Captain Robin Goodfellow was peeved, this new complication was annoying and a godsend all in one. Crazy Lou had discovered slaves in an unexpected cellar when he had tunnelled in to place the – explosives – under the wall of the small temple. Thankfully Mother’s spies, the adventurers had volunteered to get them out. Crazy Lou and his badger friend opened up the tunnel so that the operation could proceed on time.

They blew a hole in the opposite wall and stormed the temple from two directions. Robin found his laser to be awesome even if he only had a total of four shots. Taking out the priests had made the attack far easier.

The city authorities had been indignant and plagued them with various petty annoyances but, one, the followers of Vortexius Blackbeard were not liked by the city. Two, finding several fellow merchants and their entourages enslaved under the temple was an act of blatant illegality. Three, the presence of a priest of Ocidon made this a temple matter. And four... That dammed priest Faaron had instigated a fight at the Shrewd Fellow Inn and wrecked the place.

Captain Goodfellow and his squad was escorted out of town and asked very politely never to return. One of the merchants decided to go with them and went accompanied by some of his former employees.

The two city guard sent to follow them returned with some fancy tale of the followers of Ocidon vanishing in the river. Scouting groups found no sign of them and the tracks did end in the river, but no bodies washed up in the usual places.

In her chamber deep under the city Arlene DuChan watched remotely and enjoyed the fact she was no longer the centre of attraction of the city’s ruling council.

* * *

Alessandrina stood proudly before the assembled crews of the impressed ships flanked by Joy and Pounce. She was resolutely ignoring the rat Pounce had deposited at her feet.

“Please convey to your employers that Blue Lagoon defended herself as a dungeon must and that She is willing to recover, fix and return their ships for a modest fee of fifty percent of their value. This value to be established by a arbitrator from the shipbuilder’s guild in Garonmouth.”

The officers and crew present murmured in protest.

“Otherwise Blue Lagoon will assume the ships in question to be legal plunder and salvage and take them into Her service. As she will the chartered vessels that weren’t too damaged to be worthy of salvage. It any of you wish employment, Blue Lagoon is looking for crew for Her ships.”

A small percentage of the assembled officers and about half the assembled sailors expressed interest in this latest offer.

* * *

Tomcat conned his Alessandrina’s Glory into harbour and was surprised at the size of the crowd awaiting his arrival, it seemed that most of the lagoon’s children were present.

He escorted Heartshorn down the gangplank almost tripping over one of the ambulatory fur cylinders that accompanied the elven beauty everywhere, and almost fled to the dubious safety of his cabin wen he was confronted not by Marinara alone, but Marinara arm in arm with Tarandella.

“Are you going to introduce us Tomcat the well named,” enquired Mari somewhat acidly.

The local children found the antics of the furry cylinders amusing when they started to bark, jump into the air and bark. This seemed to propel them backward. Result, both barked themselves into the harbour much to the distress of their mistress who used magic to save and dry them.

The children started to discuss the merits of the case in loud voices. It was agreed that the dogs, if those things were actually dogs had the good sense to take to the waters, but, they couldn’t swim because of all the fur getting waterlogged. Disgraceful. Then several schemes for fur removal were mooted.

Tomcat could see that the adults in the audience were enjoying the show and subtly encouraging their offspring.

« Lynxes Tomcat, why do you think I want lynxes? Welcome home Tomcat, both you and your latest lady. Oh and keep those yap things out of my way. »

* * * INTERLUDE 1 * * *

Bret put his taxi in gear and headed back to town. He hit his the quick dial on his hands free phone and was soon talking to his occasionally lucrative contact at the Maui Now station. “Hey Lani, ya know that girl Silvestre, well I just dropped her of at the lookout point on ...”

Aukai Mahelona and Lani Silver arrived at a vantage a nearby point to the lookout point. They set out their long range camera under the cover of some bushes and started filming while discussing how to approach the touch teen.

They heard the shot and saw the girl fall, their cameraman spotted movement and was able to film the shooter walking briskly to a nearby car and was able to focus on the licence number. It was a bit blurred due to distance but with a bit of enhancing... Then it was back to the girl and the two be suited characters with pistols.

They were able to film their actions, how they went direct to where the gunman had been hiding and recovered the rifle. Openly and without fear. Then the arrival of the ambulance and – they all just left, it was an obvious crime scene and they just left!

They waited a while longer then Aukai decided to risk it and went do some investigating, he returned with a a scrape of bloody earth in the plastic bag that had contained his lunch and they headed back to the station with what they all felt was a scoop.

* * * INTERLUDE 2 * * *

Mary walked into Flip’s office, her left arm in a sling. She spent the next half hour explaining and assuring him that she had not suffered any lasting harm.

“Look Flip can you and your mates create a program for sorting through thousands of phone calls by key words, believe it or not I can pay. Here I’ll show you my problem.”

She then allowed her magic bug receptor to play, it sounded like half a hundred conversations funning at once. She was easily able to flip from one to another and did so prioritising the ones she knew were relevant.

“Um, sis, you... this is illegal as hell sis...” Then he heard one voice explaining how the plan to shoot Silvestre had worked and they now had scans and samples for their advanced labs. “I’ll get right on it sis, can I keep that thing?”

“Yeh Flip, I can make another. Now I gotta go see papa an’ his new girl.”

* * *

When she arrived at the rented holiday house to see her father and stepmother, things started out in the same fashion as with Flip.

Things got derailed when the television, tuned into Maui Now and playing in the background decided to show their breaking story with one of the agents being tentatively identified as Cyrus Donnelly of Homeland Security.

Mary just took out a silver ring that had a red thread tied around it and activated the enchantment. Then she waited for her father to calm down... it took a long time... before she was able to show him and an equally indignant Jenny the three bugs that were hidden in the lounge, dining room and master bedroom.

It was nearly an hour later before she was able to present Jenny with four of her enchanted rings. A detector of electronic listening devices that was also able to destroy them. A storage device with eight slots, though she did explain how she learned how to make them. A ring of protection that would hit anyone who attacked the wearer with a shock on the order of one delivered by a cattle prod. And the magic detector. She then offered a more powerful version of the ring of protection.

She carefully made no mention of her accidentally learned frogging enchantment that at present was only to be found on her jeep, principally because she was still unsure how and why it worked. She was also worried that her jeep seemed to be developing an ego and personality like some of the magic swords in fantasy tales and legends.

It was only when Mary was finally ready to leave that she noticed the television in the corner. In the hours since the story had broken it would appear that all hell had broken loose. Homeland Security was ‘investigating’, six agents were suspended pending ‘investigation’. Whatever had happened was ‘regretted’, and...

Then assorted personalities were weighing in with their opinions – and there was a massive crowd of reporters and curiosity seekers congregating in various locations including outside her home and at her lookout point where a crime scene had now been set up.

* * * INTERLUDE 3 * * *

Ocidon the Earthshaker called a meeting of the Old Gods and the Unaffiliated Gods and was satisfied that more than a third of them had turned up. He then shared with them the visions of the death of Diavlo Mary had obtained somehow and shared with him.

They already knew, and most had disapproved of the chastising of Vortexius Blackbeard but now they knew. The prophecy was unfolding in all its uncertainty.