patted Stupid¡¯s shoulder. He looked around and found his gear hanging from a rack. He tacked the horse up in a few minutes. ¡°Let¡¯s get you out of here so we can look for the last two,¡± said the man with no name. ¡°Once we¡¯ve done that, we can head up toward Lobster Bay and see what kind of menaces they need to have put down.¡± Stupid neighed lightly. He was ready to run. The dead man mounted. He directed his horse over the fence. They trotted away from the stable. If things went well, the horse would be returned to the corral, he would go back to his room, they would both leave town the next day. He figured things wouldn¡¯t go well. He had never been that lucky. More likely, he would be wounded, and burn his enemy¡¯s place down just to make an excuse to leave. It wouldn¡¯t be the first time. The dead man followed the card down through the city, heading for the north side. He held the card of the man he was chasing in one hand as he rode. He ignored the cloud of smoke from the hotel as he rode. The city had it under control, and he didn¡¯t have any way of stopping fires yet. He rode down into a residential street not far from where he had confronted the Sharriff. He could see light poles for the trains in the distance. A blue stripe sparked to life as he rode down the street. He dismounted and examined the houses on the block. He found the one with the proper street address on it. It was a bright color, but he couldn¡¯t tell what it was in the dark. His target lived in that house. ¡°Stay here while I knock on the door,¡± said the dead man. Stupid nodded his head. He found a patch of grass he could crop while waiting. The man with no name walked up to the door of the house and knocked. He noted a small light on over the main floor of the place. It went out as lights came on in the windows next to the door. ¡°Yes,¡± said a young lady peeking around the edge of her cracked door. ¡°Ezra King?,¡± asked the dead man. The card didn¡¯t react to the woman. That told him that she wasn¡¯t the one he wanted. ¡°I think you have the wrong house,¡± said the woman. She started to close the door. The dead man pushed on the door, knocking her out of the way. He stepped inside. He held the card up. The stripe was wider when he pointed it up at the ceiling. ¡°What¡¯s above us?,¡± he asked. ¡°The attic,¡± said the woman. ¡°There¡¯s nothing up there but some of the things I didn¡¯t feel like unpacking when I moved in.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said the dead man. ¡°I want you to go outside for a moment. I have to figure out what is going on.¡± ¡°Why should I do that?,¡± asked the woman. She pulled her robe around her. ¡°You see this card?,¡± he asked. He held up the black card with the blue stripe burning the air. ¡°Yes,¡± said the woman. ¡°So what?¡± ¡°It tells me that the man I am looking for is somewhere in this house,¡± said the dead man. ¡°Unless he jumps out a window from up there, he is bottled and has to wait until I figure out where he is.¡± The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°There is a hatch in the bedroom closet,¡± said the woman. She pointed to the back of the house. The dead man heard something shifting overhead. The target had two choices. He could wait by the hatch and try to take his pursuer when he tried to get up into the attic, or he could try to leave the attic by some unknown means. Leaving seemed doubtful. The manhunter pulled one of his pistols as he walked to the bedroom. He listened but he couldn¡¯t hear anything. The person in the attic had froze in place to wait for him to decide what to do. He should have run. Staying was a big risk that gained nothing. The dead man pointed the pistol at the hatch. He tried to decide where an ambusher would wait for him to climb up so his head could be bashed in. He decided that it didn¡¯t matter. He just had to make it hard for the guy to come after him. The dead man fired into the ceiling around the hatch. He was rewarded by cries of pain and part of the closet ceiling falling down. He stepped back to give himself a clear view so the next shots would do more than wound. A man fell down out of the opening. Wood stuck out of his legs. He hit the floor and moaned in pain. ¡°Who¡¯s this?,¡± asked the lady. ¡°I don¡¯t know him.¡± ¡°He¡¯s been living in your attic,¡± said the dead man. ¡°Now, he¡¯s not.¡± He touched the wounded man with the warrant card. Blue light erupted from the floor. It dragged the unwelcome houseguest down into the floor as it vanished. ¡°He was up there?,¡± said the woman. ¡°How long?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said the dead man. ¡°You might want to call a Guard and have them search up there in case he had a friend we don¡¯t know anything about.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe this,¡± said the woman. ¡°I just moved in here.¡± ¡°Go ahead and get the Guard,¡± said the dead man. ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you to come back.¡± ¡°What did you do?,¡± asked the lady. ¡°What was that card?¡± ¡°I had a paper to serve on him so he could meet some people,¡± said the dead man. ¡°I¡¯m sure they are giving him a quiet talking, and an escort around when he needs one.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get a Guard,¡± said the woman. ¡°I can¡¯t believe this.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no rush now that he¡¯s gone,¡± said the dead man. ¡°The chances of two of them being in your attic is small.¡± ¡°I doubt that,¡± said the lady. ¡°I will go up and look for you,¡± said the dead man. He looked around. He found a rope for the hatch. He pulled it. A small ladder fell down to the floor of the closet. He winced at that. He set it and climbed up to the hole in her ceiling. He looked at the expanse in front of him. He didn¡¯t see anything moving. He boosted himself up the rest of the way and walked on a floor set on the beams holding the ceiling in place for the downstairs. ¡°It¡¯s all clear,¡± said the dead man. He found a lamp and turned the switch on it to let the light pour into the room. ¡°It looks like he was living up here.¡± ¡°He was living in my attic?,¡± asked the lady from below. ¡°I am going to say yes,¡± said the dead man. He turned to inspect the whole room with the light from the lamp. ¡°It looks like he had his own place up here.¡± ¡°Are you serious?,¡± asked the lady. ¡°Deathly serious,¡± said the dead man. He retreated to the hole in the attic floor. He climbed down slowly. ¡°It looks like he has been living up there for a while.¡± ¡°What do I do about this?,¡± asked the lady. She held her face with her hands. ¡°The space is clear now,¡± said the dead man. He walked toward the front door. ¡°You can just clean out any personal things you find up there that isn¡¯t yours and ignore that you had an uninvited guest for however long he was up there, or you can call the Guard and tell them that I flushed the man out and dealt with him.¡± ¡°What happens after that?,¡± she asked. ¡°I have no idea,¡± said the dead man. ¡°I have some other unfinished business to take care of, and then I am leaving the city. They won¡¯t know I was even here until you say something about it.¡± ¡°I think I am going to not say anything about this,¡± said the lady. ¡°I¡¯m scared now, but I can lock up now that the house just has me in it.¡± ¡°Here¡¯s some coppers for the ceiling so you can have someone come in and fix it,¡± said the dead man. He handed over a gold piece instead. ¡°Have a good night.¡± He pulled himself into Stupid¡¯s saddle. He turned and pulled the last card he needed to hand over as the horse trotted away. He was glad to deal with the man in the attic. How long would the man had just hidden up there watching the lady before he tried to do something. It was better for everyone if he was stuck explaining what he was doing instead of doing it. There was also the question of other women he had watched and then did something to when the watching wasn¡¯t enough. He didn¡¯t make the wanted list for keeping his hands to himself. That thought erased any misgivings about how he had handled things. He was collecting scalps. The people he was collecting scalps from had their own collections on their belts. And human monsters should be dealt with the same as the inhuman ones. ¡°Let¡¯s see if we can serve this last warrant tonight,¡± said the dead man. ¡°That will make the city a little safer before we leave.¡± Stupid nodded his head. He was made for traveling, and moving on to other places would be just as good as wandering the city. The dead man checked the last card and directed the horse back toward the center of the city. He could see the burned out hotel in the distance, but a closer building was what he wanted. He had enjoyed the easier servings that had carried him, but looking at the block of a building in front of him, he thought that his luck was coming to an end. ¡°Wait here,¡± he said. He dismounted and patted the horse on the neck. He frowned at the block in front of him. How was he going to get his target out where they could talk? He doubted knocking on the front door would produce the desired results. He decided that knocking on the front door was the only option unless he wanted to see if his pistols could shoot through the stone walls he faced. He definitely didn¡¯t see any way to get to the roof to look for a door up there. And the space looked too wide to try to jump from another building. He walked up to the door. He checked it, but only saw a slot that looked like a weakness. He felt the door. It seemed as solid as the walls. He could shoot through that slot and hoped he got lucky. He didn¡¯t see anything good coming from that. He needed to get inside to make sure. If he couldn¡¯t do that, he would have to come back with something heavier to get the job done. That was something he could do if he had to. There was no point traveling on if he left an easy job behind him. He tried the door handle before he knocked on it. It was locked to keep ruffians like him out. He banged the butt of his pistol against the door. He waited. If they heard him, they would open the slot to see who he was. If they didn¡¯t, he would have to try his luck. He glanced up at the slot opening. ¡°What do you want?,¡± asked the eyes looking at him. ¡°Railing Rennings,¡± said the dead man. ¡°I have paper for him.¡± ¡°Get out of here before I kill you,¡± said the eyes. The dead man shot him in the face with a flick of his wrist. The cover of the slot was out the way so he could hear the crackling of a small fire on the other side of the door. ¡°I should have waited for him to open the door,¡± the dead man told himself in chagrin. The Burning City 37 Jason smiled as he tapped his sword. The first job for the city was nearly successfully complete. They had saved some people from being used until they were monsters and helped put a troublemaker down. It didn¡¯t get better than that in his opinion. He wasn¡¯t sure about the competition they were giving themselves now that they had explained everything to the girls and let them choose what they wanted to do. All of them had decided to keep hunting monsters when they found them. ¡°How do we explain any of this?,¡± asked Tilda. ¡°The captain said he wanted justification for his gold.¡± ¡°It¡¯s magic,¡± said Jason. ¡°With the Alvas gone, we don¡¯t have proof they as a nation were involved. I personally don¡¯t think they were. Our villain seemed to be acting out of revenge more than anything.¡± ¡°We still have the eight monsters to deal with to finish the job,¡± said Tilda. ¡°That will be a snap,¡± said Jason. ¡°We have our apprentice monster hunters. As soon as they are ready, we¡¯ll take them around and mob our monsters in their lairs. Once that¡¯s done, there won¡¯t be any more witches to kill, and we can go back to mundane threats on the city.¡± ¡°That seems like a plan,¡± said Tilda. She glanced at Pike in his chair with his eyes closed. ¡°We can get Pike to tell the Captain what¡¯s going on.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have a problem with that,¡± said Jason. ¡°Paperwork has never been my forte.¡± Pavel and Errant sat at a table by themselves. A bottle of brew had been produced along with two glasses. Jason kept an eye on it. The last thing he needed was a drunk magician casting hexes. Sonya and Woody were taking care of the girls. They had been offered beds for the night until they felt like going back to their dorms. The cure had been vile from what Jason had seen, and he was glad to leave things in Sonya¡¯s hands. Sonya came from the other parts of the house and took in the scene. She shook her head. Woody sat down beside her. He wore a dog grin on his face. ¡°Husband,¡± said Sonya. She took his glass poured a drink for herself. ¡°It is time for you to go to bed. You have work in the morning.¡± She put the glass down and helped him up to his feet. Jason moved to help, but she waved him off. This wasn¡¯t the first time she had to lay him down to sleep because of something he had seen, or done. It probably wouldn¡¯t be the last. Woody took Pavel¡¯s chair. He stared at his master and friend. The man in blue didn¡¯t look up from his cup. Woody barked once, loud as thunder. Pike sat up at the sudden noise. Jason nodded. Errant eased back in his chair. ¡°I know,¡± said Errant. ¡°It just seemed like the thing to do.¡± Woody made a noise about that. ¡°I win a lot of bets with this,¡± said Errant. Woody barked. ¡°A lot,¡± said Errant. ¡°Do you mind if we join you?,¡± asked Jason. He nudged Tilda so she would sit down at the table with the magician and his dog. ¡°What kind of bets do you win, Errant?¡± ¡°Mostly drinking contests,¡± said Errant. ¡°I never get drunk.¡± ¡°Really?,¡± said Tilda. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°It¡¯s one of the things you give up,¡± said Errant. He poured himself another glass and sipped on the alcohol. ¡°You can drink as much as you want, but you never get drunk.¡± ¡°I¡¯m like that too,¡± said Tilda. ¡°Really?,¡± said Errant. ¡°I doubt you could keep up with me.¡± ¡°You think so?,¡± said Tilda. ¡°I drank a shae lord under the table. I¡¯d like to see you do that.¡± ¡°They can¡¯t hold their beer, much less the hard stuff,¡± said Errant. ¡°Really?,¡± said Tilda. ¡°Put some gold on this table and we¡¯ll see who the best drinker is.¡± Woody barked. He shook his whole body in the negative. ¡°What¡¯s his problem?,¡± asked Tilda. ¡°Beating children is not much of an achievement,¡± said Errant. ¡°He wants to move on before I get too involved in putting you to sleep.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see who gets put to sleep,¡± said Tilda. Errant waved his hand at her. He stared at his glass. Tilda stood. She shook her head. She went to the bar and secured a glass for herself, and the biggest decanter of alcohol she could find. She pushed the other bottle out of the way and put the new bottle down. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°You ready?,¡± she asked as she opened the bottle. Woody barked. Jason held up his hand. ¡°Let them get it out of their system,¡± said Jason. The drinking started casually at first. The exchange of shots barely cleared the top of the bottle in the first ten minutes. Then Tilda started pushing forward. They quickly emptied out the first bottle without a sign of trouble. The second opened bottle still on the table followed the first in a matter of minutes. Jason sat back in surprise. He was known to drink a little, but not like this. The pair of them went through the bar Pavel had stocked up. The empties were stood on one side as they finished them. Errant kept up a string of commentary as they blasted Pavel¡¯s supply like a man in the desert chasing water. Finally Tilda¡¯s body gave up the ghost just before the sun came up. She slumped in her chair, empty glass in hand. Errant pulled the glass from her hand and put it on the table. He looked around. ¡°I think we should leave while everyone is asleep,¡± Errant said. Woody sat up, braced to get to his feet. ¡°Not everyone is asleep,¡± said Jason. He smiled at the small scare he had given. ¡°I¡¯m still here.¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to leave before Sonya realizes we drank everything in the house,¡± said Errant. ¡°She¡¯ll be a little bit irritated.¡± ¡°What about Tilda?,¡± asked Jason. He waved at his apprentice. ¡°She¡¯ll sleep it off and be back on her feet in a few days,¡± said Errant. He shrugged. ¡°She¡¯ll have a headache for a while, but some pain killer will take care of that.¡± ¡°There are the eight monsters we have to kill,¡± said Jason. ¡°Can you handle it?,¡± asked Errant. ¡°If not, I¡¯ll clean them out before the sun comes up.¡± ¡°What am I missing?,¡± said Jason. ¡°You can solve most problems with a wave of your hand. I don¡¯t see why you need us at all.¡± Errant frowned. He looked away to gather his thoughts. Then he pulled himself together, and he was someone else. ¡°I have been asked to save the future,¡± said Errant. ¡°While I can change some things for the better, I need others to enlist and fight the important fights while I rove around. That¡¯s why I created the Baldwins, and showed the Rioridanians how to summon their daemons, and pushed the Alvas back when they tried to ruin humanity, and other things I can¡¯t recall off the top of my head. I could fight your major battles for you, but I need you to fight your battles yourself and keep things running when I am busy somewhere else.¡± ¡°Are you doing it?,¡± asked Jason. He leaned back in his chair. ¡°Doing it?,¡± said Errant. ¡°Saving the future?,¡± said Jason. ¡°I have no idea,¡± said Errant. ¡°Every win pushes things back a little further. That¡¯s the best I can hope for at the moment.¡± ¡°If you need a monster killed, send a note,¡± said Jason. ¡°I¡¯ll be glad to do it for you.¡± ¡°Look after the girls and the Konstantins,¡± said Errant. ¡°That¡¯s all I can hope for at the moment. Tell your girl she¡¯s tough, but I was tougher my first day on the job.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure she will love that,¡± said Jason. Errant smiled and walked from the room. Woody followed with a bound. Jason watched them both go silently. He looked at his apprentice. She drooled on the table. He pushed her back in her chair, and wiped her face and the table off with a napkin. He shook his head. He still had a horde of monsters to deal with, and uncertain partners to do it with from his standpoint. He would have to work out a plan with Errant out of the picture. At least they knew everything now. That would make their planning a little easier from his perspective. Tilda would be able to lend her mental power when she had recovered from her drinking. He shook his head at the empty bottles on the table. He would have to compensate Pavel at some point. He decided to nap until someone came to kick him out. Once he had talked to everybody, he would start thinking of ways to kill things. When they were done with the witches, they would turn their attention on that strange hotel. After that, they would try to focus on other crimes for the Guard. He didn¡¯t know by the time he wanted to focus on the hotel the Guard had already found a secret laboratory under the facility. The experiments didn¡¯t look that pleasant to them. Pavel tapped him on the shoulder to wake him up. He nodded when he focused on the old adventurer. ¡°All of my alcohol is gone,¡± Pavel said. ¡°Tilda and Errant had a drinking contest,¡± said Jason. ¡°Tilda lost.¡± ¡°I can see that,¡± said Pavel. He waved at the woman in her seat. ¡°She looks horrible.¡± ¡°She did well for herself,¡± said Jason. ¡°Unfortunately, her brain gave out. I¡¯ll get her on her feet and moving in a few minutes.¡± ¡°Errant?,¡± asked Pavel. ¡°He and his wooden dog have moved on to the next thing they had to work on and have decided to let us handle the monsters when the girls are ready,¡± said Jason. ¡°If they never ready themselves, I¡¯ll deal with their transformed colleagues myself.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll work something out long before that becomes an issue,¡± said Pavel. ¡°I have to go to work. We can meet here in the afternoon. Sonya will probably have something to say but you¡¯ll be gone for a unknown time doing unknown things.¡± ¡°I should gather up my colleagues and get them to their homes,¡± said Jason. ¡°Thank you for letting us stay. Send a bill for the alcohol to the office. Arlo will pay it.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Pavel. ¡°It has been a pleasure.¡± Jason got to his feet. He nudged his partner with a foot. Pike opened his eyes, but didn¡¯t seem inclined to move. ¡°We¡¯re leaving, Arlo,¡± said Jason. ¡°We might need a taxi to carry Tilda home.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Arlo. He stood up and stretched. ¡°What happened here?¡± ¡°Tilda and Errant drank all the liquor they could find,¡± said Jason. ¡°We have to pay Pavel for that.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll put it down to charge the Guard for it,¡± said Pike. ¡°This seems like a lot of alcohol.¡± ¡°It is for guests normally,¡± said Pavel. ¡°Or normal guests. I suppose I should have seen something like this happening.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all right,¡± said Jason. ¡°No one sees something like this coming. Let¡¯s get our apprentice up and we¡¯ll take her home.¡± Jason and Pike picked Tilda up between the two of them. Pike grabbed her jacket, and slung it over his shoulder. ¡°She is heavy for such a little girl,¡± said Jason. He shifted and lifted her over his shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll get a cab,¡± said Pike. He rubbed one of his eyes. ¡°Thanks for your help, Master Konstantin. Except for clean up, it looks like this case is closed.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll ask the wife to arrange things so we can take care of the monsters left behind,¡± said Pavel. ¡°Who would have thought a ghost would have exposed some of this?¡± ¡°A ghost?,¡± asked Jason. ¡°My friend, Ivanoviska, was killed by one of these witches,¡± said Pavel. He escorted them to the door. ¡°He asked me for help. That¡¯s how the wife and I got involved with the girls.¡± ¡°Still around?,¡± asked Jason. ¡°Probably,¡± said Pavel. ¡°He¡¯s picked up the ability to steal bodies. It¡¯s only a matter of time before an exorcist gets involved.¡± Jason nodded. He carried Tilda through the house as Pavel led the way to the front door. He stepped out on the front sidewalk and felt the city come into focus around him. ¡°Now, I have to make my excuses, and go about the mundane business of checking accounts,¡± said Pavel. ¡°Also I might need to push the bank mailman down a flight of stairs.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll leave you to that,¡± said Jason, smiling. Jason and Pike headed back toward the center of the city, Pavel split off and headed for the bank he worked at on the West Side. They found a cab and boarded. Their trip took them by the hotel Jason wanted to investigate. He frowned that someone had burned it down during the night while they were chasing things in the dark. ¡°It looks like our dead man came through here,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ll go by and check it in a few hours,¡± said Pike. ¡°He might have cleared out a viper¡¯s nest for us.¡± The Burning City 38 The man with no name examined the door in front of him. His quarry was inside. He thought about going after someone else and coming back. He set his face. This was the last name in the city. He wasn¡¯t going after someone else when his prey was just on the other side of this door. He was going inside and dealing with this. Then he would leave the city. He examined the door. Two massive hinges looked too big to smash through. He didn¡¯t see a knob, or a handle. That meant there was a handle on the inside, maybe a locking bar. He took a moment to make sure no one was looking at him through the charred slot before looking at the opening side of the door. He could faintly see what looked like a shadow at the edge of the door. He stood back and pointed the pistol at it. Flame blasted at the bar until it flew away. He shouldered the door open enough to get inside the bunker. The man he had shot in the face lay in the way, but he was inside. He closed the door and moved the body in front of it to be a hindrance to anyone else who wanted to get inside. He decided to check the next room before he rushed in. He was in a foyer for people checking in. There was no telling how many people would be waiting for him if they heard the noise he made breaking in. The dead man peered around the edge of the door. No one seemed scared. They must not have heard him over the noise generated by the gambling tables, and the crowd surrounding a pit on the other side of the room. He moved into the room, seraph covering his guns as he walked. He didn¡¯t need to kill all these people. He didn¡¯t need to kill Rennings if he could get his warrant card in his hand. A few of the staff looked at him. He didn¡¯t fit in with the rest of the mob. They were concerned with the gambling and drinking. He moved through the room, eyes on the people around him. A pit boss waved to one of the security men to deal with this problem. The dead man wondered what they thought they were going to do. He didn¡¯t see any weapons. Security might be holding artifacts, or special abilities. Did he really want to kill this whole crowd just to get to one man? He decided the best thing to do was meet the security man coming right at him and ask for Rennings. Maybe there was a chance to nip things in the bud before they get out of control. He didn¡¯t need open warfare with the city¡¯s elite. That might hamper the rest of his searches. ¡°I¡¯m looking for Rennings,¡± the dead man said. He had to raise his voice to be heard. ¡°Have you seen him?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re going to have to ask for him somewhere else,¡± said the guard. ¡°We can¡¯t have riffraff wandering around in the gambling hall.¡± ¡°Do you have any water magic?,¡± asked the dead man. He looked around the room. How many would he have to kill to get to Rennings? ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± said the security guard. Two guns came up. One pointed at the elaborate bar full of alcohol through the crowd. The other at the nearest gambling table. Roars of fire sent a hundred bottles up in a jet of blue flame, and punched a hole through the table, scattering the money on it. People started scrambling away from the fires. ¡°Rennings,¡± demanded the dead man. ¡°Then I want you to get these people out of here.¡± ¡°He¡¯s upstairs in the private rooms,¡± said the guard. He looked around at the chaos. ¡°Go ahead,¡± said the dead man. He gestured with his pistol. ¡°Don¡¯t get in my way.¡± The security guard started waving at people to head for the front door. He gestured for other security to start getting people out the exits. The dead man headed for the only staircase he could see in the middle of the gambling hall. He doubted the guards would let him by at the top. They were completely safe from a fire. It would take a lot to burn the building down around them. That didn¡¯t mean he wouldn¡¯t try to serve his warrant and move on. Guards not directing people out of the way started to converge on him. He reached the staircase before they did. He frowned at the stone and glass construction of the thing. There was no way he could break it down behind him as he climbed. He needed to get up the steps, break through the door he saw up there, and search the private rooms until he found Rennings. Killing the guards might have to be done if they got in his way. He decided to start with the door to see how tough it was. The dead man charged up the stairs. He fired both pistols into the door as he went. He hit the lockbar, and blasted it out of the way. Then he hit the door itself with his shoulder. Security waited on him at a distance from the door. That was a mistake on their part. They were armed with swords and knives. One man had a crossbow capable of shooting through armor from the looks of it. Most of the weapons were at short range, and depended on quickness to close the gap to where he came into the short hall leading to the private rooms. His pistols had a better range and his reflexes were faster. As soon as they saw him, they had to close. As soon as he saw them, he started sending lances of screaming fire into their ranks. He made sure to shoot the crossbowman first before the guard could send a bolt at him. He passed through the foyer area in a stench of sulphur, and screams of pain. He still had eight rooms to check before his job was done. He supposed most of the doors would be locked against people like him. They wouldn¡¯t be locked for long. He used his pistols on the door locks. They weren¡¯t made of the same stuff as the outer doors. One shot and a kick opened the door for him. The people inside weren¡¯t happy with his interruption of their games. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Some of them were less pleased at the bolt of flame he put into them before moving on. Survivors he gestured to the door. He didn¡¯t need to kill them, and they were a distraction to the guards mounting the steps. He found his quarry in room number six. The room was full of a haze from a weed burning in a brazier. The smell would kill a normal human being. Rennings sat on the middle of the bed, breathing the smoke in. His eyes glowed green to match the smoke. Parts of his skin seemed crusted by whatever he was doing. ¡°Rennings?,¡± asked the dead man. He pulled out the glowing warrant card. ¡°I have a paper to serve you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s exceptional of you,¡± said Rennings. He took a hit from the haze. ¡°I don¡¯t accept your paper. I think you should leave now.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t get a choice,¡± said the dead man. He tossed the card at the other man. It seemed easier than just blasting in the smoke. ¡°I don¡¯t want your card!¡±, screamed Rennings. The haze collected into a fist of rage that flung the card back at the dead man. He turned to let it go by instead of trying to catch it. The blue card embedded into the wall with a twang of vibration. ¡°This is my alone time!,¡± shouted Rennings. ¡°You are ruining it for me!¡± The dead man fired his pistols into the room. The haze took the shots, burning away as it redirected the blasts around the room. It started flowing out into the hall. Tendrils of the stuff reached for the man with no name. He backed up, trying to think of a solution to the problem. Charging into the mist seemed to be more dangerous than not. He couldn¡¯t get a shot in if it blocked his shots. He needed to separate the man from his protector. He didn¡¯t see a way to do that. The dead man retreated from the haze. It filled the hall, reaching out for him. He needed to get around it somehow so he could reach his target. He stepped into number four. A woman was tied to the bed. Her paramour had suffered an amputation of an arm. The hand still held a cutting instrument in it. He looked at the tray of instruments. He frowned at the variety of blades on display. He grabbed one of the blades and cut the woman loose with two swipes. He frowned at the sharpness of it. ¡°Better run while you still can,¡± said the dead man. He indicated the door with a thumb. ¡°That smoke?,¡± said the woman. ¡°Turn right and head for the door,¡± said the dead man. ¡°Security should let you pass so they can come up and deal with me.¡± She nodded. She grabbed the dead man¡¯s coat and personal belongings before she ran for the door. She pulled on the coat as she tried to get out of the smoke from Rennings. The dead man hoped the inner walls weren¡¯t as tough as the outer ones. Otherwise, this could be a short plan ending in a failure. He fired into the wall separating number four from number six. He punched a hole in the separating walls in a few seconds. He kept blasting to keep the haze focused on blocking the hellfire from hitting. He charged into the haze, holding his breath. He had no desire to have the drug in his body. He knew that was what it was, and Rennings was using it to boost his natural ability. He had the knife in his hand along with the spare gun he was shooting. The flames from his pistols circled the room without hitting anything before they blew out. He counted himself lucky the blasts couldn¡¯t be redirected at him as moved into the room. Rennings screamed at him. He didn¡¯t listen. His eyes were on one thing. He wanted the brazier. Once he had that, he could put a stop to some of this mess. Something grabbed him around the neck. He knew it was the haze coming to life to stop him. Rennings had that much control. He had to get free long enough to put the rest of his sketchy plan into operation. He had to hurt Rennings long enough to break his concentration. Luckily he had a knife in hand. The dead man dropped the pistol, but kept his grip on the knife. He took aim with the knife in hand, holding it to his ear. He threw the knife through the haze to the other side of the room. Rennings screamed in pain from the throw. The haze dropped the dead man to the floor. He rushed to the brazier and tipped it over. He stamped out the fire in a few seconds. The haze started thinning out with its cause extinguished. Rennings blinked in confusion. The knife stuck out of his torso. He looked down at it. He rubbed his face with his hands. ¡°I have something for you,¡± said the dead man. Rennings looked up. Flame filled his vision for a brief second. Then he was falling to the underworld to work off his punishment. The dead man pulled the knife out of his dead victim. He needed a sheath for it. He grabbed his other pistol and holstered it before going back to room number four. He went back to the tray and frowned. No sheathes were in evidence. He found caps. He took one and covered the blade of his improvised weapon. He put it in his pants pocket in case he needed it. You never knew when you had to cut someone. The dead man crossed into the hall. The haze had spread out, thinning to nothing in places. It didn¡¯t have the malevolent presence it had undertaken under Rennings. He moved down the hall to the steps. He doubted security was going to let him walk away. No one liked a total stranger wrecking their place and leaving. He readied himself to kill as many as he had to before they took him. He glanced out in the gambling hall. Most of the people had cleared out. Workers had formed bucket brigades to put out the fires he had started. A line of archers formed up behind cover at the base of the stairs to stop him from fighting through. He saw a way out if he didn¡¯t mind getting hurt. The dead man moved to the railing of the staircase and vaulted it. He dropped to the floor and turned to face the barricade. He sent streams of flames at the barrier as he jogged to the door. He didn¡¯t try to hit anyone, but knew it was inevitable that someone would step in front of one of his shots and have a hole punched through them. Arrows answered his charge, but the archers had wisely decided to rotate around the staircase so he couldn¡¯t come at their flank. That wasn¡¯t his goal. Pretending to flank his enemy meant he had an open shot at the door and escape from the gambling hall. He reached the foyer, turned and fired a wall of streamers to keep everyone¡¯s heads down. Someone had moved the headless body from in front of the door. He pulled the door open, using it as a shield. No one was on the street. He stepped outside. Where was Stupid? He spotted his horse standing beside the woman he had freed from room number four. He didn¡¯t have time to figure out what was going on. He put his pistols away and jogged over to his horse. ¡°What do you want?,¡± the dead man asked. ¡°I need to leave the city,¡± said the woman. ¡°I¡¯m in trouble.¡± The dead man considered what she was asking. He should leave her here to take her chances. He wasn¡¯t in the habit of rescuing damsels in distress. It wasn¡¯t part of his job. Stupid looked at him. The face said have pity. ¡°All right,¡± said the dead man. ¡°The least I can do is get you some clothes. After that, we¡¯ll put you on a train, or something to get you out of here.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± said the woman. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Just a lowly bounty hunter,¡± said the man with no name. ¡°Let¡¯s go before I have to kill some more people I don¡¯t have to.¡± He lifted her on the saddle. He mounted behind her. He took one more look at the gambling hall. No one had come out of the place after him. He didn¡¯t have to tell Stupid to go. They rode down the street until Stupid stopped in front of a haberdashery. He made a whicker. The dead man slid out of the saddle. He helped the woman down. They went inside through a busted door. They came back out with a new dress and boots, and a bag of clothes for her. They remounted and headed off down the street. The man with no name kept his eyes moving. His list in the city was done. Once he figured out what to do with his companion, he was free to move on. He saw a train station in the distance. He tugged on the rein and Stupid changed his course. The horse trotted up to the steps leading to the station. He dismounted and lifted the woman down to the ground. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said. ¡°I needed the help.¡± ¡°Good luck,¡± said the dead man. ¡°I have to get back to work.¡± He mounted up. He watched her walk in the train station, with her bag. No one seemed interested in her. When the train rolling north came, she sat in a compartment and waved at him as the mechanical dragon rolled down the track. He waved back, even though he didn¡¯t know why. He pulled the deck of cards and picked out the next closest target to the city. The location was northeast of the city, and a day, or two, away. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± said the dead man. ¡°This job isn¡¯t going to do itself.¡± Revised List Pokemon used for Rioridiana the man with no name used for the man with no name demonic bureaucracies used for the Underworld seven brothers used for the Stalking Light brothers Madoka used for the magical girl guild of Bern Hero 1: Alan Scott Hero 2: Hal Jordan Hero 3: Jade Hero 4: John Taylor used for Arlo Pike Hero 5: Ben Ten used for Bernard Villain 1: Kulak Villain 2: Dormmannu Villain 3: Mordru Villain 4: Undead Thomas Edison (Atomic Robo) Villain 5: Vilgax Support 1: StarGate Command Support 2: Boston Brand, Deadman used for Ivanoviska Support 3: Katherine Corrigan Support 4: The Green Lantern Corps used for the Green Lights Support 5: Gwen Ten Support 6: Max Tennyson used for Moe Eisen Support 7: Mab used for the Queen Support 8: Hank Pym used for Zachariah Eight Arms Support 9: Artemis Gordon Support 10: Johnny Thunder used for Pavel Konstantin Anything 1: Ibis Anything 2: Immortal Man used Geoff Cantrell Anything 3: G-8 used for Gear Octo Anything 4: Micheal Carpenter used for Jason Anything 5: Scott Lang used for Bolan This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Anything 6: Hope Pym used for Sola Eight Arms Anything 7: James West Anything 8: Lord Heisengard (Atomic Robo) used for the Lord of Lightning Anything 9: Hydroman Anything 10: Original Daredevil Suggestions handed in A coworker named Jim suggested He Man beating up Strawberry Shortcake and My Little Pony. Train that runs on human souls Josh h Used for the Northside death worm train Terminator SaffronAngel Matrix used for Bass''s game SaffronAngel Doctor Who used for Errant SaffronAngel Phineas and Ferb used for the Keller brothers opal sparrow Deadpool opal sparrow Disney Princesses As villain''s minions used for the lord of lightning''s air pirates. opal sparrow peanut butter and jalepeno sandwich used for the keller boy''s line of sandwiches opal sparrow Hitchhiker''s Guide opal sparrow Dune used for the crater desert faction opal sparrow An evil minion with healing powers... thematically subversive to say the least. ecolaserbuilder Guppies I think I used this as giant guppies not sure.LaSalle A peanut butter and [something other than jelly] sandwich used for the keller boys LaSalle Comet Hale¨CBoppLaSalle A city destroyed by kudzu LaSalle A Tea Ceremony LaSalle Caligula''s Horse LaSalle Br''er Rabbit used for Brother Rabbit LaSalle the Travelling Shovel of Death used by Zachariah Eight Arms, the Kellers, and Brother Rabbit LaSalle Foundation Nac mac feegles Serpent Rose Avatar: The Last Airbender used for the Dai part of Riant kctejada The Darksword Trilogy kctejada The Deathgate Cycle kctejada The Codex Alera. used for the shaper totem part of Riant kctejada Haitian Voodoo Drugs from my friend, Ray K used for powering up the Sharriff and Railing Rennings Dread Pirate Roberts, characters from the Princess Bride Mechanical Procrastinator Two quotes from my son ¡°It was a dark and stormy night. Suddenly, a shot rang out! A door slammed. The maid screamed. Suddenly, a pirate ship appeared on the horizon! While millions of people were starving, the king lived in luxury. Meanwhile, on a small farm in Kansas, a boy was growing up.¡± Once there was an ugly barnacle. He was so ugly that everyone died. The end. Trollz From Headache Spaz Peter Pan and Neverland (Captain Hook and the crocodile) From Headache Spaz Monty Python and the Holy Grail From Headache Spaz internet cat memes From Headache Spaz Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles From Headache Spaz Scooby-Doo From Headache Spaz Chronicles of Narnia From Headache Spaz Charlie and the Chocolate Factory From Headache Spaz other children''s books by Roald Dahl used Matilda for Tilda Crass From Headache Spaz Totoro used for Toto Saltulra Treasure Planet TunnelTy Courage, Boomhauer, Kenny from South Park, and Donny Thornberry arguing about the last piece of a pizza- Josh H and Andrew B. used for the four cannibals An attic guy living in some unsuspecting person''s attic Allison E. Used as one of the man with no name''s targets. highlanders Blackferret used for Bass''s game. Under the Sea 1 Zachariah Eight Arms looked at the assemblage. He looked at his notes. He looked at the crowd again. He didn¡¯t like speaking in public, but he felt he had to set out the goals for the organization he had been saddled with thanks to agreeing to find a monster egg in the ocean near his home city of Rioridania. He had wanted to build the prototype by himself, or with the help of another machinist and his apprentice. He hadn¡¯t expected that King Festus and the people from Lobster Bay would get involved in things like they had. He supposed it couldn¡¯t be helped, but he didn¡¯t like the additional pressure when he would have to kill whatever it was in the ocean before it hatched. He supposed he should get started. ¡°Thank you for coming to the meeting,¡± Zach said. ¡°I¡¯m doing this so we can all start on the same page. I don¡¯t know all of you, so I am going to start by telling you who I am, the people that will be checking in with you, and what¡¯s going on and why you were assembled.¡± A picture of Sara¡¯s Rocket appeared on the wall next to Zach¡¯s shoulder. He glanced at it. He nodded. It had taken a bit of finetuning for making a picture projector, but it was working fine at the moment. ¡°I¡¯m Zachariah Eight Arms, and this is Sara¡¯s Rocket,¡± he said. ¡°We; my daughter, my assistant and I built her for the Air Race earlier in the year. She holds the speed record at the moment.¡± Murmurs swept through the room. He doubted any of the machinists had built anything as complicated as a flying machine powered by a gravity engine using air sucked in from the sky to pull itself along. That was fine. He hadn¡¯t expected them to have that knowledge. ¡°Sola and Bolan, could you stand up?,¡± asked Zachariah. He waited for the youths to stand. ¡°This is my daughter, Sola, and my apprentice, Bolan. They know a lot about what we¡¯re going to do, and what they don¡¯t know, they can find out. Sola is also handling the accounting. When we break up, everyone who wants to get paid for their work should talk to her and have their names put on the payroll.¡± A map of Rioridania¡¯s coast appeared on the wall where the flying machine had been. ¡°The machine factory that we are setting up will have two purposes,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°The first project is a vessel that will sail under the water.¡± He indicated the zone of death with a finger. ¡°This is approximately where we have to search,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I have been informed that there is something there that threatens Rioridania, possibly the rest of the continent. The underwater boat is to be built so we can find it and kill it. Best case is that it is something small that will gradually grow into being a problem. Worst case is it will become another dark tower and spread after it destroys the island and the coast.¡± He let them talk. He wanted them to know he meant business, and this was the time for anyone who couldn¡¯t help them to leave. They were talking about building something that no one had even thought about building before. ¡°The other project we¡¯re going to be building is a flying battleship for Lobster Bay,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Gear Octo, and Doctor Benz? Could you stand up please?¡± The two did so. Gear Octo wore the flying leathers of a professional pilot in Lobster Bay¡¯s air force. Unit and rank patches were sewn on the sleeve his flight jacket. Doctor Benz wore a suit of dark gray with a tab from the Science Division on the collar of his jacket. He looked barely old enough to be sent out alone. Zachariah had pegged him as someone really good at things, someone junior enough to be assigned to the project with no hope of pull back at home, or someone unlikable that needed to be sent away or shot. Zachariah hoped it wasn¡¯t the last because he didn¡¯t need the headache. ¡°Gear Octo is our flying consultant,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°The designs we are working on are going to need practical experience from a pilot.¡± And the pilot had been in the top ten in the air race, and Zachariah trusted him to do whatever he could to help out. ¡°Doctor Benz is our science consultant and auditor to make sure we¡¯re doing a good job, and that his government can replicate what we build with ordinary hands,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Daemons make it easier for us to build things, but if we have to hand the crafting to others, they are going to have to use more mundane methods to duplicate what we do.¡± The two men sat down. ¡°If you see any problem in the design work, talk to me or Carson One Thumb, and we¡¯ll change it,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°If you can¡¯t find either of us, then Sola, or Bolan, are next in line. Then Doctor Benz. Anything having to do with the practical applications of flight will go to Octo. Are there any questions?¡± The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Do you have any designs for either of these things?,¡± asked one of the men. ¡°I have prints for the boat,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°My hope is we can use this as a base for the battleship for Lobster Bay. If we can¡¯t, I¡¯ll have to come with a whole new set of prints for it before we can start building her.¡± He looked down at the box at his feet. He pulled the model out of it as the blueprints appeared on the wall. ¡°This is a model I built before coming here and starting to set up,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I¡¯m going to pass it around so you can look at it. Write down any suggestions so we can see if we can incorporate them into the design.¡± He handed the model to the nearest man. He nodded as the machinist examined his idea. A group surrounded him, talking about what they wanted on the boat. ¡°Pass it around so others can look at it,¡± said Zachariah. Gradually the boat made its way around the room. The machinists and their daemons talked over what would be the best way to build it with what they had. ¡°I want you to think about things, and write down everything you can think of to make building the design easier,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Do that after we take a look around the work area.¡± He waited for the model to return to him. He put it back in its box before he walked toward the front door of the crew building. He led the way to another much bigger building where the construction would start. They had installed a cradle and a runway so the boat could be run into the water when it was finally done. Supplies had been gathered and stockpiled by Festus¡¯s staff. Some of it was going to be inferior, so they would have to test as they went. An area for the design work took up one corner in the back of the building. ¡°We have another building on the other side for testing as we go,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I have a lightning gun design but I don¡¯t know how it will work in the water, so we¡¯ll have to think about what kind of weapons we can build into her if that doesn¡¯t work.¡± ¡°Has anyone here ever done something like this other than Master Eight Arms and his crew?,¡± asked Doctor Benz. ¡°Not exactly like this,¡± said one of the men. ¡°It¡¯s a crazy design, Zach. We might not be able to make it work. An airproof shell will be easy. Most of the inner wiring will be easy to hard based on where it has to be. The problem is making sure the crew don¡¯t suffocate while they¡¯re under and send the whole thing to the bottom of the harbor.¡± ¡°Carson has worked on air filters that he thinks will circulate the air and keep everyone alive,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I have also placed a design for a breathing tube when we are near the surface. Once it is deployed, we can pipe air to the inside of the boat. The speed will be reduced so the snorkel won¡¯t break off.¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to have to check that,¡± said the machinist. ¡°We are going to have to check everything,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°No one has ever done anything like this. If it works, we might be able to sail these boats anywhere without a problem.¡± ¡°No one will be able to see them?,¡± asked another machinist. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I¡¯m sure they will be loud in the water, so the fish might be able to hear them. I don¡¯t know how it will sound to people on the surface.¡± ¡°Did you really set the speed record in that contraption you put on the wall?,¡± asked another machinist. ¡°The Rocket is the best thing I have ever come up with, and it performed admirably during the race,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°It did better than I ever dreamed it would.¡± ¡°My plane is down on the field,¡± said Gear Octo. ¡°Carson repaired it after some heavy problems during the race. You can look at that to see what makes a flying machine fly.¡± ¡°Before you do that,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Has everybody who wants to be hired talked to Sola yet? Do that before you go out to look at Octo¡¯s jet. Also we¡¯re starting on First Day, and we¡¯re not taking breaks until the thing is done. If something happens, and you need time off, talk to Sola about it.¡± ¡°Why the rush?,¡± asked one of the machinist. ¡°I¡¯m on a deadline for the boat,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°And I think we¡¯re going to need a lot of work to get it ready to sail.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the hull,¡± said the machinist. ¡°My guys and I have put together a thousand hulls for every kind of boat you can name. This hull is a little strange, but we can do the job, and on time.¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I want to hear,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Did you really fly that thing of yours in the air race?,¡± said a woman with a scarf and a hound. ¡°I did,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I hoped to use the design for the battleship I promised Lobster Bay, but I don¡¯t see how it could be made viable without a bigger engine than the one I put in the Rocket.¡± ¡°It would take some doing, but I don¡¯t see why it couldn¡¯t,¡± said the woman. ¡°We might have to see what kind of armament they want on it if they want to take that thing into some kind of sky battle.¡± ¡°Check with Octo and Benz,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°The two of them should know everything about the air force up there. They¡¯ll be able to tell you what kind of weapons they might want to have installed if we can get the thing to fly.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said the woman. ¡°Come on, Sofi. Let¡¯s see what these foreigners know about anything.¡± She walked off to join Benz and Octo and another machinist with a whiny voice and waving hands. Zachariah thought the meeting had went well. He hoped that his design would stand the test of the intellects he had gathered. He wanted something simple and easy to build so they could be mass produced as fast as a machinist and daemon could put things together. He knew that Gold Bug, his daemon, could build something with enough metal. The result would be fragile and not stand up to any problem they might encounter. That was why they had rebuilt the Rocket based on the prototype the ant had put together. And they were going to do the same for the vehicles he was putting together for Rioridania and Lobster Bay. He thought he could use any plans for the air ship and boat and combine them into something that could take him to one of the moons. He would need an air supply and Carson¡¯s air filters at the very least if the trip was more than a couple of days. That would be something that no one else had ever been able to do. Even a green light had never been to a moon as far as anyone knew. Of course, he doubted they would have told anybody if they had gone to a moon. Green lights tended to keep things to themselves. It would be nice to know what to expect. He smiled. He had to get his sea boat finished before he could think about a space boat. Under the Sea 2 Zachariah walked through the testing lab. Several teams of machinists and daemons worked on weapons applications. One was even testing his lightning gun. Doctor Benz wandered around, making notes. ¡°Hey, Zach,¡± said the tester of the lightning gun. ¡°I don¡¯t think this is going to work for your boat.¡± ¡°What is the problem, Nick?,¡± asked Zachariah. He looked at the scale model. ¡°It electrifies the water,¡± said Nick Over Burning. ¡°It¡¯ll cut the systems unless we find some way to insulate the hull from the lightning. You don¡¯t want to be underwater and have the engine cut off.¡± ¡°You have alternates?,¡± asked Zach. He was sure he could come up with something if he was pressed. He didn¡¯t like it for the loss of time, but Gold Bug would be a big help in that. ¡°I think so,¡± said Nick. He rubbed his blocky chin with a big hand. ¡°We think we can use light to cut through a target, but it might require a second engine, or we might want solid shells that ram a target on their own.¡± ¡°The water will stop solid shells unless they have an engine of their own to run them into the target,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°And we have no way of making sure they would hit the target underwater.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do with building a cutter for your boat,¡± said Nick. ¡°I can get you examples of builds,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Gold Bug and I have thought of things enough to be able to build prototypes. We just don¡¯t have time to build a full cannon on our own.¡± ¡°A light beam cutter?,¡± said Nick. ¡°Yes,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We modeled it off of one of Knife¡¯s attachments. He is a walking toolbox.¡± Zachariah went to the modeling and drafting area of their endeavor. He searched for the box he wanted. He took it back to the weapons team and showed them the model he and Gold Bug had come up with to copy the other daemon¡¯s natural weapon. ¡°You press the button on top and a light beam extends out and burns the target,¡± said the machinist. He demonstrated for the crew. ¡°This is exactly what we need,¡± said Nick. ¡°We¡¯re going to need a separate engine to power it.¡± ¡°Talk to the design drafters,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We¡¯ll have to make room for it.¡± ¡°No problem,¡± said Nick. He cut the power off for the model and inspected it. ¡°We might be able to build in batteries to be charged by a smaller engine than the one driving the rest of the ship.¡± ¡°Do you think you can build a working device from this model?,¡± asked Zachariah. ¡°Yes,¡± said Nick. ¡°We don¡¯t really have a call for this kind of thing here with everyone having daemons to do the heavy lifting, but we could take these cutters and use them as fence posts around the harbor to keep problem makers off our harbor.¡± Zachariah nodded. Daemons made things a lot easier for his people. Other nations didn¡¯t understand why they did things the way they did, but they were respected. Minor warlords ran into a party of Riordianians and quickly learned what it meant to have daemons ripping your efforts apart effortlessly. ¡°Let me know what you have when you get a full sized model working, Nick,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We¡¯ll have to finalize the blueprints so we can put in the correct wiring and junction boxes so the Lobster Bay people can build copies per our agreement.¡± ¡°Will do,¡± said Nick. ¡°I¡¯ll get George and his Biter to generate the parts we need, and then we¡¯ll put them through the press. The group should have something tomorrow sometime.¡± ¡°Thanks, Nick,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I have to talk to the hull and engine teams.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to go look at those later to make sure we can fit the weapons in place once we have them built,¡± said Nick. Zachariah nodded as he moved on to the other parts of the complex. He had been smart to enlist help. It would have taken years for him to build everything with just Bolan and Sola helping. He thought with the team he had gathered the first prototype might be built in a month at the rate everyone was pulling together. ¡°Hello, Zach,¡± said Renetta Star Snake. ¡°We¡¯re testing the engine today. If it works, we¡¯ll be able to show the Lobster Bay people how to make their own.¡± ¡°We might need two power systems,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°One will have to power the motive parts, one will have to power a weapons system.¡± ¡°We can do that,¡± said Renetta. She picked at the scarf around her neck. ¡°We can actually build them to be put on a shelf beside each other since the design is so small.¡± Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to the hull people to make sure there is space for maintenance,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We¡¯re going to need to be able to pull them out and work on them at one point.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have a problem with that,¡± said Renetta. ¡°Depending on what they decide the engine room should look like, we can build four of these and let them run separately in case one of them is damaged.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll talk to the hull builders,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°They might already have accommodations for all this.¡± ¡°All right, Zach,¡± said the woman. She went back to her group, talking about duplicating the modules they planned to use. Zachariah found the hull people at the cradle where they would put the diver together. They had a set of plans on a table as they talked about what was needed. ¡°Hello, Arnold,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°How are things coming along?¡± ¡°We need to have an actual look at what we¡¯re building,¡± said Arnold Half Hand. ¡°Right now, we have nothing to measure against.¡± ¡°I have several models,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Renetta wants room for four engines in the engine room, and Nick wants room to mount the weapons. I think we¡¯re going to need a committee meeting tomorrow.¡± ¡°That will be good,¡± said Arnold. ¡°We¡¯re going to need something to look at to build anything.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Zach. ¡°We¡¯ll have a meeting tomorrow before we start working. Maybe input from the others will help things.¡± ¡°I think so,¡± said Arnold. ¡°We can lay a hull easily enough, but we don¡¯t know what will happen once you get it in the water. You might sink to the bottom.¡± ¡°I think the jets will handle that well enough,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Any thoughts on the windows?¡± ¡°I think one window for the pilot will have to be it,¡± said Arnold. ¡°We can build emplacements for lights like you want to help him see. Also we talked about cabin separators in case the machine fails and you have water rushing in.¡± ¡°Reinforcement on the window?,¡± asked Zachariah. ¡°Naturally,¡± said Arnold. ¡°We might also install a shutter in case the window fails. The water will push in, so you¡¯ll need a system to close the thing. It also means the controls have to be waterproofed, and that the emergency close will have to be strong enough to cut the water off.¡± ¡°Can you have a design drawn up before the meeting tomorrow?,¡± asked Zachariah. ¡°Yes,¡± said the hull master. ¡°The build from the Rocket is tear shaped. Is that what you think this should be?¡± ¡°I think so,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°The water inlets should be on either side of the nose, with the outlets in the back. I¡¯m open for other shapes.¡± ¡°I think we should go for that general shape with the window stationed at the upper front,¡± said Arnold. ¡°I would have thought you would have settled on a more traditional boat shape,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We could have but there¡¯s no need for a top deck, and the bridge would be too far back to see anything,¡± said Arnold. ¡°What you have is great for flying, but we¡¯re not so sure about swimming.¡± Arnold gestured for his daemon to pay attention. The rainbow bird flew to his shoulder. It opened its mouth and light poured out. A phantom shape wrote itself on the air in orange lines. ¡°Put in the bridge and controls,¡± said Arnold. A seat and control panels sprung to life on the upper deck. Lines went off from the helm, but they vanished without the missing pieces that should be added in. ¡°The engine room should be here,¡± said Zachariah. He pointed at the base of the tail. ¡°Jets should be back and underneath.¡± ¡°Weapons?,¡± asked Arnold. ¡°We¡¯re still figuring out what we can use underwater,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We should probably have two, or three, turrets,¡± said Arnold. ¡°We might need some kind of spear that we can shoot underwater.¡± ¡°It will need something to propel it to the target,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Water slows flight.¡± Arnold nodded as more sections came to life. They were building something none had ever seen before. Unknown challenges would have to be cleared. ¡°This is really good, Arnold,¡± said Zachariah. He gestured at the floating picture. ¡°It helps the shipyard put boats out to sea,¡± said Arnold. He rubbed the bird on its head. That cut the picture off. ¡°We¡¯re going to need this as we go ahead,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We¡¯re ready,¡± said Arnold. ¡°Talking to the others will let me place their parts more accurately.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll let the others know,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Can you put this down on paper?¡± ¡°Not really,¡± said Arnold. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to Carson,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Maybe he knows someone who can do it. That will make things easier when we have the design figured out.¡± ¡°Are you really going to try to fly above the sky?,¡± asked Arnold. ¡°I hope to,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°It will take just as much work as this design has. If I had an air and fuel supply, the Rocket can reach the edge with what she has.¡± ¡°I would like to see that one day,¡± said Arnold. ¡°Staying here doesn¡¯t give me a lot of chances to look at new things.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I have to talk to Carson. Before I go, do you need anything?¡± ¡°Right now, I¡¯m waiting on the steel you¡¯re going to need,¡± said Arnold. ¡°Once I have the sheets, I can start on the keel of the thing. The control people will be able to move in to do their thing as soon as I have a floor for them to walk on.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I¡¯ll send a runner to see where they are on the shipping. I¡¯ll have to tell the others about the meeting. Thanks, Arnold.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t thank me yet,¡± said the machinist. He rubbed his bird again. ¡°This thing could still kill you before we get something that works.¡± ¡°I have faith in you,¡± said Zachariah. He smiled. ¡°Let me get started on the other things.¡± Zachariah turned and walked back to where the other groups were working. He told them about the meeting in the morning, and that Arnold had a picture of the thing they were working on that they could use to plan their own parts. Nick and Renetta confirmed they would be there in the morning. He nodded. Everything was going smoother than he thought it would, but the advantage of having a team of machinists helping him was worth the loss of personally overseeing every detail. He needed to talk to Carson about his air scrubbers and talk to the Lobster Bay people. Gear Octo should have some say in the controls since Bay pilots would be helming the ships on the other ocean. And he needed to talk to Bolan and Sola about dinner and what they wanted to do on the project. And then there was the steel he needed to get for Arnold. Zachariah decided he needed someone to keep him on track before he lost sight of the goal of having a functioning boat that could sail under the waves. He depended on Sola for that, but she was looking after everyone else to make sure they were ready with their parts of the construction. The air scrubbers were the most important part of the whole thing. The crew wouldn¡¯t last any amount of time without them. They were also key to being able to fly to the edge of the sky. He hoped Carson had a solution to that problem. Under the Sea 3 Zachariah and Carson One Thumb walked the building area two weeks later. The crews had gone home for the day. Sola was in the office, going over the books. Gear Octo had the drawings for the controls and was making notes on improvements somewhere on the grounds. ¡°What do you think, Zach?,¡± asked the older machinist. ¡°We have a design we can put together in a few weeks, way ahead of our deadline,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We¡¯ll know more when Gear Octo is done with the controls. Obviously there will be room for improvement once we have it in the sea, and start the test run.¡± ¡°Still not sure the window will hold in the pilot compartment,¡± said Carson. ¡°We might have to think of something else if it doesn¡¯t hold.¡± ¡°We should probably have some way to seal the pilot compartment from the rest of the boat in case the window breaks,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Your pilot would need some way to breathe if the window broke and dumped sea water on top of him,¡± said Carson. ¡°Not to mention what the water would do to the controls.¡± ¡°Maybe the pilot compartment needs to be a bubble inside the bubble that is the piloting view,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°At the very least, we might need backup controls in case the helm is rendered useless.¡± ¡°We could just put in a peephole,¡± said Carson. ¡°That will keep the damage down until we get it looked at in the dock.¡± ¡°The pilot wouldn¡¯t be able to see,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°The main problem is we don¡¯t have any way to cloak everything in metal and still have a way for the helm to perceive the world around him. So we need a window and lights, and we need them to be excessively thick in case some of the sea life bumps into the window.¡± Carson nodded. The sea life that went for the window would be among the bigger fish in the water. And they would love to eat a man swimming in their hunting ground. ¡°Solid slugs powered by their own engines have been mentioned as secondary weapons,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°What do you think about that?¡± ¡°How do they hit the target?,¡± asked Carson. ¡°I have no idea,¡± admitted Zachariah. ¡°Do you?¡± ¡°We might need some way to guide them through the water unless we set some kind of timer so they explode when they travel the maximum amount of distance,¡± said Carson. ¡°That¡¯s a good idea,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We certainly don¡¯t want them to be confused and come back to the Sea Rocket.¡± ¡°A projectile will need the engine to move under the water,¡± said Carson. ¡°I doubt we can make them smart enough to chase something, but maybe we can make them fast enough to move away from the boat before they explode.¡± ¡°We should hand it off and see if the weapons crew can do something with the idea,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°They might like the challenge of another underwater weapon to be put on the boat.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll put it on the list,¡± said Carson. ¡°We can check the planning in a couple of days. The imaging looked good the last time we got together.¡± ¡°Can we use the design to fly?,¡± asked Zachariah. ¡°Sure, but we would have to install lifting jets to get it into the air, maybe some wings.¡± Carson shrugged. ¡°We would have an easier time retrofitting the original Rocket for high flight if you want to head for a moon.¡± ¡°We would have to add on fuel tanks and make sure we had an air supply, and maybe another engine to give us a bigger boost,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Why?,¡± asked Carson. Zachariah thought about the race where he and his kids had flown to victory. He couldn¡¯t count on air between the worlds to help boost the Rocket across the gap. Maybe the temporary booster built for the race could make a difference. ¡°Because above a certain height, there¡¯s no air to run the engine,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Trying to fly up there would cut the engine until it fell back below that threshold. And without an air supply, we would suffocate before we reached any type of goal.¡± ¡°How far do you think you would have to travel to reach a moon?,¡± asked Carson. ¡°I have no idea,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We don¡¯t know what physical laws exist up there, just like we don¡¯t know what is going to happen when we set sail. We could lose both prototypes while trying to explore.¡± ¡°Too bad Old Herman isn¡¯t still around,¡± said Carson. ¡°He wasn¡¯t much of a new design type machinist, but he knew his way around quick fixes.¡± This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Zachariah nodded in agreement. Old Herman had been a machinist with a shop a few doors down from his old one. When the city was destroyed, it was assumed he was killed in the fighting like so many others caught by the loathly tower. His daemon had been some kind of animal Zachariah had never seen before or since. It looked like some type of dog. The older machinist used his daemon to find imperfections in design work and fix them. He didn¡¯t work on his own ideas, but he could look at someone else¡¯s and tell you what was wrong with it. It made him valuable for checking your work and making sure it did what you thought it would. ¡°Any thought about the flying battleships Lobster Bay wants?,¡± asked Carson. ¡°I am thinking about just constructing a bigger version of the Rocket and adding on weapons and bigger jets to handle things,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Benz and Octo are going over what they want as they help us with the boat design.¡± ¡°I assume the lightning guns will be the thing for that,¡± said Carson. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Their Lord of Lightning is pretty much immune to that with his own battleship having guns, shields, and a support air crew.¡± ¡°So we¡¯ll have to think of something bigger to handle him,¡± said Carson. ¡°Maybe a flying cannon,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Maybe,¡± said Carson. ¡°I think something like a flatboat with a ton of guns will do for the initial idea phase.¡± ¡°We could try to use the ferry for a basis for their battleship,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We would just have to figure out how to place things for the best effect.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get this underwater boat built first before we think of building weapons that will change the face of the world,¡± said Carson. ¡°Lobster Bay does have a problem with that kind of thing among their machinists,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I often wondered how they dealt with it.¡± ¡°With projectiles and lightning,¡± said Carson. He gave his friend a grin. ¡°And they haven¡¯t dealt with them all. We¡¯re just lucky their criminals are fixated on blowing the castle to ruin instead of crossing the continent and attempting their schemes here.¡± Zachariah agreed with his friend. Lobster Bay¡¯s machinists gave the profession a bad name, and justified the extreme measures the city state had to use to keep its people safe. He supposed the known intolerance of his people and their daemon partners kept the mad geniuses away from Riordiana. A city where most of the citizens carried magical living weapons could not be an appealing target to most people. But they had lost the city once, and it was up to him and his fellow machinists to not let it happen again. ¡°What¡¯s next?,¡± asked Carson. ¡°We¡¯re going to have to send some kind of test rig down into the water to make sure the poison won¡¯t kill a crew when we do get everything together,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Something without anything but an oxygen line can be dropped in three days,¡± said Carson. ¡°I¡¯ll have to get some shapers on it. It shouldn¡¯t be a problem. Who¡¯s going to go down in it?¡± ¡°I will,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I¡¯m going to ride along in the Sea Rocket. I might as well do the test dive too.¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to do the tests without riders first, and then something like a chicken,¡± said Carson. ¡°I¡¯m not going to risk you if I can help it.¡± ¡°I guess that sounds reasonable,¡± said Zachariah. He knew his friend was looking out for him. His own instinct was to risk himself to figure out what could go wrong first, depending on Gold Bug to get him out of trouble. He realized he couldn¡¯t do that here. The whole thing would collapse if he did that and something went wrong. Sola would never forgive him if he did something risky when he didn¡¯t need it. And he didn¡¯t need it with the crew of machinists they had gathered to help with his work. ¡°I am still going to need to go at some point to check the calculations,¡± said Zachariah. This seemed reasonable. Someone was going to have to ride along to see what happened to the body inside the shell. No one had done anything like they were attempting. ¡°After the chicken,¡± said Carson. ¡°I¡¯m not going to make excuses to Sola if something happens to you.¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s even more reasonable,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°A little patience goes a long way,¡± said Carson. ¡°We¡¯re still almost two years from the deadline. We have plenty of time.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel like we have plenty of time,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°It feels like things are moving and we don¡¯t have enough control of how they will go.¡± ¡°And there is nothing we can do about that,¡± said Carson. ¡°The crews are almost done for the day. You and Sola are welcome to eat with me and mine.¡± ¡°Tell her and Bolan to go ahead,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I still have things I have to do here.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t stay up all night trying to figure out ways to overcomplicate things,¡± said Carson. ¡°I¡¯ll get the test ball ready in the next two days. Then we¡¯ll see how things go.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll have to drop it in the dead zone,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I¡¯m not looking forward to that.¡± ¡°I know,¡± said Carson. ¡°Remember what I said. Don¡¯t add on problems before we sort out the ones we already have.¡± ¡°I will take it under advisement,¡± said Zachariah. He gave his friend a slight smile. ¡°Go enjoy your dinner. I¡¯ll see you in the morning.¡± ¡°All right, Zachariah,¡± Carson said. He nodded his head and went in search of the apprentices. At least they would listen to reason. Zachariah walked to the design tables. He went over the drawings, making notes. Testing the water was a good idea. None of this would work if they couldn¡¯t get their machine in the dead zone to hunt their objective. If he could the machines to work, it would change things around the world. They would be able to sail under the water and explore the bottom of the seas. Travel might be faster underwater. Maybe an undersea city could be set up when the boats were really viable. There were so many things that could be used with the gravity engine. He couldn¡¯t think of all the uses they would be able to discover once he had shown the thing could be done. And if he could get air machines cheap to build and use, there was a chance that everyone would have them. Flights to Lobster Bay would be a matter of getting on a craft at one place and getting off at the other. Why didn¡¯t people want to do that? He would love to talk to other machinists in a matter of hours of travel time to compare notes. It was so much faster than the trains and personal messengers. He wondered how the Baldwins would feel about this. Their Green Lights kept the peace, and dealt with things at the behest of their city. Would they like a world that was better connected by the machines he envisioned. He supposed they would be called in to rein in the worse parts of new machining. There were always a few that would ruin things for the rest. That was another thing he would have to think about while trying to build better ways of doing things. Under the Sea 4 Zachariah and Carson stood on the main deck of a ferry commandeered from the city. A group of machinists and Octo and Benz stood with them. A ball of metal with a thick window was hooked to a chain on a crane. Sola held a chicken in her arms. ¡°Everyone ready?,¡± asked Carson. ¡°Do we have to kill the chicken?,¡± asked Sola. ¡°He¡¯s not a pet,¡± said Carson. ¡°He¡¯s making sure any crew we put in the water will live.¡± ¡°I know,¡± said Sola. ¡°But Hardy likes playing with him.¡± ¡°He can play with him after he comes up,¡± said Carson. ¡°Oxygen hose?¡± ¡°Ready to connect,¡± said one of the machinist. ¡°Hook it up,¡± said Carson. ¡°Put in the chicken.¡± Machinists hooked up the oxygen hose, hooked up an engine and started it running, and opened the door to put in the chicken. Sola winced as she placed the chicken inside the metal ball. The door clanged shut. The crew locked it down. ¡°All right,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Everyone ready? We need to make sure the hull will take anything the water will give it, and we need to make sure nothing can get in. Be careful when we pull the test ball out. The water is poisonous, and we don¡¯t want any of it to splash on us.¡± ¡°We¡¯re ready with the hoist,¡± said Arnold. ¡°We¡¯re ready with the cleaner,¡± said one of the others. ¡°Ready with the gauges and oxygen,¡± said Renetta. ¡°Let¡¯s dump it over and see what happens,¡± said Carson. He waved at the small army of machinists to go ahead. The oxygen pump hissed as the crane lifted the ball off the deck and swung it over the water. A lever pull dropped the test vehicle into the water. Bolan turned an hourglass over to measure the time. ¡°Everything is working according to this,¡± said Renetta. ¡°I would feel better if we had a sea daemon following the thing down, but that would really be dangerous for the daemon,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°It¡¯s all right,¡± said Carson. He kept his eyes moving. They had assembled the best machinists they could find. If anything went wrong, their crew would have a hundred solutions ready by the next day. The main problem is would the test vehicle survive in the water, and would the chicken survive inside it. If either failed, they would have to take the test data and revise their plans. The main test was for the window. If it gave way, they would have to revise the pilot¡¯s compartment. They couldn¡¯t leave the pilot vulnerable to being crushed if the water could get inside his workspace. And if they lost that, the rest of the crew would go down to the bottom. They needed a secondary set of controls even if was to lift the machine to the surface. Once on top of the water, they could drain the pilot¡¯s compartment and sail back to port. Zachariah doubted it would be that easy unless they installed small pumps to capture the water at the bottom of the compartment and drop it into the ballast rooms. That should get the water out of the way without the crew worrying about letting it drop into the main body of the vehicle. They would have to do weapons trials next to make sure that would work under the water. The light cutter looked like their best option, but a version of the gravity gun was also being installed. The solid shot cannons were unworkable until they could figure out how to make the engines smaller to carry them to the target and explode. Zachariah thought they could build solid slug guns that didn¡¯t need engines if they were slung with more force than usual to hit at range. The water was the main factor on how far the projectiles could go. ¡°Time,¡± called Bolan. ¡°Bring it up,¡± ordered Carson. ¡°Remember to keep it away from us until the hull dries.¡± The chain retracted. The ball broke the surface and slowly lifted into the air. They let it hang over the water for minutes. Then they swung it over the deck and dropped it back on its test bed. Zachariah pulled on gloves. He went to the door and helped open it. The chicken clucked at him from inside the sphere. He pulled the bird out and gave it to Sola. Small drips of black water fell on the deck. A daemon boiled the access water away before it touched any of the machinists, or crew. No one knew what it would do to a living being, and no one wanted to find out. ¡°It held,¡± said Renetta. ¡°The hull was pushed on but we know what the theoretical limit is, and can make our own ship that much tougher.¡± ¡°Small cracks in the glass,¡± said Arnold. His bird showed a diagram in the air. ¡°We¡¯ll have to increase the toughness of it, but she¡¯ll reach the bottom with no problem. The glass breaking is going to be a constant threat while you¡¯re down.¡± ¡°But you can handle it?,¡± asked Carson. ¡°I¡¯d be surprised if we couldn¡¯t,¡± said Arnold. ¡°The hull will be heavier than expected but we can safely double this stress test data limit in a week, or two. Then we can put in the separators and pipe fittings for the wiring harness.¡± If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°We might need two more engines,¡± said Renetta. ¡°The heavier it is, the harder it will be to push.¡± ¡°So the only thing we really need to worry about is the weapons,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We can set up and do the tests for that day after tomorrow,¡± said Nick. ¡°A full scale test in the water will tell us how much we have to alter to make things fit the profile.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have to do those here in the dead zone,¡± said Carson. ¡°We can do it in clearer water.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± said Nick. ¡°The last thing we need is to get poisoned by the water while we¡¯re changing things out.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s head in,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We need to get the data added in and look at what we need to change. Things look good for us remaining on track.¡± ¡°The oxygen supply and scrubbers are going to be the main problem,¡± said Carson. ¡°We need to be able to keep air for the crew up to five days in case there is a problem.¡± ¡°I know,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I¡¯m still looking at it. I¡¯m hoping some kind of magic formula will drop into my head to show me how to do that. Will the breathing tube work?¡± ¡°As long as you are close to the surface, and not moving too fast,¡± said Carson. ¡°Otherwise it will snap off like we thought.¡± The ferry started the slow turn to take the group back to the dock prepared for the test loading. A daemon with earth moving had built the thing under the direction of its partner. Once pulled in, they could unload the sphere, and start loading what they needed for the weapons test. The ferry slowly sailed into the dock and tied off before lowering the massive ramp needed by the machinists. Daemons and crew got to work offloading the sphere and placing it on a dolly so it could be rolled to the testing lab. Nick and his crew went to get the prototypes they had been working on. ¡°The sphere did better than I expected,¡± said Carson. ¡°The window still cracked some,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°If we knew more, we probably wouldn¡¯t need a window at all. We need some kind of ranging machine in case we do have to sail blind.¡± ¡°Once we replace the window, one of us is going to have to go down and see what we can see,¡± said Carson. ¡°I¡¯m thinking that will have to be me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid not,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°You¡¯re going to have to stay top side. Bolan and I are going down.¡± ¡°Bolan and you?,¡± said Carson. ¡°Can¡¯t have it.¡± ¡°It has to be us,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We¡¯re the only ones qualified. You just want to do it so you can have your name in daemon colored lights.¡± ¡°This will make me a ton of loot as is,¡± said Carson. ¡°I don¡¯t need to be famous on top of that. You¡¯re the inventor of this. Anything happens to you, and the project is sunk.¡± ¡°You are more than capable of carrying on without me,¡± said Zachariah. He waved at the facility that had been built with help from Rioridania. ¡°This will all be yours.¡± ¡°What would I do with this?,¡± said Carson. ¡°I could never do what you¡¯re doing. I know what my limit is.¡± ¡°You can do it, Carson,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°If something were to happen to me, you would be able to finish both contracts without a problem. Everyone knows it. That¡¯s why they don¡¯t gripe at not being the second with you onboard. They all know you¡¯re the best man for the job.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to test it,¡± said Carson. ¡°We should go out and watch the weapons tests, and then go over the data for the sphere before we do the next dive. I think you should take Arnold with you on your dive if you want to go because he¡¯s building the hull, and he¡¯ll want to know how much he has to do to keep everything together.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Bolan can go down on the second run if there aren¡¯t any problems.¡± ¡°He¡¯s a good kid, and a fair machinist,¡± said Carson. ¡°Is he going to stay on?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I want him to have his own projects, but right now I need him to get mine done. When the flying ship is done for Lobster Bay, I¡¯ll ask him if he wants to try to fly above the atmosphere with me, or find something down here that¡¯s not so head in the clouds.¡± ¡°He¡¯ll fly with you, and get in trouble with you too,¡± said Carson. He grinned. ¡°He¡¯s too young to know not to jump off a cliff.¡± ¡°He knows,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I¡¯m more worried if he cares.¡± The friends fell silent as the weapons crew rolled huge machines of destruction toward them. Some carried portable electrical chargers to power the weapons once they had been dropped in the water. ¡°All the wiring is waterproofed,¡± said Nick. ¡°Naturally most of this will be in the boat and the waterproofing won¡¯t be that big a deal, but if something happens, I wanted to make sure the guns would still shoot.¡± ¡°Show us what you came up with, Nick,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We can go over power costs with Renetta after the tests.¡± ¡°We¡¯re ready,¡± said Nick. He jogged up the ramp and oversaw the storing of his prototypes. Nothing should be able to damage them on the ferry, but he didn¡¯t want to take chances. ¡°And now we¡¯ll be back at sea,¡± said Carson. ¡°I would like to see what Nick came up with,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°He said the light cutters might be the thing to use, but he wasn¡¯t sure.¡± ¡°He¡¯s probably got it overpowered so it¡¯ll set the water on fire,¡± said Carson. ¡°I doubt that,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Shall we? This will be just as entertaining as the sphere testing.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll know a little more about what we can do,¡± said Carson. ¡°Nick will be the one having fun.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be useful to see what he came up with from the designs I gave him,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We might not need a vehicle if he can hit the target from here.¡± ¡°We¡¯d still have to build something so we could go down there and make sure,¡± said Carson. ¡°We already have the sphere,¡± Zachariah pointed out. ¡°Don¡¯t be contrary,¡± said Carson. Once the equipment and crew were on board, the ferry¡¯s crew untied it from the dock and raised anchors. The boat moved away from the shore and headed out to a different part of the harbor. They didn¡¯t need to test the weapons in the dead zone. Zachariah and Carson stood out of the way as Nick¡¯s crew rigged the crane to drop their weapons overboard. He set up the measurement panels to check what happened when the guns fired. ¡°Set up the light cutters, guys,¡± said Nick. ¡°We¡¯ll test those first.¡± They set up the long gun and plugged it into the battery on the deck. They hooked it to the crane and lifted it into the air. The crane operator gently lowered the weapon overboard. People with shepherd staffs made sure the barrel didn¡¯t swing back to point at the ferry¡¯s keel. ¡°Test firing,¡± called Nick. He pushed the button on the control panel. A short beam of light sliced the water. It faded away yards from the ferry. The crew looked at the gauges. Nick nodded at the readings. ¡°How did it do, Nick?,¡± asked Zachariah. ¡°Better than I thought,¡± said Nick. ¡°This might be the perfect weapon for underwater battles. I don¡¯t know how much the water blocks the impact, but we can set up a target to check it.¡± ¡°What else did you bring?,¡± asked Carson. ¡°A lightning gun, a gravity gun, and two sets of slug throwers we¡¯ve been working on,¡± said Nick. ¡°Let¡¯s see what those look like,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°The cutter did better than I thought.¡± The weapons crew reeled in the light cutter, and hooked up the next weapon. They tested each one, but the lightning gun¡¯s blast spread out too much and attacked the ferry, the gravity gun only attacked what was in front of the barrel which made the water a perfect shield, and the slug throwers were slowed down so it was hard to say how dangerous they actually were to their targets. ¡°The cutter and the mark two is the best of the lot,¡± said Nick. ¡°The water makes the lightning gun and the gravity gun dangerous to us or useless unless the target is point blank.¡± ¡°We can use the cutters as primary weapons, and the mark twos as some kind of defense if anything gets past the cutters,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We¡¯ll need to talk to Arnold about hull placements.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong,¡± said Nick. ¡°I think the lightning and gravity weapons will be super dangerous above the water. But in water, they¡¯re not much of a threat.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll talk to Octo and Benz,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Their planes use slugs. They might not want to try exotic weapons.¡± Under The Sea 5 The hull of the Sea Rider came together in a matter of weeks. The main hold up was the amount of metal that needed to be traded for and brought to the shipyard. Spacing had been laid out for crew resting areas, a galley, the engine room at the back of the ship, and a separate deck for the pilot. Venting had been installed. The air scrubbers seemed to work fine, but the machinists had put together tanks of air in case there were problems. No one wanted to suffocate while at the bottom of the ocean. Control wires had been laid from the engine room, and its engines to every other piece of equipment on the boat. Arnold and Zachariah had made sure that they were in piping that could be taken apart and fixed in a moment¡¯s notice. Extra pieces of metal skin went over where the junction boxes were mounted for better protection from hazards in the sea. The piloting controls took a little more work, but they didn¡¯t have to build a rudder, or flaps. Instead, the boat would power a change of course with the jets that would push on the water. A throttle and steering stick had to be installed and tested so they shouldn¡¯t give out while the boat was under the water. They didn¡¯t mean they wouldn¡¯t. Zachariah and his small team of specialists went over everything in the pilot¡¯s compartment, checking with Octo about what he thought should be included, and what he was comfortable using. Rotating numbers to show depth from the surface, distance from the yard, speed of travel, and a map of surface features were included. ¡°It¡¯s going to take some getting used to before a pilot will be ready to operate this,¡± said Octo. ¡°Also we should have thought about a secondary gunner seat so someone else can shoot while the pilot tries to get the boat out of danger.¡± ¡°We can ask for another bubble,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We can put it behind the pilot space.¡± ¡°It needs to go forward, Zachariah,¡± said Octo. He pointed at the nose. ¡°He¡¯ll need to be able to see anything he¡¯s shooting at from his compartment. Maybe give him heavier glass and shutters to prevent problems.¡± ¡°Fixed, or turreted?,¡± asked Zachariah. ¡°A turret would allow more movement control,¡± said Octo. ¡°I don¡¯t know if anyone here would be able to handle it in combat.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll think of something,¡± said Zachariah. He went away, waving at his crews to gather around him. The group exchanged questions, made notes. Octo hoped he hadn¡¯t caused for the design to be scraped. He just wanted another set of eyes on things while under the water. And someone shooting while they were turning away might be useful. Lobster Bay did have planes that had gunners. They were reserves in case the flight ran into something accompanying the main target. The pilot would direct the plane¡¯s nose guns against whatever the plane was pointed at while the gunner would use a turret to fire at anything coming from behind and the sides. Part of the plane would still be uncovered, but that was better than leaving most of it open for attacks that would wreck the aircraft because the pilot couldn¡¯t run through his ammunition fast enough while dogfighting. ¡°All right,¡± said Zachariah, returning to the top of the boat. He rubbed his hands slightly. ¡°I talked to the others. We think we have a solution to the problem.¡± ¡°So what are you guys going to do?,¡± said Octo. ¡°I can still fly and fight this thing from the cockpit in case we run into trouble.¡± ¡°We are going to place a bubble in the nose,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Then we¡¯re going to fit a set of cutters and Mark Twos and hook them together. When one shoots at something, they all will unless they are jammed by something. Shutters will be fitted so the gunner will only have to worry if the bubble is damaged somehow.¡± ¡°Two turrets?,¡± asked Octo. ¡°Something for the future,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We just need something to keep the boat from being completely defenseless. We¡¯re going to have to make sure the gunner has access to the Mark Two reloading area, and refit the nose to hold the drums in reserve.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Octo. He looked around at the sub being together around him. ¡°I would like another gunner, but the boat won¡¯t be big enough for that.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll include the recommendation in with the design notes,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Benz already has everything we¡¯ve done recorded for Lobster Bay. I think he already has his own ideas that he wants to use for them.¡± This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°He might want to make a ship able to control the waters around Lobster Bay,¡± said Octo. ¡°He might even think about trying to control areas south of there. That would entail breaking ties with every other city state, and causing a bitter fight.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure he will have better things to do with his time trying to put the flying machines we are going to show him how to build in the air,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I doubt the local machinists will allow such a thing without a fight.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve been lucky nothing like a Baldwin has been produced by the maniacs,¡± said Octo. ¡°That would change everything.¡± ¡°Do you think so?,¡± asked Zachariah. ¡°Yes,¡± said Octo. ¡°Baldwin Green Lights change reality. Imagine someone with the morals of a Shae being able to do that at will, and I am not talking about the rabbit either.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure they are a reasonable people, but I doubt they have a use for what I make,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Don¡¯t sell yourself short,¡± said Octo. ¡°If anyone could sell the Shae a tool they might not need, it would be you.¡± ¡°I doubt that,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I¡¯m going to need you to make sure the gauges are accurate while the others are linking the wiring from here to the gunner pod. We¡¯ll have to give him a mark to aim with while underwater.¡± ¡°If the bubble can turn, that might be helpful,¡± said Octo. ¡°That¡¯ll give the gunner a better angle of fire.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll talk to Nick,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Keep an eye on things. If anything looks like it¡¯s reaching a boiling point at the other end of the numbers, bail out. You¡¯re our only experienced pilot.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me,¡± said Octo. ¡°I know when to eject.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said the machinist. ¡°Let¡¯s see how fast we can make this alteration.¡± Zachariah and his crews went over the new design. Another bubble proved easy to put in with the practice they already had with the pilot¡¯s. Nick¡¯s gang fitted the cutters in place as twins mounted next to each other. They installed a Mark Two between the light emitters. Then a crew placed a stick to turn the weapons and fire. A spinning compass would give the gunner the degree from the nose where his target should be. An ammunition counter went on the pipe that would feed the Mark Two its shells. If the bubble was damaged, the gunner just had to pull a lever to dump him in a foyer built into the nose for his chair. Shutters would close to shut off any leaks to the ocean. That assumed the gunner wasn¡¯t killed outright by whatever could hurt the glass and steel of the bubble in the first place. Zachariah knew there were things in the ocean that could crack his creation and kill everyone onboard. He didn¡¯t want to worry about that, but it filled a small desk drawer in the back of his mind. He wanted whomever used the design to be as safe as if they were at home behind fortified walls. Those places were also smashed flat by chance and bad timing. He went over every inch of things as the crews fitted the top half together. Test runs on the pilot¡¯s bubble went well. The gunnery bubble worked good enough to try to use in the water. Air masks were added to equipment chests in specific places. If there was a breach, then the crew could pull the masks on and be able to work underwater for five hours. He hoped the crew wouldn¡¯t have to use the untested devices, but felt it was better to have some kind of hope of escape from a vessel sinking to the bottom. Five hours could be as good as five days to some of the daemons he had observed in action. ¡°Everything looks okay, Zach,¡± said Carson. ¡°We¡¯ll be able to test run it in the harbor tomorrow.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to have to go down with it,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I want five volunteers other than you to go with me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t get to go on the maiden voyage?,¡± said Carson. ¡°I don¡¯t like that at all. You¡¯re the one that needs to sit this out.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°And I don¡¯t want to risk Bolan, or you, on this. You two are the only ones that know everything about the design. If something happens, you are the only ones who can complete the contract. And Gold Bug has to look at things in case we need to make other things in front of sudden problems.¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re trying to keep me from going because I¡¯m better looking than you,¡± said Carson. ¡°If something happens, it¡¯s better that it happens to me,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know how to explain to your wife and children about how I let you die. You won¡¯t have to worry about that on my side of things.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know how to talk to Sola about this,¡± said Carson. ¡°And you don¡¯t have to,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°She already knows the risk, and understands I am counting on her to stay here while I make sure the boat is safe for everyone to use.¡± ¡°So we drop the thing in the water,¡± said Carson. ¡°Then what?¡± ¡°We make sure that it will float, and that it will sink on command,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°And we hope that nothing goes wrong.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not asking for much,¡± said Carson. ¡°We¡¯ll try the test run in the clear part of the harbor in case something goes wrong and we need to be dredged up,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We should let people with sea daemons know we¡¯ll need them to lift the weight. If everything goes to plan, we¡¯ll try to find the egg and destroy it on the next run.¡± ¡°How do we get it to Lobster Bay?,¡± asked Carson. ¡°We¡¯ll sail it around the continent,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°That should be a good test for her.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll need a ton of provisions for something like that,¡± said Carson. ¡°And more crew,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°That¡¯s why I designed crew quarters for more than five people, and a galley. Don¡¯t worry. We can do it.¡± ¡°No one has ever done that,¡± said Carson. ¡°We could be even more famous than what we are now.¡± ¡°You will,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I plan to build the flying fortress as agreed, then start working on my star boat.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t do that,¡± said Carson. ¡°Festus says I can,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Once I have what I need, the shipyard will belong to you.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t do what you do,¡± said Carson. He gestured at the boat in its cradle. ¡°You¡¯re better than me,¡± said the machinist. He smiled. ¡°None of this would be possible without you. And that¡¯s why I know you¡¯re the best man for this. All I do is dream. You deal in reality, making things, and making things better.¡± ¡°You are still full of it,¡± said Carson. Under the Sea 6 Zachariah wished he had put in more windows. He would have loved to have seen the ocean as the boat sank below the waves. He and Gold Bug walked the decks, checking for leaks as they went. He conceded it had been too risky for the design. The one for the pilot at the bridge area, and the gunner in the nose, were weak points of defense if some of the ocean predators decided to take the boat on. He didn¡¯t envy the pilot having to abandon his post if the bubble of glass over his compartment exploded somehow. He had to pull on the shutter stop, and wait for precious seconds as the metal sealed the open spot off from the water. While that was going on, he had to hope that the chair and control assembly pulled him out of danger. Zachariah worked his way to the gunner bubble. No one was inside. They had brought a machinist to run it, after Octo had approved the construction. The machinist was just making sure that the wiring and ventilation were doing what they were supposed to be doing with Carson¡¯s scrubbers and small fans moving the air around. Zachariah opened the gunner¡¯s bubble up and sat down in the chair. Gold Bug perched on his shoulder. He buckled into the chair, but kept his hands away from the controls. The last thing the maiden trip needed was an accident with the weapons firing for no reason. He had so many ideas for improving the design now that it was afloat. He could build a city under the sea and take it anywhere he wanted to go with a big enough version of the gravity engine. Flying to other spheres didn¡¯t seem that insane now that had this new data he could build into his design. Lights from the body of the boat picked out fish ahead of them. The animals swam away from the strange thing in the water with them. He smiled as he watched them go. The boat turned and sped up. He watched as the landscape changed around him. Octo seemed to have the controls in hand. He would have preferred to be in the pilot seat himself, but Octo had to evaluate the performance for Lobster Bay. They would decide if they wanted to buy the manufacturing rights on his and Benz¡¯s recommendations. That part was out of his hands. ¡°It¡¯s wonderful that we made a dream a reality,¡± Zachariah said. Gold Bug shifted on his shoulder to agree silently with him. The boat dropped down toward the bottom. Zachariah looked around as the gunner¡¯s bubble moaned. How deep could they go before the boat broke open? He didn¡¯t want to find out while he was onboard. A small crack wrote on the bubble. The ocean started to press in on the weak spot. A drop of water appeared inside the glass. ¡°I think we should do something about this before it becomes worst,¡± Zachariah told his daemon. He pulled some chips of metal out of his pocket and let Gold Bug take as much as it needed. The ant climbed from his shoulder and plugged the small hole first before reinforcing the inside of the bubble with a fine web across its surface. It covered that layer with another layer. The machinist put the insect¡¯s fuel where it could reach it inside the window sill instead of having to climb up and down his arm. Gold Bug assessed its work when it was done. It wasn¡¯t a shield, or heavy shutters, but it should keep the water out long enough for the gunner to get out. And it was nearly transparent. If they had a way for the gun controls to see, they wouldn¡¯t need a window at all. They could use the guns to watch everything. ¡°I think that was close to a failure,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We¡¯ll need to reinforce the windows if we want to dive deeper. Until then we need to make sure there is a warning about the safety limit for any other sea craft that is built.¡± Gold Bug waved its antennae in agreement. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°Let¡¯s go up and talk to Octo,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We should make sure the pilot¡¯s window hasn¡¯t started breaking at the very least.¡± He unstrapped himself from the chair and turned the bubble so he could leave. He made sure to dog the hatch closed. If the bubble cracked open, they didn¡¯t want to fill up the rest of the boat with water by accident. Hopefully the rest of the cruise would be without incident. They needed to make sure that it would function under the water as naturally as possible. Things breaking were signs that something needed to be rethought, but they were so close he didn¡¯t want to lose the prototype on the maiden run. On the other hand, he had built enough things to know that sometimes you didn¡¯t always get it right in the first place. You had to go back to the drawing board and look at where you made your mistakes before you could fix things. Zachariah climbed up to the pilot¡¯s bubble and stood outside of the small chamber. Cracked lines ran through the window. Octo had the stick back to lift the boat toward the surface. ¡°Went down too deep,¡± the pilot said. ¡°The glass still isn¡¯t tough enough to take it to the bottom.¡± ¡°I can do a makeshift repair for the moment,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Carson will find us some tougher glass for the bubbles.¡± Zachariah put his daemon to work fixing the window with the remains of the metal chips he was carrying. The insect quickly filled in the lines and covered the inside with the metallic resin it used to build things. It climbed back up to the machinist¡¯s shoulder when it was done. ¡°That should get us back to the dock,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We¡¯ll have to take the bubbles apart and reinstall the glass windows with tougher glass. There may be a point where nothing we can do will fix the problem.¡± ¡°I marked where I noticed the cracks appearing,¡± said Octo. ¡°That will give us a ballpark of how deep we can go without the new windows.¡± ¡°If we had some way of seeing things without actually having to see them, that would be better than the windows and lights we¡¯re using right now,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°If you come with something, I¡¯m sure Lobster Bay will pay you for it,¡± said Octo. ¡°That would help flying blind in bad weather immensely.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll think about it,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I have to go back to work. Just bring us in to the cradle, and we¡¯ll go over any problems that we saw.¡± ¡°Aye, Captain,¡± said Octo with a grin. Zachariah descended and walked the rest of the ship. He didn¡¯t spot any more leaks. The windows were the weak points of the design like eyes in a man¡¯s head. If they had something that could mimic the eye, that would be better than the glass they were using now. He needed to think on that for a bit. Maybe he and Gold Bug could come up with something after they docked. Bolan and Carson might be able to help him with that. They were far more practical than he was. That was what was needed at this stage of things. A bigger ship might be able to stand the stress of the dive better. That might be something to think about once they were done with this job. Maybe they could reinforce things to carry citizens to look around the bottom of the sea for things that needed doing. Maybe they could arrange tours for machinists who wanted to explore the water safely. Most people didn¡¯t care about fish except on how to put them on the table. Looking at them in their natural habitat didn¡¯t seem like anything anybody would want to do at the moment. And some of the beasts like the ones around Lobster Bay were too dangerous to even think about capturing for a false sea for people to look at when they wanted. Zachariah put the thoughts away as he went through his checklists. He thought that people in Baldwin or Messer¡¯s Reach would love such a thing as long as the monster fish weren¡¯t too large. They were landlocked and miles away from either ocean. If he did want to set something like that up, he decided that he would get the Baldwin Green Lights involved to ensure the safety of the city from any predator he might dredge up for them. Everything would be easier to do with a Green Light on the job. He wondered if they had thought of such things and thought it was too much of a risk to their city to have such a thing. He had only been there a brief time during the air race. That hadn¡¯t allowed any real time to sight see while he was trying to beat those machinist brothers from Lobster Bay. He and Gold Bug had taught them a thing about cheating during the air race. Zachariah felt the boat shudder as it broke the surface of the water. He checked the engines as Octo brought them to the shore. Everything was in the green. The dry run was mostly successful. If the windows cracked in the dead zone, it could kill the pilot and any crew trying to take over for the pilot. The dark water had killed the local fish. Killing people was just as possible. If they killed the egg, would that clean the water with its absence. Would they have to do more to get rid of the dangerous water? Maybe they could freeze it and move it somewhere that wouldn¡¯t be affected by it. He just couldn¡¯t think of any place that wouldn¡¯t lose all life with that stuff dropped down on top of it. It was better to wall the area up and let it sit there until someone with a bigger brain could think of a solution. Festus might want it pulled out of the water and used as a border marking on land somewhere. If the holder cracked, only the local people and wildlife would be impacted. That would be a solution but maybe not the best solution. Zachariah felt the boat shudder to a stop. He had to let his other thoughts go until he was on dry land again. Under the Sea 7 It took a few days to replace the glass with an even tougher creation, test the bubble closure, and generally try to make sure everything would work despite the boat being out of the water in a cradle. The test dive had given them critical data on how the machine operated, and what it could do. They still didn¡¯t know how effective it would be against one of the giant monsters around Lobster Bay, but there was only so much they could do to get the boat ready to operate under unknown circumstances. Benz had advised the machinists that they would need a light cutter a hundred times more powerful than what they had put on their prototype to scratch one of the leviathans swimming around his home city. Zachariah saw no reason to doubt him. And he saw no reason to assure the man they could meet his unintended challenge. Once a basic blueprint was created, any machinist could create the same thing over and over at any size they wanted. Very few would want to do what he was doing. They concentrated on answers to known problems. They didn¡¯t think about working on things that might create answers for problems that weren¡¯t known yet. If he could get his starcraft built, he will have created the basis for a legend that no one else would want to live up to because of what he had done. He doubted other machinists would want to leave the grip of their homeland see what others lay beyond the sky. But it would be a great story if he succeeded. And the boat was great for showing him what he needed to lift his starboat above the sky where there wasn¡¯t air to breathe and armored skin had to be set to protect the crew. He had already decided to make the hull ten times as thick as his sea boat, with an increase in the gravity engine to compensate. And he definitely needed to make sure he had enough air and water to fly to another world without dying on the way. He had a thought of how could he measure such a journey. Nothing on the planet had ever been pointed at the sky and asked to show the actual distance of something. No one had ever thought of such a thing, or if they did, he didn¡¯t know about it. How could he find out about that? He would have to do more research. He smiled to himself. He had a lot of steps ahead of him if he wanted to reach the next planet over. He could test things with the Rocket to an extent, but he could already see needing an air supply and a way to fuel the aircraft without air. Maybe he could do something with gravity. He wasn¡¯t sure at the moment. He thought maybe he could push against the realm with the gravity engine, but he wasn¡¯t sure how to finesse that. He decided to think about all this when he was done for the day. He still had to go over all the test results. He was still ahead of schedule, but he wanted to clear the dead zone before things got out of hand. He didn¡¯t want to be responsible for losing this new city of his countrymen when he could do something to stop it. If they couldn¡¯t get the sub built, he would use something more limited to try to get the job done. He considered consulting with the Green Lights. They knew about the upper air river. Maybe some of them had gone beyond the sky. It could be a resource he could use. He would have to visit Baldwin and talk to them. Hopefully they had information on things he could use. Whom else could he talk to about this project? He doubted anyone else was as interested in this as he was. Lobster Bay needed machines to battle their enemies now, not fly to other places and see what people did there. Maybe the man with the wooden dog could help him. He knew about the egg. What else did he know? Zachariah decided to think about the light cutter array and put everything else aside. He knew he would keep coming back to his dream project if he didn¡¯t concentrate on the real world. Sola would not be happy about that. She kept things together better than he did. He couldn¡¯t run his shop in Messer¡¯s Reach without her, and he couldn¡¯t run this project either. She kept him on track when he wanted to spend hours searching for the right bolt. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. He smiled at that. He searched through his papers, leaving out some metal for Gold Bug to snack on as he read what the instruments had recorded. He had proven the design worked. Carson and Bolan both wanted to crew the next expedition. He didn¡¯t like risking both of them, but he couldn¡¯t say no. They deserved a trip for all the hard work they were putting in. Their daemons made manufacturing that much easier than anything else they had in their shop. They still needed someone other than Octo who could pilot the undersea boat, and train others to pilot it too. He imagined it wouldn¡¯t be a good fishing tool, but it might scare certain monstrous fish away from the shore. Zachariah put down the need for a secondary pilot on a piece of paper as a reminder. He thought Octo and him were good at the controls, and Bolan might be just as good. Bolan¡¯s daemon might also be a good pilot from the way he had hung in with them during the air race. Part of him wanted to go back to the Steppes of Corwin and have another go at the Lord of Lightning. Examining the great air ship he had been using would give the machinist ideas on what he could do for his own designs. And that could get him closer to the places beyond the sky. The Rocket would need a lot more weapons added on if he wanted to do something like that. And he doubted Sola and Bolan would be behind him. He could already see their reaction at just plunging into danger just to see what some other machinist had accomplished. Seeing what a rival had done might help him refine his own ideas, but he didn¡¯t want to dodge lightning while he was doing his survey. And his children wouldn¡¯t want it either. ¡°Da?,¡± said Sola, looking around the workshop. ¡°You¡¯re sitting in the dark again.¡± ¡°Just thinking,¡± said Zachariah. He roused himself and looked around his workspace. The sun had gone down on his ruminations. ¡°What do you think of the tests?¡± ¡°I think that you might be changing the world more than you thought when you were asked to deal with this problem,¡± said Sola. ¡°People will be praising and cursing you at the same time after I am old and gray.¡± ¡°That bad?,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said Sola. ¡°Being a legend is harder than just making things with no expectations.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be the legend¡¯s daughter,¡± said Zachariah. He put on a smile. ¡°No one will even remember me,¡± said Sola. ¡°I¡¯ll be some detail at the back of the book that will just be Sola was Zachariah¡¯s daughter. We don¡¯t know what she did.¡± ¡°You and Bolan will have years of fame ahead of you,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about being focused on my own goals these last few years. Do you want to do something else other than look after me?¡± ¡°What would happen if I didn¡¯t look after you?,¡± asked Sola. ¡°You could be your own machinist,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I don¡¯t have the imagination for that,¡± said Sola. She smiled. ¡°And Hardy is not anything like Gold Bug or Knife. He is strong, and fast, and can fly, but he can¡¯t make a part with his appendages.¡± ¡°I could make him something to help with that,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I think that would be wasted,¡± said Sola. ¡°Let¡¯s go have dinner. Everyone says the boat is ready to be taken on a maiden voyage now that most of the problems have been worked out.¡± ¡°There are some complications but I think it will do what we need it to do,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Machinists from Lobster Bay can build better versions when they have the first model.¡± ¡°You could give them something better if you wanted,¡± said Sola. ¡°I can¡¯t give them a lot better,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Don¡¯t fool yourself,¡± said Sola. ¡°You¡¯re the best machinist in the world.¡± ¡°There are plenty that are better than me,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Carson is one of them.¡± ¡°And he would have never thought about a boat that sailed under the water,¡± said Sola. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Da. We can argue about this over dinner.¡± ¡°No arguing over dinner,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I need to think about how we can fly beyond the sky without air, or supplies.¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re going to have to find a way to look at the conditions before you can think of what kind of ship you need,¡± said Sola. ¡°Obviously there is no air,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We proved that with the Rocket. So we¡¯re going to need a good amount of air for us to use before we think about how we¡¯re going to fuel anything like the Rocket. Without air, she would just stall and drop like she did during the race.¡± ¡°Not to mention how cold it got the higher we flew,¡± said Sola. ¡°What if it gets so cold that the crew freezes in flight?¡± ¡°So we need to do more research before we try to reach our goals,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We¡¯ll have to start with something small.¡± ¡°We can start with the buoys you wanted to plant for the wind river that we used,¡± said Sola. ¡°Maybe we can build a platform to look at things from a sensible place before we invest in a machine to take us further.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good idea,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We can use the Rocket to supply us with material and food while we try to figure things out.¡± ¡°We would still have to build things on the ground,¡± said Sola. ¡°There¡¯s no way we could build something like your boat in the sky.¡± Zachariah wrote down notes for what he had decided to call Stepping Stone. He glanced at them before drawing a set of squares on gravity engines. He nodded to himself. ¡°You were just going to launch in the Rocket and see how far you could go, weren¡¯t you?,¡± asked Sola. ¡°No,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I have been thinking about things for a long time. I just realized that a medium stage is what we need since we don¡¯t have a real way to see the stars from the ground.¡± ¡°Someone will invent such a tool,¡± said Sola. ¡°I think we should go eat and let this all wait until the current job is done.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We do need to send something up as high as we can to take a look at things.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll talk to Carson,¡± said Sola. ¡°He¡¯ll have something in mind while we work on the maiden voyage of our boat. Then we¡¯ll have to take it to Lobster Bay to hand over to their government.¡± ¡°That should be the easiest part of everything,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I¡¯m thinking we need some kind of recorder to send up.¡± ¡°No more work, Da,¡± said Sola. She led the way out of the shop. Under the Sea 8 Zachariah and Carson stood on the dock. They had done all the trials they could think of, readied the boat for any potential failure points, and checked over any performance issues. Now they had to launch their craft into the dangerous water and hope it could carry out its mission. They were going along as consultants and damage control in case something unexpected happened while the boat was under. ¡°If things work out, we can hand this over to Lobster Bay and move on to the flying fort design,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°It should be a lot easier than building something designed to work away from air,¡± said Carson. ¡°I know,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I also hope to use it as research for trying to figure out how to fly above the sky. I need to talk to the Green Lights and try to find out if any have flown that high.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll need to think about measuring sticks,¡± said Carson. ¡°We have no idea how far away the stars in the sky are.¡± ¡°I know,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I might not be able to do this at all.¡± ¡°We can build a chart out of the steps we need,¡± said Carson. ¡°That¡¯s how we built the ferry for the island, and how we have done other things without you. The problem is you will have to show you can do it before you can earn enough to do it regularly.¡± ¡°I think it would be easier to set up a floating way station than actually trying to breach the sky itself,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We could direct any experiments we needed from there, and the Rocket would make it easy to get there from the ground.¡± ¡°It sounds more reasonable than trying to shoot directly to another planet without thinking about what¡¯s out there,¡± said Carson. ¡°I know,¡± said Zachariah. He waved a hand. ¡°How was I to know the air stops above the clouds. I never flew that high before.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t think of anyone that has,¡± said Carson. ¡°The Lights have,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Some of them have. One told me about the wind road we found when we talked to him. They might know a lot more than what they are telling the rest of us.¡± ¡°They might already know how to build one of these boats you came up with, and other things,¡± said Carson. ¡°It makes sense. They can do a lot with their magic. I expect learning strange machinery would be there with that.¡± ¡°I need to know what they know so I can build my own things,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°It might make everything else we want to do that much easier.¡± ¡°I agree,¡± said Carson. ¡°Would they share what they know with you?¡± ¡°I have no idea,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We¡¯re ready to go, gentlemen,¡± said Benz, as he approached from the crowd around the cradle. ¡°If your boat survives the next step, we can send it to Lobster Bay for approval.¡± ¡°I assume you can modify the basic shape to suit your needs,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I made some notes on what we can do to make things a little faster to produce,¡± said Benz. ¡°Something like this would be in a cruiser class. I assume my government may want bigger vessels to patrol our waters.¡± ¡°How many external threats do you have to face?,¡± asked Carson. ¡°We have some giant monsters that dwell in the ocean around Lobster Castle,¡± said Benz. ¡°And we have some pirates that like to use our monsters as cover for their attacks.¡± ¡°So a boat under the ocean might be a good counter for some of that,¡± said Carson. ¡°It will be a surprise for the pirates the first few times we use it against them,¡± said Benz. ¡°Are you ready to see how this works before you go home?,¡± asked Carson. ¡°It would be nice since I will have to ride home in your machine around the continent,¡± said Benz. ¡°Be careful of the Alvas,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Also people who aren¡¯t good in tunnels, or away from the open, would be a poor match for this.¡± ¡°I made notes and recommendations on that,¡± said Benz. ¡°Pilots would not be good for this type of duty except as short term minders. They are too fond of flying to be pushed into working under the water.¡± Zachariah wondered how Lobster Bay would pick such a crew for its fleet of undersea boats. He decided that was out of his hands. He had to worry about his machinists in his shop before he could worry about the other city state¡¯s personnel. ¡°Let¡¯s get on board and conduct our monster hunt,¡± said Zachariah. He gestured to the boat. ¡°As soon as I am done with my part of the agreement, she¡¯s yours to sail home.¡± ¡°Do you really think there¡¯s something in the water?,¡± asked Benz. ¡°Something is poisoning the water, and killing the fish,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We might as well take a look around just in case there is something there we can do something about. If it clears the dead zone in this part of the harbor, that will earn the king¡¯s respect, which will make the next projects I want to do a lot easier to do under his aegis.¡± A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Are you still thinking about flying above the sky?,¡± asked Benz. ¡°I have to gather a lot more information than what I have now,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°If you can make it work, send a message to me,¡± said Benz. ¡°I would like to know how you did it.¡± ¡°I will be glad to,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I thought it would be easy, but now I think I don¡¯t know anything at all.¡± ¡°It might be years before you¡¯re ready to go,¡± said Benz. ¡°I¡¯ll look for anything in the Archive that might help you.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I would appreciate it.¡± ¡°My superiors will probably want to look at anything you find out,¡± said Benz. ¡°It will be up to you how much you want to share.¡± ¡°I have to find out if conditions are survivable before I can think of how I am going to do that,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Lobster Bay has a lot of airborne problems,¡± said Benz. ¡°Anything concerning the air and sky would interest my people.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t promise anything, but I hope to have something practical that I can use for myself, and can share with you in the future,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Let¡¯s board and see if we can do what we built the boat to do.¡± The machinists boarded the boat. They took up positions in engineering. The numbers on rollers would give them facts as Octo steered the boat through the murky depths. And engineering was the most solid space in the boat. The front of the boat could be cut off but the machine center could maybe get any survivors to the surface with the emergency controls. Zachariah made his way forward so he could stand behind the gunner¡¯s chair. He wanted to make sure the danger was over before they were done sailing around. He switched on the communications speaker they had come up with to connect the gunner to the helm. He winced at the crackling coming from the listening part of the device. He imagined that all of that would get sorted out eventually. ¡°Try to head dead center of the Dead Zone, Octo,¡± Zachariah said. ¡°That seems the best place to start our search. I think a spiral might work best from that starting point.¡± ¡°What are we looking for, Master Eight Arms?,¡± asked the pilot. ¡°I think it will be shaped like an egg, but it will be monstrous in appearance,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I hope to destroy it before it can open and spread out to land.¡± ¡°How big a target are we talking about?,¡± asked Octo. ¡°The original threat was dozens of steps tall in the middle of the city on the shore,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Festus killed it with his daemon.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what created the harbor,¡± spoke up someone listening in to the talk. ¡°Festus¡¯s daemon creates a giant rock to attack with,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°He used three on the city to kill what had been summoned there.¡± ¡°But he didn¡¯t kill all of it?,¡± asked Octo. ¡°Or there was more than one tower, and we only saw the edges of what was really going on,¡± said Zachariah. The machinist frowned at the memories bubbling up. He and Sola would have died if they hadn¡¯t run into Bolan. Their three daemons, but mostly Knives and Hardy, had saved them when the city had been sunk into the ocean by Festus and his dragon. It had been a close thing for the little family, but they had come through and set up their small shop in Messer¡¯s Reach, and then winning the Great Air Race. Now they were testing a new type of machine that could open the waters to anyone who wanted to sail the oceans. The lights from the boat played along the bottom of the ocean. Zachariah noticed that the fish that had swam into the Dead Zone had not swam out. Stripped bones dotted the landscape below them. He frowned. If they sprang a leak now, the crew could die before they could lift to the surface and evacuated his machine. ¡°Keep alert for leaks,¡± Zachariah said over the intercom. ¡°The water is poisonous. Octo, we¡¯ll have to head for the surface if some of it gets in.¡± ¡°Understood,¡± said the pilot. ¡°I think I see it,¡± said Nick, their gunner. ¡°Compass says northeast.¡± The boat swung in that direction. The lights swivelled to focus more of them on the sea floor. Something reflected the shine back at the boat as it descended. Zachariah frowned. It looked like an egg made of dark flesh. Roots dug into the ground under it. A cloud of vapor drifted into the water around it. ¡°I¡¯m going to say this is the target,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Octo, can you turn us in a circle to make sure we¡¯re only dealing with one of these things.¡± ¡°Understood,¡± said Octo. ¡°Executing turn now.¡± The boat turned in a full circle at the slowest speed the jets could manage. The light didn¡¯t catch any other egg in their beams. It looked like they only had to deal with the one, and then they could surface and start thinking about their next job. ¡°All right,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I didn¡¯t see another one close by. Nick?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t either,¡± said the gunner. ¡°How do you want to do this?¡± ¡°I think we should use the light cutter to try to burn the egg off instead of the Mark Twos,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°They might spread the contaminate when they hit. We don¡¯t want to spread the Dead Zone out trying to kill it.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Nick. ¡°Sounds like a plan.¡± ¡°Octo, bring us around to point northeast,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We¡¯re going to try to burn the egg up.¡± ¡°Understood,¡± said Octo. ¡°Give me the word when you need me to stop the turn.¡± Zachariah and Nick watched the lighted area as the nose of the boat swung back around. Nick took the time to pull the lever to free the guns and make sure only the cutter would fire. He tested the movement of the chair, listening to the bubble turn as he pulled on the gun controls. A small x painted on the bubble covered what the weapons should be shooting at when he pulled the trigger. He had tested the weapons and knew what they should do. This was the first time he would see them work in real conditions and he felt shivers run up his spine. One wrong move and he could killing everyone onboard by exposing them to what was outside the boat. ¡°Ready to fire,¡± declared Nick. ¡°Light cutter only.¡± ¡°Full stop,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We¡¯re on target.¡± Octo directed the jets to gently push down so the boat wouldn¡¯t settle on the bottom. He expected some ground disturbance, but there wasn¡¯t anything he could do about that. ¡°Firing cutter,¡± said Nick. He aimed the x at the egg as he thumbed the button for the weapons to shoot at the target. Beams of light sliced through the water, obscuring the action as Nick kept the barrels on target as best he could while blinded by bubbles of hot water. He eased up to assess the damage after a few seconds of shooting. ¡°I think you hit it,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I don¡¯t see it anymore.¡± ¡°Neither do I,¡± said Nick. Something crashed against the glass of the bubble. Zachariah stumbled back, shocked that something else could be down in the dead water with them. Nick fired by reflex, shooting blindly. ¡°I don¡¯t think you killed it,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Something is growing from the bottom,¡± reported Octo. ¡°I¡¯m backing us off.¡± ¡°We hatched the thing instead of killing it,¡± said Nick. He shot some more into the water. ¡°Or it was already getting ready to hatch, and we arrived too late to stop it,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Pull the shutter release to cover your window. If we take another hit, the water will flood the compartment.¡± Nick pulled the lever. Steel plates snapped down inside the window. He should be able to shoot, but he would be doing it blind. ¡°I¡¯m going up to see what we¡¯re dealing with,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We might need to use the Mark Twos after all. If there¡¯s a leak, get out and shut the door.¡± Zachariah headed for the helm to look at his enemy, and try to devise a solution. Under The Sea 9 They were in a bad spot. The boat was under the surface of a poisoned water with a thing expanding from the bottom. One serious move would send the prototype to the bottom before they could get out of the situation. Zachariah jogged to the helm bubble and wondered how they had got in this situation. He concluded it was his fault for not arming the boat like it should, and treating the job as something to get done as fast as possible without consideration for what would happen if he was wrong. He should have known something like this would happen. He decided to wait until he had seen things for himself before he asked Gold Bug to put something random together to help deal with this situation. He needed to know what he was dealing with first before he could suggest anything. Once he had an idea, he would have to implement it before Festus acted with his dragon. The boat wouldn¡¯t survive the rocks that would come down when that happened. The metal hull would take a beating, but not from something like that. The craft would break in half and the water would kill the crew before it hit the bottom. Their daemons would not stop that from happening. Zachariah reached the helm and looked out through the window. Something was growing out there as Octo backed them out of reach. How did they stop it before it endangered the coast and the people there? ¡°It will break the surface in a couple of minutes from the way it¡¯s growing,¡± said Octo. ¡°Any ideas?¡± ¡°One,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°But it is so outlandish, I don¡¯t think it will work.¡± ¡°What do I need to do?,¡± asked Octo. ¡°Back off but keep it in sight,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I¡¯ll see if Gold Bug can do something about this. It will probably be one shot. So once we do what we can, you¡¯ll have to think of a follow up while we¡¯re trying to think of something ourselves.¡± ¡°Do what you can,¡± said the pilot. He worked the lever to steer away from the growing column. Zachariah headed back to the gunner¡¯s station. He thought about what he could come up with while he slid down the ladder and ran along the deck. He had something in the back of his mind. He had no idea if it would work. He didn¡¯t know if the boat would survive what he was about to do. If he did nothing, they would go to the bottom and die unless he pulled out a miracle if that happened. ¡°I need any loose metal brought to the gunner¡¯s station,¡± Zachariah shouted along the deck. ¡°Give me whatever you got.¡± He found Nick shooting blindly with the light cutter when he reached the station. The gunner looked up. ¡°I need you to move out of here so I can do some work,¡± said Zachariah. He gestured for the other man to clear out. ¡°All right,¡± said Nick. He unstrapped and stepped out of the bubble. ¡°Got a plan?¡± ¡°Not really,¡± said the machinist. ¡°I¡¯m hoping Gold Bug can do something spectacular that will save our lives in the next five minutes before we are wrecked and sent to the bottom of the harbor.¡± ¡°I would like to see that happen too,¡± said Nick. ¡°Got any metal?,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I¡¯m going to need it for construction.¡± ¡°I have some wrenches,¡± said Nick. ¡°And a coil.¡± ¡°See if you can get me some more,¡± said Zachariah. He took the metal offerings and put them on the floor. He put Gold Bug on the floor and let him start eating. They didn¡¯t have a lot of time, and they needed something big to deal with what was out there. And they had to do it before Festus got involved. Primrose could destroy the boat by accident shooting at the monster as it reached for the shore. The daemon started constructing on the deck out of the metal he was chewing and transforming into work material. It looked like a stand designed to hold something upright. The ant continued to work until he had a partial ring built from the base. ¡°Eat the door if you have to get more material,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We¡¯re going to need the biggest shot we can take do the most damage before we¡¯re sent down to the bottom.¡± Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Gold Bug wiggled his antenna. He climbed up to where the shutter was drawn. He took small bites out of that and converted it to wires. He placed the wires along the base of the ring. He ran them to the door control. Zachariah didn¡¯t know what he intended, but it looked like his daemon wanted the wires to trigger when the lever was pulled. He got out a tool kit and took the cover off. He pulled the relevant wiring from the hole and began splicing them to the wires extended by the ant. Bolan and Carson arrived with blocks of metal that would have been used for small patches by their own daemons. They set them down on the deck for Gold Bug to eat and continue the job. ¡°What is he making?,¡± asked Carson. ¡°I have no idea,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°You might want to construct a bulwark in case this fails and the water starts coming into the boat.¡± ¡°There¡¯s not enough metal,¡± said Carson. ¡°Knives can build a force wall if we need him to,¡± said Bolan. ¡°He can hold the water out until we surface.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Get ready with it. As soon as Gold Bug is done, we are going to try to make a difference.¡± ¡°I can put patches up on the other side of this so the engine room and helm will be safe until we figure out how to get to the surface,¡± said Carson. ¡°Good idea,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Better hurry. ¡°I don¡¯t know how long this will take.¡± Gold Bug worked his way through the metal patches. He worked his antennae when he was ready to finish his creation. They didn¡¯t have a lot of time from what he could see outside the window. Zachariah worked the controls on the guns to make sure the thing didn¡¯t ignore the boat to attack the land. He had to protect everyone he could. He didn¡¯t have the luxury to hope that Octo could keep them safe with his maneuvering. Gold Bug climbed up to his neck to let him know that he had to move out of the bubble if he wanted to live. He took the hint and moved out of the chamber. The device that his daemon had built was a ring on a stand with the firing mechanism hooked to the latch lever. ¡°I hope you know what you¡¯re doing,¡± said Zachariah. He went to the lever. He pulled it down to activate the ring. The shutter came down to isolate the bubble from the rest of the ship. The machinist stepped back from the dropping metal barrier. Something screamed through the sheet. He stepped back again in the hopes that wasn¡¯t the front of his boat taking some kind of impact damage. He needed a view of the outside. What had Gold Bug built? And did he want a copy for himself to use for more than one shot at saving everyone¡¯s lives? He hoped he hadn¡¯t allowed his daemon to send everyone to the bottom while futilely doing something to save the day. He climbed up to the helm. Octo had the shutter closed. He guided the ship with a compass and the memory of where rock piles could be on the ocean floor. ¡°Octo,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s about to happen, but you have to be ready to surface.¡± ¡°Got it,¡± said the pilot. ¡°Anything else I should know?¡± ¡°You might want to back away from the thing,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°There might be an explosion.¡± ¡°Thanks for telling me that,¡± said Octo. ¡°How soon?¡± ¡°I think that part of it already happened?,¡± said the machinist. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Octo. ¡°There¡¯s drag on the nose. I also have alarms from down there. What happened?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you about it if we can make it back to the dock,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I think the front and the guns are gone at the moment.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll let you explain that to Benz,¡± said Octo. ¡°I can¡¯t see anything from up here.¡± ¡°I need to talk to Carson and Bolan,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°They should have retreated to Engineering to keep the engines running.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll let you know when we¡¯re above the surface,¡± said Octo. ¡°The meters still work from what I can see.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll explain everything and hopefully we¡¯ll be able to repair the damage in time to send you back to Lobster Bay before the deadline,¡± said the machinist. ¡°As long as we don¡¯t have to worry about something else without your daemons along to fix it, we should be okay,¡± said the pilot. He gave a thumb¡¯s up. ¡°We¡¯re climbing despite the damage. We should be breaching any time now.¡± ¡°We should be able to fix the window with the rest of things,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Be careful with the water until we have it mopped up. It certainly will be poisonous of some nature. We also don¡¯t need it spreading and killing citizens.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ready,¡± said Octo. ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°I think Gold Bug came up with a gravity gun like we used before but with a different diameter of attack,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°But if the blast didn¡¯t wreck it, the weapon was probably destroyed when the water came into the gunner¡¯s bubble. Gold Bug can invent some practical inventions but they are so fragile that they break after one use.¡± ¡°I got it,¡± said Octo. Zachariah descended the ladder and walked to the back of the boat. He could hear the strain from the forward jets through the system. That was something to think about for the next iteration. He reached the bulkhead that Carson had promised to put up. He knocked on it with a fist. Could they hear him in there? ¡°Who goes?,¡± asked an intercom on his left. ¡°We¡¯re surfacing,¡± said Zachariah into the device. ¡°We¡¯re going to have to do some damage control.¡± ¡°We¡¯re ready,¡± said Carson. ¡°Let me take down the wall. Then we can get started.¡± ¡°We need to lift the boat out of the water first before we can get to work,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We can¡¯t do anything until we can dump the death water out of the gunner¡¯s bubble.¡± ¡°Understood,¡± said Carson. ¡°Bolan says we¡¯re close to the surface according to the instruments.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I have to go up and see what I can do. I¡¯ll come get you when it¡¯s safe to come out of the engineering section.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Carson. ¡°Don¡¯t take too long. I¡¯m already getting antsy.¡± ¡°It¡¯s better to make sure we¡¯re not poisoned than charging out into the avoidable death,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Just hold on.¡± He retreated from the wall and made his way up back to the gunner¡¯s bubble. Octo had opened the shutter to see the outside. Cracks ran along the windshield from the near hits the boat had taken. The dock¡¯s cradle loomed in the distance. A crew stood ready to pull them out of the water. ¡°Let¡¯s see if we can dock without killing anyone,¡± said Zachariah. Under the Sea 10 Octo brought them in slowly and gently. It was a testament to his skill since the front of the boat had been blown apart by Gold Bug¡¯s weapon. The docking crew waited for him to draw aside the dock before they thought about hooking the winches to the cleats designed for that. They had to wait for the deadly water to flow off the top of the metallic deck before they could do anything. Sola waited for the crew to climb out of the metal fish before taking her father¡¯s arm and dragging him away from the dock. Hardy talked with the other daemons as she hugged him. ¡°What happened, Da?,¡± asked Sola. She waved at the vanished nose of the boat where the gunner should be seated. ¡°Just a small thing that Gold Bug handled brilliantly,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Half of the boat is gone,¡± said Sola. ¡°You could have been killed.¡± ¡°The egg we were looking for hatched,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We had to do something desperate, or it would have killed us. We were lucky Octo was along as our pilot. The man is inhuman at the controls of a machine. But we beat it if you didn¡¯t see it come out of the ocean.¡± ¡°There were spotters,¡± said Sola. ¡°I don¡¯t know what they saw yet.¡± ¡°Hopefully the Death Zone will clear out and regular ocean water will be the norm out there now that we have done what we could,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We¡¯re probably going to have to ask for some expert from one of the other cities to check if any of that thing was left behind.¡± ¡°Was it another of the things that killed Ma?,¡± asked Sola. ¡°I think so,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I didn¡¯t get a good look at it. I hope that we put it down for good. I don¡¯t want to think about another of those things trying to expand here again.¡± ¡°What about your friend with the wooden dog?,¡± asked Sola. ¡°I have no idea,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I¡¯m glad he warned me. We needed the boat and that worked out almost good enough. If we had some more information, we could have done a better job instead of risking the city.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Sola. ¡°What do we do now?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to get the sphere and go down and make sure,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°The others will have to build another prototype, or repair this one. That will be up to Benz. Maybe he will want both. The others can¡¯t do anything to it until we make sure that the nose is cleared out after what Gold Bug¡¯s gun did.¡± ¡°And what did Gold Bug do?,¡± asked Sola. ¡°I have no idea,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°But I think it handled our problem in a way I have never seen before.¡± He knew that wasn¡¯t true. The gravity gun he had used in Messer¡¯s Reach had done almost the same thing. Maybe they were both applications of gravity. He needed to think about that. Maybe there was something there he could use to build a faster ship to do what he wanted. He put that in the back of his mind. He still needed to make sure his enemy was dead in this world before he could try to get to another one. ¡°So the test run was a success?,¡± asked Sola. ¡°Other than losing the nose of the boat.¡± ¡°I think so,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Benz will probably want to put on more gun points in case of some other monster like this in the water.¡± ¡°I will work it out with him when he comes up,¡± said Sola. ¡°Do you really need to go back into the water?¡± ¡°Someone has to make sure,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°That someone might as well be me. This shouldn¡¯t be dangerous at all if the thing was completely wiped out by Gold Bug¡¯s invention. If you can get Carson and Bolan to get the others to repair the prototype, or get started on a new one, depending on what Benz wants to do, that will be a big help for me. I promise this shouldn¡¯t be dangerous at all.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Sola. ¡°Take care of him, Gold Bug.¡± The ant moved his antennae in agreement. ¡°Let me get some metal to stock Gold Bug up,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Just because it should be safe doesn¡¯t mean it will be.¡± If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°I¡¯ll tell the sphere crew to get ready to take you out,¡± said Sola. ¡°Are you taking someone with you?¡± ¡°Whomever¡¯s left after the repairs get started will have to do,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I don¡¯t need anyone capable at this point.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Sola. ¡°I¡¯ll tell Bolan to go with you.¡± Her face said she wasn¡¯t going to take his protests. He shrugged. He knew she was protective of him, but he didn¡¯t fight with her over it. He just made her protective of other people so he could work. ¡°Go tell Bolan that we¡¯re going back down,¡± said Zachariah. He walked into the shop and looked around for scrap metal cut from their project. He placed his daemon on a pile of it. ¡°Eat your fill,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We might need another invention to save our lives in the water.¡± The ant started taking bites of the metal. It worked its way around the edges of the pile as it chewed. Zachariah looked around the shop. He went to the weapon shop. He picked up the gravity gun rifle. It was something he was familiar with using, and it might come in handy. He made some notes on paper at his desk. He had an idea about how Gold Bug¡¯s weapon had worked. He didn¡¯t want to arm anyone with it, but it could be a tool on a smaller scale. Maybe he could use it to get rid of missed connections, or stuck bolts that had rusted over. Maybe he could use it to instantly transport from one place to another if he could figure out the crushing effect and use it as a medium. He smiled at that. He walked back to the metal pile. His daemon lay on the floor, antennae twitching. ¡°Ready to go?,¡± asked Zachariah. He extended his hand. Gold Bug sluggishly climbed on his palm. He transferred the ant to his shoulder as he walked out of the shop. He walked out of the shop. The ferry had the sphere ready on deck. The crew attached the cables and hoses as he walked down the dock. He nodded at the other machinists pulling the boat out of the harbor and carefully tipping the death water out of the nose. ¡°Don¡¯t let any of that touch you,¡± called Zachariah. He walked over to the ferry. Bolan and Carson waited on deck for him. He frowned at them. ¡°Are you really going back down?,¡± asked Carson. ¡°We have to make sure,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°Gold Bug¡¯s engine might not have finished the job.¡± ¡°How bad could this be?,¡± asked Carson. ¡°It might grow everything back,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°And if does that, it could wreck the harbor once it gets big enough. It might be able to reach the island from here, but I¡¯m not sure. I definitely don¡¯t want to find out.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Carson. ¡°What will you need?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going down,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°I have this and Gold Bug as my defense if something goes wrong. I¡¯m hoping that the thing is dead. A look around with a light should be all I need to do.¡± ¡°Sola said to go down with you,¡± said Bolan. ¡°What can Knives and I do?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll need extra eyes and a light,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°If worse comes to worse, we¡¯ll need Knives¡¯s bubble to get to the surface without being poisoned.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Bolan. ¡°We¡¯re ready.¡± ¡°As soon as we get this done, Carson,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°We need to have a meeting with Benz to see if he wants to keep the prototype and plans for Lobster Bay.¡± ¡°One thing at a time,¡± said Carson. ¡°The nose is gone, and the windows are busted in a hundred places. It¡¯s a miracle we didn¡¯t go to the bottom. Let¡¯s get this done before we worry about that.¡± Zachariah nodded. He looked around. The crew had the sphere secured. He didn¡¯t like taking Bolan with him, but his apprentice was capable of taking care of himself. Carson gestured for the ferry to be untied from the dock so they could get underway. He went to the front to talk to the pilot. They had to be close to where the egg had hatched to drop his friend on top of it. He didn¡¯t like that at all, but the other machinist was right. They had to make sure the thing was dead before it tried to kill their people like the first one Festus had killed with his dragon. Zachariah and Bolan boarded the sphere. They made sure the connections were set before the crane dropped the metal ball over the side. They let it descend slowly. Knives hovered on the ceiling with its eight legs. It played light out in the water from a spout on its back. ¡°I don¡¯t see anything,¡± said Bolan. ¡°Neither do I,¡± said Zachariah. They stood at the windows. Nothing moved in the water around them. The machinist knelt down to look out of the hole in the bottom of the sphere. He noted the depression in the bottom of the harbor. It was huge and obscured its edges from his vision. ¡°Gold Bug, what did your machine do?,¡± asked Zachariah. ¡°I don¡¯t see anything,¡± said Bolan. ¡°We might need a swimming daemon to search, but the water would kill it.¡± Zachariah saw a motion in the water. He frowned. He pointed the gravity gun at the hole. There it was again. ¡°I need a light, Knives,¡± he said. The daemon pointed his light into the water. Guns sprouted from its back. It was unclear what it could shoot, but it would if it had to. Zachariah waited for the motion again. He aimed the gravity gun at the general area. He didn¡¯t know what it would do to the water, but it was something. A fish swam across his line of sight. It circled around the sphere before swimming off to take care of its business. ¡°I think the thing is dead,¡± said Zachariah. He relaxed his aim. ¡°I think we can go up.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± said Bolan. He noticed his daemon still had its guns out. ¡°If you blow up the ball, you¡¯ll drown.¡± Knives retracted all but one of its guns as it eyed the hole in the sphere. ¡°I think we can go up,¡± said Zachariah. He smiled. ¡°It looks like we¡¯re ready to tackle more mundane problems.¡± ¡°So we did it?,¡± said Bolan. ¡°It looks like it, but the king might want to put up a monitor to keep an eye on things,¡± said Zachariah. ¡°But the main project is over once we fix our boat. Then we can start thinking about air machines.¡± ¡°So we¡¯re really going to fly to the edge of the sky?,¡± asked Bolan. ¡°Well, I am,¡± said Zachariah. He signaled for the sphere to be raised. ¡°Passage for others will have to be negotiated.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to keep you out of trouble,¡± said Bolan. ¡°If you die, Sola will nag me every day why I didn¡¯t die too.¡± Zachariah smiled. Revised Prompt List Pokemon used for Rioridiana the man with no name used for the man with no name demonic bureaucracies used for the Underworld seven brothers used for the Stalking Light brothers Madoka used for the magical girl guild of Bern Hero 1: Alan Scott Hero 2: Hal Jordan Hero 3: Jade Hero 4: John Taylor used for Arlo Pike Hero 5: Ben Ten used for Bernard Villain 1: Kulak Villain 2: Dormmannu Villain 3: Mordru Villain 4: Undead Thomas Edison (Atomic Robo) Villain 5: Vilgax Support 1: StarGate Command Support 2: Boston Brand, Deadman used for Ivanoviska Support 3: Katherine Corrigan Support 4: The Green Lantern Corps used for the Green Lights Support 5: Gwen Ten Support 6: Max Tennyson used for Moe Eisen Support 7: Mab used for the Queen Support 8: Hank Pym used for Zachariah Eight Arms Support 9: Artemis Gordon Support 10: Johnny Thunder used for Pavel Konstantin Anything 1: Ibis Anything 2: Immortal Man used Geoff Cantrell Anything 3: G-8 used for Gear Octo Anything 4: Micheal Carpenter used for Jason Anything 5: Scott Lang used for Bolan Anything 6: Hope Pym used for Sola Eight Arms Anything 7: James West Anything 8: Lord Heisengard (Atomic Robo) used for the Lord of Lightning Anything 9: Hydroman Anything 10: Original Daredevil The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Suggestions handed in A coworker named Jim suggested He Man beating up Strawberry Shortcake and My Little Pony. Train that runs on human souls Josh h Used for the Northside death worm train Terminator SaffronAngel Matrix used for Bass''s game SaffronAngel Doctor Who used for Errant SaffronAngel Phineas and Ferb used for the Keller brothers opal sparrow Deadpool opal sparrow Disney Princesses As villain''s minions used for the lord of lightning''s air pirates. opal sparrow peanut butter and jalepeno sandwich used for the keller boy''s line of sandwiches opal sparrow Hitchhiker''s Guide opal sparrow Dune used for the crater desert faction opal sparrow An evil minion with healing powers... thematically subversive to say the least. ecolaserbuilder Guppies I think I used this as giant guppies not sure.LaSalle A peanut butter and [something other than jelly] sandwich used for the keller boys LaSalle Comet Hale¨CBoppLaSalle A city destroyed by kudzu LaSalle A Tea Ceremony LaSalle Caligula''s Horse LaSalle Br''er Rabbit used for Brother Rabbit LaSalle the Travelling Shovel of Death used by Zachariah Eight Arms, the Kellers, and Brother Rabbit LaSalle Foundation Nac mac feegles Serpent Rose Avatar: The Last Airbender used for the Dai part of Riant kctejada The Darksword Trilogy kctejada The Deathgate Cycle kctejada The Codex Alera. used for the shaper totem part of Riant kctejada Haitian Voodoo Drugs from my friend, Ray K used for powering up the Sharriff and Railing Rennings Dread Pirate Roberts, characters from the Princess Bride Mechanical Procrastinator Two quotes from my son ¡°It was a dark and stormy night. Suddenly, a shot rang out! A door slammed. The maid screamed. Suddenly, a pirate ship appeared on the horizon! While millions of people were starving, the king lived in luxury. Meanwhile, on a small farm in Kansas, a boy was growing up.¡± Once there was an ugly barnacle. He was so ugly that everyone died. The end. Trollz From Headache Spaz Peter Pan and Neverland (Captain Hook and the crocodile) From Headache Spaz Monty Python and the Holy Grail From Headache Spaz internet cat memes From Headache Spaz Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles From Headache Spaz Scooby-Doo From Headache Spaz Chronicles of Narnia From Headache Spaz Charlie and the Chocolate Factory From Headache Spaz other children''s books by Roald Dahl used Matilda for Tilda Crass From Headache Spaz Totoro used for Toto Saltulra Treasure Planet TunnelTy Courage, Boomhauer, Kenny from South Park, and Donny Thornberry arguing about the last piece of a pizza- Josh H and Andrew B. used for the four cannibals An attic guy living in some unsuspecting person''s attic Allison E. Used as one of the man with no name''s targets. highlanders Blackferret used for Bass''s game.

csyphrettago

Prompt list from Lizard Kid Day One- Winter Wonderland Day Two- Cuddling Day Three- Christmas Shopping Day Four- Baking Day Five- Christmas Movies Day Six- Christmas Party Day Seven- Make-over/ Fashion Show Day Eight- Light-hearted Pranks Day Nine- Mistletoe Day Ten- Friendship Bracelets Day Eleven- Confessions and Eggnog Day Twelve- Christmas Day Leaving Town 1 Raven drew her short dark cloak around her as she looked for the house where she was going. She had medicine in her carrying pouch from her employer, Master Kobach. He trusted her to deliver his wares to his customers. She didn¡¯t know why. She did like the job. It took her all over the city. She met people that seemed happier than she thought they would be. And she helped them by giving them the medicine they needed, or carrying messages, or just talking to them even though she didn¡¯t feel like it most of the time. And Kobach treated her like an extension of his family for some reason. He paid on time, invited her to family gatherings, tried to set her up with one of his sons when he thought he could. Raven tried to be gentle but told him that she liked living on her own with no one to get in her way. She spotted the number and shook her head. You have a dark house, use a lighter color of paint to put your street numbers on it. How did you expect people to find you? Raven gently vaulted the railing on the stairs to get to the porch that took up half of the house¡¯s front. She didn¡¯t see any lights on. If no one was there, she would have to take the medicine back and try again later. It wouldn¡¯t be the first time she had been sent to a place, and the customer had forgotten they had ordered something from Master Kobach. She knocked on the door. She had to at least try to deliver the stuff before reporting failure. The silence inside the house bothered her. Maybe she had misread the address, or had come when the customers were out. Some people liked to visit their neighbors when they should be watching for a messenger. Raven knocked again. She always gave the customer three knocks before leaving. She heard something moving then. She frowned as she listened. It didn¡¯t seem that normal to her hearing. She backed away from the door in case there was a big surprise behind it. People tried to rob messengers all the time. She had escaped her last attempted robbers by taking to the roofs and leading them a merry chase from building to building. Raven knocked again. Maybe the resident was coming to the door. The door opened after another bit of silent waiting. An old lady in a shawl wrapped around her head and shoulders and a dark dress stared at her with eyes that seemed ready to burst from her skull. ¡°Why are you bothering me?,¡± said the old lady. ¡°You Mrs. Keswick?,¡± asked Raven. ¡°What if I am?,¡± said the old woman. ¡°Is that a crime?¡± ¡°Maybe,¡± said Raven. ¡°I¡¯m just here to deliver some medicine from Kobach the alchemist.¡± ¡°My glow,¡± said the old woman. ¡°It¡¯s finally here. Give it over.¡± ¡°I need the coin to take back to the alchemist,¡± said Raven. She pushed her bag behind her in case she had to deal with this woman with her fist. She didn¡¯t want to handle things that way, but sometimes old people didn¡¯t want to pay for anything, talking about a tab, or something. Larry Kobach never opened a tab. He wanted cash on delivery, or an explanation of why not. And Raven didn¡¯t care enough about their customers to let them have whatever thing they bought for free. So cash on delivery was just as good for her. ¡°I¡¯ll get your money,¡± said the old lady. ¡°Wait here.¡± She slammed the door in Raven¡¯s face. She bumbled around inside her house for a bit before coming back and opening the door. She had a bag of coins in her hand. She held it out for the delivery girl to take. Raven pulled her bag around and opened the flap. She took out the bag of glow and they exchanged bags. She opened the bag to do a quick count of coins in it. She saw some rocks and metal beads. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°This isn¡¯t money, Mrs. Keswick,¡± Raven said. She indicated the bag with her other hand. ¡°Where are the coins I¡¯m supposed to take back to Master Kobach?¡± Mrs. Keswick dumped the whole bag of glow down her throat. She smiled as the drug hit her system. Raven frowned. The last thing she wanted to be dealing with was a drug addict high on her supply. Why did some of her deliveries turn into fist fights? And why was it almost always old people? ¡°This feels great,¡± said Mrs. Keswick. She looked thirty years younger, taller as her spine straightened, and more muscular. ¡°Thank Master Kobach for me. I plan to enjoy my night.¡± ¡°I need the coins to pay for what you just snorted down,¡± said Raven. ¡°And you were only supposed to use a pinch because that stuff will burn out your brain.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me what to do,¡± said Mrs. Keswick. ¡°Tell Master Kobach to put it on my tab.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t run tabs for old people who might drop dead at any moment,¡± said Raven. ¡°I¡¯ll just grab something for collateral. You can have it back when you pay your bill.¡± She slipped past the woman and started looking around for anything she could pawn for the money. She was not going to go back empty handed. And she was not going to let some old hag try to get out of paying the bill because she took a lethal dose of her beauty drug. ¡°I¡¯m not letting you ruin my night,¡± said Mrs. Keswick. She stomped inside the house. ¡°I¡¯ve waited a long time to get my hands on some Glow. I need it.¡± They all needed their drug. Raven continued to search, wondering if Mrs. Keswick had some jewelry around she could fence for the cost of the glow. She didn¡¯t see anything outstanding. ¡°You can¡¯t just step into my house,¡± said Mrs. Keswick. ¡°I forbid it.¡± ¡°I need the money, or the glow,¡± said Raven. ¡°And you swallowed the glow. So what do you have that is worth eighty five coppers?¡± ¡°I told you to put it on my tab,¡± said Mrs. Keswick. ¡°Now get out of here.¡± ¡°And I told you Kobach doesn¡¯t do a tab for anyone but especially old people,¡± said Raven. She noticed a medallion laying on a table. Would that be worth eighty five coppers? ¡°Young lady, get out of my house,¡± demanded Mrs. Keswick. ¡°Old lady,¡± said Raven, grabbing the medallion and putting it on. ¡°You want this back, you better be at the shop with the money.¡± ¡°That¡¯s mine!,¡± shouted Mrs. Keswick. She went for a punch on the smaller delivery girl. She missed, and found herself being thrown over her couch. ¡°Either you bring the money to pay for your drug, or I¡¯m going to sell this and get what I can out of it,¡± said Raven. ¡°I¡¯ll see you later.¡± She walked out of the house. She shook her head. Why did people think they didn¡¯t have to pay for anything? She had to head back to Kobach¡¯s shop. Late in the day, early in the night, people were coming in or asking for a delivery. She had time to make some more money as long as the rest of her deliveries didn¡¯t try to pay with useless bills. Raven worked her way back across the city to the rundown area that Kobach had set up in. She liked the nooks that gave plenty of handholds if she wanted to reach the roofs in a hurry. She cut through where Moe Eisen¡¯s shop used to be. It had been demolished after he had fled the city. The gap was like a tooth missing with brothers on either side. Rumor said he had killed an underworld boss over a kid he had decided needed protecting. Master Kobach knew something about it, but said nothing. He told Raven the less she knew, the less valuable a target she would be. She didn¡¯t agree with that. Everybody knew she worked for Kobach. She didn¡¯t know how many knew that Kobach and Eisen were friends. That might lead to trouble if someone wanted to find Eisen and didn¡¯t know where he went. On the other hand, she could always find a job messengering for others if Kobach was blasted by some angry magic user on devil root. She just wouldn¡¯t like it. She walked into the shop. Master Kobach was making change for a customer, another old lady. She waited for the customer to leave before giving her report. ¡°Mrs. Keswick tried to pay for her drugs with a bag of beads,¡± she said. ¡°I took this medallion as collateral until she comes down to pay the bill.¡± ¡°Was she acting crazy?,¡± asked Kobach. ¡°She was acting drugged up,¡± said Raven. ¡°She dumped the whole bag into her system.¡± ¡°The whole bag?,¡± said Kobach. He ran his hands through his graying red hair on the sides of his head. The middle had lost the fight and retreated to the back of his skull. ¡°Yep,¡± said Raven. ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡± ¡°Glow speeds up your metabolism to create the youthful look,¡± said Kobach. ¡°There¡¯s a chance she will burn up with the amount she took.¡± ¡°I guess she won¡¯t be around to pay for what she took,¡± said Raven. She looked at the medallion. ¡°Can I keep this?¡± ¡°Until someone comes along to settle her bill,¡± said Kobach. He shook his head. ¡°What do you want with that? It doesn¡¯t look valuable at all.¡± ¡°It was the only thing that looked out of place in the house,¡± said Raven. ¡°As soon as I saw it, I decided that Mrs. Keswick would want to pay to get it back.¡± ¡°Or she¡¯ll want to murder you,¡± said Kobach. ¡°Glow makes you really aggressive when you are looking young. You are going to have to avoid her while she¡¯s still thirty.¡± ¡°I can do that,¡± said Raven. ¡°She didn¡¯t seem that tough to me.¡± ¡°Kid,¡± said Kobach. ¡°There¡¯s tough, and then there¡¯s tough. Don¡¯t get them confused. The Keswicks are wired in. There¡¯s a lot they can do to make you miserable.¡± ¡°No one can make me miserable,¡± said Raven. ¡°I make them miserable first.¡± ¡°Here¡¯s Mister Popovich¡¯s heart pills,¡± said Kobach. ¡°Go out and don¡¯t make me any more miserable than I am. Avoid Mrs. Keswick. I¡¯ll wait for her to come down before I tell her she¡¯s cut off.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good, I guess,¡± said Raven. ¡°Why are you cutting her off?¡± ¡°Like I told you, kid,¡± said Kobach. ¡°Glow is meant to be taken in a pinch like snuff. The stress on the taker¡¯s system is minimized. Taking a whole bag at once means Mrs. Keswick can go up in a ball of flames at any time. I can¡¯t take responsibility for that. I need to cut her off and pass her on to someone who doesn¡¯t have to worry about keeping their license.¡± Raven nodded. She took the package and put it in her bag to deliver it. She didn¡¯t care if Mrs. Keswick blew up, but she didn¡¯t want her boss to get into trouble for it if she did. Leaving Town 2 Raven crossed the city. It amazed her that very few people wanted to come down to the alchemist shop to talk to Master Kobach in person. They sent a messenger with the order and the messenger didn¡¯t stay to take the order back. She supposed she should be happy because it was letting her work, but it seemed stupid to her. If you were already sending a messenger, why not have the messenger wait to take the things back to you. That was what she would do. She reached her destination and climbed rickety stairs to get to the third floor. She looked around, glad there weren¡¯t any toughs trying to rob her as she went down the hall. She found the apartment and knocked on the door. Delivering things could be a dangerous job. Someone was always ready to try to take whatever concoction Master Kobach sent out. She hated having to knife these thieves but she had to protect herself and then the delivery. A few times they had got away with it, and she had gone back to the shop in defeat. She listened to the building. No one was moving inside her delivery address. Should she take the drugs back? Were they home to take the package from her? She knocked on the door again just to make sure no one was inside. Footsteps approached the door. She stepped back to give the person room. She liked standing at arm¡¯s reach in case there was trouble. ¡°Hello,¡± said the old woman. She was covered in wrinkles as every part of her body had decided that gravity was too much. She didn¡¯t have the new dentures that was going around so a lot of her teeth showed they were missing. Her hair had thinned out on top. ¡°Mrs. Guddy?,¡± asked Raven. If the person confirmed their identity, she could hand the delivery over. ¡°That¡¯s me,¡± said Mrs. Guddy. ¡°What can I do for you?¡± ¡°I need you to confirm the delivery so I can head back to Master Kobach¡¯s chemistry,¡± said Raven. She handed over a slip of paper to be signed and a pencil. Once she got those back, she handed over the package she had been given. ¡°Thank you very much,¡± said Mrs. Guddy. She gave Raven some coins before turning away with the package in hand. She closed the door. Raven tucked the coins in her bag. She could add them to her bottle at the chemistry. She kept the money there so she could use it to move out if she wanted. One day she would be too broken down to deliver packages. She needed everything she could get if she wanted to live in her older years. She had her eye on a small house on the edge of town where she could putter around, and still make runs into the city market for food she couldn¡¯t grow. She could spend all day reading about chemical processes and sleep all night. She imagined there would be problems but she could sort them out with enough time. Until she got her dream, she had to keep working and gathering tips. That meant she had to get back and grab the next package to be delivered. She wondered if Master Kobach would recommend her as a messenger to another shop if something happened to him. He wasn¡¯t going to be around forever in her opinion. He was old. If Master Kobach died, his rivals would come to the front, and they were all terrible according to what she saw. None of them seemed capable of what he could do in half the time. She paused when she came within sight of the chemistry. Someone had knocked out the window in front since she had been gone. And windows were expensive. She remembered Master Kobach talking about a week¡¯s profit went into getting a new one the last time it was broken. She wondered who had broken it this time. She thought it had to be the neighborhood protectors, or maybe an irate customer. The alchemist didn¡¯t use anything that would do that type of damage. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. His friend, Eisen, had been known to blow some things up and had burned down his shop before he left the city. Raven glided to the window and peered inside. She frowned at the interior. Someone had wrecked all the shelves, throwing ingredients on the floor. Some of the stuff had mixed and was throwing a caustic cloud in the air. Who had done this? She heard a groan. Was Master Kobach still inside? He could die from the chemicals mixing in the air. She noticed that no one else in the crowd was stepping forward to help out. She jumped over the window sill and headed for the desk. She didn¡¯t see him on the floor, so he had to be behind the desk or through the open door in the back. She needed to get him out before the smoke made her sick too. She didn¡¯t know how she was going to do that. He was a much bigger man than her. She decided the best thing she could do was drag him along by his legs. The rest of him would have to follow, or else. Someone came into the shop behind her. He joined her behind the desk. He nodded at her as he picked Master Kobach up and slung him over his shoulder. He turned and made his way back to the window. He carried her boss across the street and set him up next to the wall of the shop there. Raven joined them, making sure she had the till and her savings in her messenger bag. The store money was kept in a safe in the floor in the back. A shelf stood on it until he needed money for supplies. The only thing thieves would get was her money, and what she had carried outside. ¡°Thank you for your help,¡± Raven told the bystander. ¡°Ivanoviska,¡± said the other. ¡°It was my pleasure, but don¡¯t tell anyone I was here.¡± The man¡¯s face slackened and then firmed. He looked around. He seemed puzzled. ¡°What happened?,¡± said Ivanoviska. He looked down at Raven and Kobach. ¡°You helped me carry Master Kobach out of his wrecked shop,¡± said Raven. ¡°Master Ivanoviska?¡± ¡°My name is Heart,¡± said the other man. He checked his pocket watch. ¡°And I have to get going. Good day.¡± He walked off, pushing through the crowd. He ignored anyone trying to talk to him while he headed for the next corner to turn and vanish out of sight. ¡°That was strange,¡± Raven said. What had she just seen? She decided it didn¡¯t matter since she still had to do something for Master Kobach. There was nothing they could do for the cloud except wait for it to dissipate in the air. Hopefully no one would be sickened by it. She wondered if that had happened on purpose, or from the beating Master Kobach had received. Now that she had time, she saw that someone had worked him over. What was the point? They had not taken any money. They seemed to have wrecked the shelves. She couldn¡¯t tell if they had been after one chemical in particular. It left a lot of questions. And she didn¡¯t know what she should do with Master Kobach. He lived above the shop. With the air being polluted, there was no way he could live above the shop now until they fixed that problem. She wondered if this had anything to do with the Keswicks. Had Kobach told the woman he was cutting her off? Had she come down to the shop looking for Glow? Would she go to the other shops and smash them up too? What could she do about that? Maybe she could take him to a leech to rest until he could fix some of this. Then she could worry about the Keswicks coming back. She wondered if they had been looking for the charm she was still wearing. That would explain some of the damage. Had they asked about her place? They might be tearing that up right now. She grimaced as she looked up and down the street. Were they on the street with her, watching for her so they could get the charm back no matter what? She had to make a decision and do something. If she had to run, she had her savings and the till money. Could the Keswicks chase after her if she left the city? What should she do? She looked at the monolith of trouble ahead of her and decided whatever else, she had to get Master Kobach to a hospital somehow. Once she did that, she could worry about what was next. ¡°Does anyone have a cart I can use?,¡± Raven called. Someone in the neighborhood must have something she could use. She couldn¡¯t leave him lying next to the street. ¡°Anyone?¡± A large shae dropped down to stand beside her. He looked at Master Kobach with wide eyes on his vaguely bunny face. He glanced at Raven. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you have a cart,¡± Raven said. She wiped her face with the back of her hand. He grinned at her. He held up a closed umbrella. He picked up Master Kobach in one furry hand. He flicked the umbrella open with the other. He started floating upwards, drawn by the wind. Raven grabbed a foot before he floated out of reach. She gasped as she floated away from the street. She held on tighter as they continued to climb out of the brick sprawl. The shae made a howling noise, and the wind hurled the umbrella and its passengers faster across the city. They started to drop next to what was marked as a hospital. The umbrella folded closed so they dropped the last few feet to the ground. She kept her feet but let go so the shae wouldn¡¯t land on top of her. She wasn¡¯t ready to take his and Master Kobach¡¯s weight at the same time. She ran to the doors to get help. The doctors didn¡¯t want to believe her but they finally sent someone out to settle the problem. He called for stretchers to take the alchemist in. The shae had fled while she had been busy. She was forced to wait in the hall as the doctors worked to neutralize the poison in his system. She grimaced as healers went to work, glowing hands emitting magical forces. What did she do now? She decided that she needed to check on her apartment, and then figure out what to do so the Keswicks didn¡¯t bother her any more. They were connected. That meant they had the underworld to help them. Did she really want to take that challenge on? She decided she would wait and see while she waited for Master Kobach to heal up. Leaving Town 3 Raven learned they weren¡¯t letting her employer leave at least for the night. She left him a message to tell him she was coming back. She wanted to check on her place. The Keswicks might have found out where she lived and done something to it. She needed to make sure they weren¡¯t loitering in her neighborhood. She could return to the hospital and check on Master Kobach after that. She wondered if the old woman had been able to get more Glow from the shop they turned into the home of a toxic cloud. She decided that she wasn¡¯t going to try to take them on. The influence they wielded would crush her. It was better to go underground, or leave town. She didn¡¯t want to do either, but she didn¡¯t see any way she could still messenger for Master Kobach after this. She hated some old woman could jam up her life. Raven crossed the city, using the roofs when she could. She crossed lots and jumped fences as fast as possible. Some dogs didn¡¯t like that, but she was already jumping over to the next yard before they caught up with her. It had been strokes of good luck that Ivanoviska and the shae had helped her. She didn¡¯t know where they had come from, but their help was the only reason Master Kobach was alive. It was almost like magic. She paused when she could see her apartment building. No one lurked in the street below from where she stood. Were they in the building? What was her plan at this point? She decided the best thing she could do was cross over to her building and check if anyone had broken in. Once she had done that, she could go back to the hospital and wait for Master Kobach to come to his senses. He might not be able to reopen the shop with the amount of damage she had seen. What would she do then? She could messenger for the other alchemists. She could run packages for some of the criminal element in the city. She could run packages for some other businesses. She still had some options in the city. If she left, where would she go? She didn¡¯t think for a minute she could track Eisen and his adopted problem out of the city. People more dangerous than her were looking for the two after the way he had killed the Sharriff. And the kid was more dangerous than a drunk¡¯s summons. And they had no reason to take her in and defy the Keswicks. She didn¡¯t have anyone else she could turn to if she had to leave. She had no family, no connections, and no job in any other place. She would starve to death looking for work. Raven descended to the street. She looked around as she ran over to the front door of her building. She slid inside to avoid any problems on the street. She looked and listened. Everything seemed in place. She looked up the long steps to her landing. Four floors of steps took her up in the gloom. She went to her door and opened it with her key. She pushed the door open and waited for someone to yank the door open and try to assault her. Nothing happened. Maybe they hadn¡¯t found out about where lived in the city. Would they go after Master Kobach again? She had no way to stop them if they did. The hospital would have to defend him if they could. Maybe gangsters would respect the place because everyone had to use it. How did she fight this? Did she want to do that? It would be her versus the Keswicks and anybody they hired. She doubted she could take them all on. Maybe she should try to escape the city and reach Master Eisen. He had killed the Sharriff. Would he come back to deal with the Keswicks for her, and Master Kobach. They were friends enough that Kobach arranged for a delivery to Eisen¡¯s customers every once in a while. She doubted their link was strong enough to draw him back to Bern, and he probably had gangsters chasing him too for what he had done. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. She doubted he would return just to run the shop until Master Kobach was back on his feet. That would be beyond expectation. She did know she couldn¡¯t stay there. Once the Keswicks found out where she lived, she could expect a visit and possible murdering. It was better for her to pack up anything she wanted to take and move to the hospital until her boss was out of there. Then she could figure out what to do after that. Did she want to find out how many Keswicks there were? Did she want to do something about that number? She wondered how much harder they would chase her after she stabbed Mrs. Keswick in the face. She had never murdered anyone before, but she had committed violence against others when they tried to interfere in her job. This was just a more extreme case of that. She looked around her small place. She had her stash for home problems. She had some black clothes like what she wore at the moment. She had a spare cloak for bad weather. And she had a picture of a small family in a wooden frame. She gathered all that up and put it in a pack bag similar to her messenger bag but bigger. She hung it on her back as much as she could so she could keep her arms and hands free. How much time did she have before someone told the Keswicks she was home? She did one last inspection, glad not to have to get rid of food, or anything she couldn¡¯t carry. She headed downstairs. The faster she was moving again, the better she liked it. She reached the street. She could hide her carry bag somewhere until she was ready to leave town. She thought about it as she started for the hospital. If the toxic cloud was still in the shop she could hide it in the back, and let anyone looking for it take their chances. She hurried along, checking around as she went. Getting robbed now would be disastrous for any future she might want to build. She had her money from the apartment, her money from the shop, and the till money. If she lost all that, she had nothing and Master Kobach only had whatever was in the safe at the shop. Would anyone try to scavenge from the chemistry? Did anyone know how to use neutralizer on the cloud? What about the other alchemists on the street? She hated all this indecisiveness. She needed to pick a path and head for a goal until she reached it, or lost her way. The rest of this was dilly-dallying which was unlike her. She decided the first thing she had to do was check on Master Kobach. If he needed her, that was fine. If he didn¡¯t, she could worry about the shop or just leave it until he got out of the hospital. Her secondary goal was finding out about the Keswicks. She needed to know more about them before she decided to try to stab them while they were looking for her. Did she know anyone who knew things like that? She frowned as she hurried along. She couldn¡¯t think of anyone. Maybe Master Kobach knew of someone who could point her in the right direction. She paused as she considered if the broad sheets knew something. They tracked things all over the city and put them in a pamphlet. Would one of them know about the Keswicks? If she exposed the Glow connection, would that be enough to make the Keswicks focus on the scandal? Would they come at her twice as hard? And she didn¡¯t have any way to tie them to the vandalism of the chemistry. She saw the hospital in the distance. She had to think about Master Kobach and what he wanted to do first. Then she had to think of a way to get their crazy customers off their backs. Then they had to rebuild the shop. The first step for goal one was to see what could be done for Master Kobach. Once she knew that, she could work on the other things. All this over an addiction and a charm. What was the world coming to? She entered the hospital and asked one of the white garbed attendants about her boss. They directed her to a room on the third floor. She went up the stairs like a shot. She found the room and entered. Master Kobach lay in a bed. A rune for healing surrounded him. Sweat dripped off his brow as he tried to sleep. Raven placed her carry bag under a chair and sat down. She made sure the strap was wrapped around her arm in case someone tried to grab it while she was resting. She needed a nap so she could chart the rest of her course. She closed her eyes and rested, thinking about cats and birds and dice rolling through the air. She heard her name and woke up. Her bag was still wrapped around her arm. Master Kobach still lay in the healing rune circle but he was awake. ¡°Raven,¡± said Kobach. ¡°I need you to take one more letter for me. The problem is I don¡¯t know where to send it.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± said Raven. ¡°I want you to take the money from the safe at the back of the shop if you can get in,¡± said Kobach. ¡°The cloud might have been mitigated by now, or burned out of the building. Then I want you to take a letter to Moe Eisen and deliver it for me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know where he is. I wouldn¡¯t know where to start,¡± said Raven. ¡°He was headed to Baldwin to try to fix that boy the Sharriff poisoned,¡± said Kobach. ¡°Start there.¡± ¡°Why do you want this?,¡± asked Raven. ¡°Some of the things they slung around were pure poison that not even a healer can fix,¡± said Kobach. ¡°I only have a few hours at best. I need to write this letter to give you, and I need to make my arrangements. I am done barring some kind of miracle. And there is no such thing for an old man like myself.¡± ¡°The Keswicks?,¡± asked Raven. ¡°They want the medallion you took as collateral,¡± said Kobach. ¡°Then they want to do horrible things to you before they kill you. I want you to be safe. You¡¯re the only family I have left. Moe will look out for you if you can reach him. Don¡¯t think giving back the medallion will help things because they want to hurt you.¡± ¡°So I should run?,¡± said Raven. ¡°Yes,¡± said Kobach. ¡°Get the money from the safe and take off north. They will be looking for you, so you will have to move fast as you can. Send in the nurse and I will get her to help write the letter I need to send.¡± ¡°What if I don¡¯t want to do that?,¡± said Raven. ¡°I will still be gone, and you will be hurt and following me,¡± said Kobach. ¡°Or you will be playing hidden here in the city you are caught and hurt and following me. Get the money, go north.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Raven. ¡°I don¡¯t like it.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t stab all of your problems,¡± said Kobach. Leaving Town 4 Raven started by stowing her carry bag in the closet of the room. She had to move fast. The extra clothes would slow her down. She emptied her messenger bag on top of the stuff in her bag. She reached in and flipped everything over so only her spare cloak was visible from the top, and the money was on the bottom. She made sure Kobach was comfortable while he waited on a nurse with quill and paper. The next step was to head for the shop. She knew a dozen ways to get to the back of the shabby building. She decided to pick a spot to watch the building before she went in. The cloud might still be there, a Keswick might be there, the Guard might have someone on station to prevent looting. She doubted the Guard would try to stop anyone from getting in the partially destroyed shop, but you never knew. An honest constable could hold her up long enough that someone caught up with her. Raven climbed up to a vantage point down the street from the shop. She noted the people in the street. Most of them looked like regulars that she spotted on her rounds. She saw a Guard but he was walking along another street, looking for trouble there. Probably causing trouble was more like it. She leaped from her perch to a roof closer to the chemistry. She jogged over to the other side and jumped off the edge there to another roof. The next building was the shop. She jumped to a ledge on Kobach¡¯s building. She used that to swing down to a window sill at the back of the place. She pressed on the window and lifted it. She looked around. No one seemed close enough to be watching her. Most alchemists wouldn¡¯t have a window like that in their shop. Kobach preferred it since he could open it and vent any fumes on the alley behind his place. Loss of ingredients didn¡¯t seem to matter since a thief had to be an alchemist not to do something stupid with the stuff on the shelves in the back room. Sometimes a Guard would come by to ask questions about someone. Master Kobach would assure the man they knew nothing about the matter. He didn¡¯t even bother to report the theft of things from his back room when talking to the badger. Raven kicked herself for not thinking the dead people had tried to consume the raw ingredients from the shop without any working on them. That was almost instant death depending on what they took. She looked around the workroom. It had suffered just like the front area for customers. She shook her head at the destruction. She listened. She didn¡¯t hear anything, but felt she had to grab the things from the safe and head away from there before something bad happened. She went to the shelf over the safe and pushed it out of the way. It rolled slowly but smoothly on the tracks built into the floor. She had the safe combination in her head. She opened the safe and took everything out of it and put the stuff in her messenger bag. Had something moved in the other room? She listened as she straightened. There could be somebody in the alley. There could be somebody in the other room. The gas might have popped something and caused a minor chain reaction. She checked the door. A crack was at the bottom of it, but nothing seemed to be coming through. The toxic cloud could be eating through the ceiling in the other room instead of sinking to the floor and spreading out. She decided the best thing to do was not chance the cloud of deadly chemicals. She was surprised she and Ivanoviska had not taken sick also. Maybe there was more to what happened than Master Kobach had told her. She couldn¡¯t deal with that right now. He had wanted her to grab everything out of the safe. She had the things. It was time to head back to the hospital and try to avoid trouble. She didn¡¯t want to take any letter to someone she only knew through Master Kobach, but recognized that without him vouching for her, she would have trouble if she wanted to be an alchemist too. She didn¡¯t know if she wanted to be an alchemist after this. Maybe a vigilante would suit her more if she knew how to find the people who wrecked her life. She did know how to find one. Maybe the rest spent their time with her. She could watch them until she saw a weakness and do something. She wasn¡¯t sure what that something should be. She went to the window and swung out. She pulled it back out so the work room was closed to the casual intruder. She climbed up a drain spout to get to the roof. She hopped over to the next building. She retraced her steps back to the hospital and thought she had done a lot of running around. She needed to get something to eat eventually and think about the next steps if Master Kobach was right and his friend had gone north. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. She knew nothing of the world outside of Bern. How did Master Kobach think she would survive on her own? She had heard about people being pushed into new areas, but she didn¡¯t want that to happen to her. The queasiness in her stomach went well with the thought she would die on the way to Baldwin. And Eisen had a month of a headstart on her. He might already be moving to another city while she tried to catch up to him. She pushed that out of her mind. The letter was secondary. Master Kobach wanted her to leave the city. He expected her to die for certain. If she could catch up with Eisen, she had a chance at a new life. Did she want to take that chance? Did she really want to leave the city? Did she want to stay and fight until she was dead too? She landed on the street just outside the hospital plaza and walked in slowly. She climbed up to the third floor and found Master Kobach lying in his bed, face turned toward the window. The healing circle was gone. She supposed the healers had canceled it since it wasn¡¯t going to help. Was she too late? She walked to stand next to the bed. Master Kobach turned his head to look at her. He smiled quietly. ¡°The letter is under the lamp over there,¡± said Kobach. ¡°You¡¯re going to have to travel fast if you want to catch up with Moe. There should be a map in the papers from the safe. It¡¯s a little old, but it should keep you on the right track. Take your money and hide it in your boots. Not every place is going to accept it, so be ready for that. Keep your eyes open. Just because you leave the city doesn¡¯t mean the Keswicks are going to leave you alone. Don¡¯t let them have the medallion.¡± ¡°Giving it back won¡¯t cause them to stop?,¡± asked Raven. ¡°Mrs. Keswick is out of her mind with the thought of revenge,¡± said Kobach. ¡°If you tried to give it back, she will skin you alive. Don¡¯t think she will forgive you, no matter what they say.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Raven. ¡°I think I will wait out your time with you.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t,¡± said Kobach. He gestured with one hand. ¡°If they catch you here, you will die. Go ahead and leave now. The first step is the train north. Once you get to the end, you will have to figure out a way further north.¡± ¡°What happens to you?,¡± asked Raven. ¡°The doctors and healers will let the Guard know that I died, and then they cremate me,¡± said Kobach. ¡°Deliver the letter and stay out of trouble. One of us has to come out of this okay.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t feel like it will be okay,¡± said Raven. She clutched her hands together. ¡°I feel like I am just leaving you because I¡¯m scared to defend the shop.¡± ¡°I want you to be safe,¡± said Kobach. ¡°And this is the only way that I can see. Staying here will just cause you trouble. Going north will place you under the Green Lights¡¯ protection. They are a lot better than the Guard here in Bern.¡± ¡°A badger is always bad,¡± said Raven. ¡°These guys are better than a badge,¡± said Kobach. ¡°You should go. I have to get some sleep before they try to fix me again. Start at the North train station and go. Stay away from the Shae and Alvas if you can. They¡¯ll throw more wood on the fire in my opinion.¡± ¡°A Shae saved you as much as the doctors could do anything,¡± said Raven. ¡°We flew above the city like a cloud.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t remember that part of things,¡± said Kobach. He waved his hand at her. ¡°Go ahead. Do the job.¡± Raven went to the single lamp on its table. She picked it up with one hand and grabbed the letter with the other. Eisen¡¯s name was on the envelope. She tucked that in her messenger bag. She hoisted the carry bag out of the closet, and dropped it to hang on her back. She looked at her friend through foggy eyes. He waved for her to go. She turned and left the room. She knew she was never going to see him again. She sniffed back the snot in her nose as she walked to the door. She didn¡¯t let the tears fall. There would be time enough for that if she lived long enough. She headed for the northern end of town. There was only one train station that took you out of the city. Everyone knew that. The rest of the tracks carried you around inside Bern. She walked along, wondering how she was going to cross the miles to Baldwin before her legs gave out. Maybe she could hire on as a caravan guard to help out a wagon train heading to Baldwin. That would help her more than she knew about working with others. She knew she couldn¡¯t trust anyone and Master Kobach¡¯s advice to hide her money on her person was probably the best thing she could do. If she lost her bags, she had nothing. She spotted the station in the distance. She needed to check when the next train left, then get a ticket. Maybe someone on the train would give her some idea of what lay ahead after she got off the train. She paused and veered from the train station when she thought she saw someone familiar standing at the door. She walked around the blocks until she reached a point where the back end of the station came into view. All she had to do was walk down the tracks and hop on the platform. She kept an eye out as she approached the station. The sun had decided to go down, and lamps were lit on the street. Would there be another train going north tonight? She spotted a board with times on it. A clock of cogs and gears pushed giant arrows to point at the metal numbers that marked time. A workman had placed a glass globe around the whole thing so all you could do was watch the gears moving without touching anything. She had hours before the next train came in. She frowned. She could have stayed at the hospital. She decided to lock her luggage in a locker cabinet set aside for that. Once she had the key secured in her boot, she walked back on the tracks. She could stop at a local eatery if they were open and grab something. Then she could wait out the rest of the time inside the station. That seemed the best she could do at the moment. Once the train had come in, she could get back in motion and avoid any trouble. What were the Keswicks doing right now? She wouldn¡¯t be surprised they were making deals with the Alvas and it was hurting them on the inside. She found the place she was thinking of after a few minutes of searching. It was open. She walked inside and took a seat to wait for someone to take her order. Maybe she would feel better once she had something in her stomach. Once she was done, she decided to see if there was a place she could hide in the train station until the train arrived. A good hiding place was a good place to sleep. She could get her bag out of the locker as soon as the train reached the station. She noted men in suits congregating outside. She had no idea if that was normal, but her feelings said it wasn¡¯t. She looked around for a place to get out of the restaurant without wrecking the whole thing. Maybe she could slip out of the back door to avoid the people coming toward her. How had they tracked her down? She considered as she waited. Leaving Town 5 Raven decided to leave her carry bag for the moment as she looked around. She didn¡¯t want to get caught with her money if she had a chance of getting away and coming back to catch the train. She headed toward the tracks and looked down the rails. Could she board without being in the station? How much longer could she avoid the guys in suits? Where was the Guard when you needed one? She dropped down on the rails. She had time. If she missed this train, she could catch the next one. Two trains on a loop to the end of the rail and then coming back to the city. She didn¡¯t have to wait in the station if she didn¡¯t want. She wished she had something other than her knife to use as a weapon. She didn¡¯t think it would be okay to try to get close and go for the stab. If they were armed better than her, or had some kind of magic, she would be courting suicide. Bern constantly had trouble with the Shae and Alvas to the south of the city. Sometimes you could see the Alvas¡¯s tree towers in the distance if you were high enough. The citizens didn¡¯t try to push on the monsters there, and they didn¡¯t try to push up into the city except as exiles and problems for the local Guard. Local adventurers and magical hunters took up bounties on anything that caused trouble in the city. They supplemented what the Guard could do against the natural magic of the other species. There was a story of a man and a wooden dog saving people, but Raven didn¡¯t believe anything like that. And what would he do against the suits trying to find her. Raven climbed up the tallest building in the street, using an outside ladder. She swung over on the roof and looked down on the train station. She considered if she was being paranoid and thought not really. She wished she had grabbed something to eat. Her stomach told her it wasn¡¯t that happy with her. She sat down and tried to ignore the feeling. If the suits cleared out of the station, she could drop down and grab something from the food counter. She sat down and closed her eyes. She could walk around to a local place and try to get something. She had time before the train came in. She wasn¡¯t going to try to stab five, or six, guys with her belt knife. Getting something to eat was a better way to spend her time. She nodded. She could drop down to the street. They didn¡¯t know where she was. She could get to a place without being spotted. Then she could come back up to the roof. No one would know she was there. Raven went to the edge of the roof. She spotted a small bean place on the corner of the next block. She could see the station from the front of the diner. She nodded as she dropped down to the street. She kept an eye out as she went to the diner. She looked at the small wooden menu with the beans they sold in soups and other dishes. She picked out a bowl of black beans and some rice from the west. She took a seat so she could see the street from the counter as the proprietor started cooking her food over an open fire. The suits milled around as she waited. Maybe they knew she was in the area somehow. Had they got that from Master Kobach? Was Master Kobach even alive? She had to worry about herself. If they got to Master Kobach in the hospital, there was nothing she could do about it. If he told them the plan, there was nothing she could do about it. She wondered what Master Kobach¡¯s family thought about all this. Did they know? She should have told one of his sons what had happened. She should send them a letter if she could get out of town. Raven ate her bowl and paid with some money from the messenger bag. She nodded as the majority of suits left the station. She wondered if they would come back. How badly did they want the medallion she had taken for collateral? She decided that she could find a place to hide in the station now that the majority was going about their business. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. She waited for her chance. When she thought most of the mob had cleared out, she skulked to the station. She took her time, using her dark clothes to blend in to the walls. She didn¡¯t see any enemies standing around. She searched the station with her eyes. One man stood watching the platform. He smoked a cigarette and seemed ready to wait for her to show up. She decided that she could stand out of the way. If he looked her way, she wanted to be able to move where she wanted without having to stab him. She found a place where she could stand next to a column. She looked around. It looked like it was just her and him. The main problem was he was standing within sight of the lockers so she couldn¡¯t just grab her bag out of the storage space. Raven kept an eye on the move as she waited for the train to come in. She needed to get her big bag, board the train, avoid the goon. She didn¡¯t know if she could do all three of her goals. She wondered if she could get close enough to stab the man. That would take care of one problem. She decided to stay in her hiding place until he did something to show what he wanted. If he was just there, then she didn¡¯t have to engage. She could stay out of sight and wait for the train. She remembered she needed a ticket to get on the train. Could she just pay a conductor for a ticket? She didn¡¯t know. She looked at the teller. She looked at the goon. He seemed to be watching the front door. He did not seem to have an eye on the booth. She might be able to buy a ticket if she hurried. Raven kept an eye on her watcher as she walked over to the ticket seller. She checked her bag as she went. She pulled out the last of the money and asked for one ticket for the train. The ticket seller gave her a cheery smile and have a good trip. She nodded before walking back to her column. The Keswick was alert now. Someone had come in that he hadn¡¯t seen. How had that happened? Then they had vanished from view before he could get a bead on them. Were they hiding from him? He approached the column. She squinted as she judged his speed and line of sight. She could duck him if she kept moving around the column. She had no doubt now that he was looking for her. She moved to the left as he approached. He stopped on the other side of the column to look across the front of the station. The ticket seller waved at him. He waved back with a suspicious look on his face. When he started toward the booth, she went around the other side of the beam. She could get to the lockers now if she hurried. Did she want to get her stuff when she still had time for the train to arrive? She decided to wait until the train was pulling into the station. She needed to be able to move without hindrance. A heavy bag on her bag was the opposite of that. She needed something to lure the watcher out of the station where she could hit him in the head with a brick. That usually worked wonders for dealing with people she didn¡¯t like. Raven watched as the goon said something to the guy in the ticket booth. She was too far away to hear but he was obviously asking if someone had come in. And the answer was yes. The guy turned around and took in the station again. She hopped around the column, hoping that he hadn¡¯t seen her. She was glad that he was on his own. If the whole crowd had been in, this would have been impossible. She also knew she couldn¡¯t dodge him much longer. Eventually he would work out what she was doing, and then they would be fighting. Did she want to chance stabbing him and having to give up the train ride north? It was up to him to make the first move. Anything after that was chance. He came forward, scanning the station slowly. She kept still, listening. She drew her knife in case she had to stab him for some reason. She didn¡¯t want to stab him because the Guard would be called, but she didn¡¯t want him to take her captive. And she wasn¡¯t waiting for the Guard if she did have to stab this goon. That would put her in a position where she was trapped for anybody who would take the Keswick¡¯s money to kill her. She would rather head south and try her luck with the Alvas. ¡°Come out,¡± called the goon. ¡°I don¡¯t want to chase you around all night.¡± Raven just listened to where his voice had sounded from. As long as he couldn¡¯t see her, she was okay. Her main problem would be someone getting in the way for whatever reason. ¡°We can do this the easy way, or the hard way,¡± said the goon. ¡°You can come out with the medallion in hand, or we can both wait until my relief gets here. After that, we¡¯ll seal the station and just take what we want.¡± She didn¡¯t like that. Kobach had warned her they were hideous. Maybe she should think about stabbing this guy and leaving him for his friends. ¡°The Northern Express is five minutes from station,¡± said a voice in the air. ¡°All passengers get ready to board.¡± Raven sensed the rumbling in the floor. The goon had to do something to change their status quo. All she had to do was wait for the train to arrive and get on while evading him. A beam of light cut through the column. She ducked down. Another beam cut through a few inches below the first. ¡°You should have just come out,¡± said the goon. ¡°Now the Guard is going to find a wrecked station and train, and a lot of dead people.¡± Raven peeked around the column. She ducked back as a beam of light reached for her face. She noted that he was using a medallion like hers to shoot the beam. Maybe hers did the same thing, and that was why the Keswicks were desperate to get it back. How did she use this to her advantage? The rumbling of the train attracted her attention. Maybe she could use the medallion to board the train. She ran for the tracks. She could use the train for cover. He shot at her with his medallion. Leaving Town 6 Raven slid to one side. She dropped behind a row of chairs. She held up her medallion. Nothing happened as she wished it for it to shoot back. She pulled her arm back as a beam blew up a chair next to her. She winced, glad that nothing had gone through her arm. She had to move before the Keswick got a clear shot at her. So hers didn¡¯t shoot anything, or she didn¡¯t know how to use it to shoot anything. She had to get out of the train station if she wanted to keep the useless hunk of junk. Another chair exploded. At least his aim wasn¡¯t that great. That gave her a chance. Raven glanced around from her cover behind the row of chairs. She had a door to her left, the tracks were ahead and to the right. The guy stood between her and the tracks. Behind her and to the right was the ticket seller booth. She hoped the ticket seller had enough sense to get out of there. The best bet was to fall back behind the ticket booth, and then circle around to another part of the station. She could flee and circle around to board the train when the guy tried to chase her. Raven rolled across the floor, tucked the medallion in her belt and ran. She dove behind the ticket booth. A charge of energy punched through the window and the door behind it. She grimaced as she ducked low. She had to cross an open space before being able to duck behind a column. From there, she could run out a side door. She didn¡¯t know where that went, but it was better than staying where she was. She ducked a little to the left to get a bead on her enemy. She spotted him crossing the floor. The only weapon she had was her knife. She could throw it but what good would that do? She had to cause a distraction and had nothing to lose. She pulled her arm back and then flung her knife. She threw herself the other way. She didn¡¯t wait to see if she hit. She heard the sound of the energy discharge, and then a cry. She slid behind the first column. She took a moment to catch her breath. She didn¡¯t hear any more discharges. She took a chance and glimpsed at where she had last seen her enemy. She saw him struggling on the floor. What had happened there? She decided that she couldn¡¯t wait for him to recover and start shooting up the station. She had a chance. She had to take it. Raven dodged back the way she had come. She paused at the absence of magic beams cutting through the air at her. She charged forward and hopped the damaged row of chairs. She stopped. She didn¡¯t know how she had done it. Her knife had struck the man in the neck. He had collapsed in the middle of the station. She grabbed his medallion and put it on her belt next to the other one. She grabbed her knife and pulled it loose. She wiped the blood off on his jacket. She put it back in its sheath as she looked around. She had to get out of town before more of the Keswicks showed up to try to stop her. They would be after her even harder after this. She spotted the train coming into the station. She had to board and find some place to hide before the train officials called the Guard to hunt her down. She would be hunted from both sides. ¡°Are you all right?,¡± said the ticket seller. She stood behind the booth. ¡°Yes,¡± said Raven. She looked around. ¡°I have to gather up my things and board the train.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll call for the Guard after the train leaves,¡± said the ticket seller. ¡°This is a mess. What did he want?¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t want to pay the money his mom owes,¡± said Raven. ¡°Let¡¯s move his body out of the way so people won¡¯t panic when they see it. Then we have to do something about this blood.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have time for that,¡± said the ticket seller. She waved her hand at the train. ¡°We need to talk to the conductors to keep the passengers onboard until we settle this.¡± ¡°Good idea,¡± said Raven. ¡°Thanks for helping me.¡± ¡°It was just luck,¡± said the ticket seller. She pointed toward the other door Raven had been working her way toward. ¡°I slipped and fell behind a counter back there, and decided that was better than trying to cross that open space.¡± ¡°It¡¯s still good that you are helping me,¡± said Raven. ¡°Let me go up and talk to one of the conductors,¡± said the lady. ¡°I¡¯ll try to keep this as quiet as I can.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get into trouble,¡± said Raven. ¡°I can figure some other way to go north as long as the Guard doesn¡¯t hold me for this.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± said the ticket seller. ¡°This isn¡¯t the only time we have had things happen. The train crew will help out.¡± Raven didn¡¯t see it, but she didn¡¯t want to argue with her unexpected helper. The Keswicks were after her over the medallion. How long would they stay after her was a question she didn¡¯t want to find out. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. The ticket seller approached the train as it rolled to a stop. She waved at a man on the end of the train. He climbed down the three steps on the end carriage and they conversed for a minute. He held up his lamp and waved it at the uniformed men getting off the train. They held hands up to stall the passengers. One of the uniforms summoned a conductor with higher rank and they marched down to talk to the ticket seller and the man at the end of the train. He didn¡¯t seem too happy about being thrown off schedule. The four of them conferred before the elder conductor sent his junior to get more men. He waited for a small group to arrive. They set about wrapping the body up, and cleaning the station floor. The body was carried to the back of the station and out of sight. Raven stood out of the way and let them do the thing silently. She didn¡¯t want to touch the body any more after taking the medallion and her knife. She still didn¡¯t know how a wild throw had killed him like that. ¡°Are there any more surprises in store for the trip, young lady?,¡± asked the head conductor as soon as the cleaning job was done. ¡°I¡¯m just trying to leave the city,¡± said Raven. ¡°I have a job to do, and I need to go.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said the head conductor. ¡°Go ahead and board. We¡¯ll keep an eye open for more troublemakers. Nothing can stop the train from running. We have to make our next stop in a few hours.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± said Raven. ¡°You¡¯re a passenger on the train,¡± said the conductor. ¡°Your safety is paramount so you can keep using the train and make it prosper. Go ahead now.¡± Raven nodded as she collected her duffle and ran to get on the train. She found her compartment toward the back. She placed her duffle under the fold-out bed and locked the door. She just needed to hold on and she would be out of Bern. The medallion she took from the old lady had to have magic. It was almost the same as the one the guy used in the station. Maybe it didn¡¯t shoot beams. What did it do? She decided she was good with the mystery for right now. She expected it to be something from the Alvas that didn¡¯t look like it was doing magic when it was. And she didn¡¯t want to try to find out what it did in the middle of a train with a crowd of people onboard. At least she knew what the other one did. All she had to do was figure out how to activate it. She doubted she would have to use it, but being able to throw firebolts around could make some things easier than others. The train¡¯s horn blew. She sat on the bed as the carriage started to move. She had some time before she reached the end of the line. She decided to sleep the best she could, and be ready to move when the train reached the last station. Then she had to secure some way to get to Baldwin from there. Maybe she could secure some work if she reached Baldwin. Cities were the same everywhere. The need for messengers couldn¡¯t be that different. She hoped that the Keswicks wouldn¡¯t chase her now that she was heading out of the town. She felt that they would. She had two of their medallions. She expected them to try to get the two artifacts back. She needed to catch up with Eisen and then figure out what she wanted to do, and where she wanted to go. She doubted that she wanted to stay in Baldwin for long. How many messengers were needed when the authority could fly? That was a hard knack to overcome with what she had with her. Could she make her way to Riordiana? Did they need a messenger there? She had some skills but not a spirit animal. Maybe she could work her way along Corwin¡¯s Steps. She could deliver mail between settlements. There weren¡¯t that much in trains up there. She would need a horse for that. She didn¡¯t know how to ride. She should have worked on that while working for Kobach. She had time to learn now that she didn¡¯t have a job. How did one learn how to ride a horse? Raven closed her eyes and tried to nap. She had never been outside the city. She wondered what the rest of the world would be like. She heard something slam against the carriage. She stood. She looked around. Where had that sound come from? She went to the door. She peeked out in the carriage. Others were also looking around. She went back to the window and opened it. She looked out. Something flapped at the end of the train. She frowned. It looked like a human was hanging on back there. She shook her head as she tried to think of a way to get off the train and escape. She thought about the carriage. She could move up to the boarding platforms between cars and look for a place to jump off. That looked like her only chance. She didn¡¯t want to be trapped on the train, or cause people to be hurt. She grabbed her bag and carried it down to the door to go to the next carriage. She looked back down the carriage. Fires and ice chopped through the cabins as the boarders worked their way forward. She hurried to the door and slipped outside. She stood in the wind and looked around. One of the Keswicks worked his way down the side of the carriage with some kind of root system carrying him along. She didn¡¯t see any of the others yet. If she jumped, he could follow her off the train. Worse, he could catch her if he was fast enough with the vines he was growing. She would be at his mercy. She had to get rid of him if she wanted to jump off the train. She pulled out the lightning medallion and held it in her hand. She pointed it down the side of the train while keeping most of her body hidden by the carriage wall. She willed for the lightning to erupt. A yellow streak struck the Keswick and blasted him from the wooden wall of the carriage. He hit the ground and rolled in the backwash from the train. She looked on the other side of the train. She didn¡¯t see any Keswicks on that side. Unless they saw their comrade fly off the train, she was the only one who knew her victim had hit the ground. Raven made a decision and threw her duffle from the platform. She jumped after it. She left the bag to run back to where her victim had fallen. She frowned at the way his head rested on his neck. He had hit the ground wrong from the looks of it. She searched him, taking anything that looked valuable. She looked around for the medallion. She grabbed it up. Time to go before the Keswicks jumped off the train after her. Raven jogged to her duffle and shouldered it. She moved into the trees, leaving the tracks behind. It would take her days to get to the end of the line. How long did she have before they started chasing her again? She decided to turn and head north to parallel the tracks without counting on being near them. That was the best she could do unless she wanted to work her way through the trees in a wide circle and hope she didn¡¯t get lost. Maybe she should run east as far as she could, then turn and head northwest. She didn¡¯t like that at all. That meant spending days in the wilderness when she had no way to get food. She cursed the Keswicks for depriving her of meals in the dining car. That would have been two days of free food while heading north. The thought that she should return to Bern and burn their house down crossed her mind as she tried to figure which way she should go. She settled next to a tree and wrapped her cloak around her body. She decided to settle in place for a moment and just think about what she should do, and how she should go about doing it. She closed her eyes and thought about her situation and how to close the gap to Eisen and the boy he had adopted. Leaving Town 7 Raven pulled out the three medallions she had taken from the Keswicks. She didn¡¯t know what one of them did, but one threw lightning and the other controlled wood somehow. She put them away as she thought. She needed to keep moving. North was the direction Eisen had gone. Her former boss wanted her to catch up with the alchemist. That meant she needed to go north also. The Keswicks knew she had been on the train. They knew the train made a circuit. They also knew that she had two of the medallions. Did they know she had blown one of their number from the train and taken his medallion? She had no way of knowing that, but she had to act as if they did. They had got on the train. They had vanished from the train. Someone would find the body eventually. Then they would know for sure she had taken the wood medallion. She expected to see bounties posted on her head in the wilderness. There were towns between the large city states, but there weren¡¯t any singular law for people. If a note went up for her head, she could expect a number of bounty hunters trying to take her for the Keswicks. Would they want her alive? That seemed the most important question. She doubted anyone would be told about what the medallions could do. The hunters would just be told that she had taken them and she needed to be brought back for punishment. And she knew that the Guard would not help her except in a cursory fashion. She couldn¡¯t count on them investigating any claim made on her by the Keswicks. The Keswicks were rich. She was poor. The Guard always sided with the rich. She would be lucky to reach Bern alive if she was captured. She had the wood medallion. Maybe she could use that to cross the wilderness faster. Once she reached the end of the tracks, she could ask about Eisen and the boy. The kid would stand out with the markings on his skin. Anyone who saw him would remember him. She still didn¡¯t see what Kobach thought they could do for her that she couldn¡¯t do inside the city. She admitted that she might have been trapped eventually if she had stayed. Moving on had been the right choice the way they were chasing her around. She wondered what the Keswicks would do when they found out she wasn¡¯t on the train. They knew she had been going north. That was the only way the track pointed. They could reach the end of the line and wait for her with the speed the train had over her. She couldn¡¯t catch up to it on foot. So the best thing to do was circle around the end station and try to hit the flying messenger service to be dropped off closer to Baldwin. Would they expect her to try that? Would they try to catch her trying to get a ride with a messengers? And she still needed to ask about Eisen to make sure she was on the right track. Just because he had stated he was going to Baldwin didn¡¯t mean he was traveling in a straight line. He might have been driven off course like her. And she would have to avoid the Keswicks in the hopes they would give up and let her keep the medallions. How many losses would they have to suffer before they reached that point? She decided to press forward instead of turning back. The Keswicks had influence in Bern. She couldn¡¯t hide from them in the city. Eventually someone would betray her, and she would be caught. She couldn¡¯t depend on Eisen and his ward for protection, but once she handed over the letter, she could decide what she wanted to do instead of constantly running away. Maybe the alchemist knew someone up north that needed a dependable messenger for Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.deliveries. She smiled as she considered having to learn new routes across a new city. Raven pulled out the wood medallion. Could she use it to cross the forest? The Keswick had used it to cling to the train. Could she use it to swing through the air? It seemed too easy to be the right solution to her problem. She pointed the medallion at a nearby tree. A vine formed a line to the tree. It yanked her across the space. She landed by the tree and smiled. This could be what she needed. Raven started north after the train. It had left her far behind as it sped on. The other passengers probably hadn¡¯t seen her blasting the Keswick and jumping off the train. If she caught up with it, she could hitch a ride as long as the other Keswicks didn¡¯t see her. She wondered if they jumped off the train to look for her when they lost their kin. She wished the medallions came with some kind of locator vision so she could just know what they were doing. That would make things so much easier for her. She decided they would know where she was going. It didn¡¯t matter if she caught the train, or not. The next big scene of contention would be at the end of the train tracks. Then she would have to get clear and see if there was word of Eisen ahead of her. She could be on an endless search for the alchemist if he kept moving around instead of staying at Baldwin. And she would be running from the Keswicks and their influence the whole time. She didn¡¯t like that at all. She used the plant medallion to yank herself and her bag across the wilderness. She saw animals and monsters roaming about but none got close enough to do anything as she swung through the air. She spotted the smoke from the train ahead, but knew she wouldn¡¯t catch up with night surrounding her on all sides. She had to find a place to settle before continuing her journey in the daylight. Raven picked a place in a dip. Two hills formed a pair of walls on either side of her campsite. She used the medallion to weave a roof of growth overhead for cover. She didn¡¯t know if anyone had tracked her from the air, but she could settle in for the night and try to catch up in the daytime. She hung a screen on either end of her cover to keep the casual animal from trying to get inside. She had a little bit of food and a water jug in her bag. She could use that and hope to find something at the end of the day tomorrow. She cursed the Keswicks for invading the train. There were two days of good eating there in the dining car. Now she was in the wilderness with the barest of preparation and had lucked out to even have a water bottle. They had ruined her train ride out of the city. She could have been able to ride in style instead of using a stolen piece of magic to carry her forward. Raven took a deep breath to calm down. She couldn¡¯t do anything about her problem right now. All she could do was hope the Keswicks kept riding the train and rode it back to the city. If she could slip by them, she was on her way to Baldwin without any more problems except some kind of bounty that could be placed on her head by the old lady. She settled in without a fire, drank some of the water to take the edge off her thirst, and munched some of the dry food. Tomorrow should get her close enough to a town that she could look for an easier way north. She still had to find Eisen when she got to Baldwin. There was a chance that he hadn¡¯t made it to Baldwin. She knew he had problems of his own. They might have caught up with him before he could get much farther than she had. Bern had a lot of problems that most people worked around. She never thought they would bite her in the course of her day. She put it down to luck. If it hadn¡¯t been her, it would have been someone else. She tried to let the thought console her as she wrapped a blanket of vines over her to keep her warm. She closed her eyes and tried to sleep while she could. The next few days could be one thing after another as she worked her way along the tracks to the end of the line. Raven dreamed of things chasing her in the shadows. They reached for her with shadowy claws. They tried to bite her. She stumbled on a set of floating gears that formed a hand to show her stairs leading away from the creatures behind her. She woke up under her blanket of vines and just listened to the woods around her. Birds sang as they went about their business. She heard something moving beyond her den, but it didn¡¯t seem curious enough to just barge in through the flimsy walls she had created. She lay there. She couldn¡¯t catch up to the train. She didn¡¯t really have any other goals than catching up to Eisen and handing him his letter. She could stay where she was for a bit. She pulled herself together with an effort. She drank some of her precious water and munched on the remains of her food. She pulled her bag out of the redoubt she had constructed and looked around. It was time to get started on her day. She would follow the tracks with the wood medallion like she had been and make it to the end of the line. She had enough Bern money to buy a ride with people heading north, or with the messenger service she had heard about in the city. She didn¡¯t know what a bunch of Riordianians were doing so far from their ocean home, but she wasn¡¯t going to knock it if they could carry the rest of the distance she had to cover. Then she could think about tracking down Eisen without her enemies dogging her trail. Leaving Town 8 Raven worked her way through the wilderness. The tracks remained on her right as she moved along with the help of the wood medallion. She had upped the ante more than she had wanted. If the Keswicks were willing to kill her over one medallion, there was no telling what they would do now that she had three of them. She should have brought a map with her so she could figure out where she was, and if there was a shorter way to get to where she wanted to go. Following the tracks seemed like a good idea at the time, but it also made it predictable where she had to be when she jumped off the train. Any Keswicks still on the train could just get off and walk down the tracks and look for her. Or they could just wait at the end of the line for her to get to the station and try to hire the messenger service for passage. Should she not even stop at the messenger service and just keep using the medallion to cross the countryside? She took a break about noon. The sun was over her head, song birds warned of her approach, and she thought she heard something making a questioning sound in the distance. She settled under a tree and took a moment to drink some water. She had walked all over the city for the deliveries for Master Kobach. This jaunt through the forest hadn¡¯t worn on her near as much. And the wood medallion helped her over the rougher spots with its vines, and wooden growths. Maybe if she had some height she could see the end of the line from where she was. Then she could figure out how long it would take for her to get to where she needed to go. She was bound to run out of water before long. She was already out of food except for whatever she could scavenge along the way. She just hadn¡¯t thought she would be stuck in the middle of the wilderness, carrying her bag, walking most of the way to her destination. She looked up at the tops of the nearby trees. She could climb one of these. Would she be able to see anything? She didn¡¯t have anything to lose at this point. Raven took the last sip of her water and placed her bag under a bush until she could come back for it. She stepped back to give herself running room. She charged a tree and ran up its trunk just enough to grab the lowest branch before gravity took over. She pulled herself up. She started up the tree, using the branches like a ladder, until she was near the top. She could see for miles across the top of the forest. A chain of mountains stood at the other end of a flat plain. Behind her, the dirty stacks of Bern rose. Behind that sprawl was the giant hometrees of the Alvas. Her left was nothing but more trees. Her right was the coast. Something massive moved in the water but she couldn¡¯t tell what it was. She put it down as a leviathan and decided that as long as it stayed out there, it wasn¡¯t her problem. She could see the end of the line. It was a hole in the trees. She couldn¡¯t tell how far away she was, but now she thought she could make it that night, or tomorrow, if she pushed. Did she want to push? She could go a day without food, or water. It would just be unpleasant. She saw a dragon take off and nodded. So the messenger service was still operating there. That was good. She thought about things for a moment under the hot sun. She could use the wood medallion to get there faster. She needed to get her bag. Then she could run for the end of the line. Raven looked down through the branches of her tree. She pulled out the wood medallion and aimed it at her bag. A vine whipped out and grabbed the duffel and yanked it in the air. She grabbed the bag and threw it over her shoulder. She held the wood medallion up and hoped that none of the Keswicks could see her on the top of the trees. A wood and vine bridge sprang up and carried her across the forest as fast as a trotting horse. She smiled. This was what she needed. Once she was in the air, and heading toward Baldwin, she was officially out of Bern. She just needed to avoid whatever enemies were waiting on her at the station. She started running. That forced the medallion to build its walkway even faster as she If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.charged toward the end. The speed she was moving would get her to the station in a few hours if she was right. She smiled. She had thought she would be stuck in the trees for days. Now she would reach the outpost and be on her way before the sun went down. She would have time to look for anyone waiting for her and come up with a scheme to keep moving. She looked to her right. The train was already headed back to Bern. She could see the trail of smoke rolling down the line where the tracks had been laid. She hoped the Keswicks had decided to ride the tracks to look for her on the way back to the city. The less trouble for her, the more she liked it. She wondered what kind of excuse they would give the old lady for losing two more of the medallions. The old lady might have them shot if she was still on the Glow. She slowed down as she came within sight of the station. She dropped on the bridge and hugged her bag as she looked at the people around the small building. She noted a water tower next to the tracks for the train. A bin for coal stood beside that. Another smaller building and a few houses stood near the tracks, but separate. She thought that had to be the office for the messenger service. Did she want to go there right away? A road led away from the clearing. It went to her left. She supposed that was for passengers who lived near the train station, or had to travel in other directions than north. If she couldn¡¯t use the messenger service, she could maybe hire a horse, or cart of some kind. Raven let her gaze wander over the pedestrians below her. She was above them at the edge of the clearing. She should be almost invisible unless someone walked into the trees and noticed the bridge above. The people slowly cleared away by various means from regular horses and wagons to powers of some kind. She noted the presence of two men who could be waiting for her the way they watched the tracks to her right. She could get around them if she was careful. They hadn¡¯t seemed to have thought she would just cut through the trees without using the tracks at all. They might not be representatives of the Keswicks at all. They might be waiting for the train to circle back from the city with whomever they were supposed to meet. They would have to wait at the station if they were going to wait that long. No one had built an inn at the station yet. So if you came on the train, you were expected to move on in some way, or ride the train back to Bern. She decided the best thing she could do was avoid the two lurkers and try to reach the messenger service without being seen. Then she could try to get a ride to Baldwin from the dragon riders. If that didn¡¯t work out, she could resort to the lightning medallion she was still carrying. Raven worked her way around the clearing with the wood medallion. She kept her eye on the two stragglers. She wondered if they had eaten since they started their watch. Sooner, or later, they would get tired of watching for her. How long would that take? She decided that she couldn¡¯t wait on them to move out of position. It was better just to ask for a ride and try to get away from the station as fast as possible. She used the medallion to swing on to the roof of the Dragon Express building. She waited for the vine to fade to nothing before she dropped down behind the building. She sighed as she took a moment to breathe. She hoped she hadn¡¯t been seen while she had been maneuvering around the two watchers. She went to the corner of the building and spotted one man still in place. She frowned. Where had the other man gone? She carried her duffle into the building while trying to keep an eye on the watcher. He didn¡¯t turn around to look her way. She closed the door so she could book passage without a problem. ¡°How¡¯s it going?,¡± said the fat man behind the counter. He gave Raven a smile with a couple of teeth missing. She noticed a long scar along his arm. It had faded but she could tell something had sliced that arm not so long ago. ¡°I would like to buy passage to Baldwin,¡± said Raven. ¡°How much would that cost?¡± ¡°The going rate for a flight into the city is two gold,¡± said the Fat Man. ¡°All of our dragons are out right now so you will have to wait for one of them to come back.¡± ¡°I would like to do that,¡± said Raven. ¡°Is there anywhere I can wait?¡± ¡°Amelia has a small diner behind us,¡± said the Fat Man. He pointed in the general direction. ¡°You can wait there, and I will send the rider over when one comes back in. If you get something to eat, eat light.¡± ¡°Eat light?,¡± asked Raven. ¡°Have you ever flown at high speed before?,¡± asked the Fat Man. ¡°Not really,¡± said Raven. ¡°Some people get sick,¡± said the dispatcher. He pulled out a form and filled in the destination and price with a quill. ¡°I have had more than one faint in the sky. That is not good at all.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± said Raven. ¡°Thank you for the advice.¡± ¡°No problem,¡± said the Fat Man. ¡°Are you in trouble?¡± ¡°Nothing I can¡¯t handle,¡± said Raven. ¡°I have a letter to deliver, and after that I have to think about doing something else with my time.¡± ¡°If you were a countrywoman with a flying beast, I would give you a spot here,¡± said the Fat Man. ¡°We always need messengers, and the train brings work for us until the company can clear the land enough to run tracks all the way to Baldwin.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t they?,¡± asked Raven. ¡°There is some kind of wandering beast out there that likes to hunt people,¡± said the dispatcher. ¡°As soon as a crew goes out there to start surveying, it kills a few of them to claim its territory.¡± ¡°I can see why no one would want to take on that job if it has a bad reputation already,¡± said Raven. ¡°The train company will bring overwhelming force to bear at a certain point, and that will be that,¡± said the Fat Man. ¡°Go ahead and grab you a seat at the diner. Skipper and Jade should be back in a few. I¡¯ll send them over to pick you up when they get in.¡± ¡°Thanks for your help,¡± said Raven. She handed over two gold from her messenger bag before she checked outside. The watcher hadn¡¯t moved. She skirted around the corner and headed for the diner. She could see the sign for it now that she was looking for it. Leaving Town 9 Raven carefully moved around the building to the diner. If there was trouble, it would be while she was trying to get something to eat. The next possible point would be when she took off with the messenger. She doubted they wouldn¡¯t see the launch. Once she was in the air, everything depended on what they were holding and if they could knock the dragon out of the air. She had never flown before. She wondered what she should expect. She hoped it would be smooth like a log ride. The last thing she wanted was to fall off halfway to Baldwin and have to walk the rest of the way. She hoped she could find Eisen immediately. She doubted Baldwin had much use for an alchemist, but he might have to work on things to support himself and his ward. Would he let her share a roof until she could get on her own feet. She wondered if the Keswicks would give up after she cleared out of the train station area. They might think she was going to Baldwin. Would they send people up to look for her in the strange city? She couldn¡¯t worry about that. She had to stay away from the windows, keep an eye out for her enemies, and hope for the best. She paused when she saw the second watcher come out of the diner. She stepped into a small alley and watched him cross back toward the station. He had two mugs of drink in his hands. She waited for him to start talking to the other man about the mugs before she slipped inside the diner. She sat down where she could watch the outside without being seen. The duffle went on a chair next to hers. A woman approached with a scratchpad and pencil. She smiled at Raven, round face crinkling. The gray in her hair lent her something imposing, but the messenger didn¡¯t know what that was. ¡°How are you doing, hon?,¡± asked the lady. ¡°I¡¯m doing okay,¡± said Raven. ¡°I have to take a messenger flight into Baldwin. I was wondering what you would recommend I ate before my messenger came in.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have anything big,¡± said the lady. ¡°Maybe just some eggs and some biscuits.¡± ¡°Can I have that and some tea?,¡± asked Raven. ¡°I don¡¯t know when the messenger is coming back.¡± ¡°It will be a few minutes,¡± said the lady. ¡°The messengers will wait on you to finish. It¡¯s downtime for their dragons. When you¡¯re ready, they¡¯re ready. And if you aren¡¯t ready before something comes in, you can catch the next one when it lands.¡± ¡°Have you worked here long?,¡± asked Raven. ¡°Lazlo and I built the place when we saw there was going to be something here out of Bern,¡± said the lady. She put the order on the counter so the cook could get started. ¡°And we get some traffic thanks to the train. I forsee a time when this will be a bigger town serving both Bern and Baldwin.¡± ¡°Do you think the train will reach all the way to Baldwin?,¡± asked Raven. ¡°Not just the train,¡± said the lady. ¡°There is a ton of cargo that comes through here to load on the train. If the train expands the line, more cargo will be moved. Some of that will come to us here as people work and build things.¡± ¡°They can just fly it across the land,¡± said Raven. ¡°Some people can fly things across the land,¡± said the lady. ¡°Just like some people can swim with the leviathans. But if trains can reach just as many places as aeronauts, at a cheaper price, people will still use them. And that means people will build towns to take advantage.¡± Raven nodded. She didn¡¯t know if she fully agreed, but if the line could expand closer to Baldwin, she could see messengers and other business people using the train to travel back and forth to carry out their deals. She wondered if that would happen in her lifetime. She decided she could worry about that when she was sure she had more life to live. Raven watched the window as she waited. How long would it take for the train to come back and those two guys decided she wasn¡¯t on it? How long would they stand out there looking for her? She needed that lift away from the station. ¡°What are you doing out here away from Bern?,¡± asked the lady. She wiped one of A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.the other clean tables down. ¡°The man I worked for sent a letter to his friend,¡± said Raven. ¡°I¡¯m supposed to deliver it in Baldwin, if he is still in Baldwin. Anyway, that is my starting point. I hope to run him down and hand over the letter before heading back to Bern, or getting another job in Baldwin.¡± ¡°Do you know what this man looks like?,¡± asked the lady. ¡°Yes,¡± said Raven. ¡°You can¡¯t miss either one of them. One looks like an ex-soldier with a beat-up face, and the other is a boy my age with a bunch of marks all over his body.¡± ¡°They did come through here,¡± said the lady. ¡°They said they were heading into Baldwin to talk to a doctor.¡± ¡°The boy had some accident with alchemical stuff,¡± said Raven. ¡°I don¡¯t know much about it.¡± ¡°They seemed nice,¡± said the lady. ¡°They took a dragon into the city like you are.¡± Raven nodded. She wondered how many doctors there were in Baldwin that could look at alchemical accidents without raising a fuss. She didn¡¯t think it would be that many. If she could catch up, the job would be done. Then she could think about what she wanted to do in a new city. She felt the medallions would give her some kind of advantage on some of the jobs she could take. She supposed they would want to know what she could do, and if she knew what whatever job she sought entailed. That was another worry for the future. She had to get to Baldwin before she could worry about her future. She might have to travel back to Bern to look for work there. ¡°Here¡¯s your food, hon,¡± said the lady. She presented a plate of still steaming eggs and biscuits. She retrieved a mug of tea as the food cooled on the table. She smiled at the look on Raven¡¯s face. ¡°Eat up.¡± Raven dug in, still keeping one eye on the window. The food was the best thing she had eaten in a while. She couldn¡¯t believe a cook this good was out in the wilderness. ¡°This is great,¡± said Raven. ¡°You could make a mint just on the food alone.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad you think so,¡± said the lady. She smiled again. ¡°Take it slow. You¡¯re going to be flying in a bit, and your stomach might not like that.¡± ¡°I think it will be okay,¡± said Raven. ¡°Thank you.¡± Wind beat against the window. A shadow crossed over somewhere. That could be her ride coming back. She finished the eggs and biscuits as fast as she could. She sipped the tea as she waited for the messenger to walk in to tell her the ride was there. A lanky individual in a double breasted coat and tinted goggles came into the diner. He looked around, before nodding at Raven. He walked over with a thumping of heavy boots. Wind had brushed his hair straight back from his face. ¡°Lazlo said you needed a lift into Baldwin,¡± said the dragon rider. He sat down opposite of Raven. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± said Raven. ¡°Are you Skipper?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Jade,¡± said the rider. ¡°Skipper is outside. Are you ready to go?¡± ¡°I am if you are,¡± said Raven. The two watchers had an eye on the diner. Could they see her? ¡°All right,¡± said Jade. ¡°Before we go, there are some things you have to know.¡± Raven nodded. ¡°The trip will be fast,¡± said Jade. ¡°Skipper can create a pressure wave at top speed. I don¡¯t let him do that with passengers, but accidents happen. You are to keep a grip on the stirrups and saddle horn at all times. If you come loose and can¡¯t fly on your own, you will die. If you don¡¯t have eye protection, I advise you to keep your eyes closed until we land. If you are afraid of heights, I advise you to hire someone to carry you on the ground. Do you understand?¡± ¡°I got it,¡± said Raven. ¡°Is there a problem with carrying my bag?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll check with Skipper,¡± said Jade. ¡°He should be able to carry it, but that doesn¡¯t mean he will want to. So you might have to groundship the bag, or send it on the next dragon from the office.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± said Raven. She stood. ¡°I am as ready to go as I can be.¡± ¡°Skipper¡¯s loading up at the office,¡± said Jade, standing also. ¡°Once he has had his fill, then we¡¯ll be ready to go.¡± Raven picked up her duffle and waved for him to proceed her. She followed him out of the diner after leaving some money to cover her bill. They walked back to the office. She made sure to keep the dragon rider between her and the train station. Jade waved her to climb up into the back seat of a double saddle strapped to a large green dragon. She pulled herself up with some ease. He handed up her bag and told her to place it in front of her so her arms would hold it while they were in flight. He vaulted in the forward seat, making sure he was sitting properly. He pulled down his goggles to cover his eyes. He gave her a thumb¡¯s up before he clapped the dragon on the neck. Raven made sure she had a grip as the dragon stood on its four legs. She felt the muscles under her brace. Then the daemon took to the air with a flap of its wings. The air beat against her face as the messenger soared into the sky. She felt sick the one time she looked down and decided to keep an eye on the back of Jade¡¯s head instead. The dragon soared north away from the station, and she knew that she had done it. She had left Bern behind. Now she had to finish the rest of the job. She hoped Eisen would be easy to track down in the strange city ahead. A walled city rose out of the forest ahead. Spires of glass and metal reached for the sky. Skipper aimed for a square piece of concrete set aside for fliers and headed in for a landing. He walked off the speed of his flight and folded his wings. He sat on his hindquarters for Raven and Jade to dismount. ¡°Here you go,¡± said Jade. ¡°If you need to go south back to Bern, we have a small office off the pad here where you can hire passage back to the station, or even into Bern if you can afford the fee.¡± ¡°Thanks for the lift,¡± said Raven. She hefted her bag on her shoulder. ¡°I have to go about my business. Have a nice flight home.¡± ¡°Good luck,¡± said Jade. ¡°I have to get some water for Skipper, then we¡¯re back on the job. Be careful out there.¡± Raven waved at the both of them as she walked off the pad and looked for a way down into the city. Revised Prompt List The list of prompts to be used for the collection. If you want to suggest something, please put it in the comments. You will get credit. CES Pokemon used for Rioridiana the man with no name used for the man with no name demonic bureaucracies used for the Underworld seven brothers used for the Stalking Light brothers Madoka used for the magical girl guild of Bern Hero 1: Alan Scott Hero 2: Hal Jordan Hero 3: Jade Hero 4: John Taylor used for Arlo Pike Hero 5: Ben Ten used for Bernard Villain 1: Kulak Villain 2: Dormmannu Villain 3: Mordru Villain 4: Undead Thomas Edison (Atomic Robo) Villain 5: Vilgax Support 1: StarGate Command Support 2: Boston Brand, Deadman used for Ivanoviska Support 3: Katherine Corrigan Support 4: The Green Lantern Corps used for the Green Lights Support 5: Gwen Ten used for Raven Support 6: Max Tennyson used for Moe Eisen Support 7: Mab used for the Queen Support 8: Hank Pym used for Zachariah Eight Arms Support 9: Artemis Gordon Support 10: Johnny Thunder used for Pavel Konstantin Anything 1: Ibis Anything 2: Immortal Man used Geoff Cantrell Anything 3: G-8 used for Gear Octo Anything 4: Micheal Carpenter used for Jason Anything 5: Scott Lang used for Bolan Anything 6: Hope Pym used for Sola Eight Arms Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Anything 7: James West Anything 8: Lord Heisengard (Atomic Robo) used for the Lord of Lightning Anything 9: Hydroman Anything 10: Original Daredevil Suggestions handed in A coworker named Jim suggested He Man beating up Strawberry Shortcake and My Little Pony. Train that runs on human souls Josh h Used for the Northside death worm train Terminator SaffronAngel Matrix used for Bass''s game SaffronAngel Doctor Who used for Errant SaffronAngel Phineas and Ferb used for the Keller brothers opal sparrow Deadpool opal sparrow Disney Princesses As villain''s minions used for the lord of lightning''s air pirates. opal sparrow peanut butter and jalepeno sandwich used for the keller boy''s line of sandwiches opal sparrow Hitchhiker''s Guide opal sparrow Dune used for the crater desert faction opal sparrow An evil minion with healing powers... thematically subversive to say the least. ecolaserbuilder Guppies I think I used this as giant guppies not sure.LaSalle A peanut butter and [something other than jelly] sandwich used for the keller boys LaSalle Comet Hale¨CBoppLaSalle A city destroyed by kudzu LaSalle A Tea Ceremony LaSalle Caligula''s Horse LaSalle Br''er Rabbit used for Brother Rabbit LaSalle the Travelling Shovel of Death used by Zachariah Eight Arms, the Kellers, and Brother Rabbit LaSalle Foundation Nac mac feegles Serpent Rose Avatar: The Last Airbender used for the Dai part of Riant kctejada The Darksword Trilogy kctejada The Deathgate Cycle kctejada The Codex Alera. used for the shaper totem part of Riant kctejada Haitian Voodoo Drugs from my friend, Ray K used for powering up the Sharriff and Railing Rennings Dread Pirate Roberts, characters from the Princess Bride Mechanical Procrastinator Two quotes from my son ¡°It was a dark and stormy night. Suddenly, a shot rang out! A door slammed. The maid screamed. Suddenly, a pirate ship appeared on the horizon! While millions of people were starving, the king lived in luxury. Meanwhile, on a small farm in Kansas, a boy was growing up.¡± Once there was an ugly barnacle. He was so ugly that everyone died. The end. Trollz From Headache Spaz Peter Pan and Neverland (Captain Hook and the crocodile) From Headache Spaz Monty Python and the Holy Grail From Headache Spaz internet cat memes From Headache Spaz Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles From Headache Spaz Scooby-Doo From Headache Spaz Chronicles of Narnia From Headache Spaz Charlie and the Chocolate Factory From Headache Spaz other children''s books by Roald Dahl used Matilda for Tilda Crass From Headache Spaz Totoro used for Toto Saltulra Treasure Planet TunnelTy Courage, Boomhauer, Kenny from South Park, and Donny Thornberry arguing about the last piece of a pizza- Josh H and Andrew B. used for the four cannibals
  • Sauron and the Nine Nazgul From Falco Vega
  • Bruce Almighty From Falco Vega
  • (Saffron Angel puts in for Evan Almighty here)
  • Beowulf, Grendel, and Grendel''s mother From Falco Vega
  • Jack of beanstalk fame, plus the giant and his wife From Falco Vega
  • The flesh-eating rabbits of Monty Python and the Holy Grail From Falco Vega
  • The Ministry of Silly Walks used for Monty Pythonesque minions From Falco Vega
  • Blackadder, Baldrick, and Lord Percy Percy From Falco Vega
  • Mr. BeanFrom Falco Vega
  • Harold and Kumar (go to White Castle) From Falco Vega
  • Jay and Silent Bob (Strike Back)From Falco Vega
  • Ronald McDonaldFrom Falco Vega
  • a Jenga tower used for one of the witch dimensions From Falco Vega
  • a Rubiks cube
  • a Bag of Holding from Dungeons & Dragons
  • the Magic Faraway Tree (children''s books by Enid Blyton)
  • Twilight vampires
  • the Grand Budapest Hotel
An attic guy living in some unsuspecting person''s attic Allison E. Used as one of the man with no name''s targets. highlanders Blackferret used for Bass''s game.
Prompt list from Lizard Kid Day One- Winter Wonderland Day Two- Cuddling Day Three- Christmas Shopping Day Four- Baking Day Five- Christmas Movies Day Six- Christmas Party Day Seven- Make-over/ Fashion Show Day Eight- Light-hearted Pranks Day Nine- Mistletoe Day Ten- Friendship Bracelets Day Eleven- Confessions and Eggnog Day Twelve- Christmas Day Tournament 1 Doreen stood by the lake. Her totem was in the water, practicing. They had to be ready for the school tournament event. If they didn¡¯t do well, then her totem animal would be dispersed as too weak. They would send her back home, and forbid her from using the work she had learned to create a new totem. Most didn¡¯t try to create a new totem. Losing the old one usually sent them down a path of self destruction where they finally died due to their loss. She didn¡¯t want to lose her squirrel, and she didn¡¯t want to find out she was too weak to live without him. He was her friend, and she loved him. Losing him over some ancient rule grated at her. ¡°Look, Woody,¡± said a familiar voice that she shouldn¡¯t be hearing on Academy grounds. ¡°It¡¯s Doreen. I told you we would run into her if we came down to the lake before wandering around.¡± Woody barked in agreement, and with a little sarcasm at their friend finding abilities. ¡°Yes, I know,¡± said the man. ¡°The lake was an easy guess.¡± ¡°You are not supposed to be here,¡± said Doreen. She looked around for anyone who might see them talking. ¡°I got into trouble over what we did to Bernard and his friends.¡± ¡°Really?,¡± said the tall man. He pulled on the front of his blue jacket. ¡°I will go talk to your headmaster right now and straighten this out.¡± Woody barked. ¡°And Woody will bite him for justice,¡± said the man. ¡°For justice?¡± Woody snuffled while holding his nose up in the air. Doreen covered her face. Her totem came out of the water and danced around the two, waving his arms in the air. She had met these two by the lake a few weeks ago. The man, dressed in blue with a black shirt, had called himself Errant. His dog, made of wood and cynicism, was Woody. She had been talking to Errant while Woody coached her totem on fighting skills when Bernard the bully had decided to threaten her with the Headmaster. That had led to a duel where his fire hawk had been washed away by a suddenly giant squirrel. She had been reprimanded for hurting Bernard in a duel off the official pad. He had been reprimanded too, but she had felt more softly since he had wound up in the infirmary. ¡°I suppose an explanation is in order,¡± said Errant. ¡°Woody wants to settle down and take it easy. We do a lot of traveling, and he wants to take a while and just enjoy himself without some of the more unusual antics we get up to sometime. And we thought of you, so here we are.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not really a good explanation,¡± said Doreen. ¡°I don¡¯t think the Academy will let me keep someone else¡¯s totem while I am trying to get ready for the tournament.¡± ¡°But he isn¡¯t a totem,¡± said Errant. ¡°He¡¯s my familiar.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think the Academy will see any difference,¡± said Doreen. ¡°You understand, right, Woody?¡± Woody made a noise that could have been agreement. He settled into a sitting position as he tried not to have Doreen¡¯s squirrel climb up in his nose. ¡°It will only be for a bit,¡± said Errant. ¡°I have to do some things, and then I thought I would take him up into the mountains and let him stay up there. Until I get done, I think he should be with others so he doesn¡¯t get depressed and lonely.¡± ¡°And your first thought was to leave him with me while I try to get through my lessons?,¡± said Doreen. ¡°Actually, Woody likes it here, but he doesn¡¯t like the Academy,¡± said Errant. ¡°And he is less them impressed with your classmates.¡± ¡°I am sure that Bernard¡¯s ego will be crushed by that,¡± said Doreen. ¡°Woody can keep coaching your totem until he can win the tournament,¡± said Errant. Woody barked at the promise of services without a consultation. ¡°I know,¡± said Errant. ¡°But I think Doreen would rather trade instead of just carrying you around like a big baby.¡± ¡°A trade?,¡± said Doreen. ¡°Woody coaches your partner to win the tournament, and you take him around and Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.show him things,¡± said Errant. ¡°I think it would be good for both of you.¡± ¡°I think it will get me expelled,¡± said Doreen. ¡°And have my totem taken from me.¡± ¡°I promise Woody will be on his best behavior and I will fix any problem he might cause you,¡± said Errant. ¡°As soon as I get back, I will take him up into the mountains, and the job will be done.¡± Woody slowly wagged his tail. He tried to look friendly. Friendlier because he was already tossing her squirrel up into the air much to the totem¡¯s delight. ¡°I suppose it will be okay,¡± said Doreen. ¡°I guess I can pass him off as someone else¡¯s totem for a bit since the tournament will be full of people coming in to fight.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let him enter,¡± said Errant. ¡°Just walk him around.¡± ¡°He can¡¯t enter without a partner,¡± said Doreen. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter,¡± said Errant. ¡°He¡¯s roaming with you. Your name will be on the entrance list. And Woody would cheat to win something like a fighting session.¡± ¡°This dog would cheat?,¡± said Doreen. ¡°In a second,¡± said Errant. Woody barked at him. He shook his large wooden head. ¡°The card game last month,¡± said Errant. ¡°You had five of a kind. We had to fight our way out of there.¡± Woody shook his head. ¡°What do you mean?,¡± said Errant. ¡°You were cheating the whole time, I only cheated once. Then when you pulled that last hand, it was blow out the lights and jump out the window.¡± ¡°You had to jump out a window?,¡± said Doreen. She took her totem back and put him on her shoulder. He chittered softly in her ear. ¡°Almost broke my legs,¡± said Errant. ¡°Don¡¯t let him anywhere near this tournament. Just take him around and show him things. Let him be lazy when he wants to be lazy, let him play when he wants to play. Take him to your classes if you think he can¡¯t be trusted out of your sight.¡± Woody barked at that. ¡°You heard me,¡± said Errant. ¡°Doreen has to get through this training to earn her place in her society. We can¡¯t ruin that for her, now can we?¡± Doreen looked at the strange pair and wondered how long they were together. She had never seen a totem partnership like this. Totems were smart, and they tried to assist you, but they didn¡¯t usually argue like this. They were an extension of you, and part of your thoughts. They didn¡¯t tell you they wanted to split up even for a minute. Woody surged to his feet. He was a lot bigger than she realized. He jumped to put his front paws on her shoulders. He placed his head on her free shoulder. Tapper waved his watery arms at the invasion of space on the other shoulder. ¡°All right,¡± said Doreen. ¡°I will show you around. Get down.¡± Woody dropped down. He gave her a dumb dog grin, but she could see the sparks in his eyes when she looked at him. Whatever he was, he was more thoughtful than most of the totems she had dealt with. She wondered if Tapper would be like this over the decades she could carry him with her. ¡°All right,¡± said Doreen, gathering her thoughts. ¡°I have to do some work around the Academy, then do my papers to keep growing my certification. Then Tapper has to run the obstacle course for his practice.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that will be that bad for a squirrel,¡± said Errant. ¡°I have to go. Thanks for doing this favor for me, Doreen. I will be back in a couple of days. Stay out of trouble, Woody.¡± The dog settled on the ground and wrapped around himself. Errant waved as he walked off, vanishing behind a tree. ¡°This is going to be so much trouble,¡± said Doreen. Tapper patted her face with a wet paw. ¡°I am such a pushover. I need to be more assertive.¡± She looked down at the wooden dog pretending to be asleep. She shook her head. ¡°I have to go to my work,¡± said Doreen. ¡°It¡¯s my day to clip the hedges.¡± Tapper chittered. He loved the hedges. There were plenty of places for him to climb and play. He tapped her ear. ¡°I know,¡± said Doreen. ¡°I have to go, Woody. I suppose you can stay here until you are ready to come to the Academy.¡± She turned and walked down the path toward the Academy. She kept an eye on the buildings as she moved forward. It had been a good place to live for the last few years. She hated to think she would have to go home with nothing after the work she had put in. Tapper chittered as he waved his arms at the woods around them. He loved to leap across the gaps from tree to tree when they weren¡¯t in a hurry. Woody had got to his feet and followed silently. He wagged his tail as he walked. He had been other places but they hadn¡¯t stayed around long enough for him to enjoy his stay. He sniffed the trees as he went. There were some monsters around, but they were wary of the Academy students. You didn¡¯t run up on dinner to find something running around you couldn¡¯t eat. Doreen reached the low wall that marked the controlled grounds. She climbed over, brushing her pants off on the other side. Woody reached up and grabbed the top of the wall. He pulled himself over in one swift motion. She nodded at him before continuing her walking. ¡°The hedges we have been given to trim are down this way,¡± said Doreen. ¡°I have to get Tapper to cut the limbs he can. The staff wants us to take care of duties that are hard for our partners.¡± Woody chuffed. Of course the totems would have to work on the things to improve areas that they were weak on. He didn¡¯t know how good a training regime that would be. He had done some things in the past, but had not assumed to be able to tell others how to use their talents better than they knew themselves. He had always been caught making sure Errant didn¡¯t get himself killed before the end of the world happened. It would be nice to just walk around and take in things without worrying about fires, explosions, and monsters jumping out of closets. How much trouble could a bunch of children cause in a school? ¡°All right,¡± said Doreen. She looked at her work area. She rubbed her hands. ¡°Let¡¯s get started, Tapper. We have to cut everything down to below the wall line.¡± Woody sat and watched as the squirrel tried to gnaw through the branches. He leaned forward and quietly barked so Tapper would listen to him. Then he made some sounds that sounded like words, but were minor howls. The elemental rushed off. He came back twice as big. He created a jet of water that froze on the branches of the hedges. He snapped the limbs at the frozen mark. Doreen looked at the animals. She looked at the hedges. She put her hand on the top to make sure they were beneath the line on the wall. She made a face of puzzled amusement. ¡°It looks like I can go do my paperwork now,¡± said Doreen. She smiled. ¡°Good job, Tapper.¡± Tournament 2 Doreen looked at the work associated with being a tamer with a totem. She filled out as much as she could. She had to turn it in, then take Tapper to the obstacle course. He excelled at running through the training area because of his size and speed. She felt hot breath at her elbow and looked down. She found Woody standing by her work chair, looking at the papers. He put a paw on one of her answers and scratched at it. ¡°So you don¡¯t think this answer is right?,¡± asked Doreen. ¡°What should it be then?¡± Woody took the pencil in his mouth and wrote over her answer with his. He dropped the pencil next to the work and looked at her. ¡°This looks different, but it could be right,¡± said Doreen. ¡°How do you know about this?¡± Woody chuffed at her. He pawed the rest of the papers to check the answers. He corrected two more. He wagged his tail when he was done. ¡°What are you?,¡± asked Doreen. ¡°You¡¯re not like any bonded servant I have ever seen. I could almost believe you cheated at cards. You seem smart enough to try in any case.¡± Woody shook his head. He put a paw on the pencil. He grabbed it with his mouth. He wrote NO CHEAT in the shakiest hand ever seen. ¡°So Errant is wrong?,¡± said Doreen. Woody nodded his confirmation. ¡°All right,¡± said Doreen. She gathered Tapper up and put him on her shoulder. ¡°Let¡¯s turn this in and see what Tapper can do on the obstacle course.¡± They left the classroom after Doreen dropped her work in the tray the instructor used. She led the way out of the building toward the obstacle course. It was a tower that smaller totems had to traverse with a clock keeping time on the effort. Woody looked at the various totems running the tower, climbing to the top. He settled down to wait on Tapper¡¯s effort. The squirrel should easily handle this with his liquid body and general aptitude. He turned to gaze at a course set of for quadrapeds like himself. He decided to excuse himself because of his age and disinterest in the activity. Errant could run and dodge if he wanted. His smarter partner was more than happy to sit things out. And if the Queen¡¯s Knight really needed help, he was always happy to bite someone. Doreen waited for the tower to clear of totems before she sent Tapper into the course. She pushed the block to start the timer just before he crossed the line. He vanished inside the tower. She watched as he flashed upwards. His liquid body allowed him to leap across gaps too big for more solid animals. He reached the top and pressed the stop button on its dais. He waved his paws in the air. ¡°Good job, Tapper,¡± said Doreen. ¡°Come down and we can get dinner.¡± The water squirrel slid down the outside of the tower, hopping when it reached an outcropping of metal and wood to other similar spots. He dropped the last few feet to the ground and splattered. He pulled himself back together as he bounded toward his partner and guest. ¡°That was a pretty good time,¡± said Doreen. ¡°We¡¯ll have to practice a bit more before we can reach the school record.¡± He climbed up to her shoulder and patted her face. He made silent chattering motions. ¡°What about you, Woody?,¡± said Doreen. ¡°Would you like to try the other courses?¡± The dog looked at her. He shook his head. He was trying to take it easy. Running around and trying to jump over walls and running across rope bridges was for lesser beasts. ¡°All right,¡± said Doreen. ¡°I think you should try it once and see if you would like it.¡± Woody looked at her. He sneezed at her. She wasn¡¯t tricking him into running around some playground. He was taking it easy. She smiled at his refusal. It wasn¡¯t her job to get him into fighting shape. She wondered what a fighting shape was for a wooden dog. She thought that maybe he You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.was full of blades that popped out when he needed them. That wouldn¡¯t be the strangest thing she had seen a totem do since she had arrived at the Academy. They entered the cafeteria for dinner. Flying totems crowded roosts on the high ceiling. Different elements worked their way around at the tables. Doreen smiled when she saw the partners getting along as she walked toward the line. Sometimes duels broke out, but the staff quieted the hot heads quickly with their own totems. ¡°All right,¡± said Doreen. ¡°Find us a table while I get something to eat. Do you eat food, Woody?¡± The dog shook his head. ¡°All right,¡± said Doreen. ¡°I am eating for me, and you two will just have to grab something for yourselves on the way back to the dorm.¡± ¡°Did you get another totem, Doreen?,¡± asked her friend, Jessica Moon Above All Others. Her totem, a tiger made out of rock, prowled behind her as the girls went through the cafeteria line and got food. ¡°No,¡± said Doreen. ¡°An acquaintance asked me to watch his dog while he took care of some business. The dog wants to settle in one place, but his partner can¡¯t for whatever reason.¡± ¡°So he gave you a totem,¡± said Jessica. ¡°I don¡¯t think Woody is a totem,¡± said Doreen. ¡°I don¡¯t know enough to know how a familiar is different from what we do, and his partner is vague on details.¡± ¡°How vague?,¡± asked the other girl. ¡°Hello, my name is Errant,¡± said Doreen, frowning at not getting the voice right. ¡°I would like to drop my wooden dog off with you because he is showing signs of not wanting to travel for a bit and staying in one place will do him good. Be back in a week. Cheerio and all that.¡± ¡°You have to be kidding,¡± said Jessica. She smiled, moving toward grinning. ¡°That is literally how he does things,¡± said Doreen. ¡°He¡¯ll tell you part of a thing, and then switch to another thing, but afterwards you realize he didn¡¯t tell you anything.¡± ¡°But he left his totem with you?,¡± said Jessica. ¡°Not a totem,¡± said Doreen. ¡°A familiar. And he is strange too.¡± ¡°The familiar?,¡± said Jessica. ¡°Yes,¡± said Doreen. ¡°Apparently he cheats at cards, or maybe they were both cheating, but I¡¯m not supposed to let him get anywhere near the school tournament. And Woody takes exception to the complaint that he cheats.¡± ¡°You have to be kidding me,¡± said Jessica. ¡°Come talk to him,¡± said Doreen. ¡°He¡¯s been hanging out with Tapper and me. He might want to deal with someone new.¡± ¡°Come on, Jaw,¡± said Jessica. ¡°Let¡¯s look at this wooden dog.¡± The tiger butted against her before leading the way to the table. Tapper stood on the table and waved his arms. No tigers allowed. Woody looked at the big cat from where he lay on the floor, but didn¡¯t move. ¡°Woody, this is Jessica and Jaw,¡± said Doreen. ¡°I was telling them that you would be staying with me for a bit. They have never seen a familiar before.¡± Woody yawned. He wasn¡¯t there to impress people he didn¡¯t know. He was there to lay around and hardly move while he looked at people around him. Tapper waved his hands in the air. He chattered, spitting water in his excitement. Then he dropped on Woody¡¯s head and pointed into the air. ¡°He¡¯s a super totem,¡± said Doreen. Woody threw Tapper into the air with a shake of his head. He just eyed the other totem. He was naturally inclined to chase cats, but he was willing to let things go in the interest of peace. He laid his head on his paws. He had dealt with a lot of fantastic animals and monsters in his day. One more was not that serious to him. He knew that Errant had dealt with a lot of menaces they had faced, but he had done some things these kids would never consider having to do. Saving the world was like that. Beating up some kid¡¯s pet just didn¡¯t rank that high in his opinion. He would if he had to. He wasn¡¯t going to be pushed too far by some kid¡¯s pet feeling its oats. He was the Queen¡¯s Knight¡¯s familiar. He was not to be tested by lesser creatures. ¡°Would you two like to play?,¡± asked Jessica. Jaw meowed in agreement. Woody shook his head. He wasn¡¯t moving from his spot until he had to. ¡°I think Woody is taking a break,¡± said Doreen. ¡°I think he¡¯s too old to play around.¡± Woody looked at her before putting his head down on his paws. ¡°Or he¡¯s lazy,¡± said Doreen. She petted the wooden head. The dog didn¡¯t open his eyes. He could not be swayed by gadfly comments. He should have learned to speak the language to express his discontent in a way that others could understand. Maybe that was something he could do while he waited for Errant to return. It would be good to say things to others instead of letting his friend mischaracterize everything like he did. It was hard to defend oneself to people who didn¡¯t speak the Queen¡¯s Tongue like he did. ¡°I think he would not be good in the tournament,¡± said Jessica. ¡°I expect Jaw to take first place with his awesome clawsome.¡± ¡°Is that what you are calling that?,¡± asked Doreen. ¡°It is awesome,¡± said Jessica. She rubbed her cat¡¯s smooth hide as it sat beside her. ¡°I¡¯m worried about Tapper,¡± said Doreen. ¡°Woody has been showing him some tricks, but I don¡¯t know if that will be good enough against other totems.¡± Tapper climbed on her shoulder and tapped her face. ¡°I know,¡± said Doreen. ¡°You did great against Bernard and his friends. I just don¡¯t want to lose you if I don¡¯t have to.¡± Woody opened one eye. He lunged up to put both paws on the table. He looked Doreen in the eye. He wrote TOURNAMENT in the table top in shaky letters with a claw. ¡°Errant said not to let you enter,¡± said Doreen. ¡°It would be irresponsible of me to let you anywhere where you could get hurt.¡± Woody barked. ¡°And I am not going to let you cheat so Tapper can win,¡± said Doreen. ¡°He has to be able to win on his own.¡± ¡°How do you know that¡¯s what the bark meant?,¡± asked Jessica. ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± said Doreen. ¡°But I think Woody would cheat to let Tapper win after he took out the competition. After all, he can¡¯t be erased by the tournament council. It doesn¡¯t matter if he loses.¡± Woody made a chuffing noise. ¡°And teaming up is considered cheating,¡± said Doreen. ¡°Otherwise, I would ask Jessica to allow Jaw to cover for Tapper since she is legally able to enter and is going to be there already.¡± Tournament 3 Doreen and Jessica finished their dinner. Their totems shadowboxed in the cafeteria, Tapper waving his hands as he used Jaw as a platform. Woody waited under the table, head down, eyes closed. His ears swivelled as he absorbed the sounds around him. He wanted to go back to his pond. Maybe there were fish he could look at under the starlight. ¡°We have curfew in an hour,¡± said Doreen. ¡°I¡¯m going for a walk, and then I have to do some reading before I go to bed.¡± ¡°Jaw and I have to practice the course some more,¡± said Jessica. ¡°We¡¯re still not setting the time we need to show we¡¯re mobile.¡± ¡°Do you want Woody to coach?,¡± said Doreen. ¡°He has been helping Tapper to improve.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think he will want to help us,¡± said Jessica. ¡°We¡¯ll be fighting Tapper at one point. Why teach us the tricks he is teaching your squirrel?¡± ¡°Would you, Woody?,¡± said Doreen. ¡°Jessica has been a big friend here. I would like to give her a better chance because of that.¡± The familiar turned his eyes on the rock cat. He barked a little song. Jaw frowned at him, trying to roar but not quite getting the sound right. ¡°Woody can teach him how to roar,¡± said Doreen. She smiled at her friend. Jessica smiled. She rubbed the head of her totem as it rubbed against her leg. ¡°Would you like to help us with the obstacle course?,¡± said Jessica. ¡°I can walk you around the Academy when we¡¯re done.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t try to steal him,¡± said Doreen. ¡°Errant is a little erratic. He might blow something up by mistake.¡± Woody chuffed as he turned wide eyes on Doreen. ¡°Maybe he would do it on purpose,¡± said Doreen. ¡°I think he crafts that persona so people won¡¯t know what he will do next.¡± ¡°The next time he comes around, can you introduce us,¡± said Jessica. ¡°I would love to see this man.¡± ¡°You are really not taking this as serious as you should be,¡± said Doreen. ¡°He deflected a fire lance with his hand. I don¡¯t think he follows our rules.¡± ¡°With his bare hand?,¡± said Jessica. ¡°Yes,¡± said Doreen. ¡°He is very dangerous, and so is Woody. I don¡¯t think the instructors should know because Woody is trying to take it easy, but don¡¯t let him fool you. He can talk with other totems and show them how to do things. I think he can do real magic too.¡± ¡°I really would like to meet this mystery man,¡± said Jessica. ¡°When he comes to pick Woody up, I¡¯ll ask him to wait so you can,¡± said Doreen. ¡°I have to get back to work. Tapper and I aren¡¯t as good as you and Jaw. I need to work on the applications for water totems, and how to improve Tapper¡¯s range.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Jessica. ¡°I will have to go to the course and practice with Jaw until we can ring the bell in an acceptable time.¡± Woody stood up. He made a chuffing noise and headed for the door. ¡°Where are you going, Woody?,¡± asked Doreen. The dog howled something and then pushed on the door. He vanished into the gathering night. ¡°I think he wants to be alone,¡± said Jessica. ¡°I think he is going to enter the tournament even though his partner told him not to do that,¡± said Doreen. ¡°I have to make sure.¡± ¡°Do you think you can stop him?,¡± asked Jessica. ¡°I hope I can make him see reason,¡± said Doreen. She stood up. ¡°I have no way to really stop him if he wants to take part. I just don¡¯t want him hurt and having to explain how I let him sign up for a battle scenario when he¡¯s not supposed to be fighting anyone.¡± ¡°He wouldn¡¯t do that,¡± said Jessica. She stood up too, grabbing a piece of meat from her plate so she could follow her friend. ¡°How hard is it to sign your own name?,¡± asked Doreen. ¡°I already know he can write.¡± The girls rushed from the dining hall. Their partners followed. Tapper turned and veered toward the administration hall at full speed. Doreen ran after her squirrel, frowning at the surroundings. Woody must have loped off as soon as he was out of sight. She hoped he had not ran into some of the bullies that attended the school with her. She didn¡¯t know what he could do, and she was afraid to find out. She paused when she reached the administration building. She looked around. She didn¡¯t see Tapper. Had he gone inside already? He shouldn¡¯t have done that. If he got caught, they would both be in big trouble. Jessica caught up, chewing on the remains of her dinner. She looked at the The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.administration building, noting the absence of lights. ¡°It¡¯s closed for the night,¡± she said, rubbing the smooth skull of her cat as it sat beside her. ¡°I think Tapper followed him inside,¡± said Doreen. ¡°I just know he is signing up for the tournament. Errant is not going to like that.¡± ¡°There¡¯s not much you can do about it from out here,¡± said Jessica. She tried the door. It refused to budge. ¡°Locked. I doubt Woody could get through that. He¡¯s made of solid wood.¡± ¡°I hope you¡¯re right,¡± said Doreen. ¡°Tapper went in through the crack under the door. I need him to come back before we¡¯re caught loitering out here.¡± ¡°See if you can call him,¡± said Jessica. ¡°If he is caught inside, everyone will say you¡¯re cheating.¡± ¡°I should have refused to have Woody,¡± said Doreen. ¡°I should have stood up for myself.¡± ¡°You are a pushover,¡± said Jessica. She smiled. ¡°Call for Tapper. Then we can look around for your dog.¡± ¡°I know,¡± said Doreen. She leaned in to the door. ¡°Tapper! Tapper! Come here!¡± The squirrel appeared moments later. He danced around, waving his arms. He pointed at the door. ¡°Woody is still in there?,¡± asked Doreen. Tapper jumped up in the affirmative. ¡°How did he do that?,¡± asked Jessica. ¡°The doors are locked for the night.¡± ¡°I told you he was strange,¡± said Doreen. ¡°I have to get him out of there before there¡¯s problems.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Jessica. ¡°I¡¯ll have Jaw roar if I see someone coming to the door to go inside.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± said Doreen. ¡°Don¡¯t get into trouble. It will be bad enough if I get into trouble. I don¡¯t want you to miss your chance on top of everything else.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be careful,¡± said Jessica. ¡°Get Woody and get out of there.¡± ¡°Tapper,¡± said Doreen. ¡°I need you to open the door so I can do what I need to do.¡± The squirrel danced up and down before sliding under the door again. A moment later and the lock clicked back and the door opened on its own. He waved a wet arm for her to hurry up and come inside before someone caught them. Doreen jumped across the threshold and pushed the door shut. She squinted in the dark, looking for Woody. Where would he go? She decided that he would try to sign up on the board. She had to stop him from putting his name on paper. Once he did that, he was as good as in the tournament since there was no way she could replace the sign up paper with the names intact. She could only take the sign up page down and put up a new one. Everyone would have to sign up again. That would get her into as much trouble as being caught in the administrative building with no reason to be in the administrative building. She would be punished for this. Tapper led the way along the stone floor, heading right for the sign up sheet. He stopped when it came into view on the wall in its case. He pointed at the block letters at the bottom of the sheet in a language she couldn¡¯t read. Doreen groaned out loud. He had signed up for the tournament despite what she had said, and what Errant had wanted. She was going to be in for a lot of trouble. Then she asked herself how he had put his name on the bottom of the list through a sheet of glass with no hands. Errant had said that Woody was magical. Had he done this somehow? Had one of the other students helped him before the building was locked up for the night? How did she get out of the trouble she could see coming on without getting kicked out and losing Tapper in one shot. She had to let it ride. There was nothing else she could do. She would talk to Woody later and explain the pressure he had put her under, but then she would have to ask him not to come by the academy and stay off the grounds until after the tournament was over. Tapper said some things in his chattering. Then he held up his hands to be picked up. She did so, placing him on her shoulder. She had to get out of the administrative building before she was caught. She would deal with Woody in the morning. She made her way back to the door and peeked out. She didn¡¯t see anyone standing around. Then she stepped out of the building and closed the door after her. ¡°Tapper, please lock the door back,¡± said Doreen. ¡°Then we have to find Woody so we can ask him why he did this.¡± Tapper slid under the door and worked the bar back into place. He slid out and made a ta da gesture with his arms wide. Doreen stepped away from the doors and looked around for Jessica. She saw the girl standing nearby. They waved at each other as Tapper led the way across the space between the two girls. ¡°We didn¡¯t see him,¡± said Doreen. ¡°But he signed up for the tournament. His name is at the bottom of the sheet in another language.¡± ¡°Then you can deny he is actually a participant,¡± said Jessica. ¡°Only if he goes along with that,¡± said Doreen. ¡°He might start talking and tell the judges they can¡¯t get rid of him now that his name is on the paper.¡± ¡°Do you really think he can talk?,¡± asked Jessica. ¡°I would be surprised if he doesn¡¯t learn how,¡± said Doreen. ¡°His name was added through the glass shield over the paper.¡± ¡°You¡¯re joking,¡± said Jessica. ¡°I didn¡¯t see him, but his name is there with the paper in the glass,¡± said Doreen. She started walking. There was one place she thought Woody would be. ¡°How did he do that?,¡± asked Jessica. She followed along. ¡°Magic,¡± said Doreen. ¡°I knew this was trouble. I should have said no. I can¡¯t allow someone¡¯s magic dog to stay on the grounds. I should have told Errant to take his cheating familiar with him.¡± ¡°So what if he signed up for the tournament,¡± said Jessica. ¡°He won¡¯t be the only outsider here during that time.¡± ¡°He¡¯ll be the only one fighting without a partner,¡± said Doreen. ¡°I can¡¯t do it because I was signed up with Tapper at the beginning of the year. You can¡¯t for the same reason. Who would fight with Woody other than Errant who isn¡¯t around?¡± ¡°I hadn¡¯t thought of that,¡± said Jessica. ¡°I don¡¯t think I have ever seen you this angry.¡± ¡°This is nothing but trouble,¡± said Doreen. ¡°And it puts Tapper in danger. I want my totem to win but not if his enemy just hands him the victory.¡± ¡°I can see the judges being angry at some sort of collusion,¡± said Jessica. ¡°Where are we going?¡± ¡°Where I first met those two,¡± said Doreen. ¡°The lake.¡± The girls and their familiars scrambled over the wall around the Academy and headed into the surrounding forest. Tapper led the way, his liquid body allowing him to get through places where no one else could go. He paused every now and then to wave his arms at them. ¡°There¡¯s the lake,¡± said Jessica. She nodded at the glittering expanse under the setting sun. ¡°There¡¯s Woody,¡± said Doreen. She marched toward the lying dog. She saw his ear shift and knew he was listening to her come up without glancing at her angry face. ¡°Woody,¡± said Doreen. She hunkered down in front of him. He tried to look away because he knew she was angry about his misdeed. ¡°Look at me. You signed up for the tournament. You know you weren¡¯t supposed to do that. I could get into trouble. I have to worry about both you and Tapper now. That was not something you should have done. The judges will come down on all three of us.¡± Tapper joined in with his own harangue with arms and tail waving in the air. He punched Woody in the nose with his tiny watery paw. ¡°They are both saying you were a jerk,¡± said Jessica. She put on a serious face because it could be too easy to start laughing at the three of them when the two were so mad. ¡°I think you should apologize.¡± Woody howled sorrowfully as the night finally came on. He kept it up until Doreen grabbed his neck in a hug and asked him to be quiet. ¡°We¡¯ll talk to someone in the morning about this,¡± said Doreen. ¡°Let¡¯s go. It¡¯s almost curfew.¡± Tournament 4 Doreen woke up with Tapper in his tree pool, and Woody on the floor in front of her bed. She got up and took care of her morning duties before getting dressed. She had to get Woody off the tournament list before class. The longer she waited, the tougher it would be to get things done. The administration might not let him withdraw. They were like that sometimes. She didn¡¯t know what to do if that happened. She grabbed Tapper and put him on her shoulder as she walked out of her room. She left Woody lying on the floor, feet in the air. She made sure to close the door. She doubted that would stop him if he wanted to leave, but she didn¡¯t want to explain his woodeness to the school faculty while trying to get him out of the tournament. What did she do if she couldn¡¯t get Woody taken off the list? What would she be responsible for if he actually fought in the tournament? Would his magic trump elemental powers? She had seen Errant block a fire lance with his hand, deflected it. Could Woody do the same thing if he wanted? She had never seen a regular totem do something like that. Is that one of the things that made familiars different? Doreen walked to the Administration building and checked the door. She almost smiled when she could go in. She walked the halls, glancing at the framed list of tournament partners and the one big name at the bottom. There was even a pawprint at the end. Doreen grimaced as she walked into the office of the chief administrator¡¯s secretary. If she wanted Woody¡¯s name off the list, this was the place to start in her mind. ¡°What can I do for you, Doreen?,¡± asked the secretary, an old woman named Rissa Council of the Claws. ¡°I need to have a name removed from the tournament list,¡± said Doreen. ¡°He doesn¡¯t have a partner.¡± ¡°Not your totem?,¡± said the secretary. ¡°No,¡± said Doreen. ¡°He belongs to someone else who left him with me and he was not supposed to enter the tournament, but he did. His partner says he cheats.¡± ¡°Does he?,¡± asked Rissa. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but maybe,¡± replied the student. ¡°I mean he seems smart enough to cheat if he wanted.¡± ¡°I think the headmaster would like to see this miracle animal,¡± said Rissa. ¡°Why don¡¯t you get it and bring it in.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do what I can,¡± said Doreen. ¡°Woody is a big wooden dog. I¡¯ll talk to him and see if I can get him to appreciate the trouble he caused.¡± ¡°I will talk to the headmaster, Doreen,¡± said Rissa. She smiled. ¡°I doubt he will take this totem¡¯s name off the fighting list.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not really a totem,¡± said Doreen. ¡°Errant calls him a familiar. He has a more morose personality than his partner. I don¡¯t know what to do about any of this.¡± ¡°Go get him,¡± said the secretary. ¡°Then we¡¯ll see if we can take him off the list.¡± ¡°What if he can¡¯t be taken off?,¡± asked Doreen. ¡°I don¡¯t want to explain to Errant that his familiar was hurt doing something he told me not to let his familiar do.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t worry about that,¡± said Rissa. ¡°I¡¯m going to assume you didn¡¯t ask this familiar to sign up. Anything stemming from the familiar doing that is on it.¡± ¡°I hope Errant sees it that way,¡± said Doreen. ¡°He trusted me and I let him down.¡± ¡°Just because he warned you doesn¡¯t mean he thought you could stop his familiar,¡± said Rissa. ¡°Some people play down their creations¡¯ strengths so they are underestimated.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get Woody and bring him,¡± said Doreen. ¡°Then I have to get ready for my classes.¡± ¡°Good luck with the Headmaster,¡± said Rissa. Doreen walked back to her room and found Woody sitting by the entrance door, watching the students walk in and out of the dorm. He wagged his tail a little when he saw her. ¡°We¡¯re going to see the Headmaster,¡± said Doreen. ¡°So it is time for you to be a little more serious. I¡¯m going to do what I can to take you out of the tournament.¡± Woody howled. ¡°No,¡± said Doreen. ¡°Errant said not to let you enter, and if you did enter, not to let you cheat. You have already done one, and you will probably do the other given your acts of chicanery so far.¡± Woody snuffled at her. ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± said Doreen. ¡°The last thing I need is trouble from an oversized puppy who should be old enough to know better about abusing guest rights.¡± If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Woody slumped as he walked behind her with tail down. He had abused the privilege. She was right about that. They walked over to the administration building. Doreen led the way to the Headmaster¡¯s office and entered. Woody stepped in, looking around. ¡°He¡¯s waiting for you, Doreen,¡± said Rissa. She gestured at the other office door. ¡°Go in.¡± ¡°Miss Doreen,¡± said the Headmaster. He glared at her and the wooden dog sniffing the room. ¡°Is this your so-called familiar?¡± ¡°He¡¯s not my familiar,¡± said Doreen. ¡°Tapper is my totem.¡± She held out her water squirrel for examination in both hands. The totem waved a forepaw in greeting. ¡°This is Errant¡¯s familiar,¡± said Doreen. ¡°I took him on as a guest. I didn¡¯t know he was going to cause me trouble.¡± Woody put his paws on the Headmaster¡¯s desk. He barked and chuffled through his story. At one point it sounded like he said he was being framed. ¡°I see,¡± said the Headmaster. He had the look of someone who didn¡¯t see at all. ¡°And student Doreen, you don¡¯t want this animal to participate in the tournament.¡± ¡°He was not supposed to sign up for it,¡± said Doreen. ¡°Which he knew and did anyway.¡± ¡°I see,¡± said the Headmaster. ¡°And your partner is off somewhere else?¡± Woody chuffed. He looked the faculty chief in the eye. He knew something was going through his mind. Something devious. ¡°I don¡¯t know where Errant is,¡± said Doreen. ¡°Could I get Woody removed from the tournament before I get into trouble?¡± ¡°I think we¡¯re going to leave Woody in the ranks,¡± said the Headmaster. ¡°I think that¡¯s the right thing to do.¡± ¡°Sir, I¡¯m responsible for him,¡± said Doreen. ¡°I can¡¯t afford to let him get hurt.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± said the Headmaster. ¡°I will talk to the dog¡¯s creator when he comes back to pick the dog up.¡± ¡°Are you sure about this?,¡± asked Doreen. ¡°The dog cheats.¡± ¡°He is not affiliated with the academy,¡± said the Headmaster. ¡°So what if he cheats against other totems?¡± Doreen frowned. She saw the problem in front of her. Woody wouldn¡¯t just cheat against the other schools coming to the tournament. He would also cheat against anyone from the academy. He was an equal opportunity cheater. Woody gave the Headmaster a friendly wag of his tail. He bounded to the door. He waited for Doreen to open the door for him. Doreen remained silent. She felt Tapper waving his arms but she didn¡¯t add to his indignation. The Headmaster thought Woody would bring the Academy glory. He didn¡¯t know what kind of power he was trying to control. She expected that he still thought of Woody as someone¡¯s totem. He was going to get a surprise when the first round of the tournament started. She knew that from the way Woody pranced. ¡°Are you happy?,¡± asked Doreen. Woody barked at her. His tail wagged. ¡°If you get hurt, Errant will be mad at me,¡± said Doreen. ¡°I promised to keep you out of trouble. And here we are. I promised not to let you sign up for the tournament, yet here we are. You are nothing but trouble. You can¡¯t even get through the tournament without cheating. I have to get to class, and then Tapper and I have to work on things. Go enjoy your day.¡± She walked toward her classroom building. She didn¡¯t look at his drooping tail and ears back. She still had to be ready for her exams. Tapper had to be ready to face others so he wouldn¡¯t be destroyed as useless. She walked into the teaching building and closed the door in Woody¡¯s face. She walked down the hall, waving at Jessica as she went. The other girl fell in next to her as they walked to their first class. They didn¡¯t have a lot of classes together because of their totems, but they did share the same classes in general studies. ¡°How did it go?,¡± asked Jessica. ¡°The Headmaster said Woody could enter and be as big a cheat as he wanted,¡± said Doreen. ¡°And if Woody gets caught, his partner doesn¡¯t go to school here so there is no loss of honor attached to us.¡± ¡°And you don¡¯t agree,¡± said Jessica. ¡°I think that Woody will show the faculty and the visitors from the other schools something they have never seen before,¡± said Doreen. ¡°I wish we weren¡¯t here to see it.¡± ¡°You think it will be that bad?,¡± said Jessica. ¡°I think it will be worse than I can imagine, and I am imagining all sorts of things,¡± said Doreen. ¡°Maybe he will get knocked out in the first round,¡± said Jessica. ¡°Maybe Tapper will teach me how to fly,¡± said Doreen. She stopped and looked at the floor. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Jessica. I¡¯m the one that is responsible for this. Woody has put me in a bad situation. I don¡¯t like it. I don¡¯t like the Headmaster thinks he can use Woody to cheat the other fighters from the other schools. I don¡¯t know what to do about it.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing you can do,¡± said Jessica. ¡°Just try to avoid getting him in a rank. If he has unknown abilities, we don¡¯t want either of our totems facing him first.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll know better once the brackets are printed out,¡± said Doreen. ¡°They might decide that we won¡¯t have to face each other until the end, or something else, so the other schools are forced out.¡± ¡°So we¡¯ll have to work hard to get into those top brackets if they do that,¡± said Jessica. ¡°We can do it.¡± ¡°Be careful, Jessica,¡± said Doreen. ¡°If our Headmaster is willing to cheat to win, there is no telling what the other Headmasters have sent to fight.¡± ¡°Jaw can handle anything in his weight class,¡± assured Jessica. The stone panther meowed in agreement. ¡°There will probably be a lot of cheating going on,¡± said Doreen. ¡°I had thought Errant had been just faking things, but he was probably right. Woody is the biggest cheater there is.¡± ¡°It will be all right,¡± said Jessica. ¡°If we are faced against the other schools, we won¡¯t have to deal with him until the end. And since he doesn¡¯t have a partner in a student here, we can ask for him to be disqualified at any time we catch him breaking the rules.¡± ¡°So I can keep Tapper from being discorporated if I can get Woody disqualified if he is number one?,¡± said Doreen. ¡°Yes,¡± said Jessica. ¡°All right,¡± said Doreen. ¡°Does anyone else know you¡¯re the smartest one in the school?¡± ¡°All of my teachers,¡± said Jessica. ¡°And I think some of the guys and girls who are trying to bed me.¡± ¡°Really?,¡± said Doreen. ¡°I don¡¯t think they want me use my brain in that case,¡± said Jessica. ¡°I have no idea,¡± said Doreen. ¡°And I don¡¯t think I want to know.¡± ¡°Some people like the way I look, and what I can do with my hands,¡± said Jessica. She waved her fingers suggestively. ¡°I guess I can understand that,¡± said Doreen. ¡°Have you never been with someone else?,¡± asked Jessica. ¡°No,¡± said Doreen. She could feel the blood rush to her face. ¡°Would you like to?,¡± asked Jessica. Doreen stammered. She had never thought of herself as desirable. She could feel her face about to blow up from the blood running to it. ¡°When you want to, let me know,¡± said Jessica. ¡°It will be great for you.¡± Jessica walked off with a wave of her hand. ¡°I am so embarrassed,¡± Doreen told Tapper. He waved his arms to show that he didn¡¯t know if this was a good idea, or not. Maybe Doreen could use something like that as a life experience to get better. Maybe it would break her heart when she needed it to be whole and functioning. ¡°I don¡¯t know either,¡± said Doreen. Tournament 5 Doreen practiced with Tapper to get in fighting trim. He had learned some more tricks thanks to Woody coming around and talking to him with some barks. Tapper had things to say with the way he waved his hands around and chittered. Woody chuffed a little at the comments. Why shouldn¡¯t he be able to enter a fighting tournament? He was good enough to climb to the top tier. He watched the academy as he wandered the grounds. Doreen avoided him almost all the time now. Other totems saw him as rivals. He padded over to join Jessica and Jaw. They were doing some kind of routine on the obstacle course. ¡°It¡¯s you,¡± said Jessica. ¡°How do you feel about getting Doreen in trouble with your friend?¡± Woody barked in a negative tone. Errant would never blame someone else when the real culprit was in front of him. He would be unhappy that his familiar had decided to fight lesser creatures. That was for others. ¡°How do you feel about cheating people out of their totems?,¡± said Jessica. ¡°Doreen could still lose with you in the mix.¡± Woody howled a little. ¡°The students are coming here to be tested to see if they are fit to be in society with their totems,¡± said Jessica. ¡°The minimum number is what you need to graduate. Doreen could still lose Tapper depending on her finish. I could lose Jaw. The academy doesn¡¯t want to send out weaklings in the world.¡± Woody turned his wooden face directly on her. His eyes glowed a sky blue. She thought they were wood. Should they be glowing like that? He broke contact. ¡°If you win,¡± said Jessica. ¡°What do you think is going to happen? No one will think highly of you.¡± Woody almost shrugged. He wasn¡¯t at the school to make friends. He was there to see if he wanted to stay around and show these kids some real things. They thought their elemental animal partners were better than they were. It was time to show them where they sat in the world with their limited outlook. Errant liked to travel. He liked to involve himself in things that could turn bad at any moment. He liked to use magic as a last resort. Woody used magic to do things he wanted to do. He had grown to not like traveling as much. He had seen too many things that could happen if you didn¡¯t stay in one place and protect that spot. This academy could be a good place for him to settle. He could see roaming the forests around the place, checking on the students in the next few years, even teaching. He would definitely talk to the rulers about erasing student totems. That would have to end. Some people weren¡¯t cut out to do things for an army. They shouldn¡¯t have to be. People like Doreen just wanted to take their animals and use them to help people, or maybe have a companion that was more trustworthy than most people. Erasing them because they weren¡¯t good combat models was stupid. There was more to life than fighting. He snorted at that. Most of his animated life had been involved with fighting one thing or another. He was the familiar to the Queen¡¯s Knight. He helped solve problems that no one else could solve. If he could use this tournament to set up his retirement, things would have gone as planned. He doubted things would go that smooth. There was always someone trying to get in his way so he couldn¡¯t laze around under a tree. ¡°Do you think you can beat all the other totems that are going to be taking part?,¡± said Jessica. Woody looked at her. He looked at Jaw. He looked at her again. Just because he didn¡¯t have hands, didn¡¯t mean he couldn¡¯t hold cards. ¡°I am going to take that as a yes,¡± said Jessica. ¡°Doreen is still hurt by this. You might want to write something to let her know what you are thinking.¡± He barked in agreement. An explanation for Doreen and Tapper was something he had to do. He didn¡¯t want her to think she could stop him. He wanted her to do her best and get Tapper into a finish where he wouldn¡¯t be erased. And then he wanted to make it impossible for the school board to do anything to the Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.ones who didn¡¯t make the top ranks. He wagged his tail as he headed for the library to get paper and pen to write out what he wanted to say. Eventually he would learn to talk. Just because Errant understood his barks, he had put it off so he wouldn¡¯t have to deal with others. Did wanting to talk mean any more than that? The implications were too philosophical for him. He was a simple creature with a lot of years of biting things in the dark. Being able to communicate hadn¡¯t seemed that important before he decided he wanted to settle down. He hoped he wasn¡¯t turning into one of the crazy humans that had to be stopped because they had decided to do something to wreck the planet instead of letting things alone. Maybe wanting to talk was a sign of dementia. Did wooden dogs get dementia? Woody stood on his back legs and pushed the library door open. He walked in, looking around. His ears swivelled to take in the ambient sounds around him. Plenty of students were trying to do their studies in place. He needed some paper and a pen. He found a student trying to add numbers with a look on his face. He recognized the young man. He put on his best grin and climbed into the chair next to the student. The boy¡¯s fire bird called out from its perch above. It remembered the wooden dog all too well. So did the boy when he looked up and saw who was sitting beside him. ¡°Go away,¡± said Bernard. ¡°I got in trouble because of you and your master. I don¡¯t need any more before the tournament.¡± Woody snuffled around on the table top. He indicated the paper with his nose. He put a paw on a blank sheet. He needed to give Doreen a note for the tournament ahead. If she lost Tapper, she needed a way to get him back. And he knew enough about how the spirit summoning worked to coach her when things were settled. ¡°I will give you a blank piece of paper and a charcoal,¡± said Bernard. ¡°Will that be okay for you to go away?¡± Woody barked softly in assent. ¡°All right,¡± said Bernard. ¡°Is there anything else?¡± Woody nodded. He picked up the charcoal in his mouth and began writing as carefully as he could. He stopped when he was sure he had everything written down that he wanted to say. He inspected the letter. ¡°What did you write?,¡± said Bernard. ¡°Your handwriting is atrocious.¡± Woody snuffled in response. ¡°Let me show you how it¡¯s done so I can get you out of here and get back to my own work,¡± said the boy. He pulled out a fresh piece of paper. He eyeballed the shaky writing. He copied the letter over in a few minutes. He showed the dog the new writing. Woody nodded his head. He gave Bernard a grin. ¡°Is there anything else?,¡± said Bernard. ¡°I have my own things to do.¡± Woody took the letter in his mouth as gently as he could. He dropped to the floor and headed for the library door. He got outside thanks to a student going out ahead of him. Now he had to find Doreen and hand her the letter. Then he could get her to practice with Tapper to recall him. He found the cat girl practicing with her totem. The cat pulled up straight to watch the dog approach. He was a big piece of rock, but slim and looking delicate compared to the familiar¡¯s wooden frame. ¡°Hello, Woody,¡± said the cat girl. ¡°What do you have in your mouth?¡± Woody showed her the part of the letter addressed to Doreen. She frowned. ¡°You can write a note, but you can¡¯t talk?,¡± said the Cat Girl. ¡°I think you should have words with your master.¡± Woody chuffed around the note. Errant understood him, and he didn¡¯t usually have to talk. Being here on his own was the first time he missed the skill. ¡°Doreen isn¡¯t around,¡± said the Cat Girl. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen her since lunch. She likes to go out to your lake and mope there.¡± Woody gave her a small bark before heading off. There was only place that could be considered his lake, and there was one spot on it that he liked to use. Doreen might be in that same spot. He would give her the note, then work on his vocal cords. He could do that part, but it would be rough. And it would surprise Errant when he returned. It had occurred to Woody that Errant was not coming back. The Queen¡¯s Knight might have said he was coming back as a ruse to let them split up without any argument. He was almost always silent about why he did things, and moved across the world with the whims of fortune. It would not be unusual for him to say something, or express a plan, and then do the opposite. He would not be pleased by what Woody planned to do in the tournament. He would not be pleased at all. Woody could already hear calls of cheater in his mind. He left the grounds of the school and made his way to his lake where it sat amidst the tall trees around it. He sniffed the air, following the scent of his nominal keeper as he sauntered silently along. He found Doreen and Tapper by the lake side. The squirrel practiced in the water, changing his size as he worked with it. He settled beside Doreen and waited for her to notice him. Tapper paused in his workout, but kept moving from command to command without rushing him. She finally looked over and jumped back from his sudden appearance even though he had been laying beside her for minutes. ¡°What do you want?,¡± Doreen asked. She glared down at him. He dropped the letter at her feet, and then stood. He turned and silently walked into the trees. He had a trick where he could blend into forest growth thanks to his construction. He let himself vanish as he looked for a spot to practice talking. He wanted to communicate clearly with others besides having to write them a note. Learning to talk would be a great way to do that. His handwriting was abhorrent at the best of times. He settled under a stand of trees and began trying to say a simple sentence. He worked on his voice box as he tried to make the sounds he was emitting become words. He worked on it through the night. He wanted to be ready when he had to answer questions after the tournament. He decided he wouldn¡¯t answer any question. Errant rarely did. Why should he be any different in that respect. Woody settled in to wait the night out. In the morning, he would see what the Academy was going to do. Then he would execute his plan. He doubted the Headmaster would approve of what he was going to do. Tournament 6 The picking of brackets started the next day. Doreen and Tapper waited at the back of the crowd. She didn¡¯t want to be there, but fleeing seemed out of the question. The other students from the Academy and from the other schools milled around looking for their names. She didn¡¯t understand what the note from Woody meant. She had read it several times. She couldn¡¯t parse out what he was trying to tell her. She waited for the crowd to clear out before she went up to look at the board. She frowned, seeing that she was going last after everyone else fought. She hoped the losers didn¡¯t lose their totems as soon as their matches were lost. She wanted more time with Tapper. She looked around. The departing students talked about who they were fighting in their matches. She imagined some of them were strategizing against the various forms they would have to face. Fighting for Tapper¡¯s survival was the last thing she wanted to do. She hated having to fight with him as a weapon. He was sweet and good natured. Fighting other totems would be the hardest thing he had ever done. And then there was Woody entering the tournament. He knew he wasn¡¯t supposed to do that. How did she explain things to Errant? He would be so mad if his familiar was hurt while under her care. And he was a bit smug about it. That afternoon the fights would start. She should leave the grounds. Tapper couldn¡¯t be erased if he wasn¡¯t there. If she did that, they would rip Tapper apart and then wound her until she couldn¡¯t take care of herself after someone finally caught up with her. ¡°You ready?,¡± asked Jessica, falling in beside her. Jaw flanked her like the cat he resembled. ¡°No,¡± said Doreen. ¡°I was thinking about just leaving.¡± ¡°Where would you go?,¡± asked Jessica. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said Doreen. ¡°Anywhere but where I could lose Tapper. I don¡¯t want to give him up.¡± ¡°You would have to go over the sea, or across the mountains to the Elementists,¡± said Jessica. ¡°If you stayed in the kingdom, the army will find you and erase Tapper anyway.¡± ¡°My aunt lost her totem,¡± said Doreen. ¡°My mother said she was never the same afterwards. I don¡¯t want to lose that part of myself.¡± ¡°No one wants to lose their totem,¡± said Jessica. ¡°It¡¯s a risk to pass us into being useful citizens for the kingdom. You don¡¯t have to win the whole thing. You only have to reach the final cut.¡± Tapper patted her cheek from his place on her shoulder. He swished his transparent tail. ¡°I think I am going to go wait for the bell at the lake,¡± said Doreen. ¡°Maybe that will help me. Maybe it will help me with Woody¡¯s note.¡± ¡°What did it say?,¡± said Jessica. ¡°Something about spells could be dispelled but you could reignite them if you knew what you were doing,¡± said Doreen. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what he was trying to say.¡± ¡°He¡¯s fighting first,¡± said Jessica. ¡°I suppose the Headmaster thinks he won¡¯t be able to contend with any of the opponents he might have to face.¡± ¡°The Headmaster doesn¡¯t know what Woody is capable of,¡± said Doreen. ¡°His master turned a flame bolt with his bare hands. The totem can do that at the very least.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t remember you telling me about this,¡± said Jessica. ¡°You don¡¯t want to know about any of this,¡± said Doreen. ¡°It will just cause trouble for you down the road.¡± ¡°Just talk to me about it,¡± said Jessica. ¡°It will make the time go by quicker while we wait our turn.¡± Their walk had taken them to the library. Doreen led the way inside, holding the door for her friend. She didn¡¯t see anyone studying, or the librarian who should be on duty. She led the way to a table in the back so they could sit and talk with a small amount of privacy. Doreen told Jessica about the events that had led to her knowing Errant, about how she had found him at the lake with Woody. How they had talked about Tapper being coached by the wooden dog. She told her the two stories of the beginnings of the Dai, and the totems. Jessica said nothing about the founder of the kingdom being misrepresented in the stories that had come down as the official history of the kingdom. Then Doreen told her friend about Bernard coming to the lake to bully her and how she and Errant had fought back. Errant had caught a flame bolt from Bernard¡¯s bird and redirected it at the enemy. And then Tapper had turned into a giant and beat the bullies with his body. Tapper jumped up and down on the table at the mention of swamping the three boys Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.with the water from the lake. Then he held up his forearms while sitting on his backlegs to emphasize the height difference. ¡°Do you believe Errant being impossibly old?,¡± said Jessica. ¡°The Dai¡¯s first death would have been centuries ago.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± said Doreen. ¡°No. Maybe. He can do things that other people can¡¯t. I don¡¯t have a problem with him being incredibly old on top of that.¡± The school bell bonged to let people know they had to get to the dueling stage so they could see the first brackets fighting. Doreen looked up at the ceiling. ¡°We have to go,¡± said Jessica. ¡°Maybe Woody won¡¯t win against his first opponent.¡± ¡°He won¡¯t lose,¡± said Doreen. ¡°And he won¡¯t fight fair. He cheats.¡± ¡°We still should be there in case our opponents can¡¯t fight, and we go to the next round,¡± said Jessica. She stood. ¡°Come on. I hear they are having musicians play the One Thousand Note song when the commencement starts.¡± Doreen stood. She held out her hand. Tapper jumped on it and climbed up her arm so he could ride on her shoulder. She took a breath and tugged on her tunic. ¡°Let¡¯s see how badly this goes,¡± said Doreen. ¡°I wonder if he will bite his enemy in the first round.¡± ¡°Do you think he can bite through stone?,¡± said Jessica. She smiled. ¡°Yes,¡± said Doreen. ¡°He doesn¡¯t work like our totems.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see what he can do,¡± said Jessica. They fell in behind a crowd making their way across the school to the dueling area. There was a lot of talk about who was going to win the bouts ahead. No one said anything about Woody being there without a partner to tell him what to do in combat. Woody walked on the stage from one end of the stadium. One of the proctors pointed to where he should stand. He went over to the spot and sat. He watched as a student from one of the other schools walked on the stage with a medium winged dragon of fire. ¡°Are you ready?,¡± said the proctor. He looked at both of them. They both said yes. ¡°Did the dog just say something?,¡± asked Jessica. Doreen frowned. Woody had definitely spoke. It was rough and harsh to her ears. When had he learned to do that? The proctor looked a little taken back like he hadn¡¯t expected Woody to talk. He still went ahead with the reading of the rules. Then he asked if they understood. Both of them replied yes. ¡°Fight!,¡± he commanded. He hurriedly stepped out of the way as he dropped his hand for them to proceed. Woody howled. The sound rocked the area. The dragon blew up in front of him. Then the totems resting with their partners in the audience blew up as the sound passed over them. Shouts went up as the students and facility realized their partners had been blasted to nothingness. Woody walked over to the dais where the Headmaster sat on his seat in his box overlooking the stage. He sat and looked up at the gathered teachers and staff. ¡°Trophy,¡± said Woody. ¡°Tournament over.¡± ¡°What did you do?,¡± demanded the Headmaster. ¡°Won,¡± said Woody. ¡°Trophy. I can do to people too.¡± Doreen watched as the Headmaster¡¯s secretary quickly brought the trophy down from the dais. She hugged Jessica as the other girl cried at the loss of her faithful cat. The secretary put the trophy down on the ground in front of the wooden monster. ¡°No more tournaments,¡± said Woody. Woody picked up the trophy in his mouth and started walking away. Doreen frowned as the dog left. He didn¡¯t look happy at the win. ¡°I need you to help these people,¡± said Doreen. She took Jessica¡¯s face in her hands. ¡°I need you to try to look after things. Can you do that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what I can do,¡± said Jessica. She looked at the crowd. They seemed in shock. She knew how that felt. ¡°Do what you can,¡± said Doreen. ¡°I¡¯m going to try to fix this.¡± ¡°Do you think you can?,¡± asked Jessica. She stood, raising her hands. ¡°Calm down, everybody. Calm down. I¡¯m sure the teachers can fix this.¡± Doreen didn¡¯t think they could fix anything. They looked in shock as they tried to deal with the absence of their totems. She stood and hugged Jessica. She headed down to the wall separating the seating from the stage. She swung over the wall and dropped to the ground. She headed for the exit. She knew where Woody was going. She just needed to know if he knew how to fix this before people started doing stupid things. She knew this was his plan that he had been trying to explain in the note he had left for her. She also knew she was fighting grief and rage to keep going. She couldn¡¯t bear it if he didn¡¯t know how to fix this. She ran as much as she could toward the lake. She walked when she ran out of breath and her heart beat too hard. She saw the lake and looked for the wooden demon on its shore. She heard something that sounded like warming up for singing in the trees. She headed for the sound and hoped it wasn¡¯t some lurking random monster. She found Woody laying under a tree. He glanced at her, but continued to make the noises. The trophy for the tournament lay beside him on its side. ¡°The academy is in a state of shock,¡± said Doreen. ¡°I am too angry to be in shock. I want Tapper back. I want him back now.¡± ¡°It¡¯s your magic,¡± said Woody. ¡°That is a little better. I think I need a little more treble.¡± ¡°No,¡± said Doreen. She walked up to him. ¡°You need to fix this.¡± ¡°No,¡± said Woody. ¡°I don¡¯t need to do anything. It¡¯s your magic. Use it.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how,¡± said Doreen. ¡°You have done something cruel. Don¡¯t think you haven¡¯t. You should help me.¡± ¡°Should I?,¡± said Woody. His ears flickered. ¡°Almost right.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± said Doreen. ¡°You should. I will tell Errant about this if you don¡¯t.¡± ¡°That means nothing to me,¡± said Woody. He blinked. ¡°I am not his puppet.¡± ¡°You are his familiar, and you weren¡¯t supposed to enter the tournament, and you killed all of our totems for no reason,¡± said Doreen. ¡°I think he will be unhappy with you.¡± Woody sighed. ¡°You have to help me help the others,¡± said Doreen. ¡°You have to give me back Tapper. You have to.¡± ¡°Sit down,¡± said Woody. ¡°Close your eyes.¡± Doreen followed his instructions. She heard the sounds of the forest around her. She had ignored the background noise until she settled in her place. ¡°Think about Tapper,¡± said Woody. ¡°Think about everything you feel when he is around. Think about why you picked a squirrel shape for the spell to work through. Think about what you want from him.¡± Doreen thought about Tapper, and how much he helped her and accompanied her everywhere. She thought of him as her child that she was teaching to be a better totem. She thought of how wet he felt when she grabbed him out of the air. Something tapped her face. She opened one eye. Tapper sat on her arm, tapping her face. ¡°You¡¯re back!,¡± said Doreen. ¡°You¡¯re back. I thought I would never see you again. Thank the gods.¡± Tapper waved his arms and jumped up and down. Then he turned and chattered at Woody, shaking his paw in a fist. The wooden dog raised eyebrows at the lecture. ¡°I don¡¯t take complaints from lesser familiars,¡± said Woody. He settled under his tree. ¡°And you are not a friend.¡± ¡°I have to get back to the Academy,¡± said Doreen. ¡°Will this work for everybody?¡± ¡°If they want their familiar back,¡± said Woody. ¡°Come on, Tapper,¡± said Doreen. ¡°We have to hurry. Everyone was in shock when I left.¡± Tournament 7 Doreen sent Tapper ahead to find Jessica. He rushed through the forest back to the school like a streak of light. She jogged as fast as she could, but knew she couldn¡¯t keep up with living water flowing from tree to tree. She hoped that no one had done something bad while she was gone. Woody had done a lot of damage to the psyche of the students and facility. What if they decided they didn¡¯t want to live any more? She reached the wall, but couldn¡¯t climb over it. She ran down its length until she got to the open gate. She stepped on the cobbled walkway and headed for the stage. She hoped the others could do what she did. She didn¡¯t want to deal with the disappointment if they couldn¡¯t. Tapper ran back to her. Then he ran back toward the fighting arena. She followed him, looking for people she knew. Could she show them how to recall their totems? Jessica waited for her at the entrance. She waved as Tapper streaked up her body to her shoulder. She tried to smile. She didn¡¯t know how hard this would be for the others to do after the display Woody had put on. She had to try. ¡°Everybody,¡± shouted Doreen. ¡°You can get your totems back. I just need you to calm down and think. Just sit and close your eyes and think.¡± ¡°What do you mean, young lady,¡± said the Headmaster. He had been deep in conversation with the other headmasters and the faculty about what they could do without totems. ¡°I¡¯ll show you,¡± said Doreen. ¡°Jessica. I need you to trust me. Will you?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± said the other girl. ¡°I would like to get Jaw back. He¡¯s been my companion for years.¡± ¡°You value him?,¡± asked Doreen. ¡°This only works if you value him.¡± ¡°Yes, I do,¡± said Jessica. ¡°All right, sit down,¡± said Doreen. ¡°We might need some kind of elemental persuasion for some of these. I don¡¯t know. But the stage is made out of stone so maybe it will give some of it up if Jaw needs it for a body. Go ahead and sit down and close your eyes. You¡¯re going to have to think and ignore the crowd. You¡¯re going to have to concentrate.¡± Jessica sat down. She closed her eyes. ¡°What do I need to concentrate on?,¡± asked Jessica. She folded her legs under her body. ¡°You have to concentrate on Jaw,¡± said Doreen. ¡°You have to picture him in your mind. You have to think about how he makes you feel. You have to reach down and call for him. Just ignore everything else and just think about wanting him back.¡± Jessica smiled as she thought about all the good times she had with Jaw. They had explored every place around their home whether her parents liked it, or not. She thought about how he used to help her steal cookies from the top shelf of the pantry despite being heavy from being made of stone. The stage warped in front of her. A paw emerged from the stone. Then a cat¡¯s head. A sleek body lifted the head higher on muscular legs. It pulled a long tail from the ground and twitched it around. It rubbed against Jessica. ¡°Jaw!¡± Jessica hugged her cat around the neck as he rubbed against her. He lifted her to her feet with a pull. ¡°I thought I had lost you forever.¡± ¡°Did everybody see that?,¡± asked Doreen. ¡°All you have to do is think about your totems and want them back. They will come back. Just close your eyes and ignore any other distractions.¡± ¡°Is Woody doing this?,¡± asked Jessica in a low voice. She rubbed her totem¡¯s head between his pointed ears. ¡°No,¡± said Doreen. ¡°He left me a letter, but I didn¡¯t understand it. Now I do.¡± ¡°I saw that he had something he wanted to give you before the tournament,¡± said Jessica. ¡°He was warning you about this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the nature of our totems,¡± said Doreen. ¡°It¡¯s the nature of what we are taught, but don¡¯t really know.¡± A firebird blasted into existence in the sky. Soon other birds joined it. They ripped around through the air to the joy of their partners on the ground. ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± said Jessica. ¡°Let¡¯s walk,¡± said Doreen. ¡°Let¡¯s go down to the lake. I still have some things to say to Woody. Then I have to get ready to leave for a bit. I¡¯ll explain what I realized on the way.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Jessica. ¡°I love you, Jaw.¡± The big cat rubbed against her leg gently. ¡°If you are having trouble with your totems, you might need to go to a quieter place to think!,¡± said Doreen. ¡°The ones who have summoned their totems, please move away to give room to those who haven¡¯t. I will be back to help anyone who hasn¡¯t summoned their totem.¡± Doreen and Jessica started from the arena, totems in tow. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°What did you discover?,¡± said Jessica. ¡°That Errant was telling the truth and our kingdom is built on a lie,¡± said Doreen. ¡°And so are our totems.¡± ¡°The stories about the Emperor and the Dai,¡± said Jessica. ¡°Those are true stories,¡± said Doreen. ¡°And we are all really elementalists. We just use our ability in a different way than they do.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± said Jessica. ¡°The Emperor, I don¡¯t want to say stole, but he saw how someone was using familiars and decided he could do the same thing with his natural ability,¡± said Doreen. ¡°He was an elementalist like the Dai¡¯s people at first. He created his first totem from that training, and what he had seen across the ocean. It was something that no one here had seen before.¡± ¡°So we could do other things than create our personal totem if we had training?,¡± said Jessica. ¡°That sounds farfetched.¡± ¡°I think they could create totems if they wanted to on the other side of the mountains,¡± said Doreen. ¡°I don¡¯t think we can move the elements like they do because we don¡¯t have the right training. Everything is given over to creating the totem as part of our training. We aren¡¯t shown how to move things with our personal power.¡± ¡°So our totems are what?,¡± asked Jessica. ¡°They are skills,¡± said Doreen. She tightened her face. ¡°They are things that we make into our companions with our own abilities, and we pull them from the elements around us. They aren¡¯t given to us except as an expression of what we can do.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what is taught,¡± said Jessica. ¡°I know, and I don¡¯t think you should tell anyone else,¡± said Doreen. ¡°It will just cause trouble. It¡¯s better that only we know, and really I don¡¯t think I should have told you, but I wanted to explain why it was easy to summon our totems back.¡± ¡°The note,¡± said Jessica. ¡°Woody was cryptic,¡± said Doreen. She gestured with her hand. ¡°But essentially he was telling me not to worry but he didn¡¯t want to reveal his plan ahead of time.¡± ¡°And the plan was to cheat by killing all the totems,¡± said Jessica. ¡°Except you can¡¯t really kill the totems,¡± said Doreen. ¡°That¡¯s what the note was trying to tell me, but I didn¡¯t understand. The only way to permanently kill a totem is to kill us. All those people whose totems were erased might have been able to get them back if they had known what we know now. That the totems are us, and we are our totems.¡± ¡°But they didn¡¯t know because we are taught once the totem is gone, it¡¯s gone for good,¡± said Jessica. ¡°Exactly,¡± said Doreen. ¡°If they can be resummoned at any time, what punishment is it to erase them?¡± ¡°Someone is talking,¡± said Jessica. ¡°Woody?¡± Doreen paused to listen. One of the voices did sound like Woody¡¯s new voice. The other sounded familiar. Maybe Errant had returned early. She hurried to catch him to report his misbehaving beast. She saw a flash of blue among the trees and started jogging. The blue became a suit of clothes with a mop of hair on top. She frowned as she grabbed Tapper and threw him across the space. The squirrel whistled as he flew across that space and hit a tree next to Errant¡¯s head. He frowned at the distraction. Then he smiled when he saw Doreen running toward him. ¡°Hello, Doreen,¡± said Errant. ¡°Good arm.¡± ¡°I want to talk to you,¡± said Doreen. ¡°Your dog made a mess of the tournament. He cheated and destroyed all of our totems, even the faculty¡¯s.¡± ¡°Really?,¡± said Errant. He glanced at the wooden dog who lay in the shade of the tree. ¡°All of them?¡± ¡°I simply dispelled them,¡± said Woody. ¡°I think you were supposed to fight them with your minimum power,¡± said Errant. ¡°Wait. Didn¡¯t I tell you not to enter the tournament?¡± ¡°He went behind my back and signed up, and then when I tried to have him excluded, he convinced the Headmaster to let him try,¡± said Doreen. ¡°That is a willful use of power that you know we shouldn¡¯t be doing,¡± said Errant. ¡°We¡¯re only supposed to be defending people. What was the plan?¡± ¡°No more erasing of the lesser familiars because of the fighting,¡± said Woody. ¡°I expect the next one will be better for the new students.¡± ¡°Laudable, but the method needed a little more work, don¡¯t you think?,¡± said Errant. ¡°No,¡± said Woody. ¡°It worked fine.¡± ¡°Unless they didn¡¯t learn their lesson from having their familiars erased,¡± said Errant. ¡°Which they might not since Doreen and this other nice young lady have their familiars with them, and they aren¡¯t in charge of the proceedings.¡± ¡°It was a shock, sir,¡± said Jessica. ¡°I expected better of you, Woody.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go talk to the Headmaster,¡± said Errant. ¡°I think you should do some reparation work here, Woody.¡± ¡°No,¡± howled Woody. ¡°I don¡¯t want to work.¡± ¡°You¡¯re kidding me,¡± said Errant. ¡°Let¡¯s go. It¡¯s pleasure to meet you, young lady. I¡¯m Errant.¡± ¡°Doreen said you knew the original Dai,¡± said Jessica. She noticed a wince, and knew it was true. ¡°I knew him at the end of his life,¡± said Errant. ¡°What do you think of Woody¡¯s new voice?¡± ¡°He sounds like a toddler,¡± said Doreen. ¡°He sounds younger,¡± said Jessica. ¡°What are you trying to sound like, Woody?¡± ¡°A human man of my years,¡± said Woody. ¡°Maybe I should adjust the treble.¡± ¡°Come along,¡± said Errant. ¡°Let¡¯s see how much damage you¡¯ve done.¡± He led the way back toward the Academy, hands in his pockets. He kept a running line of chatter about everything they saw on the way. Woody made warm up singing noises to adjust his voice as he walked along. ¡°Your friend is strange,¡± said Jessica. She petted Jaw as he walked by her side. ¡°He¡¯s acting,¡± said Doreen. ¡°He¡¯s pretending to be friendly so we¡¯re not scared of him.¡± ¡°Should we be?,¡± asked Jessica. ¡°Maybe,¡± said Doreen. Tapper expressed his own opinion with chatter and waving of his arms. Errant walked among the crowd still left in the arena. He said a few words here, and there. Totems sprang to life easily as the people he talked to understood exactly what he meant. The Headmaster was still trying to activate his own totem when they arrived at the stand. He glared at Woody. ¡°Look at what you have done!,¡± said the Headmaster. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you returned. Have you no shame?¡± ¡°That¡¯s my fault, sir,¡± said Errant. ¡°Having trouble? It¡¯s a little harder to imagine things when you are older. Woody has decided to become a teacher on staff, and teach some basic things to your students. Maybe some history. Something easy.¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct,¡± said Woody. ¡°Little too much bass.¡± ¡°Why would I want this monster to teach here?,¡± asked the Headmaster. ¡°Look what he has done.¡± ¡°I know he is a little rough around the edges, but look, he has taught himself how to talk in a few days,¡± said Errant. ¡°Think of what he could teach your kids. Look at it as community service. And he will keep the school safe while he is here.¡± The Headmaster waved at the chaos that still existed in the arena. ¡°And he will work for free,¡± said Errant. ¡°You can¡¯t get much better than free.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t abide the erasing of familiars while I am here,¡± said Woody. ¡°That is done.¡± ¡°I have to agree,¡± said Errant. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be doing that to people, but Woody is an excellent coach for lesser familiars.¡± The Headmaster looked at the wooden dog. The wooden dog stared back. ¡°No cheating,¡± said the Headmaster. ¡°No cheating,¡± said Woody in agreement. ¡°Help me with my totem, and we will try a provisional period,¡± said the Headmaster. ¡°Thirty days. What can you do in that amount of time?¡± ¡°See Woody,¡± said Errant. He snapped his fingers and the Headmaster¡¯s totem snapped back into existence. ¡°Being a little more pleasant is better in the long run.¡± Doreen shook her head at what she just saw. She had an urge to run. Jessica hugged her to keep her in place. Revised Prompt List The list of prompts to be used for the collection. If you want to suggest something, please put it in the comments. You will get credit. CES Pokemon used for Rioridiana the man with no name used for the man with no name demonic bureaucracies used for the Underworld seven brothers used for the Stalking Light brothers Madoka used for the magical girl guild of Bern Hero 1: Alan Scott Hero 2: Hal Jordan Hero 3: Jade Hero 4: John Taylor used for Arlo Pike Hero 5: Ben Ten used for Bernard Villain 1: Kulak Villain 2: Dormmannu Villain 3: Mordru Villain 4: Undead Thomas Edison (Atomic Robo) Villain 5: Vilgax Support 1: StarGate Command Support 2: Boston Brand, Deadman used for Ivanoviska Support 3: Katherine Corrigan Support 4: The Green Lantern Corps used for the Green Lights Support 5: Gwen Ten used for Raven Support 6: Max Tennyson used for Moe Eisen Support 7: Mab used for the Queen Support 8: Hank Pym used for Zachariah Eight Arms Support 9: Artemis Gordon Support 10: Johnny Thunder used for Pavel Konstantin Anything 1: Ibis Anything 2: Immortal Man used Geoff Cantrell Anything 3: G-8 used for Gear Octo Anything 4: Micheal Carpenter used for Jason Anything 5: Scott Lang used for Bolan Anything 6: Hope Pym used for Sola Eight Arms Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Anything 7: James West Anything 8: Lord Heisengard (Atomic Robo) used for the Lord of Lightning Anything 9: Hydroman Anything 10: Original Daredevil Suggestions handed in A coworker named Jim suggested He Man beating up Strawberry Shortcake and My Little Pony. Train that runs on human souls Josh h Used for the Northside death worm train Terminator SaffronAngel Matrix used for Bass''s game SaffronAngel Doctor Who used for Errant SaffronAngel Phineas and Ferb used for the Keller brothers opal sparrow Deadpool opal sparrow Disney Princesses As villain''s minions used for the lord of lightning''s air pirates. opal sparrow peanut butter and jalepeno sandwich used for the keller boy''s line of sandwiches opal sparrow Hitchhiker''s Guide opal sparrow Dune used for the crater desert faction opal sparrow An evil minion with healing powers... thematically subversive to say the least. ecolaserbuilder Guppies I think I used this as giant guppies not sure.LaSalle A peanut butter and [something other than jelly] sandwich used for the keller boys LaSalle Comet Hale¨CBoppLaSalle A city destroyed by kudzu LaSalle A Tea Ceremony LaSalle Caligula''s Horse LaSalle Br''er Rabbit used for Brother Rabbit LaSalle the Travelling Shovel of Death used by Zachariah Eight Arms, the Kellers, and Brother Rabbit LaSalle Foundation Nac mac feegles Serpent Rose Avatar: The Last Airbender used for the Dai part of Riant kctejada The Darksword Trilogy kctejada The Deathgate Cycle kctejada The Codex Alera. used for the shaper totem part of Riant kctejada Haitian Voodoo Drugs from my friend, Ray K used for powering up the Sharriff and Railing Rennings Dread Pirate Roberts, characters from the Princess Bride Mechanical Procrastinator Two quotes from my son ¡°It was a dark and stormy night. Suddenly, a shot rang out! A door slammed. The maid screamed. Suddenly, a pirate ship appeared on the horizon! While millions of people were starving, the king lived in luxury. Meanwhile, on a small farm in Kansas, a boy was growing up.¡± Once there was an ugly barnacle. He was so ugly that everyone died. The end. Trollz From Headache Spaz Peter Pan and Neverland (Captain Hook and the crocodile) From Headache Spaz Monty Python and the Holy Grail From Headache Spaz internet cat memes From Headache Spaz Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles From Headache Spaz Scooby-Doo From Headache Spaz Chronicles of Narnia From Headache Spaz Charlie and the Chocolate Factory From Headache Spaz other children''s books by Roald Dahl used Matilda for Tilda Crass From Headache Spaz Totoro used for Toto Saltulra Treasure Planet TunnelTy Courage, Boomhauer, Kenny from South Park, and Donny Thornberry arguing about the last piece of a pizza- Josh H and Andrew B. used for the four cannibals
  • Sauron and the Nine Nazgul From Falco Vega
  • Bruce Almighty From Falco Vega
  • (Saffron Angel puts in for Evan Almighty here)
  • Beowulf, Grendel, and Grendel''s mother From Falco Vega
  • Jack of beanstalk fame, plus the giant and his wife From Falco Vega
  • The flesh-eating rabbits of Monty Python and the Holy Grail From Falco Vega
  • The Ministry of Silly Walks used for Monty Pythonesque minions From Falco Vega
  • Blackadder, Baldrick, and Lord Percy Percy From Falco Vega
  • Mr. BeanFrom Falco Vega
  • Harold and Kumar (go to White Castle) From Falco Vega
  • Jay and Silent Bob (Strike Back)From Falco Vega
  • Ronald McDonaldFrom Falco Vega
  • a Jenga tower used for one of the witch dimensions From Falco Vega
  • a Rubiks cube
  • a Bag of Holding from Dungeons & Dragons
  • the Magic Faraway Tree (children''s books by Enid Blyton)
  • Twilight vampires
  • the Grand Budapest Hotel
An attic guy living in some unsuspecting person''s attic Allison E. Used as one of the man with no name''s targets. highlanders Blackferret used for Bass''s game.
Prompt list from Lizard Kid Day One- Winter Wonderland Day Two- Cuddling Day Three- Christmas Shopping Day Four- Baking Day Five- Christmas Movies Day Six- Christmas Party Day Seven- Make-over/ Fashion Show Day Eight- Light-hearted Pranks Day Nine- Mistletoe Day Ten- Friendship Bracelets Day Eleven- Confessions and Eggnog Day Twelve- Christmas Day The Green Lights of Baldwin 1 Year minus 2000- The person who found what would be called the Ring of Baldwin didn¡¯t know what he had found. He had stumbled over it while running from a small monster trying to eat him. He dodged out of the way as the thing brought a forepaw shaped like a saucer down to pin him in place. He felt a shock as he was sent flying through the air. He landed at the end of a rut in the ground. He tried to catch his breath. He smiled at the realization that he could still breathe. He wouldn¡¯t be visiting the underworld to work off some of his numerous sins. He still had to get away from the monster. It didn¡¯t look like it was ready to give up, even rocked by what had just happened. It was a big boy, and demanded big food to quiet its stomach. He was determined not to be the dinner for his enemy. He picked himself up and started running. If he could lose the beast, he would circle around to take another look at the ring. Maybe there was some kind of magic he could use. He saw a line of trees ahead. If he could make that, he could use the trees as cover. The monster should be stalled enough that he might be able to elude it. It wouldn¡¯t be the first time he had outraced a monster in the wild. He reached the tree line, and turned right. He ran under the branches, keeping an eye on the monster as it hit the first trees behind him. He nodded that it couldn¡¯t just uproot the wider trunks to get at him faster. He paused to catch his breath, looking at the monster trailing along outside the woods. Its wide body was made for plains, or forests with more space to allow it to move around. A bunched in area like where he stood stymied it from just cutting him off and ripping him apart with the giant talons it sported. Maybe he should move on and find a place to camp out of range of the beast. Should he just leave the metal ring where it lay? What could he do with it? What should he do? He still had a tingling in his hands. He didn¡¯t know what had caused that. Something from that artifact had lit up his bones. Maybe he could use it as some kind of defense from lesser monsters if he could get inside it without shocking himself again. Maybe he could move it to his village and use it as something to keep people out of his cabin. A shock like a lightning bolt would deter most people in the village from being too nosy about what he was doing. The monster paced up and down the tree line. It wasn¡¯t giving up, and it wasn¡¯t hunting slower food. How long did he have before it came into the trees after him, knocking the living barriers out of its way? He didn¡¯t know if the ring was worth fighting a bull rock devil over. It could eat the ground out there and keep him away from the ring. He might have to leave and come back with some help to run it off. Would anyone want to help him over some artifact laying on the ground? He decided that no one would help him with this. He could go home and come back when he thought the monster had left to chase some other idiot caught in the open. He didn¡¯t know how long that would take. He decided that he should get away from the monster and hope for the best. He would have to walk a big circle so he didn¡¯t lead the rock devil back to the village. Maybe he could get some help, maybe not. He doubted anyone would believe him. He smiled. He wouldn¡¯t if the shoe was on the other foot. You normally didn¡¯t just outrun a rock devil. Usually you got gored to death by its horns. He worked his way slowly among the trees and moved beyond the attack range of the monster. He felt its beady eyes following him long after he lost sight of it. He started jogging when he had a wider path to run through the forest. He thought regular deer and other animals moved along the path, but kept away from the center. Maybe they had learned the consequences of running in the middle with something as big as a wagon coming up from behind. He hadn¡¯t learned what would happen to him, but staying away from the center of the path was fine with him. He didn¡¯t want to lose a chance to run away because he was out in the open and unable to get in the trees for cover. How many times had a little forethought saved his life? He had no idea. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. He hoped he didn¡¯t run into that devil as it paced the trees out of sight as he jogged away. He doubted anyone from the village would want to go back to collect the ring. A monster like that was tough to hurt with the weapons they had among the villagers. He didn¡¯t blame them, and he didn¡¯t know why he had wandered so far from the walled town he grew up in and rarely left. He should have known better than travel the wilds without an adequate weapon. All he had on him was his work knife, which wouldn¡¯t do much against a monster bigger than him, with a skin like stone. Maybe if he got lucky, he could poke out an eye with his knife. He laughed at himself. He had never been that lucky. Anything like that usually cost him more than what he wanted to spend. He saw a road through the veil of trees. He cut into the trees, looking for the monster. If he could get on the road, he had a straight shot to his village behind its wall. He stepped out on the road. He didn¡¯t see the rock monster. It was probably still guarding the ring from anyone wanting to retrieve it. He started for the village. Once he was home, he would take a moment to celebrate his near death experience. Maybe he could get some people to go out and look at that ring. A power would be useful against the roaming monsters near the village. One major one breaking the wall would be a catastrophe. Sometimes they traveled in packs. The village had been lucky that the local animals were enough to keep the monsters moving. He feared sooner or later that luck would run out and they would have to face an invasion. A power might be enough to safeguard the place if that happened. He wished he had something that could be used to keep the village safe, but he was average to below average in every way. He laughed at the thought of being able to throw fireballs and killing enemies with a wave of his hand. That would be nice if he could handle some of the bigger monsters like that. He reached the gate. The watchman waved down at the gatekeeper to open it for him. They were two of the volunteer guards on duty. Everyone had a rotation at keeping watch and making sure the gate could be opened, or closed. The village didn¡¯t have that many visitors, but some of the ones they did have had to be kept out. When he took a turn, and walked the top of the wall in the lookout. He slept the next day in his own bed, then went to work for his food the day after that. He thought it was a good routine to have. He had never had a problem when he walked the wall. He knew that could change, but doubted it. His village was just too poor and small to be bothered by the nearby kingdoms, and didn¡¯t have enough for monsters to turn to sweep through it. On the other hand, both of those things could change based on how the weather went, and the hunting. They let him inside and he decided to head home. Tomorrow he had to be back working the small fields for the village. He had watch after that. The next day would see him sleep most of the day away. He heard shouts from the wall. He turned. What was going on? He saw the watchman on top of the wall shouting the alarm. What was going on? Something slammed into the gate. The lockbar cracked as the gate leaves were thrown against it from outside. The sound of the crash was like listening to a falling tree hitting the ground. He ran to the wall and climbed the ladder to get to the lookout. That was the safest place to be unless the thing could climb too. He looked down. The bull rock devil was backing up to do another charge. He groaned. The monster had followed him back to the village. If it got inside, it would wreck the town. Nothing they had would stand up to one of its charges at full speed. He had to do something about this before things got worse. He had to lead it away. He could do that. It had already followed him from the ring. It would follow him away from the village. He just had to act fast. ¡°Let me borrow your sword,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m going to try to get it to follow me away from the village.¡± ¡°Are you sure?,¡± asked the lookout. He unbuckled the weapon, and handed it over. ¡°It¡¯s the only thing to do,¡± he said. He buckled the sword belt around his waist. ¡°There¡¯s a magic ring out in the woods. I found it, and then this thing chased me away. It must have followed me home. Let¡¯s see if it will follow me away.¡± ¡°Be careful,¡± said the lookout. ¡°I¡¯m going to run for the hills and hope that it follows me,¡± he said. ¡°Hopefully, I will be able to outrun it.¡± ¡°Good luck,¡± said the lookout. ¡°Bring me my sword back.¡± He smiled as he went to the ladder and slid down to the ground. He reached the gate as the monster slammed into it again. A couple more times and it would be in with them. He helped the gatekeeper lift the bar up and open the gate enough to get outside. The monster snorted when it saw him. Yes, it had followed him all the way home. He lifted his arms and waved them around as he shouted at the beast. Then he ran along the wall toward the trees. The monster gave chase, head down, horns out. It smashed into him with a cracking of bone and spraying blood. He flew across the ground and rolled to a stop. He groaned, unsure why he was still alive. At least he hadn¡¯t been gored. He could see being stuck on a horn and swept through the air until he was thrown down and stomped on by the weight of the thing. He heard more crackling. He wondered what was going on. What was his body doing? He demanded it to lift him up so he could keep running. The stony monster rushed over and jerked him off the ground and flung him against the wall. He lay there in pain. He groaned as the monster stomped him a few more times. It snorted against his broken heap of a body. Then it turned and headed back into the forest. It had delivered its message. Stay out of its territory. He lay on the ground and wondered why he was still alive. He heard the crackling of his bones. He felt heat building up in his body as the cuts in his flesh closed. What was going on? Geoff Cantrell lifted his hand as his eye popped back together. He saw his fingers straighten in a cloud of haze. His vision cleared as more of his wounds repaired themselves. He thought it was because he had touched the ring and it had granted him some healing power. He wondered how long it would last. He was still wondering thousands of years and miles later. The Green Lights of Baldwin 2 The ring sat half-buried in the forest. Monsters left it alone for the most part. It sometimes altered one of them into something else more powerful, but sometimes it killed the beast as soon it was touched. Eli Sone didn¡¯t know anything about the ring, the danger it posed, or what any of the local animals and monsters could do. He had hired on to take a caravan to the south from Corwin¡¯s Mount. Once he had done that, he would take another caravan back north. Ten other guards rode on either side of the train of wagons. They kept an eye on the shifting shadows of the trees. If anything attacked the caravan, they had to be ready to drive it back. Eli rode in the front. His job was to lure hungry predators out before the caravan reached where he was. Then he could ride away on his horse, and let lancers and archers do what they could to whatever showed up. They had killed a couple of hungry bears, and a knarl, in this way. The animals attacked. Eli gave the signal and ran back toward the train. The predators chased him. They ran into a hedge of spears for their troubles. Eli decided the clearing ahead would be the perfect campsite for his group. They could establish a small perimeter on the grass, and set up fires to keep animals at bay. It would be good to get something to eat and take a break from the riding they had done so far. The only thing they would have to worry about were monsters who weren¡¯t afraid of fire, or men. He paused and let the train catch up to him. He waved down the lead driver to slow his wagon. He asked the man to circle around so the wagons would follow him and form the makeshift barrier they needed. He made sure the drivers had their wagons lined up. There were gaps in the defense, but there was only so much you could do without magic. He sent the riders out to look at the area to see how safe it was before he allowed the draft horses to be unyoked from their wagons. He didn¡¯t want to stop and then be attacked by some beast while his men were trying to get the horses back together so they could take the cargo with them. Once he was satisfied that nothing would come out of the trees to attack them, he allowed the draft horses to be unstrapped from their yokes and put out to eat grass next to the wagons. Campfires would be set up for cooking as the sun went down. He had to set up his own. He didn¡¯t have a convenient wagon to sleep in, or under. He would have to sleep on the ground in his own spot. He made sure his horse had some food before posting up at the edge of the perimeter. The grass would do for the rest of the night. He set up his campfire, used his saddle for a pillow, and ate cold jerky and sipped water. In the morning, he would have to do what he could to get the wagons rolling southward again. Each trip felt longer to him. Maybe he should stop guiding merchants and settle down in one of the city states. Not Berne. The Alvas and Shae were major problems in the south. The last thing he wanted was to fight against either of their forces. He wondered if this was going to be his last trip across the continent. It had to happen sometime. He wondered what his reward would be in the Underworld. He pushed the dark thoughts away. He would be up in the day. Then he could plan out the next leg of their trip and try to get the caravan where it needed to be. Then he would take the next supply train north like he had been doing since he was a boy. Eventually he would get tired of the work, but right now it suited him to wander across the wilderness as much as he wanted. He settled in to get some sleep. He had plenty of time in the morning to plan for the challenges ahead. Sleep would help with that. The camp settled in, sentries posted against things in the dark. There were always going to be predatory monsters who could and would take on armed guards. A watch, even if it couldn¡¯t drive a monster off, could alert the camp so harm could be limited. Hopefully the wall of wagons would make all but the biggest monsters pause before they attacked the camp. Eli snapped awake early in the morning before the sun was up. Someone should have woke him up for his turn at guard duty. He liked to take the last shift before the camp roused so he could plan for the day while he waited for the hours to move on. He wondered what was going on. He heard something like sizzling. He stood up, letting his blanket fall to the ground. He Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.didn¡¯t see anyone else in camp. Where had everyone gone? He decided to follow the sound. Maybe the guards and traders had found something in the night, and they were trying to figure out how to handle it. They should have woke him for that. He found silhouettes standing around a glowing ring on the ground. They seemed frozen in the act of staring at the light. What did he do about this? What should he do about this? What had happened to the people he had been escorting? He wondered what he could do. Should he try to touch one of those dark shadows to see what happened? What would happen to him if he did? Would he be trapped like the others? Eli decided that it would be safer to use a branch to touch the dark shapes. They couldn¡¯t hurt him if he didn¡¯t get directly in their way. He hoped that was true. Otherwise, he was in real trouble with no way of getting out of it. He went to where the trees lined the road. He picked up the biggest stick he could manage. He swung at the closest shadow as hard as he could. A man went down. He lay there, shaking. Eli didn¡¯t know what had happened, but figured that he should stay away from anything like that. The last thing he wanted was the guys around the ring trying to take him hostage. The dark shapes turned to face him. He stepped back. Maybe he shouldn¡¯t have attracted their attention. He decided that maybe he should run. He didn¡¯t want them to grab him with their shadowy arms. Eli ran back toward his horse. He could ride away bareback and come back in the daylight to see what he could do about the glowing ring. He had to get away from the danger before he could think about what he could do about the rest of the caravan. He might be able to find a magician to help him if he looked around. There had to be someone who could reverse the enchantment he had seen. He had to get away before he could do anything. He spotted his horse and called his reserves for a sprint to cover the ground. The animal whickered to let him know it wasn¡¯t liking the company he was bringing back to the camp. He didn¡¯t bother trying to saddle the nervous beast. He just pulled the reins from the branch he had thrown them around and jumped on the horse¡¯s back. Something hit him and he fell off. He hit the ground on his back and lost his breath for a valuable few seconds. He tried to pull himself together. His horse had trotted out of reach. It snorted at the dark shapes, but they didn¡¯t seem to care about the horse. Eli starting climbing to his feet. He had to get away. Shadow hands wrapped around his arms and held him in the air. He struggled against the grips on his arms. They carried him back to the ring. He looked at the glow. He didn¡¯t want to die. He didn¡¯t want to die. He wanted to be free of these monsters. They dropped him on the ring. Pain shot through his body. Light wrapped around him. It reached into the shadows holding him on the ring. He passed out before he could consider what would happen if he survived as a shadow man. Eli came together on one side of the ring. Daylight beat on his face. He must have been out for hours. He blinked at the clearing. At least the shadows were gone. What was he going to do about getting his caravan down to Berne? He had no guards, or drivers, or anything to help him move the goods south. He couldn¡¯t do it all himself. He would lose everything over this bad luck encounter. What could he do to fix this problem? He paced back and forth next to the ring. At least it wasn¡¯t glowing in the daytime. He took a moment to rub his chin with his bone hand. What could he do about getting the caravan to its destination as one man. He doubted he could do anything other than taking the horses with him on a tether and leaving the wagons behind until he could get help. He would have to hide the wagons from thieves and scavengers since he wouldn¡¯t be around to defend the goods while he was trying to get help to drive everything to Berne. Once he had help, the rest would be simplicity to fix. He would have to send a messenger home to let his backer know what had happened to his people. He couldn¡¯t let anyone else close to the ring because of what it did to anyone touching it. At least he was still thinking instead of being some kind of shadow monster. Eli floated over to where his horse grazed on grass. The animal stepped away from him. He tried to make a calming sound, but it was full of angry bees. He stopped trying to talk when the horse moved further away from him. He grabbed the reins in a desperate lunge. He tied them around the nearest tree. Then he worked to gather up the rest of the horses from where the wagons surrounded the campfires. They shied away from him, but he finally had all of them tied up so he could think about what to do next. He looked at his hand on the reins. He wondered when he had become a skeleton. What had the ring done to him? It had turned all of the guards and drivers into shadows, and him into a skeleton. How was he going to explain this to anyone? Monster hunters and adventurers would be trying to kill him as soon as he tried to get help. No one would trust him, or believe that some ring turned him into a skeleton. He didn¡¯t even think he could prove that he was still Eli. What could he do about this? The first thing was he had to honor his contract about the wagons of merchandise. That meant getting someone out to help him start moving them south. Who would do that when it looked like the trip was cursed. Who would do that when he looked like he did? He decided that he had to do something. He couldn¡¯t stand around in the woods all day. There was a town up ahead. He could go there and get help. Maybe they knew enough about the ring to reverse things. If he couldn¡¯t fix himself, he could at least try to finish the job he was on before he started his search in earnest. Who wanted to be a floating skeleton? Eli threw a saddle over his horse and cinched it down. He grabbed the tethers for all the other horses as he mounted. If he could get help they would have to come back with him to get the wagons. If he was really lucky, he could come back with enough help to get the job done before someone found the wagons and looted everything. Eli sighed. This had not gone anything like he thought it would. The Green Lights of Baldwin 3 Alzy Schot rode into the trees. The road had gradually angled in a curve for some reason. He paused on the back of his horse and wondered if he should just cut a line, or follow the road to his destination. He decided that he wasn¡¯t in that much of a hurry. The road would be fine unless he ran into something out there while he was riding along. He planned to be in Baldwin in the middle of the night, then either finding work, or moving on the next day after some sleep in an inn. Then he would ride down to the coast and then south. He had heard some things about Baldwin. It was supposed to be a fast growing town out in the middle of forests with the monsters and traveling adventurers. People like him were flocking in to see what they could do in a new city that wouldn¡¯t get them killed. Schot took off his hat and ran his fingers through his dark hair before he put the hat back on. He might have another night camping. He would need something to give him height off the ground if he did have to camp. He didn¡¯t want to deal with any monsters that crossed his path. He found a tree that would carry his weight enough in the middle of the night. He hated to leave his horse on the ground, but he didn¡¯t know what he could do about that. He unsaddled the horse and let the reins drop. If something appeared in the middle of the night, the horse would be able to bolt and get clear. It might come back after the monsters cleared the area. If it didn¡¯t, he could track it down in the day time and finish his ride. And the horse might supply a distraction if it caused any monster coming along to chase it in the dark. It wouldn¡¯t be good for the horse, but it might allow him time to grab his pack and slip away before something knocked his tree down. Alzy had dealt with wandering packs of things in the past with the bow he carried, and his sword. It wasn¡¯t pleasant, and he had lost a few mounts to the fighting. Staying out of their way seemed the better option as he settled in to rest for the night. If he could make it to Baldwin intact, he would be halfway to finding work, and making enough money to get his own piece of land. There would be taxes and such, but he was tired of the constant riding to get to some place, work for a bit, and then move on. He wanted his own homestead. Even if he was just a watchman for monsters, that would be better than having to keep moving south. He had been hearing things that way that he didn¡¯t like. If he couldn¡¯t find a job, he could probably ride into the mountains and find something there. He knew there were settlements there. Maybe a job could be found. Alzy didn¡¯t have much hope for the future, but there had to be something he could make his own. He settled in, wrapping a blanket from his pack around him. He would have loved a natural fort of rock around him so he could start a fire in peace. Doing that with no protection was guaranteed to attract monsters. He knew that some of the creatures in the wild would love a beacon to show them easy prey sleeping in the dark. He wished he had one of those spirit animals the people back west had. Something that could throw fire would be useful in this situation. An animal like that would be able to keep watch, set fire to his enemies, and help him escape all at the same time. They had said they would be happy to get him one, but there was no telling what it would do, or how useful it would be to him. Alzy didn¡¯t want to pay the cost for a procedure that might lay him low for days, and then he would have to get used to the animal itself. It was better to just ride a horse and wish for better things. Alzy tried to relax in his tree. He preferred someone else to be on watch but he didn¡¯t have anyone but his horse. Hopefully the animal would make a fuss before it ran off and left him to his death. The last thing he needed was to be stuck in a tree and unable to run because his horse had died quietly on the ground. A worse thing would be stuck in a tree with a tree climbing monster trying to get at him. Alzy finally fell asleep. He saw a green flame in the sky as he walked on a lake of clouds. Something hitting his tree woke him up and he reached out to stop himself from falling to the ground. He looked down. Some monster bull had slammed into his tree. It circled around to set This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. up for another ram. He rubbed his face as he tried to get his addled brain to start functioning. He had to get out of the tree if he wanted to live. Alzy watched as the monster rammed his tree in an explosion of power. He jumped from the branches as the thing shook its head. He ran before it could circle the tree and chase him. He heard the heavy clomps of its hoofs as it sped up to gore him with the massive rack of horns on its head. He had to use something to block that from happening. The drifter dodged around a tree at the last second. He didn¡¯t pause as the sound of a crash and the vibration of the tree told him that he just avoided being gored to death. He saw a clearing ahead as he ran and thought it was a bad idea to try to cross the open space. He wanted to stay on the edge of the clearing to give himself more cover, but he could hear the giant beast chasing him. He needed to get away from the thing, and the clearing looked like the best way to do that. Alzy ran into the clearing. He heard a sound of disapproval behind him as he ran. He could use the trees on the other side as a blockade as he kept moving from the monster. If it gave up, he could circle around and try to find his horse to ride out under the sun. The last thing he wanted to do was lead that thing to a settlement and watch as it wrecked homes and shops before anyone could drive it away. A snort sounded behind him as the monster burst out in the open. It threw its horns up in a challenge for Alzy to come back and fight. He kept running to keep his body from sprouting new holes. He heard the sound of massive hooves coming down. He didn¡¯t dare look back. He turned on a left diagonal path and ran for the trees. He needed more cover so he could make his escape. He turned and fled diagonally right when he thought the monster was too close. He veered again when he heard the hooves closing on him. And then he slid between two trees and fled deeper into the woods. The trees exploded behind him. Apparently, the monster was used to chasing people into the wooded areas. Its answer was to knock down anything that it could as it ran after its prey. It hit a couple of old things that it couldn¡¯t just knock out of its way. That caused it to pause and consider the best path. While it was doing that, he ran for his life. He wondered how he could shake the thing off his trail as he thought about where he should go. The bull seemed stubborn enough to chase him until it caught him. And if it caught him, he had a good idea what would happen to him. Alzy stumbled into another clearing. His foot hit something buried in the grass, and he fell. He winced as he hit the ground and tried to pick himself up. The bull came out of the trees, pawing the ground. This is where he died, tripping over some kind of log half-buried in the ground. He looked for a way to defend himself. His sword was at his hip, but it wouldn¡¯t cut through the skin of the monster bearing down on him. He could maybe reach the tree line and lead it on a chase through the woods until it gave up, but what if it didn¡¯t give up. He had to get away from the beast. Green light surrounded him as the monster came on. The horns dipped down to gore him. As soon as the hardened keratin touched the green aura around Alzy, he flew backward from the contact. He landed on his back. His hands searched his armored front and he was amazed to find he didn¡¯t have any holes in his body. He thought for sure he would be dead. How did he use this? The monster circled to build up speed to charge again. A target on its back was not perfect for it, but it didn¡¯t want its prey to jump and flee now that it was down. A trample should do the rest of the job for it, breaking bones as it ran over the fallen runner. Alzy saw the look in its eye. He had to get out of the way. The aura was tough, but he didn¡¯t know how tough. He floated out of the way as the monster chased him around the clearing. He smiled as his green aura carried him away from his enemy as it neared him. What else could he do? He wondered if he could fly into the sky and stay there. Alzy picked a spot in the sky and flew upwards. He looked from his perch, looking for an answer to what had happened to him. The thing he had tripped over glowed on the ground. The monster bull circled around it, guarding it from his return. He needed an explanation for what had happened to him. Once he knew what it meant, he could figure out his next step. Information filled his brain, overwhelming him. He felt his control flow away. He started falling from the sky. Alzy felt a surge of fear run up his spine. He had to keep himself from hitting the ground. His green aura lit up. He concentrated, and he was on the ground. He took cover behind a tree and pulled the ground over him to form a bunker and a blocker for his aura. Flying into the air and then trying to figure out what was going on had been a bad idea. He made himself as comfortable as he could and closed his eyes. He asked for the information again. He felt it filling his brain. He had perhaps the strongest weapon on the planet within his grasp. It could also kill him with the wrong thought. He had been lucky not to trigger any number of conditions that would have taken him apart and put him back together in ways he didn¡¯t want. Alzy rested, looking over everything with his brain. He made some decisions that should tide him over. The next time he was rendered senseless in flight, he would know to hold his position to prevent a crash. He thought that would be the easiest thing to remember while he was getting used to his new power. As long as he kept his mind on what he wanted, he was safe. As soon as he became indecisive, he could be hurt. He had one thing to do now that he had the information from the ether. He had to get the ring out of the ground and hide it before someone else found it and tried to use it to set up their own realm. The last thing he needed was a regional conqueror spreading ruin wherever he went. Alzy needed time to consider what he wanted to do. The fact that he could be distracted and hurt weighed on his mind. And the ring had taken away a lot of his mundane worries. He had been looking for a job, and now he had one even if it wasn¡¯t what he had intended at first. He decided to wait until the morning. Then he could distract the monster bull, whip in and grab the ring, and fly off. If the monster stayed in place, he was okay. If it followed him, he had to do something to stop it from doing that. He couldn¡¯t let that thing follow him to a city so it could try to break in and ravage everything. The Green Lights of Baldwin 4 Alzy created a nest of leaves and loose branches to sleep in. He wanted it to protect him until the sun crossed the horizon. Then he could do what he had to do. If the bull was still there, he would find a way to move it. The green light that flooded his body should help move a giant mean cow out of the way long enough to do what he had to do. He hadn¡¯t been able to fly until a few minutes ago, now he could. He thought he could plan better if he knew what his new limits were. He thought that something would turn up to tell him what had happened. The fact that the light had indicated the ring told him that it bent to his will when he needed it to. It also meant that if he didn¡¯t keep his thoughts under control it could hurt him by accident. What happened if he lost control while he was asleep? He sat down in his nest, and closed his eyes. He needed to sleep, but he also needed to be on guard. There were too many things that could snatch up an unaware traveler while he was trying to get some rest. He thought about the green light, and thought about what it had already done for him to keep him alive. The light shone through him. He thought about it, wondering what it did. A diagram appeared. He didn¡¯t know if the light was alive, but it seemed to want to show him how it worked. He examined the mental diagram, thinking about what it could mean. Alzy concentrated on the picture. More drawings appeared around it. He realized the power was telling him it could alter his personal reality as long as he could hold the thought. Some of the drawings showed things changing when bathed with the green light. As long as he considered himself invulnerable, he would be. Once he lost the thread of that thought, the reality would snap back to where he could be hurt. I can fly away and let the monster bull wander around. It obviously touched the ring and been filled with the green light like he had. If he wanted to break that effect, he would have to convince the animal that it could be hurt and it needed to back off. He doubted he could win that kind of contest of wills. The bull knew it was the supreme power on the field. No matter what he did, he could probably not even dent such determination. Alzy thought he could capture it at least. He doubted it could fly, and he knew he could if he changed the way he viewed the world. Did he have enough to change reality for both himself and the bull? Could he build some kind of pen to keep it trapped while he went about his business? How long would it take the bull to break down any wall it wanted to get through? He had an idea that the more it wanted to get through something, the faster it would be able to do that. He needed to move it away from people and let it run free somewhere else. He didn¡¯t have to kill it. The green light coursing through his body made it easy to kill normal things, but the bull had the light too. And he could be stuck trying to move a rock if he did try some type of direct confrontation. If he did carry it with the light, would that teach it how to fly on its own? Did he want to take that chance if he didn¡¯t have to? The best thing he could do was blind it long enough to move it, and then put it somewhere it could live without hurting anything else. So he needed an island away from the mainland for that. He didn¡¯t know enough geography to pick out a spot for that. Did he need to know it? He decided that he could fly straight up, keep himself and the bull safe, and just spot an island devoid of people from the sky. How hard could it be? He could probably build an island faster than he could find one from the air. He was close to the center of the land. He would have to fly up to the edge of the sky to find a place off the mainland. He just didn¡¯t know if he had enough will to do something like that. He could leave the monster in place. He didn¡¯t know if it would follow him if he took Stolen story; please report. the ring. Did he want to lead it to a town that wasn¡¯t ready to defend itself. He decided that he could put it on an island out in the middle of nowhere. If it came back for the ring, he would deal with it when it arrived. It wasn¡¯t the best solution, but it was better than a protracted war with something he wasn¡¯t sure he could kill even with the green light flowing through him. If it did escape the island, he was sure that it would be able to keep doing it since it already knew it could. Avoiding the fight seemed more important than ruining the nearby land. Alzy examined his new power once more. He could fly, he could carry the bull and the ring, he could find the right place for the bull to guard. He saw a mental checklist in his head as he determined what he could do. He realized suddenly that this power could kill him if he changed his personal reality to something that wouldn¡¯t let him live. He frowned. He would have to practice to keep that from happening, but for now he had to get out of the problem he already had. The green light wrapped around him, lifting him out of the tree. He floated there, taking in the view. He loved this out of his gift. He wrapped the ring with green light. It floated with him. He nodded. That had worked out like he thought. The force felt like a bubble linking to his bubble of flight. He extended a separate bubble around the bull. It mooed with outrage at floating off the ground. He felt the green light flow out and look for the island he wanted. It indicated a marker to the east of him. He directed it to pull him and his passengers along until they could see it. Alzy didn¡¯t have time to watch the landscape move under him. The green light had turned them into a beam and fired them over the water. He asked it to speed up his perception so he could watch the sky around him as he flew. He saw a piece of rock emerging out of the water. He nodded to himself as he slowed down. This looked perfect for what he needed to do. All it needed was something the bull could eat without hurting itself. A little spot of grass and fruit trees should be fine. Fresh water might be necessary too. He didn¡¯t know if the bull needed it, but he didn¡¯t want to strand it and have it slowly die because it had nothing to drink. And he had no idea if it needed anything like a normal animal. He waved a hand to indicate he wanted grass to grow in the rock. The green light blasted the stone into soft loam, and created seeds out of the air. Seconds later, blades of green sprang from his work. A small copse of trees surrounded by bushes stood tall against the horizon. He used the green light to locate a water source he could turn into a small lake in the middle of the island. He dug a well in a few seconds, pulling the rock out of the ground because in that one area, molecules of like material repelled each other. ¡°All right,¡± said Alzy. ¡°It looks like you can stay here without hurting anybody. Try not to hurt any sailors that come by.¡± He asked the green light to carry him back to where he had met the cow. He still had to do something about the ring, and get to Baldwin. Maybe the city state could use a newly minted magician to help it grow and lord it over everyone else. He laughed at himself. He could barely keep himself together. What would a wooden head like him know about running things, much less getting involved with any type of government. It was better if he stayed hidden and only used the green light when he needed to do something that he couldn¡¯t do with his own two hands. He didn¡¯t even know how long it would last. He might run out of power on the way home and crash into the water, or the land after he made shore. He needed to do a lot more practicing with it and meditating on what it told him. Once he was confident about what he could do, and that he wouldn¡¯t run out of power at the wrong time, then he could think about telling the authorities that he would support them. He had a feeling that the more unscrupulous politicians would want to use him to hurt their neighbors. He didn¡¯t have time for that nonsense. And he realized the green light could just make any type of gold he needed to buy things out of thin air. He didn¡¯t have to worry about any kind of work unless he wanted to do it. And if he wanted to work, the green light would make anything he needed to do as easy as walking three steps. He wondered if he could make other people with the green light inside them. Did he want to. Would they be responsible with their new power? Would he? He decided that he would hold the green light to himself for the time being. Sharing it could create magicians that would defend Baldwin from any harm, or it could cause them to try to take control of everyone and everything around them. That was the last thing the world needed in his opinion. And he didn¡¯t need to start wars with the other city states over who had it better, or worse, when his power would be used as some trump card. Alzy realized that he was a soft touch. He hadn¡¯t thought of himself as altruistic, but now that he could do anything he wanted, the urge to hurt things had fallen down to the bottom of his list of priorities. If that ever changed, he could be a threat that very few people had ever seen. He decided that he would help his home to the best of his abilities, using the green flame as a last resort. He didn¡¯t want everyone coming to him about their problems and he didn¡¯t want to impinge people who lived elsewhere on the continent. He arrived at the spot where he had picked up the cow. He floated above it, ring in tow. He needed to find a place to hide the ring, and then start building a farm. He didn¡¯t have to travel now unless he wanted to reach one of his old haunts and hang out with other travelers coming in off the road. Even traveling lost some of its allure when you could just up and go halfway around the world in a few seconds of thought. He shook his head. He had saved future travelers trouble with the monster guarding the ring. There was no telling how many had been mauled to death in this stretch of the woods. He decided that he could bury the ring underneath where he wanted to put his new homestead. If he wanted to give others his power, he could just dig it up, show them how it had worked for him, caution them about their thoughts, and then bury it again. He hoped anyone coming after him would not turn themselves into some kind of monster with the wrong way of thinking. The light, like magic, controlled reality. One wrong wish and the new magician could be anything but a powerful human being. He could already see a lot of problems ahead with sharing his power.