Rain
The rain came harder now, and the wind made the roof timbers of the shanty house groan.
The master’s eyes kept moving over to the house’s former inhabitants, their freshly dead eyes still moist and staring in shock at their fate. He thought it strange that their heads still held their shape despite what he had just witnessed. Shouldn’t they somehow be thinner?
His former pupil looked out the window into the storm. He almost seemed pensive. He turned to face his old teacher.
“How can you look at me and say it was fair? You KNOW it wasn’t fair. You know it!”
A drop of water slid through a hole in the roof and dropped into a puddle near the door.
Drip.
“You saw my work! You knew I had potential! You threw me to the wolves…and for what?” he stalked over to the chair that held the master fast and thrust his face a mere few inches from his. “WHAT did you get? Anything? A promise? A deal? A transgrestion forgiven? What was it?”
The storm blew harder. Lightning flashed outside, briefly filling the room with white light. The roof leaked on.
Drip.
The dwarven sentry looked out of the mine opening and leaned a gnarled hand against the fresh wooden support. The rain was nearly horizontal. From time to time, the wind would shift and cold droplets would sting his face.
He didn’t mind. He had gotten used to the outdoors during all those years under the sky.
He almost didn’t hear his companion walking up behind him. He turned when he sensed a presence, his axe coming up instinctively. Recognition hit a moment later.
“Forgive me my thane. I didn’t realize you were there.”
“There is nothing to forgive my brother. A warrior is forever ready. Just remember, the dangers are out there, not in here.”
The sentry turned and looked out the mine opening. “Do you miss the wind and sky?”
The thane walked to join his companion and look out at the storm.
“Sometimes. I miss this smell the most; the smell of fresh clean air after a lightning strike. I guess I miss the stars too. At first I was almost afraid of the night sky. It was endless. I felt like I might fall up into it and never be seen again. That was before Grolsch told me of the legends of his people, and how his ancestors lived amongst the stars, and looked down in approval from time to time.”
The sentry’s face grew solemn. “Do you think that Grolsch has learned to forgive himself?”
Before the thane could answer, the wind shifted suddenly and the pair were assaulted by rain drops. They laughed at their fate as water ran in rivulets off their blue tinged armor and fell to the ground.
Drip.
The master held his face defiant. Lightning flashed again, briefly illuminating his stern visage.
“I received no bribe. You know your offense. You understand your sin. Let us not forget who the guilty party is! You committed the one offense that we all find abhorrent.”
Rage crossed the student’s face. “WHAT! What did I do? I was ushered out without so much as a by your leave. Cast out to find my own fate. Don’t you see? I was first! I was your favorite!” he stalked about the room, his arms held out from his sides, pleading. “What was it that I did that made you throw me out? No….what was it that I did that made you forsake me for her? Was it money? Did her father pay you? That’s blood money you know. Gold and silver earned through the sale of LIVING BREATHING PEOPLE!” He clasped his hands over his face, his rage barely contained. With a deep, shuddering breath he seemed to calm, and walked to kneel at the master’s chair.
“How could you? She was a CHILD! She couldn’t possibly have developed the talent that I had. We both know it was her family connections that bought her seat. No one that young get’s into Cavelli’s. Look me in the eye and tell me that I did something wrong.
The hole in the roof seemed to widen.
Drip.
The thane stretched his arms above his head and was rewarded with a crack deep within his muscles. He looked out at the storm thoughtfully.
“Grolsch is hard to understand. He holds himself to a different standard than the rest of us. It makes for a hard man. I don’t understand how he can forgive the man who fired the bolt that killed his brother, but he can’t forgive himself. I asked him about it once, and he said that the pain that we inflict upon ourselves in the only suffering that we cannot heal. I guess because of that, it is the only thing that can shake the faith of one such as himself. Suffering is the one thing that his god cannot abide by, and yet the thing that he most often inflicts on himself. He exists in that terrible in between where what he wants most is what he must deny himself. He exists forever in a state of pennance. Never closer to redemption, but always in danger of falling further away.”
The water was running down the side of the cave wall as the wind picked up strength. The thane paused to cup his hand under a stream and take a sip of water. A drop fell from his hand to the floor of the mine.
Drip.
The master was increasingly aware of the presense behind him. Just out of sight, but never out of mind. He knew of the killer’s power, and that he had no hope of escape. The killer knew this too, and rested a single slender hand on the master's shoulder near his neck.
The master fixed the student with a cold stare. His mouth was dry, but he could speak.
“You took the work of another, and passed it off as your own.”
The student’s eyes grew wide with shock and his face paled. “Plagiarism? That’s what you’re accusing me of? PLAGIARISM? How DARE you? I never ONCE had need to steal the work of another! You’re lying. YOU’RE LYING! This is a setup. Who’s idea was this? WHO SET ME UP?”
The master’s eyes were betraying his fear. “No one. You did it. You stole her work.”
A sudden gust of wind hurled the door open and the full fury of the storm entered the tiny house. The wind drove rain sheeted across the master and drenched his clothes. The student had to rush to seal the door before his treachery could be known.
A single drop of water ran down the master’s hand.
Drip.
The Thane could see the sun beginning to illuminate the tips of the mountains outside the mine. His depth of vision had suffered since the injury, an insult that he would one day have to avenge along with his honor. That would wait for another day though. Right now he had his people to think of. The new mines were plentiful, but not yet deep. The horse clansmen meant that they had to make the tunnels twice as tall as before. It took more time. The guard looked to the Thane.
“I miss him. Grolsch I mean. He was a good warrior. He understood tactics.”
The Thane fixed his one good eye on the sentry before he spoke.
“He understands forgiveness too. Maybe someday he and I will meet again and he’ll find me worthy.”
The thane seemed suddenly smaller that moment, as if the distant memory of a better time had reduced his already diminuative height. He turned from the sentry so he wouldn’t see a tear roll off a gnarled cheek.
Drip.
The student was wet and mad, the wind was howling and a crack of lightning with a double clap of thunder punctuated it.
“You’re LYING! You knew my work. YOU TAUGHT ME! You know that I would NEVER steal the work of another. What glory is there in that? I was going to be a bard! I would travel the land and garner the adoration of everyone! YOU STOLE THAT! You ruined my dreams! WHY! You wouldn’t have done it. Not without someone telling you to. WHO MADE YOU BETRAY ME?”
It was the master’s turn to scream. “NO ONE! YOU DID IT! YOU STOLE JOLIE’S WORK!”
Henri winced at the name from so long ago. Then he nodded to his companion.
Master Rohlig felt the caress of a single purple tentacle on his temple. It was strangely warm, it pierced his flesh ever so gently, and trickle of blood fell to his collar.
Drip.
The thane didn’t want the sentry to see his mood. “I relieve you of your duty. I will watch the gate for the rest of tonight. Go home to your family.”
The guard didn’t need more than that. He breathed a quick thank you and rushed away, leaving Daggoth alone with his thoughts.
After a few minutes she came in out of the rain. She was soaked to the bone, and water rolled off of her long black hair.
Drip.
Henri leaned close to Rohlig’s face.
“You saw what he can do. Last chance. Who did it? Who set me up? You know and you know that I’ll find out. Save yourself. I’ve come a long way to get here and I won’t stop until I get what’s mine. Tell me. The truth will set you free.”
A second and third tentacle worked their way along his scalp, parting away what was left of his thinning hair.
Sobs began to wrack Rohlig’s body. All his life had come to this. So much music left to write, so many students left to teach. He couldn’t let his music die with him could he? Not now, not when there was so much left to do.
Rohlig took a deep breath that caught twice in his throat. Tears flowed freely down his face. He sobbed again, “I’m sorry Henri. I’m so sorry. It wasn’t my idea.”
Henri placed his palm on Rohlig’s cheek. “It’s ok. Just tell me the truth and everything will be fine.”
Rohlig sobbed again, “It was Adam. Adam de la Halle told me to betray you.”
Henri's eyes hardened. With one smooth motion he thrust a bag into the lap of his former teacher. The violence of the move made several silver coins fall out. At that moment, Master Rohlig, Senior Member of the Bard’s Guild and head of the Composition Department at Cavelli’s school sobbed once more, gasped, and then his life ended. A bit of what was once his mind fell from purple lips.
Drip.
Daggoth was never sure how to feel when she arrived. It was always bad tidings.
“I was wondering when you would show up. I haven’t seen you since the exodus.”
She smiled, “I’ve been busy. Urgent business in warmer climates. How have you been?”
Daggoth shook his head. “Not good. They named me hegira. I am outcast. Never to return to my clan. No home, no clan, no purpose other than to lead my people…to what?”
She smiled again. “I know it’s hard Daggoth, but you have to trust me. What you did was best.” Soon you will return to the Vale of Summer to meet again with Sheshair, Nehera, Galen and Grolsch. If everything works the way I hope, you’ll take them a most wonderful gift.”
Daggoth's eyes narrowed as she leaned in close to him.
"You see, secrets have a way of getting out...."
That's when she dropped it in Daggoth's hand....
Drip.
Tilly rolled over on her back on the roof of the small house. She had seen everything through the hole she cut. Henri had returned, he had killed Master Rohlig and now he was going after Master Adam.
All these years waiting, and now it was time.
Tilly felt in the secret pocket of her vest and pulled out a small silver pin. If ever she needed a favor, she needed it now.