The Haunted Wizard - Wiz in Rhym-6 by Christopher Stasheff Page B
Authors: Christopher Stasheff
Tags: Fiction, General, Fantasy fiction, Fiction - Fantasy, Fantasy, Fantasy Fiction; American, Fantasy - General, Fantasy - Series, Wizards, American Science Fiction And Fantasy
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cry, and everyone ran out into the night to catch him—except Pargas and Laetri, of course, and I tried to kick them out to end the trouble, but this nobleman stopped me." He pointed to Sir Orizhan.
"Even so." Sir Orizhan nodded. "The man Pargas had clearly killed the prince, and I wasn't about to let this fellow help him escape."
"And that was the end of it?"
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"As far as I know," Sir Orizhan said.
Matt turned back to the innkeeper. "How did you get all your customers back?"
"The soldiers brought them, sir, when they couldn't catch the one who went out the window."
"All?" Matt turned to Sergeant Brock.
"We lost him quick enough," the sergeant said, "and herded the rest of the civilians back in here, though you may be sure they didn't like it. We might have lost one or two, but no more, I'll wager."
"Yeah, but that one or two might include the murderer." Matt turned away with a sigh.
"The murderer?" Sergeant Brock stared. "Are you ma— I mean, it's clear Pargas killed him, sir!… Isn't it?"
"Then why did you all chase the man who went out the window?" Sergeant Brock stared at him, at a loss. Everyone else stared, too, and Matt could see they were all asking themselves the same question.
"It's an instinct," Matt explained. "If somebody runs, it's natural to chase them, because why would they be running if they hadn't done anything? But in this case the man was trying to decoy you all out of the inn so the real murderer could escape."
Sir Orizhan frowned. "How can you be sure it was not Pargas who struck the fatal blow?"
"Because you said the prince was lying in a pool of blood," Matt told him, "and Paiges only had a club."
CHAPTER 4
Sir Orizhan stared, then whirled to exchange glances with Sergeant Brock, who only stared back at him.
"Where did the prince fall?" Matt asked.
"Over here." Sir Orizhan led the way to the foot of the stairs, where a dark stain covered the floorboards, three feet across.
Matt looked down, nodding. "Pool of blood, all right. What time did it happen?"
"Time?" Sir Orizhan frowned; the medieval mind scarcely thought in terms of hours, let alone minutes. "In the middle of the night, my lord. What more can we say?"
Matt raised his voice. "Is there a man of the Watch here?"
"Here, my lord." One of the Merovencians stepped forward. He didn't wear livery, like the soldiers, but only a brassard to show his office.
"How far into your Watch did this happen?"
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"We were almost done, my lord, when a pot-boy came running to summon us. We were in time to see the folk come streaming out of the inn."
"An hour before midnight, then." Matt had set up the duty rosters himself. The first Watch began their shift at dusk, which would have been about seven o'clock in this season. "Where is the body now?"
"We brought it back to the castle, milord," Sir Orizhan said. "We thought his parents would wish it."
"I'm sure they do. And Pargas and Laetri?"
"At the castle also, milord," Sergeant Brock said, "but in the dungeons."
"Of course," Matt said sourly, gazing down at the stain. "But you saw the prince's body. Where was the wound?"
"In his back, my lord." Sir Orizhan's face writhed with disgust, and he spoke with contempt. "It was truly the stroke of a base coward."
"But Pargas fought the prince face-to-face, with only a club."
"Two clubs, milord," Sergeant Brock told him. "Small ones. I fought him myself, till some fool of a Merovencian pulled me away and stabbed at me."
The Merovencian soldiers' faces darkened, and Matt hurried on. "Two small clubs? Why did he only have one when he was standing over the body?"
"Because someone had stabbed his left shoulder, milord."
"You?"
"No, milord," the sergeant said. "He had both clubs when I was torn away from him. Then another brawler came at the prince's back, felling the soldier
"Even so." Sir Orizhan nodded. "The man Pargas had clearly killed the prince, and I wasn't about to let this fellow help him escape."
"And that was the end of it?"
Page 31
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
"As far as I know," Sir Orizhan said.
Matt turned back to the innkeeper. "How did you get all your customers back?"
"The soldiers brought them, sir, when they couldn't catch the one who went out the window."
"All?" Matt turned to Sergeant Brock.
"We lost him quick enough," the sergeant said, "and herded the rest of the civilians back in here, though you may be sure they didn't like it. We might have lost one or two, but no more, I'll wager."
"Yeah, but that one or two might include the murderer." Matt turned away with a sigh.
"The murderer?" Sergeant Brock stared. "Are you ma— I mean, it's clear Pargas killed him, sir!… Isn't it?"
"Then why did you all chase the man who went out the window?" Sergeant Brock stared at him, at a loss. Everyone else stared, too, and Matt could see they were all asking themselves the same question.
"It's an instinct," Matt explained. "If somebody runs, it's natural to chase them, because why would they be running if they hadn't done anything? But in this case the man was trying to decoy you all out of the inn so the real murderer could escape."
Sir Orizhan frowned. "How can you be sure it was not Pargas who struck the fatal blow?"
"Because you said the prince was lying in a pool of blood," Matt told him, "and Paiges only had a club."
CHAPTER 4
Sir Orizhan stared, then whirled to exchange glances with Sergeant Brock, who only stared back at him.
"Where did the prince fall?" Matt asked.
"Over here." Sir Orizhan led the way to the foot of the stairs, where a dark stain covered the floorboards, three feet across.
Matt looked down, nodding. "Pool of blood, all right. What time did it happen?"
"Time?" Sir Orizhan frowned; the medieval mind scarcely thought in terms of hours, let alone minutes. "In the middle of the night, my lord. What more can we say?"
Matt raised his voice. "Is there a man of the Watch here?"
"Here, my lord." One of the Merovencians stepped forward. He didn't wear livery, like the soldiers, but only a brassard to show his office.
"How far into your Watch did this happen?"
Page 32
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
"We were almost done, my lord, when a pot-boy came running to summon us. We were in time to see the folk come streaming out of the inn."
"An hour before midnight, then." Matt had set up the duty rosters himself. The first Watch began their shift at dusk, which would have been about seven o'clock in this season. "Where is the body now?"
"We brought it back to the castle, milord," Sir Orizhan said. "We thought his parents would wish it."
"I'm sure they do. And Pargas and Laetri?"
"At the castle also, milord," Sergeant Brock said, "but in the dungeons."
"Of course," Matt said sourly, gazing down at the stain. "But you saw the prince's body. Where was the wound?"
"In his back, my lord." Sir Orizhan's face writhed with disgust, and he spoke with contempt. "It was truly the stroke of a base coward."
"But Pargas fought the prince face-to-face, with only a club."
"Two clubs, milord," Sergeant Brock told him. "Small ones. I fought him myself, till some fool of a Merovencian pulled me away and stabbed at me."
The Merovencian soldiers' faces darkened, and Matt hurried on. "Two small clubs? Why did he only have one when he was standing over the body?"
"Because someone had stabbed his left shoulder, milord."
"You?"
"No, milord," the sergeant said. "He had both clubs when I was torn away from him. Then another brawler came at the prince's back, felling the soldier
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