Soul Magic (13 page)

Urging his horse forward, he reached Geoffrey’s side.  The other man smiled in greeting, his smile fading when he saw Darrick’s thunderous expression.

“What is wrong?”

“Tell me why you despise Alanna.” 

“`Tis not that I
hate
her,” Geoffrey said, the tips of his ears going pink.  “But rather I don’t trust her.”  In his earnestness, he leaned forward, causing his steed to pick up the pace.  He brought the horse under control before turning to Darrick once more. 

“Darrick, can’t you see?  She practices black magic, and I fear she will do you grievous harm.”

Darrick couldn’t hide his reaction.  After the first moment of startled shock passed, he laughed.

Geoffrey shot him a wounded look.  “I see no humor here.”

“You’re right.  I’m sorry.”  Still Darrick chuckled.  “But my friend, we have had this discussion before.  Believe me when I tell you for the last time, Alanna is no witch.”

Swallowing so hard Darrick could see the movement of his throat, Geoffrey lifted his chin.  “Mayhap not, but I have seen her practice magic.” 

His stubborn insistence had begun to grate upon Darrick, but he knew he had to respect it. 

“Geoffrey?”

He stared straight ahead. 

“Have I ever lied to you?”

At Darrick’s query, Geoffrey glanced at him, his brow furrowed.  Finally, he reluctantly answered.  “No.”

Darrick gave him a wry smile.  “Thankful am I to hear you say so.”

“You are an honorable man.”

Some of the pressure in Darrick’s chest eased.  Some, not all.  “My thanks.  I ask because I do not lie to you now.  Alanna is no witch.  She is Fae.”

Resuming his intense contemplation of the space between his horse’s forward-pricked ears, Geoffrey considered Darrick’s words.  Such was his nature, slow and steady, rather than impulsive leaps of blind faith.

“Though you name her Fae, I have seen no proof of their existence.” 

“Proof?”  Darrick shook his head.  Though he’d been told repeatedly, always before Geoffrey had refused to believe the truth.  Now, it appeared he was finally ready to listen.  How would he take it?  Not well, Darrick suspected.  The foundations of Geoffrey’s world depended on his bedrock faith in a narrow path, and opening up another realm of possibilities would severely shake it.  Still, Darrick didn’t intend to start lying now.

“I have no proof to give you.  Perhaps Alanna or Sarina, were they willing, could take you to their home and show you.  But not now.  Now is not the time.”

Though Geoffrey nodded, Darrick could tell from his mulish expression that he was not convinced.  They rode for awhile in silence, listening to the soothing clip-clop of the horses’ hooves as they walked the packed earthen path.

Proof?  How did one proof the existence of the magical?  `Twas like faith – one either believed or did not.  

“Sidhe,” Darrick said finally, using the old name.  “You remember when the band of travelers named her thus?”

He gave a cautious nod. “Yes.”

“She is Fae, Geoffrey.  Faerie.  Sarina as well.  Their home is in the land of the Fae, a place called Rune.  I have been there many times.”

Geoffrey averted his face, so Darrick could not tell how he took this news.  Geoffrey believed in little other than what he could see and touch.  The only thing he took on faith was his deep and abiding belief in the church and in his Lord Jesus Christ.  A world in which such creatures as the Fae existed would run too contrary to the world in which he lived.

When Geoffrey finally turned to face Darrick, his expression carried reserve and a deep, deep pity.  “I fail to see the difference between witch or Fae.”

“Witches are human, like you and I.  Fae are not.”

“Do they worship at the same dark altar?”

Darrick sighed.  “I know nothing about witchcraft, but those of Rune worship the mother of all, the Goddess.”

“Not the virgin Mary?”

“She is but one of the incarnations of the Goddess.”

At Darrick’s words, Geoffrey gasped.  “Alanna has ensorcelled you.”

That again.  Darrick grimaced.  “She has not.  You asked for the truth and I’ve given it.  I cannot help if you refuse to see.”

“Truth?”  He looked back over his shoulder, where Alanna and Sarina rode, speaking quietly together.  His gaze lingered on Sarina. 

“She is fair, is she not?”

Geoffrey whipped his head around, red staining his cheeks.  “Never have I witnessed one so beautiful.” 

While his hoarse-voiced admission startled Darrick, it also provided fodder for his case.

“Such is the quality of Fae women.  Their beauty outshines that of any human female.”

As though he could not help himself, again Geoffrey looked towards Sarina.  Darrick marked again the desire and longing in his friend’s eyes.  Well Darrick himself knew that feeling, for it struck him every time he was near Alanna.

“Fae.”  Reluctance colored his voice.  “You say the words so easily, as though such a thing is natural to you, and easily believed.”

“When I first met her I did not believe either.  But, because of our love, my family came to know hers.”  Darrick shrugged, for in this he was correct.  “I’ve been to Rune – to the land of the Fae.  I have seen with my own eyes the magic they can do.”

Though Geoffrey gave a grave nod, Darrick could read the doubt in his troubled expression. 

“You say she has the ability to do magic?”

“Yes.”

Now challenge shone in his eyes.   “If she has the use of such a thing, why does she not use it to recapture her child?  And to take vengeance on those who took him?”

How much could Darrick tell him, especially since it seemed plain he did not entirely believe?  Still, the fading magic of Rune was commonly known among the pagans, and were he to merely ask any of them, he would be told.

In as few words as possible, Darrick told him everything.  Of the Fae and their magical problems and the ancient legend Alanna had mentioned.  A slight widening of Geoffrey’s eyes was his only reaction. 

“I have given you a lot to think about.”  Not phrased as a question, nor an order, nevertheless Darrick meant it as such.

Before Geoffrey could reply, the man sent to ride ahead came galloping back.  He rode hard, then slid to a stop directly in front of them.  Dust splashed up like water, the grit stinging Darrick’s eyes.  His normally implacable war horse shook its massive head and snorted a warning.

“I think I’ve found them,” Collin said.  One of Darrick’s most seasoned warriors, he’d fought for the French as a paid soldier before joining the crusade. 

“They’ve stopped for the night at the next inn, and the place is full.  I spoke to the tap maid and she says `tis a group of about twenty. Ten of those are the guard.  A woman and a child are already in a room inside the inn.”

Savage satisfaction flooded Darrick.  He thanked Collin and then, unable to help himself, motioned to Alanna to join them.  Immediately she came to his side.

Geoffrey grimaced and kicked his horse forward to avoid her. 

“I have heard.”  Eagerness and hope blazed from the bright green of her gaze.  “Soon, if the Goddess is willing, I will hold my Caradoc close in my arms.”

For the briefest instant Darrick envied her child.  Then, pushing away such thoughts, he began to devise a plan.  This time he was glad Geoffrey kept his distance, for he would never approve.  Sometimes it seemed Darrick’s man took his sworn duty to protect him far too seriously.

Long before they reached the inn, they saw signs of the small group’s passing.  As it always is when one draws near a town, peddlers and their carts lined the sides of the roads leading in.  Without exception, all of them could not resist sharing their glee.  Coin had changed hands often, for the previous entourage had much.  They had high hopes Darrick’s small group would do the same. 

Darrick ordered a halt, stopping to barter, though not for sweets, but for information.  None of the vendors claimed to have seen the boy or the woman, though all seemed to know of their presence.  So finally, having learned little, Darrick and his assembly rode on.

Before long they reached the inn.

Outside, the place had the atmosphere of a small fair.  Horses and men milled about, and more than a few tents had been pitched in a field nearby. 

Hooded and cloaked, Darrick and Alanna entered the crowded room, with Geoffrey and Sarina close behind.  A roaring fire blazed in the hearth, and the scent of ale and roasting meat mingled with the odor of human sweat to fill the smoky air.

Sarina and Alanna stared at their feet, as Darrick had asked them to keep their heads lowered.  He did not want to chance that one of Morfran’s men might be pagan and recognize them for Fae. 

Despite the crowd, the serving girl bustled over, with eyes only for Geoffrey.  She sidled up to him, taking his order while batting her eyelashes and smiling coyly.

Lifting her head, Sarina started forward.  Alanna clamped her hand on her shoulder, keeping her in place. 

“I ordered ale.”  Geoffrey glanced around.  He kept, as was his wont lately, his hand on the hilt of his sword. 

“We will separate.”  Accepting his ale, Darrick indicated to Sarina that she was to go with Geoffrey.  Geoffrey’s narrowed eyes and pinched nostrils were the only sign he gave of his displeasure. 

Darrick ignored this and held out his arm for Alanna.  When she resolutely took it, again he felt that spark at her touch. 

While Geoffrey and Sarina roamed the room, Alanna and Darrick slipped around back to the staircase.  The sleeping chambers were located upstairs, and they found the air cooler and more breathable once they escaped the crowd.

The long hall was deserted.

“He has posted no guards,” Alanna whispered. 

Over-confidence or stupidity?

“We can’t simply break down doors.”  Frustration clear, her hold on his arm tightened. 

“I agree.”  Darrick supposed they could knock, but how many angry patrons would they disturb before they found themselves tossed out into the street?

Just then they heard the unmistakable sound of a child’s giggling. 

“Laughter?”  Startled, Darrick spun to face Alanna.

She held up her hand.  “Wait.”  Completely still, her attitude was one of watchful readiness.  Listening.  A pulse pounded in her slender throat.

The laugh came again.  Another voice, feminine, shushed it.

“There.”  Darrick pointed to the door from which he believed the sound had come.  Moving as one, they stood before the scarred wood, hoping, praying, the child would laugh or speak or cry one more time.  Something.  Anything.

Instead, they heard the sound of small feet, running.  A high-pitched giggle.  And again that older, feminine voice, trying to silence the child. 

Not his mother.  But was the child Caradoc?

Darrick glanced at Alanna.  The tight set of her lips spoke of her determination.  He knew if he did not restrain her, she would attempt to crash through the door.

“Wait.”  Gently, he pushed at the door.  It swung easily open.

“Not barred.”  She moved forward.  Since trying to slow her would be futile, all Darrick could do was go with her.

Shoulder to shoulder they rushed into the room.

A woman looked up, startled.  She cradled a small, wiggling child in her arms.

Definitely not his mother.  Darrick’s first thought.  The woman was not the Lady Rowena. 

Then Alanna let out a low, keening cry and he knew things had gone from bad to worse. 

“That’s not Caradoc.”  Eyes anguished, her lower lip trembled.  “Nor your mother.”

Stricken, she held her arms out before her, as though their very emptiness wounded her.  “Goddess help me Darrick, that’s not my son.”

Terrified, the woman bent to shelter the child.  “Please don’t hurt us.”

“We mean no harm.”  Darrick kept his voice soothing.  “This woman’s child has been stolen.”  He indicated Alanna.  “We seek another.”

The woman raised her head, the fear in her eyes receding.  The golden-headed child in her lap screeched with laughter, struggling with single-minded purpose to be let down.

“A little girl.”  A beautiful female child.  With her yellow ringlets and the brilliant green of her eyes, this small one bore an uncanny resemblance to Alanna.

“I have no daughter.”  Sounding defensive, Alanna spoke so quickly Darrick wondered if she’d read his mind.

The child’s struggles increased.  Still, her mother kept her arms locked firmly around her small middle. 

“We apologize for disturbing you.”  Taking hold of Alanna’s arm, Darrick tried to turn her so that they might go.  But she evaded his grasp, dropping to her knees in front of the other woman.

“Your daughter is beautiful.  How old is she?”

The woman stilled, peering at Alanna with a mixture of suspicion and curiosity.  Even the child ceased her wiggling at the rich cadence of Alanna’s voice.  

“Her name is Ellette.  And she is not my daughter.  She is--”