The kids led Tenthé along a completely different route from the one they’d taken to get to the Lady’s mansion. He could see it would change every time it was used, which was good for security. It didn’t matter to him. Now that he’d been to her house, he’d be able to find it on his own.

He enjoyed being around the kids. They had very little to worry about. The Lady took care so the things that could hurt them never did. This was strange to him. Not at all how his life had gone. How could you survive without going out and getting experience? But, the kids certainly weren’t pushovers, so maybe there was more than one way to grow up strong.

Whatever worked, he supposed. When they reached a cross street, the kids all slapped him on the back, which would have killed an ordinary person, then reversed course and disappeared into the gloom of the alley.

Orienting himself, he realized they had dumped him in the Mission District, about as far from the College as you could get. He started walking. Not too quickly, because Elishua and the Envoy were probably waiting to haul him off to do something for some reason. Mostly, it was for meetings that Tomas insisted he attend.

As he was thinking, Tenthé had semi-intentionally wandered off course. He was now on the road that led from the Main Gate to the City Center. The crowds were out shopping for their evening meal and were certainly better dressed than those around the Mission. There were standouts: a few street people here and there, and one older guy who brushed past without a word, looking like he had been traveling for a while.

Suddenly Bear yelled, “Wait! I know him!”

“What?”

“That geezer, I know him! He’s my third, um, maybe fifth, wife’s brother!”

“What? You were married?”

“Yeah. A few times. I never mentioned it? Doesn’t matter, go after him!”

By now, the traveler had disappeared into the crowd. Tenthé reluctantly turned to follow, walking slowly.

“Go faster or he’ll get away!”

“So, a bunch of wives?”

“Uh, give or take.”

“Give or take?”

“Didn’t marry all of them. And… I might not have gotten all the divorces I should’a.”

“You must have been a great catch.”

“I was! But not everyone saw it that way. More than one of my girls told me I grew old without growing up. I don’t know what they were talking about. I wasn’t that short.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Yeah… they didn’t find it funny, either. That’s me, underappreciated. I think they turned me in for the reward and shared it to feed the kids.”

“So, you have kids too?”

“A couple. Should have had more. Not for a lack of trying.”

“Thanks for that detail.”

“You’re welcome.”

The crowds thinned out ahead and Tenthé caught sight of the traveler. Obviously, the guy had figured out that he was being followed, because he suddenly turned and ducked into an alley. That was pretty impressive; Tenthé wasn’t easy to spot.

Tenthé approached a nearby wall, lightened himself, and scrambled up to the rooftop. He cut across to the alley and peered down. The traveler was looking up at him, so he climbed down and faced the man, ready to react. Just in case.

They stood and stared at each other. After a moment, Bear yelled from within Tenthé’s cloak, “Oh, come on. Let me out!”

Slowly, Tenthé pulled Bear out and put him on the ground, where he shook himself, then peered up at the traveler’s face.

“Hey! Max? Is that you?” He looked closer. “Yep, it’s you all right! You’re the Sage? How’d you get to be a Sage? Last I knew, you were setting chickens on fire!”

The traveler took a step back. “How do you know that name?” he asked in a raspy voice that sounded like it hadn’t been used in quite a while.

“It’s me, Percy! Um… June, Susan, Bethyl, Lotus, um, um, crap! I can’t remember them all… uh, Jane, Christa, and… and… don’t tell me… ah, whatever. It’ll come to me. Anyway, I’m Jane’s husband.”

“What?... Percy? Percy! Is that you?” he asked and then started laughing. And laughing and laughing.

Bear became a little disgruntled after a moment or two. It didn’t appear that the traveler had any intention of stopping anytime soon. Tears were running down his face and he was leaning against the wall to hold himself up.

“Oh, oh… this is priceless,” he squeezed out, followed by another bout of laughter.

After a few deep breaths, he managed, “I… I… haven’t laughed this hard since, well… forever.”

While this was going on, Tenthé had been examining the stranger. He was odd. He appeared normal. Too normal. It was as if he had no magical presence at all, even though Tenthé was pretty sure that wasn’t true. If his masking was so good, maybe it was something Tenthé could learn.

The stranger glanced at Tenthé, then paused. He began staring at him, then all around, and finally up in the sky and down toward the street. He took a step back.

“You scare me, kid. Keep your distance.”

Tenthé felt a few tiny, tiny ripples, and he pulled on a few more layers of shields.

Peering at him, the stranger asked, “What did you just do? Now you’re fuzzy, not like you’re anywhere. What is that? What are you?”

Tenthé countered, “Well then, what are you? You’re nearly not there. I get almost nothing.”

“You shouldn’t get anything at all. How in the sweet Hells are you sensing me, even a little?”

They stared at each other.

Bear spoke. “Hey you two! Get a room. Remember me? I’m still here. Stop staring at each other. Powerful wizards, okay? Same side. City good, Horde bad. Are you two even listening?”

Tenthé and the stranger each took a step back and Tenthé dialed down his defenses a small amount. At that moment, he felt a familiar presence approaching. The stranger proved he had magic when he looked up, and then, even further up.

That was very interesting. This was the first person, other than himself, that he had met who could sense the Guard.

Speaking of the Guard, it stopped and loomed over everything, took in the standoff, and rumbled, “Tenthé… Sage. Sage… Tenthé”

The stranger exclaimed, “Tenthé? The Tenthé? That explains a lot! I’ve always thought you were a myth!”

The Guard was talking, “I… felt some strange… things… occurring, and came… to find out… what. I didn’t expect… to see… the two of you… squaring off. We should… get to City Hall… They are… expecting you.”

There was no way Tenthé was going to go to some boring ceremony. He had stuff to do. The good news was that Elishua, the Envoy, and Tomas would probably have to be there. If he was quick, he could find his friends and prepare for the trip without having to dodge anyone.

He looked at the Sage and spewed out, “Nice to meet you. Maybe I’ll see you around. Bye.”

Then he grabbed Bear and rushed down the alley to the next street and hurried away before anything else happened. Entering the College through the front gate, he ran across the lawn, flew up the steps, and barged through the main door.

Drat! Elishua was standing in the middle of the foyer, forcing the other students to go around her, looking as unhappy as ever.

Instead of going into stealth and losing her in the hallways, Tenthé had an idea. He slammed to a halt in front of her. She seemed somewhat startled by the deviation from normal.

“You busy for the next month or so?” he spewed. “Wanna go on a trip?”

From his cloak came some shouting, “Hey, let me out! You’re doing this all wrong!”

Tenthé fished Bear out and put him down. The toy immediately faced Elishua.

“I know we give you a lot of grief sister, but face it, Tenthé is the Tenthé. He’s so far above the chuckleheads running this place that none of you had a chance. I figure you’re pretty good at, well, whatever you do, but if you stay here, you’ll just dribble through the system and eventually get some job babysitting students, or something.

“What if you could to go on a quest? With a real hero… like my boy here? It’d be impressive on a resume, and who knows, you might make it into some stories, or even an ode.

“I know it’s a big decision, but if you wait, then poof! Your shot at fame will zoom past and leave you behind!

“Right now we’ve got something else to do, so think it over, but time is short. Don’t dawdle. Take too long and it’ll be gone!”

Elishua looked at the toy like she’d just scrapped it off her shoe. This didn’t phase Bear, although he did acknowledge her follow-up snort.

“What? Too much? Yeah, maybe, but it’s true. This really is a once in a lifetime opportunity. If you don’t want to, that’s okay, but you better not stand in our way. The gloves are off. Interfere and it won’t turn out good for you. I guess that means we’re not students here anymore.

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

“By the way, do you know anything about donkeys, uh, and burros? Yep? Nope? It’s hard to tell with your big dumb face. Hello? Anyone there? Nothing? Okay, kid. Let’s go. I think we’ve broken her.”

She had frozen. As Tenthé snatched up Bear and ran off, Elishua simply stared after them.

When he reached the dorm, Tenthé found the guys lounging around, Some doing homework, others reading or trying some small-scale spells, and the rest playing games. Everyone looked up as he slid to a halt.

“I’m looking for people for a quest! So, not all at once, but who wants to join?” Tenthé spewed out.

To his astonishment, exactly no-one replied. In fact, they all stood frozen, appearing afraid to move.

At this unexpected lack of enthusiastic response, Tenthé tried again. “Come on guys, this is important! The City needs our help. Heck, I need your help! We have to scout the Horde, and I can’t do it alone!”

That made it even worse. Now everyone was avoiding eye contact and a few in the back edged to the doorway, where they turned and ran. Tenthé picked out Nik, who was nearest.

“What about you?” he asked. “The fallout of the last time gave your House a real boost. You owe me.”

“Yeah. Well. I don’t see it that way. I went on a little training run with you and ended up seeing a lot of people killed. It’s dangerous. You’re dangerous.”

Tenthé wasn’t the most patient person. This unexpected reluctance by his friends to do something he thought was obvious was very annoying. As his annoyance grew, the temperature in the room plummeted.

From the back of the room came a nervous, “Oh, crap.”

With each word penetrating everywhere, Tenthé spoke. This was no child.

“The City is in real danger. You are the next generation. It’s time for you to step up and make it possible for your families and friends to avoid being killed or converted to Horde. You think your easy life doesn’t have a price? Well, you’re wrong.

“The bill has come due. I need people. Is it going to be you? Or do I have to find others who have the guts to do what needs to be done!”

Tenthé looked around. Instead of shaming them into accepting, the threats appeared to have had the opposite effect. Now everyone was positively scared. The exception was Nik, who sighed and stood up.

He spoke quietly. “You don’t know your own reputation. No-one doubts you could wipe the floor with anyone here without even trying. Most of us haven’t ever left the City, and you want us to go across the Wildlands to spy on the Horde? We’re not trained for anything like that. What you need are proper soldiers and scouts.”

When nobody else would meet his eye, Tenthé looked around and all he saw was fear. He sighed and collapsed back into a chair. The cold left the lounge. Tenthé pulled out Bear, who sat beside him, quiet for once.

Elishua’s voice came from the door. “Using intimidation to motivate troops is one thing. But trying that with inexperienced students doesn’t work so well. Which you’d know if you had actually gone to your classes. Nik has a point. You need the right people for this jaunt. You also have to coordinate this with the College. Just taking some students and disappearing will not work. The Guardians would track down your ass and haul everyone back.

“Why don’t you and I sit down. You can tell me what you’re up to. I’ll figure out what should be done. I know you, and despite what you think, I’ll support anything that makes sense. You aren’t some random little kid, but a representative of the Dreamer, and that has weight.”

Tenthé had been ready to let it all drop and leave the City to its own fate. The Lady and Isabell could take care of themselves, and the rest could burn in the Hells for all he cared.

“Believe me, I know how you feel,” Bear consoled. “Whenever I tried to do the right thing, it all fell apart. Sure, it might have been my fault some of the time, but, even so, it hurt when I meant well and no-one believed me.

“But trust me, running away rarely works out either.”

He chuckled. “You might end up as a cute little doll. What you should do, which I never did, is let someone who knows what they are doing help you. It isn’t weak to work with others who can do what you aren’t good at.

“And, remember we said we’d never try to lead, after the last time? Let’s talk to her and see what she says.”

Tenthé looked at Elishua, debating what he should do.

“Let’s get something to eat while you tell me what’s going on.” she suggested, showing some insight.

Tenthé realized he was hungry. In his enthusiasm and anger, he hadn’t noticed. Returning Bear to his pocket, he followed Elishua out of the dorm. He wasn’t there to see the relief that spread through the remaining students.

A short time later, Elishua and Tenthé were in the small dining hall, stuffing their faces. The Envoy drifted up and joined them.

“So, I hear there has been some excitement,” she stated, obviously fishing for details.

“You could say that,” Elishua answered as she polished off her meal. “It seems our little man here has been given a quest, and he tried an end-run around the College to get it going. He smashed his face into the fact that no-one wanted to risk their safety for the fame that would come with dying on a mission next to the Tenth-Hand-of-the-Dreamer. I volunteered to help before Tenthé burned the College down, and we were just getting into the details.”

She paused for a moment, then added, “Oh, yeah, how was the meeting with the Sage, anyway?”

“Kind of strange,” the Envoy answered. “Not what I expected. He’s powerful, but avoided mentioning what he was going to do. I’m not sure what he’s all about. There’s another get-together tonight. Maybe we’ll find out more.”

She glanced over at Tenthé and probed, “So, what are you up to?”

Tenthé swallowed a huge mouthful and replied, “Someone I know has asked me to look into what is going on with the Horde. What Tomas and the Guardians have said doesn’t make any sense, and I’m worried. The only way I can think of to get solid information is to go see for myself. If the Horde is on the move, I might be able to slow them down if I have to.”

“That sounds easy, rushing across the wildlands and confronting the Horde,” the Envoy responded, somewhat sarcastically.

“Yeah, I thought so too,” said Tenthé. “A nice simple mission.”

Both Elishua and the Envoy looked at Tenthé, trying to figure out if he was serious. It appeared he was.

“Well,” ventured Elishua, “There’s part of your problem. This is not simple. Most of the time, you cross the Wilds in a convoy. There are all sorts of crazy things living there, and it takes a significant force to ensure you can get through. And after that, you’ll have to deal with the Horde, who have survived since forever by raiding cities like this one, and are anything but stupid. They’re arguably the best mobile fighting forces there are. No wonder no-one wanted to go.”

“What about you and her?” Tenthé asked.

Elishua and the Envoy glanced at each other, then Elishua answered, “He has a point. It’s past the time when I should have started getting out to practice what I’ve learned.”

“And raiding is a part of life for the Trachteur,” the Envoy added. “Somewhat formalized, but despite that, I’m not a stranger to what we’ll have to do.

“But even at that, three isn’t enough,” Elishua stated. “Not for a trip like this. Plus, we can’t do it without the College’s permission. They need to be included.”

Tenthé spoke up. “There are more people coming. I’ve got… um, two others lined up to help. They should be here tomorrow.”

“Really? What’s special about them?”

“They’re strong and have a brother in the Guardians. I trust the person who sent them to make sure they can handle the job.”

“Do they have their own equipment and transportation?”

“Don’t know.”

“Great. If they are okay, then we should have at least one more. Five is still marginal.”

Tenthé didn’t really understand what five meant, but he trusted Elishua knew what she was talking about. “I thought Nik would go,” he said. “He’s not bad and I figured he’d join us just because it wasn’t schoolwork.”

“Well… something happened to him and George. You know, on the day of the House rebellion that you know nothing about. They haven’t told us anything, but I think they were involved. Somehow. We had a chance to look over the scene afterward and it was quite bloody. Seeing that would affect someone who wasn’t used to it.”

“Really? What about you? How come you’re okay with it?”

“Our farm is outside the City gates. We’ve had to deal with things that drift in from the wildlands. Some of them were once human and you have to have a pretty thick skin. It can be gruesome.” A little of the memories showed in her eyes.

She went on. “Once we coordinate with the College and meet your friends, I think it’ll take a few days to get the equipment and transportation together. I estimate we should be able to start out in a Sixday or so.”

“I don’t know how long that is, but we have to be going the day after tomorrow,” Tenthé responded.

“What? That’s not possible!” Elishua exclaimed.

“In a war, you can’t take time to wait around for everything to be perfect!” Tenthé shot back.

“We’re not at war!”

“Yes, we are!”

While they glared at each other, the Envoy spoke up. “You’re both right. If the Horde is descending on us, we don’t have the luxury of time. I think we will do better than a Sixday, but we’re not set up for a quick response. In any case, the whole thing hinges on whether or not we get permission.”

Addressing Tenthé, she added, “I’m not sure you realize it, but most of the City elite don’t believe there’s an immediate threat and I’m pretty sure it’ll take time to convince them we need to do our little quest. The main reason I’m helping is that I agree with you. Something’s off, and sitting here waiting for the Horde is a recipe for disaster. But make no mistake. This trip will be dangerous!”

Tenthé glared at them. “I don’t care! And I don’t want to wait for someone to tell me what I can and can’t do! We have to go now! Like I said, if it were up to me, I’d be out of here tomorrow!”

“It takes planning to get through the Wilds and you don’t have a clue as to what you’re getting into!” Elishua retorted heatedly.

“That’s never stopped him before!” came from somewhere in his cloak.

Again, the Envoy was the voice of reason. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Why don’t we come up with a plan to present to Tomas and we’ll see what he says?”

Just then, a figure burst into the dining room and slid to a halt beside the table. It was Leo, looking a bit disheveled and out of breath.

“I want to go!” he gasped. “Count me in! I have to join you!”

This caught everyone by surprise. Tenthé eyed him.

“I heard about the quest and I have to go! I’m perfect! My family’s trained me in traversing the Wilds and I’ve had the best combat teachers! My magic’s as strong as anyone at the College, and I know people in all the nearest cities. Let me come with you!”

Elishua commented, “Yeah, because you love everyone and want to save the City.”

“What? Screw that! I want to do a quest! The bards’ll make me famous! If I sit around here, I’ll just grow old and become my father. Take me! I can pay!”

“If we say yes, and I’m not committing to anything, you’ll have to pull your weight! And there’s no room for your pals. We’ll be moving fast.” Elishua elaborated.

“No problem. My father’s men didn’t let me slack off! I know what I’m doing! Plus, my family has cached supplies in the Wilds that we can use if we need to.”

Elishua and the Envoy looked at Tenthé, who shrugged his shoulders. “Doesn’t matter to me,” he stated. “If he’s had training, then that’s better than most of the people I asked. If it turns out he’s too much trouble, we’ll know soon enough and can… uh, send him back. Or something. Might as well see. I don’t have to like someone for them to be useful.”

“Yeah, and as I understand how things work here in the City, having a person from the biggest Family with us will make everything easier,” mused the Envoy.

Tenthé had noticed that Leo’d regained control of his armor, which he was currently wearing. He had also shut down the spells that allowed external access. Maybe he wasn’t the spoiled jerk he seemed. Well, not entirely. And Tenthé wouldn’t shed too many tears if Leo had to take one for the team.

“Okay, let him come. For now,” he decided. “We’ll see how it goes.”

Elishua didn’t argue. “I can see an obvious advantage. If we say that we’re on a mission for the LePoiterices, it might be easier to talk Tomas into letting us go.”

She turned to Leo. “Is it possible to get a letter saying your family wants to pick up an urgent message, or something like that, from Angel City? It’ll help.”

She thought for a moment, and then conjectured, “I think the biggest sticking point will be prying Tenthé away from the College. He’s a symbol of the Dreamer, plus the Magisters don’t want to forget he exists.”

Leo proved he wasn’t totally ignorant. “Well, it doesn’t matter, does it? If they forget him, they’ll forget to care that he left, and by the time they would normally figure out what we’ve done, it’ll be too late.”

“You know? That isn’t completely wrong,” Elishua replied. “The rest of us can go without too many problems. I think the toughest will be you, Gyri. You’re a foreign dignitary and can’t just up and leave.”

It took a moment or two for everyone to remember the Envoy’s proper name. “Don’t worry,” the Trachteur responded, “I have a letter that allows me to be called back for ‘consulting’. I’ll use that. It won’t fool anyone, but there’s nothing they can do except complain. What about you?” she asked Elishua.

“Magister Graf will be thrilled to let me go. More than once, he’s told me I should get out and expand my horizons. He’d escort me to the City gate, just to make sure I left.”

Leo chimed in, “So now we have four? That’s pretty sketchy for a trip through the Wildlands.”

“No. Tenthé has a couple of other people joining us.”

“What?” Leo looked at Tenthé. “You know people?”

“Yeah. Sorta. You’ll see.”

Some disembodied laughter drifted out from his cloak.