Ventus by Karl Schroeder

Karl Schroeder / Ventus / Page 16
against his eyelids. Then he hit a greater coldness, and soft
clay.
Suddenly his mouth was full of water and his vision
cleared, then clouded with muddy water. Jordan thrashed and
sat up. He’d landed where he intended: in the reflecting pool.
The silver stuff was fleeing off his body now. It formed a big
flat oval on the water’s surface, and skittered back and forth
between the edges of the pool. When he caromed back in his
direction, Jordan jumped without thinking straight out of the
pool.
He heard laughter--then applause. Turning, Jordan found
the whole manor, apparently, standing in the courtyard,
shouting and pointing at him. Among them as a woman he had
not seen before. She must be travelling with Turcaret. She
was slim and striking, with a wreath of black hair framing an
oval face and piercing eyes.
When he looked at her, she nodded slowly and gravely,
and turned to go back inside.
Weird. He glanced up at the scaffold; Ryman was sitting
up, a hand at his throat, still breathing heavily. He caught
Jordan’s eye, and raised a hand, nodding.
Then Chester and the others were around him, hoisting
Jordan in the air. "Three cheers for the hero of the hour!"
shouted Chester.
"Put me down, you oafs! Willam’s broke his leg."
They lowered him, and all rushed over to Willam, who
grinned weakly up at Jordan. "Get him to the surgeon," said
Jordan. "Then we’ll figure out what to do about the stone
mother."
Emmy ran up, and hugged him. "That was very foolish!
What was that thing?"
He shrugged sheepishly. "Stone mother. They live