“Yeah, bro! Sorry it took me so long! I was… uh… actually, I am still dealing with it,” Luxley said.

By now, Zan was smiling broadly. He felt his mood lifted. Just when he thought things had gotten too dark, the sun parted.

“What do you mean?” Zan asked, talking low.

“I guess little-miss Maggie Weathers, my tutor, blabbed about you visiting me. Well, not blabbed, that makes it sound like she ratted us out. Or dislikes me. Sorry, I mean, or I guess what happened was she was talking with one of the castle staff. Word spread about me having a visiter, since it doesn’t happen often, and people got curious who it was so they looked in the guest sign-in lodger. They didn’t find anyone. Then my dad forced everyone to turn the castle over and find out who it was… aye, what a mess!” Luxley said at length, seemingly never intending on stopping his verbal spillage.

“Sorry. Didn’t you say you knew me, though?” Zan asked, feeling weird about potentially getting his (almost) friend in trouble.

“I tried! I really did! They never listen, though. Not to me. My dad thinks I am only some stupid asshole. You know how parents are… or maybe you don’t? Your parents must be cool. You’re fighting in a war, right? They’re letting you fight, I mean,” Luxley again said with the quickness of a duck’s quack.

“I don’t have parents. They abandoned me,” Zan said softly, to ensure Jiehong didn’t hear him talking about his past.

“Oh… gods. I had no idea. I need to go — bye!” Luxley said strangely curtly before ending the conversation.

Stupid Zan, stupid! Zan muttered to himself. He came on too strong. He still didn’t know who Luxley was or how his mind worked. It was too much personal information too quickly. He should have played it cool. Mention fewer details about his rat parents. Gods, why am I so awkward?!

“Who were you talking to?” Jiehong asked.

Busted. Crap… well, wait. Not busted. Jiehong was going to find out about Luxley, eventually. I should come clean. Be honest. Direct.

“I was talking to Luxley. He lives beyond that branching pathway in the Backroads,” Zan replied.

“Oh, that whole thing. What is he like?” Jiehong asked.

“He is about our age. I think. His family has lots of money. More than your family. And he lives in the Expanse, of course. He seems kind.”

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“Yeah, I remember some stuff from the Wardens. It is only a tactical thing for you, then? Befriending this guy, I mean? As soon as he has served his purpose, you are going to cut him loose?”

Zan couldn’t reply right away. Jiehong’s statement took him aback.

He had intended on playing his hand some with Jiehong, playing the friendship head game some so Jiehong would not become jealous and therefore even more of a bean-turd to work alongside.

He couldn’t, though. He had to be honest.

Hearing Jiehong speak so lowly of another person, whatever their station in life, turned him off in a way he did not appreciate. No mind games. Just the truth.

“No. He is, or will be, possibly, a friend,” Zan stated. Simple and clean.

“You want to be friends with the enemy?”

“He isn’t our enemy. He is a civilian who lives in the country waging an unjust war against our country. HE is not our enemy, HE is not on the front lines killing our countrymen, and HE is not the one talking about using and discarding people like they are your soiled ‘flogging’ tissues!” Zan said with more oomph than he intended.

Fully expecting one of Jiehong’s rancid rebuttals, or maybe a response which simply missed the point, Zan braced himself.

He said nothing.

Not a word.

Or sound.

Quiet.

In their silence, Zan and Jiehong made good time to Thundervale.

Returning early evening, Zan knew as soon as their business was done, here, they would need to either rent a room or return to the command center.

Or the third, radical option: stay up through the day.

Reaching Thundervale, the sun had risen to an early morning height. Zan felt tired of always being between days. Between days was why he rarely had magic anymore, because the Slipstream does not come out at night and Zan and Jiehong were always traveling by night or fighting by night because of the enemy’s power-levels then.

I should stay up, Zan told himself. I’m already so tired, though! Ugh!

Walking into town, the guards recognizing them and waving them on through with a smile — high tidings away from their first visit! — Zan knew he couldn’t do anything before he met with Colonel Winters.

Strolling to the guardhouse, Jiehong behind, though still unhappy looking, Zan entered and asked to see the Colonel. The clerk waved him up, not bothering to have him sign any guest-book. Or even to look up from a missive they were reading. Zan smiled and went up.

Past the clerk, Zan let his smile back down. He hated smiling. It was a social custom, and he did not know why everyone was so gun-go about it. It made his face feel weird. He found Winters like he had last time, stooped over his desk with a parchment pile high. “Hiya,” Zan said, while still crossing the large third-floor. “I will keep things short: the enemy is advancing into the region around Feathervale. I found some rebels who said they can put their differences aside with the loyalist and attack together. IF the loyalists will work with them; this is important, Colonel. Dozens of outposts have already been established.”

“Nice to see you again, Zan,” the colonel said with a sigh.

“Nice to see you again?” Zan replied, unsure if the Colonel was joshing him or not.

Silence. After a bit, Zan reiterated, “So, about those riders?”

“Rebels? Really?” the Colonel asked.

“They’re taking up arms to defend our country. We should be at least willing to work with them,” Zan repeated. Behind him, Jiehong rolled his eyes. Zan glimpsed Jiehong’s behavior just as he turned to re-introduce him.

Eyes fixed on Zan, Colonel Winters groaned as only a seasoned military officer could. “Can’t it ever be easy with you?”