tapping quickly turned into fighting, and Eadric and I were caught in the middle where flailing clubs whistled past our heads. When a troll fell against us, Shelton scuttled out of my sleeve and pulled his hair, hard. The troll yelped and looked wildly around. Shelton lost his balance and was about to fall from my sleeve when I let go of Eadric's hand to grab the little crab. As long as Eadric and I were in contact we could see each other, but the moment I let go, he was as invisible to me as he was to everyone else.
"Eadric!" I whispered loudly, reaching out for him.
"I'm right here," he said, but I held my breath until our probing hands found each other again.
The fighting had spread to the rest of the army. Careful to hold on to each other, Eadric and I crept away while the two-headed leader tried to pull a pile of his soldiers off each other. When we were safely past the last of the trolls, Eadric helped me climb onto a large flat-topped rock that projected into the current. We stood side by side, gazing back upriver to where the soldiers had camped. The site was abandoned except for a pair of trolls who were pacing back and forth, demanding that their friends come get them, and threatening them if they didn't.
"My men took the horses, so they should be able to outrun the trolls," said Eadric. "They'll be safe once they reach the castle. I want you to go back to the castle now. The quickest way would probably be for you to turn yourself into a bird and fly there. You can stay invisible until you're safely inside."
"I'm not leaving you! You can't be serious if you think I'm going to let you go all the way to Roc Mountain by yourself."
Eadric set his hands on my shoulders and met my eyes with his. "You're not going with me. You mean too much to me to risk taking you there. This expedition has gotten too dangerous, and it's only just begun."
I took half a step back, stopping only because I'd reached the edge of the rock. "Is this what you think our marriage is going to be like? You'll make all the major decisions and tell me what to do? Grassina and Haywood have made all their decisions together for the past few months, and they weren't even married yet. I thought married people were partners who helped each other. If we're going to get married, you'll have to understand that I love you and I'll never let you walk into danger alone. I want you to be safe just as much as you want me to be. I'm going to help you in any way I can, and if that means going into a troll mountain, so be it. Now, you know that we don't have time to argue about this. Bradston needs us as soon as we can get there. This may not be the way you'd originally planned, but we're still Bradston's only hope."
"You can be so stubborn!"
"Only when I have to be," I said. "Like when someone is trying to make me do something that I know is wrong."
Eadric sighed and shook his head. "Then I guess we'd better get started." He held my hand while he hopped off the rock, then helped me down after him. "So," he said as we started to walk, "do you have any idea how that troll with the two heads was able to find us?"
"I think that ball he wore could show him where I'd worked magic. He used it to find us after I changed the brook into a river, and again when I made us invisible. It was probably how he found us in the first place. He must have known where I was by the magic I used in my tent."
"What magic was that?"
"I lured a griffin away from camp. It wasn't a very big spell, but I guess it doesn't have to be for that ball to pick it up. I think it must be a magic-seeing ball. I've heard about them, although there aren't very many around. They're generally made to keep an eye on a troublesome witch or wizard. A farseeing ball can locate just about anyone, but the person who uses it has to have some ability with magic. Magic-seeing balls are different. Although a magic user has to make it, anyone can use it, even someone who has no magic of his own. It locates
"Eadric!" I whispered loudly, reaching out for him.
"I'm right here," he said, but I held my breath until our probing hands found each other again.
The fighting had spread to the rest of the army. Careful to hold on to each other, Eadric and I crept away while the two-headed leader tried to pull a pile of his soldiers off each other. When we were safely past the last of the trolls, Eadric helped me climb onto a large flat-topped rock that projected into the current. We stood side by side, gazing back upriver to where the soldiers had camped. The site was abandoned except for a pair of trolls who were pacing back and forth, demanding that their friends come get them, and threatening them if they didn't.
"My men took the horses, so they should be able to outrun the trolls," said Eadric. "They'll be safe once they reach the castle. I want you to go back to the castle now. The quickest way would probably be for you to turn yourself into a bird and fly there. You can stay invisible until you're safely inside."
"I'm not leaving you! You can't be serious if you think I'm going to let you go all the way to Roc Mountain by yourself."
Eadric set his hands on my shoulders and met my eyes with his. "You're not going with me. You mean too much to me to risk taking you there. This expedition has gotten too dangerous, and it's only just begun."
I took half a step back, stopping only because I'd reached the edge of the rock. "Is this what you think our marriage is going to be like? You'll make all the major decisions and tell me what to do? Grassina and Haywood have made all their decisions together for the past few months, and they weren't even married yet. I thought married people were partners who helped each other. If we're going to get married, you'll have to understand that I love you and I'll never let you walk into danger alone. I want you to be safe just as much as you want me to be. I'm going to help you in any way I can, and if that means going into a troll mountain, so be it. Now, you know that we don't have time to argue about this. Bradston needs us as soon as we can get there. This may not be the way you'd originally planned, but we're still Bradston's only hope."
"You can be so stubborn!"
"Only when I have to be," I said. "Like when someone is trying to make me do something that I know is wrong."
Eadric sighed and shook his head. "Then I guess we'd better get started." He held my hand while he hopped off the rock, then helped me down after him. "So," he said as we started to walk, "do you have any idea how that troll with the two heads was able to find us?"
"I think that ball he wore could show him where I'd worked magic. He used it to find us after I changed the brook into a river, and again when I made us invisible. It was probably how he found us in the first place. He must have known where I was by the magic I used in my tent."
"What magic was that?"
"I lured a griffin away from camp. It wasn't a very big spell, but I guess it doesn't have to be for that ball to pick it up. I think it must be a magic-seeing ball. I've heard about them, although there aren't very many around. They're generally made to keep an eye on a troublesome witch or wizard. A farseeing ball can locate just about anyone, but the person who uses it has to have some ability with magic. Magic-seeing balls are different. Although a magic user has to make it, anyone can use it, even someone who has no magic of his own. It locates
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