The Wyvern's Spur - Kate Novak [34]
Giogi turned toward the mausoleum door.
Julia appeared to be wringing her cold bare hands. Even hampered by the vision of a beast, though, the halfling caught the surreptitious twist Julia gave to one of the rings on her right hand.
As Giogi inserted the silver key in the mausoleum door, his cousin reached toward his neck. Olive saw the gleam of a tiny needle jutting from the cousin's ring. A drop of something clear dripped from the tip of the needle.
Instinctively Olive lunged forward, butting her forehead against the woman.
"Agh!" Julia cried, leaping backward. She took notice of Olive for the first time. "Giogioni, what sort of creature is that?" she screeched angrily.
"Birdie, cut that out. You're scaring Cousin Julia," Giogi said, yanking Olive's head down with the halter. To his cousin, he said, "It's just a burro, Julia."
"A what?" Julia asked.
"A burro. It's a pack animal. They're very useful in mines. Haven't you ever seen one?"
"I should think not," Julia said with a sniff. "I thought it was an ugly pony."
Giogi turned his back again to work the lock, and Julia edged forward, her right hand poised in the air as if to swat a fly.
Olive placed a hoof down on the train of Julia's gown. The woman tripped as she stepped toward Giogi and dropped to her knees on the pine needles. "Damned creature," she whispered.
Giogi turned around and looked at his kneeling cousin with surprise. Before he could help Julia to her feet, though, Olive managed to tangle her lead rope around the woman and butt her again. Without thinking, Julia slashed at the burro with her right hand. Olive felt a sharp scratch on her neck, then a fire burned through her blood, starting at the wound and racing to her extremities. Her knees wobbled and Olive sank to the ground.
"Birdie!" Giogi gasped. "What's wrong, girl?"
"That beast attacked me!" Julia cried, untangling herself from Olive's lead rope, leaping to her feet, and backing away quickly.
"She was probably just playing. Julia, what did you do to her?"
Olive stretched her neck out so Giogi couldn't miss the small trickle of blood from her wound.
The young noble gasped. He turned toward Julia and snatched at her cloak, yanking her toward him. He caught her by the wrists. All the meekness he'd ever felt in his female cousin's company was dispelled by the alarm he felt for his pet's safety.
He investigated Julia's rings with a frown. "What is this?" he demanded, spying the ring with the jabber. "Where did you get this ring? How could you poison such a sweet, little animal?"
"It's not poison, only sleeping sap," Julia protested.
Thank Tymora, Olive thought through the fog. That'll teach me to stick my neck out for anyone.
Barely containing his anger, Giogi yanked the offending ring off Julia's finger. "I think I'd better hang on to this for you before you hurt someone with it," the nobleman said, pulling out a handkerchief, wrapping the ring up in it, and stuffing it into a pocket. He thrust Julia away and bent over Olive's prone body. Pulling two vials out of a pack on her back, he poured the contents of one over Olive's cut and the other down her throat.
"Why are you wasting potions on that stupid creature?" Julia asked.
"Because she's not a stupid creature. She's a perfectly lovely burro."
"I told you it was only sleeping sap."
"Sleeping sap can do a lot of damage if you use too much. What were you doing with it, anyway?"
Julia did not reply.
Olive felt suddenly cool and strong as the potions quenched the flame that ran through her body. She stumbled to her feet with Giogi's help. The young noble made sure the burro was steady, then turned again to face his cousin. Olive could see a spark of comprehension gleaming in his milky brown eyes.
"Julia!" Giogi barked sternly. Olive stood by his side, trying to look as menacing as possible. "You meant that ring for me, didn't you? This is one of Steele's ideas, isn't it?" Giogi asked, grabbing Julia by the shoulders and giving