All the Paths of Shadow

despise the country. Bloody bugs everywhere.”

Meralda took a deep breath. First thing I do, she decided, is put a picture of Tim the Horsehead in here. Right where I can see it. That way, if I have any more moments like this, I can look Tim right in his big brown horse eyes and think to myself ‘Tim managed, and the man could only neigh.’

“All right,” she said loud. “Tower, how are the tethers attached to the curseworks?”

Night fell, and Meralda worked. Dawn found her asleep at her desk. The captain came with letters from the king, and departed with a copy of Donchen’s list and an explanation that the Tirls listed should quietly be directed to duties far beyond the palace.

Meralda sent Donchen’s original note to Fromarch, ordering Kervis to place it in Fromarch’s hand and no one else’s.

“He’ll ask me where I got it,” said Kervis. “What do I tell him?”

“Tell him a stranger slipped it under my door,” said Meralda. “Tell him we caught sight of a fat man dressed all in a white-trimmed red coat running down the stair, and that moments later we heard reindeer on the roof.”

Kervis ogled. “Father Yule?”

Meralda nodded gravely. “That’s as good as any, Guardsman. Say that and nothing more.”

I wonder what will happen to the Hang on the list, Meralda wondered, when Loman learns of this. Which he surely will. She considered asking Donchen, but then rejected the idea. It’s really no concern of mine.

Or is it, said a little voice deep in her mind, that you don’t want to risk angering Donchen by asking him?

Meralda felt herself blushing. “Nonsense,” she muttered, stabbing at the paper with her pencil. “Nonsense.”

“Mistress?”

“Nothing, Mug. I’m just tired.”

“No surprise there. Shall I send for more coffee?”

Meralda sighed. How many pots, in the last few days?

“Why not,” she said. “Send for two.”

Chapter Sixteen

Meralda began to measure the passage of her days by the arrival and departure of Donchen and his silver serving cart.

The mysteries of the cursework tethers fell away, inch by inch. By midnight of the second day of her self- imposed exile inside the laboratory, Meralda began to understand how the tether spells were integrated into the much larger array of the Tower’s structural spells.

By two in the morning, Meralda found a way to use the twelve original latching points to tether new spells.

By four, she could see a way to overlay new spells onto the old, and activate them when Otrinvion’s tethers began to fail in earnest.

Mug slept. The spark lamps in the laboratory were too dim to keep him alert. Meralda poured the dregs of her last cup of coffee into Mug’s pot, smiled when he muttered something about beetles, and then fell asleep herself with her head down on her desk.

Donchen knocked softly at the laboratory doors. A moment later, he opened them and looked inside.

Meralda did not awaken. Donchen and Tervis crept past the door, Donchen as silent as snow, Tervis rattling and scraping with every step. Still, they managed to reach Meralda’s desk without disturbing her slumber.

“Should we wake her?” whispered Tervis.

Donchen shook his head. “I think not.”

Tervis wriggled out of his red guardsman’s coat and draped it gently over Meralda. She shifted, but did not wake.

Donchen motioned toward the door. Tervis followed, attempting without success to tip-toe in his steel toed boots.

Outside, Donchen pushed the doors closed, and then put his back to them.

“I’ll be glad to stay, if one of you gentlemen would care to nap,” he said. “Tomorrow is likely to be another very long day.”

The Bellringers exchanged glances.

“Pardon, sir, but we’ll remain at our posts,” said Kervis.

Donchen smiled and shrugged. “As you wish. I’ll stay too. Have I ever told you gentlemen the story of Murdering Hosang and the Five Wandering Grooms?”

The Bellringers shook their heads.

Donchen took in a deep breath, and began to speak.

“Good morning, Thaumaturge!”

Meralda regarded the captain with bleary, half-open eyes.

“You needn’t be so cheerful about it, you know.”

The captain grinned. “Sorry. Here’s coffee. And a biscuit with ham. I know it’s not quite so fancy as you’re used to, these days, but I left my silver serving cart in my other pants.”

Meralda groaned and rubbed her eyes. The captain chuckled.

“Forgive me, Meralda. It is a bit early for humor, now that you mention it. Nearly ten of the clock.”

Meralda’s eyes flew open, and she shot to her feet. “Ten? Ten in the morning? Mug! Why didn’t you wake me?”

Mug kept all of his eyes aimed at the ceiling. “Oh my, deary me, how did I forget? Observe how contrite I am. Some days I have the brains of a cucumber, isn’t that right?”

Meralda glared. The captain put the biscuit in her hand. “The houseplant did you a boon, Mage. You’ve been running yourself ragged, these last few days. We need you alert. Especially now.”

Meralda paused, hot biscuit halfway to her lips. “Now? Why now?”

The captain grinned. “There’s been quite a lot of trouble, Mage. Started small, a couple of days ago. I didn’t bother you with talk of it. But last night-my, oh, my-last night was quite a busy one, for our friends the Vonats. Eat. I’ll talk. You look half-starved.”

Meralda bit and swallowed.

The captain pulled back the rickety old chair Fromarch favored on his visits and sat. “Looks like we’ve got a war of wizards on our hands, Meralda. Spells flying all over the place. Bangs and thumps and lights at all hours, that’s how it started. Vonats complaining that their quarters were either haunted or cursed. Yvin even moved the lot of them, twice. Didn’t make much of a difference.”

Meralda nodded and fought to keep her face blank. Fromarch and Shingvere, she thought. Armed with heaven knows what.

“Saw some of it myself. Two wagonloads of Vonat laundry marched right out of the palace, they did. Marched all the way across town, all the way up the park wall, all the way around it.” The captain slapped his knee. “You should see the dancing gargoyles, Mage. All dressed up in Vonat underclothes. They claim the Vonats nearly declared war, right here in the palace.”

Meralda nearly choked on her biscuit.

“You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you now, Mage?”

Meralda shook her head. “I haven’t left this room for two days, Captain. I certainly haven’t had time to animate anyone’s unmentionables.”

“It’s been three days, Mage, and it’s a good thing, too. The Vonats can’t accuse you of making off with their socks when everyone in Tirlin knows you’re holed up in here trying to move the Tower’s shadow.” The captain’s grin didn’t falter. “That is what you’re doing, isn’t it, Mage Ovis?”