Chapter 2

When we reached the cave that was the Winding's lair, I stopped just inside. Using quick drying epoxy developed for mountain climbers, I attached steel rings to the rock all around the entrance to the cave. I took my steel wire and wove a web crisscrossing the opening, effectively invisible in the darkness. A nasty little surprise for Laughing Boy if he showed up later.

Wife led the way down into the cave, pointing out traps and obstacles that the NVG's didn't pick up. Finally there was enough light to see without the goggles.

Wife slit the throat of a guard who was watching the scene in the cavern instead of the tunnel like he was supposed to.

I peered around the corner. In the firelight was the thing that had been balked by the stream. Easily as big as a semi tractor, and looking like a cross between a bear and a gorilla; there was the Wendigo. There was also a cage over against one wall holding a girl who looked an awful lot like Wife.

"That is her." Wife whispered in my ear.

"Big bastard." I whispered back. "Any place in particular where he's sensitive?"

Wife shook her head.

I unslung the Barret and slipped off the safety. The crossbow was on the floor near Wife's feet.

There was a single Sidhe male standing guard near the cage. "Can you use the crossbow?" I asked, "The only steel part is the bolt."

Wife nodded and picked up the Barnett. I took a breath and stepped into the cavern room.

"Hey ya big hairy son of a bitch. Since yer too chicken to come to me, I've come to you!"

The Wendigo looked at me and grinned, showing a mouthful of teeth.

(Remember my trouble keeping quiet?)

I took two steps forward and triggered the Barrett. I should have been prepared for the effect of firing a .50 BMG round in a cavern. But I wasn't.

(Ah, the benefits of hindsight.)

The first round hit the Wendigo in the gut. The Wendigo opened its mouth and screamed in rage and pain, but after shooting that damn gun, I couldn't hear a thing. Since the Wendigo's open mouth was such an inviting target, I aimed between the fangs and fired again. This time I hardly heard the muzzle blast. But I sure saw the top of the Wendigo's skull shatter and spray brains across the cavern behind it. I shifted my aim to the chest and emptied the other 9 rounds in the clip.

I reloaded and moved forward. My ears were ringing hellishly, and I couldn't hear anything. The Wendigo was down and not moving, but I could already see the edges of the wounds slowly starting to grow closed.

I looked over at the cage. Wife was there trying to open the door. I crossed quickly to her side. She said something I couldn't hear. I motioned her back and used my Bowie to break the latch holding the cage door locked. The girl inside was cowering as far from me as she could get. And judging from the state of her dress, she had long since rendered a bathroom stop irrelevant.

I went back to the Wendigo's corpse. I didn't have a lot of time left.

I used det cord to sever the head, then a little impromptu surgery with my Bowie to remove the heart, and I was ready for the next step.

I poured some Thermit on the head and heart, then tossed flares on each.

As they blazed up, I used more det cord to section the body. There was a bed of hot coals in a pit nearby, and I lugged the pieces one at a time over and dumped them in. I tossed a couple of white phosphorus grenades in the pit with the body parts and ducked back. My ears may not have been working, but my nose worked just fine. That hairy bastard stank worse dead than alive, and that was going some.

It took 2 more white phosphorus grenades and the rest of my Thermit, but eventually I got the last of the Wendigo burned away. I collected ashes from all three piles and stored them in separate pouches on my harness.

Wife had her sister calmed down a little, and we headed back up the cave. Wife's sister came to a sudden stop and turned to me. She cupped my ears in her hands and started speaking. When she took her hands away, blood gushed from my ears for a moment. Then I realized I could hear again.

"Thank you Night Glow." I said.

I took the opportunity to kiss Wife while we had a breather.

"Back to the bear cave." I told Wife.

"Good idea." she said.

Wife's sister looked confused.

Wife led the rest of the way to the cave mouth. There was a Sidhe lady writhing on the ground where she had walked into the steel wire and gotten herself burned.

Wife hissed when she saw the injured Sidhe.

"Just what you deserve you traitorous bitch!"

Night Glow spat on the injured Sidhe. I clipped the steel wires and cleared them away. As we stepped through, I knelt next to the woman and checked her injuries.

She glared at me with pure undiluted hatred.

"When my brother kills you in the duel, I'm going to be standing there watching and laughing as he toys with you before you die."

Night Glow snarled, "No, you will not."

She snatched the Bowie from my belt and, disregarding the pain the steel must have caused her, plunged the blade through the injured Sidhe's heart. Night Glow released the knife, leaving it embedded in her victim. Her hand was blistered and burned as if the knife had been white-hot. I watched as the dead Sidhe shriveled and blackened, finally falling to dust.

I put the knife back in my belt sheath and stood. Night Glow was holding her wrist and rocking back and forth in pain. I slathered the hand with ointment from my med kit, and wrapped it with gauze. "Come on, we don't have a lot of time before dawn, and I want to be securely under cover by then."

Wife helped her sister to her feet and followed me. I had the crossbow back and the Barrett slung over my shoulder. But we encountered no one on the trip back to the bear cave.

Wife entered first, followed by Night Glow. I brought up the rear. When I reached the big cavern, Wife was unwrapping her sister's hand. I snapped a glow stick and shook it to full brightness. Even in the green glow of the cyalume stick, the improvement was noticeable. I re-applied more of the burn ointment and let Wife re-bandage her sister's hand.

"So, who was the woman at the cave entrance? And why kill her before we had the chance to ask her some questions?"

Night Glow looked rebellious. "Who are you to demand answers of us?"

I looked at Wife with a wicked grin. "You tell her."

Wife poked her tongue out at me. Night Glow looked at her sister in shock.

"He is my lover and my protector." Then she smiled. "He is also my husband."

The results of that statement were amazing and amusing. Night Glow unleashed a torrent of words at her sister in a language I didn't know. But it sounded incredulous and definitely unhappy.

Wife glanced at me a couple of times during this furious tirade, and then she held up her hand palm out toward her sister. Night Glow shut up as if Wife had thrown a switch. Wife talked calmly and at length. Night Glow tried to interrupt a few times, but Wife kept talking in that same calm, reasonable voice. When she finished. Night Glow sat there on the cave floor hanging her head. Another word from Wife, sharply this time, and Night Glow came over to me and knelt in front of me. "Winter Dawn says that I am an ungrateful child. That you didn't have to try to save me, that you could have conserved your energy and resources for the duel with our brother. And that you did render aid when I was hurt. I apologize for my actions and my manner."

I reached out and put my fingers under her chin to tilt her face up so I could look her in the eyes.

"No harm done, I accept your apology. You were under a lot of stress, and you have a lot to adjust to."

Night Glow dropped her eyes. "Thank you," she said softly.

I leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. "I am proud to have you in my family." I said.

Night Glow looked over at her sister almost in a panic.

Wife just giggled. "Yes, he talks like that sometimes."

"Winter Dawn huh?" I said to Wife.

She blushed.

Night Glow started to take off her shift dress.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"You married Winter Dawn on similar short acquaintance, I thought that you had just done the same with me."

I looked at Wife, who was rolling around on the floor laughing.

"I have a wife that I am faithful to." I told Night Glow.

She stopped undressing and looked at me. "Among our people, a warrior can have as many wives as he can support and satisfy."

Wife was lying on her side with her head propped up on her hand. She wasn't giving me any hints one way or the other. Just with that damn smug smirk on her face.

"I am not safe from my brother as long as I remain virgin." Night Glow said.

Behind her, Wife gave me a slow wink.

"I have someone for you." I told her. "I will call him when we get back to the base camp."

Wife finally came over to me. She put her arms around me and hugged me gently. "My husband." she sighed.

We had just all sat down to eat when the Bear returned. This time he came to me and licked my face then went to Wife and her sister. I gave him the last of my jerky, and he lay down at the entrance to the cave again.

I put the blanket rolls down and lay down with Wife. She snuggled up to my side again, and we quickly went to sleep. I woke up with a girl on either side of me, snuggled close and sound asleep.

The bear was sitting up looking around. I swear the beast winked at me and laughed. It turned away and squeezed out of the tunnel again.

I woke the ladies, and we gathered ourselves for the trip back to the base camp.

We went warily, but encountered no one. Back at the base camp, all was as I had left it except for a note pinned to the log by the fire pit with a slender dagger. Wife pulled the dagger free and threw it into the stream where it dissolved in seconds. The note itself was on the skin of some unfortunate Sidhe, to judge from the texture and the color.

"By the laws of the High Court, The time and place of the duel have been set. The time is noon three days hence. The duel will be held in a prepared arena 200 paces toward the sunrise from your current dwelling. You may have companions of your choosing as seconds and witnesses. Their safe conduct is guaranteed. The opposing side will have an equal number of witnesses. No more, no less. Weapons to be decided at the time of the duel."

The note was signed with a seal that I did not recognize, but that obviously impressed the hell out of my wife and her sister.

I dug out the Iridium phone again. Brett answered on the third ring.

"Hey Brett, get your butt down here A.S.A.P." I said. "Make sure you stop at my place and pick up the swords from the display case. And bring as much of your toys as you can lift in that overgrown kite of yours."

"Slow down Kemo Sabe." Brett laughed. "I'll bring the goods. I take it that the shit has hit the fan?"

"A veritable blizzard of manure." I replied.

"Be there in the morning." Chuck said.

I checked our supplies. Everything seemed to be OK. Winter Dawn started to dig out the food while Night Glow built their fire.