Pons beckoned to the young man, who slid out of the shadows and in through the door. The Lord High Chancellor entered with him, shut the door softly behind him. The cadavers guarding His Majesty took up their positions.
The dynast returned to perusing the text spread out on the table before him.
The young man and Pons stood quietly, waiting.
“You have been to the earl’s dwelling, Tomas?” Kleitus asked, without looking up.
“I have just now returned, Sire,” said the young man, bowing.
‘And you found them there—the duke and duchess and the stranger?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
‘And you did as you were told?”
“Yes, of course, Sire.”
“With what result?”
‘A—a rather peculiar result, Sire. If I may explain—” Tomas took a step forward.
Kleitus, eyes on his text, waved a negligent hand.
Tomas frowned, glanced at Pons, the young man asking if the dynast was paying attention.
The Lord High Chancellor answered with a peremptory raise of his eyebrows, meaning, “His Majesty is paying far more attention to you than you might wish.”
Tomas, now appearing somewhat uncomfortable, launched into his report. “As Your Majesty is aware, the duke and duchess believe that I am one of their party, involved in this misguided rebellion.” The young man paused to bow, to demonstrate his true feelings.
The dynast turned a page.
Tomas, receiving no acknowledgment, continued, discomfiture growing. “I told them of the prince’s murder—”
“Murder?” Kleitus stirred, the hand turning the page paused.
Tomas cast Pons a pleading glance.
“Forgive him, Majesty,” the Lord High Chancellor said softly, “but that is how the rebels would view the prince’s lawful execution. Tomas must appear to join in their views, in order to convince them that he is one of them, and thus remain useful to Your Majesty.”
The dynast resumed the turning of his page, smoothed it with his hand.
Tomas, with a small sigh of relief, continued, “I told them that the man with the rune-painted skin was dead, as well.” The young man hesitated, uncertain how to continue.
“With what result?” Kleitus prompted, running a finger down the page.
“The man’s friend, the one who killed the dead, denied the report.”
The dynast looked up from his reading. “Denied it?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. He said he knew that his friend, whom they called ‘Haplo,’ was alive.”
“He knew it, you say?” The dynast exchanged glances with the Lord High Chancellor.
“Yes, Sire. He seemed quite firmly convinced of the fact. It had something to do with a dog—”
His Majesty was about to say something, but the Lord High Chancellor raised a finger in a warding, albeit highly respectful, manner.
“Dog?” Pons asked. “What about a dog?”
“A dog entered the room while I was there. It went up to the stranger, whose name is Alfred. This Alfred appeared quite pleased to see the dog and he said that now he knew Haplo wasn’t dead.”
“What did this dog look like?”
Tomas thought back. ‘A largish animal. Black fur, with white eyebrows. Ifs very intelligent. Or seems so. It… listens. To conversations. Almost as if it understood—”
“The very animal, Sire.” Pons turned to Kleitus. “The one that was thrown into the boiling mud pit. I saw it die! Its body sucked down beneath the ooze.”
“Yes, that’s exactly right!” Tomas appeared amazed. “That’s what the duchess said, Your Majesty! She and the duke couldn’t believe their eyes. The duchess Jera said something about the prophecy. But the stranger, Alfred, denied most vehemently that he’d had anything to do with it.”
“What did he say about the dog, how it came to be alive?”
“He said he couldn’t explain, but if the dog is alive, then Haplo must be alive.”
“Exceedingly strange!” murmured Kleitus. ‘And did you find out, Tomas, how these two strangers managed to make their way to Kairn Necros?”
‘A ship, Sire. According to the duke, who told me as I was leaving, they arrived in a ship which they left docked at Safe Harbor.
The ship is made of a strange substance and is, by the duke’s account, covered with runes, much like the stranger Haplo’s body.”
“And what do the duke and duchess and the old earl plan to do now?”