Champions Vol. 02

As the guard turned to leave, Themistokles saw the Mark of Servitude on his neck. When he heard that convicted criminals were being used to defend the city as part of their penance he had been surprised. He had hoped that Sapphire was confused or inaccurate in her tale, but now that he had seen the marked man for himself he knew it was true.

Something very strange was going on in Exitibus.

* * *

An hour later, Themistokles sat with Phoebe and Varus in the temple, discussing the troubling events that had occurred in the city since his last visit.

The pair had asked the Inquisitor how much he already knew of the situation, and he asked them to tell him everything. Their description of the events surrounding the death of Priest Pelagios, the riders sent to Sanctuary Port, the creation of the position of sheriff, and Varus' efforts on behalf of the city all matched what Sapphire and David had told him in Calavius. However, once Phoebe began relating what Laurena had told her regarding their last night in the city Varus' expression became conflicted. The man said nothing, refusing to interrupt his love, but Themistokles could tell that there was some element of Phoebe's recollection that he did not like.

Waiting for Phoebe to finish, Themistokles then turned to Varus and asked, "What is your opinion on this matter?"

Varus immediately turned to his love, who looked at him with an unhappy expression. He cleared his throat nervously before speaking.

"As soon as Phoebe was delivered to my home that night I assembled the city guard and investigated the locations of the attacks," Varus began carefully. "We were able to find both locations Laurena described. We found three dead men at the first location, and four at the second." Pausing, he shot a cautious look at Phoebe.

"However, we did not find the swords, axes, clubs, or bows that Laurena claimed were carried by the men that attacked them. A few of the men had knives, but they were small belt knives," he continued. "We could find no bows or arrows, nor any evidence that they were even used on the rooftops near the first attack site. Laurena said that four men attacked them at the first location, and one was injured but alive when they left. However, we could find nothing that supports the presence of any other people at that location. No blood trails led away from the site, nor were there any signs of blood on the roofs nearby.

"At the second location, we found the four bodies like Laurena described to the priestess; but only two were armed. Both were city guards, and even though off duty and out of uniform all my guards are required to be armed at all times. Again, no bows or arrows were present.

"Both areas were in the business district, and the shops had already closed down for the night. However, we were able to find a few people that heard loud noises like thunder at both locations. None of them saw the attacks, but one man at the second location did get out of his bed and check on the noises. When he found the bodies he alerted the guards. According to him, nothing was different from the site from when he left to fetch a guard to when he returned. He saw no weapons.

"Further, I either knew personally, or at least knew of, all of the men who died that night. They were good, honest, hardworking men. I have great difficulty believing the version of events that Laurena related to Priestess Phoebe."

Thinking back, Themistokles considered what he had been told of the attack. Sapphire and David had clearly said that the men were armed, and supported by archers which they had injured. Further, according to David, the last man had been killed with an arrow by his own men. It was possible that the men returned and gathered the weapons after the trio had left and before Varus arrived, but the witness would have noticed the weapons were missing.

Looking at Varus, Themistokles asked him, "What do you think happened?"

Varus hesitated, looking to Phoebe. She looked back at him with concern, but nodded.

"Priestess Phoebe and I disagree on this matter, and I do not have enough information about what happened to reach any conclusion," Varus stated carefully.

"Priestess, what is your opinion?" the inquisitor asked.

"I have known Laurena for years. We were at the Great Temple together and even roomed with one another for a year. I have never known her to deliberately lie, and cannot believe she would do so about something like this," Phoebe said with certainty.

Turning back to Varus, Themistokles asked, "And what is your opinion...without worrying about what you can prove?"

Sighing Varus gave Phoebe an apologetic look before he began. "Two of the witnesses we talked to heard a man and a woman yelling back and forth at each other before the...incident. Neither could tell what was being said, but one of them stated that they thought it might have been an argument.

"Additionally, one of the men in the first group was Akakios, a man known to favor drinking. He has had to pay penance a number of times for minor altercations he got into when intoxicated. While he is normally a polite man, he could not handle drink well and often became angry when inebriated.

"It is possible that David was arguing with either Laurena or Sapphire, and Akakios -- if he were drunken and angry -- would have assumed that he was threatening the women. From what I know of Sapphire and what I have learned from Priestess Phoebe about Laurena, neither of them would travel with a man that would attack them. However, Akakios could not have known this, and he would have welcomed any excuse to fight if he were drunk. He has done so many times in the past.

"I have no way to confirm this, but I suspect that Akakios attacked David, thinking that he was coming to the ladies' aid. David would have defended himself, and unfortunately as he showed with his actions in Wolfsvale he is powerful and violent in such defense. I believe he killed Akakios and his two companions when they tried to intervene, thinking that he and the women with him were being attacked again.

"I suspect that the first incident was a terrible accident, and that the second incident would never have occurred if not for the first."

"Please explain," Themistokles requested.

"Two of the men in the second incident were city guards. They were off-duty and on their way home from dinner at a tavern. If they had heard the sound of the fight, they would have been honor-bound to investigate. Seeing the three men dead, they would have assumed that the attackers from outside the city they had been guarding against had finally come in, and would have searched for them. The other two men with them were not acquaintances of these guards, and there would have been no reason for them to be there unless the guards feared for the safety of the city, and requested their aid in tracking down the murderers.

"I believe that this group chased after David, Sapphire, and Laurena. They would have attempted to capture them to face judgment for their actions. Laurena was wearing her acolyte robes, so I have to assume that the men thought she was their captive. Unfortunately, having already been attacked only moments before, David and Sapphire resisted, thinking they were fighting for their lives. In the struggle the men were killed.

"Exitibus is a safe and peaceful city, but there is much fear here now, after the death of Priest Pelagios. The people here are frightened, and rational thought can often be one of the first victims when that happens. The events of that night are still uncertain; but I suspect that what I have just told you cleaves closer to the truth than what Laurena told Priestess Phoebe that night.

"One issue of note though, is that Akakios had a close friend Lysandros, who my guards have been attempting to find since the event. It is possible that he was the fourth man that the trio described, and could be a useful witness in resolving these questions. However, none of my men have been able to find him, and his neighbors mentioned that he had been talking for weeks about a desire to visit family in Hiefesgaden. It is possible that he was the fourth man, and he was so frightened by the brutality of David's actions that he ran from the city fearing for his life; but it is also possible that he left to visit his family that day -- before everything occurred -- and he knows nothing of the attacks."

Themistokles frowned. The matter of Lysandros just seemed too mysterious. He may have to track the man to Hiefesgaden if he could not find the answers he needed here. Pushing that issue to the side temporarily, the inquisitor considered Varus' claim. Themistokles had not been able to verify the truth of Sapphire's and David's version of events in Calavius, as their magical protections prevented it. However, the very fact that they felt it necessary to have such protection cast doubt on them. Further, there was something about David the inquisitor did not trust. The man came from nowhere, kept secrets, and freely admitted to a history of violent overreaction. Astinus had already leveled penance upon him for it. Yet, he traveled with Eros' Champion. Surely Laurena would not have lied for him.

Themistokles sighed in frustration. He had not spoken with the Champion about this event when she was in Calavius; she had been busy with Priestess Charis. In fact, the only person who had spoken with her about this was Phoebe.

"Priestess Phoebe, is it possible that Champion Laurena was confused or mistaken about what she told you that night?" the inquisitor asked.

"Champion Laurena!?" Phoebe gasped.

Themistokles cursed. He had been so determined to investigate the attacks that he had forgotten to tell them the grand news. Quickly he explained about Laurena being chosen by Eros to be his Champion. The pair asked many questions about it, and he was annoyed about how few he could answer. Once again, the secrecy practiced by the Champion and her companions galled him. He was an Inquisitor! He should not have secrets kept from him!

Once the clamor from the surprising but glorious announcement wound down, Themistokles repeated his question to Phoebe.

Phoebe shot an apologetic look to Varus, who smiled softly and gave an encouraging nod. Turning back to the inquisitor she spoke. "As I said, I know Laurena well, and I do not believe she was lying. However, she was very upset when they came to my room at the temple that night. She claimed that she was so frightened during each fight that she was unable to help, and that she was unsure how many people attacked them.

"However, she was adamant that she would not have survived if David and Sapphire had not defended her. She truly believed that their lives were in danger that night, and was convinced that her companions were justified in their actions. She knows well the laws of Eros, and has always valued life. I cannot believe that she would condone the taking of so many lives over a mere accident. But I have no idea why the weapons that she described to me that night were not present when Sheriff Varus and his men arrived."

Themistokles considered her words, and also considered the interactions that these two were having in front of him. It seemed that Phoebe and Varus were in love, and hesitant to contradict one another. This was interfering with his spell of truth detection. Both of them believed what they were saying, but they were also both holding back something. They were not speaking fully and openly.

"If you would permit it, I would now like to go over this with each of you individually," Themistokles requested of them.

Both nodded, and Varus stood to leave.

"I will allow Priestess Phoebe to speak with you first, she has service to prepare for soon," Varus explained as he made to leave.

Standing as well, Phoebe walked with him to the door, and the pair kissed quickly before Varus left. Once she returned, Themistokles bade her restart her recollection from the beginning, when the trio arrived at the temple. He asked her to be as detailed as possible, and to leave nothing out.

The inquisitor hoped that Varus was wrong, for it would mean that innocent men had not been slaughtered in Exitibus over stupidity and fear. It would also mean that his long search for his quarry was finally coming to an end.

He would discover what was going on in this city, no matter how long it took.

*** Chapter 16: Wheels Turning ***

301500APR13 DW

Two miles West of Wolfsvale, Erosius

The clash of swords rang out, alerting all nearby that battle had been engaged. Timothy side stepped backwards, struggling to bring his shield back in line to block his opponent's counter-strike. His adversary had held his shield low, exposing a potentially fatal opening. However, when Timothy attempted to exploit the weakness his attack had been neatly parried. The opening had been a ruse, his target intercepting the attack with his own blade, and immediately launching a counter. Timothy's own shield was now out of position from the strike, and he knew that his novice footwork was the only chance he had to save himself.

Unfortunately, his opponent followed him sure-footedly. Twisting with his wrist and body, the man flowed from parry to attack in a fluid movement, and as the blade raced toward his head Timothy knew he had been beaten.

CLANG!

The flat of the dulled training blade pinged off Timothy's helmet, signaling to all that his fate had been sealed.

"Excellent work, Davis," Astinus complimented. "The positioning of your shield displayed improper form, but it appears it was a cleverly crafted lure."

Thank you, Priest Astinus," Davis responded. "Your lesson on deception yesterday inspired me."

"Timothy, you are doing well," Astinus continued his critique. "You saw the opening immediately, and did not hesitate to strike. That was a good instinct, and it will serve you well as you continue to train. Davis' trick is not uncommon, but now that you have seen it you will be able to recognize it in the future."

"Thank you, Priest Astinus," Timothy replied humbly. "I will work hard to ensure it."

Picking up his own training sword and shield, Astinus moved into the ring. "Timothy if you would join the rest of the class I wish to render instruction. Davis, please stay, I will need you for this."

Timothy nodded in confirmation, and moved outside the ring to join the other eighteen students who had observed the duel. He and his wife had been present when Astinus received the news of the coming invasion and orders to assemble and train the western forces. The young husband and soon-to-be father had been his first volunteer.

Two days later Astinus had ridden his horse out of Wolfsvale, leading 100 volunteers from his small town to his future training grounds two miles west. It was a large stretch of open land, with gently rolling hills and a large copse of trees nearby. Since then, his troops had doubled, as had his responsibilities.

"Davis, please take up the same stance you presented Timothy," Astinus instructed.

Once the man had done as instructed, Astinus moved to him, pointing with his sword to direct the group's attention. "Observe his position. You see how his shield is low, as though his strength is flagging from carrying its weight. This is one of the first mistakes I taught you to avoid, and also look for in your opponent. However, notice his stance. His legs are bent, his center of gravity low, and his weight is balanced evenly. Were he truly tired then his legs would be straighter to take the strain off his thighs, his center of gravity higher, and further towards his back foot to offset the weight of his shield.

"If you witnessed only his shield you would think an opening had presented itself, but a close look at his body positioning exposes his deception. He is prepared to act or react quickly. This knowledge can be capitalized upon. With his shield low and his sword held to the right, this exposes a large area of vulnerability. He knows he must parry any strike to that side before he can launch a counter," Astinus explained, pointing with his sword as he described each item.

"This means that a feint can be used to draw his weapon out of position, opening a strike to his right like so," Astinus continued as he moved to stand in front of Davis, positioning himself as an attacker. "Half- speed, Davis."

Both of them moving at half-speed, Astinus feinted a strike to Davis' left side. When the man moved to parry the blow the priest's wrist twisted and his sword rotated, changing the angle of the strike to the now exposed right. The flat of Astinus training blade made a clang of its own as it struck Davis' helmet.

"Priest Astinus, the housing crew wished to know how many more tents would be needed," called out a woman's voice from beyond the circle of students.

Astinus sighed in annoyance. Nearly a week had passed since the rider had delivered his worrying message. Since then, almost two hundred able men and women had arrived, and he had immediately set them the task of building the training grounds for the army while he rotated groups of twenty through weapons training.

He had a rough idea of how many people lived in Western Erosius, and he was thankful that number was nearly half the size of those who resided east of the Abatinus Mountains. Unfortunately, it was still quite large at between 20,000 and 30,000. The clergy was only calling for volunteers at the moment, and based on his past experience with minor skirmishes that usually meant ten percent would answer the call. But this was the first time that a call to arms had been ordered by Eros himself. He honestly had no idea how many would show up.

Calling a halt to training, Astinus turned to address the questioner. "Tell them to make certain that there are at least enough to house 2,000 soldiers," Astinus told the woman, "but make sure that they place them so that we can add as much as double that later if needed."

Thanking the priest, she returned to her work group with the instructions. Just as Astinus was preparing to return to his instruction, another interruption occurred.

"Priest Astinus, Priest Astinus, riders from the east!" exclaimed a young man as he ran up to the group. Astinus had assigned him as a runner for the scouts because he was eager, with strong legs and great endurance. Unfortunately, he was young, and just a little too excitable for something as worrisome as preparing for war.

"Did they say who they were, Kyros?" Astinus inquired.

"No, Priest Astinus. They were still a ways off when Hesperos commanded me to alert you," Kyros replied.

Instructing the students to practice forms until he returned, Astinus exited the ring. He left his training sword and shield and walked to the top of a small hill nearby. Shielding his eyes from the sun with a hand, he looked to the east along the nearby road. He could see the cloud of dust left in the wake of the riders. Looking closer he could see that there were approximately a score of them, and each one was dressed all in black.

Lowering his hand, Astinus smiled as he turned to Kyros, "You can go back to Hesperos now Kyros, and tell him that these riders were expected. When they arrive they are to be welcomed and escorted to my tent."

Surprised, the young man nodded and began to run back to his position before he realized he had no idea who these people were if his partner asked. Hesperos was nearly ten winters older than him, and after being raised aboard a merchant ship by his parents he had left as soon as he came of age, vowing to never set foot on another ship. He had spent the winters since as a hunter and tracker in the Dracian Forest. Kyros admired the man, and hated to look foolish in front of him, even though the inexperienced young man often did. Then he stopped and turned back to his leader.