the witch it was meant to find as soon as she uses her magic. I wondered how the troll queen could see me. It makes sense if she had a magic-seeing ball that was focused on me. Do you suppose the two-headed troll was using the queen's or had one of his own?"
"Let me see if I understand this," said Eadric. "Someone who has no magic can look into that ball and see someone using magic? Does that mean that every time you use magic, that ball is going to tell the trolls where you are?"
"Or at least where I was when I used the magic. I guess I won't be able to say any spells for a while if we don't want the trolls to find us. It will be a lot easier to rescue Bradston if their army doesn't know where we are." I rubbed my temples, trying to massage away the headache that was just beginning. "There's something / don't understand. Someone made a magic-seeing ball to see me. To focus the ball, you have to include something that belongs to the person you're focusing it on. What could they have used that was mine?"
Eadric nodded. "That's a good question, but I have a better one. If you can't use magic, how are you going to turn us back? We can't hold hands all the way to Roc Mountain."
"Yeah," said Shelton. "And I want to go for a swim. Even freshwater is better than nothing."
"Don't worry," I said with more confidence than I felt. "I'll think of something."
Eight
W ould you look at this!" Eadric said, emerging LAV ahead of me from a stand of trees that extended all the way to the water's edge. It had probably gone farther, but the bank had been washed away, carrying the trees that had been growing there with it. The sun had finally reached down into the valley while we were stumbling along the riverbank, making it possible to see the extent to which the river had grown during the night.
"What's wrong?" I asked, coming up behind him. Then I saw the river ahead and he didn't have to answer. An enormous pile of boulders that had long ago tumbled as far as the new riverbed blocked our way. Although it would have been easy to pass the day before, the river had continued to widen and now almost filled the valley from one side to the other.
Eadric used his free hand to gesture up ahead. "The best way to get to Roc Mountain is to follow this valley, but as it is now we can't walk along the river unless we turn into mountain goats. Flying would be better, but we'd have to use magic then, too. And since we can't use magic because the only way we'll get Bradston back is if we have surprise on our side . . ."
I let go of Eadric's hand and sat down abruptly, leaning against the trunk of a tree.
"Hey!" said Eadric. "Why'd you do that?"
I didn't want Eadric to see me looking as discouraged ' as I felt. Sometimes being invisible can be handy. "I need some time to think," I said, which was true as far as it went. I also needed some time to myself. The mess we were in was all my fault. If I had said a different spell to keep the trolls away from the men, or even one to limit the size of the river, we could have walked the length of the valley in half a day.
"Emma!" Eadric sounded alarmed. I glanced up but couldn't see him until he bumped my head with his hand. "Ah, there you are!" My distress must have shown on my face, because he dropped down beside me and took my hand in his. "What's wrong?" he asked.
"I've let you down," I said. "I feel terrible about it. I was supposed to get us to Bradston. Now I can't even get us to the end of the valley. I can't use my magic and there's no way else to . . ."
"Of course there's another way!" said Eadric. "That brook went through the valley and out the other end, which means that the river does, too. The ride might be rough, but I'm sure we can cobble together some sort of raft and let the river carry us there."
"That's a brilliant idea!" I said, and I kissed him full on the lips. "I don't know why I didn't think of it."
Eadric stood up, still holding my hand. "Because you've gotten in the habit of
"Let me see if I understand this," said Eadric. "Someone who has no magic can look into that ball and see someone using magic? Does that mean that every time you use magic, that ball is going to tell the trolls where you are?"
"Or at least where I was when I used the magic. I guess I won't be able to say any spells for a while if we don't want the trolls to find us. It will be a lot easier to rescue Bradston if their army doesn't know where we are." I rubbed my temples, trying to massage away the headache that was just beginning. "There's something / don't understand. Someone made a magic-seeing ball to see me. To focus the ball, you have to include something that belongs to the person you're focusing it on. What could they have used that was mine?"
Eadric nodded. "That's a good question, but I have a better one. If you can't use magic, how are you going to turn us back? We can't hold hands all the way to Roc Mountain."
"Yeah," said Shelton. "And I want to go for a swim. Even freshwater is better than nothing."
"Don't worry," I said with more confidence than I felt. "I'll think of something."
Eight
W ould you look at this!" Eadric said, emerging LAV ahead of me from a stand of trees that extended all the way to the water's edge. It had probably gone farther, but the bank had been washed away, carrying the trees that had been growing there with it. The sun had finally reached down into the valley while we were stumbling along the riverbank, making it possible to see the extent to which the river had grown during the night.
"What's wrong?" I asked, coming up behind him. Then I saw the river ahead and he didn't have to answer. An enormous pile of boulders that had long ago tumbled as far as the new riverbed blocked our way. Although it would have been easy to pass the day before, the river had continued to widen and now almost filled the valley from one side to the other.
Eadric used his free hand to gesture up ahead. "The best way to get to Roc Mountain is to follow this valley, but as it is now we can't walk along the river unless we turn into mountain goats. Flying would be better, but we'd have to use magic then, too. And since we can't use magic because the only way we'll get Bradston back is if we have surprise on our side . . ."
I let go of Eadric's hand and sat down abruptly, leaning against the trunk of a tree.
"Hey!" said Eadric. "Why'd you do that?"
I didn't want Eadric to see me looking as discouraged ' as I felt. Sometimes being invisible can be handy. "I need some time to think," I said, which was true as far as it went. I also needed some time to myself. The mess we were in was all my fault. If I had said a different spell to keep the trolls away from the men, or even one to limit the size of the river, we could have walked the length of the valley in half a day.
"Emma!" Eadric sounded alarmed. I glanced up but couldn't see him until he bumped my head with his hand. "Ah, there you are!" My distress must have shown on my face, because he dropped down beside me and took my hand in his. "What's wrong?" he asked.
"I've let you down," I said. "I feel terrible about it. I was supposed to get us to Bradston. Now I can't even get us to the end of the valley. I can't use my magic and there's no way else to . . ."
"Of course there's another way!" said Eadric. "That brook went through the valley and out the other end, which means that the river does, too. The ride might be rough, but I'm sure we can cobble together some sort of raft and let the river carry us there."
"That's a brilliant idea!" I said, and I kissed him full on the lips. "I don't know why I didn't think of it."
Eadric stood up, still holding my hand. "Because you've gotten in the habit of
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