Wasn’t much of anything about any of this that Tina much liked, not much at all.

  She didn’t hold no hate for the Qin, not as a whole, but these folks here were directly related to the men who took Uncle Ming’s life. Sons and daughters, maybe some friends and comrades-in-arms too, people who might’ve helped them killers get to the mesa so they could lie in wait and kill a man who was like a second father to her. While most thought Uncle Ming cold and uncaring, in most of Tina’s memories, he was almost always sporting his soft and gentle smile. Wasn’t a big toothy one like Howie’s or Daddy’s. Was subtle and understated, with lips pressed and eyes slightly narrowed, and though you might not see it at first glance, it was world’s apart from his usual aloof and standoffish self.

  To say that he’d light up was a bit of a stretch, but there was a marked change in his expression whenever he saw them running up to greet him. Back in the day, Uncle Ming would just smile and watch on as Daddy ran out to lift them up into his arms and twirl them about. After Daddy passed though, it was Uncle Ming who did the twirling, or at least he did until they got too big to lift three at a time. Still greeted them with hugs and head pats all around, and would wear that subtle smile whenever he brought them out for dessert at night, whether it be ice cream from Ms. Dawson’s, Bapple crumble at Mr. Gibson’s, or any other sorts of various treats and sweets.

  As for a real smile? Those were few and far between, as Uncle Ming wasn’t the type. Tina would never forget how big his smile was when she won the speed shooting competition though. Was a few days after her thirteenth birthday, though there wasn’t much competition to speak of. Was only for kids, and Howie was the only one who even came close to her record, though in his defense, he wasn’t as familiar with the 1911 as she was. Kept overcompensating for the recoil, as he was used to a gun with more kick, but Uncle Ming smiled all the same, a real smile where the corner of his lips actually curled and his eyes almost disappeared into crescent moons.

  Said he was proud of her, and that she’d make for an incredible Ranger someday, before turning around and telling Howie that this was why he should never let confidence turn into arrogance. Lesson stuck pretty well, even if it made Tina sad to see, because Howie was bummed enough over losing and Uncle Ming’s lecture only compounded his misery. Yeah, Uncle Ming loved Howie to bits, but she’d be lying if she said she thought he wasn’t too hard on him sometimes.

  But Howie loved his daddy all the same, and Tina loved her Uncle Ming. Made her feel right conflicted about not only helping these Qin out, but also bringing one up to the mesa to put his killers to rest. Wasn’t proud to admit that she was happy to hear they thought their dead were suffering in the afterlife, because they deserved it after all. Uncle Ming never done nothing to them, nothing besides work day and night to make the Frontier safer for all. Spent weeks riding all about and delving down under dark to hunt Proggies, second only to Drex Durden when it came to confirmed kills. Or at least he was at the time of his death, but even after all this time, you could count the number of Scouts who surpassed his kill count on two hands.

  Wasn’t because he was better than the rest. Well, he was, but that came with practice, meaning the only reason Uncle Ming was so good was because he never skipped a chance to go delving under dark. Most Scouts would run a mission and then swear off them for several months to a year, because it wasn’t easy enduring all the stress and trauma that came from hunting Proggies in their nests. Especially in a five-man Strike Team, when you knew that you were the only thing standing between you and your squad’s survival. Didn’t no one fight their way into a Proggie Nest without at least two full Companies behind them, and other military outfits like the Chevaliers, Protectorate, and Templars typically brought even more soldiers to fight it out.

  Why just this May, Tina saw a forty-man Ranger operation clear out the Proggie’s nest under the lake and they came back all haggard and beat up despite running with an all-star crew including Drex Durden and his Corridor Companions. To say nothing of the fact that Uncle Teddy was running the show, or how they didn’t even fight a Proggie in the end, just the stray Abby still defending the nest because they didn’t know any better, and even then it was a struggle to get everyone out alive.

  Drex Durden’s crew and a few standouts like Captain Jung and Sergeant Begaye aside, most them Rangers would do anything to avoid another delve for a little while longer, and Uncle Teddy wouldn’t press the issue. Uncle Ming though? He’d go in all by his lonesome if need be, waltz right on up and pinpoint the Proggie’s location before heading back topside to make his report with Video or Photo proof of the target. From there, it depended on what Rangers were stationed around the immediate area, because while Rangers were known to fight whenever they were needed with whatever they had on hand, that didn’t mean they was all ready and raring to go down under dark at the drop of a hat. Hear tell Uncle Teddy wanted to promote Uncle Ming to Captain just so they could assign him his own dedicated team to go delving with same as Drex, but Uncle Ming refused. Had a lot of reasons for doing so, but when Tina asked, he told her the Lord’s honest truth, because he wasn’t one to lie.

  “Alone, I need only look out for myself,” he said, giving her a sad smile while reaching out to pat her head. “As a leader, I would be responsible for the lives of others. A heavy burden I dare not take up, because I fear I am not up to the task. Were it a choice between saving my team and returning home to you, Chrissy, and Howie, I would choose the three of you in a heartbeat, and a Ranger deserves more from the Captain who leads them.”

  Tina was only 9 when she asked, and for the longest time, she thought it was just an excuse, because wasn’t no one braver than Uncle Ming. Uncle Marcus was stronger, Uncle Tim more dangerous, and Uncle Rigsby was more reckless, while Uncle Teddy just better in almost every metric, but didn’t none of them volunteer for every dangerous mission that ever came up and spend most their time outside of town. Not a one, so if Uncle Ming was always fighting Abby or capturing outlaws, then that made him the bravest of the bunch, so how could he ever be afraid?

  These days, Tina knew better of course. Uncle Ming was just telling it to her straight, because leadership came with all sorts of extra pressure to deal with. Truth was, Tina had never once dreamed of leading her own team, not as a Captain, Lieutenant, or even a Staff Sergeant or Adjutant. She always figured it’d be Howie doing the leading, and she was more than happy to fall in line behind him, because she’d been doing it all her life pretty much. That’s who he was, a trend-setter and go-getter who always went his own way, but always made sure Tina and Chrissy never struggled to follow along.

  Now though? Now Howie was the lone wulf, without the support of the Rangers, his own crew, or ever Uncle Teddy, which was why he jumped on that Arcane Grimoire like a marty on a chitter rat. Even learning new Spells was difficult for him now that he was Exiled and on the outs with Uncle Teddy. Though they only had lessons once a week, Howie learned 2 Third Order Spells in less than a month with Uncle Teddy’s help, one of which had an included Ritual mind you, whereas he took a full 6 months to figure out Fireball after he got the math down pat. A proper Mentor makes a world of difference for an Orthodox caster like Howie, and that Grimoire was like dangling a medium rare steak with all the fixings in front of a starving man.

  Even then, he still had to think long and hard before he could decide what to do, and in the end, he folded like an accordion once Mama gave him a little nudge. Which Tina didn’t much like, because it was just a magical book with some Spell Formulas and notes. If Howie wanted to learn Spells, then all he needed to do was clear the air with Uncle Teddy, who’d likely welcome him back with open arms. Wasn’t like either one wanted to be on the outs with the other; they was just both too stubborn to make the first move. Howie because he didn’t think he done nothing wrong, and Uncle Teddy because he needed Howie to admit his faults so that he could be forgiven in full.

  Wouldn’t be as cut and dry as Tina was making it out to be, but it wouldn’t be all that difficult either, so she was a little miffed at Mama and Howie both for giving in to the Qin demands. Now Uncle Ming’s killers would likely get a state funeral or whatever it is them Vanguard do, which didn’t sit well with Tina at all. Course, denying their families the closure of a funeral wasn’t much better, and the sheer intensity of Howie’s rage and loathing made her mighty uncomfortable to see, as it didn’t paint him in a flattering light. Nor did his comment about ‘big sister’ keeping him company, even if it was just to bait the kid into revealing he understood English.

  Which was incredible really, knowing a second language. Mama spoke French like a pro, and Howie understood enough to know what people were saying, even if he couldn’t pronounce anything to save his life. Was like that with Qinese too, though from the sour look etched across his face as he flipped through his new Grimoire, he was probably out of practice when it came to reading. Not that he was ever much good at it, as he could zip right through the pages of a book written in English, and go through it even faster if it was all math, but last time Tina saw him poring over his daddy’s notes, he spent most of it flipping through his Qinese dictionary and scrawling and crossing out his notes because he couldn’t figure out the proper translation.

  Was still better off than Tina, who only spoke English and nothing else. Always figured she’d be fine since most folks understood some English at the very least, seeing how three of the largest, most powerful nations of the Old World spoke it, alongside many others. Course, these days she found herself wishing she’d paid more attention during Mama’s French lessons, mostly on account of how they only just realized that Chrissy was rather fluent and didn’t need no one to translate when they went out to visit Elodie at the compound. Never spoke a word of French, but understood it well enough when she bothered to listen, which made Tina feel right silly since she couldn’t make heads or tails of it.

  Nor could she figure out what the Qin were saying this whole time, even though she knew a few words. Mostly because they were phrases loaned from the Qinese, and she wanted to know what they originally sounded like. ‘Long time no see’ was a direct translation of ‘hao jiu mei jian’, while ‘bu ke yi’ was ‘No can do’, and ‘kan kan’ was quite literally ‘look-see’. Tickled her pink to know those phrases made it into the general lingo a half a world away before there were any planes, trains, or automobiles to speak of.

  Despite her lack of understanding, Tina still paid close attention as the whole cadre picked up and moved away, seemingly ready to make good on their deal with Howie to get gone right quick. Was a cold one, that Jinfeng, ignoring the poor blue-haired Innate’s obvious distress over leaving her little brother behind, a lean and scrawny kid who couldn’t be more than 12 or 13. Seemed crazy to bring someone so young out into the badlands, but what’s even crazier is that he wasn’t the only one. There were 7 other kids just as young, or possibly even younger, while the vast majority of the 30-odd Qin were around her age, with only a smattering of older folk helping out. All of whom hopped to whenever Jinfeng gave an order mind you, dragging the poor kid and his big sister around without so much a care given to their obvious woe.

  Then the three of them disappeared around the bend of the rock formation, which Tina didn’t like much at all. Wasn’t nothing over there for them to do, so why was they heading off out of sight? So Jinfeng could rip the Innate girl a new one no doubt, as she seemed like a harsh taskmistress to be sure. Then again, most Qin in general were a grim and foreboding bunch, as theirs was not a culture that was big on smiles or hugs.

  Made Uncle Ming all the more precious, and Tina missed him dearly, so much so she couldn’t help but glare as the blue haired Innate as she came back into view with her little brother behind her. No sign of Jinfeng, which only showed how heartless she was, barely giving the siblings any time to say goodbye and not even seeing him off herself. What if it wasn’t Howie, but some other person taking the kid hostage? Jinfeng didn’t ask for no assurances or press him for any details, barely even thought about the hostage exchange at all, which seemed mighty strange until Tina thought about it a bit, and her conclusion didn’t paint the other woman in a favourable light.

  Having marched through the badlands and lost Lord knows how many fellow soldiers, chances were Jinfeng was caught in a bind. Tina heard the Qin Vanguard didn’t mess around when it came to discipline, so ‘Second Sister’ there would get far worse than a slap on the wrist if she returned home in failure. Could get a lashing, or even prison time, and possibly both or worse, so Jinfeng needed this mission to succeed. In order to do that, she needed Howie’s, because it seems like the Vanguard couldn’t make it back up the mesa without him else they could’ve retrieved their body anytime in the last four years outside of the two weeks he was around. Howie never did figure out how them Vanguard got up there in the first place, since there were Wards to stop Fly, Levitate, Spider Climb, and most other magical methods of getting from point a to point b in an unconventional way. Even Gaseous Form and Meld Into Stone were blocked, stuff Uncle Ming set up in some way that was beyond Tina’s understanding. Probably beyond Howie’s too, else he’d have set something like that up over at the quay, and Tina knew he hadn’t because he never could keep quiet about new and cool things he done learned and built.

  Wasn’t a complaint, as Tina would love nothing more than to feign interest if it meant seeing Howie eager and excited about something again. Even the Arcane Grimoire couldn’t hold his interest for long as he tucked it away in his duster and hit the kid, Who Sheng, with a sinister sneer. “What’s with all the Spells?” he asked, gesturing at the thick and heavy Aetheric flows surging in and around the younger Innate.

  A telltale sign of Spells in effect, but Tina couldn’t decipher what Spells they might be, and neither could Howie. Again, if he knew, he’d say as much, as he was a bit of a know it all, but all Tina could see was that there was a powerful Spell at work over Who Sheng, one that would last for a good long while judging by the strength and smoothness of the flow. Glancing at Mama, Tina quirked an eyebrow in question to see if she knew what Spell was on the kid, but Mama gave her a look that didn’t say much at all, before batting her eyes twice to signal no. Was a shorthand of theirs, one blink for yes, two for no, and three for I love you. That last one rarely ever came up in a pinch, and truth was, the never really used the first two either, as this was the first time they’d ever used it in a real setting.

  Not that Howie paid any mind to it, as he got right in the kid’s face with complete disregard for him or his older sister. Whatever Jinfeng had said to the them whilst out of sight had worked wonders though, as Who Sheng wasn’t glaring no more or even able to meet Howie’s eyes, while Who Dieh just stood to the side looking surly while very pointedly not looking in Howie’s direction. Was a world of difference from before when they was both giving him the evil eye like he owed them money, and the worst part was Tina sorta sympathized with the siblings. Howie had killed their daddy after all, albeit with good reason seeing how their daddy killed Uncle Ming, so it was hard to fault the siblings for being upset with Howie. They wasn’t showing it now though, or at least they’d done much to restrain themselves, which only went to show how much authority Jinfeng really held.

  Howie wasn’t one to cut them any slack though, looming over the blue-haired kid in unspoken threat. Had his hand on the Rattlesnake and everything too, ready to draw and shoot either one of them should they act. The older sister clenched and unclenched her fists while grinding away at her jaw and staring down at her feet, but the younger brother weathered the silence pretty well, keeping his head down and shoulders hunched in a show of fear or submission, one that was entirely insincere seeing how his spine was almost ramrod straight save for the slight slump at the end. Wasn’t good enough to fool Tina, which meant Howie saw right through him too, and he opted to push the kid even harder just to show him who’s boss. “Don’t matter,” he snarled, with a grimace so mean even Tina was a little scared, “Here on out, it’s just you and me. You so much as look at me wrong, and all the Spells in the world won’t save you. I say jump, you jump as high and as far as you can, because if I even think you draggin’ your feet and bringin’ the rest of us down, I’ll cut you like the deadweight you are and leave you for Abby. You hear me?”

  Credit where it’s due, the kid just nodded, and his older sister only briefly glared at Howie before looking down at her feet. Or was it a glare? Because there was a reddish tinge to her cherubic features, and all of a sudden those glares looked more like stolen glances of a girl… not in love, but full of interest and curiosity perhaps. Odd that. Howie threatens to take her captive and do unspeakable things, and now she got the goo-goo eyes for him? Why? Because he showed interest? That didn’t make no sense at all to Tina, and she kept trying to come up with a different angle to prove herself wrong, but try as she might, she couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something off about all this.

  Mostly because Who Dieh’s focus had shifted from protecting her little brother to going along with what was essentially a hostage exchange. That’s what Who Sheng was, a hostage who Howie would release alongside the 3 bodies of Uncle Ming’s killers so long as Jinfeng and her cadre got gone right quick. They wasn’t wasting no time either, marching right on off without saying goodbye or waiting for Who Dieh, who lingered by Howie like she was hoping for an invitation to tag along or waiting for a chance to talk. Howie paid her no mind though, because he was busy listing off all the ways he’d make Who Sheng’s live miserable if the kid didn’t do exactly what he was told from now until Howie grew sick of seeing his face.

  His words, not Tina’s, and he was really going off, though his delivery was a little lacking with how clean he kept his language. Was almost a full minute before he realized his tirade wasn’t having any effect, so he reached into Fifi’s saddlebag and pulled out a spare shirt before gesturing for the kid to turn around. Wrapping the cloth around Who Sheng’s eyes nice and thick, Howie wasn’t taking no chances with their safety as he grab some rope cuffs to secure the kid’s hands behind his back. “You don’t speak unless spoken to,” Howie said, his tone still harsh and scary as can be as he used his kerchief to gag Who Sheng too. “You so much as mumble a word, waggle a finger wrong, or move to take off the blindfold, and I’ll shoot you dead then double tap you just to be sure.”

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  Tina frowned to see it, but she didn’t say nothing, because it wasn’t entirely out of left field. The kid was an Innate, and since Howie didn’t own a pair of anti-magic manacles, this was the only way to keep him from slinging Spells while the rest of them were distracted. Couldn’t count on her or Mama watching the kid 24/7, not while they had Chrissy to look after too, which was why Howie was only willing to do this with the one prisoner. The blindfold kept him from seeing a target, while the gag stopped him from voicing and Vocal Spell Components, and while he could still waggle his fingers a bit, it actually took a lot of practice to carry out Somatic Spell Components in more than one way.

  Like Howie’s Fireball for example. An open palm to the sky, pulled down into a cocked fist, then shot out like a pointed spear, that was the Somatic Component to the Spell, and it had to be done like that each and every time he cast it. Aside from Eschewing Somatic Components with one of the Metamagic beads on his bracelet, there was no way to cast the Spell without making those exact motions. Doing a subtle version of the movements wouldn’t do nothing for him, not until he got a whole lot more practice with the Spell with that very concept in mind, but most folks preferred to work on increasing the area of effect or speed with which they cast the Spell, or one of a dozen other minor or major modifications that one could make using Familiarity with Fireball, as it was a popular Trademark Spell among military personnel specializing as Strikers.

  Howie liked to call them Heavies, because that’s what most Rangers called them. Was short for heavy artillery, because they brought the big booms, a role plenty of soldiers aspired to, but one only the best could fulfil as their primary. Wasn’t a single recruit in this first batch good enough to be taken under Captain Jung’s wing to train as a future Striker, and from the looks of things, Tina was pretty sure there weren’t no promising prospects in the second class of boots either.

  Howie might’ve made the cut, though Diviner and Striker wasn’t a popular combination since the operational costs to sling so many Spells was much too high for your average Spellslinger to handle. Still might’ve gone for it if circumstances were different, but not under Captain Jung’s tutelage. No, Howie was Uncle Teddy’s apprentice and successor, or he was until last July, and Tina hoped they’d mend fences and come together again, but even if they did, it’d probably be too little too late with regards to Howie’s career path.

  Oddly enough, Who Dieh didn’t look none too fussed about the harsh treatment her younger brother was going through, all bound, gagged, and blindfolded while forced to sit on a Floating Disc Ritually Conjured by Howie. She stuck around just long enough to show she wanted a word, but Howie paid her no mind until it was time to leave. “So long as he behaves, I’ll see to it that he makes it home in one piece,” Howie said, giving the blue-haired girl a measured look. “You got my word on that, and my word is my bond, so if he don’t make it back, then either he didn’t hold up his end of the bargain, or you and yours mucked things up bad enough to get me got by Abby here in the badlands. One or the other, no third option to be had, so best you believe it.”

  Which was Howie’s way of reassuring the girl, if only to be rid of her because he was either too polite or too guarded to turn his back on her. Whichever it was, Who Dieh didn’t get the message and stuck around a second longer looking all sorts of conflicted, before patting her brother on the arm and running off without another word. Odd that, but maybe it was some sort of Qin custom Tina didn’t know about, like not making a big fuss over goodbyes. Uncle Ming certainly never did, but she always figured that’s just how he was and never thought twice about it. Now it was looking like a cultural thing, with Who Dieh being less stoic than Uncle Ming or Howie, which made sense considering they was probably orphans since Tina couldn’t see any mother of any nation letting her babies go out into the badlands with little more than swords and spears to defend themselves with. Most of the Vanguard weren’t even wearing armour, just big, warm greatcoats and big fluffy ushankas to protect them from the cold, while some eschewed even that minor bit of protection.

  Harsh lives, the Qin Vanguard lived, because there were so many of them and only so much to go around in a pre-industrial society. Most worked themselves to the bone on farms and fishing boats making sure their people had food enough to eat, which was apparently a close thing even in the perpetual growing seasons of the southern regions where they made their homes. Didn’t give them the right to raid the Federal build sites of their three up and coming fortress towns, all of which were already far behind schedule after less than 9 months from start of the project. Part of it was due to the Qin raids, though the papers said that all the chaos and instability up in Mount Rimepeak wasn’t doing them no favours either. When Howie took out the Pugliano Family, he left a power vacuum behind that still had yet to be filled as all manner of enterprises, both criminal and legitimate, were fighting tooth and nail for control of the mountain. Anyone the Rangers back got ganged up on by the rest, which wasn’t no big deal if it came down to a gun fight, but wasn’t nothing to be done if no one played ball with the chosen successors in a legitimate and aboveboard manner.

  Couldn’t rightly force a company to lower their prices at gunpoint, now could you? Or make them negotiate in good faith instead of lobbing outrageous demands they knew had no chance of being accepted, just so they could claim they made an effort to see eye to eye with the Rangers. Until such a time as one group grew strong enough to contend against all comers, whether that be in a legal or extralegal fashion, all the Rangers could do was back the horse they’d picked in an aboveboard manner, while watching their competitors use ever dirty trick in the book and then some.

  Seemed a bit silly to Tina, having to play by the rules when no one else did, but she supposed it was better than the alternative. Heavy handed authoritarianism might work if you had the right person for the job, but finding that right person was harder than it sounded. Uncle Teddy might do well, but he didn’t want that sort of power because it went against everything he believed in, all the freedom, independence, and liberty the Founding Fathers fought for, and Uncle Teddy was too much of a patriot to go against their views.

  Even if it sometimes felt like a lot of higher ups already had. Wasn’t no elections being held out here on the Frontier, which was supposedly the basis of democracy. Not that it mattered to her either way, since she wasn’t old enough to vote and wouldn’t be for another four months and change. Howie would be old enough in a few days time, but Tina wasn’t sure if freeholding residents were allowed to vote, since they wasn’t actually full-on American citizens.

  The civics lessons would have to wait however, as Howie put the Vanguard in their six and led them further north east, looking to circle around and approach the mesa from the northern side under the cover of darkness. Was hoping to avoid Abby patrols who’d gone looking for the Qin, and wasn’t shy about saying as much either. Got Who Sheng all up in a tizzy, bolting upright on the Floating Disc he’d been sitting crossed legged on without having to use either hand. Because they was bound up behind him, but that only made his movements all the more impressive, though Howie wasn’t one to cut the kid any slack. “Sit back down,” he barked, his eyes hard as steel and tone cold as ice, so much so that even Tina felt a chill run down her spine. “Their business ain’t none of yours, not anymore, so best you focus on keeping your own hide intact.”

  That’s all it took to calm the kid down, showing he was a lot less temperamental than Tina thought. Just sat right back down on the invisible Floating Disc, and even laid down to rest after a moment’s hesitation, which got Howie to scowling something fierce since he was trekking on his own two feet. Wanted to give Cowie and the horses as much time to rest as possible, seeing how they done been rode hard yesterday and barely got more than a few hours of sleep. Not that Howie was doing much better, as he’d barely slept at all aside from a Catnap and was probably running dangerously low on Spells. Used three Big Spells saving the Qin Vanguard, which meant he was at 25% capacity at best, but Tina figured he was running on empty seeing how he didn’t break out his Second Order Pass Without Trace Spell. Considering there were all manner of Abby running about in search of the culprits responsible for the big kerfuffle back at the rock formation, now seemed like a real good time to cover their tracks and avoid being noticed.

  And the only reason Howie would abstain from doing just that was because he couldn’t.

  All this on top of having to hike by his lonesome while Tina, Chrissy, and Mama all sat up front on the wagon, with Cowie cuddled up in Chrissy’s arms and the horses trailing behind. Wasn’t like the wagon was entirely weightless either, as there was still some heft to it even with 6 Floating Disc Sleds working full blast to help lighten the load. Momentum was still a thing to be considered, and the same went for inertia, which might not seem like such a big deal until you remembered that them Floating Disc Sleds were fixed onto Howie. If they picked up enough speed and couldn’t stop on a dime, then the Spell still had to obey the laws of physics which meant all that weight and momentum would go crashing into him as he moved at a pace that was faster than a walk but slower than a jog while simultaneously watching for Abby with Ritually cast Detection Spells and maintaining the Floating Disc for Who Sheng to sleep on.

  The kid had to be exhausted, or in possession of nerves of steel, falling fast asleep despite the cold winds and bumpy ride, and Tina envied him just a little bit. She ought to sleep too, but she was too wired to rest as every time she closed her eyes she felt like she was about to be jumped by Abby.

  Wasn’t Howie’s fault, because he was a pro at all this, making this trip to the mesa solo for years without incident. What’s more, Mama was working overtime to keep them all safe, because Howie wasn’t the only one who knew how to cover their tracks. In a different and far more difficult manner, as she used Illusions to overlap their trail with dozens, if not hundreds of false trails that would send Abby out in every which way if they ever get close enough to be affected. Wasn’t as good as hiding their trail entirely, since that effect would persist even after they were gone, while Mama’s methods only worked on Abby who were within a few hundred metres at most.

  So Howie was extra careful as he led them through the badlands and put on a clinic showing Tina how things were done. From his route chosen to minimize crossing paths with Abby to his ability to cling to the darkest shadows even out in these barren wastelands, Howie showed off more about bushcraft in the next few hours than Tina had learned in all her years. Most of it went right over her head too, as Howie wasn’t in no position to be giving any lessons, but she watched and committed it all to memory so she could ask him about it later on.

  Lotta folks thought Howie arrogant, and maybe he was just a little bit, but wasn’t like he was proud without reason. He was already without a doubt the premier gunslinger of their generation, and had a good claim to being the number one Spellslinger too. Was hands down the most capable Orthodox Spellslinger at the very least, and knew a good number Rituals too. Then there was his new Wildshape Ability which he used to Conjure up a hand, and apparently his improved Mage Hand was another quasi-Ability seeing how he couldn’t explain the math behind it. Sure, Chrissy had more Spells and became a Magus earlier, while Errol was improving by leaps and bounds ever since coming into his Abilities in Pleasant Dunes, but in Tina’s opinion, Howie had them both beat and it wasn’t even close.

  Not because Innates or Faith based Abilities were inferior to Orthodox casting. No, Howie had them both beat because he didn’t just use his magic, he understood it on a level neither Errol nor Chrissy could match. Wasn’t the number of Spells you knew that made you a formidable Spellslinger, not to anyone in the know at least. The true measure of formidable Magus was how many trademark Spells they had under their belt, Structures they knew so well they were able to manipulate it on the fly and get something besides the base effect. In Tina’s case, she could use the Minor Illusion Cantrip to create moving images by recreating the illusion shown dozens of times per second to make it give off a false impression of movement. She could also squeeze a fourth Mirror Image of out of the Spell, one more than the base 3, and manipulate those images with little more than a general thought of how they ought to move and act.

  That’s all she could do though. The rest of her Spells didn’t do nothing besides what it said on the tin, which wasn’t to say she was a bad Spellslinger. Most folks never figured out how to give a Spell their own special pizzaz, and those who did tended to be one-trick ponies who went all in on their Spell of choice. In contrast, Chrissy could do all sorts of things with her Spells, because her ability to sense and manipulate raw Aether was beyond anything Uncle Teddy had even read about, while Tina just saw pretty lights and didn’t know how to do anything with them.

  In contrast? If Howie seemed to pick up Trademark Spells left and right without having to even try. Wasn’t true of course, because all his practice and hard work is what set him up for success, like when Carter taught Howie how to make his Detection Spell more effective through use of ADAR. To hear either of them tell it, soon as Howie heard what he had to do, he knew exactly how to do it, the same way a baseball player knows how fast to run when chasing a pop fly, or a bird knows to head south before the winter snows settle in. That level of control over the Spell don’t come from the Structure, but rather from hundreds, maybe thousands of hours spent familiarizing himself with all manner of Divination Spells. Appraisal and Rangerfinder Cantrips, Analyze Object and Detect Magic from First Order Spells, Second Order Identify and Locate Object, Howie didn’t just cast those Spells, he learned them inside and out the way someone else might learn the twists and turns of their home town. The tried-and-true pathways were easy to navigate, but you needed to know the lay of the land before you can take any shortcuts that’ll actually get you where you’re going.

  All of which was to say that Howie was already a phenomenal gunfighter, Spellslinger, and Scout, while also making headway in learning how to be an Artificer too, so it wasn’t no surprise if he got himself a big head. Was still early hours yet though, and his Automaton prosthetic was so rudimentary it was undoubtedly worse than a conventional one, but judging by the Aetheric flows alone, Howie’s Automaton had a whole lot of potential just waiting to be unlocked, and wasn’t no one more driven than him to make it work.

  Speaking of early hours, the sun was showing just the faintest hints of light from over the horizon when Howie broke out into a jog. Or rather was forced into one as he brought them down what looked like a slight incline, but with even the fraction of the wagon’s weight pressing down on him, was too much for him to hold back. Course, that increased speed meant increased acceleration, and combined with the mass equaled to more force behind him, which forced him to pick up the pace some more and sent him hurtling down the slight incline at a breakneck pace.

  Didn’t let it shake him none though, as he kept his feet light and head cool for as long as he could before calling out, “Cowie? Time for you to tag in now, partner.”

  There was no tension in his tone or alarm in his posture despite the harrowing descent down into the Divide, or at least down towards it now that they’d passed the upper lip of the massive ramp that constituted the main entrance into it. As such, Cowie took his sweet time slipping out from Chrissy’s embrace, so much so that even she felt the need to give his flank a little pat to hurry him along. Once he was sure he had room to jump without kicking anyone behind him, Cowie hopped right out the driver’s seat and hit the ground running. Was all small and baby when he slipped between Howie’s legs, only to grow to size and literally sweep him off of his feet before bringing the wagon behind him to a slow and gentle crawl. Never stopped outright, and it showed just how strong Cowie really was, as even the full weight of the wagon wasn’t too much for him, so this reduced weight was nothing to be concerned about.

  Didn’t take long for Howie to find them some cover in recessed cavity big enough to fit all the horses and wagons dug right into the side of a ridge, of which there were plenty looming up in all directions. Felt like the world was rising up to swallow her whole, and Tina had to force herself to look away from the cliffs and head on inside, lest she lose her already shaky resolve and start trembling in fear. That there showed the difference between her and Howie, because he’d grown up seeing these sights and wasn’t shook by them none, whereas Tina wanted nothing more than to head home right quick even though she was bone tired and in dire need of rest.

  Wasn’t gonna settle in before Howie though, who was most certainly more tired than she was but still clear-headed enough to check on the horses to make sure they in good health. Can’t have them going lame here in the badlands, because even if they got the beasts up safe onto the mesa, the wagon didn’t have enough food to last until they recovered from even a lame hoof, much less a pulled tendon or something really serious. Then he laid some Wards, used Mould Earth to build them no less than twelve fighting positions and even a sort of shelter in the back for all of them to hide in should the worst come to pass, no doubt to buy them all time enough to drink their Meld Into Stone or Gaseous Form potions.

  All stuff Tina helped out with, but should’ve thought of for herself instead of waiting for Howie to point it all out and set her to task. He kept telling her that all this would come from experience, but she was tired of dragging him down and wanted to help shoulder his burdens here and now. Wasn’t no use complaining though, since it wasn’t no one’s fault besides her own that she wasn’t able to keep up, so she put on a brave front and sent him off to sleep while taking first watch for the day.

  Wasn’t much to do besides sit in the dark and listen for trouble. The last thing they wanted to do was head out in broad daylight and risk getting spotted by Skreeler Wasps, which were no doubt buzzing all about the Divide looking for hide or hair of the intruders. Them fliers couldn’t come out at night because they were the rare sort of Abby who actually needed to see properly to function, which meant they operated better in daylight to avoid flying into one another under the darkness of night. Darkvision could only do so much after all, especially amidst the big backdrop of grey they’d see up in the skies, meaning this close to the Divide, the days were far more dangerous than nights despite the prevalence of Ankhravs, Burrow Hulks, Borer Beetles, and other dangerous Abby who so loved to roam in darkness.

  Didn’t mean they were safe from those types in the daylight either. Down under dark, they might still be active this close to the Divide, and moving about might well give away their position to the Tremoursensing Abby. Had Tina working on her last nerve towards the end of her watch, struggling to stay still and maintain vigilance at the same time. After waking mama, Tina laid her head down next to Howie and very carefully snuggled in close against him, though he still stirred awake all the same. Mumbled an apology, but she was so tired she fell asleep almost instantly, and it felt like she’d only just closed her eyes when Howie suddenly shook her awake.

  “Time to get a move on, sleepy head.” Sounding much refreshed and in far better spirits, Howie offered Tina a hand up and pulled her to her feet before kneeling next to Chrissy to gently pat her awake. Mama had some cold food for all of them, as none of them wanted to risk giving away their position just for a mug of hot tea and toasted hardtack. As for Who Sheng, Howie pulled the kid’s soaking wet gag out with a grimace and all but force fed him the rations and half drowned him with water to boot. Gasping from the whole ordeal, the poor kid glowered through sightless eyes that somehow seemed to know exactly where Howie was crouched, though it could’ve been a coincidence since there wasn’t exactly lots of room to move about.

  “I require privacy,” the kid said, in the same slow and even cadence that Jinfeng used, like he was working hard to make sure every syllable was pronounced with just the right tone and inflection.

  “Ain’t none to be had,” Howie replied. “Why? You gotta make water? You can let loose and I’ll flush you out with a couple Water Spheres.” He was grinning, so Tina hoped he was kidding, because that sounded all sorts of awful in so many ways. And what if he needed to go number two? Even if they freed his hands, so long as he stayed gagged and blindfolded there wasn’t much Spellslinging he could do. Needed to see your target to hit it, which meant you couldn’t fling a Bolt blind if your life depended on it. Could still target himself with Spells, but what good would that do? Another defensive magic layered on top of his suite of defensive magics wouldn’t do much of anything really, especially if Howie broke out his Naga and put it to work.

  Thankfully, Howie wasn’t serious and he helped the kid up and brought him back into the sheltered area to make water now that it wasn’t needed for sleeping. Who Sheng wasn’t feeling all that grateful though. “I require privacy!” he said, this time sounding desperate as all heck. “Please.”

  “If you gun shy, then you gonna have to get over it right quick,” Howie said, his low voice sounding clear as day in the closed confines of the cave. “Relax. I ain’t no pervert. Just do your business and ain’t no one gonna go looking at nothing.”

  “…I need to squat.”

  “Oh.” Howie’s lack of enthusiasm spoke volumes to his mood, and Tina almost laughed to hear it. Took him all of a few seconds to dig out a hole, and she tried not to listen in as the kid did his business. Wasn’t no helping it though, as there wasn’t exactly any room for privacy in the closed confines of the cavern. Oddly enough, there wasn’t no sounds or smells to go with the issues brought up, but neither Howie nor Who Sheng saw fit to bring it up. The latter’s cheeks were all but glowing with embarrassment even through the Darkvision though, so Tina let it be.

  Poor kid really was gun shy, but he’d get over it soon enough.

  Not immediately, as the little cave was confined enough for Tina to hear that he didn’t do nothing but tinkle, while Howie stood with his back turned and hand on his gun because he wasn’t none too happy about having to stand guard over the kid while he did his business. Had to be done though, because there wasn’t no amenities in the Divide. Which they technically had yet to reach, though they was sitting on the largest ramp down into it. Even the mesa was outside the borders of the Divide if you traced a line down along canyon walls themselves. Was still closer than Tina would like though, and she marvelled at how Uncle Ming and Aunty Lina managed to make a life for themselves out here so soon after the Advent. They was a formidable pair, the two of them, and Tina was saddened to have never met Howie’s mama. She’d have a chance to pay her respects soon enough though, because in about five hours or so, they’d reach the mesa barring any incident with Abby, and finally see the place where Howie was born.

  Which as poor luck would have it was also the place where both his parents were killed. Small wonder he never liked the Christmas season much, and while this year was shaping up to be a fair sight worse than most, Tina hoped this would be the start of a yearly tradition for the whole family, one that would only get easier as she grew in strength and experience. Yeah, this here was her first run into the Divide, but next year, she’d be an old hand at this no doubt, and then she’d show Howie just how much she’d learned and maybe even stop dragging him down.