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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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Alan Dean Foster

"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