The sky had been clouding up for hours as Terry drove down the back roads to somewhere in southeastern Mississippi. He had been feeling pretty good about his situation and his choice of partner through their snatches of conversation, gliding down old roads and passing abandoned farms. She'd told him about her life in Biloxi and job at the mall. He'd told her about his adventures in the wilds and defending Raymond and Jackson.

  Just as they saw the sign pointing off the highway for Hilochita the rain started. It was light at first, but the clouds bore the promise of worse to come. As they hit the main drag, Terry realized the town was in shambles. The entire thing looked like it had been hit by a tornado. None of the businesses appeared to be open. He glanced over his shoulder to Delores.

  “Storm damage?”

  She shook her head.

  “No. The storm died in Biloxi. We haven’t passed anything like this until we got here.”

  He nodded. The more he looked the more he saw how right she was. Fire damage appeared in a few places, which a storm wouldn't have caused. Broken windows were everywhere. Some were boarded up but not enough. Recovery had stalled and no building was truly untouched by the chaos.

  “Criminy,” he said, “the drow really destroyed this place.”

  “Right.” She said. “The drow.”

  Terry picked a side street at random and turned down it to see what there was to see. All along the road were the bizarre, quasi-rural neighborhoods you found in the state. Close together near the main street and becoming more distant quickly. Until it was just rural pastures and farms. These houses were as dark as the commercial area and many were just as damaged.

  In several he thought he saw the movement of curtains.

  “Did you see that?” he asked Delores.

  She nodded.

  “They’re hiding.”

  The rain became stronger.

  Terry spent a quarter of an hour exploring. Neither he nor Delores saw anyone outside. They never saw a light turn on in the windows, even as the clouds thickened and the rain picked up. By the time they reached the main street again the storm was upon them. Visibility was nearly gone. The rain stung his face. Delores made herself smaller against his back. The helmet spell on their goggles would help with her head, but not enough.

  He was loath to do it, but Terry removed his goggles. He could see a little better without the glass collecting water, but it wasn’t much of a trade off. He felt Delores shift against him and put her mouth close to his ear. He shivered.

  “We have to get out of this!”

  Terry nodded vigorously hoping she’d feel it if not see it. He scanned the street for some kind of lights or signs but visibility was nearly gone. Delores’ arm shot out pointing ahead to the right.

  “THERE!” she shouted over a peal of thunder. There was only one lit sign and it was down the road. What happened here that there was only one open business? Even with the damage?

  He saw the beer branding on the sign when they finally pulled up and his heart sank. They both jumped off. He pulled Delores close and tried not to speak too loudly.

  “I’m parking Thunder in the alley. It might keep the rain off. Head in. If there’s danger come right back out. We’ll deal with it together.”

  She looked at him and opened her mouth to say something. She tilted her head and smiled. “Got it!” She jogged to the door. Terry watched her as he manually pulled Thunder into the cramped space between the bar and the building next door. He shook his head. She seemed like she was going to disagree but something changed her mind.

  For a second he just stood there thinking about her face. She was bald. That was weird, but she was so. . .

  Lightning struck and the thunder hitting with absolutely no delay reminding Terry he was standing in the middle of a monsoon. He patted Thunder quickly after covering him with a tarp and ran to the door. He paused again before entering. The exterior light gave just enough illumination to see the graffiti by the door.

  LAWLESS IS RIGHT

  He wondered if Delores had seen that. She hadn’t come out he realized, so it must be safe. He opened the door and rushed in.

  Elton Beasley, Millsaps graduate and Troubadour of the Order of St. George, sat at the bar known to some as “The Lounge” and others “The Lunge,” and stared at the head of Sir Robert Lawless and imagined how much fun it would be to split the thing open with a big rock. He’d not been with the man long but he’d come to hate him deeply in that short time. He’d had “The Plan” though. He’d enacted “The Plan.” “The Plan” had done jack so far and Lawless was still sitting there.

  Lawless had light brown skin, was balding, and had a red curly beard that Elton continually noticed collecting scrambled egg fragments in the morning. From a distance he looked experienced and dangerous. Up close he looked disgusting and dangerous.

  Elton glanced down at his own paunch. He was 27 and looked like he’d lived a well provided for life up till now. Unlike Lawless, he kept his hair clean and slicked back. His polo and khakis were as clean as the current situation would allow. His shoes, well, there’s some things you can’t compromise on over price.

  The bell on the bar’s door chimed and a bald lady came in ignoring them. She removed her coat and started ringing water out of it into the garbage can by the door. The barkeep, Sam with his white ZZ Top beard, was about to say something when she looked up at him with such a stare that he dropped the finger he’d raised and went back to cleaning glasses. Elton smiled. He looked back at Lawless. Lawless smiled. When Lawless smiled the whole world was going to regret it.

  The bell rang again and in walked a young fella, probably of an age with the girl. He would probably be dashing if he didn’t look like he’d been drowned. He flicked his bangs out of his face and Elton stared at a chiseled face and a pair of keen, dark eyes. The young man looked at Sam, looked at Elton, and when the man saw Lawless, he grinned.

  “HOLY SPIT!" Lawless shouted. "Elton! We’ve got us an Errant Apprentice and a heathen!”

  “You’re Sir Robert Lawless, right?” the Errant asked.

  Elton’s hopes sank. The last thing he needed was what looked like an idealistic Errant Apprentice who was up for a bout of hero worship. Lawless looked at Elton in surprise though and Elton gave him a self satisfied grin back.

  “Told you it’d work.”

  The fire in Lawless’s eyes flared and the grip on his empty pint glass tightened. Elton prepared to duck and run.

  All that Lawless did was give him a weighted look followed by “Shut your hole.” Lawless turned his attention back to the newcomers.

  “Have a seat! Let’s jaw! Always good to see someone else from the Order!”

  Elton leaned back on the bar again, drinking some rum with a little Coke in it and got ready for the avalanche of bullshit to start. Lawless had his charms when he decided to use them. The man could tell a great story as well. Complete fabrications, but he was good at them. That was actually one of Elton’s biggest problems with Lawless. Elton’s job was to put a positive spin on a knight’s deeds. Lawless was such a braggart that not only did it leave no room for him to get creative, it took all the fun out of the job.

  The kid took a seat across from Lawless and looked at the multiple empty pint glasses in front of the other man. Elton noticed his eyebrow twitched. Judgment, he thought. Maybe this kid isn’t so dense. The mage took a seat a few stools down from Elton himself.

  “So what brings you to Hilochita. . .” Lawless paused and made a hand motion indicating it was the guy’s turn to speak.

  “Oh!” he perked up. “Terry, sir. Terry Lingal. My partner there is Delores.”

  He smiled like he hadn’t just dropped a verbal hand grenade into the baby stroller of Lawless’s life.

  Elton looked for Lawless’s reaction and the man looked to Elton with genuine shock on his face. Or was it fear? Elton watched the mage from the corner of his eye. She’d seen it. Somehow the Lingal boy had missed it.

  Sam set a glass of water down by the mage, Delores? He thought that’s what the Errant had said. She picked it up and watched Lawless like a hawk.

  Terry the Errant, continued.

  “I found the pulps that Elton here left around and I figured I’d come and say hello since I’m fresh off the farm as it were.”

  Lawless grinned his gap-toothed grin.

  “Found the pulps, huh?” Lawless leaned back and threw an arm over the back of his chair. “I honestly thought those things would be a waste of money with the web being what it is, but I guess I might owe Elton an apology. People need to know they’re defended if the drow come back.”

  Elton heard Delores mumble into her glass.

  “There are no drow in Mississippi. Barely any elves.”

  Elton looked at her. She’s smart, he thought. Probably smarter than she let’s anyone know.

  “Any way, tell me about your tally, Terry.” Lawless said.

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  Delores choked on her water which had the effect of drawing everyone’s eyes to her.

  “TALLY?!” she shouted. “What DO you knights do when you’re alone!” she started laughing.

  Terry, Lawless, and Elton continued to stare at her until her laughter cut off. She hid her embarrassment behind her glass of water. Terry blushed. He actually blushed!

  “He means my kill count, Delores.” He said trying to keep the grin from his face.

  He turned back to Lawless.

  “Well sir,” he began, “I’m just starting out so not that great. OFFICIALLY, I’ve fought some goblins, an ogre, a forest troll, three dragons, and a gargouille. Unofficially I've been hunting during the off seasons. Not much, but again I’m just starting.”

  This time Lawless started laughing and Elton joined in. This kid needed to rein it in. The boy looked confused.

  “What?” he said as Delores gave the both of them a scowl.

  “Kid,” Lawless said, “those are career goals. Nobody would tell that story with a straight face. Maybe cut it down to one dragon and some more goblins. It’s more believable.”

  Elton spoke up. “I can give you some tips if you want. With a ripping yarn like that you might have a future as a Troubadour if this knight thing doesn’t work out.”

  That sent Lawless into a fit of the giggles. Elton looked at Terry again and it stopped his mirth. He looked hurt. Surely he couldn’t be serious. Elton watched Delores hop off the stool, grab a chair, slam it on the ground next to Terry, and sit down. She leaned on the table fixing Lawless with a surprisingly serious face.

  “It’s true.” She said. “I saw the man at the way station when he read it. I was there when Terry beat the gargouille.”

  “You would say that.” Lawless said giving the two of them a look implying a lot about their relationship. Lightning struck and the flash from the windows gave Delores an otherworldly look that made Elton shiver. She spoke again, softly. Elton realized everyone was leaning toward her. Even himself.

  “I watched him. He ran, alone, at the biggest snake I’ve ever seen in my life. It stretched from the gulf, up the beach, across the street, and to the mall. No regard for his own safety. He leaped twenty feet in the air and, using a MAGIC sword, cut the thing’s head off. Like. It. Was. Nothing.” She punctuated each word with a tap on the table.

  Elton stared. The colors in her lipstick shifted and swirled as she spoke. How long had these two been at this, he wondered.

  “I dropped my boring little life right then and there and followed him.” She stared into Lawless without blinking. “He is already the best of you. You're the one full of shit.”

  “You know what?” Lawless said, “I’d take that back.”

  “You and I both know drow don’t come to this state.” Delores nodded to her partner. “Not after his dad.”

  Terry put his hand on Delores’s arm. An obvious calming gesture.

  “Delores,” was all he said.

  She shot him a glance and then looked away from the two men.

  “Sir Robert,” Terry said, “can you tell me about what happened here in more detail? The town looks destroyed and from what I can tell the people are still terrified. What happened? Why hasn’t anyone started to repair anything? Were the drow that bad?”

  Lawless smiled. The kid was smart, Elton realized. Use his title, smooth his feathers. Elton sincerely hoped he wasn’t starting to like this kid. Lawless wanted knights and Errants here for his own reasons.

  The old knight leaned forward again on his elbows.

  “Well, I was headed through Morton when the call came in for help. I’d hooked up with about twelve other knights just to have some company. We came to town and the drow had taken the town over completely. Had started some kinda slaver camp. Probably to sell them back to the Everywhen.”

  The man stretched in just the right way to flex his massive arms.

  “It took us a week to root them all outta here. It’s understandable that the people would still be shook up.”

  Delores narrowed her eyes at the man. She wasn’t buying it. Terry had a thoughtful look on his face. Elton tried not to get his hopes up. The last thing he wanted to do was ruin this. The mage spoke.

  “And why did you stick around? Where are your knight friends?”

  Lawless leaned back and started cracking his knuckles one at a time. Loud pops rang out through the bar.

  “Well, you know how Knight Errants can be. They can suffer from wanderlust. Don’t want to be tied down. I felt a responsibility to these people. To watch over them.”

  He leaned toward Terry conspiratorially and spoke in a stage whisper.

  “SOME knights can be real cads, you know? Maybe some of them took some liberties. Kept some things. Can’t let that keep happening. Best for me to stay put and keep an eye on all the lovely families.”

  Terry and Delores looked at each other. Something in the look spoke volumes and Elton had the cheat sheet. He allowed himself a very small smile. Again, Delores spoke up.

  “That isn’t the story from the pulp, is it Terry?”

  He stared at Lawless, expression flat.

  “No. No it isn’t.”

  Lawless whipped his head around and his eyes bored holes into Elton’s head. It made the bard start to sweat. That was the story Lawless had dictated. That wasn't the story Elton had put into print. The Plan was actually working and Elton could do cartwheels if he weren't so frightened. The old knight tried to recover.

  “You’re going to believe a story from my shitty PR agent?” he said to Delores.

  Elton put a hand on his chest and put on a hurt look.

  “Of the five people in this bar, one of us has degrees in Creative Writing and Chivalrous Studies and it ain’t you.”

  Lawless made a fist and looked like he was thinking about using it on Elton. Before he could get up Delores saved his neck.

  “Terry, didn’t you tell me the guy at the way station said Robert Lawless was full of crap? Said he was-“

  “WHICH way station?” Lawless interrupted.

  “D’Iberville.” Delores said, never taking her eyes off of the knight.

  Elton watched Lawless’s eyes narrow.

  “He’s a dead man,” was all he said.

  Terry laid a palm down on the table. He didn’t slap it. He just set it down and it drew Lawless’s eyes. It was a calm gesture. It wasn’t what Lawless was used to. Elton may, in fact, have become smitten with these two.

  “Why would you care what a poor old man on the coast said about you?” Terry asked very quietly and slowly.

  Lawless thumped his fist on the table.

  “First off,” he said, “I will not put up with lip from an Errant Apprentice. I don’t give a shit who’s son he his.” He pounded his fist on the table again, this time knocking glasses over.

  “Second, no one disrespects me, boy. No one. Not you, not Elton, not some geriatric old bastard in a ghetto strip mall selling lotto scratchers.”

  Delores looked to Terry and her face screamed what I mean? Terry sighed deeply. He looked like he was calming himself. Delores continued to look at her partner and her eyebrows rose. She obviously thought he’d be reacting differently.

  “Sir Robert,” Terry began, “I may be naive, but I’m not stupid. And I know for a fact that Delores is neither naive nor stupid. I would like for you to tell me what actually happened here. Help me understand.”

  “You really are Glen’s kid, aren’t you?”

  Terry blinked.

  “People keep saying that. What do you mean?”

  Lawless grabbed the table in an attempt to steady himself. Elton hoped that was why he had a death grip on the table. He lowered his head and looked up at Terry from under his big, bushy eyebrows.

  “Do you know how many knights hated Glen Lingal’s guts, boy?”

  Terry said nothing either way.

  “When this all first started there was a pack of us. Me, your daddy, McAlpine, a few others. Well your daddy got too big for his breeches. He started taking the moral high-ground after he met that bitch of a mother of yours.”

  Delores suddenly put a hand on Terry’s arm and kept her eyes on Lawless. Terry remained very still.

  “Killing started being too evil of an act he'd said. He started cleaning up his image. Taking all the high profile gigs. The high PAYING gigs. McAlpine made a gentleman's agreement and found himself a new territory. Left me and Glen here. Glen to soak up press and attention.”

  Lawless grabbed a pint glass and smashed it on the table, shattering it.

  “THEY BOTH LEFT ME TO ROT!”

  Elton felt Sam tap him on the shoulder. When Elton turned around he was pointing at the floor behind the bar and started to slowly sink out of view. Elton just nodded and very quietly climbed over the bar to join him. Unlike Sam, though, Elton couldn’t stop watching. He peeked over the bar.

  Terry leaned forward. It was the first motion he’d made in a while.

  “You did this to the town, didn’t you? You and these knights of yours. There were no drow.”

  “It was goblins.” Elton’s head whipped around. Sam had stood up and, despite shaking like a leaf, was answering. Lawless stared at the barman with murder in his eyes. He continued though.

  “We had a tribe of goblins show up and they were robbing the stores and people’s homes for days. We called it in to the Order. It took a week for anyone to show up. Lawless and his boys showed up finally. They drove them off.”

  Lightning flashed outside the windows and the sound of the rain was all anyone heard for a long time. Terry watched Sam. Delores watched Lawless, a hand still on Terry’s arm. Elton watched in a combination of horror and fascination.

  “The knights? They were the-“

  Sam ducked as Lawless started hurling pint glasses at him. He got two in the air before Terry’s arm whipped out and slammed Lawless’ hand down on the table so fast, Elton's head spun. The hit was so hard that Lawless's knuckles on the wood sounded like a gunshot.

  “SHIT!” Lawless screamed and cradled his hand staring at Terry in rage.

  “Where are the other knights, Robert?” Terry still hadn’t raised his voice.

  Lawless stood up and grabbed onto the table again. Delores leaned back. Terry remained stock still.

  “They left.” He said. His voice took on a mocking, whiny tone.

  “UUUGHN! WHAT IF THE CHURCH FINDS OUT?! We’ll get in trouble!” He picked up the table and threw it across the room, smashing furniture and fixtures. He glared at the duo.

  “WELL I DON’T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT THE CHURCH!” he screamed.

  Terry stood up calmly and moved his chair to the side. Delores did the same, watching Terry from the corner of her eye for queues.

  “They left you.” She said.

  The statement enraged Lawless who screamed wordlessly into their faces. He picked up a chair and threw it behind the bar.

  Elton didn’t remember moving but he placed himself over Sam on the floor as glass rained down on them. He moved and Sam gave him a grateful look. The barman reached up carefully and grabbed a pint of Jack and downed it before passing it to Elton who took it with gusto before raising his head again to watch.

  Elton saw Delores take on some kind of fighting stance. Her armbands and wraps began to glow purple.

  Terry just stood there and somehow his quiet demeanor and angry expression were far more frightening than Lawless’s outburst.

  Lawless whipped around and stabbed a finger at Elton behind the bar.

  “START WRITING THIS DOWN OR I WILL END YOU, BARD. This is going to get good.”

  “Braying jackass threatens kids half his age. Lookit me go boss. Lookit me go.”

  Elton’s eyes widened and he began shaking as he realized he’d said that out loud. Elton was a coward, after all. Lawless took a threatening step toward him, reaching a hand for the sword at his hip and Elton fell backward against the liquor bottles and glasses. Suddenly, Terry was between them. He put a hand on Lawless’s chest and shoved backward hard. The older man stumbled back into a table and glared at Terry.

  Terry calmly walked back to stand by Delores. He whispered something into her ear and after a moment she calmed. She let the glow on her components drop. She smiled at the young man. She SMILED. In the middle of all this!

  When Lawless was back on his feet he looked between Elton and Terry and settled on Terry. Elton realized the boy was willing to take the hits for him. He stared. Sam stared. Sam also downed another half a pint of Jack to steady his nerves before passing the bottle to Elton.

  Terry, still looking like an angered god, spoke calmly.

  “What were your plans for me and Delores?”

  Lawless cracked his neck.

  “That depends. You still have your daddy’s sword or did that get burned up by the dragon?”

  Terry didn’t take the bait. Delores whispered something to him and he nodded.

  “You were going to kill me and take it if you could find it.”

  Lawless gave Delores a glare of pure hate.

  “What stopped you?” Delores asked.

  Lawless dusted himself off and took on a fighting stance. Some kind of crouch used in wrestling.

  “You did, Mrs. Clean. But if all you can do is glow, I misjudged the situation.”

  He ran at Terry, who smacked him right in the face with the flat of his palm with blinding speed, making Lawless stagger back. He blinked tears from his eyes and checked to make sure his nose was still on straight.

  “That was your last hit on me, Lingal. You’re not walking out of my town. And as for you, Mrs. Clean, maybe I can find something better for you to do besides fight.”

  Elton didn’t blink but what happened next happened so fast he wasn’t sure he caught it.

  One minute, Terry was standing there listening to the idiot make threats. The next, Terry had already closed the distance between himself and Robert Lawless.