The last time I had seen her, Tanda was part of the ill-fated group Aahz and I had seen off to dimensions unknown. Of the whole crowd, she had been the only one I was sorry to see go.
"I'm waiting for you, silly," she teased, slipping an affectionate arm around my waist. "Where's Aahz?"
"He's-" I started to point up the hill when a thought occurred to me. "Say... how did you know I had Aahz with me?"
"Oh! Don't get mad," she scolded, giving me a playful shake. "It stands to reason. Even Aahz wouldn't let you face that army alone."
"But how did you-"
"Gleep!"
My dragon had discovered his quarry was no longer hiding behind the bush. As a result, he was now straining at the end of his rope trying to reach us. The tree he was tethered to was swaying dangerously.
"Gleep!" Tanda called in a delighted voice. "How are ya, fella?"
The tree dipped to new lows as my dragon quivered with glee at having been recognized. I was quivering a little myself. Tanda had that affect on males.
Heedless of her own safety, Tanda bounded forward to kneel before the dragon, pulling his whiskers and scratching his nose affectionately.
Gleep loved it. I loved it, too. In addition to her usual soft, calf-high boots, Tanda was wearing a short green tunic which hugged her generous curves and showed off her legs just swell. What's more, when she knelt down like that, the hem rode up until....
"What's wrong with that dragon?" Aahz boomed, bursting out of the brush behind me.
This time I didn't jump ... much.
"Gee, Aahz," I began. "It's..."
I needn't have bothered trying to explain.
Tanda uncoiled and came past me in a bound.
"Aahz!" she exclaimed, flinging herself into his arms.
For a change, my mentor was caught as flat-footed as I had been. For a moment, the tangle of arms teetered on the brink of collapse, then down it went.
They landed with a resounding thump, Aahz on the bottom and therefore soaking up most of the impact.
"Still impulsive, aren't you?" Tanda leered.
"Whoosh ....ah ... ah ..." Aahz responded urbanely.
Tanda rolled to her feet and began rearranging her tunic.
"At least I don't have to ask if you're glad to see me," she observed.
"Tanda!" Aahz gasped at last.
"You remembered?" Tanda beamed.
"She's been waiting for us, Aahz," I supplied brightly.
"That's right!" Aahz scowled. "Grimble said you set us up for this job."
Tanda winced.
"I can explain that," she said apologetically.
"I can hardly wait," Aahz intoned.
"I'm kind of curious about that myself," I added.
"Um... this could take a while, guys," she said thoughtfully. "Got anything around to drink?"
That was easily the most reasonable question asked so far today. We broke out the wine, and in no time were sitting around in a small circle quenching our thirst. Much to Aahz's disgust, I insisted we sit close enough to Gleep that he not be left out. This meant, of course, his rather aromatic breath flavored our discussion, but as I pointed out it was the only way to keep him quiet while we talked.
"What happened after you left?" I prodded. "Where are Isstvan and Brockhurst and Higgins? What happened to Quigley? Did they ever bring Frumple back to life, or is he still a statue?"
"Later, kid," Aahz interrupted. "First things first. You were about to explain about Grimble."
"Grimble," Tanda responded, wrinkling her nose. "Did you ever notice the ‘crookeder' a person is, the more possessive he is? He's the main reason I didn't wait for you at Possiltum."
"From the beginning," Aahz instructed. "From the beginning." Tanda pursed her lips thoughtfully. "Well, I picked him up in a singles bar ... he's married, but I didn't know that till later."
"What's a singles bar?" I interrupted.
"Shut up, kid," Aahz snarled.
"Well, it wasn't actually a singles bar," Tanda corrected. "It was more of a tavern. I should have known he was married. I mean, nobody that young is that bald unless he's got a wife at home."
"Skip the philosophy," Aahz moaned. "Just tell us the story, huh?"
Tanda cocked an eyebrow at him.
"You know, Aahz," she accused, "for someone as long-winded as you are when it comes to telling stories, you're awfully impatient when it comes to listening to someone else."
"She's right, you know," I commented.
"Enough!" Aahz bellowed. "The story!"
"Well, one of the things Grimble mentioned while he was trying to impress me with how important his job was, was that he was trying to find a court magician. He said he had convinced the king to hire one, but now he couldn't find one and was going to end up looking like an idiot."
"And when he mentioned idiots," I supplied, "naturally you thought of us."
"Now, don't be that way," Tanda scolded. "I thought it was a good way to help out a couple of friends. I knew you two were hanging out in this neck of the woods... and everybody knows what a cushy job being a court magician is."
"What did I tell you, kid," Aahz commented.
"We must be talking about different jobs," I retorted.
"Hey," Tanda interrupted, laying a soft hand on my arm. "When I gave him your names, I didn't know about the invading army. Honest!"
My anger melted away at her touch. Right then, she could have told me she had sold my head as a centerpiece and I would have forgiven her.
"Well ..." I began, but she persisted, which was fine by me.
"As soon as I found out what the real story was, I knew I had gotten you into a tight spot," she said with soft sincerity. "Like I said, I would have waited at Possiltum, but I was afraid what with your disguises and all, that you'd recognize me before I spotted you. If you gave me the kind of greeting I've grown to expect, it could have really queered the deal. Grimble's a jealous twit, and if he thought we were more than nodding acquaintances, he would have held back whatever support he might normally give."
"Big deal," Aahz grumbled. "Five whole gold pieces."
"That much?" Tanda sounded honestly surprised. "Which arm did you break?"
"Aahz always gets us the best possible deal," I said proudly. "At least, monetarily."
"Well," Tanda concluded, "at least I won't dig into your war funds. When I found out the mess I had gotten you into, I decided I'd work this one for free. Since I got you into it, the least I can do is help get you out."
"That's terrific," I exclaimed.
"It sure is!" Aahz agreed.
Something in his voice annoyed me.
"I meant that she was helping us," I snarled. "Not that she was doing it for free."
"That's what I meant, too, apprentice," Aahz glowered back. "But unlike some, I know what I'm talking about!"
"Boys, boys," Tanda said, separating us with her hands. "We're on the same side. Remember?"
"Gleep!" said the dragon, siding with Tanda.
As I have said, Gleep's breath is powerful enough to stop any conversation, and it was several minutes before the air cleared enough for us to continue.
"Before we were so rudely interrupted," Tanda gasped at last, "you were starting to say something, Aahz. Have you got a plan?"
"Now I do," Aahz smiled, chucking her under the chin. "And believe me, doing it without you would have been rough."
That had an anxious sound to it. Tanda's main calling, at least the only one mentionable in polite company, was Assassin.
"C'mon, Aahz," I chided. "Tanda's good, but she's not good enough to take on a whole army."