Danny mopped his sweaty brow on his wet sleeve. "Whew, this place is like a sauna."
"Yeah," Wiz said slowly. "Or a hot tub. Come on, let’s see how hot it really is."
The water at the seep was scalding, but by three pools down it had cooled until it was just barely tolerable. Wiz stuck his finger in and nodded.
"Are you thinking what I think you’re thinking?" Danny asked.
Wiz just gestured at the pool. "Looks big enough."
"Right," Danny said, dropping his pack and staff and stripping off his outer tunic. Wiz and the other humans followed suit.
Glandurg eyed the water with distaste. "Another of your mortal customs, eh? Fear not. I’ll guard the door while you pollute yon stream." With that he turned his back and disappeared into the steamy fog.
They kept their shirts on for modesty’s sake, but tie thin fabric clung to their bodies as soon as it got wet and the result was more like a wet T-shirt contest than swimming suits. The pool wasn’t even waist deep, but the four lowered themselves into the steaming water with much "oohing" and "aahing" and made themselves comfortable on the smooth flowstone of the bottom.
For several minutes no one said anything, letting the heat and warmth soak into their bodies.
"First time I’ve even been on a quest with a hot tub," Danny said at last. Wiz sighed deeply and relaxed further into the steaming water. "Civilized though."
Malkin ducked under the water and came up with her long dark hair streaming behind her. She was the picture of ease but Wiz noticed she never strayed more than a foot from her rapier. She shook her head vigorously to clear her eyes, splashing everyone else with droplets flung off from her raven hair.
"Jerry told me that in your world you have such things built into your dwellings," the thief said. "Now I see why."
"We ought to put one of these in at the Wizards’ Keep," Danny suggested. Wiz didn’t say anything. He leaned back, rested his head on the rim and let the hot water drain the tension from every muscle.
A fine sifting of dust was falling from the ceiling. Wiz brushed it out of his hair absently and sneezed as the pungent dust tickled his nose. He wet his finger and caught a speck of the dust on the end. His eyes wrinkled at the sharp taste and then widened as he recognized it. Lemon pepper!
A broom-sized bundle of herbs dropped from above and splashed into the pool next to him. "Look out! It’s the lobster again."
There was a mad scramble for weapons and wizards staffs as the pool emptied almost instantly.
"Oh, pshaw!" came a crustacean-accented voice from the misty darkness above. Glandurg came pounding up through the fog, waving Blind Fury as if to decapitate the foe-or someone- with a single stroke. The others moved around to the opposite side of the pool, well out of range.
"What happened?" the dwarf demanded.
Wiz pointed to the bundle of herbs floating in the pot of would-be Cannibal Soup Mix. "The lobster. He must have come across the roof of the cave."
Glandurg looked up and snorted. ’The craven creature was afraid to face my steel. Little did I expect the foe to crawl along the ceiling like some verminous spider. But never fear. I shall be ready if he returns."
Wiz glanced at the pool, already filling the steamy air with the spicy aroma of herbs, pepper and lemon.
"Never mind. I think I’ve had all the swimming I want."
"What now?" Bal-Simba asked Jerry after they had stashed the truck with Moira in it in a hotel parking lot.
"Back to the convention, I guess. We’ll start working the outlying halls. That’s where they put the newcomers to the show and Taj is more likely to be hanging around some of the more innovative startups." He sighed. "This isn’t working very well. I’m sorry."
"There is nothing to be sorry for," Bal-Simba said. "The obstacles are clearly very great."
Thanks, but we can’t keep going like this. Not with the cops looking for us."
"I do not believe Moira can continue here either. She grows ever sicker and weaker. It is well that she can sleep the day away, but even so:" He shrugged.
"Yeah. Okay, let’s try today, and if we haven’t found him by evening we’ll just head north to the power spot and go home."
Even the smaller halls were jammed and, if anything, the crowds were more colorful than at the main exhibits. There was a higher ponytail-and-T-shirt to suit ratio, Jerry noted approvingly, and here and there someone was sitting on the steps or a bench with an open laptop actually hacking code.
Their first stop was the message center, more out of optimism than genuine hope. There was still nothing for Taj, but to his amazement Jerry found a message for him from Elaine Haverford.
Their second stop was the line at a pay phone. After twenty minutes, Jerry paid a scalper twenty dollars to use a cell phone that had been hacked to have a fire marshall’s priority so its calls would get through.
Dr. Haverford answered on the second ring. "Oh yes, Mr. Andrews, I did see Taj last night. He was at the chili cookoff. Were you there?"
"Ah, we were having a hot time of our own," Jerry told her. "Did you talk to him?"
"Only for a minute. He placed second in the relativistic Tetris competition, you know, and he didn’t have much time. But I did find he’s staying with the people from, ah, Bizzareware at the Paladin."
Shit! Jerry thought, right where we started. "The Paladin? Okay, thanks, Dr. Haverford. We’ll get in touch with him right away and set up a meeting with your folks later. Thanks again."
"We gotta do something nice for that company," Jerry said as he handed the phone back to the scalper.
"What now?" Bal-Simba asked. "I believe you told me that everyone is at the show all day and unreachable at their lodgings until evening."
"Most people are," Jerry corrected. "But it’s barely ten. If I know Taj he’s still asleep, especially after a relativistic Tetris tournament. So let’s pick up the truck, head for the Paladin and set up a meet."
"Why not call him from here?"
"Because," Jerry said grimly. "If he doesn’t agree to meet us, we’re going to waylay him in the lobby and kidnap him. I don’t want to take a chance on waking him up and letting him get away before we get there."
It took nearly fifteen rings for someone to answer the phone in the Bizarreware suite at the Paladin. All the while Jerry fidgeted and Bal-Simba merely waited.
"Hello," came a muzzy voice at the other end of the line.
"Is Taj there?’
"This is Taj. Whaddya want?"
"My name is Jerry Andrews, jerry thekeep.org, and I’ve got to see you right away."
"Hey, it’s not even noon yet."
"I know, but this is important."