Moons' Dreaming (Children of the Rock) by Susan Sizemore, Marguerite Krause Page A

disaster that threatened the entire kingdom.
    Savyea lit a tiny fire on the sandy floor, composed entirely of twigs and crumbled leaves removed from her bag. Scent rose from it, soaking into Pirse ’ s skin as effortlessly as it entered his lungs. The flames were blue. They produced neither heat nor smoke.
    Savyea said, “ It is time to rest, my dear. You ’ re going to have to be very patient. I wouldn ’ t bend the power to heal you if it wasn ’ t absolutely necessary. I ’ m afraid it won ’ t save you any of the discomforts of convalescence, though. A body always needs time to recover lost strength. Trust me. ”
    She cocked her head slightly to one side to give him a serene, if slightly apologetic smile. Huge invisible hands engulfed his heart, folded around his lungs, blotted out sound, covered his eyes with darkness. He would have stiffened in terror if he ’ d retained the tiniest control over his body.
    Like a stream over a precipice, his consciousness flowed away.

Chapter 7
    Aage came forth from the realms of magic as he always did; mouth dry, skin clammy, head splitting. He opened his eyes a slit. Sunlight lingered on the peaks facing him from across the valley, and a glow behind the mountains suggested one or more of the moons rising. His brain was too tired to calculate the date. Morb would tell him how many days he ’ d been gone.
    He turned his head from side to side, muscles responding sluggishly until his body remembered it was capable of movement. The path and the mouth to the cave swam into clearer focus. Where was Morb? The old wizard was usually eager to get back to bending the power.
    Aage ’ s fatigue intensified as he got to his feet. He pocketed his rock and drank the water in his bowl in a few long swallows. Morb came out of the cave, his round face wearing so uncharacteristic an expression that for a few seconds Aage couldn ’ t identify it.
    “ Aage, are you strong enough to run an errand? ” the wizard asked.
    Worry, that was it. Morb, defender of the Children, slayer of nightmares, was worried. Aage ’ s knees went weak.
    “ What is it? What ’ s happened? ”
    “ A badly injured boy. Savyea healed the worst of it, but when he wakes someone must be here to care for him. ”
    “ Who is it? ”
    Morb ’ s expression grew more melancholy. “ My dragon slayer. The Dherrican boy. ”
    “ Pirse? ” Aage ’ s dismay increased. Any Shaper who fought the world ’ s physical monsters was important, of course, but in the larger scheme of things this particular prince had an even larger role than that to play! “ He ’ s going to be all right, isn ’ t he? ”
    “ If we care for him. I can ’ t stay, and neither can you. Savyea wants you to find someone who will take him away and keep him safe. That ’ s your errand. ” The older wizard stepped past Aage and settled down onto the boulder. In the dimness Aage heard more than saw the clunk of Morb ’ s rock settling into its bowl of water.
    “ Why not send him home to Bronle? ” The capital was only five days ’ easy ride to the southeast. Aage felt the power beginning to bend around Morb ’ s seated figure and opened his mouth to repeat his question.
    “ He can ’ t go there. Savyea was quite insistent on that. Palle would kill him. ” Morb ’ s expression grew placid as his voice faded. “ Savyea says Doron in Juniper Ridge will guard the boy against his uncle. ”
    “ Palle? He ’ s not dangerous. ”
    Morb did not answer. The power began to play like invisible lightning around his brown, weathered body, and Aage backed away. He ’ d get no further answers from Morb now.
    In the cave, the prince was thoroughly unconscious. Savyea sat next to him, knitting. It was too hot to knit. The woman never could keep her climates straight. She smiled up at Aage.
    “ Hello, dear. ” She pointed one needle at the sleeping man. “ Morb told you about the boy? ”
    “ He told me nothing. ” Aage dropped tiredly beside the