The Wizard of Karres

back.'

Scared, the two little ones did their best. But the big fluffy creature was heavy, and bleeding. And there were more Sprites coming. The Leewit whistled again.

* * *

Behind the remains of the barricade, Pausert heard a familiar high-pitched whistle. It was like having his ears pricked with a hot needle. And it was on the wrong side of the barricade! Then the second whistle . . .

The captain seemed to detect a terrible urgency in that whistle. He reached into himself, knowing there was desperate need and knowing that klatha power came not when you wanted it, but when you were ready for it. He pictured the Leewit in his mind: a little blond waif, her cold gray eyes staring at him, and began to weave the klatha pattern around her. She seemed larger than he'd envisaged, so he made space. He didn't want to accidentally cut pieces of the Leewit off, so he made the pattern include all that was alive. And then, pattern completed, he picked up his Sprite-rifle and began running forward. He was unaware that the rest of the little outpost had followed him, or that more Sprites were coming up behind that, led by a shrimp with attitude. All the captain knew was that he wasn't going to be stopped short of the Leewit. Goth's 'porting of grenades had kept heads down ahead of them.

Now, as Lord Nalin's cohorts put their heads up, they found themselves facing what seemed to be a wave of fury. Sprites are more klatha-sensitive than most humans. The creature running towards them, one of the survivors later said, seemed at least fifteen feet tall and as unstoppable as an avalanche. And they were already rattled by the exploding grenades that had appeared from nowhere.

Afterwards the captain admitted that he'd even forgotten to fire, while he was running forward.

Those behind him made up for it.

Lord Nalin's loyalists were not all Nanite-infected. Few of them were, actually. These were just foot soldiers following their lord's orders, who really didn't want to be there at all, fighting the High Lord. They turned and fled. Some of them fell over the barrier of the large cocoon shielding Leewit, two little Sprites and a huge furry beast of some kind. The beast was wounded and bleating plaintively.

The captain got there, and, as he stopped, Arvin's Sprites surged past. There were several hundred of them, and High Lord Arvin was in the van. So was Hantis, accompanied by Pul. A panting Vezzarn and two other Sprites he'd co-opted came up with a makeshift stretcher—and Goth, still in her own shield cocoon.

Catching his breath, the captain decided that the Leewit could wait until he'd liberated Goth. If he could lipread she was saying some pretty awful things, and he didn't know if the Sprites had soap anyway.

Calming himself slowly and deliberately, the captain retraced the pattern that shielded Goth.

'What did you leave me behind for, Captain?' she demanded as she bounced to her feet. 'You agreed to stay behind me.' It was one of the few times he'd ever seen Goth hopping mad. She even stamped her foot. 'What's the point of me staying around until I'm marriageable age if you're going to do STUPID things like that!'

'Er,' said Pausert. 'The Leewit was in trouble.'

Goth was not mollified. 'The Leewit's always in trouble.' Crossly, Goth glanced at her little sister. 'I'd say leave her in there, out of trouble for a change. Save us all some grief. Except those two Sprites seem to want to get to the others that are in with her.' She pointed to two anxious Sprites who were trying reach into the shield cocoon.

Pausert realized they were trying to get to the two small Sprites in there, and that the Leewit was signing frantically at him.

He took a deep breath and retraced that pattern too.

Instantly the passage was overwhelmed by yelling.

'Captain!' The Leewit tugged at his sleeve. 'The nursebeast's been shot!' She dragged him towards the fluffy thing.

It was definitely bleeding and in pain. He knelt beside it and parted the rich fur, looking for the wound. 'Give me the vibro-razor, Vezzarn. Let me just cut the fur clear, here.'

He did, exposing the entry-wound. The beast turned its long neck to try and peer at it. Its beery-brown eyes had a look of entreaty that made Pausert feel terribly helpless. Goth and the Leewit were kneeling beside him. So, on the other side of the fluffy creature, were two small Sprites and what were apparently their parents. Sprite soldiers streamed around them as the captain felt around the wound cautiously, wishing he knew more about first aid and more about alien physiology. At a guess, the creature had a bullet lodged in its lung—if it was built like the creatures he was familiar with.

'The bullet will have to come out.'

Goth took a deep breath. 'I can do that, I think.' She closed her eyes, briefly. 'Here, Captain.' She held out a bloody metal fragment.

'I think I can still the pain and stop the bleeding,' said a voice from the Leewit's mouth. It didn't sound like the Leewit, but more like her older sister Maleen. Captain Pausert realized that the Leewit was calling up her sister's pattern to guide her through some piece of unfamiliar klatha. 'But I'll need to borrow from you two.'

'Sure,' said Goth, gruffly. 'So long as you fix it. I ought to give you a good thumping later, you idiot. The captain and I have been worried stiff about you. And you nearly got him killed.'

'You and what clumping army?' the Leewit jibed. 'Just 'cause you're sweet on him! Take more than a few silly Sprites to hurt the captain, anyway. Now help me with the nursebeast. We can fight later.'

Goth smiled mistily at her sister. 'Just you wait. Now, draw away. This is what they premoted you'd be good at one day.'

'What must I do?' asked the captain.

'Just hold her shoulders. And when she needs your strength, let her have it.'

'I'll do my best,' he said, a bit uncertainly. He knew it wasn't physical strength she wanted.

The Leewit began to glow. Her hands, wrapped in the nursebeast's fur, looked like little torches of warm redness that seemed to be sinking into the animal. The captain felt himself being drawn on . . . and gave. The nursebeast gave an odd sort of hooting whinny and stuck a long pink wet tongue out and licked the little Sprites and the Leewit. Then the fluffy head sank down. The little Sprites gave unmistakably heartbroken cries.

The Leewit said something, tiredly. Even if they weren't human, there was no mistaking the incredulity on the faces of the Sprite parents. And hope on the faces of the little ones.

'I told them she's going to be all right now, with some rest. I think we did the trick, Captain. I could use some rest myself. Can you give us a hand to carry her into their home?'

And then the littlest witch hugged him fiercely, and so did Goth, and Captain Pausert, once of the Republic of Nikkeldepain, suddenly felt very good about the universe and his place in it.

Pausert took one side, Vezzarn and the male Sprite the other; joining hands, they lifted the fluffy thing and carried it down the passage, while the little Sprites, the Leewit and the mother rushed ahead and opened a door into what the captain presumed was the Sprites' apartment. They three carried the nursebeast into a small entirely soft-upholstered room and put it down.

'I guess I'll skip whopping her,' said Goth. Her little sister had flopped onto a chair, with the small Sprites on either side. The Leewit looked tired and pale. 'This time, anyway.'

The Leewit beckoned. 'Hey. I've asked them for some food.'

'Better make it something we can eat on the run,' said Goth. 'We've got to catch up with Hantis before she does something silly. She's very taken up with this High Lord Arvin. And we've still got a job to do for Karres, getting her and Pul to the Imperial court before the Winter Carnival.'

The Leewit sighed. 'I guess. I'll just ask for a few of the meat-roll things, then. They're pretty good and we can eat those while we go.'

There followed a high speed exchange in the Sprite language. The two little Sprites were still clinging onto the Leewit, from whom they had to be pried away by their parents.

'I said we'd see them and explain later. And thanks for the food,' said the Leewit. 'Phew. I hadn't realized what hard work it is not to be the youngest.'

Once they got back into the corridor, it was easy to work out where to go. There was a steady stream of armed Sprites heading in one direction. Word must have gotten around, too, because no one tried to stop the human party. They ate as they walked. The captain found he was both ravenous and tired and was grateful to his