"I don't understand," Jon-Tom protested. "I've been winning all day."
"That's good."
"And I just won that," and he indicated the she-wolf, "for a couple of nights."
"That's very good. So what's your problem, mate?"
"I don't want her. Don't you understand? It's not that she's unattractive or
anything." The subject of that appraisal growled menacingly. "It's just that...
I can't do it, Mudge. I'm not prejudiced. But something inside me just...
can't."
"Easy now, mate. I understand." The otter sounded sympathetic. "Tis part o' your
strange customs, no doubt, and you're the loser for it."
"Well, tell them that. Tell them where I'm from. Explain to them that I'm..."
Mudge put a hand momentarily over Jon-Tom's mouth. "Hush, lad. If they think
that you're from some other land, no matter 'ow alien, you won't longer 'ave
their protection. As it be, they think you're a local footpad like Talea and
meself." His eyes noted the weight dragging down the hem of Jon-Tom's cape. "And
judgin' from wot you've won from some 'ere, they'd be more than 'appy to see you
made fair game. You wouldn't last twenty seconds." He pulled at an arm. "Come on
now. Quiet and confident's the words, while they're still arguin' wot t' do."
They were bumped and even spat upon, but Mudge and Talea managed to hustle their
thoroughly confused friend out of the gambling chamber, through the tunnels, and
back out the iron door that sealed off the hall from the outside world.
It was mid-morning outside. Jon-Tom suddenly realized how exhausted he was. He
must have played through the night. That explained why he hadn't seen Talea or
Mudge. They'd been sleeping. But it was time-deceptive inside Thieves' Hall,
where the lamps burned round the clock, much in keeping with the activities of
the members.
"Why didn't you go with her?" Talea sounded bitter. "Now look at us! Forced out
of the one refuge where we'd be impregnable." She stalked on ahead, searching
the nearby corral for their team and wagon.
"I suppose I should have lost." He and Mudge had to hurry to keep pace with her.
"That would have made you happy, wouldn't it?"
"It would be better than this," she snapped back. "Where do we go now? When
you're turned out of Thieves' Hall, there's no place else to run to, and we
haven't been in hiding near long enough. We'll still be fresh in the minds of
citizens and police, if anyone noticed us. Damn it all!" She jumped the fence,
kicked at the flank of an innocent riding lizard. It hissed and scuttled out of
her way.
"It's too bad you weren't around, Mudge. You could have played that last round
for me."
"It don't work that way, mate. You 'ad t' play it out yourself, from what I
'eard. 'Tis a pity your peculiar customs forced you t' insult that lovely lady's
honor. You refused 'er. I couldn't 'ave substituted meself for you thatawise,
much willin' as I would've been."
Jon-Tom stared morosely at the ground, "I can't believe she was trading herself
willingly like that."
"Blimey lad, 'tis bloody ignorant you be about women. She did it for love of 'er
fox-chap. Couldn't you see that? And so when you refused 'er, you insulted 'im
as well. You don't know much about the leanin's o' ladies, do you?"
"That's ridiculous. Of course I..." He looked away. "No. No, not a great deal,
Mudge. My energies have been pretty much focused on intellectual pursuits.
That's one reason why I wanted to be a musician so badly. Musicians don't seem
to have to worry about women."
"There not be much pleasure in ignorance, mate. You're a damn-sight better off
understandin' the whys and wherefores o' what's goin' on." He nodded ahead.
"Now 'ave a look at dear Talea there. Don't tell me you don't find 'er
attractive."
"I'd by lying if I said otherwise."
"Well then? Close enough quarters we've been living in these past few days and I
'aven't seen you so much as lean close t' 'er. Me she knows and won't let near,
but you're a new factor."
"You've got to be kidding." He watched that mane of red hair bob and weave its
way among the herd. "If I so much as touched her she'd split me from brain to
belly."
"Don't be so sure, mate. You've already confessed your ignorance, you know."
"And you're the expert, I suppose?"
"I get by on experience, yes. Not much time for that now. But think on what I've
said."
"I will. Mudge, what she said about us having no place to go, are we that
desperate?"
" 'Ard to say, mate. Depends on whether anyone reported our late-night doin's in
Lynchbany. But we'd best move on t' somewhere else for a while."
"I know where I want to go." He looked longingly skyward, though he knew that
his world was beyond even the stars that lay hidden behind the sunlight.
Something stung the side of his face. He turned and looked in shock at Mudge.
"A long way to reach with an open palm," the otter said tightly. "Now you listen
well, mate. I've told you before and I don't aim to waste time on it again.
These maudlin sorrowings for yourself 'ave to stop. You're 'ere. We can't get
you back where you belong. Clothahump can't or won't get you back t' where you
belong. That's bloody well it, and the sooner you get used t' it, the better
it'll go for you. Or do you expect me t' wet-nurse you through your next sixty
years?"
Jon-Tom, still stunned, didn't reply. Sixty years... odd how he hadn't thought
of his stay here in terms of years, much less decades. There was always the
thought that he could be going home tomorrow, or the next day.
But if Clothahump's genius was as erratic as Mudge insisted, he might never be
going home. The wizard could die tomorrow. That night in Lynchbany outside Dr.
Nilanthos' he'd reached a temporary accommodation with his situation. Maybe
Mudge was right, and it was time he made that accommodation permanent.
Try to regard it like negative thinking for an exam. That way you're only
satisfied if you fail, happy with a fifty, and ecstatic with a hundred. That's
how you're going to have to start thinking of your life. Right now he was living
a zero. The sooner he got used to it, the less disappointed he'd be if
Clothahump proved unable to send him back. Back to the lazy mental meanderings
of school, the casual tripe mumbled by directionless friends, the day-to-day
humdrum existence he'd been leading that inaccessibility now made so tempting.
Zero, he told himself firmly. Remember the zero.
"Goddam rotten son-of-a-bitch! Shit-holes, all of 'em!"
The cry came from the other side of the corral. He and Mudge hurried through the
packed animals. But Talea was not in danger. Instead she sat tiredly on a smooth
rock while riding lizards of varying size and shape milled nervously around her.
"Stinking sneaky bastards," she rumbled. Jon-Tom started to say something but
turned at a touch on his arm. Mudge put a finger to his whiskers, shook his head
slowly.
They waited while the bile burned itself up. She finally looked up and seemed to
take notice of them. Then she rose and swept an arm around the corral.
"Our wagon's gone. I've been through the whole glade and it's not here.
Neither's our team. Do you know what I went through to steal that team?"
"Mossul's friends might have slipped out and run it off to help him cover 'is
losses. Or it might 'ave been done as punishment for the insult we did the
she-wolf," Mudge said thoughtfully, caressing his whiskers.
"I'll fry the gizzards of whoever's responsible!" She started back toward the
hall. Mudge intercepted her quickly. She pushed at him, tried to dodge around,