Black Unicorn by Tanith Lee (best electronic book reader TXT) 📗

some fresh from the kitchen, where only two of the sweeper boys were lying asleep on a cool stone oven.Now and then the peeve would emerge and watch Tanaquil’sactions with the bones. “Please don’t move them,” said Tanaquil.It came to her that it would be better to suspend the skeleton inthe air, from a ceiling beam, and she opened her work box,measuring lengths of fine brass chain, cutting these, and finding clips whereby to attach them—she did not want to pierce any ofthe bones, was not sure she could.

On the floor, the skeleton emerged into its true shape.

Tanaquil straightened up at last to stare at it.

Fragments were chipped, and there were gaps, missing pieces of the long spine, omissions in the ribcage—and below the rightforeleg the small sharp toe of the hoof was absent. She couldreplace all the losses in less beautiful but adequate materials, sothat at least the beast of bone was whole.

Without doubt, now she could see it was the skeleton of an extraordinary horse—but a horse also of extreme fineness, longer than was usual in the back and legs, the tail and neck, with thehead also longer, and on it the strange pad of bone above the eyes . . .

The skeleton sparkled. It looked almost friendly. And then,by some shift of the sunset light, it altered, and a vague terrortouched Tanaquil, like nothing she had felt before. Her motherdid not believe in religion or priests, but Tanaquil wondered if she should make some offering to God. For only the God couldknow what this thing had been.

The light melted; the sun had set. In the deep blue sky thestars began to arrive, and the cold of night breathed at the window.

“You’ll be warm here,” said Tanaquil to the peeve. It snored in its lair. Tanaquil climbed on her work table and began to put bronzehooks into the beam above—

The door was knocked. The voice of Bird, one of the girlswho still sometimes absentmindedly cleaned the chambers of thefortress, came through its timbers. “Lady Tanaquil?” Tanaquil did not think she had heard Bird’s voice for two months, had not met her anywhere. And now she was not glad to hear or see Bird.

“Just a minute!”

Tanaquil ran to the bed, swept off the topmost quilt, andflung it over the skeleton. Then she opened the door. Bird

bowed, as the kitchen people, who saw Tanaquil most days,never did.

“Your lady mother sent me to fetch you.”

“What does she want?”

“She’s got a demon sitting in her circle of wax. I screamedwhen I saw it.” “She’s always having demons in her circle. Why does shewant me?”

“She just said fetch you at once.”

“It’s not convenient—” Tanaquil checked. If she did not goto her mother, Jaive might come sweeping down to find her. Avisit from Jaive was rare, but then, so was a summons. “All right,” said Tanaquil, and she came out, shutting the door. Bird had not seemed to notice the quilt, nor even the snow of stuffingfrom the pillow and smears of meat fat.

They went up the stone stairs. A wooden fruit detached itselffrom the banister and bounced away; neither girl reacted. Theopen landings were chilly, and outside braziers burned along thewall walks and the soldiers were singing sea chanties.

“Do you seek Jaive?” asked the jade head on the Sorceriumdoor.

“Oh, who else?”

“Your name and rank?”

But the door found itself being opened from within in mid-question, and looked insulted. Bird gave a tweet and darted back down the stairs.Jaive’s chamber of magic was shrouded at the walls by a

curious veiledness, like mist in a forest. The center of the room was clear, and there in the wax circle, lit by the burning tapers,sat a demon with two heads, elephant ears and frog eyes, a hugestomach, and no legs, for it stopped at the pelvis—or perhaps the rest of it was in some other dimension under the floor.

Jaive stood imperiously by. She observed her daughter, shookback her scarlet maze of hair, and said, “What have you been upto, Tanaquil?”

“Nothing,” said Tanaquil. “How do you mean?” she added,more casually. “Epbal Enrax says to me that weird elements have enteredmy fortress.”

Epbal Enrax was the demon. It was called up about once amonth. Tanaquil nodded politely. “How are you, Epbal Enrax?”The demon breathed out a mauve puff, which was a sign of

contentment. “I don’t see why,” said Tanaquil, “you should think any weird elements here have anything to do with me.”

“Epbal Enrax,” said Jaive, “speak!”

Epbal Enrax spoke. The chamber shook, and pestles andparchments plummeted from cabinets—its voice was not loud,only reverberant.

“Below,” said Epbal Enrax, “close by.”

“Which is you, Tanaquil.”

“It’s also half your soldiers, the maids—”

“Continue, Epbal Enrax.”

“Red of hair sets fingers to a spark of fire.”

Tanaquil shivered. Luckily the demon brought extra coldness—some of the taper flames had frozen—she had an excuse. She looked at her mother scathingly, and said, “He means you, mother. Red hair and sparks and all that. There’s some stray spell of yoursloose on a landing again. He’s trying to catch you out. You toldme demons are always prone to do that.”

Jaive frowned, and turned to the demon.

“Here’s my daughter. What of her?”

Epbal Enrax said: “Rebellion.”

Tanaquil had an uneasy feeling it was now assisting herdeception. Demons would always cause mischief if they could.But she took the cue. “Yes,” she said, “it’s that row we had, mother. About myleaving here. And you won’t let me.”

Jaive lost her powerful look. She was exasperated.

“Do you think I want to hear this nonsense now?”

“You fetched me here.”

“What were you doing?” asked Jaive, with a last quiver of suspicion.“What do I ever do? Mending something, fiddling about. I’m bored. It’s infuriating. I want to leave and—”

“Be quiet!” stormed Jaive. She turned on the demon againand cast a bolt of light at him. The demon sizzled and began towhine. “You also be quiet! I’m surrounded by fools. If it’s excitement you want, Tanaquil, we shall have a dinner in the hall.Yes, a feast, a party. You may wear one of your best dresses.”

“That will be fun,” said Tanaquil.

“Now go away. As