I had seen or experienced that was anything like it.
“It looks like Manhattan . . . only more so!”
That came from Massha. She’s supposed to be my appren-
tice . . . though you’d never know it. Not only is she older
than me, she’s toured the dimensions more than I have.
Even though I’ve never claimed to be a know-it-all, it irri-
tates me when my apprentice knows more than I do.
“I see what you mean,” I said, bluffing a little. “At
least, as much as we can see from here.”
It seemed like a safe statement. We were currently stand-
ing in an alley which severely limited our view. Basically,
it was something to say without really saying anything.
“Aren’t you forgetting something, though. Hot Stuff?”
Massha frowned, craning her neck to peer down the street.
So much for bluffing. Now that I had admitted noticing
the similarities between Perv and Man-hat-tin . . . wherever
that was, I was expected to comment on the differences.
Well, if there’s one thing I learned during my brief stint as
a dragon poker player, it’s that you don’t back out of a bluff
halfway through it.
” Give me a minute,” I said, making a big show of looking
in the same direction Massha was. “I’ll get it.”
What I was counting on was my apprentice’s impatience.
I figured she would spill the beans before I had to admit I
didn’t know what she was talking about. I was right.
“Long word . . . sounds like disguise spell?”
She broke off her examination of the street to shoot me
a speculative glance.
“Oh! Yeah. Right.”
My residency at the Bazaar had spoiled me. Living at the