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He was in a comfortable bed and had eaten well as the Baron's di
He rose and dressed. Scarcely had he do
"I see you are up. I trust you slept well?" The Baron appeared slightly irritated, Garth noticed; perhaps his own rest had been uneasy.
"Well enough." Remembering the courtesies due a baron, he added, "Thank you, my lord."
"Then let us be gone."
"As you wish." He watched silently as one of the guards picked up his sword and axe. His broken dagger he had left in Mormoreth, coated with basilisk venom. Although he had no desire to rush matters, he could think of no legitimate reason for delay; he followed as the Baron led the way down the stairs and past the sentries into the town square. There the party paused as a further contingent of half a dozen men-at-arms joined them. Thus reinforced, the Baron bowed infinitesimally and said, "Now, my dear Garth, if you would lead the way." His ma
Somewhat over an hour later, the entourage arrived at the copse. Koros stood there, waiting placidly. It growled a greeting to its master, while keeping a wary eye on the nine men with him. The party came to a halt a few yards from the cloth-covered enclosure.
The Baron said nothing, but merely looked sourly at the tentlike object. He seemed to sag curiously. When the silence had begun to become oppressive, Herrenmer, the captain of the guard, said, "You made no mention of a camp, overman."
"I had no reason to mention it"
"Your tent is very peculiar. Is such a structure usual for travelers among your people?"
Garth shrugged.
Herrenmer turned to the Baron. "My lord, shall we search the tent?"
The Baron said nothing. Garth interposed, "My lord, can you trust your men? It might be best if you searched for yourself, if I did indeed bring some great treasure from Mormoreth."
The Baron's slight frown turned into a baleful glare. He picked one of his men, one Garth had not seen before that morning, and demanded, "How much money have you got?"
The man looked startled, and pulled out a purse. It held four silver coins.
"You search."
The man selected bowed and said, "Yes, my lord."
Resignedly, Garth watched as the soldier circled the cage looking for a door-flap. He had made it too obvious that there was some sort of trap. Although the Baron had somehow changed his entire ma
The man sent to search a
The Baron shouted, "Of course, idiot!" The man promptly fell to his knees and began to lift the chainweighted border. Garth tensed himself to make a sudden move, and closed his eyes. To cover his actions, he yawned; but that failed to fool the Baron.
"Wait!" He looked at Garth, who opened his eyes and looked back. "Around the far side." He glanced at the men behind the overman, and Garth felt the tip of a sword at his back.
Herrenmer said, "Overman, if there is some danger within, I suggest you tell us. The agreement made no allowance for traps, and my men would feel little remorse for killing you if one of their comrades is harmed."
The Baron nodded agreement. Herrenmer called for the searcher to wait. "Is there danger, overman?"
"I believe so," Garth admitted reluctantly.
"Explain," Herrenmer demanded.
"This is not exactly a tent, but a cage. It holds the monster I was sent to capture and bring back alive."
"The monster would tear my man to pieces, I suppose? Then why hasn't it torn the tent?"
"The monster will not harm your man with either teeth or claws. It is enclosed in a magical protective circle."
"Then what danger is there?"
"It is said that the monster's gaze can turn one to stone."
Herrenmer looked utterly disbelieving. The Baron interjected, "What kind of monster?"
"It is called a basilisk."
The Baron nodded gloomily. Herrenmer looked, from the overman to his master and back again.
"What," he asked loudly, "is a basilisk?"
"A sort of poisonous lizard," Garth explained.
The Baron muttered, "Your bargain."
"The basilisk is yours, if you want it; that was the agreement. When I am properly armed and safely astride my mount, I will tell you how the enclosure can be moved. I will not tell you how it may be removed, as that was not included in the agreement. It was said only that I would give any spoils to you, not that I would show you how to use them." Garth was rather proud of himself for thinking of this loophole. It had occurred to him on the walk out from the village. "If you do not want the basilisk, I will be glad to take it with me and be on my way."
The Baron snorted. "I daresay. How is the cage worked? I said I would free you and arm you, but a dead overman is as free as a live one."
In response to the Baron's words the sword point at Garth's back jabbed slightly. Koros growled warningly.
"If you kill me, not all of you will live to return to Skelleth."
The Baron had apparently said all he cared to say. Wearily, he motioned to Herrenmer, who said, "What about a revision of the original agreement, or rather an addition to it? Your life in exchange for the workings of the protective circle."
"If you kill me, you will not only not know how to use the enclosure, you will be unable to move it, assuming any of you survive Koros' assault. You will have to kill the warbeast to survive, and I doubt any of you can."
"We have a stalemate, then. You have not turned over your captive as agreed. Therefore, we will take you back to Skelleth and kill you there."
"I will tell you how to move it; freeing it would be far too dangerous. Is that not sufficient?" Garth wished he could reach his sword or his axe; the man carrying them stood off to one side, just a little too far to reach in a single lunge. If he were armed, he was sure he and Koros could easily handle eight soldiers and an unarmed baron.
Herrenmer was obviously unsure of how to respond to Garth's answer. He turned to the Baron, who nodded.
Turning back, he said, "Very well, overman. You may live, and we will free you, in exchange for the basilisk, caged as it is. However, henceforth, you or any other overman passing through these lands must pay tribute to the Baron, as is his right to demand."
Garth considered briefly, then nodded. "The cage may be moved by moving a talisman; I left it over there, partially buried." He pointed, and the soldier sent to search the "tent," who had wandered back to the party, went to find the object indicated. A few seconds later he held up the wooden rod.
Herrenmer asked, "How does it work?"
"Move the rod beyond a certain distance and the cage will follow it. It may require some strength to move."
The man holding the talisman tried to rejoin the group, but stumbled and fell awkwardly backward when the rod he clutched suddenly refused to move beyond a certain point. Turning, he hauled on it with his full strength. Slowly, inch by inch, the rod yielded, and as it did the cage followed, the cloth cover flapping loudly. A loud hissing came from within.