The Foolhardies 121 A Confession

"Chosen one… really?" Luca asked for the fifth time since I told him what Kallista told me which hadn't been more than an hour ago. "How is Tiberius Cruz a chose one and I'm an indentured servant?"

After Kallista had saved Luca and Ashley from the heavyset trolls who'd caught them trying to break the locks of her door, she'd ushered us out of the auction house with a promise from me that we would be increasing our purchases from her company considerably over the next month as an apology for the little misunderstanding. In exchange, she'd promise to help find a way to spirit us away to the Westersand Desert in case our next gamble didn't pan out.

This brings us back to Luca badgering me about Ty's new social status.

"Seriously, Dean, how is Ty the chosen one?" Luca asked as we rode our mounts along the sandy road a few miles northwest of Broken Sellsword's Canyon.

Honestly, I was kind of feeling just a little bit of jealousy too. I was an ordinary dude in extraordinary circ.u.mstances while Ty, well, Ty was apparently really special.

"I know… it's weird for me too," I admitted.

Luca and I continued to discuss Ty and Ashley who'd been listening in suggested something that made me laugh out loud.

"You say he's a hardcore gamer, right?" Ashley had pulled on Moonray's reins so she could slow her pace and chat. "Maybe that's why… aren't there a bunch of books and anime about gamers traveling to other worlds and turning into overpowered characters"

I wasn't the only one. Luca was laughing alongside me. Ashley, after a second of narrowing her eyes at us, joined in on this laughter too. Aura was the only one who couldn't relate so we decided to fill her in.

"Why would someone who didn't or earn it suddenly become all-powerful? Aura asked, her eyebrows furrowing.

The three of us shrugged.

"Wish fulfillment," Ashley answered. "Everyone just wants it the easy way…"

"But based on your stories, doesn't that mean Ty have to die on Mudgard before he gains power?" Aura reminded us.

The thought of one of my childhood friends getting killed sobered me up really quickly. The same was true for the other humans in my party. Luckily, none of us had to answer Aura's searching gaze as we'd just arrived at the rendezvous point.

Yes, I'd planned ahead just in case we'd need a.s.sistance lickety-split. It's why I'd had the bulk of the Foolhardies waiting for us just at the edge of Westmarch territory.

We led our swiftharts to the nearly four hundred soldiers gathered in a loose ring formation of hastily raised nondescript tents. There were zero banners in sight too like I'd instructed just in case Kallista's little birds noticed.

However, as soon as they spotted us approaching, the Flag of Fools was unfurled along with the banners of the pavilion.

I rode Mythchaser past the guards, past the line of soldiers looking up at me with antic.i.p.ation on their faces, and stopped only after I'd reached the biggest tent I could find.

As I'd expected, Edo and Qwipps came out to greet me.

I got off Mythchaser, stroked its furry neck in appreciation, and then handed the reins over to Jensen so he could lead him to some delicious fay greens, my swifthart's preferred brand of food.

"Varda and Thom okay being left behind?" I asked.

"She barely had time to see us off," Edo answered, Afterward, he walked over to Aura who'd just gotten off her mount, and stood at attention behind her.

I chuckled. Edo was still playing bodyguard even after his promotion.

"At least she's safe from whatever Foolhardy plan Dean's going to have us pull off, next," Qwipps complained.

"Nothing too hard," I said. "We're just heading off to see old Garm."

Qwipps eyes widened. "Why in muds would we want to go to him?"

"Because we can't travel west without his permission," I answered sighing.

"It'll be dangerous," Edo noted. "Garm is nearly as bullheaded as Grimthorn and not as pleasant…"

Aura reached behind her to squeeze his right forearm which admittedly made me feel a little jealous of the half-ogre even though I knew they didn't have that kind of relations.h.i.+p.

"We have to try… it seems Dean's friend has a strange destiny," Aura said. "We have to make sure he isn't taken by our enemies."

The way Aura said it, like Ty wasn't just a person who needed saving, worried me. She'd never made it a secret that she would do anything to help the Trickster Pavilion triumph in this war. h.e.l.l, that's why she recruited me, but I hated to think she'd use Ty to further her ambitions too.

"What are you on about, Aura?" Qwipps asked, his eyebrow rising skeptically. "What's so special about another mud-boy?"

"He's special," Aura said, not meeting my eyes when she did.

"You're surrounded by weirdos, boy," Azuma noted right as he opened the tent flap and walked out to greet us.

At the same time, Luca and Ashley had just ridden their mounts to us too. Behind them was Xanthor.

"Looks like everyone's here," I said. "You guys go make sure your squads are ready to fight or flee if the need arises…"

"What will you be doing?" Aura asked.

I nodded toward the tent. "I saw the kobolds among the soldiers. I a.s.sume the sprites are back in the tent?"

Edo grunted a nod and Azuma translated with, the girl-sprite has a message for you."

"Alright, go see to your men," I said, and then walked into the tent.

Nike was there waiting for me. She'd brought a message from Orryn, and hearing his voice come out of her lips wasn't as eerie as it used to be. Man, I'd gotten used to the weirdest s.h.i.+t.

It was a rather long winded message about etiquette and proper channels and how I shouldn't disturb him over trivial things as he was very, very busy, but after he was done with his tirade, he actually did answer my question.

Apparently, the patriarch had recently put a stop to the practice of kidnapping humans for the clan, and according to Orryn, my successes had something do with it. Now they're trying this thing where they actually just recruit the person by inviting them. It seemed to work with me and I was doing alright. At least that was the argument being made to shut down the evil practice Kairon began.

"But… I have heard tell of a strange rumor… that of a Mudgardian boy showing a talent for the arcane being readied for a slave auction out west," Orryn revealed through the mouthpiece that was Nike. "Strange times, indeed… and here you are asking about this exact thing… what kind of trouble are you placing our princess in now, boy?"

I didn't think he was expecting an answer because he'd immediately replied to his own question.

"You better not be thinking of doing something foolhardy again," Orryn reprimanded. "You've put her life in danger enough… That's it! I'm sending Grimthorn to check in on you, you hear me, Dapper!"

Interestingly,  I'd just received a third confirmation that Ty was in the Westersand Desert. And now Great General Grimthorn was coming west too. A light bulb had turned on in my head over a way to take advantage of this bit of news.

That was apparently the last thing Orryn had to say to me as Nike huffed out a long breath and then plopped her little sprite b.u.t.t back on the table she'd been standing on. Beside her, Fila had offered her a sip from his tiny cup of water.

"I know you just got back, Fila, but are you up for another mission?"

Fila nodded happily.

I gave him instructions about what to say and who to say it to, and then I sent him off with a smile growing on my face.

Garm, you're about to get more company than you expected, I thought.

"The evil mastermind face doesn't suit you, Dean," Luca said.

He'd just walked into the tent with Aura right behind him.

"You guys done with your inspections?" I asked.

"My guys are always ready," Luca boasted.

"Glad to hear it," I said right before my gaze fell on Aura who'd just removed her mask from her face. "Um," My tongue gets tied at the worst times. "You okay?"

Aura was hesitant to respond at first, but eventually, after she'd dropped her mask on the table and allowed Nike to shake her finger, Aura turned to me and said, "I saw your face when I talked about Ty… and I want you to know that I didn't—"

"—When we find Ty, that choice will be up to him," I said firmly. "If this chosen one business does pan out and he really has the power to help you, I won't interfere… I've said this a dozen times already, but I'm in it to win it too."

"But?" Luca prompted knowingly.

I sighed. "Ty is like a brother to me. It's hard enough that my actual brother is in danger, so if we do recruit him after we save him then I'd like for him to be in less danger than the three of us are always in."

"That'll be impossible if he joins the Foolhardies," Luca said wryly.

I sighed even more heavily this time. "Probably true…"

Both of us noticed that Aura hadn't said a word. We turned to face her and saw that her sheepish look hadn't abated.

"There's more?" I asked, feeling sudden dread creep up my back.

Another few seconds of hesitation, and then, "It's about Arah…"

"What about Arah?" my eyebrow was raised now. "She can't be another chosen one, right? There can't be that many of them."

This time, Aura did crack a smile, although it was fleeting.

"The last time I saw her when we'd gone shopping, I'd given her the means to contact me," Aura said hesitantly.

"You gave her a sprite orb?" I asked surprised.

Aura nodded. Her eyes wouldn't meet mine. "Just for emergencies."

"Which this is," Luca agreed.

"Shut up, Luca," I rounded on him before I turned my gaze on Aura. "She contacted you, I guess. What did she want?"

This time, Aura's eyes met mine, and for the first time, there was defiance in them. It had been a while since we hadn't seen eye to eye.

"She asked to meet," Aura answered. "And I said yes."

That was the very worst thing she could tell me. It was basically Betty and Veronica meeting over something Archie did, and that never ended well, something I was about to find out for myself.