‘This is really going to embarrass Rob when I finally catchhim.’ he thought to himself as he remembered some of the good timesthey had spent together when he was Rob’s tutor and Rob was veryyoung.
Eventually theinn’s patrons got tired or drunk and headed off for some rest. Whenthere was nobody left to listen or talk to, Chantalot grabbed hislute and staggered off to his room on the second story, the barkeeper had already closed the bar and went to the kitchen for asnack. Helix flew across the room and landed on the back of thebard for a free ride up to his room. His intention was to read themind of the bard after he went to sleep to find out where he hadlearnt the song and if he knew where Aquitain might be found.
After the bardentered the room Helix flew off his back onto the wall and hidbehind a curtain. The bard threw off his jacket and fell onto hisbunk to sleep without worrying to turn off the lantern. Momentslater there was a knock on the door.
‘Who is it?’ said Chantalot.
‘Quab.’ said the voice.
The bard got upand opened the door.
‘What’s up?’ he said.
‘I think you’ve got that dangerous cockroach that attacked youin here.’ he whispered. ’One of the maids saw a cockroach on yourback as you came up the stairs.’
‘Go to bed Quab. I’m too tired for one of your jokes. Whywould a cockroach follow me in here? To listen to my music or makelove to me perhaps.’
‘No, I’m serious.’ he said pushing past him into the room witha bug net in his hands.
Helix lookedaround the edge of the curtain and realized that the bard must havebeen the person he tossed into the hedge and being the Head of theGuard the bard must have reported it to others who had beensearching for him while Chantalot was playing the music.
‘Go to bed Quab, it’s too late for bug hunting.’ said Helixusing a suggestion but Quab already had his mental defencesactive.
‘Did you hear that, it’s in here somewhere.’ said Quab lookingall around the room.
‘What’s in here?’ said Chantalot. ‘I didn’t hearanything.’
Quab used apower to control insects but it didn’t seem to work.
‘It’s the cockroach. It’s playing games with us. It’spotentially dangerous. It’s could be a spy in disguise or worse.’said Quab.
‘This is ridiculous Quab. Are you feeling allright?’
The bug netsuddenly flashed up over Quab’s head catching him in it and hefroze rigid. The bug net was a Net of Immobility, anything caughtin it was paralysed for easy handling.
‘Ha. Looks like you’ve caught yourself.’ said Helix to Quabusing mindspeak to him again.
‘I thought all the Lady’s creatures were sacred todruids.’
Into the roomstepped an old wizard wearing very ordinary clothes.
‘Okay. You’ve had your fun. Show yourself.’ said Featherdownlifting the net off Quab’s head.
‘Who are you?’ asked Helix using mindspeak.
‘See.’ said Quab. ‘I’m not imaging it. It’s in heresomewhere.’
‘I’m Featherdown, Archmage of Mudrun and who areyou?’
Helix movedaround to the front of the window curtain.
‘Ah at last! I’m Helix, of many worlds. I’m here on behalf ofSol Theolaur to find out what’s happened to some of his family whoseem to be missing.’
‘What are you doing in my room.’ asked Chantalot suddenlywide-awake.
‘I was going to crawl into your brain through you ear and readyour mind to find out what you know about Aquitain.’ saidHelix.
‘By the way I enjoyed that song did you composeit?’
‘Thank you, I did.’ said Chantalot then suddenly looked atFeatherdown and said
‘He can’t do that can he? I mean crawl into mybrain.’
‘Quite possibly.’ said Featherdown.
‘But more likely in a metaphorical sense rather than whatyou’re thinking.’
‘How about we all go over to my tower for a hot cup of tea anddiscuss the situation.’ said Featherdown.
‘Good idea, but you better take down that insect screen ofyours or I’ll not get in.’ said Helix.
‘Oh. Of course! My apologies. It’s the tropical climate here.I kept getting multitudes of insects and spiders invading my tower.In the end I put up the screen but it has caused a few problems.We’ve also got a plague of cockroaches in the town at themoment.’
Helix flew ontoQuab’s shoulder to be teleported to the tower and Chantalotsnatched the net out of Quab’s hand and flashed the net overHelix.
‘Gotcha!’ he yelled.
‘Chantalot let him go.’ said Featherdown.
‘He’s a friend.’
‘No. Not until I get an apology for throwing me in the hedge.’he said.
Suddenly thenet flew over Chantalot’s head paralysing him.
‘My you are a stubborn bard aren’t you? Perhaps you shouldremember that a Net of Immobility paralyses your body not yourmind. I’m prepared to offer an apology for throwing you into thehedge if you apologize for stamping on me.’
Featherdownremoved the bug net from Chantalot’s head.
‘NO. I won’t apologize to a cockroach.’ shoutedChantalot.
‘Suit yourself.’ said Helix.
‘But just for the record, I’m not a cockroach I’m a Travellerbug.’
Quab laughed.‘I think you two could be a real hit as a new show in the inn.’
‘Settle down Chantalot.’ said Featherdown beginning to enjoythe situation. He hadn’t seen Chantalot so agitated about anythingin years. It could be good for a laugh in the future and theyteleported to the entertaining room in the tower.
Chantalot andQuab sat on one lounge and Helix sat on another opposite them andseparated by a small glass topped wooden table covered with scrollswhile Featherdown went to make a pot of tea. Several minutes laterhe returned poured out a cup for each of them and a small thimblefor Helix. As they picked up their cups Featherdown cast a word ofstunning on Helix.
‘Now Helix or whatever your name is I would like a fewanswers.’
There was asurge of magic and Chantalot, Quab and Archmage Featherdown wereturned into cockroaches. Helix was turned into a Newman.
‘Now that was very silly Featherdown. Why is it that Newmansare so down on cockroaches?’ he said.
‘What have they ever done to you?’
He carefullypicked up Chantalot, Quab and Featherdown and placed themside-by-side on the floor.
‘Now a lesson for apprentice cockroaches, it is not nice to besquashed!’ then he crushed them under
