And part 7. I do love rats!
Metamor Keep: Investigating Calamity
By Charles Matthias
It is time, the
mage said. The other standing at his side lifted hands that felt
through the air to the little spell placed on the priests nighttime
food. All the city slept soundly but for the Caial patrols, the
prostitutes, and their patrons. Here near the Ecclesia Cathedral
there was none to observe them.
The waning
moon would not rise for another few hours and even then its feeble light
would not disclose them. The stars were bright in the sky, but they
could barely bring silhouettes into relief let alone reveal their
activity. The two mages smiled to each other as the great work of
justice began.
They had a
small wagon just long enough for a single person to be laid inside that
could be drawn by any labourer. He would draw it himself, while his
friend whod been there to interrogate the trio from Yesulam would keep
watch over the priest to ensure he didnt stir.
The
priest is getting up now.
Boots
remained inside to make sure that they could disengage should one of the
others awake. It was risky what they attempted but they were
prepared. As one of Demarests dogs, he knew the Caial patrol
routes in advance. Unless one of them deviated, a possibility that
they could not discount, they would deliver the priest into the blind
mans hands without being accosted by another living soul. But
first they needed to get him out of the Cardinals palace.
Keep an
eye on him, Boots. Where is he now?
He
has put on his robes. A pause. Hes opening his door
and stepping out.
And
the others?
Still asleep.
The
others are sleeping, he told his companion. So far so good.
His
companion said nothing, concentrating on the task of moving Akaleth in
his sleep. Boots followed after and sent a mental squeak of alarm
only once. The priest bumped his toe on some carpet. Hes
fine now. Nobody is stirring.
He
rubbed his hands together and gritted his teeth. The cold night air
made his breath mist and fingers numb. His ears were already
beginning to hurt. Thered be a frost in the morning, not unusual
for this time of the year, but not common either. But at least it
would dull the blind mans reflexes not at all.
Bootss
next report made both of them breath easier. Hes moving to the side
door now. The house is still quiet.
His
companions concentration increased, sweat springing up across a narrowed
brow even in the midnight chill. And then the small servants door
creaked open and a figure stepped through. The mage could see that
it was the priest even in the starlight. Boots scampered out after
him and immediately ran toward his master. The mage bent down and
retrieved the rat who curled around his neck affectionately. He
gently stroked his thumb down the rodents back.
The
priestss face was slack as if he were still sleeping. He turned
and closed the door and then stumbled toward the wagon. His
companion threw open the burlap tarp and the priest crawled inside.
Another flick of the wrist and the tarp covered the priest
completely.
Lets
go, his companion said softly, casting a wary glance around. I do not
like being in this neighbourhood.
He grabbed
the poles at the front of the wagon and with a lift, starting pulling
them down out of the shadow of the Ecclesia cathedral. Well be
there shortly and then justice will be sated.
Where is
there?
He smiled
as Bootss whiskers twitched and tickled his neck. Why the Gauntlet of
course!
----------
Kashin woke a
moment before Sir Czestadt opened his door. Nor was Czestadt being
quiet about it. He should have woken even earlier. He had no
time to chide himself as the Yesbearn knight was on him and shaking his
shoulder firmly. Get up! Father Akaleth is missing.
He blinked
the last of his sleep from his eyes and the scarred face blurred into
focus. What?
Father
Akaleth is not in his room nor anywhere else in the palace. Czestadt
leaned back and his frown deepened. He held a lantern in one hand
and its twisting light made the Yesbearn flicker in and out of shadow. I
think something happened to him.
Could he
have gone to the cathedral to pray?
I doubt
it. He took his robe but not his boots. His eyes narrowed. And
the cathedral is locked.
Kashin was
out of the soft bed and into his clothes a moment later. Czestadt
handed him his buckler and blade and a second lantern and then the two of
them were out in the hall only a minute after the Yesbearns intrusion.
Well need to warn his eminence. Whatever is happening cannot be
good. Can you follow him?
Like a
hound.
Good. You find his trail, and Ill warn the Cardinal.
No
Caial. Czestadts _expression_ was both grave and dismissive. I do not
trust them to protect Father Akaleth.
We cannot
ignore them. But I will ask for a short indulgence. If we can
bring him back quietly, it will be for the better. Go, Ill join
your shortly.
The two
men moved quickly through the dark halls, their focus singular and of one
mind. Above all else, they had to find Father Akaleth.
----------
They know the
Questioner is missing, his companion said quietly in the darkness.
They
entering Carpenters Way and so far they had not been disturbed. It
would not be long until they reached the Gauntlet. But would it be
long enough to accomplish what had to be done? He wasnt
certain. This was one of the possibilities hed considered.
What abilities they had to track their movements were unknown to either
of them, but there was no sense assuming they had none. They were
superlative warriors and could not be discounted on any account.
We must
assume the worst and that they will have no difficulty following our
trail.
How? his
companion asked. Weve left no tracks, and the streets are stone.
I do not
know. But I do know that to assume otherwise is folly. He licked
his lips which were chapping. Do you know what they are doing, the
warriors that is?
Theyve
both left the palace. I set a ward to warn us of that. I do
not know where they are anymore though. I did not wish to arouse
suspicion by casting too much magic. Keeping this foul priest still
is taxing enough.
He did his
best to smile but it was lost in the darkness. It will not be for much
longer. Boots kept close to his neck as he leaned forward and
pulled harder. The freshly oiled wheels rolled with ease across the
stone pavement, echoing no louder than their whispers. The road
wound through shops, smithies, and depots for the woodworkers. The
scent of horse and fresh lumber dominated.
It was too
dark to see them, they were too quiet to hear unless one were on top of
them, and the smell was too raucous to notice them. How then could
any follow them? Boots had no ideas either.
----------
The lanterns
bobbed in the air like spectral ghosts hovering over a murky swamp.
Kashin and Czestadt trailed noiselessly down the streets. At each
intersection they would stop and Czestadt would both inspect the ground
and turn this way and that until he pointed and they continued on their
way. They never once backtracked.
At the
first turn they made, Kashin had wondered why the Yesbearn was so
certain. Czestadt grunted and replied between breaths, He is my
charge. I can feel him and his passage as if he were a sword
himself. He then tapped his nose with a finger. And I can smell magic
about him. Ive never forgotten that peculiar bouquet after my
years with the Kankoran.
Kashin
nodded, having felt slightly unsettled in his gut ever since they left
the Cardinals palace. Then somebody has come to take him. But to
where and to what purpose?
Not a
good one, Czestadt replied, and that was the last either of them
said. They could only hope and pray that they would not be too
late.
----------
With a choked
whisper of relief, he brought the wagon out of Merdslow and into the
Gauntlet itself. The border between a Rebuilder and Follower
neighbourhood, it had been the site of four riots in the last dozen
years. It was travelled only by necessity and only by the
desperate.
The road
itself was wide enough for wagons to pass with ease or for merchants to
set up stalls and hawk their wares. But none ever did. The
road was as empty as a Questioners heart, or so hed always felt.
It was not even a site for refuse; only the remnants of snow lined the
shadowed corners beneath awnings and the scattered detritus of Autumns
foliage they covered littered the stone road. And though there were
houses from one end to the other with only a few lonely alleys emptying
in the street, there was neither door nor window looking upon the
street. Of all the places in Marigund there was none more abandoned
than the Gauntlet.
Wheres
the blind man? his companion asked.
The third
alley. We leave the wagon at the second and we can watch from the
first. As if from instinctual fear of the darkness that subsumed
everything in the Gauntlet, he drew the wagon cautiously and without his
earlier haste. It was thirty paces to the first alley which
disappeared between two homes into a black hole. And it was another
fifty paces before they reached the second alley. The third was
even further beyond and barely visible to their night eyes.
He curled
one hand around Boots and et the rat down on the lip of the wagon.
Wait here and keep watch, friend. Well be in yon alley if there
is trouble.
I
will tell you all that happens, Master!
I
know. Keep out of harms way. Theres fresh potato bread
waiting for you back home when were finished.
Boots
squeaked in delight and rubbed his paws over his snout. The mage
gently stroked down his back, and then together with his companion rushed
back to the first alley. Once enveloped by the sheltering
blackness, he whispered to the other, Let the priest wake up. Once
he stirs my friend will come and see to his proper departure.
My spell
is done. He should wake any moment now.
Good.
His ears strained to hear the vain struggles of the priest, but also the
feared interruption of the warriors. Nothing yet. He tensed
and pulled his cloak tightly about his shoulders as they waited.
----------
It was
cold. Akaleth pulled his feet up closer to his body, and then
realized that aside from the cold, he was laying on wood and not the
mattress at the Cardinals palace. That and it smelled... musty
like dried earth. Where was he and how did he get there?
The
Questioner lifted one hand and felt heavy burlap. He searched along
the burlap until he found and edge and slid it across his body. He
sat up and looked around. Above him he could see innumerable stars
framed by a row of buildings on either side. In two directions he
saw the street open up, otherwise he was in darkness with only the
faintest of light to illuminate the centre of the street. None of
the houses along the street had windows, a fact that he found both
curious and distressing.
His feet
felt numb and he ran his fingers through the toes checking for
frostbite. They were still pliable, but they were definitely in
need of coverings. At least he was wearing his robe. It was
thick enough to handle desert nights. Still, hed need to find
shelter soon. He was still in the city, but where?
Sitting in
a one-man wagon in a street with no windows or doors. He glanced
down both directions and saw that one way was quicker and so settled on
following that road. He lowered his head and offered a quick prayer
of deliverance to Eli and then scrambled out of the wagon.
Hed gone
no more than five paces when he heard a tapping behind him. The
Questioner paused, turned, and marvelled as he could see the faint
silhouette of a man walking toward him from the other direction. He
had a cane that he tapped along the road as he walked. Akaleth
wondered if he was blind or if it were merely too dark for him to
see. Either way, he would be more likely to know where they were
and perhaps give him directions back to the palace.
He started
to take a step back when a chill not born of the night gripped him.
He had not even come close to answering the question how hed come to be
here. The wagon, the burlap covering, no shoes, and a street with
no windows or doors in the dead of night. This was arranged and not
to his benefit.
Akaleth
turned toward the end of the street and took a quick pace, casting
furtive glanced behind him. The blind man moved with surprising
alacrity; the tapping drew nearer with each step. His mind raced
nearly as fast as his heart. What could he do? His life was
clearly in jeopardy so he could use his light, but should he? If
the man was blind already, it would do nothing. But could it alert
help? What if that was what his enemies intended and as soon as he
used the light it would be the signal for other attackers to come?
And what of Czestadt and Kashin? Where were they?
Was he
going to die?
Akaleth
quickened his pace, and to his horror realized that the man was still
nearing him. Even at a dead run he wouldnt reach the end of the
street before that tapping was at his back. He had to take a
chance.
Stretching
his right hand upward light spread above, bathing the entire street in a
warm yellow glow. The tapping behind him continued. His
breath was heavy, and his limbs sore from laying in the wagon and the
cold. He stubbed his toe on a loose rock and nearly tumbled to the
ground, flailing his arms wildly to keep his balance and forward
momentum. Only seconds remained to him.
Eli, if
I am to die, receive me in thy merciful embrace. Forgive me my
sins.
And
then two blessed figures charged down the street, their dark faces
illumined and glowing. Czestadt already had a sword in hand, while
Kashin drew his after discarding his lantern. Father, watch out!
Czestadt shouted as he flung his sword into the air.
Akaleth
dived to the ground, but the sword clattered off the thin air a good
fifteen feet in front of the priest. The figure stalking at him
rushed forward, cane waving back and forth with reckless abandon.
Kashin ran toward him with the Yesbearn close on his heels. At the
exact spot where Czestadts blade had bounced harmlessly away, Kashin
jumped and drove in a twisting screw with sole arm outstretched. A
brilliant blue wall of energy crackled and then disintegrated with a
thunderous report.
Voices
cried from all around in the houses on either side. The blind man
slowed to a confused standstill, turning his head from side to
side. Akaleth lay completely still and held his breath. A
moment later Kashin crashed to the ground, barely getting his feet and
arm down in time to keep his head from smacking into the fitted
stones. His sword fell from his grip and clattered away into one of
the snow banks.
But
Czestadt was on the blind man in a second. He swung heavily with
his reclaimed sword, which the blind man deflected with a riposte of his
cane and a step to the side. The sword that could slice through
both wood and stone in the former Kankorans hands was balked by that
cane. His surprise was doubled when the blind man slipped around
behind him and smacked the cane across his back with the force of a
horses kick. Czestadt fell forward, almost on top of Akaleth and
scrambled to the side to avoid another strike.
Akaleth
could see the blind man now. He was dressed in warm but loose
clothing with a hood covering his face offering holes only for his nose
and mouth. Little throwing knives fashioned from glass were looped
around his belt far enough apart not to touch each other. One of
these he grabbed with consummate skill and flung it at the retreating
Czestadt. The knife tumbled end over end and would ave imbedded in
the knights back but for a quick twist of his body. The glass
dagger shattered against the ground after slicing across Czestadts ribs
leaving a bright red gash along his left side.
Kashin
climbed to his feet and ran toward the man unarmed. A second glass
dagger was flung at him. The Yeshuel skipped a step and caught the
blade by the handle. He flipped it into his hand and made a
feint. The blind man dodged backward, as Kashin pushed him
relentlessly. Akaleth could hear in the distance several armoured
men running in their direction as well as the shouts of the people whose
slumber had been interrupted. But his eyes stayed on the two
fighters, ducking and weaving against each other, neither managing to
spill blood.
Even
though this man was intent on killing them, Akaleth was impressed by his
skill. Hed rarely seen any who could move as fast as either Kashin
or Czestadt, and yet this man was clearly blind. And in that, he
marvelled, was Kashins advantage. As Kashin drove the blind man
backward with quick thrusts of the glass dagger, it dawned on the
Questioner that the blind man had forgotten where hed fallen and
lay. He tensed for the moment of contact.
And then
the blind mans leg hit him in the side as he dodged another blow.
He overbalanced and that was all Kashin needed to slam his arm into his
chest and drive him to the ground. Czestadt came at him from the
other side and after a quick kick to the chest, grabbed him by the
shoulders and hurled him at the nearest wall. Most of the blind
mans daggers shattered on impact, as he fell to the ground. A
muffled squeak pierced the air as he fell.
And then a
mans voice in terror cried, Boots! From out of the alley a good
fifteen paces away ran a man in warm woolens and cloak. His face,
ashen white, and hair, a lanky brown, were sweating as he pushed the
blind man aside. Beneath him was a black rat with white paws that
could not make most of them work anymore. No, my Boots! he cried, tears
streaming from his face as he pushed the rat against his cheek.
The blind
man struggled to get to his bearings again but was quickly pressed
against the wall with Czestadts sword point at his throat. Teeth
grit in frustration but he didnt move. Kashin bent over Akaleth
but the priest waved him off. His eyes were for this new figure
alone.
He must
have been involved in this conspiracy to kill him, there was no other
explanation for his presence and for hiding in a dark alley. But
seeing him weep over a rat stirred the priest in a way hed not
expected. Before he quite realized what he was doing, Akaleth had
risen and crouched at the weeping mans side.
Let me,
he said, compassion filling him. He could not help but think of
Father Felsah and that dog Rakka. The man blinked and flinched from
Akaleths touch, but he had nowhere to go. Akaleth put his hand on
the rats back and felt it twisted and broken. The animal would not
live long.
Light
suffused them both. Warmth unbidden sprang forth, and Akaleth felt
a love greater than any hed ever known pour through him like a torrent
through floodgates. This little rat, beloved friend to the weeping
man, was made by Eli. For love of the man, Akaleth had been given
this grace. He shared it with tears in his own eyes.
The man
blinked, the sudden agony in his face falling away to wonder. You healed
him. You healed Boots. The rat moved again, crawling around
the mans neck and looking up at Akaleth with beady black eyes. The
mans gaze fell to the gorund and then climbed to the blind man. Oh what
have I done!
What have
you done? the blind man snapped. Your orders!
There
were no orders, he said as he stroked the rat with one finger, gaze
returned in awe to Akaleth who backed away from him. I falsified
them. It was all a lie.
Hugo you
traitor! A female voice screamed from the alleyway. A familiar
blonde marched out blue energy crawling up her arms and to her buxom
chest. That Questioner needs to die! She lashed out with her arm and an
indigo bolt leapt across the short space and struck Akaleth in the
leg. He spun in the air and sprawled across the ground.
No! Hugo
shouted, leaping to his feet and standing between the woman and the
priest. You will not harm him! He saved Boots. We were wrong
about him!
He is a
Questioner!
He is not
like the others!
You and
that damn rat, Hugo! This is about our laws!
Czestadt
left his sword hanging in midair at the blind mans neck and rushed to
the priests side. Akaleths leg was burned but not badly. He
still let Czestadt pick him up and lead him toward the end of the
street. They didnt quite make it.
Kashin,
still gripping the glass knife, worked his way around the two mages to
reach the woman. Her face was red with fury at her fellow mage and
so she didnt seem to notice him. He gaped when he realized he knew
her.
Diomedra! He cried. So thats why you wanted to know our strengths and
abilities! She turned in surprise at hearing her name, and he slipped
around behind her and pressed the knife against her neck. No more
spells. She screamed in rage but the energy on her arms faded
away.
Hugo shook
his head. Please dont hurt her!
I wont,
Kashin replied. Unless she leaves me no choice.
All of
you! A mans voice shouted from the end of the street. Put your weapons
down! This is the Caial!
At least
twenty soldiers armed with spears, bows, and lanterns stood in a solid
line three deep at the end of the street. The arrows were prepared
and not a one of them was unmarked. Czestadt and Akaleth raised
their arms, and the sword pointing at the blind mans neck fell
harmlessly to the ground. The blind man rubbed his neck and then
got on the ground groping for his lost cane.
Kashin
dropped the glass knife which shattered at their feet. He grabbed
Diomedras right wrist and pulled it behind her back. Dont even think
of lying. Or of running away.
You
Ecclesiast toad! she spat.
Diomedra,
please, Hugo said with agony. Im so sorry I involved you in
this. I will take the blame. Let me.
The Caial
captain and his men advanced down the street and he shouted another
warning, You are all to come peacefully with us. You are causing a
disturbance and it comes to an end now. Six of the soldiers pointed
their spears at Czestadt and Akaleth who made no move to resist.
The rest continued toward, Kashin, the two mages, and the blind
man.
Come take
us, Kashin shouted. Were ready to go with you.
Not I!
Diomedra spat and stamped her boot on Kashins foot. He grunted and
leaned forward involuntarily. She then smacked the back of her head
against his face. A sharp lance of pain ripped through his nose.
But even as the blood drenched his face, he still had a grip on her arm
and this he jerked upward. She screamed in pain for a moment, and
then fell limp in his arms.
He
blinked; he hadnt pulled that hard. And then he saw the blind man
standing next to him with the cane in one hand. He turned his
sightless face toward Kashin and then to the whimpering Hugo. I may not
have eyes, but I can see where this is going. Were all going with
the Caial. He scowled at Hugo. And you better damn well have a good
explanation for Demarest, dog!
You all
better have a good explanation, the Caial captain, a balding man in his
early forties with a scarred chin declared as he approached them with
another dozen soldiers. A very good explanation. Now move, all of
you.
Kashin
made no objection, nor the blind man. Several soldiers carried
Diomedra. Hugo held his rat Boots close as he accompanied the
soldiers. Once they left the street amidst, Akaleth glanced behind
them and winked the bright beacon of light out.
----------
May He bless you and keep you in His grace and love,
Charles Matthias
!DSPAM:4c97e930230652612618147!
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