What Lies Within (Book 5) (21 page)

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   In the dead of night Leth woke suddenly. His senses were alarmed, though he could not define what it was that had brought him from sleep. There was no noise, the fire had died to barely glowing embers, but Leth saw that both the mare and donkey had risen to their feet, their ears pricked. They made no sound now, but he wondered whether it was the noise of their rising that had woken him.

   And then he realized that he could see. Not clearly, but a faint, ghostly greenish-yellow light was filtering in through the damaged window of the cottage, flickering slightly. Leth rose cautiously and crept to the window. Outside an extraordinary sight met his gaze. Upon Angsway a procession was passing by: bare-headed, bare-chested men and women in two long files, linked together by collars and chains attached to their necks, their hands bound behind them. Between them and Leth soldiers walked, some holding flickering torches high. But it was not the torches that cast the dominant light, nor was it the moon, for though the figures were fully visible, all around them the mist remained full and opaque, obscuring the sky. The figures themselves were surrounded by the strange ghostly light. Soldiers and prisoners seemed between them to be radiating the light, and they passed by in utter silence.

   Leth watched, his heart in his mouth. He counted more than one hundred of the shackled figures, and had no way of knowing how many had already passed. They hung their heads; from time to time a soldier would lash out at one individual or another with a whip, or strike or prod them with the butt of a spear. And though the victims appeared to cry out when struck, and the soldiers mouthed gruff insults or curses, Leth heard no voices.

   They moved on until eventually they had all passed by. The ghostly light passed with them, gradually swallowed by the mist. Darkness returned. Leth waited a while then turned back to the interior of the old
cottage. He shivered, put more wood on the fire, then lay down again and slept.

i
ii

   In the morning the mist still lingered. Leth woke, stoked the fire, and stepped outside to find a man waiting before the cottage, seated upon a huge black charger. He was large of build, probably once powerfully muscled but now, at about fifty years of age, tending towards corpulence. His cheeks were full and florid, the eyebrows bushy, with a full nutmeg-brown beard and moustaches, and a fierce glint in his eyes. He was attired in fine quality studded leather armour, heavy corded trousers and a long scarlet cloak, with an embossed steel breastplate, greaves and vambraces. A battle-axe and crossbow hung from his saddle. Beyond him four other armed men loitered on horseback upon the path.

   'Good day to you, sir,' said Leth with an air of casual bonhomie that he did not feel.

   The big man returned his greeting without a smile.
'And good day to you, traveller. Tell me, who are you and why do you trespass here upon my lands?'

   'If I trespass it was unintentional, and I apologize,' replied Leth. 'I was not aware that this wilderness fell under private ownership, and certainly believed this path to be a public way. My name is Clun, and I am simply a man travelling north, trying to avoid the invaders who command the main road.'

   'Very good, and you are not the first,' said the big man. 'Still, the fact remains that you have illegally entered my land.'

   'With respect, I can but reiterate that my understanding was that this land falls under the jurisdiction of the King and no other, and is designated by him a public way.'

   'The King?
Bah!
What King? The King has no jurisdiction here. It was the same for his mother before him and her father before her, though they strove to assert authority. This is Angsway, independent canton of the noble and celebrated Baron Ang, who plays with kings and queens like a puppeteer manipulates marionettes. You know his name, I take it?'

   'Baron Ang? Certainly the name is not unfamiliar. He gained some renown as perhaps the most successful outlaw this kingdom has known in many years. But I believed him dead, and was not aware that another had taken his place.' said Leth.

   The big man stiffened slightly, frowned and puffed out his cheeks. 'Dead? That is a foul slur, sir! Yet again you are criminally misinformed.'

   'Again, then, I apologize. I intended no slur,' replied Leth, bemused.

   'Well, be assured there is no truth in your assumption. Baron Ang is neither dead nor replaced. He lives on, and apart from a touch of gout, enjoys rude good health and continues to lead the Crown a merry dance. And should you doubt the veracity of this statement, then doubt no longer. The evidence sits here, full-blooded and vivacious before you.'

  
'You? You are Baron Ang?'

   'Indeed. Who else did you think me to be?'

   'I had arrived at no conclusion.'

   Baron Ang's gaze shifted over Leth's shoulder. Leth turned and saw Galry and Jace standing at the door of the ruined cottage.

   'Ah, and who be these two implings? Your children, Clun?'

   'That is so.' Leth had forewarned the children against announcing their identities to anyone they should meet, for fear of exciting the wrong kind of interest. To Baron Ang he introduced them now as Alwyn and Hesta.

   'And a delightful and charming pair they are too!' declared Ang. 'Though their presence thrice compounds your original trespass.'

   Leth felt a prickle of concern. 'As I said, we were not aware of having committed trespass. We seek only to avoid the
Karai invaders.'

   'Ignorance in itself provides no mitigation, nor does need,' Baron Ang declared. 'That trespass has been committed is the one fact to be considered. Now, you will accompany me to Castle Ang where we will consider the crime and its punishment.'

   'And if I cite the priority of my own business, which must not suffer delay, and decline to accompany you, what then?' enquired Leth.

   'I will slay you on the spot.'

   Leth weighed the situation. He could not fight all five men. Moreover, though disquieted he was curious. There was something odd about this confrontation which he could not wholly identify. He was loath to suffer delay, but plainly was being offered no choice, and instinct told him there was something about what was happening here that warranted investigation.

   He gave a stiff nod. 'Very well, we will come with you.'

   'Excellent. You give every indication of being a sensible man.' Baron Ang leaned his weight upon the pommel of his saddle, and assumed a pensive and rather haggard expression. 'Moreover, I have some questions I would like to put to you. Something that has been giving me concern. It is possible you may be able to assist me. But first hand over your sword and any other weapons you may be carrying.'

   Leth did so with reluctance. 'May we gather our belongings?'

   Baron Ang nodded. 'You may, but be smart about it.'

   When all was done and Galry and Jace were seated upon the donkey, Leth mounted his mare. Baron Ang watched him carefully. 'That is a most unusual suit of armour you wear, Clun.'

   'Indeed, I believe it to be unique.'

   Ang nodded. 'I would think you are right. Now, let us be off.'

iv

   They rode for approximately two hours, eventually to arrive at Castle Ang. Blindfolds were placed upon Leth and the children for the initial part of the journey, so they would not know which route was taken after they left the ruined cottage. When half an hour or so had passed the blindfolds were removed. They discovered themselves to be deep in wild and anonymous forest. They might have been anywhere. With the mist still close around them Leth could not even estimate the direction in which they rode. For the final stage of their journey the blindfolds were again applied so that they might not subsequently identify the approach to Castle Ang, nor even the exterior of the castle itself. Only when they were securely within Ang's walls were the blindfolds taken away.

   Limping slightly, Baron Ang led Leth and the children through a series of dreary passages to a spacious reception chamber. There he seated himself at a table and ordered an aged manservant to have food and wine brought. Leth took note of the decor. Everywhere an air of age and neglect was evident. Dust lay in swathes, coating floor, furniture and shelves. Likewise cobwebs hung from rafters, spanned windows and doors and the spaces between legs of chairs and tables. The air within the chamber was dank and chill, though a great log fire blazed in the hearth. Leth eased himself closer to the fire and confirmed to his mounting perplexity that the flames threw forth no heat.

   'We must refer again to the matter of your trespass, and its apt penalty,' announced Count Ang, gnawing on a plump leg of roast fowl. 'Here at Castle Ang there is but one law, which is my own. And I have decreed a single punishment to fit all crimes, great and small. The law is absolute and undiscriminating, and the penalty is forfeiture of life and all possessions.'

   'That is a harsh penalty for such a petty and unintentional misdemeanour as ours,' protested Leth.

   Baron Ang shrugged. 'It is an effective deterrent.'

   'But these are children, wholly innocent. They merely obeyed their father, seeking security from the forces that menace us and our nation.'

   Still Ang showed indifference. 'As I said, the law of Ang addresses only the criminal, without distinction of the crime. Matters are so much simpler that way.'

   'Then I ask again, by what right do you impose such law?' enquired Leth. 'I believe the land hereabouts to be the King's land, and that he has conferred no such right upon you.'

   Baron Ang waved a hand disdainfully. 'Who is this poppycock king you refer to? I have already said I do not recognize his authority.'

   'Nor he yours,' said Leth firmly.

   Baron Ang's eyes narrowed. 'Tread carefully, my friend. Your attitude may incur my disfavour.'

   'If I am to die anyway, such disfavour must count for little.'

   'Do not be so sure.' Baron Ang tossed aside the bone from which he had now stripped all flesh, and scrutinized Leth at length. 'How is it that you know so much of the King's will and intent?'

   'It is not uncommon knowledge,' said Leth. 'The King's mother, Queen Fallorn, declared your actions unlawful long ago, and spent much time and effort tracking you down.'

   'Without success.'

   'True. But the point remains, your authority is self-assumed and invalid under the King's law.'

   'Still, I am here and enforce the Law, while the King is in his Court and powerless to prevent me, try though he might.'

   Leth showed no emotion. 'And if the King were here, would you acknowledge him?'

   'Aye, I would. And then, as he would be here without invitation, I would have him hanged for trespass!' Baron Ang threw his bulk back in his seat, gripped his paunch and roared with laughter.

   'Indeed there is irony here,' commented Leth drily.

   Baron Ang ceased his laughter, wiping his eyes, and said, 'I like you, Clun. You are good company. You lighten my halls. It is a fact that visitors to Castle Ang are few and far between.'

   'Perhaps they find your rituals of welcome not to their taste.'

   'Perhaps that is it! Still, their predilections do not concern me. I no longer require the revenue that unwary wayfarers previously provided, and if they stay away I am the happier.'

   'Truly you are a man of contradictions.'

   'I see nothing contradictory. But we talk of inconsequential matters. You distract me with some skill, Clun, but the issue remains: you have offended and must pay the price.'

  
'With neither trial nor appeal?'

   Baron Ang leaned forward again. 'Your guilt is not in question; I caught you myself, red-handed. And there is but one sentence. Hence a trial is superfluous to our requirements. As for an appeal, you have made it and I have dismissed it. So, you and your children must die. Before you do, though, there is something you may be able to help me with.'

   'This is the matter you spoke of when we met?'

   'Yes.' Baron Ang's brow furrowed into a deep, quizzical frown and his features took on a melancholic cast. 'You see, I am beset by a profoundly baffling enigma; one that is not easily defined. I consider it a problem of far-reaching proportions, essentially both personal and metaphysical in character. It is a matter that I am unable to get properly to grips with. It confounds and bemuses me, and eludes my grasp. I do not know what to do about it.'

   He fell silent, absorbed in self-reflection.

   'And how would you describe this problem?' enquired Leth after a silence.

   'In a nutshell, it is a difficulty of being,' Baron Ang said with a sigh. 'Life afflicts me. It is not as it once was. Things have changed in subtle and indefinable ways. I feel the world is a different place to that which I once inhabited; even that I am a different person. I cannot explain these feelings, but I am unable to approach life in the manner of old. Something has gone, and I am unable to explain what it is. I chafe and yearn and I do not know why.'