Quest for the Three Books

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Steigan glanced over his shoulder while forcing the tension out of his sword arm. A tight muscle would keep him from moving as freely as he'd needed to in order to take on so many opponents. Three figures stood silhouetted by the rising moon. He knew there were more people from the sounds coming from behind him, but how many total? Of the three he could see, only the large, bald man in the center appeared to be a threat.

His body relaxed into a fighting stance, his heart steadying from the momentary surprise, and calm dropped him into routine. Steigan focused on the bald man, who raised his sword as Steigan twirled his own blade around. Steigan flowed naturally through the turn and pivoted around, bringing five bandits into full view.

It happened fast. Two swords came toward him, one crashed into the ground beside Steigan where he'd been only seconds before. Steigan jumped, then ducked, sliding past the men. When they turned, he knew he'd be a silhouette in the moonlight, nothing but a shadow.

A man in a hooded cloak growled at Steigan as another man with a beard made a feeble jab with his short sword. Steigan pushed the weak thrust away from him with his dagger, then slipped around a tree and came up behind the bald giant. With a pounce, Steigan brought his hilt down on the base of Baldy's skull. The man grunted and dropped to his knees. He started to look around at Steigan, but Steigan made a point of not being there.

Back in the fray, Steigan turned his attention to the hooded, growling man who'd been standing right next to big Baldy. As Steigan's sword clashed with growling man's, a thump sounded, letting Steigan know Baldy had gone down.

“Braccus,” someone said.

Steigan heard foot falls, not coming toward where he engaged in battle, but rather toward their fallen comrade.

Steigan circled his blade around and knocked the sword right out of growling man's hands. Defenseless, he dropped to the ground and held his hands up. Steigan whirled, expecting some sort of fight from the bearded man who'd made the jabbing attack, but he knelt down beside the large bald man called Braccus.

The weakest man of the bunch looked like he might bolt.

“Turn your back to me and I'll throw my dagger. You'll take it between your shoulders and you still won't get away,” Steigan warned, though he wondered if this man would call his bluff and he'd have to test his skills at throwing a dagger.

The man dropped to the ground and lay face down.

This scene isn't right, Steigan thought. These bandits had committed murder so why wouldn't they put up a fight now? Why hadn't their attack been more organized?

The questions had barely formed in his mind when the last bandit rushed Steigan. He only stood as tall as Steigan's shoulders, but where he lacked in size he made up for with speed. Swords blurred as Steigan parried and stepped back. Too much on the defensive, Steigan risked sliding his dagger away and gripped his sword with both hands. The fast man slipped forward with a quick thrust, but Steigan saw it coming, sidestepped, and slammed his elbow in the man's chest.

The blow knocked Speedy back and gave Steigan a moment to regain his stance. Speedy exploded into a second attack. If any were murderers in this group, it would be this fast man. Small, lithe, agile, he came in tight on Steigan, who saw the threat at the last second as Speedy tried to get his short sword in the gap between Steigan's breastplate and backplate. Steigan pulled back, twisting slightly so that the backplate caught Speedy's blade. The blow knocked Steigan off balance sending him tumbling into the weeds. He whistled for Tyana as he rolled to his feet. He prayed the Goddess had kept her close.

Speedy leaned in on his attack. Steigan kept pace with his strikes, barely holding the man at a distance.

The sound of hoof beats distracted Speedy for an instant. Using it to his advantage, Steigan stepped forward and broke the quick man’s stance. Speedy fell backwards to the ground, his elbow hitting first and his sword bouncing from his hand. Steigan kicked it away and held his blade to Speedy's throat. Defeated, Speedy dropped backward on the ground and lay there panting. Steigan smiled to himself, glad that their little foray had exhausted the man more than it had him.

The unicorn padded over. Steigan brushed his hand over her neck as she stepped alongside him and he reached for his rope. “Who's first, gentlemen?”

In short order, Steigan had them tied together in a chain, including Braccus who had regained consciousness but didn't quite have his wits about him yet. Astride the unicorn, Steigan set a pace quick enough to pull them along and keep them worn out. As he wound through the trees, he took one last look back at the eerie spot in the woods where he'd encountered the woman in white. A quiver shook through his shoulders. He turned back toward Whalston and nudged Tyana along a little faster.

They arrived in the little town of Whalston near dawn. Steigan delivered the prisoners to the town's guards then headed onto the Temple. The sound of Tyana's hooves on the cobblestone streets echoed off buildings near the town center while their shop owners probably still slept. A few guards went up the streets from light to light extinguishing the flames inside as the sun's morning orange light began to break away the night's darkness. The scent of fresh bread and cake wafted to him as he went by the baker's.

The Temple sat at the heart of Whalston, a simple wooden building with a thatched roof. Nothing nearly as impressive as the massive stone castle-like structure at New Lilinar. For all its differences, Steigan felt more at home here with the saperes and domini that also had other careers than with the dedicated servants at the Temple in New Lilinar.

Steigan dismounted and tethered Tyana loosely to a hitching post. Out of habit, he placed his fist over his heart before he entered the Temple. The quiet meant no one else had arrived yet. From the simple foyer, he went into the worship hall, slipped his sword into the stand on the dais, and knelt before the Goddess' statue.

“The streets of Gohaldinest are paved with gold, but I seek a richer treasure,” he spoke. He glanced up at the statue, a woman dressed in armor. Only hours before, this oath had just been words. But after the fight with Speedy, a new seriousness took over. Speedy had gotten too close and it might have been a different outcome if Steigan hadn't twisted at the right moment. Now, single-handedly catching the bandits didn't seem like an accomplishment but an ego-driven thought, the kind that allowed demons to influence a man into temptation. A richer treasure meant being alive to see his family another day and to bring the Temple honor. He felt he understood now. With a nod, he whispered to the statue, “I'm ready, Goddess, for whatever challenge awaits me.”

Steigan continued his prayers though he heard sounds awakening through the Temple. Pots banged as they were gathered in the kitchen, footsteps in the halls and on the stairs, and the murmur of people speaking softly.

“I'm ready, Goddess,” Steigan whispered again, feeling himself called back from the meditative state of his prayers.

The little hairs on his arm and neck raised. He opened his eyes, suddenly alert. Something felt wrong and his heartbeat quickened in response. He shifted to gaze around the empty room.

A little shuffled step drew his attention to the door. A woman walked by, the hood of her green cloak pulled far over her head. She paused briefly looking at him and Steigan caught sight of a tiny face surrounded by blond ringlets. She barely spared him a glance and continued on.

Another strange woman. Steigan grabbed his sword and rushed for the door to stop her. He slid out into the hallway and found it empty save for a large woman bustling toward him.

“Steigan!” Lucinia cried, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. “There you are. We were so worried about you.” She stepped back, but held onto the sleeves of his tunic as she looked him over. “Sim came down here first thing this morning. Thank the Goddess, you don't look injured.”

Feeling momentarily stifled, Steigan glanced around and over Lucinia trying to see down the hallway. “I'm fine, I promise.” He thought about giving her another reassuring hug, but stopped short. She needed to quit treating him like he only had thirteen cycles to his life. He'd earned his title and she needed to accept the situations he might face.

“We were so worried when you didn't come home last night. Then we got word that the bandits had been captured, but no one knew where you were,” she went on. “You hadn't come home...”

Steigan turned away and steeled his voice. “They were easy enough to track down. The town guards should've asked for our help right from the start.”

She touched his arm again. “I'm just glad you're not hurt. My dear boy, you should go home and get some rest.”

“Ma, morning service...” He placed his hand on top of hers and looked her firmly in the eyes as though willing her to understand his feelings. Not that she could right now, not after one strange woman giving him a dire warning and another tingling his danger sense.

A scrapping footstep sounded in the doorway at the moment Steigan realized he and Lucinia weren't alone. Steigan turned hoping to see the stranger returning, but instead saw a blond dominus peeking in the worship hall.

“Excuse me?” the dominus said. “Sapere Jonard wonders if he can have a word with you.”

Sighing away his frustration, he nodded. “Certainly.” Then to Lucinia as he pulled away from her grasp, “Excuse me.”

Steigan walked down the hallway to Sapere Jonard's chambers where the white door stood ajar. He pushed it open and saw Jonard and Sim seated inside.

“Blessed morning, Saperes,” Steigan said, entering and closing the door behind him. He nodded to Jonard who sat behind his large dark wood desk, the most ostentatious piece of furniture in the room, except for maybe the cathedral-like chair in which Jonard currently sat. Steigan briefly wondered, since the desk and chairs didn't fit the room, if they'd been castoffs from New Lilinar.

“Blessed morning, Dominus,” Jonard responded.

A branch outside the window behind Jonard tapped against the stained glass as dark silhouetted birds chased after and called to each other.

Sim got up out of his high-backed chair set before Sapere Jonard's desk. “I just heard. You caught the bandits by yourself last night?”

Sim's tone indicated an approaching lecture. Steigan straightened his shoulders preparing for it and raised his chin. As a dominus with all the rights and responsibilities thereof, he had nothing to defend, certainly not his actions or his whereabouts. It became time Sim got used to it. Lucinia too. “I did.”

Sim took a step forward, his eyes growing wide. Sim stood only to Steigan's mid-chest, but his demeanor had always commanded respect with a certain amount of fear. “Do you have any idea what Lucinia would say?”

Steigan kept his face straight; he would rather face Speedy again than Sim. In this moment, Steigan hated himself. He felt like a little kid again, so suddenly and so in trouble with Sim. “I do. I just spoke with her. Some things are best left unmentioned. She knows they were captured. All else is irrelevant.”

A bird took flight sending a branch scratching against the window.

“Irrelevant?” Sim's jaw dropped. “Every night we pray for your safety. It's all she can think about. You may not be our son by blood, but her heart doesn't know that.” Sim's hands went to his head and then he threw his arms into the air. “Five men, Steigan. You weren't supposed to be alone.”

Even in doing his job, he got in trouble. “They were just peasants.” He grit his teeth. Hadn't he just sworn he wouldn't defend himself? He had to quit acting like a kid of six cycles now!

From his seated position at the desk, Jonard folded his hands together and leaned forward slightly, his voice soft as he spoke, “You had no idea who they were or how many. It was reckless.”

Steigan sidestepped Sim slightly so he could make his defense directly to Sapere Jonard. “And they had no idea who I was trained by. They thought my youth was their advantage.”

Sim stepped up to Steigan. “Arlyn is a great dominus, but even he would go down if the odds were wrong.”

“Then we agree,” Steigan said. “Lucinia doesn't need to know the events of last night. It's a Temple matter only.”

Sim snarled and shook his head. “We should've never let you grow up. I always knew it was a bad idea. Let you stay a boy instead.”

Steigan put a hand on Sim's shoulder. “So Lucinia could forever worry that I'd break my arm swinging around the oak tree? She wouldn't thank you for that.” He turned back to Sapere Jonard. “It's obvious the thieves weren't from around here. Any idea where they came from?”

“No, but we will find out in time,” Jonard answered. He got up from his chair. “For now, you have a different mission.”

Jonard motioned for Sim to sit, then he began to pace behind his immense desk. “As a sapere, I share so much in other peoples' lives. Births, deaths, marriages, troubles, I record it all. I enjoy giving good news to people I've known my entire life.” Jonard turned and stopped, looking first at Sim with a smile, then up to Steigan. “I asked Sim to assist with morning service today so he'd be here for the news.”

Jonard stepped forward with measured, rocking paces. For a moment, his gaze dropped to the floor, then came back to Steigan. The simple glance made Steigan's stomach plunge through a moment of eternity. Outside, the birds’ early morning chattering seemed to grow in volume, a cacophony which echoed Steigan’s nerves. Either Jonard had really good news, or he had really terrible news. Steigan stiffened, physically bracing himself and trying to imagine what the worst could be.

“I'm sure Sim and Arlyn have told you the way the Holy Sapere is chosen,” Jonard said.

The statement crashed through the million fears held in Steigan's mind. He flinched under the unexpected shock and he found surprised words bubbling to his mouth from rote memory. “Every twenty cycles, a Holy Sapere is picked from three candidates and the previous Holy Sapere becomes a Lord on the Council of Elders.” His mind clicked that this might be good news and the reason why Jonard wanted Sim to be here. Sim! “Has Sim been chosen as a candidate?”

Sim choked as Jonard issued a sputtering chuckle and sat down on the corner of his desk.

“Not Sim. They choose the young, not the old to become Holy Sapere,” Jonard said. “Sapere Martias has been nominated.”

“Martias? Wow.”

“Yes,” Jonard said with a wide smile, “and he's selected you to be his Sacred Knight.”

“Me?” The privilege felt unreal even as Sim stood at his side slapping him on the back in congratulations.

Sim's boisterous voice cut through the haze of Steigan's thoughts. “That's my boy!”

“Who are the other two candidates?” Steigan asked, new fears enter his thoughts. Making Martias the Holy Sapere wouldn't be an easy task.

“Saperes Petor and Orian.” Jonard looked at Steigan as though reading his exact thoughts. “The Council of Elders has requested you leave for New Lilinar tomorrow morning.”

Steigan nodded slow and thoughtfully. The woman in white had said events were manifesting. He focused on Jonard and took a deep breath. Steigan had to know the answer to the question so pressed in his mind. It seemed impossible, but if Martias had already made it through the selection process.... “Please tell me, Sapere Jonard, does Martias have a realistic chance? Could it happen?”

Jonard's lips pulled into a serious line, but then he nodded and his features softened. “I believe he does. They wouldn't have approved his request for you as his Sacred Knight if the Council of Elders weren't serious about his nomination. They would've told him to select someone local as his Sacred Knight.”

“Wow.” He felt the news sinking in now. “Martias as the Holy Sapere.”

Sim's eyes sparkled as he smiled at Steigan. “That would be a sight to see. Go make us all proud, Steigan.”

Steigan nodded, feeling the excitement rise. “I will be the best Sacred Knight ever!”