Valkyrie's Shadow

Chapter 13

Marcus and Alessia parted ways with the teamster before he parked their wagon, shouldering their bags and heading towards the area where the other Paladins were assembling near the ramp leading up to the highway. They crossed a pair of town militia in House Corelyn’s livery, and Marcus caught their attention.

“Excuse me,” he called out to them, “do you two work in the harbour?”

The men slowed their pace and stopped to answer.

“We’re just out doing our rounds,” one said. “Is there something we can help you with, Brother?"

“A large caravan of merchants should have just come from the south recently. One with a large escort.”

“Do you have some business with them?”

“I heard that this place was where they keep cargo from the south,” Marcus explained, “but I do not see a large number of wagons here…did something happen?”

“Ah, those Merchants didn’t stop to do business in the city,” the man said, “They stayed the night here and left for the Empire in the morning.”

Marcus furrowed his brow. He did not know too much about how Merchants operated, but he did understand enough that this behaviour was irregular.

“Is this normal for E-Rantel?”

“Gods, no,” the man let out a short laugh, “what sane merchant would skip a perfect stop on their route? Huge waste of time, money, and wagon space. I know the toll is cheap and all, but that’s just ridiculous. Seeing how large their escort was, they were probably just too scared to go in and decided to move on. Their loss.”

Marcus thanked the men and he joined the rest of the contingent. The captain was already starting to address them, so he slipped quietly into the rear.

“We will be parting ways with our wagons here and riding to E-Rantel in the morning. Once you settle on your accommodations, drop off all of the things that you will need there. You are free to look around the town, but be sure that you are ready to go an hour after daybreak.”

“Should we stick with our parties from yesterday, Captain?” Someone asked.

“If there were not any issues, it is not a bad idea,” Lorenzo nodded. “This is our last chance to get used to how things work here before we receive our assignments. I heard of no troubles from last night, but sure to conduct yourself in a manner befitting one who will soon be serving the people.”

Lorenzo waved them away, and the group quickly dispersed. Marcus joined the captain as he turned to follow the harbour back towards the highway.

“Where is Sister Alessia?” Lorenzo turned his head about.

Marcus frowned and looked around. He was so used to having Alessia about that he had assumed she was nearby. Just before turning back to see if she had been left behind, he caught a glimpse of her skipping ahead of the rest.

“No longer so shy, hm?” Lorenzo said.

“She must be up to something,” Marcus muttered as she disappeared around the corner towards the town centre. “I should probably keep an eye on her.”

“Should you?” His friend raised an eyebrow as they walked along, “Maybe you are being protective of your former Squire. Just yesterday you asked if she truly wanted to hang around us; now you are wondering what she will do alone.”

Was Lorenzo right? It shouldn’t be the case…

“Rather than being protective, I am anxious about the troubles she will cause if left alone.”

“Remember that she has her own assignment waiting for her in the city. If she cannot handle herself in this town, then…well, maybe keeping an eye on her from a distance is better.”

“Two middle-aged men tailing a teenage girl,” Marcus grumbled. “How far have the Paladin Orders fallen, I wonder?”

“I was not serious about following her,” Lorenzo smirked. “All Squires must go their own way someday, old friend. You cannot watch over them forever.”

Marcus twisted his mouth as he considered Lorenzo’s words. Alessia was his first Squire, but probably not his last. A thought occurred to him.

“Did you have a Squire before this assignment, Lorenzo? Or any of these others here?”

“Now that you mention it, no – mine was ordained two months ago. The others…” Lorenzo knotted his brows, then his eyes widened. “Are you saying that we will be taking new Squires here?”

“That is precisely what I am thinking. By training those born in these lands instead of bringing with us our own, they will raise Paladins absent of the attitudes present in the Theocracy. The foundation of a new Paladin Order, perfectly suited for their mission to deliver the light of The Six to the rest of these northern lands. This Bishop Austine is more shrewd than we thought, fulfilling so many objectives at once.”

“Well, we will not know for sure until tomorrow,” Lorenzo replied. “But if it is the case…what do you think?”

Marcus mulled over their assignment and the state of the temples in the Sorcerous Kingdom. Everything appeared to fit into place. There were no Paladins here, and they were in dire need of staff. All of the Paladins on this mission not only qualified for temple duties, but they were all of an age that they had had at least one Squire already.

The sole exception was Alessia, who just happened to have a unique assignment of her own. The others would be encouraged to take new Squires as a matter of course – maybe several since they already had experience raising one. The rest would inevitably follow in time.

“Do you think the High Council is aware?” Marcus asked, “The Grandmasters?”

“They are not fools,” Lorenzo answered. “Of course they would have considered this.”

“Then I will do my duty,” Marcus said firmly. “If a new Order is to be formed here for the furtherance of the faith and the reclamation of the north...I can think of no cause more just. However, I pray that I do not get assigned more girls just because I had Alessia.”

“You don’t think they are more manageable than boys?”

“No,” Marcus snorted. “You should volunteer yourself for this and suffer what I have for all these years.”

Lorenzo chuckled at his words, and they continued on their way to the town centre. There was a raised walkway on either side of the newly paved highway, wide enough to fit four grown men shoulder to shoulder. Tall street lamps, brightly enchanted, could be seen lining their route.

Contrary to the bridge and island fortifications, not many Undead could be seen standing sentry but there were still a fair number moving about on various errands. The townsfolk appeared to pay no more attention to them than anything else as they conducted their business.

By following the temple spire, they found themselves in a market plaza: a much larger version of the village squares they had seen on the way north. A large temple complex with the same, unassuming appearance as he had seen in the previous villages stood on the western end, while various trade guild offices were arranged around the space. An administrative office lay across from the temple, and there were a few other official-looking buildings with signs that he did not recognize.

Marcus spotted Alessia up ahead, staring at the front of one of the offices with an unfamiliar sign.

“Something interests you, Sister Alessia?” Lorenzo asked as they walked up to where she stood.

“I am wondering what this is for,” she gestured towards the building.

Marcus peered into the open door: there was a woman of pale beauty wearing some sort of dark blue outfit standing behind a counter. Above the door hung a large signboard. He leaned over to one side to get a better view. A white rectangle with a pink heart in the centre was engraved on the lacquered wood: on either side of it was carved the membranous wing from a bat, or perhaps a wyvern. No matter how long he stared at it, he couldn’t discern what it symbolized.

A young man with a loaded handcart stopped in front of the building and carried several boxes into the office. Marcus strained his ears, but could not make out what was being discussed. After a few seconds, some papers were placed before the man and he leaned over to write on them. In the end, he left with a different set of containers and a smile on his face.

A trade? A delivery? It could have been several common things.

“You are not going in to satisfy your curiosity?” Lorenzo asked Alessia.

“M-me, Captain? I have no business here – what if she becomes angry? We should ask one of the townsfolk around…”

Alessia looked about, but there was no one to speak to nearby.

“Come now,” Lorenzo said, “there is no harm in asking. It is not as if clerks bite people for having a question. That man just now seemed quite pleased, so she should be a nice person, yes?”

“Mmh…”

After a moment’s hesitation, Alessia fixed an awkward smile on her face and walked into the door.

“You people from Altamura are so shy,” Lorenzo chuckled.

“It is a fortress,” Marcus said. “I do not know what you expect when we come to places like this.”

“Well at least she is not so nervous that she cannot even book an inn,” Lorenzo said. “You just stood outside that one for two hours when we first met.”

“She survived her visit to the capital,” Marcus ignored his gibe, “though I do not know how she fared, exactly…”

Alessia stopped in the doorframe, looking around the interior of the office before her legs carried her inside. She started talking to the woman, but she was standing several metres away from the counter as she did so. At some point in their conversation, she went as stiff as a board and just as stiffly walked back out. The woman at the counter tilted her head curiously at them.

“This one,” Alessia spoke through the smile still frozen on her face, “she is a Vampire.”

Marcus and Lorenzo looked back into the office. The Vampire smiled back at them.

“What is a Vampire do–”

“You said that clerks don’t bite!”

“She bit you?”

“No, but…but…rrrgh! Next will be the Ghost in the latrine, I know it.”

Alessia rummaged around in her bag, fishing out her clasp. Marcus wasn’t sure how it would help her – there were enough Undead around that it would be informing her constantly of them.

“What is this office, then?” Lorenzo asked, “You are not going to tell me that they purchase blood, I hope.”

“It…is a post office.”

“A post office,” Marcus’ voice was flat.

“Yes!” Alessia snapped, “There are even rates listed on the walls inside. Some I recognize: E-Rantel, Arwintar…most I do not know, but some sound like local places. Dwarf cities as well, this Vampire said.”

“I wonder if I can send some letters home,” Lorenzo mused.

“Do you think they will let a Vampire cross the border to deliver mail?” Marcus was incredulous, “The moment one appears they will be turning houses inside out looking for Vampire Spawn for the next year.”

“It was a joke, Marcus,” Lorenzo said. “If you look at everything with the utmost severity here, you will be panicking at every corner. We should find an inn and fill our bellies.”

Marcus and Lorenzo continued on their way, but Alessia turned to walk in a different direction.

“Sister Alessia?” Marcus looked back at her.

“Eh...you two go on ahead, I will find my own way.”

“You were so reluctant to enter this post office, yet now you are striking out on your own so boldly. What are you up to?”

“Nothing important…”

Marcus looked around the square again, and his eyes fell upon an impressive looking establishment that stood out from the ones around it. It was roughly in the direction of Alessia’s steps. The young Paladin did not miss his look, and she turned around and strode away.

“Wait a minute,” Marcus rushed up and placed a hand on her shoulder. “What did I say about relying too much on House Corelyn’s favour?”

“But this is the last night we will have these, yes?” Alessia whined, “It is a shame to not use them!”

“Ai…what sort of Squire did I raise?”

“A smart one!”

“What of living a humble life within simple means?”

“Our Order does not require an Oath of Poverty – why would an orphan like me take an oath of poverty anyways? Only the crazy do this, and it makes them even crazier!”

“What is wrong with a normal room?”

“A normal room is small. It does not have the soft, four-poster bed with the silk sheets. Or the hot baths and the sumptuous meals – which I could not partake of this morning, mind you.”

Alessia tugged against his grip. Several bystanders whispered to one another out of the corner of his eye.

“Eh…you should let her go,” Lorenzo spoke in low tones at his side. “This is not a very defensible scene.”

Marcus released Alessia’s shoulder, and she darted away. The girl looked over her shoulder and stuck out her tongue at him.

“I must have been too soft in raising her,” Marcus muttered. “What sort of Paladin chooses such a decadent place to stay?”

“Well, nothing is specifically said against it,” Lorenzo said. “I believe you have raised her well; her heart appears to be in the right place…and it does not hurt to have something nice once in a while.”

The temple bell tolled, filling the air over the town and calling the faithful to evening prayer. People appeared from the surrounding streets to head there, and within minutes a score of townsfolk streamed towards its open doors.

“Come, let us attend, Lorenzo,” Marcus sighed. “I have many worries to cast upon the mercy of the gods.”