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Back to the previous chapter: Portents
Second Draft
Armagh was still a distance away when the travelers reached the top of a long ridge that cut across the Via Avillonia from Saltcliffs. A shallow valley, mostly forested, was immediately ahead of them along the road. Beyond the valley was the prominent hill, still three miles away, upon which the Ithell Manor House was situated. The low wall surrounding the house and its grounds gave the impression of a modest castle at this distance.
Beyond the manor house, past the greens that served as festival grounds, was the town of Armagh proper. The River Llwelyn was abutted to the far side of the town, just over four miles away. Armagh was a far less cheerful place this time. The colorful merchants' tents were gone, and the sky above the town was overcast, creating a dismal pallor that seemed to be reflected in the rooftops of the town.
Eric stopped on the rise and surveyed the town.
Bilbus stopped his horse next to Eric's. He glanced over at the Azirian, studying Eric's steady gaze. "Eric? Are we going to stay at your father's place again?"
Eric turned his gaze towards Bilbus. "That depends. Are you going to steal anything?"
Bilbus shrugged nonchalantly. "I wasn't planning on it."
"Why does that not convince me? Is this discussion necessary every time we stay in Armagh?"
"You tell me, Eric. It seems to me you brought up this subject the last time we were here, too."
Eric rolled his eyes skyward. "Just promise me that you will not steal a thing."
"I won't steal anything, Eric."
"And you will not take anything."
"I won't take anything, either."
"And you will not borrow without permission?"
"Whose permission would I need?"
"For the love of the gods, Bilbus!"
"Well, I could always ask myself for permission, right?"
"Bilbus! Be on your best behavior."
"Let's see. I am a thief. So, when I am at my best, I am taking something and getting away. That is the behavior of a thief. So, I will be at my best behavior." Bilbus grinned evilly at the explorer.
Eric threw his arms up in disgust. "Honestly, Bilbus! I can not believe you. Just do not take anything, steal anything, borrow anything, touch anything, or even look at anything in my parents' house. Understood?"
Bilbus looked at Eric with a deadpan expression. "If I have someone else carry it out for me, is that okay?"
Eric threw his hands skyward, looking to the heavens for some form of divine intervention. No lightning bolts or thunder greeted his prayer, so he kicked his horse's sides, making it jump to a canter.
Bilbus watched the Azirian race down the stone road towards the sparse forest in the valley. He glanced to his side when another horse stopped next to his.
Adria looked at him, an inscrutable expression on her face. Bilbus had pointedly avoided talking to her during the two days of the ride from Saltcliffs. After the outburst in her room, Adria had seemed quieter and less willing to talk to anyone.
Bilbus decided to risk speaking to the noble woman. "He's too easy."
Adria nodded, trying to hide a grin, before she charged down the hill on her own horse. Bilbus clucked a few times, and Acquisition 2 started trotting down the road, dancing slightly as it tried unsuccessfully to convince Bilbus to let it chase the other two horses.
When Bilbus caught up with the other two riders, they were on the edge of town. They had passed by the manor house entirely. The rest of the party had followed Bilbus at a trot instead of racing into town.
The thief slowed his horse back to a walk next to Eric's horse. Adria rode ahead, head down in a book as she rode, reins loose on the horse's back. The book balanced on one arm as her free hand searched one of her belt pouches.
Bilbus looked at her in disbelief. "How do you keep control of your horse like that, Adria? The reins are loose, for the gods' sake!"
She looked up from her book with an amused expression. "Some people trust their horses. And some horses trust their people." She looked back at Kasey, several paces behind the two. "Isn't that right, Kasey?"
Kasey shook his head briefly. "I don't trust Farran. I know him fairly well, and we have an understanding of each other, and maybe respect, I think. Even I know better then to trust him. Except in combat. We have to trust each other in a fight, or we would not survive."
Farran snorted, nodding his head briskly.
Kasey stopped Farran. "I'll catch up in a while. I need to stop at the church and get these wounds healed. I'll see you at the Ithells'?"
Eric turned to nod at Kasey. "We'll be there shortly."
The Church Knight reined Farran down a side street towards the church.
As Adria watched the knight leave, she noticed a sign hanging over a nearby shop. Although the sign was heavily weathered, she could still see a mortar and pestle, blue gray on a white background, that indicated an apothecary's shop. Dried herbs hung in the window, and a sign next to the open door read "Herbs and Mixes". Adria stopped her horse.
"Hold up," she said as she dismounted. "I need to get some herbs."
Bilbus slid smoothly from his saddle and tossed his reins to Eric. "Hold our horses."
Eric caught the reins, his eyes rolling as he did so. He noticed Adria holding her reins, so he jumped off his horse and took them from her.
"Thank you, Eric," she said. She walked towards the doorway, unfolding a sheet of paper that had a list on it.
Bilbus tried to read the list. Adria quickly folded the sheet, keeping the mountebank from the writing.
"What do you have there, Adria?" the thief asked suspiciously.
Innocently, Adria replied, "A shopping list."
She walked into the apothecary's shop. The heady aromas of the various herbs and spices in the shop washed over her. Just inside the door, she stopped to look around.
Jars and boxes littered the tables in the cozy shop, with hand-scrawled signs above them identifying salves and mixtures available for sale. Sprigs of herbs hung from twine about the walls of the show, with more dried plants in small boxes on the tables. Mushrooms grew in several covered boxes in the back of the shop, next to the sales counter.
A man stood on the near side of the sales counter, wearing slightly baggy silk trousers and a flaring jacket, mimicking the latest fashion styles of the lower nobility of Londoun. He leaned across the counter, oblivious of the two new people in the shop, as he made fawning noises at the young woman behind the counter.
The foppish noble addressed the woman. "Come along, Breanna. Everyone knows you're leaving to finish your studies. I'm just asking you to stay the night with me."
Breanna was hunched over a small keg, mixing a foul-smelling concoction. She set the mixing spoon on the counter and turned to the noble. Her eyes flicked to Bilbus, who was frozen, staring at her like a rabbit facing a venomous snake. One hand was reaching for a sprig hanging nearby, while the other was just stuffing some dried leaves into the front of his shirt.
Breanna looked back at the man standing at the counter. "No, Dieul. I will not stay with you."
Breanna was a little taller than average for Kelltic women, just a shade shorter than Dieul. She had auburn hair that tended more towards red than brown. The grace and poise of her movement betrayed her station -- she was a noble, despite working in an apothecary's shop. Bilbus pulled his eyes from her and continued picking out additional herbs he needed for mixing healing poultices.
Dieul leaned closer to Breanna, an imploring expression on his face.
"Dieul, no," Breanna said flatly.
"Not even a kiss, m'Lady?" he smiled wolfishly at her.
Breanna sighed quietly. "Very well. A kiss."
"And then you'll stay the night with me?"
Levelly, Breanna replied, "A kiss. No more."
Dieul leaned farther across the counter, shutting his eyes and puckering his lips. Bilbus grinned to himself when he saw Breanna ball a fist. She punched Dieul squarely across the jaw. Bilbus chuckled to himself. He asked for it. Never shut your eyes.
Dieul slammed his fists on the counter. "You promised a kiss!"
"In some lands, m'Lord, that is considered a kiss."
Bilbus chuckled to himself. "And a prelude for other things," he added quietly.
Cursing loudly to himself, Dieul turned and stomped towards the front door of the shop. He shot a damning glare at Adria, who stood coolly in her riding dress. Dieul growled invectives about women as he passed her.
As soon as Dieul slammed the door shut, Breanna addressed Adria. "Good day, Lady. May I help you find anything?"
"Why, yes. This is a list of herbs and roots I need," Adria waved her shopping list as Bilbus groaned.
"May I see the list? Ahhhh. Why, yes. I think I have most of these."
The two women started digging through small boxes and bags, pulling various dried plants and other ingredients from them. Bilbus could hear them chuckling from time to time about side effects of various mixtures and plants. Bilbus found the last of the ingredients he needed for his poultices at the back of the shop. He stopped to admire the equally lovely women standing side by side near him, one's golden blonde hair complementing the other's reddish-brunette. They both took notice of him at the same time, and he shuddered at the nearly identical glares.
After several minutes, Bilbus walked back to the counter, holding a single clove of garlic. "How much for this?"
Breanna looked at Bilbus for several seconds. "Two Crowns."
"For a single clove of garlic?!?"
"You were paying for everything else you stuffed into your shirt, right?"
"Oh, well, that. Yes. Very well." Bilbus realized why he recognized the young woman -- Eric had been staring at her when the party had gone into town for dinner during the Beltane Festival. Unable to resist the urge for mischief, Bilbus ventured, "We're having dinner at Ithell's manor tonight. Are you available?"
Breanna cooled immediately. "Well, I..." She stopped and looked at Bilbus again. "You know the Ithells?"
Bilbus straightened, tugging on the front of his leather tunic. His voice immediately shifted to his normal, cocky tones. "Eric Ithell has been traveling in my company."
"He's here? I haven't seen him in years."
"Why, yes. He's holding our horses. I'll send him in," Bilbus turned sweepingly and strode to the door, chuckling quietly to himself.
Outside, he pulled a dried plum from his shirt. The horses' reins had been tied to posts, and Eric was leaning against a taller post, arms crossed as he stared down the road towards the River Llwelyn. The Azirian looked over his shoulder as Bilbus approached.
Bilbus tossed the plum at Eric. "Eric? I don't think I need this. Would you mind taking it back in for me?"
Eric started to pitch the plum back at Bilbus. "Take it back yourself."
"Just go in there. I invited the shopkeeper to dinner at your place. Go take a look at her. Wait, I guess you already did look at her last time we were in town. By the way, she was excited to know you were here."
Kasey stepped into the cool outer atrium of the Kelltic Church in Armagh. Tucked under his right arm was a heavy cloth-wrapped bundle.
The Church Knight stopped to look at the prayer labyrinth on the smooth, polished stone floor. The wooden inlay created a pathway that spiraled towards the center of the atrium, where a low platform two paces in diameter rested on the floor. Three small wooden vases stood on the edge platform, arranged symmetrically around the edge. Each vase held dried wheat stalks, signifying Bres, the northern Kelltic god of agriculture, as the principle deity worshipped in this church.
The prayer labyrinth was a common feature of the Kelltic churches. Worshippers who felt a need for favor from a god or goddess would walk along the labyrinth pattern while praying. After following the path which circled around the central platform, they would meditate for a while on the inner platform.
Kasey circled around the edge of the atrium, mindful of the prayer labyrinth. He had always felt it disrespectful to cross a labyrinth, even one that was not in use.
Beyond the atrium was the main temple. Kasey scanned around the room, searching for the priest or priestess who worked in the church. Sitting in one of the pews in front of the altar was the priestess who had healed Kasey last time he had visited the church. As the echoes from Kasey's hard-soled boots echoed through the temple, the Mother looked up from her meditations. She turned to look over her shoulder at the approaching knight, her eyes lingering sadly on the fresh bandaging wrapped around Kasey's shoulder.
Kasey blushed when he saw her expression, but his attention immediately shifted when he spotted the priest walking along the side of the temple. The Church Knight bowed slightly towards the priestess, then he intercepted the priest.
Taking the priest aside into a small meditation vestibule, Kasey unwrapped the bundle he had carried into the church. "Father," Kasey said, "I wish to donate this to the church, and I ask for a blessing and healing. I would have given this donation to the Mother, but I did not wish to upset her."
In the bundle was a solid gold skull.
"This is an interesting work, Sir Knight." The priest looked up at Kasey. "Where did you find it?"
"It was in an abandoned house of an old alchemist. You could melt it down and make a few more appropriate works with the gold." Kasey offered the skull to the priest. "Be careful. It is heavy."
"Thank you, son." The priest took the gold skull. "I will place this in the Vaults. The Mother will heal you."
"Thank you, Father." Kasey backed away several paces, then went to the priestess.
Kasey kneeled in front of her, his left hand on his sword's grip to tip it forward so the scabbard would not scrape the altar.
The priestess regarded Kasey. "Son, you return wounded again. I wonder about your chosen profession."
Still kneeling, Kasey replied, "Mother, the Shield of the Church stands ready. I would rather I take the wound then let you."
The priestess once again placed her hands on Kasey's head. She uttered a quiet blessing before petitioning Bres to grant her the Heka to mend Kasey's wounds. The magickal flows coursed through her hands into the Church Knight, pulling the cut together and repairing the damaged flesh. Kasey fought the urge to shudder at the marrow-chilling cold as the Heka knitted his injuries. When the priestess released her grip on him, Kasey slumped for a moment.
The Church Knight stood and bowed. "I thank you, Mother."
"Mother Sativola. As often as you visit, Child, you may as well know my name."
"I thank you, Mother Sativola. I am Kasey."
"You are welcome, Sir Kasey."
Invigorated, and no longer sore, Kasey jogged from the temple. He climbed onto the saddle on Farran's back and trotted the warhorse along the road, looking for his companions.
He found the apothecary's shop just as Adria was climbing onto her horse. Eric and Bilbus were both waiting for her, already on their own horses. Rishala and Sturm were both waiting in their own saddles, as well. A young woman with reddish hair was just locking the front door of the shop, talking excitedly to herself about needing to rush home and change.
Adria was talking to the woman. "You still have a while until dinner, Breanna. It's barely afternoon now. I was going to do a little more shopping before I worry about changing for dinner."
Too loudly, Bilbus muttered, "As long as you take to dress, Adria, you'd best start now. You're slower than Farran in a parade."
Adria turned to face the thief, her glare daggers.
Farran nudged closer to Acquisition 2, snorting and bobbing his head. Kasey shifted his weight forward on the warhorse and tightened the grip on his reins as he felt the powerful horse tense. "Farran..." the knight said in warning.
Bilbus was not paying close attention to his horse. He did not feel the horse tense. When it suddenly leaped into motion, the mountebank rolled backwards across the haunches of his horse, falling off the back of Acquisition 2 as he shouted in surprise. He landed resoundingly on his back, staring at the blue sky overhead for several seconds while he tried to decide if he was injured. When he sat upright, he saw his horse disappear around a corner several blocks away. Farran and Kasey were virtually on the fast horse's heels.
Bilbus rubbed a tender spot on the back of his head. "What got into that stupid horse?"
Adria snorted. "We're going to get changed for dinner. Catch up when you can, Bilbus."
Bilbus sat in the road, ignoring the aches, for several minutes after the rest of the party left. Kasey returned a few moments later, still on Farran. The Church Knight had Acquisition 2's reins, which he used to lead the race horse while trying to keep the two separated. Farran's ears flicked back every now and again to lay against his head as he looked over at Bilbus's horse.
Kasey stopped Farran next to the thief. "Sorry, Bilbus. I guess Farran wanted to run off a little energy." He studied the thief, who was still sitting on the ground. "Are you okay?"
Bilbus stood up. "I'm fine." Kasey held Acquisition 2's reins out to the thief. Bilbus grabbed them and tossed them over his horse's head, then climbed into the saddle. He leaned forward, closer to Acquisition's head. "What got into you? You can't just take off running like that and spilling me on the ground. We're a team, remember?"
Kasey had already started riding towards the Ithell manor house, so Bilbus trotted after him.
Janus and Meko Ithell escorted their guests into the formal dining room. The room had been decorated in the Azirian style found in Karasimi, with dark wood columns that contrasted with white walls. The wooden planks of the floor were a lighter wood in an intricate inlay pattern that was smooth from layers of lacquer. In the center of the room was a long, low table surrounded by cushions.
Lord Janus Ithell wore a fine tunic and trousers, although he also wore soft-soled Azirian slippers that offset the look of a proper Kingdom noble. Lady Meko Ithell wore an elaborate and colorful silk dress in the fashion of her native Karasimi. It was more like a robe than a traditional Kelltic dress. Exotic flowers and colorful birds decorated her dress, providing a tantalizing glimpse of some of the natural wonders of the distant island-kingdom of Karasimi. Her feet were bare. The travelers were asked to remove shoes before setting foot on the intricate lacquered floor of the dining room.
The hosts took seats on the pillows at either end of the table. The adventurers arranged themselves on the pillow seats on the two long sides of the table. Kasey looked distressed as he tried to make sense of the seating arrangements -- the only times he sat on the ground while eating were while he was in the field. At last, he chose a cushion near Meko, across from Eric. Instead of folding his legs under the table, however, he sat with his knees jutting above the edge of it.
Servants brought the first course of the meal into the dining room. They placed several bowls of vegetables with deep-fried meats on the table along the center of the table. Janus and Meko each grabbed a pair of wooden sticks, about a foot long, holding them in one hand. Using this pair of sticks, both picked food from the serving bowls. Eric likewise used the sticks to eat. Other members of the party fumbled with the sticks, watching their hosts and trying to mimic their motions. Bilbus watched the others trying to use the sticks, then drew his dagger and stabbed some food in the nearest bowl with the blade of the weapon. Kasey, likewise unwilling to try to make sense of the odd eating tools, grabbed a single stick and used it to skewer some food, creating an impromptu shish kabob.
Eric watched the knight across from him for a moment, then looked at the thief next to him, before leaning forward to look at his father at the far end of the table. "Father? There was a fortune teller at the Beltane Festival. Do you know where she may be found? Does she live in Armagh?"
Janus stopped eating. He absently scratched at his temple with one end of his chopsticks. "Ahh. I think I know the one you mean. An old woman with a bright colored blouse and a wide skirt?"
Eric nodded. "That's the one."
"Yes. She left with a caravan of Tinkers who were in town for the festival. I think they crossed the river, heading for somewhere east, the day after you left town. That was, what, nine or ten days ago?"
Bilbus stopped chewing on the chunk of meat on the tip of his dagger. "Do you think we can catch them?"
Eric looked thoughtfully. "We might. Even with the slow wagons they have, it would take a good part of a week to catch them. Assuming we didn't lose their trail."
Sitting on the opposite side of Bilbus, Breanna chuckled.
Bilbus turned to her. "What?"
She pointed at the dagger Bilbus held, with its chunk of meat. "Are you even going to try using the sticks?"
"Sticks aren't for eating! I can use this trusty dagger to eat a lot more readily..." He looked at the exquisite necklace Breanna wore. The light, pale blue stone on the necklace flickered in the dim lights of the room. Auroral reds and blues filled the stone, dancing across the interior of it like a miniature aurora borealis.
Breanna noticed with dismay that the thief was staring at her chest. She coughed politely. "Bilbus, I'm up here." She put a finger under his chin and lifted it until his eyes met hers.
"M'Lady," Bilbus said, immediately polite. "That is an exquisite necklace. May I inspect it more closely?"
"You may not, sirrah," Breanna said immediately. "It was my mother's. I would hate for it to disappear into your shirt."
"I wouldn't... I mean, well I could, but I won't..." His voice trailed off as he again watched the miniature light show. That has to be an asylphar!
The asylphar was one of the elemental gems. These extremely rare and highly prized gems were composed of pure elemental materials -- the asylphar was elemental air -- created under unusual circumstances in very remote locations. The asylphar appeared to be a pale blue stone under normal lighting, but it took additional characteristics in the dark. The auroral light show was the characteristic of the asylphar, and the other three elemental gems had similar effects in low light. That Breanna was wearing one implied the wealth of her family -- that gem alone could buy a comfortable country home with a lot of land, or even a respectable urban mansion.
Where on Oerth did she get that gem? Bilbus once again let his eyes linger on the glittering asylphar.
"Bilbus, try using the sticks," Breanna said firmly.
Bilbus set his dagger next to his plate, then grabbed the chopsticks. He fumbled with them for a minute, trying to hold both of them with one hand. He quickly tired of the fruitless effort and chose to resort to Kasey's technique, stabbing the meat and vegetables with one stick in each hand.
Servants brought another course to the table. There were platters of uncooked fish and beef. Bilbus tentatively skewered one of the cubes of fish and held it under his nose. Next to him, Eric ate one of the chunks of fish raw.
"You know," Bilbus said in a loud whisper, "it tastes better cooked."
Bilbus shook his head and looked across the table at Kasey, whose knees still projected above the table. Kasey had resorted to holding his plate with one hand just below his chin as he carefully stabbed at bits of food with one of the sticks, just as he would do in the field. He looked uncomfortable, and he would furtively glance at his hosts at either end of the table to see if he was offending anyone. Neither Janus nor Meko seemed to mind.
Servants carried small pans out of the kitchen. Each pan had a hotly-burning fire in a cradle/stand assembly. Bilbus watched Meko take several strips of beef from one of the platters and drop them into one of the pans. She added some spices and herbs to the mix, then poured a generous helping of sauce into the pan.
As the mixture in the pan sizzled, Meko took an egg from a bowl, chipped it, and emptied it into a small bowl next to her plate. She stirred the egg, beating it to a smooth yellow consistency. When the meat was browned, she grabbed a strip of it and dipped it into the egg, swirling it about. She ate the beef, then nodded towards Bilbus.
Bilbus snorted to himself, then used his dagger to spear some strips of beef. He dropped the beef into the now-empty cooking pan, then fished through one of his belt pouches. He unfolded a small paper envelope, then dumped the seasonings in the envelope onto the sizzling beef. The mountebank then grabbed the various small bowls of herbs surrounding the cooking pan. He sniffed and sampled each of them, adding some of the herbs to the pan. He stirred the beef around the pan using his chopsticks.
When he was satisfied with the browned meat, Bilbus stabbed a slice with his dagger. He glanced up at Kasey, sitting across from him. "Kasey!"
Kasey had been watching Bilbus's cooking with interest. He picked up his empty plate and held it towards Bilbus. Bilbus flipped his dagger, dropping the strip of beef neatly onto the Church Knight's plate.
The thief then looked towards Adria. "Adria!" he called out.
The noble woman just stared at Bilbus, her arms crossed. Bilbus flipped the strip of beef towards her. It missed her by inches, but she did not flinch. The meat landed on the wooden floor behind her.
"Bilbus, you stupid kuso-head!" She covered her mouth in surprise as soon as she realized what she had said.
Meko Ithell archer her delicate eyebrows, looking first at Adria, then at Eric. Eric turned several shades of red.
"Sorry," Adria said meekly.
Still on a roll, Bilbus speared another piece of meat. "Eric!" he called out as he flipped the dagger towards his friend. Using his chopsticks, Eric caught the beef almost as soon as it cleared Bilbus's dagger.
Bilbus stabbed the next chunk of beef. He glanced towards Sturm. "Sturm! Think quick!" He flicked the dagger towards the Sun Knight.
The meat arced high over the table, landing solidly on Sturm's forehead with a wet "splat". It slid slowly down his forehead to partially cover his eyes. Sturm peeled it off his face with two fingers, dropping the still-hot beef onto his plate. The entire time, he stared unblinkingly at the thief.
Bilbus set his dagger on the table next to his plate and gingerly removed his fingers from the grip. "Sorry, Sturm."
The Sun Knight continued to stare at Bilbus as servants once more entered the dining room, this time with wine glasses and bottles. The servants placed a glass in front of each diner and filled the goblets with a rich, dark purple wine.
Bilbus picked up his glass and sipped experimentally at the wine. Lifting an eyebrow, he said, "Not bad. What is it?"
Eric sipped from his own goblet. "This is plum wine. It was imported from my uncle's holdings in Karasimi."
Bilbus nodded to himself and took a long, slow draw from his goblet. He emptied the glass, which a servant filled as soon as he set it down.
As the thief continued to enjoy the strong wine, Kasey turned towards Janus. "Excuse me, Lord Ithell." Janus nodded to Kasey. "I was wondering if I could visit with your smith? I need some work done on my sword, and I need a couple of plates of steel to repair my armor."
Janus nodded. "Of course, Sir Knight. Do you remember where Itami is?"
Kasey thought for a moment. "I think so. May I excuse myself?"
"Certainly."
Kasey stood, stretching his legs, then left the table as the rest of the guests continued to sip the plum wine.
The Church Knight returned several minutes later, in a rush. "Look at these!" he exclaimed as he held out an unusual weapon. It appeared to be three knife blades joined at the tang to form a sharp triangular weapon. "Aren't these neat? Itami gave me three of 'em! I'm going outside to try them! He says I am supposed to throw them like knives."
Kasey ran back out of the dining room, leaving the rest of the occupants speechless for a minute.
Adria put her wineglass on the table, covering it quickly with her hand before a servant could refill it. "Dinner was excellent, Lord Ithell and Lady Ithell. I would like to excuse myself. Kasey's new toys look like fun. I'm going to watch him." The noble dabbed at her lips with her napkin, then left the dining room.
Eric leaned forward to look down the table at Breanna. Bilbus was weaving unsteadily, but still sitting upright, forcing Eric to lean far. The explorer caught Breanna's attention. "Lady Breanna, we are traveling tomorrow morning. Might you be interested in going with us to see some of the world away from Armagh? We would enjoy your company, and you might enjoy seeing the outdoors." He paused. "Besides, we always seem to be in need of someone knowledgeable in the healing arts."
Bilbus hiccupped and leaned towards Eric. In a too-loud whisper, he said, "I wouldn't mind seeing her outdoors."
Eric slapped Bilbus's arm and pushed the thief upright. Bilbus immediately started leaning away, falling slowly towards Breanna. Breanna shoved him back upright.
"I am sorry, Lady Breanna," Eric said. "Bilbus has had too much wine." He scowled at Bilbus.
Breanna glanced at Bilbus, still weaving slowly. She then looked past the drunk thief at Eric. "My mentor, Master Shipley, has nothing else he can teach me, so I thought I would travel to find another teacher. I have already packed. Shall I meet you here at sunup?"
Eric nodded. "Yes, that was when we planned to leave."
Bilbus mumbled to himself, then suddenly laughed. Sturm scowled at the mountebank, then stood. "I am taking a walk." He looked at Breanna. "Lady, would you care to accompany me?"
Breanna stood and smoothed her skirts. "I will, Sir Knight." She accepted his offered elbow, and the Sun Knight and the apothecary in training left the dining room.
With all of Eric's friends save Bilbus out of the room, Janus addressed his son. "You choose strange companions for travel."
"That I do," Eric admitted. He watched Bilbus totter forwards until his forehead hit the empty plate in front of him. Eric looked back at his father. "They mean well, most of the time."
"Where are you traveling next?" Janus asked.
"We're going to Hillsdale. There was a letter in Saltcliffs that mentioned 'smiths' and 'cookware'. The smugglers near Saltcliffs had a lot of new weapons, as well as orcs, so we think the letter is suspicious."
"Something foul is afoot, son. First you stop a merchant raid, and now you find arms being smuggled, and orcs this far from the Middle Ranges. Be careful."
Before Eric could answer, Bilbus stood uneasily, weaving slightly as he walked around Eric to stand by Janus. "Lord Ithell, I..." He shut his mouth, uncertain what to say next.
"Yes, Bilbus?" Janus prompted.
"I really like that you are a noble." Bilbus furrowed his eyebrows. "No, I like that you are a noble that we can respect. You don't seem to be using your people like some nobles do. All of them I used to know, that is. We can actually admire you. And respect, too."
Janus glanced at Eric, confused. Eric shrugged his shoulders. Janus looked back at Bilbus. "Thank you, Bilbus."
"You actually are like nobles are supposed to be. I didn't think there were any like that."
Eric sighed. He stood up, placing a steadying hand on Bilbus's shoulder. "Sorry, father. He doesn't take alcohol very well. You'd think he would know better by now."
"It's all right, Eric."
Bilbus straightened and tried to pull his shoulder free of Eric's grip. "Lord Ithell, can you do me a favor? Check in on the orphanage. Make sure things are okay there."
"Of course," Janus said, trying to make sense of the inebriated man's request.
Bilbus staggered towards the door as Eric sighed quietly to himself. The Azirian explorer looked at his father, still sitting on a pillow at the head of the table. "I'll explain later, father. Right now, I think Bilbus needs helped to his room."
Bilbus stopped at the doorway, placing a hand on it to steady himself. He looked over his shoulder at Eric. "No, I want to walk around. Walk this off." He glanced at Janus. "Where's the garden?" He managed a smirk as Eric quickly walked around the table to lead him from the dining room.
By the time Sturm and Breanna had returned to the Ithell manor house, the sun had slipped below the western horizon. Breanna had stopped to watch the last of the sunset from the vantage of the hill on which the Ithell home rested. The night was already promising to be warm, but Breanna was too excited about the prospects of travel to care. Lady Meko Ithell greeted the two when they returned to the house.
She curtsied slightly towards the towering Sun Knight. "Thank you, Sir Sturm. I must return home now, so I can be ready to travel in the morning."
Meko approached her, looking scandalized. "No, no, no. It is far too late for a young woman like you to travel outside alone! Stay here. We have plenty of rooms." She clapped her hands twice, sharply. A servant walked briskly into the room. Meko addressed the servant. "Make up another room for the Lady Breanna Ceiturin! Show her to her room when it is ready."
Breanna protested. "Please, Lady Ithell. I couldn't possibly impose upon you!"
"It is no imposition," Meko replied. "I will not have a guest of House Ithell turned out after dark."
Realizing that she would not sway Meko, Breanna curtsied. "Thank you, Lady Ithell."
Several hours later, Bilbus returned from his wandering. He stumbled past the kitchen, no longer sure where his bedroom was. He was trying to find a bed, and any bed would do at this hour. He walked down a hallway leading from the kitchen, poking his head into each room along the way in his quest to find a bed. After swinging open the door to a storage room, he paused. What is this plum wine? It is a lot stronger than any other wines I've had... He shut the door too hard. Stumbling back a pace, the inebriated thief pointed at the door, his index finger almost touching it. "Shush!" he whispered loudly.
After two more doors that did not lead to bedchambers, Bilbus walked into a tiny room with a small bed. He fell onto the mattress, asleep before his head stopped bouncing on the feather pillow.
Hours later, the room's occupant returned from her duties cleaning the house. She walked into her dark room, then stopped when she saw Bilbus sprawled across her bed. The servant grabbed the back of Bilbus's jacket, near the nape, and shook it violently as she cursed under her breath. When Bilbus started to stir, she hissed loudly, "Out! M'Lord, your room is upstairs. Please leave!"
Bilbus pushed himself to his knees on her bed, then realized that she was still pulling his jacket. "All right, all right!" He struggled to stand. "Sheesh! I'm leaving, okay?"
The mountebank wobbled as he stood. Feet under body... Got it.
Several minutes later, the still woozy thief had managed to navigate a staircase that seemed to be shifting underfoot as well as a slowly rocking hallway to find the familiar doors of the guest wing. Which room was I in? he wondered as he stood outside one of the doors. Was this it? Or was that the last time I was here? Shrugging to himself, he twisted the door handle and quietly walked into the darkened room.
The carpeted floor underfoot creaked in muted counterpoint to his steps as he walked gingerly towards the luxurious bed. I think this was the room I was in last time, but I don't see my travel pack. Bilbus stepped delicately back to the door, shutting it and waiting for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. Crossing the room once more, Bilbus started loosening the straps on his armored jacket.
He sat slowly on the edge of the bed and started unfastening one of his boots. He felt someone shift in the bed behind him. He started to turn when the occupant let out a shrill shriek. Wrong room. He paused for a second, grinning. Wait. That's not Adria! Bilbus stood too quickly, then turned to try to face the screaming woman. In the dark, he was uncertain if he was facing her, but he started to speak anyway.
"Now, just calm down there. It was an honest mistake. I was in this room last week when we stayed here, and I couldn't remember if this was my room still."
The door behind him burst open as Eric and Sturm charged into the room, the former in an Azirian silk robe with his Karasimian sword in hand, the latter wearing smallclothes and hefting his hand-and-a-half sword. Both lowered their weapons from guard positions as soon as they spotted the swaying Bilbus standing by the bed.
Breanna stopped screaming when she saw Bilbus. She had her bed covers pulled up tight to her neck. She continued to wrap the bed covers around her as she got out of bed and walked over to a small bag on her dressing table. "Stupid man! You don't know how to hold your liquor." she rummaged through the bag. "Just like my idiotic brother Jamie. Always having to pick them up after them." She mixed some ingredients into a small bottle of water on her table, then gave the bottle to Eric. "Make him drink this when he wakes up in the morning. It'll make him a little easier to be around while he's miserable."
Each man grabbed one of Bilbus's arms, and they both started hauling, pulling Bilbus off balance as they dragged him from the room. Bilbus gave up any pretense of struggling as they roughly dragged him down the stairs and out the back entrance of the house. Moments later, the thief was dumped unceremoniously in Farran's stall in the stables. Eric placed Breanna's bottle on the straw next to Bilbus. He then looked at the large roan horse.
"Farran, have him drink this in the morning." He scowled at Bilbus. "Good night, Bilbus."
With a final groan, Bilbus stared at the horse, whose head was scarcely a foot above Bilbus's. Farran bared sharp teeth as he regarded the intruder to his stall. Bilbus curled up in a corner of the stall, hoping the unusual horse was not feeling malevolent this evening.
Bilbus shifted on the uncomfortable floor of the stall. Light from outside had robbed him of the last hope of sleeping in later, and he started to sit up. A sickly sweet breeze wafted across his face just as he took a deep breath, making him cough. The mountebank carefully opened his eyes a crack, squinting to find the source of the smell. Farran loomed over him, his mouth caked in grain and molasses and only a foot away. The warhorse exhaled again sharply through his mouth, washing Bilbus's face with the sickly smell once more.
Bilbus sat up, back pressed against the wall of the stall, as he fought an urge to retch. He looked down at the front of his shirt, which was covered in sawdust and hay. My jacket must still be in Bree's room, he decided. Groaning, he tried to stand. As he shifted his weight, his hand bumped into the bottle, knocking it over.
Bilbus mumbled to himself, then picked up the bottle and pulled the stopper from it. "Adria's still trying to poison me, eh, Farran?"
Farran backed up a pace and looked at the pathetic mess that was Bilbus this morning.
Bilbus looked at the warhorse, whose posturing seemed to have softened a little, then looked at the somewhat milky fluid within the bottle. "Well, if it is poison, at least I won't have to worry about this headache much longer."
He put the mouth of the bottle to his lips and tipped it back until the liquid touched his lips. He let the liquid rest there for a moment, waiting for some sort of burning or numbing effect from the poison he expected. When nothing happened, he opened his mouth to drink the contents of the bottle. Farran stepped closer, giving the thief pause. Farran pushed against the bottle with his muzzle, trying to tip it upwards. Great. The horse wants me dead, too. Why didn't he just stomp on me last night? Bilbus shut his eyes and swallowed.
Minutes later, with the headache and nausea fading like a bad memory, Bilbus walked briskly from the stables into the manor house. The party had gathered in an informal dining room adjacent to the kitchens. They were picking steaming hot pastries from a tray in the center of the small table. As the thief stumbled into the dining room, someone groaned.
Eric looked at his messy companion. "Good gods, Bilbus. What did you do last night?"
Bilbus glared at the Azirian and Sturm. "You know what I did. You left me in Farran's stable last night." As an afterthought, he added, "That horse ain't right." He looked at Adria. "Thank you for not killing me with that potion you left me."
Adria looked puzzled. "I didn't make a potion."
"Who did?" Bilbus asked, briefly worried.
Breanna put down a half-eaten sweetroll. "I made it. Did it help the headache?"
"Oh. Yes it did. Thanks, Bree."
Meko Ithell swept into the kitchen to check on her guests. When she spotted Bilbus, with straw sticking out of his hair and dust and debris layered on the rest of him, she stopped. She started speaking rapidly in her native Karasimian tongue, a rapid, run-on stream of sentences as she quickly closed on Bilbus. Bilbus looked helplessly at Eric, who simply laughed as Meko grabbed Bilbus by the ear lobe and dragged him from the informal dining room.
When Bilbus returned half an hour later, he was wrapped in a silk robe similar to the one Eric had worn the prior night when he responded to Breanna's scream. Bilbus's face was a bright pink, almost raw. He grumbled to himself when he saw Adria look at him and smile.
Her eyes sparkling with mischief, Adria asked, "Lose your pants, Bilbus?"
"She attacked me! She dragged me into this big room with hot water, and she started taking my clothes off! I had to fight her off before I could even undress myself. Then, she attacked me with sharp rocks." He touched his face gingerly. "I can't believe I'm not bleeding anywhere... Then, she had a servant take my clothes away. All she left me was this silk dress."
"Maybe she had your clothes burned." Adria stopped and loudly sniffed the air, exaggerating the action by tilting her head with each inhale. "No, I guess she didn't burn them. Pity. You look very fetching in the dress, Bilbus."
Bilbus looked at her, formulating a retort.
She raised her eyebrows, and her smile widened slightly. "Yes?"
"Nothing," he stammered.
Bilbus grabbed a pastry from the platter and slowly ate it while avoiding Adria's eyes. In his periphery, he saw Breanna lean towards Adria and whisper something. The two women laughed quietly, then they walked outside.
Another half of an hour passed before a servant brought Bilbus his clothes. All of them were clean, with the linens pressed and neatly folded. Bilbus's boots and heavy leather pants had been cleaned and lightly oiled.
Looking wonderingly at the bundle of clean clothes, Bilbus asked Eric, "Where do I find people like this?"
"Bilbus, this is normal treatment. I grew up with servants like this. It is nice sometimes to have people who know what they're doing to take care of the little details."
"Oh," Bilbus said as he tried to find a way to put on his small clothes without opening his robe in front of everyone.
Some of the young women of the kitchen staff giggled as Bilbus inadvertently revealed more than he intended.
Eric sighed. "Bilbus, would you like to have a room to get dressed?"
Bilbus looked at the explorer, exasperated. "Please?"
Eric led the thief to a side room and let him in. As he shut the door, Eric said, "I shall see to getting the horses ready. We should be ready to travel by the time you are dressed."
It was mid afternoon four days later when the party reached Eastdale. The Via Avillonia from Armagh ran through Saltcliffs -- the party did not stop there -- southwest near the ocean cliffs until it reached the Great Forest. The Via then curved away from the beach, passing through the forest until it reached Eastdale.
The largest of the Dale towns, Eastdale was about as large as Armagh. The town proper sprawled in the middle of a large, heavily cultivated grassy region in the forest that was nearly twenty miles in diameter. Roads entered the dale from all four directions, meeting in the center of the town, near a large inn called the "Cross Inn".
As the party approached the intersection, Eric looked at the inn. "Why don't we stop and eat," he suggested. "We still have a few hours of daylight, but we might as well have a good meal before traveling onwards."
Bilbus nodded enthusiastically. "It sounds good. I could use a chance to stretch and get off of this saddle."
The party stopped in front of the Cross Inn. The boisterous noise of the common room spilled onto the street, masking even the creaks of nearby wagons and the shouts of hawkers down the street selling their wares. In the noise, nearly lost by the din of the common room, the delicate sounds of a hammered dulcimer chimed from the inviting doors of the inn. Bilbus went into the inn to claim a table while the rest of the party secured their horses. There were platters of steaming rolls and mildly spiced hot beef on the table, surrounded by bowls of legumes and corn, before the rest of the party entered the inn.
Late in the meal, as the party was getting ready to leave, a server circled around the table, filling small mugs from a carafe of water. Bilbus was the last one he served, and the man stopped and looked at the thief for a moment. "Lord del Cartach! It has been a long time! How go your travels?"
Bilbus looked up at the server, his confusion clear on his face.
The man looked aghast. "Oh, pardon, m'Lord. I must have mistaken you. Please, forgive me." He bowed several times, then retreated quickly back to the kitchen.
Bilbus looked at his companions, then jumped to his feet to chase the man. He was nowhere to be found. Bilbus grabbed the cook closest to the door. "You! Did you see a man come in here just now? A short man wearing a gray shirt?"
The man looked nervously at Bilbus. "Yes. I don't know who the man was, but he left that carafe." The cook pointed at a carafe on the counter. "Then he ran out the back door."
The mountebank ran through the kitchen, weaving past people and counters, until he reached the back door. He grabbed the door frame to help stop himself before he charged blindly out the open doorway. He poked his head into the alleyway and looked up and down the narrow dirt alley. The man was nowhere to be seen, so Bilbus returned to his companions' table.
As he sat down, he asked Eric, "Do you how to track a person?"
"Yes," the Azirian replied.
"Do you think you can find out where that man went? He ran out the back door of the inn, and the cooks say he isn't part of the staff."
Eric nonchalantly tossed his cloth napkin onto the empty plate in front of him. Bilbus stood again, and led Eric through the kitchen to the alleyway. Eric kneeled in the alley, grumbling because of a crate that had been recently dragged through the doorway, scuffing the tracks. At last, the explorer pointed to some widely-spaced footprints leading around the nearest corner of the inn. "That way."
Following the trail around the inn to the front and the Via Avillonia there, Eric stopped. "I think your trail ends here, Bilbus," the Azirian said as he regarded the tightly-spaced cobblestones of the road.
"I guess so..." the thief looked up and down the road, hoping to spot the mysterious man in the traffic. "I wonder who this Lord del Cartach is?"
"This is the capitol of the Dales. There must be some sort of records of Dalesian nobles somewhere in town."
"You're kidding, right? They don't just let anyone walk into the records and request a noble's history."
Eric waved the back of his hand in front of Bilbus's face. The signet ring on his finger flashed in the afternoon sun. "I am not just 'anyone', Bilbus."
Bilbus smiled. "Let me get Rishala. He says he's been to the Dales before. Maybe he knows where to find the records."
A few minutes later, Eric, Rishala, and Bilbus walked along the Via through the town. Rishala kept up a monologue as they walked, describing the town as they went. "I think the records are kept in the government building." He stopped and pointed down a cross street. "That's it."
The building was a large single-story structure. The varying styles of architecture on it suggested that sections had been added on to the original over a span of many years: one section was gray stone, another had fired clay bricks, while others were stout wooden poles with mortar to seal them.
Bilbus quickly walked towards double doors on the side of the building facing the cross street. He passed through the doors and strode towards a clerk whose head was hanging over a large ledger book. The clerk waited several seconds before lifting his head.
"Yes?" he asked, his disinterest thick in his voice.
"I need the records for the family del Cartach, nobles of the Dales."
The clerk straightened to level a gaze at Bilbus. "And you are?"
"Someone who needs the records."
"Uh huh," the clerk said dismissively.
Eric and Rishala caught up with Bilbus. The Azirian noticed Bilbus fuming, and quickly assumed the airs of a foppish court attendant. Loudly, to no one in particular, he exclaimed, "What is wasting my time here?"
Hearing the way Eric was speaking, Bilbus immediately joined in the act. "M'Lord, this man refuses to check the records for you."
Letting out an exaggerated gasp, Eric tilted his head back to look down his nose at the clerk. "Must I do everything myself?"
Bilbus bobbed his head obsequiously. "Only if you want it done right, Sire," he offered.
"You." Eric said, pointing at the clerk. "I want the records of Lord del Cartach. Where are his holdings?"
The clerk maintained his surly indifference. "And you are?"
Eric waved his hand in front of the clerk's face, making sure his signet ring was easily visible. "Tired of these petty excuses. Do the lords of these forsaken Dales not flog their surly peasants? I can hardly imagine a worse land. Perhaps I should set an example for the nobility here." Eric looked threateningly at the clerk.
The clerk blanched. Bilbus suppressed the urge to smile as the clerk glanced nervously towards him. Instead, the mountebank scowled and rested his left hand a little too casually on the grip of his rapier. The clerk quickly backpedaled, bowing as he did, unwilling to risk insulting the noble by turning his back. He bumped into a door, then bowed again, opened the door, and rushed through it.
Thumps and scrapes of heavy objects being moved echoed out of the back room for several minutes before the clerk returned. The clerk approached Eric quickly, wiping the sweat from his forehead on the loose white sleeve of his tunic. Bowing quickly, the clerk clasped his hands together in front of his abdomen.
"M'Lord! I find no records of a Lord del Cartach in the rolls. Unless it is an old family, I have no records of him." The clerk winced in preparation for a strike.
Eric looked at the clerk. "May my servants look? I truly can not believe that you checked the records for all of the Dales that quickly."
"Oh, m'Lord! I checked only the current records! Please!" He paused, grasping for the opening Eric provided. "If you wish your servants to look, I can take them back there!" He gestured towards the door behind him.
Eric nodded towards Bilbus and Rishala. The two walked past the clerk and through the door. The clerk bowed again to Eric, the scurried after the two servants. Rishala and Bilbus found the records room to be a large, dusty, poorly lit room with crates and boxes scattered helter skelter.
"Please, kind sirs," the clerk said. "These boxes are current records." He pointed towards three large crates near the doorway. "Older records are farther back." He waved towards the rest of the room.
Bilbus and Rishala exchanged glances.
In a low voice, Rishala asked, "Do you really want to do this right now?"
Bilbus shook his head. "I'd rather get moving again. This search could take days."
Rishala nodded and left the cavernous records room.
After a few moments, Eric called out, "Are you going to waste the rest of my day? Let us get back to the inn!"
Bilbus gave the clerk one last suffering glance, feeling satisfaction as the man started dry-washing his hands and bobbing his head once more. The mountebank turned and quickly left the records room.
When the three reached the inn's dining room, they found the two knights still sitting at the table. Most of the platters and trays had been removed, but one platter, almost empty, was still on the table between the two knights. Each knight had a mug of ale.
Bilbus dropped into an empty seat next to Kasey. He glanced around the common room, then asked, "Where are Breanna and Adria?"
Sturm slowly placed his mug on the table. He snorted. "The ladies decided that they were not going to sleep on the ground tonight. Since you three were gone for more than ten minutes, they took rooms here for the night."
Bilbus slouched farther into the seat and sighed. He eyed Sturm's mug. "Is the ale any good?"
Sturm shrugged. "I've had worse. It's not bad."
As a barmaid walked past, Bilbus reached out and caught a fold of her skirt. As she turned about, Bilbus smiled. "Love, would you fetch me a mug of what he's having?"
The young woman blushed and smiled, then rushed to the bar.
Bilbus watched her walk away. It works with every other woman. Why doesn't it work with Adria? He looked out the open doors of the inn as the shadows grew longer outside.
The party got an early start on their journeys the following morning. They were on the road south out of Eastdale less than an hour after daybreak. The road was less well kept than the Via Avillonia that had carried them into Eastdale, but it was still maintained on occasion. The riders kept the pace low at first, enjoying the warming rays of the golden sun as it peeked over the mists and the distant forest.
An hour later, the party was nearing the edge of the dale. A virtual wall of trees created a distinct break between the Great Forest and Eastdale's dale. To the right, about a hundred paces from the road, there was a modest house. A barn stood a short distance behind it, and some cattle stood in a roomy fenced in area behind the barn. A crop of grains grew behind the house, as well.
Bilbus squinted and leaned forward in his saddle as he observed the house.
"That's odd," he said. "Why are there six horses in front of the house?"
Sturm followed Bilbus's gaze. "I see four Sun Knights."
Bilbus looked again. There were four men standing near the house, standing about. Each of the men wore a white tabard that had a large, blue circle with a yellow disk inside it. The yellow disk had wavy rays emanating from it, the stylized sigil of the Knights of the Sun. They appeared to be guarding something.
Bilbus spotted three children and a man sitting on the ground by the footmen. He realized then that the knights were guarding those four.
As one of the guards turned, Bilbus noticed a dark mark high on the left shoulder of the footman's tabard. The mountebank's grip on the reins tightened as he recognized the marking, a black, embroidered upper-case 'I'.
Sturm noticed Bilbus's white-knuckled grip. "What is the matter with you?"
Bilbus glanced down at his hands and forced himself to relax. "They're Inquisitors."
Sturm looked again at the knights. He nodded slowly as he recognized the markings on the knights' tabards. The Inquisitors were a branch of the Knights of the Sun who had dedicated themselves to rooting out the witches and other evil Heka users who still were found in mankind's midst. Because of the devastation caused by the Dark One's curse on Heka that caused most dweomercraefters to go mad, many Inquisitors equated any Heka use with evil. Worse yet, some Inquisitors were so zealous about their hunt for Heka users that they would try, convict, and execute their victims with no more evidence than an accusation. Priests were exempted from the blanket condemnation, of course, because priests gained their powers through the gods -- and were, therefore, exempt of the curse.
Bilbus looked at the Sun Knight. Sturm's scowl had deepened. "Sturm, we should do something. You know that they can't be up to any good."
"Let's ride over there, Bilbus," Sturm offered.
Bilbus stammered. "But... They... They hate Heka users... And..."
"Come on." Sturm kicked his horse. The warhorse leaped to a canter.
Bilbus urged his own horse on, easily keeping pace with the larger warhorse. Bilbus noticed Eric following as well. Kasey had uncertainly started to follow.
"Hold up, Kasey!" Bilbus called back to the Church Knight. "We don't want to alarm them. If we get into trouble, I'll wave for you, and you come in fighting."
Kasey halted Farran to watch. He stood in his stirrups as he methodically checked each of his weapons, untying straps and loosening knots. He sat down again in the saddle, unconsciously touching the grips on each weapon once more as he waited.
Bilbus, Eric, and Sturm quickly covered the ground between the road and farmhouse. The four footmen watched the three riders approach, waiting calmly for the trio to reach the farmhouse. When the three reined their horses to stop, two soldiers stepped forward.
One spoke: "What business have you here?"
Eric answered. "We wanted to see what six Sun Knights might be doing here, at a modest farm house. Are you having breakfast?" Eric pointedly looked at the farmer and the three children sitting uncomfortably on the ground.
The smallest of the children, who looked to be shy of his fifth birthday, spoke loudly. His whiny voice carried clearly in the silent morning. "They're hurting ma!"
The soldier said gruffly, "This is Sun Knight business." He looked at each of the three horsemen. "Move along."
Eric put a pleasant smile on his face. "You are Inquisitors. What could you be doing here?" He scratched his chin. "Ah! The farmwoman must be a Heka user!"
The soldier replied, "That is what we seek to find out. We must rid Avillonia of the scourge of these accursed monsters."
"I see," Eric said, his smile still pleasant. "And you discovered she was a Heka channeler because..."
The footman shifted uncomfortably. "We received reliable information."
Eric's smile faded to a contemptuous sneer. "Information from?"
The footmen shifted his posture. He still appeared to be calm, but he was positioned where he could quickly draw his sword and defend himself. "We have an anonymous source. We know this woman is a witch. The sergeants are getting her confession now."
"Uh huh," Eric said levelly. "And how are you getting that confession?"
"What are you suggesting, man? The Inquisitors have always gained confessions before we've executed the witches and warlocks we've captured." The footman narrowed his eyes to slits. "Who did you say you are?"
Bilbus had stayed back a few paces so he could watch the four soldiers. He noticed all of them had shifted into positions that they could use to strike. Bilbus raised an arm, drawing dangerous stares from all four of the men. "Lord del Cartach wished to know what Sun Knights were doing at this house. Since you are so unwilling to speak to us, he will come up here and talk to you himself." Bilbus turned until he saw Kasey, then waved his arm.
Farran's thunderous charge echoed from the front of the farmhouse behind the Inquisitors. Bilbus risked another glance over his shoulder to watch the Church Knight on his charge. Kasey had raised a heavy crossbow, holding it with both hands as if Farran stood still. At twenty paces, Kasey loosed the bolt. The soldier who had been talking to Eric fell back with the fletching of the squat bolt sticking out of his face like a strange beak.
The other three knights started moving when they finally understood that they were under attack. As soon as they started to draw weapons, Bilbus and Sturm both dropped from their saddles. Kasey continued his charge, holding the crossbow in his left hand as he grabbed one of his hand axes with the right. He drew the axe and hurled it in one smooth motion. Another Sun Knight collapsed, the blade of the axe completely buried in his skull.
Sturm and Bilbus ran to the front door of the farmhouse. Bilbus glanced over his shoulder as he drew his rapier. Kasey had slipped his right leg over Farran's neck, riding sidesaddle as he swung the crossbow like a club at a third footman. The crossbow smashed into the footman's head, breaking the footstrap and the metal bow from the stock of the weapon. Kasey dropped the ruined bow as he slipped off of Farran's back. The Church Knight staggered as he tried to keep his feet underneath him.
Bilbus turned back to the door. Sturm stood opposite it from him, his hand-and-a-half sword ready.
Behind the two, the last of the footmen charged Kasey, swinging his sword at the Church Knight as Kasey drew his own sword. The Church Knight stumbled from the attack, but he was able to deflect the attack with his large sword.
Eric turned his horse until the fight was to the horse's side. The explorer aimed an arrow at the soldier and released it. The man staggered several steps back, dropping his sword as he fell first to his knees, then onto his back, killed by the deadly arrow of a long bow fired from only four paces away.
Bilbus kicked the front door open. It quickly flew open and bounced off of the wall of the house, slamming back shut. Bilbus shook as he shouted several epithets.
Sturm grabbed the handle of the door with his free hand and pushed the door open. He stepped into the house quickly, checking quickly to either side of the door to prevent an ambush.
In the middle of the room was a woman lying on the floor facedown. Her dress had been cut open, revealing her pale back. An Inquisitor straddled her upper legs, his left hand holding her to the ground. In his right hand, he held a dagger against her back, drawing it along the spine, leaving a crimson trace of blood. A second Inquisitor stood a pace away from the woman's head. He stood, sneering derisively at Sturm as he reached for his sword.
Sturm bounded across the room towards the first of the two men. He swung his bastard sword downwards in a vicious cut. The man straddling the woman crumpled with hardly a noise, a spray of blood spattering the wall. Bilbus ran into the room, jumping over a wide chair, as he channeled Heka. He landed in front of the second Inquisitor just as the Inquisitor's sword cleared its scabbard. Bilbus doubled his left hand into a fist and swung at the man, activating the Heka-powered casting as he did so.
The punch solidly hit the man's jaw. He fell backwards, unmoving. His arms and legs were rigid, held in place by the magicks of Bilbus's casting. Bilbus stood over the man and glanced at Sturm. The Sun Knight had roughly thrown the first Inquisitor's body to one side of the room, away from the woman.
"Bilbus, help her," Sturm said. "I want to talk to your friend."
Bilbus looked at the cuts on the woman's back, then jogged to the door. Outside, the chaos of the fight had quickly subsided. Kasey was systematically checking the bodies of the Inquisitors. Eric was on foot, talking to the farmer as he continued to scan around the farm. Rishala, Breanna, and Adria were only now riding up to the farmhouse.
"Bree!" Bilbus shouted. "Come in here! We need your help!"
Breanna's horse rushed forward. As soon as it stopped in front of the house, Breanna jumped to the ground. She quickly loosened some straps holding a bag to the back of her saddle, grabbed the bag, and ran into the farmhouse. She stopped at the threshold of the door, shocked at the carnage within.
Sturm held the paralyzed Inquisitor against one corner of the room, with the man's forehead pressed against the wall. The paralysis had started to wear off, and the man moaned in pain. The other Inquisitor was pooling blood on the stone in front of the fireplace, his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. The woman he had been torturing was still lying prone on the ground, sobbing quietly.
Breanna kneeled next to her, speaking soothingly as she opened her healer's bag and started removing herbs to mix a tincture. She looked up at Bilbus. "Find her a blouse. Get me a towel, too."
Bilbus disappeared farther into the house. He returned a minute later carrying a heavy shirt and a towel. Breanna had just finished applying the tincture to the cut. Bilbus gave Breanna the towel and put the shirt on the floor next to the farm woman. He then walked over to stand next to Sturm, pointedly facing away from the two women.
"Okay," Breanna said after a minute.
Sturm and Bilbus turned around. The farm woman was standing now, still fussing with her blouse. Streaks of tears still covered her face, and she was trying to find something in the room to focus her attention on that did not show signs of the violence that had taken place.
Sturm turned to Bilbus. "Take the women outside. I want to talk to that man for a few minutes." As Bilbus started to herd the women towards the door, Sturm added, "Get the other bodies behind the farmhouse, and hide their horses."
Outside, Kasey had two of the children on Farran's back, leading them around the pasture in front of the house. The children were giggling, and the foul-tempered warhorse seemed to be gritting his sharp teeth.
Breanna and Adria talked to the farmers, and Kasey lifted the children off of Farran. Kasey removed his sword belt, hanging it from his saddle, then started some sort of wrestling game with the children. The Church Knight walked around, with the children hanging from his arms and waist. Kasey staggered several times, then finally fell to his knees, eliciting squeals of delight from the children as he begged for mercy.
Bilbus, Rishala, and Eric dragged the bodies behind the house, removing the Inquisitors' tabards as they did. They also removed the Sun Knight blankets from the six horses.
Sturm dragged the formerly paralyzed Inquisitor's body from the house, hauling it around to the pile behind the house. Bilbus and Eric collected the other body from the interior of the house.
Behind the house, Sturm gathered the discarded tabards and dumped them into a trash pit near the fields.
Bilbus pointed at the tabards. "I wanted one of those."
"No," the Sun Knight said.
"Why not?"
"I'm burning them."
Bilbus heard a sickening squishing noise behind him. He turned to see Farran stomp across the bodies of the dead Sun Knights, lifting his feet in a high prance and driving the steel war-shoes into the bodies in a singular act of violence. Bilbus turned away, trying to ignore the nauseating sounds behind him.
After Sturm was satisfied that the fire was well underway, he joined his comrades in front of the house. He greeted the farmers, then said, "Someone in town didn't like you. You are probably going to get into more trouble if you stay here. More Inquisitors might visit, or someone may have seen these Sun Knights here. I suggest you pack your valuables and leave. Do you have somewhere to go?"
The woman looked at her husband, who nodded reassuringly, then faced Sturm. "We can go to my sister's ranch. She lives near Portsdale. It will take us a few days to get there. Do you really think we need to leave?"
"Yes. If someone in town would turn you in once, they will turn you in twice. We will help you hitch your wagon, and we'll make sure the house is burning after you leave."
The woman looked resigned. She turned to her husband, who was nodding slowly. "I think the knight is right."
The party helped the family load their wagon, hitch two draft horses to the harness, and pony the family's other horses to the wagon. After the couple had disappeared down the road into the forest, the party dragged the mutilated corpses into the house and lit it. The house quickly burned, helped by liberal spills of oil and cooking grease. By the time the party left the dale, an hour after the family had left, the house was burning viciously. The Sun Knights' horses had wandered away, grazing nearby while still saddled.
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Second Draft 1 December 2001
Original Draft 13 November 2000
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