Hey, that really does work!
He wound up just behind the grim Naitachal and Empty Eyes, even as the Dark Elf countered a vicious cut at his head. As sorcerous black and gray blades clashed together, fountains of blood red sparks flew up, casting an eerie, fiery glow over the square.
“Sorcerous games,” Naitachal panted. “Some of us haven’t let those games destroy our souls.”
“Souls?” Empty Eyes taunted. “What are human things like souls for such as we?”
“You are not like me, you pathetic thing! You. who’ve forgotten your own kind!”
“No more than you, Dark Elf,” Empty Eyes retorted, and lunged.
Once more, fiery sparks lit up the square. Kevin glanced up at the surrounding houses. Didn’t anyone hear or see what was going on? Didn’t anyone care?
Someone did. From one side came the sound of running footsteps and the dashing of mail.
“Oh hell,” Lydia said. “Just what we needed: the guards. Come on, guys, no time for heroics now. Let’s get out of here!”
The gang, equally illegal, thought the same thing, scattering in all directions. Empty Eyes, panting, paused long enough to hurl his gray sword at Naitachal, but the Dark Elf struck it cleanly with his black blade. Both sorcerous things blazed up in a blinding surge of bloody light and were gone. Oh, blast, Kevin thought, why was I looking that way just then ?
Vision dazzled, afterimages dancing before his eyes, Kevin staggered away as best he could, stumbling over the broken cobblestones. He gasped when someone grabbed his arm and tried to strike out, but a familiar voice said:
“It’s me. Lydia. It’s all right, kid, I had my head turned away. I can still see where I’m going.”
Unfortunately, so could the guards. And a whole troop of them was flooding into the square, weapons drawn, far too many to fight.
“Damn,” Lydia muttered. “Selden really is out for blood. No worse damage to a politician than injured pride.” She looked over the grim, well-armed troop and sighed. “I hate to simply surrender, particularly since Selden isn’t going to make things comfortable for us, but ...”
“Then don’t,” Tich’ki snapped.
Hovering in mid-air, wings a blur, she stared at the guards, shouting out twisting, intricate, commanding Words in the fairy tongue, her eyes blazing green fire.
And to Kevin’s amazement, the guards stopped in their tracks, blinking in confusion.
“Where’d they go ...?”
“Coulda sworn they were here a minute ago ...”
“Who ... ? Who are we looking for ... ?”
“Don’t know ... can’t remember ..—Hey, come on, guys! Day’s not getting any younger, and we have a city to cover!”
With that, the guards turned and marched away.
“I don’t believe it,” the bardling gasped. “Tich’ki, what did you—Tich’ki!”
She came tumbling down into his arms, panting—For a moment Kevin gingerly held her small body, astonished at how light she was, even for her small size. Of course she’s light! he realized. Tich’ki’s a winged creature; she has to be lightweight if she’s going to get off the ground. Probably has hollow bones, like a bird or—
A sudden sharp stab in his arm made Kevin gasp and drop her. The fairy, who’d pinched him with her hard little fingers, fluttered away, grinning in mischief even though her eyes were weary. “Hoodoo! That, I don’t mind telling you, was hard work.”
“What was that?” Lydia asked. “That ‘influence-their-minds’ spell of yours?”
Tich’ki nodded. “You know it. And you know the thing works.”
