"That's insidious!" Merrigan trembled, thinking of the delicious bread the baker had offered her, for free, when she stepped into his shop. He had given her fresh, not leftovers, as she knew most businesses did when it came to poor, penniless travelers looking for charity.
She thought of the rosy-cheeked baker's assistant, who had offered her cold milk without being asked or ordered. She thought of that sweet young boy working for a man who would lie and cheat to steal someone's livelihood. Such an idea made her furious.
"What should we do?"
"I'm still regaining my strength. While the glue is still wet, I don't dare try anything strenuous. Let me think on it." Bib's pages ruffled slightly, startling her. "Ah, that feels good. I haven't been able to stretch my limbs, so to speak, in a dragon's age. And dragons aren't all unfriendly, I might add. Quite a few can be very stout, loyal friends, with a wonderful wit. If we could befriend a dragon, Mi'Lady, I'm sure he or she could shred the spells binding you and set you free in no time."
"One thing at a time, Master Bib." Merrigan picked up her cup and walked back down to the sewing end of the table. Finishing this sewing job was necessary before she could leave this house and find someone such as a dragon to help her.
The trousers were finished and lying on the table next to the other pieces of clothing. The everyday clothes were finished and ready for fitting. Now she had to work on the fine new robes for Judge Brimble to wear to court—two robes for everyday wear, when he sat on the bench in Smilpotz, then a grander robe with thin silver braid on the sleeves and collar, for when he was called to special cases requiring a panel of judges in Carnpotz. These three robes would be in staid black. A fourth set of robes would be in deep, dark crimson, with black slashes on the sleeves and bracketing the collar, trimmed in crimson and gold braid, for the few times when Judge Brimble would attend the High Court.
"Thank you," she said, giving Bib a chipper curtsey as she reached for the stack of thick black cloth sitting on one of the smaller study tables, now pushed up against the bookshelves.
"We're partners, Mi'Lady. As soon as you started to help me, that gave me the energy and magic to help you, which gave you more power to help me, and in turn gave me more magic to help you. Enchanters have searched for centuries for a self-sustaining source of magic power. Simple people without any magic at all have possessed that secret for just as long."
"Are you part philosophy book?" She spread the cloth out with a smile. Merrigan hoped he wouldn't give her miniature lectures like that all the time—and tried not to think it too loudly. It wouldn't do to insult and irritate the first real friend she had found.
WHEN FLORA AND FAUNA came to the library that evening, Bib took over helping them with their reading. Merrigan continued with her sewing while the girls read to her, this time from a book of fables about magical events in the country itself. The first time Fauna had difficulty with a word, Merrigan nearly dropped the robe she was hemming when her own voice asked Fauna what letters were in the word. She certainly hadn't spoken. Slowly, she glanced up to see if the girls were looking at her. They weren't. They sat in one of the massive cushioned chairs big enough for them both to share, with the book open between them, bent over the page. She thought it rather endearing how Flora ran her finger across the bottom of the line and mouthed the letters with Fauna as she recited them to Bib. He was a very good mimic, apparently.
Neither girl ever looked up, and Merrigan felt some gratitude that he had taken over. Not that she would have minded getting up and stepping over to the chair to lean over the girls and look at the word. A chance to stretch her legs would be welcome. Still, it was pleasant to have someone read to her, to let her mind wander a little, and have someone else tend to the teaching. She was more than willing to admit she wasn't the most skilled in teaching. Then again, why should she need the talent at all? She was a queen—other people were responsible for teaching underlings how to do their jobs. The day she had to teach a servant how to serve her, she would seriously fear for the state of the kingdom that would put her in such a position. Something was wrong.
Well, of course something is wrong, she scolded herself. Look where I am. Oh, Leffisand, why did you have to be such a fool? You had to go haring off and make even bigger mistakes, take bigger risks to cover them. Why couldn't you have thought of me first, for a change? Sometimes a king's life is
