Shield's Lady (Lost Colony #3)

"You're a Shield, aren't you?" the youngster said suddenly. "You're wearing a weapon kit. A real one." Gryph crouched in front of the youngster. "I'm a Shield," he said softly. "Now tell me who's inside."

"Her name is Sariana. Are you going to get her out?"

"That's exactly what I'm going to do." Gryph rose and turned to confront the attendant only to find himself facing a fleeing back. He turned back to the boy. "It looks like we'll have to get her out by ourselves."

"You want me to help you rescue Sariana?" the youngster demanded, fascinated at the prospect. "If you do, I will be in your debt," Gryph said gravely.

The boy's eyes widened. "In my debt? A real Shield would be in my debt?" "Yes," said Gryph. "Who knows? Someday you may want me to return the favor you're doing me

today. By my lock, I swear I will repay you." Gryph touched the prisma lock of his weapon kit as he swore the formal oath.

"Wow."

"What's your name, son?" "Keri."

"I'll bet you've been inside this House of Reflections before, haven't you?" "Yes, sir, lots of times, but this time it was different just inside the entrance. I got separated from

Sariana and then the man who runs the house said everyone had to get out. But Sariana didn't come outside with the rest of us. She's still in there, but no one believes me."

"I believe you," Gryph said as another jolt of Sariana's fear went through him. Deliberately he shut it out so he could think more clearly. "Let's go find her."

He opened the weapon kit and withdrew a small metal instrument. The door to the House of Reflections shattered into a thousand glittering pieces when he slammed the tool into the glassy surface.

Keri led the way inside, but Gryph discovered he didn't need the boy's guidance. Already his awareness of Sariana was focusing in a certain direction. He moved down a kaleidoscopic hallway and found himself in a room that reflected his own image endlessly. Keri was on his heels.

Screams echoed from another hall that emptied into the same room. An instant later three teenage boys tumbled into the room, clearly in a panic. Sariana was right behind them.

" Gryph!" she shouted.

And then she was running straight into his arms. As he reached out to catch her he decided this was not the moment to point out how easily she had picked out the real Gryph Chassyn from among a thousand reflected images.

"What's going on here?" Gryph asked icily, his gaze on the cowering boys.

"These three young idiots were having a great time try ing to terrorize me. To tell you the truth, they did a pretty good job."

"Wait outside with Keri," Gryph ordered. He put Sariana's hand in that of the boy's. "He knows the way out."

"But what about you?" she breathed.

"I'll be along shortly. First I'm going to have a talk with these three."

"Now, Gryph," she began dubiously.

"Sariana, once in a while you will do me the favor of following my orders," he stated flatly. "I will?"

"Yes, you will. And this is one of those times. Go.

Sariana went.

Chapter 13

WHAT did you do to those three boys?" Sariana demanded a short time later as Gryph steered her through the streets of Little Chance. He had emerged from the House of Reflections looking grim and thoughtful. That wasn't a particularly strange expression for Gryph, but she hadn't liked the grim expression in his eyes. He had said good-bye to Ken and thanked the boy in a surprisingly formal manner, and then he had taken Sariana's arm in a firm grip.

"I asked them a few questions."

"Gryph, that's not what I mean. What did you do to them?" Sariana demanded anxiously.

"Not as much as I had planned."

"What's that supposed to mean? What had you intended to do?" Sariana had to take occasional skips in order to keep up with Gryph as he towed her back to the windrigger.

"After I got the answers to my questions I decided to give them a taste of fear. I thought they ought to know how it felt to be on the receiving end." Gryph's eyes gleamed through his lashes as he glanced down into Sariana's face. "But I discovered that wasn't necessary. You and the scarlet-toe had already done a good job of terrorizing all three of them. That was an oversized image of Lucky they saw in one of the reflecting chambers, wasn't it?"

Sariana nodded, her spirits reviving rapidly. "I found the distortion chamber and hid Lucky under my cloak on the floor. When the boys stormed into the room I yanked the cover off and there Lucky was with a mouth big enough to swallow all three kids arid enough teeth to do the job. The boys panicked."

Sariana grinned in self-satisfaction. "Clever of Lucky and me, if I do say so myself."

"Not nearly as clever as staying on board the windrigger would have been. We'll get to your reasons for disobeying orders later. I'm sure they'll be intricate, detailed and fascinating. In the meantime, we've got things to do."

"You didn't tell me what questions you asked the boys or what answers you got," Sariana pointed out. "I asked them who had paid them to comer you in the House of Reflections." "Someone paid them to do that?" Sariana dug in her heels with sufficient force to slow Gryph

momentarily. He paused long enough to yank her back into motion and then he nodded abruptly.

"That's right. Did you think it was all a coincidence that you got stranded in the fun house with three teenage monsters?"

"Well, I did wonder where everyone else had gone. I even lost track of little Keri." "Someone bribed the attendant to close the place for a while, leaving you alone inside. Then that same

someone sent those three kids in after you."

Sariana stared at Gryph in bewilderment. "But why?"

"The kids said they were told it was all a joke. That some man paid them to frighten you into the southwest comer of the House of Reflections."

"What was supposed to happen there?" Sariana groped for logic in an illogical situation. "The boys said that the man who had paid them wanted to play hero. Something about wanting to

impress you. He was supposed to appear at the last minute and grab you from their clutches."

"It doesn't make any sense."

"Yes it does," Gryph countered roughly. "It makes a lot of sense if you figure that what was really going on was another kidnapping attempt."

Sanana could have screamed with frustrated anger. She recalled the two men who had stalked her in Serendipity. "But why would anyone want me?"