Chapter 21

According to my calculations, we had been away for almost twenty-six Earth days, now. I had made myself ready for a long-term absence from Earth, but I did not think my two companions had. We really needed to go back, and make sure everything was ok, and to make sure everything was set for an extended absence by my two friends.

I stretched, and winced. Damn! I still had some pain from the knife wound in my back. I knew that I was much further along the healing process than was humanly possible. That was a strange phrase for me to use about myself, but I had to admit to it. I didn't think I was really totally human anymore. Changing into a Dragon makes you re-evaluate 'a few things'.

There was a knock on my door. My servant entered, and told me my afternoon class in law was about to commence. Great. That was just what I needed.

I made my way to the classroom, and seated myself at a huge desk, with volumes and volumes of hand written books. The Laws of Landkur were written within them.

For two hours I was... well, 'drilled' is the best word for it... in law. Actually the laws were very good, if mostly very elementary. I was surprised at the laws that kept the city streets clean, and the trash hauled away. A lot of cities on Earth didn't have that figured out 'till the 20th century.

Trash and filth bred disease. This culture already knew how to counter that! Good for them!

With my law class out of the way, I was free until supper, which was about an hour away. I went to check if Darla and Hank had come by yet. I had requested their presence. They were waiting for me in the garden. Great!

Actually, the garden was a very nice place.

The palace was built as a huge square building. It was four stories high, and enclosed several acres of land in its center. That land had been turned it into a garden. While it was still spring, some of the early blooming plants were quite spectacular.

There were a lot of medicinal plants, also. A whole section was devoted to medicinals. It was truely impressive what these people, my people, did with plants. I found my two friends seated on a stone bench.

"Hank, Darla! I am so glad you could come," I said to them.

They smiled and rose. I explained what I wanted to do. I told them we needed to make a trip back to Earth. I wanted to see if someone I knew (who was a damned fine secretary) wanted a job in an 'exotic' location. I also told them about how long I figured they had been gone from Earth. We really needed to make sure there were no loose ends there, to cause us problems, or to cause problems for any persons remaining behind.

Surprisingly, or maybe not, they agreed. I had a good argument ready, just in case. I almost felt cheated that I didn't get the chance to use it. I asked Hank if he would sell me his land that I was camped on. He agreed, but then asked what he would do with that money. It was going to be useless to him, here.

Darla said she would need to get a few items she really wanted, but other than that, she was quite happy here. She had already told a few friends that she was going to be traveling. It was a good story, and pretty close to the truth. Now all we needed to do, was gate back to Earth. I saw a couple ways to do it. Go back to my gate, then through that gate, or see if the gate here in the city could be set for my world... um, the other world. Damn. I had to get it straight in my mind which world was mine. If an emergency cropped up, I didn't want to teleport to the wrong world.

We made our way to dinner, as the Princess would be there. I was going to tell her what I wanted to do and accomplish, and I was not sure how she would take it. She was getting a little possessive towards me, lately.

"Darla! Hank! How nice to see you, and so unexpected, too," Mirwanna said looking at me.

"Yes, well... thats my fault, Mirwanna. I need, 'we need', to do a few things in the other world. It should not take more than a day or two of this world's time," I told her.

"I see. I assume you're wondering about the gate here in the palace?" she asked me.

"Right the first time. It would be very convenient for us, if we could use it to go to that other world. Failing that, we could gate back to Marald's keep, and then I could use my gate back to, uh, that other place," I finished.

"Have you thought this through? I mean, the Dragons chased someone back through your gate. What's sitting on the other side of that gate? Do you know? Is there an army camped there? Are they waiting for you, or someone, to come through so that they may make a capture?

"Also, what of that other world? Do they know of us? What are their intentions towards us? I would be most curious to know," she finished.

OK, I had not thought of any of what she said. Damn! Why did I seem to have a blind spot when it came to Markus? Mirwanna was right. There was a good chance I would be walking, and brining Darla and Hank with me, into a trap. I had not thought about it at all.

Then I got another idea.

"Ok, what about the gate I originally went through, when I was sent as a child? I know it is still there, but Markus shut it down. We could exit there. No one would think of that gate.

"Also, once through, I can teleport everyone to a safe place. When we go, we can spell up, and have three people at the ready in case it comes to an exchange of spells," I finished.

Mirwanna nodded slowly, chewing and thinking. I really wanted to go back and get Vivian, if she would come back with me. I think she would do well, here. She ran a 'tight ship'.

"Alright. You can go through to the old portal. However, I am sending a Combat Wizard with you. You have shown a remarkable lack of common sense a couple of times, in situations that should have been handled more efficiently," she said.

I really couldn't fault her logic. I understood her reasoning, and I could not fault it at all. Still, it galled me to have her point this out to me, as though we were discussing the weather. But what really bothered me, was that she did it so openly in front of my friends. I sighed. Well, I had only myself to blame, after all. I muttered agreement. She nodded, and gestured to a servant. She scribbled something down on a parchment, and handed it to him. The servant departed.

"Would tomorrow morning be soon enough?" she asked.

"We couldn't do it after dinner?" I asked.

"I need a little time to get my Combat Wizard here. She is someone who is good at her craft, and does not take chances. I have relied on her services in the past. I want her with you. This is a deal breaker, Paul," Mirwanna said seriously.

I smiled. "I would be honored to leave first thing in the morning," I told her.

"Good. Now that that is out of the way, tell me what you have been up to, Darla?" Mirwanna asked.

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