The Shadow Companion - Laura Anne Gilman [42]
“And that would be…” Gerard asked.
Morgain looked at the squire as though he had just been discovered under a particularly heavy, flat rock.
“If I knew what it was, I would not need your assistance to free myself, would I?”
“Why us? Why not Merlin?”
“Because Merlin’s too powerful,” Ailis said, finally figuring it out. “She won’t indebt herself to him. To us—she can accept that. Anything we ask of her in return, she thinks she can either grant, or find a way out of it.”
“And if we go to Merlin?”
“Then we’re the ones indebted to him, not her.”
“Oh. Right.” Newt understood how favors worked. “So, what, we’re supposed to hare off across the island, without a clue…”
Morgain and Ailis both sighed in exasperation. Gerard said, “I never said I did not know where it was hidden, merely that I did not know it,” Morgain said. “It watches me too closely, too carefully, for me to go search for it myself.
“Go to its source, the place where I called to it.” She withdrew a small, rolled parchment from the sleeve of her dress and handed it to Ailis. “I will distract it here as best I can, to allow you time and freedom to perform this act.” She paused, then caught Ailis’s gaze with her own. “For the land, if not for me, witch-child.” She smiled wryly. “For Arthur, if you must. But do it, and do it swiftly, before my companion forces me to act.”
TEN
“Sir, we must go!”
Sir Matthias clearly was not of the same opinion. He stood behind his field desk, a complicated wooden affair covered with maps and missives weighted down by rocks, and stared impassively at Ailis, squinting in the early morning sunlight. “I forbid it.”
Frustrated, Ailis turned to Gerard. Gerard felt helpless, but gamely stepped forward.
“Sir, I know how it sounds, truly. And from anyone else I would not believe this story myself. But Ailis is right. Morgain would not come to us without dire need—she is too proud, too haughty. Anything which frightens her should frighten us. And if that means helping her…in battle, often enemies become allies, and allies enemies, is that not true?”
Sir Matthias grunted, but did not agree or disagree. Emboldened, Gerard went on. “This is a great danger to us all. How can we say no to her request? Especially if it does, in fact, place her in our debt, somehow?”
“Courtier,” Newt muttered to the salamander again curled around his neck, but he did so quietly, and with a small amount of respect. Sir Matthias was listening to the squire’s words, at least, which was more than he had done for Ailis’s impassioned but emotional outburst.
But the next words from Matthias’s mouth dashed those hopes. “Lad, I have warned you about the dangers of spending too much time with those who would use magic—especially those not to be trusted. Arthur told me of your previous experiences with that woman, and his fears for what dire influence she might have had on you—”
Ailis’s indignant yelp of outrage at that comment was quickly muffled behind Newt’s hand. Another outburst, and Sir Matthias would not only not listen to them, he would have them locked up somewhere for their own good!
“Sir!”
“Not one more word, Gerard.” The four were alone in the space outside Sir Matthias’s tent, although a few of the squires were hanging just within earshot, clearly hoping to catch some juicy bit of gossip. Knowing that, Matthias lowered his voice. “You have been given great leeway, in light of your service to the king. But you are still a squire. And these other two do not even have that excuse! Now, be silent, and no more talking with Morgain, or I shall be forced to return you to Camelot!”
“You do that!” Ailis said, having finally wiggled free of Newt’s hold. “You just do that! Better yet, let me save you the effort of sending us back!
“Merlin!” She called up into the sky, the power and venom in her voice making Sir Matthias step back involuntarily and cross himself, and sending most of the eavesdropping squires fleeing. “Merlin, you talk to me right now! I know you can hear me, blast you. Answer!”
The blast of power that came