down, and Shona either did not understand her or did not believe her straight away. When she did, Shona instantly unsaddled the horses and turned them back into the paddock.
According to Don, Shona then struck a fine pose (it was something Shona had been doing ever since she was enrolled as a trainee bard, and it annoyed Don particularly and Kit almost as much) and declared, Ill put off going to college for as long as Dad needs me. We have to show family solidarity over this.
Shona, despite the pose, was highly excited by the news. As she raced back to the house carrying her saddlebags and violin case, with Don and Elda bounding ahead, all the animals caught it, even the Friendly Cows, and the rest of the day was loud with honks, squawks, moos and the galloping of variously shaped feet.
Otherwise, Blade thought sourly, there was not much family solidarity around. When Shona burst in, flushed and looking violently pretty, their parents were having a row. Derk was roaring, There must be a way to get out of it! I refuse to touch Chesneys money! Though he was not much given to wizardly displays, Derk was feeling so strongly that he was venting magefire in all directions. One of the hall carpets was in flames.
Dad! Shona cried out. Youll set the house on fire!
Neither of their parents attended, though Mara shot Shona an angry look. Mara was enclosed in the steel-blue light of a wizards shields and she seemed quite as excited as Shona. Stop being a fool, Derk! she was shouting. If the Oracle says youre to be Dark Lord, then theres nothing you can do!
Magefire fizzed on Maras shields as Derk howled back, Sod the Oracle! Im not going to stand for it! And you should be helping me find a way out of it, not standing there backing the whole rotten system up!
Im doing no such thing! Mara screamed. Im merely trying to tell you its inevitable. Youd know that too if you werent in such a tantrum!
Blade was trying to stamp out the flames on the rugs when the big griffin Callette lumbered calmly through the front door carrying the rainwater butt and upended it over the carpet. The hall hissed and steamed and smelt horrible.
Shona hastily snatched her luggage out of the water. Dad, she said, be reasonable. Well all help you. Well get you through it somehow. Think of it. Youve got five griffins, two wizards and a bard, who are all going to look after you while you do it. I bet none of the other Dark Lords has ever had help like youve got.
You had to hand it to Shona, Blade thought. She was far better at getting on with Dad than he was. Within minutes, Derk was calm enough simply to go striding about the house with his face all puzzled and drooping, saying over and over, There has to be a way out of it! while Shona followed him, coaxing. Elda did her bit by following Derk too, looking sweet and golden and cuddly.
Blade managed to talk to his mother at last.
He found her sitting at the kitchen table, pale but relieved-seeming, while Lydda made supper. Lydda was the only one of the griffins who really liked cooked food. And she not only liked it, she was passionate about it. She was always inventing new dishes. Blade found it very hard to understand. In Lyddas place, he would have felt like Cinderella, but it was clear Lydda felt nothing of the kind. She said, turning her yellow beak and one large bright eye towards Blade, Do you have to come and get under my feet in here?
Mara looked up at Blades face. Yes, she said. He does.
Lyddas tail lashed, but she said nothing. The golden feathers of her wings and crest were loud with No Comment.
What did the Oracle say? Mara asked Blade.
Your teacher will be Deucalion, Blade quoted glumly. He saw his mothers fine, fair eyebrows draw together. Dont tell me. You havent heard of him either.
No o, Mara said. The name rings a bell somewhere, but I certainly dont remember any wizard of that name. It must be some other magic user. Be patient. He or she will turn up, Blade. The White Oracle is always right.
Blade sighed.
And what else? asked his mother.
Why doesnt Dad understand? Blade burst out. He let Shona go to bard college. Why is he so set against me going to University? Ive told him and told him that I need to get there and get some training now in the junior section if Im going to be properly grounded and all he says is that hell teach me himself. And he cant, Mum! You cant. The things I can do are all quite different from yours or Dads. So why?
Well, there are two reasons, Mara said. The first is that the University didnt understand Derk, or treat him at all well, when he was there. I was there with him, so I know what a miserable time he had. Your father
was full of new ideas like creating the griffins and he wanted nothing so much as to be helped to find out how to make those ideas work. But instead of helping him, they tried to force him to do things their way. It didnt matter to them at all that he was brilliant in his way. They went on at him about how wizardry these days had to be directed towards things that made the tours better, and they told him contemptuously that pure research was no use. I found him in tears more than once, Blade.