Recknass flexed his massive fists and clenched his thick fingers spasmodically. Unfortunately, there was absolutely nothing wrong with his hands.
Mika suddenly changed his mind about wanting to see the princess again and began to edge backward.
'No, Recknass. It's all right,' the Guildsman said, enunciating both clearly and slowly while facing the giant. 'The wolfman is our friend now. He wants to help the princess. You are not to hurt him. Sit down.'
Breathing harshly and making unpleasant wet sounds through his damaged lips, the giant hesitated for another minute, then sat down heavily as he was bid, though he never took his gaze, impaired as it was, off Mika.
'I'm afraid you have to forgive Recknass if he seems to be taking this a bit personally. You see, if anything happens to the princess, he's a dead man,'
'What a pity,' said Mika as he started to sit on the edge of the bed next to the princess's delectable thigh. A guttural growl of warning changed his mind.
'Here, sit down on this chest,' said the Guildsman, eyeing Recknass. 'It's safer.' And seating himself on an immense chest on the other side of the giant, next to the princess's head, he spared her a long lingering glance before he began to talk.
'I'd like to introduce you to Princess Julia,' he said in a soft tone as he ran his hand lightly over the princess's hair. 'I'd like to, but I can't, for as you can see, she's asleep. She's been that way for the last four moons.' He sighed heavily, and Mika could see the pain in the man's eyes as he gathered himself and continued.
'The princess is the only child of the King and late Queen of Dramidja, an island principality in the Dramidj Ocean, many sea leagues distant from Yecha.
'Dramidja is a rich and powerful island, the port of call for ships of all nations. Our boat builders, navigators, and sailors are famous over all the seas. Our island is also the only known source for a rare gem known as dramadine.
'Dramadine is a crystalline formation that reflects both blue and green and has the unusual ability to heighten one's powers and abilities. In the case of a normal human it would mean that he could see better, jump farther, walk longer, hit harder, run more swiftly…'
'I get the idea,' said Mika staring at the fly that now hung suspended above them on the cowhide ceiling. It was a most unusual fly, he was thinking, before he was distracted…
'So you can see that, in the wrong hands, the crystal could be extremely dangerous,' the Guildsman continued earnestly.
'The king and his forebears have always been most cautious in the use of the few gems that exist, keeping them hidden away from the temptation of man and forbidding their mining.
'There was great hope for a male son to carry on the royal line, but in this, the king and queen were disappointed, blessed as they were with only the one daughter.
'It was further hoped that the princess would marry well and continue the line and the protection of the gems with her husband. But that has not happened.' It seemed to Mika that there was tremendous loss and regret in the man's voice.
'Why not?' asked Mika, looking at the exquisite beauty lying beside him. 'I should have imagined that she would have her pick of thousands. She's very beautiful.'
'True,' sighed the Guildsman. 'But she's also very headstrong. The princess has found no one she chooses to marry.'
'What do you mean, 'chooses?' ' asked Mika. 'In a matter this important, you simply tell the wench what she must do and see to it that it happens!'
The Guildsman looked at him with wry amusement, and it seemed to Mika that the giant's shoulders actually heaved with silent laughter.
'One does not 'tell' Princess Julia anything,' said the Guildsman as though he were proud of his princess's willfulness.
'But that is not the point. One morning, the princess's maid attempted to waken her and could not do so. She summoned the royal doctor and he examined her and proclaimed that he could find nothing wrong with her.
'Eventually, he realized that it must be a spell and sent for the royal magic-user. He agreed with the doctor's diagnosis, but was unable to remove the spell.
'The king was frantic, of course, and gave the man a dramadine to heighten his powers so that he might try again. But the man was mysteriously killed and the crystal was found ground to powder beneath his foot.'
'Sounds as though another magic-user wanted the crystal and put the spell on the princess, hoping that a dramadine would be used,' mused Mika.
'Exactly,' said the Guildsman. 'That was my conclusion, as well. Fortunately, our magic-user was able to destroy the gem before it was taken from him.' Interpreting Mika's cocked eyebrow correctly, he bowed low and said, 'Hary Mubarik, head of Dramidja security.'
'You're no Guildsman. I should have known,' said Mika.
'I have served in that capacity before,' said Hary. 'But I have served the king for many years longer and I would settle this business, for Julia is dear to his heart and I fear it may kill him.'
And dear to your heart, as well, I wager, Mika thought to himself.
'So, if that's the story, why are we on the way to Eru-Tovar with the princess hidden away in a wagon like a sack of grain?' asked Mika.
'After the magic-user was killed, the king let it be known that we were in need of someone to take his place,' continued Hary. 'All manner of people showed up: wizards, warlocks, magic-users, magicians, healers, herbalists, shamans, and even an illusionist. Some of them were good, but most were frauds, and none were able to remove the spell which was the test that the king put to them.
'One day a message came, a scroll to be exact. It took form out of thin air, appeared right before the king's eyes on top of his breakfast plate. The scroll unrolled itself and a voice read aloud. It said that the man the king sought could be found in Eru-Tovar and commanded the king to send his daughter there and the spell would be lifted. Once the message was delivered, the scroll disappeared back into the air.'
'And the price of this cure?' asked Mika.
'All the dramadine crystals that are known to exist.'
'Didn't want much, did he?' noted Mika with a low whistle. 'Where are they?'
'Not here,' answered Hary. 'The king is not such a fool that he would send his two greatest treasures, his daughter and the crystals.
'Julia is going alone except for Recknass, the driver, Cob, who is one of my best men-and myself, of course.'
'Then you're a fool,' said Mika. 'What's to prevent this mage in Eru-Tovar from turning you both into pigs on the spot and then sending another message saying, 'I have your daughter now. Send the jewels, or else.' And then keeping them both?'
'That is a very real possibility,' admitted Hary. 'But Recknass and I have learned more than a few tricks in our years. We will see to it that such a thing does not happen,' Hary said with a small smile. And something in his tone of voice told Mika that perhaps they would succeed.
The fly buzzed angrily in front of Hary's face as though disliking his words. Hary grabbed at the fly, but the insect evaded him easily and lighted on a strut, high out of reach, to feast on a dried spatter of Recknass's blood. Then they made the mistake of paying it no further mind.
'How does Jumbo here, fit into the story?' asked Mika intently.
'Recknass was Julia's personal guard,' said Hary. 'He was there the night the mage was killed. Unfortunately, he hasn't been able to tell us what happened, as his memory and speech were erased by whomever fought the battle. The king has threatened to remove Recknass's heart as well, if he fails. So you see, he has great motivation to succeed.'
'How do you propose to find this magic-user?' asked Mika. 'You can't just stand in the center of Eru-Tovar and say, 'Yoo-hoo, we're here.' '
'I suspect that he already knows we're coming,' said Hary. 'I think that's what the attack at the river was all about as well as your encounter with the old man.
'You missed the real crux of the battle. Before you and your clan arrived, the kobolds attacked in full strength. The main thrust was aimed directly at this wagon. Only by clustering all of our forces around it were we
