Do you have any idea how loud it’s going to be up there?”“I have an inkling. Keith said they’ll have monitor speakers set up so I should have ...o problem hearing myself.”They approached the gate. Jason presented his WNLX vendor pass. “Miss -- you can’t bring that in here,” the agent said, pointing to her duffel.She showed him her backstage pass. “I’m performing tonight -- this has my costume.”“You should be coming in the artist’s gate, down on the south side. All right -- I’ll let you in. I need. Down the hallway and through the kitchen and out the front door and carrying me in my semi knocked out fashion across the yard and I knew towards that old barn of ours.That one that was walking right along with the other two that were carrying me reached her hand up and put it onto my belly and was rubbing up and down on it, and said; “This ones sure going to be a challenge.”She was going on talking I guess to them though I truly believe she knew I wasn’t fully knocked out and could hear her. That slip caused me a wounded arm; but it probably also saved me, since the last Troll was better with his sword than anyone I had faced before. My slip was something unexpected and it allowed me to kill him. Then there was the fact that my steel sword could penetrate his harness.““No, I don’t think they are stopping for the night. I have a feeling that they are using magic there. I’d almost be ready to bet that they are boosting a part of their group so that they’d be able to continue. “He split, years ago. We were in Catalonia – or maybe it was Tuscany. A very fit young trapeze artist joined us and, long story short, they went off together.”I’d opened a bottle of Merlot, and now filled glasses for Jazz, my wife, and me. We considered the girls to be a bit too young, although when there was just us, the girls were allowed a little wine with their dinners.“Anyway, it’s lovely to see you both,” I said, smiling. I wasn’t being false: Jazz and I had history – albeit about fifteen.