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"Grandmamma." Holly grunted with effort as she labored to drag something, inch by inch, into the room. "Grandmamma. Something has happened."
Valdora turned to the girl. "Where did you find him?"
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"He's a wizard, Grandmamma. He's near to dead. I saw him having a fight with a gar, and some other creatures all covered with scales."
"What makes you think he's a wizard?"
Holly straightened, panting as she stood over the old man on the floor. "He was using his gift. He was casting balls of fire."
Valdora frowned. "Reeeally. A wizard. How interesting." She scratched her nose. "What happened to the creatures, and the gar?"
Holly wheeled her arms about as she described the battle. "And then they all jumped on the gar, and all of them fell over the side. I went to the edge and looked, but I couldn't see them anymore. They all fell down the mountain."
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It was all for naught. She was going to die. How could she have been so vain as to believe she could do something this risky and get away with it. Nathan was right.
Nathan. She wondered if he would ever find her body to know what had happened, or would even care if his warden was dead. She was a foolish, foolish, old woman, who thought herself more clever than she was. She had tampered with prophecy one time too many, and it had bitten her. Nathan was right. She should have listened.
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“Well, dear Prelate, it seems I have a wizard to dispatch." She drew the knifepoint across A
"Please, Valdora, ask Holly to leave the room. You shouldn't let your granddaughter see you kill someone."
Valdora turned. "You'd like to watch, wouldn't you, dear?"
Holly swallowed. "No, Grandmamma. She never tried to hurt us."
"I've told you, she hurt me."
Holly pointed. "I brought him in here so you could help him."
"Oh, no. Can't have that. He must die, too."
"And what did he do to hurt you?"
Valdora shrugged. "If you don't want to watch, then go. It won't hurt my feelings."
Holly turned, pausing a moment to glance down at the old man. She reached out and touched his shoulder in a comforting way, and then hurried away.
Vafdora turned back. She laid the knife against A
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"No!" Valdora jabbed the point under her chin. "Don't close your eyes! You will watch! If you don't open them, I will gouge them out then."
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"At last," Valdora whispered. "Vengeance."
She lifted the knife. It paused in midair as she pulled a deep breath.
Valdora's body twitched as a sword blade erupted from the center of her chest.
Her eyes widened, and she let out a gurgling squeal as the knife dropped to the floor.
Nathan put a foot to Valdora's back and drew the sword out of the woman. She went down hard to the stone floor.
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Nathan, tall and grim, gazed down at her lying on the table. "You foolish woman," he whispered, "what have you let be done to you?"
He bent and took her up in his arms as she wept like a child. His arms felt as sweet as the Creator's as he held her to his breast.
As her crying slowed, he parted from her, and she saw that the front of him was soaked with blood. Her blood.
"Remove the block, and then lie back and let me see if I can possibly heal this mess."
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"Can't it wait?"
She wiped blood and tears from her eyes. "Nathan, I have gone through this dreadful prophecy this far. Let me finish. Please?"
With a disgusted sigh, he reached in a pouch beside his scabbard at his belt and pulled out a Rada'Han- He handed it over as she slid off the table. When her feet touched the floor, the pain crumpled her. Nathan caught her with a big arm and helped her to kneel before the unconscious wizard.
"Help me, Nathan. Open it for me. She broke most of my fingers."
With trembling hands, she placed the collar around the wizard's neck. Pushing with her palms, she at last managed to snap it shut, locking on not only the collar, but its magic. The prophecy was fulfilled.
Holly stood in the doorway. "Is Grandmamma dead?"
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Holly gently took the hand. She glanced to the wizard on the Moor. "And him? Will you heal him, too?"
"Yes, Holly, him too."
"That was why I brought him in: to be helped. Not to be killed. Grandmamma helped people sometimes. She wasn't always mean."
"I know," A
A tear rolled down the girl's cheek. "What is to become of me, now?" she whispered.
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Holly nodded, a smile coming to her tearstained face. "Grandmamma took care of me, but she was mean to other people, sometimes. Mostly those who would try to hurt us, or cheat us, but you never did. It was wrong for her to hurt you. I'm sorry she wasn't nicer. I'm sorry she had to be mean, and die."
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"I have the gift." She looked up with big, doleful eyes. "Can you teach me to heal with it?"
"It would be my honor."
Nathan picked up his sword and, with a dramatic flourish, slid it back into its scabbard, "You want to be healed, now? Or would you prefer to bleed to death so I can try my hand at resurrection?"
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He squinted. "Then allow me access to my power, woman. I can't heal with my sword."
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Nathan grunted. "I know it's done; I can feel it back, you know."
"Help me onto the table, Nathan." Holly held her hand as she was lifted up.
Nathan peered down at the wizard on the floor. "Well, you've finally got him. Far as I know, one such as he has never been collared before." His penetrating blue eyes turned to her. "Now that you've got a wizard of the First Order, the true madness of this whole plan of yours begins."
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