“Not just them. All the clans they’re friends with are, too, so be careful.”
“You don’t want to ask why?” Wanderer’s voice was tinged with irony.
“Nope. I’ll hang onto my question. And you hang onto your head.”
“I’ll do my best. Where are you off to?”
“Real life. I have a plane to catch.”
“Where are you going?”
“Spain. Catalonia.”
“A fine country. Have a good flight.”
“Thanks. And you try to stay alive.”
I looked back over the surface of the water one more time, glanced up at the starry sky, and gazed at the lights flickering on the other side of the river. We could hear the faint sound of swords clashing, not to mention voices coming from the city.
“You’re terrible at the game, and you’re just as bad at sports. Not like me!”
“Who cares about sports?” The two dwarves were still trying to figure out which of them was the most dwarfish.
“Life goes on,” I said.
“Yep,” said Wanderer with a nod.
I hit the button to log out.
As soon as I clambered out of the capsule, I checked the clock. It was 9:20.
“I made it,” I said with a sigh of relief before starting my packing.
By the time Elvira burst into the apartment ready to shred anyone she found, I was sitting in the hallway next to my packed suitcase.
She barked an order and marched out into the stairwell. “Why are you still sitting there? Let’s go!”
I walked around the apartment one more time to make sure I hadn’t left any lights on, stopping to linger by the capsule. There, in that capsule, Wanderer was sitting on the bank of the river thinking about something. Somewhere else, in the same capsule, were Sir Gunther von Richter; Krolina, the carefree lady of his heart; shrewd Gerv; prudent Reineke Lis; Elmilora, who was waiting for me; and everyone else I’d met over the course of those two weeks. For a second I wanted to send Elvira off onto the steppes or somewhere in the mountains to the far north and head back to Fayroll.
“Kif, are you coming? We have to go!” Elvira’s voice pulled me back, and the fleeting desire disappeared.
I closed the door to the apartment, turned the key in the lock, and pressed the elevator button.
End of book one
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Endnotes
[1] An elite, upper-class region outside of Moscow.
[2] A Russian term referring to the high season.
[3] “Club of the Funny and Inventive People,” an incredibly popular youth movement in Russia that combined team games with theatrical elements.
[4] A kind of beggar.
[5] A working-class neighborhood in Moscow.
[6] A prestigious suburb of Moscow.
[7] Imperial imposters in Russian history.
[8] A city car produced by Daewoo, a Korean car manufacturer.
[9] A street in Moscow.
[10] Russian parliament.
[11] A famous False Dmitry.
[12] A short German sword from the 14th—16th centuries.
[13] A small home in the countryside.
[14] A visa offered by a Schengen Area country that is good for travel throughout the entire area.
[15] A traditional Russian folk instrument similar to the banjo. k'12
More Than a Game Page 34