by Chris Africa
"And when they're not susceptible, you appear also to be a skilled negotiator," Cherise added.
"Yeah, that's how we came to have no horses while we are running from a crazy wizard and his army," Chassy said wryly.
Tack for four horses made quite a large pile, Nita realized. Freeing the horses—who were more like prisoners than property—was one thing, but saddles were expensive.
"We should return these saddles to their owners. We're not thieves."
"What do you guys think we should do with these saddles?" Chassy asked his horse. The horse tossed his head, and Chassy snickered. "He says maybe we should saddle you and ride you."
Nita gave him a funny look. "The horse has a sense of humor?"
"I don't think he is joking."
The horses trotted away and around a curve and left them.
"It doesn't matter if you have horses, anyway," Andrev said. "Gnarkvetch can open a doorway to where he wants to go, as Granny did."
"What? To anywhere?" Cherise's voice rose with stress.
"To anywhere he has seen with his eyes. You'd only be entirely safe if you can find somewhere he's never been, or if he doesn't know where you've gone," Andrev said.
"I have the feeling he'll be able to determine exactly where we've gone. All he has to do is find a familiar location nearby so he can pop out and capture us there. Makes sense. Wonderful!" William said.
"Is there any way to avoid him, Andrev?" Nita asked.
Andrev shook his head. "Not unless we knew every place he had ever gone, and we avoided all the places. At some point, we will have to fight him."
"Then why run when we can't outrun him?" Nita pressed her lips together. "We should go back and finish it now before they recover."
"Are you mad? We already fought his army and turned the town upside down. When they put two and two together, they'll realize there was something suspicious about the dog and the animals are all behaving abnormally. If Fitz has any brains, he was analyzing your own capabilities and limits to share with Gnarkvetch. We all know now exactly how big your shield can get and how long you can sustain it. I predict we won't be so lucky next time," Cherise said.
Andrev and William nodded their agreement. Nita looked at Chassy.
"What do you think?" she asked.
A clear struggle played out across his face.
"I agree with Nita. Running will do us no good," he started. Nita smiled happily. "But I think we should plan first. We don't even know where Gnarkvetch is so we can't fight him. And we should learn more about his strengths and weaknesses."
Nita's shook her head and sighed, but she saw the sense in his words. More and more lately, Chassy disagreed with her and took his own path. When did he start thinking for himself, anyway? She admired him for it.
"Fine," she said as though she was giving in and not being beaten. "Let's make a plan starting with the saddles. We can't leave them here, or a real thief will steal them. And if Gnarkvetch's forces didn't know for certain we were here, a pile of saddles in the woods would be a dead giveaway."
"What if we hide them in the trees and come back later?" Cherise suggested.
"How do we get the saddles up there?" Nita wondered. The lowest branches were far out of reach, even if they stood on each other's shoulders to reach them.
But Cherise was already demonstrating. She took a rope from her pack, tied it around her waist, and kicked off her boots. Then she climbed the tree like some kind of wild animal, using only her bare hands and feet.
"She must have feet like a chameleon," William quipped.
But Nita could see Cherise was merely searching for places to hold. The tiniest crevices would do. She seemed to have strong fingers.
"When I get to the top, you can send up the saddles with the rope."
In no time, Cherise had pulled up all the tack and arranged them on a wide branch, like a saddle rack. Then she tied them on with the rope. Before Nita could even ask how she would get down, Cherise stood in front of her.
"That was amazing!" Chassy grabbed her hands and examined them.
Nita rolled her eyes. "She doesn't have chameleon hands, Chassy, but her fingers are incredibly strong. Thank you, Cherise."
"Now what?" Chassy asked. "How do we even find Gnarkvetch?"
"We have to convince someone to tell us," Nita said. "This seems like a good job for me with my ring and Chassy."
"What do you mean about your ring?" Andrev asked.
Nita quickly explained the three gifts, and of course, Andrev had to examine all of them. They walked a little farther into the woods and moved off the path, trying to disturb the vegetation as little as possible. They found a small hill with no brambles where they could rest while Chassy and Nita traveled back to the city.
"I can go too," Andrev reminded them. "Nobody knows my face."
Nita agreed. It could be helpful to have one more person to watch their backs.
It took the three of them another night and part of a day to walk back to the city, moving as fast as they could on foot. For this journey, Andrev spent the time telling them about some of the things he had learned at Granny's cabin, though on several occasions Nita sensed he was withholding the full story. It reminded her of their journey together last summer, leaving Waet Tree Village for the first time.
When the city was in sight, Nita suggested they duck behind some larger brush to change into their disguises, so that anyone watching the edge of the forest with a spy glass would not directly observe the magical changes. This time, she chose the face of Eliza, the girl who worked in the bakery with Tuva back home. Eliza had broken her nose as a child, so it had a bump in the center. She was a tall, thin girl, with shoulders sloped from leaning over tables and arms strong from kneading dough.
Chassy handed her his glasses. "These might come in handy if you're looking for someone willing to talk to us."
Andrev looked at Nita and raised his eyebrows. "Who are you supposed to be?"
"Eliza, remember? Well, Eliza in glasses anyway. She works with Tuva," she reminded him.
"Oh, right."
Chassy went behind the shrubs and returned as a scruffy, black terrier, dragging his clothes. Nita stuffed them in her pack for later, and they were off.
They approached the city gates apprehensively. Everything looked exactly as it had when they'd first seen the city, as though a band of magic-wielding ruffians had not been through a few days before, inciting chaos and fear. The sleepy-looking guards at the gate did not recognize them at all—a brother and sister with their dog.
"Your business in the city today?" the taller one asked.
"We're here to buy bread and fishes," Andrev told him. Nita made a neat little curtsy and kept her mouth shut like a good sister.
"Are you carrying any magical items, or do you have any intention of practicing, spells, sorcery, wizardry, inspired healing, or any other magical activities?"
"No, sir. Wouldn't dream of it."
"Beware, suspicious traveler! If you try any magical incarnations, we'll kill ya we will. And we'll take all your stuff too." He nodded for emphasis. "And my friend here, maybe he'll have his way with ya, and maybe he'll tell his to dog bite you too."
His short companion smacked him across the face and scowled up at him. "That's not the words the boss gave us, now is it?"
The tall guard rubbed his cheek. "Just trying to have a little fun. I don't think Lord Gnarkvetch would mind if we enjoy our job a little. And anyways, I'm saying the spirit of the words."
Nita suspected Gnarkvetch might mind very much if they liked their work, but she held her tongue.
"You dolt, you don't even know how to use words on your own. The boss didn't ask you to say the spirit of the words, he told you to say the words. And there's no such thing as magical incarnations. And I'm not going to have my way with anyone, or let my dog bite her. Just say the thing the Lord told you to say, afore I go find Master Fitz and have you arrested for stupidness."
The tall guy's
shoulders slumped. "Magic-doers and sympathizers will be put to death, by order of the Lord Gnarkvetch," he recited in a monotone. "That is all. You may pass."
The town was dead quiet, like the early hours of the morning when everyone is still abed. A handful of people hurried about, but most people in the streets were guards.
"This town is living in fear," Nita whispered to Andrev. "I suspect this is partly our fault for bungling things last time."
"Someday you must tell me what you did," Andrev said. "Sounds like it was quite a mess."
A sudden burst of pride hit her. "We freed about a hundred prisoners, and we destroyed an entire building."
"Sounds like your typical level of irresponsibility," Andrev said stiffly.
It was just like Andrev to scold her for a job well done. "You don't understand. They were holding people captive for doing magic or sometimes owning items they thought were magical. We had to help them."
Andrev shook his head and sighed. She couldn't tell if he understood any better, but at least he shut up. "Now what? Who can tell us where Gnarkvetch is? And what if no one cooperates?"
Nita ducked into a narrow space between two buildings. Chassy trotted happily beside them, his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth.
"We need to find a guard who is alone, preferably one who isn't too large. I will convince him a thief has stolen something precious, and when he follows me back here, we'll tie him up."
"And then somehow force him to talk?" Andrev finished. "I know the plan, but I am not sure how you will force him to talk."
"They fear me, Andrev," Nita said. "I probably won't even have to do anything. At most, a little fingertip lightening or something."
"Okay, you go do your thing. We'll be here waiting."
Chassy gave a low woof of agreement.
Nita ran off down the streets, looking for a guard who was alone. The first few she came across were in pairs, with red auras. Finally, she saw one walking by himself, with no aura. Hoping she could persuade him to help her, she ran up to him.
"Please help me!" she cried, and then she stopped short, for his face had come into view. It was the guard who had escaped her shield bubble. She couldn't believe he had gone back to his job after that. He must be devoted. She felt the heat rise in her cheeks.
"What do you want, woman?" His face told her damsels in distress would hold no sway; she would not lure him into some dark alley. She would have to improvise.
Nita stepped closer until she felt uncomfortably close. He raised his pike to put it between them but held his ground. Slowly, Nita put out her silvered hand and cupped her fingers, allowing lightning to play between them. Her other hand she raised to his lips.
"Shh… I need you to come with me. If you cooperate, I will not harm you."
The guard's eyes widened until they were almost bulging, and he glanced around before nodding. Nita looked around too, wondering if his missing partner was nearby, but they were alone on this street. She linked her arm through his and guided him toward the chosen alley, ducking between buildings whenever she saw other guards coming.
As they entered the alley, the guard saw Andrev and Chassy. Instead of following meekly, as Nita had expected, he spun away from them, farther into the alley, with his pike raised.
"You are under arrest, both of you," he barked.
Nita realized he was only talking about herself and Andrev. She stretched out her hand and held him.
"Nita, you're not supposed to be doing magic," Andrev said. "Remember, we need you to keep your strength or you'll lose your disguise."
Plus, Andrev probably could not carry her out of here by himself, Nita mused.
"Don't worry, I'm not doing much." She turned back to the guard. "I can keep you like this forever. A hold takes almost no magical power to maintain. We only want to know where we can find Gnarkvetch."
"You mean Lord Gnarkvetch," he sneered. "Have no fear, Silver Sorceress, he shall find you."
Before she could respond, three boys jumped down from the rooftops into the end of the alley beyond the guard. They wore angry faces and carried clubs. The biggest of the boys looked to be about Chassy's age.
"Who are you?" Nita demanded. "You had better leave now before you get into any trouble."
"We'll show you trouble," the big one said, "just like we did this one's partner. They took our mum and our sister while we were out working in the fields. Now we can pay him back for his thievery. An eye for an eye, so they say."
Thievery? Were they talking about his mother like she was a piece of property to be stolen rather than kidnapped? Nita scowled.
"You mean we're going to kill his mum?" the middle-sized boy asked.
Andrev snickered.
The big boy rounded on his brother. "No, stupid. We're not going to kill his mum. Do you even see his mum here in the alley? But we'll take what's most precious to him."
"That's a nice pike he's got. I bet that's precious," said the smallest boy. "That would fetch us a pretty penny."
"No, you moron, not his pike. We're going to take his life."
"Well, I don't see how that's like stealing our mum. We can break her out of jail and take her home."
Nita's head swiveled back and forth in amazement. What was wrong with these kids? "No one is killing anyone."
Big Brother stepped forward a pace and slapped his club against the palm of his left hand. Up close, Nita could see it was a thick branch he must have cut fresh for this occasion.
"What are you going to do about it, Silver Sorceress? I heard this one say you can't do too much magic, or you won't be able to go in disguise anymore."
Nita temporarily dropped her disguise. The youngest boy gasped.
"Then you must also have heard me say that a hold takes almost no magic to accomplish. I could leave you held here until some other guards come looking," Nita said.
Big Brother stepped forward, and in one smooth swing, whacked the guard on the head. The poor man crumpled to the ground with blood pouring from a gaping wound.
Before he could take another step, Nita held all three boys. Chassy was already beside the guard, sniffing.
"That was uncalled for." She checked the guy over. He was still breathing, but without a healer, he might yet die. If only she had an unripe Waet boll, she could use the liquid inside as a healing conduit, the way that she had with Lyear last summer. "We need to get him some help."
But looking at the situation from another point of view, they were criminals. Either they had injured the guard themselves, or he was injured by three boys who were currently being held under an illegal magic spell.
"What about the gem the Nydwon gave you when she told us our prophecies?" Andrev said. "She said it was for a dying enemy."
Nita shuddered, remembering how the tiny purple creature had dug the gem right out of her skin. Nita rifled around in her pack and found it. It was small and dull red, more like a smooth-shaped stone than a precious gem.
"What if he isn't the right dying enemy? What if he doesn't even know anything to tell me?"
Andrev snorted. "What if you keep the gem for the rest of your life because you're always afraid to try it?"
Nita hoped she wouldn't have that many mediocre enemies in her life, but she could see his point. She laid it on the top of the guard's head, but nothing happened.
"I don't know what I'm doing. Do you have any suggestions?"
"You could try putting it in the same spot where the Nydwon took it from her head."
He helped her tilt the guard's head to the side, and she laid it in the exact spot where she thought she remembered it being on the Nydwon. Nothing happened as she channeled magical energy into it. The stone grew hot to the touch and left a regrettable burn mark on the guard's forehead, but he didn't even twitch in pain.
"Okay, what about putting it in his mouth? I read a story once about a woman who believed her husband was being unfaithful, so she fed him a cake with tiny magical stones in it. As he ate the cake, he
confessed all of his sins, and she rewarded him with poisoned wine."
"That sounds like a children's story."
"It was not. It was from Minghdad's Chronicles of the North, which is a true history of the northlands. Not coincidentally, the Nydwon live there. Besides, do you have any better ideas?"
Nita didn't, so Andrev held the guard's mouth open while Nita dropped in the gem. The results were instantaneous. The guard sat up and looked around, his eyes unnaturally large and bright. Chassy growled and backed away.
"Did it heal him?" Nita whispered.
"I think this is something else," Andrev said. "Be careful, Chassy doesn't like him. It's never a good sign when a dog growls—I assume there's something off about this guy."
The guard looked around, and his eyes fell on Nita.
"What do you wish?" he croaked. His voice sounded like he badly needed a drink of water.
"We want to know how to find Gnarkvetch and avoid getting caught," Andrev said.
"Only the sorceress may command."
Nita rolled her eyes. "How do we find Gnarkvetch? And how do we avoid getting caught?"
"Gnarkvetch is on his way to the Mountain Kingdom. At all times, thirteen guards and three magic wielders surround him to suppress all magic and protect him."
"How do we defeat him and not get caught?"
The guard's chuckle sounded like rocks grinding together.
"I do not have that information. Besides, I am only bound to answer your first question. You asked, and I answered. By agreement with the Nydwon, I may go now."
And he collapsed back on the ground—dead.
33: Chassy
They hurried back through the empty town center toward the main gate. Nita had released the boys, but she sent them on their way with threats of physical harm if she ever saw them again. Chassy knew from experience she could have followed through on her promises even without sorcery. She'd decked him enough times growing up he'd almost learned when to duck, and her wrestling skills weren't bad either.
William and Cherise waited under the drooping boughs of a weeping larch tree. Chassy ducked behind the broad trunk to initiate his change and put on his clothes.
