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“Damn, B, you’re an action hero,” Rondeau said.
“You did well,” Ch’ang Hao said, and Marla wondered if B understood enough to be
impressed at such praise from a being as old and powerful as Ch’ang Hao. Thinking of
which…
“Ch’ang Hao,” she said. “Now that we can get out of here, I need to ask you about that
favor.” She explained, briefly, about the frog-eating Colombian snake. “Can you give it
to me?”
“I can bring you any snake that lives in the world,” Ch’ang Hao said. “But it will take
some time.”
Marla frowned. “Time? You can’t just…manifest one? The way you did with the asps,
and those snakes that made the truth-circle, and the glowing ones in the back room?”
Ch’ang Hao shook his head. “I fear not. Those are mystical serpents. They do not eat, or
breathe, or breed. You need a real, living, particular sort of snake. I can find it,
unerringly, but it will take me…at least three days. One and a half to go to the jungle
and find the snake, and as much again to come back.”
Marla wondered if the city would even be standing in two days. “I guess that’ll have to
do,” she said, though she suspected it would be too late.
“Wait,” Rondeau said. “You can walk to a South American jungle and back in two
days?”
“I have my own ways of traveling,” Ch’ang Hao said. “Walking is part of it.”
“Well, yeah,” B said. “But is it faster than hopping on an airplane to get you most of the
way? Say, from San Francisco to Bogotá?”
“What is an airplane?” Ch’ang Hao said.
“Ah,” Marla said, rubbing her hands together. “This might work out after all. Rondeau,
you’re going to get Ch’ang Hao some proper traveling clothes, take him to the airport,
explain to him how everything works, see him on his way, and all that.”
“What is an airplane?” Ch’ang Hao repeated, patiently.
“A way of traveling great distances at relatively high speed and in considerable
discomfort. All will be revealed,” Rondeau said. “Just come with me.” He turned to
Marla. “Where do I meet you guys when I get back?”
“Just wait for us at the hotel room,” she said. “B and I have some errands to run.”
“We do?” B said.