At first, I was apprehensive when I stepped through the portal. While I knew that Dovarata had chosen London as our destination, I had very little understanding of how the Gate spell actually worked. For example, a travel spell named Recall had two criteria: First, the designation had to be previously visited by the spellcaster; Second, because the spell was somehow connected to divinity, the designation had to be on church grounds or near a place of worship. In contrast to Recall, Gate was a higher tier spell and apparently more flexible. But I would still prefer to learn more about its limitations. Perhaps I will resolve this mystery when I add Gate to my spellbook. Someday.

To my delight, we had returned to the orphanage. Inside the front lobby to be exact. I watched as Dovarata nonchalantly closed the portal and returned her Orb of Travel to her Bag of Holding. I was feeling jealous when I saw her put away the magic item. It was SO useful and her access to it was the only reason why I allowed Dovarata to accompany me.

I already knew that the presence of the red-scaled dracon in my company would create trouble for me. Related to dragonkin, dracons were extremely rare due to the simple fact that dragons were rarely encountered in this world. The long lifespans of dragons were a mixed blessing because their longevity meant longer periods of downtime--in other words, sleep.

In a way, this made perfect sense. If a dragon could live for a millennium, then it could easily sleep for a few decades. And since few creatures, aside from elves, lived for more than a century, the odds of them encountering a dragon would be reasonably low. Dracons were half-dragon and half-other race, usually human, and retained a few awesome abilities of dragons including magic resistance, physical resistance, and dragon breath.

But in any case, until I could cast the Gate spell myself, I had to tolerate the presence of the mercurial Dovarata. At least until she lost interest in traveling with me.

When I looked around, I saw that we were not alone in the lobby. Headmistress Solina and her handful of staff were here; they had apparently backed away from the portal to give us space to enter the lobby.

I didn't see any kids around. But I heard sounds of conversation drifting from beyond the door on the left and right sides of the room.

When Solina saw me looking at her, the headmistress bowed her head. "Welcome back, Lord Mulligan and Lord Paget," she said. The staff also paid their respects to us.

"Status report," Kuerten demanded immediately, to my chagrin.

"Your uncle has taken the guards into the grassland and they are currently hunting down the wolves. The children have returned to their rooms; the boys are on the left side and the girls are on the right side," Solina reported. She then turned toward me. "A pair of elves and a gray-robed mage arrived looking for you, Lord Mulligan. The senior Lord Paget said something to them and they have joined the hunt."

"Excellent," I remarked and smiled. I turned toward Kuerten. "Milord, I need to interview the rest of the staff. Would you kindly remain here in the lobby until I completed the interviews?" I requested politely and bowed to him.

"Can't I join you?" he protested.

I shook my head. "I'm afraid not. Your family has sponsored this orphanage. You are their employer. To avoid even the appearance of impropriety in the eyes of the noblemen and the Church, I must conduct my interview without your presence," I explained patiently.

The boy's eyes widened and then narrowed. "I see." He had a sour expression on his face. "Very well. You may proceed." He nodded and then sat down in a seat at another table.

I turned around and pointed at Bila and Dovarata. "Please keep Lord Paget company." When the two opened their mouths to protest, I quickly raised my hand. "I made a solemn promise to Lord Weston Paget that I will keep his nephew safe. I need your help to keep my promise to him," I explained.

The two were aware of all the eyes in the room staring at them. "Yes, milord," they bowed deeply in unison. Bila and Dovarata moved across the room until they stood behind the young Lord Paget, who nodded slightly to acknowledge the two.

Kuerten waved his hand at me dismissively. "Hurry up."

I turned my attention to the five workers gathered with the headmistress. There were three men and two women. I looked at Solina and made a request. "Can I borrow your office to conduct the individual interviews?" I asked.

"Of course, milord!" she replied.

I pointed at a man standing closest to Solina. "Let's start with you." I entered the hallway beyond the lobby. I retraced my steps and entered the room with a sign marked "Headmistress" on the door. I entered her office and took Solina's seat behind the desk.

The man I selected sat on the chair in front of me.

Van closed the door and stood next to it on the wall.

I took a good look at the man. He was middle-aged with a receding hairline. He had a patch of dark brown hair above each ear. He sported a heavy mustache as if to compensate for the lack of hair on his scalp. He wore a green tunic, a dark green vest, and black trousers. The tunic was short-sleeved, revealing fairly massive forearms which resembled Popeye the cartoon character. I had noticed earlier that the man carried a small dagger on his left hip. I took out my truth stone and said, "Please give me your oath."

The man looked at my stone with his pale blue-gray colored eyes and nodded. "I, Corby Langley, swear upon the Gods of the Law and Order, to tell the truth, and nothing but the truth, upon the penalty of death." A ray of golden light burst from the stone and struck his heart.

"Very good, Corby. What is your position at the orphanage and how long have you been here?" I asked.

"I teach physical training and I started a year ago."

I was not surprised given the man's robust physique. "What kind of training does this include and where do you teach them exactly?"

Corby laughed. "I split the kids into four groups and they take turns exercising in front of the building. Basically, I make sure they get enough physical exercise daily and I make them too tired to cause mischief."

"What activities do they perform?"

"I make them ran laps around the orphanage, and do sit ups and push ups. I also teach them how to fight with their fists and feet."

"You make them fight each other?" I did a double take on that answer.

Corby scowled at me. "No, not fighting as in dueling between the nobility. I give them some unarmed combat training, sort of as self-protection. After all, this IS the slums and I was worried that someone may try to kidnap the children and sell them to slave traders. But my techniques don't work well against wolves that weigh 100 pounds and hunt in tandem." He shook his head sadly at the horrible fates of his former pupils.

"Do you hunt in the field?"

"No. I have a poor sense of direction. If I enter the field, I WILL get lost. Perhaps that is a blessing in hindsight."

"You know nothing about the wolves, then?"

"Absolutely not!" the trainer denied vehemently. "I support the Headmistress' decision to fire Josiah. What he did was wrong. He should have told the guards who have been accompanying the young Lord Paget on his weekly visits to the orphanage. If we acted sooner, maybe some of the kids would have been saved." His face was full of regret at this turn of events.

I glanced at Van. "Do you have any questions for him?"

The paladin shook his head.

"Okay. Corby, you may go now. Please ask the next employee to come in."

"Yes, milord." The trainer bowed deeply to me and calmly walked out of the office.

When the subject was gone from the room, I asked, "Is he Evil?"

"No."

"Your thoughts on Corby?"

Van thought for a moment. "My instincts tell me he's not involved in the disappearances of the orphans."

"Agreed."

Soon, someone knocked on the door.

Van opened it and the person walked in. This time, it was a woman.

"Please have a seat," I requested with a disarming smile. I made the witness, Serenity Foster, give her truth oath and then proceeded to conduct the interview. We asked similar questions of her and made sure to ask if she was aware of the presence of wolves in the field. It turned out that Serenity was teaching the children how to read and write; she was not inclined to spend time outdoors and therefore, did not visit the field at all. Her interview was completed without any unusual answers appearing and we asked her to send in the next person.

In the end, the interviews with all the workers at the orphanage were wrapped up by the third bell from the church.

As the last interviewee, Mae Cannon, rose from her seat, I made a request. "Please ask the Headmistress to return."

"Yes, milord," the math teacher replied with a deep bow and then left the office. She was the person teaching the kids on the left terrace when my party first arrived at the orphanage.

Once Mae was gone, Van and I again exchanged our thoughts on the subject. "Suspicious?" I asked him.

"Clean," he replied with a shake of his head.

"Agreed." I leaned back in my seat and took a deep breath. None of the workers was suspicious in my opinion. Frankly, these interviews were a waste of time. But I had to be thorough with my investigation. Or else, my boss, Saint John the Kind, may not be satisfied with my report. Even worse, he may order me to return to the orphanage to interview the other workers that I skip over in the initial investigation.

The saint did strike me as the thorough type of boss and I really wanted to make a good impression on him. After all, he basically controlled half the votes in my bid for the crown. Therefore, I could NOT afford to disappoint him.

Soon, Headmistress Solina entered the room.

I got up from the seat, walked around the desk and sat down in the visitor's seat. "Please take your seat," I requested. It was only appropriate for me to return the seat to her since I had borrowed her office to conduct the individual interviews.

The administrator kept calm and sat in her chair. She looked at me with a neutral expression despite her feelings of anxiety under the surface.

"Headmistress, I remind you that you are still under oath," I began.

"Yes, Lord Mulligan," she nodded in confirmation.

"Can you confirm that I have interviewed all the workers here aside from the man you fired?" I asked.

Solina tilted her head for a moment. "You interviewed my employees in the following order: Corby Langley, Serenity Foster, Dean McLeod, Troy Bryant, and Mae Cannon. Aside from Erfre Talley, the worker who was dismissed, you have interviewed everyone who works here," she confirmed with a nod.

"Very good," I nodded back. "Based on my interviews with your staff, I don't believe anyone else is related to the disappearances of the orphans. Do you agree, Van?" I asked.

The paladin nodded. "I cast Detect Evil on all the workers and none of them appeared to be evil. If they were involved, for example, in sending the kids to slave traders, then the taint of evil will mark their souls. I am fairly confident that the remaining workers are innocent," he concluded.

The headmistress turned toward me. This time, she could not hide the anxiety in her eyes.

I gave Solina a reassuring smile. "I, too, believe in the innocence of your staff, Headmistress. They understood the gravity of the situation and responded directly to my inquiries. I have no reason to suspect foul play from any of them. And I will say so in my report to Saint John the Kind," I said.

The woman exhaled the breath she had been holding. She played a hand over her heart. "Thank you for clearing us of suspicion, milord." Solina bowed deeply to me. She was also worried that I would try to take advantage of the situation and seek personal favors from her. After all, Solina was considered an attractive woman and some men of lesser morals would take surely advantage of her in this situation. But with the paladin as a witness in the office, however, I will not do so.

I shook my head, unaware of her concern toward me. "As a holder of a Truth Stone, I have an obligation to the Gods of the Law and Order to seek the truth and to exonerate the innocent. I have merely performed my duties as a member of the Church," I replied. I rose from my seat and Solina did the same. "Please inform your staff that I appreciate their cooperation in my investigation. Now, I need to check on the status of the mission to clear the field."

"Yes, milord." The headmistress quickly walked to the door and opened it for me. She escorted me back to the lobby, where Kuerten was still sitting.

I looked at the boy and said, "The interviews have been completed, milord. Now, I need to check and see what's happening with the clearance of the field. Then I will return to the Church and report directly to the saint."

Kuerten rose to his feet. He followed me out of the building.

When I stepped outside, I saw the older Lord Paget sitting on the coachman's seat on the carriage. The higher elevation allowed him to see his men over the tall grass. "How are we doing?" I asked him.

Weston turned and looked at me. "We're still searching for the wolves. They are very elusive and hard to find in this field full of tall grass."

"Did my companions come by?" I asked.

"Yes. They are assisting the guards in the hunt," the noble confirmed.

Suddenly, someone yelled out from the field.

I raced ahead and activated my Spirit Sense. I located the guard who was making the noise. He was standing in the deepest parts of the grassland. Since I was running in a straight line for the caller, I was the first person to arrive on the scene, followed by Weston Paget.

"What happened?" the nobleman asked. He was slightly winded from the sprint.

The horrified guard pointed at the ground with his sword.

I drew closer and found a number of skulls and bones on the ground. I did a quick count of the skulls; there were 5 in all. There were also discarded shreds of clothing, many of which were heavily dyed with dark red stains. I knelt down and calmly picked up the skull closest to me. It was smaller in size than a typical adult. In other words, this skull had once belonged to a child. And this site was where the wolves took their victims to. I closed my eyes to offer a silent prayer: "May the Gods of the Law and Order bring peace and comfort to your Souls." I turned around and passed the skull to Lord Paget.

The nobleman accepted the skull. As Weston examined it, he had a severe and frightening expression on his face. The man was angry. "Have you found the wolves yet?" Lord Paget asked in a tone of voice tinged with harsh steel.

"No, sir. This is their territory and they know where to hide from us," the man explained.

"Please don't be too harsh on the guards."

At the familiar sound of the voice, I rose to my feet and turned. It was Bjoukin, the elven ranger. Standing with him were Bjoukia, his sister, and Rijana, my magic instructor.

The rest of the guards, along with my bodyguards and Kuerten, had also arrived.

I turned toward Weston and made a request, "Milord, will you permit me to take command of the hunt?"

His right brow rose. "You have a way to track down the wolves?" he asked.

I nodded and returned to my feet.

"Very well. I place you in charge of the hunt," Weston readily relinquished his command to me.

I held up my hand and closed my eyes. I activated my Spirit Sense and sent my detection across the entire field. Soon, I located the wolves. They had circled behind us from about 100 yards out. I slowly turned my body until I was facing the wolves. I lifted my right hand and pointed a finger at the predators. "The wolves are about 100 yards that way," I reported.

The men started to move in that direction when I stopped them. "Hold it! If you go in like that, they will simply move around you. You need to encircle them and then trap them inside the circle. Now, here's how we'll do this. Van, you're going to be the anchor. I want you to stay here for now. I'm going to lead the men in a circle around the wolves and put them in position. When I give the signal for you to move, you will slowly move forward and tighten the circle around the wolves. If they try to break through, attack them and yell out," I ordered.

"Yes, milord!" the guards saluted in unison.

I turned and looked at Kuerten. "I need you to stay with your uncle and be his backup," I ordered.

The boy made a sour expression but nodded.

I then turned my head toward Dovarata. "Please join Rijana. She may need your protection if the wolves run toward her."

The dracon nodded.

I activated Navigation Sense and marked the location of the skeletal remains on my mental map. Then I took the information from my Spirit Sense and added it to my map. The wolves were a big red dot. There were also other red dots, depicting dangerous animals in the field. The red dots were in a cluster, meaning that they were together in one location. The green dots before me were the people under my command. I waved at them and began to walk in a circle around the wolves.

Treating Kuerten/Weston as one unit and Dovarata/Rijana as another unit, there were 12 units to place around the wolves. Using Van as the unit at the 6 o'clock position, I placed the six knights at the 7 through 12 o'clock positions. Then Kuerten/Weston took 1 o'clock, followed by Bila, Bjoukin, Dovarata/Rijnana, Bjoukia, and finally myself at the 6 o'clock post, joining Van as the anchor.

Once I confirmed, via my Spirit Sense, that all the units were in place, I called out, "March!" I saw that everyone obeyed my command and began to move toward the hiding place of the wolves.

Somehow, the wolves sensed the approach of my men and began to move. But in every direction they ran toward, they encountered a hunter and was driven back. Finally, the two wolves positioned themselves tail-to-tail and bared their sharp canines at us. Suddenly, the wolves charged in two different directions.

We rushed in and attacked the animals. Since we vastly outnumbered the wolves, we quickly put them down.

When the fighting was over, the men cheered and slapped each other's back.

I raised my hand to draw their attention. "It's not over yet. We have to get the snakes, too."

The knights groaned but lined up before me.

"I need two strong volunteers to drag the bodies of the wolves out of the field," I said.

One of the men shook his head. "Pardon, milord, but the wolves are too heavy for us to drag solo."

I pointed at his tower shield. "You could put a body on your shield, tie a rope, and drag the shield through the field."

"We don't have ropes."

I turned toward Dovarata, who offered a big grin as she took a rope out of her Bag of Holding.

The men quickly decided amongst themselves who will drag the bodies out. Then a long rope was tied to each volunteer's shield handle.

As the volunteers departed under the watchful eyes of their companions, I closed my eyes and activated my Spirit Sense again. I quickly located the snakes' den and started walking toward it. Unfortunately, the den was located on the other end of the field. But thankfully, it was far away from the orphanage.

I jogged across the field and reached the den of snakes within 20 minutes. I waited patiently for those under my command to arrive. The snakes were in a pit hidden by a fallen log. There were about a dozen of them in all. I stared at the pit as I pondered how to fight them. While I COULD cast Fireball or Lightning Bolt, I was concerned that I will start a fire. How could I prevent the fire from spreading?

I turned and looked at Dovarata. I remembered the basalt golem which was under her control back in the dragon's lair. After my party defeated the golem, she was able to fix it overnight. Perhaps, she had an idea. "Dovarata, do you have any spells that would create a solid wall to surround the snake pit?" I asked.

The dracon nodded. "How about a Wall of Earth?" she suggested.

"Please go ahead," I requested.

Dovarata closed her eyes and envisioned the wall in her mind. She poured mana into her vision. The earth shot up from the ground and a wall of earth encircled the pit, trapping the snakes within.

"Perfect!" I praised her, causing the dracon to puff up her chest.

"Can I finish the job and eradicate the snakes?" she offered.

"Thank you."

Without warning, Dovarata unfurled her wings and took off. She gained attitude and maneuvered in the air until the snake pit was below her. She opened her mouth and unleashed her dragon breath! A column of fire poured into the pit and roasted the snakes instantly! After a few seconds, Dovarata shut her mouth and landed on the ground next to me. "How's that?"

Knowing her personality and her desire for praise, I applauded her. "Great job, Dovarata!" I gave a sideways glance to everyone else and they immediately clapped their hands loudly.

"Bravo! Bravo!" the people cheered. In truth, the guards and noblemen were both scared of her and in awe of me for my ability to control such a dangerous creature.

I closed my eyes and activated my Spirit Sense again. Reading the auras of the remaining creatures within the field, I confirmed that the dangerous animals were gone. I turned to the guards and the noblemen. "I need to stay here and watch the fire to ensure that it doesn't spread. There is no need for the senior and junior Lord Paget to waste their time by remaining here with me. Please take the guards and return to the orphanage. I'm sure the Headmistress is anxiously awaiting the result of our hunt."

The two noblemen looked at the burning flames over the Wall of Earth and then looked at me. "Yes, you're right. We should go back and report the success of this mission," Weston nodded. "Let's go, nephew." He started walking away with the boy following closely behind. The guards followed the two.

Once they were gone, Rijana spoke up. "Milord, there's no need to wait here for hours for the flames to burn out. You could use water magic to extinguish the flames," she suggested.

I thought for a moment and then accepted her suggestion. "I can cast Iceball."

Rijana nodded. "It's a good opportunity to practice and increase your skill in water magic," my magic instructor pointed out.

I looked at the wall. Iceball required line-of-sight to designate the target location. The wall was preventing me from casting the spell at the pit. I turned back toward Rijana. "Can I borrow your levitating disc?" I asked.

The enchanter looked at the wall and understood why. "Sure." She reached into her Bag of Holding and pulled out the magic disc. She approached the wall and then set the disc on the ground 5 feet from the wall.

"Thank you," I said. I stepped on the disc and commanded it to rise until I stood some two dozen feet in the air.

Dovarata joined me and hovered nearby; she was concerned that I will fall off the disc.

I started casting Iceball and tossing them into the pit. Unfortunately, I had not created a link to a water-based leyline and thus, I had to power the spell with my own mana. Each casting drew almost a quarter of my mana pool. This meant I had to stop and drink a mana potion after four Iceballs were cast. I repeated the process three times and cast a dozen Iceballs in total before the flames were finally put out.

Once that occurred, I commanded the levitating disc to return to the ground. I sat down and closed my eyes. I was mentally exhausted from casting so many Iceballs. After a few minutes of rest, I belatedly pulled my tired body off the ground. Bila and Dovarata immediately took my arms and helped me walk back to the orphanage.