Into the Maelstrom

Chapter 2

Kara's arrival at the Archonage in Lunari didn't cause too much fanfare, as they'd seen her before. She brushed past the encircling media and headed for the Archon Council, mask in hand. The cowled specialists were appalled that someone had found a way to counterfeit the talismans, and got to work right away to examine it. Kara, meanwhile, flew directly toward Khot, since it didn't have its own teleport. Her first choice for the budding team was Jili, the assassin who had just humbled the vaunted Green Tip assassin's league. The thief king Karst was another consideration; as the spider in the center of the web, he must know everything that went on in these parts. Kara homed on the murky cloud cover that perpetually beset the thief city of Khot. It stood in contrast to open woodlands and rivers she flew across.

She alighted in front of Karst's lair, where some of the cutpurses were always on guard duty. This caused a momentary shock which her outlandish costume did little to dispel. But for people who regularly saw magic, it was something they could incorporate. Kara approached a likely candidate, a seedy man in a ragged muslin cloak. "I'm looking for Karst, unless you can tell me where Jili is."

A few denizens of the street looked her way as they went about patronizing the magic shops and trading posts, not bothering to avoid puddles on the cobblestones. Karst's whitewashed lair loomed four stories above.

"Jili? Sure. She's over in the harbor district."

Kara didn't miss the snide expressions of both men. Wild goose chase, was it. "Maybe it's better if you show me how to get there." She clutched his garment and lifted off. The thief was too stunned to protest. "I see boats down there. Is that the place? I feel my grip slipping."

"Right, right!" He grabbed at her arm. "She's on the troll bridge!"

Kara intuited that to mean a long and lofty flyover that spanned both sides of high-rise blocks. Most structures here were indestructible Tekniker stone. That being the case, resident squatters had appropriated the bridge as a town unto itself. It was festooned with flimsy pavilions and wood-wire constructs hosting all manner of enterprises. A narrow passage was kept open so patrons could reach all the shops and dwellings. They had even strung a rickety lower level, home to those who lacked the clout for topside. Kara's terrified passenger pointed out a trio who sat on the lower level, legs dangling over the edge through the wood rails. She landed next to them, causing the wood thoroughfare to sway.

As before, the group merely saw her as another magic type, one who could fly. Jili was easy to identify with her twin swords and shaded eyes. Her black and gray shroud dress was good camouflage in so drab a place as Khot. No one flaunted wealth here, since it made you a target. Her right hand was Karla, a slim girl in black who kept her hair chopped in carefree fashion. The informant Skuff was another matter. Bald except for a topknot, he wore a sleeveless peacoat in defiance of the cold, with a sleepy sneer to match.

Kara's victim danced away. "She made me do it, Jili! I ain't got no wings, ya know!"

"It's all right, Skonk," Jili said. "She's not the only one looking for me, and I don't have a clue why." She pointed toward the river that separated the Old Quarter from the merchant district. A bizarre stone tower wound its way skyward, looking as if a good breeze would take it down, except for the Tekniker Stone. As usual, enterprising locals had laced rope bridges form there to the high-rises that formed an L across from it. Busy wives criss-crossed the makeshift crossing to do business with various merchants inhabiting the tower. At the very top perched the Dragon's Tongue tavern, meeting place of the top mischief makers.

Jili stretched her booted legs out over the perilous drop to the canal below, which divided the high-rises on both sides. "Somebody in there is demanding to see me. They can come here if they want."

"It's the damndest thing," Karla muttered around her beer. "A big farm woman took over the place. No one saw her use magic, and she doesn't appear to be armed. What could she want with Jili?" Above them, music jangled and drums pounded from one of the illicit clubs.

Someone had to be the adult, Kara decided. "Why don't we find out? If I fly you there, then I'm the one who bent the knee. Fair enough?"

Skuff guffawed. "You gonna hold all three of us, gal?"

Kara turned toward the tavern and extended arms. "Two of you take an arm, and the third put arms around my neck." She thought about that. "Skuff, I'd rather not have you behind me. Take an arm."

Jili's fearless example settled the matter, and all three got their grips. Kara caused quite a stir flying them across the heights, where she settled down at the base of the tavern, a central wood platform where all the bridges converged. A beefy man in an apron ran down the curving tavern steps.

"Jili! You got to do somethin'! The crazy woman is gonna put me outta business!"

"I'll handle it, Snood." Jili turned to Kara. "But first, tell me what you want with me."

Kara explained the fight with the giant robot, along with his phony talisman. "He only mentioned something about amazons, and a forbidden zone. I intend to find it so they can't send an army of those things into my world."

Something about that clearly disturbed Jili. "Wait here. I'll signal for you when it's clear."

Karla came nearer as Jili ascended. "Jili was taken from a floating city in the dark realms as a kid. She's always worried about having evil origins. But the thing is, she had a vision of the world goddess there. It's a mystery. Did the goddess put her there for some purpose? Jili has put off trying to return there for answers she might not want to hear."

"Like she's gonna turn dark!" Skuff grumbled. "She's already dark! That's the secret of her power! But I'll tell ya this—she ain't never killed nobody what didn't have it comin'."

Jili signaled from the top, and the trio trooped up the slatted ramp to enter a darkened corridor that sloped downward. The walls were coated in garish red, peeling wallpaper, and the confines smelled of stale wine and mold. They walked down to the bottom, where a right turn into the tavern awaited.

The scene was comical in its way. Tables and chairs were upended and busted. All the patrons had fled to upper balconies, where they kept up a lively banter. It was great entertainment, since they were beneath notice of the big farm woman behind the bar. Shattered bottles littered the nooks behind her. She wore a plain dress and headwrap. Her skin had a faint bluish hue.

"Outta sight," Karla opined. "Plain outta sight."

The onlookers grew more animated at prospect of a showdown, throwing down taunts and bets.

Jili headed for the only table still upright. "Looks like we're invited."

The big woman slid over the bar and took a seat opposite, waiting.

After her own party was seated, Jili broke the ice. "Only one woman would pull a stunt like this. It's been awhile, Caladra."

Karla whispered to Kara. "Leader of the Red Claws. She led the mission to abduct Jili."

Caladra had a deceptively kittenish voice. "There is still that dark secret between us."

"I know," Jili said. "Don't get your dress in a kink. I know how much Wayacth means to you."

Karla leaned in again. "The queen of Eolca. Her mother died on that mission, which made Caladra the new leader of the Red Claws."

"But we're not here to discuss that, are we?" Jili glanced aside, where Skuff was tossing his knife to stick into the wood ever closer to Caladra's hand.

"Who's she?" Caladra jutted her chin at Kara.

Kara was obliged to repeat her robot story, and her intent to find the source.

When Skuff's knife practically grazed Caladra's hand, she acted. He had neglected the amazon's long legs. Under the table, they hooked his chair and sent him slamming backward to the floor. He rolled a perfect somersault to gales of laughter from above. Then he righted the chair as if nothing had happened.

Jili put a hand over her eyes in vexation. "Skuff . . ."

"I know the place," Caladra said. "Wolf 3-4-7. The most unholy pit in the dark realms. If you intend going there, you'd better have a superior team than the one before."

Karla explained. "Before she was queen, Wayacth led a group there in search of a mystic mace. The team wizardress, called Wicca, tried to assassinate her, and was speared by a floating roamer. After the team withdrew, undead priests brought her back as an undead mage. A very powerful one. She'd be a good candidate, if you can trust her. By the way, her flying staff comes in handy for transport."

"Then it's settled," Kara said. "I want us to link up at Dan's villa in Lunari." To their surprised looks: "Something Dan has that I need to borrow. Then we're off to Wolf."