2 - The Ruby Knight Read online

  I will not be a party to that,' he said stiffly. "I know that

  you are Styric, Madame, and therefore ignorant of the

  dictates of the true faith, but how dare you propose to

  'practise your black arts in my presence? I am a Churchman,

  after all.'

  "I think that in time you may be obliged to modify your

  views, Your Grace,' Ulath said calmly. 'The militant

  orders are the arm of the Church. We receive instruction

  in the secrets so that we may better serve her. This

  practice has been approved by every Archprelate for nine

  hundred years.'

  'indeed,' Sephrenia added, 'no Styric will •consent to

  teach the Knights until approval is given by each new

  Archprelate. '

  "Should it come to pass that I ascend the throne •in

  Chyrellos, that practice shall cease.'

  'Then the west will surely •be doomed,' she predicted,

  "for without these Arts, the Church Knights will be

  helpless against Azash, and without the Knights, the

  west will fall before the hordes of Otha.'

  'We have no evidence that Otha is coming.'

  'We have no evidence •that summer is coming either,'

  she said drily. She looked at Alstrom. "I believe I have a

  plan that may effect our escape, My Lord, but first I'll

  need to go to your kitchen and talk with your cook.'

  He looked puzzled. 'The plan involves certain ingredients •normally found

  in kitchens. I need to be certain they're available.'

  'There's a guard at the door, Madame,' he said. 'He

  Will escort you to the kitchen.'

  'Thank you, My Lord. Come along, •flute.' And she

  went out.

  'What's she up to?' Tynian asked.

  'Sephrenia almost never explains things in advance,'

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  Kalten told him. 'Or afterwards either, I've noticed,' Talen •

  added,

  looking up from his drawing. 'Speak when you're spoken to,' Berit •

  told him.

  'If I did that, I'd forget how to talk.'

  "Surely you're not going to permit this, Alstrom?'

  Ortzel said angrily.

  "I don't have much choice,' Alstrom replied. 'We

  absolutely must get you to safety, and this seems to be

  the only way.'

  "did you see Krager out there too?' Kalten asked

  Sparhawk.

  'No, but I imagine he's around somewhere. Somebody's

  got to keep an eye on Adus.'

  "is this Adus so very dangerous?' Alstrom asked.

  "He's an animal, My Lord,' Kalten replied, 'and a very

  stupid one. Sparhawk's promised that I get to kill Adus if

  I don't interfere when he goes after Martel. Adus can

  barely talk, and he kills for the sheer pleasure of it.'

  "he's dirty and he smells bad too,' Talen added. 'He

  chased me down a street once in Cammoria, and the

  odour almost knocked me off my feet.'

  "you think Martel might be with them?' Tynian asked

  hopefully.

  "I doubt it,' Sparhawk said. "I think I nailed his foot •to

  the floor down in Rendor. It's my guess that he set things

  up here in Lamorkand and then went to Rendor to hatch

  things there. Then he sent Krager and Adus back here to

  set things in motion.'

  'I think the world would be better off •without this

  martel of yours,' Alstrom said.

  "we're going to do what we can to arrange that, My

  Lord,' Ulath rumbled.

  A few moments later, Sephrenia and Flute •returned.

  "did you find the things you need?' Sparhawk asked.

  "most of them,' she replied. "I can make the others.'

  she looked at Ortzel. 'You might wish to retire, Your

  grace,' she suggested. "I don't want to offend your

  sensibilities. '

  I will remain, Madame,' he said coldly. 'Perhaps my

  presence will prevent this abomination from coming to

  be."

  perhaps, but I rather doubt it.' She pursed her lips

  and looked critically at the small earthen jar she had

  carried from the kitchen. 'Sparhawk,' she said, "I'm

  going to need an empty barrel.'

  ' He went to the door and spoke with the guard.

  Sephrenia walked to the table and picked up a crystal

  goblet. She spoke at some length in Styric, and with a soft

  rustling sound, the goblet was suddenly filled with a

  powder that looked much like lavender sand.

  'Outrageous,' Ortzel muttered. Sephrenia ignored him.

  'Tell me, •My Lord,' she said to

  Alstrom, 'you have pitch and naphtha, I assume.'

  'Of course. They're a part of the castle's defences.'

  'Good. If this is to work, we're going to need them.

  The soldier entered, rolling a barrel.

  'Right here, please,' she instructed, pointing to a spot

  away from the fire. He set the barrel upright, saluted the •

  baron and left.

  Sephrenia spoke briefly to Flute. The little girl nodded

  and lifted her pipes. Her melody was strange, hypnotic

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  and languorous. The Styric woman stood over the barrel, speaking in

  Styric and holding the jar in one hand and the goblet in

  the other. Then she began to pour their contents into the

  barrel. The pungent spices in the jar and the lavender

  sand in the goblet came spilling out, but neither vessel

  emptied. The two streams, mixing as they fell, began to

  glow, and the room was suddenly filled with star-like

  glitterings that soared, firefly-like, and sparkled on the

  walls and ceiling. Minute after minute the small woman

  poured on and on from the two seemingly inexhaustible

  containers.

  It took nearly half an hour to fill the barrel. 'There,'

  Sephrenia said at last, 'that should be enough.' She

  looked down into the glowing barrel.

  Ortzel was making strangling sounds.

  She put the two containers far apart on the table. "I

  wouldn't let these two get mixed together, My Lord,' she

  cautioned Alstrom, 'and keep them away from any kind

  of fire.' What are we doing here?' Tynian asked her.

  "we must drive the Seeker away, Tynian. We'll mix

  what's in this barrel with naphtha and pitch and load the

  siege engines with the mixture. Then we'll ignite

  it and throw it in amongst Count Gerich's troops. The

  flame will force them to withdraw, temporarily at least.

  Thats not the main reason we're doing it, however. The

  Seeker has a much different breathing apparatus from

  that of humans. While the fumes are noxious to humans,

  to the Seeker they're lethal. It wil either flee or die.'

  That sounds encouraging,' he said.

  "was it really all' so very terrible, Your Grace?' she

  asked Ortzel. 'it's going to save your life, you know.'

  his face was troubled. 'I had always thought that Styric

  magic was mere trickery, but there was no way you

  could have done what I just saw by charlatanism. I will

  prey on this matter. I will seek guidance from God.'

  "I wouldn't take too long, Your Grace,' Kalten advised.

  if you do, it coul
d be that you'll arrive in Chyrellos just in

  time to kiss the ring of the Archprelate Annias.'

  That must never happen,' Alstrom declared sternly.

  "The siege at the gates is my concern, Orttzel, not yours.

  Therefore I must regretfully withdraw my hospitality.

  You will leave my castle just as soon as it's convenient."

  "Alstrom!" Ortzel gasped. "This is my home. I was born here."

  "But our father leftit to me. Your proper home is in the

  Basilika of Chyrellos. I advise you to go there at once."

  *Chapter6

  'We'll need to go to the highest point in your castle, My

  Lord,' Sephrenia said after the Patriarch of Kadach had

  angrily stormed from the room.

  'That would be the north tower,' he replied.

  'And can one see the besieging army from there?'

  'Yes.'

  'Good. First, however, we must give your soldiers

  instructions on how to proceed with this.' She pointed at

  the barrel. 'All right, gentlemen,' she said crisply, 'don't

  just stand there. Pick the barrel up and bring it along, and

  whatever you do, don't drop it or get it near any fire.'

  Her instructions to the soldiers manning the catapults

  were fairly simple, explaining the proper mixture of the

  powder, naphtha and pitch. 'Now,' she went on, 'listen

  very carefully. Your own safety depends on this. Do not

  set fire to the naphtha until the last possible instant, and

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  if any of the smoke blows in your direction, hold your

  breath and run. Under no circumstances breathe any of

  those fumes.'

  'Will they kill us?' one soldier asked in a frightened

  voice.

  'No, but they'll make you ill and confuse your minds.

  Cover your noses and mouths with damp cloths. That

  may protect you a bit. Wait for the baron's signal from the

  north tower.' She tested the wind direction. 'Hurl the

  burning material to the north of those troops on the

  causeway,' she told them, 'and don't forget to throw

  some at those ships in the river as well. Very well then,

  Baron Alstrom. Let's go to the tower.'

  As it had been for the last several days, the sky was

  cloudy, and a brisk wind whistled through the unpaned

  embrasures of the north tower. Like all such purely

  defensive constructions, the tower was severely utilitarian.

  The besieging army of Count Gerrich looked oddly

  ant-like, a mass of tiny men with armour glinting the

  colour of pewter in the pale light. Despite the height of

  the tower, an occasional crossbow bolt chinked against

  its weathered stones.

  'Be careful,' Sparhawk murmured to Sephrenia as she

  thrust her head out of one of the embrasures to peer at

  the troops massed before the gate.

  'There's no danger,' she assured him as the wind

  whipped at her hooded white robe. 'My Goddess

  protects me.'

  "you can believe in your Goddess all you want,' he

  replied, "but your safety is my responsibility. Have you any

  idea of what Vanion would do to me if I let you get hurt?'

  'And that's only after I got through with him,' Kalten

  growled.

  She stepped back from the embrasure and stood

  tapping one finger thoughtfully against her pursed lips.

  'Forgive me, Madame,' Alstrom said. 'I recognize the

  necessity of chasing off that creature out there, but a

  purely temporary withdrawal of Gerich's troops won't

  really do us all that much good. They'll return as soon as

  the smoke dissipates, and we still won't be any closer to

  getting my brother safely away from here.'

  'if we do this right, they won't return for several days,

  My Lord. '

  'Are the fumes that powerful?'

  'No. They'll clear off in an hour or so.'

  That's hardly time enough for you to make good your

  escape,' he pointed out. 'What's to prevent Gerrich from

  coming back and continuing the siege?'

  'He's going to be very busy.'

  'Busy? With what!'

  'He's going to be chasing some people."

  'And who is that?'

  'You, me, Sparhawk and the others, your brother, and

  a fair number of men from your garrison.'

  'I don't think that's wise, Madame,' Alstrom said

  critically. 'We have secure fortifications here. I don't

  propose to abandon them and risk all our lives in flight.'

  'We're not going anywhere just yet.'

  'But you just said - '

  'Gerrich and his men will think they're pursuing us.

  What they'll actually be chasing, however, will be an

  illusion.' She smiled briefly. "Some of the best magic is

  illusion,' she said. 'You trick the mind and the eye into

  believing wholly in something that's not really there.

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  Gerrich will be absolutely convinced that we're trying to

  take advantage of the confusion to bolt. He'll follow with

  his army, and that should give us plenty of time to slip

  your brother away to safety. Is that forest on the horizon

  fairly extensive?'

  'it goes on for several leagues.'

  'Very good. We'll lead Gerrich in there with our

  illusion and let him wander around amongst the trees for

  the next few days.'

  'I thinnk there's a flaw here, Sephrenia,' Sparhawk said.

  'Won't the Seeker come back just as soon as the smoke

  clears? I don't think an illusion would deceive it, would it?'

  'The Seeker won't come back for at least a week,' she

  assured him. 'it will be very, very ill.'

  "Should I signal the troops manning the catapults?'

  Alstrom asked.

  'Not yet, My Lord. We have other things to do first.

  Timing is very important in this. Berit, I'll need a basin of

  water.'

  'Yes, ma'am.' The novice went towards the stairs.

  'Very well, then,' she continued. 'Let's get started.'

  She patiently began to instruct the Church Knights in the

  spell. There were Styric words Sparhawk had not learned

  before, and Sephrenia adamantly insisted that each of

  them repeat them over and over until pronunciation and

  intonation were absolutely perfect. 'Stop that!' she commanded

  at one point when Kalten tried to join in.

  'I thought I could help,' he protested.

  "I know just how inept you are at this, Kalten. Just stay

  out of it. All right, gentlemen, let's try it again.'

  Once she was satisfied with their pronunciation, she

  instructed Sparhawk to weave the spell. He began to

  repeat the Styric words and to gesture with his fingers.

  The figure that appeared in the centre of the room was

  vaguely amorphous, but it did appear to be wearing

  Pandion black armour.

  "you didn't put a face on it, Sparhawk,' Kalten

  pointed out.

  "I'll take care of that,' Sephrenia said. She spoke two

  words and gestured sharply.

  Sparhawk stared at the shape before him. It was much

  like looking into a mirror.

  Sephrenia was frowning.


  "Something wrong?' Kalten asked her.

  "it's not too hard to duplicate familiar faces,' she

  said, 'or those of people who are actually present, but

  if I have to go look at the face of everybody in the castle, ,

  this could take days.'

  "would these help?' Talen asked, handing her his

  pad.

  She leafed through the pages, her eyes widening as

  she turned each page. 'The boy's a genius!' she exclaimed.

  Kurik, when we get back to Cimmura, apprentice

  him to an artist. That might keep him out of trouble.'

  "it's only a hobby, Sephrenia,' Talen said, blushing

  modestly.

  'You do know that you could make far more as a

  painter than as a thief, don't you?' she said pointedly.

  He blinked, and then his eyes narrowed speculatively.

  'All right. Now it's your turn, Tynian,' Sephrenia told

  the Deiran.

  After each had created a mirror image of himself, she

  led them to an embrasure overlooking the courtyard.

  'We'll build the large illusion down there,' she told them.

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  'it might get a little crowded if we tried to do it up here.'

  It took them an hour to complete the illusion of a mass

  of armed and mounted men down in the courtyard. Then

  Sephrenia went through Talen's sketch pad again and

  put a' face on each figure. Then she made a broad sweep

  of her arm, and the images of the Church Knights joined

  the illusion below.

  'They aren't moving,' Kurik said.

  'Flute and I will take care of that,' Sephrenia told him.

  'The rest of you will need to concentrate to keep the

  images from breaking up. You'll have to hold them

  together until they reach that forest over there.'

  Sparhawk was already sweating. Building a spell and

  then releasing it was one thing. Holding one in place was

  quite- something else. He suddenly realized how much

  strain Sephrenia was bearing.

  It was early afternoon by now. Sephrenia looked

  through the embrasure at Count Gerich's troops. 'All

  right,' she said. 'I guess we're ready. Signal the catapults,

  My Lord,' she said to Alstrom.

  The baron took a piece of red cloth out from under his

  sword-belt and waved it out of the embrasure. Below, the

  catapults began to thud, hurling their burning missiles

  over the wall and into the midst of the besieging army

  while other engines showered the ships in the river.

  Even from this distance, Sparhawk could hear the

  soldiers coughing and choking on the dense cloud of