Jinx's Fire by Sage Blackwood Read Free Book Online Page A

stopped abruptly.
    â€œOuch,” said Nick, rubbing his nose.
    Hilda turned to Jinx. “There’s a ward spell, sir.” She always called him sir for some reason.
    Jinx touched the ward. It was there all right, but with a little concentration, he was able to pass his hand through it, like a thin wall of jelly. He felt into the spell with his mind, and told it to let them in.
    They walked into the clearing.
    â€œHey, what are you doing here?” A woman came toward them brandishing a hoe. “Invaders!”
    People came running, wielding hoes and shovels. Jinx tried to draw up a ward around himself and his friends. But the Urwald’s power felt all wriggly and hard-to-reach. This had never happened before! Jinx and his companions raised their hands. The people surrounded them.
    â€œHow did you get through our ward?” the woman with the hoe demanded.
    â€œI’m a magician. It wasn’t a very strong ward,” said Jinx. He could see from the Deadfallers’ thoughts that they were likely to attack any moment. He fumbled for the fire inside him.
    â€œIt’s a perfectly fine ward,” said the woman. “It’s always worked till now. It keeps out werewolves and everything.”
    â€œWerewolves don’t come into clearings,” said Nick.
    â€œIt’s part of the Truce of the Path,” said Jinx. Malthus had told him this.
    â€œRubbish!” said the woman. “If it weren’t for our ward, we’d be overrun with werewolves. I know that for a fact.”
    â€œWhat are you doing here?” a man demanded. “We don’t need magicians. We’re under the protection of the very powerful wizard Angstwurm Magus, for your information.”
    â€œI never heard of him.” Jinx still had his hands in the air. “We just came for some iron, that’s all.”
    â€œWe sell our iron to the Wanderers,” said the woman.
    â€œThey’re not coming,” said Jinx. “And we need—”
    â€œRubbish! They always come. What would you know about it?”
    â€œThey are nearly a month late,” said the man, frowning.
    Jinx was relieved to see doubt scribbling across his mind. The man lowered his shovel and, one by one, the other people did the same.
    Slowly, in case they changed their minds, Jinx put his hands down. “They’re not coming,” he said, “because they don’t trade with nations at war.”
    Utter confusion.
    â€œWar?”
    â€œNations?”
    â€œWhat?”
    Jinx took a deep breath. “King Rufus of Bragwood—”
    â€œNever heard of him.”
    â€œâ€”has declared war against the free and independent nation of the Urwald—”
    â€œNever heard of it.”
    â€œâ€”and we’ve come to take your iron for—”
    The weapons came back up. “Our iron is ours! And we already pay tribute to a wizard. We don’t need more magicians.”
    Jinx gritted his teeth. “Listen, you idi—”
    Hilda grabbed his arm. “Shut up, sir. Please.”
    Jinx stared at her. Hilda had never said such a thing to him before.
    Hilda turned to the woman with the hoe. “Ma’am, you seem like a sensible woman. Could I talk to you for a moment, please?”
    Everyone watched them walk away.
    â€œShe told me to shut up,” said Jinx. He still couldn’t believe it.
    â€œYes, it was very shocking of her,” said Wendell.
    After a few minutes the woman swung her arm in a come-here gesture. The Deadfallers went off out of earshot, and talked, argued, and shouted in the best Urwish fashion.
    Then they came back.
    â€œRight,” said the woman, whom Hilda introduced as Griselda. “We’ve decided we believe you about the war. Acouple people remember hearing about this King Roofless before.”
    Jinx glanced at Hilda to see if she was going to let him talk. “Do you believe us about the Wanderers?”
    â€œWe’re not