Neither of my assistants laughed at my joke, but then again, neither did I.
Shaking off a feeling of foreboding, I turned to my staff.
'All right, Guido. You stay down here and keep watch. Massha? Do you think that belt of yours can lift two? It's time I went topside and took a good look at this impregnable cell.'
My apprentice licked her lips nervously and shrugged.
'I don't know, Hot Stuff. I warned you that the controls on this thing don't work right. It could lift us right into orbit for all I know.'
I patted her shoulder in what I hoped was a reassuring way.
'Well, give it a try and we'll find out.'
She nodded, wrapped one arm around my chest, and used her other hand to play with the jewels on her belt buckle.
There was a sparkle of light, but beyond that nothing.
'Not enough juice,' she mumbled to herself.
'So turn it up already,' I urged. - Even if the vampires tended to avoid light, we were lit up like a Christmas tree and bound to attract attention if we stayed at ground level much longer.
'Cross your fingers,' she said grimly and touched the jewels again.
The light intensified and we started up fast… too fast.
'Careful, Boss!' Guido shouted and grabbed my legs as they went past him.
That brought our progress to a halt… well, almost. Instead of rocketing up into the night, we were rising slowly, almost imperceptibly.
'That's got it, High Roller!' Massha exclaimed, shifting her grip to hang onto me with both arms. 'A little more ballast than I had planned on, though.'
I considered briefly telling Guido to let go, but rejected the thought. If the bodyguard released his grip, we'd doubtless resume our previous speed… and while a lot of folks at the Bazaar talked about my meteoric rise, I'd just as soon keep the phrase figurative. There was also the minor detail that we were already at a height where it would be dangerous for Guido to try dropping back to the street. There was that, and his death-grip on my legs.
'Don't tell me, let me guess,' I called down to him. 'You're acrophobic, too?'
The view of Blut that was unfolding beneath us was truly breathtaking. Truly! My life these days was so cluttered with crisis and dangers that a little thing like looking down on buildings didn't bother me much, but even I was finding it hard to breathe when confronted up close with sheer walls adorned with stone creatures. Still, until I felt his fingernails biting into my calves, it had never occurred to me that such things might upset a rough-and- tumble guy like Guido.
'Naw. I got nothin' against spiders,' he replied nervously. 'It's heights that scare me.'
I let that one go. I was busy studying the tower which could be viewed much more clearly from this altitude. If anything, it looked stronger than the portion of the building that was below us. One feature captured my attention, though. The top portion of the tower, the part I assumed was Aahz's cell, was shaped like a large dragon's head. The window I had been expecting was actually the creature's mouth, with its teeth serving as bars.
I should have anticipated something like that, realizing the abundance of stone animals on every other building in town. Still, it came as a bit of a surprise… but a pleasant surprise. I had been trying to figure a way to get through iron bars, but stone teeth might be a bit easier. Maybe with Aahz working from the inside and us working from the outside, we could loosen the mortar and…
I suddenly realized that in a few moments we would be level with the cell… and that a few moments after that we'd be past it! Unless something was done, and done fast, to halt our upward progress, we'd only have time for a few quick words with Aahz before parting company permanently. With time running out fast, I cast about for a solution.
The wall was too far away to grab onto, and there was no way to increase our weight, unless…
When Aahz first taught me to fly, he explained the process as 'levitation in reverse.' That is, instead of using the mind to lift objects, you push against the ground and lift yourself. Focusing my reservoir of magical energy, I used a small portion to try flying in reverse. Instead of pushing up, I pushed down!
Okay. So I was desperate. In a crisis, I'll try anything, however stupid. Fortunately, this stupid idea worked!
Our upward progress slowed to a halt with me hanging at eye-level with the cell's dragon mouth.
Trying not to show my relief, I raised my voice.
'Hey, Aahz! When are visiting hours?'
For a moment there was no response, and I had a sudden fear that we were hanging a hundred feet in the air outside an empty cell. Then my partner's unmistakable countenance appeared in the window.
'Skeeve?' he said in a skeptical voice. 'Skeeve! What are you doing out there?'
'Oh, we were just in the neighborhood and thought we'd drop in,' I replied in my best nonchalant voice. 'Heard you were in a bit of trouble and thought we'd better get you out before it got serious.'
'Who's we?' my partner demanded, then he focused on my assistants. 'Oh no! Those two? Where are Tananda and Chumley? C'mon, Skeeve. I need a rescue team and you bring me a circus act!'
'It's the best I could do on short notice,' I shot back, slightly annoyed. 'Tananda and Chumley aren't back from their own work yet, but I left a message for them to catch up with us if they could. Of course, I'm not sure how much help they'll be. In case you're wondering why I'm being carried by my apprentice instead of flying free, this particular dimension is exceptionally low on force lines to tap in to. If anything, I think I'm pretty lucky that I brought 'these two' along instead of ending up with a whole team of for-real magicians who are too proud to use gimmicks. It's thanks to 'these two' that I made it this far at all. Now, do you want our help, or do you want to wait for the next team to float past? I mean, you're in no rush, are you?'
'Now don't get your back up, partner,' Aahz said soothingly. 'You caught me a little off-guard is all. So tell me, just how do you figure to get me out of here?'
That brought me back to earth… or as close to it as I could get while suspended in mid-air.
'Umm… actually, Aahz, I was kinda hoping you might have a few ideas on the subject. You're usually pretty good at coming up with plans to get us out of tight spots.'
'What I want to know,' Guido snarled, turning slightly in the wind, 'is how come your partner hasn't figured a way out of there all by himself, if he's so all fired smart?'
I started to rebuke my bodyguard, but slowly his words sank in. That was a good question! Aahz was strong… I mean STRONG! By rights he should have been able to rip the stone teeth out of the window all by himself. What was keeping him here?
'Oh, I'm having so much fun in here I just couldn't bear to leave,' Aahz barked back. 'I'm in here because I can't get out, that's why. What's more, if any of you have any ideas about how to get me out, I think now's a real good time to share them with the rest of us.'
'Wait a minute, Aahz,' I said. 'Why can't you get out… and how did they catch you in the first place?'
'I was framed,' my partner retorted, but I noticed his voice was a bit more subdued.
'We already know that.' Impressed. 'What I want to know is why you didn't just bust a few heads and sprint for home? You've never been particularly respectful of local authority before.'
To my surprise, Aahz actually looked embarrassed.
'I was drugged,' he said in a disgusted tone. 'They put something in my drink, and the next thing I knew I had a stake and mallet in my hands and a room full of officials. Whatever it was they used, it kept me groggy all the way through the trial… I mean I couldn't walk straight, much less defend myself coherently, and after that I was in here!'
'The old Mickey Finn trick!' Massha snorted, rocking our entire formation. 'I'm surprised someone as off- worldly as you could get caught by such a corny stunt.'
'Yeah. It surprised me, too!' Aahz admitted. 'I mean, that gag is so old, who would really expect anyone to try it at all?'
'Only if you figured the mark was louder than he was smart,' Guido sneered.
'Is that so!' my partner snapped, ready to renew their old rivalry. 'Well, when I get out of here, you and me can…'
