Tyrant Trouble (Mudflat Magic) (24 page)

“Fair
enough.” I sincerely hoped I would never meet up with him again. He wasn't one of
those fuzzy people I wanted to add to my list of friends. Still, he'd helped
Lor save me from the deathwalker.

He
glanced at me, looked away, then said so softly I barely heard him, “Beware of
Ober.”

So
maybe he did think he owed me a penny's worth of gratitude.

I
watched the two old men blend into the night, guiding the burdened horse.

After
dumping half a mug of water on the guard, I left the rest on the ground beside
him. Nursing careless guys was getting to be a bad habit.

Then
I returned to the temple to join Nance in her vigil of the other careless guy.

She
had dropped Tarvik onto a pile of fur while I was gone. We hoisted him up
again, wedged our shoulders beneath his arms, and dragged him back and forth,
back and forth. Although he had not fluttered an eyelid, I could now feel his
body heat where he was pressed against me, and his limp arm around my neck was
warm.

“If
he does not wake by sunrise it will not matter,” Nance moaned. “You and I shall
be dead from exhaustion and will not need him.”

CHAPTER
14

When
we couldn't carry Tarvik's weight any longer, we dropped him in a corner. Nance
sank down on the rugs nearby.

“Stargazer,
what if the magician was wrong? What if it is not a simple potion?”

“Do
you think Ober meant to kill him?”

“Worse
than that. Perhaps she is a lifedrainer.”

“Are
lifedrainers worse than deathwalkers?”

Sitting
on the floor beside Tarvik, I picked up one of his hands and rubbed it briskly
between mine, not that I knew what good that would do but it's something people
are forever doing on TV shows. He had a gold ring on each finger, some of them
decorated with small jewels. I studied the rings, partly to see the pretty
designs and partly to have something to do besides add Nance's worries to my
own.

“They
are monsters in the western mountains,” Nance said. “They have terrible magic
that can destroy your mind and suck out your soul.”

“Is
that one of those bedtime stories nursemaids tell children to help them have
happy dreams?”

“Laugh
at me if you wish, but everyone knows they reside there, which is why I can go
to the plateau with my wings and not worry anyone will follow. The shepherds
stay far from those hills.”

“Ife
you think lifedrainers are real, I’m surprised you go to the plateau.”

Talking
about monsters in the mountains kept Nance from fretting about Tarvik. He
didn't show any signs of waking. I couldn't find the pulse at the side of his
neck, so I slid my hand under his tunic again and across the hard muscles of
his chest until I felt his heartbeat. Then I laced closed the front of his
tunic and wrapped his soft cloak around him like a blanket.

“How
would I know? How would anyone know?” Nance shouted. “That's the whole thing!
They can be invisible. They are said to have hairy bodies and leathery wings
and they eat children, but when they come among us, some say they make
themselves look like us.”

I
wasn't worried about lifedrainers, which were certainly no more than a story,
but I was worried about Lor. He should have returned by now. Leaving Nance to
watch Tarvik, I went to the stable to look for him.

The
sun, not yet above the horizon, cast a long glow in the eastern sky. The stars
faded. In the chill air I could feel the warmth of the horses. They made soft
sounds. Did Lor feed and water them at daybreak? If so, where was he? Did he
lie injured or dying in some seldom-traveled place? I would have guessed him
far stronger than the magician, but the magician had his tricks.

The
horses reached out their noses to me, obviously expecting something. I could force
myself to face a magician alone, but I could not force my hand to reach past
those enormous teeth to stroke a horse, no matter how gentle the dark eyes. I
saw Black and Pacer, and at the far end of the row gleaming white in the
morning light was Tarvik's horse, Banner.

Peering
from the doorway I saw a temple guard stop by the far wall, his back to me, and
do a slow cat stretch, his arms above his head, to get the kinks out of his
spine. I knew exactly how he felt.

If
I stepped from the stable door into the early light my shadow would touch him.

Slowly
I edged my face around the doorway and watched him walk away.

“Hssst.”

The
whispered warning set me shaking. I spun to see Lor slip past me into the
stable, leading the horse. There was nothing on its back now.

“Why
are you here?”

“Where
were you? The sun is up.”

“Hmmph,”
he grunted and moved around the stable forking feed into the troughs.

“I
was afraid that magician might have harmed you.”

The
white eyebrows drew together. “Harmed me?”

“I
thought you'd be back before now.”

“Had
a hole to dig.”

Right,
didn't want to know any more about that. “The magician, where is he?”

“Gone.”

Although
he spoke briefly to me, he murmured long speeches to his horses as he rubbed
their sides and thrust his hands behind their ears to scratch them. He treated
them like puppy dogs.

“Could
he be caught again?”

“He's
safe enough if he follows where I pointed him,” Lor said, then added, “You're
not.”

I
let out my breath in a puff of agitation, knowing he wasn't going to answer my
questions. Worse, he was right. Soon the guards would come looking for Tarvik
and somebody would stop by the stable. I ducked back through the temple door
and closed the stone.

When
I told Nance that Lor was back, she cried, “So the magician and his magic are
gone and Tarvik still lies beyond our reach. We have let that horrible man
trick us.”

“Oh
lord, I hope not.”

“When
will he wake?” Nance sobbed, flinging her arms around me, stretching up to
press her tearful face against mine. “Tell me that, Stargazer! Draw your magic
circle and tell me what it holds for Tarvik!”

“You're
getting me wet with your crying. Do be still. Let me think.”

“You
think too much! He could be dying, even as you talk.”

To
keep us both busy, I dipped a cloth in a bowl of water and told Nance to do the
same. We wiped perspiration from Tarvik's face. Was this feverish flush better
than the lifeless cold of earlier? The magician had closed Tarvik's eyes.

“He
looks like he's sleeping,” I said.

“What
sort of sleep is that, that cannot be broken? Soon his guards will search for
him. Shall I tell them he lies here, his mind stolen by some evil spell?”

“If
they come here, I'll go to the gates and tell them you are busy praying. You
don't need to speak to them. Ober can suspect whatever she wants but she cannot
take over the city in a day.”

“Not
without her deathwalker.”

“Yeah,
there's that. Didn't figure on the deathwalker showing up.”

“Nor
did you think Ober would poison Tarvik so soon,” Nance grumbled. “Tarvik had
better wake today from his lazy dreaming or he will have no reason to wake. He
will find himself no more than a slave in his own lands.”

Now
that his skin was warm and he breathed evenly, she stopped worrying and started
fussing. I left her to tend him. She brushed back his hair and washed his face
and smoothed his tunic with constant nervous strokes. If that didn't wake him,
what would?

Rather
than listen to her complain, I combed my hair back into a ponytail, and tied a
rolled scarf around my head so it covered my forehead. My aching bod wanted to
collapse on the sheepskins but instead I got out my temple gear.

So
there I was, face painted, robe dragging, when the guards began banging on the
gate. I slid past Nance. Whether her wide-eyed shock was at the noise or at my
appearance, I did not stop to ask.

Crossing
the courtyard, I called through the gate, “Who is there?”

“Your
guards, keeper of the temple. The lady Ober has sent her guards to request you
go to her now.”

Right,
sure, I was going to march into the lion's mouth. “That cannot be done. My
orders must be from the prince.”

“My
lady, the prince - the prince cannot be found. And the magician of Thunder has
escaped from his cell.”

From
the hesitation in his voice, I knew the guard spoke carefully, hoping to warn
me about the situation at the castle without saying anything that would create
suspicion in Ober's men.

“We
must pray to the Daughter for the answer to such strange occurrences,” I
called. I got better everyday at imitating Nance's fancy phrases. “The ladies
Ober and Alakar may enter the temple at midday if they wish to join our
prayers.”

And
if Tarvik is still asleep at midday, we will have some long praying to do, I
thought to myself.

“My
lady Ober commands to see you now,” demanded a another voice.

That
gave me no choice. I had to play my role with all the display Nance usually
tossed into the act. Throwing open the gate, I found myself staring at four of
Ober's men.

Nothing
to do but wing it.

Standing
in the entry in the long shadows and bright sun streaks of early morning, I
raised my arms so my bracelets and rings flashed reflected light. The temple
guards stepped back, their eyes lowered. Ober's men remained unmoving.

I
chanted, “Even now the Daughter of the Sun seeks the council of her father. To
disturb the prayers of her priests would be to break the golden thread that
binds the temple to the Daughter's heart. Leave us and we shall put aside all
other concerns to pray for the protection and swift return of her servant, Tarvik.”

From
the corner of my gaze I watched Ober's guards. Raised as they had been, beyond
the temple's reach, they might doubt me, but I was pretty sure they were all
terrified of Kovat and would hesitate to force entry to his temple.

Without
waiting to give them any chance to make a bad decision, I closed the gate and
slipped the bolt into place. Nance's temple guards would remain loyal, but I
did not know how long they could hold off the larger number of Ober's men. Back
home, my avoidance of run-ins with authority consisted mainly of driving within
the speed limit. Not much preparation.

Oh,
right, I had some skill at dodging bad boys. Those creeps probably qualified as
bad boys.

I
hurried back inside.

“Midday,
indeed,” Nance said, giving Tarvik a sharp slap. “He may well sleep past midday
of tomorrow or the day beyond that.”

“You
had better think of long, convincing chants.”

“I
know enough chants to bore Ober through six settings of the sun, but will she
wait?”

“Could
we make the ritual more impressive than usual? Something so unusual that people
would be, oh, I'm not sure what I mean, but I think we need something magical.”

“We
could start by dressing your hair properly.”

“Nance,
you're not listening.”

“I
understand what you say and it frightens me. You bend and use the rituals of
the temple to gain your own wishes, with no thought that you might anger the
Daughter and bring lightening bolts upon us all.”

“Is
that something you ever saw the Daughter use?” I asked, wondering where the
average hiker learned that skill.

Nance
shouted, “How would I know! I have never used the temple for anything other
than devotion. Now, with you here, it has become a place to receive messages
through weird star circles. Also, my private rooms, forbidden to all but
templekeepers, have been entered by a wicked magician of Thunder. And, now it
seems, I have as a permanent guest my wretched cousin.”

“You
could always hand him over to Ober's guards. If, of course, you don't ever want
to see him again.”

Nance
threw up her hands and made a gasping noise.

I
waited.

Her
beliefs weren't mine. She had to settle in her own mind how far out of bounds
she was willing to go. There were purposes for which I would not use my
knowledge of astrology, such as advising Kovat on slaughtering innocent people,
or helping a couple of felon wannabes back home, so I knew how Nance felt. She
had to make her own choice about the use of the temple.

She
came to a decision. “We cannot use the high rituals of the sacred days but we
can wear the best robes and lengthen the chants.”

We
arranged Tarvik in a comfortable position on the rugs, folding a sheepskin to
pillow his head and covering him with another blanket, then left him.

As
Nance tore at my hair and hung robes on me that nearly equaled my own weight,
my fear for Tarvik turned to envy. I'd trade places any time. He could chant. I
could nap.

By
midday we both resembled altar decorations more than people. The robes Nance
chose were so covered with jewels and gold threads, the cloth could barely be
seen beneath the ornaments. They were so heavy, I feared I would stumble and
end up sprawled on the altar. My hair was an itching nest of glitter.

Nance
had tied a band of silk over my bruised forehead, then arranged a chain to
dangle a heavy gold ornament between my eyes. Occasionally, when I moved my
head, it caught and reflected light and I found myself cross-eyed from watching
it. Nance added paint on paint until my face in the mirror looked more like the
picture above the altar than the Daughter herself could have done.

Before
entering the temple's main room, we had one last attempt at waking Tarvik. I
patted his face and called his name softly and rubbed his hands. Nance didn’t
bother to limit her effort.

She
stood above him and poured a flask of water on his face.

“Nance!
Stop! That serves no purpose. Oh. Wait. Did his eyelids move?”