Page 109 of Seducing the Sorcerer
“Ours,” Fenn repeated, wonder in his voice.
He might have given Morgrim a horse, but Morgrim was offering him a home. Not just a place to stay, but legally, with papers and all. Fenn would no longer be a guest in Morgrim’s house. It would be theirs. His and Morgrim’s. He could hardly believe it.
He became aware that Morgrim had stopped smiling and was saying, “I mean...I didn’t mean to assume...if you’d rather live somewhere else...this is just an option. You needn’t sign if you don’t—”
“Give over. ’Course I want it. Twenty-five talents a month? Living here with you? Half shares in a bloody great enchanted tower with the best grazing I ever seen joined on?” Fenn paused. “Wait a minute. What’s the downside? Is there one?”
“Well, the job’s not easy. You’ve had a taste of it.”
“Aye, but the Lutians go home tomorrow. And that Tullivo bloke was too scared to even show his face. Don’t have to worry about him anymore, do we?” Morgrim was silent, and Fenn prompted, “Do we?”
Morgrim sighed. “I won’t lie to you. Tullivo will keep a low profile for a few years at least. So will our other enemies. I want peace. So does Aramella, and so do the tier leaders, on the whole. But can I promise there’ll be no more trouble, ever?” He shook his head. “The world is still the world. There are still bad people in it. For that matter, there are still good people who do terrible things out of fear or ignorance or superstition. Will we butt up against them sometimes? Of course. As our Master of Horse, you won’t be able to avoid it. So, yes, there’s a downside, and if you don’t want the job, nobody will judge you. It’s a lot of responsibility.”
Fenn nodded. “I see.”
“Don’t you want it after all?”
“No, reckon I’m up to it. But what about you? You sure you want this, petal? Me, in your house, forever?”
“Yes, it’s quite an imposition, isn’t it? However shall I cope?”
Fenn wiped his eyes and cleared his throat and managed a grin. “Ah, so this is what oiling a bolt and fixing the odd shelf gets me.”
“And you call me ‘petal’. That alone should earn you the deeds to the tower. And danger money.”
“Get away with you. It suits you.”
Morgrim grinned. “It really doesn’t. I’m not sure how you dare.”
“I dare. I know you got claws, but reckon you’re learning better than to use them on me, eh?”
“Maybe.” Morgrim gave him an unreliable sidelong look and stood up. “I should get dressed. There’s the farewell banquet tonight and I was wondering if you’d do a quick job for me beforehand?”
“A job? Aye. What is it?”
“Well, I’ve acquired a new horse.” Morgrim was mopping up with a black silk handkerchief, pulling on his drawers, stepping into his trousers and boots.
“Have you, now? Another Telerian, is it? Like Blaze?”
“This one’s white,” Morgrim said from inside his robe.
“A grey? You bought a grey? Sure you’re feeling all right? That’ll leave hair on your robes something shocking.”
“Yes.” Morgrim was buttoning himself up. “Will you come and see it? It’s got a cracked hoof.”
“What?” Fenn sprang to his feet, doing up his fly. “How’d you let that happen?”
“Don’t bite my head off. I only got it today. It’s in the stables.” Morgrim was opening the postern door, walking across the courtyard. He lifted his face to the rain, then rubbed his arse. “Hit me quite hard, didn’t you?”
“Too hard? And there ain’t no grey in the stables. I’d have seen it.”
“No, I think I like it. It feels hot. Stings.” Morgrim shivered, and added almost to himself, “I’ll feel it. Sitting at the banquet this evening. And nobody will know except you. And me.” He shot Fenn a self-satisfied, cat-like look from under his eyelashes, and added in a completely different tone. “I had the horse put in the last stall along. Separate. In case it has anything. Lice. Or worms. Or whatever.”
“Worms? Where’d you get it?”
They crossed the stable yard and Morgrim opened the door of the stall at the far end. And sure enough, there was a white shape glowing in the gloom.
But it wasn’t a horse, it was a pony. A little dapple-grey gelding, barely twelve hands high. It would have been hard to find an animal more different to Blaze. The gelding was old and worn out, with a sway back, knock knees and a heavy head. His hip bones stuck out like walking stick knobs, his ribs showed, his coat was dull and patchy. There were old chafe injuries either side of his withers which someone had daubed with brown iodine.
