MA01 Another Fine Myth, page 6
“You know, kid,” he said, looking up from his endless sword-sharpening. “You’re really coming along pretty well with your studies.”
“What do you mean?” I mumbled through a bone, hoping he would elaborate.
“You’re a lot more confident with your magik. You’d better watch your controls, though. You had enough energy in that pentagram to fry anything that bumped against it.”
“I guess I’m still a bit worried about the assassins.”
“Relax, kid. It’s been three days since we set ‘em up in that ambush of Quigley’s. Even if he didn’t stop ‘em, they’ll never catch up with us now.”
“Did I really summon up that much power?” I urged, eager for praise.
“Unless you’re actually engaged in magical battle, wards are used as a warning signal only. If you put too much energy into them it can have two potentially bad side effects. First, you can draw unnecessary attention to yourself by jarring or burning an innocent bystander who blunders into it. Second, if it actually reaches a magical opponent, it probably won’t stop him; just alert him that he has a potentially dangerous foe in the area.”
“I thought it was a good thing if I could summon up lots of power.”
“Look, kid. This isn’t a game. You’re tapping into some very powerful forces here. The idea is to strengthen your control, not see how much you can liberate. If you get too careless with experimenting, you could end up helpless when the actual crunch comes.”
“Oh,” I said, unconvinced.
“Really, kid. You’ve got to learn this. Let me try an example. Suppose for a minute you’re a soldier assigned to guard a pass. Your superiors put you on the post and give you a stack of ten-pound rocks. All you have to do is watch to see if anyone comes, and if someone does, drop a rock on his head. Are you with me so far?”
“I guess so.”
“Fine. Now it’s a long, boring duty, and you have lots of time to think. You’re very proud of your muscles, and decide it’s a bit insulting that you were only given ten-pound rocks. Twenty-pound rocks would be more effective, and you think you could handle them as easily as the ten-pound variety. Logical?”
I nodded vaguely, still not sure what he was driving at.
“Just to prove the point to yourself, you heft a twenty-pound rock, and, sure enough, you can handle it. Then it occurs to you if you can handle a twenty-pounder, you should be able to handle a forty-pounder, or even a fifty-pounder. So you try. Then it happens.”
He was getting so worked up I felt no need to respond.
“You drop it on your foot, or you pull a muscle, or you keel over from heat exhaustion, or any one of a hundred other things. Then where are you?”
He leveled an accusing finger at me.
“The enemy strolls through the pass you’re supposed to be guarding and you can’t even lift the original ten pound rock to stop them. All because you indulged in needless testing of idiotic muscle power!”
I was impressed, and gave the matter serious thought before replying.
“I see what you’re saying, Aahz, but there’s one flaw in your example. The keyword is ‘needless.’ Now in my case, it’s not a matter of having a stack of ten pound rocks that would do the job. I have a handful of gravel. I’m trying to scrounge around for a rock big enough to do some damage.”
“True enough,” Aahz retorted, “but the fact remains if you overextend yourself you won’t be able to use what you already have. Even gravel can be effective if used at the right time. Don’t underrate what you’ve got or what you’re doing. Right now you’re keeping the finder spear going, maintaining the wards, and keeping my disguise intact. That’s a lot for someone of your abilities to be doing simultaneously. If something happened right now, which would you drop first?”
“Um ...”
“Too late! We’re already dead. You won’t have time to ponder energy problems. That’s why you always have to hold some back to deal with immediate situations while you rally your energies from other activities. Now do you see?”
“I think so, Aahz,” I said haltingly. “I’m a bit tired.”
“Well, think about it. It’s important. In the meantime get some sleep and try to store up your energies. Incidentally, let the finder spear go for now. You can summon it up again in the morning. Right now, it’s just a needless drain.”
“Okay, Aahz. How about your disguise?”
“Hmm ... better keep that. It’ll be good practice for you to maintain both that and the wards in your sleep. Speaking of which ...”
“Right, Aahz.”
I drew my acquired assassin’s cloak about me for warmth and curled up. Despite his gruff manner, Aahz was insistent that I get enough sleep as well as food.
Sleep did not come easily, however. I found I was still a bit wound up over casting the wards.
“Aahz?”
“Yeah, kid?”
“How would you say my powers right now stack up against the devils?”
“What devils?”
“The assassins that were following us.”
“I keep telling you, kid. Those weren’t Deveels, those were Imps.”
“What’s the difference?”
“I told you before. Imps are from Imper, and Deveels ...”
“ ... are from Deva,” I finished for him. “But what does that mean? I mean, are their powers different or something?”
“You’d better believe it, kid.” Aahz snorted. “Deveels are some of the meanest characters you’d ever not want to tangle with. They’re some of the most feared and respected characters in the dimensions.”
“Are they warriors? Mercenaries?”
Aahz shook his head.
“Worse!” he answered. “They’re merchants.”
“Merchants?”
“Don’t sneer, kid. Maybe merchants is too sedate a phrase to describe them. Traders Supreme is more like it.”
“Tell me more, Aahz.”
“Well, history was never my forté, but as near as I can tell, at one time the entire dimension of Deva faced economic ruin. The lands suffered a plague that affected the elements. Fish could not live in the oceans, plants could not grow in the soil. Those plants that did grow were twisted and changed and poisoned the animals. The dimension was no longer able to support the life of its citizenry.”
I lay, staring up at the stars as Aahz continued his tale.
“Dimension travel, once a frivolous pastime, now became the key to survival. Many left Deva, migrating singly or in groups to other dimensions. The tales of their barren, miserable homeland served as a prototype for many religious groups’ concept of an afterworld for evil souls.”
“The ones who stayed, however, decided to use the power of dimension travel in a different way. They established themselves as traders, traveling the dimensions buying and selling wonders. What is common in one dimension is frequently rare in another. As the practice grew, they became rich and powerful ... also the shrewdest hagglers in all the dimensions. Their techniques for driving a hard bargain have been passed down from generation to generation and polished until now they are without equal. They are scattered through the dimensions, returning to Deva only occasionally to visit the Bazaar.”
“The Bazaar?” I prompted.
“No one can travel extensively in all the dimensions in one lifetime. The Bazaar on Deva is the place the Deveels meet to trade with each other. An off-dimension visitor there will be sore pressed to not lose o’er much, much less hold his own. It’s said if you make a deal with a Deveel, you’d be wise to count your fingers afterward ... then your arms and legs, then your relatives ...”
“I get the picture. Now how about the Imps?”
“The Imps.” Aahz said the word as if it tasted bad. “The Imps are inferior to the Deveels in every way.”
“How so?”
“They’re cheap imitations. Their dimension, Imper, lies close to Deva, and the Deveels bargain with them so often they’re almost bankrupt from the irresistible ‘fair deals.’ To hold their own, they’ve taken to aping the Deveels, attempting to peddle wonders through the dimensions. To the uneducated, they may seem clever and powerful; in fact, occasionally they try to pass themselves off as Deveels. Compared to the masters, however, they’re bungling incompetents.”
He trailed off into silence. I pondered his words, and they prompted another question.
“Say, Aahz?”
“Hmm? Yeah, kid?”
“What dimension do you come from?”
“Perv.”
“Does that make you a Pervert?”
“No. That makes me a Pervect. Now shut up!”
I assumed he wanted me to go to sleep, and maintained silence for several minutes. There was just one more question I had to ask, however, if I was going to get any sleep at all.
“Aahz?”
“Keep it down, kid.”
“What dimension is this?”
“Hmmm? This is Klah, kid. Now for the last time, shut up.”
“What does that make me, Aahz?”
There was no answer.
“Aahz?”
I rolled over to look at him. He was staring out into the darkness and listening intently.
“What is it?”
“I think we’ve got company, kid.”
As if in response to his words, I felt a tremor in the wards as something came through.
I bounded to my feet as two figures appeared at the edge of the firelight. The light was dimming, but was sufficient to reveal the fact that both figures were wearing the hooded cloaks of assassins, and the gold side was out!
THE FOUR OF us stood in frozen tableau for several moments studying each other. My mind was racing, but could not focus on a definite course of action. I decided to follow Aahz’s lead and simply stood regarding the two figures coolly, trying to ignore the two crossbows leveled steadily at us.
Finally, one of our visitors broke the silence.
“Well, Throckwoddle? Aren’t you going to invite your friends to sit down?”
Surprisingly, this was addressed to me!
“Ummm ...” I said.
“Yes, Throckwoddle,” Aahz drawled, turning to me. “And aren’t you going to introduce me to your colleagues?”
“Um ...” I repeated.
“Perhaps he doesn’t remember us,” the second figure injected sarcastically.
“Nonsense,” responded the first with equal sarcasm. “His two oldest friends? Brockhurst and Higgens? How could he possibly not remember our names? Just because he forgot to share the loot doesn’t mean he’d forget our names. Be fair, Higgens.”
“Frankly, Brockhurst,” responded the other. “I’d rather he remembered the loot and forgot our names.”
Their words were stuffy and casual, but the crossbows never wavered.
I was beginning to get the picture. Apparently these were the two Imps Aahz had assured me couldn’t overtake us. Fortunately, it seemed they thought I was the Imp who had killed Garkin ... at least, I thought it was fortunate.
“Gentlemen,” Aahz exclaimed, stepping forward. “Let me say what a great pleasure it is to ...”
He stopped as Brockhurst’s crossbow leapt to his shoulder in one smooth move.
“I’m not sure who you are,” he intoned. “But I’d advise you to stay out of this. This is a private matter between the three of us.”
“Brockhurst,” interrupted Higgens. “It occurs to me we may be being a bit hasty in our actions.”
“Thank you, Higgens,” I said, greatly relieved.
“Now that we’ve established contact,” he continued, favoring me with an icy glare, “I feel we should perhaps secure our traveling companion before we continue this ... discussion.”
“I suppose you’re right, Higgens,” Brockhurst admitted grudgingly. “Be a good fellow and fetch him along while I watch these two.”
“I feel that would be ill-advised on two counts. First, I refuse to approach that beast alone, and second, that would leave you alone facing two-to-one odds, if you get my point.”
“Quite. Well, what do you suggest?”
“That we both fetch our traveling companion and return without delay.”
“And what is to keep these two from making a hasty departure?”
“The fact that we’ll be watching them from somewhere in the darkness with crossbows. I believe that should be sufficient to discourage them from making any ... ah ... movements which might be subject to misinterpretation.”
“Very well,” Brockhurst yielded grudgingly. “Throckwoddle, I would strongly suggest you not attempt to avoid us further. While I don’t believe we could be any more upset with you than we already are, running away might actually succeed in provoking us further.”
With that, the two figures faded back into the darkness.
“What are we going to do, Aahz?” I whispered frantically.
He seemed not to hear me.
“Imps!” he chortled, rubbing his hands together gleefully. “What a stroke of luck!”
“Aahz! They’re going to kill me!”
“Hm? Relax, kid. Like I said, Imps are gullible. If they were really thinking, they would have shot us down without talking. I haven’t met an Imp yet I couldn’t talk circles around.”
He cocked his head, listening.
“They’re coming back now. Just follow my lead. Oh yes ... I almost forgot. Drop the disguise on my features when I give you the cue.”
“But you said they couldn’t catch ...”
I broke off as the two Imps reappeared. They were leading a war unicorn between them. The hoods of the cloaks were back now, revealing their features. I was moderately surprised to see they looked human, seedy perhaps, but human nonetheless. Then I saw Quigley.
He was sitting woodenly astride the unicorn, lurching back and forth with the beast’s stride. His eyes were staring fixedly straight ahead and his right arm was raised as if in salutation. The light of the fire reflected off his face as if it were glass, and I realized with horror he was no longer alive, but a statue of some unidentified substance.
Any confidence I might have gained from Aahz’s assurances left me in a rush. Gullible or not, the Imps played for keeps, and any mistake we made would, in all likelihood, be our last.
“Who’s that?” Aahz asked, interrupting my thoughts.
I realized I had been dangerously close to showing a betraying sign of recognition of the statue.
“There will be time for that later, if indeed there is a later,” said Higgens, grimly dropping the unicorn’s reins and raising his crossbow.
“Yes,” echoed Brockhurst, imitating Higgen’s move with his own weapon. “First there is the matter of an explanation to be settled. Throckwoddle?”
“Gentlemen, gentlemen,” said Aahz soothingly, stepping between me and the crossbows. “Before you proceed I must insist on introducing myself properly. If you will but allow me a moment while I remove my disguise.”
The sight of the two weapons had rattled me so badly I almost missed my cue. Fortunately, I managed to gather my scattered senses and closed my eyes, shakily executing the change features spell to convert Aahz back to his normal dubious appearance.
I’m not sure what reaction I had expected from the Imps at the transformation, but the one I got surpassed any possible expectations.
“By the Gods below!” gasped Brockhurst.
“A Pervert!” gasped Higgens.
“That’s Pervect!” smiled Aahz, showing all his pointed teeth. “And don’t ever forget it, friend Imps.”
“Yessir!” they chorused in unison.
They were both standing in slack-jawed amazement, crossbows dangling forgotten in their hands. From their terrified reactions, I began to suspect that, despite all his bragging, Aahz had perhaps not told me everything about his dimension or the reputation of its inhabitants.
Aahz ignored their stares and plopped down again at his place by the fire.
“Now that that’s established, why don’t you put away those silly crossbows and sit down so we can chat like civilized folk, eh?”
He gestured impatiently and they hastened to comply. I also resumed a sitting position, not wishing to be the only one left standing.
“But ... what are ... why are you here ... sir ... ifyou don’t mind my asking?” Brockhurst finally managed to get the whole question out.
However incompetent he might be as a demon, he sure knew how to grovel.
“Ah!” smiled Aahz. “Therein lies a story.”
I settled back. This could take a while.
“I was summoned across the dimensions barrier by one Garkin, a magician I have never cared much for. It seems he was expecting some trouble from a rival and was eager to enlist my aid for the upcoming fracas. Now, as I said before, I had never been fond of Garkin and was not particularly wild about joining him. He began growing unpleasant in his insistence to the point that I considered swaying from my normal easy-going nature to take action against him, when who should appear but Throckwoddle here who did me the favor of putting a quarrel into the old slime-stirrer.”
Aahz acknowledged me with an alry wave. I tried to look modest.
“Naturally, we fell to chattmg afterward, and he mentioned he was in the employment of one Isstvan and that his action against Garkin had been part of an assignment.”
“You answered questions about an assignment?” Higgens turned to me aghast.
“Yes I did,” I snarled at him. “Wouldn’t you, considering the circumstances?”
“Oh, yes ... of course.” He darted a nervous glance at Aahz and lapsed into respectful silence again.
“Anyway,” Aahz continued, “it occurred to me that I owed this fellow Isstvan a favor for ridding me of a nagging nuisance, so I suggested I accompany Throckwoddle back to his employer that I might offer him my services, on a limited basis, of course.”
