The Woodward Academy, Year 6

Chapter 11: April

"Bah," David growled, tossing his latest divinatory object attempt across his worktable.

Jailla, who had been sleeping on top of a filing cabinet, flew over to the table.  "You seem more aggravated than normal at this.  Is something wrong?"

David sighed deeply.  "It's just the thing with that Dailey bastard and the school.  I can't figure out whether to believe him or not."

"He was an enemy.  Why would you believe him?" Jailla asked.

"What did he have to gain from the lie?" David asked.

"Perhaps exactly what you're going through now?"

David shook his head.  "He expected to win, remember?  Had I been stuck there for all eternity, this would be completely irrelevant.  Whether or not they had been my friends, or in on the conspiracy, wouldn't matter a damn, because I wouldn't be able to communicate with them anymore, anyway."

Jailla bobbed his head.  "True, I suppose.  So why don't you just ask her about it?"

David snorted.  "Yeah, that's gonna go over well.  If she is in on it, she's going to be scared shitless that I would have her arrested for being complicit in attempted false imprisonment... not to mention attempted murder.  There's no way she's going to admit her guilt to a sworn officer of the court.

"On the other hand, if she wasn't in on it, and Dailey was lying to me, then I imagine that she would be highly offended that I would believe her capable of this sort of thing.  I imagine that would set us back even further than the little mishap over my actual imprisonment did... assuming it didn't completely destroy our friendship outright.

Jailla asked, "Well, is this something you think she could be capable of?"

"The Dean Lengel I think I know?  No.  But I thought I knew Lydia, too, until the day Mychel proved to me I didn't.  If Dailey was telling the truth, then Dean Lengel is a conniving, manipulative bitch who has been lying to me for seven years now.  I don't want to believe that.  On the other hand, every single time it has looked like one of my friends wasn't what I thought they were... that's been true.

"And it would be bigger than just the dean.  Sam would get wrapped up into it, too.  And Prof. Blackstone... and all the others.  For this thing to be true, a couple dozen people have to have agreed to lie to me constantly.

"On the other hand, I have never seen the faculty treat a student the way they treat me.  Not one.  From the first day I came here, they have all taken a special interest in me."

"Even Quayde?" Jailla interjected with mirth.

"Oh, he took a very special interest in me!" David said with a grin.  "No, I imagine it's even possible that a part of his hatred for me stems from this whole thing somehow.  Maybe he felt his help was worth more than was being offered?  Maybe he was trying to save my ass by getting me kicked out of this school... God, wouldn't that really suck?  If my only actual friend on the faculty had been the one I thought was my enemy?"

"I have trouble believing that to be true," Jailla said.

"Yeah, me, too.  But it's the kind of thought that has been popping up in my head for the last week.  I am woefully inept at making objective judgments about my friends.  I generally make the wrong call, which is why I can't believe any argument I make about this situation, no matter which side I try to come down on."

"So what do you plan on doing?" Jailla asked.

"For now?  Trying to focus on my schoolwork.  There have been no Rimohr cases in this area, so none of that to worry about.  Right now, I'm just going to bury myself in my studies, and try to set this problem aside.  Until I can figure out a way to find out the truth, one way or the other, thinking about it is just going to drive me crazy."

"But how will you act toward the faculty until you figure it out?" Jailla asked.  "If they are conspiring against you, then it is foolish to keep thinking of them as friends.  But if they are blameless, it's wrong to shun them..."

"Yeah, I know.  Which is why, for right now, I'm just gonna kind of try to avoid them as much as I can.  That shouldn't be too hard.  Olissa and I usually eat here in my dorm room.  There's nobody else left on campus for me to socialize with, really.

"And there are a few people I'm pretty sure I can trust.  Tanya and the security staff, I can trust.  There's no way that he could have paid them off, because he'd have had no idea who they were going to be.

"My school friends, I can trust.  Of course, the only one of them still around is Olissa, but Dailey never mentioned the students at all, so I'm pretty sure they're 'clean'.

"I... think I can trust Lise.  She was drunk when she made her revelations.  Drunk enough that I don't think she could have lied effectively."

"What if she was only pretending to be drunk?" Jailla offered, playing devil's advocate.

"You just had to bring that up, didn't you?" David grumbled.  "In any case, she's in Erle, and I couldn't ask her about it, anyway.  I'm not sure she'd tell me the truth."

"But you said you could trust her," Jailla objected.

"I trust that our relationship wasn't fake.  I don't know that she wasn't in on some kind of conspiracy."

Jailla nodded.  "And what about Sam?"

"Sam is as problematic as Dean Lengel.  I can't conceive of Sam betraying me like this... especially since she was attacked by Lydia... but like I said, every time I've had to decide what a friend of mine was thinking, I've been wrong.  I thought Olissa didn't want a relationship with me; she desperately did.  I thought Jim was one of my best friends; he was actually an enemy.  I thought Lydia was my girlfriend; she was instead worse than Quayde.  I thought Kyle and Charlie were my teammates and friends, they turned out to be traitorous backstabbers.  No, my track record of good judgment where my friends are concerned sucks big time, so I don't know what to think about Sam, Dean Lengel, or anyone else, at this point."

Jailla bobbed his head in acknowledgment.  "Perhaps, then, as you say, it's best if you try not to think about it until you come up with a solution."

"And if this is one of those problems that hasn't got one?" David demanded.

Jailla squawked and ruffled his feathers.

"Uh-huh."

"Yes?" David asked upon opening the door.

"Paladin Stroud?"

"Yes," David confirmed.

"I have a document for you."

"Oh, okay... I thought negotiations had basically been terminated," he objected mildly.

"I'm not allowed to discuss it in an insecure location, sir," the man said.

David nodded, put his thumb in the blue square of the box the man was carrying, and pulled out the scroll that was within.

"Remember that this document cannot be kept, sir," the man reminded him unnecessarily.

"Yeah, I know.  Right after I read it, I'll eat it."

"Sir?" the man asked, confused.

David grinned.  "Sorry, an Earth joke.  Never mind."

"Yes, sir.  Good day."

As the man walked off, David closed the door to his dorm room and started to read the document.

"What is it, Master?" Olissa asked.

David had stopped walking after the first sentence.  When he was done, he dropped his hand to his side, his face trying to mask his fear.

"And so it begins," he said to her.

"Sir?"

"This morning, around sunrise, a force of Vrudenan infantry, numbering at least two thousand, crossed the Callamandian border just northwest of Burton.  The village of Burton has been completely destroyed.  Intelligence shows that the Vrudenans, instead of retreating back across the border, are in fact setting up camp on this side of the border.  They apparently plan on staying."

"Oh, no," Olissa said, her voice shaking.  "How many people died?"

"Luckily the military adopted my idea.  The entire area along the border was evacuated on Monday, when the Vrudenans announced that they couldn't deal with the king's intransigence, and so were walking out of the negotiations.  Burton was empty when they got there."

"Well, at least there's that," Olissa said.

"Yeah.  Come on."

"Where are we going?" Olissa asked.

"Home.  Maybe nobody's made it official yet, but Callamandia is now at war, and you are staying behind protective shielding for the duration."

"Yes, Master," Olissa agreed quietly.  She wasn't about to argue with him on this point; she knew he was absolutely adamant about her safety.

David vaporized the document he was carrying, and then the two left the dorm room.  As they walked to the rock lift off the mountain, they didn't speak.  As soon as they were in the glidetruck, however, David began outlining the plan for the near future.

"From now until I think we're ready, you and I are going to focus on getting the house ready for guests.  That means more food cabinets, and more food."

"How will I get more food for you, Master, if I can't leave the grounds?"

"We'll have it delivered, or I will go get it.  No funny business, Little One.  If I have to enact a containment spell to keep you home, I will."

"Yes, Master."

"We've stocked up on beds, too, right?" David asked.

"Yes, Master.  We have about thirty at the moment, not counting the ones in the guest rooms."

"I'll want more, just in case.  When we get home, I will give you the list of people who are allowed in the house without my direct permission.  If, at any point, one of those people comes to the house for safety, you're to let them in, understood?"

"You're not going to invite them now?"

"No.  There's no danger yet, and they will be more comfortable where they are.  Plus, we don't want to draw down on our supplies before we need to.  We've only got about a year and a half worth of food for thirty people.  I want to increase that by a factor of at least five."

"That's a lot of food, Master," Olissa said, shocked.

"Little One, the last war with the weres lasted forty years.  I have no idea how long this one will last.  It could be over in a few months... it might last a century."

"Do you really think that's possible?" she asked.

"I have no fucking clue.  I'm not a military strategist.  Hell, I'm barely a military tactician, and that in only a very limited sense.  All I can do is to prepare as best I can for what I'm pretty sure is coming."

"Yes, sir."

The two continued to talk on the way back to Pendergrast Manor.  Once they got there, there was plenty of work to do.

 "Yes?" David inquired, answering the door himself.  He was at Pendergrast Manor.  He and Olissa had been readying the house for the last several days.  Gwen and Jess had also dropped by to help out.  They were aware of David's plans, and appreciated what he was doing.

"Paladin Stroud?" the man asked.

"That's me," David said.

The man presented the usual box with the blue square.  David placed his thumb on it, and retrieved the scroll.

"Remember, sir-"

"-that this document cannot be kept," David said, finishing the man's sentence.  "Yes, I know.  Thank you."

The man nodded and walked off.  David stepped into the main room before unrolling the parchment.  As he read, Gwen, Jess, and Olissa all came into the room where David was standing.  The message was long and detailed, as it covered a great many issues that weren't really relevant to David.  The most important message had been delivered in the first paragraph.

"David?" Gwen asked, seeing the look on his face.

"At 10:38 AM on this date," David began to read, "An envoy from the nation of Vrudena was received by His Majesty the King of Callamandia.  The envoy had in his possession a notice from Alpha Hurovlad, the ruler of Vrudena.  The notice blamed Callamandia for a lack of sincerity in its negotiations, and an unwillingness to compromise.  The notice concluded by informing the king that the nation of Vrudena has, as of this date, declared war on the Kingdom of Callamandia."

David looked around at the others.  Shock and dismay were written clearly on their faces.

"What do we do?" Jess asked, her voice trembling.

"We teach those sorry sons of bitches why you don't fuck with Callamandia, that's what," David said darkly.  "But first, we need to protect this house.  Come on, you guys can help me put the enchantments in place."

They were about three-quarters the way through emplacing the enchantments when David's mirror buzzed.  He pulled it out and answered, to see Joe's face on the other side.

"David, I need you down here.  There's an all-division meeting in two hours."

"Okay, I'll be there," he said.

Joe nodded, then fogged off.

"What do you think that's about, Master?" Olissa asked.

"Probably a pep talk of sorts, about how we Rimohrs are going to operate under war conditions," David opined.  He wasn't quite right, but close.

"Hey, David," Vivian said in greeting when he entered the bullpen.

"Hey, Viv," he said.  "What's going on?"

"I don't know.  They just said we all needed to be here for the meeting."

David nodded.  He busied himself straightening up his old desk and cleaning out the drawers.  It was the first time he'd bothered dealing with it since his transfer.

Finally Agent Keef stepped out of one of the small conference rooms with an unfamiliar man in tow.  Everyone settled pretty fast.  Joe, who had been absent up to then, slipped into the chair at his desk just as Keef started to speak.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Keef started, "I don't know if all of you have heard yet, so I'll make the announcement.  As of this morning, the Were Nation has declared war on Callamandia."

There was a murmur through the room; apparently a lot of people weren't aware of the situation.

Keef raised his voice.  "As the Rimohrs are an international organization, under the authority of the Council of Wizards, the war does not impact us directly.  It will, however, have a significant impact on the way our jobs are performed.  From this point forward, no one goes out alone.  All calls are assumed to be dangerous.  Crimes in areas that are currently under military contention shall be handled by teams of three or more people.

"There is one other important change, but I will let Mr. Jackson cover that."

The unfamiliar man stepped forward and addressed the room.  "My name is Robby Jackson.  I am a member of the king's advisory staff.  I would ask for all of you to rise."

Everyone in the room stood up.  David looked at Joe to see if he was as confused as David himself was, but Joe wouldn't look over at him.

Uh-oh...

"If I call out your name, please move over to the side wall.  Agent Joseph Garibaldi, Officer Dikko Antyppis, Officer Vivian Columbo..."

David watched as the man called more than half the division over to the side of the room.  Finally, the man said, "Officer David Stroud..."

As David walked over to join the others, he was very confused about what was happening.  The look on Joe's face worried him.  It was clear Joe knew what was going on, but wasn't saying anything.  David didn't have long to wait for the information, in any case.

The man finished up reading off names, and then he turned to face those whose names he had called.

"Officers, by order of the King of Callamandia, in accordance with the Decree of Rabb, the Rimohr Treaty, and in consultation with the Executive Minister of the Office of Outlawed Magic, you are hereby ordered to report to Fort Broderick for induction into the Callamandian military, to be followed by basic training."

"And if we refuse?" Dikko asked immediately.

"Then you will be beheaded as a traitor to the crown," David pointed out seriously.  "And I very well might offer to do the job for them.  You are a Callamandian citizen and a subject of the king.  You took an oath to serve at the king's behest."

"Officer Stroud is quite correct.  This is not a request, officers.  Failure to report by Sunday afternoon will be met with a warrant for your arrest and immediate execution for treason.  That is all I have to say, except good luck to you all."

With that, Mr. Jackson left the office.  David turned immediately to Joe.  "You knew."

"They told me what was going on right after I called everyone into the office," Joe said.  "That's why I stayed out of here until they started to talk.  I knew I couldn't not tell you."

David nodded.  "Shit.  How the fuck am I supposed to protect the school if I'm off playing soldier in the middle of nowhere?"  David paused, thought for a long moment, then said, "Then again, depending on whether Dailey was bullshitting me or not, I don't know as I want to protect the school, anyway..."

"What?" Joe said, astonished.

"I'll tell you about it on the ride down to Fort Broderick.  When do you figure to go?"

"Tomorrow.  It will take me that long to get things organized.

"Vivian?  What about you?" David asked.

Vivian shrugged.  "I have nothing to organize.  All I have to do is pack... and really, something tells me even that is pointless.  Probably be wearing some god-awful uniform from now on."

David grunted.

"What about you?" Joe asked.  "You have the most work to do before leaving.  You've got to get your house ready."

"I was enacting the protections when you called me.  Olissa and I have been preparing since the damned weres invaded."

"So you knew, too," Joe said.

"Knew that I was going to be called into military service?  Not hardly.  I just wanted to be ready in case something weird happened."

Joe nodded.

"So, you two want to ride down with me?  I'll take the glidetruck, so there'll be plenty of room."

"Sounds good."

"Tomorrow around two or three o'clock, then," he said to Vivian.  To Joe, he said, "Expect me for lunch.  If I'm going to have to go off to battle, I want hugs from my god-daughter to protect me."

Joe grinned and nodded.

"Uncle David?" Grace asked.

"What is it, Sweetheart?" David replied.

"Where you and Daddy going?"

Everyone in the room stopped.  David looked at Joe.

"I tried, but... I don't think she understands."

David nodded, then knelt down to be more at eye level with Grace.

"There are some bad people that want to come here," David said.  "Your dad and I are going to go and stop them."

"Oh.  Why?"

"Why... what?  Why are we going to stop them?"

"Uh-uh.  Why come here?"

"Oh.  Well, because they're bullies.  You know what a bully is, right?"

"Uh-huh..."

"Well, that's what they are.  They're trying to pick on helpless people, and we're going to stand up to them and let them know they can't do that."

"They hurt me?"

"We won't let that happen," David said forcefully, not wanting her to be afraid.

"They hurt you?" she asked.

"Maybe... but we'll be really careful, so don't worry."

"I not want you go."

"I don't want to go, honey, but I have to."

"Why?"

"It's my job.  I have to protect you, and your mom, and all the other pretty little girls just like you... and your mom," David said as an afterthought.  Zyla blushed.

"You come back?"

"As soon as we can," David confirmed.

"'kay," she said.  The frown on her face said she wasn't happy, but she wasn't going to make a fuss.

"C'mon.  Give me a hug, to take with me."

Grace embraced David and tried to crush his neck in her stranglehold.  David held onto her and rubbed her back.  Finally, she let him go.

"You be a good girl, now," David said.  "Obey your mom."

"'kay."

David stood up and stroked Grace's hair for a moment, then turned and picked up his duffel bag.  "You ready?" he asked Joe.

"Yeah," Joe said, his voice just a little hoarse.  Joe gave Zyla a final kiss, and turned to go.

"When might you two be back?" Zyla asked David.  She'd already asked Joe, and he'd not had any idea.

"Not sure.  They say the bare minimum time in basic training is a week for us.  Could be up to six weeks, though."

"Will you be able to come home afterwards, before they send you off to... um... your new job?" she glanced at Grace.  No one wanted to say "fight" in front of her.

"I don't know.  No one's giving us any kind of clue what they're going to do with us once training's finished.  We don't know if we're going to be straight infantry, or if we're going to be Intel pukes, or just what."

Zyla nodded.  "Take care of yourself... and try to keep an eye on my husband for me, would you?"

"Do what I can.  I'll make sure he doesn't ogle the female recruits too much."

"And who's going to stop you?" Zyla asked with a grin.

"I'm single.  I'm allowed," David said with a wide smile.  Zyla smiled back at him, and gave him a hug.  Joe and David then headed out the door to the glidetruck.

It was a quick hop across town to pick up Vivian, who didn't have anyone to say good-bye to, so there was no drama at her house.

"So what's this you said about not wanting to protect the school?" Joe said after they'd been on the road for about a half-hour.

David explained what Dailey had said to him during their fight.

Joe was quiet for a while.

"You believe him?" Joe finally asked.

"I don't know," David replied.  "That's the problem."

"No way to find out?"

"None that doesn't do more harm than good.  At least, not that I've figured out."

Joe grunted.  "Well, good luck.  For what it's worth, I've never read Dean Lengel as the kind of person who would do that kind of thing."

"Me, either.  But the problem is, if she is the kind of person who'd do this kind of thing, and could pull it off for seven years, she would also appear as if she wasn't."

Joe grunted again.  "True enough."

"Ten-hut!" a voice bellowed.  All of the recruits snapped to attention.  A tough-looking man walked down the line of Rimohr recruits.  There were about forty of them, all told.  The man criticized most of them, barking at them to stand straighter, or to fix their uniforms.

The clothing they were issued for basic training was a pair of rugged pants, a pair of strong hiking boots, a pullover shirt, and an overcoat.  It wasn't as long as the coats David normally saw on people, but this made sense; in battle it was likely to be in the way.  In keeping with the kingdom's aesthetic, all of the clothing was some shade of green.

When the man got to David, he stopped and looked him over.

"What are you, like twelve?" he demanded.

"Twenty-four, sir!" David replied.

"Like fucking hell," the man scoffed.  "You don't look old enough to shave."

"I'm not human, sir," David informed him.

The man grunted, then turned and moved to the next person in line.

Once the man was finished, he moved to the front of the group and faced them.

"I am Liderra Vince Carter," the man said.  "I am to be your instructor for basic training.  Because you are not truly raw recruits, your time in this company will be dependent on your current abilities, and how quickly you learn.

"Some of you will spend the entire six weeks here just trying to meet our physical requirements.  Should you fail the physical exam for the last time, you will be base-bound for your entire enlistment period, and you will be given the shittiest jobs we have.

"Mornings will be devoted to physical training.  Afternoons will be devoted to skills education.  Evenings will be free... unless you piss me off, in which case, this is the time during which you will wish your mother had never met your father.

"Do you get me?" the man finally shouted.

"Yes sir!" they all shouted back.

"I'm not a sir, I work for a living!" the man snarled.  "The appropriate response is, 'Yes, Liderra Carter!'  Now, try it again!  You get me?"

"YES, LIDERRA CARTER!" they all shouted at the top of their lungs.

"Good.  Now, just to remind you where you are, let's start the day with a leisurely jog around the fort.  The last one to make it back here will finish off their day by doing a hundred push-ups.  MOVE IT OUT!"

The entire group took off at a dead run.  David, knowing better, paced himself.  He had already passed three sprinters who were now gasping for air, and he was rapidly catching up to the main pack of recruits.

"Sweat, goddamn you!" Joe gasped as David jogged even with him.

"I will... when he asks us to do something hard..."

"Fuck you," Joe wheezed.

"You'll be fine, Joe.  Remember, I've been going through this shit for years.  He's going to have to try harder than this if he wants to even come close to Prof. Teller's courses."

"I hate you," Joe told him.

David just grinned, then sped up slightly.  He paused to encourage Vivian as he passed her, but she seemed resolute in her attempt.  David jogged with her for a while, then moved up.  He wanted to see who was in the lead of the group.

Once David saw who was leading, he knew he had to get in front.  He wasn't about to let Dikko be the first one back to the liderra.

Twenty minutes later, David dropped to a quick walk when he was just a few steps from the liderra.  Dikko had dropped back several positions, and the person in second behind David was someone he didn't know.

"Well.  For a pansy-looking sumbitch, you seem to hold up good," the liderra said to David.

"Thank you, Liderra Carter," David said firmly.

"And your reward for winning is that you can do two hundred pushups!  Drop, boy!"

David tried not to roll his eyes, but moved down into position.  He kept his form through the first hundred, but after that it did start to become more tiring.  By the time he hit 150, he was slowing down significantly.  He was struggling severely when he finally hit 200, and was able to stand before the liderra again.

"Not quite so smug now, eh?"

David chose not to answer this time.  All of the other recruits had not, in fact, made it back yet.  Joe was just then coming in, gasping.  He looked behind himself to thank the fates that he wasn't the last one in.

When the final runner did finally arrive, he was about to drop to the ground to do his pushups.

"No need for that, soldier," the liderra snapped.  "Speedy here did your pushups for you."

The guy looked over at David worriedly.  David just kept his face impassive.  He was used to people busting his balls.  This guy would be no different, he was sure.

"All right, you pukes," Liderra Carter said.  "You have the rest of the night to settle in.  Chow is at eighteen.  That's six o'clock, for those of you who can't tell time.  Lights out is twenty-two.  I'll let you do the math on that one... but if you get it wrong, you will be spending your night polishing the boots of every officer at this fort.

"DISMISSED!"

They all broke ranks.  Immediately, the final runner came over to David.

"Sorry you had to do my push-ups, man," he said.

David waved him off.  "It wasn't about you.  The bastard made me do 'em 'cause I came in first."

"Fucker lied to us," the guy said.  David shrugged.  "Anyway, thanks for not being pissed about it.  Jack Lupo," he said, holding out his hand to shake.

David shook it.  "David Stroud."

"You're... holy shit on a sasquatch.  Nice to meet you, man.  Damn.  Hey... did they get the story right?"

"Uh... which story?"

"Shit, you have to ask which story?  I don't think I want to know what your life is like.  I meant the one about you and the king... that whole assassination thing?"

"Oh, that.  Yeah, they got it more or less right."

"Fuck, man, that had to take some balls.  Glad you're on our side."

David smirked.  "Thanks."

"What you think this basic training shit's gonna be like?" Jack asked as they started to walk toward the barracks.

David shrugged.  "Apparently, a lot of running and pushups.  Beyond that, I have no idea.  I still don't know what they're training us to do."

"Yeah, me, either.  I'm worried I'm gonna be spending the war as a fuckin' ditch digger here at the fort.  I nearly died on that damned run."

"Trust me, even if it takes you the whole six weeks, that will come to you.  What else they have in mind physically, I don't know about, but the running will be second nature by the time you're done.  That's how it was when I started."

"You've been through this already?" Jack asked.

"Not this, no.  But I took weapons training in college."

"Oh, right," Jack said, nodding.  After a second, the inevitable question: "Any good?"

"Best in my class," David said.  He didn't bother to mention his other combat class.  There was no need to scare the guy.  "So where are you from?"

"Senesty Division.  I worked mostly down in Minayers."

"Not sure where that is," David admitted.

"The ass-end of the worst place you can think of is just north of there," Jack grumped.  David laughed.  "It's the very tip of southern Callamandia, just at the entrance to the Gulf of Gthark."

"Oh, okay.  South Florida, then."

"Huh?"

David grinned.  "Earth reference."

"Oh.  Sorry, never studied Earth geography.  All I know is it sucks.  Hot, humid, full of some of the nastiest fucking creatures you can think of, and mosquitoes that can carry off small cattle."

David chuckled, but wasn't sure just how much the guy was exaggerating.  It was Dugerra, after all.

The two entered the barracks, and agreed to meet up for dinner.  David went to his bunk, made sure his locker was in order, checked his bed for lumps - he counted twelve - and then stepped outside.

Vivian joined him shortly.  The women were in the building next door to the men.

"Well, what do you think so far?" Vivian asked.

"I think I'm going to hate Liderra Carter by the time I leave here," David said honestly.

Vivian grinned.  "You're the one who was showing off," she teased.

"I just didn't want Dikko coming in first," David said.

"He was like sixth," she pointed out.

"Yeah, well, I didn't exactly look behind me after I passed him."

"Tsk," she said with a grin.

"How did you hold up?" he asked seriously.

"Okay.  Not stellar, but I managed.  I'm sure I'll be fine in a week or two."

"Yeah.  Or dead," he offered.

"Hah!" she said with a smile.

 "All right, you pukes!" Liderra Carter barked.  "This little playground is your physical exam.  You are required to complete this course in under ten minutes!  Until you can do so, you're not a soldier, you're a potato sack!

"And there will be no magic use here, you get me?"

"Yes, Liderra Carter!" they all bellowed.

"Now, first two to the line."

David was one of the first two, and so he stepped up and planted his foot firmly on the white line they'd painted on the ground.  He looked over at the other recruit.  It wasn't someone he knew, but they both nodded encouragingly to each other.

"All right, you Rim-jobs!  GO!"

David watched as his co-runner took off like a shot.  David, however, ran at his usual pace.  He knew that the runs between obstacles were the easy part.

The first thing David encountered was a set of ditches.  The first was easy, but there was only ten feet between the first and the second.  He made it, just barely.  Another ten feet led him to the third.  He jumped, but the ditch was wider than the first two, and his foot slipped on the edge.  He slammed down hard on the ground, the air rushing out of him.

Growling with the pain, David pushed himself up and dug his feet into the ground, propelling himself forward.  He ran another hundred yards, then encountered three-foot-high walls.  He planted his hands on the wall and vaulted over it.  He managed the next two without difficulty.  The last wall was six feet tall, and he jumped, catching the top edge with his hands.  In just a few seconds, he was up and over the wall and dropping to the ground on the other side.

The next obstacle was a crawl through muddy ground with beams of energy arcing back and forth above him.  He used his elbows and knees to power his way through, reaching the other side without difficulty.  He was immediately confronted by a muddy pit which he had to swing across on a rope.  That was an easy challenge, but on the other side of the rope swing was a set of platforms set over another muddy pit.  He hopped onto the first platform, and nearly wound up covered in muck.  The platform wobbled crazily as he tried to keep his balance.

Slowing down his pace and focusing, David hopped from platform to platform, trying to land both feet at once, so he could distribute his weight on both sides of the central pivot.  He finally made it across, but he was shaky by the time he did.

A short run led him to a rope ladder.  He clambered up that, and found a rope stretched over a pool of water.  He grabbed hold of the rope with arms and legs, and shimmied his way across.  After that, he had to climb down a tree to the ground to continue the course.

A little more running led him to a large boulder blocking the way.  He considered trying to move it, but realized that would take way too long.  Instead, he took a running leap at a tree standing next to the boulder.  Pushing off the tree, he leapt up on top of the boulder, then slid down the other side.  He could see the finish line, two hundred yards ahead.  He poured on the speed, just in case his time was coming close.

When he crossed the line, Liderra Carter said, "Reasonable, Stroud.  You passed."

David nodded, then walked off to the side.  He looked to see if the other recruit had beat him, but he was nowhere to be seen.  Vivian snuck over to him.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, fine.  Just a little winded," he told her.

"You did that in under eight minutes," she told him.

"Were you peeking over the liderra's shoulder?" he teased her.

"No," she said, blushing.  "I just timed you myself."

"Are you timing Joe?"

"No, he made me promise not to," she said with a grin.

David chuckled.  "You best get back in line, before you get yelled at," he told her.

"Yeah.  Good job," she told him.

"Thanks.  Good luck," he replied.

"That was the most pathetic display I have ever seen!" Liderra Carter seethed.  "Out of forty people, four of you passed your physical exam?  We have a lot of work to do, boys and girls.

"Allen, Ferishmertz, Merigold, and Stroud, you all passed.  As a reward, you will not have to join your teammates in cleaning up the parade ground of every last piece of trash.

"For the rest of you, I want to be able to eat off this dirt!  Get to it!"

As Carter and the three other people who passed left, David joined the rest of the Rimohrs to begin cleaning up the parade ground.

"Didn't you hear him?" Jack asked him.  "You don't have to help us do this!"

"He may be interested in pitting us against each other, but this is a team.  What one of us is forced to do, we should all be doing.  Besides, I wanted to point something out to all of you."

"What?" Dikko asked snidely.

"He never said we couldn't use magic for this," David said.  He waved his hands, and suddenly every scrap of debris within two hundred feet came flying toward them, and dumped itself into the trash bin that David was standing next to.

"Parade ground cleaned," David said with a grin.  "Who wants dinner?"

 "I'm told you were responsible for the entire cleaning of the parade ground last night, Stroud.  How dare you disobey my orders!" Ldr. Carter bellowed at David.  He was standing up front of the other Rimohrs, called out of line as soon as Ldr. Carter had showed up. 

"Begging your pardon, Liderra, but I didn't disobey your order," David replied.

"What?" Ldr. Carter snarled.

"Sir, you told me I didn't have to help my teammates.  You didn't order me not to."

Ldr. Carter stared at David for a long moment.  "Step back, Stroud," he said.

"Yes, Liderra Carter," David said, and returned to his place in the formation.

Ldr. Carter took a deep breath, and said, "All right, you ninnies, it's time for you to learn something.  In these sessions, we're going to be learning and practicing combat magic.  The primary ones of these that you will use, you probably already know.  Those would be the energy balls, fireballs, and the like.  Some other useful things are lightning bolts, bright flashes to blind your enemy, and some shoving spells.  This class will occur on Tuesday, throughout your training.

"Today we're going to evaluate just what you know through a little friendly competition.  Starting next week, you will begin learning what you don't already know.  If you cannot perform all of these spells by the end of the six weeks... you'll be sharing duties with those who do not pass the physical exam.

"All right.  Columbo and Antyppis, step up."

David and the others relaxed, spreading out slightly to watch the match.  Though it took her several minutes, Vivian clearly defeated Dikko.

"Not bad, Columbo.  Let's see how you do against Garibaldi."

David wasn't sure who to root for in this match.  It didn't matter, however.  Joe was beaten soundly within sixty seconds.

"Garibaldi, life's not lookin' too good for you.  You'd better get your shit together, recruit."

"Yes, Ldr. Carter," Joe said to him.

"All right, let's give the lady a 'challenge'.  Stroud, get in here."

David stepped up and faced off against Vivian.

"Don't hurt me too bad, okay?" she asked him.

David smirked.

"Get to it!" Ldr. Carter barked.

Vivian fired the first energy ball, but David merely sidestepped it.  He shot out a weak lightning bolt, impacting her and tossing her to the ground.  He let it up, and waited for her to stand.

"Don't just stand there, go after her!  This isn't a contest, this is war!" Carter bellowed.

"If you want me to hurt someone, Ldr. Carter, put someone in here I don't like.  I'm not going to injure my friends to prove to you I know how to fight," David said calmly.

"Okay, fine.  You pick your next opponent, then."

"All right, Alcot, you've been ragging on me for two years now.  Here's your chance to do something about it," David told him.

Alcot was someone who loathed non-humans, and had taken every opportunity to badmouth David.  Luckily, Alcot wasn't in Joe's team, so David hadn't had to put up with him much.

Alcot stepped into the match ring, and immediately fired a blast of energy at David.  David had been ready for that, and had simply stepped aside.  He fired an energy ball at Alcot, who tried to move, but it caught him on the shoulder, spinning him around.

David followed that up with another energy ball, this time hitting him square in the middle of the back.  Alcot went flying to the ground.

David did not wait for Alcot to get up, but instead, used a stronger lightning spell on him.  Alcot was tossed ten feet before David let up on him.

As Alcot tried to rise, David cast kiskissippet, zapping Alcot all over his body and causing him to jerk as he tried to stand.  Once he was back on his feet, David shouted, "Pichac!"

Alcot was once more sprawled out on the ground, this time on his back.

David turned to Ldr. Carter.  "You want me to continue?  This is fun..."

Ldr. Carter tried not to grin.  "That's enough," he grumbled.

David relaxed and let Alcot get to his feet.

"All right, Stroud, I think I've seen enough of your skills.  Both of you step back."

Alcot got close to David as they were backing up.  "Fucking inhuman scum."

"Still better than you, Alcot," David said gleefully.  "We can have a rematch this evening, if you'd care to prove differently..."

Alcot stalked off silently, and David just smirked, then turned to watch the rest of the matches.

David peeked his head around the corner of a building, looking for the red flag that he was seeking.  They were currently engaged in a serious game of 'capture the flag', but the point was to teach proper small unit tactics against a larger force.  David was leading two other people, and they had to retrieve the flag without being captured themselves.

David took note of the positions of the defenders.  These were not other recruits, but actual infantry soldiers from the Callamandian army.

Pulling back, David looked at his two 'subordinates'.  Ldr. Carter had put him in charge of this particular attempt.  David had already played subordinate twice.  In both cases, he'd gotten administratively killed due to the stupid actions of his unit leaders.

"Jack, I want you to stay here and cover us.  They're not allowed to capture you out here, so you don't need to watch your back."

Jack nodded.

"Joe, you and I are going to go back around this building and approach from the left."

"That's where they've concentrated all their troops!" Joe objected quietly but forcefully.

"Maybe so, but they've left themselves a blind spot.  Sure, it seems like the right side has only a few troops, but that's because there isn't a single approach avenue they haven't already got two sets of eyes on.  The left side is a much more convoluted piece of ground."

"Well, whatever.  You're in charge," Joe said.

David nodded.  "Jack, if you see anything, mirror me."

"Will do."

Joe and David moved around the building.  David peeked out around the corner again, to double-check that what he'd seen was accurate.

"Take a look," David said to Joe.  "You'll see a deep shadow caused by that fallen tree.  Next to the tree, the ground dips.  It forms a huge dark spot where no moonlight is reaching."

Joe looked around the corner.  He saw the place David was talking about.  Pulling back, he said, "I see it, but what if they use lux lucis to look around while we're there?"

"That's what Jack is for.  To distract them long enough for us to get the hell out of there without getting killed or captured.  Or to try to rescue us if we do get captured."

"Okay, you say so.  How the hell do you know this shit?"

"Lord Woodward.  I had him teach me how to defend Mt. Woodward.  A lot of that, applies to this stuff."

Joe nodded.

"Okay, let's go.  Keep against the building wall, it'll obscure your silhouette.  When we reach the end of the building, we'll move left slowly, trying to keep the bushes and trees between us and them until we get as close as we can to that shadow.  We'll have to watch them then, and make a dash when we think they're not looking."

"Gotcha."

David and Joe edged their way around the corner and along the wall.  They were in a dark enough place that someone could be looking right at them and not see them.

Once they reached the end of the wall, that situation changed.  Now they would be moving across the defenders' field of view, rather than moving straight toward them.  It was the worst way to move, but they didn't have any choice.

It took them ten minutes to cross the small area, but they had made it without being noticed.  David whispered, "You go first.  I'll cover you from here.  Once you make it, try to keep your eye out for anyone looking our way.  If we have to fight our way back out, it needs to be fast and brutal."

Joe nodded, not wanting to make any noise.

"Whenever you're ready, go for it," David whispered.

Joe looked at the guards for over a minute and a half, then finally sprinted across the open space, crouching and running clumsily.  He made it without being spotted.

David thought, wish the bastards would just let me fade.  This would be easy that way...  They had made it clear that, since that wouldn't teach David anything, he wasn't allowed to play such tricks.

David watched the troops for another two minutes, then he darted out into the open space himself.  In just a few seconds, he was under cover in the deep shadow.  There were defenders within fifteen feet of where he was standing, so he and Joe could not speak.  David gripped his shoulder and pulled, and Joe followed him deeper into enemy territory.

After walking through the shadow, they worked their way around a boulder.  They were now inside the enemy's perimeter guards.  They only saw two guards walking back and forth guarding the flag itself.

"Only two?" Joe whispered as quietly as he could.

David looked around carefully.  Everyone else was training their eyes outward, looking for intruders.

"How do we take them down quietly?" Joe asked.  "Any energy ball is going to be both loud and bright."

David maneuvered into a position where he could easily see both of the walking guards.

"Dezarna dadroyz yorluk enfor," David intoned softly, extending his hand toward the two guards.  He repeated it five times.  By the time he was done, the two guards looked like they wouldn't know their own name if you asked them.

David said, "Stay here.  If this doesn't work, we're in deep shit, so keep me covered, but also keep yourself ready to run for it."

"Got it," Joe said, his wand up and pointed.

David moved slowly into view of the two confused guards.  He stepped over to them, having thought up a plausible reason for taking the flag.  He realized it wasn't necessary.  The look on their faces was so utterly befuddled that he simply reached between them and grabbed it.  They looked at him in concern, but had no idea whether what he was doing was a problem or not.

David merely nodded to the two, then took the flag and dashed back to where Joe was waiting.

"Come on.  I don't know how long that spell will hold them.  We need to be back at the building before it lets loose."

Joe just nodded, and followed David back past the boulder, and to the end of the dark shadow.

David pulled out his mirror.

"Jack Lupo" he whispered to it after dialing.  Jack's face appeared.

Jack whispered, "What's up?"

"We need a distraction.  Fire off a spell on the right side of the camp.  Repeat, the right side."

"Understood."

Jack fogged off, and David put his mirror away.  After a count of ten, David heard a magical explosion of energy.  He hazarded a look up at the guards nearest them.  They were obviously looking toward the noise.  David grabbed Joe's shoulder, and they both bolted for the nearest trees.  Once in the treeline, they moved more carefully, but still faster than they had going in.

They made it to the wall of the building, and flattened themselves against it.  David hustled along the building, keeping flat but moving fast.  Once they were around the corner, the game was won; they were not allowed to be captured or attacked once they'd gotten this far from the camp.  They made their way back to where Jack was waiting, and then they all just strolled back to the starting point.

"Holy fuck," one of the other recruits said.  "How the hell did you do that?" he asked as David handed the flag to Ldr. Carter.

"Yes, Stroud, how did you do that?" Carter wanted to know.  "Report."

David walked over to the model of the camp that they had used to brief the mission for the night.  He outlined his plan for the liderra and the other recruits.

"But you just left Jack there to watch?" someone asked.

"I had a feeling we'd need help getting back out of the camp.  I figured we'd need at least a distraction, but I also thought we might need him to provide cover fire for a fighting retreat."

"Well done, Stroud, but what if your overwatch person had been captured?"

"In the scenario you presented, Liderra, that wasn't possible.  If this had been out in the field...  well, any time you leave someone alone in the woods, it's not a good situation, but I'm not really sure what to have done differently.  I needed him where he was."

"Learn the lesson.  Sometimes you're stuck with a shit sandwich.  There really was no good way to pull off this attack.  Now, for the rest of you, don't bother trying this particular path into the camp yourselves.  Since it's been found - and yes, we left it there for you to find - it will be closed.  There are other paths into the camp, but they will require different tactics.

"Next up, Antyppis, Alcot, and Garibaldi.  Antyppis, you lead."

"Good luck," David said to Joe.  "Try not to get killed."

"Thanks," Joe said, and headed off with his team.

"You think they'll make it?" Vivian asked him.

"Dikko couldn't clever his way out of a wet paper bag," David told her.

"Joe seems to be picking up on this stuff, though..."

"When have you ever known Dickless to listen to anyone but himself?"

"True."

By the end of the night, everyone had been through the course as both leader and follower.  Most had not been terribly successful.

"You're better at this than outright combat," Ldr. Carter growled, "but you still suck.  We will cover this topic again next week.  You'd better do better then, than you did tonight.  Tomorrow is orienteering and concealment training.  It will be more night work.  Get some sleep, Rim-jobs, you're going to need it.  Dismissed!"

"Now, today, we're focusing on hand-to-hand combat techniques.  There are times when it will simply not be to your advantage to use magic.  Magic can be detected, so if you're trying to be covert, it might be the equivalent of shouting, 'here I am, come kill me!' to the enemy.

"The important thing for us in hand-to-hand warfare is speed and silence.  Especially silence.  Making noise on a covert mission is always bad, unless you're using that noise to distract or misdirect.

"Now then, Antyppis, come on up and we'll demonstrate some techniques."

David watched intently, but over the course of the class, he didn't see a single technique that he didn't already know a more advanced version of.  When the time came for them to do sparring, David sat off to one side and pulled out the book they'd been given discussing orienteering and concealment.  He hadn't been as comfortable with those skills as he had with others, though he had still passed the task the previous night.

"Stroud!" Ldr. Carter bellowed when he saw what he was doing.  "Are we boring you?"

"No, sir, but I already know hand-to-hand combat.  I felt my time could be more profitably spent studying something I'm less sure of."

"Oh, you 'already know' hand-to-hand, do you?  Well, then, why don't you come up here and show us?"

David shrugged, set aside his book, and stepped into the ring.

"And your opponent, you smug little bastard, will be... me!"

David shrugged again.  Ldr. Carter was bigger than David, and he was an army basic training instructor, but he wasn't a gargoyle, and that's who David was used to fighting hand-to-hand.

"Is this ring enchanted to protect us, Liderra?" David asked.

"Already worried about your safety, Stroud?" Carter sneered.

"No, sir.  Yours," David admitted honestly.

Carter snorted.  "I'll be just fine, don't you worry.  Now, let's see how you do."

Carter stepped in and tried to sweep David's legs out from under him.  David hopped over Carter's sweep and delivered a snap-kick to his jaw.  Carter went flying to the ground, and David landed on his feet.

Carter quickly rolled back upright, and this time stepped in to try to grab David.  David grabbed Carter's wrist, then twisted his body, throwing Carter painfully to the floor again.

Carter grumbled as he rose, then circled David.  Ten more times, he tried to engage successfully with David, but David countered every single move.

Finally, Carter, a bit winded and rather frustrated, said, "Okay, hot-shot, so you can play defense.  But how about you actually try taking down your opponent just once?"

Without a word, David spun and delivered a back-kick to Carter's midsection.  Carter let out a woof! and collapsed to the ground, then puked up his last meal.  He had barely even seen David move, let alone had time to counter him.

David stood still, waiting for Carter to rise.  When it was clear that was taking longer than it should, David said, "Someone want to call for the healer?"

When the healer arrived, it turned out that Carter had ruptured his small intestine.  The healer assured them the liderra would be fine by the next day.  Another instructor stepped in to take over the class.

"Stroud... you're dismissed.  I imagine Ldr. Carter will want to talk to you tomorrow."

"Yes, sir," David said to the new liderra.  He then went back to his books and resumed his reading.  He wanted to keep an eye on Joe and Vivian, and he was interested to see how Jack would do, as well.

"Recruit Stroud, reporting as ordered, sir!" David said as he stepped into Liderra Carter's office.

"At ease, recruit," the liderra grumbled.  "Why didn't you tell me you were an Advanced Combat Master?"

"You never asked, Liderra."

"Hmph.  Who did you train under?"

"My weapons training was done with Prof. Joseph Teller.  My hand-to-hand training was completed by a guy named Goliath."

"Goliath?"

"Yes, sir.  He's a gargoyle."

The liderra paled.  "You've trained with gargoyles?"

"Yes, sir.  There are several at the Woodward Academy."

"And your other military skills?  Also learned at the academy?"

"Yes, sir.  I took an informal course in siege defense from Lord Peter Woodward."

"He died over a millennium ago," Ldr. Carter objected.

"True, but he still resides in the castle."

Carter nodded.  "There is a certain level of knowledge and skill at which we're supposed to release you Rimohrs to the army.  Most of your colleagues are going to have trouble meeting those limits within the six-week timeframe.  You, on the other hand, walked in the door with more than you needed.

"You've completed basic training as of now.  You will not be assigned either rank or a permanent post until your colleagues complete their training.  Until that time, you are on furlough, and may return home."

"Thank you, Liderra."

"Good work, Stroud."

"How's the stomach, by the way?" David asked sincerely.

"I'll be fine... but I don't want to get kicked by you again," he replied.

David grinned, nodded to him, and headed for the barracks to pack.

 Before David left his dorm room, he stopped in front of the hallway mirror to do an inspection.  Normally he wouldn't have bothered, but he was wearing the uniform of his nation's army now, and it was more crucial that it look correct.  Woodward was generally happy so long as your clothes were the right type and color.

David's working uniform included forest green pants, black work shoes, still shined to a glossy finish, a khaki shirt, and a forest green jacket that only came to mid-thigh.  He bore no rank insignia, as he had not yet been assigned a rank.  He had been informed that he was allowed to wear his combat mastery badge, so that was affixed prominently, as well as his sword and staff proficiency badges.  None of his previous pins were allowed on the uniform.

On David's left sleeve was a patch of the flag of Callamandia.  His right sleeve would normally contain his unit patch, but was currently blank, as he was not yet assigned to a unit.

Onto his head, David placed his service cap, which was a slightly odd affair.  Its basic section was a short cylinder which sat straight atop the head.  It wasn't much taller than a baseball cap.  In front, however, it had a moveable visor.  Normally worn in the up position, where it was clear of the face, it could be moved downward with the flick of a finger, thus blocking the eyes from bright sunlight or energy blasts to the face.  The cap was forest green, like the rest.  The visor was clear, when it was up.  When flicked down, it turned black.

Now properly attired in his uniform, David turned to Jailla.  "How do I look?"

Jailla looked at him critically.  "Like a fish out of water," Jailla said.

David harrumphed.  "Come on," he said.  Jailla flew over to David's shoulder.

"I clash with this uniform.  I blended much better with your Woodward clothes."

David snorted.  "I don't think the Callamandian army was worried about fashion sense when they came up with this outfit."

"Obviously not."

David headed out of his dorm and rode up to the terrace.  He noted, but ignored, the stares he was getting from other students.  They were not used to having military personnel on campus, and it took a long stare for most of them to realize it was David.

David made his way up to Beckett Hall and then to the registrar's office.

"Hello, may I help... David?" the woman behind the counter asked.

"Hi, Marie," David said in greeting.

"Hi, yourself... are you... did you... I mean... you're not wearing that as some kind of gag, are you?"

"Afraid not," he said.  "I, and many of the other Rimohrs, have been conscripted into service."

"Oh, I see.  Well, you look good in that uniform."

"Thanks.  I think," he said with a grin.  Marie blushed.

"So what can I do for you today?"

As often happened when David was anywhere near Beckett Hall, Dean Lengel showed up.  Before he had just found this mysterious.  Now, he wasn't sure if it was nefarious or not.

"Ma'am," David said, straightening himself and acknowledging her presence.

Dean Lengel merely nodded for him to carry on with what he was doing, so he turned back to Marie.

"Well, unless this war ends up being extremely short, it looks like I will not be able to attend the academy next year.  On the other hand, if they do, for whatever reason, release me from service before the end of August, I would still wish to be here.  I'm not sure how to adjust my notice of intent to reflect that."

"Oh, I see.  Well, that's simple enough.  What we'll do is file your intent to return, with a note that such a thing is contingent on your ability to do so, with an explanation of why you might not be.  If you do not return next year, would you intend to come back to complete your schooling at a later date?"

"Hell, yes," David said.  Whether or not the staff had betrayed him, it was still the best school in the kingdom by a large margin.

Marie smiled.  "Okay, so we'll file your notice, saying you do intend to return 'at earliest possible time', with, as I said, a note saying why that might not be this fall."

"Okay, thanks.  Hey, is enrollment down for next year?"

"Yes, significantly," Marie said.

"How bad?"

"We've only signed up about 1300 students."

"Ouch."  Marie just nodded.  "Okay, well... hopefully some miracle will happen, and I'll see you in the fall.  If not, then... I'll see you when I see you."

"Good luck," she told him seriously.

"Thanks."

As David turned to go, Dean Lengel joined him.  "I thought you were planning to stay and defend the school," she told him.

"The king apparently had other plans," David said.  "I was pressed into service with a lot of other people."

"Oh, I see.  You do know you're not supposed to wear that uniform until you pass basic training, right?"

"I've already been through basic training," David said.

"How can that be?  Basic is supposed to take ten weeks."

"Up to six, for us Rimohrs.  For me, just one.  Let's face it, I did most of my basic training over the last few years.  I already knew most of what they wanted me to know.  The rest of the Rimohr 'recruits' are still at Fort Broderick, sweating and cursing."

"Oh, I see.  And why don't you have a rank?"

"I'll be issued rank when I'm issued a post, which won't be until the rest of the class completes their training.  Doesn't make much sense to me, but nobody asked me."

Dean Lengel snorted in amusement.  "So will you be able to complete this school year?  Will you be able to take your A2 exam?"

"I haven't got a clue," David said.  "All of that depends on whether they call me into service before the other Rimohrs finish their training.  I'm on furlough right now, but I imagine they could change that in a heartbeat if they wanted to."

"Believe it," she confirmed.  "David... I have some contacts within the government... Do you want me to see if I can get you discharged, so you can finish your schooling?"

David looked at her for a long moment.  It was the first time she'd offered to truly stick her neck out for him.  Her actions in his first year hadn't really been a risk to her job.  He wanted to believe she was doing it because she was concerned for him.  Thanks to Dailey, however, he was questioning her motivation.  But the answer to her question was much simpler than any of that.

"Thank you, but no.  I have sworn to defend the king, and this is how he wants me to do so.  And really, if I managed to get out of this duty, and then something happened to Joe, or Vivian, or some of the other Rimohrs, I would feel like I had betrayed them, taking a safe path when they were risking their lives.  After all, I'm about the safest person involved in this damned thing."

Dean Lengel nodded seriously, understanding his concern.  "Well, David, I'm not going to say it doesn't worry me, you going off to fight.  I will, however, say that I am quite proud of you, and I look forward to seeing you back here when all this nonsense is over.  You still have another year, and I expect you to give us the opportunity to teach you some more."

"Yes, ma'am," David said seriously.  He gave just enough of a hint in his voice that he was making fun of her that she only scoffed at his response.

"I'll leave you to whatever you have to do today," she said.  "Good luck, and avoid infirmaries."

David grinned at that.  "Do my best."

Dean Lengel nodded, and then walked off.  David watched after her, but then made his way out of the building, as well.

"That seems peculiar behavior for someone who has been betraying you," Jailla said.  "Surely she knows Dailey is dead by now, if she was working with him."

"Maybe, maybe not.  Beckel and Lydia both said they had no way to contact Dailey.  Maybe she didn't, either.  Or maybe she knows, but feels that keeping me close is the best way to know whether or not I know about her involvement.

"Or, as you say, maybe she's completely blameless, and doesn't want to see me get my fool head blown off again.  God, I hate this shit!" he growled.  "Fuckin' spy shit is driving me up a goddamned wall!"

"Perhaps your conscription is a blessing in disguise.  You will be away from here, and whether this is a matter of truth or fiction will be far less important."

David just grunted at that.  "Come on, I need some stress relief."

"Which means..." Jailla started.

"That if you don't want to see Olissa naked again, you should probably leave my shoulder now."

Jailla immediately flew off.  David just grinned as he headed for his dorm room.

 "Your Majesty, we have a bit of an issue."

"What's the problem, Arkigo?" the king asked with a sigh.

"Sir, you want to send Ambassador Stevenson to Mirelia by way of Earth.  None of our diplomatic protection staff have ever even been to Earth.  While they might be able to get the ambassador there logistically, they wouldn't know what was a threat and what wasn't."

"We don't have the time to do this via pegs.  Especially since we'd have to take a serious southern routing.  It would take two or three days just to get there... no, I need answers faster than that.  What other options do we have?  What about palace guards?"

"Sir, even if they were an option - and none of them has ever left Callamandia, either - I would strongly object to you reducing your security force by even one at a time like this."

The king grunted.  "So, what then?  A military escort, maybe?"

"All of our military personnel are in training at the moment, Your Majesty."

The king looked off into the distance.  "Could we ask a Rimohr to accompany the ambassador?  They could surely recognize threats, couldn't they?"

"Only those with Earth experience.  And we've reduced their numbers heavily already, by conscripting about half the Bolmont District, and a third of the Senesty District."

"Sir?" a young Vigax - the equivalent of an American first lieutenant - said, getting the arkigo's attention.  He handed him a sheet of parchment and asked, "What about him?"  The vigax had been looking through files of people who might have been suitable for the job.

"He completed basic training already?" the arkigo asked the vigax.

"The notes in his file suggest he didn't need training in the first place," the vigax said.  "Apparently he has already acquired the knowledge and skills we needed on his own."

The arkigo grunted, then turned back to the king.

"Well?" the king asked.

"Sir, what about Paladin Stroud?"

"I thought you conscripted him with all the other Rimohrs."

"We did, sir.  But Paladin Stroud, as you know, is a very unique individual.  He has, in fact, already completed his basic training, after only a week.  He is currently on furlough, waiting for the rest of the Rimohrs to catch up with him."

"Where is he?" the king asked.

"I don't know, sir," the arkigo admitted.  "I would think he went back home to Bolmont... or perhaps up to the academy..."

"Get a hold of him.  I want him down here as fast as he can possibly manage.  Let him know I mean by any means that can get him here."

"Yes, sir!"

David entered the throne room of the king.  He had taken a chartered plane flight from Boston to Atlanta, and gone the rest of the way by car.  He marched down the carpet, and came to a stop before the king.  He knelt immediately.

"Rise, Paladin," The king said to him.

David rose, and said, "You sent for me, Majesty?"

The king motioned to another man, standing off to one side.  The man stepped forward.  He was a man of average height and build, with slightly graying black hair that was kept neat.  He had a neatly trimmed mustache and beard, also graying.

"Paladin, this is Ambassador Ramone Stevenson.  He is the ambassador to Mirelia.  We need to get him back to Mirelia with one of our secure communications devices, and we need to do so as soon as possible.  We believe the best way to do that is via Earth.  Would you agree?"

"Yes, Your Majesty.  Their mechanical methods of flight will be the fastest means... though not nearly as pleasant as a peg ride."

The king smirked.  "We are also concerned about Ambassador Stevenson's safety.  The weres have been known to target diplomatic personnel in the past.  As such, he needs to be sent with a guard.  This guard needs to be someone familiar enough with both Dugerra and Earth to recognize a threat when it appears."

David asked, "Why do I feel like I just got volunteered?"

The king smiled.  "Yes.  Our normal protective personnel simply do not have the Earth experience to handle this task, and our other options are not available.  I need you to do this for the kingdom, Paladin."

"As you say, Your Majesty.  When do we leave?"

"You would know better than I, can you get on one of those... what are they called?"

"Airplanes, sir," David said.

"Yes, those.  Can you get on one of those now, or will we need to wait until tomorrow?"

"Our best bet, Your Majesty, is in fact to take a privately owned plane.  It avoids the issues of security for the ambassador, and allows for the speediest travel.  I can probably arrange for a private charter within an hour or two of reaching the airport... but it will be costly, sir.  If you wish to wait for a normal, commercial flight, then we will probably still be able to catch one tonight, but I can't guarantee it."

"Speed is of the essence.  We will go with the private option.  The ambassador has access to a supply of Earth-converted kingdom funds to pay for such things."

David nodded.  "Yes, sir."

"Very good.  Good luck, Ambassador.  Believe me, you are in good hands."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," the ambassador said.  After that, he and David turned and left the throne room.

 The trip through Earth had been an uneventful journey.  Their plane landed in Kamloops, British Columbia, a fairly small city that was nevertheless right on top of a travel gate.

David escorted the ambassador into the airport terminal.  David found the right door, which was marked as a maintenance area.  Inside was a small, empty room with a door in the far wall.  Off to one side sat a hellhound.

"Guess I picked the right door," David said.

"Indeed.  How did you know this was here?"

"Checked before we left Senesty," David explained.  "Please wait here for a second, Ambassador.  I need to make sure that it's safe for you to go through that gate."

"Why wouldn't it be?" the ambassador asked.

"Barafu is less than a hundred fifty miles from the Vrudenan border, Ambassador.  We've been out of communication with the Mirelian capital for over a week.  We don't know for sure what's going on."

The ambassador nodded.  "Quite right.  Go ahead."

David opened the door in the far wall and took a look around.  He saw a small room, much like the one he'd just come from.  He stepped back through and motioned the ambassador to follow him.

Once they were inside the new small room, David said, "If this outer door opens, Ambassador, I want you to get back to the Earth side as fast as you possibly can."

"But what if it's you?" he asked.

"I don't plan on using the door," David said.  With that, he faded to ghost form, and then became invisible.  He stepped through the outer door and looked around.  They were in a coach station.  He turned, and the door was even marked as a travel gate to Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada, Earth.

David shook his head, then turned to look around.  He stepped outside the coach office to look at the street.  He saw no obvious sign of weres on the street.  He went back inside the station.

"Excuse me," David asked the clerk at the counter.

"Yes, where do you need to go?" he asked politely.

"Oh, no, this is actually my destination.  I'm just wondering if it's still safe here.  You know, with the weres and all..."

"Oh," the man said, frowning in concern.  "They haven't invaded in this direction yet... at least, not that they're telling us about.  I'm not sure how safe it is, really, especially if you plan on staying a while."

David nodded.  "Well, thank you.  I appreciate your help."

"No problem."

David stepped out of view and faded to invisibility, then made his way back to the travel gate.

"Come on, Ambassador.  It appears to be clear."

"I hope you're right," the ambassador said.  "This is all very disconcerting."

David snorted at the understatement.

David accompanied the ambassador up to the entrance to the royal palace of Mirelia, known as Halili-okahau.  The building was extravagantly large, and either made entirely from, or covered in, crystal that looked like ice.

The guards at the gate looked very suspiciously at the two men as they approached.

"State your business," the one guard ordered in a rather unfriendly tone.

"This is Ramone Stevenson, Ambassador to Mirelia from the Kingdom of Callamandia," David said.

"And you are?" the guard asked.

"His escort."

"Name?"

"Royal Paladin David Stroud, Callamandian Army."

"Wait here," the man said.  The other guard kept his eye on them while their questioner stepped into a small booth.  It appeared as though he was having a conversation with someone on a mirror.

Before the guard even managed to exit the small booth, a door opened in the distance.  A figure moved swiftly down the stairs and along the path that led to the gate they were standing in front of.  The silent guard opened the gate as the figure approached.

"Ramone!" the woman said happily.  "So happy to see you've made it back safely!"

"Hello, Talisa," Ramone said warmly.

"And who is this?" Talisa asked with a smile.

"David Stroud, ma'am.  I'm just an escort."

"Oh, I see.  Please, both of you, come in."

"Your weapon, sir," the guard snapped.

"A bodyguard is of little use without a weapon," David pointed out.  "And if you are concerned about the safety of the people within the palace, then I would think you'd be a bit more concerned with wands."

"Hand over your weapon, or I will not let you in," the guard said.

"Jedrak, stop being a jerk," Talisa scolded.

"I'm trying to protect the queen," Jedrak asserted.

"From her allies?  In any case, you have no authority to refuse a diplomatic escort entrance to the palace for any reason whatsoever.  Now, mind your business, and your manners, before I tell Mother!"

Jedrak blanched at that.  He stepped aside and said nothing further.  As the two followed Talisa up to the palace, she said, "Sorry about that.  He's been a pain ever since he was passed over for promotion to head of the guards."

"And your mother would be..." David said, reminding her he wasn't aware of who she was, really.

"Oh, David, sorry," the ambassador said.  "Talisa is more properly known as Lady Talisa, Crown Princess of Mirelia.  Her mother is Queen Diana, ruler of Mirelia."

"And her son is a gate guard?" David said with a raised eyebrow.  "What's your job, chambermaid?"

Talisa giggled.  "No, I'm a protocol officer.  Mother doesn't play favorites with her children.  Jadrek hasn't shown any work ethic, so he doesn't get good jobs.  My other brother, Kundrek, is Interior Minister."

"How big is the queen's family?  I'm sorry to say I've not studied much Mirelian history."

"Mother has seven children.  Two boys, five girls.  I'm the oldest girl, of course.  My youngest sister hasn't even become a wizard yet."

Ambassador Stevenson explained, "Mirelia is a matriarchal monarchy, David."

"Yeah, I'd kinda figured that out," David said with a grin.

"So who are you?  I mean, they don't send just anybody to escort an ambassador," Talisa inquired.

"I'm the guy who was available," David said with a grin.  "All of the other escorts were either unfamiliar with Earth, or busy."

"Don't let him snow you, Talisa.  David is a Royal Paladin with three chevrons and a crescent.  He has personally saved the life of the king, and knows Lady Aberlin quite well."

"Oh?  Just how well?" Talisa inquired with a conspiratorial grin at David.

David was very glad, at that moment, that he no longer had the ability to blush.  He said, "She lives next door to me at Woodward.  I am tasked with seeing to her security, and she claims I am the only friend she has at the school."

"Oh, poo," Talisa said.  "That all sounds boring.  Have you seen her naked yet?"

"Talisa!" Amb. Stevenson gasped in shock.

Talisa giggled.  "What?  This is Christa we're talking about.  He's cute, apparently brave, has a title... and he's stuck with her no matter what she does.  I'd be downright shocked if he hasn't had sex with her yet."

"To say such things, though," Amb. Stevenson said.

Talisa frowned at him, then turned back to David.  "Well?" she asked, her grin returning.

"I think I'll leave the answer to that question up to your imagination.  You seem to have already gotten us engaged," David said with a grin.

Talisa giggled.  "No, I can't see Christa doing that.  I was just teasing, anyway.  How's she doing, though?  She and I used to chat a lot on the mirror, but since she went off to Woodward, I barely hear from her."

"She has settled down a little.  I don't know how her schoolwork is coming, we don't talk about that.  Truthfully, I don't see her anymore, either, as I have been conscripted into the army..."

"Oh.  So you're neck-deep in this war garbage too, huh?"

"Afraid so."

"Well, good luck.  I hope you make it out safely."

"Thank you."

Turning to the ambassador, Talisa said, "Mother's in a meeting right now, but she'll want to talk with you as soon as she's through.  Are you hungry?"

"Famished," he replied.  Their charter flight had not served a meal.

"Dinner won't be for another two hours.  Perhaps a light snack in the parlor?"

"That would be most welcome," Amb. Stevenson said agreeably.

"Will you be joining us?" Talisa asked David.

"Until I've been dismissed, I have to go where he goes," David said.

"Oh, good.  I always enjoy having new people to talk to."

Talisa led them into the palace and down a hall, to a large, ornate room.  The interior of the palace was also made of crystal, but unlike the outer crystal, which was white and shimmering, the inner crystal was blue and more opaque.  Strangely, David did not feel cold, even on the parts of him not covered by his coat.

The three sat, chatting, for quite a while.  Finally, a teenage girl entered the room.

"The queen is free now, Your Highness," the girl said.

Talisa snorted.  "Relana, I'm your sister."

"But... isn't this formal?"

"You've been calling him Uncle Ramone for six years!"

Relana blushed.  "But I don't know him," she said, pointing to David.

"I'm a nobody," David told her.

"Like hell," Talisa said.  "But he's with Ramone.  These are friends, Relana.  No need to be stuffy about it."

Relana nodded.  "Anyway, Mother said to bring them to the conference room."

"We'll be right in," Talisa said.  Relana nodded and then backed out of the room.  "She's still trying to get used to being in the protocol office."

"I thought you said she wasn't a wizard yet."

"She's not.  But Mother makes her work, anyway.  She's mainly a messenger for Mother, really.  Anyway, come on, we don't want to keep her waiting.  She'll get grumpy."

As they were about to enter the conference room, David stopped the other two and asked, "Maybe a dumb question, but what am I supposed to do when I meet her?  Kneel?  Bow?  Stand on my head?"

"I think she'd be impressed by that last one," Talisa said with a giggle.

"A deep bow from the waist is sufficient, Paladin," the ambassador said.  He then nodded to Talisa, who nodded to a guard, who opened the door.

As David and the ambassador walked over to the queen, Talisa separated from them to walk around the other end of the table.

"Your Majesty," the ambassador said, bowing.  David made sure to bow just as deeply as the ambassador did.  "So wonderful to be back in your presence."

"Good to have you back, Ambassador.  And you bring an assistant this time."

"No, ma'am," the ambassador corrected politely.  "Paladin Stroud is my escort for the trip back, due to the current unpleasantness to the north."

"Oh, I see.  Paladin, eh?  A soldier, then?"

"Only recently, Your Majesty," David said.  "Up until a couple weeks ago, I was a Rimohr."

"Oh, I see.  Wait... you aren't, by chance, the man who saved the Callamandian king from those assassins, are you?"

"Yes, ma'am," David confirmed.

"Well, Ambassador.  At least you knew you had a good escort..."

Ramone smiled.  "Yes, Your Majesty."

"So.  Will you be staying on with us for the duration?" she asked the ambassador.

"I will, yes, Your Majesty.  Paladin Stroud will need to return to his duties back home, however."

"Of course.  I hope you'll at least stay the night, Paladin?"

"I would be honored, Your Majesty."

"Good.  We will have an ice cream feast, then!  Talisa, go and inform the chefs."

"Yes, Mother," Talisa said politely, and departed.

"Now that the pleasantries are taken care of," the queen said, shifting gears smoothly, "Do you have any news for me from the east?"

"Only that we have been invaded in the Galibairn region.  They have pushed thirty miles beyond the border."

"Have losses been high?" the queen asked.

"No, Your Majesty.  The area was evacuated before the invasion."

"Thank the tivaru for that," she breathed.

"The king has asked me to inquire about your kingdom's position during the conflict."

"How do you mean?" she asked guardedly.

"Does Mirelia intend to remain neutral, as they did during the last Were War?"

"That is, unfortunately, not possible.  The Vrudenan envoy was here the day before yesterday.  Vrudena has also declared war on us."

"What?  What possible reason could they have given for such nonsense?" the ambassador demanded.

"The reason cited was 'in the interest of our national sovereignty.'  I take that to be a catch-all term for, 'because we want to.'"

"My lord," Amb. Stevenson said, slumping back in his chair.  "They can't really expect to wage a war across a three-thousand mile front!"

"They don't have to, Ambassador," David said.

"How do you mean?" the ambassador asked.

"Mirelia is sparsely populated, especially along its border with Vrudena.  Vrudena could probably march troops fifty miles inside the border before ever encountering anyone, and even then we'd be talking about villages of dozens of people, not thousands.

"To get to any settlement of any real size, they'd have to come here, to Bufara, or to one of the temple regions.

"I think this is mainly an attempt to force Mirelia to stay out of the war."

"And will you?" the ambassador asked the queen.

"We will prepare to defend ourselves.  Of course, if you were anticipating that we might help you militarily, that was never to be.  The Mirelian military simply isn't large enough to be of much use to you.  We will, of course, continue to share intelligence information, but I'm afraid that is the only help we have the ability to provide."

"Any help is better than no help, Your Majesty," David said.

"Indeed," the ambassador agreed, but he was clearly disappointed.  He'd hoped a show of force against the Vrudenans might bring them back to the negotiating table.

"I am sorry, Ramone, but you know our situation.  My people are more shepherd than soldier."

"I understand, Your Majesty.  No matter, we will win the day."

"I am sure you will."

 "Tell me, Paladin, how are you enjoying your visit to Mirelia?  Is this your first time here?" the queen asked him.  She had caught him during the ice cream feast.  He had already consumed five different bowls of ice cream, which was the best he'd ever had by far.

"My first time to Barafu, yes, Majesty.  However, a few years ago, I and a friend of mine toured the five public temples.  I also had a... less pleasant visit... to Modokaya last month."

"Oh, so that was you causing all that trouble?"

"No, ma'am, it was me cleaning up that trouble."

"Oh, I see.  We never did see the other individual come out of the temple.  Where is he?"

"He fell into the magma surrounding the chapel, and died."

"Oh, dear.  There are many ways to die in the Demonic Chapel, but that might be the worst of them."

"It wasn't fun."

"Excuse me?"

"I, also, fell into the magma.  Well, onto the magma.  I didn't give myself a chance to sink."

"How did you survive?" the queen asked in awe.

David said, "I have been given a special shield by a clan of dragons.  It protected me from the heat."

The queen looked at his arm.  "Is this it?  It certainly looks like dragon work to me..."

"Yes, ma'am."

The queen nodded.  "Did you enjoy your other trip to the temples?"

"Yes, ma'am.  It was a very unique experience.  May I ask a question, Majesty?"

"Go ahead."

"Why is the Central Temple off limits to the public?"

"The public temples are designed to allow the devout to worship the tivaru.  The Central Temple is designed to allow the priestesses to do so.  That temple is more of an administrative center for the priestesses.  Don't get me wrong, it is still a temple, and truthfully, it's the most impressive of the six, but it gives the priestesses a place to retreat to, to meditate, reinvigorate themselves, and also to carry on what business they have to do."

"I see.  That makes perfect sense.  Have you been there?"

"I am a priestess myself," she said.  "So yes, I have been there many times."

"What is the relationship between the church... sorry, the priestesshood, and the king... erm... queendom?"

The queen chuckled.  "Despite being a matriarchal society, we do still use the word kingdom for tradition's sake.  To answer your question, the priestesshood is supported by the crown, but is an independent entity.  Mirelian law requires that the crown provide a certain annual tribute to the priestesses, but it also states that the kingdom cannot demand anything of them.  Requests are made all the time, of course, but they do not have to be honored."

"Really," David said, surprised.

"You find this shocking?"

"In Callamandia, ma'am, every citizen is required to submit to the 'requests' of the king."

The queen smiled.  "Yes, I'm aware of this.  It is mostly the same here, but Diva Devata Jumala Zot predates the current incarnation of Mirelia's governmental style, and as such, we don't actually consider the priestesses, clerics, acolytes or even the novitiates, to be Mirelian citizens subject to the queen.  They are permanent honored guests within our borders.  One doesn't order her guests about."

David smiled.  "Of course not.  I'm sorry if I seem uneducated where your nation is concerned.  I've had enough of a time trying to learn about the one I live in."

The queen grinned.  "It's quite all right.  I'd rather you ask than pretend to know.  Tell me, from a soldier's perspective, do you really think Callamandia can win against the weres?"

"I'm not really a soldier, ma'am.  They didn't even train me to be infantry.  I'm trained to be an intelligence scout, really.  Can we win?  The numbers are not in our favor.  Vrudena has a lot more people to throw at us than we have to stop them with.  I'm also concerned about the Callamandian people's resolve.  I worry that many civilians will find it more palatable just to move, rather than take up arms against the Vrudenans.  Your own kingdom's population may swell in the next year, I'm afraid."

"That would be unfortunate, though we would welcome them as any other immigrant.  So you think Callamandia will lose?"

"No, ma'am.  I really don't know whether we will win or lose.  I know we have an uphill battle ahead of us.  I also know that, until I am incapable of fighting anymore, they aren't going to succeed fully."

"That sort of attitude can get a young man killed rather quickly," the queen warned.

"Majesty, if you know about the assassination attempt, then you know I'm not really a 'young man'.  I'm not as young as I look... and I'm not a man."

"True.  Well, I wish you the best of luck."

"Thank you, Majesty."

"I'll be in the back yard for a little while," David said to Olissa.  "Please don't disturb me unless it's important."

"Yes, Master," she confirmed.  "Dinner will be ready in an hour and a half.  Will you be finished by then?"

"Should be.  You can interrupt me when dinner's ready."

Olissa nodded.  As David walked through the main room, he called out, "Jailla, let's go outside."

Jailla winged over to David's shoulder, and they exited into the backyard.  Some fairies were tending the flowers, but they merely waved as David passed.  Once David had gotten well away from the house, he stopped near a tree, and moved Jailla up onto a branch, so they could speak face to face.

"Okay, it's time for us to have a talk about the war."

"What, specifically, is on your mind?" Jailla asked.

"You."

"Excuse me?"

"Jailla... I'm in the army.  I will be sent off to do shit that is very dangerous.  You have not been conscripted.  Therefore, you have a choice of what you plan to do.  You can go with me, or you can stay here.  And please, don't give me that old, 'I go where my wizard goes' line.  I would much rather be without you for a few months or even years, than be without you permanently."

"Who is going to be targeting a bird?" Jailla asked.

"Who's going to work to avoid hitting one?" David fired back.  "But if they figured out you were my familiar, then I imagine that yes, you would become a target, because they'd assume you were with me as some kind of weapon or tool."

"And they would be right in that assessment.  You know that we can communicate at distance.  I could act as your eyes miles from your actual location.  I sleep very lightly.  I would make an excellent night sentry for you and Joe, or whoever you are working with.

"I can influence the animals in a forest to act in your favor... to a limited extent.  I can carry messages from place to place, without the use of mirrors.

"In short, I can be a very useful tool in your fight."

"You could also be dead," David said bluntly.

Jailla ruffled his feathers.  "I admit the thought is unpleasant.  Are you ordering me to not come with you?"

"I don't even have the ability to do that," David said.  "You are your own 'person'.  I'm telling you that you being there is going to make me worry."

"And will you not worry about your other teammates?" Jailla asked.

"Probably not as much.  I won't know them... well, unless I get paired with Joe or somebody.  But still, probably not as much."

Jailla was silent for a long moment, then finally he said, with no mirth in his voice at all, "You are my wizard.  Where you go, I go."

David frowned.  He had feared the discussion would go this way.  He turned away from Jailla, and walked off toward the pond.  Jailla, knowing that David needed some time alone, did not follow.

 David was walking along the third floor of Firebird Dorm.  He was just slightly confused.  He had been asked to come to JoAnne's room, which wasn't completely unusual, but he'd been asked to do so by Tanya, which had him scratching his head.  JoAnne wasn't the type to get in trouble with campus security.

David knocked on the door, and his confusion grew when Tanya was the one to open the door instead of JoAnne.

"Hey, Tanya.  What's going on?"

"I think you'd better come in," she said seriously.  David did so, and she closed the door.  The two moved to the center of the room to have their talk.

"So what's going on with JoAnne?"

"Well, I know that you and she are good friends.  I thought perhaps you could help me with her."

"Well, sure, if I can.  What seems to be the problem?"

"The problem is-" Tanya started to say.

At that point, a hand reached around David's waist and clamped down firmly on his dick.

"-that you still have clothes on!" JoAnne finished for Tanya.  She began to massage his dick through his clothes, and he was very quickly fully hard.

"How do you get her to stop molesting you like that?" Tanya asked.

"Does it look like I've had any luck with that?" David asked with a grin as JoAnne began undoing his pants.

"Hmm.  No, it doesn't really seem like you have.  On the other hand, from the looks of things, you don't mind being molested..." Tanya was clearly staring at David's dick, which was hard as iron and now pointing straight at her, since JoAnne had released it from his underwear.

"Well, at least there's no guessing what she wants," David pointed out.

"So true," Tanya agreed.  She reached up and began to unfasten her own blouse.  "And I wouldn't want to confuse you about what I want, either."

As JoAnne began to jack David's cock, he watched Tanya strip out of her clothes.

"You know, JoAnne, your mouth would feel a whole lot better than your hand..." David prompted.

In a flash, JoAnne had crawled around David and had sunk her mouth down onto his cock.  David groaned in pleasure, placing his hand on the back of her head to encourage her to continue.  He kept his eyes on Tanya, however, as she finished undressing.

David motioned Tanya over to him, and she stepped to his side, since his front was occupied.  He pulled her close and kissed her, slipping his tongue wetly into her mouth.  Suddenly, Tanya squeaked, and broke their kiss.  David looked down to see that JoAnne had slipped two fingers deep into Tanya's pussy, and was finger-fucking her while she continued to blow David.

David reached up and caressed Tanya's breast, lightly pinching her nipple and rolling it between his fingers.  Tanya moaned loudly at the sensations, her body heating up toward orgasm.  In a few more seconds, it arrived, and she cried out in pleasure, her body jerking on JoAnne's hand.  David held her upright throughout her climax, but when she was steady enough, he let her go.

David planted both hands on the back of JoAnne's head and held her in place, then he began to thrust into her mouth fast and hard.  In just a few more seconds, he erupted into her mouth.  She sucked on him furiously, trying to pull as much cum out of his balls as she could.  She swallowed repeatedly, massaging his dick by doing so, and forcing out a few more drops of cum.

Finally, when he was through, he pulled free of JoAnne's mouth.  He stepped back slightly, then faded to ghost form and back.

"Bend that ass over the desk," David ordered JoAnne.  She grinned widely and moved quickly to comply.  Stepping in behind her, David pressed his newly hardened dick to her hole.  He grabbed her hips, and then gave one firm shove.  In a split second, he was buried to the hilt in JoAnne's cunt, and she screamed in ecstasy.

"Oh, yeah, baby!  Fuck me hard!" JoAnne screamed.

David did just that, rutting into her like a maniac.  His hands gripped her hips, digging in for solid leverage.  His hips slammed into her ass, shoving his dick as far into her as it would go.

JoAnne was quickly heating up, her epithets and encouragements coming thick and fast.  Her volume and her pitch rose with her arousal, until she let out a wild scream of joy, her body in the throes of passion.

David slowed down his thrusts, but he didn't stop.  He knew, despite how it might have looked, that JoAnne wasn't done.

There was another woman to be satisfied, however, and watching the two of them fuck had gotten her even hornier.  She moved over and kissed David wantonly, thrusting her tongue into his mouth while he continued to slip in and out of JoAnne.

After a minute, Tanya pushed her butt up onto the desk.

"Let's see how talented you are," Tanya challenged.  "Jojo's fingers felt nice, but nothing rivals your tongue."  Tanya pushed herself all the way onto the desk, and then climbed on top of JoAnne, but facing up toward David.  She briefly rested all her weight on the other woman.

"Oof!" JoAnne grunted.  "No more donuts for you!"

"Oh, shut up!" Tanya growled.  She then used her arms and legs to lift herself, shoving her pussy toward David's face.  "See if you can make me come while you're fucking her to another orgasm," Tanya said with a lustful gleam in her eyes.

David reached over and wrapped his arms around Tanya's upper thighs, helping her to hold the position.  "Succeed or not, I'll have fun trying!" he said with a grin.

Tanya was going to say something, but at that point David lowered his mouth to her pussy and started to lick along her pussy lips.  She groaned instead, shoving her hips forward to press herself more firmly against his face.

David didn't forget his other partner, however.  He continued to rock his hips, fucking JoAnne, albeit more slowly than the last round.  She was okay with that, though; she knew she would get off again, and that's all that mattered.

David's tongue slipped all along Tanya's cunt lips, opening them until he found her hole.  He shoved his tongue inside of her, causing her to moan as he wiggled it against her insides.  Finally, he moved his tongue out of her hole and up to her clit, flicking it repeatedly.

"Oh, shit!" Tanya said, momentarily weakening, and nearly collapsing on JoAnne.  David held her up, though, and continued his onslaught.

Tanya's body started to twitch and tremble as she neared her climax.  David began to suck on her clit, his tongue still working over the tip of it.  Tanya was immediately over the edge, screaming out in ecstasy.  She did collapse on JoAnne this time, who grunted at the sudden weight.  David was in no position this time to stop her, as he continued to assault her clit, prolonging her pleasure, until she just couldn't take any more and pushed him away.

As soon as David stood back up, Tanya rolled to the side, moving off of JoAnne.  JoAnne breathed a sigh of relief.

"Now that you've got her off, I need another good one.  You've got me so horny now I'd fuck a bedpost!"

"Anything you say, dearest," David said with a mocking tone.  "Let's see how you like this..." he said, slipping out of her.

"Not at all, so far!" JoAnne objected loudly.

David held her firmly in place, and then he said, "Well, then, how about this?"

Saying so, David shoved his dick into JoAnne's ass.

"Wha-fuckin-shit-on-a-oh-my-fucking-AHHH!  Fuck me!"

David grinned, and he started to thrust into her ass.  "Have you ever been ass-fucked before?"

"No, but I'm gonna schedule it for every other Tuesday!" she screamed.  "Fuck me harder!"

"Your wish is my command," David said, and started to slam as hard as he could into her ass.  The desk was rocking slightly as they coupled, he was thrusting so hard.

JoAnne was crying out in bliss, encouraging him to keep it up.  He could tell that her next climax would be huge, and it was approaching like a runaway freight train.

In a few more moments, JoAnne screamed at the top of her lungs, "Oh, Fucking God YES!" and her body jolted and shivered, her back arching, pushing her tits hard into the desk surface.  Her hips bucked back against David, but he continued to slam into her until finally, unable to stand it anymore, JoAnne went limp.

David stopped quickly at that point, and carefully pulled out of JoAnne.  He lifted her up and then carried her over to the sofa, so she would be comfortable.

At that point, Tanya joined him.  "She seemed to really enjoy that."

"I had a feeling she might," David said with a grin.

"Is it possible to do that... more gently?" Tanya inquired.

"Of course... interested?"

"If you'll be gentle."

David nodded, and they moved back to the desk.

"Just bend over like she was," David said.  Tanya quickly complied.

"How much is this going to hurt?" she asked, a bit nervous.

"That depends on how much you relax.  I've not seen you this tentative during sex before," he admitted.

"You and I have never done something I've never done before.  And I've heard horror stories about this..."

"If you'd rather not..."

"No, I want to know for myself.  And I trust you not to... uh... do to me what you did to her!"

David grinned.  "As I'm sure you've noticed, JoAnne likes it rough and aggressive.  What I did to her probably hurt like hell... and she probably didn't even notice."

"Yeah, well, I'll notice, so go easy on me, okay?  I'm a virgin."

David chuckled.  He chanted both a cleaning spell, and the lubrication spell, on his dick, then he laid his cock gently in her ass crack.  He reached down and massaged Tanya's ass, helping her to relax.  He slid his hand down across her pussy and gently rubbed her clit.

"Oh, fuck, that feels really nice," Tanya told him.  He could feel a bit of the tension leave her body.

As he continued to rub her clit, he took his other hand and positioned his cock so that it was ever so gently pressing against her asshole.  She hadn't yet noticed its presence, which was what he wanted.  He increased the speed with which he was rubbing her clit, and her hips began to move against him.

Finally, when he felt her give a firm thrust backward with her hips, he pushed forward with his, and the head of his dick shoved its way into her ass.

"Whoa!" Tanya cried.  "What the fuck was that!"

"That was my dick popping into your butt," David said.  "Does it hurt?"

"No... but it does feel very strange.  How far in are you?"

"Just the head.  Which way you want me to go?"

"Huh?"

"You want me to push in, or pull out?"

"Push in, but slowly, okay?"

"Of course."

David leaned over, reaching up to caress Tanya's tits.  He toyed with her nipples as he inched his dick inside of her until it was buried to the hilt, his hips resting against her ass.

"Holy fuck that's big.  I feel full when you're in my pussy, but... damn!"

David smiled.  "Are you ready for me to move?"

"Yeah, I think so."

David started to slide out of her ass, then he slipped back in just as slowly.  He set up a rhythm, moving as tenderly as he could.

"How does it feel?" he asked.

"I'm not sure," Tanya admitted.  "It doesn't hurt, but... I don't know as I'm actually enjoying it."

"You want to stop and finish the old-fashioned way?" he asked.

"Would you mind?" she asked.

"I don't ever want to make a girl do something that doesn't make her feel good," David told her.  He slid out of her ass, and then chanted the cleaning spell again.  Tanya hadn't moved.

David reached down and pulled Tanya up from the desk, then turned her around and kissed her.  While he was kissing her, he lifted her up and set her down on the edge of the desk.  His cock was soon sliding deep into her pussy.

"Oh, god, that feels way better, I have to admit," Tanya said.

David held her close and kissed her as he continued to slide in and out of her, keeping his actions smooth and easy.

"Not that I minded in the slightest," David said while they continued to couple, "but what brought on tonight's little games?"

"Well, actually, we did have a serious reason for asking you to come here, but when JoAnne and I started talking about you, it didn't take long before we started talking about having sex with you.  Jojo and I have been doing it since I hired her."

"She works security now?" David asked, surprised.

"For about two months."

"Dammit, I've been way too busy if I didn't know that already."

"You have had other things on your mind.  That's one of the other reasons we decided to get you laid tonight.  We know you're going off to the military soon, and we thought this might be our last chance to make sure you weren't too stressed out."

"Thanks for that," David said.  He sped up his thrusts into her slightly, and she started to rock her hips against him.

"My god, that's so good," Tanya said.  She pulled him close and laid her head on his shoulder.  "Can you make me come this way?" she asked.

"I'll try," David said.  He sped up a little more, and her hips kept pace.  The two were moving in unison, and their heat was rising together, as well.  Nothing more was said as they just felt each other's body.

It wasn't too long before Tanya began to shudder, her body announcing the closeness of her orgasm.  David sped up just a little more, and Tanya was soon right on the edge.

"Oh fuck, so nice," she said over and over again.  Finally, she said, "Oh, David, ohh!" and her hips started to jerk as her climax washed over her.

David, who had been holding back his own orgasm for a while, finally let loose, shoving his dick all the way inside of her and blasting out wave after wave of cum.  The two held each other and shivered for a long moment.

Finally, when she had settled enough, Tanya pulled back from David.  She looked into his eyes and then kissed him softly.  David reciprocated in kind, and the two kissed more romantically than passionately for a long while.

JoAnne, who had woken while they weren't paying attention, broke the mood.  "Get a room, you two!" she hollered derisively.

David looked over at her.  "We have a room.  It's not our fault you're in it."  His voice showed mirth, and the two did not separate, despite JoAnne's snicker.

After David's cock had finally slipped out of Tanya, he helped her stand up.

"I think we could all use a shower," David said.  "I'm pretty sure we can all fit in there."

"Who's going to hold me up, though?" Tanya asked with a smile.  She was a bit unsteady on her feet.

"I'm sure we'll all manage," David said with a grin.

Once everyone was in the shower, David asked Tanya, "So you said there was a serious reason you two invited me over.  What was it?"

Tanya said, "We need you to tell us what you know about what's going to happen to Woodward next year.  We need to prepare for it in the security department.  Plus, I know you've got some ideas about how to deal with the inevitable outbreak of bad behavior from the students next year, due to the stress.  I'd like to stay ahead of that kind of thing."

"Besides," JoAnne said, "If we keep you here long enough, we might get laid again."

"Is that all you ever think of?" Tanya asked in mild rebuke.

"I'm naked, soapy, and looking at a naked guy and girl I've had sex with.  How am I supposed to think of anything else?" she asked plaintively.

The other two chuckled at that. 

"So it's been three weeks," David said to Olissa.  "How are we doing?"

"We have converted the entire downstairs area into a dormitory.  There are over sixty beds available now, with plans for a total of one hundred.  It won't be spacious, Master," she warned.  By "downstairs area", she was referring to the basement.

"It's only a sleeping facility.  They'll be able to be outside during the day."

"Will that be safe, Master?"

"There's nothing to fall on them, and the enchantments will prevent magic from getting through."

"What about if they started to throw objects through the shields?"

Well, then you go inside.  Or some of our guests could stand inside the shields and pick off the weres from safety."

"Master, why doesn't the army use these same protections for their soldiers?"

"Too difficult.  These shields can't be moved once they're put in place, and you saw how long it took us to do it.  They use some shields for when the soldiers are encamped, or for overnight stops, but it just uses up too much energy to keep putting them up and taking them down again later.  And realize that: they'd have to take them down.  Otherwise, entire regions of the countryside would be inaccessible to anyone once the army left the area."

Olissa nodded.

"How is our food situation?" David asked, carrying on with the discussion.

"We have almost doubled our food supplies.  We have food for a year and a half, for the same number of people as we have beds.  I've been trying to keep that balanced.  When we have all the beds, we'll also have the food."

"So you will have food for one hundred people, for eighteen months," David said, making sure he understood.

"Yes, Master.  Do you want more than that?"

"If we have room."

"At what point do you want me to stop, Master?"

"Five years.  If the war goes on longer than that, we will most likely have had to move because this will be Vrudenan territory."

"Where would you go, Master?"

"You mean, where would you go?  I'd most likely still be stuck in the army."

"Stuck, Master?"

"Playing soldier is not what I'd planned to be doing for the war.  On the other hand, since I don't know what I feel about Woodward right now... the whole thing's a fucking mess."

"I understand."

"In any case, if we have to leave Pendergrast Manor for any reason, you and the others will go to Earth, to get you completely out of harm's way."

"Your house in Florida cannot hold a hundred people, Master..."

"No, it can't.  I'd have to buy something like a small hotel that wasn't in operation.  It's not a big deal, Little One, so don't worry about that.  The only reason I'm not doing that right now is because it would make most of the people we plan to shelter highly uncomfortable to be exposed to Earth that way."

Olissa nodded.

"And one other thing.  That is our house in Florida.  Yes, I own it, but as I also 'own' you, it is also your house."

"Yes, Master," Olissa said.

"Okay, so food taken care of... oh, do we have water reserves lined up somehow?  Water for a hundred people for five years... shit, that's a lot of water..."

"Yes, Master, but you do have a water supply on hand."

"Huh?  I do?"

"Yes, sir.  The pond.  It's about half an acre in size, and, on average, about nine to ten feet deep.  It holds over a million gallons of water.  Rainfall in this area is right around 4 feet per year.  That means there will be sufficient water replenishment to keep us supplied with water indefinitely... barring a drought, of course."

"You've done some homework, haven't you, Little One?" David asked her with a smile.

"You tasked me with preparing your home for refugees, Master.  I had to learn what we had, and what we needed."

"Well, you've done a damned fine job so far, Olissa.  Probably better than I could have managed.  Certainly better than I could have managed while having to go play soldier boy for a week," he grumped.

"Thank you, Master.  What do you want me to do now?"

"On this stuff, just keep working toward your goal of one hundred people.  What I want you to do right now is go up to the third floor and set up the bondage field.  You need a reward."

"Yes, Master!" Olissa replied enthusiastically.

David pulled up to the gate of Fort Broderick.  He showed his wizard ID to the gate guard, who then opened it for him to pass through.  He drove down a carriageway until he came to the barracks.  He parked the glidetruck in an out of the way empty spot, and got out.

"What are you doing back here, Stroud?" a voice demanded from behind him.

David turned around to see Liderra Carter staring at him.  David snapped to attention and saluted.  "Picking up a colleague, Liderra!" he replied.

Carter returned the salute and said, "At ease.  Who you here for?"

"Vivian Columbo," David said.

"Friend of yours?" Carter asked.

"Former partner... I do consider her a friend, yes, Liderra."

Carter grunted.  "She still needs to work on her physical skills.  She seems to have the tactics down, though, and she passed the physical exam this week.  You keeping up with your skills, Stroud?"

"Liderra, I practice sword and staff for two hours every day."

"Good man.  All right, well, she should be in the barracks.  You know the way."

"Yes, Liderra," David affirmed, saluting.  Carter returned the salute and walked away.

Turning, David walked up to the women's barracks and entered the front of the building.  There was a reception area, where men were allowed to wait.  David crossed the room and then knocked firmly on the door to the actual sleeping area.  Men were not allowed beyond this point.

"Yeah?" the woman who opened the door asked.

"Vivian Columbo.  She ready to go yet?"

"Don't know.  I'll let her know you're here."

"Thanks."

The woman nodded and closed the door without another word.

Friendly sort, isn't she?

It was another several minutes before the door opened once again, to reveal Vivian with her suitcase.

"David!" she exclaimed happily.  "I've never been so glad to see you!  Get me the hell out of here."

David chuckled.  "I gather it got worse after I left?"

"Only because we all realized we didn't know what the hell we were doing."

"How's Joe hanging in?"

"He's doing okay at the classwork.  He is still failing his physical exam, though."

"Too many donuts.  I've told him again and again," David said.

"Yeah, well... he never expected to be a soldier."

"Who did?" David asked.

The two walked out of the barracks and got in the glidetruck.

"I stopped by your house yesterday to make sure everything was in order," David said as he pulled out of the gate.  "Some inconsiderate jackass destroyed your bird feeder."

Vivian snickered.  "The inconsiderate jackass was probably a squirrel.  He's always trying to get at the seeds in the feeder.  With no one there to run him off, yeah, he probably mangled it."

"Well, I fixed it for you."

"Thank you."

"No problem.  You need to stop to eat on the way?"

"No, I just had lunch."

"Okay.  Say, did they give you guys any better idea of what we're going to actually be doing?"

"No.  Small unit raids seems to be everyone's guess, though."

David nodded.  "I just wish we could get on with it.  There've been six new attacks along the border in the last three weeks."

"Not everyone was ready for this like you were, David.  We've got to get people up to speed."

"Should have been doing that before now.  Now we're playing catch-up, and we're already on the hind end of this thing."

"What do you mean?"

"Viv, we're outnumbered more than three to one.  The Vrudenan people, as far as we can figure, are really behind this war.  Callamandian citizens are still in the confused stage.  They're not even really angry yet.  And once they evaluate everything, I worry the citizens aren't going to be angry so much as scared shitless.  The weres have the advantage in initiative, manpower, and morale.  What have we got?  Honestly, I don't actually have an answer to that question."

"Thanks," Vivian said shortly.

"For what?" David asked.

"For making me feel so much worse about all this."

David drove on in silence.