Palin crooked a smile. 'I still have sources in the wider world. Tell me, do you miss it?'
Gerard held his gaze. 'You tell me, do you miss the magic?'
Palin raised his long, slender hands before his face, slowly extending his fingers as though he still couldn't believe they had been healed. 'Sometimes,' he said softly. Then he dropped his hands and looked back at Gerard. 'But I find the modest duties of mayor surprisingly satisfying,' he said with a smile.
Gerard didn't fully believe him.
A moment of silence lengthened between them, growing uncomfortable. Finally, Palin interrupted the awkwardness. 'I'm glad you came. Glad you answered my summons.'
Gerard nodded.
'So you'll take the job?'
'Why me?' Gerard countered. 'Why not someone local?'
'Because I think you're the right man.'
'Why?'
'Well, your record during the war, for one thing. You're courageous, resourceful, and, uh, well…'
'Yes, and what?'
'Not likely to be encumbered by-how shall I put it? — misplaced feelings of obligation toward one group or another that might affect your ability to handle matters in a fair and balanced manner.'
Gerard went cold. 'You mean, I have no friends in town.'
Palin's face flamed. 'That's not what I meant.'
'What happened to the previous sheriff? Vercleese tells me he was mysteriously murdered. Does that mean I, too, will be at risk?'
Palin hesitated, staring at Gerard from across the small table that separated the chairs.
Just then Usha entered the room, and the question was forgotten. Golden-eyed and silver-haired-not the silver of age, but of agelessness-she was still as fresh-faced and beautiful as a maiden half her age or younger. Gerard leaped to his feet and drew in a sharp breath, caught off guard as he always was by the sight of her. He felt unaccountably clumsy in her presence.
Palin stood as well and smiled, the tolerant, bemused expression of a man who recognized the effect his wife had on all men and women, and who wasn't threatened by it. Gerard wondered how long it had taken Palin to achieve that measure of acceptance. It wasn't a state a man might come to easily, he thought.
Usha was busy heating water. 'Please sit,' she said, motioning Gerard back to his chair. 'Tea will be ready in a moment.'
'Oh, no, don't bother,' Gerard stammered.
'Nonsense,' Palin said, urging him to sit. 'You wouldn't deny my wife the opportunity to play hostess, now would you?'
Gerard sat. The truth was he would not have denied this woman anything, so disarming was her beauty. Yet he realized hers was not a beauty that aroused jealousy or caused a man to glance in sideways distrust at his neighbors, but simply the visible aspect of someone upon whom the gods appeared to have bestowed all that was perfect in a woman. Usha was maiden, mother, and revered elder, all in one.
Palin took his seat again with a deep sigh that bespoke contentment with his lot.
'You really don't miss it, do you?' Gerard blurted with sudden amazement.
'Miss what?'
'The travel, the excitement.' Gerard felt his face go hot with embarrassment at having spoken perhaps too indiscreetly. 'The magic.'
Palin considered. 'Travel is just another word for bad food and worse accommodations. Excitement is anything that disrupts the tranquility I have come to treasure. And the magic?' He pursed his lips in thought then laughed as if his musings startled him. 'No, I don't really miss it. All those years of desperately seeking the next spell, the next magical artifact, of dreading the loss of magic in the world, and now instead I have this.' He gestured with his long, graceful fingers, fingers once shattered and now fully restored. Their motion took in Usha and the surrounding room and, indeed, all of Solace. 'I think it's a fair trade, don't you?'
Gerard nodded, although he couldn't imagine feeling satisfied at being stuck permanently in Solace. Yet at the moment, this room did feel very inviting.
'Besides,' Palin went on, 'we have plenty of excitement here, as you will see. More than anyone needs.' He peered at Gerard closely. 'Look, you will take the job, right?'
'I wouldn't be staying long,' Gerard said, unwilling to create a false impression. 'I could help out until this temple dedication I've been hearing about, but after that I'll have to be moving on and you'll need to find someone else… uh, more permanent.'
'Oh, of course,' Palin said quickly. 'If you can stay only a short while, then I understand.'
'So what is this temple dedication all about?' Gerard asked, eager to shift the conversation.
'I'll take you over there in a little bit and show you around. But right now, let's have some tea and talk.' He gestured to where Usha was pouring three mugs with steaming tarbean tea, filling the room with its welcoming aroma. She handed them each a mug and took the third one herself, gracefully seating herself on the hassock.
They talked of old times for a while, catching up on news of companions and heroes from the war. 'You may even see some familiar faces here for the dedication,' Palin finished with a wink in Gerard's direction.
Usha smiled knowingly but said nothing.
Gerard shrugged. He didn't want to play guess-the-secret. 'Do you think the sheriffs murder had anything to do with the dedication?' Gerard said, adopting a businesslike tone.
'That's what worries me,' Palin said. 'There are different factions in town. Some welcome outsiders, some welcome trouble, some just want to be left alone. You'll find as sheriff that your job is to mediate between these groups and get along with all of them. Sheriff Joyner was good at that, very good at his job. Everyone liked him. I can't fathom who had a grudge against him. Oh, the occasional outlaw he caught, maybe, but someone who hated him enough to kill him? It seems so unlikely.' He shook his head.
'What about Baron Samuval?' Gerard asked.
Palin paused for a drink of tea then went on. 'Oh, Samuval's been quiet lately. Believe it or not, he steered clear of Sheriff Joyner. Still, that's a possibility, though I hate to admit it. Somehow he'll have to be investigated. And there are other possibilities too… but I'll leave that to you and your deputy. I'm no detective.'
'Hmm, my deputy seems like a good man.'
'Yes, he is a good man. He'll help you get started around town. Oh, and here, you'll want to wear this.' Palin finished his tea, set the mug on the little table, reached into his embroidered jacket, and produced a bronze octagonal medallion that filled his palm. Attached to one edge was a loop of green and gold sash. On the uppermost face of the medallion, Gerard saw engraved a majestic vallenwood tree and around it the words, 'To Protect the Peace and Promote Prosperity.'
'What's that?' Gerard asked warily.
'The medallion of office. You should wear it now that you're sheriff.'
Gerard shook his head. 'I'd feel funny, wearing a medallion, being only a temporary sheriff.'
Palin thrust it toward him. 'Still, you'll need it to denote your authority.'
Gerard put it on gingerly, feeling the burden of office descend upon his shoulders.
'Now,' Palin said with enthusiasm, as if he had just won some contest of wills, 'the first thing to do is for you to get around, introduce yourself to people. Get comfortable with folks. Long-time citizens of Solace have been skittish since the sheriff's murder, what with all the newcomers and strangers about.'
Gerard drained his own mug and set it beside Palin's. Palin slapped his knees. 'You ready for a look at the temple?'
'Uh, of course.' Gerard stood up. The medallion felt clumsy against his chest. He nodded to Usha. 'Thank you for the tea.'
She gave him a smile that warmed him to his toes, making him forget his misgivings. 'You're welcome here anytime, Gerard.'
Outside, Vercleese was still waiting. 'Sir Vercleese, you should have come in,' said Gerard.
'I didn't want to disturb two old friends,' the old knight said gruffly.
Palin put a hand gently on Vercleese's shoulder. 'Next time, come in and join us.' Then, as the old knight looked uncomfortable, Palin led the way in the direction of the mountains along a gently curving road that featured
