He paused to stare at me hard.
"I'm afraid this dragon poker thing just might push you into the second category. A lot of beings excel here at the Bazaar, but they're only noted in one field. The Geek, for example, is a recognized figure among the gamblers, but he doesn't have any reputation to speak of as a magician or merchant. People can accept that... work hard and you rise toward the top of your group. You, on the other hand, have just made a strong showing in a second profession. I'm afraid there's going to be some backlash."
"Backlash?" I echoed weakly.
"It's like I've been trying to tell you: people aren't going to want you to get too much above them. At the very least they might start boycotting our business. At most... well, there are ways of sabotaging other people's success."
"You mean they're going to ..."
"That's enough!" Chumley declared, slapping his palm down on the table loudly.
It suddenly occurred to me that I had never seen Chumley mad. It also occurred to me that I was glad our furniture was strong enough to withstand even Aahz's tirades. If not, the troll would have destroyed the table just stopping the conversation.
"Now listen up, both of you!" he ordered, leveling a gnarled finger at us. "I think the current crisis has gone to your heads. You two are overreacting ... snapping at shadows! I'll admit we've got some problems, but we've handled worse. This is no time to get panicky."
"But..."
"Hear me out, Aahz. I've listened to you bellow often enough."
I opened my mouth to make a witty comment, then, for once, thought better of it.
"Markie is a potential disaster, but the key word there is potential. She's a good kid who will do what we say... if we learn to watch what we say to her. The same goes for Bunny. She's smart as a whip and..."
"Bunny?" I blurted, forgetting myself for a moment.
"Yes, Bunny. It's been a long time since there's been anyone around here I could discuss literature and theater with. She's really quite intelligent if you bother to talk to her."
"We are talking about the same Bunny, aren't we?" Aahz murmured. "The one who comes across dumb as a stone,"
Chumley confirmed grimly. "Just remember how I come across when I'm putting on my Big Crunch act... but we're wandering. The subject is problems, and I maintain with a little coaching Bunny won't be one."
He paused to glare at us.
"As to the rumor of Skeeve's abilities at dragon poker, I've never in my life heard anyone get as alarmed as you, Aahz. Sure, there are negative sides to any rumor, but you have to get pretty extreme to do the projections that have been voiced just now."
"Hey, Boss!" Guido called, sticking his head in the door. "The Geek's here to see you."
"I'll handle this," Aahz said, heading for the reception area. "You stay here and listen to what Chumley has to say. He's probably right. I have been edgy lately ... for some unknown reason."
"If I am right, then you should hear it, too," the troll called after him.
"Talk to me, Chumley," I said. "That's probably the closest you'll ever hear to an apology from Aahz, anyway."
"Quite right. Where was I? Oh, yes. Even if Aahz's appraisal of the reaction to your success is correct, it shouldn't have too much impact on your work. The small fry may go to other magicians, but you've been trying to cut down on unimportant jobs anyway. When someone is really in trouble, they're going to want the best available magician working on it... and right now, that means you."
I thought about what he was saying, weighing it carefully in my mind.
"Even if Aahz is just a little right," I said, "I'm not wild about having any ill feeling generated about me at the Bazaar. Admiration I don't mind, but envy makes me uneasy."
"Now that you'll just have to get used to," the troll laughed, clapping a hand lightly on my shoulder.
"Whether you know it or not, that's been building for some time ... long before this dragon poker thing came up. You've got a lot going for you, Skeeve, and as long as you do, there will be blokes who envy it."
"So you really think the dragon poker rumors are harmless?"
"Quite right. Really, what harm can come from idle gossip?"
"You know, Chumley, you aren't wrong very often. But when you miss, you really miss."
We looked up to find Aahz leaning in the doorway.
"What's wrong, Aahz? You look like someone just served you water when you were expecting wine."
My partner didn't even smile at my attempted humor.
"Worse than that," he said. "That was the Geek downstairs."
"We know. What did he want?"
"I was hoping he had come to pick up Markie for her father...." Aahz's voice trailed off to nothing.
"I take it he didn't?" I prompted.
"No, he didn't. In fact, the subject never came up."
Almost without thinking, my partner's hand groped for his oversized goblet of wine.
"He had an invitation ... no, make that a challenge. The Sen-Sen Ante Kid has heard about Skeeve here. He wants a showdown match of head-to-head dragon poker. The Geek is making the arrangements."
Chapter Ten:
"A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down!"
-L. BORGIA
"JUST let the energy flow."
"That's easy for you to say!"
"Did I stutter?"
"You know, Hot Stuff, maybe it would be better if I..."
"Quit talking and concentrate, Massha."
"You started it."
"And I'm finishing it. Focus on the candle!"
If some of that sounds vaguely familiar, it should. It's the old ‘light the candle' game. Theoretically, it builds a student's confidence. In actuality, it's a pain in the butt.
Apprentices hate the candle drill. I did when I was an apprentice. It's a lot more fun when you're on the teaching end.
"Come on, Skeeve. I'm getting too old to learn this stuff."
"And you're getting older the longer you stall, apprentice. Remember, you came to me to learn magic. Just because we've gotten distracted from time to time doesn't mean I've forgotten completely. Now light the candle."
She turned her attention to the exercise again with a mutter I chose to ignore.
I had been thinking hard about my conversations with Aahz and Chumley. The whole question of what to do about the challenge from the Kid was touchy enough that for once I decided to seek the counsel of my advisors before making a commitment I might later regret.
Wiser heads than mine were addressing the dilemma at this very moment. Unfortunately, aforesaid wiser heads were in total disagreement as to what course of action to follow.
Aahz was in favor of refusing the match, while Chumley insisted that a refusal would only inflame the situation. He maintained that the only sane way out would be to face the Kid and lose (no one seriously thought I would have a chance in such a game), thereby getting me off the hot seat once and for all. The main problem with that solution was that it involved voluntarily giving up a substantial amount of money... and Aahz wouldn't hear of it.
As the battle raged on, I thought about the earlier portions of our conversations. I thought about parenthood and responsibility. Then I went looking for Massha.
When we first met, Massha was holding down a job as court magician for one of the city-states in the dimension of Jahk... that's right. Where they hold the Big Game every year. The problem was that she didn't really know any magic. She was what is known in the field as a mechanic, and all her powers were purchased across the counter in the form of rings, pendants, and other magical devices. After she saw us strut our stuff in the Big Game, she decided to try to learn some of the non-mechanical variety of magic... and for some unknown reason picked or picked on me to provide her with lessons.