Engaging Evil (Warriors of Vhast Book 2)

by Cary J Lenehan

  Others presented a different puzzle. Thord and Astrid are the two strongest of our people. Do you give them the pair of leather arm bracers that adds to their strength, or do you give them to someone who is weaker and would gain more advantage? Should the crystal pendant, which protects its wearer from major spells by turning them back against their caster be given to a mage, who has some natural resistance, or to someone like Ayesha, who might be sent to attack a mage or to Astrid, who took the lead on foot? Any of them could use a copper ring that spits out big lightning bolts that covers a significant target. So who could best use it? Or the magnesium and jade ring which helps protect the wearer from evil. They might all need one of those, the same with a woollen cloak that always protected the wearer against cold.

  Some, at least, are easy to work out. Ayesha was immediately given the bronze lock pick that opened magic locks and an amber and chrome ring which concealed the wearer from sight, sound, hearing and magic. She maintained that she did not need it, and it should go to another as she was silent enough anyway, but she was overruled by the rest of the group. One of the best items was found in Dharmal’s room. Christopher realised that the Dwarf Bandit leader must not have had a chance to put it on or else Thord would not have stood much of a chance. It was a gold arm torc that made the wearer weigh only half as much as usual and also increased the speed at which they were able to attack and defend. Astrid was given that precious item. From my sparring with her, she is terrifying with that spear; now, attacking at twice the speed made her even more formidable. No one could face her on foot. She immediately put it on and, after trying it with a practice weapon, swore it would not be taken off except in practice.

  Even I realise that some of this magic had obviously been with the wrong people from a tactical point of view. The ring that shielded against mages and the one that fired lightning had been in Dharmal’s room while the carpet runner, which is very beautiful, was actually on the floor. It is possible that the bandits were just like us; they couldn’t think of a use for it either. Some people just like to display powerful magic unused as an expression of their wealth. Perhaps Dharmal had been like that.

  After consulting with Stefan, Christopher started to share out enhanced weapons as they were identified. I know that Hulagu is insisting that I need to learn a new weapon rather than just a staff, but do I need a magical mace? I am sure that it is unkind to refer to my staff as basically just a very good stick. He wants me to learn how to use a horse mace and a shield and the Princesses back him. He sighed. It is not as if I have wasted much of my time with the staff. I have very little skill to forget. Still, I am not sure as to whether I like it or not. Our village is becoming an armed camp. Rather than put their past behind them it seems as if, when people are not working on chores or rebuilding, they are practicing with weapons or spells. What I am forced to do, they want to do. Rani even wants them fitter and stronger. He considered Theodora’s efforts and smiled. Stefan insisted she could scarce move if she had all of her arms and armour on. It is hard work convincing her that her partner is right in what she said. “You have been a Princess for too long and need more muscles, my love. I will join you if that makes it easier.” The nights after dinner tended to see people finish their eating and go straight to bed exhausted unless they had more lessons. It was now only on Krondag eve that they were sitting up and dancing and singing.

  ~~~

  One night at dinner, after Parminder had been baptised, Father Christopher was joined by Robin. Behind Robin, and remaining tactfully further away, were the three women in his life, his wife, his sister and her partner. Robin looks embarrassed. This does not look good…for Robin at least. The bowyer sat down and promptly started a conversation with the priest that went no-where. I need to cut this short.

  “Robin,” he said, “from the expressions the three women hovering behind you have, I suspect you have something on your mind. It does not matter how strange or embarrassing it is. I am sure I have heard it, or its like, before. If I have not, then it is as sure as the Resurrection that it is going to come up soon. I have decided that nothing in this village is ever going to be straight-forward.”

  Robin cleared his throat and looked back to the women, who all stared back with a flat look. Eventually he said, “Now that all doeth believe that I hath a made Eleanor pregnant, Goditha and Parminder have decided that they doth want a child of their own.”

  Christopher nodded. Alarming as it may be, at least I have already thought about where this particular conversation is going to go. I hope my prayers are good enough and pray that the Metropolitan will forgive me for what I am, I think, about to say.

  “Goditha hath a decided that, seeing that I art her brother, I shouldst be the one to father the child with Parminder so that it be as much like my sister as any wilt be a knowin’.”

  Christopher sighed and nodded. I was right and this is the only solution. I may as well go ahead. “Yes, it is clearly your duty, that is, if Eleanor agrees.”

  A spluttering noise came from the other man and it was a moment before he could speak. “What doth thou mean that it be my duty? I be a married man now. I cannot father a child on another woman without it shall be a sin.”

  “That is normally true, but also the Bible does state that if a brother dies without having a child, a man is obliged to take his brother’s wife and give her a child that shall be regarded as the child of his brother if she so wishes. One of the few sensible parts of Deuteronomy, I have always thought. By analogy the situation is the same here. Here, clearly, your sister cannot father a child so, in my opinion, and at this stage it is only my opinion, it is your duty to father the child for her. When the child is born, remember though that it is not and will never be your child. It is your sister’s. Again though, I would urge you only to do this with Eleanor’s consent. I have no theological grounds for that, it merely seems to me to be common-sense.”

  “Her consent? It were her as suggested it to Goditha.”

  Christopher smiled. I thought that would be the case. “She struck me as a sensible woman. In that case, if Parminder is in agreement, remember what she went through as a child and be very gentle with her. You do not love Parminder, but you love your sister and she loves Parminder very much. Do you wish me to bless your union? I can do it without a marriage ceremony and it will guarantee the fertility of your coming together so you only need do it once.”

  ~~~

  Christopher was handy when Naeve used the Talker and asked for Giles to be sent up to the top meadows with the cart and a scythe, and someone to help him, and volunteered to fetch him from his fields. It was decided that Hulagu, who wanted to see these prodigious fields that Thord was so impressed with, would go. The two came back two days later with a cart loaded full and high of hay to put away for winter. It was so full that Giles walked to the horse’s head and the load of hay near touched its rump and reached high into the air while Hulagu rode behind. They were all gathered to hear of what they had seen. The fields around Greensin may be fertile, but that is one of the largest cartloads of hay I have seen. Hulagu was as impressed as Thord had been. “You could house a whole tuman up there over summer,” he said, “and not run out of grass. There are even rabbits and small deer to eat. There seem to be no predators, so your herds would just keep on growing. What I don’t know is why there is nothing large up there already. You would think that over the years some larger animals would have made it up there.”

  ~~~

  On his return Giles asked Father Christopher if he might have a quiet word with him. “Father,” he said very diffidently, “Naeve was wondering if you could marry us the night after she comes back from the top meadows?”

  “Gladly,” said the priest, cheerfully. “It appears to be my main duty here, and to think that I had never presided over a wedding before I set out for here.” Giles has a silly happy smile on his face, but he is also still looking at the floor and shuffling his feet, as if not sure what to say next. “You don’t wa
nt me to?” Christopher requested curiously.

  “No, no, that I do, but—”

  “There is a ‘but’?” asked Christopher.

  “Well, it’s like this…Naeve and me; we worked most with Goditha and with Dulcie. We was going to have them both as maids of honour, but then…because we was locked up so much, we men never got to know each other real well and I best knew those two girls and I says to Naeve that I didn’t know who to have as my groomsman…well she says…‘I’ll have Dulcie, why don’t you ask Goditha?’ and…well, apart from Naeve…she’s my best friend here…but she’s a woman. I know, I know, she doesn’t like men, except as friends, and she is with Parminder but…is it right? Could I?”

  Father Christopher paused briefly. “I have already agreed to marry Goditha and Parminder, once I have checked with the Metropolitan. Now if what you tell me is right, then she will be asking you to be her groomsman next. Go and ask her. Don’t be surprised if she breaks her own rules and gives you a kiss when you do.”

  Christopher was pleased to later hear that he had been right. Parminder heard the news as he was asking and excitedly headed straight out of the door to organise ‘something for Goditha’ and a dress for Naeve.

  ~~~

  Theodora

  I wonder if I am the first to have noticed this custom. Goditha has started work on our house. She arrived and has taken off her dress, carefully folding it out of the way and keeping on just a short leather skirt she had worn underneath the longer garment and no top. Over this she has put a leather apron. Now she has explained, it does make sense. The bandits didn’t bring in much for the women and used to make them work without giving much support. This meant that they were given no work clothes and they had to ‘make do’ with what they were given. If they tore their good clothes while they were working they were punished so this had led to the women doing their heavy work in less clothes than they normally would use outside the valley when engaging in tasks that would be rough on their clothes. It seems that Astrid, when she was watching the village on the first day, had forgotten to mention this. The village men are used to the custom. Harald, who was helping bring in stone explained to Theodora, when she asked his opinion, that the girls with larger breasts, such as Verily, would sometimes wrap leather around their chests, but this was not out of modesty, after all the bandits had seen everything they had, but just to avoid being hurt. The women who were less well-endowed would just work as men did when they worked in the fields on a hot day.

  Theodora kept watching the rest of the rescuers to see how they took it, and was rewarded with the sight of Basil being confronted by Dulcie with a load of timber, to little reaction and then Stefan who saw his own Bryony helping Goditha with some stone. Stefan’s eyes nearly dropped out and Bryony burst out laughing and nearly dropped the stone as she pointed him out to Goditha. She smiled and gave an ironic bob in his direction. Bianca’s reaction was more matter of fact when she saw Anahita and Kãhina getting ready to ride out to the river to wash all of the horses in just loincloths, but she immediately went over and there was an animated three-way conversation incomprehensible to anyone who couldn’t speak Khitan. Anahita left the group and ran up to Hulagu’s room and came back with something under her arm. Bianca went in to get her horses and Esther for a wash as well and re-emerged bareback and dressed in the same fashion as the other two. She was trying hard not to look embarrassed.

  Some time later the three were returning with the horses. Bianca has quickly adjusted and, despite looking more than a little nervous, is laughing and joking along with the other two. Oh…this is interesting. Father Christopher is coming out of the hall. His face is priceless. His jaw may hit his knees. Now Bianca turns and sees him. I have never seen anyone blush from the waist up before. Bianca is trying to sound calm and failing. Father Christopher is trying to reply and is not saying a single intelligible word. Everything is coming out in a garbled fashion that starts with almost a squeak. Now the girls are taking the horses into the stables and there is a storm of laughter. But is it at Bianca or with her?

  ~~~

  Father Christopher

  The sight of Bianca nearly-naked is almost too much. I saw Aine, the brewer, working earlier in leather trousers and an apron and then Goditha working with her stone. I asked Ruth and she explained. I do understand the necessity that had driven the women to this situation, and Ruth told me that most of the women preferred to work that way, once they were used to it, particularly when reaping and gathering in the fields in hot weather—a loincloth or kilt, a straw hat and a pair of sandals were all that most wore. I do accept that, and I accept that the circumstances of the Mice are unusual, but I don’t lust after my parishioners. My thoughts have been struggling with the possibility of this. Seeing Bianca out in the open and somehow wearing even less than she does in her dancing clothes is now real and in front of me. What do I say? What do I do? Oh Lord, I will be speaking to you tonight at length about this on my knees. Can I get the image of her breasts out of my mind?

  He realised that he was fleeing as he returned to the hall.

  Once he had recovered his composure he went off to see Theodora, whom he had noticed standing on the veranda of her house and gazing over the courtyard. He made sure his eyes were averted from the stables and hurried up the courtyard.

  “I really do need to see the Metropolitan,” he said urgently.

  The Princess is looking more than a little amused. Oh Saint Mary Magdalene, did she see what just happened? How can she respect me as her priest, poor sinner that I am? At least she is tactfully saying nothing even if it is written on her face. “We have the carpet. I think that it is time that we let someone else know what is happening in case we fail… If you saw your Metropolitan, would he keep your confidence?” Father Christopher nodded. “Would he let you bring a priest back with you if we promised to return him?”

  “I think so”

  “Could you find Greensin from the air?”

  “I am sure that I can do that…now I can at least. Ruth has shown me a map. I couldn’t have found it on foot when I started. Remember, for me, this all started with me getting lost.”

  “Then I will take you there after they bring the animals back down from the top valley safely. We will fly at night and we will rest during the day and continue on in the next night. We should not be seen by anyone and we can have a word with the Metropolitan and I am sure we can fix your problem at the same time.”

  My problem…yes, she has seen my reaction. I am shamed. Saint John Chrysostum, patron of priests, aid me. As soon as we can then…oh wait. “If it cannot be now, it will have to be two nights after they come back. I have another wedding to perform.”

  Chapter XXVII

  Rani

  It is odd to be involved with things I have never had to think about before. The animals are still away and it has been seven days. Giles and Hulagu have made another trip for hay and also with large earthenware pots with tops that could be firmly tied-down. They have returned with them full of sheep’s milk. Ayesha is headed to the lookout for the morning.

  That is the Talker operating…“Someone is coming down the path from the north. They probably won’t be here until tomorrow, they are still having breakfast, from the smoke, but I thought that I should let you know so that you can work out what we should do.”

  “How much smoke?” Rani asked.

  Following a short pause, “Enough for a small fire, no more than a hand or so.”

  “I will think about it. See if you pick up anything else from them and we will talk tonight.”

  I don’t know. I will ask my Princess. They discussed the options and decided that they wanted to stay secret from casual passers-by for a while, perhaps staying that way until well after winter unless someone actually sought them out.

  “It is a little late in the season for traders to go anywhere but here. I would rather fight Shiva than bet against any innocent traders that went along this road not being waylaid. If these peo
ple are innocent, then I want them to continue past us to report that the track is clear. That way, next season we might find a ready supply of traders starting to use this path. I think we should not go out to them. If we did we could not avoid inviting them in and anything that they see could get back to these Masters.”

  ~~~

  The next day the lookout was to be manned by Astrid, Bryony and Stefan. For today Stefan was given the lighting bolt ring and Bryony was given the ring which protected the wearer from evil. Astrid had her day made for her by being given both the arm bracers and a loan of Ayesha’s invisibility ring. She immediately put it on and moved behind Basil, easily picking him up and squeezing him playfully.

  “Astrid, put your husband down and listen,” said Rani, as she prepared to give them their instructions. Astrid took the ring off and reappeared with a grin on her face. “Stay low,” said Rani. “If they turn up the path, let us know, otherwise let them pass. Keep an eye on them until they are out of sight. In case of need: Astrid you may have to get down the path fast and any extra damage you can do will be useful if you are fighting alone. Bryony, stay with your bow and hold the lookout, taking out the stragglers. Stefan, as you need to—use the bow, the ring or your spear. If they come up the path, then we do the same as last time, but we will take them captive. If it is possible, find out what they know. Understand?”

  All three indicated their understanding.

  “Then off you go. You all need to be out there soon in case they are moving quickly, but you may be there all day. Let us know when they actually come into sight so that we can move to the gate.”

  ~~~