Ironfoot by Dave Duncan

Author:Dave Duncan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Night Shade Books
Published: 2017-09-20T04:00:00+00:00

chapter 22

the gate was opened just enough to admit the three curfew-breakers, bringing them face to face with a torch-bearing crowd. The man in front and indisputably in charge was Sir Hugh Fiennes, but Master of Horse Alwin stood right behind him, together with several of the knights whom I had met at midday dinner, which felt so long ago now. And at least half the population of the castle, it seemed, had gathered in the background to watch.

“Sweet Jezebel!” the marshal roared at the sight of Kendryck. Then he looked at the scratched and waterlogged, but otherwise unharmed, William. “This brat did that to you?”

If he expected Kendryck to apologize or whine, he should have known better. The big Saxon was determined to find it funny—which was the best defense when all his peers certainly would. “Well, Marshal,” he said in his stuffed, nasal voice, “he did start with a sword. I got hold of it, but I needed both of my hands to overpower one of his, so he still had a fist free to punch with. I think he broke a few of my ribs. And after I got the sword away from him and threw it in the moat, he went after it and I had to go after him and haul him out. . . .”

The marshal rounded on me. “Adept, you enchanted this squire of yours?”

“Um, yes, sir. Well, entranced, but not . . . not like that, sir.”

“Not like what? Explain!”

Almost without realizing it, I saw a chance to wrest some advantage from this setback. “I tasked him with finding the evildoer, sir. I did not grant him magical fighting powers. He is by nature an extremely powerful fighter. I shall reprimand him for losing his temper with Sir Kendryck.”

Sir Hugh turned to stare at William. “Are you, indeed?” he demanded of William. “I was told you accepted several challenges at dinner today.”

“Yes, sir.” William had recovered most of his wits and was having trouble keeping a straight face—small wonder when he had roughed up a man so much bigger than himself.

Hugh could still glare, but his voice gave him away. “What’s going to happen when you have to make good on those contests?”

If any of them would dare face him after this.

“I’m not planning to inflict any serious damage on them, sir, just adjust some of their manners.”

Someone at the back started to laugh. Sir Hugh swung around in anger. “What are you all doing, standing around there gawking? Go and eat if you want any supper. Alwin, find dry clothes for the squire and clean ones for Kendryck. Adept, you’d better treat this victim of yours. As soon as you’ve done that, report to me. I’ll likely be with His Lordship.”

“Yes, Marshal.” But I could not restrain a question. “May I ask what it was that William had located in the moat at the base of the stockade?”

“It’s too dark to tell. We’ll look again in the morning, but I think it’s only a dead sheep.

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