Free Forest Kingdom Trilogy 2 - Blood and Honor by Simon R. Green Page B

The fewer people who remembered I was Malcolm's cousin, the safer I was.'
    He swayed suddenly on his feet as a wave of tiredness caught up with him, and Argent quickly took his arm and helped him sit down. From the way Argent fussed over Roderik, it was clear the two of them were old and close friends, and Jordan decided his presence was something of an intrusion. For want of anything better to do, he walked over to help Gawaine with
    the horses. The hobbles had kept them from bolting, but their nerves were shattered. Their eyes were rolling wildly, showing the whites, and it was some time before the horses would let anyone get close
    enough to begin calming them. Gawaine and Jordan stuck at it, talking slowly and smoothly, and gradually the horses began to respond. Normally, Jordan wouldn't have had the patience, but as it was he welcomed the chance to do a little quiet thinking. Roderik had said the sudden storm had been caused by High Magic, which suggested two things. First, there was definitely a traitor among Roderik's people.
    The mercenaries' finding them might have been just an unlucky break, but the storm had been planned and delivered right to them. And secondly, it was now clear that Prince Viktor had some very powerful enemies. Elemental magic might be fairly common at Castle Midnight, but High Magic was a different matter. High Magic meant a first-class sorcerer, and there weren't many of those left in the world these days.
    'Who do you think was responsible for the storm?' he asked Gawaine finally.
    The knight frowned, and took his time about answering. 'High Magic, rather than Blood magic. That narrows the field, but there are still too many suspects for my liking. Any number of people could have good reason to want to stop us reaching Castle Midnight. Sorry I can't be more specific, but the Cas-tle's lousy with magic-users of one kind or another. Still, look on the bright side.'
    Jordan looked at him suspiciously. 'What bright side?'
    'Since they're trying this hard to kill us, they must be convinced that you're really Prince Viktor. Our scheme is working.'
    'Terrific,' said Jordan. 'Wonderful. I notice none of these powerful enemies was mentioned when Roderik first offered me the role.'
    Gawaine chuckled, and moved away from the quietened horses to look out over the open moor. Jordan went after him, shaking his head disgustedly. I should have asked for a hundred thousand ducats, when 1
    had the chance ... He came to a halt
    beside Gawaine, and the two men stood in silence together. The moor seemed quiet and peaceful after the storm's passing.
    'Did the High Warlock really give you that axe?' said Jordan finally.
    'It was a long time ago,' said Gawaine. He didn't look round, but as he spoke his eyes were far away, watching yesterday once more. 'I was a Captain in the guards, fighting for the Forest Kingdom in its Border War with Hillsdown. It was a messy little war, and no good came of it. But I was in the right place at the right time, so I ended up a hero. King John knighted me, and the Warlock made me this axe.
    It's a good axe. Its edge never dulls, and I haven't found anything yet that can even mark the metal. More importantly, the blade cancels out all offensive magic in my vicinity. All in all, it's some axe. Which is probably why I've stayed alive so long at Castle Midnight.'
    Jordan looked at Gawaine thoughtfully. The Border War had come to its inconclusive end some thirty-six years ago. If Gawaine had been a Captain then, that would put him in his late fifties now. At least. For a man that age, he was in extraordinarily good shape. He was also extraordinarily modest.
    Kings don't knight commoners for simple acts of bravery; whatever Gawaine did, it must have been very impressive. And yet there had been something in Gawaine's voice all the time he'd been speaking, a quiet edge of bitterness . . . For no good reason he could name, except perhaps his actor's instinct for truth and fallacy, Jordan