The Wyvern's Spur - Kate Novak [45]
Giogi lifted the mage's chin so that her eyes met his own. "Why do you serve him if he sends you out to steal for him?"
"I was just beginning to wonder about that myself," Cat said, smiling weakly.
Giogi dropped his hand from the mage's chin to her shoulder "You should leave his service," he advised.
"I may have to," Cat said, lowering her green eves again. So softly that Giogi could barely hear her, she whispered, "Flattery will be furious with me for failing my mission."
"Don't go back to him," the noble suggested, giving her shoulder a friendly squeeze.
"I wouldn't," Cat said, looking up at Giogi through her long red eyelashes, "except-" Cat looked down and hesitated. Then, as if she could barely contain her misery, she looked back up at Giogi and burst out, "except I have nowhere else to go, and he's sure to find me, and when he does he'll be even angrier that I tried to leave." Her voice quavered slightly with fear.
Bravo! Olive thought cynically. Excellent performance.
"I see," Giogi said solemnly.
Don't be a fool, Giogi, Olive though.
"I shall offer you my protection, then," Giogi said.
What a sap, Olive thought, shaking her burro head.
"That's very kind of you, Master Giogioni, but I can't accept your offer. Flattery is a very powerful mage with a violent temper. I don't dare risk your life as well."
Think about it, Giogi, Olive pleaded silently. She's just vying for your sympathy, old boy. Make it backfire. Accept her refusal. You don't really want to interfere with the business of powerful mages with violent tempers.
"I insist," Giogi replied staunchly.
I knew he'd say that, Olive thought.
"After all, you saved my life. You must come with me," Giogi continued. "Uncle Drone is a powerful mage, too. He can help protect you. He'll probably want to know all about this Flattery, anyway."
Olive pricked up her ears. Giogi might consider his Uncle Drone a sweet, gentle old man, but if he was a powerful mage, he was another suspect for the man who'd disintegrated Jade. Except, according to Giogi, he was very old. Wizards could disguise their age, though, Olive knew.
"I should accompany you out now, before Steele sees you," Giogi said. "He's my second cousin. He'll think you're the real thief, because Uncle Drone told him the thief was down here."
"That really won't be necessary-" Cat began, but she was interrupted by a crash.
"What was that?" Giogi asked.
"They're your catacombs. You tell me," Cat challenged.
From the same direction as the crash came a blood-curdling scream. A human scream.
"Steele!" Giogi exclaimed. "You wait here with Birdie," he ordered Cat. He drew his foil and ran off in the direction of the scream.
8
Steele's Rescue
Olive took only a moment to consider her options. On one hand, she was sure she didn't want to run into whatever had made Steele scream that way. On the other hand, if whatever it was happened to swallow Steele and Giogi, she was stuck in the catacombs-as a burro-with Cat, possibly for the rest of her life, as short as that might be.
Not an amusing prospect, Olive thought. I have to keep the boy from doing something rash. She trotted down the corridor after the shrinking light of the finder's stone.
There was another scream, and Giogi dashed down a narrow side passage to follow it. The ceiling was lower there, and he had to stoop as he ran. Shrill cries of anger and laughter echoed down the hall. The nobleman slowed. There were no further cries from his cousin. The laughter had a sinister tone which chilled Giogi to the marrow. He stopped.
Olive bumped into the nobleman. He gasped and whirled around. "Birdie, you naughty girl. You were supposed to wait with Mistress Cat."
Cat drew up behind the burro. "What is it?" she asked.
"You should have stayed with the burro. It could be very dangerous," Giogi chided.
"I am with the burro," Cat pointed out. If it's dangerous, why don't we leave?" she asked.
"That was Steele. He's my family. I have to help him."
"But if you don't come back, I'll never get out of here. I'll die down here," Cat said. Her