Free The Wizard by Gene Wolfe

father, or any of that. I just said the truth." "Sir Svon can teach you." "I know, but he hasn't had time yet." y As though she had not heard him, Idnn said, "He has beautiful manners, when he chooses." "The wise know how to be polite," Mani informed Toug, "but the wise know when to be polite as well." "And do not choose to be courteous always," Idnn finished for him. "Sir Svon is brusque with me, Squire, unless my father is at my side. Why is that?" "He hasn't told me." "Of course not. I know I'm not beautiful" "Yes, you are," Toug told her; Mani purred approval. "Beautiful women don't have noses like mine!" "There were women and girls in our village, and there are your women and girls here, and most of the slaves the giant had were women. But when I try to think of somebody else like you, the only one I can think of is Queen Disiri, and you're a lot nicer than she was." "You met her? Sir Able introduced you or something?" Toug nodded. "I'd love to. Do you think he's coming back?" "I don't know." "Address her as 'My Lady,'" Mani whispered; and Toug repeated, "I don't know, My Lady." "But you could guess, Squire, if you were made to?" "I don't think so," Toug said slowly. "He said to send his servant when we rescued my sister. I don't think he'd have said that if he were coming back." Idnn nodded reluctantly. "And he made Sir Svon a knight. Sir Svon used to be his squire, but now I'm Sir Svon's squire. Sir Svon's being a knight means you've got two, like you did when you had Sir Garvaon and Sir Able." "Have you heard what Sir Garvaon said about that?" Toug shook his head, and drew the cloak she had given him more tightly about him. "No, My Lady. I haven't." "Garvaon said Sir Able thinks this will make Sir Svon or break him, and you, too. He thinks Able may come to Utgard to see how well you acted. Or how badly." "That's wrong," Toug said, surprising himself. "I mean he's a knight and he knows a lot, My Lady, but I don't think he knows Sir Able as well as I do. He's not like that." Mani asked, "May I speak, Lady Idnn?" "Later." She picked Mani up, stroking his head. "I want to hear Toug now. What's Sir Able like, Toug?" "I don't know a word for it," said Toug, who thought he did, "but he wouldn't test us like Sir Garvaon says. He knows already. He knows we can do it, or anyhow he knows Sir Garvaon and Sir Svon can." "Two knights against a castle full of Frost Giants?" "Sir Garvaon and Sir Svon and all of us," Toug amended. "You, My Lady, your father, Mani, Org, and everybody else." "Org?" "I shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry." "It's just that it's a name I've never heard." Mani's voice was melted butter. "If you will allow me, Lady Idnn, I can set your mind at rest concerning the entire matter, presently or privately." "Please let him, My Lady. That way, I can say I didn't tell you." "Org is a terrible man one rarely sees," Mani explained. "He's larger than a mule, silent, and lives on human flesh" "You're making this up!" "I, My Lady? I assure you, no one is less inclined to prevarication than I, your most worshipful Cat." "You know you are, Mani. You're fibbing!" "Squire Toug's eloquent protestations have given away my little game, I see," Mani said stiffly. "I shall proffer no more unneeded details. The facts you require, My Lady, are these. Org is a servant of Sir Able's, one normally seen to by the hunchback. Before he left, howeverprior to his brief yet gracious speech elevating Sir Svon to knighthoodhe instructed Org to remain at Sir Svon's side, obeying Sir Svon as if he were Sir Able himself. I thought that I, with the hunchback and Sir Able's dog, was the sole witness to the conversation, but Squire Toug knows of it, clearly." "I saw it." Toug wished the ground would swallow him. "I saw it and asked Sir Svon, and he said I'd better know but not to tell anybody." "He's awfully handsome, isn't he?" Idnn's eyes shone. Toug gawked. "Sir Svon, I mean. He broke his nose fighting giants, and it will probably be crooked