Rick Cook - Wizard’s Bane

"Eh?"

"Uh, never mind," Wiz told him. "I’m not sure I want it removed. Not now." He put his hands on Moira’s shoulders but she shook them off with an angry gesture.

"Please, Lord. It is not fair to Wiz that I hold him in thrall thus."

"Now wait a minute…" Wiz began, but Moira cut him off. "It is his right, Lord."

"Now how is this?" asked Bal-Simba with a twinkle in his eye. "You wish to be rid of this troublesome Sparrow?"

"No, Lord, I do not. But I love him and I cannot…" she took a deep ragged breath and rushed on. "I cannot accept what is constrained from him. I love him too much to hold him by magic."

"Don’t I have anything to say in this?" Wiz interjected.

Moira turned to him. "No, Wiz you do not. Not now. After the spell is removed, perhaps then. But don’t you see? You feel what you must because of the spell."

"He may not love you once the spell is removed," Bal-Simba said gravely.

"Yes, I will!" Wiz shouted but neither paid any attention to him.

"I know that, Lord." Moira looked as if she would cry. "I know that. But I cannot take by magic what is not mine by right."

"You have treated him very badly, you know."

"Lord, please."

Bal-Simba steepled his hands and rested them on his great belly. "Lady, you ask a thing which is impossible."

"Lord!" Moira gasped, her face white. "But you said . . ."

"I know, but there have been changes since then. Your Sparrow is now the mightiest of the Mighty. His method of magic will likely spread throughout the World and he bids fair to outshine us all from hedge-witch to master sorcerer. And he does not want the spell removed.

"You on the other hand bid to become the Lady to the mightiest of the Mighty and that raises you high indeed. A poor old fat wizard who wishes to live out his days in peace would be well advised to stay in your good graces."

The black giant smiled, showing all his filed, pointed teeth, looking for all the world like an avuncular shark.

"More to the point Lady, I cannot remove what is not there."

"Huh?" said Wiz brilliantly.

"Lord, I saw Patrius cast the spell."

"And I removed it on my visit some months back," Bal-Simba said, still smiling. "It no longer seemed necessary."

Moira dropped her hand to her sides. "Then…"

"Oh yes, your Sparrow has been free for some little time." He cocked his head and eyed Wiz. "Although he seems to show no great interest in leaving his cage."

In response William Irving Zumwalt, the Sparrow grown large as a roc, spun Moira the hedge witch around and clasped her to him. She melted into his arms and their lips met again.

Over her shoulder and through a haze of coppery red hair, Wiz saw the Mightiest of the Mighty ease through the door and close it softly after him.

He moved amazingly quietly for one so large.

This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental.

Wizard’s Bane copyright © 1989 by Rick Cook.

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form.

A Baen Books Original

Baen Publishing Enterprises

P.O. Box 1403

Riverdale, NY 10471

ISBN: 0-671-87846-8

Cover art by Tom Kidd

First printing, October 1997

Distributed by Simon & Schuster

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New York, NY 10020

Typeset by Windhaven Press, Auburn, NH

Printed in the United States of America