2 - The Ruby Knight Read online

  lavender smoke coming from the burning balls of pitch,

  naphtha and Sephrenia's powder. The smoke rolled

  across the field in front of the castle, sparkling with that

  firefly glitter. Then it engulfed the knoll where Gerrich,

  Adus and the Seeker were standing. Sparhawk heard an

  animal-like screech, and then the black-robed Seeker

  burst from the smoke, flogging its horse mercillessly. It

  seemed unsteady in its saddle, and it was holding the

  edge of its hood tightly across its face with one pale claw.

  The soldiers who had been blocking the road leading

  from the castle gate came reeling out of the smoke,

  coughing and retching.

  'All right, My Lord,' Sephrenia said to Alstrom, 'lower

  the drawbridge.'

  Alstrom signalled again, this time with a green cloth. A

  moment later, the drawbridge boomed down.

  'Now, flute,' Sephrenia said, and began to speak

  .rapidly in Styric even as the little girl raised her pipes.

  The mass of illusory men in the courtyard, who had

  until now been rigidly immobile, seemed to come to life

  all at once. They rode out through the gate at a gallop and

  plunged directly into the smoke. Sephrenia passed her

  hand over the basin of water Berit had brought to the

  tower and peered intently into it. 'Hold them, gentlemen,'

  she said. 'Keep them intact.'

  A half-dozen of Gerich's soldiers who had escaped

  from the smoke stood coughing, retching and digging at

  their eyes on the causeway leading away from the castle.

  The illusory army rode directly through them. The

  soldiers fled screaming.

  'Now we wait,' Sephrenia said. 'It's going to take a few

  minutes for Gerich to get his wits together and realize

  what seems to be happening down there.'

  Sparhawk heard startled shouts coming from below

  and then bellowed commands.

  'A little faster, Flute,' Sephrenia said quite calmly. 'We

  don't want Gerrich to catch up with the illusion. He

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  might begin to grow suspicious if his sword goes through

  the Baron here without any effect.'

  Alstrom was staring at Sephrenia in awe. 'I would not

  have believed this possible, My Lady,' he said in 'a

  shaking voice.

  'It did turn out rather well, didn't it?' she said. 'I wasn't

  entirely positive I could pull it off.'

  'You mean - '

  'I've never done it before, but we can't learn without

  experimentation, can we?'

  On the field below, Gerrich's troops were scrambling

  into their saddles. Their pursuit was disorganized, a

  chaos of galloping horses and brandished weapons.

  'They didn't even think to charge that open drawbridge,'

  Ulath noted critically. 'Very unprofessional.'

  'They aren't thinking very clearly just now,' Sephrenia

  told him. 'The smoke does that to people. Are they all

  clear of the area yet?'

  'There are a few still floundering around down there,'

  Kalten advised. 'They seem to be trying to catch their

  horses.'

  'Let's give them time to get out of our way. Continue to

  hold the illusion, gentlemen,' she said, looking into her

  basin of water. 'it's still a couple of miles to those woods.'

  Sparhawk clenched his teeth. 'Can't you speed things

  up a bit?' he asked her. 'This isn't easy, you know.'

  'Nothing worthwhile is ever easy, Sparhawk,' she told

  him. 'if the images of those horses start to fly, Gerrich is

  going to get very, very suspicious - even in his present

  condition. '

  'Berit,' Kurik said, 'you and Talen come with me. Let's

  go down and get the horses ready. I think we all might

  want to leave in a hurry.'

  'I'll go with you,' Alstrom said. 'I want to talk with my

  brother before he leaves. I'm sure I've offended him, and

  I'd rather have us part friends.'

  The four of them went on down the stairs.

  ,"just a few minutes longer now,' Sephrenia said,

  "we're almost to the edge of the woods.'

  'You look as if you just fell into a river,' Kalten said,

  glancing at Sparhawk's sweaty face.

  'Oh, shut up,' Sparhawk said irritably.

  There,' Sephrenia said finally. 'Let it go now.'

  Sparhawk let out an explosive breath of relief and

  released the spell. Flute lowered her pipes and winked at

  him.

  Sephrenia continued to look into her basin. 'Gerich's

  about a mile from the edge of the trees,' she reported. 'I

  think we should let him get well into the woods before

  we leave.'

  "whatever you say,' Sparhawk replied, leaning

  wearily against a wall.

  It was about fifteen minutes later when Sephrenia set

  her basin on the floor and straightened. 'I think we can go

  down now,' she said.

  They descended to the courtyard where Kurik, Talen

  and Berit had the horses. The Patriarch Ortzel, stifflipped

  and pale with anger, was with them, and his

  brother was at his elbow. 'I shall not forget this, Alstrom,'

  he said, pulling his black ecclesiastical robe tighter about

  him.

  'You may feel differently after you've had time to think

  about it. Go with God, Ortzel.'

  'Stay with God, Alstrom,' Ortzel replied, more out of

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  habit, Sparhawk thought, than from any real sense of

  emotion.

  They mounted and rode out through the gate and on

  across the drawbridge. 'Which way?' Kalten asked

  Sparhawk.

  'North,' Sparhawk replied. 'Let's get clear of this place

  before Gerrich comes back.'

  'That's supposed to be a number of days."

  'Let's not take any chances.'

  They rode north at a gallop. It was late afternoon by the

  time they reached the shallow ford where they had first

  encountered Sir Enmann. Sparhawk reined in and dismounted.

  'let's consider our options,' he said.

  'What precisely did you do back there, Madame?'

  Ortzel was saying to Sephrenia. 'I was in the chapel, and

  so I did not see what happened.'

  'A bit of deception is all, Your Grace,' she replied.

  'Count Gerich thought he saw your brother and the rest

  of us escaping. He gave chase.'

  'That's all?' He looked surprised. 'You didn't - ' He

  left it hanging. 'Kill anybody?'

  'No. I strongly disapprove of killing.'

  'That's one thing we agree about anyway. You're a

  very strange woman, Madame. Your morality seems to

  coincide rather closely with that laid down by the true

  faith. I would not have expected that from a heathen.

  Have you ever given any thought to conversion?'

  She laughed. 'You too, Your Grace? Dolmant's been

  trying to convert me for years now. No, Ortzel. I'll

  remain faithful to my Goddess. I'm far too old to change

  religions at this stage in my life.'

  'Old, Madame? You?'

  'You wouldn't believe it, Your Grace,' Sparhawk told
<
br />   him.

  'You have all given me much to consider,' Ortzel said.

  'I have followed what I perceived to be the letter of

  Church doctrine. Perhaps I should look beyond that

  perception and seek guidance from God.' He walked

  a little way upstream, his face lost in thought.

  'it's a step,' Kalten muttered to Sparhawk.

  'A fairly big one, I'd say.'

  Tynian had been standing at the edge of the shallow

  ford looking thoughtfully towards the west. 'I have an

  idea, Sparhawk,' he said.

  'I'm willing to listen.'

  'Gerich and his soldiers are all searching that forest,

  and if Sephrenia's right, the Seeker will be unable to give

  chase for at least a week. There won't be any enemies on

  the other side of this river.'

  'That's true, I suppose. We should probably have a

  look around on the other side before we get overconfident,

  though. '

  'All right. That's the safest way, I suppose. What I'm

  getting at is that if there aren't any troops over there, it

  won't take more than a couple of us to escort His Grace

  safely to Chyrellos while the rest of us go on to Lake

  Randera. If things are quiet, we don't all have to ride to

  the Holy City.'

  'He's got a good point, Sparhawk,' Kalten agreed.

  'I'll think about it,' Sparhawk said. 'Let's go on across

  and have a look around before we make any decisions.'

  They remounted and splashed on across the shallow

  ford. There was a thicket on the far side. 'It's going to get

  dark soon, Sparhawk,' Kurik said, 'and we're going to

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  have to make camp. Why don't we hole up in that thicket

  for the night. Once it gets completely dark, we can come

  out and look for campfires. No group of soldiers is going

  to set up for the night without building fires, and we'll be

  able to see them. That would be a lot easier and faster

  than riding up and down the river all day tomorrow

  trying to flush them out.'

  'Good idea. Let's do it that way then.'

  They made camp for the night in the centre of the

  thicket and built only a small cook-fire. By the time they

  had finished eating, night had fallen over Lamorkand.

  Sparhawk rose to his feet. 'All right,' he said, 'let's go and

  have a look. Sephrenia, you and the children and His

  Grace stay here out of sight.' He led the way out of the

  thicket. Once they were clear of the trees, he and his

  companions fanned out, all of them peering intently into

  the night. The clouds obscured the moon and stars and

  made the darkness almost total.

  Sparhawk moved around the thicket. On the far side

  he bumped into Kalten.

  'It's darker than the inside of your boots out here,'

  Kalten said.

  'did you see anything?'

  'Not a glimmer. There's a hill on the back side of these

  trees, though. Kurik's going up to the top to look

  around.'

  'Good. I'll trust Kurik's eyes any time.'

  'Me too. Why don't you get him knighted, Sparhawk?

  When you get right down to it, he's better than any of us. '

  'Aslade would kill me. She's not set up to be the wife of

  a knight.' Kalten laughed as they moved on, straining their eyes

  into the blackness.

  'Sparhawk.' Kurik's voice came from not far away.

  'Over here.'

  The squire joined them. 'That's a fairly high hil,' he

  puffed. The only light I saw was coming from a village a

  mile or so to the south.'

  'You're sure it wasn't a campfire?' Kalten asked him.

  'Campfires make a different kind of light than lamps

  shining through a dozen windows, Kalten.'

  'That's true, I suppose.'

  'I suppose that's it, then,' Sparhawk said. He raised his

  fingers to his lips and whistled, a signal for the others to

  return to the camp.

  'What do you think?' Kalten asked as they pushed their

  way through the stiffly rustling brush towards the centre of

  the thicket where the dim light of their banked cook-fire

  was scarcely more than a faint red glow in the darkness.

  let's ask His Grace,' Sparhawk replied. 'It's his neck

  we'll be risking.' They entered the brush-clogged encampment

  and Sparhawk pushed back the hood of his

  cloak. we have a decision to make, Your Grace,' he told

  the patriarch. The area appears to be deserted. Sir

  Tynian has suggested that two of us could escort you to

  Chyrellos in as much safety as the whole group. Our

  search for Bhelliom must not be delayed if we're to keep

  Annias off the Archprelate's throne. The choice is up to

  you, though.'

  'I can go on to Chyrellos alone, Sir Sparhawk. My

  brother is overly concerned about my well-being. My faith

  alone will protect me.'

  'I'd rather not gamble on that, your Grace. You'll recall

  that I mentioned that something was pursuing us?'

  "yes. I believe you called it a Seeker.'

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  "exactly. The creature is ill now because of the fumes

  Sephrenia created, but there's no way to be positive of

  how long its illness will last. It wouldn't look upon you as

  an enemy, though. If it should attack, run away. It's

  Unlikely that it would follow you. I think that under the

  circumstances, though, Tynian's right. Two of us will be

  sufficient to ensure your safety.'

  'As you see fit, my son.'

  The others had entered the camp during the conversation,

  and Tynian volunteered immediately.

  "no.' Sephrenia rejected that idea. 'You're the one

  most skilled at necromancy. We're going to need you as

  soon as we reach Lake Randera.'

  'I'll go,' Bevier said. 'I have a fast horse and can catch

  up with you at the lake.'

  'I'll go with him,' Kurik offered. 'if you run into more

  trouble, Sparhawk, you'll need knights with you.'

  'There's not that much difference between you and a

  night, Kurik.'

  'I don't wear armour, Sparhawk,' the squire pointed

  out. 'The spectacle of Church Knights charging with

  lances makes people start thinking about their own

  mortality. It's a good way to avoid serious fighting.'

  'He's right, Sparhawk,' Kalten said, 'and if we run into

  more Zemochs and church soldiers, you're going to need

  men wearing steel around you.'

  'All right,' Sparhawk agreed. He turned to Ortzel. 'I

  want to apologize for having offended Your Grace,' he

  said. 'I don't really see that we had much choice, though.

  If we'd all been forced to stay forted up in your

  brother's castle, both of our missions would have failed,

  and the Church could not afford that.'

  'I still do not entirely approve, Sir Sparhawk, but your

  argument is most cogent. No apology is necessary.'

  'Thank you, Your Grace,' Sparhawk said. 'Try to get

  some sleep. You'll be a long time in the saddle tomorrow,

  I think.' He stepped away from the
fire and rummaged

  through one of the packs until he found his map. Then he

  motioned to Bevier and Kurik. 'Ride due west tomorrow,'

  he told them. 'Try to get back across the border

  into Pelosia before dark. Then go south to Chyrellos on

  that side of the line. I don't think even the most rabid

  Lamork soldier will violate that boundary and risk a

  confrontation with Pelosian border patrols.'

  'Sound reasoning,' Bevier approved.

  'When you get to Chyrellos, drop Ortzel off at the

  Basilica then go and see Dolmant. Tell him what's been

  going on here and ask him to pass the word on to Vanion

  and the other Preceptors. Urge them very strongly to

  resist the idea of sending the Church Knights out here

  into the hinterlands to put out the brush-fires Martel's

  been starting. We're going to need the four orders in

  Chyrellos if Archprelate Cluvonus dies, and luring them

  out of the Holy City's what's been behind all of Martel's

  scheming.'

  'We will, Sparhawk,' Bevier promised.

  'Make the trip as quickly as you can. His Grace appears

  to be fairly robust, so a little hard riding won't hurt him.

  The quicker you get across the border into Pelosia, the

  better. Don't waste any time, but be careful.'

  "you can count on that, Sparhawk,' Kurik assured him.

  "we'll rejoin you at Lake Randera as soon as we can,'

  Bevier declared.

  'Have you got enough money?' Sparhawk asked his

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  squire.

  I can get by.' Then Kurik grinned, his teeth flashing

  white in the dim light. 'Besides, Dolmant and I are old

  friends. He's always good for a loan.'

  Sparhawk laughed. 'Get to bed, you two,' he said. 'I

  wantt you and Ortzel on your way to Pelosia at first light

  in the morning.'

  They arose before dawn and sent Bevier and Kurik off

  to the west with the Patriarch of Kadach riding between

  them. Sparhawk consulted his map again by the light of

  their cook-fire. 'We'll go back across this ford again,' he

  told the others. 'There's a larger channel east of here, so

  we'll probably need to find a bridge. Let's go north. I'd

  rather not run across any of Count Gerrich's patrols.'

  They splashed across the ford after breakfast and

  angled away from it as a ruddy light to the east indicated

  that somewhere behind the dreary cloud-cover the sun

  had risen.

  Tynian fell in beside Sparhawk. 'I don't want to sound