The Ruby Knight

more what you might call skirmishes an’ the like. Y’ see, My Lord, the main battle was down to the south end of the lake. That’s where the armies drew up their lines of regiments an’ battalions an’ such. What was goin’ through up here was small groups of men – Pelosians mostly at first, an’ then later, the Thalesians started to filter on down. Otha’s Zemochs, they had out their patrols, an’ there was a bunch of nasty little fights, but nothin’ as you could really call a battle. There was a couple not far from here, but I don’t know as any Thalesians was involved. Most of their fights went on up around Lake Venne, an’ even as far north as Ghasek.’ He suddenly snapped his fingers. ‘Now that’s the one you really ought to talk to,’ he said. ‘Can’t think why I didn’t remember that right off.’
    ‘Oh?’
    ‘Of course. Can’t imagine where my brain had went. That Count of Ghasek, he went to some university down in Cammoria, an’ he got to studyin’ up on history an’ the like. Anyhow, all the books he read on that there battle, they sorta concentrated on what went on down to the south end of the lake. They didn’t say hardly nothin’ about what happened up here. Anyhow, when he finished up his studyin’, he come back home, an’ he started goin’ around collectin’ all the old stories he could come across. Wrote ’em all down, too. He’s been at it for years now. I expect he’s gathered up just about every story in northern Pelosia by now. He even come an’ talked to me, an’ it’s some fair distance from Ghasek to here. He tole me that what he’s tryin’ to do is to fill in some mighty big gaps in what they teach at that there university. Yes, sir, you go talk to Count Ghasek. If anybody in all Pelosia knows anythin’ about this king you’re lookin’ for, the count woulda found out about it an’ wrote it down in that there book he’s puttin’ together.’
    ‘My friend,’ Sparhawk said warmly, ‘I think you’ve just solved our problem for us. How do we find the count?’
    ‘Best way is to take the road to Lake Venne. The city of Venne itself is up to the north end of the lake. Then you go north from there. It’s a real bad road, but it’s passable – particularly at this time of year. Ghasek ain’t no real town. Actual, it’s just the count’s estate. There’s a few villages around it – mostly belongin’ to the count hisself – but anybody up there can direct you to the main house – more like a palace, really, or maybe a castle. I’ve been past it a few times. Bleak lookin’ place it is, but I never went inside, though.’ He laughed a rusty-sounding laugh. ‘Me an’ the count, we don’t exactly move in the same circles, if you take my meanin’.’
    ‘I understand perfectly,’ Sparhawk said. He took out several coins. ‘Your work here looks hot, Berd.’
    ‘It surely is, My Lord.’
    ‘When you finish up for the day, why don’t you get yourself something cool to drink?’ He gave the tanner the coins.
    ‘Why, thankee, My Lord. That’s uncommon generous of you.’
    ‘I’m the one who should be thanking you, Berd. I think you’ve just saved me months of travel.’ Sparhawk helped Sephrenia back onto her horse and then remounted himself. ‘I’m more grateful to you than you can possibly imagine, Berd,’ he said to the tanner by way of farewell.
    ‘Now that turned out extremely well, didn’t it?’ Sparhawk exulted as he and Sephrenia rode back into the city.
    ‘I told you it would,’ she reminded him.
    ‘Yes, as a matter of fact, you did. I shouldn’t have doubted you for a moment, little mother.’
    ‘It’s natural to have doubts, Sparhawk. We’ll go on to Ghasek, then?’
    ‘Of course.’
    ‘I think we’d better wait until tomorrow, though. That physician said that none of our friends is in any danger, but another day’s rest won’t hurt them.’
    ‘Will they be able to ride?’
    ‘Slowly at first, I’m afraid, but they’ll grow stronger as we go along.’
    ‘All right. We’ll leave first thing tomorrow morning.
    The mood of the others brightened considerably when Sparhawk repeated what Berd had told him.
    ‘Somehow this is beginning to seem too easy,’ Ulath muttered, ‘and easy things make me nervous.’
    ‘Don’t be so pessimistic,’ Tynian told him. ‘Try to look on the bright side of things.’
    ‘I’d rather expect the worst. That way, if things turn out all right, I’m pleasantly