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"Two Blonde Unicorns"
"Two Blonde Unicorns"
5/26/1991
I.
The doorbell rang at just before noon, as Cindy happened to be coming down the stairs to the front hall. The blonde telepath frowned slightly, not remembering any appointments, or anyone likely to be calling. She walked up to the inner door and thumbed the intercom button. "I'll be right with you," she said and flipped open a wooden panel beside the door to watch the monitor screen light up. Cindy gave a little start of surprise. The exterior camera showed only a little girl, maybe ten or eleven, standing patiently on the steps. No one else was in sight. Cindy swung the camera from side to side but still spotted no one.
Hitting a button on the control panel, she made the outer door swing open and said, "Come right in." The child marched into the small vestibule, just big enough for a bench, a ceramic lamp on a shelf with a few old magazines. She stared up at the oil painting KENNETH DRED 1900-1979 and seemed interested. Advanced Trom sensors hummed and buzzed, and Cindy studied the detailed images of the little girl. No metal larger than a key, no poisons, nothing suspicious. Images of the child's skeleton and circulatory system and nervous system flashed by, all with the tag NORMAL. Finally yellow letters appeared on the screen NO ID.
Cindy shrugged and opened the inner door. "Good morning. Are you selling cookies or something?"
"Who, me? Nope." The child was exceptionally pretty, with white-blonde hair down her back, crystal blue eyes and fine features. She was wearing a long-sleeved white blouse, maroon skirt and white stockings with black shoes. She also seemed completely at ease and confident. "I'd like to see Mr Bane, please."
"And who shall I say is calling, if I might ask?"
"Ashley Whitaker. He knows my mom... the Unicorn."
"Oh. I see. That explains a little. Come with me, Ashley." Cindy closed the door behind them and let the girl across the hall through the open door to the office. Here Bane was sitting behind his desk, staring at a pile of bills but stalling before actually getting to them. As they entered, Cindy unobtrusively scanned the outer layers of Ashley's consciousness, very lightly. She found no signs of hypnosis or mind control, just a young active brain boiling with life.
Bane glanced up from his desk. As always, he was dressed all in black which made him even more gaunt than he was. The pale grey eyes tried to be friendly. "Well. Who's your friend, Cin?"
Grinning, Cindy still looked like a teenager although she was in her late thirties. Her dark blonde hair was tied back, and she was wearing faded jeans and oversized sweatshirt that said SUNY NEW PALTZ. "I thought maybe you could use a client, hon."
Ashley Whitaker went straight to the fish tank which sat on top of waist-high shelves filled with law books and other reference volumes. The starfish with a single red eye in its center and the seahorse with sharp teeth were bizarre enough, but the tiny squid which changed color to form geometric patterns was what unsettled most people. The child came up until her breath fogged the glass. "These are from Ulgor, aren't they?"
"Yes," Bane said. "And how would you know about Ulgor?"
"My mom told me. I've been in a few adjacent realms." She openly inspected Bane, not intimidated in the slightest. "My name is Ashley Whitaker. I'm eleven. My mom is Mary Cassidy, the Unicorn and she's told me she knows you. You're Jeremy Bane, the Wolf Man."
"The Dire Wolf," Cindy corrected her helpfully. "Did you come here by yourself, Ashley?"
"Yes. I'm supposed to be at school but I know all kinds of tricks and they won't be looking for me."
Bane did not seem reassured by this. He stood up and motioned for his visitor to have a seat in one of the leather-bound chairs in front of his desk. Cindy dropped down in a chair a few feet to the side and also seemed uneasy.
"So no one knows where you are...? I think I should give your parents a call, Ashley. Right now," Bane snapped as he reached for the phone next to him.
"But that's the problem! My father is dead, he died of pneumonia when I was a baby. I live with my mom and our housekeeper Mrs Duvall. That's why I need you to help me. My mom is missing!"
Cindy was watching the little girl intently, keeping a little skim of the child's mind and finding no deceit. If she had detected any sign of trickery or another personality beneath the surface, she would have alerted Bane at once. The Dire Wolf was also checking his young visitor, using long experience spotting liars and dealing with people who came to him under high stress. He felt Ashley was worried, naturally enough, but nowhere near panic. "Tell us more."
"I last saw her Sunday night," Ashley began. "She was going on one of her retrievals. That's what she calls it when someone hires her to go steal something, but she doesn't put it that way. Usually Midnight War stuff, little idols or swords or junk. She never gives me details. When I got home from school the next day, she wasn't there and today is the third day and I'm getting a little freaked out you know? The police are no help. They're stupid. They don't know anything about the Midnight War."
"Maybe it's just as well," Bane said. "They have more than they can handle as it is. Go on."
"I still don't like them. Anyway, whatever. Mom told me about you and the KDF and she said were the good guys and I could trust you. I looked you up in the phone book, called a taxi and here I am."
Cindy was plainly horrified. "A taxi driver picked up a ten year old girl and took her without adult supervision?!"
"Sure, why not?" Ashley answered blithely. "I had money with me. So, Mr Bane, I came here to see if you will help me find my mom."
Bane rested his chin on a fist, elbow on the desk. His face was not easy to read. "I remember your mother, Mary Cassidy - the Unicorn. She did help me out a few times. And how can I turn down a little girl trying to find her mother?"
"No one else will even listen to me," Ashley pouted. "They look at me like I'm retarded when I explain."
"Where do you live Ashley?"
"On 71st Street. 912 71st, not far from Central Park. We have a suite on the top floor of a building." She leaned forward conspiratorily. "See, I know people are supposed to pay private eyes. That's another thing. My mom is loaded, she can settle with you when we get her home."
"I can't take you as a client because you're a minor," Bane said. "But I will help you as a friend. I'm going to your place now and look for clues. I'll talk with your housekeeper. But I do think that my friend Cindy here should drive you back to your school. She can pick you up when school lets out. You do know it's a very bad idea for you to be roaming around New York City by yourself, right?"
"Oh, sure," Ashley said.
Cindy stood up. "I'll blur everyone's minds as she walks in. With luck, no one will notice."
"Good. Call me as you think best." Bane stood up himself, and Ashley "I will probably be searching your home or back here by then. Ashley, I have to say you're being very brave about all this."
The child smiled. "Am I? That's good to hear. My mom brought me up to be just like her. When I'm old enough, I'm going to be the new Unicorn."
II.
The best parking spot he could find was on 74th, so Bane settled for it and walked back a few blocks, then over onto the side street. The address Ashley had given him was a well-kept stone structure that had once been a millionaire's mansion but which had long ago been split up into separate apartments. Two glass doors opened into a lobby with an inner glass door. On the right hand were rows of name tags with white buttons and, sure enough one read CASSIDY,M. The inner door was locked, but Bane used the Trom probe devised for him by Leonard Slade long ago and got in as if he had the right key. He skipped the elevator and trotted up five flights, using up some of the constant surplus energy his hyperactive metabolism gave him. On the landing, he saw the door with the numbers 512 and knocked. In less than a minute, the door was opened by a grim-faced old woman with white hair pulled back in a tight bun. She regarded him coldly. "Yes?"
"My name is Jeremy Bane, I don't know if Mary ever mentioned me-"
The change was dramatic, as the woman took his arm and pulled him inside. "Oh yes. And she described you too. Those eyes. And still with the black turtleneck! I'm glad you're here. My Mary always said that you were someone to go to when there was trouble."
"Good to know," the Dire Wolf said. "I understand she's been missing for a few days. Longer than usual."
"She has been!" replied Mrs Duvall. "And the police would be useless finding her. My Mary is beyond the lands they know. Come, I'll show you her workshop." They walked through a high-ceiling airy room with hanging plants and tall narrow windows. A white paneled door in one corner was locked, and she opened it for him.
The workroom itself was about ten feet by ten, with one wall of shelves crammed with books, clippings and loose papers and general debris. There was a desk with a swivel chair and a phone, a radio and an empty coffee mug. Tacked to one wall was a hand-drawn map on oaktag, and in the remaining corner was a green metal cabinet with a padlock.
Bane looked around slowly. The map he recognized at once as being the islands of Chyl, one of the more perilous adjacent realms to visit. He studied it and saw no errors. Mary had done her research. But if she had gone there to retrieve something valuable...
Mrs Duvall sighed. "I don't want to be a distraction. Call me if I can be of any help, but I feel you can think better without me watching."
"Thank you," he said, still examining the map. After the housekeeper left, the Wolf settled down to a systematic search. For the next hour, he scrutinized everything, beginning at the door and working his way around the room. He found evidence that Unicorn had been in at least twelve realms, including Maroch, by far the most dangerous. She had accepted commissions for an average of twenty to fifty thousand dollars to fetch back mystic talismans and artifacts from these realms with consistent success. Unicorn was basically a thief, as he had realized when he had met her, although the fact most of the people she robbed were warlocks or tyrants mitigated that in his view.
The notes on her desk, as well as two books with markers at various pages, were all about Chyl. There were drawings of the Yugen, their clothing and weapons and architecture. A lot concerned itself with the Zoku-ya swordsmen, and Bane smiled wryly as he saw she had found information that was new to him. Mary had done her homework. Finally, he stood before the metal cabinet. The Trom device inserted its thin wire tendrils which reshaped themselves inside and turned to open the padlock. Bane reflected he had better refresh his lock picking skills, he was out of practice with this gadget being so convenient. On shelves in the cabinet were journals and ledgers, three different handguns with boxes of ammo, one sword and four knives of various lengths. And there was a dark wooden box four feet long with its own lock. He opened this too, and found it was empty. The interior was lined with velvet.
He knew this must be where Mary Cassidy kept her greatest tool and weapon, a genuine Unicorn horn from Okali that had long ago been ensorcelled by Malberon ages ago to break up gralic spells. The spiral horn had given her the name she was known by. Locking up the cabinet, Bane kept searching for one more item he was certain must be here. He found it beneath a drape of blue linen on the wall. Fastened to a silver plate was a pale blue faceted jewel the size of a human hand. An Eldar travel crystal, worth any amount of money or lives. Only the immortal Eldarin could craft them properly, Human efforts always went wrong. As far as he knew, no more than a dozen existed in this world.
This was how Unicorn had journeyed to other realms, and how she had entered otherwise impregnable fortresses and tombs on her retrievals.
Bane stretched and took a deep breath. He knew enough now to go on, it only remained to get underway. Mary Cassidy was a tough, experienced mercenary with a long career of succeeding against the odds. He would have to beat whatever had defeated her. As he thought this, the Link on his belt beeped and he held it up to his ear. "Cin?"
"Hey! I've got Ashley in tow and we're heading to her apartment. Are you there?"
"Yes," he said. "I think I know where Unicorn went, now we just have to go bring her back. I'll be here."
Less than twenty minutes later, Cindy and Ashley came up in the elevator. They did not resemble each other despite being small-boned blue-eyed blondes as their coloring was entirely different, but to a casually passer-by they might be taken for mother and daughter. The child dropped her book bag on a chair, kicked off her shoes and said, "Hi, Mrs Duvall. This is my friend Cindy. She works with Mr Bane. Is he here?"
"Yes, Ashley. Hello, Cindy," the housekeeper said. "I feel better knowing you two are on the job."
"We do our best," the telepath replied. As Bane emerged from the workroom, she said, "Long time no see. Fill us in, hon."
Bane told them his conclusions. "I am going after her, of course and I will bring her back. I promise you that. Right now, Cindy and I will go back to our headquarters to prepare."
"Can I go with them?" pleaded Ashley to Mrs Duvall. "I don't wanna wait here! I'll be safe with these guys."
The housekeeper hesitated. "Well, my Mary said to trust you two completely when there's trouble, so I suppose it will be all right. I'm sure it will be harder to stay here and not know what's going on."
Cindy had an arm around the girl's shoulder. "We'll take good care of the little Unicorn."
Phone numbers were exchanged and numerous assurances given on both side. Bane and Cindy left with Ashley marching between them as if she had known them all her life. On the street, they separated to go to their cars, meeting up again in the underground garage beneath the KDF building. In a few more minutes, they were in the kitchen, chowing down on homemade chicken soup brewed the night before, grilled cheese sandwiches with tomatoes, and egg salad. Ashley seemed entirely at home, chatting away and asking dozens of questions. From childhood, she had known about the Midnight War and the adjacent realms.
As soon as they were done, Bane went up to his quarters on the third floor to get ready. He stripped off his regular clothing to stand in the flexible Trom armor that covered him except for head and hands. Strapped to his forearms as always were the matched silver daggers given to him by Kenneth Dred. He had practiced with them both throwing and fighting to the point where he preferred them to any other weapon. Bane got into the full field suit, with its heavy boots, pants and jersey, all black. The waist-length field jacket had its own inner layer of the Trom armor. Holstered at his left hip was the anesthetic dart gun, and a dozen little gimmicks were hidden throughout the suit.
Cradling the visored helmet in the crook of one arm, the Dire Wolf went down to the second floor, where he found Cindy and Ashley sitting on the floor in front of the seven-foot monitor screen. Ashley had hooked into the satellite dish and gone straight to MTV. On a set filled with smoke and lasers, five dancers dressed as Teddy bears were wiggling behind a half-naked 16-year-old singer.
Seeing Bane enter, Ashley whispered, "Don't tell mom. She doesn't let me watch this."
"I wonder why," Bane said sourly.
"Wicked cool!" the child grinned. "You two have the best toys."
"Thanks. I think." The Dire Wolf lowered the helmet over his head but left the visor retracted. He went over to open a wooden panel that looked like part of the wall, exposing an Eldar crystal like the one in Unicorn's workroom but large as a dinner plate. Ashley came over to watch.
"This is a travel crystal," he explained. "It opens gateways to the other realms but it also lets you move from one place within the world to another if you practice enough. All you do is touch the gem and concentrate fully on your destination."
"Mom has one," Ashley sniffed dismissively. "She keeps it locked up so I don't go to Disneyworld by myself."
"She's smart. You would. Anyway, I'm not going to take this with me because it's so valuable and impossible to replace at this point. So I'll use a delay factor to return. The gralic charge will wear off in twelve hours, give or take a little, and I will automatically appear back here with your mother. Got it?"
"Sure."
A buzzer sounded, meaning someone was at the front door. "That's probably Klein. He called yesterday and said he might have a case for you."
"Tell him I just left," Bane said, placing his fingertips on the crystal.
"That's the understatement," chuckled Cindy as she headed out of the room. "Ashley, I'll be back in a minute."
As Cindy left, Bane glanced down at the blonde child. "I'll do my best, Ashley." With his fingers on the gem, he focused all his will power on a visualized destination. Blue light flared up and swirled around him as the little girl lunged and grabbed his jacket sleeve. The light faded and they both were gone.
III.
As an identical flash of blue light dimmed, Bane and Ashley appeared in the adjacent realm of Chyl. It was late afternoon, with long shadows cast and the red sun low in the sky. The air was crisp and breezy. Around them was a sparse pine forest, but they happened to stand in a clearing with had gravel and flat stones laid down to start a path leading down the hill in front of them.
Bane flung Ashley's hand off his arm. "Why the hell did you do that? I didn't want to bring you here."
She drew back, bewildered at his anger. "I thought I could help."
"You have put yourself in real danger!" the Dire Wolf snapped. "With you to protect, I may not be able to look for your mother."
Big tears popped out of her eyes instantly. "Don't be mad at me, Mr Bane. Please. I just wanna help."
"Of COURSE I'm mad at you!" Bane took a breath and quieted his voice. "Listen, Ashley, I am not going to hurt you. But that was a stupid trick to pull and once I get you and Mary home-" He broke off and yanked her around behind him. A Yugen swordsman was racing up the path toward them. There was a split-second flurry of motion, the flash of a steel blade in the sunlight and suddenly the Zoku-ya was on his back as Bane lowered his fist.
Scrambling back onto his feet, the Yugen had not lost his grip on the three-foot Zoku, the sword that he believed was more a part of him than an arm or leg. He was not tall but stocky, with thick arms and legs, wearing a black knee-length tunic belted at the waist, short boots and a pouch in front of his waist. The Yugen had dark tawny skin like that of a lion, massive brow ledges over black-scleraed eyes, and ears which rose to distinct points. The head was hairless and, strangest of all, had no nose .. merely a slight bulge between eyes and mouth.
"Spies," he growled. "Who sent you? Zemu Watura? Lord Cheram? Who do you serve?"
"I serve justice," answered Bane calmly.
The Zoku-ya dropped into a crouch, standing with knees bent and his left side facing the intruder in black. He advanced with long hopping steps and the suddenly the polished blade whirled back up behind him to come whistling straight at Bane's neck. The Dire Wolf lunged in to intercept, blocking that slash aside with a circular move of his right arm. Beneath that sleeve was Trom armor and beneath that an arm hardened by fifteen years of Kumundu training. The sword blade rebounded harmlessly, completely surprising the Yugen who now had his defenses down. Bane blasted out a front snap kick that drove the steel-capped toe of his boot deep into the man's abdomen. As the Yugen doubled up, his grip on the sword loosening, the Dire Wolf followed with a hard left hook that swung the man's head around to the side with a creaking of neck muscles.
Even as the Zoku-ya fell to the stone path in a heap, Bane had seized Ashley's arm and barked, "Head into the woods, kid!" But he came to a stop as he realized that dozens of the swordsmen had appeared encircling them, moving in tighter and keeping an arm's length distance between each. Alone, Bane thought, he could break through. A spray of the anesthetic darts to make an opening, punch or two in the way, and he could be deep in those woods before they reacted. But he could not do that while carrying Ashley and these warriors were at a combat plateau few could match. Tel Shai knights, the Blind Archers of Chujir, Amraths... and the Zoku-ya. They were too skilled to risk fighting while Ashley was under his protection.
Holding up his empty hands, palms out, Bane froze. The Yugen swordsmen came to a halt while out of reach and studied him sullenly while their leader came forward. This was a man a bit taller than the norm, but still stocky with a barrel chest. On his bald head was a black velvet skullcap. His tunic was decorated with thin white tracery, and it rose to a high collar. Under that brow ledge, the black eyes with red irises glared at Bane as if the man was restraining every urge to kill.
"I see that Sazun has been beaten by an unarmed foe!" he screamed to his followers."Who could live bearing such disgrace? You and you, lift him to his feet."
"Yes, Lord Oguro. " Two Yugen grabbed the dazed man under the arms and hauled him roughly to his feet. Sazun swayed and looked around in confusion, then caught sight of the murderous glare in the eyes of Oguro-Win. The two Yugen stepped quickly away from the unhappy man.
"Sazun-Jun, where is your sword? You don't even know, do you?" Oguro-Win drew his own Zoku in a backhand stroke that flickered like a lightning bolt and twirled in a figure eight to flick off the blood. Sazun's head fell in one direction and his body in another, and the watching swordsmen hissed in admiration.
"Our code is written in stone and stone we must be to live it," declared Lord Oguro. "I know you, outsider. You are a Human from the world beyond. The Dire Wolf. You are the one who fought and imprisoned Zemu himself."
"Twice," agreed Bane. "My business is with your king."
"What you seek may not be what you will find," laughed Oguro-Win. He wiped his blade on the dead man's tunic before sheathing it. "Indeed, your life and the life of your child hang by a hair. I warn you, make no resistance. Come with us and you may live to see the sun rise again."
"Come on, Ashley," Bane said as he placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "We'll play along for now." Two of the Yugen swordsmen flanked them as Lord Oguro formed his men into a double line and marched them down the trail.
"Oguro, is it?" asked Bane casually as they walked. "You know about the world beyond the realm of Chyl."
"Hah! I know much, Dire Wolf. I have spoken often with the Stray Dog, Zemu, and he has told me of the loot to be found beyond these islands. I intend to plunder the fat sleeping land of Chujir, which is ready to plucked like a fruit hanging from a branch. And you shall help me."
"Oh, I will?" said Bane.
"Yes indeed. Listen.." He began to ask questions about the real world, its size and resources, its wars and feuds between nations, its weapons and tactics. Bane just gave him the straight truth. After hearing about cruise missiles and fighter jets and nuclear submarines, Ogura-Win grew quieter and the questions came further apart. Eventually there was silence. Ahead of them, cultivated fields gave way to occasional cottages and huts. Then they were hiking past villages and towns with stone or brick buildings. The city itself had no clear defining line, but at some point they walked on stone-flagged streets that led to a huge city square with a fountain in its center. On the other side, raised on wide stepped platforms, was an ornate palace with orange tiles and a triangular pennant flying on a pole twenty feet high.
Well before anyone could have caught sight of Bane and Ashley, Oguro-Win ordered cloaks thrown over them and arranged to cover them completely. The Wolf went along with it for the moment. Led by the head as they could not see through the heavy cloaks, Bane and Ashley were dragged on a winding route and through a tunnel, down a narrow staircase and finally into a stone cell where the cloaks were removed. Bane looked around and decided the cell was not bad. Certainly he had been thrown into worse in his time. There was a thin, straw-filled mat in one corner, a chamber pot and jug of stagnant water, and a barred window two feet across well out of reach. He glanced down at Ashley, who seemed to be taking all this in stride, and decided she could wriggle through that window if he could get the bars out.
Bane was searched, his dart gun was recognized as a weapon and some of the gimmicks in his pockets were taken away. But the silver daggers on his forearms were concealed beneath molded high-density plastic that felt like human muscle to the touch and they escaped detection once again. As long as he had them on him, he felt up to any fight. His helmet was also claimed by Oguro-Win, who seemed tempted to wear it himself.
The Dire Wolf acted as if all this was normal procedure. "What about the blonde woman from the real world?" he asked. "I should talk with her now."
The Yugen warlord watched him sourly. "Yes, I was thinking that. If you see she is alive and a prisoner, you may behave better. I will arrange it. You are of value as a hostage, Dire Wolf. I believe your Tel Shai knights will pay for your return and for the white-haired females. Not in gold, but in gralic talismans which I need. This may take time to negotiate-" He was interrupted as a Yugen boy about the same age of Ashley came up behind him in the doorway. "Ah, there you are, Lord Oguro..."
Until puberty, the Yugen of Chyl more closely resemble their Human cousins. They have normal noses and sparse amounts of hair, and the brow ledges are much less pronounced. This eleven year old boy looked like a Human youth except for the tawny skin and ears beginning to point at the tops. His tunic was made of fine linen, laced with gold threads, and he had a round white skullcap. As she spotted Bane and Ashley, his jaw fell open as if the tendons had given away. "Who..?"
Lord Oguro spun the boy around and hustled him from the cell, slamming the massive door behind them. As the guards lowered the bar across the door, the Yugen warlord hurried the boy away. "Prince Miko! I did not expect to find you in this unsavory place.."
The prince resisted, dragging his feet. "Who ARE those strange people, my lord?"
"Spies! Spies from Chujir. I caught them sneaking into our land. After they are questioned, I will present them to your father, but for now you must not speak of them to anyone. It is a secret of state, do you understand?"
"That little girl is a spy?" Miko demanded breathlessly. "Why, she is no older than I am. Did you see her hair? It is the color of snow. And her eyes are blue like the sky, how strange. What Chujirans look like that? I wish to speak with her," he said as he tried to turn around and go back.
Oguro-Win stood in his path, grasping the boy by the upper arms. "Miko, you must not! Those two are very dangerous. They are liars and assassins. They would mislead you. I have known you since the morning you were born. It was I who first sat you on a horse and placed a sword in your hand. You must trust me when I warn you about the spies."
"Yes, my lord. But still..."
"Hear me, Prince Miko. These are my words. You know that you and your father King Nobeko have been haunted by assassins all your lives. It is the price of a throne. Have I not saved you many times from poison in your meals and from the knife in the dark? This is but more of the same."
The boy lowered his head and bowed slightly. "Our code is written in stone," he said, "and we must be stone to live up to it. I know. Even a prince has responsibility. Very well, my lord."
"I believe this is the third day, and your tutors must be waiting to instruct you in letters, yes? I pray you, return to your training and mention this to no one."
"Yes, my lord," the prince said almost inaudibly, turning and almost running up the narrow stone stairs away from the dungeons. Lord Oguro watched the lad depart. He needed that boy to ascend the throne when Nobeko-Tu died suddenly, and of course young Miko would need a wise advisor to guide him... like Oguru-Win himself. It was perilous that the prince had seen the prisoners, though. The warlord summoned the two guards, saying "Come with me. There is much to do yet." He led them up the stairs and toward the grand hall.
Left unobserved for the moment, Ashley was forced to use the chamberpot. She was embarrassed but there was no way to avoid it. Bane stood in the doorway, looking out through the small grated opening to give her as much privacy as he could. Stowing the metal pot in a corner with a dour expression, the girl suddenly said, "That freak said my mother is alive."
"He did. If we can find her and hide until four in the morning, the gralic charge will wear off and all three of us will return to our own world."
"Mr Bane, I'm so sorry. I really apologize. You would be doing this much easier without me in the way," her voice was unsteady.
The Dire Wolf turned around, going through the concealed slits in his field suit which still held various weapons and devices. "You might as well call me Jeremy. No point in recriminations now. I've been in much tighter spots and so has your mother.. and we always get out somehow."
A small face suddenly popped up in the grated opening behind him, and he caught its appearance from the corner of his eye. It was Prince Miko, peering in. Bane stepped aside and said, "Ashley, I think you have a visitor."
She ran over and stood up on tip-toe by the grating. "Hi! My name is Ashley. Have you seen my mother anywhere? She has hair like mine."
"I haven't actually seen her, but I did hear there is an outside woman in a cell somewhere. I am Miko-Les, Prince Miko. My father is King of Chyl and someday I will be King myself."
"Miko, when do we get something to eat? I'm not crazy about this place."
"I will ask. I will ask the servants to bring food to you. And I will find out where your mother is being held. Ashley, you look so different from the girls I know. Are you a Human?"
"Who, me? Of course I'm Human. I love your skin, it's like a golden peach, you know."
"Really? Wait, I hear someone coming, I hope it's not Lord Oguro again." The boy dropped out of sight.
The girl turned to see Bane smiling widely, something so rare for him that few had seen that expression on his face. "Is something funny?" she demanded a bit touchily.
"Young love," he said. "It's fun to watch. Well, you sure won his heart. Maybe Prince Miko can help us."
IV.
The castle had two throne rooms, the grander one for public ceremonies. King Nobeko stood in the lesser one deep within the fortified structure. He was bored as he inspected drawings on parchment of a design for a bridge. The river Sinada had long been crossed by ferries and skiffs but increased trade meant a bridge was needed. One had been built a generation ago, but it had been poorly constructed and collapsed during a storm. This new proposal was not any improvement, as far as he could see. What a nuisance.
Nobeko-Les was no warrior as his father had been, but a dumpy man of medium height, with a doughy noseless face. His robe was fine white linen, trimmed with gold and embroidered across the back with the imperial winged serpent. His skull cap was gold also, crested with short wings on either side. In one fleshy hand, he toyed with a short gold sceptre he used for emphasis when speaking. Behind him, an advisor shifted restlessly. Two Zoku-ya guards stood watchfully, hands on sword hilts.
King Nobeko spoke at last, "I can see little to recommend this. Have the engineer construct a model to scale for me to inspect. That will be all for this day's audience-" He broke off as Prince Miko burst into the chamber and ran up to him. Nobeko-Les smiled and leaned forward toward his only child. "Miko! A Prince should enter with reserve, after being admitted by the door warden. Show some dignity."
"Father, can we have food sent to the prisoners?" asked the boy.
A cold edge came into the king's voice. "What prisoners do you speak of?"
"Why, the Humans that Lord Oguro has captured. A man with steel-colored eyes and a girl my age with white hair... like her mother."
The King stood up slowly, the heavy brow ledge lowering over his eyes and suddenly he did not seem at all flabby and harmless. "Humans from the world outside. Here in Chyl. And I was not told?" He slapped the sceptre against one palm. "I see. Guards, escort me. Miko, take me to the prisoners." Everyone jumped at the tone of his voice. Nobeko-Les stepped out into the hall and addressed a young page. "Go to the captain of the guard, my boy. Have him come to the dungeons with some good men."
"Father? Why are you angry? What does this mean?"
The King growled, "It may mean a head will roll on the ground."
V.
The cell door was unbarred and opened, and Lord Oguru loomed up in its light. "You may speak for a few minutes only," he said as he stepped aside and a woman was shoved forward with her hands tied behind her. Mary Cassidy, the Unicorn, was five foot four and slim but athletic in build like a runner. She was wearing white shorts, hiking boots and a white T-shirt with an open denim vest over it. Her hair was in fact the same platinum blonde as her daughter's and there was an obvious resemblance between the two.
Still buckled around her waist was a gunbelt with a holster and a sheath for a commando knife, but empty,as were three pouches on its back.
As Ashley leaped to embrace her, Mary said, "Baby, what are you doing here? In Chyl?"
"Mr Bane brought me here to rescue you! Mom, you're okay, I was so worried."
Bane stepped forward. "That's a little biased. I came here to find you, Mary, but Ashley is just a stowaway."
Unicorn's blue eyes fixed on the Dire Wolf. "Talk about being glad to see an old friend. Thanks, Jeremy. I would do the same for you."
"You are not home yet," Oguru-Win cut in. He hefted a talisman in his hands, a slim ivory spiral just under three feet long, with a silver cap at its base, its other ending tapering to a needle point.
"That is MY property!" said Mary Cassidy.
"Time is running short," said the Yugen warlord. "My Human guests, for you to be returned home, I need a recompense. Gralic talismans! A Darthan blasting wand, an Eldar travel crystal, weapons from Tel Shai. This must be arranged with messengers."
"I can arrange that," Bane said confidently, as if trading at a market. "In the vault of my headquarters, there is quite a collection. Have you ever heard of Hellspawn, the Darthan sword that drinks life? The Seeking Noose? Sagehelm? The Sceptre? The Yellow Shield? I can supply one of them for our safe passage."
Lord Oguro considered. "Zemu spoke of your exploits, Dire Wolf. Very well, let us arrange this trade. First, the females shall remain here while-"
"Oguro-Win!" thundered a voice from the corridor behind them. In the flickered torchlight, the King strode angrily forward, followed by six of his Zoku-ya, with Miko trailing behind. "I would have words with you."
"The King!" whispered one of Lord Oguro's men. "We are lost."
"Stand fast!" snapped the warlord. With his four warriors beside him and he himself a hardened Zoku-ya where Nobeko-Les was not, the odds were not steep. "My liege," he began humbly, "May I present these spies who were caught stealing-"
"Be still!" roared the King. "I am told this woman has been prisoner for five days and by your orders, no word came to me. Nor was I informed of these two, as by all rights I should have been told immediately. Wait. This man must be the Dire Wolf himself, he has been in our presence before to bring Zemu Watura for judgement."
"Your majesty," Bane said, with a slight bow.
Lord Oguru began again, "My liege-"
"Hold your tongue. Whatever twisted scheme you have underway, it ends now. Captain of the Guard, Lord Oguru is under arrest. His lands are forfeit and his titles stripped from him. Take him in chains to the North Tower to await his trial.. which shall be short."
Unnoticed in the tense confrontation, Prince Miko had crept over to stand beside Ashley, who rewarded him with a grin. Unnoticed also, Bane had moved behind Mary Cassidy and started cutting through the cords around her wrists with one of his daggers. All other eyes were on the king and the warlord.
"Our code is written in stone," King Nobeko declared, "and you have failed it. I mark you Watura- a Stray Dog, like Zemu, and like him your honor is extinct."
"Never! Fat fool, the army is loyal to me, not to you. They want loot and plunder, and you have kept this land peaceful too long," Oguru-Win yelled.
"Do you see your army down here? No. You four, I offer you clency. Do not stand with this Stray Dog and I swear your lives will be spared."
Oguru-Win tapped the Unicorn horn against his side, glanced around and saw the prisoners standing near to him. That was his chance. The warlord lunged and wrapped an arm around Prince Miko, pressing the sharp point of the horn to the boy's throat. "Stay where you stand!" Oguru-Win barked. "You know I will kill him and you will be without the heir you prayed for for so long. Now, give me passage and a good horse at the gate."
"Lord, let me go," begged the struggling boy. A thin trickle of blood appeared on his neck as he resisted.
Unexpectedly, Jeremy Bane said, "Look at me."
All heads involuntarily turned. A glitter of silver was already spinning in the air and the warlord's head snapped back as he fell onto his knees. Sticking out of his left eye socket was a slim hiltless throwing dagger. He dropped the Unicorn horn and released the Prince as his hands loosened in death.
"You always were good with those things," said Mary Cassidy as she picked up the horn and inspected it suspiciously for damage.
"Practice all day every day," Bane replied. He tugged the weapon free and cleaned it on Oguro-Win's tunic, neither being a pleasant task, before sliding it back into the sheath under his sleeve.
Standing over the body of Lord Oguro, the king prodded it tentatively with a toe. "I trusted him to raise my son. I placed my child's life in his care. And there he lies, a traitor and a Stray Dog." Oguro-Les glared up at Bane. "In all justice, I must acknowledge my debt to you. My son- the heir to the throne- was in mortal danger and you saved him. What reward do you ask of us?"
"Safe passage home," Bane answered. "That is all. Oh, and the return of my helmet and other items Oguro took. Allow us to return home and we will trouble you no more."
"Granted! And with a light heart. We of Chyl stand alone, seeking no allies and desiring no foes. Yet you at least have earned respect by our code. Go now and and never return. This realm is closed to outsiders."
Miko had been staring in appalled fascination at Oguro-Les' mutilated body, but now the young prince swung his head up at the king's words. "Father? I DID promise them food."
"Indeed? Oh, so be it," said King Nomeko. "The evening meal is ready as we speak and three empty chairs can be easily found. Dire Wolf, you and your two companions, I invite you to the royal table. It is an honor given to few but I do not regret extending it now. You shall sit at my right hand and tell me of events in the other realms. How fare the Melgarin? Are the Kobalim still well in Okali? Something good may come of this yet."
And so the unheard-of came to pass, as three Humans from the outside world sat at the royal table with the King and Queen of Chyl, accompanied by the boy prince. The food was palatable if not entirely familiar, with roasted fowl and tender beef in pungent sauce, steamed vegetables not seen before, and spiced black wine. Bane and the King talked throughout and, by the time the plates were being removed by servants, Nomeko-Les had mellowed enough to offer the Dire Wolf an invitation to safely return to Chyl if matters of great urgency arose. Bane agreed and swore he would not abuse the privilege.
After the feast, the three outsiders were escorted by a squad of mounted Zoku-Ya to the gravel clearing where they had first appeared in this realm. The King had ordered his swordsmen to leave the visitors there and return to the castle. As Bane watched the warriors ride away, he felt pleased things had worked out so well, but he was pragmatic enough to know that if he did have to return here, he might simply get thrown in a dungeon again.
At midnight, they had a few hours before the gralir in their bodies dissipated and the real world drew them home. They sat on a grassy knoll and looked up at unfamiliar constellations. The chatter died down after a while as they finally unwound.
"I never got my Ruger back," Mary grumbled, "But as long as the horn is still safe, I'm satisfied."
"What was it you came here to retrieve, anyway?" Bane asked.
She chuckled. "It's tucked inside my sock. A cameo carved from dragon bone. Zemu Watura stole it from a collector and I'm bringing it back, so morally I'm in the clear."
Bane was silent for a few minutes, feeling relaxed for one of the few times in his life. "You know," he said, "I think Prince Miko has a real crush on Ashley."
"You noticed that, too?" laughed Mary Cassidy. "They were whispering with their heads together all through the meal. How about it, pumpkin? When's the wedding?"
"Aw, he's okay, I guess," said Ashley without enthusiasm. "But I won't have time for boys. If I'm going to be the next Unicorn, I need a lot of training and study."
Not realizing what door he was opening, Bane off-handedly said, "As soon as you're old enough, give me a call and I'll sponsor you to Tel Shai."
The blonde child leaned over to shake his hand. "Deal!"
4/22/2000- Rev 3/21/2014
5/26/1991
I.
The doorbell rang at just before noon, as Cindy happened to be coming down the stairs to the front hall. The blonde telepath frowned slightly, not remembering any appointments, or anyone likely to be calling. She walked up to the inner door and thumbed the intercom button. "I'll be right with you," she said and flipped open a wooden panel beside the door to watch the monitor screen light up. Cindy gave a little start of surprise. The exterior camera showed only a little girl, maybe ten or eleven, standing patiently on the steps. No one else was in sight. Cindy swung the camera from side to side but still spotted no one.
Hitting a button on the control panel, she made the outer door swing open and said, "Come right in." The child marched into the small vestibule, just big enough for a bench, a ceramic lamp on a shelf with a few old magazines. She stared up at the oil painting KENNETH DRED 1900-1979 and seemed interested. Advanced Trom sensors hummed and buzzed, and Cindy studied the detailed images of the little girl. No metal larger than a key, no poisons, nothing suspicious. Images of the child's skeleton and circulatory system and nervous system flashed by, all with the tag NORMAL. Finally yellow letters appeared on the screen NO ID.
Cindy shrugged and opened the inner door. "Good morning. Are you selling cookies or something?"
"Who, me? Nope." The child was exceptionally pretty, with white-blonde hair down her back, crystal blue eyes and fine features. She was wearing a long-sleeved white blouse, maroon skirt and white stockings with black shoes. She also seemed completely at ease and confident. "I'd like to see Mr Bane, please."
"And who shall I say is calling, if I might ask?"
"Ashley Whitaker. He knows my mom... the Unicorn."
"Oh. I see. That explains a little. Come with me, Ashley." Cindy closed the door behind them and let the girl across the hall through the open door to the office. Here Bane was sitting behind his desk, staring at a pile of bills but stalling before actually getting to them. As they entered, Cindy unobtrusively scanned the outer layers of Ashley's consciousness, very lightly. She found no signs of hypnosis or mind control, just a young active brain boiling with life.
Bane glanced up from his desk. As always, he was dressed all in black which made him even more gaunt than he was. The pale grey eyes tried to be friendly. "Well. Who's your friend, Cin?"
Grinning, Cindy still looked like a teenager although she was in her late thirties. Her dark blonde hair was tied back, and she was wearing faded jeans and oversized sweatshirt that said SUNY NEW PALTZ. "I thought maybe you could use a client, hon."
Ashley Whitaker went straight to the fish tank which sat on top of waist-high shelves filled with law books and other reference volumes. The starfish with a single red eye in its center and the seahorse with sharp teeth were bizarre enough, but the tiny squid which changed color to form geometric patterns was what unsettled most people. The child came up until her breath fogged the glass. "These are from Ulgor, aren't they?"
"Yes," Bane said. "And how would you know about Ulgor?"
"My mom told me. I've been in a few adjacent realms." She openly inspected Bane, not intimidated in the slightest. "My name is Ashley Whitaker. I'm eleven. My mom is Mary Cassidy, the Unicorn and she's told me she knows you. You're Jeremy Bane, the Wolf Man."
"The Dire Wolf," Cindy corrected her helpfully. "Did you come here by yourself, Ashley?"
"Yes. I'm supposed to be at school but I know all kinds of tricks and they won't be looking for me."
Bane did not seem reassured by this. He stood up and motioned for his visitor to have a seat in one of the leather-bound chairs in front of his desk. Cindy dropped down in a chair a few feet to the side and also seemed uneasy.
"So no one knows where you are...? I think I should give your parents a call, Ashley. Right now," Bane snapped as he reached for the phone next to him.
"But that's the problem! My father is dead, he died of pneumonia when I was a baby. I live with my mom and our housekeeper Mrs Duvall. That's why I need you to help me. My mom is missing!"
Cindy was watching the little girl intently, keeping a little skim of the child's mind and finding no deceit. If she had detected any sign of trickery or another personality beneath the surface, she would have alerted Bane at once. The Dire Wolf was also checking his young visitor, using long experience spotting liars and dealing with people who came to him under high stress. He felt Ashley was worried, naturally enough, but nowhere near panic. "Tell us more."
"I last saw her Sunday night," Ashley began. "She was going on one of her retrievals. That's what she calls it when someone hires her to go steal something, but she doesn't put it that way. Usually Midnight War stuff, little idols or swords or junk. She never gives me details. When I got home from school the next day, she wasn't there and today is the third day and I'm getting a little freaked out you know? The police are no help. They're stupid. They don't know anything about the Midnight War."
"Maybe it's just as well," Bane said. "They have more than they can handle as it is. Go on."
"I still don't like them. Anyway, whatever. Mom told me about you and the KDF and she said were the good guys and I could trust you. I looked you up in the phone book, called a taxi and here I am."
Cindy was plainly horrified. "A taxi driver picked up a ten year old girl and took her without adult supervision?!"
"Sure, why not?" Ashley answered blithely. "I had money with me. So, Mr Bane, I came here to see if you will help me find my mom."
Bane rested his chin on a fist, elbow on the desk. His face was not easy to read. "I remember your mother, Mary Cassidy - the Unicorn. She did help me out a few times. And how can I turn down a little girl trying to find her mother?"
"No one else will even listen to me," Ashley pouted. "They look at me like I'm retarded when I explain."
"Where do you live Ashley?"
"On 71st Street. 912 71st, not far from Central Park. We have a suite on the top floor of a building." She leaned forward conspiratorily. "See, I know people are supposed to pay private eyes. That's another thing. My mom is loaded, she can settle with you when we get her home."
"I can't take you as a client because you're a minor," Bane said. "But I will help you as a friend. I'm going to your place now and look for clues. I'll talk with your housekeeper. But I do think that my friend Cindy here should drive you back to your school. She can pick you up when school lets out. You do know it's a very bad idea for you to be roaming around New York City by yourself, right?"
"Oh, sure," Ashley said.
Cindy stood up. "I'll blur everyone's minds as she walks in. With luck, no one will notice."
"Good. Call me as you think best." Bane stood up himself, and Ashley "I will probably be searching your home or back here by then. Ashley, I have to say you're being very brave about all this."
The child smiled. "Am I? That's good to hear. My mom brought me up to be just like her. When I'm old enough, I'm going to be the new Unicorn."
II.
The best parking spot he could find was on 74th, so Bane settled for it and walked back a few blocks, then over onto the side street. The address Ashley had given him was a well-kept stone structure that had once been a millionaire's mansion but which had long ago been split up into separate apartments. Two glass doors opened into a lobby with an inner glass door. On the right hand were rows of name tags with white buttons and, sure enough one read CASSIDY,M. The inner door was locked, but Bane used the Trom probe devised for him by Leonard Slade long ago and got in as if he had the right key. He skipped the elevator and trotted up five flights, using up some of the constant surplus energy his hyperactive metabolism gave him. On the landing, he saw the door with the numbers 512 and knocked. In less than a minute, the door was opened by a grim-faced old woman with white hair pulled back in a tight bun. She regarded him coldly. "Yes?"
"My name is Jeremy Bane, I don't know if Mary ever mentioned me-"
The change was dramatic, as the woman took his arm and pulled him inside. "Oh yes. And she described you too. Those eyes. And still with the black turtleneck! I'm glad you're here. My Mary always said that you were someone to go to when there was trouble."
"Good to know," the Dire Wolf said. "I understand she's been missing for a few days. Longer than usual."
"She has been!" replied Mrs Duvall. "And the police would be useless finding her. My Mary is beyond the lands they know. Come, I'll show you her workshop." They walked through a high-ceiling airy room with hanging plants and tall narrow windows. A white paneled door in one corner was locked, and she opened it for him.
The workroom itself was about ten feet by ten, with one wall of shelves crammed with books, clippings and loose papers and general debris. There was a desk with a swivel chair and a phone, a radio and an empty coffee mug. Tacked to one wall was a hand-drawn map on oaktag, and in the remaining corner was a green metal cabinet with a padlock.
Bane looked around slowly. The map he recognized at once as being the islands of Chyl, one of the more perilous adjacent realms to visit. He studied it and saw no errors. Mary had done her research. But if she had gone there to retrieve something valuable...
Mrs Duvall sighed. "I don't want to be a distraction. Call me if I can be of any help, but I feel you can think better without me watching."
"Thank you," he said, still examining the map. After the housekeeper left, the Wolf settled down to a systematic search. For the next hour, he scrutinized everything, beginning at the door and working his way around the room. He found evidence that Unicorn had been in at least twelve realms, including Maroch, by far the most dangerous. She had accepted commissions for an average of twenty to fifty thousand dollars to fetch back mystic talismans and artifacts from these realms with consistent success. Unicorn was basically a thief, as he had realized when he had met her, although the fact most of the people she robbed were warlocks or tyrants mitigated that in his view.
The notes on her desk, as well as two books with markers at various pages, were all about Chyl. There were drawings of the Yugen, their clothing and weapons and architecture. A lot concerned itself with the Zoku-ya swordsmen, and Bane smiled wryly as he saw she had found information that was new to him. Mary had done her homework. Finally, he stood before the metal cabinet. The Trom device inserted its thin wire tendrils which reshaped themselves inside and turned to open the padlock. Bane reflected he had better refresh his lock picking skills, he was out of practice with this gadget being so convenient. On shelves in the cabinet were journals and ledgers, three different handguns with boxes of ammo, one sword and four knives of various lengths. And there was a dark wooden box four feet long with its own lock. He opened this too, and found it was empty. The interior was lined with velvet.
He knew this must be where Mary Cassidy kept her greatest tool and weapon, a genuine Unicorn horn from Okali that had long ago been ensorcelled by Malberon ages ago to break up gralic spells. The spiral horn had given her the name she was known by. Locking up the cabinet, Bane kept searching for one more item he was certain must be here. He found it beneath a drape of blue linen on the wall. Fastened to a silver plate was a pale blue faceted jewel the size of a human hand. An Eldar travel crystal, worth any amount of money or lives. Only the immortal Eldarin could craft them properly, Human efforts always went wrong. As far as he knew, no more than a dozen existed in this world.
This was how Unicorn had journeyed to other realms, and how she had entered otherwise impregnable fortresses and tombs on her retrievals.
Bane stretched and took a deep breath. He knew enough now to go on, it only remained to get underway. Mary Cassidy was a tough, experienced mercenary with a long career of succeeding against the odds. He would have to beat whatever had defeated her. As he thought this, the Link on his belt beeped and he held it up to his ear. "Cin?"
"Hey! I've got Ashley in tow and we're heading to her apartment. Are you there?"
"Yes," he said. "I think I know where Unicorn went, now we just have to go bring her back. I'll be here."
Less than twenty minutes later, Cindy and Ashley came up in the elevator. They did not resemble each other despite being small-boned blue-eyed blondes as their coloring was entirely different, but to a casually passer-by they might be taken for mother and daughter. The child dropped her book bag on a chair, kicked off her shoes and said, "Hi, Mrs Duvall. This is my friend Cindy. She works with Mr Bane. Is he here?"
"Yes, Ashley. Hello, Cindy," the housekeeper said. "I feel better knowing you two are on the job."
"We do our best," the telepath replied. As Bane emerged from the workroom, she said, "Long time no see. Fill us in, hon."
Bane told them his conclusions. "I am going after her, of course and I will bring her back. I promise you that. Right now, Cindy and I will go back to our headquarters to prepare."
"Can I go with them?" pleaded Ashley to Mrs Duvall. "I don't wanna wait here! I'll be safe with these guys."
The housekeeper hesitated. "Well, my Mary said to trust you two completely when there's trouble, so I suppose it will be all right. I'm sure it will be harder to stay here and not know what's going on."
Cindy had an arm around the girl's shoulder. "We'll take good care of the little Unicorn."
Phone numbers were exchanged and numerous assurances given on both side. Bane and Cindy left with Ashley marching between them as if she had known them all her life. On the street, they separated to go to their cars, meeting up again in the underground garage beneath the KDF building. In a few more minutes, they were in the kitchen, chowing down on homemade chicken soup brewed the night before, grilled cheese sandwiches with tomatoes, and egg salad. Ashley seemed entirely at home, chatting away and asking dozens of questions. From childhood, she had known about the Midnight War and the adjacent realms.
As soon as they were done, Bane went up to his quarters on the third floor to get ready. He stripped off his regular clothing to stand in the flexible Trom armor that covered him except for head and hands. Strapped to his forearms as always were the matched silver daggers given to him by Kenneth Dred. He had practiced with them both throwing and fighting to the point where he preferred them to any other weapon. Bane got into the full field suit, with its heavy boots, pants and jersey, all black. The waist-length field jacket had its own inner layer of the Trom armor. Holstered at his left hip was the anesthetic dart gun, and a dozen little gimmicks were hidden throughout the suit.
Cradling the visored helmet in the crook of one arm, the Dire Wolf went down to the second floor, where he found Cindy and Ashley sitting on the floor in front of the seven-foot monitor screen. Ashley had hooked into the satellite dish and gone straight to MTV. On a set filled with smoke and lasers, five dancers dressed as Teddy bears were wiggling behind a half-naked 16-year-old singer.
Seeing Bane enter, Ashley whispered, "Don't tell mom. She doesn't let me watch this."
"I wonder why," Bane said sourly.
"Wicked cool!" the child grinned. "You two have the best toys."
"Thanks. I think." The Dire Wolf lowered the helmet over his head but left the visor retracted. He went over to open a wooden panel that looked like part of the wall, exposing an Eldar crystal like the one in Unicorn's workroom but large as a dinner plate. Ashley came over to watch.
"This is a travel crystal," he explained. "It opens gateways to the other realms but it also lets you move from one place within the world to another if you practice enough. All you do is touch the gem and concentrate fully on your destination."
"Mom has one," Ashley sniffed dismissively. "She keeps it locked up so I don't go to Disneyworld by myself."
"She's smart. You would. Anyway, I'm not going to take this with me because it's so valuable and impossible to replace at this point. So I'll use a delay factor to return. The gralic charge will wear off in twelve hours, give or take a little, and I will automatically appear back here with your mother. Got it?"
"Sure."
A buzzer sounded, meaning someone was at the front door. "That's probably Klein. He called yesterday and said he might have a case for you."
"Tell him I just left," Bane said, placing his fingertips on the crystal.
"That's the understatement," chuckled Cindy as she headed out of the room. "Ashley, I'll be back in a minute."
As Cindy left, Bane glanced down at the blonde child. "I'll do my best, Ashley." With his fingers on the gem, he focused all his will power on a visualized destination. Blue light flared up and swirled around him as the little girl lunged and grabbed his jacket sleeve. The light faded and they both were gone.
III.
As an identical flash of blue light dimmed, Bane and Ashley appeared in the adjacent realm of Chyl. It was late afternoon, with long shadows cast and the red sun low in the sky. The air was crisp and breezy. Around them was a sparse pine forest, but they happened to stand in a clearing with had gravel and flat stones laid down to start a path leading down the hill in front of them.
Bane flung Ashley's hand off his arm. "Why the hell did you do that? I didn't want to bring you here."
She drew back, bewildered at his anger. "I thought I could help."
"You have put yourself in real danger!" the Dire Wolf snapped. "With you to protect, I may not be able to look for your mother."
Big tears popped out of her eyes instantly. "Don't be mad at me, Mr Bane. Please. I just wanna help."
"Of COURSE I'm mad at you!" Bane took a breath and quieted his voice. "Listen, Ashley, I am not going to hurt you. But that was a stupid trick to pull and once I get you and Mary home-" He broke off and yanked her around behind him. A Yugen swordsman was racing up the path toward them. There was a split-second flurry of motion, the flash of a steel blade in the sunlight and suddenly the Zoku-ya was on his back as Bane lowered his fist.
Scrambling back onto his feet, the Yugen had not lost his grip on the three-foot Zoku, the sword that he believed was more a part of him than an arm or leg. He was not tall but stocky, with thick arms and legs, wearing a black knee-length tunic belted at the waist, short boots and a pouch in front of his waist. The Yugen had dark tawny skin like that of a lion, massive brow ledges over black-scleraed eyes, and ears which rose to distinct points. The head was hairless and, strangest of all, had no nose .. merely a slight bulge between eyes and mouth.
"Spies," he growled. "Who sent you? Zemu Watura? Lord Cheram? Who do you serve?"
"I serve justice," answered Bane calmly.
The Zoku-ya dropped into a crouch, standing with knees bent and his left side facing the intruder in black. He advanced with long hopping steps and the suddenly the polished blade whirled back up behind him to come whistling straight at Bane's neck. The Dire Wolf lunged in to intercept, blocking that slash aside with a circular move of his right arm. Beneath that sleeve was Trom armor and beneath that an arm hardened by fifteen years of Kumundu training. The sword blade rebounded harmlessly, completely surprising the Yugen who now had his defenses down. Bane blasted out a front snap kick that drove the steel-capped toe of his boot deep into the man's abdomen. As the Yugen doubled up, his grip on the sword loosening, the Dire Wolf followed with a hard left hook that swung the man's head around to the side with a creaking of neck muscles.
Even as the Zoku-ya fell to the stone path in a heap, Bane had seized Ashley's arm and barked, "Head into the woods, kid!" But he came to a stop as he realized that dozens of the swordsmen had appeared encircling them, moving in tighter and keeping an arm's length distance between each. Alone, Bane thought, he could break through. A spray of the anesthetic darts to make an opening, punch or two in the way, and he could be deep in those woods before they reacted. But he could not do that while carrying Ashley and these warriors were at a combat plateau few could match. Tel Shai knights, the Blind Archers of Chujir, Amraths... and the Zoku-ya. They were too skilled to risk fighting while Ashley was under his protection.
Holding up his empty hands, palms out, Bane froze. The Yugen swordsmen came to a halt while out of reach and studied him sullenly while their leader came forward. This was a man a bit taller than the norm, but still stocky with a barrel chest. On his bald head was a black velvet skullcap. His tunic was decorated with thin white tracery, and it rose to a high collar. Under that brow ledge, the black eyes with red irises glared at Bane as if the man was restraining every urge to kill.
"I see that Sazun has been beaten by an unarmed foe!" he screamed to his followers."Who could live bearing such disgrace? You and you, lift him to his feet."
"Yes, Lord Oguro. " Two Yugen grabbed the dazed man under the arms and hauled him roughly to his feet. Sazun swayed and looked around in confusion, then caught sight of the murderous glare in the eyes of Oguro-Win. The two Yugen stepped quickly away from the unhappy man.
"Sazun-Jun, where is your sword? You don't even know, do you?" Oguro-Win drew his own Zoku in a backhand stroke that flickered like a lightning bolt and twirled in a figure eight to flick off the blood. Sazun's head fell in one direction and his body in another, and the watching swordsmen hissed in admiration.
"Our code is written in stone and stone we must be to live it," declared Lord Oguro. "I know you, outsider. You are a Human from the world beyond. The Dire Wolf. You are the one who fought and imprisoned Zemu himself."
"Twice," agreed Bane. "My business is with your king."
"What you seek may not be what you will find," laughed Oguro-Win. He wiped his blade on the dead man's tunic before sheathing it. "Indeed, your life and the life of your child hang by a hair. I warn you, make no resistance. Come with us and you may live to see the sun rise again."
"Come on, Ashley," Bane said as he placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "We'll play along for now." Two of the Yugen swordsmen flanked them as Lord Oguro formed his men into a double line and marched them down the trail.
"Oguro, is it?" asked Bane casually as they walked. "You know about the world beyond the realm of Chyl."
"Hah! I know much, Dire Wolf. I have spoken often with the Stray Dog, Zemu, and he has told me of the loot to be found beyond these islands. I intend to plunder the fat sleeping land of Chujir, which is ready to plucked like a fruit hanging from a branch. And you shall help me."
"Oh, I will?" said Bane.
"Yes indeed. Listen.." He began to ask questions about the real world, its size and resources, its wars and feuds between nations, its weapons and tactics. Bane just gave him the straight truth. After hearing about cruise missiles and fighter jets and nuclear submarines, Ogura-Win grew quieter and the questions came further apart. Eventually there was silence. Ahead of them, cultivated fields gave way to occasional cottages and huts. Then they were hiking past villages and towns with stone or brick buildings. The city itself had no clear defining line, but at some point they walked on stone-flagged streets that led to a huge city square with a fountain in its center. On the other side, raised on wide stepped platforms, was an ornate palace with orange tiles and a triangular pennant flying on a pole twenty feet high.
Well before anyone could have caught sight of Bane and Ashley, Oguro-Win ordered cloaks thrown over them and arranged to cover them completely. The Wolf went along with it for the moment. Led by the head as they could not see through the heavy cloaks, Bane and Ashley were dragged on a winding route and through a tunnel, down a narrow staircase and finally into a stone cell where the cloaks were removed. Bane looked around and decided the cell was not bad. Certainly he had been thrown into worse in his time. There was a thin, straw-filled mat in one corner, a chamber pot and jug of stagnant water, and a barred window two feet across well out of reach. He glanced down at Ashley, who seemed to be taking all this in stride, and decided she could wriggle through that window if he could get the bars out.
Bane was searched, his dart gun was recognized as a weapon and some of the gimmicks in his pockets were taken away. But the silver daggers on his forearms were concealed beneath molded high-density plastic that felt like human muscle to the touch and they escaped detection once again. As long as he had them on him, he felt up to any fight. His helmet was also claimed by Oguro-Win, who seemed tempted to wear it himself.
The Dire Wolf acted as if all this was normal procedure. "What about the blonde woman from the real world?" he asked. "I should talk with her now."
The Yugen warlord watched him sourly. "Yes, I was thinking that. If you see she is alive and a prisoner, you may behave better. I will arrange it. You are of value as a hostage, Dire Wolf. I believe your Tel Shai knights will pay for your return and for the white-haired females. Not in gold, but in gralic talismans which I need. This may take time to negotiate-" He was interrupted as a Yugen boy about the same age of Ashley came up behind him in the doorway. "Ah, there you are, Lord Oguro..."
Until puberty, the Yugen of Chyl more closely resemble their Human cousins. They have normal noses and sparse amounts of hair, and the brow ledges are much less pronounced. This eleven year old boy looked like a Human youth except for the tawny skin and ears beginning to point at the tops. His tunic was made of fine linen, laced with gold threads, and he had a round white skullcap. As she spotted Bane and Ashley, his jaw fell open as if the tendons had given away. "Who..?"
Lord Oguro spun the boy around and hustled him from the cell, slamming the massive door behind them. As the guards lowered the bar across the door, the Yugen warlord hurried the boy away. "Prince Miko! I did not expect to find you in this unsavory place.."
The prince resisted, dragging his feet. "Who ARE those strange people, my lord?"
"Spies! Spies from Chujir. I caught them sneaking into our land. After they are questioned, I will present them to your father, but for now you must not speak of them to anyone. It is a secret of state, do you understand?"
"That little girl is a spy?" Miko demanded breathlessly. "Why, she is no older than I am. Did you see her hair? It is the color of snow. And her eyes are blue like the sky, how strange. What Chujirans look like that? I wish to speak with her," he said as he tried to turn around and go back.
Oguro-Win stood in his path, grasping the boy by the upper arms. "Miko, you must not! Those two are very dangerous. They are liars and assassins. They would mislead you. I have known you since the morning you were born. It was I who first sat you on a horse and placed a sword in your hand. You must trust me when I warn you about the spies."
"Yes, my lord. But still..."
"Hear me, Prince Miko. These are my words. You know that you and your father King Nobeko have been haunted by assassins all your lives. It is the price of a throne. Have I not saved you many times from poison in your meals and from the knife in the dark? This is but more of the same."
The boy lowered his head and bowed slightly. "Our code is written in stone," he said, "and we must be stone to live up to it. I know. Even a prince has responsibility. Very well, my lord."
"I believe this is the third day, and your tutors must be waiting to instruct you in letters, yes? I pray you, return to your training and mention this to no one."
"Yes, my lord," the prince said almost inaudibly, turning and almost running up the narrow stone stairs away from the dungeons. Lord Oguro watched the lad depart. He needed that boy to ascend the throne when Nobeko-Tu died suddenly, and of course young Miko would need a wise advisor to guide him... like Oguru-Win himself. It was perilous that the prince had seen the prisoners, though. The warlord summoned the two guards, saying "Come with me. There is much to do yet." He led them up the stairs and toward the grand hall.
Left unobserved for the moment, Ashley was forced to use the chamberpot. She was embarrassed but there was no way to avoid it. Bane stood in the doorway, looking out through the small grated opening to give her as much privacy as he could. Stowing the metal pot in a corner with a dour expression, the girl suddenly said, "That freak said my mother is alive."
"He did. If we can find her and hide until four in the morning, the gralic charge will wear off and all three of us will return to our own world."
"Mr Bane, I'm so sorry. I really apologize. You would be doing this much easier without me in the way," her voice was unsteady.
The Dire Wolf turned around, going through the concealed slits in his field suit which still held various weapons and devices. "You might as well call me Jeremy. No point in recriminations now. I've been in much tighter spots and so has your mother.. and we always get out somehow."
A small face suddenly popped up in the grated opening behind him, and he caught its appearance from the corner of his eye. It was Prince Miko, peering in. Bane stepped aside and said, "Ashley, I think you have a visitor."
She ran over and stood up on tip-toe by the grating. "Hi! My name is Ashley. Have you seen my mother anywhere? She has hair like mine."
"I haven't actually seen her, but I did hear there is an outside woman in a cell somewhere. I am Miko-Les, Prince Miko. My father is King of Chyl and someday I will be King myself."
"Miko, when do we get something to eat? I'm not crazy about this place."
"I will ask. I will ask the servants to bring food to you. And I will find out where your mother is being held. Ashley, you look so different from the girls I know. Are you a Human?"
"Who, me? Of course I'm Human. I love your skin, it's like a golden peach, you know."
"Really? Wait, I hear someone coming, I hope it's not Lord Oguro again." The boy dropped out of sight.
The girl turned to see Bane smiling widely, something so rare for him that few had seen that expression on his face. "Is something funny?" she demanded a bit touchily.
"Young love," he said. "It's fun to watch. Well, you sure won his heart. Maybe Prince Miko can help us."
IV.
The castle had two throne rooms, the grander one for public ceremonies. King Nobeko stood in the lesser one deep within the fortified structure. He was bored as he inspected drawings on parchment of a design for a bridge. The river Sinada had long been crossed by ferries and skiffs but increased trade meant a bridge was needed. One had been built a generation ago, but it had been poorly constructed and collapsed during a storm. This new proposal was not any improvement, as far as he could see. What a nuisance.
Nobeko-Les was no warrior as his father had been, but a dumpy man of medium height, with a doughy noseless face. His robe was fine white linen, trimmed with gold and embroidered across the back with the imperial winged serpent. His skull cap was gold also, crested with short wings on either side. In one fleshy hand, he toyed with a short gold sceptre he used for emphasis when speaking. Behind him, an advisor shifted restlessly. Two Zoku-ya guards stood watchfully, hands on sword hilts.
King Nobeko spoke at last, "I can see little to recommend this. Have the engineer construct a model to scale for me to inspect. That will be all for this day's audience-" He broke off as Prince Miko burst into the chamber and ran up to him. Nobeko-Les smiled and leaned forward toward his only child. "Miko! A Prince should enter with reserve, after being admitted by the door warden. Show some dignity."
"Father, can we have food sent to the prisoners?" asked the boy.
A cold edge came into the king's voice. "What prisoners do you speak of?"
"Why, the Humans that Lord Oguro has captured. A man with steel-colored eyes and a girl my age with white hair... like her mother."
The King stood up slowly, the heavy brow ledge lowering over his eyes and suddenly he did not seem at all flabby and harmless. "Humans from the world outside. Here in Chyl. And I was not told?" He slapped the sceptre against one palm. "I see. Guards, escort me. Miko, take me to the prisoners." Everyone jumped at the tone of his voice. Nobeko-Les stepped out into the hall and addressed a young page. "Go to the captain of the guard, my boy. Have him come to the dungeons with some good men."
"Father? Why are you angry? What does this mean?"
The King growled, "It may mean a head will roll on the ground."
V.
The cell door was unbarred and opened, and Lord Oguru loomed up in its light. "You may speak for a few minutes only," he said as he stepped aside and a woman was shoved forward with her hands tied behind her. Mary Cassidy, the Unicorn, was five foot four and slim but athletic in build like a runner. She was wearing white shorts, hiking boots and a white T-shirt with an open denim vest over it. Her hair was in fact the same platinum blonde as her daughter's and there was an obvious resemblance between the two.
Still buckled around her waist was a gunbelt with a holster and a sheath for a commando knife, but empty,as were three pouches on its back.
As Ashley leaped to embrace her, Mary said, "Baby, what are you doing here? In Chyl?"
"Mr Bane brought me here to rescue you! Mom, you're okay, I was so worried."
Bane stepped forward. "That's a little biased. I came here to find you, Mary, but Ashley is just a stowaway."
Unicorn's blue eyes fixed on the Dire Wolf. "Talk about being glad to see an old friend. Thanks, Jeremy. I would do the same for you."
"You are not home yet," Oguru-Win cut in. He hefted a talisman in his hands, a slim ivory spiral just under three feet long, with a silver cap at its base, its other ending tapering to a needle point.
"That is MY property!" said Mary Cassidy.
"Time is running short," said the Yugen warlord. "My Human guests, for you to be returned home, I need a recompense. Gralic talismans! A Darthan blasting wand, an Eldar travel crystal, weapons from Tel Shai. This must be arranged with messengers."
"I can arrange that," Bane said confidently, as if trading at a market. "In the vault of my headquarters, there is quite a collection. Have you ever heard of Hellspawn, the Darthan sword that drinks life? The Seeking Noose? Sagehelm? The Sceptre? The Yellow Shield? I can supply one of them for our safe passage."
Lord Oguro considered. "Zemu spoke of your exploits, Dire Wolf. Very well, let us arrange this trade. First, the females shall remain here while-"
"Oguro-Win!" thundered a voice from the corridor behind them. In the flickered torchlight, the King strode angrily forward, followed by six of his Zoku-ya, with Miko trailing behind. "I would have words with you."
"The King!" whispered one of Lord Oguro's men. "We are lost."
"Stand fast!" snapped the warlord. With his four warriors beside him and he himself a hardened Zoku-ya where Nobeko-Les was not, the odds were not steep. "My liege," he began humbly, "May I present these spies who were caught stealing-"
"Be still!" roared the King. "I am told this woman has been prisoner for five days and by your orders, no word came to me. Nor was I informed of these two, as by all rights I should have been told immediately. Wait. This man must be the Dire Wolf himself, he has been in our presence before to bring Zemu Watura for judgement."
"Your majesty," Bane said, with a slight bow.
Lord Oguru began again, "My liege-"
"Hold your tongue. Whatever twisted scheme you have underway, it ends now. Captain of the Guard, Lord Oguru is under arrest. His lands are forfeit and his titles stripped from him. Take him in chains to the North Tower to await his trial.. which shall be short."
Unnoticed in the tense confrontation, Prince Miko had crept over to stand beside Ashley, who rewarded him with a grin. Unnoticed also, Bane had moved behind Mary Cassidy and started cutting through the cords around her wrists with one of his daggers. All other eyes were on the king and the warlord.
"Our code is written in stone," King Nobeko declared, "and you have failed it. I mark you Watura- a Stray Dog, like Zemu, and like him your honor is extinct."
"Never! Fat fool, the army is loyal to me, not to you. They want loot and plunder, and you have kept this land peaceful too long," Oguru-Win yelled.
"Do you see your army down here? No. You four, I offer you clency. Do not stand with this Stray Dog and I swear your lives will be spared."
Oguru-Win tapped the Unicorn horn against his side, glanced around and saw the prisoners standing near to him. That was his chance. The warlord lunged and wrapped an arm around Prince Miko, pressing the sharp point of the horn to the boy's throat. "Stay where you stand!" Oguru-Win barked. "You know I will kill him and you will be without the heir you prayed for for so long. Now, give me passage and a good horse at the gate."
"Lord, let me go," begged the struggling boy. A thin trickle of blood appeared on his neck as he resisted.
Unexpectedly, Jeremy Bane said, "Look at me."
All heads involuntarily turned. A glitter of silver was already spinning in the air and the warlord's head snapped back as he fell onto his knees. Sticking out of his left eye socket was a slim hiltless throwing dagger. He dropped the Unicorn horn and released the Prince as his hands loosened in death.
"You always were good with those things," said Mary Cassidy as she picked up the horn and inspected it suspiciously for damage.
"Practice all day every day," Bane replied. He tugged the weapon free and cleaned it on Oguro-Win's tunic, neither being a pleasant task, before sliding it back into the sheath under his sleeve.
Standing over the body of Lord Oguro, the king prodded it tentatively with a toe. "I trusted him to raise my son. I placed my child's life in his care. And there he lies, a traitor and a Stray Dog." Oguro-Les glared up at Bane. "In all justice, I must acknowledge my debt to you. My son- the heir to the throne- was in mortal danger and you saved him. What reward do you ask of us?"
"Safe passage home," Bane answered. "That is all. Oh, and the return of my helmet and other items Oguro took. Allow us to return home and we will trouble you no more."
"Granted! And with a light heart. We of Chyl stand alone, seeking no allies and desiring no foes. Yet you at least have earned respect by our code. Go now and and never return. This realm is closed to outsiders."
Miko had been staring in appalled fascination at Oguro-Les' mutilated body, but now the young prince swung his head up at the king's words. "Father? I DID promise them food."
"Indeed? Oh, so be it," said King Nomeko. "The evening meal is ready as we speak and three empty chairs can be easily found. Dire Wolf, you and your two companions, I invite you to the royal table. It is an honor given to few but I do not regret extending it now. You shall sit at my right hand and tell me of events in the other realms. How fare the Melgarin? Are the Kobalim still well in Okali? Something good may come of this yet."
And so the unheard-of came to pass, as three Humans from the outside world sat at the royal table with the King and Queen of Chyl, accompanied by the boy prince. The food was palatable if not entirely familiar, with roasted fowl and tender beef in pungent sauce, steamed vegetables not seen before, and spiced black wine. Bane and the King talked throughout and, by the time the plates were being removed by servants, Nomeko-Les had mellowed enough to offer the Dire Wolf an invitation to safely return to Chyl if matters of great urgency arose. Bane agreed and swore he would not abuse the privilege.
After the feast, the three outsiders were escorted by a squad of mounted Zoku-Ya to the gravel clearing where they had first appeared in this realm. The King had ordered his swordsmen to leave the visitors there and return to the castle. As Bane watched the warriors ride away, he felt pleased things had worked out so well, but he was pragmatic enough to know that if he did have to return here, he might simply get thrown in a dungeon again.
At midnight, they had a few hours before the gralir in their bodies dissipated and the real world drew them home. They sat on a grassy knoll and looked up at unfamiliar constellations. The chatter died down after a while as they finally unwound.
"I never got my Ruger back," Mary grumbled, "But as long as the horn is still safe, I'm satisfied."
"What was it you came here to retrieve, anyway?" Bane asked.
She chuckled. "It's tucked inside my sock. A cameo carved from dragon bone. Zemu Watura stole it from a collector and I'm bringing it back, so morally I'm in the clear."
Bane was silent for a few minutes, feeling relaxed for one of the few times in his life. "You know," he said, "I think Prince Miko has a real crush on Ashley."
"You noticed that, too?" laughed Mary Cassidy. "They were whispering with their heads together all through the meal. How about it, pumpkin? When's the wedding?"
"Aw, he's okay, I guess," said Ashley without enthusiasm. "But I won't have time for boys. If I'm going to be the next Unicorn, I need a lot of training and study."
Not realizing what door he was opening, Bane off-handedly said, "As soon as you're old enough, give me a call and I'll sponsor you to Tel Shai."
The blonde child leaned over to shake his hand. "Deal!"
4/22/2000- Rev 3/21/2014