James replaces the medallion back around his neck and tucks it inside his shirt. Just then someone knocks on the door, which startles Miko awake. James glances over to him as he sits up in bed, rubbing his eyes. Coming to his feet, he walks over to the door, opening it just a crack to find two serving girls, one bearing a tray with several plates of food, and the other carrying a pitcher and two mugs.
He tells them to remain in the hall as he first takes the tray and places it on the table, then returns for the pitcher and mugs, setting them on the table beside the tray. He then returns once more to the door and gives them each a copper for their help. “Thank you,” he says as they turn to leave. As their footsteps disappear toward the head of the stairs, he closes the door.
Turning from the door, he finds Perrilin sitting up in bed and Miko already sitting at the table heaping a plate full of food. “I hope that’s for him.” he says to his young companion, gesturing over to Perrilin with a stern look on his face.
“Uh, of course it is,” he replies a little embarrassed. Getting up from the table he walks over and hands the heaping plate to Perrilin. Casting James a sheepish look, he goes back to the table and begins to fill another for himself.
James comes to the table and sits down, then starts piling food on his plate.
Perrilin takes several bites and then says, “As to whether or not I can help you gain access to the Royal Archives, I am sure I can help you with that. You see, the Archive Custodian is a friend of mine and I am sure that if I request it, he will permit you to research that design. He may even help you if he’s not otherwise occupied. After all, I do owe you my life and I always repay my debts.”
Looking intrigued, James asks, “How would we go about it?”
“I shall write a letter of introduction explaining what you wish to do,” he explains then gestures over to Miko. “Your young friend there would then need to run it to the gate leading into the castle area.” To Miko he says, “Tell the guards that you have a letter for the Archive Custodian and then either they will escort you to him, or more likely have you wait while they send someone to the Archives with the letter. Then it would be up to Ellinwyrd, that is my friend, to decide whether or not to grant you access.”
Excited at the prospect of possibly being granted access to ancient tomes, he quickly finishes his breakfast and clears a spot on the table where he places his travel case. Opening it up, he removes a piece of paper, quill and an inkwell, then closes the case once more and sets it aside.
He waits as patiently as he can while Perrilin finishes his meal, then removes his plate once he’s finished. James then brings over the traveling case to act as a lap table and the writing materials so Perrilin can write the letter to his friend.
He sits and waits as Perrilin writes out the letter, anxious to get this going. When Perrilin finishes, he requests some wax with which to seal the letter. James lights the candle on the table and brings it over to him. Taking the candle, Perrilin holds it at an angle so the melting wax will drip onto the letter. When he has applied the desired amount he gives the candle back to James. He then takes one of his rings and makes an imprint of it in the wax.
Handing it to James, he says, “Here you go.” Then to Miko he says, “Make sure you do not break the seal. Once you reach the gates, do whatever the guards tell you to do.”
“I understand,” Miko says as he takes the letter from James.
“Be careful,” James says to him.
Nodding understanding, Miko leaves the room and shuts the door behind him.
The door hadn’t been shut for two seconds before they hear a knock which is immediately followed by the door swinging open to admit Miss Gilena. It doesn’t seem she feels the need to await the okay to enter.
Bustling into the room, her eyes zero in on the bed wherein Perrilin lays and with concern in her voice asks, “How are you feeling?” Then she makes her way to his bedside, the promised clothes tucked under one arm.
Smiling a reassuring smile as she approaches, he says, “I will live, though I’m sore from head to toe. James has been very helpful.”
Turning to James, she says, “Thank you for rescuing him last night.” Then hands him Perrilin’s clothes.
“It was a pleasure, I don’t much care for those who use torture,” he replies, taking them and setting them upon the table.
Looking at Perrilin with worry in her voice she asks, “Torture?”
Perrilin pats her hand as he calms her worries, “They were just about to start when James arrived and got me out of there.”
“Thank goodness you came along just when you did,” she says. Pulling down his covers with not so much as a ‘by your leave’, she inspects the injuries marring his chest. Perrilin feels a little uncomfortable at her mothering, especially in front of James. Satisfied that they look to be healing properly, she replaces the covers and comes to her feet. “It looks as if your wounds will heal fine in a couple of days,” she announces, relief that they were not worse evident in her voice. “I can’t stay, simply wanted to check and see how you were doing. If you need anything, let me know.” That last question was directed more toward James than the injured bard.
Perrilin responds, “We will and don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”
“I always worry about you,” Miss Gilena says before returning to the door. She casts one more worried look in his direction and then quickly leaves the room.
Looking over to James, Perrilin says, “She’s a good woman, but she frets too much at times.”
“That’s probably true of most women when they care about someone,” he remarks.
“Care about? Me?” Perrilin says as if such a thought had never occurred to him. An odd expression passes over his face as he considers the possibility. Soon though, the demands of his healing body assert themselves and his eyes close as he drifts back to sleep.
James sits at the table while the bard sleeps, bored and restless as he waits for the return of Miko. He moves a chair over by the window and idles the time away while looking out over the town and down to the people passing on the street below. He reminisces about the times his grandmother, while waiting for someone at the airport would like to do nothing more than sit and watch people. She would make up the most outlandish stories about who they were and what they were about.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Snapped out of his reverie by the knocking, he gets up and walks over to open the door. One of the workers from downstairs stands before him holding a long, thin box.
Holding forward the box, the boy says, “This was just delivered for you.”
“Thank you,” James says as he takes the box, wondering who could possibly be sending him something here.
Once James has the box, the boy turns and walks back down the hallway. James closes the door and places the package on the table then stands there a moment staring at it, thinking.
“Is something wrong?” Perrilin asks from the bed, the knocking having awoken him.
“This package was just delivered to me,” he explains, “but I haven’t bought or ordered anything that would be delivered.”
“Interesting,” comments Perrilin. Intrigued, he pulls back the covers and slowly brings his legs over so he’s sitting on the edge of the bed. Despite the pain the change of position caused, he was more interested in this unknown and inexplicable package.
James takes a seat at the table then takes the package and opens it. Inside he finds something long wrapped in a dirty cloth. Unwrapping the cloth, his eyes widen and an audible gasp escapes him. To his complete shock, he discovers what was concealed within the cloth is one of the boards that he used to kill their captors the other night. The ones they had hidden in a pile of refuse.
Seeing the expression on James’ face, Perrilin asks, “What is it?”
He holds the blood stained board up for Perrilin to see, “I don’t know how they found this, or even how they could’ve possibly connected it to me.”
“What does it mean?” he asks.
“It’s a long story but I guess we have the time,” James begins. He then relates the events starting with being chased into the sewers of Bearn and then the string of events culminating with the battle in the house where they escaped their capture. He avoided mentioning magic and told only the bare bones of the attack culminating with three dead men with boards protruding from their chests.
“As we left, we hid these boards in a pile of garbage. I was sure no one was around, I guess I was wrong.
