Chapter 10 Mistrust
Gerent met N’zar as he entered the main hall and, without thinking, asked him if he thought there was anything wrong with M’zera. N’zar was instantly on the defensive.
‘What dost thou mean? What could be wrong with my sister? Do not interfere in my family concerns! M’zera is none of thy business!’ He snapped.
‘But don’t you think that the way she treats Cam and Sancret is odd? I cannot see how someone who cared about anyone as she used to for Cam could so suddenly switch preference. I mean she is all over Sancret and he-’ Gerent was hurtled backwards by a stinging blow as N’zar struck him fiercely across the cheek with the back of his hand. He lay on the stone floor as N’zar stood menacingly over him.
‘Do not refer to my sister like that again! If thou were really a knight and not just a boy, I would challenge you here and now. I thought we were friends and I had come to trust thee. But now you doubt my family honour and besmirch the name of my sister for all to hear! These words are not the words of a friend. Mention my sister in this way again and I shalt not hesitate to use arms against thee!’ N’zar, his face as black as a thundercloud with rage, turned on his heel and marched off. Gerent rubbed his bruised chin and got off the floor, as he did so from the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of M’zera disappearing through an entranceway. Gerent sighed, she must have seen or overheard the encounter.
He swore under his breath and cursed himself for speaking to N’zar before he had thought what reaction he might get and now M’zera knew as well. Gerent sighed, now he had both N’zar and Sancret angry with him. Gerent wondered if he could be wrong, but then he thought about the missing Meendhu and knew that he was right. Tired with riding and searching all day and now fatigued mentally Gerent trudged, shoulders down and head drooping, up the stairs to his room. He felt he needed to rest to be able to think what he should do to resolve the situation. Something that would not involve upsetting everyone and prove M’zera was treacherous without getting himself hurt in the process. He threw himself down on the bed fully clothed and was soon asleep.
It had gone dark when he was woken by the sound of tapping at his door, groggy from sleep he got up and went to open it. He was astonished to see M’zera standing outside his door with a candle stick in her hand. By its light he could see that her black hair was dishevelled and her eyes wide and wild looking. She seemed scared to see him as she stepped back as he opened the door.
‘Oh,’ she said, ‘S- sorry, I have the wrong door, I wanted N’zar.’ She glanced around as if she feared to find something following her in the corridor. ‘Please Hugh, I know you dislike me, but I beg to please help me.’ Again she looked down the corridor as if afraid of something.
‘What is it?’ Gerent asked, he felt his heart melt towards her as she stood there in her thin long white nightgown looking small, helpless and frightened.
‘There’s something in my room, I don’t know what, a, a ghost or spook or something, please I can’t go back in there alone!’ Her eyes were wide with a look of panic. Gerent thought it would probably be a Brownie cleaning but he decided to go with her to calm her down. When they reached her room, he opened the door and she pointed to the far corner.
‘It was over there,’ she said and in a timid manner followed him in as he went to look. He looked under the chair and heavy coverings that draped from the bed.
‘Nothing here now,’ he said straightening up and as he did so he received a agonising gouge to his left cheek from M’zera’s long fingernails. He stumbled back and cried out in pain and shock. Putting his hand up to his cheek he could feel blood trickling down it. Then he realised he could hear the sound of ripping fabric and saw that M’zera was ripping her own nightdress. Gerent grabbed M’zera by the wrists to prevent her from ripping the garment further or from attacking him further. She struggled hard and screamed, the loudest scream he had ever heard. Abruptly she stopped struggling and collapsed backwards.Still holding her wrists Gerent fell forward on top of her, pushing her down onto the bed. At that moment, the door was flung open. N’zar and Cam burst in holding up lanterns.
‘Leave her alone!’ shouted N’zar, leaping across the room and grabbing Gerent by the shoulder tossed him aside like a rag doll. Cam ran and put a foot on his chest to hold him down as Gerent lay where he had come to rest, against the wall. It was only then that Gerent realised what M’zera had done, that she had tricked him and he had been stupid enough to fall for it. His cheek stung and he was dizzy from the throw but he tried to protest.
‘I didn’t do anything!’
‘What is going on here?’ an anxious sounding Sancret demanded as he entered the room. In an instant M’zera had run to him and was resting her head on his chest, sobbing. Gerent could now see that the neck of her dress was torn and she was trying to hold the torn pieces together as she clung in a helpless manner to Sancret, who was stroking her hair.
‘Hugh attacked me,’ she sobbed, ‘I was here in my room and he just burst in and attacked me! I was so frightened!’
Gerent sagged as he saw a look of thunderous rage come down on the Warlock’s face, he held the girl tighter to him and glared down at Gerent.
‘Umberstan!’ Sancret bellowed and the Brownie appeared at once bowing and looking around, frightened and apprehensive. ‘Place him,’ he almost spat out the word ‘him’ as he pointed at Gerent, ‘in the cell, now!’ he shouted and the Brownie jumped. Umberstan gazed at Gerent with a look of bewilderment and then took his hand. In the next second Gerent found he was back in the dark damp cell that he had been in once before. Umberstan let go his hand and clapped, immediately a soft glowing light appeared above Gerent, which illuminated the pitch-black cell.