The Wiz Biz II: Cursed & Consulted Read Online Free Page A

young his beard barely touched his chest.
    Glandurg glared at him and planted his hands on his hips. "Do you want to hear this or don't you?"
    Gimli wilted under his leader's stare and Glandurg adopted his heroic pose again.
    "As I was saying, a secret audience with the King. He has commanded us upon a vital mission for all of dwarfdom."
    He paused for effect and the other dwarves leaned forward expectantly.
    "We are to penetrate the world of mortals to its very heart and there find and slay a wizard from beyond our World! It is a dangerous, desperate quest and inhis hour of need my uncle the King has turned to us as the staunchest, bravest among all his subjects." He surveyed his wide-eyed followers and saw they were satisfactorily impressed.
    "This isn't another one of your stories?" one of the dwarves asked at last.
    "Why don't you go to my uncle the King and put that question to him?"
    That settled it. None of them would go anywhere near King Tosig, but the assurance with which Glandurg issued the challenge told them that for once their leader was not exaggerating. At least not much.
    "How are we supposed to get there?" asked Thorfin,always the practical one. "That's two hundred leagues at least."
    "We will ride," Glandurg said loftily. "It has been arranged."
    "I don't know about horses," a dwarf named Snorri said dubiously. "I'm not much for them."
    "We will not ride horses. We will fly."
    "I thought you said we'd ride," said Ragnar. "Which will it be then?"
    "You'll see soon enough," Glandurg told him with a superior smile. He was pleased that he had thought of the transportation problem and he was even more pleased with the solution he had worked out in the few hours since meeting with the king. But he didn't want to tip his hand. His companions might not be as happy with his cleverness as Glandurg was.
    "What about supplies?" Ragnar asked.
    "Our every need will be supplied from the hold's storehouses," Glandurg said. He smiled at the thought of old Samlig's face when he issued out the carefully hoarded goods. "We shall have the weapons, the armor and the gold we need from my uncle the King's personal treasury."
    He looked them over again. "This will not be easy. The alien wizard has mighty magic and his legions of mortal warriors are numberless and not to be despised. It will be a long, difficult adventure and danger awaits us at every turn."
    The dwarves all nodded. Danger and adventure were fine with them.
    "This will be to the death," he proclaimed. "Some of us—nay, all of us!—may not return."
    He swept his gaze over his followers impressively.
    "Now swear with me in blood!" Glandurg drew his knife and nicked himself on the wrist. He cut deeper than he meant to and winced slightly at the sudden pain. There was a lot more blood than he intended, but his sleeve reddened satisfactorily and the blood dripping off his wrist made a most impressive touch.
    One by one the other dwarves cut themselves and mingled their blood with their leader's for the oath.
    "To the wizard's death—or our own."
     

Three: OPERATION 500-POUND PARAKEET
    The problem with a kludge is eventually you'regoing to have to go back and do it right.
    —Programmers' saying   
     
     
    "You're sure this will work?" Wiz asked for the fourth time that morning amid the bustle of final preparations. He was wearing a warm wool tunic and pants, a heavy travelling cloak and a very apprehensive look.
    "If you can remember to do your part of it," Moira said a little sharply. Then she caught his expression and placed her hand on his arm.
    "Do not worry, love," she said softly. "The spells are as simple and foolproof as we can make them. What was your phrase?—'Idiots-and-English-majors' simple."
    Wiz didn't object to the characterization. In spite of the power his spell compiler gave him, he had absolutely no talent for this world's magic. It had taken Moira and Bal-Simba weeks to teach him what he would have to do today.
    Wiz was much more warmly