Wrede, Patricia C - Mairelon 01 (17 page)

           
Meredith
muttered something and began gathering up the coins from the center of the
table. Mairelon scooped his own winnings into his hand and thrust them into one
of his pockets, then turned and followed Kim out of the room.

           
"That's
a relief!" he said as the door shut behind him. "I was wondering how
to get out of there without winning too much from him. You caught on very
quickly. Where's Renee's message?"

           
"Here."
Kim took the sealed paper out of her jacket. "She put a spell on it."

           
"What?
Nonsense! There's no reason for her to do that." Mairelon twitched the
note out of Kim's hand and reached for the seal. He stopped, frowning, and set
his forefinger gently against the dull red wax. "You're right,
though," he said after a moment's concentration.

           
Kim let
out her breath in a soundless sigh of relief. "Can you do anything about
it?"

           
"Not
here. We'll have to take it back to the wagon."

           
"You
sure we should?"

           
Mairelon
looked irritated. "There's no other way to find out what she's done. I'd
also like to read whatever she's written; that
is
why you went to
Bramingham
Place
, after all."

           
"I
was just askin'."

           
Mairelon
tucked the note into his breast pocket and started for the door. "There's
no point in waiting. You can tell me what happened on the walk back. Come
along."

           
Kim
rolled her eyes, shook her head, and followed.

           
Between
Kim's desire to include every detail of her journey to
Bramingham
Place
and Mairelon's periodic interruptions, Kim's
tale took up most of the walk to the wagon. Mairelon commended Kim for avoiding
the Baron St. Clair and frowned over his strong resemblance to Dan Laverham,
but Kim could see that he was not giving her his full attention. When she began
to speak of
Bramingham Place
and Renee D'Auber, however, the magician's preoccupation vanished. Kim found
this extremely annoying until she noticed Mairelon's right hand rise to touch
his breast pocket from time to time. He was more worried about that spell than
he wanted to let on.

           
As soon
as they reached the wagon, Mairelon began rummaging in the large chest. Kim sat
on the floor beside the door and hugged her knees, watching with great
interest. She was cold, tired, and very hungry, but she did not mention it. She
was, after all, used to being cold, tired, and hungry, and if she said
anything, Mairelon might remember she was there and send her away while he read
Renee's letter.

           
Mairelon
laid a white silk scarf and a small crystal globe on the counter and closed the
lid of the trunk. He turned and spread the scarf out, smoothing it carefully
until not a wrinkle remained. He drew Renee D'Auber's letter from his pocket
and set it in the exact center of the scarf, with the blob of sealing wax
facing him. Then he lifted the crystal globe with the tips of his fingers and
set it on top of the letter. It showed a strong tendency to roll off the lumpy
surface of the wax, but he got it positioned at last.

           
Finally
he was satisfied. He raised his hands slowly and extended them, cupping them
around the precariously balanced globe without touching it. He bent his head
and began to whisper. The words hissed and sizzled in the confined space of the
wagon, rough and saw-edged. Kim held her breath.

           
Orange
light flared from the crystal globe, and Renee D'Auber's voice filled the
wagon. "My friend, there are things that you must know, and even this
means of communication is not entirely safe. I will meet you two hours before
the time I told your young companion, in the hollow below the oak hill
southwest of Ranton Hill. Do not fail me in this."

           
Slowly
the orange light faded. Mairelon stood motionless, staring down into the
crystal, even after the last of the light was gone. Kim twisted to get a better
look at his face and realized that he was not looking at the globe in front of
him. His eyes were focused on empty air, and he was frowning.

           
Kim
cleared her throat,
then
cleared it again. Mairelon
did not respond. At last she said loudly, "Hey! Is that all?"

           
"What?"
Mairelon said, then shook his head and turned to look reproachfully at Kim.
"Don't ever interrupt a wizard in the middle of a spell, Kim. Magic
requires a great deal of concentration, and breaking it can be very
dangerous."

           
"I
wasn't interrupting a spell," Kim said. "You were just thinkin', far
as I could see."

           
Mairelon
blinked and glanced at the crystal. Then he rolled it to one side and picked up
Renee's letter. He stood staring at it for a moment, tapping it gently against
his left hand, until Kim was afraid he was going to go back into a brown study.
She tried to clear her throat again and started coughing in earnest as she
inhaled something the wrong way.

           
This
attracted Mairelon's full attention at last, though his first inclination was
to proffer cups of water instead of explanations. As soon as Kim got her breath
back, she pushed the cup away and demanded, "What was it that was takin'
you such a lot of thinkin' on? You ain't goin' to meet that gentry mort like
she says to, are you?"

           
"Meet
Renee? Of course I'm going to," Mairelon said. He looked down at the note,
which he had still not read, and his frown returned. "I was just wondering
why she chose that particular place."

           
"What
particular place?" Kim said, exasperated.

           
"The
hollow by the oak hill where those ridiculous 'druids' had their ceremony the
other night," Mairelon said. "Feeling more the thing? Good, because
we're going to have a busy evening. I want to get a good look at that hollow
while there's still light, and after that--well, we'll see. Come along."
He was out the door of the wagon before Kim could respond.

           
"Hunch
ain't goin' to like this," Kim muttered as she climbed to her feet.

           
"Isn't,"
Mairelon's voice corrected. A moment later his head reappeared in the open
doorway. "And since Hunch isn't here, it doesn't matter. Bring the lamp
and the little sack in the corner; I may want them." The head disappeared
once more.

           
Kim
rolled her eyes, picked up the lamp and the sack Mairelon had indicated, and
started after him.

           
For the rest of the afternoon, Kim and Mairelon tramped through the
wood at the foot of the druids' hill, peering under bushes and up into trees.
Kim had only the vaguest idea what they were looking for, but after several
attempts to pry an explanation out of Mairelon she gave up and simply copied
him. Half-remembered warnings about mantraps and poachers made her move warily,
but she found nothing. Mairelon seemed to do no better than she had, but he was
preoccupied on the walk back to the wagon, and Kim was positive he had noticed
something she hadn't.

           
At
Mairelon's insistence, Kim spent the evening working on her lessons. Her
fingers were growing more used to the moves and twists that made coins seem to
vanish from one hand and appear in the other, and she had mastered the art of
tying knots that slid apart when the proper bit of rope was pulled, but she was
not doing nearly so well at reading. She pored over the stubborn little black
marks for hours, muttering to herself, while Mairelon prowled restlessly up and
down the wagon. Once she ventured a question about his meeting with Renee, but
he was so completely uninformative at such length that she did not try again.

           
Mairelon
was up at dawn the next morning, blundering around the limited space inside the
wagon in a way that made sleep impossible for anyone else. Kim tried muffling
her head under the blanket, but it was no good. Finally she gave up and rose,
yawning, to see whether breakfast was one of the things Mairelon had been
getting ready during his annoying rambles.

           
It
wasn't. Kim had to make the porridge herself, which did not improve her mood.
Her irritation increased further when she noticed that Mairelon had put on his
flash togs, rather than his smock or stage clothes, to go to his meeting with
Renee. He looked very well in them, which somehow annoyed Kim even more. To top
things off, she didn't do much better with the porridge than Mairelon had the
day before. "I'll be glad when Hunch gets back," she muttered as she
spooned the lumpy grey mixture into her bowl.

           
"What?
Not already!" Mairelon said. He glanced around hastily,
then
turned a reproachful expression on Kim. "Don't scare me like that."

           
Kim
stared at him in complete bewilderment. "What're you talking about?"

           
"I
thought you said that Hunch was back," Mairelon explained.

           
"No,
I said I'd be glad when he was," Kim said. Then, in response to Mairelon's
skeptical expression, she added, "So we can get some better grub."

           
"Oh."
Mairelon looked thoughtful. "You have a point. Perhaps we should dine at
the inn tonight if Hunch hasn't arrived by then. I rather hope he hasn't."

           
"Why?
Hunch cooks better than that fat cove," Kim said.

           
"If
Hunch gets here today, it'll be because he's in a hurry," Mairelon
answered. "And he'll only hurry if he thinks Shoreham's information is
important. I'd prefer not to have any startling news about any of the people
connected with the Saltash Platter.
Or its copy."

           
Kim
mulled that over while she finished her porridge. She scraped the last few
lumps from the sides of her bowl and surreptitiously shook them off her spoon
and onto the ground beside the steps where she was sitting. She scowled down at
the bowl, dropped her spoon into it with a muffled clink, and said, "We
ought to leave if you want to be the first one at that hill."

           
"Yes,"
Mairelon said. "Thank you for reminding me." He rose and brushed at
his pants, as if to dispose of nonexistent crumbs. "Practice that
handkerchief trick while I'm gone; you still haven't got the last twist
right."

           
"You
ain't leavin' me here!" Kim said incredulously.

           
"I
most certainly am," Mairelon replied. "When Renee says alone, she
means alone. I shouldn't be long."

           
"You
shouldn't be goin' at all," Kim told him. "And you particularly
shouldn't be goin' alone. What if
that druid cull
shows up wavin' his pops, the way he did the other night?"

           
Mairelon
looked amused. "Jonathan Aberford? I doubt that he's even out of bed at
this hour, much less wandering about in the woods with a pistol."

           
"How
do you know? He's dicked in the nob, if you ask me, and there ain't no knowing
what notions a Bedlamite'll get."

           
"All
the more reason for you to stay here," Mairelon said. To Kim's
indignation, he still looked more diverted than concerned. "If he shows
up, you can bar the wagon door. No more arguments, Kim, if you please. You're not
coming, and that's that."

           
"It
don't
please me at all," Kim muttered, but she could
see that Mairelon was determined, and she knew from experience that once he
took a notion, he was stubborn as a costermonger defending his route through
the market. She sat and glowered at him while he straightened his jacket and
brushed his hat, but she did not make any further remarks until he had
disappeared into the woods. Then she burst out, "Bubblebrained, pigheaded,
sapskulled gull! Muttonheaded flat!
Nod-cock.
Goosecap.
It'd serve him well enough if I up and followed
him.
Bufflehead.
Shab--"

           
She
stopped suddenly, staring at the place where Mairelon had vanished. She
could
follow him, as easy as not. She scrambled to her feet, then hesitated,
considering. Mairelon was a wizard, and in spite of the abuse she had just been
showering on him, Kim had to admit that he was sharp as two needles. That
ginger-pated D'Auber mort was a wizard, too, and she had a powerful reputation.
She was foreign into the bargain, and therefore unpredictable. What would they
do if they caught Kim spying on them?

           
The
thought gave Kim a moment's pause. Then she shrugged. She'd just have to make
sure they didn't catch
her, that
was all. Stay hid and
sherry off if they looked like suspecting anything. It was no different from
being on the sharping lay in
London
.
And if there
was
trouble, Mairelon would excuse her obstinacy in
following him. Besides, given Mairelon's idea of "explanation," there
was no other way she could be sure of finding out what happened at the meeting.

           
That
decided her. She threw some dirt on the fire, kicked her bowl under the steps
of the wagon, and started off. She did not take the same route as Mairelon had,
but cut sideways up to the road. After all, she knew where he was going. There
was no point in risking discovery by sticking too close.

           
The road
was dry enough for comfortable walking, and there was no sign of approaching
vehicles, but Kim, remembering her experience the day before, stuck to the far
edge anyway. "What am I doing?" she asked herself as she trudged
along. "Goin' off to spy on a couple of frog-makers? I must be madder than
he
is!" But she continued walking in spite of her misgivings.

           
The sound
of hooves and the rattle of a carriage brought Kim out of her reverie. Glancing
up, she saw a landau coming briskly toward her from the direction of Ranton
Hill. She sighed and angled down the verge, hoping that the driver would not
pay any heed to a shabby boy heading into town. When she looked up again, the carriage
had slowed and begun to turn down the lane that led to the druids' meeting
place. It was close enough now to give Kim a clear view of the occupants, and
she nearly choked trying to smother an exclamation. Lady Granleigh sat stiffly
erect in the rear seat, while her brother Jasper made shift with his back to
the horses. The driver was the heavyset Stuggs, and he was frowning in evident
concentration as he tried to maneuver the landau around the corner.

           
"This
is the outside of enough!" Lady Granleigh said in a carrying voice as the
landau lurched forward. "On our return, you will drive, Jasper."

           
"Really,
Amelia, I don't see why you think I'll do any better than Stuggs," Jasper
replied. "I'm no Corinthian. You should have let me bring the
coachman."

           
"You
are, at least, a
gentleman
," Lady Granleigh said firmly.
"And the fewer who are aware of this excursion, the better.
Since you have seen fit to confide in this . . . person, we have no choice but
to utilize his admittedly second-rate skills. And I must say,
Jasper, that
I think you could have found someone with more
ability if you had only applied yourself properly."

           
The
landau lurched again and rolled reluctantly into the lane, and Lady Granleigh's
complaints were lost among the trees. Kim shook off her paralysis and sprinted
forward. That skinny toff and his sister were trouble, whatever their lay was,
but Kim was willing to bet sixpence that they'd be a particularly whacking
great lot of trouble if they found Mairelon and Renee D'Auber at the druid hill.
Fortunately, the lane was rough and curving, and with Stuggs driving they
wouldn't make good time. Kim might, just possibly, get to the hill first with a
warning if she ran.

           
She
didn't manage it. The uneven ground, the constant need to dodge inconveniently
placed trees, and the thin branches of the young trees and brush that whipped
her face, all combined to slow her more than she would have believed. As she
neared the hill, she heard voices ahead of her and cursed under her breath. In
London
she would have gotten there in plenty of time.

           
Kim
slowed and began to pick her way with more care. It would do Mairelon no good
at all if she made too much noise and Jasper or Stuggs discovered her. She
reached the fringe of bushes below the hill and started working her way toward
the voices. As she came around to the far side, she heard Jasper's voice with
sudden clarity, saying, "--question is, who
are
you
?"

           
"Tell
him to come down here, where we can talk without shouting, Jasper," Lady
Granleigh put in imperiously.

           
As Jasper
repeated his sister's command, Kim stopped and peered through the bushes. Lady
Granleigh and her brother were standing at the foot of the hill. Stuggs was a
little behind them; beyond, the landau and horses were a sketchy outline
between trees. The dark bulk of the druids' lodge was barely visible, though
Kim knew from yesterday's explorations that it was only a few steps from the
hill.

           
Mairelon
was sitting on the ground halfway up the hill, careless of the damage his fine
clothes must be suffering. His face was in shadow and Kim could not make out
his expression, but his pose conveyed polite but bored attention.

           
"Well?"
Jasper said when Mairelon did not reply. "Who are you?"

           
"No,
no," Mairelon said. "I asked you first. I also, if you recall, asked
how you found this place and what you intend to do here, and you haven't told
me that, either."

           
"We
might ask you the same thing," Jasper retorted.

           
"You
might, but I don't recommend it," Mairelon said. "You'll get a
reputation as a poor conversationalist if all you can do is
repeat
what other people say to you."

           
"This
is absurd," Lady Granleigh said. "Tell us who you are and what you're
doing here, or be off about your business. I haven't time to waste on this
nonsense."

           
Mairelon
rose to his feet and bowed. "It is impossible to refuse such a charming
request. My name is de Mare, and I'm here by way of guarding the Sacred
Hill."

           
Jasper
and Lady Granleigh looked at each other. Behind them, Stuggs stiffened, and Kim
saw his right hand rise toward his chest, as if to touch something underneath
his coat for reassurance. Kim frowned. Mairelon had done a perfect imitation of
Jonathan Aberford's tone, and both Jasper and his sister seemed to recognize
the phrasing. Stuggs's reaction was more difficult to interpret, and more
ominous.

           
"Well,
you can go along now," Jasper told Mairelon grandly. "Jonathan
Aberford said--"

           
"If
I may speak with you a moment, Jasper," Lady Granleigh interrupted.

           
Jasper
turned his head and glared at her.

           
"
Now
,
Jasper," Lady Granleigh said with unruffled calm. Without waiting for him
to respond, she turned and walked straight toward the bushes where Kim was
hiding. Kim froze. She was certain she hadn't been seen yet, but if she tried
to move now, Lady Granleigh would spot her for sure.

           
Lady
Granleigh stopped a few steps short of the bush and tapped her foot impatiently
as she waited for her brother to join her.

           
"What
are you playing at, Amelia?" Jasper said irritably. "And what are we
going to do now? Burn it, Miss Thornley never said anything about a
guard!"