“What? But she didn’t intend to intrude!” Tadrick protested quickly, drawing multiple glares.
“It doesn’t matter, boy,” Another redcap interjected coldly. “She intruded, willingly or not, and this is showing mercy.”
“Well, you said that all things have a price,” Korima said, keeping herself composed, her ears angled forward as she focused on Ironcrown. “Might we be able to make up for it in some way? I remember that Ruethwyn paid for her contract with a fey in mana.”
“That isn’t of interest to us,” Ironcrown said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Mana is used by those who have more innate spells than we possess, which makes it all but worthless. No, there are only three things we truly value. Blood, weapons, and skill at arms.”
Korima blinked, looking at Ruethwyn and Tadrick as they looked back. Before either of the others could speak, Ruethwyn asked, “How much of an offering of blood would be required?”
“If just blood, more than you can spare,” Ironcrown said bluntly, but she could see his eyes brightening with interest. “Not that you’d normally be of interest, but you in particular… you’ve been kissed by dragon fire, girl. Some hint of that would still be imbued in your blood.”
“Rue, are you insane?” Korima demanded.
“We need to get Sella back home, and if was just a matter of a little blood…” Ruethwyn retorted, shrugging helplessly. “It isn’t doable anyway, from the look of things.”
“He said if just blood. However, I have an idea,” Tadrick said, straightening slightly while still looking hesitant.
“Oh?” Ruethwyn asked, tilting her head.
Tadrick didn’t reply, instead unbuckling his belt and pulling it off so he could hold his sheathed sword in both hands. Holding it up, almost offering it, Tadrick spoke firmly. “Lord Ironcrown, this is my sword, an enchanted blade which comes to the call of the wielder within a certain distance. I would like to use it as the wager in a contest.”
All the redcaps suddenly sat up, looking far more interested than Ruethwyn had seen them before. It was a little surprising, considering how bored they’d looked.
“Oh? I would like to examine this weapon of yours,” Ironcrown said.
“Of course,” Tadrick agreed.
With a gesture, Ironcrown directed the spearman to bring him the sword. Ruethwyn watched in curiosity as the redcap unsheathed the sword and examined it slowly, a smile growing on his face.
“A good sword. You’ve used it in battle before… I can sense your intent imbued into it as you fought. You’ve also taken good care of it,” Ironcrown said approvingly, then looked at Tadrick. “It is an acceptable prize. What wager did you have in mind?”
“If possible, I wish to face one of your people who is as close in skill to me as possible, not one of the veterans. I may be confident that I’m skilled, but Ruethwyn disabused me of any thought of being a true match for one of you. It wouldn’t be a contest to the death, but until one is defeated,” Tadrick explained nervously. “Either way, Sella would go free, but if I win, I keep the sword. Lose, and you keep it.”
“Hm.” Ironcrown seemed to be considering the idea, sheathing the sword as he looked over the other redcaps and tilted his head. “Opinions?”
Murmurs of approval came in return, but one redcap spoke up. “I think it’s reasonable, but with two conditions. One, the elf can’t use magic, but also that one of our youths face him without his cap. That should even the scales.”
“Hah! If our boy loses, it’d teach him a lesson, wouldn’t it?” Ironcrown laughed at the suggestion, looking back at Tadrick. “What do you think, boy? Are you willing to fight under those conditions?”
“It’s fine with me.” Tadrick didn’t even hesitate, to Ruethwyn’s surprise, his voice steady as he smiled. “I’ll admit that Ruethwyn’s explanation intrigued me, too.”
“Fair. Here, boy, take your weapon for now,” Ironcrown said, handing it back to the spearman, who took it back to Tadrick. “We’ll give the three of you a place to rest until the morrow. You’re too tired to put up a decent fight as you are.”
“Thank you,” Tadrick said, taking the sword and giving a half-bow.
Looking at their guides, Ironcrown nodded to them and ordered. “Take them to one of the warmer areas and give them some privacy.”
“Um, might we meet Sella?” Korima asked, looking nervous as she hesitated.
“Not until the contest. Until then, she will continue with her duties,” Ironcrown replied, shaking his head firmly.
“Thank you,” Ruethwyn said, bowing her head to him, and she saw Korima give a belated half-bow of her own.
They moved away a few moments later, and the spearman smiled as they did so, his voice amused. “You impressed him, not many people dare face us in battle. Still, are you really willing to give up your sword? I’d die before letting someone take my spear.”
“Sella’s more important than a sword, at least to me,” Tadrick said simply, shrugging slightly. “It could simply be the differences in our peoples, but that’s how I feel.”
“True,” The spearman said, leading the way into another tunnel, then down a side passage. There were four doors here, and he gestured at them. “These are some unused rooms where you can rest.”
“Thank you,” Ruethwyn told him, bowing her head slightly. “I thank both of you for your guidance.”
That seemed to surprise them, and after a moment, they nodded, then walked away. Ruethwyn watched them go, then sighed, looking at Tadrick.
“Are you going to be alright? Everything I’ve heard about redcaps makes them seem about as strong as an ogre, just stuck in a much smaller body,” Ruethwyn said, shivering at the thought. “Some people even claim they have bones of iron.”
“I’m not willing to bleed you out. I thought about simply offering my sword in exchange for her, but that’s just…” Tadrick paused, frowning as he admitted. “I think she’d dislike someone buying her freedom like that. It’d hurt to lose this, mind you, but I can deal with it. A proper contest… at least I’ll know I tried my best, right?”
“Right!” Korima agreed, her ears perking up. “That means rest, though, so let’s look at these rooms.”
Ruethwyn nodded and moved to the nearest door, opening it cautiously, then blinked in surprise at the contents, letting out a soft murmur. “Huh.”
“Oh, wow. I thought… well, they said they aren’t used,” Tadrick said, looking nonplused.
Inside the room, which had a low ceiling, was a cot bed that would barely fit Ruethwyn, a table, and a bear-skin rug adorned the floor while thick furs were on the bed. It was far nicer than she’d expected, and it was lit by a glowing stone with a ceramic covering sitting next to it. Most surprising was the fireplace, complete with wood next to it.
“They didn’t smell hostile at any point,” Korima said. “Well, most of them. I think they didn’t consider us a threat.”
“Well, we aren’t,” Ruethwyn agreed, rolling her shoulders a bit. “Now, I need to eat and get some sleep. I need all the mana I can get for tomorrow.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Tadrick agreed. He didn’t leave, adding. “And Rue? Thanks again.”
“Pfft. If you really want to make up for following me, win tomorrow, would you?” Ruethwyn replied, grinning at him.
“Heh. I’ll try,” Tadrick promised, approaching another door.
Ruethwyn watched him go, then looked at Korima, and how her tail was flicking slightly. She didn’t know why the woman acted so much like a cat at times, but she did. After a moment, she smiled and shrugged, asking. “Care to join me for dinner, Korima? It isn’t going to be very interesting, I’m afraid.”
“Sure!” Korima said, her eyes shining brightly.
Ruethwyn laughed as the kitsune darted into her room, then closed the door. Tomorrow would come in its own time, so she’d rather enjoy company while she could.
Chapter 37
“This is where Tadrick will face our boy,” the spear
man said, showing them into a room, and Ruethwyn looked around the room doubtfully.
The room was smaller than she’d expected, no more than thirty feet across in most places and the hard-packed dirt floor had some scattered rocks here and there. The lighting wasn’t the best, with numerous shadowy areas that would complicate things. Several redcaps had gathered in one of the oblong alcoves that were a bit wider, and along with them was Sella. The sight of her caused relief to flood through Ruethwyn, even if Sella looked a bit disheveled.
“Rue, Korima, Tadrick!” Sella exclaimed, rushing over toward them. Ruethwyn barely managed to brace herself before Sella almost tackled her, hugging tightly as she spoke. “I almost couldn’t believe it when they said that you three had shown up! I was afraid I’d be here all summer, and then they told me to pack.”
“It’s good to see you’re alright too!” Korima said, grinning broadly as she nodded at Ruethwyn, adding. “Why don’t you let go so Rue can breathe?”
“Oh, sorry!” Sella said, blushing as she let go, allowing Ruethwyn to suck in a breath.
“You look like you ended up in a better place than Korima or I did,” Tadrick said, shaking his head and letting out a sigh. Ruethwyn thought she saw disappointment in his eyes, but she could be mistaken. He continued a moment later. “I got buried in roots and left there for hours until Korima and Rue found me, and Korima was freezing to death from what I heard.”
“Oh, ick! I don’t know that I wouldn’t have wanted to trade places, though… there were a few seconds there that I thought I was going to lose my head,” Sella said, raising a hand to her throat and looking a little pale, at least in Ruethwyn’s opinion. “The one who found me was really unhappy to find an intruder.”
“I’m glad you’re safe, Sella. Even if I think the three of you are troublemakers,” Ruethwyn said, keeping her tone only gently teasing.
“I’m sorry, Rue,” Sella replied guiltily. “I just… well, it seemed like a good idea at the time.”
“Which are famous last words,” Ruethwyn said tartly. “I suspect your father and mother are going to murder me, if we get back.”
“Ah… you know, I didn’t even consider how they’d likely react,” Tadrick said, his poise cracking and turning to worry. “That could be bad.”
“I’ll be fine, I imagine, though Mother is going to be annoyed. Unless I bring her a really good story, and this should be interesting,” Korima interjected with a grin.
“Um, what is going on, exactly? All I was told was that I was going to get to go free after this because my debt was being paid,” Sella said, quite obviously avoiding the subject of how her parents would react.
Ruethwyn spoke before Tadrick could, nodding at him as she spoke calmly. “Tadrick decided to offer the redcaps a bargain since we likely couldn’t have freed you easily in another way. He offered to fight one of their less skilled warriors with his sword as collateral. If he wins, he keeps his sword, and if he loses, they get it. Either way, you go free.”
“You what?” Sella demanded, turning to Tadrick, horror in her eyes. “Do you have any idea how incredibly strong redcaps are?”
“Well—” Tadrick began, but Sella continued without letting him answer.
“Redcaps have skin like stone and bones like iron, and that’s just to begin with! They grow stronger with every creature they’ve slain, allowing them to heal incredibly rapidly and resist most forms of attacks to some degree,” Sella continued hotly, glancing at the spearman, who was grinning as he stood nearby, not interrupting. “I’ve even heard that the most powerful of their kind are almost as powerful as the legendary fey kings and queens!”
The smile vanished from the spearman’s face and he spoke quickly, standing up straight. “Here now, none of that! Don’t go comparing us to them! We can get really strong, don’t get me wrong, but comparing us to them? That’s just not a good idea. They get really touchy about comparisons.”
“Sorry, it’s just some of the things I’ve heard when people talk about redcaps,” Sella told him, looking a bit apologetic. “You’re feared in Waterstone, so not many people talk about you often, but some stories are told, mostly cautionary.”
“Ha! At least we’re respected, then,” the redcap said, looking a bit mollified.
Ruethwyn thought that Tadrick looked more worried now, but after a moment, he shrugged, looking at Sella as he spoke. “While I might not have known how powerful they really were, I couldn’t just give up without even trying. They said that they prized skill at arms, so I thought I’d do my best, because they might respect that choice more than simply giving up my sword.”
“I think he was right to do so, Sella,” Ruethwyn added, her voice calm. “Zaria gave me a few warnings before having me dismiss her, and I think he’s treating them with the respect that they’re due.”
“Maybe so, but—” Sella began, but at that moment, a smooth, measured voice spoke in a modest baritone.
“Pardon my interruption, but I believe I heard the name Zaria. Might it have been the name of the lady of Frostflower Hall?” the speaker asked, and Ruethwyn turned and blinked.
The man standing in the doorway was slightly shorter than Ruethwyn, but he looked more like a goat crossed with a man than anything else, at least to her eyes. He stood on hoofed feet with the reversed knees of a goat, but his torso looked more like that of a man, including arms, while his head was that of a goat, and his fur was a sleek, carefully groomed brown. He was wearing a snow-white suit that mostly shrouded his legs and covered his torso, and the odd spectacle was completed by his gold-rimmed monocle and by the leather-bound black book he held to his chest.
“Ah, yes, that’s correct. May I ask who you are?” Ruethwyn asked, suppressing her surprise as best she could. If she was right, this was one of the fair folk, as their appearances could vary wildly, ranging from almost indistinguishable from a human or elf to something more like… well, this.
“Of course you may. I’m called Soresh, and I’m a Witness. When contests such as the one which you’re preparing to undergo are prepared, sometimes a Witness is called to watch, judge, and record the results. This is usually the case when the power of the factions in question are drastically different,” the man replied, nodding his head at them politely.
“I see. That makes a great deal of sense, Soresh, and I thank you for your presence.” Tadrick spoke first, giving a half-bow. “I am Tadrick Daskar and will be competing today.”
“Indeed? Well, the best of luck to you, young man. Your bravery is commendable,” Soresh replied, and the smile on his face was slightly odd to Ruethwyn. Her surprise grew as he focused on her again, asking. “Now, I’m afraid I must ask another question of you, young lady. Who are you?”
“Um, I’m Ruethwyn Sylaris,” she replied, feeling slightly taken aback. “Formerly of Mellesyn.”
“Ah, that was what I suspected. You’re the student of Sinera Kor, and her inheritor,” Soresh said, and Ruethwyn was suddenly conscious of all the redcaps going utterly still as they stared at her. “Am I correct?”
“Yes… that’s right,” Ruethwyn agreed nervously.
“As suspected. You did not attempt to use her reputation to bypass your situation, a truly commendable act,” Soresh said, nodding decisively and turning to the redcaps, and to Ironcrown in particular. “Lord Ironcrown, I have arrived at thy request, and bear a message from the Tower Lord for you.”
“I see you, Witness Soresh, and am prepared to hear the words of the Tower Lord,” Ironcrown replied, and Ruethwyn could see him straighten. She was a touch worried about how the other redcaps were watching her, however.
“He thanks you for your service, and asks that you treat Ruethwyn fairly, no more and no less,” Soresh said simply.
Ironcrown nodded, smiling thinly as he replied. “Please pass him my thanks, Soresh. I’m glad to hear he is unchanged.”
“Rue? What’s going on?” Korima asked quietly. “They’re acting like hunting dogs on point, now.”
“Ah, well, that explains a bit,” the spearman redcap said, studying her closely. “If I’d known who you were to begin with, I wouldn’t have bothered hiding.”
Ruethwyn exchanged a puzzled look with the others, then shrugged. “I don’t think it’d have changed much in the end. I needed to find my friends anyway.”
“Perhaps not,” the redcap agreed.
Their attention was drawn away again as Soresh cleared his throat and spoke firmly. “Tadrick Daskar, are you prepared for this competition? You will be facing a redcap of the Frostglades in single combat without magic, with your personal weapon being taken by the winner.”
“I am. I’m uncertain of what weapons we’ll use, but I’m prepared as I’m able to manage,” Tadrick said, stepping forward firmly, no hesitation in his voice.
“I see. Lord Ironcrown?” Soresh asked, turning back to the redcap.
“I’ve acquired a few practice weapons. Not what we use normally, but more suited to a contest with a mortal,” Ironcrown said, nodding as he called out. “Boy! It’s time!”
In response another redcap entered the chamber, holding a pair of wooden swords, each of them of a heavy-looking, dark wood. Unlike most of the redcaps Ruethwyn had seen, this one wasn’t wearing his cap, and his arms had fewer scars across them. He still looked slightly alien and similar to the other redcaps, but she could see that his eyes were brighter somehow, not as world-weary as what she’d seen in the eyes of the others.
Queen of Ice (Through the Fire Book 2) Page 31