Gar’rth could feel the poison still in his body, but he was stronger now, slightly recovered from the scratches the Wyrd had given him. Yet his wrist was still bound to the wall, and the pain he felt told him that there was a two-pointed blade nearby.
He had woken for the first time that day when Theodore had left him, the knight advising him to be cautious of a man named Simon, who had been charged with watching over him.
Gar’rth’s throat was parched and when he spied Theodore’s near-full water jug, he said a silent thank you to the knight. Still, even as he drank, he knew water wouldn’t assuage the hunger that cramped his stomach.
“So you are finally awake, werewolf,” a man’s voice said from the darkness beyond the gate to his cell.
“I am,” he said. “I am hungry.”
The man laughed, and the sound had a sadistic element to it.
“Your kind are always hungry, wolf. If I had my way I would chain you in a cage and leave you to starve in Varrock’s main square, to be jeered at by children and taunted by maidens. It is no less than you deserve.”
“What have I done?” Gar’rth asked. “I don’t know you. Are you Simon?”
“I am.”
A tall man stepped forward into the light of the torch. Gar’rth saw his black-leather armour, rugged face and perceived at once the two-pronged dagger he held. It made him feel nauseous, and he sat down again, for fear he might lose consciousness.
“A wolfbane dagger,” Simon said as he rattled it across the bars. “One of the very few weapons that gives me and my friends power over your ilk. Would you be angry to know that I have killed your race before? On three occasions.”
He rattled the dagger across the bars again, and the sound made Gar’rth wince.
“Please,” he said. “Please, I am… not like them.”
“Lord Despaard told me of your history. He told me how you would say something like that. The tragedy is that you might actually believe it, but your kind cannot deny your nature. Soon- or maybe not so soon, but one day nonetheless-you will change. The blood lust will become too strong.” He leaned closer and peered through the bars. “It would be better to kill you now. Better for you, and for us.”
Simon held his dagger in a tight grasp. As Gar’rth watched, he reached for a key on his belt.
“Don’t,” Gar’rth said. “Please… just wait.”
I can’t fight him. Not now, not with that dagger.
Suddenly Simon laughed and sheathed his weapon.
“I am not going to kill you. Not yet. My orders are just to watch.”
The man disappeared back into the darkness, leaving Gar’rth in silence. A cold sweat erupted from his pores. He cursed himself for being so weak, both in spirit and strength.
Would Kara ever have pleaded like that? he thought with shame. Would Theodore? Did Doric or Castimir do so when Jerrod beat them mercilessly?
Simon returned carrying a chunk of raw meat on an iron plate. He placed it on the ground at the edge of the cage and watched as Gar’rth scrambled forward to get it, the shackle on his wrist barely allowing him reach. It was the first thing he had eaten since being injured by the Wyrd.
“It’s only animal meat, I am afraid,” Simon said with a grin. “Lord Despaard wouldn’t let you eat any prisoners, even the one you and Kara-Meir brought in. He’s to hang this morning, by the way, in case you are interested. In fact, you might well be joining him.”
The guard vanished back into the darkness as Gar’rth’s appetite died.
They won’t let them hang me. None of them will. Not my friends.
But then his fear turned to anger. He hurled the iron plate against the bars of the gate. It clattered loudly in the darkness and the only reward for his hatred was a chuckle from his guard.
“That’s good, wolf boy. It’s good that you’re afraid.”
“I’ve done nothing wrong!” Gar’rth shouted back.
Simon only laughed again.
“You were born wrong, boy,” he replied. “It’s that simple.”
Gar’rth felt tears on his face, a rage against the injustice of his situation. Where was Kara? Where were Theodore and Castimir? Why weren’t they here for him?
Have they really done it? Have they abandoned me, finally?
He felt the urge to change, to become a wolf and revenge himself upon all humankind. But the urge ended with a convulsion in his throat. He staggered and fell and rolled upon the ground, upsetting the jug of water as his mouth foamed.
“I’ve seen it before,” his tormentor said. “You want to change, but you can’t. That’s one of the talents of these little daggers. They stop you from doing so.”
Finally Gar’rth gave a roar that only sounded feeble, before lapsing into a violent fit of coughing. His vision blurred as Simon laughed again, and Gar’rth tried to stand, but was too weak to do so.
He wept.
He had tried so hard to prove to his friends that he was different from the others of his race, and now he was condemned by prejudice alone.
Where are they-where are my friends?
Suddenly the door to the dungeons swung open as booted feet descended the three short steps. Gar’rth blinked away the moisture from his eyes to see Theodore and Kara in the company of a dozen guards.
Why do they need the guards? Have they come to take me to my death? Then he found his voice.
“Kara, you must help me,” he said. “Please, they mean to hang me…” But before she could reply, Captain Rovin spoke from behind the small group.
“Unchain him,” he ordered. “Have him shackled, just in case. Both his hands and his feet.”
“Kara? Theodore?”
“It is all right Gar’rth,” Kara said, reaching out to him through the bars, her hand on his arm. “No one will harm you. I have the word of the King himself. He wishes to talk to you-that is all. We will be with you all the time.”
“It’s true,” Theodore said. The knight looked at the conditions of the cell, his eyes taking in the upturned water jug and the remnants of Gar’rth’s meal which lay upon the ground. “Captain Rovin, I demand an explanation. My friend has been mistreated since I left here.”
Rovin gave a shrug.
“There are no friends of yours being held here, Sir Theodore. Only enemies of the realm.”
“You know what I mean, Captain,” Theodore said icily as the gate was opened and Gar’rth’s wrists were shackled together, followed by his legs. “Simon has abused my friend.”
“I’m sorry, Sir Theodore. Since last night I don’t hear so well. Did you say Simon?” Rovin gave an uncharacteristic and very false smile. “There is no Simon I know of, Sir Theodore.” Over their heads, Gar’rth could see that his tormentor had gone.
“Never mind that, Theodore,” Kara said. “Let’s just get Gar’rth out of here.”
Gar’rth staggered forward, his legs chained together at his ankles. Kara and Theodore stood either side of him, their arms around him, supporting him.
“We must hurry,” Rovin commanded. “We can’t keep the King waiting.”
Thank you my friends. Thank you.
As Gar’rth ascended the steps and saw daylight for the first time since his imprisonment, his strength returned. He followed Rovin through the palace, and noted how guards stood in front of doors and along corridors, barring any servant or courtier from seeing his shackles.
“The King wants your advice,” Kara told him as they went. “He wants to know about the blood marks that foreign emissaries have used to enter Morytania unharmed.” As they approached a doorway guarded by two men with familiar faces-men who had been present when the Wyrd had wounded him and who knew his heritage-Kara leaned forward to whisper in his ear.
“Please, Gar’rth,” she said, her voice urgent. “You must prove your worth to King Roald, otherwise he will not have a reason to keep you alive.”
He gave a nod as they entered the long throne room with its white walls and yellow banners. At the southern end, below the stained-glass window, the King sat on his yellow-cushioned throne, the morning light shining behind him. Gar’rth saw Castimir and Doric standing to his right, while facing them across the aisle were Despaard and Ruthven, with the old man Papelford before them. The librarian’s hard eyes followed Gar’rth as he approached, studying him intently.
Perhaps he’s only ever read of werewolves in books.
Gar’rth turned his head as he approached the throne and he noticed a small door he had not seen before, discreetly set in the stonework. At its side, leaning against a pillar, stood his black-clad tormentor from the dungeon, one hand resting on his scabbard. Simon never took his eyes off Gar’rth.
The small door opened and Aubury the wizard entered, followed by Arisha. The mage stood at the front of the King’s dais, his hands clenched around his runes, as if ready to cast a spell.
Do they really fear me so much? he wondered. Even shackled, am I still so dangerous?
He turned his head to look behind and noted the familiar guards who had been present the night before. Everyone in the room knew his secret.
“How is Ebenezer?” Doric said to Arisha as the priestess joined his friends at the King’s side. Arisha nodded.
“He is recovering,” she said, and the words caused a wave of relief to sweep over Gar’rth. “But slowly. Until he wakes I cannot be sure. Guthix still refuses to aid him.”
King Roald also heard, and he turned his attention to the prisoner, leaning forward on the throne.
“Just as he will refuse to aid you, Gar’rth, should you lie to me here, today,” he said. “The wizard Aubury will tell me if you offer a falsehood. His magic is powerful.”
Gar’rth saw Castimir frown.
Could he really do that? Castimir has never said anything of such magic.
He bowed his head to the throne before he spoke.
“I will not lie, Sire,” he promised.
“Good,” King Roald said, sitting back. “Soon we will be joined by others who do not know your true nature-some of the leading members of my parliament. We here all know of your curse, so I would take this opportunity to ask you if you know about the blood mark that some say allow men to pass unharmed through Morytania. Help us, and it will help you in your cause.
“Does such a thing exist?”
“The blood mark is true, my King,” Gar’rth replied, “But I have never seen one. There are other ways though. A respected member from Canifis, an elder perhaps, can give his protection to outsiders. This is done for gypsies and traders who visit.”
“How do we make the blood mark?” King Roald asked.
Gar’rth felt his brow crease as he recollected the tales of his youth.
“In our stories it is simply a cut on the hand to make you bleed. That tells Morytania you are an outsider. Then the wound must be bathed in water from the Salve.”
Papelford nodded.
“That is similar to the descriptions offered in the texts I have,” he remarked sagely. “Although a priest of Saradomin or Guthix must bless the wound.”
“But would the blood mark work, Gar’rth?” Despaard asked. “Would it be respected?”
“Yes. It is death to break it. More than death.”
“Would it protect you, Gar’rth?” Kara said. “If you had to return.”
So that is it! he thought as understanding dawned. Am I to be sent home, to save them from the bother of executing me? Is that all the clemency I am offered, after near capturing the Wyrd for them? He pushed back his mounting anger.
“I don’t know,” he said. “In Canifis it would, but… not against Him.”
“Who?” King Roald asked, angrily now.
“Lord Drakan, my King.”
Gar’rth’s reply chilled the air. No one spoke for some time. Lord Despaard shared a concerned look with Lord Ruthven, and the King rubbed his hand across his face in uncertainty.
“We believe it is Lord Drakan who wants Gar’rth returned,” Kara explained finally. “He sent the werewolf Jerrod to bring Gar’rth back, just a few months before the unrest in Asgarnia. No one knows why Gar’rth is of such interest, but to send him back, and force him to face such an enemy, would be inhuman, my King.”
“She is right,” Captain Rovin said. “Better to offer him a clean death now.”
“And yet we are plagued by this Wyrd,” the King said, still stroking his chin. “We need answers, Gar’rth, and the most sensible suggestion so far has been to send an embassy across the river to at least open a dialogue with Drakan’s regime. In your opinion, can this be done?”
Gar’rth nodded.
“The vampires rule Morytania. In Canifis, our lord is Malak, a powerful vampire, maybe even a relative of Lord Drakan’s. He would respect an embassy.”
“Then I must ask you simply-will you go?” King Roald spoke cautiously. “Will you lead an embassy from Misthalin into Morytania, to act as their guide?”
“That is suicide!” Kara protested angrily.
“It is death if he stays,” King Roald replied. “A quick, clean death to be sure but death nonetheless-I have no alternative.” The King stood briskly. “What say you werewolf? Will you go, or is today to be your last day?”
What choice is that?
“You don’t know what you ask,” he said aloud.
“Or maybe you don’t know what you fear,” Papelford interjected. “If Lord Drakan was really so obsessed with you, then how was it you were able to escape at all?”
Gar’rth could give no answer. The librarian continued.
“And do you know that he is after you?” the old man probed. “Why do you believe so?”
“Jerrod told me,” Gar’rth said, suddenly uncertain. “He was sent to bring me back.”
“But why?” Papelford asked. “Why would he go to that length, if you were just to be killed? Surely Lord Drakan could have arranged that far sooner, if that was his true purpose? It might be that you won’t be harmed at all. Have you thought of that?”
Not in Morytania, old man. There is magic and darkness there that make death just a whispered dream to many.
But Gar’rth shook his head and said nothing in reply.
“You have told us the blood mark will protect you, Gar’rth. That is enough for me.” King Roald said. “You either go, and take your chances in your homeland, or you die here.”
“That is murder,” Kara hissed.
“And I would do it again and again, a thousand times over, if it meant my realm was kept safe,” King Roald said icily. “Your choice, Gar’rth. I will have your answer. Now.”
Gar’rth lowered his head.
There is no choice. None. I escaped Morytania before, so perhaps I can do so again.
“What if I come back?” Gar’rth said, looking King Roald in the eye. “What if I go into Morytania and succeed? Will you let me live in your kingdom?”
King Roald looked to Lord Ruthven. The pale-faced noble nodded and spoke.
“If His Majesty permits it, Gar’rth, you shall live within the borders of my estate, to the east of Varrock. It is a sparsely populated land, being so near the river, and there you can remain for the rest of your natural life.”
“But you must remain there only,” the King added. “You will not be allowed into any towns or villages, and I forbid you to take a wife. I cannot have your curse passed down to plague my people in the future. And you should know that your presence will be tolerated, but not welcomed.”
Gar’rth stared at Kara, who looked away uneasily. He noted how Theodore shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other.
Then that is it.
When Gar’rth spoke, he did so slowly, his voice unwavering.
“Very well, my King,” he said. “I shall guide your embassy.”
“Good. Now there remains one last task. You must swear fealty to me and all my descendants. I would have your oath, Gar’rth.”
Gar’rth gritted his teeth and nodded again.
First I am forced into helping them, now I must pledge my allegiance to him. Truly I am trapped.
“Repeat the words after me,” Lord Ruthven said to him, and Gar’rth complied.
“I swear by Saradomin that I will never bear arms against the rightful King of Misthalin or his descendants. That I will give my blood and my life to ensure the throne is safe from usurpers and assassins. That I will do all in my power to safeguard the King’s heirs…”
“…and uphold the King’s will,” he concluded with grim finality.
“Very good,” King Roald said. Then he turned to the leader of the guards. “Unchain him, and prepare to call in the representatives of the people.”
Gar’rth’s shackles were removed from his wrists and ankles. The King dismissed Simon, though Gar’rth was certain he would wait nearby. When he stood, no longer a prisoner, the doors were opened and several people entered.
At their head Gar’rth recognised the white-haired old figure of Albertus Black, Ebenezer’s friend whom he had met only very briefly on the day of the Midsummer Festival. Walking at the tiny man’s side, and towering over him as if she was a queen, was Ellamaria. He opened his mouth in surprise.
She will see me. She will guess that something is amiss.
Her eyes paused on him and he saw her frown slightly, then she gave a sudden smile and turned to curtsey the King.
I can smell her now. With a stone wall between me and the wretched wolfbane, my powers are returning.
He took the opportunity to explore his olfactory environment, feeling at once far less vulnerable than he had before. Such was his concentration that he ignored what the speakers were debating, focusing on their scents instead.
Lord Despaard, leather, metal and sweat. Ellamaria, flowers and subtle perfume, the same as that used by Lady Anne. Papelford with his smell of books and mustiness. Doric, always with the scent of the earth.
Finally he turned his attention to the discussion.
“An embassy is more than acceptable to us,” Albertus Black was saying. “And I am glad to know that Lord Despaard has volunteered to lead such a mission. But who else will go?”
A silence was left hanging after the old man’s question.
“I will go,” Kara said. “Gar’rth and I have shared many dangers. We have travelled through The Wilderness together. I will not abandon him now.”
Kara, you don’t know what you say!
But before he could protest, Doric spoke.
“Then I suppose we will both be going?” The dwarf said to Theodore.
“We will, if the King permits,” the knight replied. “Now that we are back together, I would not wish to split our company again.”
“And I will accompany them,” Arisha said. “As a priestess of the barbarian peoples seeking experience of the world, it seems right to do so, for an account of Morytania would be precious to my tribe.”
“Then I shall go also,” Castimir stared at Aubury as he spoke. The older man said nothing, but Gar’rth could sense the animosity between them. Finally, Aubury gave a slight nod.
“I will permit that,” the wizard said. “It is right that you should travel with your friends, although we have much to discuss before you leave.”
“My friends,” Gar’rth said loudly, “Please. You must not do this. Morytania is a… different land. I don’t want any of you to come.”
“If any wish to reconsider, then they may do so, now,” King Roald said.
Don’t be so stubborn!
“We are decided,” Kara said. “We are coming with you Gar’rth.”
“That is appropriate,” King Roald observed. “But who shall go for Varrock? Lord Despaard will lead the expedition-that is already decided. Such a mission must represent Misthalin as a whole. It is not one of war, and someone must go to administer the blood mark. Would you be willing to go Papelford, or would this task be more suited to your apprentice who can better undertake the journey to Paterdomus?”
“I am too old for such a journey, Sire,” Papelford said bitterly. At his side, Reldo smiled.
“I will go, my King,” the apprentice archivist said. “I will gather what books I need and accompany the embassy to Paterdomus.”
“That makes sense. But Reldo, this needs to be right. There can be no margin of error.” The King looked around the chamber. “Now, who else for Misthalin?”
Albertus Black gave the King a sideways look.
“I would go,” the old man said meekly. “I haven’t many years left to me-I don’t need to be a seer to know that. And as Ebenezer has yet to regain consciousness, I feel it my duty as his friend to fill his place. As many of you know I, too, am a scientist, and I have studied many things in my life, but the tales of the land beyond the river have intrigued me since I was young. I would dearly like to see how different it is to everything I know here.”
Despaard shook his head.
“Your motives are honourable, but you are too old for this expedition.”
“That is surely a fact in my favour?” Albertus replied. “As King Roald has said, this is not a military adventure. This is an embassy to petition Lord Drakan to withdraw his creature and to return those taken by her. And as an old man, I have less to lose than a young one, Lord Despaard. If I fall, then at best I have lost only a few short years that remain to me.”
King Roald nodded.
“I will accept your offer. Now, at least one other must go. Someone important at court but who can’t be threatening in any way…” The King leaned down to his guard and whispered in his ear.
But Gar’rth heard every word.
“Bring me the fool,” he said, and the guard departed.
Only when Gideon Gleeman appeared before them, attired in his black-and-red chequered shirt and leggings, did Gar’rth understand.
“I need your services, Gleeman,” the King said. “I need a man of importance at court to escort my royal seal. It can’t be a military man, for that is too confrontational, and this is a diplomatic mission. Will you go into Morytania with Lord Despaard and his expedition?”
The jester’s face paled.
“You want me to go to Morytania?” he replied. “Are you sure, Sire?”
The King nodded, and the jester’s eyes ran over the court.
“Usually I am the joker,” he muttered. “But I will go, if I am required, though I am neither strong nor brave, and the only sword I ever wielded was a wooden one.”
“Then it is settled,” Despaard said. “We will leave at the earliest opportunity, and will make for Lord Ruthven’s manor, halfway between here and Paterdomus, where we will attempt our crossing. I shall go and make our arrangements now.”
The council broke up, and Gar’rth suddenly found himself among his friends.
“You are foolish to come with me,” he said, trying in vain to hide his smile.
Grimly, he followed his friends from the throne room. As he passed through the doors a familiar and unwelcome sensation made him look over his shoulder. It was Simon, grinning horribly.
Even giving my word isn’t enough. If they doubt mine, then should I doubt theirs? If I do return from Morytania, will it be a sword or a noose that awaits me?
“I have been asked to accompany you,” Simon said. His hand was on his dagger, which was tightly sheathed. “For your own protection, of course.”
Gar’rth said nothing, and as he continued on, he was aware of Simon’s steps echoing his own.