Josie wished their captives asleep while they waited for the Watch to arrive. She was

not pleased that her kids had taken part in an action on their own, but she was happy

they had flown through danger without getting hurt.

They needed to take care of themselves if something happened to the rest of the support

structure she had aggregated around them.

The officials compared notes from the books to point to other levers in the conspiracy.

The adventurers compared notes on women. She didn’t try to listen in to either

conversation, but had heard her name from both sides as she stood alone with her arms

crossed.

Four joined Josie once she was sure the officials didn’t need her anymore.

“Seven said she didn’t expect what she saw,” said Four. “Your progeny reacted well

under pressure.”

“They’re not my children,” said Josie. Her clouded gaze sharpened as she turned

her attention on her temporary assistant. “They are my sisters. When we first

came here, we didn’t know how long we had. I wanted them to be ready to live without

us if we were sent home. Jack gave them bigger edges to make that more possible

when we do eventually leave.”

“And the Society doesn’t want him to keep doing that?,” said Four.

“No,” said Josie. “I think they are afraid of what would happen if his manufactured

talents spread out of control like the Wild Card Virus.”

“Is that so bad?,” asked Four.

“Ninety percent of the population that come into contact with it die, ninety percent of

the remaining ten percent become monsters like the Goblin Tree experiments, the

remaining one percent becomes a superhuman with a talent,” said Josie. “Imagine if

something like that was dropped in your capitol. I think that is what the Society is afraid

of happening.”

“That is bad,” said Four.

“Look at your own situation for a moment,” said Josie. “Seven made sure to obscure her

features to your upper commanders. Rickard doesn’t seem that phased by identical

people existing so twin children have to be known here. What happens if your military

wants to take you apart to make more vat children? Where do you start drawing the line?

I think the Society’s line is to keep disruptions to a minimal, and let the countries here

sort of muddle along as long as they don’t cause widespread destruction.”

“An army of Russes would be an awesome thing indeed,” said Four. “But none of us

want that. It means making people tools. An active rebellion would be the result of

such a thing in my opinion.”

“And the next thing would be open war between creators and creations,” said Josie.

“Anybody caught in the middle would be decimated.”

“We found some things,” said Four. “We are keeping it quiet after what happened with

the last two experiments we were running. Everything seems fine so far.”

“I will let you know if we get a notice,” said Josie. “The Society will probably let

things slide until they turn into an active danger.”

“I am hoping that one of the things we found could be something useful like the

Enterprise,” said Four. “The ministry is not our part of things. It is something new in

the Interior Works. I found where the artifacts were handed over during a bookkeeping

review. So far no one knows how to make them work accurately. They just create

random effects as far as the researchers can determine.”

“And you just so happened to find a log of the tests?,” said Josie. She didn’t put a lot

of sarcasm in the words. She knew the Russ sisters were capable of things most humans

would have to work to do most of their lives before they could do the same.

“Military applications are always sent over to Major Hax’s section for review,” said

Russ. She smiled.

“If you need help, even if it isn’t up to the Society’s bar,” said Josie. “Don’t be afraid

to call. Keeping this world safe is what we are supposed to be doing instead of letting

the youngest’s cursed adopted dragon eat people.”

“I will have Major Hax send over a request to have you and Jack look at these artifacts,”

said Russ. “At least if we can make them work for the common good, we can defend

ourselves from our own mistakes.”

Josie nodded. They had already stumbled over natural magic in the air. They knew about

at least two other species on the ground, and a third in a liminal space. And the book

demon had been waiting for someone to ride around and spread its grasp over the

countryside.

Loose artifacts that might have belonged to former champions were certainly possible.

The Watch arrived with two cages on wheels. Josie altered Beatrice’s manacles enough

so each man could be loaded without having to pull the whole chain in at the same time.

Paperwork was signed and exchanged. King Rickard said he would either be sending

troops to pick up the prisoners are consulting local adventurers to guard a prisoner

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

transport for them to the Delve. He would have an answer for Duke Hent when he was

done with his other business in the north.

Josie watched as the carts rolled away. She would love to give them something to

remember her by, but she restrained herself. She had plenty of time to extract her

revenge at some future date.

And she would extract it. There was no doubt about it in her mind.

“Do we have a plan?,” Josie asked her minions after the Ducklings’ victims were hauled

away.

“We think that we should locate Illheim,” said Rickard. “We want to grab as many

records as we can. And we want to see how many people we can link to the books you

have already given us. I need to check on my general, and see what he has done along

the border if he made it there yet.”

“Do we go at this all night?,” asked Josie.

“Do you really think it will take that long?,” asked Worldy.

“It takes as long as it takes,” said Josie. “The Enterprise doesn’t have anywhere to sleep

onboard. We’re going to have to go until we have enough to start tomorrow. Then we

will have to go tomorrow until we wrap things up. I think Mister Hax’s idea is the right

track and the consortium was put together on both sides of the border to see what could

be stolen.”

Mister Warner and Jack walked toward them from down the block. They waved their

hands as they argued about whatever they had going on. Josie pursed her lips as she

thought about how to cut in.

“What are you two arguing about?,” asked Josie.

“Can we use hippos as river guards here,” said Jack. “I’m saying a few thousand of

those bad boys will keep people from swimming in places where they shouldn’t be

swimming.”

“I told him it was a violation of the code to bring territorial animals here to act as small

monsters that will be hunted down by the first adventurers that take the contract,” said

Mister Warner. “Since that is usually what happens to monsters that take up too much

space.”

“How does that help us with our current problem?,” said Josie. “Besides violating the

multiversal travel rule that got imposed on you so you didn’t try to gather up a harem

of Elaines.”

“Which I hadn’t even thought of until it was brought up,” said Jack.

“Which doesn’t matter,” said Josie. “Forget the hippos. We have an idea of a plan. We

need more information. We’re going to get that information. Then we are going to think

about if we need to take a break and start fresh in the morning, or keep going.”

“I guess we can do that,” said Jack. “Maybe have some dinner while we look things

over. I don’t have a problem if you don’t have a problem.”

“I am glad we’re on the same page,” said Josie. She shook her head.

“Could you do me a favor first?,” said Jack.

“What do you need?,” asked Josie.

“Could you send out a bird to see if someone is watching the Hole in the Wall, or the

Hall?,” asked Jack.

“Someone for Illheim?,” said Josie.

“He was Johnny-on-the-spot with a crew to try to take away Caroline,” said Jack. “I

would like to know if he has a guy here we need to pick up before we start heading back

north.”

“I suppose you want to see if he ties in with everything else if there is someone,”

said Josie.

“I don’t want him still watching us while he’s waiting for orders from his boss who will

never send them after we catch up with him,” said Jack.

Josie transformed and sent out her minions, two of them, into the air. They curved away

and sailed over the city. She let the transformation go since the spell would work

without her.

“Enterprise,” said Jack into his com. “Josie just sent out two firebirds. Can you see

where they are going?”

“One is heading for an inn within sight of the Adventurers’ Hall,” said Enterprise. “The

other has taken up residence at a shop two blocks east of your primary office.”

“Two of them,” said Jack. “Which do you want?”

“I will take the one at the shop,” said Josie. “Mister Warner, could you get our people

food on the Enterprise while we handle this?”

“Sure,” said Mister Warner. “Everybody, we’re going back upstairs to grab some food

and sit around for a bit before we do our raid.”

“Enterprise,” said Jack. “Beam up the party except for Josie and me. Then pipe whatever

view of Coldwater, and the border to the Lounge’s screen.”

“Affirmative,” said the machine. The assembled party vanished in a cloud of blue

sparks.

“Just have the Enterprise beam the guy to the brig when you have it figured out who it

is,” said Jack.

“How are you going to find yours without divination?,” said Josie.

“I am going to walk around and see who runs,” said Jack. He pulled on Makkari and

took off across the city in a red blur.

Josie transformed and flung a bird across the city. She landed on top of the shop where

her firebird had flown. It looked at her as she went to a ladder and slid down that to the

street. She took the persona off to let the watch recharge as she walked around to the

front of the building and found the door inside.

She walked inside, inspecting the place with her eyes. There were three, or four, people

from the neighborhood. She recognized the old guy who lived across the street from the

Hole in the Wall. He seemed to be having problems with which fruit he wanted to buy.

“How’s it going?,” said Josie as she slid up beside him. Her bird floated to a staircase

in the back of the shop. “What is all this?”

“The shop imports fruit across the border,” said the old man. “They keep it frozen and

segregated until it reaches here. Then they thaw it and serve it. My wife loves it, but

I can’t seem to recall which one she likes the best.”

“Are you going to have problems carrying this stuff home?,” said Josie.

“I can still walk down the street,” said the old man. “Do you cook?”

“Not really,” said Josie. “Angelica is usually the one that handles that. She wants to run

a place when she goes out on her own.”

“Is she any good?,” said the old man.

“I think she knows her way around a kitchen,” said Josie. “There’s a place across town

that will do something about your hands if you want. I know the lady who runs it.”

“Jack said the same thing,” said the old man. He looked at the twisted fingers of one

hand. “I have been living with this for a long time.”

“Don’t live with something that is holding you down,” said Josie. “Take your wife too.

Get looked at, and see if they can help you. If it really needs a lot of work, I will bully

Jack into doing something.”

“Will you rip my ear off if I don’t?,” said the old man with a smile. Some of his teeth

had deserted him during his long march through his life.

“Hmph,” said Josie. She frowned for a second. “I have been known to do things to

people who annoyed me. I know you came by for the dinner with our associates. If you

want to eat like that again, do what I say.”

“Yes, Madam Fox,” said the old man. He tried to laugh, but wound up coughing.

“Give me a second,” said Josie. She changed to Doctor Occult. She reached into him,

frowning at what she found. She worked on the thing growing in his lung, killing it with

her magic. She let the transformation go. “Go to the hospital, get looked at. You don’t

have long.”