Part 26 (1/2)

A thought struck Hanner.

Warlocks could move things without touching them; most warlocks, himself included, discovered what they were by finding themselves able to do this.

Butwitches could move things without touching them, too.

After all, the name ”warlock” came from the resemblance to war-locked witches in the first place.

Witches only levitated fairly small things, but still, what could this girl have moved that a witch couldn't?

”How does heknow you're a warlock?” he asked.

”Because of what I did,” Sheila said, so softly Hanner could barely hear her.

”Hanner, my boy,” Faran called, ”could you and your young friend pay attention? We're ready to begin.”

Hanner looked up. ”In a moment, Uncle,” he said. Then he turned back to Sheila. ”What did you do?”

”I turned Th.e.l.lesh the Butcher into a warlock.”

Hanner blinked. ”Hanner,” Faran said warningly.

Hanner held up a hand. ”You didwhat}” he said.

”I was trying toheal him!” Sheila said loudly. Then her voice dropped back to its usual near inaudibility and the words spilled out in a rush, so fast Hanner had trouble keeping up. ”He'd cut himself, and then slipped on the blood and hit his head on the wall, and Master Kelder said it was time I started to learn healing, so we fixed up Th.e.l.lesh's hand together, and then Master told me to study his head and see whether we could do anything there, so I tried to, but my witch sight wasn't... I couldn'tsee properly, and then I did something, I don't know what, and Icould see, but it was all different, and I could see inside Th.e.l.lesh's head, and I looked at how it was different from mine, because I thought mine would be working right, and I... I did something, I don't know how to explain it, but it was like opening a tap, sort of, except I couldn't close it again. And then Th.e.l.lesh sat up, and he was better, but he felt funny, and he said he heard voices, and then he reached for his purse, and it jumped into his hand, and Master Kelder looked at us both and ...”

At that point she finally lost control and began crying, quick soft little sobs and gasps.

”Hanner!” Faran barked.

Hanner looked up. ”I'm sorry, Uncle,” he said. ”I'll take her to the parlor to calm down. We'll be back.”

Faran glared at him. ”Go on, then,” he said.

Hanner put an arm around Sheila's shoulders and led her out of the dining room, across the hallway to the front parlor. He closed the dining-hall door on his way out.

If Sheila was telling the truth, then this might have huge significance. Up until now Hanner-and probably everyone else- had a.s.sumed that the people who had become warlocks on the Night of Madness were all the warlocks there would ever be, at least unless that same mysterious phenomenon happened again and created a whole new batch.

But if warlocks couldmake new warlocks, the way witches could train apprentice witches and wizards could help their apprentices make the ritual daggers they needed to become wizards, then ... well, exterminating warlocks might not be as easy as Lord Azrad thought, and perhaps warlocks reallywere true magicians.

Hanner saw that Mavi had come downstairs, but still not gone home again-he wondered whether she might be waiting for him to accompany her. She and Alris were sitting in the front parlor, talking; they fell silent as Hanner and Sheila entered.

”Did Uncle throw you out with the rest of us nonwarlocks, then?” Alris asked.

Mavi got to her feet and stepped toward Sheila, apparently seeing the signs that she had been crying and seeking to comfort her, but the girl s.h.i.+ed away, and Mavi stopped.

”I brought Sheila in here to calm down,” Hanner explained. ”She's had a very hard day. Her master threw her out.”

”She's a warlock?” Alris asked Hanner. ”Are you all right?” Mavi asked Sheila.

”She's a warlock,” Hanner said as Mavi took Sheila's hand.

”Then shouldn't she be in there with the others?” Alris demanded.

”Maybe when she's feeling better,” Hanner said. He had had some thought that maybe Alris would like having Sheila around, since they were roughly the same age, but it didn't appear that was going to work.

”I'm Mavi,” Mavi said.

Sheila swallowed and managed to stop crying long enough to reply, ”I'm Sheila.”

”This is Lady Alris,” Mavi said. ”She's Lord Hanner's sister.”

Sheila glanced at Alris, then stared intently at Mavi for a moment.

Hanner felt suddenly uneasy; something was happening, he could sense it, but he didn't know what.

”You're not a warlock,” Sheila said. It wasn't a question.

”No, I'm not,” Mavi said. ”Neither is Lady Alris nor Lord Hanner, but they live in the Palace, and the overlord won't let them back in because he's scared of the warlocks, so they're staying here with their uncle. I'm just visiting, to keep them company; I live in Newmarket.”

”But...” Sheila threw Hanner a sharp, puzzled glance, her tears apparently forgotten.

She knew, he realized. She knew he was a warlock.

”I'll explain later,” Hanner said quickly.

”Explain what?” Alris demanded.

”None of your business,” Hanner snapped.

Alris looked at Hanner, then at Mavi, then said, ”I'll bet I know, though I don't know why you toldher before you said anything to your own sister!”

Mavi started. ”No, Alris, it's not-I mean, we haven't...” Her voice trailed off in confusion.

”Just shut up, Alris,” Hanner said wearily. He hadn't expected to find these two in the parlor, and much as he ordinarily enjoyed Mavi's presence, he wished they weren't there. He turned to Sheila.

”You were telling me what happened after you healed Thel-lesh,” he said.

”Oh,” Sheila said. ”Well, Master Kelder tried to undo what I'd done, but he couldn't, and I couldn't see how I could, either, when he told me to try, so finally he sent Th.e.l.lesh home, and we talked for a while, and then he told me to get my things and get out, that I wasn't a witch anymore and I was too dangerous to stay in his house. I think he thought it might be catching.”

”So you left?” ”I didn't even get my stuff,” Sheila said. ”I was too upset. I just ran out the door. And later I listened to people talking and asked some questions, and I heard about the Warlock House and came to see.”

”The Warlock House?” Alris asked.

”That's what they call it,” Sheila said.

”This house, you mean,” Hanner said.

”That's right.”

”So much for keeping anything secret,” Alris said.