Rocalla's Saga: Arrival

19: A Meeting at Mariyiybha’s Home —

1054 Kyabalaka 3

The next morning, Dierdra and I eat a quick breakfast, then go up to my room to plan our escape from the city, should it become necessary. We spend several hours going over the possible options, trying to reach some agreement.

“We should start walking to Mariyiybha’s house now, if we want to be there by noon,” I say.

“Sure, we can leave whenever,” Dierdra says.

“So you still don’t like the idea of heading back to Helkavallan and hiding out there until things calm down?”

“I told you, Rocalla, that no matter what, I am not going back there. The thought of going back to my parents’ farm repulses me,” Dierdra says as she picks up her pack. “I’d rather spend my time in a prison in Mandelbroggen.”

“I doubt it.”

“Whatever. We can pick somewhere else. What about heading northwest, along the trade route to the mining areas?”

“That will be the first direction the Pyrusians will look for us. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re already checking everyone on that road.”

“We could take a turn north, into the plains.”

I hesitate a second while adjusting my pack. “Seriously, Dierdra, the last thing I want to do in the middle of winter is head north into the open plains. We’re not prepared to deal with that. Besides, we’d still have to follow the trade route until we passed the falls. We would have the same problem of getting past all of the checkpoints that are bound to exist between here and there.”

“You don’t want to go into the plains during the winter. No, you want to go into the mountains, of all places.”

“At least we’d be headed south,” I say.

“There’s already snow in the mountains.”

“But once we get through the pass…”

“If we get through the pass.”

“Once we get through the pass, we’ll be on the Duradh Plateau. It will be cold, but there shouldn’t be much snow. We’ll be able to move around freely.”

“In a land full of Rhozzhani tribes whose culture we don’t understand,” Dierdra says.

“Like you understand the Su Nan tribesmen of the north plains.”

“Well at least they’re human. They aren’t nearly as foreign as the Rhozzhan.”

“There’s always your parents’ farm in Helkavallan…”

“No.”

At that point, we are ready, and we head out the door.

We take back streets and alleys much of the way, walking at an unhurried pace, attempting to blend into the population as much as possible. The few patrols we see do not come near us. When we arrive safely at Mariyiybha’s house, Father Krohen is already there.

The four of us sit down for a lunch of fresh whole-grain round bread with a tart and spicy jellied spread, along with a pot of Mariyiybha’s aromatic tea. We start talking about the weather, Dierdra’s jewelry, and the tattoos that Mariyiybha and I wear on our foreheads. Dierdra brings up the subject of my other tattoos, and asks Mariyiybha whether or not she has any additional body art as well. Anxious to find out why Father Krohen is here, I grow impatient with the small talk.

“So, Father Krohen,” I say, “I understand that you wanted to see us about something.”

“Yes,” he says. “Your discoveries have led to some heated discussions in the church.”

“What’s to discuss? The discoveries are what they are. There is magic being practiced by the Pyrusians in the castle.”

“The discussion isn’t so much about whether the Pyrusians are practicing magic, although I have to tell you that not everyone is convinced even of that.”

“We brought you evidence.”

“Which you say is a magic orb. It looks like a tinted glass ball to me.”

“You don’t believe us?” I ask.

“I do believe you. I said that not all of the priests do,” Father Krohen says. “In any case, the discussion is not so much whether they are practicing magic, but what to do about it if they are.”

“Have you come to any decisions?”

“Two days from today, at noon, we’re going to announce that Bishop Narvaan Kel died many years ago and that his body was found recently.”

“So you’re going to make a public announcement about his death,” Dierdra says.

“We need to say something. The Pyrusians have been all through the ruins below the cathedral looking for you. It is likely that whoever murdered Bishop Kel now knows that we have discovered his body.”

“Are you going to mention that he didn’t die a natural death?” I ask.

“Yes, we have agreed that we will announce that he was murdered. But beyond that the agreement ends,” Father Krohen says.

“The people will want to know who did it,” Mariyiybha says.

“Some of the priests just want to say that we are investigating the death, and haven’t yet determined who did it.”

“That will satisfy the crowd for now, but not for long,” Mariyiybha says.

“And meanwhile, it gives the imperial guards an excuse to search even harder for us,” I say.

“Oh, they are putting a lot of effort into locating you already,” Father Krohen says. “I’m actually surprised that you have been able to elude them this long.”

“We’re keeping a low profile,” Dierdra says.

“That’s good; I’d prefer it if they didn’t catch you. Incidentally, they visit the cathedral multiple times every day. They’ve given it a very thorough search several times now.”

“Did they find the orb that I left?” I ask.

“No, it’s very well hidden,” he replies. “But they have mentioned it. In fact, they say that they are looking for nine glass spheres and a large book that has been taken from the castle.”

“Really, imagine that,” I say.

“They seemed very concerned about recovering all of them.”

“Did they say why?”

“They claim the orbs are objects of art.”

“I didn’t imagine they would admit the orbs are magical items.”

“No, but the importance they give to the orbs does lend a lot of weight to your story. It convinced me,” Father Krohen says.

“No mention of the importance of the book?”

“No, what’s in it? Can I see it?” he asks.

“I don’t have it. Elanor does,” I say.

“Elanor?”

“The woman who was with us that night.”

“She’s a Circle Cultist, isn’t she?”

“Why do you think so?”

“Just a guess.” He pauses a minute, then continues when I say nothing. “Anyway, what is the significance of the book?”

“I’m not sure,” I say, “but we suspect that it is a book of spells or magical recipes. I only got to glance at it before we were discovered. I haven’t seen it since.”

“Is there a chance that we might get to see it later?”

“I don’t know. It’s been a couple of days since we’ve seen Elanor.”

“So what are your plans?” Father Krohen asks us. “Sooner or later, they are going to find you.”

“That depends on how hard they look, doesn’t it?” I ask.

“Trust me, they will keep looking until they find you.”

“We’ve discussed leaving Mandelbroggen,” Dierdra says.

“That might be wise. Where would you go?” he asks.

“We haven’t decided yet,” she says. I nod in agreement with her answer.

“Well, our announcement will come the day after tomorrow. Bishop Narvaan Kel’s funeral will be the next day.”

“You said that the priests are not in agreement as to what to do next,” Mariyiybha says.

“Yes,” Father Krohen says. “The decision is a complex one. At the time of Bishop Narvaan Kel’s death, there were rumors that he was investigating the use of magic in Mandelbroggen, and had made a major discovery.”

“I suspect he made the same discovery that we did, that the Pyrusian government was practicing magic,” I say.

“You are probably correct,” Father Krohen says. “And if you are, then the imperial government likely killed him to keep their secret.”

“That’s my theory,” I say.

“If we don’t say anything about your discovery, the imperial government will almost certainly blame the murder on the Circle Cultists,” Father Krohen says.

“Of course they will,” Mariyiybha says. “And imperial soldiers will go through the city in a campaign to root out and punish all of the Circle Cultists. Will the church sit by and watch innocent people get persecuted or slaughtered?”

“The alternative is to present the evidence and accuse the imperial government of killing Bishop Narvaan Kel,” Father Krohen says.

“Which would be the correct thing to do,” Dierdra says.

“Regardless of whether or not it is the more ethical thing to do, it is potentially far more dangerous. The governor would certainly deny it, and would try to discredit the church. They might even openly attack us.”

“Or the people might rise up against the Pyrusians,” Mariyiybha says.

“That is also a possibility. We could be faced with civil unrest or even a war. Far more innocent people might die.”

“What is your position?” I ask Father Krohen. “Are you willing to stand up and present the truth?”

“I haven’t decided yet,” he says. “I appreciate the difficulty of the decision facing us, as does Bishop Genhgën Rul.”

“So political expediency will overshadow truth,” I say. “You realize that you will be an accomplice to whatever the government does then. You will be helping to keep their lie.”

“You don’t understand. This is not the Bhayanna Archipelago. Wizardry is not accepted here. The church is steadfastly against the practice of magic. As far as we are concerned, the Circle Cultists are not innocent. We cannot ally ourselves with them against the authorities.”

“And yet you are willing to ally yourselves with the Pyrusian government, who is practicing magic,” I say.

“We can stay neutral.”

“There is no neutral. You either stand by and let the Circle Cultists suffer, and ignore the crime that the government has committed against you, in the murder of Bishop Narvaan Kel; or you take a stand against the murderers and liars who killed your beloved bishop and kept the death a secret.”

“You sound like Father Hafhmar,” Father Krohen says.

“That’s an appalling thought,” says Dierdra.

“What does he recommend doing?” Mariyiybha asks.

“He wants to present the evidence, accuse the Pyrusian government, and ask the people to stand by the church.”

“Will they?” I ask.

“Yes, I believe they will. Not many people actually like the Pyrusians to begin with. My fear, and Bishop Rul’s, is what will follow.”

“What does Father Hafhmar think will happen?” Mariyiybha asks.

“He feels that we can convince the imperial government to turn over the wizards that they are hiding. In return, we could agree to exile them, rather than execute them. Governor Aureus could deny that he knew anything about the magic being practiced in his castle, or about Bishop Kel’s murder, and further conflict and unrest could be avoided.”

“Would that work?” Dierdra asks.

“I doubt it,” Father Krohen says.

“So do I,” says Mariyiybha. “The end result would be that the church would gain influence and power, and the Pyrusian government would lose some. Things are in a delicate balance now. I don’t think the governor will agree to anything that causes him to lose ground.”

“So we’re doomed,” Dierdra says.

“Not necessarily,” Father Krohen says. “No final decision has been made. But no matter what the outcome, the two of you are in danger.”

We have some more tea, and then say goodbye to Father Krohen. After he leaves, we spend the afternoon learning as much about the Duradh Plateau and the Rhozzhani tribes as we can.

Fearing for our safety, Mariyiybha asks us to spend the night, rather than return to The Happy Pilgrim.