Kwip nodded. “Aye, heard of it I have, but only in story and legend.”
“Indeed,” Jacoby said.
“In truth. Long ago my mother’s sister used to … spin me tales of Lord Incarnadine in his enchanted Castle Perilous.”
DuQuesne put down his wineglass and leaned back. “I see. This is very interesting. I don’t believe we’ve encountered this before.”
Jacoby asked, “No one has come from a world in which Castle Perilous was merely a legend?”
“I don’t believe so. Roger, have you ever run into this?”
The thin, dark-haired man seated across from DuQuesne smiled and rubbed his aquiline nose. “Castle Perilous is a legend in our world.”
Jacoby leaned forward, frowning. “You don’t say?”
“I do. It’s an Arthurian tale, a routine damsel-in-distress epic. Gareth and Linette are the protagonists. Gareth, I believe, was Sir Gawain’s brother.”
DuQuesne said, “Oh, of course. Yes, Gareth and Linette.”
“Now, as I remember,” Roger went on, “in that tale the besieger of Castle Perilous was Sir Ironside, the Red Knight.”
“Doesn’tincarnadine mean the color red?” asked the young man to Roger’s left.
Roger smiled again. “You’re right, Tom, it does, but I think we can attribute that to coincidence. Frankly there aren’t many aspects of the tale that correspond with the situation here. But I’m no expert, and there are lots of legends about enchanted castles. There very well may be a yarn that more closely resembles this dream we’re living.”
“Ah, yes,” DuQuesne said wistfully. “It does all seem like a dream sometimes, does it not?”
All agreed.
Jacoby looked at Kwip. “How did you happen to come here?”
Kwip swallowed. “It was … quite by accident.”
“That’s what everyone says.”
Kwip halted a motion to reach for his wineglass. “You doubt me?”
“Don’t be so touchy. By that I meant that almost everyone here essentially blundered into the castle, and some can’t even describe how it happened. The usual story is something about a wall disappearing, or a door suddenly materializing where none was before. That sort of thing.”
Kwip nodded. “I see. Yes, my story is very like that.” He bowed his head. “An eternity of pardon, sir, for mistaking your meaning.”
“Think nothing of it.”
Kwip smiled. “To speak the truth, it happened to me in this wise: I was visiting a friend, a man of quality who owns a large and very fine house. A number of my comrades were there as well, and I am afraid we imbibed to excess. I excused myself and went to find the privy … or a garden wall against which to relieve myself — forgive my vulgarity, but I must confess I was somewhat overburdened with drink. I wandered a while, in and out of unfamiliar rooms, and finally found myself in what looked like the nether portions of a great castle or fortress. And in truth, I was here. I found a stairway and began to climb. That was when strange things began to happen.”
DuQuesne nodded. “A familiar story.”
“Well,” Roger said, rising, “I’m off to the library.”
Jacoby asked him, “Been making any headway on the translation problem?”
“Not much, and I haven’t found a Guest who can cast an instantaneous translation spell. Something tells me that a talent like that is going to be mighty hard to come by. But I still like working on the problem the old-fashioned way. Keeps me busy.”
“Do let me know if you have any success,” Jacoby said. “I’d be immensely interested.”
Roger chuckled. “Yes, I dare say you would be.”
“Oh, the questions I’d love to have answered about this place,” DuQuesne said. “Good luck, Roger.”
“Thanks,” Roger said as he left.
Kwip had sated his hunger and slaked his thirst. His mind now turned to other things; rather, it returned to his present task, which was to find whatever booty there was to be had in this place. The next task was finding a way back whence he had come. That one was the most problematical. He did not yet know where he was. He had barely begun to grasp the notion that he had been transported to another world. Best to keep his mind on matters he could handle, for the moment at least. He would take each task in its turn.
Others were rising to leave. He bid farewell to DuQuesne and to the young man named Tom. He looked about and found himself alone with the one called Jacoby, who was smiling a smile not unlike a cat’s, if a cat could smile. Then Jacoby spoke.
“They say that the treasure room in Castle Perilous is as big as a shire and filled to the rafters with gold, silver, and the finest jewels.”
Kwip took a slow drink of wine before answering, “Indeed?”
“They say. They also say the biggest jewel is the Brain. Heard of it?”
“In truth, I have not.”
“No? The Brain of Ramthonodox? But then, you’ve only recently arrived.”
“That is true.”
Jacoby swished cold coffee about in his cup. “Everyone who comes to Castle Perilous acquires certain magical powers, the nature and strength of which vary from individual to individual. Know what yours are yet?”
Kwip refilled his glass. “I am not sure I understand you, sir. You say these powers are gained by virtue of one’s mere presence here?”
“That is the only explanation. You’ve acquired no sudden new talents, then, or any hint of such?”
“No.”
Jacoby’s smile broadened. “You will.”
“I see.”
“I hope yours are helpful.”
“Sir?”
“In your further adventures.”
“Thank you. Aye, it would be a boon.”
“What will you do?”
“I’ve not given it much thought. As you said, I have only recently arrived.”
“So you have. We shall talk later, perhaps. After you’ve become more accustomed to this place.”
“It would be an honor, sir.” Kwip rose with Jacoby and watched him leave. When he was alone, he pushed the wineglass away and sat back. He had not much cared for Jacoby’s tone, nor for the man himself. In this castle there was much to be wary of.
Kwip grunted. But that was true of many places. Kwip had traveled widely in his life and had seen many things. Many wondrous things. Surely this castle was the most wondrous yet, but it was still an abode of men, as well as monsters, and Kwip thought he knew men rather well.
He’d take monsters any day.
Elsewhere
Linda was still in a snit over Gene’s ribbing her.
“Oh, come on,” Gene complained as they walked back to the portal, “I was only kidding.”
“You’ll be sorry. I’m going to conjure one of those things and have him tear you into beef jerky.”
“Well, now, that would be overreacting just a tad, don’t you think?”
“And then I’ll make you eat its brains — oh, I’m getting sick just thinking about it. That was the grossest thing I ever saw.”
“The most fantastic, too, I’ll bet.”
“You said it.”
The portal was where they’d left it, unchanged. Gene stopped, tugging on a handful of Snowclaw’s silky fur to get his attention. “Hold it a minute. I think we should come up with a plan of some sort before we go back in there.”
Linda looked around, found a tree stump, brushed it off and sat. “Shoot.”
“Huh?”
“What kind of plan? A plan for what?”
Gene scratched the stubble under his jaw. “Well, a plan of action. Some systematic way of searching for a way out.”
“Sounds great. Where do we start?”
Gene took a deep breath. “Beats the shit out of me.” He sank to his haunches, picked up a twig and made vague markings in the dirt. “Damn. If only we had an inkling of where to start.”