Betrayal at Falador (20 page)

“I am trusting in you, Theodore, not to leave that poor girl alone,” he whispered to himself as he returned to his quarters, there to greet a suspicious-looking Bhuler. He would have to watch his valet, for he knew how clever he was and that he would object loudly to Sir Tiffy’s plan.

It is for the greater good,
he told himself as he sat down at his desk. Yet, as much as he knew it was true, that sentiment didn’t make him feel any better.

TWENTY-SEVEN

The following day was uncharacteristically warm, and many of those who dwelt in the knights’ almshouse ventured forth to take their places in the park for the first time in weeks.

Amongst them was Sir Pallas, an old man who was glad to get outside to take advantage of the warm day. He sat by Sir Tiffy’s side, listening to his acquaintance of long years as he spoke of Kara. His eyes widened when his friend mentioned the possibility that she was Justrain’s daughter.

“Sir Amik thinks it a possibility. I think it a certainty, however,” Sir Tiffy said. “I am
certain
she knows something about Justrain’s accusations.” He turned to face Pallas. “You will recall that he believed there was a traitor amongst the knights. I think she can give us the evidence we need to solve the mystery once and for all!” He grabbed his friend’s wrist and squeezed enthusiastically.

Sir Pallas winced from the strength of the grasp.

“You seem very sure,” he said, his voice lower than that of his friend. “In my experience, things of this kind tend to drag on indefinitely, and always without answer.” Sir Pallas wasn’t really looking at Sir Tiffy, however. His gaze was far away, clouded in memories of distant youth.

“I am certain, Pallas. She did not know her father was a knight until yesterday, but she knew he was spying on the Kinshra. It is obvious that his efforts led him to some conclusion, but before he could communicate his information he was killed and the village destroyed. Only Kara escaped. It must be by the will of Saradomin that she was delivered to us, to lead us to the answer we have sought for so long.”

Sir Pallas nodded doubtfully.

“But what if the traitor is still alive?”

“Then he must be brought to justice, my friend.”

“You would have him hanged?” Pallas asked. “What if it turns out to be one of us? It could be Sir Erical, Sir Finistere, Sir Balladish or Master Troughton.” He counted them off on his hand, one by one. “It could even be me!”

“Yes, Sir Pallas. For all I know it could be you.” Sir Tiffy’s grey eyes stared coldly at his friend, and his voice turned flat and menacing. “The men you mentioned, and yourself, are the only men left alive who are of the right age and station to have been capable of committing such a treason. I pray that whomever it turns out to be is already dead.”

The words wounded Sir Pallas, and he left the spymaster to sit by himself, not wishing to spend such a pleasant day under a cloud of suspicion. As he passed by two other retired knights on a footbridge that arched over a small pond, the men made way for him.

“Lovely day, Sir Pallas,” the one-armed Sir Erical said.

“Yes,” he answered quietly, his eyes glancing furtively at both men, a distinct sense of unease growing inside him.

They continued on their way. Sir Tiffy raised his hand to attract Sir Erical’s attention, and the one-armed knight walked briskly over to take a place beside him on the bench.

It was too much, coming at this time of life, Sir Pallas reflected. He did not want to spend his last years consumed once again by thoughts of treachery, as it had been all those years ago. He watched from outside the park as Sir Erical’s expression mirrored his own. After but a few moments, he too left Sir Tiffy’s side, wearing a dark look on his face, another unhappy receiver of the spymaster’s news.

Not far from the park, Doric sighed bitterly.

He had moved to a rented room that had unexpectedly become available in The Rising Sun. He had also lodged his claim with the magistrate in an effort to recover some of his possessions, but he knew it would be many months before any result would be forthcoming. Still, he thought, it was a first step on a long road that he knew he had to take.

The dwarf browsed the markets in the city, casting his knowledgeable eye over the precious stones that some of the merchants sold. Several times he had to bite his tongue to stop himself from criticising the workmanship on the polished metalwork that was on display.

His eyes focused on the gems on one of the stalls, weighing up their quality and quietly dismissing their value. As he did, the trader spoke.

“You know the woman? The beggar?” the man said to his neighbour.

“I know her,” came the answer. “She tried to take one of my silks last year. When I caught her she pretended to be insane.”

“Mad I think she may be. Look at this—she sold this gem to me this morning. Have you ever seen anything finer?”

Their talk drew Doric’s attention, and he was eager to see the stone that the trader prized so greatly, certain it could not compare to those in his own collection.

“I paid a small fortune for it!” the trader said, and he laughed as he noticed Doric’s curiosity. “Here, dwarf, your kind are well-known for their skill and appreciation of such things. What do
you
think?” The man handed the gem to Doric, his eyes shining happily. He knew it was of a far better quality than any he had possessed before.

Doric took the gem in his hand, weighing it first before unclenching his fist to look at it, and when he did so the blood drained from his face and he let out a strangled cry.

“What is it?” the trader said with alarm. “Are you all right, my friend?”

“Where did you get this thing?” Doric demanded.

“An old lady sold it to me this very morning,” the man replied. “Why, what is wrong with it?”

“It belongs to me!” the dwarf said loudly. “I would know it anywhere. It was taken from me several days ago, when my house was burned and ransacked by yokels who had been whipped into a fervour by those purple-robed idiots. Squire Theodore and I found their bodies a day later—the monster had killed all of them.”

“That cannot be,” the trader insisted. “It was an old lady who sold it to me. I promise you!”

“I am not concerned about the gem,” Doric said. “The purple-robed men took the best of my collection and the monster, in turn, must have taken it from them. If it has been sold in Falador, then that means the monster is inside the city!” He peered around, as if he expected the creature to appear.

His shouting attracted the attention of the city guards, and several men clad in chain mail stepped close about him. One of them laid a hand on his right shoulder, gripping it firmly.

“That’ll be enough, dwarf!” one of them said sternly. “Continue to alarm the citizens and you’ll have to come with us!”

Doric tried to shrug off the painful grip. A crowd began to gather.

“The monster is inside the city!” he implored. “Don’t you see?”

Anxious looks appeared on faces in the crowd, and some of the onlookers were repeating the dwarf’s words. A young woman with a child held close to her breast looked at Doric in sudden fear.

“Is it true? Is it here?” Her face paled further and she swayed on suddenly unsteady legs. “Remember what they said it did to the gypsy caravan? My child...” Her words ended as she fainted and a man behind moved to catch her.

“That is enough!” announced the guard with his hand on Doric’s shoulder. “Go about your business! The dwarf is under arrest for causing a public disturbance.”

At that, Doric was seized by the guards. He struggled silently, his anger preventing him from speaking coherently. Although several of the crowd had dispersed, there was still a considerable gathering.

“Why does he say such a thing?” someone shouted from the onlookers.

“Who’s to know?” the guard answered loudly. “The monster cannot be in the city. The gates are guarded night and day, and someone would have noticed if it tried to sneak in.”

Many nodded in agreement, but not everyone. All had heard the rumours of the beast, and all had imagined what it must be like. The fact that it had killed a dozen men and ripped a gypsy caravan apart had many believing it was a bear-sized creature or bigger. And how could a bear possibly sneak unnoticed into the city of Falador?

Finally Doric found his voice.

“Send for Squire Theodore of the knights! He will verify my story,” he demanded. Then, realizing it was futile, he ceased struggling.

“In good time, dwarf,” the guard said. “You’ll spend a night in a cell—that’ll help you to cool down, and teach you not to make a nuisance of yourself.”

The guards led the dwarf away as several men shouted from the crowd, accusing him of worrying their wives and children needlessly. A few voices even jeered at him for being a drunkard.

But the dwarf’s conviction had got the gem trader thinking.

It was extremely odd, he realized, that the madwoman who was well-known on Falador’s streets should have come by something so valuable.

Suddenly the thought of his wife and daughter alone at home made him uneasy.

TWENTY-EIGHT

“Kara can stay in the ward a few more days,” Sir Amik said, feeding a scrap of meat to the huge falcon that sat beside him on a perch. “The matron is unwilling to let her out—despite her ability to beat Marius, she still insists our guest is not completely healed. Although there is no longer any need for Kara to wear the clothes of an invalid. She can wear the ones Bhuler had made for her.”

Theodore was certain Sir Amik was hiding something. As if sensing the young squire’s unease, the knight’s falcon flapped its wings as it adjusted its balance.

“I want you to give Kara more of your time, Theodore” he said. “We must try to unearth what it is that she knows.”

“And what of my other duties, sir?” Theodore asked.

“Your other duties can be delegated to other squires for now. Your challenge to Marius is important, I know, but that is five days away. Kara is everything right now.” When the young man didn’t reply, Sir Amik peered at him and continued. “Has she said anything about her father?”

“Nothing” Theodore responded. “She has no recollection that her father was a knight, and she hasn’t recalled anything with regard to Justrain, which is probably just as well.”

“Ah! So you know why Justrain’s daughter is so important?”

“Everyone knows of his unfounded accusations—now that they’ve been reminded, it’s all anyone can talk about.” Theodore’s belief in the knights prevented him from admitting even the possibility of treachery. “Some say that Kara might be the key to ending it all.”

“You sound doubtful.”

“She had never even heard the name Justrain before you told her,” Theodore said. “She can barely remember her father, let alone any secrets they might have had. Even if there was a traitor she will be absolutely no help in identifying him. I have said so repeatedly, just today.”

Sir Amik turned on him quickly, suddenly angry.

“You must not say that, Theodore! That is an order,” he barked. “Such opinions must remain your own. I called you here because I want your help. You are to tell others that Kara’s memory is getting better—that she is recalling more of her youth and of her father’s conversations. Do you understand?”

Theodore was startled, and not entirely certain that he
did
understand.

“Then there
was
a traitor?” he asked uncertainly.

Sir Amik said nothing.

“And you are asking me to lie,” the squire continued. “To Kara, and to others in our order?” This flew in the face of so much that he had been taught about the knighthood.

Sir Amik put a hand to his forehead in distress.

“I am doing exactly that” he said. “I know it goes against everything we stand for, but we cannot pass up an opportunity like this. To do so would allow a murderer to escape justice.”

Theodore’s brow creased in puzzlement.

“A murderer?” he uttered quietly.

“Oh yes, Theodore. Many of our order have perished under mysterious circumstances, and some had families who were targeted by Zamorak’s agents. All of this happened long before you joined the knights.” He paused for a moment, appearing to gather his thoughts. “In my position, Theodore, I must make hard choices, but I can truthfully say that putting Kara in harm’s way is the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make.”