The Ruby Knight

into her basin. ‘Gerrich’s about a mile from the edge of the trees,’ she reported. ‘I think we should let him get well into the woods before we leave.’
    ‘Whatever you say,’ Sparhawk replied, leaning wearily against a wall.
    It was about fifteen minutes later when Sephrenia set her basin on the floor and straightened. ‘I think we can go down now,’ she said.
    They descended to the courtyard where Kurik, Talen and Berit had the horses. The Patriarch Ortzel, stiff-lipped and pale with anger, was with them, and his brother was at his elbow. ‘I shall not forget this, Alstrom,’ he said, pulling his black ecclesiastical robe tighter about him.
    ‘You may feel differently after you’ve had time to think about it. Go with God, Ortzel.’
    ‘Stay with God, Alstrom,’ Ortzel replied, more out of habit, Sparhawk thought, than from any real sense of emotion.
    They mounted and rode out through the gate and on across the drawbridge. ‘Which way?’ Kalten asked Sparhawk.
    ‘North,’ Sparhawk replied. ‘Let’s get clear of this place before Gerrich comes back.’
    ‘That’s supposed to be a number of days.’
    ‘Let’s not take any chances.’
    They rode north at a gallop. It was late afternoon by the time they reached the shallow ford where they had first encountered Sir Enmann. Sparhawk reined in and dismounted. ‘Let’s consider our options,’ he said.
    ‘What precisely did you do back there, Madame?’ Ortzel was saying to Sephrenia. ‘I was in the chapel, and so I did not see what happened.’
    ‘A bit of deception is all, Your Grace,’ she replied. ‘Count Gerrich thought he saw your brother and the rest of us escaping. He gave chase.’
    ‘That’s all?’ He looked surprised. ‘You didn’t -’ He left it hanging.
    ‘Kill anybody? No. I strongly disapprove of killing.’
    ‘That’s one thing we agree about anyway. You’re a very strange woman, Madame. Your morality seems to coincide rather closely with that laid down by the true faith. I would not have expected that from a heathen. Have you ever given any thought to conversion?’
    She laughed. ‘You too, Your Grace? Dolmant’s been trying to convert me for years now. No, Ortzel. I’ll remain faithful to my Goddess. I’m far too old to change religions at this stage in my life.’
    ‘Old, Madame? You?’
    ‘You wouldn’t believe it, Your Grace,’ Sparhawk told him.
    ‘You have all given me much to consider,’ Ortzel said. ‘I have followed what I perceived to be the letter of Church doctrine. Perhaps I should look beyond that perception and seek guidance from God.’ He walked a little way upstream, his face lost in thought.
    ‘It’s a step,’ Kalten muttered to Sparhawk.
    ‘A fairly big one, I’d say.’
    Tynian had been standing at the edge of the shallow ford looking thoughtfully towards the west. ‘I have an idea, Sparhawk,’ he said.
    ‘I’m willing to listen.’
    ‘Gerrich and his soldiers are all searching that forest, and if Sephrenia’s right, the Seeker will be unable to give chase for at least a week. There won’t be any enemies on the other side of this river.’
    ‘That’s true, I suppose. We should probably have a look around on the other side before we get overconfident, though.’
    ‘All right. That’s the safest way, I suppose. What I’m getting at is that if there aren’t any troops over there, it won’t take more than a couple of us to escort His Grace safely to Chyrellos while the rest of us go on to Lake Randera. If things are quiet, we don’t all have to ride to the Holy City.’
    ‘He’s got a good point, Sparhawk,’ Kalten agreed.
    ‘I’ll think about it,’ Sparhawk said. ‘Let’s go on across and have a look around before we make any decisions.’
    They remounted and splashed on across the shallow ford. There was a thicket on the far side. ‘It’s going to get dark soon, Sparhawk,’ Kurik said, ‘and we’re going to have to make camp. Why don’t we hole up in that thicket for the night. Once it gets completely dark, we can come out and look for campfires. No group of soldiers is going to set up for the night without building fires, and we’ll be able to see them. That would be a lot easier and faster than riding up and down the river all day tomorrow trying to flush them out.’
    ‘Good idea. Let’s do it that way then.’
    They made camp for the night in the centre of the thicket and built only a small cook-fire. By the time they had finished eating,