Earth's Magic by Pamela F. Service Page B

would have been here before the Devastation or to visions of the forests and flowers that had once clothed these now barren hills. He didn’t know if the upwelling sense of loss that would hit him then came from the Earth or from within himself. But it would obliterate everything else he sensed until he had to give up and try to scrub his mind by just staring blankly for a while into the gray sky.
    Meanwhile, the dragons and dog romped on, seemingly oblivious to his and Heather’s mental struggles, and the horseskept moving on taking whatever fork in a road they chose. Sometimes they would stop eagerly at one place or another, but it would turn out to be only a patch of particularly tasty grass or a good drinking spot.
    One afternoon, as they trotted fruitlessly down another ancient farm lane, Merlin said in exasperation, “I just don’t know if this can work. I’m picking up nothing useful myself, and if we keep following these horses’ lead, we’ll just end up in some wealthy baron’s luxuriously appointed stable.”
    Heather sighed. “I’m starting to think that too. And actually, my mother and stepfather don’t live far from here, but I wouldn’t wish any horse friend of mine in their care.”
    Merlin shot her a crooked smile. “Oh, and I suppose you want to visit them.”
    “Ha! After the way that last visit went? With you drugged in the dungeon and my dear mother giving me a supposed heirloom that nearly destroyed us? I hope at least she learned her lesson and stopped having any dealings with Morgan. Welly’s lucky that his parents are proud of him now that he’s made a military success of himself. But as far as I’m concerned, it’d be better if my mother and my dreadful stepfather never even thought of me again.”
    Merlin felt he should argue about the importance of retaining family ties, but having met Heather’s family, he could see her point.
    For hours the leaden sky seemed to be dropping lower and lower. Now they were riding through gray mist that finally solidified into rain. Merlin cast water-repellant spells over the horses and riders. Sometimes Rus trotted close enough to be shielded by Heather’s spell, but often the lure of some enticing smell sent him shooting off into the rain-dripping shrubs. The dragons hardly seemed to notice the rain and were soon surrounded byfaint clouds of steam where cold raindrops hissed against fire-heated dragon skin.
    After they’d spent several hours plodding through the rain, their road had turned into a muddy rut. The horses’ hooves slid about, and it was increasingly hard to see through the curtains of water that were darkening in the growing twilight. At another crossroads, the horses began veering to the right, but Merlin pulled his mare to a halt.
    “That building set back from the road,” he said, pointing to a whitewashed structure barely visible through the rain. “There’s a sign in front of it. Looks like an inn. I suggest we forget camping and spend the night there.”
    Heather looked delighted but then glanced back at the two dragons playing happily in a particularly large mud puddle farther behind them. “All of us?”
    Frowning a moment, Merlin looked around to check that no one was in sight. Then he called back, “Sil and Goldie, why don’t you two find your own private camp for the night somewhere near here. We’ll be staying in this building, but you two need to keep close enough to act as guards in case any enemies are about.”
    The two dragons squealed excited agreement and scurried off on their important assignment. Rus whined undecidedly, looking up at Heather.
Better go with them
, she told him mentally,
and keep them from doing anything stupid. You’re the responsible adult with those two
. Both heads gave proud barks, and Rus dashed after the dragons.
    As she and Merlin rode toward the inn, Heather confessed, “Actually, I think Rus would be better off out of sight too. He’s not as alarming as baby dragons, but lots