“Which group…?” interrupted the prince.
Autumn leaves waved a hand. “Worry about that later. I don’t think it’s relevant at the moment.”
Tarkyn experienced a rush of outrage that his question should be dismissed so lightly. He quelled it as quickly as it came but Stormaway and the three woodmen paused to stare at him.
“I beg your pardon, Your Highness,” said Autumn Leaves stiffly. “I should have given your question more consideration.”
Tarkyn looked uncomfortable. “No, you shouldn’t. You know the issues as well as I do. I trust your judgement. It was just a matter of old habits dying hard.” He gave a wry smile, “I’m sorry my feelings interrupted. Go on.”
Autumn Leaves glanced quickly around the faces of the other three and received a slight nod from Waterstone. Reassured, he continued, “They were wondering whether this sorcerer might be of some use in the upcoming rescue mission at the encampment.”
The other four were thunderstruck.
“He did offer to help with the wolves,” said Thunder Storm slowly.
Stormaway waved an impatient hand, “Yes, but that was expressly to protect Tarkyn.”
“No, it wasn’t,” said Tarkyn. “He meant what he said. He would be honoured to serve me in any way I asked…assuming he is true.” He smiled at the sceptical looks on the woodmen’s faces. “I know. Alien territory for you, but true nevertheless… But I can’t see how it would work. Even if I asked him to undertake the rescue mission on his own or with me, he would still end up seeing the captured woodfolk. Where does he stand then?”
The three woodmen looked at each other, then back at Tarkyn. Waterstone spoke for them, “This is uncharted territory for us. Possibly hundreds of sorcerers have now seen these woodfolk. We can’t kill them all – or at least, we won’t.”
A little chill shot down Tarkyn’s spine at the casual deadliness of the woodfolk. However, he didn’t let it distract him. “But we don’t even know whether we can trust him,” he objected. “He might have come from that encampment himself.”
“We can check that out easily enough. Someone can trace back his trail and see where he’s come from,” said Thunder Storm.
Tarkyn frowned. “Danton will have been careful not to leave tracks. He’s an elite guard, after all.”
The woodmen all looked at each other again. “And we are woodfolk. We can track anything,” said Thunder Storm.
“As long as it stays on the ground,” conceded Waterstone, quashing the competitive air that was developing.
“You can’t track back over weeks’ worth of travel, anyway,” objected Stormaway. “If he has come from the encampment and wanted to disguise his intentions, he will have approached from a different direction. You can be sure of that.”
“We could use mind control on him,” suggested Autumn Leaves.
The prince thought for a long minute, and then he shook his head regretfully. “No. I know it’s a good idea but I can’t allow you to subject Danton to losing his free will like that.”
“Oh come on, Tarkyn,” said Autumn Leaves in exasperation. “He’s lost his free will already, sitting there with his hands tied.”
The prince looked at him. “Autumn Leaves, there is a huge difference between physically containing someone and invading their mind. As far as I’m concerned, using mind control is on a par with scanning someone’s memories without their permission.”
When Autumn Leaves seemed unconvinced, Tarkyn continued, “Imagine that were Waterstone sitting there, surrounded by sorcerers who considered him a threat, would you want me to order Stormaway to have unlimited, un-negotiated access to his memory?”
Autumn Leaves glared at him. “No. Of course I wouldn’t. But Stormaway can be very specific about what he asks. Anyway, would you risk the safety of all of us for the sake of a small scruple?”
Tarkyn stared at him then turned and paced up and down. He tuned in to the owl for a minute to watch his erstwhile friend. In the filtered moonlight between the trees, he could just make out the guardsman sitting uncomfortably against a spreading beech tree. Danton’s head was resting back against the trunk and his eyes were closed.
Finally Tarkyn turned back to Autumn Leaves and said, “No, I would not risk your safety. I would find another way to keep you safe that did not require me to violate my friend’s trust in me.”
“Stars above, you’re annoying sometimes!” exclaimed Autumn Leaves.
Tarkyn spread his hands, “I’m sorry. I know you don’t agree with me but I couldn’t look Danton straight in the face if I had countenanced the use of mind control on him.”
Autumn Leaves gave him a grudging smile, “No wonder your integrity galvanised the oath. Oh well. What’s our next move then?”
Tarkyn shrugged, “I can go and talk to him. But what will I say?”
“Whatever it is, it will have to be true,” Autumn Leaves rolled his eyes, “You wouldn’t be able to lie convincingly even if we did talk you into it.”
“That’s what I’m worried about. The first thing he’s going to ask me is who is with me.”
Waterstone smiled, “You can just freeze him out as you did Stormaway.”
“I can’t just freeze him out when he’s just spent four weeks looking for me.” The prince sent an apologetic glance to the wizard. “I wouldn’t have done it to Stormaway, had I known what else to do.”
“Just say to him that Stormaway is with you and there are no other sorcerers or wizards nearby, as far as you know.”
Tarkyn brightened. “I can say that in all good faith, although” he glanced at Autumn Leaves, “it is giving the wrong impression.”
“No, it’s not,” said Autumn Leaves firmly. “We are not wizards or sorcerers and don’t want to be, for that matter.”
Tarkyn refused to be baited. “Then what?”
“Then we lead him into a trap,” rumbled Thunder Storm, with a note of satisfaction in his voice.
The prince started in alarm. “You what? What sort of a trap?”
Waterstone frowned and spoke severely. “Tarkyn, will you please get it out of your mind that we’re planning to kill him? We don’t need a trap to do that. We could have killed him any time in the past hour.”
“Sorry, I’m being silly.” Tarkyn drew a breath. “Okay. Let me think. You want to see if he’ll betray himself, or more particularly, me?”
“Exactly.” Waterstone reached up and put a hand on the young sorcerer’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. We are all working together on this. We are not going to knock off your friend unless…” The woodman shrugged, “…actually, I can’t think of a situation where we would kill him. Even if he went berserk and started trying to kill you or any of us, we’d just knock him out and disappear.”
“So what do you want me to do?”
“Spend the night with him, Sire,” said Stormaway. “Here. You’d better take this.” The wizard handed him a warm, light brown cloak. “I’ll be coming with you. He will expect that. I have some food and drink here. But I might need a bit more to give us enough to get convincingly drunk with.” Thunder Storm nodded and went out of focus. “I will pretend to drink myself into a stupor. Then when you go to sleep, we’ll see what he does.”
Tarkyn looked around at them all. “And will I go to sleep or just pretend?”
Waterstone shrugged. “It’s up to you. There will be many of us watching all through the night. Even if he put a knife to your throat, we could knock him out with a slingshot.”
“And if he put his shield up?”
“Bloody sorcerers!” exclaimed Waterstone, “So hard to deal with.”
“You could say that Shturrum word,” suggested Thunder Storm tentatively.
“Good idea,” said Tarkyn with a smile, “if I’m awake.”
“Don’t worry,” said Thunder Storm. “Stormaway can wake you if he gets up to anything.”
“Why don’t you make sure your hand is in contact with a tree so that, if the unthinkable happens, you
can heal yourself before your lifeblood runs out all over the ground?” suggested Stormaway.
Waterstone handed him a piece of soft green moss. “And take this so you can translocate safely onto the ground out here if you need to escape.”
Tarkyn’s eyes crinkled with amusement at the end of all this. “Thank you, my friends. I think that should cover it.”
Rainstorm came running up with a knapsack full of food and drink. “Good luck. Give him a chance. I hope he is who you think he is.”
Tarkyn smiled at him. “Thanks.” He looked at the others. “This is the woodman who persuaded me to go back and listen to what Autumn Leaves had to say, the other day. I can see he has a diplomatic streak in there somewhere. I don’t suppose you have ambassadors, do you?”
Waterstone shook his head and watched with some amusement as Rainstorm flushed with pleasure at being referred to as a woodman.
“You don’t happen to have a hairbrush in that pack, do you?” asked the prince unexpectedly.
Rainstorm rummaged around inside the knapsack and produced a hairbrush with a flourish.
“Thanks,” said Tarkyn as he attacked the knots in his matted hair. He gradually became aware of a stunned silence and looked up. “What’s wrong?”
“You’re about to use yourself as bait in a trap and you’re brushing your hair?” asked Autumn Leaves in bemusement.
The prince raised a quizzical eyebrow. “Appearances must be preserved as best we can. That is a court-bred man in there. He will expect a certain standard of dress and behaviour from me. I can’t give him the dress, but at least I can present myself in some sort of order. Even amongst you who do not expect it, I would rarely appear as dishevelled as I am at the moment, after being in the pouring rain all afternoon.”
Waterstone’s lips twitched. “True.” He grinned, “I have to admit, that is true.”
“Mind you, if you cut your hair it wouldn’t be half so hard to keep tidy,” said Rainstorm thoughtfully, with a quick, conspiratorial glance at Thunder Storm.
Tarkyn eyed him. “I have no intention of cutting my hair. It took me years to grow it.”
“But this fellow you’re going in to talk to, his hair is only shoulder length.” Thunder Storm raised his eyebrows. “So it’s not obligatory to wear it long? Or is it only obligatory for princes?”
Tarkyn looked from one to the other. “No. It is not obligatory for princes or for anyone else, as far as I know. It’s a matter of personal vanity, if you must know, and that’s all.”
“Even if it’s inconvenient?” asked Rainstorm innocently.
“Even if it’s inconvenient,” said Tarkyn firmly. He frowned fiercely around at all of them. “I can’t believe I’m allowing anyone to question my appearance like this.”
Stormaway gave a smug smile. “I told you, even with the oath, one man against a nation is poor odds.”
Suddenly the four woodmen and even Stormaway smiled broadly and patted him on the back.
“Go on, Your Gorgeousness,” said Autumn Leaves, with a big grin, “Get in there and get at him.”
Tarkyn smiled sweetly at them all. “Right. Make sure you’re watching.” He turned to Stormaway. “Perhaps you should release him first. Then when you are ready, you may present me.”
The four woodmen vanished.
40
Leaning back awkwardly against the beech, Danton heard the approach of quiet footsteps. He turned his head to see the old wizard returning, a soft light glowing beside him.
“This is bloody uncomfortable,” he said immediately.
Stormaway merely raised his eyebrows. “Perhaps we can do something about that. If you will agree not to attack me, at least for the time being, I will agree to untie you.”
The elite guard frowned. “Why the sudden change of heart?”
“I was never going to keep you bound for long. Only long enough to establish your intentions, which I think I have done.” Stormaway stared at him, “Agreed?”
“Yes, agreed,” said the guardsman impatiently. As soon as Stormaway had unbound his hands, he brought them around to the front and began massaging his wrists to restore the circulation. “So, may I go?”
“I think not,” said Stormaway. In answer to Danton’s frown, he added, “His Highness is desirous of seeing you. When you feel ready, I will present you to him.”
The guardsman stood up quickly and brushed himself down as best he could. Then he stood at attention and nodded to Stormaway. “I’m ready.”
At a signal from Stormaway, Tarkyn emerged from between the trees. Immediately the guardsman fell to one knee, bowed his head and placed his arm across his chest, hand on heart. There was a protracted silence.
Finally, the prince spoke. His voice was warm but held a clear note of reserve in it. “You may rise. I am pleased to see you, Danton.”
Four woodmen in the surrounding trees watched in astonishment.
The guardsman stood up slowly. “Your Highness, I am relieved to know that you are safe.”
“I, too, am glad that you were not hurt in the mess I left behind.” The prince waved a hand at Stormaway, “Would you be kind enough to put out some refreshments for our guest?”
Tarkyn seated himself against a beech tree and looked at the standing guardsman. “Please. Be seated.”
The guardsman sat down warily, watched the prince and waited.
“I understand you have been following my trail for some weeks now,” remarked Tarkyn.
“Er not exactly, Sire.”
The prince raised his eyebrows. “But surely that is what you told Stormaway?”
“I could not find your trail to follow.” Danton explained hastily, “I have been searching for you but not following your trail.”
“And what led you to this place?”
“Nothing really. I had heard there was some sort of gathering of people some distance to the west of here and I was on my way there to see if perhaps you were among them.”
“I know of this gathering of which you speak, although I am not yet sure of its purpose. Certainly I have not yet been there myself,” there was a slight hesitation, “in person.” Tarkyn accepted a glass of wine from Stormaway with a nod of thanks. With a sudden change of direction, the prince asked, his voice hard, “Are you not afraid of me, if I am now known as a rogue sorcerer?”
Danton’s eyes twinkled as he gave a gentle smile, “No Sire.”
“And why have you come to find me?”
Danton’s smile faded. For the first time, he looked distressed. “My lord, how could you ask that? I have always stood by you. In the past I have believed myself to be your friend, although your cool reception now makes me doubt my presumption in thinking that.”
The prince stared at him long and hard. “You either betray me or my brother by coming here. Which is it?”
“My lord, if you must put it like that, I betray your brother. I could not possibly countenance serving him any longer after what he did to you. Whatever happens between you and me, I will not be returning to service at the palace.” The guardsman took a long draught of wine with a hand that shook noticeably. “I beg your pardon if I took too much upon myself in seeking you out.”
At last Tarkyn relented. “No, my friend. You did not take too much upon yourself.” Four woodmen in the trees above breathed a sigh of relief. “But nothing is as it was. Come. Let us walk for a while in the moonlight.”
The prince stood up and the guardsman quickly followed suit. As they walked out from under the lacy canopy of the beeches, the moonlight threw their shadows across the clearing. The eagle owl flew out past them and into the night. Tarkyn sent him a brief message of thanks.
“Wow,” exclaimed Danton, “Did you see that owl? It flew very close to us.”
“Yes. It was a big one, wasn’t it?” Tarkyn smiled and placed an arm briefly around his friend’s shoulder. “I am glad to see you. I did not think to see any of you again.” He brought his arm back down and turned to face the guardsman. “Ev
en though I have grown up around people who are self interested and fickle, still I was shocked by Sargon and Andoran. I’m afraid I have become wary, even of old friends.”
“I can understand it, Sire. I too was shocked.” Danton stared around the clearing and frowned, “You know, it’s strange but I keep getting the feeling I’m being watched. Who else is with you?”
Tarkyn looked away into the trees and replied carefully, “There are no wizards or sorcerers with me, other than Stormaway.”
Danton shrugged. All his movements were quick and lithe. “Maybe there’s another owl somewhere watching us. I saw that one which just flew past, perched in the trees above me when I was tied up, and it was certainly watching me.” He grinned. “It must have decided I was too big and tough to eat.”
From the back they presented as an odd pair; Tarkyn half a head taller and much broader with his long black hair falling down his back, Danton’s wavy blonde hair catching the moonlight as his lighter frame bounced energetically across the clearing. They sat down on a log under the clear sky.
Danton turned to the prince and peered at him through the semi darkness. “Your Highness, I hope you don’t mind me asking, but what are you wearing?”
Tarkyn laughed, thinking that tonight his appearance was being criticised from all sides.
“What’s funny, my lord?”
“Oh Danton. You are such a dandy. I’m sorry you don’t approve of my new outfit.” Tarkyn put up a hand. “No. Don’t tell me you do. I can tell from your face and your voice that you are unimpressed.”
“Well, it is a little rough hewn, if you don’t mind me saying so. And the colour! So drab you can hardly be seen.”
“That’s quite handy, wouldn’t you say, when there may be people hunting me?” He smiled, “Anyway, I didn’t have much choice after my own clothes were ruined.”
“Oh no, were they? What a shame.” Danton became thoughtful. “And I don’t suppose you brought any of your other outfits with you?”
Tarkyn eyes were alight with laughter. “No Danton, I didn’t. I left in a bit of a hurry, as you may recall.”
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