Wrede, Patricia C - Mairelon 01 by Mairelon the Magician (v5.0)

it, maybe you ought to take along some help."
                "I'm
afraid you'd be rather out of place where I'm--" Mairelon broke off in
mid-sentence, and his head turned toward the door. A moment later it swung open
and Hunch climbed into the wagon. He looked at Mairelon, and a disapproving
frown settled over his face. Mairelon grinned like a schoolboy caught in a
prank and tossed his top hat back onto the shelf.
                Hunch
snorted. "You ain't queering me none, Master Richard. You was a-going to go looking for me."
                "It
seemed like a good idea."
                "You
'adn't ought to of done it," Hunch said severely.
                "Yes,
well, I didn't. What took so long?"
                Hunch
looked at Mairelon sharply, but allowed himself to be
drawn away from his scolding. "Couple of sharpers tried to follow me, and
I 'ad to lose 'em afore I come back."
                "What?"
Mairelon looked up in the act of seating himself on top of the chest that had
caused Kim so much trouble. "How many?"
                "Two
as I noticed."
                "Anyone
we know?"
                Hunch
shook his head. "I 'adn't seen neither of 'em afore."
                "Mmm-hm. I suppose they could have been some of
Shoreham's."
                "That's
as may be," Hunch said. He sounded both skeptical and disapproving.
Mairelon looked up. Hunch gave a warning jerk of his head in Kim's direction.
                "What?
Oh, yes, of course," Mairelon said. "Did you get what you went
for?"
                "Aye."
                "Well,
let's have it, man!"
                Hunch shot another look in Kim's direction, then reached stiffly
into one of his pockets. He pulled out a folded paper sealed with a
great blob of crimson wax and handed it to Mairelon.
                Mairelon
held it up to the light, edgewise. "The seal hasn't been tampered--oh,
Lord."
                "What
is it?" Hunch said anxiously.
                "Shoreham's
done it again," Mairelon replied in annoyance. He turned slightly, so that
his back was to Kim, and muttered something under his breath.
                There was
a bright flash of blue-white light that left Kim's eyes momentarily dazzled. When her sight cleared. Mairelon was squinting at a fine
dust of ashes that drifted from the folded paper. "I do wish he'd stop
using that Egyptian Light-Lock," he complained. "I never manage to
get my eyes shut in time."
                Hunch
grunted. Kim realized that he had turned his head away before Mairelon broke
the seal, and so escaped the temporary blindness. She glared first at him and
then at Mairelon. One of them might have warned her what to expect.
                Mairelon
shook the letter open and began to read. A moment later he straightened with an
exclamation. "Tomorrow!"
                "What's
that?" Hunch said.
                "Shoreham
wants us to meet him tomorrow evening." Mairelon looked up. "How long
was this waiting?" he demanded, waving the note.
                "Since yesterday. Where's 'e looking to be? Same place
as last time?"
                "Yes."
Mairelon shook his head. "He's in a rush again. Blast the man!"
                Hunch
considered. "We'll 'ave to leave early," he said at last.
                "I
know," Mairelon said irritably.
                "What
about 'er?" Hunch said, jerking his head in Kim's direction.
                "What?"
Mairelon looked up from rereading the note. "Oh. You wouldn't mind leaving London a little earlier than we'd
planned, would you?" he asked Kim.
                "No,"
Kim said, remembering Dan Laverham and his unpleasant crew. She thought of
mentioning them to Mairelon, but caution made her hold her tongue. If he knew
about Dan, he might