Part 32 (1/2)

'That's right,' Boamund said. 'Twenty.'

264.

Before anyone had a chance to speak, there was a soft cough behind them, and a man stepped forward.

'Good evening, gentlemen,' he said.

A thousand-year-old instinct brought the knights smartly to their feet.

'Good evening, Mr Magus, sir,' they chorused.

Simon Magus looked down at his clothes and sighed. He had done his best to disguise himself as an aged woodcutter, but fancy dress had never been his cup of tea.

'Ready?'

The knights looked at each other. 'Yes, sir,' said Boamund. 'All ready.'

'Splendid,' Simon Magus replied. 'In that case, Boamund, if you'd care to follow me? The rest of you, stay here till I call.'

There was a faint rumble of murmuring from the knights - something mutinous about it not being fair, and a certain person being the teacher's pet. When Simon Magus turned round and looked at them, it died away completely.

'Be good,' Simon Magus said. Then he walked away.

'You'll need this.'

Boamund had been wondering what was in the canvas bag.

It could have been fis.h.i.+ng rods, or drain rods even, or a small collapsible easel, or possibly a photographer's tripod. But it wasn't.

'Mind out,' the magician warned, 'it's sharp.'

Boamund, who had already discovered this, sucked his finger. Very sharp and remarkably light, and it seemed to s.h.i.+ne of its own accord in the pale moonlight.

'Excalibur,' said Simon Magus casually. 'Been up on the top of my wardrobe for years now, so I said to myself, I'm never going to get any use out of it, might as well pa.s.s it on to somebody who will.' He looked at it wistfully.

Excalibur! Someone or something with just a little more imagination than Boamund - a rock, say, or the root of a tree - might have imagined that the dim flame of light dancing on the blade of the sword flickered at the sound of the name. Boamund bit his lip.

'Um,' he said, 'are you sure, sir? I mean, I always thought that the King sort of chucked it in the lake.'

Simon Magus grinned. 'He did,' he replied. 'That's how I got it. Look.'

He pointed to a small group of letters engraved in gold on the rica.s.so of the sword; and as he did, one could have been forgiven for thinking that they glowed brightly for a fraction of a second.

SHEFFIELD, they said.

'Anyway,' Simon Magus went on, rather self-consciously, 'put it away for now and let's hope we won't need it. Should all be perfectly straightforward . . .'

'Halt!'

Out of the darkness, a figure loomed. Moonlight glinted on blued steel.

'All right,' said Simon Magus patiently, after a relatively long pause. 'We've halted. What can we do for you?'

'Um.' The silhouette turned its head and whispered something urgently into the bush from which it had emerged. A couple of other silhouettes emerged rather reluctantly and stood behind it. 'You may not pa.s.s,' it said.

'Why not?'

'You can't. Go away.'

Simon Magus and Boamund exchanged glances.

'Can I?' said Boamund hopefully.

'Go on, then,' Simon Magus replied. 'But don't get carried away.'

With a whoop of delight, Boamund drew the sword from the canvas bag, swung it round his head so fast that Simon Magus nearly lost an ear, and lunged into the darkness. There were a few loud but very musical clangs, and Boamund came back.

'They ran away,' he said. It was almost a whimper.

'Never mind,' the magician replied. 'There'll be others, I expect.'

Boamund nodded stoically and sheathed the sword. 'Perhaps,' he said eagerly, 'they'll ambush us.'

Simon Magus shrugged. 'Actually,' he said, 'I rather think that was meant to be an ambush just then. I don't think they've had an awful lot of practice at this sort of thing.'

'Oh.' Boamund sounded surprised. 'You know who they are, then?'

'I've got a pretty good idea,' Simon Magus replied. 'I think they're independent financial advisers. That or portfolio managers. Come on.'

They walked on round the edge of the lake. In a tree above their heads, an owl hooted. Boamund got something in his eye and paused to get it out again.

'Excuse me asking,' he said tentatively, 'but was it you who was that hermit I saw when I woke up, the one who said I should go and do this quest?'

Simon Magus nodded. 'That's right,' he said.

'Oh. I didn't recognise you.'

'I was in disguise. It wouldn't have done for you to know, you see. Actually, it was a pretty terrible disguise. I'm surprised you didn't see through it.'

Boamund considered this revelation for a moment. 'So you've been behind the whole thing, then? Me going to sleep and all that.'

'That's right.' He hesitated, and then added, 'You didn't mind, did you? I mean, you weren't about to do something else, or anything like that?'

'No, not at all,' Boamund replied.

'Good. I was a bit worried, you know, that I'd messed you about rather.'

A shadowy figure with a knife in its mouth dropped from a tree. Unfortunately, it had mistimed its descent. There was a thump; and when the shadowy figure came round, there were two men standing over it solicitously.

'Are you all right?' asked Simon Magus.