Shiara stopped and both of us turned. An old man was standing at the edge of the clearing, in front of a clump of scruffy lilacs that were almost tall enough to be considered trees. His beard and what was left of his hair were quite white, and he was stooped over and leaning on a staff. Even without the way my skin prickled, I knew he was a wizard.
The Princess was the first to recover from the surprise of seeing him there. 'Ah, sir, have pity on my sad state!' she said. 'Have pity, and if you have seen a knight, bright armored, hawk eyed, most fair and pleasing in speech and semblance, then tell me speedily where he may be found. For he is my love, and we are parted, and thus am I in great distress! Alas!'
'That's quite all right, my dear,' the wizard said in a kindly tone.
'You've nothing to worry about. In fact, he should be here before very much longer. That's why I hurried. Just sit there and wait quietly, like a good girl.'
'Oh, joy! Oh, bliss!' said the Princess rapturously. 'To be with my love again? She started happily explaining how strong and handsome and generally wonderful her missing knight was. Since she didn't seem to be speaking to anyone in particular, the rest of us ignored her.
Shiara, Nightwitch, and I were edging backward. I had my right hand on the hilt of my sword, and my whole side was tingling with the feel of the wizard's magic. The wizard noticed us and smiled.
'Take your hand from your sword,' he said, looking at me. 'I am not here to engage in a vulgar physical contest with you.'
'Are you from the Society of Wizards?' Shiara demanded. Her voice sounded a little shaky, but I don't think anyone who didn't know her would have noticed.
'No,' the wizard said. 'Why? Are you looking for one of them?'
'Then why are you here?' I said.
'Why, to assist you,' the wizard said.
'Assist us?' Shiara said. 'But you're a wizard!'
'I am not at all concerned with your baseless prejudices,' the wizard told her. 'I have come to offer to help your companion, and I will thank you to cease interfering.'
I stared at him. 'I don't want to be impolite,' I said before Shiara could say anything else, 'but why do you want to help me?'
'Why, because you deserve it, of course,' the wizard said. 'You made a foolish promise to this other young lady,' he went on, nodding toward the Princess, who was still talking to the air. 'You could have gotten out of it several times, but you refused to behave dishonorably. I think that is deserving of a reward.'
'Thank you very much,' I said. I didn't really know what else to say.
After all, there are people in the Enchanted Forest who go around rewarding heroes and princes for noble deeds. Why else would all those heroes come here?
'Well, what would you like?' the wizard said after a moment.
'Like?'
'As a reward.' He sounded a little impatient.
I thought about it for a moment. 'I appreciate the offer,' I said finally.
'But I really don't need anything. Thank you very much all the same.'
'What? Isn't there anything you want?' he asked sharply. He didn't look nearly as friendly as he had at first.
'No, I don't think so,' I said.
For a moment the wizard looked very disconcerted. Then he seemed to relax a little. 'Perhaps I did not make myself clear enough,' he said.
'You need not ask for something material. Information will do just as well. The word for sorcery in the tongue of the giants, or the location of the Well of Silver Storms, where the unicorns drink. There must be something you want to know, even if there is nothing you want to have.'
The only thing I wanted to know was what I was supposed to do in the Enchanted Forest. Somehow, I didn't think Mother had told him. 'No,' I said. 'I don't think there is anything.'
The wizard looked at me, and his eyes narrowed. 'Come, come! You need to know the name of your father, do you not?'
'No,' I said, puzzled. I'd wondered about my father a few times, but I'd never asked Mother about him. She would have told me if she'd thought I ought to know. And I certainly couldn't think of any reason why I needed to know. 'Why should I?'
'You're looking for him, aren't you?' the wizard snapped.
'No, not really.' That might be one of the things Mother wanted me to do, but it certainly couldn't be the only one. Furthermore, I couldn't see how knowing his name would help much, even if I were looking for him. In the Enchanted Forest, looking for someone usually isn't the best way of finding him. You're much more likely to run into people by accident.
'You aren't? Then you must know! She told you! Who is it?'
'I thought you were going to tell Daystar that,' Shiara said. 'Don't you know?'
'Silence, fool! I have waited too long for this.' The wizard turned back to me. 'You will tell me now or regret it deeply: Who is your father?'
'I don't know,' I said. 'And if I did, I don't see why I should tell you.'
'There are other ways of learning what I wish to know,' the wizard said. He straightened abruptly. The Princess squeaked and fell silent.
Nightwitch hissed. Shiara started edging backward again. And the wizard changed.
He got a little taller and a lot younger; his beard and hair darkened and filled in. His eyes changed from brown to blue, but they still glared.
'Antorell!' I said, and drew my sword.
The steel rang as it came out of the sheath, and the blade shimmered and flashed in front of me. It made the whole clearing seem brighter.
Antorell's lips curled into a sneer.
'Fool! What use is a sword against a wizard?'
He raised his staff, and a globe of green light appeared at the lower end of it. A thread of green, dark and bright as the shine of a snake, reached out toward me from the staff. I raised the sword.
The green light touched the Sword of the Sleeping King. The sword hummed a little and the ray of light vanished, and that was all.
Antorell frowned, and another, larger ray of green reached out. This time, the humming was a little louder, and the light around the end of Antorell's staff vanished, along with the ray touching the sword. The jangling feeling lessened a little. I was considerably relieved.
Antorell looked shocked.
'You cannot! Not possibly! That sword can't…' His eyes moved to my face, then back to the sword, and he took a deep breath. 'So! She must have known all along. But now I will have that weapon. I must have that weapon!'
'No,' I said. 'Mother wouldn't like it.'
Antorell's eyes narrowed. 'Cimorene has had her way long enough. If you will not give me that sword, I will take it.' He started to raise the staff again.
The lilacs behind Antorell rustled noisily, and the wizard shifted.
'You, there? he called over his shoulder. 'Show yourself at once!'
'Ach-ach-' said someone behind him, and the tops of the lilacs rustled again. I looked up at them, wondering how tall whoever-it-was was.
The branches that were rusting were a good ten feet off the ground.
Antorell frowned and turned around, raising his staff. 'I will teach you to interfere-' The angry look on Antorell's face changed abruptly to one of mingled surprise and fear. He stepped backward very quickly and waved his staff through the air in front of him.
'Achoo!' said the voice, and an enormous ball of fire demolished the lilacs and enveloped Antorell. The wizard screamed and disappeared, and we could see the person who had been behind the bush.
It was a dragon.
