AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You don’t want any hot cocoa?”
“I’m allergic to chocolate.”
“Oh.” He looked childishly disappointed. “Bad luck, that.”
“You said you invited people—when is this duel?”
“Tomorrow. You’ll fight then, put on a good show?”
“If you meet my terms, yes.”
He slurped from the flagon, blinking at me owlishly over the rim. “You think you can outwit me?”
“You’re the one who said we needed to discuss rules.”
“True.” He wiggled back farther in the deep seat, oblivious to his robes bunching up. “So here’s the deal, Gwynnie. You don’t do any magic between now and the duel tomorrow at high noon. Then we fight and you can use magic again. For my prize, I get to keep your Familiar and the rest of these idiots can go.”
“All the resources at my disposal?”
“Such as they are, yes.”
“And for my prize?”
“You won’t win.”
“I need at least the possibility of victory or I won’t fight as hard.”
He pouted. “You can go free too.”
“We all go free. But if you want me to fight, I want your information on Rogue’s whereabouts.”
“Stubborn little twat, aren’t you? Fiiine,” he sighed, drawing out the sound, then farting loudly. “Blah blah blah, if, by some miracle you defeat me, I’ll give you that information.”
“What if I kill you—how will you deliver?”
He harrumphed at me. “It won’t do you any good. It’s not like you can rescue him.”
“That will be my problem.”
He drained the flagon and tossed it aside with a clatter. “Deal. But for your eyes only. Show our guests to their rooms! Except for Gwynnie here. She’s earned a special private meeting.”
The gremlins swarmed in, rearmed with their spears and poked at the others to go. Starling gave me a worried look and I smiled to reassure her, handing Darling to Thumbelina.
“Look sharp,” she whispered to me.
I intended to.
Chapter 17
In Which I Employ Smoke, Mirrors and Sleights ofHand
‡
One of the tricks of magic is to remember that the possibilities are as varied as the imagination. Never do the expectedthing.
~Big Book of Fairyland, “Rules ofMagic”
Walter watched themgo. “Kind of a wacky bunch of sidekicks you’ve got there, Gwynnie. I take it back—the little fairy chick is kind of hot. You want to throw her in too. Sweeten the pot?”
