The Moving Castle
The illusionist arrives as he is about to depart. He cannot stay. She cannot leave him.
As they progressed the swamp grew drier and the vegetation shriveled. They came to a sandy desert with rolling dunes. The refracting air off the hot sand promised pools of water forever on the horizon.
"I never thought I'd say this," said Eric, "but I miss the swamp. You sure this is the easy way?"
"There are no easy ways, Eric," answered Bobby. "We're trying to avoid dragons."
"What for? Ninja-kung-fu chick over here can just roll under them and poke them in the tummy."
"How would you like ninja-kung-fu chick to poke you in the tummy?" said Diana.
"Okay, avoidance it is."
"Those were some fancy moves back in the forest, Diana," said Bobby. "You learn that all at the Temple?"
"Not all of it. I wandered quite a bit after I left the party. I tried adventuring solo, mercenary work, even the circus. But I was lost until I felt the Sisters' call. I was certainly needy enough – worth is still to be determined."
"Don't be too hard on yourself…" Eric trailed off. "Guys, is it the heat, or is that cloud following us?"
"That's a large cloud for the desert," agreed Bobby.
"And it's the only cloud in the sky," said Diana.
The four stopped as the cloud approached, basking in its shade. A golden rope ladder dropped to the ground.
"This is eerily familiar," said Bobby.
"Yeah, fee-fi-fo-fum familiar," said Eric. "I'll keep the magic beans and be on my way, thank you very much."
"Suit yourself," said Diana, beginning to climb.
"Fine, I'll wait here with Uni."
"Actually, Eric," said Bobby, "we'll wait for you upstairs." Uni's horn started to glow. The air shimmered and they were gone. Bobby waved to them from the top of the ladder.
Eric groaned.
#
Eric was the last to emerge from the cloud cover. Amid swirls of cotton candy were spires and battlements of stone.
"Okay, we found Merlin's castle," said Eric. "It must have drifted for decades. Can we leave before we find out what's moved in?"
"It seemed to be seeking us," said Bobby. "Maybe it's friendly."
"Or maybe it's just hungry."
As confirmation, a blood-chilling roar racked the skies. The dragon rose from behind the castle and landed before them, spewing flame. Eric hid behind his shield, the others jumped away.
"Diana," yelled Eric, "you think you could…"
"No, Eric, I don't. Don't give in to dragonfear!"
"This isn't dragonfear. This is normal, reasonable-person fear. The natural primate reaction – climb a tree, come back when you've invented gunpowder. Maybe dynamite."
"Read us your notes if you like," yelled Bobby, charging, "just keep drawing its fire!"
"Here's another idea: why don't you draw its fire while…"
"Eric!"yelled Diana.
"I'm reading, I'm reading. Dragons… Red dragons are the mightiest of the chromatic dragons, and the oldest of them rival demon princes and demigods in power… The breath of an ancient dragon can strip even magical resistance to fire away…" Okay, not feeling so good about the shield now. "Guys, I don't think I want to read anymore."
He was answered by a fresh jet of flame. Bobby and Diana had moved to opposite flanks, dodging claw and tail.
As the dragon reared for another strike, it was suddenly covered in flowery gift-wrapping paper. Beyond it, a green-clad mage grinned behind a full red beard.
"So much for removing the terror from our sight. Better think of a better rhyme."
"Presto!" cried Bobby and Diana.
The dragon tore free, seemingly angrier for the humiliation.
"What do you think this is, a rock golem?" yelled Eric. "Why don't you pull out a Predator drone?"
"What's a Predator drone?" asked Presto.
"You know, those pilotless planes!"
"I can try…" Presto wiggled his fingers. "C'mon old hat, we cannot lose face; give me a fighter without an ace!"
"Lose our heads, more likely," Eric mumbled.
The hat glowed and the roar of an engine grew louder. A model airplane left the hat and flew towards the dragon, who crushed it easily. The resulting explosion was surprisingly bright for a small toy, dazing the dragon.
"Hurry," yelled Presto, "into the castle."
They raced towards the walls. The dragon shook it off and followed, breathing fire on Eric, who brought up the rear. The gate closed behind them as they jumped inside.
#
The party rested against the wall. Outside, the dragon could be heard pounding and blazing.
"Unless you have a knight in shining armor, Presto," said Eric, "this little pig isn't too sure about the house of stone."
"Alas," said Diana, "you're the only one at hand, Sir Eric."
"The walls will hold," said Presto. "Caerfyrddin is well warded."
"You named the castle?" asked Eric.
"It told me its name."
"Of course it did."
"Almost felt like old times back there. Didn't think I'd see you around these parts, Eric."
"Yeah, about that. I apologized to the others, but I still think that on some level they were relieved to see me go."
"Eric…" said Diana.
"But you and me, we were buddies, and I let you down. I'm sorry for that, and I want to help."
"We'll see."
"Sorry to break the moment," said Bobby, "but Tiamat walked these halls before. And Venger."
"True. Barring two of the most powerful beings in the Realm, the castle is well warded. I could hardly believe it when I saw you guys trekking through the desert. I took a chance and made myself obvious, one of them noticed. Soon the castle will fade again."
"Sweet," said Diana. "So how did you find it in the first place?"
"Craigslist?" said Eric. The others looked blankly at him.
"I think it found me. Come, I'll show you the little corner where I live."
#
They walked through shadowy arches and hallways. Even had it been fully inhabited, the castle seemed to lack the capacity of being well-lit.
"When Diana left I knew I'd have to do the same sometime, but I wasn't ready. Then I started seeing strange clouds, and I knew it was time to leave. The castle was waiting for me. Maybe it could understand what I was looking for, maybe it just came to the only wizard it new."
"Any other hallucinations in all this time alone?" asked Eric.
"Hey, I go out for supplies once in a while. Food, quills, bat guano – the basics. Maybe it's just in my head…"
"I'm sure it is."
"… but sometimes I can taste whether the food has been magicked. Those days I need to go down and get real food, talk to real people instead of scrying. But you'd be surprised, some of the mages I've encountered make me look like a social butterfly."
"How is the research going?" asked Bobby.
"Well, I feel much more confident with magic, though it may not show in my combat spells. I've been focusing on Tiamat – some progress, but nothing useful yet. It still amazes me how you can say the right words and mix the right ingredients, but so much hinges on confidence."
"That's all fascinating," said Eric, "but don't you think maybe combat spells can contribute to the slaying business?"
"I did. Then I realized they wouldn't be enough. I need to find another way."
"And going home?"
"And where is that, Eric? Finding a way back to Earth was my first priority. As time went by, however, I cared more and more about helping this world. My life is here now."
#
They came to the library. A cot was barely visible behind piles of tomes. Presto moved to a water basin and sprinkled sparkles into it.
"I give you the arcane component, glitter. Cheaper than silver dust, almost as good."
The surface rippled and the exterior of the castle came into view. The dragon rested before it, eyeing it warily.
"Our friend's attention is keeping the castle visible, you better spend the night. I'll ask the cloud to move towards your destination before it shrinks any further. You have any idea what it takes to keep a cloud this size in the desert?"
"You've been spying on us?" asked Diana.
"Just scrying. We don't get cable up here."
"If you knew where we were," said Bobby, "why didn't you visit?"
"I almost did, a few times. But in the beginning I wanted to prove to myself I could make it alone. Later, I didn't want to show up empty-handed."
"And they say Barbarians are dumb. We didn't want no stinking spell, we missed you."
Presto dropped his gaze. "I guess magic-wielders have a soft spot for hubris."
They ate real food that night, and slept by a magicked General Electric heater.
#
In the morning, Presto led them back to the gate. "No dragons in sight. Safe travels."
"Won't you even come to say hello?" asked Bobby.
"You can save yourself the trouble of chasing after us," said Eric. "Just ask Diana."
"Sorry, guys," said Presto. "I'm just not ready."
"We understand," said Diana. "Just don't take too long changing your mind."
"It was good seeing you," said Eric. "Bobby, do you think this time I could…" The air still rippled where Bobby and Uni had stood. Eric groaned.