“Aha,” Rahendo cried out. He immediately lowered his voice. “I thought so. There’s a door. There in the middle.”

  He wanted to run up to it, but Agneth held him back.

  “Don’t…” He blushed. Talking back was one thing, but putting his hand on a noble, even one so young as Rahendo, went against everything that was ingrained in him. “I’m sorry, My Lord. Forgive me, but there’s no cover. If someone chose to leave through that door we would be discovered.”

  “You’re absolutely right, eh…”

  “Agneth,” Ryhunzo helped.

  “Ah, yes… You’re absolutely right, Agneth. Thank you.”

  “There.” Olno pointed at a field across from the building. “Thanks to the mild weather the grass is still high. If we lie down on our bellies, we can keep an eye on that door without anyone noticing.”

  This was so obviously the right thing to do, that all four started running to the field. They were not far into it when they heard a creaking sound. As one they fell down onto the ground.

  The little door opened and the rude young noble exited, now dressed as a prosperous burgher.

  “Do you know him?” Agneth whispered.

  “No,” both pages replied almost simultaneously.

  “Didn’t you say you were head pages? Aren’t you supposed to know all of them.”

  “Oh, we’re head pages all right, but we only look after the young ones. For some reason new ones keep arriving, though the Gods and Goddesses know we have more than enough of them. Often it’s their first time away from home, so we explain what’s expected of them, the rules and so, and we generally try to make them welcome. The older pages are not our responsibility. And then there’s the squires of Prince Ehandar… but…” Ryhunzo pointed to the young man who had come out of the back door. “Where’s he going?”

  “There must be a path there,” Olno said. “If it veers to the left it could go back to Lorseth Market. If it keeps going straight on, it goes to the abandoned barns.”

  “Damn it.” Agneth looked cautiously above the grass. “We can’t follow him. Nothing but open terrain until those trees in the distance. He’ll be on to us in no time.”

  They waited for about ten minutes. Agneth kept looking once in a while whether the coast was clear.

  “I think we can risk it now. He’s nowhere to be seen anymore.” He said eventually.

  “There’s also nowhere to hide,” Ryhunzo said. “Let’s just stroll along, like a perfectly normal group of young men going for a walk.”

  “Yeah, that will raise the least suspicion should anyone notice us,” Agneth agreed, though somewhat sarcastic. “Two young nobles and two sewer rats. Perfectly normal.”

  They went in the general direction the young noble had taken. Soon they saw a small dirt road which they followed.

  Their quarry was nowhere to be seen.

  “What now?” Ryhunzo scratched his head and shook his curls. “The road splits into three here.”

  “He could have taken the left one. It goes to the village. That, or he took the one straight ahead that leads to the abandoned area. Most of the barns are there.” Agneth looked at Olno.

  “Yes, he probably went straight ahead,” Olno concurred, far too fast.

  He never mentioned the one to the right. And he seems to know these paths, Ryhunzo thought. Of course, he realized suddenly, the right one leads to a part of the woods where the Stray Boys live and they don’t want us to go there. While he understood their need for caution, he couldn't help feeling sad.

  “Let’s take the road straight ahead then,” he said out loud. “Why would he go back to the town? He probably came from there.”

  They advanced cautiously until the path led straight into the woods. Gingerly they entered the forest. Some fifty yards in, they stopped and conferred again.

  “Still no trace of him, but there are a lot of opportunities to hide here.” Agneth kept looking between the trees.

  “Which is both dangerous and fortunate for us,” Rahendo said. “We can hide, but so can he.”

  “Precisely,” a sharp voice came from behind them.

  Alarmed, all four of them turned around. The young noble stood in the middle of the path, his feet slightly apart and his sword drawn.

  “By Zardok’s lice-ridden bush, who are you and why are you following me, you serfs.”

  “None of us are serfs, My Lord,” Ryhunzo said, ignoring the blank sword and taking a step in its and its owner’s direction. He made his usual flourishing bow. “My name is Ryhunzo of Uberon, and this is Rahendo of Eldorn.” He turned to the Stray Boys. “These are our friends, Olno and Agneth.” He paused to flash his most enchanting smile and to blow a recalcitrant curl out of his left eye. “Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

  “We’re head pages. Which barrack are you from?” Rahendo piped.

  To their surprise the stranger laughed out loud.

  “So, you’re pages of the prince-warlord.”

  “And you are not? Are you a squire of Prince Ehandar?” Ryhunzo tilted his head. “Strange… I don’t think I’ve seen you before.”

  “Neither. I’m not a page nor a squire. I’m Hrodeck of Braedon, son of the count of Braedon.” He gave Olno and Agneth a good look. “Those two are not pages. They are either peasant boys, or worse, they are two of those wild orphans.” He returned his attention to Ryhunzo. “Well, My Lord of Uberon, now that the pleasantries are behind us, can you please tell me why you were following me?”

  Ryhunzo hesitated, but rather quickly decided that going with the truth would cause the least complications.

  “We’re trying to find out who killed this town girl.”

  “Iselda? It’s all over the town’s inns, the market… They’re talking about nothing else. But I thought they already found who murdered her. Wasn’t it one of you lot who did the foul deed? What was his name again? Eh… not from around here or I would—”

  “Eynurm of Tarnwood,” Ryhunzo said. “He is our friend and we think it was made to look like he murdered her, but we don’t believe he did it.”

  “Of course not. He’s your friend. All this doesn’t answer why you were following me.”

  “Before her unfortunate demise, Mistress Iselda told us she got to, ahem, know someone who took her to the Shield and Arrow and, eh, ravished her there. She said he was the son of a rich Dermolhean merchant family, and —”

  “Do I look like a merchant to you?”

  “No, not like a rich one anyway,” Ryhunzo quipped. “But you are dressed as a burgher now. Not when you entered the inn on the front, though.”

  Hrodeck let out a nervous giggle.

  “Oh, yes, that… If you must know, I’m here seeking some carnal pleasure. Every other week I come riding here with my personal valet. My father, the count, thinks I’m hunting. Or at least I hope he does. I leave my valet in a reputable inn on the edge of the village to keep an eye on the horses, but mostly because I don’t want him to know what I’m really doing here. Then I come to Master Cairman’s far less reputable establishment and I change in inconspicuous clothes.” He took a deep breath.

  “And then you go to the whores’ barn?” Agneth let the question linger.

  “My Lord of Uberon, control these serfs and learn them some manners or I will.”

  “They are not serfs, My Lord of Braedon, and they are not mine to command, but I do consider them friends of mine.”

  Rahendo had followed the interchange with mounting worry. After all, one of them held a drawn sword, and it wasn’t Ryhunzo. He thought it wise to intervene.

  “Maybe we could avoid more unpleasantness and continue this conversation another time and amongst ourselves, My Lord. We’ll report to His Highness, Prince Anaxantis, and leave it to him whether he wants further explanations from you. I’m sure you’d prefer his company to that of these young men you seem to despise so much. His Highness will send a messenger to Braedon Castle when—”

  “All right, all right,” Hrodeck interrupted him, giving in to the blatant blackmail. “The prince getting involved is about the last thing I want.”

  “I thought so,” Rahendo said without a muscle moving in his face. “Please, continue so we can avoid laying claim on His Highness’ precious time. I could be wrong, but I don’t think he enjoys conversing with members of the lower nobility.”

  “Lower nobility, you miserable brat,” Hrodeck exploded. “We’re counts since time immemorial.”

  “Well, yes,” Rahendo kept at it, “highlander counts—” He stopped abruptly fearing he had gone too far.

  Hrodeck seemed on the verge of a long, nasty tirade, but Ryhunzo cut him off before he began.

  “Tut, tut, My Lord, let’s be reasonable. Am I right that you don’t want your sire to know that you—how shall I put this delicately? You don’t want him to know you fuck commoner girls. And, moreover, that you have to pay them for the privilege?” He gave Hrodeck a sweet smile.

  “And so what?” Hrodeck’s face had run fiery red. “I’m a young man and I have needs. The old count doesn’t want me to fuck our own serfs or peasants. Noble girls are out of reach and helping myself and letting my imagination fill in the rest gets boring. I leave my valet at Lorseth Market to make sure he doesn’t know anything—though I suspect he suspects a lot. Then again, he doesn’t know anything. Plus, I give him a little something after every trip to help him forget whatever he might imagine he knows. I haven’t got the time, nor the inclination, to woo a peasant girl. I want what I want and I want it when I want it. I’ll gladly pay to be rid of all the hassle. What’s so terrible about that? For that matter, what do you do?”

  “Oh, let’s not get into that,” Ryhunzo said.

  “Anyway, it wasn’t me who killed that stupid girl. I’ve seen her around of course. In the town, at the Cranky Goat, and a few other places. It’s not as if I don’t talk to people. Quite the character she was, if you can believe the rumors. One of the first things I learned about her was that she wanted to make something of herself and that she wanted to marry higher up. By all thousand worms in Zardok’s hole, do you really think I would get involved with someone like that? I disguise myself when I go looking for pussy, but suppose she discovered my identity? Suppose she turned up at our castle, her belly swollen with a bastard? The old count would kill me. And the countess would help him strangle me.” His rage seemed to abide and his shoulders sagged after his outburst. “No, believe me, it wasn’t me. I stay away as far as possible from girls like her. Give me an honest whore any day of the year. And even a dishonest whore couldn’t lay anything on me. A whore’s child has a hundred fathers.”

  “I think we can believe you,” Rahendo said. “For the moment, at least…”

  “For the moment, for the moment…” Hrodeck muttered. “I didn’t mention this before, obviously, because I don’t want the old count to get involved in this, but I can prove I couldn’t have murdered that silly girl. I only arrived in Lorseth this morning. For the last three weeks I was in our county of Braedon. Lots and lots of people have seen me there, each and every day. There is no way she and I could have had contact, let alone that there is even the slightest possibility for me having had the opportunity of murdering her.”

  Rahendo thought for a brief moment, but Hrodeck seemed sincere and what he had said would be very easy to check.

  “Tell you what, we won’t involve His Highness for the time being, or, what’s probably more important to you, His Lordship, your father. In return, you keep us posted if you hear anything that could benefit our investigation. Anything at all that could divert attention from your good, fornicating self. Provided it is true, of course. You can always ask for us at Lorseth Castle. The guards usually know where we are. Or, if you prefer, you could go to the Cranky Goat in the late afternoon and speak to our friends here.” He made a gesture in the general direction of Olno and Agneth.

  Hrodeck looked askance at the two pages while he thought things over. After a long while, he took a deep breath.

  “Very well, if I hear something I will tell… them. I’m not coming within a mile of Lorseth Castle. I hope you keep your side of the bargain, you little extortionists.”

  “Too kind, My Lord. Too kind.” Ryhunzo flashed a radiant smile at Hrodeck.

  “Time for each of us to be on our respective ways,” Rahendo said.

  “Yes, I suppose so… My Lords, I bid you a good day.” With that Hrodeck turned around, and, without looking back, followed the path deeper into the forest.

  “No, it isn’t him,” Rahendo mused, following the count’s son with his eyes.

  “I doubt we’ll hear from him again,” Agneth said. He hesitated. “Why did you come to our defense when that arrogant dog insulted us.”

  “Isn’t that what friends do?” Ryhunzo said with the most innocent expression on his face. “Let’s go back to the others.”

  “We should go straight to the castle,” Rahendo said when they were walking along the blind wall of the Shield and Arrow.

  “It’s early still.” Ryhunzo slung an arm around his lover’s shoulder. “Let’s accompany our friends to the Goat. There’s a young lad who has helped us out tremendously today and who likes to get paid in spicy chicken wings.”

  “Chicken wings?”

  “Spicy Chicken wings.”

  It was already getting dark when Rahendo and Ryhunzo left the Cranky Goat.

  The pages talked softly while they were walking.

  With the falling darkness the cold had come too, and they wrapped themselves tighter in their cloaks. The moon made long, eerie shadows of the trees on the side of the road.

  Although they didn’t meet many people, and most of them preferred to walk by in complete silence, Ryhunzo reached for his dagger each time they passed someone.

  Lucky for me that I’m not easily scared, he thought as he started walking a bit faster, forcing Rahendo to keep in step.

  After some time they heard footsteps behind them. For a split-second Ryhunzo froze, but he kept walking, urging his friend on. Then he unsheathed his dagger, but kept it, clenched in his right hand, under his mantle.

  “Wait, wait, please, wait,” someone behind them called. “It’s me.”

  Although the last utterance was rather unhelpful in the falling darkness, Ryhunzo decided to turn around and stand his ground. He stood firmly before Rahendo.

  He sighed with relief when he recognized Gildo.

  “It is you,” Ryhunzo said by way of greeting.

  “Yes, it is him,” Rahendo confirmed.

  Gildo stopped a few steps from the pages, and leaning on his knees, took a few deep gulps of air.

  “You’re fast, My Lords,” he managed to utter haltingly after a few moments. “The Stray Boys in the Goat said you and your friend had left a short while before I arrived, but that I could still overtake you if I hurried.”

  “And so you did,” Ryhunzo said with a big smile, relaxing the hand on his dagger. “Anything we can do for you?” he asked.

  “It’s the other way around. I think I have interesting news for you,” Gildo replied.

  “Ah, that’s wonderful. Maybe we can talk while walking back to the castle?” Ryhunzo suggested.

  Gildo stood up straight and filled his lungs completely one more time.

  “I know this girl who has this friend,” Gildo began as they started walking. “This friend is also a girl, but I don’t know her. Now, the girl I do know said her friend had made a new acquaintance. A young merchant.”

  “Aha,” Ryhunzo said.

  “Aha, indeed. Now, this friend, and, frankly, this girl as well, are both a few bushels short of a full haystack, if you get my drift. Nice enough, friendly and comely, but… well, not all that bright. So, this friend of this girl I know met this young merchant guy in Lorseth Market. As this friend described him to this girl, he seemed very rich. Mind you, he was plain, said this friend of this girl. In Lorseth, that’s girl-speak for an ugly bugger. Nevertheless, he was charming, it seems. So, this merchant asks this friend of this girl if she’d care to go to his room in the Shield and Arrow.”

  “And here is where it gets interesting,” Rahendo said.

  “Not exactly, no. She declined. I thought she was holding out for a trinket, preferably made of gold and rather heavy, but I was wrong. She wasn’t even that smart. She just didn’t want to be in a closed room with him. Is what she said to this merchant. Or so she said to this girl I know that she had said to this merchant-guy. But, that wasn’t the true reason. She was afraid someone would notice them going inside the Shield and Arrow and she was worried for her reputation, since that is an establishment with a bad name. Can you believe that? I ask you, what reputation?”

  Ryhunzo grinned.

  “Can’t give poor boys the wrong ideas, can she?”

  “Truer words were never spoken. Anyroad, she agreed to meet him in one of the abandoned barns.”

  “Didn’t she know what happened to Iselda?”

  “Did I mention she has porridge for brains? He even used Iselda as an argument why he preferred meeting at his lodgings. But she remained adamant that it had to be one of the abandoned barns. Just not the one where Iselda met her end. Because that would be weird.”

  “I suppose most people shun that particular barn now,” Ryhunzo said.

  “You’d think so, wouldn’t you? There’s no accounting for tastes, but some seem to think that it is exciting to… to… eh, get going in such a place. The friend of this girl isn’t one of them, though. There are several barns and she chose the most remote but one.”

  “Why not the most remote?”

  “Uh?” Gildo gave Ryhunzo and Rahendo a quizzical look. “You don’t know? Most of the barns are not far from each other, except this one barn which is at the other side of the forest. No decent person ever goes there.”

  “Wouldn’t that make it ideal for an amorous escapade?” Ryhunzo’s mouth fell open. “Ah, I think I understand. This is where—”

  “Yes, your orphan friends have made it their nest. Everyone else thinks its too far for a roll in the hay. Which suites the Stray Boys just fine.”

 

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