The Haunted Wizard - Wiz in Rhym-6 (8 page)

"Yes, you must prepare for war," Mama agreed, "though we hope you will not have to wage it."

"An honest, open battle would be better than this skulking in shadows and stabbing men in their backs," Papa huffed.

"Now, husband!" Mama reproved. "There has been only one man stabbed"

"Yes, but how many were waiting their turn?"

"Everyone in that inn has an alibi," Matt said, "even the two who managed to slip away. Sir Orizhan and Sergeant Brock questioned them with me, and each one remembers who he was fighting when the prince was killed. Their stories check out—both opponents remember each other, and the only two whose foe wasn't there, remember fighting one of the two men who escaped."

"Rather convenient," Papa sniffed "Who remembers fighting this man who went out the window?"

"No one. Boosts his chances of being the murderer."

"At whose command?" Alisande said quietly.

Mama and Papa turned to her in surprise, then looked apprehensive. Mama said, "Surely you do not mean someone in his own family hired the killer!"

"It's been known to happen," Matt said with a smile of irony, "and I don't see any great love lost between those siblings."

"Petronille does not seem all that fond of either her eldest or her youngest," Mama admitted. "Odd. The second child is usually the rebel, and rarely the favorite."

"Considering what Brion is rebelling against, any mother would favor him," Matt told her.

"Do Drustan and Petronille remember this sorcerer being with their party?" Alisande asked.

"I didn't think I should mention the issue," Matt said apologetically. "They were too upset."

"Upset? They raged as soon as you told them the man had escaped," Papa exclaimed, "and they kept raging! You had no chance to ask!"

"Well, I could have asked before I told them the bad news."

"Without the culprit there? Do you think they would have said anything but ranting?"

"Thanks, Papa," Matt said with a warm smile. He shrugged. "Anyway, why would a king or queen
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remember one soldier out of all the rest? I don't expect he went along wearing sorcerer's robes."

"Surely this sergeant you speak of would remember," Alisande said.

"He should," Matt admitted, "but he saw the man's face in the moonlight, too, and tells me he wasn't one of their soldiers. Says he doesn't remember him being with the entourage at all, in fact." Papa stared. "You don't mean he was already in Bordestang, waiting for them to arrive!" Matt sat still for a minute. Then he nodded slowly. "Now that you mention it, that's a distinct possibility."

"Perhaps not," Mama offered. "If he is a sorcerer, as you say, he could have come at any time, or even been with them, but invisible."

Matt threw up his hands. "Almost anything is possible, when you're dealing with magic! Whenever he came over, though, I think he waited his chance, and when the princes went tavern-hopping, he stole Gaheris' purse while he was, uh, distracted, and waited for the brawl to start. Then he pulled out a doll that already had a lock of Gaheris' hair on it and stabbed it with a paring knife. Stabbed two or three times, just to make sure."

Papa shook his head. "It seems so improbable! Why be there at all? And if he was, why not simply stab with a real blade?"

"I was not aware that stabbing a doll made the wound show," Mama said slowly. Matt sat still again. Then he said, "You're right—it doesn't. That would have taken an extra spell."

"Which your sorcerer might have cast, if he wished to place the blame on a man of Merovence," Papa pointed out.

"I suppose so," Matt said, "so it cancels out." Alisande nodded. "The point was not the simple murdering of the prince—it was the provoking of war."

"Oh, I don't know," Matt said slowly. "Why not accomplish two objectives with one murder? As you pointed out yourself, dear, nothing says the sorcerer was working for himself." Papa frowned. "Do you mean that someone else would have wished to kill Gaheris, and waited until his death could be useful?"

"Yes, and with impending war to distract people from looking for the murderer, there'd be less chance of either boss or hit man being found out!" Matt said. "Let's think, now— who wanted Gaheris dead?" The room was silent a moment. Then Mama said, "Who did not?"

"That was unkind!" Alisande cried.

"Quite unkind," Mama agreed, "but probably true. Be honest, my dear—he was a very disagreeable young man. If you wish, you may count his friends instead of his enemies." Alisande was silent for a moment, then admitted, "I cannot think of any—but I do not know them well."
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She looked up. "Sir Orizhan! There is one!"

"Sir Orizhan was assigned to be the princes' companion and watchdog," Matt said. "That doesn't say he liked them."

"But if he has known them for ten years…"

"He could learn to really despise them," Matt finished for her. "But he's a very chivalrous knight. I don't think he'd let his feelings show."

"Can you not read him at all?" Alisande challenged.

"Well, I do get the impression that he didn't approve of Gaheris' taste in entertainments." Matt frowned, mulling it over. "In fact, I don't think he approved of Gaheris at all—but especially not as a fit husband for the princess Sir Orizhan had sworn to protect."

"Ye—ssss!" Alisande lifted her head. "A true knight would make the welfare of his ward his first duty, would he not?"

"Especially," Matt said, "if he liked her."

"Why would he?" Papa asked. "She seemed little more pleasant than her future family."

"How can you say that?" Mama challenged. "The poor thing spoke scarcely at all while we dined!"

"When she did, though, she spoke rather sharply," Papa pointed out.

"Only to Brion, and she is obviously in love with him," Mama said.

"She is?" Matt looked up in surprise.

"Aye, my husband." Alisande smiled. "She may not know it herself, but it is there in her eye, in the tilt of her head, but most especially in the sharpness of her tongue as she addresses a man she desires but knows she cannot have."

"She can now," Matt said softly.

The room was quiet as Mama and Alisande digested his comment, eyes widening in horror. Then both spoke at once.

"You cannot think she ordered him slain!"

"That sweet little thing couldn't have—have—"

"Oh, yes she could," Matt said in answer to both. "Stop and think, ladies—would you want to marry Gaheris?"

"Well, of course not!" Alisande said indignantly.

"But that does not mean I would slay him," Mama maintained.
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"You're not a medieval princess being set up as an international sacrifice." Matt knew the Prince of Toulenge had died, and that Rosamund was officially the province's ruling princess, though her mother ruled as her regent. Apparently, though, the dead father's bargain with Drustan couldn't be broken—as long as Gaheris was alive. "I'd say it's quite possible that Rosamund hired the footpad to kill Gaheris so she wouldn't have to marry him. In fact, considering Gaheris' idea of fun, you might even call it self-defense ahead of time."

There was another short silence. Then Alisande admitted, "I could not truly blame her." Matt had another thought. "Is Brion in love with her?"

"That is harder to say," Mama said. "He is so easily baited, at least by her—" She broke off, looking thoughtful.

"You spoke truly, my love," Papa said quietly. "To his brothers, he gave jibe for jibe, but to her, he could only protest, and that with some sign of hurt."

"His defenses aren't up to their usual standard with Rosamund," Matt agreed.

"Yes, I would say there is some sign that he is in love with her, then," Mama said, "though like her, he denies it."

"But he might be able to find an excuse to defend her," Matt said, "by killing his brother."

"The murder does make him heir apparent," Alisande agreed. There was another silence as the next thought occurred to them all. Matt finally voiced it. "Does Rosamund go with the crown?"

"In law, the betrothal was only with Gaheris," Alisande said, "but it was made because he was the heir apparent."

"So it would have to be renegotiated with Brion, but probably will be?"

"It would," Alisande said, "but with a war, such negotiation will be impossible."

"Which means Brion gets to keep her."

"Or," said Mama, "that Drustan does—for if she is betrothed to no one, he can keep her near with none to bar him."

Papa turned to her. "Then you think Petronille's jealousy has some basis?"

"Oh, yes," Mama said quietly. "Did you not see the gleam in Drustan's eye when he looked at Rosamund?"

"Yes, I did," Alisande said darkly. "If this war serves no other purpose, perhaps it will allow us to rescue my cousin."

"Maybe Sir Orizhan thought the same way," Matt said.

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Papa smiled. "We have come full circle, my son. The only two we have not suspected are Queen Petronille and young John."

Matt shrugged. "I don't see what John would gain by killing Gaheris."

"Might he be striking back at a bully?" Mama suggested.

"Might," Matt agreed, "and there's always sibling rivalry. But since John seems to have established himself as Papa's pet, he has all the protection against Gaheris that he needs, and probably revenge, too."

"I cannot see that Petronille has anything to gain," Alisande said, "other than the beginning of war, which may gain her birthright, her quarter of Merovence, for her favorite Brion..." Then her eyes widened. So did Mart's. He finished the sentence for her. "… or even the whole kingdom!"

"Yes," Alisande whispered. "If Brion is her favorite, she would wish to see him as King of Bretanglia—but surely she would not kill her firstborn to gain the crown for her second!"

"Brion becoming heir might not be motive enough in itself," Matt said slowly, "but if Drustan really does desire Rosamund as much as the queen seems to think he does, jealousy is all the reason Petronille needs."

"To slay Rosamund, perhaps." Alisande turned to him with a troubled frown. "Why would she thereby have Gaheris slain?"

"Who did Rosamund live with as long as she was engaged to Gaheris?" Matt asked.

"Why, with the king and his family."

"But what if the king and queen separated? Who would Gaheris live with then?"

"With his father." Alisande frowned. "He resents his mother, as you may have seen."

"Oedipus complex, no doubt," Papa mused.

"Who would she live with now that Gaheris is dead?" Matt asked. "If they separated, that is."

"Brion is his mother's darling, and would no doubt live with her," Alisande said slowly, "and if Petronille can bring about his betrothal to Rosamund …" She shook her head violently. "No! It is not possible that Petronille would have ordered her own son slain only so that she might take Rosamund away from Drustan!"

"If she disliked Gaheris as much as everyone else does, and feels at all protective toward Rosamund, I would say it is quite possible," Papa said softly.

"I think that is too much for any mother to consider," Mama said firmly, "even one so vindictive as Petronille."

"Let us trust so," Alisande said with a shudder. She rose. "So! Any of them might have hired an assassin, or none of them—but in any event, I must prepare for war." She looked up at Matt. "I thank you for counseling me to build a navy, husband. We may have only ten ships thus far, but they will do to harry the
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coasts of Bretanglia—and may distract Drustan enough to prevent his invading Merovence."

"Be nice if we had the English Channel in this universe," Matt said.

"You have told me of that." Alisande frowned. "A twenty-mile-wide stretch of water between the Bretanglia and Merovence of your own world, is it not?"

"In our version of this universe, yes—only we call them 'England' and 'France' there, and they speak two different languages."

Alisande nodded. "I can see how the speech would have drifted apart, if Bretanglia were an island. There would have been far less coming and going between the two lands."

"Yes, Bretanglia was part of Hardishane's empire here, wasn't it? After all, he could just march in and conquer."

"As he did in Ibile, Latruria, and Allustria," Alisande said, "overcoming evil kings who were devoted to sin and Satan. He even conquered far beyond, well into the lands of the Rus. It is small wonder we all speak the same language."

"No wonder at all." Matt frowned. "But there was never another invasion of Bretanglia, was there? After Hardishane's empire broke up, I mean."

"Well, the Danes and Vikings harassed their coasts," Alisande said, "and even carved out their own kingdom in the eastern counties, to both sides of the wall built by great Reme's soldiers."

"Truly?" Mama asked. "The Vikings held land in both England and Scotland?"

"There are Scots in the northern part of Bretanglia," Alisande acknowledged, "and it was a separate land until the Vikings came. They married into all the noble families, and Drustan's father welded them together into one kingdom. This Drustan, his son, is the sixth of his name, and still rules all one land."

"Does he have a Viking fleet?" Matt asked.

Alisande smiled. "The Vikings ceased sailing two hundred years ago, husband. I think Drustan may have a few warships, but nothing more. What need of them has he, when he can ride into Merovence at will?" She turned somber. "Now, though, I fear that he will come riding in earnest, with all his armies, and with fire and sword."

"I think I might be able to find some way to keep him from invading," Matt said slowly. Alisande looked at him with misgiving. "I would welcome that, but not at the price of danger to you."