by C. M. Lance
“Focus on the white streak in his hair.”
“OK, it’s very distinctive but a little freaky… in my opinion.”
“Notice anything different from one picture to the next?”
“This one is a picture of the chess club, and here’s a picture of the Dean playing chess. By Jove, I think you’re on to something! There are eight people in the picture of the chess club. There are only two in this picture. Something happened to the other six people. It’s turning into ‘the case of the missing people’.”
“Focus on the streak.”
Giselle frowned. “It’s on the right in this picture, and the left in that picture.” She smiled wryly at Sig. “You’ve uncovered incompetent year book editors. They flipped the negatives.”
Sig pointed. “Look at the clock in this one and the writing on the sign in this one. If they flipped the negatives, either the clock or the writing would be backwards. Neither is.”
With a quizzical glance, she leaned in again to look more closely.
Sig flipped to two more pictures. “Look at these, the streak changes sides, and markers like this sign” he pointed to one picture and pointed at another, “and this sign aren’t flipped. This is what has bothered me about the Dean. I couldn’t figure it out until I saw the pictures side-by-side.”
“What are you suggesting?”
“Could there be two Heathcoats?”
Giselle remained quiet for several moments then looked into Sig’s eyes. “Occam’s razor. The simple answer is always correct. Somebody dying their hair is a lot simpler than mirror image twins living as one person, going to college, grad school, and running a Physics department.”
“The simple answer is usually correct, but not always correct. Don’t forget the saying; all generalizations are incorrect, including this one. Besides, it’s not that simple. People keep saying he has multiple personalities. You’re suggesting he dyes his hair to match his personality. Don’t forget about wanting, at different times, to be called John and Gianni.”
Giselle stared at the pictures Sig had shown her. “I would vote for a grieving twin so unbalanced at losing his brother that he developed multiple personalities.” She shook her head. “Let’s go see the Professor about this. If you’re right about this it could change a lot of things.”
Chapter 71
Professor Herman flipped through the yearbooks laid out on his desk. “Amazing. I never had the slightest intimation. Identical twins, I wonder, are they mirror image? If so, one would be left handed and the other right.” He stroked his moustache.
He wiggled his index finger as if lecturing. “Mirror image twins appear frequently in literature on Dark Magic. Did you know that the word sinister derives from the Latin word for left? In Italian, left hand translates to mano sinistra. Of course, the word ‘righteous’ comes from right handed.”
Sig leaned forward in his chair. “Does this make him more dangerous?”
Professor Herman chuckled. “Of course it does. Two dark mages instead of one? Oh yes indeed.”
Sig glanced at Giselle. She remained stoic. He looked back to the Professor. “So, do we approach this differently?”
The Professor stroked his goatee as he considered the question. “Yes. Yes, we do, if I recollect my studies.” He pivoted toward his overflowing bookshelves, reached into the midpoint of a tall pile of papers, and withdrew a pamphlet. Brittle pages crackled with age as he opened it. He flipped though several pages and his finger settled halfway down a page. “It says here that one of the twins is more powerful, usually the left handed one.”
He smiled up at Sig. Then his smile faded. “However, we don’t know which one may have placed the magic limiting spell on you. We also don’t know if either of them was involved with your Great-grandfather’s demon. There is much we don’t know, but we do know we must approach them with caution.”
“So you believe there are two of them?”
“The trolls told you that their Master is a dark mage. When kidnapped you woke up at Dean Heathcoat’s house. A logical assumption is Dean Heathcoat is their Master.” He gestured toward Giselle with a smile. “Giselle’s research revealed that the Dean is a twin, but one twin has been missing since the big fire.”
He pointed at Sig. “You have shown pictures to me in which the distinctive white streak in his hair switches sides. However, there are no pictures depicting two Heathcoats together. No records of a second Heathcoat for the last forty years. Finally, remember that it is not uncommon for a wizard to be able to change his appearance.”
“So you don’t think there are two Deans?”
“You mean instead of one who combs the streak from one side to the other?”
With a small smile, Giselle raised her eyebrow at Sig.
“No, we should plan on there being two. Then if we discover only one, we’ll be delighted.”
Sig looked at Giselle. She shrugged. He stuck out his tongue.
The Professor smiled benignly. “Let’s get together with Rick and Jacob this evening and formulate our plan.”
†††
Jacob arrived in time for a war council over four-meat pizza that Rick brought. Professor Herman greeted Jacob warmly. “It is so good to see you again, my boy. How are Amanda and the children?”
“I didn’t know you knew each other.” Sig said.
“I’ve known Jacob’s lovely wife Amanda since she was a tyke. I knew her parents before she was born. It’s a never-ending pleasure when the children of friends form their own lovely families. Jacob and Amanda have one of the loveliest.”
Jacob ducked his head and murmured. “Thank you, Arthur.”
“Besides, Jacob and I have worked on troubles together in the past. His martial training is always invaluable. Magic is grand, but a good man with a rocket-propelled-grenade launcher can accomplish wonders. Jacob has also worked with your Great-grandfather Thorval.”
Jacob looked at Sig with surprise. “Thor Arnsohn?”
Sig nodded.
“I didn’t realize Thor Arnsohn was your Great-grandfather. You have different last names. I haven’t seen him for years. How is he?”
“Not well, but we hope for the best.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. He’s a great man and a brave warrior.”
“Thank you. I have a lot to live up to.”
In the dining room, pizzas boxes sat open on the sideboard and Giselle had maps of the Dean’s estate for everyone. She printed them out from Google Earth. Her laptop displayed the application. She described what she had learned about the compound.
“The estate is almost ten acres. It’s deeper than most of the other properties in the area. It extends from the street in front to the street in back. In essence, it consists of two estates back-to-back. The home site occupies the middle of the front five acres. Thick woods cover the sides and the rear half of the lot. The footprint of the main house is seven thousand square feet. Sig said there are a basement and a subbasement in addition to the two floors aboveground. If the subbasement extends to the full footprint, that’s a total of twenty-eight thousand square feet. There is also a small outbuilding in the wooded area in the back. In this case, small as in fifteen hundred square feet - above ground.”
Rick whistled. “All that on a Dean’s salary.” He looked at Professor Herman. “You guys have a real racket going.”
“When people commented on the Dean’s home, he mentioned an inheritance.”
Sig said, “Nice inheritance for an orphan from a small North Dakota town.”
Giselle said, “Did I mention that his parents owned a twenty-five thousand acre farm?”
“No you missed that tidbit.”
“I discovered it yesterday.”
“So much for the kindly uncle who took him, or them, under his wing. The proceeds from the sale ofa twenty-five thousand acre farm can cause an outpouring of generosity and caring.”
Giselle cleared her throat. “Let’s get back to the topic at hand.”
&
nbsp; Rick saluted. “Yes ma’am.”
“An eight foot tall stone and iron fence surrounds the entire compound. According to Professor Herman, it is a magically warded fence.”
“That shouldn’t create an obstacle for you, Rick or Jacob, and Sig has already demonstrated that he can pass.”
“Pass as human? I have a hard time believing that.”
“No Rick, Sig can pass the wards in either form since his magic is limited to his body. The magical sensors don’t detect him.”
“I was joking…”
“Astonishing, I wasn’t aware that you ever joked. I’ll retain that bit of information for future reference.”
Rick smiled weakly.
“It would provide an impediment to me in ordinary circumstances. However, today I received a folder of documents for the Dean’s signature, from Virginia, his administrative barricade. She called ahead to let him know I will be dropping them off. He will have to drop the barriers to allow me to approach his house on official business.”
Jacob nodded. “Brilliant. We need your wizardly support to make a successful assault.”
Sig asked, “How are we going to do it?”
Jacob pointed at the map. “Rick and I will go over the back wall from the street here. If there are any motion sensors, we’ll trip them and warn of an intrusion from the back. We need to time it with your delivery of the folder, to create a distraction after you are on the premises. We can use our cell phones to signal our status. Sig will follow you in from the front when we scale the wall in back.”
Giselle asked, “What about me?”
With a steely look Jacob said. “I thought you were our research prime. We’ll be beyond research at that point.”
Sig held up his hand. “You must not remember her prowess from the hunt. She made all the kills - on running animals. She’s the best bow…person I’ve ever seen. We need her cover fire.”
Jacob looked at him. “You didn’t make any of the kills?”
“None. You killed the deer I hit high in the shoulder.”
“Then what are we bringing you along for?”
“The sword. Remember the sword?”
“Oh, right. I forgot.”
Sig looked to the Professor. “I think it’s Were humor. I’m still getting used to it.”
He turned back to Jacob. “When do we go in?”
“I prefer late at night for surprise, but Arthur needs to deliver the folder at a reasonable hour. Can we hit them tonight at nine o’clock?”
He looked around. Everyone nodded.
“Tonight it is.” He looked at his watch. “Three hours. Let’s get busy checking weapons.”
Rick asked, “Did you bring any?”
“I brought the Humvee. It’s loaded with RPGs a launcher and hand grenades.”
“Now you’re talking.”
“Not for this job. If there is a little girl held captive, we can’t use them. We could accidentally kill the one we’re trying to save. We can only take the sword,” Jacob said with a nod to Sig, “the bow,” with a nod to Giselle, “and magic,” nodding to Professor Herman. “We’ll go in bare Were,” he told Rick.
Chapter 72
Sig and Giselle rode with Professor Herman. He dropped them by the side of the road a quarter mile from the Dean’s compound and waited while they jogged through the shadows. The Maybach rolled past Sig when he was fifty feet from the Dean’s driveway.
The damaged gate leaned against the stone fence, awaiting repair. The remaining gate stood open.
Professor Herman stopped his car in the circular drive in front of the flagstone stairs leading to the front door. Before he got out, he checked his cell phone to ensure that the message was ready. It said, ‘I’m in’. He only had to press the ‘Send’ button to forward it to Sig, Giselle, Rick, and Jacob.
A minute after he rang the bell, the door opened. A butler in tie and tails stood in the doorway, bowed stiffly, and held his hand out toward the folder.
The Professor pressed ‘Send’ and placed the phone in his coat pocket. Holding the folder close, he asked, “Is Dean Heathcoat in?”
Sig and Giselle ran toward the house, dashing from shadow to shadow as they came.
The Professor waved his hand in front of the butler as Grampa Thor had done to the Watchers. Sig changed to Battle Wizard shape when the Professor’s magic revealed that the butler’s form concealed a zombie. An arrow sprouted from one of its eyes. As Sig and Giselle sprinted up the steps, it raised an axe that the simulacra spell had hidden.
At the top of the steps, Sig sliced the zombie in half from top to bottom before it could swing the axe. Its still twitching halves collapsed to either side of the doorway.
The Professor dropped the folder onto the zombie. “I’m sorry. Were you looking for this?” He stepped over it as Sig preceded him into the expansive marble foyer. Giselle followed, carrying her bow, an arrow nocked at the ready.
Sig recognized the room from his escape. The same Chinese vase with a fresh floral arrangement sat on the carved antique sideboard. This time, a foul smell wafted up the stairwell to mingle with the stargazer lily scent.
The Professor started toward the stairs. Giselle pointed her bow at the flowers, “Look.”
Sig glanced at the sideboard. The flowers were turning black and withering. A familiar miasma of evil floated up into the foyer from the stairs. He leapt forward and pushed the Professor to the side, raising his sword just in time to slap aside a fireball that hissed up from the basement. It burst against and shattered an ornately carved full-length mirror. Flaming embers splattered around the foyer and pattered on the polished floor.
Through the flames bounded Andras on wolfback, screeching like a hunting owl. An arrow bounced off his feathered head. The wolf pivoted away from Sig and drove for Giselle, who loosed another arrow and then another. One ricocheted away as the demon blocked it with his sword and the other pierced the wolf’s shoulder. Its charge didn’t pause as the demon rider plucked it out and cast it aside.
Sig reached Giselle in time to block a sword strike aimed at her head. He followed up with a hard sidekick to the wolf’s side. Its claws scrambled for purchase as it slid across the marble floor.
Andras leapt off and advanced upon Sig in a fencer’s shuffle, while the wolf circled to get behind him. Sig moved to keep both in view. The wolf charged and the Professor hurled a fireball at it. “I’ll keep him busy. You take Andras.” The fireball struck the wolf a glancing blow and sprayed around the room. Its fur flamed.
Andras closed with Sig who blocked a slash and thrust and followed up with a thrust of his own that Andras didn’t quite dodge. When it slashed his side, Andras squawked and followed the smoking wolf down the stairs to the basement.
Sig jumped down the stairs in pursuit. The smell of brimstone strengthened and a wall of fire erupted at the bottom. His momentum carried him through the fire and he threw up an arm to shield his eyes. Clothing burning, he tumbled into a roll to extinguish the flames. Before he could finish slapping out smoldering embers, Andras and his wolf attacked.
Sig backed into a corner. Using the block, block, attack technique the Amazon Training Master taught him, Sig held his own against them. Behind them, a tunnel formed in the still burning wall of fire and two more wolves dashed through from the stairs.
Rick and Jacob attacked Andras’ wolf, chasing it through the door to the basement recreation room.
Sig redoubled his attack on Andras and pressed him back. The training worked. He could attack as well as defend.
He blocked a thrust by Andras and flipped a backhand slash at his leg. The tip of his sword sliced a shallow cut into Andras’ thigh. Squealing, Andras ran into the recreation room. Sig entered cautiously. Rick and Jacob had the demon wolf backed up to the shuffleboard table, but they couldn’t get closer. Its teeth grew into a mouthful that would have done a Tyrannosaurus Rex proud. He lunged and snapped, keeping them at bay.
Each snap sounded like a steel trap clas
hing shut.
Andras jumped on the billiards table, leapt over the wolves onto the shuffleboard and raced up it to the door at the end. His wolf turned and followed him through the door.
Rick and Jacob started to chase him down the stairs, but Sig shouted, “Stop, wait, let’s go together. Trolls, wizards, more demons, we don’t know what’s down there. The stairs are narrow. We can only go one at a time.”
The Professor entered the room followed by Giselle. She had her bow at the ready.
Jacob changed to human form. “Describe the layout down there.”
“Below these stairs you’ll find a stone hallway, ten feet wide. There are five doors on each side and a door at each end”, Sig said.
He pointed to the left. “On that end, the door leads to a large room outside a jail cell where I woke up to the trolls.” Gesturing to the right he said, “Another door is on that end. I don’t know what’s behind it.”
“We’ve lost the element of surprise and have no idea what opponents are down there,” Jacob said with a frown.
The Professor pulled an object out of his pocket. In his open hand lay an eyeball. “I borrowed this from the zombie upstairs. Happily, Giselle and Sig left one eye intact. Does anyone have a mirror or some other shiny object?”
Giselle handed him her cell phone, which had a large shiny black screen. “Can you use this?”
He looked at it and nodded. “This should do.” Holding the cell phone and eyeball together in one hand, he waved his other hand over them, while he muttered incomprehensible words. The eyeball rose out of his hand and darted down the stairwell. He peered at the screen on the cell phone and the others crowded around to see.
A scene appeared on the surface of the phone screen. It floated down the stairwell into a wide passage. The view panned along the hall, past mostly closed doors. It zoomed into the nearest open doorway and panned around. Sig’s stomach roiled as it revealed the same carnage he saw on his last visit.
Backing out of the room, the view swung to a doorway at the end of the hall. The scene spun rapidly to view the doorway at the other end. Andras, astride his wolf, guarded that doorway. Two trolls stood in the hall halfway between the eyeball and the door Andras guarded. One troll stepped forward; his reaching hand blocked the view. The next view revealed the troll’s mouth before it winked out.
