But as they clattered across the bridge into the city, armed guards waited for them on the opposite shore.
The Readers knew it, of course-but they Read that the men had orders simply to take them to Maldek’s castle. There was little use resisting.
“Maldek is honored by your visit,” the officer in charge of the troop informed them. “We are your escort.”
No sinister intent could be Read beyond his words-only curiosity as to who this ragtag band of weary travelers might be, that had aroused such interest in the Master Sorcerer.
They had to ride on for more than an hour to reach the castle-but then it might have taken that long to find accommodations in the city. The road through the forest which separated the castle from the city was broad and well cared for-no need to thread their horses through a tangle of undergrowth here.
The drawbridge was down for them-but it was pulled up behind them with a sinister rumble once they were inside the courtyard. Torio noted that it was manipulated with a huge chain, not ropes-no sword slash could let this drawbridge fall, nor could a minor Adept easily break or burn through that chain.
Maldek expected to hold in-or out-people of both cleverness and power.
Servants came running out to the courtyard, boys to take their horses, women in clean dresses with fresh white aprons, and a majordomo who announced, “Maldek bids you welcome, gracious ladies and gentlemen. If it will please you to follow, his servants will take you where you may refresh yourselves before he grants you an interview.”
One of the boys came toward Gray with a collar and leash. The dog, who was leaning so tightly against Torio as almost to knock him over, growled menacingly, and the boy backed off.
Trusting the animal’s instincts, Torio said, “He stays with me,” and hoped the beast was house-broken.
“As you wish, sir,” said the lad with a bow, and Gray followed Torio inside.
They were taken to baths that rivaled the great bathhouse at Zendi. While they soaked away grime and weariness in the warm pool, servants brought them fruit and wine, nuts and cheese. Then other servants washed them with sweet-smelling soap- even Gray, who, although he enjoyed splashing in the cold pool, submitted to the lathering only at Torio’s insistence. In the process, of course, he shook soapsuds so far into the corners that Torio was sure people would be slipping on them for weeks to come.
Finally, they were dried with soft towels and wrapped in silken robes. “If you gentlemen will come this way,” said the majordomo, “I believe we can find garments suitable for you. The women will take care of the ladies.”
“No-” began Zanos.
“It’s all right,” his wife told him. “Zanos, they’ve let us keep our weapons-which can only mean Maldek knows how little use they would be if he chose to use his powers against us now. We are Readers-he knows we can find one another, no matter what he does.”
So Zanos, Torio, and Gray were taken to a room where the men had their hair and beards combed and trimmed, and even the dog was brushed until he looked twice his size. Then the two men were fitted with silken tunics, covered with fur-trimmed, embroidered velvet robes. Under them went silken hose and soft felt ankle boots-warm indoor attire against the chill of the stone castle.
When they finally met with the approval of the majordomo, they were led through huge arched hallways inlaid with marble, gold, and precious stones, into a chamber only twice as large as the great hall in Lenardo’s villa.
But where Lenardo’s hall was light and decorated with bright colors, this room was paneled in dark wood that glinted softly in the torchlight. There was a fireplace, with a blaze that was somehow warm without being cheery, but there were no furnishings beyond a strip of rich, thick carpet on the floor leading up some steps to a platform, also thickly carpeted. On the platform was a throne-and on the throne lounged Maldek, leaning back with his right leg thrown across the padded arm of his throne. He thus leaned to the left, his left hand casually caressing an animal of some kind that sat in the shadows on the carpeted platform, leaning into his caresses just as Gray did for Torio.
When Gray saw the animal, he growled, and the beast opened surprising green eyes and chattered in a high-pitched voice.
Torio put a hand on Gray’s head and silently ordered him to sit. Obediently, the dog did-but although his growls were no longer audible, Torio could feel them as vibrations in the dog’s skull.
It took several commands for Maldek to silence the other animal’s chattering-an ape of some sort, Torio recognized, as large as a man in the torso but with short dwarfed and bowed legs, so that its hands touched the ground when it stood. It was covered in thick reddish hair, except right around those strange eyes, and the disturbingly human hands.
Maldek was just as they had seen him in Dirdra’s memory: very large and powerfully built, and dressed all in black. Tonight his robe was furred, with little of the silver embroidery they had seen before, but his face wore the same self-satisfied smile, chiseled perfection, carved in ice.
“Welcome to my castle,” he greeted them in tones that attempted sincerity without warmth. “I trust my servants have treated you well. You deserve it-you passed all my tests with alacrity. I rarely find such worthy opponents.”
“We have not come to oppose you, Maldek,” Torio said. “Until you attacked us, we had no quarrel with you at all. Since we were able to defeat you at every turn, we will now consider-”
“Defeat?” The sorcerer laughed heartily. “You think you have defeated me, simply because you managed to get here through the obstacles? My dear Torio, the contest has not yet begun. Tell him, Zanos-you have merely passed the qualifying rounds to enter the games!”
“We are not here to play games,” Torio began, but just then the doors to the chamber were opened once more, to admit the women.
Maldek rose to his feet. “Ah-the ladies. Please enter. The lovely Astra, wife of Zanos-you are a fortunate man, sir.” He grinned lasciviously at the gladiator, and Torio Read Zanos quell his fighting instinct.
Astra was dressed in robes of a deep wine-colored velvet, trimmed in gray fur and encrusted with garnets. Her hair was elaborately styled and entwined with velvet ribbons sparkling with the same jewels.
Melissa was in gold velvet with dark brown fur trim that matched her hair-which had been styled so that part of it was braided and curled with bands of gold mesh, but the rest hung loosely down her back, displaying its natural curl. Her dress was heavily encrusted with gold. “Melissa,” said Maldek, “Reader and healer-but also a woman of Adept powers. You have come to me to learn how to expand those powers.”
“Only in the direction of healing,” she replied warily, trying as Torio was to Read what the peculiar look in Maldek’s eyes meant. But he was braced against their Reading him.
After what seemed to Torio far too long a study of Melissa, Maldek reached between her and Astra to pull forward the woman half-hidden behind them. “Dirdra!”
The Maduran woman’s exquisite beauty was enhanced by a green velvet gown the exact color of her eyes. Instead of fur, feathers in iridescent greens decorated her robe. She was magnificently beautiful, but deathly pale.
Maldek pulled her forward into the torchlight. “Why, Dirdra, you haven’t deserted us after all. Look, Kwinn-your sister has come back to us!”
And as he spoke, the creature that had remained crouched beside the throne, afraid to pass Gray to follow its master, gave a great cry and fairly flew across the room to hug Dirdra about the knees, gasping painful sounds that they all knew now were meant to be words of joyful greeting.
Dirdra dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms about his shoulders, holding him close, her tears dropping like diamonds onto the trembling furred pelt as she whispered, “I couldn’t leave you like this!