The Letter for the King

by Tonke Dragt

“But…” Tiuri began.

  Piak interrupted him. “Quiet. Shall we just get in and push off? You can row.”

  “It’d be best if one of you rows and the other keeps a lookout,” said Ferman. “Even if you can’t see much. I can’t exactly tell you what to look out for, can I? Row quickly, with long strokes. After about thirty strokes, you’ll need to be careful. You’ll be close to that little island that you’ll have noticed earlier. The current swirls around in every direction at that point. Make sure not to get too close; you could run aground on one of the rocks beneath the water. It’s a nasty spot to cross, but one of the toll master’s guard posts is down that way, so there’s a good chance you’d be spotted. It’s the same closer to the bridge. Once you’re past the island, there’s not much to worry about, at least not from the river itself. So, are you ready?”

  Tiuri nodded. “We’re ready,” he said. His heart was pounding. He realized that the crossing would be dangerous, but he’d done plenty of rowing before, on the Blue River.

  “We’re ready,” echoed Piak.

  Ferman sighed. “Well, best of luck,” he said. “I’ll help you to push the boat out and then you’re on your own.”

  Soon they were in the boat, Tiuri at the oars and Piak sitting opposite him. Tiuri couldn’t see Piak’s face. “You can still get out if you want,” he whispered to him.

  “No!” said Piak.

  “Sssh!” hissed Ferman, as he pushed out the boat.

  Tiuri raised the oars.

  “Good fortune be with you,” said Ferman. “Row firmly and evenly. Yes, like that! Don’t wave the oars around and rock the boat.”

  Tiuri felt a little out of practice, but after a few strokes it came back to him. Now he could feel just how strong the current was. The beach and Ferman, who stood watching them go, were just vague outlines, and the darkness soon swallowed them up. Tiuri focused all of his attention on the boat, which was rocking and spinning.

  “Look out for the island,” he said to Piak, “and warn me the moment you see anything.”

  “Can’t I help with the rowing?” asked Piak.

  “No,” gasped Tiuri. “One of us has to keep an eye out. Can you see anything on the riverside or on the bridge?”

  “No, nothing,” said Piak. “There are still lights inside the castle. I’m sure they can’t see us. I can hardly see anything myself. No rocks. And no sign of the opposite bank.”

  Tiuri glanced around. Piak was right. It was as if they were floating on a vast expanse of water that had no beginning and no end. He stopped rowing for a moment. The boat immediately twisted off course, so he tugged on the oars again. Downstream, he spotted a light on the riverbank. Was it the guard post Ferman had mentioned?

  “My feet are getting wet,” said Piak.

  Now Tiuri noticed it too. There was water in the bottom of the boat. Had it been there when they climbed in? Or was the boat leaking?

  “We’re not sinking, are we?” said Piak. He sounded anxious.

  Tiuri stopped rowing again. “Sssh!” he whispered to Piak. “I can see a light over there. They might be able to hear us.”

  “I don’t think so,” said Piak. “The water’s making too much noise.”

  “See if you can find something to bail with,” said Tiuri.

  “To do what?”

  “To scoop out the water. Is there a bucket or anything like that in the boat?”

  As Piak moved, the boat rocked.

  “Be careful!” whispered Tiuri. He knew for certain now that the boat was a rickety old thing – and probably leaky. He looked back over his shoulder. It seemed even darker back there. Were they near the island yet? He started rowing again. Drops of water splashed up at him and he could feel beads of sweat on his forehead.

  Piak searched around on the bottom of the boat. “There’s more and more water coming in,” he said. “Hang on. I’ve found something! A bowl.”

  “Start scooping the water out,” said Tiuri. “But move as gently as possible.”

  The boat was definitely leaking. If Piak kept on bailing out the water, they would make it to the other side. But he was supposed to be watching the river! Piak looked around. Nothing in sight. Or was there something? A darker patch standing out against the darkness? A wave suddenly hit the boat and turned it around.

  Piak gasped. “Look out!” he whispered.

  “Watch the river,” said Tiuri. “We can’t be far from the island now.”

  The river was bouncing them around in every direction. Tiuri had to struggle to keep the boat heading in what he hoped was the right direction.

  “I can hear something!” said Piak.

  He was right. There were voices in the distance.

  “Nothing we can do about that,” said Tiuri.

  “But look! I can see something!” said Piak. “The island, the island! It’s close. Row! This way.”

  Tiuri rowed with all of his might. Piak forgot to bail out the water, until Tiuri reminded him.

  “We’re nearly there,” panted Tiuri. His hands were sore from pulling on the oars and he could feel the pain of his recently healed injury again. The river was tugging the boat in every direction. The toll guards had not been exaggerating. The water really was treacherous.

  Piak divided his attention between bailing the water and watching the island. “We’re nearly there,” he said, repeating Tiuri’s words. He seemed to have got over his anxiety.

  Suddenly it happened… A jolt, a crack… They had run aground on a rock! Tiuri made a desperate attempt to free the boat… And it worked!

  But then… “We’re sinking!” whispered Piak.

  Everything happened so quickly that Tiuri had no time to think. The boat may have been free from the rock, but water was streaming in and it seemed certain that they would sink. Then they hit something else and the boat rocked wildly. A stifled gasp from Piak was followed by a splash. He was in the water!

  Tiuri lowered the oars. For a second, he felt paralysed. What if Piak drowned?

  A moment later, Tiuri was in the water too and shouting out, without even worrying that anyone might hear. “Piak, Piak! Piak, where are you?”

  He swam a few strokes, dived, and fumbled around. Where could Piak be, in this dark, wild water? But then, thank God, he heard a faint cry. It was Piak.

  “Piak!” he called out again. “Where are you?”

  “Here,” came a weak voice.

  Tiuri reached out into the darkness and found his friend.

  “Keep yourself afloat,” he panted. “No, don’t hold on to me. I can’t swim like that.” Then a wave hit Tiuri and silenced him. But his grip on the floundering Piak was firm and he held on. The boat, where was the boat? Probably at the bottom of the river. He had to reach the island. It was their only chance. If they weren’t dashed against the rocks…

  “Try to lie on your back!” he called out to Piak. “I’ll pull you.”

  He wasn’t sure Piak had understood, but he stopped struggling. Then Tiuri started swimming towards the island, pulling Piak with him. They were anxious and exhausting moments, but finally Tiuri felt solid ground beneath his feet. They were on the island.

  Tiuri felt battered and bruised and he was gasping for breath. Piak was lying beside him, very still. Tiuri leant over his friend.

  “Piak!” he said, shaking him.

  Piak groaned, lifted his head and coughed. “So much water,” he whispered, so quietly that Tiuri barely heard him. Tiuri felt like singing and dancing for joy, but he had to settle for slapping his friend on the back.

  “Where… where are we?” asked Piak, trying to sit up.

  “On the island,” said Tiuri. “Please, just lie there.”

  But Piak sat up and said, “Where’s the boat?”

  “I think it sank,” replied Tiuri.

  “It was a useless boat,” said Piak, his teeth chattering.

  “Well, at least we didn’t sink with it,” said Tiuri. “How do you feel?”

  “I thought I was ab
out to drown,” said Piak, “but it must take longer than that. Did you drag me here?”

  “Yes, what else could I have done?”

  “Well, you could have taught me to swim,” said Piak. “But I don’t think swimming’s for me. I don’t like all that water. Have we really lost the boat?”

  Tiuri stood up and peered into the darkness. He even waded some way into the water, but there was no sign of the boat.

  Piak called him back. He sounded anxious. “Please don’t start swimming again,” he said. “I won’t be able to rescue you if anything happens.”

  Tiuri went back and sat beside his friend. “We’d never have made it anyway,” he said. “The boat was wrecked as soon as we hit that rock.”

  “Ferman’s not going to be pleased,” said Piak. “Serves him right! What was he thinking of, lending us a leaky old boat like that?!”

  “At our own risk,” said Tiuri, quoting Ferman.

  “Yes, but he didn’t mention that it had a leak!”

  “Everyone warned us about the current here, including Ferman.”

  “So what do we do now?” asked Piak. “Ugh, I feel sick. And it’s so dark.”

  “Do you feel really ill?” asked Tiuri.

  “No,” said Piak. “Honestly, I’m fine. I’m just wet and angry. Aren’t you?”

  Tiuri sighed. Now they were halfway across the river, without a boat. When morning came, the guards would most likely spot them. But they couldn’t escape. Yes, he could of course try to swim the rest of the way, but that was dangerous and probably foolish. And he’d have to leave Piak behind; it would be impossible to take him.

  “You’re not thinking of swimming, are you?” Piak said, interrupting his thoughts. “You’d be mad to swim. You’ll drown, and your message will drown with you. And I’m not just saying that for my own sake. I really don’t care if I have to stay here. The toll master can throw me into jail tomorrow morning, but I’m used to that now. And anyway, I know he’ll release me before too long.”

  “But if I stay here, the message will never reach the king,” said Tiuri.

  “That’s true,” admitted Piak.

  Neither of them spoke for a while.

  What now? Tiuri found himself wondering, yet again.

  Then, suddenly, he knew the answer.

  “You fool!” he said out loud.

  “Huh? Why am I a fool?” asked Piak.

  “I was talking to myself. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before!”

  “What?”

  “The toll! Paying the toll! I don’t have any gold, but I have something that’s worth far more than that!”

  “You do?” said Piak. “Where is it?”

  “On a cord around my neck.”

  Sir Edwinem’s ring, the ring with the stone that shone in the dark! Tiuri had never seen the ring as his own, but as something that he was guarding, an object he respected. Perhaps that was why it hadn’t occurred to him before to offer it as payment for the toll. But Sir Edwinem would surely have done just that. The message for the king was more important than any jewel might be. Tiuri pulled out the ring and showed it to Piak.

  “It’s like a star,” Piak whispered.

  “I should have thought of it straightaway,” said Tiuri. “Now we’ve wasted even more time. It was so unforgivably stupid of me.”

  “But the ring is worth far more than three gold pieces, or even the six that we’d both have to pay.”

  “Plus maybe a fine on top of that,” added Tiuri. “I think this ring must be priceless, but I’m only planning to use it as a guarantee. Later, on the way back, perhaps I can claim it back. I’d be happy to work for weeks if that’s what it takes.”

  “Do you think the toll master would agree?” asked Piak.

  “I hope so,” said Tiuri. “I…” He faltered. He thought of the Grey Knights who had pursued him. What if the toll master knew the ring too, and recognized it? Sir Edwinem had been a famous knight, especially here, in the Kingdom of Unauwen. What if the toll master asked Tiuri how he had come by the ring?

  Tiuri stood up again. Should he try swimming after all? He knew it was dangerous, maybe even irresponsible, with an arm that might fail him halfway across, and in the dark as well. But if he waited until it was light, the guards would see him. What was the best course of action?

  “What are you going to do?” asked Piak’s voice behind him.

  Tiuri sat back down beside his friend and shared his thoughts.

  “I think our only option is to pay with the ring,” said Piak. “I don’t like the idea of swimming. But you’re the one who has to decide.”

  Tiuri thought for a moment. “I know one thing for certain,” he said. He lowered his voice and continued, “How are you feeling, Piak? Well enough to remember if I tell you something?”

  “Of course,” Piak replied. “If it’s something important.”

  Tiuri whispered a few words in his ear.

  “What did you say?” asked Piak.

  “It’s the start of the letter. I’m going to tell you the message, word for word. You need to know it too.”

  “I do?” whispered Piak.

  “I already thought about telling you, because you’re right, my task has become yours too. You need to know the message, so that you can take over if anything happens to me.”

  “Oh…” sighed Piak. Tiuri’s words seemed to have made quite an impression on him, but he promptly added, “Fine, at least it’ll give me something to do until it gets light. Tell me the message. I just hope I’ll never have to take over your task.”

  Word by word, Tiuri told Piak what was in the letter and his friend repeated the words after him.

  “Do you understand any of it?” asked Piak after a while.

  “No. Do you?”

  “No, not a thing. Is it a secret language? Never mind, go back and start again at the beginning, until I know it by heart.”

  “Make sure you never let anyone see you know the message too,” said Tiuri.

  “That goes without saying,” said Piak. “Hey, look. It’s getting light in the east. We need to hurry. I want to know all of the message by the time the sun comes up.”

  9 ALARMING NEWS

  “Rainbow River,” muttered Piak, as the night slowly gave way to the greyness of dawn. “Ha! When I think of rainbows, I picture something beautiful, but this river is so cold and unfriendly.”

  Tiuri looked around, hoping that, against all odds, he might see the boat. But there was no sign of it. He realized that they were closer to the eastern riverbank than the west. People were walking across the bridge. The toll master’s men?

  “They’re bound to spot us soon,” he said to Piak.

  “The sooner, the better,” Piak replied. “I don’t want to stay here too long.” Then he sneezed three times. “Sneeze thrice, weather’s nice,” he said with a grin. “So at least it’s going to be a fine day.”

  The two friends sat side by side, shivering in their wet clothes, and waiting for it to get light. There were people on both banks of the river now; some of them even pointed at Tiuri and Piak.

  Then a horn sounded; it seemed to come from one of the towers of the castle. Tiuri wondered if it had anything to do with them.

  “Look! Over there!” Piak cried a little later. He pointed towards the castle. “A boat!”

  The boat slipped through one of the arches of the bridge, moving quickly towards them, beautiful and sleek, with a team of rowers working in perfect time. A guard with a rainbow-coloured shield stood in the stern. The rowers’ shields adorned the sides of the boat.

  “One of the toll master’s boats,” said Piak. Then he sneezed again.

  Anxiously, the two friends watched the boat. Yes, it was heading for the rock. It soon reached them and the man in the stern called over to them, “Wade towards us and climb on board. We can’t come any closer.”

  They did as they were told. Hands reached out to pull them on board.

  “Attention!” called the ma
n in the stern, who seemed to be in charge. “Oars to starboard!” When the boat was safely underway again, he turned to Tiuri and Piak. They recognized him as Warmin, the guard they’d spoken to on the riverbank the day before.

  “You are now the toll master’s prisoners,” he said sternly. “You have attempted to evade the toll and will be punished.” Then, more kindly, he said, “Why didn’t you listen to my advice? I was concerned that you wouldn’t, but I hoped you’d have more sense. You borrowed that old wreck of Ferman’s, didn’t you?”

  “Oh, no,” lied Tiuri.

  “No?” repeated Warmin. “So you swam all that way in the middle of the night? You’re more capable than I thought.”

  Piak started to say something, but he sneezed instead.

  “If you have a cold, it’s no more than you deserve,” said Warmin, but he took off his cloak and wrapped it around Piak’s shivering shoulders. Then he told the two friends where to sit and paid no more attention to them.

  The boat headed back towards the bridge, but it was upstream, so it took longer, even though the oarsmen were working very hard. As Tiuri saw the bridge and the castle coming closer, his heart started beating faster. He turned to Warmin and said, “I should like to speak to the toll master.”

  “Speak to the toll master?” repeated Warmin. “You should have thought of that yesterday. It’s too late now to request an audience just so you can express your apologies.”

  “Apologies?” snapped Tiuri. “I’m not interested in apologizing. Yes, I’m sorry I didn’t manage to get over the river, but I’m not sorry that I tried.”

  “Why doesn’t that surprise me?” Warmin barked back at him.

  Tiuri persisted. “It really is very important that I speak to the toll master.”

  “Why?”

  “That’s something I can explain only to him.”

  Warmin frowned. “Really?” he said. “We shall have to see about that.”

  By then, they had reached the bridge. Tiuri looked up and saw a man peering down at them over the stone balustrade. He was wearing a wide-brimmed hat and the shadow almost completely concealed his face. As the boat came closer, he leant forward. Tiuri couldn’t stop looking at the man, even though he had no idea who he was. Then he heard him laugh, a mocking, triumphant laugh. It was still echoing in his ears as they passed under the first arch of the bridge. He glanced at Piak to see if it had spooked him too, but Piak sat huddled beside him, staring straight ahead.