Part 24 (2/2)

Cledie spread her hands. ”What can we do? We are here, and he is not. We must wait.”

”I am going to follow him and seek him out,” Freia said. ”I am not waiting any longer. Soon it will be winter again, and he will have been away a year more than he said. It is too much time. I want him to come home.”

”How can you follow him?” Scudamor asked. ”He has taken the strange path away, he said, over the sea; he said we could not find Landuc if we sought it. I cannot pretend to understand, Lady, as you must, but Landuc is not here, Sorcerer and a (jent&man 219.

not anywhere to go from here. So he said.”

”I will go with Trixie,” Freia said. ”She knows Prospero, and she can find him anywhere. I ... I have already tried, a little. We need him here. I must go.”

Scudamor and Cledie looked at one another, dismayed, and Cledie said, ”But before you go, then, come and eat with us.” And her hand rested on Freia's arm, lightly.

”I'm not-” Freia stopped herself.

”Lady,” said Scudamor, ”you are welcome among us.” He caught Freia's eye and nodded tensely, until she rose to her feet and walked with them back to the fires and the feast.

19.DEWAR HAD CHOSEN THE HIGHEST GROUND he COuld find for his vantage-point for the battle, which Gaston and his gut had told him would probably decide the war. He had intended to ride in with the Prince Marshal, as he sometimes had in the past, but on studying the draft of maneuvers that the Marshal had provided him, Dewar decided he'd do the most good out of the fray, throwing what aid he could to each of the captains below. The previous night he had supped with Ottaviano, drinking two bottles of the best wine they could find with the best food the cooks could prepare. Otto had arranged for further amus.e.m.e.nt-a pair of brown-eyed Ith.e.l.lin girls younger and healthier than any of the women Dewar had seen on the fringes of the Imperial encampment. Dewar had declined that portion of Otto's hospitality and left the Baron to entertain both of them (the girls a bit miffed but Otto not at all), and the sorcerer had spent the night with notes and instruments, preparing himself for the day.

Now, with a quick bread-and-cheese breakfast sitting on his stomach like lead, Dewar wrapped his cloak around himself against the wind that gusted from Prospero's camp.

It was the other's command of Elementals that had presented Dewar with the core of his challenge. Dewar, though 220.

'EfizaBetfi ”Wittey he had worked with them, had never done so in the depth and detail that Prospero obviously had. The Prince of Winds had Elementals of every kind in his army-Salamanders, Sammeads, Sprites, Sylphs-and an array of strangely mixed creatures as well. There were things like variably-sized glowing bars which tumbled end-over-end to crush men and sweep them away. There were black-and-brown brindled four-legged creatures with agile, flexible bodies and four arms on a headless thorax-like protrusion. There were skate-shaped birds made of razor-sharp metals, with long trailing whiptails which scythed through flesh and some armor. There were things like bundles of sticks, snakelike things, tusked wolves nearly pony-sized . . .

And men.

Prospero's men were of two types: the known and the strange. The strange men fought well; Gaston, Herne, and Golias had all remarked on their strength and skill. Their battle cries were alien, though, and their shouted words to one another were incomprehensible. The known men were recruited from outlying areas of Pheyarcet, and they were good soldiers, but without the heroic stamina and ability of the strangers. They died in greater numbers than the strangers.

But all of them could die.

Dewar's materials were arrayed around him; he s.h.i.+vered in the cold and sought the Prince Marshal's banner. There it was, in the vanguard: the full golden sun on red beside the sitver-on-red of Landuc.

Couldn't they parley? he wondered. So many deaths would happen today.

The carrion-birds knew. Every variety waited overhead.

He looked through the other lines for Prospero and could not find him, even with the aid of a spygla.s.s.

A horn sounded: Gaston's call.

Behind Dewar, a twig snapped beneath the th.o.r.n.y, bare tree which shared the hilltop with him. He whirled on his heel and saw, outside his protective Bounds, Prospero. The Prince was on foot. Dull black chain mail cased his body beneath his gold-trimmed blue cloak. A huge black horse Sorcerer and a gentleman 221.

with a white off-fore sock was behind him, its nose snuffling Prospero's shoulder. Hung on the saddle were Prospero's gold-plumed helm and longsword. Though sheathed, the sword fairly smoked with sorcery: that was the weapon that had wounded Panurgus.

A challenge after all, Dewar thought.

”Nay,” Prospero said, shaking his head. ”A truce.”

”A truce?”

Below them, the armies crashed together. Prospero inhaled, looking down on the fight from the closest point of Dewar's Bounds to Dewar.

”Looks like you're too late.”

”I suggest a truce 'twixt us. No sorcery to be used in this battle.”

Dewar s.h.i.+vered and folded his arms tightly. ”I have a feeling that the Marshal will find such a truce objectionable.”

”Thou'rt here to counter sorcery. An I use none, he'll need none.”

”Why a truce?”

”Personal reasons.”

”Hardly a compelling argument, sir. You keep me from my work.” Dewar glared at him. Was Prospero attempting to ruin the small allotment of honor Dewar had been grudgingly granted here?

Prospero chewed his lip. ”I've spoken with thy mother,” he said.

”You interfering b.a.s.t.a.r.d,” Dewar said, furious: that this man rummaged in his life so casually; that he was kept from his work; that Prospero a.s.sumed he, Dewar, was his inferior.

”I'd not seen her in long,” said Prospero. ”I told her thou hadst challenged me and claimed her as kin, and I said I wanted to know if she'd challenge me in turn an I defeat thee, as was certain I would. Odile said she would not, and asked that I bring thee Bound to her.” He looked at Dewar, who was rigid, his face bloodless. ”Fear not that. I know her custom.”

222.

'Elizabeth tt<xttey dewar=”” exploded,=”” ”thanks=”” a=”” s.h.i.+tload.=”” can=”” we=”” gossip=”” later?=””></xttey>< p=””>

”This is the answer to thy question.”

”Spit it out then.”

Prospero looked at him hard, sharply arching his left eyebrow, and Dewar blushed.

”Hast pa.s.sed too many idle hours with Golias,” Prospero said drily. ”When 1 was last in Phesaotois,” he went on after a moment, ”I desired knowledge regarding transformations and transfigurations. Naturally I went to the acknowledged expert and . . . negotiated for a few sc.r.a.ps. I was able enough to ward me 'gainst her preferred tricks. Odile had never been thwarted thus before, and 'twas a new and annoying experience. I shall dock a long tale and say that in the end we came to be on very good terms, amiable terms. I dwelt seven years in Aie.”

Dewar was half-listening, following Herne's progress through his spygla.s.s.

” 'Twas the price Odile and I settled on,” Prospero said, ”a thing I was quite glad to give her: myself. But it seems that when I left after seven and a half years there, I had given her more than intended.”

Something in his tone brought Dewar's attention to him again. ”Intended?” he repeated.

”She was incensed when I left; of my free will I'd o'er-stayed her term, but, after all, I had much to attend elsewhere. I left, and we parted in disharmony. I spoke not with her again until her name arose in our recent conversation, and then-” He paused and went on, ”I looked on thee and saw traces of thy mother, and I saw also things I could not clearly interpret. Thou wert born not long after I left Aie; albeit thou madest s.h.i.+ft to confuse me on that issue, I confirmed it otherwise.”

Dewar changed his grip on his staff, in his left hand, and leaned on it more heavily.

”You think you're . . .” he began, but his throat shut and no more sounds came.

”I'm sure oft,” Prospero said, and smiled quickly at him. ”Therefore let us keep truce 'twixt us this day. After this, Sorcerer and a (gentleman 223.

<script>