That had been at least half an hour ago, maybe longer. The rocks that littered the hills were painted with blotches of pale green and orange and red and white. If she looked at them kind of squinty-sideways she could see pictures in them. Lichens were a plant and very old, Papa had said. He’d shown Kadie a clear image of a face on one rock near the peat diggings and said it had looked just like that when he was a boy, and maybe Inisso had seen that same face, too.
Suddenly Thaile glanced sideways at Kadie and smiled a sad sort of smile. ”I’m sorry! You’ve been wonderfully patient! I was watching what was going on in Hub.”
Hub was more than a thousand leagues away, but Kadie was not going to show surprise. She knew that sorceresses could do things like that.
“No need to apologize! I’m sure you were busy.”
The pixie shook her head sadly. “It wasn’t very nice. The usurper shouted out to all the sorcerers in the world, telling them to come and join the Covin.”
“Oh!” Kadie said, alarmed. “You’re not going to, are you?” Thaile shuddered and pulled a face. “Never! A few did, but not very many. I don’t think very many. There was another sorcerer speaking, too, the warden of the east.”
“Warlock Olybino? The imperor said he didn’t know where he had gone.”
“Well, he’s dead now. The Covin just killed him.”
Kadie said, “Oh!” again. “Because of what he did to the goblins?”
“That wasn’t him. It was the Covin killed the goblins, and the legions, too.” Thaile stood up and smoothed her skirt. It was a very simple garment, in green and beige stripes. Her blouse was plain white, her golden-brown legs were bare above soft half-boots with turned-over tops.
Kadie had never seen garments quite like Thaile’s, and had been admiring them. In spite of their plainness, they looked very good. She thought she might get some like them, once she was home in Krasnegar again. “What people wear in Thume,” she would say when asked. After months of scavenging for clothes in deserted ruins, it would be wonderful to put on decent clothes again. Even the familiar old things in her closet would be welcome.
“Warlock Olybino mentioned your father,” Thaile said. “He didn’t say where he is now, of course, but I think he must be all right still. The Covin hasn’t caught him yet, anyway.”
Without any warning, the bleak tundra landscape went strangely soft and misty. “Thank you,” Kadie muttered, having trouble swallowing. Mom and Gath were probably all right, because they were with a warlock, and the imperor, but it was wonderful to know that Dad—Papa—was safe, too. They would all have wonderful stories to share when they were reunited, and hers would be as good as any. Rescued by a pixie!
Thaile turned and stared to the north. She wrung her hands. “But now I don’t know what to do!”
“What did you mean, `watchers’?” Kadie asked.
“I meant there’s a spell on Krasnegar. It’s a nice place, Kadie, although I wouldn’t call it little.” She grinned briefly. It was nice to see her happy, if just for a moment. For a sorceress, she seemed extraordinarily sad most of the time.
Krasnegar certainly was little! Still, there were more important things to argue about. “What sort of spell? Are the people hurt?”
“No. No, they can’t even know it’s there. Most sorcerers wouldn’t see it, even.” For a moment Thaile seemed at a loss for words. Probably magic was difficult to explain.
“Are you a specially powerful sorcerer, er, sorceress, then?”
“Very powerful,” the pixie said sadly. “That’s my problem. I’m probably the greatest sorcerer since Thraine.”
Kadie said, “Ooo!” After a moment she said it again, wondering why that could ever be a problem. There were hundreds of legends and old stories about Thraine. Would there be stories and books about Thaile one day? How she saved Princess Kadolan, for instance?
Perhaps the pixie’ read her thoughts, for she smiled again. “At least, I’m comparable—very, very strong! But I can’t see any way in past the watchers, the spell. That’s what it’s for, you see. It’s been put there like a guard dog, to bark if it detects sorcery.” Thaile looked wonderingly down at Kadie with her big gold eyes. “Your father must be very important to the Covin!”
“I expect he is! He’s invented a whole new protocol to replace Emine’s Protocol.” Kadie was not very clear just what Papa had done, but it did seem to have impressed the imperor.
“Yes, the warlock explained, and the Almighty was annoyed very much that it was mentioned.”
“The who?”
“The usurper, Zinixo. He calls himself the Almighty now. He’s mad—crazy.” Thaile frowned crossly. “But that means you’re important, too! If Zinixo could capture you, then he could hold you for ransom, couldn’t he? To make your father give himself up or something?”
Kadie nodded, feeling uncomfortable. She did not want to be kidnapped again, not just yet, anyway. “Suppose so.”
“I wouldn’t put any evil past him. You see, he must have set the watcher spell on Krasnegar to tell him if your father tries to come home. I can’t think what else it’s there for. And it’s a very strong spell.” Thaile bit her lip. “I only know two people who could make a spell that big and that strong.”
“You?”
“Ha! No! If I was that powerful, I could undo it. I meant Zinixo. He’s got hundreds of sorcerers to help.”
“Who’s the other one, then?”
The pixie hesitated. “I’d best not say who.”
“A sorcerer stronger than you, and you’re as strong as Thraine?”
“Sorceress. Well, not really a sorceress. More than a sorceress!”
“Oo! You mean she’s a demigod?”
Thaile started, gold eyes widening. “What do you know of demigods?”
“Papa was a demigod once,” Kadie said modestly. “Once? What do you mean `once’? Tell me.”
“I don’t know much. Mama told us some of it, Gath and me, when we’d been captured by the goblins. I’ve forgotten.” The pixie continued to stare for a while, and then shivered. “You are full of astonishing things, Kadie! Mundanes are not supposed to know such lore at all. I think the Gods sent me to you.”
“I certainly thought so!”
Thaile chuckled, then went suddenly sad again. She ran fingers through her hair. It was wavy hair, pale brown, and she wore it very short. She would look older if she let it grow longer.
“Well, what are we going to do? I don’t dare take you to Krasnegar, and it’s too far to walk.”
Kadie jumped to her feet. “Magic up a couple of horses?” The pixie shook her head sadly and walked away a couple of paces. “I don’t think I can risk that much power so close to the watchers.” Her fists were clenched now. “Kadie, I think I ought to go back to Thume and tell the Keeper about all this. She probably knows, but . . . But where am I going to take you? I can’t leave you here.”
Well, that was certainly a relief! Kadie moved close and adjusted her sword. ”I’ll come to Thume with you! I’ll be safe there, won’t I?”
“I don’t think so!” Thaile wrung her hands again. It was a very strange gesture, just as the way she spoke was a little strange, too. “Oh, you’d be safe from the Almighty, at least for a while. But I’ve already told you too much, and shown you too much. The Keeper wouldn’t ever let you leave!”
Kadie thought about that. If she couldn’t go home to Krasnegar, then she had nowhere else to go. She decided she would like to stay with Thaile and visit Thume. Nobody ever did, only her mother had, years ago. She’d been trespassing, though. To be shown around by one of the residents would be quite different. And Thume could never be worse than the goblins.
“I can’t think of anywhere that’s very safe right now. And why shouldn’t the Keeper let me leave? Who’s ever going to believe me if I say I’ve traveled to Thume by magic?”
“Any sorcerer could tell you weren’t lying,” Thaile said sharply. ”You don’t have any friends or family anywhere?”
“In Hub we have some relatives, but I don’t know them.”
“Hub’s out of the question!” Thaile shrugged. “No, I mustn’t take you to Thume. I mustn’t!”
Kadie smiled hopefully. “You’re the most powerful sorcerer since Thraine, you just said.”
“I can’t fight the Keeper, Kadie!”
“She’s the demigod one? Is she not a good person?”
“No! The Keeper protects Thume. That’s her job. And she’s ruthless!”
“Ruthless? What do you mean, ruthless?”
Thaile turned her back. Then she said, quite distinctly, “She killed my goodman and my baby.”
She stepped over to another large rock and sat down, not looking around.
Kadie gulped. “That’s horrible!” She would never have thought that Thaile could have had a baby. She didn’t seem nearly old enough.