Shea relaxed. «Take off the false whiskers, Mr. Magician; we know you,» he said. The griffin began to dwindle and dissolve. Shea turned to Chalmers, who was struggling with a patently balky Gustavus. «Didn’t you say something about when away his regiment ran, his place was in the fore, oh —»
«I couldn’t control this confounded beast. And it’s
«I do right well,» said the man. «What do you two here? Eh? Seek trouble? You’ve come to the right market.»
Shea grinned. «In a way I suppose we are, if you call yourself trouble.»
«Ho, you seek my professional service! I warn you I handle no minor matters, like turning cows sour or the manufacture of love philters. That’s witch-wife work. I’m a master magician.»
«Then we’re delighted —»
«Ahem,» said Chalmers. «Excuse me, Harold. I should like to explain to the gentleman that our interest is professional, looking to an exchange of information that might he mutually profitable.»
«Ho!» cried the enchanter. «You two claim to be magicians? How do I know you speak sooth? Tell me that, eh?»
«Well. uh —»
«Work a spell for him, Doc,» said Shea.
«Oh, dear me. I don’t suppose he’d be satisfied with more mice — or cats. All I can think of now is one I prepared for conjuring up a dragon.»
«What the hell, that’s fine! Go ahead with your dragon!» The magician’s ears caught the last word. «Dragon? D’you think you can really produce a dragon? Let’s See you do it!»
«But won’t it be. uh. dangerous?» This was Chalmers.
«Have no fear. I’ll get a counterspell ready. Dolon protects you.
«Show him, Doc.»
Chalmers, with a look of baffled and apprehensive resignation, began to make a list of the properties needed. A small red salamander was discovered under a stone. Most of the other things they had already, but a snapdragon plant was called for, and there was none in sight. «Conjure one up,» said Shea, coolly. The harassed psychologist looked annoyed. But, with the aid of a roadside weed, he produced a snapdragon plant the size of a tree.
Chalmers laid out his properties, lit a fire with flint and steel, and began an incantation:
«By Fafnir and Hydra,
Apophis and Yang:
With the length of Nidhoggr,
Tiбmat’s sharp fang,
The shape of the lizard,
The strength of the bear,
Thou, scaled like the serpent.
Emerge from your lair!
Steed of Triptolemus.
Beowulf’s bane.
Symbol of Uther.
And bringer of rain —»
Shea prudently hitched the animals’ reins around a tree. If the dragon turned out to be winged and hungry — He wished that his damned reckless impulsiveness had not made him force Chalmers’ hand. If
The head had a scaly neck behind it. Then came a foreleg and another. The dragon seemed to be crawling from nothingness through an orifice somewhere in the smoke, ballooning our as it came. There it was, complete to stinger-tipped tail, gazing at them with yellow cat’s eyes.
Shea breathed, not daring to attract its attention by a movement: «If it starts for us, Doc, you get on Gustavus and I’ll let go the reins.»
Dolon’s face was twisting as though he had swallowed too big a mouthful. The dragon lurched a few steps, not towards them but off at right angles, opened its terrible mouth, gave a whistling «
«God bless my soul!» said Chalmers.
«He’d better,» replied Shea, «Look!»
* * *
A second draconian head was pushed through the smoke. This one was squirted out in a few seconds. It looked at the three men, then wandered over to a clump of bright-coloured flowers, sniffed, and began to eat them. Now a third and a fourth head were already in sight. As fast as the dragons were extruded, more followed them. The field down to the very confines of the trees was crowded with them, new arrivals butting the others to make room or scratching their sides on trees. Shea was counting: «Thirty-three, thirty-four — We better untie the animals and move or we’ll get stepped on. Thirty-six, thirty-seven —»
«Dear me,» remarked Chalmers, fingering his chin, as they backed among the trees. «I rather feared this. The same thing happened with the mice.»
«Fifty-two, fifty-three —» Shea continued. «My God, the country will be overrun with them!»
Dragons had overflowed the field and were lurching through the trees with their ungainly gait, munching everything green in sight, and mooing at each other with the same plaintive beeping sound. «Ninety-eight, ninety- nine, one hundred. Oh, boy!»
The fire suddenly died, and the cascade of vegetarian dragons ceased. «My God!» said Shea in an awe- struck voice. «One hundred reptilian Ferdinands!»
Dolon’s voice was that of a man shaken to the core. «Forsooth, you do things not by halves. Though I mind me I once succeeded with a bushel measure full of pearls.» Dolon snapped his fingers. «By Ahriman’s toe nails, are you not those who even now bested the Blatant Beast?»
«That’s us,» said Shea. «How did you hear about it?»
«The Beast passed me a few hours ago, and warned me of a prow company. He said he demanded a trifle of poesy, as is his custom, and you gave him a lay full of such — ah — spice that even he durst not repeat it for shame. The like had never before happened to him, and he seemed much downcast thereby. But was there not another of you? The Beast mentioned three.»
Chalmers cleared his throat, but Shea quickly answered: «No; he’s got us mixed up with another bunch.»
«’Tis a thing conceivable; the Beast is in sooth of the lower orders, and cannot count beyond two.» Dolon shook a finger and said with a slight leer: «Now about these dragons: Tell me, fellow magicians, was’t not by error you got eaters of grass? Eh? No secrets in the trade!»
«Ahem. No use taking unnecessary risks,» said Chalmers, still looking a trifle wall-eyed.
«Doubtless,» remarked Dolon with a glance that Shea just barely saw, «you can exorcise them as rapidly.»
«We could,» said Shea, before his companion had a chance to answer. «For the dragon-disappearing spell, though, we need an aneroid comptometer, and we lost ours. Do you have one with you?»
«An. ah, certes, an ameroid combompeter. Nay, I fear me not so. Last spring came a black frost that killed all the plants on which ameroid combompeters grow.» He spread his hands regretfully. «However, meseems these dragons will in the long run be a benefit, making rare good sport and food for our friends and servants, the Losels. And now, Sir Magicians whom I have not seen, explain your purpose in Loselwood.»
Chalmers spoke. «Uh. we’re looking for a lady named Florimel, and were advised we might find her here. Do you know the young person?»
Dolon chuckled. «The real Florimel or the false?»
