Blood Of The Righteous

by J. E. Sandoval

  Mulligan launched into a powerful hacking attack, using his size and the weight of his weapon to land blow after blow on Sir Marcus’ shield. Marcus waited, merely deflecting the powerful attacks, passing up multiple opportunities to get in a strike.

  Sweat started pouring from the large, hairy pirate’s face as his attacks began to weaken. Two minutes into the fight? David shook his head. Mulligan was obviously drugged to ensure Sir Marcus’ victory. How disappointing.

  Marcus swatted Mulligan’s shield away and lopped off the pirate’s head. The crowd roared with approval.

  While David didn’t get a very good look at the judicial champion’s fighting style, he learned what he needed to know. Sir Marcus was a cheat. He would do anything to win.

  It was around lunch time. Time to take Gabriel some stew and bread. He went down towards the docks where he knew a lot of the tavern owners personally.

  * * * * * *

  “Thanks, Jenna!” David said as he left the Salt Spray Inn. He had aquired a good supply of stew and hearty bread, enough for all three of them. He had run into Dunkirk in the inn, and was having him relay a message to Captain Karinga to see if he could hire the officers to stand watch over Gabriel’s room tonight. He had offered to pay them well, but knowing Karinga, he would do this as a favor.

  David made his way through the streets towards the Golden Dragon Inn. People were discussing the action at the castle the night before and placing bets on tomorrow’s match. Odds were running against Gabriel 5 to 1. A lot of people were going to be very upset tomorrow with David and Eleenia keeping the shenanigans to a minimum.

  A few guildsmen eyed him as he walked along. Word was out about David Tanner. None of the guild dared touch him now.

  David arrived at the Golden Dragon before high noon. He found El already sitting at their usual table. She had a large pitcher in front of her.

  “Water?” David asked.

  “Fresh cream,” she replied. “I came across a vendor when I was looking for a book store.”

  “Good. I watched the judicial matches. There was a pirate I was familiar with in the pits. I’m convinced they drugged him. I’ve hired the Waverunner crew to watch over us tonight.”

  El nodded with approval. “Good idea.”

  “I’ll go up and fetch Gabriel.”

  David walked up the steps behind a server he didn’t recognize who was taking a tray of food up to someone’s room. He hoped Gabriel was done with his prayers.

  David raised an eyebrow as the server stopped at Gabriel’s room and knocked on his door. “Brother Gabriel, I have your lunch for you.”

  “Excuse me,” David said as Gabriel opened his door. “Who ordered this meal?”

  “Oh, it’s complimentary! Lord Eddington always takes care of challengers to Sir Marcus.” The servant smiled.

  “What’s going on?” Gabriel asked.

  If there was one thing David was good at, it was spotting liars. “I’ll tell you what. You take a bite of every course, and take a drink of the ale, and then you can serve it to my brother.”

  The servant looked around panicked, threw the tray at David, then knocked him to the ground as he sped past.

  “Hey!” Gabriel screamed, starting to give chase.

  “No, Gabriel!” David yelled, standing up and brushing various vegetables off of his tunic. “Let him go! You’ve got to save your strength. I have stew and bread for us downstairs.”

  Gabriel stopped and turned back to David. “Do you think it was poisoned?”

  David shook his head. “Too obvious. It was drugged. Had you eaten it, you would have tired out the next time you exerted yourself. It’s what they did to Black Jack Mulligan in the judicial pits.”

  “What were you doing at the pits?”

  “Just trying to get a sense of his fighting style. He’s a cheater.”

  Gabriel sighed. “Wonderful. David, I really appreciate everything you are doing for me.”

  “I appreciate what you are doing for El. Oh, I’m having the crew of the Waverrunner stand guard overnight. Now come on, let’s go down and eat.”

  * * * * * *

  After lunch, Eleenia wandered over to the castle stables. She checked on Thunder, Gabriel’s horses, looked into his eyes to make sure they hadn’t been drugged, and fed him an apple. He looked like they were fine.

  “Miss Eleenia!” a small voice squeeled.

  El’s face brightened to see Arianna running towards her, her mother walking behind her, smiling. El squatted down and opened her arms, which Arianna jumped into.

  “Miss Eleenia! Father said you are going to stay here with us! That is wonderful! Momma won’t be getting sick again ever with you here!”

  “Sweetie,” El said, suddenly overcome with sadness at the thoughts of dashing the little girls hopes. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think I’ll be staying.”

  Arianna’s lips turned downward and tears started to fill her eyes. “Why not? Did I do something wrong?”

  “Aw, come here.” El scooped the girl up. “No, little one, you didn’t do anything wrong. Your daddy wants Miss Eleenia to marry someone she doesn’t love, nor want to marry. If I did love him, I would be happy to stay here with you, but my place is in Avonshire with my family.”

  “How far away is that?”

  Lady Eddington brushed her hand through her daughter’s hair. “Close enough for us to go visit a few times a year.”

  El smiled. “See! We’ll still get to see each other. You can come stay with me and David, we can play by the river, and David is going to buy a big orange monkey!”

  A smile crept back on Arianna’s face. “I like monkeys. Momma said there was a bestiary in River’s end. She said we would visit it in the fall. Is Mister David’s monkey going to be there?”

  “No, Sweetie, I think he is going to keep it on his house grounds. Maybe he’ll let you feed it!”

  “Will Father be coming with us?” Arianna asked her mother.

  “I don’t think Father will be interested in visiting Avonshire, hon. He needs to run things here.”

  “How long will we be able to stay?”

  Lady Eddington took her daughter from Eleenia. “As long as we want, babe. As long as we want. You said you wanted to feed the horses. Do you still want to?”

  Arianna nodded vigorously.

  “Here,” El said, handing the little girl an apple from her pouch. “Why don’t you feed this one. Her name is Nightingale. My father gave her to me on my fifteenth birthday.”

  “What do you say?” Lady Eddington asked.

  “Thank you, Miss Eleenia!” the little girl said, taking the apple. She handed it to the horse, and watched with fascination as it chomped the ripe fruit.

  “Laurel, will Sir Marcus most likely come down to practice for tomorrow’s joust?” El asked.

  “He most certainly will. Probably in a few minutes after he is done eating and scheming with Richard. In fact, look what the cat spit up!”

  Sir Marcus rounded the corner, squire in tow. “Pleasure to see you too, Lady Eddington. Hello, my future bride!”

  El gave him a look that would curdle milk.

  “Well, if you will excuse me, I have some practicing to do. You are welcome to stay and watch, Miss Eleenia.”

  “I think I’ll take you up on that,” El said.

  Sir Marcus beamed proudly. He and his squire went to the far side of the stable to prepare his horse.

  Lady Eddington rolled her eyes. “Ugh, he is so full of himself.”

  “He shall pay for his overconfidence. David is taking great pains to ensure that they don’t drug Gabriel like they do his judicial challengers.” El handed another apple to Arianna.

  Laurel gave her a disbelieving stare. “Are you serious? They drug the prisoners?”

  “David is certain o
f it. He watched a match between Marcus and the pirate Black Jack Mulligan. There was no way he could have won as easily as he did. I guess Lord Schlort can’t be having anyone show up his judicial champion.”

  Lady Eddington sighed. “It figures. And knowing the types of people that watch the battles, if they know, they probably wouldn’t care.”

  “Momma, what does schlort mean?” Arianna asked.

  El and Laurel stifled laughter.

  “I’ll tell you when you’re older, love. It’s not a nice word to say, and never say it in front of your father,” Lady Eddington said.

  Arianna nodded absently and went back to petting the horse.

  “Well,” El said, “I had better go watch Sir Butt-kiss. If you know anything that will help Gabriel, please let me know.”

  “I will, my friend.”

  * * * * * *

  Gabriel was on his knees, sword in hand, praying for God to give him strength and to see him through this tribulation. His prayers were interrupted by a knock on the door. He rose, and keeping his sword in hand, opened the door.

  “Captain Karinga! I didn’t expect you here so soon. Please, come in.”

  “Our crew has a lot of money on you, Gabriel. Gotta look after our investment. Besides,” Karinga said, “I consider David almost family, which makes you almost family, too.”

  “Thank you. Although I’m not sure if betting on me was wise. I’m not a very good jouster.”

  “Eh, I’ve seen plenty of them. Best thing to do is get through the charges and keep things tied, then whoop his ass with the sword.”

  Gabriel shrugged and nodded. “I suppose.”

  “Besides, odds on you are now six to one against! Foolish not to make that bet,” Karinga said with a laugh. “You’re not a betting man?”

  “Not really. There’s nothing in the scriptures against it, and the church has no stance on it, but I just never really felt the desire.”

  “Tanner… Sorry, Lord Ki Kalendeen was never much of a gambler either, unless it was a sure thing.”

  Karinga walked over and pointed to a pair of wooden chairs. “Mind if I borrow these? I’m here until nightfall, with Edge, then Corwyn and Dunkirk are going to take over and I’d prefer us not to have to stand.”

  “Help yourself! And my sister has a number of books. If you can read, that might help you pass the time,” Gabriel offered.

  “I just might do that. Well, I’ll let you get back to getting ready. If you need or want anything, just let us know.”

  “Thank you, Captain.” Gabriel closed the door and locked it after Karinga had exited. He picked up his sword, knelt down, and resumed his prayer.

  * * * * * *

  Lord Eddington kicked a chair with all his might out of frustration. It sailed across the room and smashed against the far wall. “You fool!” he yelled at his judicial champion. “Eleenia inherited her father’s mind. She was gathering intelligence for Gabriel on your fighting style!”

  Sir Marcus shifted nervously at the admonishment. “Forgive me, my lord, but I don’t think it will matter.”

  “Everything is at stake here! I can’t get anyone near that damn churcher to drug him! His brother is bringing him all of his food and drink, and some of those damn pirates are standing guard by his door!”

  “My lord, the church doesn’t teach their knights much in jousting. I’ll defeat him.”

  Richard balled up his fist. Nothing enraged him like not being in control of a situation. “You had better! I’ll do whatever else I can. I’ll give him cheap armor and brittle lances, and try to sneak someone into his room tonight. Keep the drinking to a minimum tonight. You need to be in top form.”

  “I could forgo drinking all together tonight, my lord,” Sir Marcus offered.

  Lord Eddington waved his hand in dismissal. “No, you’ll get the shakes tomorrow if you do that. Just limit it to a single bottle of wine.”

  The large knight smiled. “Very well, my lord. What about drugging his horse?”

  “Too obvious. No, I must get to the churcher. Leave me now, Sir Marcus. I need to think.”

  * * * * * *

  It had been a long day, but all of his efforts had been worth it. David sat in the common room of the Golden Dragon Inn, sipping his cool creamed whiskey. The light from the setting sun filled the room with a soft golden glow. The room was filled with the scents of the foods being cooked in the kitchen.

  Jenna should be here with his dinner order, Corwyn and Dunkirk in tow, David thought. El strolled in, book in hand, and sat down next to him.

  “How did it go?” Eleenia asked.

  David nodded. “I spoke to a Sir Philippe Du Rouge, a knight of the king of Gaul, and explained the situation. He is a very honorable man and he is letting Gabriel borrow his armor. I’ve also secured five good, solid lances. They will both be delivered a half hour before the match tomorrow so as to avoid tampering. Did you learn anything from watching Marcus?”

  “Yes, that his squire dare not land a blow. Other than that, he is very accurate.”

  “Get back here, you bastard!” Edge screamed. A man in messenger garb ran down the stairs, Stockmore close on his heels. He ran through the common room, knocked a table down in Edge’s path, got out the door, and disappeared into the crowd.

  “Damnit!” Edge yelled at having lost his target. He walked over to the table. “Sorry, David. We caught the bastard casing the hallway. I went to confront him and he bolted.”

  “Not a problem, Edge. Good job.” David ordered a couple of ales for the large Master at Arms. The serving girl brought it over and David handed her six coppers.

  “Bless you, Lord Ki Kalendeen,” Edge said, taking one of the large tankards.

  “Would you please take the other up to the Captain?” David asked.

  “Consider it done.” Stockmore took the other tankard and headed up the stairs. He passed Gabriel who was on his way down.

  “Ah, perfect timing,” El said as Jenna, Corwyn, and Dunkirk came into the room carrying several bags. Dunkirk set a lidded cauldron down and wiped his brow. Corwyn was carrying a small cask, which he set on the table.

  “Apple cider,” Fyke said. “Found it in the hold of the Intrepid. Tapped and tested.”

  “Excellent,” Gabriel said. He grabbed one of the cups Jenna had unloaded and filled it. “What’s for dinner?”

  Jenna lifted the lid of the cauldron. Steam and a delicious scent of spices flowed forth. “We made some spiced pork and tubers. Enough for twelve people. I wasn’t sure who was all eating.”

  David inhaled deeply. “That smells amazing. You are going to join us, right? All of you.”

  “Love to,” Dunkirk said, rubbing his hands together. “Dish out two portions and I’ll take it up to the Captain.

  The all started digging in, tearing apart some of the loaves of bread that Jenna produced.

  “So what are the odds against me now?” Gabriel asked.

  “I think word’s gotten out that Eddington can’t get near you,” Corwyn said, dipping his bread in the thick stew liquid. “They’ve gone down to 3 to 1. Glad I made my bets early.” He took a huge bite of the stew-soaked bread.

  “With us working for you, David, I don’t think we’ll be too popular here for a while,” Dunkirk said before taking a bite of pork. “Oh, Jenna, you guys have really outdone yourselves!”

  The blonde tavern girl blushed. “Thank you, Mr. Dunkirk. My grandmother used to make it for family feasts. I thought it appropriate.”

  David set his cup of cider down. “Well, Gabriel, I have procured you a knight’s jousting armor and five sturdy lances. More than you’ll need. They’ll be delivered right before the joust, so Eddington won’t have a chance to tamper with them.”

  “Thank you, Bro
ther. El, I won’t let you down.”

  Eleenia smiled. “I have truly been blessed. I know you won’t.”

  “I’ve eaten my fill,” Gabriel said. “I am going to turn in soon.” He filled his cup again with apple cider and drained it.

  Corwyn slapped him on the shoulder. “Tomorrow, we shall be toasting your victory.”

  “Hear, hear,” Dunkirk said, raising his glass.

  * * * * * *

  Gabriel woke three hours before the joust. He was up late praying for strength and steadiness, and that God would grant him victory. He sat up and stretched, not feeling any soreness or stiffness in his muscles.

  After utilizing the chamber pot and washing his hands, he opened the door. Quenton and Doc glanced up from their card playing.

  “Oh, good morning, Gabriel,” Doc said. “I brought some sweet rolls and bacon. Cooked them myself.”

  “Thank you,” Gabriel said, taking the sack. “I’m going to eat in my room. Any action last night?”

  “A few people cased the hallway, but no one was able to get by us,” Quenton said.

  Gabriel nodded, turned, and closed the door. He sat down and opened the bag. The bacon was cold and soggy, but he didn’t mind. He pulled out the sweet rolls. They would do.

  After finishing off his breakfast, Gabriel went downstairs. David and El were already waiting for him. He joined them and they chatted for a few hours. An hour before the joust, they decided to head over to the to the stadium.

  Gabriel, being dressed in his Holy Defender outfit, was met with a number of mocks on his way to the lists, but he wasn’t bothered. He had prepared his mind and spirit for what needed to be done. David and Eleenia were following behind him leading his horse, David trying to calm El’s fears of losing her brother.

  When they got to the stadium at the center of the city, they were met by Lady Eddington.

  “Where’s Arianna?” Eleenia asked.