Wood Nymph and the Cranky Saint- Wizard of Yurt - 2 by C. Dale Brittain, Brittain

smiled at her and walked away—I assumed things hadn’t proceeded so far that they shared their chambers. Dominic caught my eye and nodded, an abrupt motion with his chin. For once, he approved.
    The rain haa let up enough that the duchess and I, our umbrelas spread over us, were able to walk, rather than run, to the door of her chamber and arrive relatively dry. “Have a seat,” Diana said, taking off her cloak. “It’s chily enough that I’m going to start a fire.”
    She knelt at the hearth, put some twigs and wood shavings together against the front of a large log, and
    soon had a smal blaze going—the duchess would never bother caling a servant for something like this. She added some slightly thicker twigs and, in a moment, the log was glowing red. Sitting down next to me, she said, “There. That should take the chil off the afternoon.”
    The fire had provided only a momentary distraction. I pushed aside my reluctance to speak. “I d like to ask you something, my lady, and hope I don’t offend you.”
    “You haven’t managed to offend me yet,” she said cheerfuly.
    “You seem to have become very friendly with Nimrod, considering that he just appeared out of the woods a few days ago. What have you learned about him?” Her gray eyes narrowed slightly, but she was determined not to be offended. ‘ I haven’t been quizzing him about his ancestry and family wealth, if that’s what you mean,” she saia, smiling to keep the comment mild. Something about the way she phrased it made me wonder if she might already have a good idea of his ancestry and family. “I know he’s very inteligent as wel as very handsome and he’s a far better hunter than anyone I’ve ever seen. You probably haven’t had a chance yet to see him use that enormous bow of his, but he’s an absolute dead shot.” I had heard too little of Nimrod’s conversation to be able to tel if he could keep up with her humor and often biting wit, but as a hunter I was sure she had met an equal.
    “In fact, I even—” She stopped without finishing what might have been a very interesting sentence. Instead, she looked at me with a frown. Your question doesn’t realy sound like you. Did Dominic tel you to talk to me?”
    I nodded ruefuly, rather glad in fact that she’d guessed the truth.
    Fortunately, she seemed to find this highly amusing. “So he’s worried that a member of the high aristocracy,
    the queen of Yurt’s own third cousin, is flirting with a nobody? I ought to become realy outrageous about it, just to teach Dominic a lesson.’
    ‘I’m sorry, my lady, I wouldn’t have said anything if he hadn’t insisted. In fact, wel, Dominic has been acting a little strangely lately.”
    “In what way?”
    “After the royal family caled the other night, he was talking about the baby prince and asked me if I’d ever thought of getting married!” She unexpectedly became serious. “So it’s bothering Dominic, too,” she said, which made no sense. But then her eyes twinkled. “I presume you told him that even an adorable little blond prince wasn’t going to make you forget that wizards never marry?”
    I took a deep breath. “The regent’s going to ask me what you said.
    She looked down her aristocratic nose. “Tel him,” she said with a smile twitching the corner of her mouth, “tel him that I was deeply offended at your insult to my honor, that I told you I would always behave in the most honorable way possible and that, since I was sure of that point, I would always do exactly what I wanted.” Back in my own chambers, I found Evrard wearing my best dressing gown and sitting in my favorite chair with his feet up, leafing through the first volume of my copy of Ancient ana Modern Necromancy.
    I sat down across from him. “I need to talk to you.”
    “Fine,” he said brightly. “I was just reading again about the Black Wars.’ When I cocked an eyebrow at him, he continued, “Surely you remember the end of the Black