Table of Contents
GAMEOR REALITY?
Well, look, said Ted. Lord Randolph is going to poison the King, right?
I suppose. If this is our game, yes, he is.
And then I have to kill Randolph, right? Because the King was my father? And Im the new King?
Yes, what about it?
Ruth, I dont want Randolph to poison the King.
Of course you dont, said Laura, relieved to hear someone say something she could understand. The King is a good, kind man, but hes been corrupted, and hes old, and
You dont know that, said Ted. I met him, and he is a good, kind man. And I met Randolph, and I dont want to kill him, either.
Well, of course not, thats the point, said Ellen, hes your best friend, but you kill him for his honor and yours because
Ellen! Ted shrieked, and startled them all. He stood up and threw his stick into the fire. You dont know anything, none of you do.
I made up as much as you did! said Ellen.
Thats not what he means, said Ruth. Sit down, Ted.
I have a good mind to quit right now, said Ted, not moving. What do I mean, if youre so smart?
Its real, thats what you mean.
But I tell you, it isnt, broke in Patrick. It cant be. Theres no such thing as magic.
FIREBIRD WHERE FANTASY TAKES FLIGHT
For my mother,
Mary Ann Dean,
who let me read
when I should have been
outside playing softball
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book took a long time to write. I am grateful to the following people, without whose aid it would not be written yet:
Brian Davies, Kathy Etter, Betsy Mitchell, Ellen Trumbull, and David Weiner, who gave me my earliest encouragement;
Nick ODonohoe, who gave me notebooks that the story might not languish in my head;
Gerri Balter, Judy Cilcain, Joyce Odum, Laramie Sasseville, Joyce Scrivner, and Mike Smith, who prevented its languishing in the notebooks;
Nate Bucklin, Steven Brust, Emma Bull, Kara Dalkey, Will Shetterly, and Pat Wrede, whose stern advice and kindly nagging transformed what had come out of the notebooks;
David Dyer-Bennet and Scott Robinson, who rescued the transformed book from the wrong computers;
and David Dyer-Bennet, who cheerfully married the book along with its author.
PROLOGUE
EDWARD Fairchild, Prince of the Enchanted Forest, Lord of the Deserts Edge, Friend to the Unicorns, and King of the Secret Country, wished he were somewhere else. Pretending his foot was asleep, he slid closer to the door.
My lord, said Randolph, his chief counselor, I beg you
I do more than beg! said Fence the Wizard. Edward, keep thy place.
Edward looked at him. I will not hear these things, he said.
Thou wilt if I say thou wilt.
I am king here.
And I am above kings. I am not thy servant.
Hey! said a page.
Be still! said Fence. The page scowled.
Very well, then, said Randolph, as I was saying. Could vintners or merchants distill this poison? Could butlers, cooks, pagesthe page looked up, pleasedknow its secret? Thou, he said to Fence, taught me the use of my wits. Now where are thine?
Fence stood up, and as the folds of his robe fell into place he seemed suddenly to dwarf the room. If mine are addled, he said, I must needs make do with thine. Make thine work for me. He fixed Randolph with piercing blue eyes, and the counselor looked suddenly blank.
I know the truth, whispered the page.
Silence, varlet! said Edward, and was pleased to see the pages eyes widen.
I know the truth, said Randolph. I do not need my wits to discover it. And knowing it already, how can I tell thee in what way thou shouldst work thy wits to discover it thyself?
Tell me this truth, then, said Fence.
The page tugged at the Kings sleeve and whispered, Your crowns slipping. Edward pushed the crown farther back on his sweaty head. Was it so hot in the room?
No, indeed I shall not, said Randolph. I would not betray thy teaching thus. How many times, knowing the truth thyself, hast thou made me dig it out for myself? Can I do less for thee?
Do you know, said Fence to Randolph, why I did thus?
I do, said Randolph. It was that I might believe the truth when I saw it. For truth hath shapes strange and terrible.
And this truth, said Fence, a most terrible one.
Say it, said Randolph.
Randolph, said Fence, you have betrayed all I ever taught you; you have betrayed your liege lord and your solemn word; you have done this besides with the lowest and cruelest of all weapons, a weapon of cowards. You poisoned King William.
I have said I will not listen to this! shouted Edward.
Well done, said Randolph to Fence.
What? said Edward.
Will you set a trial, my lord, said Randolph, or
A trial is a cowards weapon also, said Edward, loosening his sword in its sheath.
My lord, have a mind for your cloak, said the page. Edward unfastened it, and the page took it from his shoulders and folded it.
Randolph took off his own and dropped it onto the floor. He and Fence looked at each other. You can do no good here, said Randolph.
The wizard nodded and turned to go.
What about his ring? demanded the page.
Be quiet! said Edward.
But he forgot
In the distance a bell rang.
Hell! said Randolph. Thats lunch.
You forgot to take his ring of sorcery and kick him out of the guild of wizards! said the page fiercely.
Ellen, said Randolph, no matter what anybody forgets, you shut up. Youre only a page and we can hang you for mouthing off, okay?
You try it! said Ellen. She pulled off her velvet cap and shook out her cloud of black hair. In the hat she had looked very like a page. Without it, thought Edward, she looked like someone who would grow up to be a witch.
Id love to, said Fence, struggling out of his robe. But wed be late for lunch.
This is it, then, isnt it? said Edward. The plane leaves at two-thirty. He pulled at his crown, which came damply apart in his hands.
And you still didnt get it right, said Ellen. You ought to let Ted do Fence, Patrick, and you be Prince Edward.
I am Prince Edward, and I want to be him in this part, said Ted. Especially in this part.
Oh, all right.
So this is it, said Patrick, cramming Fences robe under his arm.
And you still didnt get it right, said Ellen. And neither did Ruth. Randolph is supposed to be resigned, Ruthie, and you just sounded bored. And Ted, Edward is much more shocked than that; you just sounded like somebodys put a frog in your bed, not like
Ellie, stop that, please, said Ruth, picking up Randolphs cloak again. Being fifteen to Ellens twelve, and having the same wild hair and green eyes, she looked like a witch already, no matter how inspired a Randolph she could do. When youre grown up and directing plays, she told Ellen, like a sorcerer lecturing her apprentice, you can fuss at people like that. Until then, cut it out.
The bell rang again.
