“I wanted to thank you before we left.”
“Thank me?” Moira said blankly.
“For your advice. You know, up on the battlements that day. About romance and where you can find it.”
Moira bobbed a curtsey. “I am glad it pleased you, My Lady.”
Judith made a little face. “I don’t know that it pleased me, but it helped. You were right. If I want to see the romance in the world I am going to have to stop looking for someone else to create it for me.” She smiled wryly. “If I can’t count on anyone else to make my dreams real I’ll have to do it myself.”
“How will you do that?”
“I’m going to write a fantasy trilogy,” said Judith. “It’s going to be full of romance and color and heroics.”
“And dragons?”
Judith grinned. “Oh yes. Lots of dragons.”
“Well, you’ll have the money to do it,” Nancy said as she and Mike joined them. “If you’re not extravagant you can live for a while on what this job paid, even at Bay Area prices.”
“Are you planning to live at ease on your new wealth?” Moira asked.
“Nope,” Mike said. “We’re going to open a shop specializing in real-time programming and process control,” Mike said.
“Yeah,” Nancy added. “After this gig anything is gonna be easy.” She looked over at Judith. “We were hoping to get you to join us, but I guess not.”
“Oh, all this talking about leaving reminds me,” Moira said. “Will you excuse me, My Ladies, My Lord?”
“You will be here to see us off, won’t you?”
“Oh yes,” Moira said. “But there is one other detail that must be attended to. Please excuse me.” She grasped Judith’s hands in hers. “And good luck.”
“My Lords, Ladies, may I have your attention for a moment?”
Heads turned toward the dais where Moira was standing alone. “While you are all gathered here, and before you depart, there is one other denizen of our World we wish you to meet.”
She gestured toward the side of the stage and a demon lurched out from behind the curtains. Nearly everyone in the room, programmers and wizards alike, gasped.
It was twelve feet tall, horned and fanged, with a barbed tail sticking out from underneath the jacket of its pin-striped suit. Its forest green skin contrasted vividly with its dark purple shirt and its stark white tie. Under one arm it carried a violin case big enough to hold a bull fiddle.
Moira smiled sweetly. I am certain you all remember the non-disclosure agreement you signed when you took this job?”
The programmers gulped and nodded.
“This is Guido,” Moira said. “He is our contract enforcer.”
Guido favored the group with a smile that showed all three rows of dagger-like teeth.
Nobody said anything.
“Naturally we will insist on strict observance of the non-disclosure clause,” Moira said and smiled sweetly again.
“Can that thing reach us when we get home?” Karl whispered to Jerry.
“You want to find out?”
Karl thought a minute. “No, not really.”
Neither of them said anything as the demon clumped back behind the curtain.
“Boy, that’s one way to get everyone’s attention,” Karl said.
Jerry scanned the room, counting people with his forefinger. “Not everyone. Danny’s missing.”
“The little twerp’s probably late as usual.”
“Hey, Fox,” Jerry called across the room. “Where’s Danny?”
Larry shrugged. “I dunno. He collected his money and split.”
“Well, if he doesn’t get back here soon he’s going to miss the bus. Damn! I’d better go find him.”
Moira had come up to Jerry at the end of the exchange. “No, My Lord, you stay here. I will go find him.”
Danny turned out to be in the first place Moira checked, which was his room. He was wearing an open-throated collarless shirt, light leather jerkin and trousers tucked into high soft boots. He was stuffing his belongings into a leather traveler’s pack. June stood next to him, so close he nearly bumped into her every time he turned to take more things form the cupboard.
“That is hardly appropriate for your world,” Moira said, eyeing his clothing.
“I’m not going back,” Danny said defiantly. “I’m going to stay here.” June stood close and squeezed his hand hard.