Chapter List

lright,” Ranko said, sitting back down and counting on her fingers. “Let’s say she’s one of the good guys. Let’s say she can heal ankle sprains with green magic.”

“She’s also got lots of pretty rings!” Cici sat back down in front of her Lantern. “And this guy called her Examency.”

“Examency?” Talitha asked.

“Yeah, and then he said Vy-sa-reen or something and she got really mad and yelled at him.”

“Examency.. exa– wait, are you sure it wasn’t ‘excellency?’” Talitha asked.

“Yeah! That’s what he said. He said ‘excellency!’ And then her robes turned all black and it got really cold like it was winter and she gave me the map.”

“Why would that guy call her ‘Excellency?’” Jessica asked.

“Because he’s weird,” Shannon muttered.

“It’s a title of respect. He also called her a Vicereine,” Talitha replied.

“Yeah, what’s that?” Cici asked.

“It’s the female version of a Viceroy. If that’s her title, then she’s a noble, probably a ruler of some kind. If the word means the same here as it does in our dictionary, she was probably appointed by a King,” Talitha said.

Ranko whistled a low tone. “Well, that’s pretty impressive. Sounds like she’s powerful in more ways than one.”

“I still don’t want to go any further until we know what is going on,” Shannon said.

“Maybe she’s trying to help us,” Jessica said. “I think she might just be trying to keep us safe.”

“Okay, so the wizard lady’s got a lot of rings, and she’s pretty tough, and she’s got this butler guy, and she did help Little Bit,” Ranko continued counting on her fingers.

“If it weren’t for her, we’d still be wandering around that dock in the middle of the night,” Alanna said.

“Okay, I’ll throw in with the wizard lady. If we’re going to be here for a while, we might as well join up with someone who’s on good terms with the King,” Ranko said. “Who’s with me?” Ranko held her hand out to start a huddle.

“Meeeeeee!” Jessica raised her hand enthusiastically with a big smile.

“Alright, Goofy Bird.” Jessica put her hand on Ranko’s. Ranko winked and Jessica giggled. “Come on, Little Bit,” Ranko motioned to Cici by tilting her head. Cici forgot all about the Lantern, ran over and put both her hands on top of Jessica’s and smiled, looking up at the other two girls.

“Professor?” Ranko said.

Talitha straightened her glasses.

“Come on Talitha-chan,” Jessica said, smiling again. Talitha stood up carefully and gently put her hand on top of the others in the center of the group.

“Boss?” Ranko said.

Alanna walked up to the group and slowly put her hand on the others in the center.

“Okay, I’m in, but we have to be careful, guys,” Alanna warned.

“Miss Shannon?”

Shannon was still sitting with her arms folded on the tree stump. She looked up. “I still say we should go home.”

“Hey, we’re with you Miss Shannon, but until we find a way to get home, we’ve got to stick together. We can’t just leave you here by yourself, and if we stay around here, it’s only a matter of time before those wolves show up again,” Ranko replied.

“You’re the second oldest, Shannon-sama. We need you!” Jessica said cheerfully.

Shannon stood up reluctantly, brushed her hair behind her shoulder and walked over to the group. Cici beamed as she looked up at the much taller girl.

“Okay, I guess I’m in too,” she shrugged and put her hand on the others.

Ranko put her other hand on top of everyone else’s hands. “I don’t know what’s going on, ladies, but if we’re going to make the best of this like Goofy says, we’ve got to get tough and pay attention. Are you all with me?”

“As long as we decide for ourselves, no matter what. Even if that weird guy and the Vicereine lady say otherwise, it’s up to us what we do or I quit and I’m going home,” Shannon said matter-of-factly.

“Solid advice,” Ranko said.

“Yeah. Alanna-sama should be in charge and Shannon-sama too,” Jessica nodded too.

“I know how to lead a band, not an adventure to the unknown, but I’ll do my best,” Alanna replied.

Talitha straightened her glasses again nervously. Cici was happy just to be part of the group. Alanna wore an expression somewhere between worried and determined.

Jessica Hoshi’s bright blue eyes sparkled with optimism as she looked around at all her friends, their hands joined at the center of the group.

“We’re a team now,” she said.

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