When the steward was gone, Egil turned to Dolph. "We caught but a glimpse of the estate as we rode in from the city, lad. May we freely tour the grounds?"
"Ja, sir," replied the chamberboy. "At liberty to roam you are where you will… all but the queen's spire."
"Queen's spire?"
"Ja, there." The lad pointed out the window at the central tower. "Her private quarters those are. The balcony to her bedchamber from here you can see."
"Oh, which one?"
"That is the one at the top, sir."
Egil glanced up at the balcony, but it stood empty.
Aiko stepped over and looked as well, then she turned to Egil and shrugged.
"Is there aught else you need?" asked the youth.
"Chewing sticks and mint leaves," said Aiko, and Alos groaned in response.
As the boy turned to go, Egil said, "If we are not here when you return, we will be exploring the castle and grounds, should anyone ask."
"Ja, sir. On your way back if finding these quarters you have trouble, any servant just ask for the way; the green room of the east tower this is. To direct you they will be able."
"What's your name again, boy?" asked Alos.
"Dolph."
"Well, Dolph, we've not yet broken our fast. When and where do we eat?"
"Each tower a dining hall has down below-of course is best the east one. At dawn and mid of day and twilight meals are served, anytime you can eat though as guests. Here to your room food I can fetch, if rather you would. Of course, to the great hall you'll be going for the banquet tonight. A bell all will summon."
"And the great hall?"
"The central wing, sir, it is."
"Well and good, boy. Well and good."
Dolph looked from one to the other. "Breakfast to fetch would you like me?"
Aiko shook her head. "No. Just the chewing sticks and mint. We will find our own way to a meal."
As Dolph sped from the room on his errand, Egil said, "Let us break fast and then explore, gauge the defenses and the lay of the land and the plan of the buildings. We may need a quick way out, and depending upon what we find, we can set our strategy. Too, I would look for Baron Steiger; perhaps he remembers where we met. If not, even so, he may yield a clue as to my stolen memories."
After their morning meal, they strolled the grounds, passing among flower gardens and limpid pools containing what Alos called "calico fishies" but which Aiko named "koi." Aiko stood a moment at the edge of one of the pools; the brightly scaled fish swam to the surface as if they expected to be fed. "My father told me that in the pools of Lord Yodama there were many of these uo. They are highly prized in Ryodo." She stood a moment more, gazing down as if lost in thought. Then she spun on her heel and walked away, wiping her cheeks with the heels of her hands.
On they wended 'round the hill, and they came upon a hedge maze. Arin grabbed Egil by the hand and, laughing, pulled him into the labyrinth. They wandered through its convoluted corridors, lost, but finally found themselves at what they believed was the center, for there on a pedestal stood a white marble statue of a nude young woman, life-sized and lifelike in every detail. Affixed to the base was a golden plaque engraved Die Konigin Gudrun die Schone.
"Dost thou think it is our hostess?" asked Ann, eyeing the form critically.
"If it is," replied Egil, grinning, "modesty is not among her virtues."
Now Arin smiled and, standing on tiptoe, kissed Egil on the cheek. Then she took him by the hand and turned to go, just as Aiko and Alos came to the labyrinth center.
"Huah," exclaimed Alos, walking around the sculpture and viewing it from all sides.
Aiko, though, glanced at the plaque and asked, "What does it say?"
"Queen Gudrun the Comely," replied Alos.
"Ah so," mused Aiko. "If faithful in every detail, then perhaps we look upon the like of our mad monarch."
Alos, completing his circuit, asked, "Why do you suppose she has such a work sitting out where everyone can see?"
Aiko shrugged, but Egil said, "Perhaps this is why she is called 'mad.' "
"Mayhap so," said Arin. "It is a puzzle, nevertheless."
Egil nodded in agreement, then said, "Come. Let us go. There is much yet to see, and I would know the ground on which we stand. As I said before, there may come a time when we will need to know the best way to take flight."
"Or the best place to stand and fight," added Aiko.
"Aye," replied Egil, "or fight."
"Don't forget the rutting peacock," said Alos. "It is, after all, why we are here."
All three looked at Alos, as if surprised.
"Well I said I would go this far," snapped the oldster. "But no farther, d' y' hear? No farther."
Arin smiled. "Come. Let us leave."
They wandered through the labyrinth only to find themselves back at the statue. "Well, this is a puzzle, all right," declared Egil. "Easy to get in; hard to get out."
Again they turned to go, wending through the hedges, but found themselves at the statue once more.
"Y' know," grumped Alos, "a person could starve in here."
As they strode away from the statue, Egil said, "When next we find ourselves at the center, we should think on marking our way so we'll know where we've been."
Moments later they stood at the statue again.
Aiko rested her hands on the pommels of her swords. "I am of a mind to hack straight through."
Egil looked up at the form. "Perhaps this is why she's called mad-putting such a trap on her grounds, a trap that just anyone can wander into."
"Do you think it's cursed?" asked Alos.
Suddenly Aiko's eyes flew wide, and she turned to Arin. "Dara"-Aiko gestured at the statue- "could this be the cursed keeper of faith in the maze?"
Now Arin's eyes flew wide. "Oh, my."
Egil shook his head. "The Queen of Jute? Could she be both?"
Alos frowned. "Both?"
Egil held up two fingers. "The mad monarch and the cursed keeper of faith in the maze?"
"Oh," said Alos, enlightened.
All three looked at Arin, but she turned up her hands. "I do not know."
Egil sighed. "That's the trouble with redes and prophecies: they are riddles: a person never knows what in Hel they mean until they come true. Why can't they simply be plain?"
He looked from one to another, yet none could answer his question, though Aiko said, "Who knows the ways of madmen and gods and prophecies?"
"Well, I think none of us will ever know even if we do escape from this maze," said Egil. "Regardless, let's get out."
Aiko nodded and started to draw her sword, but Arin gestured No. "I believe I can set us free from this trap, and then we shall deal with the question of the queen as the keeper of faith in a maze."
Arin turned and looked at the maze in her special way, as if attempting to ‹see›. To her eyes it seemed to glow with a faint aura. Leading, she walked them through the maze and into the open. The way out was simple, straightforward, and they could not understand how they had ever been befooled, though Alos said, "See, it was cursed… or magic."
Free from the hedge maze, they continued on 'round the grounds, encircling the castle proper, scanning walls and defenses, noting where stood doorways, eyeing places where they could conceal themselves if it came to such, noting as well the barricade encircling the hill, with its ramps and banquettes and gorges, and noting as well where men patrolled and where others stood sentry.
Directly behind the castle and a bit downslope they came upon a small granite courtyard enclosed by a low wall. The stone within was blackened, as if scorched repeatedly by fire. The way in was barred by a latched, low-set, wrought-iron gate. Scrollwork across the gate spelled out the word "Geliebter."
"What does it mean?" asked Aiko.
"Beloved," replied Alos. "Er, 'beloved man,' I think."