2 - The Ruby Knight

by The Ruby Knight [lit]

  and he let it out explosively. No one is ever really prepared

  for a meeting with a wolf, and even though he knew it was

  imaginary, he nonetheless felt the instinctive chill.

  The moon rose, casting its pale light over the dark

  forest. Sparhawk looked up and saw the clouds coming

  in. Gradually, they obscured the moon and inexorably

  continued to build up. 'Oh, fine,' he muttered. 'That's all

  we need - more rain.' He shook his head and walked on,

  his eyes probing the darkness around him.

  Somewhat later, Tynian relieved him, and he went

  back to his tent.

  'Sparhawk.' It was Talen, and his shaking of Sparhawk's

  shoulder was light as he woke the big Pandion.

  'Yes.' Sparhawk sat up, recognizing the note of

  urgency in the boy's voice.

  'There's something out there.'

  "I know. Wolves.'

  'This wasn't a wolf - unless they've learned to walk on

  their hind legs.'

  'What did you see?'

  "It was back in the shadows under those trees. I

  couldn't see it very well, but it seemed to have a kind of

  robe over it, and the robe didn't fit very well.'

  'The Seeker?'

  'How would I know? I only caught a glimpse of it. It

  came to the edge of the woods and then dropped back

  into the shadows. I probably wouldn't even have seen it

  except for the glow coming off its face.'

  'Green?'

  Talen nodded.

  Sparhawk started to swear.

  'When you run out of words, let me know,' Talen

  offered. "I'm a pretty good swearer.'

  'Did you warn Tynian?'

  'Yes.'

  'What were you doing out of bed?'

  Talen sighed. 'Grow up, Sparhawk,' he said In a tone

  far older than his years. 'No thief ever sleeps more than

  two hours at a time without going out to look around.'

  "I didn't know that.'

  'You should have. It's a nervous life, but it's a lot of

  fun.'

  Sparhawk cupped his hand about the back of the

  young fellow's neck. "I'm going to make a normal boy out

  of you yet,' he said.

  'Why bother? I outgrew all that a long time ago. It

  might have been nice to run and play - if things had been

  different - but they weren't, and this is much more fun.

  Go back to sleep, Sparhawk. Tynian and I'll keep an eye

  on things. Oh, by the way, it's going to rain tomorrow.'

  But it was not raining the following morning, though

  murky clouds obscured the sky. About mid-afternoon,

  Sparhawk reined Faran in.

  'What's the trouble?' Kurik asked him.

  There's a village down there in that little valley.'

  "what could they possibly be doing out here in these

  woods? you can't farm with all these trees in the way.'

  "we could ask them, I suppose. I want to talk with

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  them anyway. They're closer to Ghasek than the people

  back in Venne were, and I'd like to get a little more

  up-to-date information. There's no point in riding into

  something blind if you don't have to. Kalten,' he called.

  'Now what?' Kalten demanded.

  'Take the others and keep on going. Kurik and I are

  going down to that village to ask a few questions. We'll

  catch up with you.'

  "All right.' Kalten's tone was abrupt and slightly surly.

  'What's the matter?'

  'These woods depress me.'

  'They're only trees, Kalten.'

  "I know, but do there have to be so many of them?'

  'Keep your eyes open. That Seeker's out there someplace.'

  Kalten's eyes brightened. He drew his sword and

  tested its edge with his thumb.

  'What have you got in mind?' Sparhawk asked him.

  'This might just be the chance we've been waiting for

  to get that thing off our backs once and for all. Otha's bug

  is very skinny. One good stroke should cut it in two. I

  think I'll just hang back a little bit and set up an ambush

  of my own.'

  Sparhawk thought very quickly at that point. 'Nice

  plan,' he seemed to agree, but somebody has to lead the

  others to safety.'

  'Tynian can do that.'

  'Maybe, but do you feel like trusting Sephrenia's wellbeing

  to somebody we've only known for six months and

  who's still recovering from an injury?'

  Kalten called his friend a number of obscene names.

  'Duty, my friend,' Sparhawk said calmly. 'Duty. Its

  stern call pulls us away from various entertainments. Just

  do as I asked you to do, Kalten. We'll take care of the

  Seeker later.'

  Kalten continued to swear. Then he wheeled his horse

  and rode off to join the others.

  'You were right on the edge of a fight there,' Kurik

  commented.

  "I noticed that.'

  'Kalten's a good man in a fight, but he's a hot-head

  sometimes. '

  Then the two of them turned their horses and rode on

  down the hill towards the village.

  The houses were made of logs, and they had sod roofs.

  The villagers had made some effort to clear the trees

  surrounding their community, creating stump-dotted

  fields extending perhaps a hundred paces back from

  their houses.

  "they've cleared the land,' Kurik observed, 'but about

  all I see are kitchen gardens. I still wonder what they're

  doing out here.'

  That question was answered as soon as they rode into

  the place. A number of vilagers were laboriously sawing

  boards from logs lying atop crude trestles. Stacks of

  warped green lumber beside the houses explained the

  purpose of the village.

  One of the men stopped sawing, mopping at his brow

  with a durty rag. ~there's no inn here,' he said to

  Sparhawk in an unfriendly tone.

  "we're not really looking for an inn, neighbour,'

  Sparhawk said, 'just some information. How much

  further is it to the house of Count Ghasek?'

  The villagers face went slightly pale. 'Not far enough

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  away to suit me, My Lord,' he replied, eyeing the big

  man in black armour nervously.

  "what's the trouble, friend?' Kurik asked him.

  'No sensible man goes near Ghazek,' the villager

  replied. 'Most people don't even want to talk about it.'

  "We heard some of the same sort of thing back in

  Venne,' Sparhawk said. 'What's going on at the count's

  house anyway?'

  "I couldn't really say, My Lord,' the man said

  evasively. "I've never been there. I've heard some stories,

  though.'

  'Oh?'

  'People have been disappearing around there. They're

  never seen again, so nobody really knows for sure what

  happened to them. The count's serfs have been running

  away, though, and he's not reputed to be a hard master.

  Something evil is going on in his house, and all the

  people who live nearby are terified.'

  'Do you think the count's responsible?'

  "It's not very likely. The count
's been away from home

  for the past year. He travels around a lot.'

  'We heard that about him.' Sparhawk thought of

  something. , 'Tell me, neighbour, have you seen any

  Styrics lately?'

  'Styrics? No, they don't come into this forest. People

  up here don't like them, and we make the fact well

  known.'

  "I see. How far did you say it is to the count's house?'

  "I didn't say. It's about fifteen leagues, though.'

  'A fellow in Venne said it was forty leagues from there

  to Ghasek,' Kurik told him.

  The villager snorted derisively. 'City folk don't even

  know how far a league is. It can't be much over thirty

  from Venne to Ghasek.'

  'We happened to see somebody back in the woods last

  night,' Kurik said in a mildly conversational tone. 'He

  was wearing a black robe and had his hood up. Could

  that have been one of your neighbours?'

  The sawyers face went very, very' pale. 'Nobody

  around here wears that kind of clothes,' he said shortly.

  'Are you sure?'

  'You heard me. I said nobody in this district dresses

  like that.'

  "It must have been some traveller then.'

  'That must be it.' The villagers tone had become

  unfriendly again, and his eyes were a little wild.

  'Thank you for your time, neighbour,' Sparhawk said,

  turning Faran around to leave the vilage.

  'He knows more than he's saying,' Kurik observed as

  the two of them were passing the last houses.

  'right,' Sparhawk agreed. 'The Seeker doesn't own

  him, but he's very, very much afraid. Let's move right

  along. I want to catch up with the others before dark.'

  They overtook their friends just as the sky to the west

  took on the ruddy glow of sunset, and they made camp

  beside a silent mountain lake not far from the road.

  'You think it's going to rain?' Kalten asked after they

  had eaten supper and sat around the fire.

  'Don't say that,' Talen said. "I only just got dry from all

  that rain in Lamorkand.'

  'it's always possible, of course,' Kurik said in reply to

  Kalten's question. "It's the time of year for it, but I don't

  smell very much moisture in the air."

  Berit came back from where they had picketed the

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  horses. "Sir Sparhawk, there's somebody coming.'

  Sparhawk came to his feet. 'How many?'

  "I only heard one horse. Whoever it is is coming down

  the road from the direction we're going.' The novice

  paused. 'He's pushing his horse very hard,' he added.

  ~that's not too wise,' ulath grunted, ' - considering

  the dark and the condition of that road.'

  "Should we put out the fire?' Bevier asked.

  "I think he's already seen it, Sir Bevier,' Berit replied.

  'Let's see if he decides to stop,' Sparhawk said. 'One

  man all by himself isn't much of a threat.'

  "unless it's the Seeker,' KUrik said, shaking out his

  chain-mace. 'All right, gentlemen,' he said in his gruff,

  drill-sergeants voice, 'spread out and get ready.'

  The knights automatically responded to that note of

  command. They all instinctively recognized the fact that

  Kurik probably knew more about close fighting than any

  man in the four orders. Sparhawk drew his sword,

  suddenly feeling an enormous pride for his friend.

  The traveller reined in his horse on the road not too far

  from their camp. They could all hear the horse panting

  and gasping for breath. 'May I approach?' the man out in

  the darkness pleaded. His voice was shrill and seemed to

  hover on the very brink of hysteria.

  'Come on in, stranger,' Kalten replied easily after a

  quick glance at Kurik.

  The man who came riding out of the darkness was

  flamboyantly, even gaudily dressed. He wore a wide-brimmed,

  plumed hat, a red satin doublet, blue hose and

  knee-length leather boots. He had a lute slung across his

  back, and except for a small dagger at his waist, he

  carried no weapons. His horse lurched and staggered

  with exhaustion, and the rider himself appeared to be in

  much the same condition. 'Thank God,' the man said

  when he saw the armoured knights standing around the

  fire. He swayed dangerously in his saddle and would

  have fallen had not Bevier jumped forward to catch him.

  'The poor fellow seems to be just about played out,'

  Kalten said. "I wonder what's chasing him.'

  'Wolves, maybe.' Tynian shrugged. "I expect he'll tell

  us just as soon as he gets his breath.'

  'Get him some water, Talen,' Sephrenia instructed.

  'Yes, ma'am.' The boy took a pail and went down to

  the lake.

  "just lie back for a few moments,' Bevier told the

  stranger. 'You're safe now.'

  'There's no time,' the man gasped. 'There's something

  of vital urgency I must tell you.'

  'What's your name, friend?' Kalten asked him.

  "I am Arbele, a minstrel by' profession,' the stranger

  replied. "I write poetry and compose the songs I sing for

  the entertainment of lords and ladies. I have just come

  from the house of that monster, Count Ghasek.'

  'That doesn't sound too promising,' ulath muttered.

  Talen brought the water, and Arbele drank greedily.

  'Take his horse down to the lake,' Sparhawk told the

  boy. 'Don't let him drink too much at first.'

  'right,' Talen said.

  'Why do you call the count a monster?' Sparhawk

  asked then.

  'What else would you call a man who seals up a fair

  damsel in a tower?'

  'Who is this fair damsel?' Bevier asked, his voiCe

  strangely intent.

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  'His own sister!' Arbele choked in a tone of outrage. 'A

  lady incapable of wrongdoing.'

  'Did he happen to tell you why?' Tynian asked.

  'He rambled out some nonsense, accusing her of foul

  misdeeds. I refused to listen to him.'

  'Are you sure about this?' Kalten's tone was sceptical.

  'Did you ever see the lady?'

  'Well, no, not really, but the count's servants told me

  about her. They said that she's the greatest beauty in the

  district, and that the count sealed her in that tower when

  he returned from a journey. He drove me and all the

  servants from the castle, and now he proposes to keep

  his sister in that tower for the rest of her life.'

  'Monstrous!' Bevier exclaimed, his eyes afire with

  indignation.

  Sephrenia had been watching the minstrel very

  closely. 'Sparhawk,' she said urgently, motioning him

  away from the fire. The two of them walked off, and

  Kurik followed them.

  'What is it?' Sparhawk asked once they were out of

  earshot.

  'Don't touch him,' she replied, 'and warn the others to

  avoid him as well.'

  "I don't quite follow.'

  "Something's wrong with him, Sparhawk,' Kurik said

  'His eyes aren't right, and he's talking a little
too fast.'

  'He's infected with something,' Sephrenia said.

  'A disease?' Sparhawk shuddered back from the word.

  In a world where plagues were rampant, that word rang

  in human imagination like the clap of doom.

  'Not in the sense you mean,' she replied. 'This is not a

  physical disease. Something has contaminated his mind

  - something evil.'

  'The Seeker?'

  "I don't think so. The symptoms aren't the same. I've

  got a strong feeling that he might be contagious, so keep

  everybody away from him.'

  'He's talking,' Kurik said, 'and he doesn't have that

  wooden face. I think you're right, Sephrenia. I don't

  beLieve it's the Seeker. It's something else.'

  'He's very dangerous just now,' she said.

  'Not for long,' Kurik said bleakly, reaching for his

  mace.

  'Oh, Kurik,' she said in a resigned tone of voice, 'stop

  that. What would Aslade say if she found out you were

  assaulting helpless travellers?'

  'We really don't have to tell her, Sephrenia.'

  'When will the day come when Elenes stop thinking

  with their weapons?' she said in exasperation. Then she

  said something in Styric which Sparhawk did not

  recognize.

  "I beg your pardon?' he said.

  'Never mind.'

  'There's a problem, though,' Kurik said seriously. 'if

  the minstrel's infectious, then Beviers got it too. He

  touched him when he fell off his horse.'

  "I'll keep an eye on Bevier,' she said. 'Perhaps his

  armour protected him. I'll know better in a little while.'

  'And Talen?' Sparhawk asked. 'Did he touch the

  minstrel when he brought him that pale of water?'

  "I don't think so,' she said.

  'Could you cure Bevier if he's caught it?' Kurik asked.

  "I don't even know what it is yet. All I know is that

  something has taken possession of that minstrel. Let's go

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  back and try to keep the others away from him.'

  "I charge you, Knights of the Church,' the minstrel was

  saying in strident tones, rride forthwith to the house of

  the wicked count. Punish him for his cruelty, and free his

  beautiful sister from her undeserved punishment.'

  "yes!' Bevier said fervently.

  Sparhawk looked quickly at Sephrenia, and she

  gravely nodded to advise him that 'Bevier had been

  infected. 'Stay with him, Bevier,' he told the Arcian. 'The

  rest of you, come with me.'

  They walked a short distance from the fire, and

  Sephrenia quietly explained.