Upon advice from the railway security guards, Malo attached leads from the inu pulling the second wagon to the rear hitch of the first wagon. He has Chloe lay down in the back of the first while he drives it down the rarely traveled road running parallel to the Bearupper rail-line.

It’s now well after sunset and he can see a soft glow of lights ahead, that must be the town of Bearupper. With no actual plan in mind, all he can do is show up and hope someone approaches him.

“Hey! Where’re ya going with the wagons? You were supposed to leave them at the drop spot.”

Seriously? Thinks Malo, are all these bandits this stupid? He doesn’t look like any of the crew he just handed over to the railway security team. He’s missed the drop spot apparently and somebody still thinks things haven’t gone bust.

He might as well see how stupid they are, “I was told there’s a new plan. I’m supposed to stay with the wagons all the way to the end.”

A man dressed similar to the bandits he just left behind, minus the matching hats and scarfs appears from behind a boulder, “That doesn’t make any sense. I’m supposed to drive the wagons from here.”

Malo scoots aside making room for the man, “I’m to stay with the wagon, I wasn’t told to drive them.”

Climbing up to sit beside Malo the man looks in the back of the wagon, “That makes a kind of sense?

“Why’s the wagon got an inu in it and nothing else?”

Malo leans into the stupid, “I wasn’t told. Are you going to drive or not?”

“I’m being paid to deliver two wagons; I’m going to deliver two wagons.”

Malo hands him the reigns and sits back.

It took another ninety minutes to reach Bearupper. The driver didn’t say another word as he drove the wagons up to the edge of town, followed the tracks to the block with a half dozen warehouses and pulled into the only one with its doors open. On arrival he gets up and leaves, closing the warehouse doors behind him.

Malo waits to see if someone appears and is disappointed. After half an hour he decides these draft inu have been neglected enough and unhitches the four of them and starts brushing.

Morning comes and nobody arrives, the other warehouses are coming alive with activity. At midday Malo’s 16-year-old patients run dry and he decides nobody is coming. Maybe he missed a signal or the driver wasn’t as stupid as he appeared.

Throwing open the warehouse doors he gets his first good look at Bearupper. With the exception of this warehouse everywhere he looks somebody is energetically working. Unseen is a Dragon Priest watching Malo leave the warehouse with five inu, four on a string, and a fifth loyally following.

Questioning the first person he encounters gets him direction to the town’s sheriff office. As promised, he submits a full report on his encounter with the train bandits. Signed and stamped with the authority of Mammatus Study.

The Sherrif collected the four inu and two wagons as evidence, documented them and forwarded their report along with Malo’s to the sheriff in Gateland, where the bandits will stand trial.

Finished with his paperwork, Malo moves to his next order of business, Bearlower.

Asking the sheriff about the town was met with mockery.

Apparently the two towns are not friendly with one another. This is nothing new to Malo, growing up in the Feltworks he was not a fan of kids from Riidenaeris, as they were a business rival of his families business.

The rivalry between Bearupper and Bearlower is different in that they don’t compete for resources but they do differ in purpose. Berupper is a mining town, Bearlower is about protecting wildlife and preserving natural resources, one consumes the other conserves.

Having no luck in finding a guide to Bearlower Malo strikes out with Chloe after resupplying.

The name is ‘lower, Malo leaves Bearupper’s eastern border because it leads down. He throws caution to the wind and starts running, jumping, and crashing his way down the mountain side. He breaks a few bones in the process and has to take short breaks to let them mend.

Chloe somehow keeps up without hurting herself, her rough fur is covered in burs and nettles though. She’ll need thorough brushing and possibly a bath soon.

They stop when they reach what could be called a valley floor, formed by a convergence of three separate mountains bases filled with falling debris flattened by tons of snow accumulation in the winter months. Freshly fallen dirt and rocks are evidence of a recent avalanche, this is not a safe place to camp.

Malo picks the lowest eastern route and continues up the slowly rising slope. Using short jerky hops, he fast travels up the slop in eight- and nine-yard hops.

It’s the best he can do short of attempting to fly, it’s awkward and he feels clumsy as he struggles to keep on his feet with each crash landing. Chloe is trotting along easily and looks disappointed with his progress.

“If you can do better speak up.”

Chloe looked like she wanted to say something, being an inu all she did was whine and make a growling sound that resembled a rough laugh.

Malo stops his staggard progress and decides he should have a plan before continuing.

He may not have anything resembling survival skills, but his companion does. He should be following her, not the other way around.

“Chloe, search for water.”

Chloe looks at him before loping off into the brush. Malo isn’t sure why but he thinks that was a look of approval.

She’ll return when she’s located a source of water and lead him to it.

A scant twenty-minutes later Chloe is leading him around a protrusion that obscured a patch of mountain side covered in a lush expanse of forest. Thirty minutes of climbing through the dense foliage and crumbling stones brings them to a natural stream gurgling fresh water from a cluster of rocks and spilling out into a shallow stream that spreads out into a marsh-like swamp.

“I think this will do. All we should have to do now is wait.”

Chloe lays down with a whine and tries not to look sad.

“Give this a few days. We’re in their backyard. They’ve probably already spotted us and wrote us off as passing through. When we don’t go anywhere, they’ll confront me to run me off.”

Malo does his best to create a comfortable campsite for the two of them. He runs a line between two trees and throws his tarp over it. It bunches in the middle where the line sags but he pulls the edges tight and weights them down with rocks like before. It doesn’t look terrible, he thinks.

Next, he tries to build a fire. Ignoring the basics of his thermal energy training, he pours hundreds of thousands of calories of thermal energy into a log he dragged out of the nearby marsh before it would ignite. Thick white smoke fills the woodlands giving him fits of coughing.

He walks a little further to find a dry log to have something to sit on.

Malo can’t help but notice that Chloe looks sadder with each preparation he makes.

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“I know how this looks. It even looks pathetic to me. If I seem competent, they’ll leave me alone for longer. If they fear I’ll burn down half the forest or pollute the water they’ll either offer help or try to kill me. Either way, I will have found them.

The two share some of the reloaded rations from Bearupper. Malo is feeling restless and decides to stay up and stargaze. The view here is similar to what he grew up around, the surrounding mountains block out a lot of the side noise. Giving him a clear path to perceive the celestial display directly above. All those tiny points of light are calling to him, he can hear some louder than others, it’s a fascinating collection of hums, clicks, tones, that almost make sense. Listening intently, you’ll think you detect a melody forming, then it unwinds back into chaos, a cycle that irregularly repeats.

Malo uses his sight and ears to find a star that is making a steady tone and uses a technique taught by Master Adara to convert what only he can hear into an audible tone for Chloe.

“Hear that? The star cluster up and to my left is making that sound.”

Malo continues to scan the night sky for interesting sounds, he finds something that must be rotating that makes a low wump sound about twice a second and adds it to the tone. It takes a while but he finds some singular stars with tones of different pitches but in the same key as the first. Layering them together makes a satisfying sound.

The steady wump-wump-wump-wump marks the progression of time.

A funny erratic source of static cuts in and out and makes an interesting counter point to the steady beat already in play.

Finally, he turns to his favorite local source of sky music, the interaction of the sun’s solar wind attempting to tear through the electromagnetic field of this world. Boosting that along with the other sounds gives him a pleasant sort of music to enjoy as he watches tiny particles pepper the atmosphere before burning up.

Occasionally one will be large enough for his eyes to see, those always feel special. The small ones, detected by his gift, are stolen images. The ones his eyes are able to see are gifts meant for all to share.

Malo lays there staring at the stars until most of the celestial objects he was amplifying are blocked by the surrounding mountains. Now feeling sleepy he dozes off for the night.

Morning comes and he finds his makeshift tent has come apart and his sleeping bag is damp from the morning dew. His campfire starts easier this time with nowhere near as much smoke, he doesn’t really need one, but all camps are supposed to have them he thinks.

Setting his sleeping back out flat in the sun to dry, Malo digs into his supplies only to find holes chewed in the bottom of every sack and his food is all gone.

A quick survey of the area turns up avi-like tracks but out here those would be small ravtors.

It’s a little unnerving to think a pack of ravtors came into camp and stole all their food without waking Chloe.

“Well old girl, we don’t both have to be hungry. Chloe, go forage.”

Chloe perks up at that command and hurries away.

Malo whittles away the time by mostly napping until a voice wakes him around noon time.

“Hello camper, do you need assistance?”

Chloe crashes into the camp and stands triumphantly over Malo as if she accomplished something. Maybe she did, how would he know?

“Assistance, you could say that I need far more than just assistance.”

Malo takes in the pair of female War Born dressed in sturdy brown uniforms with patches on their shoulder and chests. Each nearly identical in appearance as they all are with grey skin, brown hair, brown eyes, and perfect physiques; moving with a natural economy of motion that belies their unpredictable nature.

One of them comments, “This has to be the worst campsite I’ve ever encountered. We can escort you back to Bearupper where you can higher a guide to get you where you’re going.”

“I tried that. I couldn’t get one to take me to my destination.”

“You can’t be broke, that inu of yours is an expensive breed and is well trained. Where are you going?”

Malo answers, “Thanks to you two, I just found it. I’m heading to Bearlower.”

Back at the Thuma railway station there’s only an hour at most before the train will be ready to move again. Luscin and Teum are sitting with the Nguyen’s in their cabin waiting to be contacted.

Luscin, “You know this guy better than we do, will the stupid-traitor-face show-up in person or send a messenger?”

Horation responds quietly, “A messenger certainly.”

A rapping sound at their window takes everyone by surprise. Teum approaches and looks out and down. Seeing a nervous woman dressed in a fancy pink dress and holding a blue umbrella he opens the window and says, “Yes?”

Holding the tip of the umbrella she hooks it on the open window, “Take this, please. He’ll kill him if you don’t.”

When Teum grasps the umbrella handle the woman darts away and exits the train platform.

Pulling it up and into the car, “That was dramatic. I hope her and whoever ‘him’ is are going to be ok.”

Lila asks, “Why an umbrella.”

In answer, Teum holds up the umbrella and shakes it until an envelope slides out.

Handing it to Horatio, Teum waits for the father to read what he must do to save his family.

“I’m to go alone. No surprise there. I am to get into a waiting carriage by the north platform exit and put a bag over my head. That’s all the message says.”

“How will you know which carriage?”

“It doesn’t say but knowing Fenner it will be obvious.”

Luscin stands, “Don’t you worry, I’ll follow from the air.”

Lila is concerned, “It says he must come alone. Is that wise?”

“Horatio will be alone; I’ll be a half mile in the night sky watching. When I see where they’re going, I’ll drop in and smack Defender smarty-butt in his stupid-face.

“Teum, you know I have a better chance against someone with better training and experience. When we face Master Ta Raha, it’s be your turn.”

“Luscin, I was thinking the same thing. I’ll stay here with Lila until you bring Horatio and the rest back. Now get going, you don’t have much time.

Luscin turns invisible and slips out the window as Horatio exits the train and heads nervously towards the north exit.

Teum asks Lila to accompany him back to his cabin, he’d like to arm himself for close quarter combat. A belt knife could be useful.

What they find on his bed is baffling. There in order are a Fighting-Fox doll, a playbill for a live performance of, ‘That silly Ravtor, the musical’, and two small sticks tied to one big stick.

Teum is frozen as his mind runs through every possible reason these items could be here, failing to settle on one, he turns to the impossible. Then it clicks, the snacks, the bags, the belt, the dollies, now these items.

“Ms. Jones couldn’t plan for a kidnapping. So, she executed her fallback option, by being in two places at one time.”

Lila asks, “What are you talking about?”

“Nothing, I know where they are… or I know how to find them. Ms. Jones has them safe for now. Come with me.”

Teum heads forward to where the conductor is outside awaiting his engine. They exchange words and shake hand before reuniting with Lila on the platform.

“I gave the conductor a watered-down version of the truth, he’s agreed to delay departing for another hour. After that he has to move out or the whole schedule will be thrown off and he’ll need to have a good reason or he’ll be in trouble.

There’s a playhouse two blocks from the station. That’s where we’ll find the children and Ms. Jones.”

The two set off at a light jog, Mrs. Nguyen hasn’t run in years and her frilly blue dress isn’t making it any easier but she keeps up.

Teum can see one of the entrances has been damaged. A quick inspection confirms that a violent force was applied, shattering the locking mechanism, and ruining the hand carved doorframe.

Adjusting his sight for the low light he nudges the door open with his foot and steps inside.

“Can you see in the dark or do I need to supply light?”

“I can see well enough, mostly cold and heat.”

Teum reaches for Lila’s hand and leads her through the lobby. Parting the drape pulled across the central stage entrance they both see it.

Lila speaks first, “There’s something hot on stage behind that curtain.”

“I see them, there’s nobody else.”

Teum fast travels down the central isle and is on stage in an instant. He drags the curtain open for the sake of Lila. On stage Are two chairs back-to-back. One holds the nanny, the other side by side holds the two small children. Tied with rough burlap rope from head to toe.

A familiar voice whispers, “Who’s there?”

Teum illuminates the area with a small ball of light hovering over his head.

Ms. Jones statement, “Good, you received my message,” is buried by the cheers of Leo and Luna.

Speaking louder, “Children what did I tell you to do?”

The two excited younglings close their mouths and smile.

Teum is tugging gently at the knots securing the three.

“Very good, I’m sure I can talk the kitchen into baking a cake, but I won’t do that if you’re not quiet until tonight’s adventure is completed.”

Lila reaches the stage and scrambles up amidst a flourish of blue ruffles.

The knots are now loose and Lila assist Teum in pulling away the rough scratchy rope.

Teum asks, “Do you know where Fenner is taking Horation?”

He did not say in words, but there was caramel on his pants, and when he was kneeling to tie us up I could see mud and hay stuck to the heal of his boots. I heard carnival music on our way here. That would be a open public space where nobody is paying attention to each other. I’d say a perfect place to fake a hostage exchange.”

Lila scoops up both her children who hug her tightly, “Ms. Jones would you be so kind as to lead the way back to our train.”

Teum has a question, “Before you go, does this make sense? I mean a hostage exchange. All he needed to do was order Horatio to return immediately or the kids are…” glancing sideways and reconsidering, “are going to bed early.”

The nanny responds darkly, “No, it does not make sense. A trap, though… to catch a couple students off guard. You need to find your wife; her life may depend upon it.”