The Ruby Knight by David Eddings Page B

adult. Besides, it has to be on the ground to follow the scent of the one it’s trying to catch. Normally, it travels on horseback, and since the horse is controlled in the same way people are, the Seeker simply rides the horse to death and then finds another. It can cover a great deal of ground that way.’
    â€˜What does it eat?’ Kurik asked. ‘Maybe we can set a trap for it.’
    â€˜It feeds primarily on humans,’ she told him.
    â€˜That would make baiting a trap a little difficult,’ he admitted.
    They all went to bed directly after supper, but it seemed to Sparhawk that his head had no sooner touched the pillow than Kurik was shaking him awake.
    â€˜It’s about midnight,’ the squire said.
    â€˜All right,’ Sparhawk said wearily, sitting up in bed.
    â€˜I’ll wake the others,’ Kurik said, ‘and then Berit and I’ll go saddle the horses.’
    After he had dressed, Sparhawk went downstairs to have a word with the sleepy innkeeper. ‘Tell me, neighbour,’ he said, ‘is there by any chance a monastery hereabouts?’
    The innkeeper scratched his head. ‘I think there’s one near the village of Verine,’ he replied. ‘That’s about five leagues east of here.’
    â€˜Thanks, neighbour,’ Sparhawk said. He looked around. ‘You’ve got a nice, comfortable inn here,’ he said, ‘and your wife keeps clean beds and sets a very fine table. I’ll mention your place to my friends.’
    â€˜Why, that’s very kind of you, Sir Knight.’
    Sparhawk nodded to him and went outside to join the others.
    â€˜What’s the plan?’ Kalten asked.
    â€˜The innkeeper thinks there’s a monastery near a village about five leagues away. We should reach it by morning. I want to get word of all this to Dolmant in Chyrellos.’
    â€˜I could take the message to him for you, Sir Sparhawk,’ Berit offered eagerly.
    Sparhawk shook his head. ‘The Seeker probably has your scent by now, Berit. I don’t want you getting ambushed on the road to Chyrellos. Let’s send some anonymous monk instead. That monastery’s on our way anyhow, so we won’t be losing any time. Let’s mount up.’
    The moon was full and the night sky was clear as they rode away from the inn. ‘That way,’ Kurik said, pointing.
    â€˜How do you know that?’ Talen asked him.
    â€˜The stars,’ Kurik replied.
    â€˜Do you mean you can actually tell direction by the stars?’ Talen sounded impressed.
    â€˜Of course you can. Sailors have been doing that for thousands of years.’
    â€˜I didn’t know that.’
    â€˜You should have stayed in school.’
    â€˜I don’t plan to be a sailor, Kurik. Stealing fish sounds a little too much like work to me.’
    They rode on through the moon-drenched night, moving almost due east. By morning they had gone perhaps five leagues, and Sparhawk rode to a hilltop tolook around. ‘There’s a village just ahead,’ he told the others when he returned. ‘Let’s hope it’s the one we’re looking for.’
    The village lay in a shallow valley. It was a small place, perhaps a dozen stone houses with a church at one end of its single cobbled street and a tavern at the other. A large, walled building stood atop a hill just outside the town. ‘Excuse me, neighbour,’ Sparhawk asked a passer-by as they clattered into town. ‘Is this Verine?’
    â€˜It is.’
    â€˜And is that the monastery up on that hill there?’
    â€˜It is,’ the man replied again, his voice a bit sullen.
    â€˜Is there some problem?’
    â€˜The monks up there own all the land hereabouts,’ the fellow replied. ‘Their rents are cruel.’
    â€˜Isn’t that always the way? All landlords are greedy.’
    â€˜The monks insist on tithes as well as the rent. That’s going a bit far,