Tymora's Luck - Kate Novak [133]
"Haversack?" the old man asked. "Have we met somewhere?"
"Yes, sir," Emilo said. "A few days ago, in some other place. You made me unnoticeable except to people from Krynn so I could help you discover if someone was an impostor or not."
Jas and Finder exchanged surprised glances.
"See," the old man said, holding a finger up in front of Finder, "you don't have to remember everything. Sometimes you can get other people to do it for you."
"I'll find someone to remember that for me, sir," Finder replied.
"Ha!" the old man laughed. "You are a sharp one, aren't you?" Then he turned to Jas. He put a hand on the woman's cheek. "You've grown to be a lovely young lass," he said. "Why, I remember when you were just a wee tiny baby." "Are you sure you don't have me confused with someone else?" Jas asked in a kindly tone.
"You are Rose and Michael's little girl, aren't you?" he asked.
Jas's jaw dropped. "Those were my parents' names," she said, surprised.
"You look just like your mother," the old man said. "Now, Finder, my boy-"
"Yes, sir?" Finder said.
"This is for you," the old man said, handing Finder an envelope.
Finder turned over the envelope. It was addressed simply to "Our Friend." The god opened the envelope and pulled out a plain white card edged in gold. "It's a wedding invitation," he noted.
"Yes. Someone I know threw it away. Very unlike him. I had to wonder if it was really him."
"But it isn't addressed to us," Finder said.
"It doesn't matter. That's the wonderful thing about weddings. Everyone is welcome. Turning away a guest would be very bad form," the old man said.
"But this invitation is for a wedding that took place last month," Finder pointed out.
"Oh, that doesn't matter," the old man said. "Better late than never to give best wishes to the happy couple. Anyway, it will get you where you want to go. It's a portal key. Just hold it up and say… and say… Oh, dear, I seem to have forgotten. Let me think for a moment. 'Don't leave me in the lurch?' 'Stop on a dime?' Hmmm… That's not it. How about, 'Plant a little birch, make a little rhyme?' No. Oh, now I remember. You say, 'Get me to the church on time,' and you'll be there."
Finder laughed at the irony of the words. "I really appreciate this, sir. Thank you," he said. "But it occurs to me you haven't told me your name."
"My name?" the old man repeated. "My name is Fuzz-bat… No, wait. Fezbutt," he said with less certainty. "Or maybe it's Fizz… Fizz… Fizz Something. I'm quite sure."
"Oh. I thought it might be something else," Finder said. "But I'm pleased to meet you, Mr. Fizz Something."
"What did you think my name was?" Fizz Something asked.
"Well, the way you've come to the rescue, completely out of the blue, I thought you might be Ao," Finder replied. "The Overpower of the Cosmos."
Fizz Something laughed hard for several moments until he started to cough and wheeze. When he had recovered, he looked up at Finder. "What an interesting guess," he said. Then he teleported away.
"What was that all about?" Jas asked, completely confused by the exchange between the god and the old man.
"That was Fizz Something," Finder said. "A god from your world, I believe," he said to Emilo.
"No," Emilo replied. "He's just a nice old wizard."
"Right," Finder said. "Just a nice old wizard."
"So the invitation is a portal key?" Jas asked. "It must have been someone pretty important for such a fancy invitation."
"It's for the marriage of Aurora Brightday to Allain Crimson, to be held in the realm of Morning Glory," Finder explained. "And it's high time we wished the happy couple joy." He reached out for Jas's hand. Jas, in turn, took Emilo's hand. Finder held up the wedding invitation and called out, "Get me to the church on time."
The heather-covered precipice over the river disappeared, replaced by an orchard of peach trees. The sun was just rising over a distant mountain ridge. Birds flitted about over their heads, twittering excitedly.
Suddenly a tall,