Date: Sat, 19 Nov 2016 23:26:58 +0000
From: George Gauthier <georgegauthierdc@gmail.com>
Subject: Elf-Boy's Friends 41

 			Elf-Boy's Friends 41
			Corwin's Unicorn
 			by George Gauthier

[The further adventures of characters from the novel 'Elf-Boy and Friends']

			Chapter 1. The Last Centaur War

Within two weeks of the hunters' return to Flensborg the Fyrd, the militia
of the Frost Giants, had organized a military expedition to clear the
mountains and to hold them for civilization. The forces deployed were
enough for a small war: two battalions of Frost Giants, a battalion of
human cavalry, and battalions of infantry raised by the dwarves and the
elves.

Followup forces were alerted for call-up in the unlikely event they were
needed.

Nearly all the militia were armed with the deadly airguns and
bayonets. Though they served as infantry the dwarves carried the smaller
carbine version originally designed for cavalry. Half the companies of
elves stuck with their traditional longbows. Archers could recover and
reuse spent arrows. And archery offered the advantages of plunging fire and
visual intimidation. Lead bullets were deadly, but you couldn't see them.

There was no need for artillery, not against the the small number of
centaurs they expected to face. The ground forces fielded no ballistas,
catapults, magnetic cannon, or swivel guns. Likewise the autogyros of the
air corps did not carry incendiary kegs nor did the giants take along their
own incendiary weapon, the fire globes delivered by sling, invented by Aodh
of Elysion.

Giants and autogyros did carry caltrops which would restrict the movements
of their quarry. Caltrops were spiked metal devices with four pointed
formed in the shape of a tetrahedron. No matter how they were thrown or
fell, they always landed with three points braced on the ground and the
fourth vertical, poised to impale of hoof or a foot.

The fetchers who flew the autogyros and those who flew with their wooden
yokes were also armed with the same steel discs that Hugh and Jules had
wielded during their hunt.

Meanwhile the Commonwealth's professional Army sent two companies of
regulars, mounted infantry armed with carbines. Besides backing the
militia, their main job was to guard the battalion of engineers charged
with building all weather military roads and bridges into the mountains. In
time settlers would follow those roads to bring those territories fully and
firmly under the control of the authorities at Flensborg.

The professionals were supported by a flight of autogyros, i.e. six
aerocraft, from the Army Air Corps. Their job was reconnaissance. With
their quarry thinly spread over a considerable territory, the aerocraft
would be vital to the success of the campaign.

The Army also sent a powerful war wizard and and his young aide who was a
war mage in his own right: Sir Willet Hanford and Sir Axel Wilde. Years
earlier, they had traveled to New Varangia and fought at the side of Frost
Giants. Their job in this new campaign was to organize the local magic
wielders into a team which included Donnar and Otho plus Hugh and
Jules. The cousins took an instant liking to Axel and he to them.

All told the forces committed to the campaign numbered nearly three
thousand, which was really overkill. The allied army that conquered New
Varangia had had a strength of five thousand giants and humans. It had
fought a series of pitched battles against maybe ten or twelve thousand
centaurs. How many centaurs could now be hiding in the mountains? Surely no
more than a few hundred.

That was why no one doubted the outcome of this new war, which they were
already calling the Last Centaur War. The centaurs had no magic. The allies
not only had magic, they had numbers, organization, training, experience,
and technology. This war would end with the definitive extinction of the
centaurs and the incorporation of this wilderness into the settled lands of
the Commonwealth.

The first move in the campaign was to deploy the battalion of dwarven
infantry along the northern boundary of the territory claimed by the
Commonwealth. Their mission was to block the escape of any centaurs or
manticores from the forested lands to the uninhabited badlands to the
north. Sir Willet opened a space portal for the dwarves and their supply
train. Once in place the dwarves moved south to station observation posts
on commanding heights previously identified by an aerial survey of the
entire border region.

Once that was done, Sir Willet joined the mages who would travel with the
command group ready to respond to any emergency. Between the autogyro Sir
Willet could propel and his space portals, and Axel's ability to teleport
himself and others, the mages were in a position to respond to any
emergency or opportunity which might emerge as the soldiers pressed
forward.

Corwin's stint as a feature writer had come to an abrupt end as he resumed
his all too familiar job as a war correspondent. He attached himself to the
Sir Willet's group of magic wielders, knowing that they would be in the
thick of the fight.

The cavalry was the main strike force, the only ground combat arm that
could keep up with the swift moving centaurs and manticores. The job of the
infantry was to block their movements and to hold territory cleared by the
cavalry.

As it happened the Last Centaur War was a walkover. The centaurs had no
idea that fetchers in yokes or autogyros could overfly their camps and
report their locations to the troops. Nor could the scattered bands of
centaurs armed with javelins and sabers stand up to the modern army that
hunted them. Time and again they and their hunting beasts the manticores
were shot to pieces by cavalrymen or infantry armed with airguns. It was
the most one sided war in history with only three serious casualties, two
of them riding accidents.

The commanding general even remarked that he felt more like a game warden
than a soldier as his army cleared the country of the invasive species
which infested it. Still the war gave the Fyrd the opportunity for
full-scale field maneuvers under battlefield conditions. It tested officers
and sergeants in leadership and tactical skills.

Paradoxically it also built morale.

Sure the militia grumbled about being mobilized and taken away from their
homes and their normal pursuits, but they soon came to welcome the campaign
as a change of pace, a chance to spend time in the great outdoors with
fresh air and sunshine and stout comrades. And at the end, the fighting
forces would march back home, heads held high, banners waving and bugles
sounding. All hail the conquering heroes!

The military engineers soon were at work building all-weather roads and
bridges to open the country for settlement. There were rewards for all the
races: townsites and timberlands and sites for overshot water wheels to
power sawmills for the Frost giants, mines and limestone caverns for the
dwarves, and fertile vales for the elves. Humans laid out routes for
stagecoach and freight lines and locations for airfields for autogyros.

"Too bad all that fallen rock is blocking this passage." an army engineer
remarked to the mages including Donnar who had explained about the battle
there. "This wind gap would otherwise be the perfect route to the open
country beyond this range of low mountains."

"Sorry about that major. At the time we we weren't thinking about
transportation routes," Donnar told him dryly. "We were just trying to stay
alive."

"Understandably."

"Here, let me clear the blockage." Sir Willet told them. "I'll blast the
fallen rock to nothingness with white fire."

That was a reference to the subatomic plasma in the heart of stars. Nothing
could withstand white fire since it did not burn in the ordinary since nor
blast things apart mechanically. Instead the plasma flux disintegrated
whatever it touched by tearing it apart on an atomic level. The intense
heat made the cloud of subatomic particles lighter than air so it was
carried aloft to disperse harmlessly in the atmosphere leaving the floor of
the passage scoured flat down to bed rock.

"Now you can build your road, Major." Sir Willet told the officer.

"That will open up this entire region. Never doubt that we are doing
important work here Sir Willet, extending the frontiers of settlement."

"I could not agree more. I like to think that despite all the destructive
power we war wizards and war mages wield that we are constructive agents of
civilization. As are our military who are the chief defenders of that
civilization."

"Er, pardon me for interrupting your mutual admiration society," began the
lieutenant in charge of their escort, but we really need to look to setting
up camp. Does anyone know of a stream which we can draw water from?"

Major Tolbart shrugged. "Speaking as a topographical engineer, I could
hazard a guess that since a river once flowed through this wind gap its
captured headwaters must be over there in the marginally higher ground to
the northwest."

Sure enough less than a mile away scouts found a good sized brook, almost
large enough to be called a river. The engineers and their escort of
mounted infantry set up camp. Early the next day the engineers went to work
on the road, hauling gravel to fill in the low spots, digging ditches, and
leaving the surface of the road with a camber to help rainwater drain off
to the sides and out the lower end of the passage.

"Our job here is pretty much over", Corwin pointed out. "So why don't we
four go for a swim in the creek?"

Sir Willet cautioned the four to keep their weapons with them, though two
fetchers, a jumper, and a boy who wielded ball lightning were weapons in
themselves even empty handed and naked. The discs the fetchers wielded were
close at hand and subject to their telekinetic control, and they could
always hurl attackers away from them or lift them high into the air and
then let them fall to their deaths. For that matter, even without yokes
they could always Lift each other into the air and fly. Corwin's ball
lightning served as both shield and sword. It killed by both burning and
electrocution. As a jumper Axel could simply teleport himself out of danger
or teleport his attacker to a position high above the ground and let him
drop.

At a wide spot in the brook the boys set their mounts free to graze then
laid their gear down, stripped off their uniforms, and plunged in. The
water was invitingly cool thanks to the inflow from a spring upstream. At
first they were content to relax and float lazily, chatting and joking and
enjoying the shade of the gallery forest which lined the brook. Soon enough
though relaxation gave way to the grab ass games nude youths were all too
likely to engage in while ostensibly swimming, which lead to foreplay,
which lead to more intimate forms of interaction.

Hugh and Jules had already come to like Corwin a whole lot with his exotic
mixed heritage, both human and elf, and now Axel had joined them, an
extremely boyish-looking copper-topped lad with heart-melting dimples who
had friendly personality. The cousins soon took a shine to the engaging
wizard's aide. Smart, cute, and with a truly gentle soul, there was a lot
to like about Axel besides his physical beauty. Which was why the cousins
paired off with Corwin and Axel as much as they did with each other.

Their four hard tanned bodies intertwined in all the ways athletic and
acrobatic youths were capable of when consummating their physical passions
including the time the cousins double-teamed Axel, plugging him at both
ends. Axel was delirious with passion, impaled on the cocks of two randy
teenagers. It was a long time before they were all spent and lapsed into a
pleasant post-coital lassitude.

			Chapter 2. The Unicorn

When it was time for Sir Willet to return to the capital, he said goodbye
to both Corwin and Axel who had decided to travel together for a while. Sir
Willet could reach the capital instantly via a space portal and deliver
Corwin's latest reports to the Capital Intelligencer faster than they could
be transmitted letter by letter over the postal heliograph.

"Don't worry, Sir Willet." Corwin assured the war wizard. "I'll bring Axel
back safe and sound."

Axel snorted. "You mean I'll bring you back, Corwin. Remember I can
transport us anywhere at the speed of thought."

Actually Axel could teleport himself and anyone he touched instantly to any
place he himself had once reached via a space portal or those he could see
either with the naked eye or through a far-viewer. Once Axel's neural
circuits invoked his gift, transit was instantaneous, which was why he
liked to say that he traveled at the speed of thought.

After taking their leave of their comrades Hugh and Jules and Donnar and
Otho, the boys rode out of Flensborg on new mounts, a couple of tractable
mares, having relinquished their cavalry mount to the military. With ample
supplies in the saddlebags and carbines in scabbards on their saddles, they
rode side by side either at a walk or more usually at a trot.

Now Corwin was born on the Eastern Plains and had grown up with
horses. Axel was a city boy and so was far less accomplished as a rider. Oh
Axel did not dislike horses the way Drew Altair did, but he never went
riding for recreation. To him a horse was strictly for off-road
transportation. If you went by road, then folks would be better off taking
a coach or riding a bicycle.

And these days Axel had a much better alternative: teleportation. The only
disadvantage of jumping from place to place was that you missed everything
in between. That was simply no way to explore new country or take in the
sights. That meant riding, often at a trot.

Now the trot is a two-beat gait where the diagonal pairs of legs move
forward at the same time with a moment between each beat when all four feet
are off the ground. For long distance travel average speed is 8 miles per
hour. A skilled equestrian could ride without bouncing, but that required
well-conditioned back and abdominal muscles, and even then trotting for
long periods was tiring even for experienced riders which Axel definitely
was not. That led to grumbling.

"Whoever invented this gait anyway? Either the saddle slaps your butt with
every stride, or you have to post up and down, which is a lot of
work. Isn't the whole idea about riding that the horse does the work?"

"But Axel, the trot is the working gait for a horse. Horses can canter or
gallop only for only a short time before they have to rest, whereas a horse
can maintain a trot for hours. The trot is the gait by which horses travel
any real distance."

"Then they should all learn the amble. Now there's a gait which is
reasonably fast, smooth, and easy on the rider, and the horse can keep it
up for a very long time too." Axel countered.

"That is true, but few breeds of horses have that particular gait and very
few of those which don't can be trained to it. Trust me. I am a horseman
from way back. Why I was still a kid when they invented stirrups."

"As long ago as that eh?"

Corwin shook his head.

"You are lucky Axel that you didn't take up riding till you were seventeen
right after you got your job as Sir Willet's aide. I first got up on a
horse or really a pony when I was ten years younger than that."

"Back in those days saddles had leather covered prongs which you wedged
your hips into leaving your feet to dangle. That wasn't really a problem
for me. I learned to ride bareback without even a saddle blanket between me
and my mount. That kind of early experience develops your seat, as we horse
persons like to put in."

Some days later, the travelers were forced to make camp as the setting sun
caught them on still on the road. Axel set things up while Corwin saw to
the horses, checking the frogs of their feet and brushing them down.

"Aren't you going to hobble them so they don't run off?" Axel asked.

"They won't do that now that they are familiar with us. Saddle horses know
that their riders will take care of them: show them where to go, shelter
them in stables out of the weather, feed them oats which are tastier and
more nutritious than grass, and sometimes offer treats such as tart apples
or crunchy carrots. That is why I refilled my sack of treats at that last
farm. No, these mares know when they are well off. They won't stray. Not
unless something runs them off."

"Like what?"

Corwin shrugged. "Predators with a taste for meat: a tawny panther, a pack
of wolves, a slash bear. Just the cry of a predator can spook a horse."

After an uneventful night, Axel and Corwin were just sitting down to
breakfast when their horses let out screams of fear. A pair of slash bears
charged out of the tree line. The one in the lead killed Corwin's mare with
a mighty sweep of its paw, which was armed with fearsome claws hence
species' name. The second bear started to go for Axel's mount when a snow
white shape rushed forward and interposed itself between predator and prey.

At first it looked like a bad idea for a very small horse, a pony really,
to challenge a huge slash bear. When the boys looked closer, they saw the
equine had a horn more than a foot long slanting forward out of its
forehead. The skull was different too, much larger in back to accommodate a
fully sentient brain, for this was no horse but a magical being, a unicorn.

Taken aback, the slash bear rose onto his hind paws and roared a
challenge. That was when the unicorn cut loose with its so-called killer
neigh. Really an intolerable screech, it did not kill but startled, pained,
and distracted its foes, and either drove them off or made them vulnerable
to the unicorn's natural weapons: horn, hoofs, and teeth.

That was a simple enough power, but surprisingly effective in battle for
both defense and offense. Armed foes could not handle their own weapons
effectively. They put their hands to their ears, making them easy to
dispose of or to run away from.

Both slash bears abandoned the hunt and ran for the trees. Anything to get
away from that horrible sound. After which the unicorn ambled up to the
camp.

"Thank you Sir Unicorn," Corwin began, using an honorific which he thought
only proper for addressing so noble a creature and one which had rendered
them so signal a service despite its apparent youth.

<Actually it should be I asking your pardon,> the unicorn began with Mind
Speech.

<I let my situational awareness slip. Instead of keep alert for predators
and chasing them away, I focussed my attention on the two of you. That was
why the bears got close enough to attack.>

"My name is Corwin Klarendes and my friend here is Axel Wilde."

<My name is Derrionydd or Derry for short.>

"Uh, no offense Derry," Axel began, "but what you you have done if that
bear had shook off the effects of your screech and attacked? The slash bear
was more than twice your size. A colt like you ought to wait till you grow
up to tackle such opponents."

<I'm no colt but a stallion and I am all grown up. You are judging me by
the standards of a fully equine unicorn, but I am a shapeshifter. Watch.>

Leaving that statement hanging, the unicorn transformed, its shape blurring
then taking on an entirely new one, that of a naked youth standing a finger
over six and one half feet, with glabrous alabaster skin, shoulder length
ash-blond hair, and icy grey eyes.

"You're a Snow Elf!" Corwin exclaimed. "But you're so much taller and more
solidly built than those we have met."

<My folks are equal parts giant and elf so in size I am in between. I am a
shapeshifter rather than a natural born unicorn though I am endowed with
the powers of both.>

<As for taking on a slash bear, we were not so mismatched as you think. I
am nearly four times as strong as I seem. I might weigh just under three
hundred pounds but I am stronger than a draft horse or a Frost Giant. If
that bear had charged on all fours, I would have crushed its skull with my
hoofs. Or if it had stayed poised on two legs, I could have impaled its
heart on my horn.>

"What if your horn had hit its breastbone. Might it not have shattered or
broken off?"

<Not hardly. The horn of a unicorn is stronger than steel and has the
sharpest point of any weapon. It will shear through anything, even armor.>

"He's right Axel. Not long ago Merry told me that horn of the unicorn was a
sharp as one of your obsidian surgical blades."

Scalpels made of the dark volcanic glass obsidian had a cutting edge many
times sharper than a steel blade. Under a microscope the blade of even the
sharpest metal knife has a jagged, irregular edge while that of an obsidian
blade is smooth and even.

"Anyway, would you care for some breakfast?"

As his stomach rumbled Derry joked: <There's your answer.>

With that they settled down and ate what Axel had already prepared while he
put more bacon and hash browns into the pan to cook. They had a full pot of
kaffay.

<You said that you lived in the capital of the Commonwealth of the Long
River. So I have to wonder what brings so far from there?>

Corwin explained that he was a journalist writing an update on the
development of New Varangia. He and Axel had recently taken part in a hunt
and then a brief war against manticores and centaurs. Derry had never
encountered either species, which was probably just as well as they might
have overwhelmed him. His sonic weapon might not be as effective against
invasive species so alien to the planet.

"OK, now you know about us." Axel said. "What are you doing all alone and
so far from the nearest settlement?"

<I am on walkabout and have been since last year when I turned seventeen
and left my folks and the vale of my birth. My family and friends are all
good people but the life of a sylvan elf was not for me. I was made for
roaming. I want to see what lies over the next hill, to see natural wonders
like volcanoes, cataracts, canyons, and caverns. I hope to travel the world
and visit different peoples and learn something of their ways of life. As
you might expect I usually cover ground in my unicorn form. Four legs are
better than two."

"That makes sense," Axel said then asked. "It strikes me that a name like
Derrionydd is so much like that of our friend Meirionnydd. He is druid who
was locked into the form of a full-fledged unicorn for centuries before he
was permanently transformed into an elf-boy. Now your own shape shifting
powers would not have manifested till your teens, so how did your parents
know to give you such a distinctive name?"

"Actually my folks originally named me Wolfgang. Now that is a fine name
for a frost giant. It suggests strength and fierceness. But for a magical
being like a unicorn? No way! So I gave myself a name more fitting for my
newly exalted station in life as a unicorn cum Snow Elf."

"Admittedly though I do feel more like a Wolfgang than a Derry whenever I
have to fight or to hunt.>

"You hunt?"

<Yes I do. I can easily run down game like antelope or rabbit or such. One
kick to the head and I have meat."

"But unicorns are vegetarians." Axel objected.

<Unicorns, yes, but in my true form I am like you. I have hands and the
teeth and the digestive system of an omnivore. So after the hunt I
transform to dress the carcass and cook the meat and whatever tubers or
greens I can rustle up locally or have in my pack.>

<Now you guys are on walkabout yourself in a certain sense. So I am
thinking, would you care to join forces? It could be a lot of fun.>

"How do you know you can trust us? We might be highwaymen for all you know,
looking for the chance to rob you of your valuables."

<My gift of Mind Speech includes the power of empathy. Without invading the
actual thoughts of others, I can tell who is trustworthy and who is not. So
I know that both of you are good people.>

The boys agreed that it was a fine idea that they travel together. And yes
eventually Derry would travel to Elysion to visit with and maybe join the
snow elves of the New Forest, but that was for later. For now, Derry wanted
to see something of the wider world.

<Just one thing. When I said earlier that I was watching you so intently
that I missed the approach of the bears, I didn't tell you that the reason
why my attention was so centered on you was because I was enthralled. I
fancy pretty boys, and there you were: two lovely youths prancing around in
a state of nature. I hope I haven't offended you with my forwardness.>

"No problem. The two of us are lovers, and ours is an open
relationship. What's one more?" Corwin told him blithely.

Later Derry fetched his gear which was in a pack he could carry
conveniently in either form. That left the problem of
transportation. Axel's mare Melody had run off a ways but then returned of
her own will, enticed by Corwin's carrots. Corwin's own mount was
dead. They left the carcass for the bears who no doubt would return once
the three of them broke camp and resumed their journey. You couldn't
begrudge wild animals for following their instincts.

"I don't suppose you could let me ride you, Derry." Corwin ventured. "Our
unicorn friend Merry never let Dahlderon ride him except that one time when
he was badly hurt fighting a Tracker. "Besides, I am not a virgin."

"Oh?" Axel asked him with eyebrows raised. "Have you finally found a girl
to your liking?"

"You know what I mean, Axel." Corwin chided him.

<That business about virgins is just a silly superstition.>

<The reason unicorns don't let people ride them is that we don't want to be
thought of as beasts of burden. We see ourselves as people with four
legs. Sure I'll give you a ride, though under certain conditions. You ride
bareback. No saddle; yours wouldn't fit me anyway, and no harness whether
bridle or hackamore. I am in control. We go where I choose. You can make
suggestions, but don't try to take charge or to guide me. The barrel of my
body is small enough for you to get your legs around and you can hang on to
my mane too, so you won't have any trouble staying on my back even at a
gallop. Besides the gait I use to cover any real distance is the amble.>

"The amble! That is so unfair!" Axel grumbled. "You get to amble while I am
stuck with this nag who can only trot -- uh no offense Melody. One thing is
for sure. My next mount will be trained to the amble. I don't care how much
I have to pay for a special breed. Anyway, what is the point of being rich
if you cannot spend money on things you really need?"

<And one thing more, Corwin. You ride sky clad. No clothes. Not a stitch. I
want to feel your bare bum on my back.>

"That's fine by me. I've always hankered to spend an extended period
running around sky clad as the twins and Drew have done or like the Snow
Elves do. And I am sure I will look just fabulous bare-ass and bareback
atop a magical unicorn."

"One more thing, Derry. When you mount me, you must do it in human form."

<No problem. Shape shifters always mate in human form.>

That was how Derry the wir unicorn joined their circle of friends and the
three youths set out on walkabout in search of adventure.

			Chapter 3. On Walkabout

"I'll hang my saddlebags over your withers with your own pack. Okay?"
Corwin asked Derry who nodded. The scabbard for Corwin's carbine was more
problematic so he put the strap over his own shoulder.

The morning air was cool and refreshing on their bare skin. Corwin and
Derry were entirely nude though Axel did wear silk riding trews plus a pair
of short boots with thick heels that fit more securely in the stirrups than
the flat sole of a sandal much less the soft one of a moccasin. They gave
Axel a more secure seat.

With the sun slanting through the trees, the trio made their way down an
unimproved rural road, just a dirt track really but adequate for their
purpose. The Commonwealth had held off building major highways in this
southern region until the pattern of settlement became clear and the
planners could route the roads where they needed to go.

Near nightfall they crossed a timber bridge and found themselves in a
village with a tavern which mostly catered to locals but did offer
accommodations to travelers.

"The stable is out back." the proprietor told them. "You will have to see
to your mounts yourself. We don't get much horse-borne trade so we don't
have a stable boy for horses or unicorns for that matter."

Frost Giants mostly traveled on foot since they were too large for horses.
Humans were much better with horses and mules anyway.Stage coaches and
freight wagons were driven by human teamsters to save weight. And their
teamsters cared for their horses themselves. Humans were much better with
horses and mules anyway.

"I suppose you will need just the one room for the two of you? A bed sized
for a giant will easily fit the both of you, small as you are."

<It has to be large enough for the three of us,> Derry corrected the
proprietor who was first startled by Mind Speech then astonished at the
unicorn's transformation into his two legged-form.

"A unicorn who is a shapeshifting Frost Giant-Snow Elf hybrid! Now I've
seen everything." he murmured.

All heads turned as the three impossibly comely youths, two of them stark
naked, entered the common room of the "The Sign of the Aurochs." The
proprietor had named his establishment after the huge half-wild bovines
which drew the plows of the Frost Giants.

To satisfy the curiosity of his patrons the proprietor made an announcement
about Derry's status then pointed out that Corwin bore the small blue
tattoo of a Giant-Friend which entitled him to their hospitality and
protection.

"I've never see a friendship tattoo like yours," he remarked to Axel.

"It marks him as an Orc-Friend." Corwin told him.

"I didn't know orcs had the formal institution of Friendship. Not that I
ever had a problem with their kind. Orcs are decent enough."

Orcs were somewhat standoffish and were overly fond of garlic but were not
actively disliked. Besides the giants respected the orcs for their strength
which owed much to the leverage of their gangly limbs.

The trio put their gear up in their room and went to the washroom to get
cleaned up. Derry especially luxuriated in the warm soapy water as he
scrubbed his body and limbs and shampooed his hair.

"Isn't shoulder length hair awfully hard to keep clean?" Corwin asked. "I
keep my mine close cropped. Otherwise it picks up dirt and gets sweaty and
oily."

<I don't have your problems,> Derry sent as he continued to scrub and dunk
and rinse his locks.

<Cleanliness is easy for wirs like me. Every time I transform I
automatically shed foreign matter as if it were so much dandruff which
leaves me clean and dry. To complete my toilette, I run a comb through me
hair. It takes only a minute.>

<Now I enjoy bathing as much as you do. It feels good lounging in the bath
water, letting the heat soak into your limbs, relaxing your muscles. And
soap and shampoo have pleasant floral scents. And let's not overlook the er
recreational possibilities of bathing together, but washing is an
indulgence rather than a necessity.>

Corwin slipped on a pair of square cut low-rise short shorts and moccasins
while Derry wrapped himself in a green and white sarong. He explained:

<In the land of the giants it is wise to comply with the local customs."

Elves might live sky clad but Frost Giants did not. It was one thing to
strip for the sauna or for the bath or the sauna or for sweaty dirty work,
but Frost Giants usually went clothed though in silks not in the furs they
wore in winter in their chilly northern homeland.

Axel wore a complete outfit of shirt and trews and moccasins plus an amulet
at his throat which added a note of casual elegance.

"That is quite a pretty stone in your amulet. It's red like your hair
though a much dark shade, Axel. Is it a family heirloom or perhaps a
present from an admirer?> Derry asked.

"It does have sentimental value, but for other reasons." Axel allowed but
did not elaborate.

The jewel was actually a secret weapon or rather a defense, one of the
extremely rare ensorcelled amulets which negated hostile magic directed
against the wearer. It had saved Axel's life on more than one occasion
hence the sentimental value. The elf-boy cum druid Dahlderon owned another,
both confiscated from evildoers.

Once primped and dressed the three returned to the common room to eat
supper and to socialize with the locals and gather local color as Corwin
put it.

Now both Corwin and Axel had worked up a good appetite and dug right into
the savory beef stew and rye bread the serving boy had brought them, but
that was nothing compared to the amount of food that Derry put away. The
Snow Elf concentrated on eating and did not engage much in conversation,
not till he had taken the edge off his appetite.

"You've eaten enough for three people." Axel observed.

Derry shrugged. "Compared to a little guy like you or Corwin I AM three
people. And Corwin rode all day while I carried him on my back. Though I
intend to mount him tonight, if you take my meaning."

It was true that at three hundred pounds, the shape shifter had nearly
three times the mass of either of his companions, but there was more to it
than that. Unlike natural born unicorns a unicorn shapeshifter had to get
his nutrition from the omnivorous diet of his human form. It wasn't just
that Derry had little patience with the tedium of grazing in his equine
form. There wasn't really that much nutrition in grass, so you had to take
in a whole lot of it. That took hours, the internal processing took energy,
and then their was the quantity of bodily wastes.

The real problem was that a shifter could transform his own body but not
the contents of his gut. Taking on human form after grazing would leave
Derry with a large mass of mostly indigestible fodder in him which his
digestive system could not handle very well. If Derry had to eat in his
equine form he munched on grains such as oats which offered nutrition for
less bulk.

No, it was much better to rely on the omnivore diet of their bipedal
form. Besides the wide range of foods which cooking made available offered
meat and vegetables, fruits, nuts, sweets, and cold beer. Such foods were
best taken at the evening meal giving Derry all night to digest them. In
the evening Derry always stayed in his bipedal form whether to socialize or
for sleep or for sex.

Meanwhile the attention of the giants focussed on Corwin and Axel.

"You would be that journalist and author." A giant named Magnus Olsen
remarked to Corwin. "I've always liked to read your stuff, and now I see
that you are a giant-friend. More power to you Corwin Klarendes."

A giant at the table on the other side asked if they were expecting
trouble, armed as they were with carbines.

Corwin shrugged. He and Axel had simply hung onto the carbines they had
carried when fighting manticores and centaurs.

"Oh so you were involved in the fighting up north. What is the latest news?
Issues of the weekly paper out of Flensborg take forever to reach here by
the freight line."

So the boys summarized the campaign for the locals who then asked
questions.

"Are you really any good with that carbine, son?" one giant asked Axel who
smiled.

"Good enough to be the top scoring sniper in the war against the trolls."

"Axel is just about the deadliest sharpshooter in the Commonwealth though
as a sniper he actually used the longer infantry version of the airgun."
Corwin enthused. "His motto in Amazonia was one shot, one kill though he
actually averaged a bit better than that."

Axel nodded. "One hundred two kills for every one hundred shots."

The giant frowned. "Surely that is not mathematically possible."

"Actually it is," Axel assured him. "I am a dead shot thanks to endless
target practice, my gift of Unerring Direction and my enhanced physique
which lets me hold the weapon absolutely steady. I would wait till two
targets lined up, one head behind the other, then drop them both with a
single shot. An occasional double tap more than made up for the very few
times I missed when the target moved during the flight of the bullet."

"Now that average is only for the shots I took as a sniper. It doesn't
count the volleys I shot off with my carbine as a cavalryman from atop a
charging brontothere. It's a lot harder to hit a moving target from a mount
which is itself in motion especially when the enemy is sending arrows your
way."

"Airguns are not the only way Corwin and Axel can protect themselves, as I
learned from Corwin's own book on the war in Amazonia." Magnus Olsen
reminded his fellow giants. "Both are war mages with powerful magical
gifts. Corwin wields ball lightning and Axel Wilde can teleport himself and
others."

"Corwin is also both a combat medic and a magical Healer." Axel
added. "During our hunting expedition he counteracted the venom from the
stingers of the manticores."

"Now a single gift is useful enough." Axel allowed. "but it is when you use
your gifts in concert that you are most effective. I liked to Jump to
otherwise inaccessible hides, places which no one would suspect a sniper
could get to, and lie in wait. When the time came, I'd take my shot then
jump into the clear."

More than his words it was Axel's even delivery that impressed the
giants. There was no brag in anything the young human said.

"Just recently we villagers were put on alert but didn't get called up by
the militia. Nevertheless we all keep airguns at home in case we are ever
mustered into service. And some folks use them for hunting."

Corwin nodded. "I've seen your big airguns in action both in Amazonia and
up north. They pack quite a punch. They're the next thing to a swivel gun
really."

The giants could tell that these two were friendly modest and respectful
boys and rapidly warmed up to them.

The giants didn't know quite what to make of Derry. Half giant half elf, a
shape shifter who turned into a unicorn and had the magical powers of
both. All that was entirely outside their experience. Still unicorns had
sterling reputations right up there with the druids.

Corwin at least knew what to do with Derry in bed or rather Derry with him.

Derry laid Corwin out on his back and stripped the shorts right off his
hips, rendering him naked then ordered him to get on all fours.

"I am going to cover you just like a stallion covers his filly." Derry
promised.

"Wrong gender. If must use an equine simile at least recognize that I am a
male and call me a colt."

"I stand corrected, little one. A spunky colt it is."

So saying Derry laid himself atop the smaller male, though careful to keep
much of his weight on his own arms and knees. Derry loved making full the
bodily contact with a lover and pressed his hips to Corwin's rump. That
brought his erection into play, prodding for the opening in Corwin's
fundament. It felt huge.

Corwin looked back and saw that Derry's erection put his own more modest
endowment in the shade. Its helmet looked to be about twice the size of his
own and the stalk proportionally thick. Empurpled and engorged it throbbed
with the shape shifter's passion.

"I suppose that would be what they call a horse cock." he asked.

"Not really, not compared to the real thing." Derry admitted. "but more
than adequate to the task."

"That might be true, but it still looks to be about as much as I can
handle. So take it slow, Derry. I am small and tight back there."

Which was actually how Corwin preferred it, having a big one forced slowly
into his tight quim, impaling him, filling him with his lover's
masculinity. With his control of his musculature magically enhanced by his
Healing gift, Corwin could work his sphincters rhythmically, squeezing and
massaging the invading member, employing muscles normally used to push out
to draw in, helping a lover reach orgasm and afterwards milk his cock of
the last drops of his gism.

Axel was odd man out, but he could accept that Derry would have an
exclusive bond with Corwin at least at first. Only time would tell. Corwin
did look every so sexy, his small body getting shoved back and forth by the
male who was pronging him to the accompaniment of moans and inarticulate
cries, his small body sweaty and slick from from exertion and arousal.

Derry took Corwin twice the night, the second time on his back so they
could make love face to face with Corwin's small body bent in half, his
knees up by his shoulders. Derry thrust into him, grunting with his passion
until he came with a triumphant neigh or something close to it.

Corwin was a natural bottom though he could be flexible with a lover his
own size like Axel. Still no one would take either of them for tops, being
small and slender and pretty and totally lacking body hair even at the fork
of their legs, not to mention their penchant for running around much of the
time bare-ass naked. Yes nudity was a sensible adaptation to the tropical
climate, but with both Corwin and Axel it was more than that. They wanted
other people to ogle their scrumptious bodies and to long for them.

			Chapter 4. Boomtown

In time their journey brought the travelers to the bottom of the Great
Escarpment. Ages ago an earthquake had split the earth for many miles,
lifting the bedrock to the south by more than three hundred feet [100 m],
creating a nearly vertical escarpment. The stone wall extended east and
west as far as the eye could see.

During an expedition years earlier, confronted by this impassible barrier,
Sir Willet had built an access road to the higher land south of the
escarpment. Shooting a stream of white fire along the face of the wall the
war wizard had blasted a ledge slanting all the way to the top.

His road was wide enough for horses and wagons. Its surface was quite
smooth, but the natural grain of the rock afforded decent traction. Weeks
later Sir Willet had built a second road further along the wall, explaining
that you always needed a back door. Axel had been along on that earlier
expedition so, guided by his gift of Unerring Direction, he headed straight
for the start of the first road at the base of the wall.

Derry was surefooted enough to walk up on four legs, though Corwin
dismounted to ease his burden. Axel followed on foot leading his
uncomplaining mare Melody. The road really might have been wide enough
Derry and Melody to climb side by side, but that would have put the one on
the outside a little too close to the drop-off for comfort.

From the top they headed south along a winding road which bent back and
forth to keep to the ridge lines rather than descend into the hollows where
the creeks flowed and then up the opposite slopes. This route was
originally a brontothere trace, an energy saving game trail which spared
the massive brontotheres the effort of endless descents and ascents which
they would have had to make traveling across the grain of the country.

Brontotheres still traveled seasonally to salt licks three hundred miles to
the south, coexisting amicably with travelers on the understanding that
brontotheres always had the right of way.

[Salt licks provide animals with salt and elements like calcium, iron,
phosphorus, and zinc plus trace elements) which are needed in the
springtime for bone and muscle growth.]

The road led from the escarpment toward the settlements of the Frost Giants
and those of the elves and dwarves with whom they shared the virgin land
now called South Varangia. It was all undiscovered country even to Axel
whose prior journey had gone down a different path.

The first two settlements they encountered were the clean well-ordered
villages typical of Frost Giants, but the next was a raw mining town laid
out helter-skelter, with little care for practicality or even basic
sanitation. Board sidewalks flanked the unpaved streets lined with tents
and temporary buildings thrown up hastily. Privies rather than sewers
served for bodily wastes.

The town of Viborg teemed with with persons of all races on the lookout for
the main chance. There were giants and dwarves, and humans, plus a
sprinkling of elves and orcs. Homes were few. The town was all boarding
houses, tent dormitories, eating places, saloons, gambling joints, and
brothels. The sounds of music and drunken revelry jarred their ears. And
the smell left a lot to be desired. At least the ground was well drained so
they did not have to slog through mud.

<A boomtown is an excrescence upon the land.> Derry observed. <Only greed
makes people live in so foul a way.>

Corwin nodded.

"We could bypass this town, but I am a reporter, and I suspect there are
some good stories here. Shall we stop for a while or push on?"

"I am for staying." Axel said, "but we'd better keep our guard up. Towns
like this attract unsavory sorts who prey on the miners who do the hard
work only to see it slip through their fingers and wind up in the hands of
saloon keepers, brothel operators, and professional gamblers, not to
mention thieves and footpads and claim jumpers."

<Before we get to the built up area, I am going to change to my Snow Elf
form and wear my sarong."

Derry removed the boldly patterned green and white sarong from his pack and
wrapped it around his hips, securing it with a bone clip.

"Let's keep it to ourselves that I am a shape shifter. It might be our
trump card.>

"Good idea." Corwin agreed. "Same tactic with our major gifts. We don't
talk up our reputations and make no mention that I can wield ball lightning
or that Axel can teleport. To throw bad guys off, I will wear my
expeditionary outfit with the armbands which proclaim me both a combat
medic and a Healer, but let's keep our sleeves rolled down to the elbow so
they cannot see the tattoos that mark me as a Giant-Friend or you Axel as
an Orc-Friend."

"Fine, and let's ask the local law about the best place for honest
travelers to stay." Axel proposed.

"We'd better hope the local law isn't corrupt." Corwin replied.

Corwin's empathic gift confirmed that the town marshall was an honest man
or rather a tough looking Frost Giant with a harried look about him. The
nameplate on his desk gave his name as Lars Sigurdsson.

"I see that one of you is a Healer. Healers we need. So if you here to
practice your profession, then you are welcome. If you come looking for
sapphires my advice is to move on. Nice boys like you wouldn't be safe in a
boomtown like this. You three don't look like you could defend yourself
against claim jumpers. Only one of you has any brawn, and you would be
facing giants and dwarves. Your life is worth more than any pretty stones
you might dig up."

Corwin shook his head:

"We aren't miners, but there is money to be made in a boomtown without
getting your hands dirty. I am sure I can make a good living here as a
Healer. As for my friends, they have private means and interests of their
own and will be staying with me for a while. Also we three are more capable
of taking care of ourselves than you give us credit for you, though I don't
care to elaborate on how."

"I can understand that you want to play your cards close to your
vest. Anyway Red, that ruby in your amulet will draw attention. You just
might get bashed over the head and wake up without it, if you do wake up."

"Actually the stone is just a garnet and has little value as a gemstone."

"Maybe, but robbers wouldn't know that beforehand, would they?"

"Then as opportunities present themselves at saloons and eating places I'll
make a point of mentioning, just in passing mind you, that it is only a
garnet, which I wear because it is my birthstone. Hopefully word will get
around for them not to waste their time."

Axel wasn't really worried about theft. His wartime experiences had taught
him to maintain situational awareness at all times. And as a Jumper, he
could easily dodge blows directed at him and turn the tables.

"Is crime really so out of hand?" Corwin asked.

"It's not so bad as that. Mostly it's crooked gambling, armed robberies,
and fist and knife fights which result in mercifully few fatalities. Gems
are kept in the vault of the miners' cooperative, so no one had been killed
or robbed for his stash. Understand we do what I can to keep the lid on,
but my two deputies and I cannot be everywhere at once. So watch out."

"One more thing which might interest you as a Healer. People have been
dropping dead for no apparent reason. Five so far this spring. They were
the picture of health in the evening, but when found the next morning
stretched out in the street or an alley they were dead and looking as if
they had aged thirty years overnight. Any ideas what might cause such
deaths?"

"Not offhand, I'd have to examine the bodies."

Sigurdsson shook his head. "Cremated just in case whatever killed them was
contagious. I'll bring you in to consult on the next case, all right?"

"Fine, and what about lodgings?"

The marshall directed them to what he assured them was the cleanest and
safest boarding house in town. The landlady was none other than
Mrs. Sigurdsson which explained why the criminal element largely left the
place alone. It didn't hurt that one of the deputies boarded there too.

The rates were high, even for the inflated price structure of a boomtown,
but then the travelers could afford it. Derry had only a modest poke, but
since he had provided Corwin with transportation it was only fair that
Corwin pay for the lodgings. The rooms were small but clean and fresh
smelling though their thin walls forced Corwin and Derry to be less vocal
during their enthusiastic couplings.

Suspicious about the mysterious deaths which he already suspected were the
result of murder by magic. Corwin went to work at the local infirmary where
he was paid the modest stipend of a beginning Healer. The job gave him the
chance to sound out the local medical community. Over time he had a chance
to question the staff about the mysterious deaths. What were their
observations? Did they have a clue as to a diagnosis?

They too suspected that foul magic had been at work but also grumbled about
having come under suspicion themselves. It was well known that magical
healers could kill with a touch or just a thought really. Physical contact
was not necessary though proximity was. But a heart attack did not leave a
person looking like the way the victims had.

Axel and Derry carried out a parallel investigation into the circumstance
of the deaths all of which had happened in the commercial district. While
Derry sounded out the humbler members of the business community such as
clerks and drivers Axel called at the bank, the businessmen's association,
the offices of the freight line and other firms, ostensibly in search of
investment opportunities. Sooner or later he brought the conversation
around to the five mysterious deaths, saying he was worried not only for
his personal safety but for the impact a larger outbreak might have on the
prosperity of the town.

The substantial letter of credit Axel carried testified to his financial
wherewithal. Moreover Axel had picked up enough about business from the
wily dwarf Lennart to walk the walk and talk the talk.

All three took to visiting saloons and gambling palaces, though careful not
overindulge. Corwin especially was the sort who was easy to talk to, while
many were eager to chat up the exotic Snow Elf. Some men liked to brag,
others to complain, still others expressed their hopes or their fears. To
all of them the boys lent an ear. That gave them a better feel for this
town and its varied populace, and what might be going on with the
mysterious deaths.

The victims were found in circumstances that suggested they had not fallen
prey to a malefactor skulking around or lurking in the shadows. No it had
to be someone who could approach them openly and whose presence and
movements at night would not attract undue attention.

A grizzled human seated at a card table in the most popular gambling hall
asked Corwin:

"You always watch interestedly, Healer, but you never play cards
yourself. Are you one of those fellows who just can't stand to lose?"

"Hardly. If I did play I would almost certainly win. First off I grew up in
an army town where card playing is a major pastime. Second my healing magic
includes a sensitive empathic gift. It would tell me whether an opponent
really had good cards or was just bluffing. So it wouldn't be fair for me
to sit in on a game.  That would be like cheating. Not the kind of cheating
where a player palms cards or deals from the bottom of the deck, but
cheating all the same."

"Can you tell the real cheats from the honest players?"

"Certainly. You yourself are an honest player but also a skillful one,
which is why you win more often than you lose, unlike that swarthy fellow
sitting across from you who is neither honest nor very good at manipulating
cards. He really should practice more."

The man in question rose to his feet, a scowl on his face.

"Are you calling me a cheat?"

"What else should I call a man who exchanges two of the cards he was dealt
for better ones from up his sleeve?"

"But I have nothing up my sleeves, youngling." the man said smugly pushing
his sleeves up past his elbows.

Corwin shook his head.

"Your sleeve was where you took your new cards from. You hid the discards
in your sash."

Rough hands held the man, and a search produced the incriminating
evidence. The crowd was in a mood to administer summary justice. There was
talk of tar and feathers, but just then the marshall hurried in, alerted to
the trouble by a customer who had stepped out and waved him down as he went
about his rounds.

"I'll take it from here, gentlemen. Those of you who are willing to stand
witness should give my their names."

The bartender produced pencil and paper and after taking down the names,
the marshall took his prisoner to jail along with the man's chief accuser,
Corwin Klarendes. Axel and Derry tagged along.

			Chapter 5. Life Leech

"All right, young man. What was that all about? I appreciate your fingering
a crooked gambler, but I have a feeling there is more to it than that."

"There is. Tonight I set in motion my plan to expose the killer in our
midst."

"Are you talking about those five mysterious deaths? Those were murders?"

Corwin nodded. "Almost certainly the work of a life leech."

Corwin explained that a life leech was one of those very rare humans who
enjoyed an indefinite life span at the expense of others. The leech's
magical gift let him kill with a mere touch of his hands though he had to
maintain contact for a few minutes to fully drain the life force of others
and use it to restore his youth. The fact of multiple victims had thrown
Corwin off at first. Life leeches usually fed only once every few years and
then on only a single person, a youth or girl of their same gender. The
infrequency of their kills helped them escape detection or even suspicion.

The marshall's description of the victims' appearance had suggested aging,
but the medical practitioners and witnesses Corwin had talked to had told a
somewhat different story. The victims' hair had not turned gray nor were
their faces truly wrinkled, nor did they have age spots as with true
senescence. Instead their faces looked sunken or drained, their whole being
diminished.

"Do life leeches take pleasure from draining a victim? Is that why this
monster has killed five times so far?"

"Perhaps, but a better guess is that his regenerative powers are
failing. He can still kill with a touch or draw out the life force of his
victims, but a single life no longer does as much for him. To fully
rejuvenate he might need a dozen victims for each cycle. Maybe his cycle is
shorter too."

"I see. So what is this plan of yours?"

"Simple. I have set a trap using myself as the bait. At the saloon I
deliberately made myself conspicuous, wearing the armband of a magical
healer and sussing out that cheat. You understand that the life force of a
magical healer is much stronger than normal. That will tempt him to drain
me. And my empathic powers are a threat. I might see through his mask of
normalcy. I actually felt the leech's presence in the saloon, but I could
not pick him out of the crowd. No question now that he knows about me. He
will try to kill me very soon."

"How soon?"

"Tonight. We three will return to the saloon to set the stage. After a
couple of drinks I will peel away, ostensibly to catch up on my sleep while
my friends continue socializing. Derry here will keep in touch with all of
us via Mind Speech, including you Marshall. Now the killer might try to
sneak in while I sleep or knock on the door on some pretext to get me to
open it. When that happens Axel will teleport himself to my room. The two
of us will capture or kill the leech. You and Derry will come up the stairs
to block any attempt at escape."

Sigurdsson nodded. "If he tries to get past us, I'll hit him with a mild
levin bolt, just enough to stun him. Still I have to ask: How does a
giant-elf hybrid have telepathic powers in the first place?"

<When he is a shape shifter whose alternate form is that of a unicorn.>
Derry told him telepathically, slipping out of his sarong and assuming his
quadrupedal form, horn and all.

"Well I'll be damned." the marshall said amazed. "And you can teleport, can
you Axel?"

Axel nodded. "And both Corwin and I will be armed with our carbines."

"And if our carbines don't intimidate him, my ball lightning will."

Corwin called up a single ball of lightning four feet wide which hummed and
crackled menacingly.

"The most important thing Marshall is don't let him touch you with his bare
hands." Axel cautioned. "Leave capturing him to me."

"Why you? Aren't you just as vulnerable to a life leech as anyone else?"

"No, I am immune to hostile magic, for reasons I do not care to
disclose. The fewer who know... "

The Marshall's gaze went to Axel's throat.

"That's an ensorcelled amulet, isn't it?"

Axel confirmed the marshal's shrewd guess but asked Sigurdsson not to tell
anyone else, not even his deputies. He agreed, saying:

"There is a whole lot more to you three than I ever suspected."

No plan survives contact with the main strength of the enemy, and Corwin's
plan was no exception. The life leech set a fire in a dormitory as a
distraction. In all the commotion, no one would hear Corwin's cries for
help or the clash of weapons if it came to that. Nor would anyone mark or
remember his own movements. Another advantage was that the fire and the
crowd would draw the attention of the town marshall and his deputies.

The leech was resolved that Corwin would die this and provide him with the
life force he needed to rejuvenate. Who knew? The life force of a Healer
might even cure his problem and restore his fading powers. It was so unfair
that after only four centuries of life, less than that of most elves, he
had gone into decline. He now looked to be twenty years older than he ever
had before.

The life leech knocked on Corwin's door, telling him though the closed door
that the marshall had sent him and that his healing powers were needed to
save a man wounded in a knife fight.

"OK. I'll come right away." Corwin called then pulled on a cord he had
rigged to open the latch from across the room.

A big man looking to be in his forties stepped into the room reaching for
the boy he expected to be standing in the doorway.

He grabbed air.

Corwin was standing in the far corner with his carbine leveled. A
red-headed youth armed with another carbine stood in the center of the
room, careful to stay out of his friend's line of fire.

"Don't shoot. I surrender." he said, adding with a disarming grin: "I am
willing to take my chances in court. You cannot prove a thing against me."

The leech didn't really dare face a court of justice. How would he explain
his false claim that the marshall had sent him for Corwin to save a dying
man?. Not only did he have ample opportunity for the murders and no alibis,
an an empath would give the lie to his denials. No his outward confidence
was just a tactic to put his enemies off their guard. Just wait till one or
the other of them came within reach.

It was Axel who advanced to tie his wrists behind his back and then slip
steel gauntlets over his hands. A blacksmith was standing by to rivet them
around his wrists.

The leech let Axel get close then made his move. He grabbed Axel's bare arm
and invoked his deadly power.

Nothing happened -- till Axel kneed him in the groin.

In pain but still fully functional, the big man shoved Axel into Corwin's
line of fire and made a break for the door only to impale himself on the
unicorn's horn. Its monomolecular point sundered his ribs and pierced his
heart, killing him instantly. Just to be sure, after the body slumped to
the floor, Derry stomped on his head and crushed the skull.

Derry wanted the foul creature dead and had always intended to kill him
straight out, no matter what the marshall or his own friends wanted.

<Killed while trying to escape. All proper and legal.>

"Was it really necessary to smash his skull too?" Axel asked.

<I had to make sure he stayed dead. Who knows how powerful the regenerative
powers of a life leech might be? My own shapeshifter gift can regenerate a
seriously damaged body, but not without a working circulatory system and
brain. So if you ever need to kill a wir, present company excepted of
course, decapitate him, though that takes a sharp blade and strong arm.>

"Not the way I'd do it." Axel told him. "In Amazonia I would jump next to a
troll, put a hand to his head then jump away with just the head, leaving
the rest of his body behind. My technique was efficient since it combined
the kill stroke and the getaway. But don't get me started on war stories."

Corwin nodded. What was done was done.

The marshall and a deputy showed up a while later.

"There's your life leech, Marshall. He tried to kill me and Axel. When that
plan failed, he turned to flee, but Derry killed him as he sought to
escape. You can touch his body now that he is dead." Corwin told them.

"Maybe it's better this way." the marshall allowed. "He would always have
been a threat to his jailers till the day he was executed."

The marshall was relieved that he did not have to keep a life leech
incarcerated for even a few days, steel gauntlets or no. Good riddance to
the fiend anyway.

They later learned that under the name of Lazlo Szeged the life leech
worked for the night patrol hired by the businessmen's association in the
commercial center. That gave him the opportunity to prowl around at night
unsuspected and to approach strangers in the dark.

Corwin had a terrific story to tell: a tale of mystery and magic, mayhem
and murder. It was sure to sell papers. Unfortunately the young reporter
had no way to file his copy. No heliograph line or postal autogyro served
the area. Fortunately Axel could teleport to the offices of the Capital
Intelligencer and hand the story over to Corwin's editor. They would not
only print it but put it out via the Altair's Press Association which
linked the news-papers of the Commonwealth via the postal heliograph.

Next stop was the suite in a residential hotel he shared with his friends
to drop off his and Corwin's dirty laundry and pick up replacements though
Corwin's would be getting little use since he had to ride Derry while
sky-clad. No one else was at home, so he left a note to tell the others
that he had stopped by briefly. Corwin's story in the Capital Intelligencer
would tell them what he and Corwin had been up to.

Axel was also carrying a letter from Derry to his folks about how he had
fallen in with Corwin and Axel and would be traveling with them until they
finally returned to the capital of the Commonwealth. Axel posted it via air
mail. He then stopped by the Institute for a brief visit with Sir Willet,
to fill him in and to arrange for any mail addressed to Derrionydd or Derry
to be held at the institute to be called for, either in person or by Axel
on his next hop, skip, and a jump visit to the capital.

Axel teleported back to Viborg and mounted Melody while Derry transformed
to let Corwin mount him. After saying their goodbyes to Marshall Sigurdsson
the three travelers headed out.

Adventure awaited.