“For heaven’s sake, why?”
“‘Cause he’s a good friend of Sheila’s, I guess.”
Thaxton’s expression changed quickly. “Terribly sorry, Sheila. I quite forgot.”
“Oh, that’s okay. Snowy can be a little difficult at times.”
“I rather like having him around,” Dalton said. “He’s a good man … uh, person to have on your side in a scuffle.”
Thaxton looked into his drink. “Yes, well, you’re absolutely right.”
“Speak of the devil,” DuQuesne said.
On the dance floor, the crowd was parting. Through the breach stalked a seven-and-a-half-foot-tall, white- furred creature. The head looked small on the huge body, but was actually massive, combining feline and ursine features in a horrific, ferocious meld. Great curving fangs gleamed within its snout. Its general form was humanlike. The hands were near approximations, save for their wickedly sharp, bone-white claws. Its fierce eyes were yellow. With a huge battle-ax slung across its right shoulder, the beast approached the group of humans standing near the buffet table.
“Hi, everybody,” Snowclaw said. “Sorry I’m late.”
“That’s okay,” Sheila said. “Want something to eat?”
“Does a
“I’m sure I don’t know,” Thaxton murmured, backstepping.
“Well, well, what do we have here?” Snowclaw said, surveying the spread of comestibles. A scowl creased his face. “Same old stuff. Well, heck.” He reached out and snared a roast sage hen, brought it to his nose and sniffed. He snorted, then ripped a huge bite out of the thing. Bones crunched as he chewed. “Not bad, actually.” He tossed it back onto the table. “Not great, though.” He reached for the floral centerpiece.
“Snowy, not that!” Sheila admonished.
“Sorry, Sheila. Thought it was food.”
“There really ought to be something here you could eat. They should have —”
Servants approached, bearing a large copper tub filled with congealed greenish mush. After clearing a space, they set it on the table before Snowclaw.
“Now you’re talking,” Snowclaw said, scooping up a handful of the stuff. He ate with much gusto and more noise.
Dalton noticed that Snowclaw was drawing stares from the dance floor. “Was Snowclaw the only nonhuman Guest invited?”
“Looks like,” Sheila said. “They all know him, even if they’re afraid of him.”
“Well, I think the fact that they did invite him says a lot about how much they respect you.”
Sheila made a deprecatory gesture. “Really.”
“Really. You’re one of the most powerful magicians ever to make an appearance in the castle, so they say. Second only to Incarnadine himself.”
“Oh, come
“You helped save the castle during that last little contretemps we had here, and they know it.”
“Well, it’s a gift.”
A page stepped up. “Pardon, Lady Sheila, but the guards at Halfway House report that someone wants to speak to you on the … speaking device.”
Hope sprang to Sheila’s face. “The telephone? Is it Gene?”
“Sorry, milady. They did not say.”
The earth portal was on this same floor of the castle keep and about a five-minute walk from the Queen’s Ballroom. Sheila knew the way, but the page insisted on escorting her even though this was one of the most stable areas of the castle. Sheila acquiesced, holding up the hem of her long gown and tripping along as best she could.
The portal stood at the arched mouth of what had been a small alcove. Now the arch was a doorway leading into the living room of a large country estate — and another world: Earth. The room was luxuriously furnished and had a stone fireplace. A huge window-wall looked out onto expansive grounds and a distant prospect of forested mountains.
The Guardsmen, dressed in local mufti, came to attention when Sheila entered the room. She went directly to a side table and picked up the telephone receiver.
“Hello?”
“Sheila? It’s Linda.”
“Hi! Have you heard from Gene?”
“You mean he hasn’t shown up yet?”
“No. Where are you?”
“Still in California. Listen, I’ve been calling Gene’s parents’ house and I don’t get any answer. So I figured he either went somewhere with them or went back to the castle.”
“Well, he didn’t make it here, and he didn’t call.”
“Uh-oh. I’m worried.”
“So am I, a little. But he’s got to show up. I hate to think of it, but unless something happened to his plane —”
“There’s been no news about any plane crashes,” Linda said, “so forget that. I checked with the airline and they say he boarded the plane in Los Angeles.”
“Well, then I guess he’s okay. He probably did go somewhere with his folks.”
“Yeah.”
“Yeah.”
There was a pause. Then Sheila said, “You know what? I don’t believe it.”
“Neither do I.”
“And another thing,” Sheila said. “Two, actually. The portal fluttered two days ago. Disappeared for a few minutes.”
“It’s done that before.”
“Never for more than a few seconds. According to the sentries, this was like for at least ten minutes. The second thing is that the servants are reporting a new Guest wandering around. A kid, they say, and he looks like he’s from Earth.”
“Hm. If so, it means the portal did some flying around before it stabilized. You better find this kid and make sure.”
“Linda, do you think —?”
“What?”
“Oh, I don’t know. We really don’t know how stable, tied-down portals are supposed to act. If only Lord Incarnadine would come back!”
“He will eventually. Till then, we have to cope. It’s our responsibility. That’s why he gave us all fancy titles. But what were you thinking?”
“That someone might have tampered with the portal.”
The other end of the line was silent for a moment. Then Linda said, “That’s something to think about, all right.”
Four
Elsewhere
He had spent what seemed like an eternity in total darkness, and he was going slowly insane. All he could do was pace his featureless cell — twelve paces long, eight wide — going around and around again, occasionally brushing the bare walls with his fingers as he walked. He had long ago given up trying to find seams or cracks in the wall. As far as he could determine there were none. He had found no hint of a possible opening of any kind, no hint
