When Tiuri heard noises outside the room again, it was late in the day. The door opened and a man came in. It was not a Grey Knight, or one of their squires, but one of the blue-clad castle servants. He was carrying a tray of food, which he placed on the table.
He shook his head as he looked at Tiuri and said, “I’m just going to untie your hands for a moment. Otherwise I’ve just climbed up all those stairs for nothing.”
Undoing the ropes was not easy, but eventually he managed it. Tiuri rubbed his wrists. The blood in his arms and hands could flow properly now, but it hurt. In fact, it was so painful that it brought tears to Tiuri’s eyes. He didn’t want the man to see him crying though, so he hung his head and bit his bottom lip.
The servant had stepped away and was standing by the door. He must have been told to wait until the prisoner had finished eating. After a while, Tiuri felt a little better and could start his meal. It consisted of bread and water, but that was enough for Tiuri, because he was starving. He ate in silence. He’d decided that he wouldn’t say another word or ask any questions, and to bear his captivity with pride and dignity. When Tiuri had finished eating, the servant said, almost apologetically, “I’m going to have to tie you back up again.”
Tiuri didn’t reply, but allowed the servant to tie him to the chair. He noticed that the man had tied the rope far less securely than the knight and his squires had done. As soon as he was alone again, he decided to see if he could free himself. He hoped he might manage to release his hands and he knew that, once his hands were free, the rest would be easy. It seemed to take forever, and involved lots of tugging and twisting. But, finally, he did it! The ropes fell to the floor.
Tiuri sat there for a while, gently shaking his arms and legs. Then he stood up and quietly paced the room until the worst of the stiffness had gone. He looked out of the window. The day was coming to an end. It had stopped raining, but what little he could see out there looked dark and gloomy.
So now Tiuri was untied, but he still wasn’t free. He felt better, though – calmer and more courageous. At least he would be able to read the letter before it got too dark.
But it didn’t seem that he was going to get the chance!
The sound of footsteps and voices on the other side of the door sent Tiuri dashing back to the chair, where he wrapped the ropes back around himself to make it look like he was still tied up.
The lord of Mistrinaut entered the room. He frowned at Tiuri and said, “So they had to tie you up, did they?”
Tiuri maintained an aloof silence and hoped the man would not think to inspect the ropes. He came a little closer, put his hands on his hips, looked intently at Tiuri and then said, “What is your name?”
Tiuri met his gaze, but said nothing.
“As you will. Do not reply!” barked the lord. “It is what I would expect from you!”
Tiuri hesitated before responding. “They never spoke either,” he said finally. “You and those knights have taken me prisoner without even accusing me of anything.”
“I am sure you know why you are here,” said the lord, also after a brief pause. “You had the ring, didn’t you?”
“The ring!” cried Tiuri, his hand moving towards the place where it had been. “What do you know about the ring?”
“To whom did that ring belong?” came the response.
Again, Tiuri hesitated before answering. Could he tell the truth? What does it matter? Tiuri thought. I think he knows the answer anyway. But he still didn’t understand why they kept asking about the ring and not about the letter. And he said, “It belonged to the Black Knight with the White Shield.”
“The Black Knight with the White Shield,” repeated the lord slowly. “So you admit it yourself. In that case, why were you wearing it?”
“Why was I wearing it?”
“Yes. That ring – as you have yourself admitted – belongs to the Black Knight with the White Shield. So why were you wearing it?”
“But the Knight with the White Shield is dead!” cried Tiuri.
The lord studied Tiuri. He seemed to be trying to read his mind.
“Did you know him?” asked Tiuri.
The lord came a step closer and leant over Tiuri. He poked Tiuri’s chest with his finger and said, “You’re right. The Black Knight with the White Shield is dead. And do you know how he met his death?”
“Yes,” said Tiuri.
“He was murdered.”
“Yes,” said Tiuri. “I know.” The lord’s words and behaviour had surprised him; he didn’t know what to think.
“You know. You know?!”
The lord stood up straight, looked at Tiuri one more time, and then turned and strode out of the room.
Tiuri sat there, staring at the door, even after the man was long gone. What had just happened? What had the lord of Mistrinaut meant? He had the peculiar feeling that they had been talking at cross purposes.
And why had he asked about the ring? Was there something special about it? Did they not want him to take the ring to Menaures? Were they keeping him captive so that he couldn’t complete his task? But then it would have been simpler to take the letter from him. Perhaps they thought he already knew what the message was, but then they would have been better off killing him. After all, the Knight with the White Shield had been murdered.
But then Tiuri realized that the lord must have seen that his ropes were loose. He must have noticed! And he hadn’t done anything about it…
Tiuri knelt down to take the letter from beneath the rug. But then he heard a strange sound. A footstep, rustling, shuffling, a soft click. It wasn’t coming from behind the door, or through the window…
Tiuri held his breath. For a moment he thought the tapestry he had spent so long staring at during his captivity had truly come to life! Then he realized that the cloth actually was moving. He leapt to his feet and ran over to take a look. There was a grinding noise, and then the tapestry shook and slid aside. Where it had been hanging, there was now a dark opening in the wall and a young woman stood with her finger on her lips.
Tiuri stared at her in amazement. She was about his own age, and she had long black plaits. He recognized her as one of the ladies who had eaten at the high table the night before.
“Who are you?” he whispered.
“Shh!” she said. “They mustn’t hear me. Wait a moment.” She disappeared into the dark doorway, which Tiuri realized must lead to a secret staircase. He heard another grating sound and he stepped closer and peered into the darkness. She reappeared, this time carrying a large bundle. “Here,” she whispered. “Take this.”
Tiuri did as he was told and laid the bundle on the table. The young woman disappeared again, but returned a moment later, holding in each hand something that gleamed in the evening light: a sword and a dagger. She placed both of the weapons beside the bundle on the table and said, still whispering, “Hide them beneath your habit. Quick, before somebody comes!”
She opened up the bundle. Tiuri saw that there was chainmail inside.
“Why have you brought this for me?” he whispered. “And who are you?”
“I am Lavinia,” she answered. “The lord of this castle is my father. I’m not supposed to know anything about this, but I heard some of the things they were saying. They mean to do you harm.”
“The Grey Knights?”
She nodded. “Yes, the Grey Knights. They’re about to come and fetch you.”
“But why? Who are they?”
“I don’t know, I don’t know! But they are bitterly angry. What did you do to them to make them so furious?”
“Nothing!” said Tiuri. “I don’t know anything about them! I have never met them before! Or not as far as I know, because they have never raised their visors in my presence.”
The young woman looked over her shoulder. “Quick!” she said. “I took these things from my father’s armoury. Perhaps you can use them to protect yourself. Put on the chainmail and arm yourself!”
“Why are you helping me?” asked Tiuri.
“No matter what you’ve done,” she said, “I couldn’t bear the thought of you facing their vengeance with no defence.”
“Their vengeance?”
“Yes, I overheard one of them saying that word. Someone from the castle said they call themselves the Avengers of the Four Winds. But I must go. Father mustn’t find out that I’m here.”
“I am very grateful to you,” said Tiuri.
Lavinia suddenly looked startled. “Listen,” she whispered.
Tiuri heard the same grinding sound again.
“Someone’s coming up the secret staircase,” she said. “It could only be a member of my family. It’s probably Father! We must hide these things!”
She quickly helped Tiuri to conceal the chainmail and the weapons beneath the big table. The sound of footsteps on the secret staircase came closer and closer. Then the lord appeared in the secret doorway.
When he saw his daughter, he frowned and said angrily, “Lavinia! What are you doing here?”
She stared back at her father, with a mixture of fear and defiance on her face.
“Father,” she began, “I…”
He did not let her finish. “Go to your room,” he said sternly. “I shall speak to you later. Go!”
Lavinia promptly did as her father said. Then the lord turned his attention to Tiuri, who had positioned himself in front of the table, hoping to hide what was beneath it. They eyed each other in silence.
“Well,” he said, finally. “I came here to bring you something…” He hesitated, cleared his throat and then said gruffly, “Wait a moment.”
He disappeared through the dark doorway and returned a moment later with a large package, which he placed at Tiuri’s feet. “Inside this bundle,” he said, “you’ll find chainmail, a dagger and a sword. You must put on the chainmail and arm yourself.”
Tiuri stared in astonishment, first at the man and then at the bundle. He certainly hadn’t been expecting this! Then he saw the funny side of the situation. First the man shouted at his daughter and sent her to her room, and then he presented Tiuri with exactly the same items. He could not help but smile. If the lord of Mistrinaut could see what was beneath the table!
“Thank you, my lord,” he said. “But why have you brought me these things?”
He did not answer immediately. Tiuri could see a mixture of emotions chasing across his face. “You are not my prisoner,” he replied finally. “I am not the one to judge you. But you were my guest and, whatever you have done, I want you to be able to defend yourself should that become necessary.”
“Defend myself? Against what?” cried Tiuri.
“Quiet! You’ll find out soon enough,” said the lord. He turned away from Tiuri and looked around the room. Then his gaze fell on what was beneath the table and he looked surprised, but he said nothing.
“How am I to defend myself if I don’t know what I’m defending myself against?” said Tiuri quietly. “How can I clear my name if I don’t know why I have been imprisoned here? Who are these knights you call your friends? Do you believe that I have been unjustly imprisoned?”
“I can answer none of those questions,” said the lord abruptly. “You will be able to ask the Grey Knights soon, when you are summoned to appear before them. I am giving you the chance to defend yourself not only with your words, but also with your deeds.”
He turned to go, but Tiuri took his arm and said, “You do not believe that I have done anything wrong! So I would ask you: give me the chance to escape! You are the master of this castle, so allow me to escape from it.”
The lord pulled his arm away. “Ah, I see you’re a coward!” he said angrily. “You want to run away! Only a man with a guilty conscience would attempt to flee. Do not ask me that again, or I will regret bringing weapons for you.”
“I am no coward,” began Tiuri and then he fell silent. There was no way he could explain that he had a very good reason for wanting to escape.
“Silence!” said the lord, looking at the door. “It is nearly time. I must go.”
And then he left, without saying another word, and the secret door closed silently behind him. Tiuri inspected the door and tried to open it again, but it proved impossible. Finally, he turned away and looked around the room, which was almost in complete darkness.
“It is nearly time,” the lord of Mistrinaut had said.
So it seemed he was about to be called before the mysterious Grey Knights, and the letter would have to remain unread.
What good is it for me to know the message, Tiuri thought, when they are most likely going to kill me? There are four of them and I am alone.
But the thought of the weapons gave him courage. He was not entirely alone. Two people had wanted to help him. He would defend himself to the last. He would convince the lord that he was worthy of his help!
Tiuri quickly removed his habit and chose his armour and his weapon. He took the dagger and the chainmail that Lavinia had given him, but the sword from her father. It was the better weapon, sharp and light. Tiuri was soon ready. He pulled on his habit to conceal what was beneath, and then slid the other chainmail and weapons back underneath the table. He took the letter from beneath the rug and hid it under his shirt again. Then he sat down and waited.
He did not have to wait for long. Footsteps soon sounded outside his prison, and then the key turned in the lock and the door swung open. Two of the squires entered, one with a torch in his hand, the other with a spear. Both men had their visors down. Still in silence, they motioned that Tiuri should go with them.