The Black Raven: Book Two of the Dragon Mage (Deverry Series-Act Three: The Dragon Mage 2) by Kerr Katharine

Author:Kerr, Katharine [Kerr, Katharine]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
ISBN: 9780307572134
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2009-12-08T16:00:00+00:00

“That’s what we’ve come to fetch,” Nevyn said, pointing.

“I thought it might be,” Lilli said.

The silver casket, engraved with a design of roses, sat gleaming in the sunlight on the table. Although Wildfolk swarmed all over the women’s hall, they refused to go anywhere near the casket itself. Other than the Wildfolk, Nevyn and Lilli had the big sunny room to themselves. Bellyra was sleeping, and Elyssa and Degwa had gone off about their own business in the dun.

“I bitterly regret leaving the casket with the princess,” Nevyn said. “But I didn’t know what else to do with the wretched thing. I couldn’t trust anyone else with it, and I could hardly take it with me on campaign.”

“I should think not, my lord!” Lilli said. “It might have got you killed.”

“Or the prince, worse yet.”

“Is that what’s made her so ill, the casket I mean?”

“It’s not. That’s quite another matter.”

A greenish-grey gnome climbed into Lilli’s lap like a cat. She stroked its nubby back and almost, it seemed, could hear it sigh in contentment. Nevyn walked over to the table and stood scowling at the casket as if he could force it to speak.

“My lord? You’ve never told me what’s in it,” Lilli said. “All I know is that I can’t bear to touch it.”

“And that’s a mystery in itself. I put so many dweomer seals on it that I doubt if the Kings of the Elements themselves could get through them, yet you felt the evil without half-trying.” He shook his head in irritation. “But what it’s hiding is at root simple: a curse tablet. Have you ever seen one of those?”

“I’ve not.”

“They’re strips of soft lead, hammered very thin—you engrave the words of your curse on it with a sharp bit of stick or suchlike.”

“What did this one say?”

“As this so that. Maryn king Maryn king Maryn. Death never dying. Aranrhodda rica rica lubo bubo.” He smiled briefly. “Are you any the wiser?”

“Well, everyone knows who Aranrhodda is, and the death part is clear enough.”

“Unfortunately. Tell me, did your mother ever talk of Aranrhodda?”

“Not that I remember. What I wonder about is the bit that says ‘as this so that.’ It bothers me. What’s the ‘this’?”

“Ah, here’s the nastiest thing of all. It had been buried in a box with the corpse of an infant boy.”

“They didn’t kill the child on purpose, did they, just for this spell?”

“I’m afraid they must have. He was badly mutilated, too. It takes a lot to shake me, but I was shaken, I’ll admit it.”

“How horrible.” Lilli felt on the edge of nausea. “The baby’s not in there, is it?”

“What? Of course not! I had the local priests bury the poor little fellow properly.”

“That gladdens my heart. How long have you had this casket?”

“Six years or so. I found it buried in Pyrdon, just before Maryn started his march to Cerrmor. The Lords of the Elements warned me that there was dark dweomer nearby, you see. They told me where the cursed little bastards had sheltered, and I found the child’s grave when I was poking around.

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