The Dragon Knight

  This speech was met by another silence. Jim was condemning himself inwardly, and it struck him a second later that probably the other two were doing the same thing. But he had the most reason, since his dragon nose—while not as good as Aragh's by a great deal—still should have been good enough to smell the odor of soured wine, if he had been paying attention properly.

  "Let us back then to this false tree, by all means!" said Giles, breaking the silence.

  "You're right," said Jim. "Dafydd, if you'll bring up the rear again?"

  "I'd already expected to, look you," said Dafydd.

  They started back, once more in line, down the path they had just come up. The only difference in their going was that Aragh moved a little more swiftly, with the certainty about him of someone who already knows his destination.

  The rest of them followed. Jim found himself resenting the fact that he had once more to traverse the trail that had already laid its sharp marks upon him. A moment later this was followed by a sense of guilt. With the exception of Dafydd—and how Dafydd did so well baffled Jim—Jim had been less hurt by the thornlike branches than any except Aragh. This, he knew, had been because of the advantage of his dragon senses, which had allowed him to keep to the middle of the path with more certainty.

  Aragh's increased pace forced them all to move faster. Since Giles was now holding onto Jim's belt from behind, and Brian was holding onto Giles from behind, the increased pace was difficult. Jim was just about to speak to Aragh and tell him to slow down when, just ahead of him, the wolf stopped abruptly.

  "Here," he said over his shoulder, "this is the false tree."

  With his dragon sight, Jim was able to make out the fact that the darkness of the path surface seemed to flow up the trunk of a tree no larger than the average Christmas tree. He stepped forward carefully beside Aragh, who moved over to give him room, and bent down to sniff at the trunk.

  Sure enough, his nostrils caught the faint whiff of a vinegarlike smell.

  Cautiously he reached in among the sharp-armed branches until he had grasped the unpleasantly rough and prickly trunk of the tree between two of the branches. He pulled it out into the path, and stepped back with it, so that the others could go around him.

  Revealed, was another path, but a very narrow one. With the exception of Aragh, they would all have to go sideways. Nonetheless, with the wolf leading, they went in. Jim followed them, pulling the false tree back into place after them.

  What held the tree upright on its stump was the fact that its branches intertangled with those of the trees on either side of it. Jim had a water flask at his belt, but there was no room in the narrow path for him to squat down and make a fresh mud slurry to hide the place where the tree joined the stump. They would just have to take their chances, and hope their presence would not be discovered before the one who was supposed to meet them came to this place and found them.

  Jim followed, to the small space where the others were already gathered. It was perhaps half the size of the junction where the various paths had come together, and where they had stopped before to discuss their next move.

  Because the space was so small, the thorn trees crowded them closely, and the higher branches knitted together overhead to break up the moonlight that came in. They could not see each other even as well as they had been able to in the moonlit open space where the paths had joined. Still, they could see each other better than they had been able to on the path.

  "It would be my counsel," said Brian, "that we sit down now and drink and perhaps eat a bite. Our wait here could be long. In fact, I further suggest that, if he who's to meet us has not shown up by moonset, we leave this place and go back to our camp in the hillside for the day. Once it's daylight, we'll not want to be traveling these forest paths if we can help it."

  "Indeed," said the masked and mittened Sir Giles.

  "I agree, too," said Jim.

  They all sat except Aragh, who lay down, again in his lion-like pose. With time, the space beneath each of them warmed a little with their body heat; and they sat in silence watching as the moon moved across the sky and down, to lose itself in the tangle of forest limbs.

  Twice Aragh, almost noiselessly, warned them to silence; and a little after his warning, on both occasions, someone passed by on the main path not fifteen feet away.

  But neither of those who passed stopped by the tree that hid the entrance to where they were; and finally when the moon was lost to sight, although a little of its light still reflected from the sky overhead, Brian spoke again out of the near impenetrable darkness.

  "Best we go," his voice came to them. "You must lead us all now, Aragh, for I vow I cannot see my hand before my face."

  In fact, even with his dragon senses, Jim was in scarcely better shape to see where they were going. They got up, holding hands, and Jim took hold of the base of Aragh's tail. They moved together until Aragh stopped suddenly, and Jim, reaching past and over him, closed his hand on the false tree, though it cost him several scratches to get a grasp on the trunk, and set it aside. They moved out into the main pathway and turned left.

  Jim replaced the tree on its stump. Then, using water from his water bottle and with the guidance of Aragh's nose, plus feel, he managed once more to coat the jointure between stump and tree with the clayish earth of the path. They all turned left, back down the path they had originally used to enter the woods.

  The first brightening of the sky in the east had begun by the time they emerged from the woods. It was not much improvement in light, but after the brooding presence of the woods, it felt almost as if they had emerged into broad daylight. They found their way back up to their camp. There they all lay down, wrapped themselves in their bedding materials, and prepared to fall asleep.

  "Where's the wolf gone?" asked Giles groggily, propping himself up on one elbow just as they were all about ready to fall asleep.

  "Probably hunting for something to eat," answered Jim.

  "Remember, there was no food or drink for him inside the woods; but he waited there with us just the same."

  "He did indeed lap at this stream a little before leaving. I saw him," said Brian's voice, "but he'll take care of himself, Giles. Let us rest now; for I vow I, at least, need it."

  Evidently, they all did. Because they slept through the day until the sun rounded the shoulder of their dimple and beamed directly in their eyes; and they woke sweating.

  The next three nights, they made the same pilgrimage to the hidden place. Still, no one came. Giles was ready to give up waiting and try adventuring down some of the other paths. He said as much.

  "Let's be a little more patient," said Jim. "Whoever was to meet us did not even know what week we would be coming, let alone what day. Also, it could easily be that whoever it is can only check that spot once in awhile. They may have him on guard days, instead of nights, for a week at a time."

  They put in another three nights without result. By this time even Brian was beginning to incline to the idea that they should give up hope of waiting for the half-man, half-toad.

  "Look," said Jim, as they once more approached twilight, "let's try it one more night. There's nothing else we can do tonight anyway; and we've got no plan for deciding which of those other paths to take if we do go beyond our hiding place. Let's give this once-upon-a-time man-at-arms one more chance to make contact with us."

  The others gave in; although Jim could not help feeling secretly that it was more because of their acknowledgement of his leadership than because he had convinced them.

  As soon as it had grown dark they went back down into the wood and took the path once more to the secret waiting place.

  They had made it securely into that hiding place, and the moon was barely beginning to rise, when Aragh once more alerted them to the fact that someone was coming. Hands at their swords and Dafydd's on his long knife, they got to their feet, holding the weapons ready.

  They all heard the steps approach. This time, they stopped. Just at th
is moment, also, the moon broke through a tangle of particularly close limbs and shone down almost brightly upon them.

  To Jim's tense mind, it was as if a spotlight had been turned upon them.

  They heard the false tree taken and put aside. Then a low, croaking voice spoke—it seemed as if from only an arm's length in front of them.

  "Sir Raoul sent me to watch for you."

  The men relaxed, but not completely. Jim was conscious that he had been gripping the hilt of his sword so tightly that his fingers ached. He loosened his grip a little, but continued to hold the sword ready.

  "If you're the one we were to meet here," he answered in as low a voice as he thought would carry to the other, "come forward—but with no weapons in your hands."

  "My hands are empty," croaked the voice.

  There was the faintest sound of movement, and a moment later a dark figure joined them in the hiding place. It was so tight there with the addition of one more body that they were all almost breathing in each other's faces. But the figure was in the moonlight now, and he held up purely human hands to be visible in that light; and those hands were empty.

  At the same time a shiver ran down Jim's back. For in spite of the human-shaped hands and arms and the humanlike legs, what faced them was badly misshapen. The upper body seemed almost bloated and the head was unnaturally large and flat.

  "Name yourself," whispered Jim.

  "I am Bernard," answered the other in his soft croak, "who once was a man like yourself, Sir Knight—for knight I judge you to be, since Sir Raoul would send no one less to meet me on this errand. I've been as you see me for years now—and I thank God in his Heaven that it's in the dark you look at me and not in the daylight, for I can scarcely look at myself in a pool of still water and bear what I see."

  "That's all right," said Jim, stirred to pity by the grotesque shape before him. "Just take us to someplace where we can get inside the castle and point us to where we can find our prince. That's what you're here to do, isn't it?"

  "Aye!" answered the shape. "Twelve years have I pretended to be a good servant in this place, waiting my chance to do something to pay back Malvinne for what he did to my Lord and my Lord's family. Now that chance has come and I would trade whatever hope I have of Heaven for it. I'll take you to the castle and inside—just inside, for in truth, I'm not one of those permitted to be within. Then I'll tell you as best I can how you may find the young man you speak of. From then on it's up to you. I ask only one thing."

  "What's that?" asked Jim.

  "You will none of you try to look at me directly, while I act as your guide," said the figure. "Promise me that alone, for love of Mary."

  "We promise," said Jim.

  Brian, Giles and Dafydd all murmured affirmative responses.

  "There, you have our promise," said Jim. "But are they likely to suspect you, if we find our Prince and get away with him? Wouldn't you do better to wait and join us as we leave; and leave this place behind you?"

  There was a hoarse, bitter chuckle from the figure.

  "Where in this world would I go?" the thing that was once Bernard answered. "Even the holy monks of the monastery would shut their doors against me. Even the lepers would turn aside and hide from me. No, what has been done to me has been done. I'll stay here and hope that perhaps another chance will come, to strike one more blow against Malvinne."

  "But if you are suspected, just even suspected," said Jim, "it may go very hard with you indeed."

  "I care not," croaked Bernard. "There is nothing they can do to me compared to what has been done to me already. Now let us go, for it's still some distance, and we may have to stop and hide along the way. Were I alone I could go directly to the castle. But this many together in company would be sure to attract attention."

  His voice rose impatiently.

  "Let us go, now! For the love of all things, let us go!"

  He turned without waiting for an answer and sidled out through the narrow passageway into the wider path beyond. The rest of them followed. Once in the path, he put back the tree; and using what was clearly water, this time, from a flask at his belt, plastered mud around the jointure where it had been cut off. Having done this he straightened up, but did not immediately lead off. Instead he spoke to them again.

  "The way I'll take you," he said, "is not the most direct one to the castle, but it's the surest one for you through this forest maze. You'll note as we go that we bear always to our right. If we do so it will bring us out eventually into the gardens of the palace grounds. Similarly, if you manage to secure your prince and are escaping, enter the woods by the same place by which you left, and bear always to your left. So, eventually, you'll come out beyond the trees on the hillside. From then on, God speed you; for I cannot."

  It was some little distance to the inner edge of the forest. But Bernard led them with enough speed and confidence so that they covered it swiftly.

  They emerged at last into the gardens of Malvinne's castle. The difference from the trees, come upon suddenly this way, was shocking.

  All at once it was a warm and lovely night. The moon, only several days old from full, shed a good light over the various arbors, lawns, and plantings and the carefully graveled paths that they followed toward the dark bulk of the castle ahead.

  The moisture from the various fountains and little artificial lakes seemed to soften the air and cause the odor of night-blooming flowers filling the gardens to hang at head level, rather than be stirred away by the small breezes that wandered through from time to time.

  Now they moved swiftly over the paths. In no more than ten minutes they were up against the stone wall of the castle. A door scarcely larger than the front door to the homes Jim had been used to back in his own world was in front of them.

  Bernard opened it and led them into a room empty of people, then stopped.

  "Here, I leave you," he said.

  Jim looked around. The walls were of stone and the ceilings were heavy timbers set close together. The floor was bare flagstone rather than strewn with the medieval carpet of rushes or grasses, or covered by the actual woven cloth carpets of Jim's world.

  The room was wide and long, but the ceiling was no more than a foot above their heads. Altogether, it was not an unpleasant place, but it was a far cry from the attractiveness of the garden they had just left.

  "From here," went on Bernard, "go openly. There are many fully human people in this castle serving Malvinne; and some of them of gentle rank. The dog might make them remember you, though. It's too bad I didn't think of that sooner. You could have left him back in the woods."

  "On no account," said Aragh.

  Bernard jumped. It had to be called a jump because it was more than a simple jerk of startlement. The room they had stepped into was lit with cressets burning open flames in hold-en along the walls. They illuminated the room well, but left deep pools of shadow, here and there. Bernard had stopped in one such pool, so that his shape and appearance were still hidden from their eyes.

  "Is that a wolf?" he asked.

  "None other," said Aragh, "and I go with these others; and you ask no questions—any more than we ask of you."

  "Well enough," said Bernard after a second. The angle of his head in the shadow betrayed that he was still staring at Aragh. "It will be that all others take him for a dog, as I did. At any rate, to get back to my directions. The wolf has a sense of direction, I take it?"

  "Else would I have gone hungry many days over the past years," said Aragh, "seeing how I may travel fifteen miles from the place of a kill to someplace else, and not return until the next day by another route. Give us our directions."

  "Then, you see that farther wall there," said Bernard, pointing to the wall farthest from them and the door in it "You go through its door and take the left doorway out of that room. Turn immediately right and keep generally in that line through a number of apartments like this one. Some will be empty. Some will be places where food is being prepared, or other wo
rk is being done. You are obviously, as I said, gentlemen—"

  He glanced briefly at Dafydd.

  "At least the three of you. It will be only natural that you ignore the others and continue on your own way. Move surely, as if you not only knew your way, but were on some important errand for Malvinne. If you keep to this line despite the offset of doorways, through the next nine such rooms you pass"—he hesitated—"you'll have reached the base of the tower where your Prince is being kept. At this point comes the greatest danger."

  He paused.

  "Yes, yes, man! Go on!" said Brian impatiently.

  "You'll pass through a door that is plain on this side but is of highly carved and polished wood on the other. It will let you into a place of carpets and of much larger and taller rooms. Bear right, and you'll come to the base of the staircase that leads up the tower. You'll know it for what it is, because the steps are stone, with no cloth or carpeting or other covering upon them."

  "How wide are these steps?" demanded Brian. "Wide enough so that all four of us can go up abreast?"

  "It has been some time since I saw them," answered Bernard. "Some years, in fact; for I went up those steps a man and came down what I am now, never suspecting as I climbed what was in wait for me. Questioning, torture, and death I half-expected; nor was I disturbed by it. Such things must be considered part of the life of anyone who chooses to be a man-at-arms. But this—this I had not expected. However, to answer you: No."

  "How wide then?" persisted Brian.

  "Wide enough perhaps for three, if you crowd closely together," said Bernard, "but I suggest that if you want your sword arms free, you go no more than two, side by side, up the steps. You'll notice one end of them touches against a wall. That end will continue against the wall; for the steps wind up the inner surface of the tower. After you've passed several levels, there'll be only the naked steps and the walls of the tower going up and up before you, with a drop off the open end of the steps that becomes deeper as you climb, and is interrupted only as you reach the top of the tower. In one of those top levels your Prince is held."