The Ruby Knight

to Sparhawk, looking across the bubbles coming up out of the fountain. He pulled the fellow out by the hair. ‘This isn’t going to get any more enjoyable, friend,’ he warned. ‘I really think you ought to start to co-operate. Let’s try again. Where is Ghasek?’
    ‘N-north,’ the fellow choked, spewing water all over the street. He seemed to be almost sober now.
    ‘We know that. Which road do we take?’
    ‘Go out of the north gate. A mile or so after you get out of town, the road branches. Take the left fork.’
    ‘You’re doing fine. See, you’re even staying sort of dry. How far is it to Ghasek?’
    ‘A-about forty leagues.’ The man writhed in Kurik’s iron grip.
    ‘Last question,’ Kurik promised. ‘Why does everybody in Venne wet himself whenever he hears the name Ghasek?’
    ‘I-it’s a horrible place. Things happen there that are too hideous to describe.’
    ‘I’ve got a strong stomach,’ Kurik assured him. ‘Go ahead. Shock me.’
    ‘They drink blood up there – and bathe in it – and even feed on human flesh. It’s the most awful place in the world. Even to mention its name brings down a curse on your head.’ The man shuddered and began to weep.
    ‘There, there,’ Kurik said, releasing him and patting him gently on the shoulder. He gave the man a coin. ‘You seem to have got all wet, friend,’ he added. ‘Why don’t you go back to the tavern and see if you can get dry?’
    The fellow scurried off.
    ‘Doesn’t sound like too pleasant a place, does it?’ Kurik said.
    ‘No, not really,’ Sparhawk admitted, ‘but we’re going there all the same.’

Chapter 13

    Because the road they proposed to follow was reputed to be not very good, they arranged to leave the wagon with the innkeeper and rode out on horseback the next morning through shadowy streets illuminated by torches. Sparhawk had passed on the information Kurik had wrung out of the drunken man the day before, and they all looked around warily as they passed out through the north gate of Venne.
    ‘It’s probably just some local superstition,’ Kalten scoffed. ‘I’ve heard awful stories about places before, and they usually turned out to be about things that had happened generations before.’
    ‘It doesn’t really make much sense,’ Sparhawk agreed. ‘That tanner back in Paler said that Count Ghasek’s a scholar. That’s not usually the sort of man who goes in for exotic entertainments. Let’s stay alert anyway. We’re a long way from home, and it might be a little hard to call in help.’
    ‘I’ll hold back a bit,’ Berit volunteered. ‘I think we’d all feel better if we’re sure those Zemochs aren’t still trailing us.’
    ‘I think we can count on the Domi’s efficiency,’ Tynian said.
    ‘Still -’ Berit said.
    ‘Go ahead, Berit,’ Sparhawk agreed. ‘It’s just as well not to take chances.’
    They rode at an easy canter, and as the sun was rising they reached the fork in the road. The left fork was rutted, narrow and poorly maintained. The rain which had swept through the area for some days back had left it muddy and generally unpleasant, and thick brush lined both sides of it.
    ‘It’s going to be slow going,’ Ulath noted. ‘I’ve seen smoother roads, and it’s not going to get better once we get up into those hills.’ He looked toward the low range of forested mountains lying just ahead.
    ‘We’ll do the best we can,’ Sparhawk said, ‘but you’re right. Forty leagues is quite a distance, and a bad road isn’t going to make it seem any shorter.’
    They started up the muddy road at a trot. As Ulath had predicted, it grew steadily worse. After about an hour, they entered the forest. The trees were evergreens, and they cast a sombre shade, but the air was cool and damp, a welcome relief for the armoured knights. They stopped briefly for a meal of bread and cheese at noon and then pressed on, climbing higher and higher into the mountains.
    The region was ominously deserted, and even most of the birds seemed muted, the only exception being the sooty ravens, who seemed to croak from every tree. As evening began to settle over the gloomy wood, Sparhawk led the others some distance away from the road, and they made camp for the night.
    The dismal forest had subdued even the irrepressible Kalten, and they were all very quiet as they ate their evening meal. After they had eaten, they went to their beds.
    It was about midnight when Ulath woke Sparhawk to take his turn