"The old King, yes, the new one, no," Etienne said. "With Clovis a sickly child and the queen occupied with caring for him, Magneric is seizing more and more power for himself."
The dwarf shook his head. "Still... Disbanding the Chevaliers is a drastic step, and likely to cause even more unrest. Is Corvus certain?"
Disbanding the Chevaliers? Manny thought, shocked. No wonder Etienne looked so worried and preoccupied.
"Unfortunately, he is, Gaudulfus." Etienne sat back and poured himself some more wine.
Gaudulfus sighed. "It's none of it good, Etienne. Though my late lady wife was as rich as the day is long, our neighbors still see me as Sidhe dirt because I have no title. And I've no hope of becoming a baron now. It wasn't that way when you and I fought side by side against the soldiers of Albion. Ah, but those were the glory days."
"Those days are many years gone, my friend." Etienne frowned, turning his wine cup around on the table. "Something or someone has been encouraging this divide between Sidhe and Men. It's not good for the Men, but it's a horror for the Sidhe. Everywhere I go, I see Unseelie, and goblins where there were once elves."
"It's the same in every city across Aquitania. This kingdom is sliding into darkness," Gaudulfus said, the craggy lines of his face etched with worry. "And damn me if there's a thing to be done about it."
Manny swallowed in a dry throat. He hadn't realized things were that bad here.
It suddenly occurred to Manny that he had been trying to think up a good lie to make Etienne help him, just by habit. Dummy, he told himself. He didn't need a lie; the truth would do, even though the truth meant admitting that he was a thief. I just hope he doesn't decide to throw me in jail. Or the Foundry. Manny steeled himself, took a deep breath, and walked up to the table.
Etienne glanced up, then his expression turned grim with annoyance. "You again!"
Gaudulfus looked Manny over with a smile. "What's this? You know this child?"
"No, despite his protestations to the contrary." Etienne sounded exasperated. "Look, boy, you must—"
Manny held up his hands and said quickly, "I'm sorry to bother you, but you're the only Chevalier I know, and I'm not here to say anything crazy. I need to tell somebody about Morrigan."
That stopped them both. Gaudulfus glanced sharply at Etienne, then lowered his voice. "Morrigan the Sidhe hag?"
Manny nodded, relieved they were listening to him. "Yes. She has a gang, the Hands of Shadow. I know where her hide-out is. And she's got some kind of big plan, I'm not sure what that is yet. But she needs a lot of money to pay for it and she's getting people to steal for her."
Etienne eyed him, caught between interest and skepticism. "And why do you want to betray her, little goblin?"
"To lure Chevaliers into a trap, no doubt," Gaudulfus suggested, tugging thoughtfully at his beard.
"Because I'm not a goblin," Manny said. This was going to be the hard part. "I'm a human kid, from another world. I got brought here by a magic coin, and stuck in the body of this elf kid who's turning into a goblin. His name is Remy, mine is Manny. I don't want to be a thief, I don't want to steal, and I especially don't want anything to do with Morrigan. And she said she's going to kill me. And I think she knows I'm not really Remy," he added, remembering the warning in his dream again.
Etienne sat back, disgruntled, and folded his arms. "This is even more mad than your previous tale."
"And what was that?" Gaudulfus asked with interest.
"That I was his father," Etienne told him.
"Is that so?" said Gaudulfus, looking at Manny. "Well, if I squint and cock my head so, I suppose I could see some resemblance..."
Etienne turned a scowl on his companion.
Manny was getting annoyed, too. "Hey, I said that because you look just like my dad, and I was confused. Sometimes people here look the same as people back in my world, but I hadn't figured that out yet when I saw you. And..." The words caught in Manny's throat, but it was important that he get them out. He's not going to believe anything but the truth, the real truth. "Back in my world, my mom and dad are dead." Manny swallowed hard. He hated to say those words out loud. "So when I saw you looked like him, I got...startled."
Etienne frowned at him, but the expression was more thoughtful than angry. "It can't be true."
"Yet it makes a damn good tale, true or not. Sit down, lad, and tell us more." Gaudulfus waved toward a serving man. "You, bring drink and food for our storyteller here!"
"Wait, what's this?" Etienne muttered.
Manny looked around to see three of the human swordsmen in the black tabards approaching their table. He grimaced at the interruption; he could tell Etienne and Gaudulfus were beginning to believe him. If they had to stop and fight a duel or whatever, he might have a hard time getting their attention again.
But the swordsman in the lead, a tall man with a pointed beard, said, "We'll take the thief."
Chapter Fifteen
Thief? Oh no, Manny thought, his eyes widening. They were here for him. Do they know we robbed that house?
"You're interrupting a private conversation." Gaudulfus dismissed them with a gesture. "If he is a thief, we're perfectly capable of dealing with him ourselves. Away with you!"
The man ignored him, reaching for Manny's arm. Manny pulled away, hurriedly taking cover behind Gaudulfus' chair.
Etienne stood, hand going to his swordhilt. "He said you're interrupting us. Did you not hear?"
"This is none of your concern." The human swordsman eyed Manny, but seemed reluctant to get within arm's reach of Gaudulfus. "We're here for the goblin boy. Hand him over."
The dwarf leaned back and stuck his boots out to block the way, watching the swordsmen with lazy amusement. He said, "What has the boy stolen? Who has ordered his arrest? Is the Chief Minister sending his Guards after child sneak-thieves now? Is there some affair of state jeopardized by boys who steal apples in the street?"
The guard gritted his teeth. "And I said this was none of your concern."
More Minister's Guards appeared in the archway and started across the room toward them. Oh, this is bad, Manny thought. He didn't know where they wanted to take him, but it couldn't be anyplace good. The other men in the tavern, Sidhe and human alike, looked up, frowning and wary.
Watching the new arrivals approach, Etienne said, "Such a lot of interest in a little thief, for reasons no one will say." He glanced down at Gaudulfus, who slanted an inquiring look up at him. "It makes one wonder. The timing is rather suspicious."
"Aye," Gaudulfus agreed. "As if they don't want us to hear his foolish, although admittedly quite intriguing, tales."
Etienne added grimly, "As if at least some of them aren't so foolish."
"Thus making them even more intriguing," replied Gaudulfus.
"Even so," Etienne said, his eyes on the guards.
Manny's heart pounded in relief and excitement. He believes me! Sort of, a little. At least enough to listen more. If I can get away from these guards...
With a frustrated grimace, the lead guard drew his sword and advanced around the table toward Manny. "You'll surrender the thief—"
Gaudulfus kicked the guard in the kneecap and as he doubled over, picked up the pottery jug and smashed him over the head with it. The man dropped like an unstrung puppet. Gaudulfus leapt to his feet, telling Etienne, "Sorry, it was the word 'surrender.' It always sent me into an uncontrollable rage." He didn't sound sorry.
The fallen guard rolled across the floor, groaning. As the other Minister's Guards shouted in fury and charged, Etienne shouted, "Then I hope you haven't lost your edge!" and drew his sword.
Gaudulfus upended the table, temporarily blocking the guards. The other men in the tavern surged to their feet, shouting angrily, and the fight was on.
Manny dodged, ducked, and tried to stay out of the way. Some of the tavern's patrons attacked the guards, helping Gaudulfus and Etienne, others joined the guards against them, and others just randomly attacked each other.
Etienne took the guards on with his sword, agilely avoiding thrown bottles and punches and other hazards; Gaudulfus seized a chair and beat at all the attackers with it until it fell apart, then drew his sword, which was much broader and heavier than Etienne's rapier.
Manny saw a guard shove the overturned table aside to come up behind Etienne. He yelled a warning, but everybody was shouting, drowning his voice out. Desperate, he grabbed up a pottery goblet, aimed at the guard's head, and threw it. To his surprise, it hit the guard right in the temple, sending the man staggering backward and crashing to the ground. Yes! Manny had forgotten that he was Remy, that he could do things like this. He ducked around another knot of fighting men, looking for something else to throw.
He took out two more guards with thrown goblets and pottery cups, plus an elf soldier who blundered into the way at the wrong moment. Then an arm wrapped around his neck from behind and dragged him away from the fight. Manny clawed at it and kicked hard, but he couldn't break the grip and he couldn't get any air to yell for help. Etienne was halfway across the room, sword fighting with two guards, and he could barely see Gaudulfus through the crowd.
Then suddenly the man holding him staggered and his grip loosened. Manny ripped away and whipped around to see a Minister's Guard collapse. Standing behind him was Adriana, holding her staff. Manny gasped in relief. "Adriana!"
She stepped over the guard's body, grabbed Manny's arm, and hauled him toward a doorway in the back wall of the tavern. It led to a narrow passage, empty and quiet after the din in the other room. The door at the far end was open to a little courtyard and Manny realized Adriana meant to haul him all the way out and away.
Manny dragged his feet. "Adriana, we can't go! Etienne—"
Adriana pulled him through the door into a courtyard with vine-covered walls and a big square well. "We have to get out of here, Manny. How do you think I found you? You were spotted by one of Morrigan's Redcaps and they've been searching the streets for you. The word has spread so far even the Pixies were speaking of it!"
"But he believes me! He'll help us!" Manny let himself be towed unwillingly along, figuring if he struggled too much she would be even less inclined to listen to him. "He was already sort of listening to me, then when the guards came and wouldn't tell him why they wanted me, that made him really suspicious!" That was weird, the way the guards had shown up. The ones Manny had seen in the tavern must have recognized him and sent for the reinforcements, but how had they known who he was? Unless they were connected to Morrigan somehow, like the Redcaps. "Hey, do you think—"
Adriana banged open the wooden gate into a small street. "Manny, a King's Chevalier is not going to stir himself to help—" She halted abruptly.
"But he—" Manny bumped into her, his heart freezing as he saw why they had stopped. Uh oh.
Lothair the troll stood at the end of the alley, his bulk almost concealing the scatter of Redcaps behind him. Adriana fell back a step, pushing Manny behind her. Tense with fear, Manny saw another five Redcaps stood at the other end of the alley, armed with a variety of wicked looking knives. He said quietly, "Adriana, they're behind us."
She squeezed his arm.
Lothair stalked toward them, saying, "Now then, did you really think we wouldn't find you? You can't fight Morrigan, darlin', she's too powerful."
Adriana backed away another step, throwing a look over her shoulder at the Redcaps that who blocked the other end of the alley. She whispered, "Manny, I'll distract them. You get over the wall—"
Manny's throat was so dry it hurt. "I won't leave you." Remembering the knife tucked in his belt, he drew the blade and prepared to throw it.
"Oh, don't think the little goblin can get away from us." Lothair grinned. "That runt's the one Morrigan wants. A shame, really, since I was looking forward to eating him. Ah well, I suppose you'll have to do."
Adriana held her staff at ready, and said with chilling conviction, "I can't fight you all, but I swear on all that's holy, Lothair, it won't be you who takes him to Morrigan. The others may kill me, but I'll split your skull first. You're out in the sun, Lothair. You're not as tough as you think."
Lothair hesitated, squinting up at the sky. "Brave words," he sneered, then drew a pair of huge curved daggers. "You always were the feisty one. I'm betting that fire gives your flesh a smoky flavor. Mmm..." He licked his tusks and advanced, raising his blades.
Etienne vaulted over the wall and landed in front of them, facing Lothair. The deadly crystal needle of his sword gleamed in the sunlight. Manny gasped, his heart thumping in relief.
Lothair jerked back in surprise, then growled, "This is none of your business, elf!"
"Every time someone says that, I believe it less." Etienne's sword point drew a circle in the air. "Run now, brute, and you may survive."
Lothair laughed, low and vicious. "You think you can take on all of us—"
The gate banged open and Gaudulfus charged out, wielding his heavy sword, and he looked mad. He roared and charged the Redcaps at the other end of the alley. They screeched and charged him.
Manny saw enough to realize that Gaudulfus had been holding back in the tavern fight. He plowed into the Redcaps and knocked them aside, hewing left and right, sending them sprawling in bloody heaps. Some bolted away without even trying to fight.
"I see your friends have never faced a dwarf in a battle frenzy before," Etienne said, casting a quick glance at the melee.
Then Lothair lunged at Etienne, swinging one of his daggers. Manny yelled in alarm but Etienne ducked smoothly under it and slashed at Lothair's chest, his sword slicing a bloody path through the troll's heavy armor and the scaly skin beneath. Lothair growled and jerked back, clearly not used to being wounded so easily. He eyed Etienne's glittering sword warily.
Etienne said, "Amechanteur is the sword's name. And a deadlier blade you will never face." He brought the sword en garde again. "Especially in my hands."
The troll snarled, grabbed the nearest Redcap, and threw it at Etienne. The Redcap slammed into the Chevalier and knocked him flat.
Adriana leapt into the battle and swung her staff to thunk the struggling Redcap in the head. Etienne pushed it off and rolled to his feet, just as the other Redcaps rushed them, knives flashing and teeth snapping.
Etienne and Adriana fought back to back, his sword and her staff parrying blows and slicing and smashing Redcaps, while keeping Lothair at bay. Manny ducked and dodged and slashed with his knife at the Redcaps' legs, but mostly tried to stay alive and out of arm's reach of the goblins. Twice he managed to grab up a stone and bounce it off a Redcap's skull.
Then suddenly Lothair turned and ran away down the alley. The few Redcaps who were left limped or bolted after him.
"Why are they leaving?" Manny gasped, but then he heard men shouting and horses clattering on the cobbles of the main street.
"It must be the Minister's Guards or the city watch," Etienne said. He glanced at Adriana. "We have to get out of here before we're surrounded."
Behind them, Gaudulfus shouted, "This way, to my coach!"
Breathing hard, Manny looked around. Gaudulfus stood at the end of the alley, surrounded by the limp sprawled bodies of Redcaps, waving at them to follow him. Manny yelled, "Come on, we have to run!" and tugged on the back of Adriana's tunic.
"Manny, no! Wait!" She grimaced, frustrated, then followed Manny and Etienne.
They ran down the alley and around the corner. At the end of the cross street stood a square boxy coach, painted black, with four gray horses, their silver manes braided and their coats so shiny they had to be faerie horses. The driver was a portly, older spriggan with a waxed mustache and a pointy beard, dressed like Gaudulfus in a gold-embroidered doublet. He looked up, startled, as they all pelted toward him.
"Othon, we depart at once with great haste!" Gaudulfus called out to the driver.
"Where to, sir?" said the bewildered driver.
"To the Stone and Ivy," Gaudulfus replied. He flung the door open and
Manny scrambled into the coach, falling onto a padded leather bench then scooting over hastily as Adriana and Gaudulfus followed him. But Etienne shut the door. The windows were covered with sliding wooden shutters, so Manny couldn't see what he was doing.
"He's not staying behind?" Manny asked anxiously.
Gaudulfus reached down beside his seat and scooped up a huge pistol. "No, lad, he's going to sit up on the box with Othon, the better to watch our backs. One can never be too careful." The dwarf cocked the pistol and laid it across his lap.
The coach's springs squeaked and the wood creaked as Etienne climbed up the side. The coach jolted into motion, moving rapidly away down the street.
"Where are we going?" Adriana asked, her voice tense and wary.
"To an inn I own, my dear," Gaudulfus told her. "It's safe from prying eyes and ears, and will give us a chance to talk in private. It also happens to serve the best mutton and wild mushroom stew in all of Aquitania." He grinned and stroked his beard. "Fighting always gives me such an appetite."
Manny sat back against the cushions, relieved but amazed that Gaudulfus could be thinking of food after their harrowing encounter. "Whatever gets us away from here sounds good to me."
The look Adriana gave him was not pleased.
Chapter Sixteen
They drove what felt like a long distance. It wasn't very comfortable; the coach had springs, because Manny could hear them squeak, but they weren't anywhere as good as a car's shock absorbers and the ride was bouncy and jolting. Gaudulfus didn't let Manny peek out the windows until he said they were past the city gates.
The houses were bigger out here, with more trees and gardens, and the rutted dirt road was much wider. Other coaches passed them, as well as wagons and people on horseback. Manny glimpsed something that looked like a horse with wings and feathers, and a head like an eagle's, walking along beside a couple of brownies, and almost fell out the window trying to get a better look, until Gaudulfus and Adriana made him sit down again.
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