Tijanamir, as you may recall. He wore a golden helm, just as his brothers' helms were red, brown, white, blue, and black. Sir Woddet's point entered the eye socket, and the Golden Caan died in that fortress of gold. I rewarded Sir Woddet richly for the thrust, as you may have heard. The king rewarded him more richly still." I said, "I take it the Blue Tijanamir drowned." Marder nodded. "The dagger of a man-at-arms pierced his lungs, so that he drowned in his own blood, the fifth fate. The sixth tijanamir, whose color was black, is the present Caan. This is because the old Caan, hearing of the prophecy, gave the sword he had worn that day into his son's keeping. We are told it is locked away in a sealed vault; it appears that as long as it remains there, the Black Caan is safe." I had my own thoughts, but I nodded to that. "It seems the seer erred. He said all their reigns would be short." "Seers err frequently," Marder said, "but suppose we defeat the Osterlings in a month or two. Might we not take their capital, open the vault, and retrieve the sword?" "We might," I said, "if it's still there." My inspection of our troops convinced me that winning was out of the questionour only hope was to march north, get as many more men as we could, and collect all the food we could find. If there had been any chance of terms and decent treatment, I would have told Marder and Arnthor to surrender. There was none; and although giving up Burning Mountain, won at such a high cost, shattered what little moral remained, we left it. In the time that followed, there were days when I wished I were back in my cell. We marched north. The Black Caan, who must have known what we were doing very quickly, moved to prevent us and make us fight. We backed down the coast again instead, spearing fish in the shallows and scrounging mussels and clams. When our horses died (and more and more did) they were eaten at once. I took the rear guard and had Woddet with me, and Rober, Lamwell, and others. There was scarcely a day in which we found no work to do, for the Caan's skirmishers were swift, and being eager to drive us from our dead attacked boldly again and again. Like ours, their archers were hard pressed to find or make arrows; but they had slingers in plenty, and there were stones enough to kill everyone in Mythgarthr twice over. A shower of stones, a few javelins, and a chargeit was a pattern we soon came to know well. Broad shields were needed to ward off the stones; even our lightly armed soon had them, woven of palm fronds when there was nothing else. We knights formed the first line and took the brunt of every charge, sometimes slinging our shields so as to wield our lances with both hands, more often with shield and sword, fighting morning and night when we were lightheaded with hunger. Gylf saved us, finding game where we would have found none, and killing it or driving it to us. Marder told me, when the army took six hellish days to bridge the Greenflood, that our rear guard looked better than the rest. I went to see the rest, and he was right. We had marched north of Burning Mountain before the Caan halted us. That night (how well I remember this!) we saw its sullen glow again: light the color of old blood staining the sky A page came for me, a frightened boy; but before I tell about that, I must say that Gylf, who had fought like five score men and found food where there was none, had saved me in good earnest that day. I had fallen, and would have died had he not raged over me, killing every Osterling who came near. Marder heard of it, and asked to speak with me. That is why I went back and Gylf with me, to see the starved faces and empty eyes of a thousand men who had been strong. "Sir Able?" I had not known there were boys with Arnthor's army, save for squires who were nearly men; but he was a lad of ten. I was wearing the old helm, having no other, though I had little wish to see the truth it revealed; thus I may have seen his dread plainer than he showed it. "Her Highness must speak with you, Sir Able." I was angry at the condition of the men I had seen, and happy to have a target for my anger. "Morcaine has spoken to me before," I told him. "I say to you what I said to her. She left me to rot in a dungeon, from which the brother she fears so much freed me. My loyalty is to him, not her. If she wants my friendship, let her earn it." He left but soon returned, more frightened than ever. "Her Highness says you don't understand, that she doesn't want to talk to you herself. She has company . . ." His voice had failed. He seemed to strangle, then tried again. "She does, too, Sir Able, somethingsomebody . . ." His teeth had begun to chatter. While he struggled to control them I said, "The queen?" "N-no. No, sir." "The king, in that case. Why didn't she say so?" The poor boy shook his head violently. "All right, the Black Caan!" He collapsed in tears. "I've got to bring you. Sheshe'll kill me this time." "You will bring me," I told him. "Come on. I'm tired and want to get this over." The Morcaine who greeted Gylf and me was a woman to the hem of her skirt, and a snake below it, the great, trailing serpent body prettily marked with runes of degeneration and destruction. "Suppose you were king," she said. I told her she was speaking treason. "Not at all. Someone very important is waiting to see you." She gestured toward the rear of her pavilion, where a black curtain fluttered and billowed. "Still, we may have a minute to ourselves. My brother is sorely wounded. He is determined to take part in the next battlehe knows what happens to kings who don't fight. No one would regret his death more than I, but suppose he dies. Who rules?" I said, "Queen Gaynor, I imagine," though I knew better. "With you as her sword?" I shook my head. "I don't blame you. She thrust you into that dungeon and left you to rot. You, her champion. Nor is she of the royal line. Perhaps she betrays my brother perhaps she doesn't. Guilty or not, my brother thinks her false and has told your liege and others. They might accept her in peace. Not now. Not here. Not three lords would stand by her." "You then," I said. "Better, because I'm royal. Bad still. I'm no warrior, and none of them trust me. Duke Marder?" "He would have my sword." "An old man without a son." Her laugh was weak and shaky; when I heard it I knew something had scared her sober. "Who leads this army? Who issues its orders?" I said nothing. "You would relish revenge." I could not speak, but I shook my head. "How could you avenge yourself better than by marrying me? You could rape me twice a night. Or thrice. You look capable of it. You could have a dozen mistresses and throw them in my face. You could thrash me with the poker, and all Celidon would call me disloyal if I said a word against you." She brought my hand to her cheek. "How strong you are! How can you gain revenge if you don't marry me? Think about that. You can have Gaynor's head on a pike. I'm royal, but I'll be on the other side of the bed, in easy reach." "No." I drew my hand away. "Listen! We haven't much time. My brother will be dead in a month. No one will want Gaynor. Many will cleave to me for my father's sake. More will want you. Wise men like His Grace will fear a new war, pitting brother against brother 'til the Osterlings conquer both. Calling those who favor us together, we'll declare our intention to wed." She paused, unable to see my face within the old helm, but watching my eyes. Suddenly she smiled. "Curtain! It's what the jugglers say. Are you afraid to go in there?" I shook my head. "You should be." She tried to laugh again. "I would be, and I brought him. Think over what I've said, beloved, if you come out sane." Perhaps I nodded or spoke; if so, I do not recall it. She or I or he pushed the curtain aside. I cannot describe the empty inferno therethere are no words. "Take that off," he told me, and I could no more have disobeyed than I could have picked myself up by my belt. The old helm gone, I recognized him at once, strong, sharp-featured as any fox, and crowned with firenot the floating hair of the Fire Aelf, which only suggests flames, but real fire, red, yellow, and blue, snapping and crackling. "You know me," he said, "and I know you. You called me the youngest and worst of my father's sons not long ago, and insulted my wife." "I meant no insult," I said. "Would I insult two people I fear so much?" "You boast of fearing nothing." He frowned at Gylf. "You've stolen one of my father's dogs. He won't like that." "No," Gylf said shortly. "He knows." "Then I don't like it." He smiled. "But I'll overlook it. You need me. I don't need you, not at all, except for fun. You know I have a kind heart." I managed to say, "I know you say you do." "I'm a liar, of course. I take after both parents in that. Not lyingI never lie I offer help. For fun. Because it amuses me. Still, my offer is real." I only struggled to master my fear. "You people complain of usthe same things the Aelf say about you. We pay no attention, we don't care whether you live or die. What's the use of becoming a druid? Why pray, when nobody listens? All right, here I am. Do you deny I'm an Overcyn?" Gylf spoke for me. "No. You are." "Correct. Nor am I the least of us. Will I hear your prayer, standing here before you? I couldn't miss it if I put my fingers in my ears. Kneel." I knelt, and Gylf lay down beside me. "Excellent. If I told you to touch your nose to the carpet so I could put my foot on your head, would you do it?" "Yes," I said. "I'd have to." "Then we'll dispense with it. Pray." "Great prince of light," I began, "prince of fire" "Never mind. We don't need that. Let's just say I'll grant three wishes. I know what they're going to be, but you have to say them. What do you want? Not two, and not four." "Food. Enough for everyone 'til we fight." "That's right. What else?" "More men." "Too vague. One man? Two?" "Ten thousand." He laughed, a terrible sound. "I can't do it, and you couldn't manage them. Five hundred. That's my best offer." "Then I accept it." I had recovered some part of my self-possession. "And thank you most sincerely." "You'll have to do more than that. The third?" "Cloud. Your father gave her to me, but I lost her when the queen imprisoned me. I think she's been looking for me, and I've been looking for her." "You've changed, both of you," he told me. "You met the most low god." "Yes," I said. "He grants wishes, too, but he grants them in such a way that you wish he hadn't. I never stoop to that." I said I was glad to hear it. "However, you may feel that I stooped to something of the sort after I catch Cloud for you. Send her away if you do. She won't cling like a curse, believe me. Still, she costs a wish. Do you want her?" "Yes," I said. "All right. When do you want the men?" "Now." "I can't do it. I'm going to need time to work." "As soon as possible, then." "Fair enough. You may stand." I rose. He had been no taller than I when I knelt, but he had grown by the time I rose, so tall that I was afraid his crown would ignite the roof of the pavilion. "Payment will be simple and easy, but fun. What's more you've already done it, as we both know. Break the promise you made my father. Again." I could not speak. "It's letting you off far too cheaply, isn't that what you're about to say? I'll like it just the same. He trusts you, and I enjoy salting his silly dreams with reality now and then. Will you do it?" Looking up at him (for he seemed farther above me now than he had when I was on my knees) I could not help but see how handsome he was, and how shifty. "I'll do it," I said, "but you must give me the things I've asked for first." "What!" It was feigned anger. "Don't you trust me?" "I won't argue. Do as I say or do your worst." "Which would kill you and every friend you have." I scratched Gylf's ears. "Do you think my father wouldn't forgive me for killing a dog? He's forgiven me far worse." Gylf licked my fingers. "He'd die for you, of course he would. Would Disiri? Would you want her to?" I turned to go. "Wait! I won't haggle, and I want to make that clear. Here's what I'll do. I'll get you the food and the menhalf a thousand tough fighting menas soon as can. Let's say it takes . . ." He stroked his chin. "Ten days. When you've got them, you'll have two of your wishes. Agreed?" I nodded. "At that point you must break your word to my father. Not just some technicality, three times and big and showy." I said, "Suppose three times isn't enough?" The truth, Ben, is that I had already decided before I went into that pavilion. If I could have pulled bread out of the air, I would have already. I could not. There were a lot of things I could not do, raising the dead and so on. But there were things I could do, and I had settled on them, although without Lothur I might have changed my mind. Did he know it? Shape my payment as he did, because he did? It is possible he did, but I do not believe it. He is as clever and cruel as a den of foxes, and knows more tricks than a score of Vils; but his father sees far. And very deep.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT DRAGON SOLDIERS
Had the queen summoned me that night as well, I would not have been surprised; I knew she was Morcaine's ally, and that one might sift a thousand foolish women without finding even one fool enough to trust Morcaine. The queen would want my account of what had transpired that night, as well as hers. I was surprised just the same, for the queen came to me, crouching beside me as I slept, while Lamwell stood guard. She touched my shoulder. I sat up and saw hima small figure with a great crest of white plumes and a drawn sword. "Here, Sir Able." It was as though a dove had spoken. I turned. Her robe was dark, but her golden hair glowed in the moonlight and her pale face shone. "You've plighted your troth to my sister-in-law," she said. "That is well. She has remained too longwhat are you doing that for?" I had picked up the old helm and was putting it on. "I may need to protect you from the king's men, if not from the Osterlings." The moonlit woman shrank, her fair face younger still. "We're both kids, Your Majesty, and us kids have to stick together, or the wolves will tear us apart." "You must hate me. She said you did." "How could I hate you, when the king loves you?" "Prettily spoken. May I pet your dog?" "I could not match you in wit, Your Majesty. Nor would it be fitting for me to try." She laughed softly, a delightful sound after Morcaine's laughter, and Lothur's. "I didn't think you'd understand that. There's more to you than meets the eye, Sir Able." "Less, Your Majesty." "Won't you take it off? So I can see your face?" "Sir Lamwell's my friend, Your Majesty, and I've seldom known a truer knight. But if you were to order him to kill me, he wouldor would try." "But I won't!" "You can't know that, Your Majesty, and I surely can't." "My husband knows more of sorcery than his sister, Sir Able." Gaynor's coo, soft already, had grown softer still. I told her I was aware of it. "Few are. People don't like the idea of a sorcerous ruler. She shows it, shows off and draws their displeasure. He keeps his hidden. If you really know all this, you ought to know I don't have any such power. None at all. Do you?" "Yes, Your Majesty." "You don't know what it's been like for me." Her hand found mine and squeezed it. "Husbands areare bad enough without that. His rages are terrible, and he could spy on me anytime he wanted. I was a queen. I am. A queen in a glass castle. I ran a terrible risk for you when I let you confer with Queen Idnn and Lord Escan. Do you understand that? Do you know how great a chance I took? The gaolers knew, and all those people, but I had to let them see there was nothing between us. Not then." She squeezed my hand again. Hers was small, and so white it shone in the moonlight. "You didn't take it long, Your Majesty." "No. No, I didn't. I couldn't. You went out on your own, and you were caught. They'd tell him when he came back. They were bound to and I couldn't stop them. Sometimes he spies and sometimes he doesn't, but" I said, "Suppose he sees us now?" "He won't. I spoke to him before I came to see you. Hehe won't. He's seen the future, Sir Able. And he dies." "We all do." "Before the new moon. He kills the Caan and the Caan kills him. Can that happen?" I nodded. "I'll be a widow. Your queen and the first of a new dynasty. I'll need a minister, a strong man who can keep order. I'll rule wisely and well, but only if they let me rule. And you . . . Can you be gentle, as well as strong? I've never had anyone gentle, never had anyone but him." You know what I was tempted to say, Ben. I did not say it, merely saying that her husband was not dead yet, and I needed time to consider. If I had refused, she would have told Lamwell to kill me and I would have had to kill him. I liked him, and we could not spare a single knight. Ten days, Lothur had said. Knowing they could not be hastened, I did not try to hurry our march south. We had to collect all the food we could along the way, and I had to plan the actions that would violate the oath I would break. We met them on a cliff-side road overlooking the sea, stranger warriors than I had ever seen, dark, hard-faced men with little eyes. Their armor made them look like bugs, and their shaggy ponies like peasants. They challenged us; and I found that although I understood their speech, no one else did. There were three hundred, perhaps, with a baggage train so long that it wound away down the coast. Wistan and I advanced under a flag of truce. Their prince wore gold armor; his was hardest hand I ever clasped, and he the only man I have known who smiled all the time. When we met, I thought he simply wanted to assure us we would be well treated if we yielded. Later I learned that his men called him He-who-smiles. Wistan and I settled for Smiler. He was accompanied by three ministers, middle-aged men of his own race. One carried a horned staff, one a whip, and one a sword with a blade of dragon shape. He would choose one or another of these ministers and whisper to him. The minister would confer with the other two and speak to me. It became tedious; I will abbreviate it as much as I can. "You are to surrender to us." This was the minister with the sword. "Give me your weapons." Wistan tugged my sleeve. "Why does he talk like that?" I said, "Because he thinks we might, I guess." "Might what? What did he say?" "We won't surrender," I told the minister. "If you'll share your food with us, we'll be your friends and lead you to a great victory. If you won't, we'll take it." The prince continued to smile, gesturing to the minister with the whip. "The Son of the Dragon fears you misapprehend this matter. He is sworn to conquer or die. With him we are all sworn to conquer or die. We conquer or die!" "Then you'll die," I said. Still smiling, the prince spoke with his third minister, the one with the forked staff. "You are a barbarian," this minister told me. His tone was fatherly. "You do not know us, nor the customs of civilized men. Do you wish to?" I said I certainly did. "That said, you are no longer a barbarian. We are the children of the Dragon, Sirable. For most, by adoption. For the Son of the Dragon, by blood. The Blood of the Dragon is his father." He fell silent, standing with head bowed. At length he said, "His Sons are Sons of the Dragon. Dragon Blood fills him each time he engenders sons in his wives." I told him I understood. "Each would rule. Is he not Son of the Dragon?" Wistan was tugging my sleeve again. I told him to stop. "A son may bow to his brother, and be cut. He remains. If no, they fight with magic. Our prince chose to fight." Thinking of Arnthor and his sister, I said, "We have a lot of magic. If he contends with us, he will lose again." The minister tittered. "No, no! He won. The winner leaves Home Throne to his brother. Do you not understand?" I confessed I did not. "It is his glory to extend the Realm of the Dragon. He is permitted five hundred warriors. It is honor to go. The Talking Table is consulted. Always the Talking Table says, 'Go north! Go west!' or 'Go south!' This is traditional. To east there is much water." The minister with the forked staff retired, and the minister with the whip came forward. "Yours is the Land of the East. Obey the Son of the Dragon and prosper. Disobey . . ." He tapped his own hand with his coiled whip. "You are in our country," I told him, though we were well south of Celidon. "You must obey our king. He is King Arnthor, a good and wise ruler. I speak for him now." The minister who bore the sword came forward once more. "Will we fight here, on this narrow road?" "Yes," I said. "Will you fight me now?" I knew I would have my point in him before he could poise his big blade. He shook his head. "Our champions will fight. In such a place it must be so." His voice fell. "My son, you do not know our law. Let me make it plain. When one fights one, three victories are sufficient. Is this clear to you?" I admitted it was not. "The first two fight. We win. That is a victory." I nodded. "The first of our champions fights your next. That also is a victory, it is two." I nodded as before. "The first of our champions fights your third. That is another, it is three. You must accept the beneficent rule of the Son of the Dragon." I said, "We will not." "If you do not, every man will be put to the sword." When we left, I explained to Wistan, who looked very serious. "I'll fight, Sir Able, but I'm not a champion." I laughed, and slapped his back. I was our first, though I had great difficulty securing the position. Arnthor wanted to negotiate further, and sent Beel with me to interpret. We learned more about the Dragon soldiers and their prince; but quickly discovered there was no hope of making them allies, as our instructions required. Neither would they share their food with us (although they boasted of its quantity) or even sell to us. By Marder's influence and my own, Woddet was our second champion. Kei was the third. We did not think we would need more than three. As for me, I was determined that neither Woddet nor Kei would have work that afternoon. They looked imposing, and that was enough. Wistan and I made nothing like so good a show, although I learned afterward that the Son of the Dragon had been impressed by the gold rings in my mail, and by my speaking the tongue of his nation. The Nykr King of Arms went with us to see fair play, the minister with the sword serving a like function on the other side. He objected to Wistan; we explained that he was there only to bear my lance with my pennant, to carry my helm and shield, to help me from the field if I were wounded or to guard my corpse. It was agreed that he would retire one hundred paces before I engaged. Each of us retreated ten paces. The Nykr King of Arms raised the staff with which he would strike the roadway, and the minister with the sword lowered the sword he would raise. I could not see our pursuivant up on the cliff, but no doubt he raised his trumpet. At that moment Gylf howled. I had been obliged to chain him, for he had sworn that he would not stand by and see me killed; but he knew the battle was about to be joined, or so it seemed. His was the howl of no common dog, and I saw its effect on my opponent. No sooner had I put on the old helm than I saw more. I saw that for all his fanciful armor and flat face my opponent was a bold knight who would add real force to our charge when we faced the Osterlingsforce that would be forever lost if I killed him. I took my lance from Wistan. My opponent, Ironmouth, cut through it at once; I have seldom seen so good a blade. I knocked that blade from his hand with the butt of my lance, tripped him, and almost pinned him. In a moment more he had nearly pinned me, for he was a fine wrestler. As we struggled, I caught sight of Lothur's inferno upon the cliff. We parted, rushed at each other, and Ironmouth by an unexpected slight threw me down not a hand's breadth from a sheer drop. I regained my feet, but not quickly enough. I snatched air, caught thick, coarse, white stuffI knew not whatand clung to it for dear life. A great thought, kind and warm and wonderful, filled my mind, crowding out the fear; and the thought was this: Can you not run on this as Gylf and I do? And I could have. It would have been a violation of the oath; but I intended to violate it. I did not do it then, but climbed on Cloud's back, a back no longer gray; it was spangled with ice crystals as well, for she had been far above the clouds a moment before. We are born dark, she explained. We reach our true color with age. I am nearly grown now. Like a cloud, she rose into the sky, carrying me with her. The Caan had elephants; they were nothing before her. We talked. I told her of all that had befallen me since we parted, and she told me of strange adventures in the east, of her return to Skai, of what she had told the Lady there (for the Lady had stabled her), and what the Lady had taught her. Below, the sea-blue flag of Celidon snapped in the breeze, flaunting its nykr to the dragon that was Celidon's new foe, a dragon of red and black on a wheaten field. Woddet came forth to fight, and fell, and Hela bore him away. "Lothur has promised us the victory," I told Cloud, "so we must prevail." Given a mount and a stout lance, I would have matched Kei against a hundred; with the sword he was no match for Ironmouth. He fell, and I watched him die. After which, the Dragon Soldiers raised a great cheer, bellowing and beating their shields, and I saw the minister who bore the sword and the Nykr King of Arms come together, and the latter bow his head. Neither could have understood the other, but they had little need to as Cloud and I galloped down the sky. With one hand I held her mane. With the other, I caught Smiler, and pulled him onto her back. "We're going to Skai," I told him, "where time runs fast. We'll find Lothur, or if not Lothur, Angrboda, and confront her together." It did not prove necessary, for Lothur found us. As I have said, we had crossed the Greenflood on our march south. When we turned back north we knew we must encounter it again. We had burned the bridge we built, a bridge that could not have stood another week in any event. More significantly, we had swept the sea-lands of food, buying or pillaging all its fishing villages had. The minister who bore the sword (Stonebowl was his name) told us his men had found more inland; they had captured five towns, all well-stocked, and had taken the coast road only after gaining food enough to carry them to next spring. Beel agreed, pointing out that Osterland's raiders frequently harried the coast, sailing as far north as Irringsmouth or farther. This stretch would see them often. Knowing that the Greenflood would be nearer its source, and unwilling to deplete our allies' stores more than we had to, we turned east as soon as we came upon a passable road, and engaged local people to guide us. Some were reliable, others less so. Too often we found ourselves marching south or southeast when we would have preferred to turn north. Before long we gained a reinforcement of one knight and six men-at-arms; and though it was so small it cheered me, for it was the Knight of the Leopards. Sandhill had held off the Osterlings, who had failed to carry it by storm and been forced to lift a siege by thirst. Shepherds whose flocks we had bought had reported that the king was in the south, two days' ride below the river; and the Knight of the Leopards had gotten his father's permission to join us with a few men. "Now I know we'll win," I told him. "There's a tide in war not even Overcyns can turn aside. It's making I feel it in my blood." He was looking up at Cloud. "If that grand beast obeys you, I do not matter. Nothing could stand against it." "Don't you recognize her?" I said. "She's Cloud, the mount I rode in Jotunland." "That's no horse!" "Why no. She never was a horse. I doubt I ever said she was, but if I