Princess of the Sword by Lynn Kurland

later, when we’ve a bit of privacy.” His smile faded. “That was unpleasant.”

    “I will be happy to see the last of this place,” she whispered. “I’m sorry we came.”

    “Reserve judgment for another hour,” he said. “We might just find what we need, then we’ll count the journey worth it.” He looked at their companions. “Thank you all for staying.”

    Sìle grunted. “What a disgusting display from that reprehensible mage.” He paused. “I will allow that you did well.”

    Miach made Sìle a bow. “Thank you, Your Majesty. Now, if you wouldn’t mind taking—”

    “I’m not leaving you,” Morgan interrupted shortly, certain that was what he intended. “No discussion.”

    “I’ll come keep watch over her,” Sosar offered. “Father, perhaps you and Turah might distract a few souls and provide Miach with an extra measure of privacy.”

    Morgan watched her grandfather consider, then nod briskly.

    “Very well,” he conceded. “We’ll be off and see to a few things of a more clandestine nature, if Prince Turah manages to keep his mouth shut for a change.” He took Turah by the scruff of the neck and pulled him away. “Come with me, young one, and let me teach you a bit about not answering questions you don’t care to. Your mother was a master at it. Did you learn nothing at her knee?”

    Morgan would have smiled at the look of panic Turah threw them over his shoulder before he was dragged off, but she was still standing in a garden full of vile spells and all she had the strength for was to hope she could stumble out of them.

    The servant Droch had spoken to made Miach a bow, then turned and walked off as if he expected to be followed. She was quite happy to do so, simply because it meant she could leave Droch’s garden behind her. She would be long in forgetting the sight of the chess pieces still lying motionless on the board behind them.

    “Who were those people?” she asked Miach quietly as they walked through passageways that were only slightly less unpleasant than the garden had been.

    “Kings ensnared by a lust for power, queens ensnared by the desire for riches, knights wishing for something extra in battle to impress those who might want to hire them. They went looking for those things in places they shouldn’t have.” He shrugged. “Olc can be a very seductive magic. Once a mage who had no bloodright to it realizes how much of his soul the learning of it costs, the price has been paid and he is too enamored of the power it gives him to try to pull away.”

    “Like Gair?” she whispered.

    “Aye,” he said, just as softly. “Like Gair. Droch has a right to it, so it hasn’t killed so much of his soul. Then again, I daresay he didn’t have much of a soul to start with.”

    She frowned. “Then why did the faeries find themselves trapped? Surely they weren’t interested in power.”

    He smiled. “They’re lovely, but not very smart. They were most likely just caught with a net.”

    She bumped him companionably with her shoulder. “You are a dreadful man.”

    “I’m still blushing.”

    “I don’t know that I’ve seen you blush before when kissed.”

    “Given that you have your eyes closed most of the time when we’re about that pleasant activity, I daresay you don’t know what I do, do you?”

    She wanted to smile, but they were walking along passageways that were suddenly all too familiar, and she couldn’t. She swallowed, hard. “I’m so sorry you’re going in there.”

    “I’ve been in worse places,” he said easily. He shot her a quick look. “Thank you for waiting for me, though. I daresay it will help.”

    “You can thank me later.”

    “I will, when I can burst into tears safely away from prying eyes.” He took a deep breath, then stopped. “Here we are.”

    Morgan realized he was right. Her uncle shuddered visibly as they stopped in front of Droch’s door. She watched their guide pull an hourglass from his pocket,