Josie helped clean up the dirty plates. She wondered if Jack could do what he said.

He had done some things she would have never considered trying, but he had always

been like that.

“I am going upstairs to write some letters,” said Josie. “You girls might want to get

a nap before we head out. I have a feeling that Jack will put on a show for us.”

“Practical limitation?,” asked Alicia.

“I don’t know,” said Josie. “I would think the material that he needs to put everything

together. He might not be able to get it all tonight, but we should be able to see

something.”

“Even if he puts just the keel in, that would be a display to point at to anyone who

wanted to look at it,” said Laura. “I would love to see how it worked.”

“We’ll see what we can do when Jack finishes it,” said Josie. “He’s going to want to

test drive it.”

“Test drive?,” said Melanie.

“He’s going to want to see if it will work like he thinks it will when we use it,” said

Josie. “So he might take us up to show us what it can do before I leave tomorrow.

Now get a nap. I will get you when he sends word that we are ready to go.”

“The maps are upstairs,” said Elaine. “I can find them while you are writing your

missives.”

“Thank you, Elaine,” said Josie. “Lights out.”

The girls retreated to their room and settled on their beds in their clothes. Boots stood

where they could pull them on as soon as they were awake.

Josie led the way up to their office. She wondered why the girls were on the ground

floor. She put that aside. They were where the wall was the thickest and closest to the

door.

If they had to escape anything, going to her room and sliding out the window was

possible.

She needed to ask Jack to think about putting in an escape hatch when he worked on

the shooting gallery for Alicia.

Josie went to the desk they had inherited from the former owners and sat down. What

did she want to say to Old Man Warner? She wanted to be bright and cheerful so he

wouldn’t put on his watch and come across the line. They didn’t need him to break

his retirement.

She did wonder what he had used before the watch since he didn’t seem to recognize

it. Maybe he had a secret transformation like Sailor Moon. That would be hilarious

to find out.

Maybe he knew something about the Society after dealing with them for so long

before he retired from saving their world from the dangers within.

She pulled a sheet of paper close and picked up a pen to dip in an ink bottle. She

stared at it as she considered what she wanted to say to him.

She decided that she should just state the situation baldly, let him know they were

doing okay, and ask him about his former cases. That should cover the entirety of the

letter. She filled out her thoughts as neatly as she could. At the bottom, she told him

that if her mother was bothering the police to let her know and she would write home

to tell her that she was okay.

She didn’t wince at the obvious lie. She was never writing home to her mother for any

reason.

“This is Cairn,” said Elaine. “It is almost on the border with the Shermainans. If the

Montrose was smuggling women there, it would open more problems for us.”

“Do you think Jack was right?,” asked Josie. “Do you think we covered the whole

planet with his makeover? If we did, was it permanent? Do I have a timer to finish the

job before they go underground because their markers faded away?”

“I think it is quite possible that you have marked these villains for life,” said Elaine.

“Even if the rest get away from you, you have already helped some, and avenged

others. I think that’s the best you can do.”

“Let me send this letter to Mister Warner,” said Josie. “Then we can think about what

we’re going to do to settle the rest of things.”

“If a fight does break out, you might have to battle forces from both sides of the

border,” said Elaine. “Shermanians are known to trade along the border for what they

need.”

“And they won’t like it if we show up to throw a wrench in their plans,” said Josie.

“Do you think you can stop the whole organization?,” asked Elaine.

“Not really,” said Josie. She made a shrug with her shoulders. “If we can whittle their

numbers down so that future generations can take care of things after we are gone,

that would still be aiding the greater good.”

“Is that why you engaged in this war?,” said Elaine.

“Heck no,” said Josie. “That’s going to be the lie I tell in my memoirs.”

“All right,” said Elaine. “That’s more like the Josie I know.”

“Do you have directions to Cairn?,” said Josie. “If Jack does build something that

flies, we’re going to need some landmarks to stay on the right track.”

“I’ll have to write it out for you, but it looks like you can stay on the road east,

through the swamp, and then keep going to the low river until you see the various

towns and farms,” said Elaine. “Then you would have to figure out which one of

those is the one you want.”

“We could land and ask for directions,” said Josie. She took on Zatanna and sent her

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

letter across the veil to Earth. She wondered what Mr. Warner would think about it.

She hoped he stayed in his retirement. There was nothing as embarrassing as having

an old man yell at you for doing your job.

“Should we call Jack and find out what he’s doing,” said Josie. She let the persona

go.

“I think we should give him more time,” said Elaine. “I think he is going to be doing

something big and he doesn’t know if it will work.”

“The Harps will be coming by to eat tomorrow while I’m gone,” said Josie. “What

do you think about that?”

“I think Jack is being too open about us and what we mean to him,” said Elaine. “He

is displaying a weakness to them.”

“I think he is showing you off,” said Josie. “They’ve only seen you with the kids, so

this might his chance to say this woman can do anything. He’s just doing it badly.”

“We’re not courting yet,” said Elaine.

“Jack is not good at that type of thing,” said Josie. “You have to throw out the feelers

first. Just ask him if he would take you to a show and dinner. He will jump at the

chance. I guarantee it.”

“Why haven’t you got together with him?,” asked Elaine. “You have known each

other for years, and he is comfortable with you.”

“We might have, but my mother hated him,” said Josie. “So she did whatever she

could to keep Jack away from the house, and then Jack enlisted and I made some bad

decisions. And then Jack got out, and I was a barely functioning wreck. I’m better

now than I was, but I missed my chance because I was stupid.”

“I understand,” said Elaine. “I’m sorry.”

“Nothing to be sorry about,” said Josie. “Life happens whether you like it, or not. And

it is so finite in the way it moves you along pass paths you can’t take any more. Jack

has been my best friend through most of it. Hopefully I have been a good friend to

him, but I doubt it.”

“I think that you have,” said Elaine. “I will ask about the show.”

“Hey, guys,” said Jack over their communication bands. “I am getting ready to start

work. I am up at the old Duke’s house. Guin and Linus are going to eat with us

tomorrow. I’ll have to get a couple more steaks to put on the grill for dinner.”

“I sent a letter to Warner to let him know we know what he was doing,” said Josie.

“Hopefully he will send something back about his old cases.”

“That’s good,” said Jack. “He can let your mom know that you’re still alive, I guess.

If you want to see this, come ahead. I am at full charge.”

“We’ll be right there,” said Josie. “Did you ask Jane to eat with you and the girls

too?”

“No,” said Jack. “I didn’t think of that. I’ll swing by and talk to her when I am done

with this.”

“I’ll do it,” said Josie. “We’re coming to watch you at work.”

“I’ll be putting the model together in a couple of minutes,” said Jack. “So I’ll be off

air.”

“Give us a minute to get the girls together, and then I’ll bring us up there,” said Josie.

“Why the Duke’s mansion?”

“So I can tear it down,” said Jack. “I’ll waiting for you.”

“All right,” said Josie. “I’ll look at your directions tomorrow. Let’s see what Jack

plans to do with his personas.”

She wondered if Jack was overcoming the practical limitations of what he wanted

to do by ripping up the Duke’s mansion since the man didn’t need it any more.

And Jack was not above rubbing it in to other people who wanted to use the mansion

now that the old owner was dead.

“Might want to get a cloak,” said Josie. “I doubt it’s going to be warm while we’re

standing around in the dark.”

“Let’s get the girls up and running and we can go,” said Elaine. “Is it going to be a

long walk?”

“I think we’re going to have to fly,” said Josie. She smiled at the wince that got. “I’ll

go slower for you.”

“That would be appreciated,” said Elaine. She left the office.

Josie decided that she needed a jacket under the poncho she wore. Her t-shirt was too

thin, and she didn’t want to change clothes. She changed into Zatanna long enough

to fashion a jacket to wear. She pulled it on, and let the poncho fall down over it. She

headed downstairs.

The Ducklings and Elaine had on heavy cloaks and two layers of clothes from the

looks of things. It was enough to make Josie wonder what winter was like in the city.

She smiled at them. She doubted the girls got any sleep.

“Jack said he’s getting ready,” said Josie. “I’ll carry us up there so we can watch the

preliminary steps. I doubt he will be able to put the thing together before the sun

comes up.”

“Will it fly?,” said Laura.

“It sounds like something from fairy stories,” said Beatrice.

“I don’t know if it will fly, but if it does, I will using it to travel east to finish finding

Emily Budd for her brother,” said Josie. “I expect you to carry on with your studies

and help cook for your guests. Try to stay out of trouble.”

“Do you think we will be champions of the universe and be able to use magic?,” said

Laura.

“I don’t know,” said Josie. “This is already a bad job with a lot of responsibility. Do

you want to chase after quests for the rest of your life?”

“Maybe,” said Laura.

“I’ll ask Jack to think about coming up with something small that you can practice

with so you can get ready to replace us when we die,” said Josie. “We’re not going

to live forever.”

“Are you sure you can trust us with this?,” asked Beatrice.

“I don’t really have anyone else I can trust,” said Josie. “I just don’t know how to

do it myself, or I would. I’m sure Jack can build you something that will help you get

out of trouble without turning you into menaces who just take everything you can

because you are too lazy to work for things.”

Everyone glanced at Melanie, but said nothing.

“I can work,” said Melanie. “I am not lazy.”

“So we’ll look at Jack’s boat, and then we’ll talk to him about giving you something

you can use,” said Josie. “I’m sure he will love the challenge of that.”

“I wonder if other champions did the same thing,” said Elaine.

“It would explain the ring Jack recovered,” said Josie. “Ready to go, girls?”

“Waiting on you,” said Alicia.

“All right,” said Josie. “I guess that’s fair.”

They stepped outside. Josie locked up and they started down the street from the Hole

in the Wall. A gang of men in city livery rode the other way. They paused to watch

the men stop at their door and dismount. Josie shook her head as one of the men

knocked on the door.

“More tax collectors?,” said Josie. “I guess I should have let one get away to spread

the word. Go ahead, Elaine. I’ll be right with you.”

Josie walked back to where the men congregated around the door. They hadn’t

prepared for this.

“What you guys doing?,” said Josie. “They aren’t home right now.”

“Where did they go?,” asked the leader of the tax collectors. He didn’t have the

Makeover, so he might be legit.

“They went to watch the Duke’s house being torn down,” said Josie. “You guys are

the second group of tax collectors to come out here. What’s going on?”

“None of your business,” said the tax collector. “What do you mean the Duke’s house

being torn down?”

“Her brother is tearing the Duke’s house down,” said Josie. “You might be able to

catch them there if you want to ride out there. Best bet is to leave the bill in the door

and go home.”

The way they looked at each other said they didn’t really have a bill, so they

shouldn’t be there.

And the news that their target was tearing down the Duke’s seat of power didn’t make

them happy.

“I don’t know why you guys all think you can come out and try to collect money,”

said Josie. “They don’t keep anything here. It’s all in the bank. And the last tax

collectors that came out here without a bill was set on fire. If I were you, I would just

leave a note for them to pay the bill and go home. You don’t want to be set on fire if

the witch decides you have to go, do you?”

Josie waved at them and walked away. She made sure to use Zatanna for a moment

to reinforce the shutters and the door to make it harder for the tax collectors to get in.

If they did break through, she could hunt them down later.

She caught up with the girls and boosted them in the air with the North Wind.