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Strange Vacation

By: millennium_bard



Mike always said that the best surprise was the kind that scared the Hell out of you at first. 

Me, I always thought he was nuts. And in a sense, he was more than just a bit off. 

But then, I'm not entirely sane either.

Anyway, it all started when I was out camping in the mountains of Arizona. I had been at my campsite for almost a full week when I started noticing little things missing. Mostly food items, candy bars and such. I knew I hadn't eaten them, and they were taken out of a zipped backpack.

I would have thought someone was just out robbing campers, except that the thief left a CD player and even cash that I deliberately left out one night was untouched.

A few night's later, one of my knives went missing. I didn't realize it at first, because it was a small multi-tool type knife made entirely out of titanium. I was a bit pissed about the missing knife. It had cost me a little over $100.

I moved the camp to a small valley almost 2 miles away. I found a place near a small waterfall where the water spilled into a nice wide pool just deep enough to swim in. The second day I was there, my mysterious visitor paid me another visit. I happened to be going through the pocket of the backpack where the titanium knife had been, when I felt something odd in there. I pulled it out cautiously. Whatever it was was wrapped in a soft leather pouch. I untied the drawstrings and shook the contents out into my hand. Inside were a dozen small figurines, each made from a single piece of turquoise. I carried them outside where I could get a better look at them in broad daylight. I studied the little statues through a magnifying glass. I realized with a shock that they were all little statues of me. Even through the magnifying glass, they showed incredible detail. I carefully repacked them in the pouch and put them back in the pack. I took out a package of trail mix snacks and left it on top of the pack the next day.

Sure enough, it was gone when I returned.

I had another 3 weeks to go on my vacation, and I really didn't want to move camp again. So I stayed put right there at the waterfall and just fished, relaxed, and wrote chapters in my novel. A couple of times, I could tell that someone had read my book while I was away. I didn't mind. At least someone would actually get some use out of what I wrote.

Then one night, as I lay out under the stars, just letting my mind wander, I had" what seemed to be a good idea at the time.

I wrote a note to my unseen visitor and left it among the pages of my novel. The note invited my guest to join me for supper the next night just after dark.

I went ahead and set up a second place for my hoped for guest. I cooked fish and a vegetable stew in my aluminum camp pots. Then I waited as the stew simmered.

I was about to give up and start eating when I heard something approaching my campfire. I stayed seated, trying to appear non-hostile in case my visitor was nervous.

I almost jumped out of my skin though, when that big damn grizzly bear loomed out of the night and sat down across the fire from me.

I sat very still, cussing the fact that I had left my .44 magnum revolver in the tent behind me. The bear and I stared at each other for a long moment, then the bear got to it's feet and move around the fire to where, I sat. It stood on all fours next to me and sniffed the odors from the stewpot.

I was about ready to piss myself when I noticed that I could actually see the flames of the fire THROUGH the bear. I sat still as the bear sniffed me, then ambled off into the night.

I watched it go, pivoting to keep it in sight as long as possible. When I turned back around, I almost jumped out of my skin. Sitting across from me was a girl or young woman with long black hair and skin the color of butterscotch. She wore a tunic style shirt and black jeans. She had on some nice moccasins that came up almost to her knees. She had her knees drawn up, and she rested her chin on her arms, which were folded, across her knees.

"Welcome to the fire." I said. "Would you do me the honor of dining with me?" The girl raised her head and looked at me with her eyes open wide. After studying me for a moment, she nodded. 

I rose to my feet and loaded one of my aluminum trays for her. I added a fork and a spoon, and then handed them to her. She accepted them without a word.

I fetched the salt and peppershakers and set them on the rock beside her. I dug out a couple of ceramic goblets that I had brought just on the off chance that I would meet someone worth drinking with. I had carried them on camping trips since I was in the Navy. I got out the bottle of Sangria wine that I had brought for sipping, and I poured her goblet full and handed it to her.

My visitor looked surprised again, but she accepted the goblet and took a small taste.

Giving me a delighted smile, she took a larger swallow of the wine.

I sat down with my own plate and goblet. We ate in companionable silence. I refilled her plate once, and mine once. And we both had 2 or 3 goblets of wine.

The whole time, she hadn't said a single word. Not even a grunt or a belch. That was OK with me. I did the talking for both of us.

"Was it you that made those little statues of me?" I asked.

My visitor gave me a shy nod. "Well they were wonderful beyond description." I told her.

This earned me a sunny smile and a nod of acknowledgment from her.

"Not a big talker I see." I quipped.

Another nod from the visitor.

"Well I am glad to finally meet you milady." I said with a bow.

Again the nod.

"Have you been watching me and visiting me ever since I got into the mountains?"

She dropped her eyes and nodded slowly.

"I don't mind at all." I said. "Although I would have liked to have seen you before now. All the better to cherish you in my dreams and thoughts."

That bit earned me a skeptical look.

"I know," I said, "That was a bit much, but you ARE lovely, and I would like to see you again." She cocked her head to one side. "Will you please come visit me again? Soon?"

The girl pondered the question somberly, and then nodded. "Good. I like having you around."

There was a roaring sound from the trees behind the girl. In a flash, she was around on my side of the fire, crouching behind me as if hiding from whatever was out there. I took a small bag of powder from my pocket. I had been planning to use it to dislodge a boulder from the trail down into the valley, but it had other uses too...

"When I make the distraction, you scoot straight back away from me and into the trees. Whoever or whatever is out there won't see you, I promise."

Her grip on my leg tightened for an instant in answer.

I tossed the pouch of black powder into the campfire. It went up with a horrific WHOOSH! and a big flash, producing thick clouds of smoke.

I felt her hands leave my leg, and then she was gone. 

More roars came from the trees, and they sounded angry now.

I took 3 long steps to my tent and knelt to reach inside. I picked up my gun belt and strapped it on.

My S&W .44 magnum was bolstered high on the right side, and my custom made bowie knife was balancing it on the left.

The knife was one I had made with an old friend of my grandpa's. We had folded and beaten the blade dozens of times, and I had deliberately cut myself and let my blood drip onto the red hot unfinished blade several times, then worked the blood and residue into the metal of the blade itself.

I had owned the knife for a good 20 years, and it was still as scalpel sharp as the day we had finished it.

The .44 was chosen because I am a big believer in the philosophy 'peace through superior firepower'.

The roars were approaching fast, along with a lot of crashing and thrashing in the underbrush. But the stream and the pond were between whatever was out there and me. So I knew that I would have time for at least 6 shots from the .44. IF that didn't do the trick, I had speed-loaders, and the Bowie to fall back on if there was no time to reload.

I could see something pacing back and forth on the other side of the stream. Whatever it was, it made the grizzly look like a fucking Chihuahua in comparison.

I couldn't see it clearly, and I had the sneaking feeling that I didn't want to see it any better.

Mike, my brother, always said I could never keep my mouth shut. 

There may be some justice to this claim.

"Come on and get some ya big fuzzball!" I yelled in defiance.

The hulk across the stream stopped dead in its tracks and cocked its head as if listening to me.

"I am the left hand of Death and your certain doom." I bellowed. 

I was rather proud of that one.

"Come across over here!" I screamed. "I have a good 2 foot of cold, blooded iron to shove through your gizzard!"

As a last gesture of defiance, I turned my back on the beast and farted loudly.

Then I sat down with my back to the thing and poured myself a glass of wine and drank it.

When I stood up a half hour later, the thing across the stream was gone, so silently that I never heard it leave.

I slept that night, (poorly) with my gun and knife close to hand, and I started wearing them whenever I left the campsite.

On the third evening, my visitor appeared, walking out from the trees behind my tent. As before, she didn't talk. I gave her some of my chili and an apple that I had found on a tree not far from the campsite.

This time, she sat next to me and she smiled a lot more.

When we were done eating, she stood on tiptoe and brushed my lips with a light kiss. She stepped back, blushing as if she had been greatly daring. Then she spun and ran back to the trees. She stopped on the edge of the tree line and waved. Then she turned and vanished into the woods.

Again I slept with my weapons at hand.

I went for a walk the next morning at dawn. The pond was as still as glass for the most part, and little tendrils of fog rose from its surface. I walked quietly along a path that I hadn't noticed before that lead along the pond. I heard singing and splashing ahead of me. I slowed and moved from cover to cover, not wanting to disturb whoever was out here. I thought it might be my visitor since it was a girls voice singing, but since I had never heard her speak, I could not be sure without seeing the singer. 

I came to a large tree leaned out over the water. Under the trunk was indeed my visitor. Her clothing was o the shore in a neat pile. I watched a moment as she swam and dove. She had a nice body, slender but still womanly.

I decided not to invade her privacy and started to turn away. Something caught the corner of my eye. A man all dressed in black leather had stepped to the bank and was had a bow drawn and the arrow aimed at the girl's back. It was obvious that she hadn't seen him because she stood up straight and lifted her hands to run her hair through her fingers. I started to call a warning, but the archer drew his arrow back another fraction of an inch, and I had to act. I drew my revolver and snapped off a quick shot in his direction. The blast startled him and the arrow missed its mark, hissing into the water a foot from her side. His hands moving in a blur, the archer snatched another arrow from his quiver and nocked it. But by then I had the gun in both hands and the sights covered his chest. I got off two fast shots, and then I felt the rush of air as his arrow missed my ear by less than an inch. I kept the gun trained on him as I moved closer. The girl had dived away at the first sign of trouble and was nowhere to be seen.

As I approached the body of the archer, he started to sit up.

There was a lot of blood on his chest from where the two shots had hit him about 2 inches apart.

He reached for the dagger sheathed at his belt. I triggered the remaining 3 rounds into his chest from about 5 feet away.

The bullets from the big .44 slammed him back down.

I knelt and pulled the dagger from the sheath. I tossed it a few feet away, and took his quiver off his side and tossed it over by the knife. The bow was a couple of feet from us, so I didn't bother with it.

I had reloaded and bolstered my gun, so it was out of the way. He had a belt with several familiar looking leather pouches dangling from it. I took those as well, figuring I could get a clue as to why he was here and trying to kill the girl.

As I started to stand up, the man moved again. This time I snatched out the Bowie and slammed it through his breastbone and into the turf under him. "Now get up cocksucker." I said.

I moved over and picked up his bow. Then I slung his quiver over my shoulder and tucked

the knife into the sheath on the belt I now held.

I looked for the girl, but she and her clothes were gone.

When I went back to get my knife from the archer's corpse, all that was left was some charred bone and scraps of leather.

I picked up the knife and wiped the blade before sheathing it.

OK This was getting a little too weird even for me.

I was pretty sure that I was now mixed up in something that humans were not usually a part of.

I went back to my campsite and found it had been ransacked. Clothes were torn and my stuff scattered to hell and gone.

OK, Now I was seriously pissed.

My brother Mike has a hell of a temper. Spring-loaded to the pissed off position. He flares up hotly, but it is soon over.

Me? It takes a lot to get me truly angry. And I tend to hold a grudge until it dies of old age. Then I have it stuffed and mounted and keep it in the closet.

Someone wanted to play games. Fine. I would be more than happy to oblige them.

It took me all damn day to gather up my stuff. Not a lot was broken, but the pouch with the statues of me had been pounded and thrashed, and all that was left of the statues was chips and powder.

For some reason, the loss of those little statuettes bothered me more than the rest of the trashed camp.

I didn't build a fire that night. I just sat on the log that I used as a table/chair/workbench, and brooded far into the night. When the first tinges of dawn colored the eastern sky, the girl appeared. She was dressed as always, but this time her hair was tied back in a braid that dangled to her waist. Her ears I could see for the first time had fine, upswept pointed tips.

She sat down next to me on the log. She reached out and took my hand in hers and smiled softly at me.

We sat quietly and companionably on the log watching the sun come up. Her hand was warm and soft in mine, with small delicate bones that made her strength all the more surprising.

When the sun was fully up, I got up and laid the archers belongings on the ground in front of her. "Do you recognize these?" I asked.

She stared at the items with a look of sick fear on her face.

"I take that as a yes then." I said. "Do you know what I should do with this stuff?"

She made a violent throwing away gesture, and then pointed emphatically at the fire pit.

I shrugged and built a small but intense fire, then placed the archers things into the flames and let them burn.

The girl sat down with me on the log, holding my hand and never taking her eyes off the Archers stuff until it had all burned to ashes. When the fire was down to coals, I stirred the ashes with my Bowie. Something clicked against the blade of the knife. There was a flash and a small bang that made me jump. The girl had almost fainted when she heard the bang, then she relaxed when she saw I was all right.

She shied away from the knife when I sheathed it and sat back down. SO I unbuckled the belt and sat it on the other side of me.

She immediately scooted closer until our sides touched. I carefully put my arm around her shoulders, and she leaned into the embrace, laying her head on my shoulder. Finally, she got up and caressed my cheek with her palm. Then she went back into the trees.

Well, I had made a friend anyway.

I put the belt back on.

It was time for me to get word to the outside world. I would need a few things. I wasn't going anywhere until I found and dealt with the asshole that trashed my camp.

Besides, I had a feeling that the girl still needed my help.

I had bought an Iridium satellite phone a couple of years ago. Pretty much anywhere I could get a clear view of the sky, I could get a call out.

I dialed a friend's number and waited for him to pick up. 

"Hello?"

"Hi there. This is Chuck."

"Hey, Chuck, I thought you were on vacation." 

"I am. Listen, I need a favor." 

"Whatcha need?"

"You still got that friend who has that helicopter service?"

"Pete? Yeah, he's still around. Been bitching about how slow business is lately as a matter of fact. Why? You got a job for him?"

"Yeah, I do. I'm into a kinda weird situation here. I need you to head to my place and pick up my big metal gun case from the bedroom closet. And I'll need another pack and pack frame. That's got to be aluminum, And I need a hundred meters of 1/4 inch parachute cord, 4 cases of MRE's and I want you to pick me up a Barnett crossbow and a couple dozen bolts for it. At least half have to have steel shafts, the rest can be composite or aluminum."

"Christ dude! You planning a war?"

"Maybe. I dunno yet."

"OK what else do ya need?"

"If you have any of the demo kits that I made up for us last year, I need one. Otherwise, you know the combo to my gun safe; I have a few in there. Oh, and some .44 mag ammo. 240 grain HP. and I need a solar battery charger so I can keep this phone charged. "

"OK where do you want all this stuff?"

"I am approximately 8 KM east of Lobo Blanco peak. I'm in a small valley with a 2-meter waterfall at the west end. When I hear the chopper, I'll pop yellow smoke."

"Gotcha. We'll be dropping in about 4 tomorrow afternoon."

"Great."

"Uh, Dude, you gonna need some help there? I can bring along a few toys if we need them."

"Naw, I'm cool for now. But I may call for help later. Don't sweat the delivery, the landing

zone is secure."

"OK, I'll see you then." "Bye."

I put the phone away and relaxed. That night was uneventful. No nocturnal visitors, and no sign of my friend.

The next morning was clear and bright. I spent the morning fishing and doing some camp chores. I had some decent luck, catching a half dozen eating sized trout. I had just cleaned them and dropped them over the fire on green sticks when I realized I had a visitor.

I stood and turned to find a tall slender man standing a few yards away. He had long black hair, and the same butterscotch skin as the girl. He was dressed in black leather much like the archer had worn, only more ornate.

We studied each other for a few moments, and then he spoke in a well-modulated baritone voice. "You have interfered where you do not belong. The girl is not your affair. Interfere again, and you will die also."

"Better men than you have tried." I told him. "I don't know who you are or what pile of ratshit you crawled out from, and I don't care. The girl is under my protection if she wishes it. And if you try to harm her again, I will fill your heart and head with cold iron." The man looked amused.

"So you have courage at least." He said. 

"And the ability to back it up. Just ask your archer buddy."

(Remember what I said before about me not being able to keep my mouth shut?)

The visitor's eyes narrowed. "He was careless. I won't be." 

"Care to try now?" I said. I dropped my hand to my Bowie. 

The man laughed softly. "In my own time, and at a place I will choose."

I took an educated guess, (and a big chance), "If you of the Sidhe still value honor, something I doubt, due to your current behavior, then I challenge you to a duel." 

The man laughed out loud. "A duel? With me? You must be insane!"

"I notice that you do not say that you accept. Do I take it that you wish unlimited warfare between your clan and mine?" 


Strange Vacation Ch. 02



I was standing there with Wife and Night Glow as Brett climbed out of his ultralight and walked over to us.

"Hey Slick," he said to me, "Who are these two visions of beauty?"

"This is Winter Dawn, My wife. And her sister Night Glow." I replied.

Brett introduced himself to the ladies, then looked at me, clearly wanting an explanation.

"I'll fill you in later," I told him. "Let's get your stuff unloaded."

Brett had a pair of fiberglass canisters attached to the frame of his ultralight, and we wasted no time in unstrapping them and toting them over to the tents.

Brett went back to the ultralight to tie it down. Night Glow trailed along with him curiously.

"Your friend seems nice." Wife commented as I started to open the fiberglass canisters. "He is a nice guy," I said. "We served together for a long time." Wife watched Brett flirting with Night Glow as he drove the pegs into the ground and attached the tie down cables to secure the ultralight against any gusts of wind.

"Will he accept Night Glow as a wife?" asked Winter Dawn.

"I believe that he will," I replied. "Once he understands the situation."

I looked up from my unpacking to see Night Glow laughing at something Brett was saying. "Yes, I do believe that your sister will be safely mated by tonight."

Over lunch, we briefed Brett on what had been going on.

"Slick," he said when we were done. "Leave it to you to find a couple of the most beautiful women in all of creation out in the middle of nowhere."

He paused while Night Glow refilled his coffee cup and thanked her with a smile.

"The way I see it, this Coyote/Loki character has some serious plans that you have seriously FUBARed," he continued. "And you've made him lose face in front of witnesses." Brett shook his head. "He's going to be after your ass big time."

Wife and Night Glow were nodding their agreement with his assessment.

"He has to defeat you in order to reassure his allies that he has not become weak and thus vulnerable," said Night Glow.

"If he cannot best a mere mortal, those whom he has been associating with will turn on him and try to destroy him," added Wife.

"Just who are these allies of his?" asked Brett.

Wife shuddered, wrapping her arms around herself. "'tis best not to speak their names, lest their attention be drawn to us," she said. "Our brother has somehow managed to draw into his plans beings that would not normally ally together."

‘A dangerous game to play," I said. Brett and I exchanged glances. "Divide and conquer," he said with a grin.

Brett spent most of the afternoon assembling his weapons and other toys with night Glow looking on interestedly. 

When he was done and armed to his satisfaction, he took the ultralight up again and scattered the ashes of the Wendigo far and wide. It would be a long while before that beastie resurrected if at all.

While he was aloft, Wife took her sister into the main tent for some private conversation.

Left to myself for the time being, I walked down to the waters edge and sat down cross-legged on the bank of the stream.

I cleared my mind as best I could and quickly dropped into a meditative state.

I had learned long ago how meditation could focus my mind on a subject, bringing to light those little things all too easy to miss the first time around.

First, I was not dealing with the Sidhe that I had read about and heard tales of all my life. But these people had many of the same weaknesses and strengths of the Faerie folk of legend. 

I delved into my memory to dredge up all of the tales I had heard or read about Native American folklore.

I spotted several stories common to many widespread cultures and concentrated on those.

Without warning, I felt something entirely too close for comfort.

I opened my eyes and found myself nose to nose with the Grizzly from the cave.

Evidently satisfied that he had my attention, then bear sat down I front of me with a whuff.

"It's about time you started using your brain" said a voice inside my head.

Okaaay.

A telepathic bear. 

With everything else that had happened lately, I wasn't too surprised at anything by now. The weird was fast becoming the norm.

"And what do you want from me Brother Bear?" I asked silently.

"You have chosen to involve yourself in the affairs of a people not your own. I want to know why you have chosen this path," was the response.

"I could not turn away from the needs of a friend any more than you could," I returned.

The bear heaved itself to its feet with a grunt.

"Winter Dawn chose well." I heard as the bear splashed across the stream and vanished into the woods on the other side.

My brother always told me that I would go completely off my rocker someday. Looks like he was righter than he knew.

I got to my feet and headed back to the tents. Wife was busy preparing supper and Night Glow was shading her eyes as she looked for Brett's ultralight to come back into sight.

"Wife, how does Great Bear fit into all of this?" I asked when I came up to the cooking fire.

She straightened up and turned to face me.

I was struck again by her beauty and poise as she considered before answering.

"Bear is not fond of my brother," she said. "But he honors his vows and cannot interfere directly, much as he would like to."

"So how can he aid us indirectly?" I wondered.

"He can lend a portion of his strength to those that he favors during battle." Night Glow spoke from behind me. "And he can carry messages to our allies."

I perked up at that. "We have allies in this?"

"There are many who would love to see our brother defeated and humiliated," said Wife.

"But they are not powerful enough to stand against him alone, and our kind do not ally with each other easily."

Well now. This was news that could make all the difference in the world.

I was about to explore this matter further, but just then we heard the mosquito buzz of Brett's ultralight approaching.

Night Glow squealed happily and ran over to stand near where he would be landing.

"I think that your sister has fallen in love with Brett." I remarked to Wife.

She just smiled and slipped her arm around me, taking care to avoid the big .44 strapped to my waist.

Once Brett had landed and secured the ultralight, he came over to the fire holding Night Glows hand as he walked.

"Supper sure smells good," he said.

We discussed the situation as we ate, and Brett shook his head when we were done.

"I am still having trouble believing that all this is real," he said. "But I am willing to play along for now."

"Believe it or not as you wish. It is real all the same," came a voice from the dark beyond the tents.

Brett and I dove in opposite directions, coming up with our guns out and pointed in the direction of the unseen voice.

"Raven!" cried Wife and Night Glow happily.

I holstered my revolver and saw Brett doing the same with his .45 auto.

Out of the shadows came an old woman dressed in a soft leather dress and wearing a long black cloak that shimmered in the firelight.

Brett, always the fast thinker, whipped off his jacket and laid it, folded neatly, on the log that we used as a bench. "Please join us honored One."

The old woman gave him a toothless grin and nodded. "You show the proper respect boy. I like you."

She came up to the fire and sat down on Brett's jacket. Her smooth movements belied her ancient appearance.

She fixed me with her glittering black eyes. "I have been watching you while you defended Winter Dawn and Night Glow. You have proven honorable and fierce in battle," she gave a cackling laugh. "But it will take more than prowess in battle to best Coyote."

Brett suddenly made a diving roll to his right, reaching into a pouch on his belt and hurling something out into the darkness.

A scream ripped through the night air, trailing off into a horrid gurgling sound.

Wife and Night Glow dropped flat as I drew my .44 looking for a target.

Only Raven sat there unmoving. ‘The threat is ended.' She said calmly.

Brett stayed crouched with a weirdly curved shuriken in his hand. "There are at least 3 more out there," he said.

"They are my friends." Raven told him.

Brett stood up straight, his hand a flickering blur as he tucked away his throwing star. 

"They play a dangerous game, lurking in the darkness like that," was all he said.

Raven rose to her feet in a fluid movement. "Remember," she told me. "It will take all of your wits to defeat Coyote."

Brett stared open-mouthed as Raven seemed to shimmer, then vanished before our eyes.

Night Glow took his hand and led him to the small dome tent that Brett had set up earlier.

Wife was already crawling into our own tent, her well shaped behind wagging invitingly.

I was about to follow her when I heard a noise behind me.

I turned to see the Grizzly flopping down on the other side of the fire. "Go to her," I heard inside my head. "I will keep watch until dawn."

I gave the bear a salute and went to join my wife in the tent.

I didn't get much sleep that night, what with Wife feeling especially amorous and the noises coming from the other tent a few feet away.

The next morning dawned gray and foggy.

No one felt much like talking, and I spent most of the day preparing my weapons and gear for the duel on the morrow.

Night Glow and Winter Dawn were uncharacteristically quiet and went about their routines somberly.

Brett was caring for his own gear and kept casting suspicious glances into the fog.

I trusted his instincts. He had saved our bacon more than once on missions with his hunches.

"I wish we had Carl and Blackie with us," he remarked at suppertime. "I think that we're going to need all the firepower that we can get before this is over."

Blackie was the heavy gunner for our squad. A full blooded Cheyenne, he was the source of most of the Indian lore that I remembered.

Carl was our demo man. He was the one who had taught us all how to blow things up with a masters touch.

But both of them had been killed during our last mission.

"I wish that they were here too," I said with a sigh. "Blackie would be in hog heaven right now."

That night Wife and I did not make love. Instead she held me tight all night long, her tears soaking my shoulder.

In the morning I gathered the others together in my tent.

"Brett, no matter what happens out there today, get the girls out safely," I said. "Use the Barret to clear the way and get going fast if I lose."

He nodded and clasped my shoulder for an instant.

Wife kissed both of us hard, then scrambled out of the tent, tears streaming down her face.

"If you lose," Night Glow said. "She will not want to live without you." Then she too left the tent with here eyes streaming.

Brett chambered a round in the Barret. "If you lose, I'm going to blow your opponent out of his socks before I do anything else."

He looked at me with hard eyes. "You'll have an honor guard in hell," he promised.

"Hey, I haven't lost yet Sarge. Now get out there and comfort the girls while I get my mind straight." I told him.

He left, taking the Barret with him.

I arranged myself cross-legged again and prepared my mind for meditation.

Whatever laughing Boy had in mind, it wouldn't be anything straightforward. That boy had a mind as twisted as a broken backed snake.

But I had read Niccolo Machiavelli a time or two, and I had a few tricks up my sleeve that he wouldn't be expecting.

Finally the time approached for the duel and I exited the tent.

I felt relaxed and ready. My body abuzz with the tingle that I always felt just before going into combat.

I saw Brett and the ladies looking off to the east. There was now a large circle of bare dirt where there had been lush grass the day before.

There were 6 people standing on the other side of the circle, clearly waiting for us.

As I started walking toward the circle, Brett, Wife, and night Glow fell in beside me.

Overhead a raven circled, as the Grizzly emerged from the woods to pace at my side.

Coyote was one of the people there of course.

With him were a pair of men with similar features and cold eyes. Beside them was an old crone with a mouthful of pointed teeth that she showed in a wide grin.

Opposite the old woman was a beautiful woman that had bright red eyes and claws on her fingers that put those of the Grizzly to shame.

And standing in front of Coyote with his hands on her shoulders was a young girl who looked about 10 years old.

My companions stopped at the edge of the circle as I walked on to stand in the center of the battle ground.

"Come on asshole," I said to my opponent. "Get in here so I can carve our gizzard and go have my lunch."

"I have no time or energy to waste on a mere human." He said lazily. "According to the laws of the High Court, I have chosen a champion to deal with you in my stead."

Abruptly he shoved the young girl into the circle. "I choose Moon Mist as my champion."

I heard a gasp from Wife and Night Glow.

"You must not enter the circle or he is forfeit," said Bear aloud.

"But that's our sister!" wailed Wife.

Coyote smirked. "What's the matter warrior? Are you afraid of a child after all those brave words?"

Brett went prone with the Barret aimed at Coyote.

"Hold your fire!" I told him quickly. .

I stepped closer to the girl. "Don't worry, I will not hurt you."

I looked up at Coyote with death in my eyes. 

"Since you have proven yourself coward yet again, I declare vendetta on you. I shall hunt you down and slay you wherever I find you."

I turned my back on him and sat down in front of the girl who had turned to face me.

"Sit little sister and let me tell you the tales of my people."

She blinked at me for a moment, then sank down to sit in front of me.

I told her all of the legends of my Danish forebears that dealt with Loki the trickster god.

I could hear Coyote fuming and sputtering behind me as the girl started to relax and enjoy the stories.

Over her shoulder I could see Brett still aiming his gun at Coyote and the ladies on their knees holding each other. 

Bear just sat there panting and saying nothing.

"Are you going to talk her to death?" sneered Coyote.

"Silence puppy, until your betters are done speaking," I said without turning around.

Enraged, Coyote stepped into the circle.

This was what I had been waiting for.

I stood and spun to face him.

"You're mine!" I snarled and backhanded him across the face.

The girl scrambled on all fours toward her sisters as Coyote went sprawling, blood dripping from a broken nose.

Behind me the Barret boomed in rapid succession and Coyote's allies went sprawling.

Coyote didn't spare them even a glance as he came to his feet with a screech of pure rage.

He drew a knife from a sheath at his back and came forward in a crouch.

I drew my Bowie and gave him a humorless grin. "I see you have some guts after all. Let's see how they look on the ground."

Coyote's knife had an obsidian blade that had an unpleasantly greasy sheen. My first thought was that it was probably poisoned.

Coyote circled to the left, and I pivoted to keep him in front of me. I kept my eyes in the blade of his knife. When he made his move, it was faster than I would have thought possible.

I felt something thump my side hard, then he was dancing back to avoid my blade.

He smiled wickedly and glided forward again with that uncanny speed.

This time however I was waiting for him and he got a slash across his chest that made him scream and drop his knife.

I saw the edges of his wound turn black and shrivel a little.

He glared art me for a moment, then he was running toward the trees as fast as he could move, Brett tried to swing the Barret around, but Coyote vanished before he could draw a decent bead on him.

I put my hand down to where I had been hit to rub away the lingering soreness from the blow and my hand came away wet.

I looked down and saw the blood on my hand.

I took a couple of steps toward Wife, then the world spun around and everything went dark.



Strange Vacation Ch. 03



I heard Brett's voice arguing with Wife and Night Glow. "I have to get him to a hospital or he is going to die. Is that how you want to repay him for all that he has done for you?"

"He shall not die," came Wife's reply. "You heard what Raven told us. Husband will live and father many children yet."

"Yeah, I heard, but meaning no disrespect, I'd rather put my faith in a well equipped trauma team at a hospital in Phoenix or Tucson," Brett grumbled.

I opened my eyes to see the tent roof curving above me. 

Turning my head I saw the young girl from the challenge circle kneeling at my side watching me intently. She started to get to her feet excitedly, but I held a hand up to stop her and put a finger to m lips to signal for silence and she settled back to her knees.

"Brett don't be a fool," I managed to say. 

Damn, it hurt to talk or even breathe. "If you took me to a hospital, that would mean that we'd have to leave our women here unprotected. And that would doom them as surely as if you stuck them with a cold iron knife."

Brett came into the tent when he heard my voice. "How long have you been awake?" he asked.

"Long enough to hear you make an ass of yourself," I told him. 

Wife brushed past him to kneel beside me. I could feel her lifting the poultice from my side and then her fingers gently probing the wound.

"I think that Raven's medicine has drawn out the poison," she said as she handed the bloody mess to Night Glow to dispose of. "The bleeding has stopped," she continued as she smeared some more smelly gunk over the wound, making me wince a little.

"Yeah, well I'm still not used to all this weird shit going down out here in the boonies," Brett said. "But I'll stick it out. God knows that you've hung your ass out on the line for me often enough."

"Just watch out for that damn Coyote," I told him. "No way he's going to give up now."

Brett smiled grimly. "I doubt that he knows anything about claymores."

I raised an eyebrow. "I didn't see any claymores in the stuff that you brought with you."

Wife patted my forehead with a damp cloth. "My Husband, you have lain as if dead for almost a full month. Brett has come and gone many times in his ultralight," she stumbled a bit over the last word.

Well, that would explain the dreams about giant mosquitoes.

"Any sign of that treacherous asshole?" I asked.

"He was wounded as badly as you were," said Night Glow from the doorway of the tent. "The cold iron of your blade did as much harm to him as the poison on his blade did to you."

If I was waking up and feeling better, then Loki/Coyote would be up and around as well.

I reached down and touched the place where he had stabbed me. I could feel the stitches that closed the lips of the wound and the poultice that was supposed to be helping heal me. 

"Brett, help me outside so I can sit in the sun for a while."

Wife opened her mouth to protest, then subsided and helped him get me to my feet and out to the log by the fire.

The sun felt good on my back and the fresh air seemed to re-energize me.

The young girl came out and sat beside me, taking my hand and holding it as I looked out over the pond.

It occurred to me that I had never heard her speak. Hell, I didn't even know her name, only that she was wife's kid sister.

"What is your name?" I asked.

She ducked her head and mumbled something.

"I couldn't hear you," I said. "Hold your head up and speak clearly please."

Slowly she raised her head and looked straight ahead. "I have no name," she said. "When my parents were killed, I left my childhood behind and my childhood name with it."

"Then I shall call you Treasure and declare you to be my daughter." I told her.

Her head whipped around so fast I thought her neck would break. "Truly?" 

I heard a familiar mental laugh from behind me. Bear was back.

"He speaks truly and from the heart little Treasure," Bear assured her. "He does things like this all the time. It is most amusing,"

I glanced back over my shoulder at the hairy hulk sitting next to the tent.

"Laugh it up while you can," I told the Bear. "We still have to figure out what Coyote's plans are, and how to throw a monkey wrench into the works."

The bear just scratched itself vigorously and remained silent.

Brett came over and sat down beside me. "Well Slick, you haven't lost your touch with a blade. But I don't see that character letting you get that close to him again."

"No," I agreed. "Not unless he doesn't know I'm there."

Brett laughed. "Gonna ninja up on his ass are you?"

I had to smile at his whimsy. "Hardly."

Brett sobered abruptly. "You know that we'll have to fight the next battle on his own ground."

"Yeah," I muttered.

Treasure tugged at my hand to get my attention. "What will you do to my brother if you catch him?" 

"I don't know," I replied honestly. "What do you think that we should do with him?"

"Make it so that he can't come here anymore!" she said.

"How do we do that?" Brett asked. "Unless we kill him."

"Winter Dawn knows how," Treasure declared and ran off to go find her sister.

Brett stood up. "I am going to go get us an edge." He said, then headed for his ultralight.

I looked back over my shoulder at the bear. He was asleep. Or at least appeared to be.

The hairy beast didn't twitch an ear when Brett's ultralight buzzed to life and took off.

I sat there on the log and thought long and hard.

Then a delightfully evil plan took shape in my head.

"Bear," I spoke aloud. "I have a mission for you, should you choose to accept it."

The Grizzly raised his head to blink solemnly at me. "And what madness are you hatching now?"

"I need to speak to the spirits native to this place." I said.

The bear reared back onto its haunches in surprise. "You do not know what you ask." 

"Oh, but I do," I replied.

"If the Kachina do not like what you have to say, they will strip the soul from your body," warned the Bear.

"I propose to point them at someone that they will be far more angry at than just a presumptuous mortal." I said.

Bear chuckled, "You do not lack for courage. And the plan is one worthy of the Trickster himself."

The bear lumbered off into the forest without a backward glance.

Wife came over to sit down next to me as I laid my plans for the evening's festivities.

"What is it that you are plotting my love?" She asked.

"I am going to try to enlist the aid of some others before I go after Coyote in his lair."

"What others?" she asked curiously.

"The Kachina." I replied.

Wife paled. "The Kachina do not like our kind, and humans even less. Especially white humans."

I smiled at her. " No worries my wife, I know what I am doing." 

Famous last words.

Wife went on into the tent where I could hear her arguing with her sisters.

I could imagine what the subject was.

Bear came back just before dusk and gave me instructions on how to prepare to receive the visiting spirits.

I drew a circle on the ground and a smaller one a few feet away. 

In the smaller circle I placed tobacco, corn, and salt.

I sat cross-legged in the larger circle and waited.

Wife, Night Glow and Treasure were in the tent huddled together on the blankets.

Bear sat nearby offering advice until the moon was fully above the trees. "I cannot remain here," he said as he lurched to his feet. "I shall return at dawn."

As soon as he disappeared into the trees, I heard what sounded like wings, and then a small tornado seemed to arise from the smaller circle.

"Why have you disturbed our rest?" came a voice from the whirlwind.

"I bring you a warning," I said evenly.

"What warning could you possibly have that would concern us?" came a new voice from the mini twister.

"A new move by Loki that would mean his gaining enough power to challenge even you." I replied.

Abruptly the whirlwind solidified into several manlike forms arranged in a row around the front of the circle that I was sitting in.

I won't even try to describe what the Kachina looked like save to say that the Hopi dolls were only a vague representation of their true forms.

I wish that I could wipe the memory of the sight from my brain, but that is part of the price I must bear for having summoned them.

"What is your part in this?" said the tallest figure in a voice like a snakes rattle.

Abruptly I felt something around my neck, cutting off my wind and leaving me unable to speak.

"How can he answer you if you keep doing that?" said a slightly shorter figure in an almost feminine voice.

The constriction around my throat eased enough for me to catch my breath. "Thanks heaps Darth Vader." I said sourly.

(Remember that problem I have with keeping my mouth shut?)

"Do not anger him further," cautioned the figure on the far left.

I nodded to it and then turned my attention back to the largest figure.

"I am fighting against Loki for my own reasons," I said. "I intend to wreck whatever plans that he is hatching, and if possible, banish him from this realm forever."

"And what do you wish from us?" Asked yet another of the figures.

"Nothing," I replied. "I thought that you should know what Coyote has planned so that you can move to counter him if I fail."

There was a buzzing, whispering sound just at the edge of my consciousness as the Kachina conferred among themselves.

"We will watch and see how well you do," said the tallest one finally. "IF you succeed, you will have our thanks and will be allowed to depart in peace. If you fail, your spirit is forfeit to us."

Then they were gone and the night sounds returned.

I sat there for a long time, not daring to move even if I had felt capable of it.

Just as the first rays of dawn lightened the eastern horizon I heard a voice sigh, "Let us depart. I told you that he would not be so foolish as to expose himself to our hungers."

Then I could sense the watching presences disappear.

I got painfully to my feet and stood there swaying until the dizziness faded away.

Wife peeked out of the tent and spotted me.

She scrambled to get the flap unzipped, and then ran to throw her arms around me, burying her head against my chest as she cried.

"I was sure that you would be taken from me," she said between sobs.

"Never my heart," I murmured as I stroked her hair and back.

Night Glow and Treasure emerged from the tent and stood watching us until Wife moved slightly away from me.

"Come, we have a lot to do while there is still daylight to work by," I said.

Treasure and Night Glow began preparations for the morning meal while Wife and I walked over to the cliff by the waterfall. 

I studied the pile of rocks at the base of the cliff. There might just be enough stone to do what I had in mind.

"We need to gather as many of these rocks as we can and take them back to the tents," I said.

"But why?" asked Wife.

"I will build my home here," I told her. "With thick walls to keep out the cold of winter and the heat of summer."

"Typical human, building a cave when there are so many to chose from close by."

I damn near jumped out of my skin. "Damn it Bear, do you have to sneak up on me like that?"

"No," replied the bear with a mental chuckle. "But I do enjoy seeing you get all flustered like that."

Wife snickered and I had to laugh as well. "Just wait my friend, you will get yours soon enough," I told the grizzly.

Unimpressed, the bear yawned and scratched behind an ear with his hind paw.

The rest of the morning went by quickly with Night Glow and Wife hauling stones on a makeshift travois and Treasure mixing mud and grass to make a primitive mortar to hold the rocks together.

I used stakes and twine to lay out the shape on the cabin. Then I took my shovel and leveled the foundation lines as best I could.

Once sufficient stones had been gathered, I shaped them roughly with my hammer and passed them on to the ladies to set into place.

By the time Brett returned about sundown, the walls were already waist high.

There were actually two sets of walls, one inside the other with about 6 inches of space between them. This space I filled with dirt and tamped it down tight. This would provide additional insulation and would help block drafts coming through the inevitable chinks in the walls.

Once the walls were high enough, I took the shovel and leveled the interior space to lay flat stones for a floor. The excess dirt went into the space between the walls.

Brett landed his ultralight and secured it for the night. Night Glow left her labors to run and greet her husband with kisses and hugs.

She was chattering away as she showed Brett the work that we had accomplished so far.

Brett just listened and looked, then made a few suggestions of his own.

"The interior walls don't have to be heavy," he said. "And it should be easy enough to find seasoned timbers enough to make the roof supports."

"What did you bring back with you?" I asked.

"Mostly bad news," he said. "They are trying to recall both of us to active duty."

"Fuck that," I replied. "I have my own war to fight right here."

Brett laughed. "That was pretty much my response. Fortunately I was able to dodge the 90-day wonder that they sent to pass the invitations out to us."

I chuckled at Brett's use of the term for a freshly minted graduate of officer Candidate School. They were almost always full of by-the-book enthusiasm and way short on common sense.

That evening I filled Brett in on the visit from the Kachina spirits.

He let out a low whistle. "Man, you are playing in the big leagues now Slick."

"Ah, but I have a plan," I said.

Brett rolled his eyes. "Now where have I heard that one before," he quipped. "Oh yeah, right before everything went to hell in a handbasket."

"Get bent," I retorted.

Brett just laughed.

A quotation had been rolling around in my mind all day. "The great Kung Fu Tze confounded by the question of a dolt!"

In other words, Loki/Coyote would be expecting me to try something complex and devious. 

That was the way his mind worked, and I doubted that he would be able to think in simple linear terms even if he had to.

I was going to exploit this by being direct and simple.

Hopefully while he was trying to figure out what my real plan was, I would be too close for him to do anything about it.

To quote a favorite author of mine, "He's playing chess when the name of the game is checkers."

With Bear to help locate the dead trees we needed and Brett to help fell and haul the dead timber, we were ready to build the roof long before the ladies had the walls high enough. So we pitched in and helped them haul and stack the stones.

Treasure left off mixing the mud and grass, turning that chore over to Night Glow.

She harvested reeds from the shore of the pond and set about weaving them into mats that would serve as the inside walls of the cabin.

On the third day we finally raised the timbers to support the roof of the cabin.

I elected for a flat roof with a small parapet around the outside edge.

Brett made a quick trip out to find Pete and arrange for a delivery of several sacks of cement and a few rolls of nylon mesh.

When Pete dropped off the supplies the next day, Brett and I spread the nylon mesh in layers to support the cement that was hauled up the side of the house a bucket at a time.

When we were done, the house was snug and as weatherproof as we could make it.

A final flight by Brett brought in brass hinges and other hardware to fit the fiberglass door and windows that Pete had dropped off along with the cement.

I carried Wife over the threshold into our new home much to the amusement of Brett and her sisters.

Over the next few days Wife and her sisters made beds while Brett and I fashioned a table and chairs,

Night Glow asked Brett when we would start building their house.

Brett looked flustered. "Umm," he said. "I hadn't even thought about that yet."

The next morning Brett and his wife had picked out a sit not far from our cabin.

With the experience that we had gained from building the first cabin, the second went up in about half the time.

Pete made a couple of trips with the needed hardware and supplies. On the last trip he finally got out of the chopper long enough to meet the ladies.

"Next time I come out here, I'm putting the pods on the chopper," he told us. "There's something that doesn't feel right about this place to me, and I'll be damned if I come up here unarmed again!"

Bear came to me a few nights later. "The Kachina are getting impatient," he said. "They want to know when you are going to make your move."

"Tell them that it will be soon, and that I don't want to tip off Coyote by making overt preparations just yet." I replied.

Bear shook his head. "They will not like this, but I will counsel patience."

That night I sat at the table with Brett and the ladies. "I need someone to open a way into Coyote's realm," I said. "Tonight I make my move."

Treasure looked at me with her eyes wide. "We will be at our most vulnerable there."

"Not ‘we' Sweetness," I told her. "I am going in alone and unarmed."

"Madness!" exclaimed Wife. Night Glow nodded her agreement.

"Take this with you," Brett said as he pulled a sheathed knife from under his jacket.

I took the blade from the scabbard. It was a "CIA Letter Opener" A knife with a polymer blade and hilt shaped like the famous Sikes/Fairburn dagger carried by the British forces in WW2.

It would not cause a disturbance in the other realm like a blade of cold steel would, and it just might be all the edge I'd need.

"Thanks Sarge." I said.

"De Nada," he replied.

After more arguments, Wife finally agreed to open the portal to the other world.

"But only after I take you to bed again. If this is the last time I get the chance, I am not going to waste it."

She shooed everyone else out of the cabin and dragged me off to bed.

Of course I didn't resist much at all.

When we were done, Wife reluctantly dressed and stood in the middle of the room with her eyes closed.

I took a step towards her to give her another kiss before I left. 

Between one step and another I found myself standing in a deep forest in the other world.



Strange Vacation



(Told you I couldn't shut up...)

The man looked startled. "No, I do not wish open war."

"Then you accept the duel?"

"I accept the duel." The man spat. "You will be notified of the time and the place."

"Then leave me now. I have more pressing matters than you to attend to." And I turned my back •

on him. When I looked up later, he was gone without a trace. 

The girl however was standing next to the fire, bent over to adjust one of the broiling fish.

"Hi there!" I said.

She stood up and brushed her hair away from her face. "You do not know what you have done." She said. 

"Ah, you do speak!" I said. "And in a lovely voice indeed."

She gave me a small smile. "I am afraid that we have little time now. Once your duel is ended, I am forfeit."

"Oh no," I replied. "I carefully did not place conditions on the duel except that refusal would bring open war between my clan and his. You were not mentioned as a prize either way. I kept him too mad to notice that."

She blinked. "So you did."

After we eat, I want you to stay here. I have supplies and a friend coming, and I want him to meet you. He will take up your cause if I fail in the duel."

The girl looked dubious. "I will meet him. But I fear that you do not know who you have issued, challenge to."

"I know that he can't take the touch of cold iron. And I remember a lot of legends and the old tales."

She just knelt to start taking the fish off the fire. "These are ready."

"So what do I call you? Beauty? Love? Sunshine?"

The girl looked up at me and smiled openly. "Flatterer, You can call me as you like."

I gave her a sly grin. "OK, I shall call you 'Wife'." She stood upright and stared at me. "That was not what I was thinking of!" she exclaimed.

"By your own words, I can call you as I like." I said with a chuckle. "However if the thought of my calling you wife is so offensive, I shall have to find another name."

She brought her hand to her mouth and stared at me with her eyes wide. Finally she straightened up and dropped her hand. "The name does not offend me. It was merely, unexpected."

"Then I may call you 'Wife'?" 

She met my gaze steadily. "You may."

"And what shall you call me? Turn about is fair play. Name me as you will." I said.

"I shall call you 'Husband' as is proper for a 'Wife'."

I held my hand out to her and she took it. 

I bowed and kissed her knuckles. "Then milady, no matter the outcome of the duel, I am complete."

"And I." she said softly.

We sat down and shared out the fish. I started by breaking a small piece off and feeding it to her. She returned the favor, and we had a generally silly lunchtime.

Much as I teased her, I couldn't get her to give me her real name, she insisted on my calling her 'Wife'.

Just before 4 PM I heard the chopper in the distance. "Wait inside the tent until I call for you." I told Wife. "Yes my husband." she said. She crawled into the dome tent and reclined on the sleeping bag.

I got out the smoke flare and ignited it, tossing it onto the bare ground next to the campfire. The thick yellow smoke billowed out and rose into the still mountain air.

I could see the chopper then, coming on a more or less straight line from Lobo Blanco peak.

As they overflew the valley, I waved them to a landing spot in the meadow a couple dozen yards downstream. Pete brought the chopper in steep and fast, flaring out to end hovering just above the grass. I waved him on down. Peter turned the chopper in a complete circle, checking the situation, then set down. He kept the engine going and the revs up, ready to lift off at the first sign of trouble.

Brett opened the door of the chopper and started unloading supplies. I ducked my head and ran over to meet him.

"Hey bro! Glad to see ya." I said.

"Help me get this stuff unloaded. Something spooked Pete on the way in. I can't stay to chat." I dug out my wallet and gave him a couple of my credit cards. "This should pay Pete for the trip. Can you find this place in your ultralight?"

Brett considered a moment. "Sure."

"Come back in 7 days, unless I call you first, and bring your toys."

Brett tossed the last of the gear to the ground and climbed back into the chopper. As soon as Brett closed the door, the chopper lifted a dozen feet, then tilted forward and accelerated off in a climbing turn designed to avoid ground fire.

I shook my head. I was starting to like Pete. He had good instincts.

"Come on out now 'Wife'." I called.

Wife crawled out of the tent and came over to the pile of supplies. "Carry what you can." I told her. "Avoid anything with cold iron or that makes you uncomfortable."

I grabbed the first few heavy items and started back to the campsite. When I looked around, Wife was carrying a load that I could not have carried on my best day.

She dropped the load by the tent and said. "That is all that I can safely carry."

I leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "Thank you milady." She smiled. "Please sort through these things, and open the bigger boxes, I'll help stow them when I get the rest of the gear."

I ran back to gather the last few items. As I stood up with the big aluminum gun case, I saw the man from earlier standing at the edge of the trees across the stream.

I looked over at him and lifted a hand in the classic one finger salute.

I heard a mocking laugh as he turned back to go into the woods.

I got back to the campsite and laid the stuff down on the ground.

"Let me know what will harm you or make you uncomfortable, and we will place it in the supply tent." I told her.

"Yes Husband." She replied.

We sorted and stowed the excess gear, and set up the additional supply tent. I rigged a couple of nasty surprises for anyone who tried to enter the tent.

I kept the gun case out, and opened it. Wife sat cross legged next to me and watched curiously as I assembled my Barret .50 BMG rifle and loaded it. "Just in case old jackass sends the big hulk again. Steel cored bullets." 

Wife smiled. "That should definitely get its attention," she said.

I set the gun on its bipod out of the way and closed the big gun case.

I saw that Brett had brought me one of my knife cases. I opened it and to my delight found a dagger made from one of the exotic alloys supplied by a friend from NASA. "Can you touch this metal?" I asked Wife.

She reached out cautiously and laid a finger on the blade. "It feels like a part of me." Wife said wonderingly.

"Then it is yours, as part of your bride price." I said. "Use it to defend yourself and our home." She picked the knife up out of the wooden case and slipped it onto the sheath that came with it. She threaded the knife onto her belt and adjusted it to ride against her right hip.

At long last, all was stowed and we were ready for supper. Wife was not too sure she liked the MRE's, but she ate them anyway, when she had climbed into the tent, I put twigs into the ground all around the two tents. Then I strung thin steel wire on them to completely encircle us. Then I opened the flap of the tent and crawled in. My Barret was propped on the bipod to one side of the tent with the muzzle facing the door. Wife was tucked into the sleeping bag up to her neck. He clothes were piled by the doorway next to her feet, and her sheathed dagger was where she could reach it easily. I stowed the gun belt next to the butt of the Barret and wriggled out of my own clothes, slipping nude into the sleeping bag with Wife. She smiled up at me and slid her arms around me. 

"My husband." was all she said. Then we were too busy to talk.

In the morning, I had her wait while I went out and recoiled the steel wire and put it away.

At first I thought that my precautions had been needless, then I saw all the tracks in the dirt by the fire pit.

Well, that would be taken care of tonight.

Wife was thoroughly happy that morning. Instead of her usual pants and shirt, she had come up with a thin, flowing dress that came to knee level, and a pair of ankle high leather moccasins that looked remarkably comfortable.

She had her dagger strapped to her forearm this morning, ready if she needed it.

I made us breakfast, and then sat down with her on our log. "It's time you told me why that idiot is trying so hard to kill you, and for that matter, who he is."

Wife thought about it for a moment.

"Fair enough, my husband," she said finally.

"My enemy and now yours, is my brother. He has many names. Most human folk call him Trickster." "Coyote." I said. "Or as my folk called him, Loki."

Wife looked surprised. "So you do know of him!"

"Too much to like, and not enough to be comfortable." I said.

"He had planned for me to be given to one of his allies. And I ran away." "He wanted you to be mated to his ally?" I asked.

"No, I was to be used as a sacrifice. My blood and my life would have been used to give his ally access to much more power than he had ever had before."

I was silent for a moment. Then, "You shall not be a sacrifice to anyone." I said.

To my surprise Wife laughed. "I would not do for his sacrifice now. When you wed me and took my virginity last night, I became useless to his ally."

"But he is still going to try for us because we thwarted his wishes." I finished grimly. "You do understand after all. " Wife said.

"Who is this ally? What are his weaknesses? If I can stop him from making a sacrifice of another, then your brother will not have as much power backing him at the duel."

Wife's eyes widened. "You do not lack for ambition my Husband."

"Brains I may lack, but not ambition." I told her with a grin.

Wife laughed along with me.

"Now then, who will he give to his ally in your place, and where will the sacrifice take place, and when?" I asked.

Wife hung her head. "He will have to give my sister to his ally now. Her name means 'Night Glow1 in your language, and she is but a decade younger than I." Wife said sadly.

"And how old is that in my terms?" I asked. "It makes a huge difference in planning a rescue."

Wife looked at me with hope. "She is near 400 years old in your terms." Wife said. "Will you truly try to save her?"

"I will." I replied. That earned me hugs and kisses, and Wife dragged me back to our tent to show me her appreciation.

That evening, I questioned Wife further. 

"Who is this ally?"

"He is one of the beings that the northern people of this land called 'Wendigo'. And he is a terrible enemy."

I pondered a moment. "What are his weaknesses? Can anything harm him?"

Wife thought about it. "He can be killed, but to make him stay dead, you have to burn his heart, head, and body in separate fires and scatter the ashes."

"Slice him, dice him and fry him. Got it." I said.

Wife pointed to Lobo Blanco peak. "His lair is on yon mountain. And the sacrifice must me made during the new moon." 

I looked up at the sky. "That leaves us 3 days to get there and get rid of the Wendigo." I mused.

Wife gazed soberly at me. "The night I came to your fire, it was Wendigo that you taunted across the stream. He would have slain you then, but he cannot cross running water without intense pain."

"Maybe I can use that." I said. "Don't fret my Wife. I will think of a plan by the time we get to the mountain.

I made a decision. "Wife, gather food and supplies for 3 people for 6 days. Dress in black. We move out tonight."

Wife looked frightened. "But the forest will be full of my brothers minions."

"And they will be watching this place, and not expecting us to leave so soon."

Wife simply kissed me, then started to do as I had bade her.

I gathered my Barret and ammo, the crossbow and quarrels, and my gun belt.

Then I took one of my demolition packs. I walked to the stream and picked up a large chunk of driftwood. I rigged a couple pounds of C4 to it with a timer, and then set the wood adrift in the stream.

I went back to the tent and crawled in with Wife. She shrank away from all the cold iron I was carrying. "When I give the word, we leave, fast and quiet. Stay within arms reach, and do NOT go off by yourself for anything." Wife nodded silently. I leaned over and kissed her hard. "For luck."

"For luck." She whispered back.

We lay there close for a few more minutes, then, at the far end of the valley, the explosives

detonated with a mighty blast that lit up the sky and sent debris flying.

"We go now." I told her.

Wife scrambled out first, I followed moments later. I slipped on a little toy that Chuck had included even though I had forgotten to ask him. A pair of military Night Vision Goggles, or NVG's. These would allow me to see in the dark as if it were daylight.

I slung the Barret muzzle down across my back and cocked the crossbow. I slipped a steel shafted bolt into place and moved on out for the trees.

I had the goggles set to pick up infrared images. Anything that generated body heat would stand out like a beacon.

Wife was carrying the much heavier pack, but I wasn't worried. She was far stronger physically than I was. I glanced back at her, she showed up in the goggles clearly. Good, that meant her kin would also show up.

We were almost a half-mile from the camp when I picked up a thermal signature from some trees ahead. I raised the crossbow and put a bolt dead center into the bright spot. Wife gasped when I fired. She hadn't seen or sensed anything there. I set my foot in the cocking stirrup for the Barnett and recocked it. I slipped another steel shaft into place and moved on. When we reached the target, little was left except rapidly crumbling bone. I recovered the steel bolt and we moved on. By dawn, we were a good half dozen miles from our camp, and we had killed a dozen or more of the Sidhe-kin without any of them being able to give a warning.

Wife seemed tireless, but I was nearing my endurance limit.

Wife tugged my sleeve and pointed to a small cave nearby. The cave mouth was hard to see from the trail. It was only about 2 feet wide, and about 3 feet high. Once inside, the cave opened up into a decent sized room after a dozen yards of crawling around corners.

"We'll be safe here for the day," said Wife.

I was too tired to argue. I extended the bipod on the Barret and set it down pointing at the cave entrance. Then I shrugged out of the harness and gun belt.

Wife had already put her pack down and dug out some food.

As we ate, I heard a snuffling sound from the cave mouth. I rolled over to grab the Barret, but Wife stopped me. "It is a friend." Wife assured me.

A large grizzly poked his head into the room and grunted. Wife stood up and moved forward. The bear came the rest of the way into the room. It gave me one glance, and then turned it's attention back to Wife.

She walked up to the beast and stroked its head, scratching it behind the ears and murmuring to it. Finally the bear looked at me again, then padded over to where I sat and sniffed me. 

I reached up and scratched behind the ears like I had seen Wife do. The bear promptly licked my face. I offered it a piece of beef jerky. The bear munched the beef jerky then nuzzled my chest looking for more. I gave it another piece. This one the bear took over by the entrance to the cave and flopped down to munch it.

Wife came over and sat beside me. "I think he likes you too," she said.

I arranged a blanket roll as a pillow and lay back. Wife lay back with me and cuddled close. We went to sleep with her head on my shoulder and my arm around her.

We woke up about dusk. The bear looked at us and whuffed. It squeezed through the tunnel and left.

Wife and I gathered our things and left. We had reluctantly used a pit in the floor of the cave as a toilet before we left, so we were able to get a good head start without having to stop for anything.

We were only a mile or so from Lobo Blanco peak, so the rest of the trip was short, but took us over an hour to cover the remaining distance due to the number of watchers that we had to kill silently. This time, Wife made as many kills as I did. Using that new dagger to deadly effect.

When we reached the cave that was the Winding's lair, I stopped just inside. 

Using quick drying epoxy developed for mountain climbers, I attached steel rings to the rock all around the entrance to the cave. 

I took my steel wire and wove a web crisscrossing the opening, effectively invisible in the darkness. A nasty little surprise for laughing boy if he showed up later.

Wife led the way down into the cave, pointing out traps and obstacles that the NVG's didn't pick up.

Finally there was enough light to see without the goggles.

Wife slit the throat of a guard who was watching the scene in the cavern instead of the tunnel like he was supposed to.

U peered around the corner. In the firelight was the thing that had been balked by the stream. Easily as big as a semi tractor, and looking like a cross between a bear and a gorilla was the Wendigo. There was a cage over against one wall holding a girl who looked an awful lot like Wife.

"That is her." Wife whispered in my ear.

"Big bastard." I whispered back. "Any place in particular where he's sensitive?"

Wife shook her head.

I unslung the Barret and slipped off the safety.

The crossbow was on the floor near Wife's feet.

There was a single Sidhe male standing guard near the cage. "Can you use the crossbow?" I asked, "The only steel part is the bolt."

Wife nodded and picked up the Barnett. I took a breath and stepped into the cavern room. 

"Hey ya big hairy son of a bitch. Since yer too chicken to come to me, I've come to you!"

The Wendigo looked at me and grinned, showing a mouthful of teeth.

(Remember my trouble keeping quiet?)

I took two steps forward and triggered the Barrett. I should have been prepared for the effect of firing a .50 BMG round in a cavern. But I wasn't. 

(Ah, the benefits of hindsight.)

The first round hit the Wendigo in the gut. The Wendigo opened its mouth and screamed in rage and pain, but after shooting that damn gun, I couldn't hear a thing. Since the Wendigo's open mouth was such an inviting target, I aimed between the fangs and fired again. This time I hardly heard the muzzle blast. But I sure saw the top of the Wendigo's skull shatter and spray brains across the cavern behind it. I shifted my aim to the chest and emptied the other 9 rounds in the clip.

I reloaded and moved forward. My ears were ringing hellishly, and I couldn't hear anything. The Wendigo was down and not moving, but I could already see the edges of the wounds slowly starting to grow closed.

I looked over at the cage. Wife was there trying to open the door. I crossed quickly to her side. She said something I couldn't hear. I motioned her back and used my Bowie to break the latch holding the cage door locked. The girl inside was cowering as far from me as she could get. And judging from the state of her dress, she had long since rendered a bathroom stop irrelevant.

I went back to the Wendigo's corpse. I didn't have a lot of time left.

I used det cord to sever the head, then a little impromptu surgery with my Bowie to remove the heart, and I was ready for the next step.

I poured some Thermit on the head and heart, then tossed flares on each.

As they blazed up, I used more det cord to section the body. There was a bed of hot coals in a pit nearby, and I lugged the pieces one at a time over and dumped them in. I tossed a couple of white phosphorus grenades in the pit with the body parts and ducked back. My ears may not have been working, but my nose worked just fine. That hairy bastard stank worse dead than alive, and that was going some.

It took 2 more white phosphorus grenades and the rest of my Thermit, but eventually I got the last of the Wendigo burned away. I collected ashes from all three piles and stored them in separate pouches on my harness.




Strange Vacation



Wife had her sister calmed down a little, and we headed back up the cave. Wife's sister came to a sudden stop and turned to me. She cupped my ears in her hands and started speaking. When she took her hands away, blood gushed from my ears for a moment. Then I realized I could hear again.

"Thank you Night Glow." I said.

I took the opportunity to kiss Wife while we had a breather. "Back to the bear cave." I told Wife. "Good idea." she said.

Wife's sister looked confused.

Wife led the rest of the way to the cave mouth. 

There was a Sidhe lady writhing on the ground where she had walked into the steel wire and gotten herself burned. 

Wife hissed when she saw the injured Sidhe. "Just what you deserve you traitorous bitch!"

Night Glow spat on the injured Sidhe. I clipped the steel wires and cleared them away. As we stepped through, I knelt next to the woman and checked her injuries.

She glared at me with pure undiluted hatred. "When my brother kills you in the duel, I'm going to be standing there watching and laughing as he toys with you before you die." 

Night Glow snarled, "No, you will not." 

She snatched the Bowie from my belt and, disregarding the pain the steel must have caused her, plunged the blade through the injured Sidhe's heart.

Night Glow released the knife, leaving it embedded in her victim.

Her hand was blistered and burned as if the knife had been white-hot.

I watched as the dead Sidhe shriveled and blackened, finally falling to dust.

I put the knife back in my belt sheath and stood. Night Glow was holding her wrist and rocking back and forth in pain. I slathered the hand with ointment from my med kit, and wrapped it with gauze. "Come on, we don't have a lot of time before dawn, and I want to be securely under cover by then."

Wife helped her sister to her feet and followed me. I had the crossbow back and the Barrett slung over my shoulder.

But we encountered no one on the trip back to the bear cave.

Wife entered first, followed by Night Glow. I brought up the rear. When I reached the big cavern, Wife was unwrapping her sister's hand.

I snapped a glow stick and shook it to full brightness. Even in the green glow of the cyalume stick, the improvement was noticeable. I re-applied more of the burn ointment and let Wife re-bandage her sister's hand.

"So, who was the woman at the cave entrance? And why kill her before we had the chance to ask her some questions?"

Night Glow looked rebellious. "Who are you to demand answers of us?"

I looked at Wife with a wicked grin. "You tell her."

Wife poked her tongue out at me. Night Glow looked at her sister in shock. "He is my lover and my protector." Then she smiled. "He is also my husband."

The results of that statement were amazing and amusing. Night Glow unleashed a torrent of words at her sister in a language I didn't know. But it sounded incredulous and definitely unhappy.

Wife glanced at me a couple of times during this furious tirade, and then she held up her hand palm out toward her sister. Night Glow shut up as if Wife had thrown a switch. Wife talked calmly and at length. Night Glow tried to interrupt a few times, but Wife kept talking in that same calm, reasonable voice. When she finished. Night Glow sat there on the cave floor hanging her head. Another word from Wife, sharply this time, and Night Glow came over to me and knelt in front of my. "Winter Dawn says that I am an ungrateful child. That you didn't have to try to save me, that you could have conserved your energy and resources for the duel with our brother. And that you did render aid when I was hurt. I apologize for my actions and my manner."

I reached out and put my fingers under her chin to tilt her face up so I could look her in the eyes.

"No harm done, I accept your apology. You were under a lot of stress, and you have a lot to adjust to."

Night Glow dropped her eyes. "Thank you," she said softly.

I leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. "I am proud to have you in my family." I said.

Night Glow looked over at her sister almost in a panic.

Wife just giggled. "Yes, he talks like that sometimes." "Winter Dawn huh?" I said to Wife. 

She blushed.

Night Glow started to take off her shift dress. "What are you doing?" I asked. "You married Winter Dawn on similar short acquaintance, I thought that you had just done the same with me."

I looked at Wife, who was rolling around on the floor laughing.

"I have a wife that I am faithful to." I told Night Glow. She stopped undressing and looked at me. "Among our people, a warrior can have as many wives as he can support and satisfy."

Wife was lying on her side with her head propped up on her hand. She wasn't giving me any hints one way or the other. Just with that damn smug smirk on her face.

"I am not safe from my brother as long as I remain virgin." Night Glow said.

Behind her, Wife gave me a slow wink.

"I have someone for you." I told her. "I will call him when we get back to the base camp."

Wife finally came over to me. She put her arms around me and hugged me gently. "My husband." she sighed.

We had just all sat down to eat when the Bear returned. This time he came to me and licked my face then went to Wife and her sister. I gave him the last of my jerky, and he lay down at the entrance to the cave again.

I put the blanket rolls down and lay down with Wife. She snuggled up to my side again, and we quickly went to sleep. I woke up with a girl on either side of me, snuggled close and sound asleep.

The bear was sitting up looking around. I swear the beast winked at me and laughed. It turned away and squeezed out of the tunnel again.

I woke the ladies, and we gathered ourselves for the trip back to the base camp.

We went warily, but encountered no one. Back at the base camp, all was as I had left it except for a note pinned to the log by the fire pit with a slender dagger. Wife pulled the dagger free and threw it into the stream where it dissolved in seconds. The note itself was on the skin of some unfortunate Sidhe to judge from the texture and the color.

"By the laws of the High Court, The time and place of the duel have been set. The time is noon three days hence. The duel will be held in a prepared arena 200 paces toward the sunrise from your current dwelling. You may have companions of your choosing as seconds and witnesses. Their safe conduct is guaranteed. The opposing side will have an equal number of witnesses. No more, no less. Weapons to be decided at the time of the duel."

The note was signed with a seal that I did not recognize, but that obviously impressed the hell out of my wife and her sister.

I dug out the Iridium phone again.

Brett answered on the third ring.

"Hey Brett, get your butt down here A.S.A.P." I said. "Make sure you stop at my place and pick up the swords from the display case. And bring as much of your toys as you can lift in that overgrown kite of yours."

"Slow down Kemo Sabe." Brett laughed. "I'll bring the goods. I take it that the shit has hit the fan?"

"A veritable blizzard of manure." I replied. 'Be there in the morning." Chuck said.

I checked our supplies. Everything seemed to be OK. Winter Dawn started to dig out the food while Night Glow built their fire.

I talked to Wife as she cooked.

"We are safe for the moment now that the challenge has been officially accepted and acknowledged by the High Court. Not even out brother would dare to violate the terms of the Grand Compact

now."

"Where are your father and mother?" I asked.

"Our Brother and sister killed them by treachery." Night Glow said. "That was why I killed her at the Wendigo's cave." 

"She had mated with our brother, and had joined her power with his." Winter Dawn added.

I just shook my head. "Time enough to worry about that later."

Night Glow didn't like the MRE's any more than Wife did, but she ate them anyway.

"I am going to sleep with you both again tonight." Night Glow stated suddenly.

Wife almost choked on her food. "My husband and I will be...." She trailed off.

Night Glow just smiled playfully. "I'll just watch until you two are done."

For once, Wife was at a total loss for words. 

I just finished my meal and quietly headed for the tent, leaving the girls to talk in furious whispers.

An hour later, Wife came into the tent and slipped out of her clothes. She crawled into the sleeping bag with me. "Everything get settled out there?" I asked. 

She just wrapped her arms around me and pulled me atop her.

A long while later, Wife was sound asleep, and I was dozing off. The top of the sleeping bag lifted and Night Glow slipped in on my other side. She draped an arm over me, snuggled close, and was asleep within seconds.

Wife was the first awake in the morning and she woke Night Glow up. By the time I got my lazy

ass out of bed, they had breakfast ready and gave no sign that there had been any tension the night before.

About mid morning, I heard the mosquito buzz of Brett's ultralight. He flew over the camp once, then landed and taxied up to the tents before shutting down.