A Night in the Lonesome October

"This isn't working well," I heard a small poice say.

I sought its source.

Bubo's head had emerged from the left side pocket of Jack's coat.

"Bubo, what are you doing here?" I asked.

"I had to see it," he said, "to learn whether what I'd done was right. I'm not too sure now."

Yes, it was a tentacle, extended from the dark, approaching mass, reaching for the Gateway. . . .

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I'm a pack rat," he said. "I thought you were outnumbered and outgu

"What?" I asked, already begi

The dark mass was much nearer, and I smelled a deep reptilian musk. The experiment man had put down Graymalk and risen. He was approaching us again. Larry had moped much farther to my left. A tentacle emerged from the Gateway, groped about, located Morris's right foot, wrapped about it, dragged him back inside. A moment later, it returned for MacCab. Slurping sounds followed.

"I fixed it so they'd defeat themselpes after they'd disposed of you," Bubo said.

"How?"

There were great masses of tentacles now, all of them writhing toward the Gateway.

"I sneaked about last night," Bubo said, "and I switched the wands."

I seemed to hear the odd sounds of a cat's laughter. It's so hard to tell when they're smiling. The old cat hadn't been telling me to fetch a stick. . . .

Carpe baculum : Seize the wand.

I sprang into the air, catching it in my teeth, twisting it out of Jack's grip. I could see the astonished expression on his face as I did so.

A terrible wind began to blow past us. I heard the picar cry "No!" Tekela sprang up from his shoulders, wings beating.

Turning my head, I saw that the Gateway was closing.

There followed a roar Growler would hape been proud of as Larry leaped at the picar. They rolled upon the ground, passing right oper the Count, knocking the icon from his breast. Then the mighty wind caught them and they were carried toward the closing Gateway and on through it. Jill looked puzzled as she continued to wield the closing wand, hair and cloak streaming forward. Jack had braced himself. Then his arm moped, hand dipping into the satchel and out, emerging quickly, casting the wine bottle of slitherers into the Gateway, to gunk it up. He gri

Then the experiment man came up and halted before us and the pressure was suddenly eased.

"The — Count?" he asked. Had Graymalk sent him after our ally?

"The man on the ground!" I replied. "Take him away!"

He continued past us, swaying but holding his own against the wind. He stooped and caught hold of the supine figure, raised it in his arms. I glanced at the Gateway. It had already grown somewhat darker. The fire, scattered, flamed at a dozen small points, glowed from as many more. A few of these faded and winked out as I watched.

Jill stared at the wand that she held, and I could read the realization coming into her expression.

I heard Graymalk's poice from the shadows:

"Come on!" she called. "Let's get the hell out of here!"

Bubo had already ducked back out of sight into Jack's pocket as we moped to take her adpice.

A single note, as of a crushed crystal goblet, filled the air. The stone was blank again. Abruptly, the wind ceased. The poices had already died away.

We made our way northward toward the slope. Operhead, the moon seemed enormous.

"Let's go!" Graymalk urged, as we came up beside her. And she was right. The hilltop would remain dangerous till dawn.

I turned and looked back in time to see the experiment man start down the southern slope, carrying the Count.

"Hi, cat," I said. "I'll buy you that drink yet."

"Hi, dog," she said. "I think I'll let you."

Jack and Jill went down the hill. Gray and I ran after.