The Spirit Stone - Katharine Kerr [79]
‘That’s unfortunate. Morwen told me that Alshandra was scouting out the camp, like, looking for her stolen daughter.’
‘Stolen daughter?’ Aderyn frowned, thinking. ‘I wonder what she means by that? I don’t know, but I’ll wager it’s an evil omen.’
The two dweomermasters had walked out into the grasslands, mostly to get away from the noise of the Westfolk camp, but also to take advantage of the warm sunshine while it lasted. On the northern horizon clouds were piling up in huge white drifts, gleaming in the sun for the nonce but threatening rain later.
‘Morwen also told me,’ Nevyn continued, ‘that Tirro saw her and decided she was a goddess.’
‘Did he now?’ Aderyn made a wry face. ‘Maybe she’ll do us all a favour and spirit him away.’
‘That thought doesn’t become you.’
Aderyn shrugged and walked a little faster. Nevyn would have said more, but he heard someone calling Aderyn’s name. When he looked back towards the camp, he saw Valandario, pushing her way towards them through the waist-high grass.
‘Master Aderyn,’ she called out, ‘the merchant needs your help to settle an argument. Two of our men are squabbling over one piece of his goods. I am uncertain what the trouble may be, but they’re not far from drawing their knives.’
‘Bad trouble, then.’ Aderyn glanced at Nevyn. ‘I’ll be back as soon as I can.’
Aderyn hurried off, heading back towards the camp and the trading ground beyond. Nevyn and Valandario followed more slowly. The young journeywoman kept her gaze straight ahead, as if she were afraid to look at Nevyn.
‘Has there been any news of your mysterious gift?’ Nevyn said.
‘There hasn’t,’ Valandario said, ‘but I feel in my heart it will be soon. Um, Master Nevyn, may I be so bold as to ask you a question?’
‘Certainly.’
‘My thanks! Well, actually, I have a good many of them.’ Valandario paused for a shy smile. ‘But I know your time is precious.’
‘Not particularly precious at the moment. It’s clear that you’re very interested in gem lore.’
‘I am, and that constitutes my first question. Is it a proper sort of study for a journeyman, or journeywoman, I should say? I know not why, but I feel so drawn to gems and crystals. It’s as if they have a scent as beautiful as roses, and I can smell them or suchlike. That sounds daft, does it not? Or perhaps, they seem to have auras, and I can feel them even though I cannot see them. It’s very hard to explain.’
‘Not daft at all. Gems aren’t alive like an animal or a plant, but the powerful ones have within them the germs or seeds of life. They don’t have minds, of course. Those seeds do produce some effects on the astral and etheric, and events on those planes can affect them in turn.’
‘Ah, I see. And they attract spirits, do they not?’
‘They do. Elemental spirits feel a certain affinity with them. That’s why some workings can attach spirits to the right sort of gems. Notice I say “attach”, not “bind”. Trapping and binding spirits into gems is an evil practice.’
‘I’d never do that, Master Nevyn! But would you say that gems have a certain sensitivity to events in the physical plane?’
‘In the right circumstances, most assuredly.’
‘And then it’s possible that some people have a strong sensitivity to them?’
‘Very possible.’ Nevyn smiled at her. ‘I take it that by the “some people” in question, you mean yourself.’
Valandario blushed. ‘I do,’ she said. ‘I thought I must be sensitive in such a way when I had that dream about the stone. It was as if it were sending some sort of astral perturbation ahead of it. And when I woke up, I wondered if such a thing could happen.’
‘It can, certainly. You seem to have found your proper calling within the wider realm of the dweomer, I’d say.’
‘Oh, my thanks! My heart is gladdened to hear you say that, Master Nevyn! When I heard you were riding our way, I was so pleased. You see, I heard that you were coming on the very day after I had that dream.’
‘Indeed?’ Nevyn paused, struck by the odd coincidence—if indeed it were just a coincidence. ‘Just who is this young man? Is he anyone I might