Captain Draves

The trip to the fishing village was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. The trail meandered a bit, but for not having been made into a road, it was in good enough condition to make decent time. This trail was definitely being used enough to keep most of the overgrowth from taking it back. Just how much help were the people of the village receiving without the lord’s knowledge? This would need to be addressed.

My men stationed in Melnon told an interesting story. They claimed that the baron brought a boy back from the dead after drowning. The witnesses to this event included the headman. According to the tail, he literally breathed life into the boy, and he coughed up water. I will have to speak with Amos about this when I get back. If it is true, why didn’t he say so when I spoke with him? I already knew the answer to that, though. Amos didn’t boast of the things he had done. In fact, most of the time, he gave credit to others. I shook my head. If what they said was true, I needed to know how.

It took us almost until the second evening to reach the village, and fortunately, the scouts reported that it did not appear to have been captured. A faint breeze carried a tinge of salt. We were greeted by men holding clubs and shoddy farming implements. I halted my troops and stepped forward.

I addressed a large, stern-looking man who had stepped forward at the same time as me. “I am Captain Draves of the Bicman Gaurd. I have come to assist in the evacuation of your village due to an impending bandit raid.” There were looks of surprise and anger on the faces of the crowd.

The man’s face darkened, “Your Lord promised he would send men to fight the bandits, not take us back to his land.”

“He promised to protect you against the bandits. This is the solution he came up with. The baron does not have enough men to attack an unknown force. We are half of his guards. If his report is correct, then this is the largest group I have heard of in a while. Bandits usually don’t bother with this area. Even if he were to send all his men, it may not be enough, and then where would that leave the barony?”

“So we live, but we become your baron's serfs.” Another angry man shouted.

“That would not be possible. Only citizens can become serfs and you are not citizens of Falmoren. Since Baron Bicman does not agree with the idea of keeping slaves, you are to be treated as refugees until your town can be reclaimed. You may live in the town of Barim until that time. If these are not acceptable terms, then we will leave the weapons and food Lord Amos sent with us and be on our way.”

There was quite a bit of commotion as the men discussed our plan. The large leader said, “I still think he deceived us.”

“The only one who deceived you is yourself. You made assumptions on how the lord would be able to fulfill his promise. Personally, I would have left you to deal with your problem. But my lord is a man of his word, and I am bound to obey his requests. Also, he requested that I find out if a young woman named Kylie made it back safely.”

The big man finally lowered his club and snorted. “Fool girl made it back yesterday night. She was all excited about something and took off this morning up towards the hills. Harder to pin down than smoke, that girl. If you're serious about helping, then I’ll let the council know. As for me, give me one of those promised weapons. I’m staying here.”

We set up a small camp outside the village while we waited. Half an hour later, the village became alive with activity. Women and children were gathering things up, and the men had all grabbed spears. A couple even received small bucklers. Just as we were about to leave, Chuck and Dean slipped back into camp.

“Seven men are approaching from the west, two bowmen and five with spears or swords. Some of the armor is our men.” He finished darkly.

“How far?”

“At their current pace, I would say a quarter bell.”

“Curses. They would catch us on the trail. We have to make a stand here. Chuck call Johnathan over here quickly. He is the leader we spoke with. We need a plan.”

When the bandits arrived, they found the same sight as my group had seen when we had come down the trail. A rag-tag group of men with sticks and clubs. Some of the men started pointing and speaking in a language I couldn't understand. A short, burly man stepped forward and said in broken common. “You surrender all, you live. We will kill you resist.”

Fortunately, the men and women that shielded me from sight did not waiver. All of them lifted their clubs and started shouting curses. The enemy archers nocked their arrows, and the rest began to charge. “Now," I shouted. Four arrows sailed towards the enemy archers from where my men were positioned in the trees. The men rushing forward suddenly found metal caltrops in their feet as they crumpled to the ground. The two in the rear who had not yet stepped onto the trap turned to find my men closing in on them from behind. One man had a spear in his gut before he even had time to scream. The second swung his spear in an arc, trying to give himself some room, only to get an arrow in his back. The three remaining men were bound, and the questioning began.

Hyrum

I wasn’t sure if I was awake or asleep. The screams and cries had become continuous. It had started with William. The man with broken common had asked him questions, and any time William didn’t answer or answered in a way that the man didn’t like, the man would burn his flesh with hot metal. The torture lasted a bell before they moved to Hector. Franklin had died to the first arrow when they attacked us on the shore. Dwaine died during the night due to a knife wound.

Hector died the next night. Now it was just me and William. At first, none of us said anything, but they never let us sleep, if we fell asleep we would wake to our flesh smoldering. We weren’t given anything to eat or drink. At some point, we all started talking. I don’t even remember what I said. All I cared about was keeping them from burning me more. I had heard of torture, and I thought I understood what it was. Nobody understands torture until they smell their own flesh smoldering.

I knew that any moment now, they would be back, back to burning me. The screams grew louder, and I shut my eyes to try and block out the sound. Somebody kicked me in the stomach, and the trickle of remaining bile that I had in my stomach came up. Maybe if I could just move enough to bash my head against a rock, it would all be over. I tried to twist my body once again, but I could do nothing against the bonds that held me. All it did was cause me to scream as my raw, bleeding flesh scraped against the ground.

William’s screams suddenly stopped, but everyone was still shouting. I would be next. Endless One, why?

“Hyrum.”

More shouting.

Hyrum!”

They were shouting. Why were they always shouting?

“HYRUM!”

Why-

SLAP!

“Hyrum!”

“He’s not responding, Captain,” came a voice.

“Hyrum, look at me. Can you hear me?”

It was a dream. The captain was right there in front of me. I had to wake up. I couldn’t sleep. If they found me sleeping, they would burn me. Wake up. Wake up. WAKE UP. “AGGGHHHH!”

The captain was gone. More voices came from the side. “Sit him up and see if you can get him to drink anything.”

“Should I cut his bonds?”

“No, He is more likely to do himself or one of us harm if we let him free. We just need to try and keep him alive until we get back to the manor.”

“Will he be ok, sir?”

“I don’t know, Chuck. His mind may be broken. I have seen this happen before. Sometimes, a quick death is the best thing you can give to a soldier.”

“But-”

“We’re not going to do anything that isn’t necessary. As it is, he may not live until we get back.”

Another voice cut in. “I’m sorry, Captain, but William… He’s dead, sir. I can’t believe they would rather take the time to stick a knife in their captive rather than flee.”

“We would have caught them either way. It was just one last bit of spite before they died. All we can do is be grateful that we ended his torture and got Hyrum. Oh, and you know how we promised to spare the lives of those who cooperated with us.”

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“Sir?”

“Burn them alive. I want to hear them scream.”

Count Vaspar- A few days earlier

I stretched and cracked my back as I went through the final reports of the day. I wish I could leave all of this to my assistant but some petitions only I could sign off on. As a count, I should not have to work as hard as a serf. I was only half serious. Making the money flow is what I live for. But, if I am late for tonight's reception I will have to listen to my wife’s nagging. I just have to remind myself how much that dowry was. I think I will have Carla visit tonight. Matilda is always so drunk after the receptions she wouldn’t even notice if we were in the same bed.

As my mind wandered to more pleasurable thoughts, a knock came at the door. “Enter”

“My Lord,” Casper, my assistant, said with a deep bow, “I received a letter and a gift from the barony of Bicman.”

“Bicman… Oh, the Marsh Dwellers? I thought that he was a Baronet?”

“He purchased his Baron title a couple of years ago with the money he received from the dowry at his son's marriage.”

“You have a good memory, Casper. I had almost forgotten about that man.” I said, shaking my head. It didn’t do me well not to check up on my baronies.

"You flatter me, My Lord. In actuality, after receiving the letter, I went over the information we had on the barony to familiarize myself in case you had any questions. The letter arrived a couple of days ago, but I wanted to be prepared."

“That’s what I like about you, Casper,” I acknowledged. “Isn’t he the one whose father saved the old king, and all he got was that land up north.”

“That’s the one. The last census shows he currently holds five villages under his control. The population is slightly over 1000 people.”

I shook my head. “Didn’t he have six after the fiasco with Barron Pollman?”

“Yes, but one of them failed after an illness swept through the town. Those who remained moved to other villages. He has no knights and only an armed force of about twenty guards. The soil is hard to work and so they have trouble maintaining a larger population. Taxes are paid on consumables. Mainly grain and flour. They have a small mining operation for copper, and iron is plentiful there, but it is high in impurities. There is plenty of wood from trees. There is a chalk deposit which they use as an export good, but they don’t have the food production large enough to support nonagricultural workers.”

“That was a lot more information than necessary, Casper, but I do appreciate your diligence.”

“I actually have more. The history of the barony is quite interesting, but I won’t bore you with it.”

“It is a valid excuse to miss some of the reception. Enlighten me on what you find so interesting.”

“We weren’t the first people to settle there. When King Lenord Asput the First was trying to expand the kingdom in order to make a name for himself, he sent an expedition team across the Nore River and found a tribe of people already living there. The Karr, which means Marsh Dwellers in their native tongue, claimed they were from across the North Sea. The King decided he didn’t want neighbors, even if they were far away from any of the claimed land. So he built a bridge across the Nore, brought in a subjugation force, and claimed their land. They have been “loosely” part of Falmoren ever since. The Pollman family collected their taxes occasionally until Lenord the Third renamed Karr as Bicman and stuck the Baronet there. Things have mostly settled down now, but the first Bicman had a rough time.

“You're right, that was interesting, if utterly useless,” I said with a smile.

“Anyways,” Casper said, “If I remember correctly, a friend of Duke Kimton requested the information. So, a thorough investigation was requested of us from Kimton. I never looked at the report until now.”

“Is someone looking to make a play for the Barony?”

“Possibly, I don’t know why they would want it. The barony can’t even meet the required taxes most years. Should I look into it?”

I thought for a moment and then nodded. “Let’s do that. Somebody may be looking to dump one of their unfavored children there. If we can help it happen, then we may be owed a favor.”

“You want to get rid of the current Baron?”

“Why not? It isn’t like he is doing our county any good.”

“The position was appointed by the King. If we are found conspiring, it may be used against us in court. We would certainly make an excellent scapegoat if things do not go in the noble's favor.”

“Hmmm, an excellent point, Casper. Let’s just keep an eye on the situation. We can do a bit of snooping, but not too deep. Let’s not muddy the water. There could be bigger fish involved. Now, hand me the letter.” Casper set a small box down on the table. It was nothing impressive. Just a simple wooden box with varnish on it. Not that I would expect much from a poor baron. Then he handed me the letter. The material was like nothing I had ever felt before. It's not as smooth as vellum and not as sturdy. “Casper, do you know what this material is?”

“No, My Lord. I was going to ask you the same.”

After breaking the wax seal, I found that there were actually two pages. My eyes were immediately drawn to the lower right corner, where a light marking was made in the corner of both sheets. Had water gotten on it? Very unprofessional of him to send marred material to his better. Holding it up to the light, I could clearly see the image of a crest identical to the one on the seal, except this one had an E J in the center. Very curious. I wonder how it was made.

My eyebrows rose as I read the letter. When I was finished, I read it again. The letter was short and to the point—none of the regular eloquently written words that you would see from a true noble. It made me suspicious. Had the young man really written such a simple letter, or was there a hidden subtext?

“Come read this, Casper, and tell me what you think. Note the mark in the bottom corner,” I said as I handed my steward the letter.

After spending a minute reading and re-reading the first letter, he said, “On the surface, it appears that his family was taken by the illness, and he and his nephew are the only ones remaining. He says he is going to request regency over the barony until his nephew is of age. He also states his commitment to pay the full amount of taxes after this year's harvest. The questions I have are: why did he not just have his nephew killed? Why is he requesting to become the regent from the king rather than the duke, and why is he sure he will be able to make his tax payment this year?”

“What do we know of Lord Amos?”

“The reports I have state he is disliked by all of his family, and although he does not express it, the feeling seems to be mutual. All indications are that he hates his father and brother the most. He spends most of his time drinking and eating. There are reports that he is lecherous and spends his time chasing skits, but the report also claims that this is unlikely, seeing how most of his time is spent in isolation, trying to avoid his family and his duties. According to everything I have heard, there is not a single virtue that the young man has. There is also the fact that his father was trying to marry him off to a daughter of a merchant, but whatever became of that, I don’t know. It may have fallen through.”

“How old is the nephew?” I asked.

“Around one or two years old, maybe?”

That shocked me. “You mean to tell me that this Lord Amos claims he is protecting the baby of his hated brother? Any other claimant to a barony would have done away with the heir before the sun had set upon his brother's fresh grave. What is this man playing at? What does he hope to gain?”

“Maybe he wants to make sure no one accused him of having murdered his family. If he doesn’t claim the barony, no one can claim he was after his father's barony.”

“Does he seem shrewd enough for that?”

“Maybe someone else is guiding him. Should we find a replacement for him?”

“No, I’m holding to my earlier decision. Let’s let the duke and his friends do what they want with him. As I said before, I’d rather not step on anyone's toes. It would not be good to have the ire of the duke. I want you to send Mathew to that barony and have him make a report.

Let’s read the next one. I sighed after reading it. I wasn’t sure if this letter was going to get that young man killed or not.

“Take a look,” I said.

After reading it, Casper shook his head. “The letter is as bad as the first. Do you think it really was the steward, or is the boy framing a dead man?”

“You think he killed his family and is framing the steward?”

After a pause, Casper shook his head, “Not likely. What do you think he meant by “Dealt with the family’”

“Execution. If he wanted to bother with giving them to the king as slaves, they would be here with the letter. After torturing them, he probably didn’t want to deal with the expense of handing them over to the king to be sold.”

"Do you think the letter is going to get the young man killed?"

"Probably, if someone thinks silencing him won't cause a problem. They may want to lie low and let it blow over first. The Duke is good at coming up with reasons to kill people. He may take offense to whatever letter he gets and just get rid of the kid. My question is, did he write it with the intent to make the other party back down? I really need to get to that reception, but I am curious as to what this new regent sent me.” Grabbing the box, I found that it was very lightweight. Whatever was in it was probably not the standard jewelry or golden trinket I usually receive.

“Lifting the lid, I found a curious instrument and a note. Whatever it was had a smoothly polished stick of wood with varnish on it attached to what appeared to be a brass nub.” Was this some sort of joke? It looks like a child's toy of some sort. Despite my misgivings, I opened the note and began to read.

To His Lordship Count Vaspar,

I would like to present to you this gift created by excellent workers in my barony. The item is a writing implement to replace the quill. We call it the Bicman Dip Pen. This pen has been proven to write more smoothly than a quill and last much longer. May you enjoy its use.

With Respect and Best Regards,

Lord Amos Bicman

Now, this was interesting. I flipped one of my reports over that I had just been reading and dipped this pen into the ink well. It had a different feel at first, and my first line was almost illegible, but as I wrote, the writing became smooth and precise. Staring at the pen in my hand, I took my time to think of the ramifications of such an implement. This may be how Lord Amos plans to make up the difference in taxes. It would infuriate the quill merchants.

“What do you think, Casper?” I asked as I looked up. He had a calculating look on his face.

“This has been tried before, but the ink ran off the metal. May I see it?”

I handed the pen to him, and he studied the nub. “I see. This is a very simple design. We need to request a writ of exclusivity from the king and start making them in mass.”

I nodded, “I was thinking the same thing, but do you think the boy has already sent one to the king? If so, wouldn't he have already requested one? I think I will request that the young man visit. Then we can help him see that it would be better for us to produce them here. Well, offer him some gold and take over from there.”

“An excellent idea, My Lord. I will send the request with Mathew. And I will make sure we get our hands on this business first.”