something, and his head twitched as he made ready to turn it.
"Don't look," she whispered.
He relaxed and a faint smile crossed his lips. "I figured you'd come," he murmured. "Did they contact you or Karchedon?"
"Me. As luck would have it, I had just arrived at my mansion in Celephaïs when I received the ransom demand. But I never had any intention of paying."
"That goes without saying, My Love. Is Team Girl with you?"
"Naturally."
"I expected you sooner."
"Bloody cheek. I stalled the negotiations as long as I could, but I wasn't able to discover where they were holding you, so I arranged to make the exchange here at noon tomorrow, and I insisted they bring you along. I refused to cooperate unless I could see you were alive and well."
"I appreciate that. You do realize this is a trap."
"Of course. I'm well aware of the various rewards the Moonbeasts and others have offered for my head. I calculated they would arrive ahead of us to set up their ambush, so we got here early."
"Well, better late than never, I suppose."
"You're one to talk. I'm still trying to figure out how you got yourself into this mess."
"I'd be more than happy to enlighten you later."
"We have some time. I want to wait for them to get good and plastered. Besides, the Punicae authorities were less than forthcoming."
"Very well. Queen Elishat had sent me on a mission to Lelag-Leng."
Victor had been a British diplomat in the Waking World before he died, and he continued that profession in the Dreamlands, only now he worked for the city-state of Karchedon, which ruled the island-nation of Punica.
"She commanded me to keep a low profile, so as not to raise suspicion. I decided to travel as a trader, and I had hired these four 'gentlemen' to be my escort. One of them must've recognized me, or they were tipped off. Either way, they kidnapped me as soon as we arrived in the Northern Lands. The rest you know."
"Why didn't you wait until my next Dream cycle?"
"I couldn't; the mission was time sensitive, and frankly you're too recognizable." He then shrugged. "Besides, this isn't the first time I've done something like this. Now, if you don't mind, I would appreciate being rescued."
"Hmph. A damsel you're not."
"I couldn't agree more, though I find the parallels amusing, and I'd be more than happy to offer the usual reward. But, seriously, could we table this discussion for another time? I really would like to be set free sooner than later."
"Patience." She examined his bonds. His wrists were secured by ropes looped around the lintel through gaps between the masonry. She could see no slack, but the cords ran along the underside of his palms and wrists.
A half-smile tugged at her mouth. "I have an idea."
"A successful one, I hope."
"It will be tricky. I'll need you to stay perfectly still."
"I believe I can manage that."
She grinned at his sarcastic tone. He didn't like taking a passive role.
"I'll be right back." She patted him on the rump as she retreated into the middle of the room. She turned and positioned herself until his body blocked her view of the fire, then started forward in a slow and careful manner. She intended to hide herself from the Leng Men as she came up behind him.
The distance between them shrank with interminable slowness, but finally she came close enough to embrace him. "I've arrived. Don't move." He didn't reply, but she didn't expect him to.
She drew her poignard dagger from her belt and crossed her arms over her chest. She opened them across her face and held them on either side of her head. After a moment she raised and spread them until they matched the position and placement of his arms, as near as she could with their height difference.
"Hold the ropes with your hands." He grasped them as if using them for support.
"All right, this is the tricky part. I'm going to try to slip my dagger blade between your wrists and the ropes, then cut the latter, but don't let go."
He gave his head a twitching nod to indicate he understood.
She strained on tiptoes, steadying herself by gripping his other arm, as she stretched to reach his right wrist. She tried poking with the tip of the dagger to slip the long, thin, razor-sharp blade between his wrist and the rope.
"Ouch!" he hissed in a whisper.
She froze as one of the Leng Men looked in their direction, but he only grinned with evil mirth at their captive's apparent discomfort and turned his attention back to his companions.
"That was close," he murmured.
"Hopefully he was too drunk to notice anything. Relax your wrist."
A gap opened up between the rope and his arm, and she inserted the blade through.
"Now, pull the rope taught." He did so, and she started sawing.
"It's working."
"I know, I can feel the strands part."
She sliced through the cord in seconds. "Keep holding the rope. It will look like you're still secure."
"Figured that out the first time."
"Bloody cheek." She lowered her arms and transferred the dagger to her left hand. "I have half a mind to leave you like this while I kill them myself."
She turned her head as she raised her arms, and caught movement out of the corner of her eye. Whipping around, she spotted a dark shape fly at her; firelight flickered off the polished blade of a shamshir scimitar. Following through with her turn, she parried the blow with the dagger and lashed out with a jujitsu kick, knocking her attacker back.
"What's happening?" Victor asked.
Coming in April.
From "Dribble & Maggot in the Land of Dreams"
Sir Differel Van Helsing strolled into the recovery room of the infirmary in her manor. Lady Margaret was awake, and she tried to make herself comfortable in the hospital-style bed. She pulled up a chair and sat beside her.
"How do you feel?"
She rubbed her stomach. "Like I was put through a wringer. Just what the hell did that crackbrain do to me!?"
The 'crackbrain' was Dr. Mabuse, the Caerleon Order's resident mad scientist. "She's developed a whole technology based on the Schrodinger wave function. You remember what that is?"
"Barely."
"Never mind. In essence, she used a device that sped up your pregnancy, so you came to term in a few hours instead of nine months."
"And that was better than an abortion how?"
"The baby is alive, and will be adopted by a loving childless couple, anonymously. While you avoided the embarrassment, inconvenience, discomfort, and maternal bonding. That's what you wanted, wasn't it?"
"Yes, but I didn't expect it to hurt so bloody much!"
She smirked. "Think of it as payback, for being a selfish slag."
Margaret scowled. "You're all heart, Dribble."
She returned a grin. "What are frenemies for, Maggot?"
"So what happens now?"
"Mabuse says you should rest for a day, but I have a better idea. How would you like a fifteen week vacation? On me?"
She made a sour face. "The way I feel, I'd rather sleep for that long."
Differel chuckled. "Funny you should say that."
Margaret flashed a puzzled look. "Besides, I don't have the time."
She stood up. "Neither do I. Meet me in my bedroom after supper. We leave tonight." She ignored her look of alarmed confusion and hurried out.
"Hey! What about something to eat?"
Differel had already changed into a nightshirt when Margaret arrived. She glanced at Vlad Drakulya standing at the foot of the bed, but ignored the Vampire and came over to her.
"All right, what's going on? This had better not be some kind of sick joke."
She handed her a nightshirt. "Change into this, and I'll explain."
Margaret gave her a dirty look, but started to unbutton her blouse when she glanced at Vlad again. He flashed a predatory leer, and she retreated into the bathroom.
Differel leaned again
st the doorway and watched her change. "For ten years now I've been going to an alternative universe every night in my sleep."
She paused and gave her a look like she was moony.
"I'm serious. It's called the Dreamlands, and I propose to take you there on an extended stay, to give you a chance to relax and recover."
She slipped the shirt over her head. "Are you saying we'll be asleep for fifteen weeks?"
"No, just fifteen hours. Time is different there. For every hour that passes here, a week goes by there. Your body can get the rest it needs while you mentally get to take four months off from the social and political rat race."
She retreated further into her bedroom as Margaret followed. "So how does this work?"
She sat on her bed. "I can do it automatically, but you'll have to take a drug, a potion if you will. It will put you out for fifteen hours, but also alter your brain chemistry so you can enter the other universe. However, it will keep you asleep until it wears off. I have to take it too, otherwise I could wake up before you do." She sidled across the mattress to give her room to get into bed.
"You mean we won't be able to wake up for all that time? Won't that make us vulnerable?"
"Vlad will watch over us," she said as Margaret crawled in beside her. "And I have my household guard."
"Indeed," he rumbled. "You will be as safe as babes in my arms." He spared them a wolfish grin.
"Behave yourself Thrall. So, are you ready or not?"
She flashed a worried look. "Not, but I'm intrigued. Let's do this."
Differel held up one hand and revealed a pair of small perfume bottles. "Drink this all down." She handed one to her, then pulled the stopper on her own. They downed their contents simultaneously.
Margaret licked her lips. "Mmmm, that was great! Tasted like honey."
Differel handed her bottle to her,
The Adventure of the Jigsaw Dragon Page 11
