ponderous thud, then parted less than a foot to allow the onrushing river to continue to drain inward. Oskar marveled that the mountainous spirit could speak and swallow at the same time. 'What is this 'black and white' of which you speak?'
Propelled by the current, the borrowed boat of the border guards drifted forward until it bumped up against a truly monstrous set of lips. Water continued to flow into the slightly parted mouth. Oskar knew that should the spirit shape decide to once again fully part its jaws, the clumsy watercraft and all aboard would vanish instantly down that extraordinary gullet.
'Black and white is my normal, natural coloring.' Mamakitty gazed apprehensively up at deep-set eyes of sentient vermilion. Having to cross in order to focus on the small boat and its inhabitants, both orbs were squashed between heavy ridges of stone. 'White and black.' Sensing possible salvation in unexpected curiosity, she hastened to identify the original hues of her anxious companions. 'Oskar, here, is mostly a steel gray, while Cezer is normally pale blond. Cocoa is calico, a mix of many colors, while Taj is golden yellow, and Samm—Samm is gray-brown with the most beautiful iridescent maroon and blue and green diamond patterns covering his entire body.'
Like biscuits plumping in a pan, the Red Dagon's rocky eyebrows rose. 'I see no such colors, though the patterning you describe is visible within the skin of your largest individual.'
'I don't like this epidermis either,' the giant grunted, 'but it's the one Master Evyndd's spell has bequeathed to me.' Reaching up, he scratched at a prominent diamond-shaped mole on the side of his neck. 'I can't even shed when I'm in the mood.'
'You are not citizens of the Kingdom of Red,' the Dagon concluded. 'Nor the Kingdom of Orange. Why are you on the river that I drink?'
'We just wanted to get across,' Cocoa explained plaintively. 'We're trying to find some white light to take back to our own home, which lies within a kingdom that encompasses all colors.'
'All colors! That would be very tasty. Sometimes I get so tired of eating nothing but red and orange.' Water foamed and bubbled around the flinty lips that spanned the river from one bank to the other. 'If you were to find such a thing, something that is neither red nor orange, would you bring some back to me? To taste?'
Oskar and Mamakitty exchanged a glance. 'I don't see why not,' the dog-man agreed. 'As long as we can get enough for our purposes, I see no reason why we can't provide you with a taste as well. Where there is white light there have to be many things that are colored other than red and orange.'
'But can I trust you?' rumbled the Red Dagon.
'I promise you,' Mamakitty replied, 'that when we find light that is neither red nor orange, I'll see to it that you are apprised of our find. And as any cat that has hunted in the Fasna Wyzel can tell you, I keep my promises. Ask the mice. One way or another, we will bring to your attention something that is not red or orange.' She hesitated. 'What would you like? Something green? Or perhaps blue, or yellow?'
'Green, blue—I cannot envision these wonders!' Resonant though it was, the Red Dagon's tone had turned wistful. 'What a joy that would be! What a welcome change of flavors!' Eyes of impenetrable crimson met her own. 'If you find them, call out to me, and in whatever kingdom of color you are residing, I will come.' The vast mouth started to gape. 'Now I will let you go, and hold you to your promise.'
'Hey, wait!' If it was going to let them go, Oskar thought frantically, then why was it about to swallow them? Cocoa was screaming, and a hissing Samm preparing to dive over the side as their boat slid beneath that stream- spanning upper lip to slip into the yawning maw.
Then he, and everyone else, was clinging to whatever they could reach as the Red Dagon, in a single violent expectoration, spat them toward the eastern shore.
Not only did the powerful spew beach their craft, it sent it careening right through the reeds that grew along the shore and up the sandy bank beyond. Extricating himself from beneath a cussing Cezer and a disheveled Mamakitty, Oskar struggled to his feet and looked back the way they had come. This was relatively easy, since a boatwide path had been mowed right through the line of reeds.
Out in the river, flattened red eyes had shifted to gaze over at him.
'Remember!' boomed the Red Dagon. 'Something of color!' With that reminder, the elongated orbs closed tightly, and their owner assumed once more the aspect of a dead, lifeless cave opening in the side of an inanimate mountain. Able to peer behind it from his new vantage point on the riverbank, Oskar saw that the imposing barrier folded gradually into hills that were higher still. No trace of the river escaped the yawning craw to flow over or around it.
'No wonder it wants to imbibe something new.' As he straightened his clothing, Taj gave a good approximation of his former self ruffling his feathers. 'With a thirst like that, anything different would taste good!'
'We must keep our word.' Somehow Mamakitty had managed to retain her dignity despite the tumble she had taken as a consequence of the powerful expectoration.
'In order to do that we have to keep going.' With an effortless leap, Oskar was up and over the side of the boat. The ground beneath his feet was sandy, but solid and supportive of his weight. Slowly, he rose from all fours. 'Notice the difference here?'
It was true. Everything was changed, even the air they breathed. Warm and moist, it was a definite improvement over the hot, dry air of the Kingdom of Red. The reeds, the palms and other vegetation, right down to the soil beneath their feet, had taken on a fruity orange cast. Whether the color change meant that the land they were about to cross was more hospitable than what they had left behind remained to be seen.
'I don't feel as combative,' a puzzled Cezer pointed out. 'Could that stem just from a change in the color of our surroundings?'
'I believe it can be so.' As they started up the grassy hillock and away from boat and river and talking mountain, Mamakitty took a moment to wax philosophical. 'Doesn't the presence of red always heighten your anger, or set your nerves on edge?'
'Not mine. Must be just getting away from that other kingdom.' Oskar lengthened his stride, anxious to reach the top of the hill. 'Color changes don't affect me much.'
'Very little affects you much,' Cocoa pointed out. 'I don't think I've ever seen you really upset, Oskar. That part of your personality hasn't changed with your new body.' She moved closer to him.
'Carpet dog.' Cezer was not pleased to see her walking so close to the other man. 'Doormat. Flea hotel.' They ignored him.
His irritation faded rapidly, dispelled by the lush attractiveness of their surroundings. It was as if by crossing the river they had entered into not merely another kingdom, but another world. In contrast to the dry and often desolate landscape of the Kingdom of Red, the Kingdom of Orange was lush with a kind of vegetation that was as new to them as it was attractive.
'I think this kind of forest is called
Soon they were all feasting on the bounty of the land through which they were trekking. Most selections had distinctive and stable flavors, but all were tasty. In fact, by the time evening arrived the only danger they faced was from upset stomachs due to overeating.
'I think I could live here.' Samm was lying on his back, huge hands behind his head, staring up through pale orange leaves at the deepening orange sky. 'Pleasant climate, food fairly falling off the foliage.'
Oskar regarded him with interest. 'You no longer feel the need to eat something alive and wriggling?'
The giant turned his head to look at the other man. 'Only occasionally. Strange, isn't it? Some of our tastes and former characteristics remain unchanged, while others have been altered to fit our new bodies and selves. I wonder if such was Master Evyndd's intention?'
'I doubt that we'll ever know. Unless he made plans to return from the dead.' Turning, Oskar sought a soft patch of ground on which to spend the night. Enormous leaves plucked from nearby plants provided suitable, if slightly damp, bedding.
Nearby, Cocoa contemplated the orange-white specks of the stars. 'While we're lying here safe and with full bellies I can't keep from thinking about the poor people on the other side of these kingdoms of light who must be suffering terribly under the hardships imposed by the Horde and the awful Khaxan Mundurucu.'
'I can.' With a soft snort, Cezer rolled over, turning his back to the others.
