The Unsound Prince Read online

  “And if I ask for a boon?” he said warily. The sprite looked uneasy, and Mudge had to tighten the thought form around it to get the truth.

  “Then sprites can ask an equivalent boon at some time in the future,” it offered reproachfully, as if it were terribly unfair of Mudge to want to know the rules of the agreement.

  “And what else?” said Mudge, tightening the thought form further. He had the impression there was more. The sprite twisted round inside its clothing, and keened consolingly to itself.

  “Sprites must help master with all their powers, and are bound to do more than master asks of them.”

  Mudge was surprised at this. The Priatic Mysteries held that sprites were unable to think for themselves, but the detail and intent in this agreement showed they were much more complex than that.

  “Torches are about had it,” called Ochren from behind him. “We can make it to the pine forest before they give out, but we’ve got to go now!”

  That made the decision easy for Mudge. He released the sprite from the thought form, then told it what he wanted.

  “Get us to safety in the pine forest down there,” he said, pointing carefully in the direction he wanted to go. There was no telling how literally the sprites might be taking his words.

  “Take all of us there, including the one on the stretcher – the bed,” he added, “Go as fast as you can, and keep the torches burning. We need something to light our way.”

  The sprite was nodding and bowing so fast Mudge hoped it didn’t hit its head on a boulder and hurt itself. Then it sent a message down into the valley. Mudge couldn’t hear it with his ears, but it registered on his spirit senses.

  At the same time the sprite hidden under the boulder popped out in front of him. It brushed its rough-spun clothing down and muttered noisily to itself.

  Mudge just had time to explain to Ochren that he he’d enlisted help before the night was filled with the patter of tiny feet and the clink of dislodged stones in the grass. Arnima yelped as something brushed past her. Bear groaned as his stretcher levitated itself off the ground.

  “Show yourselves!” commanded Mudge. None of the group wanted to trip over the sprites in the dash for the forest. There were gasps of astonishment as child-sized creatures in roughly woven clothes appeared among them. They were about the same in number as the group of travellers.

  One of the torches sputtered, and started to go out. Ochren cursed, and ran over with another one, but it wouldn’t catch.

  “We need more light,” said Mudge sharply. One of the sprites nodded, and they all began to glow softly. Radiance streamed from them like the brightest moonlight.

  “Everybody ready?” called out Mudge. “We’re going now!”

  With the others behind him, and four of the sprites carrying Bear on the stretcher, Mudge left the boulders at a run. He started angling down the slope toward the densest part of the pine forest below.

  “This way,” said the sprite leader, tugging at his greatcoat as it veered toward some scrub against a bluff at the head of the valley. Mudge hesitated for a moment, then followed. Behind him he heard the twang of bows at work, and the thump of arrows striking home. Overhead one of the winged creatures screeched its rage, and dived toward them.

  A concentrated volley of arrows dropped the attacker out of the sky, and the little party covered the remaining ground as fast as they could. The bluff was coming up fast, while the dark shapes at the edge of the light seemed reluctant to press their attack. Mudge prayed the situation would stay that way.

  “Where can we hide?” he hissed, as the blank face of the bluff and the openness of the scrub became apparent.

  “Master say take you to safety,” said the sprite, unconcerned. Its legs were a blur as it ran beside him.

  Mudge couldn't see anywhere safe, when the sprite suddenly turned left and vanished into the bluff. He skidded to a halt, and a child-sized arm reached out and tugged at his greatcoat.

  “Master come. Master find safety,” said the sprite, from within the stone. Steeling his nerves, Mudge stepped into the bluff.

  He passed through into a large cave with a sandy floor. He could see by the radiant light of the sprite that it was large enough to hold them all. He stepped back outside, and started guiding the others toward the rock face.

  Ochren and Senovila arrived together, leading the horses on short halters. Once he realised where they were going, Senovila unstrapped most of the bundles on the backs of the horses and pulled them to the ground. That left just the bones of the portable cart.

  Ochren slapped the horses on the rump, and they galloped into the darkness. They were heading for the denser forest further down, looking for their own safe place. Once the horses were gone the two men dragged the bundles inside the cave.

  “The horses can look after themselves,” said Senovila as he passed Mudge. He was probably right. Mudge remembered the fiery temperament he’d seen in the warhorses.

  The others arrived in a bunch, and disappeared into the stone wall after a little encouragement. At last Mudge followed them. He found them all looking around in amazement at this new world behind the bluff.

  After a moment they dropped against the walls of the cave, breathing heavily from the long run. There was one sprite left now, the one Mudge had made the deal with, and everything was bathed in the soft moon glow of its radiance.

  Mudge turned his face toward the non-existent cave mouth, then back to the sprite, and lifted an eyebrow. The sprite seemed to understood that he was asking a question. It smiled happily, enjoying its part in frustrating the creatures outside.

  “Illusion,” it said. “Cave is real, bluff is not.”

  Mudge nodded.

  Well, the sprites had certainly fulfilled their part of the bargain. Mudge still felt a little uneasy, what might they want in return?

  Ochren set some of them to make an evening meal, though it would be a cold meal since the smoke from a fire might give them away. Shyleen burrowed her arms into the sand, and smoothed out a shallow depression.

  “This will make a great bed,” she offered, and indeed they all slept very well that night.

  EIGHT

  The next morning Mudge thought about their position inside the cave, and decided it wasn’t the best. The creatures hunting them knew where they were, and it was likely their refuge would turn into a prison.

  “Master wait until enemies are gone,” said the sprite, when he questioned it, and it seemed sprites had little idea of how important time was for people. The travellers still had a lot of ground to cover, and all of it was out in the open.

  He decided to try a little word game with the sprite. It had tried to keep some of the rules of the boon system from him when the deal was struck, so it didn’t seem unfair to bend the rules a little himself. He’d said get the travellers to the pine forest, but he had also said get them to safety.

  “Travellers are not safe yet,” he said to the sprite leader. The sprite looked alarmed.

  “While the flying creatures remain, travellers are not safe in the mountains.”

  The sprite nodded a guarded assent.

  “The beasts are flying the length of the mountains. I saw them over the high peaks this afternoon.”

  The sprite looked at him in disbelief.

  “Spirit walker look,” said Mudge, pointing to his eyes and away. “Farsight.”

  The sprites muttered among themselves, and the leader twisted and turned inside its roughly spun clothes. Eventually it cast its eyes down, which Mudge took to mean it acknowledged the point.

  “We will be safe when we reach Tashigot Keep,” said Mudge, hoping this wouldn’t be too big an ask for the little creatures.

  The sprite looked like it was going to have a fit. Then it turned abruptly away and gave a spirit call of its own. A dozen or more of the creatures appeared out of nowhere, and gathered around it. There was a lot of animated discussion. One of the sprites looked away from the group to give Mudge a baleful look. He
smiled pleasantly back.

  A thought struck him. This must be what it was like for his father, trying to negotiate with the kingdoms of the League. It was an uncomfortable realisation, since he didn’t want anything to do with his father’s job. Still, it did give him a framework for dealing with the sprites.

  What had he heard the Legatus tell his emissaries about diplomatic missions? He’d said stay focused, work out one agreement at a time, and act as if the other side was worthy of respect, even when they weren’t. He had also said avoid strong drink and rich food when you needed your wits about you.

  Well, there wasn’t much strong drink and rich food along on this journey, he thought wryly. The tedium of the grains and gathered greens diet was only lifted when the Rangers occasionally caught something, but the rest of the advice applied rather well to his current situation.

  The sprite leader left the group and came back to him.

  “Take you all to Tashigot Keep is possible,” it said guardedly.

  Mudge nodded.

  “But two boons!” said the sprite triumphantly, barely able to contain its delight at its own cleverness. It jigged around for a moment, gloating over what it thought were its superior negotiating skills.

  Mudge worked hard to suppress a smile.

  “One boon,” he said, holding up a finger. “One special boon. Spirit walker boon.”

  He hesitated.

  “Legatus boon,” he said at last.

  The sprite stepped back, obviously surprised.

  Mudge didn’t elaborate. He let the sprite think he had the resources of the League behind him. The sprite would have heard of the Legatus from the sprites in the Marches. What one sprite knew, they all knew.

  This triggered another round of animated discussion. At last the sprite stepped forward once more.

  “Legatus boon accepted,” it said gravely.

  Mudge wasn’t sure what was required to cement the deal, but he knelt down and took the sprite’s rough little hand in his own, small as it was. He placed his other hand on top of it. The sprite laid its remaining hand on top again, and they shook hands in that position.

  Without further discussion he turned away to make himself a bed in the soft sand. The sprites gathered round an alcove in the far wall. They seemed to be planning something. The last thing Mudge remembered as he fell asleep was the light from the sprites dimming. Then he was fast asleep, and dreaming.

  He saw the whole of the world as he knew it, but from a great height. Tiny figures, and the small gyrating spires of spirit walker energies, populated the landscape. But there were other energies, spires of a darker hue. They were fading in and out. What was he seeing?

  This was important, he knew that. Yet he also knew he wouldn’t remember it in the morning. He needed Luce and Jago to help him remember, as they had before, but he couldn’t find them anywhere. Something was keeping them from him. The same thing, he realised, that was suppressing his memories this time.

  It was too difficult for him, too hard to remember, and he slipped into a dreamless sleep.

  It felt like it must be morning, but it was still pitch black. Then Mudge remembered he was in a cave. He rolled over sleepily.

  “Preparations are complete,” said a spritely voice behind him. He opened his eyes, and found he was looking at a stone wall. He rolled the other way and saw the sprite leader. A dim light was emanating from its body.

  Mudge grunted, then sighed. There was a moment’s indecision when he tried to figure out how he could justify a few more minute’s sleep, then he kicked the greatcoat off his legs.

  The sprite leader must have taken his actions as a signal to get the others up. It nodded to other sprites, clustered round an alcove in the wall, and they began to shine with the moon glow they had radiated the previous evening.

  “Close the goddammit shutters,” said Senovila in a sleepy voice. He stopped with a grunt as Arnima drove an elbow into him.

  Ochren was the first to his feet, and he roused the other Rangers. It wasn’t long before they were all up.

  “I don’t remember that doorway being there,” said Ochren, walking over to take a better look. The others crowded round. An alcove in the far wall now framed a rough-fashioned stone doorway, one that led away into darkness.

  “I hope this isn't a reverse illusion, and it’s really a stone wall,” said Mudge to the sprite. He was smiling as he said it.

  The sprite looked at him enquiringly.

  So, no sense of humour then, thought Mudge. He filed the information away with his other knowledge of sprites.

  “This way,” said the sprite, and led him under the low doorway. A short tunnel opened out into a large cavern. It was impossible to see the size of it by the pale glow of the sprite’s radiance.

  “This will take us to Tashigot Keep?” enquired Mudge.

  “Tashigot Keep,” affirmed the sprite. It pointed along a dry, sandy stream bed to its right.

  Mudge trudged back through the tunnel to the cave, and conferred briefly with Ochren. In the meantime, Liam and Mareet took light digging blades from their packs and retraced Mudge’s steps into the cavern. They scraped simple latrines against the walls in the adjacent cavern.

  The sprites opened the cave entrance to the outside once again, and there was no sign of the flying creatures of the previous night. Colma and Mudge gathered dry twigs for the Ranger cones and returned to the cave. Breakfast followed soon after.

  Bear was an ongoing concern. He had been hard to rouse that morning, and didn’t seem to have benefited from the night’s sleep. Arnima changed the packing under his bandages, and checked his vital signs. Mudge lifted an eyebrow enquiringly, and she shook her head. He was no better, but at least he was no worse. She gave her patient something to ease his breathing, and settled him back on the stretcher again.

  It wasn’t long before they were ready to go. Four of the sprites carried Bear, on his stretcher, as before, and the travellers formed up in the adjacent cavern.

  Mudge and the sprite leader led the way, with the other sprites mixed through the party. The sprite radiance gave them enough light to see where they were putting their feet, but when they looked up, everything else was lost in an impenetrable darkness.

  Still, they were making progress, reflected Mudge. The sprite leader was telling him the cave systems linked up, and would take them all the way to Tashigot Keep. Or to a place directly under Tashigot Keep.

  The long, glowing line, sprite and human, made good time along the stream bed. To start with they found themselves descending. Then they were reduced to a cramped single file for a while as the walls closed in.

  Then the passageway levelled off, and they entered a vast network of caverns, all connected through long passageways. It was like a giant honeycomb under the mountain. Running water appeared for the first time.

  A number of deep, clear pools dotted their path. When Mudge tossed a stone into one of them, it rolled back the way they’d come. It seemed the pools were connected by their own subterranean passages.

  The travellers began to hear the musical trickle of running water, and passed a number of streams busy carving new galleries into the stone. Ahead of them, the sound of a waterfall grew steadily louder. At last they entered an enormous open space. Their only way forward was along a narrow ledge clinging to one side of it.

  A great river frothed along the bottom far below. It burst out of the cavern wall as an enormous waterfall ahead of them, and they were buffeted by spray as they made their way forward. As they drew near the waterfall Mudge looked up into the darkness, but there was nothing except darkness above.

  The travellers eased past the torrent on a narrow path, slippery with spray, and entered a more open gallery. The noise of the waterfall slowly diminished, and eventually it died away altogether.

  This gallery opened out into another cavern, fed by a number of gentle streams. Water spread out over the floor, linking together in a web of shallow lakes, before disappearing down a sink h
ole in the middle.

  A fierce draft from the sink hole blew some of the water back as spray. They found themselves soaked yet again as they skirted the cavern, hugging the walls. Once they’d reached the far end, the sprites led them into an entirely new cave system of long tunnels and narrow chambers.

  It was this they followed for the rest of the morning. For the first time, they were starting to climb.

  It seemed about midday when Ochren called a halt. They’d dried off as they walked, and were all looking forward to a meal. Mudge figured they must have left the foothills behind them, and were somewhere under the high peaks of the Scaffold Mountains.

  They would have been lost without the help from the sprites. Mudge was glad he'd taken such an interest in them during his days at Shaker's Hope. To most spirit walkers they were an insignificant part of the spirit world, but Mudge had already proved that idea wrong.

  Bear groaned as he tossed on his stretcher, and Mudge saw Arnima tending to him. He went to help, but Arnima waved him away. He took his pack off, and noticed a line of holes running across the floor of the cave. There was something about them that didn't seem right, something too regular.

  The one nearest him had the remains of a post in it. He kicked the stump with his foot, and cursed as his toes hit a solid surface. He’d expected the post to be rotten. A closer examination showed it to be made of rock, though it looked like wood.

  Mudge was familiar with the phenomena. There was a forest of stone trunks not far from Prias on the Middle March coast. This post looked too regular to be a tree trunk. Surely it hadn’t been shaped, and fitted into a hole cut in the cave floor?

  “Work of the Sarn,” said the sprite leader dismissively. Mudge looked up.

  “Old workings like this all through mountains,” it managed. Then it lapsed into silence.

  “When?” said Mudge, prompting it for more information.

  “Before,” said the sprite. Mudge raised both eyebrows.