Even though you know it’s a terrible idea, the smarter, more responsible part of her added silently. That part always sounded a little like her older sister Maerlie. Maerlie, who was far away in Kragnir, married to the prince there and far more sensible in every way than Meg. Meg missed her terribly. Having Calen in her life had helped her not feel Maerlie’s absence quite so strongly after she left. But now she had neither one.
“That’s what I’m trying to fix,” she said out loud. She didn’t know if it was worse to have conversations with yourself out loud or silently inside your own head. Either way, she didn’t want to listen. She’d made her decision. And it wasn’t really that much of a risk. She would be careful. She’d take Jakl up so high that there would be no danger of being spotted by enemy soldiers. She just had to start looking. Jakl’s eyes were sharp; he’d be able to see even from a great distance. So they’d start going out and looking for signs of where Calen might have gone. And once she found him, she could start figuring out how to get there, to bring him home. It would all depend on where he was, she supposed.
And whether he wants to come back, that voice in her head said.
Of course he wants to come back! Meg closed her eyes. She had to stop arguing with herself this way. She was beginning to worry about her sanity.
She made herself focus on her work, and for a while she succeeded. But then there were no more papers left to read, no more summaries or responses left to write. She sat by the window and thought about Calen until it was time to go.
“There,” Pela said, tying off the last of the laces that cinched Meg’s boots tightly around her calves. She rose and stepped back, looking pleased at her work. And it was her work; Pela had decided that Meg needed a whole wardrobe of riding clothes now that she would be out in public on her dragon so much of the time. Meg had left her to it, which she was discovering was usually the smart thing to do when Pela had her mind set on something. The result was an impressive array of outfits that were practical, comfortable, and somehow still very flattering, despite being mostly variations of tunics and trousers. There were even a few fancy-dress versions, “in case you’re ever riding Jakl as part of a ceremony or formal event,” Pela had explained at Meg’s incredulous reaction. Those were really very lovely. She almost hoped that she had an occasion to wear one sometime.
The one Pela had selected today was what Meg secretly thought of as the thief-in-the-night outfit. She had no doubt Pela had had it made with just this sort of sneaking around in mind. Pela didn’t approve, not remotely, but apparently she also didn’t expect that Meg would always listen to reason. So she had provided at least one set of clothing in which Meg could sneak around in style. There were long tapered sleeves that wouldn’t catch on Jakl’s occasional rough scales, and clever leather pieces set along the inner thighs and calves that helped keep Meg firmly in place on Jakl’s back. There were even matching black leather gloves and a black hood to hold and conceal Meg’s long blond hair.
“Now we must get you outside without incident,” Pela said briskly. It was late, but there were always servants about, and some of them wouldn’t hesitate to inform the king and queen if they saw Meg stealing out for what could not possibly be any good reason at this time of night. Pela preceded Meg down the halls, checking around corners and making sure the way was clear, until they reached Jakl’s paddock. Jakl, of course, was ready and waiting, eager to go. He was always up for flying, especially at night, but Meg thought that he was also eager to help find Calen. Jakl knew how much Meg wanted to find him. And she thought that the dragon had come to love Calen in his own way, too.
Meg turned to thank Pela once more for her help, but Pela brushed her words aside. “It’s my pleasure to assist you, Princess. You know that. Now, be swift, and do what you must do, and come back safely.”
Meg nodded and was about to climb up onto her dragon’s back when she heard what sounded like a strangled squeak behind her.
She turned back around. “Pela, was that —?”
Meg’s words died her in her throat.
Pela was standing frozen on the path. She’d only taken a couple of steps before finding her way blocked by the dark figure standing before her.
It was Mage Serek.
He was standing right in front of Pela, but his attention was fixed on Meg. His eyes were alight with anger.
Meg stared back at him defiantly. He was not going to stop her.
She waited for him to shout at her, but for a long moment he didn’t say anything at all. When he finally spoke, his voice was eerily calm. “What exactly do you think you are about to do?”
“I’m going to find Calen.”
He uttered a harsh laugh. “You’re going to find Calen. You’re just going to fly off on your dragon and look for him?”
“Yes!” she said back angrily, practically spitting the word at him. “Someone has to.”
“And you think you’re just going to look down and see him standing there, waiting for you to come rescue him?”
The contempt in his voice was very irritating.
“Mage Krelig has a hundred giant disgusting slaarh,” Meg said. “Do you think they will be hard to spot?”
Serek shook his head. “Do you not quite grasp the size of the world we live in, Your Highness? What are the chances that you’re just going to happen upon the place where Krelig is hiding?”
“Small,” Meg conceded hotly. “But better than nothing. And I’ll take any chance over no chance. I don’t care how long it takes, how many nights I have to spend —”
“How much you risk yourself and your kingdom in the process,” Serek added.
Meg flinched inwardly. She didn’t like to think about that part.
“You’re not stopping me,” she said instead. She climbed the rest of the way up to Jakl’s back.
“Get down from there, idiot child!” Serek snapped. He sprinted toward her, nearly trampling poor Pela.
Jakl whipped his head down, snarling, knocking the mage to the ground. Serek twisted around to face her, but he didn’t try to get up. Jakl was still growling ominously, head lowered, his eyes fixed on Serek’s.
“Careful, Mage Serek,” Meg said softly. “Jakl knows exactly how important this is to me.”
“As do I,” Serek said, his voice controlled again, despite the dragon staring him in the face. “But this is not the way.”
Meg looked at him, a thought occurring to her. “How did you even know that I’d be out here? Have you been spying on me?” She didn’t suspect Pela for a second. Pela might try her best to discourage Meg from doing stupid things, but she would never betray her.
“No,” he said. “I thought you had more sense than to try something this foolish and dangerous. Clearly I was wrong. Anders had a vision.”
Meg wasn’t sure whether she wanted to laugh or cry. “Anders had a vision about this? Why can’t his gods-cursed glimmers show him something useful, like where Calen is, or how we can defeat Lourin, or —?”
“You know he can’t control what he sees,” Serek said. “Although I disagree that this one wasn’t useful. At least I got out here in time to stop you.”
Now Meg did laugh. “You’re not stopping me,” she said again.
“Princess, be reasonable! You can’t possibly —”
Meg narrowed her eyes at him. “You don’t get to tell me what to do. You’ve given up on him. I have not. I’m going to find him and prove to you exactly how wrong you are. About everything.”
“Princess —”
“If you stay very still, Jakl probably won’t crush you.” Let’s go, she thought at her dragon. She was done listening to Serek.
Jakl launched himself upward. Meg spared one glance back for the mage, who was still on the ground, staring after her. And then she turned back around and closed her eyes and let herself get lost in the flying.
Not for too long, though. It was tempting to just let go and feel the wind and the night and not think about anything, but she had a job t
o do.
From the dismal reports, Meg knew some of what she would see before she opened her eyes, but it was still a shock. The damage stretched farther than she’d imagined. Empty husks of buildings littered the landscape everywhere she looked. Farms had been burned, roads destroyed, and people killed, although she hoped that most of them had gotten to safety before Lourin’s army had arrived. Many of them had taken shelter within the outer walls surrounding the castle, in lands set aside for exactly this kind of emergency. But not all of them. Some didn’t want to abandon their homes. Some wanted to stay and fight to stop the enemy soldiers from destroying what they’d spent their lives building. And some had surely been murdered by Lourin soldiers for their trouble. She tried not to picture Trelian’s people — her people — falling and dying at the hands of the enemy. Innocent people, caught up in a war that should never even have started.
That was the worst part of all. Everything — all the blood and death and pain and destruction — it didn’t mean anything. It was all so stupid — they weren’t even fighting about anything real!
Lourin had attacked because Trelian had violated its promise to keep its dragon (her dragon) safely contained and on the ground. But her parents had explained to King Gerald a million times why they’d had to break that promise, and anyway, the whole reason for the original promise was meaningless, since it was based on Sen Eva’s lies about Jakl and his supposed attacks. But even though Sen Eva was dead now, her evil influence was still hurting Trelian. King Gerald didn’t believe them, or didn’t care, or both, and he wouldn’t respond to their repeated pleas for talks. He’d persuaded the leaders of his neighbor kingdoms, Baustern and Farrell-Grast, to join him, and as Meg knew all too well from those cursed reports, things were going very, very badly for Trelian at the moment.
But not for long. The Kragnir soldiers would soon arrive, and that would turn the tide. That, and whenever they finally let Meg and Jakl do something more than train.
She stared down at the ruined countryside and felt angry tears trying to squeeze out of her eyes.
How had everything become such a disaster?
One problem at a time, she told herself. Right now, she was looking for Calen. But the more she surveyed the lands around her, the more ridiculous her entire plan seemed. Serek was right, of course. The world was a very big place. And at present it was filled with fighting and fires and danger and enemies, and she should not be flying around waiting for someone to see her and attack. And Calen could be anywhere. Anywhere. She knew that. She just . . . she just felt like she should be able to find him. By force of will alone, she should be able to tell where he was.
But she couldn’t. She realized that some part of her had thought she would get up here and just have a sense of where to go. But clearly she just didn’t have any sense at all.
They flew on a while longer, but nothing changed.
We should go back, she thought at Jakl.
He turned without the faintest hint of surprise. He’d been feeling her feelings this whole time. He probably had known that she would give up before she knew it herself.
She wondered if Serek would be waiting for her. She wondered if he’d told her parents. Maybe they’d all be waiting there for her together. To tell her how foolish and careless she had been.
I know that already.
But when they reached the field by Jakl’s paddock, it was Mage Anders who was waiting.
Jakl landed, but Meg stayed on his back.
“Hello, Anders,” she said as neutrally as she could.
“Hello, Princess.” He nodded at her clothing. “That’s a really good sneaking-around outfit. Not suspicious at all.”
Meg rolled her eyes. “Did Serek send you?”
“Not exactly. Although he is the reason I’m here. Well, one of the reasons.” He waited a moment, seemed to realize she wasn’t going to come down just yet, then looked around and found a nearby rock to sit on. “Well,” he continued, “how did it go? I don’t suppose you found Calen?”
“No.”
“Ah, well. I was rooting for you. But I do agree with Serek that it was probably not the best plan.”
“It’s better than no plan!”
He considered. “Maybe. Maybe not. A bad plan could actually make things worse instead of better, you know. But in any case, what if there were another plan? One that might have a better chance of success?”
She looked at him sharply. “You have another plan?”
“Yes!” he said. “It’s a good one, too. My idea, you know.”
“But you — you didn’t believe —”
“I don’t think Calen’s a traitor,” he said. “Neither does Serek.”
“Yes, he does,” Meg said bitterly.
“He thought Calen was a risk, as did I, but I don’t think he ever truly believed that Calen wanted to join Mage Krelig. And he’s still a risk, but I think he’s less risky here with us than if we leave him in Krelig’s hands. Once we get him back, we can figure out whether he’s dangerous or not. But first we have to get him back. Serek and I are in agreement on that point.”
“He’s not dangerous!” Meg said, a little more loudly than she’d intended. “And why didn’t Serek say he had a plan?”
“I think he was working up to it when your dragon knocked him down and you flew away.”
Meg shook her head. “Well, he should have gotten to the point more quickly. He knows I don’t have a lot of patience.”
“True,” Anders agreed.
They were silent for a moment.
“So what’s this idea?” she asked at last.
“Come and we’ll show you,” he said, getting to his feet.
Meg hesitated a few seconds more, then slid down from Jakl’s back. “If this is a trick, I’ll let Jakl eat you,” she said.
“As you wish,” Anders said amiably. “But it’s not a trick. We need your help to make it work.”
She was about to ask what kind of help he meant when Pela burst into the clearing, having clearly run all the way up the path from the castle.
“Princess!” she said breathlessly. “I’m sorry! I didn’t expect you back so soon! I would have been here to meet you!” She looked at Anders in obvious confusion.
“It’s all right, Pela,” Meg said. “Come with us, and I’ll explain on the way.”
Pela nodded, then stepped into place beside Meg. They followed Mage Anders back into the castle.
Serek’s study was full of birds.
Well, maybe not entirely full of birds, but it had already been crammed with books and strange objects and containers and things, and now every remaining available bit of space seemed to have been taken over by big, black, noisy crows in wire cages.
“Um,” Meg said.
“I’ll explain in a moment,” Anders told her.
Serek, who was sitting at his desk, looked up as they came in. “Princess,” he said evenly.
“Mage Serek,” she said back, in the same careful tone.
“Oh, stop it, you two,” Anders said. “We’re all on the same team!” He walked over to one of the cages and leaned over to peer inside. “Isn’t that right?” he asked the bird looking back at him.
Pela smiled. “Who’s your friend, Mage Anders?”
“I call this one Blackie,” he answered, giving the cage a little pat. “Actually, I call most of them Blackie. It’s hard to tell them apart. Except that one over there with the one white feather on his wing. I call that one George.”
“Let’s get started,” Serek said. He gestured toward a small table surrounded by four wooden chairs. “Princess, would you sit?”
If Mage Serek was going to act like their altercation in the field had never happened, Meg decided she could do the same. She took one of the chairs, and after a moment Pela sat in the one to her left. Serek took the one across from her.
“Are you going to do the kind of spell that you and Calen used to find Maurel when she was lost?” Come to think of it, why in the world h
adn’t they done that sooner? But Serek was shaking his head.
“Krelig will have protected himself against any straightforward location spells. Remember, Sen Eva wanted us to find Maurel that time. Krelig . . . I do not think he is ready to be found. We believe he needs some time to prepare for his next move. And to try and get from Calen whatever it is he expects to get.”
“Do you have any idea what his next move will be?” Meg asked. “Or — or what it is he wants from Calen?”
Serek and Anders exchanged a look.
“We expect him to attack the Magistratum in some way,” Serek said.
“What’s left of it, anyway,” Anders put in. He made a face. “It’s kind of a mess at this point.”
Serek closed his eyes briefly in a way that somehow clearly suggested he was praying for patience. “We don’t know what form that attack will take, however. And he’ll probably attempt to win over as many of us to his side as possible first.”
Pela uttered a nervous little laugh. “But — but surely the other mages would not . . .” She trailed off, looking back and forth at their somber faces.
“There are many who do not believe we can successfully stand against him,” Serek said. “Some of those might decide to join him rather than die fighting him. More than some, perhaps.”
“But that’s cowardly!” Pela exclaimed.
“Yes,” Anders agreed. “But still true. Mages aren’t soldiers, Miss Pela. There’s no requirement for bravery. Or good character, or sense, or intelligence . . .” He paused a minute, then continued: “Or pleasant appearances, or tact, or taste, or good grooming habits —”
“Or patience,” Serek said, closing his eyes again.
“All mages have to be is good at magic,” Anders went on. “Good at magic and able to follow the rules. And there are plenty who struggle with that second part. And if Mage Krelig wants to throw all the rules away . . . that’s going to be pretty appealing to certain among us.”
Pela just shook her head, clearly dismayed.
“And Calen?” Meg prompted.
“You know that Calen has some very special abilities,” Serek said. “Mage Krelig no doubt seeks to use those abilities for his own ends. If enough of us do stand against him, I believe we can win. But if Calen’s talent gives him an extra advantage . . .”
The Mage of Trelian Page 3