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Of Valor in Men

Chapter Six: The Keeps

Sleep was hard that night, I barely managed to get an hour in and hence spent most of the rest of the night making sure my equipment was in good condition. That and counting out my Squires winnings from his run of darts at the tavern. The little Lizard had amassed an impressive haul, thirty silver pieces and a further fifteen in copper, all Sou, the currency of humans as it was more aptly known. Just plain circular coins stamped with a variety of royal sigils, other then that he'd scored a rune stone, a pair of steel daggers, and even a small metal buckler shield, it made me raise a brow at just how such a small shield had come to be.

The others all slept soundly, warm in cotton sheets while I sat there, keeping the dying embers of the fireplace alive. I was tired, though not in the sense one would think, I was tired of chasing this one man, I was tired of always being a step behind and I was tired of being a Knight, I wanted to retire. But that wouldn't happen, not till I got my answers, I was so close to having them, I could feel it, I just had to wait a little longer.

The four of us left BerryBuckle early in the morning, headed north toward that towering glacial tundra that loomed behind the mountains. Even from here I could see the proudly standing Keep off in the distance, waiting for us. I had a good feeling in my chest, the rain had stopped, skies were clear and the sun was shining brightly. Though storm clouds loomed over head in the distance, a blizzard was moving in over the tundra, even from this far away I could feel the harsh winds.

“Brr… damn I hate winter, especially this far north" Sawyer said, sheltering behind me, using me as a windshield just as my Squire was.

“Well your people are more used to southerly temperatures after all, it's your fault for migrating so far north." My Squire commented, I was surprised he even knew that sort of stuff, E'Veldan was right on the equator, the temperatures weren't as harsh as the north's but they were still mild in its own way.

“Yeah and you'r people hail from the tropics, so were both on par" Sawyer retorted as he held himself close to my shadow as we marched.

“So, why a bounty hunter"? I wound up asking a few moments later, curious of how my friend had slipped into such a notorious profession.

“Oh… well to be honest it was to bring justice to Tanis's father for that whole...thing with Hamlet" he said in response, slowly trailing off with another chattery toothed shiver, we both went a bit quiet after that, and for good reason.

“...I heard Adler's in prison now, something about Tanis putting him there…" I muttered back, my eyes falling on the cobbled road beneath my feet.

“That he is, still just as blatantly racist to, and violent, glad to see him finally rotting in a dungeon." and that it was, it brought the slightest of smiles to my face for just a moment or two before I looked back up at the looming mountains. Being a Knight of the Church may not have been my choice but being a Knight in general was something Hamlets savage death had empowered me to work toward, so I could bring some sort of justice for my friend.

“Rotting in a dungeon is to kind for that man" I said in response under my breath, the air growing colder and colder with every step taken, snow now piling up over the path and surrounding countryside.

“The King's Vestals say he might have been under some sort of forced control, there investigating it but I say he should get the gallows…" Sawyer replied, shivering behind me still, I paid is comment no mind, the laws of Knight hood would compel me to give the man a fair trial regardless of the crime or evidence.

“We should pick up the pace, or that blizzard will bury us, don't want to be blind as we climb the Passage" came the slightly muffled voice of Sawyer's friend as we came to the rocky foot of the long, steep climb of stairs that lead to the keep high above. My gaze rose up along the sheer mountain side, The Grave Range the mountains were called, a long wall of steep mountains that border the north of the county, a defining line separating the Valleys from the stretching frigid tundra beyond. The Passage was a towering set of stairs, that wove back and forth between flat landings carved into the cliffsides, the steps wide and short, but numerous.

We began climbing immediately, the wind picking up as we climbed, now carrying with it snow, our progress went slow, visibility steadily dropping as we went, thankfully the Passage had stone railings all the way up, just over waist height. All of us wound up slowing down toward the top, climbing so many stairs was beginning to take its toll, though strangely my Squire powered ahead rather effortlessly, leading all of us on quietly. Oddly enough I found myself envious of his stamina, I remember being young, being able to run all day long, seemingly never running out of energy, I missed that. Though staring at his tail swaying back and forth as he climbed on ahead of us began to get rather irritating.

My thoughts would become random at that time, watching the oddly irritating if not hypnotic sway of that reptilian limb. It reminded me of the woman I had fallen for, before I had become a Knight, a beautiful Icarin lady, gleaming red feathers like fire, passionate and full of life. It wasn't meant to be however, my mother had seen to that, as had the Church, though I did find love eventually, with a very frail woman of my own kind, childbirth took her from me however. Climbing those last few steps to the entrance of the Keep, I was filled with that strange longing for someone, that tugging in my chest, I gave out a sigh, relieved to be done climbing stairs but also feeling something else I couldn't quite put a finger on exactly.

The Grand Royal Keep was a trualey imposing sight even in the snow laden wind, the entrance alone was impressive, a long fifty foot slab of cut stone, brazzers on the railings leading to the towering stone building. The majority was embedded into the mountainside itself, portions of smooth stone could be seen extending outward and upward though.

“Thank Frith, ugh I hate climbing all those stairs…" I heard Sawyer whine as we all approached the sheltered towering doors, the entryway sheltered under more stonework. The construction was simple, but the carvings were intricate, weathered and old.

“Come on, let's get inside before my tail falls off…" He added, pushing on one of the heavy looking doors till it stood ajar, welcoming warmth pouring from inside. My Squire quickly darting inside, followed by Sawyer and his friend and lastly myself, though I hesitated a bit before entering.

Inside was warm, spacious, the first thing I saw was a long wide room, a feasting hall, towering ceilings, wooden rafters and a long narrow fire pit running along the center, around which stone tables and wood chairs were placed. The walls decorated with tapestries, grand carvings and antiques of all sorts an shapes, though the space itself was scantily populated. I saw a few people, seated at the far end, were the tables were generously piled upon with food.

Sawyer immediately relaxed, stretching out as he made his way toward a doorway on the left hand wall, his friend following suit, leaving me and my Squire standing there alone.

“Hmm...I recognize one of the people down the back there, the red haired one, she was at the Palace in Siricuse…" My Squire muttered, I rose a brow at his statement, squinting off at the far end of the room. Indeed there was a red haired woman, and one that looked rather familiar to me, I could feel my fist clenching up as I strode across the room as calmly as I could. I knew the woman in question, she was an Assassin who offered her skills to the Church. The moment she saw my garbs she tensed up, turning away.

“And just what is an Assassin doing here…" I asked, grabbing her arm tightly, she was wanted by the Church and just about every country in the world, save those of the Advent Sovereignty.

“I could say the same about a Knight of the Black Church" she retorted, several nearby patrons swiftly standing and gripping various weaponry. My other hand moved to my pommel as she wretched her arm free from my grasp.

“I remember you from the Palace grounds in Siricuse" My Squire interrupted, seemingly oblivious to the tension of the situation, though his appearance and statement quickly caught the Assassin of guard.

“...You, y-you'r alive"? She stuttered with a bewildered look, the awkward tension in the room suddenly breaking as she looked around.

“This isn't the place to talk, follow me…" she added rather hastily, turning on her heel and marching off down a wide hall in the center of the back wall. I tried to follow but was swiftly stopped by a pair of bare chested men weilding Kano clubs, my Squire however freely slipping past them and out of my sight.

“And where do you think you're going" one of the gentlemen said, leaning in a bit close, I would make a move to push past but I was severely outmatched in this room. The Kano clubs alone would cripple me if anyone got one good hit in, they were made to crack bone through armour. I was about to say something when a voice cut me off.

“Enough, leave the man be". Came a familiar voice, my head turned immediately to its source, stood there at the other end of the room was a whisp, a specter, someone I knew all to well, someone I missed dearly.