“There must be thirty of ’em. No, fifty.”
The thunder of footsteps receded, diminishing to distant echoes.
Gene took a breath. “They must have invaded with a force in the thousands. They’ve probably already taken over key points in the castle.”
“We don’t have much of a chance,” Linda said.
“Not unless we find an acceptable gateway soon. If this keeps up, we might have to take the next one we run across.”
“I’d invite you all to my world,” Snowclaw said, “except that it’s pretty darn cold there, and you hairless types might not take to it. Besides, the portal’s on the other side of the castle.”
“I’d put up with the cold,” Gene said. “The more unattractive the world, the less chance the Bluefaces might be interested in it.”
“Maybe so,” Snowclaw said. “Well, you’re all welcome to stay in my shack for as long as you like. I wouldn’t mind the company.” He scratched his belly absently. “We’d be a little crowded, though.”
Gene said, “Snowy, I’ve always wanted to see your world, but I’m going to keep it as a last resort.” Gene leaned against the wall and scratched under his cuirass. “Damn it, all the best portals are in the Guest areas, which is where most of the invaders are going to be hanging out, of course.”
“The one with the golf course is nice,” Linda said. “And the little dinosaur-humanoids are friendly.”
“Primitive,” Gene said, shaking his head. “Hot, and dangerous. Outside the little resort area, it’s pretty rough out there in the jungle. And the Bluefaces will be all through there, I bet.”
“And we saw them on the picnic world,” Linda said. “So much for that.”
“We must have looked into hundreds of portals since we’ve been here. There are 144,000 of them in the castle. Try to think of one that we can hide out in for a while.”
“Well, there’s the one with the forest and the waterfall.”
“Same problem, it’s near the Guest area.”
“Right,” Linda said. “I’ve always liked the one that sort of looks like a Japanese garden.”
“Ditto.”
“Oh, you’re right. Well, how about —?” Linda was stumped.
“Now, there was one with a little village nearby with nice sorts of native people. Little pale people with big golden eyes. They’d gladly put us up for a spell, I think. Damned if I can remember where the hell the portal was, though.”
“I remember!” Linda said.
“Shhhh! Keep your voice down.”
“Sorry. I was just thinking of one. It’s not too far from here, if I recall. It’s near the castle armory, and —” Her face fell. “Oh, dear.”
“The armory’s probably the first objective the Bluefaces took, along with the Guard garrison. You have to remember —”
Sounds of approaching footsteps came from the direction in which the Blueface troop had marched.
“They’re coming back,” Gene said. “Come on!”
They ran. At the next intersecting hallway, they took the right branch, running a spell until they came to a stairwell. This they descended one level, where they found quiet.
“Hell,” Gene complained. “Look, we need to think, and plan. Let’s get to someplace where we can do it, like Snowy’s world. There, at least, we won’t be bothered, and we can come up with some answers.”
“Will we be able to get back into the castle?” Linda said.
Gene thoughtfully rubbed me stubble on his chin. “Good point. The castle’s a big place, but maybe they have enough troops to block every portal. No telling.”
“So, what do we do?”
Gene shrugged. “Keep moving until we find a good aspect, jump in, and hope the Bluefaces won’t follow us.”
“Back to square one,” Linda said. She thought awhile, then said, “How about we hide out in the wilder parts of the castle?”
Gene looked dubious.
Sheila asked, “What do you mean, Linda?”
Linda squatted and leaned against a pillar. “Well, some parts of the castle are stable, like the Guest areas. You know, like where the dining hall is? Around there. But other parts of the castle aren’t so stable.”
“In fact,” Gene said, “they’re absolutely crazy.”
Sheila nodded. Crazy. If what she’d already seen of the place was
“And dangerous,” Gene added. “But on second thought, not quite as dangerous, maybe, as what we’re facing here.”
“Maybe not,” Linda agreed. “I think it might be worth the risk.”
“Isn’t there some way of … you know,
“There’s not much out there,” Gene said. “We’ve been told that most of the people who live in these parts stay in the castle. I don’t blame them. It’s pretty bleak.”
“Oh.” Sheila slumped against the cold stone of the wall.
Grunting voices came from the right.
“Let’s move,” Gene said calmly.
They ran from the voices, but made it only a short way down the corridor before hearing echoing footsteps ahead. They took the left branch of the nearest intersection, sprinted to the next crossing, stopped, and looked both ways before going on.
Voices behind them, now voices in front again. They backtracked and went left, ran and then dashed right, only to hear the flapping steps of flat, webbed feet everywhere they turned.
“It’s no use,” Gene said, stopping for breath. “Linda, you gotta use your magic. We have to go either up or down in a hurry.”
“Stairs?”
“No, something faster!”
“What? I can’t think of anything that wouldn’t be mechanical, like an elevator or something.”
Grunting sounds came from the left, then, after a moment, from behind.
“Think!” Gene whispered hoarsely.
Linda closed her eyes. A soft popping sound came from behind Gene, and he turned to look. A neatly cut hole had appeared in the stone floor. A shiny brass pipe, about three inches in diameter, ran from the ceiling down through the hole.
“A firehouse pole?” Gene shrugged. “Hey, why not? Let’s go.”
Gene was first. He slid out of sight quickly, and Linda followed.
“Let’s go, little girl,” Snowclaw urged gently.
Sheila leaned out, grabbed the pole, and jumped, locking her legs around the slippery brass shaft. The drop was heart-stoppingly fast, and only frantic contractions of her leg muscles finally slowed her. Despite her best efforts, she landed hard on her buttocks.
Gene dragged her up. “Again,” he ordered Linda.
“Again?”
“Down another floor. Can’t you hear them up there?”
Linda whipped up another pole as Snowclaw dropped down and corroborated, “They’re coming!”
They all slipped down the new fire pole. This time Sheila was determined to land on her feet, and she did.
“Again,” Gene said.
They dropped four levels in all before Gene realized it was useless.
“They’re simply following us down,” he said. “We’re just not thinking, gang.”
Linda said, “Then we’re sunk. I can’t make things disappear.” She blinked, then smiled. “But I can make a ladder!”
