Out of Phaze

She came to a crash-landing beside him, spattering water on him. “I be clean now,” she announced.

But what of the water in the spring?

Mach took the comb and began working on her hair. There were tangles galore, so the job was tediously slow, but he didn’t have anything better to do while waiting for Fleta to recover.

Gradually the hair straightened, and as it did so, drying, it began to assume some of the metallic luster of the wings. Small iridescent highlights glinted as the sunlight struck it.

“Thou didst conjure that honeycomb!” Phoebe exclaimed, belatedly realizing what he had done.

“I tried to conjure a comb,” he reminded her. “I always mess it up.”

“But then thou canst do magic!”

“Not a fraction as well as the one whose body I’m using. As a magician I’m a dunce.”

“But to do any magic, aside from that of werecreatures and the like—that be special!”

“Well, my other self is an apprentice Adept.”

She drew away from him, shocked. “Adept!”

He smiled. “Don’t worry. I’m not an Adept! I’m just a clumsy imitation.”

“But that must be why they seek thee! One who dost do clumsy magic today, may be Adept tomorrow.”

Mach paused. “Do you think so?”

“What else? They know they must abolish thee today, else thou willst abolish them another time.”

“But they want to capture me. Why not just kill me?”

She shrugged with her wings. “I know not. But thou dost be nothing ordinary, an thou canst conjure.”

“Maybe I should save myself time and conjure your hair combed.”

“Mayhap. Combing a harpy’s hair be a thankless task, methinks.”

Mach pondered. Then he hummed to try to intensify the magic, and sang: “Make this hair beyond compare.” A cloud formed about her head; then it cleared and her hair was revealed.

It was an absolute fright-wig. Spikes of it radiated out in all directions, making her most resemble a gross sea urchin.

“I think I botched it again,” Mach groaned. Phoebe flopped over to her purse and snatched up the fragment of mirror. She peered at herself. “O, lovely!” she screeched. “I adore it!”

Mach was taken aback. “You like it?”

“I’m beautiful! I ne’er thought it possible!” And, amazingly, as she straightened up in admiration of herself, the lines in her face eased and her breasts firmed.   She did indeed seem to be a fairly handsome half-specimen of womanhood.

Mach decided to leave well enough alone. He returned to the bower and settled down for another nap.

By the following morning they were ready to resume traveling. The search in sky and on land seemed to have abated; it was now safer to be out. They thanked Phoebe for her hospitality.

“Ah, it be the two of ye must I thank,” the harpy screeched. “The one did cure my tail, and the other my head!” She scrambled for her purse and drew out one of the feathers. “An ye need my presence, burn this feather. I will smell it and come, where’er ye may be.”

“Thank thee, Phoebe,” Fleta said graciously, tucking the feather into her cloak.

They headed on up the steepening slope. Now it was faster going, because it was daylight and Fleta was rested and back to her normal self. Indeed, she seemed brighter than ever, almost effervescent; Mach had to scramble to keep up with her.

By noon they had reached the crest of the mountain— which turned out to be a mere foothill; the real range was farther south. They paused for food, finding plentiful fruits. “I’m amazed that there is so much to eat in Phaze!” Mach exclaimed. “Everywhere we go, there are more fruit trees.”

Fleta snorted, sounding in that moment very much like a unicorn though she remained in human form. “The trees be not common at all; it be that I sniff them out as we travel.”

“Oh. Well, I always knew I had some reason to travel with you.”

She laughed, then turned sober. ‘There be a problem soon upon me,” she said. “I fear I must leave thee for a time.”

“Leave me!” But immediately he regrouped his emotion. “Of course there is no requirement that you remain with me, Fleta. I never meant to hold you from your—“

“It be not that I want to leave thee,” she said. “But I think it may be best.”

“Best? Why?”

She opened her mouth as though planning to speak, but could not formulate the sentence. “Let me explore,” she said after a moment. She shifted to hummingbird form and buzzed off.

Mach stared after her. What was the problem? She had seemed so vigorous and cheerful during the climb, completely recovered from her hard run of two days before. There was no evidence of pursuit at the moment. Why should she have to leave him now, if she didn’t want to?