"And it did work, sort of. I mean, it got rid of the fire-witch."
"She went up in smoke," the dragon said with considerable satisfaction.
"I watched."
"She went up in smoke," Telemain repeated in tones of fascination.
"And what were you doing while this was going on?"
"I was trying to hang on to the sword," I said. "It was glowing red, and my hands felt like they were burning or something, so it was sort of hard to do. But as soon as the fire-witch was gone, it stopped."
"You are extremely fortunate," Telemain said. "You might have gotten yourself killed and ruined everything. I don't recommend that you try that again. Stick to wizards. That's what the sword was meant for."
"It was?" said Shiara. "How do you know? What else does it do?"
Telemain looked at her. "Magicians know many kinds of magic." He turned back to me. "Please, continue."
I was curious about what the sword did, too, but Telemain obviously didn't want to talk about it, so I didn't ask. Instead, I explained about fixing Shiara and not finding the castle and meeting the second elf. Telemain listened carefully, then shook his head.
"So the war is beginning again," he said, half to himself. "I had best make my own preparations. I wonder why no one let me know?"
"War?" Shiara and I said together.
Telemain looked up, almost as if he had forgotten we were there. "The war between the dragons and the wizards," he said in the tones of someone trying to be patient.
The dragon, who had been falling asleep, suddenly came awake. "War with the wizards?"
"It is obvious," Telemain said a trifle crossly. "The elves are choosing sides, the dragons are restless, the wizards are coming into the Enchanted Forest in large numbers, and the Sword of the Sleeping King has returned.
What more do you need to know?"
"What does the Sword of the Sleeping King have to do with a war between the dragons and the wizards?" I asked before the dragon could take offense.
"The sword is what started the war in the first place," Telemain said, and then he refused to say any more. "If Cimorene didn't see fit to explain, I certainly won't," he said. "When you meet Kazul, I am sure she will tell you whatever you need to know. I'm afraid I don't have time at the moment. I must see to things at once, if we are to win this war at last."
"Who do you mean, 'we'?" Shiara asked suspiciously.
"The dragons," Telemain said, "and the rest of us who follow the sword.
Now, if you will excuse me?" He rose and started for the stairs.
"Wait a minute!" Shiara said. "What about us?"
"What? Oh, of course," Telemain said. He waved his hand again and muttered something, and suddenly the table was full of plates and bowls of food. I jumped. Telemain didn't seem to notice. "Help yourselves while I am gone," he said. "I don't expect to be long." He turned away and went up one of the iron staircases.
Shiara and I looked at each other. "Now what do we do?" Shiara said.
"I'm going to eat," I said. "Would you like something?"
Shiara snorted, but she reached for one of the bowls. There was plenty for all of us, including Nightwitch and the dragon. About the time we finished, Telemain came back.
"I was right," he said to no one in particular. Then he looked at me.
"You'd better stay here for the night. It will be much safer for everyone, and it will give me time to look into things a little more.
You've been extremely lucky so far, but there's no reason to take any more chances until you must."
I started to nod, then looked at Shiara. Shiara looked at me, then at Nightwitch, who was curled into a small ball on Telemain's chair. She shrugged. "Let's stay."
"You will find rooms upstairs, on the second floor," Telemain said.
'Just pick one and go in." He turned to the dragon. "I think you'll be more comfortable down here."
"I think you're right," said the dragon, eyeing the iron staircases a little dubiously.
"And thank you very much for your hospitality," I said.
Telemain nodded. Shiara and I started for the stairs. Shiara got there ahead of me and started climbing, but she didn't get anywhere.
"What's the matter?" I asked.
"There's something wrong with this stupid staircase!" Shiara said. "I keep trying to climb up, but I don't go anywhere?"
Telemain, who had been talking quietly to the dragon, turned. "I'm sorry; I should have warned you. You'll have to take the other staircase.
That one incorporates a unidirectional matrix focused groundward."
"Say that again, in English," Shiara said.
"That stairway just works going down."
"That's ridiculous?" said Shiara. "How can a staircase only work going in one direction?"
"He's a magician," I said.
We didn't have any trouble getting up the other stairway. Telemain's tower really was a lot taller than it looked from the outside; the stairs kept going after they got to the second floor. Shiara and I didn't climb any farther, though. We got off on the landing at the second floor and looked around.
We were standing on a narrow circle of wooden floor around the hole where the two staircases came through. Around the edge were six identical wooden doors.
"Well, he said to just go in," Shiara said.
Each of us picked a door and opened it. The rooms were all the same and very comfortable looking. They each had a bed, a table, a lighted lamp in a bracket on the wall, a padded chair, and a small set of drawers with a mirror above it. Shiara looked thoughtful. "I wonder if he keeps lights going in all these rooms?"
"He might," I said. "I mean, he is a magician. Does it matter?"
Shiara glared at me and went into the room she'd picked, slamming the door behind her. I stood there for a moment, wondering whether to knock on the door and apologize. In the end I decided to wait until morning to talk to her, since by then she probably wouldn't be mad anymore, and anyway I wasn't sure what I should apologize for.
I kept the Sword of the Sleeping King with me all night. It was a little uncomfortable sleeping that way, but I felt better knowing where it was. It wasn't that I didn't trust Telemain. I was just getting more and more worried about the sword. Everyone I met seemed to know about it, or want to know about it, or just want to get hold of it. I spent a lot of time thinking instead of sleeping.
Telemain served breakfast the next morning on his magic table. He was very quiet while we were eating, but as soon as we finished he looked at me and said, "I have watched the Enchanted Forest all night, and there are some things you should know, but I do not wish to detain you against your "What things?" Shiara demanded.
Telemain smiled slightly. "I fear you will have some difficulty in reaching the castle," he said. "I found no less than twelve wizards searching the area between it and you."
"Oh, great," Shiara said disgustedly. 'Just what we need-more wizards!"
"I don't think it's very good," the dragon said. "Why do you?"
"I don't," Shiara said.
"Then why did you say so?"
"What can we do about them?" I asked Telemain.
"I think you can avoid them if you go through the Caves of Chance," Telemain replied.
14
In Which the Dragon Has an Allergy Attack
We all stared. "Ha!" Shiara said finally. "The Caves of Chance are even more dangerous than the wizards!"
"I don't think so," Telemain said. "I have been through them, and they're not as bad as most people think. Furthermore, there is an entrance to the caves within half a day's travel, and an exit that is very close to the castle. And once you are inside the caves, the wizards will not be able to find "Why not?" Shiara asked.
"The Caves of Chance do not welcome wizards' magic."
"Can you give us directions?" I asked.
Telemain nodded and pulled a large map out of his sleeve. Most people don't even try making maps of the Enchanted Forest because things change so fast that an ordinary map is only good for a few days, so I'd never seen one before. This map must have been magical, because it seemed fairly accurate. At least, all the things Shiara and I had seen were in the right places.