“Oy, lads! This way,” Bruno called to Janus and Felix when they were on their way back to the dorm. “We’ll be heading to the War Room. Just follow me."

Janus had never been in the direction Bruno was taking them, and he noticed the stones in the walls getting newer and more neatly stacked as they got further west. This culminated in a large door of lacquered oak on which various stories of Athena had been carved, all of them centered around war.

Janus had not come all this way to get in a fight, but now that he had dipped his feet in the waters of War he might as well dive in. If nothing else it kept him from blacking out: he had a strong impression that the Voice’s willingness to take over at the first sign of trouble was inversely proportionate to his own willingness to face danger. Of course, if danger really happened he would still end up relying on its power, but maybe he could wrest some of that power for himself in the process.

They stepped into a large square room with a vaulted ceiling and the same pattern of stone as the halls. A sturdy-looking circular table stood in the middle, its legs and sides carved with little pictures of soldiers with pikes and swords. The table displayed a map wing. “I’m not a Bard, but I can remember things I’ve read just once. So, um, thank you for having me!”

After Janus sat, there was an awkward pause where Felix gave Yew the evil eye, but eventually, he stood up and muttered, “I’m Felix.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Felix, Janus,” Sebastian said with a smile. “If you ever need help with anything to do with a map, please seek me out. Martin usually knows where I am.”

Felix didn’t respond immediately but took a vague look back at the caped man before turning to Sebastian.

“Sure, I guess,” he replied with a shrug and sat down.

“Right,” Yew said, turning the pointer back to the map. “As the lad said, Janus is not in our ranks, but as he has volunteered for the task and has a talent that will spare us the need to return the manuscript, I couldn’t deny him. And while we would not usually send him into the field until he had more training, our recruit Felix volunteered in a touching show of true friendship.”

“That’s not—” Felix tried to interject, only for Yew to charge ahead with his explanation.

“These buildings are just inside the gate are where we shall strike first. Joshua will use his Falling Star on them from a distance, which is a song that gathers a mass of earth and fires it like a shooting star at a target. It is quite impressive, but it takes five minutes to perform, and it requires such precision that it leaves the user physically exhausted afterward. So there won’t be any second tries. Joshua, we’ll have you fire from these hills over here, which should give you a good view over the walls. Do you think you can do it?”

Joshua gave an expressionless thumbs up.

“The Falling Star should be loud enough to get most of the guards where we want them, but the flaming buildings alone won't be enough to get all of them to leave their posts. For that we need to create a threat, or in this case the illusion of one.”

“Before Joshua launches the star, Reynard and Madina will scale the walls here. Ren, you need to infiltrate the tower near the gate. Once the star hits and guards start rushing to the sound, you catch them in some threatening illusion. I don't care what it is as long as it gets them to raise the alarm. Can you manage?”

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The man in the back, Renyard apparently, nodded wordlessly. Janus was annoyed with Joshua and Felix for such unbard-like aloofness, but in the Highwayman, as he had come to think of him, it just made him look cooler.

“Madina will back up Reynard from the opposite tower. If any of them break out of the illusion, you hit them with Misfortune. That ought to hold ‘em for at least a minute.”

“Bruno here has actually been scoping the place recently with some of the cats who roam the estate. He’s even managed to get us a key to a side door, by the library. For the mission proper, we’re going to bring Tinberry, who unfortunately couldn’t make it to this meeting as he had an urgent engagement licking his—”

“Yew…” Madina with an impatient glare.

“S-sorry! Ah, hm, yes, well, Bruno has found a little hole in the wall the cats there use, so he’ll be using that to sneak our man Tinberry behind enemy lines. He’ll be able to tell you two,” he indicated Felix and Janus, “when the coast is clear enough to use the side door.”

Janus raised his hand this time. “Yes, Janus?”

“How will Bruno be able to tell us stuff if he’s the cat?”

“Ah, good question. Bruno?”

“Ya see lad, even when I’m controlling a beast, I’m still myself. It’s more like my mind is ridin’ along with him, while part of me stays behind. So, I’ll have no trouble telling you lads when the coast is clear.”

“How does that work?” Felix asked. “When I found you in the woods, you wouldn't answer me for anything."

“Aye, well, it’s not the same in the throes of battle. Just trust me, I’ll be able to hear you just fine this time.”

“Good good good,” Yew said. “Now, Felix, comes the part you have been training for. There should be two guards posted in front of the library who are on orders from Jawhar not to leave the entrance exposed under any circumstances. This is where your song of Lesser Maladies comes in. First, you’ll draw one guard away from the door and hit him with the song. The other guard would normally never leave his post untended, but when he sees the distress his partner is in from the song, there’s a very good chance he’ll come close enough to be in your range. If the song is strong enough, they should pass out—if not, just bonk them on the head when they’re down like you did to Bruno back in the woods.”

Bruno himself unconsciously rubbed the spot where he had hit him. Felix cringed. They were both fond of Bruno now, and the memory of bludgeoning a friend couldn’t be pleasant.

“If everything goes smoothly up to that point, all that’s left is to enter the library, find the book, and have Janus read the poem.”

“Now,” Yew began to wrap things up, “Are there any questions or concerns?”

“Why’s worth risking Janus’s life to have him read it instead of just stealing it?” Felix asked with a sour look at Yew.

“Ah, I’m once again touched to see your concern for your—”

“Give it a rest, Yew,” said Madina. “The boy deserves a straight answer.”

“Very well, very well, if the Dame insists, it shall be so.” Yew took a deep breath before turning to Felix and responding in calm, plain tone, “We don’t want him to know it was us . Leaving his library short a book of poetry we’ve asked to see before would be as good as leaving a signed confession. Beyond his wealth, Jawhar is a dangerous man with ties to the underworld and the Circle of Magi. He will realize it was us eventually, but I want to postpone that day as long as possible.”

Felix looked like he was trying to come with an objection to this and failing, so Janus asked his own question.

“What if there’s someone in the library itself who tries to stop us?”

“Given the amount of trouble we’re going to cause, no guards but those two who are under direct orders not to stir for anything will dare to ignore it, at least if they don’t want Jawhar to skin them alive.”

Janus furled his eyebrows. “Fair enough,” he said. “If there’s anybody in there, I’m sure we can handle it.”

“Thanks for jinxing it by saying that,” Felix muttered.

“If there’s someone in the library and they see you before you see them” Yew said, “Run away. If that happens, consider the mission a wash and do what you can to escape.”

“Run away? Really?” Janus moaned. “That’s no fun.”

The meeting ended soon after that. Janus wanted to ask Renyard about his outfit, but when he looked in the corner where he had been lurking, the man was gone.

Felix spent a few minutes talking with Madina before he and Janus walked back to the dorm. Felix tried lecturing him that there was nothing about the upcoming mission that could be considered "fun”, but when they went to bed, he still had not conceded the point.