Gene Wolfe - The Wizard

“Oh, indeed.” If Thiazi had caught the irony in Mani’s question, he ignored it. “The realm has been subdued. The rebels are dead, and their sons and sires. Their strongholds are in the hands of vassals of proven loyalty. I myself—someday I may show you Thiazbor and Flintwal, but no words of mine could describe them.”

“If the king wants to be nice to us, he could let Lord Beel’s people into Utgard,” Toug suggested.

“As he will, when he’s made his point.” Thiazi smiled. “After we have decided just how they are to be treated. You are helping us with that, and I have come—I speak frankly—to suggest how you might best do it. You’re loyal to your king, so you indicated. You fought our Borderers to recover your king’s goods. You challenged me to punish you for it.”

“Well, no—” Toug began.

“Your king desires His Majesty’s friendship. Thus you serve your king best if you please His Majesty.” Slowly, Toug nodded.

“His Majesty has human slaves. You have seen them.”

Toug nodded again. “I need to talk to you about those.”

“You shall.”

Mani yawned. “This doesn’t concern me.”

“The connection will become apparent, pussy. Our king’s slaves serve him well. He treats them better than he might, and they’re conscious of their honor as royal chattels. Not infrequently there are disturbances in remote locales, in the south, particularly. The Mice in the mountains and others. He has trusty servants who might act, yet he must hesitate before dispatching them. What if a fresh rebellion were to break out? And would not their absence encourage it?”

“I understand,” Toug said. “You want us to do it.”

Thiazi smiled. “It’s really rather simple, isn’t it? If slaves, forced to serve, serve well and loyally, would not friends, valiant horsemen attached to His Majesty by bonds of gratitude, serve better? He has gold to give, lands, slaves, fame, the encomia of a king. All that the valiant desire.”

“I’ll tell Sir Svon when I see him again,” Toug said, hoping he would indeed see Sir Svon again.

“What of the green horseman? Won’t you tell him, too?”

“If I see him.”

“It can be arranged, perhaps. Do you know where he is?”

“No,” Toug said. “He went away.”

“But you, pussy. You are wise.”

Mani opened his eyes. “Who are we talking about?”

Thiazi’s huge hand found Toug’s shoulder. “Tell him!”

“It’s Sir Able, of course.”

“They weren’t sure,” Mani explained. “Now they know.”

“We consulted my crystal,” Thiazi leaned back, smiling, “and were shown a speaking cat. Neither His Majesty nor I could guess how a cat could bring the green horseman into His Majesty’s service, but we resolved to do all we could. On my advice, His Majesty left the ambassador and his train without the walls and dispatched an officer to obtain the cat.”

Thiazi’s forefinger nearly touched Mani’s nose. “You.” The finger was withdrawn. “His Majesty’s officer succeeded, and you, Squire, confirmed in His Majesty’s hearing that it was a speaking cat. Furthermore, you informed us that it had been given to this Lady Idnn by a horseman.” Thiazi paused. “No mean gift, is it? A speaking cat! He must esteem her.”

“I’m sure he does, sir,” Toug said.

“You will wish to discuss his regard for her with His Majesty.” Thiazi rose. “And to decide how you and this cat will persuade him to enter our service. His Majesty will ask you that, I feel certain. It would be prudent to have an answer ready. Wash your face, too, and dress yourself in the clothing I provided.”

When the door had shut, Toug slid off the bed, found the batswing tunic, and put it on, tossing the torn and terribly dirty shirt his mother had sewn for him into a corner. “I’d like to know how long I’ve been away,” he muttered.

“From your home? Don’t you know?”

Toug shook his head. “A lot was in Aelfrice, and things go slow there, Sir Able says. Only my sister Ulfa wasn’t in Aelfrice, so maybe she can tell me.”

Mani looked bored. “Still think she’s here?”

“Remember when the king wanted his table for us to stand on? Blind men carried it, with a woman bossing them.”

“Certainly.”

“Well, that was my sister.” When Mani said nothing, Toug added, “What’s the matter? Don’t you believe me?”

“Of course I do. I’m merely digesting the information.” Mani’s eyes flew wide, two shining emeralds. “You require experienced, wise, and subtle guidance, young man.”

“Yes, but there’s nobody like that here.”

“Wrong. I stand before you. We must free your sister.”

Toug nodded.

“We must also reunite Sir Able with his servant, and recover Sir Able’s belongings—his horses and goods.” Toug nodded again.

“Nor is that all. We must assist Lord Beel in securing peace, and my mistress and your master in overcoming whatever impediments may separate them. You agree?”

“You bet I do.”

“What else? Anything?”

“I’d like to meet some girls.”

Mani smiled, displaying fangs too large for an animal his size. “I know the feeling. What about returning to your home in whachamacallit?”

“Glennidam.” Toug had gone to the door. Its latch was higher than his head, but he reached it without difficulty. “This’s locked.”

“I expected no less. Want to go back to Glennidam?”

“I’d rather stay with Sir Svon and learn to be a knight, but I’d like to help my sister get home if she wants to.”

“Well spoken. Now, are any of these mutually exclusive? Suppose, for example, that we make it possible for your master and my mistress to disport themselves as they think fit. Would it interfere with your learning to be a knight?”

“I don’t see how.”

“Nor do I. Did your sister recognize you?”

“Yes, I’m sure she did. We sort of looked at each other for a minute, if you know what I mean.”

“Certainly. That being the case, why—”

“What’s the matter?” Toug asked.

Mani gestured toward the frowning face of Thiazi in the painting. “He’s back.”

Reluctantly, Toug nodded. “Do you think he hears us?”

“I’m sure of it.” Mani dashed across the table and sprang onto the windowsill.

“Be careful!” Toug called, but Mani had vanished.

“See what you did?” Toug asked the picture. “You and your magic! What if he gets killed?”

Mani’s head reappeared over the sill. “This isn’t bad at all. Are you a good climber?”

“Pretty good,” Toug said doubtfully.

“Come on, then.” Mani vanished a second time.

Toug dragged the nearest chair to the window, climbed it, and looked out. He had thought the turret room chill and drafty; but the wind beyond the window was colder, the bitter wind that he had braved all that morning. He drew his cloak around him and shivered before climbing from the chair seat to the windowsill.

He was just in time to see Mani ducking through another window, lower and well to his right. For a moment Mani’s sinuous tail flourished over the sill of that not-too-distant window; then it was gone.

“Are you going to climb out there?” asked a voice Toug could not quite place.

Looking over his shoulder he saw a naked girl, a slender girl with a mop of uncombed hair floating over her head. The hair was red; the girl was red too, the gleaming, glowing red of new copper.

“I am Baki, Lord. I was dying, and you healed me.”

Unable to speak, Toug nodded.

“You could not see well, up in the loft. There was just the lamp, and Sir Able kept the flame down. I suppose he was afraid we would set the barn afire.” Baki smiled; and Toug saw that her teeth were not red but bright white, small, and pointed; her smiling eyes were yellow fire. “Cannot you change yourself into a bird, Lord? That would be safer.”