The Ring Returns
The conclusion of Team Gilligan
Two boats tied up at the dock close to the face, outside of Brunt's shop. All six passengers—three thieves and three hostages—climbed to shore. Jili took the lead, slipping inside in stealth mode. She returned a moment later. "There's no one there."
"We saw her go in," Karla said. "Maybe she's hanging from the rafters."
"Pizzle!" Skuff swore. "There ain't no way outta there. What are we waitin' for?"
A woman's voice called out. "If I cannot see you, then you may not see me."
Karla checked her stilettos. "That sounds like an invitation." She nudged Gillian forward.
"Sure," Gilligan said. "Cambris has nothing against us."
Cambris calmly awaited them in the back room.
"Check that door," Jili said. Karla looked into the empty room.
"Try some of this!" Skuff yelled, brandishing a cross.
"A holy symbol," Cambris said, "wielded by a rogue. That is rich."
"Then how 'bout this!" Skuff tried holy water.
Cambris touched the wet spot on her chest and tasted it. "It has the veneer of shamanism. There is nothing holy about it."
"Acid then!" He flung another vial.
This time, Cambris exploded into a storm of bats, leaving the offending liquid behind as the bats roared past Skuff, biting and scratching. She reformed behind him, lifted him with one arm, and threw him across the room into a stack of boxes. "That one is too stupid for killing."
"I tell him that a lot," Jili said, holding her poison-tipped fingers against Derek's neck. Karla had a slender blade at Gilligan's throat. Now unguarded, the skipper moved closer to Cambris.
"You cannot harm me, girl," Cambris told Jili. "I could easily take the ring, but the consequence would be fatal."
"It would be fatal for your friend too," Jili warned.
"Indeed?" Cambris treated them to a scary smile. "Have I not demonstrated my willingness to kill?"
The curtain parted to admit a bearish man in a black peacoat, having a shock of white hair and a mustache. The girl had burgundy-tipped talons at his bloodied neck, with some on her mouth.
"Emmy!" Gilligan exclaimed. Yet it disturbed him to see her like this, a reminder of what she really was.
"Karst . . ." Karla looked to Jili for a decision. The king of thieves was in quite a spot.
"I give you," Cambris said, "to the count of five." Emmy's head turned to the thieves, eyes burning in anticipation, fingers becoming clawed for action. Karst would have his head ripped off.
"All right, vampire," Jili said. She nodded to Karla, who tossed the ring to Cambris. Derek and Gilligan were suddenly free.
"I told you truly," Cambris said. "The ring would have destroyed you."
Skuff staggered to his feet. "Hey—how did she get past Face?"
Emmy mimed misting into Karst's pocket.
"So then," Jili said. "You still have to get out of the Old Quarter."
Two columns of mist arose, becoming Mirjana and Yelena.
"We four," Cambris said, "can summon legions of undead. This will happen if you interfere with our egress."
"Shyte me," Skuff grumbled. "How many of 'em are there?"
The skipper dusted off his hat and put it on. "They're the Dracula Brides. If anything had happened to Gilligan, they'd have been pretty upset."
"What shall it be?" Derek demanded. "Shall we march your thief king to the bridge, or do we have an understanding?"
"Fair enough," Jili decided. "Release Karst from the spell."
Gilligan touched the corner of his mouth to signal Emmy about the blood trace. Her tongue came out to lick it away.
"He will recover momentarily," Cambris said.
Karla pulled her boss to safety, tapped his cheek to revive him. "I don't know what you people did to ingratiate yourselves with this bunch, but you've got one hellified posse."
Gilligan hung back, last to leave. "Tell Key we hope she understands. We really like that kid."
"Then you can't be all bad," Jili replied. "Karla, let's find Brunt and give him back his shop. Skuff, lead the way so nobody else gets killed by those vampires."
After Gilligan's group exited the back of the face, the Brides turned their glowing eyes on him, with Cambris offering a wink. The face's eyes grew like saucers at how he'd been had. The ladies turned into bats and zoomed up the shaft, spooking a pair of revelers who were coming down. All eight assembled topside. Cambris told Gilligan she'd await him on the abbey grounds, thus bypassing the guards. The Brides shifted into bat mode and shot skyward like arrows. With Skuff as a swaggering guide, the four men made it safely to the bridge. Key was waiting there, and Gilligan scooped her up.
"I'm sure glad you forgave us, Key. Maybe we'll be back."
"I hope so. I'm gonna be a student at the Eolca academy one day."
"Of that," Derek said, "I have no doubt." They took their leave of the Old Quarter and soon reunited at the abbey with the Brides. The tricky part was showing the camp guards the voucher, explaining the ladies as visitors. They kept their eyes almost closed so as not to alarm the men. Gilligan had to repeat the ruse at the arena gate. Here, Cambris took a chance in identifying herself as the source of so much trouble last time. She spoke to the labyrinth gatekeeper, who hurried over to the teleport controller.
Over his bullhorn, the controller announced the four Dracula Brides. A stunned quiet fell over the arena and tavern. Gilligan borrowed the horn. "Don't be alarmed, folks. The Brides have recovered a dangerous talisman from the Old Quarter. That makes them heroes in my book. What do you say?"
The expected applause didn't happen, nor was there a rush to recruit four of them for team service. The ladies found the novel experience not to their liking. Before there was a general stampede for the exit, Cambris moved apart from the others. "We would like to tour your labyrinth at some future time, as we have navigated all ten levels of the one on the home world."
Now the bidding for her service began anew. She gave them a genteel wave before joining the rest of the group in the teleport cage.
Gilligan found himself between Mirjana and Yelena in the confined space. They cast speculative looks at his neck, causing him to turn up his collar. "Never mind me, girls. The skipper is twice as big."
Mirjana looked over his beefy frame. "The anemic one speaks true. That one could feed us all."
"Now wait a minute!" the skipper protested.
Emmy shook him at the shoulder with a mischievous, fangy grin.
The skipper exhaled relief. "Somebody activate the teleport. Quick!"
