Be Careful What You Wish For

Even worse, why hadn't she succeeded in vaporising Adele and the traitorous Matthias? Adele didn't have one-tenth the power that she herself now possessed, so how had the lovers been saved? Could it be that Belboz had somehow interfered with her spell in order to protect his daughter? She knew that, thanks to the ring, she somehow had access to much of his knowledge and memories. She needed that if she was to succeed in her aim of using the machine. But could Adele's jibe that Belboz was in the process of taking her over possibly be true? Surely not, and yet a nagging doubt had been planted in her mind. No doubt that was what the cunning bitch had intended.

And just then the silence was broken, and her brooding interrupted, by that stupid, priggish knight. “Ahem! Um. Yes. Not to be a bugger here, but since technically you only fulfilled 50% of the bargain, how about going the extra mile and giving the good princess some robes?"

She managed with an effort to control her anger, and favoured Fred with an icy stare. "For the puny help which is all that you and your companions could give me, I made an amazingly generous offer out of the goodness of my heart. Since most of that help would have come from Sigin, who sadly it seems will not be able to oblige, I do not think that I owe you anything. But I am feeling generous, so the princess can have some clothes - yours!"

The transference of clothes was magic in which she was well versed, [82673] and she had no difficulty in achieving the desired effect. A moment later, Fred stood totally naked, whilst Exotica now wore his underthings, his leather trousers, his chain mail jerkin, his gauntlets and his boots. All these items had been resized so that they fitted her perfectly.

"I didn't think that she would be safe with a sword, so that has vanished," Elaine said. "And so has the backpack. That would have been too heavy for her."

1. She continued: "Now to proceed to the matter of your help. I require one of you as a test subject, to make a 'journey' you might say, using that machine that you can see over there." She pointed at it.
2. Sigin in fact had his full intelligence back, but had thought it wiser to disguise that. Without warning, he leapt at Elaine, and his jaws closed on the finger which bore the ring.
3. Fred was unwise enough to protest.
4. Exotica screamed. "Ohmigod. Is that what a naked man looks like?!"

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