The River of Dancing Gods (27 page)

She certainly had the ability to see the forces, at least after Huspeth had finished with her. In fact, the witch had probably not given her the talent at all. She had the strong feeling that she had always been able to see and sense those forces—but failed to recognize them for what they were. Huspeth, too, had shown her how to recognize those forces and spells; the meanings of colors and auras—not just for people but for everything.

To work the forces was also simple for Marge, although she was aware that none of the others in the Company save Dacaro —and possibly Macore—could see what she could see.

But the equations were beyond her, at least for now. She had been good in literature, the arts, and social sciences like history.

Math had never been her big subject, not since she'd barely Page 137 Chalker, Jack L - The River of the Dancing Gods limped through high school algebra. Thus, she was dependent on Dacaro. Prevented by his equine form from shaping the forces, he yet knew from his training the necessary math and 158 could pass it along. Neither was powerful individually; as a team, they were a complete minor sorcerer.

Most of the chants used in spells were mere devices, either to aid in concentration, as memory tricks to bring forth the equations, or simply to confuse onlookers. The actual practice was quite simple—you just concentrated on the person, place, or thing you were working the spell upon, then moved your finger or hand and let the energy flow from you into the object itself.

This spell consisted of yellow lines, glowing yellow strings that looked like paint on air. She looked at the saddlebag, repeated the little mnemonic Dacaro had given her as a memory aid, then pointed at the bag with her finger and drew the yellow lines, as if with crayon or marker. When she had finished, the saddlebag looked normal to the rest of them, but to her it was covered with a complex child's scribble of yellow lines. At least, it looked like a child's scribble—in actuality, it was an equation expressed that way. Anyone meddling with the saddlebag would find the results extremely unpleasant; anyone wanting it now would have to undo that yellow stringy mess exactly the opposite from the way she'd done it, with no slips.

Such a task would be child's play for a sorcerer like Ruddygore or a powerful sorceress witch like Huspeth, but the spell was more than adequate for average men and fairies. In a sense, it was like a good burglar alarm system—it wouldn't keep out the competent pro, but it certainly discouraged the amateurs, who were ninety-nine percent of any threat.

She rejoined the others, and they went downstairs. The same motley crew was still there—and there was a plump, middleaged woman now behind the bar—but the only notice taken of them was that folks tended to move away from them as they took a table. They had gained a measure of respect, if nothing else.

They were briskly attended to, though, by a small, sadfaced waiter who gave them no trouble and no extra words.

They had some problems finding a proper vegetarian dish for Marge—the others' repugnance to eating animal flesh had lasted only until the first roadhouse—and when the food came, it was greasy, overcooked, and tasted like an unwashed stove, but it was filling and there wasn't any more to be said. They talked little while eating, except about the quality of the food.

THE RIVER OF DANCING GODS 160 Afterward Marge excused herself to go out to the stable and see Dacaro. "I want to be sure of the spells," she told them, and they agreed.

Page 138 Chalker, Jack L - The River of the Dancing Gods "Want me to come along?" Joe asked her. "You never know whom you're going to meet..

"If I can't manage that much, I have no business being here," she responded and left.

It was quite dark out and humid now. The smell of the river was rich in the air, but she had no trouble walking the block to the stables and finding the stableman. He was a little amazed that all she wanted was to sit on the horse, but he simply muttered about having seen everything in this business and left her.

Once she was upon the black stallion, rapport was instantaneous.

> "Anything wrong?.

"No," she assured him, "but it's not the world's nicest inn..

Quickly she told him about the evening's exploits and the kind of spell she wanted.

Dacaro thought a moment. "I think it is time you received some instruction. Perhaps it will be a good way to while away the miles from here on out. You seem determined to practice the art..

"Of necessity," she responded, "although I admit it fascinates me. I know I'll never be great at it, but it is something unusual that I can do..

"Ruddygore explained to you the price of such dabblings.

The fact that you are a witch's changeling?.

"Something like that. I'm not sure I understand it and I'm certainly not going to let it bother me..

"The principle is simple. Only the masters of the art may create magical energies. All else must come from the practitioner.

The more difficult spells can literally take a lot out of you, energy that must be replenished slowly. In your case, the replenishment is not of flesh and blood but of the nature of faerie. The more energy you expend—send from yourself— the more faerie will replace it. If you lost blood, your body would eventually replace it with new blood. But if you lose the plasma of magic, it must be replaced from magical sources. I Your sources are attuned to faerie. If you continue, your entire i body will eventually be so replaced. You will be of faerie..

JACK L. CHALKER 161 "Is that necessarily—bad?.

He considered this. "It depends on how you look at it. The more you are of faerie, the more magic of the minor sort will be instinctive, requiring no training. But you will be subject to the magic of mortals and the rules of faerie. Never having been of faerie, I can not say if this is good, bad, or indifferent.

But it is certainly different..

Page 139 Chalker, Jack L - The River of the Dancing Gods "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," she told him.

"For now, the protection spell for the rooms..

"Simple. You have a good memory. Remember this spell and do it so." He sketched out in her mind a pattern and a rhythmic chant to aid the pattern's symmetry. "Try it. Just a bit. Just in the air here..

She concentrated and tried it, going just a little ways. The color of the bands was orange, and they were a little thicker and harder to manage, but not by much. "How's that?.

"It will do. Go now. Get some rest. We have a busy day tomorrow..

She left him and returned to the inn, where the rest of the Company was still at the table drinking ale. Joe and the portly Grogha seemed in the best of spirits.

After a while, they went upstairs. She first checked the saddlebag and found it undisturbed. That didn't mean that no one had tried, but certainly the spell had worked. After bidding the other three good night, she stood back and worked the protection spell, first on the window and then, from outside, on the door. It looked really pretty, she decided.

She and Joe went one door down to their room. From inside this time, she traced the spell once more on door and window.

Joe watched her, fascinated, seeing only a chanting woman waving her right hand about, but he knew that something was indeed taking place.

She felt a little tired when she finished and sat down on the bed of straw.

"I just happened to think of something," Joe said.

"Huh?.

"We had a lot to drink. What if I have to go to the can?.

She smiled and pointed under the window. "See that pot there? That's a chamber pot, as in the old days..

He went over, looked at it, and frowned. "Umph. Some privacy! But I suppose if you gotta go you gotta go..

162 THE RIVER OF DANCING GODS She nodded and lay back on the bed. "I really am starting to feel worn out. I think maybe I'll just go right to sleep..

He came over and knelt down beside her. "Sure ain't Texas, is it? Or South Philly, either..

She smiled. "No, it sure isn't. And I'm glad it isn't. I wouldn't go back for anything now, I think. We have something everybody dreams about at one time or another but almost nobody ever gets, Joe. A new life. A second chance. It's funny.

Here we are, in a dirty roadhouse in an ugly foreign country, Page 140 Chalker, Jack L - The River of the Dancing Gods about to put ourselves into real danger—and I've never been happier in my whole life. Never. You understand that?.

He nodded. "In a way. But only in a way. Me, I'm still on the road for somebody else, stopping at flea traps and risking my neck for not much. And I got nobody, really, to be doin' it for—just like back home. This stuff ain't so glamorous, either, when you bean somebody with a sword and electrocute him or something like that. I got a feeling that the only thing that's really changed about me is that now I'm gonna get paid for killin' folks instead of haulin' their stuff..

She thought about it a moment. "Maybe you're right, Joe.

But it's the only life we've got now. Let's play it out. It could be fun, too..

He sighed. "I dunno. Maybe—maybe you and me will be a team, huh? We're different, you and me, from any of them.

We're from someplace else. Someplace different, if you know what I mean..

She leaned over and patted his arm. "I think so. We'll see..

She snuffed out the lantern. It was an eerie scene for her after that, with the orange bands of the window and door and the yellow on the saddlebag aglow, yet reflecting not at all the rest of the room. To Joe, of course, it was pitch-darkness.

"Marge?.

"Yes, Joe?.

"I'm just lonesome, is all. I have been for a long, long time.

Long before comin' here, I mean..

"I know..

"Marge?.

"Yes, Joe?.

"I'm horny, too..

JACK L. CHALKER 163 "I figured as much. Not now, Joe. Not for a while. Not between you and me, that is. Let's just be—friends for a while, huh? Companions from another world..

He sighed once again. "What's the matter? Afraid it will louse us up?.

"No, it's not that. Look, Joe, I can't be as strong as you.

And this is even more of a man's world than ours is. My only chance to be independent—to be free—here is through the magic. The place Ruddygore sent me, well, it was sort of like a convent. I joined their order..

"You mean you're a nun?" He sounded genuinely shocked.

"Think of it that way, if you can. It's not to say that— someday—I might not bend. When I think me time is right.

When I'm ready. But as for now, the longer I stay celibate, the stronger my magic power gets. Once I break it, I can never get any stronger. I just told you what the magic means to me, Page 141 Chalker, Jack L - The River of the Dancing Gods Joe. So I have to pay the price..

He was silent for a minute, then finally said, "You ain't the only one payin' a price." But then he rolled over and was soon snoring. She had no trouble joining him in that endeavor.

It was Joe who was up first, shortly after dawn, and he tired rather quickly of just lying there and waiting for her so he could leave. He gently shook her awake.

"Hope you don't mind—but I'm trapped," he said apologetically.

"No, I don't mind at all,"^he told him. "In fact, the lack of clocks and wake-up calls is a real pain around here. How come you got up? Trouble sleeping?.

"Nope. When you're on the road and time is money, you get so you can mentally set yourself to wake up at a particular time. It's no big trick—just a practical necessity..

She got up, yawned, and stretched. "I always heard about people who could do that, but I never could." She rubbed her eyes and blinked a few times. "Right now I wish we had some running water. I'd like to wash my face off and get the sleep out..

He laughed. "And you were the one who really loved this place..

"I didn't say it couldn't stand a few improvements." She 164 JACK L. CHALKER THE RIVER OF DANCING GODS 165 laughed back. She got up, yawned once more, then turned to the saddlebag. "Easy stuff first..

Having made the pattern in the first place, she knew exactly where to start and how to retrace the pattern backward. It was so quick and effortless that even Joe was surprised. "You're learning that stuff pretty good," he told her.

She nodded, then sighed and looked up at the window.

"Seems almost a waste to undo the window, but somebody may have to jump out of this firetrap someday." The orange bands were still a bit bulkier to manage but no real trouble.

The door was a bit slower, because of the greater complexity and sheer size of the pattern, but it took only a couple of minutes. Finally she said, "Okay, Joe. Lift the latch and let's go spring the rest..

He did so, and the door opened without trouble. She grabbed the saddlebag and they went to the next door, where another two or three minutes was spent undoing the spell. Joe then pounded on the door, and was greeted by a sleepy "Who's that?.

Page 142 Chalker, Jack L - The River of the Dancing Gods "It's us!" he called. "You can open your door now! Time to hit the road!.

There was the sound of grumbling on the other side, then the sound of the board being removed, and the door opened.