Tags:
Magic,
YA),
Young Adult,
Medieval,
historical fantasy,
ya fantasy,
Book View Cafe,
elephant,
medieval fantasy,
Judith Tarr,
Charlemagne
ladyship, taking the Talisman away.
When she could move again, he was gone, and Kerrec was spitting with rage. âWhy in the name of every saint and angel did you tell him everything we knew?â
âBecause,â said Rowan, too tired and drained to be angry, âI thought it would do some good. You didnât get it away from him, did you?â
âNo,â Kerrec snapped, clenching and unclenching his fists. One of them looked red and blistered.
Rowan would hardly spare him any sympathy, but it did bear mentioning. âYou touched it?â
âI touched something,â he said. âHeâs got it wrapped in sorceries already. If he hadnât, I could have plucked it, neat as a bezant from a drunken princeâs purse.â
Rowan got hold of his hand, though he tried to evade her. It was blistered indeed, as if he had caught it in a fire. âYouâll want a salve for this. And not a squeak out of you. Itâs a wonder he didnât see it, and understand it all.â
âItâs a wonder he didnât catch on when you told him everything. What ever possessed you to yatter on like that?â
âPrudence,â said Rowan. âHiding in plain sight. He has us marked now. Youâre my peasant paramour. Iâm the princess who pries where she shouldnât.â
âSo you are,â growled Kerrec.
âI had to try,â she said, stubborn. âHe might have given in.â
âAnd the trees might have stood up and walked.â Kerrec dropped down in a tangle of legs and arms. âHe knows we know, now. And he has the Talisman.â
âBut can he do anything with it?â
âWould he have taken it if he couldnât?â Kerrec worked fingers into his hair, rumpling it worse than ever. âWe should both have kept quiet and watched, and then gone to find someone to help.â
âWho?â Rowan demanded. âA priest? A philosopher? Old Hilde the herbwoman?â
âHilde might know how to put a sorcerer to sleep and steal what heâs stolen from your sister.â
âHilde has no magic in her at all.â Rowan had not known it till she said it. The magic was loose again. She did not know how to stop it. âThere isnât anyone, Kerrec. Thereâs only us.â
âThereâs your father,â said Kerrec.
âNo,â said Rowan. âWhen I tried to warn him, he wouldnât listen. What makes you think heâll pay any more attention now?â
âIt might make a difference to him that your sister has lost the Talisman.â
Rowan shook her head. âEven if he did decide to listenâwhat if itâs a trap? What if weâre supposed to run to him, and catch him in the Byzantineâs spell?â
That stopped Kerrec, at least for a moment. Rowan pressed on through his silence. âIs there someone in Brittany who can help?â
Kerrec looked as if he might have said more about the Emperor, but he answered Rowanâs question instead. âNot soon enough,â he said. âWe canât fly. Weâre not that kind of witches.â
âYouâre not much of any kind of witch, are you?â she said bitterly. âYou can see things in pools, thatâs all, and play cutpurseâs tricks.â
âCan you do any more?â
She glared at him. For some reason her eyes were full of tears. She swept her hand up, then down. Chains of magic shredded and tore. âI donât know what I can do. I donât want to know. But I have to, donât I? I canât get away from it.â
âThis time I wouldnât stop you if you ran away. The Elephant might, but if you start now, you can outrun him.â
It was tempting. Oh, it was a beautiful thought, to saddle Galla and ride away from everything.
Too late now for that. She had seen the Talisman in Michael Phokiasâ hand. She had to get it away from him. She did not even care why. She