Robin Hood | Thief of Skandia

Chapter 20

Song: Detroit Rock City by KISS

Everyone was watching him, so everyone saw Slagor's guilty start of surprise when Halt mentioned the name of the island. Slagor recovered quickly, but the moment had been there and it had been witnessed.

'I'm not here to answer to you, Ranger!' he blustered angrily. 'You have no authority in this Council!'

Erak stepped forward, rocking on his heels, his face only centimetres from Slagor's.

'But I have,' he told the other man. 'And I'd like to hear your answer too.'

'What's this about, Erak?' Ragnak interrupted, before Slagor could reply. Erak kept his gaze fixed on Slagor.

'Two of Slagor's ships are currently at Fallkork Island,' he replied. 'In another day, he plans to rendezvous with them and sail down the coast to Sand Creek Bay.'

Erak saw the colour draining from Slagor's face as he realised that his plans had been discovered. He continued inexorably, his voice rising in volume as Slagor attempted to speak, drowning the other man out. 'There, he plans to embark one hundred and fifty Temujai warriors, and land them behind our lines to attack us from the rear.'

The room erupted as people began to shout, all at once. In vain, Slagor spat abuse at Erak and protested his innocence. His followers in the Hall, and there were more than a few, roared their protests, while those who favoured Erak roared back, calling for Slagor's head. The bedlam continued for a full minute until Ragnak rose from his seat.

'Silence!' he bellowed.

In the ensuing quiet, you could almost hear a pin drop.

'How do you know this?' the Oberjarl asked. He disliked Slagor. Many of the Skandians did. But the concept of such treachery was so absolutely abhorrent to the simple Skandian code of conduct that Ragnak found it impossible to believe it of anyone, even Slagor.

'His plans were overheard, Ragnak,' Erak told him.

Instantly Slagor was screaming his innocence. 'This is lies! It's a pack of filthy lies! Who heard me? Who claims I'm a traitor? Let them face me now!'

'As a matter of fact, Ragnak,' said Halt, raising his voice so that he was heard clearly in every corner of the room, 'the informant is here with us.'

That piece of news stilled Slagor's protests immediately. Ragnak eyed the Ranger with distaste. Since he had arrived in Hallasholm, the comfortable, established order of things had been continually disturbed.

'Then let's hear from him,' the Oberjarl said.

'Not him, Ragnak. Her. The informant is Evanlyn. Perhaps that's why Slagor is so keen to have her discredited and killed.'

Uproar once again filled the room and Will realised how cleverly Halt had played this hand. In the confusion of the moment, nobody asked the obvious question: how could Slagor have known that Evanlyn had discovered his plan? For if he didn't know, he would have no reason to try to discredit the girl. But now that Halt had planted the seed, the Skandians would all half believe that Slagor's actions were intended to forestall Evanlyn, rather than the other way around. In that light, her accusation could not be dismissed out of hand. It had to be investigated.

'Proof!' Slagor was shouting now, and some of his followers, realising their own necks were close to the headsman's axe, were shouting it too. 'Anyone can accuse me! But where's the proof?'

Ragnak silenced the shouting with a gesture. 'Well, Ranger,' he asked Halt, 'can you offer us proof of these accusations?'

Erak hurriedly stepped into the breach, before Halt had to answer. 'Svengal is bringing in the two ships from Fallkork,' he said. 'He should be in port by tomorrow.'