Danilus welcomed Viriaathos and Rhondaa to his office, “please sit, Mary has asked to borrow you, she needs to send her Voice to confer with Viscount Travanne. His estate is on the island of Jarvoon and not far from Drakoton. I believe she wants you to help plan the trip and to join her security detail.”

Viriaathos looked at Rhondaa, “so the time we feared is here, who are we to confer with and where?”

“You can use our meeting room, you will be conferring with Captains Goodfellow, Fisher and Hunter. Additionally Drina as the Voice will be present as will a man-rat called Daniel.”

Viriaathos and Rhondaa headed down the stairs and entered the conference room to find their daughter already present, she was talking to a human woman that was almost as big as the huge tiger folk male that was lounging at the foot of the conference table. Then there was Daniel and a dangerous sleek looking cat folk girl and a soot black wolf folk man.

The big woman smiled when they entered, hugged Drina around the shoulders and strode to take the seat at the head of the table.

“Welcome Rhondaa and Viriaathos, nice to meet you, now you’re here lets get down to business, the tiger is Robin Goodfellow an’ he’s in charge of the bodyguards, Justin Hunter our wolf will be in charge of four squads of marines while Maxine Fisher will have two squads of my special forces.”

Rhondaa opened her mouth to ask who the woman was when her Daughter interrupted, “Mom, this is Mother, she has a new avatar, isn’t it great?”

Captain Goodfellow grinned showing a mouthful of sharp teeth, “me and mine will handle close in defence, I have eight warriors and two mages all tiger ’folk. An’ fore you ask a squad has eight effectives and in this specific case one in every squad will be a mage or healer.”

The planning went quickly and it was decided to sail on the morrows tide, everyone was to be on the Wave Skimmer half an hour before departure. Soon Viriaathos and Rhondaa were left alone with their excited daughter.

After dispatching Drina to pack they returned to Danilus’ office where they also found Rafael Twiceborn. After they had brought their high priest and captain of the temple guard up to date on the plans and on Mother’s new avatar.

Rafael looked grim, “if Mary can spare such a force just as an escort just how many soldiers and adv... sorry special forces does she have?” he paused, “should we add any guards to show our flag?”

“No! This is something for the dungeon and not for us to get involved in, Rhondaa and Viriaathos as Drina’s parents are acceptable but I don’t want any further involvement,” decided Danilus.

* * *

Mary released her avatar and settled back into her core and set about trying to recreate the old Warring States repeating crossbow. ‘Best see if other me can locate plans.’

« Hey Pete, how are your kids, do you have a couple of daredevils who would enjoy donning a ring of air breathing and ride a couple of sea wyverns to escort Drina? »

Pete answered sounding harassed, “unfortunatrry that wourrd be most of them and not a couprre.”

« Good, then here is are a pair of skill crystals with the skill needed to control them and a couple of bonus spells. Send the volunteers to the underwater temple shortly after dawn tomorrow please. »

“Robin and Danny will be there Mother.” Sighed Pete.

* * *

Next day dawned clear and bright with a brisk westerly breeze and the Wave Skimmer sailed on time with all present on board. As soon as the three-masted Bermuda-rigged schooner cleared the channel she spread all sail and was soon barrelling along at a speed few ships on Parthia could match.

Then two largest of Mary’s sea wyverns burst from the surface of the lagoon, overflew the channel and circled the Wave Skimmer before returning to the ocean swimming alongside the ship carrying the person they were tasked to escort.

* * * INTERLUDE 1 * * *

“... man für UFOs aus dem All

Darum schickte ein General

'Ne Fliegerstaffel hinterher

Alarm zu geben, wenn's so wär

Dabei waren dort ...”

Markus Wrangel was celebrating his recent promotion in his favourite nightclub in his hometown of Freiburg. The somewhat amateur sounding band was in full flow and he was on his third beer whilst looking for his next dance partner.

Then he was on the floor, his head was throbbing and he felt as if someone had smashed him in the back of the head with a chair. He vaguely noted that his face was lying in a pool of blood before passing out.

He woke to a pounding headache in a white room with dreams, no nightmares of a hellhole of a planet called Diavlo and the thought that he was ANS 7. He shook his head and whimpered at the pain.

No ANS 7 had been killed by lizard men he was Markus Wrangel and he had always been Markus Wrangel. And then why was his vision filled with blue things, his head hurt too much to think much less read a lot of small print.

He could just vaguely make out a nurse or was it a doctor through the blue haze.

“My head hurts, and why is everything blue?” he managed.

Steffi jerked in surprise, “you, you are seeing blue screens?”

Markus clutched his head with both hands, “blue things yes.”

Steffi hit the alarm button and then prepared a painkiller for the patient.

Markus noted that one of the blue things had vanished when he said yes, so he blinked blearily and tried again, “Yes!” There was definitely less blurry blue, so, “yes – yes – yes – yes.” Good no more blue, he let his head fall back onto his pillow and passed out again.

* * * INTERLUDE 2 * * *

Mary looked out of the window, nobody seemed interested in her so she sat back and practised her claiming ability, she claimed mama’s house and yard, then the Kato’s backyard and thus link her two domains into one. As soon as her domains merged everything suddenly was easy. Then she opened a corridor, no a tunnel from her house to the – dungeon under the von Hindersin’s house so that she could get food to her friends. And once again she was careful to say no to Bluey when he asked if she wanted to make the claim permanent.

When the detectives came asking if she had witnessed anything she honestly told them that she had seen the street full of irrational idiots and that she had walked round to Liz’s to jump the back fence and then when she made it home all she noticed was the poor officer on fire.

“How is he doin’, I feel awful that he got hurt while gardin’ my house. Any chance I could visit him in hospital?”