The Devil's Armour (Gollancz S.F.) Read Online Free

grunted his curses. The way he held the child explained his meaning perfectly.
    ‘All right, then, deliver the child yourself,’ Rihards said. ‘Jazana Carr is in the hills near Harn. My men will take you to her.’ He ordered Glane and two of his other knights to take Jarrin to the Diamond Queen. It didn’t concern him at all if the captain bled to death on the way; he had killed Lorn and stolen his child, and that was all that mattered. ‘You’ve done well, Captain Jarrin,’ he said. ‘Without your king, Carlion should fall in a day.’
    Jarrin tried to speak, then stopped. Rihards supposed his pain was enormous.
    ‘Go,’ said the duke. ‘It’s a full day’s ride to Harn at least. You may rest first with my men if you wish. We have a surgeon who can look at you ...’
    Shaking his head, the captain steadied himself in his saddle then rode off, heading northwest toward Harn with the child in his arms. When he had gone only a few yards, he looked back at the knights who were to accompany him, as if to ask why they were dawdling.
    ‘Go with him,’ ordered Rihards. ‘See that he gets his money from Jazana Carr. He’s brave enough to deserve his pay.’
    Glane, the duke’s lieutenant, nodded. Taking two of his fellows with him, they started off after Jarrin, who immediately took to riding again, obviously in a great hurry to get paid. As Rihards watched him go, he felt a twinge of regret. He knew that the child would be well taken care of by Jazana Carr, so that didn’t worry him. Any child the Diamond Queen encountered was well treated, so long as it was a girl child. But the death of King Lorn bothered the duke. For a moment he thought of all the good times they’d had together, the fine wines and stories they had shared, and all those dreams they had voiced about defeating Jazana Carr.
    But then he thought of conquering Carlion, and how he would be rewarded for the deed. He thought also about Lorn’s jewelled ring of kingship, and how his old friend had kept it hidden in a chest within his private wing, afraid to wear it for fear of theft in these dark days. And when Rihards thought of the ring – which he had always coveted – his feelings of remorse abruptly fled.
    Two hours before sunrise, Uralak went in search of his master, King Lorn. The old manservant was concerned that he hadn’t seen his king for some hours, not since he’d retired to his chambers. When it occurred to Uralak that he had not seen Captain Jarrin either, he began to worry. Up until then he had stayed with the soldiers of the garrison, guarding the main gate and watching the forces of Duke Rihards in the far, far distance. Because it was too dark to see anything, the guardians were uneasy. Uralak shared their fears but did not voice them. Though he was old and only a manservant, he would die with a smile on his face.
    Leaving the place he had come to call his ‘post’, Uralak went through the silent courtyard and entered the halls ofCarlion, which were empty now of women and children and rang with his footfalls as he shuffled along. Pensive, he remembered his prior conversation with his king, and how his master had seemed so forlorn, sure that their cause was hopeless. There were not many in Carlion who loved King Lorn, but Uralak counted himself among the handful. There was nothing he would not do for his king, no secret he would not keep. As he walked through the castle, he kept his suspicions to himself.
    Because King Lorn’s chambers were in the tallest of Carlion’s towers, it took Uralak long minutes to reach them. When he did, he was exhausted from the climb. He found the area of the king’s chambers empty; those servants who hadn’t fled the castle had long ago gone to sleep. Carefully, he made his way through the darkened hall. He didn’t expect to be startled, but when he rounded a familiar bend a figure frightened him.
    It was Lariza, the nursemaid to the king’s daughter. She was outside the king’s chamber