[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
had eaten and dressed, he'd gotten his emotions under
control.
After all, he had been spending his time with Count
Volmar's niece, equal to equal. Nothing these silly boys,
these... mere servants could do was worth his notice!
At least Kevin thought he believed all that
As he was on his way to the library, determined once
and for all to find the missing manuscript and copy it, a
sweet voice called to him, "Where are you going in
such a hurry?"
Why did he suddenly feel so guilty? "Charina, I "
"The weather's so nice and warm today! And I have
a wonderful idea for a picnic, just the two of us.**
Oh, how could he resist those lovely blue eyes?
Grimly, Kevin reminded himself of the dream and his
neglected duty. "I'm sorry, Charina," he said with very
real regret. "I can't. I really would love to go riding or
picnicking or anything else with you, truly. But, well, I
have a job to do, and I'd better do it."
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Charina stared at him as though he'd just told her
something obscene. "You'd turn me down?" she
gasped.
"Please, I didn't mean "
"You would! No, no, don't try to argue. I quite un-
derstand. You're bored with me."
"No!"
"Yes, you are." She tossed her head. "If you don't
want to come with me, you don't have to. I can do very
well without you, you you boy\"
With that, Charina flounced angrily away, leaving
Kevin standing lost and unhappy behind her.
INTERLUDE THE SECOND
Count Volmar looked up in surprise as Cariotta
stormed into the solar, shedding the persona of
Charina like a cloak and throwing herself down in a
chair, eyes wild, red hair crackling about her.
"I cannot bear being that simpering litde fool of a giri
a moment longer!" she raged.
She looked so totally inhuman in her sorcerous fury
that Volmar shuddered. "I can't say I blame you," he said
soothingly, and sawjusta touch of that fury fade. "I never
did like litde girls. All sweetness and cuteness Bah." He
moved to the small table by the wall that held decanters of
wine. Without asking her, Volmar filled a goblet and
handed it to her. As Cariotta sipped, he took his seatagain
and asked, "Do you really need to be her any longer?"
The princess glared at him over the goblet's rim in
suddenly renewed anger, sorcerous hair like wildfire
about her. "/don't know!" she snapped. "I feel as
though I don't know anything any more!"
Warily, like a man tiptoeing on the edge of a fiery pit,
Volmar asked, "You haven't been able to find the
manuscript, I take it?"
"Curse the thing, noi You either, obviously."
"Obviously." Ambitious though he was, Volmar ad-
mitted to himself, he was not about to do anything as
reckless as trying to hide a probably magical artifact
from a sorceress- Particularly one who right now was
ablaze with rage and frustration. "You're sure the boy
isn't deliberately hiding it somewhere in the library."
Cariotta shook her head. "He may have tried to do
CASTLE OF DECEPTION 51
so at first, but he was quite definitely on the verge of
panic while hunting for the thing when I entered as
Charina. No ..." she added thoughtfully, "he has
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nothing to do with its disappearance. There is almost
certainly a spell surrounding the manuscript."
"A spell! I thought you could detect such things."
"Oh, it's a very subtle one if even my sorceries
haven't been able to sense it. And, since the manuscript
seems to be designed to deliberately hide itself, even
from me, it must be a very powerful spell indeed."
Volmar fought down a new shudder. Bad enough to
have a sorcerous ally; he understood Cariotta and the
dangers she represented after all these years. Or at
least he hoped he did. But the thought that there
might be some new, unknown, alien magic lurking in
his castle as well, magic even Cariotta couldn't identify,
Just waiting to strike...
"What about the boy?" That came out more sharply
than he'd intended; he was struggling to keep his voice
from shaking- "You told me he has the rudiments of
Bardic Magic about him. Could he have somehow "
"The rudiments. It's a nuisance that it should have
begun waking now, but the boy hasn't yet mastered
even the least Powerful of magic songs."
"He still might know more than he admits."
"I doubt it." Cariotta sighed impatiently. "I've seen
more of him in the past two weeks than I ever want to
see of anyone. Still, he is the only due we have to the
manuscript."
"But what if his magic does come to life?" Volmar
stirred uneasily in his chair. "I don't like the boy. He's
too... too..."
"Honest?" Carlotta's voice was sly.
"Unpredictable," the count countered. "I think we
should be rid of him now, while we still can."
"Not yet." Her glance held a disconcerting hint of
contempt. "Volmar, you always were a nervous sort.
52 Mercedes Lackey ^Josepha Sherman
Let me try to explain this to you as dearly as I can: the
boy is not a threat to us."
"Not yet,** the count echoed darkly.
Carlotta's eyes flashed. "Challenging my wisdom?**
she asked, ever so softly. "Volmar, dear little Volmar,
don't try to cross me. I could destroy you, little man,
with a glance.**
The count froze, all at once very much aware of how
dose Death could be. One wrong word... "Why, Prin- [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl fopke.keep.pl
had eaten and dressed, he'd gotten his emotions under
control.
After all, he had been spending his time with Count
Volmar's niece, equal to equal. Nothing these silly boys,
these... mere servants could do was worth his notice!
At least Kevin thought he believed all that
As he was on his way to the library, determined once
and for all to find the missing manuscript and copy it, a
sweet voice called to him, "Where are you going in
such a hurry?"
Why did he suddenly feel so guilty? "Charina, I "
"The weather's so nice and warm today! And I have
a wonderful idea for a picnic, just the two of us.**
Oh, how could he resist those lovely blue eyes?
Grimly, Kevin reminded himself of the dream and his
neglected duty. "I'm sorry, Charina," he said with very
real regret. "I can't. I really would love to go riding or
picnicking or anything else with you, truly. But, well, I
have a job to do, and I'd better do it."
file:///G|/rah/Mercedes%20Lackey/Lackey,%20Mer...astle%20of%20Deception%20-%20Bard's%20Tale.txt (37 of 200) [2/2/2004 1:24:46 AM]
file:///G|/rah/Mercedes%20Lackey/Lackey,%20Mercedes%20+%20Josepha%20Sherman%20-%20Castle%20of%20Deception%20-%20Bard's%20Tale.txt
Charina stared at him as though he'd just told her
something obscene. "You'd turn me down?" she
gasped.
"Please, I didn't mean "
"You would! No, no, don't try to argue. I quite un-
derstand. You're bored with me."
"No!"
"Yes, you are." She tossed her head. "If you don't
want to come with me, you don't have to. I can do very
well without you, you you boy\"
With that, Charina flounced angrily away, leaving
Kevin standing lost and unhappy behind her.
INTERLUDE THE SECOND
Count Volmar looked up in surprise as Cariotta
stormed into the solar, shedding the persona of
Charina like a cloak and throwing herself down in a
chair, eyes wild, red hair crackling about her.
"I cannot bear being that simpering litde fool of a giri
a moment longer!" she raged.
She looked so totally inhuman in her sorcerous fury
that Volmar shuddered. "I can't say I blame you," he said
soothingly, and sawjusta touch of that fury fade. "I never
did like litde girls. All sweetness and cuteness Bah." He
moved to the small table by the wall that held decanters of
wine. Without asking her, Volmar filled a goblet and
handed it to her. As Cariotta sipped, he took his seatagain
and asked, "Do you really need to be her any longer?"
The princess glared at him over the goblet's rim in
suddenly renewed anger, sorcerous hair like wildfire
about her. "/don't know!" she snapped. "I feel as
though I don't know anything any more!"
Warily, like a man tiptoeing on the edge of a fiery pit,
Volmar asked, "You haven't been able to find the
manuscript, I take it?"
"Curse the thing, noi You either, obviously."
"Obviously." Ambitious though he was, Volmar ad-
mitted to himself, he was not about to do anything as
reckless as trying to hide a probably magical artifact
from a sorceress- Particularly one who right now was
ablaze with rage and frustration. "You're sure the boy
isn't deliberately hiding it somewhere in the library."
Cariotta shook her head. "He may have tried to do
CASTLE OF DECEPTION 51
so at first, but he was quite definitely on the verge of
panic while hunting for the thing when I entered as
Charina. No ..." she added thoughtfully, "he has
file:///G|/rah/Mercedes%20Lackey/Lackey,%20Mer...astle%20of%20Deception%20-%20Bard's%20Tale.txt (38 of 200) [2/2/2004 1:24:46 AM]
file:///G|/rah/Mercedes%20Lackey/Lackey,%20Mercedes%20+%20Josepha%20Sherman%20-%20Castle%20of%20Deception%20-%20Bard's%20Tale.txt
nothing to do with its disappearance. There is almost
certainly a spell surrounding the manuscript."
"A spell! I thought you could detect such things."
"Oh, it's a very subtle one if even my sorceries
haven't been able to sense it. And, since the manuscript
seems to be designed to deliberately hide itself, even
from me, it must be a very powerful spell indeed."
Volmar fought down a new shudder. Bad enough to
have a sorcerous ally; he understood Cariotta and the
dangers she represented after all these years. Or at
least he hoped he did. But the thought that there
might be some new, unknown, alien magic lurking in
his castle as well, magic even Cariotta couldn't identify,
Just waiting to strike...
"What about the boy?" That came out more sharply
than he'd intended; he was struggling to keep his voice
from shaking- "You told me he has the rudiments of
Bardic Magic about him. Could he have somehow "
"The rudiments. It's a nuisance that it should have
begun waking now, but the boy hasn't yet mastered
even the least Powerful of magic songs."
"He still might know more than he admits."
"I doubt it." Cariotta sighed impatiently. "I've seen
more of him in the past two weeks than I ever want to
see of anyone. Still, he is the only due we have to the
manuscript."
"But what if his magic does come to life?" Volmar
stirred uneasily in his chair. "I don't like the boy. He's
too... too..."
"Honest?" Carlotta's voice was sly.
"Unpredictable," the count countered. "I think we
should be rid of him now, while we still can."
"Not yet." Her glance held a disconcerting hint of
contempt. "Volmar, you always were a nervous sort.
52 Mercedes Lackey ^Josepha Sherman
Let me try to explain this to you as dearly as I can: the
boy is not a threat to us."
"Not yet,** the count echoed darkly.
Carlotta's eyes flashed. "Challenging my wisdom?**
she asked, ever so softly. "Volmar, dear little Volmar,
don't try to cross me. I could destroy you, little man,
with a glance.**
The count froze, all at once very much aware of how
dose Death could be. One wrong word... "Why, Prin- [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]