Betrayal at Falador (41 page)

The undergrowth parted and Gar’rth crawled out from the shadows. In his clawed hands he held three dead rabbits, a gift to assuage the hunger of his friends.

It was on the third day of their journey that they crossed the grassland that lay to the north of Falador. Theodore knew instinctively that something was wrong. He had travelled along the east road many times, but never before had he seen the country folk so worried. Not even when the monster was at large had they been so dismayed, and it was not long before they found out the reason why.

They stopped to let their horses rest before making a concerted effort to reach the city. Theodore listened to the conversations of two ragged travellers who looked woefully to the north.

“It’s the Kinshra,” one said, and Theodore noted immediately the northern accent of the dour forest men. “They are driving everyone south, seizing people as slaves and burning property.”

“It is not just the Kinshra,” the other said bitterly. “I have heard that large groups of men are heading out of The Wilderness, bandits and murderers. And some of the men are talking of unrest in the goblin tribes—another new leader promising change and glory.”

“It is an ill wind that blows in the new season,” the first man added. “I will head south and put Falador between my family and the north.”

“Aye, I shall do the same,” the other remarked, raising his cup in response to Theodore’s inquisitive stare. But he did not look welcoming.

Within a few hours, the companions passed through the high gates of Falador and over the bridge to the castle. They were unchallenged, for all recognised Theodore and Kara, and Doric’s hard stare dared anyone to try to bar him as before.

“I am aware of your news, Squire Theodore” Sir Amik said as the companions stood before him and several senior knights. In the corner Bhuler stood quietly, away from the others. “Just last night we received a missive from a priestess of the barbarian people, Arisha, in which she recounted your actions in the monastery. She made it through to Edgeville with the monks and immediately dispatched a messenger to Falador on the fastest horse. You have all acted courageously.”

A murmur of approval sounded from the knights.

“Your friend the alchemist is also here.” Sir Amik turned his head to meet Bhuler’s gaze, his face reflecting some brief exasperation. “Somehow he got back with your prisoner intact. I do not know what magic he wields, but I have never seen a Kinshra soldier so humbled.” The knight shook his head in bewilderment. “He has taken a room at The Rising Sun, where you should go to meet him after you’ve made your report.”

He turned to address the entire group.

“You should each take the opportunity to be with your friends in the days to come, for soon such happiness will be scarce in the world.”

The knight knew his ominous words would darken the hearts of the companions, and blunt their happiness at knowing that both Arisha and Ebenezer had made it to safety. Yet he saw no sense in presenting the situation as any less dire than he knew it to be.

Sir Amik and the knights listened intently to Theodore’s report. When Gar’rth’s true nature was revealed to them, they looked at the youth with a mixture of concern and awe. Before them stood a being from the unholy realm of Morytania, and yet he had been able to enter their sacred fortress.

They nodded in understanding when the squire told them of Abbot Langley’s belief that Gar’rth would remain pure unless he consumed innocent blood.

“His control over his true nature will make him an invaluable warrior” Theodore added, placing his hand on Gar’rth’s shoulder. “He possesses strength akin to the greatest of our order. If the Kinshra are coming south, then we can ill afford to turn away such help.”

“This is true,” Sir Amik agreed, aware now that the Kinshra artillery was unlike anything the knights had faced before. “And that reminds me—I have something for you, Kara.”

The old man motioned to Bhuler, who held an item wrapped in a blue cloth in his hands. He stepped forward and held it out.

“Take it, Kara,” the valet said.

“My sword!” she gasped. With a swift movement that seemed to drive the aching pains from her arm she seized the hilt and raised it above her head, as if it were a symbol of everything she believed.

“You must take care of that blade, Kara” Sir Amik said. “And I must insist that you remain in Falador now, for if the Kinshra do come south, then there is no need for you to run to meet them. Do I have your word?”

“I will remain in Falador at your request, Sir Amik, but on two conditions” she said, looking him in the eye. “The first is that I train with the knights, for I am not arrogant enough to believe myself beyond the need for learning. The second condition is that I take a room at The Rising Sun, for the remembrance of your hospitality is still bitter to me.”

“I will accept those terms if you will allow me to impose one of my own—upon Gar’rth. I believe that he has so far refused his nature, that he has fought against it with a temerity that can only be praised. But I cannot let him loose in the city, amongst a scared and suspicious population made more fearful still by the threat of war.

“Thus
he
will remain here in the castle, where we can keep him safe and secure. Do you understand?”

Kara and her companions shared angry glances, and when she turned to Theodore, the squire avoided her gaze.

“If my friends agree then it will be so,” she replied. “But I insist on having unrestricted access to him.”

Sir Amik nodded. He had no wish to imprison Gar’rth, but rather to separate him from the bustling city and customs that would be totally alien to him.

“I would suggest that you all return to The Rising Sun tonight. You may go too, Theodore, but you shall return here with Gar’rth when your revels are concluded. Some of the castle guard shall wait for you at the tavern to escort you both back.

“There are many new faces in Falador now—refugees, travellers, and vagabonds. If the Kinshra come south, then no doubt they will have sent their spies before them, and the streets may no longer be safe for anyone of our order to walk alone, squire or otherwise.”

As they filed out of the chamber, a cold shiver took hold of Theodore. Falador was a very different city from that which he had left only days before, and he pursed his lips in apprehension at the change in atmosphere.

Falador now reverberated with grim expectation and dreadful inevitability. It was a city preparing itself for war.

On seeing the weary group enter The Rising Sun, the proprietor waved her hand in their direction, calling them over through the fug of smoke and beer.

“You are Squire Theodore, aren’t you?” she asked. “I am Emily.” Her admiration of him was read by all on her enthusiastic and smiling face. “Ebenezer told me to look out for you. He has taken a private room upstairs where you can eat. Follow me.”

She conducted them up the staircase and away from the crowd. As they went, Theodore could feel inhospitable eyes watch him intently.

The people are scared,
he thought,
and their fear will lead to anger that may be directed at the knights, if they are blamed for not preventing the coming storm.
Civil unrest inside the walls of Falador, while an enemy camped outside, could spell his order’s defeat, he knew.

The smell of a pipe and the crackle of a roaring fire greeted them as Emily ushered them into a room at the top of the stairs. Ebenezer stood gazing thoughtfully out of the window and into the darkening evening. When he saw them his eyes shone with happiness.

“So you are all here then?” he said cheerfully as Castimir was the first to cross the room and embrace his dear friend. “You are all safe?”

No one replied, for their very presence answered his question. Suddenly, spontaneously, each of their faces erupted in a smile. They had faced danger and triumphed and now the danger, still in a place far away and many miles from the white walls of Falador, was forgotten. At least for the moment.

They drank and ate more than they needed. The rumours of war and their shared hardships over the previous few days made them ravenous, and they were aware that such revelry would be unlikely to come again for a long time. As they ate, each of the companions questioned the others about their experiences. It soon became apparent that the question on everybody’s mind was how Ebenezer, an old man with little strength, had come to so dominate his aggressive prisoner.

“I thought he would strangle you” Castimir confided, the drink making his face shine. “I did not expect you to be able to control him. Tell us, alchemist, how you did it?”

Ebenezer smiled mischievously.

“Watch!” he said. With a sudden mysterious gesture, as if he were casting a spell, he waved his hands in the air, murmuring. Suddenly, with a shout, his eyes opened and a bright burst of white flame erupted near the window, setting the curtain alight with its vigorous heat.

With a cry of alarm, Castimir ran forward with his full tankard of ale, smothering the flames with the dark liquid. The wizard turned to face Ebenezer.

“That wasn’t magic, alchemist. That was a trick! We wizards are trained to spot charlatans, and I saw right through your sleight-of-hand. You threw something on the floor when you raised your voice and opened your eyes.”

Ebenezer laughed heartily.

“So I did. It was a trick. My voice and my eyes were the distraction. In reality I used science again.”

Castimir refilled his tankard and sat again while the old man continued.

“As soon as I left with my prisoner, allowing you to head back to the monastery, I knew I had to employ a deterrent or else I would wake up with his hands around my throat one night. And so I set my mind to how best I could use my chemicals to achieve that end. Fortunately he knew nothing of science, and he didn’t pay me any attention as I prepared my mixture.

“I did not need much—potassium and magnesium powder are a dangerous mix, needing little friction to set them off. At the right moment I threw my compound at his feet and the heat singed his eyebrows! After that I had no trouble from him at all.”

“So he believed you were a wizard?” Doric asked with a grin. “Brilliant!”

All save Theodore broke out in laughter. Even Gar’rth, though largely ignorant of the words, shared in their humour, for the atmosphere was contagious.

With a low sigh Theodore turned to the window, his face etched with concern as he looked at the burning lights of the city he had come to accept as his home. His mood affected his companions and with sudden sobriety they returned to their chairs, each aware of what was on his mind.

“You have proved your worth time and again to us, alchemist,” he said, choosing his words carefully. “Is there anything you can do for my city? Can any of your chemistry or your science give us an advantage over the Kinshra?”

Ebenezer shook his head.

“Since I returned to Falador I have been occupied with no other question but that one” he said. “But I must be truthful, Theodore. I have few chemicals at my disposal, and those I do have were prepared over many long months, with the help of my associates in Varrock. I’m afraid I do not have enough of them to turn the tide in our favour. I am sorry.”

The alchemist’s expression was pained as he watched the young man’s head fall. After a moment’s silence, he spoke again.

“But there are other ways I may be able to help. The people of Falador must be kept busy—they must not be allowed to dwell on the possibility of defeat. They know that the Kinshra are likely to come, and no doubt the agents of the Kinshra are spreading rumours of their strength before them.
This
is the war that must be won now—this is the immediate threat. The people must be rallied, and they must be convinced that the knights will protect them.”

Theodore knew he was correct. The knights could not afford to ignore the people of Falador this time, not when the threat was so close.

“They must be managed, Theodore” Ebenezer continued. “The people must be turned into a service for the city. We may not have cannons, but we can still use artillery. Catapults! Trebuchets!”

“The enemy will sit beyond our range and smash the high white walls to dust with their guns,” Doric said despondently.

“But Ebenezer is right” Kara countered. “The people need to be kept occupied, lest their idleness work against us all.”

Theodore looked at his companions, and renewed conviction shone in his eyes.

“You should check the city walls tomorrow, Doric. Your knowledge of the cannon and your engineering experience should give us a good idea of just how long they will stand up to the Kinshra bombardment.” He turned to Ebenezer. “And you, alchemist, in your infiinite wisdom, shall find other ways we can prepare, and in doing so boost morale. We will not let the enemy defeat us before he has even arrived.”

Theodore hoped that such thoughts would bolster his friends as they considered the future.

Outside, it began to rain.

FIFTY-FIVE