Thornhold - Elaine Cunningham [150]
“No, no,” Cara said impatiently. She withdrew her hand from his, then held it in a fist over Algorind’s palm. “What do you call a cat who lives in a shop?”
“A shop’s cat, I suppose.”
As soon as he spoke the words, she opened her hand. A large, red gem tumbled into his palm. Instantly he felt himself being sucked away, as if by a strong wind.
Algorind tried to fight it, using every vestige of his iron will and his disciplined strength. To no avail. The ransacked shop began to blur and fade, and a sound like an angry sea began to crescendo in his ears. Above the tumult, Algorind heard the merry music of the child’s laughter. His fading vision fell upon the treacherous woman. She was on her knees beside the child, her arms around the girl and her face both glad and proud.
And then it all disappeared, and Algorind’s world became a terrible, terrifying white whirl. He was taken away, torn away from his duty by some treacherous magic.
* * * * *
The tunnel that lay between Danilo’s posh townhouse and Blackstaff Tower was a great convenience. In Danilo’s opinion, it was becoming too damned convenient. He strode down the tunnel to answer his third summons in a tenday.
The tunnel ended in a magical gate. Danilo murmured the phrase that enabled him to pass, then walked through the apparently solid stone wall and into Khelben’s study.
The archmage was painting again, which was certainly a sign of duress. Danilo glanced at the canvas. It was a seascape, with livid streaks of lightning darting down from a heap of billowing purple clouds. Despite the pending sky, the sea was an inexplicably calm shade of green.
“An interesting work, Uncle. Might I name it? ‘Umberlee having a nightmare’ is one that comes to mind.”
Khelben stabbed a paint brush in his direction, splattering him with dabs of purple paint. The fury on the archmage’s face convinced Danilo that it might be unwise to protest the matter.
“What possessed you to do such a stupid, ore-brained thing?”
Danilo lifted one shoulder. “You will have to be more specific. I do a great many stupid, ore-brained things.”
The archmage dug in the pocket of his artist’s smock and took out a bright blue stone. “What is this?”
Bluffing was hopeless, but Danilo gave it a try. “A topaz?” The archmage snorted angrily. “Gemstones. You gave the child enspelled gemstones and taught her to use them. You have done some foolish things in your life-”
“But this is not one of them,” Danilo cut in. “Cara is just a child. She’s smarter than most, but few people of any age have the sort of enemies she’s collected. A paladin saw her outside Bronwyn’s shop and gave chase. My agents saw to it that the watch was called and the would-be abductor of children summarily dealt with.”
“Yes, I know,” groused Khelben. “And thank you very much for your quick thinking. As a result, I still have Piergeiron’s boot print on the back of my breeches.”
“The paladin had it coming,” Danilo said without a touch of his customary humor. “No one has the right to take a child from her family.”
“Her family is Dag Zoreth, a priest of Cyric.”
“Bronwyn is Cara’s family, too,” Danilo argued. “She is Dag Zoreth’s sister.”
“Yes, I believe that came up in conversation with Piergeiron, too. Or don’t you recall?”
Danilo folded his arms. “With a little help, Bronwyn can take care of Cara. If you have no regard for the concept of family, consider this: Wouldn’t it be better to have whatever power this family wields in the hands of the Harpers, rather than at the disposal of the Holy Order of the Knights of Samular?”
The archmage considered this. “You make a good argument, but understand that whatever we do could place a wedge between the Harpers and the paladins. That is a dangerous situation. We cannot afford to anger the Knights of Samular any more than we have.”
A sudden breeze arose in the room, an intangible wind that spoke of gathering magic. Before either mage could respond with a defensive spell, a flash lit the room. A man stumbled out of the invisible white whirl,