Magician (10 page)

He cleared the top of the hill, his
breath coming in ragged gasps. His heart skipped as he saw that the
horses had wandered across the stream and were twenty yards farther
away than before. Plunging down the hill, he hoped the difference
would not prove fatal.

He could hear the trolls behind him as
he entered the stream at a full run. The water was shallow here, but
still it slowed him down.

Splashing through the stream, he caught
his foot on a stone and fell. He threw his arms forward and broke his
fall with his hands, keeping his head above water. Shock ran up
through his arms as he tried to regain his feet. He stumbled again
and turned as the trolls approached the water’s edge. They
howled at the sight of their tormentor stumbling in the water and
paused for a moment. Pug felt blind terror as he struggled with numb
fingers to put a stone in his sling. He fumbled and dropped the
sling, and the stream carried it away Pug felt a scream building in
his throat.

As the trolls entered the water, a
flash of light exploded behind Pug’s eyes. A searing pain
ripped across his forehead as letters of grey seemed to appear in his
mind. They were familiar to Pug, from a scroll that Kulgan had shown
him several times. Without thinking, he mouthed the incantation, each
word vanishing from his mind’s eye as he spoke it.

When he reached the last word, the pain
stopped, and a loud roar sounded from before him. He opened his eyes
and saw the two trolls writhing in the water, their eyes wide with
agony as they thrashed about helplessly, screaming and groaning.

Dragging himself out of the water, Pug
watched while the creatures struggled. They were making choking and
sputtering noises now as they flopped about. After a moment one shook
and stopped moving, lying facedown in the water. The second took a
few minutes longer to die, but like its companion, it also drowned,
unable to keep its head above the shallow water.

Feeling light-headed and weak, Pug
recrossed the stream. His mind was numb, and everything seemed hazy
and disjointed. He stopped after he had taken a few steps,
remembering the horses. He looked about and could see nothing of the
animals. They must have run off when they caught wind of the trolls
and would be on the way to safe pasture.

Pug resumed his walk to where the
Princess had been. He topped the hillock and looked around. She was
nowhere in sight, so he headed for the overturned basket of food. He
was having trouble thinking, and he was ravenous. He knew he should
be doing or thinking about something, but all he could sort out of
the kaleidoscope of his thoughts was food.

Dropping to his knees, he picked up a
wedge of cheese and stuffed it in his mouth. A half-spilled bottle of
wine lay nearby, and he washed the cheese down with it. The rich
cheese and piquant white wine revived him, and he felt his mind
clearing. He ripped a large piece of bread from a loaf and chewed on
it while trying to put his thoughts in order. As Pug recalled events,
one thing stood out. Somehow he had managed to cast a magic spell.
What’s more, he had done so without the aid of a book, scroll,
or device. He was not sure, but that seemed somehow strange. His
thoughts turned hazy again. More than anything he wanted to lie down
nd sleep, but as he chewed his food, a thought pushed through the
crazy quilt of his impressions. The Princess!

He jumped to his feet, and his head
swam. Steadying himself, he grabbed up some bread and the wine and
set off in the direction he had last seen her running. He pushed
himself along, his feet scuffing as he tried to walk. After a few
minutes he found his thinking improving and the exhaustion lifting.
He started to call the Princess’s name, then heard muted
sobbing coming from a clump of bushes. Pushing his way through, he
found Carline huddled behind the shrubs, her balled fists pulled up
into her stomach. Her eyes were wide with terror, and her gown was
soiled and torn. Startled when Pug stepped into view, she jumped to
her feet and flew into his arms, burying her head in his chest. Great
racking sobs shook her body as she clutched the fabric of his shirt.
Standing with his arms still outstretched, wine and bread occupying
his hands, Pug was totally confused over what to do. He awkwardly
placed his arm around the terrified girl and said, “It’s
all right. They’re gone. You’re safe.”

She hung on to him for a moment, then,
when her tears subsided, she stepped away. With a sniffle she said,
“I thought they had killed you and were coming back for me.”

Pug found this situation more
perplexing than any he had ever known Just when he had come through
the most harrowing experience of his young life, he was faced with
one that sent his mind reeling with a different sort of confusion.
Without thinking, he held the Princess in his arms, and now he was
suddenly aware of the contact, and her soft, warm appeal. A
protective, masculine feeling welled up inside him, and he started to
step toward her.

As if sensing his mood change, Carline
retreated. For all her courtly ways and education, she was still a
girl of fifteen and was disturbed by the rush of emotions she had
experienced when he had held her. She took refuge in the one thing
she knew well, her role as Princess of the castle. Trying to sound
commanding, she said, “I am glad to see you are unhurt, boy.”
Pug winced visibly at that. She struggled to regain her aristocratic
bearing, but her red nose and tearstained face undermined her
attempt. “Find my horse, and we shall return to the keep.”

Pug felt as if his nerves were raw.
Keeping tight control over his voice, he said, “I’m
sorry, Your Highness, but the horses have run off. I’m afraid
we’ll have to walk.”

Carline felt abused and mistreated. It
was not Pug’s fault any of the afternoon’s events had
taken place, but her often-indulged temper seized on the handiest
available object. “Walk! I can’t walk all the way to the
keep,” she snapped, looking at Pug as if he were supposed to do
something about this matter at once and without question.

Pug felt all the anger, confusion,
hurt, and frustration of the day surge up within him. “Then you
can bloody well sit here until they notice you’re missing and
send someone to fetch you.” He was now shouting. “I
figure that will be about two hours after sunset.”

Carline stepped back, her face ashen,
looking as if she’d been slapped. Her lower Up trembled, and
she seemed on the verge of tears again. “I will not be spoken
to in that manner, boy!”

Pug’s eyes grew large, and he
stepped toward her, gesturing with the wine bottle. “I nearly
got myself killed trying to keep you alive,” he shouted. “Do
I hear one word of thanks? No! All I hear is a whining complaint that
you can’t walk back to the castle. We of the keep may be
lowborn, but at least we have enough manners to thank someone when
it’s deserved.” As he spoke, he could feel the anger
flooding out of him. “You can stay here if you like, but I’m
going . . . ” He suddenly realized that he was standing with
the bottle raised high overhead, in a ridiculous pose. The Princess’s
eyes were on the loaf of bread, and he realized that he was holding
it at his belt, thumb hooked in a loop, which only added to the
awkward appearance. He sputtered for a moment, then felt his anger
evaporate and lowered the bottle. The Princess looked at him, her
large eyes peeking over her fists, which she held before her face Pug
started to say something, thinking she was afraid of him, when he saw
she was laughing. It was a musical sound, warm and unmocking. “I’m
sorry, Pug,” she said, “but you look so silly standing
there like that. You look like one of those awful statues they erect
in Krondor, with bottle held high instead of a sword.”

Pug shook his head. “I’m
the one who’s sorry, Your Highness I had no right to yell at
you that way Please forgive me.”

Her expression abruptly changed to one
of concern. “No, Pug. You had every right to say what you did I
really do owe you my life, and I’ve acted horribly.” She
stepped closer to him and placed a hand on his arm. “Thank
you.”

Pug was overcome by the sight of her
face. Any resolutions to rid himself of his boyhood fantasies about
her were now carried away on the sea breeze. The marvelous fact of
his using magic was replaced by more urgent and basic considerations.
He started to reach for her; then the reality of her station
intruded, and he presented the bottle to her. “Wine?”

She laughed, sensing his sudden shift
in thought. They were both wrung out and a little giddy from the
ordeal, but she still held on to her wits and understood the effect
she was having on him. With a nod she took the bottle and sipped.
Recovering a shred of poise, Pug said, “We’d better
hurry. We might make the keep by nightfall.”

She nodded, keeping her eyes upon him,
and smiled. Pug was feeling uncomfortable under her gaze and turned
toward the way to the keep “Well, then. We’d best be
off.”

She fell into step beside him. After a
moment she asked, “May I have some bread too, Pug?”

Pug had run the distance between the
bluffs and the keep many times before, but the Princess was unused to
walking such distances, and her soft riding boots were ill suited to
such an undertaking. When they came into view of the castle, she had
one arm draped over Pug’s shoulder and was limping badly.

A shout went up from the gate tower,
and guards came running toward them. After them came the Lady Marna,
the girl’s governess, her red dress pulled up before her as she
sprinted toward the Princess. Although twice the size of court
ladies—and a few of the guards as well—she outdistanced
them all. She was coming on like a she-bear whose cub was being
attacked. Her great bosom heaved with the effort as she reached the
slight girl and grasped her in a hug that threatened to engulf
Carline completely. Soon the ladies of the court were gathered around
the Princess, overwhelming her with questions. Before the din
subsided, Lady Marna turned and fell on Pug like the sow bear she
resembled. “How dare you allow the Princess to come to such a
state! Limping in, dress all torn and dirty. I’ll see you
whipped from one end of the keep to the other. Before I have done
with you, you’ll wish you’d never seen the light of day.”
Backing away before the onslaught, Pug was overwhelmed by confusion,
unable to get a word in. Sensing that somehow Pug was responsible for
the Princess’s condition, one of the guards stepped up and
seized him by the arm.

“Leave him alone!”

Silence descended as Carline forced her
way between the governess and Pug. Small fists struck at the guard as
he let go of Pug and fell back with a look of astonishment on his
face. “He saved my life! He almost got killed saving me.”
Tears were running down her face. “He’s done nothing
wrong. And I won’t have any of you bullying him.” The
crowd closed in around them, regarding Pug with newfound respect.
Hushed voices sounded from all sides, and one of the guards ran to
carry the news to the castle. The Princess placed her arm around
Pug’s shoulder once more and started toward the gate. The crowd
parted, and the two weary travelers could see the torches and
lanterns being lit on the wall.

By the time they had reached the
courtyard gate, the Princess had consented to let two of her ladies
help her, much to Pug’s relief. He could not have believed that
such a slight girl could become such a burden. The Duke hurried out
to her, having been told of Carline’s return. He embraced his
daughter, then started to speak with her. Pug lost sight of them as
curious, questioning onlookers surrounded him. He tried to push his
way toward the magician’s tower, but the press of people held
him back.

“Is there no work to be done?”
a voice roared.

Heads turned to see Swordmaster Fannon,
followed closely by Tomas. All the keep folk quickly retired, leaving
Pug standing before Fannon, Tomas, and those of the Duke’s
court with rank enough to ignore Fannon’s remark. Pug could see
the Princess talking to her father, Lyam, Arutha, and Squire Roland.
Fannon said, “What happened, boy?”

Pug tried to speak, but stopped when he
saw the Duke and his sons approaching. Kulgan came hurrying behind
the Duke, having been alerted by the general commotion in the
courtyard. All bowed to the Duke when he approached, and Pug saw
Carline break free of Roland’s solicitations and follow her
father, to stand at Pug’s side. Lady Marna threw a besieged
look heavenward, and Roland followed the girl, an open expression of
surprise upon his face. When the Princess took Pug’s hand in
her own, Roland’s expression changed to one of black-humored
jealousy.

The Duke said, “My daughter has
said some very remarkable things about you, boy. I would like to hear
your account.” Pug felt suddenly self-conscious and gently
disengaged his hand from Carline’s. He recounted the events of
the day, with Carline enthusiastically adding embellishments. Between
the two of them, the Duke gained a nearly accurate account of things.
When Pug finished, Lord Borric asked, “How is it the trolls
drowned in the stream, Pug?”

Pug looked uncomfortable. “I cast
a spell upon them, and they were unable to reach the shore,” he
said softly. He was still confused by this accomplishment and had not
given much thought to it, as the Princess had pushed all other
thoughts aside. He could see surprise registered on Kulgan’s
face. Pug began to say something, but was interrupted by the Duke’s
next remark.

“Pug, I can’t begin to
repay the service you’ve done my family. But I shall find a
suitable reward for your courage.” In a burst of enthusiasm
Carline threw her arms around Pug’s neck, hugging him fiercely.
Pug stood in embarrassment, looking frantically about, as if trying
to communicate that this familiarity was none of his doing.