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reconnaissance was things were not always as they appeared. That rule saved him on many occasions. And then he obviously forgot all about it once he saw Keara.
    “Goddess’s teeth.”
    “That about sums it up,” Enar said.
    “We have to go after him, you know.”
    “Of course. Pretty amazing, no red hair. That’s awfully rare, right?”
    “You have no idea.”
    The last time a Draconi Halfling had brown hair her powers had been greater than those of the High Priestess, or so the stories said. No other Halfling had been found with brown hair since.
    Until now.
    Goddess’s teeth .
    “Can you walk through the wards?” Thoren gestured to Lily. Maybe she possessed some powers too. Oddities seemed to abound in this village in the middle of nowhere.
    Lily came to a halt when she started to cross the ward line. She put her hands up, feeling the invisible wall, before turning to him with her mouth gaped, eyes wide.
    “It’s a solid wall! Amazing!”
    Praise the Goddess. Something went right. Only magical beings could walk through wards.
    “How long have you known Jamie?” Thoren ignored Lily, who continued to run her hands over the “wall,” and focused on Keara.
    “Three months. He’s going to be all right, isn’t he?”
    “Where did you find him?”
    “The woods outside the town. I told you he said his parents were dead and I claimed him. Shouldn’t we be out looking for him?”
    “Does he have any...special abilities?”
    “Special abilities?” Keara tilted her head and cocked an eyebrow at Thoren.
    “Like yours. He’s the Halfling we’ve been looking for.”
    “Are you sure?” Keara stared wide-eyed at Thoren.
    “There is no other explanation for how he got through the wards. Only Draconi can get through wards. Notice how Lily was stopped by them?”
    “But Jamie? He’s just a boy. And he’s lost. You need to do something about that.”
    “We’re going. Don’t worry. You and Lily stay put.”
    “No! I’m going with you. He’s my apprentice.”
    “Simon could get his hands on you again, so you’re staying here and that’s that.”
    Keara crossed her arms, eyes narrowed, steam curling from her ears. “You can’t tell me what to do.”
    “I don’t want you to get hurt and you won’t get hurt if you stay inside the wards.”
    Two heartbeats and her glare narrowed. “Fine. Just bring him back.”
    “We plan on it. Stay here.”
    She nodded, lips pressed together.
    They found missing Halflings for a living. It shouldn’t take long to track down one small boy.
    An hour or so later it became obvious that finding Jamie was harder than he imagined. Despite searching the clump of bushes Keara directed them to, they found no signs of the boy.
    A vague scent, similar to the one Thoren had smelled about the town, led a trail away from the campsite. Why would Jamie wander away from safety? Probably for the same reason he and Enar got into trouble as children. Things needed exploring. Although what in the name of the Goddess needed exploring in the middle of the night in hostile territory, he didn’t know.
    Thoren started walking in the direction of Jamie’s scent, head up, sniffing the air. Enar walked in front of him, staring at the ground, looking for tracks. So much for getting an early start home. The day was rapidly heading downhill. Jamie’s scent led back to town. The lad either forgot something or was captured. Just his luck. Draconi boys were trouble.
    He should know.
    “Look at this.” Enar pointed to the ground.
    “What?” Thoren walked to where Enar stood, looking at a patch of grass.
    “It’s trampled. Jamie’s tracks lead here, where they are joined by several others. Then his tracks disappear and the larger ones move off in that direction.” Enar pointed toward the town.
    Thoren looked at the trampled grass, barely making out what Enar described. Good thing he used his nose to track. Enar, though, confirmed what Thoren scented, Jamie’s trail led back to the