Read Online Wood Nymph and the Cranky Saint- Wizard of Yurt - 2 by C. Dale Brittain, Brittain - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: C. Dale Brittain, Brittain
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His face was like a living flame. Yet there is nothing evil in him, only the overwhelming power of good.
The sin is in me, not to be able to l>ear it.”
He put his hands over his face. I blew out the candle and slowly stretched back out in my bed. He said nothing more. After a while I fel asleep again, although my dreams were more troubled than ever.
ni
Diana was surprisingly unwiling to have me help her search for the great homed rabbits. Even though it was the count, not the duchess herself, who had summoned me from the royal castle, I would have expected her to welcome any magical assistance.
‘My own wizard and my huntsmen wil be plenty,” she told me firmly the next morning. She wore a man’s leather tunic now and a disreputable old stained cloak, her only ornaments the wide gold bracelets she always wore. She realized she usualy did not look like a woman of the high aristocracy and enjoyed people’s reactions to her refusal to be conventional. “You can go home and keep an eye on Dominic.” I was about to protest, to tel her that if there was someone casting a powerful spel in this end of the kingdom, then Evrard might need another wizard’s assistance, but I stopped myself in time. He should have a chance to show his new employer his abilities unimpeded. Besides, although I would have liked to put it off, I needed to talk to my predecessor as soon as possible.
The count and countess thanked us for coming and waved from their gate as we al left their little castle. We had gone only a half mile, and Diana had just said she and Evrard would turn off the road in search of tracks, when she abruptly reined in. She started to speak, stopped, and merely pointed.
A man was coming toward us on foot, walking easily with long strides. He wore a green cloak ana had a heavy bow slung on his back. He would have looked entirely normal except for his height: He must have been over seven feet tal.
I probed quickly with words of the Hidden Language, suspecting another magic creature. But there was nothing about him that suggested he was other than fuly human.
He continued toward us, his long blond hair blowing out behind him. Though his hair was unkempt, his beard was neatly trimmed. Ten feet short of the duchess’ horse, he stopped and went gracefuly down on one knee.
“Greetings, my lady. I hear you need a huntsman.” His voice was surprisingly cultured and very deep.
The duchess looked flustered, which was surprising in her. “Where did you hear that?”
He looked up and smiled. He had a slow smile that lit up his face like the sun. “Its scarcely a secret that you’re trying to track some magic creatures. Horned rabbits, aren’t they?”
“And you think you could help?” She almost sounded nervous, but not as though she felt any fear of this huntsman—rather, if it had been anyone but the duchess, I would have caled it girlish shyness.
He stood up and came over to her horse, where he faced her nearly at eye level. “I’ve never failed as a
hunter and tracker,” he said, stil smiling. “Cal me Nimrod.”
“And Nimrod was a mighty hunter before the Lord,” quoted Joachim in a low voice next to me.
Diana studied him in silence for thirty seconds. “Al right, Nimrod,” she said abruptly, almost triumphantly. “I’l give you a chance to prove your ability. We’ve spotted the great horned rabbits several times.
But we’ve never been able to catch one.”
“Then let’s begin. Il leave you to place your huntsmen and your hounds.” He strode off purposefuly toward the woods.
“Al right,” said the duchess. “Wel, good-bye, and thanks again for your offer of help!” she added to me, then kicked her horse into motion. Evrard waved at us and galoped after her.
Joachim and I looked at each other a moment in silence, then started up again for the long ride back to the royal castle. We had ridden a mile when Joachim asked, “Do you think he might have made the great horned rabbits
The sin is in me, not to be able to l>ear it.”
He put his hands over his face. I blew out the candle and slowly stretched back out in my bed. He said nothing more. After a while I fel asleep again, although my dreams were more troubled than ever.
ni
Diana was surprisingly unwiling to have me help her search for the great homed rabbits. Even though it was the count, not the duchess herself, who had summoned me from the royal castle, I would have expected her to welcome any magical assistance.
‘My own wizard and my huntsmen wil be plenty,” she told me firmly the next morning. She wore a man’s leather tunic now and a disreputable old stained cloak, her only ornaments the wide gold bracelets she always wore. She realized she usualy did not look like a woman of the high aristocracy and enjoyed people’s reactions to her refusal to be conventional. “You can go home and keep an eye on Dominic.” I was about to protest, to tel her that if there was someone casting a powerful spel in this end of the kingdom, then Evrard might need another wizard’s assistance, but I stopped myself in time. He should have a chance to show his new employer his abilities unimpeded. Besides, although I would have liked to put it off, I needed to talk to my predecessor as soon as possible.
The count and countess thanked us for coming and waved from their gate as we al left their little castle. We had gone only a half mile, and Diana had just said she and Evrard would turn off the road in search of tracks, when she abruptly reined in. She started to speak, stopped, and merely pointed.
A man was coming toward us on foot, walking easily with long strides. He wore a green cloak ana had a heavy bow slung on his back. He would have looked entirely normal except for his height: He must have been over seven feet tal.
I probed quickly with words of the Hidden Language, suspecting another magic creature. But there was nothing about him that suggested he was other than fuly human.
He continued toward us, his long blond hair blowing out behind him. Though his hair was unkempt, his beard was neatly trimmed. Ten feet short of the duchess’ horse, he stopped and went gracefuly down on one knee.
“Greetings, my lady. I hear you need a huntsman.” His voice was surprisingly cultured and very deep.
The duchess looked flustered, which was surprising in her. “Where did you hear that?”
He looked up and smiled. He had a slow smile that lit up his face like the sun. “Its scarcely a secret that you’re trying to track some magic creatures. Horned rabbits, aren’t they?”
“And you think you could help?” She almost sounded nervous, but not as though she felt any fear of this huntsman—rather, if it had been anyone but the duchess, I would have caled it girlish shyness.
He stood up and came over to her horse, where he faced her nearly at eye level. “I’ve never failed as a
hunter and tracker,” he said, stil smiling. “Cal me Nimrod.”
“And Nimrod was a mighty hunter before the Lord,” quoted Joachim in a low voice next to me.
Diana studied him in silence for thirty seconds. “Al right, Nimrod,” she said abruptly, almost triumphantly. “I’l give you a chance to prove your ability. We’ve spotted the great horned rabbits several times.
But we’ve never been able to catch one.”
“Then let’s begin. Il leave you to place your huntsmen and your hounds.” He strode off purposefuly toward the woods.
“Al right,” said the duchess. “Wel, good-bye, and thanks again for your offer of help!” she added to me, then kicked her horse into motion. Evrard waved at us and galoped after her.
Joachim and I looked at each other a moment in silence, then started up again for the long ride back to the royal castle. We had ridden a mile when Joachim asked, “Do you think he might have made the great horned rabbits
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