The Bullfinch

"What makes you think Malagigi will tell you anything?" Merlin asked.

"Everything we’ve ever heard about him indicates that he will be benevolent to our cause."

Merlin smirked. "He’s a curmudgeon."

Mercury started to ask something, but Zalidivar beat him with the answer, "A grouchy old fart."

"A very suspicious and ingenious grouchy old fart," Merlin added.

"How do you know?" Thalia insisted.

Merlin surveyed her and said sarcastically, "It’s true, he could have changed in the last 2500 years."

"What are his vices?" Mercury asked.

Merlin frowned and thought. "At one time he was particularly fond of Rinaldo, who is his nephew."

"So he will tell us," Mercury said.

Merlin continued, "Malagigi fell in love with the beautiful, but treacherous Angelica, who fell in love with Rinaldo, who wouldn’t have her, but she wouldn’t give up on him. She had a magic ring which when she held it in her mouth rendered her invisible. When Rinaldo wouldn’t attend her, she started using the ring more and more just to be in his presence."

"Poor thing," Mercury crooned.

"So," Thalia demanded.

"So one day she stumbled and swallowed the ring. After that all beauty died in Malagigi and he blamed Rinaldo."

"Then he won’t tell us," Mercury said.

"Unless we find Angelica," Zaldivar said.

"Even so she still won’t be in love with Malagigi," Thalia said.

"We can brew a love psalter," Merlin said.

"Let’s just go talk to him," Thalia said and went back to studying.

Mercury whispered to Merlin, "Let’s brew a love psalter. We can practice with Thalia."

Zaldivar wrote across Mercury’s pilot’s monitor, "She already does love you, you ninny,"

"How are we going to find someone who’s terminally invisible?" Mercury asked out loud.

"If she stumbled, she must have physical presence. Can’t we throw a blanket or something over her?" Zaldivar said.

"If she’s still in love with Rinaldo and only Ashtaroth knows where he is, and Malagigi knows where Ashtaroth is, then maybe Angelica is close to Malagigi in hopes of learning Ashtaroth’s whereabouts," Mercury said.

"This planet Aetna," Merlin asked, "does it have volcanos?"

"Many minor and one major," Zaldivar reported.

"The major volcano is where we will begin our search for Malagigi," Thalia said.

Merlin nodded. From seemingly nowhere he produced a smallish, beaten, faded leather bound book entitled Cyclopes, An Uninteresting Race. Zaldivar began landing systems checks and Mercury studied a topographical map for the best place to put down.

The landing was smooth and as predicted the planet looked deserted. Mercury, Thalia and Merlin cautiously surveyed the landscape. It was stunning. Harsh and dramatic with a stiff wind. Tough sun baked stickery weeds grew over tops of cliffs that looked as if huge portions of the land had fallen away and been upheaved. Zaldivar put himself on red alert and erected an invisible force field around The Bullfinch. Mercury, Thalia and Merlin began their hike.

"What are we looking for?" Mercury asked.

Thalia and Merlin both answered, "A cave." They looked at each other.

Merlin was very cautious, constantly surveying the land. Thalia was rehearsing a speech in her mind. Mercury was happy to be out of the space ship, but on instinct checked for his ray gun. Merlin picked up a long, sharp stick, then tripped.

"Be careful you don’t poke your eye out," Mercury said.

"It’s not my eye I’m expecting to have to poke out," Merlin retorted.

"If you poke out Malagigi’s eye he certainly will not allow us any information about anything," Thalia snapped.

Merlin gave her an are you stupid look and said, "No matter how heart broken he is, he will not be without a personal body guard. He always held grandiose ideas and thought of himself as being quite special. Do not expect to find him with less than . . ."

"Halt," a booming voice demanded. A huge one eyed gray creature jumped down from a large rock and blocked their passage.