The Wyvern's Spur - Kate Novak [118]
Steele just laughed. His arms began to glow blue, and the light bolts spread down his torso.
"It's happening. The power is mine. I can do anything." Steele jumped up to the shattered window's sill.
"Steele, no!" Julia screamed.
"Watch this, Sister, dear," he said gleefully. He pushed open the broken window's casement and spread his arms wide.
"Fluff-fluff," Cat whispered just as the Wvvernspur leaped from the tower.
Aunt Dorath and Frefford dashed to the window. "He's just floating down!" Frefford gasped.
"What?" Julia cried. "Then it works? The spur works?"
Cat bolted for the door and dashed down the outer staircase. Behind her she could hear Aunt Dorath shout, "Frefford, get down after Steele! Get that cursed thing away from him!"
Cat felt dizzy and sick, but she was not going to let an insane kobold-torturer get away with her prize. Because of her spell, Steele was falling with the resistance of a feather, so it would take him at least a minute to reach the ground.
The mage raced from the manor house and rushed to the corner tower. She stood at the base of the tower as Steele drifted toward her. He was still cackling about the power of the spur and flapping his arms, oblivious to the fact that he was really falling.
When his feet touched the earth and he was finally released from her feather fall spell, he wheeled to face her, his eves wide with crazed rage. "Die!" he shrieked, swiping in her direction with his hand cramped like an animal claw, although he was not close enough to actually reach her.
Cat sprinkled sand over an imaginary baby in her arms and whispered, "Lullaby, Steele."
The Wyvernspur slid fast asleep, into the slush and mud. Cat pounced on him and tore the spur from his hands.
All this time, she thought, I was expecting some shiny piece of metal, something that can be attached to a boot and used as a prod. What does the spur turn out to be? A disgusting piece of shriveled, mummified-ugh-someone actually slashed it off a wyvern's foot.
A shadow fell across her and the snoozing Steele.
Frefford stood over her, offering a hand to help her up.
"I'm taking this to Giogi," Cat muttered, backing away from Frefford on her knees.
"Well, now, it would be foolish for me to argue with such a battle-hardened and powerful spell-caster, wouldn't it?" Frefford said, grinning as he looked her up and down.
Cat was suddenly aware of how comical she must appear, with her gown scorched by fire and covered with mud and a lump the size of an egg on the side of her head. Despite herself, she laughed. She held her hand out and let Frefford pull her to her feet.
"I have a horse saddled and waiting in the stable," the nobleman said. "Bronder," he hailed a passing servant, "have Sash bring out Poppy, and be quick about it."
The servant scurried off to the stable.
Cat studied Frefford with amazement. "You really aren't interested in possessing the spur, are you?" she asked.
Frefford shrugged. "You heard Gaylyn. Giogi's the only one who can use it. Aunt Dorath doesn't want him to, but that's really for Giogi to decide, isn't it?"
Cat felt dizzy for a moment and touched the lump on her forehead. Far above them, Dorath shouted down, "Frefford? Did you get it?"
"How's your head?" Frefford asked, ignoring his aunt.
"If it were a horse, I'd have to put it to sleep," Cat groused. "I didn't know I had the spur," she explained. "Someone else gave it to me. I thought it was something else…" Her voice trailed off.
"Are you sure you're up to riding?" Frefford asked.
"Yes," Cat insisted. "Why are you being so nice and understanding about this?" she asked.
Frefford grinned. "You could turn out to be a relative someday. We Wyvernspurs stick together, don't you know."
"How did you know-" Cat bit back her words. He didn't know she was a Wyvernspur. He was thinking of her in terms of Giogi.