HANK

[0000]

I've picked up a few fighting moves during my travels in this crazy world. What I did to the screech owl, probably something from brawling, or my brief stint on the high school wrestling team. I dunked him over the wooden railing.

The owl spread his wings and grabbed my collar on the way down, but Presto smacked him in the face with a stick, and he flew off.

Crunch! The railing across from me snapped. I turned just in time to see Diana and Miktam the spotted owl dropping off the tree.

"Diana!" Eric shouted, rushing to the gap.

As he stood staring over the edge with his hands on his knees, something white and feathery snatched Presto up into the treetops with a yelp.

A moment later, a Saw-Whet owl came charging at Eric. He glanced at a torch, but grabbed a broom for a weapon instead. The turkey was probably afraid the place would burn down and he'd have to climb down or something.

He swung, but the owl snatched the broom out of his hand.

I dashed over to help, then stared as a wooly figure in a Tai Chi suit came running down a bunch of impossibly thin branches, along the trunk of a tree.

He made motions with his paws, and I swear the trees stretched out their rough barked boughs at his command.

In fact, one reached out like a hand, bringing up Diana and the spotted owl in a cradle of leafy tree parts.

The broom struck me in the head. I collapsed on the deck.

"Great job, Hank," Eric scoffed. "Even I can do that!"

As if to prove the point, he toppled as the broom literally swept his feet out from under him.

I rubbed my head, tried to sit up, but a bird claw stomped my chest down, and I found a scimitar pointing in my face. Screech Owl had returned.

Eric tried to run away, ended up pinned with the broom against his throat.

Then the horned owl burst out of the jail, drawing his black sword.

For a few tense minutes, we just stared at each other.

Then the wooly figure created a bridge to us with tree branches.

A sheep, with hooved feet, eyes like minus signs. His threadbare brown outfit made soft whispering sounds as he padded, cat-like, onto the treehouse village planks. "Bring them into the dining hall and get them food. We have much to discuss."

"But Master!" Horned Owl protested.

The sheep waved his paw, bringing the limb holding Diana and the spotted owl to us. "Taskil, they have the blessing of Aslan. I want you to treat them like family."

Saw-Whet sighed, dropping the broom. "Yes sir."

"Cordero!" Screech Owl...screeched. "They attacked us!"

The sheep made no reply.

Taskil didn't move. "Master, if we let them go, will they not run and tell the enemy?"

"No. They will not. We share a common enemy, and they are anxious to find their friends."

The owls grudgingly released us. The snowy owl fluttered down to me with Presto, fluffing his hair in a playful way. Diana shakily got up and joined us.

She brushed herself off, giving Miktam a slightly apologetic look.

The Saw-Whet owl took off to somewhere in the tree village, but Miktam and Taskil remained like bodyguards, escorting us ahead.

I followed the sheep across a long rope bridge. Eric and Diana trailed behind, giving the owls suspicious looks. Especially when Taskil flew to the opposite end of the bridge, one hand reaching for his scabbard.

Presto, though...he seemed to have made friends with the snowy owl. "I'm sorry for the misunderstanding. We've been through a lot, and have been imprisoned a few too many times. I hope you can forgive us for being overly cautious."

"We've had to face hardships ourselves," she replied. "We lost many of our companions to Wrath and the Huruts."

"Huruts? Wrath? What are those?"

I couldn't hear the rest, I was too busy trying to catch up with the sheep. He moved fast. "So you're the Cordero guy we've heard so much about."

"Yes."

"You mentioned our friends. Do you know where they are?"

Cordero did not answer. He kept walking.

Diana marched up beside me. "I'd like to know that myself."

I rushed closer to the sheep, wondering if he were deaf. "Hey, I asked you a question. Do you know where my friends are?"

He stopped to face me, looked me in the eyes as he gestured to the owls. "You are surrounded by them."

I groaned. "That's nice to hear, but you made it sound like you knew something about our missing friends, Bobby and Sheila. They both got freckles. One's a little blonde boy, the other a redhead. We got separated and I was hoping you could help us locate them."

"Don't tell it their names!" Eric hissed. "What's wrong with you! We don't even know if we can trust this thing!"

"He just saved Diana's life, and his friends saved yours."

Presto nodded. "Yeah, and he's also offering dinner."

"Fake rescues and drugged food, more like it! It could still be a trap!"

Diana frowned, undecided.

Cordero stopped near the end of the bridge, gazed up at the full moon shining above us in the near cloudless sky. "A man becomes stranded on a deserted island. One day, a genie bottle washes up on shore. The inscription on the side says the one possessing the bottle will be granted three wishes..."

Eric blew a raspberry, muttering something about kindergarten story time.

"...The man rubs on the bottle and out comes a genie. `I am the genie of the lamp. What is your first wish?' The man answers, `I have lived on this island for decades and have had no company. I wish to never be lonely.' `Done,' says the genie. The man looks around and sees no one but the genie. `I don't see anyone.' The genie replies, `I am here.' Clearly disappointed, the man says, `For my second wish, I want untold wealth.' `Done,' says the genie. Again, the man looks around and sees nothing but the genie. `I don't see any money.' `Correct,' says the genie. `You treasure companionship.' Now extremely frustrated, the man cries, `I wish I had found a different genie.' The genie remains where he is. `What happened!' the man shouts. `Why are you still here!' The genie replies, `I have already become a different genie to you.'"

"Now that's what I call a shaggy dog ending!" Eric complained. "What a crummy genie!"

Cordero didn't reply.

A riddle worthy of Dungeon Master. I scratched my head. "You trying to tell me something about contentment?"

"Ask yourself if you truly wish to go home." The sheep kept walking.

Presto and Diana cast each other questioning looks.

"Thanks, Captain Cryptic," Eric grumped. "That clears things up."

Cordero looked unapologetic. "Glad I could help."

I followed the sheep past a treehouse cluttered with all sorts of steampunk gadgets: Some kind of coal burning dishwasher, a sort of automaton, a variety of goggles, mechanical weapons, prototypes for glider skateboards...

The head of Churt the barn owl peeked out from behind the automaton.

Although my other two friends still trailed close at my heels, Presto lagged back, talking to the snowy owl.

Eric snickered. "Diana, I think your boyfriend has found another woman."

Diana elbowed him.

I kept thinking about what Cordero said. It's weird, but honestly I didn't know. I liked being a hero. I wouldn't know what to do with myself if I ever got back. "Cordero, I'm worried that Bobby and Sheila might be in danger."

Diana leaned in. "Yeah! This is a nice place you got here, Cordero, but if Bobby and Sheila are in trouble, we really need to know where they are and get moving."

Presto clenched and unclenched his fists. Snowy whispered something to him, but he shook his head.

We crossed another rope bridge. "The Witch seeks to restore her dead flesh by gathering all six of you together in her enchanted circle and taking your lives. Once restored to her living form, she can drain your magical objects (and your unicorn) of their energy and use the power to conquer this land."

A chill ran down my back. "Does she have Bobby and Sheila?"

The look on Cordero's face seemed to say yes.

"Is she going to kill them?"

"She cannot restore her flesh with just two. You must all be present, or the spell will not work."

"We have to do something!" Diana cried.

Eric only gave a sad shake of his head. "They're probably dead already and he knows it."

She glared at him. "Eric! Don't say things like that?"

"What. Aren't all of you thinking the same thing?"

"We don't know that for a fact."

We reached another tree house, this one decorated very simply, a portrait of Cordero, practice dummies, wooden swords and shields. Taskil and Miktam spoke to each other in low murmurs, pointing to Diana.

I didn't want to think about it, but I could see it already. Bobby and Sheila, both dead, this...witch, waiting for us to show up and complete her magic circle. "Please. Help us get them back!"

"You are not yet ready to face Jadis and her army."

"What! We've risked our lives every day, fighting Vengir, and bugbears and Tiamat the dragon! What makes this one worse than anything else we've had to fight on this crazy world?"

Cordero smirked. "You and Taskil have a lot in common. You are both headstrong, but the army Jadis has allied herself with can only be defeated by a warrior who is heartstrong."

"Then tell me what I need to do."

He gestured to a long rope bridge. "Follow me."