Another Fine Myth by Robert Asprin

For some reason this seemed to set Isstvan off into peals of laughter from his eyes. “We are going to have such fun this afternoon!”

He gestured absently and the inn door slammed shut. There was a sudden ripple of dull clunks behind me, and I realized the room doors were locking themselves. We were sealed in! All of us.

“I don’t believe I’ve had such a good time since I made love to my week-dead sister.”

Isstvan’s voice was still jovial, but it struck an icy note of fear within me. I realized that not only was he a powerful magician, he was quite insane.

Chapter Twenty-Four:

“Ya gotta be subtle!”

-M. HAMMER

THERE was a tense, expectant silence as the foursome leaned forward to study their captives. It was as if two songbirds had tried to edge through a crowd of vultures to steal a snack only to find they were the intended meal.

I knelt, watching in frozen horror, fully expecting to witness the immediate demise of my two allies.

“Since Frumple’s already announced us,” Aahz said smoothly, “I guess there’s no need to maintain this disguise.”

The confident tone of his voice steadied my shattered nerve. We were in it now, and win or lose we’d just have to keep going.

Quickly, I shut my eyes and removed Aahz’s Garkin disguise.

“Aahz!” cried Isstvan in delight. “I should have known it was you.”

“He’s the one who….” Brockhurst began.

“Do you two know each other?” Frumple asked, ignoring the Imp.

“Know each other?” Isstvan chortled. “We’re old enemies. He and a couple other scalawags nearly destroyed me the last time we met.”