It was early afternoon when Fiontann closed the door and leaned against it. His knees and hands were shaking and his breath was labored, he was pale and felt weak and scared at the same time. Scared that the company had made an irreversible mistake. One that they shouldn’t. He started to sweat. He was glad that he had left The Thirsty Boar when he did. The others saw Blodflaed fainting already, seeing another high rank in such a condition would be a huge blow. He walked to the closest chair by supporting himself against the wall and took a jar from the table. He drank the cold water and wiped his brow. His breathing was returning to normal, as did the colour on his face, he could feel it, he wasn’t cold anymore. He took his time to change and grab a quick bite from what was left from what Cedwyn had made earlier in the day and left. He had told everyone that he was going to talk to the Watch.
After an intense conversation with the guard at the entrance of Hamglen Fiontann finally reached the jail. He had a lengthy conversation with Oggur and Constable Sageford.
‘We have witnesses, Fiontann!’ said Sageford and slammed his fist on the stack of parchments on the table. Fion looked at them and then at the Constable.
‘Yes, some drunkards,’ countered Fiontann, he had seen the reports.
‘Four! And they saw that woman and heard her saying Black Steel business.’ Fion bit his lips, remembering. He was too far to do much, but he had seen one of the company, probably Bregeswith, the tallest of them all, going to face the drunk men and sending them away.
‘You know what we are doing. Why would we kill her on purpose?’ said Fiontann.
‘That’s what we are wondering,’ said Oggur and stood up from the chair and started pacing up and down the room.
‘If we knew what she was we wouldn’t do such a thing.’
‘She’s been there for five years!’ said the Constanble and fixed his gaze on Fiontann. The old Dwarf put his hand on the man’s shoulder as if to calm him down.
‘We didn’t know, you know that we stick to our own things and you very well know what we do,’ Fion said between his teeth. ‘And if we knew, we would not do it.’
‘Why did you, then?’ Sageford asked.
‘Because we thought that she was the one we were after. The one responsible for the child’s death in that farmstead.’
Sageford looked at Oggur and then at Fiontann. ‘That baby was forgotten outside and died from the cold.’
‘No, it didn’t. You know it didn’t die because of the cold,’ Fiontann said eyeing Sageford seriously.
The young man grimaced. ‘Why don’t you tell us then, since you were there?’
Fiontann took a deep breath, he had to make an effort to not overturn the table and attack the young Constable. He came to the jail unarmed and was in the viper’s nest as he called it, but he had to stay calm, it was a serious and delicate matter. And he didn’t want trouble with the Watch, who were eager to chase everyone, but the criminals around Bree.
‘The child was missing weeks now, if you were doing your job you would know it,’ he allowed himself a jab at the two. Sageford bared his teeth behind his goatee and Oggur once more put his hand on the man’s shoulder and squeezed, pressing him on the chair a little.
‘That’s a serious accusation, Fiontann.’
‘I am sorry, then,’ said Fion lightly tilting his head, obviously not meaning it and went on. ‘The child was missing several weeks. It was taken by someone that we had dealings with. You know, trying to prevent them from roaming around and harming people.
Sage ford looked at him and gritted his teeth, but said nothing. Oggue was standing with his back at two men and his arms folded.
Fiontann spoke and spoke and soon both, Man and Dwarf were listening to him, their faces betrayed terror, disbelief, anger, speculation.
‘So, she had the child taken and she threatened us with it. Do two things for her and she would release the child,’ and went on telling them about the yellow gem that they acquired from that underground tomb.
‘And then she told us to bring her water from the red lakes of the Lone-Lands, in turn she would give the baby back. My company and I went there and they managed to get in the crypts. Problem is, she told us to do it under the full moon. My folk got there a day before when I sent them scouting and they got trapped. You know what problems the Eglain face!’
The two men nodded.
‘They encountered someone powerful who offered them a deal. Kill the one who sent us there, we would reverse what she had done for the past weeks and whoever that one was in that tomb would be rid of a rival. My folk accepted the deal. You know the rest.’
The two Watchmen didn’t say anything for some moments.
‘You would do the same, I would do the same, we didn’t know who it was that lived there and when they got there they thought that it was the one we were after. Admit it, your wise woman was more than just a wise woman who knew her herbs.’
‘She was not, no,’ said Sageford and went on. ‘Corliss knew not only her herbs and how to keep pregnant women alive, but also how to save our crops and protect the children. She also protected Combe… On moonless nights...’
Oggur, who was seated next to the young man turned to look at him with a frown, that was news to him. Fiontann looked up from the table, not quite surprised.
‘Th- there is something in Chetwood North. In nights without moon it comes out. It spreads like the night, but it’s not the night. It’s like a shadow. It’s the cold breeze under the dark sky. It brought sickness to the village. Every such night we lose at least one old person. Two times we lost young ones, very young ones. Since she came that shadow was kept at bay, but now…’ Sageford looked at his hands.
‘Why didn’t you tell us?’ asked Oggur.
Sageford shrugged, he didn’t have to say anything, the Dwarf nodded. The Watch was powerless compared to such a thing.
‘Why didn’t you call us?’ said Fiontann. ‘That kind of thing is what we hunt! We can help.’
‘Hey now, calm down!’ said Oggur.
Sageford looked at Fiontann and nodded. ‘We relied on Corliss, I guess. She helped.’
‘Yes, she helped, what I am saying is that we would attack and end it instead of just hiding and defending the village. That thing needs to end!’
‘Yes, but Corliss is not here, Fiontann,’ said Oggue with meaning. ‘The Black Steel is to stay put. You are under investigation about the murder of Corliss Erblanger.’
‘What investigation? I just told you exactly what happened, Oggur. Let us do something before it strikes again!;
‘You are under investigation and this is my final word!’
‘The weather’s bad. The sky is cloudy. You know what that means!’ Fiontann said, he was trying to not lose his temper again.
Oggue was unyielding.
‘He’s right…’ said Sageford. ‘They have to-.’
‘Don’t say that, boy. They murdered an innocent woman and they have to go to court for it and be punished!’
‘It was an accident!’ Fiontann sprung up from the chair and extended his right arm towards the Dwarf. ‘We were deceived.’
‘It was murder. Sit down.’ the Dwarf muttered.
Fiontann sat down. He held his head with both hands. Sageford looked at Oggur. The two disagreed for once that day. Silence spread across the room. Finally Fiontann held his hands out on the table.
‘Then, let’s make a deal,’ he said. ‘Shackle me and keep me here, but allow my Officers to visit. Let me tell them about this and send them out there to deal with it. If they succeed and Combe is safe we’ll repay the debt. If they fail put me on trial and punish me.’
Sageford looked at Fiontann, seemingly surprised. Oggur grimaced.
‘Not a word young man. I need to think. But, he stays here, put him on shackles and in a cell.
