Prin said, “I only gave a few coppers.”
“The size of a contribution does not matter. You provided support to our cause without expectations or because of being coerced. You gave from your heart. What more can we ask?”
Sara said, “There are evil men after us. If they see this house is guarded, they may want to investigate why, and find us here.”
“We would not allow them to enter. However, perhaps this is not the time to be conspicuous. Would you prefer a less obvious watch? If the need arises, the watcher can contact our order quickly. There are times when a show of force is better—and those when it is not.”
“I think that would be better,” Prin said.
He turned to face Maude. “Perhaps you would allow one of us to work as a gardener at one of the nearby houses you own? Any of them would provide the surveillance required for your protection.”
Maude said, “Nobody knows I own those houses.”
“And more houses, closer to the center of Gallium. You are a wealthy sorceress.”
“You seem to know a lot about me for people I’ve never met or seen.” Maude’s voice contained more puzzlement than anger.
A trace of a smile appeared. “Thank you. If we’re not noticed, we can be more efficient in our work. Your association with Sara and Prin has been noted and shared, and if you ever require blades for protection, ours are at your disposal.”
He turned and walked away.
Maude watched and said, “I didn’t give him permission to work in my gardens. Do you suppose he’s going to, anyhow?”
Prin and Sara shared a look. Sara said, “You didn’t refuse him permission either so he will do it. If you watch the gardens of your other neighbors, those able to best see your house, one of them will have a new gardener working there.”
Maude shook her head in disbelief. “You come into my home seeking asylum, and a day later provide protection. How do I donate to them?”
Prin said, “They are all authorized to accept donations.”
Back inside, Maude went to a teapot with water just beginning to boil. It was always just ready to boil when she approached. She poured more tea and wandered back into the kitchen, her eyes focused on nothing. Finally, she said, “Brice, why don’t you and I take a short walk while I try to get you started on a few basics of becoming a mage.”
Brice leaped to his feet and started for the door to the back, then paused. “Oh, you want to go out front.”
“And look for gardeners,” Sara said.
“As well as doing a little shopping, too. Prin and Sara, you stay here and wait for your crates to arrive.”
After the door had closed, Sara said, “You know? That was fun to be a step ahead of her, if just for a while. I think she’s impressed.”
Prin said, “She scooped coins out of the dish on the table beside the front door. I think she may buy some things, but the rest will be a donation to the order.”
Sara said, “She’s right about you, you know.”
Prin said, “You and I still share a secret that must remain only between us.”
“Maude will not find out your royal standing from me. But, I suspect she will.
“Find out? How?” Prin asked in a huff.
Sara smiled the sly smile that she sometimes used when she knew an answer and Prin didn’t. “Because you will tell her.”
“Will not.”
“Will too,” Sara squealed as she made a weaving motion with her hand and disappeared before Prin’s amazed eyes.
Prin darted forward and hugged empty air while hearing Sara off to one side laughing uproariously. Prin lunged at the laughter, only to miss again, and the laughter came from behind her. She whirled and spread her arms as if sweeping Sara into them. She shot forward and felt Sara brush her left hand. She paused, “Learned a new spell, huh?”
The tap of a finger on her shoulder told her where Sara was. Sara said, “Imagine the fun we can have if we both use this at the same time?”
“We can pretend there’s nobody in the room. Is it a spell Maude gave you, or is it one you found and cast?”
“Maude helped me with the details, but this is one from the journals Angelica left us, one of those she translated from old scrolls.”
Prin found it difficult to have a conversation with someone she couldn’t see, let alone follow the expressions and body language. “Can you make it stop?”
“I should, anyhow. The spell uses much more energy than I think it should. I’m already feeling weaker.” Sara glittered into existence a few feet away. “I must have done something wrong.”
Maude stood in the doorway, wearing a firm expression. “You did.”
Sara turned, “What? I thought I followed Angelica’s instructions correctly.”
“You used a spell without knowing all the details, the nits, and gnats. You might have blown up my home, or yourself. You could have made yourself invisible for the rest of your life, or injured little Prin.” She stamped a foot hard enough to echo in the room.
Sara said, “I didn’t mean to do something dangerous or wrong. It won’t happen again.”
“Damned right it won’t,” Maude snapped. “Sorry about the language, but we all need to understand that magic is not about having fun and hiding from each other. When I was young, I took an oath to use it to help people. I will expect the two of you to do the same.”
“And me?” Brice asked, looking over her shoulder.
“And you. There is plenty of time for humor and play, but when it comes to your studies, I expect and demand your full cooperation.”
“Holy crap!” Prin said.
Maude stiffened. “It is not that much to ask of you.”
“Not that,” Prin said. “I just saw Jam on the street.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Sara’s eyes remained fixed on the window and the narrow street beyond. “Gallium is a huge city. There must be many boys who look like Jam.”
Prin shook her head. “How could he be here? On this hill? This street?”
“We saw them take him and Sammy to the other ship. The bos’n said it sailed,” Sara said without turning to look.
Maude asked, “Who is Jam? And Sammy?”
“A deckhand and night wheelman from our ship. Jam’s been spying on us.” Sara said.
Prin added, “A lazy creep who’s the captain’s son. He put them both on another ship before we reached the pier, a ship heading to sea.”
“Then, how can he be here?” Maude asked. “Perhaps, as Sara suggested, it was just someone who looked like him.”
Prin sat where she could watch the street. Perhaps Maude was right. Maybe she was paranoid from Jam watching them in Donella and on the ship, every time she turned around, and he’d searched through their crates. But, there was a particular way he walked, holding his pointed chin thrust in front as if accusing anyone looking in his direction.
Yet, others must walk the same. They might be passing by. After all, she had only caught a glimpse of whoever it was out there, and her emotions the last few days had run wild. Prin drew a deep breath and forced herself to relax. “I just saw him for a flash.”
She was still watching the street as a small wagon pulled to a stop in front. Two men climbed down, one unlashed the crates the wagon carried, while the other approached the front door. Maude welcomed them and showed them where to place the crates, which was not in the workroom Prin hadn’t yet seen. They were placed in one corner of the main room, to the side of the massive fireplace.
Prin wondered why there but said nothing. After they were gone and the door barred again, Sara said, “Wouldn’t it have been better to put them in your workroom?”