Part 52 (1/2)

”Perhaps. But you had castle walls, there. Here we have nothing before us but open land, and nothing behind us but the Kynslagh.”

”Yes, but we have several thousand men here, too. And no innocents to worry over. If my brother's chief ally thinks he will find us as easy a nut to crack as before, he will be disappointed.”

Isgrimnur stared at the fierce-eyed prince, then at Camaris, who held his head in his hands and stared at the tabletop.

Is Josua right? Or are we the last raveled end of John's empire, waiting for a final pull before it falls into threads?

”I suppose we'd better go and talk to a few of the captains.” The duke got up and held his hands close to the brazier, trying to dispel some of the chill. ”Better we tell them something's coming than they hear it by rumor.” He made a noise of disgust. ”Looks like we don't get much sleep.”

Miriamele stared at Cadrach. She, who had heard him lie so many times, could not free herself of the horrifying certainty that this time he was telling the truth.

Or the truth as he sees it, anyway, she tried to comfort herself. she tried to comfort herself.

She looked at Binabik, who had narrowed his eyes in concentration, then returned to Cadrach's bleak face. ”Doomed? Do you mean some danger beside that we already face?”

He met her stare. ”Doomed beyond hope. And I have played no little part in it.”

”What is it you are saying?” demanded Binabik.

The dwarrow Yis-fidri seemed to want little to do with this volatile and frightening conversation; he hesitated, fingers flexing.

”What I am saying, troll, is that all the scurrying about in caverns that we do here matters little. Whether we escape the White Foxes outside, whether your Prince Josua knocks down the walls, whether G.o.d Himself sends lightning down from Heaven to blast Elias to ash ... none of it matters.”

Miriamele felt her guts twist at the certainty in his voice. ”Tell us what you mean.”

The monk's hard face crumpled. ”Aedon's mercy! Everything you have thought about me is true, Miriamele. Everything.” A tear ran down his cheek. ”G.o.d help me-although He has no reason to-I have done such foul things....”

”Curse you, Cadrach, will you explain!”

As if this outburst had somehow pushed Yis-fidri past what he could bear, the dwarrow got up and moved away rapidly, going to join his whispering fellows on the other side of the cavern.

Cadrach wiped at his eyes and nose with his dirty sleeve. ”I told you of my capture by Pryrates,” he said to Miriamele.

”You did.” And she in turn had told Binabik and others on Sesuad'ra, so she felt no need to retell the tale now.

”I told you that after I had betrayed the booksellers, Pryrates threw me out, thinking I was dead.”

She nodded.

”That was not true-or at least it did not happen then.” He took a breath. ”He set me to spy on Morgenes and others I had known from my days as a Scrollbearer.”

”And you did it?”

”If you think I hesitated, my lady, you do not know how fiercely a drunkard and coward can cling to his life-or how terrified of Pryrates' anger I was. You see, I knew him. I knew that the injuries he had done to my flesh in his tower were nothing set against what he could do if he truly wished to make me suffer.”

”So you spied for him?! Spied on Morgenes?”

Cadrach shook his head. ”I tried-by the Tree, how I tried! But Morgenes was no fool. He knew that I had fallen into dreadful straits, and that the red priest knew both of us from elder days. He gave me food and a night's lodging, but he was suspicious. He made sure there was nothing for me to find in either his chambers or his discourse that would be useful to someone like Pryrates.” Cadrach shook his head. ”If anything, my efforts only taught Morgenes that he had less time than he had hoped.”

”So you failed?” Miriamele could not see where this was leading, but a deep dread was spreading through her.

”Yes. And I was terrified. When I went back to Hjeldin's Tower, Pryrates was angry. But he did not kill me, or do something worse, as I feared. Instead he asked me more questions about Du Svardenvyrd. Du Svardenvyrd. I think by then he had already been touched by the Storm King and was beginning to bargain with him.” Cadrach's look turned contemptuous. ”As if any mortal could successfully bargain with one such as that! I doubt Pryrates has even yet realized what has come through the door he opened.” I think by then he had already been touched by the Storm King and was beginning to bargain with him.” Cadrach's look turned contemptuous. ”As if any mortal could successfully bargain with one such as that! I doubt Pryrates has even yet realized what has come through the door he opened.”

”We will talk of what thing Pryrates has done later,” said Binabik. ”You are telling us now of things you have been doing.”

The monk stared at him. ”They are less separate than you think,” he said at last. ”Pryrates asked me many questions, but for one who had read Du Svardenvyrd- Du Svardenvyrd- indeed, for one who knew Nisses' book so well that the memory of its words still haunts my thoughts daily-it was easy enough to see the direction behind his questions. Somehow he had been reached by the Storm King, and now Pryrates was eager to know about the three Great Swords.” indeed, for one who knew Nisses' book so well that the memory of its words still haunts my thoughts daily-it was easy enough to see the direction behind his questions. Somehow he had been reached by the Storm King, and now Pryrates was eager to know about the three Great Swords.”

”So Pryrates does does know about the swords.” Miriamele took a shaky breath. ”I suppose he was the one who took Bright-Nail from the mound, then.” know about the swords.” Miriamele took a shaky breath. ”I suppose he was the one who took Bright-Nail from the mound, then.”

Cadrach held up his hand. ”Pryrates dealt with me harshly for failing with Morgenes. Then he had me send a message to old Jarnauga in the north, asking for information about the Storm King. I suspect that the alchemist was looking for ways to defend himself against his new and very dangerous friend. He made me write it as he watched, then sent it himself with a sparrow he had filched from Morgenes. He let me go free again. He was sure I would not run away when he could so easily locate me.”

”But you did run away,” Miriamele said. ”You told me so.”

Cadrach nodded. ”Eventually. But not then. My fear was too great. But at the same time I knew that Jarnauga would not respond. The Rimmersman and Morgenes were closer than Pryrates realized, and I had no doubt the doctor would have already written to tell Jarnauga about my unexpected visit. In any case, Jarnauga had been living in Stormspike's shadow for years and would not have opened his mind to anyone he did not know for certain to be untouched by Ineluki's long hand. So I knew that the imposture Pryrates had forced me to commit was useless, and that when the red priest discovered it, he would have no use left for me. My only worth was as one who had read Nisses' book and as a former Scrollbearer. But I had answered all of his questions about the book, and now he would discover that the other Scrollbearers had stopped trusting me years before....” He broke off, struggling again with powerful emotions.

”Go on.” Miriamele spoke a little more gently than before. Whatever he had done, he seemed to be genuinely suffering.

”I was in terror-stark terror. I knew that I had only a short time before Jarnauga's inevitably unhelpful reply. I wanted desperately to flee, but Pryrates would know the moment I left Erchester, and by his use of the Art would also know where I had gone. He had marked me in that high chamber of his tower. He would find me anywhere anywhere.” Cadrach paused, struggling for self-control. ”So I thought, and thought, and thought-but not, to my shame, of a way to escape Pryrates or thwart his plans. No, in my besottedness and my fear, I thought only of ways that I could please this horrid master, that I could convince him to grant me my pathetic life.” He quivered, unable for a moment to continue.

”I had thought much about his questions,” the monk finally resumed. ”Especially about the three Great Swords. It was clear that they had some marvelous power, and equally clear that they meant something to the Storm King. What was not clear to anyone but me, I thought, was that the sword Minneyar, one of the three, was in fact Bright-Nail, the sword that had been buried with King John.”

Miriamele gaped. ”You knew?”

”Anyone who read the books of history that I had would have suspected it,” Cadrach replied. ”I am convinced Morgenes knew, but hid it in his own book about your grandfather so that only those who knew what to look for would find it, thus keeping it from common knowledge.” He had regained a little composure. ”In any case, I read the same sources Doctor Morgenes did, and had long held that opinion, although I had never shared it with anyone. And the more I thought about the marketplace gossip that claimed Elias would not handle his father's sword, that he had, against custom, buried it with his father, the more I felt sure that my guess was not just likely, but true.

”So I decided that if what Du Svardenvyrd Du Svardenvyrd seemed to suggest was seemed to suggest was also also true-that the only weapons the Storm King feared were the Three Great Swords-what more pleasing gift could I bring to Pryrates than one of the swords? All three were thought to be lost. Surely if I produced one, I reasoned, Pryrates would find me useful.” true-that the only weapons the Storm King feared were the Three Great Swords-what more pleasing gift could I bring to Pryrates than one of the swords? All three were thought to be lost. Surely if I produced one, I reasoned, Pryrates would find me useful.”

Miriamele gaped at the monk in disgust and astonishment. ”You ... you traitor! Was it you who took the sword from my grandfather's barrow? And gave it to Pryrates!? G.o.d curse you if it was, Cadrach!”

”You may call curses on me all you like-and you will, with ample reason. But wait until you hear the whole tale.”

I was right to try and drown him in Emettin Bay. I wish he had never been fished out. She waved angrily for him to continue. She waved angrily for him to continue.

”I went to Swertclif, of course,” he said. ”But the burial ground was closely guarded by the king's soldiers. It seemed that Elias meant to keep his father's grave safe. I waited two nights for a moment when I might get at the barrow, but no such moment came. And then Pryrates sent for me.” He winced, remembering. ”He had learned well from his studies. His voice was in my head-you cannot imagine how that feels! He forced me to come to him, come slinking like a disobedient child....”

”Cadrach, there are Norns who are waiting outside this cavern,” Binabik interrupted. ”So far your story is telling us little that will help us.”

The monk stared at him coldly. ”Nothing will help us. That is what I am trying to explain-but I will not force you to listen.”

”You will tell us everything,” Miriamele declared, her rage fighting free. ”We are fighting for our lives. Speak!”

”Pryrates called me to him again. As I knew he would, he told me that Jarnauga had sent only information of no worth, that it was clear the old Rimmersman did not trust me. 'You are useless to me, Padreic ec-Crannhyr,' the alchemist said.

” 'What if I can tell you something that is very useful?' I asked. No, that is not the right word. I begged. 'If you will leave me my life, I will serve you faithfully. There are still things I know that might help you!' He laughed when I said that-laughed!-and told me that if I could give him even a single piece of information that was truly valuable, he would indeed spare me. So I told him that I knew the Great Swords were important to him, that all were lost, but that I knew where one of them was.