Watt-Evans, Lawrence - Annals of the Chosen 01 (70 page)

"He
can't
really
hurt
you,"
the
Leader
said.
"Not
directly. It's
a
part
of
the
magic
of
the
Chosen—we
are
immune
to the
Wizard
Lord's
magic.
He
can
strike
at
us
in
various ways,
but
he
cannot
simply
turn
his
magic
against
us.
He cannot
use
our
true
names,
or
send
ler
against
us.
And
if
he does
manage
to
kill
one
of
us,
he
loses
a
portion
of
his
own power.
He
won't
do
that."

"But
he
...
Sezen
..."

"Oh,
he
can
hurt
your
husband,
yes—but
do
you
really think
he
would
risk
angering
you
so?
His
threats
are empty
..."

"Empty?"
The
raccoon's
voice
broke
in
an
unnatural squeal.

"Yes,
empty!"
the
Leader
shouted
back.

"I
will
show
you
how
empty
my
words
are!"
the
raccoon said—and
then
it
shivered,
and
something
changed
indefinably,
and
no
one
needed
the
Seer
to
tell
them
that
the
Wizard Lord
had
released
his
hold
over
the
animal.

The
raccoon
shook
itself,
backed
two
careful
steps
away from
the
roof's
edge,
then
turned
and
scampered
up
toward the
ridgepole.

Thunder
rumbled
anew,
and
the
sky
darkened.

"I
think
he's
going
to
make
it
rain
again,"
the
Leader
said, squinting
at
the
clouds.
'That
hardly
seems
like
a
really
convincing
demonstration
of
anything,
at
this
point."

"Is
that
all?"
Sezen
looked
over
his
four
visitors,
then
his wife,
"Merrilin
..."

"I'm
going,"
she
said
with
a
sigh.
"I
think
you're
all
mad, but
I
don't
want
to
argue
about
it
any
more,
and
really, Sezen,
if
you
never
even
believed
me
when
I
told
you
I
was the
Thief
..."

"I
did
believe
you,
truly
I
did,
but
I
..
."

The
first
fat
raindrops
began
to
patter
on
the
flooded
garden
and
soaked
thatch,
and
Sezen
and
Merrilin
ducked
back
inside;
there
they
both
paused,
looking
out
at
the
travelers.

"You'll
want
to
pack,"
the
Leader
said.
"We
can
wait
in the
wagon
..."

And
then
the
flash
blinded
them
all
and
the
world
seemed to
vanish
for
an
instant
in
blue-white
light
and
an
ear-shattering
roar.

Breaker
blinked,
and
for
a
moment
seemed
to
see
two
or three
doorways
instead
of
one,
in
eerie
afterimage;
his
ears
rang,
but
then
he
seemed
to
hear
crackling.

And
then
he
heard
screaming,
and
after
a
second
or
two
it
resolved
into
words,
shrieked
in
a
little
girl's
voice.

"Mama!
Mama,
help!
Help,
the
roof's
on
fire!
Mama!"

"Oh,
my
soul,"
Breaker
said,
as
he
charged
forward,
past
the
Seer
and
the
Speaker,
who
stood
frozen
in
astonishment.

Parental
instinct
had
ensured
that
Sezen
and
Merrilin
had not
frozen;
they
had
whirled
and
run
in
at
the
first
scream.
The
Leader,
too,
had
reacted
quickly,
and
he
and
Breaker
collided
in
the
doorway
before
bouncing
side
by
side
into
the
interior
of
the
Thief's
home.