“Let’s just not find out. OK?”
“I suppose, whatever you want. But why bother having someone drive it to shore? Why not just fly to shore? Seems a lot easier to me.”
“Yes, well, we’d have to carry Jenn and Gastropé.” Actually, Edwyrd thought, if they could let Jenn know Rupert was a demon, then flying would be easier, he wouldn’t have to carry three people anymore. On the other hand, he doubted the two wizards would really go for being carried by demons. He also wasn’t prepared to let Jenn know about Rupert yet. “And I, for one, don’t want to do that. So we’ll just wait to get into port.”
“Gonna take a while with this ship. Doesn’t seem to have much in the way of masts. Must be kind of a slow one.” Tizzy looked thoughtful, “they don’t got a steam engine on it do they?”
“No afraid not,” Edwyrd answered.
“Probably no nuclear turbines either?” Edwyrd just shook his head. “How long to port?” Tizzy asked.
“Well, if we hadn’t lost the masts, then it would only have been about another three days. As it is I’d guess it will take about another five or six.”
“Five or six days!” Tizzy exclaimed. Edwyrd made hushing motions again. “I’m gonna get a little cramped on this ship for six days! Course, I guess I could fly around the deck a bit, get exercise.” Edwyrd grimaced, he hadn’t thought of Tizzy coming along for the rest of the journey. On the other hand, he would really rather have the unbalanced demon where he could keep track of him, than running off somewhere murdering innocents.
“I don’t suppose you can shape change into a human?” Edwyrd asked.
“A human? Is that what you’re supposed to be? Why in the Dungeon of the Concordenax would I want to do something like that?”
“To blend in?” Rupert piped up.
“Why would I want to do that? I’m proud of being a demon. Aren’t you?”
“Yeah, now I am,” Rupert announced.
“Tizzy, we’re playing sort of a game here,” Edwyrd wanted to put it in terms Tizzy could understand better. He wasn’t sure what those terms might be, but he thought he should try. “You see, we’re pretending to be humans to find out what’s going on with the wizards. Therefore, to keep the game going, it would be nice if you could turn into a human.”
“Hmm,” Tizzy said. “Maybe, but since I can’t, it’s a moot point.” Edwyrd shrugged; there went that idea. “How long you gonna play this game?”
“I don’t know, as long as it takes. Until we get to Freehold, probably.”
“Freehold! What you want to go to Freehold for? There’s nothing there but wizards. Nasty lot, actually.”
“Uhm, that’s where Gastropé and Jenn, and” he looked over at Rupert, “Rupert are going.”
“Well actually, Tom.” Rupert spoke up, his gravelly voice held down to as close to a whisper as he could. “I had been going to Freehold, because that’s where everyone else was going. But really, I don’t have to. I’ll go wherever you want to go.”
“Yes, well, uhm,” Edwyrd wasn’t sure. He didn’t actually have any place else to go, except return to the Abyss. “I promised Jenn I’d get her there. So, Freehold is where I’m going for now. Besides, since Lenamare’s there, I’d eventually wind up there anyway. I’d rather go on my own terms.”
“Hmm, well... could be interesting I suppose.” Tizzy muttered to himself. “As long as none of them wizards knows my name, it could be a lot of fun. I’m sure they’ll just love having an unbound demon running around terrorizing them in the night, and the day.”
“Yeah.” Edwyrd said unenthusiastically. Such a prospect would convince Tizzy to stay with him, rather than run amuck alone; however, he really couldn’t let Tizzy terrorize Freehold either. He’d just have to deal with that problem later. It looked like more and more of his problems were getting pushed onto the back burners.
“So, what are we going to do with you?” Edwyrd asked.
“So you’re saying you don’t want your pets to see me on the ship?” Tizzy asked.
“I think that would be best.”
“But it’s ok for him to run around like that?” He pointed to Rupert.
Rupert looked down at himself. “He doesn’t go out like that.” Edwyrd answered the octopodal demon on his bed.
“Should. Really don’t understand why you want to look like that,” he looked contemptuously at Edwyrd’s body. “Puny little thing. I can take those things apart faster than they can repair ‘em. Game or no game. Doesn’t seem worth it.”
“It’s not really a lot of fun, to be honest. However, you told me you used to look similar, before you were captured.” Rupert glanced curiously over at Edwyrd.
“Well, now. No need to bring up bad memories is there?” Tizzy sounded hurt. “That was before I knew better. Don’t you know better now?”
“I’m not so sure, but maybe.” Edwyrd admitted.
Tizzy smiled. “Knew you’d get over it. You’re really much better off as a demon. Except for the damn wizards-if we could kill all of them off, things’d be a lot better. Smart lad, smart lad.”
Tizzy looked back over to Rupert, smiling. “This here’s another smart lad. Knew that the moment I met him.” Tizzy stopped and stared at Rupert for a moment. He tilted his head back and forth a couple times. “You know, Tom, he looks mighty familiar. Kinda looks identical to you, only in miniature.”
“Tom’s my father.” Rupert spoke up. Edwyrd groaned internally, he hoped Tizzy wouldn’t say anything, the octopod knew that couldn’t be possible.
Edwyrd could see the glowing embers that were Tizzy’s eyes dart back and forth between Rupert and himself several times. Finally, “You do work fast Tom, gotta give you that. Used to take longer in my day. But, I can see the family resemblance sure enough. The kid’s also got your personality too. Serious and dedicated type. Doesn’t let shit get to him.” Edwyrd sighed a sigh of relief. Tizzy certainly could have solved his dilemma for him. It would have been very awkward though.
Rupert was smiling at the compliment. If Edwyrd had actually been human, he would have cringed at the extremely wicked looking teeth the smile revealed. Watching Rupert, he was really beginning to understand why he freaked so many people out without even trying. Actually, looking at Rupert standing there, an exact copy of himself, he got this sort of funny feeling in his chest. Kind of like pride or something. He knew it was silly, Rupert really wasn’t his kid, but... well, he felt that way. All of a sudden, he wanted to change back to his true form and take Rupert out flying. Rupert would never have done that before. It’d be like helping your kid take his first step or something. Tom could remember just a few weeks ago, after he’d finally gotten the hang of flying. It was so exhilarating.
Edwyrd shook his head. How he could have such crazy thoughts when he had so many problems on his hands, he didn’t know. What was he going to do with Tizzy? Actually, Tizzy was about as big a problem as a rogue demon child. If Boggy would show up too, then things would be just great, he could play dad to them all, and they’d have the male half of the demonic Brady Bunch. He wondered deliriously where he could pick up a mom demon and her devilish daughters. Oh, Tom suddenly thought, remember not to forget another fiend for a housekeeper! That was it. Edwyrd shook his head again. He knew now that he was totally losing it. If he lost any more of his sanity he’d be as crazy as Tizzy.
Closing his eyes, he leaned against the wall of the cabin. He had to get a grip on himself. He didn’t know who he was or what he was doing anymore. Sometimes he didn’t know if he was Tom or Edwyrd. If he was Tom, was Tom a demon or that guy from Harding? Again, this would have to wait, like all his other internal problems; he had to deal with the situation at hand. “So,” he said, opening his eyes, “what do we do with you? We really can’t hide you in here for six days.”