Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 (Continued from Ch 72, Rath Road)

   The Chronicles of Rapina Chapter 73, Shut In

   "Virtusar's wits, Sir Coshus!" A tall, muscular knight with light brown
hair and electric blue eyes interrupted after setting the baron down. 
"What manner of tribulation did you get yourselves into?  How could the
baron survive a head shot like that, and what of the young lady and the
orc?"

   "I be getting' to that, Sir Gehrheart," Sir Coshus replied.  "Since Sir
Mongrail is with the coach, you, me, Sir Stallart and Sir Bronenkam be the
sum of the knights o' Daelrath.  That'd be why I am calling a knight's
council and a tactical meeting.  The baron'd be too wounded to give orders.
Enough wood went through his head that he may never recover his wits!  I
move that Lady Daelrath sit in given the baron's condition.  We'd be
needin' Enok the orc here for evidence purposes, and Champion Medea there
is going to be needed to tend wounds and to translate for Enok.  Vicar
Fryske is likewise needed for medical purposes and in an advisory role. 
Lieutenant York should be sitting in because the Bristol garrison will be
working with us on this, and Lord Bristol ought to be informed - all in
favor of a meeting as I've organized it?"

   All three of the other knights present raised a hand and said, "Yea."

   "Then the yeas have it.  For anyone who has not been at one of these
meetings, we are discussing sensitive political, strategic, and tactical
matters.  You are not to speak of these matters outside of this meeting
unless we specifically say that it is okay to do so, on a point-by-point
basis.  If you need to talk about something you hear in this meeting, you
should talk to a knight in private.  Please translate that, Champion."

   Celena translated, and Enok confirmed that he understood.

   "The first order of business would be one I would like you to take on
faith.  We have a situation here, and we need to put the garrison on full
alert until it passes," Sir Coshus continued.  "That means any of us that
normally work eight-hour shifts will be switching to twelve-hour shifts
until this thing is over.  Can I have a show of hands - yea to going to a
state of combat readiness?

   The hands of the other knights went up all around.

   "That'd be a good start.  Now let me fill everyone in on some
background. We don't all have Champion Medea's understandable distrust for
the Avengenes, but in light of some things that have come up recently, we
could all use a refresher on Lord Avengene's character.  I will start by
giving a quick rundown of what happened to Lady Daelrath at school a few
weeks ago."

   Sir Coshus gave a brief, but thorough summary of Reverend Leland's plot
while Vicar Fryske tended to the baron.  Bruhnhilda cut arrows where needed
and helped the wounded knights doff their armor while Celena checked the
uncovered wounds.  The arrow that had penetrated Sir Stallart's coif had
sunk its head into his neck.  It proved to be the most serious wound, thus
Celena tended to it first as she listened to Sir Coshus speak.

   "The other thing you need to be knowing is that a few years back Bianca
Bristol's father died suddenly from some kind of disease, leaving her as
his only heir.  Many months before the conversation between Bruhnilda and
Bianca where Bruhnhilda found out about Bianca's father, Brianna Barter was
here at Rath Keep.  She talked to Bruhnhilda about some of the things
Reverend Evangeline Avengene told her that he could do in order to scare
her into silence about molesting her.  One of those things would be that he
could cause a person to sicken and die using the power of the Vindicator.
If you be wondering whether or not Evengeline really molested young ladies,
Bruhnhilda used her considerable charm to get Charles Norwit to find out.
He would not go into details, but he did confirm that there was a great
deal about Reverend Evangeline that was being covered up, and he could not
divulge the details or confirm that Brianna Barter was probably not a liar
because the Avengenes would not like it.  Anyhow, according to Brianna's
account, Evangeline had caused one of his victims who would not hold her
tongue to sicken and die and there'd be a good chance she was telling the
truth.

   "Recently Bruhnhilda and her friends started wondering if Evangeline had
killed Bianca's father.  Bianca's grandfather confirmed that Evangeline had
visited shortly before her father sickened.  Bianca also noted that an
Avengene boy tried very hard to woo her last year, but his forcefulness
backfired on him and turned her against him.  These bits of information
taken together have caused a number of us to reassess the lengths to which
Lord Avengene is willing to go to gain new territory."

   "Might you pause for a moment, Sir Coshus?  The arrow I extracted from
Sir Stallart's neck did not penetrate very deeply, but it cut a small
artery.  I applied clamps and used gut suture to sew the vessel back
together, but I would like to apply what little magical healing I have left
to the vessel and the deepest part of the wound."

   "Savin' Sir Stallart's neck'd be as good a reason to pause as there
could be.  I'll continue after a short healin' break.  In case any of you
that don't know her wonder, Champion Medea is one of Crystal Medea's
granddaughters.  That's not something anyone needs to know but us.  She is
studying to be a concubine of Virtusar and a healer.  The Baron hired her
to assist Vicar Fryske as a lay priestess and a student of the healin'
arts. She can already cast healing magic, so if you ask me, he got one hell
of a bargain!"

   Celena stood behind Sir Stallart so that the exact nature of the somatic
components of the spell she would soon be whispering would be obscured, and
then she began her healing invocation.

   "Oh great god of war, I spread my soft thighs to the heat of thy
masculine embrace!  Mighty Virtusar, I pray thee, inundate me with a
torrent of thy rampant potency!  Fill me with thy indomitable power!"

   Celena concentrated and whispered her Bestow Life Force spell as if it
were a prayer and then applied her fingers directly to the vessel.

   "I who have been filled with the seed of manly might now fill you with
the virility of Virtusar!"

   Celena backed her fingers out and pushed the wound closed after the
lion's share of the energy had gone into the deeper part of the wound.

   Vicar Fryske came over briefly, blushing slightly as he approached
Celena.

   "I had no idea the baron was about to get me an assistant, let alone one
so ...  uh excuse me," he said, inspecting the wound and touching Sir
Stallart's neck.  "Oh," Vicar Friske said as his eyes opened wide.

   "Vicar Royce said he got wood between the legs just by touching the
patient Celena healed.  I think it's happened again!" Sir Coshus laughed.

   Vicar Fryske blushed crimson and suddenly the room was filled with
laughter.

   "I can vouch for the virility of Virtusar's authenticity myself.  I get
the feeling if Celena heals me enough I'm going to grow wood enough to show
up a stallion!" Sir Stallart added.

   Once everyone settled down Celena checked the wound.  The way it had
healed reminded her of the way she used to heal her own wounds when hiding
her powers from the pirates.  The inner recesses had knitted well, but she
put a few stitches in the outer skin just to make sure the wound did not
get pulled open.

   "That's much better.  It's not the miracle you pulled off with that
arrow wound earlier, or with the baron's head, but I am pretty sure I'll be
able to talk and eat."

   "How many healings has she done today?" Vicar Fryske asked.

   "Why don't you ask her, Vicar, now that you've touched my neck you're
practically engaged." Sir Stallart chuckled.

   Another round of laughter erupted as Vicar Fryske blushed.

   "Uh how many um times have you healed today, Miss, er Champion Medea?"

   "I've called down the virility three and a half times today.  Two on the
baron's head, one on Sir Stallart's orc arrow wounded shoulder, and a half
just now on his horse-bow wounded neck.  That's no easy feat for me.  I
would need many sessions of my favorite form of meditation to accomplish a
day of healing like that again soon.  Unless I am able to, ah, meditate
with a quarter of the garrison, you should not expect this much healing
tomorrow." Celena smiled suggestively at Vicar Fryske and caressed his
lust.

   The Vicar's face again blushed crimson and the assembled knights laughed
so hard that they had to hold their bellies.

   "I can tell we'll be having some fun with the Vicar before he gets used
to you, Champion," Sir Coshus predicted.  "Vicar Fryske is very valuable to
us here at Rath Keep, but his nose has been in one book or another since he
was a kid.  He'll be needin' ta put it somewhere spicier so we can make a
man out of him," Sir Coshus contended.

   "Don't look at me.  I can't take my boss to bed..." Celena sighed.

   Vicar Fryske looked crestfallen.

   The knights laughed uproariously.

   " ...  unless he does something valorous," Celena added.

   Fryske's sigh of relief sent the knights into further gales of laughter.


   When they finally calmed down the vicar spoke, "Uh, I need to heal the
baron's foot.  I could do Sir Stallart's calf instead, or maybe Sir Coshus'
hip, but unless the baron wakes up, he is going to become severely
dehydrated, and I don't want him to be fighting an infection in his foot
when his body's defenses are already compromised."

   "Any chance we can give the baron to survive is going to be worth
weathering a bit more pain ourselves," Sir Stallart affirmed.

   Vicar Fryske nodded solemnly and began his invocation: "Mighty Virtusar,
I pray thee, lend me thine indomitable spirit!  Let me fill this worthy
soldier with thine unwavering might!  Let me bolster his stalwart spirit
with thine own!"

   Vicar Fryske repeated his invocation and began to tremble with energy.
He took hold of the baron's foot and shouted, "As Virtusar shrugs off the
wounds of battle so does his brother at arms!"

   Celena came over and watched the wound that had pierced the baron's foot
slowly close and heal.  She briefly touched the baron's calf with her right
index finger.  Virtusar's energy was stalwart indeed!  It was as if the
baron had been temporarily blessed with the constitution of a troll.  The
wound slowly knitted leaving two patches of pink skin.  Celena reflected on
what she knew of priestly healing.  When Leech Phallon healed her with the
power of Libraziera the energy was powerful, but there was an intricate
intelligence behind it as if a million tiny watchmakers were seeking out
any breech of the flesh or germ of disease in order to set it right. 
Virtusar's energy was entirely different.  He granted a breath of divine
vigor that allowed the recipient's body to heal itself in a small fraction
of the time it would normally take.

   "I had hoped the healing might awaken the baron, but perhaps the foot is
too remote from the head.  I will try channeling Virtusar's power through
the baron's head directly."

   The vicar performed his invocation thrice until he was positively
quaking with energy, and then he pressed his hands against the patches of
pink skin that marked the former locations of the entry and exit wounds of
the orc chief's arrow.

   "As Virtusar shrugs off the wounds of battle, so does his brother at
arms!"

   "Oooh," Celena squealed as she felt a tickle up her spine and a spirit
jumped out of her from the land of the dead.  She expected it to be Carla,
but Carla was already sitting on the examination table next to Sir Stallart
whose calf wound Celena had recently started tending to.

   The spirit was being drawn to the baron's body by a glowing silvery
cord. She saw the spirit twist and turn as if trying to get situated within
the body for several minutes.  Then she noticed that the glow of life force
was gradually subsiding after the healing that the vicar had bestowed.

   Celena realized that everyone in the room was looking at her while she
looked at the spirit.

   "Listen, my damn body is like a leaden statue!" the spirit yelled in as
loud a voice as she had heard a ghost use.  Nevertheless the others seemed
oblivious to it.  "It's no use!  I can't get it to move!"

   "Baron Daelrath?" Celena asked tentatively, ignoring the living for the
moment.

   "What is wrong with my body?"

   "The orc chief shot an arrow through your head, remember?"

   At this point the others in the room were looking at one another with
spooky faces.

   "No, I..." the baron trailed off.

   "You have suffered a trauma.  What is the last thing you remember?"

   "I...  you're Celena, aren't you?"

   "Yes, that's right.  You remember hiring me then, but what do you
remember after that?"

   "I hired you...  and you joined us in the morning.  The road by the
creek was blocked with debris and...  Later there were a couple of big
trees blocking the road, but we removed them, didn't we?"

   "Yes, we did, and then we continued down the road.  We were getting
fairly close to the keep, but we were still in the forest and the sun was
going down.  I saw orc archers in the trees, and orcs that were buried
deeply in the pine needles sprang up and levered pre-cut trees to break
what little wood still held them upright.  They fell across the road a ways
ahead of and behind the coach.  Coachman Hays backed up while you were
yelling orders.  The orc chief in the trees wielded a mighty bow and he
nailed you right through head and helmet."

   "I don't remember that, is that true?" The baron asked, his spirit
sitting up and looking around.

   "Everyone, please trust me on this.  The baron wants to know if what I
said about the orc battle is true.  Please speak to him."

   Sir Stallart cleared his throat, but then began to speak: "I feel a
little silly talking to men who are not conscious, but you were good enough
to heal my wounds, Champion, so here goes: If you can hear me, Baron
Daelrath, what she said is true.  I took an arrow right through my heavy
shoulder armor from the same damned orc.  It went in deep".

   "Chief shoot Daelrath head.  Me see," Enok added.

   "I missed the battle.  I was too far forward scouting, but that'd be
what happened according to Sir Mongrail and the men," Sir Coshus confirmed.

   "Why can't they hear me and who is that next to Sir Stallart and what
the hell is an orc doing in my infirmary?" The baron asked.

   "That is my ghostly sister Carla.  She visits frequently.  The orc is
the lieutenant from the battle.  It turns out that the Avengenes had the
whole area surrounded with scouts and they launched some sort of charge
from the east mere minutes after you were mortally wounded.  We think the
Avengenes hired the orcs through a middleman.  We know from the orc here
and the orders the chief yelled during the battle that the orcs were hired
to kill you and capture Bruhnhilda, only I doubt the Avengenes ever meant
to pay them.  Instead they would have killed the orcs, captured Bruhnhilda
and painted themselves as her heroic rescuers - the better to force your
daughter to marry an Avengene man, I suspect."

   "Damn them!  Am I dead?  Is that why the others can't hear me?  No
wonder I can't get my damn body to move!"

   "Your body is still functioning.  Bruhnhilda pulled the arrow and I
applied magical healing, but what the arrow destroyed is hard to say. 
Perhaps it hit whatever controls your muscles or allows you to be
conscious. The damage to your brain seems very like what one might expect
from a stroke where a portion of the brain is starved of blood by a clot
and is essentially destroyed.  Vicar Fryske applied healing just now and
that is what brought you back to your body."

   "Listen, I can feel Virtusar's energy fading, and I am floating away
from my body.  The documents of succession are all wrong.  We drafted the
documents years ago when the Avengenes held a lot of sway here in
Daelrath."

   The baron drifted closer to Celena.

   "Carla, hold him please, he's slipping away," Celena requested.

   Carla grabbed hold of the baron and he stopped moving, but his image was
gradually fading as he spoke.

   "If I die whomever Bruhnhilda marries becomes the baron of Daelrath.  A
council of knights controls the Barony until then.  I have been meaning to
change the documents, but I never got around to it.  Her husband should
just be a consort.  She should rule as baroness, and her first born s-."

   Celena grimaced as the Baron faded out.  "He's gone again."

   Vicar Fryske was busily examining the baron's body.  "But he is still
alive!"

   "Yes, that makes sense.  You and I have made sure his flesh was mended.
When you healed his head, his spirit returned to his body, but he could not
wake up or make his body move.  I am sure what the arrow destroyed in his
brain has largely been replaced by new flesh, but the new flesh may not
contain the functionality of what was destroyed."

   Vicar Fryske nodded.  "Your stroke analogy was a good one.  Brain
injuries can be very tricky that way, even if they heal.  Was that really
the baron you were talking to, and who is Carla?" The Vicar's eyes opened
wide and glanced about the room.

   "Carla is my sister.  The Avengenes killed her some time ago.  I like to
think I can see such things because of my heritage, but perhaps I am just
insane.  Maybe we can find out.  The baron said the succession papers were
all wrong.  They were drawn up when Lord Avengene held a great deal of sway
here in Daelrath.  The baron said he has been meaning to change them, but
never got around to it.  If I wasn't just hallucinating then whomever
Bruhnhilda marries will become the Baron of Daelrath rather than just being
her consort, as the Baron would now prefer.  That might also explain why
Lord Avengene favored the plot he just sprang on us."

   "It would make sense.  That'd be something we can look into, but I'm
afraid this impromptu séance has given Sir Gehrheart and Sir Bronenkam bits
of the story I was about to tell them in a more reasonable order.  Since
succession is not as immediate a concern as the horde of Avengenes on our
doorstep, I move we take care of the matter of succession a little later
once Sir Stallart can dig up the documents.  For now I move we get on with
the story at hand.  All knights in favor please say 'yea'," Sir Coshus
said, attempting to bring the meeting back to order.

   "Yea," the four knights said unanimously.

   "Okay, now that some of the background be filled in, let me tell you
about the events that happened between Springville and here..."

   Sir Coshus gave a summary of the meeting and hiring of Celena, traveling
and encountering various contrived delays throughout the trip from
Springville, and what he knew of the orc attack.  He then talked the others
through the surprise revelation of the Avengenes, the sudden cessation of
hostilities between the orcs and the men of Daelrath, the alliance of
necessity with Enok, the daring journey through the forest, and the last
showdown with the unit of rapid cavalry from Avengene as the group from
Daelrath rushed home to the keep.

   "So that'd be the picture.  Lord Avengene's plan was very nearly
airtight!  It is a miracle we came through, but even knowing what we know
now, we don't have enough to take this before the royal court.  The plan
was damn near foolproof, and even though we defeated it, no one can ever be
certain that the Avengenes would not just have taken Bruhnhilda back to
Rath Keep and deposited her at the gate without trying to enter or take
over, and without taking her to Turnmoor for a sword-point wedding to an
Avengene boy.

   "The really damning evidence comes from Enok, and he is probably the
only orc left from the group that attacked us.  Lord Avengene destroyed the
rest of the evidence against him - a bit with every orc his men killed.  If
Enok were to testify, the Avengene lawyers would say that Enok fabricated
his story in order to save his own skin by making Lord Avengene's men look
like the bad guys.  I'd point out that we suggested the alliance with Enok,
not the other way around, but they'd twist that around and say we only
asked him first because he was waiting around for us to do so."

   That's a diabolical plot worthy of an expert strategist!" Sir Gehrheart
exclaimed with evident relish.

   Lieutenant York shook his head.  "How did you see through Lord
Avengene's plan quickly enough to act on it?"

   "We didn't.  Champion Medea did," Sir Stallart admitted.

   "Then you are a shrewd strategist, Champion Medea.  Mayhap you'd like to
join the informal military strategy class I host on Thursday nights," Sir
Gehrheart suggested.

   "I would love to, Sir Gehrheart!  Lord Avengene could not have predicted
that Baron Daelrath would hire me," Celena observed.  "I didn't even know I
wanted to work here until yesterday."

   "Then we should consider how the plan would have worked out if you had
not been there," Lieutenant York contended.

   "Several good suggestions about the road blocks would never have been
made.  That'd mean we might have rolled into the orc trap at least a few
minutes after dark instead of a few minutes before dark.  Without light we
would have suffered more casualties more quickly," Sir Coshus conjectured.

   "The Baron would have died just a couple minutes after he was hit were
it not for the Champion's magical healing.  We would also not have realized
the significance of the Avengene charge quickly enough, and we would not
have been able to make a deal with the orc since none of us speaks orcish
or realized what a valuable soldier he might be for breaching the ring of
Avengene scouts," Sir Stallart added.

   "During the battle, Enok would have captured me more swiftly,"
Bruhnhilda reasoned.  "Champion Medea slew all of his soldiers on the right
side of the coach, and if I had opened the door on the other side to escape
the orcs coming into the coach as I actually did, chances are I would have
just jumped into the midst of a bunch more orcs rather than our men at
arms. Most of our men would have already died in the darkness.  They would
have been blind if it had been darker and their morale would not have
rallied after Champion Medea killed the orc chief with the aid of
Virtusar's might.

   "Oh gods, it would have been so dark that even if we had stopped to
light a few torches, most of the Daelrath knights and soldiers would have
been dead at my feet by the time those bugles sounded.  The orcs probably
would already have captured me.  I would have felt so fortunate to be
rescued.  I might have married some Avengene snake _willingly_.  I might
have been _happy_ to have the big strong Avengenes take care of my barony
while I played the role of the dutiful Vindicator wife!" Brunhilda screamed
and grabbed her hair.  "That snake, that diabolical snake!"

   "Chontral Medea not here?  Den me steal dis land for Avengene.  Den he
kill me.  Den me go orc gods.  Orc gods hate nn hate nn hate Enok, make
Enok hurt nn hurt!"

   Celena smiled.  "Lord Avengene and his god, the Vindicator, formulated a
diabolical plan and sent an army of men.  Virtusar added a concubine in
training and an orc lieutenant to the handful of knights and men at arms
already in his service.  Lord Avengene is currently formulating a new plan
because the original failed.  Of the gods backing the combatants, who was
the better strategist?"

   A grin split Sir Gehrheart's face like a ray of sunshine splitting the
clouds.  He extended an arm as if to parry and thrust, "Supreme in his
mastery of arms!"

   "The paragon of strategists!" Celena added as the other worshippers of
Virtusar joined in.  "Matchless on the field of honor!  Virtusar, god of
war, patron of Victory!"

   Sir Gehrheart practically glowed with a new sense of pride and purpose
as he spoke, "Brilliant in the tactics of battle is our god!  Now let us
plan our next move.  Sir Coshus you must have some sort of plan after all
this," Sir Gehrheart surmised.

   "That'd be the truth, but it's just a short term strategy.  The coach
and our dead are in Daelrath territory that be occupied by the Avengenes,
but as long as they are still spread out looking for orcs, we can outnumber
them in any given area if we send in our entire cavalry as a unit."

   "Agreed, but we will have to act quickly, and I don't recommend we send
anyone that knows anything," Sir Gehrheart added.

   "Nay, I hate to risk so many horses, but Sir Mongrail and some of our
best fighting men are out there with the coach.  As long as you order the
men to return the moment they feel they are in danger of being outnumbered
in whatever area they are in, I am with you," Sir Stallart agreed.

   "We had better send someone forceful yet diplomatic," Sir Bronenkam
added.

   "Have you got a lieutenant?  They are not going to respect a man with no
rank," Celena suggested.

   "We're a bit long on knights and short on lieutenants since this is a
barony, not just a company of soldiers.  There are usually two knights on a
shift.  One would technically be serving as a platoon lieutenant while the
other serves as the company captain.  We also have a first sergeant that
assists the baron and each knight has a knight's sergeant working for him,
helping him manage his non-combat work.  With sponsorship from a knight or
the baron, a literate sergeant can become a squire, although it rarely
happens.  There are also two platoon sergeants.  We could dress any of our
literate sergeants up as lieutenants.  The company, platoon, and knight's
sergeants have to be literate to be able to keep records and do paperwork.
Unfortunately none of our men are highly educated.  Educated men demand
educated pay.  The closest man we have with the appropriate charisma and
forcefulness would be Champion Jordan, Sir Stallart's sergeant," Sir
Gehrheart suggested.

   "Wasn't he an outlaw?" Sir Bronenkam asked.

   "Yes, Jake is here taking advantage of the Duke's clemency, but that
information does not leave this room.  He is certainly not the only one,"
Sir Gehrheart affirmed.

   "The Duke's clemency?" Celena asked.

   "The Duke has a program whereby any criminal can work off his sentence
and obtain a new official identity for any crime short of first degree
murder.  He simply signs up and serves a two to ten year tour of military
duty in a selected high-danger frontier barony.  The length of the term is
based on the severity of the crime.  Needless to say, Daelrath with its
troll problem easily qualifies.  The baron said Lords Avengene and
Li'Yieraun had a reason to dislike Jake Jordan, but that information stays
in this room.  There are a lot of people Lords Avengene and Li'Yieraun have
reason to dislike," Sir Gehrheart argued.

   "Nay, that is not all.  There are also a lot of people they dislike
without reason," Sir Stallart interjected.  "Lord Avengene killed Crystal
Medea and most of her family for no other reason than that she was a fine
healer who was not of the Vindicator.  We are lucky Champion Medea escaped
Avengene with her life.  I know I'd be in a whole lot worse shape without
her help today, and the baron would be dead."

   "Thank you Sir Stallart." Celena smiled.  "I realize the story of my
near death is making its rounds through Bristol, but the less Lord Avengene
knows about my whereabouts after my family's flight from Avengene, the
better," Celena added.

   Sir Stallart nodded, "Nay to worrying about that, Champion.  Any man
that tries to stir up trouble between you and the Avengenes will be
cheating us out of an excellent healer and they will have to answer to
every last one of us!"

   "Hear, hear!" most of the other knights affirmed.

   "The next time we are in Bristol, you'll want to give a statement,
however," Sir Stallart resumed.  "The constables already came to the
conclusion that you tried to save your father and boyfriend owing to the
bandages on them, but it would not hurt if you added your testimony to the
official story.  The baron was going to send a letter to that effect to
Baron Bristol so that you would not be counted as running from the law.  I
will see to it even if the Baron does not make it."

   "Thank you, Sir Stallart," Celena said.

   "After the last big troll attack we were forced to replace some good men
who were killed," Sir Stallart continued.  "Champion Jordan stepped up and
proved he has what it takes to be a good officer and he knows his way
around a farm.  Before he came to us he was of service to Lord Jordell, but
he was trying to court a gentlewoman who was far above his station.  Lord
Jordell wanted him placed in a frontier barony where he would either die,
or distinguish himself in battle, erase his past crimes and make enough of
a man of himself that he would be worthy of the social circles to which he
aspires.  If he does well enough, Lord Jordell may hire Jake as an officer
in his army."

   "Baron Daelrath was glad to take him since Lord Jordell made a generous
contribution to the barony to insure his wishes concerning Jordan were
carried out.  Jake has also turned out to be an able leader and a very hard
worker.  What man can you name who would have sufficient charisma and a
better reason to want Avengene to fail?" Sir Gehrheart asked.

   "That'd be a good point," Sir Coshus agreed.  "This is not a job we'd be
wanting to send an Avengene spy to do."

   "The Avengenes might recognize Jordan as a wanted man.  I think Platoon
Sergeant Mike Foster would be a better choice," Sir Bronenkam countered.

   "Foster'd be the superior swordsman by a hair, but Sir Gehrheart is
right.  Jordan is more charismatic and I don't think the Avengenes would
recognize him with that mustache and goatee he is wearing now," Sir Coshus
observed.  "My vote is with Jordan.  What'd be your opinion, Sir Stallart?"

   "Jordan it is.  I was worried after I lost sergeant Bumkirk, but Jake
Jordan has turned out to be far more motivated than anyone I've had working
for me before.  Vicar Fryske can attest to how hard he worked on becoming a
Champion of Virtusar.  No matter what form of grueling farm labor he was
doing, that young man practiced one war prayer or another until he finally
had them all down.  He's a halfway decent record keeper even if he is still
learning his letters.  I can attest that the young man is charismatic and
has a brain in his head.

   "We should also send some men and wagons out to collect water as the
cavalry goes out.  Foster can lead that detail.  There is the outside
chance of a siege," Sir Stallart added.  "I wish I could help, but after
taking an arrow in the calf I won't be doing any running - nay, not unless
Champion Medea gets a chance to bed a quarter of the garrison.  I'll be
doing desk work."

   "I'm going to need a bath before I can get on that for you, Sir
Stallart." Celena grinned impishly.  "First I need to finish sewing up your
leg wound."

   "Ah, the um infirmary has its own boiler and a couple baths.  Once we
are finished with these wounds I will give you the grand tour since you
will be working here," Vicar Fryske promised Celena while blushing
profusely.

   "If that's all you've got for us, Sir Coshus, and Sir Stallart, I move
that those of us who can run put Sir Coshus' plan into action immediately,"
Sir Gehrheart suggested.  "We cannot give the Avengenes time to recall
their many scouts."

   "Yea," all of the knights said in unison as the move was put to a vote.

   "You're with me, Lieutenant York!" Sir Gehrheart said before turning to
Bruhnhilda.  "Lady Daelrath, we will round up some guards for you and the
baron and send them to escort you over to the tower house and keep you
company there.  With this plot afoot, you can't have too much security.  If
I were you, I'd grab a crossbow just in case.  It's a pity your father
didn't have the smith make armor for you.  Don't let anyone but the leeches
get close to you or the baron.  If a spy gets a hold of you two, we are
done."

   "Thank you Sir Gehrheart.  I will borrow one of the infirmary crossbows
and wait here until the guards arrive."

   After the knights left, Celena finished cleaning and stitching Sir
Stallart's leg wound while Vicar Fryske did the same with Sir Coshus' hip.

   "You two became arrow magnets when you sounded your horns.  That proves
the Avengenes did not mistake us for a group of orcs," Celena noted.

   "That'd be the truth of it," Sir Coshus agreed.

   "This has been a very disturbing day so far," Bruhnhilda observed.  "We
can send a message to Lord Bristol by homing pigeon at dawn tomorrow. 
Perhaps he will know what to do.  Do you feel up to helping with the
succession issue this evening, Sir Stallart?"

   "I was hoping to catch up on my farm records, but I am sure I can spare
fifteen minutes to help you get those documents, Lady Daelrath.  If you
study them, you can give a report at dinner when we will probably be having
another strategy meeting."

   "I would like that.  I dislike having nothing to do when the rest of you
are working hard," Bruhnhilda admitted.

   "Since we are all on twelve hour shifts, you can feel free to put me to
work, Vicar," Celena offered.  "Or if we have no wounded I would be glad to
help you if it would allow you to do something related to the Avengenes,
Sir Stallart."

   "How are you with numbers, Champion?"

   "I have a good memory.  It allows me to do sums in my head fairly
efficiently."

   "Sergeant Jordan has been keeping some records concerning produce from
the keep's farm for a week or so while I was gone.  If you'd be willing to
check his sums, I would be obliged.  Maybe you could help me look after the
Avengene mare's wound while you are over getting the records.

   "I would be glad to, Sir Stallart." -------

   Celena and the vicar finished with the wounds of the knights about the
same time as a group of guards arrived to escort the Daelraths to the tower
house.  Celena gathered up some medical supplies for use on the Avengene
mare and went with them, since Sir Stallart's records were in the old
stables by the tower house.

   "Nay, I never have liked crutches.  I am just going to have to keep a
horse handy," Sir Stallart complained as they headed down the road towards
the tower house.

   "Perhaps you could send someone ahead to fetch your stallion."

   "I thought about it, but by the time a runner saddled my stallion and
made it back to me we would be more than half way there."

   It took just under ten minutes to walk to the stables at Sir Stallart's
slowed pace.

   "Welcome to the old stables.  I built a little office for myself in the
old tack room when the new stable went up.  The new tack room took the
place of several stalls.  You will find that there is a new version of just
about every important structure in the courtyard surrounding the tower
house.  A couple of the buildings that used to clutter the courtyard,
namely the counting house and the Mead Hall tavern got razed when Nick
Stonewright took over as the architect of the keep."

   "Is his name really Stonewright?" Celena asked.

   "Stonewright is his professional name.  He had it changed when he became
a journeyman mason under Lord Bristol's master builder.  Later he lost
favor and became blacklisted on account of punching his boss out during an
argument the two of them had over some particular of design or
construction. We are glad he had the fight because he has done a whole lot
for Rath Keep!"

   "Then you have two stables, two barracks, and two infirmaries?"

   "Yes we do.  Actually there are four barracks.  There is the Bristol
barracks, the new Daelrath barracks, the old courtyard barracks near the
tower house, and the ancient tower house barracks that is just a basement
storage room now.  Be glad you will be working in the new infirmary.  The
old one is a single room smaller than the one you sewed me up in, and it
has no plumbing either."

   "Where is the mare?"

   "She should be over here by the tack room.  The men know that is where
the sick horses go.  It is a shame she was the one that got hit.  She's the
best horse they had.  Here she is.  We will have to extract the arrow.  The
other Avengene horses are probably in the back near your stallion.  You
could select a stall farther towards the front here for him if you like. 
This stable is primarily for the Baron's and the knights' horses.  Most of
the cavalry mounts are housed in the new stables.  Since you are getting
the knight's non-monetary package, I imagine you'll be keeping your mount
here, although the new stables are closer to the infirmary.  I am sure we
could accommodate your horse there.  Vicar Fryske had his mount moved to
the new stables the first winter he was here."

   Sir Stallart got a bridle from the tack room and returned to enter the
mare's stall.  Celena followed.

   "I have a stock over here.  We should load her in just in case."

   Celena led the mare to the stock, but she wouldn't go in until Sir
Stallart stroked her neck and talked to her a bit.

   "I will put the head yoke on, and you can fasten the straps underneath,"
Sir Stallart suggested.

   Once the mare was thoroughly confined, Celena removed the horsehair
around the wound and cleaned it.  While Sir Stallart talked to the mare
Celena took hold of the arrow and smoothly pulled it out.  She was
surprised at how little the animal struggled.  She cleaned the wound,
applied an herbal anesthetic and then stitched the wound closed.

   "You really have a way with horses, Sir Stallart.  I wish there was more
I could do for her.  She could use some magical healing.  Infection is a
real worry with a deep arrow wound like this.  Unfortunately our fighting
men take precedence, but if people would stop getting wounded for a day or
two I would be glad to make an attempt at healing her."

   "That's very sweet of you Champion Medea.  Vicar Fryske is amenable to
healing warhorses, but nay, he's seldom done it.  He can scarcely keep up
with the men's wounds."

   "Speaking of warhorses, I should take a look at Starstruck, just to make
sure he's been taken care of."

   "I should get those records together," Sir Stallart said as he turned
towards the tack room.

   Celena walked towards the rear of the stables and heard her stallion
call to her.

   "There you are," Celena said as she made her way to her black stallion's
stall, opened the door and went in.  She failed to notice that Sir Stallart
followed her in spite of being on crutches and having said he was going to
get the records.

   Starstruck nuzzled Celena's face and nickered affectionately.

   "Ooo, at least someone is excited to see me."

   Celena stroked her stallion where he liked it most.

   "I wondered why he called to you as if you were one of his mares," Sir
Stallart observed.

   Celena spun, her face beat red with embarrassment until the tickle of
her lust sense told her that Sir Stallart was far less dispassionate about
her actions than he let on.

   "He took a shine to me right off.  I seem to have that effect on men,
even equine ones, but human-sized studs have their advantages.  I noticed
you fought with valor today," Celena smiled seductively.

   "Nay, that is an offer I cannot refuse, especially since I have thought
of little else since being healed by you on two and a half separate and
recent occasions! -------

   About forty-five minutes later Celena heard a horn calling out from the
north.

   "That's Sergeant Jordan and the cavalry.  Sir Mongrail will be arriving
to stable his warhorse soon," Sir Stallart predicted.

   "Oh, we'd better get cleaned up and dressed then," Celena said as she
extricated herself from Sir Stallart's embrace and stood up within the
large box stall used for breeding.  She brushed some hay off her skin and
patted the flank of Akbar, the desert-bred stallion that served as the
foundation of Sir Stallart's breeding program.  She smiled as she noted
that there was still quite a lot of cum drooling from her nether lips.

   "You're right!" Sir Stallart said as he hoisted himself up abruptly by
climbing the rails of the stall.  He got his crutches and headed towards
the stall gate as Celena opened it.  "I have a basin over in my office. 
Please bring our clothes.  We can do a quick touch up now, but we really
ought to see about a bath.  I am not sure how strictly we will be rationing
the water, since an Avengene siege is not out of the question.  I will talk
to Sir Gehrheart.  Mayhap we can still take a bath until we are sure there
will be a siege.  We have been working on a well for the keep, but it is
slow going.  We have a great deal of stone to bore through."

   A few minutes later Celena was just putting a comb through her
strawberry blonde hair when she heard the coach roll up behind its team of
trotting horses.  A rider escorting the coach jumped from the saddle to
land firmly on the ground.

   "Sir Mongrail, Jordan found you!" Celena called out after coming out of
Sir Stallart's office to see a familiar face.

   "Champion Medea it's a pleasure to see you again!" Sir Mongrail
exclaimed.  "You never would have known it from the way the Avengenes
treated us, but I still think your assessment of their plot was dead on! 
They had the road blocked with a stout tree not five minutes out from where
we left you.  They had about forty men on hand at the roadblock to persuade
us that it was unsafe to go on to the keep because they had routed a large
group of orcs in a battle in Avengene and had pursued them all the way
here.

   "That Avengene lieutenant played nice when he 'detained' us.  He
apologized profusely for having been unable to surround the orcs until now.
He claimed the area was overrun with orcs, and it was just not safe for us
to make the trip back to the keep until they got things under control.  He
even had his leech see to our wounds.  We suspected he was shoveling a load
of crap on us, but we played along, and shoveled our own back at him.  We
told him that the baron stayed in Springville to preside at a trial.  I
strongly suspected that he knew I was lying, but I also knew that he would
have to admit to having a scout watching the baron at the orc battle if he
wanted to call my bluff.

   "The Avengene lieutenant gave Jordan the same cock and bull story when
the Daelrath cavalry came down the road from the keep.  Jordan told him
something like, 'My scouts and I must be bat blind because we haven't seen
a single orc from Rath keep to where we stand, Lieutenant, and we had
plenty of scouts out looking!  In fact, I haven't seen an orc all evening!'


   "Our Cavalry outnumbered the Avengenes at the road block by not even one
and a half to one.  I noticed Jordan had got promoted to lieutenant, at
least for the purposes of the mission.  He greeted the Avengenes cordially,
but he put the men on removing the roadblock right away.  He didn't ask the
Avengene lieutenant's permission.  He just acted like he owned the place.

   "When the Avengene lieutenant asked what Jordan and his men were doing,
he said, 'We are moving that Daelrath tree, off that Daelrath road into
that Daelrath forest so we can take that Daelrath coach and those Daelrath
men back to Daelrath Keep.  You have a whole lot of men in these woods and
we only received your notification an hour ago.  You know the agreement
Lord Daelrath has with Lord Avengene.  If you chase orcs onto our land, you
are supposed to give us notice right away by homing pigeon.  What happened
to your birds?  We received notification from a human courier only an hour
ago.  Why did he outrun the rest of your men by such a narrow margin?  Did
his horse go lame after you ran out of birds?'"

   "He gave the man a few seconds to make a few blubbering excuses before
he launched another salvo and said something like:

   'A unit of your cavalry fired on one of our patrols and chased our
people through their own hay fields back to the keep, Lieutenant.  Your
people only stopped after they took a barrage of flaming arrows from the
walls!  What was up with that?  What the hell are so many soldiers of
Avengene doing this deep into Daelrath territory anyway and where do you
get off shooting at our people and asking me what I'm doing on Daelrath
land?  Are you guests or brigands, Lieutenant?'

   "He was great!  I wish you could have been there to see it.  It was a
hell of a show!  He just kept the most cordial tone while shooting one
barbed question after another at the Avengene Lieutenant to keep him from
giving any orders to his men.  Nevertheless, more Avengenes were arriving
every few minutes.  They must have been returning from their orc-scouting
missions.  As soon as the roadblock was out of the way we left immediately
and galloped to the creek.  We have water wagons moving between the keep
and there so the cavalry stayed behind to flank them.  I rode straight for
the keep in front of the coach.  I would have liked to have got our dead,
but Jordan and I both agreed there were just too damn many Avengenes and
thought better of it."

   "I sure am glad to be back at Rath Keep!" Sir Mongrail exclaimed.  "That
reminds me, there will be a knights strategy meeting and dinner in the
tower house with Lady Daelrath and the vicar.  During that meeting there is
also going to be a banquet for today's combatants over at the temple of
Virtusar.  The vicar will need you to watch the infirmary for him while he
attends the strategy meeting, Champion Medea, but you can do that from the
banquet.  It'll be in the big tower room right by the infirmary."

   "Oh, I better get over there then."

   "I have those agricultural records for you, Champion." Sir Stallart
hobbled out of his office and gave a book of records to Celena.

   "We have been gone for ten days.  Sergeant Jordan has been recording the
greens that we have harvested from the keep's farm during that time.  If
you would check Jordan's sums I would be much obliged," Sir Stallart said,
his smile a bit broader than it should have been.

   "I would be happy to, Sir Stallart.  I had expected to work on the
wounds of our men from the coach, but if the Avengene leech already saw to
them, I should have some time to look at these after the banquet or
tomorrow morning."

   "We will be sending all of the men who actually participated in the
battle to the banquet.  While you are there maybe you could find out who
the heroes of the orc battle were, and which of our archers gave that
cavalry unit chasing our people the best payback," Sir Mongrail suggested.

   "I intend to, and in case you are tempted to believe the Avengenes if
they said their people thought it was a group of orcs they were chasing
towards Rath Keep, don't be.  The Avengenes concentrated fire on Sir Coshus
and Sir Stallart immediately after the two of them sounded their horns,
indicating that they were heading for the keep pursued by hostiles.  I will
find out which of the archers of Rath were the heroes of the battle.  A
concubine of Virtusar rewards the valorous, and I can't be expected to
reward them if I don't know who they are," Celena said as she retrieved her
saddlebags from the rail she had hung them over and stowed the records Sir
Stallart had given her in them.  "Have a good meeting, sirs, I had better
get back to the infirmary." -------

   When Celena arrived back at the infirmary with the records, Vicar Fryske
was just inspecting the last of the wounded from the coach.

   "Sorry I was delayed at the stables," Celena said with a seductive
smile.

   Vicar Fryske blushed and cleared his throat.  "Uh, that's quite alright,
Champion.  I, ah, have been inspecting the wounds of our fighting men from
the coach and I have come to the conclusion that Lord Avengene's leeches
know their business.  I suppose that should come as no surprise,
considering he fights a perpetual war against the orcs."

   Celena nodded.  "Speaking of orcs, what happened to Enok?"

   "Sir Gehrheart hired him, at least temporarily," Vicar Fryske said.  "He
is going to be patrolling the walls of the keep with the night shift.  He
is partnered with a former Crescent Blade mercenary named Dillon Hartman.
Dillon served a few tours of duty in Avengene and knows some orcish."

   "Oh, that's wonderful!  If the trolls or the Avengenes decide to pull
something during the night, we should have advanced warning."

   Vicar Fryske smiled earnestly.  "It does not surprise me that Sir
Gehrheart saw the value of the orc warrior right away.  Sir Gehrheart is an
excellent strategist as well as being the arms master for our infantry and
a champion of Virtusar.  Sir Bronenkam did not seem to be too keen on the
idea in spite of being in charge of the night shift, but he is a
conventional thinker.  Sir Gehrheart said that if the majority of the
knights did not approve the idea at the strategy meeting, he would dismiss
Enok and pay him a night's wages out of his own pocket."

   The vicar turned to the last of the wounded from the coach, "I cannot
improve on what the Avengene leech has already done for you, Bledsoe; you
may go now.  It might be a few days before one of us can apply magical
healing, but as soon as you make it to the top of the list, one of us will
heal you."

   "Thank ye Vicar.  No offense, but I 'ope it's th' Champion." Bledsoe
winked.

   "None taken, Bledsoe, she is, ah, rather breath-taking isn't she?"

   "That she is Vicar!" Bledsoe turned to Celena.  "I hope to be seein' ya
soon for an inspirin' healin' Champion Medea."

   Celena smiled.  "I am sure you will be, Bledsoe, if not this time then
perhaps the next battle."

   "Aye, I never thought I'd be lookin' forward ta gettin' wounded!  Haa
haa!" the soldier laughed as he wandered out of the infirmary.

   Celena turned back to the vicar.  "I am pretty sure Sir Stallart will
back the idea of hiring Enok.  He has seen how useful the orc's night
vision is firsthand."

   Vicar Fryske nodded a bit more emphatically than was necessary.  "I have
no doubt that Sir Gehrheart will be correct if he predicted the majority of
the other knights would see Enok's strategic significance.  He is nothing
if not shrewd in the ways of war."

   "If Enok wants to stay, I think he would make a good soldier for
Daelrath.  Ordinarily one might worry that he would want to take the Barony
over and put his tribe in power, but Enok's tribe was disgraced and
slaughtered.  I believe that he also thinks the actions of his tribe on
behalf of Lord Avengene have disgraced him before the gods of the orcs and
the orc nations.  If we can convince him that Virtusar takes all warriors
as worshipers, then he may adopt Virtusar as his god and Daelrath as his
new tribe.  If he does, and if he puts his will and his back into
advancement, he could easily become the best combatant we have."

   Vicar Fryske paused a moment to gaze raptly upon Celena and then snapped
out of his reverie and blurted a reply: "I don't doubt that!  He looks
enormously strong and dangerous!  It's crazy, but fortunate that you were
able to strike up a bargain with him!"

   "He was about to kill me when the Avengenes sounded their charge.  He
seemed to grasp the situation quickly and he was obviously not pleased he
had been duped by the archenemy of the orcs.  With the possible exception
of the chief, I think he is the best warrior the orcs had.  It seemed a
shame to let the Avengenes kill him when he could be such a valuable asset
to the Daelraths."

   "I agree.  As long as he is not too unruly, he could be quite valuable.
Would you like to take a quick tour of the infirmary before I march off to
the strategy meeting dinner, Champion Medea?"

   "Yes, I'd enjoy that, Vicar Fryske.  I'd like to know where all the
important medical supplies are in case we get incoming wounded while you
are out.  Could we start with the boiler and the bath?  Perhaps if we get
things going I could get a bath just before I go to the banquet."

   "Yes, that is a good idea.  This will be your first impression with the
men.  We can start the boiler and then I will show you the infirmary.  You
will need to become intimately familiar with it.  The knowledge could make
the difference between life and death for our men.  Come with me."

   The infirmary was a collection of rooms in a building built along the
inside of the north curtain wall adjoining the large, cylindrical northeast
tower that was still under construction.  There was a room for bathing
patients not far from the room they had been in to see to the warriors'
wounds.  The tower had three finished floors and the fourth floor was in
the process of being built.  Nevertheless the tower was currently taller
than the curtain wall.

   The temple of Virtusar was in a building that adjoined the south side of
the tower, thus the large room at the base of the tower could serve as a
banquet hall and a reception area for the temple, or as an overflow triage
room for the infirmary.  The main temple corridor ran south parallel to the
east curtain wall and went between the temple's kitchen on the west, and a
large storage room on the east.  Once the corridor passed the kitchen and
storage room, there was a church office on the storage room side of the
corridor and a church library on the kitchen side.  The hallway then turned
left and ran until it reached the curtain wall.  At that point there was a
door on the south side of the corridor that allowed access into the
northeastern corner of the sanctuary.

   To the west of the library there was a vesting room for priests that
could be entered either through a door in the library or from behind the
war chariot that served as the pulpit in the sanctuary.

   After helping Celena build a fire under the boiler on the third floor of
the tower, Vicar Fryske led Celena down through the tower, past the kitchen
and out into the sanctuary to show her around.

   "Over there is the door to the vesting room.  I am currently using the
vesting room as my quarters until they finish my rooms in the tower.  The
last door we passed on our right while still in the corridor is the door to
the church library.  We can head back there now"

   Vicar Fryske opened the stout oak door and led Celena into the library.
Instead of being lined with regular bookshelves, it was lined with the kind
of bookshelves one might see on a ship.  The shelves were like long,
rectangular chests that stacked up on top of each other with hatches in the
front of each unit that could be lifted up and pushed into a space in the
top of the unit.  The hatches had locks and many of them had glass fronts.
There were also a couple of tables and some chairs.

   "Your shelves are beautiful.  You must be from a wealthy family," Celena
noted.

   "My father is a barrister in Carnarvon.  Since I am his second son, I
got to choose my own profession rather than being expected to follow in his
footsteps."

   "How fortunate!"

   "Not entirely.  My father still hoped that I would choose to march in
his footsteps and I think that had something to do with why none of the
mercenary companies in Carnarvon would hire me.  A friend in the priesthood
put me onto this job in Daelrath.  It wasn't my first choice, but it was my
only choice."

   Celena grinned.  "Everyone has a reason why they wound up in Daelrath
where the baron does not have a great deal of gold to part with."

   "I suppose I could have done better, but if you think the baron was
desperate when he hired you, imagine what it was like for him with no
healer at all.  I cannot talk about my compensation, but the baron pays me
a fair wage, and since I am a priest I get a share of what the temple takes
in.  I could have done much worse."

   "You could have been forced to become an attorney.  I'll bet you had to
disappear just to be safe."

   "The vicar blushed and smiled.  "You have an excellent strategic wit,
Champion.  You are right.  I told my friend in the priesthood that I would
sooner head for the south than work a deadly job in troll country.  He must
have believed me, because my father has not sent solicitors charging up
here.  One day father might hear about me, but by then I plan to be well
established here."

   "At least you managed to get your books transported up."

   Yes, but some of the glass fronts failed to survive the march to Rath
Keep.  The baron had his carpenter fashion quite a few new fronts from some
oak he had in his carpenter's workshop.  We don't have much of a church
library yet, but I keep most of my books locked up here in the library for
now.  The books in that bookcase are open to the public.  The rest of my
books are too valuable for public access, but if someone inquires about a
topic and I have a book on the subject I will often let him borrow the book
or read the book here in the library.  I do not have a lot of takers other
than the occasional knight.  There cannot be even a dozen men besides the
knights that can read here at Rath Keep.  Illiterate soldiers demand less
pay and, as you said, Lord Daelrath does not have a great deal of money."

   Vicar Fryske took a ring of keys from a pouch on his belt.

   "This door over here leads into the vesting room that I am using as my
quarters, but I usually keep it locked.  I think what I will do in your
case is give you my spare key to the middle shelf of this oak-faced unit
over here.  I will put the books I want you to read for your medical and
priestly training inside.  That way you will have access to them even when
I am out."

   "That sounds practical.  Thank you, Vicar," Celena affirmed.

   Vicar Fryske opened most of the bookshelves.  He moved what few books
were already on Celena's shelf and then he looked at the spines of his many
books to search for certain titles.  He took a medical dictionary, an
anatomy text, an herb book, a history of Virtusar's church and a book of
prayers, rituals and observances for lay priests and chaplains from various
cabinets and put them in Celena's cabinet.

   Celena dug her spellbook and her blank book out of her saddlebags.

   "These are mine.  I want to show them to you now since you have quite a
collection of books.  That way you will know they are not some of yours
that you forgot about having.  This one is blank, and this one is my
private journal.  Celena handed the vicar both of her books.  "I also have
pens and a portable Standish here." She put her Standish on the shelf next
to the books Vicar Fryske had secured for her.

   "What language is this?  Vicar Fryske asked as he looked at her
spellbook.

   "My sisters used to read my journal and then make fun of my private
observations until I created my own cipher."

   "Ciphers are often used for wartime communications," Vicar Fryske noted.
"That's very clever and appropriate for a Champion of Virtusar."

   "Thank you, Vicar Fryske," Celena said graciously.

   The vicar handed her books back to her.

   "You should study the anatomy and herb books with particular diligence.
I will quiz you on them until you are knowledgeable.  The medical
dictionary is there for you in case you run into a word you have trouble
with and the books on Virtusar should be similar to the ones you studied to
become a Champion.  We can talk about which of the observances and prayers
the men know best.  Since we are preaching to a largely illiterate group,
such things are even more important than usual.

   "For now why don't you take one of the long-term care rooms as your
quarters?  I recommend the one farthest from the tower.  The noise of the
construction can sometimes be quite annoying.  The large triage room at the
end of the infirmary wing is not far away and it has its own heavy door
into the courtyard.  That door cannot be opened from the outside and should
be fully bolted when you are away, but if you want to sit outside in the
sun, or admit a guest without making him go through the office, you may use
that door."

   "Thank you, Vicar, I will do that."

   "Good, that's going to have to be all for now, ah, Champion.  I have to
hurry to the strategy meeting.  Sometime soon when I have time I will quiz
you on the books to determine your initial level of knowledge.  There is
going to be a dinner for those that traveled with the coach.  It will start
about a half hour after the strategy meeting begins.  The knights and I
will be joining you after we are finished to say a few words about the
action you all saw today."

   "Will tables be set up in the tower room?" Celena asked.

   "Yes, the banquet would have been in the great hall in the tower house,
but we have relocated it to the tower room here at the church so that the
knights can dine alone in the tower house while they discuss strategies.  A
wagon should arrive here shortly with the food and kitchen help.  You
should have just about enough time for a bath before the dinner starts."

   "Then I guess I better get busy.  Thank you Vicar Fryske.  I am sure it
will be a pleasure working with you."

   "I am still a little overwhelmed at what luck the baron had in finding
you, but I am sure you are right, Champion Medea," The vicar affirmed.
-------

   Once Vicar Fryske left, Celena returned to the infirmary, took a quick
bath and washed her clothes.  She had forgotten to ask if the knight's
non-monetary package included a laundry service.  Since she only had two
changes of clothes it did not seem likely that she would be able to take
full advantage of a service until she had more clothing anyway.  It made
sense to wash her riding dress while she had time.  She made a mental note
to modify or discard anything that had belonged to Bellany at her earliest
convenience.

   Once she had combed her hair out, Celena opened the heavy door at the
end of the infirmary and went outside to hang her dress on a clothesline
she had seen.  The small stoop outside the back door to the infirmary had a
stone ramp rather than a staircase leading to the ground, perhaps to
accommodate small wheeled carts.  Judging from the stonework and equipment
strewn around the as yet unfinished courtyard surrounding the temple of
Virtusar and the infirmary, one day the yard would be a combination herb
garden and weapons practice yard.  While hanging her dress and underwear,
Celena noticed a small group of men just south of the gate shooting arrows
at a target standing near the south wall of the courtyard.  Since it was
quite dark, spear-like torches stuck into the ground lighted the target.

   Celena decided it might be fun to join the archers and went to her room
to don her bow and quiver.  Since she was arming up she decided she would
wear all of her weapons, the better to look like a proper champion of
Virtusar.  As an afterthought she dug the letter of recommendation from
Guardian Grailings out of her saddlebags and put it into a pocket on her
quiver.  If the men who had fired from the wall to drive back the Avengene
cavalry would be present at the banquet, then they would be coming through
the gate of Virtusar's courtyard.  With luck, perhaps Guardian Argyle would
stop by and talk with the archers.

   Celena bolted the back door to the infirmary as the vicar had bid her
and backtracked through the infirmary, out the door to the northeast tower
and then back over to the archers.  She said nothing until the man shooting
released his arrow.

   "Good evening soldiers.  My name is Champion Medea.  I am the new
assistant healer under Vicar Fryske.

   "Then it's true!"

   "What's true?" Celena asked.

   "There's one more woman at Rath Keep!  May the competition begin!" one
of the men chuckled.

   Celena was depending on the light of a single torch in a holder on the
south side of the gate to see the mens' features, but it did not illuminate
them well.  Her life vision showed her where the men were, but the details
it provided were different than what she gleaned from normal vision.

   "There won't be any competition," Celena said succinctly.  "I already
belong to Virtusar.  I am a warrior-priestess, a concubine of Virtusar in
training.  The baron, the vicar, the knights and I have still not hammered
out the details of how that is going to work here with the Baron's rules,
but we will figure something out."

   "It's hard to say for sure in this dim light, but I'm thinkin' all the
men will be waitin' on that!  It'll give us somethin' ta think about while
we're slavin' fer Nick!

   "Slaving for Nick?" Celena asked.

   "That's right; Daelrath soldiers don't have it easy like the Bristol
garrison.  We 'ave ta work for a livin' or there'd be no food in the mess
'all and no walls to protect us from th' trolls!"

   "That makes sense.  Might you introduce me to everyone?

   "I'd be glad to, missy!  We are all Bobcats and Bristol B's, as you
might 'ave guessed given the hour."

   "Bobcats and Bristol B's?" Celena asked.

   "Yes, me name is Devlin Gowen.  Didn't anyone explain to ye how the
platoons work around here?"

   Celena hesitated for just a moment.  She recognized Gowen.  He had been
on dungeon guard duty when she was incarcerated beneath Rath keep while
playing the role of Valkura, Necromancer Kroz' apprentice.

   "I am afraid I just arrived and I've spent most of my time so far in the
infirmary reviewing the equipment and looking after the men's hurts,"
Celena said, recovering her wits after realizing she had seen Gowen before.

   "Then let me give ya th' skinny," another man broke in.  "My name is
Dale Cavell.  Welcome to Rath Keep, Champion Medea!  The men of the
Daelrath garrison run on twelve-hour shifts.  We 'ave two platoons, the
Bobcat Platoon and the Hawk Platoon.  We Bobcats are on the day shift at
the moment, that's noon ta midnight.  We got off a few minutes ago and
we're going to be grabbing some grub at this banquet since we nailed some
goons from the walls.  Anyhow the Bobcat Platoon will be baskin' in the sun
for the rest of the season until the Hawks get their stint on days.

   "Sir Gehrheart and Sir Mongrail are our arms masters.  They take their
eight-hour shifts split into two sections, four hours before and four hours
after lunch.  Seasoned soldiers train for the first two hours of the day
shift or the last two hours of the night shift.  Green recruits start two
hours earlier and drill while the seasoned guys are training.  Without that
extra training a lot of green recruits would never make it past the first
troll attack.

   "We take two of our meals on our own time and th' third on the Baron's
time, but th' mid-shift meal only lasts a half hour.  We also get one day
off a week, Saturday for th' Bobcats an' Sunday for th' 'awks.  The Bristol
garrison has a 'B' squad that works about the same hours as th' Bobcats. 
Their 'H' squad works about the same hours as th' 'awks, but they take
their day off on either Monday or Tuesday.  That way we always have decent
coverage for th' walls.  If a troll attack comes, everyone has to wake up
and arm up, but th' men already on duty are likely to take the first
attacks alone."

   "That makes sense.  Battles have to take priority over chores, but what
sorts of things do you work on when not training or fighting?" Celena
asked. "When Daelrath soldiers are on duty during the daylight hours we do
some kind o' work under the command o' one knight or another and 'is
sergeant.  During the day you'll only see soldiers from the Bristol
garrison patrolling the walls.  The rest of us are busy.  Every one o' the
knights is responsible for non-combat duties except for Sir Bronenkam, our
battle master.  He always works nights and 'e always runs the battles
against the trolls.

   "When Daelrath soldiers are on duty during the daylight hours we do some
kind o' work under the command o' one knight or another and 'is sergeant.
During the day you'll only see soldiers from the Bristol garrison
patrolling the walls.  The rest of us are busy.  Every one o' the knights
is responsible for non-combat duties except for Sir Bronenkam, our battle
master.  He always works nights and 'e always runs the battles against the
trolls.

   During the day the other knights figure out who gets what men to help
them accomplish chores.  The two arms masters are mostly in charge o'
training, but Sir Gehrheart also commands the smiths that make arms and
armor, and Sir Mongrail commands the bowyers and fletchers, which is funny
because he is no good with a longbow.  Sir Stallart is the castellan.  He
is in charge of more chores than anyone else.  He has a few extra sergeants
working for him because of that.  He supervises farming, livestock,
lumbering, fuel, pine tar, and construction.  Nick Stonewright pretty much
calls the shots on construction, but he has ta report to Sir Stallart just
the same.  Sir Coshus is our chief huntsman.  He and his hunters are in
charge of bringing down game for us and manning the trap lines.  The baron
makes some decent money off from furs and leather goods.  Sir Coshus is
also in charge of them that do cooking, brewing, distilling, torch making,
tallow rendering, and leather working."

   "Ye wouldn't want anyone else in charge o' th brewers!" Gowen
interjected.  "Sir Coshus sure knows how to put down the ale!"

   "He sure does!  I've heard he sometimes gets in trouble with the baron
for it and spends time dryin' out in the dungeon for 'is trouble," one of
the other men Celena did not yet have a name for added.

   "Anyhow let me get back to fillin' the champion in on how things run
around here, Cavell continued.  "During planting and harvest we mostly work
in the fields around the keep.  During the rest of the warm months many of
us work like dogs for Nick Stonewright building Rath Keep ta keep the damn
trolls out!  At least that's what we tell ourselves.  The damn trolls get
in anyway, but the walls do slow 'em down.  Nick's fortifications have
slowed 'em good, but there are more of 'em lately so it's been tough even
with the improvements we've been sweating over.

   "That sounds like a lot of work.  What do you do at night?" Celena
asked.

   "When it is dark out, most of us patrol th' walls and a few of us do
chores by the light o' tallow candles, oil lanterns or cheap torches, but
the baron can't afford too much lighting.  We use only the tallow and pine
tar we produce ourselves.  That's why th' night shift is not very
productive.  During the night hours we do our soldierin' and watchin' out
for troll attacks.  During the winter, patrollin' at night can be bitter,
and workin' the day shift isn't much better, but we're a hearty lot, aren't
we men?"

   "That we are!" the other men voiced their agreement.

   When Dale finished talking, Devlin pointed to another of the men.  "This
is Sergeant Victor Strong, a Bristol B or 'BB' as we call 'em.  This is
Tony Serino, also of Bristol."

   "It's nice to meet you men.  You can call me Champion until we get too
many champions of Virtusar around the keep.  I hear that there are two
more, but one of them is Sir Gehrheart and everyone calls him Sir."

   "You're in luck; the other champion is Sergeant Jordan.  He is one of
Sir Stallart's sergeants.  He helps run the Keep's farm.  He just won 'is
champion certificate a couple o' weeks ago.  He's new to 'is letters so 'e
needs ta practice.  Since 'e 'ad ta read somethin', prayers ta the god 'o
war sounded like a good deal, plus 'e got some extra 'elp with readin' from
the Vicar when 'e was practicin' for bein' a champion."

   "That was astute!  He killed two birds with one stone," Celena observed.

   "Champion Jordan's a good guy.  He's perpetually on days bein' Sir
Stallart's sergeant, but 'e used to be in Hawk Platoon.  Otherwise I'd know
'im better.  We all know 'im some from when we do farm work.  He works just
as 'ard as any man of us every minute 'e's not doin' paperwork or givin'
orders.  He used to ride like a farmer, not a sergeant, but 'e's improved
some thanks to Sir Mongrail.  He's not too bad with a longbow neither, and
'e's pretty handy with the broadsword and shield."

   "I am sure I will meet him sometime.  Are you getting some archery
practice in this late?"

   "We sure are!" Devlin affirmed.  "We chipped in to buy some torches for
practice, and Vicar Fryske got the holders made for us so we could use the
temple's target at night.  We sometimes practice before our duty shift
starts at noon, but it's good ta shoot at night.  The trolls never attack
during the day."

   "Longbows are fun, but not so useful against trolls without that special
mojo the baron buys from the dead mage," Cavell added." "A headshot will
slow a troll down though, especially if ya use a barbed tip that comes off
when the troll pulls the arrow," Gowen interjected.  "Jedadia's been
getting good at forging those.  It used to be only a few soldiers got 'em,
but now anyone that scores good in archery practice can get 'em as long as
'e wields a strong bow."

   "The baron buys arrows from a dead mage?  How is that possible?" Celena
asked.

   "Him and 'is crew o' walkin' skeletons and skeleton horses came one year
gettin' trolls for 'is laboratory.  I'll bet that was creepy!  He sent 'is
gorgeous apprentice with a slew o' troll heads ta get the Baron's bounty,"
Devlin explained.

   "The bounty money is actually a grant from th' Duke, but I understand it
'as been very helpful over th' years bringin' in a few troll-huntin'
fools," Sergeant Strong added.

   "Fools?" Celena asked.

   "Troll huntin' is a dangerous sport, ma'am.  We've seen hunters come and
go.  The bigger groups do the best, but most of 'em retire as troll feed."
Devlin shook his head.  "It kind of makes me wonder what in Virtusar's name
I'm doing up in this gods-forsaken country?  It helps we have a fortress,
but plenty o' us retire as troll feed too."

   "Didn't you get in a little trouble Down in Brickner?" Cavell asked.

   "Yeah, don't remind me.  In three more years I'll have no worries."

   "Oh, you are taking advantage of the duke's clemency?" Celena asked as
she realized what Devlin was talking about.

   "Long live the duke!" Devlin exclaimed.

   "Here, Here!" said a broad, baldheaded man as he came through the gate
with another man.  "'Tis good to see you men practicing the sublime art of
archery!"

   "Practice though we may, it'll be a bright day in Mortaebius' realm
before we're as good as you, Shiney!"

   "Nonsense, practice daily and your skill will wax as mine, with age,
shall wane."

   "Promise me first that your skill will wane, Shiny!" one of the men
accompanying the stout man said as he slapped him on the back.

   Celena froze.  "Could it be?" she thought to herself.

   "Speak of a devil and he appears!  We were just talking about you,
Champion Jordan.  This here is Champion Medea, that new healer woman we've
been hearing rumors about," Devlin said.

   "It is good to meet you, ma'am," Champion Jordan said.

   "Indeed it is a pleasure to meet one of such renowned beauty," Shiny
added.

   "It's nice to meet you both, as well," Celena responded, blushing
slightly at Shiny's comment.

   "This other gentleman you're talking to we call Shiny, on account of his
bald pate, but in formal situations and during services he goes by Guardian
Chromus Argyle."

   "Oh, Guardian Argyle, I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed your shooting
after being chased towards the keep.  Your range and accuracy were both
astounding.  Guardian Grailings sends his greetings and a letter of
introduction on my behalf," Celena said as she presented the letter to
Guardian Argyle.

   "Grailings gave you a letter of introduction?  What a fine touch!  As
soon as we get indoors I will surely read it.  Shall we indulge in a
friendly round of archery first?  No bets are necessary."

   "Sir Coshus might have a chance against you Shiney, but you won't see
any one of us foolish enough to bet against you in a contest of archery. 
You're all welcome to have a shot though, compliments of Vicar Fryske and
the four of us that bought this set o' torches."

   After a few rounds of archery more men arrived and participated in the
shooting.  After a quarter hour one of the kitchen staff came out of the
tower and let everyone know that the food was ready.  The arrows were
collected and the group of shooters made their way to the northeast tower.

   As they entered the torch-lit tower room, Celena's suspicions based on
the sound of Champion Jake Jordan's voice were confirmed.  Jake Jordan was
none other than Drake, one of the aspiring pirates that had dredged her out
of the river after she went over the falls.  The woman that the knights had
mentioned was above his station must have been Adriana, Red Jack's
daughter.

   Since Jack was a Jordell and Cynid was the baroness of Yeiraun, their
illegitimate daughter, Adriana, had noble blood on both sides.  She would
probably not be the heiress to the county of Li'Yeiraun since word was out
that she was not the daughter of Heinrick Liaern, Cynid's husband, but she
was a Jordell and a Yeiraun.  Drake had been hopelessly outclassed by her
pedigree.  Celena assumed that the Jordells had caught up with him when
Drake tried to leave the country with Adrianna, or perhaps Adrianna had
started to miss her mother.

   It spoke volumes about how much Adrianna cared for him that Drake had
not been killed or thrown in jail, and perhaps it also spoke of how
grateful the Jordells and Yierauns were that Drake had taken her away from
the camp of her pirate father.  It may also have had a great deal to do
with Jack's wishes for the young couple.  Whatever else he was, Jack was
Adriana's father, and Celena doubted that the Jordells would fault Drake
for complying with Jack Jordell's wishes.

   Whatever the reasons may have been, the Jordells had contrived a way to
give Drake the opportunity to leave his outlaw past behind him and reenter
society, perhaps as a military officer, or even a knight.  Celena could not
imagine that the Jordells would ever allow Adriana to marry Drake, but they
had given him a chance at a better life, and that was to their credit.

   As everyone sat down, Sergeant Jordan walked to the head of the table
and spoke:

   "Sir Mongrail asked me to speak on his behalf at the opening of this
banquet.  The knights are busy in a meeting, but as soon as they have
finished taking care of business, one or more of them will come by.

   "Every man and woman here at this banquet is here tonight because he or
she made a difference in a difficult situation, a situation so difficult it
is still up in the air and none of us can say much about it.  The incident
at the wall can be talked about as long as the foes and their origin are
not mentioned.  It's a sticky situation, and I'm sure we will be able to
talk more about it later, but right now the knights are on it and we just
have to sit tight.  For now I would like to lead us in a prayer for
inspiration,

   "Mighty Virtusar, steeped in the lore of battle, with combat instinct in
every thew, with strategy behind every action, we ask a blessing true.  May
our leaders be blessed with insight, that they might think as you!"

   "Vir-too-vir-too-vir-too," the men chanted and then everyone applauded.

   Jake sat down.  "Let's eat!" he said enthusiastically.

   Celena stood from her seat next to Guardian Argyle.  She spread the
fingers of both hands as she crossed one hand in front of her at the hip
and thrust it out as if to chop the air with open fingers while pulling her
other hand back.  She repeated a mirror image of the move with the grace of
a martial artist while intoning: "May this food strengthen your bodies, as
the warrior wisdom of Virtusar strengthens your spirits!

   Celena sat to renewed applause.

   "We got us two champions and a vicar!" Knar exclaimed

   "We will not lack for inspiration!" Bledsoe added.

   "And a Guardian, men!" Celena interjected.  "If you see war without
death, you must have gone to a parade, not a battle!"

   "Hah-hah!  I'll drink to that Champion Medea!" Devlin crooned.  "To
Shiney, may the god o' death rain in every one of yer arrows!"

   "Hah!  I'm no priest and I can tell you that prayer's already been
granted!" Sergeant Strong laughed.

   The men ate heartily and Celena managed to overhear who had been
successful with his archery when the Daelraths had needed it most. 
Guardian Argyle scored three hits and two of them had been kills.  Gowen
and Cavell had one kill apiece.  Obviously their enthusiasm for archery was
more than a passing thing.  Celena marveled because Devlin Gowen shot a
horn and sinew horse bow much like her own.  Both Sergeant Strong and
Anthony Serino had managed to inflict wounds on the enemy, the former with
a crossbow and the latter with a longbow.

   About an hour later Sir Gehrheart and Vicar Fryske walked into the tower
room.

   "Sorry for not being here earlier men," Sir Gehrheart said.  "The
knights' meeting went long and I do not have anything to say about what's
happening because we still cannot be sure of certain things.  For now it's
watch and wait.  Normally, as arms master, I'd be handing out tokens of the
spoils to the battle's finest warriors, but the spoils from this battle
tell too much of a tale.  I'll write down who did what, and when this thing
is resolved you can bet you'll know the gratitude of the barony.  For the
short term I hope this banquet will serve as a small reminder of just how
much we appreciate your service.  Thank you all for being the warriors you
are!  We don't know what to expect here, men, so get some sleep.  It's the
best thing all of us can do right now.  Sir Gehrheart bowed and headed back
out the door.

   "I hate to eat and run, but I promised meself some more archery practice
after sunup tomorrow.  If there is truth in what Champion Medea said about
bein' a concubine in training, ye can bet I'm going to be the most valorous
warrior in Rath Keep!" Devlin Gowan contended.

   "Unless I beat you to the title," Cavell said as he too stood up.

   "May Virtusar guide your swift shafts," Celena said rising briefly and
smiling upon the tenacity of the two archers.

   While the other men were busy excusing themselves from the table, Celena
bent and whispered in Guardian Argyle's ear, "I am not sure what guardian
Grailings wrote in the letter, but I would like a chance to talk with you
privately if you have a minute, Guardian.

   The guardian was about to reply when Vicar Fryske arrived and joined the
conversation, "Guardian Argyle, I've got something to tell, uh, Champion
Medea, and I'd like your expert opinion as well.  Might we all speak in the
library?"

   "Yes indeed, I would be glad to.  I was about to speak with the lovely
Champion about this letter of introduction from Guardian Grailings that I
managed to read while the men were recounting the story of their shots from
the wall."

   "Very good," Vicar Fryske commended.

   Celena followed the vicar into the library with the guardian.

   "The information I release here needs to stay in this room, is that
understood, Guardian?

   "Of course, Vicar."

   "Earlier this evening after I applied healing to Baron Daelrath's head
wound, Champion Medea appeared to have a conversation with his spirit.  She
also mentioned the spirit of her dead sister was present.  She informed us
that the healing energy I had imparted had brought the baron's spirit to
his body from the land of the dead, yet he is not dead.  He is in a coma
because of an arrow that pierced his head and would have killed him had
Champion Medea not been present to apply immediate magical aid.  Some of
the knights were inclined to believe the Champion.  Opinions ranged from
belief, to skepticism to, ah, alarm.  One thing that helped strengthen
belief in Champion Medea was that the baron told her that the documents of
succession read a certain way, and she was absolutely correct.

   "However a more skeptical individual suggested that the only person who
would know such things that had not been to Rath Keep would be someone
associated with the lawyers that originally drew the papers up.  Lady
Daelrath pointed out that were it not for the quick and professional
actions of Champion Medea, Baron Daelrath would be dead and that casting
her as an enemy spy out to assassinate the baron was therefore
preposterous. Had she wanted the baron dead, all she had to do was to botch
the healing or claim exhaustion from the previous day's efforts.  Everyone
who had come up from Springville agreed with that point unequivocally, in
spite of the suspicion that was thrown on her.

   "I asked you here Guardian, because Virtusar is the god of war, not the
lord of the dead and of spirits.  I thought perhaps you might know
something about ghosts as a priest of Mortaebius."

   "I do know something," Guardian Argyle confirmed.  "Guardian Grailings
knows more.  I have a mundane talent for archery, but it's nothing
supernatural.  Guardian Grailings does have a supernatural knack.  He
senses ghosts.  That was one of the reasons he sent this letter of
introduction to me.  People who see ghosts are sometimes not treated with a
great deal of respect.  Guardian Grailings assured me that he saw the ghost
associated with Champion Medea before she admitted to the ghost's presence.
Once he talked with her about the ghost she admitted that it was the ghost
of her dead sister, Carla, and that she was able to converse with it."

   Guardian Argyle took out the letter to point out the appropriate lines.

   "I can also attest that this letter is in Guardian Grailings' hand since
us priests of Mortaebius in Daelrath keep in touch with one another,"
Guardian Argyle added.

   "Celena, I am here if you need me," Carla whispered in Celena's ear.

   "I see," Vicar Fryske nodded earnestly as he continued to speak with
Guardian Argyle.  "Spell casters are sometimes touched with a bit of
insanity, and I, ah, admit that I was beginning to think that argument
might hold water in Champion Medea's case, but now I am relieved to see
that Champion Medea may simply be touched with more mystical sensitivity
than most of us are."

   "I understand that skepticism is natural for some people, but I also
worry that the person who would be best served if I were marginalized
amongst the knights of Daelrath would be the same person who I believe is
behind the ordeal we endured on the trip up from Springville," Celena
reasoned out loud.  "You are my immediate superior, Vicar Fryske, and I
need you to be able to trust me.  I told the Baron when I hired on that the
legacy of my grandmother was private and quite dangerous to reveal since
the Avengenes are obviously no friends of wise women.  Yet it seems that we
really need to resolve this if I am to have any allies among the knights.
Carla is here right now, Vicar.  She cannot go far from me as she is not
near anything else that she knew in life, but perhaps we can come up with a
way to show you that she exists."

   I can vouch for that part, Vicar," Guardian Argyle added.  "I have read
that, to maintain a presence, ghosts usually require context from their
former life.  Familiar people and things can serve that purpose."

   Vicar Fryske nodded to the guardian and then turned his gaze back to
Celena.

   "Ah, I see your point, but if you can find a way to show me that your
ability with ghosts is real then I would be gratified.  You have been a
great help to me already, and I want to be able to trust you."

   "Thank you Vicar.  I am sure that no amount of proof will ever satisfy a
total skeptic, or an actual spy trying to cast guilt away from himself, but
I think Carla and I can provide you with a reasonable amount of certainty.
I have an idea, but I need to ask Carla a question to see if it is going to
be practical," Celena said changing her focus to a spot near her.

   "Carla, how well do you remember your letters?"

   "I am good with numbers and I can read simple passages, but I was never
formally educated," Carla whispered.

   "Carla was younger than I am now when she died, and had less interest in
reading.  We are going to have to stick to simpler passages and numbers. 
Vicar I am going to sit down here.  Can you hide behind a large book on the
opposite side of the table and carefully and very legibly write a long
series of digits?  I will put my hand out like so.  That way Carla should
be able to stand next to you without getting too far from me.

   Vicar Fryske nodded.  He opened the door to his quarters and brought in
a quill and some ink.  He then brought a large book out of one of the
bookcases.  He sat down and stood the book up to shield his writing.

   Guardian Argyle pulled up a chair next to Celena.

   "I can attest that I cannot see what you are writing, or any part of
your quill from here, Vicar, and I am somewhat taller than Champion Medea.

   "Thank you Guardian Argyle," the vicar said before turning to Celena. 
"Champion, I have written a series of digits.  They are large and clearly
penned."

   Celena nodded to the vicar, but spoke to Carla.  "Carla, please give me
four digits at a time and wait until I finish saying them.  This is not
going to work if I am trying to talk and listen at the same time."

   "Okay, I will read them off four at a time," the ghost whispered.

   "9768, 7242, 3759," Champion Medea repeated the numbers after Carla read
each set to her.

   Vicar Fryske raised an eyebrow incredulously.  "Uh, that's amazing,
Champion!"

   "He just drew a triangle," Carla said.

   "Carla said you just drew a triangle," Vicar.

   Vicar Fryske smiled.  "I can hardly believe it, but she is right!"

   Celena kept her ears open and repeated anything Carla told her.

   "Carla thinks that's supposed to be a square, but she's afraid it could
also be a rectangle."

   "Uh, sorry - I'm drawing freehand.  It's supposed to be a square."

   "Now she says you drew another triangle, it looks square on one side.  I
think she means you drew a right triangle.

   Vicar Fryske nodded.

   "A circle," ...  "An asterisk," ...  "I do not believe in ghosts," ...
"She says you're just scribbling now."

   "Either you can see through thick books, read minds, or talk to ghosts,
Champion.  It's astonishing!"

   "Have you got some playing cards or dice, Vicar?  You could eliminate
mind-reading as the cause if you did not know the results of a throw of the
dice or a cut of the deck." Guardian Argyle reasoned.

   "That idea has merit, Guardian Argyle." The vicar got up and retrieved a
set of knucklebones and a deck of cards from his quarters.

   "Luckily, part of being a priest of Virtusar is getting to know the
soldiers you minister too.  I came prepared for games of chance.  Okay, I
am going to close my eyes and throw the dice," the Vicar said.

   "The die on your left has four pips.  The die on your right has three,"
Celena informed the Vicar.

   The Vicar opened his eyes and smiled.  He tried a couple more tosses and
then shuffled the cards and cut them.  He repeated shuffling and cutting
several times.  Each time Celena reported the two cards exposed before the
vicar opened his eyes and checked her for accuracy.

   The Vicar nodded.  "There are no mirrors in the room, and I am not
wearing anything reflective.  Given what Guardian Grailings wrote, I am
convinced that either you have a ghost, or you can see through thick
books."

   "Might I have a go?" Guardian Argyle suggested.

   Celena nodded.

   "Yes, that will prove it has nothing to do with me," the Vicar agreed.

   Vicar Fryske found an additional large book and stood it in front of the
first one before Guardian Argyle conducted tests similar to those the vicar
had done.  The results were the same.

   "It appears that you have a ghost," Vicar Fryske concluded.

   Celena raised a finger.  "If I were clairvoyant or able to cast a magic
spell of clairvoyance I could look over your shoulder from a spot in the
room behind you, Vicar.  That is the only way I can think of that I would
be able to do this without Carla.  Even the ability to read minds would
have fallen flat.

   "Nevertheless, I am descended from a line of wise women.  Wise women are
reputed to have magical powers.  The baron was well aware of my Grandmother
Crystal's legacy when he hired me, yet nothing would please an enemy spy
more than to convince all of the knights that, because I can do magic, I am
dangerous.  I have to concede that magic can be dangerous.  The story Sir
Coshus recounted concerning Reverend Leland proves that, and I have no
doubt that there are men who would use the tests we just performed in this
library to prove that I should be the victim of an Avengene-style witch
hunt.  Yet, I think my conduct on the trip from Springville to Rath Keep
speaks for itself with regard to whose side I am on."

   "That is about what Sir Stallart said," Vicar Fryske admitted.  "I
believe he was right.  Also, if we all get nervous about what powers you
might have and dismiss you, the next time we have a battle with the trolls
I will find myself exhausted with too many dying men and no way to save
them.  I have been to that place before and it broke my heart.  Your magic
is what makes you so valuable.  I may not be an expert on all forms of
magic, but I touched Sir Stallart after you healed his wound, and I can
attest that the energy you used was far too lusty to be of the Vindicator.
It could have been of Amorra, but the concubines of Virtusar were a gift to
the god of war from Amorra.  That puts us right back to putting our faith
in you based on your actions or succumbing to our fears."

   Celena nodded.  "I really enjoy being a Champion of Virtusar, Vicar, and
I have made no secrets about the nature of my heritage.  My grandmother was
a wise woman and a healer, and I would like to follow in her footsteps. 
She had an affinity for Amorra, but she was not an official priestess.  We
also saw a lot of death given my grandmother's profession and I am no
stranger to funerals and Mortaebius or to soldiers and Virtusar.  My
grandmother was killed because Lord Avengene was jealous of any powers she
might have had even though she was using them to help mercenaries in his
employ.  I do not want the same thing to happen to me."

   Vicar Fryske set his youthful jaw.

   "I understand, Champion, and I am not going to let that happen!  People
are on edge and if there are any spies, they will be busy deflecting
suspicion from themselves.  It is easy to blame the new person, but I
imagine that if a certain powerful person wanted spies in Rath Keep, he
would have placed them long before now.  I am sorry that I cannot reveal
more to you at this time, Guardian Argyle, but I hope to soon.  If you will
both excuse me, I need to catch Sir Gehrheart before he goes to bed.  He is
a champion of Virtusar and I trust his strategic wit.  If he is satisfied
by what I have learned here, then the council of knights is going to
endorse you, and we can get back to what we do best-healing!"

   Vicar Fryske turned to Guardian Argyle.  "Is there anything in that
letter from Guardian Grailings that you do not want me to see?"

   "No, by all means take it and show it to Sir Gehrheart!  I am a priest
of Mortaebius.  If I can nip an Avengene-style witch hunt in the bud, I am
more than happy to do so!"

   Vicar Fryske nodded succinctly, took the letter that Guardian Argyle
handed him and rushed out of the library.

   Guardian Argyle stood up.

   "Was there anything else you wanted to talk about, Champion Medea?" He
smiled.

   "I think we covered the ghostly material, thank you Guardian Argyle,"
Celena replied.

   "You are welcome, Champion.  I suppose I had best get to bed.  By the
sounds of things, tomorrow could be a big day," Guardian Argyle smiled.

   "I am not looking forward to a cold bed and the possibility that someone
will come to spirit me off to a witch trial while I sleep."

   "There is a simple solution for that." Guardian Argyle grinned.

   "Jump off the wall?" Celena asked playfully.

   "I should hope not!  Why not come to bed with me?"

   "That does have distinct advantages over a fatal jump," Celena grinned.
"Plus I recall several valorous shots you took at the unnamed foes.  As a
concubine of Virtusar in training, it is my sacred pleasure to reward
valorous deeds."

   "I will have you know that I am a very valorous archer indeed," Guardian
Argyle said with a smile.

   "There were some other valorous men at the banquet, but most of them
were wounded.  I am far too lively to be sleeping with wounded men."

   "Then it just wouldn't be right for you to sleep anywhere else this
night," Guardian Argyle affirmed.

   Celena smiled.  "You're right.  I must warn you in advance, I often
don't sleep for long.  Unless I bring something to read, it is almost a
certainty that I will be gone before you wake up.  Even if I do bring
books, I still may not make it through the night."

   "Bring some books for the early morning if you wish, Champion.  The day
shift for the men does not start until noon.  I like to be up by ten, but
it is far too late now for such an early awakening.  I will likely sleep
like the dead until the eleven o'clock lunch bell rings.  I have pens and
ink you can use, although candles are rare and precious in these parts. 
Please try to hold off reading until sunrise or you'll clean me out of
candles in short order.  I have to plan ahead because I am going to be
right up at the top of the valorous list for the entire year."

   Celena grinned.  "Then it looks like I will be wearing a pathway to your
door, Guardian."

   "Count on it!"

   Celena opened her cabinet and took the medical dictionary, the anatomy
book and her spellbook.  She then followed Guardian Argyle out of the tower
room and they headed west down the road that ran past the infirmary to the
gate out of Virtusar's courtyard.  Celena tried to imagine what the
courtyard might look like when finished and cobbled with granite tiles.  At
the moment it consisted of sometimes less than flat stone with various
pieces of equipment pertaining to weapons practice strewn about and a few
patches of dirt fenced by granite blocks and full of growing herbs.

   As they walked, Celena tried to get a feel for the state of the walls
and the functions of various buildings.  Just after they exited the
courtyard of Virtusar she noted that the walls stepped down gradually from
twenty feet in height near the northeast tower to only about twelve feet
tall by the gate they exited.  After that the walls were only ten feet tall
until they stepped back up to twenty feet in height near the barbican.  She
had no doubt that the walls would be a uniform height once construction was
finished, but the mason was obviously attempting to provide adequate
protection to all areas rather than good protection to some and none to
others.

   Both barracks adjoined the barbican on the north side of a rectangular
courtyard that the gate opened into.  The Daelrath barracks ran along the
inside of the curtain wall east of the barbican while the Bristol barracks
ran along the inside of the curtain wall west of the barbican.  On the
south side of the courtyard there were two huge stone stables or barns that
faced one another.  The road that started at the barbican and headed south
widened to triple its normal width as it passed between the huge barns. 
She guessed that the barns housed the cavalry mounts and any livestock.

   Celena followed Guardian Argyle onto a small, stone stoop, past a guard
and through a door that opened at about the center point of the Bristol
barracks.

   "Take my hand, Argyle whispered.  I know this corridor well enough to
navigate it without light.  That's a lucky thing because the baron does not
believe in burning torches or candles all night indoors.  He is very
frugal. This late at night I have to grope my way to my room."

   Celena followed Argyle past the waiting room for a small barracks office
and down the hall to the north.  She passed a door on the right early on
then two more on the left farther down the hall.  When Celena estimated
they must be near the curtain wall, they took a left turn when the hallway
came to a tee and headed west.  At the end of the new corridor Guardian
Argyle opened a door.

   "We are now in part of the chapel of Mortaebius.  Since the barracks
buildings are the same size, but the Daelrath barracks houses more men, we
put the extra space to good use by including the chapel of Mortaebius.  The
door to my quarters is here on the south side of the corridor and the next
door down opens into the chapel office.  The door to the actual chapel of
Mortaebius is on the west end of this corridor," Argyle said as he fumbled
with the knob and opened the door to his room.  "Now the trick is going to
be to get my tinderbox.  I leave it next to my candle on the dresser here.
After a bit of groping I should be able to find them both."

   Celena looked around the room using her life vision.  The dresser was to
the left of the door and the bed was straight ahead.  She saw a few doors
and various other furnishings as well before she noticed that although the
tinderbox was where Argyle thought it was, the candle was not.  Celena
smiled as she saw the guardian turn and extend his groping hands towards
her rather than the top of the dresser.  Before he found her she set her
books down on the foot of the bed.  When one of his hands found her side he
extended both, grabbed her waist and pulled her closer.  He caressed her
belly through the fabric of her dress before sliding his hands up to cup
her breasts and then he gave them a gentle squeeze.

   She responded by finding the side of his face and pulling it to her to
give him a wet, lingering kiss.  "While you are looking for the tinder box,
shall I see if I can find the candle?" Celena asked when their lips parted.

   Guardian Argyle chuckled.

   "The thought had crossed my mind, but the candle you speak of is already
on fire.  Unfortunately it is not helping me to behold your beauty so much
as it wants to become engulfed by it.  I had better behave myself for a
moment and get us light," the guardian said.

   Celena stealthily made her way across the room to retrieve the candle
from the night table while the guardian groped around on the dresser and
found his tinderbox.  She set the candle deliberately on the dresser so
that guardian Argyle could hear it as he opened his tinderbox and began to
strike flint against steel.

   "I have the candle.  I will put it in the flame once you kindle it,"
Celena said. "I am counting on that," Argyle said as he continued to strike
the flint and steel together.  "I am doing my best to ignite the tinder,
but I am not as practiced as I could be.  Fortunately I seldom come in this
late."

   Celena waited until the Guardian was having an especially lively spell
of tapping the flint against the steel and then whispered her Ignite spell.

   "Thank the gods my modest skill was sufficient!  I thought I was going
to have to take the candle out to the torch by the gate," Argyle whispered
as he lit the candle and then snuffed out the tinder.

   "You did marvelously, besides more people are likely to stay alive
because you spend your time practicing your archery than would if you spent
it honing your fire-starting skills," Celena observed.

   "True, but I am happy to have light.  Without it I could not gaze upon
your beauty.  It is not every day I have such a comely house guest," Argyle
said as he softly shut the door.  "You might want to pick up a tinder box
of your own.  I believe our local craftsmen could put one together for you.
The baron does not have a glass blower here at the keep, but he does have a
blacksmith, a potter and a few other craftsmen."

   "Thank you Guardian Argyle.  I don't want to keep you up too much later
than I already have.  Why don't we undress and continue our conversation in
bed?  I will pick up a tinderbox when I can.  It is good that Baron
Daelrath has the basics covered, but I could not help but notice the keep
lacks the trappings of wealth.  There were very few torches burning in the
courtyard, just one by the gate.  There was not even one by the doors of
each barracks.  Given the troubles we have had lately I am surprised the
knights have not broken into some emergency stores."

   "Undressing sounds like a fine idea to me," Argyle said with a broad
smile.  "The Baron does not see the advantage in torches.  As far as he is
concerned, torches amount to paying to ruin the night vision of his men.  I
can see his point.  Lights do spoil night vision and I pray the vision of
our soldiers is especially keen this night!"

   "Me too," Celena agreed as she scooped her books off the bed and set
them on the end of the dresser farthest from the tinderbox before beginning
to undress.  "I see you have a couple of book shelves in here, but the one
by the door is nearly empty.  Are there any good books in the one by the
bed?"

   "Yes, but they are mostly works for priests of Mortaebius.  The church
has been encouraging spell-casting ability since the tensions with the
Church of the Vindicator started.  Like any good priest of Mortaebius, I
redoubled my efforts with my bow and staff and I started trying to develop
an aptitude for the magic of Mortaebius.  I have become quite proficient
with the bow, but magic has proven a far more difficult woman to woo."

   "I may be able to help you with that," Celena offered.

   "I am not sure the priests of Mortaebius would appreciate me revealing
the magic of Mortaebius to a wise woman just to get pointers on casting."

   "If the church is like most such institutions, I am sure you are right.
Perhaps it would go over better if I were a deaconess of Mortaebius."

   "But you are already a Champion of Virtusar."

   "Yes I am, but if I am to be a fully qualified field chaplain in the
barony of Daelrath would I not need to know something about both of the
major faiths practiced here and perhaps a few others?"

   "You make an excellent point, Champion!  The case of military field
chaplains is the one major exception to the church's preference that her
deacons be devoted exclusively to Mortaebius.  With a little help from
Guardian Grailings, Vicar Fryske and one of the knights I am positive you
would have no trouble getting official approval from the church of
Mortaebius.  I would be happy to put the paperwork together and train you
once you secure approval.  It would take a while, but I cannot see any
reason you would be rejected, so we can start with the basics as soon as
you like."

   "If you plan on being valorous often, perhaps you could just set the
appropriate books aside on one of your shelves.  That way I will always
have something to read when I invariably wake up early, and we will have
something to talk about when you arise for breakfast."

   "I like the way you thin-" Argyle paused in mid word to inhale raptly as
Celena took off her dress.  "Amorra be praised!  I am positive I will be up
against stiff competition once the young men realize just how beautiful you
are.  With such great incentive, you will surely make warriors out of the
men even Sir Gehrheart has been unable to motivate.  I will grudgingly
spare a minute or two from my feverish archery practice tomorrow to peruse
my books and set the appropriate volumes aside for you."

   "Thank you Guardian Argyle.  I will do what I can to help you with your
magic whenever you feel you can let me."

   "Thank you Celena.  I will get your application for deacon training to
the church as soon as I can.  With luck, you will be a deaconess by the
time I have had some time to brush up on my Mortaebian magic," Argyle said
as he hastily undressed and then slipped into bed, his eyes drinking in
Celena's beauty the entire time.

   Celena smiled, at the open-mouthed expression on the guardian's face
while he watched her full breasts jiggle as she got into bed with him.  It
had been a long, harrowing day and it felt good just to relax in the warmth
of the guardian's embrace.  She snuggled with him for a few moments before
she could not help but draw subtly on the distracting tingle of his lust.
-------

   After a warm session with the guardian, Celena slept soundly for about
two hours before she awakened once again.  Her reserves had been
dangerously low, but Sir Stallart's stud service and Guardian Argyle's
valor had helped with that.  She snuggled against Guardian Argyle for a
moment, but she was far too alert to drop back to sleep.  Instead she slid
the covers off, and after checking the guardian with her lust sense to make
sure he was asleep, she whispered her Life Vision spell.  She then eased
out of bed and took her dress and underwear off the chair she had tossed
them over.  She wanted to recast her various other spells, but felt it
would be safer if she did it in another room.  She carefully opened the
door, closed it and then continued down the hall rather than going back the
way she had come in with the guardian.

   After quietly opening a door at the end of the hall she found herself in
the sanctuary of Mortaebius that the guardian had mentioned.  She put her
clothing on one of the sanctuary's front seats and recast her Ghostly
Whispers and Transient Shield spells before donning her clothes.  While she
was dressing she noted that there were many rough-hewn bench seats that
filled the room and a heavy door on the far end with a similar array of
bolts to the one at the end of the infirmary.  She guessed that the door
allowed parishioners to come into the back of the chapel from outside the
building.

   Just as was common in the infirmary, the windows were arrow slits that
looked like upside down tees that started eight feet from the floor and
ended just shy of the 12-foot ceiling.  There were stone shelves built into
the walls about four feet up so that archers and spear-men could stand on
them and fire or jab down at attackers outside the building in the event
that the gate were breached and fighting spread into the courtyards.  In
case the enemy brought ladders, there were also stout oaken shutters next
to each slit that could be secured to keep attackers from stabbing into the
room.

   Celena approached the altar of Mortaebius after she cast her Transient
Shield spell.  She paused before the altar for moment and bowed in prayer.
"Mortaebius, lord of the dead, thank you for the opportunity to continue
our work as Celena, and for the blessing of her spirit's presence," Celena
said silently.

   As she finished her prayer, Celena heard muffled voices from outside and
she thought she heard a lock turn in the door across the room.  She made
her way stealthily across the room and silently slid the door's four stout
bolts back.  She then tried to open the door, but found it was still locked
even though it was unbolted.  There was a keyhole.  Perhaps this door was
supposed to stay locked, but why had it been locked now at about four in
the morning from the outside?

   She climbed up on a nearby stone shelf built for archers and looked out
the window.  She could see just the edge of what looked to be a human aura
suggesting that there was a guard right outside the door in the dark.  She
raised an eyebrow and then retreated to the statue of Mortaebius on the
shelf above the altar on the east side of the room.

   "Carla, Celena whispered.  There was no answer.  She went into the
hallway nearer Guardian Argyle's room and called again before feeling a
familiar chill.

   "You sure don't sleep long, Celena."

   "There is no rest for the wicked," Celena grinned.

   "Oh its wickedness that allows you to go without sleep?  I should have
tried that in life."

   "Actually it's a gift from Amorra, I think.  Sex gives me life force,
and if you have a lot of life force you need a lot less sleep," Celena
whispered quietly.

   "Oh, I understand now.  Tonight you are like a gristmill powered by
stallions," Carla observed.

   Celena blushed.  "Yes, I suppose you could put it that way, although I'd
like to think I'm more attractive than a gristmill."

   "Of course you are.  You look a lot like I did, only better," Carla
observed.

   "I could be wrong, but we may be locked in here, or it could be they
simply lock the door out of the chapel late at night.  I am going to check
the door we came in because it seems odd they would lock the door out of
the chapel at this hour.  Might you help me by looking to see what is on
the other side of the door?"

   "Certainly.  I had a short break exploring the dreariness of the land of
the dead and I am ready to help!" Carla affirmed.

   Celena retraced the path she had taken as she and Argyle had come into
the building.  She made her way past the little barracks office and checked
the outside door.  It had bolts, but none of them were engaged,
nevertheless the door was locked.

   "There is a guard standing outside on the stoop," Carla confirmed.
Celena rushed back to the chapel door and had Carla double-check what was
on the other side.  It too was guarded as she suspected.  She quickly made
her way back to Guardian Argyle's room.  After checking to make sure he was
asleep, she whispered her ignite spell and brought the candle to life.  She
then rushed over to the bed and whispered in Argyle's ear while shaking
him.

   "Guardian Argyle, wake up!"

   Waking the priest proved a bit harder than she had thought it would be,
finally she grabbed his bald pate in her left hand and nearly shouted in a
commanding tone, "Guardian Argyle, in the name of Mortaebius wake up!"

   Guardian Arghyle's eyes popped opened and he inhaled deeply.

   "Are we under attack?" he asked.

   "Is it normal for both doors out of the building to be locked from the
outside and guards to be posted?"

   "On both doors?" Argyle asked.

   "Yes, both, and both locked even if you open the bolts on the door out
of the chapel."

   Guardian Argyle rubbed his eyes.  "There is usually a guard posted in
front of the front door to the barracks, but it is never locked except
during attacks, and then it is locked from the inside.  The door out of the
chapel should not be guarded at all, and it should only be locked from the
inside by the bolts.  We should have a talk with that guard."

   "Unless he is working for Lord Avengene, in which case we will just
reveal our hand prematurely."

   "Lord of Death, why would lord Avengene be making a play for Daelrath
out of the blue?"

   "It's not really out of the blue," Celena said as she set the candle on
the dresser while she fetched her weapons belt, bow and quiver and began
donning them.  "The knights ordered silence on this matter, so you need to
keep this under your hat, but when the coach came up from Springville a
tribe of orcs attacked us.  Unknown to them or us, they were in turn
surrounded by a large number of Avengene cavalry scouts with hounds.

   Not two minutes after the orc chief sent an arrow through Baron
Daelrath's head, the Avengenes sent a full cavalry charge heading our way.
I imagine the orcs were the anvil and the charge was the hammer.  At that
point I realized that if the Avengenes 'rescued' Bruhnhilda from the orcs
when Lord Daelrath was supposedly dead, they would essentially capture the
barony of Daelrath by capturing, ah 'rescuing,' Bruhnhilda."

   "How diabolically clever!  How is the baron, and how did you escape?"

   "The baron took an arrow through the head.  I applied magical healing
within a minute of when he was hit.  He is alive, but may never wake up,
and as for our escape, I speak Orcish, and the orc lieutenant was about to
kill me when the bugles sounded for the Avengene charge.  I suggested that
his tribe must have been hired through a middleman to help Lord Avengene
steal the Barony of Daelrath.  He saw the logic in my statement.  He also
felt great shame at helping the archenemy of the orcs and immediately put a
stop to the hostilities.  I suggested a temporary alliance between the orc
lieutenant and I, and he agreed, probably because it gave him a chance to
undo the help that his tribe had unwittingly provided to Lord Avengene.

   The men you shot from the wall were members of an elite Avengene cavalry
unit stationed at the edge of the fields to run anyone down that sought to
take shelter in the keep, especially anyone named Daelrath, I suspect. 
Without the night vision of the orc we would never have evaded the regular
Avengene scouts to even get as close to the keep as we did in order to make
a run to safety."

   "That sounds like a harrowing ordeal, but it explains a lot!  Yet there
is further danger.  Lord Avengene once had a great deal of influence over
this keep.  He may still have loyal followers here.  We must wake
Lieutenant York at once.  He has a good strategic mind.  If anyone will
know what to do, he will!" Guardian Argyle affirmed.

   "Let's wake him then!  I don't want to be caught flat-footed if the
Avengenes have contrived a way to get into the keep."

   "York's is the first door on what will be our right once we reach the
hallway that passes the office."

   Celena hurried with the Guardian to the appropriate door and quietly
opened it.  "You wake him up.  He may not recognize my voice in his sleep,
and I don't want to be struck down by any half-awake combat instincts he
might have," Celena whispered to the guardian.

   Guardian Argyle walked to the lieutenant's bed.

   "Lieutenant York, Lieutenant York, wake up!"

   "Wha?  Troll attack?" the lieutenant asked as he sat bolt upright."

   "It's something stranger, actually.  Did you lock both doors out of this
barracks with a key and post guards outside of them?" Guardian Argyle
asked.

   "I didn't lock the doors, and you know we never post a guard at the
chapel door.  It's bolted from the inside except when there are services."

   "I haven't had time to check, but Champion Medea says we are locked in.
She thinks something could be up with the gate," the Guardian said.

   "There should be six men in the Bristol barbican room.  I tripled the
guard.  Why don't we just check with the guard at the front door and see
who has been through here lately?"

   York slipped on a pair of pants that was hanging on a hook near the
door. His weapons belt was already in the loops.

   "In case the front door really is locked as the champion says, we can
use the key on my key ring here ...  which is missing, along with my key to
the armory.  Something is up, I'll wager.  We need to sneak around and find
out if there is something amiss.  No talking until we meet back in this
room for a little planning.  Why don't you arm up, Guardian.  More people
are not going to make this reconnoiter any stealthier."

   Lieutenant York lit a hooded lantern from Celena's candle and then gave
the candle to Guardian Argyle.

   Celena followed Lieutenant York to the main door that led outside from
the barracks.  He checked it and found it locked just as she had earlier.
He motioned her to follow and made his way down the hall, but instead of
turning towards the chapel he turned east and then east again a few seconds
later.  He knocked quietly at a door on the east side of the hallway.

   "Who is that?" asked a voice from within.

   It's Lieutenant York.  Open up, Private Frost."

   "Sir Bronenkam instituted a password a few minutes ago.  You just missed
him, but I'm afraid I'll need the password just the same, Lieutenant."

   "He did?  I need to get dressed and then I'll find him and get it.  In
the meantime I want you to get the men up and get them armed and armored up
on the double!"

   "Yes sir."

   York put his ear to the door and motioned Celena to listen as well. 
After twenty seconds he pulled away from the door and motioned for Celena
to follow him back to his office.  They met Guardian Argyle on the way and
motioned for him to follow them to York's office to discuss strategy.  Once
they were inside York closed the door.

   "That was a room full of my day shift soldiers.  You have to go through
that barracks room to get to the control room in the barbican.  From there
you can raise or lower one of the two barbican portcullises and the west
chain attached to the drawbridge.  If Bronenkam has been in there and plans
to let the Avengenes into the keep, chances are he found other duties for
the six men I assigned to the control room and he has a couple of
hand-picked men locked in there awaiting his orders.  Even if we get into
the barracks room, chances are we would never get through the door into the
control room in time.  It would take the better part of an hour for a
battle-axe crew to penetrate that door, I'll wager.  If Bronenkam plans to
open the gate for the Avengenes, the only way we are going to stop them
from pouring into the courtyard is by arming up with shields and pikes to
plug the way in ourselves.

   If I pound on the door, I can get the men up, but judging from his lack
of will to follow my orders, Frost may no longer be working for Lord
Bristol, and as soon as I start pounding on that door to wake the men, he
might turn on the men if he is an Avengene spy rather than someone Sir
Bronenkam duped with nefarious orders.  If we are lucky he may try to
convince the men that they are not to leave until someone supplies the
password, but if they balk then he might try to kill anyone trying to get
to the door while he is armed and armored, but they are not.  They would
overpower him eventually, I'll wager, but any deaths won't mean a thing if
we are still locked up in here.

   If we can find a way out of here, I will risk my men.  Otherwise it
would be foolish.  The good thing about the doors that let us outside is
that we control the bolts.  The only thing that is preventing us from
getting outside is one of two single locks, and the guards outside the
door. I have lock picks hidden and I have been meaning to practice more on
manacles and such.  It's a good skill to have should an enemy ever capture
you.  Unfortunately I am lousy at it, and it could take a long time for me
to open a door lock.  Does either of you have any skill at that sort of
thing?"

   Celena hesitated and was about to say something, but thought better of
it.  Some people already thought of her as "the witch." She did not need
them also thinking of her as "the thief."

   "It looks like it will be me then.  You two step outside a minute and
I'll retrieve the picks.  I don't want to reveal where they are hidden."

   Celena waited outside the door with Guardian Argyle for about thirty
seconds before Lieutenant York came out.

   "If you do manage to open the lock, what should we do with the guard?"
Celena asked.  If we kill him and Sir Bronenkam has cooked up some
quasi-legitimate reason why he needs to let the Avengenes in, we could be
in trouble."

   "True, but what reason could he possibly come up with to give the
Avengenes shelter in the keep - unless they faked a troll attack.  He could
say he had to let them in on humanitarian grounds or they would have been
torn to shreds," York surmised.

   "Goodness, I bet that is exactly what he will do if he has to come up
with a reason at all," Celena conjectured.

   "We will not be stopping anyone without pikes.  I would try the armory
lock first, but there is a chance one of the guards outside might have my
missing keys, the better to unlock the door and pretend it was never locked
in the first place in the event a knight other than Sir Bronenkam comes
around.  Sir Bronenkam may well have outdone us.  I have no idea when the
Avengenes will be coming, but I suspect we have little time."

   York went to the front door, opened his tool kit and began to select
what he would try first.

   "Let me slide one of these bolts home in case the guard hears us and
tries to open the door and surprise us with his swords," Guardian Argyle
whispered as he silently pushed one of the bolts home.

   York nodded in agreement as he began to work on the lock.

   "Perhaps Virtusar would be willing to give us a hand.  I will do some
praying while we wait," Celena whispered before she quietly walked down the
hallway.  Once her back was an indistinct shape in the darkness to the men
she whispered her Floating Dagger telekinesis spell.  She then returned to
the men.  As she stood behind them she whispered her bestow vitality
cantrip and then she reached out and touched Lieutenant York's temples.

   "May your sword arm be blessed with the deftness of Virtusar," Celena
whispered

   "My sword arm?" York whispered.

   "Virtusar is the god of war, not the god of thieves.  That was as close
as I could come with my invocation," Celena whispered.

   "Hmm, well I do feel a little more alert, but I don't know if that's
going to help make my fingers more nimble."

   When York put his tools back into the lock, Celena clandestinely
assisted him with her telekinesis.  At first he worked against her, but
when he pressed in the right direction it did not take her long to get the
lock to turn.

   "Well I'll be damned!  York whispered incredulously.  "I have a crossbow
in my quarters, let me fetch it."

   When York returned with his drawn and loaded crossbow he whispered to
Celena and Guardian Argyle.

   "I also fetched the shackles I use on errant soldiers about to face a
few lashes for their petty crimes.  I am betting that Sir Bronenkam put his
smarter guard on the front door in case he needed to deflect anyone trying
to get into the building from outside using words.  With luck he will be
the lesser swordsman, and even if he is not, at least if he talks the other
guard may not come and help him."

   "My ghostly sister Carla is around, Lieutenant York.  I can ask her to
have a look through the door and make sure the guard is facing away from
us. Unfortunately she cannot stray too far away from something that was
familiar to her in life, namely me."

   "It's creepy, but I like it.  If we can grab him from behind and pull
him into the building he will be less likely to alert his friend, but if
he's fast that's probably not going to work.  Maybe Carla can describe him
for me.  If he's one of my people, I will know how good a warrior he is."

   Celena listened for Carla's description and then summarized it to York,
"Carla said he has three plumes decorating his helmet along the ridge-line
and is wielding crossbow, broadsword, short sword, and boot knife."

   York raised an eyebrow.  "That's David Piper," York whispered.  "He's
good.  I'll wager he would hear the door and greet us with steel before we
could grab him."

   "He is testing the door, but he is being careful.  He must have heard
something ...  I'll let you know when he's turned back around," Celena
exhaled in a nearly silent whisper.

   Why don't you take my crossbow?  I will put the shackles on him,"
Lieutenant York whispered to Celena as he gave her the bow.  Kneel there,
and Chromus will you stand behind her and draw an arrow?"

   Guardian Argyle nodded.

   "...Go!" Carla exclaimed in her ghostly whisper.

   "Open now," Celena whispered as she raised her crossbow.

   York slid the bolt back and opened the door.

   "Freeze Piper," Lieutenant York said in a quiet yet commanding voice. 
"I see your arm moving soldier.  Go for that signal horn and you are a dead
man.  Speak and you are a dead man.  Now put your hands behind your back."

   Piper complied and York came forward with the shackles

   Celena saw Piper's muscles begin to tense.

   "Don't do anything stupid, Piper.  You know I will not miss," Guardian
Argyle warned.

   The soldier's muscles froze.

   Celena admired the night sky while York clamped the irons onto Piper's
wrists and checked the man's pockets.  The half-moon was showing, and
although there were several notable patches of clouds, there was enough
light that the men would be able to see what they were doing if they could
get them out of the barracks in time to block the gate.

   "At least I know who stole my keys," York said as he dug the keys out of
Piper's pocket.

   York turned Piper around and pushed him towards the barracks door.

   "Steeling keys from an officer is a serious offense.  I am going to lock
you in the barracks detention room, Piper."

   "I will stand guard here until you return," Argyle whispered as he took
up a position on the stoop just outside the barracks door.

   Celena quietly closed the door and followed York to the detention room.
After Piper was locked within York turned to her.

   "Now I have to risk my men on Private Frost," York said reluctantly.

   "Is there an arrow slit we could shoot into the barracks through?"
Celena asked.

   "I wish we could boost someone up to take a shot at Frost, but if he
hasn't closed and locked the shutters he's a far bigger fool than I took
him for."

   "What if you stood near the arrow slit and blew a horn call that the men
would usually get up and arm up to, like whatever they use during a troll
attack?" Celena asked.

   "I could try that, but it would ruin our element of surprise and Sir
Bronenkam might call the whole thing off.  It's riskier, but I'll wager
that catching him in the act will be the better course of action in the
long run."

   "What if you blew the call from inside and not too loudly so that only
the men in the barracks would hear it, but it would be difficult to hear
outside?" Celena whispered.

   "I like that idea.  Frost might still feel like he was in command of
things if I was not pounding on the door.  He could tell the men they were
not to leave until someone came with the password and that would give them
time to arm up before I knocked and bellowed and ordered them to overpower
Frost.  With luck Bronenkam was going to fake a troll sighting anyway.  It
is not too far-fetched that some anxious soldier might blow the call for an
incoming attack because of a troll sighting."

   "Since my ghostly sister Carla is here we will go to the door and she
can tell me what is happening within."

   "Good idea, I will blow the call from down the hall a bit so that Frost
is more likely to mistake it as something coming from outside," York
whispered

   Celena nodded and went to the door of the barracks while York blew the
appropriate call on his horn.

   "Only a few of them are stirring," Carla said as she popped back from
inside the locked room.

   Celena made a circular motion and York blew the call again.

   "That's got it!  The ones that are waking up are waking the others now.
Frost seems to be at a loss as to what to do.  The men are arming up.

   "Light a fire under it, men!" A voice hollered from within the room.

   York advanced up the hallway and whispered in Celena's ear.  "That was
the voice of Sergeant Ackers.  Let me know when he is fully armed and
armored."

   Celena backed up just a bit, as she knew that Carla could feel her
presence leaving and would follow.

   "Carla, that voice we just heard was Sergeant Ackers.  Lieutenant York
would like to know when he his fully armed and armored, please."

   "Okay, move back to the door and I'll let you know," Carla replied.

   "Thank you, Carla" Celena whispered.

   The ghost slipped back through the thick door as Celena returned her ear
to the door to listen.  She could feel Lieutenant York's breath on her face
as he looked into her eyes while he listened just in front of her.

   "Hold on, we can't leave yet," Frost's muffled voice spoke within the
room.  "Sir Bronenkam was here earlier.  He said we had to stay and guard
the door to the barbican.  He even issued a password.  We are not to leave
until we get it."

   "What is it?" Ackers asked.

   Celena didn't hear the reply, but Carla slipped back into the hallway
seconds later.  Frost whispered the word "vindicated," into Ackers' ear.

   "Carla says the password is 'vindicated,'" Celena whispered into York's
ear.

   "Come on out of there on the double, men!  The password is vindicated!"
York Bellowed as he motioned for Celena to give him the crossbow that she
had slung over her shoulder.  She gave him the crossbow and drew her horse
bow.

   As the door began to open, York slipped inside.

   "Frost, strip down.  Men, the baron was wounded pretty badly on the way
up.  There's a good chance the Avengenes were behind it, and if I don't
miss my guess Frost here is in on a little plot of Sir Bronenkam's to let a
horde of Avengene soldiers into the keep shortly.  I guess Sir Bronenkam
feels that the baron is not going to make it, and he wants the Avengenes to
marry Bruhnhilda off to one of their boys and take over.  Keep that
information to yourself until further notice.  I am not sure how this is
all going to play out.  Don't even bother trying to get into the control
room.  I am sure Bronenkam filled it with his own handpicked men.  We need
to set up a pike and shield wall on the inside of the inner portcullis on
the double.  Sergeant Ackers, here is the key to the armory.  Get the men
moving.  I'll join you in front of the inner portcullis shortly."

   Frost reluctantly got out of his armor since he knew that York could put
a bolt in him faster than he could raise his sword and the men would back
their lieutenant up if it came to a fight.  Once Frost was disarmed and out
of his armor and most of his clothing, York searched him, put him in the
detention cell with Piper, and bolted the door.

   While York went outside to make sure the pike and shield wall was up to
his specifications, Celena helped the men by relieving the man sliding
pikes out an arrow slit in the armory so that the men could pick them up
outside.  Thankfully, the pikes were stowed in racks along the back wall of
the armory and could easily be fed through the arrow slits.  If that had
not been the case getting them out of the building would have been
difficult due to their length.  Lieutenant York took a stack of small
shields outside as well and helped to arm the men up.  Celena glanced out
the door periodically to see soldiers that had been sleeping more heavily
running from the barracks, often still struggling to get a helmet or
gauntlet on.  When only about three quarters of the men were out the door
she heard a familiar sound - the drawbridge was going down.

   "Go-go-go," Celena squealed as she started using a second arrow slit in
an effort to pick up her pace.  A few seconds after she heard the sound of
the drawbridge she saw three half-armored men run by the door past the
armory.  Obviously they knew it was now or never.

   Lieutenant York grabbed a longbow, quiver, shield and horn from his
room, but retrieved and held his crossbow once he was finished.

   "Champion Medea, do think you and Guardian Argyle could run over to the
tower house and alert the other knights?  I can hear the portcullises going
up.  A few men can hold a narrow space for quite some time, but if Sir
Bronenkam flanks us with the Daelrath garrison, we are done.  I am going to
use my horn to recall the Bristol night shift and I will have them sound
off with horns when they hear me.  I am hoping they are just patrolling far
from the gate over by the tower house.  If they are, the knights will be
awake when you arrive.  I am sure Sir Bronenkam would have sent them on a
cavalry patrol outside the walls if he could have done so without them
coming to clear that order with me.  Take these lock smithing tools in case
the knights are locked in, and a crossbow from the armory here for
protection if you know how to wield one.  I am pretty sure Sir Coshus will
know how to use the tools.  He probably has his own set, but you cannot be
too careful."

   Celena nodded as she saw Lieutenant York slip back outside.  She heard
him blow a call on his horn while she cocked a crossbow from the armory,
with a crow's foot and slung it over her shoulder.  She exited the
building, closing doors as she went.  She could hear the return horn calls
of many men.  All of them seemed to be patrolling the wall far to the south
near the tower house as York had suspected.  Instant firepower might come
in handy or serve as a deterrent to anyone who wanted to incarcerate the
new wise woman before the Avengenes even made it into the keep.  She had
the feeling that taking time out for a sword fight with someone would be a
bad idea.

   Once outside in the light of the half-moon she raised her crossbow to
assist Guardian Argyle.  He was holding a swordsman at bay by keeping an
arrow drawn back, but he was sweating profusely.  York and the Bristol day
shift had already formed a wall of pikes in front of the open portcullises.

   "What is the story here?" Celena asked, leveling her crossbow at the
swordsman.

   "The same story as last time," Guardian Argyle said as he eased back on
his bow.

   "I told him if he went for that horn he was a dead man.  Now that our
men are in position, our horn calls have gone out and we know where our
night shift men are, I guess it doesn't matter.  Whoever he was going to
warn already knows we're out of the cage and there are more on the way. 
Private Beatty, when the other knights come, you are going to have some
explaining to do!

   "Nonsense Guardian Argyle, Sir Bronenkam told me all the knights are in
agreement.  It is only the Bristol garrison that is not!" the man insisted.

   "Let's hope he is wrong, otherwise you and I will both be taking a dive
off the wall, Champion." Argyle smiled grimly.

   "Lieutenant York wants us to go to the tower house and let the other
knights know what is going on," Celena informed Argyle.

   "There will be a period of stalemate here at the gate, but Bronenkam and
the Avengenes will prevail if Bronenkam is able to continue to lie to the
men.  He is the battle master.  The men are used to obeying him
unquestioningly during troll attacks."

   "I will go too Guardian, Private Beatty said.  "If Sir Bronenkam was
acting on his own, then I will be the first to apologize and tell the other
knights what the battle master has done!" Beatty exclaimed as he sheathed
his blades.

   "See that's why I didn't just kill Private Beatty.  I know him.  He's a
straight shooter.  It just didn't make sense he would be plotting against
the barony.  I think Sir Bronenkam was a little short on Avengene spies so
he simply lied to the gullible and gave orders to men he knew would obey
them without question.  That way he could save the real spies for the more
sensitive tasks."

   "That makes sense, Celena said.  "We had better hurry.  There is no
telling how long it will be before Bronenkam is able to convince the
Daelrath garrison to attack the Bristol garrison."

   "We had better head west and get up on the wall.  The gate to the tower
house courtyard may be locked."

   "Why don't we head east instead?  We can wake the Vicar and get up on
the wall through the new tower."

   "That's a good idea.  I am pretty sure the upstairs doors have not been
finished," Guardian Argyle said as he grabbed the torch from the holder
near the door to the barracks.  We had better run!"

   "I will try the gate, it is the quickest way," Private Beatty said.

   It soon became obvious that Celena's youth and the grueling runs under
Master Leafwhisper had left her in far better condition than Guardian
Arghyle in spite of the crossbow she was carrying.

   "I'm going to run ahead and wake the vicar.  I will meet you in the
Northeast tower, Guardian."

   "I won't be far behind!" Argyle promised.

   Celena sprinted to the tower door and found it locked just as the
barracks had been.  Apparently Bronenkam felt that the vicar could sway the
men.  Thankfully the lock was nearly identical in construction to the one
used on the front door of the Bristol barracks.  She opened it with her
telekinesis so rapidly that it would have seemed like it was not locked
even if it had been bright as day outside.  Celena ran to the door to the
temple corridor, opened it and ran down the hallway until she was in the
sanctuary.  She then turned and headed to the door of the Vicar's quarters
and opened it.

   "Vicar Fryske, wake up!  She said loudly from the doorway as she came
in. She pointed her crossbow at the ceiling so as not to provoke fear and
then went over to the bed.  The vicar was stirring, but he probably could
not see a thing as there were few arrow slits and no windows in his room to
let the light of the half-moon in from outdoors.

   "What is it, a troll attack?" the Vicar asked.

   "Sir Bronenkam is trying to let the Avengenes into the courtyard!  I
suspect he will claim to have spotted trolls, thus he decided to do the
humanitarian thing and give the Avengenes shelter, but no matter what he
says, this was not a spur of the moment decision.  As far as I have been
able to figure out, he went into the Bristol Garrison and reassigned the
men in the barbican control room and substituted his own.  He left a man
named Frost in the barracks room that guards the door to the control room,
and Frost engaged the bolts on the barracks room door.  Bronenkam then
locked the doors out of the Bristol barracks so that no one could get out.
I was awake at the time and exploring the chapel of Mortaebius.  I heard
the door being locked."

   "What were you doing in the chapel of Mortaebius at this hour?"

   I was stretching after a catnap with Guardian Argyle.  He was one of the
few heroes of the evening who had not been wounded too grievously to
receive my personal congratulations on his valor."

   Fryske's mouth opened and then shut.  He threw some clothes on as Celena
continued.

   "Anyhow we woke Lieutenant York and managed to break out of the Barracks
and break the Bristol B's out of the barracks room guarded by Frost.  The
Bristol B's formed a pike wall in front of the inner portcullis just in
time to block the Avengenes as the portcullises went up.  Right now we are
trying to get to the other knights before Sir Bronenkam turns the Daelrath
garrison against the Bristol garrison in an effort to let the Avengenes in.
Bronenkam is telling everyone that the other knights agree with him, but my
guess is that they are locked in the tower house.  Guardian Argyle and I
are on our way there."

   "I'll see if I can put a stop to Sir Bronenkam turning one garrison
against the other.  Go fetch Sir Gehrheart.  He will know what to do!" the
vicar said.

   "Okay, I'm off to the tower house, vicar!" Celena squealed over her
shoulder as she sprinted for the tower room.

   When she arrived on the third floor, Guardian Argyle was already there,
but he was puffing like a winded warhorse.

   Celena sprinted past him, out the door and onto the wall, as she
blurted, "No rest for the weary!"

   Celena turned south and jogged along the wall with Guardian Argyle
following a few yards behind her.  The wall grew gradually shorter one
course of stones at a time as they headed south.  At the same time the land
sloped lower with regard to the rock formation that the keep was on, thus
the cliff grew taller as the walls grew shorter from the vantage point of
an observer outside the keep.  Once they got near the walls to the old part
of town there was a portable wooden staircase that led back up onto the old
walls so that men patrolling could make a circuit of the entire keep on top
of the curtain wall.  She ran past the old town area of the keep and headed
towards the tower house.  Celena already knew that there was a staircase up
to the wall not far from the base of the tower house.  She and Argyle
started down that staircase as they heard voices coming from an arrow slit
on the second floor of the tower house above the door.

   "It is nothing Sir Bronenkam can't take care of, sir.  There has just
been a troll sighting, but no sign of an attack as yet."

   Celena lifted her crossbow and pointed it at the man and his partner. 
She noted the partner's crossbow and took hold of the bolt mentally and
pushed it to her right with just a tiny amount of force as the man raised
his bow to counter her threat.

   "He is stalling, Sir!" Celena shouted.

   The man released his bolt, but it went wide and flew by to Celena's
right.

   "Try to reload and you're a dead man," Guardian Argyle said with a
smile.

   "Sir Bronenkam is trying to let Lord Avengene's men into the keep! 
Celena continued shouting.  "He locked the men of the off-duty Bristol
garrison in their quarters!  They broke out and are currently holding the
gate with a pike wall in spite of the drawbridge being down and the
portcullises being up!  Sir Bronenkam is saying that the other knights are
with him on this action!"

   "Like hell we are!" Sir Stallart shouted from the arrow slit.  Private,
if I don't hear from at least five sergeants that you told them that the
other knights were not consulted on this decision, I'll cut your head off
for treason myself!"

   The guard looked at his partner and then he looked at Guardian Argyle,
and then he bolted for the courtyard gate.

   Is that you Champion?" Stallart called out.

   "Yes, Sir Stallart, It is!"

   "You're making a habit of hauling our asses out of the fire!  I'll get
the other knights and meet you in the stables!"

   Celena passed the tower house on the way to the stables about the same
time Sir Mongrail unlocked the front door, came out and jumped down the
stairs with a shield in one hand and his helmet in the other.

   "Ho!  Let's get those horses out of their stalls!"

   In less than five minutes everyone was mounted and riding north. 
Perhaps four minutes later they arrived near the gate.  Celena breathed a
sigh of relief as she saw that the men of Bristol still held the gate and
Vicar Fryske was with them.  Sir Bronenkam was up on the roof of the
barbican.

   "Shields up, those who've got 'em, Sir Mongrail ordered as they neared
the gate.

   Once they got near enough they could hear that Vicar Fryske and Sir
Bronenkam were having a shouting match.

   "Sir Bronenkam acted alone, the Bastard!" Sir Mongrail shouted from his
horse as he pulled up behind the Bristol garrison.  "Lower the
portcullises!"

   "This is Sir Gehrheart!  I am going to find out who is manning those
control rooms, and you are all going to the gallows unless you lower the
portcullises now!  That is two knights' words to one and I can tell you
that Sir Stallart is with us!

   The inner portcullis was the first to begin to drop.

   "Men of Avengene, dawn will be here shortly!  If you really do need
shelter, you can take it outside the keep beneath the southern point.  If
we see you anywhere else, we will open fire, and we expect you to be
heading home by the time we can see the sun over the horizon!"

   Once the second portcullis began to drop the men of Avengene withdrew
and Celena breathed a sigh of relief.  The Avengenes barely made it over
the ditch before the drawbridge began to come up.  Repelling their coup had
been entirely too close a call.  For the present Sir Bronenkam was on the
defensive, but if the planning behind the plot was any indication, he might
very well try to explain his actions away. ------

   This ends, Shut In, chapter 73 of The Chronicles of Rapina. The story
continues in chapter 74, Trial by Enok.