Page 23 of Seducing the Sorcerer
But Morgrim’s eyes were serious and steady. There was not a hint of laughter about him.
“It’s a right decent offer,” Fenn said.
“So, you’ll stay?”
“I...I don’t rightly know.”
“Pardon me, but do you have anywhere else to go, Mr. Todd?”
Fenn wasn’t sure how he felt about admitting it, but to lie seemed pointless. “Can’t say I do.”
“Then it’s settled. You’re my guest.”
Morgrim went to a small bureau that crouched near one of the windows, rummaged in a drawer and pulled out a square piece of white pasteboard the size of his hand. It was ornamented with black ribbons and red seals. He took pen and ink from the same drawer and glanced at Fenn. “Your given name: Fenn. Is it short for something?”
“Fennrik,” Fenn admitted, a bit reluctant. Giving his full name felt dangerously formal, like someone was about to get control over him, but he could hardly have refused to answer.
Morgrim nodded, wrote on the pasteboard and handed it to Fenn.
“A pass to the tower,” Morgrim said. “So you can come and go as you please. Jasper will let you through my gatehouse without this, but there’s another gatehouse on the city side of the tower bridge. It’s manned by palace guards. They’ll want to see that every time you enter or leave.”
Fenn glanced at the pass. Morgrim had written “Mr. Fennrik Todd and horse. To leave and enter the Unket Tower at will.” He had very tidy handwriting. He’d signed it too, with an elegant, illegible flourish.
“Thank you.” Fenn put it in his pocket as if in a dream. He still couldn’t believe this was happening.
“We will, of course, find you a more comfortable room.”
Fenn shook his head. “Stables are fine.”
“I’m sure we can do better. Though I hope you won’t object to wearing my colours while you’re here? That is something of a tradition. But I can have other garments made for you, if you prefer? Whatever you like.”
“These are fine,” Fenn said, faintly. There could surely be no greater irrelevance than clothes in the face of all this.
“The horse may enjoy the grass on the old mustering ground,” Morgrim said. “I have a horse, and the palace grazes several horses there as well. Perhaps they might be put in together?”
Was now the time to mention that the worple horse likely didn’t eat grass but was partial to pink silk eiderdowns? Somehow, despite everything, Fenn didn’t dare. Though he was relieved the conversation had turned to horses.
“You’ve a fine saddle horse, I hear,” he said.
Morgrim nodded. “We might ride out together, Mr. Todd. Why don’t we go now? There are still many byways through the city that are suitable for horses. It would be my pleasure to show them to you. My horse, of course, cannot fly, but you might show me your mount’s paces? I should love to see its action across the great crevasses.”
Fenn froze, reluctance turning his bones to concrete. He could practically see himself riding through the steep streets of Paravenna beside Morgrim—the sorcerer all dignity and danger on some thoroughbred beauty and Fenn on the worple horse like the jackanapes valet in a village fiesta play. And the fancy city folk gawping and sniggering.
But it was more than that. He didn’t want to fly again. He didn’t want to risk the horse carrying him off to Gods knew where.
I’m afraid. I’m ashamed. I don’t want to.
But he couldn’t say that. He couldn’t. Fenn Todd, afraid to ride a horse? Impossible. But he could at least try to avoid a watching crowd. He could try to avoid flying. He could try to keep things private and on the ground.
“I’d rather not ride out far just now,” he said, as firmly as he dared. It had the advantage of being true. “New horse. Want to get a bit more used to it first. Do some schooling, like. This mustering ground, now. It’s just across the courtyard, I hear.” Even as he spoke, he frowned. Last night he’d been too tired to question Jasper’s remark, but surely the tower stood on a tall finger of rock, surrounded by sea. There wasn’t room for grazing. “Though I don’t see how it could be,” he added.
“Ah. The mustering ground.” Was that a subtle note of disappointment in the sorcerer’s voice? “Well, it is very large. And just across the courtyard as you say. But you may not want to ride there, Mr. Todd.”
“Er. No?”
“It is enchanted.”
Unease prickled the hair on the back of Fenn’s neck. “Oh?”
