The trip back to the former casino proved to be more a test of Bo's patience than his endurance. Jizzdoogle was overflowing with stories of his time with the spectral hounds, and he regaled Bo with a nonstop stream of details about his time with the hounds. During the hours' long journey, the pitmaster learned the dogs ate mostly squirrels and rabbits, that they were disgusted because Jizzdoogle cooked his share of their catch, and received a long and painfully detailed presentation on why the hounds weren't actually ghosts, but were some sort of hybrid creature capable of existing in the spirit and physical realms.

"Not at the same time, though," Jizzdoogle clarified. "They shift from one state to the other at will. They prefer to remain mostly in spirit form, but have to become physical to hunt and eat."

This was fairly interesting to Bo, but Jizzdoogle left no room for him to ask questions or seek clarification. Every time the pitmaster tried to interject, the gnome simply held up one finger and continued rambling. During the fifth explanation of some arcane theory about the nature of the hounds, Bo simply nodded and let Jizzdoogle go on. The gnome had done a favor for the pitmaster’s people by going with the dogs. The least Bo could do, he thought, was let the poor guy talk. And talk he did, until, finally, he ran out of steam.

“Thank you for what you did,” Bo said. “I know going with those dogs was a big risk.”

The gnome smiled and waved Bo’s concerns off. “It was nothing. It gave me a chance to learn more about those creatures. It’s not often you find a hybrid being, much less a whole pack of them. It was a privilege to study them.”

“I’m glad it was enlightening,” Bo said. “But my thanks stand.”

The pair walked in companionable silence after that. When they entered the maze of boulders and fallen trees around the casino, Bo helped the gnome over obstacles. It would have been faster and easier to just hoist the little dude up onto his shoulders, but Bo felt that would be disrespectful. Finally, the pair reached the casino’s entrance.

Where Lydia greeted them with an unpleasant expression on her four-eyed, horse-like face.

"There you are," she said to Bo. "Jenny sent a message. You'll want to see it."

Bo furrowed his brow as he followed Lydia into the casino. "How did she send a message?"

Lydia rolled her eyes as if that was the silliest question she'd ever heard. "You made her a scout. Sending intelligence back to their commanders is what scouts do."

"But how?" Bo asked.

"You didn’t look at her cards," Lydia said. "The scout deck has cards that let her send messages and beacons to the community anchor. And you will definitely want to see what she sent back."

The monster’s tense tone made Bo's stomach tighten into a fist of worry. If anything had happened to Jenny…

After the last set of upgrades, Bo had asked Lydia to move the smoker into an alcove off the main cavern. He'd reasoned it would be safer there and people gathering for meals wouldn’t make such a tempting target as they had at the entrance. Unfortunately, that wise strategic move made the walk to the anchor significantly longer than Bo liked. He was growing more impatient with every step. He worried Jenny needed him, and that every second he wasted brought her closer to danger.

Or death.

Finally, they reached the smoker and Lydia moved to the anchor. All four of her hands played across its surface as if tapping away on a keyboard that was invisible to Bo. A few moments later, she stepped back to reveal an image of Jenny's face floating above the anchor.

"Help me, Obi-Wan KeBobi," the scout said. "You're my only hope."

Then she broke down into a giggling fit, both hands clasped over her mouth. Just as suddenly as she'd started laughing, though, Jenny stopped. Her eyes flicked nervously from side to side, as if she were afraid of being overheard.

"Sorry, sorry," she said in a lower voice. " I found the Thunder Bison spawn point. But so did the grunge elves. I'll monitor them. This beacon will guide you to me. Be careful."

By the time Jenny finished her message, Bo’s nerves were drawn taut as a fiddle’s strings.

"How long ago did she send this message?" Bo asked.

"About an hour," Lydia said, wringing all four of her hands. "I didn't have any way to get you a message, Bo. I would've come myself if I knew exactly where you were, but—"

"That's a very impressive piece of magical," Jizzdoogle said. "Is it a modified farcaster? Or do you think it’s actually a mentalism focus? Do you mind if I make some modifications? I might be able to improve the—"

"Don't touch it," Bo and Lydia said in unison.

"I was just offering my help," the gnome said with a sigh. He sniffed a little, rubbed the tip of his nose with the back of his hand, then waved. "I'll go find my people. Thanks for coming to get me, Bo."

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"And thank you for going with the dogs," Bo said, feeling a little sheepish about snapping at the gnome. "We can talk about any adjustments you want to make later, okay? I just need to deal with this first."

Jizzdoogle's eyes lit up at the thought of getting his hands on the community anchor, and he nodded vigorously in agreement. "All right. We’ll talk later."

"Where is this beacon she sent?" Bo asked after the gnome had vanished into the casino’s interior.

The monster produced a palm-sized crystalline disk from the pocket of the plush robe she’d found in one of the casino’s storerooms. It still bore the hotel’s monogram, but the fuzzy material was now some sort of heavy fur with a woven liner. Lydia had added another pair of sleeves to accommodate her extra arms.

"This will guide you to her," Lydia said. "You should bring some fighters and archers along. I don't want you wandering into a mess without support."

Bo considered Lydia's suggestion, then rejected it. "It'll take too long to get everyone together. I'll leave a trail for the others to follow, but I have to go after Jenny. Right now."

Lydia pursed her lips and reached out to grab Bo's shoulder. She stopped, her fingers hovering an inch from his skin. Her eyes narrowed into slits, and Bo wasn't sure if it was anger or concern he saw on her alien face. When she spoke, though, her voice was soft and worried.

"I know how you feel about Jenny," she said. "But she isn't as important to this community as you. If you go off after her alone, you might save her. Or you might put yourself at risk for nothing. She's a smart woman, Bo. She's clearly hiding, and I doubt the grunge elves can find her without a concerted search. Wait. Let me gather a fighting force to accompany you."

She's right. Jenny's every bit as tough as you are. She can take care of herself.

Bo wanted to believe the devil and monster were right. He wanted to convince himself that Jenny would be safe until he gathered his troops and marched them to her hiding spot.

But he just couldn't do it.

It would take an hour to get assemble the team, get them geared up and on the road. And that was the easy part. A good part of his fighting force was over forty and overweight. They all had heart, but they would never keep up with Bo’s pace.

The pitmaster couldn’t wait any longer. He had to move.

"Gather the troops," Bo said, but raised a hand when he saw the hopeful expression on Lydia's face. "You'll have to catch up to me, if you can. Jenny needs me now."

Before the monster could stop him, Bo left the alcove. His long, hoofed legs carried him out of the cavern and over the rolling plains. The beacon he held in his left hand pulsed like a racing heart when he was on the right path. If he veered off course, even a little, the rhythm slowed until he corrected his heading. It was a nice piece of equipment and allowed Bo to run full bore without having to stop and check for directions.

Of course, as the sun descended toward the horizon, the pitmaster had to slow down or risk twisting his ankle in a gopher hole or gully. The plains appeared flat to the naked eye, but that was only because vegetation and shadows hid the real danger. Tufts of grass and clumps of weeds concealed deep holes and washouts that made the footing treacherous.

You cannot save her if you snap your leg. Slow down.

"Thanks," Bo said. "That's very comforting."

I'm not here to comfort you. I'm here to make sure you don't get us both killed.

"You're already dead," Bo said, nimbly leaping over a dry creek bed.

Thanks to you.

"You started it."

But, grudgingly, slowed his pace. The devil was right, as much as he hated to admit it. And while his heart raced with worry over what might be happening with Jenny, the pitmaster forced himself to remain cautious.

A nerve-wracking hour later, the beacon's throbbing had become a hummingbird's thrum that nearly numbed Bo's fist. The pitmaster forced himself to slow his pace even further. He crouched down as he moved across the plain, swiveling his head from left to right in search of enemies. The grunge elves could be anywhere, and if he was caught unaware—

A shadow emerged from the corner of Bo's vision. A figure lunged forward, and one arm snaked toward Bo's face with outstretched fingers.

The pitmaster cursed and tried to jerk away, but his attacker was quicker. Cold fingers clamped over his mouth and pinched his lips closed. Hot breath gusted against the side of his face, and harsh words rasped in his ears.

"Down," Jenny whispered. "The grunge elves are close."

Bo dropped into a crouch next to his friend, and she removed her hand from his mouth. Before he could speak, though, Jenny covered his lips with her own and tangled her fingers in his hair. She held him tight for what felt like an eternity before her hands fell back to her sides.

"That's a good way to get yourself killed," Bo whispered. "I thought you were one of them trying to kill me."

"They're not as sneaky as me," the scout said, shaking her head. "You should be embarrassed if you thought one of the elves could get that close to you."

She gets feistier all the time. I like that.

"You are pretty awesome," Bo confirmed. "What are the bad guys up to?"

Jenny pressed a finger to her lips, then gestured for Bo to follow her. The scout led him through the tall grass, and Bo was impressed by how silently she moved. Her crouched steps hardly disturbed the grass, and Bo hoped his bulk and weight didn't give them away.

The pair made their way up a gentle rise to the top of a short hill. Jenny eased forward, her hands parting the weeds so Bo could see over her to the plains below.

A trio of dark figures moved around what appeared to be a glowing boulder. The object wasn't much more than a yard across and wide, but the elves struggled to lift it, even with the long pry bars they’d wedged under it. Either there was a lot more of it beneath the ground, or it weighed far more than Bo would've guessed.

That is the thunder bison spawn point. If those elves gain control of it…

Bo didn't need Barbie to tell him what the elves could do with that spawn point. They could use it to make a small army of thunder bison. The longer they had control of it, the bigger those beasts would grow.

"Where are the rest of the thunder bison?" Bo asked. "Surely they wouldn't leave this unguarded."

Jenny shrugged. "I haven't seen any fresh sign out here. I don't know what happened to them. Maybe the elves killed them."

Bo did not want to think of that. If the grunge elves could kill the thunder bison, his people had no chance at all against them.

"We have to stop them," he said.

"How?" Jenny asked. "There's three of them and only two of us. I don't like those odds."

Bo rolled his shoulders and stared down at the elves with eyes as cold as steel ball bearings. "We'll just have to catch them by surprise."

Then he rose from his hiding place, drew his cleaver, and attacked.