The Ruby Knight

Rendorish invasion is being led by a man named Martel. Martel works for Annias, and he’s been trying to stir up enough trouble to draw the Church Knights away from Chyrellos during the election. Our Preceptors could probably keep Annias off the Archprelate’s throne, so he had to get them out of his way.’
    ‘The man’s a real snake, isn’t he?’
    ‘That’s a pretty fair description.’
    ‘You’ve given me a lot to think about this morning, Sparhawk. I’ll mull it over, and we’ll talk some more about it later.’
    A sudden light sprang into Sparhawk’s eyes.
    ‘Don’t get your hopes up too much, though. I still think I’m going to need you when I get to Arcium. Besides, the militant orders have already marched south. You’re Vanion’s right arm, and I think he’d miss you if you stayed away.’
    Time and distance seemed to drag on interminably as they rode west. They crossed into Pelosia again and rode across the unending plains in bright summer sunlight.
    One night when they were still some distance from the border of Deira, Kalten was in a bad humour. ‘I thought you said you were going to speed this trip up,’ he said accusingly to Flute.
    ‘I have,’ she replied.
    ‘Really?’ he said with heavy sarcasm. ‘We’ve been on the road for a week already, and we haven’t even reached Deira yet.’
    ‘Actually, Kalten, we’ve only been on the road for two days. I have to make it seem longer so that Wargun doesn’t get suspicious.’
    He looked at her disbelievingly.
    ‘I’ve got another question for you, Flute,’ Tynian said. ‘Back at the lake, you were very eager to catch Ghwerig and take Bhelliom away from him. Then you suddenly changed your mind and said that we have to go to Acie. What happened?’
    ‘I received word from my family,’ she told him. ‘They told me about this task I have to complete at Acie before we can go after Bhelliom.’ She made a wry face. ‘I probably should have thought of it myself.’
    ‘Let’s get back to this other thing,’ Kalten said impatiently. ‘How did you squeeze time together the way you said you have?’
    ‘There are ways,’ she said evasively.
    ‘I wouldn’t pursue it, Kalten,’ Sephrenia advised. ‘You wouldn’t understand what she’s been doing, so why worry about it? Besides, if you keep asking her questions, she might decide to answer you, and the answers would probably upset you very much.’

Chapter 22

    It seemed that it took them two more weeks to reach the foothills above Acie, the bleak, ugly capital of Deira, which perched on an eroded bluff overlooking the original harbour and the long, narrow Gulf of Acie. Flute advised them that evening, however, that no more than five days had passed since they had left the city of Agnak in Lamorkand. Most of them chose to take her at her word, but Sir Bevier, who was of a scholarly and resolutely Elene frame of mind, questioned her about how this seeming miracle had come to pass. Her explanation was patient, although dreadfully obscure. Bevier finally excused himself and went outside the tent for a time to look at the stars and to re-establish his relations with things he had always considered immutable and eternal.
    ‘Did you understand anything she said at all?’ Tynian asked him when he returned, pale and sweating to the tent.
    ‘A little,’ Bevier replied, sitting down again, ‘just around the edges.’ He looked at Flute with frightened eyes. ‘I think perhaps that Patriarch Ortzel was right. We should have no dealings with these Styric people. Nothing is sacred to them.’
    Flute crossed the tent on her grass-stained little feet and laid a consoling hand on his cheek. ‘Dear Bevier,’ she said sweetly, ‘so serious and so devout. We must get to Thalesia quickly – just as soon as I can finish what I have to do in Acie. We simply did not have the time to plod half-way across the continent at the usual pace. That’s why I did it the other way.’
    ‘I understand the reasons,’ he said, ‘but -’
    ‘I will never hurt you, you know, and I won’t let anybody else hurt you either, but you must try not to be so rigid. It makes it so very hard to explain things to you. Does that help at all?’
    ‘Not appreciably.’
    She raised up on her tiptoes and kissed him. ‘Now then,’ she said brightly, ‘everything’s all right again, isn’t it?’
    He gave up. ‘Do as you will, Flute,’ he said to her with a gentle, almost shy smile. ‘I can’t refute your