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  “Harry, love, you are such an optimist, but remember, your ORB recovery research is what got you removed from office. How do you propose we get a hearing with the council without a team of agents annihilating them?”

  I choked on the crumbs of my crumpet when Grandmums asked Harry that.

  “Give me some time to work on it, and let’s lay low for a bit. Actually, Mary Kate, you, Winnalea, and the child should come back to my place. I’m not sure you will be safe here, if Mindy has already disclosed her findings to ISMAT. You can leave her a note with my address, and she will see it when she returns.”

  Chapter 26

  Jim

  Max entered the throne room with a swagger that would have made “The Duke” proud. Fortunately, his weapons were confiscated before we were shown to our rooms. The drunken behavior would be comical under normal circumstances, but what was normal? The Queen Cyclops didn’t look amused. I guess eye candy wasn’t everything in this realm. I smiled.

  Max sauntered up to Frizzy, looked her in the eye, and spoke to her in French. I recognized the word amore and knew he was speaking words of love. This guy was pulling out all the stops. Frizzy looked confused until Max pulled her close, dipping her into a kiss that sent the room into total silence.

  Frizzy was at a pointed disadvantage, dipped upside down and kissed senseless. Her white bustier trussed up her middle and pushed her globes flatteringly upward, but her current position threatened to release them for all the room to see.

  “Agent of ISMAT!” Queen Fodjes barked.

  Max jumped as her voice startled him.

  He smiled coyly, as he whipped Frizzy to her feet. “Yes, ma’am.”

  I noticed Frizzy’s legs were wobblier than before.

  “Would you like to share with the rest of us why you sashay through the royal throne room and molest the Princess of Rhineguard?”

  “She is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.” Max sank to one knee and lifted a hand to the now lavender-mint Frizzy. “Her skin is like grass in the spring--fresh and new. Her eyes are like sunflowers, and her lips are the pinkest rose...”

  This was a very bad version of Romeo calling to his Frizziet. I smothered a giggle. “Uh, excuse me, Queen Fodjes, but before you shoot him or whatever it is you do to disrespectful ORBs in your court, could you give him a pass this time, since I have a hunch that the brew you served us might have been a little much for yonder Romeo.” I gestured to Max’s still kneeling form.

  “Hmmm, I see.” Fodjes nodded and made a wave to the servant in the doorway.

  Within moments, the servant returned with a similar steaming elixir and tried to put it in Max’s hand, but was unsuccessful. Max was kissing each of Frizzy’s finger tips, counting the ways of his love. Frizzy was trying to politely untangle herself, understanding the reason for Max’s besotted behavior. She finally grabbed his ear with her one free hand and twisted it, bringing him to a standing position. Max looked like a chastened child. Frizz pulled her other hand out of his grasp and took the steaming brew from the servant.

  “Agent Max, you are having an allergic reaction to the mead you drank earlier. If you do not drink the antidote for what ails you, you will die in a few moments,” Frizzy challenged.

  Max upended the mug in one shot. Satisfied, Frizzy moved away, taking a more formal seat at the round, Arthurian table. I joined her when a servant pulled out chairs and beckoned for us to be seated. I clapped Max on the shoulder. He was a little rose-petal pink himself.

  “It’s all right, ole boy. We’ve all made asses out of ourselves at one time or another over a pretty lady. At least you can use the brew as an excuse.” I winked at him and he awkwardly cleared his throat.

  “Now, if we can skip all the formalities and share what we know. Maybe we can come up with a solution to what seems to ail us all,” Fodjes began.

  “I wish Mindy were here. Despite her short time with ISMAT, I think she has the clearest grasp of the situation,” Max confessed, obviously wanting to draw attention away from his being an Ortharian brew lightweight. He leaned forward and placed his forearms on the table, flexing his biceps. That mead may have caused Max’s inhibitions to go ape, but the dude really had the hots for the Frizz. “Do the beings transferred to Earth have any common characteristics? Are they taken from similar places? Because on Earth, we test people and those sensitive to ORBS are recruited and sent to special schools.”

  My doctorate was not doing diddly squat here. Queen Fodjes supplied Max and Frizzy with a map to chart disappearances, and they pushed their chairs together to work. The queen motioned to me.

  “I confess, the mead was doctored so that the consumer would be more amicable. My people always serve it before tricky discussions to cool hotter heads. I had no idea it would have such an effect on your friend.”

  I gave her a flat smile, releasing my sarcasm. “I bet if you did, you still would have served it.”

  Fodjes chuffed. “Of course. I couldn’t have my guests parched, could I?”

  A fuzzy, purple thing popped into existence beside Frizzy.

  Max stood carefully, calling to me in a stage whisper, “An imp. I’ve heard of them, but never seen one before.”

  It handed Frizzy a scroll, then vanished as speedily as it had appeared. Frizzy unrolled it and read the short message, then gasped. She swallowed, placed the scroll down and solemnly regarded us. “Before Rapunzel came here, she completed another task.”

  Everyone waited, which of course drove me crazy. “And?”

  “She went to the Forbidden Castle and freed the necromancer.”

  The queen gasped in horror, but Max and I didn’t have a clue what this meant, but necromancer never sounded good.

  Noting our confusion, she continued. “A necromancer is one who brings life to that which is dead. Rapunzel was his protégé and his experiment. He is the reason for her madness.”

  “She wasn’t born mad? Can we take her power away?” Embarrassment washed over me as I asked the quite serious question. I felt like I should be in a comic book or a part of a super hero cartoon.

  Frizzy shook her head in despair. “She was born with certain abilities, but taken under the wing of a very powerful necromancer, who calls himself Liotte. Our parents weren’t sure what to do when she set the fourth nanny aflame.”

  “Wait a minute! Leo-t?” I scratched my head, trying to follow. “Kind of a wuss name for a really bad dude.”

  “Liotte, like a lion,” Frizzy repeated in a French accent, looked at me, and bared her teeth.

  I could see why Max found her attractive. The way she said Leo was pretty hot.

  “He is the one who experimented to make Rapunzel’s powers stronger. My parents thought they were sending her to a trainer, of sorts, to teach her to control her fire, but instead they were duped into leaving my lovely twin to years of banishment, evil tactics, and experiments. It’s no wonder why she is a little reproachful now.” Princess Phrysia stood up and began to pace with worry. She stopped to look out the only window in the room, as if she expected to see this Triton prince of darkness on their threshold.

  “Your parents just gave her up to this guy, in hopes to make her better, and they didn’t check on her? Did they think she was joining Dr. Xavier and his X-Men? Why didn’t they send you to have your powers curbed?”

  “I don’t know this Xavier you speak of, but I don’t have powers. I was brought up in the Temple of Enlightenment. Many royal children who have a natural ability to cast spells are sent there. I’m rather good, but as I mentioned before, I have to plan my defense and practice my craft. My parents were unwise in their decision to control the light and dark in Rapunzel, but they didn’t make that mistake with me.

  “They mourned the loss of my twin until her return home two years hence. They tried to send for her many times before, but the necromancer is powerful and can raise armies from the dead. When Rapunzel came back to us, we thought we were blessed to have her home. Her beauty is deceptive and dangero
us,” Phrysia warned. “I need to meet with the council.”

  “Who locked the necro dude up? Can’t they do it again?” I asked.

  “We don’t know who did it. We assumed Rapunzel cast the spell when she escaped, but it doesn’t make sense that she would now free him. He is one of the very few strong enough to oppose her and drain her power.”

  “We will remain here and try to find a way to hasten the return of our people,” the queen said.

  Frizzy slipped a small object from her satchel and smashed it against the ground. An open doorway appeared and I could see startled faces peering back. “I will return as soon as I can. Please, if Winnalea returns, keep her safe.” The doorway vanished, but not before Max dove through after her.

  Chapter 27

  Mindy

  “Are we there yet?” ’Punzel asked for the zillionth time.

  Sammy had not been this bad on our drive to Florida. I gritted my teeth. “No, not yet. Don’t you walk on Ortharos?”

  ’Punzel moved at snail’s pace. At this rate, we would be lucky to get to Max’s by nightfall.

  “Not this far.”

  I didn’t think it was possible for her bottom lip to stick out farther, but The Divine Miss R managed. It was all the more irritating that she was doing it while wearing my new and improved face. Granted, I was taking an odd route to the house in order to avoid detection.

  “I thirst,” ’Punzel whined prettily. I looked around expecting all men within listening distance to rush to quench her thirst.

  “We can drink something when we get to Max’s. Could you possibly walk a little faster?”

  “If you would allow me to use my magic, we would be there instantly,” she snipped.

  “If you use your magic, we will be found, and you will be killed, so if I were you, I would just take that magic wand and sit on it.”

  As if she hadn’t heard a word I said, she walked to a street vendor peddling hotdogs and sodas. As she inhaled, the top two buttons of her shirt popped open. Her breasts heaved as she, in a Marilyn Monroe-like voice, repeated her state of thirst. The young vendor dropped the two hotdogs he was preparing for the man in front of the cart and, in turn, the customer dropped his money to the pavement. ’Punzel repeated herself, blinking now indigo-colored eyes, with thick lashes. The short customer scrambled for his money and thrusts the bills into the hotdog vendor’s hands.

  “I’ll buy her a drink! Wha-what do ya like, miss?” he stammered.

  “Mead.”

  ’Punzel licked her deepened-to-ruby lips. The tendrils of her hair moved at the base of her short, sandy-blonde ponytail that now sported golden highlights and was six inches longer. Subtle enough for the two besotted men not to notice, but the grannies on a nearby park bench weren’t missing a thing. I saw the one with knitting needles point in our direction, as the other’s mouth fell open, and she crossed herself with a rosary.

  “What the hell is wrong with you?” I hissed at ’Punzel. “I don’t have time for this. Stop your magicking!”

  The Lucky Dog vendor served up what was most certainly not a mead and tried to hand it to ’Punzel.

  “Hey! I’m paying! I’ll give it to my beautiful soul mate.” The love-struck customer reached for the drink.

  The vendor pulled back. With the stand between them, the customer’s hand fell short and he stumbled forward. “I prepared it! I’ll serve the lovely lady,” the vendor retorted, gritting his teeth.

  The buyer made another grab for the cup. The brawnier hotdog seller held the drink overhead, shouldering the grasping hand away. He made the serious mistake of mocking the other man. “The bigger, better man wins!” The drink purchaser clenched his fist and sucker-punched the vendor in the gut. When he bowed over and clutched his middle, the cup went flying and landed on the sidewalk. Soda exploded, spraying both me and ’Punzel. I licked my lips. Ewwww, lemon-lime flavored. Not my carbonated beverage of choice.

  I heard my name and scanned the crowd. My mother waved frantically from my car. Winni sat beside her. Unfortunately, three unmistakable black ISMAT Cadillac Sevilles, were rolling slowly past the Fury. I grabbed ’Punzel by the arm. She was furious and steamed--literally and figuratively. Flames flickered at her fingertips as steam rolled off her voluptuous form.

  “We need to go now!” I shouted.

  “Not until these menials feel my wrath,” ’Punzel snarled as the flames grew.

  “Now, ’Punzel. Now!”

  The cars stopped and ISMAT agents poured forth, all aiming weapons at us. Damn it, I already killed innocents. I have their blood on my hands. I am not letting them kill ’Punzel, no matter how annoying she is.

  I closed my eyes in frustration. Desperately, I tried to picture Max’s house.

  “What are you doing?” ’Punzel asked.

  I opened my eyes. I glowed. Hopefully not enough for those from ISMAT to notice yet, or I would be a target too. I tried to remember how I transported Winni and me to Burbank.

  “Picture the place firmly in your mind and use your will,” I repeated out loud.

  ’Punzel’s brow crinkled with worry when she noticed the weapons and large number of foreign enemies. She apparently wasn’t confident she could handle over a dozen armed hostiles.

  I closed my eyes and felt the nudging I had when Winni guided me, only stronger. As we disappeared, I heard my mom call out once more.

  Chapter 28

  The Brownie

  As we followed Harry in the Fury, this time to his place, I took in all the wonderful trees and homes that lined the streets. Grandmum called this the Garden District. Mindy’s husband taught Medieval History here, she informed me. She pointed to the big castle made of light-colored stones. I pressed my face to the cool glass of the great Fury, unwilling to miss a single bit of the lovely terrain. I pointed to the funny little cart with no oxen, as we drove through the lush area. I saw fewer people here than in what Mindy called the Quarter. There were many more outer buildings to this castle, than to ours on Ortharos. I was told they were mostly dwellings.

  I loved the pretty fences, with their white peaks, but they wouldn’t do much for keeping a Rhonderdack out. As quickly as I had pointed to the cart, Grandmum pulled the great Fury to a screech, calling out for Mindy. Poor Grandmum waved furiously at Mindy and what seemed to be another bustier version of Mindy. They stood side by side as people gathered around to admire the lovelier version. I wished I had some of the popcorn Grandmum made yesterday. It would be grand to have a snack if there was going to be theater.

  As we watched, Mums closed her eyes and seemed hard at thought. I heard slams and footsteps and turned to look. Men poured out of several black steeds behind us and rushed toward Mums and busty Mums lookalike. Before they could reach the pair, they vanished.

  “Mary Kate? We need to get out of here!” Elder Harry yelled from his steed.

  Grandmum looked back too and muttered, “ISMAT.” She nodded at Elder Harry and we rode off in a thrice.

  The steeds moved in fits and starts for quite a way, but eventually we turned and drove through an open iron fence to a large, white abode.

  “I forgot how beautiful Harry’s family plantation is,” Grandmum said as she checked her likeness in the mirror and frowned.

  “Your cheeks are rosy and your hair breeze-brushed. The gentleman has scarce taken his eyes off ye,” I said, hoping to check Grandmum’s unhappy countenance.

  Her cheeks reddened further. “Oh, Harry isn’t interested in me like that.”

  “I’m not knowing how ‘like that’ is, but I ken sweetlings when I see them. A fine couple in the making.”

  “Winnalea, really!”

  “You would do well to heed me. Brownies offer shrewd nuggets, if only others would gather the riches of our lore.”

  Grrlecc was sulky to wake, but I promised him a bite, so getting him to the porch was nae worry.

  Elder Harry was all butterfingered with the keys, but opened the keep. Quite lovely it was too.

&nb
sp; “I want to show you my findings, Mary Kate. I didn’t share everything with ISMAT.” He grimaced. “The bit I did share got me ‘retired.’”

  “You two go on, I’ll be there anon. I’ll find your kitchen, Elder Harry, and make a nosh for us all.”

  “I’m a bachelor rattling around alone in this great place. I can’t guarantee there is anything to make,” he warned.

  “I’ll manage to be sure.” I took the prince by the hand and led him away.

  Chapter 29

  Mindy

  I closed my eyes, picturing what I could remember of Max’s place when I was there once for coffee. It somehow seemed weird being there, even though there was nothing inappropriate about our relationship. Max was going through a divorce and he wanted ideas on decorating the kids’ rooms to make it homey when they visited. I imagined the small apartment with its bare white walls and bunk beds pressing against one lonesome side of the room. There wasn’t much to hold onto there, so I dredged up a memory of the galley kitchen where Max made coffee. I tried to hold onto the image of the Mr. Coffee, but my mind fast forwarded to the balcony right as we faded and voila! ’Punzel and I stood overlooking the parking lot facing the zoo. Great. Now what? The key was under the front door mat and we were on the third-floor balcony.

  “Crap,” I complained.

  “What is this ‘crap’ you are always speaking?”

  A lock of Rapunzel’s own hair scratched her head. Her pensive expression reminded me of Sammy’s exact question a month ago. I needed to find another expletive.