"If it was the same girl we saw entering the tent, she was no elf," Kaylia noted. "But clearly she"s familiar with elf tactics."
"In that case, I hope she turns out to be on our side," Lee said, his concern showing in his voice. "Do you think you can track them?"
"Perhaps," she said. "The guards in the woods will slow me down, but I should be able to tell the direction they ran. That is, unless this girl hides like an elf as well."
"I"ll gather three of their horses and meet you two miles east of here," said Lee. "Find out what you can." Kaylia started off towards the woods.
"Kaylia," called Lee.
She paused, and turned her head slightly.
"Try not to kill all the guards," he said.
Kaylia smiled and disappeared into the night.
"She"ll kill every one of them," Salmitaya said contemptuously.
"Elves only understand blood."
"And yet you live," Lee pointed out. He saddled three horses and chased off the others so the guards couldn"t follow. He mounted one horse, and signaled for Salmitaya to mount another.
"If you try to escape," he warned, "I swear, I"ll hog tie you and carry you over my saddle."
Salmitaya glared angrily.
They rode east for two miles, then hid in the woods next to the road.
"Now that I have you alone," said Lee, "you"ll answer a few more questions for me."
Salmitaya lowered her eyes, looking defeated.
"How long have you served the Dark Knight?" he asked.
"The Dark Knight?" she scoffed. "I serve the power of Angraal that seeks to release us from slavery. The Dark Knight is merely an instrument."
"You"ll find that I"m not easily distracted," said Lee. "How long?"
"Eight years," she replied.
"How many others are there?" he asked.
Salmitaya laughed. "How should I know? We are not told the ident.i.ty of others. No knowledge, no betrayal."
Lee pressed the matter further. "Of course. But surely you"ve ran into others from time to time."
"I have," she admitted. "But never the same person twice, and not for more than for a few moments. If you want me to give you names, I can"t. Torture me all you want, I don"t know."
"Is there a way you recognize others like you?" asked Lee. "A signal, or some sort of clothing?"
"The only way I can tell is if a person bares the seal of the Great Lord himself," she explained. "It"s a hand holding broken scales. I"ve seen it many times, but we all have orders to destroy it right away once received. That"s the only way I know." She turned away and faced the darkness of the forest. "Ask me nothing more. I have no knowledge of plans or strategy. I know nothing that can help you."
"Perhaps," Lee said. "But you still have to convince one more person."
"The b.l.o.o.d.y elf? She would cut my throat before listening to me."
"It"s not the elf you need to convince," Lee chuckled. "Your fate rests in the hands of Sister Maybell."
Salmitaya"s eyes widened. "You brought her with you? Where is she?"
"She"s safe," he answered. "Waiting for us to return this very moment, in fact."
"She"s a fool," spat Salmitaya. "A blind old fool."
"I spared your life because of a promise I made to that blind old fool," Lee warned. "You had better pray she holds me to it."
Lee could sense her sudden fear.
Kaylia showed up with a look of concern and confusion on her face. Lee walked with her out of earshot of Salmitaya.
"Whoever this woman is, she"s clever, and moves with great speed," Kaylia whispered. "It would take me two days to catch them if I persisted, so I doubt the guards have any chance at all."
"That would be good news if we knew who she was," Lee said.
"Could you tell where they"re going?"
"I think they"re heading into the Spirit Hills," she replied. "Any other direction would take them back to the road. I doubt they"ll risk exposure until they"re well away from here."
"There"s a village on the southwest slopes that they"ll likely stop at for supplies," said Lee. "Even at a dead run, it would take them three days to make their way through such rough terrain. On horseback, we can reach the village ahead of them, if we take the road and go around. Unless they sprout wings and learn to fly, we should be able to head them off."
"What of the woman?" Kaylia asked. "You don"t intend to leave her here, do you?"
"We"ll ride to Fair Harvest first," Lee responded. "I promised to deliver her to Sister Maybell. A delay, I know, but we should still be able to beat Gewey and this mystery woman by a full day."
"Very well," said Kaylia. "I don"t like delays, but I would like to see this reunion." A sinister smile crept over her face.
Lee threw his head back in laughter. "No doubt Maybell will be quite put out." He paused, struck by a sudden thought. "By the way, did you leave any of the guards alive?"
"Yes," answered Kaylia. "But I doubt they"ll venture into the forest after dark again."
Lee smiled. "We"re off, then."
The three mounted their horses and headed east until they reached a crossroads where they turned south, toward Fair Harvest.
It took them until mid-morning to arrive, and by that time their horses were spent. Lee knew he would have to purchase others if they expected to catch Gewey.
Fair Harvest was little more than a large camp, supported by a few local farmers and traders. The town had only one road, with a few small shops and dwellings scattered on either side; the inn at the southwest corner of the village was by far the largest building. Seeing the state of things, Lee grew concerned that he wouldn"t be able to find decent horses. They approached the inn, tied their mounts to the hitching post, and led Salmitaya inside.
The interior of the inn was even less impressive than the exterior. Three tables and a small bar was the grand sum of the common room.
Two locals sat in the corner drinking ale while the barmaid leaned against the wall, playing with her hair.
The innkeeper, who had been rummaging around behind the bar, rose to his feet as they approached. "Can I help you?" he asked, staring at the hooded figure of Kaylia.
"We have two friends staying here," said Lee. "Could you tell someone to get them for me?"
"Indeed, sir," said the innkeeper. "They"re here all right. You"ll be taking them along with you I trust?"
"Why do you ask?" Lee said warily. "Has there been trouble?"
"Not so much trouble," he replied, "but I swear that woman could drive a nitfly mad. I mean, look around. Does this look like a palace to you?" The man gestured to the meager decor. "You"d think she was the Queen herself the way she makes demands."
Lee smiled. "Could you go get them please?" he asked, tossing the man a copper.
"Yes sir," said the innkeeper. "Right away." He disappeared up the stairs.
Seconds later, Millet came running downstairs and pulled Lee into a tight embrace. "Thank the G.o.ds you"re here; that woman is driving me mad." Releasing his grip on Lee, Millet noticed Salmitaya.
"I see you have her, but what about the boy?"
"Let"s go upstairs where we can talk," said Lee. "Where"s Maybell?"
"In her room," said Millet sourly, leading them upstairs. "She refuses to come out until she gets a proper bath. The wash basin isn"t to her liking."
"Well, she can get one back in Kaltinor if she wants," Lee quipped, slapping Millet on the shoulder.
"Indeed," Millet huffed.
"We"ll take care of this one first," Lee instructed, holding Salmitaya by the arm. "Show us to Maybell"s room."
Millet knocked on the old woman"s door.
"Unless you"re here with a proper bathtub and hot water, go away!" Maybell called from behind the door.
"Open up," Lee said sternly.
They heard the woman scuffling around, and then the door swung open.
"We have someone here to see you," Lee said, pushing Salmitaya inside.
Maybell immediately noticed the blood on her dress. "You said she wouldn"t be harmed!"
"And she hasn"t," said Lee. "That"s not her blood."
Maybell looked in horror at the blood-stained dress. "Then whose blood is it?"
"Before I get to that," said Lee, looking at Salmitaya. "I think Her Holiness has a few things she"d like to tell you. The deal is she lives so long as she tells the truth."
Salmitaya glared at Lee. "Very well," she said, then turned toward Maybell. "What I am going to tell you is the complete truth. Once you"ve heard it, you are to decide my fate. On the head of Ayliazarah and the essence of my soul, I swear that my words are not false."
Salmitaya proceeded to tell Maybell how she had conspired with the governor to close the temples. She told her about the murders and deceptions she had been part of. Maybell listened carefully, but her face betrayed no emotion-not even when Salmitaya confessed to serving Angraal and kidnapping Gewey for the Dark Knight.
When she was finished, Maybell stood up tall and straight and looked into Salmitaya"s eyes.
"I cast you out," said Maybell, her voice quiet and calm. "The eyes of the temple will no longer see you. Your name will be stricken from the Book of the Eternal Light and shall not be spoken again.
I give you your life only so that you may see the day when you and your master suffer as you have made others suffer." She paused, locking eyes with Salmitaya. "Now leave from my sight, before I forget myself and kill you where you stand."
"Put her in your room, Millet," said Lee, and then looked over to Kaylia. "Give her some jawas tea and leave her there. She can make her way back to Kaltinor, or wherever else she wants, when she wakes up."
As soon as the door closed, Maybell sat on the bed and wept.
"Millet will see that you get safely back to Kaltinor," Lee said, placing his hand gently on Maybell"s shoulder. "If that"s where you want to go."
Maybell wiped her tears and said, "I can"t go back. No matter what I said, that woman has power enough to keep herself safely locked away in the temple. She could crush an old woman like me."
"Then where do you want to go?" Lee asked. Maybell opened her mouth to reply, but Kaylia and Millet returned before she could give her answer.
"Kaylia and I need to leave as soon as we"re able," Lee explained. "Millet, you"ll take the wagon south to the Old Road of Santismal, then continue west. Whoever freed Gewey is likely to pa.s.s through Vine Run on the southwest slope of the Spirit Hills. Kaylia and I will try to cut them off, while you follow behind."
"You never said what happened to Gewey," said Millet. "Where is he?"
Lee told them about the events of the past day and explained their plan.
"I will see to the horses now," said Millet. "You should eat and rest for a bit."
"One more thing," Lee said, turning toward Maybell. "Sister, if you wish, you can accompany Millet until you either reach another temple or figure out where you want to go."
Millet froze. "But my lord..." he started.
"Thank you," Maybell interrupted. "That is very kind. I"m sure Millet and I will become fast friends."
Millet looked pained as he turned and left. Kaylia said nothing, but Lee could tell she was not happy.
"If you"ll excuse us, Sister," Lee said, motioning for Kaylia to join him in the hall.
"She will slow us down," Kaylia a.s.serted. "You should leave her."
"You"re right," Lee acknowledged. "But I won"t. She"s a lady of worth and honor, and I will not abandon such a person."
"Answer me this, half-man," she countered. "When you came upon me in the forest, was it you who decided to come to my aid?"
Lee had no answer.
"I see," she said.
"The fact is, I was wrong and Gewey was right," Lee said, finally.
"Given the same choice again, I would help you."