The Dragon, the Earl, and

by Gordon R. Dickson

  He caught it in one hand, holding the box safely on his knees with the other—but still it stung the skin of his palm. It was heavy and hard; and this in spite of the fact that it seemed to be completely covered by a thick matting of some fine finely tangled material.

  Jim put it close to his nose and sniffed at it. Then he passed it to Brian.

  "Don't say anything out loud just yet, Sir Brian," he said, "but would you smell that?"

  Brian took the object, his eyebrows raising. He put it to his nose, and then lowered it and looked at Jim.

  "Did you ever remember running into that odor before?" asked Jim.

  "I do," said Brian. "It was the stink we ran into in the den of this troll here, below the castle, when we went down to remonstrate with him at Mage Carolinus's command."

  "Yes," said Jim, taking the rounded, heavy ball back from him. "That was what came to my mind when I smelled it, too. By its weight I would judge it indeed to be rock; and it has become completely covered with something that smells strongly of troll. As everyone can see, though I think all here knew it before, trolls have a sort of fine hair or fur all over them; and no doubt they shed this either at certain seasons or regularly, like other furred creatures. I remember noticing this hair clinging to all the lower surfaces in the den; and eighteen hundred years of shedding by Mnrogar could account for it. If this rock came from there, it would be covered and smell of troll so strongly—this is only a guess on my part—"

  "You are right, however, Jim," said Carolinus. "Trolls do shed; and in nearly two thousand years that den of Mnrogar's would be thick with it. Also, any small piece of stone down there would acquire a coating too."

  "Mage!" said the Bishop. "What was the command you gave these two knights to send them down to the troll's den? What specific orders did you give?"

  Carolinus turned and smiled benignly at him.

  "With all respect to your high office in the Church, my Lord Bishop," he said affably, "I must plead the privilege of confidentiality where matters of Magick are concerned."

  The Bishop's jaw clamped shut, but he said nothing further. Carolinus turned back to Jim.

  "I take it you were about to suggest something, Jim," he said.

  "Only that with this on her person, the Lady Agatha could not fail to smell like a troll to another troll from a distance. I believe that, limited as my own human nose is, I can smell this ball at arm's length myself." He looked across at Agatha.

  "I don't suppose you'll deny, Lady Agatha," he said, "that this was the piece of rock with which you played games with Mnrogar during the time you were with him?"

  "No. I don't," said Agatha.

  "So," said Jim, looking at the table. "With due respect, my Lord Bishop, I submit that there is no longer any doubt that the Agatha Falon here in this room is the same child that was stolen away from her father in the first place; and that her father was ill self-advised in never seeing her after she had returned, nor having anything to do with her. So that he fell into the error of assuming that she was a changeling when she was not."

  "A pert knight, this apprentice of yours, Mage," said the Bishop grimly to Carolinus.

  "Nonetheless, my Lord," said Carolinus, "I find myself very much of his opinion. Do not you?"

  "I am considering it," said the Bishop. "In any case, we still have the troll in our hands. Let us at least dispose of him properly."

  The Earl had been regaining his upright posture, and even something of the years he had appeared to lose a little earlier. He was once more upright and bristling.

  "Men-at-arms!" he shouted.

  The door opened and five of his armed men poured into the room, their swords either all the way out or half out of their sheaths.

  "M'Lord?" asked the first one, who was not only oldest but in the lead of the others.

  The Earl pointed at Mnrogar.

  "Take him out," he said. "Slay him! Make sure he is dead!"

  "No!" shrieked Agatha Falon.

  She jumped up, ran across, and fell on her knees in front of the table before the Earl, her hands clasped on the table before him.

  "My Lord, I beg you," she said, "in the name of Heaven's mercy—"

  "Get out! Get out!" snapped the Earl at the men-at-arms, his face turning pink and looking suddenly very flustered. The men-at-arms hastened to do so.

  "In the name of the pity enjoined upon us by the Lord Jesus!" said Agatha. "Let him live! You and your family have owed more to him over many centuries than any of you ever realized! You have grown so used to having your woods fat with game, and free of other night dangers, that you may have forgotten what it is like when trolls come and go through those same woods, killing the finest bucks and other breeds, fighting each other and sometimes even preying on humans. He has never preyed on humans. Spare him, my Lord. I, Agatha Falon on my knees to you, beg you to spare him. Let him live and you will not regret it. Your land will stay clear of other trolls that might ever prey on humans— night-trolls, and other grim creatures. All stay away now for fear of him. You would be doing yourself a disservice to slay him, m'Lord; and you would break my heart!"

  "Lady—Lady Agatha, this—this is not seemly—"

  Sputtering, the Earl got up suddenly, knocking his chair over backward. He hurried around the end of the table and took both her hands in his, raising her to her feet.

  "You must not kneel to me like that," he said. "You must not. Perhaps—perhaps you are right. Perhaps he has been of more benefit than trouble. Still, there are matters of which you do not know that have to do with the very fabric of this castle—"

  "Whatever these other matters are, perhaps Mnrogar will be willing now, to see them as you see them, m'Lord," she said. Her voice softened, became husky and she moved a little closer to him. "If you would endure my presence as a guest for some more little time, perhaps all things between him and your Lordship could be arranged. He is lonely and unhappy, I know; and if I was here, at least for a little while, I could go down and visit him from time to time—"

  She turned to Mnrogar.

  "Would you like me to come down and spend part of an hour or so with you occasionally, grandfather?" she said to him.

  Mnrogar stared at her.

  "Yes," he said.

  She turned back to the Earl.

  "Will you show mercy and charity then, m'Lord?" she said. "And at the same time solve whatever problems you may have in which friendship with Mnrogar could give you? And I—I myself—"

  Her voice became even more low and husky.

  "—would be loath to leave you as well as him and this castle, m'Lord."

  "Harrumph!" The Earl cleared his throat. "Reasonable suggestion! Why not? There's a question of his good behavior, though, if we take him out of those irons—"

  "Oh, m'Lord," said Agatha, "I am sure, so sure he will give you no more cause for worry if you release him. Would you, grandfather?"

  Mnrogar noticeably hesitated before answering.

  "No," he said at last. But Agatha looked over to the Prince at the table; he had woken up somewhere along the line and had been watching everything that was happening and being said with interest.

  "My Royal Lord," she said, "of course if I stay here, this means I would not be returning to London with you. Sad I am not to go back there now to all my friends at the Royal Court. But I feel I have a duty here. Perhaps you will remember me to your Royal father; and say that while I would like to see him again someday, that whether I do or not is in the hands of God."

  "Indeed," said the Prince quite cheerfully, "I will be most happy to carry your message."

  "And you, my Lord Bishop," said Agatha. She still had hold of the Earl's hands. "Are you satisfied now that I am no evil creature, that I have nothing but pure human, Christian blood in my veins?"

  "Daughter," said the Bishop sternly. "Can you say the Lord's Prayer?"

  "If your Lordship wishes," said Agatha. "Pater noster qui es in caelis, sanctifietur nomen…"

  She continued
through all the Latin words of the prayer the Bishop had asked for.

  "Well, well," said the Bishop gruffly, "there is no smoke coming from your ears and nostrils. Perhaps you are indeed innocent in this matter, my child. Nonetheless, you are proposing to visit what is surely an unclean creature from time to time here. Are you sure that your visits will not be involved in anything that would put your immortal soul in danger?"

  "Certainly not, my Lord Bishop," said Agatha seraphically. "Upon my immortal soul, I go only to speak to him from time to time, so that he does not become lonely. For it is the lonely who cause much of the trouble in the world; and often only a little conversation can mend things for them."

  "If it is as you say," said the Bishop, "then I see no reason—in other words, I can hardly bless such endeavors where a creature like this is concerned; but I gather you believe what you intend is an act of charity and that, of course, is always commendable."

  At this moment there was a frantic scratching on the door, followed by an actual knock.

  "Come in!" roared the Earl.

  The older man-at-arms who had led the rest into the room before stepped through the barely opened door just enough to make himself visible.

  "Crave pardon for disturbing you, m'Lord," he said, "but word has just come. The castle is surrounded by trolls in the nearby woods. More than a few of them have been seen from the lookout in his post on top of the high tower."

  "Trolls!" said the Earl, the Bishop and the Bishop's chaplain, all at once. Mnrogar said nothing, but his eyes glittered.

  "Also, m'Lord," said the man-at-arms with a gulp, "the lookout says he is almost sure he has seen one or more dragons landing out there—"

  "Dragons!" snarled Mnrogar. Everybody else stared at him. "On my land?"

  "If there're any dragons," said Jim hastily, "I can handle them. Tell me, lad—"

  Jim had a dislike for using the word "fellow." Though perfectly correct if used by a superior to an inferior whose name he did not know, it also had a contemptuous implication. On the other hand, "lad" implied that you knew the underling you were talking to; and the man-at-arms was at least in his thirties. It was something of a toss-up, therefore, but Jim invariably took the second choice.

  "—how close are these trolls supposed to be to the castle?"

  "They were only seen for moments, m'Lord, as they passed cleared spaces among the trees, one at a time or sometimes two," answered the man-at-arms, "a half-mile off or perhaps a little further."

  "I thought as much," said Jim. "They won't be too anxious to get any closer than that." He looked over at Angie. "However, Lady Angela, perhaps we had best put off the entertainment we had planned while the daylight lasted?"

  "Take off these," snarled Mnrogar, lifting the chains. "Let me go out with you. There are two there that want me—and they can have their chance. The rest are only come to see what happens, in spite of what the pair that seeks me may believe."

  "Hah!" said the Earl, his mustache bristling. "Do you think that such as we have to hide behind a troll against other trolls? No! Any trolls approach us at their peril—I care not what the numbers."

  "And I will go with whoever goes out!" said the Bishop. "Bearing a mace—"

  "My Lord," interrupted the chaplain in a low reproachful tone, "the days of Bishop Odo are long over."

  "Well then, bearing a cross," said the Bishop, "a good, heavy, metal cross. We must have such around the castle here some place!"

  Angie looked at Jim.

  "It was to be put on right close to the castle," she said.

  "And as for that," said Brian, "there are a few of we gentlemen of coat armor among the guests, who would like nothing better than to find a troll who would stand before us. As for the dragons—"

  "Never mind the dragons," said Jim firmly. "The lookout was excited by seeing trolls, and probably mistook some large birds for them. Forget the dragons. Actually, I would second Mnrogar. I believe that most of the trolls are no threat. They have long since learned to run from armed humans; and also there are only two to seek Mnrogar and battle with him for this land."

  "What gives them the audacity to think they'll win land here by slaying this troll—well, well, dammit, leave all that aside for now," said the Earl.

  He made an obvious effort and lowered his voice.

  "The fact is," he said, "I have no lack of men-at-arms; and, even if there were no other people guesting here at this time, I would go forth on my own earth wherever I want, no matter how many trolls be sighted from the tower."

  "Good!" said Angie quickly, before Jim could say anything more. "Well, I guess that settles it, then, doesn't it, my Lord James?"

  Jim looked at her and around at the other faces, all but the chaplain's animated with martial fervor.

  "I guess it does," he said.

  Chapter 42

  "But how did you get the stand moved from the tourney ground to here?" asked Jim.

  They were in the spot where Angie's planned entertainment was going to be put on. Trees seemed to surround them completely; though of course those between them and the castle—which could be seen faintly between the tree trunks—were only an illusion created by Jim's magic. The set for the play to be put on, which Jim had envisioned and created also by magic, was already set up.

  It consisted of the framework of part of a barn, including a small section of roof over the stall which was to hold the crib in which the Christ child was supposed to be sleeping. On the other side of the low walls on either side of the crib manger was another stall with walls and part of the wall of the structure; with an ox on one side, and on the other a creature that Jim suspected to be a mule, rather than an actual ass or donkey.

  Angie was already dressed in a white flowing robe—Jim wondered where she had gotten the material—which made her look rather heavy, since it was necessarily over a lot of other clothes, in spite of the fact that the area around the manger was magically heated. Robert Falon was happily asleep under covers in the warm manger.

  A short distance from where he and Angie stood, in the open snow between them and the stands, squatted Mnrogar, facing the actual forest itself rather than the magical trees between them and the castle. He was not moving. He was doing nothing but waiting—but the very motionlessness of his posture conveyed an ominous sense of latent threat.

  "Carolinus moved it for me," said Angie.

  "Carolinus?" said Jim. "You've been talking to him, then?" He felt a sudden burst of anger. "I've been trying to get a word with him, ever since we met in that room where Mnrogar and Agatha were put on sort of an unofficial trial."

  "Oh, yes," said Angie. "He showed up as soon as 1 was out here, and asked if he could do anything to help; so I said it would be nice to have the stands and he just sort of waved his hands and here they were, instead of back down where they had been."

  "I don't know what he's up to," said Jim. "But I'm willing to bet it's something. And I don't like it."

  He hitched up the waist of his own brown robe, which he was wearing over his own heavy clothing and light armor, as a costume for his role of Joseph. It was actually more like the friar's robe it had started life as, than something worn in Biblical times. But the audience could be counted on to be very tolerant as far as both costume and staging went.

  Jim had just gotten here, after having let Angie go out ahead with a small contingent of men-at-arms, who were now posted around the clearing—and looking not at all pleased about it; since by now the word that there were trolls all around the castle had penetrated everywhere. Depending upon how they felt, people were either feeling timorous, or breathing fire and eagerly looking forward to the chance of combat with something unhuman.

  Jim looked at the stands; for now, happily, they were still empty. There had been some discussion among the male guests as to whether the ladies should go outside at all.

  It had been settled by the ladies determining that they would be going out, and managing to impress this point of view upon their m
ale opposite numbers. They were not going to be done out of watching an entertainment, simply because the gentlemen might consider it some trouble to keep them safe. They would keep themselves safe, thank you—and there was not one of them who was not herself armed and ready—decorously so, of course, with the poignard or other long dagger, strapped to the waist, but either covered by something like a sash, or hidden between two folds of a skirt.

  Geronde, in the forefront of the women who were determined to go watch the play, had caused something more than a usual disturbance by insisting that she was going to carry a boar-spear. It was her favorite weapon and the one with which she had actually tried to face Jim in his dragon body, when Jim had first landed in her castle as part of an effort to save her from being held prisoner there. Still, there were those who thought that she carried her ideas of freedom a little too far, particularly for an unmarried woman.

  On the other hand, she had never been known to pay attention to anyone but Brian; so gossip had nothing specific to chew on.

  It had all been settled by a compromise, whereby a man-at-arms would attend her, carrying the boar-spear himself, but under strict orders to hand it to her in case of danger. She also, of course, had a very wicked-looking knife in a sheath at her waist. But her fondness was for the boar-spear. It was light, useful, and the crosspiece that was designed to keep the boar from charging up at whoever was using it against him, would also hold off any troll or anything else trying to get within arm's length of her.

  In fact, she had almost convinced a number of other ladies to use the same weapon. But not quite. There was enough opinion of the unladylike quality to doing so, that held back some others who longed for larger weapons themselves. It would be a little indelicate to do so in public, where the story of their activities could be spread around. Geronde, herself, was famous for not giving a hoot about what people said about her.

  "We're going to have to make up the dialogue as we go along, of course," Jim said now to Angie. "Happily, it's just you and I."

  "That's the good part," said Angie. "But what I want to do is start out and tell them the story ahead of time, so they'll know what to expect. They'll still have the surprises later on when we let the Earl and a few others to come up and find out there's an actual living babe in the manger."