The Wyvern's Spur - Kate Novak [54]
Giogi crept quietly over to his desk so as not to disturb the young woman. A bundle of red velvet cloth wrapped with twine lay upon the blotter. The noble sat at his desk and picked up the parcel. Something hard, nearly two feet long, eight inches around, and quite heavy lay within the cloth. Giogi picked away the knot in the string.
Giogi unwound the velvet cloth carefully, revealing a gleaming black statue of a beautiful woman. Her lithe and scantily clad form was slightly arched, and her shapely arms were swept up over her head in a circle. Her face was round and pretty. Her lips were parted slightly, and her eves were closed, like a woman waiting to be surprised. The rest of her physical features Uncle Drone had once described as ample, though Aunt Dorath had argued they were scandalous.
"Sweet Selune," Giogi whispered, recognizing the statue immediately.
"What's wrong?" Cat asked sleepily.
Giogi started and turned in his chair. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."
"That's all right," the mage said, rising from her chair."[was just napping. Oh! What a beautiful statue," she said, padding over to Giogi's side. "Where did vou get it?"
"It's Uncle Drone's-well, it was Uncle Drone's. Thomas says a servant brought it over this morning. It's a carving of Selune by Cledwyll."
"Really? I've never seen a Cledwyll before. It must be worth a fortune."
"I suppose. Not that we'd ever sell it. It was a gift from the artist to Paton Wyvernspur, the founder of our family line." Giogi set the statue on the writing table and idly stroked the glistening black stream of hair that flowed down its back.
Why did Uncle Drone send me this? the nobleman wondered. I wouldn't have thought he'd have ever parted with it. Unless he had some premonition of his death and was afraid Aunt Dorath would lock it away from sight. Giogi took his hand off the statue to search the cloth wrapping for a note of explanation.
"Down, Spot. Naughty boy," a wheezy voice suddenly chided.
Giogi sat up and stared at the statue. The lovely lips of the carving of Selune moved, and from them issued an old man's voice-Uncle Drone's voice. The voice spoke again, saying, "Giogi, listen. The wyvern's spur is your destiny. Steele mustn't get it. You must find it first. Search for the thief."
The statue's mouth froze back into its normal alluring shape and was silent. The room was quiet, except for the wind and rain on the windows. Spot jumped up on the desk and sniffed at the statue.
Cat's brow furrowed in puzzlement. There was something very unusual about the magical message. She did a quick mental calculation. Yes, she realized, something's missing. "Who's voice was that?" she asked.
"Uncle Drone's," Giogi replied. An ache settled in his heart. That's the last time I'll ever hear his voice, he realized.
"And who's Spot?" the mage asked.
"His cat. This beast," Giogi explained, reaching out to stroke Spot's fur. Spot pushed Giogi's quill pen off the desk to the floor and leaped down after it.
"What did your Uncle Drone mean," Cat asked, "by the wyvern's spur being vour destiny?"
"I'm not sure. I suppose it has something to do with my father. He used the spur somehow. I guess Uncle Drone expects me to, as well."
"How can the spur be used?" the mage asked curiously.
Giogi shrugged. "I don't know."
Cat sank down onto the thick Calimsham carpeting and sat cross-legged beside the writing table. "Do you think your uncle was telling the truth when he told your aunt he didn't have the spur or know where it was?"
"Oh, Uncle Drone would never lie," Giogi said.
"But he told your family the thief was in the catacombs," Cat pointed out with a skeptical smile.
"Actually, what he said was the would-be thief was stuck in the catacombs. He was right, wasn't he?" the nobleman asked. He meant the question to be a chastisement, but