Another Fine Myth by Robert Asprin

“And a malfunctioning fire-ring,” I prompted.

“Um. . . .” said Aahz. “Actually, I. .. ahh … well, I gave the ring to Tanda.”

“Gave?” I asked. “You gave something away?” Aahz shrugged.

“I’m a soft touch. Ask anybody.”

“Hmm….” I said.

“We’ve, um, also got a war unicorn if we want to go anywhere,” Aahz hastened on, “and that stupid dragon of yours.”

“Gleep isn’t stupid!” I insisted hotly.

“Okay, okay,” Aahz amended, “… your intelligent, personable dragon.”

“That’s better,” I mumbled.

“… . Even though it beats me why we’d want to go anyplace,” Aahz commented, looking around him. “This place seems sound enough. You’d have some good force lines to play with, and the wine cellar will be well stocked if I know Isstvan. We could do lots worse for a base of operations.”

Another question occurred to me.

“Say, Aahz?”

“Yeah, kid?”

“A few minutes ago you said you wanted to see Quigley when he visited other dimensions . . . and you seem to have a weak spot for Tanda….”

“Yeah?” Aahz growled. “So?”

“So why didn’t you go along with them? You didn’t have to get stranded in this dimension.”

“Isstvan’s a fruitcake,” Aahz declared pointedly, “and I don’t like Imps. You think I’d like having them for traveling companions?”

“But you said Tanda could travel the dimensions by herself. Couldn’t you and she have….”

“All right, all right,” interrupted Aahz. “You want me to say it? I stayed here because of you.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re not up to traveling the dimensions yet. Not until you….”

“I mean, why stay with me at all?”