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going outside it the first time.
She gave a dry chuckle. "So what you're saying is that I
do my job, then revert to this adolescent level, only to build it up again.
And because I've eaten my fill, so to speak, and
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ods%202%20-%20Demons%20of%20the%20Dancing.txt because ol' Marge is really a
collection of hang-ups, I'm only me when I'm carrying around everybody else's
burdens."
"If you want to put it that way, yes," he told her. "And the longer you go
without eating, let's say, the more you will revert. It's actually a tough
job, since you, the mistress of emotion, will be on an emotional roller
coaster. That's why so many Kauri stay at Mohr Jerahl as long as they can,
until their instincts force them out. No, Marge, you don't have to worry about
forgetting yourself. Your big problem, particularly if you overdo it, will be
carrying the extra weight of depression, neuroses, and anxiety."
She thought about it, and it did make life sound a little better. "Does Joe
know this?"
"No, not specifically, but I'll make certain he's instructed.
Tiana will probably explain it all to him."
"Tiana?" Very oddly, she felt a slight tinge of jealousy at the name. That
made her feel a little guilty, considering how she'd chided him for that sort
of feeling.
Ruddygore nodded. "They've hit it off very well." He smiled.
"You see? You just felt jealousy and guilt I can tell. They're inside you now,
until you transform them into energy as needed, but they are familiar to you
from your past experience. In fact, I'd say that you can handle a far heavier
load than a bom Kauri, because you have experienced such things firsthand and
know how to deal with them. No, Marge you're not going to lose yourself, just
take on a new set of problems. I'm counting on you to be able to handle a
great deal in the weeks ahead, more
110
DEMONS OF THE DANCING GODS
than I'd ever ask a born' Kauri to handle."
She got interested in spite of herself and lost some of her self-pity in the
process. "So this isn't just a vacation or a shakedown for me."
He shook his head wearily. "No, hardly. I hesitate to say this. Marge, but the
odds are you might be the only one left at the end of this to tell the tale."
"
CHAPTER 8
THICKENING PLOTS
Page 77
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
The convention shall be limited to members of the Society and their authorized
guests.
Rules, VI, 29(a)
TIANA WAS PROVING A GOOD GUIDE TO THE COMPLEXITIES OF
the convention, but it was still a confusing blur to Joe. He felt like a truck
driver at a convention of nuclear engineers cele-
brating Halloween.
Registration proved to be no problem. Their names were
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ods%202%20-%20Demons%20of%20the%20Dancing.txt on file, their single room
number raised no eyebrows, and both were suddenly handed large bags full of
written material and silver necklaces from which hung a bronze rectangular
pendant with various cuneiformlike letters on it, some large and some small.
When they were away from registration, he got Tiana to translate.
"Well, the top row gives the name of the Society and says it is their four
thousand two hundred and thirty-first meeting, which is abbreviated as
Sach-con Nine Hundred and Two.
Below that it says, 'Hello, my name is Joseph the Golden.'"
He looked at the last little figures. "So that's my name in this
chicken-scratch writing. I'll have to remember it, or keep
JACK L. CHALKER 111
this as a reference, in case I have to sign my name and pretend
I know it all."
She laughed. "Keep that thing on whenever you are in the convention areas,"
she warned him. "Each one has a spell personalized to the first wearer that
admits you tc all public areas. Try and get in without it and you will get a
nasty shock."
"I'll remember," he promised. "Where to now?"
"Let us go back into the exhibition hall. I want to see how much has changed
since I was a child."
They went back, both clutching their bags, and Joe felt a little absurd. Mr.
and Mrs. Barbarian go shopping, he thought.
"Any reason why I should lug all this stuff around when I can't read a word of
it?" he asked her.
"It is hard to say, but probably not. Why not just put it over in that coat
room there and get it on the way back, if it is still there?"
He did just that and felt at least a little less foolish. They then entered
the exhibition hall, and Joe was surprised to feel it comfortably
air-conditioned. "A minor housekeeping spell,"
Tiana told him.
So this was more of the magic of Husaquahr. "Pretty tame magic," he noted. "I
kinda figured that magic lands like this one had all sorts of stuff going all
the time."
"Oh, of course not. It is true that magic is all around us all the time here,
but it is not intrusive. In fact, the less it is used or has to be used, the
better. It is sort of like a balance of power. Earth is a world dominated by
nuclear bombs, yet I
would say you have seen more magic in this world than nuclear bombs in yours."
She had a point there, so he let it pass. The exhibition hall was huge and
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