Quest for the Hope Box by John Gorman

Author:John Gorman [Gorman, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: John G. Gorman
Published: 2020-07-27T22:00:00+00:00

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The piano was just where Wally said it would be, right around the corner. The only wrinkle he left out was the biggie. It was still parked in the thieves’ den. How did she keep getting snookered into these situations? Mages weren’t supposed to be suckers, and Luma had telepathy.

Gulliver was gung ho about getting it back. So was Stan. All his years serving as a sentry for Harberk really got him pumped. Wendell was on the fence about it. The thieves wouldn’t give up so lightly and he was accident-prone. His guilty conscience about swiping the dragon egg made up his mind.

Wally led them over to the hideout. The place didn’t look like much and there was only one exit, a front door, hardly wide enough to fit a lampshade let alone a piano.

They waited until the numbers worked in their favor. No need to go barreling into the place and raise a ruckus not when they had to rescue a grand piano and bring it out in one piece.

They huddled close together and peered in through the smudgy window. Two lugs sat at a foldup table playing cards.

It had to be done swiftly and precisely. That delicate balance was non-negotiable. One sneeze or slip of the proverbial finger could botch up the whole thing, and possibly cost them a finger or a foot.

Wally whisked in first. It was his mess so he had to prove his moxie. Luma followed because she had the trove of magic to unfurl, which, as always, was both the blessing and the burden.

“Hey, what gives?” the first lug said, dropping his hand.

A pair of jacks was all that showed.

“That’s the spirit,” Luma said, cherubically. “Slow and steady wins the race.”

She marched smartly toward the piano. Not a touch of alarm. Even when the second lug got up and approached her. The second lug shifted his focus to the door when the cavalry came charging through— a gargoyle atop a cantering centaur. Wendell wheeled slowly, but surely from behind. Somebody had to bring up the rear.

The first lug got it on the chin but didn’t slink away. He struck back and Wendell got the brunt of it. Luma slipped past the second lug and twisted his arm behind his back. Gulliver elbowed him in the gut, and the poor guy bellied over. Stan got in a few good raps and took a few himself.

Then, over by the side, the fallboard rose and an up-tempo melody began playing. All by itself. The battered lugs were spooked! They got off the dirty floor, bumped into each other then dashed away as fast as they could.

Gulliver wanted to show off and schlepp the grand piano all by himself, but strong as he was a couple of extra hands made it much easier. All seemed hunky-dory until they got to the door, which was too narrow. Unless Luma could shrink the instrument, there was no way to get it out in one piece.

Nobody had the inclination or the knowhow to take it apart.

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