myth-taken identity

"How?" Chumley asked, wrinkling his brow.

I smacked one fist into the other palm. "We're going to have to put out an APB on her. Rimbaldi, you've got a communications spell to the guards?"

"Yes, of course I do," Rimbaldi averred, glad to have something to do at last. "I can also alert the shopkeepers to prevent her—however many of her there are—from making any more purchases."

"Better than that," I began, with a raised hand, as a thought struck me, "if anyone's masquerading as her, tell the shopkeepers to hold them, keep them busy, or just sit on them until we get there."

Rimbaldi pulled out his little globe to inform his many relatives of the new development.

Before Rimbaldi had finished speaking, Parvattani and a quintet of guards appeared in the store and surrounded us.

"This is-a terrible!" he a

I gave him the rundown that Rimbaldi had just given me, of Rattila's latest dodge. "It's clever," I admitted. "We've been concentrating on fraudulent purchases to gather energy. He kept it on the up and up, and no one paid attention."

"He is a true adversary," Parvattani stated, shaking his head. "Madama Eskina, if I have denigrated your efforts in the past, I apologize with all my heart."

In spite of her worry, Eskina was touched by the handsome apology.

"I understand your skepticism. The important thing now is to save Massha as well as the friend Skeeve."

"I obey," Parvattani acknowledged.

He brought out his own crystal globe. Tiny images of uniformed guards deep inside it turned to look out at him.

"Now hear this, now hear this," he intoned into it. "Be on the lookout for this Jahk, name of Massha." He held the orb up to her face, and her image appeared inside it. "If found, apprehend. The suspect will be using magik. Approach with caution. I repeat, approach with caution."

He nodded to me, then shook the globe. Particles flew within, then re-formed as the faces of Dji

"This is Captain Parvattani. Fraud alert. Do not allow this female Jahk to make a purchase in your establ—" His voice was cut off suddenly. He clutched his throat.

I spun. Massha, her eyes fixed on nothing, was squeezing an invisible object between her hands. I marched up to her.

"Stop that!" I bellowed. Startled, her hands flew open. Her eyes changed.

"What's the problem, Green Stuff?" she asked, pursing her big lips in a grin.

"Nothing, Massha," I assured her. I looked back over my shoulder at Par. "Go on. Hurry up."

"Right, sir—Repeat, do not allow this female to make a purchase in your establishment. Notify a guard as soon as you can, preferably before she exits the store. That is all." He shook the globe once more and put it back in his pocket. "That was me in there," Massha whispered, aghast, pointing at the little sphere in Par's hands. "Why?"

"They've got your facts," I stated bluntly. "You fell into a trance for a minute."

She fumbled for her magik detector. The red jewel was glowing.

"How'd they get through my defenses?"

"You must have let them," Eskina explained. "Think! Did you talk to anyone? Give anyone personal details?"

"Beyond shooting the usual bull at the i

She held up one thick wrist. I remembered the blue stone-encrusted bangle.

"You took a consumer survey?" Eskina demanded, horrified.

"I was just chatting with the clerk—who was a shapechanger. Right." Massha's broad face turned scarlet. "That's it," she stated. "When I get home I'm quitting my job. I am not fit to be a court magician, or any other kind of magician. I knew we were under attack from every direction, and what do I do? I walk right into the enemy's hands. Me and my big mouth."

"Stop that!" I ordered. "You can hold a pity party when you get home, but in the meantime, if you haven't noticed, we have a job to do. Skeeve's still in danger!"

Massha was so embarrassed that she wanted to turn down the gown Rimbaldi had had made for her. I insisted that he wrap it up and hold on to it for her, along with all our other gifts.

"We don't need the excess baggage right now," I reminded them both. "We need an intervention. Can you direct us to the nearest witch doctor?" "It's a case of possession," the female Flibberite explained, taking the tubes of her diagnostic device out of her double-pointed ears, "but the manifestation is unlike anything I've ever seen before. It's more like repossession, where someone's taken you over like a thing."

Massha was frantic. "What can you do?" she pleaded.

The doctor frowned. "I'll do my best to corrupt this spell. You know, as a fellow professional, I can't undo it without knowing the spell that made it possible, but we'll fit you out with a firewall spell that will keep any more attacks on your psyche from getting through." The doctor rummaged around in her pocket and came up with a little white pad. She scribbled on it and handed the top sheet to Massha. "Take that to the nearest alchemist and have it filled."

The alchemist, a gnarled male Gnome in a white jacket, attached a little gold box to Massha's necklace. We all crowded around them in the small shop, trying not to brush the myriad of little gadgets crammed onto the shelves lining the walls.

"This is a very powerful spell. It needs to be renewed about once a month, but I hope you won't need it for longer than that. Keep it on you at all times."

"Thanks." Massha sighed heavily, clasping the charm. "I feel better already."

"How's it work?" I inquired.

"Reflexively," the Gnome replied. "If anyone tries to read her mind or put any other predatory spell on her, the firewall rebounds on them."

"Like this?" Cire asked. He whipped up his hands and pointed them at Massha.

Luckily, Cire's back was to the door. A ring of fire sprang up around Massha, gathered itself into a huge mass, and kicked outward, sending the Walroid sprawling into a cluster of shoppers. He staggered to his feet, shaking his head to clear it. The shoppers picked themselves up, gave Cire a resentful look, and went back to their browsing.

"Whoa!" Massha exclaimed, as the fire subsided back into the little box. "That's some gizmo!"

"You want to take a break?" I inquired solicitously, after we paid the alchemist and left.

"No. Now I want revenge," she insisted, sailing above our heads with renewed confidence. "It's not just for Skeeve, but a little bit for me, too. How do we get this Rattila?"

I thought for a minute. "We need an attraction," I decided. "One that will pull in as many of the thieves as possible. Something they can't resist. An event that Moa can publicize the hell out of. A promotion of some kind?"

"Oh, but there are sales promotions every day," Parvattani pointed out, marching along beside us.

He wore his uniform, since the subterfuge was now pointless. Everyone, including our opponents, knew who we were.

"Our customers see everything, and they want to be a part of everything. You'll get thousands of people participating. We will be no better off than we are now."

"Cardholders only, of course," I stated. "It'll be irresistible. A members-only event featuring a raffle. For a date with a celebrity."

"And where are we going to find a celebrity?" Massha asked.

I looked around at our party. "Eskina?"

She snorted. "You are joking, of course."

I changed my mind on the spot. No, she didn't have the kind of big personality a celebrity needed. "Yes. I'm joking. I didn't mean you."

"What about me?" Cire asked, hopefully.

"Yeah, right," I scoffed. "With your credibility and attention to detail."