Charm, Strangeness, Mass and Spin by Stephen Dedman

Author:Stephen Dedman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Norstrilia Press
Published: 2022-07-03T00:00:00+00:00

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The sky was still dark when the hermit led the way down the path and through the twisting valleys to a crack at the face of a steep cliff, a natural trench four feet wide and seven deep; it looked as though someone had hit the rocky soil with a gigantic axe, then removed it. “The grass down here is good,” said the hermit. “I can’t swear that they’ll come here today, but you shouldn’t have to wait too long—and now, if you please, I’d like to return to my cave before the sun rises.”

Sir Charles looked at him suspiciously, then nodded, and they watched him hurry away, sticking close to the cliffs. “I don’t trust him,” muttered Forese. “He lies.”

The knight grunted in amusement. “Everybody lies, boy. What did he say—no, don’t tell me. I’ve heard it before, and much of it’s likely true; the best lies are always mostly true. What matters is that you obey your orders, whether they come directly from God or from your sergeant, and your orders come from me.”

Forese was silent for several minutes, and sunlight began edging down the cliff face opposite. “I should have asked him more about the perytons.”

“Even though you know he lies?”

“I was wondering what happened to the perytons once they fed on human hearts—do they get their old bodies back, or those of their victims? And if they have men’s shadows, doesn’t it follow that they have souls, and might be saved?” The knight shrugged. “They might be the ghosts of the villagers who were slain here and never buried, or even of knights...”

“They might,” agreed Sir Charles. “Or they might be heathen Atlanteans, or Cathars, or other heretics. God will know his—” He froze as three human shadows appeared at the top of the shadow of the cliff, and looked up and back. Three perytons stood above them, then one leapt from the cliff, wings spread, and circled down to the grass, barely five yards away. The knight raised his head and shoulders above the edge of the crack, raised the crossbow, and aimed at the peryton’s ribs. The creature ignored him, and Forese stared in wonder at its magnificent antlers and huge black and gold wings before remembering to look at its shadow. A hint of movement made him look back, and he shouted a warning. The perytons on the crest of the cliff had kicked rocks free. He grabbed the knight’s arm, spoiling his aim, and pointed upwards at the boulders that were rolling towards them. He tried scrambling out of the crack, and the peryton on the grass sprang towards him. The points of its antlers tore through his surcoat, his mail and the padding beneath as though they were gossamer, then dragged him onto the grass. Forese reached for his sword and hacked at the creature’s neck, but the peryton’s hide was impervious to the steel. Forese looked across at Sir Charles; a rock had dented his helm, and blood was coursing down his face, but he was also trying to climb out of the trench.

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