The Hekamon (50 page)

When the priory was run by Pryor Payanel, it had a very
different function to the one it had now. It had been a place for
training and housing knights, officers and military men, especially
during the bewailing years. He himself had resided here for a time
and the facade of the building, with its stone arches and large
decorative windows, was a familiar and welcoming sight.

They had only been waiting a few moments, when there
came the sound of the door being unlocked, before it opened slightly
and the face of the chaplain appeared.

"Leofrey, we're here to see the pryor," he
said.

The chaplain nodded and opened the door fully, so they
could enter the vestibule.

"I'll tell him you are here, if you would be so
kind as to wait," the chaplain said, hurrying off across the
transept, leaving him and Kate to stand by the door.

When the priory was under the patronage, and thus the
control of Jephson, Tregarron could enter whenever he pleased. But
Jervay had increasingly asserted the priory's independence, helped in
no small part by its possession of Harvill's Crown. Pilgrims would
travel considerable distance to see the relic and their donations,
along with the hire of the rooms that once housed fighting men,
helped pay for the upkeep of the building.

Over the years, the hospital had helped enough of
Demedelei's residents that Jephson thought it not to be prudent to
force the issue, and potentially start a backlash that could
undermine his authority. So now the captain of the guard had to wait.
Kate saw his expression and raised an eyebrow, but they had no choice.

They'd been kept waiting for a minute, when, from across the
transept, there came the sound of footsteps on flagstones, as Pryor
Jervay approached them.

"Captain, Mrs. Tregarron, I hope you are both
well."

"Yes, thank you," Kate replied, but Elidyr
didn't let her continue with any small talk, instead getting straight
to the purpose of their visit.

"I understand a man has just been brought here,
hurt and in need of assistance, is that the case?"

"Indeed it is. The second victim of a violent
assault today. It's good to see you are looking into matters,
Captain."

"I'm going to need to speak with the man, show me
to him," he said brusquely.

"I'm afraid that's out of the question,"
Jervay replied politely, "he's suffered a blow to the head and
is in no condition to be questioned."

"He might have information we need, let me see him
and I will judge for myself if he's in a fit state."

"He may be able to receive visitors after a good
nights rest, it's always difficult to know with injuries to the
head."

"I don't have time for this Jervay, take me to
him."

"That I cannot do, my first responsibility is to
the sick man, he requires rest."

Tregarron stared at the pryor but the man remained
impassive.

"Can you at least tell us who it is?" Kate
asked.

"That I can't, patient confidentiality, I'm sure
you understand."

"No, I don't understand," Tregarron started,
his anger bubbling to the surface. "At least tell us if he is
someone you know, there might be family I need to inform, or
associates of his imperiled."

"Your concerns are well-intentioned, I'm sure. He's
not someone I've seen before and the man is now asleep. It took him
several minutes just to remember his name, so for him to be of any
use as a witness, he needs rest."

"What's his name?" Tregarron was finding it
hard to control his anger now.

"He can tell you that himself, when he is ready to
speak with you. He has been the victim of an assault, I'm sure he'll want to report it in the normal manner, when he's ready."

"You are abusing your privileges Jervay, I could
have you arrested and imprisoned for obstructing an officer of the
law. Who would stop me, Leofrey here?" He said, looking at the
young chaplain who had been drawn to the sound of raised voices. "I
should charge you with subversion," Tregarron spat out out the
words in his growing fury at the pryor's obstinacy. Kate placed a
hand on his arm, indicting that he should calm down.

"My husband has spent much of the day searching for
the perpetrators, we would be grateful for your help."

"Leofrey and I are helping to ensure the crime you
are investigating is one of assault and not murder, you have your
work and we ours, I would kindly ask that you leave us to it. If I
thought the man could be of any assistance, I would ask him if he
would care to speak with you, but he is no condition even to be asked
that. Now I ask you to leave, I will send word if and when he is
willing to be questioned." Jervay said, his demeanor becoming
more assertive.

Tregarron was annoyed with himself. Jervay may look like
a pacifist friar now, but he had been a soldier in his day and a good
one, too. There was a fighting man beneath the cluniac robes, one
that would still fight for what he felt was a right and just cause.

Tregarron relented, he had no option, and found a
grudging respect for Jervay. The man would stand his ground, he liked
that, and the man was probably right. It would have to wait
until morning. There was a prisoner at the fort he was yet to
question, delays where sometimes unavoidable.

"Very well, Jervay, but I won't wait for you to
send the word, I'll return in the morning. Your orders are to get him
ready," and the two men stared at each other, before accepting
the last word had been said on the matter.

"Before we go," Kate said tentatively, "How
is Mr. Croneygee?"

"In a bad way, I'm sorry to say. I think he will
pull through, but it will take weeks rather than days, he has been
subjected to a severe beating. I will provide any assistance I can to
help you catch the criminal responsible, but will not jeopardize my
patients."

"We appreciate your help, pryor," Kate said,
and Jervay bowed his head in acknowledgment.

The pryor then wished them a good evening, as the two of
them left, while the chaplain closed and locked the door behind them.

As they began to walk away, Elidyr held his lantern close to Kate
and whispered to her.

"Hold this."

"Why?" she asked suspiciously. Since she was
already holding a lantern, his wife guessed he must be up to
something, and she was right.

"I'm breaking in," he said calmly.

He knew form the time he lived at the priory that it had
a secret entrance. When it was used for training knights and officers,
it was a place of strategic importance and a potential target. So a
means of escape was a sensible precaution. The tunnel could be
accessed through the graveyard. There was a tomb that would open and
provide a way in, and he knew which one.

"You can't break in," Kate whispered, taking
hold of the lantern anyway.

"I can and I must."

"Why?"

"You heard the pryor, the man brought in was not
somebody he had seen before. Jervay knows everyone, it must be an
outsider."

"Just because he's an outsider, it doesn't mean he's responsible for the attack on Croneygee, he's injured too,
remember?"

"Croneygee's a soldier, he would have defended
himself."

"Was a soldier, he's an old man now," Kate
said, determined to talk him out of it.

"He wouldn't have gone down without a fight, and he
might have landed a few blows on his attacker, I need to see who's in
there."

"And do what?"

"If the man is a Coralainian, like I suspect he is,
I'll take him to the fort with the other two. I don't want him
leaving, not before I get a chance to question him."

"From what the pryor said, he's not going anywhere,
he is too badly hurt."

"I won't take any chances, none will escape,"
he said unflinchingly. His wife understood the look, if not the
reason behind it, and she relented.

The soft, boar-hide leather boots were warm and
waterproof, but most importantly, they created very little sound.
Kormak had tried the wooden soled boots worn by Demedelites, but
found them cumbersome, especially when trying to stalk the attentive
and timorous deer.

The ability to move quietly through the marshes
and forests that surrounded them, was essential for Fennreans. Not
least because they were not always the hunters, they had plenty of
enemies, too.

There were wild animals in the forests. Creatures that,
if given the chance, would hunt them down and eat them alive. With
wolves being the least of them. In fact, Kormak didn't mind the
wolves, admired them even. They were trying to survive and took only
what they needed to do so.

From what he knew of their behavior, they mostly hunted
in packs. Which Kormak understood to be the most effective method and
his own preferred style, since there was strength in numbers.
Occasionally though, a wolf would need to find its quarry alone and
at such times, stealth was the preeminent hunting skill.

Kormak slowed to a standstill. Not just
to ensure that his approach would go unheard, but so he could
determine for himself whether or not the hall, now just a few paces
ahead of him, was occupied.

Making his way through the last of the trees, he arrived
at the edge of the clearing and looked around for any signs of
movement among the stones. He saw none, and after waiting a moment
until certain nobody was there, he walked into the glade.

A few dozen paces from the tree line, the stone circle
began.

It was made up of a number of large, unevenly shaped, lichen
covered stones. Near the southern point of the circle, an imposing,
ivy covered outcrop of rock, stood in stark contrast to the slender,
free standing stones around the rest of the henge. Those still
standing were twice as tall as he, while others lay on their side.

Kormak walked over to one of the fallen stones. The one
that he and Alyssa would sit on when taking a rest here. He didn't
know what, if anything, he might find. Perhaps if Alyssa was being
moved against her will, she might anticipate that he would come
looking for her and try to leave a sign of her having passed through.

An object, or a mark from which he could pick up a scent but he
couldn't see anything of that description. It would help if he had a
torch, since the light was becoming scarce now, but he would have to
make do without.

Looking at the sky, he could see the stars were now
visible and the new moon was peaking over the ridge. The sun had
dropped below the mountains hours ago, but it must have set below the
horizon as well now.

The ambient light was almost nonexistent, except
for the faint glow of the moonlight, which made the standing stones
create soft, north facing shadows on the ground all around the glade.

Kormak looked again toward the eastern sky. It seemed
like there was something unusual, but couldn't decipher what his sense
were telling him.

The starlight was twinkling, maybe more so than he
might have expected. Some stars seemed to blink out completely,
before reappearing in a manner that seemed not entirely natural.
Could wispy clouds produce that effect, only if close to the ground
and moving quickly, and vertically. Gradually, Kormak's mind started
to resolve what it was he was seeing. Smoke.

He couldn't see it directly but he could see the effect
it was having on the backdrop of stars. The more he looked, the more
visible it became, until he was sure beyond any doubt. He tried to
determine the location from where the smoke was rising. It didn't
take him long.

On the rare occasions Kormak had stayed overnight south
of the river, it had been at a small group of caves.

The caves made
for an excellent place to shelter. Some fruit trees and bushes
that grew nearby provided sustenance, while a stream meant a supply fresh
water and, best of all, Demedelites mistook them for bear caves and
stayed well clear of them.

With night falling, and with guards patrolling between
Tivitay and the bridge, Alyssa must have realized she would have to
spend the night here. If so, she would go to the place that was most
suited. Not only that, she had lit a fire. It was not subtle, but it
was a sign. A clear signal that his sister would know that he'd have
a chance of seeing and understanding. It was a cry for help.

He
wasn't about to let his sister down now. Kormak made sure his dagger
was at a quick to reach position on his belt and that his senses were
fully adjusted. He moved determinedly, east through the Tivitayall
stones, and into the woods beyond.

Last night he'd brought a precious artifact home to the
marshes, and on this night he would bring his sister home safely,
too. He could make everything right, and if he had to fight to free
her, then he would do so without hesitation. Kormak didn't have to
summon an inner rage, it bared its teeth unprompted.

Since learning that his father had been killed in an
ambush by Demedelite soldiers, Kormak had waited for the chance to
get his revenge, this was it.

The lights from the Priory windows pierced the darkness
for a hundred paces in all directions. It reflected off the pools of
fresh water that held the stocks of carp and trout. Shone on the
apple orchard, with its harvest from a few weeks earlier now either
fermenting in barrels, or having been made into preserve and stored in
the cellars of the cloister. It illuminated the road to Demedelei
Town, too, but only for part of the way.

Either side of the path that he and Kate were walking,
Tregarron heard the occasional splash of water. Caused by a few of
the moths and other insects still to be found on the wing at this
time of the year, fluttering too low and taken readily by hungry
mouths from the depths below.

These cold, dark waters were not
something anyone would want to fall into, and so the two of them
walked carefully.