Laurie slipped through the door into Arutha’s suite while the guards in the hall were at the far end of their walking tour. In the dark he heard his name whispered. ‘Yes,’ he replied.
Arutha unshuttered a lantern, lighting the room. The single light source made the antechamber of Arutha’s suite appear cavernous. Arutha said, ‘You’re late.’ To Laurie he and Jimmy appeared alien figures as they stood lit from below by the yellow lantern glow. Arutha wore simple mercenary garb: knee-high cavalier boots, heavy woollen trousers, a heavy leather jerkin over a blue tunic, and his rapier belted at his side. Over all he wore a heavy grey cloak, the deep hood thrown back over his shoulders, but what caused Laurie to stare for a moment was the light that seemed to come from Arutha’s eyes. About to embark upon the journey to Sarth at last, he was afire with impatience. ‘Lead the way.’
Jimmy showed them to a low hidden door in the wall, and they entered. Through the ancient tunnels of the palace Jimmy moved quickly, down to a level deeper than even the damp dungeon. Arutha and Laurie kept quiet, though the singer was given to an occasional silent oath when something he stepped on scampered away or squished. He was pleased at the lack of good light.
Suddenly they were moving up rough stone steps. At the top landing, Jimmy pushed upwards against a protesting section of seemingly blank stone ceiling. It moved slightly and Jimmy said, ‘It’s a tight squeeze.’ He wiggled through and took their belongings as they passed them along. The base of an outer stone wall had been cleverly counterweighted to swing from one side, but age and disuse had made it stubborn. Arutha and Laurie managed to wriggle through. Arutha said, ‘Where are we?’
‘Behind a hedge in the royal park. The postern gate to the palace is about a hundred and fifty yards off that way,’ answered Jimmy. He indicated a direction. ‘Follow me.’ He led them through thick shrubbery and into a stand of trees, in which three horses waited.
Arutha said, ‘I didn’t ask you to purchase three mounts.’
With an insolent grin, visible in the moonlit night, Jimmy said, ‘But you also didn’t tell me not to, Highness.’
Laurie decided it was best not to get involved, so he busied himself tying his bundle to the nearest mount. Arutha said, ‘We move quickly, and I’ve no patience for this. You may not come, Jimmy.’
Jimmy moved towards one of the mounts and nimbly jumped up into the saddle. ‘I don’t take orders from nameless adventurers and unemployed bravos. I’m the Prince of Krondor’s Squire.’ He patted his bundle behind the saddle and removed his rapier – the very one Arutha had given him. ‘I’m ready. I’ve stolen enough horses to be a fair rider. Besides, things seem to happen wherever you are. It may get very dull around here without you.’
Arutha looked at Laurie, who said, ‘Better bring him along where we can watch him. He’ll only follow behind if we don’t.’ Arutha seemed about to protest when Laurie said, ‘We can’t call the palace guards to have him arrested.’
Arutha mounted, obviously not pleased. Without further conversation, they turned their horses and rode away from the park. Down darkened alleys and narrow streets they moved, riding at a moderate pace so as not to attract undue attention. Jimmy said, ‘This way lies the eastern gate. I assumed we would leave by the north.’
Arutha said, ‘We’ll be heading north soon enough. Should anyone see me leave the city, I’d just as soon have word passed I’ve gone east.’
‘Who’s going to see us?’ said Jimmy lightly, knowing full well that anyone seen riding through the gate at this hour would be noticed.
At the eastern gate two soldiers watched from the gatehouse to see who passed, but as there was neither curfew in effect nor alarm being sounded they barely stirred to watch the three riders pass.
Beyond the walls they were in the outer city, erected when the ancient walls could no longer contain the population. Leaving the main eastern roadway, they moved between darkened buildings towards the north.
Then Arutha pulled up his horse and ordered Jimmy and Laurie to do likewise. Coming around the corner were four riders dressed in heavy black cloaks. Jimmy’s sword was out instantly, the chance of two groups of travellers innocently happening across one another on this minor street at this hour being very slight. Laurie began to draw his also, but Arutha simply said, ‘Put away your weapons.’
When the riders closed, Jimmy and Laurie exchanged questioning looks. ‘Well met,’ said Gardan as he turned his horse to come alongside Arutha. ‘All is ready.’
‘Good,’ said Arutha. Studying the riders with Gardan, he said, ‘Three?’
Gardan’s good-natured chuckle could be heard in the gloom. ‘As I hadn’t seen him about for some time, I thought Squire Jimmy might have decided to come along, with or without your permission, so I took precautions. Am I incorrect?’
‘You are not, Captain,’ said Arutha, taking no pains to hide his displeasure.
‘In any event, David here is your shortest guardsman, and should any attempt pursuit, from a distance he will resemble the boy.’ He waved the three riders along and they headed back down the street towards the eastern road. Jimmy chuckled as they rode away, for one of the guards had been a slender, dark-haired fellow and the other a blond, bearded man with a lute over his back.
‘The guards at the gate seemed to pay scant attention,’ said Arutha.
‘Have no fears on that account, Highness. They’re the two biggest gossips in the city watch. Should word of your departure leak from the palace, within hours the entire city will know you were seen riding east. Those three riders will continue on until they reach Darkmoor, if they are not troubled before then. If I may suggest, we’d best be leaving at once.’
‘We?’ said Arutha.
‘Orders, Sire. Princess Carline instructed me that should any harm befall either of you’ – he indicated Laurie and Arutha – ‘I needn’t return to Krondor.’
Sounding a note of mock injury, Jimmy said, ‘She said nothing about me?’
The others ignored the remark. Arutha looked at Laurie, who sighed deeply. ‘She had it figured out hours before we left.’ Gardan indicated that this was so. Besides, she can be circumspect when the occasion warrants. Sometimes.’
Gardan added, ‘The Princess wouldn’t betray her brother or fiancé.’
‘Fiancé?’ said Arutha. ‘This has been a busy night. Well, you would end up either driven from the palace or married to her. But I’ll never understand her taste in men. Very well, it looks as if there’s no getting rid of any of you. Let’s be off.’
The three men and a boy spurred their mounts and resumed their ride and within minutes were through the outer city, heading north towards Sarth.
Near midday, the travellers rounded a bend in the coast road to find a lone traveller sitting by the edge of the King’s Highway. He wore a hunter’s outfit of green-dyed leather. His dappled horse cropped grass a short way off and he whittled at a piece of wood with his hunting knife. Seeing the band approach, he put away his knife, tossed the wood aside, and gathered up his belongings. He was cloaked and had his longbow over his shoulder when Arutha reined in.
‘Martin,’ said Arutha in greeting.
The Duke of Crydee mounted. ‘Took you a lot longer to get here than I thought it would.’
Jimmy said, ‘Is there anyone in Krondor who doesn’t know the Prince has left?’
‘Not so as you would notice,’ answered Martin with a smile. They commenced riding, and Martin said to Arutha, ‘Lyam said to tell you he will lay as many false trails as possible.’
Laurie said, ‘The King knows?’
‘Of course,’ said Arutha. He indicated Martin. ‘The three of us planned this from the start. Gardan had an unusually large number of guards posted near the door to my study when Lyam forbade my going.’
Martin added, ‘Lyam has some of his personal guards impersonating each of us. There’s a long-faced fellow and a blond, bearded lout impersonating Arutha and Laurie.’ With one of his rare grins he said, ‘There’s this
handsome brute of a man staying in my suite. Lyam’s even managed to borrow that tall, loud-voiced Master of Ceremonies from the Keshian Ambassador. He’s to sneak back into the palace after the Keshians leave today. Fitted with a false beard, he’s a fair likeness for the captain here. At least he’s the right colour. He’ll be seen popping up here and there in the palace.’ Gardan laughed.
‘Then you’ve not attempted to leave unnoticed, in truth,’ said Laurie in admiration.
‘No,’ said Arutha. ‘I seek to leave under a cloud of confusion. We know whoever is behind this is sending more assassins this way, or so Laughing Jack believed. So if there are spies in Krondor, they’ll not know for days what is happening. When we are discovered out of the palace, they’ll be unsure of the direction taken. Only those few with us when Pug ensorcelled Anita’s suite know we need to travel to Sarth.’
Jimmy laughed. ‘A masterstroke of misdirection. Should someone hear you’ve gone one way, then another, they’ll not know what to believe.’
Martin said, ‘Lyam was thorough. He has another band dressed like you three heading down south towards Stardock with Kulgan and Pug’s family today. They’ll be just clumsy enough in hiding to be noticed.’ To Arutha he added, ‘Pug says he will search for a cure for Anita in Macros’s library.’
Arutha reined in his horse and the others halted. ‘We are a half day’s ride from the city. If we’re not overtaken by sundown, we can count ourselves free of pursuit. We need then only worry about what may lie ahead.’ He paused, as if what he was about to say was difficult. ‘Behind all the bantering words, you’ve chosen danger, all of you.’ He looked from face to face. ‘I count myself fortunate for such friendship.’
Jimmy seemed the most embarrassed by the Prince’s words, but he fought back the urge to gulp. ‘We have – had a vow in the Mockers. It’s from an old proverb: “You can’t be sure the cat is dead until the cat is skinned.” When a difficult task lay ahead and a man wished to let others know he was willing to stick it out to the last, he’d say, “Until the cat is skinned.”’ He looked at the others and said, ‘Until the cat is skinned.’
Laurie said, ‘Until the cat is skinned,’ and the statement was quickly echoed by Gardan and Martin.
At the last, Arutha said, ‘Thank you all.’ He spurred his horse forward and the others followed.
Martin fell in beside Laurie. ‘What took you so long?’
‘I was held up,’ said Laurie, it’s somewhat complicated. We’re going to be married.’
‘I know that. Gardan and I were waiting for Lyam when he came back from your room. She could, I think, do better.’ Laurie’s face betrayed his discomfort. Then Martin smiled slightly as he added, ‘But then, maybe she couldn’t.’ Leaning over, he extended his hand. ‘May you always be happy.’ After they shook, he said, ‘That still doesn’t account for the delay.’
‘It’s a bit delicate,’ Laurie said, hoping his future brother-in-law would let the matter drop.
Martin studied Laurie a long moment, then nodded in understanding. ‘A proper goodbye can take a while.’
• Chapter Nine •
Forest
A band of horsemen appeared on the horizon.
Black figures stood outlined against the reddish sky of late afternoon. Martin sighted them first, and Arutha ordered a halt. Since they had left Krondor, this was the first band of travellers they had encountered obviously not traders. Martin squinted. ‘I can’t see much at this distance, but I think them armed. Mercenaries perhaps?’
‘Or outlaws,’ Gardan said.
‘Or something else,’ Arutha added. ‘Laurie, you’re the most travelled among us. Is there another way?’
Laurie looked about, getting his bearings. Pointing towards the forest on the other side of a narrow strip of farmland, he said, ‘To the east, about an hour’s ride from here, is an old trail that leads up into the Calastius Mountains. It was used by miners once, but it’s little travelled now. It will lead us to the inland road.’
Jimmy said, ‘Then we should make for that trail at once. It seems those others have tired of waiting for us to come to them.’
Arutha saw the riders on the horizon start in their direction. ‘Lead the way, Laurie.’
They left the road, heading for a series of low stone walls that marked the farms’ boundaries. ‘Look!’ shouted Jimmy.
Arutha’s companions saw the other band had reacted by spurring their mounts into a gallop. In the orange glow of the late afternoon, they were black figures outlined against a grey-green hillside.
Arutha and the others took the first low stone wall in a smooth jump, but Jimmy was nearly thrown. He managed to right himself without losing too much ground on the others. He said nothing but wished fervently there weren’t three more walls between himself and the forest. Somehow he managed to keep seated and still not be too far behind when Arutha’s party entered the woods.
The others were waiting for him and he reined in. Laurie pointed. ‘They can’t overtake us, so they parallel us, hoping to intercept us north of here.’ Then he laughed. ‘This trail is north-east bound, so our nameless friends will have to travel an additional mile of brush-clogged woodlands to cut our trail. We’ll be long past them when they do. If they can find the trail.’
Arutha said, ‘We still must hurry. We’ve little light, and the woods are not safe at the best of times. How long to this road?’
‘We should be there two hours after sunset, maybe a little sooner.’
Arutha motioned for him to lead the way. Laurie turned his horse and they all moved deeper into the rapidly darkening forest.
Dark holes bulked on both sides. In the gloom, with scant illumination from middle and large moons filtering down through high branches, the woods seemed a surrounding solid. Throughout the night they had been picking their way along what Laurie insisted was a trail, some ethereal thing that suddenly appeared a few feet before Laurie’s horse and just as quickly vanished a few feet behind Jimmy’s. To Jimmy one patch of ground looked much like another, except that the meandering way Laurie chose seemed to have slightly less debris cluttering it. The boy constantly looked back over his shoulder, seeking signs of pursuit.
Arutha ordered a halt. ‘We’ve seen no signs of being followed. Perhaps we’ve shaken them.’
Martin dismounted. ‘Not likely. If they have a skilled tracker among them, they’ve found our spoor. They’ll be moving as slowly as we are, but they’ll be keeping pace.’
Dismounting, Arutha said, ‘We’ll rest here for a while. Jimmy, break out the oats behind Laurie’s saddle.’
Jimmy grumbled slightly as he began caring for the horses. He had learned after his first night on the road that, as Squire, he was expected to care for his liege’s horse – and everyone else’s as well.
Martin shouldered his bow and said, ‘I think I’ll backtrack a ways and see if there’s anyone close. I’ll be back within the hour. Should anything happen, don’t wait for me. I’ll find you at the Ishapian abbey tomorrow night.’ He slipped off into the gloom.
Arutha sat on his saddle, while Jimmy set about caring for the horses, with assistance from Laurie. Gardan kept a vigil, scanning the murk of the forest.
Time passed and Arutha became lost in thought. Jimmy watched him from the corner of his eye. Laurie caught Jimmy studying Arutha in the dim light and moved alongside the boy, helping him brush down Gardan’s horse. The singer whispered, ‘You worry about him.’
Jimmy only nodded, a gesture almost lost in the dark. Then he said, ‘I don’t have a family, singer, or a lot of friends. He’s … important. Yes, I worry.’
When he was finished, Jimmy crossed to where Arutha sat staring off into the blackness. ‘The horses are fed and groomed.’
Arutha seemed pulled from his brooding. ‘Good. Now get some rest. We’ll move out at first light.’ He glanced about. ‘Where’s Martin?’
Jimmy looked back along the trail. ‘He’s still back there somewhere.’
Arut
ha followed his gaze.
Jimmy settled in, his head on his saddle, a blanket pulled about him. He stared off into the darkness for a long time before sleep came.
Something woke Jimmy. Two figures approached and Jimmy made ready to leap to his feet when he saw they were Martin and Gardan. Then Jimmy remembered Gardan had remained on watch. They reached the small campsite, both walking quietly.
Jimmy roused the others. Arutha wasted no time when he saw his brother had returned. ‘Did you find any sign of pursuit?’
Martin nodded. ‘A few miles back along the trail. A band of … men, moredhel, I don’t know which. Their fire was low. One at least is a moredhel. Save that one, to a man they were dressed in black armour, with long black capes. Each wore a strange helm that covered the entire head. I didn’t need any more to decide they were not likely to prove friendly. I cut a false trail across ours. It should lead them away for a while, but we should be off at once.’
‘What of this one moredhel? You say he wasn’t attired like the others?’
‘No, and he was the biggest damn moredhel I’ve ever seen, barechested except for a leather jerkin. His head was shaved save for a long scalp lock that was tied so it hung behind like a horse’s tail. I could see him clearly in the firelight. I’ve never seen his like, though I’ve heard of his sort.’
Laurie said, ‘Yabon mountain clan.’
Arutha looked at the singer. Laurie explained, ‘When I was growing up near Tyr-Sog, we’d hear of raids by the northern mountain clans. They’re different from the forest dwellers. The topknot of hair says he’s also a chieftain, an important one.’
Gardan said, ‘He’s come a long way.’
‘Yes, and it means some new order has been established since the Riftwar. We knew that many of those driven north by the Tsurani were seeking to join their kin in the Northlands, but now it seems they’ve brought some of their cousins back with them.’
‘Or,’ said Arutha, ‘it means they’re under his command.’