By evening, Daran and Mira were set and ready to leave.
She had insisted that Daran retrieve her jeans and tee shirt so she could get out of the large unwieldy Queen gown. Dressed once again in her black jeans and long-sleeved tee shirt, she felt almost normal---if normal meant she was hanging out with dwarves and blue-haired Ashryans.
It was time.
She threw on her black leather jacket and made her way out to the castle courtyard where the sounds of military activity was starting up. A squadron of Alfric Hobart's men had begun moving into the area in and around Dolmian castle via several portals that had just been set up.
Along with Alfric's reinforcement came another familiar face.
"Ziggy?" Mira called out as she saw the familiar dwarf standing in the courtyard talking with a group of about twenty men. Gone was his red hat and baggy brown pants and shirt. Ziggy wore the vestment of the armed dwarven warrior.
"Your Majesty!" His eyes were bright and he dropped to one knee. Upon seeing Ziggy kneel in front of Mira, the men around him also followed suit.
They were in the presence of the Queen.
They had begun to expect that their Glockomancer Queen would not look like the run-of-the-mill queens in all the cities around Ashrya. In fact, they were overly thrilled that their queen dressed the part of a powerful Glockomancer.
"Please rise," she approached Ziggy. "What are you doing here?"
"I am here under Commandant General Alfric Hobart's orders to protect the weaponry within Dolman castle."
"Wow. What's your rank, soldier?" Mira teased.
Ziggy's eyes were serious. "I am Captain Ezekiel Astrid, of the 26th Division Ground Combat, at your command."
"Your name is Ezekiel? I thought it was Ziggy." Mira wanted to laugh. She could only see this funny young dwarf as Ziggy.
He seemed a bit miffed. "Your Majesty...Ziggy is what friends and family call me. My men call me Captain Ezekiel Astrid."
Ah. Of course. What was she thinking?
"Daran was also a Captain," she mused.
"I still am the Captain of the 32nd Division Ground Combat!" A voice called out from behind her. It was Daran Duluth.
"Didn't you lose your men in the bog when you ported through to me?"
"Pshah!" He waved a dismissive hand. "Once Prince Erick was safely out of danger, my men didn't have to hold the line and fight any more so they split. They booked it out of there so fast, nobody could catch up with them."
He roared with laughter. "They all regrouped within a day and were waiting for me when I got back."
"Where are they now?"
"They're all in Diamond protecting your palace and your son, Your Majesty."
Mira nodded at Daran and turned back to Ziggy. "Hold this castle and don't let anybody invade."
"You can count on me. This place may look old and decrepit, but it was once a mighty fortress that withstood many sieges. My men have already destroyed the road that leads to this castle. It would be very difficult to get a large number of people to this location."
"Very good. Hold your position. We will be back by daybreak."
Ziggy tapped a fist to his heart. "Yes, Your Majesty."
"Let's go Daran," she said as she pulled the black baseball cap over her head.
In a smooth and practiced motion, Mira slid her long ponytail through the hole in the back of the cap and adjusted it over her crown. Her dark hair swung freely behind her, dancing on the crisp winter gusty wind that was starting to grow.
This was a quick trip so she did not bring much with her. A couple of extra cartridges of ammo along with Hello Kitty was all she wanted to weigh herself down with.
Her right hand patted the Victorian Pink Glock. Now that everyone knew it was her magik caduceus, she no longer had to hide it under her jacket. It was exposed on her right hip, its pink handle peeking out on top of the holster.
Pink had turned into a scary color.
The sun was still above the horizon, but Daran and Mira knew they had to be in position at the time of twilight and being early was better than missing that magikal witching hour.
With a nod at the troops, Mira waved a hand and Daran ported them both out of the Dolmian castle courtyard.
SPLASH
They were back in Tourmaline Bog.
She had barely appeared when immediately from behind, strong arms grabbed her body and placed her in a tight body lock. The arms were hairy, the claws vicious looking.
BOGWARGS!!!
There was no chance to draw her weapon.
Daran immediately grabbed her hand and tried to port her back to Dolmian Castle, but the bogwards had already ascended on them. This was a planned ambush.
Within a few seconds, he too had been subdued.
One quick glance told Mira what she needed to know.
They were surrounded by a hundred or more bogwargs. Furthermore, these bogwargs were not the normal variety she had encountered previously.
They were swift and silent trained warriors.
Her mind furiously raced through several possible scenarios. The fact that they had not been killed immediately meant they wanted to talk to her about something. She needed to engage them and keep them talking.
"What do you want from us?" Mira threw out the first volley.
"Woman," one of the largest bogwargs growled at her. "You have taken one of our pups. Where is he?"
Mira choked on her fear and swallowed it down. They had gone straight to the point and it was about Felix.
Good.
There was some room to negotiate.
"How did you know we were coming?"
"We didn't. We've been hanging in this spot for many moons waiting for you to return to the portal where you last materialized. Where have you taken our pup?"
"He's safe. He's living with me right now."
They looked at each other and grunted a few words in their bogwarg dialect. Then they turned back to her.
"He is the son of Shar, one of the high princes in the Bog. The pup is our young prince. Bring him back to us and we will release you and your man." The bogwarg pointed at Daran.
Daran struggled against his captives. "She killed his mother. The boy is hers by your own rules of ownership-by-death."
"Silence, dwarf!" He turned back and growled at Daran. "We are bogwargs with honor. We aim to uphold our rules of ownership-by-death, but this is no mere puppy. He is a Prince."
Bogwargs with honor…Mira held her breath and prayed hard to the gods of honor. There was a chance here.
"I have adopted him into my family. He is my beloved son."
"If you merely want to adopt a bogwarg child, we can provide another young healthy pup as a trade. You cannot have this one. He is a prince!" the bogwarg raised his hand, as if to strike her.
"And she is the Queen of the Northern Realm!" Daran yelled.
More unintelligible snarled guttural growlings occurred between the bogwargs. This time, the utterances were long and meaningful.
An older bogwarg finally stepped out and stood in front of Mira.
"If Tora is your son, would that make him a prince?"
"Of course!" Mira's voice rang out. "He is my cherished child. His name is Felix Lee Tamein, First Prince of the Northern Realm!"
"His name is Tora." The old bogwarg retorted with quiet determination.
Mira inhaled harshly. It was bargaining time.
"Fine. His name shall be Felix Tora Lee Tamein, First Prince of the Northern Realm."
This time, the low guttural snorts and snarls between the bogwargs went on much longer.
The old bogwarg inclined his head ever so slightly.
"I am his paternal grandfather. My name is Theras."
Mira stared at the old bogwarg. If he was the paternal grandfather of a prince, it could only mean one thing.
"So you are the king of the bogwargs."
He nodded once.
She nodded her greetings.
"My name is Mira Lee Tamein. I am the Queen Consort of King Zander Tamein of the Northern Realm."
"And the dwarf?"
"He is Captain Daran Duluth, one of my husband's men."
There was more guttural muttering, more discussions between the various members of the bogwargs. It went on for a while as their conversation began to take on a more heated exchange.
She stood there patiently waiting. There was no use in struggling. Her body was still in the locked position by one strong bogwarg.
Finally, after a long while, the old bogwarg spoke up.
"I will allow you to retain Tora as Prince of the Northern Realm, but I have one condition."
"Speak."
"I want to see him once each full moon. He needs to be taught the ways of the bogwargs. There are things he needs to know about himself so he does not become...distressed and unable to cope with his body's reactions to various changes that will affect him as he grows into his warghood."
Mira nodded. "Deal. Now, withdraw your men."
"Not so quickly," Theras, King of the Bogwargs, held out a claw in warning. "We will retain your Captain until you can bring back the pup. We need assurances that he has not been harmed."
Mira whipped her head towards the dwarf.
"Daren, when is the next full moon?"
"In two days, Your Majesty."
She turned back to Theras. "I will bring Felix Tora Lee Tamein in two days. Do not hurt the Captain!"
"He will not be harmed, but you only have two days. After that, there are no guarantees of his safety."
"Understood." Mira nodded.
With one flick of the hand, Theras motioned a signal of retreat, taking the dwarf with him.
In a matter of minutes, the bog was once again silent.