Dame Isough came out to meet me.

  The plain woman in her late fifties with graying brown hair did not look happy.

  “Master Byler!” Her voice shrieked.

  Yeah, she was mad at me for something.

  “Master Byler! What Are you doing?!” She stomped almost up to my nose.

  “Hey, it’s kind of an emergency. Do you know where the other masters are?” I tried to move around her, but she blocked my path.

  “Yes it is an emergency! How can you call yourself a role model for these young children when you’re running on the beach naked where everyone can see?”

  I blinked and studied her face to see if she was serious. “The lumberjacks wear their undershorts while they’re working.”

  “And you don’t see any of them strutting around on the beach where the children can see them.” She clicked her tongue. “Have you no shame? No wonder poor Zig’s mind is rotten, with a role model like you to look up to. Put some clothes on!”

  She turned and stomped away.

  I stood on the beach, too stunned to move, then hurried to the treeline and put on my clothes that hadn’t had time to dry. Once I had on the padding layer and the leathers, I came out of the woods and continued my journey up the beach. I didn’t see Dame Isough or any of the kids on the beach, but after that rant, I assumed that she would have taken them somewhere that they wouldn’t be able to see me if I hadn’t heeded her demand.

  Val was with the lumberjacks, which were further up the beach somewhere. The person who was the easiest to find was Eveth. She was working with the crew that was building the wall. Her ability to make a barrier in front of her, allowed the people standing the logs up to not have to worry about standing it up too fast and it falling over.

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  “Eveth!” I waved at her as soon as I saw her. The wall was about half finished, with the half facing the water the side that was complete.

  “Get the next ones in place and we’ll set them when I get back!” The blonde woman waved at the people on the other side to the wall as I walked towards her.

  “Master Byler, what do you need?” Her voice came out as a soothing song, even though she was speaking normally.

  “Where are the other Masters?” I looked around, but didn’t see them. I really should have told Dame Isough to get the kids in the storehouse when she was lecturing me about modesty.

  “Master Fyga is up the beach with Dame Isough and the kids. Master Val is…” She gestured further inland. “That way.” Her brow scrunched as she studied me. “What’s wrong?”

  “Grab-” I almost said Val, but I really didn’t want another run-in with Dame Isough. “Fyga and tell Dame Isough to get the kids in the storehouse.” I looked around, but Marshal Emes wasn’t anywhere I could see. “If you see Marshal Emes, tell him to gather up the workers and start working on dinner. We’re done for today.”

  “Gotcha!” She was only eighteen, but she had been with the Wranglers long enough that she knew that taking the time to question an order you didn’t understand could be the difference between everyone surviving and lots of people dying. She turned to the workers who were just coming back with another log.

  “HEY!” She twirled her finger in the air. “That’s it for today. Start gathering people up and let’s start on dinner.”

  The group cheered and split up as they went to spread the word. Eveth gave me a thumbs up, then turned and took off towards the beach.

  I swallowed as I watched her jog away. Something felt very, very off, but I couldn’t tell what it was. Sir Kaeso didn’t act like a Bokor and he was willing to put people’s lives in danger just so he could get something out of it. That was the most un-Bokor thing he could do.

  The problem was. If he wasn’t with the Bokor, then what did he have that was powerful enough to beat at least two Bokor to get a flag and a sword?

  I pushed the thought out of my mind. First I needed to get everyone together, then we could talk about worst case scenarios. Despite resolving not to, my mind didn’t stop playing the worst what-ifs that could happen as I ran through the woods looking for a group of lumberjacks and a Bokor.

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