Part 26 (1/2)
”We'll take the time, my friend. Either that or you'll take your leave.”
The piper looked from Conan to Raihna, found no more mercy in her face than in the Cimmerian's, then nodded. ”Very well. You have been witness to much of my work. Then I heard you, Conan, summoning me to show my colors-”
”What!” The word shot like an arrow from both Conan and Raihna's lips.
It raised echoes from the rocks. Marr shook his head.
”If you break in on my speech at every other word, we shall be here too long. Far too long, when I can lead you to Decius and the king.”
This time neither Conan nor Raihna said a word. They merely stared at each other, then at Marr. When it seemed to Conan that both he and Raihna were seeing and hearing the same thing, he nodded to her. She climbed out of the water, silver drops beaded on her skin from forehead to toes. Conan cast her sword down to her and bent to don his clothes while she stood guard, then returned the favor.
When they were both garbed, they turned to find the piper sitting as if he had been turned to wood. Only the play of a thin smile on his face told them that he lived.
Conan sheathed his sword and glared at Marr. ”As you can see, we'll not tarry here. You say Decius and the king are safe?”
”Alive, I said. I did not say safe. I do not know what dangers might beset them, either.”
”Be that honest with one more question and we can strike a bargain, sorcerer or no.”
”What kind of bargain?”
”Answer the question first,” Conan growled. He liked men who talked in riddles about as much as he liked sorcerers.
”Ask, and I shall answer.” The piper's voice itself had a musical quality to it that made it unlike any human voice that Conan had ever heard-man's, woman's, or child's.
”Can you read a man's thoughts?”
”When he wishes me to read them, as you did when you asked me to show myself, I can read them at some distance.”
”But not when he wants to keep them to himself ?”
”No.”
Something in the man's tone hinted that it was a matter of ”would not”
rather than ”could not.” Yet- curse it, trust had to begin somewhere!
The closer and the sooner the better, if indeed this woodland wizard could pipe them along a path to Decius and Eloikas!
Conan ran fingers through his mane of black hair, wringing out the last water. ”If you told the truth, here's my bargain. You guide us to the king and Decius. Guide us as if you were a common hunter or charcoal burner who knew the land. Not a breath, not a blink, about magic, and that means keeping those pipes out of sight!”
”You bargain hard, Cimmerian.”
”I've more than a hundred good men that I don't want scared into flying for their lives. Them I know. You could be much or little. Even if you're much, we haven't forgotten the chaos you sowed at the palace.”
”I will prove that I am much before we find Decius and Eloikas. What will you do when I have led you to them?”
”Speak for you to them, and leave the rest to them.”
It was clear that the answer did not altogether content Marr. Conan wondered if Decius and Eloikas knew something about the man that he did not. Most likely they did. But they could not tell him what it was unless he put himself in the piper's hands long enough to find them.
After a moment, the piper nodded. He swung his pack down from his shoulder, drew out a dagger, some bread, and a linen bag with runes embroidered on it in blue thread. He thrust the pipe into the bag and the whole affair into the sack, then cut the bread with the dagger and handed each of the others a piece.