going to unhappen me?”
“I can't unhappen people,” the Dastard said seriously. “I merely change their encounters with me.”
“Why do I think you're not telling me the whole truth?”
“Because I'm not. I see you're not entirely dull.”
“So you'll find out all you can about how I relate to the force against you, then unhappen our whole interaction?”
“Of course.”
Becka decided to gamble. “You're lying.”
He was unbothered. “You know, I could almost get to like you, if you showed me your--”
“No!”
He sighed. “If I tell you more of the truth, will you show me more of--”
“No!”
“Then you hardly seem worth my company.”
Becka realized that he didn't really want her company. He was trying to make her go away. But why should he bother to do that, when he could readily unhappen their entire association, remembering all of it himself? That would get rid of her most effectively. Yet he wasn't doing that. This didn't seem to make sense.
So she gambled. “Well, I'm not leaving. And I'm not showing you anything. So go ahead and unhappen our association.”
“What a mean spirited tart you are.”
“And I'll get meaner, if you don't get rid of me. So do it. Why wait? I'll only get in your way.”
“You think I won't?”
“Yes, I think you won't. Because I think you can't.”
“I don't want to get rid of you until I know exactly how you relate to the force against me. Obviously the Good Magician sent you to me for some devious reason. I need to know that reason, so I can foil it.”
“I can't tell you, because I don't know it myself. But I'll be glad to foil you, if I can. So you might as well get rid of me, or admit you can't.”
He considered again. “If I tell you the whole truth, will you be my servant without baiting me?”
That was a different offer. She didn't care to be his or anybody's servant, but she did want to fulfill her obligation to the Good Magician, and she was getting really curious about the Dastard's devious magic. “No. I'll help you with routine things, the way the Good Magician told me to, but that's all. I'm nobody's servant.” Saying that made her feel better.
“Then how about not interfering with me?”
“Interfering?” she asked blankly.
“Trying to mess up what I do.”
“How could I do that?”
“If I tell you, you'll try to foil me. So I can't tell you unless you agree not to.”
Oh. She thought about it, and realized that he had a point. The Good Magician hadn't told her to foil the Dastard, however much she might want to, but to help him. So maybe it was better to let that be. “Okay. If you promise not to try to look at my--”
“$$$$!” he swore. “You closed the loophole.”
Her ears were momentarily stunned by the bad word. She had never heard it before, but recognized its nature. She refused to let him think he could freak her out, so she concealed her disorientation. “Well?”
“Very well. But you had better be an excellent servant.”
“I'm not a servant. I'm just agreeing not to try to foil you or mess you up. I do have some pride.”
“All right. Here is the whole truth. Once I have unhappened something with a person, I can't unhappen it again, because that would be treading on my own trail, as it were. I can unhappen something else with that person, but I can't go back to the first unhappening. So the first time I unhappened you, at the time of the kiss, I lost the ability to wipe out the rest of the interaction, because that would unhappen the first unhappening.”
Becka found this too confusing to digest immediately, but she concluded that he was telling the truth. “Then why did you do it?”
“You caught me by surprise, the first time you turned dragon. I unhappened it automatically. I suspect the Good Magician knew it would be that way. So he stuck me with you.”
That did make sense. It was the kind of devious logic the Good Magician was reputed to have. His reason for sending her here was
“I can't unhappen people,” the Dastard said seriously. “I merely change their encounters with me.”
“Why do I think you're not telling me the whole truth?”
“Because I'm not. I see you're not entirely dull.”
“So you'll find out all you can about how I relate to the force against you, then unhappen our whole interaction?”
“Of course.”
Becka decided to gamble. “You're lying.”
He was unbothered. “You know, I could almost get to like you, if you showed me your--”
“No!”
He sighed. “If I tell you more of the truth, will you show me more of--”
“No!”
“Then you hardly seem worth my company.”
Becka realized that he didn't really want her company. He was trying to make her go away. But why should he bother to do that, when he could readily unhappen their entire association, remembering all of it himself? That would get rid of her most effectively. Yet he wasn't doing that. This didn't seem to make sense.
So she gambled. “Well, I'm not leaving. And I'm not showing you anything. So go ahead and unhappen our association.”
“What a mean spirited tart you are.”
“And I'll get meaner, if you don't get rid of me. So do it. Why wait? I'll only get in your way.”
“You think I won't?”
“Yes, I think you won't. Because I think you can't.”
“I don't want to get rid of you until I know exactly how you relate to the force against me. Obviously the Good Magician sent you to me for some devious reason. I need to know that reason, so I can foil it.”
“I can't tell you, because I don't know it myself. But I'll be glad to foil you, if I can. So you might as well get rid of me, or admit you can't.”
He considered again. “If I tell you the whole truth, will you be my servant without baiting me?”
That was a different offer. She didn't care to be his or anybody's servant, but she did want to fulfill her obligation to the Good Magician, and she was getting really curious about the Dastard's devious magic. “No. I'll help you with routine things, the way the Good Magician told me to, but that's all. I'm nobody's servant.” Saying that made her feel better.
“Then how about not interfering with me?”
“Interfering?” she asked blankly.
“Trying to mess up what I do.”
“How could I do that?”
“If I tell you, you'll try to foil me. So I can't tell you unless you agree not to.”
Oh. She thought about it, and realized that he had a point. The Good Magician hadn't told her to foil the Dastard, however much she might want to, but to help him. So maybe it was better to let that be. “Okay. If you promise not to try to look at my--”
“$$$$!” he swore. “You closed the loophole.”
Her ears were momentarily stunned by the bad word. She had never heard it before, but recognized its nature. She refused to let him think he could freak her out, so she concealed her disorientation. “Well?”
“Very well. But you had better be an excellent servant.”
“I'm not a servant. I'm just agreeing not to try to foil you or mess you up. I do have some pride.”
“All right. Here is the whole truth. Once I have unhappened something with a person, I can't unhappen it again, because that would be treading on my own trail, as it were. I can unhappen something else with that person, but I can't go back to the first unhappening. So the first time I unhappened you, at the time of the kiss, I lost the ability to wipe out the rest of the interaction, because that would unhappen the first unhappening.”
Becka found this too confusing to digest immediately, but she concluded that he was telling the truth. “Then why did you do it?”
“You caught me by surprise, the first time you turned dragon. I unhappened it automatically. I suspect the Good Magician knew it would be that way. So he stuck me with you.”
That did make sense. It was the kind of devious logic the Good Magician was reputed to have. His reason for sending her here was
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