Such a dolorous look he gave me. Then our minds parted. Nighteyes tottered after him, stiff-legged but dignified. I did not know how far he would get, but at least he would not die in this cave surrounded by hounds and hunting cats that hated him. The Fool would be beside him. That was as much comfort as I could find for myself.
The mouth of the cave was an arch of light. In that halo, I saw Malta brought to the Fool. He took her reins but did not mount her. Instead, he led her in a slow walk, one that matched the pace Nighteyes could sustain. I stared after them, a man and a horse and a wolf walking away from me. Their figures dwindled smaller, and I became aware of Dutiful standing in the circle of my arm, his breathing matching mine. Life walked away from me, and I embraced death here. ‘I’m so sorry,’ I whispered by his ear. ‘I’ll make it fast.’
He already knew. My son’s reply was the barest stirring of air. ‘Not yet. A small corner still belongs to me. I can hold her off for a time, I think. We will let them get as far as they can.’
TWENTY-SIX
Sacrifice
Although it is commonly spoken of as the Mountain Kingdom, that territory and its rulers do not at all follow the Six Duchies concept of what constitutes a true kingdom. A kingdom is most often visualized as a single people in a common territory, ruled over by a monarch. The Mountains do not lend themselves to any of those three defining limits. Rather than a single folk, there are the roving hunters, the migratory herd-folk, traders and travellers with set patterns of routes, and those who choose to eke out a living on scattered little farms throughout the region. It is easy to understand that these folk may share few common interests.
It is natural then that the ‘ruler’ of these folk is not a king in the traditional sense. Rather, the line began with a mediator, a wise man who was adept at arbitrating the disputes that were bound to arise between such disparate peoples. The legends of the Chyurda ‘kings’ abound with tales of rulers willing to offer themselves as ransom, to risk not only wealth but also their own lives for their people. From this tradition comes the honorific the Mountain people bestow on their ruler. Not King or Queen do they call their monarch, but Sacrifice.
Chivalry Farseer, Of the Mountain Kingdom
They moved in, drifting like silt, until Laudwine’s folk stood dark between the light and me. I gazed round at the staring circle of my enemies. The daylight behind them made it hard to distinguish their features in the dim cave, but as my eyes adjusted, I studied each face. They were mostly young men, and among them four young women. None looked older than Laudwine. No Old Blood elders here; the Piebalds were a young man’s cause. Four of the men had the same large, square teeth: brothers or at least cousins. Some seemed almost neutral, but none looked friendly. The only smiles I saw were gloatingly hostile. I loosened my collar again. If Jinna’s charm made any difference, I did not perceive it. I wondered if any were related to the man I had killed at the trailhead. There were animals with them, though not so many as I would have expected. Two hounds and a cat were there, and one man had a raven on his shoulder.
I kept my silence, waiting, with no idea as to what would happen next. The Prince’s cat had never moved from where she crouched on the floor before us. Several times I had seen her glance aside, but each time her eyes had eventually returned to the lad, burning with a peculiar fixation that made them seem human. Laudwine had gone to the mouth of the cave to make his false farewell to Lord Golden. Now he smiled confidently as he came back to confront us.
‘I think we can dispense with your knife,’ Laudwine observed evenly. ‘I’ve kept my part of the bargain.’
‘It might not be wise,’ I cautioned him. Then I lied. ‘The boy tried to get away just a minute ago. The only thing that kept him still was the knife. Best I keep it on him until she’s …’ I sought for words. ‘All the way in,’ I finished lamely. I saw one or two faces twitch with uneasiness. Deliberately, I added, ‘Until Peladine takes his body as her own completely.’ I saw one woman swallow.
Laudwine seemed unaware that this troubled some of his followers. His affable manner never wavered. ‘I think not. It pains me to see you menace a throat that will soon belong to my kin. Your knife, sir. You are among your own kind here, you know. You have nothing to fear.’ He extended a hand for it.
Experience had taught me that those most like me presented the greatest threat to me. But I let a slow smile spread over my face and took my knife from the Prince’s throat. I did not give it to Laudwine, but sheathed it at my belt. I kept one hand always on Dutiful’s shoulder, holding him at my side. Here, where the cave narrowed, I could thrust him behind me if need be. I doubted that need would arise. I intended to kill him myself. Twenty years ago, Chade had drilled me repeatedly in all the ways there were to kill a man with my hands. I had learned silent ways, and swift ways, and ways that were slow. I hoped I would be as quick and accurate as I had once been. The most satisfying tactic would be to wait until the woman took the boy’s body, and then kill Dutiful so quickly that the woman would die with him, unable to flee back into her little cat’s body. Would I still have time to kill myself before they pulled me down? I doubted it. Best not to dwell on such thoughts.
Suddenly, the Prince spoke up for himself. ‘I won’t struggle.’ He shrugged clear of my hand on his shoulder and stood as straight as the low ceiling would allow. ‘I’ve been a fool. Perhaps I deserve this for my foolishness. But I thought …’ His gaze had been travelling the faces that surrounded us. His eyes seemed to know where to linger, and in the wake of his glance, I saw uncertainty kindle on a few faces. ‘I thought you genuinely believed me one of your own. Your welcome and aid seemed so real. My bond with the cat – I had never felt anything like that. And when the woman came into my mind and said that she, that she loved me –’ His voice hesitated over those words, but he forced it on. ‘I thought I had found something real, something worth more than my crown or my family or even my own duty to my people. I was a fool. So. Her name was Peladine, was it? She never told me her name, and of course I never saw her face. Well.’ He folded his knees and sat cross-legged. He opened his arms to the staring cat. ‘Come, cat. You, at least, loved me for myself. I know you like this no better than I do. Let us both be done with this.’