Moira stopped, suddenly unsure of herself. She’d seen Wiz bewildered, sullen, lovesick, awestruck, depressed and in the throes of a temper tantrum, but she had never seen him coldly angry as he was now.
“What is it I must tell you then?”
“Why are you so mad at me?”
“Crave pardon?” she said haughtily.
Wiz plowed ahead. “From the moment I met you you’ve disliked me. Fine, I’m not a magician, I don’t know my way around this place and I’m a first-class klutz. But why are you so bleeding mad at me? “
The question brought Moira up short. Wiz had never spoken to her like that before and she had never really examined her feelings toward him deeply.
True, he was inept and he had nearly gotten them both killed repeatedly on the journey. But it was more than that. She had disliked him from the first meeting in the clearing.
“I had to leave people who needed me to bring you here.”
“Not guilty,” Wiz said. “That was Bal-Simba’s idea, not mine.” He paused. “Besides, I think there’s something more to it than that.”
“There is,” she said bitterly. “Patrius died to bring you here.” Her eyes flashed. “We lost the best and most powerful of the Mighty and got you in return.”
Wiz nodded. “Yeah, so you’ve told me. But I wasn’t looking to come here and I’ve suffered more from what Patrius did than you or any of the others. Again, not guilty.”
Moira drew herself up. “If my feelings do not meet with your approval I am truly sorry! It is perhaps unreasonable of me, but that is the way I do feel.”
“I doubt it,” Wiz bit out. “Bal-Simba’s loss was greater than yours and he doesn’t hold me responsible. There’s something a whole lot more personal here. Now what?”
“I don’t . . .”
“Lady, I think the least, the very least, you owe me is a straight answer.”
Moira didn’t reply for a long time. “I think,” she said finally, “it is because you remind me of my failure.”
“What failure?”
“The death of Patrius.” Moira’s eyes filled with tears. “Don’t you see? I failed in my duty and Patrius died.”
“What I see is you trying to take the whole bleeding world on your shoulders,” Wiz snapped. “Look, I’m sorry for what happened to Patrius, all right? But I didn’t make it happen. I was kidnapped. Remember?”
“You were involved,” Moira shot back. “If he hadn’t Summoned you, he wouldn’t have died.”
“Wrong. If he hadn’t gotten me he would have gotten someone else—maybe the super-wizard he wanted, I don’t know. But the point is, I had nothing to do with it. He made the choice of his own free will. He knew the risks. I am not responsible.”
“No,” Moira admitted slowly, “you were not.”
“And I’ll tell you something else, lady. You weren’t responsible either.”
“Little you know about it! An acolyte’s job is to protect the master.”
“You’re not an acolyte. You’re a hedge-witch Patrius stumbled across and roped into his scheme. From what you and the others tell me, there is no way you could have protected him.”
“Thank you,” Moira said tightly. “All I needed was to be reminded of my weakness.”
“Yes, you do need to be reminded of it!” Wiz flared. “You’re not all-powerful and you cannot be held responsible for something utterly beyond your control.”
“Ohhh!” Moira gasped, turning from him.
“I’ll tell you something else you’re not responsible for,” he said to her back. “You’re not responsible for what happened to your family. You didn’t do it and you can’t undo it and feeling guilty about it is only going to make you miserable.”
Moira spun on her heel and slapped him with all the force of her body. Wiz’s head snapped to the side and he staggered back. Their eyes locked. Then Moira’s shoulders heaved and she began to sob silently, hugging herself and rocking back and forth on her heels.
Wiz took a step toward her and stopped. “Look, I’m sorry I said that. I shouldn’t have, Okay?”
“But dammit,” he added forcefully, “it’s true!” and he turned and left the cellar.