“Good idea, Gleep,” I said. “But now that we’re talking...”
“Talk... Aahz,” he said again. “Gleep... sleep... now. Hurt.” With that, he lowered his head to the ground, heaved a sigh, and closed his eyes.
Having been effectively dismissed by my own pet, I went to find Aahz,
I WAS SO caught up in my thoughts that I barely noticed my surroundings as I made my way through the palace courtyard. Even though I wasn’t seeing things, however, didn’t mean others weren’t seeing me.
“Hi, Skeeve. How’s the dragon?”
It was Pookie, leaning against the courtyard wall in the shadows.
“Gleep? Oh, I think he’ll be fine, Pookie. Thanks for asking.”
“Any chance you have a minute to talk?” she said. “I know you’re busy, but...”
She let it trail off.
“Sure, if you don’t mind talking while we walk,” I said. “What’s up?”
“I wanted to talk to you now that things have calmed down a little,” she said, falling in step with me. “Is what I’ve heard right? The whole thing with the Queen has been resolved?”
“That’s right,” I said, forcing a smile. “I’m off the hook. It turns out that her whole threat to abdicate and stick me with Possiltum if I didn’t marry her was just a bluff. I’m still single, and she’s going to handle the kingdom.”
“Uh-huh,” she said. “Well, in that case it seems like it’s time for me to move on.”
“It does?” I said, slowing slightly.
Truth to tell, with all the excitement that had been goin on, I really hadn’t given much thought to Pookie and her continued employment. Apparently she had.
“Sure,” she said. “I was only hanging around because there was some question as to how the Queen would take it if you turned her down. Now that we’ve cleared that hurdle, I can’t see anything for me to do around here that can’t be handled by Guido and Nunzio.”
“I dunno, Pookie,” I said. “I haven’t had a chance to talk with the rest of the team, but I’m pretty sure they’d be interested in taking you on as a full-time member of M.Y.T.H., Inc. At this point, I don’t think there’s any question as to your being qualified.”
“I’ve thought of that,” she said. “No offense, but I don’t really think it’s for me. I still get too much of a kick freelancing through the dimensions to settle down to steady work just now. Besides, I’ve got a new partner now. I’d want to teach her the ropes a bit and get her some seasoning before she’d be ready to apply for a place in your crew.”
I homed in on two phrases in her statement: ‘new partner’ and ‘her/she.’ Pookie hadn’t met all that many people here on Klah, much less female people. Massha was about to get married, and Queen Hemlock wasn’t budging. By elimination, it sounded like she was talking about Bunny.
“A new partner?” I said, trying to make it sound casual. “Anyone I know?”
“Don’t know how well you know her,” Pookie said. “But it’s Spyder, if that’s what you’re asking.”
I felt strangely relieved that she wasn’t referring to Bunny, but her answer still left me puzzled.
“Spyder?” I said, frowning. “The guy from the Army that’s been checking on the tax collecters? He’s a woman? I mean...”
“I guess you don’t know her too well,” Pookie said with a laugh. “Trust me, Skeeve. She’s a woman. I know the difference.”
“So, you’re teaming with her now,” I said quickly, trying to hide my embarrassment. “When did this happen?”
“Well, we’ve been working together on the tax collectors getting hijacked, and we hit it off pretty well,” she said. “The kid’s a little wet behind the ears, but there’s plenty of potential there if anyone’s willing to take the time to work with her.”
For some reason, that reminded me of my early days with Aahz. As complex as things had become lately, I found myself reflecting on those times with a certain amount of nostalgia.
“Well, if your mind’s made up, I don’t see where I can object,” I said. “Any idea how soon you’ll be leaving?”
“It’ll take a day or two to get her sprung from the Army,” Pookie said, “but after that we can pretty much pick our time. The nice thing about being on your own is that you can name your own schedule.”
“Just be sure to stop by and say ‘Goodbye’ before you go,” I said. “If nothing else, I think you’re due an extra bonus this round.”
“That’s sweet of you, Skeeve,” she smiled. “But then, you’ve been a square-shooter all along. In case it doesn’t get said later, I’ll miss you. It’s been a real experience.”
With that she turned and headed off in the opposite direction. Even though we hadn’t worked together that long or that closely, I felt a certain loss thinking of her eventual departure. She had been part of the team, and it wouldn’t be the same without her.
Of course, Massha would be leaving as well, now that she was getting married.
It made me wonder what other changes might be in store now that our work in Possiltum was finished.
“C’MON IN, PARTNER,” Aahz said, beckoning me into his room. “I was wondering if you were going to stop by.”
That was all the invitation I needed, and, after casually closing the door behind me, sank into one of room’s chairs.
“Would you like something to drink, or are you still on the wagon?”
I had been making an effort to cut back on my drinking, but right now a drink sounded like a good idea.
“Some wine would be nice, thanks,” I said.
“Coming right up,” he said, moving to the tray containing several earthen bottles of wine and goblets that he always seemed to have in his room. “So. How’s Gleep doing?”
“He seems to be healing up incredibly fast,” I said. “That stuff Massha used on the wound is amazingly effective.”
“Don’t forget, dragons are tough,” Aahz said, handing me a goblet of wine. “They heal fast even without magical aid. On the whole, they’re smart, too. Did I mention that when that yahoo let fly with his bow, that Gleep actually jumped in front of me? For all I know, he might have saved my life by taking that arrow.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“Well, take it from me, he did,” Aahz grimaced, shaking his head slightly. “You know, it makes me feel a little bad. I mean, I’ve been making snide comments about that beast ever since you got him, and then he goes and jumps in front of me when the shooting starts. I owe him some thanks, but how do you apologize to a dragon?”
I thought about my recent discovery of Gleep’s ability to talk, but a promise is a promise and I decided to keep his secret, even from Aahz.
“Just take some time and talk with him,” I said. “I think he can read the tone of people’s conversation, even if doesn’t understand the actual words.”
“Do you really think so?”
“I’m certain of it,” I said, sipping from my drink. “I was just down at the stables visiting him, and I’m sure he understood what I was saying.”
“At the stables, eh?” Aahz smiled. “I kind of figured that was where you were.”
“Oh?”
“Well, it’s where you usually go when you’re upset and want to think things over.”
It seemed my secret retreat was not as much of a secret as I had imagined.
“Yeah. I was upset,” I said defiantly. “Even you have to admit that this time I had reason to be.”
“No argument there,” Aahz said with a shrug. “If anything, I’m impressed that you’ve recovered as quickly as you have. I notice the specific use of ‘was’ when you referred to your mood.”
“As you say, I thought things over.”
“Can I ask what you came up with?” Aahz said. “Or would that be prying?”
I took another long drink from
my wine.
“Well, there are a couple things that people have pointed out to me that I’ve come to realize are true,” I said finally. “First off, that I’m not happy. Second, that until I figure out what it will take to make me happy, I’m making myself and everybody around me more than a little crazy.”
“Bravo,” Aahz said, clapping his hands lightly. “Couldn’t have put it better myself. Who was it that managed to get that across to you?”
“Well, General Badaxe, for one,” I said, smiling slightly at the memory. “Of course, he had to kick me in the butt first, literally, to get my attention.”
“Excellent.” Aahz smiled. “I’ll have to remember that teaching technique. Go on.”
“Well, trying to sort things out, I’ve been fairly successful at coming up with what I don’t want to do. Case in point is that I don’t want to marry Queen Hemlock, and that’s all the justification I need to step back from that situation. Same thing with running the kingdom if she had tried to abdicate... which she didn’t, by the way. If I don’t want to do it, I don’t have to. I’ve been letting myself get jerked around too long by what other people want or expect me to do instead of focusing on what I want to do.”
“Again, no argument,” Aahz said. “Go on.”
I slumped slightly in my chair.
“That’s the problem,” I said. “I can’t seem to come up with what I do want to do... what it would take to make me happy. That’s why I’m here. For a bit of sage wisdom and advice. So, talk to me, Aahz. What’s the answer?”
Aahz took a sip of his own drink, then sighed and shook his head. “Sorry, partner,” he said. “I can’t help you with that one.”
I blinked in surprise, then saw red. All the anger and frustration I had been feeling lately came rushing to the fore, and this time, I didn’t try to rein it in.
“That’s it?” I snarled. “After all these years of nagging and lecturing me on stuff I didn’t want to hear, when I finally come to you with a question, it’s ‘Sorry, I can’t help you’?!”
I stood up and slammed my goblet down on the table. “Sorry to have bothered you,” I hissed.
“Sit down, Skeeve,” Aahz said carefully. “We still have things to talk about.”
“We’ll talk later,” I said coldly. “Right now, I’ve got to get some fresh air.”
I turned and headed for the door.
“We’ll talk now,” I heard Aahz say behind me.
I kept walking, waving a dismissive hand over my shoulder.
“I SAID ‘WE’LL TALK NOW!!!!”
That was a tone I had never heard from Aahz before, and it stopped me in my tracks. I turned to face him.
He was on his feet, fists clenched and all his muscles taut, as if he was physically being restrained from throwing himself at me. Even his scales were a darker shade of green, and his golden eyes were positively glowing.
Looking at him, I experienced a series of flashback images, all overlaid on his current stance and posture. Aahz when he first suggested that I become his apprentice. Aahz when he discovered that I had bought Gleep. Aahz when I brought Markie home from the Dragon Poker game. The numerous times he had expressed his frustration at my ignorance and my fumbling efforts to learn magik. Aahz leaping into the path of the bug creature as it tried to trample me in the Big Game. The look on his face just before he agreed to leave Perv and return to Klah with me.
As fast as the images danced through my brain, my anger was dispelled.
“We’ll talk now,” I said calmly.
I walked back to my chair and reseated myself.
It took a little longer for Aahz to settle down. He stood there breathing deeply for several moments, then drained his goblet and refilled it from the pitcher.
“Sorry, partner,” he said, his voice still tight. “You can still get under my scales sometimes. You’d think, after all these years, I’d be used to it. I’ve tried to teach you as best I can, but sometimes it seems like you’re determined to not listen.”
“I’m listening now, Aahz,” I said.
He took a long, slow breath, then blew it out completely.
“Right,” he said, sitting down again. “Let’s take it back to just before you blew your stack.
“I didn’t say I wouldn’t help you with your problem. I said I couldn’t help you. No one can. No one can tell you what you want or what it will take to make you happy. You’re the only one who can answer that question. If anyone else tries to come up with an answer for you, and you listen, then you’re right back where you started... trying to live out someone else’s interpretation of what you should do.”
That made a lot of sense. It gave order to a lot of the confusion that had been haunting me.
“I can see that now,” I nodded. “The trouble is, it doesn’t help me much at coming up with an answer.”
Aahz gave me one of his toothy smiles.
“What I can do, partner, is give you some advice.”
“I’d appreciate it,” I said sincerely.
He thought for a moment, then nodded, almost to himself.
“Here it is,” he said. “We’ve pretty much wrapped things up here at Possiltum. We could head back to the Bazaar, but we’re probably going to want to stick around for Massha’s wedding.”
He reached out and clinked his goblet against mine.
“So, here’s what I suggest. Take a break. Give the whole crew a vacation... they could use it after this assignment. In the meantime, take some time for yourself. No work, no assignments, no pressure. Heck, even get away from the rest of us. Wander the kingdom a bit, even if you have to do it in disguise. Sit under a tree by a river. Try your hand at fishing or hunting. That will give you a lot of time to think and reflect without distractions. Then, after Massha’s wedding, we’ll talk again.”
I thought about it. Taking a vacation certainly wasn’t something I would have come up with on my own, but the more I considered it, the better it sounded. Some time with no pressures or schedules to worry me while I tried to sort things out. At the very least, it wouldn’t hurt, and it might just help me make up my mind.
“That’s a good idea, Aahz,” I said, raising my goblet to him in a small toast. “Thank you. I think I’ll give it a try. In fact, if you’ll take care of passing the word to the rest of the team, I’ll get started tonight.”
I HAD NEVER been to a wedding before, so I had nothing to compare Massha’s ceremony to. Several people told me, confidentially, that one would have to travel far and long to find one to top it.
Of course, as a member of the wedding party, I had a front-row seat for most of the proceedings. As the General had predicted, I had the honored role of giving Massha away. I had been away taking my vacation when most of the plans were finalized, so I was a little surprised when Big Julie appeared to take the post of Best Man.
Once my role was finished, which occurred relatively early in the ceremony, I had little to do other than stand and watch. As I mentioned, I was relatively unfamiliar with what all was going on, other than that it seemed to take much longer than I would have expected.
Apparently I wasn’t the only one who felt this way, because I heard a couple others in the crowd quietly commenting on how long it was lasting. The usual answer, invariably accompanied by a smirk or chuckle, was that it would go on until Massha sang. At the time, that didn’t make any sense to me, as, to the best of my knowledge, there was nothing in the plans or ceremony that called for Massha entertaining the crowd. In hindsight, it was just as well that I was ignorant of the snide joke that was behind the comment. If I had known then what I eventually found out, I might have taken a swing at the snickerers, ceremony or not. Of course, I also found out later that, in some cultures, a scuffle or two at such ceremonies was not only acceptable, but almost expected.
Even though I was inexperienced with such events, I had sat
in on enough of the preliminary planning sessions that I pretty much knew what to expect from the ceremony. I was totally unprepared, however, for the reception afterward.
It was officially held in the palace courtyard, as there was no room large enough to accommodate everyone, though I heard that the party spilled out onto the streets of the town as the bulk of the citizens indulged in a little undeclared holiday. The only notable exceptions were the caterers and tavern owners, who did a booming business all day long.
It wasn’t surprising, considering the General’s long-time standing with the military, that what seemed like a major portion of the Army showed up to help him celebrate. What was a little surprising was the number of notables I spotted in the crowd who I hadn’t seen at the actual ceremony.
Don Bruce, the Mob’s Fairy godfather, was there along with a small contingent of his cadre. They spent a lot of time standing and watching the crowd, occasionally huddling in conversation with Guido, Nunzio, and, occasionally, Bunny.
Even Robb and his friends from Sherwood Arms were there. We had managed to work out a deal where the Royal Game Preserve was now a public park, and we even managed to get a minor stipend for them as ranger/custodians. They turned out to be fairly nice people, and had taken to stopping in, off and on, to visit Gleep and bring him little treats until I began to be concerned about him getting spoiled.
Even more surprising to me was the smattering of folks from the Bazaar at Deva who showed up. Apparently, Tananda had mentioned to a few people where she was going when she temporarily closed the M.Y.T.H., Inc. office, and the word spread. I guess they had heard that, at least at this spot in the dimension, people were sort of used to seeing demons about, as they did not even bother with disguise spells. The other attendees tended to give them wide berth, but other than that there did not seem to be any panic or animosity caused by their presence. Of course, it would have been interesting to find out how many other demons were present that did use disguise spells to blend in with the crowd.
MA11-12 Myth-ion Improbable Something Myth-Inc Page 31
