092 – Rounding Third, Heading For Home

Roxanne went into the weapon smith that had been recommended to her by Master Eklund, and placed her bow on his counter. Three nylon bags of a dozen arrows each were over her shoulder. The head smith came over. Rox pulled an arrow from the rack and presented it as the elf approached. The six arrows on the bow, and one of the bags of twelve had broad-heads on the ends. The other two dozen were blunt tips for target practice.

“These are from my world. They are balanced to my bow. I want some made of local materials, and a few that explode.”

The smith took the arrow from Rox.

“Be careful of the steel tip. The shaft is aluminum, the fletching, nylon,’ she explained.

He kept his hand away from the broad-head, as he weighed the arrow and tested its balance. “Those are not unknown material applications, but the workmanship is different than here. May I try the bow?”

She picked it up and handed it to him. He notched the arrow, aimed across the shop, pulled back, and let fly. The broad-head cut deep into a straw and sand stuffed practice target. The bow was small for him, Rox thought he looked like a skilled adult with a child’s bow.

“Impressive.” Despite the bow being a smaller than comfortable size for his stature, he recognized the inherent quality in the design. The bow had an arrow rack on one side and a shoulder harness on the other for carry in the field.

Roxanne was first taught the bow by her mother, and later refined by a sensei. Since moving to Carson Valley, she had done a bit of bow hunting, but not much, as the closest areas were across the state lines in California and trying to get a permit there was ridiculous. One year she drew out for central northern Nevada, and had her deer on the second day of the hunt. She never submitted for another tag. Still, she practiced with some regularity, mostly by setting a target up in her garage, and then standing across her yard and shooting across into it.

He put the bow down, straps side down. “I can get you some wooden arrows, a bit larger than these metal ones, in a few days. Or if you prefer the metal ones, those will take longer.”

Rox considered. “The wood ones will do, as time is a bit of an issue.”

“Very well. How many?”

“What is the usual number your supplier works in?” Rox had no clue for this and did not want to order too few or too many.

“Most archers around here use the same weight of arrow, so he makes those in batches of hundreds. As yours will all be custom, comparatively, you may name the number.” He had been warned by Master Eklund that she was from elsewhere, so unaccustomed to local ways.

Rox nodded. “Is twenty a good number?”

“Twenty is fine, but you will need a large quiver to carry that many in. It looks like you have six arrows here.” He motioned at the rack on her bow. “Plus a few more there.” He pointed at the travel pouches that Rox had over her shoulder.

“Eighteen arrows with broad heads; twenty four with blunt tips for target practice, which I expect to leave behind, unless you know where to get metal heads here. These pouches are unfit for carry, so I will need a quiver.”

He knew where to get the tips, after having one of the other broad heads used as a pattern in a sand-mold: the hardest part would be the threading on the back of the head to attach to the aluminum shafts.

Before Roxanne was done here, she removed the rack and harness, and the weapon smith replaced the harness with a simple sling. She also specified the quiver was to be worn on her left hip.

After leaving the weapon smith, and getting some lunch, Roxanne went to Master Eklund's Outfitters to continue getting her own costume and equipment worked over.  Roxanne had brought back a vest pack with some toys and one of her own gi’s in it. Master Eklund watched as Rox moved about in a similar abbreviated process to what Steven was going through. The gi was progressively marked up to be a pattern used by Master Senisith's tailors with some extra pockets to be used as an expedition outfit. Her trousers are to be fitted and reinforced with a crotch bellows, double layer seat, and secured within the uppers of her boots, with knee reinforcing on each leg.

When the mark-up of the whole was finished, Master Eklund adjusted the top pieces to be a mid-thigh-length tunic, with a double breasted tabard over this. The tunic and tabard would fit over trousers or skirt, as Rox elected to wear.

Once the patterns were set, these were sent over to Master Senisith's tailor shop.

They moved on to the fitted boots they had partly finished. Tearing her boots from earth apart at the seams they fitted their new boots to the soles. These boots had grieves attached at the inseam, made of a thick single layer, and cover her foot to her toes.

They also made a form fitting belt for between her waist and hips. It formed the lower piece of a harness that Rox would wear. Her quiver would be attached to the belt and a shoulder strap.

Some hand and wrist guards, modified to work with her archery, and a set of elbow pads were also marked out and started.

Roxanne's cloak and cape set were adequate and were put aside, rolled with the bedroll.

The gold chains were taken the jeweler, who would carefully melt, refine and then remake them as smaller rings, without removing the intrinsic magic. These were to be kept as part of her costume, to act as a magical amplifier, along with several large stones, and numerous small stones set in the chains. The jeweler worked with Master Iver's Apprentice to shape things properly.

When Rox did not have the chains on her, she found Master Iver's lessons a bit more challenging. This was just as well, so that she was using them as tools rather than crutches.

Master Iver and Rox worked on her use of her staff. So far she used it less as a magical staff than as a bo-staff. Twist two outer carved spots and the enchantment activated that tripled the effective length magically, but not visibly. Between them, Rox and Master Iver learned that magic sensitive people can perceive the ends. Besides the kinetic damage, the magic extensions also had an anti-magic quality, for canceling other spell effects, but only by physical contact of the magic fields.

Rox often split the staff in half for use as twin batons; she preferred that, as the staff was a bit short unless its primary enchantment was activated. Twist two inner carved spots and the staff came in half as the two fighting sticks; the magical extension did not work in this form.

The Sorceress had told Roxanne that she never stored any spells in the staff. But being magically imbued she could channel magic through it. Rox figured that she herself would not worry about storing spells that might go off at some time, or that she might forget. Instead she would use it like the chains, as a tool for channeling spells through.

Rox picked up Steven from Master Mundrl's. She paused when she saw Steven's hands and arms. Steven held them up, looking them over.

“They wanted to see how I move. So I spared with an elf. Full contact.”

Roxanne looked closer at the strangely colored bruises on his hands. “How did they get that color?”

“A vibrating stone, probably magic. I figure it kept everything fluid, and allowed the debris to be removed. I could use some jow, though.” His hands were multi-colored, but felt fine; at some point he had put the vibrating stone down and had not picked it back up.

That evening, after dinner, Rox and Seven discussed what they had for the kids to wear. Caspian joined the conversation and admitted to some heretofore unrevealed information, more in line of speculation. Caspian suggested that they would want to bring their own clothes for the kids: he reviewed the basic principles of trackers, and that the easiest way was either through a specific object, or like with the trackers he used, using some bodily material, hair and finger nails being the easiest to use. So they would want to take clothes for the kids, to eliminate that avenue of tracking. Also to help the kids more easily blend in to the locals.

So Steven and Rox stopped by Master Senisith's tailor shop and ordered one complete outfit and three complete sets of underwear for their son and daughter. These would need to be light weight, or they would need a magic pocket on their in-process costumes to carry the extra bulk, similar to the pockets in Rox's underwear. Master Senisith happily obliged. Not knowing the children's sizes, they made the clothes with built in adjustments, with straps and buttons to adjust them.

Over the next few days Steven ended up with two pairs of heavy cloth trousers that had a laced up gusset on the outside of either leg from the cuff to the knee, an extra layer of thin padding on his knees, and some leather bellows pockets that ran most of the way up his thighs with a drawstring top with a storm flap over that. The button fly had been a relatively novel idea to the elves. They ended up using local toggles and loops. The double reinforced and gusseted seat and inseam needed loosening up and working. They made the spare pair once the first was finished.

Steven kept his shirts as they were, and his leather belt from home.

Master Mundrl's apprentices built Steven a leather coat that was more of a tabard, to replace his great coat. Steven’s closest experience aside from the great coat was a field jacket but with marked differences. The sleeves matched his trousers for design, with a gusset from wrist to elbow made of cloth, with leather on the upper arm starting from the elbow; this leather was a double layer with a soft inner layer and hard outer layer up to the shoulders. Soft leather backing hard leather rerebraces and pauldrons that overlapped would form the outer layers on the shoulders and upper arms. The back was plain heavy cloth with the front being double breasted soft under hard leather, down to his waist. Then it split in four, front left and right and back left and right panels, each side split; the inner layer of heavy cloth hung below his knees, the outer hard leather hanging halfway down his thighs as tassets. The belt on the coat and on his trousers lined up, with loops and slits that ran through the coat enabling it to be hooked together with a single leather belt.

Over the coat, and secured to the belt went a new vest-pack. The body was cloth, edged with leather, and the leather pouches all closed as his thigh pockets did. On asking, Steven was told that none were magic. On back was a stuff bag with the water bladder and an array of cargo straps. This pack was arranged almost identically to the new one he brought back from Terra, save for the belt with its pouches.

Steven thought he was ready to go, when more was brought out.

A female elf brought a leather chunk that she wrapped around his waist, marked and took away. Then his limbs were measured for gloves and boots, over the trousers and coat. A large piece of cloth was tossed over him and measured for a cloak. The leather chunk was brought back, and put around his waist again. It now resembled a weight lifters girdle or a boxer’s belt for its size. This was drawn on, for a final shape, and again disappeared.

Master Mundrl conducted the comings and goings. He turned to Steven, motioning to the equipment on the table. “Start packing. Just to be sure it all fits.”

Steven went to the table and saw that all the weapons were missing. Quickly he put everything else in their approximate positions, and was shown how to unship the stuff sack on his back without removing the rest. It got filled, only about a quarter of the way, and reattached. Steven had expected to heat up in the leather, but found that it was surprisingly well ventilated on the sides and shoulders

Some glove pieces were brought in and the elves stitched some fingerless gauntlets with gusseted lengths to him, marked some points on a hard leather chunk over the top, and then removed the gauntlets.

The cloak returned, was fitted, rolled into itself, and secured to the coat across Steven’s shoulders, in similar method to the stuff sack.

The girdle returned, was marked for attachment to the belt under it, and other marks around its perimeter, and left again.

The half made boots appeared, the new pair of boots from home had been taken apart, and native leather replaced the nylon outer. This was now fitted to each leg, up to just under each knee with soft leather. As the boots left the gauntlets returned.

Steven put first one than the other on. The gussets matched up to the ones on the sleeves. Then a vambrace attached to the gauntlet was closed, completing that piece. A pair of soft leather and fur lined mittens was snugged on over his hands. Then put away into a thigh pocket. Steven looked the gauntlets over. The palms were reinforced, and the knuckles had an extra strip over them and down each finger to where it ended just beyond the first knuckle. The vambrace was stiff against his wrist, was two layers thick, and ran back just short of his elbow.

The girdle reappeared, was connected to the coat’s belt, removed and disappeared again.

By this time it was well into the evening of this day. Master Mundrl, who had been supervising in and out of the room, reappeared having followed the girdle.

“What’s left to do will wait to tomorrow. When you return we will finish the fitting and should be able to get you on your way.”

Steven stepped down from the stand, tired of standing on it, and hungry, not having had anything to eat since lunch. He put on the older pair of his boots, and left. A carriage was waiting for him.

093 – Batting Cleanup

Roxanne met him at the hotel door. “How was it?”

“Tiring. And I go back for a bit more tomorrow.”

“I get to go to my outfitter as well. I have been with the weapon smith and Master Eklund getting some adjustments made for my gear. My arrows are a day or so out. As is most of the rest of my stuff.”

Once in their room Steven pulled the coat’s belt open, opened the vest and coat, and then realized that the whole set was still hooked together. He pulled the belt out, and then looked at his arms and legs.

“Uggh,” he moaned.

Roxanne giggled. “Here. Let me.”

She opened the vambrace's, and the gauntlet gussets on one arm as Steven opened the few ties between his vest and coat with his free hand. Rox removed the gauntlet, then opened the sleeve; then she worked on the other. Finally Steven dropped the laden vest to a chair, and Rox pulled the coat off, and set the coat over the back of the chair.

“They did a good job. It looks like everything fits.”

“Yeah. And all it cost was some bruises, a set of BDU’s and a gi.”

“It looks like you need a good meal. Nice trousers, by the way.”

She watched as Steven stood up and moved around a bit, stretching and shaking his hands. He swung a leg up onto a chair back stretching a bit, then switched.

“The new boots get picked up tomorrow. They fit like the gauntlets do, with a grieve up to here.” He put his hand just over his knee. “Lets go get dinner.”

He unrolled the new cloak, and Roxanne got her own, and they left the room.

Journal of Steven Caplan: Day 125

The shopping is done! To my surprise I will be packing heat again. Rox and I are leaving some of our things here, and setting out more native than I would have considered. We ordered things for the kids that will help them blend in; that is due for pickup later today. No clue what they are up to or how they are holding up. Caspian says they are still moving and healthy but cannot give any more information than that.

We have been here, including our side trip back home, for about two weeks. Time to get moving again. My question is, how much more walking is there?

Steven entered the shop alone, and went right to the back room. It was just after opening, a few women were buying, and one was gossiping. She had been in here every time Steven had come, but she seemed more interested in talking, than in shopping.

On the table, Steven’s belt-gear had been left in a bit of a jumble, as though someone had been loading and unloading it. As he looked it over, and put on the choker and ear piece, he noticed his gun and all three magazines were unaccounted for in the pile. As was the sword he would be using.

He stood there for a few moments, when the young female elf and the very old one came in. The crone leaned on her stick that looked as gnarled as she did, for all that she looked Steven in the eye while bent over. The younger woman carried Steven’s boots. Both wore aprons. Steven had learned the night before that this was Mother Mundrl and one of her granddaughters, who was the niece of Master Mundrl. Obligingly, Steven got up on the pedestal, and removed his boots. The old crone elf said little, but commanded attention.

The boots had significant work done from the night before. The seams were closed and sealed up to the top cuff. A grieve that had been sized the night before was attached to the inside seam, and the straps and buckles that would secure it were also attached. Steven took the boot in hand and pulled as the girl wiggled the end onto his foot. Steven reached in and smoothed the cuff of his trousers and the gusset around his leg. Next he smoothed the boot a bit, and pulled on its gusset strings, tightening it up over his foot, across his ankle, and up to the cuff that rested just under his knee. Holding the ties tight, he slid a locking grommet tight, and folded the cords down. He then folded the grieve over the cords and gusset, and threaded the straps for the grieve into their buckles. Once all three were secure, he started at the bottom, and tightened them to comfortable. Steven then repeated the process for the other side. He then stood up and settled his feet, and moved around a bit.

“These feel very good.”

“The seams have been sealed, so water will not leak through.” Mother Mundrl spoke with great pride, as though threatening the seams.

A woman with the girdle from the night before came in. Steven hopped up onto the pedestal again, and this time the girdle was put around him. It did not have the hardware on it yet, so Steven held it around his waist as its position was adjusted and finalized. Steven noticed it had pouches and straps attached all the way it, but was not given time to examine these. The woman took the girdle away and left again.

The old crone and the young woman had disappeared while the girdle was worked with.

Steven removed his new coat and vest as he had begun to warm up slightly, and set them on the table. He moved around the room kicking and punching at the shadows. He was working his way around the table when Master Mundrl entered with the finished girdle.

“Try this on. It should fit.”

Various pouches and straps were attached to the girdle. On the left was the frog to hang his sword scabbard from. What was right in front of that surprised him, as did a specific pouch on the back of his right hip. A quiver for his crossbow bolts hung on his right side. After putting the new coat and vest back on, Steven worked around connecting things with the straps that passed through to the belt on the trousers.

“All right. Where is it?”

The tall, older elf handed Steven his gun. Steven pointed it up as he checked the empty chamber. He then put it into the holster at the back of his right hip and closed the flap, which completely covered the gun.

“Keep it closed, and the gun will stay dry, even under water.”

Steven found that the flap completely covered and concealed the butt of the gun.

“The same for these.” The magazines were handed over, each one empty. The ammo was in the box of stuff under the table. One magazine went into the gun, the other two into a pouch on the left, where he expected to find them. These also had flaps that completely concealed them.

Because of the scabbard frog, his knife butt sat at an odd angle, but was otherwise where he expected it.

“You have done a wonderful job. It all fits and moves well.” Steven finished packing all the odds and ends into the belt.

Steven shifted and shook things to settle them and moved around the room again. The crossbow bolts rattled until he pulled the drawstring on the top of the cloth cover tight around them. The stiff leather hampered things a bit, so he was working to loosen it up. At some point Master Mundrl had left again. He returned, with the old sword in a scabbard.

“This completes your costume.” The elf knelt and attached the loops in the scabbard to the frog on Steven’s belt, then stood back.

Steven found the hilt rested just at hand level, under his left hand. His ka-bar knife in front and a bit above, at nearly the same angle. And things now felt complete. He drew the sword, it came smoothly out, and went just as smoothly back in. The crossbar locked into the top of the scabbard properly, unlike the scabbard he and then Abey had stitched together for his other sword.

Master Mundrl's son had returned, and for a half minute, he and Steven sparred to make sure all was good, and did not interfere or bind as he moved. That finished, Steven turned to the older elf.

“Thank you, again.” Steven bowed slightly, having picked up that this was a sign of respect in this community.

“You’re welcome. Please bring your children by, on your way back through.” Master Mundrl pulled out the box of rejected stuff from under the table and left it on the table. He then went out front to help some other customer. Steven shouldered his crossbow, took the box and left.

He got back to the hotel room in time to meet Roxanne for lunch. Steven left his pack and cloak behind, wearing the coat and vest with all its attached equipment to get used to it, and loosen the stiff leather up.

After lunch they picked up the stuff they ordered for the kids from Master Senisith, spending some of the money that came from the gold dress and jewelry Steven had acquired. Instead of putting magical pockets in the costumes, they made stuff sacks that were a bit larger on the inside, that held the kids clothes and a few other things. These were later put in Steven's pack.

Rox went off to her lesson with Master Iver, and Steven took the shopping back to the hotel. He put it aside to sort out later. First he turned to other things. Using the tripod, and the camera’s timer, Steve took a few pictures of himself in his kit. The tripod was then packed back up in a pouch for it on the side of the stuff sack.

Steven then went to the weapon smith that Rox had gone to for arrows and a quiver. While there, one of the journeyman elves showed Steven how to better care for and clean his sword. Some of the lamination on the blade was showing, where it had been resharpened and nicks smoothed. Steven got a better honing stone for his troubles. The Master Smith looked the sword over and commented that it was almost purely functional, with the gold and bronze being secondary for decoration.

They presented Steven with the two dozen local-made broad heads for Rox's arrows. Rox had left the arrows so the heads were all mounted, and had been shot twice for test. The local made heads showed a different coloring pattern and polish level to the ones from Terra, but were otherwise visibly identical. The twenty wood arrows had the local narrow blade arrow heads slotted into the the rounded ends of the wood shafts and secured with tight wraps of wire, and feather fletchings with winds of wire holding them to place. These had also been test shot.

The quiver for Rox had two separate slots for the arrows, as the wooden ones were longer than the aluminum ones. There was also a set of loops on its front/downward side to put her staff into if she wanted. It also had a cloth top with a drawstring to secure the arrows on each slot. Last, the quiver had loops for hooking to a belt, with an adjustable shoulder strap to go across Rox's body; it could be set to hang at her hip, or across her back. The whole thing would hang almost straight down, with a slight forward tilt to keep the arrows from rolling far from easy reach at her hip.

Steven hung the quiver next to his sword, and slung the bow across the other direction, put his boony hat on and went back to the hotel. He garnered a few interesting looks as he went.

094 – Crossing Home Plate, On The Road Again

Rox had one last lesson with Master Iver. They reviewed all they had gone over, in cursory manor. Then Master Iver's apprentice showed up with a small box from the Jewelers. Within were eight crystal broad head arrow heads carved to match the metal ones on her arrows. Roxanne had previously explained what she wanted, to make these arrowheads explosive. This based on a dream she previously had.

Master Iver paused, looking up from his stool where he usually sat. “I do not create weapons, Roxanne.”

Rox looked back at the old elf. “You don't have to. I will be doing it. You just need to watch me invest these things with magic, and make sure I do it right. Then I will deal with them.”

Master Iver nodded. “That is what we have been doing. Proceed.”

Rox pulled a piece of note paper from a pocket and put it down. Then she took a piece of chalk, concentrated her energies, and then drew the diagram on her notes on the counter top. Then she placed one of the arrowheads in the center and cast the proper buttressing spell sequence. Then she began the imbuing spell. Rox wanted and cast that: the arrowhead would shatter and explode on impact with a surface and thereby convert their total mass into expanding destructive kinetic energy strong enough to shatter rock and crumble and topple walls; that would expand to about thirty feet in diameter before dissipating according to standard physics; that was all shock wave, with no combustion; this effect would energize when the arrow it was set on had traveled seventy feet above 200 feet per second; and would remain inert until the velocity over distance attached to an arrow requirement had been met; that the sign of the spells potency was a gentle glow from within the crystal.

Rox finished, sweating slightly from her exertion, and looked at the arrowhead. It glowed enough to perceive in the daylight.

Master Iver watched as Roxanne completed the first one. As was his pattern, if he said nothing she had done it correctly. In this case he said nothing.

So Rox continued with the other seven arrow heads. The eight crystal arrow heads soon all glowed in the little wooden box that the jeweler had had constructed to carry them. Rox was as sweaty as after her exercise warm ups.

Master Iver watched as Rox caught her breath from her exertions. “Do you have anything to test that spell with?”

Rox was ready for this. “I found it doing some research just before going home. The book I copied it from said that these were used by your people in several wars. I varied the parameters on a small rock which I threw against another larger one. The larger one was shattered, the smaller one gone.”

Master Iver was pleased. He was not aware of the explicit stories, but knew his peoples' history. He was more pleased to see Roxanne had done her research, could recognize and adjust parameters, and had practiced the spell.

They continued the lesson, with Master Iver quizzing and drilling Roxanne on various spells, the requirements and conditions, and variables.

Last Master Iver had Roxanne duel his Apprentice magically. They blew the blow out panels out of the back half of the building, again. The Apprentice showed himself to be Roxanne's superior in most things. This did not surprise Rox, as he probably had more years of experience and training than she had years of life. She had weeks of training and instruction, and a near two weeks of implanted memories and experience that were still sorting themselves out in her mind. But she could hold her own.

After her last lesson with Master Iver, Rox stopped at Master Eklund's Outfitters and picked up her full costumes. They all bid farewell to Rox, and asked that she bring her children by when she returned with them.

That evening Rox and Steven sorted out everything they had. They let Caspian know they were getting ready, and that they intended to head out the next morning, and to get himself ready.

Sharlot provided a large trunk for them to fill with anything they chose not to carry. Roxanne packed the five daily-wear gowns, and two formals, the slippers, a disassembled gi, and parts of the costumes acquired in Veradale. Rox just lay four of the gowns in, but carefully wrapped the white off-the-shoulder gown in tissue paper, folded it and placed it in the trunk; she did the same to the blue formal. The other gowns she could give or take, these two she liked and wanted to take home if she could. She also put in all the blunt head tips for her arrows from home and their nylon carry bags.

She kept her older tunics and skirts, adding them to the new tunic and tabard set, and the new trousers that fit well and moved in every direction she needed them to without threat of ripping. Like Steven, Rox had a girdle that fit across her belt and hips, connected to her vest and other equipment. She hung her scabbard from the left side, a knife on the right. Her boots fit better than the ones from Veradale, though the weight of the grieves took some breaking in and getting used to. Her hand guards and elbow pads were put aside with her bow and staff. As were Roxanne's cloak and cape set and bedroll.

Steven noticed that she continued to wear her spandex as underwear, top and bottom, having brought some unmarked tops back from Terra to change out for her older ones. Also she wore and packed her elf-thongs, tucking the unused ones into one of the pouches of the one she wore under her spandex shorts.

Steven packed away his great coat, his older trousers, the sword he purchased and its scabbard and belt, the older cloak he purchased, the formal from Veradale, the formal from here that had hung in the closet after being worn and washed once, his old pair of boots, his old pack and vest, his watch he had not thought to leave home on their brief trip, and the other odds and ends in the box that were replaced by the elves.

Everything else was packed for travel.

During their time here, they had spent some time seeing to their two pack mules and the horses they had brought. The elves did not even broach the subject of replacing any of this gear, or replenishing the food stuffs. Caspian did not pay a lot of attention to the animals, considering them to be living equipment useful for getting the job done, then handing off to someone else in good condition. Steven and Rox did not have much experience with large animal care, but did their best. They did not try to develop any close relationship to the animals, knowing that they were not keeping them. The elves in the stables took good care of the animals and saw to their health and rest.

Finally the morning came they were all ready to go. They had spent just over two weeks here total, gotten rested, re-outfitted, and a clear understanding of what all was at stake. The day after getting the last of their gear and then packing what was going to be left behind they cleaned up their suite, carried their chest to the front desk, and checked out. They left the chest for Sharlot to collect. Caspian joined them and they went to the stables.

They saddled the horses and put them aside as they turned to the mules. These were harnessed and the pack saddles loaded. This gear was still in good shape and order, none of it needing care or replacement. After tightening the saddles, each led their animals out of the stable, and mounted. Returning to their previous marching order Steven led one of the mules, Rox the other. Caspian led them directly out of the city bypassing the food markets, and dismounted by the stone disk he had not bothered to pick up or return. Caspian was gratified to see it was unmoved. Steven and Rox pulled up and looked at him as he turned his horse around and dismounted.

Caspian held his staff in one hand, his reigns in the other. Cyrril swooped in and landed on his shoulder. “We will resupply at our next stop. In days past you asked why I did not just teleport us after your kids. Now, we are prepared for me to do that. But the animals will not like it, so we need to line them up, putting the calmest ones out side the others. Then I can teleport us to a place I know that is much closer to where your kids are.”

Steven and Rox dismounted. Her mount then the mule she led were lined up, then Caspian’s mount, being the most headstrong and least social was put in the middle. Steven’s mount, then the mule he led were put on the other side. Rox held her leads, and Caspian’s. Steven held his.

Caspian continued his warning and instruction. “You know how you feel when you land. Keep a hold of these animals, they will feel worse. The target I have in mind should be near water. Krogg does not maintain Way Stations the way they do here in the north. By the way, I really don’t like doing this with large animals, because they don’t like it.” Caspian finished his spiel as the Caplan’s took firm hold and patiently waited

Caspian had them turn around and stand to either side of him, across the circle from the horses. He then started the teleport spell. But he took a longer process to do so, accounting for the animals and their burdens. Also instead of using the compression and carrying of whatever was touching his staff, he was having to use a touch-the-object-magically method. Slowly he constructed the spell from memory, and set it working. He felt it start with him and quickly gather up Cyrril, then clockwise it went to Steven, the first mule, Steven’s mount, Caspian’s own mount, the second mule, Roxanne's mount then Roxanne and back to close the circle. With all the participants marked, the spell then reached out to the target destination, and drew enough mana to freeze the cargo, then disassemble it, and transport it across the distance.

Rox and Steven both felt the energy of the spell wash over them, then after a moment, they felt a cold lightening hit them, and the world flashed the black one sees when hit in the head hard.

The elves standing at the gate watched as the party stood, then flashed white and vanished. The ground they had been standing on and for a bit around now looked wilted and like it did in late fall, rather than the summer green that the rest around looked.

095 – Strange Things In The Pictures

Leticia stopped at the camera store and picked up the developed pictures. She took the envelope of prints, the negatives and CD back to work. She had requested that all the rolls of film be consolidated to as few CD's as possible. At her desk she opened the pictures while eating her lunch. First she pulled everything out, and found the sheet with the thumbnails of the images on the CD. There were four sheets of thumbnails for the one hundred eight pictures. As she looked through them she grew increasingly curious.

The landscapes could be anywhere. But the people and the urban settings looked to be from some other time, or an SCA Ren-Fair. And there were a few with the little creature she had encountered in the Caplan's house, usually on the shoulders or staff of another man, who also looked familiar, but Leticia could not place. Some of the middle pictures had a young woman in them as well. Steven was in a few of them, proving that the images were real enough. There were a few panorama shots, and a few close-ups of some vaguely familiar but unsettlingly different plants and animals.

Two pictures were night sky panoramas. One was a short term night exposure. It had two moons on it, and no familiar stars. The other showed a longer term exposure with the stars partially streaked across the frame.

Then there were a few of an interesting gothic looking city, and one that she thought would be Rox, but the costume was wrong, as was the hair. These got Leticia’s attention. She found the right box of pictures and sorted through them to the pictures of the woman. She looked it over, and over again. The form was right. The hair the same color as Rox had when she was here. But it was a tall mohawk, with braids. Roxanne never wore braids.

She put the pictures back and leafed through the rest of the thumbnails. The young woman was no longer in them, but Rox was. The short man with the creature was also in several. A mountain top looking across some other mountains. A city on a mountain appeared. Some strange cross between Machu Picchu and some medieval Japanese city made of stone instead of wood by way of Greece. The people in the city looked too tall, and their skin tone wrong. Their costumes looked excitingly motley. One of these pictures was Roxanne, with her white mohawk and braids, sitting in a window seat wearing a nice blue gown. The last roll finished with a handful of pictures of the same vista that the first roll started with, this time including Roxanne and the shorter man in an apparent ring of stones.

Leticia put the pictures away. “Where are they? And what are they up to?”

On Saturday Leticia went by the Caplan’s house to drop off the pictures. A car with California plates was in the driveway. She parked in front of the house and went to the door. Nominally she would have unlocked the door and gone in, but with someone here, she thought it better to knock.

Margot Winslow had come on a monthly visit, and found that Rox and Steven had been home for a day, but in such a hurry they did not take time to call, though Rox left a note. She was heartened to learn of her daughter’s comparative safety. That she was gone was indication that her grandchildren were not yet safe; this was a negative point. She had gone through things with Mrs. Winchel. The bed and couch had both been slept upon. Both vehicles had been driven. There had been some fresh leftovers in the fridge. Also the note pad had been used, and all the notes were piled aside.

Margot had done a more thorough going through on her own after Mrs. Winchel had left, and she had read the notes, she discovered that Rox’s bow and arrows were gone from the garage, as were a few odds and ends; a pair of Roxanne’s hiking boots, Steven’s smallest camera tripod, and some clothes. Also there was a complete suit and overcoat that was not in Steven’s size in the hall closet.

Margot was getting ready to close up and go home when Leticia knocked. Margot had not met her before, but had talked to her a bit over the last months, and Steven and Rox had spoken highly of her prior to that. So Margot invited her in and sat to talk for a bit.

At first, like most of Rox’s friends on first meeting Margot, there was a double take of misidentification. Especially since Leticia had seen Rox with the same shock-white hair that Margot wore. When Leticia showed Margot the pictures, at first Margot was unsure if she should say much. Then Leticia told her part of the story of Steven and Rox’s visit, and of the little dragon that was here when she dropped Steven’s things and car off. Margot knew she should not say much, for fear of getting this woman in deeper trouble.

Margot shifted to lawyer mode. “Have you written any of this down?”

Leticia immediately understood the import of the question. “Not yet, but I think I better. I do not know what all Steven and Rox are up to, but I know there is more to this story than I have been told.”

Margot nodded. “I probably am able to fill in a bit more, but I doubt I can in any believable manor without my daughter or her family here. These pictures help. Also I am concerned if you do learn more, it could cause you more trouble.”

Leticia nodded. “I understand. Steven said to leave these in his work room downstairs. I wonder if you should take the negatives for safe keeping?”

Margot nodded, wondering how close to tampering with or interfering with a criminal case that might be, especially in taking these across the state line. “I know a safe place to put them, until Rox and Steven get back.”

After trading contact information, and confirming that both had the information for the lawyer that Rox had contracted, Leticia excused herself and left, promising to forward her notes of what she could remember.

Margot took the photos and went downstairs to Rox’s computer, and loaded the photos onto it, then made a copy of the disk for herself. Once that was done, she shut the computer back down, and took the photos, negatives, and CD and put them in the file cabinet that Steven kept all his photos in, and locked it.

Once done, she took her copies that she had made of all the notes that had been left, and drove home. On Monday, she was going to give Ron Scalegi a call, and find out just how much trouble her daughter and son-in-law, and their estate faced.