said. “We only went two miles up and two down the river. We should have scent hounds five miles up and down on
both
sides of the river, and mayhap a ship to take us up or down, to see if Achoo can get another whiff of him.”
Lord Gershom reached over and patted me on the shoulder. “Cooper, you, Tunstall, and Achoo have done far more than I could have hoped for. We might have lost him entirely, were it not for you three.”
Achoo knew when she was getting compliments. She wagged her tail, beating Master Farmer with it. He grinned and scratched her ears.
“So tell me, did he really make torches from rocks?” Lord Gershom asked me.
I passed my lamp to him. “He lit up an outcropping. Forgive me. He lit up the
quartz crystals
in the outcropping. And there were a couple of smaller stones fallen from the main rock, the same kind of stone, so we helped ourselves. His charms stick.”
“When it’s a charm I can work,” Master Farmer said. “Don’t confuse me with Orielle and Ironwood.”
“Who taught you this one?” my lord asked him.
“Cassine, naturally,” Master Farmer replied. “See, Cooper, we hadn’t much coin, so I did chores and so on for any mage I found who would teach me something. Then I met Master Cassine, and she took me for her student. She taught me where the spells I knew had things in common or could be put to fresh uses, as well as whatever else I could learn. She’s a great mage.”
Lord Gershom turned the glowing rock over in one gloved hand. “Who keeps to herself for the most part, the Goddess be thanked. I’d be pleased to know when this lamp fades, just for curiosity, Cooper.” He returned the lamp to me.
We all fell silent for a time. I dozed. My lord woke me by asking, “Cooper, how close are we to Tunstall?”
Pounce looked up at him.
Close
, he said.
“And I can find him, with my lord’s permission,” I replied. I halted my horse and dismounted. I didn’t have to ask Master Farmer for Achoo’s return. As soon as she saw me touch down, she wriggled out of the mage’s hold and leaped to the ground. We trotted ahead of Lord Gershom and his guards, with me holding the stone lamp up. I’d gone about a quarter mile and my arm was sore when I heard a pigeon’s call. I halted and waited for Tunstall to come out of the brush. He stood with Achoo and me, watching as the others rode up to us.
“I said to get some help, but did you have to bring the whole nursery?” he asked me quietly as the jingling men of the King’s Own came close.
“You know how it is with boys,” I replied. Any Rats that might have been nearby were long gone, alerted by the sounds of a good-sized party of folk on horses. “My lord went for a ride, and he just
couldn’t
say no, not when they begged all pathetic like.”
Lord Gershom drew up and dismounted. “Mattes,” he said, clasping Tunstall on the shoulder. “Let’s see what you have.”
One of the men from the Own came to take charge of my lord’s horse, Master Farmer’s, and mine. Rather than follow the others, I tucked my lamp in my tunic and ordered Achoo to
dukduk
. Once I found some thick bushes away from the men, she was quite willing to sit in the cool grass behind them and wait for me.
I was tidying my clothes after relieving myself when I heard several folk walking not too far from my refuge. Cursing silently, I beckoned Achoo to come with me. We hid in another clump of brush a couple of feet away. I meant to work my way around them to rejoin my lord when I heard sommat that kept me still.
“—a disgrace, to see these matters handled by Dirty Gershom and those disgusting commoners of his.” With my stone lamp hidden in my tunic, I couldn’t tell who it was that spoke, though I dearly wished I could. “I pity his lady and his children.
They
never fail to uphold their name.”
“Gershom of Haryse is an original, for certain,” one of the others said. “And I wouldn’t let that mage hear you. Even
both
sides of the river, and mayhap a ship to take us up or down, to see if Achoo can get another whiff of him.”
Lord Gershom reached over and patted me on the shoulder. “Cooper, you, Tunstall, and Achoo have done far more than I could have hoped for. We might have lost him entirely, were it not for you three.”
Achoo knew when she was getting compliments. She wagged her tail, beating Master Farmer with it. He grinned and scratched her ears.
“So tell me, did he really make torches from rocks?” Lord Gershom asked me.
I passed my lamp to him. “He lit up an outcropping. Forgive me. He lit up the
quartz crystals
in the outcropping. And there were a couple of smaller stones fallen from the main rock, the same kind of stone, so we helped ourselves. His charms stick.”
“When it’s a charm I can work,” Master Farmer said. “Don’t confuse me with Orielle and Ironwood.”
“Who taught you this one?” my lord asked him.
“Cassine, naturally,” Master Farmer replied. “See, Cooper, we hadn’t much coin, so I did chores and so on for any mage I found who would teach me something. Then I met Master Cassine, and she took me for her student. She taught me where the spells I knew had things in common or could be put to fresh uses, as well as whatever else I could learn. She’s a great mage.”
Lord Gershom turned the glowing rock over in one gloved hand. “Who keeps to herself for the most part, the Goddess be thanked. I’d be pleased to know when this lamp fades, just for curiosity, Cooper.” He returned the lamp to me.
We all fell silent for a time. I dozed. My lord woke me by asking, “Cooper, how close are we to Tunstall?”
Pounce looked up at him.
Close
, he said.
“And I can find him, with my lord’s permission,” I replied. I halted my horse and dismounted. I didn’t have to ask Master Farmer for Achoo’s return. As soon as she saw me touch down, she wriggled out of the mage’s hold and leaped to the ground. We trotted ahead of Lord Gershom and his guards, with me holding the stone lamp up. I’d gone about a quarter mile and my arm was sore when I heard a pigeon’s call. I halted and waited for Tunstall to come out of the brush. He stood with Achoo and me, watching as the others rode up to us.
“I said to get some help, but did you have to bring the whole nursery?” he asked me quietly as the jingling men of the King’s Own came close.
“You know how it is with boys,” I replied. Any Rats that might have been nearby were long gone, alerted by the sounds of a good-sized party of folk on horses. “My lord went for a ride, and he just
couldn’t
say no, not when they begged all pathetic like.”
Lord Gershom drew up and dismounted. “Mattes,” he said, clasping Tunstall on the shoulder. “Let’s see what you have.”
One of the men from the Own came to take charge of my lord’s horse, Master Farmer’s, and mine. Rather than follow the others, I tucked my lamp in my tunic and ordered Achoo to
dukduk
. Once I found some thick bushes away from the men, she was quite willing to sit in the cool grass behind them and wait for me.
I was tidying my clothes after relieving myself when I heard several folk walking not too far from my refuge. Cursing silently, I beckoned Achoo to come with me. We hid in another clump of brush a couple of feet away. I meant to work my way around them to rejoin my lord when I heard sommat that kept me still.
“—a disgrace, to see these matters handled by Dirty Gershom and those disgusting commoners of his.” With my stone lamp hidden in my tunic, I couldn’t tell who it was that spoke, though I dearly wished I could. “I pity his lady and his children.
They
never fail to uphold their name.”
“Gershom of Haryse is an original, for certain,” one of the others said. “And I wouldn’t let that mage hear you. Even
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