"So much for the witnesses," my mentor grinned, winking at me.
"Where'd they all go?" I asked, craning my neck to look around.
"Home, of course," Aahz smirked. "No one likes the draft-particularly when it affects them personally."
I wet my finger and tested the breeze. "There's not that much wind today," I announced suspiciously.
For some reason, this statement seemed to annoy my mentor. He rolled his eyes and started to say something, then changed his mind.
"Look, let's just grab the Trophy, okay?" he snarled. "That ‘South wall' bit won't fool the Army forever, and I for one don't want to be here when they get back."
For once, we were in total agreement.
"Okay, Aahz," I nodded. "How do we get it out of the city?"
"That's easy," he waved. "Remember, I'm not exactly a weakling."
With that, he strode over to the Trophy and simply picked it up and tucked it under his arm, balancing it casually on his hip.
"But, Aahz ..." I began.
"I know what you're going to say," he admonished, holding up a hand, "and you're right. It would be easier to steal a cart. What you're overlooking is that a cart is personal property, while the Trophy belongs to the whole city."
"But, Aahz..."
"That means," he continued hastily, "that everyone assumes someone else is watching the Trophy, so we can walk away with it. If we stole a cart, the owner would spot it in a minute and raise the alarm. Now, having successfully liberated the Trophy, it would be really dumb to get arrested for stealing a cart, wouldn't it?"
"I didn't mean how are we going to move it!" I blurted. "I meant how are we going to get it past the guards at the North gate?"
"What's that?" Aahz frowned.
"They aren't going to let us just walk past them carrying that Trophy, and I can't disguise it. It's a metal!"
"Hmmm... you're right, kid," my mentor nodded thoughtfully. "Well, maybe we can... oh, swell!"
"What is it?" I asked fearfully.
"The soldiers are coming back," he announced, cocking his head to listen. Aahz has exceptionally sharp hearing. "Oh, well, we're just going to have to do this the fast way. Break out the D-Hopper."
"The what? "I blinked.
"The D-Hopper!" he insisted. "We'll just take this back to Klah with us."
I hurriedly fumbled the D-Hopper out of my pouch and passed it to Aahz for setting.
"What about Tanda?"
"We'll use this gizmo to bring the Trophy back later and spring her," Aahz mumbled. "I hadn't figured on using this just now. There's always a possibility that... oh, well. Hang on, kid. Here we go."
I crowded close to him and waited as he hit the button to activate the Hopper.
Nothing happened!
Chapter Fifteen:
"-Or was it unlock the safe then swim to the surface?"
-H. HOUDINI
"NOTHING happened."
"I know it," Aahz groaned, glaring at the DHopper. "That's the trouble with relying on mechanical gadgets. The minute you rely on them, they let you down."
"What's wrong?" I pressed.
"The damn thing needs recharging," Aahz spat. "And there's no way we can do it before the Army gets here."
"Then let's hide until..."
"Hide where?" my mentor snapped. "Do you want to ask one of the citizens to hide us? They might have a few questions about the Trophy we're lugging along."
"Okay, you suggest something!" I snarled.
"I'm working on it," Aahz growled, looking around. "What we need is... there!"
Before I could ask what he was doing, he strode into a nearby shop, tugged an animal skin off the wall, and began wrapping^ around the Trophy.
"Terrific," I observed dryly. "Now we have a furry Trophy. I don't think it will fool the guards."
"It will, once you disguise it," Aahz grinned.
"I told you, I can't," I insisted. "It's a metal!" "Not the Trophy, dummy!" he snapped. "The skin. Get to work! Change it to anything. No... make it a wounded soldier!"
I wasn't sure it would work, but I closed my eyes and gave it a try. One wounded soldier-complete with a torn, bloodstained uniform and trailing feet.
"Not bad, kid," Aahz nodded, sticking the bundle under his arm.
As usual, I couldn't see the effects of my work. When I looked, I didn't see an officer of the guard with a wounded comrade under his arm. I saw Aahz holding a suspiciously lumpy package.
"Are you sure it's okay?" I asked doubtfully.
"Sure," Aahz nodded. "Just... oops! Here they come. Leave everything to me."
That had a suspiciously familiar ring to it, but I didn't have many other options at the moment. The soldiers were in sight now, thundering down on us with grim scowls set fiercely on their faces.
"That way! Quick! They're getting away."
Aahz's bellow nearly startled me out of my skin, but I held my ground. I'm almost used to his unexpected gambits-almost.
"After them!" Aahz repeated. "Charlie's hit!"
"Who's Charlie?" I frowned.
"Shut up, kid," my mentor hissed, favoring me with a glare before returning his attention to the soldiers.
They had slowed their headlong dash and were looking down the side streets as they came, but they hadn't changed course. The only fortunate thing was that the officer Aahz was impersonating was nowhere in sight.
"Don't you understand?" Aahz shouted. "They've got the Trophy! That way!"
That did it. With a roar of animal rage, the soldiers wheeled and started off in the direction Aahz had indicated.
"Boy," I murmured in genuine admiration. "I wouldn't want to be holding that Trophy when they caught up with me."
"It could be decidedly unpleasant," Aahz agreed. "So if you don't mind, could we be on our way? Hmmm?"
"Oh! Right, Aahz."
He was already on his way, eating up great hunks of distance with his strong, hurried stride. As I hastened to keep up with him, I resolved not to ask about his plans for getting past the guards at the North gate. I was only annoying him with my constant questions, and besides, the answers only unsettled me.
As we drew nearer to the gate, however, my nervousness grew stronger and my resolve weaker.
"Ummm ... do you want me to change the disguise on the Trophy?" I asked tentatively.
"No," came the brusque reply. "But you could mess us up a little."
"Mess us up? "I blinked.
"A little dirt and blood on the uniforms," Aahz clarified. "Enough to make it look like we've been in a fight."
I wasn't sure what he had up his sleeve, but I hastened to adjust our disguises. That isn't as easy as it sounds, incidentally. Try closing your eyes and imagining dirty uniforms in detail while walking down a strange street at a near-trot. Fortunately, my life with Aahz had trained me to work under desperate conditions, so I completed my task just as we were coming up on the gate.
As a tribute to my handiwork, the guard didn't even bother to address us directly. He simply gaped at us for a moment, then started hollering for the Officer of the Guard. By the time that member appeared, we were close enough to count his teeth as his jaw dropped.
"What's going on here?" he demanded finally, recovering his composure.
"Fighting in the streets," Aahz gasped in a realistic imitation of a weary warrior. "They need your help. We're your relief."
"Our relief!" the officer frowned. "But that man's unconscious and you look like... fighting, did you say?"
"We're fit enough for gate duty," Aahz insisted, weakly pulling himself erect. "Anything to free a few more able-bodied men for the fighting."