To Find Friends

Act 1: The Old Homestead

Chapter 1: Prologue.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRj5BQk4Y7A A cart rolled into a small, lonely looking homestead in the wide-open fields south of a terrible fortress that was set around an active Volcano, just barely noticeable on the edge of the horizon. There was a small, perhaps 2 or 3 room house, with a tin roof extending from the right side, where a horse stood, tied up. A stone's throw away from that was a barn, which was laughably bigger than the house. All around the outer fence, there were small patchwork areas that were once fields of something. Inside the fence line was various farmers tools, from various centuries, lying everywhere. Most of them showing early signs of deterioration.

On the cart were a number of people. A old, Easterly-dressed, dark skinned woman shared the driver seat with a young fair-skinned man in burnt, ripped, torn servant's uniform. Behind them, in the bed of the wagon were five others. All of them were as battered and disheveled as the young man driving. There was a cyborg sitting next to a silent-type young man, with a light, altogether fine, but unkempt, beard who watched a snoring, more heavily bearded man twitching on the floor of the cart. Across from the cyborg and the silent man sat a slightly younger man with a significant goatee dwarfing all other facial hair, and a young dark-skinned lady (who obviously had no facial hair,). Of those five, only the lady was not wearing thin gray prisoner's garb. 

They had all just escaped prison. Thunderclap Prison.

The old, dark skinned woman, Mrs. Richardson, also known by her Easterner persona, 'Sandhya', pointed to the overhang. "Park there, Carson."

The driver, Carson Flemming complied.

"That's not good," from the back of the cart, Peragrine Wanderthistle, the young man sporting the goatee, indicated the one horse. "Where's the other horse?"

Next to him, the young woman, Emily, also known as 'Yasmine' responded. "I think that's Tain's horse." 

'Tain', another escaped prisoner, had gone ahead with two other fellow escapees. 'Loden', a rather roguish and mysterious blonde fellow,  and Peter Silverstine, Emily's brother, who had ridden on the back of Loden's horse. They had left with two horses. . .

And now there was only one. 

"If he's here, he'll know. Let's find out," Emily reasoned, quelling the unease in her gut.

The silent one next to the cyborg kicked the sleeping one on the bed of the cart. He muttered something about rice cakes, and rolled over.

As soon as the cart stopped rolling, Peragrine hopped out, followed quickly by Emily. The others followed more slowly.

Peragrine hopped up the two steps to the door and knocked. "Hello? Tain? Anyone home?" he yelled.  Behind him, some shushed.

Nothing happened for a moment, while the silent one, going by the name 'Vorpal' helped the cyborg, 'Burnie' out of the cart. It was clear Burnie needed medical attention. 

When they had found him in Thunderclap Prison, Burnie was actually an integrated pilot of what could only be described as an advanced BarneyBot. During the escape, he had been forcibly extricated from it by a Red Mythran, then ran over by the cart. Thankfully, the cart destroyed the Red Mythan's glasslike physical structure when it took it by surprise. Unfortunately, though being made of mostly metal as cyborgs commonly are, Burnie was further harmed. His face, with it's only human feature being his left eye, betrayed very little emotion as his mechanical legs audibly whined and shifted, as he got up and, with Vorpal's help, carefully climbed out of the wagon. 

The opening of the door refocused everyone. Tain stood in the doorway with a rusty spear. 

"Get in."

Chapter 2: Falling Apart.

"Get in."

Emily rushed past Tain, her sari snagging the old rusty spear he had found over the other doorframe as a decoration. He understood her behavior; she needed to see her brother.

Peragrine followed. "Nice to see you too, buddy!" he said. Tain just patted him on the back to move him along. 

Mrs. Richardson followed after. "Where are the tenants?" she asked. Tain shook his head. 

"Place was abandoned." 

Carson followed in next.  "Great, and I was looking for a bed and breakfast." he snarked. Tain shoved him to move along. Suddenly the snoozer in the cart poked his head up. 

"ARE WE THERE YE- oh, we're here." 

Vorpal, of whom Burnie was leaning heavily on as they went up the two steps to the door, turned his head and remarked smoothly, "Oh, so you decided to get up."

"You say that like it's a choice!" remarked the sleeper.

"Get in," repeated Tain. Behind him, Mrs. Richardson stopped Peragrine from lighting a fire in the stove, while Carson began rummaging in an adjoining  room. A kitchen. 

"You. Better. 'get in.' No-Name," voiced Burnie, his speech tremulous and vibrating, hidden behind a warped faceplate. "Or. We May. Leave yo- uhg. Leave you. Out Here."

'No-Name' seemed to give it an extended think as Vorpal and Burnie made it up the steps. Once they began stepping across the threshold, No-Name hopped out of the wagon and zipped in behind them. Tain closed the door.

Peragrine pulled a comfy-looking chair from the wall of furniture around the room. "I take it you re-arranged the furniture, Tain?"

Tain nodded. "For security."

"What about the other young man? What was his name...?" Began Mrs. Richardson.

Burnie shoved off of Vorpal and used his chipped metal claws to grip the leg of a table that was on it's side, blocking a window with it's flat surface. "Loden. Blonde, Approximately in his 30s. Did well with a sword. Limited data," he spewed. 

"Yes, him."

Tain shook his head. "Said he had to be on his way. I do too."

Peragrine stood up. "Wait, now?"

"I was just waiting for the rest of you to get here."

"Wait, but-"

"Makes sense," No-Name said, as he stood by the wood stove. He held up a already packed sack. Tain gave a start. "Thanks, bro." said No-Name. Then he threw something on the ground, and disappeared in a cloud of soot. 

Of course, this caused some light coughing, as everyone's vision was obscured for a moment. There was some scuffling around, and Peragrine heard Tain mutter "That was MY pack," but Peragrine noted a heavier thud from Burnie's direction.  Once eye and lung cleared again, Peragrine saw that the 'thud' had been Burnie collapsing onto the ground.

"Woah, hey, buddy, get up." Peragrine rushed over and wrestled the heavy Burnie into a sitting position. Only then did he notice that Burnie was hardly responsive. 

"Burnie?"

His human eye was glazed over. Peragrine wondered if he was even breathing, but with that facemask, he couldn't tell. 

Vorpal rushed over next, and everyone else circled in, even Carson, who was munching on a potato while pouring salt on it.

"Burnie, what is wrong?" Vorpal asked, voice low with concern and urgency.

Burnie's eyes focused on Vorpal for a moment, before wandering to everyone else. "I will not survive."

"What?!" cried Peragrine. "No, you'll be fine! Just tell me what you need."

Burnie turned to Peragrine. "No. It is. One Hundred Per Ce-"

"Nonsense, don't talk like that, I'll just-" Peragrine began as he got up.

Burnie gripped the young man's shoulder before he could continue. "I. Am not. Meant. To Function without... External Resources."

Vorpal nodded. "You said you were the 'heart of the machine' when we found you."

Burnie nodded.

"Well, what if we got you a Barneybot shell? Would you work then? I can go get one now!" Peragrine suggested, pulling on Burnie's iron grip.

Burnie shook his head. "It would take too-" suddenly a red light lit on Burnie's chest, accompanied by a small whine. Burnie appeared to have run out of breath.  He began pressing buttons on his right arm, the arm that was holding Perry.

Tain finished for Burnie. "Too much time to modify."

Burnie nodded, then pointed to his arm. An LED readout read: "!t ha5 833n a pl3a5ur3 2 8 0f 53rv!c3. Thank y0u f0r fr33!ng m3."

More lights appeared, and more warning signs went off, and the readout began giving system errors, such as 'LOW OXYGEN', '0% POWER' 'EXTENSIVE DAMAGE' 'INTERNAL FAILURE'...

Burnie tilted his head back and closed his natural eye. Finally, the grip on Peragrine's arm loosened, and clanged hollowly on the floor. The warnings and lights all wore out, and all was silent in the house.

...

Until Carson spoke.

"Well, that sucks."

"Shut up," was the reply Tain gave.

The harsh words stirred Mrs. Richardson. "I am going to check on Emily," she said, and she excused herself, disappearing into the bedroom. "Emily, dear..."

The four remaining men fell back into silence, except for the occasional sniffle from Peragrine. 

Vorpal looked up at the others. Carson was frowning as he stared at the last bite of potato he had. Tain had a similar expression as he stared at Burnie's form, deep in thought. Peragrine's gaze was also transfixed with Burnie, but it showed emotional confusion instead of deep thought. 

"We should bury him." Vorpal directed his words to Tain. Tain nodded curtly.

Wiping his nose on his frayed prisoner garb, Peragrine stood up. "I'll help."

Vorpal nodded his thanks, and the two tried to lift Burnie.

"Oof!"

But to no success.

Tain moved forward to help. 

"Good, we shall each grab a limb." Vorpal suggested.

They all looked at Carson expectantly, as he was wiping his hands of potato.

Carson did not appear to notice. A moment later, Tain 'ahemed'.

"Got a frog in your throat, Doc?" Carson muttered, crossing his arms and turning away casually.

"Carson, could you, ah-" began Peragrine, thinking maybe he just didn't understand they were waiting for him.

"No."

Vorpal glanced at Tain, and saw his brow furrow ever so slightly. Tain repositioned and squatted with his back to the body, grabbing the legs on his sides. 

"We'll try with three," he said to Vorpal and Perry.

Peragrine, after a moment's hesitation of staring at Carson, nodded to Vorpal, who replied. "Agreed."

"One. Two."

They lifted on three, and Tain threw the legs over his shoulders as the other two jointly carried the shoulders on their shoulders. Tain opened the door, and they went down the steps, out from the overhang and behind the house.

(\\\}======>

Chapter 3:Family

"Get in."

Emily needed no second persuasion, and rushed past him. She had to see her brother. She was standing in what appeared to of been the main room, but all of the furniture had been pushed to the walls or up against windows. However, the entrances to the two other rooms and a small area around the unlit wood-burning stove were still clear. She peeked into the tiny 'bedroom'. 

"Brother!" 

He lay on the bed, surrounded by a makeshift apothecary. Kitchen herbs, a water basin, ripped up shirts and rags. He turned his head and when he saw his little sister, he smiled.

"Oh Peter!" she breathed. "You're alive." She ran over and dropped to her knees to wrap her arms around her eldest brother on the bed, so glad that she would be able to cherish him a little longer on this plane of existence.

"Ow." He replied.

She let him lay back down, and noticed the pain in his 'smile' for the first time.

"How bad is it?" she asked.

"Pretty bad. But now I understand why Carson kept calling Tain 'Doc'," Peter said. "He may not be one by trade, but he should consider it!"

They both laughed softly, and a quiet pause followed, in which they heard the others in the main room conversing. 

"So, did you ev-"

"So, how did you an-".

"Oh, go ahead," said Emily.

"No, ladies first!" smiled Peter.

Emily opened her mouth for a retort, mildly irritated by her brother playing the propriety card, but she acquiesced. "Ok... I was going to ask... if you're ok talking about it..." 

"Yes. Father was captured." 

Emily nodded. She was thankful for the blunt answer.

"He did not make it."

The concern in Emily's eyes disappeared. It was replaced by an impassive stony gaze as Peter continued.

"They interrogated him for information. They wanted our mines, people, locations, techniques, alloys. They needed the raw materials for something... something massive."

"Or Barneybots," she interjected. 

Light coughing emanated from the other room.

"Right, or more of those monstrosities," Peter agreed. "Either way, they were only going to harm people with whatever we told them, so Father wouldn't give them anything. So they tortured him. A bit too far, apparently." Peter began staring at the wall behind Emily as he continued to ramble. "When I'd hear them torturing him like that, I knew that once they'd tried everything with him, they'd go onto either me or Uncle."

"Uncle Jean?"

"Yeah, Uncle Jean. He... Oh my God." Peter sat up, pale as paper. "We left him there."

"No, no, Peter. It's not like that. Jean's actually quite..." She stopped him from trying to stand. 

"What do you mean? Jean escaped too?"

"No. He's actually really well off."

Peter frowned, confused, but allowed Emily to lay him back down. Of course, the pain in every movement also aided in taking him down.

"He didn't escape but he's well off; explain that to me."

"Jean is the reason we found the rest of you. But he doesn't know that."

"So, wait, you know where he is, but we just left him there?" 

"Peter, it's compli- he wouldn't have wanted to come!" she barked.

"What do you mean, Em?" frustration and confusion was getting the better of the both of them.

"I mean that he's in a cushy apartment, and we were pretending to be Persian Carpeters from the far east, and that's why I'm wearing this stupid, thick tanning lotion, and we've been trying our best to not be found and yet find you, but of course that meant disappearing for forever till we could look where you were most likely to be, which is in the middle of it all, and then Uncle Jean gave us just the in we need, and we were able to get all the prisoners of thedude out, but JEAN IS NOT A PRISONER!" she explained, ending with more exasperation than she really meant. 

Peter regarded his little sister anew. She wasn't so little anymore. Not that she ever had been. Emily had always been the most responsible of the four of them. He and Austin had a bad habit of getting into trouble together, and Stirling was prone to going off by himself, while Emily always knew where everyone was and what was going on. And in the few times where it was just the four of them in some situation, and Mother and Father were not around, their little sister always knew what to do.  Sure, Peter was the oldest, but he certainly wouldn't say he was the wisest. That was Emily.

But something was different about her now, and he wasn't just talking about the insane tan. Right now, she didn't seem so wise. She didn't know what to do. She sighed deeply, and her frustration disappeared from view. 

Ah, but it did not disappear altogether. He could tell that she was still very tense. Irritated, perhaps. 

"I'm sorry, Sister." Time. Time had changed her, he decided. Life and hope and goals and everyday living may have stopped for him and the others in that prison, but not for others. "It appears I have alot to catch up on."

Emily smiled softly, and nodded. 

All was quiet in the house.

...

A Moment later, the door swung fully open from it's mostly closed position.

"Emily, dear."

"Mrs. Richardson!" Emily beamed.

"How is your brother?"

"Peter is well. Or rather..."

"Well enough," finished Peter as he craned his neck to see who he was talking to. "Thanks to you, I think. You brought the wagon, right?"

"That's right," Mrs. Richardson confirmed.

"Peter, this is Mrs. Richardson. Mrs. Richardson, my brother, Peter." Emily introduced, not wanting to forget basic manners. "She's been a good friend to me and Mother since we found her and ... Bethany ... at an inn on the edge of the Fire desert. "

Mrs Richardson nodded and smiled, but it was tempered at the mention of 'Bethany.'

Peter nodded in understanding. He hadn't known the girl's name till now, but she was memorable enough. From what he could understand, Bethany had used magic to create a shockwave of some kind, but it has exhausted her very life, or something like that. But he could be not remembering correctly. He had been having a mental breakdown induced by the evil Warden, Malesius. He shivered at the collective memory of it all. Already, their escape seemed ages ago, even though it was only just yesterday. 

"Bethany... Yes, I think I remember her. She was very brave to help us escape."

Emily smiled. "She'd blush to hear you say that."

"I am glad you remember her, Peter," Mrs. Richardson said. "Even more so that her sacrifice was not in vain, and that you and others live."

Peter smirked weakly. Then he blinked. "Wait, Fire Desert?"

Emily nodded.

"Is THAT why you're all dressed like easterners?"

Emily laughed. "I thought I just told you!"

"And how long ago was all that?"

"14 years ago."

Peter shook his head and sighed. "I..." He tried to get up, but both women kept him down before he hurt himself. "Tell me everything," he whispered. "Please."

Emily sat on the bed next to Peter. "Well, it's a long story, but I'll te-"

Right then, the door opened, and Carson popped his head in. He looked more dour than usual. "They're burying Burnie. You'll want to pay your respects."

"What?!" Emily and Peter barked as the latter craned his head around again.

Chapter 4: Farewell.

It was about 25 or 30 paces from the house. Not nearly far enough, Peter thought. But what was he going to do about it? Nothing. He was too exhausted to say anything, much less argue they needed to dig again.

And the worse part was that he had just watched them dig. 

Sitting in a chair that his sister had gotten him. Bless her, but it was so humiliating. So torn up was he, mentally and physically, that all he was good for was to just sit here and watch the others toil in the dirt. Nevertheless, they had all dug a hole deep enough. Even Carson had (halfheartedly) helped by clearing the dirt piling up on the edge of the grave. It had taken a few hours, but with everyone pitching in, as well as the need to do it to stay warm in the cold air, and the soil thankfully getting softer the deeper they got, it was done quickly.

Now that the grave had been dug, everyone looked at each other... 

Someone had to say a few words before they lowered him in.

Well, at least he could do that.

"I didn't know Burnie very well. Of course, I don't think any of us did." Peter began. Everyone agreed.

"All we really know about him was that he was a cyborg, wasn't liked by thedude, and was denied his freedom. Like the rest of us. He helped us to get free, once he understood. Like anyone, Burnie had hopes and dreams. While he probably didn't get to do all of them, I think we can take comfort that now he can do those things knowing his shell here is free. It won't be taken apart, or studied, or dissected. He will be given a proper burial, and we shall leave it at that." Peter stopped to check with his audience. Some were getting disinterested, most were deep in thought.

"I'm not sure what everyone's stance is here on 'the afterlife'..." 

That brought their attention back.

"... But I, for one, believe there is life after death. I believe Burnie is free-er than any of us here. He has achieved more freedom than any of us here."

Peter's eye was caught by a tear from Mrs. Richardson. And that reminded him.

"Let us also not forget those we've left behind. Bethany, and Mo- erm, Mrs. Silverstine. Is there anyone I am missing?"

They all thought for a moment, but only Emily responded. "Just Jean, but he will be... alright."

"Can someone say a few words for Bethany?" Peter asked. "I am afraid I do not have perfect clarity on what happened."

Peragrine stepped forward, as Emily nodded.

"Bethany was a-"

"Yes, Beth and I-"

Emily glanced back at Peragrine. "I'm sorry, you were saying?"

"No, go ahead, you knew her longer, I think?"

"...Thank you." She replied. 

"Beth and I go way back. Almost a decade ago, I and Mother, that's Mrs. Silverstine to the rest of you, met Beth and Mrs. Richardson far to the east, right outside Morcia's eastern Border on the edge of the Fire Desert. Together, we disguised ourselves as Easterner Merchants and took refuge from thedude's influence in the east. That worked for a time, and we became successful and rather well known in that region. All the while, we did not forget our family and kin here in Morcia. Mrs Richardson expected her husband to come after them, but he never did. Eventually, we garnered enough reputation and respect to be commissioned a caravan to the West. We hoped to cater to thedude himself, and perhaps 'furnish' his very demise." She laughed. "But then my Uncle, Jean-Claude Silverstine, somehow found us by a stroke of luck, called us, and we were diverted to Thunderclap Keep, where he was being kept. Once there, we performed much of our original plan, but once  we heard about dungeons... Of course we had to get in there, save who we could, map that as well." Here she withdrew a notepad from her ever-constant satchel. "And with a little math and artistry, we can have a detailed map of thedude's Fortress!"

Peter had to admit, he loved her zeal, but he also had to steer her back to the main point. "What does this have to do with Bethany?"

Emily cleared her throat as she tucked the precious notepad away. "Right. Well, thanks to Carson here-"

"You are NOT pinning any of this on me!"

"Shut up." Said Peter, Emily, Tain, and Vorpal.

"Yeah, be quiet." Finished Perry lamely.

Emily continued. "...Carson got us into the dungeons. There, Bethany activated a trap, which nearly extinguished her spark. She was so exhausted from... 

"She should have collapsed there." Carson interrupted.

Emily was furious. "Carson, will you PLEASE respe-"

"No, I'm serious." Carson's tone was soft. "She should have been done for right then. That trap was designed by some very devious people. It supposed to crush your very reason for living right out of you. Maleisus explained it to me in detail so that I could know how grave a mistake would be." He looked up at Emily. "I did try to stop her."

A pause. Then, "That's right, you did."

Carson continued. "Anyway, while she sat there trying to recover, I led her," he motioned to Emily, "on her crazy suicide mission deeper into the prison, where we found THIS maniac," he shoved a thumb at Peragrine, who grinned maniacally, and playfully shoved Carson away. "Who scared the LIVING DAYLIGHTS out of me, then promptly 'healed' me, quote-unquote. Oh, and by the way, I'm STILL numb there." He motioned to his back.

"Really?"

"YES."

"How odd. Maybe I could fix that..."

"NO! just..."

The two quickly derailed into a heated conversation about his back, and Emily picked up where Carson left off.

"Since Peragrine had seemed to help Carson, I asked him if he could help Beth. And he did, sort of. She ended up having the same effect as Carson, but since she was hurt all over, so to speak, Peragrine appeared to 'numb' her hurt... all over. She said she couldn't feel anything. But there was no time to worry about that, since you guys arrived where we were waiting.

Mrs. Richardson had been paying close attention, but now she interjected. "Who arrived?"

Emily named them off. "Tain arrived with Peter, Loden, Burnie, Carson, Vorpal and No-Name. He met up with Beth, Perry and me who had stayed behind in the main room to take care of Beth."

Mrs Richardson nodded her understanding, and Emily continued her narrative.

"Once Carson got the door open, the Warden came in, and he had terrible power. He seemed to exploit a weakness in all of the prisoners that he knew of beforehand, like a sadistic... well, Warden." Emily recounted. "One of those was when he threw some sort of gem at Perry, who then collapsed in apparent exhaustion."

Hearing his name, Peragrine broke from his conversation with Carson to listen.

"The important thing is, though, that the gem stayed suspended in air. Moments later, the Warden noticed Me and Beth, and he shot at us with lightning. Bethany actually jumped in front of it, saving me. Only after I've had time to think about it do I realize why she survived it." Emily turned to look at Peragrine.

"Your numbing of her senses allowed her to not feel any pain."

Peragrine looked up, seemingly subdued. "Yeah. I guess so." 

"Anyway, right after that, Bethany noticed the Gem, and... She grabbed it, and it started to emit a ringing, which grew more and more..." Emily's recounting of events slowed. "I don't really know what happened next, or why, but there was an explosion of... air?" She directed her next words to Perry. "And while everyone else was knocked back, you were standing up. Why?"

Peragrine shook his head. "The gem he threw at me captured my energy." He clarifed. "I guess somehow that when Bethany touched it, she was able to make it release somehow, but I'm not sure. Either way, I was, uh... Recharged, which allowed me to capture the Warden with my magic!"

"But whatever Bethany did to release your... energy," Vorpal spoke. "exhausted her very spark."

Peragrine bowed his head. "For all I know, there's alot I don't. I wish I knew how that all worked."

Mrs. Richardson, lips pursed, asked another question. "From there, what happened?"

No one immediately answered, except for the wind, which rustled everyone's hair and clothes.

"From there, we went up the stairs and fought our separate ways to the stables and gatehouse, when you and Carson came barreling in with the wagon!" Emily finished succinctly. 

Carson's eyes went wide with terror. "YOU JUST LEFT HIM THERE?!?"

"The Warden? No, we-" Peragrine blurted, but was interrupted.

"We smashed him." Tain assured the ex-employee of the Warden.

Carson tried to hide his relief. "Well... Good!"

Emily looked at Peter, who was staring at his hands folded in his lap.

(\\\}======>

Shortly thereafter, they finished the memorial for Burnie and Bethany and filled up the hole. Three shovels made up the 'headstone'.

After yet another quiet silence, Mrs. Richardson said she was going inside to fix a little something for everyone. Peter asked if he could come, and Peragrine rushed over to his other side. Emily grabbed the chair, and those four went inside.  Shortly after, Carson muttered something about 'slim pickings' and hurried inside. Tain and Vorpal stood alone in front of the grave.

"I intend to leave." Vorpal declared.

Tain nodded.

"I do not need rations, but I would like your permission to take a horse. However, only the carriage horses are left."

"Don't need my permission."

"Nevertheless, I thought you deserved to know." 

Tain made no response. 

A minute later, he was alone, and the sound of receding hooves was the only other sound accompanying the blustery wind.  

Chapter 5: Oral History

Peter had refused to be put back to bed, so instead Emily had set the chair against the wall in the main room where he could see almost every door in the house. He could see part of the kitchen where Emily, Mrs. Richardson, and Carson were busy making something that smelled profoundly delicious. Peragrine was currently being ousted from there after a profoundly loud 'WHUMP' followed by what sounded like muffled profanity from Carson.

"Peragrine, tell Peter what you told me about Austin!" Emily yelled, smiling as she appeared in the doorway shoving Peragrine into the main room. He was covered in sugar, (or was it salt?) and looked clueless. 

Peter had nearly fell out of his chair at that. 'Peragrine knew about Austin?!'

"Oh! OH!" Peragrine shook himself, and white powder wisped off him, but he was still quite white. (it must have been flour) He magically dragged an armchair to himself and plonked down next to Peter. 

"I know about Austin!" 

Peter smiled large, his first big smile in a long time. 

"And Stirling!" Perry added.

Peter's face froze. "What?"

"Your brothers?"

"You... know Stirling?"

"Yeah! We're best buds! I've known the guy for decades! Well, I mean, did."

"YOU KNOW ABOUT MY LITTLEST BROTHER?!" Peter grabbed Perry and shook him like a ragdoll in his excitement. "HOW IN THE BLUE BLAZES IS THIS POSSIBLE?!?" Every muscle was screaming in pain at this exertion, but he didn't even notice, so shocked was he by this extra revelation.

"I-yi-yi-yi kn-ow-ow-ow hi-yi-iy-m -fr-ou-ou-ou-m the-e- NE-e-X-Uy-Uy-S F-Oo-Oo-Orce!!!" he replied as best he could.

"Peter, stop scrambling those brains of his!" Emily barked quite sensibly from the kitchen.

"Um, right." He glanced from Emily back to Perry apologetically as he settled back into his chair.

Peragrine settled back into his own chair, as his eyes slowly stopped spinning like slot machines. "Um. Yeah. So, what do you want to know?"

"EVERYTHING!" cried both siblings.

Peragrine thought a moment, shrugged, and began telling them... 'everything.'

"Well. I met Stirling in Nexus Tower, while I was Janitoring. I had my jams on, so I was sorta distracted, and I guess Strider was also beca-" 

"Wait, you call him Strider sometimes?"

"Oh yeah, he hates it, so sometimes I do." Perry grinned mischievously. Peter shook his head, smiling.

Over the next few minutes Peragrine had related his first meeting with Stirling, and how that tied in with their next two meetings which made them fast friends, on and off the battlefield.  Emily and Peter were both sitting in the chairs, with Peragrine standing and in full storytelling mode to his captive audience. Meanwhile, Carson and Mrs. Richardson were continuing to make impressive mouth-watering aromas emanate from the kitchen. 

However, when Tain came through the front door accompanied by howling icy gusts, everyone turned around.

Even though Tain had changed out of his prisoner garb into old farmer's clothes, he was shivering as he held a single log under his arm. Mrs. Richardson and Carson poked their heads out of the kitchen at him.

"Where's Vorpal?" asked Peter.

Tain shook his head. "Left."

Peter grimaced in irritation, but bobbed his head in understanding.

Tain walked past Emily, Peter, and Peragrine towards the stove.

"Are we going to have a fire?" Asked Peragrine excitedly.

"Yes."

"But, don't we want to be inconspicuous?" reminded Emily.

Mrs Richardson came out of the kitchen with more logs and handed them to Tain who began arranging them in the stove. "I've been watching the windows in the kitchen that you didn't block up, Tain." She said. "The smoke soon won't make us any more visible than mist in an ocean. The weather's getting bad."

Carson laughed, but it was dry and sounded more like a dog barking. "Does that mean I can fry something on the stove in the kitchen?" 

Mrs. Richardson turned around and raised an enterprising eyebrow, with her fists on her hips. "It means our menu has expanded, Carson. To the kitchen!"

Carson weighed the work against the payoff, then followed the woman into the kitchen. So long as he could sneak pre-emptive bites.

"Matches," Tain requested.

Emily was already looking. "I don't see any."

"Flint?" Peter fielded. 

"No...?" 

"Oh, just let me!" Peragrine said, as he strutted over to the stove. He pulled up his prisoner's sleeves even further up past his elbows than the ill-fitting garb already had them. Tain looked back at Peragrine, who had a smug look on his features.  But right then, the sound of crackling wood was heard from the kitchen, and Carson came out with matches. 

"They were in the cupboards." He said, before his eyes alit on Peragrine with hands outstretched. "Dear God, you wern't going to have HIM light a fire?"

Tain shook his head.  Peragrine frowned mockingly. "You guys are no fun!" 

Tain took the matches and began kindling the fire. 

"Peragrine, please tell me how you came to Militeregnum. Is Stirling here too? And how did you learn about Austin?" Peter asked.

Peragrine snapped his fingers and turned back to his audience. "Ah yes! Well, Stirling had shore leave, and so he decided he would come home, since it had been so long and he hadn't heard much from you all. So I offered to be his pilot, and we drove out here in a shuttle."

"Shuttle?"

"Yeah, a shuttle, you know? A..." It took Perry a moment to realize Peter didn't really know what spaceships were. "Ah, we used a spaceship. A metal ship that can travel space- Travel the stars." He pointed up.

Peter nodded vaguely, as Emily watched silently. "Continue." 

"When we got here though, the Nexus Force had put up a blockade!" He stretched his arms out. "All around the planet, to stop thedude from leaving the planet. Or from people getting onto the planet. Anyway, that was the first sign that things were really wrong. At Strider's request, I flew expertly through the blockade- it was very impressive, you should have seen it- and then we crash-landed on the planet.

Peter raised an eyebrow. "Crash-landed? Clearly, there was something to be desired on your... expert flying?"

There was an awkward pause, and Emily stifled a laugh.

Peragrine shrugged. "We landed on the planet, pretty much ok. The ship was destroyed though." He stared off into the distance for a moment. "Cosmic Brownie, I will never forget you!"

Tain closed the glass door of the stove, having successfully gotten the fire going. Without a word, he glanced out one of the partially covered windows, then went into the bedroom.

Peragrine continued. "From there, we met a farmer, who brought us up to speed, where we actually met his wife, which is Mrs. Richardson." He turned back to the kitchen. "Which reminds me, where is Mr. Richardson?" 

An abrupt silence rolled out from the kitchen.

"Oh."

"Peragrine," began Emily, but Perry already understood.

Mrs. Richardson came out of the kitchen. "A few days after you and Stirling left, a group of Paradox came. My husband had me and Bethany leave with the remaining horse while he dealt with them. Later, we saw smoke, and knew that the house was burning. So the next day, we went back, and... It was all gone."

Peragrine bowed his head. "I'm... I'm sorry Mrs. Richardson."

"Don't be. It's not anything you could have prevented. Not then. But now!" she gestured to him. "Now you are equipped. What will you do with it?"

Peragrine glanced down at himself. He knew no one else could see it, but his power would glow bright green to him, framing himself in a thin shell, and welling around his hands, in massive jelly-looking spheres. 

"I want to do what I've always done. Try to help. To make things better. But first of all, I need to find my partner. I need to find Stirling.

"Tell us how you got separated." Peter suggested.

"Ok." Peragrine agreed, looking up, and blinking a few times to clear the green tint everything had taken on when he had tapped into his magic.

"After a few days of travelling, in which we had a few other adventures, we got to a place called Calibus Tower." Various amounts of recognition alit in Perry's audience. "There, we stayed for the night, and also met Stirling's brother, Austin!"

Peter shook happily in his chair, as Emily beamed.

"Austin was there as part of an effort to mine all the way to Mount Thunderclap, and collapse it from below, where thedude would never expect. I don't know exactly how he got there, he told Strider all that in detail. 

The next day, though, Strider got me and Austin together, and he said he wanted to check on Silverstine Keep. Austin warned him there wasn't anything worth checking out, but Strider wanted to go anyway. I offered to go with him, but Strider wanted to be able to stay in contact with Austin. So I offered to stay with Austin. We all agreed, and Stirling left later that day for his home up in the northern mountain range."

"On Mynydd Tiwna..." Peter murmured.

"Anyway, a few days after that, I was in the mines with Austin, when suddenly we were attacked. Paradox came in from a bunch of different directions, and I lost sight of Austin in all of the fighting." Peragrine's eyes flashed with the memory of the literally dark encounter.  

"The Raid of Calibus Tower..." Mrs. Richardson whispered.  Emily nodded, as Peter and Perry glanced up at the woman inquisitively. 

"I remember. Calibus Tower was attacked." Mrs. Richardson said quietly. "The news about it when J.C. Merchants passed through that area was something about rebels being put... down. This 'Lady Charlotte' was supposedly 'saved' from revolutionaries holding her hostage..."

Worried looks spread throughout the room. Emily turned to Peragrine. "Are you sure you don't remember anything more?"

Peragrine shook his head helplessly. "I don't. Shortly after that, I was captured by a Paradox Sorcerer, who... I think is the reason I can do magic." Peragrine began fiddling with his goatee as strange memories of his imprisonment began stewing in his mind. "I think her name was Menaya Ryffyd. No, that's not right. Steffan Kull? Maybe?"

Peter waved his hands to get Peragrine back on point. "So, the last time you saw Stirling was when he was heading up to Silverstine Keep, and the last time you saw Austin was in the middle of a battle at Calibus?"

"Yes." Answered Peragrine.

Peter glanced down, worry plain on his face. "Neither of those bode well."

"Well, Calibus Tower is now some sort of base for thedude," Emily mentioned, looking to Mrs. Richardson. "It's a big metal tower now, and relativly well guarded. At least, that's what we saw when we pasted by it as J.C. Merchants." Mrs. Richardson agreed.

"HEY BOZOS." Yelled Carson. "Dinner's ready!" 

Chapter 6: Dinner and a Show

A table was set up, silverware was found, and chairs were pulled up quickly.

Carson and Mrs. Richardson had done magnificently with what they had. Potatoes. Really REALLY dried jerky. Herbs and spices galore. Beans. A few dozen carrots. From this, there were spiced potatoes, baked beans, and a tasty, if very watery, stew. Which worked out, since all there was to drink was water.

And of course that 3 out of the 6 sitting there had been eating prisoner food for nearly ten years, give or take.

At first, the table was quiet, as certain of the group silently prayed, and as food was passed about. Then, after everyone had gotten a little something in their stomachs, and the smell of food was no longer torturous, there was room in between bites for words.

"So!" Peragrine said around a mouthful of beans. "Whatcha been doing in the bedroom, Tain?"

"That sounds so wrong," muttered Carson.

"Planning." Tain answered.

"Ok... What about?"

Tain stopped eating. "There's something I need to do".

"And you're leaving to do it, right?" Peter asked.

"Yes", Tain answered simply.

The conversation lulled, and everyone busied themselves with another bite.

"What sort of something?" Perry asked.

Tain examined Perry for a moment with a neutral expression -not that his expression wasn't usually neutral. Why did they have to be so inquisitive?

"Something I should have done before I got captured".

"Oooh. So cryptic," Carson mocked behind a bowl of stew.

Mrs. Richardson regarded the 'cryptic' man quietly.

Undeterred, Peragrine asked, "And how long ago was that?"

"About a decade".

"Huh."

"And you will leave as soon as the storm had abated, I assume?" Emily asked, finishing her meal.

"The sooner the better".

"What, you don't like out company?" "Well arn't you a ray of sunshine." Perry and Carson replied.

Now, the signs of annoyance at this questioning although discreet had become visible on Tain's face, "I don't have the time to play friends, I'm sorry. There are serious things to be done".

"If that is how you feel, we will respect your wishes, Tain. But you should not push away free friends in this land. After you leave here, they will come at a cost." Mrs. Richardson spoke softly.

"I don't... I can't..." Tain tried to speak, but couldn't find the right words. He contemplated for a moment and started again, "I don't have the luxury to... to all of this, like you do", his hands made circular movements as in to point to the whole room or the people within it.

Everyone paused as they tried to understand what he meant. They were all staring at him to continue. Tain's shoulders tensed as everyone's full attention was directed to him. His eyes darted from person to person like those of a cornered animal; he didn't know what to do.

"Well, I, for one, intend to stay here for awhile longer, at least till Peter's stabilized a bit." Emily said abruptly.

Next to her, Peter nodded with mild irritation.

"And of course, I will stay with you, Emily," Mrs. Richardson added.

"What about you, Kid?" Carson asked Perry.

Peragrine's eyebrows shot up. "Me? Uh, well. . . I'm not sure yet. I know I gotta find Stir, but, I also want to make sure you guys are going to be ok, and that I can contact ya'll later." he directed his last words to the Silverstine siblings.

"That's ok, Peragrine. We will be fine. I would rather you found Stirling and Austin that have you sit around with me," Peter replied.

Tain looked at Perry. Calmer now, his eyes did not seem to focus on him entirely, though. He seemed to be considering something.

Having Peragrine tag along would make his life a lot more complicated than he wanted it to be. However, he'd certainly be a useful asset to a mission that might be impossible for him alone. And he'd probably be willing to come. And Mrs. Richardson was right when she said friends would be scarce... Tain's fists clenched and with a great feeling he would come to regret his words he spoke, "Maybe... we could team up".

Peragrine redirected his gaze on Tain. "Wat?"

Carson glanced back at Tain in confusion. "Are you crazy? The Kid's a walking time-bomb!" Then he paused... "On second thought, yeah, take the walking time-bomb."

Peragrine eyed Tain 'critically'. "Hrmm... Well, as long as you don't snore!" He declared.

"I don't... I... Hmm. I don't know if I do".

This elicited laughs from Emily, Mrs. Richardson, and Peter. Carson just looked bewildered.

"That's what's important in a traveling buddy to you? Snoring?" he asked Perry.

"Oh yes! If they snore, it affects my snoring!"

Carson tried to make sense of that, but failed.

"What about you, Carson?" Peter asked, as he stiffly turned in his chair to look at him.

Carson darted his gaze to the bandaged wreck at the end of the table. "It looks like I have two unsavory choices now. Go with 'Doc' and 'Kid', or stay with you guys." He paused. "Or I could just go off by myself."

"Well, you can't do the last one", Tain replied matter-of-factly.

Carson turned back to Tain. "What? Why not?"

"You've previously worked for thedude. You also helped us escape, so contacting his officials might not be the wisest plan, but we couldn't possibly know what you would decide to do. You may think that ratting us out will bring your comfy life back. That's not the optimal scenario for us, whatever they do with you".

The room was suddenly taut with tension. "So you're saying I'm a prisoner with you or them?" accused Carson.

"I'm saying you need to prove we can trust you before we can let you go".

Carson worked his jaw. "Huh, I don't think so. What about all those other guys? Were they trustworthy?"

"They were prisoners."

"Pfft! Real trustworthy." Carson scoffed.

"In that case, you should take him, Tain. I am in no shape to keep him, and I wouldn't ask my sister or Mrs. Richardson to do so," Peter suggested pointedly. 

Tain made a curt nod. He had come to the same conclusion, and as much as he disliked it, all other alternatives had now been done away with.

"No!" Carson stood up. "No, no, no!"

Emily stood up, a wry smile on her face. "Well, Carson..." She picked up a butterknife and fingered it. "I guess you could stay, if you rea-"

"TAKE ME WITH YOU, DOC!" Carson cried, diving at Tain. Tain shoved him off.

Emily laughed.

"Emily, dear?" Mrs Richardson was confused at this strange behavior.

"I stabbed him in the back when he tried to run away in the prison." Explained Emily, returning to her seat.

"At least 'Doc' has never harmed me!" Carson barked, hiding behind Tain's chair. "Physically, anyway."

Peragrine smiled. "Awesome! Three and three." Getting up, he peeked out the closest window. "I still have time to change, right? I'm going to raid the closet." He skipped into the bedroom and closed the door.

Carson, now all scowls, retreated to the stove, and sat there, stewing. Peter was content to stay at the table. A minute later, he asked if there was something he could write with. Mrs. Richardson found an old typewriter with a few sheets of yellow brittle paper. Peter began fiddling with it.

Meanwhile, Emily and Mrs. Richardson began creating rations for the leaving company, as Tain asked them a few guarded questions concerning what had changed in the past 10 years. What towns were 'safe'. What symbols or phrases were common with dissenters. Where known strongholds of thedude were. Safe passages, secret ways, hidden paths... The women did not have answers to all of his questions, but more than he initially had hoped. In that time, Peragrine came out, with a large, billowy, faded green shirt pinned down at his waist with a simple brown cord, and equally simple brown leggings and short poulaines on his feet. 

"Look! Just look at these shoes! These little pointy things are ADORABLE!"

Peter spared a moment to look up at Perry from his typewriter. He chuckled. "Looking fine, Peragrine."

Carson looked. "They make you look like a stupid leprechaun. Missing a hat."

Peragrine gasped. "You're right! I MUST FIND A HAT." He disappeared back into the bedroom.

Tain peeked out of the kitchen too late to see Perry. He glanced at Peter, busy typing away, then at Carson, who glared back. Tain stepped back into the kitchen.

A few minutes later, Peragrine stepped out, a little downcast. He tossed a straw rice hat behind him. "Nope. No hats today."

Carson just rolled his eyes as he continued to stare at the fire.

"What about you, Carson? I mean, that uniform looks comfy, but maybe take a look?"

Carson muttered a reply, but got up and elbowed past Perry to the bedroom, which he then closed.

Happy that Carson had taken his advice, Perry puttered over to Peter. "Watcha writing?"

"A Letter, now that I've learned how this contraption works," he replied, as he poked keys on the typewriter. "It's a brilliant piece of machinery."

Peragrine looked at what Peter had typed so far. On the top margin was a bunch of scrambled letters, some layered on top of each other. Peragrine pointed at the literary mess. "Was that your practice?"

Peter's lips twitched in derision. "The ink was dry," he replied sarcastically.

Peragrine grinned. "Riiiight." He read the actual type.

'Dear Brothers,

If you are reading this, then Peragrine has proven to be a true friend. First, let me tell you that I, Peter, am alive. Having only recently escaped from Thunderclap Keep, I and Emily are currently in hiding on a small farmstead a hard ride's south of Thunderclap Keep. By the time you receive this, we may have left, but we will be sure to leave notice in some discreet way only our family may know. Now let me put to rest the burning questions: Father is dead.'

"Wha?!" Perry's eyebrows popped up. "Mr. Silverstine is-"

Peter turned from his typing to give Perry a sad glance. "Yes. It is true."

Peragrine became downcast. "Gee... Strider's not going to like that."

Peter nodded. "I am sorry that it may fall to you to deliver that news. But I hope this letter will help with that."

"Thanks. Yeah, that should help."

"I would deliver it myself, but," Peter shrugged helplessly. "It looks like I won't be able to do that for some time yet." 

Perry smiled. "Don't worry, I've gotcha covered."

Peter nodded again, then turned back to the letter, as Peragrine continued reading over his shoulder.

 

'Mother, it is believed, was captured during out escape. Also, our Uncle, Jean-Claude is '

Peter had stopped typing. He leaned back in his chair and sighed softly. His back was tingling from scrunching over on the keys. "Emily, could you describe our Uncle's status to me again?"

From the kitchen came the reply. "Living comfortably at the expense of thedude, somehow."

"We don't know why?"

"We don't know why."

"Not very comforting, is it?"

"No. Why do you ask?"

"I'm typing a letter of reassurance."

"For whom?"

"For Peragrine to give to Austin or Stirling, whome'er he finds."

Emily emerged from the Kitchen, wiping her hands clean with a towel. "Ah, good idea."

Peragrine stroked his goatee. "Now, you said he's living at Thunderclap Keep, but would you say he's free?"

"No," replied Carson, having silently come out of the bedroom, now wearing a cardigain over his Caretaker's Uniform, and some heavily padded woollen pants which only billowed more oddly due to him layering them over his uniform. "No, he's not free. He's working for thedude, in fact." A malignant smile twisted his features. "He's helping thedude." 

Something in the two Silverstine siblings snapped. Peter lifted himself out of the chair, and held onto the table as he stood, as he glowered at Carson. 

"Liar!" yelled Emily.

"Oh-ho, definetly not!" Carson said, suddenly jovial. "Why would I tell you the truth, knowing full well it would make you mad?" he questioned. 

"Because of your sadistic pleasure in it, that's why!" Emily snarled. Tain and Mrs. Richardson came out of the kitchen at the sound of her raised voice. Peragrine simply stepped away from Peter's side and flickered his gaze between the three akwardly.

Next to her, Peter noted his sister's retort in surprise. Why was she so mad? This was not the cool and collected sister he remembered. He put a hand on her shoulder, and felt her tension before it faded a bit under his touch.

Refocusing on the antagonist, Peter replied. "Whatever you have to say about Jean, you may do so now." Emily looked back at Peter, irritated, but did not say anything.

Carson chuckled. "My, but you're giving me the floor, Mr. Mummy? Very well."

"Let me start with that Jean-Claude is one of my most... trying... Patients. His constant jovial mood and perfectly polished manners are constantly something I'm trying to avoid. I dread going to deliver anything to him because then he tends to keep me there with 'tea' or some pipe that needs fixing, or just 'for hospitality's sake' or any other number of reasons. But what he does for thedude is why I put up with him for so long."

Carson checked with his audience. Emily and Peter were both staring at him with the same nearly impassive stony gaze. Turning to his right, Perry stared idiotically, and to his left, Tain dropped his disquieted gaze, while Mrs. Richardson continued her pathetic sad stare.

"Have any of you heard of the Knights of the Olde Speech?"

No one responded, but there were a few lights of recognition, namely on everyone but Peter.

"Well, Jean-Claude was going to just be left to rot in the dungeons like the rest of you, but he made a bargain to use his head-knowledge to help decode some mysterious messages that thedude's minions had been intercepting. Written in a strange dialect, no one could decipher it. Of course, Jean has done other things that just translate intercepted messages since his first day in office, but his key job remains to translate the strange code known as 'Olde Speech' into basic English for us. Since then, rebels such as yourselves have had no and I mean NO co-ordination at all. Because we don't act on most of what we gather. Oh no. We just make sure that those messages disappear. Heh. If thedude's forces acted on every dissident message we've intercepted, there would be nothing left to rule. No. Maleisus only reports incidents if we stand to take immediate and... profitable action on it. Say, if the force was big enough to be a threat, or unguarded enough to vanquish without any... leaks." Carson smiled devilishly at Peter. "He was a brilliant man, Grand Warden Maleisus."

The squeak of nails on wood resounded as Emily placed a hand on Peter's shaking shoulder now.

"That's enough, Carson." Sighed Mrs. Richardson. She stepped towards him to steer him away from center stage.

"Just a minute, old woman. One last thing," he said, holding a finger up to her. She held, shocked at his behaviour. 

"For his services in clerical, Jean-Claude recieves gifts in return. Curtains, furniture, fine dining, slippers; Really, he's living like a duke up there, aiding in thedude's total takeover of everything and everyone. From what I know of the man, I highly doubt he cares. He's just an old, senile, old, stuffy, shut-in who's going to die as he lived; Pointlessl- m, mrm murrmmng mrmrmn mr...MMRH?" 

Peragrine lowered his hand as Carson futily tried to regain speech. "Mrs. Richardson is right, buddy. That's really enough." He whispered.

Carson clearly didn't like this. Going red in the face, he charged at Peragrine. However, the wizard boy merely waved a hand, and Carson fell just short, unconscious. Peragrine sighed. "Sorry 'bout that."

Peter and Emily relaxed visibly, and both returned to their previous tasks. Mrs Richardson turned to Tain. "Please. Take him." Then she hurried back into the kitchen after Emily.

(\\\}======>

Final preparations were made, and the storm lessened in its intensity. Looking out the window as he scoured the house a final time in search of anything else useful, Tain guessed they might be able to leave within the next few hours, if the storm did not pick back up.

Carson had yet to wake up where Peragrine had placed him, which was next to the wood stove in the armchair. Peragrine himself kept pacing between everyone, watching curiously, and occasionally muttering to himself in the middle of the main room. Peter finished his letter and folded the two papers in thirds. 

"Peragrine."

The wizard boy bounded over. "Yeah?"

"Here you go. Keep that safe." He handed him the yellow slip.

Peragrine took the letter. He began to unfold it, then paused. "Is it ok if I read it, Peter?"

Peter chuckled. "Don't be silly; of course." 

Peragrine perused the letter. "Hmm... Alright. Sounds good." Then he folded it back up, then in half, and half again, so it was a tiny yellow square. Then he slipped it into the chest pocket of his tunic.

"Safe with me, Pete!" he assured, patting the pocket.

(\\\}=====>

It was very dark, and still windy, when Tain decided to leave. But Tain didn't care. The icy sleet had stopped, and that's all he needed. According to the women, there was a small town a day's ride to the southeast, which lay alongside Morcia's great southern road. It was small, inconspicuous, didn't show on any map, and could maybe supply all their needs, including more horses. However, this course gave Tain pause, as that took him in the exact opposite direction of his objective. Where he needed to go was Northwest, to the Moorlands.

However, once it had been decided that he would be bringing a young man with insane magical abilities, and a prisoner with an insanely barbed tongue, he knew he was going to have to look after their needs as well as his own. So as Peragrine said tearful goodbyes to the Silverstines and Mrs. Richardson, he oriented his one pack-horse and a rope-bound Carson to the south-east. He would be heading to the small town of Wishwell, to better prepare himself and his travelling associates for the trials ahead.

After what seemed like forever to both Tain and Carson, Peragrine finally stepped off the porch. "Bye, guys! I'll be sure to write and send messenger pigeons, if I find any!"

"Which I'm sure Jean will read!" yelled Carson. Tearful goodbyes turned into frustrated 'shut up's directed at Carson. 

With the clothes they had on their backs, their one horse, and the meager supplies scavenged by Tain from the house, Peragrine, Carson, Tain, and the horse set off into the night. The other three, Mrs. Richardson, Emily, and Peter, stayed on the porch, straining their eyes till could see them no more in the dim light before dawn.

"Lord, watch over them," whispered Peter from his chair. Behind him, Emily patted his shoulders reassuringly, as Mrs. Richardson gave a teary 'amen', before suggesting they all head back inside before they caught a cold. 

<======{///) End Act 1 (\\\}======>

Act 2: Wishwell

Chapter 1: Walking

Tain already regretted having not left by himself when he'd had the chance.

They hadn't been walking more than an hour, Carson was complaining that his feet hurt, Peragrine was already singing '99 cans of cola' for the 7th time, and the sun still hadn't risen to give more light, which left them all stumbling in the long grass. Oh, and it appeared that their horse was actually a mule. Not that this last point mattered, but it was simply another thing that Tain had not accounted for. 

Despite all this, he kept them marching, as the sun finally dawned.

"Isn't that beautiful!" exclaimed Peragrine, waving his hand at the rising light. "Do you realize we haven't seen a sunrise like that in years???" he said, directing his words to Tain, who gave a small smile in response. Honestly, he was just glad that the sunrise had stopped the incessant 'cola' song. 

"It's the same sun as it was yesterday," bemoaned Carson. "And actually, since the dawn of time. No pun intended. Can we take a break? Unlike the sun, I can't go on."

Tain didn't think it was necessary to take a break, however, before he could form the words to disagree, Peragrine interrupted. 

"Oh yeah, we should stop a bit, watch the sun rise!"

"Couldn't we do that while walking?" Tain sighed, but Peragrine had stopped walking, and Carson has already flopped down in the grass, neither having apparently heard him. 

Reluctantly, Tain acquiesced and checked on the mule as he waited. 

Meanwhile, Peragrine stood with eyes closed and arms outstretched, feeling the soft warmth of the sun for a few solid minutes. There was still a very chilling breeze, but Peragrine found it all thoroughly glorious and reinvigorating. 

Opening his eyes, he glanced back at Carson, who'd swiped away some of the tall grasses so he could see. He looked bored. Which was to say, he looked in a pretty good mood! 

So Peragrine decided to go sit down next to him.

"Heya, pal!"

Instantly, the bored expression was blown to bits and revealed an annoyed factor of 10. "I'm not your pal. Otherwise, I wouldn't be bound by rope." He raised his tightly-wrapped hands in evidence.

"Hmm. You're right about that!" Peragrine said. "Pals don't tie up pals."

And with that, he raised his hand in a karate chop, before using his magic to burn right through the rope like butter. Exactly like that, actually, as the entire section of rope that was touching Carson or Peragrine's hands melted away into a warm liquid puddle at Carson's feet.

"I dunno about you and Tain, but I like to think we can be friends, Carson." With that, Peragrine beamed a genuine smile, and stood up. "Ready to go?"

Mildly stunned, Carson didn't immediately have a retort. Instead, he rubbed his wrists, and looked back at Tain, who had been watching the two of them intently, but redirected his attention to the mule before he was caught staring.

"See, here's someone reasonable!" the newly freed prisoner yelled.

Tain gave no response, instead focusing on securing the mule's one burlap bag.

Peragrine rolled his eyes good-naturedly, proffering a hand-up to Carson. "C'mon, Carson, let's go."

Carson took it, and they all resumed their pace. Only this time, Carson and Peragrine walked together ahead of Tain and the Mule.

For Tain, the next few hours were quiet and calm. Which was exactly how he preferred it, except now he had to remain vigilant not only for incoming threats, but for outgoing ones. Namely, Carson. However, Peragrine seemed to be sticking very close to the would-be escapee, talking in low tones, acting very friendly with someone who appeared to deflect all basic conversation, except when he was complaining. There were a few times that Carson suggested another rest, but Peragrine would find some way to distract him, which later on in the day consisted of him good-naturedly threatening to numb his feet like he had the small of his back during their escape.

Thankfully, before that threat wore off, Tain caught up to them with provisions for lunch, and since Carson insisted he had to sit down to eat, Peragrine pointed out a small boulder in the distance that rose out of the sea of grass. 

"Let us make for that distant cove!" he yelled like a captain. "Eh? Whad'ya guys think?" he asked, looking back at them. 

Carson groaned and muttered something along the lines of 'if I must', while Tain considered it thoughtfully, before giving confirmation in the form of a single "Sure." 

It did not escape Tain's notice that Peragrine was helping to motivate Carson's forward movement. As Carson began trudging towards the distant goal, Tain made to grab Peragrine's shoulder, but stopped as the young wizard turned to him instead.

"Lookit that, I think that's the fastest he's moved all day!" he exclaimed.

Tain gave a small smile. "Yeah, I..." suddenly he lost what he had about to say.

Peragrine's eyebrows raised in question. "Yeah?"

'Something about appreciation,' thought Tain, desperately trying to remember how he was to finish this conversation. How to get out...!

"Thanks." He deadpanned, before striding off after Carson.

Slightly nonplussed, Perry mentally and physically shrugged before saying "No problemo, Doc!" and taking off after them.

The small boulder in the distance turned out to be a very large one, large enough for all of them to clamber up onto and enjoy their meal. As it was the middle of the day, the sun's heat was at it's apex, and the stone reflected the heat, giving them a slight, but welcome warmth from the ever constant wind, which continually stole through their layers to try and snuff that warmth out.

The meal was void of verbal communication. Tain and Peragrine's tastebuds were still recovering from prison, meaning everything was still so delectable that there was honestly no conversation better than just eating. As for Carson, he'd never done anything as strenuous as what he'd done in the past 3 days, and in a stroke of luck he would never realize, his body had reacted well, giving him a stronger appetite to be better fueled for further adventure. Not that he had anything to talk about with his captors, anyway.

Peragrine and Tain finished rather quickly, while Carson still had yet to finish his meal. As Tain repacked the provisions, he called Peragrine over, out of earshot of Carson.

"Yeah, what's up?" Peragrine asked.

Tain pointed at the strap on the Mule. "Why did you let him loose?"

Peragrine glanced at the strap. It was a leather strap, with a simple buckle, most likely bronze. It looked tight to him... 

"I'm sorry, I don't follow."

Tain fiddled with the buckle and motioned to it again. "I'm not talking about the horse. Mule. I'm talking a- Carson." He physically had to restrain himself from pointing at him.

Peragrine's eyes lit up. "Aaaah." He scratched his head as he looked at the buckle. "I let him go because... Well, because it's the right thing to do." Peragrine fiddled with the buckle now, as Tain let his head drop in exasperation.

"He must not escape." He said with conviction. "He will rat us out. All of us."

Peragrine let his head drop now, having finished with the buckle. Looking up at the hors- mule, he patted it comfortingly. "Listen," he said with equal conviction. "He won't escape, I promise. But I don't want him to be a prisoner either. Otherwise, we're no better than the Warden."

Upon hearing this, Tain felt as if something had just slammed a red-hot anvil down his throat. 'I am NOTHING like the Warden!' he wanted to scream. Yet, deep down, he knew he had once been on the same team as him. He had once been a Paradox Rogue...

But not anymore.

"Don't let him out of your sight," Tain concluded.

Peragrine turned around and faced Tain with a strange smile... "Don't worry, Tain. I'm not as young and naive as I let on." He looked up at the sky. "And actually, you're the first person I've ever admitted that to! Wow!" he walked past Tain, slapping him heartily on the shoulder. "Good talk, man, Good talk." Directing his next words to Carson, he hollered, "Heya, slowpoke, now how much longer you've got on that lunch break of yours?!"  

Chapter 2: The Huntress

"Hey look! A town!" Peragrine pointed to the town in question, and Tain followed his gaze.

"That's our destination," he said. "Wishwell." And not a moment too soon. They had made surprisingly good time, and the sun was just beginning to set over their right shoulders, casting the world into evening light. Pretty soon the first stars of the night would shine.

Mrs. Richardson’s description hadn't done the town justice. It was rather small, with a decent-sized mud wall hemming it in entirely, except off to the north, where it connected to a large hill that on one side sloped gently into town, but on the other, was so steep as to form a cliff, which acted as the rest of the town’s wall. Wooden buildings 2 or 3 stories tall rose visibly above the approximately 1 and-a-half-story tall mud wall. 

However, as interesting as the town was, Tain's attention was brought to a thinly forested area to the Northeast, behind the town. From there, he saw a thin column of smoke rising just above the treeline.  It was clearly a controlled fire. Most likely a campfire. Having taken in the view, the group continued down from the rise they had crested, and began walking down the slope, as Tain began to consider how they were going to get into town without being apprehended by the local authorities, who were no doubt already notified of escaped prisoners from Thunderclap....

Suddenly, all three of them noticed a little orange dot bounding through the tall grass toward them. Tain reached for his spear that was on the mule, but Peragrine chuckled. 

“Relax, it’s only a fox.” 

Tain frowned, but he still grabbed the spear. Looking around, he didn’t see any other threats, but he didn’t like how friendly this fox was. It was bounding directly at them. Clearly, something wasn’t natural about it, if it came up to people so readily. As the fox came closer, it barked and sniffed.

Tain didn’t like this at all. He didn't want it to bark and bring attention to their group! It was almost guaranteed that the town guards were looking for them! He raised his spear threateningly, attempting to scare the fox away, but this only served to excite the fox, and it ran up to him, passing Peragrine, who turned to see Tain. “Woah! Woah! Hold on, what are you doing?!” He grabbed the fox bodily, snatching it away from the sharp end of Tain’s spear. In response, the fox slightly clawed Peragrine in warning as it squirmed, trying to free itself.

“He has to shut up,” explained Tain. “We still have to figure out what we’re going to do with Carson, and how we’re going to get into town without being seen.”

“What do you mean, ‘what we’re going to do with me’?” Carson barked, bewildered.

“I don’t trust you to not give us away.”

The fox began yipping even more excitedly now, and this grabbed everyone’s attention, but especially Perry’s. “Huh…?”

The fox was now yipping quietly, staring at a wide-eyed Peragrine.

“Oh great, the kid’s got puppy-love,” Carson groaned.

“It’s talking to me!” he cried out, so surprised that he dropped the fox. “His- oh, whoops. Sorry, Furor.” He looked up at the others. "His name is Furor."

“Oh no, it’s alrighty,” Furor's voice was deep, yet lilting, as it echoed around in Perry’s head.

“Seriously, neither of you hear him?” Peragrine asked the other two men.

Tain shook his head, beginning to realize that Peragrine’s magic probably had something to do with it.

Carson rolled his eyes. “Kid, it’s a fox, yipping and barking up a storm.”

The fox yelped at him for the insult. “I CAN HEAR YOU!!!!!” 

Peragrine translated. “He can understand you, y’know, Carson,” 

“Oh, can he?” Carson grinned wickedly. “The mangy, off-yellow...”

“I CAN UNDERSTAND YOUR WORDS, YOU-”

“...pea-brained MUTT-” 

 

“-THAT’S FOR DOGS!!”

“-Can understand every word I say?”

“Ohh… YOU TWO LEGGED... MUTT! IF I’M PEA BRAINED, YOU’RE HALF A PEA! MY HEAD IS ACTUALLY MORE APPLE SIZED, BY THE WAY!” Furor tackled Carson, biting and clawing him.

Now Carson was yelping, but not for long as the other two tried to separate them.

“Furor!! Get off!” commanded a new, feminine, voice. All present turned their attention to a new figure. 

She wore a tunic and pants, her light brown hair went a little farther than her shoulders. She looked to be in her late 20’s. Maybe 30s. It was hard to tell since she looked very stressed out as she dismounted from a bay horse, which snorted.

Furor yipped and happily returned to her, while the others scrambled to their feet. Tain also leveled his spear warily.

She walked up to them. “Sorry about that…” She said, petting Furor. “Anything I should know ‘bout these guys, Furor?”

 

“I and the green-eyed one can talk!” he told her, waving a paw at Peragrine.

She nodded her understanding.

Who are you?” questioned Tain.

“I’m Sara. And in case you didn’t know, this is Furor Fiddlefun.”

“We’ve met,” Carson groused, picking himself up.

“Furor takes things a little too personal…” Apologized Sara.

“Ehhh, you didn’t hear what Carson said,” Peragrine said, wincing apologetically at Furor.

“He deserved every last word and more,” growled Carson, feeling his scratched up face. “I think my nose is broken.”

“I’m sorry, He deserves… a hug from you now.” decided Sara, as Furor hopped out of her arms and onto Carson, hugging him with his tiny forepaws and licking him.

“Gah!” He gently but quickly put the fox back down on the ground. “No, thank you, stay away, you fil- um… you fox.” Furor gave him the puppy look. Peregrine heard the fox admonish Carson with a whine.

“You should feel guilty now.” 

“No, don’t give me that, I’m immune to puppy love. Especially because you’re not a puppy.” groaned Carson.

“We should probably leave these three to do what they have to do, Furor.” Said Sara. “Have a goo-wait.. Don’t tell anyone that you saw me nor give any clues okay?”

Tain shook his head. She probably was some sort of fugitive. Perhaps she could help them...

“Wait, do you live here?” Peragrine asked.

“I used to live in Wishwell… then- nevermind.” Sara said, picking up Furor again. He snuggled close to her.

“Ma’am, is there any other way into town other than the front gate? I’d rather not be seen by thedude’s forces, but we need supplies for a long journey.” Normally, Tain wouldn’t be so blunt, but by her attire, and the way she handled the fox, he could tell she had been living rough for quite some time. Hopefully, that meant she didn’t have many friends in town to gossip with.

Sara considered them carefully. “So.. you’re against technology?”

“Huh?” “Pardon?” “Um, what?” Tain, Perry and Carson were nonplussed in this sudden shift.

“I said what I said and you know what I said.”

Peragrine tilted his head. “I heard what you said, and I know what you said, but what you said doesn’t make sense with what I’m thinking.”

“And how is she supposed to know what you’re thinking, idiot?” Carson.

“I’m not,” Sara answered. “I suppose I’d have to go into detail to explain…” She paused, before apparently deciding something in her head. “I lived in Wishwell my whole life… My parents, Franklyn and Laura were in the army and fought in the Grammar war, but… They died in that battle. Ever since, I’ve… Had a harder life, you could say.”

“Did I ask for your life’s story?” muttered Carson, but no one appeared to hear him as Sara continued.

“A couple years later, thedude sent a mayor  to make sure we did things his way, but some of us disagreed. However, I was the only one who was willing to do anything about it. Ever since, I’ve been wanted by the Parodox rogues and thedude’s forces, since I didn’t accept what they were doing to our town. I had to move out and.. I lived life in the forest. I’ve been living in the forest for around 14 years.”

“Why haven’t you moved away?” Peragrine asked, entirely captured by her story.

“I can’t let Wishwell fall.”

“To what?” scoffed Carson. “Technology?”

Sara frowned, her brow knitting together deeply. "Yes, exactly, how can you not see that?"

"See what?" Peragrine asked.

“DON’T YOU SEE!” she exploded, taking them all aback. “WHEN HE GETS TECHNOLOGY EVERYWHERE HE’S GONNA TAKE OVER AND DESTROY US ALL!”  

Furor yipped in agreement.

Tain shook his head. None of this had anything to do with them. “Can you get us into the town?” 

“Why should I? You’re just like the rest of them!” she cried, throwing her hands up. Furor fell out of her arms with a surprised yelp.

Tain’s gaze dropped. Clearly, she was a fanatic. If she could help, it would take a lot of work to find out. Taking the mule’s lead rope, he began to walk past her, towards the nearest group of trees. He needed to detain Carson before they went into town, and the trees in the distance would provide cover and a safe anchor to tie him up. Ironically, Carson scoffed at Sara and followed.

“Wait, Tain, where you going?” Perry called.

Before they had gone too far away, Sara sighed before she called after them. “Wait… I'm headed into town later today anyway. If you want to come with me, you need to tell me what you are.  You’ll need a disguise, and I'm pretty much the only one who can provide one."

Tain stopped and half-turned back towards Sara. "I am against thedude. I have nothing against technology, except when it is advancing thedude's cause."

Sara looked back at him, stopping. "It always is." Then she swung up onto her horse with practiced ease and began riding slowly towards the forest, just a bit ahead of the others.

“C’MON GUYS!” she called after them.

“Whadd’ya have in mind, Sara, you fantastic lady?” Peragrine called.

She gave him a look. “Uhh. We’ll see.”

The fox barked, outpacing all of them. and Peragrine laughed at what he’d apparently said.

“Silly boy!” Giggled Sara at Furor, who was quickly little more than an orange dot bounding through the tall grass.

As Peragrine passed by Tain and Carson, Tain caught his attention, and he slowed down. The three of them huddled briefly as Sara slowed down, looking back.

“Perry, be careful. I don’t trust her. There’s a reason why she’s not allowed in town. While it may be true she’s against thedude, I think she may be more dangerous than she looks.”

Peragrine raised an eyebrow, but had to admit there was some truth to it when Carson added, “Uh, DUH, she’s got a feral animal as a pet, and it viciously attacked me!”

“I’m right here y’know. I can hear you, and Furor isn't my pet by choice."

The three turned around to look at her. Tain couldn’t make eye contact, instead focusing on Carson and Perry. “Are we clear?”

Peragrine nodded for Tain’s benefit, but focused on Sara, giving a big smile. “Sorry, Sara. We’re a tight group, and we like to be on the same page. Didn’t mean to exclude ya’.” Waving a hand, he finished with “Lead the way!”

Sara nodded and continued on, looking back to make sure she didn’t outpace them.

“ ‘Tight-knit group’, my foot.” Carson muttered.

Sara stopped. “You alright, Carson? That's your name, right?”

Momentarily surprised at being noticed, Carson looked up at her and waved her off halfheartedly. "Yeah, yeah. Lead the way, crazy lady."

Sara shrugged. "Well, you could say that."

Chapter 3: Proper Attire

Eventually, they reached the shadows of the thinly forested area.

Sara began walking. “We should be there in around 5 minutes.” Sara finally said after a lot of silence.

Tain began looking around for a suitable place to leave the mule and Carson. Or maybe just Carson.

After a few minutes they finally reached a campsite. It consisted of a large, well-laid campfire with a spit, a tough leather tent, and a wash bin and clothesline, with plenty of clothing drying in the soft breeze. 

“We’re here.” said Sara, dismounting the horse.” Any specific requests?”

“For a disguise?” Tain asked. “Anything that will blend in.”

Sara handed Tain a tunic and some regular boots. “As a disguise. Peragrine, Carson?”

The two came up to the clothesline and considered.

“Never thought I’d see the day where I was looking at woman’s clothing for myself,” Carson muttered.

Peragrine heard him and laughed. “Unfortunately, I can’t say it would be my first time.”

“Don’t worry. I sewed and knitted most of this, and I’ve never been good at making a very tight fit,” assured Sara.

Peragrine pulled down a leather overcoat dyed a deep forest green. “Saaay. This is nice!”

“It's all yours! But you’ll need something to go with it…” Sara handed him some rather large boots which where a bit scratched up.”

“Why do you have so many boots!” Peragrine exclaimed, happily taking them and kicking off his poulaines.

“Someone like me does a lot of rough terrain walking. Also, Do you even know how much bears think that my boots are tasty?”

“Both excellent points.”

Meanwhile, Carson had picked out a warm and cozy padded cotton shirt, some simple shoes that any townsperson would wear, and some very thick, more modern sweatpants.

“Nice!” said Sara as she fed the horse some oats. “By the way, this is Arrow.”

Tain spared a glance for the horse, before tying up the mule and going behind the tree to dress.

Peragrine was a bit more enthusiastic. “Oh, hello, Arrow!” he crooned as he slipped the overcoat on. As he did, he felt like a million bucks. It was somewhat tight, having presumably been fitted for Sara, but he loved it.

“You alright, Peragrine?”

He stretched experimentally. The old leather didn't’ squeak or chafe in the least. “Sara, this is perfect. Are you sure I don’t owe you anything?”

“I’m sure. We’ll have to go in teams of two, Arrow can only fit two," she said as she mounted Arrow.

“So, then, you do know another way in,” Tain said as he stumbled from behind the tree, and the Mule. He was fighting with his tunic.

“Yes, I do. It’s dangerous though. But very fun!”

Peragrine nearly guffawed as he pointed at Sara. “Tain, this gal is awesome!” He turned back to her. “Is it more fun or dangerous than escaping Thunderclap Prison???”

Tain, having finally pulled the tunic on, facepalmed.

Sara looked at him. “What did you d- nevermind. I am glad to say I wouldn't know."

Carson laughed harshly. “HA! Ha, ha, ha, Peragrine, you and your fat mouth. You just admitted to being a wanted convict!”

Peragrine blushed.

“Hey!” Sara leaned forward. “What about me? I'm wanted too! We're so alike!" Sara smiled conspiratorially. 

Carson shoved his hands into his new pockets. “Whatever.”

Tain considered her for a moment, making sure this didn’t change how she would act, but when he realized she considered herself one of them- that is, a convict- he was immensely relieved. Tain motioned to the Mule. “He could carry another person.”

“We should probably get focused, who’s going with who?” Sara said.

“I’d like to go with you, Sara!” Peragrine said.

Carson glared at Tain. “Well, I’m not going with him.”

Tain looked back at Carson, but seeing him glaring, he refocused back to Perry. “You’re not going anywhere, Carson. You’re staying here. I already told you, I don’t trust you to not rat us out to the first person we come across.”

Sara stared down from Arrow, confused. 

“Well, then why don’t you stay with Carson here, Tain? I can get the supplies with Sara, and we’ll be back in a jiffy!” Peragrine suggested.

Tain pondered this. While he did personally want to get the correct supplies, he firstly didn’t want Carson to escape. Otherwise none of the other planning mattered; they would be heading back to Thunderclap before they would know it.

“Alright, Peragrine. We’ll need two horses, some bedrolls, replenished provisions-”

Peragrine raised two placating hands. “Tain, Tain, buddy. I know what to get. Not my first road trip.”

He frowned, uncertain. But after a final thought, he agreed.  “But, be careful, Peragrine,” he added, shifting his eyes to Sara for a brief moment.

Peragrine nodded, understandingly. 

Carson sighed loudly. “Great. So instead of being stuck with him while he shops, I’m stuck with him here while he paces around like a worried mother hen.”

“Ya’ can’t win them all, buddy!” Perry offered, as he swung himself up behind Sara on Arrow.

“Let’s go, Peragrine.” Arrow began galloping out of the forest.

Chapter 12: Final Scene.

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