Page 2

This was ridiculous, Virginia thought. First, Wolf had instructed her to get dressed all in black like a spy or cat burglar and now she was wandering aimlessly through Central Park making many stops and turns as Wolf tried to follow the scent trail of Jacob.

Virginia could feel some of the passersby's in the park staring curiously at them as they made their way from one area to another.

They traveled through parts of the park she hadn't been through before and she felt the icy prickles of nervousness go up her spine.

Her father had always warned her about not traveling through the park alone at night but she hadn't been afraid because she had traveled it so many times. It hadn't been any more threatening to her than walking down the hallway of their apartment and entering the elevator.

But now it seemed more intimidating since they were exploring new areas of the park. She stayed close behind Wolf until they neared a large drainage tunnel. Wolf stopped outside and tried to peer into it's dark interior.

"What is it?" Virginia whispered.

"The scent goes inside this tunnel."

How I long to linger
On your royal finger.
Born in time of danger
Now a Prince no greater."
the ring sang sweetly from Jacob's finger.

"Uh . . . I forgot." Jacob stammered and stared dumbfounded at his finger.

"There's no doubt
and there's no maybe;
Vincent is Prince and heir
to the Kingdom of the Lionnaires."
the little voice crooned out again.

Vincent raised Jacob's hand up to inspect the ring closer.

"Jacob, you must answer Father. You didn't find this down here?" Vincent asked.

"I found it at the house of the people who took me in. I didn't mean to take it. I just accidentally put it in my pocket when Virginia knocked on the door."

"Jacob you must return that ring and apologize. We can't afford to have the police involved." Father looked slightly worried.

"I will Father. I was just so surprised when I saw it talk and it said something about a prince living underground."

"May I see it?" Vincent asked.

Jacob slid the ring from his finger and placed it in his father's palm. Vincent looked at it more closely and was amazed to see a tiny face smiling up at him.

"Father, how can this be? This ring has a face and can speak."

"That's impossible. It's some kind of electronic toy." Father reasoned but when he looked closer, he too was baffled. Vincent slid the ring partially on his little finger.

"From the triangle
you will see;
The Lionnaires
you will set free."

"Who are the Lionnaires?" Vincent asked.

"From a kingdom not from here
On a island that disappeared
A spell was cast to stop their quest
to retrieve the mirror stolen at the Queen's behest."

"Virginia, why don't you wait by that lamppost. I'll go in a little ways to make sure it's safe and then I'll come back for you."

"Wolf, this is New York. Even trolls wouldn't be caught out here alone at night. I'm going in with you."

"Well, okay, but stay behind me." Wolf instructed. Virginia placed her hand at Wolf's waist as they entered the darkened tunnel. Wolf's vision was better than hers in the darkness and she stuck close behind him. She wondered why they hadn't thought to bring a flashlight.

As they traveled her eyes became more accustomed to the dark and they soon reached a dead end. There was an iron gate barring them from entering any further. Wolf was inspecting the lock when suddenly the door started sliding open.

They both looked up in shock when they saw a tall golden-maned man with the features of a lion and the boy they had rescued from the park standing in the doorway.

"Cripes! It's true. It's the Lionnaires."

After the initial shock of their strange meeting, Vincent had decided that it would be best to invite Virginia and Wolf back into Father's cavern.

There were many questions that needed answers and Father's chamber seemed the most private place to be able to discuss the situation.

"You say that Vincent is actually a Lionnaire from a kingdom in another dimension." Father looked to Wolf for confirmation.

Wolf nodded.

"And this ring is a magic ring." Father looked skeptical.

Wolf nodded again. "Yes, sir." He felt like he was a young cub again answering his teacher.

"And you are half-wolf and also come from this other kingdom."

Wolf could tell that this older man known as Father thought the whole story was a farce.

"On my wolf's honor, I'm telling the truth." Wolf made his wolf's oath gesture of curling his first two fingers near his temple.

Father sighed impatiently. "I'm sorry, but I find this all hard to believe."

"Father keep your mind open to the possibilities. Have you found any other explanation for my abnormal strength and abilities. There has been no others that appear as I do." Vincent argued.

Father looked back at Vincent, and Virginia could see the deep love and affection in his eyes. Father cupped Vincent's hand in his own.

"You are very special Vincent but that doesn't mean you come from another dimension."

"How do you explain the ring?"

"I'm not an electronics expert but I'm sure computer technology has come a long ways towards making inventive little gadgets like this one." Father looked accusingly at the ring. "I'm sorry Vincent but I'm a man of science and logic. This is all just fantasy and nonsense."

Virginia suddenly felt defensive at his condescending tone and walked closer to face Father.

"That is my engagement ring," Virginia pointed at the ring on Vincent's finger, "and not a gadget. And if you want proof, I have it."

Both Vincent and Father turned in slight surprise.

"Wolf has told you the truth. He comes from a place called the 9 Kingdoms and he is a half-wolf." Keeping her eyes on Vincent and Father she says, "Wolf, show them your tail."

After a short start of surprise, Wolf stammers "But Virginia, I don't think . . . ."

Virginia looks over at Wolf annoyed at his sudden shyness.

"Wolf, this is the only way they'll believe you."

"Virginia it's kind of private." Wolf was reluctant to show his tail to strangers. He had grown up concealing his wolfish nature from others. It was strange now to be the center of attention.

"Oh, for goodness sake! You showed me!" Wolf felt his face flush. He wished they could discuss this in a more private setting. Vincent, Jacob and Father stood quietly observing their strange argument.

"That was different." Wolf hissed through his teeth.

"Young man." Father addressed Wolf deciding he'd seen enough of this foolishness. Wolf looks back glad to be interrupted.

"I'm a doctor. Whatever you show me I assure you I will keep in strictest confidence."

Seeing that his last avenue of escape has been closed, Wolf slumps his shoulders and admits defeat.

"Very well, excuse me please." Wolf slips behind a partition. The soft rustling of clothing being adjusted and Wolf mumbling under his breath "Huffity Puffity" could be heard along with the soft tapping of the pipes and the distant sounds of subway trains. After a few more moments, Wolf peeks his head around the partition and reluctantly steps out from behind.

"Whoa! Is that real!" Jacob asks excitedly. Until now, he had been quietly observing everything unobtrusively.

"Of course it's real." Virginia confirms.

"I've seen costumes with tails just like that." Father discounts.

"It's not a costume, Father." Vincent assures him. Father is surprised at Vincent's certainty.

"Touch it and then you'll know." Virginia demanded.

Wolf looks helplessly up at the ceiling wondering how he'd gotten himself into this mess.

Father couldn't conceive why these people insisted on keeping up this charade even to the point of wearing wolf costumes but he sees the only way to dispel this foolishness was to concede to their wishes and finally get to the truth of the matter. It was disturbing that even Vincent was being caught up in this trickery.

"Very well, but I think this entire thing is ridiculous." Father moves towards Wolf using his cane.

"Don't forget to pet with the fur and not against it." Virginia instructs.

Father just sighs at the outlandish suggestion and looks up in exasperation before continuing on his way to Wolf's tail.

He reaches out fully expecting to feel the texture of fake fur and wire underneath and instead feels a jolt of surprise when he encounters the luxurious feel of silky fur and the warmth and movement of a living body part. Quickly, Father releases Wolf's tail and stammers his apology.

"Forgive me for not believing you. This is all quite strange."

Wolf just apologetically tucks his tail back in and gives him a sympathetic look of understanding.

"Wow." Jacob breathes. "Dad you really do come from another dimension."

Well, the question now is what are we to do about this." Father addressed the whole group.

Everyone was seated in Father's chamber pondering over the revelations discovered just moments before.

Virginia had been so determined to prove Wolf's sincerity that the ramifications of the situation hadn't sunk in. If Vincent was from a race of beings that originated from the 9 Kingdoms then how did he arrive in her world? What happened to his people?

Wolf had become strangely quiet, lost in concentration to his own private thoughts. Father's question seemed to break the spell.

"Maybe we can ask the ring what to do." Jacob suggested.

The ring had been returned to Virginia and she had placed it on her finger. Now everyone turned to look at her.

"The ring has only given us more questions than answers." Father sighed.

"What did it say." Wolf asked.

"It spoke to us in riddles. It said that the Lionnaires lived on a island that disappeared. A Queen who had stolen a mirror placed a spell on them." Vincent explained.

Virginia gave Wolf a knowing look. She had learned from her experience in the 9 Kingdoms that magic had it's own peculiar rules. The magic shoes that made you invisible for example could only be worn for short periods of time before they ran out of magic energy. And Gustav the old magic mirror in the Dwarves Kingdom could only be addressed in rhyme. Her ring was supposed to be a love ring that guaranteed the affections of the one who wore it but apparently the ring had further abilities. It seemed to have the uncanny knack of knowing things about you that you didn't know yourself. If only the ring could speak plainly and not be so irritating with its sing-song voice and its sometimes unexplainable riddles.

"Do you know of something that might enlighten us?" Father asked Wolf.

"Well," Wolf began hesitantly, "There was a legend my parents told me when I was a cub."

After a short pause, Father gestures for Wolf to continue.

"Long ago there lived a people who lived on an island. They were a noble race of lion men called the Lionnaires. Many Kings and Queens from the 9 Kingdoms would seek their advise because they were renowned for their wisdom. The Lionnaires were famous as philosophers, teachers, healers, poets and musicians. But they were also a very private people who wished to remain separate from the 9 Kingdoms. They wanted to remain neutral and not get involved in the politics of the separate kingdoms. But they welcomed all visitors that wished to learn about their culture and increase their knowledge."

"Sounds like Switzerland." Virginia commented.

"Pardon." Wolf looked at Virginia puzzled.

"It is a nation in our world that is also a neutral country." Father explained.

"Oh." Wolf nodded understanding.

"Please go on." Father prodded.

"Ahemmm." Wolf cleared his throat.

"Jacob, why don't you bring us some tea and sugar cookies." Father instructed Jacob.

"But, I want to hear the rest of the story." Jacob complained.

Vincent placed his hand on his son's back. "Go do what Father has asked. I will tell you of anything you've missed."

"Oh okay." Jacob relented and then quickly left the room.

Virginia couldn't help noticing how gentle and patient Vincent was with his son and Father. These people who lived here were not like the homeless people she had seen on the streets. They were a community of people who cared for each other like family. Virginia felt a pang of loss and remorse remembering her mother who had abandoned her when she was seven. She wished she could have experienced the closeness that these people had with each other.

"Well," Wolf continued with his story, "as I said Kings and Queens would seek the counsel of the Lionnaires. It took time for the ships to travel to their island and sometimes it would take months for the messages of the Kings and Queens to be answered. Sometimes the matters of inquiries were too private to be sent by messenger and it was too dangerous for the Kings and Queens to travel there in person. It became quite a problem since the Lionnaires did not travel to the 9 Kingdoms.

Just then Jacob came back with the tea and cookies. He carefully set the tray on the table. On the tray were five porcelain cups each with a different design. They looked like they were part of someone's collection and should be displayed in a curio cabinet. There was a pot of tea in the center and you could see the steam rising from the top of it. There was also a plate of sugar cookies that looked like they were freshly made.

By now it was getting very late. The smell of the tea which smelled like cinnamon and the sugar cookies made Virginia realize that she was hungry. She should have been fast asleep by now so that she would be ready to open their restaurant tomorrow. But somehow time seemed different here. Now all she felt like was enjoying the tea and cookies and relaxing into the worn comfortable chairs of Father's chamber. Wolf telling the stories about the legends of the Lionnaires brought up memories of her father telling her bedtime stories and tucking her in when she was little. Father's chamber with the candle light and the stacks of books had that same feel of closeness and security.

As soon as the tea and cookies had been handed out and everyone was settled again Wolf continued on with the story of the Lionnaires.

"Where did I leave off?" Wolf questioned himself. "Oh now I know. It was too dangerous for the Kings and Queens to travel to their island and also it would take many months for them to get answers to their messages, so some of the kingdoms acquired magic mirrors from the Dwarf mines of the 9th Kingdom. The magic mirrors were traveling mirrors and were very difficult to manufacture because they required a special quicksilver that is very rare and they also had to be careful of the quicksilver dragons that would raid the mines.