Forgotten Shadows

[Marc_du_Temple]

Having the drop on the now worried men, Hal swung next at Rauf as the guard took in the sight of his maimed dog. Before he could bring the iron candelabra down on another foe, Rauf thrust his spear out, letting it slip forward with lightning speed. The two weapons locked while the men struggled for an advantage, scraping wood and metal in the echoing chapel. Not wishing to interfere, the other men held back, lest they cause the wrong man to falter. In a few ear-splitting movements, Hal's candelabra proved too cumbersome at last, and Rauf's spear thrust true with a vengeful squelch, taking him down to the floor and coloring his robes redly.

The investigators all looked at one another, unsure of what to do. Darius scowled at the downed foe they had worked so hard to avoid. "Fanatic," he said like a curse.

Bede grabbed Darius' shoulder, "We ha to stop the bleeding. There's no sign of the one we came here for, and only he might know where the priest went."

Rauf had his own idea. "To hell with him! If you can heal anyone, heal Breydan."

"There is not time for both," Darius warned as he rolled up his sleeves and looked around. "Basin," he requested to anyone who saw one. Quigley went in search for one while the others quickly discussed.

"Look at the dog," Darius commanded sympathetically. "He's been hit well. With or without magic, we'll have a hard fight getting him to even be still for us to help him. And then what sort of life will he have? No, you know what he needs from you now. I'm sorry."

Rauf choked back tears of rage. "Then you know what we need from you. Get us our information, please."

Bede and Darius left him to be alone with his dog, occupying themselves with the now unconscious custode. Bede unsheathed Airich's spare sword, grabbed it by the blade and dropped its hilt into Hal's stomach, pommel first. "Wake up.

((Hal Improvises again 2d6 5 + 6))
((Rauf Spear 2d6 6 + 1))
((Hal Improvises once again 2d6  1 + 1))
((Raul Spear 2d6 6 + 2))

[Nezz]

Bishop Bernard signed his name to the bottom of the last document and pushed it towards his assistant. "Make copies of that and have it sent to Valoret and Rhemuth," he said. The boy bowed and ran to obey.

Bernard sat back from his desk and rolled his shoulders, then glanced sideways at Captain Hawthorne, who stood at attention. The bell had tolled and yet Hawthorne made no move to leave. "Don't you have other duties?" Bernard asked.

"Something's afoot," Hawthorne said, his eyes never straying from their careful watchfulness. "I can smell trouble brewing. And Jimmy's been missing for most of two days. I'll stay at your side, if it please you."

"You don't need to worry about Jimmy, he comes highly recommended." Bernard thought that the King of Gwynedd's recommendation was good enough for him, but didn't pass that on to Hawthorne.

"Nonetheless. I'll stay with you for awhile longer. Maybe the trouble isn't Jimmy, but it's somewhere."

"I assure you it's not necessary," Bernard said. "But if it makes you happy, you're welcome to keep me company."

This scene has been edited to exchange Philip (who I'm told is busy elsewhere) for Captain Hawthorne.

[Bynw]

Pietre de Guerra, a master swordsman, apprentice magistrate, and covert leader of the Willimite terrorists in Grecotha, has cancelled his afternoon sword lessons, leaving his students to focus on other studies, and has shut the doors of his dueling club.

He sits alone at his regular table in the Drunken Parchment tavern, located in the heart of Grecotha's university district. There, he drinks the finest wine that money can buy.

Occasionally, he glances toward the door as if expecting someone to arrive, dismissing everyone who approaches his table unless they are a serving wench bringing more wine. He does not speak to anyone.

[Nezz]

Father Theo, in full seminary regalia within Saint Jerome's chapel, stood before a half-circle of young men. They looked upon him with intense scrutiny. For the priest was in the fullest of his fiery lecture.

"For too long, Heathens have been allowed to run rampant amongst the good and godly people of Grecotha. These devils turn their eyes into the souls of good honest men, causing them to do things they would otherwise not do. I have discovered that one of our young sons has been manipulated by demon spawn, and it is our responsibility to bring these demons to right!"

Everyone knew Father Theo to be harmless, but he was known to occasionally launch into an anti-Deryni tirade. Just as well, Edwin thought, for he might have had a difficult time arresting the wizened man when he was being his typical, affable self. But was he talking about Aidan now, or had another student been discovered to have been geased by Oleg Niklaev and his group of miscreants? If it was Aidan, then Father Theo must have an ear on Canon Damian's affairs, for Edwin was fairly sure the news of Aidan's affliction had not been disseminated widely.

Edwin signalled Ulrik and Vaughan, who moved into position behind the students; Theo, caught up in a religious fervor, didn't notice: "The Deryni taint touches too many students here, corrupting learning, and now it has touched one of our own! Furthermore, this foulness is supported by the crown and even by the Archbishop of Rhemuth..."

Edwin stepped around the corner, followed closely by Airich, to see the tableau that the knight had described. Although a warm and bright sun shone through the crystal-cut window, dozens of tall candles burned brilliantly on the altar, dripping beeswax onto the heavy altar cloth. A handful of students clustered around Father Theo, the harmless priest who was everyone's favorite.

As Edwin stepped within the chapel proper, he felt a slight buzz in his mind. Had Airich set some kind of wards about the chapel? What was he keeping in? Or out? Edwin didn't suppose Saint Jerome would mind a spell of protection, but he did wish Airich had mentioned it before Edwin had walked through.

"Blasphemy! Blasphemy!" Father Theo thundered on. "The Lord's trust has been betrayed. The Lord will repay! And we, the righteous followers, will bear witness to that reparation!"

The priest swept his hands around the group of students, including all who watched as witnesses. As he turned, he finally noticed the newcomers to his lecture and stopped pontificating. Edwin took this opportunity to speak.

"Father Theo Galen," Edwin said in a pleasant yet businesslike voice, "I am here to accompany you to Bishop Bernard's office. This writ authorizes me to make this request on his behalf." He held out his warrant identifying himself as one of Bishop Bernard's investigators.

A dozen pairs of eyes turned toward Edwin. Father Theo smiled his usual benevolent smile, but Edwin sensed a subtle touch of malice behind the smile that he'd never seen before. It unsettled him.

"Edwin Scrivener." Father Theo's bright eyes glittered, and it made Edwin's innards squirm for some reason. "I was hoping it would be Bishop Bernard's Deryni who came for me. And I see you brought Sir Airich with you. Wise. Every great orator needs a trained henchman to do their bidding." Theo looked at the two Purple Guards who accompanied Edwin. "Vaughan. Ulrik. Just doing your job, I see." The two shifted uncomfortably.

Father Theo's devotees also stared at Edwin: some curiously, some suspiciously, some with outright hostility, and one...

Aidan.

The young theologian smiled warmly at Edwin, stark contrast to the rest of the students gathered around the priest. It had never occurred to Edwin that Aidan might be here, although there was no reason why he couldn't attend one of Father Theo's sermons while away from his duties to Canon Damian.

Edwin's concern with Aidan made him forget, for a minute, to be concerned that Father Theo knew him to be Deryni. Granted, he'd never hidden this fact, staring down this man who might prefer him dead than alive brought things to a different light. "Father Theo," Edwin said, "It's well  understood that you have no great love of the Deryni, and no doubt you believe you have very good reasons. But my blood makes no difference to the validity of my orders. I think we'd all prefer it if you came peacefully, but whether you will or nay, you will come with us."

Father Theo smiled again, one hand resting on the altar near the candles. "Peacefully? There can be no peace for mankind so long as the Devil's spawn walk among us."

"We are not devil's, nor are we the spawn of the devil," Edwin said, "We are men, much like any other." He was speaking now to Aidan and the other students as much as he spoke to Father Theo. He had to neutralize at least some of the poison Father Theo was feeding them. "We have some gifts that most men don't have, but that doesn't make us devils any more than a man with an aptitude for fighting or a talent for preaching. In fact, I daresay a good preacher is more dangerous than any peaceful, law-abiding Deryni."

" 'Much like any other'?" Father Theo scoffed, "Your very existence corrupts the natural order of things! You use your Dark Arts to bend the world to your will! Deryni blood is tainted, there can be no denying that taint, even if you think yourself God-fearing, you will always succumb to that evil within you." Even as he spoke, his hand clenched in anger, and he made slow movement toward the closest candle.

Airich, can you do something about the candles? Don't draw attention to what you're doing or use any elaborate magic, Edwin sent to the knight. Airich sent his wordless assent and moved away from Edwin.

"You stand there with your plan to burn down an entire city and destroy innocent lives, and you speak to me of evil?" This got the attention of the students, who gasped and murmured among themselves. "The women and children and students who you plan to kill: this is your answer to your perceived evil of the Deryni?" The boys all looked to the priest as if to hear him reject Edwin's accusation.

"Innocent lives?" Father Theo laughed, "There is no innocence in Grecotha! It is a nest of filth and vipers that shelters the likes of you and gives you aid and protects your secrets. Don't think we aren't aware of your feeble efforts to protect your twisted sorceries and dark enchantments. We will find them and destroy them wherever you hide them. No, the rot that grows in Grecotha's bosom must be cleansed before it spreads even further!"

In his peripheral vision, Edwin saw Airich move close to some of the students, and whisper to them. The three began slowly moving apart from each other.

"You boys," Edwin looked at Aidan and some of boys to the right of Father Theo, "You don't believe that, do you?" Edwin gratefully saw Aidan staring at the priest in horror.

"Ye were wi' those others," Aidan stammered, eyes wide, "Those twa priests frae th' library. They were planning ta burn Grecotha. They'd a mind ta murder folk!" Something in Aidan seemed to flare within him, and he pointed to the rosary hanging from Father Theo's cincture. "They'd aye the same pattern as ye ha'e on your prayer beads!"

"Don't be confused by his rhetoric, boy," Theo said. "The principles behind this red and gold motif are blessed by our Lord Himself! The evil excesses of the Deryni are legion and must be dealt with! If you pay mind to this man's honeyed words, then you find yourself caught up in the snares of the devil."

One by one, Edwin saw the candles on the far side of the room go out, slowly being snuffed by Airich and the two students. The chapel was bright enough that fewer candles made little difference, and Theo didn't seem to notice their absence. If they could get all the candles out, then Edwin would give the Purple Guard the signal to take Father Theo into custody, along with any students who fought them.

Edwin prayed this would not include Aidan.



((Many thanks to Laurna for adding fire to Father Theo's sermon.))

[Nezz]

((I'm honored and grateful that Revanne trusted me to write this scene for her.))

"I can't speak for the snares of the devil," Edwin said to the students at Father Theo's sermon, but he was speaking mostly to Aidan, "but I do know that good, God-fearing men don't murder children. They don't burn down libraries. They don't sacrifice others for their own twisted cause." He looked around at the boys, "If any of you assist him in resisting us, then that's what you're supporting."

As much as he was trying to dissuade the students from believing in Father Theo's cause, he was stalling for time. Airich and the two boys were slowly moving up the long altar, surreptitiously snuffing out candles as they went. Another minute and they'd succeed. But meanwhile, Edwin had to keep Father Theo's attention focused on him.

"They're supporting the cause of righteousness," Father Theo retorted. "They know that following the likes of you means burning in the everlasting fires of hell."

"Nay, Father Theo, Edwin's a guid yin," Aidan protested. "Jaist the night past he helpitt me when I was no feeling sae guid, and this morn he was telling ma meister th'canon why I was na'e hame the nicht and saved me frae a skelping. I'm thinking the de'il would rejoice ta see ma troubles, nae try to save me frae them."

"No, my boy, it's just the opposite. The devil approaches you masked with sweet deeds and pleasing words, and he binds you with silken threads so gradually that you don't even realize you're falling into his trap." Father Theo gestured as if he were wrapping a cord around a person. "But soon, those fine threads become powerful cords that he uses to drag you down to hell. Don't you see this is what this man is doing to you?"

Just five candles left now, and most of them were closest to Father Theo. The priest would likely notice a knight approaching him, but one tall boy crept along slowly, pinching out the candles one-by-one as he moved slowly. Edwin focused back on Theo, making sure his attention stayed on Edwin.

"Aidan, I helped ye because I care fer ye an no fer I'm trying to steal your ain soul," Edwin said. "Ye're like the young man I should ha'e bin an no' th'spalpeen that I ha'e bin. And I swear on ma soul tha' I'll no let ye burn th'way this auld yin an' his cronies are wantin' th'city ta burn."

"You will burn!" Father Theo thundered suddenly, thrusting a finger toward Edwin. "If not by my hand, then by God Himself! You and those who follow you..." He trailed off as he finally looked around the room, seeing the absence of lit candles and the student who froze in place, about to snuff another.

Father Theo quickly bent and, from under the altar cloth, brought up an armful of small clay pots, the size of two fists held together. His speed belying his age, he threw one of them at the student, who tried to protect his face. The pot broke on his forearm, dousing his arm and splattering his head with a thick, greenish-brown paste.

The boy flailed, waving his arm too close to the candle.

With an enormous whoof, he was engulfed in an inferno of green flame. His screams reverberated throughout the chapel and were echoed back as the rest of the students screamed in horror at the immolation of one of their schoolmates. Edwin was momentarily thrown back to the memory of Lucas Whittington's psychic scream as he died, and for a moment, was too horrified to move.

Airich, standing closest to the boy, was the first to take action. He grabbed the heavy dossal curtain hanging behind the altar and ripped it down, then threw it over the shrieking, thrashing boy, bringing him to the ground, then rolling him in an attempt to extinguish the fire.¹

Edwin yelled, "Vaughan! Get your vinegar to Airich, neutralize that stuff! Ulrik, stop the priest!" Both men obeyed. Ulrik aimed and shot,² and came within a hair's breadth of punching an arrow through Father Theo's head. This didn't stop Theo, who continued flinging pots around the room, some hitting students, some breaking and spattering against the walls and floor.³ The panic grew as some of the students discovered they couldn't pass through the chapel entryway.

Another boy went up in flames, screaming. The chaos grew. Edwin used the heavy cloak he'd brought for just such a purpose to smother the flame. He was pretty sure it was already too late for the poor lad, but he had to try to keep the fire from spreading to where pots had broken and spilled their contents.

Of all the boys, Aidan kept his head. His gut was churning with the memory of the fire that had taken his brother and the monastery that had been home to them both back in Culdi. He forced himself to remember not the fear and agony, but those whose clear thinking and swift action had brought at least some to safety. A surge of anger that anyone would seek to bring such a horror of deliberate intent added force to his speech. "Father Theo! Ye mun stop! Dinna fash yersel' like this. All o'us, we love ye, we dinna want that aught o'harm befalls ye, but this is all fou an it mun stop! I beg ye, put doon yon wee licht! Ye love this place, havna ye always told us sae. Dinna be the yin ta burn it doon."

Maybe Aidan didn't see Father Theo clutching another pot. Maybe he didn't believe the priest would actually harm him. Edwin had no such delusions, and when the old priest lifted his arm to throw,⁴ Edwin moved. His momentum knocked Aidan out of the way of the hurled pot, and Edwin took it on his left side,⁵ sticky muck drenching his cotte. He had enough time to notice how it was oily, yet viscous like tar. It smelled of pine needles and rotten eggs, sharp contrast to the usual smells of spice and incense usually found within a chapel.

Then he saw Father Theo grin with an unholy glee. He threw the candle: it sputtered as it flew through the air, almost in slow motion to Edwin's eyes, and nearly went out. It landed at his feet. The sputter became a flame and then an engulfing green inferno, enveloping Edwin. It burned so hotly, he barely had time to feel it sear his flesh, and he screamed. He could only be grateful he wouldn't have to tell Airich that his shirt was ruined before blackness took him.

((Thanks to Revanne for giving Aidan his voice.))
¹Airich wraps boy in dossal curtain (and doesn't get burned himself): 6, 5 Success
²Ulrik shoots at Theo: 2, 1, 2 Fail
³Theo throws, students dodge: 5,6,1,5,2,6,5,1
⁴Theo throws pot at Aidan: 6 Success
⁵Edwin uses Defender. Automatic Success

[Marc_du_Temple]

[Collab between Bynw and I]
Father Gilbert summons Hal to his chambers. "I must attend to a matter of great importance to the Church. Please see to it that my lectures are cancelled for the rest of the day. And, my son, I must ask you to do a terrible task."

Hal drops to his knees. "I am your man and in service to you, my Lord. Ask and I shall do it no matter the task."

Father Gilbert smiles, knowing full well that his Custode guard will probably die a martyr's death. "I am leaving as soon as we are finished speaking. Our brothers have been given their orders so there is no need to worry about who or where they are, but they will light the way as soon as I am gone.

"Anything that I leave behind in this office," Father Gilbert glances around, "should be destroyed or conveniently lost. Prepare it as if a new priest was taking over this duty."

Hal nods and looks up to Father Gilbert. "I shall do as you command my Lord. Where are you going and how soon shall you return?"

With a sigh Father Gilbert, responds. "I cannot tell you the answer to either of those questions, my son. The Deryni have ways of prying your thoughts from your mind. It is not safe. Kill them if you can."

Father Gilbert gives Hal a blessing, takes his confession, and gives him the last rites as well. "You will be among the blessed."

Darius shook his head and blinked, clearing the vision of Hal's memory from his mind's eye. Then he turned to Bede, who had made a tourniquet for their prisoner out of his own robe and sword belt. The sword itself, Bede had appropriated covetously. Darius tapped his shoulder and spoke. "I saw that the infernal Father is long gone from the city. He had this fanatic destroy as much evidence as he could and throw away his life as a diversion."

"Damn him," Bede spat and walked off in a huff, wincing as he passed the guards easing their loyal dog into the next world. He stomped up and down the chapel, frustrated that they had come all this way and expended so much blood for nothing.

Darius wondered where Gilbert could have gone, out of which gate, and why. So lost was he in thought that it was as if he had woken from a false dream, when he felt himself falling towards the floor. Hal's leg sweep was quite well-practiced, and reversed their fortunes suddenly. In the next instant, Hal was raising his booted heel to bring it down swiftly on Darius' head. Darius had no interest in dying so futilely, however, and began to exert magical pressure upon Hal's heart.

Hal winced and pulled back, clutching his left arm, and with his left hand, his chest. Darius rose and led Hal out the front door he had but recently kept him from breaching. There were scattered gasps amongst the wandering students as they saw their colleague being attended to by the stranger. Darius would not have him defile a sanctuary with his death.

With his last breath, Hal whispered something. Too faint for Darius to hear, but he was able to read the familiar phrase on his enemy's lips. "Damn Deryni monster." Such talk meant little from someone like that, to him, although Darius did wonder if Hal was keen enough to know that the pain in his chest was magically induced.

Not too long after, the others joined Darius. The guards mournfully carried Breydan, and Bede held a burnt scrap of parchment with care, hunger alighting his eyes. They were surprised to see Hal dead, but not particularly concerned. "What happened ta him?" Bede asked.

"Too much blood loss," Darius lied. "A spear wound is more than a mere bandage can help with, sometimes. What have you got there?"

"Something I found in the waste basket of Gilbert's study. Hal was not so thorough as his master had hoped, ye see. We dinna have much, but we have a name," Bede explained, showing it to Darius without letting it go. It was the remains of a letter, signed by a Father Anselm Marrowe. "I intend ta pursue this lead as soon as possible," Bede said curtly. Darius rose, and then they looked to the guards for their next move.

"Well?" Darius asked, "It's your city, men. What is our next move?"

"We will bury the dog and hang the bastard who killed him as a warning to others," Rauf said. "You two should make sure whoever else can pay for this does."

"If that is how ye wish us to pay our respects, then it will be so," Bede nodded grimly before turning on his heel, followed by Darius. It was time to regroup.

[Nezz]

"Edwin!" Airich screamed, seeing Edwin awash in sickly greenish flames.

He couldn't extinguish this fire using magic—the Byzantyum fire was far too powerful⁶—and he prayed his shirt might protect Edwin, but he feared it was even too much for his mother's magic. In desperation, Airich grabbed hold of the flame mentally and pulled. It fought him like a living thing, hungry for its prey, but Airich threw every bit of willpower he possessed at it. The flame grew long and thin, and coalesced into a fireball above Edwin, still attached to him by the merest filament.⁷

Edwin collapsed, unconscious or in shock, and Airich wrestled with the flame to keep it away from anything that might burn. Oh, but it fought him! It seemed a living, ravenous beast with an appetite that couldn't be quenched, and it leapt and roared its fury at being kept from its prey. Airich could do nothing but hold it away and hope it burned itself before Father Theo threw more firepots his way.

Meanwhile, Aidan stared dumbly as this all happened. He saw Edwin take the fire meant for him, saw the older student writing in pain from the flame, and saw him fall, badly burned. In his mind's eye, Aidan saw his brother, Corbin, fighting the fire at St. Machan's Abbey and getting trapped under some rubble. How his burns made him nearly unrecognizable. Aidan had sat with him for days while his big brother moaned in agony before he was mercifully claimed by the Lord.

And now... now he saw Father Theo, who everyone loved, laughing—laughing—at Edwin's pain and probable death. The priest stopped laughing while he looked up at the fireball writing in mid-air, then looked towards the Deryni lord wrestling with it.

A snarl of anger crossed Father Theo's face, and he grabbed another clay pot and prepared to dowse the man thwarting his evil plans.

Something in Aidan broke.

It burst out of the boy, this peaceful young novice who wanted little more than to be left to study in peace. It was a fury he never knew existed, not after the worst beating from Brother Ambrose, or after that prank the other boys had played on him that had landed him in the infirmary. No, this fury powered a thing within him and gave him strength, and Aidan directed it toward the wicked, betraying priest who'd brought this evil into his school.

"Nay!" Aidan cried, and the scream came out in a nearly invisible spray of silver power⁸ that blasted Father Theo, just as an arrow from the bowman hit the priest in the shoulder.⁹ The priest screamed and dropped his clay pot, his flesh shriveling from the force of Aidan's blast. He fell backwards, and Aidan had no more attention to spare for him, but dropped to his knees beside Edwin.

The skin was blackened and peeling on his left arm. The black extended onto the left side of his torso and partway down his leg. Where it was peeled back, the flesh underneath was dark red and looked more like leather than skin. Beyond the black, moving up his neck and towards the center of his chest, the skin was deep red and already blistering.

Edwin needed medical attention immediately, but Aidan didn't dare touch him: that fireball hanging in the air still reached towards Edwin, hanging on by a thread. Aidan did not want to do anything that might upset the balance.

It was well Aidan didn't touch him, for it was all Airich could do to simply keep the fire from snapping back to Edwin. He had to find something else for it to burn.

"Vaughan!" It was a force of will for Airich to simply get the words out. "The altar cloth! Get it... on the floor... away from everything." He hoped Vaughan understood what he meant. Fortunately, Vaughan was quick to understand where Airich was going with this, and pulled the heavy altar cloth down and dragged it to the center of the floor and into the largest pool of oily greenish spill, away from the students now huddling against the wall furthest from Father Theo.

Perfect. As soon as Vaughan was clear, Airich grappled with the roaring fire that struggled to free itself from his hold, and mentally dragged it further from Edwin and towards the altar cloth. Closer... closer... a lick of flame reached out to touch the cloth as if it were tasting the fabric, and then the entire fireball leapt upon the altar cloth, enveloping it in an enormous swoop. Hungrily it ate at the mound of cloth, and Airich was finally able to disengage it from Edwin entirely.¹⁰

Trusting Edwin to have taught his Purple Guardsmen in the use of the vinegar and sand that they carried, Airich rubbed his temple,¹¹ then rushed over to Edwin. Aidan, kneeling by his side, looked up at Airich, his face a mask of sorrow. "He canna survive wi' sich hurts as these. I ken it. I've seen it. He'll be beggin' fer death afore the morn's first licht."

Edwin's eyes popped open, dazed and frightened. "Edwin, listen to me..." Airich began.

"I'm dying, I know it," Edwin croaked. "Me Da was right, said I would ne'er amount to much—"

"Edwin, you're not going to die, not yet," Airich told him, "I need you to slow yourself down. Slow your heart and your breathing and your thinking. You're going to hibernate, like a dormouse in winter. Listen to me!" he yelled as Edwin's attention started drifting away. He pushed past the student's Shields, which were nearly non-existent, and winced at the searing pain Edwin felt.

Here, this is how you slow your body. Airich forced the knowledge into Edwin's psyche. You have to do this to give us time to get you to Elspeth, or to a healer. Without warning, Airich's hand shot out to grab Aidan's wrist, and he dragged the boy into their rapport. He didn't know what kind of training Aidan might have received, but it didn't matter because Aidan was all he had.¹²

I need you to control his pain, Airich sent him, and based on his shock, it was probably the first time anyone had ever communicated with the boy this way. The knight could feel his anguish, feeling like he was the cause of Edwin's hurts. He set up a control in Edwin's mind, modeled after the one Darius had set in him, and quickly showed Aidan how to control Edwin's pain levels. You need to keep him comfortable. If the pain gets out of control, he will probably let himself die to escape the pain. Airich waited long enough to make sure Aidan understood what he was doing, then withdrew from the two of them. He still had one more task ahead of him.

Behind the altar, Father Theo was actually still alive. An arrow pierced the soft flesh of his left shoulder, and another through his belly, just under the ribs. His skin was shriveled as if he'd aged fifty years in the space of a few minutes. The brownish-green substance covered him quite liberally, but somehow he held a single candle aloft, away from the flammable goop. He grinned painfully when he saw Airich approach.

"Come closer, Deryni." The effort to speak made him cough. "Come, read my thoughts to find my little cache of surprises for the city. I'll take you down with me and rejoice as your soul goes screaming down to hell while mine rises into the Glory Celestial."

"You can't burn me now," Airich told him. "And if you immolate yourself, then it will save us the trouble of dragging you back for a trial. But here's a little secret for you: I don't need you to be alive to find out everything you know about your little cache. I can DeathRead a fresh corpse just as easily as I can MindRip a dying one. That's how I found out the identity of Lucas Whittingham. I can also TruthSay a living man if you decide to save yourself the trouble."

As Theo looked aghast at this, Airich knelt close beside him and struck a thoughtful pose. "I wonder if your extremely angry and unforgiving god will allow you into heaven when your final act will be to give up all your secrets to the lowest filth in existence. That would be me, by the way." And before Theo could make a decision, Airich made it for him. He snapped his fingers and extinguished the candle in the priest's hand.¹³

Airich moved closer and placed his hands on either side of Father Theo's face, making sure the priest was fully aware of what Airich was doing. "See, your problem is that you paid attention to the wrong Deryni. Edwin is a civilized human being and a man of letters. He didn't believe in your perfidy. I'm not even sure if he could bring himself to Read you. Now me: I've done this dozens of times, I won't blink an eye to Read to an unwilling victim."

Father Theo flinched.

"Plus," Airich added, "I just watched you murder a friend of mine while laughing about it. So go ahead..." He brought his face within an inch of Father Theo's, "give me a reason to MindRip you painfully instead of merely Reading your thoughts..."<sup>14

6</sup>Airich tries to Extinguish Edwin's fire: 3, 2, 4 = Fail
⁷Airich moves fire away 4, 4, 6 = Success
⁸Aiden blast: 6 = Success (added 2 or 3 Grit, whatever)
⁹Ulrik shoots: 2, 5, 1 = Success; 1, 6, 1 = Success
¹⁰Airich transfers fire to altar cloth: 2 + 1 + 6 Success
¹¹Exhaustion Save: 4 + 5 Succeed (is now Tired instead of Exhausted)
Used 2 Grit to remove Tired status
¹²Rapport with Edwin and Aidan 1, 6, 5 = Success
¹³Airich snuffs last candle: 2, 5, 5 Success
¹⁴DeathRead/MindRead (whichever is needed) 1 + 4 + 3 Success (include pip from Ritual)

[Jerusha]

A big "thank you" for Laurna and Nezz's contributions to this.

Friday late afternoon
Bishop's Palace
Grecotha

When Elspeth arrived with Lord Thane and the very obedient Father Rastus in the waiting area outside the bishop's study, the same old monk rose from his desk and knocked on the study door.

Bishop Bernard entered the waiting area and gave the priest a saddened look. "Bring him and follow me," he said to Lord Thane. "You remain here," he added to Elspeth in a voice that brooked no argument. So she curtseyed and watched them go. Did she really want to watch as the Deryni lord pulled the information he needed from the priest? Probably not, so she sat on the bench and waited.

In a short while the bishop and Lord Thane returned. Thane gave Elspeth the briefest of nods and hurried away.

"Advise me when the next group arrives," Bernard said to the monk and returned to his study.

Elspeth's hood was still raised, so the old monk did not see the flash of anger in her blue eye. The only thing that stopped her from pounding on the study door herself was the arrival of Amy and Guardsman Jimmy with their captive priest. The guardsmen Callum and Dand followed, taking up positions on either side of the door.

As with Lord Thane, the bishop led Jimmy and Father Weyland away, leaving Amy behind. Amy gave the briefest of curtseys and slumped onto the bench beside Elspeth.

"I was probably a little lacking in respect," Amy muttered to Elspeth.

"I honestly doubt he noticed. Now tell me how it went..." Elspeth stopped as Jimmy and the bishop reappeared.

Jimmy Taylor at least paused to bow as he hastened to the door. "No time to waste. Safest if you stay here." And he was gone, with Callum and Dand following him.

"Well I never!" Amy exclaimed. "You'd think at least the bishop would tell us what they found out."

"Seems we report to the bishop rather than the other way around," Elspeth said dryly. "You were about to tell me...." She stopped, as the woman beside her sat up straight and the colour drained from her face.

"It's Airich," Amy said. "He is safe," she added hastily, seeing the instant concern on Elspeth's face. "But Edwin is not. Father Theo set him on fire!"

Sweet Jesu! Elspeth glanced at the old monk, who was gaping at them and starting to rise.

"They have taken him to the infirmary. Airich wants us there at once." Amy was already moving toward the doors.

"Tell him we are on our way."

Airich, we are coming as fast as we can.

Good. You need to know that Aidan is Deryni. He discovered his powers when Father Theo pushed him too far by laughing as Edwin burned.

Theo is an abomination!

You'll get no argument from me on that.

Their conversation ended as the two women ran from the Bishop's Palace at full speed.

***

Elspeth and Amy stopped in the middle of the main room of Grecotha's infirmary. Both were breathing heavily as they scanned the occupied beds along the side of the room, but they did not see the young man they desperately wanted to find.

"Aidan is with him," Amy said between breaths.

"May I help you, mistresses?" asked one of the lay brothers who was carrying an armful of bandages.

"Edwin Scrivener has been brought here. Novice Aidan McLain is with him. Where are they?" Elspeth was in no mood to mince words.

The lay brother nodded. "We have placed him in a private chamber. If he awakes, he is likely to be screaming. Master Steadman has been sent for."

"Pray take us to Edwin at once," Elspeth said firmly. "And bring those bandages."

The lay brother looked at them nervously; Master Steadman would not approve.

Elspeth spoke one single word: "NOW!"

The lay brother gulped and then nodded. "This way."

The smell of burnt flesh greeted them as the lay brother opened the door to a chamber behind the main room. Aidan knelt beside the bed, one hand placed gently on Edwin's forehead. He looked up at them, but did not move.

The shutter to the room's only window was mostly closed, making it difficult to see Edwin clearly.

"Amy, open the shutter a bit more to give us light and air."

"Is that wise?" the lay brother asked, but Amy was already opening the shutter.

"Yes it is," the physicker said curtly. In a more gentle tone, she asked, "What is your name?"

"Simeon, Mistress."

Elspeth joined Aidan and Simeon brought a low stool for her to sit on. She began a close visual inspection of the blackened flesh of his left arm, torso and thigh. The reddened flesh on his neck and across his torso continued to blister. She needed to act quickly.

Amy returned to the other side of the bed and placed her hand beside Aidan's, gently easing into rapport with him. He tensed for a moment and then relaxed. As did Amy, surprised to find the novice's burgeoning powers.

Sir Airich showed me how to control Edwin's pain to keep him comfortable. He is afraid Edwin will give up rather than bear it. I must not fail him.

You won't fail him, and I will help as Elspeth tends to him. Both Amy and Aidan quickly accepted the other's abilities.  All their attention was needed to keep their friend from experiencing the horrific pains from such burns.

"We must remove any clothing that was not consumed," Elspeth said. "Simeon, set the bandages down and help me cut them away. Try to disturb him as little as possible."

They were finishing when an older lay brother entered holding a small, unlit torch and a candle. He looked suspiciously at the two women.

"Master Steadmen is administering to Father Theo. He sent me to draw out the heat from the student's burns." He moved the candle closer to light the torch.

"You will do no such thing!" cried Elspeth, horrified. "Would you also bleed a woman after childbirth?"

Amy discreetly snapped the fingers of her free hand and the candle went out.

"See here, Mistress," he said, looking at the candle warily. "This is not your infirmary!"

Elspeth drew a deep, steadying breath. The correct treatment was tucked away in her memory. ¹

"The physicians of Byzantyun discarded this treatment as ineffective and harmful two decades ago," she said firmly. "Their current medical texts recommend soaking the burns with cool vinegar to reduce the heat and help prevent suppuration. This should alternate with bandaging the burns after applying an ointment made from honey. I will also give him talicil to prevent fever.  It is lucky we have a fresh batch. That is our best means to prevent fever."

"And how do you know this?" the older man returned sceptically.

"I have copies of the texts and have studied them thoroughly." She looked up as Master Steadman entered the chamber.

"That was quite the declaration," he said. "I have heard of this treatment before, but it takes time." He walked toward the bed and studied Edwin's burns closely. "Time this young man may not have."

"Then we must not waste that time arguing over his treatment. Pray let me proceed."

Master Steadman shrugged. "Then he is under your care, and no longer a concern of mine.  Father Robert and another man need my attention now." He turned and hurried away.

"He doesn't believe he will live either way," Simeon said quietly.

"Then God willing we will prove him wrong. Pray fetch a basin of cool vinegar and clean cloths." Elspeth rolled up her sleeves and looked down at Edwin.

"Stay with us Edwin; don't give up. We need you." ^2
1 Elspeth had an Eidetic memory. 2D6 6+3=9.

² Elspeth is a physicker. She will heal with a successful roll. 2d6 plus 4 grit. 4+3=7. Success on a 4 thanks to the grit. Edwin is healed for 2 Hit points.

[Laurna]

Amy's heart was racing. So much pain to squelch. With Elspeth, she had seen many burns before, but none ever as deep as these. She realized now that subconsciously she had always eased the burn-victim's pain with her own thoughts, but never before realized just how much more the powers of her birthright would allow her to block all pain from Edwin's mind. This Airich had taught her.

At first, Amy tried to take over what Aidan had been doing, for he was working only on adrenaline and would tire soon. Minutes later, however, she realized she too would tire too soon if she did this on her own. With one hand on Edwin's torso, Amy reached her other hand to touch the novice's wrist. We have to do this together. I know you witnessed Sir Airich and I that night with the student, Robert. Now you and I need to do the same thing. We can do this! Yes?

Mistress, we have to! The youth seemed desperate, upset that Amy had taken over. His hand grasped hers as he rejoined her in tenuous Rapport. Edwin saved me, I have to help him. He can not die like my brother.  Aidan started to cry, and Amy knew that would destroy their fragile connection. She fought to strengthen what they had, using all she had learned from Sir Airich. She wished he were here. But dare not spend a second to find him.

"You keep one hand on his head and the other on my wrist. Hold it tight if you have to. Just don't let go. We, together, will do this. We will see Edwin through the night." Amy said this both in Rapport and out loud so that Elspeth would know the determination of her helpers.

With two Deryni learning how to focus and rely upon each other, they eased their patient, Edwin, who sighed relief and fell into a sleep without pain or dreams.

[Laurna]

((Thank you Nezz and Jerusha for helping me get back into the game and for some good quality edits and additions.))



"Lord Washburn Morgan!
Lord Kevin McLain!
Lord Jayce Coris!
Welcome!"

An Arx Fidei seminarian greeted each of the three arriving lords. "Quickly, step away from the portal. These men need to use it. They are replacing the injured men who helped retake the All Saints Sacristy Portal."
Wash moved aside as Lord Seisyll Arilan nodded his direction and then guided three warriors to the portal stone; in a blink, all four men were gone.

The seminarian caught Wash's attention again. "We are in desperate need of Healers. Will more Deryni with your gift be arriving soon?"

"For now, it's just us. The king told me that he would send others as he can enlist them,  with hope, before the break of day," Washburn replied. He rolled up his sleeves as he saw three wounded men in battle attire being escorted out of the portal room and out into the colonnade.

"I am told the battle to recapture the Cathedral is fierce," the seminarian told them as he led his guests down the long colonnade toward the infirmary. "I've heard our men now have control of the cathedral's sacristy and the chancel. The Deryni lords are Portaling as many armsmen as they can there and are bringing back the injured for us to care for here."

Washburn passed several men, some gearing up to go to the fight, but some, having returned from there, were nursing wounds awaiting their turn for care. None of the men Wash passed were among Father Garath Sidney's team: the second of the original rescue teams, the men who had portaled to Archbishop Hugh's Oratory. "Any word about the archbishop as yet?" Wash asked.

"None yet. I will have what information I can gain passed on to you the moment we learn of it."

"Please do. Thank you!" Wash said, "Come, nephew, let us make your father proud."  Wash led his half-brother's youngest son into the infirmary door. Jayce, at eighteen, had just earned his knighthood and his Healing Mastery at the Schola. Wash knew the young man could handle himself well. But this evening would depend on how many were willing to assist with the drain of energy required for each Healing. At least here in Arx Fidei, the seminary students were willing to assist.

*****

If it was not for Kevin, Wash would have lost himself in Healer's trance and not kept pace with the injured. Not all injuries could be healed in one sitting. Too many men to tend to. Too many smaller injuries that would have to wait or be left to heal on their own over time. In all this work, he kept a window in his mind open to hear if and when Archbishop Hugh would be rescued. He never expected a near panic call from Sir Airich, instead.

Wash, we need you! It's Edwin! He has burns from Byzantyun fire. Deep burns. I will meet you at the bishop's portal, I am on my way there now, I promise I will safely escort you to the Grecotha University Infirmary. Will you come?

Now? Lord Almighty, I will try, Wash mentally replied.

Fingers deep in a man's thigh, where a spear had just missed the artery, Wash hesitated momentarily. He took a deep breath and refocused the balance of energy he was pulling from two students. With a deliberate, calculated motion, Wash lifted his fingers and healed the wound closed. He blinked a few times, looked around the room and then straight at Kevin. "Can those here wait a little more? Can we go for, say, an hour?"

"You're mad," Kevin replied. He looked over the room more seriously, then looked back at his friend. "Jayce can handle what is here right now. But Kelson will throw me in the dungeon if I let you go to Grecotha, again."

"Let's go!"  Wash said without hesitation.

But the Portal room was anything but calm. Groups of three and four men were blinking in and out of the portal stone as fast as men could clear the space. Kevin pushed their way to the center of the small room. And they were ready to demand their turn when an intense Rapport from Prince Albin, General of this Defense and Rescue of Valoret's invaded Cathedral, came into every Deryni's mind:

We have His Grace, Primate Hugh. Clear the portal, he will be brought through. He needs a Healer, Now!

Washburn was in the right place at the right moment to catch the arms of the elderly, beloved leader of the Church of Gwynedd, who would otherwise have crumpled to the portal-stone floor. In that touch, Wash knew Hugh was in full heart failure. His body had been beaten, his arms and hands bloody, his heartbeat was thready and barely there. All the chaos of the portal room, in that moment, vanished from Washburn's thoughts. He went deep into Healer's Trance, focusing on heart muscles to beat and to heal and to keep this most important man alive. The trouble was that heart muscles did not heal the same way as normal bone and muscle. It took extra balance to see a man past heart failure. Many Healers knew that was the nemesis of all Healing.  The Heart would continue to beat only if it was told too, at least in the first precious hours of heart failure.

*****

When Airich called again. Washburn could not spare the moment to answer him. It was Kevin McLain, who returned the Rapport to the desperate man in Grecotha. "You will have to do without Morgan for some time. If and when I can get a Healer to you, I promise I will. But Valoret is a battleground. I am so sorry, my friend, but we can not abandon the Primate of All of Gwynedd or any of the King's men.[/i]

Edwin Scrivner is one of the king's men, one of his best men! Sir Airich had yelled in frustration back through the Rapport.

Airich caught his breath, and fought to keep from slamming his fist into a wall. I understand, I do... but the timing of all these events has to be deliberate. Damn those Willimites to Hell!

He said a quick prayer on Edwin's behalf, then forced himself to trust Edwin's care to Elspeth, Amy and Aidan. Then he went back to join the others: they had a long night ahead of them.

[Marc_du_Temple]

[Sorry for the delay and the shortness of this post. Life has been very crowded lately, but I can't forget Rhemuth.]

Bede and Darius may have felt deflated by their failure to snatch up Gilbert before he fled the city, but that could not retard their pace. They needed to reconnect with the others and see what could still be done for the city, and soon. So they jogged with haste through the busy streets of Grecotha, until they stood before the Bishop's Palace. They needed no further introduction and were quickly admitted and led to the room where their collaborators were reuniting. Darius strode unhurriedly to Collos and Lord Thane, out of earshot of the Grecothans, Jimmy, Trevor and their guards.

The words felt like bile in Bede's mouth, as he explained that they could not capture Gilbert, but Darius was quick to add a note of triumph, reminding Bede what he had found in the study. Bede declared that he would personally pursue the name Anselm and exact justice from Gilbert, wherever it would take him, after the city had been saved. For the moment, he listened attentively to what the other men had experienced this afternoon. His expression turned to one of worry when he learned of what became of Edwin, and then one like a twilit evening after a rainstorm, in its grim peace, as he learned that his sometime friend would not die, at the least.

And for now, there was yet much to do, about those caches of byzantyne hellfire. "A toast, milords," Bede raised a goblet with the others. "Either Hell is rising to meet this city, or it is na, thanks to us. Now, show us the way, good men."

[Bynw]

Three riders thundered across a golden field of nearly ripe grain, the stalks bending and rustling beneath the hooves of their weary mounts. The sun hung low in the western sky, casting long shadows and bathing the land in a warm, amber glow. The crisp air carried the scent of harvest and the whisper of approaching dusk.

"There's a farm a few leagues beyond," one rider called out, his voice barely rising above the wind. "We will find shelter in the barn—and perhaps fresh horses. If not, at least ours can rest."

An older priest, his robes flapping behind him, nodded solemnly. "It is a blessing you ride with us, Brother Philip. Without your guidance, we might have strayed far from this path. But we dare not rest long."

Brother Philip offered a quiet nod of understanding, his eyes scanning the horizon. "I know little of the land beyond that farm," he admitted. "From there, we must place our trust in God's providence."

With no time to spare, the trio pressed onward, their steeds laboring through the field as the last light of day began to fade, and the chill of evening crept in from the edges of the world.

[Bynw]

After finishing his second bottle of wine, Petrie de Guerra, a master swordsman and Willimite leader of Grecotha, sets down his cup, abruptly stands, and leaves without speaking to anyone. 

Dusk is approaching, and many people are heading indoors due to the curfew that takes effect at sunset in the city. Usually, the city watch would be out at this time, reminding people that the curfew is near and warning that anyone caught outside after dark will be arrested. 

However, this time there are no watchmen directing people indoors. de Guerra checks his sword belt, steps into the street, and begins walking. At first, he walks aimlessly, without a specific destination. 

As the sun sets and the streets grow empty and dark, he is alone with his thoughts while making his way back to the university's practice yards. 

A sudden flare of light catches his eye ahead. Flint and steel are being used to light a torch, which quickly roars to life. A man in a hooded cloak stands near the university stables. 

"Hey friend," de Guerra calls out as he approaches. The man, with a wild look in his eyes, faces him. "You failed to do the Lord's work. Now we shall purify this city in flames, taking all the Deryni hell spawn with it." He waves the lit torch in front of de Guerra, forcing him back, then throws it into the stables near some stored barrels. 

Without hesitation, Petrie de Guerra draws his blade and lunges at the man, who also draws a sword. The man screams, "It's going to burn, and nothing you can do will stop it." The clash of steel follows. 

The fight ends before the man can realize he has lost. de Guerra, being a master swordsman, easily deflects the untrained attacks and lands his own. 

But the fire spreads. The barrels catch flame, though nothing inside is flammable since the Byzanthium fire it once held has been neutralized. Still, the straw and stable walls begin to burn, and de Guerra grabs water from the trough to extinguish the flames.