CHAPTER 5

Reacquaintances

Helbah searched with her magic crystals: first the outhouse, then the swimming pool, then the secret hiding places she wasn't supposed to know about. No sign of the kinglings, no evidence that they or their nursemaid, Glow, had even been about. Where had they gone, anyway?

"Oversleep one morning and everybody's missing," Helbah said to her familiar.

Katbah arched his shiny black back and stared her full in the face. It was as though the animal, really a part of her, was suggesting something.

Helbah felt a chill. "Zady!" she said. "She must have—it wasn't natural, my sleeping so late!"

"Meow," Katbah said. There was unhappiness and fear in the way he said it. Zady had affected Helbah's sleep and could as easily have slain them. But to have overcome Helbah's defense magic would have meant even more power than Helbah had attributed to the evil witch.

Her crystals, all four of them, blinked a rosy shade of pink. Zady's hated face appeared, wrinkled and hideous as ever, on every one.

"Satisfied, Helbah? Satisfied that they're not here?"

"Bag of bones—" Helbah started.

"Oh my, no," the Zadies told her. "Not at all, my dear. Take a look, Helbah. Take a look at what you have done for me."

On all four crystals a woman's lush young body with spectacular ripe curves appeared. It was beautiful and would have been arousing to any male except for one astounding fact: from the neck up it was the old Zady with all her hairy warts.

"What do you want?"

"Why, dearie, I've returned to thank you."

"You're welcome. I'm always glad to help your body separate from your head."

"HISSSSSS," Zady said. It was more the hiss of a serpent than a cat. "Perhaps you'll be interested in this!" Her arms gestured in the crystals and in place of herself were the images of two young men and a young woman crouched on a narrow ledge. Below the ledge eagawks flew a magic pattern back and forth, while beneath the eagawks' talons were clouds and a sheer drop into a dark and forbidding crevasse.

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"You have them," Helbah said. Illusions were one thing, but she knew this was no illusion.

"Yes."

"What do you really want?"

"Control."

"Over what?"

"Everything this frame holds. Tell your darling princelings they must abdicate. Zady will be your ruler from now on."

"You're twenty years behind the times, Zady. Kildom and Kildee aren't the big rulers."

"No? Then who is?"

"Horace," Helbah said before she could stop herself. "After your defeat the human and orc kingdoms united and placed a member of a third race in nominal command. Horace has the say over all the kingdoms with the exception of Throod and Rotternik."

"Horace? That reptile?"

"Dragon."

"Ridiculous! Where is he?"

"Where he wants to be, of course. If he doesn't want you to find him, you won't."

"Still has the opal in him, does he? I'd have thought an orc would have gutted him for that."

"You don't know orcs, dragons, or humans," Helbah said with satisfaction. "As a matter of fact you don't know witches except for the few you command."

"The frames are full of malignant witches," Zady said.

"The frames are full of those who practice benign magic, as well."

"Where's your Horace?"

"Why, Zady, you have to search. When you find him you'd better be polite. He's all grown-up now and he's fond of politeness. I'd be careful for the welfare of his subjects if I were you. Take care that no harm comes to Kildom and Kildee or their nursemaid."

"Nursemaid! I'll turn her into a sword again!"

"I wouldn't do that, Zady. Horace wouldn't like it, and neither would I."

"Don't you want them returned forthright?"

"You're not going to do that, Zady. Why should I ask it?"

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"You're an infuriating witch!"

"I always knew you thought so. Thank you. I relish that respect."

"Respect! For you I have no respect!"

"You should have, Zady. It was I who defeated you."

"You and a great many others! Besides, that was but a skirmish. The real war is coming."

"You mean you can't persuade a dragon to do your bidding?"

"Persuade it? I'll destroy it!"

"Of course you will, Zady. At least you will try."

The imaged Zadies raised right hands and snapped fingers. Instantly the four pinkish crystals grew blood red.

Helbah raised a hand and gestured an invisible wall of impenetrability between her and the crystals.

Zady laughed cruelly. At the end of her laugh the crystals imploded, pulling the simple furnishings of Helbah's palace room inward. A moment later the imploded crystals had left behind a spectacular mess.

Helbah stroked an angry Katbah, smoothing his fur.

"Yes, Katbah, yes, it will take all the art I can muster. I just hope that art will be sufficient."

Katbah dehumped his back. He reached a paw up and touched her lips.

"Yes, Katbah, we have to hope that she will save them. She will want the big triumph, with all around alive to see and suffer. If she ever wins, she will win all. No enemy then will she allow to live unrepentant."

"Meow," said Katbah sadly.

"Yes, yes, of all her enemies you and I and the prophesied hero she will try to hurt the worst. We must stop her completely." She sighed. "I only wish that I knew how. The way to defeat Zady isn't at all clear to me."

Glow shivered on the ledge, feeling the fear of the two kinglets. They were all three terrified by the height, fearful of what their captor planned for them.

"Kildom, I never thought I'd say this, but I wish we had that book again."

"That's stupid, Brother!" the young redhead said to his identical twin. "You know how much trouble we were in."

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"Yes, but we were young. Besides, it did get us out of things."

"It got us into trouble as often as out of trouble. I suppose you'd like to call up that big bird again."

"Yeah. It got us to Ophal."

"It also got us into danger, as you-know-who had planned. If Charles hadn't controlled it, it would have eaten all of us."

"Oh, dear," Glow said. "I wasn't with you and Charles and Merlain, but I know how you must have felt."

"You were so!" Kildee insisted. "It's just that you were then a sword."

"Oh yes, and I talked to Charles in his dreams. It was so romantic. I wish we had carefree times like that again."

"The fact remains," Kildee said pedantically, "that it was you-know-who's planning. She got Merlain to steal the book at the convention and then charmed her into using it."

"Which was lucky for us," Kildee said. "Without the book we'd not have escaped the orc prison, or—"

"Without the book and without you-know-who, we'd never have adventured in the first place! The adventure part was fine, but you-know-who had us doing evil. If she'd won out we'd be doing evil still, or we'd be—"

"Dead."

"Or enchanted into something," Glow put in. "She might have turned you into swords."

"That wouldn't have been so bad!" young sovereign Kildee exclaimed. "That might have been fun!"

"You don't know what you're talking about!" Glow snapped. "You boys think it was fun for me all those years? Let me tell you it wasn't! I had no one to talk to! I couldn't eat anything! I couldn't play! I didn't know where I was most of the time or what was happening to me!"

"Besides," Kildom said to his brother, "she might not have made us into swords. She could have made us into jugs or pots. Yes, little fat pots and not the kind you cook in!"

"Boys, boys, this isn't getting us anywhere!" Glow said reprovingly.

"We're going somewhere?" Kildee asked innocently. "Do you suggest down or up?"

Glow looked off the ledge at the eagawks flying their magical patterns, then peered down into the depths. Even with Kelvin's very special boots, courtesy of Mouvar, it was a long way down. "I do know something we can try," she said.

"Try? Try what?" Kildee sounded skeptical.

"I can try to think to Charles and Merlain. If I can mind-talk to them and tell them what has happened, maybe they can help."

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"We don't know where they are or where we are!" Kildee protested. "Besides, help how?"

"With Helbah, maybe. With Kelvin, perhaps. Maybe Charles."

"You're dreaming."

"I am not! I've had a lot of experience with dreaming, and this is no dream. Now if you'll both shut up, I have to concentrate."

Glint was tasting a particularly tangy appleberry, which he decided had been picked a little green, when the head buzzing started. Someone trying to reach his thoughts? Horace? He'd have thought the copper-scaled dragon was still involved with Ember. Besides, he doubted that either dragon could mind-speak to him without help. This was a searching thought, a questing thought, a human thought.

Woman. Female. Mind alike.

WHAM!

It was his sister! His sister Glow! Zady had made her forget, and had made him forget. But when her enchantment was broken, so was his. That was what had happened, and it came to him all in a rush.

Sister, small and pink and cuddly like him. Learning to walk, learning to play. Taken from their mother, transmuted into swords. Cruel separation. The work of an evil witch, to punish their mother.

She was mind-searching. Reaching out.

Sister! Sister!

Who? What?

Your brother Glint. Remember?

A whir of thoughts. Boy and girl twins not related to them. Red-haired, growing-up king twins, also unrelated. Fight on mountaintop. Switch of sword. Long fall. Zady's head in talons of eagawk.

So much. So very much. Yet he got it. He knew what Glow knew and she knew all that was him. Twin mind-talking was like that. Charles and Merlain and Horace were like that as well.

She's got you again.

Yes.

The evil old witch!

Yes. Help. Please help.

I will. If I can. He did not want to become a sword again. Neither would he abandon his sister.

I don't know where we are. It's high. It's a mountain, but where?

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Eagawks flying. Great chasm. Dragon territory, because of strength of your thoughts. He'd seen the eagawks flying, had followed them, had seen a beautiful woman from afar. An eagawk had brought her meat. When the woman had turned in the light, wrinkled face bloody, and he had seen her clearly, he knew it was Zady. He had blocked his thoughts, just in case, knowing then that she was still developing, growing, becoming an apparent human again.

You saw her! You knew she was here, Glint?

Yes.

Why didn't you destroy her when you had the chance?

I was afraid of her. Once I knew it was her I never went near the nesting site again!

Glint, can you help me now?

I can try, Glint thought to his unseen sister. I know where she has you. It's a long way from here.

Glint, get Horace. Horace can carry you. Horace has the opal. He can bring you directly here.

Yes, with Horace's help I just may be able to rescue you.

Hurry, Glint! Hurry before she returns!

Kelvin was admiring his newly bulging arm and leg muscles and flat stomach in the reflection in the clear river water. He strutted just a bit, shoulders back, imagining himself a handsome and heroic young adventurer. Except for a bit thinner hair and a reasonably matured face, he was almost the Kelvin who tried to fight against orcs and ended up slicing off Witch Zady's ugly head. Those had been the days—they really had!

"Kelvin, you preening turcock!" Lester had been watching him, a hint of disapproval on his face, instead of his fishing bobber. Now as he spoke a trass took that opportunity to snatch the bait and run with the line, propelling Lester upright.

"That's a big one, Dad!" Kathy Jon exclaimed. As usual she had been the one to come along while her brothers begged their way out of the fishing trip. Though Kathy hadn't the patience of a born fisher, she did take the delight. She was in mannish clothing, as usual: brownberry shirt and shorts. She avoided feminine apparel whenever possible.

"Don't get your line tangled with hers!" Kelvin warned. "Give him line! He'll break your—"

Lester's rambloo pole bent double as he heaved on it. A dark shadow moved up from the depths: a trass of near-record size. "Lester, you're putting too much strain on that!"

"I am not! Get your line back!"

CRACK!

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it.

"Damn!" Lester swore. "It's your fault, Kelvin! You and your advice!"

"Don't blame me! You're the one who put the pressure on."

"I'll get him, Dad!"

"Kathy, no!"

SPLASH!

Water splashed shockingly cold on Kelvin's sweaty face and his new clothes. He rubbed and shook drops from his eyes and saw a pair of pretty, slim, well-browned legs dipping below the river's surface.

"Lester, she'll drown!"

"Not Kathy," Lester said. "Get him, gal! She's got hold of the line. The fish darted right past her."

Kathy Jon's pretty young head surfaced. Her face was very red and the broken half of Lester's pole she raised was attached to a line wrapped around her neck. The line was cutting into the flesh, pulled taut by the thrashing creature now in midair.

The trass came down with a splash, drenching Kathy's already wet face and hair. She clung to the line, hauled on it, kicked her heels. She and the fish both disappeared under the water.

"Lester!" Kelvin said, alarmed. He had heard Lester brag that his daughter could swim like a fish; now he believed it.

The water smoothed as the little wavelets ran their lapping course. The sun shone down on glass-smooth water, showing their reflections.

Kelvin looked at his sister's husband and swallowed. If Kathy didn't come up soon he didn't know what he could do about it. Swimming wasn't one of his few accomplishments.

SPLASH! Further downstream Kathy's lovely young face resurfaced. Still very red, she hung onto the line with both hands. She went below the surface and then she popped up again as the fish, as long as her suntanned arm, took to the air and came down short, snubbed by the line. Kathy bobbed under and up and out, a human float with now very red pointed ears. Whether she was playing the fish or the fish was playing her was a question. For a time the contest was in doubt, and then Kathy was struggling upright in the shallows, just above where the riffles started. Her young legs strained to keep her in the current as she stooped down with a darting motion. She shoved one hand in the fish's gills while grabbing its flapping tail with the other.

"I got him, Dad! I got him!"

"Don't drop him, Kathy! Hang on! I'm coming!"

Kelvin watched his brother-in-law run like a man demented. Years dropping from him like bits of shorn shrubbery, he charged through stickery bushes and head-tall weeds as once he had charged other men on horseback. Standing right where he was Kelvin saw it all: father and daughter subduing one large, Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html

ornery fish that would bake up well in Jon's brick oven. There'd be a family feast from this one, and he and Heln would surely be invited. Almost he could taste the succulent white flesh steaming and mouth-wateringly fragrant in a delicately browned skin.

"Here, Kathy, here!"

"Take it, Dad, I lost my pants!"

"Kathy, I told you not to talk like that!"

"My button, Dad. The line snagged my button. I couldn't help it."

"I don't care! That's not ladylike! Your mother and I have told you and told you—OUCH!"

"Dad, the hook!"

"The fish, Kathy, the fish!"

SPLASH! The trass hit the water once more, yanking Kathy after it. Not to give up easily, she spread her arms wide as she came down in a sprawling grab.

"I've got it, Dad! I've got it! Help!"

Lester waded into the wet melee and dropped until his hat floated. Now a straw boat with an assortment of hooks and feathers on it, the hat leaped to the current and bobbed up and down, and swiftly, speedily, out of sight. Lester in the meantime had his arms around fish and daughter. Together they struggled ashore, though the flopping fish was not cooperative. Kelvin saw that Kathy had indeed lost some of her apparel, and he felt guilty for noticing that her mud-slick bare legs were nicely proportioned throughout.

So was her water-soaked upper torso under the plastered shirt. As with her mother at age fourteen, she might act like a tomboy, but her body had other notions.

Kelvin waited. Eventually a muddy, bloody-handed Lester broke out of the brush and all but shoved the big-mouthed trass in his face.

"What do you think of that, hero? What d'ya think?"

"Nice fish."

"Nice! It's beautiful! Prettiest fish I ever saw!"

It had to be the ugliest, Kelvin thought, gazing into the open mouth with all its pointed teeth. Trass tasted great, but no trass had a beautiful face.

"We're taking it right to the fishodermist!"

"What? You're not going to eat it?"

"No, of course not. We'll have it mounted and displayed in Lomax's place. That way Kathy can show it to her grandchildren."

"Daddy!" a very muddy young lady exclaimed. "Daddy, you know I'm not going to marry."

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"You say that now, but someday you'll find a young man every bit as good as your old man. Your mother did."

"Oh, Daddy, you—"

"Come on now, we want to get to the shop while it's open. You coming, Kel?"

Kelvin shook his head. He didn't want to diminish his brother-in-law's happiness, but that trass would certainly have tasted good. "I'll see if I can catch something for Heln to clean. Something we can eat."

"Good! Catch one big enough and we'll all invite ourselves to supper."

Kelvin watched the happy father and daughter squish and splash back to the road carrying their prize.

Thoroughly muddied, thoroughly soaked, partly disrobed, he knew that neither had ever had a better time fishing. He envied them the fun and mourned the loss of a gluttonous evening. But maybe, just possibly, he might yet catch—

His float bobbed under and stayed. With a whoop of joy Kelvin yanked on the pole, then rapidly sent coils of line to its darting tip, giving the fish more to pull under. The fishing reel his father had described had not been invented in this frame, though Kelvin, unlooping the line from the base knobs as rapidly as he could, felt that it was time. Though he moved as fast as he was able, the steadily moving fish was faster. If only he had the magic gauntlets on today—then he might have a chance.

SPLASH!

Standing in the water nude, red-haired, curvaceous, and beautiful was no fish. It pointed the pink tips of its full breasts at him, puckered its cherry mouth at him with half a kiss, dimpled prettily in both rosy cheeks, and said:

"Kelvin, heroic mortal, we meet again. Last time was at a convention, and then afterwards briefly on a mountaintop. You weren't nice to me there. In fact you cut off my head."

"Zady!" Kelvin gasped. Zady, nude and beautiful as she had previously appeared only in his own unheroic, magic-assisted young head.