remarkable piece of work. Nobody can get in or out while it's up, not even a dragon-remember, Morwen?-and they're the only people who can take it down.'
'Not quite,' Morwen said. 'Mendanbar's sword got rid of the last one we fell into.'
'Mnmm, yes. Cimorene, how well can you use that sword?'
'I can't use it at all really, the way you mean,' Cimorene replied.
'From what Mendanbar said, the sword has to… to agree to work for you somehow before you can use it for magic, and it'll only do that for the Kings of the Enchanted Forest and their direct descendants. I'm a member of the family, so it will let me hold it as a sort of courtesy, but I'm not a direct descendant of any of the Kings of the Enchanted Forest, so I can't use its magic.'
'Blast. It's probably got a selectivity module in the central linkage generator, and if it's braided to the spell core…' Telemain's voice trailed off into muttering.
Morwen frowned. The last time they had encountered the Society of Wizards' shield spell, the wizards had been using it to hold Kazul prisoner.
And if she remembered correctly… She caught Trouble's eye and motioned to him. Tilting his head, Trouble considered for a moment.
Then he jumped down from Kazul's back and sauntered over.
'What is it?'
'Do you think you could get inside the shield spell around the castle?'
Morwen asked in a low voice. If the answer was no, she didn't want Cimorene getting her hopes up.
'I don't see why not,' Trouble said. 'Jasper did it last time, and I'm as good at that sort of thing as he is.'
Morwen didn't bother to ask what sort of thing he was talking about.
If it was a cat sort of thing, as was likely, Trouble wouldn't explain anyway, and questioning him might make him refuse to help at all. 'I'd like you to go inside and see if you can find out what's happened to Mendanbar.'
Trouble's ears pricked up in interest. 'Sounds amusing,' he said in a tone that tried to be casual and failed. 'I'll do it.'
As he walked off toward the castle, Morwen hid a smile. Now that he'd realized he could get inside, it would take more than wizards to keep him from satisfying his curiosity. She turned her attention back to the main conversation as Amory said, '... doing very well when we got here.'
Kazul snorted. 'You're being generous. We weren't doing well at all.'
She looked at Cimorene. 'It's hard to fight when you're having an allergy attack, and with all those wizards' staffs in one place every dragon for miles was sneezing so hard they could barely see straight.'
'I understand perfectly,' Cimorene said. 'And thank you both for trying.'
Kazul must have heard something in her tone that everyone else missed, because she lowered her head almost to the ground so she could look at Cimorene eye to eye and said, 'It will be all right, Cimorene. If he's not dead-and if Morwen says we'd know, then we'd know-then he's probably perfectly all right. All we have to do is get him out of the castle.'
'And how are we going to do that?' Cimorene said crossly. 'The sword is the only thing that can get rid of that shield, and he's the only one who can use the sword.'
'We'll think of something,' Kazul said.
'In the meantime, what are you going to do about him? 'Brandel asked with a dark look in Vamist's direction.
'If he's a wizard, I'm sure I can find someone to eat him once you're finished with him,' Kazul offered. 'Everyone can't be full yet.'
Vamist turned white, making the cat scratches on his head look even redder. 'You can't do this to me!'
'Why not?' Morwen said. 'It's traditional for dragons to eat people, isn't it?'
'Princesses!' Vamist said in the tones of someone grasping desperately for a straw. 'It's traditional for dragons to eat princesses, not people.'
Cimorene frowned. 'Princesses are people. Some of them aren't very sensible, but they're still people.'
'And anyway, dragons don't eat princesses,' Kazul said. 'We never have. I don't know how that silly story ever got started.'
'I'm afraid you're mistaken, madam,' Vamist said. 'Rathenmor Quil-len says quite clearly in his Observations of Magical Beasts that-' 'Rathenmor Quillen was an idiot,' Kazul said. 'And so, it seems, are you!'
'Got it in one,' said Scorn. 'He's as dumb as that rabbit.'
'I'm not dumb,' said Killer. 'I'm hungry. I just thought I'd mention it, in case you'd forgotten.'
'Rathenmor Quillen, an idiot?' Vamist's outrage got the better of both his terror and his good sense, and he drew himself up stiffly and glared at Kazul. 'How dare you say such a thing about the greatest scholar of the past two hundred years! Who do you think you are?'
'I say it because it's true.' Kazul smiled, starting slowly and letting the corners of her mouth draw back farther and farther until all of her sharp, shiny silver teeth were exposed in a fierce grin.
'And I'm the King of the Dragons.'
'Ah, er-oh, ah-' said Vamist, deflating abruptly.
'Cimorene, when you're finished with this fellow, whoever he is, I believe I'd like to see how he tastes,' Kazul went on. 'Unless you want to save him for later, of course.'
'I don't know,' said Cimorene. 'He's certainly caused a lot of trouble, but I'm not sure he deserves to be eaten.'
'He hasn't got any manners,' Kazul said. 'That's enough for me. And I could do with some dessert.'
'Could you stop talking about food?' Killer said plaintively.
'So if you haven't got any better ideas…' Kazul said.
Morwen smiled suddenly. 'I think perhaps I have one that's more . . . appropriate. If you'll forgo your dessert, Kazul, I'd like to-' 'what dessert?' asked Trouble, strolling into the center of the group.
'I thought all the wizards were gone. Oh, and does anyone want to know what I found in the castle, or are you busy with other things right now?'
21
In Which Nobody Is Satisfied
No one except Morwen and the other animals-Killer, Kazul, Scorn, and Horatio-understood what Trouble had asked, but everyone, even Vamist, could tell by their reactions that it was important.
'All right, hotshot, what did you find in the castle?' asked Scorn, switching her tail in annoyance at having to admit to so much curiosity in public.
'One moment, please,' Morwen said. Quickly, she explained to Cimorene, Telemain, Brandel, and Amory where Trouble had been and what he had just said. Cimorene bit her lip, glanced at Vamist, and turned to Willin. 'Willin, can you keep this fellow under control and out of the way? He was working with the wizards, and I don't think he should hear this.'
'He may have some insight to offer, Your Majesty,' said the elf.
'However, if you wish it, I will do my best.'
'I'll get his insights later,' Cimorene said grimly. 'Get him out of here.'
'I'll help,' Amory offered.
'Me, too,' said Brandel. 'I'd be quite happy to help, in fact.'
Vamist looked at the two fire-witches, who were eyeing him the same way Murgatroyd and Chaos tended to eye a particularly plump mouse, and blanched.
'Thank you,' Cimorene said to Brandel. 'Just leave enough of him for me to get some answers out of
