Castle Kidnapped by John Dechancie Page A

from."
    â€œTribe?” Gene piped. “Tribe. Yeah, tribe."
    â€œBetter make it good."
    â€œI can't speak a word of her language!"
    â€œNow she says you don't look like any tribe she's ever seen."
    â€œLook, ma'am,” Gene said. “You gotta understand. I was just walking down the yellow brick road, when all of a sudden—"
    The woman shouted at him.
    â€œShe said shut up again,” Zond told him.
    â€œI gathered."
    The woman stalked around the chamber, her ebony eyes clinically taking his measure. At length she began to speak again. Zond translated.
    â€œWell, she says she doesn't know what to make of you. You don't seem to belong anywhere, but you must be yalim—read ‘human,’ there—because you look it, somewhat. She's a little worried that you might be a demon or something. But of course, if you were, you would have killed her or done something frightening, but you didn't, and besides, demons don't get themselves conked on the head, do they? And you couldn't be an Old God, that's right out. So—well, there it is."
    â€œWhat is she, some kind of barbarian Queen or something?"
    â€œHey. That's a good guess."
    The woman had stopped pacing, still fixing Gene in a penetrating stare. After long reflection, she snapped an order at one of her handmaidens.
    The girl—she looked no older than fifteen—approached Gene, withdrew a dagger, and gingerly cut the leather straps around his wrists. Before she was finished, her mistress had begun speaking again.
    â€œShe says that she's going to put you to the test. What test, I really don't—oh, I see. She's going to find out if you'd make her a good concubine. If you work out, you'll be groomed for full husbandhood, and be inducted into her personal military cohort. You will then be accorded the privilege of laying down your life for her at the drop of a helmet. I think she likes you."
    Rubbing his wrists, Gene said, “Yeah?"
    â€œYeah."
    The barbarian Queen clapped her hands, and the two girls left the chamber.
    Slowly she turned around and let the cape fall from her shoulders. The leather briefs turned out to be really nothing more than a G-string.
    Gene reeled, devastated by the exquisite mathematical perfection of her hindquarters. His headache suddenly vanished.
    â€œZond, I think I'm about to be exploited, abused and generally treated as a sex object."
    â€œI'm very sorry for you,” Zond said, “but there's nothing I can do."
    â€œRight. So piss off and leave us alone, okay?"
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    Castle (?), Then Island
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    â€œSheila!"
    â€œTrent? Over here!"
    They found each other in the dark and hugged. Trent held her close.
    â€œAre you okay?” he asked.
    â€œYes. What happened? Where did he—?"
    â€œIt was a trap, and I'm afraid we fell right into it."
    There came a scraping, rumbling sound, then a thud.
    â€œWhat's going on?” Sheila said fearfully.
    â€œI don't kn—"
    Suddenly the bottom fell out of everything, and they dropped through space.
    Then sunlight exploded around them, and they hit water.
    Deep in green underwater silence, Sheila floated through a cloud of bubbles, fire searing her lungs. Disoriented, she didn't know which way to swim, which way the surface was. Finally she saw the sun and began to flail upward. The surface seemed hundreds of feet above. She knew she couldn't hold her breath that long. Panic welled up inside her.
    A hand grasped her arm and buoyed her upward.
    She broke the surface, gasping, choking. Trent treaded water beside her.
    â€œYou okay?” he shouted.
    She could only nod. She looked around. Sea, endless blue-green sea, its waters sickly warm.
    â€œWhere are we?” she yelled.
    â€œAnybody's guess. Some wild universe. One with no magic, either. Damn."
    â€œI didn't even think of using magic. Everything happened so fast."
    â€œExactly. Whoever set us up knew what they were doing."
    â€œBut ... Trent, you