"Do you expect me to believe any of this?"
There was no change in tone or expression, and Garth groped awkwardly for an answer.
"It's true!" was all he could manage.
"Some of it may be."
"Believe what you will, I have spoken the truth." On occasion, Garth added mentally.
"Why did you not obtain ropes and chains in Ordunin?"
"I knew I could get them here, and I did not wish to burden my mount unnecessarily."
"Are you aware it is no further from the port of Lagur to Mormoreth than it is from Ordunin to Skelleth? There are no bandits if one goes by sea."
"There are pirates. And I was not aware that Mormoreth was near Lagur. As I mentioned before, I had to ask the old man for directions."
"The Wise Women did not know?"
"No."
"You have no old maps in Ordunin? Mormoreth is a thousand years old."
"Our maps are untrustworthy."
"Less trustworthy than directions obtained from a senile old fool in a tavern?"
"It seemed so at the time."
"So you went a dozen leagues or more out of your way to visit Skelleth."
"Yes."
"I will tell you, Garth of Ordunin, what I believe of your tale. I believe you went to Mormoreth. That is all; the rest is all lies."
"Believe what you will."
"I do not believe that a bandit in Derbarok killed your warbeast but let you live. When did this take place?"
"Five days ago." That was, in fact, when he had passed the site of his first battle with the bandits.
"You made the journey from Derbarok to Skelleth on foot in five days?"
Garth realized he had made another mistake, and made no answer.
"I understand that, when the crowd was threatening you, you warned them that your fellow overmen would avenge your death."
"I did."
"But what if I send a messenger demanding ransom for you, and hold you prisoner here?"
"By what law?"
"As a trespassing enemy. As you must be aware, Eramma never concluded peace with your people. We are still nominally at war with all overmen. Why else must all your trade be by sea? Why else have no overmen visited Skelleth in three centuries?"
"Holding me could make the war an actuality again."
"I think that unlikely. Surely a modest ransom is preferable to slaughter."
Garth had no answer. The Baron was quite correct.
"Do you still claim that you return empty-handed from Mormoreth, that your visits to Skelleth are merely for provisions?"
"No. My visits to Skelleth are what I say, but I have lied as to the rest. Should you imprison me, my warbeast will come seeking me and undoubtedly kill a good many of your people before it can be stopped."
"Ah! And where is this beast?"
"I left it in hiding near the city wall."
"And why, pray, did you not ride into town as before?"
"I did not wish to create a disturbance."
"That could be the reason, but I doubt it; no, I think you left the beast to guard something. I think your quest to Mormoreth was successful."
"Why would I leave the beast and the magic gem elsewhere? I could easily hide such a gem on my person. And for that matter, if I had a gem that renders one invisible, would I have been seen, assaulted, and captured?"
"Perhaps you do not know how to use such a gem. However, I prefer to believe that that, too, is a set of lies. You went to Mormoreth for something too large to conceal, if in truth it was Mormoreth you visited. No, I believe that you hold a prisoner. Why else the chains and ropes? Or perhaps some valuable beast, which you keep caged. You came to Skelleth because the old man had made his interest known. You agreed on the price, perhaps, and now return to arrange delivery."
Garth was dumbfounded by how close the Baron's guess came to the truth. Could the man be a seer of some sort?
"Now, surely, this would make more sense than a futile search for an untrustworthy trinket like an invisible jewel? The only question is the nature of your captive."
"You seem very apt at deluding yourself."
"Oh? I do not think I delude myself. You yourself say that your warbeast waits somewhere nearby. Why not escort me to it, and we will see whether or not it guards some worthy prize?"
"Why should I do that?"
"To purchase your freedom."
"But you cannot hold me for long in any case. Koros will free me or die in the attempt, and I doubt you want that."
"Koros being your warbeast? Well, even should the beast be loyal enough to do as you say, it would be slain before it could reach you in the dungeon. I care little for the villagers it may kill. Skelleth is overcrowded and starving. Further, such an attack would permit me to reverse your earlier threat. The High King at Kholis might welcome an excuse to send his troublesome and warlike barons to a far-off invasion of the Northern Waste. No, Garth, why not avoid all such difficulties and complications? I will make it a wager, of sorts, a bargain you can ill refuse; lead me and an armed escort to your warbeast, and I will let you go free. However, any captives, man or beast, that your mount guards will become my property. Surely that's equitable? If you're telling the truth, you lose nothing at all; if you're lying, you will still be free." The man grinned.
Garth could find no legitimate reason to reject such an offer. It would get the basilisk into Skelleth safely, yet keep it out of the Forgotten King's hands for the moment. Or perhaps it would rid him of the Baron, if he could coax the man into glancing under the covering. And there was a better chance of escape out amid the surrounding farms than here in the Baron's mansion...though perhaps escape would be appropriate now. He glanced casually up at the windows again, as if considering the Baron's proposal.