ago. You are very clever in the clutch, Bink.'
'Forget the flattery! Why was Grundy helping me?'
'The coral told me to,' the golem answered.
'It doesn't make sense for the coral to fight itself! If you'd fought on Crombie's side, he might have beaten me!'
'And he might still have lost,' Humfrey said. 'The coral, too, had seriously underestimated you, Bink. It thought that once it canceled out your talent-which remains horribly strong and devious, forcing constant attention-you could readily be overcome by physical means. Instead you fought with increasing savagery and skill as the pressure mounted. What had seemed a near-certainty became dubious. Thus the chance of the coral prevailing by force diminished, while the chance of prevailing by reason increased.'
'Reason!' Bink exclaimed incredulously.
'Accordingly, the coral delegated the golem to be your Mend-the coral's agent in your camp. Then if you won the physical battle, and I were dead, you would be prepared to listen to this friend.'
'Well, I'm not prepared,' Bink said. 'I never trusted Grundy's change of sides, and would have thrown him back into the lake the moment he betrayed me. At the moment I have more important business. Find the vial containing the healing elixir. I know that has not yet been opened.'
The Magician squatted, picking through the remaining vials. 'This one.'
'Jewel!' Bink snapped.
Timidly the nymph stepped toward him. 'I'm afraid of you when you're like this, Bink.'
And she had been afraid during the battle. He could have used her help when the evil eye was stalking him, instead of having to rely on the extremely questionable aid of the golem. She was an all-too-typical nymph in this respect, incapable of decisive action in a crisis. Chameleon had been otherwise, even in her stupidest phase; she had acted to save him from harm, even sacrificing herself. He loved them both-but he would stay with Chameleon.
'Take this vial and sprinkle a drop on the griffin,' he directed her.
She was startled. 'But-'
'Crombie may be controlled by the enemy, and because of that he did a horrible thing, but he is my friend. I'm going to cure him, and have the Magician put him back in the bottle, along with himself, until this is over.'
'Oh.' She took the vial and headed for the broken griffin. Bink nudged the Magician forward with the point of his sword, and they followed Jewel more slowly. Humfrey had told Bink he had won, but Bink knew it was not over yet. Not until the Magician and griffin and golem were back in the bottle, and Bink had control of that bottle. And the coral would do its best to keep them out of that bottle.
Jewel paused at the brink of the crevice, looking down. Her free hand went to her mouth in a very feminine gesture that Bink found oddly touching. No, not oddly; he loved her, therefore he reacted in a special manner even to her minor mannerisms. But intellectually he knew better. 'He's all blood!' she protested.
'I can't take my attention from the Magician,' Bink said, and added mentally: or the golem. 'If that vial does not contain the healing elixir, I shall slay him instantly.' Bold words, bolstering his waning drive. 'You have to apply it. We need that griffin to point out the location of the antidote to the love potion.'
'I-yes, of course,' she said faintly. She fumbled at the cork. 'He's-there's so much gore-where do I-?'
Crombie roused himself partially. His eagle head rotated weakly on the slashed neck, causing another gout of blood to escape. 'Squawk!'
'He says don't do it,' Grundy translated. 'Hell only have to kill you.'
Bink angled his sword so that the blade reflected a glint of nova-starlight into the griffin's glazing eyes. The sunflower had been brighter, but now was fading; its harvest time was approaching. 'I don't expect honor in a creature of the enemy, or gratitude for a favor rendered,' he said grimly. 'I have made a truce of sorts with the brain coral, and I enforce it with this sword. Crombie will obey me implicitly-or the Magician dies. Doubt me if you will.'
How could they fail to doubt him, when he doubted himself? Yet if violence broke out again, he would not simply let the coral take over.
Crombie turned his tortured gaze on Humfrey. 'What Bink says is true,' the Magician said. 'He has defeated us, and now requires service in exchange for our lives. The coral accedes. Perform his service, and suffer confinement in the bottle-or I will die and you will have to fight him again.'
The griffin squawked once more, weakly. 'What is the service?' Grundy translated.
'You know what it is!' Bink said. 'To point out the nearest, safest love-reversal magic.' Were they stalling, waiting for the sunflower to fade all the way so the goblins could come?
Another squawk. Then the noble head fell to the floor. 'He agrees, but he's too weak to point,' Grundy said.
'We don't really need the antidote?' Jewel said.
'Get on with it,' Bink grated. He had deep cuts where the griffin's claws had raked his body, and he was desperately tired, now that the violent part of the action had abated. He had to wrap this up before he collapsed. 'Sprinkle him!'
Jewel finally got the bottle open. Precious fluid sprayed out, splattering her, the rocks, and the griffin. One drop struck the golem, who was suddenly cured of his partially dissolved state. But none of it landed on Bink, with what irony only the coral knew for sure.
Crombie lifted his body free of the crevice. Bright and beautiful again, he spread his wings, turning to orient on Bink. Bink's muscles tensed painfully; he held the Magician hostage, but if the griffin attacked now-
