“How long have you served the Dark Knight?” he asked.
“The Dark Knight?” she scoffed. “I serve the power of Angraal that seeks to release us from slavery. The Dark Knight is merely an instrument.”
“You’ll find that I’m not easily distracted,” said Lee. “How long?”
“Eight years,” she replied.
“How many others are there?” he asked.
Salmitaya laughed. “How should I know? We are not told the identity of others. No knowledge, no betrayal.”
Lee pressed the matter further. “Of course. But surely you’ve ran into others from time to time.”
“I have,” she admitted. “But never the same person twice, and not for more than for a few moments. If you want me to give you names, I can’t. Torture me all you want, I don’t know.”
“Is there a way you recognize others like you?” asked Lee. “A signal, or some sort of clothing?”
“The only way I can tell is if a person bares the seal of the Great Lord himself,” she explained. “It’s a hand holding broken scales. I’ve seen it many times, but we all have orders to destroy it right away once received. That’s the only way I know.” She turned away and faced the darkness of the forest. “Ask me nothing more. I have no knowledge of plans or strategy. I know nothing that can help you.”
“Perhaps,” Lee said. “But you still have to convince one more person.”
“The bloody elf? She would cut my throat before listening to me.”
“It’s not the elf you need to convince,” Lee chuckled. “Your fate rests in the hands of Sister Maybell.”
Salmitaya’s eyes widened. “You brought her with you? Where is she?”
“She’s safe,” he answered. “Waiting for us to return this very moment, in fact.”
“She’s a fool,” spat Salmitaya. “A blind old fool.”
“I spared your life because of a promise I made to that blind old fool,” Lee warned. “You had better pray she holds me to it.”
Lee could sense her sudden fear.
Kaylia showed up with a look of concern and confusion on her face. Lee walked with her out of earshot of Salmitaya.
“Whoever this woman is, she’s clever, and moves with great speed,” Kaylia whispered. “It would take me two days to catch them if I persisted, so I doubt the guards have any chance at all.”
“That would be good news if we knew who she was,” Lee said.
“Could you tell where they’re going?”
“I think they’re heading into the Spirit Hills,” she replied. “Any other direction would take them back to the road. I doubt they’ll risk exposure until they’re well away from here.”
“There’s a village on the southwest slopes that they’ll likely stop at for supplies,” said Lee. “Even at a dead run, it would take them three days to make their way through such rough terrain. On horseback, we can reach the village ahead of them, if we take the road and go around. Unless they sprout wings and learn to fly, we should be able to head them off."
“What of the woman?” Kaylia asked. “You don’t intend to leave her here, do you?”
“We’ll ride to Fair Harvest first,” Lee responded. “I promised to deliver her to Sister Maybell. A delay, I know, but we should still be able to beat Gewey and this mystery woman by a full day.”
“Very well,” said Kaylia. “I don’t like delays, but I would like to see this reunion.” A sinister smile crept over her face.
Lee threw his head back in laughter. “No doubt Maybell will be quite put out.” He paused, struck by a sudden thought. “By the way, did you leave any of the guards alive?”
“Yes,” answered Kaylia. “But I doubt they’ll venture into the forest after dark again.”
Lee smiled. “We’re off, then.”
The three mounted their horses and headed east until they reached a crossroads where they turned south, toward Fair Harvest.
It took them until mid-morning to arrive, and by that time their horses were spent. Lee knew he would have to purchase others if they expected to catch Gewey.
Fair Harvest was little more than a large camp, supported by a few local farmers and traders. The town had only one road, with a few small shops and dwellings scattered on either side; the inn at the southwest corner of the village was by far the largest building. Seeing the state of things, Lee grew concerned that he wouldn’t be able to find decent horses. They approached the inn, tied their mounts to the hitching post, and led Salmitaya inside.
The interior of the inn was even less impressive than the exterior. Three tables and a small bar was the grand sum of the common room.
Two locals sat in the corner drinking ale while the barmaid leaned against the wall, playing with her hair.
The innkeeper, who had been rummaging around behind the bar, rose to his feet as they approached. “Can I help you?” he asked, staring at the hooded figure of Kaylia.
“We have two friends staying here,” said Lee. “Could you tell someone to get them for me?”
“Indeed, sir,” said the innkeeper. “They’re here all right. You’ll be taking them along with you I trust?”
“Why do you ask?” Lee said warily. “Has there been trouble?”
“Not so much trouble,” he replied, “but I swear that woman could drive a nitfly mad. I mean, look around. Does this look like a palace to you?” The man gestured to the meager decor. “You’d think she was the Queen herself the way she makes demands.”
Lee smiled. “Could you go get them please?” he asked, tossing the man a copper.
“Yes sir,” said the innkeeper. “Right away.” He disappeared up the stairs.
Seconds later, Millet came running downstairs and pulled Lee into a tight embrace. “Thank the Gods you’re here; that woman is driving me mad.” Releasing his grip on Lee, Millet noticed Salmitaya.
“I see you have her, but what about the boy?”
“Let’s go upstairs where we can talk,” said Lee. “Where’s Maybell?”
“In her room,” said Millet sourly, leading them upstairs. “She refuses to come out until she gets a proper bath. The wash basin isn’t to her liking.”
“Well, she can get one back in Kaltinor if she wants,” Lee quipped, slapping Millet on the shoulder.
“Indeed,” Millet huffed.
“We’ll take care of this one first,” Lee instructed, holding Salmitaya by the arm. “Show us to Maybell’s room.”
Millet knocked on the old woman’s door.
“Unless you’re here with a proper bathtub and hot water, go away!” Maybell called from behind the door.
“Open up,” Lee said sternly.
They heard the woman scuffling around, and then the door swung open.
“We have someone here to see you,” Lee said, pushing Salmitaya inside.
Maybell immediately noticed the blood on her dress. “You said she wouldn’t be harmed!”
“And she hasn’t,” said Lee. “That’s not her blood.”
Maybell looked in horror at the blood-stained dress. “Then whose blood is it?”
“Before I get to that,” said Lee, looking at Salmitaya. “I think Her Holiness has a few things she’d like to tell you. The deal is she lives so long as she tells the truth.”
Salmitaya glared at Lee. “Very well,” she said, then turned toward Maybell. “What I am going to tell you is the complete truth. Once you’ve heard it, you are to decide my fate. On the head of Ayliazarah and the essence of my soul, I swear that my words are not false.”
Salmitaya proceeded to tell Maybell how she had conspired with the governor to close the temples. She told her about the murders and deceptions she had been part of. Maybell listened carefully, but her face betrayed no emotion-not even when Salmitaya confessed to serving Angraal and kidnapping Gewey for the Dark Knight.
When she was finished, Maybell stood up tall and straight and looked into Salmitaya’s eyes.
“I cast you out,” said Maybell, her voice quiet and calm
. “The eyes of the temple will no longer see you. Your name will be stricken from the Book of the Eternal Light and shall not be spoken again.
I give you your life only so that you may see the day when you and your master suffer as you have made others suffer.” She paused, locking eyes with Salmitaya. “Now leave from my sight, before I forget myself and kill you where you stand.”
“Put her in your room, Millet,” said Lee, and then looked over to Kaylia. “Give her some jawas tea and leave her there. She can make her way back to Kaltinor, or wherever else she wants, when she wakes up.”
As soon as the door closed, Maybell sat on the bed and wept.
“Millet will see that you get safely back to Kaltinor,” Lee said, placing his hand gently on Maybell’s shoulder. “If that’s where you want to go.”
Maybell wiped her tears and said, “I can’t go back. No matter what I said, that woman has power enough to keep herself safely locked away in the temple. She could crush an old woman like me.”
“Then where do you want to go?” Lee asked. Maybell opened her mouth to reply, but Kaylia and Millet returned before she could give her answer.
“Kaylia and I need to leave as soon as we’re able,” Lee explained. “Millet, you’ll take the wagon south to the Old Road of Santismal, then continue west. Whoever freed Gewey is likely to pass through Vine Run on the southwest slope of the Spirit Hills. Kaylia and I will try to cut them off, while you follow behind.”
“You never said what happened to Gewey,” said Millet. “Where is he?”
Lee told them about the events of the past day and explained their plan.
“I will see to the horses now,” said Millet. “You should eat and rest for a bit.”
“One more thing,” Lee said, turning toward Maybell. “Sister, if you wish, you can accompany Millet until you either reach another temple or figure out where you want to go.”
Millet froze. “But my lord…” he started.
“Thank you,” Maybell interrupted. “That is very kind. I’m sure Millet and I will become fast friends.”
Millet looked pained as he turned and left. Kaylia said nothing, but Lee could tell she was not happy.
“If you’ll excuse us, Sister,” Lee said, motioning for Kaylia to join him in the hall.
“She will slow us down,” Kaylia asserted. “You should leave her.”
“You’re right,” Lee acknowledged. “But I won’t. She’s a lady of worth and honor, and I will not abandon such a person.”
“Answer me this, half-man,” she countered. “When you came upon me in the forest, was it you who decided to come to my aid?”
Lee had no answer.
“I see,” she said.
“The fact is, I was wrong and Gewey was right,” Lee said, finally.
“Given the same choice again, I would help you.”
“You misunderstand,” she replied. “Helping me was foolish. You were right to want to leave me. And know this: given the same choice today, I would leave you.”
Lee chuckled.
“Something amuses you?” asked Kaylia.
“It’s just that is the first thing I’ve heard you say that I don’t believe,” said Lee. “Come, let’s eat.”
Chapter 14
It was well into the afternoon when Gewey and Celandine reached the foot of the Spirit Hills. Though they had stopped running, Gewey began to feel the fatigue in his legs as they walked onward.
“I don’t think we’re being followed,” said Celandine. “All the same, we should be well into the hills before we stop.”
“Where are you from?” Gewey asked, trying to make conversation.
“Baltria,” she answered. “But I haven’t been there since I was a child.”
“Do you remember what it was like?”
“Vaguely. Mostly just flashes of memory. I do remember the smell of the salt air coming off the bay. My father would take me to see the ships, and that smell always told me we were close. What about you?”
“Nowhere you would have heard of,” said Gewey, not wanting to give away too much about himself.
“Don’t worry,” she said, sensing his trepidation. “While I’d love to know why you’re deemed to be so important, I’m not going to force it out of you.”
“What do you know about me?” Gewey inquired.
“I was given your description and name, and was told that if I found you, I should keep you safe until you could be delivered to the temple.”
Gewey looked puzzled. “Why would your temple care about me?”
“We have spies among the Dark Knight’s followers, and when we learned he was after you, we knew we had to get to you first,” Celandine answered. “Other than that, I don’t know much.”
“What’s your temple like?” Gewey asked.
“It’s a place of training and worship,” she explained. “Only a few of us are permitted to go there, and I must admit I’m curious why a farm boy is worth this journey.”
“Me too,” Gewey said.
Celandine laughed. Her laugh sounded like a song to Gewey, and it made him have thoughts that caused him to blush.
“How old are you?” she asked.
“Why?” Gewey replied. “How old do I look?”
“Your size says a grown man in his twenties,” she remarked. “But your eyes tell a different story.”
“I’m seventeen,” he announced. “But I’ve been my own man for two years.”
Celandine smiled sweetly and looked closely at him. “You are very young, but I have no doubt that you are your own man. I meant no offense.”
“It’s just that Lee and the others treat me like a child,” he admitted.
“Back home, I have my own land and run a farm by myself. Here, I feel like I’m growing up all over again.”
“But when it comes to the world, you are,” Celandine replied.
“Your friends only want to protect you, as do I.”
“I don’t need protecting,” Gewey said bitterly. “I can take care of myself.”
“I could tell,” she teased. “Salmitaya must have been terrified.”
“I would have escaped sooner or later!” Gewey protested. “I didn’t need rescuing.”
“Be that as it may,” she said sternly, “I did rescue you, and I would think you would show a little appreciation.”
Gewey felt ashamed. “I’m sorry. I do appreciate your help, Celandine. I really do. I just get sick of feeling so bloody helpless.”
“I understand,” she said sympathetically. “I know what it’s like to feel helpless, but trust me, once you get to the temple, you’ll never have to feel that way again.”
“I hope you’re right,” Gewey replied, earnestly.
“One more thing,” said Celandine. “My friends call me Dina-or at least, they did when I had friends.”
Gewey smiled. “Dina, then.”
By the time the sun went down, they were well into the interior of the Spirit Hills. They built a small fire at the base of one the hills and split a loaf of flatbread Dina had brought.
After they ate, Gewey laid on the grass to rest, using his journey pack as a pillow. The stars were obscured by the constant overcast, and he felt the chill of the damp night air creep into his clothing.
Lee’s words about the coming of a hard winter echoed in his head, and suddenly his mind went to thoughts of the villagers in Sharpstone. They had seen too many hard winters-too many deaths.
Somehow, he would find a way to make things right.
Dina was huddled close to the fire, already asleep. Gewey watched the firelight as it danced across her face. He wanted to go to her and feel the softness of her cheek against his hand. She stirred for a moment, and Gewey felt himself blush with embarrassment. He rolled over and tried to sleep, but he couldn’t take his mind off her.
Finally, he got up and walked off into the night, careful not to wake her. He closed his eyes and breathed the cold air into his lungs.
Remembering Kaylia’s
lessons, he focused his mind on the darkness that surrounded him. The trees in this part of the hills were thick and numerous, so Gewey decided to practice moving through the shadows.
It wasn’t long before he had forgotten Dina and lost himself in his training. The darkness opened itself up to him and showed him where to hide, how to move, and where to strike.
“You move like an elf,” said a voice from behind him. Gewey spun around and saw a thin, old man dressed in animal skins, holding a gnarled tree branch as a walking stick. His long gray hair was tangled and unkempt, and his wiry beard fell down his chest. Gewey, realizing he had left his sword back at the fire, took a quick step back.
“Who are you?” Gewey stammered.
“The spirits tell me that you are something special,” the old man answered. “I wanted to see for myself.”
“Spirits?” Gewey asked. “What spirits?”
“They tell me you need my help,” he continued, as if Gewey hadn’t spoken. “Yes they do. They tell me things. Things you should know. Things you shouldn’t. They’re very clever.”
“Tell me who you are,” Gewey demanded. “What do you want?”
“He asks what we want, he does. What could we want? Nothing, that’s what. We have all we need. But you want something, don’t you? You want something very badly. Don’t worry. No, don’t you worry. You’ll have it. Yes indeed you will. I’ll give it.”
“What will you give me?” Gewey asked, confused.
“No not yet,” said the old man. “Not now, but soon. Very soon.”
The old man turned and walked away, disappearing behind a nearby tree. Gewey chased after him, but he was nowhere to be found. He searched for over an hour, but to no avail. It was as if the old man had vanished like a puff of smoke.
When he went back to the camp, he woke Dina and told her what had happened.
“Did he say anything else?” she asked.
“Nothing,” he answered.
Dina thought for a while. “I don’t know,” she said finally. “The
Spirit Hills are said to be an odd place, haunted even, but I’ve never heard anything like this.”
“What should we do?” Gewey wondered.
“What can we do?” she replied. “I say we get some rest and see what happens. It doesn’t sound like whoever it was is finished with you, but it I don’t see how we can do anything about it.”
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