“What I want to know is how long are we just going to sit around before we admit that something’s gone wrong?” Guido muttered for the fifth time.
“How long do you figure it takes to find a fugitive in a strange dimension?” I shot back. “How long would it take you to find them if they were on Klah, Guido? We’ve got to give him some time.”
“How much time?” he countered. “It’s already been two days….”
“Tananda and Chumley will be back any time now,” Massha interrupted. “Do you think they’ll just sit around on their hands when they find out that Aahz is out there all alone?”
“I thought you were the one who thought that going after him was a stupid idea?”
“I still do. Now do you want to know what I think of the idea of doing nothing!”
Before I could answer, a soft knock sounded at the door … the back door!
“See!” I crowed triumphantly. “I told you he would be back!”
“That doesn’t sound like his knock,” Guido observed suspiciously.
“And why should he knock?” Massha added. “The door hasn’t been locked since he left.”
In my own relief and enthusiasm, their remarks went unnoticed. In a flash I was at the door, wrenching it open while voicing the greeting I had been rehearsing for two days.
“It’s about time, part… ner.”
It wasn’t Aahz.
In fact, the being outside the door didn’t look anything at all like Aahz. What was doubly surprising, though, was that I recognized her!
We had never really met. . . not to exchange names, but shortly after meeting Aahz I had been strung up by an angry mob while impersonating her, and I had seen her in the crowd when I successfully “interviewed” for the job of court magician at Possletum.