Rocalla's Saga: Arrival

16: Inquisition in the Clergy House —

1054 Kyabalaka 1

We are met by short, bald Father Hafhmar and lean, gaunt Father Dortag.

“Good evening, ladies,” Father Hafhmar says. “You will please come with us.”

Too tired and surprised to argue, I just nod my head and follow Father Dortag. Father Hafhmar reaches out and takes my quarterstaff. The priests lead us out of the cathedral and into the neighboring building where their quarters are located. Once inside, we proceed to the meeting room.

“Please have a seat, ladies,” says Father Hafhmar.

I look down at my dress. “Are you sure? We’re not exactly clean.”

“No, you’re not. But the bishop wants to talk to you now.”

I shrug my shoulders, drop my pack, and take a seat. Reluctantly, Dierdra and Elanor do so as well. Embarrassed by how badly I reek, I stare down at my dress and attempt to smooth out the wet wrinkles in my lap. Father Hafhmar nods to the other priest, who leaves the room, taking my quarterstaff with him.

Within minutes, Bishop Rul, Father Dortag, Father Krohen, and two other priests walk into the room. I rise to greet them.

“Sit,” says the bishop.

I slowly sink back into my seat. The bishop takes his seat at the head of the table, and the other priests sit down as well.

“Well, what a surprise that we should find you wandering around the cathedral basement at almost three hours past midnight,” says Bishop Rul. “Perhaps you can tell us what you were doing down there.”

I hesitate for a second, choosing my words carefully. “We were investigating,” I say.

“I don’t suppose that it occurred to you to talk to us first,” says the bishop.

“Forgive my presumption, your excellency, but I didn’t think that you wanted our help in your investigation, so we decided to conduct our own.”

“Indeed,” says the bishop. After a brief pause, he continues. “So where have your investigations taken you?”

“We have discovered a wizard’s laboratory,” I say.

“Indeed,” says the bishop again. “Might you tell us where this wizard’s laboratory is?”

“You don’t seem surprised by its existence.”

“Not much surprises me these days.”

“Then I suspect you already know where the wizard’s laboratory is.”

“Why, because I got awakened in the middle of the night by the alarms being sounded in the castle? No, I tell you truthfully that I did not know a wizard’s laboratory existed anywhere in Mandelbroggen until tonight. I’m not surprised by it, but I didn’t know about it, either. Nonetheless, I do have a fairly good idea where the three of you have been tonight.”

“We’ve been in the Sikorallan ruins under the cathedral,” I say.

“That’s not the only place you’ve been. There aren’t any sewers under the cathedral, for one thing.”

“The laboratory is in the castle.”

“How did you get through the door? It’s locked you know.”

“Not anymore.”

The bishop gives me a wry little grin, then gets serious again. “How do you know that it’s a wizard’s laboratory? It might be the workshop of a naturalist or such.”

“Because we found magic orbs in it,” I say. Elanor jerks her head my way, a look of panic on her face. I raise my fingers and nod slightly in her direction to quiet her.

“How do you know they’re magical?” the bishop asks. Elanor stiffens.

“Because I’ve seen them before,” I lie. “Here, I’ll show you one.” I bend over and reach into the top of my pack, carefully pulling out a glass sphere that is tinted a scarlet orange color. I sit it in the center of the table on a small piece of cloth.

“So that’s a magic orb,” says Father Krohen.

“You stole something from the castle?” asks Father Hafhmar.

“I took it as evidence,” I say. “I wanted to have something to show you when we told you about the laboratory, so I took this orb.” And two more, I think to myself.

“May I?” asks the bishop.

“Of course,” I say. “But take care not to drop it. My understanding is that the magic is released when it breaks.”

The bishop carefully lifts the glass sphere up and examines it, then returns it to its place. Meanwhile, the priests are muttering to each other around the table.

“What are we going to do?” Father Hafhmar asks. “If there is indeed a wizard’s laboratory in the castle, the people need to know.”

“Are we going to confront the Imperial Governor with this?” another priest asks.

“We’ll decide that later today,” Bishop Rul says. “Right now, we have other concerns.” Turning to me, he asks, “So, were you really planning to bring this orb to me?”

“Yes, although I was planning to do it later, at a decent hour. And after I had a chance to clean up.”

“Then you won’t mind if I keep it.”

“Of course not.” Elanor looks like she wants to protest, but holds her tongue. I ignore her.

“You present a bit of a problem,” Bishop Rul continues. “The imperial guards have already visited me once tonight. Once they figure out how you escaped the castle, they’ll come and want to search the whole cathedral.”

“Will you let them?”

“Of course I will. What else am I going to do? If I refuse their request, they’ll just come in anyway, and any lack of cooperation on my part will only increase their suspicion.”

“How thoroughly will they search?” asks Dierdra.

“Very thoroughly, especially if they figure out that this is missing,” he says, indicating the orb on the table. “Which leaves us just two options. Either I turn the three of you over to the imperial guards immediately, or…”

“No,” gasps Elanor.

“Or what?” asks Dierdra.

“Or you better be long gone before they get here. It will reflect very badly on me if they find you here in the cathedral, or in our quarters.”

“How are we supposed to get off the island?” I ask.

“That’s your problem. You managed to get on it, didn’t you?”

Elanor leans over and pleads with me, “Rocalla, we’ve got to go.”

“I take it that you’re not going to help us,” I say to the bishop.

“I don’t think that you have even the vaguest conception of how much trouble you’re in,” Bishop Rul says. “My prayers are with you, and I wish you luck. I’ll give you a few minutes to decide what to do, but then you are either ready to leave or ready to be handed over to the garrison.”

He stands up and begins to leave the room. “Father Dortag, see to the orb. One other thing,” he continues, facing the three of us, “If you do get captured, don’t even mention our conversation here. If you involve us, I’ll see you burned at the stake for heresy.”

“I have no doubt of that,” I say.

“Then we understand each other. God’s peace be with you.” With that he turns and leaves, along with the other priests. They close the door behind them.

“Rocalla, you can’t let them turn me over to the guards,” Elanor says. “Once they find out who I am, they’ll kill me. You and Dierdra might be set free eventually, but they will kill me for sure.”

“We’re not going to surrender to the imperial guards,” I say.

“Then what are we going to do, Rocalla?” asks Dierdra. “If the alarm has gone out there are probably twenty soldiers on the bridge right now. We’ll never get across it. And the bishop will never let us stay here, not even overnight.”

“I know that!” I snap. “Quiet! I need to think!” I grab my head with my hands, as I am about to explode with anger and loss. Dierdra is my best friend, and I cannot believe the danger I have put her in. I do not know Elanor as well, but the thought that my actions tonight may get her killed is unbearable. I just want to sink to the floor and cry, but I cannot. I need to do something, now.

“Can either of you swim?” I ask.

“No,” they both answer.

“It doesn’t really matter, the current is so strong, and the water so cold, I probably couldn’t swim it either.”

“Swim what?” asks Dierdra.

“The river channel between the island and the rest of the city. We can’t go over the bridge; we’ll have to go under it.”

“How?” asks Elanor.

“We need a boat, or at least a log. Something to hang onto until we get to the other side.”

“Where?” asks Elanor.

“I don’t know!” I snap. “Get up, get your packs on. It’s time to go.”

We put our packs on. As we approach the door, it opens. Father Krohen greets us.

“I take it that you have decided to go,” he says.

“Yes,” I say. “We’re not surrendering. We need a boat. Do you have one?”

“Not really,” he says. “There is a little skiff next to the garden shed, but it can only hold one person. We use it to patch up the sea wall.”

“Can you take us to it?” I ask.

“I’ll ask Bishop Rul.”

“We’re taking it either way,” I say. “If you show us where it is, it will save us some time and make it less likely that we’ll be found on the cathedral grounds.”

He hesitates a moment. “Then follow me,” he says and turns to lead us out of the room.

“One other thing,” I say. “I need my quarterstaff.”

“It’s in the hallway. We’ll pick it up on the way out.”

We follow Father Krohen out of the building and into the garden area. He leads us left, toward the river bank. The air has turned cold again, and I begin to shiver in my wet dress. The cold air over the warmer river gives us our first advantage, as a thick fog blankets the water and crawls up the bank. We are almost able to touch the garden shed when we first see it through the fog and darkness. Only Cejiina is up, and the small moon is low in the sky to the west.

“The skiff is there, next to the wall,” whispers Father Krohen, indicating a dark shadowy mass in the tall grass on the west side of the garden shed, toward the river.

“Thank you,” I say. “We’ll be on our way.”

“You surprise me, Rocalla. I wouldn’t have expected you to venture into the castle like that.”

“I’m surprising myself.”

“Don’t underestimate the danger you are in. It may not be safe for you anywhere in Mandelbroggen.”

“Thanks,” I say, “we’ll keep that in mind. Dierdra, help me move this boat to the water.”

“Sure,” says Dierdra.

“Elanor, please take my quarterstaff. Turn out the lantern and pack it up, too.”

“Okay.”

Dierdra and I pick up the boat. It is surprisingly heavy considering its small size. Father Krohen is right; it is less than three meters long and will not hold much. We carry the boat down to the water’s edge, slipping on the wet rocks. The air is still, and the only sounds are the gentle slurping of the water against the rocks and the distant shouts of the guards.

“I only see one paddle,” Dierdra says.

“It doesn’t matter, we won’t use it anyway. Elanor, climb into the boat.”

Once Elanor has taken her seat, I hand her my quarterstaff and then take off my pack and boots and lay them in the boat behind her. Dierdra takes off her pack as well.

“Where do I sit?” asks Dierdra.

“You don’t,” I say. “You’ll have to hang onto the back of the boat and float along with it.”

“I can’t swim.”

“Then you better not let go. The boat will hold you up. I’ll take the front, swim alongside, and try to guide it.” I walk up to the front of the boat and start wading into the water. The rocky shore is steep, and I have to move carefully to avoid falling or twisting an ankle. Less than two meters from shore, the water is already waist deep. It is cold, and with each step deeper into the water I gasp from the chill. When the water is chest high, I stop and grasp the side firmly, with my right arm inside the skiff.

I look over my shoulder to check the others. Elanor is sitting up quietly in the center. Dierdra is hanging onto the right side, near the back. “Are you ready?” I ask everyone.

“Yes, let’s get going. This water is freezing,” Dierdra says. Elanor merely nods.

“Okay,” I say. “Elanor, keep an eye on Dierdra.”

With that I start pulling the boat along the edge of the shore. The fog is thick and I want to make sure I guide us through the narrow channel under the bridge, to avoid getting us lost in the middle of the river.