"Aye, but 'tis not for us to say they must die, neither," Magnus answered.
They stared at one another in silence.
Then Geoffrey crowed, "I have it! We shall let Mama and Papa decide!"
"Oh, excellent, brother," Magnus scoffed, "most excellent! Aye, we'll bid Mama and Papa come here in judgment—as soon as we find them!"
"Oh, nay! We know they'll come home, soon or late—so we'll take these vile villains there, to await them!"
Cordelia and Magnus stared at him, floored by the sheer audacity of the plan.
Then Cordelia giggled.
Magnus grinned. "Wherefore not? 'Twill serve them well for going adventuring without us! Come, brother, let's bind them!"
"Aye," Geoffrey agreed, picking up another length of rusty chain. "And who knows? Mayhap Lontar will die on the way!"
Puck and Kelly stared, unbelieving, as the children came out of the doorway at the base of the tower. Then Puck turned to Summer. "To the King, straight away! Tell him they are safe, that he need not come! Scat!"
Summer flew off, casting an indignant look backward at him.
It was wasted; Puck and Kelly were already shooting over the floor of the clearing, straight toward the children.
"Magnus! Cordelia! Geoffrey! Gregory! By Oak, Ash and Thorn! Ye are safe!"
Cordelia managed a smile. "Aye, praise all saints!"
"We could not come to thine aid, for there was so great a deal of Cold Iron hung about that tower!"
"That foul, fell felon," Kelly howled, "who's so craven that he must needs drape his house in all that we dread! 'Tis naught but what ye should look for, from such vile fellows as…"
He broke off, staring at the procession of unconscious bodies that floated out of the tower behind the children.
"Eh!" Puck gasped. "How hast thou taken these trussed-up fowls?"
"With great difficulty," Magnus assured him, "and only with the aid of some folk who were not there."
"Not there? How is this?" Puck's gaze sharpened with keen suspicion as he looked up at Magnus. Then he stared. "Lad! Thine hair!"
"What of it?" Magnus put a hand to his head, suddenly self-conscious. "'Tis yet there!"
But his brothers and Cordelia were staring, too. "We had not noticed, in all the turmoil," she said, "yet now…"
"What is it?"
"I ha' known thee since before thou wast born," Puck avowed, "and ever was thine hair as golden as the crown of a king!"
"Wilt thou not tell me?" Magnus exploded.
"Gregory," Cordelia said, "thy friend Vidor—what color is the hair of his older brother?"
Magnus's eyes widened as he began to suspect.
Gregory looked up and blinked. "Black is the color of Albertus's hair, 'Delia."
"And of what hue is mine?" Magnus asked into the sudden silence.
"Black as jet," Cordelia whispered.
"Like the wings of a raven," Puck agreed.
Chapter 18
It was an oddly-assorted parade that threaded its way through the dappled shadows of the late-afternoon forest—three Gal-lowglass boys of diminishing sizes, followed by Fess with a witch and a sorcerer slung over his back, and an improvised horse collar around his neck and shoulders, from which two ropes stretched back to Groghat's ankles. Cordelia rode behind the giant on her unicorn, frowning at Groghat as she concentrated on keeping his huge mass just high enough so that he didn't drag on the ground. She didn't worry too much about brambles, though.
The shadows were lengthening as they came out of the forest and saw their home, serene and warm with late afternoon sun, nestling under the huge oak against the hillside.
" 'Tis yet there!" Cordelia breathed.
"Praise Heaven," Magnus agreed.
But Kelly suddenly struck his forehead with the heel of his hand. "Oy vay! How could I have forgotten?"
"How couldst thou indeed?" Puck asked. "Nay, elf, an thou hast any cause at all to be from us…"
"What is it, then?" Cordelia turned to him.
"The fairies' shoes! I had promised two flower-folk to have new slippers for them, for treading of the elfin ring this night! Nay, I must be off to my bench and last!"
"Do not dare!" Puck said, but Kelly was already darting off through the greenwood, crying, "Farewell!"
"He could not, after all, disappoint the two fairies." Cordelia scowled at Puck. "Thou art but mean, Robin!"
"I mean a great deal indeed." Puck glared after the fleeing elf. "Nay, an I catch that son of Erin and Israel again…"
"Thou must not injure one who hath shared our trials," Gregory protested.
"Aye, all but the final one."
"What dost thou speak of?" Magnus questioned.
"'Tis my concern, not thine—and mine alone, now." Puck set his face toward the children's house, looking grim. "Come, children. At last, I believe I have some chance of bringing thee safe to home."
The boys yelped with joy and darted off across the meadow. Fess and Cordelia followed a bit more slowly with the captives, Groghat floating between them, bumping in breezes.
As they came near the door, Geoffrey looked back to check on his spoils of war and frowned. "They do begin to struggle again, Magnus."
Groghat and Phebe were thrashing about against their ropes, and Lontar had opened his eyes, squinting against the pain in his chest.
"'Twill be merciful to restore them to sleep," Cordelia pointed out.
"Aye, and more safe." Magnus stepped up beside Lontar, glaring down at him. Cordelia let Groghat settle to the ground and rode over to stare at Phebe, and Geoffrey and Gregory took her place near Groghat. They all concentrated, staring at their captives. The thrashing dwindled, then stilled, and the prisoners' eyes closed again.
The Gallowglasses breathed a sigh of relief and turned back to the door.
Cordelia paused. "Where may we put them?"
"Only the parlor is large enough." Magnus rubbed his chin.
Geoffrey clapped his hands. "What could be easier? We'll but clear the table and chairs aside!"
"Mayhap 'tis not the best…" Puck began, but the children had already darted in. He sighed and followed, hearing the clatter of furniture moving.
They floated them in by size—Phebe first, then Lontar. Fess lifted his head as the sorcerer's weight came off his back, saying, "Children, your parents might not wish…"
"What else might we do with them?" Cordelia called over her shoulder as the old man's feet disappeared into the parlor.
"We might build a shelter," Fess suggested as they came back out.
Magnus shook his head as he untied Groghat's tow-ropes from the jury-rigged collar. " 'Twould have to be a complete cabin to protect them enough from wind, rain, and chill, Fess. Thou wouldst not have us let them catch their deaths, wouldst thou?"
'"'Tis a consummation devoutly to be wished," Puck answered, eyes flashing as he watched the giant float into the house.
"Thou art still thirsty for blood, Robin," Cordelia sighed as she passed through the door.
"And what if I am?" the elf growled to himself. "Better their blood than thine, sweet chucks! Sayest thou not so, Walking Iron?"
"In some measure," Fess agreed. "But I must admit, I'm glad to see so much of compassion in them."
Magnus and Cordelia came back out. The boy caught Fess's bridle and led him away toward his stable at the back of the house. "Come now, faithful one! It hath been a long journey. Warm housen and oil for thee now."
"The rest will be appreciated," Fess sighed. "I have much new data to integrate…"
They disappeared around the corner of the house. Cordelia turned to her unicorn, and Puck suddenly found something very interesting to study in the patterns of the milkweed that had sprouted by the front door.