Below the Wizards' Tower (The Royal Wizard of Yurt Book 8) by C. Dale Brittain

Author:C. Dale Brittain [Brittain, C. Dale]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2014-08-30T22:00:00+00:00

VIII

The beard, I saw now, was not really white but bleached, full of yellowish streaks. The face was similar to but not identical with what I saw in the mirror every morning: the nose was a little wider, the chin a little narrower, there were more freckles, and his eyes were blue where mine were brown. But the overall similarity was striking.

A decade ago, when I had graduated from the wizards’ school, I had learned the enormously powerful spells that slow aging. This man looked roughly the same age as I did, which meant he was probably about ten years younger. We couldn’t be twins after all.

He looked up calmly, doubtless doing his own comparisons. “I don’t believe I have a long lost twin, Daimbert,” he said at last. “I was an only child. I am however happy to meet you. Sorry it’s not under better circumstances.”

I sat down next to him on the cot. “I was an only child too. But people in the great City have been mistaking me for you for two days.”

“My family came from the City originally, and I was born there, although I grew up out in the country,” he commented, apparently ready to enliven a dull evening in a cell with conversation. “My parents decided farming was the only true occupation for an adult—a point on which I thoroughly disagreed once I was old enough to recognize the virtues of cities. You and I might be cousins.”

“Why did the guard imprison you?” I asked, temporarily leaving the interesting topic of long lost cousins.

He shrugged. “He didn’t say. Maybe I overplayed my role with the cathedral priests.”

Slurred voices from the other cells interrupted whatever I had been going to reply. “Hey, keep it quiet!” “We’re trying to sleep in here!”

Time to get out. The guardsman should be far away by now. With a quick spell I opened the lock on our cell, then the door to the cell block. I briefly considered freeing the other prisoners, but if drunks wanted to sleep here in quiet, then I should probably let them. When Marcus followed me out, I let the outer door slam shut.

Reluctantly I turned in the opposite direction from the inn. By now the guardsman was probably eating there himself. Instead I led us back toward the little castle, dodging through shadows, probing mentally for members of the guard—or for Elerius.

No one stopped us. When we reached the square I flew up, found a window big enough to admit a man, and got it open. The room inside was dark and musty. Well, it had been a while since the royal court of Yurt had been here.

“Stay still and relaxed,” I called down softly, then lifted Marcus with magic and brought him inside with me.

“I see it could be an advantage being a wizard,” he said, the first time he had spoken since we left the cells. “But my branch of the family never went in for magic. Any chance of conjuring up some dinner?” There was just enough light for me to see his grin.

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