The festivities ended relatively early. The Kiningdom Burruh party would start their day before daybreak. John knelt in the middle of his room to pray. He hadn’t said this particular prayer in over a decade. One of his first memories was praying it with his family and they’d continue to pray it together every night including his last night at home before he left for bootcamp. Why had he stopped? He crossed himself and prayed, “Watch, O Lord, with those who wake, or watch, or weep tonight, and give Your angels and saints charge over those who sleep. Tend Your sick ones, O Lord Christ. Rest Your weary ones. Bless Your dying ones. Soothe Your suffering ones. Pity Your afflicted ones. Shield Your joyous ones, and all for Your love’s sake. Amen.” He crossed himself again and got to his feet.
“One of St. Augustine’s best,” said Nath-esh. “I can help with other prayers if you’d like.”
“That’d be great, thanks,” said John. The familiar bedtime prayer had brought him comfort and melancholy in almost equal proportions. How would his brothers or sisters or his mother fare as Purgated? He suspected the mission tomorrow was the source of this turn of thought. What kind of Purgated would they be? Nathanael hadn’t told him very much about the other classes. He was sure his mother would be a Nurturer. She always had been. His brother Mark, the chef, would likely be a Peacemaker or a Healer. Both sounded right for him. His sister Elizabeth was an avid reader and a bookstore owner. What would she be? He really wasn’t sure. His brother Luke was a Bartender and a scrapper. He didn’t have a bouncer, he was the bouncer, and he’d be a Warrior just like John for sure. His sister Sarah, the realtor, would be a Peacemaker. She’d been negotiating since she was in diapers wanting to avoid bedtime or score an extra snack.
He found himself in bed. He’d been so distracted he’d gotten undressed and climbed under the sheets without realizing what he was doing. “Good night Dingo Boy. Good night Nath-esh.”
The Cattle dog jumped onto the bed and curled up in the crook of his legs. He let out a deep sigh which had been his way of saying ‘good night’ since he was a puppy. Having a talking dog was awesome but John had spoken the Heeler’s language for years and he hoped his old ways of communicating wouldn’t fade completely.
“Good night John,” said Nath-esh and a moment later he added, “You know. I’ve been thinking about it. Maybe I should go by Nash. What your father wrote about demons and how we’ll see them on your journey has me thinking. If we met one he or she might be able to figure out what I am. I’m not sure. But my name, Nath-esh, would give me away for sure.”
“Okay, Nash it is,” said John sleepily, “and it’s our journey, not mine.”
“Thanks John,” said Nash. He liked being Nath-esh, the name had gravitos. He hoped John would still use it now and again.
As he drifted off to sleep John heard a chime sound. It was beautiful, it came from everywhere and nowhere, and within it he clearly heard the word ‘fortitude’.
Nash sat at the foot of the bed in John’s room at the Wolf’s Head Inn waiting for Nathanael to appear. He wondered how the Virtue would feel about his name change? Well, he wasn’t really changing his name, he just decided to go by his nickname instead of his full name. The thought made him feel better about his decision to go by ‘Nash’ instead of ‘Nath-esh’.
Dingo Boy moved from his spot behind John’s legs and curled up next to Nash who reached down and started petting the dog. It was soothing to them both. The Cattle Dog rolled onto his back, stretched out, and put his front paws in the air so the Angelic Shard could scratch his chest and stomach but his harness was in the way.
“Do you mind taking off my harness?” he asked.
“Sure. I wonder why John hasn’t taken it off before?”
“He was going to a few times but I used my mind-leash to distract him from the idea.”
“You can do that? Like mindcontrol?” asked Nash.
“I can only get people to do something that they would do anyway. He thinks about it when he gets ready for bed. I distracted him the first night because this place was new and strange and I wanted to be ready to go if something bad happened,” said the merle Heeler.
“You thought we might be in danger here?”
“Not from the people. This place, this world, was… no…” Dingo Boy let out a big sigh, “it was the big rats. They scared me and my harness makes me feel protected. Last night he had the book Everett left him and I could sense that he needed time for himself so I put thoughts of my harness out of his mind.”
“Is Everett his father’s name?” asked Nash.
“Yes. He was nice. He did good scratches and always gave me cheese. I didn’t bother John about the harness tonight because he was busy in his head, thinking about his family.”
Nash undid the buckle at the dog’s neck and the two on his side. The Cattle Dog rolled out of the harness and the Angelic Shard hung it on the bedpost opposite John’s jacket. The dog jumped off the bed and shook out his fur.
“Mind scratching me?” he asked, looking up at Nash.
“Where?”
“Everywhere the harness covered.”
The Angelic Shard started scratching Dingo Boy. The dog groaned and stretched. “You said that John was thinking about his family. How do you know that? We can’t read anyone’s mind.”
“You can’t,” the Heeler said flatly. “My mind-leash isn’t the same as the connection John has with people or the connection you have with them.”
Nash thought about that as he got back back onto the bed. Dingo Boy jumped up next to him and rolled over for more scratches on his chest and stomach. After a while Nash asked, “Ready for tomorrow?”
“I’m ready to kill the rats. They’re wrong, unnatural, they shouldn’t be.”
“What about the goblins and hobgoblins?”
“I didn’t care about them. Then I started listening to people’s thoughts,” Dingo Boy said.
“John wouldn’t like that. Wouldn’t like that you listen to people’s thoughts,” said Nash.
“That’s probably true. I wasn’t planning on telling him I can do it. My mind-leash is something I can use to keep him safe. I don’t want him to tell me how I can use it. The ‘Good Boy Contract’ is clear on keeping him safe. It’s the most important thing. I got killed trying to keep him safe.”
“What’s the ‘Good Boy Contract’?”
“Every dog has one. It’s the set of rules we live by. It’s different for every one of us. Your pack helps you make it. John and Lynn were my pack so they helped me make mine.”
“What did you find in the thoughts of the people here in Knollburah?”
“The Mayor is right, if the evil stays in the underground place the people will have to leave. Even Owen worries about leaving. He doesn’t want to, he loves this place, but his family is more important to him,” the dog’s thoughts carried sadness.
“No one’s going to have to leave. We won’t let that happen,” said Nash. He decided that Nathanael wasn’t coming and after one last scratch behind the Heeler ears he dematerialized.
John woke to find Dingo Boy out of his harness. He didn’t remember doing that. He thought back on last night. He prayed, he thought about his Living family, he agreed to call Nath-esh Nash from now on, and… he heard a stat upgrade chime! The word ‘fortitude’ came to mind. Nope, he didn’t remember taking the harness off of the Cattle Dog.
“Hey Dingo Boy. How’d you get out of your harness?”
The Heeler stretched and and walked up the bed to lick the man’s face until he sputtered and pushed the dog away. “I took it off with my mind powers.”
“You can do that!?!” John asked, sitting upright in the bed, shock plain on his face. Nash materialized chuckling. Dingo Boy’s muzzle spread in a laughing grin, his tongue lolling to the side. “Are you messing with me?” asked John.
“I took it off of him last night,” Nash said with one last chuckle.
“I’m sorry I didn’t take it off for you before,” the Marksman said, scratching the Heeler all over where his harness covered. “You must have gotten itchy.”
“It’s okay but I did sleep better without it.” He flopped onto his side and started scooting and rooting around the bed making little growling sounds. His tail curled and he looked at John with a comical side-eye.
“We’ll start taking it off of you at night when we’re sleeping in a safe place.” John said.
“It’s not quite dawn,” said Nash, “want me to put his harness back on while you pray?”
“Thanks for that,” said John. “I’d like to ask for some intercessions after my prayers this morning. Can you give me help?”
“Which saints?” asked the Angelic Shard, approval in his voice.
“Saint George the Dragon Slayer and Saint Michael the Archangel. I only need help with Saint George though.”
“I know both of those. Just give me a signal and I”ll talk you through Saint George and if you have any trouble with Saint Michael I’ll jump in.”
John nodded and knelt. He made the sign of the cross and prayed, “Dear Lord, bless and protect my friends and family in life and those in Purgatory. Today we go to a place with a lot of evil in it. Please protect us, keep us, and guide our way. Amen”
Nash looked up from buckling the Heeler’s harness and John nodded. The words came to John’s mind and he spoke them, “O Saint George, my invincible warrior, protector of the weak and oppressed, who in defense of the good wielded the sword of justice, I come to you trusting that you will intercede for me with the Lord. With the power of God, strengthen my faith and give me the courage to face life’s obstacles. Keep me from dangers and adversity, and under your protection may I overcome the temptations and difficulties of everyday life. Saint George, knight of the red cloak and the cross of Christ, protect me and guide me with the light of faith and hope. Amen.” A stat increase chime rang out and in it he heard the word ‘temperance’.
Next he reached out to his patron saint, “St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly host, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.”
He crossed himself again, stood and stretched, and decided to check to see if he really did hear the name of the stats that had increased. Sitting comfortably on his bed he focused on the word ‘status’ then spoke, “Status.” His translucent blue information screen appeared. Nash looked up at the word of invocation and shrunk his wings down to take a seat next to John on the bed. There was a green aura around the Fortitude stat and another around the Temperance stat. They were now 30/100 and 34/100 respectively. Fortitude had raised to a multiple of ten and that meant…
“You’ve got a stat point to spend!” Nash said.
Sure enough, at the bottom of the screen there was a message that read ‘1 stat point unused’. John smiled then started to consider. He checked his ‘Incarnate Stats’ and his ‘Derived Stats’ and the choice was clear. He focused on his Strength stat and said, “Increase.” A green aura flashed around it as it increased from 4/10 to 5/10.
“Are you sure you shouldn’t have increased your Charisma?”
“This time the increase to Strength was just as good as raising my Charisma. In a way,” he said.
“Because raising your Strength raised your Persuasion just like raising Charisma would have?”
“Bingo! Raising Charisma would have increased Persuasion to 5/10 and it would have increased Insight too but my Insight is already 6/10. Raising Strength though, that brought up my lowest ‘Incarnate Stat’ and it also raised Persuasion to 5/10 but instead of raising Insight it brought Endurance up to 5.5/10. It’s about being more well rounded. All of those hours playing RPGs is finally paying off.”
Dingo Boy barked then growled a little.
“Okay, weeks.”
Another bark followed by a rooo rooo.
“Fine, months but that’s all I’m copping to. Dismiss.” It was unclear if he was speaking to the status screen or the dog. Only the screen obeyed.
“How do I look?” asked Nash as they walked down the hallway toward the common room.
“Shhhhhhh!” In a whisper John said, “It’s really early, we don’t want to wake up the whole inn.”
Nash held his arms up and tiptoed as he spun around to show off his outfit. He was dressed in leather armor that reminded the Marksman of something a Roman soldier might wear. He had a chestplate, arm guards, a knee length skirtlike pteruges, shinguards, and sandals. The strips of leather making up the pteruges were wider at the bottom than they were at the top and there were two layers of them.
“Your wings and your eyes!” John whispered.
“Ooooh,” Nash mouthed and the wings on his back, made of brilliant light, shrunk out of view. His golden eyes ceased to shine and became light brown in color. “What do you think of my armor?” he whispered.
“Looks good,” John whispered. “Not every man can pull off a kilt.”
“It’s a pteruges! They were big in Rome and Greece.”
“What do you wear under it?” John asked apprehensively.
“Under it?” asked Nash innocently.
“Please tell me you’re wearing something under it.”
“Why? It’s breezy this way.”
“Tianna will be with us and if you bend over she’ll see… will she see anything?”
Dingo Boy quickened his steps and looked up as he passed under the Angelic Shard’s pteruges and said, “Yep.”
Nash blushed and said, “Hold on. Okay. Okay. There.” He held up the front of his pteruges and showed that he had boxer shorts on under it.
“Hearts?” whispered John.
“Of course,” Nash whispered.
In the common room they found Gregory sitting at the long table. He was wearing his hunting leathers and happily munching on an egg roll. “Mornin’ theah John,” he said, “ya got t’ try this heah! Owen made egg rolls with egg and cheese and meat inside.”
“Good morning Greg,” said the Marksman, “Owen made breakfast egg rolls? That sounds great.”
“It is!” said Nash who was taking his second bite.
Owen, Tianna, and a red-eyed Tannyah came out of the kitchen carrying trays of food. John could see more egg rolls, a stack of bread loves, a lot of cheese, smoked meats and dried sausages, and a couple of pizzas. They set the trays down on a couple of nearby tables and Tannyah headed back into the kitchen.
“Mornin’ John!” said the Innkeeper in a quiet voice. “See ya eatin’ one of my meat, egg, and cheese egg rolls. What do ya think?”
“This is great Owen. I’ve had breakfast pockets like this but never egg rolls.”
“Breakfast pockets ya say? How’s thet different from this heah?”
“Instead of egg roll wrappers and frying they are made with pizza dough and baking.”
“Thet is a winneh right theah. Could make a lot more at once! I know what breakfast is gonna be ‘round heah t’day.” The Innkeeper smiled broadly. “I got two more pizzas in the oven. Tianna told me ‘bout them pockets of yars.” He pointed at John’s jacket. “Shame it’s gonna get cold though.”
“Oh yeah! I forgot to mention to the party that time doesn’t exist in my pockets! Hot food should stay hot…”
“Hot food will stay hot in your pockets? F’ how long John?” asked Owen with wide eyes.
“I don’t know… I guess we’ll find out.” said the Marksman.
“Mornin’ John,” Tianna said. She was wearing the leather armor that was regulation for the Knollburah town guard. It was similar to the leather armor John was familiar with from video games. There was a breastplate and a backplate held together with straps over a short-sleeved cream colored linen shirt. Armguards covered her forearms and she was wearing leather pants with kneehigh boots. “Hope it was fine thet I told Owen ‘bout yar coat theah.”
“Good morning Tianna. It’s fine. It seems like he’s provisioning us so it’s good that he knows what he’s working with.”
“Sorry ‘bout the pizzas. He insisted. Should we wrap the slices up in cloth t’ keep yar coat clean?”
“Thet’s a good idea. Let’s let it cool enough that the slices won’t stick together if we stack them.”
“No need t’ be sorry ‘bout pizza Tianna. Unless ya ate the last slice,” joked Gregory.
Owen pointed at him and nodded at his wisdom. Sebastian and Timmon entered the inn wearing their hunting leathers. The Hunter had his new bow with him. Owen took a plate of breakfast egg rolls from one of the trays and set it on the table next to the one Gregory was emptying. Timmon saw the food and sat in the chair next to the Tracker.
“This heah’s the same ones we had f’ suppeh?” he asked, taking an egg roll. He smiled as he crunched into the tasty offering.
“Ain’t the same ones at all Tim. Ain’t no vegetables in those theah. They got egg, cheese, and meat too.” said Gregory.
“No vegetables in those theah Greg,” Timmon corrected.
“Jest like I said Tim. Gonna check a few more jest t’ be sure.” The Tracker took another egg roll.
Tannyah came out of the kitchen carrying two pizzas. She saw Sebastian and her face hardened. She set the pizzas on a table near the rest of the food and went back into the kitchen without saying a word. The Hunter watched her go and sighed. Tianna patted him on the shoulder.
“Should I go and talk t’ her?” he asked.
“Give her some time theah. She’ll come ‘round before we leave,” said the Guardswoman. “Sit and eat. It’s gonna be a day full of walkin’ and fightin’ mayhaps.”
He took her advice and sat next to Timmon taking one of the egg rolls and biting into it. Surprise registered on his face and he lifted it toward Owen in a toasting gesture. The Innkeeper smiled at the unspoken compliment. Dingo Boy sat and whined quietly, he looked at John with wide begging eyes.
“I got ya!” Owen said heading off to the kitchen. He returned with a bigger than usual plate of scraps. When he knelt down and set it on the ground the Cattle Dog started to lick his face. He held his hands up to fend off the licking dog and toppled over backward. Dingo Boy followed him down and licked and licked while Tianna and Nash laughed.
The door opened and Joy walked it. The Heeler looked up from his victim and went to her. She reached down to pet him and he sat politely for it for a few moments then went to his plate and began to eat. She took a seat at the table across from Timmon and smiled at him. “No gettin’ hurt theah, right Tim?” she asked.
“No gettin’ hurt theah Joy,” he said and she smiled. “Gotta try one of these heah,” he said, handing her an egg roll. She bit into it and let out a coo of pleasure.
John went to the tables with the provisions on them and started loading loaves of bread into his left pocket. Owen saw what he was doing and came over to watch. Tianna joined them.
“Thet’s a wondeh, John,” said the Innkeeper.
“Can ya get some clean towels t’ put them pizza slices in Love?” Tianna asked him.
“Ayuh,” he said and left for the kitchen to get them. She went to the table and sat next to Joy.
John had loaded up the cheese, smoked meat, and dried sausage by the time Owen returned. The Innkeeper wrapped four slices of pizza stacked in each hand towel and passed it to John. The bundle was warm but not hot. John hoped the cheese wouldn’t stick the slices together as he put them in his pocket.
“Got some wateh skins totheh f’ ya folks as well,” Owen said. “Tia figuhes it’d be best if everyone carried their own. Says ya got a way to fill ‘em as ya go.”
Dingo Boy looked up from licking his plate clean and shook out his mystical silver bowl. It landed upright and started to fill with water. Owen walked over and watched it with childlike fascination.
“How’s thet work?” he asked breathily.
Raif and Griffon were standing in the common room eating breakfast egg rolls. They wore armor that matched Tianna’s. Each of them wore a sword on his left hip. They’d brought three bundles with them that were sitting on a table next to a pile of waterskins. Tannyah was sitting next to Joy looking at Sebastian with misery painted on her face.
“Got somethin’ f’ ya boys,” said Griffon looking at Sebastian and his hunting party.
The Hunter glanced up from the Barmaid and asked, “Do ya now?”
“Ayuh. Thought mayhaps this mission heah called f’ some armoh. Know ya got ya leathehs f’ huntin’ but them are good f’ protection from hard lands not blades,” said Raif. Tannyah started to cry and headed for the kitchen. Joy gave Sebastian a sympathetic look, patted his hand on the table, and followed her.
“We’ll get ya geahed up first Sebastian. Got a private spot we can use Tianna?” asked Griffon.
“You can use my room,” offered John.
“I’ll show ya boys the way,” Owen said. Raif grabbed one of the bundles and followed the Innkeeper with Griffon and Sebastian in tow.
“How do you like my armor?” Nash asked Tianna. He stood and spun around on one foot.
“Thet’s a nice skirt theah Celestian,” she said. Owen, returning from guiding the younger men to John’s room nodded his agreement.
“It’s a pteruges,” grumbled the Angelic Shard. “This is armor from John’s world.”
“Thet the kinda armoh ya wore when ya was a soldieh John?”
The Marksman was taking a drink of tea and choked on it. “No,” he coughed out.
“What’s wrong with my armor?!?” Nash demanded.
“Shhhh, folk are still sleepin’ heah,” scolded the Guardswoman. “Theah’s nothing wrong with it. Ya toes may get cold.” Nash looked down at his feet and wiggled his toes. “It’s jest a bit peculiah.”
“Fine!” he said in a huff and his armor shifted and flowed until it matched Tianna’s. She gave a low whistle and Dingo Boy barked.
“Shhhhh,” said John, “that’s yelling. You can talk but you can’t yell.”
He made a low huffing bark, a canine whisper.
“Thet’s some propeh armoh!” said Tianna.
“Looks jest like ya are a town guard now,” Owen said.
“Thanks!” said Nash, happy to belong. He sat down in Sebastian’s chair and started munching on the egg roll the young Hunter had been eating.
Several minutes later Sebastian and the guards returned. The armor fit him very well. He found Nash in his chair and sat at the end of the table across from John. Griffon grabbed another bundle from the table and pointed to Gregory. He got up from the table and followed the guards back to John’s room.
“How do ya like the armoh Bastian?” asked Tianna.
“Might take me a bit t’ get used t’. Stiffeh than my regulah leathehs. Betteh protection for sure. Thanks t’ all of ya. Told the othehs as much.”
“Had the boys bring a quiveh f’ ya. Saw thet ya got the bow strung.”
“Thet was a chohe! I can draw it jest fine but it’s hardeh than my old one.”
“Ayuh,” she said with a smile.
After a while Griffon, Raif, and Gregory returned to the common room. The armor was not a very good fit on the Tracker. The leather straps holding the breastplate and the backplate together, three on each side, were on their last notch and a new one had to be cut in the lowest of them to accommodate Gregory’s stomach. He had his own blue shirt on instead of the cream colored one that came with the set of armor. The armguards fit fine but the pants wouldn’t fit at all so he was wearing his normal pants from his hunting leathers. The boots fit but the tops were a little snug. He took his seat without saying anything, a blush on his cheeks.
Timmon got up and grabbed the last of the bundles. He followed the guards toward John’s room. Gregory watched him go and then quietly picked up the egg roll he’d been eating and held it under the table until the Heeler came and ate it. He picked up his tea, took a long drink, and sighed. Timmon did stretches and exercises each morning and evening. He decided to ask his friend if he could join in.
Owen sat next to Tianna and they held hands. John sipped at his tea. Nash ate an egg roll. Gregory poured another cup of tea and Sebastian watched his friend with concern. Dingo Boy jumped into the chair next to Owen and the Innkeeper began scratching him behind the ears.
When Timmon, Raif, and Griffon returned it was clear that the leather armor didn’t fit the Packer any better than the Tracker but for different reasons. The breastplate and backplate weren’t wide enough to completely cover his broad chest and back. The top two straps needed new holes and the bottom one was on the last of the existing holes. Like Gregory he was wearing his own shirt, a green one, under the armor. Unlike Gregory the armguards did not fit Timmon very well. The strap closest to his elbow needed a new hole to fit his large forearms. He was wearing the leather pants that came with the armor but they were tight on him. The boots fit Timmon much like they fit Gregory, snug at the top.
“It’s not the same f’ ya!” Tannyah cried, “Ya don’t love Timmon like I love Sebastian!”
The ‘crack’ from the slap escaped the garden and echoed in the yard behind the inn. The Barmaid held a hand to her cheek, her eyes wide with shock.
“Ya’re right,” Joy said simply, “I don’t love Timmon like ya love Sebastian. Ya finally really knew ya loved Bastian when ya tuhned twenty. I knew I loved Tim when I was two. My first memory is my heaht racin’ when he ran by in the snow and came back t’ tuck in my scahf.”
“Then why don’t ya care that he’s going off t’ thet place? Stupid men!” Tannyah said the last through tears.
“Scared t’ death. I’ve prayed f’ him, all of them, every moment since I learned they were going. It’s a bit a peace I get in the prayin’. Like knowin’ the sun will come when the rain stops. I’m trustin’ in Gorry jest like we’re called t’ do.”
“Gorry tests us sometimes Joy,” despair was thick in Tannyah’s voice.
“I don’t think He does Tanny. I think He knows our limits and He spares us from what might break us. It’s a close thing and trustin’ in Him makes the difference when we’re pressed to it. I don’t know why they gotta go but they do. Thet peace in my heaht when I pray ‘bout it tells me thet much is truth.”
“So we’re jest supposed to send them boys off like it’s any otheh day of huntin’?”
“Ayuh. Our paht in this is t’ show then boys we know they’re comin’ back to us. If they find themselves up against their limit do ya want them thinkin’ ‘bout us convinced we’re neveh gonna see them again? Mayhaps they should be thinkin’ ‘bout how we’re waitin’ f’ them, knowin’ we got more days togetheh comin’?”
Tannyah was quiet for a long moment and Joy let her have the space she needed. The Seamstress saw the Barmaid’s lips move in a silent prayer. When she looked up there was still fear and worry in her eyes but there was peace there as well.
“I’m sorry Joy, sorry f’ sayin’ what I said.”
“I’m not sorry f’ the slap,” Joy said with a grin.
Tannyah walked to her cousin who held out her arms. She fell into them and laughed until she cried. Joy just laughed. She would worry but she wouldn’t mourn without good cause.
Tannyah was determined to follow Joy’s advice. When she returned to the common room she found Sebastian wearing a set of the leather armor worn by the town guard. He looked striking in it and she was glad he had it to protect him. Her mother was talking to him in her own set of armor. It struck her that two of the most important people in her life were going off to Kiningdom Burruh to fight the evil there. Her knees got weak and tears flooded back into her eyes. She turned away and blinked them out, took a deep breath, turned back. She walked across the room to her love.
Tianna noticed the red mark on her daughter’s cheek and raised her eyebrows. Tannyah smiled at her, brought her hand up to it, and shrugged. The Barmaid turned to the Hunter and gave him a genuine smile. He was so handsome and he was hers.
“Ya look good in thet,” she said to him.
“Ya think so?” he asked, “Boots are nicer than mine.” He lifted his foot to show her.
“Ayuh. We spend a little time on our feet. Mayor Huewen makes sure we got good kit,” said Tianna.
Tannyah took his hand and squeezed it. Tianna stepped away to give them a moment of privacy. He pulled her away from the others and took her in his arms. She laid her head on his chest and sighed.
“We’re gonna be awright,” he said.
“Ayuh, jest a simple bit of adventuhe,” she said successfully keeping the quiver from her voice.
“Me and Tianna will be at the back. Anythin’ thet wants us will have t’ get through John an’ his weapon, Griffon an’ Raif with they’re swords, and my boys.”
“Mayhaps me and Joy should follow afteh ya. We could take the cranks outta the gates again,” she said with a little laugh. She hoped it sounded lighthearted and not bitter. They looked into each other’s eyes for a few moments and he kissed her gently on the lips.
“How do ya feel ‘bout plannin’ a weddin’ when I get back?” he asked.
“How do ya feel ‘bout me plannin’ a weddin’ while ya’re gone?” she asked back.
He kissed her again and she took it as a ‘yes’.
Timmon saw Tannyah come into the common room but he didn’t see Joy. He watched the Barmaid and the Hunter have their moment of good-bye. Owen made Tianna promise to come back in one piece and she made him promise not to eat pizza for every meal while she was gone. Bedrolls, rope, torches, firestrikers and tinderboxes were loaded into Timmon’s pack. Everyone grabbed a waterskin. Still no Joy. When the time came for him to don his pack he excused himself and went to the kitchen. He didn’t want to leave without saying a good-bye of his own.
She wasn’t in the kitchen. He walked through it and out of the backdoor into the garden. The faint squeak of the hinges caused her to turn toward him. She was toying with a marigold in her hand. When she saw that he’d come looking for her a slight grin appeared on her lips. The first rays of morning sun shone on her and her hair turned into red-gold fire.
“Ya’re beautiful Joy.” He said it without hesitation, guile, or reluctance. He said it like it was the truest thing he’d ever said. Her grin became a smile that lit her eyes with a luminance that rivaled the sunlight in her hair.
“An’ ya’re a fool man,” she said, taking a timid step toward him.
She put the flower in her hair, behind her ear, and reached out to take his hands. He let her. A gentle morning breeze stirred her curly locks and he was overcome. He leaned down and kissed her lips. She kissed him back. Her heart thundered. When they finished she laid her head on his chest and listened to his heart racing as he caught his breath.
There was an unspoken aversion to saying good-bye when the Kiningdom Burruh party left. Hugs, clasping of hands, pats on the back, but no good-byes. When the small group reached the south gate of Knollburah they found four guards dressed in leather armor waiting for them. Turin and Jeffery stood on one side of the gates while Robin and a new man to John, Rutger stood on the other.
“John, this heah’s Rutger. Don’t think ya got a chance t’ meet him before,” said Tianna.
The blond-haired blue-eyed man stepped forward. He was of a height with John. “Rutger Navarre heah. Heard some stories ‘bout ya John, pleasure t’ meet ya.”
“I hope they were good ones,” said the Marksman, reaching out and shaking Rutger’s hand.
“Ayuh, they were good ones,” said the guard.
“I’m Nash!” said the Angelic Shard, not waiting to be introduced. “Nice to meet you Robin and Turin and Jeffery and Rutger!”
“Ya boys aren’t comin’ in thet place with us,” said Tianna, cutting off any questions about Nash and how he knew the guards’ names.
“Ayuh, but we are walkin’ out theah with ya and we’re standin’ guahd outside thet place t’ make sure nothin’ gets outta theah past ya,” said Turin. The other three guards nodded their agreement.
“My fatheh’s… the Mayah’s ordehs,” said Robin.
“It’s fine,” John said, “My concerns are about too many of us fighting in a small space inside of Kiningdom Burruh. It’d be good to have them guarding outside watching our backs.” He’d never formed a good plan for getting any good goblins or hobgoblins out alive and having four guards at the entrance wasn’t going to help. It was a bridge he’d have to cross later. It was a good idea to have some possible backup close at hand.
They all started walking down the road together. John saw Timmon reach out a hand and lay it on Gregory’s shoulder as they passed one of the burned farms. The wreckage was stark in the daylight. A few of the farms had small memorials placed near the burnt timbers and ash. It was a difficult stretch of road to walk. John thought of the women and children in the Wolf’s Head Inn several times as he looked at the carnage.
After a long while of walking in silence Tianna said, “Ya ain’t goin’ in with us but ya might see or heah some strange thin’s boys,” She glanced around at the four additions to their group.
As if she was giving him a cue Nash stretched and his wings burst through his leather backplate. They were sunlight and glory and it was difficult to see detail in them for their brilliance. Mystical words in a lettering of an unknown origin covered their edges and shifted and changed regularly. His light brown eyes changed, becoming a deep dark blue filled with motes of light so bright that his irises seemed to shine with golden light. Rutger and Jeffery gaped, Turin reached for his sword, Robin shook his head and smiled.
“Whoa theah Turin!” yelled Raif, “He’s a Celestian! Jest look at him!”
Turin’s hand moved from his sword reluctantly and Robin said, “I didn’t believe it. Thet means ya’re one of them heroes travelin’ the land helpin’ folk?” he asked John.
The description was true enough so the Marksman just smiled and nodded. “Are they’re many people like me out there?” asked John.
“Rumohs. Ya heah a couple each yeah but no one ever actually met someone like…” Jeffery finished the sentence by gesturing at John and Nash. “Wheah do ya come from John? Ya and the heroes like ya?”
“Farther away than the map shows,” said John. Owen had mentioned the phenomenon before. He hadn’t used the word hero but he had said that Celestians traveled with some people who were “special’. He’d meant to ask Nash about it but had gotten distracted when Mayor Huewen gave him his father’s bible. He thought to the Angelic Shard, “Are there other Virtues here, in this world?”
“I’m not a Virtue John,” he thought back, “I’m just a shard, a piece of a Virtue. Celestian is a catchall word for any member of any choir of angels. Sure, there could be angels here. Guardian Angels are common on Earth, you just can’t see them. Faith is different here than it is on Earth. God, Gorry, is active here in a different way. Maybe these heroes are this world’s version of Purgated.”
John decided to take a risk and ask some questions about Gorry and Faith in this place. He’d noticed that Knollburah had no church, in fact there was no local word for church nor was there one for priest, pastor, or preacher. He wasn’t sure who to address so he simply asked, “How do you know what the ways of Gorry are? Is there a book?”
Several members of the group exchanged confused looks. There were a few glances at Nash and his impressive wings.
“Theah’s a dream,” said Tianna, “A dream thet we all have, the first dream we have and one thet comes back now and again. Some say ya have the dream more often if ya stray from His path t’ remind ya of his ways. It’s always the same f’ all of us. A bush of fire in the sandy ground.”
“Dark night,” Griffon took over, “more stahs in the sky then ya eveh seen. A voice speaks from that bush. Trust in Gorry, His ways, and His gifts.”
“Use the ways of Gorry in yar choices,” said Robin.
“Treat others as ya want t’ be treated,” said Rutger.
“Serve others an’ have joy in thet service,” Timmon intoned.
“Have courage of body, mind, and spirit,” Sebastian said.
“Take only what ya need and give in abundance,” added Gregory.
“Love Gorry, His ways, an’ others f’ ya’ll find Him in them,” Tianna said with a warm smile for John.
“Live as ya will in Paradise Everlasting,” said Turin.
“Have hope in yar heaht f’ through these ways ya’ill reach Gorry and Paradise Everlasting,” Raif said and he turned from the others wiping at his eyes.
They walked together in silent contemplation for a long time. John thought about how the Ways of Gorry were similar to the Cardinal and Theological Virtues and how they mirrored some of the messaging from the New Testament. The town guards were lost in their thoughts as if the recitation of the Ways of Gorry invoked a meditative state for them.
Nash walked along with the group uncharacteristically quiet. When the road entered the forest he tilted his head back and gazed upward through the trees. He would occasionally reach out and touch a leaf or stop to smell a blossom then hurry his pace to catch up with the group. He found a pinecone at one point which he carried and examined for a while.
Dingo Boy was off the road, in the underbrush, collecting things in his pouches and scaring up the occasional rabbit or squirrel. At one point he came to John chewing on something. When the Marksman told him to drop it he swallowed it instead.
“How is it ya don’t know ‘bout the dream?” Rutger asked John.
“Ya’re gonna have t’ wait for answehs t’ ya questions,” said Tianna, “all of ya,” she added looking at each of the four men who’d joined them that morning. “Gonna have t’ be ‘nough that John heah has saved some of our folk, defended our gates, and travels with a Celestian.”
“I’ve got some questions of my own,” John said, “but Tianna is right. The focus needs to be on our mission for now.”
“Awright John. I got answehs if ya’re buyin’ the rounds,” said Rutger, grinning. “Not sure what your questions are but I got answehs anyhow.”
Dingo Boy barked from the brush off to the left. John looked at him and saw that he was standing on a game trail.
“Looks like ya came from thet theah trail John,” Gregory said pointing at the ground where the game trail met the narrow road they were on. “Ain’t no way to miss thet tread of yars.”
“Jest no way to miss thet tread Greg,” corrected Timmon.
“I know Tim, ain’t seen nothing like it before.”
John started down the small trail and they all followed him single file. Dingo Boy leading the way.
The Marksman stood at an intersection of trails. The Cattle Dog took the one to the left but he took the one to the right. Sometimes grief robs the memory and sometimes grief sharpens it. The last time he’d been on this trail the moon lit the forest. This time the sun did. He heard the babble of the stream ahead and looked off to his left. A little way off of the trail was a cairn of rocks with a copper pan on top. The group followed him to it and spread out around it.
“What are we looking at John?” asked Raif.
“We had help getting out of Kiningdom Burruh.” John began.
“Ya been in theah?” asked Rutger and Tianna hushed him.
“There was a female goblin who found us cooking a rabbit in a kitchen. She was a cook. She played fetch with Dingo Boy. She told me about her tribe and her life.”
“He can talk with goblins?” Turin asked, shocked. Gregory scowled.
“I told her about my life and about God.”
“Ya mean Gorry?” Robin asked.
John went on without answering him, “We shared the rabbit and she showed me how to use the secret passages of Kiningdom Burruh. Then her king arrived with two guards. She tried to protect me and he killed her.”
“Did ya kill him John,” asked Griffon hopefully.
“I wounded him. I killed one of his guards, shot him, and the bullet went through and hit the king. The other guard punched me in the chest and I killed him. The king ran but I was hurt too badly to follow. There was a blood trail though.”
“Ya survived a hobgoblin punch t’ the chest?” asked Jeffery. He looked impressed.
“Yeah… barely I think. I wouldn’t have if anything found us. In the end she did save my life. She showed me how to get out safely. She’s a hero. You have every right to hate her kind but don’t hate her… and please… make sure her grave is respected.
There was a long moment of silence then Griffon broke it saying, “Ayuh, we will John.”
When they reached the mighty carved doors leading into the underground kingdom they found them open just as John had left them. The smell reached them as they approached the doors. It was faint and foul. John thought it was the hobgoblins he’d killed on his way out but the bodies were gone. There was old blood on the ground but the corpses were missing.
“Did it smell so bad when ya were heah before?” asked Gregory, “Ya didn’t mention the smell.”
“No,” John said, “It was a little musty but that was it. I killed a couple of hobgoblin guards on the way out. I thought the smell was coming from them but they’re gone. They should be right here, just inside.
The Tracker knelled down and examined the ground outside the doors. Then he looked inside of them at the stone floor of the entryway. “Looks like some of them giant rats cleaned up afteh ya theah John.”
The Marksman took Shirak from his right pocket and twisted its base until it stopped, converting the holy light to torch mode. Robin’s eyes widened at the sight and Jeffery said, “I told ya he had a peculiah light.”
“We’ll be back fellas,” said Tianna and the Kiningdom Burruh party left the guards and the sunlight stepping into the wide corridor and the darkness beyond the doors.