If you've been reading my journal, you already know who I am. My name is Rebeka Cooper. I'm a puppy training to be a Dog in Provost's Guard. I am sane enough—excepting the fact that I choose to be a Dog. I am not mad. This tale is TRUE. I met my six-times great grandson.

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Like most of my troubles lately, this "adventure" started with Rosto the Piper, now known as the Rogue. One afternoon, Pounce and I were minding our own business, wandering through Cesspool. It was my day off, and I was determined to avoid trouble. Then trouble found me.

I was buying an apple when I saw Rosto swaggering in my direction. His gait is still powerful and smooth. Since he became the Rogue, there's more arrogance in the way he holds himself. I scowled. I didn't want to play Dog and Rusher right then.

"Beka, my love, I have a surprise for you." He leaned over to plant a kiss on my cheek, but stopped when he caught the look in my eyes. I'd nap-tap him then and there, and he knew it. His pet voice is too sickly sweet for my tastes.

"It's something every Dog should have." He purred.

I crossed my arms and looked at him warily. "Show it to Goodwin and Tunstall. They're the Dogs around here. I'm just a puppy." I reminded him.

"Oh, they'd make you a Dog if you had this, I'm certain." Something about the way he said it caught my attention. I knew Rosto was baiting me, and he's good at it. However, there was something more. Like Tunstall once said, the Rogue looked like a rat with cheese in his whiskers.

"Lead on then." I replied gruffly. I'm not a glory hound, but Dog work is what I do.

Pounce took one moment to study the Rogue, and then turned tail for home. "You want to follow the lunatic, do it by yourself. I'm going to borrow some of the kitten's cream. Aniki is overfeeding them."

Rosto led me to Berryman's offices. I scowled. This meant Berryman was working with the Rogue. People in this city just couldn't stay straight.

As we entered, I found that Berryman's office was clouded with smoke. I coughed and covered my mouth. I hadn't seen anything unusual outside, which meant he had illusions in place. My tripes warned me this wasn't going to end well.

Berryman was somewhere in the middle of the room. He'd tied a piece of cloth over his mouth to stop the smoke from getting into his lungs. I lifted the hem of my shirt to cover my own mouth and nose.

"Here." The mage's voice was muffled from the cloth. "It took near three opals to generate enough power, but I've got it!" He had a boy's enthusiasm for new toys.

I twiddled my baton nervously. "What did you get?" I asked sharply.

Berryman peered down at me, surprised. He hadn't even noticed I was there. "It's an experiment. Today is Midsummer, the day when the paths of the Divine and mortal realms are the easiest to cross. If my calculations are correct, I'll be able to create a working, useable gate to the realms of the gods!"

I gasped in horror. Unfortunately, I also inhaled a good deal of smoke. As I spluttered, Rosto pounded me on the back. "Nothing serious." He assured me. "I want to see what's on the other side. You should come along. Mithros could use a lecture on moral codes." He added.

My eyes watered, and it was hard to convey disgust through the cloud of smoke. "Impossible." I coughed. "This isn't the work of an everyday mage. Masters have been killed over les—

"Ah puppy, but I have a book, you see! Our Rosto got his ticklers on one of the ancient texts used to lock the immortals away in the divine realms. They built a gate of sorts, and now I'm going open that gate so the Rogue can have his vacation." The Berryman beamed with pride.

Something behind him sparked and flashed. "Almost noon." He muttered, turning back to the experiments. He'd set up a doorframe in the middle of the room, and he began tossing liquids through it as he chanted. My bones creaked, I could swear I felt the air tingling, and I saw Rosto shiver. I looked around; the door had sucked up all the smoke in the room.

As I peered through the frame, I caught a glimpse of impossibly green hills, soft blue skies, and trees unlike any I'd ever seen. Someone pushed me, and I fell.

My last thought was that of regret. It was a pity I was going to die before having a chance to kill Rosto myself.