Gene Wolfe - The Wizard

“He told you that one of the Aelf had told him King Gilling was in danger?”

“So we said.”

“Then I believe I’ll trust him in that, at least. An Aelfmaiden came to tell me that her sister had stabbed the king. I told Sir Woddet, Sir Leort, and some others, though I didn’t tell them that this woman is of the Fire Aelf. Her name’s Uri, and I know her pretty well. Her sister’s name is Baki. I know her too.”

Hope shone in Idnn’s eyes. “This is news indeed!”

“If it’s true. I don’t trust it.”

Marder shook his head ruefully. “Coming from the Aelf? Neither would I.” He turned to Idnn. “A new question, Your Majesty. Can the king speak?”

“When we left him, no.”

“Then we cannot know whom he believes struck him down, though that would be a most useful thing to know. What of this Thiazi? What does he say?”

“That it was one of our people, one of the Angrborn. There were rebellions when my royal husband ascended to the throne, which a dozen claimed. Most of his reign has been spent putting them down. Thiazi believes a rebel has tried to win by stealth what he could not win by war.”

The Knight of the Leopards said, “What of you? What do you believe?”

Idnn sighed. “Let us say first that Thiazi’s an adept. His art confirms his opinion, thus we give it great weight.”

“Lying spirits,” Marder muttered.

The Knight of the Leopards would have spoken, but was silenced by Idnn’s upraised hand. “Second we must tell you, Sir Able, that we, too, have been visited by a messenger. We’ll speak of that when we’re alone.

“Third we should tell all of you that our noble father believes that one of our party struck down our husband. He’s loath to say it, but he’s our father and we know it’s what he believes. He’s sick with worry, and we must give weight to his opinion. Our father’s a knowing man of wide experience, and an adept himself.”

Idnn paused to smile at me. “Lastly, we must give some weight to what Sir Able told us. We’d give it more if he gave it more himself.”

“As for me,” Marder said, “I give most weight to your own opinion. We have what? The Aelf, the Angrborn, and Lord Beel’s folk. Which do you favor?”

Idnn sighed. “None. We—it’s one reason we fled.”

“We will give you escort to your father’s castle or to King Arnthor—wherever you wish to go.”

Idnn’s eyes flashed. “Do you imagine that we’d abandon our wounded husband? Never! We come in search of aid for him, for knights with the courage to ride to Utgard. Will you come, Sir Able? If you’ll come he will live and we triumph. We know it!”

“I can’t,” I said, “‘til there is ice in the Bay of Forcetti. Until then, I have to hold this pass. I’m sorry.”

Marder’s hard blue eyes searched my face. “What if I release you?”

“I’d go, of course, Your Grace. Do you?”

Marder shook his head. “I’d intended to when I came here—it was part of my purpose. Now I must hear more.”

“Then ask,” Idnn told him. “Have you any notion how hard we’ve ridden these past days? Or the dangers we’ve escaped? For Sir Able alone we’d talk all night.”

“He will not be alone,” Sir Woddet told her.

The Knight of the Leopards: “Sir Able holds my parole. If he frees me, I’ll go with him. If he won’t free me, I must go with him.”

Hela said softly, “My master has no men-at-arms save my brother, and not a bow save his own. Those the Black Knight brought outnumber good Sir Woddet’s and Sir Leort’s together. What does the Black Knight say?”

Idnn chewed and swallowed. “That he must hear more. Your Grace, we’re learning how famished we are. Ask, and let us eat, and when you’re done we’ll lay aside our meat.”

“Your Majesty, it was not my intent—”

“After that we’ll sleep, for we’ve slept in our saddle these past three nights, and once we fell for sleeping. At sunrise we’ll ride north again. Alone if need be.”

“We need to speak of that, perhaps.” Marder sipped his wine. “Sir Woddet and Sir Leort honor their paroles. I’ve given none, Sir Able, yet you have not bound me. I give you mine now. I shall remain your prisoner until my ransom is paid, set it as high as you will. Is that sufficient?”

I nodded. “It is, Your Grace, and if you’ll free me from my vow, that’ll be ransom enough.”

Marder shook his head. “I want to know more. There’s Sir Leort’s question and some of my own. Your Majesty, how did you come to wed King Gilling? Why did you undertake so arduous a journey?”

The blade of Idnn’s dagger paused halfway to her mouth. “Brave Sir Leort, you must pardon us. We had forgotten.”

“I withdraw my question,” the Knight of the Leopards said hastily, “and I regret most heartily any pain it has given you.”

Marder said, “Yet we must have an answer. You wanted all my questions, Your Majesty, and now I have another. You cannot name the assassin. Still, it would give you pain even to voice your opinion. Why is that?”

Idnn laid down her fork. “Because so many innocent men may die. You have not been to Utgard, Your Grace?”

Marder shook his head. “No. Never.”

“Our folk take slaves from the kingdoms to the south.” Idnn’s voice grew gentle. “This old couple we see—the woman is chained. Were they slaves in Jotunland?”

“I don’t speak proper for a queen,” Berthold rumbled, “but you’ve the right of that.” Gerda whispered urgently, and he added, “Your Majesty’s got the right of it.”

“They blinded you, goodman?”

“Took my eyes. So they done.”

“We have hundreds like him in Utgard,” Idnn told Marder, “though all are younger and most much younger. It was dark, as we told you, but what is darkness to a blind man? And who had better reason to hate my royal husband?”

“I should not have pressed you for an answer,” Marder confessed. “Let us talk no more of this. If the Angrborn came to think as you do, they would slaughter every man. Do all of you who heard Queen Idnn understand?”

“We’ll say nothing,” Woddet assured him; others nodded.

“We may be wrong,” Idnn whispered. “We hope—oh, how we hope!—we’re wrong.” She paused to collect herself. “We slid from His Majesty’s shoulder, as we said. We’d had Mani, but we must have dropped him. We carried His Majesty into the keep, where there were a few lights, and some slave women came with lanterns. We didn’t know how badly he was hurt. We didn’t even know whether he was still alive, and his blood was crawling everywhere.”

I asked, “Where’s his wound?”

“In his back.”

Idnn laid aside her trencher and rose, and we with her; I had forgotten how small she was, and shuddered when I tried to imagine her in a crowd of fighting, veiling giants.

“Would you—Hela, is that your name?”

“Your Majesty’s servant. Perhaps it would be more convenient for Your Majesty if I knelt?”

“No, stand. Stand, and turn your back to them.”

Hela did. Rising on tiptoe, Idnn pushed aside the ragged hide Hela wore to show the place.

“On the right,” I said, “under the shoulder blade?”

“Yes, that’s it. That’s it exactly.”

Marder said, “Struck from behind by a right-handed foe. If one of us held the dagger, he’d have to be a tall man.”

“A very tall man, with a dagger,” I said. “I’ve never seen King Gilling, but I’ve seen Angrborn, and stabbed a few. They’re much bigger than Hela.”

Woddet said, “He could’ve been standing on something.”

Marder shook his head. “Not likely.”

“And yet,” I said, “Lord Beel, who was there, fears it was one of his party. He joined you, Your Majesty, while you were guarding the fallen king?” Idnn nodded.