The Hekamon (30 page)

With Tolle satisfied by his version of the previous
night's events, the pair of them slowed to let the other three
ferguths catch them up. The path they were walking was now running
beside the river, and their destination was now in sight. The five
became silent and observant, as the bridge came into view.

Kormak watched as the eddies and currents swirled
slowly, like sap bleeding out from a tree and navigating the channels
of its bark. The slow moving river was thick with detritus and
sediment. It brought the stench of decay, but also the fertile
sediments that would ensure a healthy yield of herbs. For the most
sought after and valuable of their herbs, the yield was the only
thing that could be said to be healthy about them.

They walked on for a while, before Tolle took a deep
breath and sighed, "Despite everything, Alyssa's safe return is
the priority for us now, she's not just your sister and my betrothal,
she's part of the Egret Patrol. She's one of us, and the patrol needs
to look after its own."

Kormak nodded in agreement, "Either she finds her
own way back, or we'll bring her back, with whatever it takes."

The ferguths moved along the Ochre Way, purposefully,
but with increasing caution. The herons that stalked the river bank
for marsh frogs could not have moved with more poise or attention to
the subtle sounds of this stretch of river. Their pace slowed to a
complete stop, as they arrived at the junction with the Fennelbek
Way. From this position, it was possible to see across the
Rhavenbrook bridge and a few hundred yards past it. A view of
particular interest to Kormak.

There was no sign of her. There was no sign of anyone.
Perhaps the quietness of the road was a blessing. He looked at
Tolle, who had carried on a little further and was looking north
along the Fennelbek Way, before turning and shaking his his head,
"Nobody. Might she have gone that way home?"

Kormak considered his suggestion. It was a longer route
and there was more chance of meeting other travelers. The upside being,
that it avoided some of the more difficult paths through the marshes.
After a moment's thought, he shook his head.

"She would have taken the Ochre Way, it's quicker
and she would have returned home by the same route."

"Then she's still south, should we go across or
wait?" Tolle asked, looking over the bridge.

They had a decision to make.

Hayden carried two jugs of ale over to a table in the
corner of the inn. While the young man he was with carried two wooden
platters, each laden with slices of bread, cheese and pickled beets,
and followed him to the table and sat down.

He took a sip of ale and looked at the young apprentice,
"What you don't drink, I will," he said, but after seeing
Galvyn take a few hearty gulps, realized that wouldn't be necessary.
"Feeling better?" he asked.

The young man nodded and took a bite to eat, Hayden did
likewise and the two of them sat there, eating and lost in their
thoughts. They both had a lot to think about.

After a few minutes, Hayden spoke again, "You know,
it might have been better if we'd left your workshop separately,"
he said quietly, looking around at the few customers at the bar. "We
probably shouldn't be sitting here together now."

"I wouldn't have wanted to leave by myself, it's
like you said, there might be others," Galvyn replied, looking
around, too.

They both returned to eating in silence.

Since they had left the workshop, Hayden had been trying
to figure out how his predicament had seemed to become a whole lot
worse. It wasn't as though matters in Coralai hadn't been complicated
enough. He'd decided to leave for a time, to let things cool
down, now this.

Should Decarius ever find out that it was he who had
knocked him out, then it would mean any return to Coralai was out of
the question. Decarius had a lot influence there, especially with the
militia. He was a difficult and dangerous man to cross, he was best
avoided.

He had some influence too, but only with Saceress
Volusia, and there was a limit to how far she could go to protect
him, and she had endangered herself already. It was why he was
leaving for a few months, to give the dust time to settle.

"When I've finished this, I will go up to my room,
pack my things and leave," he said, taking another swig of ale,
"It will only take me a few minutes to get my belongings
together."

"Okay."

"It
might be better if you've gone by the time I come back down. Then
we'll go our separate ways, safer for both of us that way," he
continued, looking carefully at Galvyn,
safer
for me maybe. "
What
will you do?"

"I'll go back to my lodgings and wait for a while,
then go back to my workshop. Mr. Croneygee should be back by then. I
might tell him what happened, it might be for the best."

"Galvyn, it would be better for me if you didn't,"
he said soberly, considering the implications.

"I was thinking, the man who attacked me, Decarius
you said his name was, must have come into the workshop through the
mine. I could tell my boss that I heard noises, went to investigate
and the man attacked me, that much is true. I could then say, I
dropped the door on him and he fell into the mine. Croneygee and I
could then go down and search, thinking he may have staggered around
in an injured state. I would then go to the place we left him and let
Croneygee decide what we should do from there. I don't have to
mention you at all."

Hayden considered this.

"That's not unreasonable, but could you stick to
that version of events?"

"I think so."

"Even under questioning by Tregarron?" he
said, looking at Galvyn intently. "Maybe we were seen leaving
your workshop together, maybe the innkeeper here informs the guards
about guests," they both glanced at the Innkeeper across the
room, who looked back at them and then away again. "Decarius
recovers, and tells whoever will listen a different story, he'll say
he was taking to you and was violently attacked."

"He wasn't just talking to me, though, he was
strangling me."

"When he is being interrogated by Tregarron, he'll
give a version of events that suits himself. He is an adept liar, he
will shift the blame from himself. It will be your word against his,
you would need to be sure you can stick to your version no matter
what."

Galvyn shifted uncomfortably on his seat, "Well, I
can hold out long enough for you to get a long way, away. The guards
won't follow you, especially since you helped me. That I can
maintain, because it's true. I can vouch for you."

Hayden finished the last of his ale, "But Decarius
will follow me, once if he finds out that it was me that hit him. He
knows where I'm heading and I don't want to change my plans that
much. It also means it would be hard for me to return, I have
a…friend in Coralai, I wasn't leaving forever, just to let
things settle down. Over the winter maybe."

"He won't be able to follow you if he is being held
at the fort."

"How long will they keep him? So far he's come of
worse. He can be duplicitous, he'll talk his way out of it. Once you
start to crack and say what really happened, Tregarron will have no
choice but to let him go, if it turns out the only witness is making
things up."

"But you said he is the Kentarch of Coralai, that
makes him a militiaman he shouldn't be here, Tregarron will have him
for that."

"You're right, he shouldn't be here and I'm
surprised he is, but he'll say he's out of uniform and it's a
personal matter. Tregarron won't want to start something with his
Coralai equivalent.

What will they say in Coralai? When they find out
that their kentarch was beaten, dumped in a mine and then taken to
the Demedelei Fort to be interrogated. There will be a few who will
call for a resumption of hostilities."

"Do you think that will happen?" Galvyn asked,
looking worried.

He shook his head, "It won't come to that. Jephson
will order him released, even if Tregarron doesn't. Jephson has too
much to lose, he will smooth things over."

"What if those guards searching the mines find him?
What then?"

"We hid him well, but if the guards do find him,
then they will take him to the fort and question him but he would
question them as well, in a subtle way. He will spin a yarn about he
being the victim and it was all somebody else's doing. Then find out
from them what he can."

"Then he'll find out anyway."

"Not if the guards don't know anything themselves,
that's why you're best keeping out of it."

"Won't he tell them about me?"

Hayden shook his head. "He'll tell them nothing,
he'll say he was attacked and can't remember anything. That might
even be true, I gave him a pretty good whack, he won't
know what day it is. Either way, he won't bring you into it, or
invite the guards to come asking you questions, that would be
pointing them in the direction of someone he was strangling. He would
risk incriminating himself. He will only contradict your account of
what happened, if the guards put your version of events to him. The
man's as shifty as they come."

Galvyn nodded, "So what should I do?"

"The best thing to do, is let sleeping dogs lie.
Leave him to wake up and slink back to Coralai. He'll be none the
wiser of what happened to him and will think twice before ever coming
back again."

Hayden watched as Galvyn considered this suggestion, and
after some thought, the young man spoke.

"You're probably right. It's just that, it will be
difficult for me, knowing he's down there." Galvyn said, pushing
the jug away from him, "I think I've had enough."

"Me too," he said, declining the offer of more
ale, "look, do what you have to do, maybe your way is for the
best, you have to live here. My returning to Coralai might have
wishful thinking anyway. A clean break, no going back and all that."

The two sat for a while, their meal finished. Galvyn
rested his head in his hands, but after a few moments contemplation,
raised it again.

"No, let's do it your way. I'll find the right
words to say to my boss, that there was someone acting to
suspiciously but nothing more. We will stay alert. If Decarius just
leaves and doesn't come back, like you say he will, all well and
good. If he returns, we'll be ready for him, Croneygee was a soldier
and it's not like we are short of armaments."

"Thank you."

"You helped me, maybe saved my life. So I promise
not to mention you, if that's what you want. Not by name, not at all.
I owe you that much."

"I was happy to help," he said, before
lowering his voice, "besides, it gave me the chance to repay a
few old scores."

"It was a pretty good whack." Galvyn said,
getting his gist and giving a knowing smile.

"Yes, but maybe I should have hit him harder,"
he thought aloud, not sure if he was joking or not.

"You know why you didn't?"

"No, why?"

"Because you're a good person," the young man
said earnestly.

"Don't be so sure."

"I am sure, and if you come back through this way,
look for me." Galvyn said, extending his hand, and the two men
shook hands.

"I might do that," he said, before adding,
"Strength be to he—"

"Who is born from the rock," Galvyn grinned.

Hayden gave the apprentice a warm smile as he stood. The
young man would make a good initiate, he thought to himself, as he
left the table and started toward the stairs. But what grade would he
make?

Well,
since he was an armorer, his symbol would be…the anvil? No.
The hammer? The hearth?
The
fire shovel?
He paused at the
first step and glanced back to where Galvyn was still seated.
The
Lion?

He continued up the stairs, smiling more broadly, and
shaking his head.

For Kormak, the question was particularly finely
balanced. His instincts told him to cross the bridge and follow the
route they had taken toward the trading post. If Alyssa had
remembered the way, and kept close to it, he would find her.

The problem was, the agreement for safe passage only
applied to travelers and not to agents of the law. The Demedelite
guards were prohibited from traveling into Fennelbek and likewise
ferguths would not be accepted in Demedelei. The three way agreement
applied to Coralainian militia, too. It would be easier for a guard
or militiaman to shed his uniform and travel incognito than for a
ferguth his distinguishing tattoo. It seemed Loccsleah understood their
predicament.

"I could go and look, if you wanted."

Facial tattoos were only worn by men, since only men
could be ferguths. The tattoo was their uniform, their insignia,
their badge of honor. They allowed Alyssa and Loccsleah to join them,
but only to make up the numbers. Their youthfulness and lack of
equipment meant they could hardly be considered a patrol if they
didn't.

"Thank you for offering Leah, but if anyone takes
the risk, it should be me," Kormak said.

"If we go, then we all go," Tolle said
emphatically.

"Five of us together might not go unnoticed."
Palfrey pointed out.

"If we are seen by the guards, we'll say we are
looking for a Fennrean who is lost," Tolle said, unwilling to be
dissuaded.

"And they will ask what the Fennrean was doing
there," Palfrey replied.

"Palfrey's got a point, they will suspect herb
trading. We might bring trouble to her, rather than help her,"
he said.

Kormak was still in two minds, but erring on the side of
waiting for his sister to return by herself. Even so, Tolle was the
leader of the Egret Patrol and would have to make the decision. Tolle
started pacing back and forth, while looking across the bridge and at
the road beyond, before making his mind up.