by Robert Evert
Markus rolled his eyes. “The quest was announced yesterday.”
“You knew ahead of time?”
“Oh, everybody knows ahead of time! At least the real adventurers do. We all have our sources and spies. Everybody who has a brain knew the Sword of Betrayal was going to be the target this go-round. It isn’t like I have an advantage somebody else doesn’t have. Why, I bet Morris and Emory have been searching for the sword a month, if not more.”
“Then why were they so angry?”
“I’ve won three out of the last five quests. They’re jealous. Come on, Ed. Join me! It’ll be fun. Maybe I’ll even be able to smooth things over with Kriton.”
“You could do that?”
“No. You’re screwed there. Kriton is going to make your life miserable.”
Edris gave a disgusted laugh. “What am I going to do?”
“Come with me. We’ll find the sword. I’ll get my seventh win. And you’ll get a stack of coins.”
“Coins won’t help me with Kriton.”
“You’re missing the point! With that kind of money, you won’t have to worry about being disowned by your father.”
Edris hadn’t thought of that.
“Come on,” Markus pleaded. “With the diary and whatever Merrick discovered, we’re bound to win. Think about it. One thousand gold! You could go anywhere you want and not be beholden to your father.”
One thousand gold would certainly give him freedom. It wouldn’t last forever, of course, but it would be a monumental start.
“I’ll tell you what,” Markus said. “I’ll give you five hundred gold simply to journey with me. That’s whether we win or lose. I’ll even speak to Kriton. I’ll promise him a promotion if he lays off you. What do you say?”
“Do you honestly think he’d take it easy on me?”
“If I promise him a cushy job at twice the pay? Maybe. What do you have to lose?”
As far as Edris could see, he didn’t have anything to lose.
“Very well,” he said. For the first time, he felt he might have a way out of serving as a kingsman. His father wouldn’t like it, not by a long shot, but with a thousand gold, he’d have options—and he didn’t have to end his cousin’s adventuring career. “What do we do now?”
“Now we rest. Tomorrow, we’ll get to Hillshire and see what information Merrick uncovered.”
Seventeen
Markus, Edris, and Jacob arrived in Hillshire the next evening. Situated around three rolling hills covered in green grass, Edris had expected Hillshire to be a sleepy town of sheepherders, but he was surprised to find that it was a bustling city filled with quaint shops and stately two-story brick buildings.
“Are they anticipating a war?” Edris asked Markus as they passed yet another group of heavily armed men. “Seems like there are a lot of soldiers around.”
“Those aren’t soldiers,” Markus replied. “They’re adventurers. Like I said before, I’m not the only one who knew the quest would be in this region.”
Several adventurers raised their hands in salute. Markus returned the gesture.
“Now what?” Edris asked.
Markus indicated the castle on top of the middle and largest hill. “First we see what Merrick dug up. Keep all information as close to your vest as possible. You’re playing a game that could end our lives. Always remember that.”
Pushing through the crowds, they headed up the winding road to King Louis’s castle. When they reached its gates, they found that the wardens had been expecting them.
“Master Markus,” one of them said, bowing low. “Your brother requested that you seek him out at your earliest convenience.”
“Splendid,” Markus said, dismounting. “Where shall we find the miscreant?”
“I can take you to him,” the gate warden replied. “And I can fetch a boy to stable your horses and bring your possessions to your rooms.”
“Wonderful.” Markus said to his squire, “Jacob, help with the gear, then come find us.”
“Yes, sir.”
Markus bowed to their guide. “Please, lead on, my good sir.”
The gate warden led Markus and Edris around to the east side of the castle. There they found Merrick sitting with a woman in a colorful garden by a burbling fountain.
“Markus!” he cried, rising to his feet. The brothers embraced, then Merrick introduced the woman standing next to him. “You remember Louisa.”
Markus kissed her gloved hand. “Charmed, my lady. It is exquisite to see you again.”
“Good to see you, Markus.” Her gaze drifted over to Edris, her brown eyes sliding up his towering frame. “And…who is this?”
“Ah!” Markus laughed. “A hundred gold says you can’t guess who this is, dear brother.”
Merrick extended a hand to Edris, visibly baffled as to who the young fellow was.
“Now, don’t ruin my surprise,” Markus told Edris. “Let him guess. I’ll give him three chances.”
“Sir…” Merrick struggled. “Sir Walter?”
“Sir Walter?” Markus chuckled. “He’s a fat lout. The gold is good as mine!”
“You’re Sir Arthur,” Louisa said. “Aren’t you? I’ve heard of your many exploits.”
“No, ma’am,” Edris said. “I’m not a knight.”
“No clues!” Markus cried. “Come on, Merr. You have one more guess. And don’t even think about welching, or I’ll tell father.”
At a loss, Merrick stared at Edris. “I’m not in the mood for your games, Markus. Tell us who your companion is.”
“Yes.” Louisa smiled at Edris. “Who is the mystery man?”
“This—” Markus made a grand sweeping gesture to Edris, “is little Fatty Eddie.”
A wave of confusion washed over Merrick’s face, replaced swiftly by disbelief. “Fatty Eddie?”
Edris bristled, then bowed.
“Fatty Eddie!” Merrick attempted to hug Edris but could scarcely get his arms around him. “Great gods! Look at you!”
“Nice to see you, Merrick.”
“Great gods!” Merrick said again. He stepped back and examined Edris’s bulging muscles. Lady Louisa did as well, but less openly. “Little Fatty Eddie?”
Markus leaned closer to his brother. “If you call him that again, he’ll punch your head off. He can do it. I’ve seen him fight.”
“Oh, yes! Of course. Sorry, Eddie.” He marveled at his cousin. “But…by the gods! What happened to you? Last I saw you, you were—what? Six? Maybe only seven years old?”
“It’s been a long time,” Edris admitted.
“Too long,” Merrick agreed.
“Will you be visiting with us as well?” Lady Louisa asked, her tone more than a touch hopeful. “We’d love to have you.”
“I’m not sure, ma’am,” Edris replied. “Markus has agreed to entertain me until spring.”
“What happens in the spring?”
Markus’s grin turned mischievous. “He’s enlisting as a kingsman!”
Merrick groaned. “Oh, no.”
“Oh, yes! And guess who he fought when he was in Upper Angle.”
“You didn’t have him fight Kriton, did you?” Merrick gasped. “Markus!”
“He didn’t just fight Kriton. He fought practically the entire company. Knocked half of them completely unconscious. You should’ve been there. I’ve never seen anything like it. Kriton lost four teeth!”
“I didn’t mean to hurt him,” Edris said apologetically.
“You didn’t mean to hurt him?” Markus exclaimed. “You broke his jaw! He won’t be able to chew meat for a year!”
“Honest, Merrick,” Edris said, “I didn’t mean to! He hit me low and I got a bit angry.”
“A bit angry?” Markus laughed. “I’d hate to see you furious!”
“Well, I can see you want to spend time with your family.” Lady Louisa touched Merrick’s forearm. “I trust you boys won’t get in much trouble. No fighting.”
“No, of course not.” M
errick sized Edris up. Standing on tiptoe, he came up to Edris’s clean-shaven chin.
“Are we allowed to drink and whore?” Markus asked politely.
Lady Louisa narrowed her eyes. “Drinking is one thing. Whoring is another.”
“We’ll see you for dinner, sweetheart.” Merrick kissed her cheek.
She offered Edris her hand. He kissed it.
“It’s very good to meet you, Eddie. Any family of Merrick’s is family of mine—or at least will be.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Edris bowed. “It’s wonderful to finally meet you.”
They all watched Lady Louisa walk across the courtyard. Reaching the castle, she wiggled her fingers at them. They waved back. Then she went inside.
“So, what did you find?” Markus asked his brother urgently.
“What? Oh, yes. The quest. I found something useful, by the looks of it. Come with me.”
They followed the heir to The Angle’s throne through the garden and into the opulent guesthouse.
When they came to his quarters, Merrick locked the door behind them and went to the sofa in the middle of the room. From behind a cushion, he produced a book with a black leather cover.
Markus seized it. “Is it the original?”
“Of course.”
Markus flipped through the pages. Over his shoulder, Edris could see it was the same diary he’d stolen from Markus; however, this one was much older. The entries were also written in a sloppy hand, the color of ink slightly different for each entry.
Markus got to the last page and slapped the book. “I knew it!”
“What?” Edris asked.
“The last page in the copy we have isn’t in the original.”
Disappointed, Markus handed the diary to Edris, who read the last entry. It said nothing about looking forward to going riding in the hills. In fact, it looked as though Raaf hadn’t finished it. He’d been talking about feeling ill when the writing abruptly ended.
“What do you want to do now?” Edris asked Markus.
“No idea.”
“Judging by how many of your competitors are in town,” Merrick said, “it seems everybody believes Raaf’s sword is somewhere nearby. Several of King Louis’s adventurers have been searching the hills for the better part of a month.”
“See!” Markus said to Edris. “It’s like I said; they all knew what the quest was before it was announced.”
Edris examined the diary, trying to read the faded writing.
Next to him, Markus fell into an armchair. “We’re missing something important.”
“Isn’t this all kind of pointless?” Edris asked. “I mean, how can you find something that others couldn’t find for centuries?”
“We have to be smarter than everybody else,” Markus said. “This is a game, Ed. Just like boxing. And even more dangerous. You still want to play? My offer stands.”
Edris thought for a moment. He enjoyed travelling with Markus, but autumn was slipping away, and sooner or later, spring would come, and he’d have to do his time.
“I don’t know how much help I can be. But I’ll do what I can.”
“If you can watch my back, you’ll earn your money and then some. Knowing you’re around gives me one less thing to worry about and more time to determine what piece of the puzzle we’re missing.”
“Perhaps we should concentrate on what we know,” Merrick told them.
“But we don’t know anything,” Edris replied. “Not really.”
“Yes, we do,” Markus said. “We know the sword isn’t in these hills. If it were, it would’ve been found by now. Moreover, somebody altered the copies of the diary to suggest Raaf was killed nearby.”
“So, by default,” his brother deduced, “he probably wasn’t.”
“Right!” Hands behind his head, Markus stared at the frescoed ceiling. “The question is: where was Raaf riding when he died?”
Eighteen
Later that night, Edris sat in his spacious quarters, reading. He started with the book of poems Beatrice had given him, but his concentration kept creeping to the original version of Raaf’s diary Merrick found. He’d been reading it for a couple hours when somebody tapped on his door.
“Enter,” he called. “It isn’t locked.”
The door opened, revealing the plain face of Lady Louisa bathed in yellow candlelight. Edris stood.
“May I come in?”
“Please, my lady. Are you looking for Markus or Merrick?” he asked, though he had an unsettling suspicion she wasn’t looking for either. “Unfortunately, they are not here at the moment.”
A smile creased her thin lips. “I know.”
She stepped into the parlor and closed the door quietly behind her. She was wearing a different dress than the one she had on earlier by the fountain. She also had her long hair braided and over one shoulder.
“I have something for you,” she said, as if remembering why she’d come. She held out a letter. From across the room, Edris could tell who it was from. The short, choppy script was a dead giveaway. His heart faltered.
“A letter from my father?” He took it. “Here?”
“It arrived a few days ago. It came with a note to my father indicating that you may be stopping by this way. I thought it might be important.” She peered up at him. “So, I brought it myself.”
Edris examined the envelope.
Half of him hoped that it was some sort of reprieve—a letter saying that he’d only been joking about making sure his cousin never won another quest. But he knew his father too well. He wanted to hurt the king, and the best way to do that was to hurt his famous son.
Edris smelled roses, then realized Lady Louisa was standing unnaturally close to him.
Her smile broadened ever so slightly. Then she noted the book he’d been reading.
“You’re adventuring?” she asked, surprised. “I thought you were going to serve as a kingsman in Upper Angle.”
“What? Oh…” Edris picked up the diary. “Well, yes and no.” He took a self-conscious step away from her. “I’m helping Markus, if helping is what you call it. More like killing time before I report for duty.” Something occurred to him. “Wait a second—how’d you know this had something to do with the quest?”
“I understand the games men play.” She touched Edris’s arm, her finger tracing his bulging bicep. “Women play games of a similar sort.”
She drew even closer.
Edris retreated another step. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to play whatever games Lady Louisa had in mind; however, he was confused and needed to think. This woman was betrothed to his next king. In all probability, he’d be serving Merrick once his father died. Sleeping with his future queen was a deadlier game than hunting quest items.
“Perhaps you’re weary from your journey,” she said, still smiling at him.
“A little, my lady.” Edris bowed, hoping the formality would send the message he couldn’t say; however, she seemed to find the gesture titillating. “And—” He held up the envelope she’d given him, “there’s my father’s message.”
“I understand.” She caressed his shoulder. “I’ll leave you to your reading.” She glanced at the diary. “If you’d like a distraction from your labors—send word. I am across the courtyard.”
She left Edris rather dry-mouthed. Perhaps he’d sleep with her just once. After all, she wasn’t his queen yet.
No. He was in enough trouble as it was. He couldn’t afford to make any more enemies. There was also Beatrice to think about. He wanted to be loyal to her.
He examined his father’s letter again.
With a sinking heart, he broke the seal and withdrew the crisply folded piece of paper. It read simply: “Do what needs to be done.”
Nineteen
The next morning, Markus led Edris out into the green hills surrounding Hillshire. Without any new information, they had no hope of finding the Sword of Betrayal; however, Markus wished to mislead the adventurers who were watching him. If
they saw him searching the countryside, they might believe the sword was near at hand. Then Markus could slip away and determine its actual hiding place.
After receiving his father’s letter, Edris was more than happy to get away. He needed to think about his position and hiking always cleared his mind.
“What did you do last night, tucked away all alone in your room?” Markus asked as they trekked along one of the many rolling paths Raaf could’ve taken for his last ride. “You missed dinner.”
Edris was tempted to mention Lady Louisa’s advances but thought better of it. Markus wasn’t exactly known for his discretion. “I read the diaries,” he said with some truth. “I was comparing the original to the one you had obtained at Upper Angle.”
“And?”
“You were right. Apart from the last entry, they’re the same.”
“Added, undoubtedly, to throw off anybody who might be interested in finding his body. Surely it didn’t take you all night to determine that.”
They plodded up a steep slope, the squire Jacob following at a discreet distance.
“It’s interesting reading,” Edris said, feeling the need to go on. “It seems Raaf’s father, King Rolf, was an overbearing blowhard. His son hated him. Did you know Raaf didn’t even want to become king? He wanted his brother to supersede him.”
Markus swatted a stick at the waist-high grass. “Well, he got his wish, now, didn’t he? Did you learn anything else?”
“Nothing helpful.”
They continued along the path, scaling one hill, then another, the early autumn sun beating down upon them. Finally, Markus broke the silence. “If you were going to become a king, but didn’t want to…what would you do?”
Edris had been considering a similar question.
“Are you suggesting Raaf didn’t die? That he disappeared to avoid being what his father wanted him to be?”
Markus frowned at the dirt track as they walked. He exhaled heavily. “I don’t know. I can’t imagine anybody giving up the noble’s life, especially with only the clothes on your back and the horse under you. And people would’ve undoubtedly recognized him had he stayed in the kingdom. Still, we have to consider all—”
The tall grass to their left rustled as a masked man with a bow leapt to his feet. “Hold!”
