"We need to stick together," Tanda said, taking my side. "We may have to move quickly."
"That doesn't sound good," I said.
Aahz made his disgusted noise, then looked me right in the eyes.
"Not a word comes from your mouth in there. Under stand?"
"Sure," I said, making a motion across my mouth that I had sealed it.
"Here," Tanda said, smiling at me. "Let me help you with that."
She put her wonderful hand against my mouth. The smell of her skin was that of distant flowers; her touch was soft. She ran her hand along my mouth as I had done, then patted my shoulder.
"That was-"
My mouth wouldn't open!
I tried again.
The words sort of jumbled inside and the only noise that reached my ears was "Thrrrgggg wgggggeeee."
I tried to shout "What did you do?"
What got to my ears was "Wgggggghhh dggggggghhh ygggggghhh dgggggggghhh"
My lips were completely glued together. And the harder I tried to force them apart, the more painful it became.
"I didn't know you knew that one," Aahz said to Tanda, completely ignoring my struggle. "I've wanted to use it a hun dred times."
She smiled at my mentor. "There are a lot of things you don't know about me."
Well, as far I was concerned, sealing my lips wasn't some thing I had ever wanted Tanda to do with anything except maybe a kiss. I tried to tell her so, but again nothing sounded like a word.
"Let's do this," Aahz said, nodding in satisfaction at my condition, then stepping toward the tent.
"Don't worry," Tanda said, smiling at my struggle as she took my arm and followed Aahz. "It's just temporary. Trust me, it's for your own good. And ours as well."
Not for the first time, it occurred to me that for some