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theLoathlyTower , and the Powers-know-what-else. In words of one syllable,
therefore, he whom you know as Gorbash must now embark on a quest to restore
the balance between Chance and History; and it is not for you to criticize or
object."
"Or understand either, I suppose," Smrgol said, humbly.
"One might say that," barked Carolinus. "In fact, I do!" His voice softened
somewhat. "We're all caught up in a new battle for freedom from domination by
the Dark Powers, Smrgol. And it's going to be a battle that makes your set-to
with the ogre of Gormely Keep seem unimportant. You can stand aside if you
want, but you can do nothing to change what's coming."
"Stand aside? Me?" Smrgol huffed. "What kind of dragon do you take me for?
I'm with Gorbash and with you too, Mage, if you're on the same side he is.
Just tell me what to do!"
"I am," said Carolinus, dryly. "Very well, Smrgol. In that case, you'd better
get back to the other dragons and start making them understand what's at stake
here and just where Bryagh, you, and Gorbash stand on matters. As for you " he
turned on Jim.
"I'm headed for that tower, like it or not," said Jim.
"Do, and you'll never see your lady again!" Carolinus' voice cracked like a
gunshot. His eyes were burning once more. "Do it, and I wash my hands of you;
and if I wash my hands of you, you've no hope! Now will you listen?"
Jim swallowed his immediate impulse to take off then and there. There might
be something in what Carolinus was about to say. In any case, he and Angie
would still need the magician's help to get home again, even after Angie was
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rescued. It would hardly be wise to make an opponent of Carolinus now.
"I'll listen," he answered.
"Very well, then. The Dark Powers have taken your lady to their tower for the
very reason that they hope to draw you into their territory before you've
gathered the strength to oppose them. They want you to come immediately to the
rescue of the Lady Angela; because if you do, you'll be easy to defeat. But if
you hold off until you've gathered the companions the watchbeetle indicated,
it's they who can be defeated. Therefore, you're foolish if you go now."
"But what'll they do to Angela I mean, Angie " said Jim, "when they see I'm
not coming right after her? They'll figure she's no good as a means to stop
me, and do something terrible to her "
"They cannot!" Carolinus snapped. "By taking the lady they've over-extended
themselves, made themselves vulnerable. If they treat her any way but well,
all who might oppose them man, dragon and beast will form a solid front
against them. There're rules at work here; and just as if you go now to her
rescue you will certainly lose, so if they harm their hostagethey will
certainly lose!"
Jim found himself wavering in his firm intention to go after Angie at once.
He remembered his earlier determination to figure out the system by which this
world operated. If Carolinus was correct& and the magician was a very
convincing arguer&
"But you're sure she'll be all right if I don't get to that tower right
away?" Jim asked.
"She'll only be other than all right if you do go now."
Jim gave in with a deep sigh.
"All right," he. said. "What do I do, then? Where should I go?"
"Away!" said Carolinus. "That is, in exactly the opposite direction which you
would use in returning to the dragon cave from which you came."
"But, Mage," put in Smrgol, puzzled, "away from the cave is exactly toward
the fens and theLoathlyTower . And you just finished saying he shouldn't go to
the tower "
"Dragon," cried Carolinus, wheeling on Smrgol. "Have I got to argue withyou,
now? I said 'away!' I didn't say 'to the tower.' The Powers give me patience!
Have I got to explain the intricacies of Advanced Magics to every dumbwit and
numbskull who flies in here, or don't I? I ask you?"
"No!" said the deep bass voice out of thin air.
"There," Carolinus said in a relieved tone, mopping his brow. "You heard the
Auditing Department. Now, no more talk. I've got my hands too full as it is.
Off with you to the dragon cave, Smrgol. And away with you, Gorbash, in the
opposite direction!"
He turned around and stamped into his house, slamming the door shut behind
him.
"Come, Gorbash," boomed Smrgol. "The Mage's right. Let me get you started in
the right direction, then I'll leave you on your own. My, my, who'd have
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thought we'd run into such interesting times in my old age?"
Wagging his head thoughtfully, the elderly dragon sprang into the air,
leathery wings opening out with a thunderous clap, and mounted skyward.
After a second's hesitation, Jim followed him.
Chapter Six
"You can just see the beginning of the fens, there that misty, bluish line
beyond that bit of forest coming in from the north and stretching out like a
finger across your way."
Smrgol, soaring alongside Jim, broke off as they left the thermal they had
been rising upon and had to use their wings to get to another. The prevailing
breezes seemed to be blowing against them.
Jim noticed that the older dragon had a tendency to fall silent when he had
to exert himself flying. It gave the information Smrgol seemed determined to
impart something of a fragmentary feeling.
"Nothing important comes out on the fens nowadays to concern our people, of
course. Except, that is," Smrgol went on abruptly as they caught another
thermal and started on a long, buoyant glide toward the dimly seen fens, "for
the mere-dragons. Relatives of ours, as you know, Gorbash. Distant, naturally.
You'll have some fifteenth or sixteenth cousins among them without a doubt,
though probably they won't remember the connection. Never were a very solid
branch of the family to start with; and then when this blight hit them well,
they generally fell apart."
Smrgol paused to clear his throat.
"Took to living separately, even from each other. There are no good caves out
there among all that bog and water, of course. They must be feeding themselves
mostly on fish from the sea, nowadays, I don't wonder. Only an occasional
sandmirk, sea lizard or stray chicken is to be found in that sort of
territory. Oh, there are a few small holdings and impoverished farms on the
borders of the fens, and occasionally they can be raided. But even those'll
have suffered from the blight; and everything they own'll be stunted or hardly
worth the eating to a healthy dragon like you or me, boy. Why, I've even heard
some of our mere-dragon relatives have fallen so low as to try and exist on
garden truck. Heard of one even eating cabbages. Cabbages! Unbelievable& "
Once more they had to use their wings to reach another thermal; and by the
time they got to it and Smrgol took up talking again, it was obvious to Jim's
ears that the older dragon was definitely winded.
"Well, there you have it& Gorbash& " he said. "I guess that covers it, pretty
well. Keep& your head, my boy. Don't let your natural& dragon fury run away
with you; and you can't help& But do well. Well, I guess I'd better be turning
back."
"Yes," said Jim. "Maybe you'd better. Thanks for the advice."
"Don't thank me& boy. Least I can do for you. Well& good-bye, then& "
"Good-bye."
Jim watched Smrgol fall off in a sloping dive, turning a hundred and eighty
degrees as he swung to catch a lower thermal and the wind from the seacoast,
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which was now behind him. Smrgol dwindled quickly and Jim turned his attention
back to what lay ahead of him, personally.
Below him at the moment, the forest and open ground over which Jim had
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