mesmerized, until her slim, black-clad figure blended with the shadows. “It is dangerous to walk alone at night in Pont-a-Museau,”he said softly, but he meant the warning for the people of the city, not for Jacqueline Renier.
Hidden behind a faded but clean curtain, Dmitri peered out at the esplanade bordering the river in front of their house and tried unsuccessfully not to fidget. Its foundation undermined by the water, a considerable chunk of paving by the dock had collapsed, leaving a hole too wide to jump and impossible to avoid. There had been a rough plank bridge laid over it, but Dmitri had removed the boards earlier in the afternoon while Edik was busy in the kitchen.
Now, he waited for Aurek. He hated waiting, and he wasn’t good at it.
When Aurek reached the hole, he’d have two choices: either do something wizardlike to get over it, or go a very long way around—not a pleasant prospect given the time and the reputation of the city.
It was almost full dark, the sky the deep sapphire that colored the moments between evening and night. It was also hours later than Aurek usually returned and, in spite of himself, Dmitri began to worry. Although the musicians did their nightly best to drown them out and everyone else seemed happy to ignore them, he was sure he’d heard screams rising like an incriminating counterpoint behind more than one evening’s merrymaking.
Concern warring with irritation, he’d just decided to take a lantern out searching when he saw Aurek approaching, his pale hair ghostly in the shadows. Relief that the test would soon be complete overwhelmed any other emotions.
“Finally,” he muttered, drawing back a little from the window. “Now we’ll see.”
The hole was a black pit in the gray stone. Aurek stopped on the far side, looked around for the boards, and threw up his hands in patent exasperation. He didn’t seem surprised the bridge was missing, but then, scavenging was Pont-a-Museau’s leading industry.
“He’s thinking about how late it’s getting,” Dmitri told himself as Aurek glanced at the sky. “And he’s working out how far he’ll have to walk if he goes around.”
Dmitri planned to run out with the planks if Aurek decided to go around; he wanted to test his brother, not risk getting him killed. He didn’t have a good explanation of why he’d removed the boards in the first place, but as Aurek never listened to him anyway, he supposed that didn’t matter.
He shifted his weight from foot to foot as Aurek studied the pit and then methodically scanned the area. “He’s checking to see that he’s unobserved.”
Apparently satisfied, Aurek slid his right hand into the pocket of his jacket and brought it out with something—it didn’t look like a ring, but Dmitri was too far away to be sure—around his thumb. With the hand held parallel to the ground, he floated over the hole.
Dmitri felt his jaw drop.
“You were right.”
Louise tousled a golden curl. “Of course I was. I always am. What was I right about this time?”
“Aurek. He’s a wizard. And he never told me.” Staring just past her, his eyes unfocused, Dmitri recounted the result of his little test.
“Floated across?” She pouted. “Is that all?”
“Isn’t that enough?” he asked bitterly, refusing to meet her gaze. His sisters probably knew and had never seen fit to tell him either. Edik knew, of course; Edik knew everything. He wondered how many other people had been let in on the secret while he’d maliciously been kept ignorant.
Laying her palm flat against his chest, Louise could feel his heart beating, young and strong and hers. “You’re upset because he doesn’t trust you.”
“I’m upset because he’s my brother, and I don’t know anything about him.” Which was true as far as it went. It just didn’t go far enough. He’d spent his whole life trying to measure up to Aurek, and now he’d found out he never could.
“You don’t know enough about him
Hidden behind a faded but clean curtain, Dmitri peered out at the esplanade bordering the river in front of their house and tried unsuccessfully not to fidget. Its foundation undermined by the water, a considerable chunk of paving by the dock had collapsed, leaving a hole too wide to jump and impossible to avoid. There had been a rough plank bridge laid over it, but Dmitri had removed the boards earlier in the afternoon while Edik was busy in the kitchen.
Now, he waited for Aurek. He hated waiting, and he wasn’t good at it.
When Aurek reached the hole, he’d have two choices: either do something wizardlike to get over it, or go a very long way around—not a pleasant prospect given the time and the reputation of the city.
It was almost full dark, the sky the deep sapphire that colored the moments between evening and night. It was also hours later than Aurek usually returned and, in spite of himself, Dmitri began to worry. Although the musicians did their nightly best to drown them out and everyone else seemed happy to ignore them, he was sure he’d heard screams rising like an incriminating counterpoint behind more than one evening’s merrymaking.
Concern warring with irritation, he’d just decided to take a lantern out searching when he saw Aurek approaching, his pale hair ghostly in the shadows. Relief that the test would soon be complete overwhelmed any other emotions.
“Finally,” he muttered, drawing back a little from the window. “Now we’ll see.”
The hole was a black pit in the gray stone. Aurek stopped on the far side, looked around for the boards, and threw up his hands in patent exasperation. He didn’t seem surprised the bridge was missing, but then, scavenging was Pont-a-Museau’s leading industry.
“He’s thinking about how late it’s getting,” Dmitri told himself as Aurek glanced at the sky. “And he’s working out how far he’ll have to walk if he goes around.”
Dmitri planned to run out with the planks if Aurek decided to go around; he wanted to test his brother, not risk getting him killed. He didn’t have a good explanation of why he’d removed the boards in the first place, but as Aurek never listened to him anyway, he supposed that didn’t matter.
He shifted his weight from foot to foot as Aurek studied the pit and then methodically scanned the area. “He’s checking to see that he’s unobserved.”
Apparently satisfied, Aurek slid his right hand into the pocket of his jacket and brought it out with something—it didn’t look like a ring, but Dmitri was too far away to be sure—around his thumb. With the hand held parallel to the ground, he floated over the hole.
Dmitri felt his jaw drop.
“You were right.”
Louise tousled a golden curl. “Of course I was. I always am. What was I right about this time?”
“Aurek. He’s a wizard. And he never told me.” Staring just past her, his eyes unfocused, Dmitri recounted the result of his little test.
“Floated across?” She pouted. “Is that all?”
“Isn’t that enough?” he asked bitterly, refusing to meet her gaze. His sisters probably knew and had never seen fit to tell him either. Edik knew, of course; Edik knew everything. He wondered how many other people had been let in on the secret while he’d maliciously been kept ignorant.
Laying her palm flat against his chest, Louise could feel his heart beating, young and strong and hers. “You’re upset because he doesn’t trust you.”
“I’m upset because he’s my brother, and I don’t know anything about him.” Which was true as far as it went. It just didn’t go far enough. He’d spent his whole life trying to measure up to Aurek, and now he’d found out he never could.
“You don’t know enough about him
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