Part 1 (2/2)

”The only thing more reliable than magick is one's friends!”-MACBETH.

AAHZ scowled and repeated the gesture, a bit quicker this time.The scene remained unchanged.I decided something was wrong.”Is something wrong?” I asked politely.”You'd better believe there's something wrong,” Aahz snarled. ”It's not working.””Are you sure you're doing it right?””Yes, I'm sure I'm doing it right, just like I've been sure the last fifty times I did it!”He was starting to sound annoyed.”Can you....””Look, kid. If I knew what was wrong, I'd have fixed it already. Now, just shut up and let me think!”He sank down to sit cross-legged in the center of the pentagram where he began sketching vague patterns in the floor as he mumbled darkly to himself. I wasn't sure if he was trying some alternate incantation or was simply thinking hard, but decided it would be unwise to ask. Instead, I used the time to organize my scrambled thoughts.I still wasn't sure if Aahz was a threat to me or if he was my only possible salvation from a greater threat. I mean, by this time I was pretty sure he was kidding about ripping my heart out, but that's the sort of thing one wants to be very sure of. One thing I had learned for certain, there was more to this magik stuff than floating feathers around.”That's got to be it!”Aahz was on his feet again, glaring at Garkin's body.”That ill-begot son of a wombat!””What's a wombat?” I asked, then immediately wished I hadn't. The mental image that sprang into my mind was so horrifying I was sure I didn't want details. I needn't have worried. Aahz was not about to take time to answer me.”Well, it's a pretty crummy joke. That's all I have to say.””Urn.... What are you talking about, Aahz?””I'm talking about Garkin! He did this to me. If I thought it would go this far, I would have turned him into a goat-fish when I had the chance.””Aahz.... I still don't....”I stopped. He had ceased his ranting and was looking at me. I shrank back reflexively before I recognized the snarl as his smile. I liked it better when he was raving.”I'm sorry, Skeeve,” he purred. ”I guess I haven't been very clear.”I was growing more uneasy by the minute. I wasn't used to having people, much less demons, being nice to me.”Um.... That's okay. I was just wondering....””You see, the situation is this. Garkin and I have been... playing little jokes on each other for some time now. It started one time when we were drinking and he stiffed me with the bill. Well, the next time I summoned him, I brought him in over a lake and he had to do his demon act armpit deep in water. He got even by... well, I won't bore you with details, but we've gotten in the habit of putting each other in awkward or embarra.s.sing situations. It's really very childish, but quite harmless. But this time....” Aahz's eyes started to narrow, ”But this time the old frog-kisser's gone too... I mean, it seems to have gotten a little out of hand. Don't you agree?”He bared his fangs at me again in a smile. I wanted very badly to agree with him, but I didn't have the foggiest idea what he was talking about.”You still haven't told me what's wrong.””What's wrong is that stinking slime-monger took away my powers!” he roared, forgetting his composure. ”I'm blocked! I can't do a flaming thing unless he removes his stupid prankish spell and he can't 'cause he's dead! Now do you understand me, fly-bait?”I made up my mind. Savior or not, I'd rather he went back where he came from.”Well, if there was anything I could do....””There is, Skeeve, my boy.” Aahz was suddenly all purrs and teeth again. ”All you have to do is fire up the old cauldron or whatever and remove this spell. Then we can each go our separate ways and....””I can't do that.””Okay, kid,” his smile was a little more forced. ”I'll stick around until you're on your feet. I mean, what are friends for?””That's not it.””What do you want? Blood?” Aahz was no longer smiling. ”If you're trying to hold me up, I'll....””You don't understand!” I interrupted desperately. ”I can't do it because I can't do it! I don't know how!”That stopped him.”Hmm. That could be a problem. Well, tell you what. Instead of pulling the spell here, what say you just pop me back to my own dimension and I'll get someone there to take it off.””I can't do that either. Remember, I told you I'd never even heard of....””Well. what can you do?!””I can levitate objects... well, small objects.””And....” he encouraged.”And... urn... I can light a candle.””Light a candle?””Well... almost.”Aahz sank heavily into a chair and hid his face in his hands for several minutes. I waited for him to think of something.”Kid, have you got anything in this dump to drink?” he asked finally.”I'll get you some water.””I said something to drink, not something to wash in!””Oh. Yes sir!”I hastened to bring him a goblet of wine from the small keg Garkin kept, hoping he wouldn't notice the vessel wasn't particularly clean.”What will this do? Will it help you put your powers back?””No. But it might make me feel a little better.” He tossed the wine down in one swallow, and studied the goblet disdainfully. ”Is this the biggest container you've got?”I cast about the room desperately, but Aahz was way ahead of me.He rose, strode into the pentagram, and picked up the brazier. I knew from past experience it was deceptively heavy, but he carried it to the keg as if it were weightless. Not bothering to empty out Garkin's concoction, he filled it to the brim and took a deep draught.”Aah! That's better.” He sighed.I felt a little queasy.”Well, kid,” he said, sweeping me with an appraising stare, ”it looks like we're stuck with each other. The setup isn't ideal, but it's what we've got. Time to bite the bullet and play the cards we're dealt. You do know what cards are, don't you?””Of course,” I said, slightly wounded.”Good.””What's a bullet?”Aahz closed his eyes as if struggling against some inner turmoil.”Kid,” he said at last, ”there's a good chance this partners.h.i.+p is going to drive one of us crazy. I would guess it will be me unless you can knock off the dumdum questions every other sentence.””But I can't understand half of what you're saying.””Hmm. Tell ya what. Try to save up the questions and ask me all at one time once a day. Okay?””I'll try.””Right. Now here's the situation as I see it. If Isstvan is hiring Imps for a.s.sa.s.sins....””What's an Imp?””Kid, will you give me a break?””I'm sorry, Aahz. Keep going.””Right. Well... umm.... It's happening!” he made his appeal to the heavens. ”I can't remember what I was saying!””Imps,” I prompted.”Oh! Right. Well, if he's hiring Imps and arming them with non-spec weapons, it can only mean he's up to his old tricks. Now since I don't have my powers, I can't get out of here to sound the alarm. That's where you come in, kid.... Kid?”He was looking at me expectantly. I found I could contain my misery no longer.”I'm sorry, Aahz,” I said in a small, pitiful voice I hardly recognized as my own. ”I don't understand a single thing you've said.”I suddenly realized I was about to cry, and turned away hurriedly so he wouldn't see. I sat there, with tears trickling down my cheeks, alternately fighting the urge to wipe them away and wondering why I was concerned over whether or not a demon saw me crying. I don't know how long I stayed that way, but I was brought back to reality by a gentle hand on my shoulder, a cold, gentle hand.”Hey, kid. Don't beat on yourself,” Aahz's voice was surprisingly sympathetic. ”It's not your fault if Garkin was tight with his secrets. n.o.body expects you to have learned something you were never taught, so there's no reason you should expect it either.””I just feel so stupid,” I said, not turning. ”I'm not used to feeling stupid.””You aren't stupid, kid. That much I know. Garkin wouldn't have taken you for an apprentice if you were stupid. If anybody here's stupid, it's me. I got so carried away with the situation, I forgot myself and tried talking to an apprentice as if he were a full-blown magician. Now that's stupid.”I still couldn't bring myself to respond.”Heck, kid.” He gave my shoulder a gentle shake. ”Right now you can do more magik than I can.””But you know more.””But I can't use it. You know, kid, that gives me an idea. With old Garkin dead there, you're kind of cut off. What say you sign on as my apprentice for a while. We'll take it from the top with me teaching you as if you were a new student who didn't know a thing. We'll take it step by step from the beginning. What da ya say?”In spite of my gloom I felt my spirits lift. Like he said, I'm not stupid. I could recognize a golden opportunity when I saw one.”Gee, that sounds great, Aahz.””Then it's a deal?””It's a deal,” I answered and stuck out my hand.”What's that?” he snarled. ”Isn't my word good enough for you?””But you said....””That's right. You're my apprentice now, and I don't go around shaking apprentices' hands.”I withdrew my hand. It occurred to me this alliance might not be all roses and song.”Now as I was saying, here's what we've got to do about the current situation....””But I haven't had any lessons yet!””That's right. Here's your first lesson. When a crisis shapes up, you don't waste energy wis.h.i.+ng for information or skills you haven't got. You dig in and handle it as best you can with what you've got. Now shut up while I fill you in on the situation... apprentice.”I shut up and listened. He studied me for a moment, then gave a small satisfied nod, took another gulp from the brazier and began.”Now, you have a vague idea about other dimensions because I told you about them earlier. You also have firsthand experience that magicians can open pa.s.sages in the barriers between those dimensions. Well, different magicians use that power in different ways. Some of them, like Garkin, only use it to impress the yokels; summon a demon, visions of other worlds, that kind of schtick. But there are others whose motives are not so pure.”He paused to take another gulp of wine. Surprisingly, I felt no urge to interrupt with questions.”Technology in different dimensions has progressed at different rates, as has magik. Some magicians use this to their own advantage. They aren't showmen, they're smugglers, buying and selling technology across the barriers for profit and power. Most of the inventors in any dimension are actually closet magicians.”I must have frowned without realizing it, but Aahz noted it and acknowledged it with a wink and a smirk.”I know what you're thinking, Skeeve. It all sounds a little dishonest and unscrupulous. Actually, they're a fairly ethical bunch. There's a set of unwritten rules called the Smugglers Code they adhere to pretty closely.””Smugglers Code?” I asked, forgetting myself for a moment. Aahz didn't seem to mind this time.”It's like the Mercenaries Code, but less violent and more profitable. Anyway, as an example, one item in that code states you cannot bring an 'invention' into a dimension that is too far in advance of that dimension's technology, like bringing guided missiles into a longbow culture or lasers into a flint and powder era.”I kept my silence with great difficulty.”As I've said, most magicians adhere to the code fairly closely, but once in a while a bad one crops up. That brings us to Isstvan.”I got a sudden chill at the sound of that name. Maybe there was something different in the way Aahz p.r.o.nounced it.”Some say Isstvan isn't playing with a full deck. I think he's been playing with his wand too much. But whatever the reason, somewhere he's gotten it into his head he wants to rule the dimensions, all of them. He's tried it before, but we got wind of it in time and a bunch of us teamed up to teach him a lesson in manners. As a matter of fact, that's when I first met Garkin there.”He gestured with the brazier and slopped a bit of wine on the floor. I began to doubt his sobriety, but his voice seemed steady enough as he continued.”I thought he had given the thing up after his last drubbing. We even gave him a few souvenirs to be sure he didn't forget. Then this thing pops up. If he's hiring cross-dimension help and arming them with advance technology weapons, he's probably trying to do it again.””Do what?””I just told you. Take over the dimensions.””I know, but how? I mean, how does what he does in this dimension help him rule the others?””Oh, that. Well, each dimension has a certain amount of power that can be channeled or converted into magik. Different dimensions have different amounts, and each dimension's power is divided up or shared by the magicians of that dimension. If he can succeed in controlling or killing the other magicians in this dimension, he can use its entire magical energy to attack another dimension. If he succeeds in winning there, he has the power from two dimensions to attack a third, and so on. As you can see, the longer he keeps his plot moving, the stronger he gets and the harder he'll be to stop.””I understand now,” I said, genuinely pleased and enthusiastic.”Good. Then you understand why we've got to stop him.”I stopped being pleased and enthusiastic.”We? You mean us? You and me?””I know it's not much of a force, kid, but like I said, it's all we've got.””I think I'd like a little of that wine now.””None of that, kid. You're in training now. You're going to need all the practice time you can get if we're going to stop Isstvan. Bonkers or not, he's no slouch when it comes to magik.””Aahz,” I said slowly, not looking up. ”Tell me the truth. Do you think there's a chance you can teach me enough magik that we'll have a chance of stopping him?””Of course, kid. I wouldn't even try if we didn't have a chance. Trust me.”I wasn't convinced, and from the sound of his voice, neither was he.

Chapter Four:.

”Careful planning is the key to safe and swift travel.”-ULYSSES.

”HMMM... Well, it's not a tailored jump-suit, but it will have to do.”We had been trying to outfit Aahz in a set of clothes and he was surveying the results in a small dark mirror we had found, turning it this way and that to catch his reflection piecemeal.”Maybe if we could find some other color than this terrible brown.””That's all we've got.””Are you sure?””Positive. I have two s.h.i.+rts, both brown. You're wearing one, and I'm wearing the other.””Hmmm....” he said, studying me carefully. ”Maybe I would look better in the lighter brown. Oh, well, we can argue that out later.”I was curious as to his attention to his appearance. I mean, he couldn't be planning on meeting anyone. The sight of a green, scaly demon would upset most of the locals no matter what he was wearing. For the time being, however, I deemed it wisest to keep quiet and humor him in his efforts.Actually, the clothes fit him fairly well. The s.h.i.+rt was a bit short in the sleeves due to the length of his arms, but not too because I was taller than him, which made up for most of the difference. We had had to cut off some of the trouser legs to cover for his shorter legs, but they, like the body of the s.h.i.+rt, were not too tight. I had made the clothes myself originally, and they tended to be a bit baggy, or at least they were on me. Tailoring is not my forte.He was also wearing Garkin's boots, which fitted him surprisingly well. I had raised minor protest at this, until he pointed out Garkin had no further use for them but we did. Pragmatism, he called it. Situational ethics. He said it would come in handy if I was serious about becoming a magician.”Hey, kid!” Aahz's voice interrupted my thoughts. He seemed to be occupied rummaging through the various chests and cupboards of the hut. ”Don't you have anything here in the way of weapons?””Weapons?””Yeah, you know, the things that killed old Garkin there. Swords, knives, bows, stuff like that.””I know what they are. I just wasn't expecting you to be interested in them, that's all.””Why not?””Well... I thought you said you were a magician.””We aren't going to go through that again, are we, kid? Besides, what's that got to do with weapons?””It's just that I've never known a magician who used weapons other than his powers.””Really? How many magicians have you known?””One,” I admitted.”Terrific. Look, kid, if old Garkin didn't want to use weapons, that's his problem. Me, I want some. If you'll notice, Garkin is dead.”It was hard to argue with logic like that. ”Besides,” he continued, ”do you really want to take on Isstvan and his pack with nothing but your magik and my agility going for us?””I'll help you look.”We went to work rummaging for weapons, but aside from the crossbow that had killed Garkin, we didn't find much. One of the chests yielded a sword with a jewel encrusted handle, and we discovered two knives, one white handled and one black handled, on Garkin's workbench. Aside from those, there was nothing even remotely resembling a fighting utensil in the hut. Aahz was not overjoyed.”I don't believe this. A sword with a cruddy blade, bad balance, and phony jewels in the handle and two knives that haven't been sharpened since they were made. Anybody who keeps weapons like this should be skewered.””He was.””True enough. Well, if that's all we've got, that's what we'll have to use.”He slung the sword on his hip and tucked the white handled knife into his belt. I thought he would give me the other knife, but instead he stooped down and secured it in his boot.”Don't I get one?””Can you use it?””Well....”He resumed his task. I had a small knife I used to skin small game tucked in my own belt inside my s.h.i.+rt. Even to my inexperienced eye it was of better quality than the two Aahz had just appropriated. I decided not to bring it to his attention.”Okay, kid. Where did the old man keep his money?” I showed him. One of the stones in the fireplace was loose and there was a small leather pouch hidden behind it. He peered at the coins suspiciously as they poured into his palm.”Check me on this, kid. Copper and silver aren't worth much in this dimension, right?””Well, silver's sorta valuable, but it's not worth as much as gold.””Then what's with this chicken-feed? Where's the real money?””We never really had much.””Come off it... I haven't met a magician yet who didn't have a bundle socked away. Just because he never spent any of it doesn't mean he doesn't have it. Now think. Haven't you ever seen anything around that was gold or had gems?””Well, there are a few items, but they're protected by curses.””Kid, think for a minute. If you were a doddering old wreck who couldn't fight your way out of a paper bag, how would you protect your treasures?””I don't know.””Terrific. I'll explain while we gather it up.”In short order we had a modest heap of loot on the table, most of it items I had long held in awe. There was a gold statue of a man with the head of a lion, the Three Pearls of Kraul, a gold pendant in the shape of the sun with three of its rays missing, and a ring with a large jewel we took from Garkin's hand. Aahz held up the sun pendant.”Now this is an example of what I mean. I suppose there's a story about what happened to the missing three rays?””Well,” I began, ”there was a lost tribe that wors.h.i.+pped a huge snake toad....””Skip it. It's an old dodge. What you do is take your gold to a craftsman and have him fas.h.i.+on it into something with a lot of small out-juttings like fingers or arms or...” He held up the pendant. ”... rays of sun. It gives you the best of two worlds.”First, you have something mystical and supernatural, add a ghost story and no one will dare to touch it. Second, it has the advantage that if you need a little ready cash, you just break off a ray or an arm and sell it for the value of the gold. Instead of losing value, the price of the remaining item increases because of its mystical history, the strange circ.u.mstances under which it was torn asunder, purely fictional, of course.”Strangely enough, I was not surprised. I was beginning to wonder if anything Garkin had told me was true.”Then none of these things have any real magical powers or curses?””Now, I didn't say that. Occasionally, you stumble across a real item, but they're usually few and far between.””But how can you tell the real thing from a fake?””I take it that Garkin didn't teach you to see auras. Well, that figures. Probably was afraid you'd take his treasure and run. Okay, kid. Time for your first lesson. Have you ever daydreamed? You know, just stared at something and let your mind wander?”I nodded.”Okay, here's what I want you to do. Scoot down in your chair until your head is almost level with the table. That's right. Comfortable? Fine. Now I want you to look across the table at the wall. Don't focus on it, just stare at it and let your mind wander.”I did as he said. It was hard not focusing on a specific point, so I set my mind to wandering. What to think about? Well, what was I thinking about when the candle almost lit. Oh yes. I am Skeeve. I am powerful and my power is growing daily. I smiled to myself. With the demon's aid, I would soon become a knowledgeable sorcerer. And that would just be the start. After that....”Hey!” I said, sitting upright.”What did you see?””It was... well, nothing, I guess.””Don't give me a hard time, kid. What did you see?””Well, for a second there I thought I saw sort of a red glow around the ring, but when I looked at it squarely, it disappeared.””The ring, eh? It figures. Well, that's it. The rest of the stuff should be okay.”He sc.r.a.ped the rest of the loot into a sack, leaving the ring on the table.”What was it?””What? Oh, what you saw? That was an aura. Most people have them. Some places do, but it's a sure test to check if an item is truly magical. I'd be willing to bet that the ring is what old Garkin used to fry the a.s.sa.s.sin.””Aren't we going to take it with us?””Do you know how to control it?””Well....no.””Neither do I. The last thing we need is to carry around a ring that shoots fire. Particularly if we don't know how to activate it. Leave it. Maybe the others will find it and turn it on themselves.”He tucked the sack into his waistband.”What others?” I prompted.”Hmmm? Oh, the other a.s.sa.s.sins.””What other a.s.sa.s.sins?” I was trying to be calm, but I was slipping.”That's right. This is the first time you've tangled with them, isn't it? I would have thought Garkin....””Aahz, could you just tell me?””Oh! Sure, kid. a.s.sa.s.sins never work alone. That's why they never miss. They work in groups of two to eight. There's probably a back-up team around somewhere. Realizing Isstvan's respect for Garkin, I'd guess he wouldn't send less than six out on an a.s.signment like this, maybe even two teams.””You mean all this time you've been fooling around with clothes and swords, there's been more a.s.sa.s.sins on the way?””Relax, kid. That's the back-up team. They'll be waiting a ways off and won't move until tomorrow at the earliest. It's professional courtesy. They want to give this bozo room to maneuver. Besides, it's tradition that the a.s.sa.s.sin who actually does the deed gets first pick of any random booty lying around before the others show up to take even shares. Everyone does it, but it's considered polite to not notice some of the loot has been pocketed before the official split.””How do you know so much about a.s.sa.s.sins, Aahz?””Went with one for a while... lovely la.s.s, but she couldn't keep her mouth shut, even in bed. Sometimes I wonder if any profession really guards its secrets as closely as they claim.””What happened?””With what?””With your a.s.sa.s.sin?””None of your business, kid.” Aahz was suddenly brusque again. ”We've got work to do.””What are we going to do?””Well, first we bury the Imp. Maybe it will throw the others off our trail. With any luck, they'll think he grabbed all the loot and disappeared. It wouldn't be the first time.””No, I mean after that. We're getting ready to travel, but where are we going?””Kid, sometimes you worry me. That isn't even magik. It's common sense military action. First, we find Isstvan. Second, we appraise his strength. Third, we make our plans, and fourth, we execute them, and hopefully him.””Urn... Aahz, could we back up to one for a minute? Where are we going to find Isstvan?”That stopped him.”Don't you know where he is?””I never even heard his name before today.”We sat in silence staring at each other for a long time.

Chapter Five:.

”Only constant and conscientious practice in the Martial Arts will ensure a long and happy life.”-B.LEE.

”I THINK I've got it figured out, kid.”As Aahz spoke, he paused in honing his sword to inspect the edge. Ever since our trek began he had seized every opportunity to work on his weapons. Even when we simply paused to rest by a stream he busied himself working their edges or adjusting their balance. I felt I had learned more about weapons in the last week just watching him tinker than I had in my entire previous life.”Figured what out?””Why people in this world are trained in weapons or magik, but not both!””How's that?””Well, two reasons I can see just offhand. First off, it's a matter of conditioning. Reflexes. You'll react the way you're trained. If you've been trained with weapons, you'll react to crisis with a weapon. If you're trained in magik, you'll react with magik. The problem is, if you're trained both ways, you'll hesitate, trying to make up your mind which to use, and probably get clobbered in the process. So to keep things simple, Garkin only trained you in magik. It's probably all he had been trained in himself.”I thought about it.”That makes sense. What's the other reason?”He grinned at me.”Learning curve. If what you told me about life expectancy in this world is even vaguely accurate, and if you're any example of how fast people in this world learn, you only have time to learn one or the other.””I think I prefer the first explanation.”He chortled to himself and went back to sharpening his sword.Once his needling would have bothered me, but now I took it in stride. It seemed to be his habit to be critical of everything in our world, and me in particular. After a week of constant exposure to him, the only way I would worry is if he stopped complaining.Actually I was quite pleased with my progress in magik. Under Aahz's tutelage, my powers were growing daily. One of the most valuable lessons I had learned was to draw strength directly from the earth. It was a matter of envisioning energy as a tangible force, like water, and drawing new energy up one leg and into my mind while releasing exhausted energy down the other leg and back into the earth. Already, I could completely recharge myself even after a hard day's walking just by standing motionless with my eyes closed for several minutes and effecting this energy exchange. Aahz, as always, was unimpressed. According to him, I should have been able to do the energy exchange while we were walking, but I didn't let his grumbling dampen my enthusiasm. I was learning, and at a faster pace than I had dreamed possible.”Hey, kid. Fetch me a piece of wood, will you?”I smiled to myself and looked around. About ten feet away was a small branch of deadwood about two feet long. I leisurely stretched out a finger and it took flight, floating gently across the clearing to hover in the air in front of Aahz.”Not bad, kid,” he acknowledged. Then his sword flashed out, cutting the branch into two pieces which dropped to the ground. He picked up one of the pieces and inspected the cut.”Hmmm... there may be hope for this sword yet. Why did you let them fall?”This last was directed at me.”I don't know. I guess you startled me when you swung the sword.””Oh, really?”Suddenly he threw the stick at me. I yelped and tried to duck out of the way, but it bounced painfully off my shoulder.”Hey! What was that for?””Call it an object lesson. You know you can control the stick because you just did it when you fetched it for me. So why did you duck out of the way? Why not just stop it with your magik?””I guess it never occurred to me. You didn't give me much time to think.””Okay, so think! This time you know it's coming.”He picked up the second piece of wood and waited, grinning evilly, which with pointed teeth is easy. I ignored him, letting my mind settle; then I nodded that I was ready.The stick struck me squarely in the chest.”Ow!! ”I commented.”And there, my young friend, is the difference between cla.s.sroom and field. Cla.s.sroom is fine to let you know that things can be done and that you can do them, but in actual practice you will never be allowed the luxury of leisurely gathering your power, and seldom will you have a stationary target.””Say, uh, Aahz. If you're really trying to build up my self-confidence, how come you always cut my legs out from under me every time I start thinking I'm getting someplace?”He stood up, sheathing his sword.”Self-confidence is a wonderful thing, kid, but not if it isn't justified. Someday we'll be staking one or both of our lives on your abilities, and it won't do us any good if you've been kidding yourself along. Now let's get down to work!””Um... have we got the time?””Relax, kid. Imps are tenacious, but they travel slow.”Our strategy upon leaving the hut had been simple. Lacking a specific direction for our search, we would trace the force lines of the world until we either found Isstvan or located another magician who would be able to steer us to him.One might ask what force lines are. I did. Force lines, as Aahz explained them, are those paths of a world along which its energies flow most freely. In many ways, they are not unlike magnetic lines.One might ask what magnetic lines are. I did. I will not quote Aahz's answer to that, but it was not information.Anyway, force lines are a magician's ally and enemy. Those who would tap the energies of those lines usually set up residence on or near one of those lines. This makes it easier for them to draw upon the energies. It also makes it easier for their enemies to find them.It was Aahz's theory that searching the force lines was how Garkin was located. It was therefore logical that we should be able to find Isstvan the same way.Of course, I knew nothing of force lines or how to follow them, at least until Aahz taught me. It was not a difficult technique, which was fortunate as I had my hands full trying to absorb all the other lessons Aahz was deluging me with.One simply closes one's eyes and relaxes, trying to envision a two-pointed spear in glowing yellows and reds suspended in midair. The intensity of the glow indicates the nearness to a force line; the direction of the points shows the flow of energies. Rather like the needle of a compa.s.s, whatever that is.Once we had determined that Garkin had set up shop directly on a force line, as Aahz had suspected, and established direction of the flow of energies, we had another problem. Which way did we follow it?The decision was doubly important as, if Aahz was correct, there would be a team of Imp a.s.sa.s.sins waiting in one direction, very probably in the direction we wanted to go.We solved the problem by traveling one day's journey perpendicular to the force line, then for two days parallel to the line in our chosen direction, then returning to the line before continuing our journey. We hoped this would bypa.s.s the a.s.sa.s.sins entirely.It worked, and it didn't.It worked in that we didn't walk into an ambush. It didn't work in that now it seemed they were on our trail, though whether they were actually tracking us or merely following the force line back to Isstvan was unknown.”I keep telling you, kid,” Aahz insisted, ”it's a good sign. It means we've chosen the right direction, and that we'll reach Isstvan ahead of his a.s.sa.s.sins' report.””What if we're heading in the wrong direction?” I argued. ”What if they're really following us? How long do we travel in this direction before we give up and admit it?””How long do you figure it will take for you to learn enough magik to stand up to a pack of Imp a.s.sa.s.sins armed with off-dimension weapons?””Let's get to work,” I said firmly.He looked around, and pointed to a gnarled fruit tree strewn round with windfalls across the clearing.”Okay. Here's what I want you to do. Stare at the sky or contemplate your navel or something. Then when I give the word, use your power to grab one of those fruits and toss it to me.”I don't know how many hours we spent on that drill. It's more difficult than it sounds, mustering one's powers from a standing start. Just when I thought I had it down pat, Aahz switched tactics. He would engage in a conversation, deliberately leading me on, then would interrupt me in mid-sentence with his signal. Needless to say, I failed miserably.”Relax, kid. Look, try it this way. Instead of mustering your power from scratch each time, create a small s.p.a.ce inside yourself and store up some energy there. Just habitually keep that reserve squirreled away and ready to cover for you while you get set to level your big guns.””What's a gun?””Never mind. Just build that reserve and we'll try it again.”With this extra bit of advice at my disposal the drill went noticeably better. Finally Aahz broke off the practice session and put me to work helping him with his knife practice. Actually I rather enjoyed this task. It entailed my using my powers to levitate one of the fruits and send it flying around the clearing until Aahz pegged a knife into it. As an extra touch of finesse, I would then extract the knife and float it back to him for another try. The exercise was monotonous, but I never tired of it. It seemed almost supernatural the way the s.h.i.+mmering, somersaulting sliver of steel would dart out to intercept the fruit as Aahz practiced first overhand, then underhand, now backhand.”Stop it. Skeeve!”Aahz's shout jolted me out of my reverie. Without thinking, I reached out with my mind and... and the knife stopped in midair! I blinked, but held it there, floating a foot from the fruit which also hung suspended in place.”Hel-lo! That's the stuff, Skeeve! Now there's something to have confidence in!””I did it!” I said, disbelieving my own eyes.”You sure did! That little piece of magik will save your life someday.”Out of habit, I floated the knife back to him. He plucked it from the air and started to tuck it in his belt, then halted, c.o.c.king his head to one side.”In the nick of time, too. Someone's coming.””How can you tell?””Nothing special. My hearing's a bit better than yours is all. Don't panic. It isn't the Imps. Hooved beast from the sound of it. No wild animal moves in that straight a line, or that obviously.””What did you mean, 'in the nick of time'? Aren't we going to hide?””Not this time.” He grinned at me. ”You're developing fast. It's about time you learned a new spell. We have a few days before whoever it is gets here.””Days?”Aahz was adapting rapidly to our dimension, but units of time still gave him trouble.”Run through those time measurements again,” he grumbled.”In seconds, minutes, hours....””Minutes! We've got a few minutes.””Minutes! I can't learn a new spell in a few minutes!””Sure you can. This one's easy. All you've got to do is disguise my features to look like a man.””How do I do that?””The same way you do everything else, with your mind. First, close your eyes... close 'em... okay, now picture another face....”All I could think of was Garkin, so I pictured the two faces side by side.”Now move the new face over mine... and melt away or build up the necessary features. Like clay... just keep that in the back of your mind and open your eyes.”I looked, and was disappointed.”It didn't work!””Sure it did.”He was looking in the dark mirror which he had fished from his belt pouch.”But you haven't changed!””Yes I have. You can't see it because you cast the spell. It's an illusion, and since your mind knows the truth, it isn't fooled, but anyone else will be. Garkin, huh? Well, it'll do for now.”His identification of the new face took me aback.”You can really see Garkin's face?””Sure, want to look?”He offered the mirror and grinned. It was a bad joke. One of the first things we discovered about his dubious status in this world was that while he could see himself in mirrors, n.o.body from our world could. At least I couldn't.I could now hear the sounds of the rider coming.”Aahz, are you sure....””Trust me, kid. There's nothing to worry about.”I was worried. The rider was in view now. He was a tall muscular man with the look of a warrior about him. This was reinforced by the ma.s.sive war unicorn he was riding, laden with weapons and armor.”Hey, Aahz. Shouldn't we.:..””Relax, kid. Watch this.” He stepped forward, raising his arm. ”h.e.l.lo, stranger! How far to the next town?”The man veered his mount toward us. He half raised his arm in greeting, then suddenly stiffened. Heaving forward, he squinted at Aahz, then drew back in terror. ”By the G.o.ds! A demon!”

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