who only shrugged helplessly. Apparently now that the
djinn had been called, she was powerless to control it.
“PAY FOR YOUR GOODS YOU MAY, BUT NOW I HAVE
BEEN CALLED FORTH, AND I MUST ALSO BE PAID. HOW
WILL YOU DO THAT, PALE WORM? I HAVE NO NEED OF
YOUR MONEY. PERHAPS YOU WILL SING ME A SONG SO
THAT I MAY LET YOU LEAVE?” Volcanic laughter filled the
Shop of the Aether and Neither.
Jon-Tom felt a hand pushing at him. “Well come on,
then, mate,” Mudge whispered urgently, “go to it. I’m
right ‘ere behind you if you need me ‘elp.”
“You’re such a comfort.” Still, the otter was right. It
was up to him to somehow placate this djinn and get them
out of there. But he was exhausted from his duel with
Charrok and Zancresta, and worn out from thinking up
song after song. He was also more than a little irritated.
Not the most sensible attitude to take, perhaps, but he was
too tired to care.
“You listen to me, Hargood ali rooge.”
The djinn glowered. “I DON’T LIKE MORTALS WHO GET
MY NAME WRONG.”
“Okay, I can go with that,” Jon-Tom replied, “but
you’ll have to excuse me. I’ve had a helluva couple of
weeks. We came here to get some medicine for a sick
friend. If that old fart hadn’t intruded,” and he gestured at
the smear on the floor, “we’d be out of here and on our
THE DAY OF THE DISSONANCE
283
way by now. We didn’t have a damn thing to do with his
actions.”
“TRULY YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN ON YOUR WAY, BUT
WHICH WAY IS RIGHT AND PROPER FOR YOU TO GO,
LITTLE MORTAL?”
“Do you still have the medicine, Snooth?” The kanga-
roo nodded, opened a fist to show the precious container.