Guardian - Stolen Magic Part 5

He considered. Having someone touch his horn was a strangely intimate act, but this was Lady Beth, who had been like a mother to him. He tapped once for yes.

She reached up and clasped the horn. "Fascinating. I can feel a power unlike any I've ever known. The aches I got from falling are fading as I speak. You said earlier that you couldn't do magic in this body, but as a unicorn, you are magic."

He snorted, wanting to convey that being a magical creature was not an improvement over normal life. She smiled a little. "Let me see if I can touch your mind. Two taps if you would rather I didn't."

He tapped once. A moment later he felt her calm strength flow through him, but when he tried to form words and speak directly, he couldn't.

She shook her head in frustration. "I can sense some of your feelings and I imagine the reverse is true, but very vague." Releasing the horn, she said, "No matter. What is important is returning you to yourself. If I touch my blood to yours, I should have enough magic to restore you. Is that satisfactory?"

He tapped the floor once. Lady Bethany opened the sewing basket beside her chair and brought out a needle. Straightening, she studied him. "You are very beautiful as a unicorn, Simon. Of course, you are very beautiful as a man."

She laughed when he snorted with disgust, then moved in with her needle. The sting on his hindquarters was so slight he hardly noticed it. She p.r.i.c.ked the middle finger of her left hand and squeezed out a drop of bright blood, then closed her eyes and summoned her magic.

When the air around her began to shimmer with power, she touched her finger to his flank, her blood to his. A wave of itchy magic swept through him, but his body remained obstinately stable. He was still a unicorn.

She tried again. Though Simon again felt the magic, it had no effect on him. Under her breath, she muttered a word sweet little old ladies weren't supposed to know. "I'm sorry, Simon. This isn't working."

He swung his head, pointing his horn toward the upper floor, where Meg rested. Perhaps the legends were right and only the blood of a virgin would do.

"You're right," Lady Beth said, as if he'd spoken aloud. "I'l go get her."

She was moving toward the door when it swung open and Meg slipped inside, her expression tense. Dark hair tumbled loose around her shoulders and her bare toes were visible under her white nightgown. The plain gray shawl tossed hastily over her shoulders did nothing to disguise her enchanting self. She was the loveliest creature he'd ever seen. Full of longing, Simon bounded across the room and almost knocked her over with his enthusiastic welcome.

Half laughing and half in tears, she wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her forehead against his mane. "I knew something was wrong. Can I help?"

"I hope so," Lady Bethany said. "I tried my blood and all the magic I could summon to reverse the transformation spell, but it didn't work. Of course, at my age I can barely remember what it was like to be a virgin."

Meg blushed and stepped back from Simon. "I don't know what I did before, but I'l do my best. Do you have a knife?"

"Try my needle." The older woman handed it over. "It does less damage. I'l get you a knife if this doesn' t work."

Simon rubbed his head against Meg again, feeling strangely ambivalent. He wanted to be restored to himself, but his rapturous pleasure at her nearness was intoxicating. When had he ever felt this happy?

"Forgive me, my lord." Simon's tail twitched as Meg stabbed more deeply than Lady Beth had. Then she peeled off the bandage applied over her grazed finger and broke open the scab that had formed, pressing till blood flowed.

Lightly she touched his flank-and the world fell apart again. He pitched to the floor, once more feeling the agony of transformation. The air warped around him. As his spine twisted, he saw Meg and Lady Beth stumbling backward, blasted by the energy.

He emerged from blackness as Lady Beth laid a blanket over him. The floor was cold and hard, and he was so weak that he doubted he could sit up. He hated being helpless in front of others. "How long was I unconscious?" he asked, trying to keep his voice steady.

"Not long. A few moments." She touched his cheek. "Are you all right?"

"Well enough." By sheer will, he managed to sit up and wrap the blanket around himself. The wool was scratchy against his bare skin. Seeing the ruined garments he'd been wearing, he said dryly, "Drayton's spell is playing havoc with my wardrobe."

"Not to mention playing havoc with your body." Moving slowly, Lady Beth got to her feet. "It can't be healthy to suffer such wrenching changes."

She was right; Simon felt as if he'd aged twenty years. Meg knelt beside him with a gla.s.s in each hand. Her eyes were dark with concern. "Water or brandy?"

"Both." He took the water gla.s.s and emptied it in one swallow. After handing her the empty gla.s.s, he started on the brandy more slowly. "Thank you."

Meg sat back on her heels and smiled a little. Her complexion was silken smooth and begged to be touched. He looked away, not pleased to note that despite his restoration he still found Meg to be the most alluring female he'd ever seen. He hoped the effect pa.s.sed soon. It wouldn't do for him to nuzzle her now that he was a man again, though the thought was tempting. "Meg, did you feel Drayton's energy earlier? He attacked Lady Bethany as well as reactivated the transformation spell he'd laid on me."

Her face tightened. "So that wasn't my imagination. I woke out of a sound sleep feeling as if he was . . . was coming after me."

Simon checked the silvery thread of energy that connected her to Drayton. The block he'd created still held, but it had taken a beating. The renegade mage had managed to damage all three of them. "We'l have to come up with a better shield for you."

"Yes, and we also need to decide how to handle Drayton, but not tonight." Lady Beth headed toward the door. "We all need rest. I don't think he'l try anything more until he's recovered from your energy blast. Good night, my dears."

Simon was glad he'd done some damage to his enemy. He just wished he'd done more.

Feeling stronger, he managed to get to his feet without letting the blanket slip or his brandy gla.s.s spill. It was a measure of his fatigue that he was hardly bothered by the impropriety of wearing only an itchy blanket in the presence of a nubile young female.

After Lady Bethany left, Meg moved toward the door, then paused. "My lord . . . what happens now?"

"There's a range of possibilities." Guessing that she was tired but too tense to go back to sleep, he settled into a chair. "Join me in a brandy if you'd like to talk."

She moved to the side table that held drinks and gla.s.ses and poured herself a blend of brandy and water, then settled in the chair opposite him. She was graceful even in her fatigue. Trying not to stare, he said, "What happens next is London."

"So you and Lady Bethany will pursue Drayton to London." Meg turned the gla.s.s in her hands. "Do . . . do you think that she will allow me to stay on here for a while? I have nowhere else to go."

"You'l come to London with us, of course. You are no longer alone in the world, Meg-you are part of the Families." He grimaced. "You are also part of this tangle with Drayton, so you need to be in London."

She relaxed a little. "Very well. But I wonder-do Guardians always live with the fear of mental attacks?"

He laughed ruefully. "Usually our lives are much like the lives of anyone else. I have estates to manage, a seat in Parliament, and personal interests like the Royal Society as well as my Guardian responsibilities. Lady Bethany has a large and devoted family and is involved with charitable works. Being a Guardian is not usually so dramatic as what you've witnessed in the last few days."

"If you hadn't confronted Lord Drayton, I would still be a mindless slave, so I can't complain about the consequences." She sipped at her watered brandy, made a face, then swallowed more. "How will you stop Drayton? And can I do anything to help?"

Simon frowned. "I think he will be called to account for his actions in a hearing before the Guardian Council."

"Why does that disturb you?"

He noted how adept she was becoming at reading emotions. "As enforcer of Guardian law, I have a fair amount of lat.i.tude in deciding what must be done and how to do it. I am careful and never confront a renegade unless I'm sure of his guilt. But because the situation with Drayton has exploded in our faces, he will now have a chance to state his case to the full council, and he's a master of lies and half-truths."

Her brows arched. "Your council won't support you even though you risked your life to enforce Guardian law?"

"Most will support me." He hesitated, wondering if he should get into the politics of the Families. But she would need to know. "Usually Guardians deal harmoniously with each other. But my family has a long tradition of enforcing our rules, and that is an occupation that can create enemies."

Her eyes narrowed. "You are saying that some council members will be prejudiced against you?"

"All are honorable people, but let's say that one or two would lean over backwards to believe someone who accused me of doing my job badly."

"Surely Drayton cannot be allowed to continue injuring people!" Her mouth twisted. "Or perhaps he can, since he is rich and powerful."

"Most Guardians are prosperous. It's useful sensing which side to choose during political unrest, for example." Though even the best of them had had trouble predicting the outcome of the recent Jacobite rebellion. "Based on what Drayton has done, I think it would take several master mages working together to strip him of his powers. But struggles between mages can be dangerous, and no one will be eager to attack him unless it's clearly necessary. So if any council members have doubts about how dangerous Drayton is, he won't be sanctioned."

She sat up straight in her chair. "But you and I and Lady Bethany can all attest to his crimes!"

He had a bad feeling about facing Drayton in front of the council, but that might be only his fatigue and sense of failure talking. "We shall see. I usually a.s.sume the worst, so perhaps I shall be pleasantly surprised."

Her eyes shifted from soft gray green to cool ice. "You and Lady Bethany say I have power." Effortlessly she created a sphere of mage light, then tossed it into the air. "Teach me how to use it. I want to be able to defend myself against anyone. And I want to learn how to fight back, like you do."

He controlled his surprise. "It takes special skills to be a hunter and enforcer. Some can be learned, but most are innate."

"Then we shall see if I have them." Her eyes narrowed. "I will never be helpless again."

"Defense is easier than attack. The simplest method is to imagine an impenetrable shield of white light around you, but it's most effective if invoked before you are under attack. With practice, you should be able to maintain a light shield at all times without conscious thought. It can be equipped with an automatic trigger to bring it to full strength if you're a.s.saulted. The fact that Drayton has an energy hook in you will compromise the shield to some extent, but it will still be useful."

Her gaze became unfocussed as she thought about it. "Thank you. I shall practice shielding."

As Simon studied the dense, rich power that glowed around her, he was glad that he was not her enemy.

CHAPTER EIGHT.

After the long day and midnight drama, Meg slept as if she'd been drugged with laudanum, yet she woke at dawn tingling with curiosity. The knowledge that she had magical power made her want to learn how to use it.

The previous night had proved that even Falconer and Lady Bethany might not be able to protect her from Lord Drayton. For a few moments he had surrounded her with suffocating power and ordered her to come to him. She had been perilously close to responding, even though the spell that had rendered her nearly mindless had been broken. If he'd been a little stronger-or if the shield Falconer had created had been a little weaker-she might have fallen under his control again. For her own safety, she must learn how to wield her magic.

After washing with bracingly cold water, she investigated the wardrobe. Lady Bethany's granddaughters must be well dressed and wealthy to leave such fine clothes behind. Meg picked the plainest of the garments, a soft green gown that she could don without the help of a maid.

She lit the room with mage light, then wondered where to begin her experiments. She knew so little about Guardian powers. She could call horses, but that was easy, something she'd done as long as she could remember. Mage light wasn't difficult, either. So-what should she try next?

Shielding would be good. She sat relaxed in the upholstered chair and closed her eyes, the better to concentrate on creating a coc.o.o.n of white light that extended several inches beyond her body. This proved to be much harder than mage light-the shield tended to bulge or dissolve when she wasn't paying full attention. Eventually she managed to stabilize the light and maintain it without great effort. Not that she felt any safer. Falconer could tell her if she was doing it right.

He had mentioned an energy line that connected her to Drayton. Wondering if she could find it, she turned her inner eye to the shield of white light, exploring the outside inch by inch. It seemed sound enough. Experimentally she took a mental poke at the shield. It yielded a little but she couldn't penetrate it no matter how hard she pushed.

Perhaps Drayton's hook had failed? No, d.a.m.nation, there was the thread Falconer had told her about. A wisp of glinting light, it connected to her midriff from behind her back. She guessed the line was intended to be overlooked.

Savagely she imagined a silver knife and slashed at the thread. The knife bounced back, unable to cut through the fragile-looking line. She tried several more times before giving up. If Falconer couldn't do it, she wouldn't be able to.

Opening her eyes, she glanced around the room. Her mage lights had gone out while she was working on the shield. Though the sky was becoming light, the room was still dark. Perhaps she could create a spell that would keep a light glowing without constant attention from her. Perhaps an energy line such as the one that Drayton used?

She created two new mage lights and tossed them into the air, mentally commanding, Stay! Then she visualized a thread of energy running to each. A little experimentation proved that only a very small trickle of power was needed. Satisfied with the results, she turned her attention elsewhere.

What might a Guardian be able to do? She certainly didn't want to see if she could investigate Drayton- and she'd never again call him "the lord," as she'd done when she was his slave. He was only a man, and an evil one at that.

Was it possible to move objects with mental power? The mahogany desk had a quill pen resting on the polished surface. She concentrated on it as hard as she could. She was about to give up when she felt a mental shift, as if a key had settled into a lock. Slowly the quill rose to balance on its tip. In her delight, she lost concentration and the goose feather flopped onto the desk. She tried again, and this time lifting was easier. How long could she keep the quill upright?

Her head was throbbing from concentration when the door opened and a young maid entered. "Hot chocolate, miss?"

"Oh, please!" Meg took the steaming cup from the tray gratefully. "What time do people break their fast at White Manor?"

"About half an hour from now, miss. You'l hear a faint gong, not so loud as to disturb someone sleeping. That means food has been set out in the room where you had your supper last night." As she left, the maid paused to straighten the quill, which had fallen crookedly across the desk.

Tired from her efforts, Meg was content to sip her chocolate and watch the sky brighten outside. Already she felt less powerless. She'd been successful in her attempt to keep the lights glowing-above her head, they were as bright as when she'd created them. A good thing the maid hadn't noticed!

Closing her eyes, she let her mind drift, trying to see if any of her early life might come into focus. Nothing -her memories still began with Lord Drayton in the meadow. Her failure reduced some of the pleasure she'd felt over her new accomplishments. It was a relief to hear a distant gong and head down to breakfast. She only got lost once.

Falconer and Lady Bethany were already seated and eating. Meg paused in the door to study them. Cool and controlled, Falconer looked like a society gentleman who'd never had a serious thought in his life. Lady Beth seemed no more than a sweet, harmless old lady whose concerns began and ended with tea and gossip. Both were improbable sorcerers. The whole idea of sorcery was improbable, but Meg could not deny the evidence of her eyes.

Her hostess glanced up. "Help yourself to anything on the sideboard and join us. We're ready to start developing plans." She blinked. "Dear, did you know that two spheres of mage light are bobbing over your head?"

Meg glanced up, her face scarlet. She'd forgotten about the energy threads, and the globes had followed her like well-trained dogs. She cut the threads and mentally snuffed the globes. The lights vanished. "Sorry, my lady."

Lady Bethany looked amused rather than upset. "I can see that your education is going to be very interesting to observe."

Meg served herself coddled eggs from a chafing dish, adding toast and a cup of tea before she sat on Lady Bethany's side of the table, away from Falconer. Her feelings about him were . . . complicated.

"You're right, Simon," Lady Bethany said, continuing the conversation that had been in process when Meg entered the room. "We have no choice but to summon Drayton to a hearing before the council. We shall have to rely on the council's good judgment to recognize the danger he represents."

"I wish I had more faith in their judgment," Falconer said dryly. "But you're right that we can do nothing else. To London we shall go, to give evidence against him."

Meg swallowed her toast with difficulty as her mouth went dry. "Will I have to see Lord Drayton again?"

"I'm afraid so, but by the time of the hearing, you should be able to protect yourself from him," Lady Bethany said rea.s.suringly.

"This morning I practiced the shielding Lord Falconer showed me." Meg visualized the white light coc.o.o.n. "Am I doing it right?"

She felt a gentle, nonphysical prod, and realized that Falconer was testing the shield. He pushed again, harder, increasing the pressure. She countered by concentrating more on the shield.

The pressure stopped. "Very good, Meg." Falconer glanced at Lady Bethany. "She needs to be told things only once. I've never known such quickness."

"Gwynne Owens was much the same," Lady Bethany said thoughtfully. "Both she and Meg came into their power late, as grown women. Apparently that's easier than the fumbling most of us experience as our magic develops gradually."

"Perhaps Drayton's continual drawing on her power strengthened it and taught her focus even though she was in thrall," Falconer suggested.

Meg squirmed a lot as the two mages studied her. "I did some experiments this morning. Am I doing this right?"

She glanced around the table for a small object to lift with her mind. There was nothing like the quill, so she concentrated on the silver spoon she'd used to stir sugar into her tea. It rose raggedly into the air. It was two feet above the table when Falconer breathed, "My G.o.d!"

Meg's concentration broke and the spoon plummeted and hit her teacup. The fragile porcelain shattered and tea splashed in all directions, staining the white linen tablecloth. Lady Bethany had taken her in, fed and clothed her, and in return Meg was breaking her china! She grabbed her napkin and started blotting up tea. "I'm so sorry!"

"No need to apologize." Lady Bethany's delicate fingers touched Meg's wrist. "You have just demonstrated a most unusual ability, child. Being able to lift solid objects by pure mental energy is extraordinarily rare."

"Duncan moves weather, but that's not the same," Falconer said. "That a novice could lift a spoon with no training is . . . remarkable."

She blushed again at the admiration in his gaze. They might consider her a woman grown, but she felt like a girl in the schoolroom.

Lady Bethany suggested, "Simon, when you've both finished eating, why not go for a walk with Meg in the garden? You can give her an idea of the different kinds of magic we know of. Though her experiments so far have been harmless, that might not always be the case."

"A good idea." Humor glinted in his eyes. "Though I do look forward to seeing what Meg might develop on her own."

Simon welcomed the opportunity to walk in the garden with Meg. Besides teaching her about Guardian power, he could test his self-control where she was concerned. Granted, she was a lovely young woman, but his attraction wouldn't be so intense if not for their unicorn-virgin bond. The sooner he learned to control his attraction, the better.