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He had it!
Melusine's primary control over people like himself was the fact that she
could choose to make it possible for them to breathe underwater or not.
Apparently, she had it in for dragons. She clearly preferred that they be
stuck with breathing water once they were under the surface. On the other
hand, in his case, she had preferred that he breathe water as if it were air,
or water that had been turned into air. That meant that all he had to do
"Ouch!" cried Jim.
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He rubbed the right side of his skull. A dozen laboring little fish had just
dropped a small ingot of gold on his head. He glared at them.
"I don't want this!" he shouted at them. "I don't want any gold, or jewels,
or grapes, or all this other stuff you're bringing me. I don't want it, do you
understand me?I do not want it !"
The fish went off again in a body judging from past performance, to find
something else to bring him. He rubbed his head again and tried to recapture
the thought that had been interrupted by the gold brick.
He had the first step of his system. He had something to imagine. He must
imagine that there was a way he could walk, underwater, out of here and up the
side of the lake into the air with the water around him staying as breathable
as air until he got out in the open and could breathe the real atmosphere.
He concentrated on the image of his doing just that. Here am I, he thought,
strolling along the lake bed, breathing water perfectly well, even though I am
escaping from Melusine. My own magic turns the water around me into the most
breathable possible air. I have as much air as I want. I can breathe deep into
my lungs. I could even run as fast as I wanted to, and there would still be
plenty of air with plenty of oxygen in it for my lungs to pump into my body
and keep it going. Here I am, running along the floor of the lake, beginning
to climb up the side, breathing nicely
Now, what do I write on the inside of my forehead to make myself be able to
breathe water this way? I know I have the answer inside me, in theEncyclopedie
Necromantick; but I just can't seem to bring the exact thing to mind that I
need.
"Oh! You're awake," said the voice of Melusine behind him. She bounced onto
the bed beside him, landing on her knees. "Shoo!"
The last word was addressed to a small school of fish which was now laboring
up with what looked like a crown made entirely out of mother-of-pearl.
They turned about and swam away with it again.
"I'm so glad to have you awake, my dearest," purred Melusine. "Are you
feeling all better now?"
"Yes," said Jim; and then decided that he ought to put some enthusiasm into
it, "Yes, yes indeed.Very much better indeed."
"Well, that's just fine," said Melusine. "Now, perhaps "
"And how was your day?" asked Jim.
She looked at him, startled.
"My day?" she said.
"Well, day or night, whatever time you've been away from me while I was
sleeping," said Jim.
"You want to know how things have been with me since you fell asleep?" said
Melusine, staring at him. "Nobody ever I mean, usually nobody ever asks me
that kind of question."
"Well, you see," said Jim, "when two people, like you and I "
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"Oh, yes," sighed Melusine.
"When two people like you and I," said Jim, "are attracted to each other as
we are, it makes their love a bigger, finer thing if they're interested in
each other's doings, even when they aren't together."
Melusine looked at him in extreme puzzlement and shook her head.
"This is most strange of you, James," she said. "Does it come of being
English?"
"Oh yes," said Jim, "we all feel this way inEngland . That's why people are
so much in love with each other there."
"Ugly, brutal savages, with dragons all over the place, are very much in love
with each other, inEngland ?" said Melusine unbelievingly.
"Oh yes.Very, very much in love. Take my word for it," said Jim.
"Of course, I'll take your word for anything, my dearest heart," said
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