When they finally finished enough rounds for most of them to feel somewhat comfortable with the two techniques, Turgan motioned to their air mage to let the sound shield drop. She gave him a grateful glance and looked more tired than Pax felt as the rush of muffled noises from outside the hall reached his ears again.

Turgan looked over the team with a questioning glance. “Is everyone still up for a round of taming? Or should we push that off until tomorrow?”

Tasar didn’t answer, but Pax saw the sudden tension in his body. He’d been waiting a long time for this and it didn’t seem fair to put him off yet again, regardless of how tired Pax felt. Besides, all the mental training had used none of his mana. He was topped off.

The others responded with mixed answers to Turgan’s question. Some were done for the day, while some looked determined to forge on.

“What about seeing the surprise I told you about? Anyone up for something exciting?”

That got more interest. Anticipation spread across Turgan’s face. “While we were gone on the Purge, I hired a company to build and set up a brand-new beast Taming wing for us. I used team funds, so everything is accessible to all of you. It also fits perfectly with our goal to support the war effort with Taming. We want to ramp up the business, offer it to full mages, not just students, and make a bigger name for ourselves. Then our work will hopefully become valuable to the empire.”

Turgan’s pro-empire rhetoric surprised Pax until he remembered the sound barrier was done.

“A Taming wing?” Dahni leaned forward to look at them, full of excitement. “That sounds amazing.”

“Anything bigger than that closet they’ve been having us do Tamings in will be an upgrade,” Amil said. “Oh, I hope this means a larger beast room, too.”

Pax nodded, feeling the same sense of excitement. This was all news to him, and he was excited to see what Turgan had done.

“And before everyone leaves tonight, check in with Besk to sign up for as many shifts as you can manage. She has agreed to run the Taming business for now, though she may need an assistant or two if we can get it to grow as fast as we like. All of our mages have tamed their pets, but we need to get the skill for any who don’t already have it, plus level those who do as quickly as possible.”

“There isn’t anything for us to do yet, then?” one warrior asked.

Turgan hesitated, his gaze searching out Pax.

Pax gave him a quick shake of his head. Helping Tasar had to come first. And even if the Taming worked for him, Pax still planned to work with Tyrodon to see if he could apply the same principles.‌ Pax needed to do a lot more work with his non-mage friends and their mana before he understood enough to try helping others.

Turgan looked back at the warrior. “Pax is still working with Bryn and Tasar. We’ll let all of you know as soon as he manages something successful that will work with the other classes.”

“Now, would you all like to follow me?” Turgan turned and walked toward a door that had led to the short hall with the two small rooms they’d used for Taming in the past.

With their companions on their heels, everyone scrambled up to follow him, showing a lot more energy than they had at the end of the mental exercises.

When Turgan opened the door and stepped inside, Pax saw a large, well-lit space instead of the narrow hallway he’d expected. His eyes were just as wide as the others as they followed Turgan inside.

Builders had knocked out all the walls to create a single large space. They’d treated the walls with a fresh coat of white paint. Instead of the musty carpet, crafters had created a smooth floor of bright stone tiles. The smell of freshly cut wood combined with that of fresh paint made Pax realize that the furniture arranged in tasteful and efficient patterns was also new.

Spread across the first section of the space, workers had arranged six identical Taming areas. Arrangements of three chairs faced comfortable couches with a sturdy wooden table between them. Pax couldn’t wait to have enough team members with leveled Taming skills to get maximum use out of the set-up.

When Pax noticed how much further the space extended compared to the previous hallway and rooms, he realized the builders had knocked out walls and built out into some of the extra room in their backyard. On the opposite side of the space stood another door, along with a nice desk and a small reception area. This would provide customers with a professional entrance to use that didn’t have them traipsing through the entire headquarters.

“This is amazing, Turgan,” Pax said as the rest of the team scattered to check things out. “It looks like a fancy merchant business, not something students just slapped together in an afternoon.”

“That’s the hope.” Pride filled Turgan’s demeanor as he looked at it all, one hand moving up to stroke Phantom’s feathers. “With access from all three academies to the team area, we should be able to work with people of all levels, not just students, and hopefully not just mages.”

“Yeah. I’m working on that,” Pax said. “You’ll be the first to know when I’ve got it working.”

“Thanks,” Turgan said before turning to the others and raising his voice above the chatter. “You might have noticed the lack of beasts. Other than your own, I mean.”

Everyone turned to him, looking excited for another surprise.

“Besk? If you would.”

She moved to the far wall, just past the reception area, and took hold of handles Pax hadn’t noticed before. He and the others followed her for a better look. She pulled two large sliding doors apart, revealing another spacious room, just as clean but only about a quarter the size of the main one.

Rustling, scrabbling and a variety of high-pitched baby beast sounds poured out. The builders had arranged shelving racks into multiple aisles with plenty of room to walk between them. Baby beast cages of all sizes and shapes filled about half of the racks, showing once again that Turgan had planned for future expansion.

The team companions were the most interested, surging forward in a curious wave to sniff and investigate the possibilities. Pax let out an impressed breath. This had already ballooned into something much larger than he’d imagined. Just as he had moved in to get a closer look, a loud banging sound from the other side of the beast room drew everyone’s attention.

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A roll-up door rumbled up letting a gust from the chilly night inside and revealing the back of a wagon that had been driven up close.

“It’s the last delivery of the beasts we contracted for from the Purge acquisitions,” Turgan explained.

Instead of making them back off, the explanation just prompted more interest, especially from the non-mages. Even Pax was curious, wondering what beast would fit Tyrodon the best if he ever helped him tame one.

“Oh, very nice to see all of you.” A cheerful voice said from the darkness outside. “We’ve got another fine set of baby beasts to finish filling your shelves. I hope you are all enjoying this amazing facility your leader had built. I expect a steady stream of customers coming through here as soon as you open for business.”

Pax stopped walking and peered out at the figures at the wagon. The two larger adult ones had already gotten to work, carrying in the beast cages and placing them on racks like they knew exactly where everything went. It was the smaller one that he and his friends stared at.

“Kurt.” Rin’s flat tone summed up all of their feelings about the former boot-licking street rat who’d led enemies to them in the catacombs their first week here.

Admittedly, Kurt had done all he could to make up for the offense. Now, he was a protégé to some wealthy merchant relative who’d taken him under his wing once he’d made it to the mage academy. Still, he was shifty, always out to maximize his gains. Even if he had turned his skills to helping Pax and his crew, their guard was up when dealing with him.

Then, there was the fact that they’d come to an agreement to keep their relationship a secret, so Pax’s problems didn’t bar Kurt from access to his information sources. That only made it harder to trust the boy.

“We’ll be done here quickly, Leader Turgan. Just let us know if there are any other supplies my small crew can get for you.”

“Yes. Thank you, Kurt. We appreciate the discounted rates you’ve been giving us and all the work you arranged for us. I’m sure our resident taming expert, Pax, will be happy to help you out with anything you need for your companion.” Turgan kept his tone professional since he knew the role Kurt played for them in the shadows.

Kurt’s face lit up, and his eyes found Pax’s with eagerness. “I’d love that. Calypso’s leveled and has her first abilities. I could really use an expert’s opinion on how to best cultivate her strengths. Should I just make an appointment when you’re open for business?”

Turgan gave him a nod, but Kurt didn’t turn to leave. Instead, he gave Pax a wink that brought on a sudden uneasiness.

Thank you again for everything you’ve done for me, Pax. I’ll never be able to repay you for Calypso.

The words popped into Pax’s mind, similar to their Echoes, but with a wilder flavor, much like his own companions would communicate with him. The words were obviously Kurt’s, though. Pax jerked back in surprise, which only made Kurt’s smile widen.

Don’t try to reply. This is one of Calypso’s new abilities, but it’s outgoing only. She can project my words into the mind of anyone close by. Kurt’s mental voice vibrated with excitement. You wouldn’t believe how valuable this is for a merchant mage. Thank you, again. And don’t worry, Tansa and I’ve got a few lines on who’s been messing with your crew. You’ll have details as soon as we do. Thanks for getting us connected. She’s amazing. Can you nod, so I know you got all this?

Mind still racing at the implications of Kurt being able to get into his head, Pax gave a stunned nod, unable to find any words to reply with.

“Well, we’re done, so we’ll get out of your way.” Kurt gave them all a friendly wave before following his two workers, who were already heading back to the wagon.

“I still don’t like that kid,” Rin said in a low voice to him.

“He’s not so bad now,” Dahni said. “Besides, look at all the beasts he brought us.”

Tasar and Bryn had already found where the new stonepaws were while Tyrodon moved through each row, methodically noting down his choices.

Pax reached up and rubbed at his forehead. He couldn’t afford to turn away any allies at this point. He resolved to keep his guard up so he didn’t let even the tiniest bit of information slip to the kid, who was becoming increasingly clever in his new merchant role.

When Turgan clapped his hands for their attention, Pax was more than glad to move on to another subject.

“Let’s get the schedule filled, since we’ve got customers coming tomorrow. We’ll match you up by elements with the babies and figure out how to get matching companions to help with other Tamings.” He gave Besk an apologetic shrug.

“I’ll take care of the complicated scheduling to match everyone’s elements as best as possible.” Her tone was matter-of-fact, as if it would be easy. “The fewer babies we lose, the better.”

Turgan gave her a grateful look before turning back to them. “We’ll also have mages who didn’t get the Taming skill follow along with one of our experienced tamers until they do. Once you have the skill, you can start shifts on your own.” Turgan smiled with eagerness. “That’s when our business will pick up even more. Pax and his crew should stick around for a bit to work on the warrior stuff, and I’m sure they’re happy to answer questions for a few minutes from anyone who needs tips on the process before starting tomorrow. Any questions for me?”

There were none. The excitement of the new facility and its possibilities had obviously faded. The weariness of a long and busy day made everyone more than willing to be done.

Pax turned and headed to the taming area set up furthest from the front door. He sank back into a spot on the couch before the others snagged it and let out an impressed noise at how comfortable it was. It took a few minutes for his friends to join. He saw someone asking Rin a question, while one of their warriors had grabbed Bryn for some questions. Pax was relieved that no one bugged him for help.

Once the others finally joined him, they pulled a few chairs from the neighboring area so everyone could have a seat. Rin pulled out Eris’ weighted stand, letting her shift to grip the hardened wooden cross piece with a happy squawk. The other companions settled in happily at their feet while Bryn drew Onyx out to curl up in her lap.

Finally, they were alone. The large training warehouse had fallen silent. Someone had closed up the beast area again, and the last straggler had shut the door leading back to the main hall.

“This place is amazing,” Rin said, her eyes traveling over the huge and very well-organized space. “We’re going to be bringing in so much coin.”

“Really?” Amil looked surprised and gave the space another glance. “How much do you think?”

“Depends on how fast word spreads and the number of beasts and customers we can find.” She gave him a shrug. “But maybe enough that we might not need our other ventures. Except for the experience or crafting ingredients they bring us.”

Dahni let out a slow whistle.

And when we can tame adult beasts for all the rebels, Rin sent. It’ll be worth even more than coin. We’ll be able to double their fighting force. Especially if our entire team can get their skills highly leveled. Team Tribal’s Taming skills could even swing this entire war.

A thoughtful silence followed her words as Pax felt a sense of awe at how something as small as his ability to tame Talpa might change the entire face of battle in the empire forever. Even after the rebels finally toppled the corrupt empire and organized everyone to face the beast hordes again, they’d be even stronger with companions by their side.

“Ready to get to work?” Tasar’s calm question interrupted the silence.

Pax saw that he had reached over to scratch behind Onyx’s neck and despite everything they’d done today, Pax couldn’t refuse. Most of them had partners to fight by their side. He completely understood Tasar’s and Tyrodon’s impatience to join them.

“Check that the doors are locked. When you get back, I’ll put up my sound barriers. Then, I’ll start by working with Bryn’s mana and studying her link to Onyx. I’d recommend the others who can Tame doing what they can to follow along. And then”—he shot Tasar an inquiring look—“if you’re up to taking the risk, we can try a Taming for you tonight.”

Tasar gave him a single sharp nod. Without being asked, Bryn stood and headed toward the back doors. Rin followed her example, hurrying to check the front one.

“One try, though, Tasar. If it fails, I need time to review what happened so I can come up with better ideas. We’ll try again as soon as I think I have figured out what went wrong, alright?”

Tasar repeated his nod before standing and reaching for something behind the couch.

Amil gave a delighted laugh when he saw it was a small cage, obviously containing a baby stonepaw. “You weren’t going to take no for an answer tonight, were you?”

“No,” Tasar said, his lips turning up just a touch as he acknowledged Amil’s words. “I’ve learned by experience not to wait when something is important.”

And with those cryptic words, Pax got started.