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now had lizard venison or snake fillet at every meal.
Another day done and a familiar glade came into view. The massive, ancient oak in its center seemed not
to have shed a singie leaf since last he saw it.
They dismounted tiredly. Talea secured the riding snake so that it could move around in a modest circle.
It would not do, she explained, simply to turn it out to hunt, since without constant attention a L'borean
riding snake could revert rapidly to the wild.
"Shit, you back again?" griped the black-winged shape that opened the Tree door. "You're either not
very bright, man, or else just downright dumb." He looked appreciatively past Mudge and Jon-Tom.
"Now who's dat? Nice lookin' dame."
"My name is Talea. And that's enough for you, slave."
"Slave? Who's a slave? I'll show ya who's a slave!"
"Easy now, Pog old chap." Mudge had moved forward to block the bat's egress by waving short arms.
"She's a friend, even if her tongue be a bit tart at times. Just tell Clothahump that we're back." He cast a
cautioning glance at Jon-Tom. "We've 'ad some bad luck, we 'ave, that's necessitated us returnin' a mite
early."
"Bet you did," said the bat expectantly, "or ya wouldn't be here now. I bet ya fouled up real good. It
gonna be interesting ta see the old bugger turn ya into a human." His gaze dropped. "You'll make a
funnier lookin' one than normal, wid dose legs."
"Now is that any way t' greet a friend, Pog? Don't say such 'orrible things or you'll 'ave me befoulin' me
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pants and embarrassin' meself in front o' the lady. We did nothin' we couldn't avoid. Isn't that the truth,
lad?" He looked concernedly back at Jon-Tom.
It took a moment of internal wrestling to go along with the statement. Maybe Mudge was something less
than the most altruistic of teachers, but he'd tried. The otter was the closest time he had in this world to a
real friend, barring development of his relationship with Talea. Though he had to admit honestly to himself
that if things ever got really tough he was not sure he could depend on the otter, and certainly not on
Talea.
However, there was no point in detailing any of those feelings to Pog. "Yeah. We had a rough time of it
in Lynchbany. And we have other reasons for coming back to see His Wizardness."
"Well, all right. Come on in. Damn fools... I suppose your presence will make more work for me again."
He flapped on ahead, grumbling steadily in his usual broken-engine tone.
Jon-Tom stayed a step back of Mudge and the bat. "Be careful about what you say, Talea. This
Clothahump's the one who brought me here, remember. He's a very powerful wizard and although I
found him to be concerned and even kindly, he's obsessed with this crisis he dreams about, and I've seen
him come near to frying that bat."
"Don't worry," she replied with a tight smile. "I know who he is, and what he is. He's a borderline senile
who ought to have enough sense to retract into his shell and stay there. Do you think I'm an ignorant
country sodder? I follow current rumors and talemongerings. I know who's in power and who's doing
what, and to whom. That's how I know he's responsible for the mess he's made of your life, Jon-Tom."
She frowned at him.
"You're the weirdest sorcerer I've ever encountered or heard tell of, except _maybe_ for this
Clothahump. In that respect it's a good match, and I can see how in his searching he seized on you." The
comparison startled Jon-Tom. He hadn't considered that he and the turtle might have personal affinities,
or that they might be responsible for his presence here.
"That's okay," he replied readily. "You're the most interesting mugger I've ever run into."
"Better not do it on a dark street or you're liable to find out just how interesting I am," she said
warningly.
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"Really? I've never done it on a dark street, and I would like to find out how interesting you are."
She started to snap out a reply, looked uncertain, and then accelerated. "Oh, come on." There was
exasperation in her voice and just possibly something else. "You're a funny one, Jon-Tom. I'm never quite
sure about you."
And you, he thought as he watched her hurry on ahead of him, are maybe not as hopeless as I once
thought.
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