Elaine Cunningham: Honor Bound

"Binding is an elfin spell, buthumans can learn to cast it," Honor said. "I think Rhendish cast itto hold you to this garden."

Keefin's retreat halted. "Rhendish?There was a boy by that name in my village. A tall boy? Fair hair,eyes as green as an elf's in midsummer?"

"I wouldn't call him a boy. He'slived at least forty winters, probably closer to fifty."

"So old," she mused. "Imagine that.Well, if anyone from our village could cast such a spell, I supposeit would be Rhendish. But why would he do such a thing? Why wouldhe bind me here?"

"He has a use for you."

The green witch's hand flew to hermouth, cutting short a gasp of horror. "I'm his whore?"

"No!" At least, Honor hoped shewasn't. "He's an alchemist, and you're an herbalist who supplieshim with things he needs for his work. Also, I suspect he has youwatched in hope of finding your son."

"He never will! Fox ran to theforest! He escaped!" Panic gave way to uncertainty. "Didn'the?"

"Fox escaped." Not to the forest,perhaps, but to the tunnels of Sevrin. "Would you like to seehim?"

Tears filled the woman's eyes andshe began to pace the tiny room. "I can't. Not as long as I carrythe amulet. Eldreath gave them to all hiswomen. I tried to throw it away so many times, but every time I.. forgot. I just forgot. Like an old woman who goes into the nextroom to fetch something, only to have it slip from her mind beforeshe takes a dozen steps. That's how it was with Eldreath's amulet.I can't rid myself of it. As long as I carry it, he can find me.He'll find me . Notmy boy, not Fox."

"Eldreath has been dead for twentyyears."

Keefin agitation dropped from herlike a cloak. She sank back onto her chair and blew out a longbreath.

"Good," she said flatly. "That'sgood."

"You can be free, Keefin. I can undothe binding, if you wish."

The green witch sat in silence forseveral long moments. "Some things are best forgotten," she said ina small, subdued voice. "Somehow I. . I feel certain that I musthave forgotten many such things."

Honor leaned forward and placed onehand on the woman's shoulder. "Your son is in danger, Keefin. Youmight know something that will help me find him and helphim."

She shrank away from Honor's touch."But. . I don't know you. Why should I trust you with myson?"

"Do you trust Ziharah?"

"Oh yes," she said withouthesitation. "But Ziharah was killed by the gatherers. Or. . ormaybe not entirely killed. But there was so much blood, and her arm. . Her arm was shattered beyond anything I could repair.."

Her brow furrowed as she piecedtogether fragments of memory. "I tried to repair her arm. She musthave lived after the gatherers took us. And Fox! Gods above andbelow! He didn't escape to the forest, did he?"

"No," Honor said. "But last time Isaw him, he was free and safe."

Keefin took a long, steadying breathand pushed herself to her feet. "Dawn approaches. I suppose you'llbe needing starlight for that unbinding."

Undoing Rhendish's spell took longerthan Honor had expected, even in a garden bright with starlight.The music that sang through her blood and bone had been muted bythe adept's "improvements," and magic was slow to come to her call.And the spell itself was not quite right-knotted and uneven, likecloth woven by an impatient child.

She knew the moment the spellunraveled. A low moan tore free of the green witch and she fell toher knees like a puppet whose strings had been cut. She covered herface with both hands as wrenching sobs rocked her thinform.

At last she lowered her hands andraised pain-filled eyes to Honor's face. "How you must hateme!"

Honor blinked. This was the lastreaction she would have expected.

"They would have killed my boy,Ziharah." The words spilled out of the woman in a frantic rush."They threatened to throw him off the ship if I didn't keep youalive."

"In that case, I should thank youfor your care, not hate you for giving it."

"There's more," Keefin said,wringing her hands in dismay. "They wanted magic. Fox was only aboy, and I didn't have enough to interest Volgo-"

"Volgo?" Honor said sharply. "A tallman with a blond beard?"

"Yes. He was the leader of thegatherers. He would have killed both Fox and me at the cottage if Ihadn't told him about the Thorn."

Suddenly Honor felt none too steady.She sank down to the ground beside the green witch and took herhands in both of hers.

"Tell me about the Thorn. Tell meeverything. Don't assume I remember anything about it."

The woman nodded as if this requestwas perfectly normal. "You brought it to my cottage to test me. Yousaid there was rogue magic about, and you came to see if I was thesource of it."

That sounded dimly familiar. "DidVolgo get the Thorn?"

Keefin shook her head. "I saw youhide it amid some ferns before the battle began. I came back andtook it while you were fighting them. There's a hidden place in theforest nearby, under a moss-covered stone. Hestis, my teacher,would leave things there for me from time to time, so I knew theelves would find it."

This, too, tallied with Honor'smemories. She knew some of the elves who had dealings with Keefin.She'd left a note for Fox advising him to return to his childhoodhome, knowing that this would be his best chance of making contactwith the forest folk. And apparently the elves had recovered the Thorn, sinceAsteria had it in her possession at the midwintertribunal.

"It was the only thing I could thinkof," Keefin said. "As long as Volgo thought you could lead him tovaluable elfin magic, he would try to keep you alive. For that, heneeded me, and he needed Fox to make sure I did my best foryou."

"It was a reasonable ploy," Honoradmitted. "Why do you think I should hate you?"

"Because I'm the reason you werecaptured. The amulet must have led the gatherers to me." Horrorflooded the green witch's face. She seized Honor's wrist. "How manyyears have passed?"

"Since the gatherers came to yourvalley? A little more than ten."

"And Eldreath has been dead fortwenty, you said."

Honor saw where this was going."Rhendish is a sorcerer. Volgo works for him. Rhendish must havefound out about the amulets and learned how to use the seekingspell."

"So if Rhendish could track me down,he can also find Fox!"

"You gave Fox the amulet?" she saidsharply. "When?"

"Not long ago. A few days, perhaps.The amulets are passed down when the child comes of age or acquiresmagic. The compulsion to keep the amulet is also passed down. Foxwon't be able to cast it away."

This was dire news, but it explainedmany things. Rhendish's need for an herbalist was small reason tokeep the green witch close at hand. Knowing the amulet wouldeventually pass to Fox, however, gave Rhendish a sure means offinding the young thief. And if Rhendish believed that Fox came ofEldreath's bloodline, he would consider him a potentialthreat.

Honor rose and pulled Keefin to herfeet. "Are there any stone floors in your cottage?

"No, but the stone wall surroundingthe hearth spans the kitchen."

"Show me."

The green witch led the way into aroom that was clearly intended to be a kitchen. No fire burned inthe open hearth and no cooking pot sat amid the lifeless coals, butbundles of herbs hung from lines strung across room and a vastcollection of pots and vials claimed every inch of table space. Nowonder Keefin was little more than braids and bone.

Honor ran her hands lightly over thestone wall, seeking a seam or gap. Finally she found a hairlinecrack separating one of the stones from the mortar surroundingit.

"I need a knife."

Keefin handed her a small, thinblade. The elf slipped it into the gap and traced the opening. Shefelt the slight give of a metal clasp and threw her weight againstthe stone. A section of wall swung inward on silenthinges.