The Hekamon

by Leo T Aire

  "How long do you plan on keeping him here?"

  "I don't know. The man has been forthcoming with information so far, but I'm sure there's more going on. His partner in crime might be able to tell us more, so not until I've spoken with him at least. If the pair of them are responsible for the assault on Croneygee, then it will be for considerably longer. Jephson and Croneygee go back a long way, he will want vengeance."

  "What do you think the saceress is going to do? Does she even know her son is our prisoner?"

  "That I don't know. If she is unaware that her son is here, then it potential gives us some time to decide what to do with him, and at the moment, I'm assuming that to be the case."

  "Would Coralai attempt to force our hand do you think? Make good his release if we didn't relent and let him go first."

  "What a jailbreak? I don't think so, although I wouldn't discount the idea completely. We've had so little contact with then since the succession, that I can't be sure what the leadership there is thinking."

  "The fort, and Demedelei itself for that matter, is not as well defended as it could be," Kate reasoned. "We shouldn't provoke anything."

  Tregarron smiled, "I'll pass you advice on to Lord Jephson," he said, and his wife smiled, too. Jephson was not one for taking advice. If he was, they wouldn't be undermanned and potentially over-matched.

  After a few minutes, they drew closer to the lights of the priory and the impressive stone buildings, set among the well kept grounds. It included an orchard, a fishery and a herb garden. The building was now entirely self sufficient, and not just for food, It was no longer dependent on Lord Jephson's patronage, a fact that had increasingly caused Tregarron problems.

  Approaching the priory's door, he knocked a few times and waited.

  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.

  96

  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.

  Chapter 16

  97

  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.

  In different circumstances, he would have taken his wife's arm and steadied her, but just at this moment it wasn't possible.

  For one thing, they both felt it improper when they were in uniform, if anything, she more than he. The other reason was one of practicality, she didn't have an arm free for him to steady her by, since she was carrying both lanterns.

  Once they were safely past the fishery, he would move around to the cemetery so that he could gain access to the priory that way. If he was going to try and enter the building secretly, then he couldn't walk around carrying a lantern. If he was going to do that, he might just as well barge his way in.

  So Tregarron had given his lantern to his wife to carry, but for now they would maintain the pretense that they were leaving. They would continue up the road for a short distance then, when out of sight, he would return.

  Tregarron knew that he would need to be careful. The secret
tunnel he planned to use opened into a small room in the priory and Jervay was almost certainly aware of its existence.

  With the two of them now past the pools, Tregarron started looking around for the best route to take to the cemetery, and as he was doing so, his wife noticed something on the road up ahead.

  "Are those lanterns I can see?" she said.

  Tregarron looked in the direction of Demedelei Town, with its building well lit from inside and out, and could see Kate was right. There were two people, both of whom were carrying lanterns, at a distance halfway to the town and heading toward them. Not only that, he could see that the two people were guards.

  "If they are looking for us," Kate reasoned, "It must mean another victim has been found."

  "Possibly," he replied, as the two guards neared, but once their identities became clear, he guessed what it was going to be about.

  "I sent Phelan and Collis to the Rhavenbrook Bridge and asked them to report back to me," he informed Kate, "They must have gone to fort, and then been told where they could find us. Let's see what they have to say."

  "Captain," Phelan said, once the man had got to within a few yards, and by way of a greeting.

  "Anything to report, Phelan?"

  From what the man then told him, it turned out he had a great deal to report, and the captain listened with interest as the guard relayed what he had seen. Once finished, Tregarron asked about some of the details.

  "The man being taken away by the Fennreans, what did he look like?"

  "He was on the ground so it was hard to tell, but he seemed a well built fellow, with long black hair."

  "Could you see what was he wearing?"

  "From what I could tell, just an old coat, nothing special."

  "What about footwear? Leather caligae, strapped in the Coralai style?"