Chapter 14

Sultry: Another country heard from: 14

"Very ingenious," said Sultry, as the many horsemen departed with their bags of flour. The rest of the group from Cassandra nodded.

Seven in One, said ... in that seven part harmony... "We would have wasted a great deal of time and split our resources if we'd fallen for it."

Cassie asked, "Now what?"

A great many people said, "We follow the man with Eva ... right?"

"We do," agreed Sultry. "It would be pure foolishness to follow the false trail."

"What if someone is waiting to see if the false trails are followed?" The Powers that Be suggested.

Sultry looked at the gods personified and said, "You guys! Sheesh! No wonder the human race is so screwed up ... but you're right. We can't take the chance. If you thought it so did they."

She turned to the gang, "Two per decoy ... go!"

There was a little confusion but sides were finally chosen and the pairs took off.

"Wait! Come back!" Cassie shouted. "You're invisible!"

"Picky, picky, picky," Sultry said. She did things with the watch and everybody appeared in the present time and Chaos. "Ok ... now go!"

Cassie looked a little indignant, "Wasn't much sense in sending them out if watchers couldn't see them."

"Yes, Dear," Sultry said, slightly chagrined.

Seven in One asked, "Do we need horses?"

"Probably," Cassie said and looked down her nose at Sultry.

"I can't think of every little thing," said Sultry.

They left and right footed it back to town and ran to the stables. The barn floor was up, the horseman and his packhorse with Eva bundled up were just disappearing into the hole in the ground. The sneaky bastard had circled back to town.

"Hear now!" exclaimed the hostler, "Get out! This doesn't concern the likes of you!" He drew his sword.

What in the hel is a stable flunky doing with a sword? Sultry thought as she drew her ōdachi, reached past his guard and took off his head. She looked at the sword, Gee ... nice and long! Just like I like 'em! and she blushed.

The trap door was raised and lowered by a pulley hung by an arrangement of wheels with the pulley hanging underneath rolling on strap iron on top of the the beam just above the pad eye in the edge of the trap. (Hero of Alexandria (10AD to 70 AD)identified the pulley as one of six simple machines used to lift weights.) The hostler used the arrangement to move heavy objects in the barn ... including the trapdoor.

The clattering of the horses hooves on the wood of the trap prevented the man leading the packhorse from hearing the commotion up top.

What the hel? Sultry thought as she jumped down the ramp, sliced through the lead rope and jumped on the back of the kidnapper's horse. She had exchanged the ōdachi for the wakizashi and held that over the horseman's throat.

"The only way you live is if you have my husband Jack ... otherwise, Oops." She only meant to give him a little cut but the horse objected to carrying two and reared. Sultry fell off, the horseman fell off ... so did his head and the horse, relieved of the weight, rumbled back up the ramp and into his stall. He, at least, knew where dinner was.

"Fuck!" exclaimed Sultry, "Jack?!?"

The echo reverberated back at her. No Jack ... at least not one that answered.

She hollered up the ramp. "Come on down, we need to search the place."

And that's what they did. No Jack ... but three Damsels.

"Howdy," Sultry said, "I'm Hero Sultry and I assume you three need rescuing."

"Yes, we do ... but you're going to have a hellofa job giving us our reward." There were three ... no ... wait ... TWO variations of that statement.

The third Damsel leered at Sultry and said, "Ooo! Things are looking up!"