"Maybe we could leap over them?" Kim asked. But then she realized that the swinging tendons were almost as dangerous as the sharp bones. They could catch a person, and tangle her, so that one of the other knives would swing back and cut her apart. The only safe course was to avoid the pendulums entirely.

Already Kim's eyes were glazing. No matter where she looked, a pendulum was pa.s.sing or about to pa.s.s. There just seemed to be no way to cross safely.

Yet there had to be a way. If she could just figure it out. Some way to get through without blindly gambling.

Kim shut her eyes, closing out the bewildering array. There were only two sets of pendulums, swinging oppositely. While one set touched the edges, the other pa.s.sed the middle. She judged that each single pendulum took two seconds to complete its swing from one side to the other, and that a person needed one second to get safely across the covered zone. With just two pendulums, that second would be available in the center or at the edge. But with the four, only half a second. Not safe.

She opened her eyes and studied the pattern again. This time she looked at one edge, and counted seconds. She discovered to her surprise that a blade came near one wall every second, not every half second. How could this be?

She sketched a diagram in the dust of the floor, and realized that she had made an error. Each single pendulum did take two seconds to swing across-and two more to swing back. That was a four-second cycle. So four pendulums reduced it to one-second cycles. She could make it! She had almost allowed herself to be dazzled by the crisscrossing blades, so that she was ready to give up when she didn't need to.

"Okay," she said. "We'll go through singly. It's going to be close but possible."

"But those blades-" Nada protested, alarmed.

"Are pa.s.sing any given spot at one-second intervals, I think. So all we have to do is pick a spot, like maybe the center, and dash through there right after a pair of blades has pa.s.sed. In fact, I think the thing to do is aim for the crossing blades. They'll be moving out of the way as we come, and the other two will just be starting in. So it should be clear for that second."

Nada still looked extremely doubtful.

"I'll go first," Kim said. "And this time I'll carry Bubbles, but I don't know how to explain to her how to time it, and I don't want to risk any confusion. Then you can pa.s.s, carrying the ball of string. Come on, Bubbles." She squatted, put her arms around the dog, heaved her up, and stood herself. Oh, Bubbles was heavy! And how did the game make her feel that weight, when this was all just animation on a screen? It didn't matter. She just had to be sure not to lose her timing.

Kim went up to the crisscrossing blades. She felt the breeze of their pa.s.sing. She started counting, timing them. "One, two, one, two," as the first and second sets of pendulums pa.s.sed the center. Then she retreated a step, nerved herself, and lumbered across, trying to time it to come just barely after "two."

She made it. She lowered the dog to the floor, feeling faint. She didn't like such nervous business!

Nada timed it similarly and came across. Whereupon the four pendulums slowed, stopped, and withdrew into the ceiling. "Just like 'The Pit and the Pendulum,' " Kim remarked. No explanation, no follow-up, they just quit when they got outsmarted.

They went to the next chamber. This one had a pit across its center, too wide to jump. There was a ladder-bridge formed of bones on the far side, that evidently could be lowered in the manner of a drawbridge. On the near side was a length of cord hanging from a ceiling beam. That was all.

Kim pondered the situation. She should be able to use the cord to snag the ladder and pull it down across the pit so they could cross. But the cord was firmly tied, and would not come loose. She might cut it-but she could not reach high enough to cut off enough to use for this purpose. She might grab hold of it and try to swing across the pit, but she was afraid it wasn't strong enough to hold her weight. That also prevented her from trying to climb it to the beam; it could break anywhere, ruining it. So what use was it?

Then her lightbulb flashed. She removed her pack, which was not heavy enough to break the cord, and tied it to the end. Then she swung the pack across the pit, getting the feel of it. It banged into the upright ladder. She swung it again, this time to one side, and it swung around behind the ladder, hooking it, and snagged. But the ladder did not fall.

Now she was in trouble. The cord was out of reach. How could she get hold of it?

Then she took her ball of string. She lofted that up over the near end of the cord and caught it. The string was not heavy, but it was strong enough to pull the cord down just within reach of her hand. Then she pulled on the cord until the snagged pack brought it crashing down across the pit. Now they could cross.

The next chamber was worse. The moment they tried to enter it, the ceiling started descending and the floor ascended. Both surfaces had knife-pointed bones sticking out. Pity the poor person who tried to scramble through there!

When they backed off, the floor and ceiling stopped moving, then retreated, ready to trap the next unwary person. Kim wondered why they didn't just keep going until they met halfway up and closed off the chamber.

Could that be a clue? Could it be that the way wasn't closed until the person was actually caught between those jaws?

She took her pack and set it on the edge of the chamber floor. The floor rose, and the ceiling dropped. Just before they crunched the pack, Kim pulled it away.

She ducked down and peered under the floor. It had been pushed up by a column of bones. She could see right by that column to the next chamber. There was her way through-under the floor!

Then the floor dropped, because there was nothing on it. The route disappeared.

She returned the pack to the floor. "Nada, take this off just before it gets crunched," Kim said. Then, as the floor rose, she ducked down and scrambled under it. "Come on, Bubbles!" she cried.

Nada seemed startled by the suddenness and daring of Kim's action, but she recovered in time to grab the pack.

"Now hurl it across to me," Kim said. "Before the floor subsides. I'll use it from this end to raise the floor for you."

The next chamber had a bone stair whose steps moved down when stepped on, so it was impossible to make progress. Kim finally managed to fool it by facing backward, so that it thought she was trying to walk down, and carried her back to what it thought was her starting place, the top.

In similar manner they wended their way through one chamber after another, avoiding any where the red string already crossed, until they were high in the castle. There seemed to be only one chamber remaining. Beyond it they could see a glowing golden chest. That had to be the prize!

But the intervening chamber had a sharply sloping floor, slippery slick. Anyone trying to cross it would be dumped into one of this castle's patented bottomless pits. What was the way through?

Kim gazed out the bone window. She saw that she was now three stories up, overlooking the lifted drawbridge. The landscape was just as gloomy as before. So why was she staring at it?

She a.n.a.lyzed her motive. She was foolishly hoping that the other Player, Dug, would show up. Because this was really the last chance, if she were to see him again. She had no idea where he lived in Mundania, so would be unable to locate him there, even if he had any slight interest in her.

Then she saw something on the horizon. Someone was coming along the dreary path! It was a small figure, chasing a smaller animal. That must be Jenny!

"Dug is coming," Kim said, excited.

"I can a.s.sume serpent form," Nada said. "I can grab onto a post with my teeth, and you can swing across on my tail."

"Sammy Cat must have found the way," Kim said. "Now they'll be here too."

"You must act quickly, before Dug gets your prize," Nada said.

But Kim dallied, watching the approaching trio. She saw the ugly fog roiling up behind them, herding them, and the palisades funneling them in toward the castle.

Then she did something absolutely foolish. She fished in her pack for a hankie and waved it out the window. Just as if she were a maiden in distress.

And Dug saw it! "Kim!" he cried faintly.

She thrilled to the sound. "Dug!" she called back.

"Wait right there! Don't do anything!"

What lovely words! "I'll wait," she cried gladly.

"What are you doing?" Nada demanded. "The prize is within your grasp, and you're letting him catch up?"

"Yes," Kim said dreamily. "I like him, and I won't get a chance to see him once the game is over. So if we can talk, if he's interested-"

"All he wants is to get the prize," Nada said.

"He can have it," Kim said. "I just want to exchange phone numbers before we leave the game. I was afraid he wouldn't get here in time."

As she watched, the little group below charged to the castle. The drawbridge was up, but that didn't stop them. Cat, elf, and young man plunged into the grimy moat and swam across. Apparently there wasn't a moat monster, or else Sammy knew that it was on the far side of the castle at the moment and couldn't get them. What an act of reckless daring!

"I was mistaken," Nada said grimly. "I believe he wants more than the prize. He wants me."

Now they were at the base of the wall. The cat still led the way, finding a section to climb, digging his little claws into the softening bones. There seemed to be handholds there that weren't closer to the drawbridge. In fact, it looked as if there were an inset ladder, making it much easier for them to climb the wall, avoiding all the hazards of the interior. Dug followed the other two, hauling himself along.

He tilted back his head, and saw her peering down. "Kim! Don't move from that spot! There's something I have to tell you!"

He wanted to tell her something. He was interested after all! "Oh, yes," she breathed. Then something registered. She turned back to face Nada. "What?"

"He chose me as his Companion because he liked my looks," Nada said grimly. "He wanted to see my body. But he was too sneaky about it, and almost got put out of me game."

"Yes, so he lost interest," Kim agreed. "But I'm not a princess, and-"

"By this time he will have learned that the Companions, too, are a challenge. A Player may do anything with a Companion he desires, if he is able to find the correct way. It is a matter of approach. If he treats his Companion with proper respect, he can earn her respect. He can force her cooperation, with the right words. So if he has found the appropriate manner to approach me-"

Kim suffered a sudden flare of jealousy. Dug could get at this beautiful, luscious princess? What the h.e.l.l would he want with a nothing girl like Kim, then? "The prize-and you?" she said, appalled.

"I have no way to prevent it," Nada said seriously. "If he gets you to trade back Companions, and if he knows the key dialogue. So you must act swiftly, before he gets here. I will not be able to advise you, if you trade."

Kim, torn by doubt, gazed down again from the window. The cat was almost there, with Jenny not far behind, and Dug close behind her. "What do you want, Dug?" she asked.

"Nada!" he gasped. "I must trade her back from you, because-"

"Oh!" Kim cried, her lingering hope dashed. He was just another selfish, careless, h.o.r.n.y teenage boy. She was tempted to throw her pack down on his head, but it wasn't handy. She turned away from the window. "Let's go for the prize, Nada!"

Nada immediately a.s.sumed serpent form and slithered from her clothing. She lunged at the bone beam above the tilting floor, and caught it with her teeth. Her body slid down across the floor, but in a moment she curled her tail up for Kim to grab.

Bubbles whined.

Kim hesitated. Was something wrong here? It occurred to her that she should have to solve the riddle of the chamber herself, rather than letting her Companion solve it for her. Yet she could appreciate why Nada did not want Dug to recover her as his Companion.

She glanced back, hearing something. The cat appeared in the window and jumped to the floor. Jenny Elf's head was next. "Wait, Kim!" Jenny cried.

Of course Jenny now served Dug, and would help him do whatever he wanted to do. Even if that meant getting herself traded back. Jenny could not be trusted while she was Dug's Companion.

Kim caught hold of Nada's tail, bracing herself for the sliding swing across the slanted floor. Would she be able to catch hold of the far edge and haul herself up to the golden chest?

Bubbles whined again, her tail curled ail the way under her body. The dog was really upset. "Don't worry, Bubbles," Kim said. "I'm not leaving you. I'm just crossing to the prize." But now she wondered: what would happen to the dog, when Kim won and left the game?

Suddenly she was overwhelmed by realization. "Oh, Bubbles, I don't want to leave you!" she cried, dropping Nada's tail so that she could hug the dog. "But how can I take you with me? What will become of you?"

"You can take her," Jenny said. "There's a way."

"A way?" Hope flared.

"I have a jar of bubbles. Like the one you got her from. I can give it to you, if you take me back as your Companion."

It was another ploy to make her trade! Furious, Kim caught Nada's tail again and stepped into the slanting chamber. She was starting to swing down- Then Dug was there, tackling her around the waist before the serpent could take her weight. The elf had distracted her just long enough to get caught!

"Let me go!" Kim cried, struggling to twist out of his grasp so she could swing across. Half her body was hanging over the edge, while Dug's arms were wrapped around her thighs and waist. If she could just wriggle free- But he hauled her back and into him, using his strength to make her captive. "Kim!" he cried. "I've got to tell you-"

"I don't want to listen!" she cried, letting go of the serpent's tail so she could flail at him with her hands. "I was willing to let you have the prize, but no, you had to-"

"I don't care about the prize!" he said, pinning her arms. In any other circ.u.mstances she would have been glad to have him hugging her this close. "You can have it! I know that's what you came for. All I want is to tell you-"

"That you want Princess Nada Naga for more than just guidance!" she finished for him. "Oh, I hate you!"

He looked surprised. "No, I only want to talk to you, to save you from-"

"Me?" Foolish hope flared again. "It's me you want?"

"Yes. To explain-"

"Oh!" she exclaimed, overcome with opposite emotion. Her feelings were swinging like a pendulum. "Really?"

"Really. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to catch you before-"

"Oh, yes!" she cried. She lifted her head and kissed him hard on the mouth. It was the most wonderful sensation. "I feel that way about you, too, Dug! My number is area code Tee zero zero, 447-4377. What's yours?"

He looked confused. "I-I mean, I had to tell you that Nada's a False Companion. She was about to drop you down the hole. You can trade back, and Jenny will help you get the prize. It wasn't right to let you get torpedoed by what was meant for me."

She was stunned. "You-you came to warn me?"

He let her go. "Yes. I was afraid I wouldn't reach you in time. I'd never forgive myself if you lost your prize because of me."

She realized that it was true. There had been little things about Nada, and the way Bubbles had reacted-of course she was a False Companion! Dug had done the natural, decent thing, when he figured it out He could nullify Nada, knowing her nature. But he wouldn't bother, because he wasn't even trying for the prize. Maybe he'd just experiment, to see how far the princess would go before he got washed out of the game.

And Kim had a.s.sumed that it was something else. She felt the great-grandmother of all blushes washing over her face, turning it glaring red. She covered her face with her hands. "Thank you," she said in as controlled a voice as she could manage. "I will-I will trade back Companions."

"Good," he said. He caught Nada's tail with one hand. "Let go, Princess, and I'll haul you in. Unless you prefer to drop down the hole you meant for Kim."

The serpent let go of the beam, and Dug did haul it in. Then he turned his back. "Change and get dressed. I don't care if you shove me in the hole; you are my Companion now, and you can't touch Kim."

Nada changed, becoming a naked woman, getting quickly into her clothing. Kim suppressed a surge of jealousy for her splendid proportions and complexion.

"Now I will help you," Jenny said. "I have found a bubble maker that can make two bubbles. You can use the first bubble to float safely across. Then you'll be able to use the last bubble to go home." She showed the jar.

"Why, that's a regular bubble mix," Kim said. "Children use them to blow soap bubbles."

"No, these are magic bubbles, big enough to hold people. Sherlock is using them to carry the Black Wave to Lake Ogre-Chobee, where they will settle as neighbors to the Curse Fiends-I mean, Curse Friends."

"I'm glad that worked out," Kim said. "Those must be the same type of bubbles I found Bubbles in." She patted the dog.

"Yes. They are used to carry people or things where they want to go. So they are just what you need now."

"No," Kim said firmly. "I must find my own way to the prize." For one thing, it gave her something to focus on, so that she could try to forget her chagrin at her misunderstanding of Dug's motive. "I thank you, Jenny, but I want to do this myself."

"That's good," Jenny agreed.

Kim studied the situation. The floor tilted so sharply that a fly would barely be able to cling to it. The s.p.a.ce was too wide for her to jump. She saw a notch where the floor would fit if it were level; evidently it was hinged. Maybe the last Player had stepped on it and been dumped when it swung down.

She reached down and around, finding the edge of the tilting floor. Sure enough, her hand found its underside. She pulled-and the floor came up. She was swinging it back to its proper position! It was surprisingly light.