Wizard's Sword (The Battle Wizard Saga, No.2) (18 page)

When time Mary Beth called time, he hesitated before he rolled off her onto his back, and stared up at the ceiling. Lying on top of her felt amazingly good. She pressed up onto her hands and knees and looked over at him.

He rolled his head toward her and asked, 'Was it good for you?"

She snorted. "You wish."

He sat up. "I think that I′ll call it a day." He reached up, rubbed the back of his neck, and looked over at her. "That was ballsy. If you missed, you were on your butt and dead meat. But since it connected, you won."

He pulled himself up with the hand Mary Beth extended. "I wouldn′t say she won; you had her on the defense in the beginning and then she was wrapped up at the end. But the match was closer than I expected, thanks to that 'ballsy′ kick, as you called it."

"It surprised me. Surprise is an effective tool."

"I am going to recommend to the Commander that you continue working with the girls. You have very good techniques and are generous with your critique and advice. I can see why the girls have improved."

Sig nodded. "Thank you."

"Will you do one more thing for me?"

"What′s that?"

"I understand you can change forms, will you do that for me?"

Sig raised his eyebrows and looked around. All the women had gathered around and looked at him. "Right here?"

"I don′t see why not, most everyone except me has seen it already."

He shrugged, grasped his medallion, and said, "Aðalbrandr." Still uncomfortable with the roof rushing down at him, he ducked.

She looked up at him with her mouth open, and then shut it and said, "Ahh, a Battle Wizard." She walked around him. He turned his head to follow her.

"My, but you are a big one. I think you′re the biggest I′ve ever seen."

Sig rumbled, "That′s what I′ve been told."

"Is your magic powerful?"

"I′d rather not discuss it."

"Alright, who was your predecessor?"

"My Grampa Thor, Thorval Sigurd Arnsohn."

"Ah ha, Thor, Son of the Eagle. I know him. How is he?"

"Not well."

"I′m sorry to hear that." She looked like she sincerely meant it. "He is a good, good man. You say he′s your grandfather?"

"My Great-grandfather."

She nodded. "I knew your Great-grandmother Giselle too."

"Was she a member of your tribe?"

Giselle looked at Mary Beth; all the other Amazons looked at Mary Beth.

"No, she became the Commander of another tribe."

Unexpectedly, Sig felt as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

Mary Beth noticed the group of Amazons standing around evaluating Sig. She turned back to him. "OK, I′ve satisfied my curiosity as to what you are. You should change back now before some of them go into heat."

Sig quickly said, "Koma aftur".

"That′s better. If you didn′t know, many Amazons have an overwhelming attraction to beefcake. Your other self appears to be almost more beef on the hoof than they can bear." She turned to the girls and waved her hands as if brushing them away. "Shoo, shoo. The show is over, back to work."

Sig felt his face burning.

Mary Beth turned back to him. "Sorry, I didn′t mean to embarrass you, just warn you. It would be best if you don′t transform when you are here. There isn′t much point in you training here as a Battle Wizard. The whole bunch of them wouldn′t be a match for you."

"You don′t think so?" Sig asked lamely.

"I saw a Battle Wizard take on a squad of elite commandos once. He went through a dozen tempered fighting men like a lion through a pack of jackals. I know he didn′t have your martial arts skills and he was probably eighty percent of your size. No, I′m sure not."

"OK, I won′t change."

"I′m not forbidding it. I just think it′s in your best interest. Keep in mind; they don′t want you, just your body."

He can′t remember feeling more embarrassed. He would have glowed in the dark if the lights were off. His face felt like a torch as he hurried out of the center.

On the day of the hunting expedition, everyone arranged to leave early enough so it would still be light when they hiked the last two miles to the cabin.

Their packs filled up the back seat of the Jeep. With hands on her hips, Giselle considered the packs.

"Women always pack too much," Rick said.

"You′re gonna be happy that I did."

"Negligee? I′m in with that. I hope it′s a black teddy."

She gave him an exasperated look.

Sig looked at Rick over the top of the Jeep. "I′ll flip you for who rides on top of all that in back."

Rick shook his head. "Nope, you can′t ride back there. Don′t forget the seatbelt law."

"What′ll we do?"

"Just a minute. Dogs don′t need a seatbelt", Rick said. He bent down out of sight. His clothes flew up onto the packs.

His wolf form leapt into the Jeep. Mouth open, tongue hanging out, it looked like a smile. He turned around three times, pawed at the packs and lay down on top of them.

Giselle and Sig looked at each other, shrugged and got into the Jeep. She pulled away and then stopped in the parking lot, looked over at Sig and said, "Do you know where we′re going?"

He shook his head. They both turned to look back at Rick. He held a piece of paper in his mouth. Giselle took it from him and wiped it on her shirt before she opened it. She looked it over for a few moments, and then handed it to Sig. "You′re navigator. Tell me when to turn."

The beautiful day demanded traveling with the top down. Rick napped for the hour it took them to clear out of metropolitan Chicago. After the nap, he sat on his rear haunches, head up, catching the blast of wind over the windscreen as they travelled north. He observed the passing scenery with tongue lolling out of his mouth.

Many people who motored beside them slowed to gawk at Rick. It wasn′t every day that people saw a dog the size of a small pony sitting in the back of a convertible enjoying the view. Children in particular were enthralled with the spectacle, pointing and waving as they travelled alongside, then turning and watching as they passed.

One little girl in a car seat appeared particularly taken with the view. Face pressed against the window, mouth open, she stared intently at Rick as her parents slowed to keep pace. After a few moments alongside, the car accelerated away from the Jeep. As it pulled away, the little girl winked, held it for a moment, smiled, and pointed at Rick.

He tilted his head like Nipper in the RCA advertisement and then turned to Sig who watched the interchange. He shrugged. No telling what magical powers the little girl had, but she obviously saw deeper than surface appearances. Acknowledgement of shared magic from one so young surprised but comforted him.

Giselle pulled into a White Castle at Sig′s urging. When they stopped, Rick jumped out of the Jeep and trotted around to the back of the store. He returned in a few moments in human form. "Excellent choice in greasy cuisine. I think I could manage to slide a dozen down."

While they chowed down, Giselle asked Rick, "You stick your head into the wind just like dogs do. Why do you do that?"

Rick looked at Sig and arched an eyebrow, already having covered this topic with him. He turned back to Giselle. "It′s canine speed reading. Smells come at you fast and furious with lots of information, like 'Oh there′s Fifi. She′s ready. Fido marked territory, but he doesn′t realize he just marked a spot in Killer′s yard. There′s a female poodle in heat. A boxer is outside her fence.′ I smelled this White Castle before you saw it on the freeway food sign. I also know there′re a pizza shop and an Italian fast food joint nearby."

"So you just take in info about food and sex, like dogs."

"Puleeze, them are fightin′ words. We Weres are much more discriminating than dogs. However, like any book you randomly pick up, you read what′s written. A baby in a red minivan full of kids that passed had a pant load and will be chapped if they don′t change him soon. I also detected a plastic manufacturing facility back that way." He waved to the west. "I could tell that gray pickup we followed for a few miles needs new rings or valve seals. It′s burning oil, but not enough to be visible, or even detectable by inferior human olfactories."

"I′m glad of my human olfactory if it keeps me from smelling a pant load as it drives by."

Sig grimaced and nodded. "Amen."

Rick grinned. "It′s something you get used to. It comes at you all the time. It doesn′t even bother me when you guys fart."

Sig and Giselle looked at each other.

Rick held up a White Castle slider. "Especially after these babies, it gets ripe."

Giselle started laughing and Sig joined in.

Rick looked back and forth between them. "Should I tell you what you had for breakfast?"

Laughing, Giselle raised her hands. "TMI, TMI."

Rick had a sly look in his eyes. "Anytime you want to remember, just ask me."

Sig gave him a challenging look. "What?"

Rick squinted, considered the question, and then said, "Eggs, bacon and toast. It included a waft of fruit. Perhaps orange marmalade on the toast?"

Sig shook his head and nodded with a smile. "You nailed it."

Still laughing, Giselle threw her head back. "Oh my God. Excuse me, I′ll be back." She rose and headed toward the restroom.

After she left, Rick asked, "While she′s unburdening herself, does she know I ate breakfast with you?"

"No, and let′s not tell her."

"Deal." Rick raised his fist and Sig bumped it.

Before they sped on their way, Rick changed forms and jumped into the back of the Jeep.

The highways narrowed, speed limits dropped, and traffic evaporated.

Rolling down a narrow, rutted, dirt track, Giselle asked, "OK what′s next?"

Ahead the trail narrowed to a walking path. Sig stared at the directions.

Giselle stopped the Jeep. "Next?"

Sig shook his head. He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned. Rick sat on the packs with his hand out.

"Why do you want the map? We′re looking for your uncle′s place. You′ve been here before. Just tell us where to go."

"I only travelled here from the Upper Peninsula, never from Chicago. My uncle gave me these directions over the phone. Finally, we′re not going to my uncle′s place, we′re going to a cabin in the woods. I′ve never been there." He wriggled his fingers. "Gimme. High school teachers said I should study medicine because of my head start on lousy penmanship. Maybe I can figure it out."

He turned it over, then sideways, and squinted, looked back over his shoulder, back at the directions and then over the other shoulder. "Have we passed a giant sycamore?"

"About a quarter mile back."

"The trail begins there. Turn around and go back."

"Let me see the directions." Rick handed them to Sig.

"Where does it say sycamore?"

Rick pointed.

Sig looked at where he pointed. "That′s sycamore? I thought it said 'sign′. I was looking for a sign."

"It′s abbreviated."

Sig rolled his eyes.

Giselle managed to turn the Jeep around in a three-point maneuver. She stopped when pointed in the direction they had come. "The only problem with your penmanship is you must have held the pen with your paw." She pressed the gas.

At the sycamore, she pulled off the road into the brush. They unloaded the packs and put the top up on the Jeep.

"Where now?"

"I′ll find out." Rick walked to the other side of the Jeep and ducked down. His wolf dashed into the forest.

Sig strolled into the forest alone. Tension drained as he inhaled the tang of pine and the spice of oak leaf, twig, and acorn mulch breaking down on the forest floor. He crouched and leaned a shoulder against a medium sized sapling to let the subtle forest sounds echo around him. He pried up a half-buried acorn the squirrels and deer missed and rolled it between his fingers to knock dirt off the smooth shell. Although he enjoyed city life, this felt like home.

Not wanting to seem aloof, he returned to the jeep ten minutes later, just before Rick trotted out of the forest. He stood up on the other side of the Jeep, looked at Sig and Giselle, and said, "Found it. It′ll take about forty minutes to get there."

"You found it and got back here in ten minutes. Why will it take us forty?"

"Well duh. Four legs, by myself, and no packs the first time; this time—packs, two legs and I have to drag two greenhorns along."

Sig shouldered his pack, lifted his bow and arrow quiver, and then held Rick′s pack up for him. "Lead the way Chingachgook."

Giselle leaned against the Jeep patiently, pack on her shoulders, bow and arrow quiver at the ready. "When you two finish with your comedy routine, I′m ready."

Rick set a fast pace, but Giselle and Sig kept up easily. They arrived at the cabin in less than thirty minutes.

Emerging from the forest, they saw a log and stone cabin in a clearing on the other side of a creek. The creek flowed swiftly before slowing and filling a large pond in front of the cabin before it flowed on again. The creek burbled between smooth boulders before splashing into the pond. Rick skipped and hopped across the boulders to the other side. Sig and Giselle followed.