Blood Of The Righteous

by J. E. Sandoval

  A wave of excitement washed over him as he beheld the engraving of an eagle overlaid upon a cross on the hilt. He picked it up and removed it from its sheath. The silver blade bore the same insignia.

  “Where did you get this?” Gabriel asked, interrupting the merchant’s latest dissertation.

  “That one? I bought it in New Portsmouth, four years ago.”

  “How much?” Gabriel asked bluntly.

  “I suppose I could part with it fer eighteen gold. That’s close t’what I paid for it,” the merchant replied, anxiously biting his lip.

  Gabriel pulled out his coin purse and counted out eighteen gold, handing it to the stout man.

  The merchant silently cursed himself for not starting his price higher. “A fine blade, that one. Almost got me in a bit of trouble, getting it.”

  Gabriel held the dagger up for the merchant to see. Another swath of emotions rolled over him as he tried to sort through them. “This was my father’s dagger!” he said, hand and his voice almost shaking. “It belonged to Lord Ki Kalendeen of Lystra. From whom did you purchase it?”

  The merchant closed his eyes as he feigned trying to remember. “I… Sorry, M’lord. I just can’t seem ta jog me old brains.”

  Gabriel could sense that he was lying. “Do not try to play your knavery upon me, sir,” he said angrily. “You shall tell me every detail of how you came into possession of this dagger.”

  Several passersby walked slowly past, casually watching the altercation. The merchant saw that he was gaining an audience, and incurring the wrath of a man of the Church in Avonshire was a sure way to be shunned and out of business.

  “Alright, alright! Don’t get yer moral underpinnings in an uproar,” the merchant said, trying to diffuse the situation. “I gots it several days after th’ fall a’ House Ki Kalendeen. A lad sold it t’me. About five and a half feet tall, blonde hair. He was an awful mess. Had th’ piss beat out a’ him by the looks of it. Looked t’be about thirteen or fourteen.” He stared at Gabriel for a few moments. “Looked a lot like you, he did.”

  “David…” Gabriel whispered.

  The merchant shrugged. “I don’ know what his name was.”

  Understanding washed over Gabriel’s face. “Cord of three… The cord of three!!!” he yelled, grabbing the merchant by the shoulders and shaking him.

  The merchant was starting to feel a bit uncomfortable. “Aye, whatever ye say, M’lord!”

  “He’s alive! David! HE’S ALIVE!!!” Gabriel put the dagger in his tunic pocket and turned, running through the merchant square. The message from the nun now made some sense to him. The path of his quest was now clear. He had to tell Eleenia!

  Gabriel ran through the market, dodging through people as they rushed to get out of his way. Excitement flowed through him as the possibilities raced through his mind. David was alive after these last four years. It was almost beyond belief, but being of the Order, he was willing to take many things on faith alone.

  The odd doubt crossed his mind, such as why David had not contacted him and Eleenia or come to live in Avonshire with them, but the thrill of the quest before him and the memory of the Archangel’s words quickly drove any uncertainty from him.

  He hastily made mental notes of all he must do before he departed. First, he would have to ask permission from the Templar Majoris. Next, he would need to talk to the Order’s treasurer to receive the necessary funds. While he had more than enough gold saved up to pay for the journey ten times over, it was a path that God had set his feet upon rather than a personal expedition. However, if the expenses were denied, he would gladly pay for himself. Gabriel cared little for material wealth.

  Then there was the problem of Eleenia. He had dreaded what would happen if his duties ever came in conflict with his self-imposed responsibility to remain her guardian, and it appeared as though that possibility was about to become a reality. She could stay with Janelle, he supposed, but she would still have to make her rounds. She had living quarters on the University grounds, and if she was to not venture out into the city while he was gone… No, Gabriel realized Eleenia would never agree to that. If only she could come with him, he could continue to watch after her.

  A small bit of anxiety found its way through the euphoria. What would the Templar Majoris or the Bishop say if he made his vow regarding his sister known? Even if he managed to work things out this time, what about next time?

  No, it wouldn’t be a problem. Next time he was sent out, David would be here to protect her. Gabriel mentally rebuked himself for allowing his faith the slip. Yes, he would find David, who would be overjoyed to come back to Avonshire to stay, and David could watch over Eleenia while he was gone. His mind was made up. That is how things would be. The anxiety left him as quickly as it had come.

  On he ran through the crowded streets, leaping over the occasional obstacles that lay in his path. Losing control as he rounded the final corner to the Argos home, Gabriel plowed into a group of people chatting on the street corner.

  “Hey, you watch where you are going, Popinjay!” one of them shouted. “Or I’ll…” The man stopped his threat short when he saw Gabriel’s midnight blue cloak.

  “My apologies, my good man!” Gabriel shouted as he ran from the group. “God’s blessings upon you!”

  Gabriel arrived at the Argos home, stopping to briefly catch his breath. His deep breathing exercises of his training worked beautifully, and in a quarter of a minute, he had recomposed himself. He quickly began pounding on the door.

  “El! I need to speak to you!” he shouted. He continued to pound, drawing curious looks from passersby.

  “Seems as though that cavorting heathen Argos girl is finally going to get what she has coming to her,” said a persnickety woman engrossed in the spectacle, making no attempt to conceal her words.

  “Yes,” said her equally snobbish and loud companion. “I hope the church throws her in the dungeon and beats some propriety into that wicked hoyden. It would do her a world of good.”

  “Indeed, and I wish I could be there to see it all,” stated the first woman.

  At their words, Gabriel stopped his knocking and spun upon the two gossips, finger pointed threateningly in their direction. “You speak from ignorance, woman!” he said, righteous anger filling his words. “Judge not another person’s heart, lest you be judged by the same measure! Away with the lot of you! Back to your sewing circle!”

  The two women gasped indignantly, mouths agape. “The nerve of that indecorous churcher,” one of them replied haughtily. “Who does he think he is?”

  Gabriel took a threatening step towards them. While a good two legs away, the two women still backed up. “You should get down on your hands and knees and thank God daily with all of your being that you were not given the lot of Janelle Argos! To whom much is given, much is required, yet by your actions you are found wanting! You lord the circumstance He has blessed you with over others of less fortune! Now be gone!”

  He turned back to resume his pounding on the door, but came face to face with Janelle, staring incredulously at him.

  “Who are you?” she asked. “What has become of Gabriel Ki Kalendeen?”

  “Janelle, I urgently need to speak with El.”

  “Uh… come in,” she said, holding the door for him, concealing a smirk at the gratifying spectacle she had just witnessed.

  Gabriel stepped into the Argos household, but for the first time, invited. “Where is El?” he asked.

  “She’s in the sparring room, catching her breath. Hardly has any wind left sitting in the library day in and day out. Come with me.”

  Janelle led Gabriel through the home, into a room with no furniture save two benches on opposite walls. On the floor were mats stuffed with straw, and several training dummies hung from the rafters. Ports cut into the wall were propped open, allowing light and the stench of rotting garbage and sewage in from the alley behind the hou
se. The room had been recently added to the house with mostly Felix’s pay from the Free Company. Eleenia sat on the left hand bench, quarterstaff at her side, staring at the ceiling trying to catch her breath.

  Gabriel quickly walked over and sat beside her. “El! I have some fantastic news!”

  Eleenia shifted her gaze from the ceiling to her brother, panting not subsiding. “What… is it?” she said between breaths.

  Gabriel retrieved the dagger from his tunic pocket, holding it out for her to examine. Eleenia took it into her hands, turning the hilt against the light so as to make out the engraving.

  “Where did you find… find it?” she asked, still panting.

  “From a merchant in town. El, he purchased it from David!”

  Eleenia handed the dagger back to Gabriel. She took a deep breath as her wind began to return to her. “Don’t be foolish. Why would he have sold Father’s dagger? He would have been forced to muck out the stalls for that.”

  “No, you don’t understand. He sold it AFTER the attack! El, David is alive!”

  Eleenia hung her head and placed her hand upon his. She sat quietly for a few seconds, trying to select words that would not hurt her brother too badly. “Gabriel, David is dead. He was laid to rest four years ago in our family’s mausoleum. I thought you had accepted this.”

  Gabriel would not be swayed. He shook his head, smiling. “No, he’s alive. And I’m going to bring him back.”

  “Stop it. He’s dead,” Eleenia said, rubbing her temples. She was beginning to feel exasperated. “If he were alive, he would have contacted us. Why do you think he didn’t?”

  “I don’t know, but I’m going to ask him. I must be off to the…”

  “No!” Eleenia interrupted. “He didn’t because he was killed with everyone else! Why must you drudge up these emotions? You have to put this behind you.”

  “El, let me explain. An old nun gave me a message that mentioned a cord of three. ‘The cord of three is torn asunder,’ she said. She must have meant you, David, and me. The merchant said the lad he bought the dagger from looked like me!”

  “So?” El said coldly.

  “You know how much David resembles me. We have different hair color, but apart from that the resemblance is fairly hard to miss.”

  El patted Gabriel on his hand again. “Anyone could have looted that dagger from the castle. Don’t do this to yourself.”

  Gabriel withdrew his hand. “I know he is alive. I am going to ask permission this very day to travel to New Portsmouth. When I bring him back to Avonshire, I will accept your apologies.”

  Eleenia threw up her hands. “Fine. Go on your little quest, based on the word of a drunken weapons salesman and an old nun’s delusions most likely prompted by indigestion. But don’t say I didn’t warn you when you come back empty and disappointed!”

  Gabriel stood and kissed her on her forehead. “And don’t you be angry over being wrong when David and I return,” he said, giving special emphasis on the word 'wrong.'

  He straightened his tunic and faced Janelle. “Thank you, Janelle. I shall take my leave.” He turned and strode out of the room.

  Thoughts of Gabriel making a fool of himself raced through Eleenia’s mind. “Wait!” Eleenia called after him. “I’m coming with you!”

  * * * * * *

  The Waverunner rocked back and forth upon the choppy waters, north of Decia. The sounds of sailors running back and forth, trying to change tack to keep up with the continuously changing winds thudded upon the roof of the captain’s cabin. Karinga took a slug of whiskey, considering the implications of his Yeoman’s statements as his six officers waited in the crowded room.

  “So,” Karinga said, putting the empty wooden cup down upon his desk. “What exactly are you implying, Mr. Tanner?”

  “I’m not trying to imply anything. I just find it odd that Laudabacker and his men knew exactly where I was going to be and when.”

  “But you go to the Four Dragons often when we are in Northpoint,” Fyke interjected.

  “True,” David said, “but never that early. And those two ruffian stinkpots he brought with him would have stood out if they were hanging around outside all day waiting for me.”

  Dunkirk spoke up. “The guild has spies all over the northland, David. Anyone could have told Laudabacker where you were.”

  “The only ones that knew I was going to the Four Dragons are the people in this very room, Bosun,” David said angrily.

  Karinga stood up, nearly bumping his head on the crossbeam. “Tanner, that’s enough. I’ve been with these men for seven years now. I trust them all just as much as I trust you!”

  “Davey,” Doc said, “someone could have been skulking around outside the inn and run to the docks as soon as they saw you. They then could have told Laudabacker as soon as the Independent was moored. Unlikely, I’ll admit, but not outside the realm of possibilities.”

  “It might all be just a coincidence that he showed up,” the boatswain said.

  “Damnit, Dunkirk, didn’t you listen to me?” David yelled. “He said ‘Been told Tanner would be here!’ Someone told him I WOULD be there! They had foreknowledge of where I was going to be!”

  “Ah yes, my apologies. I forgot and I stand corrected.”

  Karinga settled himself back in his chair. “Alright, gentlemen. I am going to go with Doc’s theory. We need to put this behind us. With the guild getting ballsier toward us, we must rely on one another, and we can’t be suspicious of each other. We’re putting into Port Cauldwell in a week or so. Once there, tell everyone we are heading north for Kirkwall. However, once out to sea, we shall turn south, making for Bord de la Mer. Not a word to the crew about this, gentlemen. If the guild does have spies watching us, I want to throw them off our trail. Then we shall dismiss the crew and lay low for a while until Gaeceric’s attentions turn elsewhere.”

  Edge and Fyke looked downcast at the thought of extended shore leave.

  For Fyke, being at sea meant everything to him. Ever since he left the Ordures Blanches when he was barely a man the sea had called to him. The rocking of the ship, while making other men sick, would put Fyke to sleep like he was a babe rocking in his mother’s arms. These days, when he had to spend a night on land, he would barely sleep a wink. The stillness put him in mind of the grave, and without peace in his soul, thoughts of the grave filled him with dread.

  Edge’s reasons were different. When ashore, he went through money like a divorced noble went through courtesans. Since David had come on board, he had earned more money than he ever thought possible, but somehow, he would still end up broke by the time he got back to the ship. Gambling, drink, food, women, fights, and jail awaited Stockmoor when he was in port. His worst enemy was his success.

  Karinga noted their disappointment, but remained firm. “I’m sorry, gentlemen, but things are getting too hot for us out here. Three months should be long enough. Dunkirk and I will stay with the ship to get her refitted. That is all.”

  One by one, the officers left the cabin, David trailing behind. As soon as the rest were out, David closed the door in front of him. He turned to face Karinga, eyes downcast.

  “My apologies, Captain, for overstepping my bounds,” he said, not wanting to meet Karinga’s gaze. “I thought my warning was for the good of the crew. I didn’t mean any disrespect or to cause dissension.”

  A particularly nasty wave hit the starboard side of the boat, causing it to lurch. Karinga’s cup fell from the table and clattered across the floor. David shifted his stance to maintain balance.

  Karinga merely stared at him, not saying a word.

  “Captain,” David started.

  Karinga put his hand up, silencing the young Yeoman. “It's alright, David. Since you were the one they approached, I suppose that rules you out as a suspect. You are correct. One of my men is most likely wor
king for the guild. Possibly even an officer.”

  David looked up, his eyes widening. “What? You knew and didn’t say anything? You made me look the fool in front of the men?”

  “Yes, I did,” Karinga said flatly. “If the turncoat knew I had an inkling, I might not catch him. I have to know for sure, though.” He bent over to collect the cup that had fallen and sat it back upon his desk. “A week ago, upon performing an inspection, I noticed that several of the support lines under the main topsail had been partially cut. Had some men been up there trying to open or shorten the sail…” Karinga left the rest of the thought unsaid. “Tell no one of this, my boy. Not even Fyke. This is between you and I.”

  * * * * * *

  Gabriel and Eleenia reached the Hall of the Defenders shortly thereafter. On the way over, Gabriel had explained the strange meeting with the old nun, however El still brushed it off as an old woman’s delusion.

  Gabriel strode inside the Hall, giving a quick head bow to the groups of Defenders who went about their administrative duties. Eleenia stayed close by, never feeling quite comfortable within these environs. They made their way to the stone stairwell that led up to the Templar Majoris’ office, three floors above them.

  While Gabriel was tempted to take the stairs two at a time, he opted to keep a modicum of outward order, even though inside he wanted to sprint all the way to New Portsmouth this very hour.

  “Have you given a thought as to what you are going to say?” El asked. “The story you told me isn’t very convincing.”

  “Not to worry. The Templar Majoris will understand. He is most likely even expecting me.”

  “Why is that, Gabriel?”

  Gabriel stepped to the side to allow a priest descending the stairway to pass by. “I can’t say.”

  “You don’t know or you aren’t allowed to tell me?” El inquired.

  “I am forbidden to discuss it with you. My apologies, but that is one of the tenants of the Order,” Gabriel replied.