"Then maybe nothing would happen to you if you ate one," Cimorene said.
"You can experiment later. Morwen, are you finished? We've been longer than five minutes, and I'd like to get going again."
"I'm done." Climbing to her feet, Morwen tucked the sample bags and trowel into her sleeve and smiled. "And I believe I've thought of a way to speed up the rest of the trip. Have you got any rope in your pack?"
Cimorene looked at Morwen, frowning. "Rope? I think so. Why?"
"So we can tow Killer," Morwen said. "Between the laundry basket and the broomstick, we should have plenty of power, and we'll be able to go a lot faster, now that we're out of the trees."
"Good idea," Brandel said. "It's a pity you didn't think of it sooner.
I've got plenty of rope back at the tower."
"I don't know about this," Killer said. "It doesn't sound very comfortable."
"Do you want to run all the way to Vamist's house?" Morwen said.
"That's your other choice. Take it or leave it."
Killer took it, but not without grumbling the whole time they spent rigging a harness for him and tying it to the laundry basket and broomstick.
"This is UNDIGNIFIED," he complained as they prepared to start off once more.
"What's so dignified about a six-foot floating blue donkey with oversized wings?" said Scorn.
"I'm very… very… Eee-augh! Help! Slow down! Oh, I knew this was a bad idea. Rabbits weren't meant to go this fast."
Morwen glanced back and almost laughed. Killer hung at the end of the tow ropes, all four feet braced against the air (which did him no good whatsoever). His wings and ears streamed behind him in the wind. On his back, barely visible between the blue ears and feathers, Scorn and Horatio lay flat with their front claws dug into the rope harness.
Smiling, Morwen turned back to concentrate on flying the broomstick.
Despite Killer's loud complaints, by her standards they were not traveling particularly fast. Between the extra weight on both broom and basket and the energy it took to pull Killer, Morwen estimated their speed at about a third of her usual rate. Still, it was much faster than walking, especially over the open meadows that stretched ahead of them.
They had gone several miles and Killer's objections had degenerated into occasional terrified brays when Brandel slowed the laundry basket.
Morwen matched his reduction in speed, and a moment later they landed in a small stand of trees near the top of a hill.
"That's enough of that!" Killer said. "I don't care if you want to get there quickly, I don't care if I have to run, I don't care if those wizards turn me into a pancake and eat me for breakfast. I'm not doing that again."
"You won't have to," Brandel said, climbing out of the laundry basket.
"Vamist's house is over this hill and down the road about a quarter of a mile." He looked at Cimorene a little apologetically. "I know you'd rather be closer, but with him making all that noise-" "You'd make noise, too, if you were being hauled along three times as fast as any reasonable rabbit should go," Killer said unrepentantly.
"Well, you're not being pulled anywhere now, so be quiet," Cimorene said. "If you do anything that messes up our getting Mendanbar's sword, I'll... I'll turn you into a pancake and eat you myself."
"You can't do that!" Killer's ears jerked nervously. "Can you?"
"Killer will behave himself." Morwen looked at her cats. "Scorn and Trouble will see to it." And between keeping Killer out of mischief and acting as lookouts, the cats might actually have so much to do that they wouldn't get up to anything unfortunate. She hoped.
Cimorene nodded and turned to Brandel. "How easy will it be to sneak up on this house without being seen?"
"It shouldn't be too difficult," Brandel replied. "There are a lot of trees and bushes around the house."
"Let's go, then."
"What about these?" Brandel asked, waving at the empty laundry basket and broomstick.
"Leave the basket here," Morwen said. "It's too awkward to carry, and I can always enchant another one for you when this is all over. I'll take the broomstick in case Cimorene and I need to get away quickly."
"Then we're ready," Cimorene said. "Let's go."
Twisting his rings absently, Telemain nodded and started up the hill.
The rest followed in silence. No one seemed to feel much like talking as they went up over the hill and down the tree-lined lane on the other side.
A few minutes later, Brandel stopped and looked at Cimorene.
"Vamist's house is just around the bend. If you and Morwen cut through these bushes and head off to the right, you should come out in his backyard."
"Good," said Morwen. "Scorn, Trouble, run ahead and find out which room the sword is in and where Antorell and Vamist are. Don't forget to come back and let me know."
"We aren't amateurs," Scorn said, switching her tail.
"Right," said Trouble. "And Kazul's not here, so I get first crack at the wizard." He stood up and stretched to show that it wasn't all that important, then vanished into the bushes.
"I don't know why you care so much about the wizard," Scorn said, following. "That obnoxious idiot with no hair is the one I want dibs on. The things he said…"
Frowning, Morwen looked after the cats. "When we get back I'm going to have to make one of them tell me just what Arona Michaelear Grinogion Vamist said when he called the other day. Scorn is really annoyed."
"Yow mrow," said Horatio, and began washing his left front paw.
A few minutes later, the two cats returned. "Vamist and Antorell are in a big room with glass doors at the side of the house," Trouble reported.
"They've got the sword on the table and they're arguing."
"Arguing?" said Morwen.
"About what to do with the sword. Vamist thinks the Society of Wizards should stick it into a rock and leave it somewhere because that's traditional, but Antorell says that's only for important swords that are supposed to be found again. I don't think he knows what that sword does."
"Or else he doesn't want it found," said Scorn.
"Hmph. We'll see about that." Morwen turned to the others. "Trouble says things haven't changed much since we saw them in the mirror.
Cimorene and I will leave now; Killer, you come with us." She looked at Telemain. "You two get ready, and I'll send Scorn to signal you when to knock on the door."
"Good luck," Telemain said, and the two groups started off in different directions.