Part 14 (1/2)
He glared at a servant following him, who hastily put another metal cup in front of his lord, and filled it from the wine jug, then ran off with the wine jug, presumably to refill it in no time at all.
”It is a plan of Sir James,” said Brian. ”He has been so good as to tell me of it; and within the limitations of what I know, I find it most attractive. But let him tell you, himself.”
Sir Mortimor nodded; but at that moment the door opened behind him and the servant came back with not one, but two, jugs of wine, br.i.m.m.i.n.g. Sir Mortimor glared at him again, for his own cup had been empty for some seconds.
”Sorry, m'lord,” said the servant miserably and ducked out, closing the door behind him.
”Well then, Sir James,” said Sir Mortimor, taking another hearty draught of wine from his cup. ”What is it you have in mind?”
”Something that'll have to be done before full sunrise,” said Jim, ”otherwise I wouldn't have been in such a hurry to talk to you about it.”
”It's a good time to talk.” Sir Mortimor sat back in his chair and took another deep swallow from his wine cup. His face was harsh with the lines of middle-age tiredness. They were all tired. ”Those Moroccans have given up and gone to sleep down in the village. My men are sleeping too-all those who aren't required to be awake.”
”That's the very reason I wanted to talk to you as soon as possible,” said Jim. ”Because if what I have to suggest to you is workable, we'll need to move quickly before the sun is up. It's all to our advantage that those attacking us are probably asleep right now.”
”Well, well,” said Sir Mortimor, drumming his fingers on the table top. ”What is this you wanted to say?”
”I think there's just a chance we might drive them off,” said Jim. ”My problem's been I don't know these people and this part of the world as you do, Sir Mortimor. How would they react, say, if they saw smoke coming out from the seaward end of each of their two s.h.i.+ps?”
”I've already told you two gentlemen,” said Sir Mortimor, ”I will not countenance a sally through my secret escape route in the vain hope of firing the s.h.i.+ps-since the last thing I want to do is to deprive the villains of the means of escaping.”
”Hear me out,” said Jim, sharply enough so that some of the signs of fatigue about Sir Mortimor's face vanished and his eyes narrowed on Jim. ”I'm not suggesting any such thing. I asked for information. I asked how they'd react if they saw smoke coming up from the seaward end of their vessels. Would you be kind enough to tell me, sir?”
”If they saw smoke,” said Sir Mortimor, ”of course they would sound the alarm and all rush like madmen for the s.h.i.+ps to put out any fire there. But I repeat-I do not want those s.h.i.+ps fired!”
”And I have said I am suggesting no such thing,” said Jim. ”I'm making a suggestion that could involve my helping you with elements of my magical art.”
Sir Mortimor's face changed markedly.
”And I do not want any payment,” said Jim. ”I would be doing this in the spirit, and only in the spirit, in which a guest helps out his host under special situations. Now if you will a.s.sist me with information and listen, Sir Mortimor-”
”I'll most gladly tell and listen. Sir James,” said Sir Mortimor. ”Most gladly. Forgive me if I sounded overhasty.”
”Well then,” said Jim, ”picture all of them who are sleeping now, suddenly woken up by a shouting that there is fire in their boats. They rush to the boats to find out where the fire is. While they are all cl.u.s.tered around there, some of them scrambling around inside the boats and finding no fire, only smoke, they are suddenly struck by all your men, fully armed and ready for battle. Most of them will have nothing but their belt knives, or perhaps not even that; having just been roused from their slumber, and not expecting to fight men, but a fire.”
Sir Mortimor's face lit up.
”We could cut them to pieces!” he said. But then he frowned. ”They would have to remain disorganized, however; and all must go perfectly so that we come upon them at just the right moment. If we could only be sure they would stay alarmed, disorganized and not knowing what to do- then, I believe we could simply slay at will. Until a few woke to the fact that there was nothing here for them but death, scrambled aboard their s.h.i.+ps and pulled away. By that time they would be too few in numbers to come back again at us. They would leave. But there is that problem. They are fighting men. They might grasp the situation, escape our first rush, get back to their arms-and, as we know, they outnumber us almost five to one.”
”Don't you think they'd stay disorganized?” Jim asked. ”Particularly if they saw an eight-foot-tall demon fighting with your men? They already know there's a magician with you in this castle-myself.”
”How do you know that?” said Sir Mortimor. ”How do you know they know you are here and a magician?”
”Because I am a magician,” said Jim, in the most ominous voice he could manage.
”Oh, of course-” Sir Mortimor's features suddenly became as obliging as Jim had remembered seeing them the moment he had first set foot in the castle. ”Of course. Forgive me, I do not mean to doubt your word at all, Sir James. Can you indeed produce a demon to fight with us?”
”I can,” said Jim. ”It will take me perhaps half an hour. But there may be a difficulty. How will your men feel, having a demon among them?”
Sir Mortimor's face, which had lit up, lost a good deal of its illumination.
”Now,” he said, rubbing his chin, ”that is a question. What I must do is introduce the demon to them here, in the castle before they go out. You would not be willing to change into demon form before them?”
”I did not say I would change myself into a demon,” said Jim. ”I said I would produce a demon to fight with you and your men.”
It may have been an illusion of the firelight and the cresset-light, but Jim was almost ready to believe that Sir Mortimor's face had become slightly pale.
”A real demon?” said Sir Mortimor.
”I have said what I said,” said Jim. ”It does not become me to explain myself. Either you approve my plan, or not. The how and why of it involve matters not spoken of with those who are not magicians.”
”No, no. Of course not,” said Sir Mortimor.
He gulped from his wine cup and did not refill it.
”A half-hour, you said?” He got to his feet. ”Indeed, it will be light, then, but the sun is not yet up. The best of times to strike at men who think they now can spend the morning sleeping, and have been up all night. True, our lads have been up all night too; but they will forget that once they are in the melee. Half an hour from now, then, messires, I will have all my fighting men on the lowest floor of the castle. If Sir Brian will come down first to hold the men, I will then come up to meet this demon and walk down with you to introduce it to them all. Seeing it with you will give them courage to let you close to them. But you will be with me, Sir James, will you not, when I bring the demon down?”
”No,” said Jim.
Sir Mortimor paled once more.
”Oh,” he said.
”I will be where I can control everything the demon does. You may not ask where.”
”Wouldn't think of it,” said Sir Mortimor hastily. ”I was only concerned with allaying the fear of my men.”
”As for that,” put in Brian, ”I will venture to guess that the greater their alarm on seeing the demon, the greater their courage once fighting the pirates begins.”
”You are right in that.” Sir Mortimor got to his feet. ”I will leave you now, Sir James-Sir Brian. In half an hour, look for me again.”
He went out.
”James,” said Brian, ”will you really raise an actual demon?”
”Not exactly, Brian,” said Jim. ”There's something I should tell you. I haven't had a chance to, up until now. I had a talk with Carolinus shortly before I left to follow you-about the Christmas party at the Earl's a few months back-you remember that-”
”How could I forget it?” said Brian.
”Well, I used my magic rather freely there, as you know,” said Jim. ”I was able to do this because I've got a special drawing account. However, afterwards, and before the a.s.signment of wards.h.i.+p came to me for young Robert, I had this talk with Carolinus; and he explained something to me, for reasons which I'd rather not go into, even with you. Reasons why I shouldn't be so spendthrift with my magic. Just believe me-they're serious.”
”I had not guessed this, James.” Brian looked concerned.
”It's nothing to worry about,” Jim said. ”But because of that talk, I now need to be a miser with my magic. So, I'm not going to raise any demon-a magician's not supposed to, anyhow. I am, actually, going to make myself look so much like a demon it'll have the same effect. To do that I'm going to have to be completely alone for the next twenty minutes or so. Could I ask you-I know it's asking you to do something beneath your rank, but we're strangers here, and I don't trust the servants-would you stand guard outside the door of this room and see I'm not interrupted for that time? I think if you simply tell anyone I'm doing magic here, n.o.body would want to come in.”
”Gladly will I do this for you,” said Brian. ”And I promise none shall enter.”
”Thanks, Brian,” said Jim.
”It is but a little thing,” said Brian.