table of contents – (spoilers)
Choke, Pinch, and Knuckle were having dinner in the dining den of Royce’s tavern with the mysterious travelers, Aoelric and Hargarl. Choke had just asked Aoelric who it was they were working for, but the arrival of the main course had interrupted whatever response Aoelric might have given. Now, conversation had waned as everyone tucked into the excellent meal of roast beef.
Eventually, though, the pace of their eating slackened. Peep was the first to take advantage of this.
“So, Aoelric, ye were just about to tell us who it is yar working for,” she said, as she mopped up some blood and gravy with a hunk of bread.
“Was I?”
“Well, ye’d just been asked by the LT here. And why wouldn’t ye tell us, if it’s all safe and friendly like ye say it is?”
“Why not, indeed. Well, I can give you one reason, and it shall have to stand because it is the reason. We do not, in fact work for a person. We are private contractors for a firm of law. So it is, in fact, an organization that we work for. Would anyone like some more beef?”
“Yeah, I’ll go some more!” Knuckle exclaimed happily, raising his hand as he passed his plate to Peep.
Peep scowled at Knuckle, but passed his plate on down to Aoelric, who rose to take it.
“Okay, what?” Peep asked. “I don’t know what ye just said. What is it yar working for?”
“A firm of law, Miss Otilla,” Aoelric said as he speared two more generous slices of beef onto Knuckle’s plate. “More potatoes? Carrots? Onions?”
“Yeah, for sure! Thank ye!”
“What is a firm of law?” Peep asked.
“Is that a group of lawyers?” Choke asked.
“Exactly so, Bartholomew! Well done! It is, in fact, a partnership of multiple lawyers working with their various associates and employees for the benefit of their own clients.”
“What the fuck is a lawyer?” Peep asked Choke.
“I think it’s a job where they deal with laws. You know, petitioning the court, or magistrates, or the Church, for people accused of crimes. For powerful people, basically,” Choke said.
“Just so. But, not only about criminal proceedings. They involve themselves in all matters of governance. Quite like termites, in that regard,” Aoelric said with a cheery wink. He had finished reloading Knuckle’s plate and came around the table to hand it to Knuckle personally.
“Thank ye, sir!” Knuckle said.
“Think nothing of it. I am pleased to have pleased you. You are most welcome.”
“So, where is this law firm based? Strana?” Choke asked as Aoelric sat back down.
“Most certainly not! Strana can barely support half a dozen proper lawyers in total! Never mind a coalition of them. No, the firm that employs us is based in Marrovique,” Aoelric said mildly.
Choke froze as he stared at Aoelric in alarm.
“Marrovique? That’s down south. That’s Alquinian, aint it?” Peep asked.
“It most certainly is. But I ask you not to hold that against them. There are many good Stronians in the Alquinian occupied lands. Even in Marrovique, for the most part, the people are not Alquinians. They have been oppressed by them, and make their way in the world as best they can.”
“And are you two good Stronians?” Peep asked, her tone level.
“I suppose I could be considered a lapsed Stronian. But I am not from south of the border. I simply base my operations down there.”
“If yar a lapsed Stronian, what is he?” Peep asked, gesturing at Hargarl.
“I am sure I have no idea. You could ask him if you want.”
“No, that’s okay,” Peep said. “So, where are ye from?”
“From here in Bitina.”
“And yar father’s a lord?”
“Yes, he is,” Aoelric said patiently.
“Who is he?”
Aoelric wagged a raised finger at Peep with a smile. “No, no. He is no part of what I do, and I am not at all involved with his affairs. And we are going to keep it that way. Next question, please.”
Choke leaned forward to ask it:
“So, if you’ve been hired by this group of lawyers in Marrovique to come up here and gather intelligence for them, does this not make you a spy?”
“That would be a matter of perspective, of course. Some might view it that way. If you choose to, then I suppose it is your duty to detain me,” Aoelric said with a smile.
“And what if I do?”
“Indeed. What if you do?”
“I could. I probably should. You don’t seem particularly worried about that, though,” Choke said.
“I’m not. Because if there is one thing I have been able to glean about you two,” Aoelric gestured to Choke and Peep both, “it is that you are not stupid. There is no telling how that move might end, and you can ill afford more enemies out here.”
“Are you aware of my position here?” asked Choke.
“I believe so. You are the magistrate’s apparitor and the officer of the garrison. I believe you have a full platoon formed of the dregs of Baron Hart’s recent recruitment drive. Your magistrate here, while once a formidable man, and still a member of a serious Stronian order, is… what is a polite way to put this? He is less than reliable these days, shall we say. And that is enough said on all of that, I think. So, apparitor, if you feel you must proceed in an official capacity, I submit to your questioning. As I have already, I would ask you to note. Given our circumstances, I think you will have to agree that I have been quite cooperative.”
“Alright. So you say you work for a law firm. What is its name?” asked Choke.
“Strathmore, Diamond, Barakat, and Akyol.”
“And they sent you up here on behalf of a client?”
“I do not know. I routinely work for them on cases for their clients, it is true. But, also, I do so for the firm’s own interests. In this case, I believe there is a client involved, but I was not told who that is,” Aoelric said.
“And you accepted that?” Choke pressed.
“Clearly. Discretion is a watchword at the firm. I do as I am told with what information I am given.”
“And what is it you do for this firm, exactly?”
“My official capacity with the firm is that of investigator. I suppose, though, that you could call me something of a hunter.”
“And what do you hunt?” Choke asked.
“Whatever I’m told to. In this case, generally available information,” Aoelric smiled.
“And what about Hargarl?” asked Choke.
“What about him?”
“What is he to the firm?”
“I’m not sure. This is my first time working with him. He was assigned to me as my partner on this job.”
“Listen, Aoelric, you say you are being cooperative, but I have to say that I do not like the answers you are giving me. There is far too much vagueness and layers of deniability through intentional ignorance.”
“Yes! Quite! Almost as though my situation was designed as such by those that set it up. And as to your dislike of any of it, I have to say that I am quite sure that it is not a problem.”
“Listen, ye smug fucker, if we decide to grab ye right now and drag ye into the church to ask ye questions properly, what are ye gonna do about that?” Peep snapped.
“That, Miss Otilla, is something you shall have to pay the cost to find out. But let us not be silly. If I had nefarious intentions, do you think I would come here and seek you out to tell you these particulars? I could just as easily have told you I am a gentleman hunter with my guide coming to these parts to hunt the white stag. Could I not?”
“What’s that ye said?” Peep said, glaring hard at Aoelric.
“I am not wrong, am I? There is a white stag in these parts, is there not?”
There was a long pause here, as Peep and Aoelric stared into each other’s eyes across the table. It was Hargarl who broke the silence.
“Vielharlasht,” he said.
Another long pause.
“What?” Peep finally asked Hargarl.
“The white stag’s name. Vielharlasht. It is a god of the ancient forest to the north. It breathes for the stones,” Hargarl said, his voice indeed sounding like someone gargling a toad.
“That is blasphemy. There is but one God,” Choke said.
“Ohhhhh!” Hargarl said, holding his hands up dismissively. He then took his time to make eye contact with Peep, Choke, and Knuckle in turn. Somehow, in that moment, he was the most terrifying individual any of them had ever met.
“You have met the stag, then,” Aoelric said to Peep, seeming earnest in his interest.
“Yeah, we seen one. Out on patrol. Ye got anything ye can speak to on that?”
Aoelric leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers thoughtfully.
“I shall choose my words carefully, lest I tread into proscribed thinking. There are those, not me of course, but there are those who believe that the white stag in question, which apparently is named whatever my associate just said, is a god of the forest to the north. I expect you probably know of the area as the Moondark Hills. As I understand it, the folk that live around there revere the white stag as a god that represents the spirit of the forest. I believe that those people would say that to have met the stag and to have survived that meeting is a most auspicious blessing. I expect you are probably aware of the forest’s rather bloody reputation for human sacrifice. So, you can image how the god all that blood and flesh has been sacrificed to must be.”
“I say again: there is but one God,” Choke said.
“Of course! As I said, I speak of the heretical thinking of the folk that live beyond the light of Stroniandom.”
“People like Hargarl, here,” Peep said.
“His faith is really none of my business. If you choose to make it yours, I wish you luck with wherever that leads you,” Aoelric said mildly.
“All right. If we could get back to what you both are doing here,” Choke said. “You’ve come all this way and have spoken with us. Is that it? What is your plan now?”
“While you and Miss Otilla are an important piece of what is to happen out here, there is more going on. Our next order of business is heading further north, to scout the goblin situation.”
“What? Just the two of ye?” Peep snorted.
“Yes. While I may not look it, I am an accomplished hunter and woodsman. And Hargarl here… well, he is meant to be the very best. I think we shall be fine.”
“So you’re heading north next? When is that?” asked Choke.
“Tomorrow morning. Right after I meet with your magistrate, Brother Barrelmender.”
“And what do you expect to meet with him about?”
“To discuss matters and hear what he has to say about all that is going on, of course. Given our job, how could I not seek him out? Now, I understand, Bartholomew, that in your position you must take his security seriously. So, assuming that you have not placed us under arrest, I would happily consent to go to the church with you to meet the Brother.”
“We’ll see. Now, I just have one more thing I’d like to know. You both came up from Marrovique for this job, did you?” asked Choke.
“Yes, indeed,” Aoelric answered.
“That’s quite the journey. And across the Alquinian front. How did you manage that?”
“It is quite the journey. Roughly five hundred kilometers from Marrovique to Strana. And crossing the Alquinian front, as you say. Now, that certainly would not be beyond our skills. But a nuisance, nonetheless. And time is of the essence here. So, the firm paid to have us teleported.”
“What’s that?” Peep asked.
“You were teleported? How?” Choke asked, his tension increasing.
“In the normal manner, of course. From the mage tower in Marrovique to the one in Strana.”
“What do you mean in the normal matter? Mages are teleporting people across the front? From Alquinian territory into the heart of Strana?” Choke exclaimed, now clearly distressed.
“Yes, of course. Just as they always have done. They are not a political entity, so why would borders bother them? It is not cheap, of course. But from their set teleportation circles between towers, on a scheduled teleport with other passengers, the fee is usually fifteen gold pieces. So not unreasonable, all things considered. However, for short notice teleports with only one or two passengers, it can run quite a bit more than that. I don’t know how much our teleportation cost the firm, since we were not paying ourselves, of course.”
“Okay, what the fuck is teleportation?” Peep snapped.
“Ah, pardon me, Miss Otilla. It is a mage spell. The caster can instantly travel to any place that they can clearly visualize on the prime material plane. That means anywhere on Aern, in our case. They can also bring with them a certain number of beings that they are in direct physical contact with. We stand in a teleportation circle in the Marrovique mage tower, and, poof! That very instant, we appear in another circle in the Strana tower.”
“Well… shit. For real?” Peep said, her mind clearly blown.
“Yes. For real. It really is something,” Aoelric smiled.
On his side of the table, Hargarl now leaned forward and knocked sharply on the table twice. Everyone looked to him.
“Enough of pups yapping. Ye woman,” he said to Peep. “Ye have yar god’s fire in ye, do ye?”
“That’s right,” Peep said as calmly as she could as she met his gaze.
“Show me the brands. Now.”
“What?” Peep responded with her hardest look.
Hargarl continued staring at Peep.
“And what if I don’t?” she finally asked.
“Then I’ll give ye a reason to use it.”
“Woah. Okay now, that’s—” Choke said, flaring up.
Knuckle tensed and sat up with his hand on his warhammer.
“I said enough yapping, pup,” Hargarl said, shooting Choke a terrifying, feral glance. “Ye step in with the wolf pack now, ye’ll get the teeth. I’m talking to the woman.”
“It’s okay guys,” Peep said to Choke and Knuckle, while never once looking away from Hargarl. “Ye wanna see? Well, okay, buddy, here ye go.”
Peep raised both her palms up towards Hargarl. She did not release the fire within the brands, but still presented them with her full, hard intention. She knew from experience that they would radiate both heat and a strong feeling of the divine power fueling it.
Hargarl licked his lips and leaned forward towards her, almost rising out of his chair. The look in his eyes as he beheld the brands was one of exultation. Within his eyes, Peep saw a mirror for the holy fire within her. This man was in communion with that which she housed.
When Peep finally closed her fingers over the Wheels in her palms, both she and Hargarl collapsed back into their chairs with heavy sighs. The tension quickly bled away from between them.
Hargarl looked upwards towards the ceiling.
“She’s real,” he said.
Peep tilted her head to the side quizzically and looked up herself.
“The fuck?” she said, as her eyes flared wide. She continued staring straight up.
For a moment, Choke thought that Peep was hallucinating, that she had taken some mushrooms. So compelling was her focus, he looked up himself, half expecting some sort of specter hovering above them. There was nothing unusual, though.
“Well!” Aoelric said loudly, clapping his hands. “Inkeep! Dessert, I think!”
Hargarl knocked on the table twice.
“No. We’re done,” he said to Aoelric.
Aoelric sighed through his nose before nodding curtly. Hargarl stood up.
“My associate is weary, it seems. So we must end this. Do pardon the discourtesy,” Aoelric said as he stood up himself and bowed.
Choke blinked as he struggled to understand what was happening. What was certain was that he was being dismissed, his authority ignored utterly. He glanced over at Peep, but she was still staring at the ceiling with a deep scowl.
Knuckle stood up, his hand still on the head of his warhammer. His posture, though, was just as uncertain as Choke’s mind.
“You need to go. Please,” Aoelric said, stepping away from his chair to extend his hand towards Choke. “I cannot control him. No one can. None of us can afford an incident. Not now. I thank you all for your consideration tonight. And I look forward to going with you to meet Brother Barrelmender tomorrow. Shall I come to you after breakfast, Lieutenant?”
Choke stood up. “Are we being threatened here?” he asked Aoelric.
“I certainly am not threatening you,” he answered. “I am simply telling you that any escalation on your part would be very unwise. I meant everything I said. We are not here to harm or impede you. We are not a problem.”
“Enough words,” Hargarl said, his voice low. “She was chosen. She must carry the fire.” Hargarl stabbed his finger at Peep twice. He then stabbed it at Choke: “You are of no matter, and I am done with ye. Leave us be now, or yar regret will be deep and brief.”
Before Choke could respond to this, Peep stood up suddenly.
“We’re going,” she said to Choke and Knuckle. “Now. Let’s go.”
“Until tomorrow morning, then, Lieutenant. Thank you again,” Aoelric said. He extended his hand to Choke.
“Tomorrow, then,” Choke said, as he took it.
Peep was already up the stairs and into the tavern proper by the time Choke and Aoelric finished shaking hands. Choke went up next, and Knuckle and Aoelric shook hands before Knuckle came up.
“Have a good night!” Aoelric called up cheerfully as they left.
Outside, walking back to the barracks, Knuckle and Choke had to jog to catch up with Peep.
“Peep. What’s going on?” Choke asked.
“Not now. Wait.”
At the barracks, Choke checked in that everything was safe and sound. It was, so Pinch came down from the watchtower to join Peep, Choke, and Knuckle in the dining room.
“What happened? You guys look freaked out. You okay, Peep?” Pinch asked as they took their seats.
“Dinner happened. That’s about it,” Knuckle said. “But them two are fuckin weird, man. And we skipped dessert because shit got heavy after Peep showed her brands to the bark chewer. And the pretty boy basically told Choke that they aint gonna let us arrest them for being Alquinian spies, and told us to fuck off, and we fucked off. That’s about it, right?”
“Yes, that’s about it,” Choke said irritably. He then looked to Peep. “What was the matter, there? Why were you staring at the ceiling?”
“It wasn’t the ceiling. There was something up there,” she said.
“What? What are you talking about? I didn’t see anything. You didn’t take any mushrooms, did you?” asked Choke.
“Fuck off! Of course not. Don’t ye remember? I showed Hargarl the brands, and he fuckin well felt the heat. And he acted like… I dunno. Like no one has yet. And he got something different from it than anyone. I could see it in his eyes. He saw something extra, and it made him happy. And then he looked up and said, ‘she’s real.’”
“Yes, I was there. I saw that.”
“Well, he didn’t say it to Aoelric. And he didn’t say it to himself. He looked up, real specific and said it to whatever was up there.”
“What are you talking about? What was up there?” Choke exclaimed, his stress spilling over.
“I’m fuckin getting to it! Back off!”
“Sorry. It’s just… I’m sorry. Take your time,” Choke said, forcing himself to lean back and breathe.
“Thanks. So I look up there, and there’s just the ceiling and all that. But I could feel something up there. It was like… someone was up there watching. And then I saw this fuckin thing floating there. It was like looking through the bottom of a glass bottle or something. About the size of an egg. Just floating up there. And I could see through it to the ceiling above, but what was behind it was kinda moving, like when yar looking just above a real hot stove. Ye know how the air seems to move? It was like that.”
“So it was a floating, glass egg?” Pinch asked quietly.
“Fuck you. I didn’t say it was that. I said it looked like that. And when I saw it, I felt something inside it watching us. I felt it. It was like… I dunno. It was bad. Real bad. It felt like whatever was there could just crush ye to dust with its mind. It was powerful.”
“So… like, a ghost?” Knuckle asked softly.
“Yeah. Maybe. Or something like that.”
Choke spoke next, his voice now measured and thoughtful:
“Well, I agree that when Hargarl said you are real, he seemed to be speaking specifically to something up above the table. And I believe what you’re saying. There must have been some kind of entity up there. And remember, these men admited to dealings with mages. So there’s no telling what kind of magic might be in play here.”
“Okay, what all did they tell you? Who are these guys?” Pinch asked.
“Of course. Sorry,” Choke said. He went on to quickly relate to Pinch what Aoelric had told them over dinner.
Peep listened thoughtfully, and did not interject. As Choke finished up, Knuckle yawned.
“Look, I’m fuckin bagged. Can I fall out and hit the sack? I aint gonna be any help figuring this out, right?”
“Alright. I suppose so. Thank you for your help tonight, Knuckle. Have a good rest,” Choke said. He stood up and clapped Knuckle on the shoulder.
“Thanks. Whatever else that was, it was a good fuckin dinner, huh? We should eat at that place more often!”
“When you’re right, you’re right. It was good. We’ll see you tomorrow,” Choke said.
When Knuckle had closed the door behind him, Peep gave a big yawn herself.
“Actually, Choke, I think the big man has this figured right. I’m about cooked myself. We need to sleep on this and come at it again tomorrow,” Peep said.
“I think you’re probably right. There isn’t anything that can’t wait. However, Aoelric is coming here after breakfast so we can take him to Barrelmender. I think we need to talk to Barrelmender before that. He might be able to shed some light on some of this.”
“Ye think? Well, I guess it doesn’t hurt to check. And giving him the heads up before we set that prattler loose on him is a good idea, at least. So, yeah, let’s get up first thing and go and rouse Barrelmender. That’ll be fun!” Peep said.
“I have no doubt. Okay. Thank you. And Pinch, thank you, too. I hope we can figure this out tomorrow.”
“With any luck, they’re just doing what they said they’re doing, right?” Pinch said.
“I’m not sure that makes me feel any better, knowing that someone in Marrovique is sending men like that to spy on us. This is all getting a bit much,” Choke sighed deeply.
“Well, what are ye gonna do? Fuck it, man, let’s get some sleep.”
“You go ahead. I’ll take the first watch. I don’t think I’d be getting much sleep anyways,” Choke said.
Muse Vassal 