The Wyvern's Spur - Kate Novak [120]
Giogi obeyed, but he had to disagree with the halfling's assessment. "I nearly got Mother Lleddew killed."
"She'll be fine. Werebears heal fast, and they're harder to kill than people. Did you know she was a werebear?" Olive asked.
"No, of course not. How can a werebear be a priestess?"
"It's traditional for lycanthropes to worship the moon," Olive said with a shrug. "Even priests need hobbies."
Alerted by the sound of a galloping horse, Olive looked across the fields again. "I think that's Cat," she said, pointing to a just barely mounted rider.
Giogi opened his eyes. "It is. She's riding Poppy." The nobleman reached over and pulled back on the horses' reins, stopping the carriage.
Cat came charging up to them. She pulled back too hard on Poppy's reins and set the mare rearing on her hind legs. The mage toppled from her saddle and into the muddy field. Giogi leaped from the carriage and rushed to the woman's side.
"Obviously he doesn't hurt as bad as he thought he did," Olive muttered. She climbed down from the driver's seat and scrambled up the carriage door to check on their passenger. Mother Lleddew remained in her bear form. A good sign, Olive knew, since lycanthropes turned human when they died. The bear brushed its nose with a paw. She's just sleeping off the pain, Olive decided.
"I'm fine," Cat moaned as Giogi bent over her. "I just forgot," she said as he helped her to her feet, "that I don't know how to ride."
Giogi grinned until he caught sight of the bruise on her temple. "What happened? Who hit you?" he demanded angrily.
"Your fool Cousin Julia, trying to rescue her fool brother, Steele. I should have let him fall to the base of the tower, but, as you keep saying, we Wyvernspurs have to stick together. Giogi, don't fuss. It was a very soft stick. Here. This is for you," Cat concluded, holding up the spur for Giogi to see.
"You found it!" Giogi shouted. "You clever, clever woman." He picked the mage up by the waist and twirled her around. When he set her back down, he kissed her on the cheek.
"Would you please take it away," Cat asked. "You never told me it was this ugly."
Giogi laughed and took the spur from the mage. "It is, isn't it?" he agreed, holding it up to his face. "Where was it?"
"You'd better ask Mistress Ruskettle," Cat suggested.
Giogi turned around and faced Olive with confusion, holding the spur out for her to see.
Olive looked at the artifact with a bit of confusion of her own. She'd presumed, as Cat had, that the spur would be a metal prod to strap around one's ankle to spur wyverns into the air or something. It took her several moments to recognize the hunk of mummified flesh as one of the pieces of dried meat she'd tied into the bundle she'd given Cat.
The halfling had some explaining to do, she realized. Olive needed time to figure out what to explain first. She looked up into the clear blue sky. "How about you tuck that away, and as soon as we're safe indoors, I'll explain about the spur," she promised. "Flattery could always fly over in the shape of a bird or something."
Giogi looked up nervously. The sky was empty. The lone cloud that had shaded Spring Hill had vanished. He didn't see any birds. Still, he was inclined to take Olive's suggestion. "I'll tie Poppy to the back of the carriage, so you can ride with us," he said to Cat.
"Can't you explain on the way?" Cat asked Olive with pseudo-innocence.
"No" Olive said. "I think I'd better stay in back with Mother Lleddew. She's not well."
"Mother Lleddew? What's wrong with her?" Cat asked anxiously. She peered into the carriage window and pulled back quickly. "Giogi," she whispered, "there's a bear in there."
"Don't worry, dear," Olive said. "She'll sleep it off. If you would be so kind as to open the door for me, we can be off."
Once they were all loaded back on the carriage, Giogi and Cat on the driver's seat, Olive inside with Mother Lleddew, and Poppy clopping along behind, Olive began racking her brain for exactly what she would tell Giogi and Cat. At the same