A Man Betrayed Read Online Free PDF Page A

been watching the cottage from a
distance all night. No one came or went after the knight and his boy
arrived."
    "Our man
didn't see the murder?"
    "Alas, Your
Eminence, even spies must sleep."
    The archbishop
rimmed his glass with his finger. The smell of cheese, which was being wafted
his way due to an open window, was for the moment distasteful to him. He
covered the blue-veined round with the cloth, damping the odor.
    "So, Gamil,
are you saying it was the knight who did this?"
    "Yes and no,
Your Eminence."
    "Meaning?"
    "Meaning that
his hand might have been upon the blade, but his actions were not his own. His
distress when he found the body must attest to the fact that he was an
unwilling accomplice."
    "Larn."
Tavalisk spoke quietly, more to himself than Gamil. "Larn. The knight was
there less than two months back. The elders of that island have long had their
own agendas, and the most ingenious ways for carrying them out." The
archbishop mustered his lips to a plump parody of a smile. "Bevlin has
finally paid the price for his interference."
    "Larn bears a
long grudge, Your Eminence."
    "Hmm, you've
got to admire them for that." Tavalisk settled back in his chair.
"Still, it seems a rather vindictive act. I can't help thinking that there
is more to this meal than flavor alone."
    "How so, Your
Eminence?"
    "Larn knows
too much for its own good. Thanks to those damned seers, it has a decidedly
unfair advantage when it comes to gleaning intelligence. I think that doddering
old fool Bevlin was up to something they didn't like."
    "If you are
right, Your Eminence, then perhaps the knight has some inkling of Bevlin's
intent."
    Tavalisk nodded
slowly. "Are we still tracking him?"
    "Yes, Your
Eminence. I expect to know in a day or two where he was headed. Bren seems the
most likely of places at the moment. If he is there, our spies will keep us
informed of his actions."
    "Very good.
You may go now. I have much to think on." The archbishop poured himself
another glass of brandy. Just as his aide reached the door, he called him back.
"Before you dash off, Gamil, could you do me one small favor?"
    "Certainly,
Your Eminence."
    "Close all
the windows and build me a fire. I am chilled despite the sun." Tavalisk
watched as his aide went about piling logs upon the hearth. "No, no,
Gamil. That won't do. You must first strip the logs of their bark. I know it
will be time-consuming, but there's no point doing a task if you're not
prepared to do it properly."
    Baralis was among
the last to crest the rise. What little protection the slope of the hill had
afforded was snatched away, and the north wind cut deeply once more. Absently,
he massaged the gloved fingers that held the reins. This journey was yet
another toll upon them. The frost had worked its insidious trade upon his
joints, robbing him of precious mobility. It seemed that his hands always paid
the highest price for his actions.
    His position on
top of the bluff did offer some consolation for the discomfort of the wind. It
gave him a clear view down upon the whole of the column. He spied Maybor
immediately. No drab traveler's clothes for him. Even on a long and hazardous
journey like this, the portly lord still insisted on being decked out like a
peacock. Baralis tasted bile in his mouth. He was not one to spit it out, so he
let it run its course upon his tongue, burning the tender flesh. How he hated
that man!
    He sgcanned the
lay of the land. There were rocks beneath the snow; their jagged edges biting
through the white. The downslope was more treacherous than the rise. The path
twisted and dipped to accommodate the disorder of the rocks. Baralis could see
that the men ahead were picking their paths carefully.
    The time was
right. Maybor was still only halfway down the slope. A fall from his horse at
such a place, amongst a setting of rocks and sudden drops, would surely lead to
death. The man's thick and hoary neck would snap like tinderwood when it hit
the cold hard earth.
    Baralis