Gerard eyed his friend, then heaved a sigh. “Don’t pay any attention to me, Brother. I didn’t mean what I said. Well, not much. My leg hurts like hell. And I lost some good men today,” he added grimly.
“I am sorry,” Rhys said. “Truly sorry. Sheriff, I hate to trouble you now, but I must ask. Did you”-Rhys felt his throat go dry as he asked the question-“did you see Nightshade anywhere-”
“Your kender friend?” Gerard shook his head. “No, I didn’t see him, but that doesn’t mean much. It was sheer bloody chaos out there, what with the smoke and fire and those horrible undead fiends slaughtering every person they came across.”
Rhys sighed deeply.
“Nightshade’s got more sense than usual for a kender,” Gerard said. “Is Atta with him? That dog’s smarter than most people I know. He’s probably back at the Inn. It’s chicken and biscuit night you know-”
He tried to grin, but he drew in a sharp breath and rocked back and forth, swearing under his breath. “That hurts!”
The best place for Gerard would in be one of the Temples, but Rhys knew how that suggestion would be received.
“At least let me help you back to the Inn, my friend,” Rhys suggested, knowing Gerard would be in safe hands with Laura to care for him. Gerard agreed to this, and he reluctantly allowed Rhys to help him to his feet.
“I have a recipe for a poultice that will ease the pain and allow the wound to heal cleanly,” Rhys told him, putting his arm around him.
“You won’t whip a prayer into it, will you, Brother?” Gerard asked gruffly, leaning on his friend.
“I might say a word or two to Majere on your behalf,” Rhys replied, smiling. “But I’ll make sure you don’t hear me.”
Gerard grunted. “Once we reach the Inn, I’ll put out the word about the kender.”
They had gone only a short distance when it became clear that Gerard could not continue without more help than Rhys could give him. Gerard was by this time too weak from loss of blood weak to put up a fight, and Rhys summoned assistance. Three stout young men came immediately to his aid. Hoisting Gerard onto a cart, they drove him to the Inn and carried him up the stairs to a room. Laura bustled about, fussing over him, helping Rhys make the poultice, cleaning and bandaging his wound.
Laura was deeply concerned to hear that Nightshade had gone missing. In answer to Rhys’ question, she replied that the kender had not returned to the Inn. She hadn’t seen him all morning. She was so concerned over the kender that Rhys didn’t have the heart to tell her he’d lost Mina, as well. He said in response to Laura’s worried questions, that Mina was with a friend. This wasn’t quite a lie. He hoped she was with Nightshade.
Gerard complained bitterly about the smell of the poultice, which he swore would kill him if the wound didn’t. Rhys took Gerard’s complaints for a sign the sheriff was feeling better.
“I will let you get some rest,” Rhys said, preparing to take his leave.
“Don’t go, Brother,” Gerard said fretfully. “Between the stink of that glop you put on me, and the pain, I won’t be able to sleep. Sit down and talk to me. Keep me company. Take my mind off things. And stop pacing about the room. We’ll hear word of your kender soon enough. What’s in that goo you put on me anyway?” he asked suspiciously.
“Plantain, bayberry, bark, ginger, cayenne pepper and cloves,” Rhys replied.
He hadn’t realized he’d been pacing, and he forced himself to stop. He felt as though he should be out there, actively searching, though he was the first to admit he had no idea where to begin to look. Gerard had told his guardsmen to be on the lookout for the kender and the dog and to spread the word among the populace. The first news they had of the missing, they would communicate that news to Gerard.
“Once I find the kender, I don’t want to have to go chasing you down,” Gerard told Rhys, who conceded that this was logical.
Rhys drew a chair near Gerard’s bedside and sat down.
“Tell me what happened on Temple Row,” Rhys said.
“The priests and followers of Chemosh started it,” Gerard replied. “They set fire to the Temple of Sargonnas and then tried to burn down Mishakal’s temple by throwing flaming brands inside, while others started killing. They summoned two fiends that were like some horror out of a fever-dream. They wore armor made of bones with their insides falling out, killing anything that moved. A priestess of Chemosh led them. It took the paladins of Kiri-Jolith to finally destroy them, but only after the undead monsters had turned on the priestess and hacked her to pieces.”
Gerard shook his head. “What I find damn odd is why Chemosh’s followers did all this in broad daylight. Those ghouls generally work their evil under the cover of darkness. Almost seems as if it was meant as some sort of diversion…”
Gerard paused, regarding Rhys intently.
“It was a diversion, wasn’t it?” Gerard slammed his hand down on the coverlet. “I knew this must have something to do with you. You owe me an explanation, Brother. Tell me what in the name of Heaven is going on.”
“That’s a good way to put it. I will explain”-Rhys gave a rueful sigh-“though you will find my story difficult to believe. The tale does not start with me. It starts with the woman you know as Mina…”
He related the story, as much as he knew. Gerard listened in amazed silence. He remained quiet until Rhys had reached the end of his tale, telling how he had killed Krell, and then Gerard shook his head.
“You’re right, Brother. I’m not sure I do believe it. Not that I doubt your word,” he added hastily. “It’s just… so implausible. A new god? That’s all we need! And a god who’s gone crazy at that! So what-”
They were interrupted by a knock on the door.
Rhys opened it to find one of the town guard in company with an older woman dressed in traveling clothes.
The guardsman touched his forehead respectfully to Rhys, then spoke to Gerard, “I have some information on that kender you were looking for, Sheriff. This lady saw him.”
“I did, Sheriff,” said the woman briskly. “I’m a recent widow. My husband and I had a farm north of here. I sold it-too much for me to handle, and I am moving to Solace to live with my daughter and her husband. We were on the road this morning, and I saw a kender like the one described. He was traveling with a black-and-white dog and a little girl.”
“Are you sure it was them, Madam?” the sheriff asked.
“I am, Sheriff,” said the woman, complacently folding her hands beneath her cloak. “I remember because I thought it was odd to see such a strange trio, and the kender and the girl were standing in the middle of the road arguing about something. I was going to stop to see if I could help, but Enoch-he’s my son-in-law-he said I shouldn’t speak to kender, not unless I wanted to be robbed blind. Whatever the kender was up to, it was probably no good and none of our affair.
“I wasn’t sure about that. I’m a mother, and it looked to me like the little girl was running away from home. My daughter did the same when she was that age. She packed up her little things in a gunny sack and set out. She didn’t go far before she got hungry and came back, but I was half dead with fright. I remember how I felt, and the first thing I did when we reached Solace was to tell the guard what I’d seen. He said you were searching for this kender, and so I figured I’d come tell you what I saw and where I saw it.”
“Thank you, Madame,” said Gerard. “Did you happen to see if they continued on the road north?”
“When I looked back the little girl was walking along the highway, heading north. The kender and the dog were trailing behind.”
“Thank you again, Madame. May Majere’s blessing be on you,” Rhys said, and he picked up his staff.
“Good luck, Brother Rhys,” said Gerard. “I won’t say it’s been a pleasure knowing you, because you’ve brought me nothing but trouble. I will say it’s been an honor.”