apple-farmers passing by
below stopped and squinted, faces toward the sky.
"Who said that?" said one farmer.
Burn was about to reply when the air about
him went cold. A sparkling, like fireflies arranged in a neat
sphere, filled the air, expanding in a heartbeat to fill the space
between the clock-tower and the stables across the street.
The apple farmers squawked and fled. Burn
dived for the heart of the chill and, just for an instant, he saw
Mallara. She stood alone on a far, high hill, a hill that fell away
from beneath her, flowing like fine sand into a cold black void.
Mallara's staff was aloft, and fire flashed about it.
Something like lightning broke the sky, and
Burn was back above Tillith's Square, and beneath him Mallara was
falling, robes fuming, down to the dirty cobblestones.
Mallara crumpled. Smoke and the stench of
burning hair rose up. Burn dove to Mallara's side, drew his being
into a single tiny point, and spoke a Word.
The flames on Mallara's cloak died, and her
hair stopped hissing and crackling.
Her long black staff fell from a hole in the
air and clattered on the stones. The staff ends glowed dull red,
and the shaft radiated heat Burn felt from six long human steps
away.
Hesitant at first, passers-by began to rush
toward Mallara. The black staff rolled to her feet and stood
suddenly on end. A ring of knee-high flames sprang up from the
street around the Sorceress, and the crowd pulled back.
"She's hurt," said Burn, his voice so small
and weak only the staff could hear it."Healing words. Now. Say them
yourself; I've said one too many already."
Burn didn't hear the Word, but the glow at
the staff's ends died and the ring of flames guttered and
shrank.
"Mistress!" shrieked Burn."Mistress!"
Mallara groaned, sat up, and threw back her
smoldering hood. Burn fell nearly to the cobblestones, relieved
that the Sorceress might have lost some of the hair-stuff she was
so fond of, but none of the flesh her folk could not grow anew.
"Burn," croaked the sorceress."You spoke a
Word."
Burn made a faint buzzing nod."Had too," he
said."The boss was on fire. I'll live. Will you?"
Mallara tried to grin, but coughed
instead."I'll live," she said."We all will."
Burn searched in vain for a bug-sized thermal
to ride."I read the Book, Mistress," he said, wearily."It claimed
the Vow involved giving the Trolls a new world to scold and
lecture. You're here and trying to smile, so how did you do
it?"
"The Trolls just needed a bridge," said
Mallara."They'd already found their new home. I just helped them
get there, Burn. That's all." Mallara wiped soot and sweat from her
face."So we kept the Vow. There'll be no Troll war tonight, or any
night. They're gone, Burn. All the Trolls, gone forever."
Burn struggled to expand himself enough to
force a few more audible words."All gone?" he said."Really?"
Mallara coughed and nodded."The Trolls spoke
of raising a world like humans speak of raising a child," she said.
"I suppose that makes us parents, now, of a sort. We won't have the
wise old Trolls looking over our shoulders, anymore."
Burn lifted himself up to Mallara's face."Why
did they need us, Mistress? Why you?"
Mallara smiled and cupped her hand so that
Burn might rest."Trolls are magic, Burn. They don't do magic." The
sorceress chuckled."Shimmers share the same quality, to a lesser
extent. You spoke a single minor fire-ward, and now you're no
bigger than a firefly. Imagine speaking a dozen dire Words."
Burn shuddered."I'd rather not."
"The Trolls found a door to another world,"
said Mallara."They could see it, and feel it, and even peep through
the key-hole. But they couldn't open it. Not without help." Mallara
lowered her hand, whispered. The black staff vanished, and her
iron-shod traveling staff fell into her grasp.
Mallara rose slowly to her feet. The crowd,
much larger now, scrambled suddenly back.
"I'm going to miss them, Burn," said Mallara.
The Mayor and a dozen of Tillith's part-time soldiers appeared
below stopped and squinted, faces toward the sky.
"Who said that?" said one farmer.
Burn was about to reply when the air about
him went cold. A sparkling, like fireflies arranged in a neat
sphere, filled the air, expanding in a heartbeat to fill the space
between the clock-tower and the stables across the street.
The apple farmers squawked and fled. Burn
dived for the heart of the chill and, just for an instant, he saw
Mallara. She stood alone on a far, high hill, a hill that fell away
from beneath her, flowing like fine sand into a cold black void.
Mallara's staff was aloft, and fire flashed about it.
Something like lightning broke the sky, and
Burn was back above Tillith's Square, and beneath him Mallara was
falling, robes fuming, down to the dirty cobblestones.
Mallara crumpled. Smoke and the stench of
burning hair rose up. Burn dove to Mallara's side, drew his being
into a single tiny point, and spoke a Word.
The flames on Mallara's cloak died, and her
hair stopped hissing and crackling.
Her long black staff fell from a hole in the
air and clattered on the stones. The staff ends glowed dull red,
and the shaft radiated heat Burn felt from six long human steps
away.
Hesitant at first, passers-by began to rush
toward Mallara. The black staff rolled to her feet and stood
suddenly on end. A ring of knee-high flames sprang up from the
street around the Sorceress, and the crowd pulled back.
"She's hurt," said Burn, his voice so small
and weak only the staff could hear it."Healing words. Now. Say them
yourself; I've said one too many already."
Burn didn't hear the Word, but the glow at
the staff's ends died and the ring of flames guttered and
shrank.
"Mistress!" shrieked Burn."Mistress!"
Mallara groaned, sat up, and threw back her
smoldering hood. Burn fell nearly to the cobblestones, relieved
that the Sorceress might have lost some of the hair-stuff she was
so fond of, but none of the flesh her folk could not grow anew.
"Burn," croaked the sorceress."You spoke a
Word."
Burn made a faint buzzing nod."Had too," he
said."The boss was on fire. I'll live. Will you?"
Mallara tried to grin, but coughed
instead."I'll live," she said."We all will."
Burn searched in vain for a bug-sized thermal
to ride."I read the Book, Mistress," he said, wearily."It claimed
the Vow involved giving the Trolls a new world to scold and
lecture. You're here and trying to smile, so how did you do
it?"
"The Trolls just needed a bridge," said
Mallara."They'd already found their new home. I just helped them
get there, Burn. That's all." Mallara wiped soot and sweat from her
face."So we kept the Vow. There'll be no Troll war tonight, or any
night. They're gone, Burn. All the Trolls, gone forever."
Burn struggled to expand himself enough to
force a few more audible words."All gone?" he said."Really?"
Mallara coughed and nodded."The Trolls spoke
of raising a world like humans speak of raising a child," she said.
"I suppose that makes us parents, now, of a sort. We won't have the
wise old Trolls looking over our shoulders, anymore."
Burn lifted himself up to Mallara's face."Why
did they need us, Mistress? Why you?"
Mallara smiled and cupped her hand so that
Burn might rest."Trolls are magic, Burn. They don't do magic." The
sorceress chuckled."Shimmers share the same quality, to a lesser
extent. You spoke a single minor fire-ward, and now you're no
bigger than a firefly. Imagine speaking a dozen dire Words."
Burn shuddered."I'd rather not."
"The Trolls found a door to another world,"
said Mallara."They could see it, and feel it, and even peep through
the key-hole. But they couldn't open it. Not without help." Mallara
lowered her hand, whispered. The black staff vanished, and her
iron-shod traveling staff fell into her grasp.
Mallara rose slowly to her feet. The crowd,
much larger now, scrambled suddenly back.
"I'm going to miss them, Burn," said Mallara.
The Mayor and a dozen of Tillith's part-time soldiers appeared
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