Wolf-speaker (30 page)

Authors: Tamora Pierce

At last every member of the Tortallan delegation was crammed into the small shipboard cabin.
Magical fire, a sign of shields meant to keep anything said in that room from being overheard, filled the corners and framed the door and portholes.

“No one can listen to us, magically or physically?” asked Duke Gareth of Naxen, head of the delegation. A tall, thin, older man, he sat on the room's only chair, hands crossed over his cane.

The mages there nodded. “It's as safe as our power can make it, Your Grace,” replied Numair.

Duke Gareth smiled. “Then we are safe indeed.” Looking in turn at everyone, from his son, Gareth the Younger, to Lord Martin of Meron, and from Daine to the clerks, he said, “Let me remind all of you one last time:
be very careful
regarding your actions while we are here. Do
nothing
to jeopardize our mission. The emperor is willing to make peace, but that peace is in no manner secure. If negotiations fall through due to an error on our parts, the other Eastern Lands will not support us. We will be on our own, and Carthak will be on
us
.

“We
need
this peace. We cannot match the imperial armies and navy, any more than we can match imperial wealth. In a fight on Tortallan soil, we
might
prevail, but war of any kind would be long and costly, in terms of lives and in terms of our resources.”

Alanna frowned. “Do we have to bow and scrape and tug our forelocks then, sir? We don't want to seem weak to these southerners, do we?”

The duke shook his head. “No, but neither should we take risksâparticularly not you.”

The Champion, whose temper was famous, blushed crimson and held her tongue.

To the others Duke Gareth said, “Go nowhere we are forbidden to go. Do not speak of freedom to the slaves. However we may dislike the practice, it would be unwise to show that dislike publicly. Accept no gifts, boxes, or paper from
anyone
unless they come with the knowledge of the emperor.
Offer
no gifts or pieces of paper to anyone. I understand it is the custom of the palace mages to scatter listening spells through the buildings and grounds. Watch what you say. If a problem arises, let my son, or Lord Martin, or Master Numair know
at once
.”

“Kitten will be able to detect listening spells,” remarked Numair. “I'm not saying she can't be magicked, but most of the common sorceries won't fool her.”

Kitten straightened herself on Daine's lap and chirped. She always knew what was being said around her. A slim creature, she was two feet long from nose to hip, with a twelve-inch tail she used for balance and as an extra limb. Her large eyes were amber, set in a long and slender muzzle. Immature wings that would someday carry her in flight lay flat on her back. Silver claws marked her as an immortal, one of many creatures from the realms of the gods.

Looking at the dragon, the duke smiled. When his eyes moved on to Daine, the smile was replaced with concern. “Daine, be careful. You'll be on your own more than the rest of us, though it's my hope that if you can help his birds, the emperor will let you be. Those birds are his only weakness, I think.”

“You understand the rules?” That was Lord Martin. He leaned around the duke to get a better look at Daine. “No childish pranks. Mind your manners, and do as you're told.”

Kitten squawked, blue-gold scales bristling at the man's tone.

“Daine understands these things quite well.” Numair rested a gentle hand on Kitten's muzzle and slid his thumb under her chin, so she was unable to voice whistles of outrage. “I trust her judgment, and have done so on far more dangerous missions than this.”

“We would not have brought her if we believed otherwise,” said Duke Gareth. “Remember, Master Numair, you, too, must be careful. The emperor was extraordinarily gracious to grant a pardon to you, and to allow you to meet with scholars at the palace. Don't forget the conditions of that pardon. If he catches you in wrongdoing, he will be able to arrest, try, even execute you, and we will be helpless to stop him.”

Numair smiled crookedly, long lashes veiling his brown eyes. “Believe me, Your Grace, I don't
plan to give Ozorne any excuse to rescind my pardon. I was in his dungeons once and see no reason to repeat the experience.”

The duke nodded. “Now, my friendsâit is time we prepared to dock. I hope that Mithros will bless our company with the light of wisdom, and that the Goddess will grant us patience.”

“So mote it be,” murmured the others.

B
OOKS BY
Tamora Pierce

Song of the Lioness Quartet

Alanna: The First Adventure
(Book I)

In the Hand of the Goddess
(Book II)

The Woman Who Rides Like a Man
(Book III)

Lioness Rampant
(Book IV)

The Immortals Quartet

Wild Magic
(Book I)

Wolf-speaker
(Book II)

Emperor Mage
(Book III)

The Realms of the Gods
(Book IV)
>

Atheneum Books for Young Readers
An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, New York 10020
www.SimonandSchuster.com

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Printed in the United States of America

2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3

The Library of Congress has cataloged a previous edition as follows:

Pierce, Tamora.

Wolf-speaker / Tamora Pierce.â1st ed.

p.Â Â Â cm.â(The Immortals series)

Sequel to: Wild magic. 1992.

“A Jean Karl book.”

Summary: With the help of her animal friends, Daine fights to save the kingdom of Tortall from ambitious mortals and dangerous immortals.

[1. Fantasy. 2. Human-animal communicationâFiction.] I. Title. II. Series: Pierce, Tamora. Immortals.

PZ7 .P61464 Wm 1994

[Fic]âdc20Â Â Â 93-21909