Foster, Dean - Spellsinger 03 - The Day of the Dissonance

The spellsinger was now wending his lilting way through

"Peaceful Easy Feeling." "See," whispered Jalwar ex-

citedly through clenched, sharp teeth, "even the armpit

of a captain begins to go!"

No question but that Corroboc was slumped in the chair.

Sasheem yawned and sat down beside him. They made an

unlovely couple.

All around the deck the crewmembers were blinking and

yawning and falling asleep where they stood. Only the

three prisoners remained awake.

"We are aware of what he is doing," Jalwar explained,

"and in any case the magic is not directed at us."

"That's good, guv'nor." Mudge had to work to stifle a

yawn, blinked in surprise. "Strong stuff 'e's workin'."

By the time Jon-Tom sang the final strains of "Peace-

ful Easy Feeling," the pirate ship was sailing aimlessly. Its

bloodthirsty crew lay snoring soundly on the deck, in the

hold below, and even up in the rigging. He took a step

toward Corroboc and ran his eyes over the captain's attire

without finding what he was hunting for. Then he joined

his friends.

"Did any of you see where he put his keyring?"

"No, mate," Mudge whispered, "but we'd best find

'em fast."

Jon-Tom started for the door leading to the captain's

cabin, then hesitated uncertainly. Once inside, where would

he look? There might be a sealed chest, many drawers, a

hidden place beneath a nest or mattress, and the keyring

might not even be kept in the cabin. Maybe Sasheem had

charge of the keys, or maybe one of the other ship's

officers.

He couldn't go looking for them and still sing the

sleep spell. Already some of the somnolent crew were

beginning to stir impatiently. And he didn't have the

slightest idea how long the spellsong would remain in

effect.

"Do somethin', mate!" Mudge was tugging uselessly

on his own ankle chains.

"Where should I look for the keys? They're not on the

captain." Suddenly words in his mind, suggestive of

something once remembered. Not suggestions of a place to

hunt for keys, but snatches of a song.

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Alan Dean Poster

A song about steel cat eyes and felines triumphant.

About "The Mouse Patrol That Never Sleeps," a lethal

little bloodthirsty ditty about an ever-watchful carnivorous

kitty. Or so he'd once described it to a friend.

He sang it now, wishing lan Anderson were about to

accompany him on the flute, the words pouring rapidly

from his lips as he tried to concentrate on the tune while

keeping a worried eye on the comatose crew.

The section of anchor chain that had been used to bind

Roseroar suddenly cracked and fell away. She looked in

amazement at the broken links, then up at Jon-Tom.

Wordlessly, she went to work on the much thinner chains

restraining her companions. Mudge and Jalwar were freed

quickly as immense biceps strained. They vanished below-

decks as she worked on Jon-Tom's bindings. By the time

she'd finished freeing him, the otter and ferret had reappeared.

Mudge's longbow was slung over his shoulder and his face

was almost hidden by the burden of the tigress's armor.

Jalwar dragged her heavy swords behind him, panting

hard.

They turned and raced for the tow rope attached to the

John B. Only Jon-Tom lingered.

"Come on," Roseroar called to him. "What ah yo

waitin' fo?"

He whispered urgently back to her. "The girl! I promised."

"She don't care what yo do. She'll only be trouble."

"Sorry, Roseroar." He turned and rushed for the nearest

open hatch.

"Damn," the tigress growled. She pushed past him,

vanished below. While he waited he sang, but the spellsong

was beginning to surrender its potency. Several sailors

rolled over in their sleep, snuffling uneasily.

Then a vast white-and-black shape was pushing past

him, the limp naked form of Folly bouncing lightly on one

shoulder like a hunting trophy. Jon-Tom's heart stopped for

a second, until he saw that her condition was no different

THE DAY OF THE DISSONANCE

131

from that of the rest of die ship's complement. His spell-

singing had put Folly to sleep also.

"Satisfied?" Roseroar snarled.

"Quite." He muffled a grin as he raced her to the stern.

Mudge and Jalwar were just boarding the sloop, Mudge

having negotiated the short swim with ease, while Jalwar

displayed typical ferret agility by walking the swaying tow

rope all the way down to the boat. Roseroar was about to

step over the side when she saw Jon-Tom hesitate for the

second time.

4'Now what's the mattah?"

"I've done a tot of running, Roseroar, and I'm a pretty

good swimmer, but the sea's rough and my shoulders are

so sore from pushing that damn scrub brush that I'm not

sure if I can make it. You go on. I'll try and catch up.

When you cast off the line you can swing her 'round and

pick me out of the water."

She shook her head. "Ah declah, ah nevah heard any-

one, not even a human, talk so damn much. Grab hold."

She turned her back to him.

Deciding this wasn't the time to salvage whatever remained

of his already bruised male ego, he put both arms around

her neck, using one to help balance Folly. Roseroar ig-

nored her double burden as she went hand over hand down

the towrope until all of them were standing safe on the

deck of the John B.

"Cast off!" Jon-Tom shouted at Mudge as he ran for the

stern. "I'll take the wheel. Roseroar, you run the sails

up."

"With pleasure." She dumped Folly's unconscious form

onto the deck. Jon-Tom winced as it hit, decided that one

more black and blue mark wouldn't show up against the

background of bruises that covered the girl's entire body.

Roseroar worked two winches at once while Mudge

hacked away with his short sword at the thick hauser

linking them to the pirate ship. In seconds the sloop swung

clear. Her sails climbed the mast, caught the wind. Jon-

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Alan Dean Foster

Tom turned her as confused shouts and cries of outrage

began to sound from the deck of the larger vessel.

"Not a moment too soon." Jalwar spoke admiringly

from his position atop the center cabin. "You have the

gift, it is certain."

Jon-Tom shrugged off the compliment and concentrated

on catching as much wind as possible. "I didn't study for

it and I didn't plan on it. It's just a lucky combination of

my musical training and something I've picked up in this

world."

"Nonetheless, it cannot be denied. You have the gift."

For an instant it was as if the years had left the ferret

and a different being entirely was standing next to the

mainmast looking down at Jon-Tom. He blinked once, but

when he looked again it was just the same Jalwar, aged

and stooped and tired. The ferret turned away and stum-

bled toward the bow to see if he could help Mudge or

Roseroar.

The tigress had the rigging well in hand, and at Jon-

Tom's direction, Mudge was breaking out the sloop's

spinnaker. Behind them, furious faces lined the port side

of the pirate ship. Rude gestures and bloodthirsty curses

filled the air. Above all sounded a thunderous cackling

from Corroboc. The faces fled the railing, to reappear

elsewhere on the ship as the crew swarmed up the masts.

Oars began to dip as dull-eyed galley slaves took up the

cue provided by whip and drum. The big ship began to

come about.

But this time the sloop was sailing with the wind to