James was the first to wake despite having been the last to bed. Miko snored two inches from his ear and it was too much for him to take. Once it grew light James got up. At the table he inspected the notes he made the night before. Aside from a few globular letters his ink and quill had produced, he was quite satisfied. A tentative touch revealed the ink had fully dried, so he gathered his notes. He placed them back into the traveling case along with the rest of the writing materials. With Miko and Perrilin still asleep, he went down to the common room where he found one of the serving girls and arranged for breakfast.
Returning to the room, he went to Perrilin’s bedside and sat next to the bard. Despite his best efforts, he awakened Perrilin. “Good morning,” James said. “How are you feeling this morning?”
Perrilin looked around the room, a little disoriented, unsure as to where exactly he was. Not sensing any immediate threat, he considered James’ question. “I’m alive,” he replied. “Other than that, not too good.”
“They did quite a number on you last night. You are lucky I came along when I did.” He lifted the blankets to inspect the bard’s injuries. Some were in the process of healing properly while others were a little red and inflamed. Using a clean towel and some water from the basin, he gently wiped away the little bit of seepage that had oozed overnight from several of the cuts.
“I’m glad you did,” he said, flinching slightly in pain as James ministered to his wounds. “How did you happen to be there?”
“I was looking for you,” he explained. “When I was told you had been arrested, I went to the jail only to be told you had never been brought in. Did some looking around and wound up where you were being held.”
Perrilin digested that for a moment then asked, “How did you find out where I was?”
“Well, let’s just say that lately I’ve been fairly good at finding people when I need to,” he replied, avoiding all mention of magic.
He knew the bard was not entirely satisfied with his response but accepted it at face value for now. “What did they want with you anyway? It looked as if they were interrogating you and were even going to start using torture to get what they wanted.” Once the dried, and not so dried blood had been removed from the wounds, he used a dry towel and dried him off before pulling the blanket back up.
“I think you will be okay,” he assured Perrilin. “May need a few days rest to heal properly.”
Perrilin looked at him for a second before he asked, “Why did you want to find me?”
“I had hoped you could help me with something,” James said as he placed the towels and basin back on the table.
“Like what?”
“Gaining access to the Royal Archives.”
Surprised, Perrilin asked, “Why?”
He pulled the medallion out from beneath his shirt and showed the design to Perrilin. “I want to discover if there is any significance to this design. I have been led to believe that it may be important in some way. I don’t suppose you recognize it?” Taking it from around his neck, he handed the medallion to Perrilin.
Holding it close, Perrilin took a good look at the design before he handed it back to James. Shaking his head no, he replied, “I’m sorry, no. I don’t recognize it.”
James replaced the medallion around his neck and tucked it inside his shirt. Just then came a knock on the door, which startled Miko awake. James glanced over to him as he sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes. He opened the door just a crack to find two serving girls. One carried a tray with several plates of food, and the other had a pitcher and two mugs.
He took the tray and placed it on the table, then returned for the pitcher and mugs. “Thank you,” he said and gave them each a copper for their trouble. As their footsteps disappeared, he closed the door.
Perrilin sat up in bed and Miko was already sitting at the table with a heaping plate full of food. “I hope that’s for him.” James said to his young companion.
“Uh, of course it is,” he replied a little embarrassed. He handed the steaming plateful to Perrilin. Sheepishly, he began to fill another for himself.
James sat down and started to pile food on his plate.
Perrilin took several bites and then said, “As to whether or not I can help you gain access to the Royal Archives, I am sure I can help you with that. You see, the Archive Custodian is a friend of mine and I am sure that if I request it, he will permit you to research that design. He may even help you if he’s not otherwise occupied. After all, I do owe you my life and I always repay my debts.”
Looking intrigued, James asked, “How would we go about it?”
“I shall write a letter of introduction explaining what you wish to do,” he explained, then gestured to Miko. “Your young friend there would then need to run it to the gate leading into the castle area.” To Miko he said, “Tell the guards that you have a letter for the Archive Custodian and then either they will escort you to him, or more likely have you wait while they send someone to the Archives with the letter. Then it would be up to my friend Ellinwyrd to decide whether or not to grant you access.”
Excited at the possibility of access to ancient tomes, he quickly finished his breakfast and cleared a spot on the table where he placed his travel case. Opening it, he removed a piece of paper, quill and an inkwell, then closed the case once more and set it aside.
He waited as patiently as possible while Perrilin finished his meal. James then brought over the traveling case so Perrilin could write the letter to his friend.
Perrilin took pen in hand and when finished, requested wax to seal the letter. James lit the candle on the table and brought it to him. Perrilin held it at an angle so the melting wax would drip onto the letter. When he had applied the desired amount he gave the candle back to James. He took one of his rings and made an imprint in the wax.
He handed it to James and said, “Here you go.” Then to Miko, “Make sure you do not break the seal. Once you reach the gates, do whatever the guards tell you to do.”
“I understand,” Miko said as he took the letter from James.
“Be careful,” James said to him.
Understanding, Miko left and shut the door behind him.
The door hadn’t been shut for two seconds before they heard a knock, immediately followed by the door opening to admit Miss Gilena. It seemed she did not feel the need to await an answer before she entered.
She bustled into the room, and her eyes zeroed in on the bed where Perrilin was. With concern in her voice she asked, “How are you feeling?” Then she made her way to his bedside with the promised clothes tucked under one arm.
Smiling a reassuring smile as she approached, he said, “I will live, though I’m sore from head to toe. James has been very helpful.”
Turning to James, she said, “Thank you for rescuing him last night.” Then she handed him Perrilin’s clothes.
“It was a pleasure, I don’t much care for those who use torture,” he replied, taking them and setting them upon the table.
Looking at Perrilin with worry in her voice she asked, “Torture?”
Perrilin patted her hand to calm her worries, “They were just about to start when James arrived and got me out of there.”
“Thank goodness you came along just when you did,” she said. Without asking, she pulled down his covers and inspected the injuries. Perrilin felt a little uncomfortable at her mothering, especially in front of James. Satisfied that they were healing properly, she replaced the covers. “It looks as if your wounds are on the mend,” she announced, relieved that they were not worse. “I can’t stay. I merely wanted to see how you were. If you need anything, let me know.” That last question was directed more toward James than the injured bard.
Perrilin responded, “We will and don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”
“I always worry about you,” Miss Gilena said before returning to the door. She cast one more worried look in his direction and then quickly left the room.
Looking over to James, Perri
lin said, “She’s a good woman, but she frets too much at times.”
“That’s probably true of most women when they care about someone.”
“Care about? Me?” Perrilin asked as if such a thought had never occurred to him. An odd expression passed over his face as he considered the possibility. Soon though, the demands of his healing body asserted themselves and his eyes closed, he drifted off to sleep. James grew restless and impatient, waiting for Miko to return. He idled the time away at the window while he looked at the people passing on the street below. He reminisced about the times his grandmother, while waiting for someone at the airport, would like to do nothing more than sit and watch people. She would make up the most outlandish stories about who they were and what they were about.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Snapped out of his reverie, he opened the door. One of the workers from downstairs stood before him, holding a long, thin box.
The boy said, “This was just delivered for you.”
“Thank you,” James said as he took the box, wondering who could possibly have sent him something here.
Once James had the box, the boy turned and departed. James placed the package on the table. He stood there for a moment staring at it, thinking.
“Is something wrong?” Perrilin asked, now awakened from the knocking.
“This package was just delivered to me,” he explained, “but I haven’t bought or ordered anything that would be delivered.”
“Interesting,” commented Perrilin. Intrigued, he pulled back the covers and slowly brought his legs up so he sat on the edge of the bed. Despite the pain the change of position caused, he was more interested in this unknown and inexplicable package.
James took the package and opened it. Inside he found something long, wrapped in a dirty cloth. He undid the cloth. Immediately, his eyes widened and an audible gasp escaped him. To his complete shock, he found one of the boards that he used to kill their captors the other night. The ones they had hidden in a pile of refuse.
Seeing the expression on James’ face, Perrilin asked, “What is it?”
He held the blood-stained board up for Perrilin to see, “I don’t know how they found this, or even how they could’ve possibly connected it to me.”
“What does it mean?”
“It’s a long story but I guess we have the time,” James began. He then related the events that started with being chased into the sewers of Bearn. The story continued with the string of events culminating with the battle in the house where they escaped their captors. He avoided mentioning magic and told only the bare bones of the attack culminating with three dead men and boards protruding from their chests.
“As we left, we hid these boards in a pile of garbage. I was sure no one was around, but I guess I was wrong. Somehow, someone must have seen us put them there, took them, and now has tracked us here.”
“That’s quite a story,” Perrilin said. “I have heard of Lord Colerain, though have never met him. He is rumored to be a nasty one to cross.”
“Yeah,” he agreed, “I’ve heard that too.” He removed the cloth from out of the box, and searched for a note, or anything else that might shed some light on all this. “Question is, what is it that they want?” After searching the box thoroughly, he said, “They didn’t leave a note.”
The cloth which had been used to wrap the board was on the floor. Perrilin noticed something and said, “James, look at the cloth itself.”
Picking it up, James used both hands to spread it out. There was writing on it.
Where these were buried, one hour
It was written in what looked to be charcoal. He showed it to Perrilin.
“I guess they want to meet you where you buried them, in one hour,” Perrilin assumed.
“That’s how I see it, too.”
“Are you going to meet with them?
“I think I should,” he replied. “If their desire had been to cause me trouble with the city watch, guards would have been here instead. I should be all right.” He wrapped the board with the cloth and then put it inside the box. “If Miko returns before I do, have him wait until I get back.”
“I will,” Perrilin assured him, “and be careful.”
“I have learned a lot about being careful since coming here,” stated James, as he left the room and went downstairs. Miss Gilena was in the common room straightening chairs.
She turned at his approach, “Is anything wrong?”
“Everything is fine,” James reassured her. “I just need to step out for a short while. I left him upstairs and he’s sleeping again.”
“Rest is the best thing for him now.” She looked somewhat more relaxed knowing that Perrilin was doing well.
“There was a package delivered to my room a few minutes ago. You wouldn’t have seen who dropped it off?”
“No, it was probably given to one of the staff,” she answered. “They wouldn’t have bothered me for something like that. Why?”
“Just curious is all. Thank you for your time,” he said, turning and heading for the door.
“Goodbye to you, James,” Miss Gilena said.
He left the inn and trekked through the city and out to the poorer section. Hope I can remember where I buried them, he worried to himself. It was pretty dark and I was preoccupied at the time.
One street looked like any other. He finally came across a refuse pile in an area that looked somewhat familiar. He wasn’t sure if he had found the right spot or not, but he thought so. The area was fairly run down, with lots of bums and beggars hanging around up and down the street. After a few minutes he began to feel very self-conscious. He was a stranger standing by himself in such an area. He definitely stood out among the other residents and began to draw their attention.
Three young men eyed him from down the street where they stood. Being under scrutiny like this started to wear on his nerves, making him jumpy. He definitely did not feel safe here. The three young men began to walk in his direction.
He was nervous but needed to meet the person who sent the note. He stood his ground and waited while the men came to him. He had his magic if nothing else.
As they approached, two of the young men fanned out, leaving the third to approach while they flanked him.
“Can I help you gentlemen?” James asked, trying to keep his voice calm.
“Maybe,” one said as he pulled out a knife, “you could help by giving us all your coins.” The other two drew their knives and gestured menacingly toward him. James suddenly realized that the many people who had been loitering in the area earlier had all but disappeared. He and the three toughs were practically the only ones remaining on the street, which could not be a good sign.
James backed away until he pressed against a wall.
“Look man, we don’t want to hurt you, we just want your gold,” another one told him.
“You don’t want his money,” a voice came from behind them. The three toughs turned to see a well-dressed man in his middle years approaching with sword drawn.
“We don’t want any trouble with you,” the first tough told the newcomer, menacing him with his knife.
“Then you better leave before I reach you,” the man said, unimpressed. All the while he maintained the same steady pace forward.
The three toughs looked to each other. They realized their knives would be no match for a swordsman so they made a break for it down the road. The newcomer sheathed his sword.
“Thank you, stranger,” James said with relief as the man drew near.
Waving away the comment, he said, “Are you here to meet someone?”
“Yes I am.”
“Then follow me.”
He turned toward the direction from which he came. “This isn’t where I expected to find you. You are lucky you weren’t killed, this is no area for strangers.”
“Yeah, I gathered that,” James replied. “Where are we going?”
“Someone wants to meet with you, just be quiet and follow m
e.” The man continued down the street and then turned down another to the left. They soon came to a dilapidated building where the man walked up to the door and opened it. He then gestured for James to precede him inside.
He entered a poorly lit hallway. The man told him to continue to the second door on the left. James reached the door and was directed to enter.
When he opened the door, light from the other side bathed the hallway. Passing through, he entered a well-lit room where he found three men. Two were most likely guards since they were dressed similarly to the man whom had escorted him. The third man sat behind a table with a single, empty chair situated across from him. He gestured for James to sit in the empty chair.
James nervously crossed the room, looking around as he took a seat. He heard the door close behind him as the two guards took up positions around the room while the man who had brought him remained by the door.
He returned his attention to the man sitting across the table. Middle- aged with hair beginning to grey about the temples, the man held an air of command. The single scar that ran along his left jawbone did little to diminish it. He reached down to the floor beside him and brought up the hood containing the remaining boards. “You know about these?”
“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t,” James replied nervously.
“It would seem that the other night, four people died in a house not far from here. Two others were seen leaving that very same house around that time. Those same people were also observed to go and bury these in a refuse pile not too far from here. Interesting, wouldn’t you say?” The man sat back in his chair and looked at the reaction his words were having.
James shifted nervously in his chair. His eyes flicked from the man, to the boards and back again, but he didn’t say anything.
The man continued, “Now, we know that the people who died in the house were under the orders of someone working on behalf of a Lord Colerain from Bearn, whether they knew it themselves or not. What we want to know is why Lord Colerain has an interest in you?”
“You’re not with the city guards?”
Laughing, the man replied, “If we were, you wouldn’t be here now would you?”
“No, I suppose not. Why this interest in me?”
“Anything of interest to Lord Colerain, interests us,” the man answered.
James pointed to the boards. “What do you plan to do with those?”
“Probably throw them away,” the man replied. “They were merely instrumental in gaining your attention. Now, why does he have this interest in you?”
“I really don’t know,” James explained. “For some reason he’s been after me since Bearn. I was unfortunate enough to accidentally be on his estate several days ago. He saw me there and ever since has been trying to get hold of me.”
“So he is after you because you are a trespasser?” he asked with disbelief. “You don’t really expect me to believe that do you?”
“As far as I know, that is the reason,” James repeated emphatically. “I swear it!”
The guard who escorted James whispered into the man’s ear. The man’s eyes widened slightly and then he slowly nodded. He sat back a moment and appeared to be considering something. “I believe you.”
“Just who are you?” James asked, more confident now that it seemed they meant him no harm.
“Who we are is no concern of yours,” the man said. “How did you manage to kill those men?”
“Me and my friend took them by surprise and killed them,” replied James.
“Hmmmm…” the man said, “doesn’t seem likely, but then again, they are dead and you are here. You can go. Just be careful, Lord Colerain wants you in a bad way it would seem.” He motioned to the guard who brought James in, and said, “Orrin, see that James is escorted to the city gates.”
James suddenly realized that the man said his name. How does he know me?
“Yes, sir,” Orrin said. He turned to James, “Let’s go.”
Once they left the building, James asked Orrin, “Who was that?”
Orrin didn’t offer a reply as he escorted him down the road toward the gates into the city proper. He tried several times to engage Orrin in conversation but the man remained quiet, not responding to any of James’ questions or comments.
Just before they arrived at the gate, Orrin said, “This is where I leave you.” He abruptly turned about without so much as a goodbye.
“Bye, Orrin,” James said as Orrin went down the road. “And thank you.”
James entered through the gate and followed the now somewhat familiar streets, until he was back at The Silver Bells. When he entered the room, discovered Miko had already returned.
Miko handed James a letter, “When I got to the gate, they had me wait while a guard delivered Perrilin’s letter to the Archive Custodian. I sat there and waited for about an hour before they returned with this and told me to get out of there.”
James turned the letter over and saw that it had a wax seal that bore the imprint of a feather. Perrilin glanced at it when James showed him the seal. “That’s his seal alright, no one else would dare to use it but him. Go ahead and open it.”
James broke the seal. They quietly waited as he read the letter. “He says to come this afternoon to the Archives for a meeting,” he announced, then looked up at the bard.
“You will find him a very nice fellow; if a bit of a stickler where his books are concerned.”
Smiling, James added, “Yeah, I know someone like that too.”
“Did you meet with whoever sent the package?” Perrilin asked.
“Something going on?” Miko interjected.
Turning to Miko, James explained. “Just after you left, a package was delivered. Within it was one of the boards that I used to kill those guys the other night.”
“How did someone get those?” Miko asked anxiously.
James summarized his meeting with the man for Miko and Perrilin. “So I am not too sure just who they are, or why they are concerned with the goings on of Lord Colerain. At least they seem to hold no ill will toward me however, for which I am grateful.” Just then his stomach rumbled loudly and he realized he was quite hungry.
“Miko, go downstairs and have them send up some food. I’m starving and want to eat before I go meet with Ellinwyrd.”
“Alright,” Miko replied, “I’ll be right back.”
“So what do you plan to do about Lord Colerain?” Perrilin asked once Miko had left.
“I don’t know. Hopefully I’ll find out what I need to know at the Archives and then can get out of here before he locates me again. I wish I knew why he was so interested in me. If I did then maybe I could get him off my back.”
The door opened as Miko returned. “They will send it up in a few minutes,” he told them, as he took a seat at the table.
“Thanks.” Turning back to Perrilin, James said, “Speaking of troubles, just what kind of trouble did I save you from last night?”
“I was wondering if you were going to ask me about that again. As much as I owe you, there are simply some things better left unsaid. Suffice it to say that those men from whose hands you rescued me are not interested in anything or anybody other than themselves and their own concerns.” When he saw the look in James’ eye he went on, “What you don’t know can’t be tortured out of you.”
“I think I understand,” he assured him. “Are you still in danger from them?”
“If they knew where I was, perhaps. They most likely wouldn’t try anything again so soon, especially since you wiped out that group.”
“I didn’t get all of them,” James admitted. “Unfortunately, one of them escaped on horse back.”
“At least you got me out of there alive.”
Just then a knock was heard at the door. Miko opened it and took the food from the server, not letting him enter. They needed to preserve the secrecy of Perrilin’s presence at The Silver Bells. He then closed the door and placed the tray upon the table. He placed several
pieces of baked chicken and some bread on a plate before handing it to Perrilin. He then started in on his own share.
Not much was said over lunch, each one deep in thought about recent events. When James finished eating he got up and grabbed his backpack. Miko came to his feet and started to get ready to accompany him.
James placed a hand on Miko’s shoulder. “I need you to stay here and take care of Perrilin. I’m sure I’ll be fine by myself.”
Miko was disappointed at not being allowed to go to the Archives. He said, “Okay,” but was none too happy about it.
“Bye, Perrilin,” he said on his way out the door. “You too, Miko. I’ll see you when I get back.”
With the letter in his pocket, it didn’t take him very long before he reached the gates to the castle area.
As he approached, one of the guards saw him coming. “Halt! Declare your business.”
James showed him the letter from Ellinwyrd. The guard took notice of the symbol of the Archive Custodian at the bottom and said, “Wait here a moment.” Turning to a younger guard he said, “Run and see if the Archive Custodian is expecting a visitor.” As the other guard ran off, the first one turned back to James and said, “Just be a moment, sir. Can’t let anyone in without authorization.”
“I understand,” he replied.
While he waited for permission to enter, he looked out over the castle complex, excited about being so close to a real castle. He saw several buildings bordering the street that led from the gatehouse where he waited, and through the opening between them rose the castle itself. Majestic and grand were the words that came to mind when he saw it. It had tall, shining towers and an imposing central keep; all quite impressive.
The guard returned in the company of a boy who wore a tabard bearing the king’s coat of arms. The guard said, “If you will follow the page, sir, he shall lead you to the Archives.”
“Okay, and thank you,” James told the guard who only nodded in reply. Turning, he followed the page as he was led into the castle area.
Chapter Fourteen
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