The Fragile Fall At Tallow Bridge (The White Blood Chronicles Book 1) (15 page)

“ I managed.”

“ Well, I have just collected the tincture from Alyssia,” she raised the basket, “ you are strong enough now for that, so that should help. I will change the dressings when I see you at the inn.”

“ Oh I will be fine, I am getting stronger by the day,”

“ Nonsense, you need the tincture otherwise your treatment won’t work properly,” she chided, “ where are you going?”

“ The church, to see Priest Campion.”

“ Very well. Fare well,” she smiled and kissed him on the cheek before jauntily walking away towards the square.

              He watched her for a few moments wondering if he had been too quick to judge her, for other than her foolish flirtations she had only sought to aid his recuperation and tend for him. He felt a slight pang of guilt but brushed it aside as he wheeled on his heel and walked onto the bridge. Thaindire passed the two knight statues, following the rise of the humpback of the stone bridge down the other side. On the far side of the bridge Thaindire saw a cart and a man was stood, chipping away at a piece of stone that sat on the back of the cart. With chisel and hammer, he skilfully cut the stone and then stopped as he saw Thaindire draw near.

“ Ah, Master Thaindire, good day to you,” said the man waving at Thaindire to come over to him. The man was of a sturdy build, with short greying hair and large round eyes. He held out a hand in greeting and Thaindire took it, the stonemason's vast hand engulfing his.

“ Off to church?” asked the stonemason.

“ Yes.”

“ I like the church. Very calming. You will see some of my work there, I repaired the outer wall. Aindrew Liden,” said the man by way of introduction, extending his hand again. Thaindire politely shook the large proffered hand.

“ You've turned up just at the right time. I should have brought young Michael with me to help, but he is off with his brother James somewhere about the village. I thought I could manage on my own, but I need someone to hold this stone in place while I secure it,” he explained.

“ Certainly,” said Thaindire.

“ Good, thank you. Bear with me.”

Liden moved to the wall of the bridge where there was gap. He plucked up a bucket and began dolloping large amounts of a yellow-white paste around the gap. Once this has been ladled, he picked up a trowel and deftly smoothed the substance.

“ Strange kind of mortar,” commented Thaindire as he watched.

“ Oh, it's not mortar, it's tallow, hence the name of the bridge,” Liden explained.

Satisfied that sufficient tallow had been layered on the surrounding stones he put the bucket down and then placed his arms around the stone.

“ Can I help?” asked Thaindire.

“ No need, I just need you to hold it. I will put it in place.”

Liden grunted and lifted the stone, setting it down in the gap.

“ Right Master Thaindire, if you could hold it there, press down hard, so it sticks and I will slap on the rest of the tallow.”

Thaindire duly obliged and placed both his hands on the smooth stone as Liden applied more of the tallow sealing it in place.

“ All done,” smiled the stonemason.

“I can let go?” said Thaindire. Liden nodded.

“ I owe you a flagon of ale,” remarked the stonemason.

“ Oh, that's quite alright,” said Thaindire.

Liden examined his work and satisfied, placed the bucket on the cart and bid farewell to Thaindire, trundling the cart back towards the main body of the village.

Thaindire continued on his way. Once he had crossed the top of the hump he could see that someone else was walking in the direction of the church. He could not determine who it was for a long, hooded russet cloak shrouded them and made any identification impossible. He cast a sideways glance at the gibbet which swayed mocking, Sanctus’ corpse still incarcerated in the metal cage and Thaindire whispered a short prayer as he marched onwards.

              The lane to the church became narrower and narrower as it grew steeper. The branches of the trees met above, forming a natural tunnel and the light decreased as he followed the figure, which was twenty yards or so ahead of him. Eventually, Thaindire arrived at a stone archway and a wooden gate. He halted and he could see the leading figure making its way along a path towards the church ahead. Thaindire looked behind him but all he could see was the forest as it stretched in every direction, a mixture of coloured leaves and bare branches, with him above it. He opened the gate and entered the churchyard. Gravestones were scattered in no evident order to his right and his left. He kept along the path choosing to halt beside a large tombstone, which bore an angel; its wings spread as if it might take off and fly up into the leaden sky. The person he had been following had halted at the church door. Five stone steps led up to the door, thus providing Thaindire with a clear view of the elevated individual. He peered around the tombstone as the church door opened and a person stepped out onto the top of the steps. The hooded figure let down its hood and he saw one of the village girls who had been heading to Lancaster’s room last night. She was pretty, with short blonde hair and round, green eyes. A man, who was taller than she, met her and he wore a black, double-breasted cassock, the white dog collar contrasting with the inky black collar within which it sat. A skullcap rested on his head from beneath which short brown hair protruded. He was handsome and somewhere in his thirties. This had to be Campion, the priest. Thaindire felt gladdened. The priest would provide him with assistance and answers to his concerns, as one of the High Church’s clergy. He reached out and took the girl in his arms and embraced her fully on the mouth. The two of them remained locked together for a number of seconds, causing Thaindire to stifle a shocked gasp. Campion’s hand then took hers and he led her into the church, the door closing behind them. Thaindire stepped out from behind the tombstone stunned by what he had witnessed. There was neither mistaking what had just happened nor a rational explanation for the clear demonstration of passion. Thaindire had hoped that Priest Campion would prove to be a bastion of goodness surrounded by the nefarious and ungodly activity of Aftlain, someone he could garner knowledge from in readiness of making his next move, but even a priest had become tainted by this place.

“ If you are hoping to see the priest he will be busy for a while yet,” chuckled a voice interrupting Thaindire from his despairing thoughts. He turned, the sudden noise in the still of the churchyard, making him jump and his back protested at the rapid movement. He saw nobody in the direction from where the voice had come.

“ Who is there?” called Thaindire, “ Show yourself.”

“ Just a moment,” replied the voice. Still Thaindire could see nobody. With a grunt, a figure clambered out of the ground a few yards away on the other side of the path from him. He stood up and patted the loose dirt away from himself before looking up at Thaindire. He was a wiry fellow, clad in dirty tunic and leggings, sturdy boots about his feet, his face streaked with dirt. Thaindire walked over and could see that the man had climbed out of a grave, a mound of freshly dug earth to one side of the hole.

“ Aye, that will be the priest occupied for a few hours at least,” he gave a sniff.

“ Who are you gravedigger?” asked Thaindire.

“ Gregory Talvace, sir.” the man bowed his head respectfully.

“ And whose grave do you prepare?”

“ I don’t know.”

Thaindire frowned.

“ Don’t be impertinent Talvace, surely you know for whom you are preparing this resting place in the One True God’s acre?”

“ Nope. Not a clue. But it is bound to be needed.”

“ Then why dig if you don’t know who it is for?”

“ I’m a grave digger. I dig graves. That’s what I do,” answered Talvace.

“ You strike me as an idiot grave digger.”

“ You make maps don’t you?”

“ I do, what of it?”

“ Well, I am sure you make maps by request.”

“ Yes.”

“ And I should imagine you make maps ready to sell, should they be needed. “

“ Again, yes.”

“ Well, I dig graves when they are needed and I dig graves in the expectation of them being needed. Call it stocking up, if you will. People are going to die aren’t they?”

“ Hmm, in my experience graves are dug as and when required, not in the expectation of people dying.”

“ That’s as maybe Master Thaindire, but I like to stay ahead of the game. Anyway, when I saw the state of you when you arrived I thought I may as well get on with some digging, didn’t think you would be wandering about insulting good, honest grave diggers, that I didn’t. Then, when I saw you coming here, I wondered if you were looking to fill the grave with someone else.”

“ Why in the One True God’s name would you think that?” asked Thaindire.

Talvace glanced at Thaindire’s sword and then jerked his head towards the church, raising his eyebrows.

“ You think I was after the girl?”

“ No.”

“ The Priest?”

“ More than likely.”

“ And why would I be seeking to slay a priest?”

“ Because of what you just saw.”

“ And did you see what I just saw?” demanded Thaindire.

“ I did. The priest and young Isabel. A bonny lass isn’t she? Comes up here a couple of times a week I would wager,” commented Gregory.

“ And did you see the manner of their greeting?”

“ Oh and more besides,” responded the gravedigger with a resigned look on his face, “ Pity, you see, for she and the others never give Gregory a second glance.”

“ For the love of the One True God man, he’s a priest, what is he doing with her in there?” demanded Thaindire his temper rising.

“ Spreading the One True God’s love, I should imagine,” leered Talvace, “ Very loving is our priest.”

“ I shall put a stop to this debauchery,” seethed Thaindire and he stepped forward. Talvace moved in front of him blocking his path.

“ Now now, Master Thaindire, let’s not be hasty,” he cautioned.

“ Stand aside man,” demanded Thaindire.

“ Can’t do that, what the One True God has joined together let no man put asunder and all that.”

“ That’s marriage, you fool,” retorted Thaindire.

“ If you are jealous Master Thaindire, don’t be, Isabel is sure to take an interest in a fine fellow such as you,” smiled Gregory showing a largely toothless mouth.

“ You disgust me,” hissed Thaindire, “ I have no interest in deflowering the young ladies of this village.”

“ Oh you won't be deflowering them believe me,” laughed Talvace. “ Look he will have locked the church so you can't get in and what are you going to do, set about a holy man in his own house?”

“ He is no holy man engaging in such lewd behaviour,” retorted Thaindire.

“ Well, be that as you may think, but he is well loved by the village and if I let you pass, I will soon be on my way to the village to warn of your murderous intentions.”

“ Is that a threat?” questioned Thaindire.

“ No, just a fact.” shrugged the gravedigger.

“ Damn you man,” uttered Thaindire turning and taking a couple of steps away from Talvace. Furious at his impotence, Thaindire conceded that the digger was right. It was doubtful he could gain entry to the church and he would have to slay Talvace to stop him racing to the village and all he had done was be truthful to Thaindire. He padded in a circle his rancour slowly evaporating until he stood and stared over to the church. The gravedigger sensed that Thaindire had reconsidered his actions.

“ They go willingly, you know and surely nothing is sweeter than loving another. I would like some love. I’m sure you would too,” he commented. Thaindire snorted. Gregory moved off the path and jumped back down into the grave he was digging. Thaindire soon heard the sound of the shovel begin driven into the earth and the gravedigger whistling to himself.

              Thaindire walked towards to the church occasionally glancing back at the grave but all he could see was the shovel appearing from time to time, depositing the soil on the side. He climbed the steps to the sturdy looking door and reached for the handle, He tried to turn it but there was no movement. He gave a shove but the door did not yield.

“ Told you,” mocked a voice. Thaindire saw the grinning face of Talvace as he stood up in the grave before shaking his head and carrying on with his digging. Thaindire cursed the gravedigger and went back down the steps. He followed the western edge of the church seeking a point of entry. The grass grew long and untended up against the solid stone of the church’s wall. Up above him were leaded glass windows but they were too high for him to reach. The building cut across him ahead as he circled the east transept, which afforded no door and only the unreachable windows. On reaching the chancel he saw a small door set into its wall, slightly recessed down some steps. He took hold of the ringed iron handle and tried to turn it. The latch lifted and he gave a smile as he pushed at the door, but it did not yield. He put his left shoulder to the wooden door and pushed hard but there was no movement. It was similarly locked. Disappointed he negotiated his way about the south-facing chancel and found another similar door, more or less opposite to the one he had just encountered. It was similarly not for yielding. The west transept and west wall were without any portal and he found himself back at the main entrance to the church, able to hear Talvace still digging away. He stood at the foot of the steps to the main door considering his options before turning and walking back down the path.