The Letter for the King

by Tonke Dragt

  It came as a surprise when they heard another sound. Tiuri immediately reined in his horse.

  “Did you hear that?” he whispered.

  “Y-y-yes,” said Piak. “What was it?”

  “I don’t know. Quiet, there it is again!”

  Neighing!

  “A horse,” said Tiuri.

  Then the horse appeared over a ridge. It ran across the road and paused for a moment before darting away and disappearing.

  “There was no rider,” said Tiuri. “How strange!”

  “Could it have been a wild horse?” asked Piak.

  “But it had reins and a saddle,” said Tiuri.

  “Ah, yes,” Piak replied.

  They stood there, staring at the ridge where they had seen the horse appear.

  We should go and see if something’s wrong, thought Tiuri. But perhaps the horse had simply run away. Why should anything bad have happened? Even so, he rode slowly as he headed to the ridge, with Piak alongside him.

  As they got closer, Tiuri had a growing feeling that something wicked was nearby, something hiding in the shadows of the hills or lurking behind the motionless bushes.

  “This is where it came from,” he whispered.

  “Are you going to take a look?” Piak whispered back.

  “Yes,” said Tiuri, steeling himself.

  He climbed down from the horse and Piak did the same. They stood and looked down into a narrow valley, where they saw a track heading off into a thicket. They listened hard, but all they could hear was their own breathing and the chirping of the crickets. So they cautiously started to walk down into the valley.

  After just a few steps, Tiuri stopped. “Stay with the horses,” he whispered to Piak.

  “No,” Piak replied. “I’m coming with you.”

  “No, don’t. If there’s anything… dangerous out there, it’s better if we don’t both go. You know the reason why!”

  Without waiting for Piak’s reply, Tiuri quickly walked on, overcoming his fear and heading into the dark thicket. Very soon, he came upon a clearing. There, on the ground, was a body. Tiuri stopped. He had been expecting something like this but still he hesitated before going closer and kneeling down beside it. What he saw made him gasp. He was looking at the face of the scribe from Dangria. He seemed to be sleeping, but there could be no doubt about it. He was dead… shot through the heart by an arrow.

  A noise from behind startled him and he looked around. It was Piak, who had followed him after all. His face was pale and aghast, and his lips were moving but no sound came out.

  “He’s been killed,” said Tiuri.

  Piak let out a trembling sigh and repeated, “Killed?”

  Neither of them spoke for a while.

  “But why?” Piak mumbled finally.

  “I have no idea,” replied Tiuri. He looked back at the face of the young man who had helped him so recently, the messenger who had been sent to Unauwen by the town council of Dangria. A messenger carrying a letter for King Unauwen!

  Shaking, he took the dead man’s hands and folded them on his chest. “Let’s pray for his soul,” he whispered.

  The two friends did so. Then they stood up and looked helplessly at each other.

  “What now?” whispered Piak. “Do we have to leave him here like this?”

  “I don’t know,” Tiuri said. The scribe’s murder had been a terrible shock. And he had the strange suspicion that it was somehow connected to his own mission. The scribe had also set out with a message for King Unauwen…

  A pouch lay on the ground beside the body. Tiuri looked inside, but there was no letter. After some hesitation, he searched through the dead man’s clothes, but he found nothing there either.

  “What are you doing?” whispered Piak.

  “Looking for the letter,” Tiuri replied. “But it’s not here.” Then he stood up and added, “He can’t have been dead for long.”

  “But who do you think he is?” asked Piak.

  “Ah, yes! You never actually met him,” said Tiuri. “He is, he was, the mayor’s scribe, the messenger that Dangria sent to King Unauwen.”

  “The messenger!” whispered Piak.

  They looked at each other again. Piak was the first one to speak.

  “Do… Do you think whoever murdered him is still nearby?” he whispered.

  Tiuri didn’t reply. Now that he had time to reflect, the thought that this murder had something to do with his own mission was not so strange. After all, the scribe had been sent to the king to inform him about what had happened in Dangria… and those events were closely connected to his task. And then a dreadful thought occurred to him. Might this murder have been a mistake? Had it happened because of a different letter, another message… the message he was carrying? Was the murderer Slither?

  Tiuri gasped as Piak grabbed his arm and pulled him back into the thicket.

  “What is it?” he whispered.

  “I… I think I saw him,” Piak whispered back.

  “Who? Where?”

  “It was just a movement. Over there. The tree.” Piak pointed to the west.

  Tiuri looked where he was pointing.

  “On that hill over there. Do you see the tree?”

  “Yes…” whispered Tiuri. Could he see something moving in the bushes beside it?

  The two friends peered intently, but they saw no more movement. Had they just imagined it, or was there really someone nearby? Tiuri was certain someone was close. And if it was the murderer, they were in grave danger. He could have been spying on them and they knew he was armed with a bow and arrow. They had no weapons themselves, except for the small dagger in Tiuri’s belt.

  “Come on,” Tiuri whispered.

  They crept through the bushes until they were back at the road. Their horses were still there, waiting for them.

  “What are we going to do?” Piak asked.

  Tiuri put his finger to his lips. He peered through the bushes to see if he could see any sign of danger. But everything looked perfectly calm in the white moonlight.

  “If he’s here, our lives are at risk,” he said. “But I don’t think he’s close enough to hurt us.”

  “The murderer?”

  “Yes.”

  “He won’t attack us, will he?”

  “I’m afraid he might.”

  “Why?”

  Tiuri didn’t reply. He took another good look around. They couldn’t stay there.

  “Do you think… Do you think… Do you think it might be Slither?” Piak whispered in his ear.

  “Sssh!” said Tiuri. Suddenly he really didn’t want to hear that name.

  They stood there silently for a short while, side by side.

  Tiuri quickly considered their options. We could carry on riding, he thought, until we reach an area with people around. Or we can go back to Ingewel. But he might follow us there. No… I know what to do.

  And he said, “We have to get out of here. One of us should return to Ingewel and the other will ride onwards.”

  “No!” whispered Piak. “We should stay together.”

  But Tiuri knew his plan was the best idea. If someone was lying in wait, he could follow only one of them, and the other would be sure to get away. “I’ll ride onwards,” he decided. “And you can go back. Go to the inn and tell them about the murder. Get some armed men, and ride back here with them.”

  “And what about you?”

  “I just told you. I’m riding onwards.”

  “But Tiuri, you can’t! Not alone! I’m coming with you.”

  “No,” said Tiuri. “Don’t you get it? We can’t stay together. We have to split up to improve our chances.”

  “But there’s more chance that you’ll be… What if you run into him? And you’re on your own?”

  “Shhh!” said Tiuri, interrupting his friend. “You don’t know that. Now go!”

  “No,” said Piak. “I don’t want to.”

  “Well, if you don’t want to, I’ll just have to order you!�
� Tiuri whispered hurriedly. “You promised you would obey my every command.”

  “But if it’s Slither…”

  “That’s exactly why we have to do it this way!” Tiuri replied. He continued, almost angrily, “Piak, you have to do as I say! You can’t think of yourself… or me.”

  Piak didn’t say anything.

  “Will you obey me?”

  “Yes,” Piak whispered unhappily.

  Tiuri walked over to the horses. Piak slowly followed him. The horses were a little restless, but there was still no sign of anyone around.

  “This is it, then,” whispered Tiuri, holding out his hand to Piak. Piak reached out and shook Tiuri’s hand, but then he stopped and looked around.

  “Listen!” he said.

  “I can’t hear anything,” replied Tiuri, pulling his hand away.

  Piak put his finger to his lips.

  Tiuri listened. Then he heard it too, very quiet and very far away. It took him a moment to recognize the sound.

  Hoofs!

  He knelt down and put his ear to the ground. Then he stood up and pointed eastwards. “They’re coming from that direction,” he whispered.

  They looked back down the road, but they saw nothing… not yet.

  “Should I go now?” asked Piak.

  “No,” said Tiuri. “Wait for a moment.” It felt as though all of this had happened before, and suddenly he remembered a night that seemed so long ago, the first night of his adventure. That time, it had been the Red Riders who were riding through the night. Who were the horsemen who were approaching now? Were they friends or enemies?

  He took his horse by the reins and beckoned to Piak. They hid some distance away from the road, close to the place where they had found the dead scribe.

  The sound of hoofs grew louder; the horsemen would reach them soon. Yes, there they came! Fast shadows moving closer… They looked like guards and were carrying lances or spears. As they galloped by, Tiuri saw that there were about ten of them and that they were not dressed in red. He considered stopping them, but thought better of it. The horsemen had not gone far beyond the point where Tiuri and Piak were hiding when one of them shouted an order. They stopped to talk, but Tiuri couldn’t hear what they were saying. Then they turned around and started to go back the way they’d come.

  Involuntarily, Tiuri and Piak grabbed hold of each other. The men were coming back! Some of them had climbed down from their horses and were leading them by the reins. Slowly they headed down the road towards Tiuri and Piak’s hiding place.

  “You see,” came the clear voice of one of the riders. “They didn’t ride beyond this point. There are the tracks they left.”

  They’re looking for us! thought Tiuri. He had to do something – and fast!

  He leant over to Piak and whispered, “Go! Now! Ride to Ingewel! Quickly!”

  Piak stared at him and shook his head.

  Tiuri gave him a push. “Quickly!” he whispered. “Remember our mission. I’ll hold them up if…” He fell silent. The men were so close now that he didn’t dare say anything else.

  Fortunately, Piak did as he was told. He made his way over to the horses, which were standing nearby, took his by the reins, and started to sneak away.

  Tiuri looked back at the horsemen.

  “Well, they must be here somewhere,” said the same voice. It was a voice that sounded familiar. Its owner was now standing very close to him, holding his horse by the reins, but Tiuri couldn’t make out his face. The man spoke again. “Hey,” he said, “is someone there?” And then he shouted, “Martin, Piak! I’m looking for Martin and Piak! Are you out there?”

  Tiuri held his breath. He could hear branches cracking and undergrowth rustling behind him. He glanced over his shoulder, but there was no sign of Piak now. Another man came closer, still riding his horse.

  “Sshh!” the man said. “I can hear something!”

  Tiuri and the guards all stood in silence. He could clearly hear the noise that they too must be able to hear, which was of course the sound of Piak making his way through the undergrowth. He had to give Piak the chance to escape!

  Before the horsemen could start moving again, he said in a voice that trembled only slightly, “Who’s there?”

  “Is that you? Martin? Piak?” called the man who stood nearest to him. Then he walked over to the bushes where Tiuri was hiding.

  “Stop!” shouted Tiuri. “Stay where you are! I am armed. Do not come another step closer!”

  A murmur passed through the men. The one who had spoken to him – probably their leader – took a step back and said in a surprised voice, “What’s all this? My good friend, you have nothing to fear!”

  “Stay where you are!” shouted Tiuri. “I have a bow and a quiver full of arrows here. And I will shoot! Don’t come a step closer. Stand still, don’t move, any of you!” He drew his dagger so at least he would have a weapon of sorts.

  The leader of the horsemen began to say something, but Tiuri interrupted and spoke over him. “Stay where you are! I will shoot the first man who moves. I’m warning you: I will shoot!” He spoke loudly, quickly, repeating his words several times. Piak had to be far away by the time the horsemen realized Tiuri didn’t have a bow and arrows at all!

  “But, friend!” called the leader, when Tiuri finally stopped for a moment. “We mean you no harm! Is that Martin, or Piak?”

  “I think there’s only one of them out there,” said another man.

  “We’re both here,” said Tiuri. “Who are you? And what do you want from us?”

  “Don’t you recognize us?” called the leader. “We were sent to catch up with you.”

  “Who sent you?” asked Tiuri.

  The man came a step closer. “The toll master,” he said.

  3 A SHEPHERD AND A MESSENGER

  This news came as a great surprise to Tiuri. But he was still suspicious.

  “The toll master?” he repeated. “Why? And how do I know you’re telling the truth?”

  “You’ve met me before. It’s Warmin!” shouted the leader. “Look, I’ll throw down my weapons so that you can see I’m a friend.” And he did just that.

  It certainly sounded like Warmin’s voice.

  “The toll master sent us,” he continued, “to protect you from danger. It seems he had good reason! I can tell you something that will prove you can trust us. Let me come closer.”

  “All right,” said Tiuri. Still cautious, he added, “But only you.”

  Warmin – if it was Warmin – told his men to stay where they were and he walked over to the bushes. “Where are you?” he asked.

  “Here,” replied Tiuri, taking a step forward. He looked at the other man. Yes, he recognized the guard’s rugged and trustworthy face.

  “Hello, Martin,” he said. Then he leant closer and whispered, “The toll master sent this message for you: ‘By the jewel we both know, I would ask you to accept my men’s aid.’”

  Tiuri’s hand went to his chest and touched the ring. He sheathed his dagger and said, “Thank you, Warmin. But what made the toll master decide to send you?”

  “He heard something that worried him. If you trust us, please accept our help. And tell your friend he can come out, too.” Warmin held out his hands to show he was unarmed.

  Tiuri let go of his last objections. He reached out and shook Warmin’s hand. “Forgive me,” he said, “but something has happened that led me to fear there were enemies nearby.”

  “You don’t even have a bow and arrow!” Warmin exclaimed.

  “No,” said Tiuri, “I was just pretending. I… I am glad they did not prove necessary.”

  He breathed a sigh as the tension left his body. The other riders came over and stood around Tiuri and Warmin.

  “Where’s your friend?” one of them asked.

  “He’s not here,” replied Tiuri.

  “You’re alone?” said Warmin. “What on earth happened?”

  “Wait a moment,” said Tiuri. He cupped his hands aroun
d his mouth and called, “Piak! Piak!”

  “So I was right. I did just see him,” said one of the men.

  “Piak!” Tiuri called again. “Come back!” His friend couldn’t have gone far and he might still hear his shouts. In the silence that followed, Tiuri started to worry. What if something had happened to Piak? “Piak!” he shouted again.

  “Over here!” came the reply. “I’m coming, I’m coming!”

  Piak emerged from the trees surprisingly quickly. He stopped a short distance away and shouted over, “Is that really you, Tiuri?”

  “That’s right, Piak,” said Tiuri. “You should never be too trusting! Come on over. We’re among friends.”

  Piak rode over and dismounted. “It didn’t take you long to get back here,” Tiuri said.

  “I wasn’t that far away,” replied Piak. “As if I’d ride off and leave you all alone! I was just over there, on the other side of that boulder. And I’d made a big pile of stones just in case… in case…”

  Warmin laughed. “Well, well,” he said. “It seems we’ve escaped a grave danger!”

  “Warmin!” cried Piak.

  “The very same, at your service,” replied the guard.

  “Phew!” sighed Piak. “What a night! I think I saw him again, Tiuri. Along the road. I think he was heading westwards.”

  “Who?” asked Warmin.

  “The… the…” Piak paused.

  “What on earth happened here?” Warmin asked again, looking at each of them in turn. “And there’s a strange thing! He called you Tiuri. But I thought your name was Martin.”

  Piak slapped his hand over his mouth.

  “And that’s true,” Tiuri replied calmly. “I mean, my name here is Martin, even though I’m also called Tiuri.” He gave Piak a nod to let him know it was all right. It really didn’t matter if people knew his real name now.

  “Aha,” said Warmin.

  “We found someone nearby,” Tiuri told him. “Dead. Killed by an arrow.”

  “Killed?” said Warmin. “Who?”

  “The messenger who was sent to King Unauwen,” said Tiuri. He walked over to the place where the body was lying. The others followed. Warmin looked down at the dead man. “The messenger from Dangria!” he exclaimed. “Why did this happen? And why here, of all places? Was it robbers?”