Half Discovered Wings by David Brookes Read Free Book Online Page A

that
supported the low ceiling. It was night outside, and the draught
from the doorway was enough to make Rowan shiver.
    They chose a table in a secluded corner and sat waiting for
the innkeeper to take their orders. The magus noticed the two
violinists setting up on the small stage to the right of the bar.
Both waved in greeting, then went back to cleaning their
instruments and uning their strings.
    The innkeeper
came to them. His eyes, sunken in rosy flesh, sparkled with either
mirth or moonshine. ‘What’ll it be?’
    They ordered their food, and then sat in silence as most of
the candles were blown out. The stage was now the only place lit,
and on it Maeia and Taeia stood side by side. The innkeeper yelled
for silence, and the girls smiled thanks at him.
    Maeia put bow to strings and from them drifted into a slow,
resolute adagio. After a subtle two verses, in joined Taeia,
drawing the horsehair with a tap of her toe and swaying of her
head; the two tunes bled into one another, a pair of fountains
flowing into the same glistening pool, where they acknowledged and
accentuated each other, frothing to an ending that excited the
gathered audience.
    Maeia and
Taeia bowed and took the applause gratefully, always appreciative
of a compliment. They settled back down and began to alter the
strings of their instruments once more. Slowly the chatter was
reborn amongst the patrons of the inn, and the spell was
relaxed.
    ~
    The snaking rain on the crude, misshapen windows of the inn
was projected inside by the moonlight. The floor and walls seemed
alive with luminescent worms, and these shimmering lines slid down
the face of the barkeep as he and Gabel talked quietly to each
other.
    Rowan sat with the two musicians, congratulating them on
their performances. Maeia and Taeia both seemed happy with the way
the inn crowd had responded to their playing, and talked animatedly
with the occasional slap of delight on the surface of the table,
laughing uproariously.
    When Maeia and
Taeia retired for the night, Gabel and the barkeep came to show
Rowan to their room.
    ‘ Here you are,’ the barkeep said, opening a wooden door from
the upstairs landing. ‘Small, but big enough for two, I
think.’
    Rowan looked
around the small, sparsely-furnished room. ‘But there’s only one
bed.’
    ‘ I’ll sleep on the floor,’ the hunter told her. He turned to
the barkeep. ‘If it would not be out of the question to ask for a
mattress…’
    ‘ I’ve one to spare, though it’s a little on the filthy side. I
think you would fare better with blankets, though the mattress
isn’t all that bad, if you’re not picky.’
    ‘Springs or cloth, I don’t mind.’
    After checking the room that would be the magus’s, Gabel paid
in advance then opened the windows to let the air in.
    ‘ I’d like to see the town,’ said Rowan.
    ‘ It’s raining,’ Gabel pointed out bluntly. ‘Tomorrow is better
for exploring.’
    He left her to unpack her few things, and stepped out of the
inn to take the air outside. He found the magus out in the square,
looking across the road with a dark row of trees behind him. He
stood in the centre of their long shadows, observing a house across
the street. A corona of rain fell around his head and shoulders as
he watched for movement behind the windows.
    Gabel approached him quietly. He had already decided that the
magus was not a man whom he would like to startle. ‘This is the
home of the final party member?’
    ‘ That’s right. He’s waiting, I think. He knows that I’m coming
for him. He just doesn’t know which day I’ll arrive.’
    ‘ Then let’s go and meet him.’
    ‘ Tomorrow, when it’s lighter,’ the magus said. ‘I would meet
him again only with the sunlight full on his face.’
    ~
    The downpour
became too heavy for comfort, and the night had long since set in.
The magus stopped by the petrified tree for a short white,
contemplating its detail. It was remarkable for the first few
moments, but the