Whisperings of Magic (7 page)

And was suddenly overwhelmed with such pain that she almost lost her grip on the horse’s mane. She reeled, bracing herself against the blaze inside her head.

“No!” she cried to the horse. There was no alternative. “Alight! Quickly! Go down!”

As the animal obeyed, she fought to clear away the agony. She had to get back in control. She summoned up the powers she had been taught and cast her mind through the solid wall of mist. She had to see through it. She
would
see through it. Then, her mind broke free; it was hers again. The blaze of anguish was gone. In the same instant she could see as clearly as if the mist surrounding them were nothing but the lightest of veils. The outlines of trees stood out sharply, even though she knew the fog still bore heavily down upon them and all around them.

“This way,” she cried to the horse.

It turned, obedient to her command.

“Now here!”

Again, it followed her directions blindly.

A clearing in the trees opened up before them. She guided the horse into a tight circle down into the center of it. They landed, then raced for shelter under
the very trees that had posed such danger just moments before. No sooner had they reached safety than Catryn felt the fire reaching out for her again. This time she was ready. She threw up a: shield around her mind.

From high above, a monstrous scream rent the air. The horse tossed its head; its eyes flamed. The scream tore through the mist once more, then there was silence. With the silence came a lightening of the air, a clearing of the mist.

Tentatively, Catryn sent her mind out to search. She found nothing. Whatever it had been, it was gone. Within moments the stars shone brightly again, and the clearing in which they sheltered became bathed in moonlight.

The first rays of dawn were stroking their way through the trees when they returned to the campsite. Catryn threw a blanket over the horse’s steaming sides and rubbed him down, then went over to Dahl. He was sitting by the remnants of their fire, waiting for her. When he saw her, he leaped to his feet, his face alight with relief.

She cut short his greeting.

“The Elders and I saw truly, Dahl,” she said. “There is something terrible going on in this land.”

“Stir up the fire,” Dahl replied. “I will waken Bruhn and the Sele and we will talk.” When they were all sitting around the fire, Catryn recounted the night’s happenings, but did not speak of the temptation that had nearly killed her. It was with a slight sense of guilt that she held this back, but then justified it by reasoning that it might cause Dahl to lose confidence in her. What good would it do for him to begin doubting her, especially since she had vowed nothing like that would happen again? No good at all, she assured herself.

After Catryn had finished speaking, they sat for a time in silence. Then Dahl spoke.

“The presence you felt pursuing you—know you what it might have been?”

“No,” Catryn answered. “Only that it felt more malevolent than any force I have ever felt before. It was powerful, Dahl. If I had let it, it would have destroyed my mind.”

“If it could destroy you,” Bruhn said, “you with your powers, what could it do then to us?” His voice was brittle.

What answer could she make to that? None. Besides, she was in no mood to speak to Bruhn. She ignored him and directed her words instead to Dahl. “We must make haste to the cave of the Elders.”

“Will they help us?” Bruhn challenged her. He would not be dismissed so easily. “Will they give us protection?”

“They will help us in their own way,” Catryn answered, evading the question.

“What way …?” His voice was even more brittle now, and rising.

“The Elders—they have their own wisdom, their own way of helping us, Bruhn,” Dahl broke in, conciliatorily. “They gave us aid before. They will do so again.”

Bruhn fell silent but his face was troubled. He did not look reassured by Dahl’s words.

They took a hasty breakfast and made ready to leave. As they rode off, Sele the Plump signaled to Catryn to ride with it for a while. She fell back and allowed Bruhn to take her place beside Dahl.

“He is afraid,” the Sele said, nodding his head in Bruhn’s direction.

“So he is,” Catryn answered.

“All this is strange to him, Catryn,” the Sele went on. “He has had no experience of these things. Your account frightened him.”

“What happened frightened
me,”
Catryn said. It was not an admission that she would have made to anyone else, not even Dahl. It surprised her that she could make it to Sele the Plump. But it was not Bruhn’s fear that worried her. It was how that fear might affect him. And affect the whole of their quest.

Toward evening it began to rain. By the time Catryn finally signaled a halt, they were all wet through and miserable with cold.

“Is this place familiar to you, Dahl?” she asked.

Dahl looked around him. “It is,” he replied, “but I would not have been able to find it by myself.”

It was the spot where the Protector had first taken Catryn and Dahl into the cave of the Elders. The air here shimmered and had an opaque quality to it. Catryn raised her hands and began to make an opening in the space before her. She worked her way
down. A dazzling light shone through, one spot of brilliance in the darkness that was beginning to surround them now. It beckoned to them.

“Lead the way, Dahl,” she said. “You know it well. I will help the others.”

Dahl nodded and strode through, leading Magnus. He vanished from sight instantly. The Sele stepped forward next, leading both his horse and the pack mare.

Catryn motioned to the Sele to go through, then turned to Bruhn. He, however, hung back.

“Now you, Bruhn,” Catryn urged. She held out her hand to him.

Bruhn ignored her outstretched fingers. “I need not your help,” he said.

Catryn raised an eyebrow. That attitude did not bode well. She shrugged. “Go on your own, then,” she said, not bothering to keep the irritation out of her voice.

Bruhn stepped forward. He hesitated at the threshold, took a deep breath and pushed through. He had forgotten to lead his horse.

Catryn caught up the bridle. “Follow,” she commanded her own horse, then led Bruhn’s through.

The perfect garden welcomed her as if she had returned from a long journey. Warmth surrounded her immediately, but the silence here was complete. She basked for a moment in the intensity of the light that pervaded every nook and cranny and in the brilliance of the blossoms that spilled around her, but she
could not stay to savor it. Dahl was already making his way toward the cave that lay in front of them, Sele the Plump close upon his heels. Bruhn stood staring around him in wonderment.

“It is beautiful,” he whispered. “But there is no sound.” Then he flushed and seemed to come to himself as she handed him his horse’s bridle. He did not thank her.

It would seem my worries are not unreasonable, Catryn thought, watching Bruhn as he hastened to follow Dahl. He will cause problems. I should never have allowed him to come.

She followed him into the cave, her delight at returning to this haven marred. The air filled with soft noises as soon as they stepped inside. Catryn heard the trickling of the small stream that ran through the cave and supplied them with fresh, clear, cold water. Out of habit, she paused to dip her hand in it and sip. So pure! There was no water anywhere else that could compare.

The Elders were three. Two men and one woman. Catryn alone knew their names, but even she would never speak them aloud. The men were white-haired and their beards cascaded down over their chests. The woman was crowned with golden hair that glinted with silver. They seemed as ancient as the rock itself upon which they sat. To one side, the Protector stood. Dahl made an instinctive move toward him, then stopped. His face betrayed his dismay.

“Yes, Dahl,” the Protector said, in answer to his
unspoken cry. “I am grown old. You see now why I could not come to you.” He, who had stood so tall and strong, now looked even older than the Elders. More frail. He turned his eyes to Catryn. “You did well to bring him back to me, little cat,” he said.

Catryn could not speak. Memories crowded in upon her. Memories of the quest the Protector had led Dahl and her on. Memories of the despair she and Dahl had felt at his apparent death. Then the aura of the Elders reached out to enfold her. She closed her eyes, the better to listen to the singing of it. It sang of welcome, and understanding and support.

Tauna, Mother of Taun, spoke first. “You bring news?” Her voice rang with the timbre of a silver bell.

For a moment Catryn was not sure whether the words had been spoken aloud or in her mind. She opened her eyes. The others had heard as well—the words had been meant for all to hear.

Catryn nodded. “I do, madam. And it is as we suspected. It is not good.”

Tauna answered with a brief inclination of her head. “You will tell us what you have discovered,” she said to Catryn and Dahl. “But while you do, your friends must rest and refresh themselves.” She motioned toward an opening in the cave wall. “Go through there,” she said to Bruhn and the Sele. “You will find all that you need for yourselves and the horses. We will call you later.” The words were soft-spoken, but the ring of command within them was unmistakable.

Then Ygrauld, the older of the two men, stood. He looked hard at Sele the Plump. “I welcome you, friend Sele,” he said. “Your race has done much for us in the past.” He paused. “And you will do much for us in the future. You are of great importance to this world.”

Sele the Plump bowed its head. For once it seemed speechless.

“And your comrade, Dahl,” Ygrauld continued, looking now at Bruhn. “He is welcome, too. You are a brave man to accompany Dahl on this quest,” he said to him.

Bruhn flushed again. He dropped his eyes.

“Perhaps braver than you know,” Ygrauld added.

“But perhaps not,” the other Elder, Ronauld, said softly. They were the first words he had spoken. The air seemed suddenly chilled.

Dahl looked up quickly but the ancient one said nothing more.

Sele the Plump broke the awkward silence. He picked up the horses’ reins and headed toward the opening. “Will you lead Magnus as well as your own mount?” it asked Bruhn. “Catryn’s horse needs no leading, of course.” There was, perhaps, the hint of a reproach in its voice. It had noticed Bruhn’s forgetfulness.

Bruhn scowled. “I would stay with Dahl,” he said.

Dahl threw an arm around Bruhn’s shoulder, but gathered both horses’ reins and led him toward the opening.

“Not now,” he said, voice placating, as he handed the reins to Bruhn. “For now Catryn and I have things to discuss that do not concern you. I will go to you later,” he added, “and tell you what you need to know of what has transpired.”

Not wise, Catryn thought, as she saw Bruhn’s scowl deepen. Dahl does not know how much Bruhn resents me already. This can only worsen the situation. I must tell Dahl what happened the other night. Perhaps, after the Elder’s words, he will heed me now.

But there was no opportunity to speak with Dahl alone that night. He and Catryn talked long into the dark hours with the Elders and with the Protector. Catryn spoke of what she had seen and what she had heard. She did not tell of how close she had come to entrapment, however, nor did she speak of the vision she had had in Dahl’s palace. She was still reluctant to let Dahl know about either incident. The Elders listened and together they made what plans they could.