“That's odd, she’s usually in her lab at this time,” I said, staring at my phone. Han kept her phone close, and usually never failed to pick up, then again, maybe she was working with Glenn. That sent another surge of jealousy through me, and I pushed it down. I didn't have to worry about Han doing anything like that with Glenn. I knew she cared for me and didn't seem the type for betrayal.

I’ll try again later.

I turned to Bob who was hovering over a long metallic rod, which he’d conjured in the morning and was now craving runes into. The patterns he was using were the most complex I had ever seen and akin to magic circuitry beyond even anything I'd seen of the PPW. I had stopped trying to follow after ten minutes of only understanding a single piece of it, and I doubted I even truly understood that.

“You done yet, Bob?”

“No, and if you’re bored, go relax some.”

I took a step back. “Did… Did you actually just tell me to relax?”

“Yes, but only until I'm done. Go see if the breast monster will help you.”

“You really don’t like her do you?”

“Nope, but I don't hate her either. I'm indifferent.”

I snorted. “Sure.”

I headed out of the workshop and to the cottage. The moment I stepped in, I thought about having a bath and changing. That was essentially a command which the cottage would read and then begin to prepare a bath and a change of clothes.

I passed the living room and found Litra and Uliena watching some drama on tv. It had been a shock to discover that the cottage could to a small degree create objects. The tv looked old, but the channels and functions were modern. I didn't know if that was because of my PC or my mind, but I wasn't going to complain.

I left them to it, and spent the next two hours, relaxing. I took a long bath, then changed, and just had a nap. The speed at which I’d been going was extreme, to say the least, and I understood why, but sometimes I wished I could just forget it and spent some more time relaxing, going out with Zara and Han. But I knew if I did such a thing then my death was all but guaranteed. As I lay there, I decided to give Han another call and see if she wanted to just chat.

Once again, she didn't pick up, and this time I got slightly worried. I walked over and grabbed, the necklace which connected the trackers I’d bought for them to me. I focused, and felt them, except something was wrong. The necklace allowed me to get a sense of what they were feeling, and where they were. I wasn't aware of the intricacies, but It was like seeing a mental image of their surroundings. Zara was currently in the back of a car while Han was in a room that was definitely not hers.

What was more worrying was that both were asleep, unconscious. I shot up and immediately tried to call Zara. No answer. As my fear surged and I ran down the stairs and to the workshop, I called Brooke. She answered after the third ring. “Brooke, Zara, and Han, something’s wrong.”

“How you know?”

“Those necklaces I bought for them are also trackers. They’re both gone. Han’s not in her store, and Zara is in the back of a car.”

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“Zara left an hour ago with some orcs.”

“In a truck?”

“No, one of the usual cars.”

“Then why is she asleep in the back of a truck?”

“I’ll call the orcs. Can you get down here?”

“Sure.” I hung up and burst into the workshop. “Bob, I gotta go.”

“At this time?”

“Zara and Han are in trouble.”

“Ugh.” Bob sighed. “Well, then get going, but keep your phone on. I might call.” Bob had insisted I buy him a phone and then had decided to modify it to a frightening degree. In fact, his phone could only call my phone and nothing else.

I opened a portal and dashed out, practically springing out of the hotel. I ran headfirst into Freya who looked shocked but glad to see me. “Rick, good, I need to talk to you.”

“Bad time,” I said, walking up the road and waving for a cab. The sky overhead was dark, and there was a pleasant chill in the air.

“It's important.”

“Well so is what I have to do.” A cab stopped and I got in, followed a moment later by Freya. I shot her a frown and opened my mouth to say something, but then realized it would just be quicker to bring her along than argue. I gave the driver the address to Brooke’s above-ground home and told him I'd pay double if he got me there as quickly as he could.

“What’s happening?” Freya asked, her voice suddenly full of fear and anticipation.

“A few friends have gone missing,” I said, tapping my foot. “What do you want to talk about?”

“You and your book’s fate.”

“Something new?”

“No—”

“Then it can wait.”

Freya closed her mouth, and I wished I could just use magic to teleport there. Then something hit the car, and the driver swerved us into another car. I was rocketed forward, and Freya let out a shout. Neither of us had put on our seatbelts. I let out a groan and looked out the window to see a number of figures coated in what looked like liquid shadow rushing towards the car, their glowing purple eyes all on me.

“What the fuck.” I kicked open the car door and leaped out as one of the shadow-covered figures raised a hand and a streak of purple light shot toward me. I dodged and watched as it hit the car and liquefied a portion of it. Freya screamed and fell out the other car door. I didn't know who these people were, but I wasn't defenseless. I formed two patterns as I slid over the back of the car, and to Freya. A wall of force formed above the figures and crashed down. They scattered, moving in different directions. I felt a layer of force surround me, and even as the spells took effect, I was forming two others. Another layer of defense, magical, and a quick boost to my speed.

I grabbed Freya in a bridal carry and leaped into the air. Several streaks of purple light shot past me, but I didn't land on the ground. I landed on a platform of air. I leaped again and created another platform, and another until I was on top of a roof. I hadn't been paying much attention to the people around us, but there was screaming, shouting, and now, sirens. I didn't wait to see what happened. I quickly figured out the direction I needed to go, then leaped to the closest building.

Freya screamed.