Page 53 of Wanted: Rogues and Bards

“I’ll be ready to raise your dead asses,” Hapi reassured them, looking less than pleased about having to work.

Rain lifted a hand in the air and waved at Fenric and Belstrom. “Don’t get too lost.”

Fenric pushed through the wall of fog with Belstrom at the same time. The cool touch of the air slid along his sweaty skin, and Fenric couldn’t help holding his breath, not wanting the magic fog in his lungs. Just like before, the world suddenly became silent. They could no longer hear the conversation of their companions.

All right, straight through seemed to work⁠—

A strong, invisible force hit him square in the chest. Fenric had just enough time to register it, to gasp as it slammed into his lungs, and then he was jerked right off his feet once more. The world around him became a whirling mix of debris and white light, disorienting and blinding. Then he landed hard on his ass, like he’d been tossed out with the bathwater.

“Owww,” Fenric groaned, levering up slowly onto one elbow. Bones and muscles ached from slamming into the ground twice.

In the next second, Belstrom landed next to him with a ground-shaking thud.

“That was a disaster,” Hapi commented, coming around to offer Fenric a hand.

“You’re telling me.” Fenric took it, pulling himself up with a groan. Not to mention a wince. He’d definitely have a bruise on his ass for that little stunt later. “Okay, ten feet straight is too far. We apparently need to turn or something.”

Belstrom stood with Rain’s help and gave the fog what could only be called a childlike grin. “The fog is a puzzle. How delightful!”

Yeah, his giant friend was definitely the right person to take with him. Belstrom’s enthusiasm would carry Fenric along well after he became homicidally frustrated.

Which shouldn’t take long, as Fenric wasn’t the most patient person in the world.

All right, Man versus Fog, round two—start!

This time, he counted nine steps, turned left, then made it a single step before being thrown back on his ass. Belstrom landed at the same time as he did, so clearly left wasn’t the direction to go in.

Right it was.

For round three, he took nine steps in, turned right, went three steps, and then the invisible force threw him out once again.

Fenric lay on the hard-packed dirt road, looking up at the sky and groaning. He was starting to resemble that old saying: The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results.

“Bel,” he groaned as Hapi once again pulled him to his feet. “I want to try going panther this time. Maybe I can smell my way forward better.”

Maxie exploded into a loud “Oooooooo!” His eyes grew as wide as saucers. “You can be a panther?”

Fenric smirked and winked at the young man. At least someone was happy.

“No harm in trying,” Rain said. “You sure it is not because you want to land on your feet instead of your ass?”

“That might have something to do with it. All right, round four.”

In the blink of an eye, Fenric shifted into a sleek black panther. He glanced over at Maxie, who’d balled both of his hands into fists and was holding them against his chest as if it was the only thing keeping him from petting Fen.

Later.

Maybe.

Nine steps forward, two steps to the right, forward one, two, three⁠—

This time, when that invisible force grabbed him, he wasn’t too surprised. He just went along with it—fighting it clearly did nothing—and landed more smoothly on his feet.

Belstrom landed hard next to him, but he was still grinning.

Giving himself a shake, Fenric eyed his friend for a moment before shifting back into his human form. “Still having fun over there?”

“Quite so!”