Theodore hated camping. Always had. It was a miserable experience. And what they were doing wasn’t even camping. It was worse. A lot of them, all in tents, huddled around a firetower. No fires and the nights were getting cold. He hated it and wanted to get back to the Clanhold.

  But he couldn’t. They were there on a mission for Lord Lochlan. Something vital to the survival and growth of the Clan.

  Theodore didn’t believe it, but he couldn’t argue. That would draw too much attention to himself. Instead he had to suffer. Whenever he and his team went out, they made sure to try and stay in an abandoned house when it was a night or multiple. There had been a couple where there had been no choice but to ‘rough it’, as Roger called it. Theodore had hated those times, but at least they’d been able to have a fire.

  He pulled the blanket tighter around him. Even dressed in thermal underwear and a jacket, he could feel the chill. Others didn’t seem to mind. It was a Fall night, not that cold. Not with Winter coming. But for Theodore, it was cold.

  And that was all that mattered.

  He didn’t want to be there. Back at the Clanhold, he could work to build his hive even more. It was already big, and would only get bigger. He could hear the Voice. It was coming closer. But now it was further away. The Voice had stopped, waiting for Theodore to return. It wouldn’t do to arrive at the Clanhold without Theodore there.

  That made Theodore smile. The Voice’s plans required him.

  He shifted, trying to get comfortable on the ground. He’d piled a blanket under him, which wasn’t helping. Just making the blanket cold, which would remain cold through the night. The tent was small and he had to share with Mike Turner. Which was even more aggravating than being wherever they were.

  Blue Job?

  Whatever that was. Theodore sighed. Maybe he could convince Mike to give up his extra blanket?

  The group gathered around Loch broke apart, the various people going their own ways. Two people, talking quietly, walked toward Theodore. Roger and Josh Hauser. Josh nodded to Theodore, who returned it briefly, before continuing to his people and their tents. Roger sat down next to Theodore, grabbing his own blanket from where he’d left it.

  The cold and roughing it didn’t seem to bother Roger. But he was a veteran, probably used to roughing it in warzones. Theodore never asked because he didn’t care.

  “Lochlan’s changing the plan,” Roger grumbled. “Going off on some sidequest of his own with that big hairy beast.”

  Theodore looked toward Lochlan and the Sasquatch. A real live Bigfoot. When the Voice had learned there was a Sasquatch around, it had warned Theodore to be careful. The creatures were strong, magical and dangerous. Best to avoid. Theodore had done his best.

  The thing was ugly. Tall, wide, covered in thick and coarse hair. When it talked, it was a rumble. Theodore didn’t understand what was so dangerous about the monster. It had size and physical strength, but hadn’t displayed any magical Abilities yet. But the Voice warned him about the Sasquatch, and Theodore always listened to the Voice.

  The creature shifted, looking right at Theodore. He looked back at Roger, pretending he hadn’t been staring.

  “The thing is freaky,” Roger continued, but smartly kept his voice low. Theodore had to lean over to hear. “They kept talking about something called a Ce-Toe-Crow or something.”

  Theodore knew what that was. The Voice had told him. Si-Te-Cah. If the Sasquatch was to be avoided, that was to be run away from.

  “Lord,” Roger continued, sneering the word. “Lochlan and the bigfoot are going after the Crow thing in some cave. Not a Dungeon, they made sure we understood that. But just a cave. It’s too small for the giants to enter. Or so they saw. The only ones that have seen it are Lochlan, his daughter and that elf woman that’s always around them. Saw it from the top of the tower, but no one else has been able to go up.”

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  Theodore nodded, not really caring. The sooner they dealt with the Giants, the sooner he could be back at the Clanhold continuing to build up the hive and the sooner the Voice would arrive.

  But getting rid of the threat of the giants and this Si-Te-Cah would help his goals. Some people would die, which would weaken Lochlan’s forces. And the threat of the giant would be eliminated, making the Clan’s territory safer for when he took over.

  Which would be soon.

  Theodore smiled, suddenly not as cold as he’d been.

  ***

  Mike Turner watched her.

  Harper had left the group around her father, a group he hadn’t been invited to. He should have. He could have contributed, probably more than Davis who had been there. How had Davis gotten his own group to run? Mike was stuck under Roger’s command. At least Theodore being there helped make it more bearable.

  Mike rubbed at his temples. The headache just would not go away.

  Davis walked up next to Harper, the two heading away toward the firetower. The sun was setting, it got dark quickly this time of year. Had the clocks changed? Mike wasn’t sure. He wasn’t sure what the day was or even what the month was. It was Fall, that’s all he knew. The leaves were changing, falling.

  Back before the Connection, his father would be on him nonstop about raking the leaves. He’d do it, more would fall and his father would be all over him again. Why didn’t they just wait until all the leaves had fallen? It made no sense. But as soon as one touched the grass, his father wanted it gone.

  Not now. They all had greater concerns. Mike imagined the grass at their home was covered in leaves. Not that he’d go back and find out. He had no desire to see the old home. That was the old life. He had a new one now.

  A better one.

  The only thing he didn’t have was her.

  It wasn’t fair. He didn’t even get a shot. Davis slid right in. Stronger, higher Leveled. Davis had always been popular in school, of course Harper would fall for him. Mike was growing in strength. Not quite equal to Davis, he doubted he would be as long as both kept a similar Leveling trajectory. But he was strong. He could hold his own.

  He and Harper were meant to be together. Ever since they were kids. Their parents had said so, when they had been kids and spending time together. Mike had latched onto that thought. They’d grown apart as they aged, but Mike had always envisioned them together.

  There still had to be a way for that to happen?

  But now Davis was in the way.

  The two disappeared down the slope, past some bushes, where Mike couldn’t see them. He was tempted to follow but there were too many people on top of the hill. Someone would see him. That wouldn’t do.

  How could he get Harper to notice him?

  First step was to remove Davis.

  There was a battle coming up. Maybe an accident?

  Mike smiled, turning away and heading back to the tent he was going to share with Theodore. At least Harper and Davis weren’t sharing a tent. She was with Lochlan and the other sister in the largest tent on the hill. Davis was sharing with one of the members of his adventuring team.

  Theodore was where Mike had left him a couple minutes earlier but now Roger was there, talking quietly. They saw him approaching, there was no way to avoid talking with Roger. It was still too early to go to bed, besides he had a watch rotation in a couple of hours, or whenever someone told him it was his turn.

  It was so hard to keep track of time with no watches or phones.

  “Mike,” Roger said. “Ready for tomorrow?”

  “I guess,” he replied, sitting down, wrapping his arms around his knees.

  Mike really wanted a fire.

  Roger chuckled.

  “Better be. This will be the toughest fight we’ve had yet.”

  Mike wondered how Roger knew that. The older man hadn’t fought a giant. They’d all fought the same things. No giants or anything of that size. Mike did agree that it would be a tough fight. He’d seen the destruction the giants had left. The things had to be huge and tough.

  Maybe he could kill one solo, show Harper how strong he was?

  Or maybe one would crush Davis and Mike would be there to comfort her.