Beyond the Blue Moon (Forest Kingdom Novels) (25 page)

“I am not grumpy!”

“Did you try the enema purge I recommended?”

“Never mind the enema! I want you out of this hall right now!”

“I think we can assume the enema didn’t work,” said Chance. “Who is this … person, Tiffany?”

“I am Malvolio the Magnificent!” roared the magician, pulling himself up to his full height. “Master of the mathematics of the universe! All who live shall bow before my genius!”

“What do you want to bet he’s an ex-boyfriend?” Hawk asked Fisher, who nodded solemnly.

“I broke it off,” said Malvolio haughtily. “She was too immature for me. Right now, all this flower child frippery is undermining the mystery and awe of magic, and could affect all our chances of making a proper impression before the Court. I want this child out of here, and I want her out now!”

“Have you considered personal counseling?” asked Tiffany. “Just lying down and talking to someone can be very therapeutic.”

“You see what I mean!” The Magnificent Malvolio’s face took on a dangerous shade of purple, and his eyes bulged half out of their sockets. “Therapy? What kind of talk is that for a real magic-user? Magic is power! And glory! It’s all about the domination of the universe and everything in it through the superior will of the adept, and I will not allow this little chit—”

“Tell me something,” Chance broke in. “When did you last get your ashes hauled?”

Malvolio glared at Chance. “I take pride in keeping myself pure and inviolate. Power comes from the disciplined mind.”

“Thought so,” said Chance. “Personally, I’ve always thought there’s more to life than power. I suggest you find yourself a nice healthy girl and settle down together. In the meantime, I think you should leave, right now. Before I decide to show you a trick I know, involving this battle axe and your lower intestines.”

“Oh, don’t hurt him, Allen!” Tiffany said immediately. “I’m sure he didn’t mean to be rude. His aura’s obviously out of balance. His spleen must be overproducing.”

“If he’s still here when I’ve stopped talking to you, I’m going to get his spleen out so we can all get a good look at it,” Chance said firmly.

He looked around slowly and deliberately, just in time to see Malvolio the Magnificent stalking away, his chin held up so high, it must have hurt his neck. Tiffany looked at Chance reproachfully.

“You’ve upset him now.”

“I certainly hope so,” said Chance. “Some people should be upset as a matter of principle, on a regular basis. It’s good for their souls. You never told me he used to be your boyfriend.”

“He was just a friend,” Tiffany said guilelessly. “I have lots of friends.”

Chance decided to change the subject before it went somewhere he might not like. He reached inside his jerkin. “I brought back a present for you, Tiff. All the way from Haven. That’s a powerful city-state in the south.”

“Oh, how sweet of you, Allen! I love presents. What have you brought me?”

Chance smiled and brought out from inside his jerkin a flat red box tied with a pink ribbon. Tiffany all but snatched it from him, cooed over the ribbon, and then ripped it away, dropped it to the floor, and pried open the box. She dropped that unceremoniously to the floor, too, as she concentrated on the glowing blue crystal in a delicate silver filigree setting. Tiffany cooed over that as well, turning the crystal back and forth to catch its gleam in the changing light. She leaned forward to peck Chance on the cheek, and he blushed like a child. Tiffany didn’t notice. She was already studying the crystal again.

“Oh, Allen, it’s lovely! How thoughtful of you. This crystal has very positive vibrations.”

And then she peeled away the intricate silver setting with her fingers and let it drop to the floor, so she could hold the unadorned crystal up before her eyes and stare into its depths. Chance looked at the crumpled silver setting on the floor, and then bent down and picked it up.

“We’re on our way to Court, Tiffany. I can’t stay. See you later?”

“If you like, Allen.” Tiffany waggled her fingers at him in a good-bye, nodded briefly to Hawk and Fisher, then stopped and stared at them thoughtfully. Hawk felt an unpleasant prickling at the back of his neck. Witches had the Sight, and were reputed to be able to see the future, as well as other things. Witches often knew things they weren’t supposed to. Tiffany looked from Hawk to Fisher and back again. She frowned. It looked out of place on her pleasant, unlined face. “You have both been touched by Wild Magic,” she said slowly. “I can see it hanging about you, like chains to a terrible past. You bring blood and change. You have two shadows, behind and before you. I see you going down and down … to an awful place …” She shuddered suddenly. “You scare me. I can see the Blue Moon in your eyes.”

“That’s enough, Tiffany,” said Chance. He took her by the arm and pulled her firmly away from Hawk and Fisher. “We have to be going now.”

He gathered up Hawk and Fisher, and led them away. Tiffany watched them go with wide eyes. Chance looked at the silver filigree in his hand, the delicate workmanship crumpled and ruined, and put it back inside his jerkin. “Maybe she’ll want it later,” he said to no one in particular.

“Humans in heat,” said Chappie disgustedly. “Is there anything more embarrassing?”

Sir Vivian looked thoughtfully back at the young witch, and then at Hawk and Fisher, but he waited till they’d left the magicians’ hall before raising the subject. He leaned in close, his voice low, as though he didn’t want his own people to hear what he was saying.

“What was that all about? What did she mean?”

“Damned if I know,” Hawk said easily. “Sounded like a prophecy of some kind, but I’ve never put much faith in such things.”

“She mentioned the Blue Moon.”

“So she did.” Hawk shrugged. “She also claimed to channel Princess Julia, but since Julia is definitely still very much alive …”

“She’s a witch,” said Chance shortly. “They See too much of the world. Their minds don’t work like ours do.”

“I don’t think Tiffany’s mind works like anybody else’s,” said Fisher. “It’s a wonder to me she can tie her own bootlaces.”

“Witches are fairly low-level magic-users,” said Hawk quickly. “Why do they have such a presence here?”

“The Queen puts great faith in the Sisters of the Moon,” said Sir Vivian carefully. “She has officially asked the Academy to investigate the matter of the King’s death. It seems she doesn’t entirely trust the Magus or his investigation. Can’t think why.”

“And since Tiffany is quite definitely the most powerful, if not the most experienced, witch the Academy has ever produced, the Mother Witch put her in charge of the investigation,” said Chance. He didn’t sound too happy about it. “She’s barely left the Academy; spent most of her life behind their walls. How we do things in the real world is still something of a mystery to her.”

“Innocent but powerful,” said Fisher. “A dangerous combination.”

“Oh, yes,” said Chance. “Much like me, after I left St. Jude’s. Single-sex institutions have a lot to answer for.”

“How does the Magus feel about this involvement of the witches?” Hawk asked thoughtfully.

“So far he’s completely ignoring them,” said Sir Vivian, who seemed to have forgotten he wasn’t talking to Hawk. “The Magus has always been very good at not seeing things he doesn’t want to see.”

“I’m surprised we haven’t seen him yet,” said Chance. “I was expecting him to be there to greet our return. I mean, this whole journey south was mostly his idea.”

“The Magus is currently attending the Court,” said Sir Vivian, sharing a look with Chance that Hawk caught but couldn’t interpret. “The Magus spends a lot of time at Court these days.”

“How about the Shaman?” asked Chance. “Another face suspicious by his absence. It doesn’t seem like the Castle without him bursting into other people’s gatherings, to make a speech or pick a fight.”

“No one’s seen him all day,” said Sir Vivian, frowning. “Which means he’s plotting something again. The Shaman is always most dangerous when he’s not around. That man never chooses a straight line if he can find a more devious one. If I thought I could enforce it, I’d ban him from the Castle, but …”

“Yes,” said Chance. “But.”

“He’s much more than he seems to be,” said Sir Vivian. “But then, that’s true of a lot of people here at Forest Castle.”

“Including you?” asked Fisher.

“Oh, of course,” said Sir Vivian solemnly.

Hawk stopped abruptly as something on the wall to his right caught his attention. Fisher followed his gaze and stopped with him. There on the wall before them, nine feet tall, were the official portraits of Prince Rupert and Princess Julia, living legends of the Demon War. Prince Rupert stood tall and heroic, heavily muscled inside formal plate armor chased with gold. A single straight scar ran down the wrong side of his face, and he still had both his eyes. The artist had given Rupert’s face a noble, almost saintly look. Princess Julia stood barely five feet tall, wearing a long flowing gown of midnight blue, with gold and silver piping. Diamonds gleamed brightly on rings and bracelets and necklaces, and her long blond hair was piled up on top of her head in an intricate style. Hawk and Fisher studied the images in silence for a long while.

“We never looked that good in our lives,” Fisher murmured finally.

“Right,” said Hawk, just as quietly. “No one’s ever going to recognize us from these. Talk about idealized. No wonder we’re such a disappointment, compared to
them.”

“Don’t worry,” said Fisher. “We’ll soon make our mark. In someone’s forehead, if necessary.”

And then they both jumped as they realized someone was standing right there beside them. He definitely hadn’t been there a moment before. He had suddenly and silently appeared out of nowhere. While Hawk waited for his heartbeat to return to something like normal, it occurred to him that such a practice could quickly become extremely irritating.

“Good evening,” said the new appearance. “I am the Magus.”

“Of course,” said Fisher. “You would have to be.”

Hawk glowered at the Magus to show how unimpressed he was, but he took his hand away from his axe. Fisher pushed her sword back into its scabbard. The Magus was a few inches less than average height, with a round, calm face under a sparse mousey haircut. His eyes were a faded blue, and his mouth held a constant gentle smile. He had an almost absentminded stare, and his gaze tended to drift, as though he was always thinking of something more important. His clothes were at least thirty years out of fashion, and ruthlessly formal, topped off with a huge enveloping cloak of midnight blue, whose top rose up and over the Magus’ head, as though watching over him. He was a man who knew things. Hawk knew this immediately, just from looking at him. There was a low but menacing growl from behind Hawk, and he looked quickly around to see Chappie backing away to hide behind Chance’s legs, his tail between his legs.

“Bastard!” growled the dog. “You jump out of nowhere near me again, and I’ll bite your bum off!”

“Chappie!” snapped Chance immediately. “Show some respect.”

“He smells
wrong,”
said Chappie defiantly. “High Warlock’s successor, my hairy arse.”

The Magus ignored both of them with the ease of long practice. “Welcome to Forest Castle, Captain Hawk, Captain Fisher. I’ve been expecting you for some time.”

“How could you?” asked Fisher suspiciously. “No one knew we were coming instead of Rupert and Julia, and word hadn’t had a chance to get ahead of us.”

“How do I know anything?” the Magus asked pleasantly. He plucked a long-stemmed rose with no thorns out of nowhere and presented it to Fisher with a slight bow. She smiled slightly, charmed despite herself. Chappie sniffed loudly.

“Show-off.”

“I know why you’re here,” said the Magus, his calm gaze drifting over to Hawk. “I can’t think of anyone better suited than you to investigate poor Harald’s murder.”

“How could he have been killed when he was protected by your magical wards?” Hawk asked bluntly. He could tell the Magus was trying to be charming, but Hawk didn’t feel like being charmed.

“That is one of the few things I don’t know,” said the Magus, his voice still unwaveringly calm. “Technically speaking, it should have been impossible. No doubt you’ll work out the answer in time. But then, answers aren’t everything. I’ve always been more interested in questions. The truth rarely makes us happy, or even satisfied.”

“Is that why you’ve been unable to solve the King’s murder?” Sir Vivian asked harshly.

“Nothing is as it seems,” said the Magus vaguely. “But then, that’s business as usual in Forest Castle. Here, there are secrets hidden inside enigmas, and false faces everywhere.” He smiled at Hawk and Fisher. “I don’t have to tell you that. The past is coming back to haunt and possess the present, and not all old ghosts have been laid to rest.”

“You know,” said Fisher, “just once I’d like to meet a sorcerer who wasn’t so fond of his own voice. It always has to be riddles and mysteries.
What the hell are you talking about?
Can’t you say anything open and straightforward?”

“Very well,” said the Magus. “The Blue Moon is coming back.”

Hawk and Fisher looked at each other sharply, and then at Chance and Vivian, but judging by their startled faces, this was news to them, too.

“Would you care to elaborate on that?” asked Sir Vivian.

“No,” said the Magus. “Follow me, please. Court is still in session, and I’m sure everyone there could use someone new to shout at.”

He drifted off down the corridor. Hawk couldn’t help noticing that the sorcerer wasn’t casting a shadow. Fisher gave a start as the long-stemmed rose she was holding collapsed suddenly into a pale pink mist and floated away. Sir Vivian smiled.

“Just another illusion. You can’t trust anything where the Magus is concerned.”

“But he does know things,” said Chance. “From the past, the present … and the future. No one keeps secrets from the Magus.”

“Then why can’t he see who the killer is?” Hawk asked.

“Good question,” said Sir Vivian.

They set off after the Magus, heading for the Court. They’d all pretty much run out of things to say, though they had a lot on their minds. Hawk was trying to figure out how he felt about the Magus. For a supposedly firstrate sorcerer, the Magus didn’t have anything like the air of authority that the High Warlock had always had, even when in his cups. The High Warlock had always been a very dangerous man, and everyone knew it. The Magus, on the other hand, was quiet, serene, almost self-effacing. He didn’t look like he had it in him to be threatening. But still, there was something about the man, something almost sinister. As though he knew many things he wasn’t supposed to know. Knowledge can be power, particularly if blackmail is involved. Hawk pondered the implications of that all the way to the Court.