Fire Dragon - Katharine Kerr [123]
With their streaky-red cloaks billowing around them two men, one skinny and grey, the other blond and good-looking, were working their way through the crowd. From Niffa's descriptions Dallandra could guess that the blond was Verrarc. The older man stopped and began talking to the townsfolk, pointing with one hand and tapping someone here and there on the shoulder with the other to make the crowd move back and thin out. Verrarc, however, strode toward the group at the gates.
While she waited for him to reach her, Dallandra summoned the dweomer sight and studied his aura, an unpleasant greenish color, all shrivelled around him like a wet shirt. So this was the man who'd ensorceled Jahdo. It was hard to imagine him summoning the power to have done such a thing, but when Jahdo looked up and saw him, the boy shrank back against his older brother. Verrarc gave him a look that ached with a fear to match it, and his aura seemed to shred at the edges, suddenly grey. Dallandra hurriedly returned her sight to normal.
“Jahdo!” Verrarc said, and his voice bubbled with false cheer. “Stout lad! It gladdens my heart to see you! And who be your friends?”
As if he smelled danger, Lightning, head down and ruff up, squeezed in between the boy and the councilman and growled with a wrinkle of lip to expose fang. Verrarc stepped back sharply. Jahdo swallowed hard and turned to Dallandra, who arranged a smile and stepped forward.
“Good morrow, Councilman,” she said. “My name is Dallandra, and I—”
She stopped. Verrarc was staring at her face while his own went pale around the mouth. All at once she understood: these people had never seen Westfolk before.
“I assure you I'm not a demon or suchlike,” she said, laughing. “We come from a country that lies to the south of here, and we're flesh and blood like you despite our ears and eyes.”
“My apologies.” Verrarc was stammering. “There be a need on me to apologize for all of us. It be a rude thing to mob you like this, but truly, we've not seen your ilk here before.”
“My thanks. Is there somewhere we can set up a camp?”
“In truth, there be so. All along the town green here do we allow merchants and other travelling folk to shelter inside our walls. There be a well and fire pits farther along. Shall I lead you there?”
“Thank you very much. That's most hospitable.”
Verrarc managed a brief smile, then glanced at Jahdo. She didn't need dweomer sight to see Verrarc's desperation. What would he do, try to murder the boy to keep him silent?
“Jahdo!” Dallandra called out. “You'd best come with—”
Somewhere in the crowd a woman shrieked in piercing joy.
“Mam!” Jahdo called out. “Mam! Da!”
He rushed into the crowd, which parted to let him through. A small woman, far too thin, her blonde hair streaked with grey, ran forward and threw her arms around the boy. Behind her a tall grey-haired man stood beaming at the pair. Verrarc watched the family slack-mouthed. Dallandra realized suddenly that at his belt he carried a long knife in a beaded sheath, as indeed did most of the townsmen. Although ensorceling a person went against all the ethics of dweomer, Dallandra wasn't about to bring Jahdo home only to see him dead by morning. She took a deep breath, summoned power, and laid a gentle hand on Verrarc's arm.
“Councilman?”
When he turned to look at her, she caught his gaze and held it with raw force of will.
“You will never hurt Jahdo. You love him like your own son.”
“I'll never hurt him.” Verrarc's voice was thick and slurred. “Never hurt him.”
With a quick toss of her head she released him. He blinked rapidly for a moment, then smiled.
“There be no words to tell you how glad I be to see Jahdo home,” Verrarc said. “I love him like my own son.”
“How sweet. Shall we go to the campground?”
“Of course. There be a need on me to warn you, a merchant and his men do camp there already. They be Gel da'Thae. Know you of them?”
“I do indeed. There's no need to worry.” Dallandra turned and waved to the other elves. “Dar! The councilman here will show you where to set up camp.”
Dar nodded and waved in