Days of Blood and Fire - Katharine Kerr [162]
At the end of the working, she withdrew the force from the image of the sword, dissolving it, then stamped three times on the roof. Sunlight brightened round her, and she could hear the sounds of the dun, shut out earlier by sheer concentration. The portion of the sphere above the earth, however, remained visible—that is, visible to someone with dweomer sight. Although she would have to renew the seals five times a day at the changing of the astral tides, everyone inside the sphere would be safe from prying eyes as well as spirits sent by their enemies.
“And we’ll see,” she said aloud. “How our fine Alshandra likes that.”
Yet she knew that she was as guilty as any green warrior of sheer braggadocio — For all she knew, Alshandra would be able to brush the seals away like so many cobwebs — If only Dalla would return! Jill had that thought a hundred times a day — But a useless sort of thought it was, she reminded herself just as often — Rather than stand round wishing, she hurried down to try to convince the arms master to help her salt the entire dun with whatever bits of old iron they could find.
After Meer pledged himself to sorcerer and gwerbret both, Jahdo led him over to the servitors’ table where the young bard and his lady were sitting together — Meer sat himself down across from them and bellowed for ale.
“Be it so that you have need of me?” Jahdo said.
“Not for some while, lad — Run off and find your friends if you’d like.”
Instead, Jahdo hurried up the spiral staircase after Yraen and Ocradda. On the landing, by the door into the women’s hall, Ocradda told Yraen to wait while she broke the evil news to Carramaena as gently as could ever be possible — Jahdo lingered, half-hidden on the stairs, till the lady was well inside, but Yraen’s sharp eyes spotted him.
“What do you want, lad?”
“Oh, naught, truly. I did, but, er, well…”
“Out with it!”
“I be so scared, Yraen, that they’ll harm the princess.”
Yraen made an attempt at a smile that failed.
“You know somewhat, Jahdo? So am I, but by every god in the sky, before they can get at her, they’ll have to kill me, and that’s not such an easy thing to do.”
“Truly, that be so.” Jahdo climbed the last few stairs up to stand beside him. “But I did think, well, there be dweomer here, and what may we do ‘gainst that? So I did come up with a plan. I do have these talismans that Meer did give me, long ago now, and I want the princess to wear them. Great sorcerers aren’t going to come a-bothering the likes of me.”
“Now, that’s a noble thought you’ve had, truly, and I’m proud of you.” Yraen paused to listen at the closed door. “Whist, here they come! You kneel and get ready to ask her, like.”
Jahdo got down on one knee and hurriedly ran his hands through his hair, lifted off the charms, rumpling his hair in the process, and was just smoothing it again when the door opened. Flanked by Lady Ocradda, Princess Carramaena stepped out, her head held high, her mouth set hard in a tight line like a warrior’s. Jahdo thought that he’d never seen her so beautiful, but still fierce and defiant, like a white eagle, dressed as she was ail in white linen, broidered with rich color at neck and sleeves.
“What’s all this?” Ocradda said, waving vaguely at Jahdo.
“He has a gift to offer her highness, Your Grace,” Yraen said. “Jahdo, go ahead.”
For a moment, though, Jahdo’s heart pounded so hard that he simply couldn’t speak. Carra encouraged him with a little nod.
“Your Highness,” he managed the words at last. “My master did give me these talismans that the high priestess made. The high priestess in Meer’s own city, I mean, and she does know Gel da’Thae dweomer better than anyone. So I did think that you should have the wearing of them, because the Horsekin sorcerers, they be trying to work you harm, but never would they care about a lad like me.”
“Jahdo, how kind of you.” For a moment Carra’s voice wavered, but only a moment. “But never could I take your safety away.”
“Your Highness?” Yraen spoke rather bluntly, Jahdo thought, considering he was speaking to royalty.