The Dragon Horn Page 13

  With his Carolingian longsword clanking at this side, Petor strode back to the house.

  -14-

  Feodor, Ivan, several hounds and Stribog tramped past the mill and toward the pines in the distance.

  “I don’t see why we can’t head through the Chestnut Grove and just go straight up to the old oak tree,” Feodor said. “Why are we heading south first?”

  “I told you, to fool Sir Karlo.”

  “This won’t fool him. He can simply send one of his men to follow us. He’ll see that we’re circling around in the woods and finally heading north.”

  “So?” said Ivan.

  “So he’ll know that we’re trying to trick him.”

  “No he won’t,” Ivan said. “He’ll know that we didn’t want to make anyone suspicious.”

  “You’re not making any sense.”

  “Good. That’ll probably keep Karlo happy then.”

  Ivan had decided that he couldn’t trick Karlo outright. If the knight was as smooth as Nadia made out, like a Pavian courtier, then Karlo could out-think him and his ploys. What he might be able to do, however, was work within Karlo’s subtlety. Karlo would know that he, Ivan, was attempting to trick him but not arouse his anger. What the vain knight might not know, was that he, Ivan, knew that the knight knew.

  It was complicated, that’s for sure, and maybe the Bavarian could figure out all the angles better than he could. What he needed to do then was bow and scrape to Sir Karlo, to act meek and not at all make it seem as if he was trying to thwart him. So Feodor and he would go around the house out of sight of everyone else, even thought they left tracks. That might even make the Bavarian think the dog trainer was a fool. Actually, as Ivan saw it, that was his real chance. He’d play the fool to arrogant fighting men. In his spare time, he’d start rigging bear-nets in carefully selected ambush sites.

  “This is foolish,” Feodor said later.

  Ivan breathed hard. They’d marched for quite a while. Circling took a lot of stiff walking. During that time more snow had fallen. Any tracks they might have found would surely be filled in by now. That didn’t trouble Ivan. He’d decided early on that the falling snow had already done its task. What had Lady Belgorod asked that day in the main hall: had Karlo practiced any dark spells?

  At the time, Ivan had thought the question an odd one. Now he was no longer so certain. Karlo had been able to see at night better than a man should. He could hunt successfully without the use of hounds. Wolves, it seemed, had slunk near him last night. His strength now seemed unnatural. With one hand, he’d throttled Perun, an incredibly strong man himself. Too many things didn’t add up. If Sir Karlo knew magic, well...maybe that would answer a few things. It could certainly be a reason why the hounds hated him—at least Ivan figured it could be a reason. He didn’t know much about magic. Dark spells, though, wouldn’t their use warp a person? What Ivan had decided, after Petor’s talk, was that he’d grant Karlo the ability to use magic. He’d work from that premise. He wouldn’t tell anyone else, though. They might think that he’d lost his sense.

  The storm wolf dream, he decided, had pushed this idea into his head. Axe People existed, as did clawmen. Nadia could actually use magic as singers said wizards did in tales. Storm wolves roamed the grasslands. Very well, a hardheaded person could accept the fact that evil spellcasters also existed. Hadn’t there once been a lord of Night? Ivan now believed that yes, there once had been.

  “Snow, Ivan,” Feodor said. “You know. How it fills up tracks?”

  Ivan grunted as he studied the trees. They had finally circled to where Karlo had probably entered the pines last night.

  “All this work for nothing,” Feodor complained, which wasn’t like him.

  Ivan kept searching and he kept a careful watch of his hounds. The reward soon came. A dog whined and sprayed urine onto a tree. Ivan stepped near there.

  “What are you looking for?” Feodor asked.

  Ivan saw old bark, a pinecone, dog-tracks, a bit of yellow snow, more tracks. He waited. Another dog whined and urinated over another pine. Ivan walked there.

  “You seem to know something,” Feodor said.

  A grin tugged at Ivan’s lips. He crouched down as he took off his mittens.

  “What did you find?”

  Ivan showed Feodor a tuft of white fur. He’d pried it from a rough piece of pine bark.

  “Is it wolf-fur?” Feodor asked.

  Ivan let the tuft flutter to the snow. He gestured to the hounds. Most of them were sniffing, urinating here and there.

  “They sure are busy,” Feodor said.

  “That’s because wolves rested here,” Ivan said. “They marked the trees. Now the hounds are doing the same thing.”

  “And the fur?”

  “You ever have an itch?” Ivan asked. He had to keep calm about this, otherwise he’d go screaming back to the house. Somehow, in some sinister manner, Karlo could control wolves! It belied common sense. It bespoke the use of magic. It frightened Ivan to the core of his being.

  Feodor shook his head. “You are a dog trainer.”

  Ivan shrugged.

  “So now what?” asked Feodor.

  “Now we circle halfway back and go in for lunch.”

  Feodor eyed him. “You okay, Ivan?”

  “I’m fine.”

  “You seem...wound up.”

  “Do I? Huh? I guess I need more sleep.”

  “Sure,” Feodor said, giving him an odd look.

  Ivan whistled to the hounds, knowing that last night Karlo had freely walked among wolves. Why? To leave a message? But to who? And why didn’t he see the strange raven any more?

  Something odd occurred. Yet he didn’t believe that Karlo meant to attack the holding now or after he left. It had something to do with the farmers. That led to the buried treasure. It must all go back to that.

  “You sure are quiet today,” Feodor said.

  “I’ve been thinking.”

  “And?”

  “I think once we get back I want to see how Yury’s doing.” Ivan smiled instead of laughing hysterically. He trusted Feodor, but he also feared Karlo more than ever and took the knight’s threat seriously. Therefore, he’d keep as much to himself as he could. Otherwise, clever Sir Karlo might realize that he knew too much. Then the holding might run red with blood.

  -15-

  Ivan ate lunch in the kitchen. After excusing himself, he soaked in the bathhouse to give his muscles a rest and his mind a chance to think. He checked the hounds after that.

  Later, by the blacksmith shed, he snapped his fingers. Yury had tricked Karlo at chess. Maybe Yury could help him trick Karlo again.

  Ivan found Yury in the main hall in a rocking chair, all bundled up and half-asleep. Mary churned butter, while other housemaids knitted scarves. A fire crackled nicely. By the sound of it, the other Belgorod nobles were upstairs.

  “How are you feeling?” Ivan asked, pulling up a rocking chair. He was far enough away from the housemaids so if he kept his voice down they wouldn’t hear him.

  Yury opened bleary eyes. His skin looked pale. He smiled, though. “I still have a fever,” he said.

  “Do you need any water?”

  Yury gave him a gritty laugh. “No, I’ve got something better than water.”

  “You have. What?” Ivan was too absorbed in his own problems to realize the truth of Yury’s statement. That would come later, when it was already too late.

  Yury closed his eyes as if drawing strength, then he sat up. “I’m feeling better already,” he said.

  “I hope so. Because by the way you’re talking the fever still has a tight hold of you.”

  Yury gave him that gritty, tired laugh again.

  “Do you feel like playing chess?” Ivan asked.

  Yury opened his eyes to their normal width. “Oh, I see. You want to beat me while I’m groggy.”

  “Actually, no. I want your advice.”

  “About chess?”

  “In a mann
er of speaking, I suppose. For isn’t life just a slice of what chess really is?” Ever since Yury had taken up chess, Ivan had had to endure endless silly quotes about the game. Usually they zipped through his head to escape out of the ear farthest from Yury. The squire thought any chess-master would make a stunning battlefield commander.

  Yury coughed and blew his nose. His eyes looked more bloodshot than ever.

  “Are you sure you’re feeling all right?”

  “I’m feeling wonderful,” Yury muttered. “Can’t you tell?”

  “Your tan has improved.”

  Pulling the quilt tighter, Yury leaned forward and asked, “What’s this about chess?”

  “I want your advice on how to trick someone.”

  Some of the glassiness left Yury’s eyes.

  “You and Sir Karlo seem pretty close,” Ivan began.

  Yury nodded.

  “Do you think he should take Nadia away with him?”

  “Huh? Nadia?”

  “He’s been courting her,” Ivan said.

  “He has? How come?”

  “I think he loves her.”

  “He hasn’t said anything to me about it.”

  Ivan caught the pout. Yury was disappointed in the knight. Maybe he thought of Karlo as his special find. About certain things, Yury could be awfully possessive.

  “You should see it,” Ivan said, forcing himself to sound eager. “It’s like something out of a singer’s tale. He kisses her hand and makes all sorts of promises.”

  “Karlo told me he had to leave to—” Yury stopped abruptly, with a crafty look on his face. “Oh,” he said.

  “What Sir Karlo does is his own business,” Ivan said. “Don’t you agree?”

  “Of course.”

  “And I hope you don’t tell him that I said anything about this.”

  “Why not?” Yury asked.

  Ivan leaned close as he licked his lips. “Because I love Nadia, too,” he whispered.

  “Ahhhh.” Yury nodded as if he were the world’s greatest sage. “Yes. I see.”

  “But you’ve got to keep that quiet,” Ivan pleaded.

  “You can count one me, Ivan. You know that.”

  “Of course I do. That’s why I came to you to help me trick Karlo.”

  “I can see that now,” Yury said. He shook his head. “No. I don’t think you could do it.”

  “I know I couldn’t,” Ivan said. “But maybe you could. I saw how you tricked him in the game.”

  “Hmmm. That was a one-time trick.” Yury’s good hand shot out, clutching Ivan’s arm. “It isn’t Karlo you need to trick, though.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “He’s a knight, Ivan. You know that you and I are best friends, right?”

  “Yury.”

  “I hope I don’t hurt your feelings by telling you this. Sir Karlo, he’s better at these things than anyone here at Belgorod.”

  “I know,” Ivan said.

  “But Nadia is still Nadia. I’m sure she wants to leave….”Yury’s mouth was open, the tip of his tongue touching his upper lip. “Of course! That must be why Magda and the escort are watching her so closely. They’re worried she’ll run off.”

  “Would you run off?”

  Yury thought about it. “I’d sure want to,” he said. “But in the end I’d only want to leave with everyone’s blessing. Unless…”

  “Yes?”

  “They’re going to push her into leaving. I bet she’s getting advice from her mother and from the escort. That sort of thing drives me wild. I bet Sir Karlo is working off that. He knows how to talk to people.”

  Ivan knew that with his imagination Yury was often able to put himself in another person’s mind.

  “Listen, Ivan,” Yury whispered excitedly. “I have a plan.” He chuckled in that gritty, sick-man’s way again. “I don’t want my best friend losing his girl-to-be. Besides, this’ll take Sir Karlo down a notch.” He grinned wickedly. “I like him, Ivan, but sometimes he thinks he’s going to win everything he tries to do. That can be irritating.”

  “I know what you mean,” Ivan said.

  “So listen closely, because I don’t know how long I can stay awake.”

  “I’m listening.” And as Yury wove out his plan, Ivan began to grin as well.

  -16-

  The stairs creaked as Ivan slipped up them. Supper had been an hour ago. No one had said much except for Master Volok. He’d regaled them with tales. Oblivious or seemingly so to what went on around him, Master Volok had guzzled ale as he’d spoken. Nadia had picked at her food, and never once had she glanced at Karlo.

  That had troubled Ivan. It was as if she was trying to show everyone that she didn’t care about Karlo. It showed the exact opposite.

  Ivan moved down the hall. Only a few torches flickered, while snores came from the master bedroom. Sir Volok had turned in early. Soon the others would as well. Night came quickly in winter. He stopped in front of Nadia’s room and scratched at the door. It opened instantly.

  Mary looked surprised upon seeing him.

  “Can I come in?” he whispered.

  Mary glanced over her shoulder. Then she frowned at Ivan. “You shouldn’t be here,” she whispered.

  Ivan played a dirty trick then. “I’m sorry, Mary,” he said.

  Her frown deepened.

  He shoved her and slipped through. Mary stumbled on the bottom of her dress and landed on the floor. Nadia looked up guiltily from the bed. Hordes of clothes were spread out on it. Lit tapers illuminated the bed and highlighted an open carrying case that lay on the pillows. An arm-length piece of wood lay across Nadia’s knees. The wood was deep brown in color and highly polished. About it twined carved ivies, flying owls, stars and an open eye. The craftsmanship of the carvings was stunning. Nadia, it seemed, had been crooning to it.

  “What’s that?” he asked. Ivan had never seen it before.

  “It’s my wand.”

  She’d said something about a wand at the moot. With a wand, she’d defeated the wolves that had chased their sleigh. With it, he guessed, she was able to practice her art, her magic.

  “Do you mind telling me why you pushed Mary?”

  Ivan went to help Mary up. She glared at him as she stood. “I’m sorry,” he said. “But I had to see Nadia.”

  “Could you step outside, Mary?” Nadia asked.

  Mary hrumphed loudly, brushing past him.

  “That was rude,” Nadia said as the door closed.

  Ivan had his doubts about Yury’s plan now that he was here, but it was all he had. The sooner he started… He sat on the bed uninvited. “Looks like you’re planning to leave.”

  “Maybe I’m just now unpacking.”

  “Sure, Nadia.” He gave her his best grin.

  Anger twisted her mouth. “Why not get it over with. Say it.”

  “Say what?” he asked.

  “On no, don’t give me that. I know my mother sent you.”

  He took a deep breath. “No, you don’t understand. I’m here to help you.”

  She folded her arms, staring at him.

  “Look,” he said, becoming earnest, hoping Yury knew what he was talking about. “I know you love Sir Karlo. Hosar knows that he loves you. You and I, Nadia, we’ve been friends almost all our life. Right?”

  “Yes,” she said hesitantly.

  “I think in my own way I love you, too.” That hurt, but Yury had told him he had to say it.

  “Ivan,” she said, seemingly at a loss.

  “It’s true, Nadia. I do love you. That’s why I want you to have whatever pleases you the most. If that means leaving forever with Sir Karlo…well, by Hosar, that’s what I’m going to help you do.”

  “Ivan,” she said, louder than before.

  “I can see you’re already packing, but I think slipping through your window isn’t the right way. Magda and your escort will be expecting that. I think you should have Mary wash some of your clothes. I’ll take them then and bring them into the f
orest for you. Then—”

  He stopped because she reached out to put her hand on his arm.

  “You’re willing to help me?” she asked.

  He nodded.

  She blinked several times. “I don’t know what to say.”

  “Tell me that you’ll be happy with Sir Karlo. Tell me that he’s what you’ve always wanted.”

  She looked away.

  “I know it’s a big decision,” he said. “I also know that you’re a wise person. A man like Karlo must come along only once in a lifetime. Therefore, you have to snatch at it. He’s a catch all right. I can see that. He’s big, strong, handsome, and he can sing.” Ivan lowered his voice. “We’ll miss you, Nadia. I’ll miss you the most.” He took hold of her hand. “I bet he’ll understand when you have to go back to the Sisterhood. Or—” He squeezed her hand. “Will you be going back?”

  “Don’t,” she whispered.

  He let go of her hand.

  “No. Not that. You know I can’t go back to the Sisterhood if I leave with Karlo.”

  “Oh,” he said.

  “No. Don’t ‘oh’ me. You know that.”

  “Okay,” he said, backtracking. “I guess I do know. I had to try, though, didn’t I?”

  She thought about it. “Yes, I suppose so.”

  “I’m still going to help you, though.”

  “Oh, Ivan. I-I don’t know what to say. I thought everyone was against me on this.”

  “No, not against you. They’re worried for you. It’s just that I know better. I know you know that you’re doing the right thing.”

  She bit her lip.

  “You do know that, don’t you?”

  Nadia stood abruptly, turned and walked to her window. She hugged her shoulders. “I’m confused, Ivan. Part of me yearns to go. The other part…that part says I’m a fool.”

  “Oh,” he said.

  She faced him. “What do you think I should do?”

  He bent his head as if in thought. His heart hammered. He couldn’t take many glances like that. Soon he’d be up on his feet trying to hold her. Then he’d try to kiss her. Then everything would be ruined. She’d probably slap his face.

  “Ivan?”

  “Nadia, I don’t know what to tell you.” Yury had said to stick as close to the truth as possible. So he said, “I love you, you know?”