"Prisoners of the Phantom Realm"

[dochermes]

"Prisoners of the Phantom Realm"

(4/20-4/22/2001)

I.

By mid-April, the "phantom people" sightings had increased to the point where the public was getting uneasy. One or two sightings could be explained away as delusions or hoaxery but when people were seeing the phantoms on a daily basis, it got to be unsettling. The pattern was simple. Someone would glance up and see a person where they logically should not be... standing atop a city bus as it pulled out of the Lincoln Tunnel, walking out of an office that had been empty and locked a second earlier, standing on a window ledge twenty stories up. They were always gone within a few seconds and made no attempt to communicate or respond to attempts. The phantoms just appeared from nowhere and disappeared as quickly. Their strange pale skins and brightly colored robes didn't help stem the impending panic.

On April 20th, Inspector Harold Klein got out of his personal car and told the officer driving him to wait. Klein was a year past the usual retirement age but he held on because he felt he was needed as liaison between the NYPD and the KDF. There was not much black left in the curly white hair at this point, and he had realized he was an inch shorter than he had been the previous spring. Now, on a warm sunny spring morning, despite the pain in his legs and his constant fatigue, he stood on the sidewalk of East 38th Street and looked up at the old ten story building he had visited so many times. Five stone steps led up to a massive oak door which bore the number 28 and a brass plaque, KENNETH DRED FOUNDATION. Klein pressed the doorbell and instantly a young woman's voice chirped gleefully, "Hi, Inspector! Come on in." He could hear locks unbolting and he pulled the door open.

By now, Klein had accepted he was being scanned as he stood in the small foyer with its bench and a shelf with a flower pot and the framed oil painting of a gnomish old man, KENNETH DRED 1900-1979. He could not feel anything, no even a tingle, but he was being probed by devices more detailed and advanced than any MRI. After a few seconds, the inner door opened and Unicorn admitted him. Klein knew he was old when a pretty blonde teenager looked like a little kid to him and inspired not lustful thoughts but grandfatherly ones. Oh well.

Ashley Whitaker was just over five feet tall and one hundred pounds, slim and curvy and full of life. She had platinum blonde hair that hung straight to her shoulders, crystal blue eyes and a smile that was like a flashbulb going off. Today, she was wearing snug white jeans and a dark green T-shirt and, disconcertingly, she was holding a large clunky-looking pistol in one little hand. "Hey there," she said.

"Hiya, Unicorn. You fixing to shoot me?"

"What, with this thing? Nah, I have to practice stripping and reassembling it. Don't ask me why. Sable gives us these dumb assignments. I've got it down to a minute and a half, but she thinks I should be able to do it in thirty seconds flat. Anyway. Whazzup?"

"Like always. There's something weird going on and the brass sends me to recruit you kids. Everyone here? Can I see Bane?"

"Sure," she answered, ushering him in. The team is scattered at the moment but our captain is right inside. Follow me." Swinging the heavy dart gun in one hand, Unicorn led him across the hall to the open door of the reception room. Here, sitting behind a desk and reading from a stack of newspapers, was a gaunt man dressed all in black. As Klein entered, Jeremy Bane raised his head and the pale grey eyes were for once friendly.

"Inspector. Always a good sign when you drop by." Bane stood up as Klein took a chair in front of the desk and then dropped back into his own seat. The Dire Wolf straightened the newspapers and put them to one side.

Ashley pulled one of the leatherbound chairs closer and plopped down. "Lay it on us, inspector."
"I'm sure you folks have been following these phantom people reports. My superiors called me in and wondered why I haven't got any solid information for them. By that, they mean, why haven't I come here on my own and dragged you into the problem?"

"All unofficial and off the record and the NYPD will deny any knowledge of the KDF," Bane said. "As usual."

"Sure."

Unicorn snorted. "That sucks if you ask me. We deserve a parade and some medals in my opinion."

Bane did not comment. He leaned forward and said, "Lieutenant, we've been working together for what, ten years now? Ever since I caught Dos Manos. So I wanted you to know that soon you will be bringing these mysteries to Sable. She's taking over as head of the KDF. I'm stepping down in a week or so."

"Wait, what? You retiring? The Dire Wolf? I don't believe it."

"No, not retiring. I'm opening my PI business again. You know I've kept my license active and I'm leasing an office over on 44th Street. It'll be like when we first met, before I started the new KDF team." Bane raised an eyebrow and gave the faintest possible smile. "I even kept the name DIRE WOLF AGENCY registered."

Klein did not know what to say. "Well. This.. this takes me by surprise. How come?"

"The new team is ready to operate by themselves. If I stay here, they will never get a chance to come into their own. Cindy and I will always be the parents butting in. It's time."

Unicorn said, "None of us like the idea. But I suppose our captain will pop in once a while. When we need help or when he misses us and particularly when he misses his favorite member. By that, I mean me, of course."

"Of course, Ashley. Inspector, so far we don't know any more about these phantom sightings than you do. But we will look into it. Fair enough?"

"As long as it gets my boss off my back. You know, he never straight out tells me to go drag you folks into weird mysteries and horrible crimes, we are both just taken for granted."

As Klein stiffly got to his feet, Unicorn came over and took his arm. "Aw, you guys wouldn't have it any other way. Come on, Inspector. Hey, let me ask you something about police work. When you do a stake out, how do you guys deal with having to pee?" she chatted as she led him out of the room.

Left behind, Jeremy Bane was thoughtful. He knew he was doing the right thing by stepping down but naturally he had misgivings. With a repressed sigh, he thumbed a switch on the desk and made an announcement over the Links everyone carried. "All members gather immediately in the conference room for a new case. The war is on again."

II.

It took twenty minutes for the full team to assemble. Argent was last to arrive, he had been down in Tribeca trying different teas at a bistro and flirting with a waitress. Finally, Bane called the meeting to order and explained what Klein had requested. "I figured we would look into it. So far, there does not seem to be any threat. No one has been harmed. But it is mysterious and the average citizens are in more of a panic than usual." He looked over the team. "Open for suggestions?"

Trom Girl spoke up first. Megan Salenger was a Human orphan who had been raised by the Trom to serve as liaison between the two Races. In exchange for Tel Shai membership, she provided some advanced technology. "If you look at your Links, you will see I have plotted these so-called 'phantom sightings' of the past month. No evident pattern is visible. The frequency is increasing rapidly, though."

"Are these, well... ghosts?" asked Argent. "Back in Chujir, we believe the spirits of our ancestors are always present to some extent. But I've never heard of a KDF case involving ghosts."

"There weren't any," Bane said."I'm not saying there are no such things, but we certainly have never encountered ghosts."

"I have a theory," said Sable quietly. She took a breath and launched into "What if these are visitors from one of the adjacent realms? Visitors who can't quite materialize? We're used to people from Androval or Ulgor just showing up in our world, providing they have the knowledge. Maybe there is a realm where the inhabitants haven't quite figured it out yet. They come here but can only manage to stay for a few seconds."

"Makes sense. I like it, but theories need evidence." Bane stood up. "I suggest you divide up and investigate. Check out the locations where the phantoms were seen, interview the people who saw them. I will be back in a few hours."

"Where are you going?" Unicorn asked immediately, with a touch of anxiety.

"I want to do some research. I'll return soon." He headed from the room, saying over one shoulder, "Sable, you're in command of course."

"Understood." Lauren Sable Reilly rose and went to take the chair at the head of the table. She took a deep breath. "Very well. Obviously, Trom Girl will be taking readings with her instruments and I will be using my sensory powers. Argent, you will accompany Megan and Josef will go with me. Levon, you and Ashley will be trying to get information from those who have seen these phantoms. Let Ashley do the talking, she has a way of getting people to open up." Seeing the pleased smirk on the little blonde's face, Sable added, "When she can stop talking and give them a chance."

"Hey! No fair."

"Civilian clothing, to be less conspicuous. Use your own judgement on reporting in, but I will check everyone for updates at intervals. It's ten-thirty. Let's set an arbitrary cut-off point of six PM to report back here."

"I'll be starved by then, anyway," Unicorn volunteered. "You ready there, Levon?"

"I want to change first," said the human host of the Black Lion as he stood up and left the room. Going to his private quarters, the young American black man stripped off his baggy pants and sweatshirt. Over a year spent as a Tel Shai knight had tightened and defined his body until the muscles stood out like bundles of wire. Levon was quite dark, with short-cropped hair and a serious, withdrawn face. The most striking feature about him was that his irises were a bright cat-green that flashed from his face with their own lambent flame. Those eyes had been brown a few months ago.

Standing in his room, with its stacks of magazines and half-empty water bottles and discarded shirts, Levon Bingham held the silk-thin Trom armor in his hands for long minutes before reluctantly tugging it on. More and more, he felt he should start discarding the gadgets and gimmicks. He had the Cat's-Claw. What more could he need? Levon got into tan work boots, blue jeans and a plain white T-shirt under a black button-front shirt he left unbuttoned and untucked. As he threaded the holster through his belt and stuck the dart gun in behind his hip where the shirt would hide it, he felt the same unhappiness. Why carry a dart gun? He could call on the Black Lion.

Dropping uneasily into a wooden chair by his bed, Levon lowered his head and thought. He would have to discuss this soon. He felt like he needed to discard and eliminate and get back to basics, to run free...

"Hey, did you fall in or something?" called Unicorn from outside the door. "Time to roll, buddy."

Despite himself, Levon smiled and went to the door. Unicorn. She would never change. Life was so simple for her.

Argent went to the bathroom across the hall, scrubbed his hands and face and inspected himself in the mirror. Not more than five feet six but wide and stock, Sheng Mo-Yuan looked Chinese but wasn't. He was from the realm of Chujir, and his people were related to modern Asians in a distant way; Chujirans themselves said they were the ancestors of the Han people but there was nothing to support this except tradition. Sheng had coarse black hair and a double eyelid fold, but his hawklike nose gave him an ambiguous look. He had been wearing sneakers, jeans and a dark blue polo shirt with red trim on the collar and sleeves, and saw no reason to change. Heading back to the conference room, he found Megan was the only one still there.

Here at the headquarters building, Megan Salenger habitually wore her dark jumpsuit with all its pockets and pouches and belt with gadgets attached. Even the gravity shield disc was already fastened between her shoulder blades. Her foxlike inquisitive face under a shock of black hair turned as Sheng entered and she said, "All set, Argent?"

"Well, I am. But you can't walk around like that, Trom Girl. You look like a repairman for Central Hudson going up to fix power lines."

"Is that a compliment? I can never tell." She picked up an oversized white blouse and tugged it down over her head. Its long sleeves, high collar and loose fit was good camouflage over the jumpsuit. "Ashley gave me this, she said I need to be more girly once in awhile."

"It looks fine," Argent said. "Actually, I like it. You should let her pick some outfits for you."

"We'll see. I gather the others have taken the cars, so you and I must walk. We will begin with the nearest phantom sighting and proceed outward."

"Sounds logical. And yes, I know everything you do is logical and rational and clear-minded. I'm glad I was raised to enjoy my feelings." Sheng followed her out of the room.

Pulling out of the dead-end alley behind the headquarters building, Josef Jubilic eased into traffic and made a right at the corner. He was the oldest of the new team, although only twenty-nine, and the only one who had a career on his own before joining the KDF. Despite his sandy hair and blue eyes and East European features, Josef had actually grown up in Chujir, not a hundred miles from where Sheng had been born. Josef was one of the Blind Archers, a sect of mercenaries who used blindfolds to bring out their mystic perception and give perfect accuracy to their shots. How he had broken away from the sect, how much he had been forced to fight for his freedom, was something he never mentioned.

"On the road," he said in his vague accent. "Where to, Sable?"'

"The Museum of Natural History," she answered. Sable was dressed in a dark brown pantsuit with a white silk blouse. Not only did this help conceal the weapons she carried, the effect made her look older than her twenty-one years and more professional. Daughter of an Irishman from Australia and a black Cuban, Lauren Sable Reilly had black hair brushed straight back, a pug nose and a wide jawline. She was not strikingly pretty as Ashley was, but the thoughtfulness in her expression drew people to her.

"Unicorn and Levon were going near Central Park and I imagine Megan and Argent will handle the closer instances. Since both cars were claimed," she added.

"Let's get to work," Josef said. "How do you feel about this case, honestly?"

"I don't know why it worries me. Somehow, I can't shake the feeling that there is a real threat behind this but what? I want to get some information fast, Josef."

The Blind Archer smiled confidently. "What is there that the seven of us can't handle?"


III.

On Eighth Avenue, Bane walked into a sports bar that had a hockey game playing on a big-screen TV. Bleak was there, as he had hoped, sitting in a booth toward the back with a newspaper and an empty plate. He spotted the Dire Wolf, there was not much Bleak missed. He had to be in his seventies by now and he looked it, a small lean man with white-blond hair and faded blue eyes in a lined face. In his day, Bleak had been a bitter and dangerous fighter in the Midnight War but for years he had been content to function as someone who merely gathered information and relayed messages and stayed out of the mayhem.

"Hey," said Bane. "I'm getting lunch. You want anything?

"A cheeseburger would be nice. Maybe iced tea, too early for serious beer drinking," came the deceptively mild voice. Bane went to the bar, got Bleak's order and a hot roast beef sandwich for himself and brought everything back to the booth. As he sat down, the Dire Wolf felt uncomfortable having his back to the door but he trusted Bleak to keep an eye open.

"There's gossip about you, old buddy," Bleak said as he sipped the iced tea. "People see you at that building on 44th where the EMERGENCY ONE clinic is. One snoop said she found out you started leasing an office there."

"Yep. I'm opening my detective agency again. I'll be there most days nine to six. Just Midnight War cases, maybe a serial killer or maniac as they pop up, nothing that other agencies handle." He took a huge bite and started chewing, frowning at the onions. He hadn't asked for onions.

"What about the kids on 38th Street? Your new KDF?"

"They're ready to work on their own. Cindy is spending more and more time at Tel Shai and I'll have my agency. They'll be fine."

"Never match the original Kenneth Dred Foundation, though," Bleak said. "What a crew. Michael Hawk, for God's sake. Khang. A Trom Monitor. Shiro Mitsuru, Ted Wright.. you guys were all-stars."

"Life goes on," Bane replied. "Listen, I wanted to ask you about these 'phantom people' sightings."

"Ah, I was wondering if you were going to tackle that. They're getting more common every day and frankly people are in conniptions. No one has any solid information yet but I'm asking around. I'll let you know as soon as I find anything."

"All I can ask. Anything else I might find interesting?"

"Hmmm. Not much. Colonel Moon was reported checking into the Statler with an aide. He's usually trouble. And a body washed up on Brighton Beach that had a strange symbol carved on its chest, like a circle with a V across it. But the Midnight War is in a slump. I think you've wiped out so many bad boys that the ones left are behaving."

"If only. There'll always be new ones. Thanks, Bleak, take care." Bane left money for the food and slid two folded fifty dollar bills under the blond man's plate. Bleak nodded and watched the Dire Wolf leave the bar, then dug into his cheeseburger.

IV.

At 58th Street, just short of Central Park, Ashley Whitaker found a decent spot against all odds. She slid the Toyota Camry in without having to parallel park and gave Levon a blissful smile. The Black Lion smiled back and said, "You have the damndest luck. I would be driving around for half an hour."

"It's because I am just such a wonderful person," she answered. Before getting out, she leaned over and got her talisman out of the back seat. This was a tan leather sheath, three feet long and thick as two fingers. As she jumped out of the car, she strapped it across her back and adjusted it carefully so the pointed end was down. Ashley did not have any unusual powers of her own, it was this actual Unicorn horn that qualified her for KDF membership. She tightened the strap across her chest and glanced down, "This kind of draws attention to my boobs, though," she said.

Levon Bingham got out of the passenger side and put coins in the meter. His own talisman hung under his shirt on an ensalir chain. The ancient Claw of Wakimbe, a curved seven-inch talon that made him heir to the Black Lion. The longer he wore it, the more he felt alienated and foreign to the city. He had grown up here. He had lived here all his life, but now he was not certain any more that New York was meant to be his home. Levon gazed out at the huge impressive buildings and heard the din of traffic and he felt like it was pushing him away. He wanted quiet, a hot sun in a blue sky, grass and dirt under his bare feet...

Unicorn dope-slapped him lightly on the back of the head. "Hey! Levon! Where do you go when you drift away like that?"

"I was just thinking," he answered. "All right. We're here to talk to someone who saw a phantom. You have the address?"

"Yes indeed," she said and started trotted along the sidewalk. Following compliantly, Levon focussed his thoughts on the matter at hand. Two black men his own age walked past, laughing about something, and he felt no kinship with them. They were not really HIS people. With a real effort, Levon concentrated on where he was and what he was doing. Ashley had stopped in front of a storefront that had SNYDER'S WATCHES in silver script on the window. They walked in, a bell over the door tinkling, and a woman in her forties looked up. She was heavy, dressed well to conceal it, and had a head of wild black curls. She took her glasses off and said, "Good morning."

"Hi!" sang out Unicorn cheerfully. "My name is Ashley and this is Levon, we're here to pester you about what you saw last week, no no, I realize you're sick of talking about it but we're different. See, we are from the Kenneth Dred Foundation. Here's my ID, this real official laminated card with my picture and everything, we are sort of ghostbusters and monster hunters, you know?"

Ashley's barrage of chat took most people off guard and she nearly always won people over because she was so bare-faced and unselfconscious about it. In a few minutes, she had Mrs Alice Stein telling her story again in greater detail, without fear of being ridiculed or dismissed. She was been out on her lunch break when she spotted a man standing in a doorway watching her. He was tall, maybe two inches over six feet but thin and frail. He had very pale skin, but he wasn't an albino because his hair and eyes were brown. There was something funny about the tops of his ears, too, they seemed almost pointed. And he was wearing a red robe tied at the waist with a darker red sash, rather like a Japanese kimono. The strange man had stared at her, then looked all around him before vanishing. He just disappeared like a light going out.

Unicorn wasn't acting fascinated, she WAS fascinated and she kept trying to get more details. The man had something stuck in his sash, maybe a short stick like a billy club. He was wearing slippers and no socks. No, he didn't open his mouth as if he were going to say anything. He seemed as surprised by the whole business as Alice had been. Watching without interfering, Levon smiled at how good Unicorn was at getting answers. He glanced around the store, all glass cases holding hundreds of expensive watches in a wide range of styles and at larcenous prices. He felt the Cat's-Claw on his chest grow warm. It was warning him. Levon took a step back and glanced up at the door to the street, but saw nothing. Then a metal fist smashed against the side of his head with murderous force, knocking him against a glass display case. Levon drew on the power of the Wakimbe Claw but before he could transform, a backhanded slap sent him to the floor and he lost all awareness.

Towering up in the center of that store was a figure of dark blue metal, like a knight in plate armor with a full helmet that showed nothing of the wearer. It had no insignia, no decorations. The armored figure had simply appeared from nowhere next to Levon, striking him down with two brutal blows from iron hands. A few feet away, Ashley Whitaker had snatched her Link from its holder on her belt, flipped it open and pressed the Red Alert button. Instantly, a loud deep beeping came from the identical Link in Levon's pocket. With that done, her next reaction was to tray to unsling the Unicorn horn from her back. It would only take a few seconds, but they were seconds the armored figure did not allow her. Seizing the stunned Levon by the back of his shirt, the armored man lifted him clear of the floor and the other metal-cased hand darted out to seize Unicorn by the wrist. It was like having the vise in a machine shop close around her. Before she could start to struggle or try any trick to escape, all three of them were gone from the store.

Alice Stein stood where she had been, unable to catch her breath. She took a few steps back, dropped onto a chair in the corner and nearly fell off before catching herself. She had one hand to her breast, pressing hard as if to make her heart stop beating so fast. For six minutes, she sat like this, slowly getting control of herself. That thing.. it must have something to do with the phantom people. It came here, to her store, and had kidnaped that nice young girl and her friend. Oh God, no one was safe. She had to get out of here... where was her handbag? She had to run.

Before she made it out of the store, a man in black slammed the door open and charged in. Now she screamed, at the suddenness of it and from released tension. Jeremy Bane had been only a few blocks away, talking to one of his dozens of reporters, when his Link had started its Red Alert. At a full run, faster than any Olympic athlete, he had followed the signal and then continued after the signal had been cut off. He recognized SNYDER'S WATCHES from the list of sightings and had plummeted in, ready for any sort of violent confrontation. Instead, there was only this terrified civilian.

Bane looked around, saw no signs of Unicorn or of Levon. No blood, no furnishings broken. He swung to face the woman and tried to tone down the urgency in his manner. She seemed about to snap. The Dire Wolf held up both empty hands. "It's okay," he said. "It's okay. You're safe. No one is going to hurt you. Take a deep breath. Again, take a deep breath and let it out slowly. Take another breath. Good. Now, lean back in your chair. Breathe deeply and slowly. Feel better?"

It took a few minutes from Alice to come down from the adrenalin surge in her body, for her heartbeat to slow. But Bane was patient. Someone came in to browse, asked what was going on and Bane told the man that the owner had just received some bad news. The browser went out again without a word.

"Listen closely. Take your time," Bane said. "Answer me just yes or no. I am looking for my friends, a little blonde woman and a black man with green eyes. Were they in here just now?"

"Yes."

"Good. Were you talking to them?"

"Yes. And then..."

"And then what?" asked the Dire Wolf quietly.

"Something took them. A man in metal, like one of the Knights of the Round Table in the movies. He took them and disappeared like a soap bubble popping. Just here one second and gone the next. It's not possible."

Bane was crouching in front of her, holding her eyes with his. "There is nothing wrong with you. A dozen people in this city have been seeing these phantoms. So don't worry you're losing your mind. You're fine." As he spoke, the door to the store opened and Sable rushed in, with Josef right behind her.

"Captain? What's the situation?" asked Sable.

"It seems as if Unicorn and Levon have been taken by a phantom," Bane said as he rose. "Not only that, they were taken by a Targhul... one of the Armor of Hell things. That's unexpected."

"All right," Sable said. "Let me investigate." She squatted down and seemed to be studying the floor, then moved over and looked at it from another angle. As she was doing this, Bane said, "Josef, put the closed sign in the window. Our two final members should be here any minute."

As Sable worked, Bane went back to talk to Alice. "You look better. You've got some color back in your face." He held out his KDF ID and his private investigator's license. "We have been asked to find out what's going on with these phantom sightings. You understand? Think of us as crime scene investigators."

Sable stood up and came over to stand beside Bane. "I can see the fibers in the wood straightening," she said. "It took a lot of practice but by now I can judge accurately. Levon stood here, Ashley was here. Between them, right on this spot, was someone weighing four hundred pounds. The fibers are still bent in the floor boards. The shape of his prints is a solid flat area, not a shoe with a heel. Size fifteen. There are no footprints coming in to match him and nothing leaving. Therefore, he gated in like one of the phantoms we are tracking."

"Good work," Bane said. "Anything else?"

"Yes. When I enhance my sense of smell, I can identify all four people in this store including myself. Soap, shampoo, individual skin oil. It's clear to me. Ashley is obvious, her and her skin care obsession. Levon is easy to spot, too-- have I told you he's starting to smell like a cat? His odor signature is changing. Anyway, nothing at all from the man in armor."'

"Maybe he's just very clean?" asked Josef.

"No. Everybody has tiny food particles in their mouth, dust in their nose and hair, dirt under their fingernails. No matter how they are scrubbed. I think it's as if no one was in that armor." Sable exhaled sharply. "Like you said. A Targhul."

"Here come Megan and Argent," Josef announced. He let them in and Sable explained the situation. Over in the corner of the store, Bane was reassuring Alice Stein that the worst was over and they would be leaving soon. The rest of the team huddled off to one side as Trom Girl waved a small sensor device around. It hummed and chirped, and green lights winked on and off. "I'm have trouble getting a reading," she announced. "Let me recalibrate. Still a weak signal."

It took five minutes before Megan seemed satisfied. "I've got something we can follow. Nothing I recognize. None of the adjacent realms we know."

Bane came over. "But we can track it?"

"Yes. Going after Ashley and Levon is possible... LOOK!"

All heads snapped in the direction she indicated. Standing out on the sidewalk in the bright light of noon was a pale-skinned woman in a vivid green robe that had yellow streaks decorating it. She had glossy black hair to her shoulders, contrasting with the chalky skin. As they stared, she grinned wickedly and beckoned them with a forefinger before vanishing.

V.

An hour later, all five members stood in the hangar on the top floor of the KDF building, gathered around the black jetcopter CORBY. They had changed into full field suits with the inner layer of armor and the assorted concealed gimmicks. Even Sheng was wearing one of the visored helmets, which he normally rejected. The cabin of the CORBY lit up with soft pastel colors as Trom Girl started the systems and did the rundown. Outside, Bane gave the craft a final visual inspection.

"Technology does not work in many of the realms," Sheng reminded the Dire Wolf. "This helicopter might fall straight down if we go to Androval or Okali. And our weapons will be useless, too."

"I'm aware of that, Sheng. But the CORBY provides a secure base from which to operate and it's packed with supplies and medical gear." Bane finished checking a panel on the twin air vanes which had replaced a tail rotor. He saw Megan give him a thumbs-up gesture. "Everyone onboard. Sable, I want you in the co-pilot so you can observe best. The rest of us in the back." They climbed through the rear hatch into a plain metal compartment that had a bench wide enough for two people. Josef and Argent claimed that, leaving Bane to sit on the floor. Behind him was a wall of labelled metal drawers holding equipment. The Dire Wolf sealed the hatch behind him. "Good to go," he called.

"Starting the rotors," answered Megan from the pilot seat. "Rising to waist height. Landing gear retracted. Sable, help me with the crystal?" Both women placed their fingertips to an incongrous pale blue gem in a silver setting. They concentrated, focusing their will into the Eldar crystal and gorgeous azure light flared up to fill the hangar.

Suddenly, as the light faded, the CORBY was hovering just over an open meadow. Sparse gnarly trees were scattered here and there, and in the distance was a dark forest. The sky had a salmon tint to it. Sable said, "I don't recognize this realm at all. Anyone?" No one spoke.

From the back, Jeremy Bane had gotten between the two cabin seats and was peering through the windscreen."How are your readings, Megan?"

"Correct as calculated. This is where Ashley and Levon were taken. They do not seem to be within range of my sensors." She pulled the control stick. "Rising to one thousand feet. Stand by."

"As least the CORBY works here," Sheng said. "That's a big help. Say. Look at that mountain. Turn the nose around, Trom Girl."

As the CORBY rotated, they could see a jagged black mountain surrounded by smaller peaks, with a walled city at its base. Steam rose from the mountain, dissipating in the wind. Something about that mountain alarmed them.

"Is that a volcano?" asked Sheng. "Are we here in time for an eruption?"

"Nothing like any volcano I ever saw," Josef put in. "To me, it looks as if there are hot springs inside that mountain somehow."

Sable was staring at the mountain with wide eyes and the color had left her face. As Trom Girl noticed this, she touched her teammate's arm. "What? Are you all right?"

With an effort, Sable Reilly looked away and covered her face with her hands. Her shoulders moved as she took a deep shuddering breath. "We are all in great danger! This entire realm is in great danger."

"Why? What do you see?"

Sable turned to face the team in the back compartment, Bane particularly. "There is something in that mountain, almost as big as the mountain. It's moving. It's angry. I can hear it breathe, I can see its heat signature. It's monstrous."

"Steady," said the Dire Wolf. "Get a grip. You're right, we are in danger. So is everyone in this realm. That must be one of the Sulla Chun. But we are going after Ashley and Levon no matter what. Megan, approach that city and do a flyover."

"Understood, captain," replied Trom Girl as she sent the craft forward at cruising speed of three hundred mph.

Wiping her eyes, Sable said, "Sorry I got flustered, Jeremy. I see things your senses don't." She sat up straight. "It won't happen again."

They circled the walled city, which was surrounded by tilled land and orchards. The layout was a rough grid surrounding a circular plaza which held a palace much larger and grander than the surrounding stone buildings. Only two or three people could be seen in the streets, the city looked deserted. As the CORBY whirred silently overhead, pale faces appeared in windows which then had the wooden shutters slammed shut again.

"Land us a hundred yards away," Bane told Trom Girl."By that creek. Fine. Argent! I want you to stay with the CORBY. Keep it warmed and ready. You might need to come rescue us instantly."

"Aw, I am your best fighter," Sheng said. "Let someone else watch the copter."

"Those are your orders. The rest of you, follow me. If that is a Sulla Chun, our Eldar talismans and armor will protect us for awhile but not forever. We have to get this done and get out of here." He popped the hatch and leaped out. Sable, Trom Girl and the Blind Archer lined up behind him. Sheng grudgingly got into the pilot's seat and hooked his helmet to the input lines.

"Stay sharp, Argent!" Bane snapped. "Our lives are going to hang on you being ready."

"Understood, captain," said the Chujiran. "I'm standing by."

Bane lowered the helmet over his head and led his team toward the city. From the mountain top, the rising steam had a pinkish tinge and the smell of sulphur was strong. As they marched, Josef strung his bow. He had strapped on a Y-shaped leather quiver which held eighteen arrows, nine to a side. "Say, Jeremy. Maybe I'm behind in my history, but what IS a Sulla Chun? Every reference just alludes to how horrible they are."

The Dire Wolf hesitated. "To be honest, it's one of those Midnight War things that may be beyond our mind's capacity to understand. I guess they were the spawn of the Halarin and the Halarim at the beginning of time. Jordyn imprisoned them but the implication is that not even He could destroy them. They are supposed to be so powerful and so malevolent that just being anywhere near them causes insanity."

"Nice. And we're walking toward one."

Bane went on, "Atron Ke always claimed he had berserker rages because he was exposed to a Sulla Chun as a newborn. And someone explained to me that the Darthim keep a wounded one imprisoned on Maroch and that's what gives their spells so much potency. I wondered if the creature we saw in Necropolis was a Sulla Chun... Khang vanished after destroying it, as it took up all his energy."


Ten men on chestnut horses were riding toward them from the city. Bane stopped and waited for them to approach.

"They sure look like the phantoms who were appearing in our world," Josef observed. "Albino skin and dark hair, gaudy robes. These guys are armed."

"They are not going to attack. Their pupils are relaxed. They are holding the reins loosely," Sable observed.

"How you can see details like that is beyond me."

Bane stood in front of his teams, arms at his sides, not tense but ready. As the ten horsemen slowed and brought their steeds to a halt, the leader raised a staff with a red pennant hanging from it.

"It is the will of our lord Rutila that you be brought before him," he announced in a ringing tone. "You are now under the rule of Zheka!"

"So you say," Bane answered. "Lead on."

The mounted patrol surrounded them and escorted them toward the city. The KDF members proceeded at the same pace, seemingly not noticing the horsemen. But the same could not be said for the Zhekites. They stared openly at the strangers to their realm. As they approached the open gates in the great wall, Bane saw sentries standing at the corners of that wall behind pillars. A single slim tower rose from the roof, without a single slit of a window. The guards held long slim spears, no bows were in sight. A small crowd had tentatively gathered inside the gate to watch the approach.

Two guards at the gate wore ornate breastplates and fancy burnished helmets. They held halberds ending in hooked barbs. One shouted, "Surrender all weapons before entry to Zheka, by order of Rutila!"

"Forget it," Bane answered. "We were forced to come here, you'll take us as we are." He strode right past the guards, followed by his KDF team and the horsemen. Waiting inside the gates was an armored figure, nearer seven feet tall than six and wide enough to fill a doorway. The dark blue metal was dull in finish, not burnished, and there was no decoration. The faceplate was a flat blank surface with only two indentations where eyes should have been. As the KDF members approached, the Targhul raised a gauntlet and gestured for them to follow.

Bane saw how the crowd shrank away from the unliving construct as it strode stiffly toward the palace. The Targhuls were figure of dread wherever they had appeared throughout history. The Dire Wolf took in the construction of the palace as they approached. The finely cut stone blocks trimmed with silver, the twin statues of ancient kings flanking the entrance, the polished marble steps leading up to the doors wide enough for a dozen people to enter abreast. Every window had a pake face peering down from it. The Targhul led them past more guards and through a grand reception room to a door marked with a crown cast in a gold and silver. The unliving armor pressed on that door and stepped through into the throne room.

A long red carpet stretched from the entrance and Bane led his team along it to stop before seven marble steps which led up to a high-crested wood throne. The figure on that throne dismissed the four guards. "Begone! The Targhul is with me. Wait outside." Except for the man on the throne and the Armor of Hell, the room was deserted. Unnoticed by the others, Josef Jubilec drew a black cotton band over his forehead and stood there blindfolded.

Rutila stood up, a grotesque sight. Barely four feet tall, with a long trunk and thick arms and legs, he was a dwarf with a domed forehead nearly twice normal size on which a golden crown sat unsteadily. His robes were of navy blue silk, with a short mantle over his shoulders. "You have come in our darkest hour of need," he began.
"We have come to free our friends!" Bane snapped with a sudden intensity. "Show them to us. They had better be safe and unharmed."
"Very well. Targhul, the curtain." Rutila climbed back up on the throne and watched as the metal figure drew aside heavy drapery to reveal a thick glass wall behind which Ashley and Levon were tied to wooden posts mounted in the wall. Their clothing had been removed but not the Trom armor, which covered them from neck to wrist. The advanced seams had been beyond the Zhekite's ability to undo.

"Good to see you guys!" sang out Unicorn as if nothing was wrong. "I have to use the bathroom." Levon said nothing, glaring at the dwarf on the throne with murderous green eyes. Nearby, three guards held their halberds ready for use.

"You two seem okay," Bane said. As he moved toward the glass barrier, the Targhul interposed its bulk.

Turning just his head toward Rutila, Bane said, "It's time for some explanations... your majesty," he added.

"Very well," answered the lord of Zheka. "Your friends have not been hurt. We ordered them brought here so you would follow. Only knights of Tel Shai can save us now. The end is nearly upon us."

"Go on!"
"Within the Steaming Mountain slumbers one of the Old Ones. We have always felt its presence, but now it has started to awaken. Whenever it stirs, nightmares haunt our sleep. Our people go mad, they leap from the roofs to their deaths, they cut their own throats to escape the images which are sent into their minds." Rutila lowered his misshapen head as if it were too heavy to hold up.

"There's more. Your people have been appearing in our world, just for a few seconds before vanishing again. Why?"

"Because the Walls Between the Worlds are failing. The Old One weakens them. We fade away and return, telling of strange sights. Soon I fear our realm will merge with yours and who knows what harm that will do? Can you fit two hands in one glove? I think both our worlds will be destroyed." He raised his head again. "That is why I have forced you here. You must slay the Old One and save both our worlds."

VI.
Jeremy Bane swung around and stalked up to the throne. "Kill a Sulla Chun? You don't know much about them, do you? No. There has to be a better way. We will think of something."

"There is no time!" screamed Rutila. "Can't you feel the madness in the air? Can't you sense the Old One about to break free?"

The Dire Wolf said, "We will not work under duress. Josef, I'll keep the Targhul busy. You and Megan free our friends. Sable, watch his majesty there." With the last word, he whipped the silver daggers from their sheaths under his forearms and attacked the Armor of Hell. Those blades had been ensorcelled by the immortal Eldarin and disrupted evil spells but against the Targhul, they met resistance. Sparks grated as the daggers scraped across the metal construct and gouged long trenches in the surface. But the daggers could not carve the Armor of Hell as they did lesser beings. A gauntlet lunged to seize Bane, who ducked beneath it and whirled the silver blades in lightning arcs that sent sparks flying and a deep hollow moan sounded inside the empty armor.

As Bane went into action, Josef Jubilec notched an arrow with an explosive head and let fly. The blast shattered the heavy glass barrier into thousands of shards. As those fragments were still falling, he drew back his string and fired three arrows with razor-edged barbs. They thumped home into the three guards in the pit, punching deep in chest or stomach as hard as hammer blows. The Blind Archers of Chujir were rightly feared in every realm. None of the guards had time to realize why they died. As soon as the third guard dropped, Josef notched one more arrow and drew the string back to his ear. The point was aimed right at Rutila's face, barely two feet away.
"Call off that armor, your majesty," said the Blind Archer.
The dwarf squealed, "Targhul! Be still," and cringed back against the throne.

Josef lessened the pull on his bow and tugged off his blindfold with a thumb. "Thank you," he said.

Megan Salenger had leaped into the pit and quickly untied Ashley and Levon. They were climbing up out of the pit and carefully brushing away all the broken glass before getting up on the floor. Trom Girl helped them. Now all seven of the team were assembled, coldly furious as they surrounded the throne.

"I'll tell you what," Bane began. "We will find a solution to the crisis here. There is always a way. But when everything is settled, you and I are going to discuss what it means to abduct my friends." He sheathed the daggers. "Where are their clothes? Their belongings?"
Beaten, Rutila pointed to a corner of the throne room where a long trunk sat under a bench. Ashley and Levon rushed over, retrieved their uniforms and got dressed. The Unicorn horn in its sheath and the Wakimbe Claw were there as well. As Levon Bingham hung the Cat's-Claw around his neck, his green eyes shone with a lambent flame all their own. He stalked toward Rutila, obvious menace in his movements.
"Levon!" snapped Bane. "Stand down. That's an order. Revenge can wait."

Guards were rushing into the throne room after hearing that explosion and crash of broken glass. Instead of helpless demoralized prisoners, though, they found themselves facing six strange warriors who stared back at them without fear.

"WE will help your people if we can, Rutila," Bane said sternly."Tell them to stay back for now."

"Guards! Return to your posts. All is under control. I am negotiating with the outsiders." Rutila pointed toward the doors and the uncertain guards backed away, closing the door behind them. The lord of Zheka sat miserably on his throne and stared down in rage.

A violent tremor ran through that floor beneath them, throwing everyone off their feet, causing cracks to open in the marble. Shields mounted on the wall fell with a clangor. The KDF members jumped back on their feet. Surrounded by his team, the Dire Wolf stood in front of the throne. The Targhul was near at hand, its surface scratched but not really damaged. "That was no earthquake," Bane said. "It's the Sulla Chun moving around. We can't have much time left."

Josef Jubilec sniffed. "We can just get in our CORBY and escape, Jeremy. What do we owe these people? They abducted our Unicorn and Levon."

"Steady," the Dire Wolf answered. "It was the king there who ordered our friends brought here. We can't leave the city's population to their fate because of what he did. Beside, what do you think will happen if thousands of these people are dumped unexpectedly on New York? Panic, shootings, lynchings, that's my guess. And anyway, I think I have an idea."

VII.

The rushed counsel with Rutila and his staff took place then and there. A general in robes with ornamented leather shoulder straps and a ceremonial sword slung over one shoulder was brought in, as were two elderly men with white beards These were Keepers of the Law, holding scrolls under their arms. Finally, a young Zhekite who had an enlarged cranium like Rutila but who was of normal height, rushed into the throne room. This was Prince Gildor, the only heir. Guards hurriedly brought in highbacked wooden chairs and arranged them in rows facing each other in front of the throne. A dozen guards with halberds stood by.

The general and his aide, the Keepers of the Law and the prince took their seats in one row, facing the KDF members in the other. Standing beside the throne, motionless as the iron statue he resembled was the Targhul. Lord Rutila sat on the throne, chin resting on one fist as he stared out over the assemblage with uncertainty on his face.

The Dire Wolf stood between the two rows of seated opponents, facing the king, and said, "Zheka isdoomed!There is no hope to save Zheka. Quiet. Settle down, everyone. That Sulla Chun in the mountain is beyond anyone's power to affect. When it comes to full wakefulness, just its presence will be fatal to living things for miles around. No one can save this realm now." His voice became more authoritative, "BUT the people of Zheka can still be saved. Everyone does not have to die. The answer is to flee now and relocate in another realm."

"Leave our homeland? Out of the question. Generations have been born and grown old here," said one of the Keepers of the Law.

Outside, what sounded like thunder close at hand cracked sharply and the rumble of giant slabs of stone falling followed. People were screaming throughout the city.

"That's up to you. Flee and live, stay and die." Bane gestured toward the high narrow windows where red light was slanting in. "We Tel Shai knights will begin sending every Zhekite to a peaceful realm without inhabitants. Everyone can begin a new life. That's the best hope we can offer."

"Abandon Zheka..." said Rutila in horrified tones. "Our art, our history, left behind."

"You can stay and die if you want. We are going to start the evacuation. It will be slow. It will take days and even if we start now, we may not get everyone out of here safely. But we are going to try." Bane stepped closer. "Make your proclamation, your majesty. It's the only way to save your people. Tell them to meet at the front gate with whatever they can carry."

Rutila drew himself up, still a grotesque sight but one with sudden dignity. "So be it. It is a hard choice to make but so be it. Guards! Each of you scatter through our city and spread the word. Let every Zhekite meet at the West Gate bearing what he wishes to save. Let it be done now. I have spoken." As the startled guards ran from the chamber, Rutila said, "That we should live to see times like these..."

"You have some knowledge of gralic sorcery," Bane told him without sympathy. "Constructing that Targhul and dispatching it to the real world takes skill. Who knows those secrets? You?"

"No, no. It was our court mage, Ubonidus. He should be at this counsel. He was summoned." Rumila looked to the prince. "My son, find Ubonidus and bring him here. It is most urgent." Prince Gildor rose, bent one knee in a salute and hurried from the chamber. "Strange," said the dwarf king, "Seldom is Ubonidus absent at any counsel.."'

"Suspicious, eh?" Bane took the Link from its clip on his belt and spoke into it. "Argent, report."

"CORBY is secure," came the voice of Sheng Mo-Yuan. "But one side of the mountain just cracked off and fell into the river. Quite a sight. The dust is still settling."

"Time is running out," Bane said. "Bring the CORBY to the front gate of the city and land but stay inside. And arm the chain guns. There may be a confrontation yet."

"Understood, captain. On my way."

One of the Keepers of the Law faded from sight, only to reappear a moment later several feet away. He dropped to his hands and knees and cried out. The other Keeper went to help him.
"He turned into one of the phantom people that have been spotted in New York," Sable said. "Well, at least that particular mystery is solved."

Bane nodded. He turned a final time toward the throne. "My friends and I will be at the gate. Evacuation begins now." With that, he wheeled and said, "Come on, team, there's lots to do." All six strode quickly from the chamber, across the main hall and out of the palace. In the courtyard, Zhekites were milling about and arguing. Many carried bundles of clothing and valuables hastily lashed together.. The guards armed with halberds were trying to keep some order and a panic did not seem imminent.

At the end of the team, Sable looked over at the Steaming Mountain. Even without her sensory powers, she could see red veins lighting up in the rock like blood vessels in a living animal. Boulders broke loose and tumbled down the sides. The longer she stared, the more she felt drawn toward the entity that stirred within that mountain, the more she felt she should go there... Then Unicorn shook her by both shoulders.

"Hey! Snap out of it, Sable!" the blonde teen yelled. "Don't make me pinch you in a delicate area."

"Ashley? I was.. being pulled toward the Sulla Chun." Sable shook her head and turned her back on the mountain. "I'm all right now, thanks."

"Jeez, between you and Levon, my friends all zone out on me. Let's keep it real, okay?" Unicorn kept a hand on Sable's shoulder as they caught up with the others. The CORBY had landed and the rotors slowed. Bane had opened the hatch and climbed in, coming back out with the Eldar travel crystal in his hand. Sheng stayed in the cabin behind the controls, watching.

"Here's the agenda," said the Dire Wolf. "Sable, you and Megan will start sending the Zhekites away. Both of you touch the crystal at the same time to make it easier. Switch with the others when you get tired. These people are going to Colegar. Unicorn, Levon, Josef... you keep the line moving. Have your dart guns in your hands. If you have to tranquilize anyone, drag them out of the way at once. Look at that mob. This is going to take days. Here they come."

A young woman with an infant in her arms approached. "Are you sending us to safety? I don't want my baby to die

"You and your baby will be fine in two seconds," Bane promised. "I swear it." He watched the procedure. Sable placed one hand on the Eldar crystal which Megan held, and touched her other hand to the arm of the Zhekite woman. In a swirl of blue light, the woman and her baby were gone. Using the travel crystals was not easy. Most people would never be able to summon the will power to activate one at all, but between them Megan and Sable could gate people away in quick succession. Next was a young man with a bundle of clothing in his arms and a shoulder bag. His eyes darted nervously as the KDF members gestured him closer and sent him on his way. "Next!" said Sable. "Let's keep this moving."

Off to one side, Bane was satisfied the procdure was going as well as hoped. The mob was uneasy but under control. They formed a line voluntarily and kept only a low murmur of conversation. When the ground shuddered again beneath them, and a flag pole toppled nearby, they became more anxious yet. Megan and Sable rushed the Zhekites through as quickly as they could. The Dire Wolf caught Levon's eye and gestured toward the palace to indicate he would be back soon. It was time to deal with the one behind the scenes who was secretly responsible for all this.

VII.

The ground heaved up and buckled, the paving split, flinging him off his feet. Bane rolled and was up again, racing for the palace. Vertical cracks had formed in the outer walls, and part of a ledge over the windows had fallen to block most of the open doorway. The Dire Wolf scrambled over the rubble and into the palace. The throne room was empty. He went back out into the grand hall and remembered the lone tower extending upward on the roof. Up the stairs he went, two at a time. A looter went past him, clutching a painting of a young woman in a scarf, and he ignored the man. At the top floor, there seemed to be only personal bedchambers, all empty. Bane looked around frantically. The hallway seemed shorter on one end than the other. Both ends terminated with a niche holding a basin of water and a mirror, but the half of the hall to his left was definitely a foot longer than the other half. And if he remembered, the slim tower was on that side of the palace.

Flinging the basin and its supporting table aside, Bane searched quickly. There were only so many ways to hide a latch. He ran his fingers under a molding and something moved. Pressing it, he heard a click and a section of wall rotated on a pivot. Perfect. He propped the panel open with the basin and moved inside. A spiral staircase wound around a steel pillar. Bane moved up it, holding to the bannister in case of another tremor. Up three flights he raced, and there at the final landing stood a unmoving pillar of dark blue metal. The Targhul.

Bane growled and headed up to meet the bloodless thing, his right hand on the bannister. The Armor of Hell did not seem to be aware of him at first, then the blank helmet lowered as if gazing straight at him. Slowly, the Targhul moved to block the top of the stairs. Bane drew closer, almost within reach, before the construct bent forward and reached its clutching metal hands out. The Dire Wolf dropped into a low crouch, his shoulders against the Targhul's knees and his head under the metal crotch and, just as the Armor lifted a foot, he straightened up with all his strength and threw the monster overhead to crash down the stairs. The metal thing slid and clattered, too slow to grab a hold as it tumbled to the bottom.

Even as the Targhul rolled down the circular staircase, Bane was moving again. He had gained time but the metal construct would not be harmed and would soon be stomping up those steps after him. Here at the top landing was a heavy oaken door with iron hinges. This had been what the Targhul had been guarding and so it was not locked. He slammed it open with a crash and the two men within gave a guilty start. This was a soceror's workshop of the old school, with rows of musty leatherbound books, shelves of glass bottles holding parts of human bodies, a gilded skull upon a pedestal, a vulture chained to a steel bar by the one high narrow window. Two men turned at the dramatic entrance. Rutila still wore his crown but he had changed to simple robes and was dragging a canvas sack. As he tugged on it, gold coins spilled out and rolled across the flagstones.

It was the other man who held Bane's attention. Ubonidus was aged, with white hair to his shoulders, but there was nothing frail about him. He stood as tall and straight as a young warrior. The warlock was clad in a black robe, belted at the waist with a sash in which a sheathed weapon was lodged. Drawing in red on the front of that robe was a circle with a V-shape superimposed... the symbol of Those Who Remember.


"Dire Wolf," said Ubonidus slowly. "You have come far to die."

Bane moved into the lair, seeing no one else. "The end is coming quicker than you expected, eh? You thought you would have weeks to have your agents transfer your talismans and grimoires to the real world. Plenty of time for your buddy Rutila to loot the treasury. Then you guys would show up somewhere in the world with tons of gold and jewels, with spells to make things easier, and you would live in luxury."

"Be still, you fool!" Rutila yelled. "A king would never be so depraved."

"Oh, please. The Sulla Chun slept in that mountain for ages until Ubonidus here started messing with his spells. He hoped to tap into the Sulla Chun power the way the Darthim do... isn't that right?" Bane took another step forward. "But frankly, you are no Dartha. You don't have their skill. All you managed to do was stir the Sulla Chun and make him toss and turn. The Walls Between the Worlds began to weaken. The Zhekites suffered mass nightmares and suicides. And now they have to abandon their homes and start over in a wilderness."
Ubonidus laughed out loud. "Am I supposed to feel remorse? Shame? Leave now with your life, Human dog."

"Not going to be that easy for you," said Bane. He stood with arms folded, feet well apart. "I see a lot of talismans here. And I think you own one that I'm going to need for the evacuation. You wouldn't let yourself be trapped here when the Sulla Chun sticks its ugly face out of the mountain, would you?"

The Zhekite sorceror removed the cylindrical scabbard from his sheath and drew out a baton of black wood, capped at one end with a green jewel. "You have a lot to say, Tel Shai dog. Are you done?"

"Yeah. I think so." Bane launched himself across the fifteen feet separating him from the warlock, whipping the silver daggers from their sheaths and slashing in a figure 8 pattern he thought would slice the man open. He was in for a jolt. Ubonidus block with the baton and smacked a backhand swing that caught the Dire Wolf high on the cheek. Bane faded back, raising his daggers with one vertical and one horizontal, and closed in again. He lunged like a fencer, aiming to pierce the Zhekite through the heart but again, Ubonidus smacked the dagger aside with his hardwood baton and this time he spun completely around to crash that weapon to the side of Bane's head. This time, the Dire Wolf did not draw back but twisted sideways and slammed out a high side kick to the chest that threw Ubonidus against a bench.
"I was winning duels a hundred years before you were born!" roared the warlock. He twirled the baton in a fancy pattern and tucked it under one arm, grinning smugly.

More than a little surprise by the difficulty he was having, Bane lowered his arms, the points of the daggers facing upward, and began to advance. The ensalir metal of his weapons gleamed in the subdued light and, as he neared Nabonidus, he saw the green gem in the baton flash with inner light. Of course. It wasn't really the warlock he was fighting. A predatory smile crossed Bane's face. As the sorceror spotted that, his own expression of confidence slipped a little. The Dire Wolf came in fast and unexpectedly dropped both daggers to the floor. Ubonidus had no idea how to respond to that. His eyes followed the knives as they rang on the stone floor, and in that moment he was lost.

Bane seized the man's wrist and yanked his arm out straight, and brought the palm of his free hand hard to Ubonidus' elbow. There was a loud snap as the warlock's elbow bent the wrong way and he cried out in the sudden agony. The wooden baton clattered to the floor and Bane kicked it away.

"Nice. Get your weapon to do your fighting for you. You phony," said Bane. He threw a right jab and a hard left cross withi an instant of each other, sending the sorceror to the floor. Bending to retrieve his daggers, he yelled, "Where is your travel crystal?"
"No. Forget it, I will never tell," Ubonidus grunted as he tried to rise with only one arm.

"You want your other elbow broken? How about a knee?" asked Bane as he stalked toward the warlock. Despite himself, the Zhekite magician glanced toward a cabinet on the wall. The Dire Wolf yanked it open to reveal a pale blue gem in a silver setting, exactly like the one usually found in the CORBY. He ripped the setting off its fastener and glared at Ubonidus. "They would never have given this to someone like you. You killed an Eldar for this, didn't you? No, don't bother answering."

Bane headed for the door just as the Targhul filled that space. The Armor of Hell took a step toward him. "You are getting on my nerves," he told the lifeless thing and flashed across the room. The dwarf Rutila had been staring open-mouthed at the duel and now he found himself pinned against a wall with a sharp dagger point pressing into the side of his neck. He squawked like a chicken but did't try to escape.

"We've played this scenaro before," Bane said. "Order him out the window. Now, before your windpipe is in two pieces."

Rutila screamed, "Targhul! Go out that window!" And the unthinking metal construct stepped up on the open ledge and went out into space. The crash a second later had a decisive clang.

Bane threw the terrified king to the floor. Outside, a thunderous rumble sounded and black smoke started to pour into the window. Looking out, he saw the Steaming Mountain was shifting and moving, with huge parts breaking off. "Time to get going," he said. "Thanks for the second travel crystal, now maybe we can get your people to safety in time."

"Wait," cried Rutila. "Take me with you. The people need their king."
"Are you kidding? After what you and Ubonidus there tried to pull? You two can stay here with your pal the Sulla Chun." He strode angrily from the lair.
VIII.

Making his way through the rubble of the palace, which had been falling apart more with each tremor, Bane headed for the gate. There were only a few hundred Zhekites waiting to be gated away. He ran toward them and told his team, "Here! Another Eldar crystal. Unicorn and Megan, start gating more away. We're running out of time." With two crystals and only a few seconds needed for each person, the crowd thinned down rapidly until only a few left. It was getting hard to breathe with the stink of sulphur and the hot winds howling from the mountain. The sky seemed to be burning.

Finally, only the KDF members were left and they scrambled into the CORBY. "Get us up, Sheng!" ordered Bane. "Ceiling two thousand feet and head straight away. This is not a healthy place for living things." He started to clip the travel crystal back to its setting up on the overhead console.

"Look...." whispered Sable in a tiny voice. The mountain was splitting open from within. Something unimaginably huge and gelatinous was rearing up from the sundered peak. Sheng hit the Trom impulse engines and the CORBY shot forward at the speed of sound. Within seconds, they were out of sight and hurtling over grasslands.

Bane tugged his helmet off and exhaled sharply. His hair was soaked with sweat. "Slow a little, Argent, if you would. We have to use the crystal to return to our world. I just need a few seconds to catch my breath."

From the back, the Blind Archer observed, "I did not see King Rutila leave this realm. Nor that magician Ubonidus."

"They decided to stay," Bane answered.
2/14/2014