table of contents – (spoilers)
Choke, Peep, and Knuckle left Barrelmender at the church steps and jogged to the north gate to check that Aoelric had indeed left Bristlehump. There, Pinch confirmed that the agent from Marrovique had left, and there had been no sign of any trouble in or around town during the meeting with him. Choke ordered that the men remain on heightened alert patrolling the town. Pinch was to stay on the north gate, while Knuckle was to take command of the south gate. Choke and Peep walked with Knuckle back to the town square, sending him on to the south gate before entering the church to meet again with Barrelmender.
Brother Barrelmender had put the pews back in order and was sitting in the front of the church. Still armored, he was hunched over and looked to be sleeping. He jerked upright as they entered the church.
“Shut the door! We don’t want any of the skittish flock returning while we’re discussing matters,” Barrelmender called out.
Choke shut the doors and latched them before he and Peep went to join Barrelmender in the front pews. He looked utterly exhausted. During the meeting with Aoelric, he had managed a good show, but the focus that had demanded had obviously drained him.
“Do you need rest, Brother? We can meet later, it’s—” Choke started.
“I’m fine!” Barrelmender snapped, waving his arm angrily towards him. “Let’s get on with it, though! I’m going to have to go to Spitzer tomorrow. You will have to manage things here on your own while I am gone.”
“Spitzer, Brother?” Choke asked.
“Yes, Spitzer! Where else? You’d have me ride all the way to Flitwik?”
“No, of course not. But why must you go to Spitzer?”
“Because, fool, the smug popinjay was absolutely right. With all that he told me, I must send a report to my superior in Flitwik Monastery. And how am I to get it there? Shall I trust the teamsters to deliver it? Lunacy! Now, Bartholomew, you said that Morrenthall has about half a dozen good Holy Sword men in Spitzer, yes? He sent your letter to Brother Willem in Pekot for you, did he not?”
“Yes, he did, Brother.”
“Good. So I am sure he will be willing to send my report on to Flitwik. Of all the gall! He went ahead and named the place! Flitwik! That is not supposed to be common knowledge! Such inner workings of our order are not to be discussed with outsiders! And that bigheaded, preening cock drops it on me as though it were nothing. And right he was! Must send the report on!” Barrelmender shouted, springing to his feet to flail his arms around in rage.
“So he was telling the truth, Brother?” Peep asked.
Barrelmender halted his calisthenics and stared at Peep in horror for a long moment before collapsing back into his pew.
“Yes. He spoke nothing but truth. It is dire.”
“Wait, now. So this law firm and the client and all them, ye know who they are, then?” Peep asked.
“Of course not. I haven’t a clue. But don’t you understand? When I cast Detect Magic, he lit up like a Bridgetown brothel. This was, in the parlance of Bridgetown, high-end shit. That man is a top-notch operator from Marrovique. A mercenary. The very best. He could have killed all of us without taxing himself in the slightest.”
“Yeah, okay. And he’s on his way. He said he’s not here to make trouble for us. And ye said he didn’t lie. So, what’s the problem?” Peep asked.
“The client that sent those men on this mission did not do so on a whim. I don’t suppose any of us have a proper notion of the kind of money it would take to retain a Marroviquian law firm and a pair of operators like that. But it is extreme. And someone, or something, was scrying on you. So this means that the situation that is brewing out there, these visions everyone has been having, it is as dire as we have feared. It has attracted the most serious attention. Do you understand?”
“Yeah. It’s for real. I coulda told ye that,” Peep said with a grin. “But, getting back to that bit about how he coulda killed us all. So, he was completely decked out in magic?”
“Yes, completely. Rings, boots, belt, sword, and some kind of light armor under his clothing, I would guess. Not to mention that Dwarven bow of his,” Barrelmender said.
“Autowinder, he told Balan. It’s something special, huh?” asked Peep.
“You have no idea. Magically enhanced steel springs shooting steel bolts that can penetrate plate armor at hundreds of meters. Accurate to within centimeters at that range. And capable of being reloaded within seconds, depending on the draw weight. Further, that carry case of his had a hole in the front, just in front of where the quarrel would be. He would just have to reach into the back and pull the trigger to shoot the crossbow right out of the case. Instant death for one of us.”
“Wait, now. That bow aint loaded in there, is it? Can’t be!” Peep exclaimed.
“Oh, yes, indeed. Why would a hole in the case there be notable if the bow wasn’t loaded? Dwarven autowinders can be stored and carried loaded. They have effective measures for preventing accidental discharge, as well as the loss of the quarrel. They are a nightmare. And before you go on and ask what something like that costs, I do not know. But I expect that the King of Bitina might rise to buying one or two without completely bankrupting the treasury.”
“Okay, so the pretty boy is legit. And ye say the bushrat is probably a druid?” Peep asked.
“Without a doubt. For someone to get a proper appreciation of your brands and the Holy Fire within them, they really need to be a divine spellcaster. Arcane spellcasters could probably get a sense of the power, but I doubt it would be very nuanced.”
“Okay. And Hargarl had a real moment with the spirit. He took something away from it,” Peep said.
Barrelmender nodded. Then he frowned. “He did not seem frightened?”
Peep shook her head. “No. And that freaked me out a bit. Because Thad Swallowtail got real scared when he seen them. Same as Lady Hart’s fat-ass priest, Father… whatever his name was. He didn’t like seeing them one bit, neither. But Hargarl got all into it.”
Barrelmender’s frown deepened. “That seems significant. I shall have to put it into my report. At any rate, Aoelric said that Hargarl has business to the north. Well, the only people, if they can indeed still be called that, that are likely participants in that business are the druids of the Moondark Hills. And as druids go, they are particularly evil. So it stands to reason that the client would send an evil druid to speak with them. And one of some power.”
“Well, shit,” Peep said.
“Indeed.”
“But, just wait a sec here, Brother. Speaking of this evil talk. Earlier ye said that ye were casting Detect Evil. What does that mean? Evil’s just a word, aint it? It’s just something we say about people we’re killing, right?”
Barrelmender actually smiled at this.
“Well, up to a point, yes. But there is a deeper side to it. And to understand it, we must get into some degree of metaphysics. You know, about the celestial balance and this, the Prime Material Plane,” Barrelmender said, looking very much like he wanted this to be the end of that topic.
“Okay. Sure, Brother! I’d like to know. I mean, ye cast that spell on that guy for a reason. It told ye something useful about him, right? So, I’d like to get a bit of a handle on it, at least,” Peep said.
Barrelmender pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. Then he collapsed further into his pew to have a bit of a think about how to proceed. He eventually managed enough of a notion to do so:
“In this world, we humans, and other sentient beings of free will, such as Dwarves, and Minotaurs, whatever Elves might be left, as well as the Giants and goblinoids and the like; we all choose how to behave. And how we behave, the nature of our actions, affects the world. When Altas created this world, with Heaven above, and placed us upon it, he gave us free will. So we are free to choose our course. Now, Altas is the sun, the creator: pure Good. But this world has been twisted and made evil by the devils and demons of Hell and the Abyss. As well as by the evil actions of men and other beings of free will. Are you following so far, Otilla?”
“Yeah, sure. Sounds like something ye tell kids, though,” Peep said.
“Well, yes. And when we preach the Word to children and simple sheep, we use words like evil and good to describe and proscribe those things we do not want them doing. But there is a deeper side to this. This world is tainted. It is evil. Now, of all we beings of free will, most are not good or evil. Most float through life without doing enough of either to make a mark. And so they go. But, if a being does enough good, or enough evil, they become branded with it. The nature of their soul changes, and they begin to radiate good or evil, in the same way that your magic sword radiates an aura of magic.”
“But, it doesn’t really. Ye have to cast a spell to see it.”
“Well, yes of course I do. But just because you cannot see the magical aura, that does not mean it does not exist. So too with Evil and Good, in a broader metaphysical sense. When I cast Detect Evil upon Aoelric, I could see a strong radiation of it from him. Now, to be clear, all that this tells me is that over the course of his life he has done much more evil in this world than good. It tells me nothing of his intentions. Nor even of his honor, or fealty to a cause. It just tells me that he has committed many evil acts and so must be considered inherently dangerous.”
“But what is evil and what’s good? Who decides that?” Peep asked, now looking annoyed.
“No one decides it. It is woven into the fabric of our world by Altas, the creator. Murder is evil. Harming the innocent is evil. Protecting the innocent is good. Helping the weak is good. Do you understand?”
Peep thought for a good long while before she spoke again:
“So what about torture? Is that good?”
Barrelmender smiled sadly. “What do you think, child?” he asked Peep quietly.
“It’s evil, right?”
“Indeed it is.”
“But… Father Morrenthall tortured the Sheriff and then burned him alive, right? Stronians burn women all the time for feeding babies to the moon. So, if that aint good…” Peep drifted off.
“There is no simple answer to this, Otilla. If we want stories for children, and priests of untarnished Good to tell them to us, we look to the Altarians. For they carry the light of our Heavenly Father, Altas, into this evil world. But Altas sent his only son, Stron, into this world, to be of this world. And Stron cut a fiery path through the wicked here.”
Brother Barrelmender paused for a long moment, taking a measure to look both Peep and Choke in the eye.
“We follow Stron,” he finally said. “In this evil world, to foster the light of Good; to protect the innocent; to destroy the evil that seeks to despoil everything in its path; to do this we must, at times, do evil. So, Otilla, to answer the question you dared not ask of Father Morrenthall: if I were to cast Detect Evil and look upon Father Morrenthall, I am quite sure he would radiate it. As would have Sheriff Waters. And now we find ourselves in the muddy waters beyond the shallows of storybook lessons for children and sheep. We do evil so that the good may be saved. So that Good may be served.”
“Okay, then,” Peep said, her voice level. “It’s good to know where we stand, I guess.”
“We stand with Stron.”
“Yes, Brother. We do,” Peep said emphatically. “And what about me, Brother?”
“What about you, Otilla?”
“When ye cast that Detect Evil spell, did I have that in me?”
“You do not. And would you care if you did? You do not seem one to second guess your actions,” Barrelmender said.
“I was just curious, is all.”
“Fine. Now, this is what is going to happen. Tomorrow I will ride to Spitzer to ask Morrenthall to send my report to Flitwik. This afternoon, I shall write the report. Lieutenant Pekot: I would appreciate it if you could help me with that. My mind is not what it used to be, and I may well forget some important details.”
“Certainly, Brother. But, pardon my questioning, do you need to be the one to go? I could take the report myself. Or send a sergeant. It seems an unnecessary risk for you to go yourself.”
“Actually, yeah,” Peep interjected. “I was just thinking that. This could be some kinda play to get ye out of town to clip or snatch ye.”
“As though I am that important?” Barrelmender scoffed. “Remember what I said of this man. If he wanted me dead, he easily could have walked right in here and killed me. And remember that I do not have this problem with the Outfit to worry about. There is no price on my head. One of you four should not go riding the Spitzer road alone. That would be foolish.”
“Right. Okay, yeah, I can see that,” Peep said while Choke nodded.
“As well, I feel I should have a word with Morrenthall in person. He went to Strana. I want to know what he knows about how you and your gift are being managed by the Church. It would be good to find out if it is true that the Brothers have been given the reins, as Aoelric put it.”
“Well, I think I remember, Father M just said that the Knights of the Holy Sword and the Brothers of the Holy Stone are cooperating to keep the cathedral’s bunch from interfering with us. That’s all he said, right?” Peep asked Choke.
Choke nodded.
“Be that as it may, I still should speak to him. And about that,” Barrelmender stopped to look each Peep and Choke in the eye with heavy gravity. “None of this episode with Aoelric and Hargarl is to be shared with anyone. Not ever. Not even Father Morrenthall. This goes to the Brothers and the Brothers alone.”
“Do we not trust Father Morrenthall and the Knights of the Holy Sword, Brother?” Choke asked.
“It is not about trust. The Brothers of the Holy Stone and the Knights of the Holy Sword are fraternal orders. That means they regard themselves as brothers. But they are not one and the same. The orders have very different mandates and objectives. With his general focus and proclivities, Morrenthall would have made a better Brother than a Knight, truth be known. He is an excellent inquisitor, and that is not something very well valued by his organization. Probably why he has been sent out here. The Knights are usually more concerned with the flashy heroics of monster slayings, and the like. They avail themselves to the kings and their bishops in protecting their realms. Indeed, their paladins may as well be golden knights of the realm. This is good and useful, of course. But it means that the Knights of the Holy Sword are often more closely tied to a kingdom’s interests than that of the Faith at large. At any rate, with what the agent Aoelric was saying, this must stay within the Brothers’ sphere.”
“Understood,” Choke said.
“Sure. Understood. They’re outta the loop.” Peep said.
“Good. Now, like I said, Pekot: from now I would like your help assembling and writing my report. I’m sorry if that interferes with any plans you might have to roger the housekeeper in the stables, but I am sure she can find time to squeeze you in later.”
Peep barked a laugh as Choke gasped in shock.
“I’m… I’m sorry, Brother. What? I don’t…” stammered Choke.
“Oh, come off it. Why is it that people in rut always assume they are being so quiet? Just because the two of you weren’t screaming, it doesn’t mean you weren’t quite audible. It upset the horses, which is what first attracted my attention. Not that I care, mind you. You are both quite welcome to each other, as far as I’m concerned. Just take care that you don’t impregnate her in there. Children conceived in stables are known to have problematically large teeth,” Barrelmender said, staring deadpan at Choke.
Peep’s giggling ascended to another guffaw at this.
“Ahm. What?” Choke managed.
“That is just peasant superstition, I think. Amusing nonetheless. But I expect you are safe, now that I think of it. She is barren.”
“Oh, she told ye that?” Peep asked.
“Yes. I asked her why she had no children. It might have been sad for her, but, I suppose, given how her life has gone, she is probably better off for it. And it makes her more suitable for our purposes,” Barrelmender said, his voice still utterly level.
Peep snorted. Barrelmender gave her a sharp look.
“You have something smart to say about that? I am not wrong, am I? Particularly since she and our Lieutenant here have decided to fornicate.”
“Listen, Brother, I’m sorry. I didn’t—” Choke started.
“Shut up, man. You are a soldier, not a monk. She is willing, and ideal. While I probably should make it my business on some level, or another, I have no interest to do so. I shouldn’t have brought it up. Carry on. Now, as to horses, though. Otilla, if you could be so kind as to find one for my ride to Spitzer tomorrow. I came here with one, but, for the life of me, I cannot remember what happened to it. I suppose it must have been stolen, but for all I know the slattern fed it to me.”
“Sure. No problem, Brother,” Peep said.
“Good. Thank you. So I think that’s all for you here, Otilla. I shall keep Pekot here to help me with the report.”
Peep nodded and stood up. She looked to Choke: “So, what about the men, now? Ye wanna keep them guarding the town, or should we get them back to clearing the bush?”
“Well, if Brother Barrelmender is sure that those two from Marrovique are not an immediate threat, then I think we should get on with the work. Get everyone on it and we should be done with the forest clearing by tonight, I think,” Choke said.
“I reckon so. Good. We’ll get’er done,” Peep said. She smacked Choke on the shoulder and nodded to Barrelmender, before heading out of the church back through the kitchen.
Muse Vassal 