Anthony, Piers - Kelvin 05 - Mouvar's Magic

337 Pages·2016·1.1 MB·English

by  Anthony Piers

Mouvar's Magic
Piers Anthony and Robert E. Margroff

Kelvin of Rud, book 5

CONTENTS
Introduction
Prologue
Chapter 1. Heroic Preparations
Chapter 2. Unmated Dragon
Chapter 3. Snoops
Chapter 4. Hot Water
Chapter 5. Reacquaintances
Chapter 6. Helping Hand
Chapter 7. Changed?
Chapter 8. Gather by the River
Chapter 9. Skirmish
Chapter 10. Bratlings
Chapter 11. Family Connections
Chapter 12. Aborted Plans
Chapter 13. Preparations for War: Zady's
Chapter 14. Preparations for War: Helbah's
Chapter 15. Return Engagement
Chapter 16. Reconnaissance
Chapter 17. Battle of Giants
Chapter 18. In Search of Horace
Chapter 19. Unexpected Allies
Chapter 20. Retreat
Chapter 21. Friend or Foe?
Chapter 22. Help Me, Devale
Chapter 23. Atom Bomb
Chapter 24. Trip to Roughmaul Mountain
Chapter 25. Return Visit
Chapter 26. Disappearance
Chapter 27. Hell
Chapter 28. Dragon Rage
Chapter 29. Devale
Chapter 30. Mouvar
Epilogue
Introduction
This is the fifth and concluding novel in the fantasy series beginning with
Dragon's Gold, continuing with Serpent's Silver, Chimaera's Copper, and Orc's
Opal. Since there are more than fifty characters here, and a good deal of prior
adventure, the reader who starts with this volume could have a problem getting
his bearings. This novel can, however, stand by itself. To allay confusion, here is
a summary of the major characters and their relation to each other. The minor
ones should fall into place, as they normally are in scenes with one or more of
the major ones.
Professor Devale is the evil magician, with a taste for power and young
female flesh. His chief tool is Zady, a malignant witch who was almost killed in
the last novel. His opponent is the good magician Mouvar, offstage. The benign
witch Helbah leads the forces of good.
John Knight came originally from Earth by a weird accident. He married
the evil Zoanna, but later escaped her and married the good Charlain. Their
children are Kelvin, who became the unlikely Roundear of Prophecy, and Jon,
his feisty little sister. John Knight later disappeared and was presumed dead, so
Charlain married Hal Hackleberry. Then Hal strayed and John reappeared, so the
couple was reunited, leaving the last names of their children somewhat in doubt.
Kelvin married Heln, the daughter of St. Helens, one of John Knight's Earthly
companions, and they had telepathic triplets: Charles, Merlain, and Dragon
Horace. Jon married the son of Mor Crumb, Lester, and had Kathy Jon and three
younger boys: Alvin, Teddy, and Joey.
Glow was once enchanted into a sword, but she has been restored and is
now Charles' girlfriend. She, too, is telepathic. She is looking for her brother
Glint. There are also two perpetually juvenile kings, Kildom and Kildee, whom
Glow helps watch. And Krassnose, Phenoblee, and Brudalous, who are huge
fishlike orcs. Also the chimaera, whose three heads are named Mervania,
Mertin, and Grumpus.
Now hang on; this is a wild novel!
PROLOGUE
Night
The ugly old witch's face did not match her lusciously curved body.
Midway up the neck the firm smooth throat became wrinkled chicken skin.
There were warts on the beaked face, and gray hairs that contrasted sharply with
the smooth nude body. She smelled bad, as if from twenty years of soaking in
bird droppings.
She stood in Professor Devale's study, there before his desk, glaring at him
with just the right amount of malignancy.
Professor Devale did not seem to be surprised or disturbed to find such a
creature in his study. He looked up from his papers as if slightly bored. "Zady, I
understand you lost your head," he said conversationally. He admired her beauty
even beneath its accumulation of filth; of course he found other areas of her
anatomy to be of far more interest than her face. Head bowed slightly, carefully
repolishing his ever-polished horns, he was as pleased with her as was possible.
What displeased him was her failure to conquer the dragon frame and bring him
the master key opal.
"You," Zady spat, producing a smoking drop of spittle, "didn't come to my
rescue! For twenty years I nourished my strength and grew back my body. Now
I'm back, I'm strong, and I want your attention."
"Why, certainly, Zady." What a spitfire she was! Appropriately, as that red-
haired niece of hers had been. He shouldn't allow such impudence in his office,
but there were compensations he would soon extract.
"I want to go back! I want this time to conquer. I want your help!"
"Certainly, Zady. Otherwise you'd not be present."
"You didn't help me before!" Zady accused him. "You allowed me to be
defeated by those brats! Twenty years in the dragon frame is a long time! Twenty
years of sheltering under a louse-infested bird's rump! Twenty years gradually
growing arms and legs and all the rest! Why, Professor, didn't you help?"
"Because, my dear Zady," he said with just a hint of annoyance, "that would
have taught you nothing. You were to conquer, you were to bring me the opal. I
provided the means. My participating in your revenge was not in our
agreement."
"But you—" The old hag face frowned in frustration. "You wanted—"
"Yes, and now you have a younger body without resort to shape changing.
All you'll need to change for me is your face. Possibly not always that."
"You—! You—!" the old hag head mouthed, managing to produce some
more smoking spittle.
"Temper, temper, Zady!" the professor admonished. "Remember that I am
the teacher. You want to conquer, you must conquer. As before I will provide
you with the means. In return, of course, for compensation."
"You mean—" Smooth hands gestured at smooth body, warm and now
virginal. In this respect they understood each other perfectly; their words were
mere games.
"Of course, of course. As you say, twenty years in the dragon frame is a
long time. But you must not assume, my malignant friend, that I will depart from
custom."
"Why not? Doesn't Mouvar?"
"Oh, Zady, Zady, how little you know. And with all your centuries! Mouvar
only appeared to appear. The real Mouvar is not a green dwarf. The real Mouvar
was not ignominiously defeated by that frame's inept magician. All was of a
fabric—a pretense for the purpose of creating a legend and a hero to work to his
final purpose."
"And that purpose is?" Zady demanded.
"Oh, Zady, I was afraid you'd ask. I do not know; I have been who I am for
too long. All I know is that neither—neither Mouvar nor I—interfere directly. To
do so would bring us into direct confrontation with each other, and that would be
out of form."
"You are saying," Zady grated through ugly teeth, "that a green dwarf shape
is not Mouvar's true form?"
"Correct, Zady."
"But he was there, several times. And elsewhere. Setting up John Knight
and Charlain to become parents of Kelvin. Providing Kelvin with weapons.
Arranging for the creation and birth of his brats."
"Correct again, Zady, as far as you go. Mouvar is always indirect. I have to
be also."
"That doesn't make sense to me. I interfere as much as I can."
"That is because you are a tool instead of a prime mover. I am the one who
must be indirect."
"Then it's you and Mouvar as much as malignant magic practitioners
against benign magic practitioners? As much as Kelvin and prophecy against an
otherwise established fate?"
"Your grasp is quite astonishing. It's only through Mouvar's indirect
interference that Kelvin's kind has triumphed as much as it has."
"Then I wait your interference!" Zady said. "Direct or indirect, there's no
difference."
"Ah, but Zady, there is. Mouvar took centuries in the dragon frame to set up
what you will now knock down. He foresees events but cannot always control
them. I foresee less clearly but just as certainly. If I take direct action in human
affairs I risk more than you can know. A draw is the most I can hope for from
this particular contest, with just a chance for personal victory."
"Mouvar's defeat?"
"Yes."
"I don't believe any such thing," Zady said. "If you wanted to you could
destroy my enemies and Mouvar."
"It's proper that you think so. You are supposed to think so. Mouvar and I
are both too powerful ever to meet in open conflict. If we did the contested
world would be destroyed along with its inhabitants. Mouvar and I in mortal
combat would send frame after frame crashing."
"Then you won't come out? Won't battle directly?"
"Not directly. But indirectly, perhaps, as necessary."
"You want my kind victorious?"
"Always. It's like the game the humans play called chess. Mouvar moves
and I move, but neither of us moves ourselves upon the board."
"Like chess but with more pieces."