The Hekamon Read online

  Vondern placed the iron grippers back in the leather bag and studied the embroidered silver talons before continuing.

  "The temple was reputed to contain many important artifacts, all of which were destroyed or melted down for the precious metals they contained. The exception was the Haaken Iron Grippers. Plautius was a military man and they were the only object he thought of as possessing any value." The voight then placed the leather bag into the chest, before closing the lid and locking it.

  The story of the desecration at Halvyon was one Saskia had heard before but thought it unusual coming from Vondern. While the man had no time for Coralainians, he didn't normally question their command of the mountains or the Hekamon, the precious water source, therein. After all, It was the Coralainians channeling of the water to them that maintained the marshes.

  It had never occurred to Saskia that Vondern might be resentful of their dependency on them and their benevolence. Not least because it was he who had helped cement that relationship, more so than any other Fennrean. That had been the agreement in the Aquassent Treaty. The treaty that Vondern had himself negotiated and signed.

  It stated that Coralai's control the temple would be recognized, and in return the Coralainians would ensure a limitless supply of water to Fennelbek.

  With the grippers now locked away, she, Vondern and the young ferguths left the armory and moved back into the main room of the stockade.

  Saskia watched as Vondern locked the door behind him. She could see the man was deep in thought. His long gray hair obscuring part of his face but leaving his one good eye visible, pale blue, cold, calculating, even in the warm glow of the lantern he carried.

  Perhaps holding the relic had reminded Vondern of an old and unresolved injustice. An injustice he had put to one side for reasons of pragmatism.

  "This is an important find," he said. "Where is Kormak, I should congratulate him on his discovery."

  "He went to look for Alyssa," Tolle said.

  "Alone?"

  "The prisoner was heavy and Kormak wanted us to bring him here without delay," Tolle continued, "Some guards were on the bridge and were taking a close interest. Kormak seemed to think finding Alyssa was his responsibility and his alone, he was very insistent on it. He said he owed it to her to bring her back safely."

  "It was a noble act by Kormak. He can be brave and spirited, if a little misguided, he's like his father in that regard. Why was Alyssa south of the river by herself anyway?"

  "She lost her necklace there and is looking for it."

  The mention of Alyssa's necklace seemed to animate the voight.

  "That accursed necklace, it will be the death of her," Vondern said, raising his voice. "I should have taken it from her. I should not of allowed her to keep it, for her own sake if nothing else. It is cursed, of that there is no doubt. If she finds it, and returns with it, I will destroy it."

  "You can't destroy it, it's precious to her. It reminds her of her mother," Saskia said, raising her voice in response.

  "Some things are best forgotten," the voight said, almost spitting the words out and the bitter sentiment hung in the air for some time. He paced around the stockade, before turning to Tolle, "Better still, you can destroy her necklace. It will be a statement of your authority, one she can't ignore."

  The young ferguth looked at her, unsure of how to respond. She returned a look that said, stay quiet. Vondern's temper could subside as quickly as it had risen.

  Saskia watched the man, lost in his own thoughts. There were very few things that seemed to agitate him as much as the mention of Alyssa and Kormak's mother, Naryna. The necklace that she had bequeathed to her daughter being one of them.

  Saskia knew, and just as importantly, Vondern knew, that the necklace was charmed. It was a talisman that had been crafted with a purpose, but neither of them knew what exactly. All Saskia knew, was the necklace gave whoever wore it a strong connection to nature. Something she had felt for herself when Alyssa had allowed her to hold it. Even in that brief moment, Saskia realized it was powerful.

  From what she could tell, it seemed women could connect with it more easily than men, and each person felt its effects differently.

  Her own experience of it, was that it elevated her intuitiveness, but not without a cost. It told her things she didn't want to hear. If anything, she became too intuitive, understood things too well, it had been a relief to let go.

  The wearer would need to be sure they were strong and pure of spirit. It was a power that was not easily controlled, and if anything, it might control them. It might be why Vondern thought the necklace to be cursed.

  Not only that, the pendant contained something that Naryna had called the Solsceafa. A tassel of hair, but whose, Naryna refused to say.

  Saskia had thought that when Alyssa told her the necklace spoke to her, that it might be the Solsceafa that brought that power to the necklace. If the Ettinshel was powerful, the Solsceafa might be even more so, or perhaps it was the two together.

  She watched the voight pacing. What was he thinking? Whether to destroy the necklace should he get the chance? She suspected that his threat to destroy it to be an empty one.

  Vondern had lived in the marshes longer than she. He knew there were forces more powerful at work, it was palpable to anyone with any connection with the land here. For all Vondern's faults, and they were numerous, he had a strong feeling for the land and the spirits. He knew some things were best left well alone.

  The real reason he hadn't destroyed the necklace before was because he was neither brave, nor foolish, enough to do so. If he was angry with Alyssa, he would take it out on her in other ways.

  Suddenly, Vondern stopped pacing. It seemed that whatever he had been weighing up in his mind had resolved itself.

  "Kormak has brought the Haaken Iron Grippers back to us and he will bring Alyssa back, too. He will succeed in his mission. But I can't be sure what the Coralainians are planning, their next course of action is unclear to me. We need to get as much information as we can from the prisoner you have secured—" Vondern said, before pausing and looking quizzically at Tolle.

  "The prisoner, he is secured, isn't he?"

  "Oh, he's not going anywhere," Tolle said, standing and looking pleased that the voight's attention had turned to his own prized acquisition, and the fate that awaited the man in question. "He's outside, bound and gagged."

  "Good," Vondern replied, showing equal relish. "Let's take him to the pit and prepare him for the interrogation."

  94

  "It sounds like we're close," Galvyn said, as the tinkling notes of a stream filtered through the trees.

  He found the melodic chimes of the running water soothing, and after what had happened to him the last few hours, it was a welcome feeling. The hill grew steep and rocky here, and he held out a hand to help Alyssa up the hillside that was crumbling underfoot. Alyssa hesitated before taking his hand. She didn't need any help, but accepted it with the grace with which it had been offered.

  Alyssa had suggested to him that they take a detour on their way to the caves, so she could refill her flask with some fresh spring water. The stream they now arrived at reassured Galvyn that Alyssa knew where she was leading him.

  With the flask duly filled, they moved on again, following the stream for a short way, before starting back down the hill.

  Galvyn marveled at how Alyssa moved with such ease and sure-footedness, even in the large, over-sized boots she was wearing. So enamored was he with her graceful movements, that he forgot to watch his own steps and began to feel the ground slipping from under him. Suddenly, he was sliding in a rush down the bank, taking Alyssa with him.

  Alyssa momentarily tried to stop them, but gave up when she realized their momentum was too much, and the pair of them came crashing to an undignified stop where the hillside plateaued. Galvyn apologized profusely but Alyssa just laughed as she untangled herself from the heap of arms and legs.

  "That was clumsy of you," She sai
d, with a giggle in her voice, clearly not too upset.

  "I'm so sorry, I slipped and couldn't stop myself," he said, standing and dusting himself down.

  "Well," Alyssa said, "It wasn't the way I expected us to get here, but we've arrived."

  Galvyn looked around, and from the cave entrances nearby, he could see that they had indeed arrived. The hill leveled off here and the ground felt solid underfoot, unlike the loose gravel of the bank they had slid down.

  He could see that there were several caves emerging from the hillside. The middle and largest one, faced due north. While the smaller caves either side angled inward, making a crescent shape, like a new moon. The trees of the forest around them grew close here, and along with the overhang of rock above, it made for a sheltered place.

  There was a calmness and a stillness, a sanctuary of sorts. Only the far off sound of an owl claiming its territory and the trickle stream could be heard, if anything, adding to the serenity.

  Alyssa spent a few moments walking around and looking inside each cave, before declaring them clear.

  "How deep do they go?" Galvyn asked, walking over to the largest and peering into the darkness.

  "Very deep, but we won't venture into them, we'll stay here, on the plateau."

  Galvyn stood and waited, listening for any sounds that might be emanating from the mouth of the hillside, "There aren't any bears in there, are there?" he asked.

  Alyssa laughed, "No."

  "How can you be sure? Do you come here often enough to know?"

  "Trust me, there are no monsters in there waiting to crawl out and grab you."

  He wanted to believe her, but his instincts told him otherwise.

  "Maybe we should light a fire," he suggested. The light and warmth would be welcome and he'd heard bears didn't like fire.

  "What, to scare of the bears?" Alyssa said, winking.

  "No, for the light and warmth," he said, trying to return the gesture but blinking instead.

  "A fire isn't a bad idea," she said, looking at the sky, "It's getting cold and by the time we've collected the firewood, it should be dark enough for the smoke not to be visible."

  "Won't the light of the fire give us away, though?"

  "We'll make the fire small and in the cave mouth. The hillside and trees will do the rest. That way the firelight will be hard to see."

  "Let's gather the wood then," he said, easily persuaded.

  "You do the fire and I'll gather some nuts and berries, if I can find some. I hardly eaten since yesterday."

  Galvyn liked the sound of that idea, and set about collected some suitable firewood.

  Some fallen branches from a nearby crab apple tree seemed a good choice. That wood burned slowly and produced little flame, so should last the night without giving away their presence. He found some dry twigs for kindling, along with a few larger sticks and logs, which he brought back and assembled in to a small heap. He then placed a few lose stones in a circle around it, and it was ready to be lit.

  Taking two of the driest sticks, Galvyn began working one against the other to produce some embers, but he wasn't very practiced at it. Even after a few minutes of trying, he still hadn't made much progress. At the workshops, there was usually a flame to be found somewhere, so lighting a fire was easy.

  "Try this," Alyssa said, arriving and kneeling down, with her jacket folded up from the waist and full of hazelnuts, which she promptly deposited on the ground.

  With her hands free, she took a small leather pouch from her belt and threw it to him.

  Galvyn looked at the bag suspiciously. It was tied with a drawstring and he could only guess at its contents.

  "Open it," Alyssa told him, while she scooped the nuts into a tidier pile.

  He opened the bag. Inside he could see there was a piece of flint and a small iron bar. It was a fire-starting kit.

  "This will be perfect," he said, showering the kindling with sparks.

  "This should be enough hazelnuts," Alyssa said, standing and leaving him to it. "I'll see if I can find some fruit. Most of the pears have gone but I think there might be a few on the higher branches."

  Despite his best efforts, the kindling didn't take right away, but within a minute or two it was alight. And, after some careful positioning of the firewood, he got it burning properly. The wood crackled and the sweet aroma of apples rose up, whetting his appetite.

  Galvyn looked up and was about to tell Alyssa they had a fire, when he realized she wasn't there. Getting up from his crouched position he started walking around the plateau, but the Fennrean girl was nowhere to be seen.

  How far might she have gone? The fall of night, along with the few minutes he'd spent staring into the burning fire, had diminished his night vision. Perhaps allowing his eyes to adjust again would help. Suddenly, feeling lost and alone, Galvyn decided he couldn't wait and quietly called out to her.

  "Alyssa?"

  "Yes?" Her reply came from much closer than he had anticipated and it startled him.

  "Where are you?" he said, looking around.

  "Up here."

  He looked up and, sure enough, there she was, partly visible from the glow of the fire and partly silhouetted against the stars, high in the branches of a tree. Galvyn doubted whether he would want, or be able, to climb that high.

  "Catch," she said, and dropped something which bounced off his head.

  He juggled it a few times, before grabbing it at the third attempt.

  "Got it," he said, triumphantly, "What is it?"

  "Bite into it and find out," came the reply from the branches above.

  He didn't need to, her talk of pear trees and the shape of the object was more than enough of a clue. Anticipating the taste he took a bite. Galvyn thought it to be succulent and tasty but Alyssa was more discerning.

  "They've ripened on the tree, that's never a good thing, but at least there were a few that evaded the passerby."

  "The who?"

  "Whoever cleared the trees of them, Coralainians most likely, we're near to their tunnels here."

  "Might they return, do you think?" He asked, looking at the dark forest all around them.

  "The best of the fruit has been harvested, the nuts as well, so it's unlikely," Alyssa said, climbing back down.

  "What if they do? I hear they can be—" Galvyn hesitated, did he have to be polite about Coralainians now?

  "What, ruthless?" Alyssa said, back on the ground beside him."

  "Well one did try to kill me earlier."

  "And another one saved you, or so you said, so they are not all bad," she said, putting her boots back on. "Although that one did steal my dagger, the swine."

  "Well you were holding it to my throat."

  "You're not going to let me forget that are you," she said, as the pair of them walked back to the fire.

  "I'm just saying, it may not have been stolen as such, more taken so you didn't do anything rash."

  "Hmm, that's one way of looking at it. As for what we'll do if any Coralainians show up, we'll retreat into the cave."

  95

  The gatehouse of the Demedelei Fort was in the midst of a shift change, when Tregarron arrived from the prison.

  The night watch were arriving and the day watch were leaving. There was a general murmuring of greetings and farewells as the men mingled, before those departing for the night took their leave. Not all the voices he could hear belonged to men. The lone female voice in the gatehouse belonged to Kathryn Tregarron.

  He walked over to his wife, who was bringing two of the guards destined for gate duty up to speed on some of the day's events.

  "Kate, is there a lantern I can take?" He asked, before accepting the lantern his wife took from a shelf behind her.

  "Why do you need it?"

  It was not an unreasonable question. The fort was well illuminated by torches and lanterns, while Demedelei Town had enough lampposts to ensure someone could move around without having to carry a light. The reason he needed one, was
because he would be walking along Priory Road, which had a stretch of a few hundred yards that was not well lit, and he would prefer some light to travel by.

  "I'm going to the priory."

  "Alone?"

  "You're welcome to join me."

  "With an assailant on the loose, and more reports of victims, we should not be traveling alone." Kate took a lantern for herself, before joining him as he left the gatehouse.

  "You're right of course," he said, as the two of them walked through the barbican, before turning right and beginning the short walk to the hospital. As they did, he spoke with his wife. She would've been in the gatehouse when the latest report came in and he was interested in what she knew.

  "What more can you tell me about the latest victim?"

  "Only that he was found wandering, dazed and bleeding but seemingly not drunk. Who he is, or what happened to him, I don't know."

  Kate was, strictly speaking, not a guard, and when she was first recruited by Lord Jephson the distinction was more obvious. She had been hired as a personal protector, teacher and companion for Jephson's daughter, Brigantia, who lived in the keep with her widower father. That had been ten years ago, when Brigantia was just a child of six or seven.

  Kate herself had been widowed when her husband had been killed at the battle of Tetten Wood. Once she began living in the fort, along with himself, they had become close and married shortly thereafter.

  When Brigantia grew older, and the manning of the fort decreased due to retirements, Kate's role grew into something closer to that of a guard, and she could usually be found in uniform now. Despite this, she remained close to Bree and was still officially her personal bodyguard.

  As the pair of them walked, Elidyr told his wife something of what he had found out but withheld a few details. He would need to talk with Jephson about some things first, but the fact that one of the prisoners was the son of Saceress Volusia, that he had told her, and it was a detail that seemed to both intrigue and worry his wife.