Read Online Daughter of Magic - Wizard of Yurt - 5 by C. Dale Brittain, Brittain - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: C. Dale Brittain, Brittain
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said encouragingly, feeling panic set in. “Maybe if you have your nap—”
“I am not cranky]” she shouted, tears pouring down her cheeks.
I gave up trying to calm a distraught little girl and lifted her from the floor with magic, startling her so much she stopped crying for a moment, and flew across the courtyard with her to the twins’ suite.
They were both there, Hildegarde wearing her leather tunic and sword belt but sitting disconsolately in the window seat, and Celia reading her Bible with an aggrieved angle to her chin as though finding things in it different from what the bishop had told her.
“You haven’t seen Paul, have you?” Hildegarde asked me, but not as though she realy cared. “The king realy liked Justinia’s dress,” she added over her shoulder to her sister. “Maybe you should get one like it, Celia, if Father ever takes us to Xantium as he keeps saying he wil,” but even this teasing sounded halfhearted. “Here,” to Antonia. “Stop crying and I’l let you hold my knife.” I was horror-struck, but Antonia gulped back her sobs and reached for the knife. Hildegarde closed the girl’s smal fingers around the handle. “Hold it very carefuly,” she said, “so nobody-gets hurt.”
“The wizard wouldn’t let me read my book,” said Antonia, looking at me from under lowered eyebrows and holding the knife in a way I would have caled threatening.
I stood back a safe distance. “I think the king went riding after lunch,” I said to Hildegarde. Paul tended to react to anything which he had to think over by taking his stalion out for a miles-long run. Even if he didn’t end up exploring some ruined castle or scenic waterfal, he might be gone for hours, occasionaly even days. No one, not even the queen mother, had ever been able to persuade him that a king should have an escort when galoping around the countryside. Besides, no other horse in the kingdom could keep up with Bonfire.
“Earlier he’d said he was going to show me some exercises. But I guess,” Hildegarde added with a deep sigh, “that he was just humoring me. He doesn’t drink I can be a knight any more than anybody else does.”
Either that, I thought but did not say, or Lady Justinia’s arrival had distracted him so much he had forgotten everything else.
“I was going to be a wizard,” said Antonia with a dark look for me, “but now I think I’l be a knight too.”
“Knights need their naps,” said Hildegarde, unfolding herself from the window seat. “Don’t I remember tucking you in over an hour ago, you little scamp? And then,” with a laugh, “I looked up and saw you out in the courtyard with the wizard!”
“What’s a scamp?A asked Antonia.
“Scamps are mischievous people who have a mind of their own,” said Hildegarde. “I used to be a scamp myself.” I was surprised she put it in the past tense.
Antonia alowed herself to be taken off to bed in a much better mood than I could have anticipated a few minutes ago. Hildegarde casualy slid the knife from the girl’s hand back into her own belt.
“Celia,” I said when the others had left the room, “I need you to do something for me.”
“Of course, Wizard. Do you need to leave the girl with us again while you go somewhere?”
“No,” I said slowly, “but I would like you to go somewhere for me. Down in Caelrhon there’s a man— someone whose name I don’t know but who has been nicknamed the Dog-Man—who wants to be a priest too. I wish you would talk to him.”
Celia put her Bible down very slowly. “Is this a joke, Wizard?” she asked as though not quite sure whether to be irritated. “I remember the tricks you used to play to amuse Hildegarde and me when we were little. Because if you think you can make me forget—”
“No, no,” I said before she could make this any messier than it already was. “I’m absolutely serious.” Some of the tricks I had played on the twins had been pretty good, I recaled; I should try
“I am not cranky]” she shouted, tears pouring down her cheeks.
I gave up trying to calm a distraught little girl and lifted her from the floor with magic, startling her so much she stopped crying for a moment, and flew across the courtyard with her to the twins’ suite.
They were both there, Hildegarde wearing her leather tunic and sword belt but sitting disconsolately in the window seat, and Celia reading her Bible with an aggrieved angle to her chin as though finding things in it different from what the bishop had told her.
“You haven’t seen Paul, have you?” Hildegarde asked me, but not as though she realy cared. “The king realy liked Justinia’s dress,” she added over her shoulder to her sister. “Maybe you should get one like it, Celia, if Father ever takes us to Xantium as he keeps saying he wil,” but even this teasing sounded halfhearted. “Here,” to Antonia. “Stop crying and I’l let you hold my knife.” I was horror-struck, but Antonia gulped back her sobs and reached for the knife. Hildegarde closed the girl’s smal fingers around the handle. “Hold it very carefuly,” she said, “so nobody-gets hurt.”
“The wizard wouldn’t let me read my book,” said Antonia, looking at me from under lowered eyebrows and holding the knife in a way I would have caled threatening.
I stood back a safe distance. “I think the king went riding after lunch,” I said to Hildegarde. Paul tended to react to anything which he had to think over by taking his stalion out for a miles-long run. Even if he didn’t end up exploring some ruined castle or scenic waterfal, he might be gone for hours, occasionaly even days. No one, not even the queen mother, had ever been able to persuade him that a king should have an escort when galoping around the countryside. Besides, no other horse in the kingdom could keep up with Bonfire.
“Earlier he’d said he was going to show me some exercises. But I guess,” Hildegarde added with a deep sigh, “that he was just humoring me. He doesn’t drink I can be a knight any more than anybody else does.”
Either that, I thought but did not say, or Lady Justinia’s arrival had distracted him so much he had forgotten everything else.
“I was going to be a wizard,” said Antonia with a dark look for me, “but now I think I’l be a knight too.”
“Knights need their naps,” said Hildegarde, unfolding herself from the window seat. “Don’t I remember tucking you in over an hour ago, you little scamp? And then,” with a laugh, “I looked up and saw you out in the courtyard with the wizard!”
“What’s a scamp?A asked Antonia.
“Scamps are mischievous people who have a mind of their own,” said Hildegarde. “I used to be a scamp myself.” I was surprised she put it in the past tense.
Antonia alowed herself to be taken off to bed in a much better mood than I could have anticipated a few minutes ago. Hildegarde casualy slid the knife from the girl’s hand back into her own belt.
“Celia,” I said when the others had left the room, “I need you to do something for me.”
“Of course, Wizard. Do you need to leave the girl with us again while you go somewhere?”
“No,” I said slowly, “but I would like you to go somewhere for me. Down in Caelrhon there’s a man— someone whose name I don’t know but who has been nicknamed the Dog-Man—who wants to be a priest too. I wish you would talk to him.”
Celia put her Bible down very slowly. “Is this a joke, Wizard?” she asked as though not quite sure whether to be irritated. “I remember the tricks you used to play to amuse Hildegarde and me when we were little. Because if you think you can make me forget—”
“No, no,” I said before she could make this any messier than it already was. “I’m absolutely serious.” Some of the tricks I had played on the twins had been pretty good, I recaled; I should try
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