The Ruby Knight

to speak rapidly in Styric, weaving the spell with her fingers. Tynian’s sobbing lessened, and after a moment, he let out a deep sigh and toppled over on his side. ‘I’ll have to keep him asleep until he recovers,’ she said, ‘- if he recovers. Sparhawk, you help Kalten. I’ll see to Bevier.’
    Sparhawk went to Kalten. ‘Where are you hurt?’ he asked.
    ‘I think it cracked some of my ribs,’ Kalten gasped. ‘What was that thing? My sword just bounced off it.’
    ‘We can worry about what it was later,’ Sparhawk said. ‘Let’s get you out of that armour and wrap those ribs. We don’t want one of them jabbing into your lungs.’
    ‘I’d agree to that,’ Kalten winced. ‘I’m sore all over. I don’t need any other problems. How’s Bevier?’
    ‘We don’t know yet. Sephrenia’s looking after him.’
    Bevier’s injuries appeared to be more serious than Kalten’s. After Sparhawk had bound a wide linen cloth tightly around his friend’s chest and checked him over for any other injuries, he wrapped his cloak about him and then went to check on the Arcian. ‘How is he?’ he asked Sephrenia.
    ‘It’s fairly serious, Sparhawk,’ she replied. ‘There aren’t any cuts or gashes, but I think he may be bleeding inside.’
    ‘Kurik. Berit,’ Sparhawk called. ‘Set up the tents. We’ve got to get them in out of the rain.’ He looked around and saw Talen riding away at a gallop. ‘Now where’s he going?’ he demanded in exasperation.
    ‘I sent him off to see if he can find a wagon,’ Kurik told him. ‘These men need to get to a physician fast, and they’re in no condition to sit on a saddle.’
    Ulath was frowning. ‘How did you manage to get your spear into that thing, Sparhawk?’ he asked. ‘My axe just bounced off.’
    ‘I’m not sure,’ Sparhawk admitted.
    ‘It was the rings,’ Sephrenia said, not looking up from Bevier’s unconscious form.
    ‘I thought I felt something happening while I was stabbing at that monster,’ Sparhawk said. ‘How is it that they’ve never seemed to have that sort of power before?’
    ‘Because they were separated,’ she replied. ‘But you’ve got one on your hand and the other is in the socket of the spear. When you put them together like that, they have great power. They’re a part of Bhelliom itself.’
    ‘All right,’ Ulath said, ‘what went wrong? Tynian was trying to raise Thalesian ghosts. How did he wake up that monstrosity?’
    ‘Apparently he opened the wrong grave by mistake,’ she said. ‘Necromancy’s not the most precise of the arts, I’m afraid. When the Zemochs invaded, Azash sent certain of His creatures with them. Tynian accidentally raised one of them.’
    ‘What’s the matter with him?’
    ‘The contact with that being has almost destroyed his mind.’
    ‘Is he going to be all right?’
    ‘I don’t know, Ulath, I really don’t.’
    Berit and Kurik finished erecting the tents, and Sparhawk and Ulath moved their injured friends inside one of them. ‘We’re going to need a fire,’ Kurik said, ‘and that’s not going to be easy today, I’m afraid. I’ve got a little dry wood left, but not enough to last for very long. Those men are wet and cold, and we absolutely have to get them dried out and warm.’
    ‘Any suggestions?’ Sparhawk asked him.
    ‘I’ll work on it.’
    It was some time after noon when Talen returned, driving a rickety wagon that was hardly more than a cart. ‘This was the best I could find,’ he apologized.
    ‘Did you have to steal it?’ Kurik asked him.
    ‘No. I didn’t want the farmer chasing me. I bought it.’
    ‘With what?’
    Talen looked slyly at the leather purse hanging from his father’s belt. ‘Don’t you feel just a little light on that side, Kurik?’
    Kurik swore and looked closely at the purse. The bottom had been neatly slit open.
    ‘Here’s what I didn’t need, though,’ Talen said, handing over a small handful of coins.
    ‘You actually stole from me ?’
    ‘Be reasonable, Kurik. Sparhawk and the others are all wearing armour, and their purses are on the inside. Yours was the only one I could get to.’
    ‘What’s under that canvas?’ Sparhawk asked, looking into the wagon bed.
    ‘Dry firewood,’ the boy replied. ‘The farmer had stacks of it in his barn. I picked up a few chickens, too. I didn’t steal the wagon,’ he noted clinically, ‘but I did steal the firewood and the chickens – just to keep in practice. Oh, incidentally, the