They sat at a booth, most of the mess cleaned up from the Heroes. Diana held a tea cup with both hands as Jonah ate bacon from his plate. The excitement of the last few hours had drained him physically and emotionally. In cleaning up the destruction he had the shattered radio gathered together in a paper bag, now sitting in front of him. So much technology couldn’t go to waste, he thought. The remains of the tape had been picked out from it like egg shells. The possibility of absorbing it destested him. Diana had burned the surprisingly wooden components in a pot that was sealed and left out in the rain.

The storm raging outside was the only sound besides the clinking of their meal for a while now. Jonah had learned that the hurricane wasn’t hitting for another day, hopefully, and had the assurance that the Paladin would fly them off if need be. Whittaker returned from outside, using the radio attached to his collar to give a report to his commanding officer.

“Are you shitting me, Warren, none of them had the strength to step up but you?” asked a similarly accented, but far older voice on the line.

“Yes, sir,” he said.

“Well shit, we know, once again, where the real men come from,” the commander snickered. “Hell, I should have left Sammy instead of you, she has more guts than Collend! She ain’t even a lieutenant yet…” There was a femminine shout on the line. “You’ll get promoted, quit yer hollerin’.” The man leaned into the device. “Now Warren, us out here gotta know when exactly did the Heroes destroy the tape?”

“They listened to the whole damn thing, sir,” Whittaker explained.

“Goddamnit!” there was a sound like the man slapped his knee. “Who had the whole damn thing?!”

Another femminie shout came.

“Damn it, Sammy!”

“Quit yer hollerin’, pa! Pay up!”

Whittaker sighed, shaking his head. “Uncle, I’m sitting here with the princess, I’d appreciate it if you acted like professionals… Sir,” he drawled.

“Look here, son, I had a whole five pounds sitting on the fact that little miss Angelina was gonna huck that player at the wall the moment it made fun of her sapphic lifestyle,” the commander said, harshly.

“She’s stronger than that. Gay don’t make her sensitive, ‘cause I’m tough as nails!” Sammy shouted from apparently a distance away.

“I’m talking to your cousin, not you! And you ain’t seen that fucking egotisitcal Hero, so shut the hell up!”

Standing in the darker part of the diner, the Paladin scratched at his beard in frustration. “If you’re done stomping around the damn woods and checking on people, I gotta sit down, sir.”

“I didn’t want to be around that fool giant, he pisses me off the most. Acting like he’s above us, ‘cause he’s gotta rank and all. At least the Rider acts like the fool he is,” the commander said. “Anyway, I guess we’ll check on the town’s progress. Take yer little nap, Warren, Psyin knows you earned it.” The last bit was actually sincere in sound, punctuated with a kiss.

“I will, sir,” Whittaker said.

“Wait, what did you do with Collend and the others?”

“I put them on fucking scut work cleaning in the damn rain,” he said proudly. “Even drew back the other men just now.”

“Good for you! Good for you!” The commander ended the transmission with guffaws.

Whittaker took a seat across from Jonah and Diana, shifting his sword aside as he sat along the booth. He sighed heavily, unbuttoning his coat to a breast plate. More weapons were across his belt.

“I was unaware the Heroes were so disliked by the armed forces,” Diana said calmly, petting the cat on her lap.

The Paladin sat up straighter, bringing his legs in and setting his arms on the table. “Not openly, miss,” he said calmly. “However, it’s long been a point of contention that a few dozen people live on to be praised for two centuries, while many soldiers died to barely get their name on a wall.”

“My mother and father were part of the Heroes, they did more than win the world wide war,” she replied.

“All respect to them, of course, miss. They ain’t who we are speaking of presently,” he said, inclining his head. “They actually served, they settled the conflicts throughout the nations. My uncle fought beside your mother. He regards her as a ‘true Hero’.”

“Your grandfather was one of the legendary ones to defeat Blodwyn,” she said.

“And I am told that he said, ‘the only good Heroes are the ones willing to die.’” The Paladin shrugged. “If my father was any younger, and less hateful towards Fia and Angelina, I am sure he would be on that ship. Seeing as how he is a hundred and ten years young, and missing a damn eye, he has contented himself with training the next generation, miss.”

She gave a light chuckle.

“That sounds so crazy,” Jonah commented and felt the eyes on him. They weren’t mad, just waiting for him to speak. “My world doesn’t have very long life spans at all. Um, the average age is eighty or something. Hundred and ten year old people are like skeletons waiting to die.”

Whittaker nodded. “I ain’t heard much about the Machinist’s world, what’s it like?” he asked.

“An entire planet without magic, I don’t know, pretty plain,” he said with a shrug.

“It has some lovely music,” Diana said, patting Jonah’s nervous hand. “Is the Guardian and the Rider’s secret known to many? I assume my mother knows. I need to speak with her soon.” She looked out the shuttered windows. “None of the trees here will work in the storm.”

“I could get you an emergency line,” Whittaker offered.

“No, it’s a Druid way. No machinery will do,” she said.

“To answer your question, miss, I don’t think many do know, besides those related to the Heroes,” the Paladin said. “The men in the back heard, but no one is gonna believe them.”

“I saw the man’s hand sizzle on contact with silver and I still don’t,” she said, turning to Jonah. “They are Werewolves, practically immortal, save silver weapons or the complete destruction of their body through fire or a similar force. They require a living heart at least once every six months or they will start to go feral. It is a distestable state of being and I will not ride on the ship a moment longer if they are on it. As the only Druid of my ancestor’s line beside my mother, I should have some sway in the matter.”

“It’s a legend in my world,” Jonah said quietly, horrified at the reality of it.

“Yes, your world has many legends. Many similar to ours, correct?” she asked.

“Diverging worlds, I guess?” he suggested, gesturing his hands apart.

“I don’t want to give myself a headache thinking about it, that’s a Wizard’s domain,” she said. “I know my father would love to talk about it for hours. You are not the only Traveler I know is possible, but all the other specifics are lost on me. I am happy to stick with one world and its majesty.”

“Agreed,” he said with a nod. His head had started to ache at the thought of infinite worlds and all of that.

“Best of luck to you for convincing the Heroes, miss,” Whittaker said.

“They’ll listen to you,” Jonah said firmly.

“I wish that new Heroes could be formed,” Diana said, longingly.

“No offense, miss, but the real Heroes are right here, doing what we can,” Whittaker said. “I’m including you two, seeing as how you want to get things done. Those Heroes on the Pirate’s ship, the ones that stomped out of here like little children when the pale devil insulted them on tape, they ain’t nothing but actors.” He patted his big hand on the table, metal clanking off the wood. “I don’t know how many times I’ve heard or seen them take the limelight away from others, good, hard working men too.”

She twisted her mug, leaning slightly into Jonah. “I knew nothing of their true ways, only read the histories and what my parents told me. I left with them hoping that they would end Blodwyn swiftly. Fia wasted no time in being petty, at least she’s honest. The others couldn’t be bothered to keep their mask on for a whole week. Though I kept chipping away and I stayed firm with help at my side.” Her hand took Jonah’s in the darkness below the table. “I am glad to have left, my castle was not a home. Despite all the setbacks and changes since I left, my goal has not changed, but thankfully my approach has. We need a larger force, a better one. Angelina and Fia will listen to what I have to say, or the world will hear their secrets. I have no reason to lie.”

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Whittaker’s eyes grew wide. “Quite the threat there, miss,” he said.

“You’re determined, but be careful,” Jonah warned.

She turned, pausing with a deep breath. “They will listen,” she said.

“It’s what they’ll do after that I’m afraid of,” he said quietly.

“We’ll see, we’ll see,” she said, holding her head up high.

Their food and drink finished, Diana felt at ease telling her concerns and ordeals to Warren. He listened respectfully, sipping at his black coffee. She didn’t go into as much detail as she could have. There was a nervousness in Jonah the whole time, which only eased when she spoke to him or held his hand. His emerald eyes had a hard time focusing on the other man. Watching him through Aiko, she figured that he was jealous. She had seen men act similar to this, but there was no anger in him, only a hint of sorrow, as if he couldn’t compare to the man. After nearly an hour, Whittaker received a transmission and excused himself from the diner.

Left in the dim place with only the steady storm and wind outside, Diana asked Jonah, “Is something wrong?”

“Besides all the Hero stuff?” he said. “Doesn’t that make you nervous?”

“I will settle it, that calms me.” She paused leaning closer to him.

“Good…”

“Do you dislike the Captain?” she asked, watching his face closely.

He frowned. “No, he’s fine, he’s a good guy,” he said.

“You have very full lips, I have always liked those,” she said. “Warren has thin lips, they aren’t as nice.”

His brow knit together, a slight tremble to him. “What are you talking about?”

With a sigh she rested her head on his collarbone. She could hear his heart race and it made her happy to be the cause. “Ah, these are fine as well,” she said, running her temple along the length of the bone.

“Um, what are you doing?” he wondered, body shifting around her. He kept a hovering distance away though.

She took his other hand and set it around her. “Go on, you are allowed to touch me back. I know you will not treat me with disrespect.” She chuckled at the preposterous idea.

His free hand wandered around her shoulder for a moment, then bravely it ran through her hair. Tingles ran up her scalp as he gently put his fingers through the slight tangles formed by the day’s activities. He slowed at each one, bringing each wavy lock out straight along her back.

“See, I knew you were a respectful man,” she said with a smile.

“I respect you a lot,” he breathed.

“Hm, I know,” she said. “Have you any statements for me? I paid you some kindness, have you got any back?”

“Your hair is beautiful, the color, the texture, everything,” he said quietly. “Everything about you, God, I can’t believe I’m here. Everytime I see you, I can’t believe you listen to anything I have to say. I don’t know what I did to deserve you having any interest in me.”

“Be more confident, Jonah. I adore what you have done for me, and I admire you so.” His heart skipped a beat and he swallowed.

“Thank you,” he said.

“I saw you frowning at the other man, I don’t think you are aware of how beautiful you are,” she said, looking up at him.

“I can’t handle this much praise,” he said, an unsteady laugh in his chest. His eyes moved away like she was the sun.

“I have to apologize to you,” she said.

He managed to look at her, perplexed. “For what? I’m fine, just nervous, you know that.”

“No, for two offenses I have done against you.”

He drew back, searching her face.

“I kissed you without asking, for one. The other, I told Kalyah I had no time for you,” she explained, settling back in along his chest. “Our time together has settled me so. I breathe easier than I have in so long.” She prepared herself for what she was about to say. “I loved my sister deeply. I remember her as an infant, I held her as she grew. Ten years apart, all my moments with her are clear. They tore at me in the castle. My parents were no help. My teacher did his best to calm the raging fire I felt, but his aged wisdom upset me.”

She went on, “My sister was weeks from receiving her familiar from the sources. We were practicing, she had buckled down for the last month. It was grueling, but she was doing it. Her teenage years were on her, she didn’t want to listen to our parents. They gave her space and she gave me her time. I had never been closer to her and she was ripped away from me…” Diana sniffled, vision clouded by tears. Fine, let them come, she thought now.

She gripped Jonah tightly across the core and he held her back. “Your loss, your assistance, your listening ear, your understanding, they have been crucial in easing my agony. It is still there, it still bloody hurts. You have helped apply pressure to the wound, and I thank you for that. The Heroes have done nothing but poke and prod. They have poured salt in the wound. I thank Kalyah as well, she has been a good friend. You are not a friend, you are more to me…” She turned up to him and saw him staring at the window and cracked shutters.

She noticed that the diner was in silence. No wind, no rain, and through the window were bright beams of sunlight. Where was the storm?

Diana untangled herself from him, wiping aggressively at her eyes and nose.

“I’m sorry, I appreciate it, you mean so much to me too,” Jonah said as he stood. “Um, but where the hell is the storm?”

Aiko was rushing to the door, and as a tiger, it pushed it open. The afternoon light flooded in and it growled with confusion at the clear sky and sparse white clouds. Diana rushed to the doorway, having to confirm what she saw all across Graycliff. Her boots splashed through puddles. The soldiers that had lined the streets were rushing towards the port a couple miles away.

Jonah joined her, marveling at the sudden weather change. Then he took her hand. “What the hell? Is this normal? Could someone do this in your world?” he asked.

“An army of mages, hundreds, maybe, could divert it,” she said, stunned. He followed as she ran through the streets and alleyways towards the western part of town. The settlement was built on a near level layer of slate with no hills or high points. The gray stone buildings broke only enough for her to see the storm front in the distance to the west.

Cheers echoed to the south and above the pier rose the Pirate’s ship high in the air. It performed great dips and rises as the cries of jubilation rose. There was the sound of horse hooves and they made their way back towards the diner as the creatures approached. There were three Paladins of Psyin astride their conjured mounts. The divine steeds were powerful draft breeds colored in precious metal pain drops. Their eyes were solid orbs of near blinding light. As the three Paladins dismounted the horses vanished with a whinny and a toss of their heads. The crowned helms vanished as the trio of Whittakers bowed to the princess.

The Paladin, who helped seal Blodwyn, had a boldness of facial structure that had been passed down to his descendents. A long sturdy nose, broad jaw, and thin lips had not lightened from one generation to the other. His son, the Colonel was nearly the spitting image of the man, except that his ninety years had sucked the color completely from his crew cut and neat beard. At Luann’s funeral, he had made it a point to speak for a long while with Diana’s mother. He looked mean as a charging bull, but could be as sweet as a lamb. The scars cutting across his cheeks and around his temple didn’t help.

“Greetings, Traveler, I’m William Whittaker, but you can call me Old Bill,” the Paladin said, firmly shaking Jonah’s hand.

“What the hell has happened?” Diana asked. “I’m sorry, I would be happier to see you Bill if it wasn’t for the circumstances. The impossible has happened.”

The man nodded, scratching the raised ridges of his face. “I know, miss, I know. The near impossible,” he said. “I ain’t seen a storm like this diverted in fifty years. That was a whole bunch of Archdruids, a hundred of them, it was.”

“I hate it, pa, I hate it,” said Sammy, looking up at the sky. Her femmine face still bore her ancestor’s facial markings, broken up by freckles across her cheeks. Her black ponytail smacked against the shaft of the halberd on her back.

“Ain’t natural, I know, I know,” Old Bill grumbled.

“Who did it?” Diana asked loudly.

“Well, that’s a bit complicated, I know it was the Pirate that orchestrated it, but Witch has something to do with it,” he said. “You see, I was on the boat, overseeing the repairs. Angelina, wearing nothing but what Corpine gave her, came shooting out of the water. She snagged the Witch and took her off. I felt a spell of summoning. Enough magic to rip most mortals apart…” He scratched his beard roughly in thought. “Then about half an hour later I saw the stormfront shifting. While my men on the wharf were watching, up from the water came more mermaids than I have ever seen in one place. Why, we have some two hundred men here. From the sea came hundreds of the ladies. There was one for each arm and as the men kept coming, so did the girls. Dozens of them were walking by their lonesome when we left…”

There came singing across the city, long sustained and harmonized notes. The streets filled with people coming up from the port. It was a parade at this point, led by the Pirate in her full outfit, leading the mermaids in their chorus. From their mouths came the sounds of their song manifested as waves of spun gold. The notes floated off into the clear sky. Around her was the crew, jumping along, smiling brightly, and over her head flapped the Tengu, trumpeting her return as standard bearer.

Every man and woman was flanked by a perfect oceanic beauty of voluptuous form and powerful land legs. Each step was a confident strut, the flotsam and jetsam outfits they wore, common garb for the sea dwellers, left little to the imagination. The thin nets and torn sails either barely concealed or slipped parts out to fresh air. It was easy to see them approaching, as the sun was so bright where there had once been a hurricane. It didn’t seem like a strong enough force to Diana, a hurricane wasn’t only in the water.

The Pirate stood and waved, a hundred yards away, her mermaid and army procession moving past her.

The Druid was still, eyes drawn to the many foreign birds flying over the throng. Sea hawks, gulls, pelicans, and a dozen different kinds of parrots. The Pirate held her hands out wide as the mermaids ceased and new people moved in. Druids of the sea, dressed in seal furs, shark skins, and sea stone armor. Their cloaks were dyed to match the ocean waves, so it looked as if they had flooded the land. There were so many of them, too many to count. Around their necks rattled wreaths of carved driftwood and on their exposed skin were countless tattoos. Many were tanned or brown skinned, and others had grayed hair and beards, their staffs of coral and tropical trees. Those without avian familiars had them draped around their necks or walking alongside them, otters, monitor lizards, sea snakes, capybaras, and even leopards and jaguars. One man, the oldest by his wrinkled skin, had a tiger bigger than Aiko.

“We did it, Diana!” Angelina cried, coming closer. “Blodwyn tried to trick us, but we can move a hurricane with our might!”

“So you did,” she replied, feeling small. She scanned about the innumerable horde of people, more coming from the port. “So you did…”