Mugsy's Prague Spring: Part III

Part III: The Exchange

(Click here to read the previous installment)

The sun was low in the evening sky as the marionette shop came back into view. I took a deep breath as I drew near, a heavy plastic bag hanging from my jowls. Once inside, I set the bag down. "Sorcerer!" I barked. "I have returned." He slowly appeared from the shadows cast by his legion of puppet cohorts. "Is that what I seek?" he asked, pointing toward the bag. I nodded. His arm reached out to take it. "Not so fast," I barked, lashing out to push his marionette string backward. "I believe we had a deal."

"Ah, yes. Of course," he said. He pulled a notecard from his cloak and pushed it toward me. "Here is the address," he said. "In the Ungelt. Once there, seek out the most perfect puppet. You will know it when you see it."

"Dammit, wizard. I need a name!" I exclaimed, my hackles rising.

"That I cannot give you," he replied, his stare piercing through me. He opened the bag and peered inside. A sinister whisper of a laugh spilled from his unmoving lips. "With this, I now hold the key to immortality!" he proclaimed, clutching a large container of termite repellent.

"All right," I barked. "I must be going now ..."

To be continued ...