Thank god, the heat has broken. My office AC struggled and just could not keep up in 102 weather, and I couldn't write in an 80 degree room. Did my best to do some outlines and a little typing at work when I could. My dog was also upset. Auggie is a 90 pound black lab, and likes his outside time. I limited him to how long it took me to drink a cup of coffee on the porch three times a day, watching to make sure he didn't overheat. It rained today and he was outside, rolling in the wet grass for half an hour. He's also decided that if I get a cup of coffee, it means 'porch time'. Not a bad thing to take some time and watch a dog roll on the grass and play with his chewtoys.=======================================================================Gunnar saw the caravan of large wagons approaching, moving over the land far faster than even the fastest horse could move or bird fly across the sky. His sharp eyes recognized Jarl Benjamin in the lead. Between that, and Gudrun's assurances that allies were coming to join in the battle he was able to stand calmly in their path and wait for them to arrive. It wasn't a long wait. He heard Jarl Benjamin yell loudly, he voice magically carrying through the air, bringing the convoy to a halt, "Break time, switch horses." The small man he could see running in front of Benjamin lowered his staff and the fast moving train of wagons slowed to a crawl and then stopped. The large men and women pulling the wagons laughed and started eating and drinking as others took their place between the yokes. Benjamin waved and began walking towards him, the other man following. Gudrun said, "Let us go and meet the Baron and Baroness of Gadobhra. Treat them with the respect you would give your father and have your wits about you. The future swirls about these people like a swarm of bees. They carve their own destiny and I can only get small glimpses of what may happen."Gunnar grinned at her. "I like that. I want to do great things and be remembered like the old Jarls. Maybe they give lessons."She started to speak, but choked back what she would have said. As he walked away, expecting her to follow, she whispered softly. "you will."Ben leaped from the saddle and clasped Gunnar's hand, "We meet again, in this unlikely place. As I promised, I brought a few friends to help. Come, I have people for you to meet." Gunnar found himself standing in front of two fancy-dressed nobles of the Empire. In the north they laughed at such people. Gunnar didn't see anything humorous in these two. Both were clad head to toe in very fine, and very functional chainmail and full plate. The black and red armor seethed with power, glowing red in spots. The Baron was armed with sword and shield, the Baroness with a huge great sword that any clan berserker would approve of. And while the they had surcoats of black silk and fancy sashes and decorations, they looked ready and eager for battle. Their smiles made him nervous, like standing too near to Rudy Kinkiller when he was deep in his ale and looking for a fight.Gudrun was trying to make sense of what she was seeing. All of these people were strange and what her blind eyes saw confused her. Farmers, but warriors with bloody hands. A giant of a man who commanded fire, a simple shepherd herding ducks and geese, and a beautiful woman in silver and silk with long pointed ears. Behind them were people just as strange: Walking trees, a woman of metal and fire, and a child with huge feet standing on a corpse pile of giants, a pie in his hand. And everywhere, aprons covered in blood, and cleavers ready to split skulls. It exhausted her to look at them, and she needed strength for what came next. She closed her inner eyes and let the visions fade.Ben gestured to him, "Baroness Layla and Baron William of the Barony and great city of Gadobhra, I present to you Gunnar Jarlson, a warrior of the northern tribes."Billy grabbed his hand, "Nice to meet you. Let's not stand on ceremony, not time for fancy crap when there's a fight brewing." Gunnar just nodded. Billy went on, "So, I hear things. Things like your people both fighting for Winter, and now being kicked out of the North and looking for a new home. That's a tough spot to be in. Especially when the land you want to settle on belongs to me and my lady here."Gunnar found his voice, "The land was empty. Most of the land we marched through was empty, with only ruined villages and crappy roads.""Yeah, and the northern part was the worst of it. Too dry, scrub and sagebrush. I doubt that if your tribe settled that ten years ago, the Emperor wouldn't have cared. But I hear from my scouts that things have changed since my Champion released some magic mumbo-jumbo and jumpstarted nature. Now everyone is going to want that land: Your people, bandits, villagers with no homes, and every idiot in the Empire looking to make a few bucks."He paused, and looked at Gunnar, "But it's my land."Layla added, "And we look weak if we don't fight to keep it. I hate to look week."Gunnar looked at Jarl Benjamin who put a hand on his shoulder. Instantly confidence filled him. Gunnar straightened, "I understand. I've listened to the Jarl's argue the politics of violence. When to fight and when to talk. Weakness invites bolder people to challenge your for your lands. But if you have come to fight with the tribes, I fear you will have to get in line and wait until we deal with the giants of the north and the ogre tribes that travel to end us."Billy smiled, showing slightly pointed teeth, "Oh, I intend to fight. But I have a different viewpoint on how to fight. Ben showed me a drinking horn and seems to think your people fled the Empire a long time ago when the bugs were grazing on the Empire and eating everything in sight. That true?"Gudrun said loudly, "It is truth. I am Gudrun, a Seer. My purpose is to memorize the old histories and preserve the knowledge that time might erase. I can trace the lines of the Jarl's back to before we came to the North. From a time when there were no Jarls, only farmers and soldiers fleeing the horrors of the bugs. The Winter Council gave us lands in return for support. That support led us south and lost the tribes a full two-thirds of their warriors and opened the door for betrayal. Old allies hounded us from our northern lands. But we came from the Empire and now we want to return."Layla looked at the girl, noting how the blind eyes saw everything around her. "A nice speech. Make sure you document all this, Benjamin, and I want a full accounting of the tribe's histories from you, Gudrun. It will help."Billy looked at Gudrun, "Sounds like you see where all this is going? Got anything to tell me that I should know?"She stepped closer to Gunnar and took his hand. "We were sent to preserve the history of our people. Without aid, this path is made of hard stone. Whether it is death from giantkin or a vengeful Duchess, or your own hands, I can't quite see. But they will die."Billy nodded, "Yeah, that's what Ben tells me as well. And what if I take my little army and help out? Maybe even convince the Duchess to hold off a bit while we dicker over the details."Gudrun shook her head, "Then there is a chance. But I see you arriving to a charnel pit where the giants gnaw the bones of my people. The lesser giants, the Bumbles, have been sent after my people, running fast down a perilous path that will bring them out of the mountains near to our camp. We used it to flee. A narrow ledge above a steep chasm that winds through the mountains barely wide enough for a wagon. They will use this trail and will arrive first. We have nothing but our courage and axes to stand against them, and cannot flee."Billy felt like he was in a boardroom negotiating with a Technodyne lawyer and trying to get solid info. "Guess we'll have to hurry. No way to slow them down?"Gudrun looked up, "A terrible thing must happen and destruction brought to our enemies to slow their passage. The Wings of Fire must be loosed upon the Bumbles. Creatures of destruction must be given the gifts of fire and bound by sacred oaths then led to where the Bumbles march. It is a confusing vision, but the only way."Billy looked at Layla, then at Ben and Ozzy. "Any clues here?"Ben looked at Mudhead, "I could go, take Ozzy, but that would slow you down getting there." Gunnar and Gudrun watched as the two nobles gathered their peasant-warriors around them and sought their advice. It was not unlike how the Jarls made decisions. Off to the side, the little man with a staff wearing simple peasants garb was speaking low to a small wind fairy. She argued, and then agreed and flew off somewhere. Gudrun knew she was something more, but looking deeper terrified her, and she closed her inner eyes.Rolly suddenly stepped on top of a wagon and began yelling. "I need three campfires started over there, equilateral triangle, and fifty feet between them. Nothing fancy. Just a bit of scrubwood and Ozzy can light it on fire. Get moving people, Operation Wings of Fire is a go!"He walked up to the group. "Ozzy, get those fires going, and then get ready to hand out burney bacon, two at a time, no more, no less, and don't take any shit from them. Ben, get four people to grab those fire wands we loaded, but keep a tight hold on them."Billy and Layla stayed silent, watching amused. Suzette sighed, accepting things but curious, "Rolly, can you let us poor folk who don't have visions know what's going on?""Like she said. I'm going to do a terrible thing that might have far reaching consequences. Get everyone away from that triangle, and I'll move to stage two." Rolly walked to the three fires, then whistled so loudly and so long, that people were covering their ears. Then a short series of whistles that left Ben laughing. Suzette raised an eyebrow and looked at the Courier. "What's so funny?"Ben grinned, "He's whistling in Morse Code. Only caught part of it."From high in the skies came the loud honking of geese. They came down from on high in a V formation pointing at the ground, diving fast. At only a hundred feet above the ground they turned at 90 degrees, zooming over the wagons, then turned in a wide loop, breaking and coming in for a landing. Most hit the landing zone, but there were exceptions came in too fast and tumbled to a stop. These got up and stumbled to the center, except for one who stood, and finished drinking the last of a bottle of Red Wizard Whiskey before tossing the bottle and waddling unsteadily up to Rolly, tossing him a negligent salute. Behind them, the rest of the large snow geese pulled flasks of alcohol from their feathers and took a few pulls from them.Rolly voice growled, "Nice to see your boys still know how to land, Major." The goose honked rudely at him. Rolly grinned, "Just so, and you're right. I don't give a damn how they land as long as they can kill things, and to help with that, I've got a special mission for you using some very destructive little toys." He pulled a wand from his pocket, pointed at a hillside and yelled, and said "Fire!". A burst of flame streaked across to the hill, blossoming into a large fireball.Rolly looked at the head of the Snow Goose Rebels. "I've got enough of these to give to each of your lads, along with some special munchies to enhance their firepower." All the geese began honking loudly and started to move. Rolly, glared and said softly, "Back in formation, that's an order." The geese stopped, some straining to take another step, then waddled back to their positions, grumbling the whole way."Here's the deal, Major. I've got a Bumble problem, and I hear they don't like fire. Kill or delay them and make sure they head back the other way. In return, you each get a toy to burn things with, and a second when the mission is successful. I'm tossing in two pieces of burney bacon in the deal which should put some fire in those wings. But until those Bumbles turn tail or die, you're under my orders and I don't want any firepower wasted on silly goose games."He walked over to the geese, now with their full attention. The major following and drinking from another bottle he'd found somewhere. "This is a mission with serious death and destruction. We've got to take these bastards. We could fight them with conventional weapons, but that could take time that we don't have and cost a lot of lives. No. No, in this case I think we have to go all out. I think this situation absolutely requires a tremendously horrific surprise attack on the enemy. Know where I might find a few soldiers up for the challenge?"The geese began honking loudly and made some attempt to straighten their line. The Major honked a question at Rolly. He nodded, "Right. You need a guide, already called for one that's familiar with the area from our scouting runs." He looked up.So did everyone else, frightened to see a Great Snowy Owl nearly the size of a dragon silently diving at them, and coming to thunderous landing, barely slowing until the end. Even the geese were impressed. Rolly pointed to her. "She knows where to go. Follow her orders."Gudrun held up a hand, glowing with power. Her silver eyes also glowing. "No! Gunnar will be in charge and guide you. He knows the land. I see this clearly. And it is important. The pass is in the north. Gunnar leading a northern force is simply striking back against our enemies, not an invasion from a southern baron. It must be this way."Gunnar looked at the owl, looked at Gudrun. But he was excited at the thought. He ran to her and kissed her hard. "Thank you!. But a little warning next time." She said nothing, startled.Gunnar leaped to the owl's back grabbing the strap that circled her neck, and two workers tied him securely to it. Suzette and Ben took handfuls of wands and gave one to each goose after Ozzy put two pieces of burney bacon in their beaks. Some of the geese began smoking. Other's began burping fire as the bacon mixed with the staggering amount of alcohol in their bellies. The major honked loudly and the flight took off, forming a perfect V, gaining speed as they circled the camp to head north.The owl screeched, and Rolly fed her a dozen fire staves that she swallowed, before screeching again and taking to the skies, easily catching up to the geese. Gunnar held on tightly, his eyes bright and two fire wands tucked into his belt. Behind them, Gudrun collapsed to the ground. Suzette picked her up, "What's wrong? Exhausted, I have stuff for that."The girl turned and looked at the rapidly disappearing owl. "I see hope for my people. But for Gunnar, I only see a fall into darkness, and nothing more."