The Wyvern's Spur - Kate Novak [138]
"Eh?" the wizard queried.
The servant pointed through the townhouse's large parlor windows, which looked south over the Wyvernspur lands and Redstone Castle.
Giogi, Olive, and Drone lined up at the window to look at what had upset Thomas.
In the last ray of sunlight, the cut stone of the castle's west wall shone as red as blood against an indigo sky. The vision's loveliness was marred only by a blot of darkness that drifted above the keep. The blot's lower surface also shone red, but its surface consisted of jutting edges and jagged crevices, like a boulder torn from the earth by some monstrous cataclysm. Only magic could have raised the stone, though. It was so large, it would crush half of Immersea if it fell to the earth. At the top of the massive rock were walls that rose so high that they disappeared into the darkness of the twilight sky.
"What is it?" Giogi gasped.
"Flattery's desert fortress," Drone said grimly. "It appears he did more than reclaim it. He's brought it with him."
20
Flattery's Treachery
Very quietly Cat snuck back out of Drone's lab. She had received Lord Frefford's permission to be there, but there was, after all, no reason to disturb Aunt Dorath. Cat crept down the outer staircase, clutching her sack of scrolls.
In the excitement of Steele's leap from the tower and her recovery of the spur, she'd forgotten about the magic she'd so painstakingly collected. She remembered the sack after Giogi had left for the crypt and decided she could fetch it and be back at the townhouse before Giogi returned.
She had to hurry now, or Giogi would worry. It had only taken a moment to retrieve the sack, but getting to Redstone had been another matter. She might have tried galloping Poppy across the fields, but she'd ridden the mare along the roads, keeping her at a walk all the way. She had no intention of riding her back to Giogi's townhouse. Cat felt safer on foot.
The tower's outer stairs brought her down to the second level of the castle. She stood on the balcony overlooking the two curved grand staircases leading to the entrance hall below. To the northwest and northeast stretched hallways leading to the family living quarters.
The memory of how nice Gaylyn had been to her earlier in the morning sprang to Cat's mind. She felt an urge to say hello to the woman. Thinking Frefford's lady might be sitting in the parlor, the mage turned from the staircases and headed down the northwest corridor.
Cat had just reached the parlor door when a shout came from the entrance hall below. Curious, she ran back to the nearest staircase and looked down. Giogi stood in the hallway, calling out for Frefford. From some room below, a tall, burly man with dark but graying hair ran into the hallway in answer to the noble's cries.
"Sudacar!" Giogi gasped, grasping the man's shoulders excitedly. "Thank Waukeen! It's the baby. He's after Amber Leona. Where is she?"
"She should be in the nursery," Sudacar replied. Giogi and Sudacar dashed up the staircase opposite the one Cat stood over. Neither man noticed the mage standing on the shadowy balcony. Sudacar led Giogi down a corridor at the other end of the building. With an uneasy, disturbed feeling, Cat hurried after them.
Sudacar opened the door to the baby's nursery with his heart pounding wildly. He sighed with relief. Dorath kept watch over her great-grandniece like a she-dragon over her treasure. Amber lay sleeping in the cradle. Dorath sat in the rocking chair, darning socks. She looked up at the lord of Immersea with disdain, hastily pocketing her wooden darning sock and sweeping her mending into a basket on the floor.
"Is there something I can do for you, Lord Samtavan?" she asked haughtily.
Giogi pushed past Sudacar and strode over to the cradle. He swept the baby up in his arms.
"Giogioni Wyvernspur, just what do you think you're doing, you fool?" Dorath demanded. "You'll wake her up."
As if on cue, Amber began to cry.
Cat peeked into the room from behind Sudacar's broad back.
"Hand me that baby this instant," Dorath insisted, rising to her