by Guy Antibes
Jack examined the map. “There isn’t anything there,” he said.
Addio tossed his head. “The Black Finger headquarters must be a manor house or something.”
“We will have to ask when we get closer,” Helen said.
Addio smiled. “No need. This is where we need to go.”
“You are sure?” Jack asked.
“May Grishel strike me dead,” Addio said.
Bracco sat up straighter. “You shouldn’t be saying that, Addio.”
“It is just an expression. Grishel knows what I meant,” the older monk said. His smile didn’t seem very heartfelt.
Jack wouldn’t take Addio’s word for anything. He didn’t know if Rubio the toothless told the truth, but it would be easy enough to verify before they reached the crossroads that would take them to the Grishel’s Cavern.
“Memorize the map, Penny,” Jack asked, “please.”
Penny lifted her chin, but she studied the map for a few minutes while Addio gave them all a sense of the distances. From what Jack could tell, they would reach the crossroads around noon the day after tomorrow.
“What is this road? Does it lead to Corand?” Jack traced his finger along a wavy line that led west. If he reckoned correctly, it would take them close to Raker Falls on the other side. He could see why no one would want to use the road very much. It led from one remote place to another. He caught Penny’s eye and nodded, tapping his finger on the road.
Jack removed his mental shield. “It will save us weeks, even if we are on foot,” Jack said to Penny telepathically. “I don’t trust Addio.”
“He seems nice enough to me,” she said, but she continued to concentrate on the map until the food came a few minutes later.
Helen began asking Bracco and Tunno about their lives before becoming monks. Bracco had killed a monk in a fight in Fassira and was abducted to the monastery some time ago, and Tunno was the son of a monk and a nun from another city. Grishelian clergy weren’t celibate, but it seemed the union was scandalous anyway. Bracco, who had joined the priesthood after four years in the monastery, took Tunno under his wing after the younger monk took an interest in weapons, and they both became monk-guards. There were about sixteen such monks at Ullori.
Both guards were as verbose as Addio was silent. The older monk didn’t join in the conversation at any point and concentrated on slowly eating his stew. Either Addio had a stomach disorder, or he was quiet on purpose.
After dinner, Jack stood. “I’m going to take a walk.”
“I’ll join you,” Helen said. “Penny why don’t you turn in early. You look tired.”
Penny blinked. “I am a little tired, but if you want me to join you…”
“It is fine. You can watch our belongings and get a good night’s rest. We have another long day of riding tomorrow,” Helen said.
Jack didn’t think he could ever get Penny to stay behind while he and Helen walked the village lane.
The two of them stepped outside. There wasn’t much walking available. The village had about twenty houses on the side of the road with fewer behind them.
“We will go south,” Helen said.
They walked out of the village and entered a little copse that separated two pastures holding sheep and goats. After finding a suitable fallen tree, they sat.
“Our meal might have come from there,” Jack said, pointing to a small herd of goats.
“I’m not a goat lover, live or dead,” Helen said. “You didn’t look happy tonight. Why?”
Jack told her about meeting the toothless man. “If the old man is right, then Addio has an agenda. I haven’t felt right about him from the start.”
Helen nodded. “I agree. He is here at the prioress’s orders, but he might have his own plans.”
“Like Aramore Gant?” Jack asked.
“Addio doesn’t seem overly ambitious, but we haven’t been around him for very long to know if he is an accomplished liar or not. What do you propose we do?”
“Why get my opinion?” Jack said.
“Because I want to know what you’re thinking is.”
“We ask someone, preferably a Black Finger, where headquarters are, or more directly, where Grishel’s third feather is. If it is in the cavern, that is where we will go. When we get it, we will take the little track I showed Penny over the mountains into Raker Falls.”
“It is summer, the weather is nice, and I fully agree. I want the feather to get to Tanner as soon as possible, and then we head on to Fasher. It is even better that we will be on the closest road to Raker Falls to do that. I’m not sure if Addio will let us leave Passoran with a feather,” Helen said. “Maybe we can do a little sparring tomorrow to see how the guards fight.”
She got up and brushed the back of her pants off and headed back to town.
“How is it going between Penny and you? I’ve noticed the sniping back and forth has lessened.”
“What do you mean back and forth?” Jack said. “It all comes from her.”
Helen nodded and didn’t disagree.
“I don’t know if she is distracted or if it is because we are in a different situation, but she seems more cooperative,” Jack said. “She can still get prickly, but it doesn’t seem to be so heartfelt. When we get back to Raker Falls, I’m sure she will revert to her old self.”
“I wouldn’t be too sure,” Helen said. “A trip can create bonds of shared experiences.”
Jack agreed with Helen and told her so. He shoved the prospect of a more tractable Penneta Ephram out of his mind when he climbed onto the thin pallet in the men’s dormitory.
Chapter Twenty-Two
~
M orning didn’t come soon enough. Jack’s body ached as if he spent the night on the ground, and other than not getting dirty, he couldn’t tell the difference when he rose in the rosy glow of dawn.
They stopped at a slightly larger village at midday.
“Why don’t we get a little practice in since we enter Black Finger Society territory soon,” Helen said. “I know Jack needs the drill. He’s an awful swordsman.”
“So true.” Penny shot an imperious expression at Jack.
Tunno and Bracco readily agreed. Jack volunteered to work with the younger monk with Helen sparring with Bracco. Barria and Penny squared off against each other with Carlo and Addio looking on.
Tunno was stouter than Jack, but after a few minutes of warming up, it was apparent the monk was much slower. Penny might have a few issues with the man’s weight, which far exceeded Jack’s, but her speed would make up for Tunno’s pace unless the fighting got dirty. Jack played around with Tunno, treating the workout as just that. They switched partners just before they went in for their meal. Bracco was nearly as slow as Tunno, but he had technique to make up for that. The two of them gave each other all they could, and Jack came out on the short end time after time. Penny wouldn’t be a match for the older man, but Jack thought Helen could defeat him easily enough.
Jack hoped his analysis would hold up to Helen’s. Barria walked into the inn with her arm around Penny’s shoulder complimenting her on how expert she had to be to show Barria up.
Their meals in the little villages, traveling through the Passoranian foothills, weren’t exactly inspiring, but the muck filled the belly, Jack thought philosophically. Helen joined Jack after traveling on the road for a while.
“I talked to the innkeeper. He knew about Grishel’s Cavern. The toothless man was right, and Addio is playing games with us.” She looked up and then down the road. “I’m going to see who is behind us if anyone, but first, what is your assessment of the guards?
“Tunno is slow. His technique is probably about on a par with mine, but I’m faster. Bracco is better than me. He isn’t fast, but he has the moves that Tunno doesn’t. Penny could take Tunno, but not Bracco. You should be able to beat both.”
“Unless they were holding back,” Helen said. “If it comes to that, just distract my opponent with a wizard bolt.” She lau
ghed. “I’ll meet you tonight, if not sooner.” Helen turned her horse to the rear and galloped to the north.
Bracco took Helen’s position. “Where did the lady go?”
“She is a great scout. We don’t want Ferrio following us. If he is, she will find him and give her sword a drink.”
“Is Helen capable of such a thing?”
“With a little provocation, yes,” Jack said.
Bracco turned back to see where Helen had gone. Jack didn’t like the worried look on the guard’s face.
~
“We will stop a little early tonight,” Addio said as they entered a village about the size of Raker Falls, “and eat a little better and sleep a little sounder. The best inn up ahead has private rooms, so Carlo tells me.” The older man rode back to talk to Bracco and Barria.
Jack guided his horse to Carlo’s side.
“Helen hasn’t come back. Are you worried?” Carlo asked.
“No. She knows what she is about better than any of us. Did Addio ask about the inns in this village?”
“Me?” Carlo said, wearing a surprised expression. “I’ve never been south of the monastery before. Why would he say—?”
“Don’t tell him I asked. I don’t know what is going on, but something is. I’ll wait until Helen returns before I do anything.”
Carlo nodded his head. “Then that makes four of us. I can’t say I have the uneasy feeling you do, but I’ll make sure I’m ready for anything. Is that acceptable?”
Jack laughed. “It isn’t me you have to report to. If you want to head back to Maltina, you can at any time.”
Carlo smiled. “I’d like to have a few more of my own stories to brag about in the pubs if you don’t mind. Sammo will be jealous.”
Jack looked ahead at Barria, talking to Penny. “She will share your stories.”
“We don’t get drunk together very often. My stories are safe enough, and if anyone wants a witness, I have one.” Carlo pointed his chin at Barria. “I will share what you’ve told me if that is all right.”
Jack nodded. When Carlo left him riding by himself, he removed the mental shield and told Penny about his suspicions.
“That makes me afraid,” Penny said.
“You should be a little afraid. Be prepared for anything, although I can’t see Addio and his two guards overcoming the five of us.”
Penny looked back at him. “Helen isn’t back yet, so we are four.”
“She will find us,” Jack said. He raised the shield again and hoped he was right.
They turned into the stable at the side of a three-story building that alone turned the village into a town in Jack’s mind. The stable yard was nearly empty, and only one stable hand showed up, so they had to tend to their own horses. Jack noticed Helen’s horse in a stall. He checked the tack to make sure it was hers. He wondered why she bypassed them, but he couldn’t come up with a positive reason.
Jack helped Penny with the grooming and let her precede him into the side door of the inn. He finally finished and decided to walk in with his armor on, rather than carrying it to his room. When he opened the door, a wizard bolt struck his cuirass. Jack backed up, slamming the door shut, but ran around to the front, drawing his sword and knife. The inn had a covered porch, so Jack spelled invisibility and entered in the front.
Two men he hadn’t seen before ran with Tunno to the front door. Jack stepped aside and let them pass him. He walked as silently as he could to the side door. Carlo was slumped against the wall. Bracco held Barria and Penny against the wall while Addio looked out the window into the stable yard.
“He isn’t there,” Addio said. “I’m sure I hit him.” He looked at the end of a metal-tipped wooden wand.
Jack removed his shield and spoke to Penny. “I am safe. Where is Helen?”
“What have you done with Helen?” she asked Addio.
“She will join you soon enough in a wagon.” Addio chuckled. “Trussed up like the pig she is.”
Jack silently winced. If Helen heard someone call her a pig, it would be the last insult that person would ever say.
“Why is he doing this? We thought we had a deal.” Jack said.
“You are reneging on our agreement with the prioress,” Penny said.
Addio sneered. “I am through with Grishel’s priesthood. I’ve risen about as far as I can. Do you know I have been the claustral prior at Ullori for fifteen years? There have been four prioresses during that time. I am joining the Black Fingers.” He wiggled his fingers at Penny.
“What are you going to do with us?” Barria asked.
“I have no idea. Kill you? Leave you all bound in the forest for the wolves to eat?” Addio shrugged. “We will have to take care of your friend first. I won’t allow you to get Grishel’s Feather. The Black Fingers are weak, but I will remedy that soon enough.”
“With the five of you?” Jack said.
“With six men? The four here, and the two bringing Helen?”
“There are more bringing Helen,” Addio said.
Jack smiled. “Good move. Now we know how many Addio has talked into joining him. I can begin to whittle down the numbers.” Jack could see people peeking around corners. “I don’t think he has any intention of keeping us alive, but if he kills you here, he’s going to have to eventually face the people in the village.”
Jack turned back to the group at the front and began to mow them down with wizard bolts.
Bracco ran into the room. “What?” He looked around for Jack. There must have been a slight shadow on the floor. The man drew his sword. “Fight like a man,” he said, looking in Jack’s direction.
“I am a wizard first of all,” Jack said quickly sidestepping.
Bracco’s change in direction wasn’t enough before Jack pierced him with a wizard bolt. Bracco joined the other three men on the floor. He heard the door slam. Jack ran to Barria and Penny.
Carlo moaned and clutched his arm. “Bad aim, thank Grishel,” he said while Penny scuttled over to him and began to work on him.
Barria stood. “I will protect them. You need to follow Addio.”
Jack saw the monk ride past the window and out the gate. He ran out the side door, and when he reached the road, Addio was gone. He asked a few passersby which direction the monk went, but no one had paid him any attention. He pounded a fist on this thigh as he walked back into the inn.
“Carlo will be fine,” Penny said, wrapping a rag supplied by a kitchen helper. “You couldn’t catch him?”
Jack shook his head. “No one was around when he took off.” He didn’t say what he really felt, that the villagers didn’t want to get involved. They might already be in Black Finger territory for all he knew, but Addio’s thugs weren’t Black Fingers.
“You killed them, you help me carry them outside,” the innkeeper said. “I didn’t expect a battle in my establishment this afternoon.”
“Neither did I,” Jack said. “I’m sorry about all this. I still have a friend that they have captured on her way here.”
“Are you a rival Black Finger?” the innkeeper asked.
“No. We are here to buy or trade for something the Black Fingers possess at Grishel’s Cavern. Do you know where that is?”
“All of us do. It isn’t far.”
Jack thought of what kind of mischief Addio might make at the Black Finger headquarters while he helped drag the men out. He propped Tunno’s body on a bench on the porch, against the wishes of the innkeeper, and took up a position on the other side of the street.
Carlo came out with the two women, ready to set up an ambush. Jack wondered if he should head north to get to the wagon before Addio, assuming he would want to get the other two men together.
Carlo pointed down the street. A cart with two men, followed by a hooded monk on a horse, trundled over the rough cobblestones of the village. Jack nodded and drew his sword, holding it behind his back. Addio emerged from an alley further up the street and talked to the men. Jack ran out of his hiding pla
ce. They were too far ahead of him, but he heard hoof beats behind him. Barria galloped atop Helen’s horse, waving a sword.
Jack began peppering bolts at Addio. The monk tried to swat Jack’s attack away, but the bolts must have still stung at that distance. Jack continued to get closer. His bolts were doing more damage, so Addio fled back down the alley.
Jack could do nothing about the monk, so he began throwing bolts at the two men on the cart. Barria had engaged one man when Jack’s power failed him. He still had his sword, and when the driver jumped down from the cart, he pulled his own sword and stood in the street, waiting for Jack to approach.
Without objects of power to give his depleted power a boost, Jack had no alternative but to fight. He moved first. The monk riding in the rear moved back and didn’t engage. Jack wanted to make sure Helen was in the cart, alive.
As Jack began to exchange blows with the driver, Jack could see Helen’s bruised face. They had gagged her, but Jack had noticed her chest rising and falling. It was enough so he could concentrate on the fight. Addio’s man was evenly matched with Jack. They thrust, parried, and slashed their way around the wagon, while the monk in the back fled on horseback.
Jack was relieved when Penny and Carlo showed up armed. Penny came to Jack’s aid. Both he and his opponent had bloodied the other. Penny’s speed was too much for the tiring opponent, and he succumbed to Jack’s final thrust.
“Thank you,” Penny said. “I don’t think I could have done that. Fighting with magic is one thing, but using a sword is something else. Still…”
“See to Helen,” Jack said, holding onto his arm. His bracers were untouched, but Helen’s guard had sliced him right above the elbow.
Helen sat up. “They fooled me,” she said, once Penny revived her, and the gag was removed. “Ferrio was with them. He was the bait, and I fell for it.” She put her hand to the back of her head. “Literally.”
“Do you know what they were going to do with us?” Jack asked.
Helen shook her head and then winced, putting her hand to the back of her neck. “Can’t do that for a while.” She looked at Jack. The pair that captured me didn’t know. As soon as I was captured, Ferrio headed south to the cave or whatever it is. They were worried more about Carlo than they were about you, so I held out hope you would prevail. The monk on horseback was our old friend, Myra Pulini.”