Hylland’s vigorous confidence in his robust suggestions for ‘luring’ Hawklan back to life overcame any reserva-tions that Isloman might have had.
Indeed, after his initial surprise, he warmed to the idea. At least it was something positive that he could do, and after all, hadn’t Hawklan survived their pounding journey from Vakloss without coming to any harm?
Accordingly he spent the remainder of that day, and much of the next, seated on Serian, holding Hawklan in front of him like a tired child. He gave the horse its head and as they rode quietly along winding stony pathways, he talked to Hawklan incessantly. Gavor came with them, soaring magnificently through the cool mountain air, now high above them, a tiny dot among the towering crags, now below, a black shadow arcing over the green valleys along the strange unseen pathways that only he could feel.
Eventually Isloman drew Serian to a halt on a prominent grassy knoll so that he could gaze around at the surrounding countryside. In the distance, barely visible, he could just make out the lines of Eldric’s stronghold amid the myriad subtle shades of the mountains. Below him was a broad green valley, its sides tree-lined and scored by streams making their way to the small river that meandered along the bottom. Here and there were dwellings and patchwork patterns of cultivation, rendered tiny and toy-like by the scale of the scene. In the distance, peaks receded to the horizon like a storm-tossed sea suddenly frozen. Hints of green and blue told him of other valleys and lakes.
Dismounting, he lifted Hawklan down and carefully propped him in a sitting position against a rock. ‘It’s not Orthlund, is it, Hawklan?’ he said. ‘But it’s beautiful.’ He sat down by him and, closing his eyes, leaned back to feel the warmth of the sun on his face. Everywhere was peaceful and calm, but he knew he could not fully accept such a gift while his friend was stricken thus. And, as if signalled, came the memory of the desecration he had felt near the mines: a sensation so foul that it had almost overwhelmed him and only Hawklan, with his sword, had been able to retrieve him.
He opened his eyes and looked around again at the mountains and valleys. ‘I doubt such splendour plays any part in Dan-Tor’s scheme, though,’ he said, continuing his one-sided conversation. ‘Come back to us, Hawklan. Tell us what he is. Tell us what you saw that made you attack him. Come back. We need you.’
But there was no response.
In a rush of wind, Gavor skimmed suddenly in front of him, making him start. ‘Sorry, dear boy,’ the raven cried. ‘Just seen someone I know. Got something I need to talk about. Join you later.’
Isloman shook his head as Gavor disappeared from view into the valley below. ‘No chance of Gavor being stuck in the past, is there?’ he said. ‘He’s well rooted in the present.’
Later, as they were returning to the castle, Serian stopped and bent forward to drink from a small stream that bubbled briefly and noisily along the edge of the path before disappearing underground. Watching the horse, the thought of Gavor’s hedonistic dive recurred to Isloman, and with it came another; that he should not seek too eagerly to return Hawklan to a world which seemed to hold such burdens and so few pleasures for him.
Had he not already given twenty years of light for no tangible reward? Had he not sought out and faced an enemy who had wilfully persecuted him? Wasn’t he entitled to return in peace to Anderras Darion and let others finish the task that was, after all, none of his making?
Even as the thoughts passed through his mind, Is-loman knew that Hawklan would reject them, but they left him filled with guilt. He tightened his arms gently about his friend and held him close. ‘Don’t be afraid, Hawklan,’ he said. ‘We don’t know who you are, but we know your worth. You’re not alone. Truly you’re not alone. And other things are stirring than Sumeral’s creatures.’
Serian paused from his noisy drinking and looked up as if he had heard something. Then, unbidden, he began to trot along the narrow path back towards the castle. Isloman, slightly taken aback by this unexpected action, concentrated on supporting Hawklan. He knew from past experience that when the horse moved thus it would go its own way, independent of any of his instructions.
As they neared the castle, he saw riders milling around the courtyard.
‘The King must have arrived,’ he said to Hawklan in some excitement. He was anxious to meet this man whose flag he had fought under during the Morlider War and in whom the Fyordyn placed such store despite his long withdrawal from public life. He was interested also in seeing what kind of a man could so command the affection of a woman as remarkable as Sylvriss. Unexpectedly, hopes rose within him. Perhaps this man had finished the work that Hawklan had begun. Perhaps he had ended the life of the man who had hunted Hawklan and who by all accounts had held him thrall in sickness for so many years.
But these thoughts withered as they bloomed. He remembered the abject terror he had felt as he cowered behind Hawklan in the face of Dan-Tor’s wrath. Who could have faced that? And would the King be here if his troubles were ended? Then again, perhaps it was not the King but a messenger bringing good news.
However, as he rode through the gates, his darker thoughts were confirmed. The courtyard was the usual noisy confusion of men and horses that might be expected on the arrival of a large patrol, but there was no air of joyous return, and such friendly greetings as he heard were subdued and weary. Neither King nor good news had returned with these men.
Through the melee he saw the familiar forms of Lorac and Tel-Odrel walking towards the main door, talking, apparently casually to Yatsu. Only days ago the two Goraidin had been guiding him and Hawklan to Vakloss, to establish contacts for obtaining the informa-tion that would be needed if the Lords were to consider moving against the City in force. Why had they returned so soon? Further, though he could not see their faces, something in their postures disturbed him and his sense of disappointment turned suddenly into foreboding.
The High Guards that Varak had selected to help him tend to Hawklan, ran forward and, leaving his friend to their care, Isloman dismounted and began pushing his way through the crowd after the retreating figures.
As he stepped into the spacious entrance hall, the noise in the courtyard fell away abruptly and he could hear the purposeful footsteps of the three men still walking away from him. He ran after them, calling out.
Hearing him, they turned and waited, though when he reached them their greeting was preoccupied and unsmiling.
‘What’s happened?’ he asked, but before anyone could reply the Queen appeared from a nearby stairway. Her face was flushed and excited and she was obviously running to meet the newly-arrived patrol.
She stopped suddenly as she saw the four men. ‘You’ve been so long,’ she said. Then, looking round expectantly, ‘Where’s Rgoric?’ Isloman caught the brief frightened look on Tel-Odrel’s face, like that of a man suddenly and unexpectedly attacked and wishing only to flee. Sylvriss too saw it, for it was reflected immedi-ately in her own face.
‘Where’s the King?’ she repeated uncertainly, her glow fading as though an icy wind had just struck her.
Isloman found himself holding his breath.
Tel-Odrel stepped forward and bowed slightly. He swallowed and faced the deed he had been dreading since he left Vakloss. Despite Dilrap’s request, and his own wish, there was no gentle way to do this. Swiftness was all he could offer. ‘Majesty,’ he said tonelessly. ‘The King is dead. He was mur… ’
‘No!’ The Queen’s voice was raucous with a mixture of fear and regal defiance. Her right hand swung up and struck him across the face as if the ferocity of the deed and the loudness of her cry might reach back through time and prevent the escape of such news. But even as she did so, the blood drained from her face, and Isloman knew that she was looking into the cold empty void that the rest of her life had suddenly become.
Tel-Odrel staggered slightly under the impact of the blow and red weals appeared on his cheek almost immediately. His left hand started to reach up to soothe the injury, but the right hand restrained it. Water came to his eyes.
‘Majesty,’ he said, his voice strained. ‘I’d take a thousand such if it would make my news untrue, but the King is dead. Murdered by Urssain and the Mathidrin at the command of Dan-Tor.’
The Queen looked at him pleadingly for a long mo-ment, but Tel-Odrel’s tearful gaze gave her no escape. Suddenly spent, she closed her eyes and briefly covered her face with her hands.
The four men stood motionless.
When Sylvriss lowered her hands, her face was pale and strained but controlled. She looked at Tel-Odrel’s reddening cheek and her eyes narrowed slightly in self-reproach.
‘I apologize, Goraidin,’ she said quietly. ‘I behaved like a stable maid. It was inexcusable. Forgive me.’
Tel-Odrel opened his mouth to speak, but had he found the words, his taut throat would not have allowed him to speak them.
The Queen turned away and moved back towards the entrance to the staircase. ‘I shall be in my quarters for some time,’ she said. ‘I don’t wish to be disturbed.’
‘Majesty… ’ Yatsu began, but the Queen was gone and the four men were left standing in silence, listening to the echo of her footsteps growing increasingly faster as they faded into the distance. Once she stumbled slightly.
Tel-Odrel wiped his eyes with the edge of his hand, and for some time the others avoided looking at each other.
Slowly the noises of the disbanding patrol filtered down the long corridor and helped ease them away from that terrible moment.
Yatsu cleared his throat, a strange tocsin calling them back to the present from their dark isolation. ‘I’m sorry Tel-Odrel,’ he said. ‘That was my job.’
Tel-Odrel waved the remark aside. ‘We’ve done worse for each other,’ he said. ‘Besides, you’ll have to tell Eldric and the others what happened.’
Yatsu nodded. ‘You told no one else of this?’ he asked.
Tel-Odrel shook his head. ‘No, of course not,’ he replied. ‘Only that the King wouldn’t be following.’
Yatsu looked along the corridor. In the distance he could see the neat form of Commander Varak, obviously looking for someone. ‘Come along,’ he said. ‘We need a little quiet time to talk and think and… to accept this atrocity.’
Without comment, the three men took his lead and slipped quietly from the corridor. Varak, casting up and down for Yatsu, blinked as he thought he caught a shadowy movement in the distance. He dismissed it as a fancy.
Unthinkingly using old battle reflexes, the four men moved through the castle unseen and unheard until at last they reached a lonely room in a high tower.
Yatsu bolted the door behind them and then flopped down in a chair. His earlier calm was replaced by a restless agitation.
‘This is horrific,’ he burst out. ‘Rgoric assassinated. I can’t believe it.’
No one spoke.
‘Poor Sylvriss,’ he muttered softly, staring down at his hands. ‘Poor… ’ He swore. Then he looked at Tel-Odrel and Lorac. ‘Tell me everything that’s happened,’ he said, almost angrily. ‘Hawklan comes back stricken in some strange fashion. Isloman tells us that Dan-Tor has razed half the city with a mere gesture. The Queen flees to us saying the King is miraculously well again. Now you tell us he’s dead amp;mdashmurdered. In the name of sanity, give me clear information amp;mdashsomething to make sense out of all this.’
The tale took little telling. The two Goraidin had parted from Hawklan and Isloman when they reached Vakloss and had gone quietly about the business of re-establishing old contacts. As a result they had been well away from the palace and the two great levelling swathes of destruction that Dan-Tor had cut in his agony and rage.
Stunned and shocked by what had happened they spent some time digging frantically for survivors along with countless others. Eventually some semblance of order had emerged and they too had become calmer, gradually remembering why they were there. Circum-stances having changed so appallingly, they moved into the palace to seek out Dilrap as being the most likely source of information.
Yatsu made them tell Dilrap’s tale twice, watching them intently as they did so. ‘You confirmed the King’s death?’ he said coldly, when they had finished. Lorac frowned at him. ‘Of course not,’ he said irritably. ‘But the Throne Room and all around it was sealed tight although the rest of the Palace was wide open.’ He leaned forward over Yatsu. ‘And Dilrap saw what he saw, commander, have no doubts about that. He’s supposed to be some kind of a clown, but the man’s worth ten of any one of us.’ Tel-Odrel nodded.
Yatsu put his hand to his forehead then abruptly looked up again. ‘And you ask me to believe that Dan-Tor is one of the Uhriel? Oklar… the earth Corruptor,’ he said, almost contemptuously.
Neither Goraidin flinched from this onslaught. ‘The King named him, Commander,’ said Tel-Odrel. ‘With his last words.’
‘Dilrap’s words,’ Yatsu sneered.
‘Dilrap saw what he saw, commander.’ Tel-Odrel’s echo of Lorac’s words was menacing. He levelled a finger at his eyes. ‘And we saw what we saw. An army of sappers and engineers couldn’t have done that to the city in months. Only the real sweat and toil of real digging stopped us going mad. That and real people in real pain. And real death,’ he added as a grim after-thought.
He struck the sleeve of his tunic with his hand and a cloud of dust leapt up at the impact. Yatsu stared into the hovering motes. ‘That’s Vakloss, commander,’ Tel-Odrel said through clenched teeth. ‘It’s under my nails, ingrained in my skin, my hair, everywhere. And it’s no man’s handiwork.’
Yatsu turned away and sat silent for a moment. Then he turned to Isloman. ‘If this… force… was so powerful, how did you and Hawklan stand in front of it?’ he asked. His voice did not have as harsh an edge as when he had spoken to his fellow countrymen, but it was severe.
Isloman shook his head. ‘I’ve no idea. I was too terrified to think,’ he said quietly but in a voice that would allow no questioning. ‘Hawklan withstood the force. I merely hid behind him. Perhaps he’ll remember if amp;mdashwhen he wakes.’
‘And you saw nothing of Dan-Tor changing into this… this Uhriel?’ Yatsu pressed.
Isloman shook his head again. ‘Not really,’ he said. ‘But Hawklan saw something very clearly, or he wouldn’t have attacked the way he did.’ He paused. ‘And Dan-Tor was changed in some way,’ he continued hesitantly. ‘Changed and unchanged. I can’t explain it. Anyway, it doesn’t really matter. You can put your own worth on your own men’s words, Yatsu, but the Dan-Tor that loosed that force against Hawklan was no man.’
Yatsu closed his eyes and sat very still for some time, then, relaxing suddenly, he breathed out heavily.
‘Is that everything?’ he asked. The two Goraidin nodded. They too relaxed. ‘Sorry if that was a bit rough,’ he added.
‘You’ve been harder,’ Lorac said. ‘And it’s no easy tale. Have you any doubts?’ Yatsu shook his head.
‘What shall we do?’ Lorac asked.
‘Our jobs, I suppose,’ said Yatsu without hesitation. ‘Lord Eldric’s back with us. Arinndier’s still here. Hreldar and Darek will be back very soon. We’ll give them such information as we have. Speak if our opinion’s sought, and take whatever orders they choose to give.’
‘When?’ Lorac asked.
‘Now,’ Yatsu replied. ‘Let’s get things moving. They’ll be searching the castle for us by now anyway, if I’m any judge.’ He put his hand behind his neck to massage it.
‘Go and find Lord Eldric and Lord Arinndier,’ he said to Tel-Odrel. ‘Ask them to come to the meeting hall, in… an hour, say. Lorac, find the men and get them there as well. And ask Commander Varak if he’d be good enough to join us.’
The two men left.
Isloman looked down at Yatsu. ‘I’ll bring Hawklan,’ he said.
Yatsu gave him a sad smile. ‘Yes,’ he said. ‘Why not? He probably understands more about this, asleep, than the rest of us do wide awake.’
The remark was without bitterness. Isloman put his hand on Yatsu’s shoulder. ‘I’m sorry about the King, Yatsu,’ he said simply. ‘Not least the manner of his going. His death doesn’t mean as much to me as to you, but I feel for your loss.’
Yatsu laid his own hand an the carver’s. ‘I know, Orthlundyn, I know,’ he said. Then looking up at him. ‘Just leave me alone for a while. I need to think amp;mdashto go through my own memories and say my farewells.’
As he walked back through the castle, Isloman was glad of the sense of normality provided by the routine comings and goings of the people he passed. Soon all would know the news and this simple solace would be gone. Not only because the castle would be in mourning but because, in the assassination of the King, another irrevocable step had been taken away from the light and towards some grim future.
‘This is beyond belief,’ said Arinndier furiously, bringing his fist down on the round table. Isloman started; such an outburst was completely alien to the discipline he had seen the Fyordyn adopt in their discussions. ‘The King slaughtered like that!’ Arinndier continued. ‘And all those people in the city. We’ve dithered enough.’ There were murmurs of approval round the table. ‘Now you’re back, and the Queen’s safe, we must strike immediately. We must… ’
‘We must think, Arin.’ Eldric’s voice cut across Arinndier’s outburst. ‘Be silent.’
Arinndier’s jaw jutted out defiantly.
‘Sit down, Lord,’ Eldric shouted, before Arinndier could speak again, their two angers merging. Then, more softly, and with a pleading gesture. ‘Sit down.’
For a moment, Arinndier held Eldric’s gaze before reluctantly lowering himself into his chair.
Eldric looked round the table. With the exception of Tel-Odrel and Lorac there was no one there whose face was not pale and shocked.
‘I don’t know what to say, gentlemen,’ he began. ‘What we’ve learned today together with what we’ve been told by Isloman and the Queen gives us an appalling picture. One that confirms the very worst of the conjectures and suspicions we’ve been debating for so long. One that… ’
‘One that demands immediate action,’ Arinndier interrupted again. Eldric raised a hand to stop him, but this time he would not be silenced. ‘We must stop debating and act.’ Again, other voices were raised in support.
‘We’re far short of our full strength,’ Eldric said hastily, though as soon as he uttered the words he cringed inwardly as he realized he had allowed himself to be drawn into this irrelevant debate.
‘There’s more than enough,’ Arinndier said. ‘Dan-Tor’s hurt. The Mathidrin have been drawn in from miles around and by all accounts they’re billeted everywhere, totally unprepared for a major attack. We mightn’t even face effective opposition in Vakloss itself if we move quickly.’
Eldric grimaced. ‘My every instinct is to agree with you, Arin,’ he said. ‘There’s nothing I’d rather do now than arm and ride to face Dan-Tor, battle horns blaring, and hack the man and his black-liveried creatures down.’ He slapped the table and closed his eyes in frustration. ‘But these aren’t the thoughts of rational men, are they?’ he continued more quietly. ‘We’re all shocked. Look at the way we’re conducting ourselves. We all need time to take in this dreadful news.’
But Arinndier pressed on. ‘We’ve taken too much time already, Eldric,’ he said. ‘We can’t debate this endlessly.’
Eldric put his hands to his head in an attempt to bring his own thoughts under control before the meeting deteriorated into a noisy brawl. ‘For mercy’s sake, Arin. Think,’ he said. ‘In the short time I’ve been here, even I can see we haven’t enough men or supplies for a full assault on the City. Hreldar and Darek’s men are presumably still far from fighting standard. We don’t even yet know the sympathies of all our neighbours. What price our flanks and supply lines, Arin? It’s a long way to Vakloss.’
Arinndier turned away as if not to hear such argu-ments. Eldric continued.
‘And if we arrive unscathed at the City, what then? Street fighting. Man to man. Probably something these creatures are good at. And all done in the midst of frightened citizens milling everywhere. It would be like a battle of rats. Who knows how many would die?’
‘It doesn’t have to be that way… ’ Arinndier began, turning back.
Yatsu interrupted. ‘Lord Eldric’s correct,’ he said. ‘We must allow time for the shock of this news to pass. With the possible exception of Tel-Odrel and Lorac, none of us here are in a fit state to discuss tactics and strategy. We must collect ourselves and honour the death of our King fittingly.’
Arinndier turned on him angrily. ‘By doing noth-ing?’ he said.
Yatsu held his gaze. ‘By behaving like Fyordyn, Lord,’ he said, scarcely containing his own anger. ‘Have you forgotten so soon what we’ve just been told? Men and supplies are irrelevant. Dan-Tor isn’t a man, he’s a… demon… a natural force amp;mdashor an unnatural one… what you will, it doesn’t matter. The point is that he obliterated half a city with a mere gesture. Would you move close-ranked infantry or cavalry against such a force, Lord?’
Yatsu’s words hung cold and unrelenting in the sunlit air of the meeting hall, their implications brutal in their simplicity. For a moment Arinndier searched for a rebuttal but, finding none, his truer self asserted itself and his rage evaporated. He bowed his head. ‘I’m sorry Goraidin, Eldric. You’re right. Grief unmans us all. I apologize. I’ll leave you until… ’
He stood up.
‘Stay, Arin,’ Eldric said gently. ‘We’d be poor souls indeed if we didn’t rage at such events. You spoke no more than the rest of us thought.’
Arinndier remained standing and looked at Eldric. Despondency had filled the void that his anger had left. ‘But what could we do against such a power?’ he said quietly.
Eldric shook his head. ‘What Yatsu said is correct. The prospect of ranks of men walking against such a force is unthinkable. And yet one man did, and survived.’ He looked at the inert form of Hawklan, sitting next to Isloman, seemingly asleep but eerily present. ‘We’re a long way from the Geadrol in every sense now, Arin,’ he went on. ‘All we have is more and more questions, and fewer and fewer answers.’ He smiled ruefully. ‘It’s all well beyond Gathering, I’m afraid. So I suppose that logic dictates we must leap beyond logic for our guidance.’
He fell silent and stared down at the table pensively for a while. ‘For what it’s worth, gentlemen, my feeling is that we must prepare our men to fight his men, and that opposition to his power, and the power of his Master, will come from some other source. Though Ethriss knows where.’ He looked again at Hawklan for a moment, then turned back to Yatsu, practical now. ‘Failing that, we’ll have to approach him by stealth and assassinate him.’
Before anyone could respond, he became brisk and matter of fact. ‘In any event, those are ideas for another time. Another time quite soon,’ he added reassuringly. ‘Now I must see the Queen, and express our sorrow and horror at what’s happened and assure her of our continuing loyalty. By the Law, she’s our ruler now. Yatsu, Varak, gather everyone into the main courtyard. I don’t relish it, but it’s my duty to tell them about this and the sooner it’s done the better. Tomorrow I declare to be Dith-Galar, a day of mourning for our King, when we can each ponder and remember in stillness and quiet, and remind ourselves of the great gift of life. After that we can indeed begin to talk about the future.’
He stood up quickly and with a curt nod dismissed the meeting. As chairs scraped back and low conversa-tions began, a thought struck him and he raised his hand for attention. ‘A small point, gentlemen,’ he said. ‘No. Not a small one,’ he added reflectively. ‘A most important one. And though he’s not here, I ask the pardon of the man concerned for not mentioning it before.’ He looked at the circle of men. ‘The part of Secretary Dilrap in this matter is to be mentioned to no one. That man alone is worthy of our best efforts. The King is dead, but a brave man lives, and we must honour and protect him by our silence. Absolute silence, for his sake and for our own. One whiff of gossip and he could be extinguished like a candle.’ He raised a cautionary finger. ‘Remember.’
Outside the meeting hall, Isloman’s helpers came to take Hawklan from him, but he waved them away with a friendly gesture. Now he would have to ponder his own future plans. He could sit Hawklan on the balcony to his room and talk to him about them.
As he walked through the castle, he realized he had few alternatives. Without Hawklan, he was little use to the Fyordyn, except as an extra sword hand, or perhaps a training officer. And if he stayed, what of Hawklan? He was beyond Hylland’s help. He would be a burden. And what of Loman and Tirilen? What of all Orthlund?
In his mind he saw the future rough-formed by broad cleaving strokes such as he might use at the beginning of a large carving. The Fyordyn would have to fight just to regain their own country but, that done, they were worldly-wise enough to know that they would then have to look north to Narsindal and move against the cause of their plight if they were to be safe in the future.
As the Riddinvolk had turned to their neighbours for help against the suddenly dangerous Morlider, so the Fyordyn would need help for such a venture. But what kind of help? Men and materials of course. But to counter the likes of Dan-Tor? The Uhriel? This was beyond the province of ordinary men.
He looked down at Hawklan.
A group of High Guard cadets ran past him, laugh-ing, the sound forming golden chains which offered to bind him to the solid reality of Eldric and the Goraidin.
They would guide the Fyordyn as well as any men might. But, he realized quite suddenly, they could not guide him. He had to bear a different burden and travel a different path.
He must return to Anderras Darion. There might be the knowledge to waken Hawklan. There might be the knowledge of where to find aid to oppose the power of the Uhriel.
More people passed by, as the many inhabitants of the castle began to converge on the courtyard. One of them was the Goraidin Olvric who, with Yengar, had observed Eldric’s confrontation with Dan-Tor and his subsequent treacherous arrest. Isloman acknowledged the man’s passing salute with a smile, but it faded quickly as he continued on his way.
Olvric made him uneasy. In some subtle way he radiated a darkness that Isloman did not find in the other Goraidin. He had met similar men during the Morlider War. Trustworthy and loyal, men to be turned to in extremity, but different. Either lacking or possess-ing a quality that demanded they seek out just such extremities. Demanded that they pit themselves against other men.
‘We’ll have to approach him by stealth and assassi-nate him.’ Eldric’s words returned to him abruptly. Already the grim logic of war was working. Silent, personal, murder. To kill the one to save the many. Necessary, but…
He reached Hawklan’s room and, briefly, the thoughts left him as he struggled awkwardly with the handle. But as it clicked open, the dark images returned; murdered guards, soft footfalls whispering along still passageways, blackened faces and black-bladed knives; Olvric’s work. He shook his head irritably at the injustice of this last thought as he shouldered the door open.
A hooded figure rose up suddenly from the bed, and moved towards him.