There!” Jerry yelled in Charlie’s ear, pointing past his head to an utterly unremarkable spot in the desert. Charlie nodded, kicked the pedals to bring them around and gunned the engine for one last burst of speed.
Then he stood on the brakes, chopped the throttles and the Kuznetsov radial died in ear-shattering silence.
“Everyone out folks,” Charlie called back into the cabin. “Come on. We’re gonna have company in just a couple of minutes.”
Gilligan was out of the seat and back into the cabin in a flash. Jerry fumbled with the door until Vasily reached past him and opened it with a practiced twist. Then the dragon, wizard, programmer, pilot and Russians all piled out onto the dusty lake bed.
The desert was chilly, but the glare from the bare soil was disconcertingly bright and the dust kicked up by the prop stung their eyes and skin.
“Is this the place?” Gilligan asked. “If so, do it quick.”
Coming over the lake bed were three Blackhawk helicopters painted in green camouflage. Squinting, Gilligan thought he could make out door gunners. Two more columns of dust marked where vehicles were speeding toward them across the desert.
“Stay where you are!” the loudspeaker on the first helicopter blared. “Put your hands up and stay where you are.”
“Everyone ready,” Bal-Simba boomed.
“My Lord, the circle…” Moira began.
“No time,” Bal-Simba said, raising his staff. “Stay close,” he roared. The group huddled together at the sound of his voice.
As the F-16s circled and the helicopters flared for a landing, the wizard raised his hands and began to chant.
The security forces, mistaking Bal-Simba’s gesture for surrender, barreled in. They couldn’t hear his voice rising and falling and when the air around the group began to twist and shimmer it looked like heat rising from the desert floor.
As they dropped lower the helicopters kicked up clouds of fine, powdery dust. Even before the wheels touched, the combat-equipped Air Police were jumping from the ships to secure their prisoners.
By the time the dust cleared there was nothing in the desert but a dozen bewildered Air Policemen with M-16s at the ready.
SEVENTEEN – HOMECOMING
The world twisted, darkened and lightened again, leaving the party dizzy and blinking. Instead of the brilliant desert sunshine there was the softer light streaming through the windows of the Great Hall.
At the eight points of the compass wizards gaped at them. Behind them, a crowd of castle folk gaped too.
There was plenty to gape at. Unfortunately, the summoning spell wasn’t precise without a physical circle to delimit it. Fortunately, the great hall of the Wizards’ Keep was very large. Fortunate because when Bal-Simba looked over his shoulder he saw he had brought Charlie, biplane and all, with them.
As the castle folk gaped at the arrivals, most of the newcomers gaped back.
“Boshemoi!” Kuznetzov gasped.
“Holodeck City,” Taj said, looking around. “Awesome.”
“Son of a bitch,” Charlie said softly. “Son of a goddamn bitch.”
Mick Gilligan didn’t say anything. He had done this before, after all. Instead he craned his neck, searching for a familiar head of blond hair.
Arianne advanced across the now-useless circle to greet them.
“Merry met, My Lord,” she said to Bal-Simba. “Was your quest successful?”
“I believe so, My Lady.” He turned and gestured. “This is E.T., the one we sought.”
“Stunned,” said the Tajmanian Devil.
Arianne dropped a graceful curtsy.
“Charmed, too,” he added.
“Forgive me, My Lord, but we were not expecting so many.” Arianne was doing her best to ignore the airplane and Bal-Simba’s rather improbable outfit.
“Things became a trifle complicated,” the big wizard said dryly.
“Karin?” Mick called into the crowd gathered behind the wizards.
“Mick! Oh, here Mick.”
A blond woman in dragon rider’s leather detached herself from the crowd and threw herself into his arms.
“You came back! Oh, you came back.”
“Hey, I told you I would, didn’t I?” Mick Gilligan said softly. “Just took a little longer.”
“Have the shadows come back?” Bal-Simba asked his assistant.
“Somewhat. But we have better spells to hold them off, thanks to the time you bought us.”
“Any word from the others?”
His assistant shook her head.