Quest for the King (25 page)

"I suspect it has come. Remember, I am your queen, and in this case
I shall use my own judgment."

They rearranged their forces, placing the children and Belak behind them in the charge of two soldiers. Alleophaz and Gerachti
accepted swords and moved up beside the queen and the colonel. By
now they were within hailing distance of the advancing army.

Wesley strained his eyes to see better. The man heading the advancing force looked familiar. "It looks like Sir Robert! It is! Sir Robert
Ashleigh!"

"The rat!" Kurt muttered.

On either side of the roadway where they met, a small open space
spread out among the forest trees. Sir Robert approached steadily,
drawing rein before the queen. Behind him were two sergeants at
arms and a company of at least two hundred men. Sir Robert spoke
softly, so that almost nobody except the queen heard him. "It is my
painful duty to arrest your majesty."

But the queen's voice rang out loudly and clearly. "Arrest? Arrest
your queen? How dare you, sir! On what charge, pray? And in whose
name?"

Sir Robert still spoke quietly. "I suggest that your majesty not raise
your voice. It is not part of my wish to embarrass or to humiliate your
majesty. As for the charge, it is his majesty's-that of being a traitor
to his majesty the king!"

"Then you must bear documents with his majesty's handwriting and
bearing the royal seal. Present them to me!" she demanded loudly.

"The business of your arrest was too urgent for the preparation of
documents. These will be produced in good time."

The queen drew her sword and held it above her head, addressing
the ranks of the opposing soldiers. "Men of Anthropos! You may not
be aware of Sir Ashleigh's purpose. He accuses me of treachery toward my husband, his majesty the king.

"The charges are false, foolish and utterly absurd. If there are any
traitors here, you see them in the three who lead you. They have come
not at the bidding of the king, but of Shagah the sorcerer. These men
lie-they do not even bear documents. His majesty is well aware of
what I am doing." Her voice dropped a bit before she continued. "I
also note that there are none of your officers with you. Why is this?
Do you realize what you are witnessing?"

A low murmur of surprise spread backward among the troops as
those near the front spoke with those further back. Sir Robert, meanwhile, protested feebly, grappling with a situation he had not anticipated. Ignoring the men behind him, he attempted to interrupt the
queen. The colonel moved ahead of the queen, drew his own sword
and kept his eye on Sir Robert and the two sergeants.

The queen cried out again, her voice resonating over the men's
heads. "Men who are loyal to Anthropos! The most treacherous man
here present is the ambitious Sir Robert Ashleigh. It is he who wishes
to replace my husband, the present king, and it is to him that a
promise has been made by the Playsion priests. I call on your loyalty
to the crown of Anthropos and to your reigning king. Do you wish
a rule of priests? Or of Sir Robert?"

Uncertain silence answered her.

"As queen of Anthropos," she continued, "I therefore plead my
right to a trial of arms, according to the ancient laws of Anthropos.
It is my right to engage my accuser, Sir Robert, in individual combat
with short sword, to make plain my innocence in the face of this false
charge. I appeal to the Emperor and to Gaal. May the innocent be
victorious and the guilty be damned!"

The silence was defeated by a growing cheer from the throats of
the listening men on both sides. The king's soldiers crowded forward,
and some climbed trees for a better view. The queen and Sir Robert
Ashleigh in a duel to the death! Who would want to miss the event?

But among the queen's party feelings were different. She was loved
and was risking her life. They cautiously completed the ragged circle
in the clearing, but made sure that everyone stayed back to give the combatants room.

"By the Changer, I wish your majesty had chosen a different
course!" the colonel muttered. "Whatever else you forget, remember
the left feint, ma'am. And watch your guard."

"She is playing a skilled and desperate game-not against Sir Robert, but against this sorcerer, this Shagah," Alleophaz said.

"It is a dangerous game," Gerachti replied. "She could be dead
thirty minutes from now."

Belak shuddered as Gerachti's words floated back. "It is a dangerous situation," he told the children.

"In chess you almost never put your queen in jeopardy," Wesley
said, a worried frown on his face.

"Yes, but this is not chess," Lisa argued, "and Colonel Emoona
seems to think she is good with her sword."

"But she could be killed!" Kurt protested. "Where would we all be
then?"

"Huh!" Lisa said a little scornfully. "In real adventures, don't forget,
the danger is also real."

A cloud dimmed the sunlight, and for a few moments the area was
in shadow. The king's soldiers' initial enthusiasm seemed to die down
almost as quickly as it had arisen, as an awareness that the queen's life
was in jeopardy grew among the large group of men surrounding the
field of combat.

Fear grew till they could smell it-fear of the danger to the queen,
of Shagah and the priests, of the chaos that could follow, of the
awesome danger the country stood in.

Only the queen seemed undaunted. She and Sir Robert dismounted
as the sun came out again.

The queen held her head high and her sword ready, facing Sir
Robert, whose face was pale and set, his red hair gleaming in the sun.

Each carrying a circular shield, they advanced. The queen called
out, "Have you no chain mail, sir? And where is your helmet?"

"Your majesty is a woman," Sir Robert said tersely, "I am a man,
and-"

"You will be less of a man when I split your head!" the queen
retorted.

Some men sniggered, but one of the sergeants ran forward, pulling
off his own shirt of mail and helmet. Sir Robert accepted them and
put them on.

Then the distance dwindled between the two combatants, and they
began to circle each other warily, each eyeing the other's moving
sword.

Wesley's thoughts went back to his own actions in the long-ago (but
yet to come) Battle of the Heights. He knew nothing of swordsmanship, and on that occasion his sword had seemed to know its own job
and to act for him.

He was still blind to the finer points of the battle that now took
place but was desperately anxious for the queen. He was too absorbed
to notice the movements his own body made, as if it were fighting
beside the queen. Lisa hid her face, but could not stop herself from
peeking through her fingers. Kurt felt sick.

The fight stretched out into three distinct phases. The first phase
was short, as each combatant carefully explored the skills of the other.
They were fairly evenly matched. Those who knew anything about it
knew that the queen's handling of her sword was superior, indeed
flawless. But what Sir Robert lacked in finesse, he certainly made up
in energy and determination.

Once they had gained a feel for each other's skills, they moved into
a second phase-hard at it with parry, feint and thrust. Sweat gleamed
on their faces in the sunlight, and their breath came in gasps. Sometimes the queen drove Sir Robert steadily back, both of their shadows
rippling over the uneven ground, but then the reverse would follow.

Then Sir Robert fell, and the queen immediately stepped back to
allow him to rise.

"No, your majesty, go for him!" the colonel yelled.

The crowd had been tense and silent, but more and more of the
king's men began to shout in favor of the queen. She still seemed
fresh, whereas Sir Robert's movements grew progressively slower and clumsier. Nevertheless, the queen still could not gain a decisive advantage.

The third phase of the battle began by nearly ending it. The queen
caught her foot in a rabbit hole at the edge of the road and fell
heavily. Her shield arm flew out against the ground, leaving her
vulnerable except for her sword. Sir Robert did not step back as the
queen had done, but lunged eagerly at her with a roar of anger, his
own sword pointed at her chest.

But the queen's sword flashed upward, and Sir Robert's sword
arched through the air, turning end over end. He staggered back and
fell on his side, then scrambled awkwardly to his feet to retrieve his
sword.

"Oh, well done, your majesty! Beautifully done! You will get him
now!" the colonel yelled.

The queen's eyes flashed as she rose, leaning heavily on her left
foot. She clearly was no longer able to move easily, but now her
superior swordplay was reaping dividends. And, strange as it may
seem, the expression on her face began to change as the fight resumed. Her grim concentration was slowly replaced by a genuine
smile, and she seemed to begin to enjoy what she was doing.

"She looks happy enough!" Kurt said, frowning. "D'you think she's
faking it?"

Lisa said, "I don't know."

Wesley said nothing, though like Kurt he was frowning.

The queen's emerging smile contrasted with Sir Robert's growing
look of desperation. He realized that her fall had made no difference,
and his face bore the grimace of a man who looked upon his own
death. Twice the queen cut through his guard and slashed his arm,
while another thrust that he managed to deflect still sliced through
his cheek. Blood ran both from his face and down through his mail
shirt

His movements became frantic and unguarded, and after one wild
swing he left himself exposed. The queen struck his sword arm hard,
and they all felt the metal bite to the bone

His arm dropped uselessly to his side, and the queen lowered her
sword. Again her voice rang out-breathless, but absolutely clear.

"I have no intention of killing you, Sir Robert. I prefer that you live
and stand trial at my court for treason against the crown. Your master,
Shagah, will not dare to interfere." She paused to recover her breath,
then continued. "The Emperor and Gaal have stood by me! My innocence is revealed, and likewise your own treachery."

There was a roar from the soldiers on both sides-a cheer that
owed as much to relief as to joy. Men shouted wordlessly, their fervor
betraying the strength of the fear that had gripped them.

Colonel Emoona, ecstatic, bowed before the queen, his face red
and his eyes sparkling. He rose to face her. "Your majesty, that was
a magnificent display! I did not like you to attempt it, but it was
wonderful to watch. You have greater skill and courage than ever I
imparted to you."

The colonel turned to the troops and rapidly restored order, along
with the help of his own officers. Sir Robert's sergeants had vanished,
and a few other men were missing as well.

The soldiers brought the queen a cup of wine, and she gave them
orders to tend Sir Robert's wounds and place him in chains. She also
gave instructions for the protection of Sir Robert's wife and two children. "Send riders to their house. Tell them what has happened, and
assure them that his treachery will not be counted against them."

She turned to Colonel Emoona. "We are almost in sight of Bamah,"
she said calmly. "Let us proceed to the city."