Christopher Stasheff - The Warlock is Missing

"Certes," the elf agreed. "There should be no danger in that. Yet wilt thou leave thy father's horse for the crows?"

"Fess!" Cordelia pressed a hand to her lips. "I had forgot!"

"The bird that could harm Fess must needs be an iron crow," Magnus assured her, grinning. "Naetheless, we assuredly must not leave our stalwart companion. Come, let us seek him."

He banked away toward the forest, and the others sailed after him.

The great black horse lay on its side, eyes clouded.

Cordelia knelt by him. "Pray Heaven he's not truly hurted!"

"I doubt it quite." Magnus dropped down beside the robot and felt under the saddlehorn for the enlarged vertebra that was the hidden circuit-breaker. "Papa hath told me that Fess's 'brain' is enclosed in padding that can withstand shocks fifty times greater than the pull of the earth… There!"

The amber eyes cleared. Slowly, the great head lifted. "Whaaat… wherrrre…"

"Self-diagnostic," Gregory said quickly.

The robot held still.

"What hast thou said, sprat?" Geoffrey frowned, worried.

"I know not—only that 'tis something Papa doth say, when he's afeard Fess may be hurted. What is its meaning, Magnus?"

"Iddt cuezzz uh brrrogram that eggzamines mmy circuits forr dam-mage," the great black horse put in, "then mmy phyzzical strugdyure. In this instanzze, mmy circuitry is unnn-damaged, and therre izz only a slllight weakening inn mmy left hind leg."

"Oh!" Cordelia's eyes widened. "How may we mend it?"

"It is unnn-nezessary ad this tlmme. Stannd aside, dzhil-dren."

They leaped up and stepped back as Fess lurched, scrambling to his feet. "Yet will not the weakening prove harmful, an thou art embattled?" Geoffrey protested.

"The probability of such stress-failure is .97," Fess ac-knowledged. "When we return home, I shall see to its replace-ment. Yet for now, I am safe enough." He lifted his head suddenly, looking off toward the north. "Your friend has re-turned, Cordelia."

They all turned, to see the unicorn step out of the wood. Cordelia ran to embrace her with a glad cry. The unicorn nuz-zled the girl's face, then cocked her head in question. "Gladly!" Cordelia cried, and leaped up sidesaddle. The uni-corn trotted toward the boys, but halted ten yards away.

Puck smiled, pleased. "Now, children—shall we fetch that count thou dost seek?"

"And his children," Cordelia added.

The count was in his dungeon, eating bread and water. His wife was in the cell next door, encouraging her children in

their efforts to dig their way out with a spoon. She knew they didn't have a chance, but it kept them busy. Needless to say, she was overjoyed when the young Gallowglasses let her out. So was the count.

"I shall call up my men!" he cried.

"First thou must needs go back to thine own castle," Magnus reminded him. "Be wary and go by the northern path."

"Wherefore?"

"For that we left the giant sleeping by the southern pasture, and he may be wakening now."

"And we have met a poor old witch in the south who was accursed by a foul sorcerer; we left them sleeping, too," Gregory added.

"And there is a peasant wench who doth work her wiles to persuade all the young men to join with the Shire-Reeve," Cordelia put in.

"All this, in a few days' time!" The count shook his head. His lady tactfully didn't mention that she had told him he should pay a little more attention to the monsters in the under-brush.

"All lie to the south," Magnus explained. "Sin that thou art afoot, we do think thou wouldst be wisest to go toward the north."

The count didn't argue. He and his family faded into the forest, moving fast.

Magnus turned to confer with his brothers, sister, and elves. "The count and his family are freed, and the giant is vanquished; I doubt me not he will prove small trouble, an we can muzzle his master."

Puck frowned. "Thou speakest of true danger now. These Cold-Iron warlocks have thy father's manner of magic; I ken not how to counter it."

"Ye couldn't counter a dance step," Kelly scoffed. "Ye don't seek to undo these Cold-Iron spells—ye bedevil the sorcerers!"

Puck gave him an irked glance. "I've some small experience in that, too. I'd have no fear for my own sake—but 'tis too great a risk for the children."

Geoffrey lifted his head, incensed, but Gregory said, "They may hold our Mama and Papa."

The children stared at one another, then at Puck. "'Tis true," Magnus said slowly. "Where else would Papa's enemies

hold those they've captured, but in their own castle?"

"They do not use castles," Puck reminded. "They may issue their orders from a manor house, or a church—or even a peasant hut, for all that."

"For all that, and all that," Kelly grumbled.

Puck frowned at him. "Of what nation didst thou say thou wert?"

"Any but yers," Kelly retorted.

"I prithee, hold," Magnus cried. "If Mama and Papa are prisoners within the keep of these star-warlocks, we must hale them out."

The room was quiet for a moment; Puck and Kelly exchanged looks of misgiving.

"We will help thee to find them," Puck said at last, "if thou wilt promise me solemnly to stay in the forest nearby, and never go into the fighting."

The children exchanged glowers, and Geoffrey looked fit to burst. Finally, though, Magnus said reluctantly, "We do promise, Puck."

"Most solemnly?"

"Oh, aye, most solemnly," Geoffrey said in disgust.

"Well enough, then." Puck nodded, satisfied, and turned away to the dungeon stair. The children followed.

"Though how," wondered Magnus, "could any prison hold our mother and father?"

"In drugged slumber," Geoffrey answered. "Come, brother—let us search!"

"Yet wherefore have we gone south again?" Cordelia spoke to Puck, but her eyes were on the brace of partridge that Magnus turned slowly on the spit over the campfire.

"Aye," Gregory said, and swallowed before he went on. "We have journeyed northward thus far, Puck. Dost thou mean to take us home now?"

The elf shook his head. "I have an itch in my bones that tells me thou art right to seek thy parents. Whether thou wilt find them or no, thou art right to seek them."

"Yet rebellions commonly start far from Runnymede," Magnus pointed out as he turned the spit. "Wherefore do we turn our steps once again to the Capitol?"

"'Tis not a rebellion we face," Puck answered. "'Tis a host of rebellions, and their leaders do wish to topple the throne at first chance. They must, therefore, stay near the Royal Mere."

Geoffrey nodded. " 'Tis sound."

"I rejoice that I meet thine approval," Puck said, with withering sarcasm. Geoffrey watched the partridge turn, blithely unwithered. He swallowed, though.

"Yet surely we're amiss to go farther into the forest," Magnus said, frowning. "Will they not hold their center in the Capitol itself?"

"Nay," Geoffrey answered, "for no other reason than that we'd seek them there. Puck hath the right of it; they'll as likely be in the forest near Runnymede, as any place else."

"With modem communications, the 'center' can be anyplace—or many places," Fess explained. "Still, if there is a spies' nest, it would most logically be near Runnymede, as Puck has suggested."

"Fess agrees with thee," Gregory informed the elf.

"I have heard," Puck grunted. " 'Tis not witch-folk alone who hear thoughts."

"Art thou not pleased?"

"I cry his mercy," the elf said dryly.

"Have you any method in mind for locating this hypothetical headquarters?" Fess asked.

"Set a spy to catch a spy," Puck retorted, "and I've more of them than any mortal band."

Leaves rustled, and two fairies flitted up, close enough to be seen in the firelight.

"Summer and Fall!" Cordelia cried in delight.