Bronze Magic (Book 1) (58 page)

Tarkyn intended to stay awake, but after the effort of the magic and
all the ensuing issues he had had to deal with, he fell asleep almost
immediately. In the darkness, Danton waited motionlessly. He listened
carefully to the rhythmic breathing of the sorcerer and wizard lying beside
him. Then quietly, he rose in one fluid movement and slid through the
dark to his pile of knives. After a furtive look around, he quickly replaced
the knives into their various sheaths around his body. Four woodmen
watched him intently.
Danton straightened up and scanned the trees around and above
him. Then he glided silently into the gloom of the surrounding forest.
Slowly he worked his way through the trees around the sleeping
prince, stopping every few yards to listen and look around. When he
had made a full circumference, he returned to stand motionlessly over
Tarkyn, looking down at him. Beneath him, Tarkyn suddenly jerked
but appeared to remain asleep. Danton shook his head, scanned the
trees again and heaved a quiet sigh. He bent down, quietly extracted
his blanket from next to the prince and then sat himself against a tree,
wrapping the blanket around himself.
All through the long hours of the night, he kept vigil. Every so often,
he would repeat his circuit of the surrounding woods and return to sit
against the tree. When dawn came, the guardsman was still watching,
hollow-eyed.
Stormaway rose first, looking very heavy eyed. He glanced belligerently
at Danton. “Not much of a sleeper, are you?”
Danton gave a tired smile. “I’m sorry. Did I keep you awake? I tried to
be as quiet as possible.”
Stormaway bent a frown in him, “What were you up to?”
“Me?” asked Danton in some surprise. “I was doing what a guardsman
does best. I was guarding His Royal Highness.”
The wizard grunted derisively, “What? Out here, miles from anywhere,
in the middle of the forest?”
Danton shrugged. “Well, after your magic display yesterday, anyone
for miles around might know he was here. Besides,” the guardsman
frowned, “I keep having the feeling that we’re being watched. I’ve learnt
to trust my instincts. So I couldn’t just go to sleep and hope for the best.
I thought about putting a shield up over us all. We’re sitting ducks for an
ambush in these trees. But I thought it might wake His Highness.”
Stormaway seemed to find this mildly amusing. “Yes, I think it might
have done.”
Danton threw off his blanket and stood up. He scrubbed his face with
his hands, yawned and stretched himself. “Now you’re awake, I might
hunt around for some wood and get a fire going.”
When Danton returned, Tarkyn was awake and talking in low voices
with Stormaway.As he approached, the prince shot a hard, calculating
look at him. Danton stopped dead, the colour draining from his face. He
bowed stiffly and placed the firewood carefully on the ground. Then he
bowed again and stepped backwards for several feet before turning on his
heel and heading back through the forest on the pretext of finding more
wood. The prince did not acknowledge him or call after him.
The blonde sorcerer wandered around, collecting wood, his mind in a
daze. This was not the prince he had last seen in Tormadell. The man back
there talking with Stormaway was cold and aloof. All evening, he had not
unbent and relaxed. Danton began to comprehend the damage that had
been wrought by the King’s betrayal of his youngest brother. Although
the prince had said he was glad to see him, nothing in his manner had
backed up that statement. In a surge of anger and disappointment, the
guardsman threw down the wood he was carrying, sat down against the
nearest tree and considered his position. He had given up everything
to look for the prince. And now he had found him, instead of being
greeted with the welcome he had anticipated, the guardsman was faced
with a cool distant prince who had lost his trust in his fellow man and
in particular, in his best friend. Danton put his face in his hands and sat
there, wondering what to do next.
A slight sound roused him and he whipped his head up to find the
prince standing before him. He leapt to his feet and bowed.
“Your pardon, Your Highness. I did not realise you were there,” blurted
out the guardsman. Then he stiffened in anticipation of a rebuke as he
realised he had spoken first.
He was a little surprised when Tarkyn merely said, “You may sit down
again, Danton. I will sit also.”
Tarkyn sat down with his arms laced loosely over his raised knees. He
stared steadily at the guardsman for several seconds without speaking.
Danton waited, feeling tense in a way he had never felt before with this
prince. Somehow, he felt his future was on the line but he didn’t know
why.
Finally, Tarkyn observed noncommittally, “I see you retrieved your
knives.”
“Yes, my lord. I did not feel sufficiently well armed to defend you
without them.”
“I understand you stayed awake all night keeping watch. Thank you
for your efforts on my behalf.” The prince’s voice was still distant. “You
may need to sleep sometime today, though.”
Danton looked down at his hands then looked back up at the prince.
“I think I might move on, my lord. If you will permit me.”
Tarkyn frowned. “What? After searching all these weeks. You stay for
only one night and then leave?”
Danton looked away into the forest. “I know now you are safe.” He
brought his eyes resolutely back around to meet the prince’s. “I find you
changed, my lord, and despite your courtesy, I can tell that my advent has
not been welcome. It grieves me that you no longer trust me or feel the
friendship we once had. So I would prefer to move on.”
“Oh blast you, Danton! You always were overly sensitive.”
Tarkyn sprang to his feet in some agitation and began to pace. Danton
also stood up and waited. After several turns during which the prince
seemed rather distracted, he stopped dead and looked at Danton.
Suddenly, much to his surprise, the prince strode over to him, grabbed
him by the shoulders and said in the warmer, friendlier voice Danton was
used to, “Enough of this. Come here, my friend,” and pulled him into a
bear hug.
The guardsman took a moment to respond since this was now more
effusive than he was used to. After a moment, though, he un-stiffened
and returned the prince’s embrace.
When the prince let him go, Danton’s face was a picture of confusion.
“Your Highness, I don’t understand. Why have you been so cold towards
me? And now suddenly, you’re not.”
“Because, Danton, I have been making a decision and I have had to
conceal information from you. And you know how edgy it makes me
when I can’t be straightforward. And now we have decided that I don’t
need to do that anymore.”
“We? You and Stormaway, you mean?”
Tarkyn smiled cheerfully. “No. Not just Stormaway and me.”
Danton’s eyebrows snapped together. “But you told me you had noone else with you. I have never before known you to lie.”
The prince raised his eyebrows. “I may have changed but I haven’t
changed that much. I didn’t lie, although in my opinion, I came
pretty close. I said there were no wizards or sorcerers with me, and
there aren’t.”
When Danton went to speak, the prince held up his hand. “Wait,
Danton. Before we go any further, we need to make a couple of things
clear. Firstly, if I explain my previous behaviour to you and re-avow my
faith in you, will you stay?”
Tears sprang to the guardsman’s eyes, “My will is yours to command,
my liege. I had thought you did not want me with you.”
“I am sorry, my friend, that my welcome has been so poor. There were
complicating factors, as you are about to find out.” Tarkyn took a big
breath. “What I am about to tell you now is in itself an avowal of my
faith in you. You are about to be honoured with a trust that, until now,
has only been given to Stormaway and myself. If you betray this trust,
you betray your honour, yourself and me.”
Danton went down on one knee before his prince. “You have my
pledge, my lord. I will not fail you.”
“Thank you, Danton.” The prince placed his hand lightly under
the guardsman’s arm. “You may stand.” When Danton was once more
standing at attention before him. “In a moment, I would like you to meet
some people. Under no circumstances whatsoever, must you use magic,
knives or any kind of violence against them. Is that clear?”
Danton looked totally confused again but nodded vaguely.
Tarkyn’s voice became sharper. “Is that clear?
Danton focused on the prince’s face, with a puzzled frown on his face.
“Not really, my lord, if there are no people with you. But I will undertake
to do no violence.”
“Good enough.”
In the next instant, a ring of woodfolk appeared around them. Danton
made a convulsive movement that he quelled at its inception. They were
all dressed in the same garb as the prince and were all slightly shorter than
himself. A circle of green eyes watched him. They carried no weapons
that he could see but since he was wearing concealed knives himself,
he didn’t place much weight on appearances. He forced himself not to
stare around at them all and maintained what he hoped was a courteous
demeanour.
“Danton, I would like you to meet the woodfolk. I will introduce you
to each of them but I’m sure we will all understand if you don’t remember
everyone’s names at first.”
A chorus of forest sounds issued forth and Danton realised that the
woodfolk were commenting on what Tarkyn had said.
Danton bowed. “I am pleased to meet you. I will do my best to
remember your names.”
Tarkyn scanned the ring quickly and realised that there were
representatives from every faction there. The prince walked formally
around the circle with Danton, introducing each person with the same
level of courtesy and distance. When they had finished, he swept his arm
around the circle.
In a commanding voice, the prince proclaimed, “These people have
agreed to allow you to abide among them. In return, you must swear
a solemn oath never to reveal their presence to anyone else even, in
fact especially, to the king. If you foreswear this oath, your life will
be forfeit.” The prince brought his eyes back to rest on his liegeman.
“Kneel.”
Danton went down on one knee, hand on heart.
“Do you so swear, Danton Patronell, Lord of Sachmore?”
“Yes, my liege. On pain of death, I do.”
“You may rise.”
With the formalities over, Tarkyn looked around and realised several
of the oathless woodfolk were regarding him very strangely indeed. He
left Danton in the care of Stormaway and walked over to speak to them,
his eyes shining with mischief.
“What’s the matter? Never seen a prince at work before, have you?”
Raging Water stared at him. “No. We have not. It was almost as
interesting as your light show yesterday.”
Tarkyn gave a short laugh. “That wasn’t even a full ceremony just then.
That was merely a small aside.” He looked down at himself. “And frankly,
the clothes reduced the impact.” He grinned at them. “I’m much more
impressive if I’m dressed in full regalia.”
“Stop bragging. Let’s go and get some breakfast,” said Waterstone,
walking up to hear the end of this. “And bring your friend with you. You
don’t want Stormaway bending his ear all day.”
As they walked back towards the large clearing where the rest of the
woodfolk awaited them, Waterstone and Danton found themselves side
by side while Tarkyn was carried off by an enthusiastic Rainstorm.
Danton mused, “I was right, wasn’t I? We were being watched.”
Waterstone smiled grimly. “You certainly were.”
“And you were making sure I didn’t hurt him or try to carry him off,
I presume?”
“Yes. You came bloody close to being shot a few times last night. When
you retrieved your knives and stood over Tarkyn, it was touch and go.”
Danton’s face tightened. “And did Prince Tarkyn know you were
standing by, ready to shoot me?”
Waterstone heard the tension in the young sorcerer’s voice. “Yes. He
knew. You have no idea how often I had to reassure him that we weren’t
planning to kill you.” Seeing the confusion still on Danton’s face, he
added, “Slingshots, you know. We usually use bows and arrows but not
against Tarkyn’s friend.”
Light dawned. “Oh, so that’s how I was knocked out.” Danton gave
a little smile. “It’s funny isn’t it? I was guarding the prince against you
because I could feel someone watching me. And you were guarding the
prince against me.”
Waterstone clapped the young sorcerer on the shoulder. “Well that’s a
good start. At least we have something in common.”
Danton became thoughtful, “I didn’t do a very good job of it, did I?
You could have killed any of us at any time if you had so chosen. I should
have put my shield over us.”
Waterstone
nodded.
“Yes.
You
probably
should,
in
similar
circumstances. Last night however, that may have lead to some fairly
unpleasant consequences. So it was good that you didn’t.”
“What could you have done against a shield?”
“Not much.” The woodman shrugged, “But we had two accomplices
who would have been inside the shield. Stormaway was not asleep at any
time and we could wake Tarkyn without you being aware of it.”
Danton thought back. “You woke him when I was standing over him,
didn’t you?” The guardsman turned bleak purple eyes towards Waterstone.
“It is difficult to come to terms with such a lack of trust from someone I
have felt so close to, for so long.”
Waterstone smiled in sympathy. “It is difficult to come to terms with
it in someone you have just recently met. I had to go to extreme lengths
to get him to trust me. Tarkyn has been badly hurt. The trust will return
over time.” The woodman paused, “And he was not acting purely on his
own behalf last night. He was protecting us; not only that, you have to
remember Tarkyn wasn’t a saleable commodity last time you saw him.”
Danton frowned suddenly and spoke sharply. “That is no way to speak
about His Highness. Furthermore, I don’t think you should be referring
to him simply as Tarkyn. He should be referred to as Prince Tarkyn at
the very least.”