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Halt shook his head. The longer Ferris had to think about this, the more likely he would find a way to weasel out of his predicament. It was not impossible that he wouldn't try to contact Te
`One day,' he said firmly. His tone told Ferris that there would be no further discussion of the matter and the King's shoulders slumped in resignation.
`Very well,' he muttered.
Halt studied the submissive figure for a few seconds. Ferris seemed cowed, but he still didn't trust him. He turned to Sean.
`Do I have your word that you'll prevent any trickery?'
Sean nodded instantly. 'Of course. I'll make sure he keeps his side of the bargain,' he said, then added, 'Uncle.'
A grim smile touched Halt's face at the word. He studied Sean for a few seconds. The eyes were clear and honest. The face was a trustworthy one. He felt a surge of warmth for this young man. Halt had lived his life without any knowledge of his family. At least one of them had turned out well, he thought. Pity about the other one in the room with them.
`That's good enough for me.' He looked back to Ferris. `We'll be back at noon tomorrow for your answer. Let's go, Horace.'
They turned and walked towards the big double doors, their boot heels ringing on the flagstones. They were almost there when Ferris's cry stopped them.
`Wait!' he called, and they turned to face him again. `What if my answer is… no?'
Halt smiled at him. At least, it might have been called a smile. Horace thought it was closer to the way a wolf shows its fangs to an enemy.
`It won't be,' he said.
Chapter 33
Will was seated under a tree, his back comfortably against the trunk, repairing a part of Tug's harness. He worked the point of an awl through the tough leather strap, wincing as the sharp end caught the ball of his thumb.
`I'm going to have to stop doing that,' he told himself. Perhaps the key to doing so would be to keep his eyes on the job in hand. But the broken strap was merely a ruse to occupy him while he studied the sprawling camp of Te
He had joined the band two nights previously, riding in after dark and being challenged by a sentry from the picket line thrown around the camp. He identified himself as a travelling minstrel and said he was anxious to join the followers of Alseiass. The sentry grunted, seeming to be satisfied, and waved him inside the camp.
There were nearly four hundred people massed under Te
But there was also a solid core of Te
As the numbers grew, Te
As an outsider Will smiled at the inadvertent use of the word – he could see the sharp division in the camp. There were the fervent, hopeful new converts, the large mass of people who had chosen to follow Te
And there was the hard-edged core of existing followers, who collected the gold, protected Te
The previous day, the latter group had been reinforced by three remarkable newcomers. Dressed in tight black leather, they wore dull purple cloaks and wide-brimmed, feathered hats of the same colour. They were olive ski
He wondered who they were and where they had come from. He was less curious as to their purpose. They were Te
He heard a raised voice a few metres away and glanced up. One of the white-robed i
`Pack up your camp tonight after prayers. Get your goods loaded on your carts and horses and be ready to strike camp tomorrow. Te
One of the pilgrims stepped forward and addressed the white-robed figure deferentially.
`Where are we going, your honour?' he said and half a dozen voices echoed the question. For a moment, the messenger looked as if he wasn't going to answer, out of simple contrariness. Then he shrugged. There was no need to keep it a secret.
`We're marching directly to Dun Kilty. It's time King Ferris was told his hour has come!' he said and there was a swelling buzz of approval from those who heard him.
Interesting, Will thought. He threaded his way through the tents to the edge of the settlement, where his own small tent was pitched and Tug stood grazing close by. He quickly lowered the tent and packed it away. Tug looked at him curiously as he did so.
`We're moving out tomorrow,' Will told him. He checked that everything was tightly rolled and secured. He'd be content to sleep in the open tonight. He glanced at the sky. There were clouds scudding overhead, obscuring the stars from time to time. It might rain but his cloak was waterproof and he'd be comfortable enough.
`YouP
The voice startled him. It was rough and overloud and as he turned he felt a twinge of uneasiness as he saw who had spoken. It was one of the giants who attended to Te
The huge man pointed a finger at him.
`You're the singer, is that right?' he said, a challenging tone in his voice. Will nodded uncertainly.
`I am a jongleur, that's true,' he said, wondering where this was leading. The word seemed unfamiliar to the man and Will explained further. 'I'm a minstrel. A musician and singer.'
The man's face cleared as he heard a description he understood. 'Not any more you're not,' he said. 'Te
Will shook his head. 'Sadly, no.'
The big man smiled evilly at him.`Sad for you, because you're out of business. Te