Lawrence Watt-Evans - Ethshar 5 - Taking Flight

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Prologue
The girl squirmed on her seat, and the old woman cast her a quick, angry
glance. She quieted, and the woman turned back to her customer.
Well, lad, she said, what would you have of me?
The boy hesitated.
I'm... I'm Kelder of Shulara, he said.
I know, she replied, nodding.
It was a lie, of course; she hadnt known anything of the sort. In fact, it
struck her suddenly that the name might be false, and instead of looking
omniscient she might look foolish if she believed it. Kelder of Shularawell,
really, that probablywas a lie! And not a very original one, at that.
Smoothly, so that the boy saw no pause, she winked at him and continued, in a
mysterious tone, I know all Ineed to know.
The lad looked suitably confused and impressed. Behind him, the little girl
rolled her eyes upward and mouthed somethingit looked like, Oh, comeon,
Grandma!
So, Kelder of Shulara, the woman went on, a bit hurriedly, you have come to
Zindré the Seer to learn your futureand I see it laid out before me, vast and
shining. There is too much to tell you all of it, my child, for your life will
be long and rich; you must ask me specific questions, and I shall answer them
all...
The girl cleared her throat. Her grandmother glared at her and continued,...at
the cost of merely three bits apiece.
Kelder, fortunately, didnt notice any of the byplay between Zindré and her
granddaughter; he was staring intently at the crystal bowl on the table before
him, as if he expected to see something in it himself.
Thatwas an uncomfortable thought; Zindré did not like the idea of a customer
who hadreal magic.
But surely the boy couldnt have any magic; he was just a peasant.
He cleared his own throat, and asked, Will Iever get out of Shulara?
That was an easy one. Oh, yes, Zindré said. You shall go, and you shall go
far, beyond the hills and into strange lands, and you shall return safely. He
probably wouldnt, but she knew what he wanted to hear.
Return? Ill come back?
Zindré suppressed a frown and silently cursed herself for not listening more
carefully to the boys tone and phrasing. Oh, yes, she said. You will return,
covered in glory, to tell those who remained behind of the wonders you saw.
To stay? Kelder asked; then something registered, and without waiting for an
answer he asked, Wonders? What wonders?
Many wonders, Zindré said quickly, hoping to distract the boy from the
question of exactly where he was going to wind up. Great cities and vast
plains, strange beasts and beautiful women, and much mighty magic. She usually
threw in something about mountains, rather than plains, but in a place as
hilly as Shulara she thought that plains would be more exotic and intriguing.
Magic? But what will I do? Where will I go?
Zindré gestured broadly and stared into the bowl before replying, The magic is
strange, of a kind I have never seen, and that neither wizards nor witches
know. It will both be yours and not be yours. You will roam free, unfettered,
and you will be a champion of the lost and forlorn, honored by the dead and
those yet unborn. That should sound vague and mysterious enough to suit
anyone.
From the corner of her eye she saw her granddaughter clearly signing to ease
up a little; Zindré reviewed what she had just said and decided the girl was
right, she had been getting carried away. As for where, she said, I see a long
road stretching before me, but just which road it might be I cannot say.
Kelders disappointment showed on his face. The granddaughter broke in.
Excuse me, she said, but that makes fifteen bits, and you only paid a single
round; Ill need another before you ask my grandmother any more questions.
Kelder turned, startled, and stared at her, open-mouthed.
She held out a hand.
Abashed, Kelder dug in the purse at his belt and pulled out another copper
round. Thats all I have, he said.
That leaves one bit, the girl said. Do you want change, or one more question?
My grandmother will answer one more at discount.
Another question, Kelder said immediately.
Think well before you speak, then, Kelder of Shulara, Zindré intoned.
Kelder thought.
Tell me about the girl Ill marry, he said at last.
Zindré nodded. She will be bright and beautiful, with a laugh like birdsong,
she said, with a magic all her own. You will bring her to your home in pride
and delight, and spend your life with her in joy. That one was easy; it was a
standard question, and she had used that standard reply a hundred times, at
least.
Children? Kelder asked.
Money? the granddaughter demanded.
Woebegone, Kelder admitted, I dont have any more.
It matters not, Zindré said quickly. The vision dims; the spell is fading
away. I could tell you little more in any case. She picked up a green cloth
and dropped it neatly over the crystal bowl.
Oh, Kelder said. Reluctantly, he stood.
The granddaughter gestured toward the door of the hut, and Kelder, with a
polite little bow, departed. The girl escorted him out, and closed the door
behind him.
When the door was shut the girl said, I guess he believed it.
Of course he did! said Zindré, bustling about, adjusting the hangings on the
walls and straightening candles that had slumped as the wax melted unevenly.
Are there any more?
No, the girl said. You know, Grandma, I still dont understand how we can get
away with thiscantanybody tell real magic from lies?
Those that can, Zindré said complacently, dont come to us in the first place.
Outside, in the gathering dusk, Kelder found two of his sisters chattering
with the smiths daughter, near the forge. Where haveyou been? Salla demanded,
as her little brother ran up.
Talking to the seer, he said.
All three girls turned to stare at him. Oh, Kelder, you didnt, Edara said.
Didnt what? Kelder asked defensively.
You didnt spend all your money on that charlatan!
No, I didnt! Kelder replied angrily.
How muchdid you spend? Salla asked.
Not that much, he said.
Howmuch?
Two rounds, he admitted.
Oh, Kelder! Edara sighed.
Magic is expensive! he protested.
Kelder, Salla told him, she doesnt have any more magic thanI do! Shes an old
fake! A liar!
No, she isnt!
Yes, she is! Shes here every year, and none of her predictions have ever come
true.
Notyet, maybe, Kelder said.
Never,Kelder. Shes a fake. None of what she told you is going to come true.
Yes, it will, Kelder said. You just wait and see! He turned away, hurt and
angry, and muttered to himself, Itwill come true.
A moment later he added, Illmake it come true.
Chapter One
Kelder sat down on the grassy hilltop and set his pack down beside him. The
gods were pouring darkness across the sky, now that the sun was below the
horizon, and it was, in his considered opinion, time to stop for the night.
This would be the third night since he had left homeand by the feel of it, the
coldest yet. Which was quite unfair; this was spring, after all, and the days
were supposed to be getting warmer, not colder.
He looked down the slope at the road below, still faintly visible in the
gathering gloom as a pale strip of bare dirt between the dark expanses of
grass on either side. On the near side that grass was at the foot of the hill
he sat upon, while on the opposite side, the north, the land flattened out
remarkably.
He was beyond the hills, at any rate.
This was cattle country, so there were no tilled fields to be seen, and at
this hour all the livestock had gone home, wherever home might be. The road
below was the only work of human origin anywhere in sight.
Kelder was pretty sure that that road was the Great Highway. He stared at it
in disappointment.
It was not at all what he had expected.
He had imagined that he would find it bustling with travelers, with caravans
and wandering minstrels, escaping slaves and marching armies, as busy as a
village square on market day. He had thought it would be lined with inns and
shops, that he would be able to trot on down and find jolly company in some
tavern, where he could spend his scrupulously-hoarded coins on ale and
oranges, and then win more coins from careless strangers who dared to dice
with himand the fact that he had never played dice before did not trouble his
fantasies at all. He had envisioned himself watching a wizard perform wonders,
and then escorting a comely wench up the stairs, flinging a few bits to a
minstrel by the hearth as he passed, making clever remarks in half a dozen
languages. Everyone would admire his wit and bravery, and he would be well on
his way to fulfilling the seers prophecy.
Instead he saw nothing but a long, barren strip of hard-packed dirt, winding
its way between the hills on either side, and utterly empty of life.
He sighed, and pulled open the flap of his pack.
He should have known better, he told himself as he pulled out his blanket.
Life was not what the seers and storytellers made it out to be. Much as he
hated to admit it, it looked just about as drab and dreary as his sisters had
always said it was. It wasnt just the family farm that was tedious, as he had
always thought; it was, it now appeared, the entire World.
And he should have guessed that, he told himself, from his previous
expeditions.
The first time he had run away had been the week after his visit to Zindré the
Seer at the village market. He had only been twelve.
That had been rash, and he had been young; Zindré had never implied that he
would begin his journey so young.
Kelder had had reasons, though. His father, determined to keep the family farm
in the family and having let all three of Kelders older sisters arrange to
marry away, had adamantly refused to arrange an apprenticeship or a marriage
for Kelder; Kelder was going to inherit the farm, whether he wanted it or not,
and settling the legacy on him meant no apprenticeship, no arranged marriage.
It had meant that Kelder was expected to spend the rest of his life on that
same piece of ground, seeing nothing of the World, learning nothing of
interest, doing no good for anyone, but only carrying on the family
traditions. That was hardly roaming free and unfettered, as the seer had
promised, or being a champion of the lost and forlorn.
Kelder had notwanted to spend the rest of his life on that same piece of
ground carrying on the family traditions.
So, frustrated and furious, he had left, convinced excitement and adventure
must surely wait just across the ridge. He had wandered off that first time
without so much as a stale biscuit in the way of supplies, and had crossed the
ridge, only to find more dismal little farms much like his own familys.
He had stayed away a single night, but his hunger the following morning had
driven him back to his mothers arms.
The next time he left, when he was thirteen, he had packed a lunch and stuffed
a dozen bits in iron into his belt-purse, and had marched over not just one
ridge, but a dozen or morefour or five miles, at least, and maybe farther. He
had known that soldiers were said to march twenty or thirty miles a day, but
he had been satisfied; he hadnt hurried, had rested often, and the hills had
slowed him down.
And when darkness had come spilling over the sky, he had spent the night
huddled under a haystack. He had continued the following daybut around noon,
when his lunch was long gone and he had still seen nothing but more ridges and
more little farms, he had decided that the time of the prophecys fulfillment
had not yet come, and he had turned back.
The spring after that, at fourteen, he had plotted and planned for a month
before he set out to seek his fortune. He had carried sensible foods, a good
blanket, three copper bits and a dozen iron, and a sharp knife.
He had made it to his intended destination, Shulara Keep, by noon of the
second day, and he had done so without much difficulty. But then, after the
initial thrill of seeing a genuine castle had faded somewhat, and the
excitement of the crowds in the market square had dimmed, he had found himself
unsure what to do next. He had not dared to speak to anyonethey were all
strangers.
Finally, when the castle guard had shooed him out at sunset, he had given up
and again headed home.
At fifteen he had decided to try again. He had again gone to Shulara Keep, and
then continued to the west, until on the morning of the third day he had come
to Elankora Castle. Elankora was beyond the hills, and while it wasnt any
place particularly interesting, it was a strange land in that it wasnt
Shulara, so it was a step in the right direction.
There he had encountered a problem that had never occurred to him. Most of the
people of Elankora spoke no Shularan, and he, for his own part, knew only a
dozen words in Elankoran. Realizing his mistake, and frustrated by the
language barrier, he had turned homeward once more.
That was last year. This time he had prepared for that. He had found
tutorswhich had not been easyand had learned a smattering of several dialects,
judging that he could pick up more with practice when the need arose.
Old Chanden had taught him some Aryomoric and a few words of Uramoric. Tikri
Tikris son, across the valley, had turned out to speak Traders Tongue, and
Kelder had learned as much of that as he couldit was said that throughout the
World, merchants who spoke Traders Tongue could be found in every land.
Several neighbors spoke Elankoran and Ressamoric, but he could not find anyone
willing to waste time teaching him; he had to settle for picking up a few bits
and pieces.
Most amazing of all, though, Luralla the Inquisitive, that bane of his
childhood, spoke Ethsharitic! Her grandmother had taught herthough why her
recently-deceased grandmother had spoken it no one seemed to know.
It had even been worth putting up with Lurallas teasing to learnthat! After
all, it was said that the Hegemony of Ethshar was bigger than all the Small
Kingdoms put togetherso it was said, and he had never heard it contradicted,
so he judged it to be the truth.
And if he was to see great cities and vast plains, that could well mean
Ethshar.
Kelder had discovered, to his pleased surprise, that each language he
attempted was easier than the one before. He had feared that his brain would
fill up with words until he could fit no more, but instead he had found
patterns, similarities between the different tongues, so that learning a third
language was easier than a second, and the fourth was easier still.
Even so, a years spare time, given the distractions caused by all his chores
on the farm, was not enough to really become fluent in any of them. He felt he
could get by well enough in Traders Tongue, and knew enough Ethsharitic to
avoid disaster in the event no other tongue would serve. In Aryomoric he was,
he judged, about on a par with a three-year-old, while in Uramoric and
Ressamoric and Elankoran he knew only scattered phrases.
But then, he didnt intend to need Uramoric or Ressamoric or Elankoran, or even
Aryomoric. He had decided to strike out to the north, all the way to the Great
Highway, where his Traders Tongue and Ethsharitic could be put to useto the
Great Highway that ran between the legendary bazaars of Shan on the Desert to
the east, and the huge, crowded complexity of the Hegemony of Ethshar, with
its ancient capital, Ethshar of the Spices, to the west. The seer had said she
saw a road stretching before her that he would travelwhat other road could it
be, but the Great Highway?
So he had set out, his pack on his shoulder, and for three days he had marched
north, through pastures and meadows, past farms and villages, through most of
Shulara into Sevmor, and then from one end of Sevmor to the other.
At least, he thought he had passed beyond Sevmor, because he had never heard
of any highways that ran through Sevmor. The Great Highway ran through
Hlimora, and he therefore now believed himself to be in Hlimora.
What else could that road be, but the Great Highway?
And what was it, but a long strip of dirt?
Three days of thirst, sore feet, and backache had taken much of the glamor out
of his plans, and the sight of that empty road was the pebble that sank the
barge. This trip, like the others, was a failure.
Maybe his sisters had been right all along, and Zindré the Seer was nothing
but a lying old woman. He would never see the great cities she had promised
him, the strange beasts and beautiful women, the mighty magic.
He wrapped the blanket around his shoulders, then plumped up the pack to serve
as a pillow. His food was gone; he had eaten the last at midday. He would need
to use his precious handful of coins to buy food from now on, whether he went
on or turned back.
And in the morning, he promised himself as he lay down, in the morning he
would turn back. He would go home to the family farm, to boring old Shulara,
and he would stay there, dismal as that prospect was. He would listen to his
family and give up his belief in the seers prophecy.
After all, what need did he have of the wonders she had promised? He had a
safe, secure position. With all three of his sisters married he would one day
own the farm himself, the green pastures and the rich cornfields and the
thirty head of cattle. He would undoubtedly marry someoneprobably not the
magical beauty the seer had predicted, but someone boring, like Inza of the
Blue Eyes from across the valley. They would settle down and have children.
That was just what his family had always said would happen, and they were
right after all. He wouldnt see any wonders, wouldnt be an honored championall
he would do would be to keep his parents happy by working the farm.
How horribly dull!
He opened his eyes and peered down through the darkness at the highway. The
greater moon was rising, casting a pale yellow glow, so he could still see the
road, faintly.
It looked horribly dull, toothat was the problem. All of life, all the World,
seemed to be horribly dull, with no wonders or beauty anywhere.
Maybe he was just tired, he thought. Maybe everything would look better in the
morning.
Even if it did, though, he would go homenot covered in glory at all.
He sighed, and closed his eyes, and slept.
Chapter Two
He awoke twice during the night, shivering with the cold; each time he curled
himself up into a tighter ball, pulled the blanket more closely about him, and
went back to sleep. The third time he awoke the sun was squeezing up out of
the ground, far to the east, and he blinked at it unhappily.
With a sigh, he rubbed his eyes and sat up, remembering just where he was.
He was facing north atop a low hill, and below him lay the legendary and very
disappointing Great Highway. To his left both moons were low in the west, and
to his right the sun was just rising, and the combination cast long,
distorted, and colored shadows across the hills. The sky was streaked with
pink and gold and feathered with bits of cloud. The morning air was cold and
sharp in his nostrils, carrying the smells of wet grass and morning mist.
A dawn like this was a sort of wonder, at any rate, but no more so than he
might have seen back home.
He got to his feet and stretched, trying to work some of the stiffness out of
his joints, and stared down at that disappointing strip of dirt below.
At the very least, he told himself, he should go down and walk a few paces on
it, just so he could honestly say, when he got home, that he had traveled on
the Great Highway. After all, wasnt that part of the point? Wasnt he trying to
do things that he could brag about when he got home? He didnt really think he
had ever seriously wanted to stay away forever, and the seer had said he would
return. He couldnt quite imagine not going back home sooner or later.
He just hadnt intended it to be quite so soon.
He had learned years ago, in the face of his sisters mockery, to keep his
mouth shut about Zindrés predictions; still, he had secretly harbored hopes of
someday making them all come true.
Now he was finally convinced it would never happen. The World was just not an
exciting place. There were no wonders to be seen.
He would just go home and be a farmer.
Something moved in the corner of his eye; he looked up, startled. The movement
had been off to the left; he turned and looked, trying to spot it again.
At first, of course, he looked at the highway, and then at the fields to the
far side, and then along the row of low hills along the near side. Only when
the sparkle of something bright catching the morning sunlight drew his gaze
upward did he spot it.
It was pale and gleaming and more or less cross-shaped, flying along above the
highway, and initially he took it for a huge and unfamiliar bird. It swooped
closer as he watched, gleaming in the dawn as he had never seen a bird gleam.
He stared, trying to make it out, and realized that it was no bird.
It was aperson, a person with wings, and it was coming toward him.
He hesitated, unsure whether to run or stand his ground. A person flying meant
magic, and magic, much as he wanted to see it, could be dangerous.
The World might not be quite so dull as he had feared, but, he told himself,
it might be more dangerous than he had thought.
Then the flying figure drew close enough for him to see the curve of breast
and hip, the long sweeping flow of golden hair, and he knew it was a woman, a
young woman, and like any lad of sixteen he wanted to see more of her. He
stood his ground.
The figure drew closer and closer, her wings spread wide to catch the gentle
morning breeze; they flapped occasionally, but she was gliding more than
actually flying. Sunlight gleamed brilliantly from the wings, sparkling and
iridescent; rainbows seemed to flicker across their silvery-white surfaces.
She was wearing a white tunic with colored trim, though he could not yet make
out the details; below the tunic were fawn-colored breeches, rather than the
skirt a woman should be wearingKelder supposed a skirt would be impractical in
flight. Her dangling feet were bare.
He held his breath, expecting her to veer away or vanish at any moment, but
she came closer and closer. He could see her face now, the high cheekbones and
turned-up nose, the large eyes and mouth. She wasvery young, not so much a
woman as a girl, his own age or even a year or two younger. The trim on her
tunic was green and blue embroidery, depicting leaves and flowers.
He stared, utterly astonished, as with a final swoop she settled gently to the
earth not ten feet away from him.
She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Her face was heart-shaped
and perfect, her eyes a deep, pure blue, her hair a flowing stream of gold.
Kelder had heard of blondes, and had even seen pictures, but he had never seen
one in person before.
The wings that grew from her upper back were sleek and white, with every curve
gleaming polychrome; the back of her tunic was slit on either side and hemmed
to allow them through. In front her breasts filled the tunic out nicely.
As she landed her wings, which had spread at least five yards from tip to tip,
folded about her sides, like a cape. The embroidery at her neckline and on her
cuffs, he noticed, showed morning glory vines in full bloom. A bloodstone as
big as the top joint of his thumb glowed at the base of her throat, catching
the morning sun.
She was four or five inches shorter that he was, though he was scarcely a
gianta shade below average height, in fact. She looked up at him with those
deep blue eyes.
Hello, she said, speaking the single Ethsharitic word in a soft and velvety
voice.
Hello, Kelder replied, when he had caught his breath. He was suddenly very,
very glad that Lurallas grandmother had known Ethsharitic.
Whowas this miraculous creature? And why was she speaking tohim? Had Zindré
told the truth after all? Was this one of the prophesied wonders?
Was she perhaps even more?
I'm Irith the Flyer, she said. Who are you?
I'm... I'm... He gulped and tried again. I'm Kelder of Shulara.
She studied him thoughtfully for a moment, and then pointed to the south.
Shularasthat way, isnt it? she asked, cocking her head prettily to one side.
Kelder nodded, staring down at her. She was unbelievably beautiful.
Then what are you doinghere? she asked, blinking up at him.
I... I wanted to see the Great Highway, Kelder replied, horribly aware that
his answer sounded stupid.
She turned to look down at the road. Well, there it is, she said. Its not
really much to look at, around here. She turned back and smiled at him. Of
course, this is one of the dull parts, she said. The best parts are at the
ends.
That was a fascinating bit of information, and Kelder was very pleased to have
it. You have traveled on the Highway? he asked. The Ethsharitic words came to
his tongue with difficulty; he feared that if the conversation went on he
would soon be lost.
Irith grinned at him. Oh, Ive been back and forth along it ahundred times! she
said. What about you?
I came here last night, he admitted. From Shulara.
Oh. She glanced southward. They dont speak Ethsharitic there, do they?
No, Kelder admitted.
I dont think I remember how to speak Shularan, she said, apologetically. Would
you rather speak Traders Tongue?
Ah... it might be easier, yes, Kelder agreed, relieved. Traders Tongue shared
rather more vocabulary with Shularan than did Ethsharitic, and the grammar
came more easily. Besides, Tikri Tikris son had been a more knowledgeable and
congenial teacher than Luralla the Inquisitive.
Irith nodded. All right, she said, in Traders Tongue. You came here
cross-country all by yourself?
Kelder needed a minute to switch languages; then he replied, Well, therearent
any roads in Shulara, not really. Traders Tongue was much easier, once he had
made the adjustment.
Oh, I know, she said. I was there once, a long time ago. Its pretty, but not
very exciting. She shrugged, then looked back up into his eyes. Is that why
you left? she asked. To find somewhere more exciting?
Something like that, he agreed, marvelling at how she seemed to be equally
fluent in both tongues. I wanted to seek my fortune, you know, like in the
stories. My father wants me to just stay home and be a farmer like he did, and
he... well, I didnt want to. Or at least, not yet. He made no mention of the
prophecy, for fear she, like his sisters, would think it stupid and laugh at
him.
She nodded. Grown-ups can be soboring, cant they? She giggled.
The sound, Kelder thought, was almost like birdsong.
Bright and beautiful, with a laugh like birdsong, with a magic all her
ownthiswas the girl he was to marry! It had to be, beyond a doubt. He would
bring her to his home in pride and delight, and spend his life with her in
joy.
That was what the seer had said. Kelder swallowed.
Irith smiled at him, then abruptly sat down, cross-legged, on the grass. The
movement exposed her ankles, and Kelder noticed something on one of them,
several narrow bands encircling her leg.
Then she stretched her arms over her head and yawned, and Kelder stared at the
display of curves elsewhere and forgot about her ankles. Wings aside, blonde
hair aside, Irith was stillfar more interesting than Inza of the Blue Eyes.
I got up early this morning, she said casually, when the yawn was done. I
wanted to do a little early flying, before anybody else was up.
Kelder settled to the ground himself, far more slowly and carefully, a few
feet away from her. He stared at her, at the great shining wings, and wondered
where she had come from. If he was going to marry her, he wanted to know
something about her background. Was there a whole nation of winged people
somewhere?
Thatwould be a wonder worth seeing!
Do you live around here? he asked.
Oh, I dont live anywhere in particular, she said with a wave of her hand. Just
wherever I happen to land. She smiled at him again, an intoxicating smile. He
smiled back without knowing why.
What about your family? he asked.
Dont have any, she said. Theyre all long gone.
Oh, I'm sorry, he replied.
She turned up an empty palm in a shrug.
They sat silently for a minute, each contemplating the sunlight on the grassy
hillside and the road below. The place that Kelder had found so dismal the
night before somehow seemed to be sparkling with beauties and possibilities
now that Irith had appeared. Kelder wanted to say something to herhe wanted to
impress her, to sweep her off her feet, to hurry along the process of
courtship and marriage. Zindré had told him he would marry this creature, but
she had never said how long it would take.
But Kelder found himself tongue-tied, unable to think of a word. Iriths beauty
was overwhelming.
Then Irith asked, So, if youre off to seek your fortune, how old are you,
anyway? The traditional age is still thirteen, right? You certainly dontlook
thirteen.
I'm not, he admitted. I'm sixteen.
She nodded. I guess you left it a bit late, then?
He nodded. What about you? he asked.
I'm fifteen, she said.
He nodded again. That was just right, a year younger than himself.
Not that he would have minded if she werent.
After a moments hesitation, he gathered his nerve and said, I never saw anyone
with wings before.
She giggleddefinitely birdsong, he thought.
As far as I know, she said, thereisnt anyone else with wings. Just me.
Oh. That answered that, and disposed of any notion he might have had of
finding a land of winged people, but left her background a complete mystery.
Kelder tried to think of some clever way to phrase his next question, but
couldnt. How did you come to have wings, anyway? he said. Were you born with
them?
She giggled again. No, silly, of course not! She pushed playfully at his
shoulder.
Startled and pleased by the unexpected familiarity, he asked, Then whered you
get them?
She blinked at him, and then leaned over toward him as if she were confiding a
secret. Well, she said, I was a wizards apprentice once, a long time ago. And
I think I was pretty good at it, too. But my master was an old grouch, really
stuffy about all these stupid rules and regulations and his precious guild and
all my obligations as a wizard in training, and all that stuff, and I just got
really fed up with it all, you know? So one day when hed been especially nasty
to me, after I was done crying and while he was out at the market or
somewhere, I borrowed his book of spellsor stole it, really, I guess, since
hed told me never to touch it, but I gave it back. Anyway, I took it, and
looked up a spell hed told me about that would give me wings, and I used it,
and it worked! See? She preened slightly, flexing her wings so that they
caught the sunlight and shimmered brightly.
Theyre beautiful, Kelder said, in honest admiration. He was tempted to reach
out and touch them, but dared not.
He wondered what it would be like, taking a flying girl to bed. Would the
wings get in the way?
She smiled as she peered over her shoulder at them. Arent they? And flying is
suchfun!
He smiled back at her, sharing her delight, then asked, What happened after
that? Did the wizard catch you?
She laughed. No, silly, she said. At least, not then. I just flew away and
never came back. And the next time I saw him wasnt foryears, and by then
nobody cared any more, and we just forgot about the whole thing.
Kelder nodded. So you never finished your apprenticeship?
No. Why should I? Ive got everything I need! She spread her wings wide, and
the breeze they made blew the hair back from Kelders forehead. See? she said.
He stared in amazement. He wondered just what she meant when she said years,
though. Shecouldnt mean it literally. After all, she must have started her
apprenticeship at age twelvethat tradition was so ancient and sacred that
Kelder couldnt imagine it being violatedand it must have taken her atleast a
year before she learned enough magic to attempt something like a wing-making
spell, and got fed up enough with her master to use it. He had always heard
how difficult wizardry was, and he would have thought it would take at least a
journeyman wizard to do something like that; the magicians hed seen mostly
limited themselves to little stunts like lighting fires or making trees
whistle. Nobody could have made journeyman before age eighteen, from what hed
heardsixteen at the very least. And yet Irith claimed shed gotten her wings
and run away years ago, and she was only fifteen now.
Of course, the wizards Kelder had encountered in a quiet nowhere like Shulara
werent the best, but even so, she must have needed a year or two before she
could have learned such a spell.
And shed talked about visiting Shulara, and travelling back and forth on the
Great Highway hundreds of timesshe must just be prone to exaggerating, he
decided.
Well, that was no big deal. Lots of the girls he knew liked to exaggerateand
not just girls, either, for that matter. So what if she twisted the chronology
a little?
Of course, it did make it harder to know just what had really happened. She
must have been a good pupil, he thought, to learn a way to conjure her wings
so young. She probably only ran away a few months ago.
Part of the prophecy ran through his headThe magic is strange, of a kind I
have never seen, and that neither wizards nor witches know. It will both be
yours and not be yours. His wifes magic would be his and yet not hiswere
Iriths wings the strange magic that had been referred to?
But according to Iriths story this was a magic that wizards know, wasnt it?
Well, perhaps Zindré had gotten that one little detail wrong, or Irith had
distorted something.
And the details didnt really matter, anyway, did they? He decided not to be
nosy, and asked no further questions. When they were married he would have
plenty of time to find out.
So where were you heading? she asked him. You said you came to see the Great
Highway, right?
Thats right, he agreed.
Well, youve seen it; are you just going to go back home to your folks now?
Of course not! he said.
Actually, he had been planning to do exactly that, but he was not about to
admit that in front of the girl he was destined to marry. He didnt want to
look like a coward, or a fool, walking all this way for nothing.
Besides, her very presence proved that Zindré the Seer had not lied.
He had traveled far, beyond the hills and into strange lands; he had seen the
road stretching before him; he had found the girl he was to marrybut he had
not yet seen great cities or vast plains or strange beasts, he had not seen
beautiful women in the plural. Iriths magic might qualify as mighty, or it
might not, but the prophecy had saidmuch mighty magic. And he had not yet
championed anyone lost or forlorn. It was not yet time to return safely home
with his bride.
And he wasnt about to let Irith think he was a coward or a fool; if she
spurned him, his entire destiny would be jeopardized.
Where are you going, then? Irith asked.
Where areyou going? he countered.
Oh, I havent decidedand besides, I asked first! She smiled brightly. So
whereare you going?
That way, he said, choosing a direction more or less at random and pointing
east along the highway.
Oh, good! She clapped her hands together in delight. All the way to Shan on
the Desert?
He nodded. Why not? Why shouldnt he actually do it, go all the way to Shan on
the Desert? It was a great city, wasnt it? The prophecy had said he would see
great cities. And the Bazaar there was said to befull of wonders and magic.
I havent been there in thelongest time, Irith said. Could I come with you? We
could get to know each other betterI get lonely sometimes, living by myself.
Sure, Kelder said, trying to sound nonchalant. Id be glad of some company
myself.
That, of course, was an understatement. Kelder thought she was the most
beautiful thing he had ever seen, and given half a chance, hed have followed
her wherever she wanted to go. To haveher followinghim was even better, since
she couldnt very well consider him a nuisance in that case.
The prospects for a short courtship and swift marriage were looking better
every moment.
There were obstacles, of course, like his limited funds, but he tried not to
think about those.
Lets go, then, shall we? She got to her feet, and he caught another glimpse of
the curious colored rings on her ankle as her breeches fell back into place.
She started down the hillside.
He started to follow, then stopped. Wait a minute, he said, flustered, I need
to pack up my things here! He turned, and quickly gathered up his belongings,
stuffing them into his pack as fast as he could.
When he was sure he wasnt leaving anything important he got up, slung the pack
on his shoulder, and trotted down the hill to where Irith waited, smiling. It
was only as he came up beside her that he realized her wings were gone.
Hai!he said, startled.
What is it? she asked, looking about.
Your wings, he said, feeling very foolish. Whered they go?
The thought occured to him that maybe she had never really had wings at all,
maybe theyd been an illusion of some kindbut hadnt she said she had wings?
Oh! she said with a giggle, didnt I tell you that? Its part of the spell. I
dont have wings all the time, only when I want to. And theyre kind of a
nuisance when I'm walking, so I got rid of them.
But... Kelder began, then stopped. He really didnt know how to express his
puzzlement, especially not in Traders Tongue.
Oh, dont worry about it, silly! Irith said. Come on!
She started walking, and he hurried to catch up. A moment later, he asked, But
where do theygo?
She shrugged, a gesture he found wonderfully winsome.I dont know, she said.
Its magic, of course.
But when you want them back, where do you... I mean...
She sighed. Dont worry about it, all right? I'm a shapeshifter, thats all.
摘要：

PrologueThegirlsquirmedonherseat,andtheoldwomancastheraquick,angryglance.Shequieted,andthewomanturnedbacktohercustomer.Well,lad,shesaid,whatwouldyouhaveofme?Theboyhesitated.I'm...I'mKelderofShulara,hesaid.Iknow,shereplied,nodding.Itwasalie,ofcourse;shehadntknownanythingofthesort.Infact,itstruckhersu...

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