Chronicles of the Red King #3: Leopards' Gold (5 page)

“Believe us,” begged Petrello. “He says you threatened to set your wolf on him if he prevented the bellman’s capture. The chancellor’s men are searching for you. You must ride away, now, Amadis, before they find you.”

Amadis gave a small frown, but the next moment he was smiling, and then he was laughing.

Petrello, worried for his brother’s sanity, cried, “Don’t you understand, Amadis?”

“I hear what you’re saying,” said Amadis. “But it makes no sense. I was on my way back to tell the king that the bellman is being taken to Castle Melyntha. The eagles told me. They saw it all. Why would I reveal the bellman’s whereabouts if I had assisted in his capture?”

Petrello couldn’t answer.

Tolly said, “John, the guard, was lying.”

Why? The unspoken question hung between them. Petrello remembered the way the guard had stared at Lord Thorkil, and then looked away, as though he were afraid. “I think it might have something to do with the chancellor,” he said.

Amadis looked serious for once. “Come on, boys. I’ve tethered your ponies. We must unravel this mystery.”

Petrello turned to the cave. Gunfrid and Zeba had scrambled out. They stood together, their eyes darting from one brother to another.

“Please …” Gunfrid spoke in a thin, choked voice.

“We must take them with us.” Petrello looked at the homeless children.

“That boy would have killed you,” said Amadis.

“No. He was frightened. Gunfrid and Zeba have nowhere to go, and we have so much.”

Amadis smiled. “You have a soft heart, Petrello.” He patted his horse’s neck. “Come on then, Gunfrid and Zeba. You had better ride with me.”

A
madis lifted the two ragged children onto his horse and jumped up behind them. The children were so thin, the three of them fitted comfortably on the fine saddle with its golden pommel. It had been a gift from the king on Amadis’s seventeenth birthday.

As soon as Petrello and Tolly were mounted, they set off along the forest track. They could hear movements in the trees, the occasional shout, and, once or twice, a horse whinnied.

“They’re still searching for the bellman,” said Amadis. He cupped his hands around his mouth and called, “Hey, Sir Edern, Sir Peredur! I have news!”

The other Knight Protectors were obviously some distance away. Perhaps they couldn’t make out the words that Amadis was shouting. Petrello was anxious. The chancellor’s men might have heard his brother’s voice. Amadis would be arrested before he had time to explain.

“Maybe it would be better not to shout, Amadis,” Petrello suggested. “The wrong people might hear.”

“And you’ll be caught,” said Tolly.

“Don’t worry, little brothers. I have my guardians.” Amadis gave a soft yelp. “See!”

He pointed at the thickets bordering the track on both sides.

The boys glimpsed the bobbing head of a wolf, then another, and another. There were four wolves, two on each side of the track. The wolves showed themselves, briefly, and then disappeared.

“Greyfleet and his brothers.” Amadis looked over his shoulder and smiled.

Gunfrid and Zeba stared nervously at the undergrowth. They hunched their shoulders and lowered their heads.

Amadis patted the boy’s shoulder. “You’re safe with me.”

All at once, Gunfrid muttered, “In Castle Melyntha, they hate the Red King.”

“And how do you know this?” asked Amadis, frowning.

“We come from there,” said the boy. “Our lord, Sir Osbern D’Ark, hates the king because he is a magician and his castle is hidden, and because he stole Sir Osbern’s bride.”

“That would be our mother,” said Amadis. “Sir Osbern is descended from a conqueror, is he not?”

“His grandfather was a conqueror,” cried Zeba, suddenly animated. “One of those men who invaded our country and killed our true King Harold.”

“That was a hundred years ago,” said Petrello, airing his knowledge.

“Yes, when the false King William came,” said Gunfrid. “But conquerors still come, many, many, many of them, and the new false king gives them our land and our houses and our cattle and our forests.”

“We know our history.” Zeba raised her rough little voice defiantly. “Our parents told us, over and over, so that we should never forget it.”

“And they hated the Red King as much as the conquerors,” added Gunfrid.

“Why?” Amadis was genuinely astonished.

“Because he never came to rescue them,” said Gunfrid. “Our parents were children of wealthy merchants. They rebelled against the conquerors and were killed for it. But their children, our parents, ran into the forest and lived there, until they were caught by Sir Osbern’s men. Some of their friends escaped and went to live with the Red King. And our parents thought that because the Red King was a magician, and very powerful, he would come to rescue them. But he never did. They waited and waited and waited, and now they are dead, too.”

“They worked hard even when they were sick,” said Zeba. “Because they were slaves, and so were we, until we escaped.”

Even Amadis was lost for words. Petrello didn’t want to believe the scruffy children, and yet he found it hard to doubt them. Their voices ran with passionate resentment.

“If our father was so disliked by your parents,” Amadis said at last, “why do you want to live in the Red Castle?”

After a moment’s hesitation, Gunfrid said, “We want to live a magical life and be safe.” He sounded a little ashamed.

Zeba mumbled something and Amadis asked her to speak up, for no one would be angry with her.

Hardly raising her voice, Zeba murmured, “I want to know why the Red King didn’t save our parents.”

“I see,” Amadis said thoughtfully. He whinnied softly and his horse began to canter.

Petrello’s pony followed; Tolly, humming to himself, came last.

Amadis seemed eager to get back; his horse gathered speed and Petrello found it hard to keep up. Tolly was left far behind.

There was a sudden, distant shout. Petrello reined in his pony and looked back. There was no sign of Tolly, but the track twisted and turned so often, he could have just been beyond the nearest bend. The shouting grew louder. “Hey there, Amadis!”

“Hey there, Sir Edern!” Amadis turned his horse just as Sir Edern came galloping up with Tolly in his wake.

“Young Tolomeo tells me you’ve news of the bellman,” said Edern, his horse slowing to a trot.

“Indeed,” said Amadis. “I have spoken with the eagles. The bellman is being taken to Castle Melyntha.”

“Aha!” boomed Sir Edern. “Castle Melyntha.” He took a small hunting horn from his belt and blew several long blasts. “Well done, lad!” He raised a gloved hand to Amadis, wheeled his horse around, and galloped away, calling, “I’ll have to find Peredur, he’s gone far south, but the others will have heard my call. Tell the king …”

The rest of his words were lost in a thunder of hooves and a crackling of undergrowth, all accompanied by the shouting of Knight Protectors in different parts of the forest.

Amadis smiled to himself. “One mystery solved,” he said, “but another to be fathomed. Come on, boys!”

Petrello thought about the chancellor’s men. Had they heard the horn? Perhaps they had gone east, to search the town of Rosemellon. It wasn’t far. They might have returned to the castle already.

The trees thinned toward the edge of the forest, and the castle came into view, the South Gate directly facing them. The chancellor’s men were stationed in a line before the entrance, the great doors were open onto the courtyard, and a bustling of soldiers could be seen behind the Gray Men.

Amadis whispered to his horse and it began a gentle walk. His brothers fell in behind him.

“Who are those men at the gate?” asked Gunfrid. “Their look is fierce.”

“Not for long, I hope,” said Amadis. “They are Chancellor Thorkil’s men, and they take their duties very seriously.”

“Take care, brother,” Petrello said earnestly. “They mean to make you their prisoner.”

Amadis laughed. “They don’t stand a chance.” As his black horse began to walk up the slight incline to the South Gate, four wolves emerged from the trees. They slipped elegantly alongside the horse, then formed a line in front of the group.

One of the chancellor’s men drew his sword. Petrello recognized Chimery’s lined face. Were four wolves enough to protect Amadis? Even as the thought entered Petrello’s head, a stirring in the air made him look up. The sky was dark with silent eagles. They floated on slow currents, their great wings spread wide; there were so many, their wingtips almost touched. Amadis had made them forget they were solitary hunters.

One of the eagles swooped down and alighted on the bronze pad that protected Amadis’s shoulder. “If they try to cut down my wolves, the eagles will pluck out their eyes,” said Amadis.

Gunfrid and Zeba shuddered. They had thought that in the company of princes, entering the castle would be easy.

The wolves increased their pace; they lowered their heads, hunched their shoulders, and began a swift, creeping movement toward the chancellor’s men.

“Call off your wolves!” shouted Lord Thorkil.

“Tell your men to stand aside,” called Amadis.

“Not until your beasts are behind you!” Lord Thorkil snarled, drawing his sword.

“Let us through!” Amadis demanded. “We have news of the bellman.”

“Why do you bring ragged strangers to our castle?” called Chimery.

“They need our protection,” Amadis replied.

“Psha! Wild children are trouble,” said Lord Thorkil. “Tell them to dismount.”

“I will not. The children can help us. They are from Castle Melyntha, where the bellman is being taken.” Amadis urged his horse forward. The eagle on his shoulder gave a threatening cry and the birds above dropped lower and lower.

The eagles were now so near their heads, Petrello could hear the ripple of their feathers. They seemed to suck the air from his lungs, but he forced his pony to follow Amadis, and Tolly did the same. They were so close, Petrello could touch his brother’s outstretched fingers.

“They won’t harm us, Tolly,” Petrello whispered. “A sound from Amadis and they’ll go.”

“Are you sure?” croaked Tolly.

Amadis was only a few paces from the chancellor’s men, but their line didn’t break. Lord Thorkil’s hard gaze never wavered from the prince’s face. The chancellor seemed poised to move, yet unable to give way. He gave a brief command and all his men drew their swords.

“You are a traitor, Amadis!” roared the chancellor. “Give yourself up!”

The prince’s answer was a thin, eerie cry. The eagle on his shoulder flew straight at the chancellor’s men; the other birds swooped and the line of Gray Men broke. Wolves snapped at their heels, talons stabbed their helmets, great wings beat on their shoulders, and the men scattered, their swords waving at empty air. It was a cheering sight, but Petrello feared for Amadis. He would have to pay for this humiliation. Lord Thorkil never forgave an insult.

The king’s soldiers mustering in the courtyard turned to stare at Amadis, their commander throwing a hostile glance in his direction.

“You were no doubt coming to look for me,” said Amadis.

The commander was about to answer, when he was interrupted.

“There you are!” said a woman’s voice.

The soldiers parted, and Queen Berenice strode up to the three princes. She might have had nine children but she was still beautiful. Her blue dress clung tight about her small waist, where she wore a wide belt studded with jewels. Her golden hair, braided around her head, was only one shade darker than her second son’s. She seldom wore a crown. “What have we here?” she asked, patting Gunfrid’s small foot.

“Two more children for you, Mother.” Amadis dismounted and lifted Gunfrid and Zeba from his horse.

The queen laughed. “You’re in trouble, my son, but I told the king he should be ashamed to think you had betrayed us.”

“I have news of the bellman. Got it from the eagles. He’s being taken to Melyntha.”

“Melyntha?” The queen grimaced. Turning to Petrello and Tolly, she said, “And, you two, did you catch your brother and bring him home?”

Smiling, the boys slid off their ponies. “We went to warn him,” Petrello admitted. He could never lie to his mother.

“Come with me, all of you!” She turned away, beckoning them to follow. “The king is in conference with Wyngate and the wizard. He needs advice.”

“I fear I have upset the chancellor,” said Amadis, pacing beside his mother.

“Outraged him, more like,” said Queen Berenice. “I saw the eagles.” She glanced at the wolves. “I suppose they must accompany us?”

“Better that way.” Amadis leaned down to touch Greyfleet’s head.

The queen laughed again, and Petrello felt the warmth of her voice making everything right, as it always did. He noticed that Gunfrid and Zeba were not with them, and looking over his shoulder, saw the two children standing perfectly still, staring at the stable boys. Three sturdy lads had run out to take care of the prince’s mounts, and Petrello realized how thin and ragged were the lost children compared to the stable boys, who wore warm, well-fitting jerkins, woolen hose, and stout leather boots.

“Come!” Petrello called. “We’ll get you some new clothes.”

Gunfrid and Zeba turned to him. They looked bewildered.

“Yes, you,” said Petrello. “Come on.”

As they began to follow, Tolly ran to the queen and asked, “What shall we do with the lost children, Mother, while we are with the king?”

“They come from Melyntha,” said Amadis. “They’ll have knowledge that could help us.”

“Bring them along, then.” The queen beckoned to the two children. “The more heads, the better.”

“Our mother’s approach to a problem is different from others,” Amadis told the waifs. “She is not cautious.”

“Luckily for you,” said the queen. She looked for the best in everyone. That way, she told her children, people would not want to let her down. Her husband had a more suspicious nature. He claimed it was safer not to trust on sight.

The king was in the Meeting Hall with Wyngate and the wizard Llyr. The three men sat at one end of the long table, the king at the head, the wizard and the investigator at either side of him. A fire blazed in the great stone fireplace behind him and the room felt warm after the spring chill outside. The three men looked up when the queen and the princes came in. The king saw Gunfrid and Zeba, hovering behind Amadis.

“Beri, what are you up to now?” sighed the king. “We are in conference here.”

“I can vouch for these two waifs,” said the queen. “Amadis maintains they can help us. And it’s time Petrello and Tolly were brought into our confidence.”

“And you, Amadis,” said the king. “The chancellor would have you in chains.”

“What nonsense!” The queen lifted the hem of her dress and, swinging her leg over the bench, sat beside Wyngate. “Thorkil is playing some game of his own. Amadis had nothing to do with the bellman’s disappearance. He has brought you some news. The bellman is en route to Castle Melyntha.”