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to do it, was so much more able than he was with all his magic...
He was an idiot! Sometimes-he told himself privately-you can t see what s
right under your nose.
The invisible ghost-like him inside the harpy-reached for his pouch, pulled
out the plum, and sternly thought From now on I can hear Hob when he thinks
at me. He hesitated a moment before biting into it.
He thought of his dwindling supply of magic fruits. He had not meant to use
them up so quickly, but every use had seemed necessary at the time. They had
been intended for that last, desperate moment when, his experience told him,
needs would come thick and fast. But he had to get himself and Hob out of here
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if at all humanly possible.
Hob, he thought, do you remember how we came here? Could you guide me back
the way we came?
He held his breath, waiting for the answer. Maybe this kind of talent was not
covered by magic manipulation. But the answer came back promptly and clear in
his head.
No, m Lord. I thought you d know.
I don t. There was a long moment of silence in the dark between them. Hob,
if you had smoke, could it show you the way out-you said in the Forest Dedale,
if there was an exit, the smoke would find it.
Oh, yes, my Lord. But I don t have any smoke.
I know. But you also said that if there was wood smoke at Malencontri, you
could go from a fire here to there.
Yes, m Lord, I can do that. Like goes to like.
Could you go out now and get some smoke and bring it back to us here, so it
could find the way out for us?
I d need some smoke to go from. Like to like it goes. I m very sorry, my
Lord ...
So here goes another of the magic fruits, Jim thought bitterly.
Never mind. Maybe I can find you just a single puff of smoke, magically. If
I can, what kind of smoke would be quickest for you to find?
There was wood smoke at the place where they had you, Sir Brian, and Dafydd
tied up in the tents.
So there must have been, but Jim had paid no attention. He thought of the
open fires before the tents, around which slept those without tents among the
Borderland invaders. He remembered them; and he held one in particular
steadily, pictured sharply in his mind, focusing down on a short piece of wood
with only one end burning.
Right, he said out loud, though he was speaking more to himself than Hob.
He mentally fumbled in his purse, withdrew this time the so-far unbitten
apple, and spoke to it mentally as he visualized.
Bring me that piece of wood with one end lit.
He mentally took a bite of the apple, and put the rest back into his purse.
There was a pause in which his purely spiritual human heart nearly stopped-a
sound of something approaching was coming up the tunnel. Hastily, he began to
back up; as quietly as he could, the way he had come. How close had that last
tunnel division been?
There was a sudden flicker of light-so unexpected on eyes straining to see
through total darkness, that for a moment he was dazzled. The short piece of
dead tree limb he had visualized lay on the tunnel floor against the far wall.
Its burning end was giving off small flames that seemed to light the area
around Jim like a searchlight.
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All right, Hob, he thought. Now-
There was a sudden increase of light, and a crackling sound, and flame shot
up the wall, brightening as it rose and spread. Jim stared. The flames from
the wood had immediately set fire to the wall beside it, and were spreading as
if the wall was dry paper.
Jim backed frantically away. For a moment he thought he was leaving the fire
safely behind; but even as he thought that, the crackling noise increased.
Light blossomed before him, and noise and light followed him as he retreated,
backwards, as fast as his harpy body could move.
M Lord-, said Hob shakily.
I know, I know! said Jim. But I can t do anything until I get to a place
where I can turn around. Was that just a little way back. The place where we
went to the left, this last time?
Yes, m Lord.
I can t even look back over my shoulder. Can you see it?
Yes, m Lord. I mean I can t see it yet, m Lord, hut it s only a little way
back. This narrow room we re in curves so-THERE IT IS!
Whew! said Jim to himself in relief. He reached the place where the tunnel
they had come down had branched. Hang on, Hob. I m going to get myself...
bent... around this place where they join ...
By dint of almost breaking his harpy body in half, he managed to reverse his
position. Head first now, he went as fast as he could along the way that
should bring them out. Waves of heat and flashes of light were chasing him as
he went; and the crackling was now a roaring.
Now right, m Lord! cried Hob aloud. To your right!
No, the first one I took was the left one, coming down.
But you re going back now. The smoke says go right, m Lord-the smoke is
already going out ahead of us.
Jim did not see it. But this was Hob s area of expertise. He took the tunnel
to his right, running like a bent-over chicken on his two harpy legs, rubbing
a stream of the so-easily burnable material from the walls as he blundered
against them in his hurry to escape.
And suddenly, there was a lit slit of white sky ahead. A half dozen more
pushing strides-and they were out.
OUTSIDE! Out in the open air, the cool, the lung-filling, clean air. Jim
pulled himself onto the surface of what he had originally thought was a
boulder, and sagged there, breathing deeply.
M Lord, are you all right?
Just fine, Hob, he said out loud, still gasping for air, and about to be
better. Hang on!
He switched out of the harpy, not needing to use his magic fruit to do so
since his natural magic could put him back into his dragon body at any time-a
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fresh, unexhausted body, brimming with breath and energy-and shot almost
straight up like a rocket, feeling Hob now clinging to his neck.
Chapter Forty
Jim did not rocket far, however. At a bit above treetop level he checked
himself, and began making tight circles on the updraft from the burning hive.
He circled, held by a somewhat awed fascination with what he had caused to
happen.
He was safe now, he knew. If the Dark Powers could attack him only through
Their creatures, as he now was almost sure was the case, he could be in no
danger up here. The worst They could do was send Harpies up after him; and he
could outfly Harpies with-loosely speaking-one wing tied behind his back.
Besides, he doubted They had any Harpies to spare at the moment. If there
were, their owners would want to keep them for the encounter between the
Earl s small army and the Lyonesse Knights.
Fire had apparently reached all through the hive now, but in an odd,
irregular fashion. Most of the great, stonelike structures that had made it up
looked untouched on their surface; but all were spouting flames from side or
top in what seemed haphazard fashion. But now, a flame ran up the side of one
huge boulder shape, and continued to burn fiercely and spread... it was hard
to believe the whole Nursery was a made thing. Creating it must have been a
gigantic task.
M Lord, said Hob in a uncertain voice, behind him, did you use magick to
make the rock burn?
No, said Jim-and was about to go on to say that he had simply been a
complete damn fool. But he checked himself in time. It might relieve his
feelings to admit the truth; but that would simply transfer the load of his
uncomfortable emotions to Hob, as unasked-for confessions usually did to the
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