Black wizards - Douglas Niles [55]
"Just long enough to get drunk."
"All right!" Tristan growled, standing up to face the lord. The chain binding his wrists clanked noisily. "I made a mistake. For what it's worth, I'm sorry. Now drop it, or by the goddess I'll force your teeth down your throat!"
He expected Pontswain to strike at him – in fact, he would have welcomed the physical release. He wanted to hit something, and the arrogant lord seemed like a good target. To his surprise, Pontswain shrugged and walked away.
"I'm beginning to understand," said Daryth quietly.
"Will you explain it to me, then?" asked the prince.
The Calishite stood and paced across their small cell in frustration, joining Pontswain at the lone window. Finally, Tristan joined them. They looked across the well-tended gardens of a large manorhouse.
"Don't you see? Our arrest, maybe even the sabotage of the Lucky Duckling. It's all been an attempt to stop you from seeing the High King!"
"So you think the High King is afraid of me?" countered Tristan. "Why?"
"The other rulers – Moray, Snowdown – all killed or vanished, as your father was killed. You are the only one left!"
"What threat does a country prince offer to the High King?" asked Tristan.
"Certainly, with your victory in the Darkwalker War you could seem like a threat – especially to a weak-willed ruler," Daryth said. "The soldiers here were waiting for you. Not just any outlaw lord or king. And somehow, they knew you were coming…" All fell deadly silent as each realized the implications of the Calishite's words.
Tristan nodded his agreement. He wondered as he did so if the walls were listening… or watching.
* * * * *
"These feathers steady and steer her in flight. The muscles in the wings are strong enough to allow her to lift a large rabbit from the ground"
The young eagle sat calmly in Genna's lap as the Great Druid stretched out its long wing. Robyn watched attentively as her teacher lifted the graceful bird.
"Of course, this one is still small," added Genna. "She must grow before she can attempt anything so ambitious."
They sat upon a bench in the garden, amid red and purple flowers and the stately boles of a few ancient oaks. Fat bees buzzed lazily from blossom to blossom, sipping nectar.
"She has the keenest eyes of any of our creatures," continued Genna. "And speed! Her form is one of the most useful when one must travel from one place to another in hurry."
"I would love to try that!" exclaimed Robyn, imagining the joys of flight. "To see the whole valley – the whole world!"
"Soon, child," said Genna, surprising her. "Your lessons have progressed very well despite my recent… lethargy. You are almost ready to learn the secrets of the animals, to assume their forms when the need is upon you."
"Teacher…" Robyn asked, hesitantly voicing a question that had been concerning her. "Your lethargy – had it to do with the stranger's presence in the grove?"
Genna paused a long time before answering. For a while, Robyn wondered if she had heard the question.
"My ailment cannot be blamed upon the stranger – at least, not entirely," explained Genna at last. "You see, I am getting old – quite a bit older than I look, if the truth be told! The infirmities of age sometimes weigh heavily upon me. At first, I thought that was all that was wrong with me.
"After the stranger's coming, however, I felt something much more sinister – the presence of an ancient and powerful enemy – one whom I had hoped I was done with, at least in this life. That presence brought a kind of madness upon me." She raised a hand at Robyn's look of surprise.
"No, not the stranger himself. I know him now; he was a powerful druid in Myrloch Vale. Trahern of Oakvale was his name. I thought that he was killed during the war.
"No, it was not Trahern that caused my ailment. It was a presence that came along with him – something that wore me down and frightened me. Perhaps it had inhabited his body, or maybe it was something that he carried."
"Why