The Ransom Knight Read Online Free Page B

spirit warriors, part of his attention focused upon Atalia. The woman did nothing suspicious, but he felt her tense as they reached the hillside. He suspected that she was not looking forward to seeing Trocend Castleson, and she pulled her arm away as they reached the hilltop. 
    Mulger and Tollard stood on guard, Trocend pacing back and forth behind them. Gerald watched Mazael with an exasperated expression on his face, and Mazael realized that the boy had seen him with Atalia on his arm. No doubt Gerald would later make his usual speech about how a pious knight lay only with his wife. Trocend stopped his pacing and stared at Atalia, and she folded her arms and stared right back. 
    “Well,” said Mazael, “it seems like you know each other already, so introductions are unnecessary, but I shall make them anyway. This is Atalia, and it seems Sir Traeger has appointed her to serve as his emissary.”
    “I should have known,” said Trocend, shaking his head. “I thought you might be behind this, and I was right.” 
    Atalia scoffed. “Suspicious and fearful as ever, old man. And, as ever, ready to blame me for the slightest thing that happens to go wrong.”
    “You…know her, Brother Trocend?” said Gerald. 
    “She is a thief from Knightport,” said Trocend, his disdain clear, “the daughter of a whore, and much trouble would have been averted had she gone into that profession herself. Instead she exhibited magical ability, and went to train at the wizards’ college in Alborg. The Brotherhood expelled her for various misdeeds, and she came to study under me, since I thought she might make a useful tool for Lord Malden’s service. Instead she proved unmanageable, and…”
    “Unmanageable?” snapped Atalia. “I followed your every command, old man. It is not my fault we botched the business with Lord Randerly’s heir. I followed your plan!”
    “You were supposed to be thinking on your feet,” said Trocend. “Had you adapted to the new developments, we…”
    “Which, I should point out, is what I am doing here,” said Atalia, her dark eyes flashing with rage. “But you are too blind to see it.”
    “Indeed?” said Trocend. “One of Lord Malden’s knights is taken prisoner, phantoms wander through the Stormvales, and you expect me to believe that you are not at fault? I…”
    Both Trocend and Atalia kept shouting. Mazael watched them for a moment, and suddenly his remaining patience evaporated.
    “Shut up!” he roared at the top of his lungs. 
    Both Trocend and Atalia gaped at him.
    “I don’t give a damn for how much you hate each other,” said Mazael, “and if you want to gripe at each other, I don’t give a damn about that either. Once we have Sir Edmund, you can argue to your heart’s content.” He pointed at Atalia. “Tell me what is going on here, now.”
    “This is ridiculous,” said Trocend. “She is likely the cause of it all. I…”
    “Shut up,” said Mazael. He pointed at Atalia again. “You. Answers. Now.” 
    Something almost like gratitude flickered over Atalia’s face. “It’s is not my fault. I admit I came to Castle Highstone looking for magic, yes. I thought it was still abandoned. I had not expected that thug Traeger to have…”
    Suddenly a cold wind sprang up, and a wall of gray mist rolled out of the forest.
    “Sir Mazael!” said Tollard. “It’s happening again!”
    “Defend yourselves!” said Mazael, yanking his sword from its scabbard. Tollard, Mulger, and Gerald drew their weapons, while Trocend and Atalia lifted their hands, blue sparks blazing around their fingers. 
    Dozens of figures appeared in the mists, armored warriors and mailed swordsmen. This time Mazael saw strange creatures among the warriors, wolves with manes of barbed tentacles, lions with the wings of bats and the tails of scorpions, and other, more grotesque things.
    “Focus upon the warriors!” shouted Trocend. “I shall deal with the more powerful creatures.”
    He thrust