Oathbound Wizard

CHAPTER ONE Lovers' Quarrel The horse was steaming, and Matt was fuming. They clattered in over the drawbridge and past the guards with nothing but a perfunctory grunt. The guards exchanged a glance and shook their heads. Matt pulled up by the stables and tossed the reins to the first groom who came running, then turned away on his heel, stalking toward the towering bulk of the keep. The groom stared after him, shockedthe Lord Wizard was unfailing in his politeness, with always time for a cheerful word or two. But Her Majesty's Wizard was anything but cheerful, and in no mood to be polite to anyone, least of all Her Majesty. The fact that he had to ride a mere horse only made things worse. Of course, he had had to be content with ordinary mounts since his dragon friend Stegoman had gone gallivanting off with his other friend Sir Guy on an errand of errantry, a gallant mission to save the kingdom of Ibile from the wretched stew of sorcery it had simmered into over the last two hundred yearsand, at the moment, Matt wished most ardently that he had gone with them. The danger seemed of relatively little importance compared to the simple fact of a mission worth undertaking. Not like this last little fracas, which . . . ! He stormed up to the doors of the royal apartments, but as he laid hold of the handle, a sentry leaped forward, albeit with trepidation. "Nay, my Lord Wizard! Her Majesty hath not given leave!" "Too right she hasn't!" Matt snarled. Alisande seemed to have developed an aversion to Matt's company lately, probably because every time he saw her, he pressed her to set a date for their wedding. But they had been engaged for three years now, so it wasn't surprising that Matt was getting a little impatient. It was time to have it out with her. He yanked the door open and stormed into the corridor, trailing a howling wake of horrified sentries and servants. The queen looked up from her writing, blue eyes wide in surprise, then in outrage. It almost stopped Mattnot her rage, but her beauty. The oval face was framed in a cascade of blond hair, unbound here in her private apartments, and set off perfectly by the mauve of her casual gown. Almost. "Why don't you just say you don't want me around anymore?" Matt slapped his gloves down on the table. "That last trip was something any village magician could have taken care of. No, strike thathe would have sent his apprentice!" "I did not deem a plague of locusts a trivial matter, Lord Wizard!" Alisande said in a voice that would have frozen penguins. "It may be of little moment to you, but the poor peasant folk thereabout thought it disastrous!" "Sure, because their village magician had dropped dead two years ago, and their baron was too cheap to hire a replacement! And don't tell me you didn't know that!" "Assuredly, I didand thought it your office to see to it! What, must I undertake every smallest matter myself? Have I none to aid me?" "Oh, come off it with the wounded violet routine! You could have told me why the baron didn't have a magician, and I would have sent one out." Alisande's gaze faltered. "Mayhap, yet still 'twas thy duty to see to his installation." "And just conveniently put myself out of your way for a fortnight, so you didn't have to worry about my importuning you!" Alisande tried to bring her gaze back up to his, but didn't quite manage it. "Wherefore ought I find concern . . ." "Because I keep pressinStasheff, Christopher is the author of 'Oathbound Wizard', published 2004 under ISBN 9780345461179 and ISBN 0345461177.