The Warlock is Missing (30 page)

"I must bid thee farewell for now, Beauteous One," Cordelia explained, "for my mother would be even more wroth, did she find thee within doors! And thy quest is done now, is't not?"

The unicorn nodded, pawing the turf.

"But oh! Thou wilt not leave me forever, wilt thou?" Cordelia caught the unicorn's head between her palms, gazing up into her eyes. "I shall be so lonely without thee—and shall be forlorn, an I thought thou wert never to see me more! Thou wilt not leave me lorn, wilt thou?"

The unicorn shook her head, and stepped forward to nuzzle her face and butt her velvet nose against Cordelia's chest.

"Aye, thou art still my dear one," Cordelia breathed. "Fare-thee-well, then, till I do see thee again!"

The unicorn stepped back and tossed her head as she turned, cantering away toward the woodland. Just short of the verge, she reared, turning back, and pawed the air, looking directly into Cordelia's eyes; then she turned toward the woodland, her forehooves struck the carpet of dry leaves, and she trotted in among the trees, glimmering in the twilight, and faded from view.

Cordelia stood gazing after the unicorn with tears in her eyes. "She will not forsake me, will she?"

"Not so long as thou dost not wish her to," Puck said softly.

"Oh! How could I ever wish her to!"

"Thou wouldst not," Puck agreed. "Yet the day may come when thou dost crave some other being with greater yearning."

Cordelia shook her head with passion. "Nay, never!"

"Mayhap," Puck sighed, "yet mayhap also… Well! 'Mayhap,' and 'mayhap!'Thy world could drown in so many 'mayhaps,' could it not? And thou wouldst not haply be happy thereby. Nay, come away, child! Thou wilt see thy unicorn many times again, I trow, for a span of years more, belike! Nay, come away—I doubt me not an thy brothers have need of thine aid."

He turned away toward the doorway, looking up at her expectantly.

Cordelia smiled down at him through her tears, dried her eyes, and went in.

She found the three captives laid out on the floor by the fireplace and her brothers staring at one another blankly.

"Why dost thou stand idle?" Cordelia demanded. "Has the forest taken thy wits, that thou no longer knowest what to do within doors?"

" 'Tis not even that," Magnus protested. "Nay, rather—'tis the management of captives that doth concern me. We dare not chance their awakening."

"There's truth in that," Cordelia admitted, "and who doth know how long 'twill be ere Mama and Papa return?"

"The more reason to be sure of them, then." Geoffrey darted over to the corner, caught up Papa's walking stick, and stalked over to Groghat, standing beside his head, glowering down. "If he doth flutter an eyelid…"

"Thou'lt use thy 'sleep spell,' not thy cudgel," Magnus directed. "'Tis safer, and more sure. And I will stand guard over the sorcerer; he might yet give us a bad turn or two." He stepped over beside Lontar.

"Thou must needs sleep, soon or late," Gregory pointed out.

Magnus frowned. "'Tis true. Let us bind them more securely. Geoffrey, dost thou know that coil of rope Papa doth keep in the shed?"

Geoffrey nodded and disappeared with a bang. Air boomed out a moment later, and he was back, a huge coil of rope over his shoulder. He dumped it on the floor and straightened, exhaling. " 'Tis
heavy
!"

"Aye," Magnus replied. "Thy pardon; I should have gone."

"Oh, nay!" Geoffrey said, irked. "Dost thou think me a baby?"

"Never, brother," Magnus assured him. "Now, then—let us do the giant first, whilst we're fresh. Gregory, thou must bind the knots. Geoffrey and Cordelia, now—UP!"

They all scowled in fierce concentration. Slowly, Groghat rose three feet off the floor The top end of the rope darted toward him like a striking Snake, whipped about his body, and tied itself in a square knot.

'Turn, now," Magnus grated.

All three older children tensed.

Slowly, Groghat began to turn, then faster and faster, like a table leg on a lathe.

Gregory frowned at the rope, guiding it as it laid itself in a neat coil all along Groghat's body. When it reached his ankles, he stopped turning, and the rope whipped itself into another knot.

"Now, down," Magnus directed.

The giant's body lowered itself to the floor again.

Cordelia, Geoffrey, and Magnus all heaved a sigh of relief. Geoffrey stepped in to cut the rope with his knife, and stepped back. Then Magnus said, "Now the sorcerer."

They didn't even scowl; Lontar's scrawny body floated up off the floor easily; the rope tied itself; Lontar began to revolve.

When all three lay cocooned neatly side by side, Magnus and Geoffrey took up their stations again.

"Thou still must needs sleep," Gregory repeated.

"When we do, elves may stand guard; there will be time for us to waken, now that these three are so securely bound," Magnus explained. "They shall call us at the slightest sign of wake fulness. Will they not, Robin?"

"What… ?" Puck looked up from chewing his fingernails. "Oh, aye! Be assured, the Wee Folk will be most eager to aid thee in keeping these three from waking in the High Warlock's house! 'Tis bad enough as 'tis," he muttered, turning back to gaze into the cold hearth, chafing his hands.

Cordelia frowned. "What doth trouble thee, Robin?"

"Naught that need worry thee," the elf answered. " 'Tis for myself to answer, children. Do thou not be concerned."

Cordelia still frowned but, unable to figure out what Puck was talking about, shrugged and went to the shelves to take up her embroidery. "Well then, sin that it may be some hours or, nay, even days yet, I will seek to pass the time." And she went to sit down by Phebe's feet, keeping an eye on the milkmaid and plying her needle, singing happily.

For himself, Gregory drifted up to the mantelpiece and sat there cross-legged, tailor-fashion, back straight, hands in his lap, gazing down at his brothers and sister fondly, smiling.

Puck looked up at him with a grimace, knowing Gregory's mother had forbidden the mantelpiece, claiming that if it had been intended for sitting on, his father would have carved a chair in it. The High Warlock had instantly volunteered to start whittling, but his wife had vetoed it with a glare and a remark about soot on boys' clothes. Her husband had pointed out that a little soot probably wouldn't make much difference, but mother had been firm, and the mantel had remained a forbidden zone. Puck remembered that now, and started to say something, but caught himself and heaved a sigh. What was one peccadillo more or less? He went back to a glum contemplation of his fate.

Around them, the room darkened into evening. Finally, with an impatient snap of the fingers, Puck summoned some brownies who skipped to light the fire and a few lamps, then disappeared back into their crannies.

Magnus and Geoffrey each sent their prisoners back into sleep again. Phebe began to twitch, and Cordelia looked up at her, briefly. The woman went back to sleep.

Which is how matters stood when the door opened and the High Warlock and his wife came in, with glad cries upon their lips.

The glad cries froze as they saw the scene before them.

Puck took one look at their faces, moaned, and shot up the chimney with a wail of despair.

The children looked at one another wide-eyed, suddenly aware that their behavior might have been a little less than ideal.

Then Mama closed her mouth, and took a deep breath.

But Papa beat her to it. "And just what do you think
you've
been doing?"

Gregory's chin began to quiver. "We… we are sorry…"

"We will not do it again," Cordelia promised with tears in her eyes.

"We did not
mean
to…" Magnus explained, with trepidation.

But.Geolfrey squared his shoulders in defiance and stated, "Thou didst not say we
couldn't
!"