The Prophecy (13 page)

“I’ve never had a tougher audience,” Lysander admitted. “Or one I was happier to see leave. After I escaped I had to find a way to free Prism. It would have been easy, if it hadn’t been so blasted dark. I had to do everything by touch, and then it took the rest of the night to grope our way out of the cave. We reached the entrance just as the dragon poked its head out of the snow. Then we had to get down the cliff without breaking our necks. Fortunately, Prism got to you in time.”

“So you saved Prism, and Prism saved me.” Perryn reached out and stroked the unicorn’s flank. Three gray dapples bloomed there. “I’m sorry.”

“I don’t know if I am,” said Prism. “I’ll get more respect around the forest now. Perhaps there’s something to be said for fulfilling your destiny. Not too quickly, of course.”

Perryn smiled. “Will you go south now?” he asked the bard.

Lysander shrugged. “No reason to. Now that the dragon’s dead, your father’s men will be able to hold back the Norsemen. Though it will be warmer in the south. And richer.” He grinned at Perryn and then sobered. “We heard the avalanche. I see the powder is gone so I can guess most of it, and you can tell me the rest later. But what will you do now? Your father will have to respect you, after this.”

“Maybe. I’m not sure my father has enough strength to change, not anymore.” The knowledge still hurt, deep inside.
But a scholar faced the truth.
“I have to go home and tell him what happened, and about Cedric, but then I’m going south. I’m going to study in the universities.”

The magic of men might be fading from the world, but the magic the gods had wrought was still strong. The north held other dragons, and sooner or later the Norsemen would find a way to bind one to their service. There had to be a way to defeat them, with or without magic. Some answer a scholar could find.

Lysander whistled. “Your father won’t like that. Warrior or not, you’re still going to be the forty-fifth king of Idris.”

“I know,” said Perryn. “And I want to be.” How strange to feel so certain of it. Worthy of it. “But it will be on my terms,” he added. “Not my father’s.”

“I see,” said the bard softly.

“I could never have done it without you,” Perryn told them. “Both of you. And Sam.” His throat tightened with grief and love.

“So, in a way,” said Prism, “the prophecy came true. Didn’t it?”

Lysander snorted.

Perryn smiled.

HILARI BELL
lives in her hometown of Denver, Colorado. Her favorite books are fantasy, science fiction, and mystery—all the ingredients for a great novel. She is the author of
THE GOBLIN WOOD
and
A MATTER OF PROFIT
, which were both ALA Best Books for Young Adults and New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age, and
THE WIZARD TEST
. Visit Hilari Bell online at www.sfwa.org/members/bell.

Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.

A Knight and Rogue Novel:
The Last Knight

The Prophecy

The Wizard Test

The Goblin Wood

A Matter of Profit

THE PROPHECY
. Copyright © 2006 by Hilari Bell. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

Mobipocket Reader February 2009 ISBN 978-0-06-189776-4

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1