The Crown Prince and Princess were a big hearty couple. I liked them immediately Gloriannamarjolie had thick blond braids bleached lighter by the sun surrounding a sun-browned face in which twinkled very intelligent blue eyes. Her husband, a Whelt, was big. handsome, and friendly, like most of his kind. The throne room, a huge beamed hall, was hung with as many hunting trophies as royal banners. Weapons of every description and some that defied description hung along the walls.

"Massha has told us so much about you," Gloriannamarjolie said, kindly gesturing to us to sit down. I boosted Flinna into a chair made of the foot of some huge bird and sat down in an armchair made of immense curving tusks.

"I am honored to meet the Great Skeeve," Bosheer boomed at me. "So where did you say you kept game before?"

"I have never been a gamekeeper," I said.

Bosheer frowned. "Massha sent us a note saying you were coming by. Couldn't understand why you wanted the job anyhow. I thought you liked wizarding."

"He retired," Glory murmured to him, closing her hand around his wrist. I noticed that she had two thumbs on each hand, one on either side of the palm.

"That's right. I'm launching a new career," I said proudly.

"Ah. So what about the job appeals to you?" Bosheer asked.

"I like to solve problems for people."'

'"How does being a game warden solve problems'?" Bosheer looked puzzled. I was beginning to realize that Gloriannamarjolie had married him more for his looks and personality than his brains.

"I answer questions," I said. ""Flinna here asked me to help her find a job. I think she'd be ideal for your purposes." I indicated the Pixie.

"Her?" Bosheer asked. His voice was making the little girl recoil. "What does she know about hunting?"

"Nothing ... sir," the Pixie admitted in an almost inaudible tone.

"Really?"

"Well, I like animals."

"I do, too! Especially birds. They make good sport!"'

"Bosheer ..." Glory said warningly. "Not everyone likes to hear about that. Such as me."

"And that is exactly why we're here" I said, moving into what Aahz used to call "closing the deal." "In your ad you said you wanted someone who could help conserve species. Flinna does really wonderful illusionary birds."

"Illusions? What do I want with illusions? I like shooting real birds."

The wince from his wife told me that Massha's assessment of her former charge and her new mate had been spot on. Having once been the quarry of the Wild Hunt, Gloriannamarjolie liked the idea of illusionary birds so the real thing wouldn't be targeted unnecessarily.

"It's hardly as if we need to eat songbirds, darling," Glory added pointedly. "A wild boarotamus feeds the entire castle for a week."

"But I like shooting at them," Bosheer said. His handsome lip drooped in a pout.

"And you can, all you want," I said. "The same one several times over, if you like, if Flinna comes to work for you. She can manifest any kind of bird you want. I bet she can make them die really dramatically. In all different ways "

"Oh, yes," the Pixie said, her eyes shining.

"Really?" Bosheer asked, brightening. "I say, that would be fun. Can I see?"

Flinna sat up on her chair and put her tiny hands together. From the shelter of her palms, a pointed beak poked out, followed about a foot later by beady black eyes. The head gave rise to a neck, then a body about the size of a melon with a long pointed wing on each side. Two very long legs escaped next, until a blue storkron was walking around the room

"Terrific! Where is my crossbow!"

A Whelf servant ran to the nearest wall and returned with a loaded weapon. The Prince took it from him

and sighted down the quarrel at the bird. It squawked and tried to fly away, but Bosheer tugged the trigger. The quarrel smacked into the storkron, which staggered back and forth melodramatically a few times across the room before it collapsed to the floor and vanished. Bosheer was overjoyed.

"Tally ho!" he caroled. "You're hired, young lady!"

"I miss having Massha around," Princess Glory said. "I got used to having magik around the palace. We would love to have you here. Flinna."

Prince Bosheer strode over and picked the Pixie off the ground. "Marvelous!" he exclaimed. "Infinite numbers of birds to shoot, and not endanger the breeding population? That will be just jolly. Could start a new trend! We could have really big shooting parties. We both love parties. We'll do it. Thank you, Master Skeeve."

"Just Skeeve," I said, modestly.

"Thanks," Glory whispered to me.

I collected my fee and left Flinna with her new employers. Everyone was happy. I'd found the best possible outcome.

Not a bad start, I thought, wandering out of the castle. Between Flinna and Marmel, I had been successful twice. Two for two. A few gold coins in the kitty. Whistling, I bamfed out of Whelmet and back into my own office.

To my surprise, there was someone in the office besides Bunny. The curtain to my private office had been pulled back, and someone was sitting in my desk chair. Someone with green scales and yellow eyes and four-inch pointed teeth.

"Aahz!" I cried.

He scowled at me.

"Where the hell have you been?" he asked.

ELEVEN

As much as I had been looking forward to seeing my old mentor and partner ever since returning to the Bazaar, now that the moment had arrived, I felt strangely uneasy, almost shy.

To my surprise, Aahz seemed to feel almost as awkward as I did. He quickly rose from the chair, offering it to me with a sweep of his hand.

"Sorry," he said. "I just got back from out of town and heard you were back. Just dropped by to wish you luck, and Bunny said you were off working yourself, so I thought I'd take a look at your new setup. Didn't expect to see you back so soon."

Like while you were trying out my chair, I thought, then was annoyed at myself for the territoriality of the reaction.

"I didn't think you'd mind," Bunny said, clearly nervous herself.

"No problem," I said, forcing a smile. "Nice of you to stop by, Aahz. It means a lot to me. Really."

"I like what you've done with the place," Aahz said, looking around. "Classy, without being ostentatious."

"Bunny gets the credit for that," I said. "Interior decorating never was my strong suit. Somehow, we never got around to that in my training."

"Too busy running for our lives, eh?" Aahz said with a chuckle. "Those were the days. Do you mind?"

He indicated the pitcher of wine and accompanying goblets we had set out for prospective clients.

"Help yourself," I said, nodding. "I'd join you, but I've been trying to cut back on the stuff... and definitely not during business hours."

"Probably a good policy," Aahz said, pouring a goblet for himself.

"Oh, what the heck," I recanted. "Pour one for me, too. I just came off assignment, and it's not every day my old partner comes to visit."

Policy was well and good, but I didn't want Aahz to think I was avoiding drinking with him. Besides, I had just finished an assignment. I lifted the glass and drained it in a toast to my success, and to seeing Aahz again. The wine felt warm going down.

Aahz hesitated slightly, then poured a second glass for me.

"About that visiting thing," he said as he passed me the wine. "Sorry if I haven't been to see you very often. We've been kind of busy lately."

"So I've heard," I said, taking an appreciative sip from the goblet. As with the decorations, Bunny had chosen the wine. I no longer trusted myself to do the liquor shopping. "M.Y.T.H., Inc. is still the hottest ticket at the Bazaar."