Sword and the Spell 01: The Grey Robe (45 page)

"No," said Jonderill, blushing slightly.
"You look just as I remember you.

"I flamin' well hope not," she laughed.

"If yer two don't mind," interrupted
Perguine, "I thinks we ought ter be gettin' out of 'ere before that black
'earted sorcerer thinks of sommut else ter throw at us."

"I can't go yet," said Jonderill hesitantly.
"If you remember I came here to find Prince Pellum and I can't go back to
Vinmore without him."

"Yer means the cowardly bastard who ran off an'
left us? I wouldn't min’ gettin' me 'ands on 'im either."

"Well that can easily be arranged,” said
Tarraquin, “but not here. It seems that a very large, grey war horse wanted him
too and wouldn't let him go until we arrived and took charge of him. By the
time we make it back to our camp and see to Jarrul’s wounds it’ll be late and
Pellum might have had time to come to regret his part in this affair by
then."

"You won't hurt him will you? He has something to
do which requires him to be in one piece."

“That depends," replied Tarraquin but she wouldn’t
say on what.

*

Maladran screamed with frustration and rage as one by
one the hearts inside the stone caskets ceased beating whilst he stood and
watched, powerless to help them. The power drain of giving life to his
creations and then having that life brutally ripped away as each creature was
slaughtered left him weak and helpless. He could feel their deaths like
repeated stab wounds and knew that beneath the tower, in the lowest cavern, the
mutilated bodies hung limp in their chains, released from his control.

As much as their deaths weakened him he was not
finished yet. He might not have the strength left to call on the darkest of all
magic which was still to be summonsed, but he’d enough power within himself to
cast one last spell before exhaustion claimed him.

Calming his mind, he took his place in the carved
chair behind his work table, closed his eyes and waited until the last of the
death magic left him. He shuddered in pain each time one of his creatures was
smashed to the ground but when it was done he was free to concentrate on his
next move. There was no way he was going to allow his enchantment of the
Princess Daun to fail, so somehow Pellum had to be denied access to the palace
at Alewinder until he was rested and strong enough to destroy the interfering
prince. Carefully he pulled the black silk cover from his scrying globe and
concentrated his thoughts on the palace until a vision of its high towers and
golden spires became clear.

As he’d anticipated nothing moved in the palace but
neither were there any signs of the decay and corruption he’d hoped for. He cut
short any feelings of disappointment and drew his vision back so that he could
study Alewinder from a distance. There had to be a reason why life there was
being preserved and if he could find it then he could reverse the spell and
accelerate the decay. With careful manipulation the city and its people could
be dust by the passing of the next summer. It wouldn’t please Sarrat of course
but he cared nothing for the king’s feelings.

He watched as the high towers became smaller, were
then surrounded by the city and finally by the city walls. As he drew back further
he was surprised to find that these too were hidden behind a thick hedge of
white and cream honeyvine, twice the height of a man and twenty paces deep.
Travellers and curio seekers stood at its perimeter and he watched in
fascination as the most daring amongst them used their swords to test the edges
of the entwined vine for its strength.

Some even dared to clamber into the spaces between the
vine’s limbs and were gently ejected. Maladran smiled having found the weakness
he was looking for. There was no need to destroy Alewinder. All he had to do
was turn the magic of the two interfering old magicians to his own purposes and
the city would remain forever an impregnable monument to his power which no
sword could ever destroy.

*

"And there you have it," said Tarraquin,
clasping her hands across her knees as she finished her story. "Perguine
reported back that Jarrul and the few left alive had been taken for questioning
in the sorcerer's tower and you know the rest. We were betrayed and I was so
blinded by the prospect of power and revenge that I never saw the trap until it
had closed around me. All those loyal men died just because I wouldn't listen
to the good advice you tried to give me."

"Don't go blamin' yerself yer 'ighness, Jarrul
an' I should 'ave argued some more instead of jus' givin' in. Anyway, it aint
all bad, we got Jarrul back an' I bet we gave that there old sorcerer an
'orrible 'eadache."

Tarraquin smiled, grateful for the support. "Yes,
thanks to Jonderill."

She looked at him in the flickering light of the camp
fire and gave him a smile which was ten steps beyond friendly. Jonderill tried
hard not to squirm and eased himself away from his position of honour at her
side but she edged closer towards him until he was trapped at the end of the
log they shared. He looked pleadingly at Perguine who stood grinning
mischievously, enjoying his discomfort.

"What were you doing in Tarmin?" asked
Jonderill, trying to steer the conversation onto safer ground.

"Trying to get back something which was
mine."

Jonderill looked blank.

"The Lady Tarraquin aint the Lady Tarraquin at
all, she's really the Queen of Leersland, only Sarrat killed 'er father an'
stole the throne from 'er."

"The same as your magician friend stole the
memory of who I was until the night I tried to kill him and broke the
enchantment. It’s a pity I failed."

Perguine took a long pull from the wine skin which was
being passed around the makeshift camp and wiped his mouth on the back of his
hand. "I don't think 'is magician friend's goin' ter be too friendly after
what Jonderill did last night."

Jonderill shook his head in denial. "You know
what my feelings are for Maladran and they haven’t changed but that still
doesn’t explain why you and a handful of woodsmen were trying to capture Sarrat’s
fortress by going through the front door instead of trying to sneak in the back
and take it by surprise."

Tarraquin looked exasperated. "Because we were
told that Sarrat and his army wasn't there and the only way into that fortress
is straight through the front door."

"No it's not, there's another way. It’s the way
Maladran used to use when he didn’t want anyone to know he had returned to the fortress."
Everyone looked at Jonderill in astonishment.

"How do you know?" asked the dark-haired man
who had sat next to Tarraquin all evening without saying a word.

"Maladran told me about it a long time ago."

“I bet he did.”

“Look, I’ll draw you a plan of how to get in if you
want me to.”

Tarraquin glared at the man next to her and then
turned back to Jonderill and threw her arms around him giving him a passionate
kiss whilst the others who were gathered around the fire cheered.

"See I tolds yer 'e would be useful. It's a good
job I tracked 'im down like I did else we wouldn't know about this ‘ere secret
entrance. Nor would we 'ave gotten inside that there sorcerer's tower, what wiv
the climbin' an' all those doors protected by magic. Yer should 'ave seen 'im,
‘e just 'eld 'is sword to the doors an' they opened better than if I'd picked
'em meself."

"It was nothing," said Jonderill, pulling
free of Tarraquin's embrace and feeling more embarrassed by the moment; his
face flushed with more than just the heat of the nearby fire or the wine he had
drunk.

“It could be another trap.” warned the dark haired man
glaring at Jonderill. “If he’s lived with the magician he could be in Sarrat’s
pocket.”

“Jonderill has been my friend for a long time and I
know he has no love for Sarrat.” Tarraquin looked between the two men and gave
a sigh of exasperation. “Jonderill, this is Captain Malingar who commands the
mercenary band which came to your rescue in the forest. He’s promised to help
me take back the throne.

“The same mercenaries who fought for Sarrat against
Sandstrone’s nomads?” questioned Jonderill.

Malingar shrugged, “That contract’s finished and in
any case he was a poor employer. My men and I like to fight for a good cause
when we can, particularly where the rewards are special.” He gave Tarraquin a
possessive smile.

Jarrul looked up at them both from where he rested by
the fire, his hands and feet swathed in bandages and decided it was time to change
the subject before they came to blows. "Rescuing me may have been nothing
to you but it was everything to me. Without you I would still be down there
screaming out the last days of my life in Maladran's hands. What you did was
beyond bravery, you could have left me there to die like that other scum wanted
to."

"Talking about scum, where is our other
guest?"

"I thought 'e might put yer off yer dinner so 'es
been 'anging around like." A chorus of harsh laughter greeted Perguine's
pointed comments.

"I hope you haven't hurt him?" asked
Jonderill anxiously.

"Nar. 'Es been a bit tied up, that's all."

Perguine beckoned to two of his comrades who
disappeared into the trees and returned with Pellum between them looking weary,
dishevelled and rubbing chafed wrists which had obviously just been unbound.
When his blindfold was removed he blinked in the sudden bright light trying to
see across the circle but when he failed to discern who sat beyond the flames
he turned on Perguine and the men who held him.

"How dare you bind me like a common thief! I am a
prince of Essenland and I expect to be treated as I deserve."

"Yer mean like a coward?" mused Perguine,
playing with the tip of his slender dagger.

Pellum recognised his accuser but gave him a
disdainful sneer as he straightened his tunic and ran his fingers through his
ruffled hair. "I am second heir to the throne of Essenland and have a duty
to my people to protect myself. As servant to my people that duty must come
first before anything else."

"Even before thanking the person who rescued
you?"

Pellum peered across the fire circle, his expression
of disdain changing to one of surprise and then he gave one of his most
charming smiles and bowed deeply. "My Lady Tarraquin, what a most
wonderful and unexpected surprise this is and may I say what a great pleasure
it is to find such beauty and grace amongst such a rabble."

Tarraquin was unimpressed. "This rabble saved
your miserable life."

"Perhaps but I was in no immediate danger. King
Sarrat's royal magician would have released me in time once a ransom had been
paid."

Perguine spat in disgust. "The murderer's torturer
you mean. Do we 'ave ter listen to any more of 'is whining lies, Me Lady? 'E
left Jarrul an' Jonderill to face them creatures alone an' we all saws it. 'E's
guilty as 'ellden an' I reckons it's up to those 'e left there to die ter do
away wiv 'im."

"Now hold on a moment!" said Pellum in
alarm. "My Lady Tarraquin, you can't possibly agree to this, not after
what we have meant to each other?"

All eyes turned to Tarraquin.

"If I remember rightly, Prince Pellum, the last
time we met you tried to rape me."

"It was just my overwhelming love for you,"
he said disarmingly.

"And this is my overwhelming decision. Jarrul,
this man left you to die, what would you have done to him?"

For a moment Jarrul was silent, studying the prince
who stood opposite him. "I’ve seen enough suffering and death to last me a
lifetime and have come too close to it myself to inflict it on another, even
someone as worthless as he is." He turned to Jonderill, wincing as pain
coursed down both arms. "I owe you my life twice over, a debt I cannot
begin to repay for a long time to come but as a start, as something on account,
I give you Prince Pellum's life, for what that's worth."

"This is ridiculous," objected Pellum
indignantly. "You're not going to let him talk to me like that are you?
I'm a prince; you can't just give me away as if I was nothing, particularly to
one who's no better than a slave."

"Does yer want me ter silence 'im now
Jonderill?" questioned Perguine, moving forward with his knife held ready.
"I can if yer want an' wivout killin' 'im too."

Jonderill shook his head, resisting the temptation.
"No. His Highness is to be unharmed as long as he gives his word to return
with me to Vinmore in order to break the enchantment and marry the Princess
Daun as he has promised."

Pellum gave him a supercilious smile and Tarraquin a
look of regret. "It would appear I have no choice in the matter, My Lady,
although my preferences may lie elsewhere. When duty calls, those of noble
blood must answer."

"Surely yer not goin' ter let 'im get away wiv
just that are yer, Me Lady?"

"From what I remember of the Princess Daun he'll
get just what he deserves." Everyone laughed except Jonderill. "Now
we have that settled, Jonderill, will you come with me to Tarmin and help me
take back a throne which is rightfully mine?"