'Well, let's hope the fiends are kind to travelers,' Bink said. There were no bubbles as he spoke; the pill had fully acclimatized him.
'Let's hope the Magician's mirror knew its business,' the centaur responded grimly. 'And that the fiends don't connect the fool griffin with us, if they saw him.'
They marched up to the main gate. A behemoth rose out of the muck, mostly mouth.
'Hooold!' the behemoth bellowed. 'Whoo goooes there?' It was very proficient and resonant on the long O's; the sound reverberated across the reaches of the cavernous maw.
'Chester and Bink, travelers,' Bink said with some trepidation. 'We'd like lodging for the night.'
'Soooo?' the monster inquired. 'Then goooo!' Its month gaped even more horrendously.
'Go?' the centaur repeated aggressively. 'We just came!'
'Soo gooo!' the behemoth reverberated, its orifice gaping so widely that the centaur could have ridden right into it without ducking his head.
Chester reached for his sword. 'Uh, hooold-I mean hold,' Bink murmured. 'I remember-the gargoyle-I think it means to go inside. Inside the mouth.'
The centaur peered into the monster's tunnel-like throat. 'Damned if I'll cooperate in my own consumption!'
'But that's the entrance to the castle!' Bink explained. 'The behemoth itself.'
Chester stared. 'Well I'll be gelded!' And without further hesitation he galloped in.
Sure enough, the throat continued on into the castle. Lights appeared at the end of the tunnel, and soon they emerged into a palatial receiving hall. Intricately woven tapestries covered the walls, and the floor was done in fancy wooden squares.
A handsome, almost pretty young man walked up to greet them. He had ornate curls about his ears and a neat mustache. His costume was a princely robe embroidered with brightly colored threads, and he wore soft slippers with pointed toes. 'Welcome to Gateway Castle,' he said. 'May I inquire your identities and the purpose of this visit?'
'You may,' Chester said.
There was a pause. 'Well?' the man said, a bit nettled.
'Well, why don't you inquire?' Chester said. 'I gave you permission.'
Small muscles quirked about the man's mouth, making him less pretty. 'I so inquire.'
'I am Chester Centaur, and this is my companion Bink. He's human.'
'So I noted. And your purpose?'
'We seek the source of magic,' Bink said.
'You have lost your way. It is at the amazon village, some distance north. But the direct route is hazardous to your sanity.'
'We have been there,' Bink said. 'That is not the ultimate source, but merely the upwelling of magic dust. What we seek lies below. According to our information, a more convenient route passes through this castle.'
The man almost smiled. 'Oh, you would not care for that route!'
'Try us and see.'
'This is beyond my cognizance. You will have to talk with the lord of the manor.'
'Good enough,' Bink said. He wondered what sort of a fiend this lord would be, who had such a docile human servant.
'If you would be good enough to come this way.'
'We're good enough,' Chester said.
'But first we must do something about your hooves. The floor is teak parquet; we do not wish it scratched or dented.'
'Why put it on the floor, then?' Chester demanded.
'We do not apply it to the floor of our stable,' the man said. He produced several disks of felt pads 'Apply these to your hooves; they will adhere, and muffle the impact.'
'How about wearing one of these on your mouth?' Chester demanded.
'It's a small concession,' Bink murmured. Chester's hooves were sound, since the healing elixir had eliminated all damage to the centaur's hind end, but they were hard enough to leave an imprint. 'Humor the poor man. The fiends are probably very strict about such things, and punish their servants for violations.'
With imperfect grace, Chester pressed his hooves one at a time onto the felt disks. The material clung to them, and it made the centaur's footfalls silent.
They moved through an elegant hall, descended carpeted steps, and entered a small chamber. There was barely room for Chester to stand. 'If this is your main hall-' he began.
The man touched a button. The door slid closed. Then, abruptly, the room moved.
Bink flung out his hands, startled, and Chester kicked a hole in the rear wall.
'Easy, visitors,' the man said with a small frown. 'Haven't you ridden an elevator before? It is inanimate magic, a chamber that rises or sinks when occupied. Saves wear on stairs.'
