" 'A sort of chieftain.' " Rod scowled. " What name does he call this chieftain by?"
"Dictator." Tuan chewed at the inside of his cheek. "A most strange title. There shall be no nobles or king, only the dictator. In all truth, most strange."
Rod's mouth tightened with sourness. "Not so strange as all that. But you don't mean to say the beggars think they can take the castle?"
"Nay, but it is known that the South is in arms, and Catharine was never one to be waiting till the battle was brought to her."
"Oh." Rod chewed that one over. "You mean the Mocker's pretty sure she'll march south to meet them?"
"Most assuredly. And the Mocker will march south behind her."
Rod nodded. "So when the armies join battle, the beggars will attack the royal forces from the rear."
"Ever their way," rumbled Loguire.
Tuan nodded agreement. "And caught between two forces, her armies will last scarce half an hour."
"And what does the Mocker propose to do about the councillors and noblemen after the battle's over? Durer means to make your brother king."
"So it would seem," Tuan agreed, "but the Mocker hath an answer to that, and to all the noblemen."
"Oh?" Rod raised an eyebrow.
"Aye, Tis a tube of metal fitted into a crossbow stock, nothing more; but it throws a ball of lead which can pierce the stoutest armor."
"And he means to put one of these into the hands of every man in the army?"
"Oh, nay." Tuan frowned. "He hath but the five of them, one for himself, one for each of his three lieutenants , and one for his fourth lieutenant." Tuan jerked his head toward Tom's recumbent mountain form. "But that one hath lately fallen into disfavor. He assures us the five tubes shall answer for the full force of noblemen and councillors."
But Rod was staring at Tom. "Big Tom?" He gulped. "A lieutenant?"
"Aye." Tuan frowned. "Did you not know he was ofClovis?"
Tom opened one hound's eye and looked back at Rod.
Rod looked away, cleared his throat, and pursed his lips. "Well, ah, that does explain a few things."
He switched his eyes back to Tom. "So you're part of the Inner Circle?"
Big Tom smiled sourly and held up one lumber forearm. The chain clashed and rattled. "Was," he said.
"He stood against them," rumbledLoguire, "stood against his fellows and this—how do you name him? The Mocker—stood against the Mocker and his three jackals when they commanded I be 'prisoned with my son. 'Nay,' quoth your man Tom, 'I must needs take him back to my master, where he will be aid to your plans. "The plans are changed,' quoth they, and would not hear of enlarging me; and then your man Tom, here, fought cheek by jowl at my side, and accounted for a most goodly number of them." This last was said in a tone of surprised respect.
Tom grinned, and Rod saw with a shock that one tooth was missing from the big man's smile. "Thou art braw brawler tha'self," Tom chuckled. "I ha' not thought gentlemen could fight so well without armor or sword."
Rod peered into the shadows at Tom's end of the room and saw that the big man's eye was swollen and purple; also, there was a slash with a new scab across one lumpy cheek.
He sat back, smiling on one side of his face. "How many heads did you bash in, Big Tom?"
"Scarce a round score," Tom replied with disgust. "I had but this one stalwart gentleman to guard my back, and there were too many for us."
Rod grinned, wondering if Loguire knew just how deeply he had been complimented.
He stretched, yawned." Well, that pretty well brings us up to date. Anybody got a poker deck?"
The two Loguires frowned, puzzled; but a flicker of recognition passed in Big Tom's eyes.
Rod smiled sourly at the big peasant, and Tom's face turned wooden. He stared back at Rod.
"Oh, come on now, Tom!" Rod snapped. "Your secret's official knowledge now. No more point to playing games, is there?"
Tom glowered at him; then slowly, his face livened again, to a brooding, meditative look.
He leaned back against the wall, half closing his eyes. "Aye, tha hast the right of it, as when hast thou not?"
With a sinking feeling, Rod began to realize that Big Tom saw him as more than just an employer, or a piece in the game.
"My lot is cast with thee now," said Tom," whether I would have it or no; so wherefore should I dissemble?"
"Dissemble?" Rod cocked an eyebrow at his serving-man. "Pretty high-falutin' vocabulary for a simple peasant, Big Tom."
Tom waved a hand impatiently. "Be done with your games! I am unmasked; do me the courtesy to take off your own."
Rod froze.
Then, slowly, he smiled. "You're quicker than the average ursine, Big Tom. How long have you known?"
The Loguires stared, totally lost.
Big Tom gave a short bark of laughter. "Why, master, since first you used judo on me!"
"Ah." Rod's eyebrows lifted. "From the first, then? So that's why you wangled the batman job."
Tom smiled lazily.
"Under orders?"
Tom nodded.
Rod lowered his eyes, studying the chain on his wrist.
"What are you, master?"
"A warlock." Rod winced inside; but it was the best answer under the circumstances.
Big Tom spat. "Games, master, games! Twas yourself said to be done with 'em! You are not of the councillors, else you would not ha' stolen the Lord Loguire away from them; and you are not of the House, or I would ha' known you of old. What are you, then?"
"A warlock," Rod repeated. "A new player in the game, Big Tom, and one who stands squarely behind the Queen. X, the unknown factor in the councillors' and Clovis' equations, here by pure happenstance and coincidence."
"Warruh!" Big Tom spat again. "I ha' small faith in happenstance, master. I ha' known that you back the Queen; may I ask who stands behind you"?"
"Strange manner of talk," growled Loguire, angering, "for a footman to his lord."
Rod smiled bleakly. "A most strange footman, my lord."
"Aye, and a most strange lord," Tom snarled. "Who backs you, Rod Gallowglass?"
Rod studied the big man, then shrugged. The word would mean nothing to the Loguires, and Tom was on his side now anyway.
"SCENT," he answered.
Tom stared; then, almost whispering, he said, "I ha' thought the last of them were dead." He swallowed, bit his lip. "Eh, but tha'rt alive. Tha might be a ghost, but nay; tha'rt alive, or the witch would scarce be so fond of thee. I ha' heard ye were dispersed, after ye won; but nay, I ought to ha' known. 'Twas secret, and secret from all, mayhap; but thou lived."
"Won?" Rod frowned.
And was answered by a frown of even deeper perplexity from Tom.
Then the big man's face cleared. He grinned, rocking back against the wall, and roared laughter.
The Loguires stared from him to Rod, who spread his hands, shaking his head. They looked back at Tom, wiping his eyes and eking the remains of his laugh into chuckles. "Eh, eh, now I see it, aye, now, and fool that I was not to see it before. What age art thou, master?"
"Age?" Rod scowled. "Thirty-two. Why?"
"Nay, nay!" Tom shook his head impatiently. "What age are thou from?"
Rod's mouth formed a round, silent O as the light dawned. "It was a time machine!"
Big Tom's face froze as he realized the implications of Rod's answer.
"And," Rod pressed, "there's another one hidden in this building, isn't there?"
"Enough!" Big Tom snapped, and his eyes were very cold. "You know too much already, Rod Gallowglass."
Fear gathered in Rod's belly and crawled up his spine as he saw chill, amoral murder come into the man's eyes.
"Big Tom." He cleared his throat, spoke in a swift, driving monotone. "Big Tom, your own kind have turned against you now. You owe them no allegiance; and the wrongs they said they'd fix, I can fix, too. Go back to them, and they'll kill you. I won't, you know that."
The annihilation ebbed from Tom's eyes, the huge body relaxed.
"Nay," Tom growled, "thou hast right again, though not in the way tha knowest. They ha' but bottled me up for now, till the great deeds are done; but they will hale me forth again, for I am too costly a man to discard so lightly. But tha'rt right they will slay me—in a year, two years, or five, when my office is done. And I do wish to live."