The Ruby Knight

‘Good idea. I’m about ready for some breakfast anyway.’

They led their horses back through the damp woods to a small basin surrounding a trickling spring that emerged from a fern-covered bank.

‘Did they go by?’ Tynian asked.

‘At a gallop,’ Kalten grinned, ‘and they didn’t look around very much. Does anybody have anything to eat? I’m starving.’

‘I’ve got a slab of cold bacon,’ Kurik offered.

‘Cold?’

‘Fire makes smoke, Kalten. Do you really want these woods full of soldiers?’

Kalten sighed.

Sparhawk looked at Sephrenia. ‘There’s somebody – or something – riding with those soldiers,’ he said. ‘It gave me a very uneasy feeling, and I think it was the same thing I caught a glimpse of last night.’

‘Can you describe it?’

‘It’s quite tall and very very thin. Its back seems to be deformed, and it’s wearing a black hooded robe, so I couldn’t see any details.’ He frowned. ‘Those church soldiers in the column seemed as if they were half-asleep. They usually pay closer attention to what they’re doing.’

‘This thing you saw,’ she said seriously. ‘Was there anything else unusual about it?’

‘I can’t say for sure, but it seemed to have a sort of greenish light coming from its face. I noticed the same thing last night.’

Her face grew bleak. ‘I think we’d better leave immediately, Sparhawk.’

‘The soldiers don’t know we’re here,’ he objected.

‘They will before long. You’ve just described a Seeker. In Zemoch they’re used to hunt down runaway slaves. The lump on its back is caused by its wings.’

‘Wings?’ Kalten said sceptically. ‘Sephrenia, no animal has wings – except maybe a bat.’

‘This isn’t an animal, Kalten,’ she replied. ‘It more closely resembles an insect – although neither term is very exact when you’re talking about the creatures Azash summons.’

‘I hardly think we need to worry about a bug,’ he said.

‘We do with this particular creature. It has very little in the way of a brain, but that doesn’t matter because the spirit of Azash infuses it and provides its thoughts for it. It can see a long way in the dark or fog. Its ears are very sharp, and it has a very keen sense of smell. As soon as those soldiers come in sight of Olven’s column, it’s going to know that we’re not riding with the knights. The soldiers will come back at that point.’

‘Are you saying that church soldiers will take orders from an insect?’ Bevier asked incredulously.

‘They have no choice. They have no will of their own any more. The Seeker controls them utterly.’

‘How long does that last?’ he asked her.

‘For as long as they live – which usually isn’t very long. As soon as it has no further need of them, it consumes them. Sparhawk, we’re in very great danger. Let’s leave here at once.’

‘You heard her,’ Sparhawk said grimly. ‘Let’s get out of here.’

They rode out of the grove of trees at a canter and crossed a wide green meadow where brown and white spotted cows grazed in knee-deep grass. Sir Ulath pulled in beside Sparhawk. ‘It’s really none of my business,’ the shaggy-browed Genidian Knight said, ‘but you had twenty Pandions with you back there. Why didn’t you just turn around and eliminate those soldiers and their bug?’

‘Fifty dead soldiers scattered along a road would attract attention,’ Sparhawk explained, ‘and new graves are almost as obvious.’

‘Makes sense, I suppose,’ Ulath grunted. ‘Living in an over-populated kingdom has its own special problems, doesn’t it? Up in Thalesia, the Trolls and Ogres usually clean up that sort of thing before anybody chances by.’

Sparhawk shuddered. ‘Will they really eat carrion?’ he asked, looking back over his shoulder for any sign of pursuit.

‘Trolls and Ogres? Oh, yes – as long as the carrion’s not too ripe. A nice fat church soldier will feed a family of Trolls for a week or so. That’s one of the reasons there aren’t very many church soldiers or their graveyards in Thalesia. The point, though, is that I don’t like leaving live enemies behind me. Those church soldiers might come back to haunt us, and if that thing they’ve got with them is as dangerous as Sephrenia says, we probably should have got it out of the way while we had the chance.’

‘Maybe you’re right,’ Sparhawk admitted, ‘but it’s too late now, I’m afraid. Olven’s far out of reach. About all we can do is make a run for it and hope the soldiers’ horses tire before ours do. When we get a chance, I’ll want to talk with Sephrenia some more about that Seeker. I’ve got a feeling there were some things about it she wasn’t telling me.’

They rode hard for the rest of the day and saw no signs that the soldiers were anywhere behind them.

‘There’s a roadside inn just ahead,’ Kalten said as evening settled over the rolling countryside. ‘Do you want to chance it?’

Sparhawk looked at Sephrenia. ‘What do you think?’

‘Only for a few hours,’ she said, ‘just long enough to feed the horses and give them some rest. The Seeker will know that we’re not with that column by now, and it’s certain to be following our trail. We have to move on.’

‘We could at least get some supper,’ Kalten added, ‘and maybe a couple of hours’ sleep. I’ve been up for a long time. Besides, we might be able to pick up some information if we ask the right questions.’

The inn was run by a thin, good-humoured fellow and his plump, jolly wife. It was a comfortable place and meticulously clean. The broad fireplace at one end of the common-room did not smoke, and there were fresh rushes on the floor.

‘We don’t see many city folk this far out in the country,’ the innkeeper noted as he brought a platter of roast beef to the table, ‘- and very seldom any knights – at least I judge from your garb that you’re knights. What brings you this way, My Lords?’

‘We’re on our way to Pelosia,’ Kalten lied easily. ‘Church business. We’re in a hurry, so we decided to cut across country.’

‘There’s a road that runs on up into Pelosia about three leagues to the south,’ the innkeeper advised helpfully.

‘Roads wander around a lot,’ Kalten said, ‘and like I told you, we’re in a hurry.’

‘Anything interesting happening hereabouts?’ Tynian asked as if only mildly curious.

The innkeeper laughed wryly. ‘What can possibly happen in a place like this? The local farmers spend all their time talking about a cow that died six months ago.’ He drew up a chair and sat down uninvited. He sighed. ‘I used to live in Cimmura when I was younger. Now, there’s a place where things really happen. I miss all the excitement.’

‘What made you decide to move out here?’ Kalten asked, spearing another slice of beef with his dagger.

‘My father left me this place when he died. Nobody wanted to buy it, so I didn’t have any choice.’ He frowned slightly. ‘Now that you mention it, though,’ he said, returning to the previous topic, ‘there has been something a little unusual happening around here for the last few months.’

‘Oh?’ Tynian said carefully.

‘We’ve been seeing bands of roving Styrics. The countryside’s crawling with them. They don’t usually move around that much, do they?’

‘Not really,’ Sephrenia replied. ‘We’re not a nomadic people.’

‘I thought you might be Styric, lady – judging from your looks and your clothes. We’ve got a Styric village not far from here. They’re nice enough people, I suppose, but they keep pretty much to themselves.’ He leaned back in his chair. ‘I do think you Styrics could avoid a lot of the trouble that breaks out from time to time if you’d just mingle with your neighbours a little more.’

‘It’s not our way,’ Sephrenia murmured. ‘I don’t believe Elenes and Styrics are supposed to mingle.’

‘There could be something to what you say,’ he agreed.

‘Are these Styrics doing anything in particular?’ Sparhawk asked, keeping his voice neutral.

‘Asking questions is about all. They seem to be very curious about the Zemoch war for some reason.’ He rose to his feet. ‘Enjoy your supper,’ he said and went back to the kitchen.

‘We have a problem,’ Sephrenia said gravely. ‘Western Styrics do not wander about the countryside. Our Gods prefer to have us stay close to their altars.’

‘Zemochs then?’ Bevier surmised.

‘Almost certainly.’

‘When I was in Lamorkand, there were reports of Zemochs infiltrating the country east of Motera,’ Kalten remembered. ‘They were doing the same thing – wandering about the country asking questions, mostly having to do with folk-lore.’

‘Azash seems to have a plan that closely resembles ours,’ Sephrenia said. ‘He’s trying to gather information that will lead him to Bhelliom.’

‘It’s a race then,’ Kalten said.

‘I’m afraid so, and he’s got Zemochs out there ahead of us.’

‘And church soldiers behind,’ Ulath added. ‘You’ve gone and got us surrounded, Sparhawk. Could that Seeker be controlling those wandering Zemochs the same way it’s controlling the soldiers?’ the big Thalesian asked Sephrenia. ‘We could be riding into an ambush if it is, you know.’

‘I’m not entirely certain,’ she replied. ‘I’ve heard a great deal about Otha’s Seekers, but I’ve never actually seen one in action.’

‘You didn’t have time to be very specific this morning,’ Sparhawk said. ‘Exactly how is that thing controlling Annias’s soldiers?’

‘It’s venomous,’ she said. ‘Its bite paralyses the will of its victims – or of those it wants to dominate.’

‘I’ll make a point of not letting it bite me then,’ Kalten said.

‘You may not be able to stop it,’ she told him. ‘That green glow is hypnotic. That makes it easier for it to get close enough to inject the venom.’

‘How fast can it fly?’ Tynian asked.

‘It doesn’t fly at this stage of its development,’ she replied. ‘Its wings don’t mature until it becomes an adult. Besides, it has to be on the ground to follow the scent of the one it’s trying to catch. Normally, it travels on horseback, and since the horse is controlled in the same way people are, the Seeker simply rides the horse to death and then finds another. It can cover a great deal of ground that way.’

‘What does it eat?’ Kurik asked. ‘Maybe we can set a trap for it.’

‘It feeds primarily on humans,’ she told him.

‘That would make baiting a trap a little difficult,’ he admitted.

They all went to bed directly after supper, but it seemed to Sparhawk that his head had no sooner touched the pillow than Kurik was shaking him awake.

‘It’s about midnight,’ the squire said.

‘All right,’ Sparhawk said wearily, sitting up in bed.

‘I’ll wake the others,’ Kurik said, ‘and then Berit and I’ll go saddle the horses.’

After he had dressed, Sparhawk went downstairs to have a word with the sleepy innkeeper. ‘Tell me, neighbour,’ he said, ‘is there by any chance a monastery hereabouts?’

The innkeeper scratched his head. ‘I think there’s one near the village of Verine,’ he replied. ‘That’s about five leagues east of here.’

‘Thanks, neighbour,’ Sparhawk said. He looked around. ‘You’ve got a nice, comfortable inn here,’ he said, ‘and your wife keeps clean beds and sets a very fine table. I’ll mention your place to my friends.’

‘Why, that’s very kind of you, Sir Knight.’

Sparhawk nodded to him and went outside to join the others.

‘What’s the plan?’ Kalten asked.

‘The innkeeper thinks there’s a monastery near a village about five leagues away. We should reach it by morning. I want to get word of all this to Dolmant in Chyrellos.’

‘I could take the message to him for you, Sir Sparhawk,’ Berit offered eagerly.

Sparhawk shook his head. ‘The Seeker probably has your scent by now, Berit. I don’t want you getting ambushed on the road to Chyrellos. Let’s send some anonymous monk instead. That monastery’s on our way anyhow, so we won’t be losing any time. Let’s mount up.’

The moon was full and the night sky was clear as they rode away from the inn. ‘That way,’ Kurik said, pointing.

‘How do you know that?’ Talen asked him.

‘The stars,’ Kurik replied.

‘Do you mean you can actually tell direction by the stars?’ Talen sounded impressed.

‘Of course you can. Sailors have been doing that for thousands of years.’

‘I didn’t know that.’

‘You should have stayed in school.’

‘I don’t plan to be a sailor, Kurik. Stealing fish sounds a little too much like work to me.’

They rode on through the moon-drenched night, moving almost due east. By morning they had gone perhaps five leagues, and Sparhawk rode to a hilltop to look around. ‘There’s a village just ahead,’ he told the others when he returned. ‘Let’s hope it’s the one we’re looking for.’

The village lay in a shallow valley. It was a small place, perhaps a dozen stone houses with a church at one end of its single cobbled street and a tavern at the other. A large, walled building stood atop a hill just outside the town. ‘Excuse me, neighbour,’ Sparhawk asked a passer-by as they clattered into town. ‘Is this Verine?’

‘It is.’

‘And is that the monastery up on that hill there?’

‘It is,’ the man replied again, his voice a bit sullen.

‘Is there some problem?’

‘The monks up there own all the land hereabouts,’ the fellow replied. ‘Their rents are cruel.’

‘Isn’t that always the way? All landlords are greedy.’

‘The monks insist on tithes as well as the rent. That’s going a bit far, wouldn’t you say?’

‘You’ve got a point there.’

‘Why do you call everybody “neighbour”?’ Tynian asked as they rode on.

‘Habit, I suppose,’ Sparhawk shrugged. ‘I got it from my father, and I think it puts people at their ease.’

‘Why not call them “friend”?’

‘Because I never know that for sure. Let’s go talk to the Abbot of that monastery.’

The monastery was a severe-looking building surrounded by a wall made of yellow sandstone. The fields around it were well-tended, and monks wearing conical hats woven from local straw worked patiently under the morning sun in long, straight rows of vegetables. The gates of the monastery stood open, and Sparhawk and the others rode into the central courtyard. A thin, haggard-looking brother came out to meet them, his face a little fearful.

‘Good day, brother,’ Sparhawk said to him. He opened his cloak to reveal the heavy silver amulet hanging on a chain about his neck which identified him as a Pandion Knight. ‘If it’s not too much trouble, we’d like to have a word with your Abbot.’

‘I’ll bring him immediately, My Lord.’ The brother scurried back inside the building.

The Abbot was a jolly little fat man with a well-shaven tonsure and a bright red, sweaty face. His was a small, remote monastery and had little contact with Chyrellos. He was embarrassingly obsequious at the sudden, unexpected appearance of Church Knights on his doorstep. ‘My Lords,’ he grovelled, ‘how may I serve you?’

‘It’s a small thing, my Lord Abbot,’ Sparhawk told him gently. ‘Are you acquainted with the Patriarch of Demos?’

The Abbot swallowed hard. ‘Patriarch Dolmant?’ he said in an awed voice.

‘Tall fellow,’ Sparhawk agreed. ‘Sort of lean and underfed-looking. Anyway, we need to get a message to him. Have you a young monk who’s got some stamina and a good horse who could carry a message to the Patriarch for us? It’s in the service of the Church.’

‘O-of course, Sir Knight.’

‘I’d hoped you’d feel that way about it. Do you have a quill pen and ink handy, My Lord Abbot? I’ll compose the message, and then we won’t bother you any more.’

‘One other thing, My Lord Abbot,’ Kalten added. ‘Might we trouble you for a bit of food? We’ve been some time on the road, and our supplies are getting low. Nothing too exotic, mind – a few roast chickens, perhaps, a ham or two, a side of bacon, a hindquarter of beef, maybe?’

‘Of course, Sir Knight,’ the Abbot agreed quickly.

Sparhawk composed the note to Dolmant while Kurik and Kalten loaded the supplies on a packhorse.

‘Did you have to do that?’ Sparhawk asked Kalten as they rode away.

‘Charity is a cardinal virtue, Sparhawk,’ Kalten replied loftily. ‘I like to encourage it whenever I can.’

The countryside through which they galloped grew increasingly desolate. The soil was thin and poor, fit only for thorn-bushes and weeds. Here and there were pools of stagnant water, and the few trees standing near them were stunted and sick-looking. The weather had turned cloudy, and they rode through the tag-end of a dreary afternoon.

Kurik pulled his gelding in beside Sparhawk. ‘Doesn’t look too promising, does it?’ he noted.

‘Dismal,’ Sparhawk agreed.

‘I think we’re going to have to make camp somewhere tonight. The horses are almost played out.’

‘I’m not feeling too spry myself,’ Sparhawk admitted. His eyes felt gritty, and he had a dull headache.

‘The only trouble is that I haven’t seen any clean water for the last league or so. Why don’t I take Berit and see if we can find a spring or stream?’

‘Keep your eyes open,’ Sparhawk cautioned.

Kurik turned in his saddle. ‘Berit,’ he called, ‘I need you.’

Sparhawk and the others rode on at a trot while the squire and the novice ranged out in search of clean water.

‘We could just ride on, you know,’ Kalten said.

‘Not unless you feel like walking before morning,’ Sparhawk replied. ‘Kurik’s right. The horses don’t have very much left in them.’

‘That’s true, I suppose.’

Then Kurik and Berit came pounding down a nearby hill at a gallop. ‘Get ready!’ Kurik shouted, shaking loose his chain-mace. ‘We’ve got company!’

‘Sephrenia!’ Sparhawk barked. ‘Take Flute and get back behind those rocks. Talen, get the packhorses.’ He drew his sword and moved to the front even as the others armed themselves.

There were fifteen or so of them, and they drove their horses over the hilltop at a run. It was an oddly assorted group, church soldiers in their red tunics, Styrics in home-spun smocks and a few peasants. Their faces were all blank, and their eyes dull. They charged on mindlessly, even though the heavily armed Church Knights were rushing to meet them.

Sparhawk and the others spread out, preparing to meet the charge. ‘For God and the Church!’ Bevier shouted, brandishing his lochaber axe. Then he spurred his horse forward, crashing into the middle of the oncoming attackers. Sparhawk was taken off guard by the young Cyrinic’s rash move, but he quickly recovered and charged in to his companion’s aid. Bevier, however, appeared to need little in the way of help. He warded off the clumsy-looking sword strokes of the mindlessly charging ambushers with his shield, and his long-handled lochaber whistled through the air to sink deep into the bodies of his enemies. Though the wounds he inflicted were hideous, the men he struck down made no outcry as they fell from their saddles. They fought and died in an eerie silence. Sparhawk rode behind Bevier, cutting down any of the numb-faced men who tried to attack the Cyrinic from behind. His sword sheared a church soldier almost in half, but the man in the red tunic did not even flinch. He raised his sword to strike at Bevier’s back, but Sparhawk split his head open with a vast overhand stroke. The soldier toppled out of his saddle and lay twitching on the bloodstained grass.

Kalten and Tynian had flanked the attackers on either side and were chopping their way into the mêlée, while Ulath, Kurik and Berit intercepted the few survivors who managed to make their way through the concerted counter-attack.

The ground was soon littered with bodies in red tunics and bloody white Styric smocks. Riderless horses plunged away from the fight, squealing in panic. In normal circumstances, Sparhawk knew the attackers bringing up the rear would falter and then flee when they saw what had befallen their comrades. These expressionless men, however, continued their attack, and it was necessary to kill them to the last man.

‘Sparhawk!’ Sephrenia shouted. ‘Up there!’ She was pointing towards the hilltop beyond which the attack had come. It was the tall, skeletal figure in the black hooded robe which Sparhawk had seen twice before. It sat its horse atop the hill with that faint green glow emanating from its concealed face.

‘That thing’s starting to bore me,’ Kalten said. ‘The best way to get rid of a bug is to step on it.’ He raised his shield and thumped his heels on his horse’s flanks. He started to gallop up the hill, his blade held menacingly aloft.

‘Kalten! No!’ Sephrenia’s shout was shrill with fright. But Kalten paid no attention to her warning. Sparhawk swore and started after his friend.

Suddenly Kalten was hurled from his saddle by some unseen force as the figure atop the hill gestured contemptuously. With revulsion Sparhawk saw that what emerged from the sleeve of the black robe was not a hand, but something more closely resembling the front claw of a scorpion.

And then, even as he swung down from Faran’s back to run to Kalten’s aid, Sparhawk gaped in astonishment. Somehow Flute had escaped from Sephrenia’s watchful eye and had advanced to the foot of the hill. She stamped one grass-stained little foot imperiously and lifted her rude pipes to her lips. Her melody was stern, even slightly discordant, and for some peculiar reason it seemed to be accompanied by a vast, unseen choir of human voices. The hooded figure on the hilltop reeled back in its saddle as if it had been struck a massive blow. Flute’s song rose, and that unseen choir swelled its song in a mighty crescendo. The sound was so overpowering that Sparhawk was forced to cover his ears. The song had reached the level of physical pain.

The figure shrieked, a dreadfully inhuman sound, and it clapped its claws to the sides of its hooded head. Then it wheeled its horse and fled down the far side of the hill.

There was no time to pursue the monstrosity. Kalten lay gasping on the ground, his face pale and his hands clutching at his stomach.

‘Are you all right?’ Sparhawk demanded, kneeling beside his friend.

‘Leave me alone,’ Kalten wheezed.

‘Don’t be stupid. Are you hurt?’

‘No. I’m lying here for fun.’ The blond man drew in a shuddering breath. ‘What did it hit me with? I’ve never been hit that hard before.’

‘You’d better let me have a look at you.’

‘I’m all right, Sparhawk. It just knocked the breath out of me, that’s all.’

‘You idiot. You know what that thing is. What were you thinking of?’ Sparhawk was suddenly, irrationally angry.

‘It seemed like a good idea at the time.’ Kalten grinned weakly. ‘Maybe I should have thought my way through it a little more.’

‘Is he hurt?’ Bevier asked, dismounting and coming towards them, his face showing his concern.

‘I think he’ll be all right.’ Then Sparhawk rose, controlling his temper with some effort. ‘Sir Bevier,’ he said rather formally, ‘you’ve had training in this sort of thing. You know what you’re supposed to do when you’re under attack. What possessed you to dash into the middle of them like that?’

‘I didn’t think there were all that many of them, Sparhawk,’ Bevier replied defensively.

‘There were enough. It only takes one to kill you.’

‘You’re vexed with me, aren’t you, Sparhawk?’ Bevier’s voice was mournful.

Sparhawk looked at the young knight’s earnest face for a moment. Then he sighed. ‘No, Bevier, I suppose not. You just startled me, that’s all. Please, for the sake of my nerves, don’t do unexpected things any more. I’m not getting any younger, and surprises age me.’

‘Perhaps I didn’t consider the feelings of my comrades,’ Bevier admitted contritely. ‘I promise it will not happen again.’

‘I appreciate that, Bevier. Let’s help Kalten back down the hill. I want Sephrenia to take a look at him, and I’m sure she’ll want to have a talk with him – a nice long one.’

Kalten winced. ‘I don’t suppose I could talk you into leaving me here? This is nice soft dirt.’

‘Not a chance, Kalten,’ Sparhawk replied ruthlessly. ‘Don’t worry, though. She likes you, so she probably won’t do anything to you – nothing permanent, anyway.’