No Place for Magic

  "No," I said. "Sorry."

  "What are those?" he asked, pointing at a doe and her fawn.

  Shelton was interested in everything. After growing up on a tropical island, he had lived on the ocean floor with Coral, so all the things I was used to were new and exciting for him. He was full of questions about the animals, the size of the forest, the way some of the trees pulled up their roots and moved around, and why all the horses screamed and the ladies-in-waiting shrieked when a griffin flew by and I had to say a spell to send it on its way. When we passed a waterfall and saw a green-skinned nymph swimming in the pool at its base, his eyestalks twirled as he asked, "Is that a mermaid?" He was disappointed when I pointed out that she had legs instead of a tail, but he seemed pleased to have seen her at all.

  By midafternoon I was already sore from the jolting of the carriage and tired of the stuffy air. Casting a spell on a leather pouch to make it leak-proof, I filled it with water for Shelton and wedged it in the corner of the carriage. The little crab was happily bobbing in the cool water when I had my coachman stop and went to meet the palfrey I'd been given. The dappled gray had been tethered behind the last carriage and left saddled and ready. I introduced myself before climbing onto her back, but she didn't seem interested in me or in the fact that we could talk to each other. I asked her name and learned that it was Gwynnie. She grunted as I settled myself in the saddle, but seemed eager when I asked her to trot toward the front of the line.

  "He's so handsome," she said, nodding her head toward Eadric. "All the girls have been talking about him."

  Of course I thought Eadric was handsome, but I didn't know that horses looked at people that way, too.

  "I've seen you with him around the stables. Do you think you could introduce me?"

  "Sure, if that's what you really want."

  We trotted past my carriage to where Eadric was riding with some of the knights. He'd stayed in the front most of the day, dropping back only long enough to talk to me or to see how everyone else was doing. I was proud of the way he had taken charge of our expedition, even though traveling this way hadn't been his idea.

  When I reached Eadric's side, I smiled at him and said, "I have someone I'd like you to meet. This is Gwynnie."

  Gwynnie laid her ears flat against her skull. "I don't want to meet him. I meant that good-looking stud the human is riding."

  I had to admit, in his silver-trimmed bridle and matching saddle, Eadric's stallion did look very' nice. Bright Country pricked his ears at Gwynnie and whinnied hello. She whinnied back, so I knew they'd get along just fine.

  "How far are we from Upper Montevista?" I asked Eadric.

  "If we keep going at this rate, we'll be there in two or three days. I can't wait for you to see it. It's one of the most beautiful kingdoms in the world. You'll love the mountains. We have the highest peaks and the deepest valleys."

  "What about swamps?" I asked. "You know how much I like swamps." I still wanted to get married in one, although I hoped it would be the one back home.

  Eadric glanced at me as if I should have known better. "There aren't any swamps in Upper Montevista. That's why I came to Greater Greensward to find the meadwort and happened to meet that witch."

  "You mean that when Bradston made up the story about seeing your true love's face in the bottom of a cup of meadwort tea, you came all the way to my kingdom? I didn't know you were gullible enough to go that far."

  Eadric gave me a disgusted look. "I prefer to think of it as trusting."

  "I've met your little brother. I can't imagine why you'd trust him about something like that."

  "Brad can be very convincing when he wants to be," Eadric said, shrugging. "It's how he gets away with so much."

  "So what else can you tell me about your kingdom aside from its deplorable lack of swamps? Do you have any enchanted forests?"

  "No, but we do have griffins and rocs and trolls in the mountains. On the higher slopes there are other creatures that no one has seen but we know are there by their giant footprints."

  "Uh-huh. Are there any other differences that I should know about?"

  "We like our food a little spicier in Upper Montevista than in Greater Greensward."

  "Oh, really? You never seemed to think that there was anything wrong with our food."

  "There isn't," he said, patting his nicely rounded stomach.

  I don't think Eadric ever met a dish he didn't like.

  "Anything else?" I asked.

  "Well, yes. I probably should have told you this before: the people of my kingdom aren't as comfortable with magic as the citizens of Greater Greensward are. A lot of my parents' subjects don't like witches."

  "You must be extremely open-minded for someone from Upper Montevista."

  "I am," he said, looking smug. "But then you've always known that I'm extraordinary."

  Gwynnie flicked her ears when I shifted my weight in the saddle. "If your people don't like witches, I'd better not do any magic while I'm there," I said. "I don't want to turn them against me before we even meet."

  Eadric frowned. "Are you sure that you can do it? You're used to using magic to take care of things."

  "Now you sound like my mother! I don't have to do magic all the time. You'll see."

  We rode in silence after that, involved in our own thoughts. I was irritated that no one seemed to think that I could get along without my magic. It was true that it had become an important part of my life, but it wasn't all there was to me. I was a lot more confident than I used to be and more capable and . . . I realized that most of what I valued about myself was tied to my magic one way or another. If I couldn't use it, would I be as confident or as capable?

  By late afternoon the enchanted forest had given way to the more normal kind, with trees that didn't move around and no creature more frightening than a bear. I was slapping at the flies that couldn't seem to leave Gwynnie alone when a voice shouted, "Hellooo!" and a group of riders appeared through the trees. The man in front was oddly dressed in a leather jerkin and little pointed hat. His beard was trimmed in the middle so that it formed two long curls on either side of his chin. Although the knights who were my escort drew their swords and urged their horses into a protective circle around us, Eadric seemed delighted to see the man.

  "He's from Upper Montevista!" said Eadric. "We must be near the border."

  Reluctant to sheathe their swords, the knights sat watching the stranger's approach with wary eyes. "Hellooo!" he said again as his horse stopped in the center of the road, forcing us to stop as well. Sweeping his hat from his head, he bowed low in the saddle while smiling broadly at Eadric. "I'm Broadnik Bentwin from Chance-wold. We heard that our prince was returning home and hoped that you and your party would honor us by dining in our fair town tonight. It's good to see you back, Your Highness."

  Eadric nodded graciously and replied, "We'd be delighted to take you up on your offer, Goodman Bentwin.

  I've missed a good Montevistian meal these last few months."

  I heard a knight chuckle behind me. Apparently my family and the kitchen staff weren't the only ones in the castle who knew about Eadric's appetite.

  "That you'll have, Your Highness," said Broadnik. "Along with some excellent entertainment the likes of which you won't get anywhere but our kingdom. Now, if you'll excuse us, we'll be heading home to tell everyone to prepare for your arrival." Twirling his cap on one finger, he set it on his head and turned his horse to face back the way he'd come. With a signal from Broadnik, the other riders turned as well and trotted off into the forest.

  "Wasn't that nice?" said Eadric, looking as pleased as if he'd just won a round in a tournament.

  "Very," I said, although I wasn't nearly as happy about it. When the knights returned to their places and we could talk without being disturbed, I leaned closer to Eadric. "You could have discussed it with me before telling that man that we'd eat in their town. Do you even know how far away it is? What if we want to stop before then or keep going
past it?"

  Eadric frowned. 'You didn't ask me about changing our plans. You just let your mother tell us what to do."

  "But she was right, especially if it's true that the people of Upper Montevista don't like magic. Flying there on a magic carpet would have been a big mistake."

  "Maybe," said Eadric. "But you could have talked to me about it before you made up your mind."

  I tightened my fingers on the reins, making Gwynnie toss her head and snort. "If you didn't want to do this," I said, "you should have told me."

  "I didn't say that I didn't want to do it," said Eadric. "I just meant. . . Never mind."

  Eadric and I didn't have much to talk about for a while after that, although Bright Country and Gwynnie continued to nicker as if they'd known each other for years. I listened to them for a time, but soon grew tired of hearing about their favorite grains and what pastures they liked best. The sky was graying when we finally left the trees behind and the road curved to meet a river. With the ground rising and falling in rock-strewn swells ahead of us, it wasn't until we topped one of the hills that we saw a town nestled in the sweeping curve of the riverbank. A new-looking stone wall stood between it and the river.

  "That," said Eadric, "is Chancewold."

  "You mean you've been there before?" I asked.

  "Once, before I met you. Look, there's Goodman Bentwin now."

  The sun was setting as we reached the town and met the crowd that had come to greet us. At Broadnik's suggestion, a small group of men accompanied some of my knights and servants to a site downriver large enough to accommodate all of our tents while the rest of our welcoming party led the way through the narrow streets to the town square.

  The air was rich with the smell of roasting meat and the garlands of flowers that draped the fronts of the surrounding buildings. Although the cobblestones had been swept clean, the overlooked feathers and bits of straw proved that the farmers had held their market there, probably that very day. Tables and long benches had been set up in the square, and women wearing their best gowns bustled around bringing platters of food and flagons of ale. The whole place had a festive air as if they were celebrating some sort of holiday. From the way they looked at Eadric, I guessed they were.

  I listened as the men greeted him like a long-lost friend while the women smiled and curtseyed. A few maidens actually fluttered their eyelashes at him, something I thought no one really did. Eadric treated them all with equal respect, even calling many of the men by name.

  The tables had been set up to form a square with a narrow aisle leading to the center. We took our seats at the he^d table along with Broadnik and the other local notables. Those townsfolk who weren't serving also went to their benches, where they remained standing, watching Eadric expectantly. I could tell that he hadn't noticed, because his attention was already on the food set before us.

  "Eadric," I whispered. He dipped his hands in the water offered by a little boy with damp hair and a missing front tooth.

  "Eadric," I said a little more loudly while he dried his hands and eyed a roasted goose on the platter closest to his plate.

  "Eadric!" I said again, jabbing him with my elbow as inconspicuously as I could when he leaned across me to reach for the bread.

  "What?" he said, nearly dropping,it.

  "I think they want you to say something," I whispered, nodding toward the townspeople.

  "Hmm?" Eadric's mouth was already full. He looked up and saw everyone watching him. Swallowing hastily, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and stood. "Good folk of Chancewold, it is wonderful to be back in Upper Montevista among my own people. It is even better that you invited my beloved, Princess Emeralda of Greater Greensward, and myself to eat with you tonight. Thank you for offering us your gracious hospitality and all of this marvelous food. Now, since I'm sure you are all hungry, and I know I am, let's dispense with any more formality and enjoy this delightful meal!"

  While Eadric spoke, the townspeople smiled and nodded, studying me with interest when he called me his beloved and laughing when he said that he was hungry, as if indulging a favorite son or nephew. Apparently, Eadric's habits were as well known in Chancewold as they'd become at my castle.

  The meal was a feast with roast poultry and game, a full side of beef, and a stew made of fish cut into chunks in a peppery sauce. Even the vegetables were hotter than I was used to, but only a few things were so spicy that I couldn't eat them.

  Eadric, however, ate everything, no matter how hot. He smacked his lips and groaned with pleasure more than once, although he did reach for his flagon of ale to wash down each bite of the fish. We were nearly through the meal when five young couples dressed in brightly colored clothes filed into the center of the square and a musician strummed his first note. A drum and a pipe soon joined in as the couples began to dance. Having nearly eaten his fill, Eadric looked up to watch the dancers whirl past.

  "That's marvelous!" I said as a male dancer tossed his partner into the air and caught her.

  "It's a traditional folk dance," said Eadric. "Every movement, every color, every note has a special meaning."

  "So tell me, what do they mean?" I asked.

  Eadric shrugged. "Don't ask me. I never can remember all that stuff."

  "They certainly seem to like you here," I said as yet another maiden flashed him a very warm smile.

  Eadric shrugged again. "I killed a dragon for them when it came down out of the mountains to eat the farmers' cattle."

  "A dragon!" I said, horrified. We'd come to know quite a few dragons, some of whom had become very close friends.

  Eadric patted my hand. "That was before I knew how to talk to them. Before I knew any personally."

  "You wouldn't kill one now, would you?" I asked, shivering.

  "Of course not," he said, giving me a half smile. "I'd have you talk to him until he flew away."

  The dancing wasn't the only entertainment we had that night. After the young couples left the square, a score of older men and women took their places and engaged in a contest of high-pitched warbling that they said was the way mountain folk talked to their neighbors. When an older man with a barrel chest won the contest, a tiny redheaded woman came out to demonstrate local birdcalls. She started with a few songbirds, then moved on to the calls of bigger birds such as the eagle, the phoenix, and the roc, the biggest bird of all. Each time she paused to take a breath between roc screeches, we could hear horses screaming in terror just outside the town square. I'm sure I wasn't the only one who was relieved when she sat down.

  The tables had been cleared, the last of the ale poured when a maiden with silvery braids (and probably more than a little fairy blood) approached our table and flashed a smug grin at me, then gave Eadric a saucy wink. "When you were here before, Prince Eadric, we had a different sort of contest," she said. "My friends and I were wondering if you'd like to do it again."

  "Yes," called a maiden from one of the tables. "Let's have another kissing contest!"

  Eadric turned a deep red and his eyes flicked nervously toward me. "I don't think that's such a good idea," he said, and then he very pointedly gazed up at the stars. "Look at that—it's gotten very late. I think it's time we go to our tents. You wanted an early start in the morning, didn't you, Emma?"

  "Of course," I said, and then I turned to the girl leaning against the table. "Prince Eadric doesn't need a contest. He already knows who the best kisser is."

  "I do indeed," he said, sounding relieved. Taking my hand, he leaned toward me for a kiss. It wasn't long, but it was warm and tender.

  The silver-haired girl turned on her heel and flounced off to her seat while the other maidens glared at me.

  When Eadric had eaten his last bite and taken his last sip, Broadnik said, "We'll escort you to your tents. Your men have pitched them farther away from the river in a level spot nestled between the hills. We'll have to pass a bend in the river to get to it, so stay close together. It isn't safe by the river at night." Clearing h
is throat, he glanced at the men seated nearby before turning back to Eadric. "That's something we wanted to talk to you about, but we wanted you to have the chance to enjoy your dinner first. We've been having a problem with sea monsters the last year or so. It's why we built the wall. We were hoping you might be able to help us."

  Eadric stood and patted Ferdy, whom he rarely took off anymore. "Don't worry," he said. "A sea monster that could make it this far upriver won't be any problem for my singing sword."

  "You have a singing sword?" asked the boy who was missing a tooth. "Can I see it?"

  While an admiring crowd of men and boys gathered around Eadric and Ferdy to escort them to the river, I was left to follow with my ladies-in-waiting. Some of the local maidens stayed behind to help clear the square; the rest tagged along as we filed through the streets. From the venomous glances they gave me, I was sure they were hoping that I'd trip and fall into the river headfirst, leaving Eadric available again.

  Although enough townsfolk carried torches to fend off the darkness, they couldn't block the night's sounds as we entered the rugged terrain surrounding the town. Unseen birds called warnings at our approach, and deep-throated insects thrummed in the rocks nearby. A howling in the distance was plaintive, with an oddly human quality. Eadric had told me that werewolves plagued his kingdom off and on; they must have come back.

  As we passed the end of the wall and drew closer to the river, the rushing water nearly drowned out the cries of the birds, and I could smell the pungent odor of freshwater and dead fish. The women from town who had gone this far left us, some of the torch-bearing men hurrying them back. The rest of the men became more vigilant, breaking off their conversation with Eadric to study the river. I noticed that the men around me were armed with pitchforks and stout sticks, as if they could be of any use against a sea monster.

  "The river looks so peaceful," I said to the young man closest to me.

  "It looks peaceful because it's deep," he said, holding his torch high. "This is the Yaloo River. Its headwaters are in the mountains north of here. By the time it gets this far, it's very deep and stays that way as far as the sea. You wouldn't believe what we've seen in these waters this past year. Some monsters have started going upriver to spawn, but the real horrors are the ones that come here to eat them. We used to enjoy walking by the river, but now it isn't safe for man nor b—"