Eldric coloured and cleared his throat again, turning away from the Queen’s laughing eyes.
Eventually she released him. ‘But we have to talk, Lord,’ she said, more seriously. The hand on his arm became purposeful. ‘I’ve no words adequate enough to thank you and the others for what you did in freeing Fyorlund from Dan-Tor and his evil. I wish I could have ridden with you. In due course you must tell me everything, but for now there are more pressing matters. Do you have any news of my father? Are there any problems with the Orthlundyn and the High Guards working together? When do you intend to move against Narsindalvak?’
Eldric held up a hand to end this stream of ques-tions.
‘Majesty, you must not concern yourself too much with these matters,’ he said. ‘Your task is to tend your child, Rgoric’s heir. Fyorlund’s future king.’
This declaration was a mistake, as the grip on his arm, and the tightened jaw told him.
‘Lord Eldric. I shall tend my child, have no fear, but I am your Queen, by both right and by acclamation, as you may recall, and my other task is to tend my people.’ She levelled a finger at him, and for a moment Eldric thought he heard Rgoric speaking. ‘And there’ll be no Fyorlund for anyone to rule if I fail in that, will there?’
Eldric opened his mouth to speak but the Queen’s look silenced him. ‘I didn’t follow in my father’s hoofprints, rallying the houses that Bragald’s ranting had undermined, nor chase over the mountains and halfway across Fyorlund after the Orthlundyn army, to spend my time surrounded by maids and soft perfumes,’ she said. ‘We are at war, Lord. My small party managed the journey over the mountains, but my father had no other choice than to go the way he did and he’ll need help, perhaps right now. Narsindalvak will have to be taken if… ’
‘Majesty, majesty,’ Eldric interrupted in some alarm, as the Queen looked set to leave her bed and gallop off to Vakloss. ‘I meant no harm by the remark. I was concerned. First the winter kept news of you from reaching us, then came word of Creost and the Morlider invading Riddin. We’ve spent much of the time of your absence fearful that we might have sent you into danger instead of safety.’
Sylvriss looked a little repentant. ‘I understand, Lord,’ she said, more quietly. ‘But until Sumeral and all his minions are brought to account, there’ll be no true peace for Fyorlund… or for any of us.’ She reached out and laid a hand on the crib. Her voice became stern. ‘And I’ll no more sit idly by like a helpless stable maid while these matters are decided, than Rgoric would have.’ She paused and lowered her eyes. ‘And I am concerned about my father.’
Eldric raised his hands in surrender. ‘Majesty. Even now, we’re preparing plans to assault Narsindalvak in order, at least, to occupy Dan-Tor’s forces while your father approaches.’ He looked at her gravely. ‘We can’t protect him on his journey through Narsindal, though, Majesty, and we’ve no news of how he’s faring.’
Sylvriss nodded and a spasm of concern flitted briefly across her face. ‘I realize that,’ she said. ‘But he knew what he was doing and he’ll be riding in close defensive order.’
‘And he has Yengar and Olvric to help guide him,’ Eldric added. ‘They’re no ordinary men and they’ve both ridden the Watch.’
‘And Oslang,’ Sylvriss said, then she let out a small sigh. It seemed for a moment that the chill mists of Narsindal had entered that warm room. The baby whimpered and Sylvriss rocked the crib gently.
The mood passed however, and Sylvriss gave a tight smile. ‘Still, that’s beyond us,’ she said. ‘We can’t let it hinder us here. Our main concern must be with Narsindalvak. Give me an outline of your intentions if you would. I’m afraid Hylland’s forbidden me the saddle for a little while, so I’ll have to stay here until he says otherwise, but… ’
‘Majesty, there’s a coach and your attendants follow-ing,’ Eldric said. ‘We can… ’
He stopped in mid-sentence as Sylvriss’s eyes wid-ened in a mixture of shock and disbelief. ‘A coach!’ she said. Her voice became measured. ‘Have you ever known me to ride in a coach, Lord Eldric?’
Eldric’s hands fluttered vaguely.
‘I am a Muster woman, Lord,’ Sylvriss went on, qui-etly and slowly, but with inexorable resolution. ‘By tradition, we dismount only long enough to give birth, then we remount.’
Eldric sank into his chair a little for protection as Sylvriss continued. ‘In deference to your Fyordyn ways I will accept Hylland’s over-cautious stricture, but I will not be towed back to Vakloss in a cart like a sack of farm produce. Very shortly, I will ride. With my son for all the people to see. And you will ride by my side. In the meantime you will tell me of the plans for the intended assault on Narsindalvak.’
‘Majesty,’ said Eldric, bowing.
Hawklan stood motionless, hypnotized for a moment by the mass of red eyes glinting in the darkness ahead of him.
Hypnotized, until he realized they were moving towards him.
‘Against the wall!’ he shouted, scrambling back to the shelter. ‘Gloves and knives!’
‘And torches!’ Jenna added, overtaking him.
There was a momentary delay amongst the drowsy watchers who had crawled out of the shelter after Hawklan, then the creatures emerged out of the tunnel like a streaming black river, and a flurry of knives, blankets and clothing were dragged out of the shelter with wide-eyed midday wakefulness, and great speed.
Gavor extended his wings in agitation and Dar-volci drew back his lips to reveal his own terrifying teeth.
The creatures were like rats, but bigger, and with large glittering round eyes. The hissing that in Hawk-lan’s dream had become the rustling of distant trees, was a combination of their high-pitched squeaking and the scrape of their taloned feet as they scrambled across the rocky floor. They were tumbling over each other in their haste to enter the chamber.
In the brief seconds it took the travellers to arm and position themselves against the wall, the black tide spewing out of the tunnel spread to occupy over half the floor.
All of the watching group had faced different and dangerous trials in their lives, and faced them with courage, but none showed anything other than rank fear at the sight before them. Its seething activity was made the more horrible by contrast with the many days they had spent seeing only motionless rock and stone about them. Gloves were donned, and blankets hastily wrapped around exposed arms, but their few blades seemed pitifully inadequate against such savage, scurrying, numbers.
They watched dry-mouthed and gaping, as the tide flowed into the chamber; squeaking, scratching, clambering.
They watched for an interminable, unmeasurable, interval.
Then, slowly, the realization dawned that the flood was passing them by unheeded.
And then it was gone.
As silence returned to the chamber, the cohesion of the warriors disintegrated. Almost all of them slithered down to the ground as their legs gave up the uneven struggle between terror and stability.
Hawklan tried to sheathe his sword, but his hands were trembling too much.
‘All right,’ he managed, wiping his hand across his clammy face. ‘Breathe easy. Whatever they were, they’d no interest in us, apparently.’
‘This time round,’ Yrain said, wrapping her arms about herself and shivering. ‘And what if we’d been walking along that tunnel when they came through?’
Hawklan looked at her helplessly, then at Andawyr.
‘It’s the way we must go, Hawklan,’ said the Cad-wanwr, shaking his head.
Hawklan nodded. ‘We’ll think about it in a moment when we’ve all got over the shock a little,’ he said.
He tapped his sword idly against a rock. ‘Is there any point my asking you what they were, Andawyr?’ he said, though not unkindly.
‘They were rats,’ Tirke declaimed definitively, before Andawyr could declare his ignorance.