The Ruby Knight

he would always doubt that he had been thoroughly cleansed. He feels that he has to suffer, so I’ll make sure that he suffers – in moderation, of course. I’m not a monster, after all.’
    ‘Was what he did really a sin?’
    ‘Of course not. He acted out of mercy. He’ll make a very good monk, and after I think he’s suffered long enough I’ll find a nice quiet monastery somewhere and make him the abbot. He’ll be too busy to brood about things, and the Church will get a good, faithful abbot. This is not to mention all those years when I’ll have his services at no cost.’
    ‘You’re not really a very nice man, Your Grace.’
    ‘I have never pretended to be, my son. That will be all, Sir Sparhawk. Go with my blessing.’ The Patriarch winked slyly.
    ‘Thank you, Your Grace,’ Sparhawk said without cracking a smile.
    He felt somehow very pleased with himself as he and the sentry walked back across the camp. He might not always be able to solve his own problems, but he certainly seemed able to solve those of others.
    ‘Kring was telling us that the outside of the camp is being patrolled,’ Tynian said when Sparhawk re-entered the tent. ‘That’s going to make it more difficult to get away, isn’t it?’
    ‘Much more,’ Sparhawk agreed.
    ‘Oh,’ Tynian added. ‘Flute’s been asking some questions about distances. Kurik looked in the packs, but he couldn’t find your map.’
    ‘It’s in my saddle-bag.’
    ‘I should have thought of that, I suppose,’ Kurik said.
    ‘What is it you want to know?’ Sparhawk asked the little girl, opening his saddle-bag for the map.
    ‘How far is it from this Agnak place to Acie?’
    Sparhawk spread his map out on the table in the centre of the pavilion.
    ‘It’s a very pretty picture, but it doesn’t answer my question,’ she said.
    Sparhawk measured it off. ‘It’s about three hundred leagues,’ he replied.
    ‘That still doesn’t answer my question, Sparhawk. I need to know how long it will take.’
    He computed it. ‘About twenty days.’
    She frowned. ‘Perhaps I can shorten that a bit,’ she said.
    ‘What are we talking about here?’ he asked her.
    ‘Acie’s on the coast, isn’t it?’
    ‘Yes.’
    ‘We’re going to need a boat to get us to Thalesia. Ghwerig’s taking Bhelliom to his cave up in the mountains there.’
    ‘There are enough of us to overpower the sentries,’ Kalten said, ‘and dealing with a patrol in the middle of the night’s not all that hard. We’re still not so far behind that we can’t catch him.’
    ‘We have something to do in Acie,’ she told him, ‘- at least I do – and it must be done before we go after Bhelliom. We know where Ghwerig’s going, so he won’t be hard to find. Ulath, go tell Wargun that we’ll accompany him to Acie. Think up some plausible reason.’
    ‘Yes, lady,’ he said with the faintest hint of a smile.
    ‘I wish you’d all stop doing that,’ she complained. ‘Oh, by the way, on your way to Wargun’s tent, ask someone to bring us some supper.’
    ‘What would you like?’
    ‘Goat would be nice, but anything will do as long as it’s not pork.’
    They reached Agnak just before sunset the following day and set up their huge camp. The local citizenry immediately closed the city gates. King Wargun insisted that Sparhawk and the other Church Knights accompany him under a flag of truce to the north gate. ‘I am Wargun of Thalesia,’ he roared at the city walls. ‘I have King Soros of Pelosia with me – as well as these Knights of the Church. The Kingdom of Arcium has been invaded by the Rendors, and I call upon every able-bodied man with faith in God to join with us in our efforts to stamp out the Eshandist heresy. I’m not here to inconvenience you in any way, my friends, but if that gate isn’t open by the time the sun goes down, I’ll reduce your walls to rubble and drive you all into the wilderness where you can watch your city burn down to ashes.’
    ‘Do you think they heard him?’ Kalten asked.
    ‘They probably heard him in Chyrellos,’ Tynian replied. ‘Your king has a most penetrating voice, Sir Ulath.’
    ‘It’s a long way from one mountain top to another in Thalesia,’ Ulath shrugged. ‘You have to talk very loudly if you want to be heard.’
    King Wargun grinned crookedly at him. ‘Would anyone care to wager on whether or not that gate opens before the sun slips behind yon hill?’ he asked.
    ‘We are Church Knights, Your Majesty,’