The Lens and the Looker (Book #1 of The Verona Trilogy)

  "I want to go to his last known site and we'll track him from there," Hansum said under his breath.

  "No," replied Pan. "It's best if two other men start there. The rest should go down the road and two should veer off every two kilometers to pick up the trail. The last group will most likely be cutting him off from the front. If we can go in as the third group, probabilities are we should be closest to him. With my enhanced sensory perception, we should be able to find him easily."

  Hansum interrupted the Podesta and Captain, who were strategizing, and repeated what Pan said, except for the last bit. Both the Captain and Podesta raised an eyebrow. So did most of the men. The Podesta chuckled.

  "I concur, Captain Caesar," the Podesta said. "A sound strategy."

  "Sanchez," the Captain said, "take a man and start back to where you found the body. Watch for doubling back. The rest of you, let's go."

  Now with a plan and the quarry close by, everybody rode hard. After about ten minutes, the Captain pointed to two men and they splintered off into the woods. Another ten minutes later, the same. Pan cautioned Hansum to be ready. When he saw the Captain ready to point at men, Hansum swung his horse to the side and galloped off the road. The Captain scowled and brought the others to a stop.

  "You may be able to ride and track, Signor," Captain Caesar called, "but if you find him, can you fight? Feltrino is a master swordsman."

  "Say you won't confront him, but will come for help," Pan whispered.

  The Podesta scowled when Hansum repeated this, but acquiesced.

  "Da Silva, you go with him. You're our best swordsman," Mastino said. "The rest of you, let's go!"

  As da Silva and Hansum clamored up the forested steep hill, their heavy horses crashing through the underbrush, Hansum whipped his horse quickly forward.

  "Slow down, Master Hansum," Pan whispered. "You don't want to get too far ahead of Lieutenant da Silva. He has a weapon, in case we catch up to Feltrino."

  "I have every intention of catching up with Feltrino," Hansum replied. "Damn. I should have taken that dead man's sword."

  "You should have done no such thing," Pan whispered, speaking angrily for the first time since Hansum had known him. "Sword training at a History Camp in our time is no preparation for here. Prince Feltrino is a trained killer. We've seen his handiwork."

  It was hard slogging going uphill in the virgin forest. Suddenly, Pan shouted in Hansum's ear.

  "Stop! Here's his trail. See the broken branches? Look, two sets of hoofprints. Get off the horse and let me spectral analyze the decay of those crushed leaves to see how far we're behind." A minute later, Pan said, "These plants were trampled twenty-five to thirty minutes ago. Have da Silva go up the hill another five minutes and move parallel to us. When Feltrino realizes we're close, he'll go uphill to hide."

  Hansum related this to da Silva, and then added, "We must be very careful that Guilietta is not harmed."

  "My orders are to retrieve the device that brings images closer, Signor," the soldier said. "I was told the girl is of no great concern."

  'That damned telescope!' Hansum thought. 'That's all Podesta della Scalla really cares about.' But Hansum realized that he must be pragmatic and not dwell on things he had no control over. He just stared at the man for a moment, then motioned him to move on. Hansum and Pan then continued slowly, allowing da Silva time to get into position.

  "Two sets of tracks indicate Feltrino probably still has Mistress Guilietta," Pan said, as they started back on the trail. "The twenty-fourth-century topographical map I have in my memory is still most probably valid. At the end of this ridge, the ground will still slope downward as we approach the Po River."

  After almost an hour, Pan whispered, "Stop!" The imp then appeared, about quarter-size, on the back of the horse's neck. Peering over its crown, Pan cocked his head and one of his now-longer ears turned into a brass hearing tube. "In the distance, about five hundred meters," he said out loud. "I hear two horses moving away from us. It must be them." Without hesitation, Hansum slapped the horse's reins and kicked him into a canter. "What are you doing?" Pan cried, his image gripping onto the horse's mane like he was holding on for dear life, his time-changed red butt bouncing up and down.

  "Going after him," Hansum said through gritted teeth.

  "And then what?" Pan challenged, his image continuing to bounce. "What will you do when you catch up?" Hansum pulled back on the reins. "I'm not saying don't approach him," Pan said. "Let's just agree on a plan." They talked for a minute, Hansum looking anxious.

  "Fine," Hansum finally said. "I'll try to do what you say. Come on. Let's not get too far behind." Pan hid back in his lamp and Hansum continued for about five minutes, making more noise than he needed to. They wanted Feltrino to hear them coming, so he would hide and give the other soldiers time to catch up. But if Feltrino came after Hansum, he was supposed to turn and run.

  "Slow down to a walk," Pan whispered. "I perceive he has stopped about three hundred meters ahead. I can scent the two horses." A hundred meters more and Pan told Hansum to stop. "I sense slight motion in a thicket two hundred meters away, a bit uphill. Now is the time to do what we agreed."

  Hansum gulped. What happened now determined whether Guilietta would remain safe. He took a deep breath and shouted, "Feltrino! I know you're hiding in the thicket with Guilietta. Feltrino . . ."

  ***

  Feltrino was more than surprised to hear his name being called. And hearing the voice of that damned apprentice caused his blood to rise. He looked at Guilietta. She looked back at him, and even though she now had a gag in her mouth, he could tell from her eyes she was smiling.

  "Feltrino," the apprentice's voice rang out again, "can you hear me? There are many men close by. Leave Guilietta and the looker and just go. Feltrino, answer me!"

  Feltrino became agitated. "I'll kill that bastard," he swore. Then he thought hard about what to do. He rose up on his saddle and shouted. "I won't talk to a damned apprentice. I'll only talk to an officer. And if anyone comes near, I'll slit the girl's throat. Do you hear me?"

  There was silence.

  "Feltrino," the apprentice's voice called again. "Please, just leave Guilietta and the looker and we'll back off. Feltrino, please."

  "He's by himself," Feltrino said with realization. He looked at Guilietta. Her eyes weren't smiling anymore. Then he shouted, his voice quite light, "You are by yourself, apprentice. Ha!" He quickly took the reins of the wagon horse Guilietta was on and tied them in a double knot to a tree branch. Then he flicked his own reins hard. "I'm coming to kill you." As Feltrino's horse bounded out of the thicket, he shouted again, "Did you hear me, apprentice? You're going to die!"

  Feltrino's horse quickly scaled down the slope to the ridge and galloped the way he had previously come. But before Feltrino could get the animal up to speed, he heard a crashing of branches above him, then the thundering of hooves. He looked up and saw a large horse with a Scallari soldier coming at full gallop toward him, helmet closed in battle position, sword extended. Feltrino pulled hard back with his reins, but it was of no use. The two horses were going to collide.

  ***

  "What's happening?" Hansum asked Pan, who once again was sitting on the neck of Hansum's horse. The noise of pounding ground and the crashing and screaming had caused him to pop out of his lamp. He was squinting, looking into the thick woods.

  "Da Silva must have attacked him. Quickly, ride up and see, but don't engage in the fight. If we can extract Mistress Guilietta . . ."

  But Pan didn't finish his sentence. Hansum was whipping and kicking his horse to go forward as fast as possible. Pan seemed to clench his teeth as he held on, then made himself disappear.

  By the time Hansum got within a hundred paces of the fight, Feltrino and da Silva were off their horses, slashing at each other with their swords. Da Silva's charger was down on its front knees, scraping at the ground, screaming in agony. Blood was spurting from its chest. Feltrino's horse was about a hundred paces
away, standing calmly. Not far beyond, Hansum could just make out the shape of another horse prancing nervously in the thicket.

  Although da Silva had substantial body armor and a closed helmet, it didn't seem to be giving him any advantage. Feltrino, armed only with his saber, seemed a much superior swordsman. His sword clanked off the armor at will, coming in to test the Scallari soldier, then retiring. When Feltrino saw Hansum, he took an extra step back, looking to see if there was anyone else coming. When he saw otherwise, he renewed his attack on da Silva with a vengeance. A few thrusts, parries, feints and moves to his right, then left, gave Feltrino an opening. He thrust his sword just behind some leg armor and it broke through the quilted padding, finding flesh. Da Silva had to move to his injury and try to counterattack, but Feltrino, with amazing speed, moved away from the attack, then, two-handed, came in on da Silva's backhand, chopping his sword at the soldier's neck. A huge clang and a crack, and da Silva went down onto his face. Before he could even try to rise, Feltrino's swordpoint had found the chink in his armor again and was thrusting straight down to sever his victim's spine. A spasm and a blood spurt later, da Silva stopped moving. His horse was now on its side, whimpering pathetically. Feltrino looked up, the whites of his eyes glowing over the hundred paces between him and Hansum.

  "You're next, apprentice!" Feltrino withdrew his sword from the now-lifeless body and stood, challenging Hansum.

  "We must turn and run," Pan whispered.

  "But Guilietta!"

  "The game is to distract Feltrino. If he chases you, we are bound to meet other soldiers within ten minutes." Hansum didn`t move. He desperately wanted to go to Guilietta.

  "So, you are a coward, apprentice," Feltrino called, laughing. "What? You don't have a sword? Here, I'll give you one." He picked up da Silva's sword from the ground and raised it to Hansum. Hansum looked at Feltrino and snarled. Feltrino laughed, holding his hands out and doing a pirouette, exposing himself completely. As he turned, Hansum saw the looker case and strap slung over Feltrino's shoulder and resting on his back. Hansum leaned forward in his saddle.

  "MASTER HANSUM!" Pan shouted so hard it hurt Hansum's ear. Hansum pulled hard on the reins and turned his horse around. Then he kicked him as hard as he could to get him running in the direction they had come.

  ***

  Feltrino's pride demanded that he chase the apprentice and kill him. He leaned toward his horse, but checked himself. There were many soldiers looking for him. He had seen them. He thought of what his father would advise. 'Suppress your pride and accomplish the mission. Pride cometh before a fall.' His father had said things like this to him often. Feltrino spit, shoved da Silva's sword blade into the ground and hurried toward his animal. He must get to the Po River and cross over to Gonzaga territory as quickly as possible.

  By the time Feltrino got back to Guilietta, she had loosened her hands enough to take the gag off of her mouth and had almost loosened the knot on the pommel holding her to the saddle.

  "Get off that horse and I'll run you through like I did the others!"

  Guilietta's eyes went wide as she watched a hurrying Feltrino undo her horse from the tree.

  "Romero?" she asked, sounding terrified to hear the answer. But Feltrino didn't answer. He was tugging on the knot, trying to force it free. "Romero? Did you kill Romero?" Feltrino, the reins free now, was pulling at the wagon horse to make it move. Guilietta finally screamed, "Did you kill Romero?" Both horses were now trotting, Feltrino urging them on. "Did you . . ."

  "Yes, I killed him. Now shut up."

  ***

  It didn't take long for Hansum and Pan to realize that Feltrino wasn't pursuing.

  "He didn't follow the personality profile I built of him," Pan said. "He's acting more maturely. We must turn around, but remember, no direct confrontation. Just harass and try to slow him down." Hansum drove his horse hard. When they passed by da Silva, the pool of his blood had mostly drained into the earth, leaving a dull-brown circular stain around his head. Hansum stared at him, then, not getting off his mount, he leaned over and pulled da Silva's sword from the ground.

  "What are you doing, Master Hansum? What are you doing?"

  Hansum let silence be his answer.

  Fifteen minutes later, they were at a distance where Pan was, again, perceiving their quarry. The ground began sloping downward toward the river.

  "It's about a half-hour ride to the Po. Once he crosses it, he'll be on Gonzaga territory." Hansum kicked his horse to speed up.

  The land began to flatten out and glimpses of the river appeared through the trees. Finally the forest ended and there was a clear run to the water. It was a wide part of the river, smooth in some places, boiling in others.

  "The way the river is running, it must be deep," Pan said. "Too dangerous for a horse."

  Hansum could see Feltrino looking up and down the river, hesitating before committing to a dangerous crossing.

  "Feltrino!" Hansum shouted, now only four hundred meters from him. "Please, please don't take Guilietta into the water! It's too dangerous if she's tied up!"

  Feltrino looked up at Hansum for a brief moment, then turned and galloped along the shore. Throwing all care and caution away, Hansum whipped his horse into a run.

  "What are you doing, Master? Stop! You cannot confront him."

  "Once he's crossed the river we've lost her, or she'll drown," Hansum grunted as he rode over the uneven shore.

  Pan projected himself onto the back of the horse again, a look of terror on his hairy face. "But what are you going to do when you catch up? What?" Pan shouted, his now long, time-changed tail whipping through the air. "What?"

  ***

  Feltrino clenched his teeth as he rode, taking a path into a grove of trees he thought would lead him to a shallower crossing. When he came out from the woods some time later, he found himself in an open finger of land by the river, but not at a shallows. He was on a cliff's precipice, some twenty-five feet over even faster-moving water.

  "Damn, I went the wrong way!"

  There was no way out except the way he came. Feltrino reined his horse around, but before he could spur him, he saw that his way was blocked. It was the apprentice, and he was brandishing a sword.

  "Romero!" Guilietta gasped, almost happily.

  Feltrino looked behind Hansum, trying to see who else was there.

  "Just let Guilietta go and you can leave," the apprentice said. "Captain Caesar and his men can't be more than five minutes away."

  Feltrino sat up in his saddle. "You're still alone?" Then he smiled. "That's enough time for me to kill a lowly apprentice."

  ***

  Hansum felt his heart beating in his chest. But it was beating slowly and steadily, like a war drum.

  "Please, there's no need." Guilietta begged. "I'll go with you willingly."

  "You'll go with me willingly or otherwise." Then he dropped the reins of Guilietta's horse and said, "I shall be back for you in a trice." He turned, withdrew his still-bloody sword and wagged it at his quarry. "My blade is getting a good washing of blood today, apprentice. Ready?" Feltrino kicked his horse and it cantered toward Hansum.

  "Keep your sword centered in front of you, ready to parry," Pan whispered. "Then get ready to back up quickly. Just play for time."

  Hansum saw Feltrino coming, his eyes cool and calm, giving nothing of his attack strategy away. His saber was in front of him, as if he were going to make a direct stab. At the last moment, Feltrino whirled his horse onto Hansum's flank and swung his blade, letting it connect in the center of his opponent's sword. Hansum deflected the blade to his right and, as Feltrino's horse passed him, he saw it come slashing back at his neck. Again, Hansum blocked. Feltrino whirled his horse around.

  "You have a weak wrist, apprentice. When I kill you, I will take your sword and your horse as well as your looker. They will be fine prizes. And of course, I'll still have the girl."

  "Take the horse anyway," Hansum said, quickly sliding off of it. "Pleas
e, just leave Guilietta."

  "What are you doing? Get back on the horse," Pan cried into Hansum's ear. "You're safer there." But Hansum didn't listen.

  "You're right, Feltrino," Hansum continued. "I can't beat you in a sword fight. But killing me will take too long and I don't want us swinging swords around Guilietta."

  Feltrino laughed. He leaned forward in the saddle. "Such gallantry for the girl, but no manly pride. You don't want to fight?"

  Hansum took several steps away from the horse, clearing the way for Feltrino to leave.

  "Just take my horse and leave. And keep the looker."

  "Perhaps you are right," Feltrino said. "My father would value me bringing a horse over a girl." He looked at the animal and then at Hansum, who stood, sword awkwardly half-raised. "Oh, what the hell. I'll have it all." Feltrino dropped off of his horse and rushed at Hansum, slashing his sword back and forth in a blur. Hansum's college training caused him to raise his sword to center, but he had never seen such a fierce and bold attack as this.

  "Defense only," Pan cried. "Defense only!"

  Hansum deflected the first attack, positioning his sword for the next assault. It came and he stepped back instinctively and deflected it. The blows were harder than any he had felt in competition. He realized Feltrino was just testing him and there was more to come.

  "Romero!" Guilietta cried.

  "Don't look at her," Pan shouted. "Only at Feltrino's chest. Not his sword or eyes."

  Feltrino glared back at Hansum, then took a step back. He sneered and put his hands out to his side, exposing his chest, inviting an attack.

  "Feltrino, please," Guilietta pleaded. "Don't kill him. I'll do anything."

  Now Feltrino showed total disdain for Hansum, turning his back on him and addressing Guilietta.

  "But Signorina, why would you want to spare such a coward? He comes for you, but does not fight. You need someone like me to give you manly bambinos. They would have a spine. After I kill this one, I will have you for my bed awhile before I kick you out. But you will take back with you a bambino with a proper sire."

  Hansum reacted, raising his sword and running at Feltrino. The Gonzaga whirled around and deflected the blow. Hansum continued slashing, three and then four times, Feltrino blocking each attack easily. It was then that Hansum realized Feltrino was truly playing with him. He stopped and looked at his opponent, who now smiled.