my ladies," he said, "a little sorcery."
It was a great deal more than that, but since no Fire showed there was no way for the audience to tell. They chuckled appreciatively when tankards and plates engaged in a slately aerial sarabande in the middle of the room. They clapped when one empty table shook itself like a sleepy dog, got up and began stumping around the room on its legs. They hooted with pleased derision when the big rough fieldstones in the fireplace all suddenly grew mouths and began talking noisily about the things they had seen in their time, some of which made for very choice gossip.
When finally all the flames in the rooms shot up suddenly, swirled together in the empty air and coalesced into a bright-feathered bird that hung upside down by one foot from the chandelier and croaked, "Tve got it! The Goddess is walking down, the street and She meets this duck. ." the storm of laughter and applause became' deafening.
Not even Eftgan's composure remained unshattered. "My Goddess," she whispered, and from clear across the room Segnbora could feel her smothering down the Flame that was trying to leap from, her Ro>d in response to the FireBow Here-wiss was letting loose. A good sorcerer would have had no trouble producing such effects by illusion; but these were actual objects moving
around, briefly alive and self-willed. Normally it would have taken two or three Rodmistresses working in consort to pro-duce even one of the transformations taking place — but there sat Herewiss all by himself, looking like a child enjoying a new toy.
The table had sneaked up behind one tall woman and was nibbling curiously at her tunic, like a browsing goat. The stones had begun singing rounds, Sunspai k had forgotten by now that it ought to have been holding onto the chandelier, and was simply suspended upside down in midair, getting laughs for jokes without punch lines attached.
(How is he doing that?!) Eftgan said, bespeaking Segnbora very quietly, so as not to distract Herewiss.
(Most of these things were alive once,) Herewiss said si-lently, not moving or looking up. (It's just a matter of remind-ing them how it was. Mistress, I can taste your Fire but I can't place you — though there's something familiar about your pat-tern. You know my loved, perhaps?)
(The pattern might be familiar prince) the small woman said, as two chairs put their arms about each other and begin dancing in a corner, muttering creaky endearments, (because you and 1 have met. At Lidika fields you jumped in front of a Reaver with a crossbow and took the quarrel for me while I was having trouble with a swordfight—)
The hearthstone snorted as if in great surprise, then settled into a bout of ratchety snoring. (Eftgan! The Queen's grace might have given me warning!)
(I didn't want to disturb your concentration, prince, though it appears I worried for nought. But pardon me if I leaveoff complimenting you for the moment. I have business here, and you're part of it, I've been told. If I rework the wreaking on the Kings' Door, can you come with me to Barachael tonight?)
(Depends on Freelorn, madam,) All the candles on tables and in sconces tied themselves in knots and kept on burning. (We're on business of our own, and 1 have oaths in hand that may even supersede the oaths of the Brightwood line to Darthen.)
(Oh, that business. I think your business and mine will go well enough together.) (Then we'll talk when I've finished.)