And Less Than Kind Read online

  "Lady Elizabeth, human mortal, will dance the galliard, a dance popular in the Court of Logres, to the music of the lute played by Prince Denoriel Siencyn Macreth Silverhair, Sidhe of Elfhame Logres. Attend for edification and pleasure."

  Denoriel struck the lute, picked out the tune in simple notes. Elizabeth began to circle the stage, lifting and pointing her toes with stately dignity. She circled once deosil, whirled and repeated the slow and stately walk widdershins. The audience waited in wide-eyed silence. Now the music began to quicken. Elizabeth took five quick steps forward, turned, and took five steps back and bowed. Then five slow gliding steps, which were no part of the ordinary dance but served in the absence of a partner to mark the completion of one measure and the start of another.

  Again the music quickened. Elizabeth darted forward, darted back, leapt in the air to make her turn, her skirts and her bright red hair swinging around her. And Denno played faster and faster until each measure flung her body forward and back and each turn was a high jump, her feet beating together, twice, thrice before she came to earth. And then there was no time for the steps of the dance. Elizabeth whirled round and round and leapt upward while the audience cheered louder and louder, until Denoriel struck a single loud chord. On her last leap upward as the music ended, Elizabeth came down into a full curtsey.

  She remained down, panting with her exertion, her bright hair spread around her like a cloak while the beings on the benches whistled and croaked and shrilled and shrieked and even called out in human words. Denno came and helped her to her feet, bowing and steadying Elizabeth as she curtsied again.

  The stick-figure overseer of the entertainment came forward and bowed to them both, then said to Denoriel, "Can she dance again? You have made my audience very happy."

  "No, I am afraid not," Denoriel said, putting his arm around Elizabeth and drawing her close. "You can see she is exhausted. Remember, she is mortal."

  "Ah yes, too bad," the master of ceremonies said, putting out his hand to take Denoriel's lute. "Can she sing perhaps?"

  "Not until I catch my breath," Elizabeth began, and suddenly she and Denoriel were off the stage and outside of the little performing place altogether.

  Fortunately she was still in the safe circle of Denoriel's free arm; his other hand still held the lute. Both stood looking around in surprise, until their attention was drawn to the stage, which they could see through the gateway, on which a very confused looking gnome now stood surrounded by gardening implements.

  "How efficient," Elizabeth said, giggling. "When a new performer appears those who have completed their acts are summarily removed. What if I had wanted to sing?"

  "I don't know," Denoriel admitted, also laughing. "I don't think the performer's preference is consulted. From his expression I would say the current holder of the stage is not very eager to display his talents."

  Elizabeth giggled again. "Poor thing. But I really enjoyed dancing even though it was so unexpected." She uttered a long sigh of satisfaction. "I haven't been able really to dance all the while I was at Court. Lady Alana warned me that Mary was jealous of my ability so I had to be extra stiff and decorous." She sighed again. "Still, I think you'd better put some clothes on me."

  "What do you want to wear?" Denoriel asked.

  Before Elizabeth could answer, a short, somewhat plump and very overdressed Sidhe came up behind them, caught a handful of Elizabeth's hair, and pulled her head toward him. She exclaimed and to ease the pull, stepped backward, out of Denoriel's grip.

  "So, it's real," the plump Sidhe said. "Very well, I will take her. What do you want for her?"

  Denoriel's lips lifted in what was not a smile. He shifted the lute to his other hand so he could drop his right to his sword hilt.

  "Lady Elizabeth is not mine to keep or give." His voice could have frozen boiling water. "She is a free mortal, Underhill by the special permission of Queen Titania." Then his voice turned into a nasty snarl. "Let go of her hair."

  The plump Sidhe, half a head shorter than Denoriel, paid no attention to the threat, as if no one dared threaten him. He looked shocked and offended.

  "Free? What do you mean free? Mortals are all—"

  His voice broke into a half astonished, half indignant squawk as Denoriel's sword flashed up, past Elizabeth's shoulder to come within a hair's-breadth of his throat.

  "I said to let loose of her hair."

  "How dare you—"

  Again the words ended in an indignant squawk as the tip of Denoriel's sword just pricked his throat. Several things happened simultaneously: the stranger Sidhe released Elizabeth's hair and sent a levin bolt against Denoriel, who seemed to disappear, the edge of the bolt flickered into blue sparkles against Elizabeth's shield, Elizabeth shrieked "Cilgwthio" and made a hard Pushing gesture, and the stranger Sidhe flew backward as a giant Push sent him up into the air and down again into an urso's alfresco party.

  "Oh!" Elizabeth cried and ran toward the bearlike creatures. "Oh, I am so sorry—"

  "And so you should be, you unnatural abomination!" the plump Sidhe shouted, jumping to his feet with shocking agility, his rage made somewhat ridiculous by the various portions of different luncheon dishes that stuck to his clothing and dripped from his hair. "I will see you skinned alive—"

  "Oh, shut up!" Elizabeth shouted, turning away from the angry Sidhe. "I wasn't apologizing to you, you pest."

  What had happened to Denno? Where was he? She turned around, terrified by Denno's disappearance, tears stinging her eyes. The levin bolt could not have felled him! His shields were surely better and quicker than hers, and she had had time to shield. Besides that bolt should not have been strong enough to harm him. It had not even buffeted her shields, just broken apart.

  The overdressed Sidhe shrieked with rage and stepped forward, trying to seize her hair again. He could not touch her because of her shield. Nonetheless she felt his attempt and swung around to snarl "Cilgwthio" and Push again. The male urso began to rise, but the plump Sidhe shot backward, fortunately away from the urso family. This time he did not fly as far, but his head hit the ground with a thud and he lay still. The urso shrugged and sat down again.

  "Denno!" Elizabeth wailed.

  She wanted to run and look for him, but she did not know where to look and she was afraid the fat Sidhe might revive and take out his anger on the ursos. They were strong, but as far as she knew had no magic. She would kill that fat Sidhe!

  But she knew no killing magic and she still wore nothing more than her night rail so she had no weapon. Swallowing down more tears she looked back to the last place she had seen Denno, just outside the gateway to the performing place. And there was Denno, trying to push his way through a crowd of beings leaving their places in the audience. Elizabeth breathed a long sigh of relief.

  Denno had just got to the gateway of the performing place when Elizabeth sensed a nasty humming behind her. She whirled and saw the pestiferous Sidhe beginning to stir again, both hands shining blue. That looked more dangerous than the levin bolt he had originally used. She thought her shields would hold, but she backed away, looking over her shoulder for Denoriel. He was still trapped. He would never reach her in time.

  And that fat pig would surely start flinging levin bolts around and hurt the ursos or some other innocent bystander. Elizabeth realized she would have to control that nuisance herself. Hastily she began to recite the "Bod oer geulo" spell. It only took a long moment, but by the time she was finished, as Mechain had promised, she was calm enough not to be in danger of wiping his brain empty. Quietly she murmured, "Epikaloumai," and with a faint smile of satisfaction saw the blue on his twitching hands disappear and the hands grow still. Denno had almost reached her and she signed at him to take his time.

  Then, with a sigh of relief, she turned her back on him and stepped forward to face the urso family again and said, "I am so sorry I spoiled your party. It was an accident. I didn't expect him to fly so far."

  The young bears were laughing and
clapping their hands—very human-looking hands although the backs were covered by fur and only the palms naked. "Do it again!" One of the young ones chortled. "Do it again."

  "I don't know if I can," Elizabeth said, relieved that the small ursos had not been frightened. "I haven't had much practice with spells recently. Just . . . just when I'm frightened they work . . . ah . . . better than what I intend."

  "He frightened you, missy?" the largest of the ursos said, his forehead and muzzle wrinkling. "I would have helped, but I saw you quiet him down quick enough. Not nice what was in his head. Not supposed to get nasty in Fur Hold. Fur Hold is for fun, for pleasuring little ones."

  Elizabeth did not think it wise to mention the levin bolt. There was no more danger now. She just hoped that Denno would be able to think of a way to get the stranger to Gate back to wherever he came from and stay there.

  "He wanted to buy me," she said to the urso, "and would not believe my escort when he said I was a free human, permitted by Queen Titania to visit Underhill."

  Denoriel did not come directly to Elizabeth, but stopped beside the frozen Sidhe, sword in hand. When he saw what Elizabeth had done, he sheathed the sword, came to her side, and bowed to the urso.

  "I apologize for the disruption of your holiday," he said. "My lady is not used to being seized and defended herself—" a wry smile twisted his lips "—with an excess of energy. Can I replace your alfresco? There is a vendor of food coming this way."

  "Just the melted cheese tubers," the mid-sized urso said, holding up the dish that now had no more than a smear on the sides. "Most of it is on that silly Sidhe's backside. We were through with the salad and he didn't touch the meat when he landed."

  Elizabeth felt eyes on her and looked automatically at the performing place. Lingering just outside of the seating area, she noticed a rather nondescript Sidhe, brown-haired, with light-brown green-flecked eyes and soft red lips. Dark Sidhe, she was sure, but he was not looking at her, and when he felt her gaze, he only glanced back briefly. Then his eyes moved to the Sidhe who lay frozen and then to Denno, who had summoned the tall, tiger-striped food vendor and was conversing with him in low tones.

  Elizabeth looked away quickly suppressing a smile. He's not interested in me. He thinks Denno froze that fat pig. Nonetheless she continued to watch the Dark Sidhe in quick glances. Too many of them were interested in her. She saw him looking over the urso family and then past them back to Denno. I'll have to warn Denno, Elizabeth thought, but to her relief, the Dark Sidhe turned away and melted into a concourse of creatures playing a wild game.

  That made her mildly uneasy, because she still felt as if she were being watched, but her attention was distracted by the food vendor. Drawing behind him a shiny wagon covered with colored doors, he came to the edge of the sitting cloth the urso family had spread and began to ask what they wanted. The small colored doors popped open as the vendor named dishes so the ursos could see what he was suggesting. The young ones crowed loudly when a long loaf, tiger-striped like the vendor, appeared; the mid-sized urso chose that and when she asked the price the food seller shook his head and said that the cost for whatever she chose had been covered.

  Meanwhile Denoriel had come to Elizabeth's side and caught her to him. "I am sorry, love, so sorry for deserting you, but the spell took me utterly by surprise."

  "The levin bolt took you by surprise? Oh, Denno, were you hurt?"

  "What levin bolt? Did that . . ." Denno glared at the prone, food-spotted form. "You mean he loosed a levin bolt? In Fur Hold? In the midst of the alfresco ground?"

  "He wasn't in the alfresco ground then. It was when we were all outside of the performing place. You had your sword at his throat, and he . . . Denno, what happened? He cast the levin bolt at you and you disappeared. I was frightened half to death."

  He pulled her tighter for a moment and bent his head to kiss her lips. "It was the lute, not the levin bolt. I didn't even know he had thrown one. Apparently the lute is enchanted to return to the stage if someone needs it. It seems the gnome thought he could sing and play. He wanted the lute. Since I was still holding the stupid thing, it just carried me with it back to the stage."

  Elizabeth pulled back enough to be able to look at him; she shook her head and sighed. "This is a wonderful place." For a moment she closed her eyes. "Do you think there is someone I could take to law for having frightened me so much when the lute carried you away? I knew that fat Sidhe would never meet you honorably so I expected the levin bolt and called up my shields. But the bolt shattered on them and for a moment I could not see. When I could see again, you were gone. I almost died of fright."

  "But Elizabeth, you dealt with him very well without my help. You had no need to be afraid. You can defend yourself."

  "Of course I can defend myself," Elizabeth said crossly, wresting herself free of his grasp. "It was not me I was afraid for, you idiot. It was you."

  Denoriel blinked, speechless for a moment, then said, smiling "You were afraid for me? I am supposed to be the protecting warrior. Why should you fear for me?"

  "Because even protecting warriors can be felled by unexpected levin bolts, and you disappeared after his struck."

  "Tsk, tsk," Denoriel said playfully. "Should I take offense at your lack of trust in my abilities do you think?"

  But Elizabeth was not paying attention. She had been aware all the while they spoke that someone was watching her. Now she turned expecting to see the Dark Sidhe. What she saw, to her relief, was the kitsune family that had been in the front row of the performing place, standing politely out of earshot. She smiled at them, and the kits rushed forward.

  "Stop, you naughty ones," one of the adults said. "Beg pardon, Lady Elizabeth. The children have never seen a mortal dancing before and they wanted to speak to you."

  Elizabeth held out her hands. "Let them come to me. They are adorable." At one adult's nod, the kits bounced forward again, one taking each hand. "It is very nice of you to enjoy my dancing," Elizabeth said, bending down toward them.

  "Where did you learn?" one squeaked.

  "In the mortal world," Elizabeth said, "a very long time ago. But I can show you the steps. They are very simple. The trick is the music, which goes faster and faster."

  She began to show them the five-step pattern and the difference having a partner made. Meanwhile the elder kitsune had approached Denoriel and looked down for a moment at the frozen Sidhe.

  "We saw part of what happened," he said. "At least, I caught the sparkle of a disrupted levin bolt. I even started toward your lady, but the next thing I saw was that person flying through the air. It seemed my interference was not necessary, that the lady could manage on her own, but I did agree when the children wanted to speak to her because I thought perhaps I could help if needed."

  "Thank you." Denoriel nodded. "She might have needed help. Her magic is very weak unless she is frightened or very angry, and she only knows a few spells."

  The kitsune laughed heartily. "I will not pass on what you said."

  Denoriel nodded gratefully. To advertise that Elizabeth's magic was weak was to invite attack.

  "But she uses what she does know to great effect," the kitsune continued. Then he looked down. "What are you going to do with him?" he asked, gesturing toward the unconscious Sidhe. "He was working on something very nasty when your lady froze him. I saw the spell-light on his hands."

  "If I had any idea where he comes from I would stick him in a Gate and tell it to take him home just as the spell was released. Unfortunately the spell she used wipes out the bespelled one's sense of time, so he'll wake up just as angry as when she froze him. She was afraid he'd start flinging levin bolts around. She is shielded and so am I, but most of these folk aren't."

  The kitsune's black lips lifted away from his sharp white teeth. "I will help you get him to a Gate. You should set it for Gateways. He will have plenty of choices of Gates, but it is most unlikely that any of them will bring him back to Fur Hold. Let me just tell my mat
e where I am going."

  Denoriel thought the kitsune's idea so good that he came along to try to convince his partner, in case it objected. It was watching the kits dancing the galliard with each other to Elizabeth's soft singing. Both children were thrilled and laughing, stepping forward and back and bowing to each other.

  When they had explained what they intended to do with the frozen Sidhe, the second kitsune lifted its lip to show long, sharp teeth. "You are quite right. When he is released, he will try to do harm. His kind does not well accept being made to look foolish, but anyone in Gateways is likely to be wary of trouble already. Very well, I'll stay with the children. Will Lady Elizabeth need to go with you?"

  All three looked at Elizabeth, who was laughing happily while the young kitsune were collapsed on the hardy moss gasping for breath. Then Elizabeth's head turned and she stiffened slightly, feeling watched again. But the explanation was near and pleasant. The young ursos were just behind her, looking at her and the young kitsune. In their hands, they held out portions of the striped delicacy the food vendor had sold.