Carack

Carack Ch6 p2

After that it was just a case of watching events and waiting for you to leave the castle without escort. I began to think that you were under the power of the charm until you four ran away. I followed you and I had great fun in confusing those dogs. Then it came to the point where I had to make a decision and so I snuck Gerent out of their camp before he became ill again due to the way that stupid N’zar’s was treating him.

Sancret sat forward in his chair his eyes on his friend as Meendhu spoke.

‘You have done well my friend,’ he said as the gruff voice stopped. ‘But do not be so hard on N’zar. It must be difficult for him loosing a brother and also loosing faith in a Lord he has thought so highly of. He will come here before long if I know Camomile, he will persuade N’zar to let his pride give way to sense. He says he thinks I am a myth but I am sure he wants to believe all this here is real. So, it appears that Madron is gaining control over the Western Edge and wishes to have control over the whole country by whatever means. I have been looking at the wars in the Eastern Evells and the King’s men are slowly overcoming all opposition. If we are to act, I fear it must be soon, before Madron has had a chance to put all corners of the land under his sway. I wonder how it is that you managed to escape falling under the spell Gerent.’

‘I don’t know,’ said Gerent. ‘I think I did fall for a bit. At one point I thought Madron,  and Morvah especially, were wonderful, good and generous. But then I just began to think them creepy and smarmy. I don’t know why I changed my feelings towards them so rapidly.’

‘Think,’ said Sancret. ‘When did you first think of them as creepy?’ Gerent thought hard.

‘It was the evening of the Knight’s feast,’ he said.

‘Ok, so you ate what everyone else ate, which would have been soused in the charm,’ Sancret was almost talking to himself. ‘So if it wasn’t something you ate it would not have been anything you drank either. It could have been something you wore, have you an amulet or anything?’

‘No, no what I had on was a tunic and gold breastplate that Madron gave me to make me look like a knight.’

‘Were you wearing the breastplate the next time you thought them evil?’ asked Sancret,

Gerent thought. ‘No,’ he said.

‘What is it then? What caused the change? Did they say something which upset you at all?’

‘No, they were very nice to me, sickeningly nice to me. I did have on this chain mail though,’ said Gerent.

‘What mail?’ asked Sancret and Gerent opened his shirt to show the gleaming silver rings of the hauberk. Sancret reached and touched it closing his eyes as he did so.

‘Did Madron give you this?’ He asked and Gerent nodded. Then Sancret got up and began to laugh, quiet at first and then louder. Meendhu laughed at Sancret laughing, but Gerent could see he did not know what was amusing the warlock in the first place. When he calmed down enough to stop laughing, Sancret sat again.

‘Gerent, have you been sort of overlooked or just passed by as though you weren’t there when you were wearing this mail?’

‘No,’ said Gerent at once, Sancret looked confused.

‘Yes!’ Gerent burst out s he remembered, ‘On the steps up to the castle, N’zar and Cam walked right past me, as close as you are, and never noticed me.’

‘You didn’t wish to be seen at the time I take it?’ asked Sancret and Gerent nodded. Sancret gave a low laugh again. ‘Well, well, well. What fun. If Madron only knew he’d kick himself.’

‘Knew what?’ asked Gerent.

‘Why, that he had given you the one thing he had that could protect you from him, from any charm even, and give you the ability to blend in with your surroundings. If N’zar and the other two had been spotted in the woods, I doubt you would have been, as long as you wished not to be seen. This mail that you wear,’ and he poked Gerent playfully in the chest. ‘Which Madron gave you, is chameleon mail. It’s made by the Buccas, in this case Widn Buccas. They are good sprites, fortunately. It has the ability to protect the wearer from any serious harm. This means it can ward off spells and charms. It can make the wearer almost invisible and protect them from any danger.’

‘That’s why I didn’t drown then when N’zar pushed me off the waterfall,’ said Gerent in excitement.

‘N’zar did what?’ Sancret was aghast.

‘It doesn’t matter, but Cam said it was lucky I didn’t drown at the time. It was the mail keeping me safe!’ said Gerent.