Beckstead / Shadowed by Death / 344 Rumford Ecklebert.”
Cat stepped forward and put her hands on his shoulders.
Then, gently, she cupped his face in her hands.
“Er…you’re not going to cry, are you?” he asked uneasily. Cat sniffed. “I have waited sixteen years to hold you in my
arms again.” She dragged him to her chest and squeezed him
tightly. “Are you certain about this, about coming to Belanok?” He shrugged within her embrace. “I’m not certain about
anything. My whole life has kind of turned upside-down in the
last few months.”
She released him at last, and he stepped back. “Avery?” he
asked, squinting toward me. “What are you doing here?” “Let me introduce you to your first female underwizard,
Rumford—well, besides myself,” Cat said. “Although I’m hardly an
underwizard any longer. But I’m getting off subject now. I
believe you know Avery.”
Rumford stared at me in disbelief. “You really are a girl?” “Mmm-mm mmm,” I said. Cat must have dismissed the spell
then, because I regained control of my mouth. “I mean…yes.
Guilty. I’m a girl.” There didn’t seem to be much point in
denying it. If—no, when—we got out of this, there would be some
oblivions necessary.
“Then how—how did you fool the deception defense spell the
day we met? And the physical examination?”
“It’s a long story. Why don’t I tell you later?” But “It’s a long story. Why don’t I tell you later?” ButBeckstead / Shadowed by Death / 345
really, when later came, that would be when the oblivions happened. He blinked and, after a moment, his gaze moved on to Orly. “And you—you’re that girl from the library. You’re a female underwizard too?”
“Not exactly. But I want to be,” Orly said far too honestly for my liking.
He looked at Papa and Master Wendyn now, and his brow rumpled. “Why are you all wearing trammels?”
“We call those fetters in Belanok, Rumford,” Cat inserted. “We use them to keep people from going places they oughtn’t.”
“What?” I demanded.
Cat chuckled. “Oh, did I forget to mention that? Yes, there’s a line around my ship which you are now unable to pass beyond, thtanks to that fetter. You’ve made yourselves my permanent guests, and I didn’t even have to fight you on it.” She considered while I seethed. “You really should educate yourself on all the functions of a device before you just clamp it around your neck.”
“That isn’t fair!” I said, and Master Wendyn put a hand on my arm, as though to restrain me from doing something stupid.
“But life isn’t fair, Avery,” Cat went on. “I thought you’d have learned that for certain by now.”
“You’re saying that this thing on my neck means I can’t leave now?” Papa asked. He walked closer to the edge of the leave now?” Papa asked. He walked closer to the edge of theBeckstead / Shadowed by Death / 346
ship, leaned out over the side, until something buzzed and he jumped back. “Holy milk buckets! You weren’t kidding.” He rubbed at his neck.
Rumford’s expression had turned dubious. “But…why are you making them go if they don’t want to?” he asked Cat.
She patted his hand. “It’ll be all right, Rumford. Not all of these people are staying. I’m bringing the girls to Belanok for their own safety. They’ll die if they stay here.”
“I think I’d rather take my chances with Faronna,” I said.
“Me too,” Orly agreed.
Cat shook her head. “Foolish, but you’ll learn.” To Rumford she said, “But none of this is important right now. What’s important is that my son has joined me.” She took his hands in her own and smiled at him. “My son has joined me,” she said again. “This calls for a celebration!” She waved a hand, and tables appeared there on deck, covered with jellies, pies, custards, cakes, and wines and brandies. “I give you permission to celebrate as we leave Faronna. Meanwhile, my son and I will be catching up. Do not disturb us.” She took Rumford by the arm and swept him from the room.
I started after them, but Master Wendyn tightened his grip on my arm. “Oh no you don’t.”
“But someone has to talk some sense into her.”
“Now isn’t the time.”
I gave him a look of exasperation. “And when is?”
Beckstead / Shadowed by Death / 347 He shook his head.
And the ship continued to move away from shore. ***
I stood at the ship’s railing and watched Faronna depart.
Behind me Papa had dug into the food and mostly the drink, and I didn’t have the heart to stop him. What did it matter or not at this point if Papa became drunk? At least he wouldn’t be worrying like I was.
“So these… fetters,” Master Wendyn said, stepping beside me, his shoulder bumping my own. “Turns out they don’t actually stop our ability to do magic.” He held up a hand and tried to do a spell of some sort. The magic moved sluggishly, but it did move. Its progress was not enough to complete the spell, though, whatever it had been. The magic slowly popped and sparkled and died. “So she’s not at all worried about us figuring out her secret for how to do magic within this dampening spell.”
I shook my head. “So what if we could figure it out? With these things on none of us can leave the ship.”
He looked over at me. “Don’t worry. This journey can take two weeks or more, depending on conditions. We have time to figure out a solution. Transportation spells, passage spells, wizard doors.”
“But only if we can get these things off and get away from the ship.”
On my other side, Orly leaned against the railing and On my other side, Orly leaned against the railing andBeckstead / Shadowed by Death / 348
sniffed. “Papa’s going to be so worried about me,” she said, her voice wobbly. I patted her shoulder. “Don’t worry. You’re going to get back to him.”
“We’re all going back,” the master said. He left my side and I turned to watch him prowl around the ship, looking for something.
“What are you—” I began, but Papa stepped in front of me, a mug of sloshing liquid in hand.
“Say, this is fine wine. I mean, it’s prime stuff. Hey, I think I just rhymed. Fine, wine, prime. I told you I’m a good writer.”
“Papa,” I said, a halfhearted lecture in my voice. “You’re taking up drinking again now?” I watched him totter away, but didn’t do anything further to stop him.
“Why do you think she wants to take us to Belanok?” Orly asked. “Is it really for our own safety?”
I turned back to the railing. “Last year Kurke told me they wanted to experiment on me. I don’t know what that means, but I’m not interested in it.”
Orly shivered. “I’m not either.”
Master Wendyn returned holding a metal fork with two of the tines bent back. “I think I can make some headway with this,” he said, sticking the remaining tine into the lock of the trammel. He worked it around while Orly and I watched with interest. He worked it around while Orly and I watched with interest.Beckstead / Shadowed by Death / 349
Papa, meanwhile, paid us no mind.
“Is it working?” Orly asked.
“Take it slow,” I advised. “Don’t get in a hurry.” Master Wendyn continued working the lock. “I can’t tell. I
don’t feel anything moving.”
“Here.” I held a hand out. “Let me try.”
He relinquished the implement, and I examined it. “It’s not
the best tool for the job, but I guess it’s all we have.” I stepped nearer and worked the master’s lock around a little more.
“I forgot,” he murmured. “You have previous experience with this sort of thing.”
My glance flicked to his face, and I realized I was standing very close. I met his dark eyes, flushe
d, and looked back down at the lock. “Some. I was always better at climbing buildings and slipping in and out of places without getting caught.”
“I see.” His voice sounded more reserved now. My eyes flicked up to his once more, but he wasn’t looking at me any longer. His face had become an unreadable mask.
Could he reject me any more completely? It was humiliating. “Don’t worry,” I muttered, so Orly couldn’t hear. “I won’t get any ideas. I know you don’t like me.”
Papa tripped into something and sprawled. Orly hurried to his side.
Beckstead / Shadowed by Death / 350 “It’s not a matter of liking or not,” the master said. “It’s a matter of this being something that can’t happen.”
I couldn’t look at him. “Then you do like me?”
He made a noise of exasperation. “Sometimes you’re as irritating as your father.”
Orly got Papa back onto his feet, and I called over, “How many drinks is that for you, Papa? You’ve probably had enough.”
He stumbled back toward the table and picked up the wine bottle.
I shook my head and continued working the lock. “I think I felt something give,” I said.
“Keep trying,” Master Wendyn encouraged.
Since Orly was still on the other side of the deck near Papa, I felt safe in pressing the subject, my voice low. “Why can’t this happen? I’m of age.”
He gave me another exasperated look, probably because I’d brought it up again. “Because I’m your master. You’re my apprentice. It would be an abuse of my position of authority.”
“Not if I’m willing.”
“Even if you are willing.”
“What if we waited, then? Until my apprenticeship is over.”
“Look. I’m sorry, Avery. I shouldn’t have kissed you like that. I was…caught up in the moment.”
“Don’t apologize,” I hissed. “Don’t you dare apologize.”
He continued as though I hadn’t spoken. “If anything I’ve He continued as though I hadn’t spoken. “If anything I’veBeckstead / Shadowed by Death / 351
done has led you to the mistaken belief that I care for you, I am deeply sorry—”
I threw down the fork and stalked away.
Orly had, by now, set Papa on his feet for the third time. “Did you get it open?”
“No,” I said, my tones clipped. “It’s impossibe.”
Papa staggered toward the drinks again. He had definitely gotten drunk in a quicker than usual fashion, but then again, he’d abstained for a long time. “Papa, no more drinks for you.”
“You’re not the bosh of me!” he shouted, and then tripped into the table, this time knocking it over, scattering sweets and smashing glass. He staggered and landed in the middle of the mess, one elbow in a bow of custard.
I’d had it by now. “Papa, what is wrong with you?”
He continued to shout, flat on his back and flailing to get up. “I’mma grown man! If I wanna drink, I getta drink!”
Cat appeared in the doorway she’d disappeared into with Rumford. “What part of do not disturb us did you not understand?” She took in the mess that covered the deck and made a noise of disgust. “I see you’ve taken advantage of my nice gesture. Typical man.” She waved a hand and the mess disappeared, leaving Papa lying on his back in the middle of the deck. “You.” She pointed at Papa. “Go sleep it off.” He rose to his feet with the point of her finger, lifted by magic, and another magical shove sent him stumbling toward the doorway that another magical shove sent him stumbling toward the doorway thatBeckstead / Shadowed by Death / 352
led to the captain’s quarters. “As for the rest of you, follow him. I don’t want to see you for the rest of the day.” None of us protested as we filed past her. I think we were too relieved at the notion of not having to see her for several hours in a row.
*** Papa stumbled toward one of the beds and collapsed in it, snoring lustily almost at once.
As for me, I was thoroughly disgusted with everybody, except maybe Orly. I took a seat next to her on one of the beds while Master Wendyn paced the room, still working on the fetter’s lock with his fork.
“We’ve got to figure out how to use our magic, Orly.” I held a hand out and tried to make a fire spell. It spurted and died, spurted and died, spurted and died.
She spoke in a small voice. “I think I was wrong, Avery. I don’t know if I can leave my father without any word of where I am or what I’m doing when I become an underwizard.” After a pause she continued, “I’m worried about Papa.”
I patted her on the back. “You’ll be back with him soon enough.” I hoped it was true.
Papa sat up, one hand held out. The fetter, previously fixed around his neck, now dangled from his fingers. “What are you three complaining about? This lock is simple!”
I sat forward while Master Wendyn hurried closer.
Beckstead / Shadowed by Death / 353
“How’d you do that?” he asked.
“Do you know how many locks I’ve picked over the years?” Papa asked scornfully. “There’s not a lock I haven’t tried.” “I thought you were asleep,” I said. “And drunk.” “I was pretending.” Papa set the fetter aside and bounced
closer to the edge of the bed. “Guess what I saw when I looked over the side? We’re towing a pinnace!”
I frowned, not following his logic. “And…that relates to you being drunk how?”
He gave me a look like I’d gone stupid. “Because now I’m the secret weapon. Cat thinks I’m snoozing in here, but really I’ll be down below preparing the pinnace for travel. Our travel.”
I opened my mouth, for once speechless.
Orly had sat forward, hope on her face. “Can you pick the lock on all our trammels? Or fetters, sorry?”
“Of course.”
Master Wendyn clapped him on the back. “Jasper, that’s brilliant. We won’t even have to sail or row all the way back to Faronna. Once we’re far enough outside Cat’s dampening spell, I can build us a wizard door back.”
Papa leaped off the bed and started stuffing pillows under the quilt.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Making it look like I’m asleep under here. That way if Cat “Making it look like I’m asleep under here. That way if CatBeckstead / Shadowed by Death / 354
comes looking while I’m gone, there won’t be any unanswerable questions about ‘where’s the drunken lout?’” I grinned at Papa; I couldn’t help it. This was perhaps the closest I’d ever felt to him. It was a clever plan, but I wasn’t about to tell him that and give him a swelled head.
Papa unlatched the porthole and started to shimmy out of it.
I stepped closer. “Be careful.”
He looked over his shoulder and spoke in a low voice. “And you, Avery, talk some sense into that boy. I heard you two speaking earlier, and he’s got a stubborn streak in him that I don’t like to see in a son-in-law.”
“Papa!” I hissed, looking around to be sure no one had overheard him. But Orly was plumping the pillows into a more believable form of a sleeping man while Master Wendyn stood near the door trying to pick the lock on his fetter with renewed vigor.
I shook my head and watched Papa climb down the side of the ship until he was out of sight.
“Will he be all right?” the master asked as I stepped away.
“Sure. He’s climbed enough buildings in his time to manage his way down the side of a ship,” I said.
I just hoped I was right.
***
Perhaps twenty minutes passed before Papa returned. Master Perhaps twenty minutes passed before Papa returned. MasterBeckstead / Shadowed by Death / 355
Wendyn, Orly, and I paced the room, watching the portholes and discussing what we’d do once we left the ship. Would the master build a wizard door to the same shore we had left, or could he build one all the way to Ryker Hall? Or even better, could he build one straight to the Conclave so we could give them all the information
we had on Keturrah Ingerman? Of course, we’d have to mix a good deal of lies in there too.
A noise sounded outside the window, and Papa climbed back inside.
“The pinnace is ready. Did the witch show up while I was gone?”
“No.”
Papa dropped to the deck from the porthole. “I suggest we get out of here while the getting’s good then. But we’re going to have to be careful. It’s not an easy climb.”
“Er…I think you’re forgetting something,” the master said. He pointed at his fetter.
“What? You don’t have those off yet?” He gave me an impatient look. “I’m disappointed in you, Avery. You used to be a better lock-pick than this.”
“Show me how you did it, then, and I’ll help.”
Papa slid an instrument out of his sleeve, long, flat, and thin, with a hook on the end.
My mouth opened in astonishment. “Where’d you get that?”
“What, you don’t have yours? I take mine with me everywhere “What, you don’t have yours? I take mine with me everywhereBeckstead / Shadowed by Death / 356
I go. What did I teach you about always being prepared? You’re slipping, Mullins.” He waved Master Wendyn over and worked at picking his lock. When it popped open, he looked at me. “Think you can manage that?”
“Yes.” I held a hand out and Papa placed the pick in my palm.
The door opened. Cat stood there, a frown creasing the corners of her mouth.
“What did I tell you about guests leaving before I’m ready?”
Orly stepped in front of Papa and me while I hid the tool in my shirt. “What are you talking about? We’re not leaving.”
“Yes,” the master said. “We were just talking.”
Papa staggered around me. “Yeah. What maksh you think we’d leave?”
“I’m not a fool, Jasper Mullins. I know you’re not drunk. And as for you, Avery—” She waved a hand and the lock-pick flew out of my shirt and into her hand. “Now, I’ve had enough of this. Everyone outside.
I bit my lip, suddenly nervous. “Whatever you’re contemplating, Cat—”
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