The highlander shifted uneasily. «But, Brin, the wishsong is… well, it’s not the same as the Elfstones. You said it yourself. It’s just a toy.»
«I know that. That is what makes all of this so difficult — that and the fact that my father would be appalled if he thought even for a minute that I would consider trying to use the magic as a weapon of any sort.» She paused. «But Elven magic is a strange thing. Its power is not always clearly seen. Sometimes it is obscured. It was so with the Sword of Shannara. Shea Ohmsford never saw the way in which such a small thing could defeat an enemy as great as the Warlock Lord — not until it was put to the test. He simply went on faith…»
Rone sat forward sharply. «I’ll say it again — this journey is too dangerous. The Mord Wraiths are too dangerous. Even Allanon can’t get past them; he told you so himself? It would be different if you had the use of the Elfstones. At least the Stones have power enough to destroy creatures such as these. What would you do with the wishsong if you came up against them — sing to them the way you used to do to that old maple?»
«Don’t make fun of me, Rone.» Brin’s eyes narrowed.
Rone shook his head quickly. «I’m not making fun of you. I care too much about you to ever do that. I just don’t feel the wishsong is any kind of protection against something like the Wraiths!»
Brin looked away, staring out through curtained windows into the night, watching the shadowed movements of the trees in the wind, rhythmic and graceful.
«Neither do I,” she admitted softly.
They sat in silence for a time, lost in their separate thoughts. Allanon’s dark, tired face hung suspended in the forefront of Brin’s mind, a haunting specter that accused. You must come. You will see that by morning. She heard him speak the words again, so certain as he said them. But what was it that would persuade her that this was so? she asked herself. Reasoning only seemed to lead her deeper into confusion. The arguments were all there, all neatly arranged, both those for going and those for staying, and yet the balance did not shift in either direction.
«Would you go?» she asked Rone suddenly. «If it were you with the wishsong?»
«Not a chance,” he said at once — a bit too quickly, a bit too flip.
You’re lying, Rone, she told herself. Because of me, because you don’t want me to go, you’re lying. If you thought it through, you would admit to the same doubts facing me.
«What’s going on?» a weary voice asked from the darkness.
They turned and found Jair standing in the hall, squinting sleepily into the light. He came over to them and stood looking from face to face.
«We were just talking, Jair,” Brin told him.
«About going after the magic book?»
«Yes. Why don’t you go on back to bed?»
«Are you going? After the book, I mean?»
«I don’t know.»
«She’s not going if she possesses an ounce of common sense,” Rone grumbled. «It’s entirely too dangerous a journey. You tell her, tiger. She’s the only sister you’ve got, and you don’t want the black walkers getting hold of her.»
Brin shot him an angry glance. «Jair doesn’t have anything to say about this, so quit trying to scare him.»
«Him? Who’s trying to scare him?» Rone’s lean face was flushed. «It’s you I’m trying to scare, for cat’s sake!»
«Anyway, the black walkers don’t scare me,” Jair declared firmly.
«Well, they ought to!» Brin snapped.
Jair shrugged, yawning. «Maybe you should wait until we have a chance to talk with father. We could send him a message or something.»
«Now that makes good sense,” Rone added his approval. «At least wait until Wil and Eretria have a chance to talk this over with you.»
Brin sighed. «You heard what Allanon said. There isn’t enough time for that.»
The highlander folded his arms across his chest. «He could make the time if it were necessary. Brin, your father might have a different slant on all this. After all, he’s had the benefit of experience — and he’s used the Elven magic.»
«Brin, he could use the Elfstones!» Jair’s eyes snapped open. «He could go with you. He could protect you with the Elfstones, just as he protected the Elven girl Amberle!»
Brin saw it then; those few words gave her the answer that she had been looking for. Allanon was right. She must go with him. But the reason was not one she had considered until now. Her father would insist on accompanying her. He would take the Elfstones from their hiding place and go with her in order that she should be protected. And that was exactly what she must avoid. Her father would be forced to break his pledge never to use the Elfstones again. He probably wouldn’t even agree to her accompanying Allanon. He would go instead in order that she, her mother, and Jair be kept safe.
«I want you to go back to bed, Jair,” she said suddenly.
«But I just got…»
«Go on. Please. We’ll talk this all out in the morning.»
Jair hesitated. «What about you?»
«I’ll be only a few minutes, I promise. I just want to sit here alone for a time.»
Jair studied her suspiciously for a moment, then nodded. «All right. Good night.» He turned and walked back into the darkness. «Just be sure you come to bed, too.»
Brin’s eyes found Rone’s. They had known each other since they were small children, and there were times when each knew what the other was thinking without a word being said. This was one such time.
The highlander stood up slowly, his lean face set. «All right, Brin. I see it, too. But I’m coming with you, do you understand? And I’m staying with you until it’s finished.»
She nodded slowly. Without another word, he disappeared down the hallway, leaving her alone.
The minutes slipped by. She thought it through again, sifting carefully the arguments. In the end, her answer was the same. She could not permit her father to break his vow because of her, to risk further use of the Elven magic he had foresworn. She could not.
Then she rose, blew out the flame of the oil lamp and walked, not in the direction of her bedroom, but to the front entry instead. Releasing the latch, she opened the door quietly and slipped out into the night. The wind blew against her face, cooling and filled with autumn’s smells. She stood for a moment staring out into the shadows, then made her way around the house to the gardens in back. Night sounds filled the silence, a steady cadence of invisible life. At the edge of the gardens, beneath a stand of giant oak, she stopped and looked about expectantly.
A moment later, Allanon appeared. Somehow, she had known he would. Black as the shadows about him, he drifted soundlessly from the trees to stand before her.
«I have decided,” she whispered, her voice steady. «I’m going with you.»
Chapter Three
Morning came quickly, a pale silver light that seeped through the predawn forest mist and chased the shadows westward. Their restless sleep broken, the members of the Ohmsford household stirred awake. Within an hour, preparations were underway for Brin’s departure to the Eastland. Rone was dispatched to the inn to secure horses, riding harness, weapons, and foodstuffs. Brin and Jair packed clothing and camping gear. In businesslike fashion, they went about their tasks. There was little conversation. No one had much to say. No one felt much like talking.