An Unpleasant Surprise

Aethir MacFionn sighed. "Look, Simon," he said, "we've gone over all this several times already. If we turned back now, it would take a miracle to find Frederigo in this almost trackless wasteland. And you know as well as I do, that even if we did find him, it would almost certainly be only his dead body that we found. He deliberately sacrificed himself that we might escape. He wouldn't want us to go back, but rather to go on and thus ensure that his sacrifice wasn't worthless."

Now it was Simon's turn to sigh. "I know you're right," he said. "You always were the practical one, Aethir. But it goes against the grain to just abandon him."

"I know, old friend, but it's what he wanted."

Astra looked as if she was about to say something, but instead she let out a gasp.

"What is it?" Aethir asked in concern. Then he looked where Astra was pointing.

They had just crested a low ridge, opening up a view stretching for some miles. Directly ahead of them, perhaps two miles away, stood a great black tower - black, that is, except where the setting sun reflected off it. "Vincent's tower!" Astra exclaimed. "We ought to have kept many miles away from it, if the tales about its location that we heard were anywhere near accurate."

"From what you've told us during our journey, I know that it holds bad memories for you," Simon said. "Shall we make a detour to avoid it?"

Astra reluctantly shook her head. "No. I have a feeling that it was somehow fated that I should return to the tower. Besides, with Vincent's powers, he will probably already know that we are here. He might think it rude of me if I did not pay him a return visit when I had the opportunity, to thank him for saving Fred's life in spite of my ill-timed sneeze. I don't want him angry at me; who knows what he might do to us then. At least the neighbourhood of the tower looks quiet enough. I see no sign of the war- beasts that the peasantry were babbling about. But since surely people rarely visit such a remote location, I'd always thought those must be nothing but rumour." [15432]

"If it's this fellow Marchavio that Vincent fears, [15519] then I don't suppose that war-beasts would be the right counter," Aethir pointed out. "But what about the gorilla creature which you told us about? Surely it would make a visit to the tower highly dangerous?"

"I hope that the scolding that Vincent gave it last time will have had some effect on it. Anyway, I think I learnt how to handle it. I wouldn't say that I exactly had it eating out of my hand, but if you stay with me I think you'll be all right."

"Very well, then. Let's pay Mad Vincent a visit."

"Just one more thing," Astra said. "He's bound to ask about what happened to me after I sneezed and found myself transported away. I don't want to tell him all my business - I don't trust him enough for that - so I will be evasive, and if he really presses me I will tell him what I hope will be a plausible falsehood. So please don't either of you contradict me or look surprised."

"Is that wise?" Aethir asked. "If he's as powerful as you say, he might be able to detect a falsehood."

"Well, I don't recall his showing any signs of being able to read minds when I met him before, so that's a risk I am prepared to take."

1. They approached the tower.
2. What none of them had considered was that Vincent might recognise the three-quarters complete amuket.
3. Meanwhile...
4. they approached the black Tower...

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