Andris knew that he was referring to the severed head, but felt that it would be best to leave an explanation of that until he had time to give a full and proper account of everything he had done since Checuti had seen him last.
"I wish that hulking oaf Burdam Thrid were here," Checuti said, trying to bury the awkwardness of the situation with more trivial chatter.
"It would be useful to have someone to lord it over. I've been a plotter and a planner far too long; I've lost the art of being a mere bystander. But you three are better company than Burdam ever was, and although I'm a leader by vocation I can stand being a mere companion for a while."
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"I was born to be aJeader of men myself," Andris observed, 'but I never really tried. I ran away instead. I suppose I'm running still, but I don't feel that I am. Not any more. "
"That's because you think you've found your lady love," Checuti retorted.
"I suppose you think that puts you one up on everybody else, at least until the fever passes."
"It does put me one up on everyone else," Andris said drily, 'unless Fraxinus is carrying on with Keshvara. Somehow, I doubt that. "
"Perhaps Captain Cerri will get together with the princess," Merel suggested.
"He is the best-looking man around."
Cerri actually blushed at that, and Andris didn't bother to correct her.
Checuti waved a hand airily and said: "Oh no- she needs an older man to take her in hand- someone sophisticated. If only she weren't a witch . . ." He trailed off, and added, in a much quieter tone: "Talking of witches . . ."
Princess Lucrczia had suddenly appeared within their field of vision, standing to one side as the wagon overtook her. Now she began to walk behind it, looking up at the three figures standing by the backboard.
"May I come up?" she asked. "
Andris was surprised that it was framed as a request and not a command.
"Certainly, highness?," he said, promptly enough. He extended his hand yet again. He was sorely tempted to drop her when she grabbed it, all the more so because she was rather less agile than she should have been, and made much heavier work of clambering up and over the backboard than he had expected.
"I suppose I should introduce my companions formally, highness," said Checuti, defiantly determined to recover the light mood.
"After all, this is your first meeting with them in the real world. You will, of course, remember your humble servant Checuti, prince of thieves-briefly the part-owner of a royal treasury the equal of any in Xandria, and even more briefly the hostage-keeper of your royal person. This is Merel Zabio, an enterprising young pirate of my acquaintance, now unfortunately-well on her way to becoming a dull wife; this is Captain Jacom Cerri, a loyal but unlucky officer of your father's guard; and this is Andris Myrasol, prince of Ferentina, once imprisoned in your father's jail for a crime he didn't commit and 482
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intended by yourself for a fate worse than and
including death.
My friends, this is Princess Lucrezia, witch-princess of the greatest empire in the world who demanded in right regal fashion, when I happened to kidnap her by accident, that I should do anything I liked with her, except send her home. Did you come to inform us of some momentous decision made at Fraxinus's conference table, highness? "
The princess bore all this tolerantly, and not entirely without amusement.
She didn't protest that she already knew Jacom, Andris and Merel well enough, having walked from the depths of the world to its surface in their company.
"I've brought you both a gift," she said.
Andris was astonished. Even Checuti was not quite equal to the task of remaining calm and flippant but doubts immediately set in.
"What gift?" Andris asked, sounding surly in spite of himself.
"You know what gift. Prince Myrasol," she said. She took something from one of the many pouches at her belt, and opened her palm to display what she had.
There were two grey lumps. Andris had never been offered anything which looked as unappetising. Nevertheless, he picked up one of the two. Checuti took the other.
"Did Ereleth send you?" Checuti asked warily.
"No she didn't," Lucrezia replied firmly.
"And that's no mere palliative to keep the worms from reproducing themselves while leaving them alive. It's deadly poison, to them but not to you. You won't like the taste, I fear, and the stuff will give you a frightful pain in the belly for half a day or more, but it will set you free."
"I don't wish to sound ungrateful," Andris said, staring hard at the object he held between thumb and forefinger, 'and I'm acutely aware of the fact that the purpose for which Ereleth recruited our services has now been fulfilled, but in Ferentina we have a saying: Never rely on the gratitude of princes. "
"Xandria," the princess said, 'is a civilised nation. Its people are honourable . . . and it breeds the greatest cheats and liars in the known world. Ereleth told me what she did, and why. She also said that we might well have further need of you, and that loyal servants might be a very rare and precious asset in days to come. I agreed, as meekly as any loyal pupil of a clever witch-queen. But I owe you both a debt, and I'm here to discharge it. "
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Andris frowned, ^ould you really have done what Checuti said you intended? " he asked haltingly.
"Would you really have forced me to eat a seed which would have grown in my guts, sprouting thorns inside me and putting forth poisonous flowers from my living flesh?" ; "When we're offered the seeds of a miracle," the princess replied, 'we're understandably anxious to see them flower. Yes, I would have done it, in a fever of curiosity. But what I offer you now is a very different seed, whose produce is longer life for you and the thief, and I hope you might deign to consider it adequate recompense for a hurtful intention which was, after all, never fulfilled. I think we shall all see marvels enough, in the days which lie ahead and if Hyry's Serpent friend is right, we may all have things growing inside us which have yet to display their flowers and their thorns. The seed which the bronzes sent to Xandria was a summons, of sorts, and it has done its work. I'd rather make my peace with those who will be by my side in days to come than have them hate me. "
"I could swallow this and hate you still," said Andris wryly.
"Had you thought of that?"
"You might," agreed the princess.
"But I shall be more comfortable, knowing that I have done what I could to repair the matter. A hard road lies before us, and if I have judged the matter accurately there is far more enrpity within our ranks than we can comfortably accommodate; Eat it, please."
Andris looked down at Merel, who shrugged her shoulders very slightly. It was Checuti who set an example, "thrusting the grey stuff into his mouth and chewing. An expression of deep disgust possessed his features, but he swallowed regardless.
Andris did likewise.
It really did taste absolutely foul. He had to fight an instinct to gag and spit it out. The thought that he still had the belly-ache to look forward to was not a pleasant one.
When Checuti had got rid of the taste, as best he could, he said: "Now we'll never know whether the whole thing was a bluff. We'll never know whether we were played for suckers by a pair of charlatans."
The princess didn't seem to be offended by his cynicism.
"So far as I can tell," she said, 'the lore of witchcraft consists in the main of 484
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learning to cure sicknesses which one would never encoun
ter were there no witches in the world to inflict them but the sicknesses are real enough. I have a natural aptitude for such work, it seems.
It's said that I have Serpent's blood and if even Serpents are willing to entertain such a notion, who am I to doubt or deny it?
Don't waste your time with hatred, Prince Myrasol. We're in this together, you and I and we have a long way to go, if your map can be trusted. "
"My map is good," Andris said. He was glad to find that he wasn't actually going to be sick. He put a protective arm around Merel's shoulder, and felt the pleasant pressure of her body as she moved as close to him as she could.
"If it shows a long, hard road," he added, 'that's exactly what we face. "
Lucrezia wasn't to be denied the last word she was, after all, a princess of an empire far greater than tiny Ferentina.
"We'll reach its end eventually," she said, 'if we can only accept that we're all on the same side. "
Somehow, the words sounded much saner when they weren't pronounced with a Serpent's hiss.
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A,
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^
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A.
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Document Outline
Local Disk file:///G|/Program%20Files/eMule/Incoming/Brian%20Stableford%20-%20Serpents%20Blood.TXT
Serpent's Blood Page 59
