Once Upon a Castle - Jill Gregory [113]
Her journey with Cador took on a dreamlike magic as they raced beneath the stars. She didn’t want their wild ride ever to end. Cloaked by night and moonbeams, temporarily insulated against grief and weariness, she would have been perfectly content to continue on this way to the ends of the earth. The heat of Cador’s hard body seeped into hers, warming her against the chill night air.
Encircled by his strong arm around her waist, pressed by the force of their speed against his wide chest, Tressalara should have felt safe, at least for the moment. Instead she had the uncanny feeling that she had never been more in danger.
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The apprentice sorceress Niniane stepped back from her gazing ball in satisfaction. “I must say that went very well!”
Illusius preened. “I told you that Cador would save the day.”
“Cador? It was Tressalara who saved him and his men from the soldiers. Without her—and my magic—they would all have been lost.”
The apprentice wizard drew himself up to a great height until he seemed to fill the cavern from floor to ceiling. “Enough of your boasting!”
“Are you trying to frighten me?” Niniane waved her arms and turned into a spinning wheel of flame. “Let us see who is the greater magician, then!”
Not to be outdone, Illusius changed to a whirlwind and blew her flames out. Jars rattled on the shelves and fell to the cavern’s floor, spilling exotically colored powders across its width. Niniane was too incensed to notice. She became a great wave of the sea and swept the whirlwind right off his invisible feet. Illusius grabbed at a shelf and pulled it down in his wake. Bottles and flasks broke open on the floor, and sparkling liquids mingled with the powders to produce a burgeoning foam.
Niniane reformed and scrambled to separate the items. She bumped heads with Illusius in her haste. “Oh, no! My love potions! My hate potions!”
He was just as agitated. “Oh, no! Not my shape-changing powder! Watch out!”
The warning came too late. A flash of light, a clap of thunder, and a violent explosion shook the Caverns of Mist. Crystals showered down from the roof like drops of rain. A great puff of eerie red smoke filled the air. When it cleared at last, Illusius and Niniane seemed to have disappeared. In the cavern nothing was left intact except for the frozen Myrriden…and two large green frogs, glaring at one another.
Tressalara was weary when Cador reined in at the rebel camp, deep in the Mystic Forest. The people in the camp stopped their activities to stare, and Brand scowled from his place by the fire. Cador dismounted and helped Tressalara down. She almost stumbled from tiredness. Excitement had kept her going, but now that she had achieved her goal, she felt drained. Grief and the aftermath of her daring adventures had taken their toll. All she wanted to do was curl up in a ball and sleep.
She was taken aback when he handed her the reins. “See to my horse and gear.”
Tressalara bit her tongue. Better to remain in her disguise until she scouted out the lay of the land: For all she knew, these rebels might be inclined to rid themselves of their princess and set up one of their own upon the throne. Perhaps even Cador himself.
Brand threw down the harness he was mending and rose. “You should not have brought the boy here. He is unknown to us, and there is no one to vouch for his loyalty.”
His arms akimbo, Cador declared, “I vouch for him! Young Trev has proved himself to be quick-witted, brave, and no friend to Lord Lector. As his actions earlier have shown.” He narrowed his eyes. “If you expect me to lead you and your men to victory, Brand, you must trust my judgment—and accept my decisions.”
For a moment tension spun out between the rebel leader and the highlander. Then Brand nodded his head. “Very well. We have need of every such one we can muster. But he must swear the oath of secrecy.”
Tressalara stepped forward. “I will swear.”
Cador drew his sword.