leave a footprint at first?”
He blushed. “Few humans know this about us.” He sat on the ground next to me. “Our natural state is flying or floating in the air, not walking. We’re supposed to truly walk and put our weight down when we’re with humans. But . . .” His blush deepened. “. . . I cheat. I float a hair’s width above the ground.” He chuckled. “Don’t tell Orne.”
Orne! I wondered if the specter had been truthful about him. “Rhys . . . Do you know . . . Did Orne . . . Was your teacher ever married?”
Rhys looked at me quizzically. “Did the specter tell you he had been?”
I blushed. “To a human.”
“Orne?” He shook his head. “I doubt it. He’s against sorcerers marrying.”
I returned the magic boots to my sack and put my ordinary ones on again. I was a fool to feel disappointed.
Rhys began to put his hose back on. “Orne is usually taciturn, but he can talk for hours about the folly of marriage.”
I changed the subject hastily and told the tale the specter had spun. I asked if there really was a ring to extend the dwarf queen’s life.
“Yes, but it has power only over dwarfs. It wouldn’t help Princess Meryl, and it isn’t kept in a chamber under Mulee Forest.”
“What would have happened if I’d continued my descent? Would the specter have sealed me in with a boulder?”
He stood and shook his head. “I don’t think so. That wouldn’t be the specters’ way. More likely the tunnel would have looked as it should have for a while, but then it would have branched—”
“And I wouldn’t have known which way to go.” I pictured it. “I would have turned to call back for advice, and I would have seen more tunnels and no one to . . .” I almost swooned. I took deep breaths and didn’t faint.
“Are you all right?”
I nodded and changed the subject again. “Before I came to the Mulee, I defeated an ogre.” I told Rhys about it, and the telling made me feel better.
“Your first victory.” He bowed to celebrate—exactly as the specter had, which made me shiver.
“Addie . . . Princess Addie . . .”
I shivered again and wondered why Rhys’s tongue had slipped. I couldn’t imagine that I was “always Addie, simply Addie” in his thoughts too. But if I had let the false sorcerer address me informally, I might as well let the true sorcerer do so. “You may call me Addie, without my title. I don’t mind.”
He nodded solemnly. “Thank you, Prin- Thank you, Addie.” Then he smiled broadly and said, “At the citadel yesterday I worked on something for you, something to impress and astonish you.”
It was absurd to feel so pleased.
“May I show you now, to celebrate your triumph over the ogre?”
“Please do.” A dragon might fry me tomorrow, and then I’d never know what it was.
Rhys took his baton out of his wide flowered sleeve and pointed it at the sky. He pulled down a small cloud, which he hung over the clearing. “First we need to brighten the Mulee’s gloom.” He twisted the baton, and the cloud tucked itself into the shape of a crescent moon. He stabbed the air, and the cloud lit up and glowed yellow, the prettiest, most comforting moon I’d ever seen.
“Could I . . . Might I touch it?”
“Go ahead.”
I approached the cloud, which obligingly lowered itself. I stretched out my hand, and . . . my finger tingled. I was touching a cloud! “It tingles,” I said, patting it. “And it’s springy. I like it. It’s lovely.”
Rhys grinned, looking delighted.
I pushed gently with my finger, and the cloud let me in. Now my whole hand tingled. “Oh!”
After a few moments I withdrew my hand and went to stand next to Rhys.
“Now that we have light . . .” He pulled down another small cloud, an oval that hovered only a few inches above the ground. As I watched, it changed shape and color and became the image of the bench in the old courtyard at home.
Rhys pulled down another cloud. He moved the baton up and down,
He blushed. “Few humans know this about us.” He sat on the ground next to me. “Our natural state is flying or floating in the air, not walking. We’re supposed to truly walk and put our weight down when we’re with humans. But . . .” His blush deepened. “. . . I cheat. I float a hair’s width above the ground.” He chuckled. “Don’t tell Orne.”
Orne! I wondered if the specter had been truthful about him. “Rhys . . . Do you know . . . Did Orne . . . Was your teacher ever married?”
Rhys looked at me quizzically. “Did the specter tell you he had been?”
I blushed. “To a human.”
“Orne?” He shook his head. “I doubt it. He’s against sorcerers marrying.”
I returned the magic boots to my sack and put my ordinary ones on again. I was a fool to feel disappointed.
Rhys began to put his hose back on. “Orne is usually taciturn, but he can talk for hours about the folly of marriage.”
I changed the subject hastily and told the tale the specter had spun. I asked if there really was a ring to extend the dwarf queen’s life.
“Yes, but it has power only over dwarfs. It wouldn’t help Princess Meryl, and it isn’t kept in a chamber under Mulee Forest.”
“What would have happened if I’d continued my descent? Would the specter have sealed me in with a boulder?”
He stood and shook his head. “I don’t think so. That wouldn’t be the specters’ way. More likely the tunnel would have looked as it should have for a while, but then it would have branched—”
“And I wouldn’t have known which way to go.” I pictured it. “I would have turned to call back for advice, and I would have seen more tunnels and no one to . . .” I almost swooned. I took deep breaths and didn’t faint.
“Are you all right?”
I nodded and changed the subject again. “Before I came to the Mulee, I defeated an ogre.” I told Rhys about it, and the telling made me feel better.
“Your first victory.” He bowed to celebrate—exactly as the specter had, which made me shiver.
“Addie . . . Princess Addie . . .”
I shivered again and wondered why Rhys’s tongue had slipped. I couldn’t imagine that I was “always Addie, simply Addie” in his thoughts too. But if I had let the false sorcerer address me informally, I might as well let the true sorcerer do so. “You may call me Addie, without my title. I don’t mind.”
He nodded solemnly. “Thank you, Prin- Thank you, Addie.” Then he smiled broadly and said, “At the citadel yesterday I worked on something for you, something to impress and astonish you.”
It was absurd to feel so pleased.
“May I show you now, to celebrate your triumph over the ogre?”
“Please do.” A dragon might fry me tomorrow, and then I’d never know what it was.
Rhys took his baton out of his wide flowered sleeve and pointed it at the sky. He pulled down a small cloud, which he hung over the clearing. “First we need to brighten the Mulee’s gloom.” He twisted the baton, and the cloud tucked itself into the shape of a crescent moon. He stabbed the air, and the cloud lit up and glowed yellow, the prettiest, most comforting moon I’d ever seen.
“Could I . . . Might I touch it?”
“Go ahead.”
I approached the cloud, which obligingly lowered itself. I stretched out my hand, and . . . my finger tingled. I was touching a cloud! “It tingles,” I said, patting it. “And it’s springy. I like it. It’s lovely.”
Rhys grinned, looking delighted.
I pushed gently with my finger, and the cloud let me in. Now my whole hand tingled. “Oh!”
After a few moments I withdrew my hand and went to stand next to Rhys.
“Now that we have light . . .” He pulled down another small cloud, an oval that hovered only a few inches above the ground. As I watched, it changed shape and color and became the image of the bench in the old courtyard at home.
Rhys pulled down another cloud. He moved the baton up and down,
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