The Stranger

When I came back to the living room, Lonli-Lokli gazed at me in almost suspicious admiration.

“Your talents truly are inexhaustible,” he declared solemnly.

“Oh, no, they’re limited, believe me. I don’t know how to sing, to fly, or bake Chakkatta Pie. Let’s go get some breakfast, Shurf. Good gracious, it’s nice not to have to count every penny.”

We breakfasted at the Old Table, where we had been the day before. The dyed- in-the-wool conservative who told me to leave well enough alone had gained the upper hand in me. The hospitable tavern-mistress recognized us, which was gratifying in itself. But my appetite was roaming around elsewhere and promised to catch me later. On the other hand, Lonli-Lokli ate for two people. This touched me. I felt like a concerned father and sole breadwinner. A strange feeling.

“What about the second?” Shurf asked suddenly, still chewing his food.

“The second what?” I have to admit, I had clean forgotten.

“This morning you said there were two pieces of good news. That we were rich was the first. What was the second? Or is it—”

“A secret? No, Shurf, this news is especially for you. A bit of work for your capable hands, after which we can split this crazy town in good conscience. You see, a certain Sir Kiba Attsax is wandering around Kettari, if I’m not mistaken about his name.”

“You’re not mistaken.”

“Well, it’s excellent that his name is familiar to you. As I understand it, things in Kettari are just fine and dandy—but the presence of this gentleman changes the picture somewhat.”

“I understand,” Lonli-Lokli said somberly. “Everything in Kettari is just hunky-dory. I’m glad you’re so certain about that.”

“Shurf,” I said gently. “Take my word for it. Things are fine in Kettari. Something very strange did happen here—but it’s most likely a good thing. I like it, I must say. And Juffin will, too, as far as I can foresee. But this gentleman must be stopped dead. His presence may destroy everything. What, did I spoil your appetite, Shurf?”

“No, it has nothing to do with you. You know that the person whose name you just mentioned died quite a long time ago?”

“I know. That seems to make matters even worse.”

“It certainly does. It’s always harder to come to grips with a dead Magician than a living one. What else do you know, Max?”

“That’s all.” I shrugged. “I thought you would know how to find him and all that.”

“Finding him won’t be hard. I’m curious about what you know about Kiba Attsax.”

“Nothing. Only that he’s a dead Magician, and he somehow poses a threat to Kettari. Or intends to. I didn’t quite understand. Oh yes, of course! He’s an ‘unjustly killed Grand Magician.’ Strange way of putting it, isn’t it?”

“Why strange? That’s the way it was. When I killed him I didn’t know how it was done. Moreover, I didn’t realize I was killing him.”

“You killed him?” I finally began to understand. “He wasn’t by any chance the original owner of your gloves?”

“The left one, to be exact. The owner of the right one is one of the junior Magicians of the Order of the Icy Hand. I would have far less trouble with him.”

I was starting to feel very uneasy. “Listen, Shurf, I remember your story very well. But it would never have occurred to me that . . . I suppose it’s not absolutely necessary to deal with this fellow. Let him—”

“You don’t understand, Max,” Lonli-Lokli cut me off gently but firmly. “I’m not afraid of an encounter with him. It’s more like I can’t believe my luck.”

“Your ‘luck’? I don’t understand a thing, I guess.”

“Of course it’s a rare opportunity. To meet Kiba Attsax, not in my sleep, when I’m quite vulnerable, but wide awake, when I can do battle with him. I think you can understand how lucky I am.”

“Judging by the expression on your face, I wouldn’t have thought it,” I murmured.

“That’s natural. I have to consider the situation that has come about, and try to understand how I should behave. You see, Max, it’s not every day that a person is given the chance to relieve himself of such a heavy burden. And I can’t allow myself to make any mistakes, so I think I need to begin to act right away.”

“We,” I said. “I’m a third-rate fighter, Shurf, and not a very good sorcerer. Maybe I’m just good at the card table. Or when I spit poison—that I know how to do. But I’m very curious. Do you think I’d be satisfied with a short synopsis of this Battle of the Titans? No offense, Shurf, but your oratorical style is quite laconic. Besides, I’m lucky here in Kettari. So you can take me with you as your talisman.”

“Very well,” Lonli-Lokli said with an air of indifference. “Maybe your luck will be far more useful than my skill. Besides, I have to obey you.”

“Oh, I forgot!” I burst out laughing. “Instruction number one: act like you don’t notice anything.”

Lonli-Lokli looked at me in surprise. I took my next-to-last cigarette out of my pocket. Sir Maba Kalox could have been a bit more generous; I deserved a few packs of cigarettes, at least. I don’t have time to hang over that blasted pillow all the time. I’m out there creating Worlds, or playing cards. I laughed, and lit up.

“Max, don’t you think that’s too much?” Lonli-Lokli asked sternly.

“No,” I replied. “I’ll explain later if you want me to. For the time being, just do my bidding, since I’m the big boss. By the way, instruction number two: banish from you head all this nonsense about doing my bidding. I’d never advise anything very sensible anyway. Eat, Sir Shurf. Nothing’s worth a spoiled appetite.”

“That pearl of wisdom could have dropped from the lips of the ancients,” Lonli-Lokli said placidly.

I looked at him out of the corner of my eye—could he have learned how to joke? No, I was hallucinating. My nerves had always been unreliable.

“Well, let’s go look for your friend,” I suggested when Shurf’s plate was finally emptied. “By the way, how will we do it? Can you pick up his trail?”

“Sometimes you say the oddest things, Max,” Lonli-Lokli said. “How, I wonder, can you pick up the trail of a dead man?”

“Me? I never intended to pick up his trail at all. It’s not my department. Do I look like Melamori?”

“You’re wrong there. You can do it; you just have to try. But it’s not the proper topic of discussion now.”

“What do you mean ‘not the proper topic of discussion’?” I said indignantly. “It wouldn’t ever have occurred to me that I could do anything like that. Will you teach me how to pick up a scent, Shurf?”

“Sir Juffin gave no orders. He’s not sure of the consequences, and I’m not the one to decide something like this. You can ask him yourself when we get back.”

I sighed again. It seemed that in this crazy world everyone was fully briefed about my hidden talents but me.

“Fine, Shurf. What a bunch of conspirators you all are. How are we going to sniff out this dead granddad of a Magician? Do we look for the smell of carrion, or—”

“Don’t be foolish,” Lonli-Lokli said coldly. “We’re going home.”

“Home?”

“Of course. I need my gloves.”

“Oh, right. See what an idiot I am? Then what?”

“Then it’s very simple. Simpler than simple,” Lonli-Lokli said. “But you probably don’t understand. Now I need the left glove, but not so I can do battle with him. It would never harm its owner; rather the contrary. But it will make finding him very easy.”

“Wait,” I said, growing alarmed. “How do you intend to fight him without—”

“We’ll see,” Lonli-Lokli said with a shrug. “I hope you don’t believe that I can’t do anything without gloves?”

“Of course I don’t think that, but . . . Well, it would be better if they were on our side, your ‘mitts with a mind of their own,’ that’s for sure.”

“Of course it would be better,” said Shurf. “Let’s go, Max. I’ll need some time to get ready, and I’d very much like to meet up with Kiba before the moon rises.”