Page 53 of Earth Dragon
Sir Patrick hesitated, then relented as he reached into one of his pockets. From it, he withdrew a very small wooden box. It was no bigger than a walnut, but Lady Marigold’s eyes shone with expectation.
She reached for it, then paused. “May I?” she asked.
Sir Patrick handed her the box without another word. It seemed it had been the one trump card he had planned on keeping to himself, if his body language was anything to go by. It seemed the first sign that the knight was there in earnest pursuits. If he was going to con them all into doing his bidding, his trump card would have been the thing he waved in their faces to reassure them of certain victory.
Marigold opened the box reverently. “How did you find it?” she asked.
“Through unsavory contacts,” Sir Patrick replied.
“Where?”
“Better you don’t know,” he said with a wink that made the lady give another toothless grin.
“Fine, fine,” she sighed, tipping the box so that its contents fell into the palm of her hand.
It caught the light from the fire and sent an impossible number of fractured rainbows across their faces, scattered over the floor, the walls and on the ceiling.
“What is it?” Shannon asked.
It looked like a glass bead, smooth and round. There was nothing about it that said it should be doing that to the light.
“It’s a refractor,” Lady Marigold replied.
They had all heard that word and leaned closer to have a better look.
“It’s very… small,” Ewan offered.
He received a smack on the back of his head for his insolence. “This is the most powerful crystal known to any sorcerer now living,” the lady said. “You had better show it some respect.”
“How will it help us?” Shannon asked the question Ewan had been thinking.
“It’s for you,” Sir Patrick said. “Speak the words of the spell and speak them from your hearts and the crystal will work to split the entrapment spell in four. Any magic trapped within it will simply be set free.”
“’Simply’,” Shannon repeated, sounding rather skeptical.
“Is there any danger in using the crystal?” Ewan asked, feeling Shannon’s eyes on him but not feeling inclined to meet her gaze. “We don’t want anything to risk the splitting of the entrapment spell,” he added for clarification.
She should not think he was worried for her.
He thought he heard Shannon tut softly but could not be sure.
“The one wielding the crystal will be in the eye of a storm,” Lady Marigold said, gaze moving from Ewan’s to Shannon’s. “There will be danger.”
Shannon drew a slightly shaky breath but nodded solemnly.
He still was far from convinced that she was even up to the task, the way her emotions had overcome her upstairs. He had never seen anyone so upset before. He had felt her fretting transfer into his own hearts but thought he had masked it well. He kept having to tell himself that she had not earned his worry or his concern.
Why did he keep forgetting it?
Her secondary betrayal had been revealed to him less than an hour ago and yet he kept forgetting.
“I have no magic,” Shannon said.
Lady Marigold patted her hand gently. “We have some time to practice,” she said. “You should contact the kings,” she added. “Not your father, Ewan, but the younger generation. Call them here. They’re all needed for this final stand.”
“Petrus,” Ewan said, and the guard straightened up where he sat.
“I should go with him,” Sir Patrick said.
