Still with me? I know it's been awhile. Contact me if you need a recap... :-) ______ Copyright 1995 by Anne Fraser ________ Sighing as if her heart would break, Ari tossed the pieces of a broken pegasus into the garbage bin. "One china pegasus," she said. "Ten inches high, white." Edan found the item on the inventory, and checked it off. "We have been at this for no little time," he reminded Ari. "You should rest, and eat." "I'm not hungry," Ari replied, "and the sooner we get this done, the sooner I can file the insurance claim." "The longer we spend in this focal spot, the greater chance the evil power aligned against you has to find you." She blanched and glared at Edan, but his eyes were perfectly serious. He was dressed in a plain black shaker knit sweater and black jeans, and looked nothing at all like a wizard. That did not mean that he wasn't serious about the threat to her. "I'm still not hungry," Ari said, "but I guess I could use a break. What would you say to a milkshake?" "I do not know. Are they of a peaceful disposition?" Ari stared at him, then laughed. "You must have read that whole dictionary last night. You know perfectly well what a milkshake is." "But I have never tasted one." This time, his eyes were dancing. "Well, then, let's go track one down in its lair." They left Sharkey's End and walked to the Eaton Centre. Edan was learning to take the escalators and other trappings of the mall in stride. He barely paused at the bottom of one set of moving stairs. "You say this is not the largest mall?" Edan asked as they made their way through the throngs of shoppers. "No," Ari replied. "There's one out in Edmonton that's so much bigger than this that you could put the Eaton Centre in one corner of it." "Why do the people of this Edmonton require so many shops in one place?" "You've got me there, Edan. I don't see the point of having a hockey rink inside a mall, to tell you the truth." "A hockey rink?" The wizard wrinkled his brow. "Oh, yeah. You haven't been exposed to our national bloodsport yet. Maybe Chas can get us some tickets to a Leafs game. I'll ask him later. Here's Lime Rickey's." They entered a restaurant that had been done up in chrome and plastic to resemble a retro 50's diner. It even had jukeboxes in the booths, and traditional diner fare on the menus. The prices weren't retro 50's, but they weren't bad, either. They served very good ice cream treats, which was why Ari liked it. It was the only place to get a decent milkshake since Swenson's had closed. She still mourned the loss of the old ice cream parlour. Ari ordered chocolate milkshakes, and asked Edan if he was hungry. Of course he was. Feeding this wizard was beginning to get expensive. He ordered a hamburger, on Ari's recommendation. The ones at Ricki's were very filling. When it came, he ate it all, but claimed to prefer shepherd's pie. "Tis a bit hard on the poor shepherd, though," he said with a wink. The joke didn't get a laugh. Ari was feeling depressed again, over all the once-beautiful items she'd had to throw out that morning. "Did you learn anything more about those evil forces, Edan?" she asked. He frowned. "They were most assuredly looking for something," he stated, "and so it was not just the ley line that drew them. It was some small object or paper that they were seeking." "Could it have been the summoning spell?" "No, for the destruction of your shop occurred after you had spoken the spell; and whatever evil thing was afoot would have felt the spell's completion and known the written spell would vanish. It is apparent that they desired to find what they sought before you could bring the summoned wizard to the shop." "Do you think maybe they mucked about with the summoning spell, to slow me and you down?" The idea dawned on Ari. "It's weird that I couldn't read it when I first found it." She could see Edan turning over the idea in his head. "That is strange," he agreed. "There is no reason to make the spell indecipherable to the one who needs it." He sipped absently at the last of his milkshake. "We are faced with some formidable opponents, Ari. To change the language of the spell--that took powerful magic." "And it took Cam to change it back." "That has also given me much thought--that it was your friend who does not believe in magic who broke the extra spell." "Speaking of spells, and evil magic; you never did answer the question I asked you just before you doped me last night. If you're supposed to be keeping an eye on this evil sorcerer, whatisname..." "Zwyr," Edan supplied. "Whatever. If you're supposed to be watching him, how can you take time out to help me?" "I obey the dictates of the Lord Wizard of my Guild, and it was I he summoned to answer the summons when it came. I do not fear for the safety of Faranon, Ari. The others will guard it well. I fear greatly for your safety, Ari." He pulled on his moustache, then fiddled with the straw in his milkshake-stained glass. "There is a chance--more than a chance--that I may still be carrying out my ordained task as well as aiding you." _____ *cue spooky music* *grin* Anne fraser@library.utoronto.ca