That was one out, anyway. Short and relatively painless. He could just swing a leg over and solve everyone’s problems in an eyeblink. Moira could go back to her village, Shiara and Ugo would have peace again and him, well, he wouldn’t care any more.
He drew back from the edge. No dammit! I’ll be damned if I’ll let this beat me like that! Besides, he thought wryly, with my luck I’d probably just cripple myself. Oh, to hell with it! He went back to staring out at the forest.
Moira met Bal-Simba in the great hall.
“Forgive me, Lord. I do not mean to pry into what is not my affair, but what did you find out about Sparrow?”
Bal-Simba shrugged. “As we suspected Lady. He has no magic and none of the Council can imagine what use he might be to us.”
Moira closed her eyes and sighed. “I had hoped . . .”
“So had we all, Lady,” Bal-Simba rumbled. “But do you care so much for him?”
“Care for him?” Moira blazed. “I can’t stand him! Lord, he is not competent to weed a garden! He can barely be trusted within these walls by himself and he needs a keeper if he goes abroad.”
“You should not be so hard on him,” Bal-Simba said. “He cannot help it that he is as he is. Would you fare better in his world?”
“You are right, Lord,” Moira sighed. “But it is so terribly hard when he is making eyes at me constantly. And when I look at him I’m reminded of what he cost us. He cost us so much and he is worth so little.”
“Do not presume to judge his worth,” Bal-Simba rumbled. “True worth is often hidden, even from the Mighty.”
“I know, but . . . Oh, Lord, let me return to the Fringe and my people,” she pleaded. “They need me and Shiara can look after him.”
Bal-Simba shook his head. “Your people are looked after, little one. As for letting you go—do you so relish the trip back across the Wild Wood and through the Fringe alone?”
Moira thrust out her chin. “I did it before, and with him in tow.”
The black wizard shook his head. “And you made it only by luck and the grace of an elf duke. I do not think Aelric would be so accommodating a second time and you used more than your share of luck getting here.”
“You mean I’m trapped here?”
“For a time, little one. When the League’s interest has died somewhat more, we can bring both of you back to the Capital by the Wizard’s Way. From there you may go as you will. In the meantime, try to be kind to our lost Sparrow.”
Moira sighed. “I will try, Lord. But it is not easy.”
“Very little in life is,” the wizard said.
Wiz stood at the top of Heart’s Ease and looked west over the Wild Wood. The sun was going down and already the shadows had stretched across the clearing below. The swallows swooped and wheeled over the keep and Wiz heard the whoosh of their passage more often than he saw one flit by.
“Is it a beautiful sunset, Sparrow?” asked a soft voice behind him. Wiz turned and saw Shiara standing by the door.
Wiz swallowed his misery. “Yes Lady, it is a very pretty sunset.”
Shiara moved unerringly to the parapet. “Describe it for me if you would.”
“Well, there are a lot of clouds and they’re all red and orange. The sun’s almost down on the horizon, but it’s still too bright to look at directly. The sunlight’s only on the very tops of the trees, so they’re bright green and everything else is a real dark green.”
They stood together in silence for a bit.
“Before—before I used to love to watch the sunset,” Shiara said.
“I never had much time for sunsets,” Wiz told her. “I was always too busy.”
“Too busy for the sun?” Shiara’s face clouded slightly. “Too busy for the sun, Sparrow?”
Wiz sighed. “Yeh. Too busy for the sun and a lot of other things. There was always so much to do, so much to learn.” He grinned wryly. “You may not believe this, but computer programming really is a discipline. You have to work and study and slave over it to be any good. I did and I was good. One of the best.”