On the other hand, if it tried, Gruesome would have to fight it and it might not be smart enough to realize that. I decided I didn't want to find out. I retreated back to Gilbert's side with alacrity and turned away east. "On the other hand, maybe a one-mile detour wouldn't be so bad after all. Let's go, Gilbert-fast!"
"If you say so, Wizard." He mounted and paced alongside me on his horse, trying not to let his smile show.
I tried to ignore it - and tried harder to ignore the slap of huge flat feet behind me. I'd had experience with that, too, but it wasn't working any better this time than it had before.
Gilbert didn't seem to mind it, but every now and then, I caught him glancing back out of the corner of his eye. All in all, it was a very nervous-making mile, though he and I tried to cover up with light conversation.
"So you were born a peasant, but within the order you can become a knight?"
"Aye. Even so, 'tis not likely, mind you - but I may attain glory enough to cover me with honor."
Interesting metaphor. I was tempted to try to figure out if it was mixed, but resisted in favor of gaining information. "Any chance you can change your mind then, leave the order, and get married?"
"Oh, nay!" He turned to me, shocked. "I would never wish to leave the order!"
"Eighteen is young," I said, from the airy height of twenty-five. "Twelve years from now, you might be tempted to reconsider."
"Heaven forfend! May the angels protect me from such!"
"I hope so," I agreed. "But could you, if you wanted to?' He started to object again, then closed his mouth, frowning, and thought it over.
"Purely hypothetically, mind you," I said.
"Nay, I could not," he said. "In the Order of Saint Moncaire, we do not take our final vows until we are accorded the accolade of knighthood.
"So." I nodded. "Once you become a knight, you can't quit."
"Aye," he agreed. "Before that time, whilst I am still a squire, I could leave the order, if I wished - but I do not wish." I hoped he wouldn't get the quick exit that would no doubt be the most honorable. I'm sure he would have wanted it, though. These medieval Christians were crazy for martyrdom.
Well, there went my notion of social mobility. In my own feudal Europe, the only two ways for a young man to rise in socioeconomic status were through the army, and through the Church. in the army, there was an extremely long shot that a peasant might be knighted on the battlefield for services above and beyond the call of sanity. In the Church, native ability alone might push him up to the rank of bishop, or pope if he were Italian-but he wouldn't have any heirs to leave it to. So, okay, the Order of Saint Moncaire was giving Gilbert a chance to improve himself-but only just himself. Well, that was all he asked, anyway.
So far.
The slapping of big flat feet was coming closer. I glanced back over my shoulder and saw that the troll was gaining, and he had a big wide grin. Okay, it was an eager, puppy-dog, ingratiating grin-but it didn't exactly fill me with enthusiasm. "Uh, Squire Gilbert-should we do anything about our hungry friend back there?"
"Feed him, do you mean?" Gilbert looked back, then thought better of the idea. "With meat of beasts, that is."
"Assuming we're not beasts." I gave the troll a jaundiced eyeglance, I mean. "I'm not sure he knows the distinction - and he's definitely getting closer."
"But of course! How can he protect us if he is not with us?"
"By being far away." I turned back to the front and hurried.
"Come on. Let's find that rock slide."
Chapter Six
It was just a little farther along. A chunk of the hillside was raw and ragged, and the gully was filled with weed-tufted dirt, heavily interspersed with boulders. I eyed it with trepidation. "We're supposed to cross on that?"
"It does look infirm," Gilbert agreed, "but the weeds show that it has been here long enough for the rains to settle it somewhat."
"Yeah, too much - it's at least two feet lower in the center." I decided I must have heard another landslide happening.
"I shall essay it first." Gilbert swung down from his horse's back.
"Yet let Thorn carry only his own weight, that his hooves may not sink lower than they must."
I glanced over my shoulder at what was coming up behind and said, "No, I'm the leader of this expedition-or at least, you're here because of me. I'll go first." I stepped out onto the dirt bridge before he could stop me.
"Nay, Wizard Saul! 'Tis my place!" he cried, but I waded on with determination.
And I do mean "waded" - the dirt gave beneath my feet with every step. My stomach started fluttering, and I began to envision a mini-landslide with me in the middle. It was almost enough to make me believe in the magic the people here kept talking about. I tried to remember some stabilizing verses.
"We come," Gilbert called behind me. I took his word for it; my eyes were on the path ahead, if you could call it that. I tried stepping on the larger stones, and that was better; they sank in a little farther, but at least my feet didn't. I was glad I wore boots. Finally I reached the other side. I grabbed hold of the nearest tree and let myself sag against it. Then I turned around so I could watch Gilbert finishing the trek.
He was doing better than I had, possibly because he was walking in my footsteps-had to shorten his stride to do it, but it gave him a firmer surface. His horse followed on the reins, with a lot of snorting, head tossing, and rolling of the eyes-but whenever they rolled back far enough, he saw the troll wallowing along behind him and decided the dirt was the lesser of two evils.
Gilbert guided him up onto firm land, then looked back at the laboring troll with a frown. "Mayhap we ought to help him."
"Are you crazy?" I protested. "The monster that would have gleefully had us for lunch - even without ketchup? Besides, we're trying to get away from him, remember?"
"'Tis so," Gilbert conceded, but his open, honest face looked unhappy about it. "I hate to leave even an adversary so beset."
"You'll get the hang of it," I assured him. "Look, any chance your horse could carry double for a little while? I hate to ask it of him, but I'd feel a lot better if we could put a few miles between Gruesome, there, and us."
"As you wish," Gilbert sighed, "though 'twill do no good. Once under a geas, a living creature will ever press after his duty." He held the horse steady while I mounted. Fortunately, I'd learned a little bit about riding in my one trip to summer camp, so I knew how to get aboard, at least. I hiked myself back behind the saddle, though.
"Nay, Master Wizard! Do you take the saddle!"
"You don't think I'm dumb enough to try to steer this thing, do you? No, you can have the front seat!"
Gilbert gave me a funny look, but he climbed aboard, bending his knee so his foot missed my face-but not by much-then turning the horse's head inland and shaking the reins. The beast started trotting, and I held on for dear life. "Aren't there ... any ... shock absorbers ... on this bus?"
"I do not follow your meaning, Master Wizard, but I'll essay a faster gait." He knocked his heels into the horse's sides. I was about to protest when the ride smoothed out amazingly. I remembered that a canter is less jouncy than a trot-but only by comparison; it was still pretty rough. On top of that, I was discovering why the army adopted the McClellan saddle. I held tight to Gilbert's midriff and glanced back. Sure enough, Gruesome was still wallowing through the dirt and was growing smaller behind us. I relaxed a little, set my teeth, and turned to the front, determined to last it out. After about fifteen minutes of this - just a guess; my watch seemed to have stopped-I said, "That ought to do it. Must have been a couple of miles, at least."