The Dragon Revenant - Katharine Kerr [56]
One afternoon Malina did try to read Alaena’s tiles for her, out of fairness’ sake, when they were lunching with another friend, Eldani, a matron of about Malina’s age. After Alaena picked her tiles, the older woman frowned at them for a long time, then began saying a few chopped phrases, obviously memorized whole by rote.
“The Prince of Birds is good fortune, but it’s next to the Three of Spears, so it’s flawed. I’m sorry, Alaena. I just don’t have your gift.”
“It takes practice, that’s all, and you’ve got to make a story out of them. You can put in things you know about me, you see, to fill the story out a little.”
Malina frowned at the tiles again, spoke a few more hesitant clichés, then sighed.
“I just can’t find any story. I feel so selfish. Here you always do ours, but you never get yours done. Or can you give yourself a reading?”
“Not very well.”
“Maybe that marketplace wizard tells fortunes.” Eldani broke in. “Have you heard if he does?”
“I didn’t even know he existed,” Alaena said.
“His show sounds like lots of fun. My husband saw it last night, when he was on his way to the guild meeting. He’s this funny-looking man in a long red robe, but he can do all sorts of amazing tricks.”
“I heard about that,” Malina said. “Cook was quite excited when she came home from doing the marketing. The wizard could make fire leap out of his hands, she said, and lights of all different colors. It’s clear he’s doing it with some kind of powders and chemicals, but she says that the effect was quite lovely.”
“At night it certainly would be,” Alaena said. “Maybe I’ll go down and watch.”
“Alaena!” Malina was scandalized. “You can’t go down there with the common crowd at night!”
“Why not?” Eldani’s smile turned entirely too limpid. “Our ‘Laen loves to be daring.”
Alaena smiled in return.
“Why not? I’m much too young to paint mats day and night like you do, dear.”
Malina leaned forward with a flutter of hands. “Maybe we should all go see this wizard, and take escorts, and then it won’t be daring at all.”
“Well, I suppose,” Eldani said. “Or will Alaena bring her footman?”
Rhodry felt as if he’d been kicked in the stomach. Malina’s expression turned so fierce that Eldani shrank back.
“If nothing else,” Malina went on. “It will give us something new to think about.”
“Yes, of course.” Eldani forced out a normal sort of smile. “Or I know—what if we gave a party and hired the wizard to perform?”
“Wonderful idea!” Malina snatched at the change of subject. “If it doesn’t rain, he could do his show out in the garden, and it would be absolutely lovely among the trees. I’m sure he’d come if I offered him enough.”
“It would certainly give dear Tannilan something to think about,” Alaena said. “Do you remember those awful acrobats she hired for her last party?”
“I certainly remember the airs she gave herself afterwards.”
The tiles forgotten, the three women leaned forward over the table and began to plan.
“It’s driven me half-mad, that’s all!” Even though he was trying to project a calm self-control, Baruma knew his mental image was snarling. “Every time I turn around I see that demon-spawn wolf, growling at me.”
“Can it hurt you?” the Old One thought in return.
“I don’t know. It resists all my banishings.”
Floating on the pool of darkness the Old One’s image grew thoughtful.
“It was sent by a man of power, then, not one of your rival journeymen. I was afraid of this. Some of my rivals in the Brotherhood know I’ve got an important piece of work on hand, and obviously they’re meddling. Well, when you come back, we’ll do a working and follow this wolf to its den. Finding out who lives nearby should prove very interesting. In the meantime, think of it as a test of your courage.”
With a flick of his hand, the Old One broke contact, and nothing