The Measure of the Magic: Legends of Shannara

by Terry Brooks

  Pan felt a sudden tightening in his throat, and he had to fight to hold himself steady so that no more tears would be shed when so many already had been. “We all miss her,” he said.

  It was all he could manage. It didn’t begin to express what he was really feeling, the intense pain her loss had caused him, the dark emotions he was keeping closed away. But Phryne was gone, and there was nothing he could do about it. In truth, he didn’t think there ever had been anything.

  “Did they ever catch the Queen?” Prue asked.

  “Neither her nor her consort. Both disappeared without a trace.”

  “But they’ll be found sooner or later,” Tasha insisted.

  The way he said it told her more than he had intended. Prue could read things into the way people spoke, her instincts telling her what wasn’t said as surely as what was. Tasha was telling them what they wanted to hear. She wondered what that meant about the fate of Isoeld Severine.

  Aislinne cleared her throat. “Have the Elves chosen a new leader yet?”

  Tasha shook his head. “They debate endlessly, each faction trying to persuade the other of the rightness of their own choice. All are suitable, if your standards are minimal. None is outstanding. I think the discussion will go on awhile longer.”

  “In the meantime, the High Council rules the Kingdom and no one seems entirely displeased that this is so. Perhaps the days of a monarchy are coming to a close.”

  Tasha gave him a look. “Well, we’ll know soon enough on our return. Are you ready, Panterra Qu?”

  Prue heard Pan hesitate. “I need a moment to speak with Prue. Alone.”

  She felt him take her arm and guide her some distance away from the others. When she could sense that they were far enough removed that their conversation would not be overheard, he stopped and faced her.

  “I have some things to say before I go. Some things I need to say. I want to begin with this: I will never forget what you did for me. Not ever. I owe you my life, and I will dedicate that life to doing the things I think you would want me to do. You gave up so much for me, Prue. Your sight, but more than that. Your whole life was settled. We were to be together, partners and Trackers. Now that won’t happen. But maybe some other things will.”

  “Pan, you don’t have to—”

  “Just listen,” he interrupted. “Just let me get this out. I’m going with the Orullians because I believe that at the end of the day we will all have to go. We will have to leave this valley and find new homes. We won’t leave together or stay together. Trolls, humans, Spiders, Elves, whatever names we give ourselves, we won’t stay together. Different paths will be taken and different futures found. What I want to do is find our future, yours and mine.”

  She felt tears spring to her eyes. “I would like that.”

  “I can’t imagine my life without you, Prue. You are my best friend; you always will be. You are another part of me, a part that when missing leaves me feeling incomplete. I want us to be together again. I want us to get back what we can of our old life, even if it’s not here. Will you wait for me so that we can try to do that?”

  She put her arms around him. “You know I will, Pan. I will always wait for you.”

  His hand came up to cup the back of her head, his fingers tangling in her red hair. “I won’t make you wait long, I promise.”

  He held her and for a long moment neither of them spoke. Then Prue broke away, stepping back, pushing at him. “You have to leave now. Go on. Tasha and Tenerife are waiting.”

  He stayed where he was for a moment longer, and then she heard him walk away. She followed, taking her time, listening to the voices of the others greeting him as he returned.

  Then they were all hugging one another a final time, exchanging good-byes and good lucks and promises to be careful and to meet again soon.

  When it came Tasha’s turn to hug her, Prue felt his hand press something into hers. “These are for you,” he said. “Keep them safe until you find the right person to give them to. It isn’t me or Tenerife, and just now I can’t say who it is. But I know they will be safe with you.”

  She realized from the size and shape of what she held that he had given her the blue Elfstones. “I can’t take these,” she said. “They belong to the Elves.”

  “They do,” the big man agreed. “To all the Elves, in point of fact. But only one can wield them, and it shouldn’t be just anyone. It should be someone who thinks less of himself than of his people. Or her people, perhaps. For now, they should be put away somewhere safe. Phryne gave them to me … there, at the end, when I was carrying her from the pass. She told me to keep them safe. You may be blind, little sister, but you see things much more clearly than most people.”

  Prue shook her head. “This just doesn’t feel right. I’m not even an Elf.”

  “Ah, but you are. We’ve already established that, haven’t we, Tenerife?”

  “Some time back,” his brother replied. “In fact, you yourself told Xac Wen you were an Elf, if I remember right.”

  “So keep them safe until the Elves are ready for them again. You’ll know when the time is right.”

  Then they were moving away, the brothers and Pan, calling back to them, their voices fading out as they passed through the trees and down the pathways and beyond her hearing.

  She felt Aislinne put her arm around her shoulders. “They will be back before you know it,” she whispered. “Safe and sound.”

  Prue nodded wordlessly. She knew without question that what Aislinne said was true.

  FOR BETSY MITCHELL

  A good editor, a better friend

  BY TERRY BROOKS

  SHANNARA

  First King of Shannara

  The Sword of Shannara

  The Elfstones of Shannara

  The Wishsong of Shannara

  THE HERITAGE OF SHANNARA

  The Scions of Shannara

  The Druid of Shannara

  The Elf Queen of Shannara

  The Talismans of Shannara

  THE VOYAGE OF THE JERLE SHANNARA

  Ilse Witch

  Antrax

  Morgawr

  HIGH DRUID OF SHANNARA

  Jarka Ruus

  Tanequil

  Straken

  GENESIS OF SHANNARA

  Armageddon’s Children

  The Elves of Cintra

  The Gypsy Morph

  LEGENDS OF SHANNARA

  Bearers of the Black Staff

  The Measure of the Magic

  The World of Shannara

  THE MAGIC KINGDOM OF LANDOVER

  Magic Kingdom for Sale—Sold!

  The Black Unicorn

  Wizard at Large

  The Tangle Box

  Witches’ Brew

  A Princess of Landover

  THE WORD AND THE VOID

  Running with the Demon

  A Knight of the Word

  Angel Fire East

  Sometimes the Magic Works: Lessons from a Writing Life

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  TERRY BROOKS is the New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty books, including the Legends of Shannara novels Bearers of the Black Staff and The Measue of the Magic; the Genesis of Shannara novels Armageddon’s Children, The Elves of Cintra, and The Gypsy Morph; The Sword of Shannara; the Voyage of the Jerle Shannara trilogy: Ilse Witch, Antrax, and Morgawr; the High Druid of Shannara trilogy: Jarka Ruus, Tanequil, and Straken; the nonfiction book Sometimes the Magic Works: Lessons from a Writing Life; and the novel based upon the screenplay and story by George Lucas, Star Wars:® Episode I The Phantom Menace.™ His novels Running with the Demon and A Knight of the Word were selected by the Rocky Mountain News as two of the best science fiction/fantasy novels of the twentieth century. The author was a practicing attorney for many years but now writes full-time. He lives with his wife, Judine, in the Pacific Northwest.

 
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