“Cal? Yeah, I know him! He just got back to town a couple of weeks ago! He was one of the original missing colonists, you know, the ones we thought were taken by Yeksa or boyii hounds.” Alec spoke enthusiastically, wiping out a mug and draping his ever-present dishtowel over his shoulder. “Why?”

“I heard he needs help with something, so I’m trying to track him down.” Bronwyn drummed her fingers on the bartop, looking around Green’s tavern.

“Well, did you check his house?”

“No, do you know where it is?”

“Not exactly, but I think it’s in the newer neighborhood in the southwest corner.” Alec gestured behind Bronwyn to her left as if she could look through the tavern’s walls to see where he pointed.

“Alright, thanks, Alec. Hey, can you let him know I’m looking for him if he comes by?”

“Sure, no worries. Wait a sec, though, try this out,” he said and turned to the counter behind him, bringing a tray forward. Little wedges of pastry were arrayed on the shiny serving tray, each piled with a creamy filling and several fresh berries. “Mini tarts! Let me know what you think—I’m trying to up my menu game to compete with the new restaurants in town.”

“I just had ice cream,” Bronwyn protested weakly, but she was already reaching for one of the tarts. She plopped it into her mouth and was surprised when the chilled pastry and filling melted in her mouth with a tangy sweetness. “How is it refrigerated?”

“Haha, magic serving tray! I just feed it a little Energy, and it will keep things chilly for an hour or more.”

“Well, they’re delicious. Thanks, Alec.” Bronwyn pushed away from the bar before he could ask her to try something else.

“Sure! Come back for dinner, hmm?”

“Yeah, if I’m still in town. Things are a little crazy right now. See you!” As she exited the tavern, Bronwyn reflected on her words. Things were crazy! She felt like she had a buzzing, burning need to find Cal and help him out, and she wasn’t pleased about it. She hadn’t wanted to leave Olivia so suddenly, especially since she’d be going back to the academy tomorrow. Still, when Bronwyn had read the message from Queen Aestasia, she’d been filled with anxiety, like the queen’s urgency had become her own.

“Is it just her sense of how important this task is, or is she controlling me?” Bronwyn didn’t know if the distinction mattered—either way, she felt she had to do what the queen asked. Bronwyn strode quickly along the cobbled road to the south, then took the right-hand branch that led toward the newer residential area. These homes had brick walls and a little more space between them, and there weren’t any tall dormitory-style buildings around, just lots of one and two-story homes with grass and cobbled paths between them.

Bronwyn flagged down a harried-looking woman with wild, gray-shot brown hair as she walked by, “Excuse me!”

“Yes?” The woman stopped short, backing away from Bronwyn, eyes wide and confused.

“Hi, I’m Bronwyn. Have we met?”

“Bronwyn . . . oh! I know who you are! You look different than I remember. Oh, my, that was rude. I’m sorry!”

“It’s not rude to notice the obvious! Don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll learn more about it as humans gather knowledge about this new world, but, yeah, I’ve advanced my ‘race’ a few times, and it’s brought out these traits.” Bronwyn gestured to her face, assuming the woman was referring to her pointed ears and bright eyes.

“Oh, my, it’s fascinating, isn’t it? Oh, my manners! I’m Charlene Post. Charlie. I’m sorry to be in a rush, but I’m late for a class—I’m supposed to be teaching the Krystree an English class.”

“What? English? Who’s Krystree?” Bronwyn reached out a hand, putting one long arm in front of the woman to keep her from walking away. She didn’t mean to be so pushy, but she was intrigued and didn’t want the woman to scurry off.

“The Krystree—they’re a race of bird-like people that Olivia and, um, you rescued through the portal.”

“Oh! Right, right. Why do they need to learn English? The System Language Integration skill doesn’t cover it?”

“That’s the most interesting part—their Energy affinity is very low, and we speculate the System didn’t deem them worthy of including. They don’t have the skill! I’m really sorry, but I have to go!” The woman started to push past Bronwyn’s arm.

“One more question: I’m trying to find a man named Cal Jennings. Do you know which house is his?” She pulled her hand back, out of Charlie’s path.

“Read the directory!” Charlie said over her shoulder, pointing to a small structure a short way down the cobbled road that reminded Bronwyn of a bus stop.

“Thanks! Nice meeting you, Charlie,” Bronwyn called after the woman, but she was walking so quickly that she’d almost broken into a jog. She felt a little bad about making her late, but it wasn’t like Charlie was trying to save the world—the Krystree could wait a few minutes for their next English lesson. Bronwyn hurried up the road to the little three-walled, brick structure with a sloping roof and saw that the back wall was dominated by a cork board listing people’s names in alphabetical order, their house numbers posted next to them.

She scanned the list for the J’s and found Cal Jennings, “D Street, number four. Gotcha!” She hurried down the cobbled path, looking at the conveniently posted little street signs and the numbers on the houses, all made from pyrographed wood. When she turned down D Street toward the six houses along the little lane, she saw some activity taking place outside one of them.

A dark-skinned man, wearing a huge backpack reminiscent of an old-school hiking backpack with a bedroll, pans, and ropes hanging off it, was hugging a Ghelli woman while some other Ghelli stood around wearing long faces. Bronwyn walked toward them, knowing somehow that this was Cal, and she heard him say, “Hush now, Lysee! I’m just going to find my friend—you heard about what happened with the invasion. She probably needs help, don’t ya think?”

Bronwyn stopped a few feet from Cal’s back when she saw the other Ghelli had taken note of her. One of the smaller ones, a little girl, pulled her hand away from an older woman and ran past Cal and the woman he hugged, straight toward Bronwyn. “Hello, Fae Lady!” She giggled and curtsied, her little wings bobbing up and down.

“Oh, hello, little one,” Bronwyn replied, leaning down to look into the little girl’s olive-colored eyes. “But I’m not really Fae,” Bronwyn frowned in consideration, then added, “well, not a pure one, anyway.” The girl only giggled in response, and then Cal turned and cleared his throat.

“Hello, um, ma’am. Can I help you?” Bronwyn liked the energy that Cal projected. He had a genuine smile and eyes that were kind and patient. She stood up and walked past the little girl, gently trailing her fingers through her blond curls as she passed by, impulsively wanting to feel their springy warmth.

“Hello, I’m Bronwyn. To tell you the truth, I came here to offer you some help, Cal.” She reached out a hand, and Cal looked up at her warily and reached out to grasp it. His skin was warm, his grip firm and pleasant, and Bronwyn smiled, looking into his eyes.

“Help me?” He sounded a bit disconcerted and glanced back at the Ghelli woman he’d been hugging and then over at the older woman.

“Yep! You’re about to embark on some sort of journey or something, right? I’ve kind of had a calling to aid you. I know it sounds crazy, but consider all the crazy things you’ve seen in this world. You can trust that I don’t want to cause you any harm, exactly the opposite, in fact.”

“Well, that’s mighty nice of you, but I’ve got things under control here. I’m just heading up north to see if I can find a friend, and maybe not one that you’d care to meet. You see, she’s an Urghat.”

“An Urghat?” Bronwyn blew out her breath in a soft chuckle. “I happen to have quite a few Urghat friends, and I’d like to check in on them, too.”

“Really?” the woman asked from behind Cal. “What do the Fae want with Urghat?”

“It's interesting that you and this little sweetie,” Bronwyn tousled the blond curls of the little girl again, “marked me as Fae. I’m not really Fae, though. I just have a strong connection to them through my bloodline.”

“Right . . . Bronwyn! Bronwyn Tallow?” Cal said with a snap of his fingers.

“That’s it!”

“So you’re human?” the older Ghelli woman asked.

“Yep! Do you folk have dealings with the Fae?” Bronwyn asked, her interest in the subject pulling her into the tangent.

“One of their Way Trees opens into our grove. We see and speak with them from time to time,” the older woman said.

“Ah, I see. Well, Cal, I’m here to help you, so you’ll have to get used to it. I’ll follow from a distance if you don’t want my company!” Bronwyn shrugged, feeling the buzzing tension in her gut ease for the first time since she’d read the Summer Queen’s message. “It’s not really something I can help.”

“Is it a quest?” the woman behind Cal asked.

“This is my wife, Lysee,” Cal said, stepping back and putting an arm around the woman’s waist.

“Nice to meet you, Lysee,” Bronwyn said, then continued, “It’s very much like a quest, yes.”

“This is good, Cal,” Lysee said, her voice high and musical, “You’re not a fighter, love. I’ll feel much better knowing you’ve got someone so powerful along with you.”

Bronwyn opened her mouth to ask why the woman thought she was powerful, but then she stopped. Any competent Energy user would be able to feel her aura, and the fact that she’d advanced her race so much wasn’t something she could hide. Instead, she said, “That’s right, Cal. I’ll help you deal with any trouble on the way, and we’ll find your friend and maybe see some of my friends in the process. What’s your friend’s name, by the way?”

The little boy, still clutching the older Ghelli’s hand, piped up, “Whitestar! She’s a great Urghat hero!”

“Oh? Whitestar . . . ” Bronwyn ran the name through her mind and tried to remember if she’d heard it before, “Well, she sounds amazing. What’s your name, little hunter?”

“I’m Bren, but I’m not a hunter! I’m going to be a Keeper like my mom!” Bren said, taking the indignant tone that only a child could pull off without sounding petulant.

“Oh, I’m very sorry for making that assumption,” Bronwyn laughed, enjoying his outraged expression. “Keeper sounds very good, indeed. Your mother must be very proud. What about you, others? What about you, sweetie?” Bronwyn asked, gently tousling the little blond-haired girl’s hair again, enjoying the way she’d stayed next to her through the whole conversation.

“I’m going to be a Spirit Singer like Cal!” she said, looking up at Bronwyn with big eyes and a bright smile.

“Oh, a Spirit Singer?” Bronwyn said, raising an eyebrow at Cal.

“Aye, little Vonna’s shown some real talent already,” Cal nodded, smiling.

“I’m Vella, and this quiet one is Gelyss,” the older woman said, waving from behind Lysee.

“Quite a family you have here, Cal. What a lucky man!” Bronwyn said, and she meant it. How fortunate he was to have so many who cared about him in this strange new world!

“I am lucky, Bronwyn. I’ll take your arrival to mean my luck’s still holding.”

“Yes! The roots are smiling on you, Cal. We’ll all sleep better knowing Lady Bronwyn is with you,” Vella said, squeezing the quiet girl in a side hug.

“Alright, well, I’m sorry to have you meet my family only to pull you away from them, but I’d meant to be on the road by now.” Call nodded down the path, turning with his arms spread for one last hug. Everyone but Vella rushed into a group embrace, and Bronwyn smiled as she watched him kiss the tops of each of their heads.

“Nice to meet you all. I’ll bring him home safe; don’t worry!” Bronwyn waved and laughed as the little blond-haired Vonna squeezed her around the knees.

“Will you bring us a present when you come back?” the quiet Gelyss called after Cal as he started to walk away.

“You know I will, sweet thing,” Cal called back, then he turned and hurried down the cobbles, a spring in his step and Bronwyn right beside him.