The Secrets of the Wild Wood, Page 36

  “Do not be too downhearted,” said Arturin. “You have heard only that the boy has been captured – not killed.”

  “But he is in the hands of the man who rules the Wild Wood,” said Ristridin. “A knight with black armour and a red shield, whom I suspect is also the man who killed Sir Edwinem.” At that point he looked at Bendu. “The Black Knight with the Red Shield is the King of Eviellan himself!” he told him quietly. “I think, Bendu, that this knight is not destined to fall at your hand. And how do you expect such a man to treat Tiuri, son of Tiuri?”

  Sir Bendu left at dawn, riding along the Third Great Road to the west.

  Sir Arturin prepared his men for their task.

  Sir Kraton was locked up, cursing the fate that had made him lose to Ristridin.

  Sir Ristridin walked restlessly around the castle, burning with a need to act and yet knowing he had to wait. He sent for Red Quibo, gave him weapons and chainmail and said, “The men are practising out in the courtyard. Go and join them.”

  “Me?” said Quibo. “My lord, I truly wasn’t born to handle weapons! I am your prisoner because you do not trust me, but you cannot force me to carry such things, or to act bravely until I meet a bloody end! My courage is lacking, my health is poor…”

  “Well, I’m sure it will improve now that there is no inn nearby,” said Ristridin wryly. “Do as I command. My squire must be able to use a weapon.”

  “Why do you hate me, sir knight, just because I recognized you?” cried Quibo. “You are mocking my pain, laughing at me, lazy coward that I am!”

  “It’s time to put an end to that laziness,” said Ristridin. “Hold your impudent tongue and go and play your part!”

  Two hours later he found Quibo, covered in sweat and dirtier than ever, crouched in a corner of the courtyard.

  “Get up,” he ordered, “and go and wash.”

  “Have pity, my lord!” groaned Quibo. “I am defeated and as good as dead.”

  “A little cold water will do you some good,” said Ristridin without pity. “Hurry or you’ll miss your lunch.”

  “Lunch!” spat his reluctant squire. “I am thirsty! I want to drink until I’m drunk!”

  Ristridin pulled him roughly to his feet and cuffed him around the ears.

  “Oh, mercy,” sighed Quibo, as he stood reeling. “Why don’t you just lock me up, like Sir Kraton? Then I’d have some peace.”

  “No, you’re coming with me,” said Ristridin. “Perhaps you can be of some use. After all, you know your way around the Unholy Hills.”

  “Unholy? It was an unholy day when I met you!” wailed Quibo. “Must I again be dragged along without a little drop to strengthen me? When are you leaving, my lord?”

  “Very soon,” said Ristridin. “I think Sir Tiuri will not want to wait for long before heading into the Wild Wood.”

  “Sir Tiuri?”

  “Yes, I expect him here today or tomorrow.”

  “Yet more knights,” muttered Quibo. “Intrepid knights, valiant and true, and me, poor Quibo, stuck in the middle.” And Quibo hurried off for his lunch.

  Towards the end of the following day, a line of knights rode onto the Plain of Islan. At the front was a knight with a shield of azure and gold, Tiuri the Valiant, the father of Tiuri with the White Shield. Beside him rode Ristridin, with his visor closed. Red Quibo was also with the company, properly fitted out as a squire, but with a most disgruntled look on his face.

  They reined in their horses and gazed at Castle Islan in the distance, formidable, the drawbridge up, the gate shut.

  The knights, too, looked most formidable.

  “And yet I feel it is better to leave Islan to its own devices for now,” said Ristridin.

  “Hmm, that is where Tiuri departed from,” his companion said.

  Ristridin thought of Lady Isadoro for a moment and wondered how she and Tiuri had got along. He looked at Tiuri’s father and said, “You understand, though. We cannot provoke a confrontation too soon. Bendu should reach the Kingdom of Unauwen within about six days. And men from many castles will soon be on their way here…”

  “I understand completely,” said Sir Tiuri the Valiant. “But no one will be surprised that I choose to head to the wood.”

  “A father in search of his errant son,” said Ristridin in a weak attempt at humour. “Of course. We will enter the Wild Wood at Stoneford, heading first in the direction of the Forgotten City, and then to the west, as swiftly as seems wise.” They rode onwards.

  Then Quibo piped up from behind Ristridin, “Sir knight, forgive me, but I heard we’re missing out the Unholy Hills. Could I…”

  “Silence!” said Ristridin impatiently. “Who says we will not go there another day?” Again he looked with sympathy at the knight beside him. He could tell that Sir Tiuri was thinking about his son.

  PART EIGHT

  FINAL MOVES

  1 THE PASS

  Tiuri, son of Tiuri, lay on his stomach, looking out over the edge of the steep drop where the hidden path ended. Down below he could see the Road of Ambuscade. Piak lay beside him and whispered in his ear, “Do you see that plume of smoke, to the right of the Tarntop? That must be where the last guard post is.”

  Further to the west was the pass, where Tehalon had said soldiers were also standing guard. A high rock was blocking their view, so they could not see how they might be able to get past. But, whatever they did, they would have to get down to the road below first. Piak had already worked out the best route.

  They heard footsteps approaching along the road below them. The friends pulled back their heads, but then peeped over the edge again, very carefully, to take a look. It was two Red Riders, heavily armed, but on foot. They walked past, slowly, as the road was slippery with melting snow, and headed westwards, disappearing behind the rock. Voices came from that direction. The two friends waited in silence. After a while the men returned… no, it was two different Red Riders, who were going back to the east, towards the Tarntop.

  “They’ve changed the watch at the pass!” whispered Tiuri, when they had gone. “That’s good. Now there’s a chance that no one will come by for a while. Let’s go.”

  Piak uncoiled the rope and tied the two ends together. He looped it around the rocky outcrop he had chosen. It was so long that even as a loop it hung nearly all the way down to the road. “You first,” he said quietly. Here in the mountains he felt like a guide again, who had to take charge and bring up the rear during a descent.

  It took Tiuri a moment to pluck up the courage to go over the edge, but down he went. His friend was better at this kind of undertaking. But he reached the bottom in one piece. He flexed his fingers, which were red and sore from the rough rope, and then held his breath as he watched Piak, who was down and beside him in a split second and then tugged at the rope until he held the knot in his hands. He untied it and pulled. “Good!” he whispered, coiling the rope back up again. “The last part of the hidden path is behind us and we’re on the Road of Ambuscade.” Then he let

  Tiuri take over again. “So what do we do now?” Tiuri didn’t know either. They couldn’t see the pass from here and they didn’t know exactly where the guard post was. But there was nothing else they could do except head in that direction – creeping and with cunning, to use Tehalon’s words. The road was wide and climbed gradually. Steep cliffs stood on either side and, to the left, around the corner, were the guards. It would be best, of course, if they could slip past unnoticed.

  Piak nudged Tiuri and whispered, “Please, take my sword. I’m not very good with it. I prefer this.” He brandished the stick he’d found along the way.

  Tiuri accepted his offer, knowing his friend was right.

  Shortly after that, they were peering around the rock that had blocked their view for so long. They could see the road to its highest point – the pass. Some way beneath it was a hut, built of blocks of stone. Smoke curled through a hole in the roof, and the door was open. It was so close that they could see the horn hangin
g by the door. Someone was moving inside and they quickly stepped back when a Red Rider came out, then waited for a moment before looking again to see that the man was making a fire at the side of the road. He stood up, with his back towards them, and gave a loud cry. The second guard appeared over the pass.

  When the two friends plucked up courage to look again, one of the men had disappeared. The other was sitting by the fire, grasping a spear that he’d planted in the ground beside him.

  As quietly as possible, they walked back to the spot where they’d climbed down. They didn’t dare to speak until they got there, and still only in whispers.

  “We’ll never get past without being seen,” said Tiuri. “We have to follow the road to get over the pass, and it looks as if one of the two is always on guard outside!”

  Piak nodded. “You’re right,” he said. “But what about when it gets dark?”

  “Do you think that’ll make much difference?”

  “I don’t know,” said Piak thoughtfully. “We can only go along the road, and there’s a guard sitting next to a fire that’s lighting up the whole area. He might not see us straightaway, but he’s sure to hear us.”

  “So,” said Tiuri, “we’ll just have to let them see us.”

  “And how’s that going to work?”

  “We’ll have to go as soon as possible. We might as well go right now, if it’s not going to make any difference anyway.”

  “But how?”

  “We’ll pretend we’re Men in Green. That’s what we look like, after all.”

  “But do you think they’ll just let us through?” asked Piak.

  “No,” replied Tiuri after pausing to think. “But they won’t see us as enemies, so we’ll be able to get closer.”

  “And then?”

  “Then it’s two against two. We’ll have to overpower them.”

  “Ah!” sighed Piak and then he added, “Well, I’ve got enough rope to tie them up tightly.”

  “But we can’t give them any time to raise the alarm,” Tiuri continued. “If we take them out of action, it won’t be discovered until tomorrow, when the next guards come to relieve them. That’s why we have to do it now – then we’ll have more of a lead.”

  “Yes…” whispered Piak, his voice trembling slightly. “Just tell me what you want me to do. And I’ll do it!”

  Once again they walked up the Road of Ambuscade, not skulking along the rocks this time, but casually striding up the middle of it.

  The guard rose to his feet when he saw them coming; he stood in the middle of the road and held up his spear to bar the way. The friends walked onwards, outwardly calm but their hearts were beating faster.

  The guard barked something at them.

  Tiuri and Piak stopped, bowed their heads in greeting and said, “Giaruda.”

  Tiuri cast a glance at the hut; the other guard was standing in the doorway. Then he looked again at the soldier facing him. He had a hostile expression, with small, beady eyes that stared suspiciously at Tiuri. He spoke again, asking something in the language of Eviellan. The meaning of the question was clear enough: “What do you want?”

  Tiuri pointed from east to the west and indicated with sign language that he and Piak wanted to cross the pass.

  But, just as Tiuri had feared, the guard shook his head and made it very clear that the answer was no.

  Tiuri repeated his gestures. But the guard kept on shaking his head and giving them threatening glares.

  Tiuri placed one hand on his chest. “I come from the Tarnburg,” he said slowly, pointing in that direction. “The Black Knight with the Red Shield… Eviellan…”

  Piak helped him. “Tehalon,” he said.

  “Tehalon,” nodded Tiuri, pointing at the pass again.

  He had been keeping a close eye on the hut, which was just as well, as the other guard had become curious and came over to see what was happening.

  Now the two Red Riders were standing together, grim and forbidding, but also rather puzzled. Tiuri repeated his gestures and made sounds whose meaning he didn’t know himself. He ended with, “Let us through!”

  Those were the last words he would say, just as he and Piak had agreed. When the guards began to answer, he gave the signal: “Now,” and they both attacked at the same moment.

  Their plan went better than expected. The guards’ initial suspicions did indeed seem to have been eased. It took them a second to recover from the surprise and try to defend themselves, but by then they had both been relieved of their weapons. Tiuri wrestled on the ground with his opponent, who was knocked out when he hit his head on a rock. He stood up in time to see Piak hit the other one with his stick and trip him up.

  “Your rope, quickly!” panted Tiuri. Then he gasped. Another Red Rider had appeared from the hut. There was a third guard!

  Tiuri drew his sword and ran towards him, slipping on the icy surface. The guard took out his sword and reached for the horn beside the door.

  “Duck!” Piak cried from behind him, and a stone went whizzing past his ear. It hit the guard, who recovered only to find Tiuri standing before him.

  Tiuri immediately went on the attack, determined not to lose this fight; it had to be done quickly and quietly. He was met with fierce opposition but the fight was soon over – incredibly soon, with a grim, but inevitable, conclusion. Without thinking, Tiuri seized his moment and thrust – a powerful, deep strike… The man swayed, his face turned pale, he grimaced… and then fell.

  Tiuri took a step back. For a moment the world stood still.

  But a stifled cry from Piak made him spin around. One of the other guards had come round and grabbed his spear, and he was approaching Piak, on the attack. Tiuri leapt at him and let his sword descend on the man’s head. He, too, collapsed and moved no more.

  The two friends looked at each other for a moment, and then Tiuri followed Piak’s gaze to the bloody sword in his hand. Suddenly he felt sick. But he pulled himself together and bent over the fallen man.

  “We have to tie them up,” he heard Piak say. His voice was trembling and seemed to come from a long way off.

  “Just the one who’s lying there, on the road,” replied Tiuri. “This one’s dead, too.” His own voice sounded strange, as if someone else were speaking. Maybe I should kill the last one as well, he thought, as he walked over to him.

  But as he looked down at the defenceless man, he knew he couldn’t do it – in a fair fight, yes, but not now. “Bind him tightly,” he ordered Piak, “and put something in his mouth, so he can’t shout for help when he comes round.” He knelt down and helped his friend. “We’ll put him in the hut,” he said. “Along with the others…”

  Quickly and without speaking, they did what had to be done. Then they stood on the road again and looked around. There was no sign of danger. Tiuri wiped the sword as clean as he could with some snow.

  “It’s your sword,” he said. “Do you want it back?”

  “No,” replied Piak. “You can keep it for now.”

  They started walking up to the pass.

  I’ve killed a man, thought Tiuri. Two men. Could he ever forget? Stabbing and pulling back his sword? The blood gushing from the wound?

  What else could you have done? he thought to himself. You knew when you were given a sword that this would happen one day.

  As he walked faster, he wondered what Piak was thinking now. He’d hardly said anything. Would he regard him later with horror in his eyes?

  When they had reached the top, Piak broke the silence. “The pass!” he said. Tiuri looked at him and saw only companionship on his face.

  “Yes, we’ve made it,” he said quietly. “And now we have to head down.”

  2 THE DESCENT

  It was not the first time Tiuri and Piak had made their way across the Great Mountains and down into the Kingdom of Unauwen. They had travelled along a different road before, across a pass that was much higher, along a path that was narrower and more difficult. The Road of Ambuscade was an easy enou
gh walk, even though it was still early in the year. It was cold, but the weather was fine, so they could travel quickly.

  And yet still Tiuri felt gloomy and apprehensive, because of what had just happened, and also because he was not sure they’d reach their destination in time. The bleak landscape around them did not improve his mood.

  The slopes, they are so high and steep,

  deep and dark the gorge below…

  Those were the words Lavinia had sung, adding the lines about his own white shield. But even the snow up on the mountaintops looked cold and grim, rather than the glorious white of the shields of Unauwen’s knights. There were no beautiful vistas ahead, only grey slopes and ranges of hills stretching out until they vanished in the distance, hiding their destination from view.

  They walked very quickly, Piak leading the way to set the pace. Now and then they looked back at the pass, half fearing that threatening figures would appear there. But after a while a slope blocked their view of the highest point of the road.

  Tiuri went to walk beside Piak and said, “We have almost a day’s lead. That’s if Tehalon is right and the guards don’t change sooner.”

  “What do you think they will do?” Piak said. “Come straight after us? But they won’t catch up with us, not even on horseback. Still, a day isn’t all that long…”

  “We just need to make sure our lead doesn’t become any smaller,” said Tiuri. “The Tarnburg is quite a way from the pass, so it’ll be a while before they hear about what’s happened, but even so…”

  “Yes, we need to keep moving,” Piak said in a whisper.

  “And by the time they mobilize…” Tiuri did a few calculations. “Yes, if we’re lucky we should have enough time to warn Unauwen.”

  The light took on the colour of mother-of-pearl, and their surroundings were bathed in a strange, almost unearthly glow.