"Forgive me, Aahz," the Sword said, apologetically. "If I have stepped upon your purview. I did not realize you had taken her on as your protege."
"Well, how could you...WHAT?"
"I presume that, like my companions and me, you have discerned the depths of this youngling's talents," Ersatz said, his steel-blue eyes understanding. "I assume that your interruption of our discussion means that you have staked a claim. I would never seek to interfere with that, friend Aahz. If you wish to be her teacher, then I defer in your favor."
"NO! I don't need any more apprentices," I said, maybe a little more harshly than I intended. At the sound of my voice, the stage hands had all fled for the far end of the stage. I noticed that Calypsa looked a little hurt. Ersatz didn't take offense.
"All is well, then. If you don't mind, then I shall put myself forward as her instructor. I believe that it will benefit us all to have this child trained in the martial arts. What do you say, lass?"
"I..." The Walt hesitated. "I had not thought about it. I am concerned with my grandfather's safety."
"Then, think," Ersatz said, kindly. "You are wise. Any such engagement requires due thought."
I walked away. What was I thinking? I didn't feel the need to train anyone else, in magic or anything. My last apprentice had become a huge success, then walked away from it all. like any other teacher, I couldn't really take credit for all his accomplishments. I'd just recognized a talent and set him going on the path he was going to follow, with or without my help. He just progressed a lot farther and faster than he would have
alone. Calypsa might need the same kind of steering. She had nerves, brains and talent, three attributes that would make an excellent student, regardless of her field of study. Skeeve wasn't the only person I had ever trained. So, why was I reluctant to put someone else in his place? Not that that had been my intention when I joined up with Tanda and Calypsa. I had never volunteered to teach the kid anything. My arrangement with her was strictly business.
It was a subject I really didn't feel like dealing with at the moment.
"We can talk about this on the road," I said, abruptly. "We have three more treasures to find. Let's get a move on."
"Wait a minute, wait just a minute!" the producer came waddling up to us. His feet looked sore, which was no surprise, since he had been doing a clog dance all by himself in a corner. "You can't leave! What about your contract?"
"What about it?" Buirnie asked, blithely. "The contest is over."
The hefty Elban fumbled with a clipboard, then thrust it at us. "Here's your print," he said, pointing to a round mark in ink on the bottom line. "You agreed to stay for an entire season!"
"The season's up, my good man," the Flute said. "Isn't that what it means when you run a contest and declare a winner? We have a winner!"
The manager eyed me uneasily. "But we.. .well, we hoped that the winner would be an Elban."
I shoved up to him. "Are you saying you're prejudiced against Pervects?"
"Well, no...but Buirnie, baby, you can't leave without saying goodbye to your fans! I could have ten thousand of them here by midnight! At ten gold pieces a ticket...I mean, it's the least you can do, leaving me with an empty theater for the rest of the year! I mean, how can I find another musician of your caliber with such short notice? I mean, it's late, baby! You're not going to start out on a quest at THIS hour, are you?"
The emeralds rolled toward me, then back to the manager, then over to Calypsa. "Well...one teeny little blowout of a farewell extravaganza wouldn't hurt, would it?"
"But what about my grandfather!" Calypsa protested.
"One more night in captivity won't be any worse than he's already suffered, little lady," Buirnie said smoothly. He started oozing gentle music that wove in and out of our consciousness. "How about it? It'll do you all some good to get a nice rest overnight here. I know how tired mortals get after dancing..."
"Do not pay attention to his blandishments," Ersatz said, his voice piercing the air. I rattled my head, shaking off the spell of the Flute's voice. "He only seeks to delay for his own ego's sake."
The producer and I exchanged glances. "Why not let him have a curtain call?" I asked, seeing a few dollar signs of my own in the offing. "You know the old saying. Always leave 'em wanting more."
The next morning, I was feeling refreshed. The Flute's fame was such that even though the going away party wasn't announced until evening, in two hours flat, the place was packed with fans, cheering, weeping, screaming. Buirnie played a medley of his greatest hits, music created in a few dozen dimensions over an equal number of centuries. I could see why the producer didn't want to let go of such a guaranteed moneymaker. I had taken him aside and negotiated a cut of the proceeds, based upon my forbearance in not removing his star from the premises the moment Buirnie had made his farewell announcement. The producer wasn't happy about it, but he coughed up. The small bulge the 'honorarium' made in my purse didn't come close to the output I had made already on Calypsa's behalf, but I didn't see any point in having an opportunity go by. The deal gave me something to enjoy in the party that followed.
The others didn't mind the delay. Kelsa had a ball, so to speak, telling fortunes all night in the corner. With several
free hours ahead of her, Asti didn't waste a moment talking Buirnie into lending her his metal-work crew. She went in for the full treatment. Afterwards, I hardly recognized her. All the dents had been beaten out of her. Every inch of her had been polished to a blinding gleam. She was in such a good mood that she woke us all up before dawn and made espresso for everyone, laced with something that took care of the hangover I was nursing from drinking a case or two of the cheap red wine the caterers had supplied. A couple of the stage hands packed up what was left of the hors d'oeuvres from the canape tables for me. It was hardly enough for a Pervish-size snack, but it would do until I found somewhere to get elevenses. The Golden Hoard had been tucked into their cases. The only thing I needed now was directions.
"All right," I said, clapping my hands together. "Let's get this show on the road. Where are we going?" I asked Kelsa. "I am only going to ask that question one time, and one time only, and that's because I am in such a good mood."
"No problem!" Kelsa assured me. "I will prognosticate... could you pipe down!"
This was addressed to Buirnie, who was carrying on about something or other. His entourage was fussing over him so much that I couldn't understand what he was saying.
"Well, at least let the little lady carry me. She can give Ersatz to one of the other two," Buirnie suggested.
"Unthinkable!" Ersatz roared.
"I will carry both of you," Calypsa said.
"But we cannot touch one another. I can't stand his emanations."
"I don't like your vibes, either," Buirnie said.
"Good," I said, with relief. "She can put one of you on each shoulder. Let's go."
The Flute let out a warning whistle.
"Not so fast! I can't go without my entourage."
"What?" I asked. "You're out of your mind!"
Buirnie looked indignant. "You're not seriously thinking that I am going with you tucked in your breast pocket like a fountain pen, do you? I have luggage! Do you have mules?"
"Nope." I was firm.
"A truck?"
"No."
"How about a wagon train? Eight carts ought to do it."
I folded my arms. "You get one bag for yourself. If you don't want to share it with anyone, then they'll have to come separately. Calypsa isn't going to carry anything but you."
"Oh, that's no problem," Buirnie said, his embouchure quirking into a smile. "Klik!"
Out of the rafters the light came sailing down toward us. "Zildie!"