[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
what s to keep the flies from tormenting the Garuda Bird along with the air
elementals?"
Magister Arnold smiled thinly. "As I said, it's straightforward in broad
outline. Details of the negotiations with the demon are anything but simple,
as you may imagine. He is, if you will forgive me, hellishly clever."
"Yes." I let it go at that; if it were up to me, I'd have come up with some
other way of distracting the sylphs. After a couple of seconds, I said, "Don't
byproducts from a conjuration involving Beelzebub have a chance of sliding
through the underground containment scheme at the dump? They aren't all
volatile, as you claimed before."
"I suppose that s true." Arnold sounded anything but happy about supposing
that was true, but he did it anyhow. I give him credit for that. He tried to
put the best face on it. "You haven't alluded to these particular byproducts
Page 53
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
as being the ones which are leaking, however, Inspector Fisher. Until you show
me evidence that they are, I hope you will forgive my doubts."
"Okay, fair enough," I said. Going around the edges of the dump with a
sensitive spellchecker, checking air and earth, fire and water for sorcerous
pollutants would blow Charlie Kelly's request for discretion further into
space than the Garuda Bird could carry it, but that couldn't be helped, not
now.
I got up and started to leave. I'd just about made it to the door when I
remembered the demon imprisoned in my visitor's talisman. I turned around and
headed right back toward Magister Arnold He was coming after me.
Thanks," I said.
"Don't mention it" His voice was dry. "My own peace of mind is involved in
keeping you healthy till you get out the door, you know. Just think of all the
parchmentwork I'd have to fill out if an Environmental
Perfection Agency inspector got stung to death by the Loki security system. I
wouldn't get any real work done for weeks."
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
Knowing the EPA bureaucratic procedures as I do, I was sure he was right about
that. Then a couple of casually uttered words sank in. "Stung to death
, Magister Arnold?" I said gulping- The security guard didn't mention that
little detail."
"Well, he should have," Arnold answered testily. He must have noticed my face
chance expression.
"Before you ask, Inspector, we do have a permit to incorporate deadly force
into our security setup because of the sensitive nature of so much of what we
do here. If you like, I will be happy to show you a copy, complete with
chrysobull, of that permit."
"
T3o
, never mind" The assurance in his voice said he wasn't bluffing. And if I
wanted to check, I could do it at the Criminal and Magical Courts building.
"But visitors should be warned before they enter the secure area, sir. They'd
have more of an incentive for following instructions carefully."
"Oh, it seems to work out all right. We haven't lost one in a couple of
weeks." The aerospace man had a perfect deadpan delivery. At first I accepted
what he'd said without thinking about it, then did a double take, and only
then noticed the very corners of his mouth curling up. I snorted. He'd got me
good.
He led me out to the door by which I'd entered As soon as I was on the far
side of it, I took off the talisman (now I could) and all but threw it at the
security guard "You didn't tell me it was lethal," I
snarled.
" your intentions were good, sir, you didn't need to know," he answered. "And
if they were bad, you
If also didn't need to know."
He should have been a Jesuit. After I got done gasping for air, I slunk out
toward my carpet, then headed for home. It was still early, but if I'd gone
someplace else and done my song and dance, I'd have been late. I was late the
day before. Put the two days together, I figured, and they'd come out even. It
was the sort of logic you'd expect after a Zoroastrian lunch, but it satisfied
me for the moment.
Because I was early, I made good time on the way back down to Hawthorne. Of
course, that left me rattling around my flat for a chunk of the afternoon. I'm
usually good at just being there by myself, but it wasn't working that day. I
didn't feel like going out and going shopping; besides, with next payday
getting close and the last one only a ghostly memory, the ghouls had been
chewing on my checking account.
I decided to do something to put crowns into my pocket, not take them out I
Page 54
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
had three or four sacks of aluminum cans rattling around under the sink and in
my closet; I took 'em out (which freed up space to put in more), carried 'em
down to my carpet, and headed for the local recycling center.
SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT AND SAVE ENERGY, said the sign outside: RECYCLE
ALUMINUM. I nodded approvingly as I lugged the cans over. Some programs sell
themselves as being good for the environment when they're not, but recycling
isn't one of them.
The fellow at the center tossed the cans on the scale, looked back at a little
chart on the wall behind him.
"Give you two crowns sixty," he said, and proceeded to do just that.
The small change went into my pocket, the two-crown note into my wallet Thank
you, friend," I told him.
"Any time," he answered. "See you again soon, I hope. You're making some
sorcerer's life easier."
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
I let that go with a nod. Since I work for the EPA, I would have bet I knew
more about it than he did.
Recycled aluminum lets magicians use the law of similarity to extract more of
the metal directly from the ore; it's a lot cheaper and more energy efficient
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]