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“It might come to that,” Marla said, folding up the pages and walking away. Rondeau<br />
followed, as did B, after saying his apologetic farewell to Ray. “But I’m afraid it<br />
wouldn’t happen fast enough. He’d have to find a snake first, after all, and that takes<br />
time, even for a biomancer.”<br />
“I guess this explains Mutex’s ugly red-and-green snakeskin short-shorts,” Rondeau<br />
said. “He probably didn’t buy those out of a catalog, though.”<br />
“Probably not,” Marla said.<br />
“Why do you need that snake anyway?” B said.<br />
“She needs a little sympathy,” Rondeau said.<br />
“Exactly,” Marla said.<br />
“And what does that mean?” B asked.<br />
“The circumspect nature of the response indicates that sorcerers like to have a few<br />
secrets, B,” Rondeau said, putting an arm around his shoulder. “We’re only as good as<br />
our mysteries, after all.”<br />
They walked another dozen or so steps before Marla said “We’re idiots, Rondeau.”<br />
“I know,” Rondeau said. “It just hit me, too. But, ah, are you sure you want to use that<br />
tool for this job?”<br />
“For now, this is the only job that matters. If I don’t succeed at this one, there won’t be<br />
any more jobs.” Marla didn’t like this, either—it seemed a trivial use of a powerful<br />
resource—but anything that might help keep her alive wasn’t truly trivial.<br />
“Yeah,” Rondeau said. “I can see that. We need a snake.”<br />
“Ray already said he can’t get you that snake—” B began.<br />
“No, no,” Rondeau said. “Not the poison-frog-eating snake. Any snake will do, for<br />
now.”<br />
“B,” Marla said. “Go back and buy me a garter snake or something, would you?<br />
Something small.”<br />
B hesitated. He didn’t like being jerked around. Marla could appreciate that. But she<br />
didn’t want to get into the habit of explaining herself to him. If she did, B might expect<br />
an explanation when there wasn’t time to give him one, and such a delay could prove<br />
fatal. Then again, if he was more than a half-assed seer, if he actually had the power she<br />
suspected, she needed him as an ally. She shouldn’t push him too far. So when he<br />
hesitated, she said, almost gently, “Don’t forget, your life depends on mine. And<br />
bringing me a garter snake right now will help us both.”<br />
B nodded, and headed back to the Vivarium.
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