Chapter 3

Finally, 'Lyssa led her friends out into the magnificent garden out in back.

There was a marble fountain with tables and benches.

"We shall dine out here by the fountain." 'Lyssa told Asshann. "And for the foreseeable future, all meals are to be suitable for human consumption."

"Very good Milady." Said Asshann as she vanished once again.

The foursome sat down at one of the marble tables, relaxing and enjoying the scented breezes.

A man in butlers uniform materialized next to the table. "Your pardon Milady. There is a visitor at the front door. He insists on speaking to you personally."

"Bring him around back here." 'Lyssa instructed him. "But do not bring him through the house." The butler vanished.

The butler reappeared moments later, leading a robed and cowled figure around the side of the mansion.

"I am instructed to pass on to you a summons." The being said. "You are to appear at the Dark Lord's main hall at sundown. Your companions must accompany you." The visitor dissolved into a noxious cloud of smoke that rapidly dissipated.

David looked at 'Lyssa questioningly.

'Lyssa was pale and looked sick.

Prissy looked ready to faint.

Jenny looked mostly curious.

"I am afraid Beloved." 'Lyssa said to David. "I cannot protect you, and I fear that you cannot protect yourself or any of the rest of us either."

"I shoulda took the last bus to Jersey." Said Prissy with a grimace. "We're in deep shit now."

"What do we do now?" Asked Jenny in a small voice.

"Well toots," replied Prissy. "We're gonna get dead. Quick if we're lucky. Slow and painful if we ain't so lucky."

"Don't be too sure." David told the ladies. "We ain't dead yet, and I aim to make someone work at it to make me that way."

Asshann appeared with the serving staff to start the meal.

"Eat up," said David. "We'll need the energy."

'Lyssa and Prissy picked at their food while David and Jenny devoured their helpings. "You should eat, Cause I know how to spend the time until sundown."

Prissy managed a small smile at David's attempt to cheer them up. But she and 'Lyssa did start eating in earnest.

The four were all dressed with a good half hour left to go before the deadline. The morale was greatly improved among the companions, and David was preparing a few surprises for this Dark Lord, whomever the Hell he was.

As the sun touched the horizon, they suddenly found themselves in a huge open room.

David looked around at the barbaric splendor around them.

Looks like something Vallejo or Frazetta would dream up on a peyote trip. David thought to himself.

'Lyssa, Prissy, and Jenny clustered together behind David. They were all three shivering and beyond much rational thought.

There was a flash of light and a thunderclap.

A gigantic figure stood there towering over them.

'Lyssa and Prissy fell to their knees. Jenny knelt with them.

David stood his ground and looked up at the Beast.

30 feet tall, with horns like a Texas steer, cloven hooves for feet, bright red leathery skin, and a wolf's face.

The beast also had a tremendous hard on.

"You have slain my vassals, disrupted my realm, and caused me no end of trouble," roared the Beast. "And you shall pay for your impertinence."

"Get bent." Said David. He waved his hand toward the girls and they vanished. The beast didn't notice, he was too busy watching David change shape.

In an instant, David towered over the beast, twice as ugly and with breath 3 times as bad. The Dark Lord screamed his rage and threw himself at David.

David met his rush with a spinning heel kick to the Beast's muzzle.

The Dark Lord picked himself up and wiped blood from his lips. "You are DEAD you fool!" He screamed at David.

David responded my directing a blast of pure ravening energy into the chest of the Beast. With his skin smoking, but otherwise uninjured, the Beast responded with a blast of his own, vomiting fire to engulf David's form to no effect.

David grasped the Dark Lord" s throat with both hands, and felt the Beast return the grip. Both fighters poured mage bolts fueled by raw hatred at the same instant.

Space and time itself ruptured under the onslaught of the titanic magical energies, dropping both combatants through a sudden hole in reality.

Neither could maintain their grip on the other as they spun away through shifting planes of existence.

David came to rest in his own form on a pile of rocks lying near a cliff face.

There was no sign of the beast.

~The ladies adventure~

The three terrified girls dropped about a foot as they materialized in a place that 'Lyssa and Prissy had visited before.

David's living room.

"Where's David?" cried 'Lyssa.

"I dunno," said Prissy, "Last thing I saw was the two of them tryin' to out ugly each other.

"We've got to get back there! My Beloved needs us!" 'Lyssa shrieked.
CRACK!! Prissy slapped the hysterical succubus.

"David sent us here so that we would be out of the way and he could concentrate on the fight. Prissy explained. "Do ya really want to pop back in there and distract him while he's in a life and death fight?" 1Lyssa's shoulders slumped and she sat down hard on the couch.

Jenny and Prissy sat beside her and held 'Lyssa as she wept.

Neither 'Lyssa or Prissy could shift between worlds at the moment anyway. They never considered Jenny, and she wasn't about to volunteer any information. Her job was to observe and be patient.

~Somewhere else~

The Dark Lord came to rest in a realm not unlike the one David found himself in. With a few major differences. As it turned to get its bearings, it came face to face with a creature even more fearsome

than itself.

The jaws of the monster closed on the Dark Lord before he had a chance to scream, much less defend himself.

Thus passed the most feared being of a thousand Realms. From Supreme Being to Snack Food in one fell swoop.

Who says the god's don't like their little jokes?

~David's trek~

David sat up with a whale of a headache. He shook his head carefully to clear his vision. It didn't help much and hurt abominably. Not a great idea.

David climbed painfully to his feet and looked around. Trees and that damn cliff.

David squinted at the face of the cliff, there seemed to be caves in the stone wall.

In David's experience, things tended to lair in caves, bears, other hungry critters, and at least on 'Lyssa's realm, the cave dwellers that were probably the most powerful beings in the realm.

Best to leave the caves for later.

David heard the sound of running water somewhere on the other side of the trees.

Wellaway, that would be the first order of business. Getting a drink.

David started off along a trail that lead away from the cliff toward the sound of the water. David kept a wary eye out for critters, people, and other dangers as he walked down the path. Moving silently wasn't much of a problem. David was barefoot to the chin. Wherever he was, his clothes hadn't made the trip with him.

David stopped and thought for a moment

Did his powers work here?

David concentrated, picturing a set of jungle fatigues and boots in his size. Then he made the mental push needed to draw the items to him.

In another universe, a quartermaster was going to be mighty pissed about the missing uniform and boots that vanished from his warehouse without a trace. With a puff of displaced air, the clothes dropped to the ground at his feet with a soft thud.

David dressed himself in the fatigues and felt better. He knew it was purely psychological, but a man always feels more confident without his family jewels hanging out in the breeze.

David continued on to the water that he could now glimpse through the trees. David had a thought. The point where the trail reached the water would be an ideal place for an ambush by a predator or a hunter. So it behooved him to take appropriate measures. David left the trail and ghosted through the trees to a point a few hundred feet upstream of the trail. The running water turned out to be a crystal clear brook running over a bed of fist-sized stones. The brook was about a foot and a half deep, and about 5 or 6 paces across at that point. David eased through the tall grass and reeds on his belly, keeping out of sight as he reached the waters edge and took a sip. The water tasted sweet and pure. David waited a few minutes without feeling any ill effects.

So he took a longer, much more satisfying drink.
David eased back into the trees, still moving low and slow until he was screened by some bushes.

Time to turn to other things.

David concentrated on his gun belt and his .45's. He remembered the weight and feel of the guns and the gun belt around his waist complete with ammo pouches for the .45's and the Barret .50. Again the mental push, and the gun belt and guns disappeared from 'Lyssa's parlor and dropped into his lap.

David then concentrated on the feel and sight of his much loved Barret .50. A much stronger mental push, and the big .50 rifle dropped into his outstretched hands.

David worked the bolt on the Barret as quietly as possible.

Yup. One in the chamber.

David flicked on the safety and dropped out the magazine. It was full. David slipped it back into place and gave it a tap to ensure it was seated properly.

David laid the Barret on the ground carefully and drew the .45's one at a time and checked their loads. Both fully loaded and condition one, cocked and locked. Just as he had left them.

Time to see about finding what passed for civilization here, if any, and find out where the hell he was.

David slung the rifle where it could be brought into action in an instant if need be. He started back to the trail and headed downhill. After all, the trail had to lead some damn place.

David came around a bend in the trail and came face to face with a dragon.

~David's place~

Prissy and Jenny helped 'Lyssa upstairs to one of the bedrooms and got her onto the bed. Jenny sat with her to keep her company, stroking 'Lyssa's hair and comforting her. Prissy went down}stairs again. Time to see what food was available.

Prissy realized that she was at a disadvantage. The last time she had been in this realm for any period of time had been 10 years before. And to be frank, she had been more interested in parties than in studying the world around her. It is to her credit that she realized the limits of her knowledge.

Prissy did know all about phones and phonebooks though. She found David's copy of the Yellow Pages and phoned out for a pizza. When they had been here before, David had shown them where he kept his cache of ready money, and she read the address of some letters on the kitchen table.

The Stove and the other arcane appliances could wait until they could experiment later.

She did know about the refrigerator though, and found the beer and sodas inside.

When the delivery girl came by with the pizzas, Prissy paid her with some of David' s money and tipped her a $5 bill. The delivery girl made a note of the address. For tips like that, she would bring any future orders herself, and to hell with that snooty manager.

Prissy called the other two down to eat.

'Lyssa was much more composed. Jenny had brushed her hair as well and brushing 'Lyssa's long hair. She was calm and serene. Jenny had faith in David's ability to find his way to them.

'Lyssa was nowhere near as calm inside as she was outwardly. But she had herself under control again. And she vowed to herself that she would not make her beloved David ashamed of her by acting like a panicked child.

The three girls had just sat down to eat when there was a knock at the door.

Jenny got out of the way while 'Lyssa shifted to battle form and moved so that she would be behind the door when it opened. Prissy looked at 'Lyssa and nodded, then opened the door.

"Hello, I am Paul Black Eagle. Is David Porter home?" asked the elderly Indian on the doorstep.

~Talking to Dragons~

The dragon had wings, long sharp claws, teeth that would make a tyrannosaur envious, and a long barbed tail.

This seemed reasonable.

The dragon was about the size of a small pony.

This was less reasonable.

That the dragon would turn and run screaming in a high pitched voice as soon as it spotted him did not seem reasonable to David at all.

Nor did the fact that he could understand the dragon quite well as it scrambled back down the trail. "Mommy! Mommy! HELP!! A Monster is after me!" The little dragon was shrieking as it fled.

Oh great, David thought. It's just a baby, and now I am gonna have to deal with Mommy dragon in a moment. And she ain't gonna be happy.

David stepped to the side of the trail and put his back against a sturdy tree. He flicked off the safety of the Barret, but he hoped he would not have to use it.

Since he could understand the dragon, presumably, it could understand him.

Talking beat shooting any day of the week.

Sure enough, around the bend came a larger dragon, this one about the size of a Clydesdale horse.

David spoke first before the Mommy dragon could open hostilities. "Hold it Milady. I am merely lost and seeking my way home. I mean harm to no one. I apologize to you and your child if I caused any fright or trouble."

The mother dragon looked down her fearsome nose at David. "Well well, a monster that speaks calmly and respectfully. Who are you? And how did you get here?"

"I am David Porter." Replied David. "And as to how I got here, I am not sure. That is what I hope you might be able to help me figure out."

"And why should I help you at all?" Asked the mother dragon reasonably.

"So that I may be out of your domain as soon as possible. I wish only to return to my friends and my beloved."

David saw the little dragon peeking out from behind its mother. He dropped to one knee and laid the rifle down on the ground. "I am sorry if I scared you little one." David spoke to the little dragon. "I meant no harm, and you scared me quite as much as I frightened you!"

"Really?" asked the little dragon. "Gee. I never thought of that."

The little dragon came out from behind its mother and approached David.

David held himself perfectly still, well aware of the watchful gaze of the mother dragon. And her mouthful of sharp teeth that were only a chomp away from his one and only neck.

The little dragon sniffed at David and nuzzled his chest and face. David slowly reached up and scratched gently right behind the fan like ear of the juvenile dragon. The dragon child sighed with pleasure and leaned into the caress like an overgrown kitten.

David sensed the mother dragon relaxing slightly.

"Well, you DO know how to speak with proper respect." Said the mother dragon. "Come with us and I will try to help you in your quest."

"My thanks milady." Said David. He straightened up and picked up the Barret. The mother dragon walked on his left, and the little dragon frisked along on his other side.

The little dragon was full of questions, and David answered them as gravely as if an adult had asked them.

As they approached the edge of the forest, there came a war cry from in front and the sides. A number of spear carrying figures came bounding out of the tall grass on either side of the path. The little dragon screamed and cowered behind David as he whipped up the Barret and leveled it at waist height.

Superficially the attackers appeared to be somewhat human, but that did not deter David from pulling the trigger and blowing a very large hole in the closest spear wielder.

Pivoting from right to left, David fired over and over. Each time his rifle roared, one of the attackers went down in a heap.

David whipped the rifle up and around to block a thrown spear that would have hit the mother dragon. David let go of the Barret and let it hang from the sling as he drew his .45's.

The point of the spear he had blocked was made of a bronze colored metal, and it was coated with an unpleasantly oily looking substance. He couldn't say for sure, but it was a safe bet that the oily gleam was some kind of poison.

David fired his pistols again and again, each shot dropping an attacker until suddenly, they were all down and dead. Or at least not moving.

David reloaded the .45's and then the Barret. He walked cautiously over to the fallen enemy. Most of them were very messily dead. The few that showed any signs of life, David finished off with a single shot to the head.

Better not to leave any to come after them later.

The little dragon scooted over to David as soon as he returned. The mother dragon was unhurt, but shaken. "We thank you for your aid David Porter." She said. "You did not have to defend us. They would not have harmed you."

"Those who would harm my friends or my companions make themselves my enemies." David told her. "Besides, I could not allow harm to come to the little one or yourself. You have proven yourselves to be honorable beings. They have not."

The mother dragon nodded. David scratched behind the ears of the still scared little dragon at it pressed against his side.

"May I know your names?" David asked.

"My pardon, I have been remiss." Said the mother dragon. "I am Garace. And this is my hatchling daughter, Staffet."

"I like him mommy." Said Staffet.

"I like you too." Said David as he caressed the youngster's head knobs and neck ridges.

~A Visitor~

"David ain't here right now." Prissy told the old Indian. "But I can take a message for you."

The old man chuckled. "I see that David has added to his collection of otherworldly women." Prissy grabbed the old man by the front of his shirt and dragged him inside, slamming the door after him.

"Alright. Speak. What do you know and where the hell is David?" Prissy demanded. The old man looked around. "I am one of David's friends. And I know enough about the Shadow World to recognize people from there. As to where David is, I had hoped that you knew."

'Lyssa phased back into her human body. "We don't know where he is, but we need to get started looking for him."

Black Eagle sniffed the air. "Do I smell pizza?" Prissy shook her head. "Come on and sit down with us. You can talk as we eat."

At the table, Black Eagle explained his presence between bites.

"I felt something stirring here, where nothing should be going on. And the taste was that of the Shadow World." He said. "Normally, one of the Powers of this realm would have simply sent you back where you came from as soon as you were detected. However the disturbance was far too strong for such summary measures, and besides, there was an unusual feel to the power creating the trouble."

"And so they sent you." 'Lyssa put in.

"Yep." said Black Eagle as he took another slice of pizza. "Good chow. Thanks."

"So what do we do now?" Asked 'Lyssa. "I mean, I can't just sit here not knowing what's going

on."

Black Eagle sighed. "OK, here is the deal. The borders between your world and ours had been sealed from the other side. We cannot go there, nor can we send anyone or anything through."

"So where does that leave us?" asked Prissy.

"Sitting here being patient, I guess." Said Black Eagle.

"What about my world?" piped up Jenny.

'Lyssa and Prissy looked at her in surprise.

Black Eagle looked at Jenny with his eyes unfocused. "Yes, your realm is accessible." He said when he refocused his eyes. "But are you sure that you want to go there? Once you leave this realm, I can no longer aid you in any way."

'Lyssa and Prissy brought Black Eagle up to speed about their varied adventures thus far.

Black Eagle shook his head. "The big boys ain't gonna like this one little bit."

"Can you help us?" 'Lyssa persisted.

"Aye, I can send you through to the crystal realm. But the return path will be closed for a while. What I CAN do, is put you through close to Jenny's old home."

'Lyssa was all for starting out right away. But the other overruled her.

"We want to start out rested and equipped. Can we leave in the morning?" Asked Prissy.

"Any time or not at all, the choice is up to you." Black Eagle told her.

'Lyssa showed Black Eagle to one of the bedrooms upstairs.

The girls explored the house with Black Eagles help and assembled packs and gear that they thought they might need. Black Eagle showed them where David stashed his guns and ammunition. Finally, all was ready for the morning.

Black Eagle retired to his room, and the girls all piled into David's bed to sleep all tangles up for mutual comfort.

In the morning, the girls woke to the delicious smells of breakfast. Black Eagle had been up for quite a while, and had put his time to good use.

"Eat hearty ladies." He told them as they came sleepily downstairs. "You will need the energy."

Black Eagle watched the girls as they ate. He was not at all sure that they were doing the right thing by leaving, but it was their decision to make.

Black Eagle unobtrusively made certain preparations as he munched his toast. Finally, the breakfast was done and the dished washed and put away.

The girls donned their packs and buckled on their weapons.

Black Eagle handed each a carved wooden walking staff. "These will aid you in your travels."

Jenny gave him a kiss on the cheek. The other girls followed suit.

Black Eagle had a roguish grin on his face as he told them. "Open the front door and step on through. You will emerge in the other realm. Good luck, and be safe."

Prissy opened the door to see a gray mist. She reached back and took Jenny's hand. Jenny in turn reached for and took 'Lyssa's hand.

Then they took a collective deep breath and stepped on through the doorway.

In the kitchen, Black Eagle sat down to rest.

Damnit, he was almost 700. And he was entitled to a break now and then.

~Talking to Dragons cont.~

"Where do we go from here?" David asked Garace.

Before she could answer however, David felt a stunning blow on his upper back, and the world spun dizzily around him.

Dimly, David heard someone screaming in agony and terror.

Shaking off the dizziness as best he could, David felt the little dragon pressing against his back. David muttered a quick shield spell to cover all three of them. This gave his head time to clear so that he could take stock of the situation. His right arm was useless and something was sticking out of him next to his shoulder blade.

"Are you all right?" David called out to Garace. There was no answer. David looked over at the mother dragon. There were two of the spears piercing deep into her belly and side. David did not have to see the spearheads to know that they were poisoned.

"Staffet. Are you hurt?"

"No," The little dragon wailed. "But Mommy's hurt!"

David's weapons were useless to him without the use of his arms. He realized that he had royally screwed up. Instead of using his much more effective powers. He had equipped himself with his familiar old weapons, and when the crisis came, he had fallen back on old training and habits. And without the magical wards that he KNEW he should have set up, he had been ambushed like a rank amateur. And Garace had paid the price of his stupidity.

A quick scan of the area using magic revealed the ambushers locations. It took only a gesture and a snarled curse to turn the enemy into so many blazing torches.

A simple teleport spell got rid of the arrow in his back without further tissue damage. From there, healing was fairly straightforward and easy.

David turned his attention to the stricken dragon.

To his surprise, she was still breathing.

"How can I help you? Tell me what to do." David said to her.

"I am finished." Garace said in a hoarse whisper. "The poison has spread too far, and cannot be stopped now."

Garace took a shuddering breath. Bubbles of blood appeared at her nose and mouth.

"You must not let them have my baby. You have to keep her safe until she can fend for herself."

"I will. I swear it." Vowed David.

"Come close. Touch your head to mine." Garace rasped painfully.

David pressed his forehead against Garace's forehead. A stream of information rushed into him, leaving him dizzy and weak for a moment.

"When Staffet is ready. Pass her legacy on to her." Garace said in a faint voice.

She shuddered then, and was still.

Staffet was crying with the quiet sobs of the brokenhearted.

David raised his hands and chanted a brief incantation. There was a flare of light, and Garace's corpse was gone.

"Mommy," whimpered Staffet.

David sat down there in the road and drew the little dragon to him and sat there cradling her head as she cried bitter tears.

Eventually, David wiped the tears from Staffet's face. "You will be with me from now on." he told her. "I am going to adopt you."

"What does that mean?" asked Staffet.

"It means that you will be my daughter. And that I will take care of you always."

Staffet looked up and asked "How can you be my father if you are not a dragon?"

David was taken aback by the question.

"Well, ahh, I have a lot of dragon in me." he said.

Staffet looked dubious, but pressed her head against his chest and cried some more.

Finally, David stood and led Staffet back up the path toward the cliffs. They would shelter in one of the caves for the night, and any critter or person who objected would pay a horrific price.

David chose a cave a few meters above ground level and levitated them both up and in. Other than some easily evicted bats, the cave was a suitable campsite. Once David had swept it out, using simple housekeeping spells.

David placed magical barriers and traps at the entrance and about 30 yards into the cave. He amped them up until anything that approached the shields would awaken him. And anything that actually touched them would be vaporized on contact.

David conjured blankets and bedding for himself. Then he conjured a quilt big enough to cover the little dragon.

When David summoned firewood from the surrounding forest, Staffet said, "Let me! Let me!" And she opened her mouth wide and breathed a jet of fire onto the pile of branches.

As the fire blazed up, David praised the little dragon. "Nice job Sweetheart!" He said. "Umm, next time, could you wait until I get the wood arranged for a fire so we have some to add later?"

Staffet looked at him with a sheepish expression. "Ooopsie."

"No problem." Said David. And he promptly teleported more wood into the cave where he broke it into manageable pieces.

David lay down on the bedding.

Staffet curled up beside him on a blanket that he spread on the ground. David covered her with the extra long quilt and lay back against the pillows he had conjured.

Staffet put her head next to his and closed her eyes. David put his arm around her neck as best as he could, and they both dropped off into an uneasy slumber.

Staffet woke up crying several times that night. And each time, David sat up with her, cuddling and comforting the little dragon.

It was during one of these waking vigils that David had his wonderful idea. (Or so it seemed at the time)

In the morning, Staffet was very hungry and for that matter, so was David.

David summoned a wooden door complete with frame and stood it up in the middle of the cave.

"Come with me." David told the curious young dragon.

He opened the door and stepped through into familiar surroundings.

An instant later, Staffet bumped into his back as she came through the door.

David was back in the library. And this time, he had company.

~The ladies face a delay~

Black Eagle sat up with a jerk when he heard the horrible cussing going on in the living room.

He stepped through the open doorway from the kitchen and stared. All 3 girls were standing next to the fireplace looking mighty confused.

"What happened?" Asked Black Eagle.

"We don't know!" said a frustrated 'Lyssa. "We stepped into the mist, and came out hare in the living room again."

Black Eagle tossed a coin through the open door into the mist, only to see it appear out of thin air next to 'Lyssa.

"I need to find out what is going on." Said Black Eagle. "For now, stay put here in the house, and do NOT try to leave. It seems that someone or something wants you here and is determined to see that you stay."

He looked around and banished the mist with an irritable wave of his hand.

"I'll send someone to stay with you for a while and get you acquainted with how things work in this realm."

Black Eagle strode out the door, closing it behind him.

'Lyssa and Prissy and Jenny looked at each other.