Geoffrey lifted his head, incensed, but Gregory said, "They may hold our Mama and Papa."
The children stared at one another, then at Puck. "'Tis true," Magnus said slowly. "Where else would Papa's enemies
hold those they've captured, but in their own castle?"
"They do not use castles," Puck reminded. "They may issue their orders from a manor house, or a church—or even a peasant hut, for all that."
"For all that, and all that," Kelly grumbled.
Puck frowned at him. "Of what nation didst thou say thou wert?"
"Any but yers," Kelly retorted.
"I prithee, hold," Magnus cried. "If Mama and Papa are prisoners within the keep of these star-warlocks, we must hale them out."
The room was quiet for a moment; Puck and Kelly exchanged looks of misgiving.
"We will help thee to find them," Puck said at last, "if thou wilt promise me solemnly to stay in the forest nearby, and never go into the fighting."
The children exchanged glowers, and Geoffrey looked fit to burst. Finally, though, Magnus said reluctantly, "We do promise, Puck."
"Most solemnly?"
"Oh, aye, most solemnly," Geoffrey said in disgust.
"Well enough, then." Puck nodded, satisfied, and turned away to the dungeon stair. The children followed.
"Though how," wondered Magnus, "could any prison hold our mother and father?"
"In drugged slumber," Geoffrey answered. "Come, brother—let us search!"
Chapter 13
"Yet wherefore have we gone south again?" Cordelia spoke to Puck, but her eyes were on the brace of partridge that Magnus turned slowly on the spit over the campfire.
"Aye," Gregory said, and swallowed before he went on. "We have journeyed northward thus far, Puck. Dost thou mean to take us home now?"
The elf shook his head. "I have an itch in my bones that tells me thou art right to seek thy parents. Whether thou wilt find them or no, thou art right to seek them."
"Yet rebellions commonly start far from Runnymede," Magnus pointed out as he turned the spit. "Wherefore do we turn our steps once again to the Capitol?"
"'Tis not a rebellion we face," Puck answered. "'Tis a host of rebellions, and their leaders do wish to topple the throne at first chance. They must, therefore, stay near the Royal Mere."
Geoffrey nodded. " 'Tis sound."
"I rejoice that I meet thine approval," Puck said, with withering sarcasm. Geoffrey watched the partridge turn, blithely unwithered. He swallowed, though.
"Yet surely we're amiss to go farther into the forest," Magnus said, frowning. "Will they not hold their center in the Capitol itself?"
"Nay," Geoffrey answered, "for no other reason than that we'd seek them there. Puck hath the right of it; they'll as likely be in the forest near Runnymede, as any place else."
"With modem communications, the 'center' can be anyplace—or many places," Fess explained. "Still, if there is a spies' nest, it would most logically be near Runnymede, as Puck has suggested."
"Fess agrees with thee," Gregory informed the elf.
"I have heard," Puck grunted. " 'Tis not witch-folk alone who hear thoughts."
"Art thou not pleased?"
"I cry his mercy," the elf said dryly.
"Have you any method in mind for locating this hypothetical headquarters?" Fess asked.
"Set a spy to catch a spy," Puck retorted, "and I've more of them than any mortal band."
Leaves rustled, and two fairies flitted up, close enough to be seen in the firelight.
"Summer and Fall!" Cordelia cried in delight.
The two fairies dropped dainty curtsies. "We have come to repay thy good aid."
"Who did summon thee?" Kelly snorted.
"Why, the Puck," Summer answered. " 'Tis our wood, do ye not see; we know who moves in it better than any."
"What doth move?" Puck asked softly.
Fall turned to him. "'Tis warlocks thou dost seek, is it not?"
"Warlocks, aye—or sorcerers, more likely."
"We know of them," said Summer. "They have a great house quite deep in the forest, at the foot of the mountains."
Puck looked up at Geoffrey. "'Tis but three hours' ride from Runnymede."
"And I doubt me they would ride," the boy returned.
"'Tis two days' walk, though, for a mortal," Fall cautioned. "Thou art witch-bairns; can ye travel no faster?"
Magnus started to answer, then glanced up at Fess.
"Do not delay for my sake," the robot assured them. "I shall follow your thoughts, and will arrive not long after yourselves. The unicorn, I doubt not, will find Cordelia no matter where she goes. I ask only that you not risk any great hazards till I am with you."
"We will fly with winged heels," Magnus assured the fairies.
"Or broomsticks," Summer said, with a smirk.
It was a big half-timbered house with white stucco that had mellowed to ivory with age—or what looked like age; for "Who would ha' builded a house so deep in the woods?" Magnus asked.
A hut would have been understandable, maybe even a cottage—but this was a two-story Tudor house with wings enclosing a courtyard.
"Nay, none would have built here," Geoffrey whispered, with full certainty. " 'Tis Papa's enemies have made this place, and that not much longer ago than Magnus was born."
"If 'tis so big, it must be ripe for haunting," Cordelia whispered.
Her brothers looked at her in surprise. Then they began to grin.
The guard's eyes flicked from screen to screen, from one infrared panorama of the clearing outside the headquarters house to another, over to a graph-screen that showed objects as dots of light on crossed lines, then to a screen that showed sounds as waveforms, then back to the picture screens again. He was bored, but knew the routine was necessary—HQ was safe . only because it was guarded.
A long, quavering sound began, so low that the guard doubted he'd heard it at first, rising gradually in pitch and loudness to a bass, moaning vibration that shook the whole building. The guard darted a look about him, then whirled to the score of screens that showed views of the inside of the house. Finally, he stabbed at a button and called, "Captain! I'm hearing something!"
"So am I," a voice answered out of thin air. A moment later, the captain came running up, shouting to make himself heard over the noise. "What is it?"
But as soon as he started talking, the sound stopped.
The two men looked about them, waiting. Finally, the captain said, "What in hell was that?"
"Right," the guard answered. Then he saw the captain's face and said, "Sorry. Just trying to lighten the mood."
"I don't need light moods, I need answers! What did your screens show?"
"Nothing," the guard said with finality. "Absolutely nothing."
The captain scowled at the screens. "How about the oscilloscope?"
"Nothing there either."
The captian whirled back to him. "But there had to be! That was a noise—it had to show as a waveform!"
The guard shook his head. "Sorry, Captain. Just the usual night-noise traces."
"Not the outdoor scope, you idiot! The indoor one!"
"Nothing there, either." The guard glared at him. "And if we could both hear it, one of the mikes should have picked it up."
They were both silent for a moment, the guard watching the captain, the captain gazing about him, frowning. "What," he said, "makes a noise that people can hear, but microphones can't?"
"They are worried," Gregory reported, "and afeard, though they hide it."
"No mortal can fail to fear the unknown," Puck said, grinning. "'Tis bred into thee from thine earliest ancestors, who did first light campfires 'gainst the night."