Tori got up and pantomimed that she was leaving. "Find travel English."

She put a few provisions in a bag, placed some food and water on a table near Connie, and brought a stick that Connie could use as a cane, pointing to small building presumably the outhouse. She held up three fingers. "Tick," and looked questioningly at Connie who nodded that she understood. Tori would be gone for three ticks.

Aldo stood to go. Tori gave a short command and the wolf laid down and looked at Connie.

Tori went to a shed in back that had a large, tall whirligig-type device on top. She rode out on a sort of scooter with a quiet humming motor. Charged by the whirligig? Connie wondered.

Three ticks was around seven hours. Was she going to get Rennish? On the scooter, she would have ample time. Connie watched her head down the road toward Ladore.

Connie turned to the wolf, "So Aldo, are you here to protect me? Or guard me? You know, I was priding myself on my new motto – no dithering. Yet here I am. Dithering away about what I should do. Thing is, I have a feeling about your Tori." Aldo's ears perked up. "She seems nice. Maybe she's like Tessa and Brome and wants to help me." Aldo kept her eyes locked on Connie's face. "I know. Based on what? I can't talk to her, any better than I can talk to you."

No reply from Aldo, who settled back down, eyes half closed. Connie ate and drank a little. Only as she was feeling sleepy did it occur to her that Tori may have added something soporific to the water.

When she woke and checked her watch, two hours had passed and she scolded herself for falling under the spell of the calm, competent woman. Of course, Tori was on her way to turn her in, what was she thinking? She should pull herself together and keep going as best as she could. Maybe she could manage pedalling with one leg and sleep in the woods hiding with Tessa's tent.

Connie took the stick and pushed herself up. Aldo came over to her and stuck close beside her as she slowly hobbled to the backdoor.

"I'm going to use your facilities. Okay with you? You know, my ankle feels a little better already.

Whatever magic your mistress worked, I think it's helping."

Aldo waited outside the outhouse until Connie emerged, "My god. A five-star privy. You Dahrians really have this living off the grid stuff worked out."

Hobbling back inside, Connie gathered whatever looked edible and stuffed it into her backpack, shuddering at the pistol lying in the bottom. The immediate challenge would be getting out of the house without Aldo following her. She could simply shoot the wolf and walk away. The thought horrified her.

"Don't worry. I would never, ever do that. I don't know why I even took the stupid thing. Okay, now I'm going to pretend I'm going back to the outhouse except, this time, you're staying inside."

Connie worked out a way to position the stick and herself to quickly pivot out the door and close it behind her, leaving Aldo secured in the house. Her choreography worked - barely. Aldo was outraged, growling and scratching at the door.

Connie limped her way to the front of the house where she'd left the bike. The sound of Aldo's fury trailed off as she rounded the house. When she got to the front, she understood why she no longer heard the wolf. Aldo sat in the lane, teeth bared, faintly growling.

The front door stood open.

"I should have known. You're far too clever for me."

Connie went back in. Held the door open for the wolf.

"Come on. Let's make up. I won't try that again. My ankle's throbbing now anyway."

Taking care to rest her ankle, Connie passed the day poking around the house. The array of unusual and slightly familiar musical instruments lining the shelves fascinated her. She never felt she had any talent for playing an instrument but loved listening to music. Many of these were lovingly crafted stringed and drum instruments. Had Tori made them? But why so many?

As the day cooled to evening, Connie covered herself with a blanket she found. Aldo seemed to approve of her settling in and came over for a pat on the head.

"So, I'm in your good books again? Okay, my friend. I need to do something to pass the time and keep my mind off who Tori may be returning with. How about I tell you a story? Something created especially for you. We'll call it 'The Friendly Wolf and that Brat, Little Red-Riding Hood.' It will be the story about a wolf who saves a grandmother from her spoiled, annoying granddaughter. Sound good? Okay then, here we go, once upon a time..."

When Connie finished the story, she started a wolf-friendly version of the Three Little Pigs, who were greedy developers of shoddy housing. Both she and Aldo were so engrossed in the story and Connie's gestures that they didn't notice the quiet footfalls nearing the house. The door swung open, and a familiar voice said, "Good grief, I leave you for a few days, and you go lame and start talking to yourself."

Peter.

Connie and Aldo each yelped in their own manner. Aldo raced barking to Peter but immediately calmed down when she saw Tori.

Connie burst into tears. Peter came over, sat beside her, and took her hand.

"It's all right. Everything will be all right. We have friends here."

"But what happened to you? I thought Rennish and her cronies had taken you away and done something to you. Why did you leave me?"

Peter squeezed her hand, "I'm really sorry. There was no way to communicate with you. It was all part of a bigger plan. Many people, especially the Misgy, are worried about what is going on with the Crustic trackers and all the secrecy at the Squares and around the passage. To say the least, our arrival has caused some upheaval with a lot of people. The Misgy still aren't sure what to make of us. Isn't that right?" He looked at the woman who had come in the room with him and Tori.

She smiled and shook her head. Spoke in rapid, short sentences. "Don't worry. We think you," shaking her finger at Peter, "...are not so bad. For an Earthside man." As with the other travel English-speaking Dahrians, she sounded like a native of Ireland.

Peter chuckled, "And the Crustic trackers certainly didn't want you tromping off to find Arden and exposing that the passage is still open. They felt that you wouldn't do that as long as I was too weak to come with you. Vossey figured out they were drugging me to keep me weak. Once I began drinking plain water and eating only the food from the dining room and what she could sneak in, I got better quickly. The plan was to first spring me, you'd hear I was gone, and then when the Misgy came to get you, you wouldn't object to leaving. But you managed to get out on your own. Well, sort of...," Peter nodded toward her ankle.

Connie could hardly believe that here was Peter, like his old self, back in her life. She wiped her eyes and squeezed his hand, immensely relieved. She now looked closely at the woman who had teasingly responded to Peter. About Tori's age, also maybe mid-40's. Her arm around Tori's waist holding her close.

"You're Lina. The dulcimer, or whatever that was, player from Brodurne. You were incredible!"

The woman smiled and bowed slightly, "Thank you." She laughed warmly. "Yes, we made a big plan. Go to Brodurne. Find you. Tell you Peter in Misgy. Bring you to him." She shook her finger at Connie. "You left. But Tori found you." She grinned at her partner.

"There are a lot of people in Misgy who are worried about what Rennish and the other Crustic trackers are up to," Peter said. "They want to find out what you know. Then they'll contact Gallin Council who'll send representatives to straighten things out. That's the way that things are done here. I understand it can be a little time-consuming, but it works for them."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. What do you mean, time-consuming?" Connie put up her hands like stop signs.

"The Council is coming this fall. But they think they might be able to convince them to get here earlier because the Ladore Passage was supposed to be closed by now. Like Arden told you, they decided at the last big global meeting to close the last few passages that are still open. Isn't that right, Lina?"

She looked at Connie. "Few of us left." She stepped closer to Connie who now saw her blue and brown eyes. "And many like Arden, Rennish, me - too old. And Earthside. Now too complicated. Many troubles. Hard for Dahrians to hide and live Earthside. Why go?" She shrugged. "Life is good in Dahria. Gallin will talk again with Crustic tracker. Make a new plan. Close passage. Done. We..."

Connie broke in, "You don't understand. They're working on making the passage passable for anyone from anywhere. Anytime. And even worse." Connie gestured to her bag. "Peter, hand me my pack." She dug around to the bottom and brought out the pistol. "They're bringing in guns."

Peter gasped and drew back at the sight of the gun. Tori and Lina gazed down at it.

Lina spoke with Tori who nodded and reached for it.

"No!" Peter yelled.