bl.necroscope2-第11章

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　〃There；　now　he　knows；〃　the　old　man　whispered。　The　film　went　from　his　wide　eyes。
　〃What？〃　Thibor　was　puzzled；　he　felt　troubled。　The　Szgany　were　queer　folk　with　little…understood　powers。　〃What　do　you　mean　when　you　say…〃
　〃And　now　he　will　answer　〃yes〃…or　〃no〃；〃　the　gypsy　cut　him　off。　Even　as　he　finished　speaking　there　came　a　single；　searing　beam　of　light　from　the　high　castle；　which　in　the　next　moment　died　away。
　〃Ah！〃　the　old　gypsy　sighed。　〃And　his　answer　is　〃yes〃；　he　will　see　you。〃
　〃When？〃　Thibor　accepted　the　strangeness　of　it；　fought　down　the　eagerness　in　his　voice。
　〃Now。　We　set　off　at　once。　The　mountains　are　dangerous　at　night；　but　he'll　have　it　no　other　way。　Are　you　still　game？〃
　〃I'll　not　disappoint　him；　now　that　he's　invited　me；〃　said　Thibor。
　〃Very　well。　But　wrap　yourself　well；　Wallach。　It　gets　cold　up　there。〃　The　old　man　fixed　him　with　a　brief；　bright；　penetrating　stare。　〃Aye；　cold　as　death。。。〃
　Thibor　chose　a　pair　of　burly　Wallachs　to　acpany　him。　Most　of　his　men　were　out　of　his　old　homeland；　but　he'd　personally　stood　alongside　these　two　in　his　war　with　the　Pechenegi；　and　he　knew　they　were　fierce　fighters。　He　wanted　real　men　at　his　back　when　he　went　up　against　this　Ferenczy。　And　it　could　well　be　that　he'd　need　them。　Arvos；　the　old　gypsy；　had　said　the　Boyar　had　no　retainers；　who；　then；　had　answered　the　mirror　signal？　No；　Thibor　couldn't　see　a　rich　man　living　up　there　all　alone　with　a　mere　woman　or　two；　fetching　and　carrying　for　himself。　Old　Arvos　lied。
　In　the　event　that　there　was　only　a　handful　of　men　up　in　the　mountains　with　their　master。。。　But　it　was　no　good　speculating；　Thibor　would　have　to　wait　and　see　what　were　the　odds。　If　there　were　many　men；　however；　then　he　would　say　that　he　came　as　an　envoy　of　Vladimir；　to　invite　the　Boyar　to　the　palace　in　Kiev。　It　would　be　in　connection　with　the　war　against　the　Pechenegi。　Either　way；　his　course　was　now　set：　he　had　a　mountain　to　climb；　and　at　the　top　a　man　to　kill；　depending　on　conditions。
　In　those　days　Thibor　had　been　in　a　way　naive；　it　had　not　once　crossed　his　mind　that　the　Vlad　had　sent　him　on　a　suicide　mission；　from　which　he　was　not　expected　to　return　to　Kiev。
　As　for　the　climb：　at　first　the　going　had　been　easy；　and　this　despite　the　fact　that　the　way　was　unmarked。　The　track　（there　was　no　real　track；　merely　a　route　which　the　old　gypsy　knew　by　heart）　climbed　a　saddle　between　foothills　to　the　base　of　an　unscalable　cliff；　then　followed　a　rising　apron　of　sliding　scree　to　a　wide　crevice　or　chimney　in　the　cliff；　which　elevated　steeply　through　a　fissure　on　to　a　false　plateau　beneath　a　second　line　of　even　steeper　hills。　These　hills　were　wild　and　wooded；　their　trees　massive　and　ancient；　but　by　now　Thibor　had　seen　that　indeed　there　was　a　path　of　sorts。　It　was　as　if　some　giant　had　taken　a　scythe　and　cut　a　straight　line　through　the　trees；　their　wood　had　doubtless　provided　much　of　the　village's　timber；　and　perhaps　some　of　it　had　been　hauled　up　into　the　mountains　for　use　in　the　construction　of　the　castle。　That　might　possibly　have　been　hundreds　of　years　ago；　and　yet　no　new　trees　had　grown　up　to　bar　the　way。　Or　if　they　had；　then　someone　had　uprooted　them　to　keep　the　path　free。
　Whichever；　the　climb　along　the　track　through　the　rising　woods　was　fairly　easy　going；　and　as　twilight　grew　towards　night　a　full　moon　rose　to　lend　the　way　its　silvery　light。　Spying　their　breath　for　the　climbing；　the　three　men　and　heir　guide　spoke　not　at　all　and　Thibor　was　able　to　turn　his　mind　to　what　little　he'd　heard　of　the　Boyar　Ferenczy　from　his　foppish　court　contact。
　The　Greeks　fear　him　more　than　Vladimir　does；〃　that　loose…tongue　had　informed。　〃In　Greek…land　they've　long　sought　all　such　out　and　put　them　down。　They　call　such　as　the　Ferenczy　〃vrykolax〃；　which　is　the　same　as　the　Bulgar…ian　〃obour〃　or　〃mouphour〃…or　〃wampir〃！〃
　〃I've　heard　of　the　wampir；〃　Thibor　had　answered。　They　have　the　same　myth；　and　the　same　name　for　it；　in　my　old　country。　A　peasant　supersition。　And　I'll　tell　you　some…thing：　the　men　I've　killed　rot　in　their　graves；　if　indeed　they　have　graves。　They　certainly　don't　bloat　there！　Or　if　they　do　it's　from　rotten　gasses；　not　the　blood　of　the　living！〃
　〃Nevertheless　this　Ferenczy　is　said　to　be　just　such　a　creature；〃　Thibor's　informant　had　insisted。　〃I've　heard　the　Greek　priests　talking：　saying　how　there's　no　room　in　any　Christian　land　for　such　as　that。　In　Greek…land　they　put　stakes　through　their　hearts　and　cut　off　their　heads。　Or　better　still；　they　break　them　up　entirely　and　burn　all　the　pieces。　They　believe　that　even　a　small　part　of　a　wampir　can　grown　whole　again　in　the　body　of　an　unwary　man。　The　thing　is　like　a　leech；　but　on　the　inside！　Hence　the　saying　that　a　wampir　has　two　hearts　and　two　souls…and　that　the　creature　may　not　die　until　both　facets　are　destroyed。〃
　Thibor　had　smiled；　humourlessly；　scornfully。　He'd　thanked　the　man；　saying；　〃Well；　wizard　or　witch　or　whatever；　he's　lived　long　enough。　Vladimir　the　Prince　wants　this　Ferenczy　dead；　and　I've　been　given　the　job。〃
　〃Lived　long　enough！〃　the　other　had　repeated；　throwing　up　his　hands。　〃Aye；　and　you　don't　know　how　true　that　is。　Why；　there's　been　a　Ferenczy　up　in　those　mountains　as　long　as　men　remember。　And　the　legends　have　it　that　it's　the　same　Ferenczy！　Now　you　tell　me；　Wallach；　what　sort　of　man　is　it　who　watches　years　pass　like　hours；　eh？〃
　Thibor　had　laughed　at　that；　too；　but　now；　thinking　back　on　it…several　things　connected；　it　seemed。
　The　〃Moupho〃　in　the　name　of　the　village；　for　instance…which　sounded　a　lot　like　〃mouphour〃；　or　wampir。　〃Village　of　the　Old　Ferenczy　Vampire〃？　And　what　was　it　Arvos　the　Szgany　had　said？　〃The　sun's　no　friend　of　his。　Nor　any　mirror；　for　that　matter！〃　Weren't　vampires　things　of　the　night；　afraid　of　mirrors　because　they　showed　no　reflection；　or　perhaps　a　reflection　more　nearly　the　reality？　Then　the　Wallach　gave　a　snort　of　derision　at　his　own　imaginings。　It　was　this　old　place；　that　was　all；　working　on　his　imagina…tion。　These　centuried　woods　and　ageless　mountains。。。
　At　which　point　his　party　came　out　of　the　trees　and　on　to　the　crest　of　domed　hills　where　the　soil　was　thin　as　a　whisper　and　only　the　lichens　grew；　beyond　which；　in　a　shallow　depression；　a　jumbled　plain　of　stony　rubble　and　brittle　scree　reached　perhaps　half　a　mile　to　the　inky　shadows　of　dark　cliffs。　To　the　north　it　reached　up　high；　that　black　boundary；　forming　horns；　and　to　these　horns　in　the　light　of　the　moon；　old　Arvos　now　pointed　a　crooked　finger。
　There！〃　He　chuckled　as　at　some　joke。　There　broods　the　house　of　the　old　Ferengi。〃
　Thibor　looked…and　sure　enough　he　saw　distant　win…dows　lit　like　eyes　in　the　darkness　under　the　horns。　And　it　was　for　all　the　world　as　if　some　monstrous　bat　squatted　there　in　the　heights；　or　maybe　the　lord　of　all　great　wolves。
　〃Like　eyes　in　a　face　of　stone；〃　growled　one　of　Thibor's　Wallachs；　a　man　all　chest　and　arms；　with　short　stumpy　legs。
　〃And　not　the　only　eyes　watching　us！〃　whispered　the　other；　a　thin；　hunched　man　who　always　went　with　his　head　aggressively　forward。
　〃What's　that　you　say？〃　Thibor　was　at　once　alert；　casting　about　in　the　darkness。　Then　he　saw　the　feral；　triangular　eyes；　like　blobs　of　gold；　seeming　to　hang　suspended　in　the　darkness　at　the　edge　of　the　woods。　Five　pairs　of　eyes：　wolves'eyes；　surely？
　〃Ho！〃　Thibor　shouted。　He　unsheathed　his　sword；　stepped　forward。　〃Away；　dogs　of　the　woods！　We've　nothing　for　you。〃
　The　eyes　blinked　sporadically　in　pairs；　drew　back；　scattered。　Four　lean；　grey　shapes　loped　off；　flowing　under　the　moon　like　liquid；　lost　in　the　jumble　of　boulders　on　the　plain　of　scree。　But　the　fifth　pair　of　eyes　remained；　seemed　to　gain　height；　floated　forward　out　of　the　darkness　without　hesitation。
　A　man　stepped　from　the　shadows；　as　tall　as；　if　not　taller　than；　Thibor　himself。
　Arvos　the　gypsy　staggered；　seemed　about　to　faint。　The　moon　showed　his　face　a　ghastly；　silvery…grey。　The　stranger　reached　out　a　hand　and　gripped　his　shoulder；　stared　deep　into　his　eyes。　And　slowly　the　old　man　straightened　up　and　the　trembling　went　out　of　him。
　In　the　manner　of　the　warrior　born；　Thibor　had　placed　himself　in　striking　distance。　His　sword　was　still　in　his　hand；　but　the　stranger　was　only　one　man。　Thibor's　men…astounded　at　first；　perhaps　even　a　little　afraid…were　on　the