The Creed

by Perla Giannotti

  “And yours!” Flash added enthusiastically.

  “And mine,” Ucal replied without being able to hide the thread of emotion in his voice, “that’s what Var finally wanted, and I am very grateful to him. He gave us a home and a community to belong to. Now we have to earn it, agreed?”

  “Agreed,” the child finally said, convinced.

  “Good.” He looked up at the sun. “Now let’s wait till the end of market day. I must study the changing of the guard this evening. We’ll hang around discreetly, and stay out of everybody’s way. Got it?”

  “Got it!”

  With the stolen money, Ucal acquired a scroll, a quill, some ink and plenty of food. Flash could eat and drink and wander about to his heart’s content, all day. He never left the warrior’s sight. Ucal carefully observed the movements around the fort, the number of guards on duty, and the directions of the patrol rounds they carried out. He made trips around the fort walls more than once, keeping a safe distance away, hidden in the vegetation and the odd building that rose up in the area, making sure he wasn’t be seen by the sentinels. In the late afternoon, he clambered up a nearby hill to scrutinize the entire fort from afar, followed by a very unwilling Flash.

  “We’ve already surveyed this damned castle from every possible angle. I can’t do it anymore!” he complained, as the evening shadows lengthened in the hot air of a new summer. Ucal did not answer. He was watching the distant movements of a few people in one of the internal courtyards.

  “We must check out a couple more things,” he said instead.

  “Oh no, there’s still more!”

  “As soon as it’s dark, we’ll skirt the entire circumference of the walls. I’ll show you the particular points and you must remember them. You must memorize their positions and be able to return to them on your own. I’ll place pieces of fabric so you can recognize them. We must be stealthy and silent.”

  “Stealthy and silent,” Flash diligently repeated. He could finally see something fun on the horizon.

  They got ready. They put on black cloaks and they dirtied their hands and faces with earth. When it was completely dark, and the outer perimeters of the walls could only be seen with lit torches along the rounded walkways and internal spaces, Ucal neared the wall on the eastern side, followed by Flash. They flattened themselves against a corner made by a barbican defense of the castle. Up to there, all was well. Ucal crouched down and began running quickly and silently. He made it to the height of a few grates that opened up onto street level and pointed it out to Flash, who nodded. He then took out a thin, black strip of fabric from his pocket and fixed it to the bars of the first grate. They carried on their way, sticking close to the wall. The sentinels had absolutely no reason to be especially attentive. Nothing had happened within the Solzhaz fort for so long. The uprising involving the people of Atiarav, far away and suppressed now, was nothing more than idle chat for the tavern; power and peace in the Kingdom of Dar guaranteed a quiet atmosphere. The only concerns now were usually of commercial matters and internal political balance. A few petty criminals were rotting in the prisons for minor offenses, and no executions were planned. In any case, complete calm. Ucal and Flash slipped secretly around the back of the structure. Ucal stopped again to fix more strips of black fabric. Then they went back down on the west side. Flash had learned how to move through the shadows from Ucal. It was all a game to him and he was very agile. There was only one very big grate on that side. Ucal placed another strip of fabric through the bars. He signaled to Flash they could go now. They gained a position sheltered behind a wall that bordered on a lower level; it took them to a street that would lead them towards the center of the city. They then arrived at the front of a religious building which stood over a very sheltered square, surrounded by splendid buildings and a high church bell. They washed off the dirt from their hands and faces at a public well that opened up on the middle of the square. Ucal looked satisfied.

  “Tomorrow, I will have them arrest me, just like I told you,” he explained after they’d been immersed in a long silence up till that moment. “Then I will escape from the cell and recuperate the Stele, an…object for Var, which is hidden in the underground chambers. It will probably be too big to slip through the grates we saw, so I’ll sketch it onto this scroll, and pop it into this sack,” Ucal showed Flash the rolled up parchment and the leather pouch he would use. “I’ll leave it outside one of the grates I have marked with the black fabric. You must search for it at all the points I showed you, and pick it up. Then you’ll get on our horse and head towards the plains of Avascen. You must distance yourself with nonchalance, but as soon as you are on the road north, you must ride as fast as you can. Var’s men will be waiting for you on the way and they will join you.”

  Flash let him know he understood. Ucal kept his voice calm, almost joking, but the child’s very refined instincts suggested that there was something wrong in all this.

  “When will you get out?” Ucal smiled so that every fear within the child would disappear. He was a accomplished liar.

  “I will have them arrest me for drunken behavior…a few days, and then they’ll throw me out. At that point I’ll come back to you.”

  “Aren’t you afraid?” Flash asked admiringly. Ucal wanted to leave him a very positive memory, and not a treacherous one.

  “Of course, Flash. We must always be afraid when we undertake something that could be dangerous. A pinch of fear lets us examine the dangers more clearly, but it should never stop us from trusting our abilities. Then, once you have weighed everything up, fear disappears, and determination and excitement takes its place. Our destiny is in our hands, but we don’t always realize what drives it and so, we sometimes make mistakes. We must always take this into consideration. Does that make sense to you?”

  “I think so,” Flash answered. He was forcing himself to apprehend what the warrior had told him.

  “So, you’ll be back in a couple of days?” he asked, getting back to what was pressing him.

  “Something like that,” Ucal concluded, remaining vague. He couldn’t quite remove all the bitterness in his words, and Flash perceived it.

  Ucal knew very well that, once he was in prison, his true identity would be revealed. It would all lead to his flight from the army, as well as the theft of the necklace of Anroth. The Governor of Solzhaz would soon be informed he had a criminal in his hands, who was wanted in the whole Kingdom of Dar. This would give him great standing with the central power of Dar. At that point, Ucal couldn’t imagine what would happen to him. Would he be transferred to a military prison? Or perhaps processed for his civil felonies? In all cases, the death penalty was the only destiny that awaited him. When and where were the only variants. He breathed in the fresh air in the dark, and smiled at Flash.

  “We have finished here. We can go to sleep now. Tonight we will allow ourselves the luxury of an inn. Tomorrow, we will set to work,” he winked, as the child jumped around him excitedly.

  “Why is it enough to draw a picture of that object?” he asked again, curious as they walked. Flash did not know how to read or write.

  “It’s not a drawing, I will transcribe the text…the written words. Those are important.”

  “Oh…” Flash said, but he didn’t really understand.

  They reached an inn and took two beds.

  “A plentiful dinner for two!” Ucal told the innkeeper, in a loud voice. Flash could barely stay in his skin out of happiness. It was very rare that they could eat at a table. It was a fairy tale evening for him. He ate like a horse, devouring everything the innkeeper brought them. He quickly became the mascot of the evening. The innkeeper and waiter had fun bringing him good things to eat, because the expressions of joy on Flash’s face were incredible. Ucal watched him. He prayed silently to God that he would grant him a life of happiness. He was sorry to leave him. He wanted to drink abundantly, so he would sleep well that last free night of his life. He would have all the time in the world to stay awake
in prison as he waited for his sentence. He stretched out his arm to take up the carafe of wine. As he did so, the material of his sleeve caught in a small crack in the table top. He looked at the broken line that ran all the way across the table, disinterestedly. He saw many others, roughly patched up in recent times.

  The innkeeper caught his eye. “This very heavy table was thrown like a toy to the other side of my inn. I’ve never been so afraid as I was that night.” Ucal wasn’t interested in his tale. He nodded briefly and poured himself a drink.

  “In my opinion, it wasn’t entirely…human,” the innkeeper continued with a tremor in his voice. “Luckily for us, the one who was with him calmed him down, I have no idea how.” Ucal at that point turned his head to look at him. He saw a look of absolute terror painted on his face that was out of the ordinary.

  “Explain yourself,” he commanded.

  “Sir, may I sit here with you?”

  “Sure,” Ucal replied, nodding to him and making space for him on the bench. It was late by now and almost all the patrons had left or turned in for the night to the upper floors. The waiter was tidying the tables and the kitchen was closed. The innkeeper settled down with a tired sigh as he placed a succulent roast on the table. Flash squealed with delight.

  “They were warriors, like you, my lord. But they were dressed like great noblemen. They had superb weapons, horses dressed up like those of princes, the look in their eyes…frightening! They were both incredibly young, but they made one feel at tremendous ill-ease. They spoke a foreign language I’d never heard before. And I thought I’d heard every tongue that ever existed, here in my tavern.” The innkeeper poured some wine from the pitcher into a glass he’d taken from a nearby table.

  “You don’t mind if I drink with you, do you?”

  “Not at all,” Ucal answered. His last drink would not be solitary. And he had been roped into the story of the innkeeper, like iron to a magnet.

  “Did you catch their names?”

  “Yes, at that time I did. But strangely now, I don’t remember them…” said the innkeeper thoughtfully.

  “Describe their faces,” Ucal said urgently. The innkeeper though, shook his head.

  “They must have cast some sort of spell on me, or I don’t know. It’s as if they canceled them from my head, even though I remember every detail of whoever comes in here…” The innkeeper struck his forehead with the palm of his hand. He then poured so much wine into his glass that it reached the top. He gulped it down without taking a breath. Then he slammed the glass onto the table loudly.

  “I believe they were…” he looked around as if he were afraid someone might be listening. He lowered his voice and finally whispered, “Vetems!”

  At that point Flash swallowed his mouthful quickly and lifted up his fork triumphantly. “Selot!” he shouted joyously. The Innkeeper tipped his head slightly at that name, as if he were forcing himself to remember if that truly had been the name he heard. Ucal cast a severe look at the child, who broke out into one of those cheeky smiles and went back to stuffing his mouth with food.

  “When did this happen?”

  “Two weeks ago,” said the innkeeper with sureness.

  “Where were they headed?” His military sense pushed him to gather as much information as possible.

  “Who could possibly know? They took the road leading north, but I didn’t understand what they said. I only know that the younger one saved my daughters from…that devil in hell. His Dar accent was perfect. He had a very kind and polite manner that made an old crony like me ashamed. The other one however, had an exotic accent and if I think about him I still get nightmares.” Ucal wrinkled his forehead. Selot was moving together with another Xàmvetem. Very precious information. He had to make sure it would reach Var.

  “Did any others come through after them?”

  “No sir. Just the usual faces.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Someone you might know?”

  “Maybe. But like every good debt, I don’t believe I’ll have occasion to take care of it.” Ucal lifted his full glass for a toast. The innkeeper raised his own. “To life!” he proposed. “To life!” Ucal echoed. Flash joined them with his glass of water to which Ucal had added a drop of the blood red liquid.

  Morning came. Despite having wine in his body, Ucal didn’t sleep a wink. He let Flash sleep until he woke up of his own accord.

  “Let’s go,” he said quietly. They had a hearty breakfast, paid their bill to the innkeeper who wished them luck, and walked towards the big market square. It was mid-morning and even if it wasn’t market day, there were many people milling around. A few of the men greeted one another, while others stopped to chat. There was a flurry of activity of merchants and men of distinction. Some came in and went out of the fort, running errands at the government administrative offices. Ucal bit his lip. The moment had come. He crouched down to talk to Flash, looking him straight in the eye. Flash visibly froze. He’d sensed the apprehension in his warrior friend. He knew it was the moment they would separate. He felt a wave of fear wash over him that only a second ago he did not feel.

  “Well, little one, we must jump into action now. I’m going to give a little bother to those guards over there, in front of the entrance doors. I’ll pretend I’m drunk or something like that. They will arrest me,” only a very brief moment of hesitation, “you must stay hidden. It will all be fine, you must not worry. Even if you see them push me or beat me you must not do anything. You must stay well away and remain calm. Then, every evening, when darkness falls, take a turn around the Palace and look at the corresponding grates that I marked with the black strips of fabric until you find the roll of material. You’ll do that seven evenings in a row. I might be able to do it immediately, or on the second or third day. I don’t know. But if by the seventh day, you haven’t found anything, you must keep your wits about you and go back to the plains of Avascen.” Flash trembled. It was only now that he realized what was actually happening.

  “You’ll do it in the first few days and then get out, won’t you?”

  “I’ll try to be as fast as possible,” Ucal answered, as his spirit entered that phase of extinguishing every sign of weakness. “It’s not certain I’ll manage. Whatever happens, keep out of trouble. It’s an order and I don’t want you to disobey it. Is that clear?” he said with a brutality Flash did not recognize.

  “Yes.”

  “Keep trying until the seventh day, then scram. You must not fall prisoner or else you’ll make my life very difficult. I don’t want any complications.” The child nodded, frightened by the harsh tone of his friend. Ucal breathed in so he could keep his voice at an acceptable level. Scaring the child too much would not serve anything. He handed him his bag. “You can buy food and whatever else you need with this money, without stealing. Do you understand? You must not do anything foolish. You are a child, but you’re old enough now that no one will pay you any attention when you buy things on your own. Don’t play over the next few days. Eat and hide during the day. Come out in the evenings to do your rounds just like we did yesterday, well out of the sentinels’ sight. As soon as you find the scroll, run, get the horse and go towards Avascen. That is all. If you find nothing in seven days, go,” Ucal repeated for the third time. “Don’t disappoint me,” he ended, holding the child’s shoulders lightly with his hands. Flash gulped as he nodded. Ucal caressed his head. Then he stood up without looking at him and went straight over to the soldiers who were standing to attention on both sides of the giant door of the fort of Solzhaz. As he crossed the square he lifted his eyes to the sky to memorize its color and luminosity. He saw the line of the Eizco Mountains to the west and the pinnacle of Mount Kisov. He asked himself at that moment why he and Flash were not over there on that thin, far horizon, in the Kingdom of Kennan, a thousand miles from here, in a life made possible by the money from the necklace of Anroth. He closed his eyes and thought of Var and of everything that had occurred over the last year. He found
himself agreeing with every decision he had made. Peace entered his heart and he felt ready to face everything that was about to happen. Good. For what it was worth, he may as well have some fun. He placed himself menacingly in front of one of the four guards, who pointed his spear at him as a sign of who goes there.

  “I saw you with my wife yesterday evening,” Ucal yelled as if he wanted the whole square to hear. The soldier’s eyes flew wide open.

  “And who the devil are you?” the guards asked him without knowing exactly how to behave.

  “I saw you two. Coward. In my bed, as if it was nothing! In my house! And now I’m going to kill you!” He screamed in an exaggerated fashion, with the tone of one who is not coherent. The distinguished persons who were crossing the square were drawn in by his scene and they turned round. Some of them started smiling, others who pursed their lips as if to say ‘here we go, another jealousy brawl’.

  “Hey, I say, are you already drunk at this hour of the morning?” The other guards had already pulled out their swords. Ucal smiled. He could have disarmed them and killed them all in a matter of seconds. They had those slow movements of an animal woken up too early from hibernation. He was to be imprisoned by these weaklings who’d never seen a battlefield in their lives. It was such a dishonor for him.

  “Damn you all, you and the governor of this sewer of a city,” he voiced, and then spat on the ground in disgust.

  Flash looked on from a corner of the square. In the meantime, some men had gathered round to enjoy the scene that was unfolding. Finally, something was happening in Solzhaz. Others were taking their consorts away from the unpleasant show the drunkard was putting on. The guards exchanged glances. Despite the size of the warrior and his sword, the man didn’t look too dangerous especially seeing he was in a drunken stupor. The guard who had been verbally attacked started laughing.

  “You are rotten drunk. You don’t even know what you are saying,” he attempted to kick him away. “I don’t know who you are, and even less that poor woman you call wife. That is if one like you could even have a wife.” It was clear he was hoping to get rid of that disturbance without having to make an arrest or explain the inconsistency of such a ridiculous accusation, that would only cause him embarrassment with his superiors. Ucal twisted his mouth. Insulting the guard and pretending to be drunk had not been enough. He sighed, taking the feeble kicks. Ucal then landed one with his flexed heel straight to the knee of the guard, which was so hard it made the guard jump. The guard cried out in pain, holding his knee as he fell to the ground. This ought to be enough he thought bitterly. And it was. The other three guards jumped onto him. Ucal made no attempt to oppose them. Their anger made them even more blind than they already were. He let them disarm him and hit him many times. The guards, not finding any resistance, instead of stopping went on for a good while. They pushed him violently and beat him until they made him kneel on the ground, binding his wrists with chains. After chaining him they kept on striking him. Ucal let them beat him, protecting himself from the more violent blows, without feigning the state of drunkenness any longer; they were so stupid they didn’t even realize it.