Dagger of Souls
Chapter 4
"I refuse to take down this wall. It has been there for two years now. I'll not stand for it do you hear." The short, rotund man with his graying hair curled to extremes fumed as he stood in an alley between to stone walls, folding his arms in defiance. He looked foppish with the saffron colored fur trimming over a bright green surcoat made of a thick damask cloth. "Falvone is just upset at the fact that we haven't invited his family to the last three feasts and he's trying to just make trouble."
The knight with wavy brown hair and a thick mustache that wrapped around his lips stood facing the brightly colored nobleman. He pinched the bridge of his nose as he tried to calm himself, frustration evident on his weathered features. A small, wiry man in grey robes and a white cap scribed some information onto a thick papyrus sheet, as he stood next to the tall armored man. "Mr. Grendal, I understand your concern and the cost this may cause you."
The round man began pointing his stubby finger furiously at the short stone wall that was barely above the paladin's chest in height. "You have no idea about the expert craftsmanship that was put into construction of this wall around my garden. It is done with the finest stone and hand crafted with flared pillars with the three ringed base and upper supports. It is not something I can just move. It will be either damaged or utterly destroyed if I do."
"That is entirely up to you. You have the option to compensate Mr. Falvone for the encroachment on his property. He has the right to the claim regardless of how long ago you built it. If you offer a fair recompense, I'm sure the Magister will agree to alter the deed. It will cost you less than replacing your wall. It has been measured twice and I found it to be less than ten feet from his manor wall. The law is clear in this matter." The metal overlapping bands of his armor squeaked as he gestured toward the passage between the walls. He was an imposing figure tall, with a thick chest and a fine dark grey wool cape that flowed behind him with silver stitching depicting a set of measuring scales, the symbol of the God of Justice.
The man's furry brow came together as he stared at the knight. "Fair recompense, hah. There is nothing fair about this. Falvone is using the laws just to spite me and rob me of my money and you are just doing his bidding."
The armored warrior clenched the hilt of his broad sword, even though it remained in the scabbard. The sight of it caused the noble to take a step back. Sir Dural pointed at Grendal with his free hand, "I only serve the law, sir." The paladin stressed the word 'sir' in a mocking tone. He continued to speak with his jaw clenched, "If you would have had the wisdom to check the deeds before having this wall constructed then you would not be in this situation. You are free to argue in front of the Magister, after I have given him a report. I'm sure he will have the same conclusion, but would be more than happy to continue to listen to you argue. If you do, your 'fair recompense' may just grow to cover the costs to the Magister's court. I am just informing you of the law. You can decide what to do from there. Good day, sir."
Keltar and Cera spoke together quietly as the argument continued on, only stopping to look at the raised voices and the knight gripping his sword handle. The rotund man turned and left in a huff into his estate. The thin man in robes held up the paper and the knight scribbled on it with a quill, most likely signing the report written by the scribe. The air was cold and a stiff breeze was blowing in from the harbor that could be seen in the distance. Several ships of varying sizes were moored to the dozen or so piers jutting out into the bay. A few rays of sunlight burst through the clouds leaving golden beams down to the water's surface where it shimmered in reflective light.
Keltar sauntered up to the holy warrior in gleaming banded armor and spoke cordially, "Hail and well met! You must be Sir Dural."
The knight glanced at the messenger and straightened himself, his voice still peppered with irritation. "I am he, what do you want?"
"Yes, well. I am Keltar and this is Miss Cera Moonleaf, a priestess of the Moon Goddess." The woman in the blue dress gave him a short curtsy. "I spoke with Sir Bromler at the behest of one of the Masked Lords about an investigation. He asked to have you assigned to this duty."
"I hope it isn't another legal dispute," the knight replied tersely.
The leather clad man shook his head and handed him the writ declaring the assignment, "No, no. It is nothing like that at all. We are looking into orc raids on a village two days outside of the city."
"Orcs, eh. It sounds more interesting than the petty bickering of the wealthy."
Keltar smiled and nodded, "I'm sure it will be. It may be nothing at all, but we are there to find some answers. Apparently in addition to the attacks there were some theft of goods, mostly livestock and food stores and also kidnappings of the local town residents of Stalford. Oh, and we must leave at first light tomorrow. I hope that isn't a problem."
"No. It is not. I will gather my things. If Sir Bromler has sent this decree then I am duty bound to follow it. To tell you the truth, this is much better of an assignment than I've had for a few months, so it is with pleasure I accept."
The holy warrior read a few lines of the writ the messenger handed him. "Kidnappings? I have never heard of orcs taking prisoners other than some women for their own sick pleasure. Even that was rare. Fortunately most orcs are disgusted with human women."
"Apparently there were both women and men taken from the village. But that is why we are investigating some of the oddities of these particular attacks," Keltar commented.
The paladin shrugged his shoulders as he looked over the rest of paper, "North Gate guard house. Wait, only six soldiers. Newly trained recruits, I'd imagine. We'd better hope there isn't much trouble."