Part 18 (1/2)
”Are you that afraid of a few tricks?” I taunted him. ”From a girl of
fourteen?””Indeed I am,” he said, ”indeed I am! This is a respectable household, and the people within it not accustomed to scandal. We follow the old ways here, and we have a wholesome respect for the power of such as you, no matter how you come packaged. If you came into my house with a loaded gun, you'd have to give it up while you stayed here, as would you a flask of poison, or a laser, or any other such truck. And I'm a lot more afraid of magic unbridled
than I am of any of those.”
He turned away from me then and spoke to the son that bore his name.
”I hope you see,” he said gravely, ”and I hope you will spread the word among our people, that this is what can be expected when the old ways are not observed. I'll count on you to go over it with considerable care when you speak to our households next-might could be that will tame a few of those not thinking in the proper wayof the Jubilee this young woman's been sent around to sponsor.”
”As a matter of fact, sir,” the answer came, ”it seems to me it might be an excellent idea to discuss this whole thing at the Jubilee. It would perhaps be instructive for the other Families to hear about.”
My gown was drenched with my own cold salt sweat, and my hair clung to my neck like wet weeds. I'd found my guilty, no doubt about that; it could hardly have been clearer if they'd had it branded on their foreheads. The venom from around that table, where almost no one had spoken one word, or more than stared at me, was as real as my two hands before me, and it battered at me in waves. I admired the cool control of this Granny-most would have been setting wards.
It was a tidy trap, grant them all that. If I accused them of using magic to wreck the Jubilee, or of turning it against Castle Bright.w.a.ter, as I surely could have, there were ten grown men and women in this room prepared to swear that they'd seen me carry out an illegal act of magic right before their eyes, under their own roof, and against one of their own. And they would be telling the truth. If
I'd been against the Confederation my own self, I could hardly have done it graver harm, and for sure I'd of been better off listening to my uncles, staying home, and ignoring the whole thing.
And if I gave them the oath they asked for-as I would have to do, no question about it, and their Granny there to see that I left no corners dangling-there'd be no pa.s.sing this night in undoing by magic the folly I'd wreaked. I'd lie in my bed and I'd pray, and I would maybe cry some; but I'd do no magic. Not even to look ahead and see just how much chance there was of any solution to the problem.
”Well, let's have your promise,” said Jeremiah Thomas. ”Our Granny a.s.sures us that your wickedness doesn't extend to violating your own word, and she's proved she knows your measure. No magic, Responsible of Bright.w.a.ter, for so long as you are within the continental borders of Tinaseeh. None.”
He was very sure of himself; we'd gone from ”under my roof” to the whole continent at remarkable speed. But then, he was in a position where he could afford to be sure of himself.
”I promise,” I said. ”Certainly.”
”Put your hands on the table so we can see-”
”Oh, Jeremiah Thomas,” said Granny Leeward pettishly, ”that's not
needful! What do you think she's going to do, cross her fingers?
This one does not play games.”
”That I do not,” I agreed.
”Nor do we,” said the Granny. ”Bear that in mind.”
”It does not seem to me,” said Jeremiah Thomas slowly, ”that just
saying she promises is enough, in this case. Have another look at those mushrooms there, making the table nasty with their rot, will you, Granny Leeward? She might-”
”She gave her word,” said the Granny. ”That's all that's required.”
”Let her give it in full, then,” said her stubborn offspring. ”And I'll be satisfied.”
I knew the sort of thing that would appeal to him, and having no
choice whatsoever, I gave it to him.”For so long as I am within the continental borders of Tinaseeh,” I intoned, ”I will do no magic, of any sort or kind, at any level, for any reason whatever, no matter what may come to pa.s.s-not even to safeguard this house or those within it, not even to safeguard myself. My word on it, given in full.” There.
I saw the Granny's eyebrows go up at the phrase about safeguarding
their house, but she didn't say a word. I knew then that there must be at least a couple of Magicians of Rank in this Castle at this moment-I knew of three that very well could be-and if there were one or two I didn't know about besides, it wouldn't be past believing. She was far too calm, knowing what she knew, not to have quite a backup behind her own legal skills.
”Well?” I asked him. ”Will that do it?”
”If Granny Leeward approves.”
”Oh, it's enough,” said that one, ”and a bit more.”
”In that case,” he said, ”we can get on with the business of this
Council.”
I had thought tricking me into my present position of total helplessness was the business of his Council; but it was apparently no more than item one on the agenda.
”My sons have a few questions to ask of you, young woman,” he said. ”We'll need a bit more of your time.” They wanted to know a lot of things. What arrangements I had made for seeing to it that the Families would be safe at Bright.w.a.ter during the Jubilee-from ”malicious magic,” to use their term, and their using it struck me as astonis.h.i.+ng gall considering that they were its source. It amounted to saying, ”If we come in with fifty vials of deadly poison to spread around, what have you got on hand that will be able to stop us?” They wanted to know details of the schedule for the Jubilee; if, presumably, I had ways to keep it going, then how much time would have to be ”wasted” on frivolity before we could get down to the real purpose of the meeting? What the real purpose of the meeting was. Why I felt such an outlay of time and trouble and money was justified, when there were Wildernesses to be cleared and roads to be laid and wells to be dug and windmills and solar collectors to be built and crops to be planted and fish to be caught, and game to be hunted, and other serious work that went understaffed and underfunded and would grow more so while we fooled away time at Bright.w.a.ter. What did I a.s.sume would be accomplished by this ”gaudy display” that couldn't have been taken care of at an ordinary meeting of the Confederation of Continents? How many were being invited from each Family, and how many had accepted? Where would they all be staying, and who'd see to their comfort? Did I give my guarantee that it would be not only safe for children, but an edifying experience-and if not, how did I propose to justify leaving them all behind? Would all the Magicians of Rank be present at the Jubilee, and all the Magicians, and for that matter, all the Grannys? And if so, why-who needed them there and for what? And if not, why not, and what would they be doing behind our backs instead?
It went on and on, and it was thorougher than could be excused by any motive except wearing me out and humiliating me, and rubbing my nose some more in my sudden position of servility to their will.