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.Yes, he decided, young Ambrick, son of the count of Keyld, would Bonds of Fear 45be an ideal, quite amusing, little diversion.Meanwhile he wouldlearn everything there was to learn about his highness.The prince was most definitely on his list.On the long term one.The very short one.The one with only one name.Instead of riding directly to the meadow where Marak and hisarchers were lying in wait, he gave it a wide berth and neared itfrom the eastern direction.There was a ridge in the landscape thatmade it impossible for them to see him.He dismounted and startedascending the slope, almost without making any noise, leading hishorse by the reins.Myrmos as was to be expected of a perfectlytrained Cheridonian fourblood, didn t make a sound.A few treesstood together on the top.They provided enough cover for him andhis horse.He had an excellent view of the whole meadow, sincethe weather had held and there were few clouds.It was nearly fullmoon.He noticed, satisfied, that all the men were looking towardsthe south, from where they expected the pigeons to come, and not inhis direction.He settled down for an extended wait.For hours nothing happened, except a false alarm.He had seenan archer stand up, draw his longbow and aim it at the sky. You idiot , he had heard Marak shout, that s an owl.Can t youtell the difference? At about two in the morning one of the men pointed out a birdnearing the field in a descending course from the south.More thana dozen bows aimed at the unsuspecting pigeon, and when it wasright over the field several twangs followed each other in rapidsuccession.The bird was simultaneously struck by three arrows,stopped in mid flight, and fell to the ground like a stone.The archers 46 Andrew Ashlingshouted in triumph.Marak, followed by his men, went to retrieve the bird.He handedover the arrows to their proud owners and congratulated them. What are you going to do now? Anaxantis wondered silently.He strained his eyes when he saw Marak look for the capsule.When he had found it he untied it and put it in his pouch withoutgiving it a second look.He gave his men the order to return to theirbarracks and went to his horse.Anaxantis descended the slope.He had surveyed the surroundingsa few days ago and had discovered a route through the fields thatwas shorter than the main road.Now that everybody had departedhe could use it without being detected.When he arrived at the gate of the castle, he dismounted. Not a word to anyone, he said to the guard.He handed over the reins of his horse to Ambrick, who had comerunning out of the guard house as he saw the prince arrive. You know what to do? Anaxantis asked. Yes, my lord.Arranulf has shown us only this afternoon. Excellent.And not a word to anyone.Understood? Yes, my lord. He went to the war room, lighted some candles and sat down.Some ten minutes later Marak entered with a big smile. We did it, Anaxantis, we did it.Damn, they re fine archers.Itwas easier than I thought it would be and it was exactly like youpredicted.The pigeon was clearly visible in the sky and it wasobviously descending towards its home. Bonds of Fear 47 You re a damn fine teacher, Marak, that s why they re damn finearchers, Anaxantis smiled. Also, we were extremely lucky.Takesome wine if you re thirsty, but first.the capsule? Ah, yes.I almost forgot. He took a small object out of his pouch and handed it over.Thecapsule was wrapped in a piece of parchment which was closed witha tiny seal.It was undisturbed. It s not foolproof, but if you were involved in foul play, you wouldhave managed to miss all three pigeons somehow or you would havetampered with the capsule.As it is, you did none of those things andyou came straight back.Gods in the heavens, I hate this. He unwrapped the capsule, opened it and unfolded a small pieceof parchment.He read it and read it again, then held it in the flameof a candle.Burning, he let it fall in an empty cup, and when it wastotally consumed, he pulverized the ashes with his fingers. Well? Marak asked expectantly. Do we know who the informeris? I had prepared myself for a few possible outcomes, Anaxantissaid pensively. But? But not for this one. 48 Andrew AshlingChapter 2:Living Letter Damn it, Anaxantis, I could swear you d rather talk to that horsethan to me, Hemarchidas grumbled, but he couldn t help laughing.Anaxantis caressed his horse a last time and then turned to hisfriend. All right, I ll talk to you. He smiled. So, who s a pretty boythen, who s a pretty boy and who s going to get a nice, juicy carrot?Satisfied? I could take that in so many ways. Hemarchidas laughed outloud. All of them bad, by the way. They sat down under a tree.Anaxantis tore a flat bread in twoand handed over one half to his companion.Hemarchidas hadalready unpacked cheese and cold cuts
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