When DG opened her blue eyes early the next morning, she found six sets of beady ones looking right back at her. With a gasp she sat up and discovered that she was surrounded. Everywhere she looked, there were more mice. They sat on their gear and the horses' saddles, stumps, logs, whatever. There had to be hundreds of them. Across the smoldering fire, Raw was lying flat on his back, still asleep, but giggling as four or five of the little creatures ran up and down his stomach.

Confused, but not precisely uneasy, DG reached out to grab Jeb's shoulder and give it a shake

"Jeb. Jeb, wake up."

There was a groan as he came back to consciousness. He scrubbed his face with his hands. "It's a little early even for you."

"We have company."

Jeb raised up on his elbows and started. "Geez."

From the pack, one particularly brazen brown mouse ran forward and plopped down on his haunches before Jeb. The whiskers quivered a bit.

"We are grateful, good sir." DG bit back a gasp as the small creature spoke. It was not the high cartoony voice one might expect, but rather a mellow and stately tone.

Jeb took it in stride admirably though a fleeting shadow of shock passed over his features. "What service have I done you, friend?"

Again, the whiskers twitched. "Last evening, you saved her Royal Majesty, the Queen of the Mice from almost certain death."

DG smiled when Jeb's mouse, the one he had pulled from the stream, trotted up to sit alongside the first. She was more regal and had a dignified air about her. "I am deeply indebted to you, Jeb. There are not many of your kind that would have bothered with the likes of me."

"It was my pleasure to be of service." Jeb carefully moved to a sitting position. He inclined his head as a sign of respect.

The little mouse queen held her head high. "Mortimer, if you please."

The brown mouse cleared his throat. "I hereby name you Sir Jeb, Knight of the Mouse Realm, Savior to her Royal Majesty, Queen Pavel."

"I accept this great honor proudly."

This seemed to please all of the mice very much. They bounced around happily. And even still, Raw slept on.

"I also have a gift for you." Queen Pavel looked over her shoulder.

From the woods came six mice, supporting a long, silver whistle not unlike the one DG had seen used to call dogs. The furry little Honor Guard scurried over and presented it to Jeb.

"When you have need," The Mouse Queen said as he accepted it. "Just call us. My subjects will come and obey your commands."

Jeb nodded again. "Thank you . . . Your Majesty."

The little creature gazed at him, wisdom in her small eyes. "I urge you to not underestimate this gift, Sir Jeb. You may find us more capable then you know. Small, yes. But also determined and cunning."

"I promise I'll use it if I have need."

The mouse then turned unexpectedly to DG. "Young Highness, please pass along my well-wishes to your mother."

"Of course, Your Majesty." Oh, yeah. Her mother was going to hear about this! Why hadn't anyone told her mice could talk in the O.Z.? She loved this place.

"Thank you again for your kindness, Sir Jeb." The Queen Mouse said as her followers began to disperse. "We leave you to your journey."

And with that, the guard reformed around Queen Pavel and quickly escorted her back into the safety of the dense forest leaf litter. Jeb stared at the whistle in his hand and then looked to DG. "What do you think about that?"

"No good deed goes unpunished." She chirped back, smiling.

Jeb gave an amused "huh" as Raw suddenly came back to the land of the living, his senses picking up on the vestiges of all the little souls that had just left the clearing. "What happened?"

DG laughed as she began to pick up her bedroll. "Raw, you could sleep through anything. Jeb just got knighted."

The Viewer looked at her quizzically. "Knighted?"

Beside her, Jeb was rolling the Queen Mouse's gift between his fingers. "This trip just keeps getting weirder."

Cain ducked as Glitch aimed a fist for his head. "How could you do that?"

Spinning away, he grabbed his friend's arm and managed to pin it to his back. Glitch's anger had made him less precise and Cain was glad for it. He seriously doubted that he could have taken him hand-to-hand, given Cain's current state of health and Glitch's physical prowess.

With just the weight his body, Cain forced Glitch to his knees. "Listen to me."

Glitch fought it, but really didn't have any choice but to hear. "Get off!"

"We're going after her." Cain stuck with him as he struggled. "But if we had charged back into that apartment, we'd be dead and she wouldn't stand a chance."

Glitch stopped struggling. "She should have come down the tunnel with us."

"She bought us time." The passage came out in an abandoned building beside the LaRue's apartment complex. "They would have found us immediately if she hadn't."

In the lull of the storm, Connalee had led them to a small, underground bunker she said that had been used to store stolen merchandise before it was sent to cities in the north. The crime ring that had apparently used it had shifted its base of operations to where they could better supply the goods for demand.

Glitch was still a tightened coil beneath him. Cain said softly. "I know what you're going through, all right? But we won't lose her. I promise."

The man relaxed and Cain released his grip on his wrists. Before he could move, Glitch wheeled on him and clipped him right across the jaw with his fist. It was a pretty good punch and it sprawled the Tin Man across the concrete floor. He wasn't jumping right back to his up, that was for sure.

Glitch appeared in his line of vision, the anger replaced by concern. "Cain?"

"Feel better?"

"Not particularly." He put a hand under Cain's shoulders and helped him to a sitting position. "Are you all right?"

"I'll live." I think. He looked to Dr. LaRue. "Sorry for the dramatics."

"It's understandable." Bren cawed from his shoulder as LaRue smiled.

Cain sighed. "We need a plan."

"Well, we were kind of already working on one." Glitch reached into his jacket and pulled out a small, metal sphere. It was about the size of a small grapefruit and extremely uninspiring.

"What is that?"

"It's an Argoninan gas bomb."

Clearly, this was supposed to mean something in Glitch-speak. "And?"

"Dr. LaRue was explaining to me about the Tempest's power source. The generator has a Seladium power core."

"And?" Cain prompted again, trying to remember to be patient.

"Seladium is a very precious and rare element." LaRue took up the thread. "When a bit of electricity is passed through it, it omits a great deal of energy."

"How much energy?" Cain asked.

"Enough for a hundred grams of the stuff to power Central City for two years." Glitch told him.

"That's why Zero has been rounding up villagers." Cain put it together. "This stuff has to be mined doesn't it?"

"Yes," LaRue said grimly, "And fortunately for the Suket, the territory that they inhabit sits upon one of the largest supplies of Seladium ever discovered."

Cain sighed. "Of course it does."

"But this," Glitch hefted the sphere. "Can neutralize the core. Argonian gas reacts with Seladium. Just a little bit will cause the entire machine to implode."

Cain was still doubtful as he looked at the contraption. "That's what you two were working on yesterday?"

The scientists nodded.

"Where'd you get the materials?"

"It's made from everyday kitchen items." LaRue replied proudly. "Frying pan for the casing, clock gears for the detonator. I sent Connalee for some fireworks from which to distill the gas."

Cain rubbed his temples. He was going to fight a civilization of demented snow demons with a recycled frying pan. "Are you sure this is going to work?"

"Reasonably." Glitch looked at him intently. "The only question is how we're going to get Azkadellia out of there before we blow the sucker."

"We'll think of something."

The door to the bunker opened and Connalee's lithe form slipped through it. Since she knew the city better than the others, reconnaissance had fallen to her. "The snow has stopped, it is headed north."

"The Suket are using the last of the light to speed their return to the Unnamed Mountains." LaRue reasoned.

"The last of the light?" Glitch repeated. "You mean the last of DG's light?"

"I'm afraid without the bearer to regenerate it, the light will be extinguished." LaRue replied.

Cain sighed. All this trouble and he wasn't even going to be able to get the kid her Light back. "We can't worry about that, now. We need to save Azkadellia."

"With a path of cold and ice from Tempest to guide them, they can move day and night."

"Then we haven't got a lot of time." Cain stood up. "Connalee."

"Yes?"

"I need you to ride to Finaqua. Report directly to the Queen and tell her everything that has happened." He looked to Glitch. "Tell her that Ambrose and I are going after her daughter and any help she can send would be more than welcome."

The woman looked to her father. He smiled. "I can look after myself now, child. You have more important matters to attend."

She nodded resolutely. "I shall be there by tomorrow morning."

With a quick squeeze and a beseeching plea to remain safe to her father, the young woman headed for the door. "Ms. LaRue?"

She turned back at Cain's call. "Yes?"

"If we make it through this, just remember that the Tin Men are still looking for a few good people."

She smiled before she disappeared through the door.

Cain turned to Glitch. "How's your rhythm?"

"As good as ever." He said determinedly.

Cain nodded. "Then let's get going."