The Hekamon Read online

  The Croneygee armory didn't get through as much coal as some of the other workshops here. Most tended to buy in their supply from the specialist miners further along the seam. The area directly under Serfacre was almost depleted now, and just a few dozen loads were brought up each day from this disused part of the mine. Cold embers and clinkers were now more likely to be discarded here than fresh coal mined.

  The sound of him opening the tub, and the last load of coal rumbling onto the floor, got his boss's attention, and Enyon Croneygee joined him in the bunker.

  "That looks like enough Galvyn, take a break now lad," Croneygee said, maneuvering around the trapdoor and using the rope to pull the now empty tub further out of the way, so the trapdoor down to the mine could be closed again.

  Thanking his boss, Galvyn went outside and over to a water butt that rested against the south side of the building. Once there, he washed the coal dust from his hands and face, before rubbing some of the cool water around his hot neck.

  Feeling clean again, Galvyn leaned against the wall of the workshop and savored the warm and invigorating feeling of sunlight. It had been a nice morning, but he'd missed it entirely. If only Tansley had of showed up when he was meant to, he would at least have been in the shop, instead of stuck in the mine.

  The sun would become an increasingly rare sight over the next few weeks, and for the two shortest months, would never make it above the mountains. At this time of year, it just skirted the ridge-line of the mountains, dipping out of sight only once, before emerging from behind the highest peak shortly after midday.

  "No sign of of him?" Galvyn asked his boss, who had joined him outside.

  "No, no sign. The morning, he said, well, it's afternoon," signaling to the sun passing the peak. "Never was very reliable though Tansley, his kind never are."

  Galvyn agreed, although wasn't entirely sure what his boss meant by, his kind. He guessed it was to do with Tansley's place of residence and line of work. Most of those who lived and plied their trade along the Regis Highway were viewed with suspicion by people in general, and his boss in particular.

  Chancers, grafters, fences with their mercantile practices, it didn't sit well with an old timer like Croneygee. Still, it didn't stop him dealing with Tansley, selling him a few things and taking items in for repair. The man had been a regular customer for years and was just respectable enough to be thought legitimate. From what Galvyn had seen, Tansley was always careful not to knowingly pass anything stolen on to his boss.

  "I wouldn't mind his tardiness so much, but I should have been meeting with Tregarron at noon, I have few things for him."

  "You go and see Captain Tregarron. I can look out for Tansley, now I'm topside," Galvyn said helpfully.

  "Aye, that might be for the best, Tregarron's not one to be kept waiting." Croneygee said, easing himself up from his reclined position and making his way to the door of the workshop. As he did so, a visitor arrived.

  "Talk of the devil and he's sure to appear."

  "Good day Mr. Croneygee," Tansley said, a little out of breath. "I've brought those items I told you about. We did agree on today didn't we?"

  "No, we agreed on this morning," Croneygee said, entering his workshop.

  Tansley followed, but raised a hand to him before he went inside, "Morning Galvyn."

  "Afternoon, Tansley," he replied pointedly, but smiling all the same and following the pair into the shop.

  "Sorry for being a little late. I had to stay open into the wee small hours, it has upset my plans. You know how it is."

  "That I do, Tansley, that I do. I'm late for a meeting with Tregarron as it is, so I can't stay long."

  Galvyn watched as his boss took the sack from Tansley and opened it. One by one, he took each item out and gave it a cursory inspection, murmuring to himself as he did so.

  It looked poor fare from where Galvyn was standing but at least it would give him something to practice on for the next few hours if nothing else.

  Make that the next few days, he thought, as he took a closer look at the motley collection of pauldrons, scabbards, belts and boots. There was a nice pair of wrist guards that needed some new buckles but nothing would stay here once repaired. Instead, Tansley would collect them and take them to his own shop, where he would sell them to the less discerning buyer.

  While his boss began valuing the cost of the repairs, Galvyn sat at his workbench in readiness to start work on them. While he waited, he watched Tansley walking around the workshop and browsing the items on sale, presumably looking for a makeweight for the deal he had in mind.

  Just then, a shadow passed by the door. Galvyn looked across at the prospective customer, but whoever it was walked on by, looking inside, but not stopping.

  Almost immediately Tansley stepped back toward the workbench, with a leather helmet he had picked up almost at random.

  "This," he said placing the helmet down before rummaging through his pocket and producing a small clay vial, "for this, and the repairs."

  Galvyn and his boss looked at each other disbelievingly. Usually Tansley was hugely optimistic on what his ointments were worth, but this time he was underselling himself.

  "These repaired," Croneygee said, "and that helmet, in return for the ointment? Done."

  His boss had never let on to Tansley just how effective the balm was on his skin condition. He was stockpiling it in case the supply ever ran out. Galvyn had been sworn to secrecy on the matter. He thought his boss might be prepared to pay ten times more than he had been. Today it was half-price for some reason. Tansley, seemed to realize he could have done better, and tried to pull the deal back in his favor.

  "And Galvyn here to bring them to me when they're done. Good doing business with you Mr. Croneygee, as always."

  Galvyn watched as his boss looked at Tansley for a while before rolling his eyes in concession, indicating the trade was complete. Tansley winked at Galvyn, it wasn't a bad deal for him now.

  Whenever Galvyn was making his deliveries, his boss would make a point of telling him to go and come straight back, but Tansley always found him a couple of jobs to do while he was there. It was in Galvyn's nature to be helpful, so he did them, but there was usually something in it for him, too.

  His business with Tansley complete, Croneygee started looking around the workshop. "Now, where did I leave my consignment for Tregarron? I'm late as it is. Have you seen my bag, Galvyn."

  "I haven't Mr. Croneygee." He said, as his boss went out to the armory at the back of the workshop and disappeared upstairs.

  Tansley watched him go as well, and with the old man out of earshot, turned to Galvyn.

  "I have something for you," the merchant said, flipping him a small copper coin, which he caught instinctively.

  "What's this for?"

  Tansley glanced towards the entrance of the shop, causing Galvyn to do likewise, but it didn't look like any visitors were about to walk in. Turning back to him, and reaching into another pocket of his coat, the man took out an item of jewelry and held it in front him. It was an object that sparkled and shone in the afternoon sunlight and it got his complete and undivided attention.

  29

  Decarius turned right and entered the streets of Serfacre, just in time to see Tansley take the next left. If he was going to keep the merchant in his sights, he would have to stay closer in these tight streets. It made trailing the man riskier, but Decarius could see it wouldn't be a problem.

  For one thing, there were many more people here. Serfacre was a busy and bustling place, with craftsmen, vendors and customers all going about their business. It wasn't just the people, there was also the smoke, steam, dust and general disorder of the workshops. It all afforded him better cover anyway, so he quickened his pace and kept the merchant in view.

  A right, a left, another right and then the man he was following was outside a workshop talking to what looked like the proprietor. An elderly, wizened fellow. The two met and spoke briefly, but Decarius was too far
back to catch any of the conversation.

  Aware that he was standing the middle the street looking like a spare wheel, he turned to a nearby store front and started to idly browse some of the equipment on display there, so as to look less conspicuous. When he looked again, Tansley and the old man were entering the workshop, and a younger man was following them in.

  Through the large shop window, he could make out a meeting of the three taking place, but he couldn't discern much more than that. A protective iron grille covered the window obscured his view from this position. Deciding that he needed to get a closer look, Decarius walked by the shop.

  From the view he got as he walked past the open door, it was clear he was looking into an armory. There were shields, swords, axes and hammers. There was a hint of more shelves of armor against a wall he couldn't see so well, along with what looked leather curacies stacked up near the door.

  Further inside, he could see a hearth and near to it an anvil, while above it, various tools hung from hooks on a wall. In the middle of the workshop, the young man he'd just seen enter, was now seated at a workbench, while the old man was leaning over and inspecting something. The gauntlets maybe?

  As he neared, it became apparent that he would need to go inside if he really wanted to see, or hear, what was happening there. He considered doing just that, but thought he would bide is time instead.

  His arrival at the trading post had seemed to spook the tradesman into a fast exit. Tansley must have guessed what he was looking for and brought them here with the intention of selling them on quickly.

  Decarius knew that if he were to suddenly appear in the shop demanding their return, it might startle Tansley again. How might the man react to him this time? Might he run again? Or stand his ground, emboldened now he was no longer on his own.

  Decarius reminded himself that it was he who was now on his own. Alone among the workshops of Serfacre and restricted in what he could do. He was in no position to force the issue or make demands. Not that he needed to, not yet anyway. Not now he knew who was about to take possession of the Eagle Standard. He could wait for Tansley to leave, then move in and deal with the proprietor. Easier that way. No fuss.

  He walked by the door, and kept walking.

  As he did so, a thought kept nagging at him, and it was one he couldn't easily dismiss. He still hadn't actually seen the gauntlets yet. If only he could hear what the men in the armory were talking about, then he would be better informed, and could plan his next move.

  More than anything, he wanted to know what Tansley was saying. Could the tradesman be putting the word out about Coralainians sniffing around the trading posts? There was still the possibility that the man had left the gauntlets at his hut and was raising the alarm instead. If so, Decarius knew he would need to get back to Aegis and Gregario as quickly as possible.

  Moving further down the street, he found it to be far less busy here. There were still a few workmen around, but they were busy with their labors and paid him little attention. He walked past two more workshops, a toolmaker and beyond that a locksmith.

  After that, the cobblestoned street became nothing more than a dirt road, disappearing into some rough scrubland. In the distance, and just visible through a cluster of bushes and trees, were some large wooden scaffolds. What appeared to be the above ground workings of active coal mines.

  Decarius took a moment to get his bearings. He was facing north. To his left, the Demedelei Fort loomed high above on its rocky motte. While the open ground that lay between, sloped down and disappeared out of sight. He knew a moat used to be there, since it had been visible from the Eyrie.

  It had formed part of the fort's defenses but hadn't circled the whole fort, just the eastern flank. It was now used as a road, or a least, as an easily traversable stretch of land. He starting walking in that direction, which meant that the fort was now, ominously, directly ahead of him.

  He moved quickly, looking to his left and in the direction of the armory, watching for activity there, but saw nothing. As he descended down what used to be the bank of the moat, the workshops disappeared from view. Now he would need to be fast, since there was a window of opportunity for Tansley to leave without him seeing.

  Once partway down the bank, he started working his way back in the direction he had come. He ran some of the way, before climbing back up the bank and emerging through the long grass and bushes that grew on the edge of Serfacre. It meant he was shielded form view but not perfectly so, the buildings here were widely spaced and the bushes stopped short of them.

  Surveying his position, he could see he was directly behind the armory, while the land that lay between was used as storage area or small goods yard. Handcarts, pallets, sacks and crates abounded, some stacked neatly others haphazardly.

  They would give him some cover but not much, Decarius decided he would just have to chance it. He was readying himself to potentially make a move for the gauntlets anyway, which risks of one kind or another were inevitable now. He knew that if he could find out what was going on inside the armory, he would be able to mitigated those risks.

  Keeping low, Decarius darted out of the bushes, and started running across the open ground, weaving between some crates, jumping over a few discarded boxes and moving right up to the building, pressing himself against the wooden clap board exterior. Once there, he stayed crouched and looked around. It seemed his approach had gone unnoticed and he was as well concealed as he could hope for.

  There was a small window above him and he cautiously tried and get a look through it but it didn't take long to see that it would be impossible. The window was covered in coal dust and there was no way of seeing inside. He remained beneath the window and tried to listen instead.

  Since it had taken him a few minutes to get into this position, there was a chance that Tansley might have left, but the murmurings he could hear coming from inside seemed to indicate he hadn't. Hearing voices was one thing, but making out what was being said, and by whom, was another thing entirely.

  Unable to see or hear anything, there was no point in him remaining were he was. There was nothing else for it, he was going to have to move around the building toward the large window.

  30

  Even as Tansley held the necklace, Galvyn could see that it was not the kind of thing the merchant usually brought for him to mend.

  From just the briefest glimpse he could see it was an exquisite piece of jewelry. Held up in the sunlight that came streaming in through the window, the necklace shone and glistened. A silver chain, with an attached oval pendant, spinning with a mesmerizing beauty. Unfortunately, the chain was broken and in need of repair, so naturally, Galvyn reached out and took it, before starting to examine it more closely.

  "Shouldn't be a problem for a young man of your talents, you'll have that fixed in a jiffy."

  "Hmm," Galvyn said, "I'm not so sure."

  "Galvyn! It's not like you to haggle," the merchant chuckled, reaching into his coat and flipping him another coin. "You're learning I see, learning from a master."

  "No, I just meant that it's not a five minute job, this is a very fine chain."

  "Ah, I see," Tansley said, eyeing the hand in which Galvyn had caught the coin before seeming to give up on it. "But can you do it?"

  "Yes," he said, taking an eyeglass to examine the fine detail. "Does it belong to you?"

  "You always ask the most inappropriate—" Tansley said, recoiling, before regaining his composure. "Family heirloom."

  Galvyn hadn't stopped looking at the necklace, his gaze moving from the chain to the pendant. Finding a clasp on the side, he could see it was a locket, and opened it to reveal a tassel of golden hair inside. He looked at Tansley, whose hair was black, even when clean.

  "A great aunt, very dear to me."

  The answer barely registered with him. It wasn't just because he was learning of Tansley's unreliability when it came to details, but because the pendant now had his full attention. With the intricacy of the e
ngravings, and the runic symbols and motifs that were present inside and out.

  Then there was the hair itself. It didn't belong to anyone related to Tansley, not closely anyway, and it wasn't just the color, the strands were so fine as to be, individually, almost invisible. It had been tied in a distinctive way, too. A few strands had been wrapped around the rest in such a way that made it look like a tiny sheaf of wheat or barley.

  "Hmm?" he said distractedly.

  "My great aunt, twice removed." Tansley added, seeing his dubious expression. "I trust you can keep quiet about this Galvyn, just between you and me, eh?"

  From further inside the workshop, there came the sound of boots descending stairs. Croneygee was coming back down, but Galvyn continued studying the necklace, transfixed by the detailing. Tansley cleared his throat. Then did so again a little louder.

  Galvyn looked at him and saw the tradesman staring at him intently. His eyes then darted from him, to the necklace, to the door to the stairs and back again. Galvyn returned an uncertain look, before getting the idea.

  He knew that, by rights, Tansley should have given the necklace to his boss, who would doubtless charge more for the repair of such a high quality piece of jewelry. As it was, they were dealing on the side, with Galvyn gaining a little and Tansley saving a lot, but the consequences would be all on him should his boss find out.

  The broken necklace disappeared into his pocket, just the old man walked in carrying a large gray hessian bag over one shoulder, limping with the uneven weight.

  "I need to get going. Galvyn make a start, the wrist guards first I think. Tansley, we're leaving." Croneygee said, making it clear he was not going to leave the man in the shop, attended to only by his apprentice, for very long.

  Normally, the inference that he couldn't be trusted would draw protestations from the merchant. But Galvyn thought that, in this instance, Tansley had welcomed the armorers suggestion that they leave together.