Part 39 (1/2)
Sorcerer and a Qtnt.i.tman 327.
”A couple of hours. You can sleep while 1 do what I must.”
After a long, searching look in his firelit face, Freia nodded. ”All right,” she said.
”I warn you I'm going to be very hungry when I finish, so I'll have to eat a big meal.”
”There are apples in my saddlebag. Have some now.”
He bowed his head politely. ”Thank you. I'll still need to eat afterward. It's a drain.”
”I know.” Freia nodded, sighing, and sat back on her heels.
”You're worried about your friends,” Dewar said, leaning forward and squeezing her shoulder. ”We'll go as quickly as we can. 1 am as interested in seeing Prospero as you are. He may be there by the time we are.”
”Trixie flies very fast,” Freia said.
”For how long?”
She bit her lip. ”I've only ridden her a long time alone. Nearly a whole day once, with a lot of soaring. This will be more work. We might push her for half the night, or a bit less.”
”That might do it, if the winds are favorable. Now sleep. You'll have to be awake to fly.”
”You don't want me to watch.”
”Well, no.”
”Say so then.”
”I don't want you watching me work.”
Freia nodded. ”Trixie, guard,” she said to the gryphon, putting her hand on Dewar's head.
The gryphon's eyes, which had been closed, opened and fixed her lambent look on the sorcerer.
He said, ”You don't trust me.”
”No,” Freia stated.
They studied one another. Dewar's mouth quirked. ”Sweet dreams, lady,” he said. ”I'll wake you.”
Freia retreated to the hay with her two blankets and watched him for a quarter of an hour or so. Gradually, she 328.
'Elizabeth relaxed, and when Dewar heard her breathing deepen and slow, he began arranging his spell.
Trixie wouldn't let him leave the hut. She rose and blocked him, the wicked beak half-open, ready to snap. This he found irritating, and he woke Freia before he had intended to in order to gain his freedom.
”Hm?” she said, blinking at the golden light of his ignis fatuus, conjured to eke out the firewood.
”Mind calling off your watcher so I can step outside for a few minutes?'1 ”What?”
”I need to p.i.s.s and the gryphon is keeping me in,” Dewar repeated.
”Oh. Trix, easy.”
”Thank you, madame.”
Freia lay back down and was asleep when he returned after a cold and starry-skied sortie around the back of the lean-to. The gryphon, which had not moved her eyes from him while he had built the spell to draw them to Golias through his pipe, had tucked her head under a wing. He hoped the animal was rested enough.
”Freia, wake up.”
”Mm.”
He shook her shoulder. ”Come now. Wake up.”
”Ah-hah,” she said, but didn't move.
”If you don't get up, I'll rouse you, like it or not,” he threatened.
”Just try,” Freia grumbled, blinking at him. ”What's that?”
”An ignis. Here, drink this, it's hot.” He pushed tea at her. A slow starter, clearly; Dewar was rarely sluggish on waking and was growing impatient to be gone. ”We're in a hurry, remember?”
”Oh. Yes. I forgot.”
”Wonderful,” he said, and began packing her pot away.
Freia rubbed her eyes, drank the acidic tea, sat picking hay out of her clothes for a minute or so, and then, with a quick ”Excuse me,” bolted outside.
Sorcerer and a (jentfoman 329.
Dewar grinned and picked up the cup and her blankets. He'd been sure the tea would get her out of the hay.
”Sweet stars, it's cold,” she said presently from the other side of the gryphon. ”Come along, Trixie. Oh, thanks for rolling that up.”
”Let's go.”
Freia, nodding, was tying the blankets and her saddlebags on. ”Stretch first,” she advised Dewar, doing so, joints snapping and creaking. ”Ready?”
”For half an hour now, madame.”
She glared at him in the ignis's mellow light. ”Now what? What about this spell business?”
”We mount and fly. The heading is that way.” He pointed west-northwest.
Freia looked in that direction, picking out stars, he realized. ”Good,” she said, and climbed onto the gryphon. Dewar got up behind her, dismissing the ignis with a finger-snap. Trixie protested with a m.u.f.fled squawk and Freia had to talk to her, encouraging her. Finally the gryphon trotted in her uneven way to an outcrop of stone.
”Ready,” Freia said to Dewar.
”Ready.” He tightened his arms around her waist. He was pressed against her back, his cloak tucked in tightly around him, knees drawn up under hers in the advised position.