Skel said: "It is boring and inconsequential chatter; they talk of this and that."
"Still, I wish to hear."
"Whatever you like."
Into Travec's ear came Torqual's voice:
"... sent no funds for my account?"
"Fifteen gold coins only," spoke Cory. "Travec also brought funds from Casmir-ten gold crowns-but said they were for the company. Perhaps they were intended for you. Here! Take the lot!"
"It is a pittance!" said Torqual in disgust.
"This is Casmir's careful scheme: he thinks to divert me from my own plans so that I should work in accordance with his."
"Does he know your plans?"
"Perhaps he guesses." Torqual turned and looked off down Glen Dagach. "I have made no great secret of them."
"Out of curiosity, then, what might be your plans?"
Torqual said tonelessly: "I will take command of these moun tains, through devastation and terror. Then I will conquer both Ulflands, North and South. I will rally the Ska once more to war. First we take Godelia, then Dahaut, and next all the Elder Isles. Then we attack the world. There never shall be such a conquest nor so wide an empire! That is my scheme. But now I must grovel to Casmir for men and weapons to take me through these arduous first times."
Cory spoke in a subdued voice. "Your plan has, if nothing else, the merit of grandeur."
Torqual said indifferently: "It is something which can be done. Hence, it must be done."
"The odds would seem to be against you."
"Such odds are difficult to compute. They can fluctuate over night. Aillas is my foremost and worst enemy. He would seem formidable, with his army and his navy, but he is insensitive; he ignores Ulfish rancor against his Troice regime. The barons grudge him their every submission; many would revolt at a moment's notice."
"And you would lead them?"
"It is necessary. Left to themselves they are a proud and quarrelsome rabble; they grumble because Aillas has checked their feuds! Ha! When at last I lead them they will know the meaning of Ska discipline! Compared to me, Aillas will seem an angel of mercy!"
Cory gave a noncommittal grunt. "My assignment is to assassinate Aillas. I command five murderers who will work for the joy of it-though all hope to be paid."
"That is a joke," said Torqual. "Casmir rewards his faithful servants with the twist of a noose. He bestows few boons after the deed is done."
Cory nodded. "If I am as successful as I hope, I can control Casmir nicely by holding Prince Dhrun as a captive. For the moment, at least, our interests run parallel. I hope, therefore, that you will give me counsel and cooperation."
Torqual brooded for a moment, then asked: "How do you propose to act?"
"I am a careful man. I will spy out Aillas' movements. I will learn where he eats, sleeps and rides his horse; whether he uses a paramour or enjoys solitude, and the same for Dhrun. When I discover a pattern or an opportunity, I shall do my work."
"That is a methodical plan," said Torqual. "Still, it will require much time and effort, and might well provoke suspicion. I can suggest a more immediate opportunity."
"I will be glad to hear it."
"Tomorrow I set off on a rich expedition. The town Willow Wyngate is guarded by Green Willow Castle. Lord Minch, his sons and his knights, have journeyed to Doun Darric; there they will greet King Aillas who has only just returned from abroad. The way is not far: only twenty miles and they think the castle secure in their absence. They are wrong; we will take Green Willow Castle and loot the town as well. Now then! Aillas and Lord Minch will be notified that Green Willow is under attack; they will instantly ride to its relief. This may be your opportunity, since the route provides scope for ambush. A single arrow and Aillas is dead."
"What of Prince Dhrun?"
"This is the charm of the situation. Dhrun fell from a horse and broke a rib; he will stay at Doun Darric. If you ride at speed from your ambush, you may be able to take Dhrun as well."
"It is a bold thought."
"I will assign you a scout. He will show you where to lay your ambush and then lead you to Doun Darric. He knows also where Dhrun is lodged."
Cory pulled at his chin. "If all goes well, both of us profit- to our mutual benefit and perhaps to our continued association."
Torqual nodded. "So it may be. We depart tomorrow after noon, so that we may attack Green Willow at dawn." He looked at the sky. "Clouds are sweeping in from the sea and soon rain will be blowing across Neep Meadow. You may bring your men into the keep to sleep by the fireplace."
Cory returned to where his company waited. He said weightily: "I now will explain our venture. We are to put an arrow into King Aillas."
Este said with a small smile: "This news is no surprise."
Galgus said gruffly: "What is the plan? We expect to take risks, but we are alive today because we season daring with caution."
"Well spoken," said Travec. "I am not eager to die along these dank moors."
"If anything, I am even less eager than you," said Cory. "The plan bodes well. We strike in stealth from ambush, then flee like wild birds to escape our punishment."
"That is sensible procedure," said Izmael. "On the steppe it is our native custom."
"At this moment you may put up the horses and bring your gear into the castle, where we will sleep by the fireplace. There I will explain further details of the plan."
Travec took his hammer-headed horse to the stables, and lingered a moment after the others were gone. He whispered:
"Skel! You must carry a message!"
"Cannot it be delayed? Both Voner and I are fatigued with all this moil. We were planning to spend an hour or so tracing out illusions."
"You must wait until after your task is done. Go instantly to the town Doun Darric, which lies northwest of this place. Seek out King Aillas, and without delay give him the following mes sage...
IV
During the late afternoon veils of rain drifted up Glen Dagach, and presently slanted into Old Neep Meadow. Cory and his company gathered in the great hall of the ancient castle, where flames roared high in the fireplace to cast a ruddy light around the room. They were served a supper of bread, cheese, a pot of venison stew and a leather sack of tart red wine.
After the meal the group became restless. Galgus brought out his dice, but no one cared to gamble. Kegan, from sheer boredom, looked into a dusty chamber under the old staircase, where he noticed, beneath the detritus of uncounted years, a cupboard of desiccated wood. He scraped away the trash and opened the warped doors, but in the dim light saw only empty shelves. As he turned away, his eye fell upon a shape at the back of the lowest shelf. He reached down and extricated an oblong box. The box was large and heavy, and joined of dense cedar heartwood.
Kegan carried the box out to the table in front of the fireplace and while his comrades looked on, he pried open the lid. Everyone peered down at the object inside: a carefully carved fabrication of soapstone slabs and other pieces, stained black, and decorated with a hundred elaborations carved from onyx, jet and agate. Cory came to look. "It is a little catafaique, in the ancient style-a miniature, or a model, or perhaps a toy." He reached to lift it from the box, but Kegan seized his arm. "Stop! It may be a bewitchment, or a cursed object! Let no one touch the thing!"
Torqual came into the hail, followed by a slender dark-haired woman of extreme beauty.
Cory called Torqual's attention to the miniature catafalque. "What do you know of this? Kegan found it under the stair case."
Torqual frowned down into the box. "It means nothing to me."
Este said: "In some fashionable house of Rome this object might well be used as a high-style salt cellar."