Myth-Ing Persons By Robert L Asprin

“I can’t fight you all!” he sobbed, tears streaming down his cheeks. “Maybe if I knew some magic I could take one of you with me . . . but at least you’re going to have to work for your kill!”

With that he tore loose from my grasp and swooped away.

His words stunned me so much I almost let him escape. Fortunately, I had the presence of mind to call out to him.

“Hey, dummy! Nobody’s trying to kill you!”

“Yeah, sure,” he shouted back. “You’re up here just for the fun of it.”

He was starting to bank toward the street, and I knew I’d only have time for one more try.

“Look! Will you stop running if I quit chasing you? I think there’s a major misunderstanding here.”

He glanced back over his shoulder and saw that I was still where I was when we collided. Altering his course slightly, he flared his wings and landed on a carved gargoyle ornament jutting out from the side of the building.

“Why should you want to talk?” he called, wiping his face with one hand. “I thought nothing I could say would change your mind.”

“You’d be surprised,” I shouted back. “Say, do you mind if I land on that ledge near you? I feel pretty silly just hanging here.”

He glanced at the indicated ledge, and I could see his wings flex nervously.

“C’mon,” I urged. “I’ll be further away from you there than I was when we started this chase back on the roof. You’ll still have a clean shot at getting away if I try anything.”

He hesitated, then nodded his consent.

Moving slowly so as not to alarm him, I maneuvered my way to my new perch. Truth to tell, I was glad to get something solid under my feet again. Even using magic, flying can take a lot out of you, and I was relieved to get a chance to rest. Now that I was closer, I could see that Vic was breathing heavily himself. Apparently his form of flying was no picnic either.