Read Online The Soprano Sorceress: The First Book of the Spellsong Cycle by L. E. Modesitt Jr. - Free Book Online

sipped from the goblet. “The Ranuans insist that the sands move naturally, but they must know better. The sand-moving gives better crops to the Ebrans, who thank the dark ones, and weakens the Ranuans. Beyond that, I can see that this prosperity allows them to equip and feed better and more troops. I can only guess at the planned use of those troops. The water mirrors do not read intent, as you know.”
    “And you guess what?” Anna took a sip of water and another mouthful of bread.
    “They will invade Defalk, sooner or later—before harvest this year, or no later than next.” He shrugged. “That is but a guess.”
    Anna lifted the deep spoon and tried the whitish green mess—which turned out to be something like tart and unsweetened fried apples. She had another bite.
    “After seeing how you preferred water, I thought you might like the sour apples.”
    “They are good,” Anna said, “but I can’t live on fruit alone. The dark bread is quite good, too.” She followed her second spoonful of apples with another thin slice of the tough beef. The brown sauce helped, but the apples and the bread helped more.
    “What will you do to stop them—the dark ones?” Anna asked after several bites.
    The sorcerer finished yet another large mouthful of beef before he spoke. “I have helped Lord Barjim build walls on Defalk’s side of the Sand Pass, but they will only slow the armies of the dark ones.” He frowned. “I had not meant to speak of it, but I had wondered whether you might have some special magic, such as the mighty weapons of your world.”
    Anna thought. She didn’t want to admit she was essentially
clueless, but how could she answer him? Finally, she spoke. “Our world is different, and the way our technology works requires many technicians. Each adds something. I am only one person.”
    “What is a ‘technician’?”
    “A technician is like a player, I’d say, except technicians work with special tools and magic boxes called computers.” Anna cleared her throat. “Everything works differently here and there.”
    “Yet Daffyd’s spell brought you,” Brill pointed out.
    “I may be able to help,” Anna said, “but I need to learn more about Erde.”
    “Can you even do spells here, lady?” asked Brill coolly.
    “Yes,” Anna answered truthfully, glad that she had tried the water spell, “but I made a large mess out of one of your goblets.”
    “You broke one of them with a spell?” The frown was so momentary that Anna would have missed it had she not been concentrating on reading his reactions.
    “That wasn’t the intent.” Anna offered a gentle laugh.
    “I was trying to get cold and clean water. I got it so cold it froze the crystal.”
    “Again, you surprise me.” Brill inclined his head. “I have never tried to freeze water. Working with water can be most dangerous. Metals and stone are generally easier.”
    Anna glanced down at her plate, vaguely surprised that she had eaten everything on it, and then at Brill’s. Despite the fact that he had easily eaten twice what she had, if not more, he was clearly trim and without a spare ounce anywhere. Sorcery had to be hard work here. A trace of a smile crossed her lips. Maybe she wouldn’t have to worry about weight. Her half smile disappeared as she realized that she was being considered as a weapon in a war, and she knew little about either side.
    The sky outside the window was turning a deep purple, and the salon had gotten dimmer and dimmer.
    Brill hummed for a moment, then sang to the candle on the table between them:

    “Candle light, candle bright,
flame clear in my sight.”

    The candle flame appeared from nowhere, then flicked and continued to burn.
    “Can you do that?” Brill asked.
    “I’ve never heard the tune, but I can try. Would you hum it once?” Anna asked.
    The sorcerer obliged.
    Anna glanced up at the chandelier in the middle of the ceiling, then thought. She hummed the tune once, and again. Finally, she