The Shining Falcon

You know, her inner self whispered. It was the potion. It was the will‑destroying potion.

«That's impossible!» Ljuba said aloud. Oh, granted, she hadn't wasted any time, she'd given some of it to him, mixed with wine to sweeten the taste, as soon as they'd first been alone; feverish and raging with thirst, Finist had drunk it without question.

But it should only have lowered his resistance to my will. It couldn't have hurt him, not really!

Couldn't it? Ljuba realized with a sudden shock of horror that she'd never thought to test her potion on other than healthy subjects. She'd never even considered it!

And what effect might it have on someone weak from wounds, from fever… Oh, Lord above, what if I've poisoned Finist?

Cold with fear, Ljuba turned sharply way. He must live! Finist must live, or all her hopes and dreams died with him.

Chapter XXXV

Old Magic

Maria stirred gingerly under the protective mound of sacking, trying to stretch stiff muscles without letting the driver know his wagon was carrying a secret passenger. Not, she thought dryly, that he could have heard her over the monotonous creak, creak, crack of the uneven wooden wheels. But gradually she became aware of a new noise, counterpoint to the wheels' groaning, a rhythmic sort of rumbling… Thunder? If so, the storm was speeding towards them, because the sound was rapidly growing louder-No, not thunder, but the sound of cantering horses. Maria groaned. Things had been going so well—the driver had even taken the forest road towards Kirtesk. But now…

Maybe, she told herself hopefully, the riders had nothing to do with her. Warily, she peeked out, and quickly stifled a gasp. Those were her father's men, and with them, riders in livery—royal soldiers! Father must have gotten the prince to help him. And he must have figured out that she was trying to get to Kirtesk. This was the only road, so surely the soldiers would just keep patrolling it until they found her. And that meant they'd be searching the wagon again.

What if she abandoned the road altogether? Maria hesitated, thinking of all those versts of forest. It was one thing for Finist to fly lightly over them. But for all the time her family had spent on that farm, she was the first to admit how little she knew about actual wilderness survival.

Here came the soldiers, back again. There's no hope for it, Maria thought desperately, and dove into the forest.

At first all she sensed was silence, immense and alive. But slowly her ears adjusted to the feint stirrings of leaves, the rustlings of small creatures in the thick underbrush. Maria took a wary step forward, trying to judge direction through the heavy canopy of leaves.

A strange, intense warmth at her throat startled her: Something's burned me! But it wasn't really painful, not really hot—

And it was coming from the silver chain. Finist's gift.

Quickly she pulled it free of the neckline of her blouse, staring at it. Surely it should be glowing! But it looked the same as it had always looked, the finely wrought links glinting faintly in the dim forest light. Puzzled, she took a second, tentative step, back the way she had come.

Nothing happened.

Let's try this again.

Maria turned back to where she'd begun—and that was it! As long as she faced this way, the silver chain radiated warmth.

Magic? she wondered, then laughed at herself. Naturally, magic! She'd already had one experience of mind-to‑mind linking, thanks to this chain. And, though she'd been too dazed to take much notice of it at the time, Finist had mentioned he'd accidentally spilled a drop or two of his blood into the molten metal. And blood, according to the old tales, was strong with the Power of Life. Now, even though the prince wasn't here, Maria guessed that the forest's magic, Old Magic, had stimulated the Power of silver and blood a new. The necklace did still seem to be attuned to Finist.

Maria grinned in sudden delighted relief. If she was correct, all she need do was follow the chain. No matter how dense the forest might become, this wonderful, magical chain would guide her right to Kirtesk—and to Finist.

The leshy frowned. He had felt the presence of the human riders, of course he had. But they had stayed on the road, that uneasy compromise between Human and Forest. They hadn't trespassed, and therefore didn't concern him. Yet there was someone, some fool of a city-bred intruder! The being moved silently forward, tracking, then stopped, hidden by dappled shadow, to watch.