The Hekamon Page 29

  "Before I do, I should say that Teague didn't leave with half the men, we have everyone on it. The gate, and the whole fort for that matter, bar the prison, is being manned by one woman," he said, neither hiding his exasperation nor trying to do so.

  "Nonsense Tregarron, you do yourself a disservice, you're a fine figure of a man," Jephson said, signing a few papers and chuckling to himself.

  "I meant Kate," he said dryly.

  "I know you did," Jephson said, looking up from his papers and waiting for him to join in on the joke, but he didn't, fixing Jephson with a stare instead. He wanted the compliment of men at the fort increased and he was going to make sure it happened this time. If he had to border on insubordination, so be it.

  "I hope you're not thinking of raising the issue of the number of men under your command again, Captain?"

  "No, sir?" he replied, and he wouldn't, not directly anyway. He would let events speak for themselves. He had a couple of aces up his sleeve this time, almost literally, and he knew it would focus the lord's mind.

  "Good, so what has been going on?" Jephson said, dropping his pen on his desk and leaning back in his chair.

  "Some assaults have taken place."

  "Thuggery?"

  "Yes."

  "Nothing you and your men can't handle, I'm sure." Jephson said, not looking unduly worried and picking up his pen again.

  "Croneygee is with the pryor, badly hurt and may not survive."

  "Croneygee?" Jephson said, frowning and leaning forward. The armorer was Jephson's quartermaster and one of his most trusted confidants. Already Tregarron could tell Jephson was going to come around to his way of thinking. "Why has Croneygee been assaulted and by whom?"

  "I have all my men working on it," he replied pointedly, "At the moment I'm going on the assumption that it's the work of a Coralainian, one, possibly two."

  "But captain, two Coralainians have been brought in already and are being held in the prison. Your men have been quicker to apprehend the culprits than you realize."

  He shook his head, "Their involvement is still to be established, I will question them shortly. There is at least one other assailant, I'm sure of it. We found those two knocked out and tied up at a merchant's trading post on the Regis Highway, the merchant, too." He could see Jephson was deep in thought.

  "What could they be wanting this side of the mountains? You say that they have been attacked, and yet are carrying out attacks?"

  "It would seem so, maybe they are not Coralainian. They look to be, but I will need to question them first. What's not in doubt is that there are Fennreans involved." Tregarron reached into his coat and brought out the rabbit skin pouch.

  "When Fennreans leave their swamp they bring nothing but trouble." Jephson said, inspecting the vials. "But this could just be some of their traded wares. Not an unexpected find, not on the highway."

  "That's not all," Tregarron said, reaching into is pocket and producing the silver necklace and its engraved pendant. He placed it on the desk and slid it across, "The Fennrean connection might remind you of someone."

  Jephson stared at the necklace, his mouth open, and with a look of disbelief. He slowly picked it up. "Tregarron, these symbols," he said, in a whisper.

  "I know. It's a disturbing discovery."

  Jephson turned the pendant over in his hand, "Captain, I know you don't believe in charms, curses and suchlike, but I find this a portentous find. How did you come by it?"

  "You say I don't believe in curses but I can tell you this, I'm open to persuasion. Before I discovered that Mr. Croneygee had been attacked, I found this necklace being repaired at a serfacre workshop, a workshop belonging to none other than Croneygee himself."

  "Croneygee would not handle something like this. He's an armorer not a jeweler, and he knows the swamp dwellers aren't to be trusted."

  "I don't know how much Croneygee knew of it. It was in the possession of his apprentice who was trying to conceal it when I entered and was less than forthcoming about who gave it to him."

  "Then bring him in man, get the truth out of him."

  "By the time I had found out Croneygee had been attacked and that things had taken a more serious turn, he had disappeared."

  "A conspirator?"

  "A neighboring workshop owner reported that the boy appeared to leave the workshop willingly, and was with a Coralainian when he did so."

  "Damn it Tregarron, a conspirator. Find him."

  "We're looking for him, it seems he parted company with the Coralainian at Tivitay."

  "I said find him, not look for him."

  "I have guards stationed at his lodgings in case he returns there, I've sent men to the Rhavenbrook Bridge and the pass. My resources are…fully deployed in the endeavor," he said. Deciding not to say limited or scarce, there was no need to overplay a winning hand.

  Jephson dropped the necklace on his desk and stood up slowly, as he did, his attention was caught by some movement outside the door, "Bree?"

  "Father?" Brigantia said, after a hesitant pause, stepping into the chancery.

  "These matters are none of your concern." Jephson said, recovering some of his composure and walking across the room toward the door. Tregarron turned to look at the young woman in the doorway, she was looking past him to her fathers desk. "Leave the captain and I to discuss this, please."

  "Yes, Father," she said, turning away.

  While Jephson closed the door behind her and walked back to his desk, Tregarron turned and looked at what the young woman had been gazing at. The silver necklace, on the desk in plain view.

  Jephson must have noticed her interest in it as well, because he opened a drawer and placed it there, out of sight. Or maybe it was his own eyes he was hiding it from. Tregarron smiled to himself, the necklace had unnerved Jephson more than he'd expected, not necessarily a bad thing.

  "To be forewarned is to be forearmed," the lord said, looking into the drawer and then at Tregarron, "We should consider this a warning," closing the drawer and continuing, "I'm going to call in guards from the villages and put our reservists on notice, we can't be short handed dealing with this, Captain."

  "My thoughts exactly, Lord Jephson."

  "Have your men report back to you and interrogate the prisoners. I want to know what more you have found out by this evening. Who this necklace belongs to is as much a priority as who injured Croneygee. I consider both culprits to be equally dangerous. That's assuming it's not the same person."

  "I'm working on it your lordship, the extra guards will be useful in this regard, I'm grateful for your understanding." Tregarron said, bowing his head as slightly as could be considered permissible, before letting himself out of the chancery.

  As he walked into the great hall, he saw movement in the stairway of the west tower, Brigantia, making herself scarce. But presumably, not until she'd overheard the remainder of their conversation, or at least, what she could make out through the door.

  Tregarron left the keep and crossed the courtyard. Walking toward the east tower, and the steps that lead down to the prison below.

  If Brigantia knows what's good for her, Tregarron thought to himself, she will not concern herself with this business.

  He may not believe in the visions of oracles, or the ramblings of soothsayers. Nor did he pay much attention to the premonitions of seers, with their warnings of a tattooed woman bringing a curse, but her father does. It has lead him to kill before and he would do so again.

  80

  At the sound of the footsteps, and with no time for them to get back into their positions, Kormak realized that he and his fellow ferguths had no choice, they had to confront whoever was approaching.

  Within seconds, the man who had passed by a moment earlier came back into view. He seemed lost in his thoughts and continued on for several more paces, before seeing them and stopping abruptly.

  Startled by their presence, the man remained standing in the middle of the junction for a number of seconds, before dec
iding to carry on back to the bridge. He would have done so too, but Tolle had different ideas.

  "What's your business here?" Tolle demanded, giving the signal and leading the patrol of young ferguths over and positioning them between the man and the bridge. Kormak looked on, leaving Tolle do the talking while he listened with interest.

  "Just passing through," the man replied calmly. His accent had a certain melodic lilt to it. He was from the south without a doubt.

  "You were passing though, now you are loitering, what's your business here?"

  "I've forgotten something and I'm going back to Tivitay," he said, looking at each of them in turn.

  He knows and is weighing up his chances.

  "What did you forget?" Tolle said, less stridently this time. This was no concern of his, the man was free to say as much, but he co-operated, sort of.

  "I'd forgotten the lateness of the hour. I'll set off again in the morning," he said, starting to move around their group.

  "What's in the bag?" Palfrey asked, moving, too, forcing the man to brush him to one side.

  Kormak recognized the opening gambit. Each of them had their well rehearsed moves and the game started to unfold. Some distraction, some misdirection, a gradual escalation of the contact. Tolle could break things off at anytime but let it run.

  "Be more careful," Tolle said pushing the man back, seemingly in defense of Palfrey, "We don't want any trouble."

  "Nor do I, so if you let me by, there won't be any." The Coralainian said, standing his ground, unmoved by the shove.

  It seemed to Kormak, that the traveler knew the game, too. He would be outnumbered and lose the fight, but he could take one down with him, and that one would be Tolle. His look made that clear. If this was his intention, it worked.

  "We need to ask you a few questions first," Tolle said, in a formal tone that suggested he was prepared to be reasonable.

  "This road is an agreed right of way, I have the freedom to walk here."

  "You did until you started loitering, now you can answer a few questions and then you can be on your way." Tolle said, sounding fair but the five of them had the man surrounded now. He was stronger than any of them but he would be no match for them all, so he relented.

  "Where are you headed?" Tolle asked

  "North."

  "North's a big place."

  "Yes it is."

  "How long for?"

  The man paused, "A couple of days."

  "What are you carrying?"

  "Just some clothes and personal belongings."

  "That's a lot of stuff for a couple of days."

  "I'm taking what I need."

  Kormak guessed his talk of a short visit to be a lie, the man hadn't wanted to say he wouldn't be missed for weeks or longer. People know where I am and will come looking for me, that was what he wanted them to believe. Tolle looked at the man and smiled.

  "Well, once we've seen that's all you're carrying you can go."

  "This shouldn't be necessary," the man said, looking at them in turn, before sliding his bag off his shoulder. "Fine," he said wearily.

  This was the moment Kormak was waiting for. If the man had something valuable in the bag, he would likely swing it at a couple of them to break the circle and make a run for it. If the bag really was just full of clothes and his valuables were on his person, he would drop the bag, let them open it and back away, before making his escape.

  When done right, they never needed to steal anything, people would just run and leave things behind. They got quite a few things that way. Those that believed the stories of the swamp dwellers and their uncivilized ways were the ones most likely to offer up some goods. If they respected them, they would be treated likewise. So it was all fair in Kormak's eyes.

  This one neither took a swing, nor gave the impression he was going to. Instead he unbuckled the bag and showed them the contents. Palfrey and Moxley were on bag duty and started to rummage inside, while he and Tolle kept a close watch for sudden movements, and Loccsleah kept a lookout.

  The Coralainian watched, as the pair searched his bag, but said nothing.

  It troubled Kormak that the man had come back. Was he scouting the marshes? This seemed the most likely explanation.

  If the grippers really were stolen from Coralai, and they'd found out from Tansley he had them, this might be how they would go about getting them back.

  First, a traveler goes into the marshes, scouts around and returns with information about what he had seen. Then a larger, better armed group could come in and make some searches of their own.

  "It's like he said, just clothes," Palfrey said, standing up.

  "So I guess that means I can go?" The traveler said, buckling the bag.

  Tolle gave Kormak a look which suggested he was going to say yes, unless he had any objections or questions of his own. He had plenty but it was impossible to ask any. Not without at least hinting he knew that the man was looking for something, that he was conducting a search and being a traveler was just a cover story. It would only serve to confirm that the grippers were here and in his possession. They would have to let the man go, and he gave Tolle a look that said as much.

  "Yes, you can," Tolle said.

  The man shouldered his bag, and as he did, the coat he was wearing was pulled to one side, revealing a belt. On the belt a scabbard and in the scabbard a dagger. The grip was entwined leather and the pommel was an amethyst stone.

  It was his sisters and seeing it changed everything.

  The speed of Kormak's movement took even the rest of his patrol by surprise, his fist striking the man just behind his left ear, followed by powerful kick to the side of his knee. The man crumpled to the ground under the ferocity of the blows and Kormak was on him, ignoring his own dagger and reaching for the one on the man's belt. Disarming the man and arming himself in the process. Within seconds, the Coralainian was on the ground and in a cloud of dirt and dust.

  "What have you done to her?" Kormak demanded, the blade at the man's throat and his full weight on him.

  Struggling to breathe, the Coralainian reached up with one hand to restrain the dagger, the other for Kormak's throat. Before he could get a grip other either, Tolle and Palfrey each grabbed an arm, while Moxley and Loccsleah pinned down the man's legs. Confident he had the man restrained, Kormak raised the dagger and repositioned it in his hand so he could land a couple of blows to the man's face, before once again putting the blade to his throat.

  "Where is she and what have you done with her?"

  "Who? I don't know what you are talking about," the man garbled.

  "Kormak, what's going on?" Tolle asked, taken aback by his sudden assault on the traveler.

  "This belongs to my sister," he said holding up the dagger.

  "Are you sure?"

  "Yes, I'd recognize it anywhere."

  Tolle punched the man in the stomach, "Talk, how is it you have this?"

  The man was struggling, his strength apparent but the five of them could contain him.

  "I bought it from an armory, just a few minutes ago."

  "Liar," Kormak struck him again, "the river," he said, and the five of them part-lifted and part-dragged the man through the undergrowth next to the bridge and to the Rhavenbrook.

  Tolle and Palfrey let the man slide on his back down the muddy bank, until he was submerged in the murky waters, but stopped him from sliding more than waist deep.

  After a few second they pulled him out and Kormak reached across and grabbed his hair, before landing a few more blows. Blood was pouring from the man's nose and he gasped for breath.

  "What have you done to her?"

  "I haven't done anything—" The reply stopped abruptly, as he was dropped back into the river at Kormak's behest.

  "Let's leave him longer this time." Tolle said.

  "Agreed," Kormak replied, taking the chance to catch his own breath.

  They waited until the man started to kick and flay his arms before pulling him out, gaspi
ng and spluttering.

  "If you want to live, tell us everything you know." Kormak said, but the man just breathed deeply for a few seconds, so was slid back once more.

  "Wait—" but he was already under, and nothing but gurgling followed. All of the ferguths were becoming exhausted at the exertion. The man was heavy.

  "Let's see what he has to say."

  Up he came once more. Spitting out muddy water, eyes clenched tightly shut and blood and mud pouring from his nose and ears.

  "She was near Tivitay," the man said, between deep breaths and coughs, "She was looking for something, there was a—"

  They sent him back in so he couldn't catch his breath too well.

  "So he has seen her and lied about it," he said, "leave him under to punish him for lying."

  They left him in the river, until Kormak was satisfied, "Back up," and the man was pulled up the river bank, coughing blood and mud, "What else?"

  The man so slower to respond this time, he was visibly weakening and had little strength left to fight back. His voice quieter, seemingly resigned to his fate, "She…she…was with someone."

  "Who?"

  More coughs, "a boy," some deep breaths, "but he was helping her," his head lolled from side to side, "he knew her necklace was with Tregarron."

  "What was his name? His he a Demedelite?" Kormak demanded.

  "I don't know his name," the man coughed, "he was helping her, that's all I know."

  Kormak considered this. If someone is claiming the necklace was with Tregarron, he is not helping Alyssa but lying to her, tricking her maybe. Assuming what this Coralainian had said was true.

  Kormak gave a signal and once again the man was submerged, this time so they could talk among themselves.

  "What do you think?" Kormak asked Tolle.

  "Would Alyssa just give up her dagger like that?" Tolle asked, holding the man's arm and keeping him under.

  "No, I don't think so, she must have had it stolen from her, I'm worried."

  "Maybe we should go to Tivitay and look for her," Palfrey suggested.

  They exchange looks, it would be their turn to be on the wrong side of the bridge if they did.

  "I shouldn't have returned without her, I should have forced her to come back with me," Kormak said angrily.