"Where to, now?" asked Mika, anxious to retrieve the princess and be on their way before the demon changed any more of him.
"Patience, patience," Hornsbuck cautioned with a wide grin.
They rode back to the tavern and found Lotus Blossom, mounted and waiting, with her gear packed efficiently on the back of her black- and white- speckled stallion. To Mika's surprise, Tam sat quietly at the horse's feet, looking almost normal. He wagged his tail happily at the sight of Mika, and his eyes grew bright as Mika approached.
"Ready, I see," rumbled Hornsbuck.
"Aye," replied Lotus Blossom, unable to meet Hornsbuck's gaze, as though she were embarrassed about something. "But there is a matter we needs discuss."
"Well, speak up, little woman," Hornsbuck said expansively. "What is it, some extra trinket you wish to take with us?"
"Nay, you ninny," growled Lotus Blossom, swinging around to glare at Hornsbuck. "And stow that 'little woman' business, or I'll shove your arm down your throat. The problem is bigger than a trinket. The stupid guard forbade me to leave town. I will go as I choose, but I do not wish harm to come to you and the boy, here."
Mika was stung at being called a boy, but not enough to challenge her.
"What did you do to deserve town quarantine?" asked Hornsbuck, seemingly no more than mildly curious.
"Oh, some little complaint about gambling with the caravans," said Lotus Blossom, waving her hand about vaguely. "Nothing of any importance."
"Cheating, no doubt," chuckled Hornsbuck. "Well, my plan will take care of that. Not to worry."
He would answer none of their questions, but bade them follow him. They rode toward the second gate, the one that led direcdy out onto the plains.
The gate had been built no larger than the largest of caravan wagons so as to prevent the entry of unwelcome visitors, as well as enabling it to be guarded by a minimum of two men. It was commonly known as Danger Gate, in reference to more wicked times when caravans had often been forced to race for the city, pursued by all sorts of dangerous armies of monsters and half-human villains. But those days were long past, and a tenuous peace of sorts now existed across the northern hemisphere of Greyhawk.
Hornsbuck led them to the gate, stopping just short of it in a corner of a building passed by the many groups of travelers who left the city each day. Hornsbuck turned his back to the other travelers and thrust his thick hand into the leather pouch that hung from a thong around his neck and contained his most important personal possessions. His eyes twinkled mischievously as he withdrew his hand from the pouch and held up what appeared to be a slender, silver wand smaller than his smallest finger. Mika was even more confused when Hornsbuck climbed down from the saddle, stuffed RedTail's ears with bits of cloth, and told Mika to do the same to Tam. The wolves pawed at their ears, but a gruff snap on their muzzles halted their activities.
Satisfied, Hornsbuck climbed back into the saddle, lifted the silver wand to his lips, and blew into it so hard that his cheeks puffed out like a marmot's cheek pouches stuffed for winter. But strangely, even though Tam and RedTail's ears pricked, Mika heard no sound. None at all.
"What are you doing? What is that thing?" Mika asked, not liking the fact that he did not understand what was happening. Hornsbuck did not reply, but merely lifted the wand and prepared to blow again. Lotus Blossom began to laugh. It was obvious that somehow she understood. Mika sat atop his horse and felt stupid.
Suddenly, something very odd began to happen. All the wolves in the immediate vicinity started to howl. Then they began running in circles, and some sat down and pawed at their ears before sitting up and howling again.
Hornsbuck continued to blow the wand. With belated comprehension, Mika now recognized it as a whistle of the sort used to call in the wolves. Such a whistle was used but seldom-to signal the wolves after they had been loosed on some hapless prey, or at the great convocation of the clans when the wolves were likely to join in one vast pack and set off on a hunt of their own. Yet such whistles were rare, guarded closely by high chiefs who never allowed them to fall into other hands lest they be used irresponsibly. Such as now.
By some trick of his hand, Hornsbuck was directing the sound of the whisde so that it appeared to be coming from the gate itself. The two guards stationed beside the carved doors were totally unprepared for such a happening and didn't know what to do. They were ringed by at least twenty howling wolves whose numbers were increasing with each passing heartbeat.
The guards, staunch Wolf Nomads who had been selected for their important posts by dint of exemplary behavior, were overwhelmed by the sheer number of frantic wolves that answered the imperious, silent call as it continued to ring in their ears, asking, demanding, and finally, commanding their presence.
The owners of the wolves, townsmen and oudand- ers alike, were bewildered by the wolves' behavior, tugging and pulling and importuning the animals from the edges of the seething pack. But the wolves could hear nothing but the whistle and ignored the men who had been their soul companions from birth as though now they were unknown strangers.
Hornsbuck continued to blow the whisde, his fat cheeks turning bright red and the veins at his temples standing out prominently. Mika grinned widely as he realized the beauty of Hornsbuck's plan.
By now, wolves were pouring out doorways, leaping out of windows, cascading out of side streets, and filling the main road from wall to wall. Black wolves and red wolves, brown wolves and gray wolves, tan wolves and white wolves, large wolves and small wolves and every size in between, were all howling and baying madly, all headed in the direction of the gate.
Traffic came to a standstill, and people leaped for the safety of buildings as it quickly became obvious that anyone or anything that stood in the wolves' path was likely to be run down.
The torrent of wolves arrived at the gate, adding their mass to those already clustered around the beleaguered guards. One of the guards, realizing that it would be all too easy to die an ignominious death beneath the blanket of wolves, panicked and did exactly what Hornsbuck had hoped for-he lifted the bar, which had until now remained shut, and opened the gates.
As the river of wolves poured past them, following the elusive whistle, Mika caught sight of the Princess Julia running neck and neck with a large, white, male wolf. Mika signaled to Hornsbuck and Lotus Blossom, and the three of them, accompanied by their own wolves-no doubt the only ones in town able to resist the persistent call-pressed into the thick of the crazed animals and rode out of the city.
Outside the gates, wolves milled in an aimless mass. Some still howled, even though Hornsbuck had ceased blowing the whistle. Others bayed for the sheer enjoyment of it. Still others sat up, and noting that they were outside the gates, free of human constraint, began to look about with interest.
As Mika edged next to the princess and slipped a rawhide thong around her neck, some of the wolves began to run. They started to bay, a deep, wild sound of the hunt. Instantly, all of the other wolves formed into one vast pack and followed their lead. The last Mika saw of them, they were all heading out into the open prairie, every last wolf of Eru-Tovar. Their owners stood watching them go, helpless to stop them. The wolves would return, but only when the frenzy left them and they were good and ready.
Hornsbuck clucked in concern and shook his massive head in pity as they slowly trotted past the dumbfounded nomads. Sternly elbowing the chuckling Lotus Blossom in the ribs, he led his party out onto the prairie.
The princess seemed subdued and followed Mika, head held low without any indication of resistance. Mika noted with interest that the front of her creamy bib was stained with what appeared to be blood. He grinned to himself, more than a litde certain that the blood was not hers; the man who had stolen her would think twice before daring such a deed again.
The day passed without incident. They rode due east until the sun at their backs burned red, an enormous globe at the edge of the horizon, tinting the entire sky a soft, glowing pink. Flocks of rooks tumbled and cawed in the twilight as they made their way toward their nightly roost. Swallows and tiny bats appeared, wheeling and spiraling as they dined on airborne insects. And the wind blew cool and steady from the north, carrying with it the faint scent of pine as the party stopped for the evening and made camp.
"We'll be back in the forest in two, maybe three, days, if the gods be with us," said Mika, wondering when Hornsbuck was going to turn north.
"Appease the gods, but put your faith in man," said Hornsbuck as he built a small circle of rocks and filled it with lumps of charcoal taken from one of his vast packs.
"Who said that?" asked Mika, not recognizing the saying.
"I did," said Hornsbuck. "Just now. Now stop your blathering, and go see if you can find us something to eat."
"But we have supplies," protested Mika, gesturing toward Lotus Blossom, who had just taken a strip of dried meat out of her pouch and was gnawing on it with her big, white teeth.
"A wise man lives off the land and saves his supplies for when he really needs them," Hornsbuck said, glowering at Mika, his back to Lotus Blossom.
"All right, all right," said Mika, holding up his hands and backing off. Taking his bow and arrows from the back of his roan, he whisded for Tam, who had traveled all day without complaint, and walked out onto the darkening plain.
The night closed around them as soon as they left the circle of the tiny fire. Mika stood for a moment and let his eyes adjust. Tam lifted his muzzle and inhaled deeply, allowing the cool, night air to linger on his tongue and nostrils, divining the messages that u carried. He turned briefly and gave Mika a look that said "follow," and then he was off.
Mika trotted effortlessly in Tarn's footsteps, the wolf always within sight, his tail held high and curved above his back. Tam followed the thread of scent on the air for a time and then put his nose to the ground. Snuffling loudly, he followed the invisible trail.
Must be a stag, thought Mika, who had seen no game that day other than a herd of antelope too far distant to chase, and numerous rabbits who were careful to stay out of bow range. His mouth watered at the thought of fresh meat sizzling over the fire.
Then he heard it, a soft call, endearing and yet plaintive, sweet and utterly melancholy. It was impossible to resist. Mika could not imagine what had made the sound; he had never heard anything like it in his life. He turned in the direction from which it had come, toward the stream.
Tam stood in his path, blocking the way and growling. His ears were pasted flat against his head, and his dewlaps were raised, exposing black gums. His incisors gleamed bright in the darkness, and his eyes were mere slits of reflective black light.
Mika took note of Tarn's actions, and at any other time he would have been warned, fearful of some imminent danger. But somehow it didn't matter this time-the seductive beckoning drew him on. He was powerless to resist. Tam blocked his way, but Mika rebuked him sharply and pushed past him.
Before him, on the edge of the stream, stood an immense dead tree. Perched on one of the lower branches was a dark figure, its features impossible to determine in the dim light.
The thing uttered its mournful cry again. Mika put one foot in front of the other until he stood at the base of the tree. Tam barked and barked again, warning Mika, yet Mika paid him no heed.
Mika looked up into the branches of the tree. A foul stench filled his nostrils, and his bemused eyes saw a large figure squatting above him. The creature clung to the branch with four long, wicked talons. Its lower half was feathered, but its upper torso had the form of a woman. The creature's eyes gleamed down at Mika, filled with hatred and black, demonic evil.
A harpy! Mika's mind struggled to free itself from the hypnotic grip of the horrible creature, knowing that harpies lured men in with their song and then killed them, feasting on the flesh and feeding it to their young. Mika knew that he must fight or die, but the harpy sang on and he stood transfixed, unable to break the spell.
The harpy opened her broad wings and jumped down to the lowest branch, which swayed beneath her weight. The putrid smell of decayed carrion washed over Mika, gagging him, but still he did not move. The harpy leaned forward, her two human arms reaching for him, her milk-gorged, pendulous breasts swaying in front of his face.
Spitde drooled from the harpy's mouth, and her brittle, black hair stood up around her head in an awful aura, framing the hideous face and the long, sharp teeth that would soon be feasting on his flesh.
Mika stared upward, his fog-filled mind taking in each dreadful feature. Tam gave up barking; seizing the end of Mika's cloak in his teeth, the wolf pulled backward. But Mika was unmoving, and the cloak came free. Tam tumbled backward, caught in its folds.
The harpy's fingers caressed Mika's face as she crooned her sad song. Even in his bemusement, Mika noticed that the harpy's cheeks were stained with tears and he realized that her grief-stricken song had not been for his benefit. But accident or not, it would not prevent him from being killed.
Mika was wondering if she would rip his face off or just throttle him, when suddenly, a great force slammed against the back of his knees and he plunged forward, striking his head on the tree.
"Great Mother!" he cursed as his head banged painfully into the dense wood. He covered his ears, shutting out the din that broke out beside him. He turned and saw the princess standing next to Tam, her blue and green eyes glittering in the dim light. Both of them were barking shrilly and flinging their front paws against the tree trunk as though they meant to climb it.
Mika looked up and saw the harpy. The life- threatening danger of his situation truly sank in for the first time; he quickly ripped off an edge of his tunic and stuffed it in his ears, preventing himself from hearing the hypnotic song. He glanced at the princess. She had saved him, and he wondered why.
He drew his sword, thinking to kill the harpy before she could attack. To his great surprise, she made no attempt to do so, but merely sat looking down at him with empty eyes, her arms hanging limp at her sides. Tears streamed down her cheeks and dripped slowly onto her swollen breasts.
Mika cocked his head to one side, wondering if this was some trick. But the harpy made no move, as though she did not care about her fate. Grief seemed to emanate from her in waves.
Almost without meaning to, Mika performed a mind-melding spell, adding a charm spell for good measure, and he merged his subconscious with the harpy, whom he knew could speak no language other than her own.
There was the familiar dizziness, and then his mind was filled with grief, a heavy, overwhelming sense of sadness and loss such as he had experienced upon the death of his family. He all but staggered beneath the weight of it.
What had caused this terrible feeling? he wondered… and then he knew. A picture formed in his mind's eye of a small, prickly creature, scarcely more than an infant, its feathers barely beginning to emerge. Naked and helpless. Warm waves of love bathed his mind and washed over the mental picture of the small one. But they were abruptly replaced by an aching sense of loss and desolation.
Mika saw an empty aerie, broken eggshells, and a trampled nest. He felt rage rise in his breast and hatred choke his breathing. He had the vague remembrance of a long, futile search which led to the emptiness and depression that now filled the harpy's mind.
Mika sensed that death was near and felt that the harpy welcomed it. With a shock, he realized that he had been chosen to end her pain.
Almost unbidden, another picture flashed into his mind of a small, almost featherless creature, though this one was in a cage in the marketplace of Eru- Tovar. A lightning bolt seared his mind, and conflicting emotions-rage, hope, hatred, joy, and a mindless desire to kill-beat back and forth in his skull. Mika put his hands to his head to still the rampaging thoughts. He staggered back, buffeted by powerful winds, and then slowly his mind cleared.
The wolves still clamored at his side, barking at the dark sky, almost ravening with frustration. Mika looked into the tree. The harpy was gone. He spotted her in the sky, her powerful wings bearing her to Eru- Tovar. He thought about the animal seller briefly, then erased the man from his mind, knowing without the slightest feeling of guilt, that he would soon be dead.
Harpies were universally hated and despised. Never had he heard a good word spoken in their behalf, but even now, as he trudged back to camp empty- handed, he found no need to apologize for his actions. The harpy's grief had touched him deeply, and he entertained the thought briefly that perhaps the harpy had as much right to life as he did. Mika glanced around him as though fearing that somehow, someone might have heard the thought. Seeing only Tam and the princess, he realized that he owed Julia his life.
More than a little uncomfortable, he dropped to one knee before her. "Thanks," he said in a low voice. She stared at him for a brief moment, her green and blue eyes glittering coldly, and then she strode past him, leaving him kneeling on the ground, feeling foolish. Cursing her, he rose and strode angrily back to camp.
"What luck?" asked Hornsbuck as Mika entered camp.
"None," said Mika, carefully putting his bow and arrows away, his gaze fixed on three stakes of skew- ercd meat that were browning at the edge of the embers. "Nothing at all."
"No matter," grunted Hornsbuck. "Lotus Blossom shot two rabbits down at the stream when we went for water, and I flushed a partridge on my way back to camp. They'll be ready soon."
They shared the meat with the wolves as well as the flat disks of tough bread that Hornsbuck had laid out to bake on rocks scattered in the embers. Hornsbuck, Lotus Blossom, and Mika each drank a mug of hot honeyed-ale. Grunting good night, Hornsbuck and Lotus Blossom rolled themselves into Hornsbuck's voluminous cloak and fell asleep instantly, their whis- ding, groaning snores enough to bring a bear out of hibernation.
Mika carried his own bedroll away from camp, out of the immediate range of the snoring cacaphony, and then wrapping himself in his own cloak, he lay down on the cold, hard ground.
Tam circled several times and curled up at Mika's feet. The princess waited a few moments, as though deciding what to do, the rawhide thong dangling from her neck; she circled as well, finally settling apart from both Mika and Tam.
Mika stared up at the dark sky, arms locked beneath his head, searching out each of the bright pin-pricks of white light and wondering what mysteries they concealed.
He thought about his life and those he had loved. He thought about his strange encounter with the harpy, remembering her pain, wondering if all creatures shared the same emotions as humans.
He had always imagined humans to be the only truly feeling creatures on Oerth, but his limited experiments-polymorphing himself into a wolf and mind-melding with the harpy-had shaken that belief. What if it were true that all creatures were capable of such feelings? The mere thought was boggling. It would mean that humans had no clear rights of superiority or existence, no real right to subjugate everything else beneath their will. Mika's mind reeled, then steadied.
"It must be the drink," he said aloud, reassuring himself. Dismissing the bizarre thoughts from his mind, he shrugged deeper into the cloak, turned over, and was soon asleep.
The princess watched the sleeping human a little longer, her own thoughts a muddle of conflicting emotions. Why had she not allowed the harpy to kill the man whose death she sought? Unwilling to acknowledge the tiny flicker of liking for Mika that had begun to creep unbidden into her mind, she told herself that he would die, but at a time and in a manner of her own choosing-and only after he had returned her to her human form. After a time, Princess Julia closed her eyes and slept as well.