“Well then.” Bal-Simba sighed. “We had best get our new guests settled and then decide how to proceed.”
“I will have their quarters prepared immediately,” Arianne said, gesturing the seneschal forward. Then she paused.
“My Lord, just one other thing.”
“Yes?”
“How are we going to get this,” she asked, gesturing at the airplane, “out of the hall?”
Bal-Simba pursed his lips. “That may pose a problem,” he said at last.
It was a wonderful, glorious morning when Mick Gilligan awoke after a wonderful, glorious night. The sun was well up and the whole world was so perfect Gilligan thought his heart would burst.
He propped himself up on one elbow to admire Karin beside him. She responded by snuggling closer, a wisp of straw-blond hair falling across her lightly freckled cheek. He leaned over and gave her a wake-up loss. A long, fingering wake-up kiss.
“Hmm,” said Karin, stirring beneath him and kissing him back. Then her eyes popped open and she broke the clinch.
“Good morning, beautiful.”
“What time is it?” she responded. “Oh, I’m sorry Mick.” She gave him a quick Kiss. “I’ve got to go look after Stigi. I should have been down to the aerie long ago.” She threw the covers back and swung her long legs over the side of the bed, giving Mick a wonderful view of her trim, athletic back.
“Oh,” said Mick, deflated in more ways than one. “I’ll wait here for you then.”
She turned to look at him and the view from that side was even better. “Oh, come along. This won’t take more than a few minutes.” She searched briefly on the floor before finding the chemise she had dropped there several hours before.
Yeah,” Mick said, “but Stigi doesn’t like me. I think he’s jealous.” He didn’t add that the feeling was mutual
Karin pulled on her flying breeches and cinched the buckle. “Pooh. Stigi didn’t dislike you. Besides, I’m sure he’s forgotten all about you. Dragons aren’t very smart, you know.”
“You don’t have to be smart to dislike someone and that dragon doesn’t like me.”
“Come on, get dressed. I’ll show you how wrong you are.”
As he hunted up his clothing strewn about the floor Mick remembered how his ex-wife used to make jokes about being jealous of his F- 15. Mick was beginning to suspect that those jokes had been more pointed than he knew.
Wiz was dreaming of Moira. She was with him again and they were back in their chambers at the Wizards’ Keep, all tangled together in the big bed with the feather comforter. Moira was in his arms and she was kissing him all over.
As she covered his body with warm, wet kisses Wiz smiled and groaned in his sleep. He knew it was a dream, but he didn’t want to wake up from it, ever. It was so real, so vivid. He could not only see Moira and feel her moist tongue as it stroked his flesh, even the smells were real.
Especially the smells. In fact Moira smelled like she’d had spaghetti with a particularly aggressive marinara sauce. She reeked of garlic.
Something tickled his nose and he opened his eyes to sneeze. The first thing he realized was that Moira wasn’t there. The second thing he realized was that the lobster was. In fact, the lobster was basting him with garlic butter.
Wiz let out a yell and rolled away from the lobster.
The noise woke Glandurg, who threw off his cloak and grabbed Blind Fury in a single motion. Unfortunately the cloak landed on Wiz so he was temporarily immobilized.
The dwarf sprang to his feet, brandished his weapon and charged.
“Die, vile crustacean!” he yelled, just as he stepped in the puddle of garlic butter and went flying. He landed flat on his back and the lobster vanished into the darkness.
“Run, you damned bug!” the dwarf yelled after the fleeing shadow. “You’ll taste my steel yet!”
“My, don’t we smell delicious?” Malkin said as she came hurrying up. Wiz glared. “There’s a pool back that way,” she continued. “You better wash that stuff off before something comes wandering by and decides you’re good enough to eat.”