Read Online Daughter of Magic - Wizard of Yurt - 5 by C. Dale Brittain, Brittain - Free Book Online
Authors: C. Dale Brittain, Brittain
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her own superior knowledge.
Justinia smiled. “Know then, my child, I have had but brief acquaintance with beef. It is eaten rarely in Xantium.” Antonia thought this over. “How about chicken? How about bread? How about onions?”
But I interrupted before they could go into culinary comparisons of east and west “Since the mage entrusted you to me, my lady, I hope you wil alow me to ask what foes forced you to leave home, and what likelihood there is that they wil folow you here.”
Justinia gave a flick of her graceful wrist, jangling her bracelets as though to dismiss such dangers as unimportant. “It is the old controversy between my grandfather and the Thieves’ Guild, of course,” she said in a bored voice. “It was destiny’s decree that the controversy arise again. Al believed it settled a great many years ago, when I was but very smal, back when—” and for a moment her voice became faint
“—back when they assassinated my parents.”
“What’s assassinated?” Antonia asked, but I shushed her.
“My grandfather the governor declared that the thieves were becoming far too frequent on the streets of Xantium, even in the harbor which was forbidden them, and that he would shut down the Thieves’
Market if they could not conform to their earlier agreement. The Guild replied that they could not be responsible for the doings of non-Guild members, and that the governor’s taxes on their Market had risen most exceedingly. Tensions were such that— Wel, my grandfather did not desire the lives of any of his family again used as negotiating tokens.”
“I understand, my lady,” I said gravely, glad Yurt had never had anything like this deadly political maneuvering. But then the wizards of the western kingdoms would never alow it to come to this. “But why did you come here?”
She had been playing with her rings while she talked, but now she turned to look at me over a half-bare shoulder with her dark almond-shaped eyes. “It is very far from Xantium. Or if I may speak boldly, from anywhere else.”
This was reasonably accurate; Yurt, one of the smalest of the western kingdoms, would not normaly be a place of which anyone in the East had heard. But our quest fifteen years ago had alerted a number of powerful people, not just the mage Law-algin, to the existence of Yurt. I hoped that none of them would be people in contact with the Thieves’ Guild.
“Wait a minute,” I said. “I thought the mage operated out of the Thieves’ Market himself. Why should your grandfather trust him?” I had no intention of being manipulated into being part of a devious double-edged plot against a lovely young woman.
“When one’s life is in most dire danger,” she said in a tone that sounded not young but very old and weary, “one trusts no one.” She nodded toward the automaton. “That is why I brought him with me.” And the mage had doubtless made the automaton as wel. I had been able to work with him in the East because our purposes coincided, and we had eaten his salt—I wondered how long the beneficial effects of that were supposed to last.
As I left the Lady Justinia’s chambers one of the castle servants met me. “You have a telephone cal, sir,” he said, looking anxious. “I think—I think it’s from the bishop.”
“Tel him I’l be right there!” I darted across the courtyard, delighting Antonia, who was riding on my shoulder again, and opened the door to my chambers. “Stay here,” I told her. “I’l be back soon. Don’t leave for any reason.”
“Al right, Wizard,” she said agreeably. “Or should I cal you Daimbert, the way Mother does? Would you like that better?” I closed the door without answering and hurried to the telephone. Whatever the bishop had to tel me, I did not think Antonia should hear it. But I immediately began to imagine the harm she could do to herself in my rooms, starting with puling down a bookshelf on top of herself.
The bishop was actualy
Justinia smiled. “Know then, my child, I have had but brief acquaintance with beef. It is eaten rarely in Xantium.” Antonia thought this over. “How about chicken? How about bread? How about onions?”
But I interrupted before they could go into culinary comparisons of east and west “Since the mage entrusted you to me, my lady, I hope you wil alow me to ask what foes forced you to leave home, and what likelihood there is that they wil folow you here.”
Justinia gave a flick of her graceful wrist, jangling her bracelets as though to dismiss such dangers as unimportant. “It is the old controversy between my grandfather and the Thieves’ Guild, of course,” she said in a bored voice. “It was destiny’s decree that the controversy arise again. Al believed it settled a great many years ago, when I was but very smal, back when—” and for a moment her voice became faint
“—back when they assassinated my parents.”
“What’s assassinated?” Antonia asked, but I shushed her.
“My grandfather the governor declared that the thieves were becoming far too frequent on the streets of Xantium, even in the harbor which was forbidden them, and that he would shut down the Thieves’
Market if they could not conform to their earlier agreement. The Guild replied that they could not be responsible for the doings of non-Guild members, and that the governor’s taxes on their Market had risen most exceedingly. Tensions were such that— Wel, my grandfather did not desire the lives of any of his family again used as negotiating tokens.”
“I understand, my lady,” I said gravely, glad Yurt had never had anything like this deadly political maneuvering. But then the wizards of the western kingdoms would never alow it to come to this. “But why did you come here?”
She had been playing with her rings while she talked, but now she turned to look at me over a half-bare shoulder with her dark almond-shaped eyes. “It is very far from Xantium. Or if I may speak boldly, from anywhere else.”
This was reasonably accurate; Yurt, one of the smalest of the western kingdoms, would not normaly be a place of which anyone in the East had heard. But our quest fifteen years ago had alerted a number of powerful people, not just the mage Law-algin, to the existence of Yurt. I hoped that none of them would be people in contact with the Thieves’ Guild.
“Wait a minute,” I said. “I thought the mage operated out of the Thieves’ Market himself. Why should your grandfather trust him?” I had no intention of being manipulated into being part of a devious double-edged plot against a lovely young woman.
“When one’s life is in most dire danger,” she said in a tone that sounded not young but very old and weary, “one trusts no one.” She nodded toward the automaton. “That is why I brought him with me.” And the mage had doubtless made the automaton as wel. I had been able to work with him in the East because our purposes coincided, and we had eaten his salt—I wondered how long the beneficial effects of that were supposed to last.
As I left the Lady Justinia’s chambers one of the castle servants met me. “You have a telephone cal, sir,” he said, looking anxious. “I think—I think it’s from the bishop.”
“Tel him I’l be right there!” I darted across the courtyard, delighting Antonia, who was riding on my shoulder again, and opened the door to my chambers. “Stay here,” I told her. “I’l be back soon. Don’t leave for any reason.”
“Al right, Wizard,” she said agreeably. “Or should I cal you Daimbert, the way Mother does? Would you like that better?” I closed the door without answering and hurried to the telephone. Whatever the bishop had to tel me, I did not think Antonia should hear it. But I immediately began to imagine the harm she could do to herself in my rooms, starting with puling down a bookshelf on top of herself.
The bishop was actualy
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