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these long faces. Tis your turn, Jon-Tom.
I don t know. The image of the decrepit otter still lingered on his retinas.
What might the mirror tell him about himself?
Go on, said Cautious, displaying unaccustomed asser-tiveness. We all done
it, you got to do it too. You not afraid of what maybe you see, are you?
Yes I am.
Take the plunge, mate. Probably you ll just see a straight reflection, like
Cautious did.
Now that all three of his companions had chanced the mirror he could hardly
back out. So he settled himself in the chair, lifted his eyes and stared
nervously into the glass.
His lower jaw dropped and he moved his head from side to side, but k didn t
change what he saw in the mirror.
You okay, Jon-Tom? Weegee was eyeing him with concern. He didn t reply and
she
felt of his chest, his legs. I feel real. I feel like Im here.
Mudge tried to be helpful. Maybe it means the real you hasn t made itself
known yet.
Maybe there s somethin that as to be added to make you complete. Hell, I ve
always thought you weren t all there.
Mudge, this is no time to be funny. I m scared.
Then that s the best time to be funny. Ere, let s think about somethin else
for a while. I
don t think you ave to worry about fadin away. He searched the chamber and
his gaze fastened on the golden goblet. Wot you want to bet this ere bit o
crenulated crockery talks? He picked it up, as he had once before, but though
he held it tightly no glow issued from its hammered sides and no words from
its depths.
You lose, Weegee told him.
Can t lose when you bet against yourself, luv. He sniffed the clear
contents. Smells like rainwater. Must ve dripped from the ceilin . Pity it
couldn t be somethin a mite stronger.
As dry as my throat is all of a sudden I m not going to be particular.
Jon-Tom took it from the otter and after a quick look to ensure himself
nothing besides water had fallen into it from the ceiling he downed the
contents gratefully.
He was about to put it back on the dressing table when the bowl filled with a
pulsating blue smoke.
Knoweth all that I am the One True Goblet. Knoweth all who standeth before me
that I
will provide sustenance for the thirsty of mind as well as throat.
Interesting. Jon-Tom turned the empty goblet around in his fingers. I
wonder what it means, sustenance for the mind ? He looked into its depths
anew and they heard the voice a second time.
Beware the Moqua plants.
The blue smoke dissipated. In its wake it left a fresh drink of water.
Now ain t that somethin , said Mudge. Beware o the Moqua plants.
What s a Moqua?
Just another minute. Jon-Tom glanced at his companions. Nobody knows what a
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lugubrious lescar is?
Never card o it, confessed Mudge.
Well we d better stay out of its way, whatever it is. He studied the vessel,
peered over the rim at the lady of the troup. Weegee?
Strange, but I feel a sudden thirst. She smiled at him as she took the
goblet.
At least we come out o this with somethin useful. Mudge watched her as she
sipped.
Melted down, there must be a quarter pound o gold in that cousin to a
tankard.
Jon-Tom was shocked. Mudge, how can you think of melting something so unique
and magical just for its monetary content?
Because I think o just about everythin in terms o its monetary content,
that s ow.
You could be dying of thirst in the desert and that bottomless water supply
could keep you alive.
Aye, and I could be fallin down broke in Polastrindu an* the gold in it
would keep me drunk forever.
Jon-Tom s right, Weegee chided him. You don t melt magic. She d finished
draining the goblet. As it refilled itself for the third time they heard the
voice again.
Buy IBM at 124.
Jon-Tom blinked. Could it be that the goblet s range extended to his world as
well? He took the goblet from Weegee and stowed it carefully in his pack.
We ll decide what to do with this later, but I think it definitely has its
uses. Let s go before
Teyva decides to depart without us.
They crawled back beneath the fallen beam. Teyva s nostrils flared. I smell
water. I could use a drink.
Jon-Tom sighed. Cautious, would you get him the goblet? The raccoon
obliged, held it
I m sorry, said Teyva, but all of a sudden I don t feel so good. Uh, you
wouldn t happen to have any more of that white powder on you, would you?
It wouldn t matter. What your system needs now is food. You re coming down,
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