“Oh, it gets better. His father a Cryllor guard, yet! Andhe’s trained himself!” Both men laughed harshly, then Efoyan drew himselfupright. “Go away, boy. It’s a clever tale but we’ve heard many better.”
“Giants indeed,” Doneghal snorted, narrowed eyes fixed onLhors, who suddenly realized what a picture he must present after three days of hunting in the hills followed by Upper Haven’s final, bloody night, and thendays of journey on short rations with no time or place to properly bathe.
“You, boy,” Efoyan said, “I know what you are. You’re agrubby little market thief trying to get in to steal something or catch a glimpse of the king and win a bet with your fellow grubby thieves, aren’t you?Well, it won’t work! Not while we’re on guard!”
Lhors stared at him. “Steal?” he managed. The guards seemedto find this wildly funny.
Efoyan swallowed laughter. “Look, peasant. If there really were giants about, we’d know it, see? The Lord Mebree’s steward would’vesent orders for us to pass anyone who could tell him about giants.”
“Yes, he would,” Doneghal added. “Because, if anyone was tobe told, it would be us, d’ye see? Because we two are the ones who’d have toknow it was all right for you to be inside, wouldn’t we?”
“But we haven’t been told one gods’ blessed word aboutgiants. So you see what that means, don’t you? Means you’re lying to us, doesn’tit?”
“Lying!” Doneghal finished triumphantly. “So! Just you beoff, right now! You aren’t getting into the keep, not today or any day soon! Notwith a stupid tale like that!”
“Your pardon, sirs,” Lhors broke in sharply, “but Upper Haven is in thefoothills well to the north of here-many days’ ride. Until our village wasattacked, no one around there had seen giants, so I must warn the lord or get a message to him-”
“You grow boring,” Efoyan said flatly. He set his spearagainst the wall and gave Lhors a shove. Lhors fought for balance, managing to right himself as the guards stalked toward him.
“Boring,” Doneghal echoed and tossed his spear aside so hecould grab Lhors’ shirt. Efoyan shoved him aside.
“Let me, friend,” he said flatly and slammed one open handagainst Lhors’ chest, driving him back into the courtyard. He drew a long,braided leather whip from his belt. “I know how to teach a stupid peasant not towaste my time.” He snapped his wrist. Lhors jumped convulsively as the leatherthong cracked just short of his ear.
Efoyan struck again. Lhors just managed to duck as it cracked over his head. Behind him, a deep man’s voice snarled, “Why don’t you pick onsomeone closer to your own size, Efoyan?” Lhors scuttled back as a dark, solidlybuilt man caught hold of the tip of the lash and yanked. The guard yelped as the whip was torn from his grasp. The dark man slid the lash through his fingers, gripped the handle and slammed it into the guard’s brow. Efoyan sagged, wentflat, and stayed there. Doneghal leaped across his companion, eyes narrowed as he went into fighting stance, but the newcomer simply grabbed him by the shoulders, spun him halfway around and kicked him, hard. Doneghal staggered and slammed into the palace wall, head first. He slid down, dazed or unconscious.
Lhors gazed blankly up at the bronze-skinned man who turned away from the fallen pair to give the youth a hand up and a smile. “Sorry aboutyour reception, lad.”
Before Lhors could fathom a suitable reply, the man walked over and began to nudge the two guards, who were beginning to moan and look around, obviously still dazed.
“Up!” the man shouted. “Up, the both of you! Up I say! Now!”
The two guards reluctantly complied. Outrage and embarrassment played over their faces, though both of them had obviously lost all will to fight.
“Do you know who I am?” the man demanded. They both noddeddumbly. “Very well. You”-he jabbed at Efoyan with his finger-“will report toSergeant Storrs and tell him what has taken place here. You will leave nothing out, and I will know if you do. By the time your watch has ended, I’m sure the sergeant and I will have come up with a suitable punishment for theboth of you.”
Glowering, Efoyan turned to go.
“Stop! I have not dismissed you yet.” The guard halted, andthe man continued. “Both of you will apologize to this young man… and makeit good, or you’ll both be mucking stables till next season’s snow melts.”
Both guards stammered an apology. Though their words dripped sincerity, they looked at Lhors with pure hatred. When they had finished, the man let the silence hang until both guards began to eye one another nervously, obviously wondering if their apology had been accepted.
“Very well,” the man said. “Efoyan, dismissed. Do as I haveordered you. Doneghal, resume your post.”
The two of them complied, and the man turned his attention to Lhors. “So, you’re Lharis’ son, are you?”
“You… you knew my father?”
“I met him once or twice,” the man replied. “But come. Youhave urgent news. Best we get you inside so Lord Mebree can hear it. I’m Vlandarby the way, captain of one of the hill companies.”
Lhors stared. He could feel his face heating. “Captain? I’msorry to be so much-”
The older man merely laughed, wrapped an arm around Lhors’shoulders, and drew him through the palace doors into a broad, high ceilinged hallway. “Trouble? You’re no trouble, lad. And I’m merely a captain, not thelord’s commander. My job is to ride the hills between here and the Yeomanry,making sure the villages are safe from bandits and the like. It’s only fitting Ishould escort you to the lord’s council chambers. He should be meeting with hiscouncil now, but if not, there’ll be men to whom you can give a full report.I’ll need to hear what you have to say in any event, if we’ve more to fight outthere than bandits and river pirates.”
As they walked through the passageways, Vlandar kept a hand on his arm, which Lhors suspected kept anyone from asking what business a grubby peasant had in such vast halls. And they were vast. Corridors branched all along the main hall. Now and again, he could see staircases spiraling up to upper levels of the keep. There were people, most in servants’ garb, carrying trays orbundles of clothing, stocks of linens, and other things. The place was surprisingly plain. No statues or fine hangings graced the walls, and the floors were plain polished stone. Here and there, black wrought lamps hung from chains. What doors he could see were closed, and the view beyond the windows was all of dirt courtyards.
A few guards glanced at Vlandar but made no attempt to stop him. The warrior must be someone of importance, despite his modest remarks, Lhors thought. Father told me about men like that. The best fighters don’t needto brag.
A boy came running up behind them, swerved around Lhors and his companion, then pelted down the hallway, a small leather pouch slapping against his back. Vlandar turned down yet another hall and stopped before massive double doors. Two more guards stood here, but these were older, grim-faced men who stood at attention with drawn blades before them.
Vlandar gripped Lhors’ shoulder and murmured, “They know me,and I’ll vouch for you.” He spoke to the guards, and one of them nodded. Theyboth stepped back and held the doors open.
The room itself was much smaller than Lhors would have imagined from the size of the doors. The ceiling was barely higher than the lintel, and a long table surrounded by a dozen high-backed chairs took up most of the chamber. Thick curtains in a muted green covered one wall. The opposite wall was almost completely taken up by an immense fireplace. High, small windows along the back wall let in light, but the room was still dim, warm, and almost stuffy.
Vlandar tugged at Lhors’ hair and leaned close to murmuragainst his ear, “This is the lord’s private audience chamber. Let me go first.When I beckon, you come forward, kneel, and bend your head. Do not rise or look up until the lord or I tell you to do so. Can you remember that?”