The Letter for the King Page 6

  The first thing Tiuri did the next morning was climb as high as possible into a tree, so that he could work out the right direction from the position of the sun.

  He soon set off again, wondering how long the journey through the forest would take and how close he would be to the Blue River when he emerged.

  The Blue River also flowed through the City of Dagonaut and past Castle Tehuri, Tiuri’s home. Its source was in the Great Mountains, and it flowed eastwards before curving to the north, around the Blue Forest, and then to the southeast, through the City of Dagonaut, and finally along the country’s eastern border. Tiuri had heard that the First Great Road ran alongside the river for some way close near the mountains, but he did not know where the river’s source was, the exact point where the river began. From the City of Dagonaut to the mountains in the west was a journey of around eight to ten days along the Great Road. Tiuri had never been all the way along the road himself, but he heard about it from travellers and knights-errant. His journey was sure to take longer, and still he would only have travelled as far as the mountains. The way was long and the letter was important, and the Black Knight had said there was little time to lose. The Black Knight might have dared to take the Great Road himself, but he had been armed.

  The journey through the forest proved hard and slow. Sometimes he had to lead the horse and, to make it easier to fight his way through the undergrowth, Tiuri tore off a large strip from the bottom of his robe. He had eaten the last of the Fool’s bread that morning and so he had to survive on whatever he could find: fruit and roots, as he had no weapons to catch game and no time to make traps. He encountered no one all day. It seemed as if no one ever set foot in the forest.

  On the fourth day of his journey, however, events took a different turn. Tiuri heard the sound of voices and of people making their way through the undergrowth. He quickly hid and waited to see what would happen. The voices moved away, but soon after that a young man walked by, close to Tiuri’s hiding place. He was dressed in grey and was leading a horse. Tiuri could see that he was armed. He kept stopping and looking around, but he didn’t spot Tiuri or his black horse. He soon disappeared, but Tiuri could hear him speaking to someone.

  “Where have they all got to?”

  “They’re hunting further to the north,” said another voice. “Have you seen anything?”

  “Nothing. And no tracks either. But it’s hard to say. This part of the forest is so wild. You could search for days here without ever finding anyone. But he has to be somewhere.”

  “All I can see is trees, trees and more trees!” grumbled the other voice. “And thorns and creepers to trip you up! This forest is the perfect hiding place for a person who does not wish to be found.”

  The voices grew fainter until Tiuri could no longer understand what they were saying. Then, in the distance, he heard the clear sound of a hunting horn.

  “Come on!” Tiuri heard someone shout.

  And then he was alone again. Tiuri put his arm around the horse’s neck and whispered, “So who were they? A hunting party? But what are they hunting?”

  The horse didn’t answer, but Tiuri felt that it could understand him and that it had its own thoughts about the men who were roaming the forest.

  If I’m careful, they won’t see me, thought Tiuri. He sighed. Would it always be like this, having to be suspicious of everyone, scared that they might be enemies? He travelled on, even more warily, and saw no one else, although he did hear the distant sound of the horn a few times.

  Sir Fantumar had a famous horn, which he had once used to summon his men to battle, a long time ago, when enemies from the east had invaded the country. When Tiuri had been Sir Fantumar’s squire, he had listened breathlessly as the knight told of his adventures. Now he was in the middle of an adventure himself. Perhaps one day, he thought, my squire will listen as I tell him my tale… If I ever get out of this in one piece… and if I ever become a knight…

  That afternoon, the forest changed once again. It became less dense and the trees were tall, with straight, thin trunks. Tiuri could see a long way ahead. It looked almost like a vast great hall with an undulating, mossy floor and lots of wooden pillars. It was easy enough to ride through, but that also meant that anyone could see him from a long way off, which wasn’t a comforting thought, particularly when he heard the distant sound of the horn again.

  After a while, Tiuri came to a shallow valley, with a stream running through it, one of so many streams crisscrossing the forest. He decided to stop there and rest until evening. Then he would travel on in darkness, which felt safer.

  Tiuri crawled beneath a bush and fell asleep. When he awoke, it was completely dark. He felt his way to the stream and leant forward to drink. Then he spotted something strange: a glowing dot darting around beneath his head. For a moment, he thought it was a firefly and he reached out to grab it. But when he caught it, he found that it was hard and round. To his surprise, he realized it was the Black Knight’s ring, which was hanging on the cord around his neck. He studied it carefully. Yes, the stone was glowing in the dark! It was a weak light, like a distant star, but still clearly visible. It felt like a final farewell from the Knight with the White Shield, a reminder of the promise he had made. Tiuri’s eyes welled with tears. He untied the cord and slipped the ring onto his finger.

  This ring will protect me and guide me, he thought. And I shall keep my promise, no matter how difficult that may be!

  Tiuri covered plenty of distance that night and he feared neither darkness nor mysterious noises. Sometimes he spotted a star shining between the trees, like a sister of the stone in the ring on his finger. He rode on in the grey light of dawn as the birds began to sing and did not stop until it was entirely light.

  After a brief rest, he went in search of food and then carried on riding. There was no one around, but he could not see any good places to shelter. Tiuri noticed that the land to his left, to the south, was starting to rise and the wooded hills were becoming higher and higher. He crossed a path that led northwards from the hills, perhaps to the Great Road. A path meant there might be people around.

  I’ll look for somewhere to hide nearby, he thought. There’s sure to be a good spot in the hills. It’s time to rest, especially for my companion. We’ll travel onwards tonight.

  Tiuri found a place to rest and, unable to find anything to eat, he pulled the rope more tightly around his waist, lay down and tried to sleep. As he dozed off, he heard the sound of the horn again.

  Onwards tonight, he thought, and he fell asleep.

  4 AN UNWELCOME ENCOUNTER

  Tiuri resumed his journey just before sunset. He had broken a branch from a tree and was holding it in his hand as his only weapon. He rode on through a forest that glowed brightly in the light of the setting sun.

  “Following the sun…” the Fool had said.

  Slowly, it grew darker. The ring on his finger started to shine again. Not enough to light his way, but enough to keep his spirits up. All he could hear were the normal sounds of a forest at night, to which he had grown accustomed. The horse moved on, fast and sure of foot. After a while, Tiuri realized they were following a path. It twisted and turned, but it seemed to lead to the west.

  Tiuri rode onwards, but then he heard something: whispering, and it was not the sound of the wind in the trees… And the cracking of branches, but it was not animals moving through the forest… Suddenly they leapt out, on both sides of the road. One of them even dropped out of a tree! A gang of men – there must have been a dozen of them – surrounded Tiuri’s horse and ordered him to stop. One of the men held up a lantern and Tiuri could see them by its light: rough, bearded men, armed with sticks, swords and daggers.

  “Stop!” they cried. “Your money or your life!”

  Robbers!

  Tiuri was terrified and felt himself shaking all over, but he was brave enough not to show his fear. He looked at their threatening faces and said, “I have no money. I have nothing!”

&nbs
p; “Ha!” cried the robber with the lantern, as he shone its light on Tiuri’s face. “You don’t look like a wealthy man, but that’s a fine horse you have!”

  “And look, he’s wearing a fancy ring,” said one of the others, grabbing Tiuri’s hand.

  Tiuri pulled his hand away and raised his stick.

  “I spotted that ring in the distance when he was riding along,” said a third robber. “Look how it glows!”

  “Let me pass,” Tiuri growled. His voice sounded steady, but his heart was racing.

  The robbers were so surprised that they stepped back a little.

  “Well, well!” one of the robbers said. “The lad’s got nerve!”

  “We won’t let you go until you hand over all of your belongings,” said the man who claimed he had spotted the ring in the distance. He stepped closer and took hold of the horse’s reins. The horse raised its head and snorted angrily.

  It occurred to Tiuri that a quick escape might yet save him, but then the other robbers closed in on him with raised weapons.

  “Come, come, you know you can’t take on all of us,” said the robber who was holding the horse’s reins. “Your life’s not much good to us, but we could certainly use your money.” He turned to the others and issued an order: “Take that stick from him before he whacks you on the head!” He seemed to be their leader.

  Tiuri grasped the stick more firmly and said, “I have nothing. Not a brass farthing. I’m not going to fill your pockets. Let me go!”

  One of the robbers sneered at him and another yelled, “Let’s shut his trap for him! Pull him off his horse!”

  The black horse lifted its head again and whinnied.

  The leader let go of the reins and said gruffly, “You look poor enough, but that’s a very fine ring on your finger. And I’d like it for myself!”

  Tiuri gazed steadily at the man and said, “You will never take this ring!”

  “What in the blazes…?!” cried the leader of the robbers. “Get down from that horse! Now!”

  Rough hands grabbed hold of Tiuri, snatched away his stick and dragged him from the horse. The horse reared up and whinnied; it took three robbers to hold him. The men crowded around Tiuri, but the leader pushed them aside and shouted, “Hands off! I saw the ring first. It was shining like a star.”

  The robbers did as they were told, but they remained standing around Tiuri and glared at him threateningly. He took a deep breath, clasped one hand around the other and said, “I will never give you this ring! Never!”

  “You won’t? Well, I’m going to take it,” said the leader, “and you’d have to be a clever boy to stop me. Why are you riding around here in the dead of night anyway?”

  Tiuri’s courage sank into his shoes. He couldn’t lose the ring. He had to show it to the hermit at the source of the Blue River, so that he would agree to take him over the mountains. No, he couldn’t lose that ring!

  He looked at the leader of the robbers. “I am defenceless against you,” he said. “I have no weapons and I am alone. But I cannot hand over this ring. I would rather die than give it away.”

  He knew it was probably a foolish thing to say and he couldn’t dare to hope that it would do any good.

  “Ah, stop your blethering!” said one of the robbers.

  “Chop off his finger!” sneered another. “And be done with it!”

  “I am powerless,” said Tiuri to the leader, “but I beg you, let me keep this ring. It belonged to someone who died and it means a great deal to me.”

  The man came up very close to Tiuri and grabbed his hand. “I see,” he said, “this ring means a great deal to you, does it? But I would think your fingers probably mean a great deal to you too. So how about I chop one of them off, eh?”

  Tiuri desperately tried to pull his hand away.

  “But in return… I’ll let you keep the ring. What do you say to that?”

  Tiuri stared blankly at the robber. “What do you mean?” he stammered.

  “I’ll chop off a finger instead of taking the ring. A finger in exchange for your ring. Do we have a deal?”

  Tiuri started shaking. Let them chop off his finger? But what about the ring? The ring that had belonged to the brave Knight with the White Shield? The ring that he had to show to the hermit?

  “All right. Do it, then,” he said, with the courage of despair. “I’ll still have four fingers left.” He heard his voice as if it were someone else speaking, and was surprised at his own words.

  The leader released his hand. “Fine, then,” he growled.

  Another robber came and stood beside him, with a sword in his hand. “Can I do it?” he said gleefully. “My sword’s nice and sharp.”

  Tiuri closed his eyes, but he did not take back his words.

  “Let me do it!” pleaded the robber.

  Tiuri opened his eyes again in time to see the leader snatch the man’s sword from him and cuff him around the ear.

  “There!” he said. “That’s all you’re getting. Keep your hands off this boy!” He looked around at the gang of men before continuing. “He has more courage in one finger than you lot have in your entire bodies put together!”

  Then he turned to Tiuri and said, “You can keep your ring. You’ve defended it bravely. But make sure you hide it well, because we’re not the only thieves in this forest.”

  Tiuri could hardly believe it. He felt a great weight lift from him.

  “Now go,” the robber ordered. “And I’d advise you to leave this area. I’ll hold on to your horse. I need to come away with something, after all.”

  His trusted ally, his good companion!

  “But…” Tiuri began, “I can’t…”

  “Enough talking!” roared the leader of the robbers. “Make yourself scarce before I regret it!” He raised his dagger and glared angrily at Tiuri. The other men muttered and growled.

  Tiuri hesitated for a moment but realized he had no choice. He turned around and walked away. He heard the robbers protesting as he went, but then the leader’s angry voice ordered them to be quiet and to do as they were told. The horse whinnied and Tiuri looked back sadly over his shoulder.

  The robbers were leaving, with the horse in their midst. Within seconds, they had disappeared into the forest. The light of the lantern glinted briefly among the trees and then that too was gone.

  Tiuri stumbled on and then fell to the ground, sobbing. He cried because of his terrifying encounter and because he’d lost his friend and companion, the black horse.

  5 GREY KNIGHTS

  When Tiuri had calmed down a little, he took the ring from his finger and hung it around his neck again. Then he stood up and walked on, feeling his way through the dark forest. He had wandered away from the path and the land had become hilly and scattered with rocks and stones. Finally, he could go no further. He sank to the ground and fell into a sleep so deep that it was like being unconscious.

  Early the next morning, he awoke and realized he was lying close to a path, probably the same path where he had encountered the robbers. He followed it for some way. On his left, the hills were becoming steeper and steeper and were sprinkled with spindly pine trees. The sun shone down on the path.

  After a while, he heard a babbling brook and spotted the dark opening to a small cave halfway up one of the hills. It would be a good place to rest. But first, he needed water. Tiuri walked to the stream, which crossed the path, and after he had drunk his fill, he spotted the same kind of plant that the Fool had pulled out of the ground. With a few big black roots in his hands, Tiuri retraced his footsteps, climbed the hill and went into the cave. The cave was small and snug, but no animals appeared to have made it their home. Tiuri sat down, with his back against the wall of rock, and ate one of the roots. Then, in spite of his uncomfortable position, he fell asleep for a while.

  The sound of voices startled him awake. Cautiously, he peered outside. Three men were talking on the path at the foot of the hill. With a shock, he recognized them as three of the robbers!r />
  “Where’s the boss got to?” one of them grumbled.

  “He’s trying to ride that new horse of his,” another sneered. “He’s already fallen off twice.”

  “Fallen off? More like thrown off,” said the third one, clearly enjoying the thought.

  All three of them laughed, but then one of them hissed, “Hush!”

  Two more men were approaching. One was the leader of the robbers.

  “You lot keep your mouths shut and take cover,” he told the three men. “He’ll be here any minute.”

  They followed his orders. The robbers and their leader left the path and hid behind the rocks and in the bushes. Tiuri was sure they were up to no good. Who was going to be here soon? He picked up some stones from the cave floor and piled them by the entrance. Then he lay on his stomach beside the stones, looking down the path and waiting to see what would happen.

  He did not have to wait for long.

  In the distance, he heard the sound of hoofs approaching – clip-clop, clip-clop – and then a knight appeared, coming from the east on a dapple-grey horse. He was riding very slowly, so Tiuri was able to take a good look at him. The knight was dressed in dark-grey chainmail and had a grey shield on his arm. His helmet with its lowered visor was grey, as was the cloak he wore. But around his neck something hung glinting in the sunlight: a large horn that seemed to be made of silver.

  Tiuri saw the bushes moving and he held his breath. The robbers were planning to attack this lonely knight! He looked like a warrior, but it was unlikely that he would be able to take on five men. I must help the knight, thought Tiuri, and warn him somehow…

  At that moment, the robbers yelled and leapt out from their hiding places. “Stop!” they shouted at the knight. “Your money or your life!”

  The knight reined in his horse. Tiuri stood up and armed himself with a stone. The knight lifted his visor, put the horn to his lips and gave it a mighty blow. Then he dropped his visor and drew his sword.