“Hey ladies,” Tenthé said as he sat at the table with Elishua and the Envoy.

The girls continued eating, ignoring him. Unperturbed, he pulled out Bear and a rock, which he stared at.

After a while, Elishua’s curiosity won. “What’s with that?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing, like it’s simply a rock, or nothing, like it will eat the room and leave nothing?”

“Yeah, more that last thing.”

“Uh-huh.”

The two kept eating.

“So, what do you want?” asked Tenthé.

“Does it really matter?”

“Um… nope.”

The Envoy’s facade cracked. She started laughing. Not in a good way. Eventually, she wound down and stated resignedly, “Tomas wants to see you and go over your classes to make sure you understand why we assigned the ones we did. He would like to reassure himself that something will survive after the class. I mean, other than you. You seem to be a power unto yourself.”

“I’m not. I died a few times. It’s not much fun.”

That was a real conversation killer.

Finally, Elishua asked the obvious. “You died? Really? That’s usually a pretty final thing.”

“Yeah, well, a me died. I’m a copy. Kind of.”

“A copy. Huh… how many times have you been copied?”

“I dunno. Can’t count.”

Silence ensued. After a bit, Elishua asked, “Not that it makes a difference, but how did you die?”

Bear piped up. “You think the kid can always beat everything he’s fought? No way.”

“This is officially the strangest conversation I have ever had,” Elishua admitted, “And a girl like me has had some weird ones.”

The Envoy added, “Yeah. Me too.”

Tenthé chimed in, “Not me. Talking with the Heart is stranger. And... no. Well, maybe, yeah.”

The girls looked at him, then each other, then shared a sigh and stood,

“Are you going to come with us to see Tomas?” Elishua asked.

“Sure. I guess.”

The two headed out, with Tenthé trailing. When Elishua looked back to check on him, she discovered he was missing. Before she could panic, he exited from a hallway in front of them. How had he done that? After a few more similar occurrences, it was apparent that he was ranging around like a puppy in the woods. Tenthé might be older than he appeared, but she’d swear he was nothing more than a kid with too much energy.

Tenthé managed to join up just as they reached Tomas’ chambers. When Elishua rang the entry glyph, Tomas answered.

“Yes?” he asked as he held the door open, obviously unsure why they were there.

Elishua was getting tired of this. They definitely needed to find a way to deal with the forgetfulness. She, the Envoy, and Tenthé entered, taking the ensuing few minutes to bring Tomas up to speed. Elishua had found it was best to present the issue as if describing a new case, and then edge into showing that he already had notes about the situation.

To give Tomas credit, he adapted quickly. When he was caught up as well as could be, he turned to Tenthé, who had taken an odd looking stuffed toy out, and placed it on the desk. The toy… Bear, he suddenly remembered, was looking around, probably readying some pithy comment. Tomas wasn’t sure why he thought that, but he just rolled with it.

“So, Tenthé, you’re starting class tomorrow. How do you feel about that?” he asked.

Bear stage whispered loudly towards Tenthé, “Is this joker really that dense? He looks smart. Guess not.”

To give Tomas credit, he ignored the comment.

Tenthé, also ignoring Bear, responded, “Um, sir. I have studied a lot of things, just not here. So far, I’m not too sure. Uh… the people I’ve run into at the College don’t seem to know much about what’s… real? And they’re kind of pushy? I guess? Like that?”

Silence followed this audacious statement. Tomas rallied. “I am not exactly sure of your point, young man. The College has a wide range of resources. Elishua and all of us have put a lot of effort into accommodating your differences. Might I suggest that you only remember the more… shall we say, un-scholarly individuals you’ve met here? I would hazard to say that the education you have received, to date, has been much more street level. Please don’t be hasty to judge us. Practical experience has its place, but when backed by academic study, the combination can form a formidable foundation.”

Tenthé thought this over. “Maybe,” he eventually admitted.

“Also, it appears you are used to working alone. That is to say, aside from your esteemed companion.” He nodded toward Bear. “Here, we teach methods for working in groups where everyone aids each other and each person’s strengths are used to complement the others’. Something you may find useful. A system such as this can often succeed where an individual cannot.”

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Tomas continued, “And, I understand your background is mainly offensive and defensive magics. The College will introduce you to other aspects, such as Physics and Alchemy. Perhaps these will be new to you. Mystic Studies is another subject we think you should take. It’s exactly what it says, mystical. Different for everyone who takes it. I urge you to try it and see.”

Bear barged in. “So, why did you idiots put him in Combat? It’s like sparrows teaching a hawk to fly.”

Magister Tomas reviewed his notes. “That’s an interesting opinion, but after some thought and talking with the Combat Magister, we determined that the Testing results were inconclusive. We did take into consideration his physical prowess, which is why we chose advanced Combat. We decided to have him audit the class and see how it turns out. After a few weeks, we can revisit this decision.”

Both Tenthé and Bear laughed, then Tenthé looked up to the ceiling and started talking to the air. “All right… I can’t promise, but I’ll try. Nope, I won’t use that… or that… or that. Yeah, okay! Really what? How do you expect me… uh-huh. Okay.”

This was followed by a moment of silence until Tenthé started fidgeting.

At this point, curiosity won and Tomas asked, “Uh, who were you talking to?”

“The Guard. It wants me to be careful, not wreck too much, and not use fire or any Armageddon… oops, I mean, high level spells. And not get mad. That might be bad. Or make any pixies. Just because he doesn’t like them and how they taste.”

“Oh? The Guard?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you sure? The Guardians haven’t mentioned anything.”

Giving him a look like he couldn’t believe how dense he was, Tenthé replied, “Okaaaay. Hey! Elishua’s seen it too. You probably forgot she told you.”

Elishua broke in, “Armageddon level spells?”

Tomas appeared a little perturbed as Bear and Tenthé remained silent.

“How could you possibly know something like that?” he exclaimed, eventually. “Um, I mean… if they existed at all, that is, you would have to be a Sage, or even higher. Tenthé’s magic is interesting, but nowhere near that strong.”

“I guess,” Bear responded, enigmatically. “Obviously, ‘cause how could a little kid like him ever manage to find his way into a vault or warded room that contains something that dangerous?”

“Oh, yeah,” Tenthé chimed in, “That reminds me of something I wanted to ask. How come it’s so easy to get into the air vents here? The wards aren’t that tough. ’Nother thing. I want to find out how to make maps. Sometimes I get kinda lost in the planes. Is there a class about sneaking around and making maps?”

Tomas looked at the girls, who stared back. No-one knew what to say. Eventually, he responded, “Uh, well. I’ll look into the vent thing. I suggest you attend the classes we have outlined. Let’s just see where that leads. We have archivers who know a lot about maps. Maybe, if things go well, we can have you meet with one and find if she can help.”

Bear glared at Tomas, “If you’re two-stepping him, you better think twice. He doesn’t forget anything, and he expects others to do what they say. People who lie to him don’t tend to have a very happy life.”

Tomas was surprised. “Two-stepping” was a quite archaic term. At the moment, all he knew about this bear-man thing was what he’d read in Elishua’s notes. They’d have to discuss its role, but for now, he decided a little humility wouldn’t hurt.

“No, don’t be offended! I mean what I say. You have to admit, though, Tenthé doesn’t fall into any handy category. We need to put him into the process and find how he can get the most benefit from the College. I am not trying to pull anything here, I just want what’s best for Tenthé.”

“Yeahhh,” Bear stretched out the word. He rubbed his head, as if he were coming to a realization.

“You know? I’m starting to wonder why you’re putting up with so much from a kid with no family who’s been nothing but trouble. If I were the suspicious sort, I’d think there was something else going on. Like… a god or two involved in the mix here, somewhere. Especially since we’ve already met one. Or two. Maybe three.” Bear opined.

Tomas couldn’t entirely suppress his jolt at this statement.

Bear laughed at this. “Ha-ha-ha. You’ve to get out more. You can’t fool an old fooler.”

Again, Tomas noted another dated phrase. Another clue to help understand more about this Bear creature.

Instead of becoming embroiled in a verbal battle, Tomas decided the conversation was getting too close to subjects that should remain secret, and rushed to wrap things up.

“Well, this has quite been interesting. I’m certainly seeing less than complete enthusiasm for the courses we’ve set, but let’s get together next week and see how things have gone.

“Tenthé, you will find tomorrow to be a busy day. I suggest you return to your room and prepare. Ladies, if you wouldn’t mind waiting behind, we can discuss what you need to do to keep everything on track.”

Once Bear and Tenthé left, the smile left Tomas’ face. He turned to the girls.

“So, please report.”

After a moment, the Envoy spoke. “I’ve only been involved for a short time. Honestly, no offense, but I thought Elishua was the problem. But now, I have to admit that little *KrichterenTing* has managed to slip out of everything I’ve tried! If I didn’t know any better, I would say he’s an avatar of Chaos, but I can’t see any sign of evil intent. He doesn’t seem to do anything, but once he’s around, our plans fall apart. We are…. somewhat frustrated.”

Elishua added, “Yeah, and when we think there is some chance of figuring things out, he drops a bomb, like what he just told us. He said he’s a copy. That he’s died a bunch of times and has resurrected, somehow. I have to admit I was skeptical that a kid like him could do all he said, but if he has a way to come back, then that makes a lot more sense.

“Except, as far as I know, it can’t be done! Coming back, other than a ghost or wraith, is all I’ve heard of, and those are just poor impressions of the original. If it ever got out that total resurrection was possible, we would be buried under people trying to get a chance to live forever.”

After everyone digested this comment, Elishua continued, “Also, I have the feeling that the remedial classes will be useless. Tenthé’s inability to read, write, and count are magical in nature. He’s really bright; I think there’s something else going on. His solution, to use that doll thing, as much as I abhor it, is probably the best we can do for now.”

Tomas interjected, “Speaking of… Bear? Any thoughts? It used some dated phrases. Does that help us understand what it is, better?”

After thinking for a moment, Elishua postulated, “Well. I know the most about it. It isn’t powerful. By that, I mean it doesn’t seem to have any magic other than what’s obvious. It acts like a spirit haunting a body. That is not completely unheard of, but it’s not a thing anyone would choose. I don’t know much else. It keeps hinting at things, but I have no idea whether any of what it says is true, or misdirection.”

The Envoy chimed in, “What if he was the spirit of someone who was old and dying? But, as I understand it, only a fraction of the original ends up in the object. The rest is lost. It’s too smart for that.”

Elishua summed things up, “As I said, I don’t know. Everything about Tenthé is a contradiction. And, sir. Your reaction suggests that some gods are mixed up in this mess. Anything you’d like to share?”

Tomas shifted around uncomfortably. He kept forgetting how perceptive Elishua was.

“Um… I can’t say much. Part of the nature of the thing. I don’t think I’m breaking any deals, but yeah, I’ll admit they’re involved. Trust me, though, the gods have been as ambiguous as usual.”

Elishua and the Envoy looked at each other. The Envoy mouthed “Deals?” with an emphasis on the plural. Elishua shrugged.

There was more discussion, without much gain. For the moment, they would do what they were doing: watch how Tenthé related to the lessons, students, and Magisters, then figure out where that led. They already had several researchers scouring the library for any clues and had sent out another round of investigators in the attempt to uncover more information. Hopefully, something would come to light in the next few days.