Dragon Mage by Andre Norton & Jean Rabe

Author:Andre Norton & Jean Rabe [Norton, Andre & Rabe, Jean]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

IT WAS STILL DARK WHEN THEY REACHED THE VILLAGE, THOUGH

the sky was lightening ever so faintly in the east.

"I will need something different to wear," Nidintulugal said. "A ... disguise ... as you name it. And you will need more nuts for the people we are to meet in the courtyard."

On the trip down he'd asked her how she would notice the two who would help them. Shilo merely raised her eyebrows and gave him a "how do you think" look.

"They will look out of place," Nidintulugal said to himself.

"Like a fish pedaling a bicycle."

It was his turn to raise his eyebrows.

Shilo had expected him to find the village elder or mayor, the old gentleman who'd tended to her feet. Instead, he crept around to the eastern edge of the village, plucked a man's robe off a line, reached in through a few windows to gather bowls of nuts, and then scuttled to what passed for a barn. Every few minutes he held his finger to his lip to make sure Shilo stayed quiet. Like I'm going to make a racket now, she thought.

Inside the barn he pointed to a four-wheeled wagon and a large, two-wheeled cart. He selected the latter, which looked sturdier and less worn, and pulled it outside, cringing when the wheels creaked as they moved. He did his best to silently hitch it to an ox, and to put the small bowls of nuts in it. The village had one ox and a big horse. Shilo had gestured to the horse, but he shook his head and led the ox through a pair of buildings and down the widest village street. A few people were stirring; hushed conversations and the clanking of pots drifted out of windows. Shilo took off a pair of her silver earrings and placed them on the windowsill of one of the homes where he'd appropriated the nuts. She breathed a sigh of relief that no one had stopped them.

He turned the ox north and started in that direction away from the village. Shilo tugged on his belt.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Nidintulugal gestured with his head toward the village. "Gehud watches us out his front door. And Nurthar saw us out his window. Let them think we go to the north.'

Shilo fell in beside him, deciding not to stay with this ruse long. She didn't have to. As soon as they'd passed out of sight of the village, by following a curve in the road, Nidintulugal put on the borrowed robe, and took the ox off the road and started southwest.

The land sloped down, and so they would not be spotted by any villagers—unless they came out onto the road and purposely looked in this direction. A mile later, they made their way through tall grass, the stalks so high it hid them at times.

"Now you have me confused, Nidin." Shilo reached over and scratched at the ox's neck.

She was walking on the opposite side of the ox now, talking across it to Nidintulugal.

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