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There were other more disturbing considerations that he couldn’t acknowledge, even to himself. A film of sweat covered his forehead, and a fist of anger still knotted his stomach. There must be some way he could keep her out of any further trouble. Inspiration came.

“You need not think your swordsmanship will spare you from my punishment for brawling in camp, Trev. For the next few days, while I am away, you will be at the beck and call of the women of the camp, fetching and carrying wood and water and performing any tasks they may set you to.”

Tressalara swallowed a furious response.

She wanted to protest the unfairness of being punished for a fight she hadn’t sought—but then she realized that she might discover far more about Cador and Brand’s motives among the women’s gossip than she could hope to learn from the more taciturn men.

The women were more likely to see past the facade and into the heart of the matter. Or the man.

“As you will, Cador.”

He smiled reluctantly. “I hope I may always find you so meek and obedient.” From the set of her jaw, he somehow doubted it. All to the good. The sooner she admitted him to her confidence, the better.

He touched her arm with surprising gentleness. “I will see to your wound.”

At the contact Tressalara jumped back like a scalded cat. “Pah! A mere scratch. I’ll tend to it myself.” Clamping a hand to her bloody sleeve, she walked away with her head held high.

Brand joined Cador. “I see your instincts were on target. The new lad has a cool head and a well-trained arm. I was never more surprised.”

“Nor I!” Cador watched Tressalara’s proud retreat.

A rare handful, that one! At least he didn’t have to worry about her while he was away; she could take care of herself.

And he knew where to find her when the time came.

Safe, among the women who cooked and laundered and saw to the mending.

He wondered if, later, she would forgive him for that.

Brand frowned as Tressalara swaggered off into the trees. “That lad bears keeping an eye on. He’s got the makings of a fine warrior. I would never have suspected to find such skill at arms in a callow stripling.”

An odd smile played about the corners of Cador’s firm mouth, and he turned away to hide it. “Yes. I do believe that in time we will learn there’s far more to young Trev than meets the eye.”

It was not far to the riverbank, but the journey seemed to take an eternity to Tressalara.

The strain of trying not to wince or grit her teeth against the pain took all her concentration.

She was relieved to discover that the wound was superficial and would heal quickly.

It would not do to have her sword arm stiff and unresponsive in the days ahead.

When the rebel army attacked Lector’s stronghold, she intended to lead them.

She knelt on the sloping bank. The river’s cold would stanch the blood and ease the line of fire burning along her skin.

It would do little, however, to put out the flame that Cador had ignited within her with his casual touch.

That had had more effect on her than the deep scratch from Nidd’s rapier.

In the span of seconds her heart had seemed to stop, then start again, beating doubly fast. Simultaneously her throat had gone dry, and her legs had felt as if they had turned to suet.

Whatever this magic of Cador’s was, Tressalara wanted none of it. She had already been in one man’s power and would never willingly relinquish control to another again.

While Tressalara bared her arm and bathed it in the clear-flowing water, two frogs watched from among the reeds. “I still don’t see how we escaped from the caverns,” Illusius croaked in a language that only the wild creatures of the forest understand. “And I still don’t know why we’re here.”

Niniane’s eyes were trained on Cador, standing tall amid the busy routine of the camp like one of the legendary heroes from the mists of time. He was looking for Tressalara, while pretending not to.

“I’m not quite certain, either,” the sorceress frog replied, “but I’m beginning to get a hint. I just wish there were some quicker way for us to get around instead of hopping. I wish we could fly .”

She tried to remember the words of the shape-changing spell, but there seemed to be gaps in her memory. Illusius filled in the blanks. Suddenly tiny pinpricks tickled their speckled hides, and they felt themselves expanding rapidly.

Tressalara hadn’t noticed any large waterfowl nearby, but a loud flapping of wings rent the air. To her surprise, a brace of birds flashed out from among the reeds and launched themselves into the sky.

Swans. One black, one white.

Lord Lector paced his chamber by flickering torchlight.

The ascetic room that had belonged to King Varro was now filled with every luxurious indulgence.

Two weeks had passed since Tressalara’s escape, and the wizard Rill, brought at great expense, from foreign lands before the coup, had not produced the promised results.

The princess and the crystal still eluded Lector.

The first was a matter of outraged pride but also, like the second, a necessity.

The need to capture both princess and crystal was great.

From all reports, the insurgent army was growing by the hour.

His own troops had cowed the countryside with their swift and brutal punishments, but they were not sufficient to counter a full-scale rebellion.

Worst of all, according to rumor, Cador, his old enemy, had joined forces with them.

Cador, the one man who could bring all of Lector’s plans and ambitions to naught.

That was where the Andun Crystal entered the picture.

The crystal had been found in the legendary Mystic Lake by Saint Ethelred, King Varro’s ancient ancestor, and could be used for good or ill.

Its radiance could bring fair weather, good crops, and robust health and prosperity to all.

In the wrong hands, it could bring disaster, famine, and plague.

It could also be used to bend the people’s will to follow the wishes of the one who commanded its powers.

Once it was in his possession, Lector knew, he would be invincible.

A cruel smile twisted the usurper’s lips.

If Varro, that old fool, had spent more time overseeing his kingdom and less time praying on his knees, he would still be alive.

But in order to harness the energies of the crystal, Lector needed Tressalara’s cooperation.

The Andun Crystal was protected by an enchantment.

If any but the true heir to the Dragon Throne touched the crystal, he would be burned to ash.

If the true heir held the crystal out to another, however, that person would also inherit the power to hold and to use the Andun Crystal’s magic, without suffering harm.

He rounded on the magician angrily. “If you have such powers as you boast of, why can you not discover the whereabouts of the princess?”

The necromancer Rill scattered more ashes into the brazier. A cloud of blue smoke rose up but quickly dissipated. “It is useless. She is under some powerful protection. If I did not know better, I would swear it is the Andun Crystal itself.”

Lector cursed. “Perhaps she does have it, then.”

“No.” Rill was certain of it. “The Andun Crystal is somewhere within the castle walls. But, like the princess, it hides itself from us.”

“I must have one or the other in my possession to enforce my claim to the throne. I would prefer to have both.”

“It is the crystal alone that matters. Marrying the princess would only give you legal title to the crown. The Andun Crystal would ensure that you keep it.”

“I have a score to settle with her.” Lector’s hand went to the lurid wound that scarred his cheek. “Furthermore, Tressalara is sure to know where Varro hid the crystal.”

He resumed his prowling, anticipating his revenge with a dark glint in his eye. “We must have Tressalara. Once she is in my power, everything will fall in place. But first she must be found. And that,” he growled, “seems a task beyond your gifts, magician!”

“We shall find the crystal eventually.”

“Damn you, man! I need it for the coronation; otherwise the nobles will conspire against me. With it in my possession they will have to acknowledge me as their rightful king.” His mouth twisted in a bitter smile. “They will have no choice.”

Rill leaned closer and whispered in the usurper’s ear. “I have prepared for this contingency. When you take your oath, my lord, it shall be upon an exact duplicate of the Andun Crystal that I commissioned.”

Lector raised one eyebrow. “And what craftsman created this item of interest?”

The magician smiled. “A dead one. I saw no need for him to live once he had completed his task.”

“A wise plan. But only for the interim.”

“Oh, but I have another, my lord. One that will lure Princess Tressalara to the castle. Once she is here, I can use my magic to force her to lead us to the Andun Stone.” His heavy lids fell to conceal the greedy gleam of anticipation in his eyes.

“And then, in reward, you shall name me Keeper of the Andun Crystal, as we agreed.”

Lector examined his co-conspirator with distaste. “Are you so sure you can control its magic? Or do you have some bizarre desire to be turned into a heap of smoldering ash?”

“This has not harmed me,” Rill responded, pulling a glittering shard from the leather pouch at his waist. It glowed in the lamplight, turning now blue, now purple, now clear, dazzling white.

“It is twin to the one owned by the Laird of Kildore and was found on the shores of Mystic Lake. It is a piece broken off the original Andun Crystal, and it has proved its power to cloud men’s minds.

Did I not use it to keep Jeday and Varro from getting wind of your coup? ”

Lector poured himself a goblet of wine and drank it down. “Coincidence. If your shard is so powerful, why don’t I have the Andun Stone and the princess in my possession yet?”

Something in the usurper’s voice sent a thrill of fear along the magician’s spine.

He must not antagonize Lector. Not yet. “This small piece cannot work its magic over great distances, but close at hand it is deadly. I shall demonstrate to prove my point. Summon two of your servants, one or both of them expendable.”

Snapping his fingers, Lector summoned two of the guards from the far end of the chamber. Rill faced them, the crystal glowing in his hand. He turned to one, said a swift phrase, and the man’s eyes became unfocused, like those of a sleepwalker. The magician addressed the other soldier.

“Kill him!”

The second man paled. “Lord Magician, he is my brother!”

“How tragic for you. He is a traitor and is about to assassinate Lord Lector. You will kill him, now! ”

The man struggled against the magician’s spell but was no match for it.

He drew his sword with odd, jerky movements of a stick puppet, at the same time struggling to keep the blade sheathed.

Sweat broke out on his brow, and it was apparent that he fought the magician’s order with every fiber in his body.

Then his vision altered. Instead of his brother’s face, he saw that of a stranger. A stranger with his sword poised to strike down Lord Lector. In a flash his weapon was out, and he struck the illusionary assassin through the heart. His brother fell lifeless at his feet.

Lector was astonished. “Effective, but rather cruel, given their relationship.”

The smile that distorted Rill’s features was most unpleasant. “I shall show mercy, then.” He turned to the soldier. “You have disgraced yourself. Fall upon your sword!”

Without the least hesitation, the second man did as he was ordered, spilling his life’s blood at the magician’s feet.

Lector had gone pale, but his color came flooding back.

This was true black wizardry. With Rill’s aid, he would soon have everything he desired: the power of the Andun Crystal, a kingdom to rule…

and the Princess Tressalara to warm his bed.

He smiled at the memory of her beautiful face, her slender, womanly figure.

Subduing her would give him enormous pleasure.

Until humiliating her no longer amused him. He touched his ruined cheek again. The wound had healed badly. Her death would not be an easy one. And that would give him even more pleasure.

He fixed the magician with a grim look. “My patience is at an end. We must draw Tressalara out of hiding.”

Rill hid his fear. “As I said, I have a new plan. You shall soon have the princess in your power, my lord.”

“Fah! How can you accomplish what my soldiers cannot?”

In answer, the magician drew him to the window. He opened the casement and pointed to the high tower where Elani and Lady Grette were held captive.

“I shall lay my trap…and set it with a bait that she cannot resist!”