2 - The Ruby Knight

by The Ruby Knight [lit]

Occuda showed the others to their rooms, and

  Sparhawk's was the last. 'Wil that be all, Sir Knight?' the

  servant asked politely as they entered.

  'Stay a moment, Occuda,' Sparhawk said.

  'Yes, My Lord.'

  "I've seen you before, you know.'

  'Me, My Lord?'

  "I was in Chyrellos some time ago, and Sephrenia and I

  were watching a house belonging to some Styrics. We

  saw you accompany a woman into that house. Was that

  Lady Bellina?'

  Occuda sighed and nodded.

  "It was what happened in that house that drove her

  mad, you know.'

  "I'd guessed as much.'

  'Can you tell me the whole story? I don't want to

  bother the count with painful questions, but we've got to

  rid Sir Bevier of his obsession.'

  "I understand, My Lord. My first loyalty is to the count,

  but perhaps you should know the details. At least that

  way you may be able to protect yourselves from that

  madwoman.' Occuda sat down, his rugged face mournful.

  The count is a scholarly man, Sir Knight, and he's

  frequently away from home for long periods pursuing

  the stories he's been collecting for decades. His sister,

  Lady Bellina, is - or was - a plain, rather dumpy woman

  of middle years with very little prospects of ever catching

  a husband. This is a remote and isolated house, and

  Bellina suffered from loneliness and boredom. Last

  winter, she begged the count to permit her to visit friends

  in Chyrellos, and he gave her his consent, provided that I

  accompany her.

  "I'd wondered how she got there,' Sparhawk said,

  sitting on the edge of the bed.

  'Anyway,' Occuda continued, 'Bellina's friends in

  chyrellos are giddy, senseless ladies, and they filled her

  ears with stories about a Styric house where a woman's

  youth and beauty could be restored by magic. Bellina

  became inflamed with a wild desire to go to the house.

  Women do things for strange reasons sometimes.'

  'Did she in fact grow younger?'

  "I wasn't permitted to accompany her into the room

  where the Styric magician was, so I can't say what

  happened in there, but when she came out, I scarcely

  recognized her. She had the body and face of a sixteen-year

  -old, but her eyes were dreadful. As I told your

  friend, I've worked with the insane before, so I recognize

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  the signs. I bundled her up and brought her straight back

  to this house, hoping that I might be able to treat her

  here. The count was away on one of his journeys, so he

  had no way of knowing what began to happen after I got

  her home.'

  'And what was that?'

  Occuda shuddered."it was horrible, Sir Knight,' he

  said in a sick voice. "Somehow, she was able to completely

  dominate the other servants. It was as if they were

  powerless to resist her commands.'

  'All except you?'

  "I think the fact that I had been a monk may have

  protected me - either that or she didn't think I was worth

  the trouble."

  'What exactly did she do?' Sparhawk asked him.

  'Whatever it was that she encountered in that house in

  Chyrellos was totally evil, Sir Knight, and it possessed

  her utterly. She would send the servants who were her

  slaves out to surrounding villages by night, and they

  would abduct innocent serfs for her. I discovered later

  that she'd had a torture chamber set up in the cellar of

  this house. She gloried in blood and agonies." Occuda's

  face twisted with revulsion. 'Sir Knight, she fed on

  human flesh and bathed her naked body in human

  %week ago when the count returned to the castle. It was

  late one night when he arrived, and he sent me to the

  cellar for a bottle of wine, though he seldom drinks

  anything but water. When I was down there, I heard

  what sounded like a scream. I went to investigate, and

  opened the door to her secret chamber. I wish to God I

  never had!' He covered his face with his hands, and a

  wracking sob escaped him. 'Bellina was naked,' he

  continued after he had regained his composure, 'and she

  had a serf-girl chained down on a table. Sir Knight, she

  was cutting the poor girl to pieces while she was still

  alive, and she was cramming quivering pieces of flesh

  into her own mouth!' Occuda made a retching sound,

  then clenched his teeth together.

  Sparhawk never knew what impelled him to ask the

  question. 'Was she alone in there?'

  'No, My Lord. The servants who were her slaves were

  there as well, lapping the blood from those dank stones.

  And - ' The lantern-jawed man hesitated.

  'Go on. '

  I canot swear to this, My Lord. My head was reeling,

  but it seemed that at the back of the chamber there was a

  hooded figure all in black, and its presence chilled my soul. '

  'can you give me any details about it?' Sparhawk

  asked.

  Tall, very thin, totally enshrouded in a black robe.'

  'And?' Sparhawk pressed, knowing with eiry certainty

  what came next.

  The room was dark, My Lord,' Occuda apologised,

  'except for the fires in which Bellina heated her

  torturing irons, but from that back corner I seemed to see

  a glow of green. Is that in any way significant?'

  "It may be,' Sparhawk replied bleakly. 'Go on with the

  story.'

  "I ran to inform the count. At first he refused to believe

  me, but I forced him to go to the cellar with me. I thought

  at first he would kill her when he saw what she was

  doing. Would to God that he had. She started screeching

  when she saw him in the doorway and tried to attack him

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  with the knife she'd been using on the serf-girl, but I

  wrested it from her. The thin one in the black robe

  seemed to shrink back when we entered, and when I

  looked for it later, it was gone. The count and I were both

  too sickened and disturbed to go looking for whomever it

  might have been.'

  'Was that when the count locked her in the tower?

  Sparhawk was shaken by the horrible story.

  'That was my idea, actually,' Occuda said grimly. 'At

  the hospice where I served, the violent ones were always

  confined. We dragged her to the tower, and I chained the

  door shut. She will remain there for the rest of her life if

  there's any way I can manage it.'

  'What happened to the other servants?'

  'At first they made attempts to free her, and I had to kill

  several of them. Then, yesterday, the count heard a few

  of them telling a wild story to that silly fool of a minstrel.

  He instructed me' to drive them all out of the castle. They

  milled around outside the gate for a while, and then they

  all ran off.'

  'Was there anything strange about them?'

  'They all had absolutely blank faces,' Occuda replied,

  'and the ones I
killed died without making a sound.'

  "I was afraid of that. We've encountered that before.'

  'What happened to her in that house, Sir Knightt? What

  drove her mad?'

  'You've been trained as a monk, Occuda,' Sparhawk

  said, 'so you've probably had some theological instruction.

  Are you familiar with the name Azash?'

  'The God of the Zemochs.'

  'That's Him. The Styrics in that house in Chyrellos

  were Zemochs, and it's Azash who owns Lady Bellina's

  soul. Is there any way she could possibly have escaped

  from that tower?'

  'Absolutely impossible, My Lord.'

  "Somehow she managed to infect that minstrel, and he

  was able 'to pass it on to Bevier.'

  "She could not have left the tower, Sir Knight,' Occuda

  said adamantly.

  "I'll need to talk with Sephrenia,' Sparhawk said.

  'Thank you for being so honest, Occuda.'

  "I told you all this in the hope that you could help the

  count.' Occuda rose to his feet.

  'We'll do what we can.'

  'Thank you. I'll go chain your friend's door shut.' He

  started towards the door, then turned back. 'Sir Knight,'

  he said in a sombre tone, 'do you think I should kill her?

  Might that not be better?'

  "It may come to that, Occuda,' Sparhawk said frankly,

  'and if you do, you'll have to cut off her head. Otherwise,

  she'll just rise again.'

  "I can do that if I have to. I have an axe, and I'll do

  anything to spare the count more suffering.'

  Sparhawk put a comforting hand on the servant's

  shoulder. "you're a good and true man, Occuda,' he said.

  The count's lucky to have you in his service.'

  Thank you, My Lord.'

  Sparhawk removed his armour and went down the

  corridor to Sephrenia's door.

  "yes?' she said in response to his knock.

  'it's me, Sephrenia,' he said.

  'Come in, dear one,' she said.

  He entered her room. "I had a talk with Occuda,' he

  said.

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  'Oh?'

  "He told me what's been happening here. I'm not sure

  if you want to hear it.'

  'if I'm to cure Bevier, I'm afraid I'll have to.'

  "we were right,' Sparhawk began. 'The Pelosian

  woman we saw going into that Zemoch house in

  chyrellos was the count's sister.'

  "I was sure of it. What else?'

  Briefly, Sparhawk repeated what Occuda had told

  him, glossing over the more gory details.

  "It's consistent,' she said almost clinically. 'That form

  of sacrifice is a part of the worship of Azash.'

  'There's more,' Sparhawk told her. 'When he entered

  the chamber in the cellar, Occuda saw a shadowy figure

  back in one of the corners. It was robed and hooded, and

  its face glowed green.'

  Sephrenia drew in her breath sharply.

  'Could Azash have more than one Seeker out there?'

  'With an Elder God, anything is possible.'

  "It couldn't be the same one,' he said. 'Nothing can be

  in two places at the same time.'

  'As I said, dear one, with an Elder God, anything is

  possible.'

  'Sephrenia,' he said in a strained voice, "I hate to say it,

  but all this is beginning to frighten me just a little.'

  'And me as well, dear Sparhawk. Keep the spear of

  Aldreas close to you. The power of Bhelliom may protect

  you. Now go to bed. I need to think.'

  'Will you bless me before I sleep, little mother?' he

  asked, dropping to his knees. He suddenly felt like a

  small, helpless child. He gently kissed her palms.

  'With all my heart, my dear one,' she replied, enfolding

  his head in her arms and drawing him to her. 'You are

  the best of them all, Sparhawk,' she said to him, 'and if

  you be but strong, not even the gates of Hell can prevail

  against you.'

  As he rose to his feet, flute slid down off her bed and

  gravely came to him. He felt suddenly unable to move.

  The little girl took him by the wrists in a gentle grasp that

  he was powerless to resist. She turned his hands over

  and gently kissed each of his palms, and her kisses

  burned in his blood like holy fire. Shaken, Sparhawk left

  the room without a further word.

  He slept fitfully, waking often and stirring uneasily in

  his bed. The night seemed interminable, and the rumble

  of thunder shook the very foundations of the castle. The

  rain the storm had brought with it clawed at the window

  of the room in which Sparhawk tried to sleep, and water

  ran in torrents from the slate roof to hammer the stones of

  the courtyard. It must have been well past midnight

  when he finally gave up. He threw off his blankets and

  sat moodily on the edge of the bed. What were they going

  to do about Bevier? He knew that the Arcian's faith was

  strong, but the Cyrinic Knight did not have Occuda's

  iron will. He was young and ingenuous, and he had the

  native passion of all Arcians. Bellina could use that to her

  advantage. Even if Sephrenia could rid Bevier of his

  obsessive compulsion, what guarantee would there be

  that Bellina could not reimpose it upon him at any time it

  pleased her? Although he shrank from the idea, Sparhawk

  was forced to admit that the course Occuda had

  suggested might be the only one available to them.

  Then, quite suddenly, he was almost overcome by a

  sense of dread. Something overpoweringly evil was

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  nearby. He rose from the bed, seeking his sword in the

  darkness. Then he went' to the door and opened it.

  The halway outside his room was dimly lit by a single

  torch. Kurik sat dozing in the chair outside Bevier's

  room, but otherwise the hallway was empty. Then

  Sephrenia's door opened, and she came hurrying out

  with flute directly behind her. 'Did you feel it too?'

  'Yes. Can you locate it?'

  She pointed at Bevier's door. "It's in there.'

  'Kurik,' Sparhawk said, touching his squire's

  shoulder.

  Kurik's eyes came open immediately. 'What's the

  trouble?' he asked.

  "Something's in there with Bevier. Be careful.' Sparhawk

  unhooked Occuda's chain, slipped the latch and

  slowly pushed the door open.

  The room was filled with an eerie light. Bevier lay

  tossing on his bed, and over him hovered the misty,

  glowing shape of a naked woman. Sephrenia drew in her

  breath sharply. 'Succubus,' she whispered. She immediately

  began an incantation, motioning sharply to Flute.

  The little girl lifted her pipes and began to play a melody

  so complex that Sparhawk could not even begin to follow

  it. The glowing and indescribably beautiful woman at the

  bedside turned towards the door, drawing its lips back to

  reveal its dripping fangs. It hissed at them spitefully and

  the hiss seemed overlaid by an insect-like stridulation,

  but the glowing figure seemed unable to move. The spell


  continued, and the succubus began to shriek, clutching

  at its head. flute's song grew more stern, and

  Sephrenia's incantation grew louder. The succubus

  began to writhe, screaming imprecations so vile that

  Sparhawk flinched back from them. Then Sephrenia

  lifted one hand and spoke, surprisingly in Elene rather

  than Styric. 'Return to the place from which you came,'

  she commanded, 'and venture forth no more this night!'

  The succubus vanished with a disjointed howl of

  frustration, and leaving behind it the foul odour of decay

  and coruption.

  *Chapter15

  'How did she get out of that tower?' Sparhawk asked in

  a hushed voice. 'There's only one door, and Occuda's got

  it chained shut.'

  "She didn't get out,' Sephrenia replied absently, her

  brow creased with a frown. "I've only seen this happen

  once before,' she added. Then she smiled a bit wryly.

  'We're lucky I remembered the spell.'

  'You're not making any sense, Sephrenia,' Kurik said.

  "She was right here.'

  'No, actually she wasn't. The succubus is not of the

  flesh. It's the spirit of the one who sends it. Bellina's body

  is still confined in that tower, but her spirit roams the

  halls of this melancholy house, infecting everything it

  touches.'

  'Bevier's lost then, isn't he?' Sparhawk asked bleakly.

  'No. I've at least partially freed him of her influence. If

  we move quickly enough, I can clear his mind entirely.

  Kurik, go find Occuda. I need to ask him some

  questions.'

  'Right away,' the squire replied, going out of the door.

  'Won't she come back tomorrow night and infect

  Bevier again?' Sparhawk asked.

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  "I think there's a way to prevent that, but I've got to

  question Occuda to be sure. Don't talk so much,

  Sparhawk. I need to think.' She sat on the bed, rather

  absently laying her hand on Bevier's forehead. He stirred

  restlessly. 'Oh, stop that,' she snapped at the sleeping

  man. She muttered a few words in Styric, and the young

  Arcian suddenly sank back into his pillow.

  Sparhawk waited nervously as the small woman

  pondered the situation. Several minutes later, Kurik

  returned with Occuda. Sephrenia rose to her feet.

  'Occuda,' she began, but then seemed to change her

  mind. 'No,' she said, almost to herself. 'There's a faster

  way. Here's what I want you to do. I want you to think

  back to the moment you opened the door in the cellar only