When I finished talking to the informer I had placed in my brother’s court I head off to find my friend Wyatt Garisson and the constable whom I had ordered to take him on a tour of the castle. I caught up to them in the castles botanical garden where plants known for their medical properties were grown.
“All right constable I’ll take over the tour you get back to your normal routine but before you go has the map room been set up for the signing of my will later today?”
“Yes it has milord but I wouldn’t be carrying out my duties if I didn’t ask you one last time to move it to somewhere else such as the great hall.”
“I understand your objections but the map room is where I want it. It is big enough to hold my family members and the witnesses but not every tom, dick and harry. It is the perfect place for the times we live in, if Eugene has his way it will never be executed and if he doesn’t then I’ll no doubt have to have another one written. When I do then having it signed in the great hall might be best but not now.”
“Alright milord you’re boss.”
When the constable left I finished showing Wyatt the garden and the rest of the castle before heading with him down to the village inn. It wasn’t at all busy when we arrived with only one person other than the innkeeper about.
“Innkeeper, you don’t seem at all busy at the moment?”
“Well milord all my guests are out at the moment and the first of my regulars haven’t shown up yet. Old man Novak, the baker is only in now because he cannot make it later. If you are here looking for your friend, then I’m afraid he hasn’t arrived yet. I’m keeping it open for him when he does mind you.”
“That’s all right I’m only here for a drink with my other friend yonder, a pint of your finest ale for him and a cider for me, but it on the castles tab.”
“All right milord why don’t you take a table and I’ll have them over to you as quick as I can.”
Once we had sat down it took longer for our drinks to arrive than I had expected, especially given that the inn wasn’t at all busy.
“Sorry, it took so lord milord but the cask of my finest ale had gone bad so your friend will have to settle for our second best.”
“That’s ok Erwin these things can’t be helped, brewing is an art not a science after all.”
“To be sure but I expected it to last another day or so, I’ll have to ask the wife to be more careful next time and she won’t like that, not my Paula.”
“Everyone up at the castle had quite a knees-up last night to celebrate the birth of my niece and everyone drank more than they should so they’ll have to order up more and the harvest festivals coming up perhaps you can use those facts to mollify her.”
“Your right about that Milord but that be expected and thus planned for so it won’t be enough to do more than ease my worry.”
“Sorry but their nought I can do for you about that perhaps you should pray some, just not reproach her so much for one cask of ale not lasting as long as it should or put most of the blame on your shoulders and hope for the best.”
“Those last two ideas of yours seems sound, I’ll leave you to it then gentlemen.”
“So Wyatt how is your Aunt.”
“When they sent for me they said she was on death’s door but by the time I got there she had recovered somewhat still has some time left among her fellow mortals but as to whether or not she sees spring well time will tell.”
“So what really brings you here old friend?”
“Well I probably would have come anyway Amondo it’s been too long brother but my employer asked me to pass on a message.”
“What was it, you know my memory, ah yes Eugene has it in for you and he’s spending real money to do so. Baron Bruyan’s spies have discovered that he has hired two mercenary company’s already that they know of and goodness knows how many they do not. None of the large or even medium-sized ones but as they say quantity has a quality all of its own.”
“I feared that might be the case did he happen to mention to you the names of the two companies involved?”
“Rawshank’s Vanguard and The bloody Disciples.”
“Can’t say that I’ve ever heard of the bloody disciples but Rawshank’s Vanguard is a different matter. Its namesake Rawshank has been dead for over a decade. He led a mercenary company called Rawshank’s Maggots that split in two when he died. Vanguard was the smaller of the two and the other was all but destroyed to the last in some big battle in the Urban Union two years ago. Last I heard Vanguard was led by a real character called Marcel Robbins and had about fifty to sixty men, mainly cavalry.”
“Unlike you, I have heard of the bloody disciples and Marcel died last year, his former lieutenant Hegar Fallon took over from him.”
“So what can you tell me about the disciples?”
“Well, they were formed earlier this year by a rejected candidate for the priesthood of Tropaero who was with Broyles Valient Boys for several years until he inherited some money and set up his own operation. They haven’t taken on any jobs until now and are made up of twenty archers and the same number of cavalry and foot.”
“If they haven’t done anything how have you managed to hear about them?”
“I ran into Broyles lot during the time I left Shalhou’s service and have been keeping an eye on them ever since. So what are you going to do about a Eugene new hires.”
‘I have set a number of things in motion, hopefully, some of them will work out in my favour, more than that I’m afraid I cannot tell you, I trust you but that’s all I can say.”
“Don’t worry mate I wasn’t expecting you to.”
293 total views, 1 views today