by Arthur Slade
“There’s nothing wrong with sheepherders,” he replied. “Be sure to thank one next time you sit down to a plateful of mutton. And don’t ever make fun of my home country.”
He said this last line with a hint of menace. Since I never knew where I came from, I never felt an allegiance to any kingdom. My allegiance was to the place I grew up. “What do these ingredients have to do with Woden?”
“My mother ran the gardens of Gornia.” He paused as if he expected us to recognize this supposedly famous place. “Well, they are well known in Gudheim.”
“I’m sure many boring things are,” Megan said.
This got a frown out of Thord. “Anyway, I believe this list is showing us where Banderius is.”
“It’s a complicated way to find him,” I said. I leaned on the table. "Very few people would know where those ingredients were from."
“He was a master of riddles,” Maestru Beatrix said. “And he had an odd sense of humor. Though the berry of the Black Lotus vine and the petals of the Hokum flower are used in soporific potions. So it is a riddle that many assassins might figure out. He also knows every nook and cranny of Ellos, so it doesn’t surprise me he'd be familiar with Gudheim.”
“So you think he sent this out to fellow assassins?” I said.
Maestru Beatrice thought for a moment. “Yes. This ‘recipe map’ could have been retrieved from the home of a dead assassin—someone Banderius knew personally. And Corwin is trying to decipher it right now, or he has deciphered it and is hunting for Banderius. His death would be a prize kill, like when Sargon had the great wizard Davak crucified on an oak tree. That was the final blow to any strong wizard resistance. Banderius’s death would be the end of hope for any living assassins.”
“Then we have to get to him before Corwin,” I said. “It's our only chance to receive his counsel and perhaps the help of his sword. Plus, who knows how long he'll wait in Woden. If no one comes, Banderius might choose to vanish forever.”
“But Woden is a full month’s march northwards,” Megan said. “And that’s only if we don’t stop to sleep.”
I knew it wasn't a month's march for me. But Brax couldn't carry three passengers. He didn't even want to have one.
“Maestru Beatrix, what should we do?” I asked.
“I am not your maestru any longer,” she said. “You could follow the wisdom of the remaining wizards who hired boats and sailed away to the west.”
“None of the wizards returned,” Megan said. "No one returns from those seas."
“Yes, there’s that,” Beatrix answered. “Your best course is to gather information. Banderius is an egotistical man, perhaps the most egotistical I’ve known. And I’m including your brother when I say that.” She looked at me. “But Banderius is brilliant and if there is anyone who can uncover secret places for you to hide, he would be the one. He swore the Red Oath to aid guild assassins, so I’m confident he'll help you.”
“We still have the problem of two months’ travel,” Thord said. “If Corwin is looking for him, he’ll just fly there on a swan in a few days.”
“I may be able to solve that problem,” Maestru Beatrix said. “At least for two of you.” She pulled her mask back on again. I was amazed at how quickly it changed shape to make her look like a man. An ugly man! She even broadened her shoulders. “Come with me, it’s a walk.”
The three of us followed her out of the room. I was last, so I paused and took the top book from the pile. It was titled Bartum's Revenge and was small enough to fit into one of my cloak pockets. I knew nothing about it or the author, but it felt good to be carrying it near my heart.
We followed Maestru Beatrix out of the library. She was in a secretive mood and she led us through the streets without telling us a word about our destination. She stopped to buy a fresh and wonderful-smelling loaf of bread and four sausage pastries. Then we left Avenus by the same gate I’d entered. One guard nodded at Beatrix, and I wondered what contacts and bonds she had formed. He already knew her by this face. Would she have to wear that mask for the rest of her life?
We walked on and when Megan and Thord had fallen a few steps behind, Beatrice said, “I wasn’t aware that Maestru Alesius kept a magical eye in a jar.”
I blushed. I didn’t want to lie to her, so I said, “He didn’t. But I can’t tell you where it’s from.”
“I’m just glad you have it,” she answered.
In time we came to a large white stone farmhouse. Behind it was a two-story manger made of the same impressive stone—the barn must have cost more than many of the homes in Avenus! They had made all the fencing of similar alabaster stone.
“One librarian owns this.” Maestru Beatrix gestured around her.
“A librarian is this rich?” Thord said.
“There’s no law against librarians becoming wealthy,” Maestru Beatrix replied. “And we do know how to invest our meager pay.”
She removed her mask and led us into the barn. There were several impressively muscled horses inside eating at a bale of hay. They had that horse smell to them, which I always had enjoyed. It meant travel. There was very little manure in the barn. Perhaps the Avenians did not want a single drop of mud or manure to hit the floor. It was almost an obsession.
“These are racehorses!” Megan said. The look on her face was of such shock. “There is more wealth inside the building than outside.”
“Well, they are champion horses,” Beatrix said. “They won the Green Dome Races three times in a row.”
Megan’s eyes grew even wider. “And, and we will get these horses?” she said. "They must fly like devils."
“Never, by Belaz!” Maestru Beatrix said. “Your mounts are waiting up above us.” She easily climbed a wide ladder on the wall that led into the loft. “Ah, there you are, my sweeties.”
Something stirred at the sound of her voice and made the boards creak, and I got the odd feeling that there was a dragon up there.
I was the next up, and once I stepped off the ladder and turned, I shuddered. There were four black angry eyes staring at me and two razor-sharp beaks pointed my way.
Two giant black guild swans. They glared at us with their intelligent dark eyes. One lifted its wing and scratched at her side with her beak, all the while keeping an eye on us.
“I was able to rescue these from the fortress,” Maestru Beatrix said. “I escaped on Bolt here while Maestru Arvid battled the Immortals.” This swan had a white grouping of feathers on his chest that looked like a lightning bolt. I remembered him from all the time I'd spent mucking out the swannery. “Master Arvid was supposed to leave with me. But… well, he died defending his swans.” She pointed at the second swan. "Naga followed me. I also saved two eggs that Arvid had packaged.”
“Where are those?” Thord asked.
She smiled, showing wrinkles. “In a very safe place.”
Thinking of Beatrix escaping on the back of Bolt reminded me of an unsolved puzzle.
“Thord said you brought only one book with you,” I said. “I really want to know which book out of your whole library was the most valuable.”
“Ohh…” Beatrix blushed. “The Mountains of NeverNone.”
“What?” I said. “An adventure story?”
“I wasn’t finished it. In fact, I was reading it when the Immortals charged into my library. So I had to bring it with me. The ending was worth it.” She gestured toward the swans. “Anyway, the important thing is that Bolt and Naga are here. Neither was imprinted as a youth and so they will welcome any rider.” I took a step closer and Bolt snapped at me. “Well, most riders. I guess there’s something about you that upsets them.” She looked me over. “It surprises me. They’ve been friendly, well as friendly as swans can get.”
“Perhaps it was something I had for breakfast,” I said. I guessed they could smell the dragon on me.
Maestru Beatrix gave a chunk of the loaf to Megan and another to Thord. Naga lowered her head so Megan could scratch it and feed her. I stayed out
of beak range. Thord began feeding Bolt.
When the swans had finished their bread, Maestru Beatrice offered each of us a sausage pastry, and I swallowed mine in seconds. I could have eaten twenty.
“So you are offering these to us, to fly to Gudheim and then return them to you?” Megan said.
“These will belong to you from now on. A librarian has no use for a swan. I don’t know what Carmen will do if they don’t allow her to ride double.” She looked at me.
“Well,” I said. “I may have the answer to that. But I think I should show you.”
15
The Surprise
We bid farewell to Maestru Beatrix, who hugged each of us in turn. I didn't want to let her go. She had been one of the first people I could remember hugging me when I was a child. And our hug lasted longer than the others, though I finally released my arms.
“Safe journeys,” she said, patting my shoulder. “You know where I am now, which is dangerous for me, but I don’t believe I’m being hunted. The librarian is not as important as the trained assassins. Foolish that they think that way, isn’t it?" She tapped her forehead. "There is nothing more dangerous than knowledge. I trust you will not betray me even under torture.”
“Never,” I said, sounding much more convinced than I felt. We had taken classes on how to keep secrets under duress, but that was far different from actually being under duress.
“I am glad you found each other,” she said. “You are worth a lot dead, so be careful who you talk to.”
“We will,” Thord said. “Thank you for everything.”
"You are welcome, and do come visit me anytime you want. I'll always have a book for you. And time."
And then she was down the ladder and gone. We waited until nightfall to open the loft gates, and both Thord and Megan mounted their swans and flew out. I closed the gate behind them and made my way outside.
As I walked toward the hills Thord and Megan followed me, high in the air, their outlines visible against the stars. Even with my dragon eye they were hard to see. The swans were perhaps the most powerful tool an assassin had. It meant we could strike a target at any location. And, as long as the moon wasn’t full, we could hide in the sky.
I climbed one incline then another, getting sweatier and dirtier and a little more tired. The darkness had altered how the landscape looked so that I wasn’t certain which copse of trees Brax was hiding in. I searched until I saw a familiar smaller hill and signaled for my companions to come to me. The swans swooped down silently and landed without even snapping a twig. Thord and Megan dismounted and staked the reins to the ground. There wasn’t even a squawk from Bolt and Naga.
“Where is this secret you’ve hidden?” Megan asked. “Is it some sort of chariot?”
“Come along,” I said, staying ahead of them to avoid any more questions. Even with their night vision training they would only spot half the things I could with my dragon eye. I ducked under several branches, crossed a gulley and stopped before the pile of leaves that Brax had hidden under. “There!” I said with a flourish. I gestured like a magician at a traveling show.
“There what?” Thord asked.
“There!” I said again. And pointed at the pile, which refused to move. Was he asleep? What happened to those famous dragon senses?
“I didn't tramp out here for nothing.” Megan had crossed her arms. "What kind of game are you playing?"
“But... But...” I said. I kicked at a few of the leaves. “It’s not a game.”
“It’s a stupid game,” she corrected. “We are—”
“Have you brought me food?” His voice was deep and echoed in every direction. I stared at the leaves.
“No, Brax,” I said. "You're not being funny."
“I am hungry,” he said. “I want food. They smell rather scrumptious.”
“What is this!” Thord said. “Tell us? Who is your friend?” Both looked way more frightened and angry than I had intended. It was supposed to be a grand revelation.
“I’ll eat the boy first,” Brax said.
“These are my friends, Brax!” I took a few steps toward the pile of leaves.
“I only promised to protect you. Everything else is food.”
“Enough!” I flipped the largest branch out of the way.
He wasn’t there.
Both swans hissed in anger. I turned and saw what was bothering them. Brax was behind the three of us. He had somehow snuck up on us and was bending down, looking like he would pounce on my friends.
Thord and Megan, seeing my alarmed look, both spun around. Thord reeled back, reaching for his short sword and shouting, “Sweet mother of Hecab!”
Brax opened his mouth and plunged toward him. I rushed to get in between them but knew I’d be far too late.
Thord tripped over a root and fell just as Brax snapped his jaws only an inch from his face. Then Brax grinned.
“I was just toying with you,” he said. “With all of you. I’ve already had a deer.”
Thord was up on his feet and backing away. “Is—is that what I think it is?”
“It’s a Scythian dragon,” Megan said. She had not put her daggers away. “And it talks.”
“Oh, look, it’s an assassin girl-child and it talks,” Brax said. “Of course, I talk.”
I stood between my friends and Brax. “That was not funny.”
“I laughed. That’s all that matters. My guess is you wanted to surprise your friends and show them your pet. So, being a good pet, I surprised them.”
“He—he is talking like he knows you,” Megan said.
“These are not the smartest assassins, are they?” Brax waved his wings, and the swans made another hiss of fear but they did not attempt to fly away, so strong was their training. “I guess they killed the smart ones first.”
“This is Brax,” I said. “And he’s right—I meant to surprise you.”
“Oh, it surprised me,” Megan said. She still was pale, and it wasn’t just the moonlight. “I think I aged ten years.”
“I may require new underclothing,” Thord added.
“You have a lot to explain,” Megan began, then she pointed at Brax. “He’s missing an eye.” She looked at me. “You’ve gained an eye.”
“Oh, this one is smarter than she appears,” Brax said. He clapped his talons together.
“Yes. I have his eye,” I answered. I was about to launch into the story when Brax interrupted.
“Let me tell them. She found me in a cave where I was bound by a magical chain. She freed me with her daggers in exchange for my eye and the right to ride on my back until her brother is dead. Then she will be my servant for a year. So, if you are here to help her with killing her brother, I am your newest, closest and dearest scaly friend. Does that about sum everything up?” He looked at me.
“Yes,” I said.
“How did you free him with a dagger?” Megan asked. And here all this time I’d thought her looks meant she wasn't a quick thinker. Another stupid assumption on my part.
“The daggers were warded Uriken blades," I explained. "They were the actual gift I received from Maestru Alesius.” I took a dagger out and cut through a six-inch-thick branch. It fell to the ground.
“If we are to work together there will be no secrets,” Megan said. “At least not ones like this.” She gestured toward Brax.
“Yes, I agree,” Thord said. “No secrets. No more hidden dragons or daggers. Anything you’ve forgotten to tell us? How about your eye, is it special?”
“I can see in the dark.”
“Is there anything else it can do?” Thord asked.
I drew back. I didn’t want to talk about the visions I’d seen. Or the sense that I sometimes saw other worlds. “No. Not that I know of.”
“You are not the same person I knew at school,” he said. There was a ring of wonder to his voice. “You have changed a great deal in a short while. I almost don’t know you.”
“I think,” I said, “we are all getting to know
each other for the first time. And, if you are ready, I suggest we begin flying and then we can continue this discussion.”
16
An Important Question
The swans would not fly near enough to Brax so that the three of us could talk, so we took the lead. Thord and Megan fell in a long distance behind us, but only a few wing lengths from each other. I couldn't hear their discussion, but whenever I glanced over my shoulder, they were talking.
“I found a book for us,” I said, deciding to start my own conversation.
“A book? You got a book?”
“Yes," I said. "Don't sound so surprised. I like reading, too. It's from the Avenus library.”
“You stole a book from the library?” Brax said. “All of Avenus will hunt you down and skin you alive for that evil crime.”
“No, they won't," I said. "The book was free.”
At this he was silent for several moments, though by the way his head moved I guessed he was trying to make sense of what I'd said. I wished I could see his expression. “A free book! The Avenians are wondrous people. For humans, that is. Show it to me at once.”
I pulled it from my cloak and leaned ahead, keeping one hand tight on his neck spike. I held it in front of his right eye. “Bartum’s Revenge? By Ptolemak! There is not a better adventure writer in all of Ellos. This is wonderful news.”
“I thought you’d like it,” I said, though I actually had no idea what his tastes in reading were. I slid the book into my knapsack.
"Well, life is worth living again," he said. He cleared his throat, which made his body rumble below me. "When you were in Avenus did you see a witch with stringy white hair?”
“Yes,” I said. “How did you know?”
“Oh, it was a guess,” he answered. Apparently winging through the air at a good clip didn’t tire him out, as he could talk easily. “A good guess, that’s all. Plus you have a charm on your eye and the spell still hangs about you. I recognize that type of stink.”