The Knight

I said there was some there already. Really I whispered it. I had not meant to whisper, but I did.

“That? Oh, that’s all dried up now, sir. I’ll give it to the dogs. I brought you some fresh, some nice hot broth.”

She wanted to sit me up, but I would not let her. I got myself up instead, and it hurt. I took the spoon away from her too, but I let her hold the bowl while I ate.

“Well, you’re doing wonderful, sir. Poor Sir Hermad’s like to die, they say, with every rib broke. An’ Sir Lud’s puking blood.” She tittered. “He’ll die, too, some says. They’re taking wagers in the kitchen, sir.”

“Sir Able’s my name. If you really care about me, call me Sir Able.”

She stood up fast and bent her knee the way women do here. “Yes, Sir Able. I didn’t mean no harm, Sir Able.”

Just hearing the words made me feel better. I said, “Of course you didn’t. Sit down again. What’s your name?”

“I’m Modguda, Sir Able.”

“Am I still in Duke Marder’s castle, Modguda?”

“Yes, sir. In Sheerwall, Sir Able. ‘Cept you’re in Master Agr’s tower of it. Master Agr’s the only one has a whole tower of it, ‘cept Her Grace. She’s got one, too, the Duchess’s Tower is what we call it, Sir Able. ‘Cept that’s not where you are, you can’t even see it from your window. This’s the Marshal’s Tower we’re in, ’cause Master Agr had his men take you ’cause they’d beat you with the lance you broke is how I heard it. So this’s where you are.”

I nodded and found out that my head did not want me to do that. “If we’re in Master Agr’s tower, he must be your boss.”

She did not understand, and I had to explain. Then she said, “That’s right, Sir Able ... sir.”

I smiled, and that did not hurt at all. “Hey, out with it. What are you scared to say?”

“Well, you’re a knight, sir.”

“Right,” I told her.

“And you knights don’t much care for my master, sir, ’cause you’ve to do what he says, ‘cept he’s not one of you, like. Or not a baron or something neither, Sir Able. ‘Cept the duke, he’s behind him. He’s the duke’s man, sir, so you knights got to.”

“You’re dead wrong about that,” I told her. “I’m not down on Master Agr. Not a bit.”

“Well anyhow, that’s what I was getting myself set to say, sir. You shouldn’t be, ’cause they had knocked you flat and their swords was out ready to kill you. ‘Cept Sir Woddet didn’t want to, sir. And Squire Yond—he’s Sir Woddet’s squire, sir—Squire Yond, he throwed himself right down over you, sir, and that’s when my master’s guards come that he’d called when him and Master Thope couldn’t stop the fight and they stabbed Master Thope, sir. That’s when his guards come. And then—”

“Wait a minute. Did you say Master Thope got stabbed? By Master Agr’s guards?”

“Oh, no, Sir Able!” She looked shocked. “Master Agr wouldn’t never tell them to do that, sir. It was one of the knights, maybe, or one of those squires. Then some varlets come to fight too, so it could of been one of them. Anyway Master Agr and Master Thope were trying to get between you and the knights sort of like what Squire Yond did. That’s when Master Thope got stabbed, Sir Able, trying to help you like Master Agr. The guards finally got you out, sir.”

My head was whirling. “Is Master Thope dead?”

“No, sir. Only he’s hurt bad, Sir Able. That’s what they say.”

“I ought to go see him, Modguda, since he got hurt trying to help me.”

“Yes, sir. Only you’re not going to do much walking for a while, Sir Able.” She got up and bent her knee as before. “He’ll be pleasured to see your face, sir, I’m sure, and I’ll show you where when you’re ready, sir.”

I was thinking, and one thing I was thinking about was what she had said, that it might be a while before I was up and around. “Can you take a message into town?”

“I’ll try, sir, or send a boy.”

“Good. I’ve got a servant named Pouk. We were staying at an i

“Yes, sir, Sir Able. That’s the Dollop and Scallop, sir.”

“Thanks. Tell Pouk I’ve been hurt, please, and where I am.”

“Yes, sir. Is that all, Sir Able? They’ll be wondering where I’ve got to.”

I waved my hand, and she hurried out.

After that I ate some bread and a bite of cheese, not sure whether eating was a big mistake or not. I drank all the ale and lay down to sleep again, pretty dizzy.

In my dream Garsecg and I were in the throne room in the Tower of Glas. There was a big blue dragon on the throne, and it hissed at us and opened its mouth just like Setr had down in Muspel, and Garsecg’s face was in the dragon’s mouth. So I looked over at Garsecg to see if he had seen it too, and it was not Garsecg at all. It was Bold Berthold.

I woke up feeling cold, and this time I was able to get to the window. There was no way to close it, it was just a hole in the wall, really. Bats were flying around outside, bigger ones than we have at home. They were after bugs, the way bats do, diving and zooming and all that, and yelling and yelping so high you could only just hear it. Way up toward the moon I thought I saw Khimairas, just for a minute.

On the other side of my bed was a little fireplace, only there was no wood and I did not have any way to start a fire anyhow. I decided I would have to ask Modguda about that, or get Pouk to get me something when he came. After that I got back into bed and hunkered down under the blankets, hoping I would not have any more dreams like that last one.

“Lord? Lord?”

This time I was back on the Isle. I looked around and saw a lot of trees and flowers and birds.

“Lord?”

There were no spiny oranges, though. I wanted to find one and let it thank me for planting it, but I knew it could not hear me, and there were not any anyway What there was, was big red snakes. They were wrapping themselves around my legs, but that was good because my legs were cold and they felt hot.

“Bite me, Lord. Bite me and kiss the bite, and your kiss will make you strong again.”

That woke me up fast. The room was as dark as it could be. There was a really ski

“Drink! Drink!” The other hand sort of squeezed and slid around. That was when I caught on that there were two of them.

I really did not mean to bite her. That is the truth, and I will swear to it any time. Only something way down deep inside me took over and I did.

It was like I was starving hungry and here was a roast about one minute out of the oven. What I got in my mouth was steaming hot and sizzling. Greasy and dirty and hot as hell. It tasted wonderful.

“Enough.” One was pulling and one pushing to get my mouth away. Pretty soon they did it, and I just lay there panting and thinking how good it had tasted.

When I got my breath, I hit the blankets with my hand and said, “Stop that, you!” What she had been doing felt wonderful, but it felt too wonderful, if you know what I mean.

Under my blankets where I had hit her there was somebody a lot warmer than I was. She said, “I am Uri, Lord. I meant no harm.”

It was dark in there like I said, so that when the other one stuck her head up beside mine and kissed my cheek I could not even see her face. She said, “You have drunk of Baki, Lord.” And like she had just won the game “Who can take you from me now?”

“Drink of me, too!” Uri came up then, squirming in between us. “I have found you at last!”

I said, “Ash Aelf in the dark. Bold Berthold talked about this sometimes.”