Jack sipped his hot chocolate as he sat in his chair. The job was done, everything was

  right with the world, Elaine waited on him to get home, and they had a new mystery

  waiting for them on the other continent.

  Life was good at the moment.

  Putting a stop to the Montrose high command would force the middle managers to take

  their slots, but that forced them into thinking about what would happen when Josie

  decided to drop the axe on them.

  How many more would decide going after the Ducklings was the right thing to do? How

  many more would run into Alicia’s stolid but sharp mental processes? He could already

  see broken legs in some people’s futures.

  How could he encourage Josie and Markus along? Simple badgering wouldn’t do the

  job. She knew him too well for that to work.

  Maybe June would have some kind of solution that would get them together long

  enough for them to figure out if they liked each other. They were in the afraid to do

  something fun stage. They needed to move on to the thinking about life together stage.

  Once there, Josie would either commit, or break everything off.

  He hoped she would commit in some way, even if it was just going out together every

  once and a while.

  “Do we have everything sorted out?,” asked Josie. She looked around the room.

  “I have all the reports, the tax records put together by Colonel Hax, and Captain Russ,

  the disposition of the prisoners which I will need to transfer to a military jail until their

  trials, and diplomatic requests,” said Worldy. “I have the diplomatic request from His

  Majesty about the disposition of our prisoners, but I don’t know if it will be honored by

  my counterpart in the Ministry of Law.”

  “I will meet with my council, show them the evidence against Illheim and any other

  nobles he may have involved,” said Rickard. “The requests for any prisoners from

  Shemmaria will be perfunctionary at best, and I may have to call you as witnesses. The

  planning room we discovered will be copied and sent to you to do with what you will.”

  “We have the adventurers’ paperwork filled out for Sally so we can get paid for this

  excursion,” said Vin. “We have witness statements from the four of us. Budd said he

  would talk to Eric so Markus and I could keep on at the hospital even though we didn’t

  sign out like we were supposed to.”

  “Budd, tell Eric that I took them,” said Josie.

  Budd nodded at that.

  “I already have a report for the archive written up,” said Mister Warner. “I am ready to

  be dropped off.”

  “What about your shop and belongings back home?,” asked Josie.

  “I found an agent to sell everything that they can, and to put the money in an account

  that I can close any time I want to go home,” said Mister Warner. “So I don’t really have

  to go back unless I need that money and can convert it to the local gold.”

  “My stuff?,” asked Jack.

  “I talked to your mom and told her that you wanted everything put in a locker that I can

  access from this side of the border,” said Mister Warner.

  “So everything but June is wrapped up?,” said Josie.

  “Not your stuff,” said Mister Warner. “I don’t know how to get it for you without a

  key.”

  “I’ll send a letter to my roommates to let them know I’m not coming back and they can

  keep the things,” said Josie. “It’s not like I need my collection here, is it?”

  “You might need your collection here,” said Jack. “Maybe some of those old romance

  books that Rose lent you.”

  He grinned at her expression.

  “Markus and I will have a talk about this relationship stuff some time in the future,” said

  Josie. “I don’t know yet. Will that get you off my back?”

  “Don’t make my little sister cry,” said Jack, face looking severe for a moment before it

  cracked into a wide grin.

  “I will try not to,” said Markus. He noticed Josie rolling her eyes and decided she would

  make him cry if it came to that.

  “So we can start moving people back to where they belong?,” asked Josie.

  The group except for Jack went over everything to make sure they had everything they

  needed. They agreed they were ready to disperse.

  “Administrator Worldy, Officer Glunt,” said Josie. “Your help was invaluable as

  someones with the knowledge to indicate where to look. I hope to work with you again

  on things that doesn’t involve preventing a large loss of life.”

  “Madam, I will keep you in mind if I need a city wiped out of existence,” said Worldy.

  “It was a pleasure to deal with someone forthright with no ulterior motives for once.

  Thank you for your assistance. Your Majesty, it was a pleasure to deal with you. Maybe

  these reports will cool off some of the hotter heads in the committee.”

  “Did you guys ever find the giant snake?,” asked Jack.

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  “No,” said Hax. “Nothing has happened in the sewer system yet. I am hoping that it fled

  the city.”

  “Let us know,” said Jack. “It was weird how the Enterprise couldn’t find it. Maybe we

  told it to look for the wrong thing.”

  “I will be glad to call you if things go wrong,” said Hax.

  “Keep the coat, Captain Russ,” said Jack. “And the sword. You might need both more

  than I need to take them back.”

  “Thank you,” said Russ. She picked up the sword with its belt, and the green jacket.

  “Let’s go down to Transporter Room One,” said Josie. “I will have the Enterprise put

  you on the ground with your material. Then we will send down the prisoners you want

  to take with you.”

  “Shall we go?,” said Worldy. He indicated for his party to precede him from the room.

  “As soon as Josie gives us the all clear, we’ll drop you off at the castle so you can put

  things together, Rickard,” said Jack. “I imagine that you will have to let your general

  know that most of the problem is taken care of and all he has to do is watch out for

  troublemakers.”

  “This could have been so much worse,” said Rickard. “The room we found had plans

  going on for years with options for various setbacks.”

  “Nothing quite prepares you for Josie,” said Jack. He sipped his hot chocolate.

  “Whenever you want to visit, let us know and we’ll grab you up. If the fallout is too

  horrible from Illheim’s arrest, I will glad to swing by and light someone up.”

  “I am sure that I will feel that is justified before too long, but let me try a smidgeon

  more diplomacy first,” said Rickard. “I am going to need to see how many I can uproot

  before they become another problem on this scale.”

  “The Enterprise can’t solve every problem, but it does know how to hammer some

  nails,” said Jack.

  “Affirmative,” agreed the machine.

  “Enterprise,” said Jack. “As soon as Josie has dropped the Shemmarian party, take us

  to the capitol and hold station. King Rickard and his prisoners will have to be sent down

  next.”

  “Affirmative,” said the machine.

  “I think I will use Illheim’s estate as a secondary residence,” said Rickard. “It appeals

  to me.”

  “If he is enjoying the Delve, it won’t be like he is using it,” said Jack.

  “The four of us are going to be put down in Hawk Ridge?,” asked Vin. “I am really late

  for dinner.”

  “Tell your wife that I will cook the two of you the best spaghetti and salad you have

  ever tasted,” said Jack.

  “I don’t know if she will go for witchy food,” said Vin.

  “Jack threw a banquet when we went to get Emily back,” said Budd. “It was excellent.

  I would kill someone for the cake he baked.”

  “That good, eh?,” asked Vin.

  “It was excellent,” said Budd.

  “I thought about throwing a block party, but I don’t think the neighborhood would go

  for it,” said Jack.

  “If you change your mind, I will be glad to show up,” said Budd.

  “I’ll think about it,” said Jack. Maybe down the road, a party would be good for things.

  “What happens if we can clear out the Montrose from their positions of authority?”

  “Hopefully I will be able to hand to Care a kingdom that is running well, instead of a

  sick mockery,” said Rickard. “Illheim and Rustam have hidden their ambitions well.”

  “I think Kyle will be an ally in the south, and you might be able to get some of the

  Shemmarians onboard after this gets out,” said Jack. “A lot depends on if this does get

  out from the Shemmarians. Their government might just bury everybody that knows

  about this.”

  “I will send my diplomatic questions in the hopes that doesn’t happen,” said Rickard.

  Josie came back into the conference room. She wore a pleased expression on her face.

  “All right, Your Majesty,” said Josie. She pulled a sheet of paper out of her bag,

  transformed to transform the paper, then let the persona go. “Do you have a place for

  your prisoners?”

  “Yes,” said Rickard. “There is a small dungeon underneath the castle for prisoners that

  need to be held while waiting their final sentence.”

  “We’ll send you down,” said Josie. “Get whatever guards you need to put in place, then

  I will come down with the remaining prisoners. Then it will be up to you to move them

  to wherever you need to send them.”

  “I don’t know how many of my own guards have gone in with the brothers,” said

  Rickard.

  “I’ll get you some,” said Josie. “Pick out the place, and then we’ll get the rest of this

  together. We’ll keep our eye on Caroline so she can’t be used as a hostage. If you have

  problems, then send a letter to us. I will be glad to sort things out now that we have a

  handle on things.”

  “All right,” said the king. “I think I can get everything together if you put me down in

  my throne room.”

  “Remember to keep the letter paper on you if you need to send an emergency message,”

  said Josie. “We don’t know who is really loyal despite clearing out the Montrose earlier.

  Brant was part of the scheme and he wasn’t marked as a member.”

  “Maybe because he wasn’t involved in the trafficking,” said Jack. “He might have seen

  this as a way to get to the top, and stayed away from the obviously evil stuff so he could

  pursue his ambitions.”

  “And Rustam and Illheim are royals,” said the king. “If I and my wife were cleared

  away, Caroline would be in danger despite any guard we arranged for her.”

  “Aren’t you glad we came along and made that an impossibility unless someone gets

  really sneaky from here on end,” said Jack.

  “I am glad your sister and Mister Warner protected my wife when things could have

  gone badly,” said Rickard. “But yes, your efforts have secured a peace for a time.”

  “The main problem is the Faceless might be willing to sacrifice people as pawns to

  secure a better deal in the future,” said Mister Warner.

  “We’ll see about that when I see it starts happening,” said Josie. “Shall we go?”

  “I think so,” said Rickard.

  Jack watched them go before turning his attention to the adventurers left on the

  Enterprise.

  “I’ll have the Enterprise put you guys down at the Hall,” he said. “Then we have to drop

  Mister Warner off.”

  “Are you going to talk to Madam Witch about Markus?,” asked Vin.

  “Josie is old enough to make her own decisions even if I think she can do better,” said

  Jack. “I have my own interests I have to look after before I can start meddling in hers.”

  “That’s never stopped you before,” said Case.

  “I can talk to Madam Witch myself,” said Markus. “I don’t need any meddling from

  outside forces.”

  “Can I give you a piece of advice?,” said Mister Warner.

  Markus nodded at the grim older man in his strange suit and piece of cloth around his

  neck.

  “Madam Fox, or Josie, will win her over faster than calling her Madam Witch, or the

  Ear Ripper,” said Mister Warner. “That’s the first step that will get her attention and

  allow her not to see you as an expendable ape.”

  “Does she see us as expendable apes?,” asked Vin.

  “Who knows?,” said Mister Warner. “Do I use the gate, or are you dropping me off?”

  “We can drop you off,” said Jack. “Enterprise, can you lock on the Village from here?”

  “Negative,” said the machine. “The sensors need a better angle.”

  “Let’s do the current drop, and then move us into position to beam down Mister

  Warner,” said Jack. “We’ll put the rest of our guests off last.”

  “Affirmative,” said the machine.

  “All right,” said Jack. He grinned at the others. “It has been a long day, and I will be

  glad to get rid of all of you so I can give my beloved what she wants.”

  “What do you think will happen with Illheim and Rustam both being imprisoned?,”

  asked Budd.

  “Someone will realize they are in charge and try to run the organization without them,”

  said Jack. “And then they will wind up missing pieces of their anatomy.”