2 - The Ruby Knight

  Ortzel smiled briefly. "I gather that our opinions of the

  good Primate more or less coincide,' he suggested.

  'Your Grace is perceptive,' Sparhawk noted smoothly.

  'The Primate of Cimmura aspires to a position in the

  Church for which our Preceptors feel he is unqualified.'

  "I have heard of his aspirations in that direction.'

  "This is the main thrust of our quest, Your Grace,'

  Sparhawk explained. 'The Primate of Cimmura is deeply

  involved in the politics of Elenia. The lawful queen of that

  realm is Ehlana, daughter to the late King Aldreas. She is,

  however, gravely ill, and Primate Annias controls the

  royal council - which means, of course, that he also

  controls the royal treasury. It is his access to that treasury

  that fuels his hopes to ascend the throne of the

  high prelacy. He has more or less unlimited funds at his

  disposal, and certain members of the Hierocracy have

  proved to be susceptible to his blandishments. It is our

  mission to restore the queen to health so that she might

  once again take the rulership of her kingdom into her

  own hands.'

  'An unseemly state of affairs, ' Baron Alstrom observed

  disapprovingly. 'No kingdom should be ruled by a

  woman."

  "I have the honour to be the queen's champion, My

  Lord,' Sparhawk declared, 'and, I hope, her friend as

  well. I have known her since she was a child, and I assure

  you that Ellana is no ordinary woman. She has more

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  steel in her than almost any other monarch in all of Eosia.

  Once she is restored to health, she will be more than a

  match for the Primate of Cimmura. She will cut off his

  access to the treasury as easily as she would snip off a

  stray lock of hair, and without that money, the Primate's

  hopes die."

  Then your quest is a noble one, Sir Sparhawk,'

  Patriarch Ortzel approved, 'but why has it brought you

  to Lamorkand?'

  'May I speak frankly, Your Grace?'

  . 'Of course.'

  "we have recently discovered that queen Ehlana's

  illness is not of natural origin, and to cure her, we must

  resort to extreme measures.'

  'You're speaking too delicately, Sparhawk,' Ulath

  growled, removing his Ogre-horned helmet. 'What my

  Pandion brother is trying to say, Your Grace, is that

  Queen Ehlana has been poisoned, and that we'll have to

  use magic to bring her back to health.'

  'Poisoned?' Ortzel paled. "Surely you do not suspect

  Primate Annias?'

  'Everything points that way, Your Grace,' Tynian said,

  pushing back his blue cape. 'The details are tedious, but

  we have strong evidence that Annias was behind it all.'

  'You must bring these charges before the Hierocracy,'

  Ortzel exclaimed. 'if they are true, this is monstrous.'

  The matter is already in the hands of the Patriarch of

  Demos, Your Grace,' Sparhawk assured him. "I think we

  can trust him to lay it before the Hierocracy at the proper

  time.'

  'Dolmant is a good man,' Ortzel agreed. 'I'll abide by

  his decision in the matter - for the time being, at least.'

  'Please be seated, Sir Knights,' the Baron said. 'The

  urgency of this present situation has made me remiss in

  matters of courtesy. Might I offer you some refreshment?'

  Kalten's eyes brightened.

  'Never mind,' Sparhawk muttered to him, holding a

  chair for Sephrenia. She sat, and Flute came over and

  climbed up into her lap. 'Your daughter, Madame?' Ortzel surmised.

  'No, Your Grace. She's a foundling - of sorts. I'm fond

  of her, however.'

  'Berit,' Kurik said, 'we're just in the way here. Let's go

  to the stables. I want to check over the horses.' And the

  two of them left the room.

  'Tell me, My Lord,' Bevier said to Baron Alstrom,

  'what is it that has brought you to the brink of war? Some

  ancient dispute, perhaps?'

  "oh 'No, Sir Bevier,' the baron replied, his face hardening,

  'this is an affair of more recent origin. Perhaps a year ago

  my only son became friendly with a knight who said he

  was from Cammoria. I have since discovered that the

  man is a villain. He encouraged my young and foolish

  son in the vain hope of obtaining the hand of the

  daughter of my neighbour, Count Gerrich. The girl

  seemed amenable, though her father and I have never

  been friends. Not long after, however, Gerich announced

  that he had promised his daughter's hand to another.

  My son was enraged. His so-called friend goaded him on

  in this and proposed a desperate plan: they would abduct

  the girl, find a priest willing to marry her to my son, 'and

  present Gerich with a number of grandchildren to still

  his wrath. They scaled the walls of the Count's castle and

  crept into the girl's bedchamber. I have since discovered

  that my son's supposed friend had alerted the Count,

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  and Gerich and his sister's seven sons sprang from

  hiding as the two entered. My son, believing that it had

  been the Count's daughter who had betrayed him,

  plunged his dagger into her breast before the Count's

  nephews fell upon him with their swords.' Alstrom

  paused, his teeth clenched and his eyes brimming.

  'My son was obviously in the wrong,' he admitted,

  continuing his story, 'and I would not have pursued the

  matter, grieved though I was. It was what happened

  after my son's death that has set eternal enmity between

  Gerich and myself. Not content with merely killing my

  son, the Count and his sister's savage brood mutilated

  his body and contemptuously desposited it at my castle

  gate. I was outraged, but the Cammorian Knight, whom I

  still trusted, advised guile. He pled matters of pressing

  urgency in Cammoria, but promised me the aid of two of

  his trusted retainers. It was but last week that the two

  arrived at my door to tell me that the time for my revenge

  had come. They led my soldiers to the house of the

  Count's sister, and there they slaughtered the Count's

  seven nephews. I have since discovered that these two

  underlings inflamed my soldiers, and they took certain

  liberties with the person of Gerrich's sister.'

  'That's a delicate way to put it,' Kalten whispered to

  Sparhawk.

  'Be still,' Sparhawk whispered back.

  'The lady was dispatched - naked, I'm afraid - to her

  brother's castle. Reconciliation is now quite impossible

  Gerich has many allies, as do I, and western Lamorkand

  now hovers on the brink of general war.'

  'A melancholy tale, My Lord,' Sparhawk said sadly.

  The impending war is my concern. What is important

  now is to remove my brother from this house and to convey

  him safely to Chyrellos. Should he also fall during Gerich's

  attack, the church will have no choice but to send in her

  knights. The murder of a Patriarc
h - particularly one who

  is a strong candidate for elevation to the Archprelacy would

  be a crime she could not ignore. Thus it is that I

  implore you to safeguard him on his way to the Holy City. '

  'One question, My Lord,' Sparhawk said. 'The activities

  of this Cammorian Knight have a familiar ring to

  them. Can you describe him and his underlings to us?'

  'The knight himself is a tall man with an arrogant

  bearing. One of his companions is a huge brute, scarcely

  human: The other is a rabbity fellow with an excessive

  fondness for strong drink.'

  'Sounds a bit like some old friends, doesn't it?' Kalten

  said to Sparhawk. 'Was there anything unusual about

  this knight?'

  'His hair was absolutely white,' Alstrom replied, 'and

  he was not that old.'

  'Martel certainly moves around, doesn't he?' Kalten

  observed.

  'You know this man, Sir Kalten?' the baron asked.

  The white-haired man is named Martel,' Sparhawk

  explained. 'His two hirelings are Adus and Krager.

  Martel's a renegade Pandion Knight who hires out his

  services in various parts of the world.'Most recently, he's

  been working for the Primate of Cimmura.'

  'But what would be the Primate's purpose in fomenting

  discord between Gerich and me?'

  "you've already touched on that, My Lord,' Sparhawk

  replied. The Preceptors of the four militant orders are

  firmly opposed to the notion of Annias sitting on the

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  Archprelate's throne. They will be present - and voting during

  the election in the Basilica of Chyrellos, and their

  opinion carries great weight with the Hierocracy. Moreover,

  the Knights of the Church would respond immediately

  to the first hint of any irregularities in the election. If

  Annias is to succeed, he must get the Church Knights out

  of Chyrellos before the election. We were recently able to

  thwart a plot that Martel was hatching in Rendor that

  would have pulled the Knights out of the Holy City. It's

  my guess that this unhappy affair you told us about is yet

  another. Martel, acting on orders from Annias, is roaming

  the world building bonfires in the hope that sooner or

  later the Knights of the Church wil be forced to move out

  of Chyrellos to extinguish them.'

  "is Annias truly so depraved?' Ortzel asked.

  "your Grace, Annias WIll do anything to ascend that

  throne. I'm positive that he'd order the massacre of half

  of Eosia to get what he wants.'

  "how is it possible for a Churchman to stoop so low?'

  'Ambition, Your Grace,' Bevier said sadly. 'Once it

  gets its claws into a man's heart, the man becomes blind

  to all else.'

  This is all the more reason to get my brother safely to

  Chirellos,' Alstrom said gravely. 'He is much respected

  by the other members of the Hierocracy, and his voiCe

  will carry great weight in their deliberations.'

  "I must advise you and your brother, My Lord Alstrom,

  that there is a certain risk involved in your plan,'

  Sparhawk warned them. 'We are being pursued. There

  are those bent on thwarting us in our quest. Since your

  brother's safety is your first concern, I should tell you

  that I cannot guarantee it. The ones who are pursuing us

  are determined and very dangerous.' He spoke

  obliquely, since neither Alstrom or Ortzel would giVe

  him much credence if he told them the bald truth about

  the nature of the Seeker. 'I'm afraid I have no real choice in the matter, Sir

  Sparhawk. With this anticipated siege hanging over my

  head, I have to get my brother out of the castle, no matter

  what the risk.'

  'As long as you understand, My Lord,' Sparhawk

  sighed. 'Our mission is of the gravest urgency, but this

  matter overshadows even that.'

  'Sparhawk!' SePhrenia gasPed.

  'We have no choice, little mother,' he told her. 'We

  absolutely must get His Grace safely out of Lamorkand

  and to Chyrellos. The Baron was right. If anything

  happens to his brother, the Church Knights will ride out

  of Chyrellos to retaliate. Nothing could prevent it. We'll

  have to take His Grace to the Holy City and then try to

  make up for lost time.'

  'What precisely is the object of your search, Sir

  Sparhawk?' the Patriarch of Kadach asked.

  'As Sir Ulath explained, we are forced to resort to

  magic to restore the Queen of Elenia to health, and

  there's only one thing in the world with that much

  power. We're on our way to the great battlefield at Lake

  Randera to seek out the jewel which once surmounted

  the royal crown of Thalesia.'

  'Bhelliom?' Ortzel was shocked. "Surely you would not

  bring that accursed thing to light again?'

  'We have no choice, Your Grace. Only Bhelliom can

  restore my queen.'

  'But Bhelliom is tainted. All the wickedness of the

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  Troll-Gods infects it.'

  The Troll-Gods aren't all that bad, Your Grace,' Ulath

  said. ~they're capricious, I'll grant you, but they're not

  truly evil.'

  ~the Elene God forbids consorting with them.'

  The Elene God is wise, Your Grace,' Sephrenia told

  him. 'He has also forbidden contact with the Gods of

  styricum. He made an exception to his prohibition,

  however, when the time came to form the militant

  orders. The Younger Gods of Styricum agreed to assist

  Him in His design. One wonders if He might not also be

  able to enlist the aid of the Troll-Gods. He is, I understand,

  most persuasive.'

  "blasphemy.' Ortzel gasPed.

  "no, Your Grace, not really. I am Styric and therefore

  not subject to Elene theology.'

  Hadn't we better get going?' Ulath suggested. "it's a

  long ride to chyrellos, and we need to get His Grace out

  of this castle before the fighting starts.'

  "well put, my laconic friend,' Tynian approved.

  I shall make ready at once,' Ortzel said, going to the

  door. we will be able to depart within the hour.' And he

  went out.

  How long do you think it's likely to be before the

  counts forces reach here, My Lord?' Tynian asked the

  baron.

  "no more than a day, Sir Tynian. I have friends who are

  impeding his march northward from his keep, but he has

  a sizeable army, and I'm certain he will soon break his

  way through.'

  'Talen,' Sparhawk said sharply, 'put it back.'

  The boy made a wry face and laid a small dagger with a

  jewelled hilt back on the table from which he had taken it.

  "I didn't think you were watching,' he said.

  'Don't ever make that mistake,' Sparhawk said

  "I always watch you.'

  The baron looked puzzled.

  'The boy has not yet learned to grasp some of the finer

  points of property ownership, My Lord,' Kalten said

  lightly. 'We've been trying to teach him, but he's a sl
ow

  learner.'

  Talen sighed and took up his sketch pad and pencil.

  Then he sat at a table on the far side of the room and began

  to draw. He was, Sparhawk remembered, very talented.

  "I am most grateful to you all, gentlemen,' the baron

  was saying. 'The safety of my brother has been my only

  concern. Now I shall be able to concentrate on the

  business at hand.' He looked at Sparhawk. 'Do you think

  you might possibly encounter this Martel person during

  the course of your quest?'

  "I most certainly hope so,' Sparhawk said fervently.

  'And is it your intention to kill him?'

  'That's been Sparhawk's intention for the last dozen

  years or so,' Kalten said. 'Martel sleeps very lightly when

  Sparhawk's in the same kingdom with him.'

  'May God aid your arm then, Sir Sparhawk,' the baron

  said. 'My son will rest more peacefully once his betrayer

  joins him in the House of the Dead.'

  The door burst open, and Sir Enmann hurried into the

  room. 'My Lord!' he said to Alstrom in urgent tones,

  'come quickly.' Alstrom came to his feet. 'What is it, Sir Enmann!'

  'Count Gerich has deceived us. He has a fleet of ships

  on the river, and even now his forces are landing on both

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  sides of this promontory.'

  'Sound the alarm!' the baron commanded, 'and raise

  the drawbridge!'

  'At once, My Lord.' Enmann hurried from the room.

  Alstrom sighed bleakly. 'I'm afraid it's too late, Sir

  Sparhawk,' he said. 'Both your quest and the task I set

  you are doomed now. We are under siege, and we will all

  be trapped within these walls for a number of years, I

  fear.'

  *Chapter5

  The booming crash of boulders slamming against the

  walls of Alstrom's castle came with monotonous regularity

  as the siege engines of Count Gerich moved into

  place and began pounding the fortress.

  Sparhawk and the others had remained in the cheerless,

  weapon-cluttered room at Alstrom's request, and

  they sat awaiting his return.

  "I've never been under siege before,' Talen said,

  looking up from his drawings. 'How long do they usually

  last?'

  'if we can't come up with a way to get out of here,

  you'll be shaving by the time it's over,' Kurik told him.

  'Do something, Sparhawk,' the boy said urgently.

  "I'm open to suggestions.'

  Talen looked at him helplessly.

  Baron Alstrom came back into the room. His face was