The Stranger - Max Frei [209]
“And if I do what I did yesterday?” I suggested. “I’ll share the pain with him, and he’s sure to survive!”
“Would you really agree to that? I wouldn’t advise it.”
I shrugged.
“What else can we do? Besides, I’ve never felt as bold as I do today. Carpe diem!”
“That’s all I need,” the boss muttered. “To bury you while saving this worthy son of the distant south. No, today we’ll be wiser. We’ll go to Jafax. The women of the Seven-Leaf Clover will think of something. All the more since we’re making efforts for their boss.”
“For Magician Nuflin? Wait, Juffin—are there really women in the Seven-Leaf Clover?”
“Whatever made you think that there weren’t?” Juffin asked. “There are more women than men. That was the case in all the other Orders, as well. Didn’t you know?”
“How could I have known? I’ve never seen any of them. And all the Grand Magicians I’ve heard about are men.”
“Yes, I suppose so. But, you see, women are inclined to secrecy. When they enter the Order, they break their ties with the world so effectively that it’s almost impossible to have any contact with them. There are quite powerful personages among them, but no one has been able to persuade them to accept an important office. They claim that it would ‘distract them from the most important things.’ In a way, they’re right. You’ll see for yourself when we get there.”
“But what does Magician Nuflin have to do with this?” I asked as I settled behind the levers of the amobiler. “You said we were doing this for him.”
“Where is your renowned intuition, Max? You can figure it out. The young man who became a captive of the mysterious belt stole the copy of the Shining Seven-Leaf Clover, which is only good for a souvenir. Now people are appearing in Echo again with similar belts. What do you think they might want?”
“Magician Nuflin’s real amulet?”
“Congratulations, you hit the nail on the head!”
“I wonder how they intend to pilfer that little trinket from Jafax?”
“It’s very simple. If they managed to put the same kind of belt on Nuflin, he’d give them anything they wanted.”
“How could they foist something like that on the Grand Magician himself? That’s impossible, Juffin.”
“Well, it would probably be hard to get it on Nuflin himself. But that’s not really necessary. There are many people in the Order of the Seven-Leaf Clover, and there are secret passageways connecting Jafax with Echo—like our House by the Bridge, for instance. It would be enough to fasten a belt like that on one of our messengers for him to dive into hell and bring out a bunch of Dark Magicians, not to mention the Shining Seven-Leaf Clover. If he’s lucky, of course. But people sometimes are! In short, lad, someone who had the wits to forge those belts would be fully capable of clinching a deal like that. I know I could.”
“You, Juffin?”
“Among the Mutinous Magicians were young men who were much more sharp-witted than I was. What they weren’t smart enough to do was to take a critical view of foolish superstitions.”
“So you think there is some Mutinous Magician behind all of this?”
“Of course. Who else do you think would need the blasted amulet? Unless it were a jeweler—but there are many more valuable things in the World. We’re here, Max, don’t you see?”
“Oh, yes. I didn’t even notice. It’s neither dawn nor dusk, though. How will we pass into Jafax?”
“Through the Secret Door. It’s the only way of reaching the women of the Seven-Leaf Clover.”
Juffin climbed out of the amobiler and I followed behind him. The boss walked along a high dark wall, then stopped and slapped his palm hard against a slightly protruding greenish stone.
“Follow me, boy. Better close your eyes—it will steady your nerves.”
Without looking back at me, the boss began walking directly into the rock.
There was no time