The Spark

by David Drake

  I wanted to bury the humans and to burn the Spider, though there wasn’t enough wood for a big fire in the castle. I had to think. I had to get my mind working again.

  “Baga,” I said. “We’ll go back to Catermole and get the boat, then we’ll come here again. We’ll load as many of the artifacts as I can and we’ll take them to Dun Add.”

  I took a deep breath.

  “But first we’ll take a bath,” I added.

  * * *

  I found the bath house by using the column in the middle of the courtyard. I expected the bath to use Ancient artifacts as so much of the castle did, but it was simply at the end of a trough from a spring higher up the mountain onto which the castle was built. From the belvedere I’d seen the trough fade off into the Waste, though, which made me wonder how it’d been built.

  The column also told me where Marina was. After I’d bathed, I knocked on the door of her ground-floor room. My tunic and trousers were still damp though I’d wrung them out, but heaven knows I’ve worked in the rain often enough.

  Marina jerked the door open before my knuckles hit it the third time. “Have you come to kill me?” she said.

  The room beyond her was plain. There were flowers growing in a window box, but there were no pictures on the wall and no furniture but a simple chair, table, and bed.

  “No,” I said. Baga had suggested that, but I don’t think he was serious. “I thought of carrying you to Dun Add and letting the Leader deal with you, but I’m not going to do that either.”

  “I deserve to die,” Marina said, standing in the doorway to her room. Her eyes were open, but she was staring somewhere not in this world, or maybe not in this time. “I was angry, so angry…but angry with Palin. I didn’t mean for the others…”

  Her face didn’t change, but a tear started down her right cheek as her voice trailed off.

  “You’re going to die,” I said, “just like we all are. But not at my hands nor at Jon’s, now that I’ve had time to think about it.”

  Now that I’d had time to calm down, really. When I walked down the steps to fight the Spider, I’d been boiling mad. Not at the creature; it was following its nature and I’d kill it if I could, but it wasn’t evil. The woman who’d let it in to slaughter the whole household in the night, the woman who’d lived with the monster and eaten the food the monster brought her—she was evil.

  Except she really wasn’t. Marina had made a mistake, a terrible mistake, because she was angry. After that she had only two choices: to die, or to live as she was able to live. Maybe it would have been better to fling herself from the wall to the stone courtyard, maybe I would’ve done that. But I can’t swear that I would, and anyway—not everybody has to be me.

  Which made me think of May again.

  “What I’m going to do when I come back with the boat I left on Catermole,” I said, “is to carry you to a place called Beune. It’s not very far from here. I’ll leave you with money, a lot for Beune—”

  I’d decided on twenty silver pieces.

  “—to set you up. People are nice anyway, and I’ll be kinda of vouching for you.”

  I thought of my neighbors. I half-chuckled and said, “I shouldn’t wonder if you got married pretty quick if that’s what you want. You’re good-looking.”

  Still good-looking, of course, but there were plenty of widowers and that much silver would open a lot of doors.

  “I’ve heard of Beune,” Marina said. She was back in this world again, meeting my eyes, but I’d never seen an expression like the one on her face now. “Does a woman named Ariel live there?”

  I guess it was my turn now to get a funny expression. “One did,” I said. “My mother. But she died over a year ago.”

  “I see,” Marina said, but what she saw was beyond me. There was more to the words than just politeness. She was smiling now. “And you think I’ll fit in on Beune?”

  “Look!” I said, kind of angry about that smile. “We’re good people, we live quiet and we mind our own business. If that’s not good enough for you, I’ll carry you to Dun Add and you can take your chances!”

  “Beune is far too good for me, Pal,” Marina said. “Please, I wasn’t mocking your kindness. In a better time, I might have lived my whole life on a place like Beune and never left it.”

  I nodded, mad at myself for taking offense when I just didn’t understand somebody’s expression. “I figure we’ll be back the day after tomorrow,” I said. “We have to take the Road to Catermole, but coming back in the boat won’t be any time.”

  I coughed, then turned back down the hall. Over my shoulder I called, “By the way? I’m going to leave most of our food here, bacon and biscuit. You’re welcome to have what you want of it until we come back.”

  Marina didn’t say anything, but as I walked away I heard her crying.

  * * *

  When Baga and I returned to the castle in a little less than the two days I’d estimated, both Marina and the food were gone. To tell the truth, that wasn’t a complete surprise.

  I wasn’t really unhappy about it either. I’d have done just what I told Marina I would, and I really did think it’d work out all right—

  But in the back of my mind, I couldn’t forget the things Marina had done. Sure, there were plenty of excuses, but she’d still done them.

  What I didn’t expect was the note stuck to the door to her room:

  Pal, you’re a good boy and a credit to the woman who raised you. I wish I’d been more like her, but I wasn’t.

  It’s too late for me to go back to Beune, but when you do, see if you can lay a tulip on Ariel’s grave. She always loved tulips.

  Take care of yourself, son. From what I saw, you’re well able to do that.

  It wasn’t signed.

  CHAPTER 25

  Old Friends

  I nodded to the servant at the cross-corridor as I passed him. He bowed and murmured, “Your lordship.” I didn’t bother correcting him.

  Guntram’s door opened as I raised my hand to knock on it. “Pal!” he said, ushering me in. “I didn’t expect you back so soon.”

  “I’m surprised myself,” I said. “Though I’ve got a boat, remember.”

  Instead of clearing a chair, I walked over to the table by his couch and started to empty the satchel I’d brought with me. I recalled the bag which Guntram had brought to Beune and the wonders he took from it.

  I grinned. The shoe was on the other foot now.

  I’d brought a selection of tools from the workroom of the castle, closed since the Spider’s arrival. The first couple were toys—an instrument which projected feelings, another one which made me feel as though my skin was expanding to rub against the whole cosmos.

  The second one had been made in Not-Here. So had the weapon I now lay beside it.

  “Ah,” Guntram said as he picked it up. His voice was colorless, but he smiled as wide as a frog. He trotted quickly to the door and called into the corridor, “You, sir! I’d like you to take this to Louis immediately. Do you know where his suite is?”

  “Ah, yes sir,” the servant said. “But sir, I’m supposed to stay here during my shift?”

  “Never mind that!” Guntram said, as curtly as I’d ever heard him. “If anyone complains, tell him to see me. Understood?”

  “Yes sir,” replied a glum voice.

  Guntram shut the door firmly. “This is amazing,” he said. “Where do they come from?”

  “Well, I’ve decided to call it Castle Ariel after the woman who raised me,” I said. “I never heard any other name—it hadn’t occurred to me to ask—and there’s no one living there for the moment. Ah, sir?”

  “Yes?” Guntram said, turning over the next object in his hands. It seemed complete, but I hadn’t been able to figure out what it did.

  “I was thinking that maybe sending a message to Lord Louis to explain…?”

  Guntram laughed. “Oh, heavens, you don’t know Louis!” he said. Then contritely, “Which of course you don’t
. But it won’t be necessary—”

  The door burst open. Louis entered and slammed it behind him. He waved the weapon.

  “Guntram, I met your man in the corridor!” he said. “How did you do this?”

  “Sir,” I said, though Louis didn’t appear to have noticed my presence. “I think the Maker was a man named Palin. Though perhaps it came to him as it is, because he seems to have carried on a considerable traffic with Not-Here.”

  “I heard of a Palin, but long ago,” Guntram said, frowning. “I never met him. He was lord of Castle Ariel?”

  “Yes sir,” I said. I’d explain the rest, but not yet. “I have a boatload of more artifacts from Ariel. I was hoping that you could find people to carry them up to Dun Add? I don’t think many of what I brought are arms, but some things I don’t know. Like that one.”

  I nodded toward the piece in Guntram’s hands.

  “This?” said Guntram. “I believe it encourages rain to fall, but I’d need to study it further to be sure.”

  He offered the artifact to Louis, who only glanced and shrugged. “I’ll take your word for it, Teacher,” he said.

  Louis suddenly gave me his full attention. The fierceness in his eyes made my belly tighten, but I managed not to twist away from him.

  “I’ve never before seen a weapon from Not-Here in working order,” Louis said.

  “It’s a spike rather than a cutting tool,” I said, glad that I didn’t squeak. “It’s handy but it’s not very powerful.”

  “Yes, but with the right modifications I think we can boost penetration by four, maybe five!” Louis said. “I can’t be certain until I take a little time with it, but I’ll give the job to Camille after I’ve explained what I want him to do.”

  He waved his free hand in irritation as though wiping away thoughts he didn’t need at the moment. He glared at me again. He said, “There’s more of this?”

  “Sir,” I said, “my man and I loaded the boat with Ancient artifacts. Most are incomplete. Very few of them are weapons or shields, at least that I could tell. About a third are of Not-Here manufacture—and I’m not sure that all of those are Ancient.”

  That was true. I wasn’t sure what it meant, but it was so important that I had to tell somebody as soon as I could.

  “And there’s still more at Castle Ariel,” I said, “but nothing that I thought for sure was something that you’d want to see. You or Guntram.”

  “I see,” Louis said. “It’s obvious that what you’re describing is extraordinarily valuable. What do you want for it? I won’t quibble.”

  “Sir, I didn’t—” I said. “I mean, I’m not…”

  I didn’t know how to go on. My tongue was suddenly too big for my mouth.

  Louis grimaced. “Let me see your weapon and shield,” he snapped.

  I hadn’t expected that, but I managed to hand him my weapon and then fished out the shield. When he came out of his trance, Louis muttered, “I don’t think I can better this in any useful way,” and gave the weapon back.

  He took the shield. After another brief trance, he returned it and said, “This is a good shield, if I do say so myself; but I can give you a much stiffer one.”

  “It wouldn’t be as agile, Louis,” Guntram said. “Not even you could better what you did here without making it harder to shift.”

  Louis grimaced again, but he didn’t argue.

  “Sir, I’m very happy with my shield,” I said. I remembered the one I’d cobbled together myself, and the way Easton had taken me apart when I tried to use it.

  “Well, when you decide what you want, come to me,” Louis said. “For now I’ll set up a drawing account for you.”

  He looked at Guntram and added, “Any reason to put a limit on it, Teacher?”

  “Not for him,” Guntram said.

  “My thought as well,” Louis said. Focusing on me again, he said, “Whenever you want to buy something, just sign a chit to the Chancellor, to be applied to my account. It’ll be honored.”

  He nodded curtly to me, then bowed respectfully to Guntram. “This has been a very good day, Teacher,” Louis said. “I’ll see to unloading the cargo now so that we can sort it properly.”

  He closed the door forcefully behind him.

  I stared at Guntram. I was trying to make what had just happened fit into a shape my mind thought was possible.

  “I was about to say that when Louis saw the weapon, it wouldn’t require an explanation to bring him to see us,” Guntram said, smiling. “But I didn’t have time to. What do you propose to do now, Pal?”

  “Well, in a while I’d like an interview with either the Leader or Lord Clain,” I said, “if you could arrange that?”

  Guntram nodded. “Certainly,” he said.

  “But right for now,” I said, “I’m going down to Room Twelve to see my old roommates, if they’re still there.”

  “Ah,” said Guntram without emotion. “I thought perhaps there was someone else you wanted to see.”

  “No,” I said, opening the door. “I’m afraid there isn’t.”

  I shut the door behind me harder than I’d needed to.

  * * *

  It was early enough in the morning that I wasn’t surprised to find both Garrett and Welsh—but particularly Garrett—in the suite. In fact I caught them on the way out, not armed as they would have been if they’d been going to either the practice hall or the jousting field.

  “Hoy!” Welsh called. “The prodigal returns! We were just going to look you up, old man. A boy from the stables knocked on the door and said you’d just stabled Buck.”

  “Let’s go down the canteen,” Garrett said. “The room’s a mess and anyway, I don’t think there’s anything to drink left.”

  “If we can find a booth,” I said, “that’d be perfect. And I’m buying.”

  “I sure won’t fight you for the honor,” Welsh said.

  * * *

  We settled into a booth in a corner with no problem. The canteen wasn’t crowded at this time in the morning, though there were two morose fellows at separate tables, staring at their mugs.

  I spent the first round in small talk and in telling them how I’d lucked into a good thing by following a narrow path to what turned out to be a treasure. I told them about the Spider but not, you know, in a way that made it any big deal. Which it really wasn’t, just putting my head down and charging the bloody thing, no science to it.

  After the tapster—there was no boy on duty with him this early—brought the second round, I said, “I need to know if you guys are dead set on staying in Dun Add to be Champions, or if another offer came by, you’d consider it?”

  Welsh took a deep drink of his ale. I knew he’d have rather had wine, but I was sticking to beer until I’d gotten through my business. He set the mug down with a grim look.

  “I don’t have a prayer of ever making Champion with my shield,” he said. “I guess I realized that when I saw you fight your way through. No offense, kid, but you’re not that much better than I am. But your gear was that much better than mine.”

  “I told you I’d been lucky,” I said. “You’ll have a better shield before very long, I promise. But how important is becoming Champions?”

  “Pretty bloody important,” said Garrett. He was looking at me hard. “But not so important that I won’t listen to an offer from a friend. This is something that matters to you, kid?”

  “It does,” I said. “There aren’t a lot of people here that I know well enough to trust. I trust you two.”

  “Then we’d better hear what you’ve got to say,” said Welsh. Garrett nodded.

  I nodded, giving myself a moment to get my thoughts together. I said, “I own a castle. At least I suppose I do: I captured it and I don’t think there’s anybody around who could argue the rights and wrongs of ownership with me.”

  Both men nodded.

  “The node—Castle Ariel—is in the Marches,” I said. “That’s against it in many people’s minds.” I shrugged. �
�So’s Beune, so being in the Marches doesn’t bother me.”

  “Or me,” said Welsh.

  “Us,” said Garrett.

  “There’s some hinterland,” I said, “though it’s never been developed. The former lord—well, the last human lord—was a Maker. He traded with Not-Here and didn’t try to develop the node or bring in settlers. I think it could be quite a busy place if the ruler had a different focus, and it’s also a great place for the Leader to put a garrison for the region. I’d like the two of you to run Castle Ariel for me.”

  “Why both of us?” Garrett said.

  “Because you have different strengths, and you get along together,” I said.

  It was time for another round. I signalled the tapster.

  “Different weaknesses, you mean,” Welsh said.

  “That too,” I agreed. If they’d been stupid men, I wouldn’t have wanted them.

  The tapster brought filled mugs and hauled away the empties. Welsh didn’t pick his up immediately. At last he said, “Look, Pal, if you’re willing to take a chance on me, I’ll give it a flutter. But I don’t swear to you that I’ll stick to water from here on out or even that I won’t get drunk on my ass again!”

  “Understood,” I said. I didn’t add that I wouldn’t have believed him if he had sworn those things.

  “If I’ve got a place,” Garrett said as he put his mug down, “a real place instead of a room on sufferance, then I guess I might start looking on the future a different way too. But I’m not promising either.”

  “Say,” said Welsh. “You’ve won a castle of your own with retainers—me and Garrett. So you really are Lord Pal now, right?”

  “I guess,” I said. “I don’t feel any different than when I was plowing behind Gervaise’s ox, though.”

  “Well, my lord,” said Welsh, “then would it be a bad thing if we tied one on for one last time in celebration?”

  I smiled. “I guess not,” I said. That wasn’t really what I thought, but I still wasn’t his mother. “I’ll tell the man—” I nodded “—to charge it to me, and I’ll expect you to switch to wine. For myself, I need to see Louis about getting you kitted out with better gear—”