Satisfied, the Elf said, ‘I need to know whether or not you intend to return to your own world at some point. As I mentioned before, the means, while it is not beyond me, involves procurement of a periapt which facilitates travel between our two worlds. Such magical devices may be used only once; in the process of translation, the periapt becomes spent. In order to send Malina to your world, then later to go there myself to retrieve her, and finally to bring all of us here, three such periapts were required.
‘Such devices are purchased clandestinely, and are normally used by the unscrupulous for evil purposes. I had great difficulty in procuring the three, indirectly, from a rather unsavoury character, a Loremaster by the name of Cyphallus, who is in the service of the King.
‘This Loremaster does not yet know for whom the periapts were purchased; to obtain them, I was forced to seek the services of yet another unsavoury character, one that Cyphallus trusts, who uses such devices to wreak great harm.’
Unconsciously, in unison, both Doc and Ralph took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
‘I wish I could give you a quick and ready answer,’ Doc told him, ‘but I haven’t been here long enough to have given any thought to the matter. For the time being, however, I haven’t the slightest intention of going back.’