We emerged from behind a stack of barrels into what appeared to be a very well-stocked wine cellar. Mandor paused after six paces and carefully removed a dusty bottle from the rack to our left. He drew a corner of his cloak across its label.
“Oh, my!” he observed.
“What is it?” Jasra inquired.
“If this is still good, I can build an unforgettable meal around it.”
“Really? Better bring several to be sure then,” she said. “These go back before my time-perhaps before Sharu’s time even.”
“Merlin, you bring these two,” he said, passing me a pair. “Carefully, now.”
He studied the rest of the rack before selecting two more, which he carried himself.
“I can see why this place is often under siege,” he remarked to Jasra. “I’d have been inclined to have a go at it myself had I known about this part.”
She reached out and squeezed his shoulder.
“There are easier ways to get what you want,” she said, smiling.
“I’ll remember that,” he replied. “I hope you’ll hold me to it.”
I cleared my throat.
She gave me a small frown, then turned away. We followed her out a low doorway and up a creaking flight of wooden stairs. We emerged in a large pantry and passed through it into an immense, deserted kitchen.
“Never a servant around when you need one,” she remarked, casting her gaze about the room.
“We won’t be needing one,” Mandor said. “Find me a congenial dining area and I’ll manage.”
“Very well,” she replied. “This way then.”
She led us through the kitchen; then we passed through a series of rooms till we came to a stairway, which we mounted.
“Ice fields?” she asked. “Lava fields? Mountains? Or a storm-tossed sea?”
“If you are referring to a choice of views,” Mandor responded, “give me the mountains.”
He glanced at me, and I nodded.
She conducted us to a long, narrow room, where we unfastened a series of shutters to behold a dappled range of round-topped peaks, The room was cool and a bit dusty with shelves running the length of the near wall. These held books, writing implements, crystals, magnifying glasses, small pots of paint, a few simple magical instruments, a microscope, and a telescope. There was a trestle table at the room’s middle, a bench on either side of it.
“How long will it take to prepare this?” Jasra asked.
“A minute or two,” Mandor said.
“In that case,” she said, “I would like to repair myself somewhat first. Perhaps you would also.”
“Good idea,” I said.
“Indeed,” Mandor acknowledged.
She led us to what must have been guest quarters, not too far away, and left us with soap, towels, and water. We agreed to meet back in the narrow room in half as hour.
“Think she’s planning something nasty?” I asked as I drew off my shirt.
“No,” Mandor replied. “I like to flatter myself in thinking that she would not want to miss this meal. Nor, do I feel, would she want us to miss seeing her at her best, having so far seen her at something less than that. And a possibility of gossip, confidences…” He shook his head. “You may never have been able to trust her before and may never again. But this meal will be a Time-out if I’m any judge.”
“I’ll hold you to that,” I said as I splashed and lathered.
Mandor gave me a crooked smile, then conjured a corkscrew and opened the bottles-“to let them breathe a little”-before he tended to himself. I trusted his judgment, but I hung on to the Sign of the Logrus in case I had to duel with a demon or avoid a falling wall.
No demons sprang; no masonry toppled. I entered the dining room behind Mandor and watched him transform it with a few words and gestures. The trestle table and the benches were replaced by a round table and comfortable-looking chairs-the chairs so situated as to provide a good view of the mountains from each. Jasra had not yet arrived, and I was carrying the two wine bottles whose respiration Mandor found most appealing. Before I could even set them down, Mandor conjured an embroidered tablecloth and napkins; delicate china, which looked as if it had been hand decorated by Miro; finely wrought silverware. He studied the tableau a moment, banished the silverware, summoned a set with a different pattern. He hummed as he paced and regarded the layout from various angles. Just as I moved forward to place the bottles on the table, he summoned a crystal bowl filled with floating flowers as a centerpiece. I took a step backward then as crystal goblets appeared.