Free The Warlock Enraged-Warlock 4 by Christopher Stasheff

peasants being upset about evil witches."
    "/ would fear," said Magnus, "if such visits stopped so suddenly."
    "Especially if you had relatives up there," Rod agreed,
    "which most of them seem to. I mean, who else are the knights' daughters going to meet and marry?" He clasped Magnus's shoulder. "Come on, son. Let's help them clean up."
    "Geoffrey, now!" Gwen said firmly and the six-year-old 54 Christopher Stasheff
    wolfed the last of his huge slice of bread as he stepped back from the table. Then he reached out and caught his wooden cup just as Rod and Magnus lifted the board off its trestles and turned it sideways, to dump the scraps onto the rushes.
    " 'Tis not very cleanly. Papa," Cordelia reminded.
    "I know, dear—but when you're a guest, you do what your hosts do. And make no mistake—the Count and Countess are being very kind, to let a family of poor tinkers spend the night in their castle."
    "Especially sin' that their own smith doth mend their pots," Magnus added, as he turned to carry the board over to the wall. Rod followed, and they waited their turn to drop their board onto the growing stack.
    "It must be that the witches have done it," the serf in front of them was saying to his mate. "When last I saw Horth—mind thou, he that is among Sir Orlan's hostlers?—
    he did say an evil warlock had come among the peasants, demanding that they pay him each a penny ere Midsummer."
    "And Midsummer hath come, and gone." The other peasant shook his head. "What greater mischief ha' such warlocks brewed, ere now?" As they dropped their board, Magnus looked up at Rod.
    "Such words strike greater fear into my breast than doth the silence itself. Papa."
    "Yes," Rod agreed, "because it threatens us, personally. That's the real danger, son—and not just to us." He clasped Magnus around the shoulder as they went back. "The peasant reaction. Your mother and I, and Queen Catharine, with Tuan's help, were beginning to build up the idea that espers could be good guys—but one power-grabber can undo all that, and send the peasants out on witch-hunts again." He broke off, grinning at the sight of Cordelia and Geoffrey, struggling toward him with one of the trestles between them.
    "Hold it, you two! You're just not big enough to handle one of those things, yet—with just your hands, anyway!" Cordelia dropped her end and glared up at him, fists on her hips. "I'm a big lass. Papa!"
    "Not yet, you're not—and you won't be, for at least five more years." Under his breath. Rod added. God willing.
    "But you're a real sweetheart, to try and help. Mama needs you, though, to help clean a spot for our blankets."

THE WARLOCK ENRAGED 55
    Cordelia shuddered, and Geoffrey pointed out, "It'd be more pleasant outside. Papa."
    "We're after gossip, not comfort." Rod turned him around and patted him on his way. "Go help Mama; she needs someone to talk a cat into staying near us all night." Geoffrey balked.
    "Cats fight rats," Rod reminded.
    Geoffrey's eyes gleamed, and he scurried back toward Gwen.
    Rod picked up his end of the trestle. "Okay, up!" Magnus hoisted his end, and turned toward the wall.
    "E'en an witches could conquer all ofGramarye, Papa, they could not hold it—against such peasant fear and hate." He shrugged. "We number too few."
    "Watch the personal references." Rod glanced quickly about, but none of the peasants were close enough to have heard. "Good thing none of them wants to be seen near a tinker.... No, son, an evil esper, such as this Alfar, could hold power—but only by a very harsh, cruel, absolute rule." Magnus scowled. "'Tis as bad as witch-hunts."
    "Worse, for my purposes—because it'd stifle any chance of democracy on this planet. And I want Gramarye's telepaths to be the communications system for an interstellar democracy, some day." Rod straightened, eyes widening.
    "So that's it!"
    Magnus looked up, startled. "What, Papa?"
    "Where the futurians come in—you know, the villains who kidnapped us all to Tir