“Then spill it, friend,” Gramps said.
“And I fear it may not be worth Maria risking her life,” the Centaur continued.
“Now you say it,” Maria said.
“No matter. What’s done is done, friend. Now hold up your end of the bargain.” Gramps was looking impatient.
“Fine,” the Centaur said. “As you know, I’ve spent many moons here. This place has become a second home to me of sorts—especially since my own people look at me differently now that I’ve educated myself.”
Get on with it, Sherlock said.
And, as if the Centaur heard Sherlock, he did get on with it. “Not long ago, a Gnome was fired from the library for his drinking problem. When he would get drunk off that fine Elvish stuff, his tongue would loosen, and he would spill all kinds of secrets. His name is Gelbus.”
“So we find this Gnome?” Maria asked her grandfather.
He held up a hand as if to say, Let the Centaur finish.
“You probably won’t even have to get him drunk, for he is most always deep in his cups these days. Not to mention the animosity he feels for the Gnome order. It was a nasty dispute; they had to call an escort for him. He went kicking and screaming, swearing he’d get his revenge. That was just the alcohol talking, we all knew. Gelbus was a gentle Gnome—one of my favorites, in fact. He often looked the other way when he caught me reading deep in the stacks, where a Centaur shouldn’t have been. I do miss him.”
“That doesn’t sound too bad,” Maria said. “We find the Gnome, hope he’s drunk, and if he’s not, we just buy him a few rounds of—wait, what the hell do the people of Oriceran drink? Beer, vodka?”
“Ale and wine is Gelbus’s drink of choice,” the Centaur answered. “Get the little Gnome a pint, and he’ll be off his rocker for the better part of the night.”
Maria raised a hand toward the Centaur.
He only stared at it.
“What, they don’t high five here on Oriceran?” Maria said.
What kind of place is this? Sherlock added, padding over to Maria, sitting like a good dog and putting his paw out to showcase the classic Shake trick. Maria smiled at him and slapped his paw.
Yeah, that’s how it’s done, horse-freak!
“Why are you always so bitter?”
How I was raised.
“Oh, you take that back, Sherlock!”
In all seriousness, I really have to pee. I’m seeing yellow…
“Too much information.” Maria turned back to the Centaur. He was looking on with pure fascination.
“Perhaps I should visit Earth one of these days. You people seem so…interesting,” the Centaur said.
‘You people’? What the hell does he mean, ‘you people’? If I didn’t have to pee so badly, I would bite his horse nipples off! Put on a shirt, bro!
Maria lowered her voice, shaking her head. “Horse nipples…?”
What? They’re out there for everyone to see. We’re all thinking it, I’m just man enough to say it!
“Oh, boy,” Maria said. “Okay, let’s try this again.” Her hand came up, and this time the Centaur half-slapped her palm and half-gripped it. “Ah, well, good enough, I guess. But probably best if you stayed off Earth until the portals or whatever they are line up and open. Earthlings are not too fond of things they don’t understand. I mean, most countries don’t even get along even though they’re all the same race…the human race.”
“Well said, Maria,” Gramps said. “I’ve taught you well.”
Well, I still don’t like Gnomes, and I’m starting to not like Centaurs with their exposed nips and chiseled abs and horse bodies… Sherlock said.
“Jealousy doesn’t look good on you,” Maria said in a singsong voice.
Sherlock wrinkled his nose. It’s just not fair! They get the best of both worlds. Why can’t I be half-human, half-dog? I bet I’d get all the babes and still have an appetite for delicious dead squirrels and garbage.
“Yuck, careful what you wish for, pal.”
She could feel the conversation getting out of hand. The Centaur was studying Maria with utter fascination, while Gramps sat back and watched it all. A passing of the torch; that’s what it was. Maria knew. He was giving her the reins, the keys to the kingdom…unlike the keys to his Firebird. Ah, well, better than nothing. So it was time for Maria to rein everyone in. She had people to save—a whole village.
“Where can we find this Gelbus?” she asked.
Gramps gave a reassuring nod. She loved that old man, yet for some reason she wished he hadn’t come. When they were spotted by the Arachnids, and Tabby had almost had her head squeezed off, Gramps moved a bit slower than he had on Earth. Maybe it has something to do with the tides of the two moons, but I thought he’d be stronger, she thought. No, don’t worry about him—you can’t worry about him. You saw what he is capable of firsthand. He will be fine.
But the lingering feeling that he wouldn’t—that none of them would be protected on this great journey was ever-present.
Still, what was Maria to do? Give up?
Hell no.
That was not in her blood, not in her DNA. Ignatius Apple had taught her well, and she was a good student.
“This is where things get tricky,” the Centaur said. “The last I heard, Gelbus was somewhere not for the faint of heart.”
“Good thing we are not faint of heart. Our hearts are strong.” Maria frowned.
“I do not doubt that, Earthling, so I will tell you. Gelbus fled to Ves Ielan.”
Of course, the name meant nothing to Maria, but Gramps squirmed and went a few shades paler. If he had gone only one shade, Maria wouldn’t have noticed. Alas, he didn’t, so she had.
“Ves Ielan? What is that? Why is it so terrible?”
“I cannot say for sure,” the Centaur said. “For I would
