Belboz's Brainwave
The Never Ending Quest - Episode 34135
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"If Penn is a week's easy ride away, then that must mean that it is three
weeks away on foot," Belboz pointed out. "I assume, Fred, that the horse
that you came on is tethered somewhere outside the caves, but we cannot
all four ride on one horse. Even if we wait for your squire to arrive
sometime next week, then that would still mean sharing two horses, which
for a journey of that length is not really practical. And that's not
allowing for the squire, who I'd imagine you would not wish to have to
walk back alone to Penn through such dangerous countryside. No doubt you
planned for him to ride back on your original horse. Nor do I think that
it would be wise to attempt to walk to Penn instead. Those on foot are
much more at risk from the wild things that lurk in the hills than are
those on horseback.
"So the question arises of whether you are willing to break up our fellowship. You could ride back to Penn with the squire on the two horses, and return when you are well again. In fact you could even take Checkers with you, for unlike Astra she is light enough not to overburden a horse that is shared with another. But I must warn you that that it could take many months of recovery before you are fit enough to resume your quest." "What about Princess Astra?" Fred asked. "She can hardly remain here with you for a matter of months." I could say that, as you are my bondswoman of your own free will, you should do exactly that, Belboz projected to Astra. But I feel that such a reply might not go down very well with the noble lord. However, I have thought of a way of reassuring him. "I could put Astra into suspended animation as I did with Checkers," Belboz said. "She would be perfectly safe. I could then revive her when you and Checkers returned." In practice, Princess, I should revive you as soon as Fred and Checkers have gone on their way. "Supposing something were to happen to you, Belboz, so that you could not revive her?" Checkers asked. "A good point. I could put a time limit of say six months on the spell, so that if I did not revive her within that period she would awaken anyway." Not that Belboz was actually capable of that, but the situation was not going to arise.
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JH
10/4/2003 12:44:59 PM
Extending Enabled
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