Emperor Mage (14 page)

"Don't
  
name
  
them
  
all,"
  
Alanna
  
said,
  
too patiently,

Numair
smiled, "No-—of course not. In the meantime, Daine, I think it would be
best if you said nothing of this and, in particular, did nothing with it until
we got home."

"I'll
try. It keeps getting away from me, though " "What
  
about
  
him?"
  
asked
  
the
  
Champion, pointing to the vulture. "We can't just let him run
around in here. He's losing feathers, for one thing."

It was
true: the bird's movements had shaken a number of small feathers from their
moorings.

Daine
asked, "What do you want to do, wing-brother?"

The
vulture hopped from the bed, landing on the deep windowsill. Keeping his
balance with the help of his wings, he pecked at the cedar screen.

"You
want out?"

"Taking
him out now is tough" Alanna remarked. "People will ask questions. I
assume you want this kept quiet."

"As
quiet as possible," Numair said. "You don't know Ozorne. If he found
out she could do this.. .You don't ever want him to find out."

Daine
said nothing. After what she had seen that morning, she planned to give Ozorne
as wide a berth as possible. Something about the way he'd made the image scream
without letup had chilled her to the bone. To the vulture she said, "If I
take you to my rooms, will you stay there and pretend to be stuffed if the
servants come in? When its dark, we'll go outside."

The
vulture nodded,

Numair
reached into his belt pouch and produced a round stone. "This cats-eye
agate will make you two invisible once the spell is activated, When you re in
your room, put it in your pocket. Out of the light, the charm will end. Don't
bump into anyone, or they will see you, spell or no,"

"Come
on," Daine told the vulture. "You'd best walk. You're too big to
carry."

The
bird hopped to the floor, wings half opened for balance. Numair made a sign
over the cats-eye, then gave it to Daine. Without looking at

her
tall friend, she said quietly,
 
"Numair—you shouldn't have tried to hit him. I don't think he liked
it."

Quickly,
before he could answer, she left, the vulture hopping beside her.

Kitten
dropped a pawful of ribbons and screeched when Daine walked into her room. Zek,
absorbed in the paint pots on the dressing table, didn't see Daine and her
companion until the girl put the invisibility stone away. The vulture looked at
him, and Zek chattered unhappily.

"He's
all right," Daine assured the marmoset. "He's dead. He wont hurt
you"

Did you
do the thing to him you did with the tiger and the big skeleton? Zek asked.

"Yes.
Seemingly, if I do it a-purpose, it lasts longer." The vulture hopped onto
her desk and folded his wings. "Tonight I'll take you out and put you
where you won't be found," she told him. "And you two leave all this
alone," she scolded Zek and Kitten, seeing the mess on the dressing table.
"Pick those things up, Kit," Replacing tops on the jars, she noticed
her hair in the mirror.

"Goddess!"
Sitting, she grabbed the brush and attacked her curls. "It looks like
birds nested in it," Someone tapped on her door. "Come in."

Alanna
entered, smiling when she saw Dairie in front of the mirror. Then, looking at
each corner of the suite of rooms, she flicked her fingers, sending

balls
of purpie fire into them. Once they reached their destinations, they stretched,
lengthened, and turned into sheets of purple light that covered the door and
windows. Coming to Daine, she took a ribbon from Kitten and began to thread it
through the girl's hair.

Daine
looked at her in the mirror, "Whysecrete now?"

"Who
did Numair try to hit?"

Daine
related what she had seen. When she was done, Alanna cursed under her breath.
"You're right to be upset, I can't believe he was so foolish!"

"He
gets fair protective of me, sometimes."

"He
also as much as toM the emperor you're his weak spot." Daine nodded,

"I
don't think Ozorne would endanger these talks, but—there is life after them to
be considered. When we go home, it will be hard to stop Ozornes spies from
trying to nurt either of you. Men! Why they can't just keep quiet about
things—" Outside a gong sounded the call to the talks. Alanna sighed.
"I have to go. Be careful in what you say to die prince. Remember he is
the emperors heir."

"I'm
hardly likely to forget, as much jewelry as he wears " Daine said dryly.

Alanna
grinned. "Be polite. And if you see Numair about to do anything else
stupid, try to stop him."

Kitten
 
chattered
 
agreement.
 
Daine
 
nodded. "Believe me, I will"

Alanna
clapped her on the shoulder and left. The girl looked at the vulture. "Are
you still awake?" Its great wings spread, and folded again. "All
right Remember what I said."

The
bird's feathers ruffled, then went smooth, as another hand rapped on the door.
"Excuse me—Lady Daine? It's Prince Kaddar."

"And
here we go," she told Kitten and Zek, lifting the marmoset onto her
shoulder. Kitten raced ahead and opened the door.

Kaddar
blinked when he saw her companions. "Won't they be happier inside?"

"No,
they would not, thank you. Kittens a smart creature. If you don't give her new
things to do and see, she finds them."

"Like
 
a
 
puppy
 
and
 
my
 
new
 
slippers?"
 
he inquired.

"Like
a bear cub in your wardrobe, only bear cubs don't have magic. She does. She can
whistle locks off doors—among other things."

"Very
well. You would know best, of course. Since we're touring the palace, is there
any area in particular that you would like to see?"

She
took a breath, "Actually, I'd like to look at chapels and temples and
such. Have you any here?" Until that moment she had forgotten the old
slave woman had suggested it. I'd like to have a nice long talk with her, next
time I see her, she thought grimly.

Kaddar
frowned. "Well—yes, but—they're nothing special. You probably have finer
ones at home. Except for the temple of Mithros in Carthak City—it's very
beautiful"

"If
it's all the same, I'd like to see your temples here, please." His
reluctance hardened her resolve. She smiled up at him. "I'm making a study
of them, you see,"

It was
the right argument to employ with a young man who attended the imperial
university, "Very well, though I still think you'll be disappointed. Its
also a bit of a walk,"

When he
offered his arm, Daine put Zek there instead of hanging on to it as he seemed
to expect He laughed, and let Zek dimb to his shoulder, then set off through
the gardens.

Daine walked
beside him, looking at him sidelong. He looked different from the times she'd
seen him before. He still wore his ruby drop and ruby nose button, but had
switched his other earrings to small hoops. He wore only a single, heavy silver
bracelet and no rings; boots; a white shirt; and loose, maroon breeches. An
open collar revealed a muscular chest, and his dark hands were large and
strong-looking,

"Are
you related to the emperor on your mothers side, or your fathers?" she
asked, curious.

Kaddar,
grinning as Zek inspected the gold rings in his left ear, asked,
"What?" She repeated the question. "My mother, Princess Fazia,
is my uncle's sister. My father was a prince of the Chelogu province in
Zallara, far to the south. As you can see"—his teeth flashed in a broad
grin—"my father was much darker than my mother."

"Forgive
me for asking, but you said he was?"

"Five
years ago he was killed, putting down a rebellion in Siraj—What in Mithros name
is going on here?"

They
had turned onto a broad walk lined with trees. Coming toward them was a squad
of five soldiers, marching in order, armed with spears and small, round
shields. Instead of armor they wore gilded breastplates over knee-length
scarlet tunics. The emblem on shields and breastplates alike was part of the
imperial seal of Carthak, a crown wrapped in a jagged circle.

"What's
the matter?" she asked. "They're members of the Red
Legion—soldiers—and they're here. The army isn't allowed on palace
grounds—fver. Will you excuse me for a moment? I must speak with these
men."

Daine
took Zek back from him. "Go ahead*" He left briskly, seeming to grow
an inch or two in authority as he advanced on the soldiers. They bowed deeply
in unison, right hands placed on their hearts. When he spoke to them, Daine
could see he addressed them as a prince, not as a teenager, and their leader
spoke to him with respect. She wondered if she ought to improve her hearing to
eavesdrop, and decided against it. Instead she looked around, wondering where
she was.

To her
left, on the far side of a bed of late roses, she saw an arch that led to an
enclosed garden. At its center was a fountain, a tower of ornamental sculpture
rising from a wide, deep bowl On its rim sat the old slave woman. At least,
Daine was fairly sure of the sitter s identity, but her appearance had changed
again. The black stubble on her head was now at least an inch long. Para of it
were even longer, and gray. Her gown reached to her calves; the leather sandals
of last night had been changed for worn slippers with holes through which the
lady's bunions protruded, A knobby walking stick leaned against the rim beside
her.

More
startling than the change in her appearance was her company, a mass of black
and brown rats. She was feeding them—at her feet, in her lap, and from her
hands. Frowning, Daine headed for the fountain. Whatever was going on here, she
wanted to know what it was—no more hints!

Kitten
squawked a demand, and the old woman looked up. One of her wicked black eyes
was gone; a mass of old scar tissue rilled the socket. The other

eye
danced at the sight of Daine as its owner grinned and waved. The rats turned to
stare at girl, dragon, and marmoset.

Daine
stepped up her pace, only to find that no matter how fast she walked, the woman
and courtyard moved away, keeping the same distance from her as they had been
when she first saw them. Kitten stretched her long neck oat and trilled, the
sound harsh in Dames ears. Undoubtedly it was a spell of some kind, but it had
no effect on the gap between Daine anci her quarry.

When
the girl halted to catch her breath, the receding courtyard picked up speed,
getting smaller and smaller as it moved away. At last it vanished. That was
interesting, commented Zek. Can you do that?

"No."
Vexed, Daine put her hands on her hips.

"Somethingjwirry
is going on here."

Kitten
nodded agreement, her eyes half silver, her scales pink with irritation.

"Daine,
what in the name of Bright Mithros are you doing?" Kaddar, panting, ran up
to them, "Didn't you hear me call? You were supposed to stay where I

left
you!"

Her
legs and feet suddenly felt odd, the muscles loose and trembling, as if she'd
run, or walked hard, for a long time. She slumped onto a nearby bench and
rubbed her aching calves. "But I just turned aside to look in the
courtyard—"