Марк Энтони - Curse of the Shadowmage

“Can we go home now?” he asked.

One of the advantages of being a child, Kellen had learned, was that adults tended to forget that children were in the same room with them. Thus, simply by being quiet, Kellen managed to learn all sorts of interesting things. True, it was a little like eavesdropping, but it was the adults’ fault for not being more observant, or at least so it seemed to him.

Outside the window, snow was drifting like white goose-down between Iriaebor’s countless towers. Kellen sat in a corner of the common room of the Sign of the Dreaming Dragon, stringing together red berries and pine cones to make a garland. Everyone at the inn was getting ready for a celebration, for tomorrow was Midwinter Day. And this year, as Estah had said, there was more cause than usual for celebration.

As the blue winter dusk gathered outside, bright laughter filled the common room. At a long trestle table, the Fellowship of the Dreaming Dragon—with a few additional members—had been reunited.

“And you did what with my pickpockets?” Ferret rasped incredulously.

“Don’t get excited, my dear weasel-faced boy,” Cormik rumbled indignantly. “It was a business decision, that’s all.” As usual, the corpulent proprietor of the Prince and Pauper was opulently attired. Tonight he wore a doublet of thick fir-green wool slashed to reveal silk of holly berry crimson.

“Your legion of pickpockets was competing with your corps of beggars,” Jewel expounded. The ageless thief had traded her traveling leathers for a graceful velvet gown the same dusk-purple hue as her eyes. “All too often your beggars were wasting time groveling before people who had already had their purses lifted.”

“It was terribly inefficient,” Cormik chided, adjusting his jeweled eye patch. “Under the new plan, the beggars approach a target first. If the mark doesn’t cough up some gold out of pity, the pickpockets move in to take it from him. It’s really a much more elegant solution.”

“And we doubled the profits from both beggars and pickpockets,” Jewel added. The matriarch of the Talondim clan reached out and patted her grandson’s hand affectionately. “I’m so glad you’ve decided to move your base of operations to Iriaebor, love. Cormik and I really have so much more to teach you.”

“That’s right, Ferret.” Cormik pressed his cheek to Jewel’s. “And now that I’m part of the family, you can be certain I’ll be checking up on you with great regularity.”

Ferret rolled his beady eyes. “Lucky me,” he said sourly.

Everyone ignored him.

With a puff of wintry air, Jolle came in from outside bearing an armful of firewood. The stout halfling stamped the snow from his boots and proceeded to build the fire into a cheerful blaze. Pog and Nog ran shrieking through the common room. The tiny halfling children were engaged in some game that only they could comprehend. Estah bustled in from the kitchen bearing a huge tray of steaming honey rolls. The red-cheeked halfling plunked the tray onto the table and stood, hands on hips.

“All right, Tyveris,” she said sternly, “I defy you to finish off a third platter.”

The bespectacled monk looked up from his pewter plate and grinned. Tyveris had managed to steal away from his duties in the High Tower for the evening. “Well now, that’s a challenge I really can’t refuse,” the big Chultan said with a laugh. He picked up a sticky honey roll in each hand and promptly began to devour the entire platter as Estah watched with a mixture of chagrin and amazement. The battle between Estah’s cooking ability and Tyveris’s appetite had been going on for a decade now, with little indication of a truce in sight.

Booming laughter rang out. The others turned in surprise. It was Caledan.

As always these days, he had sat quietly at the end of the table nearest the fire, neatly clad in his slate blue tunic with a fine wool blanket around his shoulders. Now he was laughing. The others stared in amazement. Since they had returned from their journey over a month ago, Caledan had smiled often enough, but he had not laughed once. Now he was laughing so hard his shoulders shook.

Abruptly, his laughter turned into coughing that racked his body. As one, the others leapt from their chairs. Mari and Ferret were first to Caledan’s side. They eased him back in his chair, and Estah hurriedly brought a steaming cup of herb tea. Caledan managed to gulp some down, and his coughing ceased. He ran the back of his hand across his mouth, and it came away with a smear of blood. The others looked on in concern.

“I’ve spoiled the fun,” he said huskily. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Mari said fiercely.

He gave her a grateful look, then testily waved her and the others away. “I’m all right. Really. Now, don’t we have a celebration to get ready for?” After that, the merriment continued, though more subdued than before.

At last it grew late. Estah and Jolle went upstairs to put Pog and Nog to bed. Tyveris bid his farewell, followed by Ferret, Jewel, and Cormik. All of them promised to return tomorrow for the Midwinter feast, then departed into the snowy night. Mari, Morhion, and Caledan remained at the table, bathed in the glow of the fire.

“So what will you two do, now that you are no longer Harpers?” Morhion asked after a while.

Caledan shrugged. “I suppose, when I’m well enough, I’ll think of something. After all, I had seven years to practice not being a Harper. It won’t be that big a switch … for me.” His eyes flickered toward Mari.

Mari took a deep breath. “Ever since I was a child, I wanted to be a Harper like my guardian, Master Andros. When I finally donned the moon-and-harp badge, it was like a dream come true.” She shook her head sadly. “But that’s what it was. A dream. I thought I loved the Harpers. I didn’t. It was an ideal I loved. Still, after all we’ve been through, I don’t hate the Harpers. How can I? They are simply men, mortal and fallible. Just like the rest of us.” She gave a wry smile. “Besides, they’ve kindly decided to leave us alone.”

“So what will you do?” Morhion repeated intently.

She tossed her auburn hair, winking at the mage. “Oh, like Caledan, I’ll think of something. The ideal remains. And the Harpers hardly have a monopoly on fighting evil in the world.”

After that, they sat together in silence. Finally Mari stood. “I’m going to turn in.” She moved to the staircase, then paused to cast a glance over her shoulder. With a start, Morhion realized that her gaze fell, not on Caledan, but on himself. The shadow of a smile curled about her lips. Then Mari disappeared upstairs.

“You love her, don’t you, mage?”

Morhion stared at Caledan in shock.

“Oh, don’t act so surprised,” Caledan growled. “I’m an invalid, not an idiot. I’m right, aren’t I?”

At last, Morhion’s cool expression melted. He nodded. “Yes, you’re right.” He shook his head. “But what does it matter? It is a mage’s lot to—”

“—to dwell in solitude,” Caledan finished in annoyance. “Yes, yes. I’ve heard you spout that foolishness a hundred times.” He sighed in exasperation. “You know, for all your knowledge, you mages can be pretty bone-headed sometimes.” A gentle note crept into his gruff voice. “She cares for you Morhion. Even if you can’t see it, I can.”

Morhion opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out.

“And she’s afraid,” Caledan went on sadly. “She’s put a brave face on it, but it’s true. Mari has just given up everything that was ever important to her. She’s afraid—and she’s lonely.” He reached out to grip Morhion’s hand. “Don’t you think you should go talk to her, my friend?”