Summoned to Tourney by Mercedes Lackey; Ellen Guon Read Free Book Online

him made him glow inside. Magic—the important magic—wasn’t all big battles, the building of palaces. Just as important was keeping things around you running smoothly. He hadn’t understood that when Kory and Arvin told him, but he did now.
    The show finished, and thoroughly exhausted, they headed back to the tavern for that promised meal and a chance to listen to someone else. The trio that had replaced them were good, and it was a pleasure to sit and hear music instead of producing it, at least for a little bit. Once again, Eric opted for lemonade, and this time was rewarded with Beth’s glance of approval.
    That sobered him. Had she been watching him, waiting for him to revert to his old, bad habits? Probably.
    I wish she’d said something, he thought, a little bitterly. But—then again, maybe I haven’t had a chance to prove myself out yet, at least not in the places where all the temptation is.
    But before his mood could sour, Beth got his attention. The trio by the tavern fence was playing “Sheebeg Sheemore,” and Kory’s face wore an expression of wistful sadness. Eric had a pretty good idea why. Although it was a lovely tune, Banysh Mysfortune never played it, because it always reminded Kory of how many friends he’d lost to Perenor…
    “Where are we going to set up next?” Eric asked, touching Kory’s hand For a moment, and trying to give him something of the same support the elf had given him when he’d confronted Kathie.
    Kory shook himself loose from his mood, and turned his attention to them. “Indeed,” he said, “that is a good question. I’m loathe to deprive those three of such a location. We are, frankly, louder than they, and it I quiet here. I do think we could afford to go elsewhere.” He looked sideways at Beth. “Could we not?”
    “We certainly could,” she replied, an impish grin on her face. “And I have a very choice spot in mind. After all, we’ve had lunch; now is time for dessert!”
    Eric laughed. “I might have known!” he said, and pointed an admonishing finger at her. “It’s all going on your hips, and you’re never gonna be able to get back in those leather pants!”
    “What?” Kory asked, bewildered, looking from Beth to Eric and back again. “What? What is this about?”
    “The chocolate truffle booth by the Kissing Bridge,” Eric replied, shaking his head. “Beth’s a closet chocoholic.”
    She hung her head in mock shame. “Mea culpa. But I still think we should see if the venue’s free, and grab it if it is. And I promise not to overindulge. But I’ve earned one , surely?”
    “All right,” Eric conceded. “One. But there’d better be something there Kory can eat.” He raised an eyebrow at the elf. “Don’t forget for a second that chocolate has caffeine in it. I haven’t.”
    “There is,” she said confidently. “White chocolate amaretto truffles. No real chocolate at all, I checked. Or white-chocolate-dipped strawberries. Or peanut-butter fudge. Or—”
    “Enough! So, we play for dessert, and then?” Kory asked.
    “Then we take a break. Go back to the camp and have something with salt in it to drink.” Eric was adamant on that. “We can let the newbies wear themselves out, and we can catch the dinner crowd. We’ve done all right, we can afford the break.”
    “I think you should sing a bit, Beth,” Kory added reproachfully. “You haven’t yet.” He gave her the look Eric called “lost puppy eyes,” and she made a face. But when Eric gave her a dose of his own version, she capitulated.
    They left the tavern and wandered down to the Kissing Bridge. A fiddler and bodhran-player—Eric recognized Ian and one of the girls from this area he knew by sight, though not by name—were just wrapping up and glad enough to relinquish the place and claim their rewards. Evidently the other two put in a good word at the booth as they collected their goodies; the boothies nodded before Beth could even approach them and gave her the