Justa and the Victorian Rogue
by Lawrence Scariano

Preface

            In the distant future Earth has a sister moon, the terraformed planetoid Ceres. It is a beautiful world with crystalline mountains and unique creatures specifically bioengineered to fit its ecosystem.

Human science has also developed “magic” which is actually the result of the redirection and molding of energy released from dense crystals by individuals with psychokinetic abilities. Crystalline energy and magic have made it possible for the human race to travel to and populate the stars.

The story before you takes place on the planetoid of Ceres long after it and Earth are separated through time and space by a cataclysm. Intelligent life on Ceres was extinguished but reborn without any knowledge of the planet’s true origin. Eventually, societies sprang forth with unique religions, governments and economic systems. But this was not to mean they were not somehow influenced by the goings on of the peoples of Earth.

Both Earth and Ceres, while dimensionally separate, maintain connections between them which allowed travel from one world to the other. These portals, or bridges were little known and passage through them was rare but not so rare that the cultures on either side were not influenced by the others. Most remarkable was that these portals transcended time; one might lead to Egypt in the times of the pharaohs while another might bridge Ceres with the wild gun-slinging days of Australia in the 1800’s.

Justa and the Victorian Rogue is a chapter in a much larger story. Justa is a young wizard, son to a warrior couple bent on avenging the death of friends of the past. In order to earn the right for such a quest they must first fulfill a dangerous mission against an outlaw gang influenced by motives and technologies of a different world.

Warriors, swords and wizards face off against guns, fists and cowboys. Along the way Justa befriends the notorious Edward “Ned” Kelly and begins an adventure that may someday save not only one world, but two.

-amongst Jzareth’s aspiring finest-

In a time and place not too far from our own was born a boy with amazing magical powers. It was not the fact that he had those powers that was so special, however. It was that he was born to parents, neither of whom possessed an ounce of magical talent. The boy’s name was Justa Dagradah, and this is his story, or at least the beginning of it.

Believe it or not, Justa was born in a clearing in the middle of Dorawood, a forest along the western coast of Jzareth, about half a day’s ride southwest of Riesighode, the Human capital city on the continent. His parents, Arian Am and Sharmin Eplerveener, were veteran warriors serving with the king’s vanguard, that is, whenever they were not suspended or otherwise reassigned because of one reason or another.

Justa’s parents were polar opposites in every sense. His father was a cocky and impulsive fighter of average height but possessing a brawny and formidable muscular build. In contrast, Sharmin’s form was lithe and statuesque. She stood over a foot taller and was much darker complected than her mate. As a warrior, she was equally strong but considerably more calculated and deliberate than her husband.

Arian, or AA as he was called, was on a mission to capture a rogue who had been robbing travelers along the southern road to Vanesh. As fate would have it, however, the rogue had turned the tables on AA and had taken him prisoner instead. Not to miss a prime money-making opportunity, the industrious villain sent a ransom note to AA’s wife in hope of gaining the funds to pay for passage to the Gold Coast, a fabled refuge from the dangers commonplace on the continent of Jzareth.

Tank, Sharmin’s nickname and a common appellation applied to warriors, did not bring the ransom that was requested for AA’s release. Instead, she came out herself, pregnant and swinging with a boatload of enraged hormones and an attitude to match. The rogue escaped into the bushes when it became apparent that the female warrior was more interested in arguing with her husband than in capturing him.

The excitement of the encounter was too much for Tank, however, and she went into labor right there in the middle of the thief’s camp. When it became apparent that AA was not capable of delivering his wife’s child, the rogue stepped out from hiding and offered his assistance in exchange for a truce. A couple of hours later, Justa came into the world.

Back at the vanguard barracks outside Riesighode, AA and Tank, newborn in arms, pled their case but to no avail. The company commander was not impressed with their rationale for letting the rogue go free and so reassigned both to trainer positions at Lucotecia Academy.

It was at Lucotecia that Justa would spend his first five years, being raised amongst Jzareth’s aspiring finest warriors. There, he spent much of his time tormenting cadets unlucky enough to be assigned to his care, as his parents were kept increasingly busy with their teaching duties.

Tank taught battle strategy while AA was in charge of hand-to-hand and melee weapons mastery. Both positions were very demanding and ill-suited to proper parenting. As a result, Justa developed a strong sense of independence and a flagrant disregard for his parents’, or any other, authority.

Just like the previous five, Justa’s sixth birthday was celebrated at the academy; however this birthday was to be different in several important ways. First, as per Human custom in the region, Justa was awarded the surname of Dagradah. This was the name of Tank’s great-grandfather who had served with honor and distinction as chief constable of Riesighode for over ninety years. Second, AA and Tank were both reassigned to the king’s vanguard, a move that was long overdue but now necessary, given recent religious uprisings and organized criminal activity across the land. Lastly, and most importantly, Justa revealed for the first time his ability to perform magical feats when he got hold of the scepter of a family friend and caused a mug of ale to boil over into the lap of the Lucotecia commander, Colonel Leysjohn.

The flurry of attention surrounding Justa’s magical talent seemed to his parents uncalled for and a bit overboard. After all, magic was commonplace, not just in Jzareth, but around the world. According to the temple priests however, such talent from an individual born from magically untalented parents was special indeed. They considered it a gift of the gods, auguring great ability and purpose in the future. In fact, they went so far as to suggest that Justa be removed from his parents’ custody and entrusted to the clergy for proper upbringing. The military’s religious arm, The Order of the Paladins of Fricken, also staked its claim, suggesting that the boy be taken under its wing for rearing. Needless to say, neither AA nor Tank would have anything to do with having Justa removed from their care, but they did negotiate a compromise: Justa would remain with them during their service to the vanguard, he would have a private mage tutor, and he would attend regular temple service, whenever possible.

His chosen tutor was Naster, an excellent wizard with a sharp wit who had served as a mercenary with both AA and Tank in their youth, during the first time the couple had been suspended from the vanguard. She was as beautiful as she was dangerous with fiery red hair framing her smooth porcelain facial features. To Justa’s parents, Naster was the only choice for the boy’s tutor. It also seemed a fitting appointment, since, after all, it was her scepter and instigation that had led to the boiling ale event.

Over the next two years, AA and Tank served as senior members of the king’s vanguard in the north and wherever they went, so did Justa and Naster. The northern vanguard roamed the continent as a security force. Frequently, they coordinated with the dwarf-like Thraek from the eastern half of the continent to fight back invasion attempts by their common enemy, the Shaka. The Shaka Thraek were also dwarf-like but with much nastier attitudes. They lived on the polar continent of Oonziver and longed to conquer all of Jzareth for themselves. They often made assaults along the northern coast of the continent, but these tended to be more nuisance than true threat.

The real action was in the south where two evil mages and an army of intelligent beasts called the Orniki had managed to wrestle control of a good-sized portion of the continent from the Humans. Several years prior to Justa’s birth, Tank, AA and Naster had battled these creatures and led the vanguard to a bitter victory. They had lost friends and loved ones in that battle and they longed to return there to finish the job. Unfortunately, Leysjohn and his influence with the vanguard command had arranged otherwise.

As the family traveled the north, AA and Tank bickered over their current situation and made plans for the future. Meanwhile Naster looked after Justa and taught him all manner of magical feats. During this time the tall, dark and awkwardly coordinated boy developed a genuine regard for his mentor who was both demanding and loving, so that his regard for her extended to the magic she taught him, which he eagerly learned. He knew that if he could become strong and talented like Naster, he could help his family and then maybe one day they could stop fighting and settle down.

-“I ain’t doin’ this”-

It was spring and the vanguard was camped outside Gott, a reasonably-sized village on the Northern Gulf coast. The Shaka had targeted the shore with several oil-laden ice barges set aflame in hopes of burning down the small port and spreading fear along the coast. The threat, however, had been easily neutralized by the vanguard and the town’s constables.

Tank had decided to leave the bulk of her troops camped at the village until regular reinforcements arrived from Kustvakt, a town several days ride to the west. She, AA, Naster, Justa and three troopers headed south with provisions along the muddy main street of Gott on their way back to the barracks at Riesighode.

“Sharmin, when we get back, I will make our case for reassignment to the south.” AA could see his wife was a powder keg ready to blow and was trying to defuse the situation. “If Leysjohn interferes, I’ll sic Naster on him. They’ve never met and he won’t see it coming.”

“I don’t think this is funny any more, AA. I’ve had it with these lame assignments. You know, none of us is getting any younger and I’d like to look back someday on some real accomplishments.”

Tank pulled a shedskin poncho from her saddlebag and threw it on as she rode along. “By now, I should be an officer with the Paladins, and if you had the capacity to stay out of trouble you’d be head of all of Ubershlong’s vanguard. You’ll be lucky now if you make it to colonel.”

Naster and Justa were riding in the middle of the team behind AA and Tank as they left the village and traveled along Heigher’s Holm, a large open plain bounded to the west by Lago di Tri, three large interconnected lakes, and to the east by forest and marshland. The lands to the east between them and the academy were home to all sorts of villainous creatures and rogues. Rarely was passage through the holm uneventful.

One of the vanguard troopers who was acting as scout pointed out two cedergoths and a granigoth far to their right near the lake shore. Elemental goths were less common among the wild creatures in this region but they were by far the most dangerous. They were giants made of living stone, sand, ice, tree, or even wind, and they could be next to impossible to destroy. Luckily, goths had little in the way of brains and had no taste for conquest. They just liked roaming around, breaking things. It was best to avoid them, so the party kept to the eastern edge of the holm, out of the goth’s range of vision.

Naster rode up behind AA and Tank. “Hey, do you two really think this is a good idea? We’re just asking to get jumped from the marshes.”

AA turned and eyed the wizard. “We’ll just have to stay on our guard until we get past the goths. We don’t want to tangle with them.”

Tank looked steamed and simply turned away from the conversation.

Suddenly, there was a rustling in the foliage to their left.

“Crap,” said AA, craning his neck to follow the sound.

“Told ya,” taunted Naster as she turned back and ushered Justa to a safe distance.

“I ain’t doin’ this,” said Tank sharply to AA, as she slapped her reins and pulled away out front.

AA stopped and dismounted, as did the three troopers who had galloped up from behind. “I hate it when she does that,” he told them.

Justa dismounted and jumped up and down in excitement. “Naster, look! minotaurs, and I think those are Orniki!”

“Very good, little man,” said Naster, mussing Justa’s hair. “Those Orniki are Avians. Can you make out the feathers on their faces and the stumpy beak mouths? I think one is a wizard and the other a monk.”

AA called to Tank as she was riding away. “Tank! You can’t keep doing this.”

She reined in her horse and looked back. “I’m not doing this lightweight stuff anymore. I’ve had it!”

An undead humanoid wielding a weathered ax approached AA from behind. It was moving slowly and dragging one leg.

“Fine!” yelled AA at his wife, just as the undead creature swung at the warrior. AA turned and deflected the ax with his left forearm, grabbing his assailant with his right. He pulled the creature in close. “Can’t you see I’m busy here?” AA then tossed the monster head high into a large cypress tree. He turned back to his wife. “Fine, but you’re making dinner tonight.”

“No problem,” said Tank as she spurred her horse and galloped down the tree line before turning into the forest.

While Tank and AA argued, the three vanguard troopers had their hands full with several minotaurs. The Avian monk kept the creatures up and healthy with a flurry of healing and resurrection enchantments. The Avian wizard was busy himself casting offensive spells such as lightning and fire attacks towards the troopers. One trooper dropped his guard for a split second and took a lightning charge in the back.

Naster raised her own scepter and cast a hex, effectively draining the monk’s scepter head of energy. “See that, Justa. Now by time the spell wears off, this battle should be over.”

“That’s the best skill ever,” Justa said to his tutor. “Can you teach me that one?”

Naster put her hand on the boy’s shoulder. “You’ll need something more powerful than a bag of crystals to cast that hex. Besides, it has some major drawbacks. The monk’s crystal will regain all of its energy eventually, but the spell has burned up about half the crystal in my scepter’s head. That energy is gone forever and if this fight goes on too long, I could be in trouble.”

AA singlehandedly fought off several more undead that rose from the marshes. He then turned his attention to the minotaurs. The remaining troopers were fighting back-to-back as the half-bull, half-human creatures circled in for the kill. AA’s presence, however, definitely swung the odds in the vanguard’s favor.

“That’s it, Justa. Swing your jewel sac over your head and imagine the wizard is in a block of ice. See the air around him getting colder and colder.” Naster knelt by Justa’s side and pointed to the wizard as it dropped its staff and wrapped its arms around itself before falling, frozen, to the ground. “That’s it! That’s it! Fantastic, Justa, you did it!”

AA felled the last remaining minotaur and then looked over the battlefield. “You two all right?” he called out to Naster and her charge.

“We’re fine, but it looks like you have a trooper down,” called back Naster.

AA checked the fallen trooper for any sign of life, then walked over to the Avian monk, who was now being guarded by another trooper. “Monk, you’re going to bring my friend back, or I’m going to turn you into goth chow and feed you to those three over there.” He pointed to the giant creatures in the distance.

“Don’t think so, muscle-head. Thanks to your friend over there, my scepter no longer works.”

The warrior took the monk’s scepter. Its crystal was blackened but still translucent. He snapped off the crystal head and put it in his waist bag before breaking the handle in half.

Naster walked up, carrying the wizard’s staff. “This one’s got more than enough juice left in it.” She tossed it to AA.

AA gave the staff to the Avian. “Make it happen now, and hurry up. I don’t want undead; you bring him all the way back. And, if you try anything impolite, I’ll perform a little magic of my own and turn that staff into a tail. Understand?”

After the monk had finished, AA took the staff head. He had the monk strip to his loincloth and chased him into the woods. The warrior then put his arm around his son’s shoulder and they both watched as the birdman ran nearly naked through the foliage. “I’ve always thought a little humiliation goes a long way in leaving a positive impression on the criminally inclined.”

“But, Dad, he’s still covered in feathers,” Justa said.

As if on cue, Naster pointed her scepter at the fleeing monk who suddenly stopped and looked down as all of his feathers fell off. She turned towards the pair, smiling, “Are you two happy now?”

AA laughed and turned just in time to see Tank emerge from the bush with game over her left shoulder and a right arm full of greens. “There’s your mom, Justa, and it looks like she didn’t forget the veggies.”

“Ah, man! I hate vegetables.” exclaimed the boy.

-“throw them out the gate”-

            Two days later, the team made it around the southern arm of Lago di Tri and back up north to the vanguard barracks. Naster and Justa made their own encampment just outside the fortification, as the wizard did not care to mingle with the military any more than she had to. After a good night’s rest Tank and her husband entered the vanguard commander’s office with the intention of pushing for a reassignment to the south. They were surprised to find an old friend waiting there, as well.

            Colonel Leysjohn smiled broadly and greeted Tank. “Sharmin! It’s been a while.” He gave the female warrior a warm handshake and looked up at AA. “I see your company has not improved. I’m sorry.”

            Leysjohn harbored a deep dislike for Arian, in part rooted in the warrior’s brashness and conceit, in part rooted in jealousy over his skills and experience. “AA, I have to say I’m impressed. You’re keeping pretty fit for your age.”

            AA considered Leysjohn an untalented opportunist whose only concern was weaseling his way up the chain of command. He pushed between his wife and his old academy superior, giving him a menacing stare, as Tank turned to approach the commander’s desk. She stopped and saluted General Simmons, who stood and returned the salute.

            “Good job in Gott. Damn good job,” he told them. The general sat back down. “Any problems on the road home?”

            AA spoke up. “We we’re ambushed on the way back but nothing we couldn’t handle. Lost one man but got him back. He’s fine.”

            The general took up his pen and looked down to the papers on his desk. “Glad to hear it. Take the day, then, and be ready for a new assignment in the morning.”

            “That’s what I want to talk to you about, sir,” said Tank. “I, I mean we, want reassignment down south to fight against the Orniki. You have many fine junior officers here in the north. You don’t need…”

            The general looked up and into Tank’s eyes. “You have many years of fine service but don’t presume to know what I need, or you’ll be back at the academy. Do you understand? Besides, General Leysjohn here is now in charge of assignments. Take the matter up with him.”

            AA gasped. “General? You’ve got to be kidding!”

            The vanguard commander stood now. “That will be enough!”

            Tank looked first at Leysjohn and then the commander. “You got that right.” She turned and walked out of the office, followed by AA. The two generals followed them outside.

            For a moment, AA was distracted by a couple of low-ranking soldiers who were watching them from across the courtyard. He had seen them before but it wasn’t here.

            Leysjohn called out, half-laughing, “Listen, you two. I’ll make you a deal.”

            AA turned to face Leysjohn, who was standing between the commander and the base commandant, who had walked up to join them. “I’m listening.”

            “You and your little party close down operations at Zlehomos and recover the crystal shipment that was hijacked out of Midcoast last month, and I’ll reassign you to the Grendle’s Pass outpost.”

            The commandant smiled and shook his head, diverting his gaze to the ground.

            Tank turned and looked at her husband hopefully.

            AA stared at the new general. “I can do this my way?”

            Leysjohn smiled, holding back a chuckle. “You can do whatever you need to do.”

            “Whatever I need to do?” AA gave a side glance at the two onlookers who he was sure were out of earshot. He turned to the commander. “I can do anything, I mean anything I think is necessary, to get the job done?”

            “That’s right, Arian. You can do anything,” replied the commander.

            Tank raised her hand to her mouth, having just realized what her husband was up to.

            “I was hoping you’d say that, General.”

AA turned to General Leysjohn and smiled. He then sucker-punched the superior officer, sending him falling into a horse trough. He next swept the feet out from under the charging camp commandant, who fell backwards into the trough on top of Leysjohn.

            The commander pulled his sword and stepped up. “That’s it! The two of you are out.” He pointed to Tank. “All the way, this time.” He turned and yelled out, “Camp Guard!”

            The commandant pulled himself up and blew his whistle. In moments the group was surrounded by a detachment of formidable-appearing soldiers with their weapons drawn.

            The commander made his way to the top of the steps and turned towards the camp. “From now on, Arian Am and Sharmin Eplerveener are expelled from service and are to be considered outcasts. Guards, collect their belongings, give them a day’s rations for four, and throw them out the gate.”

Within the hour, Tank and AA were escorted through the front gates of the vanguard barracks, wearing civilian leathers and guiding a team of three horses, one packed with all of their belongings. They walked to Naster’s camp and began loading her supplies as well.

AA tried to fill in Naster on what had happened. “You’ve got to be kidding” she said as she looked up at the lookout on the wall, sending him a not-too-polite hand gesture.

“Hey, it’s not like that. They’re just doing their job. I’m the one that got us busted,” said AA.

Tank interrupted. “And you’d better hope this works or we might as well turn to roguery ourselves.”

“Hope what works? Roguery? What the heck are you guys talking about?” asked Naster, looking increasingly confused.

AA turned to Justa and ushered him toward the tent. “Start bagging your gear and get it up on the pack horse.” He turned and faced the women. “If we can bust Fitzpatrick and the rest of the rogue leadership in Zlehomos and recover a shipment of stolen crystals, we’ll finally get our reassignment to the south. I’ve got Simmons’s word on it. As I see it, all we gotta do is get the rogues to welcome us into their flock, and the first step was to get ourselves thrown out of the guard. I simply took that step.”

“And you think that if we do these things, they’ll just open their arms and welcome you back? Arian, you are bound and determined to get us all killed.” Naster shook her head and turned toward Tank. “And you let him do this?”

Tank didn’t notice her son listening from inside the tent. “Well, he didn’t exactly consult me beforehand but it sounded like a good idea, and we did get the general’s word in front of several witnesses. Plus, he clocked Leysjohn and knocked him into the horse trough. How could I not stand by him after that? “

AA seemed quite proud of himself. “What can I say? It had to be convincing. Fitzpatrick has spies in the camp.”

“All right, muscle-head,” Naster said, giving AA a gentle shove. “Maybe this is the surest way to get back to Vanesh; we’ve certainly tried everything else short of just going mercenary.” She could feel tears welling in her eyes. “After nearly a decade, I still can’t stop thinking about what happened at the cathedral. We owe that Seek for what he did to us, and for what he did to Dagmar and the kid.”

“For Dagmar and the kid then,” said Tank, as she grabbed a couple bedrolls and winked at Naster before turning towards the pack horse.

-“Looks like a little girl, smells like a little orc”-

By dusk they had made it to Heigher’s Holm, where they set up camp with a group of Thraek who were traveling west to Riesighode. In the morning the team headed out again towards Lucotecia Academy. It remained to be seen whether they would be allowed to spend the night at the academy, as was frequently the courtesy shown to passersby. Certainly the academy commander would have received word of their ouster from the vanguard by time they arrived.

It was late afternoon when the party arrived at their previous longtime home. AA and Tank discussed matters with the academy commander and it was decided that the party would be allowed to resupply but they’d have to make camp outside the compound walls. AA thought this best for appearances, anyway.

Tank had been hoping for a nice bunk inside but settled for visiting with old friends who were more than happy to come to her beyond the confines of the academy walls.

Unlike his parents, Justa was treated as returning royalty by the academy officials and clergy and was invited inside to show to everyone what he had learned from Naster since he had last been there.

In the morning the clear and rainbow-colored sky of the previous day had been replaced by dark, ominous-looking clouds moving in from the west. A gentle rain fell as it had been doing for much of the night, making the road east muddy.

The party broke camp after breakfast and prepared to make their way to the rogue town of Zlehomos which lay due east about one day’s ride. Before leaving, they said their farewells to old friends and to those others who had developed a deep respect for the warrior family through its reputation. AA and Tank were careful to portray themselves as disgruntled in regard to the vanguard and happy to be relocating to Thraek, where maybe their talents and efforts would be better appreciated.

Midway through their journey east, the team came upon what at a distance had appeared to be a deserted camp. What they found, instead, was horrific. While the camp had been ransacked of valuables, it was not deserted at all. Scattered amongst the wagons and tents were humanoid statues, grey like wet limestone, and posed in an assortment of defensive postures.

“Got to be the work of Gorgon raiders. Who else turns their victims to stone?” said Naster.

“This couldn’t have happened more than a few hours ago.” Tank dismounted and took several black cloth streamers from her saddle bag. She passed them out to everyone. “Now, if I give the word, everyone puts on one of these over their eyes like a blindfold, and just sit down, and I’ll handle it. For now, Naster take Justa and start reviving these people and give each one a blindfold. AA, I need you to scout around the camp and make sure there are no surprises waiting for us.”

The wizards first revived three adult males to help with securing the camp. AA took off on foot in pursuit of what he thought might be a raider. Tank stood in the center of the camp atop a broken wine barrel with a small concave mirror strapped to each hand. From her vantage point she could scan the entire area.

As was typical of them, the Gorgons silently glided into camp without attempting to hide their presence. They wanted to be seen. These raiders were members of a frail but highly magical race. They did not usually rely on brute force to secure their needs and they did not have to, as became obvious when one of the newly revived travelers turned, staring at the intruders, and was instantly again turned to stone.

Tank called out “blindfolds” as she closed her own eyes as tightly as she could. Naster did not even attempt a magical defense, as the safe use of her talents was highly dependent on her eyesight. She instead secured Justa’s blindfold and took away his jewel sack to prevent him from trying to help his mother.

By the time Naster had secured the boy from harm, however, it was all over. Tank had made a mental note of the position of the raiders about the camp and then bolted from one to the other, physically subduing them, before forcing each to look at its own reflection in her palm mirrors. One by one, the four Gorgons themselves were turned to stone.

AA returned to camp with his prisoner whom he carried screaming and squirming under his arm. “Honey, you been having fun without me?” he said to his wife, eyeing the four Gorgon statues scattered about the camp.

“Just returning the favor. Watcha got there?”

“Not sure. Looks like a little girl, smells like a little orc, and bites like a lionoid Orniki.” He tossed the girl to the ground. “Now behave yourself or I’ll leave you out here. Understand?”

The girl, covered in filth and growling, looked up from the ground and snarled, “You just wait till my daddy gets hold of you.”

Naster stepped up and knelt by the girl. “Who is you father, sweetie? Is he here?”

“No. He’s at Zlehomos, I think. We got separated” said the girl who rather nonchalantly picked up a small stone and threw it, striking AA in the back of the head.

“Maybe we can help you find him, tough stuff,” added AA, rubbing his scalp. “But first, you have to tell us your name, and then you have to take a bath. You smell something awful!”

“Oh, yeah? Do you know what it was like being carried around under your arm for the last half hour? You ain’t exactly morning-fresh yourself!” replied the girl. “And my name is not ‘tough stuff’. It’s Gwen.”

Justa and Naster finished reviving everybody except the Gorgons. Tank then stood up in the center of the group to make an announcement. “My family and I are experienced warriors from Riesighode. We’ve been wrongfully exiled by the Human vanguard and we seek now only to settle a new home in Thraek. As we all seem to be heading in the same direction, we will offer our services as escort first to Zlehomos and then onward to Acos Passe, if anyone is traveling that far.”

The party was more than willing to accept Tank’s offer. AA hooked his and his wife’s horses to the others’ wagons and soon they were on their way again. AA took the lead while Tank was in the rear of the caravan. Naster stayed in the middle of the party and adopted the role of nanny for Gwen as well as Justa.

Justa, of course, did not care for this one bit. Nor did he like the idea of giving the girl a clean smock to wear after she bathed in the stream. The young wizard was especially unhappy with the strange girl being allowed to ride in the wagon while he had to walk alongside.

After several more hours, the group turned southeast along the marsh trail and decided to make camp at the foot of the river bridge which marked the last leg of their journey to Zlehomos. AA and several of the travelers established a parameter about the camp. Those with battle experience would patrol the camp two at a time throughout the night. Most of the others set about preparing meals and raising shelters for sleep.

Tank and AA joined Naster in a small clearing just outside the camp parameter. Naster took a small cloth bag and other items from the warriors. “These should do just fine,” she said.

Tank gave AA a squeeze on the shoulder. “I’m going to scout ahead before we lose the sun. Naster, keep an eye on the monkeys, would ya?” she said, nodding at Justa and Gwen, who seemed to be getting along much better now.

AA walked back into camp and was met by one of the members of the party who was now on guard duty. “What’s that your wizard is up to, and why ain’t she in camp?” asked the stern-looking man.

AA gave the guard a friendly slap on the back. “Oh, you mean Nasty Naster? She’s my son’s tutor. That’s him, over there. He’s gonna be a wizard too. Naster is preparing his next lesson and, believe me, when she is brewin’, you don’t want her anywhere nearby. She’s not exactly the best wizard around but she’s all we could aff