half out of the cabin, his posterior facing the monster as it burst through the door.
A fit of hysterical laughter nearly overcame him when he had a sudden vision of the creature gaping in astonishment when confronted with such a rude view of his victim.
But the chattering sound of many teeth spurred him onward and he kicked himself through the rest of the way.
Palimak plunged out into the night, then was brought up short by the blanket rope as the stool rose up to slam across the porthole.
He hung there a moment to recover, swaying with the motion of the ship. Then he spun about, got his feet against the hull and pulled himself up hand over hand until he could see through the porthole.
His first sight of the creature took his breath away. Its twisted, blackened trunk. Scores of branches and minor limbs waving madly about. All pockmarked with hundreds of little mouths filled with sharp, chattering teeth. And it was huge. Standing just inside the cabin-the wreckage of the door hurled to one side-its jagged-edged top was jammed against the ceiling.
It was also looking for him-turning slowly, first this way, then the other. Long barbed tongues tasting the air like a nest of snakes hunting their prey. Any minute now, it would make the connection between the stool jammed against the porthole and the whereabouts of its intended victim.
Palimak concentrated, drawing on all his powers. Opening the gates to his demon side and feeling the strength pour in. His nails grew into talons, cutting through the blanket, making his grip catlike and more assured.
He felt his canine teeth lengthen until the sharp points hooked over his lower lip. And his eyes burned in their sockets, turning a blazing yellow that cast twin beams of light onto the hull.
He hissed the spell words remembered from his boyhood. Foolish words, composed by a child. But the moment he said them he felt a surge of magical energy well up. He called out to the twins, using his mental 'voice' to urge them to join him in the spell.
They replied in unison, their spirit voices like little bells-We're here, Little Master! We're here!
And boom! he cast it. Thunder crashing against his spirit ears as he hurled it into the cabin. And boom!
boom! the little dough men containing Gundara and Gundaree jumped to their feet, swinging around to confront the beast. They were on either side of him, so small and made only of moistened bread crumbs that it would be laughable even to think the word 'surrounded,' much less use it.
But then they started growing and growing until they were the same size as the monster. And they were strong, so strong-dough flesh hardening into the consistency of steel-that they weren't laughable any longer.
And there was nothing funny at all when the creature realized it had been tricked and closed with them.
All those deadly branches whipping out to embrace and kill the Favorites.
The three strange beings locked in battle. Crashing about the cabin, shattering everything in sight. The only sound was the destruction. There was not one roar of fury or agony from any of the creatures.
For Palimak it was like watching three mute giants fighting it out in an arena too small for any of them to escape.
As the fight raged, Palimak tried to shout a warning to the crewmen on deck. But his shouts were swept away by the heavy sound of the wind and crashing waves.
Even so, it didn't seem to matter. Because, ever so slowly, the twins gained the advantage. Hardened flesh impervious to all those teeth, they ripped off limbs and gouged out hunks from the beast's thick trunk. Greenish- gray acid splattering everywhere to hiss and burn wood and cloth.
Finally they had the creature pinned to the floor and were tearing at the jagged top Palimak imagined as a head. He thought it was over. The beast's movements growing weak, as if it were dying.
Then, suddenly, it surged up. Strong and fresh as when the fight had begun. And the furious battle commenced again.
And again.
And again.
Each time the twins got the creature down it somehow found new strength to fight on. The minutes dragged on like each was a year. And slowly Palimak and the twins began to weaken.
He dug deep for more strength, finding just enough to make one last desperate attempt to call for help.
But this time he made the shout magical, calling for Safar:
'Help me, father! Help!'
For a brief moment Palimak thought there was an ethereal connection. A stirring of the magical atmosphere. So he clung to the blanket harder, directing the twins to continue the fight as long as they could.
After what seemed like an eternity he heard his father's voice raised in a thunderous cry:
And Palimak laughed. Help was on the way. But then from the deck he heard cries of pain and the sounds of battle. Khysmet shrilling his battle cry, shattering the walls of his stable with his powerful hooves. And then the shouts of Leiria and Jooli and Biner and Arlain.
All of them fighting just as desperately as he.
Then the twins cried out, Help us, Little Master! Help us, please!
And that was the end of it.
Clinging with one hand, Palimak fished the stone turtle from his pocket and raised it high. He called for the twins and the turtle suddenly glowed as they fled into it.
Through bleary eyes he saw the doughmen collapse, then shrink to their original size. And the monster started turning again, hunting him with those flickering snake tongues.
Palimak returned the turtle to his pocket. And let go of the blanket.
Cold, salty water enveloped him. He kicked his way to the surface and when his head emerged he could see the
He saw a rope dangling from the side, trailing in the water and he swam after it. Arms and legs churning furiously. He nearly caught the rope. But then, weary, so weary from the battle, he slowly fell behind.
Then he could swim no more.
Palimak rolled over on his back and floated. The sounds of the fight on the
Finally, there was silence-and he knew he was alone.
Then he heard a stirring and Gundara and Gundaree hopped up on his chest.
'Please, Little Master, don't give up!' Gundara said.
'It would be awful if you drowned, Little Master,' Gundaree added.
Palimak couldn't help but smile. 'It's nice to finally know you care,' he said.
'Of course we care, Little Master,' Gundara said.
'If you drown,' added Gundaree, 'then we'll sink with you.'
'And then we'd have to live on the bottom of the sea for ever and ever,' Gundara said.
'I can't think of anything more boring,' Gundaree put in. 'Although it might not be so bad if we could find some nice fat sea worms.'
'That's disgusting,' Gundara said. 'You stupid worm eater!'
'Shut up, Gundara!'
'No, you shut up!'
Palimak was too tired to intervene. And he floated along under the Demon Moon, wondering how long it would be before he drowned.
The twins voices echoed across the empty sea like strange gulls that cried, 'Shut up, shut up, shutup!'
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
When the king is unhappy, the sages say, all must suffer. And Rhodes was not a happy king. Standing on the
