Prophet of Moonshae - Douglas Niles [57]
At that instant, the door to Blackstone's Great Hall burst open and a bearded man, covered with the dust and grime of the trail, stumbled into the great chamber to kneel before the earl. He wore a short sword and horseman's boots, and the weariness of a long ride seemed to cling to him like another layer of dirt.
"Your lordship," he gasped. "A column of Northmen march toward the Fairheight Pass! They are armed, and look to be a war party!"
Alicia's first reaction was mildly amused skepticism. How far would this earl go in order to lend credence to his false claim? But a look at Blackstone's face, gone slack with shock, forced her to wonder at her conclusion.
"How-how many? Did you get a count, man? And where, for the sake of the gods? How far from the pass are they?" The earl blurted his questions, and the princess realized that either he was a splendid actor, or he was genuinely stunned.
"Two days' march from the summit-perhaps more. About tenscore of them come, led by a great warrior, one who wears the Horned Helm!"
The earl turned back to the princess. Alicia felt the eyes of her companions on her as well. Suddenly she felt very young, very aware of her own inexperience. Yet she was the voice of the High Crown now.
"Well, my lady-perhaps this is the proof!" Blackstone crowed.
"How far is the pass from here?" she asked.
"A day's ride. It is the only good gap through the crest of the range for forty miles in either direction-if we are to meet them in battle, it must be there! If we let them come through the pass, all of the duchy lies open to them!"
"My lady, my lord," Tavish spoke quietly. The bard's voice, it seemed, was a soothing salve laid over the tension that had been building in the room. "While this is a worrisome development, well deserving of investigation, it does not seem that the northmen would commence an invasion of Callidyrr with a mere two hundred men."
"Quite right," Keane chimed in. "I would wager that the earl here could muster a militia that is easily twice that size. Am I correct, sir?"
"Perhaps," growled Blackstone. "Though my men are miners and herdsmen, not the bloodthirsty berserkers that would make up a northman raiding force! If they come through the pass, I daresay they could ransack the cantrev before we could stop them!"
Hanrald, who had observed the conversation silently, raised his head as if he stood ready to dispute his father, but after a moment's pause, he held his tongue.
"Then they shall not do so." Alicia had begun to see the solution. "Summon your militia and post them at the summit, there to stand as need be."
Blackstone looked pleased, but then his face darkened again, his natural suspicions taking over. "Shall we ambush them there? Or does my lady care to meet them with words of peace and kindness?"
"I will meet them before the pass," announced Alicia. "And there find out what they intend."
"What? No!" Tavish, Keane, and the earl all blurted their objections together. Finally the bard made herself heard.
"The risks, my princess, are too great! If this is indeed a war party, what better hostage could they ask for than the daughter of the enemy's king?"
"Indeed, you'll serve their purposes only too well," added Keane strenuously.
"If this is a war party, I am certain that you will be able to see to our safety," she told her teacher, mindful of his magical powers. "But I am not convinced of that fact, and if my suspicions are confirmed, then the appearance of such a small party before them will do much to allay their suspicions."
After his initial objection, the Earl of Fairheight had quieted. Now he watched the discussion with a sly smile playing across his features.
Keane noticed that smile and spoke directly to the earl. "Perhaps your lordship would be good enough to provide us with one more man."
Blackstone smiled magnanimously. "I fail to see the improvement. Four against two hundred is little better than