Дэйв Дункан - Magic Casement

“But…”

He shrugged. “But I was smart, and Darad was already big, so Thinal let us join his gang. We broke into houses—even then, he was a skilled cat burglar—until we happened to choose the house of a sorcerer. That was not a wise thing to do! I have not seen them since.” He paused, seeming lost in memory for a moment. “Always one of us is, four are not. To live is to age, of course… I have spent so many years in libraries and archives that now I am by far the oldest. Darad almost never gets into trouble he can’t handle, so he rarely has to call for help. He is starting to feel his years, too. Jalon is easily bored, so he soon calls someone else—usually Andor, for some reason. Thinal… Thinal never stays for long. He has hardly changed at all.”

“But you have occult powers of your own,” Inos said. “Did the sorcerer give you those?”

He laughed scornfully. “If you had ever met a sorcerer, you would not ask! No. I doubt that you wish to hear that tale.”

“Please do go on, Doctor,” Aunt Kade said brightly. “This is a most interesting narrative.”

He flashed her a calculating glance. “Very well, your Highness. In Fal Dornin I found a woman of middle years who knew a word of power—a single word. I called Andor.”

“And he charmed it out of her?” Inos asked acidly.

Sagorn smiled his sinister smile, “Seduced it out of her. Of course it affected each of us in turn. I became a better scholar, Jalon a finer singer, and Darad a more deadly fighter. The next time he existed, he went back to Fal Dornin, sought out the woman, and strangled her.”

Inos shuddered. “No! Why?”

“God of Fools!” Rap jumped up and rushed to the door. He pulled the bolt and went racing off down the stairs. Fleabag loped in pursuit.

“Rap!” Inos yelled, too late. Sagorn smiled grimly. “He has gone to bolt the lower doors, I imagine. Master Rap has farsight, you know.”

“Rap does?” Dull old Rap? Solid, ordinary Rap?

He nodded. “To a remarkable degree. That was why Andor went out of his way to befriend him. He must know a word, although he denies it. Either it is a very powerful word, or else—I have been wondering if the words themselves may have different properties, and his happens to fit his native talents particularly well. He has an astounding control over animals and also an astounding farsight. Yet he does not seem to have any foreseeing ability, and certainly his mastery does not work on people, as Andor’s does. So he must know only the one word. Interesting! He has probably seen the soldiers coming.”

Inos had almost forgotten their plight. “That was why we wanted you!” she exclaimed. “How are we going to save Rap and Little Chicken from the imps? What is going to happen when Kalkor gets here? How—”

Sagorn raised a slender, blue-veined hand. “You forget, child, that I know your problems! Andor and Darad were here, so I know. Don’t worry about the imps. Their leader is dead. Tribune Oshinkono is no great warrior. He will have absolutely no desire to tangle with the notorious Kalkor. He and his men will be off down the trail to Pondague long before the jotnar arrive.”

“How…” But of course Sagorn knew all that because Andor had made friends with Yggingi’s deputy on the journey north. Andor made it his business to know everyone. What Andor had known, Sagorn knew. Confusing! “But what about Rap? And what about me having to marry Kalkor?”

“Kalkor I do not recommend!” For the first time the old man looked sympathetic. “Not as bad as Darad, but compared to Kalkor, Yggingi would have made a model husband. He will claim the throne, then force you to marry him to confirm that claim.”

“Then what?” she asked glumly.

He pulled a face, twisting the clefts that flanked his mouth. “Krasnegar would not contain Kalkor for long—roistering and pillage are his bent—but he could keep the title and leave a subordinate here to rule for him. He will beat your word out of you, I expect. Then take a son off you, more than likely. Yes, that would be about his program.”

“And after that?”

Sagorn did not answer but she could guess the answer.

“And after that I shall be of no further use to him!”

The dog came bounding into the room. Inos rose and crossed to the stair, arriving just as Rap came running up, flushed and panting. He slammed the door and shot the bolt. “Should have gone sooner,” he said between puffs. “Only three doors between us and them.”

“Rap,” she asked softly, “what’s this about you having farsight, and magical powers?”

He flinched as if he were a small boy caught with both hands in the molasses, then nodded guiltily.

Puzzled by his reaction, Inos said, “Well, that’s wonderful!” She smiled encouragingly to put him at ease. “Now I know why we never let you join in the hide-and-seek games! I’ve always wondered about your knack for horses—and dogs. I’m not surprised to hear that it’s occult.”

He gaped stupidly at her. “You don’t mind?”

“Mind? Of course not! Why should I mind?” What was it to do with her, except that Rap would make a superb palace hostler when he was older? “I’m supposed to have some magic of my own now, although I don’t know what sort of powers I’m expected to demonstrate. But magically we’re both the same, apparently.”

His big gray eyes blinked several times, then a scarlet tide flowed into his face, and he looked down at his boots. Of course shyness was quite understandable in a boy of his age, with no schooling or training.

She took a quick glance to make sure the others could not hear. “Rap, I didn’t know that Sir—that Andor had made friends with you when he was here before.”

“Well, he did! I didn’t sell him horses in bars—”

“I’m sure you didn’t.” Even to think of Andor still hurt. “But did he ever speak… I mean, you must have talked… Did he ever mention Kinvale, or…” Deep breath. “Did he ever talk about me?”

Rap looked blank. “You mean he knew you before? He told me he didn’t even know where Kinvale was, exactly! And he certainly never told me he’d met you already!” He seemed to be growing angrier and angrier as he spoke.

Relieved, Inos gave him another soothing smile. “Come, then, let’s see what we can do about these imps.” She led him back to the others. Despicable Andor! Why were men all such liars and cheats? So faithless!

She went over to Sagorn, who was making polite conversation with Kade.

“Well,” she demanded. “What are we to do?”

Sagorn scratched his chin thoughtfully. “We have four ways out of this, I think.”

“We do?” Inos found that unbelievable, but he seemed confident, so perhaps the celebrated sage was about to justify his reputation.

“The simplest would require a friendly sorcerer. You don’t happen to have one handy, do you?” He chuckled ponderously, like some wise old grandfather teasing children.

Inos felt a surge of annoyance at the mockery. Rap sensed it, also, and rolled his eyes.

Sagorn saw that and scowled. “Secondly, then, we could hide in the topmost room and trust the aversion spell, but that seems to have worn thin now. So we only have two choices, wouldn’t you say?”

“The Darad man killed the woman in Fal Dornin to strengthen his power?” Aunt Kade asked, and for a moment Inos was baffled.

Sagorn, though, had turned to Kade with surprise and perhaps respect. “Yes. To tell a word weakens it.”

“Halves it?”

“Not necessarily halves it, apparently. It is a great mystery to me why there should be any weakening at all; if you tell your favorite recipe to a friend, that does not spoil the next cake you bake.” He scowled. “Even the most respected texts do not agree! Perhaps the weakening would be a half if you were the only person who knew the word. Would telling to a third person reduce its power by a third? Then by a fourth when you told another? I don’t know, after a lifetime.”