French waiter.
"Quiet you fool. If word should get back to the King…" The second voice had the same accent as the first. He sounded anxious and I could imagine him looking around furtively for someone just like me.
"The Dragon spat fire at Lady Marla and me. It should be in a cage." I wondered if this speaker was the 'portly man' I saw with Fluffy earlier in the day.
"Dragons are auspicious, you know that. Any kingdom would be delighted to have one visit them."
"But he came with a wizard, Tam. And wizards are like a pestilence on the land, consuming and destroying everywhere they go."
"This one disposed of Wizard Plath and the sighs of relief when that news got out could be heard throughout Mystrang. He may not be a bad wizard, Per."
"So King Petre and his courtiers claim," Per said conspiratorially, "I ask how we know that any of it is true. It certainly didn't hurt King Petre’s reputation to spread the tale about Plath."
"Wizard Morrissey is here as a guest of Salice. That in itself is extraordinary. I have heard of wizards being invited to surrender talks or in attempts to buy them off with virgin princesses or even princes if they were that way inclined. However, I have never heard of one being invited to a ball as though he were simply a member of the aristocracy."
"There's a plot somewhere in the middle of all this, Tam. You mark my words. If we had any sense, an assassin would be on the roof, ready to kill the wizard at the first opportunity. Any other course of action is madness."
"Perhaps Per. But if the assassin missed his target, then our kingdoms might be set ablaze. It is possible Wizard Morrissey would destroy all four kingdoms in his rage. He reanimated King Petre after he was turned to stone, which is known to be impossible. A few stones he wished lucky allowed the Master to take over Salice and prevent Wizard Plath from usurping him. This wizard could be truly dangerous to us all."
"And yet we have to sup wine and dance beside him," Per replied. "King Petre, or possibly that witch of a daughter of his, has a plan of some kind. I feel it in my bones."
The two men walked off and I sat down on a stair to think. I don't think I can destroy four kingdoms or even one. After all, I barely hold down a job in Wales. Yet there was no doubt at all those two men believed it. 'Wizards are like a pestilence on the land,' Per had said. That phrase made me think of locusts.
The few wizards I had met in my travels were hostile and attacked me without warning. But I've always been lucky when such things happen and their lightning bolts and cannonball like things have always missed me for long enough for me to hop away. Wizard Plath was the only wizard I ever got close enough to talk to.
I brooded over the men's conversation for some time until a familiar voice interrupted my thoughts as it shouted out from below.
"If you have got those trousers dirty sitting on that stair I shall take a carpet beater to both them and you."
Esmeralda had found me again.
I walked down the stairs to join her and found Jenny standing with her. Both girls were wearing ball-gowns. Jenny wore the one her father bought her and Esmeralda wore a dress the color of rubies. Esmeralda wore a significant amount of jewelry - a diamond tiara in her hair, pearls around her neck and delicate carved silver bands around her wrists. To my surprise, Jenny was wearing similar jewels, though she didn't have a tiara.
"You haven't been shopping, have you?" I asked in some alarm.
"Borrowed them from the royal collection, silly boy."
I sighed with relief.
"Is he always this penny-pinching?" Esmeralda asked.
"He's lucky if he has a penny to pinch."
Esmeralda looked as though she was going to reply and then changed her mind. I could have sworn she seemed upset about something.
"Well, what do you think girls?" I asked, standing up straighter and giving a twirl so they could take in my regalia.
"At least you've lost the potatoes," Jenny said as
"Quiet you fool. If word should get back to the King…" The second voice had the same accent as the first. He sounded anxious and I could imagine him looking around furtively for someone just like me.
"The Dragon spat fire at Lady Marla and me. It should be in a cage." I wondered if this speaker was the 'portly man' I saw with Fluffy earlier in the day.
"Dragons are auspicious, you know that. Any kingdom would be delighted to have one visit them."
"But he came with a wizard, Tam. And wizards are like a pestilence on the land, consuming and destroying everywhere they go."
"This one disposed of Wizard Plath and the sighs of relief when that news got out could be heard throughout Mystrang. He may not be a bad wizard, Per."
"So King Petre and his courtiers claim," Per said conspiratorially, "I ask how we know that any of it is true. It certainly didn't hurt King Petre’s reputation to spread the tale about Plath."
"Wizard Morrissey is here as a guest of Salice. That in itself is extraordinary. I have heard of wizards being invited to surrender talks or in attempts to buy them off with virgin princesses or even princes if they were that way inclined. However, I have never heard of one being invited to a ball as though he were simply a member of the aristocracy."
"There's a plot somewhere in the middle of all this, Tam. You mark my words. If we had any sense, an assassin would be on the roof, ready to kill the wizard at the first opportunity. Any other course of action is madness."
"Perhaps Per. But if the assassin missed his target, then our kingdoms might be set ablaze. It is possible Wizard Morrissey would destroy all four kingdoms in his rage. He reanimated King Petre after he was turned to stone, which is known to be impossible. A few stones he wished lucky allowed the Master to take over Salice and prevent Wizard Plath from usurping him. This wizard could be truly dangerous to us all."
"And yet we have to sup wine and dance beside him," Per replied. "King Petre, or possibly that witch of a daughter of his, has a plan of some kind. I feel it in my bones."
The two men walked off and I sat down on a stair to think. I don't think I can destroy four kingdoms or even one. After all, I barely hold down a job in Wales. Yet there was no doubt at all those two men believed it. 'Wizards are like a pestilence on the land,' Per had said. That phrase made me think of locusts.
The few wizards I had met in my travels were hostile and attacked me without warning. But I've always been lucky when such things happen and their lightning bolts and cannonball like things have always missed me for long enough for me to hop away. Wizard Plath was the only wizard I ever got close enough to talk to.
I brooded over the men's conversation for some time until a familiar voice interrupted my thoughts as it shouted out from below.
"If you have got those trousers dirty sitting on that stair I shall take a carpet beater to both them and you."
Esmeralda had found me again.
I walked down the stairs to join her and found Jenny standing with her. Both girls were wearing ball-gowns. Jenny wore the one her father bought her and Esmeralda wore a dress the color of rubies. Esmeralda wore a significant amount of jewelry - a diamond tiara in her hair, pearls around her neck and delicate carved silver bands around her wrists. To my surprise, Jenny was wearing similar jewels, though she didn't have a tiara.
"You haven't been shopping, have you?" I asked in some alarm.
"Borrowed them from the royal collection, silly boy."
I sighed with relief.
"Is he always this penny-pinching?" Esmeralda asked.
"He's lucky if he has a penny to pinch."
Esmeralda looked as though she was going to reply and then changed her mind. I could have sworn she seemed upset about something.
"Well, what do you think girls?" I asked, standing up straighter and giving a twirl so they could take in my regalia.
"At least you've lost the potatoes," Jenny said as
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