'Everyone will be wearing fancy dress.'
'What do you think I should go as?'
They gathered in a conclave and giggled. Tom strained his ears as they went through numerous possibilities and finally decided to kit him out as a Kougal Knight.
'We are going to make you into a knight.'
'What sort of knight?'
'A handsome, gallant knight, Professor.'
They left and returned with a pile of clothes. Some undergarments and a crimson tunic were tossed in his direction, followed by a yellow cloak. Tom put them on and one of the girls tapped the buckle on her belt.
'There, Professor. What do you think?'
A mirror appeared as if from thin air. Tom rose and examined his new attire. The costume was flamboyant, to say the least. He didn't mind but the colours clashed. They made him look like the sort of thing you would get if you mated a canary with a parrot. He pulled a face.
'That yellow is just awful.'
'The Kougal Knight always wears a yellow cloak, Professor.'
'Dark blue would go much better with crimson.'
'Blue is reserved for the guardians, Professor. You won't be allowed to wear blue unless they make you one.' The girl winked. 'You never know ... they might do that. They could do with some younger members.'
That was interesting. The unsmiling character, who met him in the underground boat harbour, wore a blue gown and black mask. Tom wondered if all guardians were as ancient. You could believe he depended on spare parts to stay alive. There was something robotic about his movements.
There was nothing robotic about the girls. They performed their tasks with passion and sensitivity. Tom was aware that he put on a lot of weight in the Seventh Realm. He resolved to get it off and return to his former robust self. It would be unforgiveable to disappoint the young ladies with a less than adequate performance.
***
Crispin peered through the spy hole in shocked horror. Peter stood beside him and bit his nails. They had been on tenterhooks ever since the Lord of Light was captured by the guardians. At first they feared he would be eaten by the orcas. Now, it seemed he would suffer a fate worse than death ... the sirens had got him.
The good lord had been channelled up a passage leading to their infamous lair and was being sacrificed to their insatiable lust. Within seconds of arriving the infamous hussies were upon him ... and he was putty in their foul hands.
The guardians had softened him up. The poor man needed time to adjust to his new surroundings. But, before he knew what was happening, the guardians sent the orcas to capture him. They had him in a boat and he endured the journey not knowing what would befall him. It wasn't surprising that he was lying there while the girls pawed over him. He was too befuddled to resist their lecherous embrace.