Moonblood

by Martin Ash

  Leaving my room I found I was in some pain, which I managed to ease with a rapture of healing. I reflected on my action in the courtyard and wondered at my daring. After all, I had no desire to remain here at all. I had risked my life when it might well have been preferable to allow the weird-cub to die. I could have then justifiably renounced all involvement, on the ground already expressed to Flarefist and Sheerquine: that they had destroyed any hope of ever resolving the mystery.

  Instead, I had been a witless hero, and gained no thanks. I was fortunate to have escaped both a terminal roasting and a painful flogging.

  Flarefist and Sheerquine received me in the same chamber in which we had spoken earlier in the day. They sat as before, one at each end of the long table, candles burning between them as if they had never moved. The only difference was the acrid smell of wood smoke upon their persons, and Lord Flarefist’s mood, which was one of stubborn defiance.

  ‘I must implore you to reconsider,’ I implored them. ‘I cannot emphasize this enough. You have placed yourselves and the entire community of Ravenscrag in jeopardy.’

  ‘Explain,’ demanded Flarefist.

  ‘Isn’t it obvious? As soon as it is learned what has happened here you are going to find the troops of House Condark, and quite probably Jihrango and Kemahamek, camped outside your walls.’

  ‘They will not know. I have prevented any anyone from leaving the town.’

  ‘Your men cannot watch every gap in the wall.’

  ‘I have men patrolling the road. They will catch and bring back anyone they find, or kill them if they resist. Anyone trying to avoid the road and make their escape through the forest will become lost, there is no question. They will understand their foolhardiness when they find themselves eaten or worse by the creatures that roam there. Believe me, Sinpig, there are things in that forest you would never wish to encounter.’

  ‘There are other methods.’

  ‘Such as?’

  ‘Pigeons.’

  Flarefist had not thought of this. He stared at me, his mouth opening slightly, defiance dented. Testily he said, ‘It’s of no matter. Let them send soldiers. Let them send entire armies. They will not attack while I hold their precious people here.’

  He was not to be budged, and turned a deaf ear to my further attempts at reason. I appealed to Lady Sheerquine. She was oddly silent, and seemed reluctant to involve herself.

  ‘Bring back our son, Master Dinbig,’ she said, ‘then all will be settled peacefully. If you can’t, what does it matter what happens here?’

  I could not breach such a united wall of resistance. I said, ‘Then at least give me your assurances that your prisoners will come to no harm.’

  ‘They are guests, Master Dinbig. They are still our guests.’

  ‘But they’re in chains.’

  ‘Only our own people and a few foreign ruffians of no consequence are fettered. The others are simply confined to their quarters. I’ve told you before, we are not fools.’

  ‘Will you guarantee that they will not be tortured or mistreated?’

  Her eyes narrowed shrewdly. ‘They will suffer no mistreatment – for as long as your investigation continues satisfactorily.’

  ‘And if it should fail to do so?’

  She shrugged and looked away.

  ‘May I speak with them freely and without restraint?’

  ‘You may.’

  ‘Extract a confession,’ said Lord Flarefist fiercely. ‘By whatever means. Give us the guilty so that this foul business can be ended.’

  ‘But what if they are all innocent?’

  ‘That is not possible.’

  ~

  I came away angry and filled with misgiving. Suddenly the welfare of all Ravenscrag’s guests had become my responsibility. I could not divorce myself from this affair, nor could I fail to solve it. Either course would result in the torture and possible deaths of more than thirty men, women, and even children, most if not all of whom were innocent of any crime against Ravenscrag.

  My apprehension grew just minutes later when I interviewed Lord Ulen Condark and his family in their chambers. Lord Condark confirmed that pigeons had been released by aides immediately after his arrest the previous night.

  ‘One does not step willingly into the den of a demented bear, even if that bear is old and feeble in mind and body, unless one is assured that one has the means to step out again.’

  ‘Quite so. Yet when the pigeons arrive it will take time for your brothers to mobilize their forces, assuming that to be the course they take. How long do you estimate it will take for Condark troops to arrive here?’

  ‘Light cavalry can be here within two or three days. Siege troops will take longer, as much as two weeks.’

  ‘I wish it were sooner.’

  ‘I too, considering that our lives are at stake.’

  ‘Do you have soldiers here?’

  He shook his head. ‘It would have been a breach of etiquette to bring more than a basic guard. It’s a long time since any of us have had direct contact with Flarefist. We were not aware of how grave his mental decline has become. We could not have anticipated this.’

  ‘Can you predict in any way how he is likely to react now?

  Ulen Condark glanced aside, checking that his wife and son were out of earshot. In a low voice he said, ‘He is demented. I believe him capable of anything.’

  ‘Including having you executed?’

  ‘You saw him last night.’

  I glanced at his left bicep, which was bound in linen to staunch the wound he had received when Flarefist ran amok with his sword. ‘I didn’t witness the attack on you. I learned of it from Lady Sheerquine only this morning.’

  ‘Be assured, he would have slain me there and then had he been able.’

  I nodded. ‘Have you suffered mistreatment?’

  ‘Apart from this, only inconvenience – so far. Master Dinbig, as you know, Flarefist holds an obsessive belief in regard to my designs over Ravenscrag. In this he is deluded. I would have been pleased to inherit Ravenscrag, certainly, had he died without an heir. But with that not being the case I wouldn’t trouble to force the issue. I would favour a marriage between our houses, for the sake of tradition, mutual interest and the interests of Wansirian unity. Conflict between us would serve neither of us to our advantage.

  ‘But now Cousin Flarefist has overstepped himself. This outrage will bring my brothers at a pace, and should Flarefist survive – and he cannot survive long anyway – he will be forcibly but justifiably removed from office on the grounds of diminished responsibility. I – or a deputy appointed with my approval – will take his place.’

  ‘Unless Redlock is returned.’

  ‘Even then, Redlock is but a babe. Someone must rule in his stead until he’s of an age.’

  ‘Do you know anything of the circumstances behind this mystery, Lord Condark?’

  ‘I have explained. I’ve no interest in such methods. Nor do I have the means to achieve them. Do you?’

  ‘I do not.’

  ‘But you know magic.’

  ‘Not of this species.’

  ‘Master Dinbig, how is it that every guest bar yourself is confined? Particularly when you are a practitioner of the very craft that has been employed in bringing about this dire mystery.’

  ‘I’ve asked myself the same question, and as yet I do not know the answer. However, I am not exactly free. Like you, I’m held here at Ravenscrag against my will, albeit with a little more legroom.’ I made ready to leave. ‘I’ve gained assurances from Lady Sheerquine and Lord Flarefist that neither you nor your family, nor any others of the guests, will be molested or mistreated in any way while my investigation proceeds.’

  Condark nodded. ‘It’s regrettable. Flarefist’s decline has turned an admirable if eccentric man into an unpredictable, dangerous lunatic.’

  ‘The birth of his son was all he lived for.’

  Condark studied me intently. ‘You like him, don’t you?’


  I chose my words carefully, for I was keen to gain the favour of this man in the future – if either of us had a future. ‘Fate has dealt Lord Flarefist a cruel blow, at a time in his life when he is least able to recover from it. To Flarefist it must seem that he, or his house, is cursed; that the gods themselves mock him. For all his faults, he does not deserve this.’

  Ulen Condark nodded pensively. ‘Let us hope, then, for all our sakes, that you are quickly successful in your efforts to resolve this mystery.

  ~

  Ravenscrag’s foreign guests who, like myself, had originally taken lodgings in the town, were now installed in chambers in the dilapidated east wing of the castle. They had been deprived of weapons, and a guard was posted on every door. They were not permitted to leave their rooms and hence had no opportunity to speak with one another, other than briefly in the courtyard earlier. Apart from this they had received no ill-treatment.

  To a man they were understandably sorely aggrieved. There were three Kemahamek, all well-known and respected merchants, plus family members and retinue. One was a count, with high-ranking connections in government. There were two merchants from Jihrango, and one of these served as a minor government minister. A Chol and a Sirromian made up the foreign complement. All of them were known to me, some more so than others. They, like Ulen Condark, had made every effort to get word of their predicament abroad.

  Visiting each briefly in turn, I did what I could to ease their minds, and assured them of my unstinting efforts on their behalf. I was, however, circumspect. I doubted their complicity but I could not be wholly certain that they were all innocent of any involvement in Redlock’s abduction.

  The Wansirian guests had fared less well. Flarefist, indifferent to their fate, had incarcerated them in chains in Ravenscrag’s gaol. In darkness and dread they waited, locked in dank cells, each separated from his fellows, with only basic food and water for comfort. If torture or execution was to be meted out, it would almost certainly be to these men and women first, and they knew it. I spoke to each of them and gave them what meagre assurances I could.

  Midday was approaching by the time I emerged from the gaol. I was grateful for the warm daylight. The sight of the bright sun overhead, its warmth on my skin, and the azure sky streaked with small, high white clouds, helped lift the oppression that had intruded upon my spirit. I made my way to Blonna’s chamber to resume the conversation that had earlier been curtailed.

  On approaching Blonna’s door I had to pass the nursery. Its door was closed, but I lifted the latch and found it unlocked. Under the watery gaze of the old sentry I entered.

  The nursery was not a spacious room. I recalled how, the previous evening, it had been crowded with little more than a dozen persons inside.

  It was sparsely furnished. A little way in was a table, a chair half under it, somewhat askew. Beyond the table Redlock’s crib had stood. There was a bench affixed to one wall, a small cabinet and a chest in adjacent corners. Dominating the room was a massive armoire of lacquered black wood, which jutted slightly from a recess in the wall.

  I looked inside the chest, which was unlocked. It contained linens, bedding, and baby’s clothing. Among the tiny garments were the sets I had had made up for Redlock two days earlier. The cabinet held candlesticks, a blue porcelain vase and a few sundry items.

  I opened the double doors of the armoire, which was almost eight feet tall and large enough to contain three or four persons. It looked empty but for a hanging tabard quartered with the Ravenscrag colours and arms, and an old, frayed ceremonial costume. I moved these aside to peer further into its dark depths. As I did so I dislodged a heavy ceremonial polearm from a rack at one end. The weapon toppled and fell against the rear of the armoire with a hollow thud, bring a shower of dust particles onto my head.

  I withdrew and closed the doors. I went to the nursery window and looked out. The exterior wall dropped sheer to the inner ward below. It would have taken near-superhuman skill to have scaled that wall. Persons capable of such a feat existed, I knew, far away in the Endless Desert. But it was inconceivable that Aphesuk warriors would be here.

  A tall ladder might have been used, but I felt it unlikely. A ladder would have had to have been brought from some distance away, and then returned. The risk of detection would have been immense. Furthermore, the sill and the wall beneath it bore no scuffs or scrapes which the ends of a load-bearing ladder would surely have left.

  I craned my neck to look upward. The roof was a long way overhead. There were other windows, but not directly above the nursery. Again, somebody might have abseiled down, but I was not happy with this explanation. A better one was beginning to suggest itself.

  I went next door to see Blonna.

  She was on her bench, her arms wrapped around her middle. The front of her brown dress showed the dark wet stains of breastmilk. I crouched down in front of her.

  ‘You were very brave, sir. Are you badly burned?’

  ‘Not badly, Blonna, thank you. Now, I want you to stop worrying. You’re not going to be burned or harmed in any way. I hope quite soon that you will be free again. To that end I would like to continue the conversation that was interrupted earlier.’

  Blonna nodded.

  ‘You told me something very interesting, Blonna. You said that you left Redlock alone for a brief period.’

  ‘It wasn’t my fault, sir. I had to get more water.’

  ‘I understand that. You’re not being blamed. Now, from where did you fetch the water?’

  ‘From the kitchen well, sir.’

  There’s a well-shaft on this level, isn’t there? Why didn’t you simply draw it up, rather than go down to the kitchen?’

  ‘I had to go down to get another pitcher, sir.’

  ‘You didn’t have a pitcher?’

  ‘That’s the funny thing, sir. I did, but it disappeared.’ She had begun rocking her upper torso back and forth.

  ‘Disappeared? How? By magic?’

  ‘Sir, I don’t know. I had it earlier. I know I did. I’d filled it myself. But when I came to look for it, it had gone.’ She clasped herself tightly, biting her lower lip.

  ‘You’re saying somebody took it?’

  ‘I don’t know, sir. There was nobody in the nursery. But it was there earlier, I know it was. It’s the truth, sir. I swear to you, it’s the truth.’

  ‘Don’t fret, Blonna. I only want to get to the bottom of this. Let’s go back a little. We must be very precise. Now, after Lord Flarefist had shown Redlock to his guests, you brought the child up here. Is that so?’

  She nodded.

  ‘And you were alone with Redlock until the moment came when you found the water gone and you had to go out to fetch more?’

  Again she nodded.

  ‘That was a period of approximately two hours. Did anybody enter the room during that time?’

  ‘No, sir.’

  ‘You are absolutely sure of that?’

  ‘Yes, sir. But…’

  ‘But what, Blonna?’

  She shook her head, sobbing. ‘I dozed, sir. Only for a moment, I’m sure of it.’

  I straightened, and spoke gently. ‘Good. We’re getting somewhere. Thank you for your honesty. Tell me, do you think it possible that somebody might have entered the nursery while you dozed, and taken the pitcher of water without your knowing?’

  ‘I don’t know, sir. Why would they?’

  ‘Why? They wanted the baby, but they couldn’t risk picking him up for fear of his crying out and waking you. So instead they removed the water, knowing that at some point you would have to fetch more. They watched from along the corridor, and when they saw you go out they sneaked in again and committed the foul deed.’

  ‘They must have been very patient, sir.’

  I massaged the back of my neck. ‘But is it possible that it happened that way?’

  ‘It might be. I was so tired. Redlock had fallen asleep and I just sat down for a moment, and my eyed closed… but it was just
for a moment, I’m certain of it.’

  ‘Come with me, Blonna.’

  I took her arm and led her out of her cell. In the passage outside, the old sentry came erect with a wary stare. He gripped his pikestaff uneasily.

  ‘I’m taking Mistress Blonna into the nursery for a moment,’ I said. ‘You may accompany us.’

  In the nursery I addressed Blonna. ‘Where was the pitcher?’

  ‘On the table, sir. Standing in the bowl.’

  ‘You’re certain?’

  ‘Yes, sir.’

  ‘And where did you sit when you dozed off?’

  ‘Just here, sir.’

  ‘I pulled the chair across. ‘Here? You’re sure?’’

  ‘Yes, sir.’

  ‘Please sit there again.’ She sat down. ‘You’re absolutely certain that this is the spot where you sat last night?’

  ‘Yes. I had my feet against the hearth, here. I know it was warm and there was no fire, but it’s a habit.’

  I ushered aside the old sentry, who stood bemused in the doorway, chewing his moustaches. Grasping the door-handle I pulled open the door. It came a short distance then halted, blocked by Blonna’s chair.

  ‘Blonna, this is most important. Are you absolutely certain that all the details you’ve given me are correct? The position of the pitcher, and your chair?’

  Blonna nodded. I shook my head. To get to the pitcher on the table our intruder would have had to pass Blonna. But Blonna was blocking the door, preventing it being opened more than a few inches. No one could have entered.

  Blonna had seen it, too. She grew distressed once more. ‘I’m not lying, sir. Honestly, I’m not.’

  ‘When you went out to fetch the water, did you pass anyone in the corridor or on the stairs?’