gold-braided white lapels,
fancy-dress sabers hanging beside polished boots ...
O'Leary blinked hard as a sudden vertigo seemed
to blur his vision. Then he was back in the dim gray room. He looked around
eagerly for another glimpse of Daphne, but before he could complete his scan,
Frumpkin hurried up, glass in hand.
"Sorry about the interruption, my
boy," he said hastily, "but as you see, my enemies are everywhere
—the blind fools! Now, as soon as you've decided to be reasonable..."
Before Lafayette could reply scathingly, the dim
light faded and winked out. Frumpkin's voice continued for a moment; then
sunlight dazzled O'Leary.
There was a crackle of breaking twigs, and a
paunchy villein in a soiled red-and-blue coat staggered into view, a
decapitated wine bottle clamped in one gnarled fist. A battered saber sheath
dragged the ground, its gold-braided decorations dangling in snarled loops.
"Oops, par' me, General," he said
blurrily. "Have a li'l drinkie?" He proffered the bottle, which
Frodolkin struck aside before George could reach it.
Almost, Lafayette told himself. I came
close, but my focus seems to be a bit off. Still, it's a start.
"How's about it, Al?" Marv
persisted. "How about a neat one, like the time you turned youself into a
big bird? Or the time you had the flying carpet and all?" '
"Not today, Marv," O'Leary said
brusquely. Then to Frodolkin, who had turned the newcomer bodily and with a
shove headed him back whence he had come, "Sorry, General. I'm just here
for a few hours, and I have some very Urgent business to attend to. But, just
out of curiosity, what is this boon you're craving of me?"
"As to that," Frodolkin replied,
"it happens that at present I find it necessary to chastise a rogue known
as Duke Bother-Be-Damned, a chore for which I can ill afford to allocate my own
valuable time just now. Ergo, I wish you to bring the scoundrel to heel on my
behalf."
"Why should I do your dirty work?"
Lafayette asked reasonably.
"Aside from George and Iron-Head Mike,
there are a number of reasons," Frodolkin stated flatly.
"Sorry," Lafayette said. "I don't
have time. Actually, I think I'll just nip back into the Tower for a moment; it
seems I forgot something."
"Indeed you did, Sir Allegorus,"
Frodolkin agreed with a wave of his hand, which drew O'Leary's attention to a
nearly solid ring of unshaven ruffians now surrounding the clearing.
"OK, now!" Marv hissed in the
direction of O'Leary's ear. "Don't lemme down pal, after I sided witcha an
all," he whined.
"Is that supposed to be some kind of
threat?" Lafayette demanded of Frodolkin, ignoring Marv plucking at his
sleeve.
"Supposition does not enter into the
matter," Frodolkin replied coolly. "As for 'some kind of threat', I
think the nature of the threat is obvious enough." At his nod, Iron-Head
Mike took a step closer to O'Leary.
"Perhaps," Frodolkin said, "after
you've completed your mission, I'll consider permitting you to revisit yon fell
ruin—though why you should desire to do so is, I confess, a riddle."
"Look, General," Lafayette said
desperately. "You don't get it. I'm not just some picnicker you happened
to roust. I've got to get back to the lab—it's my only link, maybe, with
Central and Artesia. And meanwhile, my wife, Daphne ... uh, Countess Daphne to
you, is out here somewhere, lost in this crazy jungle full of maniacs!"
"The Countess, eh?" Frodolkin echoed.
He turned to the nearest of his bodyguard. "Any of you boys seen
fancy-dress sabers hanging beside polished boots ...
O'Leary blinked hard as a sudden vertigo seemed
to blur his vision. Then he was back in the dim gray room. He looked around
eagerly for another glimpse of Daphne, but before he could complete his scan,
Frumpkin hurried up, glass in hand.
"Sorry about the interruption, my
boy," he said hastily, "but as you see, my enemies are everywhere
—the blind fools! Now, as soon as you've decided to be reasonable..."
Before Lafayette could reply scathingly, the dim
light faded and winked out. Frumpkin's voice continued for a moment; then
sunlight dazzled O'Leary.
There was a crackle of breaking twigs, and a
paunchy villein in a soiled red-and-blue coat staggered into view, a
decapitated wine bottle clamped in one gnarled fist. A battered saber sheath
dragged the ground, its gold-braided decorations dangling in snarled loops.
"Oops, par' me, General," he said
blurrily. "Have a li'l drinkie?" He proffered the bottle, which
Frodolkin struck aside before George could reach it.
Almost, Lafayette told himself. I came
close, but my focus seems to be a bit off. Still, it's a start.
"How's about it, Al?" Marv
persisted. "How about a neat one, like the time you turned youself into a
big bird? Or the time you had the flying carpet and all?" '
"Not today, Marv," O'Leary said
brusquely. Then to Frodolkin, who had turned the newcomer bodily and with a
shove headed him back whence he had come, "Sorry, General. I'm just here
for a few hours, and I have some very Urgent business to attend to. But, just
out of curiosity, what is this boon you're craving of me?"
"As to that," Frodolkin replied,
"it happens that at present I find it necessary to chastise a rogue known
as Duke Bother-Be-Damned, a chore for which I can ill afford to allocate my own
valuable time just now. Ergo, I wish you to bring the scoundrel to heel on my
behalf."
"Why should I do your dirty work?"
Lafayette asked reasonably.
"Aside from George and Iron-Head Mike,
there are a number of reasons," Frodolkin stated flatly.
"Sorry," Lafayette said. "I don't
have time. Actually, I think I'll just nip back into the Tower for a moment; it
seems I forgot something."
"Indeed you did, Sir Allegorus,"
Frodolkin agreed with a wave of his hand, which drew O'Leary's attention to a
nearly solid ring of unshaven ruffians now surrounding the clearing.
"OK, now!" Marv hissed in the
direction of O'Leary's ear. "Don't lemme down pal, after I sided witcha an
all," he whined.
"Is that supposed to be some kind of
threat?" Lafayette demanded of Frodolkin, ignoring Marv plucking at his
sleeve.
"Supposition does not enter into the
matter," Frodolkin replied coolly. "As for 'some kind of threat', I
think the nature of the threat is obvious enough." At his nod, Iron-Head
Mike took a step closer to O'Leary.
"Perhaps," Frodolkin said, "after
you've completed your mission, I'll consider permitting you to revisit yon fell
ruin—though why you should desire to do so is, I confess, a riddle."
"Look, General," Lafayette said
desperately. "You don't get it. I'm not just some picnicker you happened
to roust. I've got to get back to the lab—it's my only link, maybe, with
Central and Artesia. And meanwhile, my wife, Daphne ... uh, Countess Daphne to
you, is out here somewhere, lost in this crazy jungle full of maniacs!"
"The Countess, eh?" Frodolkin echoed.
He turned to the nearest of his bodyguard. "Any of you boys seen
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