Chumley Bilgespike heaved a massive sigh of relief. He disliked the bureaucratic responsibilities of office with a passion. This was the primary reason he had once more changed his title from Lord High Governor of Morgaard to Governor Emeritus of Morgaard, appointing his vice-governor Deedor Barus, a Lokian wolf, as acting Governor and promoting the Sheriff of Thoth to the mayorship. Chumley would set policies and all the paperwork and supervision would fall to his subordinates.

Now he would be free to leave Thoth when the urge struck him, and more importantly, spend more time with his beloved spouse, Belinda.

As he pressed the royal seal into the order instituting the change, he couldn't help sniggering at the irony of his present situation. Belinda was off with her adopted mother, Dema Primus, a toad sorceress, and would not return for three months. They had traveled to the city of Minga near the Forbidden Forest, where the remaining members of Dema's family lived.

Chumley pushed the document of his liberation away to the center of the table where he sat and leaned back in his chair. He threw his feet up onto the table and prepared to enjoy one of his great pleasures, an afternoon nap, when a knocking at the door jolted him back to alertness.

"Ah hears ya, come on in!" he shouted, slightly annoyed.

The door swung open and Chumley jumped to his feet, grinning happily.
"As ah live and breath, if it ain't mah favorite weasel, or should ah say, mole, in the world. 'Ow in the 'ell are ya Thoris?"

Sebastian Thoris had been second in command to Khalis herself before switching sides and becoming one of the great heroes of the war.

Pudgy, hunched, and with a strong lisp, he seemed the exact opposite of what a warrior should look like, but he had proven himself again and again to the point that Yogi, leader of the mole-city of Gleneden had made him an honorary mole. He now lived in Gleneden and ran its library and archives with the help of his good friend Egbert.

"Ith it pothible for you to be any lathier? I heard you pathed all the hard work to poor Deedor and Wormwart." Thoris said smiling broadly.

"Guilty as charged, ain't ah? Ah 'aven't seen you since last fall, mah friend, what brings you to mah domain?"

Thoris walked over to a large chaise and plopped down. He looked around the room. It was sparsely furnished, with just the chaise, desk and chair filling a rather large space. Chumley only worked here, he and Belinda shared a homier suite on the main level, next to the castle kitchen, where Chumley was a frequent visitor.

Thoris couldn't help from laughing quietly.This had been his room when he was Prime Minister under Khalis and like him, it was now completely transformed.
"I like what you've done with the room," he said honestly, "thorry I haven't been around in a while, ith been hectic at Gleneden. Egbert and I have jutht finished cataloging the library.

"We dethided to take a break. He hath gone to vithit Zian in World'th End and thaid he wath going to vithit you on hith way back. I thought I'd accompany him home and uth it ath an excuse to vithit you mythelf. Like you thaid, ith been too long."

"You are a welcome guest, mah friend. 'Ow long till Eggy gets here, then?

"A week or two."

"That gives us a fair amount o' time to get into trouble, don't it?" Chumley laughed.

"That wath my plan. Before I forget, Phoebe thendth her love. I think she hath a crush on you." Thoris said smiling.

"She's sweet, yeah. She's a mole now too, ain't she?"

"A mole-duck, yeth."

"And you're a mole-weasel?"

"Yeth I am" Thoris said proudly.

Chumley rose from his desk and joined Thoris on the chaise.
"See, that's why ah don't get to Gleneden, ain't it. They seem to got some kinda epidemic there, turns all sorta creatures inta moles, don't it?" Chumley laughed.

"You could do worse."

"And ah 'ave mah dear Thoris, ah 'ave." He stood and motioned to the weasel, "Ah've got somethin' to show you, you're gonna love this, you will."

Thoris stood and followed Chumley to the door.
"I'm at your command, oh great Governor Emeritus. Where are we going?"

"To the Gatehouse on the bridge, mah friend."

The gatehouse to which Chumley was referring was one of two which stood at the rear of Castle Thoth and at the foot of the Great Bridge spanning the Circe Sea. They were both built as rotundas, with a circular body and a domed roof, one on each side of the bridge. Two thirds of their bulk were on the bridge itself and the remainder hung out over the roiling body of water, about thirty feet below the overhang. Their purpose was both to house troops assigned to guard the bridge into Evyan and to serve as a checkpoint for travelers entering Morgaard.

The structures were about fifty feet in diameter and each had a balcony with an area of about a hundred square feet which held a horizontal flagpole that extended out over the churning lake about thirty feet and was clearly visible at the far end, two miles south.

The specific gatehouse to which Chumley led Thoris was empty of guards, the prolonged peace after the Wars made travel across the Island Continent far freer and the number of guards on the bridge was at barely one fifth of what it had been under Khalis.

As Thoris approached the structure, the unmistakable smell of rotting fish began to fill the air. He scrunched his snout at the odorous assault. Chumley noticed his friends nasal discomfort and laughed.
"Quite the fragrance, ain't it?" he asked.

"What ith that?" The weasel asked desperately.

"Just what it smells like, mah friend." He answered as they entered the gatehouse.

The interior was bare with the exception of about a dozen large reeking cloth sacks that lined the balcony next to the flagpole. Chumley became visibly excited and ran out to the balcony dragging Thoris with him.

He pulled on the flag rope until a large hook was within reach, hanging from the pole.
"Sebastian, be a good bloke and 'and me one of them sacks." Chumley said loudly.

Confused, but curious, Thoris dragged one of the odiferous sacks over to the flagpole. It weighed about sixty pounds. Chumley grabbed the bag firmly and hooked the tied off portion of it to the hook on the rope. As he pulled on the rope the sack slowly moved out to the end of the pole.

The purpose of this escaped Thoris for a while as he leaned out over the balcony and looked at the turbulent waters below. Suddenly it dawned on him.
"You can't be therious!," he protested, "thith ith..."

Before he could finish his sentence, The water below him burst upward in a massive geyser. Thoris stumbled back, almost falling as a giant head, eight feet wide, with long razor sharp teeth lining its mouth snatched the sack from the pole and descended back below the water.

"That wath the...the...the...," a frantic Thoris jabbered.

Chumley smiled broadly.
"Yeah, it is, ain't it. It's our old pal the Asherouboros, or as I calls 'im now, Ashy," Chumley looked at a still terrified Thoris and added, "come on now, earn your keep, we still got eleven bags to feed 'im"

"Are you inthane? Dat monster almost killed uth and you're feeding it like a pet?"

"Now, now, mah flustered friend, we owes that beast a lot, 'e did eat Khalis after all. Anyway, old Ashy ain't a pet, 'e's a mascot ah suppose.

"If we feed 'im once a month, 'e minds 'is own business. After 'e et the witch, 'e's been quite the gentleman, 'asn't 'e. Now mind, ah still wouldn't recommend no wizards tryin' to pet 'im, 'e does love the taste of that magic, just 'cause 'e scratched the itch eatin' the Ice Queen don't mean it don't itch no more, but 'e's quite a bit calmer now. Now 'and me another sack, if you please."

Thoris didn't comment and digested what Chumley had told him as he handed another sack to the rat.

As before, no sooner had Chumley sent the bag than the Asherouboros burst up and enveloped it. Thoris jumped again, but less nervously. By the time they got to the last sack, he didn't jump at all, focusing instead on studying the great beast.

Thinking calmly again, he realized that Chumley was right, monster or not, this creature had done the world a great service and monthly meals were not as reckless as he had initially thought. When they were done and preparing to leave, Thoris asked Chumley where the food came from.

"That's the best part, ah 'ave the fish market save all the guts, heads and such, don't ah? Send it here, they do. Thoth smells better as well. It's what mah dear old da called 'win-win'." As they left the gatehouse, Chumley wrinkled his nose.

"Ah believe it would be wise for us to bathe if we ever wants any beast to come within twenty feet of us." The rat smiled.

"A bath thounds glorious." Thoris agreed.

After bathing, the two friends met for dinner in the main mess hall, where Chumley always dined, preferring to be with his troops rather than being waited on, one of the many reasons he was so well-loved by all who served him.

Both Chumley and Thoris broke out in laughter when they realized that the evenings fare was roast fish, and Chumley, much to Thoris' chagrin, ate each bite in frantic bursts, mimicking as best he could the dining etiquette of the Asherouboros.

When the dinner was complete, the pair retired to the weasel's' room for an after dinner port and some sweets. Port was always one of Thoris' great pleasures, as Chumley knew, and after a short while the weasel was in a relaxed and cheerful humor. Chumley chose this opportunity to broach a suggestion he had been considering since his friend arrived.
"Ah 'ave a grand idea, chum." He said cheerfully.

"And what might that be, oh great tamer of the beatht?" Thoris asked.

"Well...seein' as 'ow ah'm a free man of sorts and your waitin' on Egbert, what say we 'ead on over to World's End and surprise 'is Lordship?" Chumley asked, sipping his port.

Thoris thought for a second.
"That'th a great idea. I'd love to go to the ocean. You'll like it, lotth of questionable characters and dithreputable ethtablishments."

"Right up mah alley, ain't it? We'll 'ave a grand ole time. Let's leave tomorrow," He finished his port and poured another glass, filling up his friend's as well, "But not too early."

Thoris picked up his port and took a gulp.
"Noon ith early enough."