Free Castle Spellbound by John Dechancie Page B

his face. He kind of liked looking at the women, but he thought the music sucked.
    Presently the whole kit and caboodle bumped and ground their way out of the hall. The high-pitched flutes were the last to fade. But in their wake came the sounds of some other disturbance.
    “Screwy,” Jeremy said.
    But that was life in the castle. You never knew what was going to come jumping out of the woodwork ... or the masonry, or whatever.
    Melanie McDaniel came walking in carrying her lute. She was dressed in a troubadour's outfit: black velvet cap with a feather, black velvet doublet, silver-gray cloak, scarlet tights, and black shoes. It was her usual mode of dress for going about the castle; she had stopped into her room to change after the party.
    “Have you been seeing the weird stuff?” she asked.
    “Just saw it,” Jeremy said.
    “There's more, all over."
    “Yeah? What's going on?"
    “Nobody seems to know."
    “Any trouble?"
    “Well, no, not trouble, really. It's just very bizarre."
    “So what else is new?"
    Jeremy turned back to his video game.
    Melanie asked, “Have you seen the little guys sweeping up?"
    “Huh? What little guys?"
    “Little buggers this tall”—she held her hand two or three feet above the floor—“in blue bib overalls. With brooms. They sweep up all over the place."
    Jeremy's memory was jogged. “Oh. Yeah, I saw them. What are they all about?"
    “Nobody knows that either."
    “Weird."
    “Uh-oh."
    Jeremy turned his head. “What?"
    More belly dancers entered. This time there were a good half dozen or more.
    Disgusted, Jeremy threw down the control box and turned off the monitor. He swiveled around on the high stool, crossed his legs, and watched.
    Melanie sat on the edge of the table and watched with him.
    At length she commented, “These women really can dance."
    “Say what?"
    “I said ... Never mind."
    This troupe didn't want to leave—or did it only seem that way because more dancers were coming in to take the place of the ones who left? It was hard to tell.
    Finally Jeremy got up and said, “Let's get the heck out of here."
    Melanie picked up her lute. “I'm with you."
    They weaved their way to the archway and ducked out.
    The corridor was less crowded, but only by comparison. Gnomish sweepers swept by, and Jeremy wondered why he hadn't really noticed them before. They sure were weird-looking. Vaguely familiar, too. Porky Pig? No, maybe...
    “Oh, look."
    Jeremy looked left. A chorus line of colorfully costumed and gorgeous women was high-kicking its way down the corridor. All the dancers were long-legged and beautiful and all kicked head-high in precision lock step to the beat of the marching jazz band that followed them. The band was tearing off a show-stopping arrangement of “I Got Rhythm."
    Jeremy was a tiny bit irked by all this. “Hey. This is gettin’ weird. I mean, really weird."
    “You mean weirder than usual."
    “Yeah."
    They stood well aside to let the chorus line pass, then began walking the other way as the band marched by in threes. Music echoed down the hallway.
    “Does all this have something to do with the party?” Jeremy asked.
    “Sheila's party is over, as far as I know."
    “Got any idea what's going on?"
    “Not a clue."
    “Well, I'm going up to the lab. Maybe the instruments show something."
    “I'll go with you."
    They turned left at the next intersecting corridor, but soon saw that the way ahead was blocked. Another chorus line and jazz band were kicking their way forward, but wriggling beside them was a file of belly dancers.
    “Oops,” Melanie said.
    “In here."
    They ducked into a formal sitting room, cut across it, and came out into another hallway.
    But here there was something different. Minstrels.
    “Oh, my,” Melanie said.
    “Can you play that thing, fair maid?"
    The man who spoke was tall and smiling and dark-haired, all decked out in green, a white feather sprouting from his cap. He was very handsome, and Melanie fell instantly in