Susan Spencer Paul - [Enchanter 01] (17 page)

“Gwillem, Evar, Ioan, you know the paths you’ll be taking?” He had to ask them, as they possessed enough magic in their blood to be immune to his gift.

They nodded, and Evar asked, “How will you find your way into Wales, sir? It’s raining like the very devil, and there’s no light at all to guide you.”

“God is merciful,” Niclas told him, “and even if I don’t deserve a moment of heavenly grace, Miss Linley surely does. I’ll cross the border one way or another. Have no doubt of that.”

“There’s no horse can catch Lord Graymar’s Enoch, sir,” Frank said. “Cadmaran couldn’t catch him if he flew.”

“Thank God for it,” Niclas muttered, thinking of Malachi’s singular ability to travel long distances with incredible speed. He wondered if the earl of Llew possessed a gift equal to that.

He tied the saddlebag with swift, hard movements and handed it to Huw, who stood in the midst of the others, trembling with a mixture of fear and anticipation. Niclas gripped the lad’s shoulder reassuringly. “This is going to work. Cadmaran’s a powerful wizard, but he’s not particularly clever. If he was, he never would have left us all alone here, assuming that we’re powerless to fight. He’s vain, and that gives us a tremendous advantage. Wits have outdone him before and wits will outdo him now. We must remember that. Now, every man to his post. Abercraf, don’t worry so,” he said once more, turning to the older man. “You’ll have Jane to take care of and once she’s out of Cadmaran’s spell she’s going to require a great deal of reassuring.”

Abercraf drew in a steadying breath, striving to stand a bit taller. “I shall use the powder on her if I must, sir. I have it in a safe place here.” He patted a hidden inner pocket. “And Frank has the measure you gave him.” He looked to the coachman, who nodded, before turning back to Niclas. “Do you have enough left for the guards? Are you quite sure it will have an effect on them?”

Niclas took up his greatcoat and swung it about his shoulders.

“The earl of Llew refuses to hire anyone possessed of a magic lineage to serve him. When his guards arrived to escort me here I felt their emotions at once. They’ll not be immune to magic. Indeed, I have every belief that Cadmaran only manages to keep such faithful servants through
the use of his powers. He despises all those who are non-magic. I can’t believe his men would remain with him of their own free will.

“Now, this is very important,” he said, and they gathered closer. “You must all leave the courtyard at once, for he’ll be quick to react once he senses someone of magical blood departing. With luck, he’ll set out in pursuit himself with several of his men, but I’ll be content if he merely leaves Miss Linley and Jane in the care of his guards for a few moments. It won’t take us long to get the women out of the inn, so long as Cadmaran’s distracted. Frank, you must have both the coach and Enoch ready in the place we’ve agreed upon, for we’ll have no time to waste once we’re out of the Blue Hind. You know the course you’re to take?”

“Toward Welshpool,” Frank said with a nod. “And pray God Cadmaran doesn’t follow us there.”

“He won’t go after the coach, for he’ll have no sense of your whereabouts. It’s those of us with magic blood he’ll follow, not knowing which is me. If we all set out as closely together as possible, he’ll have to make a decision quickly, and we must hope it’s the wrong one.”

“But what if he doubles back and chooses your direction?” Huw asked worriedly. “What if he doesn’t go after any of the others? Or if he should break up his men, sending some in each direction?”

“It’s a possibility,” Niclas admitted, “but he’s not particularly clever, just as I told you. He’ll expect that I’ll try to get Miss Linley safely back to London—to where Earl Graymar can protect us. By the time he discovers his mistake, however, Miss Linley and I will be in Wales, and he’ll no longer be able to track magic blood.

“If Cadmaran should catch up to any of the rest of you,” Niclas told them, “assert your lineage and claim Earl Graymar as your
Dewin Mawr
. He won’t dare to harm you for fear of Lord Graymar’s vengeance.”

“What shall we tell Lord Graymar when we’ve arrived in London?” Gwillem asked.

“Tell him of Earl Llew’s determination regarding our cousin Ceridwen. She must be made safe—perfectly safe. Tell him that I’ll get Miss Linley to Castle Tylluan; he must have no fears on that score. It’s Ceridwen he must set his thoughts to.”

“But if Earl Llew should turn back and pursue you, sir . . . ?”

“Then tell Lord Graymar to come when he can,” Niclas replied. “But
only
after Ceridwen is in a place where Cadmaran won’t be able to find her. I wish I could say that Miss Linley’s life, or my own, were of greater importance, but if Cadmaran should somehow succeed in securing Ceridwen, many more than two will be in grave danger. Take heart”—he held out his hand to grasp each of theirs in turn—“for all will be well. He’s powerful, aye, and so we must take every care, but his love of that same power is what will give us success in this venture.”

She was floating. Drifting. Dreaming.

It was dreadful.

Julia tried, for the hundredth time or more, to shake free of the heavy lethargy that engulfed all her senses, but each time she made even the slightest headway into sanity, she was pulled back down into darkness.

She was only dimly aware of what was taking place about her—sounds, voices, lights, colors—and felt that
awareness only in brief moments. Otherwise she was in a dream world, asleep, unaware of anything unless drawn back to consciousness by a particularly intrusive event.

Niclas’s voice had been one. She’d heard him telling her to fight against the dullness, against her sleeping prison, and Julia had obeyed. She’d tried so hard . . . so very hard to hold on to him, to come to him. And then she’d been pulled back by the harsh voice that held her captive. It had felt as if a strong hand had grabbed her by the hair and forcibly dragged her back, away from Niclas and all hope.

She was drifting. Sleeping, yet not asleep. The voices had been calm, even pleasant. Except for that harsh voice, which could never be welcome to Julia’s ears.

But then, just as she was drifting back into unawareness again, everything changed. The voices were louder, more excited, though she couldn’t make out what they were saying. But something was happening now. The harsh voice was gone, and there was a sound of scuffling, and then . . . then she heard Niclas’s welcome voice saying her name.

“Julia.”

He said it again, and she struggled to reply, just to focus her eyes and see his face. He was before her, so close that she could feel his warmth, and the warmth of his hands clasping her own cold ones, yet she couldn’t see his face or form. There was only a whirling darkness in which the sound of his voice was her only anchor.

“Shock,” she thought she heard, and “cold.” But she wasn’t certain.

And then, as if someone had poured a bucket of ice-cold water on her head, all the confusion came to an abrupt halt.
She was pitched headlong out of the endless, numbing whirlwind into stark, severe awareness.

It was painful. Her body didn’t seem to remember how to work, or her lungs how to breathe. She felt like a fish tossed onto the ground, helpless and gasping.

“It’s all right,” a low voice murmured against her ear. “I have you. Don’t be afraid. Everything’s fine now. You’re safe.”

His arms were around her, holding tight. One large, strong hand rubbed gently over her back and shoulders, warming her.

“You’ve been under a powerful spell, and it will take a little time for you to feel quite right again, but I’ll keep you safe until you do.”

Julia drew in a shaking breath and blinked. Her eyes ached with dryness.

She was pressed to Niclas’s firm chest, feeling quite small and delicate against his much larger frame. If he held her any more tightly, some of her bones would surely crack. As it was, the side of her face was firmly planted in the wool of his coat, and both the smell and weave seemed overpowering and irritating.

“I’ve put something about your neck,” she heard him say, his voice low, soothing. “It’s not merely a necklace, but a powerful enchantment that will protect you from being cast under such spells again. It has a name—we call it ‘Tarian’—and it’s very important to the Seymours for both its history and powers. As long as you wear it, you’ll be safe from Cadmaran and all other magic. But you must give me your solemn vow, Julia, that you’ll not remove it until I tell you to do so. That’s of the greatest import. You
mustn’t remove the Tarian until I ask you to do so. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” she managed. “I think so.”

“It’s all right if you don’t. We’ll speak of it later.” She felt him pulling away, and sank her fingers into his coat with immediate desperation to hold him fast. “We must go,” he said, gently pushing until she reluctantly gave way. “We have to get out of Shrewsbury as quickly as possible.”

With care he grasped her chin and tilted her face upward. “Look at me, Julia. Can you see me? Do you know who I am and where you are?”

Colors that before had been a blur were now sharp and vivid—almost painfully so. Niclas’s clear, blue eyes, gazing steadily into her own, appeared inhumanly bright.

“Yes,” she murmured, licking her lips. “I know you, Niclas. Mister Seymour.”

He smiled faintly. “After tonight, and what’s to come, I believe we’ve moved past such formality, Miss Linley. Please call me Niclas, if you wish it. You may well want to call me something quite less appealing before this night is done. But we must hurry. I’ll have to carry you.” He stood, then bent and easily scooped her unresisting form up into his arms, holding her against his chest. Looking across the room, he said, “Have you got her, Abercraf? Is she all right?”

Julia turned her head to see the manservant kneeling before Jane, who was sitting ramrod straight in her chair, staring at nothing, her expression completely blank.

“She’s not coming round, sir,” Abercraf said worriedly. “I fear she’s been deeply affected.”

“She’ll do better once she’s out of this place and some miles down the road,” Niclas told him. “You’ll have to carry her, and quickly. We’ve no time to waste. Can you manage?”

“I can manage very well, sir,” Abercraf replied with a touch of offense in his tone. “I’m not that old and she’s not that heavy.”

“What’s happened to Jane?” Julia asked slowly, her tongue feeling thick and her mouth dry. “What happened to me?”

“I’ll explain very soon,” Niclas promised, gathering her a bit closer. “Trust me. Everything will be fine. But we must hurry.”

“I’m ready, sir.” Abercraf had hefted Jane’s short, rather bulky form over one shoulder.

“That’s an excellent idea,” Niclas said, observing Abercraf’s action. “I’m afraid you’ll have to travel the same way, Miss Linley, for a short while, loath as I am to treat any lady in such a manner.”

Julia felt herself being swung up in a swift arc, kept safe from falling by Niclas’s able grasp, and coming to an uncomfortable landing on his shoulder.

“I beg your pardon,” he said, securing her with one strong arm. “But there’s nothing to be done for it. I must have at least one hand free.”

Her mind wasn’t working as it should be, so that as Julia surveyed the room from this new perspective she said, stupidly, “There are men lying on the floor.”

And there were. Four of them, lying insensible about the room.

“They’ll be fine in a little while,” Niclas assured her, moving toward the door. Julia bumped slightly up and down
against his hard shoulder. “Are you ready, Abercraf?”

“Aye, sir.”

She could feel Niclas’s body tense, and heard him draw in and release one swift breath.

“We’re off, then,” he said, and opened the door. “You and Jane first, Abercraf. Try not to breathe any of the powder. You won’t have any immunity to it, and the last thing we need now is you forgetting what we’re doing.”

From her unfortunate vantage point, Julia wasn’t entirely certain where they were going or what was happening, except that there was a great deal of noise and activity.

Niclas strode along at a rapid pace, greeted every few steps by someone trying to bar his way. He made a peculiar movement with his free hand, as if he were tossing something at everyone who approached, and Julia saw wisps of sparkling blue smoke leaving a trail behind them. There was something faintly familiar about the smell of it.

By the time they reached the kitchen the whole tavern was filled with smoke—and faces, at least those few that Julia could see, that looked curiously blank.

In the kitchen they were greeted by a chorus of female screams, and she heard Niclas saying, in pleasant tones, “It’s all right, ladies. We’re not here to steal the food. Stand aside, please.” There was a puff of blue smoke off to Julia’s right. “Thank you.” Another puff off to her left. “And thank you.” A final puff of smoke and all the screaming had faded to silence.

The next moment they were outside in the darkness, with rain pouring down on them. Julia twisted to look up and felt the cold splattering on her face. Her senses cleared
even more fully, and she suddenly knew where they were—in Shrewsbury, at the Blue Hind.

They appeared to be in a small backyard on the opposite side of the inn, and were rapidly moving away from, rather than toward, the courtyard.

“Don’t we need the coach?” she asked loudly, over the sound of the rain. Or at least a horse?”

“All in good time,” Niclas replied, his pace quickening. “But never fear, I don’t mean to carry you over the border.”

She heard the sound of a gate opening and saw two sides of a low wall going past. The ground below had turned to mud, and she realized that they had come to some sort of road. Niclas’s arms came about her legs and hips in a much firmer grasp.

“Are you all right there, Abercraf? We’ll have to run for it, now.”

Abercraf’s voice sounded far more labored than his employer’s, but he replied gamely, “I’m ready, sir. Lead the way. We’ll stay with you.”

“Hold tight, Julia,” Niclas said over his shoulder. “This is likely to be uncomfortable, but we’ll reach our destination in a few minutes.”