the new arrival, but let her paws fall slowly from the hilts
of her swords.
"A wise decision," Jalwar told her.
Jon-Tom was staring past him. "Folly. Where's Folly?"
When the ferret did not immediately reply, Jon-Tom felt a
surge of excitement despite the precariousness of the
situation. "So she didn't go with you voluntarily, did
she!"
"No." Jalwar made the admission indifferently. "But
she came, and that was all I required. I needed assistance
in hauling rudimentary supplies, and she struck me as the
THE DAY or THE DISSOJKAJVCE
263
easiest of all of you to manipulate. As a beast of burden
she proved adequate." He smiled thinly, enjoying himself.
"Then, too, the destruction of innocence has always appealed
to me, and she still had a little left."
Jon-Tom struggled to restrain himself. He didn't for a
second doubt the lethality of those multiple darts or Jalwar's
willingness to employ them.
"Where is she? What have you done with her?"
"In good time I will tell you, my impetuous blind
friend." The ferret cocked an eye toward Snooth. "So that
is the precious medicine our friend Clothahump requires so
desperately. How interesting. I suddenly feel the need for
some medication myself. You, proprietress! I'll take that
container, if you don't mind."
"Take a 'elluva lot more than that to cure wot ails you,
mate," said Mudge insultingly.
"You think so, do you? Yet I am not so sick that I have
failed to outwit you all. I did not think you would make it
here without the map, and in my confidence I slowed my
approach. I thought in any event that with the aid of my
help I would always know your location. Indeed, without
that help I would not have been able to rush in close on
your heels and track your progress within this place from
two aisles over."
"What help?" Jon-Tom asked warily.
"Now, be that the right tone with which to greet an old
comrade, man?" said a voice Jon-Tom had hoped never to
hear again. He turned to his right.
"Corroboc."
The parrot executed a half bow. ' 'It be right good of you
to remember me name. That singing magic you worked on
me ship, that be my fault for not guessing you had more
than entertainment for old Corroboc in mind. But I'm not
the one to dwell on old regrets. No, not I, even though me
worthless crew chose a new captain and set me adrift
barely within flying range o' the mainland.
"There I found your strange boat and picked up your
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trail. I knew o' your aims and thought somehow to follow
until 1 found a way o' repayin' you all for your kindnesses
to me. In the forest I saw two of you leave from the rest."
He nodded toward Jalwar.
"When I saw the respect with which he were treatin' me
old friend Folly, I thought to meself, now here be one after
me own heart. So I settled down for a chat, and after an
exchange of pleasantries me and the good ferret here, we
came to an understandin', har."
"That bird will cut out our hearts and dance on them,"
Roseroar whispered to Jon-Tom. "We might as well rush
them now."
"Steady on, you oversized bit o' fluff," Mudge warned
her. "All the cards 'aven't been dealt yet, wot?"
"Whisper all you want," snapped Jalwar. "It will avail
you naught."
Corroboc pulled a short, thin sword from the flying
scabbard slung at his waist. Holes in the blade made it
light and strong. He caressed the flat side of the blade
lovingly.
"Many days have I had to anticipate the pleasures of our
reunion. I beg you not to provoke me new friend lest he
put an end to you all too quick. I want our meeting to be a
memorable experience for all. Aye, memorable! You see,
I've no ship, no crew anymore. All I have left to me be
this moment, which I don't want to hurry."
Realization rushed in on Jon-Tom as he turned on
Jalwar. "You work for Zancresta, don't you? You've been
working for Zancresta from the first! Running into you on
the northern shore of the Glittergeist was no coincidence.
Those brigands weren't attacking you. It was all a ploy to
let you worm yourself into our company."
"An apt metaphor, Jon-Tom," said Roseroar.
"Tell me something," Jon-Tom went on quietly. "How
much is Zancresta paying you to keep this medicine from
Clothahump?"
The ferret burst out laughing, though the business end of
THE DAY OF THE DISSONANCE
265
the strange weapon he held did not waver. "Paying me?
You idiots! Spellsinger? Pah! / am Zancresta! Wizard of
Malderpot, supreme master of the arcane arts, diviner of
the unknown and parter of the shrouds! Fools, beggars of a
humble knowledge, you are blinder than the troglodytes of
Tatrath and dumber than the molds that grub out an
existence in the cracks between the stones."
The ferret seemed to swell in their eyes as they stared,
though neither his size nor shape actually changed. But the
curved spine stiffened, the voice was no longer shaky, and
an inner unholy light emanated from suddenly bottomless
eyes while a barely perceptible dark aura sprang to malev-
olent life around him.
"I didn't think you'd get this far, none of you! But
where a spellsinger, however inept, is involved, there are
never any assurances. So when you escaped from Malderpot
and my servants lost you in the woods, I determined to
find you myself. Your bold and unforeseen move into the
Muddletup Moors confused me, I must admit. But only for
a time, and I was just able to intercept you on the shores of
the Glittergeist and execute my little charade.
"I did not think I would be with you long, but luck and
false fortune seemed to follow you wherever you went.
Across the ocean, on this kindred spirit's vessel, even into
the land of the bellicose enchanted folk. When you not
only managed your release from their hands but induced
them to assist you with a map, I determined to press on
ahead on my own to seek out this Shop of the Aether and
Neither and buy up all the necessary medicine before you
could arrive.
"And again you surprised me, not out of cleverness or
insight, but through blind luck. So Corroboc and I paral-
leled your progress through this bloated emporium of
useless goods, he flying above to check periodically on
your position, until you kindly located the object of the
quest for me. Which I will now take possession of." He
glanced up at Snooth.
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"I do not think she has in hand a device or medicine
that can save her from the fast-acting effects of hruth
venom. Once that container has been handed over I will
relieve you of your weapons and leave you to the tender
attentions of my patient friend. Perhaps he will grow bored
before all of you are dead." Corroboc made neat, thin
slices in one of his own feathers with the razor-sharp
sword while Zancresta looked suddenly wistful.
"Ah, the day that I stand at that fat fraud's bedside,
holding the precious medicine he so desperately requires
just beyond his feeble reach, making him plead and beg
for it, that will be a day of triumph indeed."
"What have you done with Folly!"
Zancresta came back from his private reverie. "Ah, my
pack animal and my insurance. I have never feared you,
spellsinger, but your talents act in ways wayward and
unpredictable. Sometimes it is awkward to deal with such
implausibilities, and I do worry some on the impetuous