Christopher Stasheff - The Warlock is Missing

"Nest of hornets?" Puck frowned, arms akimbo. "Explain thyself, elf!"

"There's little enough to explain. The king can spare us no knights, nor no footmen neither."

"What!"

"Surely he would not deny us!"

"How could the King forget his High Warlock's children?"

Kelly shrugged. "What grown folk will credit the words of children, when great affairs of state do loom?"

"Yet how Is't this king would not hearken to the Puck?" the bigger elf demanded. "Say, Kelly!"

"Oh, he's hearkening to ye, well enough—or to Brom O'Berin, his Privy Councillor, which comes to the same thing, when Brom's doin' yer askin' for ye. But he's facing the same task a hundredfold, in the South—and the East and the West too, for that matter. And the North, now that I mention it."

Puck scowled. "Thou dost speak in riddles. Explain."

"Why, 'tis no more nor less than this—that every petty lord has of a sudden risen 'gainst his neighbor. Their dukes do naught to prevent them, for they're far too occupied with fighting one another, themselves."

, The children stared, horrified. "And the King must beat them back into their castles, one by one?" Geoffrey whis-pered.

Kelly nodded. "Do ye wonder he can spare ye no horse nor foot?"

"Nay, not a bit."

"But how comes this?" Magnus asked. "I can comprehend how any one count might rise in war 'gainst his neighbor— but that all might do so, together…!"

" 'Tis conspiracy," Geoffrey stated.

They were all quiet, turning to him. Then Magnus nodded.

"Aye. 'Twas planned, was it not?" He turned back to Puck. "Where did Mama and Papa go?"

"Thou must needs now know," the elf said sheepishly. "We did follow their tracks to a pretty pond in the woodland. There we found marks of a scuffle, and their tracks did cease."

"Even as they did when we were stolen away to Tir Chlis," Magnus whispered.

Gregory looked up, interested.

"Even so," Puck agreed.

" 'Twas no mere mishap, nor the work of a moment's passion." Geoffrey spoke angrily, to hide the creeping fear in his belly.

"Nay." Cordelia shivered, and the fear was plainly written on her face. "It must have been well plotted. Yet how could they know where Mama and Papa would go?"

"They must needs have lured them in some fashion," Geoffrey returned, "and set up their engines of enchantment along the path to that pond."

"Set them up days in advance, and waited and waited," Gregory agreed. "Such weighty spells do require much apparatus that I wot not of."

The children were quiet. It wasn't all that rarely that Gregory admitted that he didn't know how something worked— but it was unusual for him not to know.

"And," Geoffrey summarized, "whosoe'er did plot to kidnap Mama and Papa, did plot also to have all the barons rise up at one time."

"Yet how could they do so?" Cordelia asked, puzzled.

Geoffrey shrugged impatiently. "There are a hundred ways, some of which I know."

"This set of events falls into a pattern characteristic of SPITE, your father's anarchistic enemies," Fess interjected.

"Groghat must be hand in glove with them," Geoffrey cried. Then, suddenly, he looked thoughtful. "Aye, there is truth in that, is there not?"

"Sure and there is," Kelly agreed. "From what we saw of him, I'd be well surprised, if he had wit enough to plan such as this."

"More a dupe than a partner." Puck nodded.

"Yet what of their enemies?" Magnus asked, frowning. "Papa hath said SPITE is opposed by VETO, which is composed of those who seek to rule all, with an iron fist."

"Yes—the totalitarians," Fess agreed.

They were all quiet, thinking. Then Gregory said, "Mayhap the Shire-Reeve?"

Geoffrey's head snapped up. "Aye, thou hast the right of it!"

"And thou children art like to be caught in the warring," Puck said. "I like it not."

"Yet we are like to be caught in such warring in any case." Cordelia spread her hands. "Would not we be marked, Puck?"

The elf was silent for a moment. Then, slowly, he nodded. "I had not thought to set spies to watch thy house."

"Thought!" Kelly scoffed. "Wherefore would ye need to think? If there be great lumbering fools sitting out in the forest watching the High Warlock's house, how could elves fail to notice them?"

"There's truth in that," Puck agreed, and turned to the children. "Yet these enemies of thy father's have spells we wot not of, with which they can watch."

The children were quiet. Then Cordelia said, in a very small voice, "Dost thou say we ought not to go home?"

"I misdoubt me of it," Puck said grimly, "yet I'll set elves to watching for watchers."

"Then where can we hide?" Gregory asked.

"In any place," Puck answered, "yet never for more than one night."

"Then Count Glynn's castle is as good as any other," Geoffrey insisted. "We have but to defeat one giant, to hide there."

"How shalt thou?" a huge voice roared, and a net of thick ropes dropped down over them.

Kelly howled, darted through the mesh, and ran. Puck disappeared. The unicorn tossed her head, knocking the net aside, and bolted, with Gregory and Cordelia on her back— but Groghat swung his stick like a baseball bat, knocking the two children off. They slammed to the ground. Pain stabbed through their sides, from head to hip, and the world seemed to swim about them. They heard Groghat's hoarse bellow and Fess's screaming whinny of rage, abruptly cut off with a huge crash.

"Thou hast hurted him!" Geoffrey cried, thrashing against the mesh. "Fiend! Thou hast broke our father's horse!"

"I'll break more, ere I'm done," Groghat bellowed. He scooped up Cordelia and Gregory with one huge hand, tossed

them into the net with their brothers, and yanked on a draw string. The whole net shut up like a bag. Groghat threw it over his shoulder with a roar of laughter and strode off over the fields, chanting a victory song.

Jumbled in together, jouncing with every step, the children held a conference that the giant couldn't hear.

He is large , Geoffrey admitted, yet there is but the one of him .

And he hath but four limbs , Magnus agreed.

And but one brain , Gregory pointed out. Gently, 'Delia !

Big Sister had him bundled against her tummy for cushioning, to protect him from the jouncing. As gently as I can , babe. Hold tightly to me .

Nay, siblings , Magnus thought. We have slain a vile sorcerer, and restored him to life again …

More's the pity , Geoffrey added.

And from him , Gregory continued, we have learned a spell for causing great pain .

Never shall we use it ! Magnus thought instantly. Then he reconsidered. Mayhap — for Groghat …

He is ours, not we his , Geoffrey said, with finality. He looked around, frowning through the mesh. Puck did but now say we would not lack for guards — yet I see him not, nor Kelly neither .

Thou wouldst not , Magnus reasoned, yet be certain — an we cannot finish what we begin, they will .

Cordelia's thoughts were tinged with blood. An he hath broke our Fess …

I misdoubt me of that , Magnus thought back at her. Fess hath been in many battles, and hath scarcely lost horsehair. Yet he will need one to turn him on again .

Aye . Geoffrey glowered. Naetheless, I am not therefore minded to spare this foul giant. What say you, brothers and sister? Shall we slay him now, or later ?

They were quiet for a moment.

Nay ! Geoffrey protested. Surely thou dost not truly think to let him live !

For a while, at least , Cordelia thought.

Aye , Magnus agreed. We did wish to go to Castle Glynn, did we not? Wherefore ought we not let him take us there ?