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Authors: Gerald Morris
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"It's a magic ring. You're invisible."
For a moment there was only silence. Luneta supposed that Ywain was confirming Luneta's words. At last his disembodied voice said, "Lud!"
"All right," Rhience said with an exaggerated sniff. "I'll grant you that this is a
little
bit better than the stove wood idea." The voices in the hallway were closer. "And just in time, too."
The door to the bedchamber burst open and Malvolus the steward and five armed soldiers rushed into the room. "Where is he?" Malvolus snapped at them.
"Where is who?" Luneta replied.
"One of the soldiers saw you running away with the knight who has slain my master!"
"Is Sir Esclados dead?" Luneta demanded.
"As if you didn't know. You probably planned the whole thing, the three of you."
Luneta thought quickly. "Your soldier may have seen this knight running the same way we did, but as you can plainly see, there is no knight here."
"You've hidden him!" Malvolus snapped. He waved to the soldiers. "Look under the bed! In the wardrobe!"
"Be careful!" shrieked Rhience, in a voice of abject horror. "You almost stepped on my imaginary friend!" He looked earnestly at Malvolus. "His name is Asinus, and nobody can see him but me."
"Begone, knave! I've no time for your foolishness!" Malvolus roared furiously.
"Very well, I'll tell Asinus to
step back into a corner where no one can accidentally bump into him,
shall I?" Rhience said this very slowly and clearly.
Luneta heard the faintest scrape of metal beside her, and she guessed that Ywain was taking Rhience's advice. Malvolus wasn't through with them yet, though. While his soldiers poked their swords and spears under the bed and behind hanging tapestries, he scowled at Luneta and demanded, "If you weren't hiding the knight, then why are you here?"
"I was looking for my lady, of course. Do you know where she is?"
Malvolus glowered at her. "With her husband, I would imagine!"
Luneta met his gaze without flinching. "Then I should go to her at once! Come, Rhience!"
"Should my imaginary friend stay here?"
"Yes, of course," Luneta said. When Rhience started to leave, Malvolus glared at him with pure hatred, and Rhience hesitated, but Luneta grabbed his hand and pulled him out into the hallway. "I see what you mean," she said, once they were well away from the door. "The steward doesn't seem to care for you, does he?"
"No, he doesn't. It's very strange. Do you suppose he had an unhappy childhood?" Rhience replied.
"I certainly hope so," Luneta said. "Look, we need to figure out what to do next."
"I should think it would be easy from here," Rhience replied. "We wait until everyone is done searchingâwhich may be several hours. Then, once they've given up, we can smuggle Ywain out during the night. I wonder if his horse becomes invisible when he gets on it. After all, his armor disappeared along with the rest of him."
"But he has to leave the ring here," Luneta pointed out. "It's not hisâor mine, for that matter."
"Hmm. Well, that's awkward, but it can still be done. We just have to get him away and over a hill before he returns the ring to you."
"But howâ?"
Rhience patted her hand. "We don't know yet, my lady. But we can't do anything until they've stopped looking for him anyway, so there's no rush. Now, don't you think that we should find Lady Laudine?"
***
The next several hours were as trying as any that Luneta had known. She had never herself experienced the death of someone close to her, so she didn't know exactly how it would affect her, but she still couldn't help thinking that she would deal with it better than did Lady Laudine. By the time Luneta found herâin the small chamber where the soldiers had carried the body of Sir EscladosâLady Laudine was already stiff with hysterical grief. She sobbed and screamed and fluttered her hand in front of her breast in a gesture that meant nothing to anyone but herself. She would not respond to any of the ladies-in-waiting who stood
For a moment there was only silence. Luneta supposed that Ywain was confirming Luneta's words. At last his disembodied voice said, "Lud!"
"All right," Rhience said with an exaggerated sniff. "I'll grant you that this is a
little
bit better than the stove wood idea." The voices in the hallway were closer. "And just in time, too."
The door to the bedchamber burst open and Malvolus the steward and five armed soldiers rushed into the room. "Where is he?" Malvolus snapped at them.
"Where is who?" Luneta replied.
"One of the soldiers saw you running away with the knight who has slain my master!"
"Is Sir Esclados dead?" Luneta demanded.
"As if you didn't know. You probably planned the whole thing, the three of you."
Luneta thought quickly. "Your soldier may have seen this knight running the same way we did, but as you can plainly see, there is no knight here."
"You've hidden him!" Malvolus snapped. He waved to the soldiers. "Look under the bed! In the wardrobe!"
"Be careful!" shrieked Rhience, in a voice of abject horror. "You almost stepped on my imaginary friend!" He looked earnestly at Malvolus. "His name is Asinus, and nobody can see him but me."
"Begone, knave! I've no time for your foolishness!" Malvolus roared furiously.
"Very well, I'll tell Asinus to
step back into a corner where no one can accidentally bump into him,
shall I?" Rhience said this very slowly and clearly.
Luneta heard the faintest scrape of metal beside her, and she guessed that Ywain was taking Rhience's advice. Malvolus wasn't through with them yet, though. While his soldiers poked their swords and spears under the bed and behind hanging tapestries, he scowled at Luneta and demanded, "If you weren't hiding the knight, then why are you here?"
"I was looking for my lady, of course. Do you know where she is?"
Malvolus glowered at her. "With her husband, I would imagine!"
Luneta met his gaze without flinching. "Then I should go to her at once! Come, Rhience!"
"Should my imaginary friend stay here?"
"Yes, of course," Luneta said. When Rhience started to leave, Malvolus glared at him with pure hatred, and Rhience hesitated, but Luneta grabbed his hand and pulled him out into the hallway. "I see what you mean," she said, once they were well away from the door. "The steward doesn't seem to care for you, does he?"
"No, he doesn't. It's very strange. Do you suppose he had an unhappy childhood?" Rhience replied.
"I certainly hope so," Luneta said. "Look, we need to figure out what to do next."
"I should think it would be easy from here," Rhience replied. "We wait until everyone is done searchingâwhich may be several hours. Then, once they've given up, we can smuggle Ywain out during the night. I wonder if his horse becomes invisible when he gets on it. After all, his armor disappeared along with the rest of him."
"But he has to leave the ring here," Luneta pointed out. "It's not hisâor mine, for that matter."
"Hmm. Well, that's awkward, but it can still be done. We just have to get him away and over a hill before he returns the ring to you."
"But howâ?"
Rhience patted her hand. "We don't know yet, my lady. But we can't do anything until they've stopped looking for him anyway, so there's no rush. Now, don't you think that we should find Lady Laudine?"
***
The next several hours were as trying as any that Luneta had known. She had never herself experienced the death of someone close to her, so she didn't know exactly how it would affect her, but she still couldn't help thinking that she would deal with it better than did Lady Laudine. By the time Luneta found herâin the small chamber where the soldiers had carried the body of Sir EscladosâLady Laudine was already stiff with hysterical grief. She sobbed and screamed and fluttered her hand in front of her breast in a gesture that meant nothing to anyone but herself. She would not respond to any of the ladies-in-waiting who stood
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