Across the river from the castle mount a line of hills ran down to the water's edge. Because the land was so rugged it had never been farmed. Instead it was left as a source of firewood, mushrooms and herbs for the denizens of the Capital.
It also made a pleasant place to walk on an Indian summer afternoon. Which is why Wiz, Danny and Jerry were picking their way through the woods as the sky started to darken from twilight to evening.
"I still think we ought to try to catch one of those drones," Danny said as the trio made their way down a trail that skirted the edge of the bluff.
"For the tenth time, no," Wiz told him. "And watch your step here, it's steep."
"We already have one drone," Jerry said, stepping to the side of the trail away from the cliff. "What do we need another one for?"
"Yeah but . . ."
A small black-clad shape hurtled out of the trees above them, screaming and waving a samurai sword as he came. The trio watched open-mouthed as he passed a good four feet to their left, missed the path completely and went over the edge of the cliff.
There were a couple of bounces, a thud and then something that sounded like a particularly inventive brand of profanity.
"What was that?" Jerry asked, peering over the edge.
"I think it was a ninja dwarf," Wiz said wonderingly.
Danny frowned. "That sounds like a character out of a D&D game." He thought for a second. "A bad D&D game."
Bal-Simba looked up from the scrying stone and blinked as if to clear his vision.
Wiz leaned across the table eagerly. "Well?"
"I sense malign influences aimed at you and a definite violent intent." The big black wizard rubbed his temples. "It appears, Sparrow, that someone is trying to kill you—again."
"Who?" Wiz asked. "And why? And why a dwarf, for Pete's sake?"
"That I could not discover," Bal-Simba said. "There is deadly intent and fixity of purpose. There are indications that non-mortals are involved, but that is all I know."
"Lisella?" Jerry suggested.
"Perhaps," Bal-Simba said slowly.
Wiz shook his head. "I don't think so. Lisella is subtle. There's nothing subtle about a dwarf jumping out of a tree waving a sword."
"Nothing very effective either," Danny said. "He missed us by a mile. Well," he amended under Wiz's glare, "a good six feet."
"Maybe that was Duke Aelric protecting you."
Wiz snorted. "More likely it was incompetence."
Bal-Simba stood up. "Whatever it was, I think it would be best if you stayed within the Wizard's Keep for a space."
"Fine by me. I've got more than enough to keep me busy for a couple of weeks."
"It may be longer than that," Bal-Simba told him. "Until we know who or what is behind this attack, you should stay where we can protect you."
"How long then?"
"I do not know. But my magic tells me whoever is after you is not easily discouraged. Until we have found the guiding hand you are in danger."
"You had to go after him yourself," Glandurg said disgustedly. "You couldn't wait for the rest of us."
"Well, you said he had to be slain quickly," Gimli said defensively. "There he was coming along the trail and there I was, so . . ." He shrugged.
"You're lucky he didn't turn you into a rabbit," his leader told him, "instead of just throwing you over the cliff."
"Didn't throw me," Gimli said sullenly.
"You jumped, I suppose?"
"Well . . ."
Glandurg looked around at the other dwarves. "Listen to me. No more striking half-heated, do you understand?"
"Not much chance of that," Snorri said. "The wizard hasn't stirred from his castle for days."
"Then we have run him to earth and trapped like a rat!" Glandurg gloated.
"Begging my Lord's pardon, but how do we get him out of the trap now that we've got him in it?"
The dwarf leader frowned. There was more to this business than he had imagined and some of the details were proving quite annoying.
"We could tunnel in," one of the other dwarves suggested. "That whole bluff's nothing but limestone."
The others shifted and murmured approval. Tunnelling was something dwarves were comfortable with.
"How long would that take?" Glandurg demanded.
The dwarf who had made the suggestion eyed the distant cliff and castle.
"If we can sneak in close and drive the shaft steep up from the river level—oh—not more than two, three years, I should think," he finished brightly.
The leader shook his head. "That will not do, then. Our king promised the trolls speedy action." Besides he knew in a general way that two or three years was a long time for a human to stay in one place.
"You got a better idea then?" the other challenged.
"Of course I have."
"What then?" the other persisted.
The leader reddened. "Don't be impertinent!"
"I'm not being impertinent, I just want to know what your idea is."
"I . . ." Over the shoulder of his questioner, the leader saw a flight of river swans glide down to the smooth river surface, their wings extended and motionless. As the swans touched down he had an inspiration.
"Backwards!" he proclaimed. "We will come at this alien wizard backwards!"