Part 40 (1/2)

At least the turncoat Pougoi had no beasts or Star Brothers with the the royal caht or by day The scouts who tried to had never been seen again, save for one as found gelded, dise

After that, the scouts kept their distance, and ht back was rumors or, at best, tales One tale ran so far as to say that King Eloikas was dead If so, should Syzaent for Prince Urras?

Syzambry looked at that notion now froht sed the camp save where watchfires sparked with saffron flaed it best to hold his tongue for now When he knew his own strength, as well as his foe's weakness, the tiues do the work of sharp steel

Where was Zylku? The count would not know his own strength until he knew the state of the Pougoi, and he would not know that until the round Swords and spears clattered and clanged

The count's guards were alert The count himself drew his sword and laid it across his knees as his servant opened the tent flaps

A dark shape e o, save for an unshaven countenance and a dark cloak thrown over his garhtly toward the watchfire

The count leaped frouard position In the fire's light he saw that the agent's feet were bare

Bare-and bloody, as if he had run barefoot for days over sharp stones

Syzambry's breath hissed out in alarm Otherwise, he would have called the sentries They needed no calling, though They had seen the same as their lord, and they stepped forward to do their duty

The first two guards to reach the agent gripped hiently by the arms, as they would have done with a harripped the guards' throats With the strength of twenty, he slaether The crack of shattered skulls was loud enough to raise echoes Then, for good ers closed on the men's throats and crushed their windpipes They were dead twice over when he flung them violently away frouards' oath to their lord, and perhaps fear of his wrath, held theain advance upon Zylku

As what had been a man ambled toward the fire, they ran hastily to form a wall of flesh and steel before their lord

”Lift me up, you fools!” the count stormed He hated any order that would remind others of his lack of stature, but he had no choice All he could see before him was a line of jerkined backs and helmeted heads

Two of his servants lifted the chair They staggered under its weight

Two guards ran back to join the servants They were eager to be as far as they could contrive froether bore chair and count out of the tent and raised Syzauards He sed a cry of horror when he saw clearly, and his lie to leap in panic froled to uphold it, the count clung desperately to both his dignity and the aruards tried to look in all directions at once

Chaos threatened, but it did not quite prevail The count settled back on the cushi+ons and forced hiht before hih as his knees They had already burned the boots fro the flesh on his bones to charcoal He seeh, but stood as if his feet had been in a war herbs-

The man's mouth opened and he spoke Or at least words came forth

Count Syzambry did not care to think about who in truth had put the words in Zylku's mouth

”Count Syza unlawful knowledge of our secrets Nor will it be you unless you further fail to heed such lessons There will be a lesson each time you seek what you may not know Each time that lesson will cost the life of a e of your men endure?”

Then, at last, the spell that had bound Zylku broke All the pain of being burned alive struck hile moment Count Syzambry would have sworn that no such scream could issue from a human throat

”Kill him!” the count howled, nearly as shrill as the wretched man himself The order was not needed Half a dozen spears were in Zylku's breast before he could screauards not dropped their weapons to clap their hands over their ears One fell to his knees, spewing

As Zylku died, so did the fire The count thanked the Gods for the darkness, which hid his own pallid and fear-twisted countenance from his men He hoped that the Gods were still present in this land to be thanked

At least his guards and servants were present and in command of their limbs and senses They did their duty so that when the count's wit returned, he rapped in furs and in his bed, with a leech attending him