The Wyvern's Spur

by Kate Novak

  Even as she spoke, Olive realized she would have to handle Cat without any help from Giogi. From what the mage had just said to the nobleman, it was obvious that he had offered Cat more than his protection. He’s not likely to welcome any suggestions that the woman might betray him, Olive thought. Human men are funny that way. It’s a pity I can’t let him know that I’m sure of her disloyalty because I eavesdropped on her in his carriage house.

  “Cat,” Giogi said, finishing the introductions smoothly, “this is the bard, Olive Ruskettle. We were just discussing Flattery when you came in.”

  Cat made a curtsy to Olive, not oblivious to the fact that Giogi had chosen to present her to Olive and not the other way around.

  “It seems,” Giogi gulped, “that Flattery killed Mistress Ruskettle’s partner,” Giogi explained to the mage.

  Cat did not look surprised in the least. She merely blinked once and asked, “Why?”

  Olive was struck by an inspiration. She smiled knowingly. “An interesting question, Mistress Cat,” she said. “One that I suddenly realize you might be able to answer better than I.”

  “Me?” Cat paled, no longer so collected.

  “You,” Olive replied. “My story is a little complicated,” the halfling said. “Please, won’t you both sit down?”

  Giogi sat on the sofa and drew Cat down beside him, still holding her hand in his own. She looked as though she needed his strength.

  Maybe this will bring you to your senses, Cat, Olive thought. Perhaps we can make you more afraid of going back to Flattery than of leaving him.

  “You have no doubt noticed, Master Giogioni,” the halfling began, “that Mistress Cat bears a strong resemblance to Alias of Westgate.”

  “Well, actually, yes, I have,” Giogi said, “but Cat said—”

  “She’s never met anyone named Alias,” Olive supplied. “That she is from Ordulin. Mistress Cat comes from a branch of Alias’s family separated by … hard times. Yet her relatives all show a striking family resemblance to one another, much like in the Wyvernspur family. In addition, all of the women in Alias’s clan inherit an unusual marking on their right arm. It appears overnight without explanation, and cannot be dispelled magically.”

  Cat touched her right sleeve with her left hand. Giogi looked at her questioningly, and the mage nodded her head.

  Olive continued her story. “My partner, Jade, was also a member of this family. She, too, resembled Alias of Westgate, as well as you, Mistress Cat. At any rate, two nights ago, we sighted Flattery in the streets of Immersea. We followed him, as we were aware that he had unscrupulous reasons for visiting your town.

  “Jade has been specially trained in picking pockets—in the line of duty, you understand,” the halfling explained. “We thought it likely that Flattery had stolen the wyvern’s spur, so Jade closed in on him to investigate the contents of his pockets. Jade liberated an unusual item from the wizard right off: a crystal as big as my fist and as dark as a new moon. I know, because she held it up for me to see before she continued stalking Flattery.”

  Olive took a deep breath. “Jade was just reaching for Flattery’s pocket again when he turned around. He seemed to mistake Jade for someone he knew. He cried out, and I quote, ‘So, you treacherous witch, you’ve escaped, and now you try to steal what you have not earned.’ Then he … he killed my partner—disintegrated her with a vile magic spell.”

  Olive paused. She did not need to feign grief and rage; they came naturally. Giogi was rapt with the bard’s tale. His mouth hung slightly open, and his eyes were wide. The cool and rational Cat clutched Giogi’s hand tightly, and her gaze seemed to bore holes into Olive.

  It was some moments before the halfling could bring herself to finish, and when she did, her voice was no longer as steady as it had been. “I think Flattery mistook my partner for you, Mistress Cat,” she explained. “The question I have for you is: Is it possible your former master would kill you if he thought you were trying to steal something from him?”

  Cat turned even paler. She nodded wordlessly.

  Olive nodded at her admission. “After seeing Jade murdered, I’m afraid I lost my head,” Olive said. “I screamed, and Flattery spotted me, got a good look at me. I managed to escape his pursuit with some magic of my own, but I was witness to his crime, and he has no love for Harpers.”

  Olive gave a shuddering sigh. “If I were farther north, I would have greater resources to draw upon to bring him to justice—companions with discretion. As it stands now, I am alone and far from home. I could use your help.”

  “I’m honored that you would come to me, Mistress Ruskettle,” Giogi said, feeling a little astounded. “I will do all I can to help. But why did you come to me? Surely, in all of Immersea, you could find more powerful allies than myself.”

  “But not as discrete, I fear, and I thought you would wish to keep this in the family. Of course, I might have gone to your Cousin Frefford, but he has a young wife and new baby, and this may be a hazardous mission. As for your Cousin Steele, he is, I’m afraid, unsuitable.”

  “I’m sorry. I don’t quite follow you,” Giogi said, “about keeping it in the family.”

  “As Flattery is one of your own, I thought you might wish to bring him to justice, to help avoid a scandal, as it were.”

  “Flattery is … You don’t mean to say that he’s a Wyvernspur?” Giogi gasped.

  “Yes. You didn’t know? I thought Mistress Cat would have explained that,” Olive said, though of course, she’d thought no such thing and would have been surprised to learn that Cat had told Giogi anything useful about her master.

  Giogi turned to the mage beside him and waited silently for a denial, an explanation, an excuse. Anything.

  Cat looked down at her hands. “I didn’t know for certain. I just began to suspect it yesterday. He looks just like your cousins, Steele and Frefford. I was afraid that if you realized he was a relative, you might not take my side against him and let me remain in your protection.”

  Not very good at making up lies, are you? Olive thought.

  Giogi looked wounded. “How could you even think such a thing?” he asked.

  “You’re always talking about how important your family is to you,” Cat whispered. “ ‘Wyvernspurs look out for one another,’ you said.”

  “But, you’re family, too,” Giogi protested.

  “Suppose I weren’t,” Cat said.

  “But you are,” the nobleman insisted. “The guardian let you past, so you must be.”

  And I’m willing to bet, Olive thought, that that’s not just because of your marriage to Flattery.

  “But suppose I weren’t in your family?” Cat insisted.

  “It would make no difference,” Giogi replied coldly, offended that Cat did not think more highly of his honor. “I’m not the sort of man who leaves young women in the hands of murdering wizards.”

  Cat looked down at her lap, unable to explain her anxiety. Giogi sat stiffly beside her, no longer holding her hand.

  You’ve made a miscalculation, woman, Olive chided Cat mentally. You knew you couldn’t tell Giogi that he’s fallen in love with another man’s wife. He might have accepted your not confiding in him, but, by suggesting he might turn you out, you’ve wounded his pride.

  He’s not suspicious of her, but at least she’s on the defensive, Olive thought triumphantly.

  “Anyway, you are a member of the family,” Giogi insisted as if reminding himself he still had a duty toward her. “As a Wyvernspur himself, Flattery must have a record of the missing branches of our family tree. That’s how he knew it would be safe to send you in after the spur.”

  Olive nodded, then caught herself. She wasn’t supposed to know Cat had been in the crypt. “Do you mean to say Flattery had Mistress Cat steal the spur?” she asked, acting surprised.

  Giogi flushed, realizing he’d just betrayed Cat. “Well, yes and no.”

  “My former master sent me after the spur, but it was gone when I got ther
e,” Cat explained hurriedly. “You see, their family crypt has a secret door, which opens—”

  “Every fifty years,” Olive concluded with a dismissive wave of her hand. “Yes, we know about that as well. What I don’t understand is why Flattery sent you after the spur.”

  The question that had plagued Olive occurred to Giogi in a flash. “Yes! If Flattery is a Wyvernspur, why didn’t he just go after the spur himself?” Giogi asked.

  “If we knew the answer to that question, Master Giogioni,” Olive announced, “we might just know how to defeat Flattery.”

  Breakfast Talk

  Thomas knocked and entered the parlor. “Breakfast is ready, sir. Shall I set an extra place for Mistress Ruskettle?”

  “Oh,” Giogi said, turning from Thomas to Olive. “Would you do us the honor of joining us?” he asked.

  “That would be most convenient,” Olive replied. “We have much to discuss.” Another breakfast couldn’t hurt, she thought. It’ll be different, at any rate, from eating all that hay and grain he’s fed me.

  “Yes, Thomas. Three for breakfast,” Giogi replied. The nobleman stood and offered Cat his hand. After the mage rose to her feet, however, Giogi ushered her ahead and waited for Olive to rise. He could hardly offer the halfling his arm, as she didn’t stand any higher than his hip, but he walked beside her to the dining room.

  As Olive and Giogi followed Cat to breakfast, the halfling could sense Cat’s displeasure. Again she reminded Olive of the sorceress Cassana. Cassana never could stand any competition, no matter how small.

  Thomas set out a high chair for Olive at Giogi’s right hand, leaving an ordinary chair for Cat on his master’s left. The servant was heartened to see that the unusually serious halfling had an appetite comparable to all the other halflings he had ever known. Her conversation topics, however, were most disturbing.

  Giogioni listened with unusual attentiveness to his new guest. It seemed to Thomas that his master was disturbed as well, though not completely by the halfling’s talk. The servant couldn’t help but notice that Giogi’s attitude toward the mage had turned considerably cooler.

  Thomas wished he’d had the opportunity to put an ear to the parlor door so he could know what had happened between them.

  “We will need the help of others of talent and power,” Olive explained as she reached for two breakfast rolls and smeared a tablespoon of butter on each. “I will leave it to you to choose persons you feel you can trust with the knowledge of Flattery.” Olive bit off half a roll.

  Giogi thought for a moment. “I was going to visit Mother Lleddew today. I don’t know how I will be received exactly, but I’m sure I can trust her with a family secret. She once was a companion of my father.”

  “Mother Lleddew,” Olive muttered through a full mouth. She chewed rapidly and swallowed. “Mother Lleddew,” she repeated. “Priestess of Selune, isn’t she? Has quite a reputation. If you’re willing to trust her, I’m sure she’ll be most useful.

  “There is something else you might consider, Master Giogioni,” Olive said, dabbing a stream of butter from her chin. “It may be unseemly to bring it up so soon after your uncle’s demise, but did he possess any magical items we could use?”

  “I don’t know,” Giogi admitted. “I was going to search through his lab for his journal this morning. I wouldn’t really know what to look for, though, when it comes to magical items.”

  “Mistress Cat would be able to aid you in that respect, surely,” Olive said as she plopped five sugar cubes into her tea.

  “I had hoped to keep her hidden from Flattery’s sight,” Giogi explained without looking in Cat’s direction.

  The enchantress, who had remained silent until now, reminded her protector, “It may be too late for that.” Then she looked into her lap to avoid Giogi’s eyes.

  Olive looked up in surprise. Are we to get a confession now? she wondered, thinking that Cat was about to admit to having contacted Flattery the day before.

  “Oh, yes. I’d forgotten,” Giogi said, his forehead furrowed.

  “Forgotten what?” Olive asked.

  “Late last night, someone broke in and attacked Mistress Cat. Fortunately, she managed to raise an alarm, and her attacker fled.”

  “I thought it was my master, Flattery,” Cat explained, still not looking up. “It looked like him in the moonlight, but I don’t think Flattery would have tried to smother me in my bed.”

  “No. I can’t see the wizard who disintegrated Jade relying on down pillows,” Olive agreed.

  There was a clatter of silverware on oak at the far end of the table. All three diners looked up suddenly at the noise. Giogi’s manservant was looking at the halfling, temporarily oblivious to the disturbance he’d just created by dropping a pile of flatware on the table.

  “Thomas, is something wrong?” Giogi asked.

  “Excuse me, Mistress Ruskettle,” the servant said, looking pale and stricken, “but did I hear you just say someone had been … disintegrated … by this Flattery person?”

  Olive held her ham-laden fork suspended in midair. “Yes, Thomas,” she answered. “My partner, Jade More. Two nights ago. Why?”

  “Forgive my interruption, sir,” Thomas addressed Giogi, “but, um, I understand from the servants up in Redstone that nothing was found of your Uncle Drone, save a pile of ash, his robes, and hat.”

  Giogi tapped his forehead with the flat of his palm. “Sweet Selune. You’re right. It looks as if this Flattery could be responsible for the death of my Uncle Drone as well. Good thought, Thomas.” Thomas did not hear the compliment however. He’d bolted for the kitchen.

  “Why should Flattery kill your Uncle Drone?” Cat asked.

  “I would think it’s obvious,” Olive answered her. “Flattery sends you in after the spur. You don’t come back right away. He must presume you’re in trouble. Remember, later that evening, when he mistook my partner for you, he said, ‘you’ve escaped, and now you try to steal what you have not earned.’ He may have assumed you’d been captured by Drone—”

  “That’s possible,” Cat admitted, softly. “Flattery told me he would not be able to watch me with his scrying crystal because the catacombs and crypt were proofed against magical eyes.”

  “Uncle Drone had them shielded from magical sight from all but himself,” Giogi added, “and even he had trouble looking into the crypt after the robbery.”

  Not that either of them would have been able to spot Cat, Olive thought to herself. Like Alias and Jade, Cat must be proofed against magical detection and scrying. It seems, though, that Flattery has never told her. He wouldn’t want her to think she could hide from him.

  “Mistress Ruskettle, you were saying,” Giogi prompted Olive out of her reverie.

  “Anyway,” Olive continued aloud, “when Flattery sees Jade later that evening, he assumes you’ve escaped, and, thinking you have just picked his pocket, he believes you have betrayed him and he slays Jade, mistaking her for you. Like the witness to Jade’s murder, namely myself, who he did try to kill, Drone is a loose end. Drone may have interrogated you and learned all about him. Also, Flattery would not have given up his quest for the spur. Drone might have taken the spur from you and have it in his lab, where it would be easy to get. If the spur was still safe in the crypt, Flattery could have stolen Drone’s key before killing him.”

  “But I never had the spur, never even saw it. It wasn’t in the crypt when I got there,” Cat protested, some of her old spirit returning to her voice. “Someone else had stolen it.”

  “Ah,” Olive said, “but Flattery couldn’t see into the crypt, so he couldn’t know that, unless he looked for himself. Later in the day, after he’d already destroyed Drone, Flattery would have discovered that someone had been successful at stealing the spur.”

  “Yes,” Giogi said guiltily. “It does seem to have gotten out.”

  Cat, Olive noticed, stirred uncomfortably in her seat. As well she should, since she was the culprit, the halfling thought.r />
  “And somehow,” Olive said, pointing a spoonful of eggs at Cat, “Flattery’s found out you’re still alive and at large.”

  “I told you he has a scrying ball,” Cat said.

  “If he thought you were dead, he wouldn’t have been scrying for you,” Olive pointed out. She hoped Cat would realize that if she hadn’t been stupid enough to contact Flattery yesterday, he’d probably be pretty much in the dark. Too bad the mage hadn’t known that Flattery can’t scry for her at all. At least we can use that to our advantage, Olive thought.

  “In any event, Flattery discovers you’re still alive,” Olive continued, explaining to Cat, “and learns that you’ve taken refuge here. It may look to him as if you’ve got the spur, and you’re negotiating to return it to Master Giogioni. So he sends a flunkie after you. I presume he has flunkies?” Olive asked.

  Cat nodded. She looked very confused, though, and Olive could tell she’d planted the seed of doubt in the woman’s head.

  “Master Giogioni, I believe it is probably safer for Mistress Cat to remain with us wherever we go,” Olive concluded. “We will no doubt profit from her expertise as well.”

  “You asked yesterday if you could come with me,” Giogi said to Cat. “I guess you’ll get your chance. Thomas!” the young noble called out, ringing a small silver bell beside his plate.

  Thomas, looking pale, appeared at the doorway to Servant Land. “Yes, sir?” he asked.

  “After breakfast, the ladies and I will be riding up to Redstone and then to the Temple of Selune. Would you please harness Daisyeye to the buggy?”

  “Yes, sir,” Thomas said, fading back through the doorway.

  Olive downed her breakfast with relish, except the oatmeal. She didn’t quite have the stomach for that. The two humans poked their food around their plates in silence, though. Olive could understand Cat not being very hungry. She’d just lost her place in the sun. Giogi’s loss of appetite worried Olive more. She needed him to be alert and enthusiastic.

  Olive was just finishing her third pot of tea when Thomas, looking distraught as well as pale, returned to the dining room. “It appears we’ve had some vandalism in the carriage house, sir,” he informed Giogi in a tight, level voice.