JANAPURNA
Mixed Blessings
"Janapurna..."
"Janapurna..."
"Hey Janapurna!"
Janapurna shut her eyes miserably against the clamouring boys.
"Give her some air, guys," muttered Diana, without moving from her spot in the doorway.
Hank stepped back slightly, holding Eric and Presto by the shoulders. "Diana's right."
"Thank you!" cried Diana sarcastically. "Some sense out of one of you, at last!"
Hank ignored Diana, but continued to pull the other two boys back by the shoulders. "You guys leave her alone. Let me deal with this."
Hank put a protective arm around Janapurna and tried to lead her away. Nobody else, not even Janapurna herself, looked particularly happy about it.
"It's OK, Janapurna," he murmured to her, "see, we're a band of adventurers. Sorta like the heroes of the stories you'd have heard as a little girl. I'm their leader..."
"Janapurna?" Eric and Presto were already closing in on the pair.
"Yeah, I know what you're thinking," continued Hank unabashed, "sounds pretty cool. But in truth it's lonely. All the responsibility... having to be the adult all the time... real lonely."
Diana heard Sheila choke, and stroked her hair comfortingly as the Thief turned a whole new shade of red.
"Janapurna!" chorused the other two boys.
Hank took a strand of Janapurna's long, dark hair and wound it gently through his fingers. "You understand loneliness, don't you, Janapurna? We know how each other feels..."
Sheila stifled a cry and ran out of the shelter. Diana followed her, giving Janapurna a filthy look as she went.
"...come back..." squeaked Janapurna.
"Don't we, Janapurna?" Hank leaned in closer to her.
"JANAPURNA!"
"What?" asked Janapurna through gritted teeth.
"Look what I can do!" Presto had pulled a small ball of fire from his hat and was passing it from fingertip to fingertip. She barely had time to note this, though, before the Cavalier was at her ear.
"Did it hurt?" he asked, innocently.
Janapurna frowned. "Did what hurt?"
"When you fell out of Heaven," grinned the dark haired boy.
Hank rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Eric, that didn't work on Julie Klien in Eighth Grade, and it's not gonna work now." He shook his head at Janapurna. "It's always a Line with this guy. You'll learn to tune it out."
"You're not looking..." Presto doubled the speed of his trick, before noticing that his sleeve was on fire.
"Drop and roll, Presto," said Eric calmly over his friend's scream, before tutting world-wearily at the girl. "Kids today... Now, where was I..? Oh, yes. Tell me, have you ever tried the lobster in Venice? Because there's this little place I know just off the Grand Canal..."
Hank removed Eric's hand from Janapurna's shoulder. "Aren't you gonna help your little friend, Eric?"
Eric shot a quick glance in Presto's direction. He had followed his advice and was rolling over his flaming arm in the ash.
"He'll be fine. And the coffee in Venice is to die for."
"Are you sure, Eric? You're not worried about him?" Hank fixed Eric with an evil gaze. "I mean, you guys are special, special friends..."
Eric folded his arms, raising an eyebrow at Hank. "What, exactly, are you intimating?"
Hank shrugged innocently. "Nothing. I think it's lovely to see you two so happy in each others' company."
Eric narrowed his eyes.
"Happy, happy happy," continued Hank. "What's... what's another word for 'happy'?"
"He likes wearing tights, you know, Janapurna," snapped Eric spitefully, "he's got a thong on under all that..."
"Pay no attention to him, Janapurna. He's having another of his Turns. He often comes over a little queer..."
"And he's not a natural blond. Trust me. I've seen him naked."
"So you do look after all." Hank grinned, triumphantly. "And I thought you only had eyes for..."
He trailed off, amused, as Eric suddenly pretended to answer an invisible phone.
"Uh-huh," the Cavalier told the imaginary caller, "mm-hm. You don't say. OK. I'll tell him." He held the invisible handset over to Hank. "It's Flash Gordon," he explained. "Says he wants his haircut back."
Hank took the imaginary receiver off Eric and pretended to listen, then looked up at the Cavalier. "Flash wants to know what you and Presto want as a wedding present."
Eric's fists bunched.
"Say that again," he growled.
"I said..." began Hank in a loud, clear voice.
"Fire's out!" Presto lifted his singed arm up in triumph. He was ignored by the other two boys, who scowled at each other across Janapurna.
"Janapurna?" The girl turned desperately in the direction of the female voice. Diana was standing in the doorway, pursing her lips in anger. "I think you might have some explaining to do."
"Is... is Sheila OK?" Janapurna used the stand-off between Hank and Eric to dart to the doorway. "She looked upset."
"Oh, you noticed, huh?" Diana took Janapurna's hand and began to lead her out of the shelter. "I think we could do with a little girl-to-girl chat. Don't you?"
Janapurna nodded gratefully, turning briefly to the boys as she left.
"I won't be long."
"Janapurna?" they chorused, softly, "Janapurna..."
---Sheila was sitting on one of the stones circling the shelter, her head resting on her folded arms. She ignored Janapurna as she climbed to the top of the mound with Diana.
"I take it they're not usually like that," said Janapurna as she sat down.
"It all started when they heard your singing," replied the Acrobat, sitting with her. "They were nearly killed. Now if you'd care to explain why..."
Janapurna paused, trying not to cry.
"It was supposed to be a Gift." The tears began to flow. "That every man I met would fall hopelessly in love with me. My grandmother was a Sorceress, she thought she was giving me a blessing!"
"But it turned into a curse," added Diana, softly.
"Jealousy follows me everywhere I go!" Janapurna sobbed, wringing her perfect hands. "Men fight each other, they all want me to themselves alone, women hate me..."
She looked up at Diana, mournfully. The dark young woman sighed grudgingly and took her hand.
"We don't hate you, Janapurna. We just hate what you've done to our friends."
"I don't mean to." Janapurna sandwiched Diana's hand between hers. "Believe me. I thought when I was imprisoned here, at least the hatred would stop..."
"So who put you here?" asked Diana.
"Hokar," answered Janapurna, "a powerful Wizard. He said he'd keep me here until I promised to marry him."
"Wow. How long have you been holding out for?"
Janapurna shrugged miserably. "I didn't really get the chance to 'hold out'. He died the next day..." she sniffed, watching the vast grey horizon. "At least I think he did. He said something about an uprising against some Dark Overlord and I never saw him again"
"Who was he rebelling against?"
Janapurna snuffled, searching her memory. "Vengeance or Revenger, or something like that..."
"Oh. Yeah, he'll be Dogmeat by now."
Janapurna nodded, stoically.
An idea struck Diana. "Did you ever think of getting the Dungeon Master to help? He might be able to find somebody who can break the spell on you."
"I never met him," replied Janapurna, "besides, I wouldn't want anything to happen to him..."
Diana couldn't help but smile at the mental image of the wizened old Dungeon Master fawning over the melancholy girl.
"Well, we can't leave you stuck here. We need to get back in a hurry - there were two of us left behind. And when we do, you're coming with us, OK?"
Janapurna squeezed Diana's hand a little tighter. "Thank you."
There was a long silence between the two girls as they both looked out at the empty sky.
Eventually, Janapurna spoke. "Which of them are you in love with?"
Diana blinked, pulling her hand free. "I beg your pardon?"
Janapurna regarded Diana. "I think the Wizard's too young for you. And there's already something between Sheila and your leader..."
"Well he's not that much of a leader right now, thanks to you," interrupted Diana.
"You're avoiding my question."
"It's a pointless question." Diana frowned, watching Sheila mope. "I'm not in love with any of them. I fell in love once, and it just hurt too much."
"I think you are," replied Janapurna. "I think you've got too much passion to close your heart."
"I love them all," snapped Diana. "They're my best friends. I'd die for any one of them. But I'm not falling for... it's ridiculous! I don't feel romantically about him..."
Janapurna smiled, softly. "About who?"
Diana opened and closed her mouth silently a couple of times. The little sneak! What business was it of hers, anyway?
Before she had the chance to come back with any comments, she was startled by a familiar screeching neigh. She leaped to her feet, as did Sheila beneath the mound.
"Those horses are back!" cried Sheila up to her.
"I know!" Diana turned full circle, searching the empty horizon. "But how? And where?"
Sheila stepped out of the stone circle, gazing up at the sky. "Maybe we can only hear them, like we could Bobby and..."
Janapurna was already sprinting down the mound towards the Thief when the two great black horses suddenly materialised in front of the stones.
"Sheila! No!"
Sheila screamed helplessly as the stallions reared and screeched at her. Janapurna grabbed the girl and pulled her back into the circle too hard. They both lost their balance and fell.
"Stay within the stones," explained Janapurna as Diana helped Sheila up, "they'll protect us from those things."
"You've seen them before?" asked Sheila.
Janapurna got to her feet by herself. "They belonged to Hokar. They've been coming back to me regularly since he died. Making sure I'm still here."
The horses reared and screamed again, but their evil breath was repelled away from the stone circle. Diana moved next to Sheila defensively anyway, but the horses snorted, turned and disappeared.
"So they can travel between planes."
Janapurna nodded. "That's how Hokar sent me here. He tied me to one of them."
"Really?"
"Yes. He tried to give me a cup of cursed tea first, but I don't believe anyone's stupid enough to fall for that one..."
Sheila and Diana exchanged embarrassed glances.
"So..." reasoned Diana, "if they can bring you here, they can bring you, and the rest of us back to the Realm!"
Sheila turned to Janapurna, grabbing her shoulders desperately. "When will they be back again? We have to catch them somehow - my brother's in terrible trouble!"
"They'll probably be back before nightfall," answered Janapurna, worried. "You... you have a brother?"
"Don't worry, Janapurna," smiled Diana, "he's only nine."
They turned back towards the shelter.
"I guess the two of us will have to come up with a plan to capture them," sighed Sheila, "what with the boys' brains going all mushy."
"Goodness alone knows what they'll have got up to by now," added Diana as they reached the doorway, and then stopped, dumbfounded.
Presto was hopping impatiently from one foot to the other as he watched the other two boys. They were lying face down in the ash, propped up on their elbows, clasping one another's' right hands, their faces twisted with strain. Diana pinched the bridge of her nose.
"What are they doing?" asked Janapurna.
"You've never seen arm wrestling before?" sighed Diana.
Eric screamed in frustration, battling to the end, as Hank forced his hand down into the dust.
"I win, Eric."
"I wasn't ready!"
"Admit it, I win!"
Presto tried to pull Eric up off the ground, but the Cavalier scowled, readying his right hand again.
"All right, then," he said, "best out of eleven."
---Bobby lay back in his cage, kicking his bars rhythmically. Malison looked up at him, frowned, and then looked back down at his darning. A whole night and day had passed by, and nobody had come. No rescue. No Orcs, either. Malison's excitement that morning had swiftly turned into irritation, then grudging acceptance that there would be no Recruitment Party that day. In the meantime, Bobby had tired of giving the Wizard the Silent Treatment and was now trying everything within his power to put Malison off his guard, maybe even to annoy him so much that he'd throw him out. He'd tried screaming, he'd tried knocking the bars, spitting, burping and insulting. And now, he felt, he had only one option left. He cleared his throat and began to sing:
"I know a song that'll get on your nerves, get on your nerves, get on your nerves..."
---The sky was beginning to darken slightly. Sheila looked over at her friend nervously.
"That's your plan, Diana? Just hide, and then jump them?"
Diana bit her thumbnail nervously. "I've never really made a plan before. I just... do stuff. And I don't have the time to come up with anything more sophisticated."
The two girls continued to gaze out at the flat, grey wasteland.
"How are we going to hide?" asked Sheila, eventually.
Diana didn't answer, but looked pointedly at the Thief's cloak.
"Oh no..." Sheila shook her head furiously. "No no no. You're the one who's good with the big, mean creatures. I can't do it without your help."
Diana thought for a second, then pressed herself into Sheila.
"...Diana...?"
"See if that cloak of yours can cover us both," said Diana, tucking her head down against her friend's chest.
"Uh..." Sheila raised the hood over her head, and stretched the body of the cloak around Diana's back. "Even if it does, will it make the two of us invisible?"
"Only one way to find out," came the muffled reply from beneath her. "Hey, Janapurna!"
The accidental enchantress' head appeared at the doorway of the shelter, gladly.
"Have you thought of an idea...?" Janapurna's voice trailed off and her face fell. She stepped outside and looked about her, franticly. "Girls? Girls..? Where are you?"
"You can't see either of us?" asked Sheila.
"No! You haven't left me, have you?"
Sheila uncloaked herself and Diana, and Janapurna sighed in relief.
"Oh, thank goodness. It's mayhem in there." Janapurna moved a little further away from the door of the shelter.
Diana grinned to herself. "Don't tell me they're still arm wrestling."
"No." Janapurna's face was a picture of worried confusion. "Now they're attacking each other with imaginary Broadswords and making 'Fwing Fwing' noises."
"Oh." Sheila exchanged a world weary smile with Diana. "Just a Lightsabre fight. It's only to be expected, I suppose."
Janapurna nodded in pretend understanding. Diana's expression became serious.
"They're a liability around you, you know."
This was something Janapurna did understand. "I know."
"If we try to catch those creatures while the boys are around, they might... I don't know... do somethin' stupid." Diana sighed, looking at the shelter. "I don't want them to wind up getting hurt."
"So..." Janapurna steeled herself. "What can I do to help?"
Diana chewed a nail again. "We'll have to draw the horses away from the shelter before we try to capture them."
"We'll be away from the protective circle..."
"...But the guys will be safe here." Diana lay a gentle hand on Janapurna's shoulder. "It's you those horses are checking up on, Janapurna. If you can lead them away from here, lead them to where we're hiding, we might be in with a half decent chance."
Janapurna cast her eyes down to her feet, unsure. "You want me to make them chase me? You want me to be... bait?"
"Not 'bait', exactly..." stammered Sheila.
"We'll take care of you, Janapurna," said Diana, not moving the hand on the other girl's shoulder, "just as well as we can."
"You don't have to do it if you're too scared," began Sheila, earnestly, breaking off when she realised it sounded like a taunt.
Janapurna looked up at Diana, then at Sheila, then at the shelter. Male voices issued faintly from beyond the door.
"Fwing! Fwing! Fzzzt!"
"This is stupid. Why would Obi Wan and Luke be fighting?"
"You can shut up, Eric. Han Solo doesn't even have a Lightsabre."
"He does now. He stole it."
Janapurna folded her arms and looked back at the girls, her face set.
"When do we leave?"