Forgotten Shadows

[Bynw]

Collos and Amy enter the larger safehouse, there she is reunited with her friends and is able to tell them what transpired during the ritual. It is good news that Sir Airich will live and is recovering well with Trevor and Darius to see to his needs.

Lord Thane rises and greats Collos. "I have news Master that we must share with this Bishop's investigators. And now that they are all here, save the one. It is the best time."

Collos calls everyone to sit and listen to what Lord Thane has to say.

"Grecotha is been heavily infiltrated by the Custodes," he begins. "And I have learned who these men are and where they are in the city. They are the ones responsible for the increased violence against the Deryni. They are the ones who have planned the burning of this city. And they have the means to do so with Byzantyum Fire."

Seeing their questioned looks he answers before they even ask. "It is substance that water will not extinguish once lit. And it burns hot enough to destroy most everything. If this plan were to succeed. Grecotha would be burned to the ground."

"But now. We have the information needed to stop them. There are 5 Custodes priests here. And they have been here for some time. Three are in the Seminary teaching new priests-to-be, planting anti-Deryni seeds in their teachings so these priests once ordained will be ready to reinstate the Statutes of Ramos. The other 2 priests are in parishes across the city."

"Unfortunately, you don't have enough men to take all 5 priests at once. And this needs to be done otherwise the word will spread and they will either flee or set fire to the city. Or both."

"Use your influence with the Bishop and deputize others to help you take out these rogue priests. There should be a trained Deryni in all of the 5 parties to make sure you have the strength to overcome any obstacle these men might possess."

"Even then you may need men-at-arms as well. Master Collos has already agreed that we can assist you in this task. The Custodes will fight, they may be armed with merasha tipped weapons. You will need all the help you can get."

"Including going to the Bishop as these are priests you are about to take into custody on charges of sedition, arson, and treason against the Gwynedd Crown. When you are ready. Let us know and we will join you in bringing these men to justice."

[revanne]

With thanks to Jerusha for Elspeth's support

Edwin found irritation rising again within him. Who were these men who presumed to give them instructions? He trusted Amy and was prepared to accept that the one called Collos had been instrumental in helping to heal Airich, and he found that he was genuinely happy to know that Airich had not only been healed of the attack upon him but also of whatever had been threatening to drive him mad. But this other man - My lord Whatisname -who had knocked so politely at the door as though he had not previously used his powers to sneak amongst them, how far could he be trusted? Edwin wondered sourly had his presence as a Deryni not been sensed what might then have happened to unshielded human minds. Well he was Deryni, untaught and unskilled, but Deryni nonetheless and it was perhaps time he stopped shilly-shallying and fully accepted the reality of who he was.   

Edwin tentatively reached out and began to truth-read the intruding lord. To his surprise there was no resistance, and, even more to his surprise, he could detect no deliberate falsehoods or intent to deceive. The man met his gaze and briefly nodded in acknowledgement. Less welcome was the slight smile which played around his lips which caused Edwin to redden and did nothing to soothe his irritation. And, even if the man was speaking no falsehood, a tocsin was tolling in Edwin's head as loudly as the bells of Culdi when they had feared invasion in the Mearan war. It was all very well for the man to talk about them being the Bishop's investigators, that hadn't prevented Airich from being very nearly murdered. Perhaps it would be better not to say that out loud but there were questions he definitely was going to ask. After his own experience of being kidnapped and his mind messed with he was not about to take very much on trust. What if these men were playing with them for their own game?

"Forgive me for speakin' out my mind, my Lord, but if these Custodes have been plotting in the dark for nigh on two hundred years as ye say, and ye, and whoever ye speak for, know all about them, why is it only now that ye decide that something needs to be done about them. And why would ye think that the four o'us stand any sort of chance if trained Deryni such as ye canna? If they are as strong here as ye say they are, then I'm thinking this is beyond the likes o'us. And, ye'll pardon me but do ye speak for his Grace the Bishop in giving us these orders?

Lord Thane continued to meet Edwin's gaze levelly but made no response other than again that slight smile. If it was meant as reassurance then it failed in its intent as Edwin allowed his anger to surface fully bringing his border speech with it.

"Besides which, ye say that they'll burn down the city wi' this Byzuntan fire o' theirs. I've heard tell o'it from a student who travelled down ahint the Southern Sea and he spoke of it as a fearful thing. In the south, where all is tinder dry and scorched by the sun, mebbe just a little would burn doon a toon. But here, where the roads are running wi' mud and the very stanes are soaked wi'the rain I dinna speir sa."

Before Lord Thane could answer, Elspeth stood, hands on hips, her eyes locked on his.

"Master Edwin is correct, Lord Thane," she said crisply. "You ask a lot of us. When Sir Airich approached the Bishop with proof—admittedly, secured through Deryni means—his report was tossed aside, as was his warrant. Now you want us to convince the bishop to allow us to arrest five of his own priests, declaring they are Custodes, plotting treason against the king, and threatening to burn Grecotha to the ground! That is a bit much sir, to expect the bishop to believe, unless we have some proof other than you said so!"

Elspeth's bright blue eye flashed in anger. "I for one will not risk spending the rest of my life in the Grecotha dungeons based on someone's hearsay!"

Edwin turned and looked gratefully at her. It was good to know that it wasn't just his own anger speaking.

[Bynw]

It wasn't Lord Thane who answered Edwin and Elspeth's questions. Collos was the one to speak up.

"We are not from Gwynedd. We have our own motivations for stopping the Custodes and removing them from any power base. But we are only 3 and in this city there are 5 of them."

"Yes, we could act on our own and be somewhat successful in taking them. But we could fail at getting all of them. They could escape and possibly set fire to part of the city. And this is what we are trying to prevent."

"The Bishop believes you, at least in part, since he has ordered the preservation of some documents. To safe guard them from this possible inferno. But you also don't need the Bishop to take the Custodes. Once the young lord is up again, the 5 of you, with our help, could take all of them without any assistance from the Bishop, the City Watch, or the Purple Guard."

"But it could be more difficult as someone is bound to put up a fight and resist being taken. And without the Bishop's blessing, it could look bad, the Deryni attacking the Church. You may even be forced to kill one of them."

"Going to the Bishop. Getting him to give you his blessing. Then you have the City Watch and the Purple Guard to assist in bringing these anti-Deryni fiends to justice. And seeing armed troops will make them think twice about resisting or fighting back."

Collos pauses for a bit. "As for proof. Yes we have physical proof that the Custodes never truly dispersed, defying a Royal degree in Gwynedd. And we have proof of their treason against your king."

"But there isn't time to bring those documents so you can look them over and determine their validity or to bring them to the Bishop so he can do the same. The city would burn around us while we waited."

"As outsiders, we are very unlikely to get any support from the Bishop if we went. And we are not going to do so either. However, if Lord Iain is still in the city, he could be of help getting this goal achieved."

[Jerusha]

Jimmy Taylor was not fond of dungeons. They were dank, they smelled bad, and the prisoners smelled worse. Some of that, of course, was the smell of fear.

Jimmy had been ordered to accompany Phillip while he questioned Jasper and the other prisoners rounded up from the stable. Jimmy suspected Phillip didn't want him wandering off on his own.

The prisoners had been chained in two separate, narrow cells. The first two they questioned, Caolán and Drake, were essentially Jasper's followers. They maintained they had only watched and cheered Jasper and Baines on; they had not harmed the knight themselves. Neither would admit to being the one who knocked him to the ground from behind. Jimmy truth-read them as they spoke. They told no falsehood, but skirted around their level of participation. It didn't matter; the fact they allowed it to happen and left a good man to die would see them expelled from the university.

The second cell held Gareth and Jasper. Their wounds had been bandaged, though Jimmy doubted much care in the task had been taken. Why waste good bandages and medicines on men soon to hang? And they were far from comfortable with their wrists manacled and dangling from chains, although from a height that allowed them to sit and relieve some of the weight.

"I have run out of patience!" Phillip announced as a guard let them into the cell and closed the door behind them. Jimmy remained standing near the door, careful not to brush against the dripping wall. Phillip turned to Gareth. "You attacked the bowman, who says he holds a warrant from the bishop. That's a hanging offence; do you have anything to say in your defence?"

Gareth licked his lips. "I could speak more easily if I had a bit of water first."

Phillip took a menacing step forward and Gareth held his uninjured arm out as far as he could to forestall him.

"I was only following Jasper's orders," Gareth rasped.

Jimmy spoke up from his position near the door. "Jasper's only, or was someone higher up a party to this?"

"Speak when I give you leave to!" Phillip snapped.

"As you wish," Jimmy replied and bowed his head slightly.

A look of increased fear, if that were possible, crossed Gareth's face. He had a wife and a young daughter. If he betrayed de Guerra, the swordmaster would see that they suffered.

Gareth shook his head. "All I did was sweep the man's feet to help Jasper. I did no direct harm, and it was only Jasper's orders I followed." He was sweating heavily.

Jimmy read the lie in his words. Jasper called Gareth something foul.

"Ah, Jasper," Phillip said. "According to this guardsman," he nodded in Jimmy's direction, "you confessed to stabbing Sir Airich O'Flynn and leaving him to die."

"I only said so to save my hand! What good is a swordsman without his favored hand?" Jasper said desperately.

"Sir Airich will shortly have his chance to speak," Jimmy said, ignoring Phillip's angry look. "Your little story won't stand."

"It wasn't just me who wanted that investigator out of the way," Jasper said desperately. He had no wife to worry about, thanks to Bede. "There is another, he's...."

The sound of Phillip's fist hitting Jasper's jaw left no doubt in Jimmy's mind that Jasper's jaw was broken. Probably in more than one place. His howl of pain made Gareth cringe.

"Was there more you were going to say?" Phillip leaned down to the prisoner's face, leaving no doubt he would do more to keep him silent.

Jasper shook his head, as much as the pain would allow, and said no more. He was clearly unable to speak anyway, his jaw was now resting at an odd angle.

Sir Iain Cameron sighed. Jasper had not lied, but it wouldn't matter now. He would go before the Magistrate as soon as it could be arranged and if well enough, Sir Airich would give his evidence. Jasper and Gareth would be sentenced to hang, and de Guerra would be in attendance, just to make sure.

[Laurna]

All this important yet devastating talk about Byzantyun fire, re-established religious orders full of hate and intolerance, and how the people in this room had to resolve it, was making Amy's head burst.

Amy scooted over to Elspeth, who was deep in the conversation backing Edwin and Bede's assertions. But Amy got her attention by resting her hand on her friend's shoulder. "Speth? Do you have any of your medicines here? I am so tired and my head is pounding."

Elspeth instantly pulled Amy to a back corner, away from the men. "Oh, Ams, I am sorry to say it is all back at the safe house. All of our stuff is there. And it doesn't look like we are going to be leaving here tonight. Not with Airich so close."

Amy nodded with a deep breath, "I don't think I can sleep tonight, even though Father Trevor said I should. There is so much running through my mind. Much of which is being chased by a damn green squirrel beating a drum. I need to get out of here for a little bit. Away from all this, just to clear my mind. I have so much to tell you, Speth. But not here, not now."

Elspeth looked at her friend; there was more in Amy's eyes than just her concern for Sir Airich.
"I can go get our things," the physicker volunteered.

"Oh no, not you! Please, don't go," Amy pleaded. "You are the only one I truly trust to look in on Airich and make sure he is sleeping comfortably through the night. I know these other men mean well, but I do not trust them, not the way I trust you."

"You cannot go there alone. I'll send Bede."

Amy actually laughed, "And if Muirea is there, as I hope she is, I don't want to have to break up a fight between them. It might be better if I talk to Muirea first, to try and explain why Bede wasn't able to meet her after her shift. It will sound better coming from me." Amy could see from Elspeth's gaze that she had made the right assumption. "Send Edwin with me. He needs to talk to Kierran Duggan anyway and explain what happened to him, and warn Kierran about this potential fire and finding where these fire pots might be stashed. I think the literary students would be an asset in this, Bede proved their usefulness earlier today. Edwin could build on that.  Another reason I would like Edwin is that the streets are getting dark, Edwin knows the best way to get there and back. I would get lost alone." Amy snickered at the thought, but then grimaced, She did not want to leave Airich but this headache and other needs were driving her to move.

"But your headache? You should rest."

"Speth, please, I need fresh air. And I will be able to take your medicine as soon as we get to the safe house. I know which pouch to take. Then we will get everything back here, and with luck, we will have Muirea and maybe some food."

Elspeth nodded, convinced. "Edwin?" She caught the student's attention with her steady voice. Even Lord Thorne stopped talking. "Take Amy to get our gear. Stay out of trouble. No encounters, hear me! Double time it and be back here, two hours at the most. Or I will send Bede out after you both. And you do not want me sending Bede out to rescue you, do you?"

"No mistress—I mean, yes mistress! Back within two hours." Edwin almost looked glad to get away from the planning so he could start to think about it all.

Lord Thorne and Lord Collos looked unhappy about this sudden departure, but it was clear that Elspeth was in charge of her group, and butting heads with her at this juncture would be detrimental to their plans.

"As Mistress Elspeth says, caution is key," Collos said. "When you come back, I hope to have our plans finalized."

"Thank you," Elspeth bowed to Collos. Then she squeezed Amy's shoulder with one hand and Edwin's hand with her other. "Be attentive," she said as she waved the two out of the room.

[Evie]

Aidan McLain was scared, and he wasn't entirely sure what he'd just overheard or why, but what he had overheard hadn't sounded good, not at all.

The two priests had been whispering together between the library stacks. Aidan had been standing just on the other side of one of the sets of bookshelves, not meaning to eavesdrop, but given his close proximity to the men, he couldn't help but overhear bits of their conversation.

They were discussing the sudden flurry of activity in the vicinity of the Bishop's Palace, and the disappearance of a great many books and scrolls from the shelves and niches where they were customarily stored in the Great Library of Grecotha. One of the men said something about the likelihood that the Bishop had somehow received word of the impending torching of Grecotha with Byzantyun fire. Aidan prayed fervently that he had misheard. He had known about the book evacuation because the Bishop's investigators had discovered some sort of plot to burn the city, but he had thought they were just talking about a regular fire, not Byzantyun fire! He had recently read about that frightening substance in one of the ancient histories he'd been given to read as part of his monastic education, and the thought of such a lethal weapon being used against the town of Grecotha terrified him. If Grecotha were to burn to the ground, how many hundreds of people might perish?

For that matter, if Grecotha were to burn to the ground and Aidan were to somehow survive the conflagration, where was he to go? That thought terrified him almost as much as the thought of meeting a fiery death just like his brother Corbin had.

"Look at this, whole shelves of books emptied and taken away to God only knows where!" groused one of the priests. "Maybe we should move our plans earlier, lest they have time to smuggle out any more of their Deryni writings or other heretical texts!"

"In this rain?" complained the other. "Granted, Byzantyun fire can spread even given far less than optimal conditions, but it would be more certain to catch and spread if we just wait another day or two until the wood and thatched roofs have had a little time to dry out more. Besides, if rumors have spread about our plans already, you can bet that people will be trying to leave the city. Delaying things would allow a few more innocent people to leave than might have done otherwise."

"And also allow some of those devil's spawn Deryni to slip past the gates as well," the first voice snarled. "Even with the roadblocks, there's no guarantee some wouldn't manage to slip away, and then what would all this planning have been for, I'd like to know?"

"They wouldn't be able to go far," the second voice assured him. "Soon, there won't be any safe refuges left for them to flee to."

He felt a sudden need to catch a glimpse of the whispering priests. Aidan didn't know why; deep down, he really wanted nothing more than to leave the library as fast as possible and tell Canon Damian what he had overheard. His heart thumping in his chest under his brown robes, he silently tiptoed closer to one end of the bookcase he stood behind, eventually finding a gap between the books that allowed him a brief glimpse of the two men beyond, if he crouched down long enough to peer through it.

The two priests wore ordinary black cassocks with nothing noteworthy about them to make them stand out from any other priest in Grecotha, but he noticed that one man wore an eye-catching red and gold rosary that was looped over his white cincture. Even that might not have caught Aidan's eye despite the bright coloring–after all, it was hardly out of the ordinary for a priest to own a rosary–but where Christ or Mary or some saint might be depicted on the small oval medallion above the cross, this particular rosary's medallion sported a lion's head with a halo. Something about that embossed motif teased at the edges of Aidan's memory. He was fairly certain he had read about that symbol somewhere, maybe in his history lessons, but the specific reference was eluding him at the moment. Despite that brief moment of near recognition, he might have thought little of the showy rosary or the medallion except that the other priest wore a ring with an almost identical motif.

The man Aidan thought might have been the priest his mind had labeled as "number one" had dark hair, but the aisle where they stood was shadowed enough that he couldn't quite make out if it was black or a dark shade of brown. He didn't know the priest's name, but he thought he might remember his features well enough if he saw him again in future. The other man had his back to Aidan, so he only caught a glimpse of brown hair, neatly tonsured, in a shade that was slightly lighter than Aidan's own hair, a nondescript color that would be difficult to pick out in a crowd. But he had a faint scar on the ringed hand that Aidan was also fairly sure he would recognize if he saw it again.

The two men moved further away, looking as if they meant to go deeper into the library. Aidan slowly released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding and slipped out silently, heading in the opposite direction. Canon Damian must be told of this!

#

Edwin and Amy had left Elspeth back at the secret sanctuary and were heading back towards the Duggan house to pick up their belongings and see if Muirea had returned yet. As they made their way through one of the sections of town near where the foreign students tended to congregate and seek out lodgings, they spotted a familiar figure in the near distance.  "Is that the boy who assists the Canon?" Amy asked, laying a hand on Edwin's arm as she tilted her head in the direction of a young lad just up ahead who was dressed in the familiar brown robes of a monastic oblate or novice.

"Canon Damian's assistant?" Edwin asked, shading his eyes with one hand and following her gaze. "Aye, looks t' be him, right enow. Aidan McLain, I think his name is."

They started to head in his direction. As they drew closer, Edwin took note of his distracted appearance, the boy's sky blue eyes darting fearfully around as if searching for someone.

Amy frowned. Even from a slight distance, she could sense the boy's distress. She glanced at Edwin, wondering if he sensed it too.

They were nearly upon him now, but he showed no signs of recognition yet, unlike the other times they had encountered him at the Canon's office or elsewhere. Finally, when they were nearly on top of the lad without him seeming to notice their approach, Edwin stepped up and caught his attention. "Oi, Aidan! Ye're a bit out o' the way o' yer usual haunts, aye? Were ye lookin' for us?"

Aidan shook his head, looking slightly confused. "Nay, I'm lookin' f'r...." As if registering their presence and his surroundings properly for the first time, his expression grew even more baffled. "I ought t' tell th' Canon, but he ain't here."

"Should he be?" asked Edwin, equally confused. Why would the Canon be in this remote area of town? It seemed a bit out of the way from the places he normally frequented.

"I...dinnae ken," admitted Aidan with a thoughtful frown. "Mebbe I should find 'im, but I need t' tell Ol–" He stopped abruptly, his brow furrowing as he looked around more closely at their surroundings. "Where are we?"

Edwin glanced at Amy, equally confused. "Where are we? Where do ye think we are? And Ol' Who? Do you mean th' Canon?" Surely the boy wouldn't be referring to his master by such a familiar form of address as 'Ol' Damian'!

"Nay...." The boy looked distractedly around again, this time turning slowly in place to look behind him before turning back to Edwin. "I ain't even near th' Library anymore!"

"Nay, ye're no'." It was Edwin's turn to frown in puzzlement. "Aidan, are ye unwell? Should we get ye hame?"

"How'd I get here?" Aidan asked, his eyes widening in alarm.

#

Amy glanced uncertainly at Edwin. "Maybe we should see him safely home. Or do you think Elspeth should have a look at him?" she whispered. Loud enough for the boy to hear, she added, "Aidan, did you maybe bump your head or something? Maybe I should have a look."

The boy took a step back in alarm, not understanding why he did so. It was just an instinctive reaction. "Oh, no worries, mistress, ain't nowt tae see in there anyways, just a bit of straw mebbe," he joked with a disarming grin, ducking his head shyly. In truth he didn't know why he felt so reluctant to allow Mistress Amy to check for a head injury, from being fairly sure he didn't have one.

Well, that and she was female. And pretty. And he was just a year or two away from taking holy vows, so he didn't need a woman taking such liberties. Just looking at her made him feel a bit funny inside, not in a bad way, but just in a way that maybe a future monk didn't need to be feeling.

Yet again, as he had with increasing frequency in the past year or two, he wondered what it would be like to take a wife, marry, and settle into some form of trade. But he was uncertain what sort of future he would end up with if he left the order to find his own path in life. What if he ended up back in poverty, but with a wife and bairns to feed, like his father before him? Aidan wasn't at all sure it was worth the risk of leaving the safety and security of monastic life to chase after some silly romantic fancy.

"Oh, I'm sure it's stuffed with something a lot more substantial than straw!" Amy joked back, though she gave Edwin another quick look. "Though you do seem to be a bit disoriented. Are you hungry? Maybe we should get some food in you; that should sort you out."

"Aye, mebbe tha's it," agreed Aidan, feeling some relief as Mistress Amy stepped back, allowing her companion to come forward and take the lead.

"In tha' case, why no' come wi' us?" suggested Edwin. "We're just off t' see if one o' oor companions has made it back tae oor lodgin's yet, but there's food there that'll tak th' edge off yer hunger."

"Tha' sounds richt guid...." Aidan's voice trailed off. "Nae, on second thought, I need tae find Ol–there's a man I need tae find first. 'Tis gey important, an' 'e needs tae hear it iffen I c'n find 'im...." His eyes darted back and forth again, making Edwin wonder if the boy was about to dash off again.

"We could help ye look," Edwin offered. Amy raised her brows at him, not at all certain they could risk any delay with their own errand, but he had a gut feeling that Aidan needed help, and not just with finding whoever he was looking for. "C'n ye describe th' man?"

"Nay...." The puzzled look crossed Aidan's face again. "I'll ken 'im if I see 'im, though."

Amy's brows rose even higher towards her hairline. "Well, maybe we'll see him on the way to getting you fed. In the meantime, why don't you join us? Once we've all had a chance to eat, if you're still not feeling quite like yourself, maybe Elspeth will be back. You remember our physicker, don't you?"

Aidan nodded. He reckoned it would be fine if their physicker wanted to give him some potion for these odd forgetting spells he'd had lately.  Maybe she might even find some bump on his noggin that he'd forgotten about while she was at it. There was just something deep down that made him feel like he oughtn't let folk go poking about inside his head. Not that he had anything against Deryni folk in general, and none had ever done him any harm, so far as he knew, but a lad couldn't be too careful about that sort of thing. At any rate, he had formed an instant respect for the woman they called Elspeth despite her somewhat unnerving mismatched eyes. After all, she couldn't very well help those, any more than he'd had any say over the small birthmark on his left shoulder. He wasn't sure what it was about her, maybe it was just her efficient, no-nonsense way of doing things, but something about her vaguely reminded him of what few memories he had left of his Mum. If she could figure out why he kept losing bits of time, he'd be grateful, because these funny spells kept happening with increasing frequency now, and they were most annoying.

But now he was letting himself get distracted from the importance of his mission, he realized as he caught sight of a black-clad man walking swiftly in the opposite direction. Time was of the essence, and if he couldn't find the man called Oleg, he would need to tell someone he could trust. Tugging at Edwin's sleeve, he whispered, "There's summat important I need tae tell ye, but no' oot here. Mebbe I should gae wi' ye after a'."

[Marc_du_Temple]

Not too many hours ago, in The King's Arms, Eustace had stopped by to see Muirea. She had given him her usual amicable maid persona, strained nigh imperceptibly by the mutual knowledge that she was an informant first. "Ah'm just finishing up my shift, Eustace. What can I do for ye?"

((What Eustace remembers on ((2d6 3 + 1 = 4))) "Bede said to tell you that he might sound like he's lying, but he wants you to believe him anyway. And that he'll fight anyone on any terrain to get back to you, no matter the altitude."

That perplexed her terribly, furrowing her brows and flushing her cheeks. "When? What holds the man up?"

He related the rest of the events of the afternoon as he saw them, and she knew then that she may well be walking back to Duggan's alone. She had half a mind to demand Eustace go back with a message of her own, but chastised herself for even thinking of sending him back into such intrigue. Yes, it was out of her hands, now, and she did not like it, as she did not like walking alone, until she remembered halfway home that she had neglected to appreciate the good news: Jasper had met his match at last! Yes, her one-time savior, the kind Deryni knight, was in mortal peril, Bede was in over his head for sure this time, and the rest of her new friends fared little better. But the monster in her story was as good as slain! She could almost dance her way to the Duggan's doorstep. But still, she worried for them all. She decided she would pray for them, repetitiously, when she could.

In the spacious attic of the Duggan household, she knelt as many do in ritual, but merely praying with a child's training in religion. "In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit ... there are four ... five people I still care about. Now, they are so far away, being charmed by strange men I dinna ken. I am finally free from the murderer of my sister, but so alone. I dinna ken what is next for anyone. That is na gift of mine. I just want to see them all, soon. Including Airich. I'd blame meself, Laird, if he died in my city! And the kind girls. It's been so long since I've had friends like them. Who knew that Kelsonites could be so kind? The bookish one. He could do with less tension, sometimes. And Bede ..." she trailed off, there, feeling a memory of warmth on her lips. That was some un-Bede-like nonsense Eustace was saying, she thought. But she admitted to herself that she liked the sentiment, as she drifted off to sleep.

But sleep gave her less comfort than the waking world. She heard a trample of footsteps and shouted for Jasper to stay away from her.

"Shh ... it's me. It's me, Muirea!" Amy soothed worriedly. Muirea opened her eyes and lifted her tangled hair out of her vision, breathing a sigh of relief. It was indeed the other maid, her friend from Carbury. And she seemed possessed of a weariness beyond anything a single day could bestow. But she was here. Laughing, Muirea embraced her.

[Laurna]

Amy wept on Muirea's shoulder, letting out her pent-up exhaustion and relief. "Airich is going to live, Muirea! He is even cured of his ailment. We did a ritual...it was working... but then it wasn't...Airich died, but then he didn't....  A... a healer came... healed him. A miracle has happened. Muirea, a miracle! I have so much I want to tell you and Elspeth, but I haven't had a chance to tell her. It's about the Healer who came. I trust him, but I can not say much more. So I've got to hold it in. I have laid my future in this Healer's hands; Airich's and my future together. I will tell you soon, I promise." Amy rambled on like a student who'd won a drinking contest; excited for the win, but dazed by the drink. Amy was indeed dizzy. Finally, she let go of Muirea and looked around, not finding what she sought. "Do you remember where Speth put her medicines? Wasn't her bag right here?" Amy looked around their small corner room. She stumbled over her own bedding and then sat down rather hard on the pallet, rubbing her forehead. The spell she had learned assisted with the dizziness, but not with the headache.

"It's in the other room, I'll get it." Muirea rushed out and back in seconds later. She plopped the leather satchel before Amy. But Muirea did not dare to even loosen the strings holding the flap closed. Too many mysteries were contained in those small vials, jars, and herbal packets. Life or death if not used with knowledge and respect. "You're certain you know what you're looking for?" she asked as Amy undid the ties and started pulling items out.

"Speth has taught me much about all of this. But I would not use most of it without Elspeth's guidance. Except for the one I need. It's a rolled parchment of crushed leaves with a green ribbon. Oh, here it is." Amy held up the roll to the candlelight to be sure of the writing on the outer parchment. "I don't suppose you brought home any ale from your shift. I don't want to go back to the kitchen to get some."

"Chef liked my work today, gave me a whole skin." Muirea smiled at Amy's side looks.

"He must like you."

"He always did. You know, he was the one who let me sleep in the kitchens when I escaped from that beast... from Jasper's house. The chef is married with a dozen kids, but he saw that I had a place to stay, and food to eat. He respected me like I was one of his daughters."

Muirea poured some of the ale into a cup and handed it to Amy. Amy then measured two pinches of the dried herbs and then tipped them over into the cup. She swirled it a little, then drank the whole cup of ale down. She closed her eyes and hummed for a moment, willing the drum-playing green squirrel to go to sleep.

"Amy, I want you to know how pleased I am that you and Sir Airich have one another. I wish we could all find such happiness." The girl years away from her home in Meara still had that Mearan friendship closeness in her blood. She hugged Amy, hoping to sooth away her friend's tired expression. When Amy started feeling a little better and looked up with a smile, Muirea finally asked,"Tell me, is Bede downstairs? He said he'd be here if he could, no?" Muirea tried to hide her concern when Amy's smile faded.

"I am sorry, but no. Bede would have come with me instead of Edwin," Amy assured Muirea, "but Edwin needed to talk to the Duggans. He is downstairs doing that now. I hope you are not mad at Bede. He seemed really upset about something, but he didn't say what."

Muirea stood and paced the room. "Eustace told me some of today's trouble. What a horror ye've all been through. Is Bede coming back here tonight? He and I have much that needs discussing. The two of us."

This time, Amy's smile returned, slightly lopsided and teasing. "I think that is what he wants, too. You know his eyes sparkle when he talks of you."  Amy squeezed Muirea's hand then said more seriously.  "I was going to bring you back with us to the safe house where Bede is, very near to where Airich is sleeping and healing. But I think, now, that might not be best. See, we found the boy Aidan–you remember, Canon Damian's assistant–he was looking sickly so we brought him here. I want you to watch him tonight. Would you be willing to do that for me? I know Bede will get back here before dawn arrives. There is more going on that he will explain to you then."

Muirea looked disappointed but did not say anything.

"Here, help me carry the gear we need for tonight downstairs. Yes, that bag and that one, and those bags in the boys rooms, better included Edwin's book satchel, yeah, the singed one." Amy giggled, seeing the repairs Edwin had attempted after the satchel's harrowing in the fireplace days ago. "We can leave the rest here to get in the morning. I will explain as we carry these down to the kitchens."

[revanne]

Begins a short while earlier short while earlier

As he and Amy walked back to the Duggan's, guiding the clearly bemused young monk,  Edwin was doing some hard and furious thinking, and the harder he thought the more furious he became. Aidan's confusion seemed all too similar to his own befuddled state just a short while ago, though he had to confess that Aidan's response, unlike his own, was not to punch someone. The discipline of a monastery obviously had something in its favour. But maybe it was time someone got angry on Aidan's behalf. There was something about the young monk that called out the protective big brother in Edwin, not that he had ever been anything but the runt of the pack, and maybe it was that that was fuelling his response to his growing suspicion, nay a certainty, that someone had been meddling with the young lad's mind. 

Edwin tried a tentative probe into Aidan's thoughts, (dice roll: 3+1) but Amy shot him a warning glance, "Not out in the open, wait until we are safe indoors. We've had enough trouble today without inviting more." But she smiled as she said it and Edwin, though he felt foolish, accepted the advice with a nod and a smile of his own.

As they approached the safe house Aidan became agitated again, "Nay, Ah musn'a, ah mus find Ol... where are ye takin' me?" Then he became even more distressed and cried out "I dinna want ta be burnt in th'fire." Amy shared another look with Edwin, this time of concern. Equally concerned, Edwin put his arm around Aidan's shoulder and spoke in his broadest border accent. "Wheest laddie, calm ye doon. I'm thinkin'  thee's no verra well the noo, sae jaist mind thee o' the mistress wi' the healing hands. She stays here wi' us, tho not just the noo, but we can gi'e thee one of her draughts. Come away in an' dinna be sae upsettin' thysen.

Edwin felt Aidan relax a little in his hold so he withdrew his arm and, though he was tempted to link arms with Aidan instead, he forebore. He knew little about monastic protocol, but he was sure that looking overly comradely with an unshaven and bruised student would doubtless cause trouble for Aidan if he was seen by anyone in authority. The sooner they got Aidan safely away from prying eyes of all sorts, the better. 

As they reached a crossroads Edwin turned confidently away from the way which led to the entrance to the tunnels and made instead towards the street door.
Edwin, where are you going? The tunnel entrance is down there, if I remember aright.

Amy sounded puzzled rather than cross, so Edwin replied equably enough.
It is but I dinna fancy getting our laddie here ta go into them wi' us wi'out a struggle and I dinna think that's a guid idea.  I've  bin in an' out often enough before all this mess started. He took a quick look round before adding,
I dinna think anyone's following us.

Amy could see the sense of this. Aidan hollering and struggling was going to draw more attention than using an  entrance above ground, risky though that was.

It happened that their way passed a cook shop and the appetising smell that issued through the serving hatch reminded Edwin of meals that he had missed. Despite their need for haste he looked appealing towards Amy who reached into her pouch, brought out the necessary coin and gave him a friendly push towards the shop shaking her head at his look of enquiry. Edwin could not restrain a smile as Aidan's nose twitched towards the smell and his look of hungry appeal as Edwin reappeared with two bowls of steaming broth thick with meat and pulses.

"We're lucky tis no a fast day, eh laddie?" Edwin said. Aidan smiled a bit sheepishly, embarrassed that his failure to control his worldly appetite was so obvious, but put at ease by this young man who reminded him reassuringly of home. 

Amy smiled on them both, it had been a good idea of Edwin's to get hot food rather than relying on what they could find in the house, and she decided that it would be sensible for her to go above and find the necessary medicine, leaving Edwin to find out what he could.

Aidan followed Edwin into the house and sat docilely down where he was bidden on a bench close to the fire. The smell of the good food pushed all other thoughts out of the mind of a young lad who never went really hungry in the monastery, other than on fast days or doing penance, but who never had quite enough to eat either. He was vaguely aware of the student—Edwin was he called?—sitting himself at the opposite side of the table and pushing one of the bowls and a horn spoon across to him, but Aidan's attention was entirely on the food.

Seeing Aidan thus occupied, Edwin risked a gentle mind probe to see if he could read something of what was going on in the young monk's mind. Easy does it, nae point in scaring the puir laddie any more than he already is. He could sense shields, patchy and not very strong, but recalling some of what Airich had been trying to teach him -God, how had Airich restrained himself from punching him? - he thought he should be able to read around them without too much trouble.

He had not allowed for the wariness of a young thing used to being all too often on the receiving end of discipline and always looking to avoid giving offence. Aidan had become aware that Edwin was not eating and put his own spoon down. "Beg pardon Maister, Ah'should 'a waited fer ye ta gie thanks." (Dice 3 +3 Edwin fails to mind read Aidan). Edwin felt himself flushing, the lad was a monk after all. "Nae worries, lad, I could see that ye were nigh clemmed." He hastily signed himself and muttered the only grace that came to his flustered mind, "per Jesum Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen." He hoped desperately that the Almighty would not take it amiss, he was truly trying not to annoy any who were his superiors let alone the Lord of all creation.

Aidan seemed reassured but still waited until Edwin had picked up his own spoon and was starting to eat before he himself resumed eating. Aidan noticeably relaxed and Edwin,too, felt some of the stress of all the recent events fade slightly as the good food warmed his belly and comforted his soul. An instinctive wisdom that he hadn't known he possessed warned him not to try to ask Aidan any questions even of the most gentle kind, instead he chatted away to the lad in his broadest brogue sharing tales of his own young life in Culdi and especially of the scrapes he had got himself into. At first Aidan was clearly trying to keep within the bounds of monastic decorum, his lips merely twitching but after Edwin's most outrageous tale of the piglet smuggled under the bedclothes he burst out into the laughter natural to a lad of his age.

It was so Amy found them when she returned with the medicines. Her first thought was to glance around for a sign that they had somehow found enough strong ale to make them so merry and though there was no sign of any drink her expression betrayed her irritation with Edwin. Before she could speak out her annoyance Edwin forestalled her, speaking into her mind.

He's as wound up as a nervous horse, if we are to get any information from him I think we would be best to wait until he is asleep. I think I should be able to get past his shields then.

Fair enough. Just don't forget and go to sleep yourself. 

The slight edge to Amy's mental tone nettled Edwin and he made no attempt to soften his own tone as he snapped back. Gi'en how confused he was when we came across him I'll bet a gold sovereign that someone has been messing with this poor lad's mind. And I'd like very much to find out if it is the same dirty blaggards that were messing wi' mine. I'm no quite th'idiot ye take me for.

Amy made no answer but smiled at both the young men and came and sat herself down, a cup of water in her hand into which she poured the contents of a twist of parchment. She spoke gently to Aidan, as she did so, "Here's the physick I spoke of, it should ease the pain in your head." Aidan looked uncertainly at Edwin who nodded encouragingly and Aidan drank the potion down, the face he pulled at the bitter taste betraying him as the child he, in many ways, still was.

In the same gentle way Amy continued, "You were going to tell us something, I think. Something that was worrying you."
Unfortunately that had entirely the opposite effect from Amy's intent as Aidan sprang to his feet and began his agitated and distracted muttering again. "Ah shud'na, cum wi'ye. Ah must tell th' Canon, nay 'tis Ol ah must ..." He clutched his head and began to move towards the door in a panic stricken way.

For one moment Edwin felt helpless, then a memory flashed into his mind. He was remembering a prank played on a friend whose wine they had laced with strong spirit, and which had gone further than they had intended, leaving him unable to get home unaided. Edwin and another of his companions had half-carried, half-dragged him but as they had approached their lodgings the victim had roused sufficiently to begin to curse them loudly. His companion, who had made no secret of being a Deryni, had laid his hand across the other's forehead and almost at once the noise stopped as its perpetrator fell asleep. Edwin, beginning to feel the thrill and power of being Deryni himself for the first time in his life,  had been fascinated and had asked the secret of the trick, which had very readily been shared with him. He had practised it a few times on his willing, if slightly amused friend, but never before had he used it in earnest. Now seemed to be the time to change that.

Thankfully he was between Aidan and the door and as Aidan walked unsteadily past him, Edwin reached out and gently but firmly pulled him back down onto the bench, the while putting his free hand across Aidan's forehead and, with his focused thought, willing the other to sleep (2+6). Aidan slumped forward across the bench; his deep regular breathing indicated that he was indeed asleep but Edwin gently tweaked his ear just to make sure. Initially elated he then looked up worriedly at Amy and was relieved to see her smiling her approval.

"Nicely done. And I'm sure you are right. Someone has been messing with his mind and I would very much like to know who."

"Not half as much as I would" Edwin retorted, the thought rekindling his anger.

"I understand that," replied Amy peaceably, "but you must set that anger aside or you will not be able to find out what you need."

Edwin recognized the truth of what she was saying but the rebuke, mild though it was, rekindled his uncertainty. "Mebbe you should be the one to do this, maistress?"

"No, it should be you. You have a sympathy of feeling with him which will help; besides which I don't like the idea of a woman peeking into his thoughts, and I am very sure that he won't. We don't know what's going on and at some point we may think it right to tell him what we have found out. The lad will have had little dealings with women since he entered the monastery and he will have been taught to regard us with suspicion I have no doubt. I have no wish to be part of one of his more interesting confessions."

Edwin could see the very obvious sense in this, and with returning confidence could not resist a little teasing of Amy. "Aye, I can see that, and especially not given the comely lass that you are. I could'a fancied thee myself if t'weren't so obvious where tha' heart is given."

Amy aimed a fake blow at him, then became serious again, "Enough of that, time to focus on what needs to be done."

Edwin took a deep breath and focused on the task before him, this time setting aside his anger and seeing instead a young vulnerable lad who he wanted above all to help. He allowed his conscious mind to drift and gently cupping the side of Aidan's head reached into the other's mind, reaching easily enough behind the other's fragile shields. (6+1)

It took all his self-control not to pull away as he recognised the priests in Aidan's memory. He knew them himself, as men of influence within both the Seminary and University, and he was as horrified as Aidan had been to learn that they were embroiled in the plot to burn the city with its store of learning. Aidan's memory supplied their names as Fathers Leo and Gregory. Their hatred of things Deryni, even filtered through Aidan's memories, was palpable. No wonder Aidan had felt that he must rush to tell Canon Damien. So why had he not? It was as though the impulse which came from the young monk's obedience to, and genuine love for, his master was being thwarted. Aidan's agitation, which had been so obvious in his demeanour and speech, was even more obvious in his mind. Edwin thought he must probe a little more deeply, though it felt intrusive to do so. (3+5)

Amy, watching, saw Edwin pale as he withdrew his hand from Aidan. He took some deep breaths and was clearly fighting with a strong emotional reaction. When Amy would have spoken he shook his head and she knew that he needed more time to regain control of himself. Finally he was able to speak, "Well, I'm a babby as far as these things are concerned but I was right. Someone has been messing with his head and it's the same someone who messed with mine. And kidnapped me and left me for dead! The same three b****s  - I beg your pardon Amy- the three men, who I went with from the inn, fool that I was. I would recognise them again, and they have been using Aidan, poor wee lad, to spy on them. They've set some form of compulsion on him but are so damned arrogant that they hid it so badly that it was easy for even a Deryni as poorly trained as me to find. The boss man is called Oleg, that's really all Aidan knows but he can picture them all clearly. No wonder he was so confused - I'm guessing that the compulsion wasn't well done either so some part of him knew something was wrong.

Edwin took another deep breath and looked around as if hoping to find a tankard of ale somewhere nearby. "Poor wee lad. And now we've kept him away from the monastery too late to return the night. I dinna ken much about such places", he couldn't restrain a grin at Amy at the obviousness of his own remark, "but I'd bet there is a heavy penance for staying out overnight. A beating is probably the least of it. I'll no let that happen to him, I'll bide here with him and in the morning I'll go with him to the Canon and tell him what I know. Even if he won't listen to it all, he must be told about the priests and it is nothing but the truth that Aidan was taken ill and we brought him here to care for him."

Seeing Amy's puzzled look he showed her what Aidan's memory revealed about the two priests he had overheard plotting. Amy frowned and said thoughtfully "They seem to be wearing some sort of insignia, maybe they are some of those Custodes Master Collos was speaking of." Edwin nodded reluctantly "Aye, and maybe that means he's more ta be trusted than I was willing ta believe." Then he added fiercely, as though Amy was about to disagree with him  "but I'm no going anywhere the night, and I'm going ta see this young lad here warmly bedded doon and ha'e a guid breakfast in the morn." His loss of the polished speech he was proud to have acquired was evidence of his determination, though the vehemence of his declaration had more than force enough of itself.

[Laurna]

"Edwin, I think there is a caring heart under that roughness that you like to display." Amy teased the scholar, whom she considered to be a friend. "I am going to agree with you; you should stay with Aidan. I would stay too, but Speth would worry if I don't return soon. And I really want to get this to Airich." Amy pulled out a familiar white handkerchief with embroidered edges and a faint smudged spot on one corner.

The Scholar nodded, recognizing the Healing properties that lay within the fabric. Airich had taught him how to sense it, even if he had been stubborn about learning. "I get that you have to go, but you can not go alone, it is too late for you to be out. I could send Charlie Duggan with you?"

Amy thought about that for a second, but then she thought about just where they had been hiding out and with whom. "I don't know. Our benefactor might not like someone else learning where he stays. I can make it back before Bede is sent out to find us."

Muirea, who had just been bringing down Bede's bag of personal items, appeared to overhear the last part of Amy's conversation. "If I am not needed to watch your sleepy-head there, then I'd rather go too; you can't carry this alone. I really need to talk to Bede. Waiting 'tell morning would kill me."

That seemed to settle the matter. At least to the best that the three of them could arrange. All three helped make a bed for Aidan by the kitchen hearth, and Edwin pulled up the cook's comfortable chair to watch the boy. Promises were made that at the very least, Bede and Muirea would return in the morning. Amy hoped, feverishly, that she and Airich also would return to help unravel the novices troubles. But she could not make that promise. She would not leave Airich again until he was up and moving on his own accord, however long that might take.

With this half-promise, Amy and Muirea found their way out of the Duggan's, using the tunnels and Amy's very pale handfire. Muirea did not seem to mind this little magic, in fact she said she wished she could do that much herself. They came out onto the streets near the Cathedral, put their hoods up, and stuck to the shadows skirting the sides of the buildings until they found the street they were looking for. Bede was standing watch in the door alcove. When Muirea saw him she rushed forward and to Amy's pleasure, saw Bede crush the barmaid to his burly chest. His anxiety had been that high. Amy slipped past them, dropped the bags she carried on the floor,  and then pulled Elspeth aside.

"I was getting worried," Speth said.

"I know, we ran into an oddity. Canon Damian's assistant, you know, that nice young novice Aidan, he was lost and acting strangely. Give me your hand and let me show you what the novice said." Amy was glad when Elspeth didn't hesitate. Even though this mind-speech and sharing of images was new for them both, their trust in one another made it feel like they had always known how to use Rapport. In a manner they had never understood before, they likely had. 

"I wish you could have brought Aidan back with you," Speth said.

"That would have been impossible, Edwin will watch over him at the Duggan's tonight and I am hoping we all can go back and help the youth in the morning. But just now, I need to get this to Airich. Is he still well?"


"No one has told us otherwise," Elspeth said, wishing Amy would stay and get some sleep. But she saw the handkerchief that Amy brought forth, and she nodded. "Go to him, we are fine here."

Elspeth looked up at the older lord, who was bent over his parchments. "Lord Collos, Mistress Amy would like to go to Airich. Will you take her?"

"Yes, I think so," he said, rolling up his parchment and slipping it into his tunic robe.

#

When Amy saw the sleeping knight, she rushed to his side, bent to her knees and wrapped the kerchief around his hand. Embarrassed that Father Trevor and the older lord watched what she did, she cringed a little and stammered, "This needs to be near his wound against his skin."

"I believe you are correct," Trevor replied with a side quirk and turned his back to add a log to the fire. Lord Collos followed his lead and the two men spoke quietly, looking away.

Not knowing why she felt so shy about it, Amy lifted the blanket, lifted the knight's loose tunic and laid the white square carefully over the young man's abdomen, then she patted tunic and blanket back into place. She said a prayer. Not much after, she blissfully found that sleep overcame her stamina.

[Marc_du_Temple]

Holding the auburn lass tightly in his arms, Bede whispered to her something she did not expect to hear. "Let's give the Deryni some space, Muirea. Stay out here with me a little while, please."

Outside in the lantern light, he appraised her with giddiness unusual for himself, but natural for his age. There she was: the woman he should have pledged himself to all along. Yet the air was pregnant with the unspoken. He knew her well enough to know that look. "What concerns yer heart?" he asked.

"If we were reunited under any other circumstances, would we hold each other the same?" she asked, putting aside the countless other concerns of the day. "It was na me, but ma cousin ye pledged yerself to, those four long years ago."

"I was but a boy, then," he protested, unable to change the past at all.

"And I, merely a girl," she retorted, pursing her lips. "To yer credit, Eustace said that ye told him ta tell me that even when ye lie, ye speak the truth fer me. And that ye'll fight the world for me." She blushed at her own misremembrance, and Bede chose not to correct her.

"Yeah, and I'd prove it, if ye asked me."

She took a moment, but not too long. Long enough for Bede to see her apart from the past, apart from any identifiers like "Mearan" or "Barmaid" or "Dream." Not the old friend, not the future or fancy, but just the ever-changing, tangible present. Someone real to fight for. When she looked at him again, she could have asked anything of him any number of times. She had the grace to only ask twelve times. "That many times would prove that you are mine."

Remembering himself, he gathered his wits. He cupped her hands and gazed teasingly into her eyes. "Make it eleven for the time I saved ye in the Byzantyne tunnels."

"Very well," she rolled her eyes but smiled.

"And take another away, for eleven is the number of kingdoms if ye count Meara among them, and I ha yet to pledge such," he jutted his chin with joking bravado.

"Fine," she blew air in his face.

"Halve it," he dared.

That made her truly cross. "Am I to be earned so cheaply?"

"Na at all," he soothed. "But be sure that yer five tasks are great enough to be remembered by more than just the two of us, yeah?"

"Well, yer the player upon the stages, na me. Ye would know drama more," she sighed. "Let it be so, and the angels be our witness."

"Amen," he kissed her hands, then let her go. Standing attentively like in his brief time as a soldier, he asked, "What is my first task?"

She leaned forward to whisper in his ear, and he shook his head. He told her, "We're already trying to save this accursed city. Something fer ye yerself, I beg of ye."

"Then a gift that proves ye ha always known me well," she decided, shrugging as if to say This is what you asked for.

"What might that be?"

"Bede Archer! If ye dinna ken!" She chided him with smiling eyes. Soon after, they rejoined the others.

[Nezz]

The fog had finally lifted.

The bell rang twelve times. A physical weight lay across his chest. Airich finally opened his eyes; embers glowed in the fireplace at his feet.

The weight was a head laying on his chest, with an arm draped over it as well. He reached out with his mind and touched Amy-scented Shields. Good, she was remembering to keep herself safe as she slept. It was a good habit to keep.

Of course, once he put some thought into it, he didn't truly know how long she might have been practicing this habit, for he didn't know how long he'd been unconscious. It felt like decades. So many experiences he'd lived through during the ritual. Before, the memories had simply been there, and had inserted themselves into his thoughts at random times, leaving confusion in their wake. But now, he understood them, knew who they belonged to, and could call them up at will as easily as his own, and without the disorientation.

And truly, it was more than just the memories finally being put to right. It was the entirety of his mind that felt clear for the first time in... well, who knew how many years now? Since that fateful night when he was seventeen, barely more than a boy.

He was a different man now than he would have been without making that life-changing mistake. He would never be able to regain the youthful idealism that was the lot of most young men, but he now had in his arsenal the wisdom of a man who'd experienced everything life had to offer, both bitter and sweet.

But that wisdom offered no clue as to how much time had passed, how long the ritual had lasted. Days? Weeks? Longer? He put out his left arm and flexed it. Good, he still had muscle tone, so it couldn't have been more than a few weeks at the most.

Awake so soon, Sir Airich? I expected you to sleep another six hours.

Master Collos voice sounded in his head. Airich reached out and felt Collos' presence just behind his right shoulder. 

My head is clear. It's good to be able to think without feeling like I'm struggling through molasses. I didn't even realize it had been so difficult to form thoughts.

I expect you've received additional healing from that handkerchief Mistress Amy was so determined to bring to you.

Ah, clever of her to retrieve that.

It's placed under your tunic, near the wound.

There, that answered his question: since Wash healed his wound near the end of the ritual, then that confirmed that no more than a few days had passed. What day is today?

It is just after midnight on Friday morning. It was just yesterday afternoon that we performed the ritual. Baron Washburn arrived when most people would be taking their evening meal.

A simple twelve hours since he'd faced Jasper, then. So much had happened since then, so many years gone by in virtually the blink of an eye. He wasn't even quite sure where he was, or why.

You're in Grecotha. You're attempting to keep the city from being destroyed by fire.

Oh, that's right. Willimites, wasn't it?

You're partially right. Collos stood and carefully stepped around Amy to the pot hanging above the embers in the fireplace and ladled out some liquid into a cup. He brought it to Airich and placed a reed into it, then set the cup next to Airich's head. Drink this while we talk. You need to regain your strength.

Airich obeyed. The beef broth was salty and tasted odd, but not bad.

Some of the medical herbs in there will encourage your body to produce blood and keep your humors level, Collos said. Darius was pleased he was able to make such a potent medicine taste pleasant. He sat cross-legged next to Airich's head. Anyway, you think the Grecotha fire is being planned by the Willimites. And it's true, a certain number of Willimites are involved, but it's actually the Custodes who are behind this plot.

The Custodes? Airich had to think back to where he knew that name from. They were forcibly disbanded centuries ago.

So they would have us think. They've actually been busy all this time, working behind the scenes. They were instrumental in keeping the Deryni out of the priesthood for centuries. They were ultimately responsible for the martyrdom of Saint Jorian, but they failed to keep Bishop Arilan from his calling, and they have been fighting an uphill battle ever since.

Collos continued, But the Custodes have a king-in-exile and are working to undermine the King of Gwynedd. And they're going to begin here in Grecotha.

Why Grecotha?

I don't have all the details from our spy within the Custodes; it's a dangerous business for him to smuggle information to us. But Grecotha has a long history with the Deryni, especially the University. Collos shrugged. Mostly I think they're trying to inspire fear, and lead to a revolt against Kelson and the Deryni. They plan to use a substance called Byzantyum fire—

Byzantyum fire? Airich lifted his head and twisted it around to see Collos. Here in Grecotha?

Yes.

Amy gave a little intake of breath and murmured something in her sleep. Airich stroked her hand and returned to his earlier position. Ai. And here I thought I could prevent the fire with a little rain.

The rain does help. A great deal, in fact. But it won't prevent the fire entirely.

How can I help?

I'm glad you asked that. Airich could feel Collos' smile through their link. We know the identity of the five Custode priests in charge of burning the city to the ground. We've surmised that it would be best to take all five at once, so that word doesn't get out to the others and they start the plan too soon or escape being taken into custody. However, I don't have enough people from my brotherhood to stop them all at once, and therefore, we don't dare move against them yet.

I need someone with the Bishop's ear, for he can authorize such a raid within the city, and loan us members of his Purple Guard for the task.

Airich almost laughed. If it's the Bishop's ear you need, then I'm afraid I cannot help you, although I am willing to lend you my sword in capturing these evil men. Wait, where—? Well, okay, you have my backup sword since I lost mine.

I believe the young archer is keeping your sword safe, although perhaps he may have taken a few liberties, playing with a knight's sword. But I'm sure he'll return it to you as soon as you request it, so I expect you will forgive him that.

It wouldn't be the first time I've left my sword in his capable hands, I trust him with it. Airich recalled giving Bede his sword to guard his back when he'd done that death reading on Leopold the Great. At any rate, you'll get much farther with the Bishop by talking with Sir—with Guardsman Jimmy Taylor, rather than me. The Bishop knows he's the King's man, and if he requests it, I have no doubt the Bishop will give him the men you need.

I would rather not use Sir Iain if I don't have to, Collos replied. Any unnecessary communication on my part risks his identity here in Grecotha, and I have too much respect for the man to do that to him.

Yes, but you know what happened the last time I spoke with the Bishop about questioning the local Willimite leaders. If I accuse five priests of such evil intent without proof, he'll likely throw me into the stocks for a few days, just to teach me manners.

Airich finished the cup, and Collos refilled it and returned it to Airich.

I do have proof, although I can't get it to you right away, not without compromising the safety of my own man within the Custodes. But I assure you that this information was acquired by purely Human means. And I tell you this because I know I can trust your discretion, but you might find it worth knowing that Baron Washburn is also involved in this operation and can verify my words himself.

Collos loosened his Shields enough for Airich to see for himself the full truth of these statements. Wash did know that Collos had a spy in the Custodes camp. And Collos had documents confirming the identity of the Custodes priests in Grecotha. Airich also read that Collos' motivation was simply to stop the Custodes and further the cause of good Human-Deryni relations; he had no personal vendetta against any of the five priests, had never met them before, and stood to gain nothing personal by their capture.

How is it, Airich mused after some thought, that the monster in Washburn's story is the savior in mine? He caught the impression of a melancholy chuckle from Collos. 

That, Sir Airich, is a tale for another day, for it is long and honestly not very interesting. But I will say this much. Four years ago, young Lord Washburn was unaware of an intense danger he was in. Had I not intervened and taken the steps that I did, it is unlikely he would still be alive, and his death would not have been easy. At the time, it was of extreme importance that he believed himself to be hated by his family and his king: it was the best protection I could give him.

Wouldn't his best protection have been to not be drugged, chained, and unarmed in several different dungeons?

If his greatest danger had been from bored and jealous guards, then yes, that would be the case. But I did my best to ensure his safety. And at least one of those jealous guards from Chantel paid a permanent price for harming Lord Washburn after I'd left instructions that he wasn't to be touched.

Airich held his breath. Please tell me his name was Otis.

Come to think of it, I believe it was. Collos' mental voice sounded surprised. You find the death of this guard amusing?

Airich projected to Collos the knowledge of the thorn in "Ellia" Aldan's side that was Otis Turpin. You've saved me the trouble of tracking him down, cutting him open, wrapping his guts around his body and tied into a bow, then presenting him to Amy as a wedding gift.

Now Collos chuckled quietly. Inventive and slow, I like that. Otis' end was moderately quick, but extremely painful. I didn't have time for such pleasantries as you suggested. But back to our earlier topic. Are you willing to talk to the Bishop about these priests?

I may have more luck getting permission from the King. If I recall correctly, I'm supposed to report to him at my earliest opportunity.

Interesting. I wonder if my involvement will make him more or less likely to authorize such a raid.

The King knows you?

Your king knows of me. And I believe he knows that I am a man to be trusted once I have given my word. 

Airich thought about this. Very well. I will try to get permission to arrest these priests, in the name of the Bishop or of the King. Whichever one it takes.

Good. Thank you. You should sleep now.

Airich's Shields snapped shut involuntarily. "Do you still have triggers within my head?" he whispered.

"I do not."

"How do I know you're not lying?"

"Sir Airich," Collos laughed softly, "I have had full access to everything in your mind. If there was anything unsavory I'd wanted to do to you, I would have done it already and made sure you trusted me with your entire being. Obviously, I have not forced you to trust me. Nor have I drugged your cup. So perhaps I have earned a little bit of that trust by now."

Embarrassed, Airich loosened his Shields again. If Collos had wished to, he could have implanted memories of a close friendship that Airich would never question. And now that he was looking, he could find no trace of the triggers that Darius had placed in his head to make him sleep. You're right. Please forgive me, it's been a... long day.

For you, it certainly has. And the more you sleep, the faster your body can heal. Meanwhile, I have work to do. Collos stood and picked up the cup. If you need anything, your young lady will likely be anxious to help, and Darius is in the other room. I'll no doubt see you tomorrow.

Yes. And thank you. For everything. I don't think I said that yet.

It was my pleasure. And if you can help take down those Custode priests, I will consider myself well paid.