by Sam Sea
The girl jumped and raced to Mikka to take them.
“Is it all right?” Silent suddenly remembered to turn around and look at Sol’s mother to ask.
She would not say anything until she saw Sol’s begging look and then nodded her head.
“It only makes sense that you come in here as well and eat with us…” Gina invited her in, not paying attention to a stiff expression on her husband’s face.
It’s already been a week since Mikka and Silent arrived on Kar. Instructions she received were very vague. “You are to go to the city of Three Rivers. It is the biggest city, in the heart of the Five Kingdoms, with the tall pyramid outside it to help you guide your way… Go to that pyramid, climb its steps, and ask for the High Priest called Groin. He will give you the most current information of where you can find the person you need to rescue. The contract asks for you not to use weaponry of any sort other than the blades and arrows. You are not to leave any trances behind of your presence here, so anything you do there cannot be tracked to you. This is a rescue mission, the time is of the most important essence and you have fifteen days to complete your job.”
Well, she saw Groin an hour ago, and all the information she needed for her mission to rescue Les was with her. She knew she had no more time to lose. As she weighted for a second at what she saw inside Ronnich apartment, it was hard for her to turn down the invitation and pull away.
“No, I am sorry. I cannot. I have to get ready. I have a long trip ahead of me tomorrow…” she finally said to them, fully noting how worried Silent had suddenly became. “We’ll talk when you are finished here…” she told Silent before nodding her head to Gina and casting another cold look to Ronnich stiffened face.
Chapter 10 - The Monastery
That stiffened face of Ronnich materialized again in front of Mikka ten days after she had left the tavern of Three White Roses and went to complete her job.
He rode in front of a group of ten guards that met them not long after they departed Dicson. Seeing riders approach them, Mikka thought that they would be troubles, but then she saw their banners of the green pyramid and two moons and relaxed.
As they rode to meet them, she recognized the only man who was not covered in a silvery armor.
“You again?” she asked Ronnich as he stopped his mount close to her cart..
“Yes my lady,” he answered politely. “I was sent here to escort you to the Monetary.”
“It seems they had a job for you too, huh?” Mikka asked.
“I had a debt to pay,” he nodded his head.
“A debt…?” Mikka didn’t understand.
“Yes,” he said as he pushed his horse around, not really ready to offer any more explanations.
”I left my girl in the city… You left your wife and your kid, too? Must be a big debt.”
Watching the monastery materialize in front of her eyes, she figured she was four days early, but still doubted of her reward if Les doesn’t make it. For the last few hours, he was stretched out, passed out without moving much, with fever igniting his body. If he didn’t get any proper medicine, she doubted he would last more than a day. Everything they’ve done to him should have killed him already long time ago.
Mikka found Ronnich commission very disturbing. She did not like not knowing what exactly is going on, and why would they would hire her. She did not like the other guards either. They seemed unable to meet her eyes, and she didn’t like how tall they carried their chins, how much pride they carried in their eyes.
She calculated to take her prize and leave for the Three Rivers before the night sets in, eager to return to Silent. What would happen to Les she could not guess. She had Silent to worry about, regardless of how brave and smart she appeared for her twelve years.
“I will be fine…” Silent told her as she departing. “Everyone seems very nice here. I will be fine. If you want me to, I will not even leave the room.”
“I am worried…you are so young.”
“Don’t need to worry, if I survived Pluk, I can handle anything they throw at me here. This is a piece of cake. Also, if I get into trouble, all the skill that you taught me during the last few weeks might come in handily.”
“You were a good student. You learned a lot. I am actually surprised how much. But, it will take years of practice to get your strength, speed and agility - your moves are not yet quite right and fast enough so that you could be safe. Until then, you have to be quiet and lay low. Do you understand?”
“You should just go and finish this job…If it means rescuing someone from torture and jail, I think you should do it. I really do not mind staying alone. And if I go with you, you know I will be just in your way.”
“You want to stay here because of that boy, don’t you?”
“Yes… I am afraid that if I do not stay, he will die. Somehow I have that feeling inside. And I know I am right.”
“You have a really good sense of premonition. The energies you feel are real, and you should trust your judgment. I will leave enough gold coins here that you can buy yourself out of any trouble you fall into… Just be smart. Don’t leave the room and roam around the city.”
“No… I plan to stay here and be with the boy. I think he needs me.”
“I might be gone a whole month. What are you going to eat here?”
“his mom said that I can eat with them, and I can just give her an extra gold coin to cover food expenses. I know she would appreciate that, especially since they do not have enough. Do not worry. It will all be fine.”
“Okay, but you understand that I really do not like to leave you like this…”
“Yes, yes I know… But I also want to be here if Irkoniss comes. I want to see him, and something tells me that if I leave, I may never see him again. I will watch out for them. They will beat bound to come to the biggest city in the realm. And this is the major road that take you there. And this is the largest tavern… I know, sometimes I close my eyes looking at the road, and I can just see me opening them and seeing him there, riding gallantly on the horse towards us.”
“Irkoniss on the horse?” Mikka laughter did not spoil Silent’s premonition.
“You will see…”
“Yes that would be a funny thing to see. I would stay here myself for that if I didn’t only take this job…”
Mikka didn’t like to have free time for her mind to remember all those details, hearing Silent’s soft voice, looking into her innocent eyes, thinking and fearing that something bad may happen to her. She wanted to leave back to her right away.
But the monastery proved further than what she could guess, and they arrived long after all the daylight was spent and torches lid.
As they made through the canyon and entered through the massive iron gate, Mikka felt the Les’s pulse on his wrist. It was weak, hardly detectable.
The priest that went to greet her carried very much the same white robe attire as the one in the Three River temple. “I am Father Leaff, and I greet you…”
“The man you requested here is ill. He has been tortured for a long time and has been poisoned. But he still lives… He needs medicine right away.”
“Yes, we have received information from the crow. We will take care of him.”
“My job was to deliver him to your Grand Master. Where is he?”
“He is not here currently…”
“What?”
“He will be here soon… very soon.” The priest hurried with the answer seeing anger arise in Mikka’s face. “He said to…”
“When?” Mikka patience started to wear off.
“He said that-”
“When?” Mikka raise her voice that cut sharper than knife and four guards who rode with her jolted their bodies to step toward the priest.
“Probably here very shortly.” His eyes danced nervously, and Mikka doubted he knew himself the truth.
“He better be here… shortly.”
“He said to give you a room…” the voice was trying
to please, and Mikka thought to rest. She needed that anyway if she was to hurry back to Three Rivers.
“I will stay in the same room as Les until I see the Grand Master.”
“But, we were told to -”
“No! Don’t care what you were told to! And don’t you dare to order me around, priest. Or I’ll cut your head off, and then kick it with my foot so hard that it flies over that wall of yours, understand? And the same goes to four of you pricks, if you decide to get involved,” she continued raging seeing guards position themselves around. “I’ll chop you just like I did those at the Dicson tavern.”
But guards in the monastery seemed to be much better disciplined than those in the tavern, and none went to their swords. They stood motionless, as if planted like a statues, and only turned their heads toward their sergeant, observing and waiting for his lead. Ronnich was nowhere in sight.
The man stepped forward. “I’m sorry, I am Einnon, the chief sergeant here, and the Grand Master instructed me directly to give you all the protection and welcome as possible. So nobody here under my command will show you any sign of disrespect, but will serve you as best as they can.” He explained as he raised his hands. His men instantly relaxed and pulled back. Then he looked directly at the priest. “He did not say anything about protecting you from her. So if I were in your sandals, I would stop bossing her around and listen to her.”
When Les woke up and saw two priests towering over him, he thought that his prayers have been answered, and that there would be no more pain. He was wrong. Two of them held him under his armpits and lifted him up to a sitting position. The move made Les’s teeth almost bite his tongue off as he shrieked in pain. It was obvious that Mikka’s miracle water has used its potency and that his broken body was nowhere close of being healed.
He breathed heavily when the door opened and one priest dressed in all white robe stood in the doorway.
“I delivered him to you… Now I want my reward.” He heard Mikka’s voice coming from the outside before the door started to be closed.
They gave her some kind of an answer that was obviously not appealing to her as she raised her voice to them again. “You lied, priest, and I do not like being lied to.”
“Mikka…” Les called on to her, the sound from his lip coming as a begging whisper.
But it was enough for her to hear it and instantly she stepped in a doorway trying to get in. Except one of the Bo’Ra priests had a strange idea to stand in her way, preventing her to get in.
Mikka particularly did not appreciate that, and without an uttered word, she hit him in the chest with the palm of her hand so forcefully that his body flew six feet inside the room before splashing over the floor.
The other two priests try to get in her way as well. She took one by his hand and twisted his moving body around, throwing him in the way of the other priest. Their body smacked, they knocked their heads in a loud crack, and both fell to the ground.
She stepped over one who was closest to her, pressed her boot on top of his throat, and his face got all red, fighting for air. “I don’t even need to use my hands to kill you, sleazy worm! Understand? So go back to whoever told you to get into my way and tell him to get his stupid ass here. I want to talk to him.”
But they all seemed shocked at what had happened and dared to move less than an inch.
“Now!” Mikka screamed. “Or I’ll go from one room to another and gut out each and every one of you!”
Then she took a deep breath and let those words hang in the air before continuing.
“He is mine! Until the contract is paid for! So, go and get your master! The head master! And better bring my payment in full!”
Mikka moved to Les whose watery eyes were greeting her while the voice from his lips could not be understood.
She took a glass of water and wetted his lip. “You don’t look so good,” she told him. “But then, not that you ever did…”
Les started to laugh, but the pain that caused made him whisper to her. “Please… don’t make me laugh…”
She nodded her head and gave him more water. “You live… that is good.”
“Stay with me…” he asked as much with his eyes as with the words.
“I can’t… But I’ll see to it you get better.”
Priests came hustling back already and laid two heavy bags net to Mikka’s feet. She opened them up, looked inside and then decided to put her hand in them, taking out gold coins and jewels of all colors, all mixed up. It made Les’s breath come out in one long whistle. “I never knew I was worth that much.”
But Mikka’s words were not very affirmative. “This is not what we agreed on… Where is the Grand Master?”
“He will be here shortly.”
“That’s what one of you said last night.” She said angrily and then turned to Les, pushing both of those bags under his bed. “You hold on to this until I come back.”
As she started to leave, she looked through the priest’s eyes which instantly fell to the floor “I hope I don’t have to kill you all, you all look so very innocent and stupid. Nobody enters this room. Nobody even opens this door! All the food and water you bring for him, you leave behind the door. Understand? She took out her crossbow and threw it on the bed next to Mikka’s body. “You know how to use this, right?”
“Well if anybody who is not me enters this room, shoot them… don’t ask questions, just shoot them. Understand?”
“Yes.”
She also took out a short sword under her robe and placed it on the bed next to crossbow. “I want that sword back, so take care of it.”
“Now, you priests will clear this room, and take me to whoever is running this place, or I’ll let my blade out and I’ll kill you all.”
Mikka was gone then, and the door sounded of being locked. He slowly relaxed, and did not fight the sleep which soon came over him.
When he woke up again, hours and days seemed to have passed, and his head felt heavier than before he passed out. But it was still the morning of the same day, and he realized what got his mind up was a overpowering smell that suddenly appeared in his nostrils, so strong that even his eyes twitched.
Blinds on the windows blocked out whatever light the rainy day could muster. But even in the darkness, he sensed the presence in his room. He knew it was not Mikka, and he jerked up, reaching swiftly for the crossbow that should have been next to him. But it was not there.
“You don’t need no weapons here. I won’t hurt you.” The voice was deep, slow, with smooth edge, almost relaxing. “Don’t worry. I did not pay all that money to hurt you now.” The man from the shadow stepped forward, and with a match lighted a candle. He was short and old with white hair and a trimmed beard. The darkness made his deep face lines look even deeper, but his glowing, penetrating eyes draw Les’s complete attention.
“Are you the headmaster here?” he asked the old man.
“Yes I am.”
Les nodded his head, and pulled back his eyes to look through the window. As he steadied his breathing, he looked at the eyes that never left him. “So are you going to tell me now why you saved my life, and what exactly am I doing here?”
Hours before, when Mikka left Les’s room, two priests were running in front of her, opening the doors for her. They led her up the stairs where two older priests met her with their heads bowed.
“We received the crow and the message said… We are pleased to tell you that the Grand Master will be here soon. We are expecting his arrival before noon.”
“While you wait, maybe you would like to eat something. We know you had a rough trip.” The other priest continued not waiting to see if Mikka actually liked or disliked that she will have to wait for a few more hours.
The plate of food appeared in front of them, fruit compotes, dried meat, salted fish. Mikka took a good look at it, and with almost invisible move of her right hand made serving plates fly.
“Take me to your kitchen. I’ll chose myself what I eat. Now!”
She said even before the silver serving plate finished bouncing off the floor. Luckily, they did not have to endure Mikka wrath too much longer as the kitchen was on the same floor, two doors down.
Mikka’s mood brightened instantly as she smelled the baking of breads right there in the door way. The kitchen was a long room where all four brick ovens were lighted providing welcoming warmth, and six priests were running around, dishing hot breads out and placing new ones in. A long bench which could easily seat forty people was covering one side. A gigantic pot which could easily accommodate a whole cow was hanged over an open fire pit, and one of the priest was just throwing in vegetables and mutton for making a stew.
They all stopped and looked at Mikka, not daring to even move their eyes of her.
“Go on continue what you are doing. Don’t mind me,” she told them as they could not stop staring at her.
“We will have a stew today. On a cold day like this, it should do good to warm you up.” The priest behind tried to please her.
“I guess you do not bake here during the night.” Mikka was surprised. Usually all bakeries did they job during the night so the bread can be served and eaten first thing in the morning.
“We used to. But not anymore. Now, we do it in the morning. We use the head of the ovens to warm up the monastery that way. The grand master says we should do so as nothing should be wasted…”
“Smart of your master, isn’t it?” Mikka felt already better, feeling the warmth of the kitchen push out the chill that seemed to stay inside her bones. She felt even better as she picked a loaf of warm, just out of the oven bread. She held it in both hands rubbing the cold of her fingers away. But her stomach made noise, and she remembered that the whole day had already passed since she ate anything.
“Would you like some honey with that?” The priest closest to her offered politely. Like all of them working in the kitchen, he too seemed to be very young, and awfully skinny. But then almost all of the young priest she saw seemed to be made of just skin and bones.