Pentigrast Page 2
A Game of Words
At half past eight the innkeeper woke the old man and beckoned him towards the fire where he had a plate of warm sausage and hard cheese waiting for him, beside the plate a cup of steaming red tea and a small porcelain tea pot containing more. The innkeeper had hoped this would please the priest, especially after last night’s transgression. “Ah this smells wonderful, thank you.” The old man said with a hint of a smile. “I will have need of a stout horse and supplies for 4 days; can you take care of this for me before noon?” “Easily Father the innkeeper replied. “Good, this should more than be enough.” The old man said handing over a small leather pouch containing the gold coin of the church. “Will you have need of warm riding clothes as well Father?’ the innkeeper asked. “ No, I have all else needed for my journey.” “What of Talen Father? Should I leave word of your return for him?” “There will be no need, I suspect our paths will cross sooner than he would like, much sooner.”
After he finished his morning meal the old man packed his boar bone pipe with the last of his Downwater tobacco, striking a match he lit the pipe and stoked it a while to make sure he would savor it to the last leaf. Pulling on his pipe he inhaled deeply and took a sip of the hot red tea beside him before exhaling the sweet smoke in a small cloud before the fireplace. He knew that the day ahead would be long which gave him pause. He was no longer the young man the legends spoke of and the years have not been kind to him in ways that simpler men might have enjoyed. Even so he knew he had no choice in the matter and what was to be done had to be done in ways that only he could make happen. Talen was the key, so he must be the door to which that key unlocks.
Finishing his pipe he tamped out the last of the burning embers and ashes into the fireplace and returned the pipe to its now empty leather pouch. Behind him near the bed lay his travel bag, old and worn it had seen many a day’s service and rode thousands of miles across the kingdom, today it would finally rest as he removed its contents for the last time.
At noon there was a knock upon the door as the innkeeper let the old man know his horse and supplies were ready. When Riven Lannister entered the great room for the last time he found it empty but for the innkeeper who stood with a shocked expression on his face. “Have I died and not been notified of the event” said the old man. “N..n…no the innkeeper stammered, it’s just you no longer look yourself Father.” Indeed the old man had transformed. The old grey robes and cloak had given way to well worn leather breeches and jerkin with chainmail sleeves and hood. A longsword hung from a heavy leather belt that held several sheathed daggers as well. The hooded black cloak that draped him cast a darker image of the man. He no longer looked so old and frail, nor did he look so pious. “ One must do the Lords work in ways that befit the mission at hand my son, and sometimes the converts must be taken by force” “Yes, Father.” The innkeeper reluctantly replied. Your horse is already saddled and your supplies are packed and loaded upon him. You have rations of dried meat, dried fish. cheese and rye to last you 4 days, 2 wine skins, one large and one small, as well as blankets, flint and steel and tinder.
“Very good” said the priest. “Have you any change for me?” “Yes, Father I’m sorry, it’s all here. Replied the innkeeper, as he handed back the small leather pouch to the priest. The priest opened the small leather pouch and pulled out 6 gold coins. “This is for your troubles, the church will see to the rest just send them the bill” “Thank you Father.” The innkeeper said before inquiring if he would be back soon. “I will not be back this way again I think.” With that the priest pulled the hood of his cloak about his head and walked towards the door of the inn. Opening the door he turned and looked at the innkeeper one last time and softly said a prayer of protection and bounty for the inn. As he closed the door behind him and walked into the cold winter’s day he looked to the grey skies and wondered if he would make the encampment before the snows came.
The horse was as stout as a beast as he could have wanted and supplied well for the journey ahead as the innkeeper had promised. The priest mounted the horse slowly and sat back in the saddle for a moment taking in the small town surrounding him. With a slight nudge from the heel of his boot the horse cantered slowly down the street of the town and towards the mountain where he would find Talen’s encampment. While it seemed he could touch the snow covered mountain from his seat he knew it would take the better part of the day to get there and then it would take the better part of the night to convince his unlikely companion of his role in this tale.
As evening approached and the grey sky gave way to the looming darkness the first flakes of snow settled on the ground before him, eventually he knew this quaint dusting would give way to a formidable storm and the priest hoped that he would find the encampment well before it hit. Within the next hour he found a small trail at the base of the North Face of the mountain, he hoped it would lead him directly to the ridge high above and his quarry, but it would be a difficult climb. As the snow gained more force the small trail cut into the granite of the mountain became too slick to pass while mounted, he would have to walk his horse the rest of the way, still taking care as he did so. Another 2 hours passed quietly as the storm gathered more densely around him. The path had become more treacherous and the ridge above had long ago disappeared in the falling sheets of snow, he lowered his head and pressed on as there was no going back at this point. Close to midnight the snow slowed to a flurry and the full moon could be seen brightly above. The ridge that seemed a distant memory was now clearly in reach and the light of a fire could be seen casting shadows against the contrasting canvas of white on white.
As he neared the encampment he thought of how he would explain his presence so that Talen might welcome him better. He could see the mouth of a small cave cut into the ridge above and just within was the fire he had seen casting shadows from below. The priest squinted to see into the blackness of the cave beyond the fire but he could see nothing and no trace of Talen. From behind him a voice spoke out quietly as if from the snow itself. “If you would have traveled further east you would have found an easier trail to the ridge that could be ridden, instead of taking an old goat path that must be walked.” The priest smiled. “It would seem I am at a small disadvantage when it comes to my surroundings and yet I still managed to find my way like an old goat.”
The priest turned to see Talen leaning against a large granite boulder staring at him. “Now, this looks more like the Riven Lannister the tales spoke of. Did you come for battle? Should I draw my sword or pour some tea?” “Tea would be more to my liking” said the priest with a laugh, “but I am ready if I have to battle for it”. Talen smiled letting down his guard for a moment. “Go and sit by the fire and warm yourself, I will tend to your horse and join you after.” The priest walked to the cave and set himself down before the fire, taking note that the tea had already been prepared and 2 cups sat before him already filled and steaming. Talen it would seem was the right choice and smarter than he let on.
“Your horse is comfortable and eating well of the barley and corn in his feed bag. I’ve brought your pack over as well.” “Ah good, the innkeeper packed it well and we can share some dried meat and hard cheese with our tea, or were you expecting other company?” “I was only expecting you Father, it is Father?” “You may call me Riven” the old man answered; “I sometimes use the churches influence to better go unnoticed, if the good lord doesn’t mind then why should I”. Talen sat across from the old man and wondered just how close to the old tales the old man would become before long. “I will share my fire and camp with you on this cold winters night as I am not want to turn an old man away on such a night, but I warn you that tonight I am in no mood for games.” “You’ll forgive me Talen, I had not meant to toy with you or show you any disrespect. Last night I had wanted to apologize to you in hopes that we may speak more plainly away from the hearing of others. It would not do for others to know my business nor my name, and I had to know if what I had heard of you was true
.” “And what have you heard about me” Talen inquired. “I am just a simple trapper plying my trade and keeping to myself.” The old man considered this answer and replied in kind “and now, who plays games? You knew who I was before you laid eyes on me, you knew I was coming to Strongshire and you knew I would seek you out. And, while you may play the role of meek trapper to the simple folk of Strongshire you aren’t known as a trapper West of Quinth, longrider.”
“Yes, I was a longrider, long ago, but no more. In the year of my 21st summer I was sworn into the king’s duty to protect the kingdom. I did my duty and 10 summers later I left the longriders behind and became a trapper, nothing more, nothing less.”
“A longrider swears an oath unto death does he not? Would you now stand by as your kingdom needs you?”
“It’s complicated. And as I said I am no longer in service to the king” Talen replied. “Besides, The great Riven Lannister of Legend is tracking this tale, what need is there of me to find such a deviant?”
“You think me a fool Talen Morgan? Riven hissed loudly. “Yes, it’s complicated, it becomes that way when a kings man decides to let fate dictate life’s course instead of action. I know who you are and what you did and I also know that you didn’t leave the longriders of your free will.”
“What I did was my duty.” Talen spat out with distaste. “And I would do so again if the needs be.”
“Ah your duty so you say. Was it not your duty to protect the queen’s only child? Then how is it that she is dead and you are not?”
Talen rose with his fists clenched and a madness in his eyes. Riven rose slowly and stood before Talen speaking softly words not wanted. “You did not kill the princess, Talen, nor did your unborn child. Your only crime was to love a woman above your station which she gave you back in kind, gladly.
“Who are you to speak to me of such things? You know nothing of me or the princess, only tales told out of turn by old crones who like to gossip. I was released from the Longriders when it was suspected that the princess and I were having an affair, I knew nothing of the child until I heard of her passing.”
“I knew, because I was there that night. I also know that the child did not kill the mother.”
Talen drew his sword and pointed it towards the old man “Lies! What game do you play at now old man? I will have your heart on the point of my sword before this night ends.”
Riven moved quickly towards Talen deftly grabbing the point of the sword in his bare hands and placing it on his chest above his heart. “Then do so. I will not stop you. The night is yet long, listen to my tale and decide for yourself. If you are still wanting for my heart at the end of my tale then I shall give it unto you freely.”
Talen let go the grip on his sword and it fell to the granite surface of the ground with a clang. Riven asked Talen to please sit and listen to his tale. He motioned to the fire and Talen sat quietly gazing into the fire with a look of confusion set upon his face. Riven sat across from him and long moments passed as Riven slowly sipped his tea. Talen broke the silence. “I know this tale already old man and it was misery enough the first time and I don’t relish reliving it through second hand accounts and gossip.”
Riven looked up from his tea slowly and saw the pain etched on Talen’s face. He looked back down saddened by the fact that his tale would further injure the man but it must be told. “It was June and the whole kingdom was abuzz with news of the coming betrothal of Princess Sarah to the king of Caledonia. It wasn’t to be a marriage of love but convenience. Caledonia would make a great ally and keep the Eastern borders of the kingdom at peace while also securing a very lucrative trade deal but, of course, you already knew all of that. Then there were the rumors; the princess was gaining weight, many believed she was anxious or upset and eating much more than usual. Darker rumors told of a secret lover and a child growing in her womb. Small folk like their gossip but when these rumors spread through the court and church the queen and council took notice.”
“Doctors, midwives’ and clergy were summoned to a secret conclave and the princess was brought before them and stripped naked. They poked and prodded her frame and checked every nuance of her body, but it was too early to tell if she was indeed with child or merely eating through her emotions due to the pending betrothal. That night I was summoned by the Arch bishop and told of the day’s events. I was then ordered to keep my eyes on the princess and the comings and goings of all people to her chambers as well as anyone she might meet with elsewhere. I was bound by the church and I obeyed my orders but secretly wondered why a man of my talents would be wasted on such a mundane chore.”
I watched and I waited for weeks and saw no one but chamber maids, servants, ladies in waiting and the king’s guard, more specifically you, Talen. Not accustomed to such trivialities and angered at my use in this matter I didn’t give it the attention it deserved, because if I would have I would have discovered that you were her lover. I gave all this information over to the Arch Bishop in daily reports, his eyes and ears in the palace quickly realized that you were the lover and that is when the Queen and council had you summarily dismissed from the longriders and the princesses private guard. Another month passed and I was again called before the Arch Bishop who sternly dressed me down for not taking my task seriously. I was told I would be sent away to the parish of Downwater but before I left he had one final task for me. I was to meet the queen at the chambers of the princess and do what I was told. When I arrived I was led into the chambers, the princess lay naked on a wooden table already dead. I was handed a small bundle wrapped in a blanket and told to dispose of it in the barrens past the borderlands, it was your child, Talen, and it was dead.”
“You tell me a tale that I already know well old man, now if that is all…”
“No, that is not all, if you know of me as well as you would like to think you do then you know that I am an accomplished killer of men. The princess didn’t die giving birth to your child she was murdered, the tell tale sign of faint bruising to her neck was all I needed to see. As I left the city for the borderlands of Quinth I stopped and inspected my obscene package. The child was pulled from the womb in pieces and at best was but 4 months into its lifecycle. It was not possible that she died giving birth.”
Talen listened quietly, his face belying the anger and sorrow overtaking him “Why would anyone want to murder the princess much less her own mother?”
“Exactly what I thought Talen, I assumed my skills would be needed to dispose of you, the lover, not to dispose of a dead infant. These questions weighed heavy on my mind, I took no joy in carrying out the perverse orders of the church or the queen and I had questions that needed answers. I reported to Downwater parish as ordered but quickly made excuses within the month to be elsewhere on an urgent matter. I traveled back to the kingdom and stealthily made my way into the crypts beneath the castle, and do you know what I found?”
“Dead people” replied Talen mockingly.
“No, what I found was something very peculiar. When I opened the princess’s crypt it was empty with no sign that she had ever been interred there at all, but I did find something curious, a pentagram drawn in blood on the floor with one inverted point which would have been aimed directly at the princesses resting place.” Do you understand me now Talen, do you see.”
“I understand nothing. I have heard wives tales like this many times in my life, most are well travelled and bloated with lies.”
“You know I speak plainly the truth, you saw with your own eyes the pentagram in the barrens. Do you mean to tell me you believe these tales unconnected and nothing at all to do with you?”
“I mean to tell you I am tired and I will sleep now. On the morrow I will show you to the proper path so you might leave me quickly to my life. Good night” With that Talen laid back and closed his eyes, his mind reeling at this news and the confusion of it all. He needed time to think, to try and put it all together in a way that made some semblance of sense to him. That night dreams and
nightmares intertwined in Talen’s head pulling him this way and that, but in the end they all told the same tale, the woman he loved so greatly was dead and mystery or not she was not coming back.
When he awoke in the morning Talen saw that his unwelcome visitor was already awake and brewing tea. Riven had set out more dried meat and hard cheese as well. Talen walked to the rear of the cave where an old barrel filled with snow water stood; he washed away the night’s sleep from his face before dunking his head in the barrel to clean his hair and wake him fully. He pulled back his shoulder length hair with his hand and glanced at the old man readying breakfast, he had questions but would he want to hear the answers?
As he walked back towards the fire Riven handed him a mug of tea. They both sat and ate their meal silently, both wondering the best way to break the silence without causing any anger. “Let’s say the tale you tell is true old man, what has it to do with me other than the coincidence of the pentagrams. And why would the princess be murdered by her own family?” Riven picked his words carefully before he spoke. “As I told you the night before last, this tale has its beginnings over a century ago. When I saw the pentagram with an inverted point in the crypt I was perplexed. I spent the next 2 years studying the dark arts to find its meaning. I stole into the churches library every night to find more information and then one day I came upon an obscure manuscript that was hidden in the depths of the churches library. The manuscript was written in the old tongue so it took some months to decipher but when I had finally understood its meaning things started to fall into place.”