stubble above his lip. “I got close enough to the
bastard to see that. But I can’t tell if his blood runs black.”
Aiyan took a sip of his sherry. “Seems likely, if he has
the essence. But Morae could still be teaching him, not quite ready for the
ceremony with Cauldin — ‘kissing his hand’ I believe they call it. You were
face to face with him, Kyric. What do you think?”
“He has no love for Morae. I can tell you that.” Recalling
the dream of blood drinking, his wine suddenly tasted too sweet, and he set his
glass down on the table.
Aiyan had wisely chosen a corner table at The Peacock’s Tale
before it began to fill. Kyric could then sit with his back to the room and
avoid all the back patting and shouts of “nice shooting,” and the ones who just
wanted to chat with him for a while and tell him all about themselves. He
couldn’t imagine the attention he would have got had he won the gold arrow.
When he had finally found the judge who had collected the
arrows, the man had only half of them. The rest had been taken as souvenirs,
the magic arrow among them. Might as well tell them now .
“Pitbull, I lost your enchanted arrow.”
Pitbull answered him with a wide grin. “It doesn’t matter
to me. It belonged to Aiyan.” He tried to conceal his laughter by burying his
face in a gigantic tankard.
Aiyan visibly struggled with some kind of secret mirth.
“You see — “ he began to say, but then Pitbull laughed into his beer and Aiyan
broke into a chuckle he couldn’t speak through.
“What?” said Kyric.
“The thing is,” Aiyan managed to say. Pitbull threw his
head back with spasms of hard laughter and Aiyan had to pause again. “There
was nothing at all magical about that arrow. It was a good arrow; I bought it
from the best fletcher in town, but it wasn’t enchanted.”
“I don’t have the slightest idea of how to make a magic
arrow,” said Pitbull, wiping tears from his cheeks. “I don’t know anyone who
does.” His giggles started up again. “The symbols I painted on the shaft
don’t mean anything — I just made them up.”
“But it worked,” Kyric said to Aiyan.
“It opened you to the possibility of a spiritual link
between the archer and the arrow. This is the key to the essence of the
warrior. The way the Unknowable Forces enter your dreams tells me that this
has been coming for some time. You just needed a little push.”
Suddenly serious, Pitbull made a mournful sound. “Communion
with the Unknowable Forces at your age, and with as little as you know, must be
both terrible and sublime.”
The food came and they dined on shellfish, spiced greens, and
cold tomato soup. The waiter recognized Kyric and he had to stop and pull out
the silver arrow so the waiter could see it up close.
When they had finished, Pitbull said, “There’s something
I’ve been meaning to tell you, Aiyan. Ever since the games started I’ve been
hearing stories about creatures in the sewers that come out at night. They’re
the size of a large dog, and they crawl around on walls like lizards. As many
as three have been spotted together. Here’s the strange part — they’ve been
seen trying to open shutters and windows on folk’s houses. You hear all sorts
of things when the games are on, so I didn’t think much of it until a constable
I know brings me a strip of hairless hide. Seems that a doctor caught one
climbing in his daughter’s bedroom window and shot it. It got away, and there
was no blood, but he apparently blew a piece of its skin off.”
“Did he say what the creature looked like?”
“Only that it had hands. Anyway, in layman’s terms this
hide is naturally magical, like a firebird’s tooth or a dragon’s scale.”
Aiyan leaned forward. “A creation of Derndra?”
“That was my thought,” Pitbull said. “No one really knows
how much of Derndra’s Palace lies intact beneath the new
bastard to see that. But I can’t tell if his blood runs black.”
Aiyan took a sip of his sherry. “Seems likely, if he has
the essence. But Morae could still be teaching him, not quite ready for the
ceremony with Cauldin — ‘kissing his hand’ I believe they call it. You were
face to face with him, Kyric. What do you think?”
“He has no love for Morae. I can tell you that.” Recalling
the dream of blood drinking, his wine suddenly tasted too sweet, and he set his
glass down on the table.
Aiyan had wisely chosen a corner table at The Peacock’s Tale
before it began to fill. Kyric could then sit with his back to the room and
avoid all the back patting and shouts of “nice shooting,” and the ones who just
wanted to chat with him for a while and tell him all about themselves. He
couldn’t imagine the attention he would have got had he won the gold arrow.
When he had finally found the judge who had collected the
arrows, the man had only half of them. The rest had been taken as souvenirs,
the magic arrow among them. Might as well tell them now .
“Pitbull, I lost your enchanted arrow.”
Pitbull answered him with a wide grin. “It doesn’t matter
to me. It belonged to Aiyan.” He tried to conceal his laughter by burying his
face in a gigantic tankard.
Aiyan visibly struggled with some kind of secret mirth.
“You see — “ he began to say, but then Pitbull laughed into his beer and Aiyan
broke into a chuckle he couldn’t speak through.
“What?” said Kyric.
“The thing is,” Aiyan managed to say. Pitbull threw his
head back with spasms of hard laughter and Aiyan had to pause again. “There
was nothing at all magical about that arrow. It was a good arrow; I bought it
from the best fletcher in town, but it wasn’t enchanted.”
“I don’t have the slightest idea of how to make a magic
arrow,” said Pitbull, wiping tears from his cheeks. “I don’t know anyone who
does.” His giggles started up again. “The symbols I painted on the shaft
don’t mean anything — I just made them up.”
“But it worked,” Kyric said to Aiyan.
“It opened you to the possibility of a spiritual link
between the archer and the arrow. This is the key to the essence of the
warrior. The way the Unknowable Forces enter your dreams tells me that this
has been coming for some time. You just needed a little push.”
Suddenly serious, Pitbull made a mournful sound. “Communion
with the Unknowable Forces at your age, and with as little as you know, must be
both terrible and sublime.”
The food came and they dined on shellfish, spiced greens, and
cold tomato soup. The waiter recognized Kyric and he had to stop and pull out
the silver arrow so the waiter could see it up close.
When they had finished, Pitbull said, “There’s something
I’ve been meaning to tell you, Aiyan. Ever since the games started I’ve been
hearing stories about creatures in the sewers that come out at night. They’re
the size of a large dog, and they crawl around on walls like lizards. As many
as three have been spotted together. Here’s the strange part — they’ve been
seen trying to open shutters and windows on folk’s houses. You hear all sorts
of things when the games are on, so I didn’t think much of it until a constable
I know brings me a strip of hairless hide. Seems that a doctor caught one
climbing in his daughter’s bedroom window and shot it. It got away, and there
was no blood, but he apparently blew a piece of its skin off.”
“Did he say what the creature looked like?”
“Only that it had hands. Anyway, in layman’s terms this
hide is naturally magical, like a firebird’s tooth or a dragon’s scale.”
Aiyan leaned forward. “A creation of Derndra?”
“That was my thought,” Pitbull said. “No one really knows
how much of Derndra’s Palace lies intact beneath the new
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