The horses screamed and raced about the enclosed yard, hooves churning up chunks of sod. Daugi gnashed her teeth as Fenn fought valiantly to keep the wolf under control.

“Not the horses!” Jake cried, and leaped upon the dire wolf’s back, adding his weight to Fenn’s in their effort to corral the great beast. Daugi whined and growled, salivating at the sight of the racing steeds. Jake grimaced and strengthened his grip around her neck.

“Ho! Who’s there?” A voice called. A man in a nightshirt holding a winking lantern appeared from the house’s front door. His eyes widened as he saw the two horses racing about the lawn, and the two boys and the wolf in the shadows by the wall.

“Thieves! Stop there!” The man cried. “See how you like the looks of my longsword!” He ducked back into the manor to retrieve his weapon.

“We’d better get out of here, otherwise we’ll end up having to hurt this merchant.” Jake hissed. Fenn’s eyes widened and the Fae leaped up on Daugi’s back behind the half elf. Tiny heels dug into the wolf’s flanks, and they darted around the corner of the barn before the merchant could see where they’d gone.

“Hold on a moment,” Jake said. He slid off the wolf’s back and conjured a portal in front of them, the air shimmering and pulsating around it. It led only a short distance, back to the road they had traveled to get there. He activated the portal with a touch and led Daugi and Fenn through.

Or rather, he tried. The wolf did not want to budge, nostrils still flaring at the scent of horseflesh. Jake seized two handfuls of downy fur and heaved. Fenn patted frantically on Daugi’s head and heeled the beast’s sides. Finally they managed to urge the wolf through the portal, with the merchant’s shouts ringing in their ears.

“Dastardly thieves!”

They made haste along the road, putting distance between them and the botched heist. Fenn’s face drooped apologetically as he looked down from his perch on Daugi’s back.

“It’s okay, buddy.” Jake assured him, “next time, we won’t bring the wolf along.”

They traveled back to the inn where Jake had left his supplies. He settled up the fee for his room and gathered his haversack, as well as a packed canvas tent. Shouldering the bag and hoisting the bundle in both arms, Jake led his companions to a nearby alleyway. It smelled rather rank and featured an assortment of trash, but provided the privacy Jake wanted for conjuring his next portal.

He envisioned a forest clearing he had found not far from Serenti… he saw the flattened grasses, he smelled the swaying flowers, he heard the trees creaking in the breeze. A portal sprang to life in front of them, and Jake led the way through.

“We’ll camp here for the night, and hit the mean merchant tomorrow,” Jake explained as he began setting up the tent, “you and Daugi gather some firewood while I see to this.”