Aidan awoke slowly. He was aware of the sun setting, somewhere out of sight. He was aware of being very stiff and more than a little hungry. He was also aware of voices.

"Isn't he up yet? It's so weird that he's not moving at all."

"Well lad, the sun's pretty well down, so hopefully he'll wake soon."

Aidan blinked a few times, shifted, and slowly sat up.

"Dad!" Damien practically attacked him with a hug.

"Hi there." He smiled at his son. "You and Thomas get along all right?"

"Yeah, he's pretty nice."

"Oh good."

"So lad," said Thomas, "what are you going to do from here?"

"If you don't mind, I'd like to stay tonight, and maybe catch a quick nap and leave mid-afternoon tomorrow. Then we'll just go west and north until we're home." He smiled.

"I don't mind at all," said Thomas.

They sat and talked together for some time. Damien started nodding off before long, and Aidan went and tucked him into bed. After another hour or so Thomas excused himself to go sleep as well. Aidan watched his old friend walk slowly to his bedroom with a touch of concern. Thomas was very, very old. Aidan had offered to help him go somewhere where he could be cared for, but he insisted that he didn't want any such help. "When I'm too old to manage on my own," he had said, "then I'll know it's time for me to quit this life and move on to whatever comes after." Aidan hasn't really been able to argue with that, but he still worried.

He didn't want to just sit alone with such thoughts, and he was still hungry, so he set out to do something about it. His lock picks were useful in letting him into a darkened livery stable, and a few moments later he emerged and locked up behind him, having left a large draft horse only slightly the worse for wear after his visit.

He went to sleep a little before sunrise, and woke himself at noon. He found Thomas and Damien sitting out in Thomas's tiny back yard. They were whittling, and Thomas was showing Damien how to shape the wood. "I didn't know you carved."

Thomas smiled over at him. "Good morning. I haven't done it much of late. My hands aren't up to it these days. But I used to be pretty good at it." He got to his feet, giving Damien a pat. "You keep at that, lad. I'll be back. We have somewhat to discuss." Damien looked curious, but he nodded and stayed put.

Back inside the house, Aidan asked, "Somewhat to discuss?"

"Aye. Here, have a look at this." Thomas took a folded square of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Aidan. Aidan opened it. "Help Prevent a Great Tragedy!" proclaimed the large text at the top. In smaller letters below there was a roughly accurate, if somewhat distorted description of the way he had "kidnapped" Damien. It used the phrase "monstrous fiend" rather too often. There was also a description of them both, and at the bottom, once again in larger text, an offer of a reward for Damien's "safe return." Aidan clenched his hand, crumpling the paper.

"Now lad, don't go off and do something you'll regret. Here, at least, nobody will recognize you, there are thousands of aerians here."

"Yes, but on the road north things could get a little more awkward, if these are being spread about." Aidan relaxed his hand, and was a little startled to see he'd dug his nails into his palm hard enough to draw blood.

Thomas nodded. "Indeed. A man was posting these wherever he could manage to nail one up this morning. He was on horseback, and said he meant to go all the way to Porttown with them if he must."

Aidan sighed. "Well. I suppose there's only one thing for it. I'm going to have to take a little side trip to Tara's Tower. I suppose it's not far out of my way."

"She can do something about this?"

"Most likely, yes. It won't do any good on the east side of the mountains, but I don't expect I'll go back there again, I haven't got any reason to anymore."

"Well, I'm glad of that then. When will you be leaving?"

"The sooner the better. I'll go see if Damien is ready to go."