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We scrambled back into the car. Gumshoe slammed the door behind us, started the engine and set the heating on high. I wriggled my toes in the warm air from the vents for a few minutes then, when I thought I could once again trust my fingers to do what I wanted, I dug deep into one of the many pockets inside my coat. "So, how about using this?" I said to Doonira. I presented her with a small and brightly-coloured cardboard box. A human might have mistaken it for a curiously-designed matchbox, but then again a human would have thought the box to be empty when they opened it. In fact, this kind of container is conventionally used to house inexpensive mass-produced glamours which can easily be bought on various open markets. Doonira took the little box and studied it closely for a few moments. Then she suddenly handed it back to me with an expression that could not have expressed more distaste if I had given her a maggot-ridden corpse. "That must be illegal!" she exclaimed. "Oh, well, maybe, perhaps," I said noncommittally, "But you'd agree it might be useful just at the moment." "What is it?" Gumshoe asked casually from the front seat. "Just a litle glamour that we might use," I replied, "Instead of walking for hours in the snow." "A black market glamour," Doonira chipped in, sounding outraged. "But what actually is it?" Gumshoe insisted. I handed the box back to Doonira. She wrinkled her nose, then read something from the cover in the language of the Goblins which Gumshoe probably didn't understand. "The best translation, I think," she added, sounding a trifle uncertain, "Is 'An Eye in the Sky'. It allows you to see things at a distance, as if you were hovering overhead." "So we can explore this whole area without actually leaving the warmth and comfort of the back seat," I added smugly. "Sounds good to me," Gumshoe affirmed, "So how do we make it work?" "Well, first we all need to be able to see the map." Gumshoe turned off the engine, then tugged on the front passenger seat so that it tilted forward and twisted his bulk so that he could see the map that I had smoothed out on my lap. "Will you do the honours," I asked Doonira, "Or shall I?" She instantly pressed the little box into my hands as if it was a hot toadstool. "Suit yourself," I said, "I'll do it myself then." I focussed on a likely-looking area of the map, then opened the box and spoke the activation phrase - a spell, if you like - printed in undisguised runes on the outside. As is the nature of almost all Goblin magic, nobody other than me could hear the words I used and I too forgot them in an instant. The writing on the outside of the box faded as I spoke. All this, of course, is to make sure that such glamours remain single-use, which is very important if you are in the business of manufacturing such items. As I uttered the last word, a gently-glowing globe appeared with a quiet pop, suspended in mid-air over the paper map. The glow was moonlight; within the sphere we could all make out a view of a snow-covered mountainside. "Presto," I said ironically, "Let go take a look at this mysterious valley, shall we?" "Better hurry," Doonira advised, "These cheapo glamours don't last for long." I threw her a glance. She was right, of course; these magics rarely last for more than a few tens of minutes.
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Part 17