by Billy Wong
Now she stopped smiling, as she looked closely at each of them and frowned. "You've clearly been in quite a battle. Did you find what you were looking for, which I assume to be the attackers of my wagon?"
Adam waited for his mentor to reply, but it seemed Jacob wanted him to get some practice speaking. "Yes, and yes—I think. We fought a man who was bloodthirsty and veritably mad, and an amazing fighter—unbelievably fast. But we got lucky and managed to kill him with his own trap."
Rose nodded. "I would have wanted to tell him myself what I thought of his deeds, but it hardly matters how he's met justice. Now, where's his body?" Adam pointed at the blanket. He hardly wanted to touch the bloody thing, or see the remains up close. The woman looked to have no such qualms as she ripped away the covering.
Her eyes widened as she recognized the transfixed corpse. Rose turned back to the noble and knight, her voice somber. "This was one of my best men. The only thing he did wrong was sometimes get into fights to prove he was better than others, but nothing like this. I think he must have been cursed in the ruins, when he was away from the rest of us." She looked at the ground. "Damn, how could this happen? When?"
"You think a curse was involved?" Adam asked. "Does this mean your work is unsafe?"
"Of course it's not safe. But I thought we'd at least be able to recognize the dangers... what now? My men are going to be scared, and there's still so much to do."
Jacob had a suggestion. "The culprit is well dead, and I doubt there were any others in league with him. It sounds like this was a decent man before whatever happened to him, be it a curse or madness. Why destroy his memory, and risk a widespread panic over the presence of dark magic in the process? Rose, perhaps you should consider keeping the details of this incident a secret.
"But take caution. I leave it to you to control whatever emerges from the ruins your men open up. And if your actions put our people in danger, you will stop, or I will do what it takes to stop you." His voice was calm; this was no threat, but merely an earnest warning. Adam gazed at him with admiration, impressed as always with his wisdom and the way he was able to see as a whole and deal with a situation.
Rose nodded. "I wouldn't want to cause your people any harm. If anything strange happens in town, tell me right away and we'll do our best to help you." She paused. "There was another man in the wagon crew whose body I didn't find. His name is Derrick—a young man, of medium build with brown hair. Okay, that's not much of a description. Um, he's also got a big mouth and no facial hair. Do you know where he is? And whose was the other corpse in the wreck?"
Adam remembered Derrick's eagerness to reunite with his friends. "He was injured, though not badly, and is resting now at my home. You should come see him. As for the other body, we do not know. I suspect he was simply a witness to the incident, who Jack decided would better serve his plans dead."
Though her eyes seemed troubled, Rose smiled at the invitation and quickly accepted. The trio talked all the way back to town, and when Rose left to speak to the injured scholar, Adam had nothing but good feelings for her.
#
Derrick looked comfortable tucked beneath the blankets in the soft, warm bed, and Rose felt loath to wake him. As she sat down beside him, however, his eyes popped open and filled with relief. "Rose! I'm glad you're here. Have you figured out who attacked us back there?"
Her face fell as she told him the whole sad story, and second thoughts about their endeavor plagued her mind. She kept her voice low in accordance with Jacob's advice. "I used to think that the meager knowledge shared by Finn and myself could protect us from the magics of the Old World. Now, I'm beginning to have my doubts."
Clearly alarmed, Derrick sat up too fast and bit back a cry of pain. "No, you can't give up now! There's so much more to be found, and learned. Besides, if we stop now we'll just be leaving other, less prepared people to throw their lives away in there!"
Rose felt forming tears in her eyes as she said sadly, "Then we'll simply have to seal up the ruins. Because I'm starting to believe, maybe we aren't all that much more prepared than your run-of-the-mill treasure hunters. Certainly not enough so to play at being their guardian angels."
"Sealing up the ruins won't do much good when people know they're here and unemptied. They'll find a way in. Besides, what about the stories you and Finn tell us about the adventures you've had, facing dangers that make the ones we fear now seem insubstantial in comparison? Finn said you faced down an archmage of the Old World in the flesh, now you worry you're unable to deal with their garbage?"
Rose's voice was firm as she replied. "The word you used was seem insubstantial. And with your smarts, you must know the dangers you don't see can kill you just as easily as the ones you do—if not moreso. The battles we faced in the past? That was much different from now.
"Then, we counted on our strength, both physical and mental, to see us through against enemies we could confront directly. But strength, in whatever form, won't be enough to protect the rest of you. We don't even know where, or how, the curse or madness or whatever took Jack. How can we know what to do to save everyone?
"Three people are dead. You have to take that more seriously than you are."
"I know it's serious. It's terrible that they're gone." Derrick took her hand and looked pleadingly into her eyes. "But please, Rose, you don't know if he was even cursed by something in the ruins, or if he hid his own madness from us until now, or was bewitched by some other foe! Will you just give it another chance? I'll do my best to help you figure out what caused this madness of Jack's."
Rose still had her doubts. How could she risk more lives when she had no clue how to stop it from happening again? But she still wanted to see more of the ruins, and Derrick was right that it wasn't certain Jack's madness had been a result of exploring. "All right," she conceded, "I'll give it some time. But if anything suspicious happens, that's it! Now, how long do you think it'll be before you can come back?"
Derrick's voice calmed with relief. "Adam said I should rest for a few days, just to make sure. But I feel fine, so hopefully I can convince him to let me go. See you soon, Rose!"
"Bye, Derrick. Get well!" Rose left the room. As she walked down the hall, a sudden insight came. That "unbelievable" speed Adam had spoken of—and Jack's ability to frustrate two trained fighters, including one as brilliant as Jacob—felt awfully familiar.
The bandits she'd fought in her teens had been much more formidable than their training would indicate. Imagining a skilled fighter like Jack gaining a similar boost, she thought that yes, perhaps even two good warriors would be tested to their limits. Rose's mind filled with dread at the thought of the bloodshed someone like Finn, or herself, could cause were this "madness" to fall on them.
#
Jacob stopped Rose as she tried to leave the manor, wearing a pleasant smile. "You are leaving already, Rose? I thought I could at least have the pleasure of your company at lunch. Won't you stay a little longer?"
She worried about the others back at camp, but the importance of her presence there had been called into question in her mind today, and Finn was a capable if harsh leader. Besides, Jacob's company calmed her nerves. "All right. But you've got to tell your account of the Prince of Coblan's jousting tournament where his new prize mount dropped dead and gained you your victory, okay?" With a laugh, Jacob agreed, and the two went inside to find something nice for Rose to wear.
"So Jacob, what's it like being a knight?" Rose asked as she looked around the Heron family's huge closet.
A short pause later, he answered, "It certainly has had its share of ups and downs, but I'd say I've been satisfied with it over the years. If your lord is honorable, it's a worthy life."
"You think I could be a knight?" She'd always admired the ideals of chivalry, at least as told in tales.
Jacob looked at her appreciatively. "I don't know. Most of us are born into it, at least in terms of inheriting their name and post. Though some are granted title and knighthood b
y their lord, for some fine deed."
Rose laughed. "I think I might've done a couple." But she was a woman, and that would certainly complicate matters.
The knight leveled on her a suspicious look, as if wondering whether it was arrogance or humor behind her words. Then his face became amiable again. "It's good that you have confidence in your abilities. That's a trait needed in those who bear great responsibility—trust in oneself, though not without consideration for personal limitations."
"Well, I know I have plenty of faults. But I can't say I don't think I'm a pretty decent fighter."
"More than decent, from the stories I've heard of you,"
She smiled, then frowned. "I'm that well known already?"
"I could never quite believe the tale of what you did at Whitehill. Is it true?" The knight stood patiently, waiting for an answer.
Rose shuddered a bit at the memory of that fight. "Probably mostly true, depending on how the teller embellished it. Though I don't think that one needed any."
Jacob stared at her and chuckled. "I wouldn't want to meet you in a fight, for sure."
"We wouldn't fight. We're on the same side. So you think I'd make a good knight?"
"In regards to the fighting, I expect you'd be a great knight. But there's more to it than that. There's duty and honor and poise, the last of which you'd need a lesson or two in. But I think if you really wanted to, yes, you'd make a fine knight, though you'd give up some of that freedom you enjoy."
Looking away, Rose said softly, "I wouldn't want to be tied down to any lord or land. I go where I decide I'm needed."
"I'd say, then, my role is not for you. It's not just quests and glory like some people think. But you're certainly a fine, valiant woman for considering it."
"Thank you. If I were a noblewoman, I'd want you to be my knight. Now, get out and let me try on some clothes!"
#
Some time later, Rose found herself thinking she looked awful in the men's formalwear Jacob had given her. She had found herself too big, especially in the arms and shoulders, for any of the women's clothing in the manor, and wanted to simply wear her own clothes to lunch. But he had insisted she wear something befitting a respectable gentleperson, and suggested one of his outfits!
Grudgingly, she admitted the thickness of the arms and shoulders were about right, but the sleeves and pants definitely way too long. Plus, she really did look like a man in it—and worse, a dandy at that! Well, not above the neck, but still... Another look at herself in the mirror, and she just couldn't stand it anymore.
Taking off the accursed thing, she took one of the sleeveless dresses she had unsuccessfully tried to put on before and tore it down the back to make room for her bulky torso. They could take it out of their payment for the sculptures if they wanted, but if Rose was to dress up like a pampered noble, she would at least look like a lady and not a gentleman! Realizing the ripped back would look pretty bad, she looked around for something to cover it. With a sigh, she settled for the best choice at hand.
Clad in dress and cape, Rose strode confidently into the dining room, all eyes on her as she plopped herself into the seat next to Sir Jacob and leaned back. Adam was there, along with two boys who might have been his younger brothers and a number of grown men she assumed to be knights or retainers. Looking around the room, she met everyone's eyes as if daring them to speak. They exchanged glances and whispers, but Rose thought nobody intended to be overheard, so she ignored the quiet remarks about her lack of culturedness and properness and so forth.
She noticed a strange tension about several of the guards, their hands hovering near sheathed weapons. Looking at Jacob, she realized he also noticed this, and did not seem to know what to make of it.
"Lady Rose," the blond, bearded man at the head of the table—Robert Heron, it must be—began, "I am glad you have come. There are important matters I must discuss with you." His voice grew cold. "I won't waste your time with more pretty words. It has come to my attention that your meddling has unleashed some hostile magic into the area surrounding the ruins, and that this threat has already cost the town cobbler his life. While I understand what you do is in the name of knowledge, the risks to the safety and security of our town are too great. So I must ask you to stop whatever you are doing and leave the ruins at once. And you can take your accursed findings with you.
"Though stay for lunch, if you'd like."
Rose's first thoughts were of sympathy towards the dead cobbler's family. He had not been old. In truth, she wasn't nearly as upset at having her expedition cut short as might have been expected. Lord Heron must have feared the worst; the guards had hands on their swords, ready to draw if she gave them any excuse. She looked at Jacob and Adam, and their bewildered expressions told her they had not, knowingly at least, broken their promise of silence. Who, then? Had someone eavesdropped on them?
But she didn't really care, because she had already been reluctant to put anyone else in the line of danger they couldn't even see, let alone understand, without more knowledge of the risks involved. Lord Heron's mandate only made a good excuse for her to stop. Without so much as a word of argument, she rose and walked out, a collective sigh of relief rising behind her.
Still, she was curious about who had ratted her out. She stopped just for a second to look back, and saw Adam had dropped his gaze as if he'd come to realize his own guilt. So he had told somebody about Jack?
"Wait, Rose!" Sir Jacob's voice stopped her as she reached the tall gates of the estate, and she turned to regard him. "I'm sorry, I don't know why Lord Heron's being so harsh. Everyone makes mistakes, but people learn, and it's not proper to treat a guest so. Do you want me to convince him to let you continue exploring?"
The offer warmed her. "No, he's right. I didn't even know what I was getting into. Thank you, Jacob. But don't say anything to your lord now. I wouldn't want you to suffer his wrath needlessly."
"All right, but just ask if you change your mind."
"I will. And if you ever come by Hullel during one of your quests, you'll be welcome to stay at my house."
Jacob nodded and gave her a parting handshake. "Goodbye, Rose. Good luck in your travels!" Again he smiled marveling at her strength, and they parted happily, though Rose wished she could have spent more time with him.
#
Adam boiled inside while he sat slowly chewing his food. His anger ran deep, at himself for having been overheard, at whoever had told his secrets, and at Robert for his unforgiving attitude towards Rose. At first, he had thought the haughty maid Anna to be the snitch, as she had expressed strong disapproval of Rose's lifestyle. Now, though, he realized the outspoken woman would have said something as soon as she heard words to her disliking, not waited to rat him out behind his back.
Someone else must have overheard him talking to Derrick, but who? It wouldn't be easy to find out even if he asked his uncle directly, for he was unlikely to talk. He tried anyway, but all he got was, "Someone I can trust when it comes to you."
He was still angry when he went back to his room, but as he sat there mulling over the day's events, he heard a knock at the door. Taking a deep breath as he reminded himself to control his temper, he opened it. Elaine stood there, smiling. He saw her hands were empty, and wondered what she wanted. "Hello. What do you need?"
To his surprise, she hesitated as she tried to get the words out. "I-I want to talk to you. Just go... out like we used to when we were kids, be friends again."
Adam couldn't have been happier if Lord Robert had told him he needn't attend any more useless functions ever again, and didn't try one bit to hide it. "Of course we can do that, Elaine. Let's get to know each other again. We'll find time even if I have to miss a few stupid parades."
She laughed merrily at that. "Yes, Adam, and we'll lie on the grass together, and talk and laugh and admire the sky, and you'll teach me to write and ride and fence and I'll teach you to-to..."
He finished in a soothing voice for her, "And you'll tea
ch me to sew and clean my own room. How's that sound?"
"It sounds great," she gushed, and as she sat next to him Adam's heart soared, Rose related troubles the farthest thing from his mind.
Chapter 3
Finn looked around the camp and sighed. He'd realized quickly that without Rose and Derrick around, nobody really knew what they were doing. Sure, they could wander around the ruins and take note of what they saw, but many of the men didn't know how to write, and certainly none of them read Old Script!
Only Derrick and Rose knew any of that stuff—well, Finn knew a couple of words—and without the ability to read any inscriptions found in the ruins, they could easily walk headlong into avoidable danger. So Finn had grudgingly pulled out, after reaching doors marked by unknown characters which barred the way further inside.
Now he grew impatient as he waited, and kicked at the stones at his feet. He knew his mood had an adverse effect on the men's morale, but whatever had happened to the wagon was likely pretty bad to keep it from making it to town for the whole night. He just hoped everybody was all right, not that much in these fairly peaceful parts could pose a threat to Rose. And sure enough, the big woman walked into view—wearing a fancy dress and cape? He looked at her face, and recognized her sadness and guilt. Clearly there was bad news to be heard, and he ran to meet her.
The wagon crash, Ron's death and Derrick's injury, the revelation of Jack as the killer, Lord Heron's mandate to stop the expedition—the shocks came one after another, and the men fell to nervous mumbling. Finn himself marveled how such a simple task could have gone so wrong. But it also surprised him how easily Rose had given in to Lord Heron's demand to leave. She didn't usually sweat arguments, even with lords.
When she told him she felt they weren't ready for their task after all, though, Finn decided then and there to give her his full backing. If any of them knew best about their limitations, it was Rose. Sure they had acknowledged the perils they might encounter when undertaking this endeavor, but acknowledging something and facing it were two different things. He told the men to go home, welcoming them to take whatever share of the treasure they could carry. For now, the Archivists would be in limbo.