there
something out there?” she asked, noticing his preoccupation and clutching his
hand tightly in alarm.
“I thought I heard
a noise. But it may have been an animal. I haven’t heard it again.” He gently
disengaged his hand. “We should be going. I didn’t mean to sleep so long.”
“I didn’t mean to
sleep at all,” said Evelina remorsefully. “It’s just ... I was so tired . . .”
He soothed and
petted her again and thought about the spell he was going to cast on the boat.
“How do your hands
feel after all that rowing?” Evelina asked suddenly.
“Like raw meat,”
he said ruefully.
“I’m so sorry,”
said Evelina, and her eyes shimmered in the starlight. “When we stop to rest, I
will make a poultice to put on them. You will have to leave it on for several
days and not do any more rowing, but it will heal them, and when they are
healed, we can continue our journey.”
“A kind thought,
but we don’t have time,” said Marcus. He was busy constructing the magic in his
mind.
“I was thinking,
Marcus. This may be unseemly of me to offer, but if I tore off some strips of
the hem of my chemise, you could use them to bandage your hands. It might help
a little—”
“That’s a good
idea.” He knew what he had to do and he turned his attention to her. “If you
don’t mind—”
“I don’t mind.”
Evelina lifted her
skirt and folded it back over her knees. Marcus realized a bit belatedly that a
gentleman should turn his head away, and he did so, but he took with him the
image of shapely legs, white in the starlight. He heard fabric rip and tear,
and when she told him he could turn around, she held up two long strips. She
wrapped Marcus’s hands herself, apologizing profusely for the fact that the
cloth was travel-stained and frayed.
“That feels better
already,” he said, as she was carefully winding the cloth around and around his
blistered palms. “I’ll have my mother’s seamstresses make you a new chemise
when we reach my home. Made of the finest silk.” He had only a vague idea what
chemises were made of, but silk seemed safe. “With a hem of lace.”
“I would like
that, Marcus,” said Evelina, and her hand stroked his hand gently as she
finished her bandaging.
He was embarrassed
by the adoration in her eyes and he turned away. He wished she wouldn’t look at
him that way, when he didn’t know how he felt about her.
“We should get
started.”
“We’re going into
that cave,” said Evelina, and her voice was tight.
“It’s going to be
all right.” Marcus drew in a deep breath, then let it out slowly. “I’m going to
cast a magical spell on the boat, Evelina. I’m going to make it invisible. And
I’m going to make us invisible. Not to each other,” he added hastily. “You’ll
still be able to see me and to see the boat. But no one else will be able to
see us.”
He was making a
mess of this, but he’d never had to explain his magic to anyone before.
“I know you don’t
understand—” he began.
“Understand what?
That you are going to make us invisible? Of course, I understand.” Evelina
settled herself in the stern, pulled the blanket more closely around her
shoulders, and regarded him calmly. “Just tell me what I need to do.”
He found himself
almost loving her at that moment. “You must keep perfectly still. And not make
a sound. Not a sniffle, not a gasp, not a whisper. For though they cannot see
us, they can still hear us.”
“They can’t see
us, but they can hear us. I understand, Marcus,” she said.
In order to cast
the magic, he would have to enter his little room, a room in his mind similar
to the room where he had been locked up as a child. The danger was that
whenever he entered the room, the dragons were aware of him. They would try to
catch him, haul him out. And so he opened the door swiftly and ran inside and
slammed the door shut behind him. Almost immediately, he could hear claws
scraping and scratching outside,
something out there?” she asked, noticing his preoccupation and clutching his
hand tightly in alarm.
“I thought I heard
a noise. But it may have been an animal. I haven’t heard it again.” He gently
disengaged his hand. “We should be going. I didn’t mean to sleep so long.”
“I didn’t mean to
sleep at all,” said Evelina remorsefully. “It’s just ... I was so tired . . .”
He soothed and
petted her again and thought about the spell he was going to cast on the boat.
“How do your hands
feel after all that rowing?” Evelina asked suddenly.
“Like raw meat,”
he said ruefully.
“I’m so sorry,”
said Evelina, and her eyes shimmered in the starlight. “When we stop to rest, I
will make a poultice to put on them. You will have to leave it on for several
days and not do any more rowing, but it will heal them, and when they are
healed, we can continue our journey.”
“A kind thought,
but we don’t have time,” said Marcus. He was busy constructing the magic in his
mind.
“I was thinking,
Marcus. This may be unseemly of me to offer, but if I tore off some strips of
the hem of my chemise, you could use them to bandage your hands. It might help
a little—”
“That’s a good
idea.” He knew what he had to do and he turned his attention to her. “If you
don’t mind—”
“I don’t mind.”
Evelina lifted her
skirt and folded it back over her knees. Marcus realized a bit belatedly that a
gentleman should turn his head away, and he did so, but he took with him the
image of shapely legs, white in the starlight. He heard fabric rip and tear,
and when she told him he could turn around, she held up two long strips. She
wrapped Marcus’s hands herself, apologizing profusely for the fact that the
cloth was travel-stained and frayed.
“That feels better
already,” he said, as she was carefully winding the cloth around and around his
blistered palms. “I’ll have my mother’s seamstresses make you a new chemise
when we reach my home. Made of the finest silk.” He had only a vague idea what
chemises were made of, but silk seemed safe. “With a hem of lace.”
“I would like
that, Marcus,” said Evelina, and her hand stroked his hand gently as she
finished her bandaging.
He was embarrassed
by the adoration in her eyes and he turned away. He wished she wouldn’t look at
him that way, when he didn’t know how he felt about her.
“We should get
started.”
“We’re going into
that cave,” said Evelina, and her voice was tight.
“It’s going to be
all right.” Marcus drew in a deep breath, then let it out slowly. “I’m going to
cast a magical spell on the boat, Evelina. I’m going to make it invisible. And
I’m going to make us invisible. Not to each other,” he added hastily. “You’ll
still be able to see me and to see the boat. But no one else will be able to
see us.”
He was making a
mess of this, but he’d never had to explain his magic to anyone before.
“I know you don’t
understand—” he began.
“Understand what?
That you are going to make us invisible? Of course, I understand.” Evelina
settled herself in the stern, pulled the blanket more closely around her
shoulders, and regarded him calmly. “Just tell me what I need to do.”
He found himself
almost loving her at that moment. “You must keep perfectly still. And not make
a sound. Not a sniffle, not a gasp, not a whisper. For though they cannot see
us, they can still hear us.”
“They can’t see
us, but they can hear us. I understand, Marcus,” she said.
In order to cast
the magic, he would have to enter his little room, a room in his mind similar
to the room where he had been locked up as a child. The danger was that
whenever he entered the room, the dragons were aware of him. They would try to
catch him, haul him out. And so he opened the door swiftly and ran inside and
slammed the door shut behind him. Almost immediately, he could hear claws
scraping and scratching outside,
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