Wood Nymph and the Cranky Saint- Wizard of Yurt - 2 Read Free Page B

the hermitage is here in the kingdom of Yurt,” I suggested, puzzled why this was important. “You’re Royal Chaplain, but the cathedral is located in the next kingdom.” Joachim shook his head. “That shouldn’t make any difference. Both kingdoms are in the bishop’s diocese.’
    “Maybe the bishop thinks you’d do the best job.”
    He frowned at this. “The bishop should realize I have no special merits.”
    I expected the bishop thought the exact opposite but didn’t say so. I was stil wondering why being asked to do something which sounded simple and dul should bother Joachim so much, when the constable appeared, walking briskly down the grassy path between the roses.
    “I thought I’d find you here, Wizard,” he said. “A message just came in on the pigeons for you. It’s from the count.” I took the tiny cylinder from him, al that carrier pigeons could handle. Since the royal castle stil had the only telephone in Yurt, the rest of the kingdom had to communicate with us via pigeons. I unroled the little piece of paper. Yurt had two counts and a
    duchess; this message was from the older of the two counts. The message was, by necessity, brief.
    “Have strange magical creature here. Don’t think it represents immediate danger, but wish you would look at it, soon as possible.” I read it again. It made no more sense the second time.
    “Look at this,” I said, handing Joachim the piece of paper. “What do you think he means? If they ‘have’ a magical creature, does that mean that theyve captured it? Or does he mean that some nixie is flitting around the castle at night? Any magical creature poses potential danger, yet he claims this one doesn’t—or at least not immediately. But if it’s not dangerous, why was he concerned enough to write me?” Joachim shook his head, with no better idea than I.
    ‘The count’s castle is over at the eastern end of the kingdom,” I said, “so it must be quite near your hermitage. If we go together, we can investigate both at the same time. Al right then,” turning to the constable without giving Joachim a chance to object. “Send the count a message to expect us. We’l leave for his castle as soon as I tel the regent we’re going.” If nothing else, this certainly solved the problem of what to do while waiting to hear from the king and queen.
    in
    We sat under a beech tree, eating bread and cheese. Our horses, their saddles off, grazed before us. If I had been going alone, it would have been faster to fly, but flying is hard mental and physical work, and I stil wasn’t as good at it as a qualified wizard realy ought to be. Besides, I was glad of Joachim’s company.
    “You had been starting to tel me about this hermitage,” I said, brushing crumbs from my lap and leaning
    back against the tree trunk, which rose smooth and white above us.
    “Yes, but I’m beginning to wonder if I am wrong to bring a wizard into the affairs of the church without consulting the bishop,” Joachim said slowly.
    I was glad I wasn’t a priest. There seemed to be al sorts of things over which one could have moral dilemmas, none of which would have bothered me in the slightest.
    “But perhaps it’s best that I have,” he continued after a moment, “for the hermitage has a magical creature of its own. The hermitage is built in a grove at the source of a little river. There has always been a wood nymph living there.”
    I sat up straight. “How very exciting! I had no idea we had a wood nymph in Yurt. I’ve never seen one before—I’l definitely have to visit this grove. So how do she and the hermit get along? Is that what you’re going to investigate? I wonder if it’s the nymph who is annoying the count?”
    He looked at me and looked away, seeming to find the idea of a wood nymph much less exciting than I did.
    “The old wizard, my predecessor, must know about the nymph,” I continued. “I’l ask him when we get home again. There’s a lot of the old magic of