Say a Prayer Ch. 06

A second or so after that little speech, Erdgar tilted his head and said, "Black glove? You saw the color of his gloves?"

"Yes, Sir. Let me go after him."

Another look towards his son, and then Erdgar said, "Fine. I'll listen for gunshots."

He heard them around five minutes or so after Kovak had disappeared in the forest. Four gunshots, first one, and then three a few moments afterwards. Erdgar told most of the men to take his son to the castle. Then he took the remaining men with him to search for Kovak.

They found him fairly easily. He was standing near his horse. Another horse was dead on the ground, a gunshot wound in his head, blood seeping into the grass and earth. A hunting rifle was on the ground a few feet away from the carcass. The apparent trespasser was calmly seated on the ground beside the dead horse. Rope had his wrists tied behind himself. His long legs were slightly bent.

Other than his body's rough shape, Erdgar couldn't see what the man looked like. His clothing covered all of his body. His head was wrapped in gray fabric.

Even though the situation was still a bit grave, Erdgar wanted to laugh, because that trespasser had reminded him of a time when he had less courage, a time when his wife didn't know his face.

With their horses paused nearby, Erdgar and company looked at the scene with curious faces. He heard the word assassin whispered among them. So, he asked Kovak, "Why haven't you removed his mask?"

His eyes so suspicious that they hurt to look at, Kovak said, "Because he didn't do anything to stop me when I reached for him. In fact, I'd say he barely moved when I tied him up."

Erdgar shook his head and slapped one of his thighs. "Explain. This is nonsensical."

"He wants me to remove the mask," Kovak said after a sniff, "otherwise he wouldn't be such a pussy about it. This makes me wonder why he's wearing a mask in the first place."

"He's probably an assassin," one of the guards suggested.

"Then why not make himself seem like a poacher?" Kovak said, pressing at his sinuses with the set of fingers that wasn't clinging to a gun. He took a gritty breath. "Assuming he'd be caught, we'd believe he was a poacher and not even think of an assassin. Wearing a mask is some special kind of retarded when you're trying not to be noticed."

"Then why in the world is he here?" another guard asked.

Kovak put both hands on his gun, keeping it pointed down for the sake of safety. "Despite the mask, I think he's an assassin, or at least a spy. He has to be working for someone, but I think he's defected. Or at least, he wants us to think he's defected, because he wants his face shown, but he wants someone else to show his face."

"Then we should send him to the king," Erdgar said with a tense nod, sensing a new headache rising up. Deep in his boots, his toes bent in an attempt to distract his brain from the pain. "This situation needs to be investigated."

A shake of his blond head, and then Kovak said, "If this group is able to send someone off like this, then they're likely able to send more people. If they think someone's about to reveal them to the government, they might get pissed and take a more serious approach. Basically," and here Kovak's shoulder quirked, "they might kill someone if they hadn't wanted to do it in the first place, and they'd do it with much more care."

"Then why don't we just fucking kill him?" a guard asked impatiently.

Kovak shot that man an annoyed look. "Because this fucker isn't even fighting. It's like he wants to die. I don't give a shit about his personal problems, but you shouldn't give your enemy what he wants, especially not when you're not sure why he wants what he wants."

Erdgar rubbed his fingers into one of his temples, frowning. "Caution is certainly a worthy thing to hold close, but I want to speak to the trespasser myself."

Kovak nodded to him, but he said, "Please, Your Grace. Don't shoot him. Don't unmask him. Don't release him. He's more suspicious than a whore giving the money back."

Erdgar dismounted, paused to stroke his horse's face, and then very carefully, practically counting his footsteps, he walked towards the bound trespasser. His boots stopped maybe a foot away from the masked man. Erdgar put his fists on his hips and looked down at the top of the lowered and covered head.

"Do you have anything you'd like to say?"

Silence was the response. The trespasser didn't even adjust his body weight on the ground. Erdgar had to suppress his desire to kick the man into the nearest tree.

The aristocrat tried again. "Who sent you, then? Who dared to put my family in danger?"

One of the trespassers legs flexed, his boot shuffling the grass. Then there was a quiet, gentle voice. "Ah, His Grace's family must be highly pleased to have a kind man looking after them. You're a charitable sort, I heard, but you're also slightly discriminating. Some charities are only such in name."

A pause, a very tense pause followed, and Erdgar waited even as his brain seemed to burn.

Then the trespasser spoke again. "Many people can't afford good bread, or even bread at all. Sawdust bread is so revolting."

Threads in Erdgar's mind suddenly connected, knotting together. His fingers twitched and curled. "This has something to do with the Rotijin Foundation?" It was a charity devoted to feeding the poor, often with bread. They even studied different baking techniques and creative ways to find the best ingredients. Erdgar had seen the people there do good work, and so he regularly donated to the group. He couldn't imagine anyone there holding a grudge against him.

Kovak's eyes perked up. "The owner of that group, does he have any rivals?"

"A rival for charity?" Erdgar folded his arms, keeping his eyes on the trespasser. "That's asinine."

"Never doubt how petty a person can be," Kovak said with a dry grin. "Now, this trespasser didn't outright tell you who sent him. He merely said something and let you draw the conclusion yourself. Either the information is false, or he wanted you to have the truth without giving it to you." He turned his head so he could cough into his shoulder. Then he looked at the trespasser. "So, let's assume for a bit that you're an assassin. That means someone paid you money. So, how about this?" He held up a single index finger. "Whatever price you might have been offered to kill ... whoever ... I'm assuming you're going after His Grace, whatever price that is, I will personally double it if you kill the one who sent you."

Knowing exactly what Kovak's salary was, and imagining that assassins demand a high price to being with, Erdgar gave the blond man a mistrustful look, but he didn't say anything. He did wonder, though, about Kovak's past. As far as he knew, he was only a simple man with excellent skills. This investigator-like quality about him was brand new. He had mostly kept to himself in the short time he had worked at Castle Adurant.

How much did he know about the nature of assassins? Why did he know so much?

The trespasser nodded. "I accept."

Kovak growled out something that sounded so filthy that Erdgar planned to never say it aloud before his wife, not even in private. Then the blond man stomped over to Erdgar and waved his fingers, beckoning the aristocrat to bend over a little. Erdgar complied, and he listen to Kovak's urgent whisper.

"As far as that fellow knows, I can't afford even a quarter of a typical assassin's price. Either he's lying, or he honestly wants to kill whoever sent him. I'll tell you right now, it's not normal for a target to pay off an assassin to kill the customer. Assassins don't normally do that. It's bad for business. At the most, they would cancel a contract and give the customer a refund."

Erdgar's responding whisper was, "I'm not too proud to admit you're cleverer than me, so if you give me advice, I'll consider it very seriously."

"Think of it this way. If we kill him, we might never know why he trespassed. If we report him, you'll be an even bigger target than you are, and even your children might become targets. If you set him free, however, there's a chance to see if he really wants to kill his customer. If a charity leader is mysteriously found dead, then we'll have a clue, won't we?"

"What if there is no customer, and he murders an innocent person?"

Slanting his head to one side, Kovak genuinely grinned at Erdgar as if he was highly approving of the aristocrat, not that Erdgar felt that he needed his approval. "At least that murder could be investigated," Kovak said, "which could lead to more clues. If there isn't a murder there, then at least we'll know he was likely lying to us." His head returned to a natural position and he licked his lips. "Or something could happen to him before he has a chance to commit the murder."

With a smack of his lips, Erdgar shook his head. "To gamble with lives is a distasteful activity. I'd rather kill the known criminal than risk having an innocent person killed."

"Going by the idea of you being a target, killing the trespasser won't solve the problem. Someone else will replace him, and if that someone else is taken out, then another will come. As long as there is a customer, there will be an assassin. So, who's life would you rather risk, a stranger's or yours and possibly your family's?"

Erdgar relented when he heard that, but he demanded that they should at least look at the trespasser's face. He bent over and reached for the fabric on the man's head, and he noticed that the man actually leaned in slightly. His scarred hand freezing in the air, Erdgar muttered, "Why?"

"Don't give him what he wants," Kovak reminded him.

Erdgar's hand drew back. "We won't be able to track him."

"Even if we know his face, you probably won't be able to track him. Tracking an assassin is like trying to catch an eye floater."

It all felt so foolish, but the logic made sense.

***

Danetta held a thin flute to her lips and played a few notes. Little Roland stood near her with his ocarina, and he tried to imitate his mother the best he could. Then he smacked the arm of the armchair his mother sat in and said, "I think we can write a song. Can we write a song?"

Lowering her flute to her lap, Danetta smiled down at Roland. "It would be difficult, and you might tire of the process midway. Wouldn't you rather play whatever notes you fancied instead of trying to put order to them?"

He blinked up at her and said, "I don't understand."

She reached down to pat his soft head, which involved touching his protective cap. "We should wait for now, my little Biscuit."

Roland pursed his lips, but he sighed and spun around in place, his red-brown skirt twisting and fluttering about his ankles. He put his ocarina to his mouth and started playing as he spun. His little shoes tapped and ground against the floor.

What a charming little boy.

Danetta wanted him to be breeched soon. He was becoming more nimble by the day. She knew Erdgar would be very proud of him. He'd congratulate him and give him a present, and then he'd invite the boy to eat dinner in the dining hall with his older brothers. A beloved dessert would be served, and Erdgar would be every bit as greedy with his portions as his boys were.

Her flute wandered away from her fingers, rolled off her lap, and clattered onto the floor.

She gasped.

Intense, frequent contractions that were becoming closer and closer together.

Liquid rushing out.

Her stockings were wet.

It was time.

Danetta asked for help.

And many hours later, when the sky was dark, she had finished giving birth.

***

Twins! Little twin boys! They had been so difficult to bring into the world! At one point, Danetta had desperately asked the midwife to cut her open to rescue the babies, which had terrified poor Erdgar. According to the midwife, however, there was no need for such a dangerous action.

The chosen names were Enio and Ermo. Erdgar held each to his bare chest, just as he had done for his older sons when they were fresh and new. Many midwives strongly believed that a father who did so would be giving a tiny seed of health and good luck to the newborn.

Unbuttoning his waistcoat and untying his shirt, Erdgar settled his backside onto an armchair beside his wife, who was resting in her bed. Erdgar first took little Ermo from the midwife and put the exhausted baby's soft cheek against his mottled bosom. Meanwhile, as Danetta was lightly sleeping, the midwife held onto Enio.

What a fragile, satiny little thing he had! The surprise of it never lost its charm. Erdgar loved how sweet he smelled. Much like his twin brother, he didn't start out smelling like that. He had been bloody and messy and in a good need of a wash. But now he was a comfortable bundle of instinct, enjoying the protective cradle of arms that warmed his little body. He was quiet, occasionally gurgling or squeaking, but certainly not crying as he had done when he first emerged.

Enio's turn was next. The baby was switched with his twin, and Erdgar loved holding him just as much. A small, white ribbon was tied around his ankle. Ermo had a brown one. They were necessary things, since they were twins and all.

Erdgar knew that Enio wasn't smiling, but he looked like it, and his eyes were so bright and unknowingly hopeful. He was flexing his tiny fingers underneath his simple mittens. From behind the cloth wrapped around his body, Erdgar felt the little feet flexing and jerking. Perhaps he would become an active boy, the sort to love a good sparring.

Suddenly, Erdgar wondered ... did he make the correct decision?

Should he really have let the trespasser leave his home without anything more than a stern warning?

Should he have trusted Kovak?

He should tell Danetta about this insanity once she had a good rest. She had every right to know. She needed to know.

Perhaps it wouldn't be safe to go to Henrisk next year. His family would be more easily protected in this castle. It would be a fairly dull year, but it would put his mind at ease, wouldn't it?

Little Enio made an uncomfortable, shriveling face, and he whimpered. Hoping that his own frustrations didn't somehow transfer to the child, Erdgar murmured gentle words to him and patted his back with his fingers.

Serenity returned to the boy's features, and Erdgar was comforted by the sight of him.

A few weeks after that day, Erdgar had ordered a newspaper printed in Henrisk, as he had done every day since the incident with the trespasser. He was rather interested in the obituary section.

Fabrizio Aquabi was a businessman and the leader of the Sayuran Foundation, which is a charitable organization devoted to feeding the poor. Specifically, they focused on producing and purchasing vegetables. He had died of ... well ... the exact cause was unknown. His body was found in his house, but nobody but the authorities had any idea what had killed him. Apparently, there were no obvious wounds.

Wait ... the man's name was familiar ... Aquabi ...

The leader of the Rotijin Foundation was named Jakopo Aquabi! Were the two men related?

Did Fabrizio Aquabi dislike the fact that Jakopo Aquabi might have had more success with his charity? Did he hire an assassin to kill Erdgar? Erdgar knew he was possibly the most regular benefactor there.

Such evil, all for jealousy?

Even if all the customer wanted was Erdgar's death, his family would still suffer from that. So, no matter who was supposed to be killed, his family was in danger.

Then he realized he still hadn't told Danetta about all of this. Damn it. What sort of man was he?!

He decided to talk to her that night. It honestly was more difficult to do than he had thought. He didn't want her to put a single toe into a world of cruelty, didn't even want her to peek at it, but he choked down his concern and told her everything. She absorbed the information smoothly, quietly, her face a placid little image. When Erdgar finished speaking, Danetta asked, "Is there any chance that Mr. Kovak is responsible for this?"

"It's an idea, Madam, and a fine one too," Erdgar told her as he took her little hand in his. "I've secretly ordered for him to be observed, but there hasn't been anything suspicious about him. In fact, he's rather fond of teaching Andreo the art of the court sword." A court sword was a light, one-handed sword meant for thrusting attacks.

"Perhaps Mr. Kovak was once a fine tutor for young men?" Danetta mused aloud.

"I believe he might have been involved with criminals in his past, but I have no reason to assume the worst of him."

"It's no matter, Dear Sir. I trust your judgment, and I trust your strength."

Her smile was so beautiful. Erdgar's fingers jerked and his heart paused as he admired her.

***

What the public didn't know was that there was a tiny wound on the nape of Fabrizio Aquabi's corpse. It reminded Esther Urvine of a blow dart, although no such weapon had been found at the scene. Another fact hidden from the public was the mildly green and blue tints in the corpse's lips and eyes. Esther believed that Fabrizio Aquabi had been poisoned.

The neighbors had been interviewed. A street walking prostitute told Esther that on the night the body had been found, a few hours before that time, she happened to notice a man. "I saw him jump out of that house's window," the prostitute told Esther. Her bright red lips were smudged and Esther had thought that was very cute. "He was like a damn cat! I thought he was a burglar, because I saw him take something off his head."

"Did you see what his face looked like?" Esther asked with a pen in her hand.

The prostitute shook her head. "There wasn't enough light, and the man ran away faster than a rat. All I could see is that he took a thing off his head and then he left."

According to Esther's thought process, there was an assassin around, or a serial murderer. Motive was vital here. She thought she knew why Lillitu was murdered, something about custody of her child. However, the suspect of that murder was murdered. Did Lillitu's husband hire someone to kill Rotemna Dufan for revenge? And even if that was so, what about Fabrizio Aquabi?

It was a mess, a bloody mess, and satisfaction was elusive.

***