It had taken most of the afternoon for Evaine to cast her locating spell, and by now evening was drawing near.
"Can you sense the pool at all?" Gamaliel asked, crouching down beside the sorceress. The leather fringe of his coat traced fine parallel lines in the snow.
"A little. Enough to get a general sense of its direction from here. But I can't tell for certain how far away it is." She pulled a rolled sheepskin from her pack and smoothed it out before her. Inside was a crackling sheet of parchment, the map she had created with the help of Ren o' the Blade.
She spoke a word of magic, and the map began to glow brightly. Shapes rose from the parchment, all in perfect, miniature imitation of the surrounding landscape. Tiny crags appeared on the map, and silvery hairline rivers, and deep green forests as soft-looking as moss. In a moment, the entire range of the Dragonspine Mountains lay spread out on the ground before Evaine in brilliant magical detail. It was a view such as an eagle might see, soaring high above the world where the air was thin and sharp. A small, green glowing spark showed the exact spot where Evaine and Gamaliel now paused, in the center of a small valley at the western end of the mountains.
"My feeling is the pool lies eastward," Evaine said, tracing along the map with a finger.
"Toward the heart of the mountains," Gamaliel added tersely.
The sorceress nodded. "We can journey over this pass, into the next valley, and up the far slope. I'll cast my locating spell again there. The closer we draw to the pool, the better I should be able to pinpoint its location."
She gathered up her brazier and other spell components, and the two set off into the fading light. A quarter hour later, Gamaliel spotted a small, dark opening in a weathered outcrop of granite. A few minutes of cautious inspection revealed a low circular cave with a dry sandy floor. A few broken bones lay scattered about-evidence of past denizens-but these were ancient by the look of them.
Gamaliel discovered several small, strangely smooth stone disks near the back of the cave. They seemed to be fashioned of the same granite as the cave's walls. Curious, Evaine took one of the disks to examine, but it was without mark or carving. If it had been made by human hands, she didn't know for what purpose. With a shrug, she tossed the disk back to the floor.
Soon Evaine had a fire burning in the center of the cave, driving away the chill. Minutes later, Gamaliel padded through the cave's entrance, a huge snowshoe hare in his mouth.
"What, no fish?" Evaine asked in mock surprise.
The rivers are all frozen. This will simply have to do.
"I'll try to make the best of it."
After feasting on roasted rabbit, Evaine took out her spellbook, committing a few magical incantations to memory, for each time she used a spell it was forgotten, and she was obliged to study it anew. Soon her attention wavered, and she found herself staring into the shadows cast by the fire.
Gamaliel watched her intently, head resting on his paws. That strange look of sorrow, so common of late, had stolen into her eyes again. Even as he watched, she absently lifted a hand to the gold and crystal brooch pinned to her tunic. Gamaliel wrinkled his nose. Why was it that a wizard who was so intelligent with regard to everything else could not see this one simple truth?
She was lonely.
Long ago, in the first life she had lived, magic had been all that Evaine had cared about. And these last decades, her life had been consumed by her quest to destroy the pools of magic. Even a magical creature like Gamaliel could sense that was not fulfilling enough. The worst of it was that Gamaliel realized he could do nothing about her melancholy.
But no, that wasn't true, he told himself suddenly. He extended his claws nervously. He could try one more thing.
Suddenly Evaine felt a warm touch against her cheek. She looked up in surprise. Then she smiled. "Gamaliel, you startled me. But then, I suppose you think it's funny to see me jump like a toad. Go on, admit it."
Her familiar knelt beside her. Curiously, Evaine noted, he had donned his human guise once again.
"Evaine." The intentness with which he spoke the word drew her gaze into his.
"What is it, Gam?" she asked softly, a bit bemused by his unusual behavior.
He paused, the firelight dancing across his sharp, handsome features. He drew in a deep breath. "Evaine, do you love me?"
She laughed. "Let me guess-you want your tummy rubbed?"
"No, Evaine." His seriousness surprised her anew. She fell silent as he gripped both her hands in his. "That isn't what I meant. What I wish to say is…" He struggled with the words. "… is that there is a way for me to become… to become human. Truly human. Forever. There is a magic you could weave."
Evaine shook her head in confusion. "But why in the world would you wish to be permanently human?"
Slowly he lifted her hands, pressing his lips gently to their palms. "I would do it for you, Evaine. To end your loneliness. To make you happy."
Evaine stared at her old friend in wonderment as the full meaning of his words finally dawned upon her. "You would… you would give up everything that you adore, everything that you are, just to be with me?"
He nodded gravely.
"Oh, Gamaliel!" Tears streamed down her cheeks.
"I have troubled you," he said dejectedly. "You do not wish to have me for your life-mate."
She shook her head, trying to find the words. Couldn't he guess? Her tears were not of sorrow, but of happiness. She encircled the barbarian man with her arms, embracing him fiercely.
"It's not that, Gam!" she finally managed to say. "Yes, I do love you. More than anything in all the world. But…" She pushed the barbarian's shoulders back so she could look him in the eyes. "I love you for who you are, Gamaliel. I don't ever want you to change. I need you to be there, to prowl beside me on my journeys, to protect me when I cast my spells, to watch over me at night-and to find fish for me when I'm hungry." She brushed his cheek warmly. "There's one thing you should know, Gam. Even if I'm unhappy sometimes, never once since the day I met you have I ever been lonely."
Heart brimming, she leaned forward and softly kissed the barbarian. He regarded her fondly. Then his form shimmered, and the lithe great cat sat before her.
I knew it all along. You do like fish!
She hugged him tightly.
Later, when Evaine had fallen asleep, Gamaliel curled up by the fire, regarding her still form through the thin slits of his green eyes. He felt a deep relief. Though he would have done anything for Evaine, it would have been hard to live his life forever as a man. No claws, small, useless teeth, annoyingly slow and lumbering legs-how boring to be eternally human!
And yet, deep in his chest, Gamaliel felt just the slightest twinge of something that felt like… regret?
It was midnight.
Evaine lay deep in slumber near the embers of the fire, her long chestnut hair tousled across the cloak she had folded for a pillow. Gamaliel sat stiff and silent at the cave's entrance, gazing tirelessly into the night, keeping watch.
Deep in the cave, a small circle glowing a faint crimson suddenly appeared on the granite wall. The circle flashed, and abruptly a disk of stone fell out of the wall like a cork knocked out of a bottle. A small, furry shape scurried silently out of the hole.