"South, then?" Mendanbar said, glancing around. "Very well." He raised a hand, then paused. "Morwen, are you taking all your cats along on this expedition?"
"Phooey," said Murgatroyd. "I was hoping no one would think of that."
'Just Trouble and Scorn," Morwen said, giving the cats a stern look.
"The rest of you should get down now."
Cats flowed along Kazul's back and off her shoulders, until only Trouble and Scorn remained. When the whole crowd had reached the porch, Morwen nodded to Mendanbar. An instant later, gray mist rose, thickened to hide the house and forest, then faded to reveal a grove of slender young trees, none of which were much taller than Kazul. They looked odd and spindly, and it was a moment before Morwen realized that they only seemed scraggly by comparison to the giant oaks that surrounded her house.
"This is as far as I take you," Mendanbar said unhappily. "The edge of the Enchanted Forest is over there."
"What about getting back in, once we leave?" Telemain asked.
"If we recover the sword, getting into the forest won't be a problem," Cimorene said. "If we don't-" "I'll keep an eye on the border," Mendanbar said. "As soon as I see you, I'll come out to meet you."
"Don't worry about watching for us," Morwen said. "Worry about the wizards. We'll call on the magic mirror when we're ready to come back."
"And a couple of times before then, just to say hi," Cimorene put in.
Mendanbar looked at Cimorene for a long minute, then turned to Telemain. "Are you sure I can't leave the Enchanted Forest?"
"Not without destroying the energy loop that prevents the Society of Wizards from primary absorption inside the forest," Telemain said.
"Then can't you transfer the spell's focus from me to Cimorene?"
"Hey!" said Cimorene, frowning. "Who says I want to be a focus?"
"No," Telemain said to Mendanbar. "The top links connect directly to the central-" "'No' is quite enough," Morwen said. "Didn't you go over all this at the castle?"
"Yes," Cimorene said. "Mendanbar is just trying to keep me out of this." She stepped forward and drew Mendanbar a little away from the others. "Look, dear, there's nothing you can…" Her voice faded to a murmur.
"How far is the Brown Forest from here?" Morwen asked Telemain.
"Three transports and a two-day walk." Telemain looked at Kazul and frowned suddenly. His gaze traveled down the dragon's neck, across her wings and massive back, and out along her tail. "Make that five transports and a two-day walk. I didn't have quite so much to move last time."
"I could stay here," Killer offered hopefully.
"No, you couldn't," Morwen said. "Telemain needs you to find the wizards. Why a two-day walk, Telemain?"
"Because the Society of Wizards has established an interference pattern around the Brown Forest."
"So?" said Scorn.
"So that means it isn't safe to use transportation spells anywhere near the forest," Morwen said.
"I bet you could break it," Trouble said. "Wizards are wimps.
"Maybe," Morwen said. "And maybe you would end up with Killer's ears and Scorn's tail. Even simple interference patterns are tricky, and this one has the whole Society of Wizards behind it."
"Committees never do a good job," Scorn said, but she did not pursue the issue.
"Are you sure you need the donkey?" Kazul asked. "Because I think I can carry everyone else for at least a little way, and that would cut down on the travel time."
Killer's ears pricked up, then drooped as Telemain shook his head.
"Without Killer we'd have to hunt for the Society of Wizards' building.
We'd probably lose more time than we gained."
Kazul shook her head irritably. "Well, if you human people didn't waste so much time arguing, we'd-oh, good, Cimorene's finished."
Turning, Morwen saw Mendanbar and Cimorene coming toward them.
Mendanbar's expression was even more unhappy than before, and Cimorene looked equally sober. "Ready to go?" she asked as they reached the group.
"Whenever you are," Telemain replied.
"Cimorene… ," said Mendanbar.
"Don't start," Cimorene said in a gentle tone. "One of us has to go, and you can't."
"If Telemain and Morwen weren't with you, I'd say let the wizards have the blasted sword," Mendanbar muttered. "It isn't worth the risk."
"Telemain and Morwen?" Kazul muttered. "What am I, diced troll food?"
Cimorene kissed Mendanbar's nose. "You'd say 'let the wizards have the sword, but you wouldn't mean it. Don't worry, I'll be all right." She turned to Morwen, her eyes suspiciously bright. "Come on, let's go before he thinks of another objection."
Morwen nodded and started off. The edge of the Enchanted Forest was only a few yards away, clearly visible as a sharp line where the bright green moss stopped and ordinary grass began. At the border, Morwen waited a moment for everyone to line up, then they all crossed at more or less the same time. Telemain had them walk several yards, to get away from the "field influences," before he was satisfied that his transportation spell would work properly. Then, frowning in concentration, he made a circling gesture and muttered under his breath. The trees melted and shifted, then solidified into an open field.
"One down, four to go," said Telemain.
10
In Which Telemain Works Very Hard
Telemain had to stop and rest for a while after the second transportation spell, and after the third he looked so pale that Morwen said, "We don't have to go on immediately, you know. We've got at least one more day, and probably two, before the sword reaches the critical point."
"It's getting late." Telemain puffed as if he had been running hard for a long time. "Still, I'm quite capable of casting another spell or two."
Cimorene glanced at the tall pines that surrounded them and dug an experimental toe into the spongy accumulation of needles underfoot.
"If you're sure it won't be too much-" "We're going to have to spend the night somewhere, and this looks like as good a place as any," Morwen broke in quickly. "Better than some."
"Boring," said Trouble. "It looks boring. Jasmine would love it.
Let's try for somewhere more interesting."
Kazul coiled her tail loosely around the base of one of the trees and stretched herself out on the ground. "It's comfortable, and there's plenty of room."
"I thought you were in a hurry," Telemain said irritably. "Do you want to find Mendanbar's sword or not?"
"If you wear yourself out doing transports, you won't be able to do the locating spell," Morwen said as Cimorene opened her mouth to speak.
"I'm not worn out!"
Cimorene closed her mouth and gave Telemain a long, thoughtful look.
Good, thought Morwen. Now if I can just get Telemain to agree to stop transporting before he falls over… "If we go on, where will we land next?"
"I'm not sure," Telemain admitted. "Normally, I transfer from here straight to the edge of the Great Southern Desert, but the interval is incompatible with the number of people and the mass I'm transporting on this occasion. Given the ratios, I would approximate a landing site at three-fifths of the normal distance."
"Do you know what we'd find there?" Morwen asked, ignoring Cimorene's puzzled expression.
"No."
"Then we're better off here," Morwen said in a tone intended to discourage further discussion. "It looks comfortable and quiet, and the next stop might not be either." She stepped closer to Telemain and murmured, "And we should be careful not to let Cimorene get too tired."
"Oh!" Telemain sighed in relief. "Of course. Very well, we'll camp here, and go on in the morning."