“No. I’m not going.”

Punol glared at Traymon as soon as he entered the room, he pale grey eyes hard.

“Ahh, come on, Punol, you’re the best. You’ve gotta go.”

“No, Traymon. I’m not going.”

Traymon frowned, but continued begging.

“Please, Punol. You gotta do it. We need this run.”

Punol rubbed his forehead, as he sighed and answered “No. Lead people around the Badlands, sure. No problem. I mean, by all that Resonates, that’s what this company does. It’s why I signed on. Exploring the Highs, let’s do it. There’s good money to be made there. Shit, for the right price, with the right group, I’ll do a job into the Lows. It’s dangerous, but it’s manageable, and I owe you guys a lot. But not that. No one touches the Littles. No one. This job is suicide.”

Traymon round face had momentarily returned to its normal, cheery state as Punol talked, but hearing his conclusion, it fell again.

“Common, please. You’re the best man we’ve got. Shit, you’re the best Guide there is. If anyone can do it, you can.”

Punol tensed up, sensing that this would be a bigger argument than last time. He rubbed his beard, or at least what was left of it after his last shave.

“No. You’re not getting it Traymon. I’m gonna be real clear right now, so make sure you’re listening. It’s. Not. Possible.” Punol said, slowing enunciating every word. His long, black hair had fallen forwards as he did, so he tucked it back.

Traymon looked crestfallen, but Punol continued, “you know as well as I do, that it’s impossible. No one goes near the Littles. Shit, killing one would be bad enough. It would still be a suicide mission, but it would be a successful suicide mission. But this? Bringing one back? No. It’s not possible.”

“It is so possible!” Traymon interjected. “Over in the Dirtbreakers, they have the body of one, so it’s possible.”

“One, they brought that body out dead, and it was long dead before they got to it. Two, that’s not a Small. That’s a Big, it’s just all shrunken, and it would’ve been the runt of the pack anyway. The runts always die off out there.”

“Ohh.”

“Anyway,” Punol continued, now that he seemed to be winning. “What’s this sudden madness all about anyway? You’ve been at me near on a week now to do this job.”

Traymon sighed, running his hands down his clean-shaven face then collapsing back into his chair.

“Alright, Punol, I’ll tell you. Look, you know that times have been bad these last few seasons.”

Punol leant back warily in his chair, his thick, brown clothes a strong contrast to the white leather used on them.

“Traymon,” he sighed, “don’t tell me this is about money. We can’t be that bad off. We’ve only lost one job in the last, what, 6? That’s practically unheard of.”

“Punol, you know most of the guides won’t take the jobs into the Lows. It’s hard enough to get them to go into the Highs, lazy Resonating bastards that they are. Most of the jobs we’ve taken recently have just been to guide people around the edges. Those jobs and long and slow, and they don’t pay well. The only job that we lost is also the only one that went into the Lows.”

“Wait, what? You sent Teen into the Lows without me? For all that Resonates, Traymon!”

Traymon’s tanned face hardened, as he snapped back “You don’t get to talk to me about that! You think I don’t feel bad enough about it all? You were off on your own private job, and the request came in. I asked them to hold off until you were back, but they insisted on going. And Teen volunteered. He said that you told him he was ready for it. And we couldn’t turn the job down.”

“Bloody Resonating fool. Teen was good, and yeah, I told him that he was good enough to go into the Lows, but I meant with me. Rotting feck.” Punol muttered to himself angrily, then his head snapped up again.

“Wait, what do you mean you couldn’t say no to the job? Was that the same group as are behind this stupid request to go grab a Little? You never told me that!”

Traymon closed his eyes in resignation, sighing again.

“You know the rules. I don’t share the details of the job unless you’re the one doing the job, or the client gives the go-ahead for it. That’s why people hire us. Because they know we are discreet.”

“Sorry, you’re right,” Punol apologised quietly before continuing in a firmer voice. “But who is this group? They must have real pull to make you take a job like that. It’s not the some Lord from over in Delnata is it? No, even they wouldn’t be fool enough to try that.”

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Punol sighed in frustration as he thought it over then swore again as he realised “It was a lord from the Capital wasn’t it? Only they would be dumb enough and feckless enough to try to grab one of those. Bloody, spoiled, head-up their own arse, Cappies.”

Traymon winced as Punol talked. “No, mate, it wasn’t a lord. It’s even worse. It was the Royal Academy.”

Punol jerked upright, almost falling off his seat.

“What the Reson do those damned Mages want with a Small?” he almost spat out.

“I don’t know. They never said, and I sure as feck wasn’t going to ask them. All they told me was that it was for some very important research.”

“Research? On a Small? The only thing they’re likely to find out is how much it hurts when one of the Bigs throws a fireball into your face, while another pulls your arm off and beats you with it.”

Traymon sighed in frustration before replying.

“We both know it, but we have to do this job. They’re already angry enough about losing the last mission. They’re threatening to have our Charter taken away for being incompetent. If we don’t do this job, and succeed, then I lose it all. My father’s father started this Company, and I’m not going to be the one that loses it. So, I’m going. But we both know that without you, there’s not a chance that this mission succeeds. Now, I can’t make you do it, and I wouldn’t anyway. But, please Punol. I’m asking you as a friend. Help me. I’ll double your take if you want, whatever. But I need you to come. Please.” Traymon was almost begging by the end.

Punol sat and stared at the older man, finally seeing the desperation on his face for what it was. Fear. He signed in defeat.

“Fine, I’ll come. But you make sure that those Resonating Mages know that I’m the Scout. That means, that my word is law out there.”

“Yes, sure, whatever you say!” Traymon said happily, smiling with relief.

“Alright, how long do you need to get ready?” he asked Punol.

Punol, sat in thought for a moment, his tall, lean, frame barely moving.

“Give me two days, no, better make it three. I need to go over my gear properly if we’re doing this, and I’ll need to plot out a course for us.”

“No problem, Punol,” Traymon said cheerfully. “I’ll go inform the mages to be ready to leave on Firthday then. First light, I take it?”

“You better believe it. It’s a big enough Journey without wasting daylight. And you make sure they know what they are doing. Actually, you better tell them that we’ll come visit them tomorrow to do a briefing, so that I know what they are bringing and what they need.”

“I’ll tell them that we’ll do lunch together at the inn they are staying at. Anything else, Punol?”

He thought for a moment, then said with a wry grin “Yeah, you’re definitely paying me double for this. And, you’re covering all my gear. In advance.”

Traymon winced, then agreed “alright, that’s fine. Nothing else? Then I’m off. Meet heremid-morning and we can go over your draft plan for the course.”

With that, Traymon rushed out.

“What in the feck is that thing supposed to be?” he swore, looking at he wagon in front of him. It was effectively two cages, with a thick-looking divider in between them.

“Well, how else would we bring back a wild beast?” Yarnis, said snootily. “If you think you know better than the finest minds of the Mages Academy, then go ahead!”

“I don’t care what minds, or lack of them, you used to devise that thing!” Punol snapped back. “This is a job into the Lows, not a trip around the edges of the Highs. The ground there is all hills and rivers. Not to mention the fact that this has to be a stealth job. We need to get in and out without being seen.”

“Well then, you will need to come up with a better option then!” Yarnis almost shouted in response.

“Come, now,” Ginara interceded diplomatically. “We understand your point, Master Scout, but we must achieve this goal. We have been given the strictest of instructions as to this.”

The old woman stood peacefully, greying but still standing straight, her hair kept back in a tight bun, while her wrinkled face smiled gently, her long chin and nose giving her the impression of an tomahawk; tightly controlled power.

Her companion on the other hand, had a narrow face, with short, swept back hair. Over all, he looked more like a saber, and had the temperament to match, all anger and force.

“Indeed!” Yarnis agreed.

“How you get it back isn’t my problem, but if that’s your only idea, then you’re on your own. This is enough of a suicide mission as it is, without trying to take a fecking cage-on-wheels into the Lows.”

Traymon interrupted him before he could continue, his fine, dark green coat almost competing the with tailored clothes the Mages wore.

“No one is trying to tell you how to do this mission, Punol, but it is what it is. We need another way to bring the Small out.”

“Well said, Master Traymon,” Ginara agreed smoothly. “If the wagon won’t work, what are the options?”

“We’ll all on riding the Hill Ponies that we breed here in town. They’re the best for the job. I assume you have enough to cover the purchase of some? None of the stables here will let you rent them out, not for a mission into the Badlands.”

“We thought we would use our own horses,” Ginara said quickly, preventing Yarnis from snapping at him. “They are from the same bloodline as the Royal Mounts, or as close as you will get outside of the Royal Court.”

“Nah, they can’t come. It’s not just speed you need out there. The Hill Ponies are bred and raised for the kinda land out there. They need speed, endurance and sure-footedness, especially if you’re aiming to catch a Small.”

Ginara nodded in understanding. “Very well. We shall review the local stables tomorrow, and purchase some. Four would be enough, would it not?”

“You better make it five. We might end up being out there for a while, and you don’t want to overload the horses, in case we have to make a dash for it. Actually, make that when we make a dash for it.”

“Very well, Master Scout. Is there anything else you think we should get?”

Punol leant back against the wall he was standing next to and replied “Yeah, you need to bring everything that you are planning to bring out here, so that I can check what you have and what you will need to purchase.”

Yarnis glared at him “we are not children, Scout. We can pack our own bags.”

“That’s Master Scout, Mage!” Punol snapped back. “And no you can’t. I don’t care where you’ve been, the Badlands are worse. The lack of magic there has weird effects on all sorts of items, so we need to make sure you won’t have any problems. And that’s ignoring the more normal problems of needing to be able to travel and camp in secrecy.”

Yarnis was about to snap back, before Traymon interrupted him.

“Punol is in charge. That’s the rule. If you can’t agree to listen to him and follow his orders, we’ll cancel this mission now and take the risk.”

“No, that is acceptable. We will listen to and abide by Master Punol’s decisions.” Ginara said calmy. Now, we will gather our things and be back soon.”