The spring and summer months were a whirlwind of activity for Terry and his crew. More goblins of the local variety, orcs, and any number of strange escapades meant plenty of work, plenty of income, and lots of time to learn to work together as a team. Terry found it easier to control his questionable abilities in front of others as time passed. After footage of him leaping like The Tick hit the web, there were questions. Having Delores in his group allowed an easy out though. Elton could just claim she was casting spells to augment his abilities. But within the group that raised questions Terry didn’t like considering. He never had.

  Delores, for her part, kept silent. Terry was grateful, but he was afraid she had come to conclusions that she kept to herself. Elton, was harder to handle. He wanted details. It was like having the press following him around AND Terry was required to keep the man with him by oath. Terry tried claiming it was all Delores, but Elton saw the way she watched him as he worked and didn’t believe a word of it. Terry tried “a blessing from the Lord” as an excuse. That had actually worked back in Raymond, but not on Elton. All he said was “Keep your secrets then. I’ll figure it out.” There were very few things Terry lied about, but this? He had to.

  Summer wound down into September and the beginnings of Fall and the work finally started to slow to something manageable. It was early October when Terry’s life reached a snail's pace. He’d warned his companions that this was coming. They’d reached the time of year between the spring/summer monsters hiding away for the winter, and the fall/winter monster still waking up. Knights in the Order referred to October as “The Lean Times”. Terry usually found that this time of year bored him to tears. This time, he found it blissfully domestic.

  The quiet of October had been filled with long talks with Delores, weekly stories to fill in Elton’s Chronicles, and even a chance to relax. Terry had actually managed to take them both fishing at one point. He’d fished often enough in his youth but he found not having to do it for survival was actually fun. Delores had caught on fairly quickly. Elton accidentally threw two rods into the Ross Barnett Reservoir before sitting on a bucket and watching the two of them for the rest of their trip. They'd caught some fish that Terry cleaned and Elton had happily cooked.

  If there was one downside, it was the possible dwindling of funds. The money they had made from the “Kudzu Kaiju” as Elton called it back in June had cushioned them until the summer rush, but until November there was a chance things might get tough. Terry also found the idea of leaning on Elton for money distasteful. It would be far too easy for him to go from “Troubadour” to “Patron” on that route, and Terry didn’t relish the idea of being beholden to anyone. Even a friend.

  And that’s why he found himself in a Wally World on a Wednesday morning in Hattiesburg playing his least favorite role. Penny pincher. Elton had taken the position of cook and quartermaster along with his job as bard and was pushing their cart up and down the isles finding what they needed. It was Terry’s accepted job to keep an eye on the cart to make sure Elton was buying the generic brand. Delores would help with this, when she wasn’t getting distracted.

  Terry had watched her dash here and there and draw his attention to things she found amusing or cute. It wasn’t out of character, but she had more character if possible? He didn’t know what was up with her, but she seemed happier lately and that made him happy, if mildly concerned. As she walked down the aisle to take some stuffed animal back where she found it with a grin on her face, and Elton checked his list, Terry caught her arm.

  “Hey,” he said quietly, “are you ok?”

  She tilted her head at him and smiled wider.

  “Yeah! Why?”

  How was he supposed to say ‘you seem in a really good mood and it’s weird’ and not sound like a jerk?

  “You seem a little more. . . Energetic lately?”

  Her eyes widened and she seemed to understand.

  “It’s mana flux. It ebbs and flows at different times of year. It follows the solar calendar but it also gets stronger at holidays like Easter, May Day, Halloween, and Christmas. I kinda do have more energy and it just feels, I dunno, nice? Halloween seems to especially get me. I feel more alive.”

  She flashed a pair of blue, puppy dog eyes at him.

  “Does it bother you?” she asked playfully.

  He rolled his eyes.

  “Of course not. I just, you know, want to make sure my friends are ok.”

  She gave him a wolfish smile.

  “Right. Gotta watch out for your. . . Friends.”

  She skipped away. She literally skipped away in her mage’s coat and he just watched her. He shook his head and looked at Elton.

  “Hey, do you mind if we head to meat and then produce? I had an idea.” He asked.

  Elton looked up from his phone, a bit surprised.

  “Uh, sure. What’d you have in mind?”

  It had dawned on Terry he’d never made something for either of his friends. It was a meal he’d lived on more nights than he could count.

  “Believe it or not, I want to cook for you guys tonight. I’m going to need some meat of your choice, peppers, onions, any other veggies you want, some spices, flour, and tin foil. Oh. And a marinade.”

  Elton looked at him like he’d grown a second head.

  “You know how to cook?”

  Terry gave his bard a flat stare.

  “Elton, I’ve live in the woods for weeks at a time. I may seem like a goof but I can process a deer and find uses for most the parts. I can, in fact, survive on my own when needed.”

  Elton grinned and immediately started pushing the cart toward the meats.

  “Well, this I’m going to need to see. I’m more or less done anyway.”

  They collected Delores and picked out beef and chicken. He made sure to get enough for a couple of nights, at least. Afterward they headed to produce and Terry started picking out veggies he knew he’d want and Elton started looking through carrots and potatoes. While he was browsing, he heard Delores call to him in a stage whisper.

  “Terry! Terry!”

  He looked up and she was standing by a large cardboard box and was holding up a gourd.

  “Pumpkin!” she said excitedly. He looked at her and kept his face neutral.

  “Yep. That’s a pumpkin.” He said.

  She rolled her eyes at him.

  “We should get one and we can make a Jack-O-Lantern!”

  That made him smile.

  “I don’t think we are getting a pumpkin.” He told her.

  “Have you ever made a Jack-O-Lantern?” she said, and then a thought struck her. “Terry, have you ever been trick-or-treating? Did you do Halloween?”

  He suddenly felt very alone. This was one of those things she’d bring up and it would remind him of how little of a childhood he’d apparently had.

  “Uh, no. Sorry. I didn’t have time.” He said. That was true, but he really meant he hadn't allowed himself to. His explanation sounded nicer.

  “Then we definitely need to rectify that. You need a Jack-O-Lantern in your life.”

  “Still don’t think we’re going to be able to get one.” He said, trying to not sound like a stern parent. He was afraid this was going to make him into the bad guy in this situation.

  She pouted.

  “Killjoy.”

  He walked over and leaned toward her over the display, his hands on either side of the giant box.

  “D, I promise you I would LOVE to carve one with you. BUT, we live off the back of a scooter. Where are we gonna keep it?”

  She sighed.

  “Fine.” She put the pumpkin down and started walking away with her head down and her hands in her pockets. Terry immediately folded. It was his turn to sigh.

  “Elton?”

  The bard looked up from picking out the better carrots.

  “What’s up?”

  “Do you think we could fit a medium sized pumpkin in that trailer of holding you bought?”

  Before Elton could answer, Delores crashed into him with a bear hug nearly knocking him down. He patted her back and laughed.

  “I don’t see why you’re so excited. It’s just a pumpkin.”

  She looked up at him, still hugging him, and she had a strange smile he couldn't identify.

  “I guess you wouldn’t. That’s ok.” Her face suddenly darted forward and planted a kiss on his cheek that he was totally unprepared for. She’d done that once months ago and he’d decided to put it out of his mind. Now here it was again. She let go of him and started picking out a sacrificial pumpkin for their Jack-O-Lantern.

  Terry turned to Elton, confused, but the man was suddenly whistling and holding up and comparing potatoes. As soon as Terry came back to himself, he went back to finding what he needed for the night.

  As they pushed the cart out to the parking lot, Terry stopped dead in his tracks. Parked at the front of the center line of cars in the striped zone, was Thunder.

  “I KNEW IT!” Terry shouted, pointing at the scooter. He ran, leaving the cart with Elton. He bent over and looked straight into the headlight as his friends approached.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  “I knew it! You’re alive, aren’t you! You can’t hide it this time! I specifically parked as far away as possible in case you decided to move! Got ya!”

  To his, and the other’s, surprise, the handle bars of the scooter drooped. The headlight tilted up to him and seemed to look remorseful. Terry’s eyes nearly popped out. It was one thing to suspect his scooter might be alive, but to see it actually moving? Show signs of intelligence? He was floored. Delores ran up behind him, mouth hanging open.

  “Terry, you hurt his feelings!” He looked at her and realized she was right.

  “Hey, now! Don’t feel bad! This is great!” He told Thunder. He was at a loss for what to do so he did the only thing he could think of. He scratched Thunder behind the headlight. Thunder’s headlight, eye, whatever, actually looked happy. The scooter waggled it's handlebars. Terry stood back up and looked at Delores.

  “Do you think this is recent?” he asked.

  She grinned and stroked Thunders handlebars and he started hopping up and down. She laughed.

  “I think this may have been gradual. Something about your friend’s enchantment and a continual absorption of mana maybe? I don’t know. I’m not an expert. I REALLY need to talk to that friend of yours.”

  Terry nodded and watched Thunder bounce around and start rolling in circles around them. He couldn’t stop smiling. He turned to Elton, who had stopped the cart and was staring.

  “Elton! I have a pet scooter!” Terry said with his arms out.

  Elton shook his head and was about to go to his Vespa and the mini trailer he’d picked up in July, when his phone went off. It wasn’t a tone Terry recognized and Elton immediately dug the phone out of his pocket. He tapped, scrolled, froze, scrolled back up, reread something, and then slowly lowered his phone to stare goggle-eyed at Terry.

  “Have you,” he began, and cleared his throat, “Have you checked your email lately, Terry?”

  Terry exchanged a look with Delores.

  “Uh, no. I haven’t had a reason to and you know I don't have a phone. Why?”

  Elton grabbed him by the shoulders. Delores dove for their cart as it started to roll away.

  “Terry, I just received an email. From the Order. For you. They’ve been trying to reach you for a week now. They finally contacted me as a last resort.”

  Terry swallowed. A week? And the Order? What did they want? They hadn’t even tried to get in touch after the media circus of the kaiju he’d defeated.

  “What'd they say?” he asked nervously. His tone had the effect of stopping Thunder in his tracks and Delores gave him a concerned look.

  “They want,” Elton said, “for you to come to New Orleans as soon as humanly possible. You’ve been summoned to the office of Father Alexander Takewell.”

  “Who’s that?” Delores asked, worry painting her face.

  Terry’s eyes were in real danger of falling out of his skull at this point.

  “Takewell,” he said, turning to Delores, “is the U.S. head of the Order of the Knights of St. George the Dragonslayer. I’m being called to see the biggest boss we have.”

  Elton grinned as he spoke again.

  “They have a mission for you. One only you can accomplish.”

  One minute, Terry and Elton were standing there staring at each other. The next they were both screaming like children and dancing around each other. Thunder was so relieved he started bouncing around them. Delores crashed into Terry with another hug. This time he hugged her back so hard she groaned, but she didn’t let him stop. People in the parking lot gave all of them a wide berth.

  They decided the best course of action, after a quick stop to begin marinading the meats, was to drive straight on through the day, with a stop for lunch and breaks to stretch their legs, until they crossed Lake Pontchartrain and reached Metairie outside of New Orleans. They’d get there after the Order’s offices closed so they would camp for the night at a rest area, and the next morning Terry could arrive bright and early for his solo meeting with Father Takewell. Elton emailed and relayed their plans to Takewell’s office and they approved.

  The trip took them about five hours, which was longer than normal, but given the top speeds of the scooters, and the bathroom, food, and rest breaks, it wasn't bad time. Terry found himself taking his time crossing the bridge over Pontchartrain. It was the biggest body of water he’d ever crossed and he wanted to remember it. Overall though, it was an uneventful trip though. They were stiff and tired, but when they arrived at the rest station they were in good spirits. The weather was good, if colder than they expected. The kaiju incidents had effected weather patterns for months and set things back to the temperatures their parents and grandparents talked about in the 1970’s. They’d need to keep the fire going tonight.

  Terry stood for a moment and for the first time saw other knights at the various camp spots. Not a lot due to the time of year, but more than he’d ever seen at once. He shook his head, wondering how many of these were like Robert Lawless. He’d started to wonder about the other knights more and more over the four month’s he’d been an Errant. He’d started to wonder about the pulps he’d read as a kid. Elton stayed silent on the subject. He probably thought he was protecting Terry’s innocence.

  He pulled himself from his own dark thoughts and started unpacking what they’d need for the night. He had plans. He was in charge of the meal tonight, after all. Since there was still light though, he had something else in mind. He went to their trailer and looked around. Elton was typing in his laptop, most likely getting his thoughts down about being summoned. Delores was playing with Thunder like a puppy.

  For a minute he just watched his small party. Seeing them there, together, after months of travel and work and fun. Terry realized he was happy. The realization gave him thoughts he suddenly didn't want to think about, so he dwelt on that simple fact. He was happy. So why was he feeling sad now? What had his life been before this, then? He set those thoughts aside as well. He opened the trailer, thought of what he wanted to pullout, reached in, and came up with their pumpkin.

  “Delores!” he called to her. She turned and looked. He held the pumpkin up over his head and couldn’t keep from smiling. She ran toward him with Thunder behind, rolling and bouncing. I don’t know what I did to deserve this, he thought, but I have never been so glad I did it.

  That night, they sat around the fire pit and talked quietly as their Jack-O-Lantern burned to the side and watched them. Thunder slept next to Elton’s Vespa. Terry had taken the meat, veggies, spices, flour, and a bay leaf and put them into three bowls he fashioned from the aluminum foil. He wrapped them tightly, gave them a shake to mix them a bit, and using tongs put them into their fire. Delores and Elton both looked at him curiously as he did it.

  “Hobo stew.” He told them. “Ernest taught me how to make this when I was a kid. I think I ate this more than Dottie’s cooking at some points in my life.” He finished putting them deep enough into the flames, and sat back on his log.

  “You ate it that much?” Elton asked. Terry shrugged.

  “Around this time of year I used to take a week or two and go around the back country around Hinds County. I’d check on all the monster dens and goblin camps to make sure they weren’t being problems. It dawned on me today that this was the first time in something like a decade I wouldn’t be doing that.” He stared into the flames. “I thought I would miss my stew. I wanted to share it with my friends.”

  “Thank you, Terry. That means a lot.” Delores said. He watched her. She was just so happy lately. He wished he could just stop time right here. He was terrified at how short this moment could be. He realized there was something else he wanted to share with them. This was far more important than the stew. It was well past time, as well.

  “Elton,” he said, “while we wait for food, it’s story night.”

  The bard grinned and went to grab his phone but Terry motioned for him to wait.

  “This,” he said, “this is going to be different. I’d ask you to NOT put this in the Chronicles. Not yet. Maybe not until this phase of my career is over.”

  Elton looked at him with some level of suspicion.

  “Ok.” He said. “I can do that.”

  Delores leaned forward.

  “What is it?” she asked.

  Terry slid off his log and got comfortable on the ground. He had put the lining in his duster earlier in the day. He needed it now. Delores had some kind of faux-fur attachment for her coat that draped over he shoulders. Elton wore his puffy jacket.

  “So, what I’m about to tell you guys is something Ernest told me to never, under any circumstances, tell anyone. Ever.” Terry said, looking at each of them. They waited patiently. “I’m going to tell you two.”

  They looked at each other, then back at Terry.

  “Why us?” Elton asked.

  Terry gave him a curious look. He thought it was obvious.

  “Because you’re my friends. And I trust you.”

  “Terry?” Delores asked. “Have you told George and Sean?”

  He looked at the ground for a moment.

  “No.” Was all he said. Why hadn't he?

  “I thought they were your friends.” She said. Terry continued to think about that for some time before he answered.

  “They are. They’re normal though. My "normal friends". Like, they have a house, they go to work. They buy beer on the weekends and play Call of Duty. They don’t want to know what happens out here with me. At least, they don’t need to. They've seen a fraction of what I do and it frightens them.” He felt sad to admit that. Sean and George were his friends, but this was different.

  “What we have," he continued, "the three of us, this is different. It’s deeper. You’ve seen what I’ve seen. You’re the first people who weren’t just there because you happened to be there. You CHOSE to be here with me. You understand. And that’s why I think you deserve to know this.”

  Elton nodded and raised his phone to record. Delores gave him a smile that felt like one of the hugs she’d been giving him lately. He began his tale.

  “You know how one day, when you’re a kid, you just sort of become aware? Like one minute you’re just a little poop monster running around and the next you’re aware that you’re a poop monster and trying to figure out how to never do this in your pants again?”

  Both of them laughed and agreed.

  “Well, I have memories pretty close to that time. And I remember hearing a voice. It spoke to me in my crib, right before I stopped sleeping in it.”

  They both stared at him and didn’t speak. He couldn’t read them.

  “Later, when I was a little older, I’d sneak out of the house at sunset and run through the pastures behind the farm. There was this hill with a tree on it, and I’d climb, or leap to the top of that tree, and look at the lights of Jackson in the east. It lit that part of the sky every night. I’d imagine all those people there. Together in one city. It blew my mind."

  "Never saw you as a night runner kid, Terry." Delores said. He smirked at her.

  “Well, that's when the voice started talking to me again. It kept talking to me. All through my childhood. It would ask me if I was ok. Was I happy. What did I want to do with myself. Did I need someone to talk to. I did. Talking to that voice I came to realize I wanted to be a knight like my father. It told me what I’d need to do to become one.”

  “A voice told you to be a knight?” Elton said with a hint of incredulity.

  “No, Elton. I said it helped me realize it was what I wanted. It never told me to do anything. It was like having an adviser. Or maybe a godfather. I don’t know. Anyway, I was six when I took the PToG and told Ernest and Dottie about my friend and him helping me reach the decision.”

  “What did they say?” Delores asked.

  He remembered that very uncomfortable day.

  “They believed me.” He said. “They took it extremely seriously and told me to tell no one outside of the family. Especially if I wanted to become a knight.”

  Terry began idly tracing a spiral pattern in the dirt next to him. It looked like a galaxy with a dot in the middle.

  “The best advice it ever gave me was what I told that kid in Hilochita. “Don’t suffer bullies willingly, child.” I never did like bullies. I’d already started fighting because of them. That just galvanized me.”

  “Do you know who it was?” Delores asked.

  “No idea. All I know is that when I was around thirteen, the voice left me. I had really started my training and my,” he swallowed, “my campaign of alienation.”

  There was a sober silence after that until Terry spoke again.

  “I think I had reached a point where I didn't want anyone's help and the voice knew it. I had forgotten about ALL of this. Then the dreams started.”

  “You mentioned a dream before the kudzu thing.” Delores said. He smiled.

  “Yes I did. Right before I left home in June, the dreams started. And in the dreams was the voice. It still comes to me in my dreams today. It asks me about how I feel. It gives me warnings when it can.”

  He looked up from his pattern at his friends.

  “It likes you two.”

  They both looked vaguely frightened.

  “I’m not asking you two to believe me.” He said, holding his hands up defensively. “I just wanted you to know that this is a part of me and my life, and sometimes I make choices that might seem like they come out of nowhere. There’s a reason for them. You two are the best friends I’ve ever had, and, well, I needed you to know about this.”

  “I believe you.” Delores said. “After everything I’ve seen you do, why would this be any different?”

  “Thank you.” He said.

  “Oh, I believe you.” Elton said. “There is absolutely no positive outcome to you making something like this up.” Delores shot him a look. He continued. “AND, you’re the most honest person I’ve ever met in my life. Of course I’m going to believe you.”

  Terry scratched the back of his head and looked at his feet.

  “Thanks. Both of you. This has been weighing on me for a long while, and I think Ernest would approve of you guys.”

  Elton stopped his recording and replaced his phone and thought for a while.

  “This actually makes sense to me. There have been certain holes in your stories.”

  Terry sat up, surprised.

  “Have there?”

  “Well, yeah.” Elton said. “Terry, no kid comes to some of the decisions you made on their own. Not without talking to someone. And besides, I’m trained to look for holes in a knight’s stories.”

  “Why?” Terry asked.

  “To plug them.” Elton replied. “I’m glad to know this though. It is way easier for me to plug the holes if I know why I’m plugging them. Thank you for that.”

  Terry nodded. Dinner would be done soon and then it would be time for sleep. He lapsed into a thoughtful silence, conscious of Delores eyes on him.