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wood nymph scam and go for the
    laughing princess."

    Margot flipped through her book. "According to the Motif In-
    dex, if we go with the goose, we stand to gain an entire king-
    dom—something we can't get with the wood nymph wishes."

    "Sounds like a plan."

    The dog with the eyes as big as the Round Tower at Copen-
    hagen (and Conrad still didn't know where that was) bounded in
    and dropped a large heap of steaming meat on the floor next to
    them. "COOKIE!" bellowed Tower in place of his usual
    "WOOF!"

    The mockingbird fluttered down to land on the heap of meat
    and took a few pecks from it "Dragon's heart! Really smart!

    "I'LL GIVE YOU THREE WISHES..        37

    Take a part! Then we start!" the mockingbird sang, doing a flip
    and landing on the table.

    "So that's a dragon's heart?" Conrad asked.

    "With a good bit of the dragon still attached, but yes," said the
    Rubezahl.

    "Well, the mockingbird's got the right idea." Conrad stood up
    and got hold of the bloody thing. It came off the floor with a soft
    squelch. "Let me go carve this up. Once we can all talk with
    each other, we can decide which scam we're going to go with."

    "COOKIE!" boomed Tower.

    "And," the Rubezahl added dryly, "we should probably go
    over exactly what everyone expects to get from this relationship.
    I believe I'll start drawing up the contracts."

    "COOKIE!" Tower boomed again, louder this time.

    "Get one of the dog biscuits while you're at it, Conrad," Mar-
    got said. "Actually, get the jar. This is going to be a long night'*

    "Got it right!" chimed the mockingbird.

    Yes, thought Conrad, it was certainly going to be a long night

    A witch, a dwarf, a squirrel, a mockingbird, two mice, two
    roads, two rats, a cat, three dogs, and a goose with sticky gold
    feathers. And the goat out in the garden, depending on whether
    Margot planned on cutting him in as well. What a crew.

    "I wish—" Conrad said ... and paused.

    No, he wasn't going to wish anything. Things were compli-
    cated enough as it was.

    ie Triple Death

    by Ken St. Andre

    Ken St. Andre is an award-winning fantasy game designer
    and one of the pioneers in developing these games. His
    Tunnels and Trolls (™) was the second such game in the
    United States. He works as a librarian for the city of
    Phoenix, occasionally writes fiction, and gets by with a lit-
    tle help from his friends.

    "Light the torches!" called Sir Kay as the red light of sunset
    faded from the windows. Serving boys hastened to obey, and as
    the wood crackled into flame, a flickering light brightened the
    huge hall. An angry mutter of conversation filled the dining
    room of Camelot. At the head of the table sal Arthur and Guin-
    evere, dressed in their best robes of gold-embroidered wool.
    Along the sides of the table sat the foremost knights of the realm
    and their ladies, while at the trestles that stretched in aisles
    through the large chamber thronged the other members of Pen-
    dragon's court, including many lesser knights, squires, church-
    men, tradesmen, and their companions. A Welsh bard plucked a
    ripple of music from his handheld harp, though it seemed to have
    no effect on the impatient crowd. The words "eat" and "when do
    we eat" cut through the babble repeatedly. The torchlight picked
    out red-gold highlights in Sir Gawaine's mane of unbound hair,
    and made the green silk scarf that encircled his throat appear al-
    most black. Just after he thumped his pewter drinking cup down
    on the sturdy wooden table his stomach rumbled so loudly that
    all conversations around him stopped, and the harper twitched
    and broke the smallest string of his instrument.

    THE TRIPLE DEATH           39

    The Queen leaned over to whisper in Arthur's ear. "Let the
    feast begin. Sire!" Her stage whisper carried to every corner of
    Ihe room. 'The marvel you desire has been with us all day, CM"
    is mat not the sound of the Questing Beast in yon knight's stom-
    ach? That should be marvel enough for any