The Fragile Fall At Tallow Bridge (The White Blood Chronicles Book 1)

by Mark G Heath

  “ It is no loss of ours,” said Peyton, cutting across Thaindire. Thaindire paused, wrong footed by this comment.

  “ Our….she consorted with the Fallen One and became something besides the daughter we loved.” continued Peyton, his wife nodded her assent.

  “ No, she was innocent,” Thaindire said slowly.

  “ No, you are much mistaken Master Thaindire. You see, we sought Father Campion’s judgement after we found that she was pregnant.”

  “ Our daughter never bothered with men, for she was keeping herself for the day she married, “ explained Belinda her hands clasped together.

  “ She never had male visitors or spent time with boys or men. There was no way that she could have become pregnant without, well, without some unnatural interference. When we saw the swelling of her belly we feared for what it might amount to and so we asked Father Campion for his advice. He agreed with us and suspected that the dark Fallen Lord was abroad within the village and had sought an unholy union with our daughter.”

  “ That’s right,” continued Belinda, “ the foul one sometimes creeps from the forest and seeks to steal away our folk for his pleasure, we are blessed that for the most part Father Campion keeps it away, as his faith is strong and pure. You see, the dark Fallen Lord can only enter the village if invited; it has no other means of entry. Sadly, it had preyed upon our daughter and she has willingly taken to its loins.”

  “ To think our Isabel invited in such a demon and into this, our house, while we slept. Only witchery would welcome the foul one. We are fortunate we brought her witchcraft to Father Campion’s attention or we too would be facing judgement in the river,” said Peyton.

  “ No, listen to me, she was wholly innocent. She was no witch. It was Priest Campion that placed her with child,” explained Thaindire.

  “ May the One True God have mercy on you Master Thaindire!” exclaimed Peyton rising from his seat.

  “ Sssh,” exclaimed Belinda looking around as if Campion might appear.

  “ You must not speak of the father so.”

  Thaindire raised his left hand to quieten their protestations.

  “ It is true. I saw the two of them embrace. The gravedigger, Gregory, he confirmed to me that your daughter regularly visited Campion. It was evident from his comments that it was Campion who was engaging in an unholy union with your daughter. She was susceptible to his considerable charm. I know what I saw,” stressed Thaindire.

  “ Oh let Him protect us from this evil tongue!” shrieked Belinda as she placed her hands over her ears.

  “ What are you Master Thaindire?” challenged Peyton, moving towards Thaindire. “ I fear we have allowed in another demon, one who speaks ill of our good priest. Your wicked tales will find no favour here.”

  “ I know she is innocent as I am a witch finder,” continued Thaindire rising from his seat to tower over the smaller man.

  “ I belong to the Order which is charged with the hunting down and eradication of witches from Albion. That is why I am in Aftlain and believe me I have seen much witchcraft and devilment abound in this cursed place, but none of it involved your daughter.”

  “ Witch finder? No, Master Thaindire, the waters judged her and took her. They cleansed the evil from her soul and destroyed the demon spawn, which she carried. We lost our daughter moons ago to the darkness. I don’t know who sent you to our door, but you are not welcome here,” replied Peyton.

  “ Damnation man, you must heed what I say. Campion holds sway over many of the village’s women; he is the demon you must beware of.”

  “ Such blasphemy, Master Thaindire I must ask you to leave our house,” insisted Peyton, pointing a finger to the door.

  “ Cast him out Peyton, before he shows his serpent’s tongue,” urged Belinda.

  “ Listen to me, your daughter was dragged to her death on false grounds. Not only was she wholly innocent of what she was accused of; this village's priest abused her.”

  “ Leave now or I shall send Belinda to fetch the others.” Thaindire hesitated, looking from the tanner to his wife and then back to the tanner again. He could see there was no persuading them. Campion’s grip on them was absolute.

  “ Then I pray that the One True God removes the fog of ignorance that Campion has woven about your minds and that clarity comes to you soon,” said Thaindire shaking his head at their misplaced conviction.

  Thaindire headed to the door letting himself out, staggered by the behaviour of the couple. He waited a moment, half-expecting the tanner to dart from the house to alert Campion to Thaindire’s words, but no movement came. Thaindire shook his head; the couple were heavily under the influence of Campion. He suspected that further dark arts may well be utilised in affecting the tanner and his wife to such an extent. Perhaps he engaged the medicinal expertise of Thorne to craft a potion, which could control the minds of those less strong than Thandire and his ilk. It was entirely possible.

  He needed to find Priestcote, as it was clear that amidst this village’s efforts to subsume him into its unholy ways, she was someone who was swimming against the tide and seeking to help him. Thaindire set off towards the alchemist’s in the hope of finding her there and also some answers.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Thaindire banged his fist on the timber door and wondered if Grimoult would answer. He had barely lowered his hand when the door tentatively opened and the alchemist peered out at him.

  “ What do you want?” asked Grimoult, “ You are not welcome here.”

  “ I have not come to trouble you old man, I seek Miss Priestcote,” responded Thaindire as he peered over the alchemist’s shoulder into the fire lit room beyond. He saw the seamstress stand and move towards the door.

  “ Ah Mistress Priestcote, I beg your pardon for disturbing you and Master Grimoult, but I have urgent need to talk with you,” began Thaindire. Priestcote paused for a moment and looked to the alchemist who said nothing as he held the door open.

  “ Very well,” she answered and made her way to the doorway.

  “ I shall have those for you on the morrow,” she commented to Grimoult as she passed. He gave a short nod and bade her good night, closing the door on the pair.

  “ What do you want?” asked the seamstress neutrally.

  “ I need to talk with you, about what happened on the bridge.”

  “ We cannot go to my home, my cousin will still be awake.”

  “ Come to my room at the tavern,” suggested Thaindire.

  “ No, that is not sensible, Kathryn will only appear as soon as we head upstairs. She has her claws deep into you, you know,” smiled Melissent as she pulled on Thaindire’s cloak and beckoned for him to follow her. She walked down the ginnel beside the alchemist’s, past the lanes leading off to the right and towards the forest at the rear. Just as Thorne had done, Priestcote pushed between the trees and they seemed to give way as she advanced, shrinking back to allow her passage.

  “ Keep up Master Thaindire,” said Priestcote over her shoulder. Thaindire had no choice but to copy her, breaking into a trot to ensure that he stayed close to her. After a moment they emerged into a small glade, which was bathed in moonlight. The forest encircled the small clearing, its silence heavy and oppressive. Priestcote sat upon a tree stump and motioned for Thaindire to do similar on a stump next to her. Thaindire sat down, adjusting his cloak and casting his gaze about to ensure they were unobserved.

  “ Don’t worry, we are quite hidden here,” reassured Priestcote placing a hand on his arm.

  “ Now, I cannot be gone for long, so, tell me, what plagues your mind Master Thaindire?”

  “ This entire village and its ungodly ways.”

  Priestcote raised her eyebrows but remained silent.

  “ Specifically, why did you warn me to do nothing on the bridge earlier this evening? That girl was innocent yet Campion has damned her twice, first in impregnating her and again in denouncing her as a witch.”

  “ Father Campion is not a man t
o cross, Master Thaindire.You have witnessed his charm and influence over the villagers. His word is the law in this village and that word is supported by the might of the brother knights and also the nefarious machinations of Eustace Reznik. You were outnumbered on that bridge and they would have turned the mob against you. If you had not been torn apart by them, you too would have been cast into the river,” she explained.

  “ Then why help me, since you are of this village also, presumably you agree with Campion’s proclamations and judgements?”

  Priestcote patted her skirt, smoothing out the material, which appeared to glow where the moonlight struck it.

  “ I came to Aftlain to practise my skills as a seamstress. I am the daughter of a seamstress and was blessed with not only having been born with a great skill with the needle and thread, but I was immersed in the application of this craft from as soon as I could sit up, because of this.” Priestcote held up her hand showing Thaindire the needle–like fore finger and her thumb shaped like a thimble.

  “ It did not take long before I could sew and weave faster than my mother and her sisters,” continued Priestcote as she studied her unusual finger and thumb. “ Naturally my family were delighted at this heaven sent blessing and I was put to work on the most extravagant and specialised garments, but hidden from view in the back room of the family business for fear that you and your ilk might discover me and my gift and declare it an aberration,” she glanced up at Thaindire meeting his steady gaze.

  “ Thus that was my life. Crafting the most splendid clothing for the rich and powerful of Tulford and with it our family’s wealth grew. However, it was not only my skill in production that generated such a premium on our services, I studied and researched the use of different materials and how they interacted to create the most durable cloth, the strongest fibres, material that absorbed the light and cloth which reflected it back like a thousand candles. Backed by our prosperity, I was able to order the luxurious and exotic and turn my hands to crafting them into the most sensational of items and thus our reputation grew and orders were sent from all of Albion to our workshop. Knights rode into battle with our cloaks billowing out behind them, Lords governed their lands adorned in our creations and even the King himself has a wardrobe from our expertise. Regrettably, with such fame and recognition there must come jealousy and spite and despite our best endeavours to keep me, as the source of our burgeoning empire, secret, somebody tipped off the Order, or should I say, your Order.”

  “ Go on,” urged Thaindire, as he wondered if her tale would accord with that explained by Grimoult.

  “ One freezing Monday morning they came, bursting through the door with the High Bishop and his authority, declaring that ours was a house of ungodly works. As usual, I was in the back rooms when we heard the commotion. My cousin, Metylda, knew what was about to befall us and wasted no time in dragging me out of a secret door in the side of our property and away. We fled by horse as the screams and protestations of my family echoed through the air. I have heard nothing from them since and can only conclude that they died for my gift.”

  “ If the High Bishop and the Order decreed it, they must have had grounds,” said Thaindire quietly.

  “ Your slavish devotion to your Order is admirable, Master Thaindire,” responded Priestcote curtly. She smoothed her hair back and then continued.

  “ We rode for several days, across the country, to Aftlain. We did not know the way direct and only found the road when we reached Lancester. I was oblivious to the village but my cousin had heard that it had a reputation for attracting skilled artisans and was a haven of tolerance. We arrived here, prior to winter, five years ago. It was Father Campion that championed our being allowed to join the village. I was able to exhibit my skills as usual and was welcomed by the Aftlainers. I made a case for my cousin to remain as my assistant and as someone to oversee the financial side of the business whilst I set to work, but her skills were mediocre by the usual standard and positively poor compared to me.”

  “ But I saw her weaving just as fast as you when I came to collect my cloak,” interjected Thaindire.

  “ Yes, now she can weave with impressive spread and accuracy but to acquire that skill she had to enter into a bargain with the Simulacrum,” replied Priestcote.

  “ The Simulacrum?” questioned Thaindire. “ Who or what is that?”

  “ Antagonia Thorel is the Simulacrum. Have you seen the large, well-appointed house down the track as you first enter the village?”

  “ Is this the house along from yours?” asked Thaindire, recalling his strange encounter with the vines and his mirror image.

  “ Yes, that’s right,” answered Priestcote.

  “ Though I didn’t reach the house,” he explained.

  “ No, I wouldn’t think that you would, you have to be invited to see the Simulacrum. It won’t entertain the unsolicited visitor. Anyway, my cousin entered into a bargain with Antagonia so that she acquired exceptional skills of weaving, of sewing and the like but in return she had to agree that I could never leave the village. If I try, the Simulacrum will take my soul, as it is my soul that has been provided as collateral for this bargain and I will be left merely dust to be blown away.”

  “ You can’t leave Aftlain?” exclaimed Thaindire.

  “ Oh, it is not the weight you might think. Where would I go? No doubt your Order have looked for me in the towns and cities and if I should return there the price that presumably rests on my head will result in somebody bringing me to the attention of your Order or the local Lord. Thus my bondage to Aftlain was already in effect before the bargain was struck.”

  “ So if my Order has sought you and you have not yet answered their allegations why are you helping me, might I not arrest you now and have you brought to account?”

  “ Where? You cannot within Aftlain as you would not survive the onslaught from the village and as I have just explained I cannot leave the village, so if you tried to remove me to, say Lancester, I would die as soon as we left the village boundary so I have no fear of you Master Thaindire.”

  “ Your lack of fear indeed makes sense, if what you say is the truth, but that still does not explain why you have seen fit to help me. What loss would it have been to you if I had been attacked on the bridge and thrown into the river?” pressed Thaindire.

  “ You are a good man Master Thaindire. Yes you are constricted and at times blinded by your doctrines but you believe in what you do and your belief is founded on the goodness that runs through you. Moreover I am a believer in Gualt<”

  “ The Chaos Goddess?” said Thaindire.

  “ No, that is the label your church places on her. Our Goddess is one of freedom, of expression, of choice. I do not disguise my distaste for your church and your Order, Master Thaindire. It preaches oppression and intolerance, even belittling the gods, which align with yours, all in the unswerving belief that the One True God is supreme. Yet, I believe you are entitled to follow your beliefs and in the same way I believe that those in this village should be free to exercise their crafts without persecution. Aftlain truly is a haven. I wish for that to remain the case. I gain nothing by your death. It does not sit well with me that many within this village seek to capture you and deprive you of your freedom. I am alive to what this village is, but it is my home and for once I feel safe here.”

  “ If that is so, how can you stay silent when this village is riddled with unholy activity. You know that it was Campion who had impregnated Mistress Coffyn, he murdered her and his child and Alyssia Thorne is an enchantress….” Thaindire began to rant as he recalled the many transgressions of the villagers.

  “ Hush hush, Master Thaindire, there is nothing to be gained in telling me these things for there is nothing I would do to change them. Remember freedom is everything and is for everyone.”

  “ But why not, if you are a good person you cannot stand aside and allow this godforsaken village continue.”

  “ Aftlain has taken me in, I cannot betray
it. I am happy here, with my cousin as she is all I have left. I cannot leave and indeed have no wish to leave and to rail against those that control Aftlain would only bring about death for me with no effect. No, I must turn a blind eye to the underbelly of the village, that is the bargain I have made with it for my continued sanctuary here, but it does not mean that I cannot direct others to their own salvation and maintain their freedom,” she smiled and touched Thaindire gently.

  Thaindire leant back, absorbing what Priestcote had explained to him. No sound came from the forest around them and he kept glancing to the trees expecting Reznik or the Pennant brothers to appear and accost him.

  “ So you know of me and my Order, how?” asked Thaindire.

  “ Your cloak. When Kathryn brought it for repair I recognised the material and the method of weaving. Bring me any material and I am able to recognise it and also identify who the maker is.”

  “ So, you have always known my occupation. Have you told anyone else?”

  “ No, but there is no need, they all know what you are, witch finder.”

  “ They all know?” repeated Thaindire, “ Then, why do they not slay me seeing as I am their enemy?” puzzled Thaindire.

  “ Are you their enemy? That presupposes that they are all versed in witchcraft and the ways of darkness does it not? Moreover, they want you to become one of them, to join the village, that’s why nobody has harmed you. Well, I know you came off worse after meeting Reznik’s imps, but he called them off and got Benjamin to bring you to the village.”

  “ They want me to join the village, what stay here? I know attempts have been made to persuade me to stay, even make me the subject of an enchantment, but why?” asked Thaindire.

  “ That’s right. Nobody leaves Aftlain, haven’t you already been told that?”

  “ It has been said but I ignored it,” commented Thaindire. “ But why keep me here?”

  “ You are one of the Exalted. A white blood. It is the ancient power that runs through your veins that is wanted by those who dwell in this most ancient seat of power.”