Wiz turned slightly green. Something in the back of his mind kept reminding him that lobsters were carrion eaters.
The lobster clicked his claw more forcefully, with a sound that rang like a rifle shot in the cavern. “Oh, parsley! I don’t suppose your friends brought any with them?”
“Not part of our MREs,” Gilligan said, keeping his hand close to his pistol butt. “Sorry.”
“Oh, well, one can hope, can’t one? In any event, if you’ll excuse me, I believe there are some more of them down this way.” With that the lobster brushed by them and hustled off the way they had come, feelers atwitch with anticipation. Wiz, Mick and the others watched him go. Then Mick and the rest turned to look at Wiz.
“Uh, that’s the lobster.”
“Another ally?” Gilligan asked.
“Kind of. Just don’t let him have you over for dinner.”
TWENTY-EIGHT – THE END OF THE BEGINNING
They met Bal-Simba and Malus’ group in another large chamber perhaps a half-mile on. There was another backslapping reunion and then a quick council of war to plan the final assault.
“Our detectors show the center of the thing—and Moira—are down that tunnel and in a large room beyond,” Bal-Simba told the group.
“So do we sneak up on this thing?” Taj asked.
Wiz shook his head. “We’re not going to surprise it. It knows we’re coming.” He looked around. “My suggestion is that we divide into two groups. One bunch of us will charge the thing and hit it hard. Hopefully that will keep it occupied. Meanwhile, the second group, with Bal-Simba and most of the wizards comes up behind, throwing as much magic at it as you can.” He looked at the golden globe in the Tajmanian Devil’s hand. “Taj, you go in tucked in behind the first line, ready to lob that thing at it as soon as we get close. With luck it will be so busy with the first and second lines it won’t even see you coming.”
“I claim quest companion’s right to stand in the front rank,” proclaimed Glandurg, stepping forward.
Wiz sighed and nodded. “Okay. Take the extreme right of the line then. Jerry, you and Danny stay to either side of me.” Malkin stepped forward. “Malkin, you stay with Jerry.” June moved up next to Danny and Wiz didn’t waste breath trying to tell her where to stand.
“Now the first wave of the second rank will be mixed wizards and guardsmen. Shamus, I’ll leave it to you and Bal-Simba to order that, but I want Bal-Simba and some of the Mighty behind them. Moira, you stay in the rear with the guardsmen and Bal-Simba.”
He took a deep breath. “Okay, then. We go in fast and try to hit this thing hard and all at once. Our primary objective is to get Taj close enough to this thing to throw the grenade at it.” Then he paused and looked at his companions. “Our secondary objective,” Wiz said grimly, “is to protect the dragon from my wife.”
No one mentioned the third objective.
Wiz looked at the people arrayed around him. One by one those in the first fine signaled they were ready. He looked over his shoulder and saw the second line was ready to go too.
“Wait a minute,” Jerry said. “I’ve got something to go in first.” He spoke a phrase, gestured and suddenly there were hundreds of fluffy pink Rambo bunnies on the floor, with machine guns slung and drums at the ready. The mechanical rabbits turned and started down the tunnel in loose order, some going straight on and some dodging from cover to cover.
Wiz’s eyebrows shot up, but he watched the “recon element” go marching, dodging and banging up the tunnel without comment.
“It knows how to deal with those,” Taj pointed out.
“Yeah, but they’ll give it something else to think about.”
Almost immediately the tunnel was filled with smoke, gunfire, roars, screams and colored lights. Bits of bunny, pieces of monster, boonie rags, cartridge cases, chunks of rock and other, less identifiable objects came flying out of the tunnel.
“That’s our cue, folks,” Wiz yelled “Hit ’em!” With a yell the group charged down the tunnel and into bedlam.