The White Spell (Nine Kingdoms #10)(84)

He didn’t like having his heart laid bare.

“What are you here for in truth?” Hearn asked quietly. “And remember, I know more than you think I do.”

Acair didn’t doubt that. He pointed to the bird still clinging to his shoulder. “I have a question or two about this thing here.”

Hearn peered at the bird who wasn’t a bird, then let out a low whistle. “Your ear is bleeding.”

“He bit me.”

“I believe he’s rather proud of the fact that it wasn’t the first time.”

“I imagine he’s proud of several things,” Acair said. “He is, as I’m sure you realize, Léirsinn’s horse. He doesn’t like me.”

“A wise pony, that one.”

“We wanted to ask your opinion about his proclivities,” Acair said. “He has become very fond of a certain sort of thing that I find . . . odd.”

“I can only imagine.”

Acair let that pass. “Then I was thinking that perhaps if you had an older, well-behaved horse in need of a small adventure, I might attempt to come to an understanding with you.”

“That is why you came?” Hearn asked, looking genuinely startled.

“To be honest, nay. The thought only came to me just now.” And that thought had come to him because he was half afraid Hearn would want to trade Léirsinn that demon sunlight horse for the bird sitting currently on his shoulder and he would be damned if he ever got on something that uncontrollable. “What could I give you for one? Any black mages you’d care to have me encourage to give up their chosen trade?”

“Besides yourself?” Hearn asked with a snort. “Don’t think so, lad. And given that unavoidable bit of truth, I daresay you’ll be using your feet for quite some time to come.” He studied Acair for several minutes in silence. “But whilst you’re here inside my gates, I think I have something you should see.”

Acair hadn’t wasted any time hoping for an Angesand steed, which left him not sparing any effort to be sorry he wasn’t going to have one. In truth, he would only have been surprised if Hearn had been willing to part with one of his horses, for any price.

He sighed, flicked Falaire off his shoulder—ignoring the subsequent offended chirping—and followed the lord of Aherin across his courtyard.

He saw the spot of darkness before Hearn stopped a fair distance away from it and looked at him pointedly. He felt Léirsinn come to stand next to him, then watched as horses avoided the spot without fail. Most of the men in the keep did the same. Most, that was.

One lad walked right into the darkness. Acair watched with horrified fascination as the boy stood there for a moment or two, perfectly still, seemingly perfectly content. He walked on eventually, but the manner of his leave-taking, if that’s what it could have been called, was passing odd. What Acair realized with a start was that the lad hadn’t pulled away because he’d chosen to, he’d remained where he was until the darkness had allowed him to go.

Interesting.

“Odd,” Hearn said finally. “Isn’t it?”

That too. “Is he the only one who’s walked through that shadow?” Acair asked.

“One other lad,” Hearn said slowly. “Had to send him back to his mother.”

“Homesick?”

Hearn looked at him. “He went mad.” He nodded toward the young man who had just paused in that spot. “That one, though, not sure what to say about him. Everyone else seems to avoid that patch of ground but him. He walks through it every chance he has.”

“He likes it?” Léirsinn asked in surprise.

“He seems to crave it,” Hearn said. “If I could use such a term.” He shrugged. “Don’t know what to make of it, but I imagine someone might find an opinion to offer.” He looked at Acair. “You, maybe. Perhaps after a bite to eat and a decent mug of ale.”

Acair wasn’t sure he wanted to offer any opinions, but he had the feeling he was going to have to. He thought about how Falaire had spent so much time and effort fussing with one of those shadows and felt something settle in the pit of his stomach that couldn’t have been termed unease but likely wasn’t indigestion.

What sort of mischief was afoot in the world? Worse still, why did it seem to be appearing wherever Léirsinn went?

Perhaps it wasn’t just Léirsinn.

“Acair?”

He realized she was still standing with him in Hearn’s courtyard and they were alone. Well, as alone as anyone ever got in that hive of equine activity, he supposed. He looked at her.

“I apologize,” he said absently. “Lost in thought.”

“I understand,” she said in a low voice. “I don’t like this.”

He wasn’t sure that began to adequately describe his opinion on the matter. He could hardly believe what he’d gotten himself entangled in so innocently, or how anxious he felt knowing there wasn’t a damned thing he could do about what he was seeing. Being a mere mortal was highly annoying. He wasn’t sure how so much of the world managed to haul themselves out of bed each day, when that was how they had to carry on their lives.

“Magic is the answer,” he said confidently.

“A dodgy answer, wouldn’t you say?”