Chapter Thirteen
". . . and so we ended up here," finished Luke.
"Are you sure this is what's 'appening?" Nimbalo asked, fiddling nervously with the tip of his tail. Coming round to find that he was trying to lick under his own tail had been most unpleasant, and what the healers had told him was not good news. Understandably he was more than a little frightened."Yes, it's happened before. A bad shock can cause a creature to stop talking and thinking - they end up with little more mind than a beetle or fish, poor things. Those mouse-things must have frightened you enough to start it off," Tagg said."How d'ye know it's 'appened before? It's just a legend. Nobeast's ever seen a creature this 'as 'appened to, it's always their brother's friend's auntie who knew somebeast who saw it. From a distance, usually.""It's in some of the old folk tales too. Warlords would capture beasts and torture them till they lost their minds. The victims would be set loose during a battle or to track enemies. Singlemindedly vicious by all accounts, and cannibalistic too.""Did any o' the old folk tales mention a cure?""I don't think so. And those nuns weren't much help - they just said if I left you as a mouse for so long it wasn't surprising you were going strange. They still won't believe I'm not a wizard, they think I can just shout 'abracadabra' and turn you 'back' into whatever. How stupid are they?"Nimbalo did not reply. He chewed his tail and stared off into space."If we could find a real wizard," he said at last, "d'ye think 'e'd be able to cure me?"Tagg opened his mouth to say "Wizards don't exist", but the look on his friend's face stopped him. The look wasn't even fear anymore, it was sick, hopeless terror."I don't wanna end up dumb as a beetle, Tagg," the mouse whimpered. "I don't wanna be eaten.""Maybe it'll wear off on its own," Tagg suggested, not knowing what else to say. He patted Nimbalo on the back. "Look, if we find any possible way of helping you, we'll use it. Maybe there is a way." Nimbalo looked slightly calmer."It's gotta be worth a try, right?"
