'By going there we risk exposing its location to him.'
'I think it worth the risk,' the seer replied, 'if this young man is truly the one king you speak of.'
'He is that,' said Ynyr, 'and more. We go to rescue his bride-to-be.'
'Ah, that would be the Lady Lyssa. Yes, that is worth the risk.'
Colwyn listened carefully to this elderly dialogue. There was much hidden meaning here, if only one possessed the wits to unlock the secrets these old men discussed. Alas, real knowledge lay buried beneath a flurry of half-truths and partial revelations.
'Will you travel there with us. then?' Ynyr inquired 'It lies deep within the Wyn-nah-Mabrug, the Great Swamp, where the earth itself consumes unlucky travelers. It is a long time since I trod the way.'
'Our need is great. You have already acknowledged that it is worth the risk,' Colwyn said, pressing for a decision.
'No need to fret, my young king.' The seer rose from his seat. 'Having agreed with your purpose, I must fit my own feelings to your needs. Of course I will accompany you.' He turned. 'Titch, prepare my things.' The boy nodded and disappeared into a side tunnel. The seer listened to his haste and smiled.
'A quiet boy, an orphan I took in when no others would. He is fleet of foot and mind and has the sense to listen when most his age do naught but chatter incessantly. He has been useful to me. In return, I care for his needs and do my poor best to educate him.' He turned away from his guests, murmuring softly. 'Education escapes those who are not of a mind to listen. Such see only what they wish to see.'
Torquil nodded dutifully at this wisdom while making certain his recent crystalline acquisitions remained hidden behind his back.
Bare mountainsides and dead woods, cloying fog and valleys aflame, and now this, Colwyn mused as they approached the edge of the Wyn-nah-Mabrug. Surely somewhere on Krull there was a land of soft green hills and clear skies, where the people went about their daily tasks contentedly and tragedy did not mar their every thought. He longed for such a sanctuary even as he knew such restfulness was not for him. Not while Lyssa remained a prisoner and bands of Slayers roamed the land with impunity. Someone had to do something. He had not chosen this path. It had chosen him.
He was more right than he knew.
The seer raised a hand for the party to halt. 'We must dismount here, at the edge of the Great Swamp. The ground is too treacherous to support the weight of horses.'
Hands helped him down, moved to assist the somber Titch. As the horses were being tethered, a brooding Kegan walked over to whisper to Torquil.
'We went to a lot of trouble to get those horses. Ten to one they won't be here when we get out of that.' He nodded sharply toward the swamp ahead, 'If we get out.'
'Come now, my friend,' Torquil murmured softly, 'do you think old Torquil would lead you on a journey without profit? Don't worry about the horses. We can buy more if necessary.'
'There has been much talk of driving off the Slayers and of saving the land, of destinies and duties. I agreed to come along with that 'king' because it seemed meet to do so at the time, and because you made the decision. But in my heart I long for a visit to some city where we may again lighten the purses of those fat citizens who would keep our faces in the dirt.'
'Those days will come again, my friend, if we lose our promised pardon. Meanwhile take heart. All is not as bleak as it may appear.'
'Is it not?' Kegan let out a derisive snort. 'So far all I see are losses and the potential of more.'
Torquil slipped a hand into one back pocket and felt of the slim, cool shapes lying there. 'Patience, Kegan, patience.'
The other thief noted Torquil's tone as well as the movement of his hand. 'Now, what secret would you be toying with there, good Torquil?'
'Not one to reveal here and now,' came the reply. He nodded over to where Colwyn was in discussion with the two wise men. 'There are eyes here that might frown on a little harmless work.' With that he moved away, leaving a frustrat-
ed but intrigued Kegan to wonder what his chief was talking about.
'Ah, my friends,' Torquil said pleasantly as he approached the triumvirate, 'how are we to proceed? The day will not wait on us and I'd as soon spend as few nights as possible in such a place.'
The seer raised a hand and pointed into the morass. 'The temple lies near the center of the swamp, which comes very near dry land here. The place we seek is marked by three trees that grow as one.' He reached out and placed a hand on Titch's shoulders. 'Many's the time I've instructed the boy on its location, so it should not be lost should anything happen to me. He knows the way as well as I.'
'You ask us to follow the lead of a blind man and a boy,' Torquil muttered to Colwyn. 'You ask much.'
'I promise much. In any case we have no choice, my friend. This is no time for hesitation.' He nodded toward the swamp. ' 'Tis a wonder that even bog plants can grow in such a place. It smells of death.'
'Power and death are cousins,' Ynyr offered. 'They have much in common.'
'Not to me they don't.' Torquil found the analogy displeasing. 'I don't much like your relatives, old man.'
'As the gentleman has pointed out,' the seer murmured, 'we waste the daylight.' Steadying himself with Titch he started confidently forward into the swamp. Muck sucked at his boots and leggings but did not drag him down. Colwyn and Ynyr followed while Ergo boldly preceded the disgruntled but resigned thieves.
At least it wasn't raining, Colwyn thought. They were not as miserable as they might have been. He recalled the last time they'd traversed such a place and wondered if similar thoughts had occurred to Torquil. If so, they did not show on the bandit chief's face. Colwyn lengthened his stride until he was walking alongside the boy. Titch watched the ground carefully, leading the seer by the hand.
'Is this the only route?'
Titch nodded. 'The only one I was taught, sir.'
'There is only the one way,' the seer added. 'If we deviate from it even slightly, we will find ourselves swallowed by the quicksands that abound here. What troubles you about our path?'
'I dislike traveling any terrain where the air itself gives cover to potential assailants.' He nodded toward the lake off to their left. 'Follow the shoreline as closely as possible, boy. That way we'll only have to watch one side.'
'I will try to do so, sir.'
'Awkward country.' Colwyn unconsciously fingered the hilt of his sword. 'Not even a safe line of retreat. Keep a sharp lookout. If we can penetrate this swamp, so can our enemies.'
'The-same thought had already occurred to me. I have already warned the others to be on the alert,' said Torquil.
Colwyn clapped him on the back and moved down the line to chat with the rest of his men, reassuring himself even as he reassured them.
Ergo slipped an errant gooseberry, one of several he had acquired earlier, from one pocket and popped it quickly into his mouth… but not quite quickly enough.
'I smell gooseberries,' said Titch excitedly. He hesitated, sniffing the moist air, then glanced wide-eyed at Ergo.
'Ah well, share and share alike. It seems I've found some I'd forgotten, just in time to part with them. Your nose is as big as your eyes, boy.'
'The seer says that a man should not be guided by any one sense but should learn to utilize all at his command. He says that in this way we may better master our surroundings.'
'Even to including gooseberries, it would seem.' Ereo fished through one voluminous pocket, brought out one last handful, and passed them to the boy.
'Thank you, magnificence!'
His master has taught him courtesy, Ergo mused. Not to mention the ability to estimate the stature of those around him.
'Don't mention it.'
The boy was downing them one at a time, luxuriating over the flavor and texture of each individual berry. 'Truly you are a wizard fit to consort with my master. Only one of true ability could conjure up treats like this.'
Yes, most courteous and perceptive, Ergo decided as he fumbled through another pocket. 'Here, boy,' he said
