Vanion came out through the main door, his Styric robe gleaming in the mist-filled darkness. Im sending twenty knights with you, he told Sparhawk quietly. You might be followed, and theyll offer some measure of protection.
We need to hurry, Vanion, Sparhawk objected. If we take others with us, we wont be able to move any faster than the pace of the slowest horse.
I know that, Sparhawk, Vanion replied patiently. You wont need to stay with them for very long. Wait until youre out in open country and the sun comes up. Make sure nobodys too close behind you and then slip away from the column. The knights will ride on to Demos. If anybodys following, they wont know you arent still in the middle of the column.
Sparhawk grinned. Now I know how you got to be Preceptor, my friend. Whos leading the column?
Olven.
Good. Olvens dependable.
Go with God, Sparhawk, Vanion said, clasping the big knights hand, and be careful.
Im certainly going to try.
Sir Olven was a bulky Pandion Knight with a number of angry red scars on his face. He came out of the chapterhouse wearing full armour, enamelled black. His men trailed out behind him. Good to see you again, Sparhawk, he said as Vanion went back inside. Olven spoke very quietly to avoid alerting the church soldiers camped outside the front gate. All right, he went on, you and the others ride in the middle of us. With this fog, those soldiers probably wont see you. Well drop the drawbridge and go out fast. We dont want to be in sight for more than a minute or two.
Thats more words than Ive heard you use at one time in the last twenty years, Sparhawk said to his normally silent friend.
I know, Olven agreed. Ill have to see if I cant cut back a little.
Sparhawk and his friends wore mail-shirts and travellers cloaks, since formal armour attracts attention out in the countryside. Their armour, however, was carefully stowed in packs on the string of a half-dozen horses Kurik would lead. They mounted, and the armoured men formed up around them. Olven made a signal to the men at the windlass that raised and lowered the drawbridge, and the men slipped the rachets, allowing the windlass to run freely. There was a noisy rattle of chain, and the drawbridge dropped with a huge boom. Olven was galloping across it almost before it hit the far side of the fosse.
The dense fog helped enormously. As soon as he had galloped across the bridge, Olven cut sharply to the left, leading the column across the open field towards the Demos road. Behind them, Sparhawk could hear startled shouts as the church soldiers ran out of their tents to stare after the column in chagrin.
Slick, Kalten said gaily. Across the drawbridge and into the fog in under a minute.
Olven knows what hes doing, Sparhawk said, and whats even better is that its going to be at least an hour before the soldiers can mount any kind of pursuit.
Give me an hours head start, and theyll never catch me, Kalten laughed delightedly. This is starting out very well, Sparhawk.
Enjoy it while you can. Things will probably start to go wrong later on.
Youre a pessimist, do you know that?
No. Im just used to little disappointments.
They slowed to a canter when they reached the Demos road. Olven was a veteran, and he always tried to conserve his horses. Speed might be necessary later, and Sir Olven took very few chances.
A full moon hung above the fog, and it made the thick mist deceptively luminous. The glowing white fog around them confused the eye and concealed far more than it illuminated. There was a chill dampness in the air, and Sparhawk pulled his cloak about him as he rode.
The Demos road swung north towards the city of Lenda before turning south-easterly again to Demos, where the Pandion Mother-house was located. Although he could not see it, Sparhawk knew that the countryside along the road was gently rolling and that there were large patches of trees out there. He was counting on those trees for concealment once he and his friends left the column.
They rode on. The fog had dampened the dirt surface of the road, and the sound of their horses hooves was muffled.
Every now and then the black shadows of trees loomed suddenly out of the fog at the sides of the road as they rode by. Talen shied nervously each time it happened.
Whats the problem? Kurik asked him.
I hate this, the boy replied. I absolutely hate it. Anything could be hiding beside the road wolves, bears or even worse.
Youre in the middle of a party of armed men, Talen.
Thats easy for you to say, but Im the smallest one here except for Flute, maybe. Ive heard that wolves and things like that always drag down the smallest when they attack. I really dont want to be eaten, father.
That keeps cropping up, Tynian noted curiously to Sparhawk. You never did explain why the boy keeps calling your squire by that term.
Kurik was indiscreet when he was younger.
Doesnt anybody in Elenia sleep in his own bed?
Its a cultural peculiarity. Its not really as widespread as it might seem, though.
Tynian rose slightly in his stirrups and looked ahead to where Bevier and Kalten rode side by side deep in conversation. A word of advice, Sparhawk, he said confidentially. Youre an Elenian, so you dont seem to have any problems with this sort of thing, and in Deira were fairly broad-minded about such things, but I dont know that Id let Bevier in on this. The Cyrinic Knights are a pious lot just like all Arcians and they disapprove of these little irregularities very strongly. Beviers a good man in a fight, but hes a little narrow-minded. If he gets offended, it might cause problems later on.
Youre probably right, Sparhawk agreed. Ill talk with Talen and ask him to keep his relationship with Kurik to himself.
Do you think hell listen? the broad-faced Deiran asked sceptically.
Its worth a try.
They occasionally passed a farmhouse standing beside the foggy road with hazy golden lamplight streaming from its windows, a sure sign that even though the sky had not yet started to lighten, day had already begun for the country folk.
How long are we going to stay with this column? Tynian asked. Going to Lake Randera by way of Demos is a very long way around.
We can probably slip away later this morning, Sparhawk replied, - once were sure that nobodys following us. Thats what Vanion suggested.
Have you got somebody watching to the rear?
Sparhawk nodded. Berits riding about a half-mile back.
Do you think any of the Primates spies saw us leave your chapterhouse?
They didnt really have very much time for it, Sparhawk said. Wed already gone past them before they came out of their tents.
Tynian grunted. Which road do you plan to take when we leave this one?
I think well go across country. Roads tend to be watched. Im sure that Annias has guessed that were up to something by now.
They rode on through the tag end of a foggy night. Sparhawk was pensive. He privately admitted to himself that their hastily conceived plan had little chance of success. Even if Tynian could raise the ghosts of the Thalesian dead, there was no guarantee that any of the spirits would know the location of King Saraks final resting place. This entire journey could well be futile and serve only to use up what time Ehlana had left. Then a thought came to him. He rode on forward to speak with Sephrenia. Something just occurred to me, he said to her.
Oh?
How well known is the spell you used to encase Ehlana?
Its almost never practised because its so very dangerous, she replied. A few Styrics might know of it, but I doubt that any would dare to perform it. Why do you ask?
I think Im right on the edge of an idea. If no one but you is really willing to use the spell, then its rather unlikely that anybody else would know about the time limitation.
Thats true. They wouldnt.
Then nobody could tell Annias about it.
Obviously.
So Annias doesnt know that we only have a certain amount of time left. For all he knows, the crystal could keep Ehlana alive indefinitely.
Im not certain that gives us any particular advantage, Sparhawk.
Im not either, but its something to keep in mind. We might be able to use it someday.
The eastern sky was growing gradually lighter as they rode, and the fog was swirling and thinning. It was about a half-hour before sunrise when Berit came galloping up from the rear. He was wearing his mail-shirt and plain blue cloak, and his war-axe was in a sling at the side of his saddle. The young novice, Sparhawk decided almost idly, was going to need some instruction in swordsmanship soon, before he grew too attached to that axe.
Sir Sparhawk, he said, reining in, theres a column of church soldiers coming up behind us. His hard-run horse was steaming in the chill fog.
How many? Sparhawk asked him.
Fifty or so, and theyre galloping hard. There was a break in the fog, and I saw them coming.
How far back?
A mile or so. Theyre in that valley we just came through.
Sparhawk considered it. I think a little change of plans might be in order, he said. He looked around and saw a dark blur back in the swirling fog off to the left. Tynian, he said, I think thats a grove of trees over there. Why dont you take the others and ride across this field and get into the grove before the soldiers catch up? Ill be right along. He shook Farans reins. I want to talk with Sir Olven, he told the big roan.
Faran flicked his ears irritably, then moved alongside the column at a gallop.
Well be leaving you here, Olven, Sparhawk told the scarfaced knight. Theres a half-hundred church soldiers coming up from the rear. I want to be out of sight before they come by.
Good idea, Olven approved. Olven was not one to waste words.
Why dont you give them a bit of a run? Sparhawk suggested. They wont be able to tell that were not still in the column until they catch up with you.
Olven grinned crookedly. Even so far as Demos? he asked.
That would be helpful. Cut across country before you reach Lenda and pick up the road again south of town. Im sure Annias has spies in Lenda too.
Good luck, Sparhawk, Olven said.
Thanks, Sparhawk said, shaking the scarfaced knights hand, we might need it. He backed Faran off the road, and the column thundered past him at a gallop.
Lets see how fast you can get to that grove of trees over there, Sparhawk said to his bad-tempered mount.
Faran snorted derisively, then leapt forward at a dead run.
Kalten waited at the edge of the trees, his grey cloak blending into the shadows and fog. The others are back in the woods a ways, he reported. Whys Olven galloping like that?
I asked him to, Sparhawk replied, swinging down from his saddle. The soldiers wont know that weve left the column if Olven stays a mile or two ahead of them.
Youre smarter than you look, Sparhawk, Kalten said, also dismounting. Ill get the horses back out of sight. The steam coming off them might be visible. He squinted at Faran. Tell this ugly brute of yours not to bite me.
You heard him, Faran, Sparhawk told his war-horse.
Faran laid his ears back.
As Kalten led their horses back among the trees, Sparhawk sank down onto his stomach behind a low bush. The grove of trees lay no more than fifty yards from the road, and as the fog began to dissipate with the onset of morning, he could clearly see that the whole stretch of road they had just left was empty. Then a single red-tunicked soldier galloped along, coming from the south. The man rode stiffly, and his face seemed strangely wooden.
A scout? Kalten whispered, crawling up beside Sparhawk.
More than likely, Sparhawk whispered back.
Why are we whispering? Kalten asked. He cant hear us over the noise of his horses hooves.
You started it.
Force of habit, I guess. I always whisper when Im skulking.
The scout reined in his mount at the top of the hill, then wheeled and rode back along the road at a dead run. His face was still blank.
Hes going to wear out that horse if he keeps doing that, Kalten said.
Its his horse.
Thats true, and hes the one who gets to walk when the horse plays out on him.
Walking is good for church soldiers. It teaches them humility.
About five minutes later, the church soldiers galloped by, their red tunics dark in the dawn light. Accompanying the leader of the column was a tall, emaciated figure in a black robe and hood. It may have been a trick of the misty morning light, but a faint greenish glow seemed to emanate from under the hood, and the figures back appeared to be grossly deformed.
Theyre definitely trying to keep an eye on that column, Kalten said.
I hope they enjoy Demos, Sparhawk replied. Olvens going to stay ahead of them every step of the way. I need to talk with Sephrenia. Lets go back to the others. Well sit tight for an hour or so, until were sure the soldiers are out of the area, and then move on.
Good idea. Im about ready for some breakfast anyway.
They led their horses back through the damp woods to a small basin surrounding a trickling spring that emerged from a fern-covered bank.
Did they go by? Tynian asked.
At a gallop, Kalten grinned, and they didnt look around very much. Does anybody have anything to eat? Im starving.
Ive got a slab of cold bacon, Kurik offered.
Cold?
Fire makes smoke, Kalten. Do you really want these woods full of soldiers?
Kalten sighed.
Sparhawk looked at Sephrenia. Theres somebody or something riding with those soldiers, he said. It gave me a very uneasy feeling, and I think it was the same thing I caught a glimpse of last night.
Can you describe it?
Its quite tall and very very thin. Its back seems to be deformed, and its wearing a black hooded robe, so I couldnt see any details. He frowned. Those church soldiers in the column seemed as if they were half-asleep. They usually pay closer attention to what theyre doing.
This thing you saw, she said seriously. Was there anything else unusual about it?
I cant say for sure, but it seemed to have a sort of greenish light coming from its face. I noticed the same thing last night.
Her face grew bleak. I think wed better leave immediately, Sparhawk.
The soldiers dont know were here, he objected.
They will before long. Youve just described a Seeker. In Zemoch theyre used to hunt down runaway slaves. The lump on its back is caused by its wings.