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Authors: John Dechancie
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Alone."
“Single combat settles nothing,” Anthaemion said.
“I demand the right."
Anthaemion sighed. “As I suppose you must. Brave of you, my brother. Very brave."
The king looked up at Trent again. “As you can see, there are many complications to this affair. I have not begun to mention them. Half our forces are at the other half's throat. Ancient enmities, old vendettas. It is the way of our people. Nevertheless, we are united in one single purpose, to destroy the Dardanians once and for all. And that we will, the gods willing. I would meet with you again, Trent. Tomorrow morning. My brother goes back to Piraeon then. Tomorrow you will tell me your ideas of how best to attack the Dardanian coast and where to deploy our armies to greatest advantage."
Trent bowed. “Sire, I will be happy to do so."
Right . Trent thought, all my brilliant ideas, of which I've come up with zero to date .
“Meanwhile, dine and sleep. Take what slave girls you want to your bed. They seem to breed of late. More mouths to feed. Gods know how I got so many of them. You may go."
Telamon and Trent bowed, then backed away.
“I'll show you to your quarters,” Telamon told him in the vestibule. “Very comfortable, with a view of the plains."
Trent thought, Inky, I'm going to kill you one of these days. Just a matter of time .
Queen's Dining Hall
“I say we split up into pairs and fan out,” Dalton said as he stirred his coffee.
“Not a bad idea,” Gene said. “We only have to check 144,000 holes to see which one they might be coming through."
“True, it's a huge job."
“Though I suppose it's got to be done."
“Right."
“Because, even as we speak..."
Three homunculi were busy sweeping up the dining room. As Gene and his friends watched, two more came in to help.
“But he can't check every aspect,” Thaxton said.
“Let's hope we get lucky,” Dalton said.
“And what exactly is our plan when we do find the portal the little beggars are coming through?"
Dalton shrugged and sipped his coffee.
“I'll tell you what we do,” Deena Williams said. “We get some bricks and mortar and wall up that damn hole."
“A thought,” Thaxton said.
“It's spooky.” Deena shivered.
“No, we let Lord Incarnadine deal with them,” Barnaby Walsh said.
“How come he ain't dealin’ with ‘em now?"
“Well, I don't know. I suppose—"
“Hey, there she is,” Deena said.
Everyone looked up at Linda as she came walking over to the long dining table.
“Hi, gang."
“Linda, where you been?"
“Following little strange critters."
“So have we,” Dalton said. “Did you happen to find out where they're coming from?"
“Nope,” Linda said, pouring herself some coffee. “Tried. They're all over the place."
“Craziest thing,” Deena said, shaking her head. “They give me the creeps."
“Oh, they're cute, in a way,” Linda said, watching one of them diligently sweep by.
“Cute? They're disgustin', that's what they are."
“Aw, not really. They remind me of Elmer Fudd."
“I don't care if they look like Bugs Bunny. I want ‘em outta here."
“How many of them are there, do you think?” Thaxton asked of the group.
“I counted hundreds,” Linda said. “Hundreds and hundreds. No matter where I went, there they were."
“There are very possibly thousands of them,” Dalton said. “Even so, I don't think the castle's in any immediate danger. In any event, we really should inform Tyrene."
“I saw him,” Linda said. “Upstairs in the gymnasium, chasing the little devils around. He and some of the Guards. Until they gave up. There were over three hundred of them just in there."
“They seem to be increasing geometrically,” Dalton said.
“And they don't say a word,” Thaxton said. “Not a bloody word."
“We'll see,” Gene said, getting to his feet. One of the homunculi was sweeping a path toward him. He got in front of it.
“Excuse me. Uh, say, little buddy..."
It began
“Single combat settles nothing,” Anthaemion said.
“I demand the right."
Anthaemion sighed. “As I suppose you must. Brave of you, my brother. Very brave."
The king looked up at Trent again. “As you can see, there are many complications to this affair. I have not begun to mention them. Half our forces are at the other half's throat. Ancient enmities, old vendettas. It is the way of our people. Nevertheless, we are united in one single purpose, to destroy the Dardanians once and for all. And that we will, the gods willing. I would meet with you again, Trent. Tomorrow morning. My brother goes back to Piraeon then. Tomorrow you will tell me your ideas of how best to attack the Dardanian coast and where to deploy our armies to greatest advantage."
Trent bowed. “Sire, I will be happy to do so."
Right . Trent thought, all my brilliant ideas, of which I've come up with zero to date .
“Meanwhile, dine and sleep. Take what slave girls you want to your bed. They seem to breed of late. More mouths to feed. Gods know how I got so many of them. You may go."
Telamon and Trent bowed, then backed away.
“I'll show you to your quarters,” Telamon told him in the vestibule. “Very comfortable, with a view of the plains."
Trent thought, Inky, I'm going to kill you one of these days. Just a matter of time .
Queen's Dining Hall
“I say we split up into pairs and fan out,” Dalton said as he stirred his coffee.
“Not a bad idea,” Gene said. “We only have to check 144,000 holes to see which one they might be coming through."
“True, it's a huge job."
“Though I suppose it's got to be done."
“Right."
“Because, even as we speak..."
Three homunculi were busy sweeping up the dining room. As Gene and his friends watched, two more came in to help.
“But he can't check every aspect,” Thaxton said.
“Let's hope we get lucky,” Dalton said.
“And what exactly is our plan when we do find the portal the little beggars are coming through?"
Dalton shrugged and sipped his coffee.
“I'll tell you what we do,” Deena Williams said. “We get some bricks and mortar and wall up that damn hole."
“A thought,” Thaxton said.
“It's spooky.” Deena shivered.
“No, we let Lord Incarnadine deal with them,” Barnaby Walsh said.
“How come he ain't dealin’ with ‘em now?"
“Well, I don't know. I suppose—"
“Hey, there she is,” Deena said.
Everyone looked up at Linda as she came walking over to the long dining table.
“Hi, gang."
“Linda, where you been?"
“Following little strange critters."
“So have we,” Dalton said. “Did you happen to find out where they're coming from?"
“Nope,” Linda said, pouring herself some coffee. “Tried. They're all over the place."
“Craziest thing,” Deena said, shaking her head. “They give me the creeps."
“Oh, they're cute, in a way,” Linda said, watching one of them diligently sweep by.
“Cute? They're disgustin', that's what they are."
“Aw, not really. They remind me of Elmer Fudd."
“I don't care if they look like Bugs Bunny. I want ‘em outta here."
“How many of them are there, do you think?” Thaxton asked of the group.
“I counted hundreds,” Linda said. “Hundreds and hundreds. No matter where I went, there they were."
“There are very possibly thousands of them,” Dalton said. “Even so, I don't think the castle's in any immediate danger. In any event, we really should inform Tyrene."
“I saw him,” Linda said. “Upstairs in the gymnasium, chasing the little devils around. He and some of the Guards. Until they gave up. There were over three hundred of them just in there."
“They seem to be increasing geometrically,” Dalton said.
“And they don't say a word,” Thaxton said. “Not a bloody word."
“We'll see,” Gene said, getting to his feet. One of the homunculi was sweeping a path toward him. He got in front of it.
“Excuse me. Uh, say, little buddy..."
It began
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