“We serve the Barons,” he said slowly. “That is our duty and our privilege. No doubt we’ll all be well rewarded for our part in this, but our loyalty lies with Gold and Silver and Copper.”
“Bull,” said Harald. “No one’s listening, my dear Landsgrave; no one can overhear us. For once in your life, forget diplomacy and tell me the truth. You know what I stand to get out of this deal, but if we’re to work together I want to know where you’re going to be, and what you’re going to be doing, while I sit on the Forest throne. In other words, I want to know what’s in it for you, my noble Landsgraves.”
There was an uncomfortable silence, and then Blays bowed coldly to the Prince. “I speak for Gold, Prince Harald, as I have always done. In return for my part in this rebellion, and for my many past services, the Baron has most graciously named me as his successor. A marriage has been arranged between myself and the Baron’s eldest daughter. A most charming young Lady; perhaps you remember her? She was most upset when you broke off your engagement to her, in order to marry the Princess Julia. Her father was even more upset. Still; at least now the Baron has a son-in-law he knows he can trust.
“When he dies, I will be Baron Oakeshoff. I have no wish to take over a demesne crippled by debt and overrun by darkness, just because the Forest has a weak King. With you on the throne, and the Barons to guide you, the Forest Land will grow strong again, and with it Oakeshoff demesne. That’s what’s in it for me, Prince Harald.”
“Sir Bedivere,” said Harald, turning slightly to face the tall Landsgrave.
For a moment it seemed he might not answer, but finally he stared at Harald and said simply, “I shall serve you as your Champion, Sire. It is all I want. It is all I have ever wanted. Your enemies shall fall before me, and I will bring you their heads to set upon your gates. I shall be your right hand, dealing out death and destruction, blood and terror, to any who dare oppose you. I will be your Champion, Sire; and all who live will fear your justice.”
There was an unfocussed, faraway look to his eyes, and Harald shivered suddenly. He’d always known Bedivere was a killer, but now he stared into the man’s eyes and saw a bloody madness staring back. There was something in the giant Landsgrave that called for murder and sudden death, and would never be satisfied. Harald swore silently to himself that, come what may, Sir Bedivere would have to die.
“Sir Guillam?” he said coldly.
Guillam looked up from his glass of wine, spilling some down his chin as he tried to empty his mouth too quickly. He swallowed hard, and then dabbed daintily at his mouth with a folded silk handkerchief. “The Barons promised me I could have anything I wanted,” he said finally. “And I’ve seen what I want. She’s tall and graceful and very beautiful, and she’s going to be mine. She’s too proud to have anything to do with me now, but she’ll come to heel quickly enough once I’ve broken her spirit. They always do.” He giggled suddenly, fingered the skinning knife in his sleeve, and drank more wine.
Harald turned away in disgust, pitying whatever poor woman the Landsgrave had set his mind on.
“Lovely girl,” said Guillam softly, his eyes very bright. “Julia’s such a lovely girl.”
“What the hell’s going on?” demanded Julia.
Bodeen drew his sword and stepped back a pace, blocking the narrow passageway. Behind the King, several of the Royal Guard raised their swords, and Julia could see fresh blood on the blades.
“Treason,” said the King. “And this man is a part of it. Aren’t you, Bodeen?”
“I’m afraid I can’t let you pass, Sire,” said Bodeen calmly. “I have my orders.”
“Will you cut it out, Bodeen,” hissed Julia. “These people are serious.”
“So am I,” said Bodeen. Candlelight shimmered on his sword as he hefted it, and the nearest of the Royal Guard stirred restlessly.
“I trusted you,” said King John. His voice was flat, but his eyes were confused and angry. “You taught my son swordsmanship; you fought beside me in the Border campaign. And now you betray me. Put down your sword, Bodeen; at least that way you’ll live to stand trial.”
“That’s not much of a choice,” said Bodeen.
“You can’t fight a whole company of guards,” said Julia urgently. “Come on, Bodeen; do as he says. If you don’t, they’ll kill you.”
“I think you may well be right,” said Bodeen, and before anyone could react he grabbed Julia by the arm and pulled her to him, twisting her arm up behind her back. The King and his guardsman surged forward, and Bodeen set his sword against Julia’s throat.
“One more step and she dies!”
“Stay where you are!” thundered the King, and the guardsman stopped. The King stepped forward.
“That’s far enough,” said Bodeen. His sword moved slightly, and Julia felt her skin part under the blade’s keen edge. Blood trickled down her neck to stain the high collar of her tunic. The King stopped where he was. Julia tried to breathe as lightly as possible.
“Let her go,” said the King.
“I don’t think so,” said Bodeen calmly. “She’s my way out of here. I’m going to back down this corridor, and you’re going to let me do it. Because if you don’t, you’re going to have to invite the Princess Julia’s father to a funeral.”
Julia tried to ease the strain on her twisted arm, but Bodeen immediately hauled it back into place. Her head jerked as she cried out in pain, and more blood ran down her throat.
“Keep still, Princess,” said Bodeen. “I don’t want to hurt you, but I will if I have to.”
He means it, thought Julia wildly. He really means it.
King John gestured for his guardsmen to stand steady, and glared at Bodeen. “All right, traitor; how do you want to play this?”
“First of all, everybody puts their swords on the ground,” said Bodeen, unperturbed. “Then Julia and I are going for a little walk. I have some people to warn. And Sire; if I see anyone following me, I’ll cut this young lady’s throat from ear to ear.”
Julia slammed the back of her head into Bodeen’s face. There was a muffled crack as his nose broke, and his grip loosened as he groaned with pain. Julia elbowed him sharply in the ribs, ducked under the threatening sword, and broke free of Bodeen while he was still off-balance. He lashed out blindly with his sword and Julia threw herself to one side. The blade whistled past her face, and Julia’s sword flashed from her scabbard as she dropped automatically into her fighting stance. Bodeen shook his head to clear it, and cut at her again. There was a ring of steel on steel as Julia parried the blow, and then she beat aside his blade, lunged forward, and stabbed him just under the heart. For a moment the tableau held; Julia in full lunge, Bodeen staring down at the sword piercing his chest. He tried to lift his sword, and then blood gushed from his mouth, and he crumpled limply to the floor. The King started forward with his guardsmen, but Julia waved them back. She eased the sword from Bodeen’s chest, and knelt beside him. He grinned up at her with bloody teeth.
“I forgot what a fighter you are,” he said indistinctly. “Damn. Damn.”
“Would you really have killed me?” asked Julia.
“I don’t know,” said Bodeen. “Probably.”
“Why?” said Julia fiercely. “Why did you betray the King?”
Bodeen chuckled painfully. “The Barons paid me better.”
And then he died.
Julia looked up as King John laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Come away from him, Julia. It’s over now. One of my guards will see you safely back to your chambers.”
“It isn’t over yet,” said Julia. She got to her feet and stared steadily at King John. “I want to meet the men who bought my friend.”
“You don’t have to do this,” said the King. “This isn’t really your business.”
Julia put her hand to her throat and showed King John the blood on her fingers. “Isn’t it?”
The King looked at her a moment, and then looked away. “Very well, then. But don’t get in our way. This isn’t going
to be pretty.”
“Treachery never is,” said Julia, wiping her bloodstained hand on her leggings.
The King signalled to his guards, and he and his party moved purposefully down the corridor, heading deeper into the East Wing. Again and again the King’s men discovered others guarding the corridors, but none of them put up a fight. Faced with a full company of the Royal Guard, a few ran and were cut down; most surrendered. Finally the party rounded a corner and surprised two guardsmen standing before a closed door. The King watched broodingly as the two guards were disarmed and taken to one side, and then he gestured brusquely to his Guard’s Commander, who bowed formally, walked forward, and hammered on the closed door with his mailed fist.
“Open, in the name of the King!”
Chaos filled the Hall as the revellers ran frantically back and forth, shouting and screaming, and drawing swords and daggers. Some clapped their masks to their faces again, as though the flimsy disguises could still somehow protect them. Tables were overturned as the crowd surged this way and that, and those who fell in the crush were trampled blindly underfoot. Lord Darius tried desperately to quell the panic, but his voice was lost in the shrieking din. Cecelia clutched at his arm, her face pinched and white with shock, but Darius didn’t even know she was there. Gregory fought his way through the milling crowd to join her, but the sheer press of bodies slowed his progress to a crawl.
The three Landsgraves stared at each other.
“The bookcase in Darius’s; study,” said Blays. “We’ll use the secret passage to escape, and then …”
“And then what?” whimpered Guillam, the cold sweat of fear already running down his face. “We’ve been betrayed! The King will have us all executed!”
“He’s got to catch us first,” snarled Blays. “Pull yourself together; you’re supposed to be a Bladesmaster, dammit. If need be, you should be able to fight your way out of here; unless you’ve been exaggerating your abilities all this time. Now calm down, and think. That door is solid oak, and bolted top and bottom; it’ll take the King’s men a good hour and more to cut their way through, and by then we’ll be long gone. All we have to do is get to the stables, and we can be on our way back to Oakeshoff demesne before the King even knows we’ve left the Castle. Once we’re safely inside my master’s Keep, no one can touch us.”
“Where’s Harald?” said Bedivere suddenly.
The three Landsgraves looked quickly about them, but Harald had disappeared. The huge door shuddered suddenly under another thunderous knocking, and once again the voice without demanded entry in the name of the King. Businessmen and courtiers drew together into their tight little cliques, swords at the ready. Lords and Ladies stood together, and strove for dignity. The cries of fear and rage died quickly away, replaced by sullen mutterings and grim bravado. And then everyone in the Hall was suddenly silent as a new sound cut across the quiet; the unmistakable sound of a heavy steel bolt being drawn from its socket. They looked to the main door just in time to see Prince Harald pull back the second bolt, and then casually throw open the door. King John nodded calmly to his son as he walked slowly into the Hall, his company of guards fanning out around him. Harald raised an eyebrow when he spotted Julia among the guards, but shook his head when she started to say something to him. Julia nodded understandingly; there’d be time for explanations later. The King moved slowly forward into the Hall and the silent conspirators fell back before him, until only Darius, Cecelia, and Gregory remained to face him. Darius stared blankly at Harald, who leaned against the doorjamb and shook his head sadly.
“Sorry, Darius,” said Harald. “You can’t trust anyone these days.”
The conspirators stared at the Prince speechlessly. Darius stepped forward, his mouth working.
“Why?” he asked finally. “Why? We would have made you King!”
Harald shrugged casually, but his eyes were cold. “If you’d betray one King, no doubt you’d betray another if it suited you. Did you think I was blind, Darius? You threatened my father, you threatened me; your schemes would have endangered the whole Forest Land! I know my duty to the Land, Darius; it’s more important than you or I will ever be. Did you really think I’d give it into your keeping? You’ve never cared for anyone but yourself in your whole damn life.”
“Enough, Harald,” said the King. “You’ve done well. Are there any other exits to this Hall?”
“Just the one, Father, the door in the far right-hand corner; it leads to Darius’s private chambers. They can’t escape that way; it’s a dead end.”
Darius spun round to face his fellow conspirators. “Don’t just stand there, damn you! We outnumber the guards three to one. Kill the King, and the Land is ours. Kill the King, or we’ll all face the Headsman!”
The conspirators stared at Darius, and then at the King.
“Put down your swords,” said King John calmly. “Those who surrender to me will be granted exile. I give you my word on it.”
The conspirators looked at each other.
“Fight, damn you!” howled Darius, his face mottled with rage. “We can still win!”
One by one, the businessmen and the courtiers and the Lords and Ladies dropped their swords and daggers onto the polished wooden floor. Darius stared at them unbelievingly, his eyes wild and desperate. Gregory moved in close beside Cecelia, his sword at the ready.
“It’s over, Darius,” said Lord Vivian, his slow chill voice echoing on the silence. “Better an honorable exile than a traitor’s death.”
Darius turned and ran for the far door. Cecelia and Gregory followed him.
“After them!” roared the King, and twenty Royal Guard set off in hot pursuit. Julia ran with them, sword in hand. Bodeen was dead because of Darius and his schemes, and Julia had promised herself a vengeance. Pursued and pursuers disappeared through the far door, and once again a tense stillness fell across the Hall. Together, side-by-side, King John and Prince Harald walked slowly forward to confront the three Landsgraves, the only men in the Hall still holding swords. Half the Royal Guard moved protectively after the King.
“Hello, John,” said Blays. “All in all, it’s been an interesting day, hasn’t it?”
King John smiled sadly. “Did you really think my son would betray me, Blays?”
The Landsgrave shrugged. “It seemed a reasonable possibility.”
“We’ve known each other more years than I care to remember, Blays. Time was when you were one of my staunchest allies; as close to me as my own family. And now this. Why, Blays? Why did you turn against me?”
“Curtana,” said Blays simply. “When you decided to draw that cursed sword, you became a threat to my master. You must have known I couldn’t stand by and do nothing.”
“And so you took the Curtana, for fear I’d use it against the Barons.” King John shook his head wearily. “That was never my intention, Blays. Now more than ever, I need the Curtana to throw back the darkness. Return the sword to me, and I promise you’ll face nothing more than exile.”
Blays’s eyes narrowed, and his smile was openly contemptuous. “What kind of a deal is that, John; you know we don’t have the sword. Or are you just looking for an excuse to order our execution?”
“I order you to hand over the Sword of Compulsion, Blays.”
“I don’t have it.”
“You stole it from my Armory, traitor!”
“Liar!”
Blays threw himself at King John, the point of his blade seeking the King’s throat. Harald parried the blow, and two guardsmen ran Blays through. The Landsgrave fell heavily to the floor, and lay still. Blood welled out from under his body in a widening pool. Sir Bedivere roared and charged forward. Blood flew on the air as his heavy sword sheared through one guardsman’s chain mail, and then buried itself in another’s chest. Harald cursed under his breath and stepped forward, putting himself between Bedivere and the King. Bedivere jerked his blade free from the dying guard, and cut savagely at the waiting Prince. Harald ducked under the swi
nging sword, and lunged forward. His sword punched clean through Bedivere’s chain mail and slammed between the giant Landsgrave’s ribs. Bedivere growled once, and then knocked the Prince flying with one blow of his arm. Harald fell backwards, still hanging onto his sword, and Bedivere cursed once as the sword was jerked out of his side. Blood streamed from the jagged wound as Bedivere cut down guard after guard, doggedly fighting his way forward to where King John stood grimly waiting, sword in hand.
The King stared at the blood-spattered Landsgrave with horrified fascination. The sword in his hand was a comforting weight, but he knew it wasn’t going to be enough to stop Bedivere. His Guard Commander had already suggested he should withdraw rather than risk himself, but he couldn’t do that. It wasn’t enough for a King to be brave; he had to be seen to be brave. Besides, if he didn’t face Bedivere now, he’d always wonder if he could have beaten the man. And then the guards nearest him fell suddenly away in a flurry of blood as Bedivere burst through their ranks. For a moment the two men stared at each other, no more than a few yards between them. Bedivere’s chain mail hung in bloody tatters, but his sword was still steady in his hand and his eyes were filled with a constant crimson glare. King John could see more of his guards moving forward to attack the Landsgrave, but he knew they’d never reach Bedivere in time. The man was going to kill him. Bedivere drew back his sword, and King John braced himself for the blow he’d never feel. And then Harald stepped in and hamstrung Sir Bedivere from behind. The giant Landsgrave screamed with rage as he fell heavily to the floor, his severed leg muscles no longer capable of supporting him. The impact of his fall knocked the sword from his hand, and King John watched grimly as a dozen guardsman ran Bedivere through again and again while he lay helpless on the floor. Sir Bedivere died frothing at the mouth and trying to bite the hands that wielded swords against him.
“Sorry, Father,” said Harald. “But he would have killed you.”
King John nodded curtly, and turned to Sir Guillam. The sole surviving Landsgrave stared desperately about him, his sword trembling in his hand. John wondered briefly why the man hadn’t made a run for it, and then realized that both Blays and Bedivere had fought and been killed in less than a minute. He glared tiredly at Guillam, and then turned away. There’d been enough killing for one day. He nodded to the two nearest guards, and they snapped to attention.