"You may leave," Ryan said in a measured voice, "but first, you'll answer my questions."
Gold held little interest for him, but its source did.
"Baron Harris reported a stolen purse of coins. I suggest you explain how a serf came by such wealth."
Eric's face drained of color. Theft from nobility meant the gallows.
"I—I didn't steal them!" he blurted. "A witch gave them to me!"
"Witch."
Ryan's interest sharpened. This was his second encounter with witchcraft since the village of Little Red Riding Hood.
Under threat of death, Eric spilled his tale:
He was a cowardly squire who had fled from battle and stumbled upon a witch. She lured him to a hollow tree with three treasure chambers—one of copper, one of silver, and one of gold—each guarded by a monstrous beast. The witch, he claimed, had slain the beasts and given him the gold. Later, they quarreled. He'd killed her.
Ryan listened, his expression turning sardonic. The story reeked of lies and something familiar.
The Tinderbox.
Andersen's fairy tale, but stripped of its whimsy. Here, greed and blood ruled.
"You expect me to believe you bested a witch and her beasts?" Ryan asked, drawing his sword and bringing its edge to Eric's throat. "Show me these legendary skills."
The boy trembled.
"No! The witch weakened the creatures! I just—I found her wounded after the fight and finished her off. I took the coins. The tree's real, but the beasts still guard it. I'd never go back!"
There it is: the truth. Ryan's lips curled. This wretch had murdered a defenseless woman for gold—exactly as the fable warned.
"Hand over the tinderbox," Ryan demanded.
Eric's eyes darted. "I don't have—"
Steel flashed.
A wet gurgle. Eric collapsed, clutching his open throat.
Patrons screamed and scattered like startled birds. Ryan rifled through the corpse and retrieved two items.
A battered tinderbox, its surface etched with runes. A leather-bound tome, its pages thick with arcane scrawl.
He gazed down at Eric's twitching form.
"You were given a chance."
Fools who clung to greed deserved their fate.
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