Read/Watch 'em In Order #107
The fourth tale in L. Sprague de Camp's Pusadian Cycle appeared in the December 1953 issue of Universe Science Fiction, about a month after "The Stronger Spell" appeared in another magazine.
This one is called "The Hungry Hercynian" and it may be my personal favorite in the series. It brings back the young and ambitious Gezun of Lorsk, who debuted in "The Owl and the Ape," along with Derezong Taash, the wizard who was the protagonist of "The Eye of Tandyla." The two meet up in this story.
It's not a happy meeting, though. Gezun is now a free man, released from slavery and given a number of magic items when his master died. But things have not been going well for him and he is out of work, on the run from the angry father of a pregnant daughter and with only a single magic ring (a protector from charms) remaining in his possession.
He arrives in the Tartesian empire and immediately develops a crush on a pretty slave girl he sees on the auction block. Darazong buys the girl and, since Gezun and Darazong are both originally from the same country, the younger man manages to wheedle an invitation for room and board for the night. But, after drinking a little too much wine, he impulsively grabs the girl (named Yorida) and runs off with her, eventually hiding out in a cave outside the city, scrounging for enough food to keep the two of them fed.
In retrospect, it would have been wiser if he'd asked Yorida if she actually wanted to run off with him before taking any action.
What follows is both a well-constructed fantasy tale and an hilarious screwball-esque comedy. Another man, a local lord named Noish, had also been bidding on Yorida. This is because he's made a deal with a Hercynian wizard. The wizard wants to have a plump young girl for dinner. (And that should be taken literally--the Hercynians are cannibals), while Noish wants the wizard to dispose of a rival to the king's favors.
So Noish's men are still looking for the girl. When they manage to get hold of her, Gezun contacts a local magician for help in getting her back for himself. The magician, though, actually isn't very good at his job, so he sub-contracts Derezong Taash for help, unaware that Derezong also has a claim on the girl.
The various plot threads and character motivations come together beautifully at the end. Lord Noish, the guy who was willing to let a slave girl be eaten to get what he wanted, ends up getting eaten himself. Derezong gets Yorida back. Gezun at first seems to have lost both the girl and his magic ring, but after mugging the local magician, he at least gets his ring back, along with some money. He sets out for richer pastures, where we'll meet him again in the next tale in the Cycle.
I really enjoy the skill with which de Camp constructed this particular story, milking it for a lot of laugh-out-loud humor while still making sure it made internal sense in regards to its mythical Bronze-Age culture. His dry sense of humor is very much on display here. For instance, here's a scene in which Gezun first encounters Derezong's apprentice while still a guest in the wizard's home:
Zhamel set down the jug, looked at Gezun, pulled out a knife big enough to split kindling, and began trimming his fingernails with it.
"A fine bit of bronze," he said. "I keep it sharp in case some young springald should try to worm himself into my place with Derezong."
"I understand," said Gezun, wondering if there were not some way by which he could safely murder Zhamel.
A scene in which Lord Noish disposes of his rival by slipping him a drug that forces the rival to tell the truth when speaking to the king is equally hilarious.
The story is available to read online HERE.
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