The bubble coursed through the water, brushing aside reach ing sea plants, coming at last to the hidden palace. At the entrance it landed and popped out of existence, leaving them standing dry, though the sea loomed around and above them. It was a nice effect; Translucent did things right. They entered. The other Adepts were already there, having had faster magic transportation: White, who used the runes and glyphs; Yellow, with her potions to govern animals; Black, who was entirely made of lines; Orange, whose magic was of plants; Green, whose hand gestures controlled fire; and Purple, with the forces of geology. Eight of them in all, counting Tan and Tania as one, and, of course, Translucent. Against them were ranged only three: Blue with his sing songs, Red with his amulets, and Brown with her golems. Yet so far the three had had their way more often than not: a distressing situation, long overdue for redress. This was be cause the Red Adept, a literal troll, had the Book of Magic, the most potent single instrument in Phaze. Now their access to that Book had been cut off, precipitating the crisis.
Translucent began without preamble: “Blue suckered us. He trained the boy Flach to be a nascent Adept with natural form changing from his unicorn side. We were just beginning to catch on, when the boy made his move. He substituted a golem for himself, and that was what arrived at the Blue Demesnes. Blue waited just long enough for the real boy to be thoroughly hidden, then pulled the plug on grounds we had delivered not. Bane tells me the same happened simultaneously in Proton: the little girl took off. The ploy be this: we had a covenant that we were allowed access to the Book of Magic only during the time when the boy was with Blue. Since the boy did not reach the Blue Demesnes, our use of the Book be cut off. Until we recover the boy and deliver him to Blue, we can use it not. It be clear that Blue realized that we were on the verge o’ a breakthrough, and would assume dominance shortly; he acted just in time to scotch that. We be here to consider our alternatives.”
“I knew thou wouldst bungle it!” Purple exclaimed. “Thou didst say thou wouldst get the damned rovot to go along with us!”
“He did, Purp!” White snapped. “And he got Bane in with us too. That’s a potent pair, and they have decamped not.”
“They must have been in on it,” Purple said. “How did the brat in Proton know, else?”
“They knew not,” Translucent said. “In retrospect we realize that this break be more significant than that. The two children can speak to each other directly. “ This was news to the others.
“Same as Bane and the rovot?” Yellow asked.
“That be our conclusion. We were guilty o’ narrow thinking; we ne’er thought it possible. We thought it mere parallelism or coincidence. Had we caught on, we would have secured those brats instantly.”
“Then we must have those children!” White exclaimed.
“I had concluded as much,” Translucent said dryly. “I had suspected that the boy was able to assume more forms than just man and ‘corn, and thought to have Tan speak to him to ascertain just what these might be. That would have revealed aught we ne’er dreamed o’! Somehow Blue must have realized, and spirited the boy out o’ our grasp. Nor rovot nor ‘corn parents suspected; they believed the boy retarded.”
“He fooled e’en his own parents,” White said, thought fully. “That lad be dangerous.”
“That brat be power!” Purple said. “We capture him, we’ll need not mare or rovot!”
“Which is where Blue scored,” Translucent agreed. “He •knew—and doubled his ploy by making us liable for losing the lad. Gain back the lad, and we score double oursel’es. There be our challenge. But methinks the lad will be not easy to find.”
“Trace his route!” Purple said. “He started with the mare; where did he leave her?”
“I have traced the route, and queried the auspices,” Trans lucent said grimly. “We had warners where’er magic occurred, and tags on both boy and mare. He left the mare only four times. The first was west o’ a pack, when he took a piss break. The second was when the mare went ahead to break up a dragon attack on pups leaving the Pack: she be oath friend to that Pack, and fought for its pups, but endangered not the boy. The third was near her Herd, when the boy took another rest break, and the fourth halfway ‘tween there and the Blue Demesnes, another rest break. I checked further and learned that traces o’ urine were only at the first stop; by this I conclude that the last two were the golem substitute, making pretense. We are assured it was the living boy up to the first stop, and the golem at the third. That puts the second in question.”
“Could he have joined the pups?” White asked alertly.
“Nay. They were four coming in, and four going on; an he joined them, there had been five. An he switch places with one, then it be a werewolf riding the mare—and it were no wolf arrived with her.”
“Then where did he go?” White demanded.
“Methinks he changed form under cover o’ the mare’s changes; our wamers can tell simultaneous changes not from one. We found no tracks, no traces ‘cept scratches on the bark o’ a tree there. I believe he changed to bird form and flew, and where he be now—“ He shrugged.
“Bird form!” Yellow exclaimed. “He could have flown anywhere by now!”
“True. Therefore our effort to trace him be doomed. We underestimated him, supposing him to be capable o’ but two forms instead o’ four, and thus he slipped away.”
“Four?” Purple asked. “Man, ‘corn, bird, and what?”
“Whate’er he changed to when his flying was done. He would not remain a bird; that be too limited a form, its life too hazardous.”
“He could be human or unicorn, and merge with a village or Herd,” Purple pointed out. “We can search them all and find him.”
“That be why he would have a fourth form,” Translucent said. “He made this cunning escape not to be readily recovered.”
‘ ‘But he be but four years old! His kind masters but three forms!”
Translucent shook his head. “We underestimated him once; needs we must not do so again. He could be anything.”
“Then recovery be hopeless?” Purple asked challengingly.
“Nay, merely difficult. We shall be obliged to search every settlement or group, human and animal, methodically, until we find him.”
“How can we find him, an we not know his form?” Purple demanded. “That be searching for one straw in a haystack!”
“Tan must question each prospect,” Translucent said. “We know the lad’s age; only those that age need be checked. An we knew what form, it would be a matter o’ weeks or months. As it is, months or years. But it can be done, and must be done.”
“Months or years?” Tan asked. “I have aught better to do than that!”
“Then thy sister. Only thou or she can do it.”
Tania nodded. “I may do it, but I have a price.”
Translucent glanced at her. “Thou art moved not by the need o’ the Adepts?”
“Let us be not hypocrites,” she said coldly. “Which o’ us be moved by other than selfishness? We cooperate only in the face o’ a common enemy. An I devote myself to this tedious labor, needs must I have recompense.”
Translucent nodded. “Plainly put. Say on.”
“Was once might I have married Bane, uniting in time our power with that o’ Blue. Till he found the other frame, and his rovot self was besotted by the mare. Methinks me-him remains a decent match.”
“Thou didst try that,” Translucent said. “Unbeknownst to me. Bane fended thee off, and made I oath to him: no more o’ that. Now his power be such thou canst not fascinate him with thine Eye. This be no price thou canst ask.”