Calling on Dragons ef-3

by Patricia Collins Wrede

  "It is that," Morwen murmured. "Telemain, if you are quite finished, I am going home. I want to change clothes and make arrangements with the cats before I go sword hunting. Oh, and take a look at Killer before you leave, or he's likely to float off and starve."

  "Float off?"

  Cimorene shook her head. "Morwen, in your own way you can be just as bad as he is. It's like this, Telemain…" She began explaining what had happened in and around the kitchen.

  Frowning, Mendanbar moved closer to Morwen. "I understand why you want to stop at your house before we leave," he said, "and I know you can get yourself back there somehow-" "I have my broom with me," Morwen said. "It's outside, by the front door where we arrived."

  Mendanbar nodded. "Still, I'd like to get this expedition under way as fast as I can. If I send you home on a quick spell, you'll get there much sooner than if you fly."

  "That would be fine, as long as you're willing to send my cats and my broom with me," Morwen said. "And make sure someone remembers about Killer. He's a nuisance, but it isn't his fault that he's turned into a six-foot blue floating donkey. Well, mostly it isn't."

  "Of course." Mendanbar's eyes got a faraway look, as they always did when he was drawing on the magic of the Enchanted Forest. His right hand moved, as if he were plucking a string, and Fiddlesticks, Jasper, and Scorn appeared on the green marble in front of Morwen. All three were crouched around a bowl-sized circle, and Fiddlesticks had cream on his nose.

  "Hey!" said Fiddlesticks. "I wasn't finished!"

  "I'll give you something more when we get home," Morwen said. "I believe that's everyone, Mendanbar."

  "I'll see you later, then," Mendanbar said, and raised his hand.

  "Telemain and Kazul and I will meet you at your house. We won't be long."

  His fingers twitched and the room started to fade.

  As the walls blurred into gray mist, Morwen heard Telemain say, "Ah, about this expedition, Mendanbar, I don't think…" His voice grew faint and faraway, then was swallowed in the mist. A moment later, the mist cleared, leaving Morwen standing in the large open area in front of her house.

  "Remarkably convenient," Morwen said, bending to pick up her broom.

  "He could have set us on the porch, if he'd wanted to."Jasper strolled forward and paused at the foot of the steps. "Do you need me for anything now, Morwen?"

  "I didn't mean the transportation," Morwen said. "I was referring to the timing. And no, I won't need you for a while."

  "Then I'll just take a nap until you do. All this running around is exhausting." Jasper vanished under the porch.

  "What timing?" Fiddlesticks asked. "Do you mean it's time for some fish?"

  "No, I mean that I won't have to help explain to Mendanbar why he can't leave the Enchanted Forest to look for his sword." Morwen walked briskly up the steps and set her broom against the wall next to the door, where it would be handy. "Scorn, please get everyone together in the garden in about half an hour."

  "Half an hour? I thought you were in a hurry."

  "We are, but it'll take at least that long for Cimorene and Telemain to convince Mendanbar that he can't go. Run along, now. I've got to pack." With that, Morwen pushed open the front door and went inside.

  Slightly less than half an hour later, Morwen walked out the back door into the garden. The sleeves of the bleach-speckled robe had been emptied and disenchanted, and the robe itself dumped into the rag basket. She had transferred the sleeve spell to her new robe (identical to the old one, except for the bleach speckles) and packed both sleeves with magic supplies and a variety of everyday items that might come in handy, including several lemons, a small collapsible bucket, and a bottle of liquid soap. Spells or no spells, Morwen did not intend to take unnecessary chances. Since she did not know how long they would be gone, she added an extra robe, a blanket, and several chicken-salad sandwiches. She considered putting in a few bottles of cider as well, but there were limits to what the spell would hold, and her sleeves were growing heavy, a sure sign that the limits were close.

  The cats had already collected in the garden, lolling in patches of sun, perching in the branches of the largest apple tree, or stalking along the garden rows, as if they had all intended to be there for reasons of their own.

  Smiling slightly, Morwen sat down on the back step next to Miss Eliza.

  In a few minutes, the other cats drifted over to join them.

  "I'm glad you're all here," Morwen told them. "There's been some trouble, and there'll probably be more."

  "Scorn and Jasper told us," Murgatroyd said. "Wizards."

  "Revolting creatures," Miss Eliza said.

  "I'll kill one for you, if you want," Trouble offered.

  "I don't think that will be necessary," Morwen said. "Telemain and I hope to retrieve the King's sword and put a stop to this nonsense once and for all. Trouble and Scorn will come with me. The rest of you will stay here and guard the house and garden."

  "How long will you be gone?" Aunt Ophelia asked.

  "I'm not sure. At least a week, I expect, unless we're very lucky."

  "You should take us all," Chaos said, crouching and lashing his tail fiercely. "You might need us. Wizards are tough."

  "Hah," said Trouble. "Wizards aren't tough. You just have to know the right place to dig in your claws. Ogres, now, ogres are-" "We are well aware of your talents, Trouble," said Miss Eliza. "This is not the time to brag."

  "I would prefer that you stay here," Morwen said to Chaos. "It's possible that Telemain will be bouncing us around with his transport spells, and he's not used to dealing with a crowd. I'd worry about someone getting left behind."

  "I'm staying," Jasmine announced with an enormous yawn.

  "Telemain's spells give me motion sickness."

  "Moving gives you motion sickness," Trouble muttered. "But the rest of us–"

  "Several of you should stay here in case the wizards show up while I'm gone," Morwen pointed out.

  "I'll be ready for them." Fiddlesticks jumped onto the window ledge, where he balanced precariously, trying to look fierce and watchful without stepping on Jasmine. "I won't let them in, even if they offer me some fish!"

  "You are an example to us all," Miss Eliza said. It was impossible to tell from her tone whether or not she meant it to be sarcastic.

  "He'll do better than Jasmine would," Murgatroyd said. "She didn't hear a thing when the mirror went off a bit ago."

  Morwen frowned. "Someone called while I was out? Why didn't you mention it?"

  "It was that fellow you don't like," Trouble said. "The one with the long name that you won't turn into a toad."

  "Arona Michaelear Grinogion Vamist?" Morwen said incredulously.

  "That's him. He was annoyed when he didn't see anyone but us."

  Trouble's tail whipped sideways, up, and then down onto the ground with a thump that showed what he thought of such lack of taste.

  "'Us'? How many of you were in my study when he called?"

  Several of the cats shifted uncomfortably and looked away.

  "Oh, never mind," Morwen said. "Vamist will have to wait; I haven't time for him now. The fate of the Enchanted Forest is much more important than his idiotic notions."

  "She sounds cranky," Fiddlesticks said to Jasmine. "Do you think she'll turn him into a toad after all?"

  Before anyone could answer, there was a loud thwump from the other side of the house. Fiddlesticks fell off the window ledge, and all of the rest of the cats except Jasmine jumped. The moment he landed, Trouble leapt for the back door with an angry growl, Chaos and Murgatroyd close behind.

  "Wait for me!" Fiddlesticks yelled, scrambling to his feet. "Wait-" "Morwen!"The shout came from the front yard as Morwen rose unhurriedly to her feet.

  "That sounds like Kazul," Scorn said.

  I suspect it is," Morwen said. "Come along, Scorn. It's time to leave."

  9

  In Which the Expedition Leaves the Enchanted Forest at Last

  Th
e rest of the cats, even Jasmine, followed Morwen and Scorn through the house and out onto the front porch. Kazul was standing in the center of the yard, along with Telemain and Killer. The donkey was still floating a good six inches above the ground, and he looked extremely uncomfortable.

  Standing beside him was Mendanbar, who was frowning ferociously, and Cimorene, who seemed to be trying to suppress a satisfied smile. With some dismay, Morwen noted that Cimorene now had a small pack slung over one shoulder and a slim sword belted to her waist.

  The cats flowed across the yard and converged on Kazul. Making little noises of satisfaction, all nine of the cats scrambled up the dragon's sides.

  Their claws rasped against Kazul's scales, making Cimorene wince, but neither they nor the dragon seemed to notice.

  Morwen looked at Telemain while the cats draped themselves contentedly all over Kazul. "I thought you were going to explain to him why he couldn't come along," she said, nodding sideways at Mendanbar.

  "I did," Telemain said grumpily.

  "Then what is he doing here?"

  "Making trouble?" Scorn suggested from a comfortable perch on Kazul's left shoulder.

  "He'd better not be," Trouble said. "That's my job." He stretched himself full length along the lower part of Kazul's neck, beside her spinal ridges, his tail and one front paw dangling lazily.

  "I'm taking you to the edge of the Enchanted Forest," Mendanbar said.

  "I can do that much, at least, even if I can't come with you. My magic will get you there faster than anything else, and you'll be safe from most of the things that live in the forest if you're with me."

  "I see." That explained Telemain's bad mood: he hated having to admit that anyone's magic was better than his, even the King's. Morwen looked at Cimorene. "What about you?"

  "I'm coming with you," Cimorene said. Mendanbar scowled fiercely as if he wanted to object, but before he could, Cimorene hurried on, "I have to.

  Otherwise you'll have as much difficulty with the sword as I hope those blasted wizards are having right now."

  Kazul snorted angrily, sending out a large ball of smoke, which made everyone in front of her cough. "If they aren't having trouble now, they will soon."

  Morwen gave Kazul a stern look over the tops of her glasses. "We are going on this expedition to recover Mendanbar's sword, Kazul. We aren't trying to destroy the entire Society of Wizards."

  "Yet," said Trouble.

  "You be quiet, or I'll leave you at home," Morwen said. "Now, would someone explain to me just why Cimorene has to come along?"

  "Resonance and half-hard deflection mechanisms," Telemain said.

  "Which are-" "-as clear as mud," Kazul put in.

  Telemain looked annoyed. "I wasn't talking to you. Morwen understands what I mean."

  "Most of the time," Morwen said.

  "I think he means that Mendanbar's sword is painful to touch, unless you happen to belong to the King's family," Cimorene said. "And the longer it stays outside the forest, the harder it is to handle."

  "The deflection increases exponentially," Telemain said. "Rather like the magic leakage we discussed earlier, only the defense spells won't slow down the deflection. By this time, it is undoubtedly past the transfer-resonance point."

  "So the Society of Wizards can't use the sword against us." Morwen smiled grimly. "Good. I'd been wondering about that."

  "Unfortunately, you can't use it, either," Cimorene said. "If Telemain is right about the timing-" "And I am."

  "-then in a day or two nobody but a member of the Royal Family will be able to pick up the sword at all, much less carry it back to the Enchanted Forest. So since Mendanbar and I are the only members of the Royal Family right now, and since Mendanbar has to stay in the forest-" "-you have to come with us to retrieve the sword," Morwen finished, raising an eyebrow. "I see."

  Cimorene grinned. "Telemain explained it at least three times at the castle, and by the time he and Mendanbar finished arguing, I had a pretty good idea what he meant, even if he never did say it straight out."

  "I did, too!" Telemain said indignantly. "Several times."

  "Not so I understood."

  "That is unfortunately not very surprising," Morwen said.

  "Mendanbar, your sword is very inconveniently designed."

  "Don't blame me, "Mendanbar said. "The blasted thing came with the kingdom."

  "Hmph." Morwen glanced around. "What about Killer? Why is he here?"

  Killer's ears twitched anxiously forward. "They told me I was supposed to come. Is it all right?"

  "Once we're away from the interference patterns of the Enchanted Forest, we should be able to trace the residual energy in the morphological field trap," Telemain said. "At that point, a standard locus delimiter should-" "Telemain," Kazul said in a warning tone.

  Morwen rolled her eyes. "He thinks we can use what's left of the size-changing spell on Killer to find the wizards. But are you sure there's enough, Telemain?"

  "I can't tell until we're out of the forest," Telemain said. "The interference-" He glanced at Kazul and stopped.

  "I understand," Morwen said. "But remember: bringing him along was your idea, so you're responsible for keeping him out of trouble."

  "And he'd better do a good job," Trouble said. "If that overgrown blue idiot steps on my tail, he'll wish he'd never left his rabbit hole."

  "I already wish I'd never left my hole," Killer said. "Rabbits aren't supposed to have adventures. Our temperaments aren't suited to them."

  "Are you people going to stand around talking all day?" Kazul asked pointedly. "Or are we going wizard hunting?"

  "Sword hunting, Kazul, if you please," Morwen said. "And I am ready to leave as soon as we decide which way we're heading."

  There was a pause while Cimorene, Telemain, and Mendanbar looked at each other. Scorn snickered. "Look at them! They didn't even think of that."

  "The central office of the Society of Wizards is in the Brown Forest," Telemain said at last. "We should probably start there."

  "Why waste time?" Kazul said. "The wizards wouldn't be stupid enough to take Mendanbar's sword to their main office."

  "Antorell would," Cimorene said.

  "Where is the Brown Forest?" Killer asked timidly. "It doesn't sound very... appetizing."

  "It's worse than it sounds," Telemain told him. "The Brown Forest is actually a corner of the Great Southern Desert."

  Frowning, Cimorene looked at Telemain. "I always thought the Brown Forest was a dead woods. Are you sure it's really a desert?"

  Telemain nodded. "I've been there."

  "You have?" Kazul said. "Why?"

  "I wanted to learn wizardry, and the school the Society of Wizards runs is the only-" "You wanted to be a wizard?"Kazul said, outraged.

  "No," Telemain said in the too-patient tone of someone who has had to give the same explanation far too many times. "I didn't want to be a wizard.

  I wanted to study them. Their magical methods are unique, and magicians have been attempting to figure them out for a long, long time."

  "And you thought they would tell you if you asked politely?"

  Cimorene said.

  Telemain shrugged. "It was worth a try. Anyway, I've been to the Brown Forest in the Great Southern Desert. I can probably even find the area where the central office of the Society of Wizards was when I was "The area where it was?" Kazul said.

  "They move the building every couple of months," Telemain explained.

  "I don't know whether they do it to stay hard to find or whether they take turns practicing the relocation spell."

  "No wonder they keep trying to steal other people's magic," Kazul muttered. "They waste what they've got moving buildings around."

  "South, then?" Mendanbar said, glancing around. "Very well." He raised a hand, then paused. "Morwen, are you taking all your cats along on this expedition?"

  "Phooey," said Murgatroyd. "I was hoping no one would think of that."

  'Just Trouble and Scorn," M
orwen said, giving the cats a stern look.

  "The rest of you should get down now."

  Cats flowed along Kazul's back and off her shoulders, until only Trouble and Scorn remained. When the whole crowd had reached the porch, Morwen nodded to Mendanbar. An instant later, gray mist rose, thickened to hide the house and forest, then faded to reveal a grove of slender young trees, none of which were much taller than Kazul. They looked odd and spindly, and it was a moment before Morwen realized that they only seemed scraggly by comparison to the giant oaks that surrounded her house.

  "This is as far as I take you," Mendanbar said unhappily. "The edge of the Enchanted Forest is over there."

  "What about getting back in, once we leave?" Telemain asked.

  "If we recover the sword, getting into the forest won't be a problem," Cimorene said. "If we don't-" "I'll keep an eye on the border," Mendanbar said. "As soon as I see you, I'll come out to meet you."

  "Don't worry about watching for us," Morwen said. "Worry about the wizards. We'll call on the magic mirror when we're ready to come back."

  "And a couple of times before then, just to say hi," Cimorene put in.

  Mendanbar looked at Cimorene for a long minute, then turned to Telemain. "Are you sure I can't leave the Enchanted Forest?"

  "Not without destroying the energy loop that prevents the Society of Wizards from primary absorption inside the forest," Telemain said.

  "Then can't you transfer the spell's focus from me to Cimorene?"

  "Hey!" said Cimorene, frowning. "Who says I want to be a focus?"

  "No," Telemain said to Mendanbar. "The top links connect directly to the central-" "'No' is quite enough," Morwen said. "Didn't you go over all this at the castle?"

  "Yes," Cimorene said. "Mendanbar is just trying to keep me out of this." She stepped forward and drew Mendanbar a little away from the others. "Look, dear, there's nothing you can…" Her voice faded to a murmur.

  "How far is the Brown Forest from here?" Morwen asked Telemain.

  "Three transports and a two-day walk." Telemain looked at Kazul and frowned suddenly. His gaze traveled down the dragon's neck, across her wings and massive back, and out along her tail. "Make that five transports and a two-day walk. I didn't have quite so much to move last time."