Chapter 13: Decisive Action
The village eventually commenced with its regular routine, the somber mood of Tempe a lurking reminder of the curse hanging over the village. Instead of cheering for the three travelers' victory over the beasts, various threats and curses were thrown at them, blaming the travelers for the attack. Some were even daring enough to throw small rocks, although they were fairly weak throws and easily avoidable.
Despite the harsh rebuttal from the peasants, Brey still managed to find out where the Lord of Tempe's residence was. He had already suspected the large, well-kept house on the east road but he had to be certain, not wishing to waste time going from house to house.
It was only a one-story building but it was long, suggesting the rooms within were spread out lengthwise. A simple sign hung loosely above the front door reading Lord's Manor, confirming this was indeed the correct residence.
Brey looked up at the long building, frowning. "'Lord's Manor,'" he sniffed disdainfully. "Even the peasants in Weser had larger accommodations than this." Alena shot him a warning glare, reminding him to keep his opinions of peasant dwellings to himself.
The old tutor knocked on the door with his walking staff and stepped back, letting Cristo take the front as he seemed more the type of person these simple peasants would accept as the leader of the group. After waiting for several moments, they began to wonder if anyone was even home.
Cristo was about to knock again when they heard a lock rattle from inside. All three travelers prepped themselves, making sure they looked reasonably presentable to the Lord.
Soon, the door opened slightly and a middle-aged man with a declining hairline appeared. He was wearing a simple, tarnished jerkin with pants and his eyes were hallowing, as if he had not slept in days. "Yeh?" he timidly asked, keeping the door opened just a crack. His voice was weary, yet high-strung.
"Hello," Cristo greeted, tilting his head slightly. "Is the Lord of the village presently at home?"
"Yeh," the man replied, pausing for a second. "I'm th' Lord'a Tempe." Alena's eyes widened with disbelief. Given his weak dialect and scruffy clothes, the man standing at the doorway could easily have been mistaken for a servant, perhaps even a street dweller. Was this the highest state of nobility in this wretched hamlet?
Cristo, however, seemed undaunted and politely asked, "We were wondering if we might be able to have a word with you, regarding the curse on this village."
The lord looked at the three travelers for a moment, studying each individually. At length, he muttered, "Was'a you three that brought th' rabidhounds to attack, wasn't it?"
"Rabidhounds?" Cristo repeated, confused.
"Obviously the name of those beasts that attacked," Brey said, stepping forward. The old tutor realized the bodyguard was not going to be able to get much accomplished doing the talking, so he decided he would have to take control of the situation.
"Greetings, my Lord," he said, tilting his head in respect. "I am James Sanouch and-"
"Yeh, th' wizard," the lord muttered again, his voice having an edge of contempt.
Brey was quick to shake his head, knowing how many peasants feared wizards with great power. "No, my Lord," he said. "Nothing more than a dabbler to protect myself as I wonder the world in my last years."
"It be quite nice, I sure," the lord said sarcastically, "but I want t'have nothin' to do with you or yer group'a trouble makers, so's if y'd kindly leave th' village..."
He started to close the door but Brey was quick to intercept by jutting his walking staff in the door's path. "That was what we wanted to talk to you about, my Lord," he said, grinning.
The three travelers sat around a small, pock-marked table waiting for their host to return with some refreshments. Being inside the lord's manor shattered the tiny fantasy of the building being respectable. While well kept on the outside, the inside of the manor was in disarray: shoddy furniture and moldy walls made up most of the interior, with a repugnant, musty scent throughout.
Eventually, the lord, whom had introduced himself as Patro, entered the living area, bringing a tray of mugs. "It be water or ale," he stated as he set the tray down. "I've nothin' else t'offer."
The travelers nodded and took their respective mugs according to their taste - Alena and Cristo taking the mugs of water and Brey taking the ale. Both drinks were stale, though, as if mold had been growing in the barrels Patro had drawn the refreshments from. However, all were wise enough not to complain as guests.
Once Patro sat down at the table, Cristo decided to break the ice and asked, "So, my Lord, do you live here by yourself?"
"Nay," he replied, shaking his head, "I'm married."
"Where's your wife, then?"
Patro frowned and said, "She's in th' other room, mourning."
"Has there been a death?" Alena asked.
"Nay..." the lord slowly said. He looked down at the table, a frown forming on his face. "Well," he muttered, "not yet."
"What was that?" Cristo said, leaning forward.
Patro shook his head, then looked up, muttering, "It be a long story."
"If it has anything to do with this 'curse' we keep hearing about, I think it would be a good idea to start at the beginning." Brey halfheartedly said. He was lazily leaning back in his chair and casually drinking his ale.
"Yeh..." the lord slowly said, nodding. "Yeh, I guess it would.
"I think about five years ago," he began, "a strange creature moved to th' forests just north of th' valley, bringing with it th' packs of rabidhounds y' saw in th' square."
"What kind of creature?" Cristo asked.
"I really don't know," the lord replied. "It don't seem t' look th' same twice. It only has th' shape of a man but everythin' else be different." He paused, expecting questions to spill out from the travelers. However, none were forthcoming, each satisfied with the explanation he had provided. Shrugging, Patro continued.
"I guess it saw th' village as an easy target for it t' take over. It sent its rabidhounds through th' streets, ravagin' an' destroyin' anythin' they came across. Most of th' mess y' see here was caused then. We really couldn't fight back. We be a tiny village an' 'ave not a warrior among us t' protect th' village.
"After th' rampage was done, th' creature appeared in th' village square an' th' rabidhounds formed a circle around their master. It stated its terms then: once a month, we had t'offer a young female on a sacrifice alter, or else it would ravage th' village t' th' ground.
"How awful!" Alena gasped, a hand unconsciously reaching for her mouth. "Why didn't you notify my fath- the King about this?" she asked, careful not to reveal her identity.
Patro shook his head. "We try, believe me, we did try," he explained, "but th' creature wouldn't let anyone leave th' village. If someone tried, th' rabidhounds would pursue th' person, killing 'im with not a shred o' mercy. Then it would send th' beasts in th' village as punishment for defying its rule." He paused again, shuddering as he apparently remembered a few of these instances.
The lord regained his composure though, and continued. "It didn't stop there. To make sure word of its control over us would never be let out, it forbade all merchant travel through th' mountains. No one from th' Wild Lands could pass through t' reach Surene, an' no one from Surene could pass through t' th' Wild Lands. If anyone did, it would, again, send th' rabidhounds. So, we just try an' turn all travelers away without mentioning th' creature's dominance over th' village, hoping they would be spared."
"Wait a minute," Cristo suddenly said, his eyes widening. "Anyone who knew of the thing's existence would be hunted down if they left the village? We know of its existence and you were trying to get us to leave!"
Patro said nothing, looking down at the table. Cristo stood up from his chair, pointing an accusing finger at the lord. "You knew those things would be after us the moment we left," he proclaimed, "yet you tried to get us to leave, didn't you?" Again, Patro said nothing, a frown forming at his face.
Cristo was about to persist with his accusations when Brey laid a gentle hand on his shoulder, forcing the bodyguard to sit back down. "It doesn't really matter if it was his intention or not," the old tutor said to him. "You know we can't go back."
"Why not?" Alena asked, leaning forward to her companions. "Sure, the mountain road would be tough but-"
"Don't let it concern you, dear," Brey interrupted, looking at her now. Alena waited for moment, expecting some sort of explanation but none came forth, so she leaned back into her chair.
The old tutor now turned to Patro, a steel glare in his eyes. "Like it or not, my Lord," he said, "we are going through to the Wild Lands." The lord's eyes widened in horror but Brey held up a hand, preventing Patro's objection. "Let me finish."
Satisfied the lord was not going to interrupt, Brey continued. "As I said, we are going to continue our journey to the Wild Lands. However, I do not like the idea of leaving this place victim to another attack as a result of our selfishness, nor does the idea of a pack of those beasts after us once we leave sit well with me either."
Alena looked at her tutor for a moment, somewhat startled by his sudden sense of moral. Of course, she had the same sentiments as him but the fact he would bring them out like this surprised her.
"What're y' suggesting?" Patro asked, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.
Brey stroked his white whiskers for a moment, absorbed in deep thoughts. Finally, he looked back up and asked, "Do you know where this creature lives?"
"I said th' forest north of here," Patro replied, "though I don't know exactly where, if that's what y' mean."
Brey nodded, expecting the answer. However, he did have a few other options open. "How do the sacrifices work, exactly," he asked carefully.
The lord sighed, obviously finding it difficult to talk about the subject. "We build a litter t' place th'... victim... in," he explained somberly, "then deliver it t' th' altar and leave it. Usually, a day later, th' litter's gone."
"Then someone or something takes it to that creature, right?" Alena concluded thoughtfully. Both Brey and Patro nodded in agreement.
"Could we maybe follow it to its lair, then?" Cristo asked, anxious to take an active part in the conversation.
However, Patro shook his head. "It only appears when th' offerings are left," the lord explained. "Believe me, it's been tried." He then looked down at the table, a mournful visage etching on his face.
"What's wrong?" Cristo asked.
At length, Patro replied, "My... daughter, Nina. She's t' be th' next offering." The bodyguard sucked in his breath, sorry he had asked. The manor was quiet for a moment, the impact of Patro's dilemma sinking in.
After a while, Brey leaned forward to Alena and motioned her to follow him to the side of the room, away from the lord's ears. Once the pair had gathered together, the old tutor whispered to her, "This creature obviously has other things on its mind besides just ruling over a tiny village such as this."
"What do you mean?" the princess whispered back.
Brey gave her a grim smile. "Think about it, Princess," he quietly explained. "Why would this thing just want young females?"
"Well, I guess because they make for easy victims, and..." Alena started to reply before she actually thought about it. However, her voice trailed off, an appalled look in her eyes.
"Why that sick bastard!" she absently cursed, clenching a fist. She looked back at Brey and said, "It uses them as... as...?"
Brey nodded grimly. "I believe as much," he stated, pausing for a moment to give Alena a sly smile, "but it may be to an advantage, I think."
"What do you mean by that?" she asked, starting to get irritated by Brey's cryptic statements.
"Don't worry about that right now," he evasively said. "I think I have a workable plan but it involves a huge responsibility on your part. You don't have to agree to it right away but, like I said before, I don't want to waste too much time here, so don't take too long thinking about it."
"Of course I'll help you out," Alena immediately answered. "I have no more desire to spend the rest of my life in this lousy village than you do."
Brey nodded but kept a neutral expression, showing no sign of delight or disapproval in his wrinkled face. "Okay," he said at length and hobbled back to the table. Alena looked at Brey for moment, startled he had not explained his plan to her first, but merely shrugged it off, knowing he would reveal it in due time.
Once everyone had gathered at the table again, Brey took a long gulp of his ale, seemingly finishing the mug off before wiping foam from his white whiskers. After he was done with his drink, the old tutor leaned forward in Patro's direction and asked, "When is your daughter to be offered?" His voice seemed cold, making light of the lord's apparent loss.
"One week from now," Patro replied, "when th' moon is full again."
"Do you think this creature would mind if we delivered the offering a little early," Brey asked. "Say, tomorrow?"
At that, the lord bolted up from his chair and slammed his hands on the table. "Are y'asking me t' sacrifice my daughter now?" he cried, his face filled with horror.
"No, no!" Brey quickly replied, holding his hands up in an attempt to calm the lord down. Patro's eyes remained agitated for a moment, staring incredulously at the old tutor but he eventually relaxed, taking his seat again.
Once Brey was satisfied Patro would not react in a similar manner again, he continued. "I take it you've tried arming the victims, am I right?"
The lord nodded solemnly and said, "We never hear from them again, just like th' rest."
"I thought as much," the old tutor grimly muttered, "but then none of them were really fighters to begin with, were they?" Again, Patro solemnly nodded. "This is what I propose, then," he continued. "Why don't we replace your Nina with someone who can fight?"
"Who?" asked the lord. "I already said there be no one in our village who can..." His voice trailed off as his eyes strayed to Alena.
Alena noticed and shifted uncomfortably in her seat, wondering why the lord had suddenly looked at her. She glanced at Brey, wondering why her tutor had stopped talking. The princess realized he was also looking at her, a knowing smile on his face.
Suddenly, she figured out why and her eyes spread wide open in shock. "What? Me?" she asked incredulously, pointing to herself.
"Yes, yes!" Patro cried, his eyes now filled with hope. "You! You could pass for th' perfect offering! You're th' right age for it an' you're th' aspiring warrior, right? Of course I'm right! Oh, perfect! Perfect! Elsa, Elsa! Guess what! Nina's goin' t' be fine! She's goin' t' be just fine!" His voice faded as the lord rushed through the manor, supposedly where his wife was mourning.
Alena watched Patro disappear, her eyes wide with disbelief. She looked at Brey, who only offered a sincere smile and a shrug.
Cristo busied himself preparing a meal for the Princess but found it was somewhat difficult since not much food was to be had in Tempe. While there were several, small farming fields surrounding the village, the rabidhounds ravaged any crops the peasants tried to grow. As a result, vegetables had to be grown near what few houses remained standing. Given the rough terrain and environment, though, the best anyone could hope for were beans, barely, and sometimes potatoes.
Meat was a different story. According to Lieb, the rabidhounds would on occasion leave the slaughtered remains of sheep herds in the village square. While most of the largest portions would have been eaten already, there usually was enough left for the peasants to utilize for a while.
The bodyguard stared at his finished work for a moment. Compared to the banquets the Princess was used to back home, string beans and a slab of veal could not even pass for an appetizer. However, it was a veritable feast to what they had been eating since they left Surene.
Satisfied she would be pleased with at least his effort, Cristo picked up the plate of food and went in search of Alena.
It did not take him long to find her. As he entered Tempe's temple, the bodyguard saw her sitting on one of the front benches. She appeared to be watching two men working on the litter she was to be placed in for the sacrifice. Made of interwoven straw, it looked as though it could barely hold up a small child but the peasants assured it would be able to withstand nearly two hundred pounds of weight. If the villagers of Tempe had anything going for them, they definitely had some skill at craftsmanship.
As he watched them make the litter, though, Cristo found himself noticing how much it resembled a coffin.
Turning his attention back to Alena, he was a little surprised by her sitting posture. Rather than leaning back with an arm lazily draped on the bench, she was sitting perfectly upright, similar to a praying stance during a sermon.
A bit of hope surged through Cristo's body. Maybe the conversation he wanted to share with Alena would be much easier than what he had anticipated. If she was praying to Master Dragon to help her during her unenviable task of becoming a sacrifice tomorrow, surely she must have a little belief in his religion.
As he drew closer, however, he realized she was not praying at all. Rather, Alena was merely staring at the two men do their work, apparently lost in deep thought.
If she was completely absorbed in her own world, talking to her would be pointless. It was widely known her solitude during these private moments was not to be interrupted out of fear of a severe verbal, sometimes even physical, thrashing.
Still, he had to try. This might be his last chance to help her. Taking a deep breath, Cristo approached the princess.
She was momentarily startled when he came from behind, lightly tapping her shoulder. "Cristo," she smiled, turning around. "I didn't hear you come. Where've you been?"
"Just talking with Lieb," he nonchalantly lied.
The bodyguard put the plate of food in his hands forward. "I... thought you might be hungry," he muttered. Alena generously took the plate and sat down on one of the temple's benches with it.
She poked at the food for moment, trying to ascertain what animal the meat was from. "It's veal," Cristo helpfully stated.
Alena's eyes widened in shock, slightly pushing the meat to the far side of the plate. "After seeing those mutilated sheep," she muttered, grabbing a string bean, "I don't think I'll ever be able to eat meat again."
"I know how you feel," Cristo said, joining her on the bench.
He watched her for moment as she lazily tilted her head back and dropped the string beans into her mouth. The silence was uneasy, primarily since Cristo had so many things he wanted to say at that moment. He wanted to urge her she did not have to go forth with Brey's plan, that she was risking her life needlessly. He wanted to inform her now would be a good time to put her faith in Zenithism, so if she died the next day, she could at least reside in Zenithia with him when his spirit would eventually journey there.
In all, though, he wanted to say...
The bodyguard quickly looked away, realizing the forbidden feelings were once again cropping up. He pushed them out of his mind, reminding himself such a thing could never be possible. He and Alena were nothing more than good friends, perhaps akin to each other as a brother and sister, but nothing more. His duty forbade it, his faith forbade it, and his mind forbade it.
Yet, why was his heart not forbidding it?
Finding some courage to at least express one of his concerns, Cristo turned back to Alena and started to say, "Princess-"
However, he was immediately cut off when she stood up, handing him the plate. "Thanks for the beans," she evenly said, then walked away.
Cristo watched her leave the temple and disappear into the village. He kept his gaze on the entrance, eventually turning around as he let a heavy sigh escape his chest.
"Blew it again, huh?" Brey's voice came from behind.
The bodyguard whipped around in surprise, seeing the old tutor sitting in one of the benches closest to the entrance. "What... what do you mean?" he stammered, more surprised by Brey's sudden appearance.
"Converting her," Brey smiled devilishly. "That was your intent, wasn't it?"
Cristo turned away, frowning. "Leave me alone, old man," he said with an annoyed tone. "I'm in no mood for your antagonism."
The old tutor stood up from the bench and hobbled over to Cristo. "Sorry," he said sincerely. "Like the Princess once told me, some habits are hard to break."
Cristo fired an irritated glare at him. "Look, Brey," he shot angrily, "unless you have some sort of business with me, I'd really-"
"I do," the old tutor interrupted.
He sat down at the bench with Cristo, resting his walking staff on his lap. "Alena mentioned to me something strange occurring during the battle with the rabidhounds earlier today," he said at length. "She said her skin began to harden, as though it was turning to stone. She thought it was some sort of hidden power the rabidhounds held."
"And is it?" Cristo evasively asked, his eyes wider than normal.
"Of course not!" Brey said contemptibly. "They may have strange, red eyes, but nothing in this world has the power to turn something's living flesh to stone with a mere gaze."
A tiny smile cracked his wrinkled face. "There is, however, a race that, according to the Texts, can create a casing of iron around their skin, making them invulnerable to any attack, am I right?"
"The Zenithians," Cristo lightly muttered.
Brey nodded. "And, along with that passage, it also mentioned Master Dragon granting us 'mortals' with a portion of that power. While it doesn't create a cast-iron shell, I do believe that it does allow for the thickening of the skin, making it seemingly harder."
Cristo finally stood up, his threshold against Brey's constant prying at its limit. "What are you getting at, old man?" Cristo shot at him, irritation flaming in his eyes. "Are you saying the Master suddenly found it in His heart to bless Alena with some protection?"
"Of course not," Brey frowned. "You know I don't believe in a realm in the sky with celestial beings and a great dragon overlooking us."
"Then what?"
"I've read the Texts," Brey said, "and, although I've never seen it, I know some clerics have the power to cast protective magic as well as healing magic, to make the castee's skin become harder, thus more defensive." He paused for a moment, giving the bodyguard an insidious grin. "I just had no idea you had that kind of power."
Cristo's eyes widened. "W… what makes you think it's me?" he incredulously asked. "It might have been Lieb, or one of the villagers, or-"
"These peasants couldn't even begin to comprehend such kinds of enchantments," Brey scoffed, flinging a hand up in disgust. "And as for Lieb, even if that quivering excuse for a priest knew of such a spell, I doubt he would have used it on Alena. Probably just cast it on himself."
"Then I take it you've told her about me," Cristo grimly stated, sitting back down.
"Actually, I haven't," Brey responded, causing the bodyguard to look at him with surprise. "I merely told her that it was probably her imagination, something caused by her surging adrenaline during the battle."
Cristo stared at the old tutor in wonderment. "Why?" was all the bodyguard could manage to ask.
Brey heaved a heavy sigh, turning his gaze at the men working on the litter. "The Princess is making advances with her potential in leaps and bounds," he explained, "but her rushing steadfastly into the battle today proves she still has much further to go. Had you not cast the spell on her today, she may have gotten seriously injured, perhaps even killed."
He paused, turning back to face the bodyguard. "Cristo," he said at length, "I want you to continue to use the spell on her, making sure she doesn't injure herself too severely if she ever does that again."
He nodded, then asked, "Should we let her know that I am doing this?"
Brey shook his head. "If she knows she has added protection on her all the time," the old tutor explained, "then she won't fight to the maximum of her capabilities, using it as an excuse to slack off on her defensive."
"I understand," Cristo said, nodding. He leaned back in the bench, feeling much happier than before. Brey was allowing him to continue his duty to protect the Princess. There was not much else the bodyguard could have wanted.
The men finished mounting the carrying poles and placed it by the temple's podium, where it would rest until he and Brey would bring it to the sacrificial alter with Alena in it the next day. From there, he and Brey would hide in the underbrush, waiting to see if the creature would appear or not.
Cristo hoped it would appear at the altar. It would be a simple enough task, then, to slay the creature by surprise. However, if something else came and brought the litter to the creature's lair, he and Brey would have to give chase, risking being found by the rabidhounds and forcing Alena to fend for herself until they could reach her.
A sudden thought came to the bodyguard and he turned to the old tutor beside him, asking, "Brey, do you truly believe Alena can fend for herself?"
Brey looked at Cristo, an erudite smile on his wrinkled face. "Remember what she did to Flail?" he asked.
"Yes," Cristo grimly replied. "I was the one to heal his face."
Brey nodded, then said, "And do you remember what she did to the innkeeper's face in Weser?"
"Yes," Cristo grimly replied again. "Again, I was the one to heal it." He then looked at the rotting floorboards and muttered with contempt, "...although the man didn't deserve it."
Brey nodded again as he stood up. Placing a hand on the bodyguard's shoulder, he said, "Then you probably won't have any reason to heal this creature once she's done with it."