robe. The wizard sat back down and made a few quick gestures with his left hand, and Udo was
floating toward the low ceiling of the chamber. As he reached the ceiling Udo's body inverted, so
that his hooves were pointed toward the ceiling and his head and arms drooped toward the floor.
His fingertips were inches from the stone below him.
"There now," said the old man, "you're silent. Did you know that until you arrived
today, I had lived in relative silence for close to thirty years? You didn't know that, did you?"
The wizard shook his head. His contempt melted into something distant and melancholy.
"It was beautiful, that silence. I could almost feel the oldest wounds of my soul
starting to mend...until I heard you scraping around on your way in." He sighed. "The profundity
of silence cannot be overstated, my boy, nor the power. Within it lays the contours of infinity;
one needs only to let it in to understand. Yes, that's right, silence is the very fabric of universe!"
He paused, for several moments, staring at Udo.
"You've come here to what? Save a kingdom? Serve your master? Snatch treasure
from a dying race? Bah!" The old wizard began pacing. "What difference does it make to me
whether this kingdom conquers that kingdom? If one people subjugates another? It all ends the
same, young one: in death. In the annihilation of the self. Do you know what happens after that?"
Udo wasn't sure he should hazard a guess even if he could talk. But after a few
heartbeats the grizzled figure continued.
"The universe spins on indifferently, ignoring the plight of gods and mortals alike, no
matter who among them dies. So tell me, why exactly should I help you?"
The peryton tried clearing his throat, and found that he could speak again.
"I do have gold and silver with me. For payment?"