There’s this thing you gotta know about beholders. They have this middle eye, the big one, and it sends out an anti-magic ray, like all the time. Sure they blink, or in theory, they blink, but I don’t think I’ve seen it happen. Not that I’d ever seen a beholder in person before today. But man, do I hear about them. Like at least once a week someone’s gotta talk about how their friend was turned to stone by a beholder. Snore. I mean it’s an exciting story, once. After a couple dozen recitations, well, it loses something.

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Everyone agreed that Ian had a great idea. We piled into the cars. By chance Ian and I ended up together. “There’s no room for Brus.”
“Sure there is. He’s not that big, Indira.”
“Look, Durilin and Myntilly barely fit just the two of them. He won’t fit. He can walk along side.” Brus’ nose sniffed along the edges of the car and he thumped down and stretched his forelegs. “See? He agrees. No room.” I tried to find a clean spot to sit down. The cars had obviously been used to haul rock and ore and they were uniformly filthy.

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We had an idea about where the Mayor had been, thanks to Various’ locate person spell. We had to take the vaporetto to the next island. When we’d asked Rumbleguts about the area, he’d simply shaken his head and said, “Not an area I’d go. Not without about a dozen strong men.”

Brus seemed to enjoy the ride. He got to sit up in the cabin with the captain. Buzz went upstairs too. I was happy to stay safely in the middle of the boat.

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