Chapter 10

Brena took a deep breath and prepared herself to enter a true unknown.

At the door, she waited a few seconds then carefully studied the handles, looking for anything that might be a trap. She didn’t see anything so carefully grasped the handle and pulled. The door opened smoothly and silently, not a squeak or groan to be heard. When it was open enough for her to slip inside, she un-shouldered her bag, slid in the narrow gap, then pulled the door shut behind her, shutting out the night.

She paused to allow her eyes to adjust to the different lighting and to listen for any nearby movements. She could hear faint voices in the distance but no moving figures close to her. She carefully walked into the main chapel and saw what appeared to be a normal place of worship. The biggest difference she was able to see in the dimly lit interior was the large statue of a woman in a black robe with her arm crossed with daggers in each hand with the blades crossing back over her breast. From under the stone hood, two glints of light seemed to be looking at her, making her feel very uneasy. A faint smell like a long-dead corpse gone to total decay also hung in the air. It caused Brena to feel a further tug of fear in her heart. This was not a place she wanted to remain in any longer than she absolutely must. She walked to the front to the base of the statue and knelt before it.

“Goddess of Death and Judgment, I come with news of your children in the Planes Guard. Most escaped the madness and are free from harm the last I saw of them. Some may come here, others will wait in other halls, and in time will return your hand to the Guard. This is the news I bring to your followers.”

“Thank you, child,” said a man’s quiet voice behind Brena. She jumped up, spinning in terror from being startled by the silent man behind her. He smiled as she fell back, sitting down on the step below the feet of the statue. “Don’t worry girl, you’re safer here than anywhere else in this city.”

Brena scrambled back to her feet, glaring at the man as she did so. “I wish you folks would stop sneaking up on me like that. I know I’m good, but you’re ghost compared to me.”

“It is but one of the many gifts of the lady for those of us that have sworn ourselves to her service. Now that you have delivered the message you wanted to bring to us of your own accord, we have a job for you.” He held out a cylinder of wood and bone to her. It looked to be a little over a foot long and three inches in diameter. Both ends were sealed by wax sealed wood plugs.

“What is it you need me to do sir.” She asked, when a high leader of the Assassins asks you to make a delivery, you didn’t say no, ever.

“We need this delivered to the Master of the Temple in Fairhams Cove. What it says is of no matter to you, only to him. Acting as a messenger for us will gain you access to the caravan leaving next week. Just show the tube to the Master of the train and he will arrange for you to travel in safety.” He handed Brena the tube, she made sure she had a good grip right at the start. Dropping it would not be a good start on the mission.

She felt the heft of the tube. It weighed close to ten pounds. She knew some of it was the tube itself, the rest had to be the papers inside. “I will deliver as requested. Is there a cut off date of when it would be late?”

“Just deliver it no later than mid-winter festival.” He said with a faint smile in his voice.

“We should arrive well before that date unless the road is bad.” She replied. “The only real delay would be bridges and bandits.”

“Count on it being bad along the way child. All is not as it seems as you will soon discover.” He started to turn then stopped. In a whisper he said, “Be aware that the one known as the Blood Queen has found a way to live on, she will in due course come to this land herself, to claim the gem fragments.” With that said, he turned and walked into the gloom and seemed to vanish as his robes were a dark grey that blended into the darkness.

“Oh joy, a mad Queen now? Well, back to the Inn.” She moved quietly back to the rear of the chapel and opened to doors to the outside. She blinked in the sudden brightness. The sun was up and folks of the city were out and about doing their daily business. Brena stepped out into the daylight, confused as to how much time had passed. She was sure she hadn’t been inside the Chapel for more than an hour. She turned to ensure the door was closed, it was even though she didn’t remember doing it herself. She looked at her hands and saw the message cylinder was still with her.

An old man sitting on the stairs chuckled while watching her as she tried to figure out what had happened to her. “Time doesn’t work right in there girlie. Go in, in the morning, stay a minute, come out that night or later. Don’t try to understand it, just take it as it comes. They still have some of the old powers from the before times, so it is best we folk of the world just ignore it and go on with our lives.”

Brena looked at him, nodded as if she understood what he had said and walked quickly down the stairs, breaking into a brisk trot once on the road, dodging around carts and foot traffic that now filled to old cobble road. She made it back to the Inn in just five minutes. Breathing hard, she opened the door and went inside. She spotted Andrew at a table reading a book off to the left side by one of the few windows that let in the daylight. Andrew started as she sat with him.

“Brena, where have you been, you went missing three days ago. I thought...”

“Three days?” she replied in disbelief.

“Yes, where have you been? I’ve been worried sick, and several folks have been by looking for you.” He pointed to Jessa. She knew who had been looking and waiting for her to surface.

Brena stared at Andrew not quite believing but getting an idea of what the old man on the steps had said and meant. Time doesn’t work right in there girlie he had said. He didn’t know the half of it.

Three days earlier Andrew finished the repairs to the clothing as well as he was able and put away the tools of the sewing kit. He could tell it was getting very late and he was tired. He did have a concern as he had not heard Brena return from her visit to the Brotherhoods Chapel. He just hoped that nothing she had to say would upset them enough to cause her to vanish without a trace.

Andrew needed to use the toilet and he wasn’t sure if there was one he could use. After making sure of his gear, weapons and the like, he went downstairs to find what he needed. Jessa saw him but remained silent as she was paying attention to what another woman was saying. He waved to get her attention again and mouthed, “Outhouse?”

“Hold on a second dear, the boy needs directions,” said Jenna. “Back out the door on the right kid, don’t break anything.” She returned her attention to the woman that had been speaking, “Now, you were saying something about the Caravan Leader being locked up again?”

Andrew walked through the common room and opened the door Jessa had motioned towards. Opening it he saw it led into a hall that was well lit and had doors evenly spaced down its length. A quick count showed there to be six total. He could also tell he was in the right place by the smell. It didn’t matter how well you built the privy, it still had an odor that could not be masked. He figured the first and last stall the most used, so he opened door number three. He guessed it was used often by the smell, but at least it was kept relatively clean.

He finished his business, cleaned himself with a wet cloth he had brought with him, then he returned to his room. He put the now seriously soiled and smelly cloth in a sealed bag so he could wash it later in the laundry. He stripped down to his short clothes, made sure the door was locked, hung the key on the hook, then put out the last candle for the night. He was tired and sleep dropped on him like an anvil.

Andrew slept soundly for most of the night, only to be woken by somebody being loud in the corridor outside his door. He was able to make out an angry man’s voice, “Wench, you told me two gold, now you try and charge me four?” He yelled. Andrew heard the response and winced, “Two for in and out, you shoved that pencil dick up my ass you pig, that is extra!” ‘Ouch,’ thought Andrew. ‘That had to hurt, even if he did have a pencil dick as she called it.’

The door slammed and Andrew waited for another explosion from the man. It was quiet, then heard faintly heard him say, “Stupid, greedy whore.” Andrew heard stomping down the stairs and then silence. He waited another minute, closed his eyes and sleep reclaimed him.

Morning’s first light coming in the high, narrow window woke Andrew. Being used to waking by dawn, this was sleeping late for him. He dressed in freshly cleaned clothes and made ready to go out and face a new day. He paused long enough to see if Brena was back. He didn’t get an answer when he knocked on the door of her room. When he made it down to the common room, he found a few other guests of the Inn eating a thin gruel with bread and butter. The drink served was a weak tea of some sort. He chose a seat near the only window so he would be able to read while he waited. A serving girl came over to him and he asked if what he saw was all that was served.

“We have cooked eggs and bacon if you want it, but it cost extra. Most folks won’t pay that much for a morning meal. It is four silver’s for the eggs and meat if you want to pay that much. It cost more now than ever before at the market, so the price has gone up to match.”

Andrew considered his limited resources and decided on the gruel, bread, and tea. “As I’m of limited resources at this time, I will have to go with the less costly meal I’m sorry to say.”

“As it is with much of the city now, but I’ll return in a moment.” The girl left for the kitchen and Andrew watched as she swayed her rear at him as she moved away. He knew she was advertising her services to him, and he might take her up on them just to learn from her if she was willing.

She was in the back for only a minute and returned with a tray of food. The bowl had the grey mush in it that didn’t look that great, but smelled fairly edible. The bread was fresh, it was still warm and the butter he could tell had been churned within the last day. The tea was a mint with other herbs he couldn’t be sure of, but it did have a good taste and it did wake him further.

Andrew took a moment after thanking and paying her the silver to look her over a little more. She looked to be a few years older than he was, but it could also be the result of the hard life she lived working in a place like this. She was buxom and she wore the shirt open enough that he had a good view of her assets when she leaned over the table towards him as she set the tray down. She gave him a smile that didn’t reach her eyes and returned to the kitchen. He reconsidered her services and ate the food while it was still warm. The food was bland but filling. When finished, he looked around and spotted a barrel that had used bowls and plates in it. He placed his in with the rest and decided to check on the mule and Spook.

Outside in the stables, he found Spook sitting in front of the stall with the mule in it. Spook spotted him and jumped up and started a happy dance that dogs like to do when their master returns after a long absence. Andrew petted him and squatted down to hold him and show the dog he missed him too. The stable boy on duty came over and asked, “This your dog mister?”

“Yes, he is,” answered Andrew.

“Well mister, he’s been great out here. He’s helped keep several animals in line and stopped a horse thief from grabbing an animal last night.” The boy went to a table and pulled out a small piece of cooked meat and held it out to Spook who gladly took it to swallow after a single bite on it. Andrew smiled at this and asked, “Which way to the meat markets?”

The boy pointed down a side street, “Down that way, just follow the alley and you will get there in about ten minutes. Just be careful, some folk in the ways will try to take you.”