"Sceptre"

[dochermes]

"Sceptre"

7/24/-7/25/2000

I.

Unicorn was dressed all in white as usual... hiking boots, thick cotton socks,snug shorts and a white T-shirt with a leather vest over it. The vest had six deep pockets holding gadgets, with two more on the inside, and the brown leather belt around her narrow waist held further pouches full of equipment as well as one of the anesthetic dart guns in a flap holster. Although she wore the silk-thin Trom armor under her clothes, she had retracted it up to her crotch and up to her elbows to leave her legs and forearms bare.

Slung in across her back was the white leather cylindrical sheath which held her talisman which gave her both her powers and her code name... the Unicorn horn.

As Argent saw her flash a brilliant smile at him when she hopped over a fallen log in their way, he had to admit she was a gorgeous young woman. The slender but curvy little body, the perfect chiseled face with long platinum-blonde hair and crystal blue eyes now hidden behind polarized aviator's gunglasses... she looked like she should be posing for magazine covers. But, he also realized, despite all that she could be such an intense pain in the neck to work with. The girl was just impossible.

In contrast to his partner, the Chujiran was wearing the full KDF field suit. All black. The boots, tough pants and waist-length jacket with its second inner layer of the Trom armor, and with the visored helmet on, gave him more protection than ceramic plate and Kevlar would have but weighed no more than regular clothing would have. He was comfortable enough even in the near-tropical heat because the humidity was low and the field suit fabric regulated his body temperature to optimal. He had two canteens on his belt.

"I can't imagine why Jeremy doesn't make you wear a field suit like the rest of us," he grumbled as he caught up with her. "I swear, he lets you break more rules than the rest of us combined."

"Aw, every teacher has a pet," Ashley chuckled. "Say Sheng, did I tell I was talking to my friend Gwen, you remember, she works at her father's Red Pepper restaurant on Canal Street? Anyway, I asked her about Chujir. She said some Chinese believe it's a sort of mythical homeland of the Han people. Like a Garden of Eden sort of fable."

"So I've heard," Argent said as he stepped up next to her. "If they only knew how real Chujir is.I don't think there are more than three of us in the world at any time. Wait. Sshh." He held up a hand in warning as the sound of feet tromping came nearer. Ahead of them, the trail bent sharply and a squad of Melgar soldiers marched into view.

Sheng shifted the focus of gralic energy in his body to enhanced speed. His reflexes and voluntary movements doubled in speed instantly and he was hurtling forward before the Melgarin could react to his sudden appearance. The nearest one, a grizzled veteran with long mustaches down either side of his mouth, had barely begun to swing his long-handled axe up before Argent exploded a one-two-three combination of punches that threw the man back hard against the comrades behind him. Sheng hopped over all three as they got tangled and confused. He found himself between two brawny Melgarin both taller and heavier than he was, but at only five feet five, the Chujiran adventurer was used to this. He blasted a side kick into the nearer soldier's stomach, drew that leg back and shot out a reverse roundhouse that slewed the other man's jaw askew with a crunching noise.

Although his training in Kumundu under Teacher Chael was still that of a novice, back in Chujir he had been studying under Tang Ming for the past two years. She had gotten him in condition and taught him basic moves. His power of increasing his strength or speed was at this point his greatest asset. One of the Melgar soldiers managed a wide slash with a three-foot-sword but Sheng leaped aside quite out reach, then dove in again to slam a backfist to the cheek that made his opponent sway drunkenly. Within a few seconds, half of the Melgarin were dazed or dumbfounded and only beginning to get their bearings.

Off to one side, Ashley Whitaker held the long-barreled air pistol and squeezed off one silent shot after another. She was the best in marksmanship of the new team. Since childhood, Ashley had been strenuously raised by her mother to take over as the second Unicorn. Where she spotted bare skin, she sent an anesthetic dart with unerring aim even though her targets were moving. The men who were hit slapped at the unexpected stinging but then dropped unconscious only a few seconds later.

The soldier moving toward her had a high collar and long sleeves on his mail shirt, as well as a tough leather cowl. There was not much of an opening left uncovered to aim for. Not knowing she was making what her mother called 'that stupid face,' Ashley squinted one eye, stuck her tongue out and sent a dart right into the bulbous tip of the Melgar's prominent nose. The crosseyed expression at he tried to focus on the dart made her grin wickedly.

A Melgar with a bright yellow beard had managed to seize Argent from behind in a fierce bear hug. The Chujiran struggled for an instant before shifting his focus to increased strength. The bigger man found he was suddenly trying to hold a wriggling opponent who was stronger than he was, who inexorably forced his arms apart and broke free. Sheng seized the front of the bearded man's mail shirt and yanked him into an elbow strike to the face.

At this point, the enemies who were not unconscious were too stunned or pained to be any immediate threat but they would be shaking it off in a minute. Ashley straightened up, calculating that she still had five darts in her clip, as a loud buzzing sounded right behind her. She whirled right into a small hard fist that connected to her chin with forty miles per hour behind it. Unicorn yelped and fell over backwards into the underbrush, rolling to jump back up on her feet. She saw Fatal Wasp looping around and diving straight at her.

Tiny and lean at several inches under five feet tall, Holly Kirschner was dressed all in dark green with yellow trim... low slippers, tights and a long-sleeved pullover. The long black hair swung free. At her back, Wasp's translucent wings blurred into near invisibility as she hovered at face level. Ashley had kept a grin on her dart gun and, as she got her footing, she swung the weapon up into position.

"Oh no, not you again!" she blurted out before the Fatal Wasp whirled around in mid-air and kicked her high on one cheek. Unicorn fell down hard with lights flashing in her vision and her hearing obscured. She did not catch herself but landed on one side and groaned. Seeing this, Sheng shifted back to heightened speed and rushed to snatch the Wasp out of the air in a leaping tackle. They landed on the hard dirt with his weight forcing her out flat. Even taken by surprise like that, Kirschner grabbed the wrist of the hand pinning her down and extended sharp black barbs from beneath her fingernails. Sheng howled in unexpected pain as a massive dose of venom was injected into his bloodstream. He broke away, clutching at his wounded hand and feeling that arm grow numb up to the elbow. For the moment, he was preoccupied with not passing out.

Rising up off the ground, wings beating furiously, Fatal Wasp yelled at the Melgarin. "The Master has sent me to summon you back to base! You! and You! Help those who are having trouble getting on their feet, let's go!"

Over by the bushes, Ashley got to her hands and knees, rubbing the side of her bruised face. Seeing Sheng injured only made her angrier. The little blonde unsnapped the catch on the leather sheath across her back and drew out the Horn. Its flat end was capped with ensalir to further strengthen the spell put on it by the Eldarin thousands of years ago. Holding the ancient talisman up with both hands, Ashley sang out in a clear voice, "With this Horn, I remove thy power!"

The effect was instantaneous. Fatal Wasp gasped as her wings retracted into her body through slits in her tunic and she fell to hit the ground, stumbling but staying on her feet. The sharp barbs slid back into her fingers and were gone. She was Human again.

Rising herself, gripping the Horn ready to use it as a club or a stabbing weapon, Unicorn yelled, "Be careful who you kick in the face, missy!"

Wasp's dark green eyes had narrowed to slits. "Oh, I'll do worse than that, little girl...." she hissed as she curled her hands into fists and stalked forward.

Suddenly wishing she had followed procedure for once and worn the protective field suit with its helmet. Ashley shifted the Unicorn horn in her grip and put on her brave face. "Where's a can of Raid when you need it?"

"I don't find you funny," Kirschner replied. "I ought to shut you up for good."

At that exact second, the clearing was filled by a score of Cojobe tribesmen running in from all directions, screaming as loudly as they could. The dark-skinned men in their coarse white pants and ponchos brandished knives and spears, several held swords they had taken from fallen enemies. But the Melgarin had mostly recovered and were standing with their own weapons at the ready. The next few minutes was a confused melee of shouts and agonized screams, thuds and slashing noises. Bigger, brawnier and better armed than the Cojobes, the Melgar soldiers had mail coats and helmets to give them a further edge. After the first few seconds, the skirmish turned into a slaughter as the fierce natives were cut down one after
another.

During those few minutes, when Ashley's attention was momentarily distracted by the fighting, the Wasp lunged in and seized the Unicorn horn with both hands to wrest it free and fling far out of reach into the brush. Ashley threw a decent straight punch, but before it could connect she was grabbed from behind by one of the Melgarin and lifted free of the ground. His arms around her chest cut off her breath and pinned her arms to her sides. The Wasp chose a spot on Unicorn's chin, drew her fist back past her own ear and punched the girl as hard as she possibly could. Ashley was not completely unconscious but she dropped in the Melgar's grasp and showed no signs of further resistance. Blood appeared on a split lip.

"You, Lundigar," ordered Fatal Wasp. "Bring her at once to the Master. Do not fail."

"To hear is to obey," the big Melgar grumbled as he turned and trotted off down the trail. The Wasp saw that some fighting was still going on. Almost within her reach, a Cojobe abruptly had his head lopped cleanly off by a Melgar sword whirling in a horizontal arc. She drew back from the skirmish. How had that blonde kid taken away her powers? Despite her desperate concentration, neither her wings nor her barbs would emerge. Feeling vulnerable as she had not in years, Holly Kirschner realized she was a rather petite woman standing a few feet away from murderous giants in armor who were swinging their weapons with gusto. She spun and wondered if she could retrieve that strange ivory horn she had thrown away...

A hand grasped her shoulder and swung her around to receive a brutal hooking punch to the solar plexus. The Wasp blacked out from that blow. Sheng had not been on the Tagra tea diet long enough to receive its full benefits, but his healing factor was elevated enough that he could more or less function. Still in blinding pain as the venom burned in his system and with his right arm numb, the Chujiran fighter saw that Unicorn had been carried away by a Melgar. He started after them, stumbled and caught himself. He was in no condition to pursue anyone. Reluctantly, Sheng decided the best course of action to take and he got the stunned Wasp up over one shoulder, then headed back toward his own team at the best pace he could manage. Drawing on enhanced strength to a limited extent, he heard the final thuds and yelling of the fight fade behind him.

II.

Waiting in the corridor outside the throne room, Indigo gave a nervous start as he realized how closely Avathor was standing next to him. The Illusionist cringed and gave the Gralic Leech a bilious stare.

For his part, Avathor only smiled. The Gralic Leech towered over his teammate. While Indigo had once stood a full six feet tall, he had shrunk noticeably the past few years and his increasing stoop didn't help. Avathor was a good five inches taller, with wider shoulders and a deep chest. The renegade Melgar's skin had been so deeply tanned during his years scourging the adjacent realms that it now matched the hue of a copper penny. This contrasted vividly with the pale blue eyes and the almost white blond hair cut short with a pronounced widow's peak. Avathor was wearing hiking boots, khaki shorts and a short-sleeved safari shirt with deep pockets. The bulging hard-defined muscles only added to how overwhelming he seemed to most people.

"Nervous, my magician friend?" asked the Leech. "Is something troubling you?"

Not long ago, Indigo had been a confident, even suave master criminal feared across Europe. But twice he had encountered Jeremy Bane and both times he had been soundly thrashed. Both times he had been sentenced to federal prison awaiting extradition to Italy or Germany. Even though he had been sprung by their new boss both times, these experiences had exacted a toll on the Illusionist. His face was lined, the sleek black hair had thinned and lost its healthy sheen. He had also started to smoke and he dug now inside his dark formal jacket for a crumpled pack of Kools. Indigo realized his hands still trembled.

In contrast, Avathor acted as if doubts never touched him. As a Melgar and a particularly large specimen at that, he was much stronger and more durable than a Human. When his powers as a Gralic Leech manifested themselves, he had bullied and threatened everyone around him until King Holmir himself had exiled Avathor from their realm under a lifetime edict. To return to Androval meant kneeling on the execution stand, yet Avathor had dreams of amassing enough stolen gralic force to invade Androval himself and to loot it. His daydreams were visions of castles tumbling, villages burning and the royalty of his Race lying dead at his feet....

Seeing that malicious grin on the huge Melgar, Indigo managed to draw in a lungful of smoke and exhale it through his nostrils. "Tell me something, Avathor. We're surrounded by hundreds of Melgar soldiers and settlers. Your ex-countrymen. They regard a Gralic Leech as an abomination and a cursed thing, doesn't that bother you?"

His answer came in the form of a huge brown hand that shot out and clamped tight around his neck. The cigarette dropped from his lips as he felt his breath cut off by Avathor's grip. Instantly, where Indigo had stood was now a gigantic porcupine bristling with sharp spikes. Yet the Melgar's grip did not loosen.

"Your illusions look convincing enough," Avathor laughed. "But I'm wise to you. Those quills aren't real. I can feel your windpipe starting to close beneath my hand, magician."

"Kamende... wants me alive...' Indigo gasped, clawing ineffectively with his fingers at that heavily muscled arm.

After an interminable pause, the Gralic Leech released the Illusionist, who dropped to both knees and tried to catch his breath. "You go too far, Avathor! Some night you will walk off the edge of the castle rampart, thinking you are on a safe pathway."

"Oh, I know you have killed many fools with your illusions," Avathor laughed. "But you would be wise not to try your trickery on me."

They were interrupted as the tall double door banded with iron strips swung inward. A Melgar guard stamped the butt of his spear twice on the cold stone floor. "The Master will see you."

Reluctantly, Indigo trudged behind the strutting Gralic Leech who swept into the ceremonial chamber as if it belonged to him. It was a high-ceiling room with a vaulted arch overhead, the narrow window slits covered with rich tapestries and multiple candles burning in brass wall sconces. Facing them on either side were a dozen of the mail-clad Melgar warriors, spears in hand and broadswords in scabbards. Seated on benches and stools were various advisors and local barons waiting judgement or hoping to plead their requests.

At the far end, flanked by two blazing pitch-soaked torches, stood a dark-wood throne at the top of a dozen steps. Not long earlier, the headboard of that throne had borne the rearing white horse which was the symbol of Androval. Now, it bore the outline of a black lion's head with brilliant green eyes represented by inset emeralds... the emblem of the Bakwanga tribe of Danarak. Seated proudly upon that throne as if he had come from a long line of kings instead of having seized it by force was the warlock who held all of this realm Evaho in an iron grip of fear. Arem Kamende.

The Black Fury wore simple dark robes of brown and green cloth, wrapped loosely around his lean frame and clasped at one shoulder with a plain brooch. Kamende bore no gaudy ornaments, no golden armbands or mantle of rich furs. He did not wear a crown on his shaven head.The leader of his League of Predators was a typical Danarakan with rich dark brown skin, a lantern jaw and a beaked eagle-like nose. Under shaggy eyebrows, his deepset dark eyes watched the two men approach him without warmth or welcome. By sheer presence and force of will, he held everyone in that chamber under his thumb.

Alone among all living men, Kamende was a renegade Tel Shai knight. He had studied Kumundu under Teacher Chael, mind arts under Anulka, healing under Kerlaw... and even those ancient, shrewd Teachers had not perceived his true intention to use that knowledge for brutal conquest. Twenty years earlier, the Black Fury's duplicity had been exposed only when Jeremy Bane had caught him selling his skills for gold and Kamende had been cast out of the Order. His homeland of Danarak had also disowned him in outrage. Ever since, between Kamende and Bane had been a hatred more bitter than either of the two had otherwise known.

While Indigo bowed his head as they were led to the throne, Avathor stood at his full height, head thrown back and a gleam in those pale blue eyes. Thoughts of somehow overpowering Kamende, of siphoning off the sorcerer's immense gralic ability and taking it for his own, was the lure that had enticed him into taking membership in the League of Predators.

"You have summoned us, O Lord," Avathor announced, "And we are here."

For response, the Black Fury simply gestured at the prisoner who was kneeling at the foot of the throne. Both Avathor and Indigo stared in mixed delight and uneasiness as they recognized her. It was a girl barely out of her teens, clad in sweat-drenched white T-shirt, shorts and hiking shoes, her platinum blonde hair hanging down over her lowered face. Despite her slim frame, Ashley Whitaker had been laden with chains thick enough to restrain a Troll. Hearing Avathor's voice, she raised her head to give the two Predators a sour glare. One eye had a dark circle under it and her chin was bruised purple.

"This is a development that is not unforseen," Kamende said. "I presume you two recognize our captive?"

"The new Unicorn," replied Avathor. "Not much more than a child playing at a perilous game."

"But if she's here in Evaho," Indigo said. "The other Tel Shai knights are here also. And... that means Bane! The Dire Wolf is after us."

"Get a grip!" Kamende ordered. "The new KDF team has indeed been seen in this realm. In fact, they have captured one of our team, the Fatal Wasp. But Bane himself may not have come. He is said to be sending his team on missions by themselves to give them experience. Against Tel Shai novices, we need have no trepidation. They are barely more than outsider civilians. Our prisoner here balances out their capture of Wasp."

"Heh heh, a fair trade, if you ask me," Avathor chuckled.

"Be still. Listen. Normally, I would loose our torturers upon this girl to learn whatever knowledge she may possesss. However, I do want to recover Wasp. She has a good record with our League. I wish to retain her services. Therefore, I declare that this Unicorn will be kept alive and unharmed to use as an exchange."

Ashley could not hide the relief she felt. She was not very good at keeping an inscrutable expression, and she had been trying to prepare herself to face an inevitable painful death. The news that she was worth more alive was a great comfort to learn. And she was sure that Jeremy and the others would already have a plan to rescue her. When did the Dire Wolf ever NOT have a contingency plan up his sleeve?

"Place her in my custody, Oh Lord," offered Avathor. "I will keep the Tel Shai dogs from claiming her."

"Silence. You are so transparent," said the Black Fury. "Your lusts are already catered to by the wenches in this castle. I tell you that this girl is not to be harmed so long as she may be of use. Do...you.. .understand?"

"Yes. Of course," Avathor hastily agreed.

Leaning forward on the throne, the African warlock studied their prisoner. "Look up at me, girl. I knew your mother, Mary Cassidy. The first Unicorn. She was a skilled and bold adventurer. You should realize, new Unicorn, that you are in the presence of Arem Kamende, the most formidable sorcerer in the Midnight War this day. I know of the talisman that your mother carried and I have heard that the great Horn has been passed to you."

"Yes. Yes, that's right," Ashley admitted uneasily.

"The unicorn is a holy beast in its own right," Kamende said. "The Horn you bear has been further ensorcelled by the Eldarin themselves, and capped with ensalir. It is a major sigil. Where is it now?"

Ashley had decided to tell the truth. There had been several witnesses to the incident,so she saw no way to mislead this warlock. Maybe he was telepathic, maybe not, but she definitely felt intrusive thoughts trying to pry their way into her mind. "I wish I knew," she said and her voice broke with distress despite her efforts. "That bug woman got it away from me! I don't know what she did with it."

"Few things are lost which can not be recovered," the Black Fury said. "Lundigar! Take a dozen of your best men. Return to the skirmish site and search the area. You are looking for an ivory horn three feet long, tapering to a sharp point and capped with a silver base at the flat end. Take care! Return it safely to my hand. Your lives hang in the balance. Go now!"

From a small table set beside the throne, the Black Fury picked up a leather utility belt fitted with numerous pouches and a holster. He toyed with it for a moment, then set it down again. Next he held up what looked like a one-piece swimsuit with a high collar; the material seemed to be dark wet silk, but he fingered it thoughtfully. "Ah. You did not think anyone could remove the famous Trom armor! Heh, I learned much from the old tyrants at Tel Shai. Be glad that at least you were allowed to put on your mundane outer garments again. I believe this armor will fit the Wasp when we regain her, that should make her more formidable."

"Her? With that waistline?"

Hearing that remark and seeing Ashley gaze up at him with some of her usual impudence returning, Kamende shook his head. "You have much to learn about this desperate game, child. I honestly do not think you will live long enough to grow wise. Dame Polera! You and your maids will take charge of this so-called Unicorn. Keep her in a cell under guard. Give her food and water, but do not seek to converse with her. I will summon her later."

As an older Melgar woman and three of her retainers helped Ashley rise by lifting the weight of the chains off her, Unicorn tried not to grow too hopeful. She was still prisoner of a gang of cut-throats. Anything awful could happen and probably would. Silently, she followed the Melgar women through a door behind the throne.

Watching his men, Arem Kamende saw the way Avathor's eyes had played up and down Ashley's slim form and her bare legs. He also noted the venomous hatred with which Indigo regarded the Gralic Leech. Good, he thought, it was better that the League of Predators remained set against each other so that they would not unite in an attempt to overthrow him. The Black Fury smiled to himself. He had a pack of wild dogs on a tight leash and a strong hand was needed to hold that leash.

III.

By the black stealthcopter CORBY, hidden beneath a cluster of elm trees off the trail, Jeremy Bane paced restlessly, unhappy as a real wolf in a cage. He knew that he had to allow the new team to act on their own more and more. With six months training at Tel Shai and in the field, they were not raw novices any more. And, although they seemed like kids to him sometimes, they were not any younger than he himself had been when he had founded the first KDF team. That had been twenty-one years ago, he realized with disbelief...

Putting down his canteen, the Dire Wolf saw a wrapper of waxed paper crumpled in his other hand. What? Had he really eaten one of the sandwiches without realizing it? He had to get a grip. Bane leaned back against the nose of the CORBY, where his helmet sat. Despite the way the field suit kept him cooled and dry even in this stuffy forest, he preferred relying on his own senses anyway rather than seeing everything amplified through the helmet visor. The heads-up display would have been useful, but he was glad to use his own eyes and ears if he could.

Here in Evaho, technology did not function beyond a certain pre-industrial level. Gunpowder would not ignite, electric circuits remained still. Even a simple battery-powered flashlight was useless. The compressed CO2-powered dart guns still worked as long as their initial charge was strong enough but they could not be recharged. And although the anesthetic darts tested as effective, the resonance caps and other explosive devices were inert. He rested a hand on the CORBY. The advanced stealthcopter was only a sleek piece of metal and carbon alloys in this realm. It would not fly and its sensors remained off, but its heavily armored construction made it useful as a safe refuge in case of attack and it would provide protection from the elements as well.

When they had first arrived in Evaho, the loss of technology had hit Trom Girl as almost a personal affront. Her beam projector and gravity shield were useless, the communication Links were dead. Megan Salenger had regarded this as a crime in itself before accepting that some of the adjacent realms were under Jordyn's edict against scientific advances for their own protection from invaders of the real world. Bane had been slightly amused by her outrage and then satisfied by her quick acceptance of the situation. She was adaptable.

Finally, after it seemed an eternity had passed, he spotted Levon and Megan jogging lightly up the trail toward him. The Dire Wolf tried without success to hide the relief on his face at seeing them. "Report."

"We located the fortress," Trom Girl answered promptly, not out of breath in the slightest. She was a trim young woman slightly over five feet tall, with short tousled black hair over an inquisitive face. "Eight point four miles by your measurement, south-south-east of this point. It's a typical Melgar structure in layout and construction. Armed sentries are patrolling atop the walls but we saw no guards anywhere in the woods as we approached."

"We followed the river to find it," Levon added. "History tells us most settlements are established near fresh water. There are some cultivated fields on the other side of the citadel, possibly beans and potatoes. We were not seen."

"Good work, you two," Bane said. "Any sign of Cojobes in the area?"

"Yes," Megan replied. She was always so somber that it was hard to tell when she was being especially serious. "Moccasin prints in the dirt, none visible on the trails. I found a discarded bit of gristle that been chewed by Human dentition. But we saw no Cojobe and I'm certain they didn't see us."

"You'd know if they had," Bane said. "All right. We need a plan of attack..." He broke off and they all wheeled around at the sound of footprints trudging through the undergrowth.

"It's only us," called Sable and Josef as they emerged into the clearing. "We were observing a village of Cojobes four miles back in that directon. Not a peaceful settlement."

"No women, no children, no elders," the Blind Archer explain. "Only men of fighting age. They brought enough lances, bows and hatchets for twice as many. The warriors were bustling about and chatting furiously."

"And their adrenalin levels were through the roof," Sable said. "Rapid heartbeats. Wild eyes. Some were chanting battle songs. Captain, they are working themselves up to attack. There can't be much time."

"Full moon tonight," Bane told them. "From what I've read in Mr Dred's notes, Cojobes regard a full moon as auspicious. Tonight is probably when the slaughter is intended to begin."

"I overheard some of the conversations," Sable continued, "And a new leader has arisen who is bringing the tribes together. He is a young firebrand named Sawapal. From what I could hear, he has a powerful new magic which the Cojobes are counting on for victory."

"She heard all this from a hundred yards away," added Josef with a smile. "With drums beating and men stamping their feet, she still could make out sentences." He unbuckled the Y-shaped quiver from his back and leaned it carefully against the CORBY's hull, along with his unstrung longbow. Like all Blind Archers, he fashioned his equipment by hand.

"We each bring our talents to the team," she said. "Captain, could this Sawapal be the one who has the Sceptre? It would explain so much."

"It could be, yes. Hmm. You know," the Dire Wolf told them, "I think I will send you and Megan to gather some more information. Both of you must remain concealed outside the village, of course." Before he could explain further, they all glanced up to see Sheng Mo-Yuan stumbling toward them with a small woman in green over one shoulder.

"Argent, who is that?" Bane demanded. "Where's Unicorn?"

Sinking to one knee, Sheng lowered the stunned Holly Kirschner not too gently to the dirt. He was winded as they had never seen him before even after the most strenuous activity. "Ashley has been captured by the Melgarin. This... this is Fatal Wasp, we fought her a few months ago when the League invaded our headquarters."

"You've been poisoned," Sable said as she hurried over to him. "I can smell it on your exhalation. It's that wasp venom again. She stung you with a near fatal dose."

"I'll be okay, I'll recover," he insisted. "Ashley wasn't hurt bad. There was a brawl between the Melgarin and a band of Cojobes and it sure looked to me as if the Cojobes were getting wiped out. Captain, we have to go rescue Unicorn. I know the direction they were going."

Sable helped Sheng get up. "Your heartbeat is steady. I think the healing factor will neutralize that venom in your system, but it might take a while. Come over here and sit by the CORBY until you catch your breath."

Kneeling over the Wasp, who was muttering and trying to move around, Jeremy Bane examined her quickly. "Her wings and barbs are retracted. Did Ashley use the Horn on her?"

"Yes. Then Wasp got the Horn away from her and threw it in the bushes." Sheng's voice was unsteady. "I have failed, captain, I don't deserve to be on this team."

"Drop that kind of talk, that's an order." Bane propped the reviving Kirschner to a seated position on the ground. "This one is coming to her senses. Let's get some answers."

Meeting the cold stare of his grey eyes, Fatal Wasp shrank back but spoke clearly. "Fine. Bring on the torture and the beatings. I can take whatever you can give me."

"We don't use torture," Bane said as if amused. "We do have a truth serum, Veratilin, but I'd rather not rely on it. Sometimes all you get is babbling and wasted time."

"You're trying to trick me. To get me to lower my defenses. It won't work!"

The Dire Wolf crouched in front of the tiny Predator. "Ah, but we have something better than truth serum and lie detectors. Sable, come over here. I want you to watch this woman while I ask her some questions."

As the rest of the team watched with anticipation, Sable squatted down next to her captain and regarded the Wasp with cool detachment.

To their surprise, Bane took a second to explain the situation to their prisoner. "This woman is Lauren Sable Reilly," he said. "She had the gift of perception beyond normal flesh and blood limits. She can gauge how your pupils expand and contract, she can hear your heartbeat and judge your blood pressure. She can smell the amount of adrenalin in your perspiration. There are a dozen ways she can tell if you're lying, so you might as well skip trying to fool her."

For the next forty minutes, the Dire Wolf interrogated the Wasp with one quick question after another. As he had told her, any misdirection or untruth was instantly caught by Sable. After a few minutes, caught up in the rapid series of questions, Fatal Wasp found herself complying completely.

Her true name was Holly Marie Kirschner of Bethesda, Maryland. She was thirty-one years old, never married, no children, had worked at a series of dull office cubicle jobs since high school. Until two years ago, she had never shown any unusual abilities. Then a three-car pile-up on an icy highway had injured her so severely that she had been put into a medically induced coma and intubated for twenty-four hours to stabilize. After weeks of recovery and physical therapy, her new powers had manifested and she kept them secret with some difficulty. The gauzy retractible wings and the stings that emerged from under her fingernails were only the most visible signs. Her metabolism had increased sharply and her vision had changed so that she could see into the ultra-violet. Her muscle tissue had become denser and her bones thinner in cross-section, puzzling doctors furthrer.

Depressed and unable to really believe what was happening to her body, she was contacted by agents from Danarak. Once she met Arem Kamende, his charisma and sense of purpose overwhelmed her. He called her 'Fatal Wasp,' and she gladly joined up with his new League of Predators. Along with four men who also had superhuman abilities, she took part in robberies, vendetas with other Midnight War gangs, even piracy. Her initial enthusiasm turned to shame and guilt, then to numb acceptance. There was no way out for her.

During all this, Josef and Megan and Sheng listened in mesmerized silence. They dared not make a sound which might break the flow of words.

Kamende had brought his gang here to Evaho in search of a legendary talisman which had been lost for decades. The Sceptre.

IV.

Bane broke off the questioning and directed Wasp to sit over by the CORBY. He offered her a bottle of cold water, which she did not hesitate to drink. Turning to his team, the Dire Wolf said, "I think you all have heard of the Sceptre before. It's very powerful, a Darthan blasting wand with an Eldar crystal mounted on one end. Never been duplicated. No one has seen it since 1956, when its owner Laura Salerno was last seen. If Kamende gets his hands on the Sceptre, it means real disaster."

"You know my boss, I guess," Wasp interrupted.

"Oh yes. Kamende was already a knight of Tel Shai when I was first accepted as a student. He's a renegade. He was thrown out of the Order in disgrace, and he has been misusing the knowledge given to him by our Teachers for twenty years now. I've fought him a few times."

"He's no choir boy, I can tell you that," she added. "Although his version is that he left Tel Shai because they had nothing more to teach him, heh. Good luck if you guys intend to tackle the League of Predators. Honestly, I think any one of them could mop the floor with all of you together."

Bane did not respond to that. "Sable, you and Sheng will go with me to try to retrieve the Horn. Josef, I want you to take sentry duty, get some high ground and watch for any hostile forces... Cojobes, Melgarin or Kamende's bunch. We have no friends here." He started moving down the trail with Sable and Argent behind him. Over one shoulder, he called back, "Megan, keep our guest comfortable. She can eat from our supplies if she wants." With that, the three of them disappeared around a bend in the trail.

"I'm not hungry," the Wasp snapped but then added, "Maybe later."

The Trom Girl had gone over to open the CORBY hatch and took a small wooden box from her knapsack. Since her own devices like the beam projector would not function in this realm, the Trom Girl had reluctantly buckled on a holster belt with one of the spare anesthetic dart guns. She lowered herself to sit cross-legged in front of the Wasp. Inside the box were revealed carved ivory pieces. "It's a magnetic chess set. This will keep our minds occupied. Do you play?"

Surprising herself, Kirschner laughed. "Sure. It's been ages, the thugs I associate with can't handle tic-tac-toe without help. You take white the first game."

___

By the time they returned to the scene of the skirmish, Argent was visibly dragging his feet and forcing himself on. He paused to take a long swig from his canteen. "Right here," he said. "Pretty obvious, I guess... look at all the bodies on the ground, not to mention the bloodstains and the scattered weapons. The Cojobes will be showing up to claim their dead, we have to be quick."

Turning in a slow circle, Bane said, "Lauren, you're our best hope of locating the horn. Sheng, show her where the Wasp threw it."

"Sure," the Chujiran responded, heading into the bushes. "Over this way, Sable."

Left behind, the Dire Wolf studied the ground and reconstructed in his mind how the fight had gone. As he grew lost in thought, he read the scuff marks and footprints and broken branches until he could almost visualize events like a watching a film. Where the Cojobes had fallen, what weapons had inflicted those terrible wounds. Any injured Melgarin had been helped away by their comrades. Bane's long narrow face grew even more somber than usual. Three minutes later, Sable's voice rang out, "Found it! It's undamaged, too."

"Talk about good eyes," Sheng mumbled. "Are you sure you don't have X-Ray vision?"

"Everything but," she said as she stepped quickly back into the clearing, holding the ivory spiral carefully in both hands. "What are you thinking, captain?"

"Stand over here," Bane answered. "Look at these prints. One pair of moccasins has a cross-tied pattern, two others have a solid bar below the toes. The arrowheads don't match either tribe. I think it's clear that Cojobes from at least four different tribes were working together."

"I thought they hated each other?" Sheng asked.

"With a vengeance! The new leader Sawapal is charismatic enough to unite the Cojobes into a single horde. The uprising is nearly here. We're too late to try and deflect or delay it," said Bane. "If we're not quick, we'll be caught between the two sides when the massacres start."

"More good news..." said Sheng. "Evaho is not on my list of favorite adjacent realms."

Sable had been sliding the Unicorn horn into the spare leather sling she had brought from the CORBY but she froze in place. "Quiet please. I can hear people walking. Not quite a mile in that direction. I count a dozen big men, marching quickly. There's metal clanking, so they're armed. It's a Melgar attack unit."

"You can tell that from a mile away?" asked Sheng. "Sometimes you freak me out, Sable."

She gave him a light slap on the back of the head. "You should be saying, 'Oh thanks for the warning.' Honestly, Sheng. Captain, what's our plan?"

"Dart guns on single shot," he said, pulling out his own CO2-powered weapon. "Leave two awake to carry a message. Let's get out of sight."

The three Tel Shai knights concealed themselves in the dense undergrowth alongside the trail, scattered with ten yards between them, lying on their stomachs with the dart guns held in both hands. Eventually a party of the Melgarin strode into viewing. They marched two abreast, spears resting against one shoulder with the butt end held by down by their belts. As the two soldiers in the lead passed by where Bane was hiding, he fired twice and caught them each with a dart in the neck. In the next few seconds, all but two of the men grunted or slapped where they felt a sting and then sagged to the ground unconscious.

The needle-thin darts would not pierce armor, of course. They could not even be relied on to penetrate winter coats, but whenever bare skin was offered, the darts were amazingly effective. Their silence gave them an eerie menace which unnerved the two Melgar who remained untouched. The men had heard nothing, seen no one, yet their comrades had one by one dropped limply as if struck dead. The soldiers backed up against each other, waving their spears in tight circles as they tried to comprehend what was going on.

Bane stood up silently, within reach of them. Before they could react, the Dire Wolf had wrested the spear out of the grip of the nearest Melgar and reversed it to crack brutally against his head. Even as that soldier dropped, the point of the spear was pressing into the throat of the sole remaining Melgar.

"Drop your weapon," Bane said. "Raise your hands so I can see them. Good. Your comrades are not dead. They will awaken soon but be sick and useless for any fight. I am sparing you to carry a message. What is your name?"

"Lundigar."

"All right. Lundigar, report to your master. Tell him we want a simple trade, Unicorn for Wasp. If he sends a messenger here, we will arrange the terms. That's easy enough to remember."

"Who... who shall I say has sent me?" pleaded the Melgar in near panic.

A strange eager glint was in Bane's grey eyes. "Oh, he will know who he is facing. Go now." With that, the Dire Wolf pricked the skin of the man's neck just enough to draw blood. Lundigar spun, nearly falling in his agitated condition, and took off the way he had come as fast as he could run. Bane jammed the spear into the ground point-down and left it standing there.

Looking over the scattered unconscious bodies around them, Sheng Mo-Yuan said, "We might as well destroy their weapons so they can't use them when they wake up."

The Dire Wolf nodded, but he continued, "First, Argent, I want you to run back to the CORBY. Use your enhanced speed. In the storage compartment is a metal box marked 'Eleven.' Bring it here. I want to use the enervation drug on these men. They'll be too weak to fight or take care of themselves for the next forty-eight hours."

Sheng gave a snort of amusement. "Better than killing them outright. The enemy will have to reassign one or two soldiers to take care of the weakened men. And I think it will do their morale no good." With that, he started off back to where they had made their base. After a few steps, he shifted his gralic forcus into added speed and suddenly he blurred away along the trail.

Left behind, Lauren Sable Reilly studied her captain's face, trying to read beyond the grim mask. "Jeremy, is Kamende's word worth anything?"

"No," Bane replied curtly. "Not a bit. He's not like Wu Lung, who at least has a certain code of honor. Kamende will say anything and then do exactly what he had planned in the first place."

"You sound like you're personally offended by him, if I can be so nosy."

The Dire Wolf turned to give her a weary sigh. "Yes. When I was first accepted at Tel Shai, Arem Kamende was a senior student. The Teachers were proud of his achievements. But it was all a ruse. He betrayed the Order and took all its secret knowledge to use as a bandit and a warlord. As far as I know, he's the only renegade Tel Shai knight of our era."

"There's something more, isn't there?" asked Sable. "Something personal."

"You're hard to keep secrets from, Lauren, but yeah. I was the one who caught Kamende smuggling a supply of the Tagra leaves for sale to Danarak. I turned him in. Naturally, he's hated me ever since... as much as I hate him."

V.

An hour later, Lundigar was kneeling in front of his master, head down, trembling visibly. With Indigo and Avathor standing by, the Black Fury had risen from his throne and was glaring down at the terrified Melgar.

"And this white man who sent you back to me, did he have pale eyes?" asked Kamende. "Eyes the color of silver?"

"Yes, Oh Lord. He did not tell me his name..."

"He did not have to!" roared the Black Fury. The African warlock raised both clenched fists overhead and tried to get hold of himself. "He has come here after all to babysit his team of newcomers. Wakimbe's Mercy! Shall I never be rid of this Dire Wolf?"

At this point, Lundigar made a mortal error. He dared to raise his head and meet Kamende's furious stare. This was the defiance that triggered the Black Fury over the edge. He waved his open hand in an accusing gesture and a dark thunderbolt of gralic force detonated in that throne room. The Melgar convulsed as his every muscle contracted simulteanously. Leaping high in the air, Lundigar came crashing down again with black smoke boiling up from his charred corpse.

In the silence following that blast, both Avathor and Indigo stood with their ears ringing and their eyes dazzled. They remained motionless to not draw any attention to themselves.

"That Dire Wolf... Always in my way! Always making things difficult!!" Kamende growled. "No more. I swear before the face of Draldros Himself that this shall be our last meeting. The sky is not wide enough for Bane and myself to stand beneath. By the Dread One, I swear it!"

At a gesture from the Black Fury, some of the guards hastened to remove the blackened body from the throne room. Then Kamende swung to face his two lieutenants. Indigo stepped halfway behind Avathor like a child afraid of a scolding. For his part, even the arrogant Gralic Leech found it difficult to meet Kamende's enraged glare. They had never seen their leader lose his temper this way. Under the greatest pressure, the Black Fury had remained composed and calm, but now Indigo and Avathor had seen for themselves just how dangerous Arem Kamende could be. It was a sobering moment for them.

"Now you two shall begin to earn your keep," Kamende barked. "Indigo! Check that our prisoner is unharmed. See that the guards are alert and report back to me. As for you, Avathor, bring the Sumo here at once. MOVE when I give an order!" Watching his lieutenants rush from the chamber, the Danarakan dropped back down onto his throne and regained control of himself. There was no control except self-control, he repeated to himself.

His boots clacking on the stone flagged floor, Avathor strode rapidly down long clammy corridors. The fortress was more than eighty years old, erected during Androval's expansionist phase when Ulgor had also been invaded and Evaho had been taken as a colony. Thousands of Melgar settlers had established villages and towns along the rivers of this realm, plowing fields and building roads, despite the steady resistance of the Cojobes. This was known as Castle Sirion after the legendary First Champion, and a garrison of Melgar soldiers had been stationed here since its founding.

The general who had been appointed by King Holmir to administer this garrison was at the moment chained in a dungeon deep below ground level. When Arem Kamende had seized control of Castle Sirion weeks earlier, General Amrab was broken in spirit and imprisoned in body. So far, word of Kamende's crimes had not made it back to Androval. With a combination of terror, gralic domination and some use of the will-lessening Grendavil potion, the Black Fury had established an iron grip on the Melgar troops. They would follow his orders so long as he did not show weakness. That suited Kamende, since once he had found the Sceptre, he would move on.

In the dining hall, some of the Melgar soldiers could always been found since they worked in watches. A few were on duty overnight and stew was always warm in the cast iron kettles over hot coals. Avathor had known he would find Duffy here.

Sitting at one end of the long table, with an array of emptied dishes and bowls in front of him, was a gigantic man in a yellow silk robe trimmed in green. Only an inch shy of seven feet tall, he weighed four hundred and sixty pounds. The huge swollen belly was not soft, though, it felt hard as rock. When the sleeves of the yellow robe fell back, they revealed thick arms that were covered with well-defined muscle. Stuart Duffy looked Asian, with oil jet-black hair pulled up into a topknot and a marked single eyelid fold; in fact, he was Hawaiian of Japanese descent on both side. His mother had remarried after Duffy's father had died.

Duff's career as a Sumo had been brief and marked with scandal. He had wrestled under the name Akizuki, 'the Mountain of Iron,' but despite his amazing prowess, his disrepect and unsportmanlike conduct had disqualified him early on. When accusations of theft and abusing his fans came to light, Duffy had been stripped off his rank and his name erased from official records.

Like the other members of Kamende's League of Predators, Duffy was more than Human. He had the ability to channel gralic force into his body, reinforcing muscle and bone and tendon to increase his physical strength beyond normal limits. After a year of living as a thief and bandit, he had been recruited by the Black Fury and was now happier than ever. Gorging himself on food and drink, beating ordinary Humans senseless, inspiring fear and awe wherever he went... this life suited him fine.

As he filled his mug with the last contents of a pewter tankard of beer, Duffy saw Avathor enter. He lurched up to his feet in anticipation. The Gralic Leech was a big man, but the disgraced Sumo stood a head taller and was twice as wide. Duffy wore clothing tailored for him. Soft slippers and cotton socks, baggy silk pants tied with a sash, a loose robe of yellow silk with the Japanese ideogram for 'Will Power' emblazoned in green across the back.

"Boss wants us assembled," Avathor announced. He had snatched up a broiled chicken leg as he passed a platter on the way in and he took a healthy bite. "It's those KDF brats we tangled with a few months ago. They're here."

Duffy grinned as if given good news. "What about their leader? That Dire Wolf guy?"

"Him , too."

"Great! I've been itching to break that guy, his reputation is so overblown..." The Sumo gave a short snort of glee and rubbed his broad palms together. Sandpaper would not have sounded rougher. "Let's get the party started."

In a few minutes, all three lieutenants were standing in front of the throne. Arem Kamende studied their faces. He saw eagerness in Duffy and Avathor but only uneasiness in Indigo. This would be the Illusionist's last mission with the League, Kamende decided. He was too weak. He would have to be killed as soon as the current crisis was settled. Indigo could be replaced. It was too bad there had not been time to free Repel from his prison cell in California, but once this was settled, Kamende would recruit new Predators.

"We face a real challenge today," he told his team. "Slaying ordinary mortals is little challenge for such as we, but in the Tel Shai knights we will face our peers. Do not forget who captured you only two months ago, and how I had to free you from police custody by force." He leaned forward, resting his elbow on his knee, his face cupped in a palm. "Our Wasp is being held by this KDF, but in turn we have their Unicorn as our prisoner. Do not underestimate that girl, by the way. She will act timid and fearful, but I know she was raised from childhood by her mother to be an adventuress. She will try a hundred ruses to escape."

"That little chicken?" scoffed Avathor. "She's harmless."

"I did not give you leave to speak," Kamende reminded him. "Now, Bane will want an exchange of hostages. He is a fierce fighter but his weakness is the Tel Shai code of honor which he is bound to follow. Here is what we will do...."


VI.






VI.

When dawn came, the forest was cold and clammy. Even after the Melgar soldiers had recovered from a second dose of the anesthetic darts, they remained nauseous and dizzy, unenthusiastic about any warlike activity for most of that day. Bane had decided to releaase them. Keeping prisoners would mean diverting one of his small team and devoting their limited resources. Let them return to the fortress and be in the way, instead. He watched them stumble away and figured it would take them all day to return to Castle Sirion in any case.

With Sable beside him, the Dire Wolf prowled up and down the trail where the skirmish had occured. The Cojobe casualties had been taken away by their tribesmen. Given a lull the previous night, he had insisted his team grab a few hours sleep. Tel Shai techniques enabled them to drop off into deep slumber within a few minutes and so derive as much benefit as possible. Once the action really started, they might have to go extended periods without any rest. With Josef as sentry, no one could ask for better watchfulness. Now the Blind Archer was snatching three hours sleep while the rest of the team investigated.

"You look like you have something to say," he said to Fatal Wasp.

A sour look from Holly Kirschner was all he received at first. She had been exhausted enough to get some uneasy slumber herself, and she had shared breakfast with the Tel Shai knights. With Sable standing nearby, the Wasp had relieved herself in the shrubbery, washed up in a freezing little stream and seemed to be grudgingly accepting the situation. As soon as her wings and finger barbs had started to show again, Bane had used the Unicorn horn to nullify them despite her heated protests. It would be a few hours before the gralic adaptations began to return.

Finally, though, she decided to talk. "I guess this could all be a trick to get me off my guard. I don't think so. You guys would have to be professional actors to keep up a pretense like this without a single slip. Every gesture. Every glance between you people. It all rings true."

The Dire Wolf stepped a bit closer. "What are you leading up to?"

"You KDF guys, you actually care about each other. You're all worried sick about that Unicorn girl. You trust each other, you watch each other's backs and you tell jokes and tease each other the way only friends do. I don't know what to think."

"Why, what were you expecting?"

"Kamende said you were no different from his gang. He warned me that I'd be beaten and tortured if I fell into your hands," the Wasp blurted out in a flood of words. "I shouldn't say any of this. Maybe you ARE playing me but I don't think so. The League of Predators is a gang of pirates. They bully each other all the time and Kamende only keeps them in line by threats and force. It's horrible being with them. The way that Avathor licks his lips when he looks at me, I know it's only a matter of time before he tries some rape. Same for that Sumo, he stares and moons all the time like a grade school boy. And Kamende is the scariest person I've ever met." She folded her arms and turned away from him. "I'm doomed. No matter what happens between you two teams, there's no hope for me."

Bane was watching her. "I can't make any promises, Wasp. We want our friend back and we'll trade you for her if we can. What you do after that is up to you." His voice had not softened, "Everyone deals with consquences. I've had to pay for my own mistakes."

"Fair enough," she said, looking back at him over one shoulder. "So far, things have turned out better than I expected, anyway."

"Do you feel you have to stay with Kamende's bunch?"

"Oh, hell yes. You can't quit the League except in a coffin. And I'm no saint, believe me. I'd spend years in prison if I went on trial for the things I've done."

Bane watched Sable approaching. "One thing I need to clear up, have you killed anyone?"

"Me? No," she scoffed. "I draw the line at that. The nickname 'Fatal Wasp' was Kamende's idea. I wanted to call myself 'Hornet Woman.' I've pulled lots of robberies, stung some thugs in rival gangs we were fighting, even caused a cop car to crash once. But no one died because of me. Kamende can't make me go that far, no matter what."

Bane was not sure he believed her. He saw that Sable had drawn near and was trying to get his attention. "What is it?"

"People are walking this way," Sable said. "I count eleven big men, they are two miles in that direction."

"What, are you kidding?" asked Wasp. "You can't see a hundred yards in this jungle muck. And you're saying you can hear men walking from two miles away? Pull the other leg, honey."

"You have your gifts, I have mine," Sable replied distractedly. "No horses. They are marching at a steady gait but not hurrying. Captain, I think it's to parley about Unicorn."

"We'll soon see. Wasp, do you want to go back to the CORBY and wait? If we arrange a swap, I'll send for you."

"Thanks but no thanks, I'll stick around. I'm not flying off anyway until my wings come back." She gave a sudden malicious smile of anticipation. "To be honest, I want to see how this plays out."

The three of them waited impatiently until the Melgar soldiers came into view. These were hardened veterans of the occupation, men in their thirties and early forties with weathered faces. Most had mail coats over leather tunics, most carried a spear with a short sword as back-up. At the lead of the group, a Melgar carried a small form in his arms. Wrapped in a coarse blanket, this burden showed a mop of glossy white hair and part of a forehead.

Bane asked in a low tone, "Sable, how is she?"

But Lauren Sable Reilly could see the blood course under a person's skin, could count pores and identify fingerprints on someone's hand from across a room. She could detect a heartbeat speeding up from fear or guilt, and she could smell the hormone levels in perspiration. Immediately, she said, "That's not Ashley."

"I don't have to ask if you're sure."

"Of course not. It's a much older woman with some of Ashley's hair glued to her head with pine sap. This is a trap. Their adrenalin levels and heart rates show they're ready to attack."

"As soon as I get close enough to check out the imposter and my guard is down, I'll get an axe in the back of the head," Bane said grimly. When the Melgarin were forty feet away, he shouted, "Don't try to fool us! Where is our comrade?"

"Hold," answered the man holding the woman in the blanket. "We have brought her to you as we promised..."

With that, Bane plunged forward into the midst of the Melgarin. There was no signal he was going to move but in less than a blink he had closed the distance and was plowing through the men. Sable and the Wasp caught their breaths at the unexpected explosion of violence. The Melgarin were stronger than normal Humans, they were wearing armor and carrying weapons in hands but none of this helped. Bane cut them down as if they were meekly offering themselves up for sacrifice. He seized the nearest man's head and twisted it so far around that the sound of the neck breaking was clearly audible. Before that body hit the ground, the Dire Wolf blasted a high side kick that crushed the next Melgar's throat and, whirling still in the same motion, he cracked out a backfist that caved a soldier's face into red ruin.

The Melgarin reacted quickly but they were trying to stab or slash at the spaces Bane had already vacated. They could not track him. They heard the crunch of his punches and kicks but they only saw his arm or leg draw back after the blow had been struck. In a few seconds, only one Melgar was still alive... the one who was holding the woman posing as Ashley.

Stepping frantically back, the soldier had let the blanket fall away from his burden. The woman was the same general size and build as Unicorn, but at least fifty years old. Her face had gone white with terror at what she had just witnessed, and the surviving Melgar did not seem much better off. His eyes bulged and his mouth fell open.

Barely breathing harder than he had a moment earlier, Bane gestured for the lone soldier to go back the way he had come. "This is a message for your master. I'm coming to see him. Go." He watched the Melgar turn and rush away down the trail as fast as possible. The Dire Wolf stood surrounded by a circle of dead men and he slowly unclenched his fists. The grey eyes gleamed with anger barely under control.

"Jeremy," Sable said, "The Wasp ran off during the fight."

"I thought she might. Let her go."

"What? Are you sure? She can't fly yet. The two of us can surely catch her."

"I'm taking a chance but I think it will pay off," Bane said. "It's based on how I read people. We're heading for the showdown now and we'll rescue Ashley our own way." When Sable made no comment, he went on, "Don't think I'm above doubt or uncertainty, Lauren. When you take over as team leader, you'll find out how much you need to choose which gamble to make."

She nodded unhappily. "Uneasy hangs the head that wears the crown."

VII.

The trek back to the castle had taken Wasp the rest of the afternoon. Whenever she heard an animal nearby or heard what could be Cojobe tribesmen, she had hidden herself in the undergrowth until it seemed safe again. Holly Kirschner had nearly made it all the way back to the fortress before her powers manifested again. The Wasp scowled and said out loud, "Finally." The skin over her shoulder blades itched and smarted as the tiny stubs poked through from beneath. In another few minutes, the delicately veined translucent wings began to stiffen as they dried. Fatal Wasp examined her hands and saw those dark spots under the fingernails. The thin barbed extrusions slid out and she felt better able to guarantee her survival in this insane country filled with superhuman lunatics. At least now she had a chance at holding her own.

seeing the high brooding walls of Castle Sirion loom up over the trees, Wasp beat her wings tentatively and then more strongly. The ground dropped away from beneath her feet. Again, the familiar buzzing noise droned as she took to the air. Although she did not realize it at the time, she was capable of flight even without the wings. Those dainty clear organs could not lift even a ninety pound weight like herself. In fact, her innate gralic gift could levitate her as high and as fast by itself, but the wings helped steer and guide her. In a fundamental way, her wings acted as a psychological crutch that convinced her she could fly, even though she really could have done without them.

Rising to treetop level, Kirschner laughed. She had been worried that her abilities might not return at all, no matter what that crazy Bane had said. She would be stuck her in Emaryl with nothing to offer Arem Kamende or his vicious gang. Now she looped end over end, did a cartwheel fifteen feet away from the ground, and was lost in the exhiliaration of flight. For the briefest instant, she did not want to return to deal with the brutes in the League again. Would Bane offer her sanctuary? His team had seemed like decent enough people, but could she trust them? Could she trust anyone?

Hovering where she could watch the castle, the Fatal Wasp reflected that if she DID run to the Dire Wolf for refuge, what would happen if Kamende's League beat them in the inevitable fight coming up? Kamende got enraged over lesser things. If he saw her as a traitor, her punishment would be so horrifying she would rather kill herself first. No. There was no choice to be made. She had to stick with the League.

Circling the area from a hundred feet high, she caught a glimpse of movement beyond the nearby hills. As dusk fell, it was getting hard to see far. Kirchner headed that way and a cold jolt hit her chest as she saw a mass of several hundred Cojobe warriors heading quickly straight for Castle Sirion. They were waving spears and clubs, stamping their feet and urging each other into even more of a frenzy. It was the big attack that had been long feared. Look at them all, she thought, they were worked up into an amok state. Swinging around, straightening her body out, the Wasp buzzed toward Castle Sirion with all her speed.

From the air, the stronghold did not seem nearly as formidable as it did from on foot. It was a square pile of massive stone blocks with a protective wall encircling it. In the space between wall and castle were shacks, huts, sheep pens and chicken coops. In the front courtyard was a natural spring that guaranteed a supply of drinkable water. On top of the wall, Melgar soldiers walked their patrols. After what she had seen of hundreds of rabid Cojobes drawing near, Castle Sirion did not seem as impregnable as she had thought....

At the front of the encircling wall was a pair of wooden doors made of rough-hewn logs on iron hinges. The Wasp alighted where a pair of Melgarin jumped as they saw her dive down from nowhere. "Bar these doors! Get inside, get everyone inside and secure the castle. The natives are more than restless. Don't stand there staring at me, idiots! Get inside if you want to live!"

Lifting up again, over the eighty foot high wall, Fatal Wall dove down toward a balcony over the door of the castle itself, where a bronze gong eight feet across hung on a frame. It took all her strength to raise the hammer on its cord and strike the gong but she managed. The deep resonance echoed across the courtyard. Again, and then one more time, she hit the gong before having to drop the heavy hammer. But the alarm had been raised. Men shouted, feet thumped frantically in all directions, torches on their extended stands were hastily lit by long poles tipped with burning rags.

The Wasp felt some relief, but she was still gripped by a terrible fear. Maybe this piractical life was really not for her after all. From the opening behind her, she heard a deep voice rumble, "Wasp, you've escaped. Why have you sounded the alarm?"

She whirled to face him and yelled, "What do you think?! Maybe a thousand of those damn savages are coming here to cut our throats!"

"Indeed," came the calm, controlled response. The Black Fury gazed out toward the west. "Scouts have reported many Cojobes moving in from different villages. They are attacking sooner than I would have expected, but we are ready."

"Oh, we are, are we?" asked the Wasp. "Listen, boss, I have something to say to to you. Were you TRYING To get me killed? You sent an imposter instead of that Unicorn girl to the exchange. Bane knew right away. He killed all but one of those big louts and it's a miracle he didn't kill me too. I only got away because he was busy wiping out your Melgars and I made it back here, no thanks to you...!"

An ominous edge entered Kamende's voice. "The girl wearing Unicorn's hair was only meant to distract the Dire Wolf long enough so he could be slain. Then my soldiers would have brought you here safely, Wasp. We would have both you and the prisoner."

"Is that so? I wonder. Maybe you think I'm expendable, you think we're all expendable. Maybe you have no loyalty to us at all and you'd sacrifice everyone to get your hands on that precious Sceptre."

Her words were cut off by a backhand that spun her completely around and dropped her to her knees. Despite his rage, Arem Kamende had pulled his blow or he would have killed her outright. "Be silent!" he thundered. "I will endure insolence from you, Wasp. We are hard because we have to be. This is the Desperate Game of conquest we play."

Seeing the murderous gleam in her green eyes, Kamende continued in the same stern tone. "When you live outside the law, only strength will protect you. You knew that when you joined us." He reached down and hauled her easily to her feet by one arm. "This is no time for doubts. We must stand together or we will be butchered like pigs for a feast."

After a suspenseful moment of silence, Fatal Wasp responded quietly, "I understand. What are my orders, boss?"

VIII.

Back at the camp where the CORBY had been concealed by a camoflage tarp fastened down over it, Bane and Sable rejoined their team. Standing on a ridge, Josef Jubilec had paradoxically pulled a black silk headband over his eyes. Raised by the feared Blind Archer cult of Chujir, Josef was a deadly shot under any conditions. When he covered his eyes, though, he gained mystic perception that enabled him to locate any being by its lifeforce. In total darkness, pouring rain or the thickest fog, his arrows always hit their mark. He could also locate living things not in direct line of sight.

As they reached their friends, Bane announced, "It didn't go well. The enemy brought a substitute instead of Ashley and the Wasp escaped during the fight. What's up with you, Josef? I've never seen you look agitated before."

"The Cojobes are on the move," the Blind Archer answered. "I can sense them. Hundreds of them, moving swiftly past where we are... toward the Melgar fortress. The showdown is near."

"Everyone ready? Good. We'll double time and try to beat the natives to Castle Sirion," Bane said. "Given half a chance, we can enter by stealth. Rescuing Unicorn safely is our priority, tangling with Kamende and his pirates can wait until we have her back. Sable, you're best suited to locate her. Megan and Argent will go with you. Josef and Levon will be with me to keep a line of retreat open. We don't want to get drawn into the massacre, no matter which side comes out on top."

Without another word, the Dire Wolf took off at a run, not reaching his full speed but staying within Human capability so his team could keep up. All six had been under intensive conditioning at Tel Shai for the past six months and they could have run a marathon even with the armor and gear they carried. Seeing they were having no trouble, Bane picked up his pace slightly, veering off the trail twice as the shouts of Cojobes sounded a little too near for comfort.

Soon they were lurking in the trees beyond the cleared area which had been burned away around the castle grounds. On the walkway, Melgar soldiers could be seen pacing. The howling and chanting of the approaching Cojobes was growing more distinct.
Bane whispered, "Lauren, I make out two sentries on this wall. Can you confirm?"

With her enhanced senses, the murk on the castle walkway eighty feet high might as well have been right at hand under a spotlight. "Only two, captain, and they are both facing away from us. Their attention is on the noise the Cojobes are making."

"Josef, is that too high an angle?"

"Not at all, captain." The Blind Archer notchd an arrow with a barbed steel head and drew the string back to his ear. He had placed a second arrow in place so quickly that both shafts were hissing through the air simultaneously. It wasn't just that Josef hit his targets at such a distance and angle, under poor viewing conditions, it was that the arrows chunked deep low in the backs of the victims. Their spinal cords were severed and the natural reaction of the body dropped both men backwards off the wall, tumbling to the ground far below with no chance to shout an alarm or to have their corpses seen.

"Man," whistled Sheng, "That's some good archery," but he was racing with the others across the cleared space to the base of the castle walls. By now, a frenzied commotion on the other side of the fortress made it clear that the attacking Cojobes had come into sight. The grappling hooks were his responsibility. Sheng snapped open the collapsible hooks with their attached silk line, whirled first one and then the other to cast them up onto the wall. They caught solidly. With his enhanced strength, he could make the throws more surely than any of the others.

All of them were wearing gloves with thick leather pads across the palms, otherwise their hands would be have been cut open to the bone by the thin silk cords. In seconds, all six Tel Shai knights had swung over the wall and were tucking the grapples under a projection with the cords coiled up. Sable set off without explanation, and Megan and Sheng promptly followed her. They trusted her uncanny perception and had known her to pluck a moth out of the air in a darkened room or read a newspaper from across a city street. She had spotted some faint clue she thought would lead her to their missing friend.

Bane examined the area between the walkway and the castle itself, with Josef and Levon flanking him. Their task was to try to ensure that the rescue team had an exit route. In the wall to his left, a narrow plank door swung open and a ruined man in dress clothes stopped dead in his tracks as he saw the intruders.

"Indigo?" asked Bane. "What the hell happened to you? You look two-thirds dead."

The Illusionist made a croaking noise no where near words. From around him, red flame exploded and roared to engulf the three KDF members but they didn't react.

"We're wise to your imagery," Bane said. "These flames aren't even warm. You can't hurt someone who's wise to you."

As the flames snuffed out, they were instantly replaced by thick white fog impenetrable as as a wall. Indigo's voice cackled, "So what if it's illusion? You still can't see."

"Some of us do not need to," came the deadly calm of the Blind Archer. A twang sounded, followed immediately by a thump. The air cleared. Indigo was lying on his back with his mouth open and a trickle of blood from a split lip. On the ground next to him was an arrow with a hard rubber bulb instead of a point.

"You spared him?" Argent asked.

"He's too wretched to kill," Josef said as he bent to retrieve his arrow. "I didn't have the heart."


IX.

Sable led the way as they searched for the dungeons. Her enhanced senses worked so well that she often seemed psychic but it was only that she acted on clues too subtle for anyone else to detect. With Megan and Sheng right behind her, she ran down increasingly more narrow and neglected corridors and down short sections of steps until they were underground where the walls were damp and mildew hung in the air. The infrequent torches sputtered in brackets and more than one had gone out.

There were no guards. Every available man had been sent up to repel the assault. Only once did the KDF team hear voices around a corner as several Melgar soldiers thumped past and then all was silent again. Soon after, Sable paused before a massive door with a tiny square hole up at eye level. She sniffed and whispered, "Ashley is not in there. An elderly Melgar male, long unwashed, fed only gruel and water. I also smell a chamberpot and a musty assortment of blankets." She raised a finger to her lips and pointed at the padlock holding a clasp shut.

Stepping forward, Megan Salenger removed a thin bladed instrument from her belt. Maybe her advanced technology would not work here in Emaryl, but she still retained her skills. In less than a minute, she unfastened the padlock and opened the door with a creak of rusty hinges, then stepped aside.

Sable had taken a torch down from its holder and stuck her head into the cell. "General?"

"Yes, yes," croaked a weakened voice. The ruin of a man in advanced malnutrition took an uncertain step. General Amdar's tangled beard and matted hair were more grey than brown, his rags were only vaguely recognizable as the remnants of a tunic and trousers. "I don't understand, do I hear... battle overhead?"

"Where's the girl?" Sheng demanded. "The blonde who was a prisoner?"

"Gone. Avathor took her away only a minute ago. That outcast..."

Sable thrust the shaft of the torch into the old man's hand. "Here. Find some of your men, general." She wheeled and took off full tilt back the way they had come. Immediately, Megan and Argent followed. The clues which Sable followed were so faint that she could not have even explained them to anyone else. The faintest lingering trace of Ashley's distinctive hair conditioner, a few dark skin cells scraped against the rough surface of a wall at shoulder height, disturbed air currents still returning to their normal patterns. She was so attuned to minute details like these that she followed them without conscious thought. Ahead, a heavy tapestry woven with silver and gold hung down but its lower hem was curled askew. Sable yanked it aside to reveal a narrow door.

"Sheng!" she ordered, not explaining further. The Chujiran crashed against the door with his enhanced strength and drove it inward off its hinges. He himself stumbled as the frame splintered under his impact, got his footing and howled in outrage at what he saw.

Ashley Whitaker was pinned down by a muscular bronze arm to a narrow couch. The room was a hiding hole of some kind, barely large enough to hold three people. A single candle flickered in a wall niche, showing the nearly naked form of Avathor bending over the girl. Unicorn's shirt had been removed and she was covering her breasts with crossed arms, but her shorts were still in place.

Straightening up at the intrusion, Avathor was an imposing tower of well-defined muscle. He was wearing only the pair of loose khaki shorts and was visibly aroused. The Gralic Leech's grin fell off his face after the door exploded inward to thud on the floor near his feet. "Wha--?" was all he said.

Enraged beyond thinking clearly, Sheng Mo-Yuan dove directly at Avathor with both hands open. He wasn't using any Kumundu technique, only ready to grab this monster and bring him down. At he made contact, a sizzling blast of electricity crackled and threw him backwards faster than he had entered. The stink of ozone filled the air.

Recognizing the intruders, Avathor smiled. "You people again. Heh, do not worry, my darlings, there will be plenty of loving available for you two as well."

The Trom Girl hopped over where Sheng was twitching on the floor. She was not a martial arts master yet, having less than half a year training. But Megan Salenger had a disciplined mind which worked at computer-level speed and clarity, and her body was more fit than most athletes. Her coordination between thought and action was perfect. She kicked one of Avathor's ankles out from under him, and as the Gralic Leech staggered off balance, she reversed her dart gun and pounded the butt exactly behind his ear with all her strength. Even as Avathor dropped, she followed his descent and struck again at the same spot, producing a decisive crunch.

Straightening up again, the Trom Girl met Sable's startled gaze with her usual composed expression. "I do not think I used fatal force," she said. "Jeremy may want to question this man."

Unicorn was sitting up, still covering herself, and although her voice was shaky, it did not break. "Oh my God, you guys got here just in time! He was so damn strong, nothing I did even slowed him down!"

Picking up the white T-shirt from the floor, Sable helped her friend tug it back on. The bra was nowhere to be seen. "It's okay, Ashley, it's over, he can't hurt you now."

"Thank you so much, Sabes," Unicorn sobbed. "That was too close. I mean, I knew you guys would come for me but still..."

Seeing that Ashley was okay for the moment, Megan had knelt over Argent and heard him grumble as he revived. She took his pulse. "Sable, Sheng does not seem harmed. His field suit protected him from most of that charge. I will help him up."

As he got shakily to his feet, supported by the Trom Girl draping one of his arms across her shoulder, Sheng said, "GodDAM, that hurts. How come you didn't get electrocuted like I did?"

"My suit is better insulated than yours," she said simply. "Can you walk? I'll help."

"Yeah, I'm getting better. Ashley, we have some good news for you. We found your Horn, it's not even scratched."

Standing up by now but still clinging to Sable, the Unicorn sighed. "What a relief. Thanks again. My mom would never talk to me again if I lost that thing."

Lauren Sable Reilly disengaged herself and crouched to give the unconscious Avathor a brief check. "Hmm. Mild concussion. Pupils are dilated, hands are cold. He really needs medical attention but nothing like that is available here."

"And let's be honest, we don't really care what happens to him!" barked Sheng. "Look what he was going to do to our Unicorn ."

"Aw, 'our' Unicorn," Ashley repeated with the return of her old familiar grin. "I love you guys, best friends EVER!" She reached up and realized for the first time that her silver-white hair had been crudely hacked off above collar level.

X.

Levon Bingham had grown up with his nose stuck in whatever he could find to read, and he had a memory packed with an eclectic range of information. He knew that they were in the keep, the central tower of the castle, headed for ground level, In an open area enclosed by the high walls was a complete village with livestock in pens, shops and storage sheds, even a kennel and fish pond stocked with trout. But here in the tower, they found themselves hurrying along endless corridors of stone walls with barred windows and frequent statuary in niches. The rearing white horse emblem of Androval was everywhere.

Three times, they chanced upon groups of Melgar soldiers who were headed toward the front gate, where the fighting was heaviest. Twice, the KDF members flattened up around a corner and were overlooked by the frenzied troops. The final squad of five men spotted them. Bane and Levon dropped them with flurries from the dart guns and dragged the unconscious men into the shadows for what concealment was available. Josef tried not to use his bow unless pressed, since they were trying to not reveal themselves as long as possible.

Finally, Bane gestured for them to halt. "I don't think any of these Melgarin are headed for the dungeon. No guards left, every available man is heading for the fight. Our other team should be able to free Ashley without trouble, so we need to make sure our escape route is still clear."

Beside him, Levon clicked a fresh magazine of darts into his gun. "I'm running low, captain. I might have to call on the Black Lion soon."

"Hold off if you can," the Dire Wolf said. "I'd like to keep that as a big surprise if needed."

By now, they had reached ground level and passed through an open doorway into a huge assembly room. As they rushed in, the three Tel Shai knights skidded to a halt as they saw the immense bulk waiting for them. In the center of that empty chamber, standing with legs braced well apart, Stuart Duffy laughed and gestured for them to come closer.

"This guy again," grumbled Bane. "Looks like Kamende hasn't recruited any new thugs."

In perfectly polite Japanese with the correct honorifics, the Blind Archer said, "A Sumo without honor is a contradiction in terms."

Duffy did not seem offended. "You may be first to die if you wish. I have great size and unmatched strength, I am invincible."

"That's what the dinosaurs thought," Josef retorted, "And where are they today?"

As that jibe sank in, Josef notched and loosed two arrows so rapidly that they struck Duffy at the same instant. They bounced off without leaving a mark. Those stainless-steel heads ended in points that would have penetrated plate armor at that range, but the
Sumo was unharmed. Even as Duffy smirked, a third arrow struck exactly in the hollow of his throat but also with effect. Josef's aim was impeccable, but the target was impervious to mortal weapons.

"You look for weak points that are not there!" the Sumo roared. "My bones are like granite, my skin like iron. You should be afraid because I am going to kill you all."

The Blind Archer selected an arrow with a vicious-looked hooked blade on its head and notched it. Maybe this repulsive blob was invulnerable but that would have to be proven. Beside him, the Dire Wolf placed a restraining hand on the bowman's shoulder. '

"Levon, Josef, stand by," he said. Seeing Bane take a step forward, Duffy drew in a breath but before he could make another taunting remark, a dark flur had flashed across the distance between them. Silver flashed like cold moonlight in that chamber. Bane leaped back well out of reach, each hand grasping one of the ensalir-bladed daggers.

Stuart Duffy had gasped more out of surprise than pain. The silk of his robe had been sliced open across his torso, and an X shape showed as pink scratches. The skin had not been more than lightly broken, but this was something new for the killer Sumo and he rumbled angrily deep in his chest. Surprisingly quick on his feet, Duffy thundered forward like an avalanche of flesh and Bane blurred in to meet him. The Dire Wolf came in low, one of the silver daggers slamming into Duffy's side where the kidney would be and the other stabbing right up under that massive pectoral muscle.

Neither blade penetrated more than enough to nick the brute and draw a bare trickle of blood. In the split-second after the knives had glanced off him, Duffy seized Bane just above the wrist with a grip no Human could break. The thick radius bone broke under that pressure, but Bane was already swinging up his other hand to drive that dagger straight for the Sumo's eye. It missed by a hair's-width, scraping along that tawny cheek and sliding away as Duffy grabbed that arm as well.

Before Bane could kick free, the Sumo raised him above head level, seven feet off the ground, and swung him viciously around to slam him down against the hardened trail as if trying to break him apart. Even the Dire Wolf grunted at the impact. Somehow, Bane kept enough presence of mind to roll over onto his back and twist his feet in between Duffy's ankles. Not expecting this and caught off-balance, the Sumo tottered and fell over onto his back with a dramatic crash that raised dust like brown fog.

Both fighters scrambled back up onto their feet at the same time. Where Stuart Duffy's face was purple with rage, Bane's expression remained as calm and focused as ever. "Okay, you're tougher than I thought." At some point he had lost one of the silver daggers and now he jammed the other one into the front flap of his jacket. At the same time, he unsnapped a short cylindrical device from the rear of his belt and thumbed the safety off.

Duffy had not noticed this. He was trembling with anger. "Come closer, Dire Wolf," said the Sumo. "Try that again."

"Oh, I try to learn from my mistakes," Bane answered. He was holding his right arm up against his chest. With two quick lunging steps like a fencer, he closed the gap and sprayed a hissing white jet of vapor directly into the Sumo's face. Duffy coughed and gagged, wiping at his nose and eyes, reeling backward, but Bane followed him. When the Sumo took in a deep gasping breath, the Dire Wolf released a longer burst of the gas and Duffy inhaled it all. In another second, the giant dropped to one knee, holding himself up on his stiffened arms, then rolled over and began to snore.

Josef Jubilec came forward, having picked up the silver dagger which had been lost in the fight. He offered it to Bane, who regarded the weapon sadly and said, "Look at that! The blade is bent. I hate when that happens."

"We have tools in the CORBY," said the Blind Archer. "That was the same anesthetic we use in the darts, right? Only pressurized as a gas?"

"Yeah, I thought it was worth a try," Bane replied as he tried without success to slide the undamaged knife back into its sheath and finally settled for placing them both inside his jacket's front flap. "It worked on Repel, remember?"

Staring down at the vast bulk in yellow silk which stretched out before them, Josef shook his head. "I think he might stir before the full hour, Jeremy. Tying him up is a waste of time."

"We'll think of something," Bane said. "A big dose of the enervation serum to leave him groggy and weak for the next day. He has to have a soft area somewhere... inside his cheek, behind a knee. Ow," he added as he gingerly touched his right arm.

During this, Levon Bingham had drawn his survival knive from its sheath on his boot and cut several wide strips from the Sumo's tunic. He fashioned a serviceable sling and began to fasten it around Bane's right arm. "Will you please hold still, captain? You don't want those bones being forced further apart. Look how your hand is already swelling."

Bane grudgingly allowed the sling to be hung over one shoulder. "Thanks, Levon. I know I should be more gracious and accept help."

"That'll be the day," Josef mumbled as he went to retrieve his arrows.

XI.


Atop the gatehouse over the wide walkway which ran around the defensive wall, Arem Kamende stood with arms folded across his chest and stared down at a boiling mass of humanity. Over a thousand of the nearly naked Cojobe surged forward and were driven back. As a rule they carried spears and long knives, but quite a few wielded swords claimed from fallen Melgarin. It was their simple bows which were most effective, and so far the Melgar casualties had been to the long shafts punching in through the chain links of their mail or catching an exposed spot of skin.

But the slaughter itself had not really gotten underway as yet. Atop the wall, the Melgar soldiers threw down javelins or launched short bolts from their own bows, keeping an eye for any attempt to lean scaling ladders up against the wall. Supplies of food were well stocked within the fortress and their water supply had not been tampered with, so the occupiers from Androval had were under orders to wait and see if this siege would simply die down in time.

Stand near the Black Fury was his Captain of the Guard, whom he had chosen himself from the ranks. Harwig was a heavyset, moon-faced man with a thick bristly mustache. His rank was marked by his helmet having a horsetail crest. Like nearly everyone in the fortress, he had been born here in Emaryl and had never seen his ancestral homeland. Only a handul of the original occupying force from Androval still survived in this harsh land.

"Lord, our men strain at their tethers," Harwig begged. "They have been praying for this attack. They ache to smash these filthy savages into the mud where their kind belongs. I beg thee, give the word."

"Not yet," rumbled Kamende, looking back over one wide shoulder at his Captain. "Drop boiling water on them if you choose. Roll heavy rocksoff the ramparts to crush them. But the men will remain within the castle until I decide otherwise."

"Your word is law, Lord," said Harwig in misery. "But still..."

"Not another word!" the Black Fury roared. "You buried the blackened husk of Lundigar today. Do you wish to lie beside him? Be silent. Go and gather my League of Predators, this is when they earn their pay. Only the Wasp is keeping watch overhead. I want Avathor, Indigo and the Sumo here at once. Go."

Even as the Melgar hurried to the steps cut in the inner wall which led down to the courtyard, Kamende saw Fatal Wasp circle once and land nimbly in front of him. She was pointing to the west side of the walkway. "Boss, boss.. isn't that what you came here to find?" They strode over to gaze down where one Cojobe, taller than the others, stood at the head of the attackers. Sawapal. Like his brethren, he wore a simple white cloth loincloth and poncho, but in his hair stood an upright row of red feathers. Alone among the Cojobes, his brow and cheeks were painted with parallel red stripes. And he carried in his hand a foot-long rod of copper-colored metal topped with a blue gem. In the flickering light of the torches on the castle walls, that talisman shimmered hotly as if lit from within.

Kamende gasped. "It is! The Sceptre at last... and in the hand of that ignorant animal." He drew back his fists in an esoteric swirling gesture, snapped them forward and launched a red thunderbolt of sorcerous force down at the Cojobe leader. Sawapal had seen his enemy. The Cojobe leader raised the Sceptre. Intolerably bright, pure white energy hissed upward from the talisman to disrupt and disperse the gralic bolt coming from him. The beam from the Sceptre continued unslowed on its path, blowing a huge chunk out of the walkway within inches of Kamende. The Black Fury hastily jumped back out of sight, pulling the Wasp with him.

As the mob behind him yelled its approval, Sawapal swung the Sceptre around his head in a wide circle. "This land is forever ours!" he shouted and pointed the talisman. The magick of the Gremthom rod and the magick of the blue gem combined Darthan and Eldar power in a synergism never duplicated. The entire area turned blinding white for a second, thunder deafened every ear for miles around, and when normal light returned, the massive doors to the fortress had been vaporized. Smoke curled up from wooden fragments and bits of the metal hinges and crossbar. Savapal did not have to give an order. As soon as they saw the opening, the Cojobes shrieked in delight and stampeded into the courtyard.

Atop the wall, Arem Kamende raised a triumphant fist. "The fool! He has brought the Sceptre straight to me! Come, Wasp." The Black Fury hurried along the walkway and trotted toward the steep steps on its inner wall with reckless haste. Behind him, Fatal Wasp beat her wings and followed him at head level. The shouting and screaming and clashing of weapons erupted from the courtyard below them as the two armies met. Holly Kirschner was terrified. She thought it was just stupid to run toward noises like that.

At the top of the steps, they were met by a thin man in a formal suit much the worse for wear. Indigo's jaw was swollen on one side as if he had an abcessed tooth. "They're here!" he cried.

"Of course we know that, you fool," Kamende said, shaking the man by both arms. "Get hold of yourself."

"Not the natives. Bane! Bane is here with his Tel Shai knights. There's a Blind Archer. He hit me in the face with a blunt arrow." The Illusionist was visibly trembling. "This is the end. We're all going to die."

Kamende sank the powerful fingers of one hand into the lapels of Indigo's suit jacket and clamped his other hand over the man's mouth. "Not another word. Stop being such a coward. Remember your powers. Remember who you are!"

That seemed to work. Indigo drew himself up and nodded. His eyes calmed down and, when his mouth was released, his voice was steadier. "You're right, Oh Lord. I was feared by police all over Europe. I am Indigo the Illusionist, master of minds. I can handle these fools by myself if need be."

The flash of white teeth split that dark intense face as Kamende said, "That is the spirit we need. Come here. Watch the fighting for a second."

Seventy feet below them was violent chaos. The Melgarin and Cojobes had crashed together without formation or strategy, merely hundreds of men stabbing and slashing at each at close quarters. In the light of the torches, it was a hellish scene and impossible to tell which side had the upper hand.. or if either did.

The Black Fury squeezed the Illusionist's bony shoulder painfully hard. "Now is your hour. I want illusions which will frighten the Cojobe but not the Melgarin. Do it."

"A few of the Melgar will see the images and a few of the savages will not," Indigo admitted. "That cannot be helped. But watch what happens!" The haggard man planted his feet well apart and raised both open hands with fingers spread wide. Because they were next to him, some of the effect tinged Kamende and Wasp, and they caught glimpses of what abruptly sent the Cojobes into panic.

Huge dark green serpents slithered all over that courtyard, wrapping their thick bodies around the naked legs of the warriors. Fiery bats as big as dogs flapped wildly down out of the darkness to screech and claw at the native's faces. Ghoulish faces hung laughing in mid-air. The images were so vivid and so unexpected that it didn't matter they couldn't be felt. No one had the presence of mind to realize these were only illusions. By the scores, the Cojobes forgot the battle and struggled with the imaginary creatures which were crawling over them.

Only one or two of the castle's defenders caught flashes of Indigo's illusions. The rest knew only that their enemies had panicked for some reason and took full advantage. Swords and spears plunged into the copper-colored bodies left vulnerable by the images. Many of the Cojobes lost control entirely and dropped their weapons to run hysterically back out of them courtyard. The slaughter became a one-sided affair.

From the rampart, Arem Kamende shook with laughter. He slapped Indigo on the back so hard that the man nearly fell and the illusions blinked out of view. It didn't matter. By then, the Melgarin were finishing off the remaining Cojobes. Off to one side, Sawapal gaped in bafflement. None of the castle's defenders dared approach the native leader as long as he wielded that Sceptre, but Sawapal could not grasp what had just happened. Those giant serpents and burning bats..! Where had they come from? Why were his followers strewn in all directions, dead or dying? His mind had no explanation and he stood paralyzed with uncertainty.

"He may start blasting us," the Black Fury told Indigo. "Can you blind him?"

"Easy enough," the Illusionist replied. "Observe." No one else could see it, but Sawapal found his head engulfed into darkness black as ink. This was one of Indigo's favorite tricks. Even if the victim knew consciously the fog was not real, he still could not see. As the Cojobe leader pawed with his free hand at empty air, Kamende calmly walked up to the man and struck him down with an open-handed Kumundu blow which snapped the Cojobe's neck. The Black Fury took the Sceptre from the limp hand of the corpse even as it fell.

Coming down the steps behind their leader, Wasp and Indigo wended through the bodies. Her foot stepped on a severed arm which rolled away under her weight and Kirschner barely maintained her balance. A face which had been split from forehead to chin leered up at her with gore oozing out of the wound. The Wasp clapped her hand to her mouth and dry heaved at the gruesome sights all around.

"Hah! You are not meant for this career, little girl," teased Indigo.

"Oh, who are you to talk?" she snapped. "Whenever you see that Jeremy Bane, you wet yourself!"

"Stop that bickering." Arem Kamende gestured for them to follow him to the ruined gate. "Come. We will stay at that cave where I hid supplies and weapons in case things went wrong. The natives may regroup and we might as well not be near if another battle breaks out."

"Wait," said Fatal Wasp. "What about Duffy? And Avathor? Aren't they coming with us?"

"I couldn't find them," Indigo muttered.

Arem Kamende started down the hard-packed dirt trail away from Castle Sirion. "Don't worry. We'll come back for them before we leave this realm."

Following her teammates, Holly Kirschner did not believe what either of them had said.


XII.

The sky was brightening to the east, red clouds hanging low as the three League of Predator members met the Tel Shai knights Heading down the trail toward them. Flanked by Indigo and the Wasp, Arem Kamende stood gloating in the twilight of morning with the Sceptre finally in his hand. Coming to meet him were Levon Bingham and Josef Jubilec with Jeremy Bane between them, his arm in a sling.

"Always a joy when old friends meet," laughed the Black Fury. "Ah, Jeremy, how many times have we clashed over the years?"

"You mean, since you betrayed your Teachers and were exiled from the Order of Tel Shai?"

That touched home. The smile fell off Kamende's face and he lifted his weapon with a dramatic flourish. "I assume this is what you have come to Emaryl to find?"

"Sure. The Sceptre. You don't deserve it, you renegade." Bane stopped when there were sixty feet between the two groups.

"You try to provoke me," Kamende said. "An obvious trick to anger me and perhaps prod me into making a rash move. Forget it. I will discuss the terms of your surrender now."

Levon continued forward, and it could be seen in the afternoon sunlight that his eyes had changed. The deep brown irises had shifted to become a bright, almost luminous green... cat's eye-green.

Arem Kamende leaned forward, peering at the young black man he had never met before. "Wait. You bear a talisman of your own, I think. Yes. Quite potent."

"It is something you should recognize," Levon said in a voice deeper and more solemn than before. "You were born in Danarak, home of the great African magick, but you have forgotten your source. You are a tree without roots."

"What kind of nonsense is that?" Kamende replied. "Who are you, son? From that accent, you're American and not only that, from New York City. What could you know of the motherland?"

"Until this moment, I was unsure of myself. I was confused by wearing shoes which kept me from touching the earth and by living under electric lights that blotted out the stars. I had forgotten stalking through the high grass and catching the scent of my prey."

"Bane, your young friend here is insane," said the Black Fury. "And yet..."

"I remember everything," Levon Bingham said as he felt the heat of the ancient sigil he wore on a chain beneath his shirt.

"Wakimbe's Claw!" cried Kamende. "Of course. Someone was bound to recover it sooner or later. You bear the Cat's-Claw."

Next to the Black Fury, Wasp muttered, "I'm sure all this makes sense to you two. I have no clue what you're going on about."

Kamende shook his head. "Oh, how droll. Now I shall leave this realm with two great sigils. Youngster, you can have no idea how to use that claw. You are only a mixed American, the sad descendant of slaves taken from the West Coast. I am a true son of Danarak! In my hands, that claw will bring untold power."

Levon did not answer with words. Without training from the elders of Danarak, he could not summon the full powers of the Cat's-Claw but what he could manifest was impressive enough. Instantly, his body swelled and exploded outward, looming up, changing shape to become a gigantic black-hided lion. The great beast stood up on manlike legs, brandishing its deadly forepaws. The maned head loosed a whiplash snarl that terrified living things for miles around. Still upright, walking on its hind legs without difficulty, the Black Lion moved toward the sorcerer who had stood watching the transformation.

Amazingly, Arem Kamende did not seem so much alarmed as amused. "Ah, only an intermediary form. You have not mastered the Cat's-Claw yet, my boy... and that means your hold on the manifestation is unsure." He jabbed the Sceptre forward and unbearable white light crackled through the air to strike the beast harder than real lightning would have. The boom of that blast echoed in the hills. As the glare faded, Levon Bingham was revealed sprawled on his back with steam rising from his senseless body. He had reverted to normal.

Even though they had not been struck directly by that gralic bolt, both Bane and Josef were struck down also. They shook their heads and scrambled back up onto their hands and knees with their ears ringing and their vision blurred. The Blind Archer tried to retrieve his longbow from where it had fallen but was too shaken by the blast to make it. He sagged back down again, only vaguely conscious.

Propping himself up on his good arm, Bane felt the silver daggers burning painfully against his forearms. Their ensalir blades had deflected and absorbed much of that gralic attack, as they had protected him many times before. But the Sceptre was unprecedented. Its unique property was that it somehow combined Darthan and Eldar magick, something unheard of in the Midnight War. The synergism of the two powers gave the Sceptre a potency few others talismans could match.

His numb legs would not obey him. His right arm was useless. Yet the Dire Wolf still struggled to rise and fight back. As he saw the Black Fury grinning at him, Bane said calmly, "You traitor! You're disowned by the Teachers. And by the elders of your tribe. Tel Shai and Danarak both despise you."

"Stop it," laughed Kamende. "You'll hurt my feelings."

Speaking for the first time, Indigo the Illusionist told his chief, "This does my heart good. That man sent me to the hell of prison. He beat me with his fists and feet. I beg you, don't let him die quickly."

"Don't worry about that," Kamende said. "He will take days to die. My favorite part of torture is when they beg me to kill them and end the pain. I believe I will keep those famous grey eyes... pickled in a jar, hah hah hah!"

XIII.

In his moment of greatest triumph, Arem Kamende was shocked by a sudden ferocious pain in his right forearm, burning up to his shoulder like boiling oil in his veins. He screamed and clutched at the wound with his free hand and felt the Sceptre wrenched from his weakened fingers. The Black Fury stared in horror to watch the Fatal Wasp buzz through the air and hand the Sceptre to Bane.

"No. I don't believe it," whispered the Black Fury.

Helping Bane rise to his feet, the Wasp gave her former boss a defiant stare. She helped hold the Dire Wolf up with an arm around his shoulders until he stood by himself. To everyone's surprise, though, Bane did not immediately incinerate Kamende with a bolt from that talisman. He hefted it thoughtfully, regarded his deadliest enemy as if calculating how to strike him down but then jammed the Sceptre into his belt. No one had expected that.

In the next second, there was a metallic glint in the air and one of the silver daggers slid its length into the heart of Arem Kamende. The sorcerer wheezed as air left his body, he fell to his knees and then rolled over onto his side. In his open eyes, only disbelief showed.

Off to one side, Levon had forced himself to seated position on the ground, holding his head with both hands. He had taken the fullest brunt of the Sceptre's blasts. Josef Jubilec had also gotten back onto his feet, leaning on the longbow for support. He gave a grunt of satisfaction at seeing Kamende fall. "Finally," he said.

Off to one side, the Illusionist had clutched at his chest as if having a heart attack and in fact his face had turned white. His eyes dart from side to side wildly. There were abruptly a dozen of him on that road, all identical, scattering in all directions.

"I'm not fooled that easily," the Blind Archer announced. He pulled the string back to his ear and let fly. An arrow with a simple metal point whistled through the air and slid into the leg of one of the fleeing Indigos below the knee. A shriek rang out as the man fell headlong, rolling over and whimpering. The other illusory figures snapped out of existence with the breaking of Indigo's concentration.

"The real Indigo has a shaft in his leg," Josef continued, lowering his bow. That was as close to sardonic humor as he ever got. The archer's cloudy blue eyes turned to where Kamende was stretched out in the dust with the round black handle of the dagger sticking up out of his chest. "Neatly thrown, captain. His life force has stopped just like that, I would sense it if any life force remained in him."

"I wanted to use the silver daggers to finish it," Bane said. "They could neutralize any spells he had to protect himself. Where's the Wasp?"

Levon limped over, rubbing a sprained shoulder. Scorch marks showed on his clothing where the gralic bolt had struck. "I guess she took off while we were distracted. She could be out of sight by now."

"Jeremy," said the Blind Archer in an unsympathetic tone, "We can't forget her crimes. Yes, she helped you in the crunch. It could be that she actually saved our lives and set Arem Kamende up for the fall... But remember, she had been plundering this realm and abusing the Cojobes like her pals did. She was one of the League of Predators."

"I know, I know." Wearily, the Dire Wolf walked over to kneel next to the body of his most hated enemy. He tugged the silver dagger free and carefully wiped its blade on Kamende's robe before sheathing it again. "Funny, I don't feel any sense of... well, triumph. After all the grief and destruction he's caused, I should be glad he's dead at last, but it doesn't seem real somehow."

"That will come later," Josef told him. The Blind Archer unstrung his bow and fastened it to the quiver on his back. "Our goal in Emaryl seems achieved, captain. The Sceptre has been claimed, the enemy has been slain. But the Melgarin forces may be heading here."

Bane nodded as he rose. "We sure don't need to fight an army twenty times our number," he said. His broken arm throbbed more strongly but he could feel sensation returning to it. Because of the Tagra diet, he healed incredibly fast and expected to have use of that arm in a day or so. But he certainly still felt pain like anyone else. "Okay. Josef, I'd like you to get your arrow back and put a dressing on Indigo's leg. He's the Melgarin's problem now."

From where he was trying to sit up in the road, the Illusionist cried, "You're not going to LEAVE me here? Aren't you required to take me back to civilization to stand trial?"

"No," Bane said. Just the one word. He gestured at Josef. "If you'd patch him up a little, Josef. The Sumo and Avathor can stay in Emaryl as well. Without any gating abilities, they'll be stranded here and we'll be rid of them." With only one good hand, he tugged the material of Arem Kamende's robe up over tbe corpse's face in a final gesture toward dignity. He reflected that it was more respect than the renegade would have shown them.

When the Blind Archer was finished bandaging Indigo's leg, he unscrewed the detachable arrow head and returned the plain shaft to his quiver, "Good shot if I may compliment myself. Nice clean wound, didn't even nick the tendons. If infection doesn't set in, this deceiver has every chance of recovering. Not that he deserves it, in my opinion."

"Let's move out, then." With the Blind Archer and the Black Lion beside him, Bane started briskly up to the trail. He paused to point a finger at the whimpering Illusionist and say without heat, "Don't let me see you again, Indigo."

Circling widely around the citadel, the three KDF members passed frequent clusters of casualties. Both Melgar and Cojobe lay stiff and cold in the morning sunlight, most with horrendous gashes and head injuries, or curled up around arrows protruding from their bodies. The slaughter had been brutal, judging by how many of the wounded had made it this far from the actual battle before dying. Bane and his two partners kept moving. Early morning seemed to ironically promise a gorgeous summer day as the sun rose in a cobalt sky scattered with cumulus clouds. Past the grotesque leftovers of combat, the KDF team headed back to their base.

XIII.

To Bane's relief, everyone safely assembled where the CORBY lay hidden. When excited chatter broke out as the KDF members began filling each other in on their doings, he interrupted with a sharp whistle. "Not now, team. We have the Sceptre and Kamende is dead. Let's get out of this realm right now. We can discuss everything that's happened when we're home."

Levon and Argent unfastened the camoflage tarp and stowed it securely in the rear storage. Megan opened both front hatches to air the CORBY out a little, then she hopped up into the pilot seat before realizing there was no need to do a preflight rundown. They wouldn't be lifting off normally. A bit chagrined, she got out again and watched as Sable examined Bane's arm with her sensory abilities.

"Clean break," she announced. "Not a compound fracture but a hairline split. The ends of the bone haven't moved apart. Honestly, captain, with your healing factor I'd say the break will close up within twenty-four hours. Do you want an analgesic?"

"Not much point to that," the Dire Wolf said. "Painkillers don't work on us any more than alcohol or sedatives do. It's another effect of our Tagra healing. Thanks for checking it out, Lauren." He glanced over his team. "Sheng, how are you doing? You look a little wobbly."

"I've felt better," Argent admitted. "That damn Avathor packed a jolt like sticking a fork in an electric socket. And the Wasp stung me again. Every time I meet her, I get wasp venom in my system."

"You don't have any better luck with civilian women," scoffed Unicorn. She had changed into a field suit from storage and seemed to have regained her usual insolence. Being raised to be an adventuress had given her a certain emotional resilience. She toyed with the ragged remnants of her shining white hair. "I dunno, do you think this could be a good look for me?"

Eventually, the area had been policed to be sure they were leaving nothing behind. Three members of the new team had strapped themselves onto the bench in the rear compartment and two more were sitting on the floor back there. Sable had taken the co-pilot seat and left the hatch open for Bane to climb in next. "Captain, we're ready," she said.

"All right." The Dire Wolf remained outside, leaning up against the nose of the sleek black helicopter. He was slowly surveying the clearing and watching the sky. "We do need to get home and debrief while the details are fresh. I want the Sceptre locked up in our Vault."

From over the trees, a small form in dark green buzzed down to hover near them. Her wings beat so rapidly they were hard to see. "Wait, wait," said the Wasp. "I did save you guys. Don't leave me here. Can you give me a ride back to the real world?"

"I think so, " Bane replied. "You've earned some clemency. We'll talk about what to do with you when we're safe. Climb in the back. You might have to sit on someone's lap."

4/18/2000 - Rev.12/10/2018