'But I don't know the way! I have no light. I have to follow the rope back.'
'Definitely not!' She took her own magic lantern, a twin of the one Bink had found before, from the wall and grasped Bink's arm firmly. 'I know all the halls around here. I'll find him for you.'
Bink willingly suffered himself to be led. Even apart from the potion, he was discerning commendable traits in her. She was not one of the empty-headed nymphs like those associated with ocean foam or wild oats; she had a sense of purpose and fitness and decency. No doubt her responsible job of jewel-placing had matured her. Still, potion or not, he had no business with this creature! Once his friends were fed, he would have to leave her. He wondered how long it would take the potion to wear oft. Some spells were temporary, but others were lifelong.
They circled through intersecting passages. In a moment they came upon Chester, still waiting by the hole. 'Here we are!' Bink called.
Chester jumped so that all four hooves were off the floor. 'Bink!' he exclaimed as he landed. 'What happened? Who is that nymph?'
'Chester, this is Jewel. Jewel-Chester,' Bink introduced. 'I-' He hesitated.
'He drank a love potion,' Jewel said brightly.
The centaur made a motion as of tearing out two fistfuls of mane. 'The secret enemy strikes again!'
Bink hadn't thought of that. Of course that was the most reasonable explanation! His talent hadn't betrayed him, but it hadn't protected him from this non-physical threat either. Thus his enemy had scored.
How could he pursue the source of magic, when his heart was tied up here?
But his heart was also tied up back home, with Chameleon. That was part of the reason he was on this quest So-he had better just get on with it. 'If we can get back together with Crombie and the Magician, maybe Crombie can point out the location of the antidote,' Bink said.
'Where are your friends?' Jewel asked.
'They're in a bottle,' Bink explained. 'But we can communicate with them through a fragment of magic mirror. Here, I'll introduce you to them.' He fumbled in his pocket for the bit of glass.
His fingers found nothing. 'Oh, no-I've lost the fragment!' He turned the pocket inside out. There was a hole in it, where the sharp edge of glass had sawed its way out
'Well, we'll find them somehow,' Bink said numbly. 'We won't give up until we do.'
'That would seem best,' Chester agreed gravely. However, we'll have to take the nymph along with us.'
'Why?' Bink had mixed emotions.
'The object of the counterspell has to be present; that's the way these things work. You loved the first female you encountered after imbibing the potion; you must unlove her in the same fashion.'
'I can't come with you!' Jewel protested, though she looked at Chester as if wishing for a ride on his back. 'I have a lot of work to do!'
'How much will you get done if Bink stays here?' Chester inquired.
She threw up her hands in feminine exasperation.
'Come to my apartment, both of you. We'll discuss it later.'
Jewel's apartment was as attractive as herself. She had a cluster of caves completely carpeted; the carpet-moss ran across the floor, up over the walls, and across the ceiling without a break except for the round doors. It was extremely cozy. She had no chairs, table, or bed; it seemed she sat or lay down anywhere, anytime, in perfect comfort.
'We'll have to do something about those clothes,' she said to Bink.
Bink looked down at himself. His clothing had more or less dried on him, after its soaking in the vortex and lake; it glowed in uneven patches. 'But these are all I have,' he said regretfully.
'You can dry-clean them,' she said. 'Go into the lavatory and put them in the cleaner. It only takes a moment.'
Bink entered the room she indicated and closed the curtain. He located the cleaner: an ovenlike alcove through which a warm current of air passed over his tunic and shorts. He set them within this, then moved over to the basin where a rivulet of water ran through. Above it was a polished rock surface: a mirror. The vanity of the distaff always required a mirror!
Seeing himself reflected was a shock: he was more bedraggled than his clothes. His hair was tangled and plastered over his forehead, and he had a beard just at the ugly starting stage. Cave-dirt was smeared over portions of his face and body, from his crawl through the wall. He looked like a juvenile ogre. No wonder the nymph had been afraid of him at first!
He used the keen blade of his sword to shave his face, since there was no magic shaving brush here to brush his whiskers away conveniently. Then he rinsed and combed his hair. He found his clothing dry and clean and pressed: obviously more than hot air was at work. His torn sleeve had been neatly hemmed so that the absence of cloth looked intentional. He wondered if some magic dust circulated in these caves, augmenting the function of such things as dry cleaners. The nymph seemed to have many magical conveniences, and quite a comfortable life-style. It would not be hard to adapt to such a style-
He shook his head. That was the love potion speaking, not his common sense! He had to be on guard against rationalization. He did not belong down here, and he would have to leave when his mission was done, though he leave part of his heart behind.
Nevertheless, he dressed himself neatly, even giving his boots a turn at the cleaner. Too bad the Magician's bottle couldn't have washed ashore instead of his footwear!
When he emerged from the lavatory, Jewel looked him over with surprised admiration. 'You are a
