Aftermath [61]
Daywark has changed in the past few days. When a quarter of the town's population was imprisoned by the church, things were at their lowest. The prison break that followed, and the Daywark massacre that accompanied it, left scars on the town. I've moved in with my cousin Teddy for the time being. Will was offered a place beside us, but he declined. Probably still feeling a bit awkward over what happened in the dungeon.
Speaking of the dungeon--It's gone! Those paladins went and blew it up with some kind of explosive powder. I thought it wasn't very potent, just used occasionally for cracking big rocks in mines, but apparently it's strong enough to make the town shake.
"Andy! Big news!" Teddy hollers.
I turn to look at him as he stumbles into the house with his chest heaving with exertion. He's grinning from ear to ear, an expression I've seldom seen lately.
"What's going on?"
"The church is leaving!"
"What? That can't be right, can it?"
Teddy nods his head, patting my arm as he stands before me--our height difference meaning he can't reach my shoulder--and points out through the open door at the street. There, many of the armored paladins are hauling boxes and sacks into a few carts. They're packing their things.
"Well, that's a surprise... Why are they leaving?"
"Turns out they only came here for the dungeon. Something about it being heresy."
My brows furrow as I watch the stone faced men haul their weapons and armor into the cart. Emotion bubbles up within me as I observe them acting as if this is the most routine thing in the world. These zealous murderers come in, tear our town up as they please, and then when the dungeon is gone they leave as if nothing happened?
Teddy notices my frustration. His upbeat attitude fades to a more melancholy one as he looks out at the paladins working. We lost a few friends and colleagues, including everyone but Bran from Bran's group. They were slaughtered that night in the street.
"They're leaving behind a preacher."
I glance at Teddy before looking back outside. I guess Daywark isn't worth building a church in, since they see us as a bunch of peasants living out in the middle of nowhere.
"What's he like? That priest?"
"She's a woman, actually. Really devout according to the rumors."
"You haven't actually seen her?"
Teddy shakes his head. We don't see any sign of the priestess. Just the flow of armored men hauling goods out of the prison and the lord's estate. Eventually the first wagon departs, and a second wagon takes its place. They'll probably be gone by sundown.
I'm sure things won't feel normal here for a long while.
~
The day is in full swing when I decide it's time to inform the villagers of what I discovered. They've been telling the kids to stay away, and they've been obedient thus far. Something about the dungeon scares them off before they even enter.
"I've got something to say, can you gather the village?"
Old man Kellogg gives me the stink eye as I request for a town meeting. The senior was peacefully rocking back and forth in his chair, napping the day away. It's only because of all the work I've been doing around town that he entertains my request.
"Fine! But I don't expect everyone to show, Billy."
"That's just fine. Thank you, Kellogg."
Rising from his chair, the old man uses his walking stick to slowly mosey his way over to the center of the path. If I hadn't seen him do this before I'd be confused. Taking one hand and cupping it to his mouth, he shouts so loud my ears ring.
"Town meeting! Get your asses over here!"
The volume of his voice is astounding for a normally quiet old man. It doesn't take long for people to look toward the sound, some glancing over before seeing me and deciding not to answer the call. The more loyal and easygoing villagers gather round without further prompting.
"What's this about, Gramps?"
"Yeah! If its more of Billy's nonsense, you should take it with some salt."
Kellogg stamps his walking stick into the ground hard enough those around him shut their mouths. He gives them just as much of a glare as he was giving me earlier. He gestures to me, silently telling me to take the floor.
"Thank you, Kellogg."
I clear my throat before raising my voice for everyone to hear.
"I went into the dungeon last night!"
Groans of irritation and dismissal greet me. I don't let it stop me, and I produce a hefty sack filled with Greatmane copper coins. With a metallic clink I let the sack drop to the dirt. Shiny coins roll and bounce every which way.
"This is what I found at the end of the canyon. Enough copper to feed a family for half a year."
Looks of astonishment are exchanged. Some of the villagers who are down on their luck snatch up a few of the loose copper coins. I don't bother to scold them, considering I can easily get another sack if I delve the dungeon again.
"Guess I was right about you, Billy."
"How so?" I ask him, brow raised.
"You're smarter than you look."
I just smile back at him as I leave the sack of copper to the townsfolk. This should change their opinion of me somewhat, and bring more attention to the dungeon. Maybe I can teach a few of the villagers how to properly explore a dungeon. Going alone is dangerous.
As I'm walking away my thumb brushes against my pocket. I'm reminded of the bubbling blue mystery potion. No one needs to know about this just yet, not until I know what it does.
~
Wind ruffles my hair as I walk along the road. The sun overhead is beating down especially harshly, with the sand dunes reflecting the light to further heat the area. Wagons and other travelers move along the road here. Ahead of us there is a makeshift fence, along with a pair of tents. Soldiers of both Greatmane and Splendor guard the respective sides of the fence.
Chandra pulls her hood a little lower as we near the edge of Greatmane's territory. She often gets mistaken for a native of Splendor, despite her hailing from one of many small villages in the heart of Greatmane. Lyric notices her apprehension and waves his hand in her direction.
"Don't worry too much, Chandra. I'll be doing the talking."
"If you say so."
Our walk goes uninterrupted as we near the border. The heat of this arid region of the continent is a bit much for my taste, but I don't bother complaining. We have to go somewhere to make a living. That somewhere isn't Greatmane.
An especially drawn out moan of agony from behind causes the three of us to look over our shoulders. A few other passersby also glance in the same direction. Towering over the group is Carter, his broadsword wrapped in cloth, and sweat pouring down his face like he's just dunked his head in a pail of water. The giant man is taking the heat especially bad, it seems.
"Will it always be this hot in Splendor? It's like an oven out here!"
Lyric lets out a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. We went over what to talk openly about multiple times. Talking about not being familiar with Splendor is not one of the things on that list. I can't bring myself to be mad at Carter. He means well, he's just slower to learn.
"Yes, Carter. We've been over this!"
"Are you sure you don't want a cowl, Carter? I know you refused before, but-"
Chandra's offer is denied with a firm shake of the head. Carter whips his fairly lengthy hair over his shoulder, his mane glistening with sweat he's been producing since we got on the road. I imagine he thinks his hair looks good. I disagree, personally, but I won't tell him as much.
"I can't possibly wear a hood, or cowl, or anything like it! How will anyone see my handsome looks with something like that on?"
A collective groan of exasperation from us is enough to get Carter to shut up and resume walking. The border is just ahead.
We may not be at our best, but at least we've got each other.
~
The scent of ink and parchment tickles my nose as I pore over a pile of documents. It reminds me of a scene from the past, one of a certain prince up to his ears in paperwork. It's a shame I'm the one behind the desk right now.
"Miss Hawthorne, there's a parcel for you."
I glance up from my desk to see one of my men has brought me a neatly tied package. The box is wrapped in expensive paper, the twine tying it of the best make. One look at the top of the package is enough to tell me who sent it. A golden stamp, the symbol of the enclave, their supposed god's face made abstract.
"Thank you. Return to your usual duties."
"Yes, Miss Hawthorne."
My hands carefully handle the box as I produce a letter opener from a drawer. Taking the thin blade, I slice the twine apart and unfurl the smooth paper wrapping the box. Inside I find a sum of coins. There's a note attached, and after a quick counting I find I've been shorted severely.
The note within the box is little more than a notice of my misdeeds being forgiven in the eyes of God. Excuses made as the church plays with my livelihood in exchange for letting me do business in public. Those rotten zealots failed to follow through on their word, paying me a quarter of what I am owed for the black powder I sourced for them.
Tapping my fingers upon the surface of my desk, I consider what I am meant to do. Deep breaths help to cool the rage boiling within me toward that awful farce of a religious order. My hand strays to the bottom drawer of my desk, which I unlock with a twist of a key.
The glow of white light from within the drawer is strangely comforting these days. I pull the dungeon lantern out and set it atop my desk with the care of a mother handling a child.
If only the enclave hadn't found out about the dungeon. Maybe I could have made something of it, perhaps the Adventurer's Guild would be more than a forgotten blip in history. My depressed train of thought is interrupted by a knock on the door.
"What is it?"
The lack of an immediate reply sets my nerves on end. Goosebumps erupt along my arms as I quickly stuff the dungeon lantern into the drawer, locking it, and drawing a dagger from my boot. I'm about to duck below the desk for cover when I hear a familiar voice to my left.
"Now, Rebecca, you aren't planning on using that little thing on me, are you?"
My muscles relax as I realize who's come to pay me a rather rude visit. Eyeing the window is enough to explain how he got in without my notice. A long time friend of mine, former teacher to both Lyric and I, Drist Crowntaker.
"Drist, you know very well playing that kind of prank on me is unwise! I've barely just escaped getting my neck wrung by the enclave, you know?"
Drist smirks down at me from the windowsill, his black cloak hiding all but his smile. He casually tosses me a-
"What in the world is this?!"
In my hands is a raw fish. I make a disgusted grimace before dropping the foul smelling thing onto the floor. Drist snickers at my expense, before explaining.
"Your precious dungeon wasn't a singularity, Rebecca."
My eyes widen at his words. Drist knows about the dungeon? I suppose that shouldn't surprise me, but he always manages to wow me with his ability to gather information. What's more shocking is the revelation that there is another dungeon.
"Where?! You must tell me!"
"Patience, Rebecca. You don't want everyone to hear, now do you?"
With that, Drist suddenly whips his wrist in a blur of motion. My eyes fail to track the flash of metal that zips through the air and buries itself into the door of my office. The soft thump of something hitting the ground tells me all I need to hear.
The enclave is monitoring me.