They rode back to the tavern and found Lotus Blossom, mounted and waiting, with her gear packed efficiently on the back of her black- and white- speckled stallion. To Mika's surprise, Tam sat quietly at the horse's feet, looking almost normal. He wagged his tail happily at the sight of Mika, and his eyes grew bright as Mika approached.
'Ready, I see,' rumbled Hornsbuck.
'Aye,' replied Lotus Blossom, unable to meet Hornsbuck's gaze, as though she were embarrassed about something. 'But there is a matter we needs discuss.'
'Well, speak up, little woman,' Hornsbuck said expansively. 'What is it, some extra trinket you wish to take with us?'
'Nay, you ninny,' growled Lotus Blossom, swinging around to glare at Hornsbuck. 'And stow that 'little woman' business, or I'll shove your arm down your throat. The problem is bigger than a trinket. The stupid guard forbade me to leave town. I will go as I choose, but I do not wish harm to come to you and the boy, here.'
Mika was stung at being called a boy, but not enough to challenge her.
'What did you do to deserve town quarantine?' asked Hornsbuck, seemingly no more than mildly curious.
'Oh, some little complaint about gambling with the caravans,' said Lotus Blossom, waving her hand about vaguely. 'Nothing of any importance.'
'Cheating, no doubt,' chuckled Hornsbuck. 'Well, my plan will take care of that. Not to worry.'
He would answer none of their questions, but bade them follow him. They rode toward the second gate, the one that led direcdy out onto the plains.
The gate had been built no larger than the largest of caravan wagons so as to prevent the entry of unwelcome visitors, as well as enabling it to be guarded by a minimum of two men. It was commonly known as Danger Gate, in reference to more wicked times when caravans had often been forced to race for the city, pursued by all sorts of dangerous armies of monsters and half-human villains. But those days were long past, and a tenuous peace of sorts now existed across the northern hemisphere of Greyhawk.
Hornsbuck led them to the gate, stopping just short of it in a corner of a building passed by the many groups of travelers who left the city each day. Hornsbuck turned his back to the other travelers and thrust his thick hand into the leather pouch that hung from a thong around his neck and contained his most important personal possessions. His eyes twinkled mischievously as he withdrew his hand from the pouch and held up what appeared to be a slender, silver wand smaller than his smallest finger. Mika was even more confused when Hornsbuck climbed down from the saddle, stuffed RedTail's ears with bits of cloth, and told Mika to do the same to Tam. The wolves pawed at their ears, but a gruff snap on their muzzles halted their activities.
Satisfied, Hornsbuck climbed back into the saddle, lifted the silver wand to his lips, and blew into it so hard that his cheeks puffed out like a marmot's cheek pouches stuffed for winter. But strangely, even though Tam and RedTail's ears pricked, Mika heard no sound. None at all.
'What are you doing? What is that thing?' Mika asked, not liking the fact that he did not understand what was happening. Hornsbuck did not reply, but merely lifted the wand and prepared to blow again. Lotus Blossom began to laugh. It was obvious that somehow she understood. Mika sat atop his horse and felt stupid.
Suddenly, something very odd began to happen. All the wolves in the immediate vicinity started to howl. Then they began running in circles, and some sat down and pawed at their ears before sitting up and howling again.
Hornsbuck continued to blow the wand. With belated comprehension, Mika now recognized it as a whistle of the sort used to call in the wolves. Such a whistle was used but seldom-to signal the wolves after they had been loosed on some hapless prey, or at the great convocation of the clans when the wolves were likely to join in one vast pack and set off on a hunt of their own. Yet such whistles were rare, guarded closely by high chiefs who never allowed them to fall into other hands lest they be used irresponsibly. Such as now.
By some trick of his hand, Hornsbuck was directing the sound of the whisde so that it appeared to be coming from the gate itself. The two guards stationed beside the carved doors were totally unprepared for such a happening and didn't know what to do. They were ringed by at least twenty howling wolves whose numbers were increasing with each passing heartbeat.
The guards, staunch Wolf Nomads who had been selected for their important posts by dint of exemplary behavior, were overwhelmed by the sheer number of frantic wolves that answered the imperious, silent call as it continued to ring in their ears, asking, demanding, and finally, commanding their presence.
The owners of the wolves, townsmen and oudand- ers alike, were bewildered by the wolves' behavior, tugging and pulling and importuning the animals from the edges of the seething pack. But the wolves could hear nothing but the whistle and ignored the men who had been their soul companions from birth as though now they were unknown strangers.
Hornsbuck continued to blow the whisde, his fat cheeks turning bright red and the veins at his temples standing out prominently. Mika grinned widely as he realized the beauty of Hornsbuck's plan.
By now, wolves were pouring out doorways, leaping out of windows, cascading out of side streets, and filling the main road from wall to wall. Black wolves and red wolves, brown wolves and gray wolves, tan wolves and white wolves, large wolves and small wolves and every size in between, were all howling and baying madly, all headed in the direction of the gate.
Traffic came to a standstill, and people leaped for the safety of buildings as it quickly became obvious that anyone or anything that stood in the wolves' path was likely to be run down.
The torrent of wolves arrived at the gate, adding their mass to those already clustered around the beleaguered guards. One of the guards, realizing that it would be all too easy to die an ignominious death beneath the blanket of wolves, panicked and did exactly what Hornsbuck had hoped for-he lifted the bar, which had until now remained shut, and opened the gates.
As the river of wolves poured past them, following the elusive whistle, Mika caught sight of the Princess Julia running neck and neck with a large, white, male wolf. Mika signaled to Hornsbuck and Lotus Blossom, and the three of them, accompanied by their own wolves-no doubt the only ones in town able to resist the persistent call-pressed into the thick of the crazed animals and rode out of the city.
Outside the gates, wolves milled in an aimless mass. Some still howled, even though Hornsbuck had ceased blowing the whistle. Others bayed for the sheer enjoyment of it. Still others sat up, and noting that they were outside the gates, free of human constraint, began to look about with interest.
As Mika edged next to the princess and slipped a rawhide thong around her neck, some of the wolves began to run. They started to bay, a deep, wild sound of the hunt. Instantly, all of the other wolves formed into one vast pack and followed their lead. The last Mika saw of them, they were all heading out into the open prairie, every last wolf of Eru-Tovar. Their owners stood watching them go, helpless to stop them. The wolves would return, but only when the frenzy left them and they were good and ready.
Hornsbuck clucked in concern and shook his massive head in pity as they slowly trotted past the dumbfounded nomads. Sternly elbowing the chuckling Lotus Blossom in the ribs, he led his party out onto the prairie.
The princess seemed subdued and followed Mika, head held low without any indication of resistance. Mika noted with interest that the front of her creamy bib was stained with what appeared to be blood. He grinned to himself, more than a litde certain that the blood was not hers; the man who had stolen her would think twice before daring such a deed again.
The day passed without incident. They rode due east until the sun at their backs burned red, an enormous globe at the edge of the horizon, tinting the entire sky a soft, glowing pink. Flocks of rooks tumbled and cawed in the twilight as they made their way toward their nightly roost. Swallows and tiny bats appeared, wheeling and spiraling as they dined on airborne insects. And the wind blew cool and steady from the north, carrying with it the faint scent of pine as the party stopped for the evening and made camp.
'We'll be back in the forest in two, maybe three, days, if the gods be with us,' said Mika, wondering when Hornsbuck was going to turn north.
'Appease the gods, but put your faith in man,' said Hornsbuck as he built a small circle of rocks and filled it with lumps of charcoal taken from one of his vast packs.
'Who said that?' asked Mika, not recognizing the saying.
'I did,' said Hornsbuck. 'Just now. Now stop your blathering, and go see if you can find us something to
