Wrede, Patricia C - Mairelon 01 Read Free

"Darlin' Jenny"
left, even if she allowed herself all of the last one
as a safety margin. And the skinny toff would hardly be pleased if all she had
to tell him was that Mairelon the Magician kept pots in his cupboards and his
chest locked. Her lips tightened, and she reached into her pocket for the stiff
bit of wire she always carried.
                The lock
was a good one, and the overhanging wood that concealed it made her work more
difficult. Two more verses of "Darlin' Jenny" went by while she
twisted the wire back and forth, coaxing the tumblers into position. She was
about to abandon her efforts when she heard a faint click and the lid of the
chest popped up a quarter of an inch.
                Kim
straightened in relief and pocketed the wire. She took hold of the chest's lid
and lifted, forcing herself to move slowly in case the hinges squealed. Then
she held it in position with one hand and bent over to peer inside.
                Piles of
brightly colored silks met her eyes. Beside them were slotted wooden boxes, a
bundle of tiny Chinese lanterns, several mirrors, a glass tube with a painted
paper cover, a top hat, and several decks of playing cards, all arranged neatly
and precisely according to some order Kim could not fathom. A few she recognized
as props from Mairelon's first show; none of them looked at all like the bowl
the gentry cove had gone on about. As she started to
close the lid, she saw a swatch of black velvet sticking out from under a stack
of neatly folded silk handkerchiefs. One last try, she thought, and brushed the
silks aside.
                Her hand
closed on something hard and heavy, wrapped in velvet. Then there was a
violent, soundless explosion and Kim was flung backward against the cupboards
on the other side of the wagon. Through a haze of violet light, she saw the lid
of the trunk slowly close itself. Purple spots danced before her eyes, then
spread out to cover her entire field of vision. Her last coherent thought, as
the purple deepened into black unconsciousness, was an angry curse directed at
the toff waiting for her in the public house. Five pounds wasn't anywhere near
enough pay for snooping on a real magician.

2
                Kim awoke
all at once. She was propped against something hard, in a semi-sitting
position, and she could feel cord around her wrists and ankles. She heard
voices above her and forced herself to be still, feigning unconsciousness. This
was not, apparently, expected; after a moment, she heard a worried voice say,
" 'Adn't 'e oughter be waking?"
                "He is awake," said the voice of Mairelon the Magician. "He's just
pretending. Come on, child, you might as well admit it. You'll have to open
your eyes sooner or later."
                Kim
sighed and capitulated. She gave a hasty look around as she opened her eyes, in
the faint hope of discovering a way out of her predicament. She was propped
against the row of cupboards; one of the doors was open, presumably jarred free
when she had been thrown against them. The cord that tied her looked
regrettably sturdy, and the knots were unfamiliar tangles. After one glance,
she abandoned any thought of slipping free while her captors' attention was
elsewhere.
                "Quite
so," said Mairelon.
                Kim
looked up. Mairelon was standing next to the chest, on the opposite side of the
wagon. He had removed his cloak and hat; without them, he seemed both shorter
and younger than he had appeared on stage. His expression held none of the
anger and annoyance Kim expected; instead, there was a gleam of something very
like interest or amusement. She began to hope she would come around from this,
after all.
                Beside Mairelon stood the droopy man. He, too, had removed
his hat, and his grey and black hair was plastered flat against his head. He
alternated sour glares at Kim with nervous looks directed at