A Discovery of Witches - Deborah Harkness [209]
Matthew, improbably enough, had been the family’s fiercest warrior. His early adventures with the sword had made his father wild with their lack of discipline, but he’d changed. Now whenever Matthew held a weapon in his hand, something in him went cold and he fought his way through obstacles with a tenacity that made him unbeatable.
Then there was Ysabeau. Everyone underestimated her except for Philippe, who had called her either “the general” or “my secret weapon.” She missed nothing and had a longer memory than Mnemosyne.
The brothers went back into the house. Baldwin shouted for Ysabeau and strode into the kitchen, grabbing a handful of flour from an open bowl and scattering it onto Marthe’s worktable. He traced the outline of the Auvergne into the flour and dug his thumb into the spot where Sept-Tours stood.
“Where would a witch take another witch that is south and west of here?” he asked.
Ysabeau’s forehead creased. “It would depend on the reason she was taken.”
Matthew and Baldwin exchanged exasperated looks. This was the only problem with their secret weapon. Ysabeau never wanted to answer the question you posed to her—she always felt there was a more pressing one that needed to be addressed first.
“Think, Maman,” Matthew said urgently. “The witches want to keep Diana from me.”
“No, my child. You could be separated in so many ways. By coming into my home and taking my guest, the witches have done something unforgivable to this family. Hostilities such as these are like chess,” Ysabeau said, touching her son’s cheek with a cold hand. “The witches wanted to prove how weak we have become. You wanted Diana. Now they have taken her to make it impossible for you to ignore their challenge.”
“Please, Ysabeau. Where?”
“There is nothing but barren mountains and goat tracks between here and the Cantal,” Ysabeau said.
“The Cantal?” Baldwin snapped.
“Yes,” she whispered, her cold blood chilled by the implications.
The Cantal was where Gerbert of Aurillac had been born. It was his home territory, and if the de Clermonts trespassed, the witches would not be the only forces gathering against them.
“If this were chess, taking her to the Cantal would put us in check,” Matthew said grimly. “It’s too soon for that.”
Baldwin nodded approvingly. “Then we’re missing something, between here and there.”
“There’s nothing but ruins,” Ysabeau said.
Baldwin let out a frustrated sigh. “Why can’t Matthew’s witch defend herself?”
Marthe came into the room, wiping her hands on a towel. She and Ysabeau exchanged glances. “Elle est enchantée,” Marthe said gruffly.
“The child is spellbound,” Ysabeau agreed with reluctance. “We are certain of it.”
“Spellbound?” Matthew frowned. Spellbinding put a witch in invisible shackles. It was as unforgivable among witches as trespassing was among vampires.
“Yes. It is not that she refuses her magic. She has been kept from it—deliberately.” Ysabeau scowled at the idea.
“Why?” her son wondered. “It’s like defanging and declawing a tiger and then returning it to the jungle. Why would you leave anyone without a way to defend herself?”
Ysabeau shrugged. “I can think of many people who might want to do such a thing—many reasons, too—and I do not know this witch well. Call her family. Ask them.”
Matthew reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He had the house in Madison on speed dial, Baldwin noticed. The witches on the other end picked up on the first ring.
“Matthew?” The witch was frantic. “Where is she? She’s in terrible pain, I can feel it.”
“We know where to look for her, Sarah,” Matthew said quietly, trying to soothe her. “But I need to ask you something first. Diana doesn’t use her magic.”
“She hasn’t since her mother and father died. What does that have to do with anything?” Sarah was shouting now. Ysabeau closed her eyes against the harsh sound.
“Is there a chance, Sarah—any chance