Myth-ion Improbable by Robert Lynn Asprin

“Where?” Tanda demanded.

“Off the room shown as a private library,” I said. “On the opposite side from the royal suite.”

“And it leads downward,” Aahz said.

“To this area’s power,” I said. “Do you have any idea what standing in the middle of that kind of energy focal point would feel like?”

Both Tanda and Aahz looked at me.

“Like nothing you could ever imagine, apprentice,” Aahz said.

“True,” Tanda said, going back to staring at the drawings on the ceiling, “but Skeeve might be the only one who can go down there.”

“I know,” Aahz said, also going back to studying the roof over his head.

“Exactly what do you mean by that?” I asked, not liking the idea that I might have to take that old corridor alone into the middle of the mountain.

Aahz sighed. “I’ve lost my powers; Tanda is an assassin, not a magician, and we can’t trust Glenda. You’re it, apprentice. If one of us has to go down there, it has to be you.”

I stared at the roof, following the ancient corridor down into the center of the mountain to a place of unimaginable power. For the moment, the idea of getting my blood sucked by a vampire cow didn’t seem so bad.

Chapter Fourteen

“Things are looking up.”

MICHELANGELO

The rest of the night just crawled past. Aahz and Tanda stayed on the couches with me for the longest time, studying the map and trying to figure out how we were going to get out of here. I noticed that, once Aahz discovered there was no golden cow, and that the map had been a sham to get someone to save Harold, he became very interested in just leaving. I supposed that was better late then never.