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  Mitzi, a tour guide who had heard her share of cultural myths, looked impressed.

  “It’s really more complicated than this. I’m not explaining it well.”

  Mitzi knew her mother was raised in an orphanage, never had higher education, and probably felt inferior to those filling her head with all this crap. Nevertheless, she was drawn in. After all, here she was in their castle. It was important to know what they believed.

  “Let me guess. There isn’t room for more than one sun at a time,” Mitzi said, the ritual becoming clearer.

  “Yes. Only one survives until the next time, and their faction rules.”

  “Do they mean s-o-n or s-u-n?”

  “I don’t know. Others have talked about that.” Her head cocked as if remembering something. “Your father had sons, but they were killed in battle.”

  Mitzi looked stricken.

  “From other mothers,” Susan said, as if that made it better. “One of them just recently.”

  Mitzi nodded for her to continue. What a violent and sad story; now she had half-brothers she would never get to meet. Mitzi was floored. “Have you been in touch with this world all this time?”

  Susan looked away, a sure tell she had something to hide. “I wasn’t supposed to, but I had to know what was going on in order to keep us safe.”

  Mitzi looked at the locked door and asked, “And how’s that working out, Mom?”

  Susan reddened but continued. “On a certain day at a certain time, the children of the leaders of both worlds must be represented in the circle. It symbolizes the joining that took place the last turning point. There are four people who stand in for the elements for balance, representing the overlap of our world and the magical world, North, South, East, and West.” She stopped and shook her head, as if trying to sort something out. “When Ehren’s last son died, I knew they would come for you. Don’t you see? You mustn’t be seduced by the magic. You’re a human, for God’s sake. Just stay with me until after the twelfth.” She looked into her daughter’s eyes. “Mitzi, I’m so torn, I—”

  “Just what are you apologizing for, Mom? Having me kidnapped? Put to death maybe in a couple of days? Not telling me the truth? For letting that bitch judge me for being a lesbian?”

  Susan winced. Silence stretched. They both heard the cold wind blowing outside. “For everything I guess. Odilia means well.”

  “No, she doesn’t, Mom. She wants to kill me.”

  “I won’t let that happen.” Her weak mother said this with more resolve than Mitzi had heard before. Mitzi believed her mother genuinely meant it. Whether or not her wishes would be honored was another matter.

  Mitzi felt a tingling in her shoulders then. Surprisingly, she still had compassion for this very wounded woman who bore her and was trying to do what she believed was the right thing. Her mother was wrong, but she wasn’t evil. “Mom, if you love me, you’ll help me escape this place.”

  Susan pulled back. “I can’t. It goes against everything I believe.”

  “You don’t get to pick what I believe, Mom.” She paused. “Wait a minute, a child of both worlds? Who is Wolfrum’s child?”

  Chapter Seven

  IT TOOK HOURS for Alex to get Valerie bailed out of jail, and as soon as they got in the car, Val tried calling Juniper with no luck.

  “Thank you for getting me out of there. Did my wife call you? I can’t seem to get through.” She rubbed her wrists where the handcuffs had been.

  “I got a call from a friend in Germany who knows your wife and called on her behalf.” Alex kept driving. “We need to go somewhere we can talk, other than your house. The news cameras are there.”

  Valerie went through her purse to make sure everything was still there. “Why is this such a big deal? I don’t get it.”

  “Haven’t you been following the news stories?” Alex asked. “They started right after the museum event and haven’t died down yet. There are people protesting outside Councilman Smithers’ office that he hasn’t done enough about the feral cats. There’s another group writing letters to the Merryville Bee about the homeless problem. Another group thinks we’re not doing enough for the homeless. It was kind of a dry-tinder situation, and Fiona Castlebaum lit the match.”

  Thinking about her client who just passed, Valerie said “I’ve been busy and, to tell you the truth, not real eager to read the papers lately.”

  “Well, somebody’s keeping this thing stirred up, that’s for sure.” Alex pulled into the Fowler’s house on Thistle Drive. “This it?”

  Valerie nodded as Alex parked her flashy Tahitian Pearl Lincoln. She gave Val a dazzling smile. “As long as we’re here, let’s inspect the alleged scene of the crime.”

  Valerie knew where the spare key was hidden, just like Mitzi and Panda had keys to their house. God, she missed everyone. Brutus came running up. A neighbor had been feeding him, but he was anxious as all get out with his people missing. “Meow. Meow,” he said, telling her all about it. Or maybe he just wanted the food from the purple bag.

  “What a beautiful cat.” Alex leaned down to pet him, but he scooted inside as soon as the front door opened. Alex followed Valerie and Brutus to the kitchen. While Alex captured and pet the cat, Valerie made tea. The familiar routine of boiling water and choosing cups always soothed her.

  In the kitchen, Alex continued the conversation. “Another reason I’m on this case is because the mayor and city council were pretty embarrassed by the Castlebaum installation. Certain folks in this town are invested in distracting the public from that. Your arrest fits the bill nicely.” Alex took the delicate cup Valerie offered. “I’ve handled many high-profile cases before, and we need to find out who those folks are.”

  “A conspiracy theory already?” Valerie set down the tea kettle so fast some water splashed out. She felt like she was losing her mind. “This is Merryville, for goodness sake, not Washington DC.”

  Her initial relief at being bailed out now turned to suspicion. “Hey, who hired you anyway? I’m pretty sure we can’t afford you.” She remembered seeing Alexandra on TV in more than one news cycle.

  “You can afford me. Fiona Castlebaum’s got me on retainer.”

  “That woman? Oh, you can just leave right now.” A tea towel was thrown. “Juniper was fired because of her.”

  Alex ducked as Brutus leaped from her lap. She put her splendidly manicured hands up in mock surrender. “Look, don’t shoot the messenger and all that, okay? There are six sides to every story, then there’s the real one. Wait until you have all the facts.”

  Valerie snorted. “Facts? Okay, you want facts? Before last weekend, my life was fine, in fact, pretty wonderful. Then your client torpedoed my wife’s big shining moment. Mitzi got kidnapped, my patient died, and I got arrested.” She was truly pissed. “Want more facts?” She sat, spent.

  “Just withhold judgment until you talk to Juniper. She should be checking in soon, which is what I’m kind of waiting around for. In the meantime, I’ll go interview the neighbors and find out who is friend and who is foe. Open the front door and flag me if Juniper’s call comes in, okay?”

  Not really having many choices, Valerie agreed. She took her tea and Brutus and sat on the living room couch, petting him. There’s nothing like tea and a purring cat when you’ve been through what she had that week. Her cell was plugged in, and she watched it on the table.

  She looked idly around the room, drawing comfort from all the times she and her good friends had sat here, playing Rummikub or just eating pizza. When Panda’s mom was alive, they all watched Jeopardy with her from time to time.

  The pictures and pieces of invitation paper from Sunday were still scattered where she and Juniper had left them. Oh my God, she thought, there’s no way I’m going to get to Germany in time. Brutus looked up at her, and she had the strangest feeling he truly understood.

  IN A TUNNEL under Schwarzvald Castle, Heloisa moved ahead, with only the lantern held high to light our way. I pondered the stability o
f the tunnel, which looked to be fairly new. It had stones and sticks piled up, held together by the same putty-like stuff the Hercynian Garden favored for its building materials. The air smelled damp and earthy, and I tried really hard not to let my fingers brush the walls as we moved silently along.

  “This tunnel goes under the walls and will let us out in the castle garden,” Heloisa whispered.

  Soon, I heard running water. Heloisa turned and said softly, “Wait.” Juniper and I held each other’s arm and blindly walked forward as far as we could to see what our guardian would do. At the end of the tunnel, we could see Heloisa standing at the edge of the water. A wooden boat shaped like a leaf with sides silently cut through the water. A slender elfin woman dressed in white gracefully leaped to the makeshift dock of planks. In one sweeping gesture, Heloisa took her in her arms and gave her a kiss that would make Pat Robertson’s head explode. She then turned and motioned us ahead.

  Juniper and I remained silent, partially in deference to the seriousness of our mission and partly to give Heloisa her dignity. That was obviously a very private moment. Heloisa said, “This is Lily, my mate.”

  The younger woman spoke to her in a tongue we couldn’t understand, and Heloisa’s face looked grim. “Panda, Juniper, I think you two ought to wait here and let me go get Mitzi.”

  “No way, Heloisa.” I looked directly in her eyes. “If you had a chance to save your maiden from an evildoer, would you let someone else do the job for you?” Heloisa softened a little and gave a sideward glance to her lovey.

  She tried once more. “You could get killed.”

  “We’re from L.A.,” Juniper said. “That’s an everyday occurrence. Let’s roll!”

  A HUNDRED-AND-thirty-five feet overhead, and oblivious to the intruders below, Wolfrum paced his small war room overlooking the forest. Sconces burned brightly on the stone walls, and a map sat on a rough wooden table in the center of the room. Brother Dieter, one of the chanting monks from earlier, had just returned from ground reconnaissance.

  “What is their position?”

  “The same, Master Wolfrum. They appear to have broken camp by the clearing.”

  Wolfrum leaned into the map, as if he could see actual figures near the mark that indicated their camp.

  Wolfrum’s spy looked worried.

  “Is that all?” Wolfrum’s tone was always sepulchral.

  “If I may speak freely?”

  “Of course.” The white hands lowered the hood, and Wolfrum fixed his gaze on the underling.

  “I don’t understand why they have been so obvious.”

  “Obvious?”

  “Yes, they know the ravens are listening, and they’ve even lit a fire. I wonder why they would do that? There must be some purpose.”

  “Indeed.” Wolfrum poured a glass of wine. “Would you like some?”

  The young monk stammered. “N-no thank you, sir, I was just—”

  Wolfrum smiled cruelly. “No, I insist.”

  The long white hands gave him a glass filled with blood-red wine. “Don’t you think that has occurred to me?”

  “Of course, Master.”

  “Good. When I want your opinion, I will ask you.”

  “Yes, Master.” He took a sip. Suddenly, his throat began to burn.

  “You’ll be fine in a day or so.” Wolfrum dismissed him with a wave. “Get Brother Bruno up here. He knows his role.”

  Wolfrum hated being told anything spontaneously by an underling. However, it was curious that the little band of would-be rescuers would let themselves be seen, unless...

  OUTSIDE, HELOISA AND our tiny band exited the boat and slipped through the underbrush to a place as close to the castle as was wise. The young monk had almost discovered us. Lily went ahead, as she appeared to be allowed in the castle vicinity. I tried to follow, but Heloisa’s strong hand and maternal arm stopped me. I looked at her to argue, but she shook her head as if to say, “Not now.”

  The reason soon became apparent. Around the corner came a duo of the meanest-looking dwarves I had ever seen, and by now I was getting to have some idea of what I was talking about. These two were sniffing the air, and Heloisa pulled us back even farther. Unfortunately, Juniper stepped on a twig that snapped loudly. A light shone our way. “Halt! Zeige dich!”

  “Get back underground. Now!” Heloisa fiercely whispered as she drew her sword.

  Juniper and I retreated, but not all the way to the boat. I found a tree with holds, and we helped each other scramble up. A raven landed on the branch next to me, and I thought we were sunk. Instead, it flew away as if we weren’t even there.

  Below, the battle raged. The two dwarves looked strong and were covered in a mix of metal and leather armor. They used shorter knives than Heloisa wielded, but their arms were like tree trunks. She was a thing to behold in action. Two against one, however, was never good odds. Juniper and I looked around for anything that would be helpful and found nothing except branches.

  The warrior woman fought valiantly, using a combination of judo moves to use the attackers’ weight against them and sword parries when any vulnerable spots were exposed. Then, Heloisa’s shield was nearly shorn in two by a direct hit from a battle ax, which had to be a heck of an impact. She staggered. One of the dwarves was bleeding heavily from a blow that she previously landed on his shoulder, pretty close to his no-neck. The other seemed to redouble his efforts, sensing she was off balance.

  We knew something had to happen, or our only hope would be finished off. Without thinking too much about it, I broke off the biggest branch I could find, swung it directly down at the wounded dwarf, and rapped the stick on his head as hard as I could. He dropped like a sack of sand. Juniper climbed down the tree and picked up a rock, coming to join the fray with her jewelry swinging. Jewelry! The pendant! Could that be why the dwarf was semi-paralyzed beneath me? While Juniper knocked him out with a rock, Heloisa made a more permanent end to his friend.

  She was winded but appeared unhurt. “We don’t have much time. Drag them into the bushes.”

  INSIDE THE CASTLE, Lily walked the halls, eyes downcast when the brothers walked by, as if she were on an ordinary task, her white gown flowing prettily. She stopped behind a column near the retraining room, where Mitzi was about to be taught about her proper role as a woman. All the castle maidens knew this was just an excuse for Wolfrum’s brutal men to rape, and it was all the more repugnant that they did it in the name of their righteous cause. Two guards stood outside the door. Lily took a deep breath and trusted that Heloisa would do her part.

  She was about to walk in front of them and faint, which would be Heloisa’s cue to move in quickly for the kill, but Brother Dieter came running through clutching his throat. He managed to whisper to the guards that he was looking for Bruno. Bruno was a beast of a man, who had many kills to his credit. Mitzi’s retraining-room guards pointed down the hall, and Dieter went on his way.

  The delay was fatal. No less than Wolfrum himself came down the hall, followed by Odilia and his usual sycophants.

  Lily continued on and they walked past her without a second glance. Once around the corner and out of sight, she rushed to find Heloisa and let her know what happened.

  WHILE THAT WAS taking place, Heloisa crept quietly into the castle hallway from the garden, turned around by the maze-like qualities of the place. Lily had prepped her, but perhaps the battle had rattled her more than she thought. Instead of the retraining room, she ended up in the bathing room.

  “IT’S TAKING TOO long,” I whispered to Juniper outside. “Go back. I’m going to help Heloisa bring Mitzi out.” Seeing her look of worry, I added, “I’ve got the pendant. Nothing’s going to happen to me.”

  My dear friend said, “I’m climbing the tree and will keep lookout. If you’re not back in half an hour, I’ll take the boat back and bring reinforcements.”

  “You know that’s a Juniper tree, don’t you?” I said.

  “Good to know.” She rolled her eyes. “Hurry.”<
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  I nodded and took the same route I’d seen Heloisa take into the castle.

  I held the pendant in one hand like the talisman it was and opened my mind for direction. Mitzi, Mitzi, baby, where are you?

  I heard someone coming, made up my mind which way to go, and scooted down a carpeted hallway toward the sound of running water.

  Merryville

  ALEX RETURNED FROM her neighborhood investigation and perched on a chair across from Valerie and Brutus.

  “Nice cat.” Brutus chose that moment to do yoga leg, a move Panda swore he learned from Mitzi. She missed her friends.

  Alexandra gave her report, drawing it out on paper. “Okay, Scott and Mary, neighbors to the left, and Rick and Michelle, right of here, are okay, but they both confirmed that Panda did ask them if they’d seen Mitzi last Sunday. Michelle said Panda looked nervous and worried. That’s all they had.”

  “Okay, the neighbor on the right, Michelle, is feeding Brutus.”

  “Meow.” Brutus rubbed his fur on Valerie’s legs.

  “A few neighbors weren’t home, but the one directly across the street was.” Alex marked an X. “No one answered the door, but I heard a TV, and there were cars in the driveway.”

  Valerie put her index finger on the house marked X. “Oh, that’s my best bet for who called the police. I can’t remember her name, but Panda’s had problems with her before. Like when Proposition Eight was happening. They put up a ‘Yes on Eight’ sign in their yard facing this house, and she and Panda got into it one morning when they were both rolling their trash cans to the street. I think they know our city council person, too. They always put his signs in their lawn at election time.”