Miranda screamed andpunched him in the shoulder.
‘Stop it. This is whatI hate about you. You’re so bloody frustrating. Tell me what shesaid!’
‘Oh, what’s this, atemper tantrum from the princess?’ said Aquitain.
‘You’re playing withfire, bear! Be very careful!’ she warned in a very aggressive toneof voice.
Aquitain knew that hehad gone far enough. Anymore and she’d explode.
‘Well, she did say somethings about your chastity tattoo. It seems that the Lady has putthree conditions on its removal.’
‘And what are they?’she asked, hardly daring to breathe.
‘Firstly, the personthat lifts the tattoo must overcome your mother in a mind battle,and I have managed to do that.’
‘Secondly the personmust be of the same blood. And the third is perhaps too dangerousfor you to know at the moment.’
‘What do you mean toodangerous for me to know!’ she exploded. ‘If you know, whyshouldn’t I know?’
‘For the same reasonyour mother wouldn’t tell you. It could damage your relationshipwith her, and I don’t want that. Even now I’m guessing that she haslocked you out of the gateway to your home.’
‘What? You’re joking,she would never do that!’ But just to convince herself she wentinto the cave under the waterfall and tried to open the gateway tofind it no longer opened for her. She walked out of the cave withtears in her eyes.
‘I can’t believe itshe’s locked me out and the Crin locked me out as well. It’s allyour fault! I’m homeless, all because of you. The Cat Mother wasright – you are an Agent of Chaos,’ she said tearfully.
‘I’m sorry Mandy. Inever wanted any of this to happen. I still don’t feel like anAgent of Chaos. All I ever try to do is the right thing. It’s justthat my right thing seems to affect everyone around me. I didn’tput the conditions on your chastity belt. I just found out whatthey were for you. If you want I’ll leave,’ he said sadly.
‘No,’ she said, andhugged him around the neck.
‘Don’t leave. You’reright. You haven’t caused any of these problems. Other people haveand I’m beginning to think what you said about the gods using us todo things might well be right. It couldn’t be much plainer. If theLady put that cursed tattoo on me it’s for a reason that I don’tyet understand, and now I’m homeless like you. It looks like it’syou and me now. That is, if you want me to come with you.’
‘Of course I do Mandy.You’re the best friend I have in this world, and I owe you my life.Besides we’ve got to give the cat people their treasures back, andfind both of our fathers yet. How can I do that without yourhelp?’
‘You’re right Tain,let’s see what the gods have got in store for us; and if they wantus to sow chaos then chaos they will have. The cat people liveabout twenty leagues to the north of us. If I flew there, is thereany way that you could teleport to me? That would save us a longwalk,’ suggested Miranda.
‘Now you’re starting tothink like a wizard, Mandy. Never walk when you can teleport. Ifyou fly there with Alpha I can use it as a teleport marker andteleport there. However, I’ll have to borrow your teleport ring, asthe assassin took mine, as well as everything else. That was a bigmistake. I know all those power crystals that he took since I madethem, and I suspect that the air elemental orb was unique as well.If we find those items we find my assassin, and I guarantee hewon’t get a second chance to kill me.’
‘There is also theproblem of when I should teleport. If you are still flying I willappear beside you and drop like a stone. That would end my brieflife as a flying bear.’
‘Tain, do you trustme?’ she said with glee.
‘I have already trustedyou with my life; what else is there to give?’
She remembered that shehad said the exact same thing to him just before he had showed herhow to protect her mind from domination. He really was in a playfulmood today. If only they could celebrate the way she wanted, thenit would make a perfect day.
‘About a quarter of anhour’s walk from here is a lookout where you can see for leaguesacross the jungle. From there you can see the smoke from thecampfires of the little people. They have a way of making colouredsmoke. If I ask them to make some coloured smoke after I arrivethen you can safely teleport.’
‘That’s very cleverMandy, that should work well, as long as they do it beforedark.’
‘Tain, where is thedimension bag with all our gear in it?’
‘Oh, that. I buried itjust around the corner to this gully. I suppose it would be a goodidea to find it again, since we’ll need to take the mask and clubwith us.’
‘Why is it that I haveto do all the thinking around here?’ asked Miranda.
‘I don’t know Mandy.I’m only a bear,’ he said and Miranda smiled and thought ‘Yes youare. You’re my lovely, cuddly, big bear.’
**
Belloe sat on an old,three-legged stool at a small round table opposite Chantalot thebard and a formidable looking woman aged about twenty years. Hetook another mouthful of beer from the chipped ceramic tavern mugand tried to work her out. She was taller than average, hadjet-black hair, cut in the style of a man, a purple tattoo on herface, soft green eyes, lightly tanned skin, and wore atight-fitting black leather outfit that accentuated her athleticbuild. Her strange accent confirmed her immediately as a foreigner,but from where he couldn’t guess. She wore knee high black leatherboots with daggers sheathed in the sides, and wore a necklace madeof several small, uncut common gemstones. They all appeared to glowdimly with an internal light.
‘Well, are you going totake me or not?’ Zephira asked sharply. She wanted Belloe and hismen to take her and Chantalot on an expedition to the mistymountains, to search for magic beasts and rare herbs. She had saidthat she was collecting magic ingredients for a wizard up north,and needed a guide and assistance while
