"Say what?" I looked up blankly.
"Make a spell of your own! That will hold him doubly!" He looked at me with such total trust that I figured I at least had to go through the motions. "if you say so," I sighed, and turned back toward Gruesome, trying to remember a verse having to do with loyalty. I found it among my boyhood Kipling collection, and tapped my own chest as I recited,
The troll sat bolt-upright, looking very surprised. Its eyes glazed, then cleared, and it turned to me and said, "Saul master of Gruesome. Gruesome guard Saul with life."
He said it with such total conviction that I just couldn't doubt him. I decided that trolls were very suggestible.
Behind me, Gilbert let out a hiss of breath. I turned back, surprised, and the kid was staring at me almost with reverence, "You have done it indeed! All, fortunate am I, to see such spells worked so hard by me!"
"It's pretty hard by me, too," I grunted, "and speaking of hard, let's finish this journey bread."
But Gilbert was looking past me at the troll. "He is your creature now, and woe betide any who seek to hurt you-but he still hungers. "
It occurred to me that Gilbert might be feeling less than Secure.
"Guard Gilbert, too," I ordered Gruesome.
"Gilbert safe from hurt!" the troll assured me, but he still looked hungry.
"He must be fed, with something," Gilbert said, his voice low.
"I'd rather be a little more definite about the 'something,' " I said, and raised my voice. "Gruesome! Go gobble up a billy goat!" The troll looked very surprised for a minute, then grinned, gratified, and scrambled off.
Not believing my luck, I stared after him, then turned to start stuffing the rations back into Gilbert's sack. "Quick! Now's our chance! "
"Chance for what?" Gilbert said blankly.
"To lose that monster! Come on, let's go!"
"It will avail naught," Gilbert protested, but he gathered his gear and mounted up.
We were only a hundred yards down the road when I stopped dead in my tracks. "What's the matter with me!"
"Naught, that I can see," Gilbert said, surprised.
"Nice of you-especially considering what some other people I know might have said for an answer." I turned about and started hiking back, double-quick. "I just realized what I told that fool troll to do!"
"Aye-to dine upon a goat."
"Right! And where do you find goats in a country like this?"
"Why, upon Suddenly, Gilbert's eyes filled with foreboding.
"Upon a farm!"
"Right! And I only told him to guard you - I didn't say anything about any other humans! Come on, let's go!"
"Ride," Gilbert snapped.
His tone riled me, but I had to admit there was no time to debate the issue now. I scrambled up behind him and held on for all I was worth. He kicked the horse into a gallop and went pounding up the hillside.
"There he is!" I pointed.
Gilbert swerved, and the horse leaped the fence.
I wasn't expecting it - I almost went flying. But I managed to hold on tighter, and Gilbert grunted as I gave him an impromptu Heimlich maneuver, Then we were pounding over the meadow grass and swung about in front of a slavering troll just as the goat-herd boy yelled in fright.
"No, Gruesome!" I held up a hand. "Mustn't eat any people."
"Not eat?" Gruesome protested, wounded.
"Not eat people!" I said with conviction. "Only goats! And wolves and bear and deer," I modified, and turned to the goatherd.
"It's okay-he's only after your goats, not you."
"But-but I shall be whipped!" Trembling, he faced us all, crook held slantwise across his body, ready to strike.
I almost invited him to come along right there, he was so brave. I would have, too, if I'd known where I was going. As it was, I just reached in my pocket and fished out a quarter. "I'll buy one goat from you."
He caught the quarter, then held it up, staring at it. "'Tis silver!"
"Will it . . ." I remembered the principles of bargaining and changed the wording. "How big a goat will it buy?"
"The biggest in my herd! But 'tis a most strange coin, gentleman!"
"I'm a foreigner," I explained. "Make it a billy goat, all right?" I glanced at the troll and said, "A gruff one."
"My worst," he said eagerly. In thirty seconds, he had driven out the most ornery billy goat I'd ever seen, who kept turning and trying to butt him. I didn't blame it - if I'd been being driven toward a troll, I would have tried to run, too.
But Gruesome solved the issue by pouncing. There was a startled bleat that ended abruptly, White-faced, the goatherd backed away.
"Gruesome! Come to Saul!" I said sternly, and to Gilbert, "Walk away. " We turned and started walking. I glanced back; Gruesome was following, taking large bites. I winced and turned away. "Crisis over. Do we have to go through this every mealtime?"
"You will find a way," Gilbert said with total confidence. I wished I'd shared it.
I didn't make the same mistake when we set camp for the night - I made a different one. Well, no, maybe not a mistake, really-as soon as I realized Gruesome was eyeing us hungrily, I said, "Hungry enough to eat a bear?"
Gruesome nodded, a huge slab of tongue coming out to slurp over his lips, what there were of them.
"Then go catch one." I said. "If you can catch it, you can eat it."
He nodded brightly, surged up to his feet, and trotted off into the trees.
Gilbert stared after him open-mouthed, then turned to me. "Will he find one?
I shrugged. "Whether he does or not, we'll get an hour or so of worry-free sleep."
Gilbert smiled, a slow grin. "Ingenious, Master Wizard! Nay, let us dine quickly and seek sleep faster! I'll take the first watch." I realized I was dog-tired, so I didn't object. Right after we finished, I rolled up in the cloak Gilbert's commander had sent with the squire.
"Will you not pray first?" Gilbert asked, scandalized.
"No, I don't think so," I told him, then thought better fast. "I meditate while I'm going to sleep."
His face cleared; where he came from, "meditate" meant the same as "pray." He nodded and turned away to watch the night. He woke me some time around midnight and said, "Wake me for the third watch." I bit back a gripe and nodded, rolling up to my knees, watching the landscape, and wishing heartily that this universe had discovered coffee. Much better for my health, I'm sure, but no more pleasant than healthful things usually are. Gilbert was snoring within five minutes. I'd heard that soldiers developed that ability. As my head cleared, I looked around and realized what was missing-the troll. My spirits picked up-maybe the bear had won. I was really getting to be hopeful when I woke Gilbert about six hours later-my watch had gone on the fritz, so I was going by the Little Dipper. He came awake instantly, took one glance at the stars, and said "Master Wizard! You should have waked me sooner! Nay, I've slept through two watches!"
"Six hours for you, six hours for me," I told him. "Comes out even." I didn't mention that mine had been two and two. I decided that the next night, I'd take the first watch.
"Natheless, a knight should be able to keep a vigil!"
"How about we talk about it tomorrow evening?" I suggested. He brightened surprisingly. "Aye, assuredly. Good sleep to you, Wizard! " "Good night to you, squire," I said, puzzled. I was almost asleep before I realized why he'd been so pleased-saying we'd talk about it tomorrow night implied that I was accepting his company. I broke out in cold sweat as I felt the clammy tendrils of commitment gluing themselves onto me. I was going to have to find some way to send Gilbert back to his buddies.