Kay Hooper - The Wizard Of Seattle

It was the most incredible relief.

"I can't escape you whores," he snarled, glaring at her.

"Stay out of the valley." Roxanne was surprised at how cool her voice was.

He half lifted his free hand, fisted as if he wanted to strike her, but even before Roxanne could brace herself, he jerked the hand back to his side. "Whore!"

She wondered if he had any idea that the insult lost much of its impact with every repetition. "I'm not standing in your way," she pointed out. "In fact, I'd just as soon not be anywhere around you." She would have gone on, but Tremayne spoke as he joined her by the stream.

"I think that's clear enough, Varian. The lady would like you to leave."

Varian's mouth fell open. "You're with her? She's the reason you couldn't stay away from the city?"

Tremayne nodded calmly. "She's the reason. By the way, Varian, I won't be returning to the mountain. Thank you very much for your hospitality-and I'll be sure to give my father your regards when I reach home."

Varian didn't seem to hear him. "It isn't possible. By all the gods, it isn't possible ! No whore of Atlantia would allow one of us near her…"

It was rather fascinating, Tremayne thought, to see his usually arrogant and cocksure kinsman rattled, but he had no intention of prolonging the encounter, because he didn't want to upset Roxanne. She seemed calm, but since this was undoubtedly the first time she'd actually met her father, it had to be difficult for her.

"Varian, even you can't quarrel with the evidence of your own eyes."

They saw his face go still, his eyes narrow as if at a memory, and the hand clutching his coat tightened. "She'll turn on you, Tremayne," he warned hoarsely. "She'll turn her powers on you sooner or later."

"Why would she? I would never do anything to hurt her," Tremayne responded. "Go back to your mountain, Varian, and live your life just as you wish. My life is my own concern."

Varian seemed ready to say something, but finally uttered only a strangled sound of frustration and stalked past them. Roxanne and Tremayne both turned as the older wizard passed, instinctively avoiding having their backs to him. When he was out of sight and hearing, she looked up at Tremayne.

"You didn't tell him who I was," she said gravely.

"No." Tremayne hesitated, then added, "I can't tell how you feel about it, but I know one thing for certain, Roxanne-it doesn't matter who your father is, because who and what you are has nothing to do with him. It doesn't matter any more than it matters that almost everyone around you believes you and I have to hate and fear each other. All that matters is that you make up your own mind-about who you want to be, and about me. Please. That's all I ask."

She nodded slightly, and said, "He's… really not very alarming, is he?"

Tremayne smiled. "Well, in terms of power he's formidable, but he often seems rather like a bully trying to get his way. Is that what you mean?"

Roxanne nodded again, this time more definitely, then straightened her shoulders. "It was a bit like coming face-to-face with the monster in your dreams and discovering it was really only shadows on a wall. Nothing. I'm glad I met him. I'm not afraid of him anymore."

"Good," Tremayne said easily. He hadn't planned on any of what had occurred during this hike, but the results more than satisfied him. "Now, if you're ready, we can continue on across the valley."

"I'm ready," Roxanne said.

Kerry hadn't been close enough to hear what went on when the angry male wizard talked to Roxanne and Tremayne, but when they continued, she followed them a bit closer than she had the day before. Chloe was no longer in her backpack; she held the doll tightly as she walked.

Last night hadn't been quite as fun as Kerry had expected. The Curtain felt even worse out here, and there were sounds she didn't know or like. She had wanted to join Tremayne and Roxanne at their camp when it got dark, but it had gradually occurred to her that maybe they would be awfully angry at her, and she hadn't been able to summon the nerve to approach them.

Now, following at a safe distance, she chewed on her bottom lip and wished they'd get wherever they were going. If they still hadn't turned back to Sanctuary by tonight, she thought she might be brave enough then to catch up to them-because she didn't think she was brave enough to spend another night alone.

It was midafternoon when Merlin and Serena reached the gates of Sanctuary and braved the two Sentinels, Phaedra and Nola, who stared at Serena in astonishment.

"Yes, I'm a wizard," Serena said cheerfully, deciding to cut to the chase. "I hid my powers before because Merlin and I didn't know what the customs were like here. Does either of you have a problem with that?"

"Serena," Merlin murmured.

"Well, everybody seems to think they have a stake in our relationship, and it's beginning to annoy me."

"You two travel together?" Phaedra demanded in a shocked tone.

"If I had a nickel," Serena said with a sigh.

"What?"

"Never mind. Yes, we travel together. Look, you've already marked Merlin, and Roxanne was granted permission to admit him to her house, so-"

"Roxanne left Sanctuary yesterday," Phaedra said flatly.

"With the wizard Tremayne," Nola added.

"No, she didn't leave with him," Phaedra corrected scrupulously. "He was approaching Sanctuary when she left, and turned to accompany her."

Serena looked at Merlin. "That sounds hopeful."

"I'd say so."

They left the two uneasy Sentinels at the gate and continued into the city, where the stares they received ranged from covert to open-mouthed. The citizens of Sanctuary had barely grown accustomed to seeing male-female pairs of any kind; a pair consisting of a male and female wizard was a guaranteed traffic stopper, especially since they were the first to walk the streets of Sanctuary. An earthquake distracted attention from them momentarily, but since the city was left standing (Serena doubted a lesser tragedy than full destruction of Sanctuary would have succeeded as a permanent distraction), they were soon the center of attention once again.

"I say we take refuge in Roxanne's house, at least until you have to leave the city," Serena said. "She told me to make myself at home, and nobody here ever locks their doors, so we shouldn't have a problem."

"I agree." Merlin glanced around them as they walked, and added, "Do you realize we've been here two weeks?"

"It feels more like a lifetime." Serena led the way down the appropriate side street to Roxanne's house, and they found the front door unlocked, as expected. The interior was quiet and cool, and when the door was shut behind them, the sense of privacy was so welcome, k was almost overwhelming.

Serena unfastened her cloak and threw it over a chair, and watched as Merlin shrugged out of his coat. "When did you conjure up your staff? When we reached the city?"

He nodded, removing the staff from his belt and laying it gently on top of his coat. "Since Phaedra specifically asked me about it the first time we entered the city, I decided I'd better keep it with me whenever I'm in or near Sanctuary. I wouldn't do it if I felt I had a choice, though; I think the Curtain is distorting the crystal a bit."

"Yeah, Roxanne told me it warps glass and distorts mirrors after a while, so a crystal would be vulnerable. But it'd take years to mar a crystal, wouldn't it?"

"Probably. I just noticed a very slight change in mine, but since I don't use it for prophesy, I'm not going to worry very much about it."

Serena smiled. "You know, if you did use it for prophesy, you might be able to tell us how all this is going to turn out."

"That would be cheating."

She couldn't help laughing, and Merlin smiled back at the slight absurdity of his decision not to look into the future. "You know what I mean. I've explained to you my feelings about using prophesy as a crutch."