Mika's heart sank in his breast like a stone through water. Even without understanding the full import of Nyr's words, he knew that he was in trouble.
"A man must use only the red stone," said Nyr, drawing the courage to finish the tale. "He may use the blue stone as well, but only if he possesses the red and uses them at the same time. Used separately, they are powerful, used together, they are all but invincible."
"What… what happens if a man uses a blue stone by itself?" asked Mika, his mouth almost too dry to form the words.
"Each time he uses it, he becomes more and more female," Nyr said softly.
Mika gulped, remembering how drawn he had been to the cloth in the marketplace; he glanced down at his new finery in horror. "Can the damage be undone?" he asked gruffly, almost afraid to hear the answer.
"Yes," said Nyr. "But it would take a red stone to do it. and such a stone would be difficult to acquire."
"Why so?" asked Mika, determined to have the stone no matter what the cost.
"Because the stones are few in number, coming as they do from the princess's own island, which is small and easy to guard. Such stones are not sold or traded on the open market like other gems."
"No," said Mika in a low tone. "But how is it that you know so much about the stones?" he asked, suddenly suspicious.
"I am a sailor," said Nyr. "I have spent my life upon the water and have heard tales of every ocean and sea.
"I saw one such fellow who was unlucky enough to have successfully stolen a blue stone. Though most womanlike, he was cursed with a male appearance, still sporting a huge beard and mustache. He was quite ugly." Nyr shuddered at the memory.
"He had tried without success to purchase a red stone… Last I heard, he, uh, she, had fallen in love and married a pirate."
"Why did he not simply throw the thing away?" asked Mika, already knowing the answer.
"The stones seem to call to the soul," said Nyr, "much like the song of a siren as she lures sailors to their deaths. You yourself have said that you could not give yours up."
Mika nodded, for he knew that it was true.
"Come, laddie, 'tis not the end of the world," said Nyr in a kindly voice. "I'm sure you' 11 think of something. Here, let me buy a new skin. Maybe it will help us think!" And holding up two coins, he summoned the serving boy and they set about their drinking in earnest.
Mika drank so much that night that Jayne's actually began to look good to him. The customers no longer seemed boorish slobs, unfit to groom his wolf. No! Indeed, he thought them to be boon companions, one and all. Fine, intelligent fellows with marvelous gifts for humor and storytelling. In fact, everything each said seemed as though it should be carved in stone for the world to read and admire. He himself was equally witty and amusing and uttered many wise thoughts. The more he drank, the more he thought so.
RedTail agreed with him; that was easy to see by the way the wolf looked at Mika with his marvelous amber eyes. As RedTail's reward for being such an astute judge of character, Mika shared his ale with the wolf, drink for drink. At length, however, RedTail ceased agreeing with Mika. In fact, he ceased agreeing with anyone, for his eyes were closed and his nose was stuck in his cup, wolven snores echoing and rumbling out of the tumbler.
Tam still snored beneath Mika's chair and, as far as Mika could tell through bleary eyes, the lump atop his head had shrunk still further.
Princess Julia, however, still sat a few paces away, staring at Mika with a malicious gleam in her eye as though delighted that he had learned the horrible truth about the gem. Mika's lip lifted in a snarl of his own. and he and the female wolf glared at each other with hatred.
Periodically throughout the long night the ceiling had rumbled and thundered and, at every occasion, the inhabitants of the bar had lifted their cups and cheered. Well into the evening, the walls began to shake and even the floor boards began to bounce, causing tables and chairs to dance across the floor, spilling food and brew.
As patrons clutched their cups and covered their heads against the rain of dust, there was a tremendous bellow that rang through the building.
It was at this moment that a fat merchant dressed in multi-colored silks wobbled over and sat down at Mika's table.
"Fine wolf you have there!" he said as he stared at the princess.
Mika nodded glumly. "Yeah, terrific wolf," he echoed.
"I could use such a wolf," said the merchant, taking care not to stain his silk cuffs in the pools of spilled wine.
"Then go out and get one," said Mika, trying to picture the smarmy fellow squeezing himself down a wolf run into the den. He snickered at the thought.
"There are other ways," said the merchant. "Allow me," he said as he poured Mika a cup of wine from a flask which he drew from a finely tooled leather pouch.
Mika, who was reaching the bottom of his wineskin as well as his coins, had no objections. He downed the wine in one gulp, noticing vaguely that it tasted rather strange and left a bitter taste on the back of his tongue. Just as he started to say something, he felt his head grow numb.
The paralysis crept downward at a rapid rate. As he crumpled forward onto the table, he realized that he had been drugged and wondered if he were going to die. Gripped completely by the paralysis, he could do nothing as he watched the merchant reach down and untie the princess's leash and drag her away. The last thing he heard as his eyes closed were the sounds of snarling and snapping and an enraged curse. Then there was nothing but darkness.
CHAPTER 8
Daylight was attempting to make an indentation on the shadows of the place when Mika felt the earth move. He clutched the table and hung on for dear life. The world shook again, harder this time, rocking his chair from side to side.
"Run, Tam, save yourself!" he hollered as he gripped the edges of the table and closed his eyes more tightly.
"MIKA!" roared the loudest voice in the world. And then Mika knew that he had died and had been called forjudging by the Great She-Wolf, mother of them all.
"I always tried to be good," he whined. "I didn't do half the things I was blamed for."
"Right," grumbled the voice. "You did more than half, but they couldn't prove the rest."
"Hornsbuck?" Mika said querulously as he turned his head painfully and tried to open his eyes.
"Who did you expect, the Great She-Wolf?" Hornsbuck asked sarcastically.
Mika opened his eyes blearily and saw Hornsbuck standing before him, larger than life and seemingly in full control of his senses. Lotus Blossom hung coyly behind him a few paces.
"Hornsbuck!" Mika cried joyously, more glad than he would have thought possible at seeing his old friend restored to vigor.
"You're repeating yourself, boy," said Hornsbuck as he thumped Mika on the back. "Looks like you've had yourself quite a night. Well, so've I. Methinks we could do with a little something to put in our bellies, then you can fill me in on what's been happening." Hornsbuck turned and put his arm around Lotus Blossom's ample waist, hollered for the servant, and then sat down at the table with the basket.
Mika ordered two rabbits and a marmot, as well as a skin of honeyed-ale, Hornsbuck's favorite, thinking that it would be more than ample as a morning snack. But Hornsbuck had other ideas and requested a whole haunch of ox as well.
"How about a test of strength before we eat?" he said to the woman, a smile of some pleasant remembrances playing about his lips. But even though he smiled, Mika could tell that he was of serious intent; his heart trembled at the thought.
"Oh, Hornsbuck," Lotus Blossom said, her own lips curling with laughter. "I don't think so. It makes me feel bad when I beat you, and you know how you hate it."
"I been practicing since I saw you last," Hornsbuck said with a grin as he flexed a massive bicep. "You won't beat me again."