David & 'Lyssa Ch. 03

"Come on folks. We have a daughter to catch before she gets any further away and into any more trouble." Said Prissy with a determined look on her face.

"Ummm, What's all this about a Dark Lord's palace?" Asked Rath. Booger was busy rolling a joint and concentrating on doing a good job. Of course being baked to the eyebrows did not help his co-ordination.

Prissy just shook her head. Jenny was a bit more practical.

"How do we get there?" she asked.

Prissy opened a gateway anchored by the frame of the front door. Prissy stepped through the portal. Jenny grabbed Booger and Rath and followed just before the portal collapsed.

They emerged in the echoing hall amid the piles and heaps of dismembered corpses. "Gawddamn what a stink!" blurted Rath.

"URT." agreed Booger. He flipped open the lid of his old style Zippo lighter and fired up his doobie. The smoke did help cut the odor a bit.

"Bitsy!" called Prissy.

But no answer came back save the echoes of her own voice.

~Little Lost Dragonette~

Bitsy was tired of feeling sorry for herself. She had sat hidden in the nook, crying and pouting for hours.

Enough was enough.

Bitsy shook herself. She debated using her human body.

Nope. Too vulnerable, and limited in senses.

With a gusty sigh, Bitsy allowed herself a brief regret that she had not spent more time recently in her true body.

She remembered the books and lessons from the library. She sent out her magical probes to seek traces of David's magic. She caught the mental traces almost at once. She followed the trail to between two pillars. She sat down and closed her eyes. She followed the methods that David had painstakingly taught her.

She mentally traced the structure of the spell that had been cast there, and slowly reconstructed it.

She allowed the power to flow, and opened her eyes to see the gate open.

Bitsy yipped with delight.

An older, more experienced dragon or wizard would have waited and observed before passing into the gate.

But Bitsy was still a child in either dragon or human terms. With the lack of patience this implies.

She stood up and walked through the gate. Daddy and Mommy "Lyssa were somewhere, and she would find them.

She emerged onto a city street that was crowded with huge, gnarled beings. The street cleared with remarkable speed at the appearance of a dragon in their midst. Bitsy looked around at the fleeing figures and snorted.

She sniffed the air. Faint but recognizable. The scents of her daddy and mommy.

Bitsy set off down the street following the odor trail.

The scents grew stronger as she walked. She picked up the pace.

The scent trail led her to a doorway.

Bitsy shifted back into human form. She straightened her clothes and raised a hand to knock on the door.

~We have to find our daughter!~

Prissy did a fast magical scan of the hall and surrounding area.

Booger handed Rath the doobie and exhaled a cloud of fragrant smoke.

A sparkle caught his eye. Booger walked over to the pile of corpse parts. He reached in and extracted a sword with an odd shaped hilt and a crystalline blade. Further rummaging produced another sword and matching belts and scabbards.

Booger strapped on one of the belts and sheathed one of the swords. He stuck the other sword into the sheath on the belt and took it over to Rath.

Rath took the sword and handed back the joint. "Right on, right on." He said. Rath strapped on the belt and drew the sword. The blade flickered with inner fires. Rath hefted the sword. The hilt was shaped oddly to human eyes, but it felt surprisingly comfortable. He sheathed the blade and walked a few steps away to get a clearer look at a particular dead critter.

Once he saw it clearly, he wished he hadn't. The image would haunt his dreams for years to come.

"If you want to come with us, get a move on." Prissy called to the men. "We're wasting time."

Booger and Rath headed toward the ladies.

"All right, we're here. Don't get yer panties in a knot."

Prissy snorted.

Jenny smiled at them and reached for their hands. Prissy lead them toward the glowing, formless hole in the fabric of reality in the center of the hall.

Rath took one last drag from the joint and pinched it out.

"In we go." said Prissy. And they stepped through.

They clung to each other as they spun and swirled through the rift.

Finally they stopped with a jolt. They were standing on a huge pile of rock next to a cliff face.

There were trees on the other side of them away from the cliff. A trail led toward the trees and downhill. Jenny's sharp eyes spotted tracks. "Over here!" she said excitedly.

Prissy knelt next to the footprints. "These are David's, but they are old."

The quartet started following the tracks down the trail.

They came to a clear stream and paused to drink. Rath and Booger watched while the ladies drank. Then they drank while the ladies watched.

Booger and Rath dropped back to talk quietly as they walked.

"This is weird Shit." Said Rath.

"Urt." Said Booger. "I dunno if this is real, or one hell of a hallucination. But the best thing is to treat it all as real for now."

"Right on." replied Rath.

Prissy gave a cry and sprinted up ahead.

Jenny and the men followed at a trot.

Prissy was kneeling by something lying in the path. As they got closer, they could see it was a rifle. A big rifle.

Prissy had tears running down her face. "This was David's." She sobbed.

Booger looked around and spotted something in the grass alongside the path. He stepped closer. He picked up the object, and another just like it a few feet away.

.45 automatics. He showed them to Prissy.

She nodded, crying too hard to speak.

Rath spotted movement on the horizon. "Uh, oh. Time to boogie!"

Rath hauled Prissy to her feet and slung the rifle over his shoulder when she refused to leave it.

Booger thrust the pistols into his waistband and brought up the rear. With nowhere else in mind, they headed back for the cliff. At least there, they had a solid rock wall at their backs.

Booger kept watching their back trail. He desperately wanted a joint, but didn't dare light one up. Fighting stoned was not smart at all.

At the cliff, Prissy roused herself long enough to float them all up to a cave a good 40 feet above ground level.

Rath took the Rifle and soon had the safety and the bipod figured out. He dropped the magazine from the rifle. 3 rounds left. "Hey, anyone see any more of these things around here?" Booger had found a pile of wood at one side of the cave. HE poked around and found a branch that looked like it would do. He tore a strip from his shirt and wrapped it around the end of the branch. He lit it with the Zippo. In the light produced by the torch, Jenny saw something discarded along one all. It turned out to be a web belt complete with pouches holding magazines for the Rifle and the pistols.

Jenny carried the ammo belt over to Rath. "Here you go."

Rath pulled the full rifle magazines out and laid them next to the entrance to the cave. HE put a full magazine in the gun and chambered a round. Then he rested the rifle on the bipod facing the trail.

Jenny took the rest of the ammo over to Booger.

Prissy was busy building a fire. She was desperate to keep busy so she didn't have to consider the possibility that David was gone for good.

Rath saw the first people cautiously emerging from the woods. They did not look friendly.

He peered through the scope and centered the cross hairs on the chest of the one who had on a necklace of what looked like human hands strung on a wire.

Rath took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he squeezed the trigger. The rifle fired.

Sonovabitch that damn thing was loud!

Through the scope, Rath saw the man he had fired at flung backwards with a hole the size of his fist clear through him.

This did not stop the others. If anything, they redoubled in their ferocity. Booger joined him, Firing the .45's as Rath sent round after round downrange. Finally all was still. There were none left to attack. Rath methodically put finishing rounds into the wounded. No witnesses.

Both men were nauseous and shaking with reaction after the battle.

They sat next to each other against a wall of the cave. The women had prudently hung back out of the way. "Fire one up. I need a toke." Said Rath.

"URT. Right on." Grinned Booger as he dug into his ever-present little paper bag.

~The cost~

David and 'Lyssa looked around when their heads stopped spinning. Nothing moving as far as the eye could see.

David could tell the Dark Lord had indeed been here from the psychic stench that still lingered in the vicinity.

David sent out tendrils of thought, seeking any clue as to where the Dark Lord might be now. 'Lyssa could sense the presence of her former liege lord.

However there was something oddly weak about it.

A far cry from the fearsome aura that characterized the Beast in previous meetings back home.

David took a small bowl from his pocket and poured into it some mercury from a small vial that he kept in the same pocket.

Using the reflective surface of the mercury, David cast a scrying spell. David watched as the Dark Lord arrived and was eaten by a creature beyond nightmare. "Wonderful." David groused. "Now how the hell do I get him home again?"

'Lyssa took off a ring set with a large ruby. "Here Beloved. Use the stone in this ring to contain his spirit until we can find a suitable host body." David took the ring and examined it. He didn't foresee any problems. "Thanks Sweetheart." He said.

David made sure he had the right components for the spell. A piece of spiders web, a drop of glue, and a tiny, intricately wrought padlock.

David cast the spell to turn the ring into a prison.

The next step was to move the disembodied spirit of the Beast into the ring. This was easier said than done, as the Dark Lord tried to inhabit David's body, then 'Lyssa's.

David was sweating and exhausted when he was done. But he had been victorious.

Weakened by the lack of a body to anchor to, the Beast just didn't have the raw power needed to overcome David's.

David slipped the ring onto a thong and hung it around his neck under his shirt.

David took ' Lyssa "s hand, but was far too drained from the psychic battle with the Beast to take them home. But he could, with 'Lyssa's help, open the doorway to the library. David passed out as son as they entered the pocket dimension. 'Lyssa could see a building off in the distance. She dragged David by the arms until she reached the structure. The door stood open. "Damn, Beloved, You're heavy." She grunted as she hauled his limp body into the room. Mustering all of her strength, 'Lyssa got David up and onto the bed.

She undressed him, setting the ring and it's thong on the table on the far side of the room. Then she stripped off her dusty and dirty clothes and climbed into bed with David. She snuggled her head down on his shoulder and put her arm protectively over his body and was asleep within seconds. Both slept for more than 20 hours, and woke refreshed, but with bladders full to near bursting.

David went into the Gymnasium and pissed in Bitsy's litter box while 'Lyssa used the human style toilet in the apartment.

David prepared them a meal in the kitchen to rebuild strength.

When all was finished. David turned to 'Lyssa.

"Let's go Hon." he said, and opened the door. When they stepped through, hand in hand, they were in the Dark Lord's palace.

David slipped the ring containing the Beast onto his index finger of his right hand. Channeling the force of his will and his magic through the ring, David was able to utilize the Dark Lord's power to help seal the interdimensional rift.

As the energies coursed through his hand, David felt searing pain as his very flesh burned away. He screamed in agony, but kept the power flowing until the rift was closed forever. When he was finished, he collapsed to his knees, cradling his forearm where it ended in an ugly cauterized stump. The ring had been destroyed along with his hand.

The Dark Lord had been entirely consumed by the horrific energies used to seal the rift through

many realms.

David could barely remain conscious. The searing waves of pain from his arm were making it hard to stay awake, much less concentrate. But concentrate he did. Forcing the throbbing agony to the back of his awareness.

Bit by bit, David fought to trace and neutralize the sorcerous energy residue from the blasted tissues of what remained of his forearm. 'Lyssa could only hold his head in her lap and provide comfort from her presence.

Hours later, David slumped down into unconsciousness. The stump of his forearm still hurt like hell, but the magical residue that was poisoning him was gone. Now he just needed to rest.

'Lyssa was limited in what she could do at the moment. But she could still contact the staff of her mansion via a minor sending.

'Lyssa shaped a small globe of energy and set it floating in the air in front of her. "David is injured. Send help at once. We require transport for two." 'Lyssa said to the energy ball. Then she sent it winging off to her home with a thought and a gesture. Now she could only wait.

~Here there be Dragons~

Rath happened to be looking out the entrance of the cave when he lost all semblance of composure. "Sacred Shit! It's a fuckin' dragon!" Sure enough, there at the cave entrance was the head of a very large green and yellow dragon.

Booger made a dive for the guns, and Prissy and Jenny lunged for what little cover there was.

"Of course, I'm a dragon, what did you expect?" Said the dragon exasperatedly.

Something in the tone of the dragon1s voice got through to Booger. "URT?"

Rath stood up and approached the dragon at the entry. (Probably the single bravest act of his life)

Rath looked at the dragon from a lot closer than he really wanted to. "Ummm, I'd offer you a smoke, but I don't think you'd fit in here."

"No problem." Replied the dragon with a wink.

There was a shimmer in the air and the dragon was gone. In it's place stood a middle-aged man in a tunic and trousers.

"It seems you folks have made quite a stir around here." Said the newcomer. He indicated the corpses strewn around the field below. "Not that we mind the help in cleaning out the vermin, but we were wondering what you are doing here, since it is obvious that you don't belong in this realm."

The dragon in human form reached out and took the bong from Rath's nerveless fingers and breathed a jet of fire from one nostril to light it. Taking a deep puff, his eyes glazed a bit. "Good stuff here." he said approvingly.

Prissy stepped forward. "We are just trying to find a member of our family Sir Dragon."

"Maybe we can be of assistance," replied the dragon.

"We are looking for a dragonette. About 12 standard years old. Her name is Staffet, but she often goes by a nickname. 'Bitsy'."

The dragon looked at her through narrowed eyes. "We are aware that she has disappeared from her home along with her mother. What do you know of this matter?" The dragon's attitude was much cooler now.

Prissy hurriedly gave a brief history of how Bitsy had come to be part of their family.

Somewhat mollified, the dragon spoke again. "If she has been adopted, we will not interfere. Our own laws allow for this. But the young one is not here in this realm. You must seek her elsewhere."

Prissy bowed slightly. "Then with your permission, we will depart as soon as possible." Jenny stepped up then. "Can you tell us where we are? Finding our own way home is impossible for us at the moment."

The dragon cast a jaundiced eye at the group. "Humph, well I suppose I can help just a wee bit." He gestured and a portal opened one of the walls. "This will take you to Mad Tom the hermit. He will know what to do."

The dragon turned then and stepped off the ledge at the cave mouth, changing back into dragon form as he did so.

"That was one big lizard," remarked a surprisingly calm Booger.

"I heard that." came a laughing answer from outside the cave.

"Grab our things and let's get through the doorway before they change their minds." Said Jenny.

Booger and Rath scrambled to gather the guns and the gear.

Jenny and Prissy gazed out at the field below for a moment. Then turned away looking slightly greenish as crunching and slurping noises sounded from outside the cave. Booger and Rath had absolutely no intention of looking outside.

"Join hands everyone." said Prissy as she stood before the glowing doorway in the wall. Once everyone was linked up, Prissy took a deep breath and stepped through the portal, followed closely by the rest of the party. As soon as they had passed through, the doorway vanished with a pop. From deep in the cave, a pair of wise old eyes watched silently for a moment more, then turned back towards the depths and vanished from sight.

~Strange companions~

Bitsy gathered her courage and knocked on the oversized door.

She heard stirrings inside. Then the door opened to reveal the biggest humanoid that she had ever seen.

"And who are you little one?" Rumbled the giant in the doorway.

Bitsy couldn't speak for a moment, the she squeaked out. "I'm looking for my daddy and mommy."

"And what makes you think that I know where they are? I am sure that I would remember having a child as lovely as you." Said the giant with a touch of humor.

Vaguely reassured, (although she could not say exactly why) Bitsy said, "I can smell them on you."

Taken aback, the giant said, "Maybe you should come in and tell me more." He stepped back to let Bitsy pass through the door. The giant closed the door behind them and led Bitsy into the kitchen.

The giant sat on a huge chair at the table. Looking over at Bitsy, who was hopelessly dwarfed by the other chair, he grinned and scooped her up to deposit her gently atop the vast wooden tabletop. Bitsy grinned at the giant. For some reason, she just couldn't help liking him just a bit.

"My name is Tuck. What is your name Little One?" "I'm Staffet." She said. "But Daddy and the others call me Bitsy." Tuck stood and gave Bitsy a comical bow. "Pleased to make your acquaintance Miss Bitsy." He said.

Bitsy curtsied as David had taught her.

"Now tell me more about my smelling like your parents." Tuck said.

"I followed Daddy and Mommy to Mommy's home world, then I followed them to this big scary place where there were all these dead things all over the floor. I was scared for a long time, then I decided not to be scared anymore." Bitsy paused for a breath. "Good for you." said Tuck approvingly. Bitsy flashed him a smile and continued. "I felt around for daddy's magic and found where he had made a doorway. I re-opened it and came through. Then I sniffed and found his scent and followed it here."

"This requires thought," Said Tuck. "And I always think better on a full stomach."

Tuck stood up and went to his pantry, returning with bread and cheese and slabs of cold roast meat of uncertain origin. He also had a pitcher of ice-cold milk. "I hope you can eat this," he said to Bitsy.

It was all Bitsy could do not to change into her dragon form right then and start devouring everything in sight. The smells arising from the food smelled simply wonderful and she was SO hungry!

But she forced herself to wait politely as Tuck sliced come of the bread and cheese and meat to portions she could handle. Then Tuck served himself and sat back down.

The two ate in companionable silence, broken only by belches, chomping and slurpings.

"I think I know who your daddy is," said Tuck as they relaxed after the meal. "But I wish I could see him to be sure."

"Oh, I can do that!" exclaimed Bitsy. She concentrated. A mist formed above the tabletop. Tuck could feel the power flow from Bitsy, Surprising in one so young.