Myth-Gotten Gains

"Why aren't you in there looking after Calypsa?"

"I can't get inside," she said. "I told you this place was proof against thieves."

I tugged on the door handle, an iron ring the size of my head. "Nothing."

"It will be an effort, but I can blast it," Bozebos said. "Stand back."

"The interesting thing, you know," Kelsa said, "is that everyone always enchants the doors, but no one ever bothers with the keyholes."

"Hah!" the Ring exclaimed. He lanced a crimson beam toward the oblong hole. "You are right! Together, now."

Gold and glitter focused in one beam. The hole got larger and larger until I barely had to duck to get through it.

Inside, the Dile henchmen stood in rows, all gazing at something happening beyond them.

"They're not dancing." I said. "How's he doing that?"

"Barrik is a powerful magician, dear," Kelsa said. "The child really has bitten off more than she can chew, not that Walts really bite or chew, so to speak..."

"What my babbling associate means, is that Barrik controls all that goes on within that chamber," Bozebos said. "It will take more than one of us to defeat him utterly."

"It's a good thing there's more than one of you, then," I said.

"Hurry!" Calypso said. "My granddaughter needs me!" The guards who should have challenged us had their attention on something going on in the center. We pushed our way through the crowd to see.

In the center of a wide circle left by the henchmen, Calypsa and the reptilian-looking Barrik circled one another. He, in his cape and little feathered hat, bobbed low. She, in her tightly-laced dancing shoes, circled him, her arms held high. It looked like some kind of wild National Geographic mating ritual. The only difference between this and a pasa doble was the huge sword Calypsa was wielding. The Dile wizard made a point of keeping out of her range. On the floor was a heap of gold, the discarded fake treasures, with Chin-Hwag on the top. Once in a while, she spat a coin into the air. With all eyes on the duel, the gold clanked to the floor u

At one side of the room, Tananda leaned against a pillar.

"You must be Calypso," she said, taking him warmly by one wing. "Glad to see you're out of there. I'm Tananda."

"Why are you not doing anything to help my granddaughter?" Calypso demanded.

"She doesn't need me," Tananda said. "She's doing fine. Watch."

The young Walt female stepped grandly around the green-scaled Dile. He seemed to be the one who was at a disadvantage. He must not be used to threats from a teenaged dancer, and it was throwing him off. Instead of taking action, he was responding. Calypsa tossed her free hand, stamped her feet and whirled. Ersatz's blued steel whistled as it cut the air.

"Granddaughter, stop!" Calypso shouted. "You should not be doing the Dance of Death! Your whole life is before you!"

The two combatants on the floor turned to see who was yelling. Both their mouths dropped open.

"Who let that old fool out?" Barrik snarled.

"Calypsa! Be careful!"

"Grandfather!" Calypsa shrieked with joy. Then she regained her poise. She sneered at Barrik. "You villain! You, who would keep the great Calypso in durance vile! You tried to disgrace our family! You sought to trick me! You shall die!"

"I will kill you, wench," Barrik exclaimed.

"One shall live, and one shall die," Calypsa countered, sounding melodramatic. They kept circling one another, looking for openings.

"What's the significance of the Dance of Death?" I asked the old man. "Isn't it just a dance, like all the others?"

Calypso straightened his thin back. "Sir! All our dances have meaning! The death dance is a challenge and a geas. Once it is begun, it can be interrupted, but never ends until one of the participants is dead!"

"Ayieee!" Calypsa shrilled. She held Ersatz horizontally over her head, the point aiming at Barrik. "Honor must be satisfied!"

She charged him. The Dile wizard leaped away. He felt in his cape pockets, his hands tangling in the thick velvet.

Calypsa advanced upon him. Just before she got in slashing range, he whipped a wand out of a pocket and leveled it at her.

"Parry four!" Ersatz yelled. Calypsa brought the sword down in a twinkling and twisted the blade up and to the left.

Barrik withdrew in surprise and attempted to riposte. "Parry six! Now, fleche!"

Calypsa rose on her toes and bounded toward the startled wizard. She swung Ersatz up and across. The wand went flying.

"Attagirl!" I shouted. Gleefully, I slapped the nearest henchman on the back. "What do you think of that?"

"Ten silver pieces on the wench," the henchman said promptly.

"What?" I demanded. "You think I'm going to bet against my own contender?"

"I will take your action," a large, ochre-ski

"Fifteen says she guts him," the first henchman said.

"I will take both of you!" the big guy insisted.

"You can't wager on whether he'll kill her or not!" Tananda said. She looked shocked.

"Who says?" I stood gleefully collecting bets. "I'm going to win."

Calypsa thrust the huge weapon, then recovered onto one long foot. Barrik backed up, clapping his hand to his chest. He looked at it for blood, but Calypsa had missed him by a scale. He had been taken by surprise once, but it would take some work to pull that off again. He held out his hand and the wand jumped back into it. Calypsa narrowed her eyes.

Suddenly, the Dile jumped toward her, pointing the wand. A bolt of lightning jumped from its tip. Almost of its own volition, Ersatz dipped in front of her body, deflecting it.

The bolt cracked off the blued steel and rebounded. Barrik threw himself to the floor as it blasted over his head. It hit a huge ceramic vase on a pedestal, which exploded.

"Now, press your advantage, child," Ersatz said. "He is off guard. Ballestra!"

Calypsa leaped and lunged. She would have gutted Barrik, but he rolled bonelessly to his feet. He aimed the wand at Calypsa again.

"No!" Calypso cried. He tried to break away from my side to help her.

"Stay back," I said. "We've got this under control."

"But she is just a girl."

"She's your granddaughter," Tananda said. "Believe in her. She'll make you proud, I promise."

"Yes," the old man said, his eyes gleaming. "She is my granddaughter."

The two combatants circled each other. Barrik was starting to wheeze. He didn't have the stamina to keep up with a trained dancer. I knew sooner or later he would start to play dirty tricks.

I left Tananda guarding Calypso. The old man was gazing at the action. I headed to the opposite end of the audience chamber. With henchmen pressing coins into my hands I was still collecting bets.

I spotted Chin-Hwag on the floor. The Purse coughed up one more coin. She gave me a fishy embroidered eye. I signed toward Barrik. She nodded. If there was anything she could do to help, she was ready.

I had no idea what I could do against a powerful magician when the time came, but I could direct operations. A rattling sound attracted my attention to the rafters, where Payge fluttered in and balanced on a fancy carved boss.

Barrik started muttering. Tananda sent me a high sign. She was feeling a drain on the lines of force passing through the castle.

"Pe

"What's he doing?" I asked.

"Oh, calling up a whirlwind," the Ring said. "That sort of thing went out with seances and disembodied floating faces outside the window."

"What?" I sputtered.

I dove for a spot behind a heavy pillar as a gray fu