Assassin's Quest

I was just in time to relieve Kettle on watch. She and Kettricken went to sleep, promising to send the Fool out to stand watch with me. The wolf gave me an apologetic glance and then followed Kettricken into the tent. I assured him I approved. A moment later the Fool emerged, rubbing his eyes with his left hand and carrying his right lightly curled against his chest. He took a seat on a stone across from me as I looked over the meat to see which pieces needed turning. For a time he watched me silently. Then he stooped, and with his right hand, picked up a piece of firewood. I knew I should rebuke him, but instead I watched, as curious as he. After a moment, he tucked the wood into the fire and straightened. "Quiet and lovely," he told me. "Some forty years of growing, winter and summer, storm and fair weather. And before that, it was borne as a nut by another tree. And so the thread goes back, over and over. –I do not think I need fear much from natural things, only those that have been wrought by man. Then the threads go raveling out. But trees, I think, will be pleasant to touch."

"Kettle said you should touch no live things," I reminded him like a tattling child.

"Kettle has not to live with this. I do. I must discover the limits it places on me. The sooner I find what I can and cannot do with my right hand, the better." He grinned wickedly, and made a suggestive gesture toward himself.

I shook my head at him, but could not keep from laughing.

He joined his laughter with my own. "Ah, Fitz," he said quietly a moment later. "You do not know how much it means to me that I can still make you laugh. If I can stir you to laughter, I can laugh myself."

"It surprises me that you can still jest at all," I replied.

"When you can either laugh or cry, you might as well laugh," he replied. Abruptly he asked, "I heard you leave the tent earlier. Then, while you were gone … I could feel something of what happened. Where did you go? There was much I did not understand."

I was silent, thinking. "The Skill-bond between us may be growing stronger instead of weaker. I do not think that is a good thing."

"There is no elfbark left. I had the last of it two days ago. Good or bad, it is as it is. Now explain to me what happened."

I saw little point in refusing. So I attempted to explain. He interrupted with a number of questions, few of which I could answer. When he decided he understood it as well as words could convey it, he quirked a smile at me. "Let us go see this girt on a dragon," he suggested.

"Why?" I asked warily.

He lifted his right hand and waggled his silver fingertips at me as he lifted one eyebrow.

"No," I said firmly.

"Afraid?" he needled me.

"We are on watch here," I told him severely.

"Then you will go with me tomorrow," he suggested.

"It is not wise, Fool. Who knows what effect it might have on you?"

"Not I. And that is exactly why I wish to do it. Besides. What call has a Fool to be wise?"

"No."

"Then I shall have to go alone," he said with a mock sigh. I refused to rise to the bait. After a moment, he asked me, "What is it you know about Kettle that I do not?"

I looked at him uncomfortably. "About as much as I know about you that she does not."

"Ah. That was well spoken. Those words could have been stolen from me," he conceded. "Do you wonder why the coterie had not tried to attack us again?" he asked next.

"Is this your night to ask unfortunate questions?" I demanded.

"Of late, I have no other kinds."

"At the very least, I dare to hope that Carrod's death has weakened them. It must be a great shock to lose a member of your coterie. Almost as bad as losing a Wit-beast companion."

"And what do you fear?" the Fool pressed.

It was a question I had been pushing away from myself. "What do I fear? The worst, of course. What I fear is that they are somehow marshaling greater strength against us, to offset Verity's power. Or perhaps they are setting a trap for us. I fear they are turning their Skill to seeking out Molly." I added the last with great reluctance. It seemed the greatest bad luck even to think about it, let alone speak it aloud.

"Cannot you Skill a warning to her somehow?"

As if it had never occurred to me. "Not without betraying her. I have never been able to reach Burrich with the Skill. Sometimes, I am able to see them, but I cannot make them aware of me. I fear that even making the effort might be enough to expose her to the coterie. He may know of her, but not know where she is. You told me that not even Chade himself knew where she was. And Regal has many places to send his troops and attention. Buck is far from Farrow, and the Red-Ships have kept it in turmoil. Surely he would not send troops into that for the sake of finding one girl."