I stood in front of the full-length mirror in my quarters, admiring my new outfit. I’d snuck out to the city last night for a little shopping. I invited the other girls but nobody wanted to go. Or rather, they did but wanted to stay and train more. I can’t blame them for wanting to get stronger before venturing out, but still: shopping!

  I had never been attracted to leather before but for this, it just seemed right. The smooth supple leather jacket was a deep cream color with golden highlights at the cuffs and collar. The leather pants, although a bit tighter than I liked them, were dyed to match perfectly. A soft golden linen shirt and a braided belt matched the sturdy but elegant boots that completed the outfit. As an additional accent, I donned a golden leather fedora with a creamy white band and a little maroon feather.

  Yes. Hot. That is the word I’m looking for. One of Rio’s words but it works for me today. Picking up one of my brand new matching whips, I slowly coil it up. The dark brown leather-wrapped handle melds perfectly into a long tail of leather which graduates from brown to tan to cream with a metal cap of gold at the end. I snap it into the special loop in the belt on my right side, then coil up the other whip and snap it in on the left.

  I gave one more twirl in front of the mirror before heading off to training. They’re going to be stunned. But also afraid. Nothing like a woman with a whip to strike fear into the hearts of men.

  Dawn breaks. I stand once again on the archery range, meditating through the process of shooting arrows. I do my usual hundred single arrows, then move on to double, triple, and more. It is satisfying, losing myself in the motions, melding my mind with the tools of my art.

  I am startled when I hear voices. I’d been at it longer than I realized. The others had arrived for training. With a sigh, I give a bow to the range and move over to join them.

  Unusually, I wasn’t directing training today. Instead we were met by a battle-hardened, scarred older woman. She was missing three fingers on her left hand.

  “Good morning Heroes, Saints,” her voice was soft and melodious, belying her looks. “I want to teach you about different ways to imbue magic into your arrows.”

  We all looked at each other. We’d worked and trained so hard with the basic methods that we had stopped thinking that there might be more.

  “I’m a nature mage. This means I control Life magic related to growing things. My Sigil is highly attuned for growing plants. Allow me to give a demonstration.”

  She draws a wooden arrow from her quiver and turns to face down range. I notice a number of stone cubes with one meter sides have been set out in a line. I also notice her arrow has no arrowhead; just a blunt wooden shaft.

  Drawing the feather to her ear, I can feel her imbuing Spirit energy into her arrow. First one kind, then another. When the arrow is almost glowing with green energy, she lets it fly with a grunt. We all watch as it arcs up and then down into one of the stone blocks.

  I was shocked to see the simple wooden shaft sink into the stone like it was a block of butter. Then shocked again as vines started growing from the hole, twining around the stone until it was completely covered with green leaves. A dozen seconds later, the stone gives a series of sharp pops and disintegrates before our very eyes. The roots of the vines had drilled in and turned it into gravel.

  The woman watched us with merriment in her eyes, laughing when we raise up a simultaneous shout of amazement then begin clapping. “That was incredible,” I say breathlessly, speaking for all of us. “Teach us how.”

  “Well, I don’t know if I can teach you that, exactly, but I would be glad to help you explore unique methods to utilize your own affinities.” My friends and I get excited and start chattering away. The woman looks on, adding hints and suggestions to our ideas and training gets under way. It’s turning out to be a really fun day.

  What do the Gods want? That’s a question that’s been on my mind more and more lately. It’s not a religious question for me. I can’t get it out of my head that the Gods brought us here for something. The Accursed, especially. It’s a huge worry for me.

  Hexes generate Spirit energy. Why? Clearly the whole Hex arrangement is artificial. It was created and it must have a purpose.

  Likewise the Dungeons. They generate Mana energy and lots of it. Another artificial creation that must have a purpose. And they must be related or connected to Hexes in some way. At least if Nix’s theory about every Hex having a Dungeon is correct.

  We’ll puzzle it out in time, but how much time do we have? Kari is studying to be our Hex expert. Hexpert? Rio is studying to be our Dungeon expert. What else do we need to study?

  Saki is studying to be our magic expert. Nix is everything Spirit energy related. Kari is Primal. And feral. Penny is in charge of our information hub and also a trained mage.

  That leaves me. I’m studying Blood magic, of course. But I’m also studying strategy and tactics as well as leadership and training principles. It’s my job to get everyone prepared to face the world.

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  An idea is niggling at the back of my brain. What could it be? Dungeons. Dungeons produce lots of mana. It flows out of the Dungeons. From the entrance? Could that be the key to finding the door? Look for the flow of Mana energy?

  I spin my wheels and head for the door. Time to go talk to Saki.

  “I don’t wanna think!” I shout as I try to make a break for the door. “I’m on break. A no-thinkin’ break as mandated by the … uh … the supreme authority over break-takin’”

  “Don’t be such a dillweed,” says Rio as he picks me up and hauls me back to the table. “We need to figure this out.”

  “I’m not a dillweed, you’re a … a … a dorkstone. That’s what you are!”

  “Shut up.”

  “You shut up.”

  “No, you shut up.”

  The room suddenly starts feeling uncomfortably crowded as two spiders appear and grow to outlandish size behind Nix’s chair. Somebody is feeling grumpy today. Sheesh!

  “Okay,” I say. “I’ll be happy to help. What did you want, now?”

  “We need to work out an inventory tracking system.”

  “A what now?”

  “Words too big for you?”

  “Too small you dorkstone! My intellect requires words of four syllables, minimum.” One of the spiders starts moving around restlessly. “I mean to say, by inventory blarging blargle, what did you mean Sir?”

  “An inventory tracking system. A way to know how many of each thing we have. And ideally an index to help us search the inventory list.”

  “Oh! An inventory traaackiiing system. Why didn’t you say so?”

  “I’d like to say I did. Any ideas?”

  “Well, I always seem to know somehow.”

  “....”

  “I don’t know how. It just works that way. Part of my Collector Skills. Or maybe a side effect of my special Hoarding Curse. ‘Cause I’m an Honorary Dragon.”

  “Really,” Rio says with a roll of his eyes. “You never told me.”

  “Huh, I thought everybody knew. I have an idea.”

  “Really?” asks Rio dubiously.

  “Really!” I say, emphasizing the word really hard. “Let’s go to the Librifishium and get on one of the data terminals.”

  “All right.” Rio and I walk over to the couch and sit down comfortably before zapping into meditation to enter Penny’s meta-whateverical domain. As I close my eyes I hear Nix give a relieved sigh. Sometimes that boy is just irksome.

  I reach my hand up and softly touch my cheek before I realize what I’m doing. Dang it! I’ve gotta stop that. If Kari sees me do it, she’ll immediately know what I’m thinkin’ about. I heave a heartfelt sigh. Hot elfs should never be allowed to kiss the cheeks of adolescent boys who are in a vulnerable state vis a vis romantic relationships. Just sayin’.

  Just then Jane walks into the common room pushing a tray of teatime stuff. Just what I need. “Jane, are you busy?” I ask.

  “I’m always busy Sir Nix,” she answers saucily. “Do you need me to read to you?”

  “Yes, if you have time.”

  “Of course. That’s one of my duties.” She comes over and sits beside me. “What book do you want to read?”

  “I’m trying to research about intelligent species on Emulgren. Penny gave me these three books here.” I point to the table in front of me.

  I hear her look through the books. “Sir Nix,” she says in a teasing voice, “why are all of these books about elves?”

  I feel my face heat up. “Um … I’m not sure … Penny gave them to me.”

  “Uh-huh. We have Elves and Other Species Resident in Emulgren, Elves and Where to Find Them, and Elven Maidens in Bondage, a Compendium of Romantic Strategies. Where would you like to start.”

  “You made that last one up didn’t you?”

  “I’m guessing that one, then.” she says with a wicked grin. Don’t ask me how I know she has a wicked grin, I just do.

  “No no no. Please. The first one would be best.”

  “Are you sure? The last one looks like it goes into quite … intimate … detail.”

  “I’m sure, I’m sure!”

  “Okay,” she sighs. “But I think this one will be a lot less exciting.”

  “I’m okay with that!”

  How embarrassing.

  I’m sitting in my office in the Haunting. Eyes closed, sorting through data on my Situation Map. It’s taking a lot of time and effort but I’m starting to get the information overload under control. I can mentally suppress some of the information. I think if I keep working at it, I’ll be able to add and subtract overlays like in the Map apps on our phones back home.

  Kari must be out working on her map again. She’s way off on the other end of the Palace. I look closer and notice a strange grayed out area where the map should be clear. Have to get her to look into it later.

  That’s when Rio and Nix show up with a request. It seems Kari got the better of them and planted a song in their head which won’t go away. Hmm. What should I charge for my Mind Control services? Muahahahahaha….

  Rio and I leave Addie behind in the common room with a heavy sigh of relief. It took a bit of heavy-duty persuasion and a lot of concessional bartering but she finally conceded to our request for Mesmerization. The song is finally gone. Purged from our heads by righteous vampirical fire.

  "What did she replace it with for you?" I ask Rio.

  "Coolio, Gangster's Paradise. And you?"

  "Weird Al, I'm Fat. Do you think she knows I'm a member of Al-oholics Anonymous?"

  "Probably she doesn't. It could be.... Uh, I probably shouldn't tell you."

  "Tell me what?"

  "Well, you have been eating a lot of cookies lately..."

  "Oh shut up!"