Master Wolf

He had no more than emerged from the thicket when he was met by a crowd of drivers.

'No one in there,' he cried, pointing to the thicket from which he had just emerged. 'Spread out and keep your eyes open. Don't let anything slip past you!' and he plunged off to the right before anyone could speak.

He kept up the charade for another hour, questioning men as he encountered them and sending them off in new directions with fresh instructions, receiving, in return, their impression of what they had seen.

It were tumble, Captain,' said one of the drivers with a look of distaste as he brushed at his jerkin that was now stained a peculiar whitish-green. 'It were as big as a cow an' had long horns stickin' out o' its head. An' it breathed fire, an' acid dripped out o' its mouth. Why, I were almos' killed!'

'A real horror,' one of the nomads said somberly as he confided in Mika. 'Some kind of feathered dragon, I think. It swooped down low, right in front of my face and tried to claw out my eyes with its claws, but I frightened it away with my sword.'

The other stories were equally outrageous. None agreed with any other, and almost all of the men claimed some personal encounter with the mythic beast. Only one man told the truth.

'It was an owl,' said the Guildsman after Mika had rounded up the last of the men and sent them back to their bedrolls.

'A most peculiar owl. It had human feet. I think now that you must have been correct,' said the Guildsman as he fixed Mika with a speculative gaze. 'I agree that we are being plagued by a magic-user, But I do not think that we have much to fear, if this is any indication of his ability. What say you, Master Wolf?'

'I always say that it is a mistake to underestimate one's enemies,' Mika said stiffly.

'Perhaps,' said the Guildsman. Then, yawning broadly, he turned to go. Dropping his hand he placed it on Mika's cloak, on the place where his shoulder would be, had he one, and squeezed lightly.

Mika's heart sank. He knew there was no way that the man could fail to realize that it was a wing, not an arm hidden beneath the cloak. He held his breath, waiting for whatever would come next.

But the Guildsman merely smiled enigmatically. 'Good night,' he said pleasantly. 'Get to bed. It's been a busy night, but I'm sure that things will look different in the morning.'

Puzzled, Mika watched him turn and walk away. Damn! What game was the man playing at? He had been certain that the Guildsman was his enemy and would expose him. Perhaps he would yet, but for now, Mika was more than willing to find his bed and call it a night. Maybe things would be different in the morning. Twitching his wing, he hoped so with all his heart.

Things were different in the morning. They were worse. His arm was still a wing and it was necessary to keep his cloak draped around him to hide it.

Further, his head and neck ached horribly from the pounding he had taken from the giant's sword and where the cursed man had pulled his feathers.

And if that were not enough, a large patch of the curly black hair that covered his chest was gone, ripped out by the roots where the giant had gripped him as he flew away.

One foot was badly swollen and throbbed constantly. He knew that he would have trouble getting it into his boot, much less fitting it in the stirrup. He could only hope that the giant felt worse than he did.

The grey was in a feisty mood that morning and began rearing as soon as he saw Mika. Rather than fool with the animal, Mika picked up a fallen yarpick that fairly bristled with sharp, inch-long spines and waved it under the grey's nose.

'You give me one minute of trouble today and you're a gelding. Got it?' he growled. A group of drivers laughed, but the animal must have heard something in Mika's tone, for he quieted instantly and gave him no reason to complain throughout the whole long day.

The day seemed to last forever, helped not one bit by a miserable breakfast of coffee brewed from scorched grounds and mealybread so old it had crystalized. Mika felt like taking the yarpick to the cook.

His mosquito bites itched miserably, and chafed by the saddle, his flanks were red and inflamed by evening. He dismounted with a groan, wondering what new horror the cook would produce for dinner. He had not seen so much as one rabbit all day.

He tossed the reins to a young nomad and asked him to take care of the horse. The resulting howl, seconds later, assured him that the horse had not mellowed. He lowered himself gently to the ground and groaned, content to let Hornsbuck and the others set up camp.

They had found no forest this evening and were camped on the open prairie with nothing to see for miles in any direction. It was a bleak and lonely place that promised nothing hopeful.

It seemed to Mika that he had no more than closed his eyes than someone was shaking him by the shoulder.

'Here, eat this,' said a voice. 'You'll feel better.'

Mika opened his eyes and saw the Guildsman holding out a steaming mug. Mika sat up groggily and took the offering. The steam that rose from the surface of the mug smelled very good indeed.

'Rabbit stew,' said the Guildsman. 'I have a pouch, too. Mine contains a mixture of dried meat and vegetables. That way, no matter where I am, all I have to do is mix it with hot water and I have a meal. 'You might find such a pouch more useful than the one you possess.'

'Perhaps,' Mika said noncommittally, wondering what the man was up to and why he was being friendly.

'I had thought to keep you out of our hair until we reached Eru-Tovar,' the Guildsman said in a straightforward manner. 'You see, your reputation as a connoisseur of beautiful women is as well known as your skill with weapons. I did not think that I could risk your knowing about the princess.'

Mika gave a start and met the Guildsman's level gaze. 'So the messenger told the truth after all,' he said. 'I think you'd better tell me the whole story.'

'Yes,' said the Guildsman. 'It's time. Come to the wagon with me. No, no, don't worry, Recknass won't harm you if you are with me. Besides, he has problems of his own at the moment.'

Tam accompanied them to the wagon, the roof of which, Mika noticed, had been repaired. But Tam placed himself between Mika and the Guildsman and could not be dissuaded, growling whenever the man attempted to move closer to Mika.

'Quite an animal you have there,' said the Guildsman. 'Why don't you tell him that we're friends now, so he'll quit growling at me?'

'Wouldn't do any good,' Mika said with a cold smile. 'Tam makes up his own mind about people. I guess he just doesn't like you. Besides, I don't know that we are friends. It takes more than words to make it a fact.'

The Guildsman looked at Mika with cold blue eyes and then nodded. 'Just so,' he said. 'But sometimes friendships are born of need rather than the passage of time. Please suspend your decision until you have heard my explanation.'

Reaching the back of the wagon, the Guildsman unlaced the covering and climbed inside, ignoring the curious looks of drivers and nomads alike. Tam tried to follow, but there was not enough room in the tiny wagon and Mika told him to stay outside. Tam complied. Neither Mika nor the Guildsman noticed when Tam snapped angrily at a small black fly that soared past the entrance flap into the wagon and hovered attentively in the shadows.

The scene was almost identical to that of the previous night. The princess lay on the bed looking much the same as she had the night before. Her diaphanous gown outlined her magnificent form, luscious bosom, tiny waist, flared hips, and long flowing legs, accenting her bodily charms, yet cloaking the princess in silky folds.

Her hair was thick and lustrous. Mika yearned to push his hands, well, hand, through the lush mass and twine the tiny curls around his fingers.

He could almost feel her soft warm lips against his own.

His breath came in quick spurts as he gazed on her amazing beauty. Only at length did he realize that she was still asleep and did not appear to have wakened since he saw her last. She was unchanged.

The same could not be said for the giant, Recknass. He glared at Mika out of the tiny slit that was his left eye. His right eye was swollen completely shut and was puffed up to an enormous size. It was also an ugly mixture of black and purple, or at least Mika thought it was. It was hard to tell because of the layer of dried blood that had scabbed over the entire mess.

The man's nose, or what used to be his nose, was also rather unpleasant to look at, flattened and smeared as it was over his cheeks and mashed upper lip.