A Warning for Catriona - and Keary: The Fire(Threads split then recombined from A Warning for Catriona - and Keary) Gabriel made his way up the stairs and pushed open the trapdoor. The inn seemed to be in darkness - which was odd. Mist was unhappy, whining beneath his hand. He moved into the public area and heard an odd sound - a distinctive cough. Then Mist broke free and raced forward with a snarl and Gabriel started to follow. But before he'd taken more than five steps, he felt a crashing blow on the back of his heads, and the darkness all around him swallowed him down. How long he was unconscious he didn't know. But the first sensation he was aware of was his cheek, bumping and scratching as he slid over the wooden floor. Slid? He was being pulled! His hands were fastened behind him together in some way, as were his legs. But someone was dragging on his bound hands, pulling him over the floor. And all around he could smell smoke and hear the dull roar of fire. The first thing Keary felt was rage, an overwhelming rage. Someone would pay, oh, yes, they would pay. The feeling was mixed with fear, for if Mist was still around she wouldn't be letting this happen. Instead of abandoning himself to panic, he stayed limp, and opened his eyes to slits to see if there were any sign of his helpers or the direwolf. Then he heard the sound of claws on the floor, and the teeth pressing against his bound wrists. Mist hadn't left him - she was trying to drag him clear! Then he heard a voice from a little distance. "Sir? I can help you if the wolf will let me close. We must get out of here!" It was Davin, the dwarfish Giant of Pentos. A sudden sound exploded - the trapdoor being thrown open. Catriona crawled forward. She saw what seemed to be a body on the ground. On one side of it was a small man - on the other a young, pale direwolf ... Mist! She was growling at the stranger ... Catriona rose to a crouch, drawing her knife as she did. "Back off! I'll help her shorten you a few more feet if Keary's dead." She crept forward as she spoke, her efforts at being a looming menace somewhat impeded by her need to keep below the smoke. "Wait!" Keary managed, punctuated by a cough. "I'm all right. Mist, stop. Down. Damn it, Mist..." His hand reached up and grabbed the scruff of her neck. Not very effectively, of course, for his hands were still bound behind his back. "Help me up... we need to get out of here. Someone's going to pay for this." Now Keir was whining at the smoke and growling at the stranger too. The small man backed away a little further. A fraction of the tension released from Catriona's shoulders as she saw that Keary was still alive. She moved quickly towards his side, but still kept a close eye on the midget. Keir followed closely at her heels, her gaze never leaving the stranger. "Perhaps, sweet lady of the woods, you'd cut his bonds," he suggested. "Your wolves will probably be happier than if I attempted it. And I'd rather not pay for my good deed with the loss of my good hands ... " The flames roared threateningly nearer and he grimaced. "The people are safe - everyone is outside," he said. "But if that fire reaches your excellent spirit store, we'd be as safe in a powder keg ... please hurry." "Someone carried Aniketta out?" Keary asked, then held his arms out and back for Catriona. "Sorry, Lady," he said. "This is starting to undermine my reputation as a gracious host." He might have tried a convincing wince, but it might also have been the proximity to the fire. As Catriona bent close to Keary she coughed, then murmured, "Fire also blocks another path." Her knife swiftly sliced through Keary's bonds while Keir kept intent watch on the tiny man. "Who set the fires? And are they lurking outside, too?" She scrutinized the stranger as she spoke. With her last words she stepped close him, her eyes narrowed. "And why, do you call me 'sweet lady of the woods' when you find me in a town surrounded by marshes?" She kept her knife in hand as she spoke. The menace in her tone was somewhat thwarted by a smoke-triggered cough. "My people are outside," said the small man. "They're dowsing the surrounding buildings - trying to save what they can. As for who set it ... let's get outside, sweet lady - and we'll talk there." He coughed as he spoke, and then shook his head and moved onto hands and knees. "Down here," he said hoarsely. "The air's ... purer. We can crawl out ... Aniketta is outside ..." His voice faded as he started to crawl towards the door. Keir looked up with a growl, as though to see whether Catriona wanted her to stop the man. Mist, delighted to see Keary able to move his hands and legs freely, licked his face enthusiastically. Catriona lightly touched Keir on the shoulder, signalling her to hold, then dropped down to her hands and knees, beneath the level of the smoke. "Do you trust him?" she asked Keary, her voice harsh from smoke and tension. "It's either meet his 'welcoming' party outside, or we see who lurks at the swamp exit." Keary's eyes rolled as he looked up and around. "I'm not going to lay this at their door, especially if they truly are trying to put it out. They haven't given me any other reason not to trust them. I'd say it was the safer path." He held Mist back from him with mainly arm strength. At Keary's reassurance, Catriona nodded, then began crawling to the door. "With me, Keir," she directed. The direwolf came at her side. Davin was already well on his way to the door - but when he reached it, he waited for them. "When I open this," he explained hoarsely when they crawled up to him, "the air will rush in and feed the flames. We must all be ready to run - yes?" He took a deep breath and hauled himself upwards to shove the door open. "All of us together!" he shouted. Catriona joined Davin in taking a deep breath before standing. As the little man pushed the door open, she hooked her arms around him and took off at a run towards the clean air. "My legs...longer than yours...," she panted in explanation as they raced towards safety. Keary was right behind, holding on to Mist for support, stumbling only a little from the pounding in his head and the returned circulation to his hands and feet. "My sense of dignity ... stronger than yours," the small man retorted, but he did not struggle. They burst out into the open courtyard - and the flames, fed by the air, burst after them. The heat at their backs was almost intolerable - people in the courtyard screamed - both at the flames, and at the smoke-begrimed trio (to say nothing of the two firewolves, who were almost as filthy; Mist was almost indistinguishable from Keir). Half the small town seemed to be gathered - mostly to gawk, but some of them to help - long lines had been formed to ferry buckets of water from the lake to dowse the inn as best they could; the brightly clad Giants of Pentos seemed foremost among these efforts, directed by Aniketta, who was lying on a pile of mattresses on an open-topped wagon. "Thank you for saving my life, sweet lady," said Davin, his voice a little muffled. "But if you could just set me down now ... " Catriona bent down to place the little man on the ground. "I usally ask for names before the hugging," she said gruffly. "I'm Catriona. Who are you?" He made a jerky little bow - something about it, hoever, suggested that he was usually much more graceful. "The famous and fabulous Davin," he announced. "Leader of the Giants of Pentos, the finest troupe of tumblers in the whole of Westeros." She surveyed the scene before them, scanning for signs of danger other than the burning inn. "So who started the fire? And where are they now?" "We don't know," said Davin. "Aniketta and I were sitting by the fire, talking peacefully enough. And there were other people in the inn too ... "We heard shouting outside - and I went to the window. There were men there, muffled, with brands blazing. They pitched them against the thatch of the roof - and then ran off. Towards the lake, as I reckon." There were nods all around; this seemed to tally with everyone's experience. "Only they're not at the Lake now," put in Marshend's baker (and a regular at the Goose and Gander while his dough was rising). "Nor on it, yet. We'd have seen 'em when we went down to draw water." His sweaty, grimy face suggested he'd played a considerable role into the defense of the the inn. "They've gone into the Ghost Fens," said another voice, with dread. "That's... unfortunate," Gabriel said, turning his face away. It was hard to say if he meant the inn, or the assailants' choice of a place to hide, or perhaps both. "I think I know who to talk to about that." Davin looked up at him, but said nothing - or rather he moved away to help with the line of bucket passers engaged in attempting to dowse the fire. It looked quite a thankless task; the fire had a good hold of the buildiong now. Fortunately the outbuildings seemed unaffected - the hiss that greeted the sparks that landed on the thatch there suggested that some had had the sense to dowse it so that the flames could not take hold. Wordlessly, Gabriel joined in the line, passing buckets to the person next to him, trying not to say what was on his mind. Catriona fingered her sword hilt as she looked longingly towards the Ghost Fens. She exchanged a glance with Keir, then muttered something unintelligible under her breath. She then reluctantly took a place in the bucket brigade as well, but her gaze kept drifting towards the marshes. Keir padded alongside her to keep watch nearby. Then Mist let out a bark and looked upwards. Rain ... a spot of rain. A fat heavy raindrop splashed on Catriona's cheek. Then another and another ... soon the rain was falling thickly and steadily and the fire was being dowsed by natural forces. "Help me put the cover up on the wagon," said Aniketta from the wagon. "You can stay here until the rain stops - unless you prefer the barn?" "I'll help you set up the cover," Gabriel said. "I'd offer something from the bar.... but..." he looked away. Aniketta reached out and laid her slender hand over his. "I am sorry," she said. "It was a good place, and will be so again. Your friends will help you rebuild, yes? And then the Giants of Pentos shall celebrate here with a show that will be talked of all winter long, yes?" "No explosions," said Davin. "I fancy something has survived - we'd have heard the barrels burst. And when this storm has passed, we'll foraging for something to drink our good healths in." Catriona assisted in the raising of the wagon cover, then called Keir over. She ensured that she had a dry spot to shelter beneath the wagon before she climbed inside. She only came as far as the entryway, though, just enough to keep her somewhat dry. "Mixed blessing, this rain. Helped to save your inn, but it's washing away the tracks," she said with a look at Gabriel. She lowered the hood of her cloak, flinging back some sooty water droplets in the process. "So tell me more about who was in the inn when all this started," she asked Aniketta and Davin. "These men who burnt the inn.... If none of them were inside the inn...then who trussed up Gabriel?" "I have my suspicions," said Aniketta. "After you left, two men came into the bar. They walked behind you, Davin, and they looked like ordinary tradesmen - I paid them no heed. Then ... the fire was set. Most people fled. I ... couldn't, but Davin and Jotta stayed to help me. I ... didn't see those men again - either inside, or outside, helping. And the woman behind the bar - what did you call her? Yuanna? - she wasn't here either." "I went back to find her - and found you instead," said Davin to Gabriel. "And my kindly rescuer." He bowed again to Catriona, smiling. He had a singularly charming smile. Almost in spite of herself, Catriona found herself returning Davin's smile, although a worried frown soon returned as she realized the implications of what Aniketta and Davin had seen. "So, then, either Yuanna left on her own," Gabriel said, "or she was helped out. And the people there obviously consider themselves familiar with the marsh." He smiled. It did not look pleasant. "Your problem and my problem might be related after all," he said to Catriona. He didn't expound any further. Catriona nodded once. "Perhaps. When the rain ceases, we can see what remains." She glanced towards Aniketta and Davin. "Can you recall anything more about these men who resembled tradesmen, milady? Or those outside who burned the inn? Did any of them have any distinguishing features, or did they bear any emblems on their clothing?" Aniketta shook her head regretfully. "They seemed just ... ordinary to my untutored eye. I expect they were at some pains to appear so. And then men outside were hooded and muffled. No insignia at all." By now the cover was drawn over the wagon. "Will it please you to step inside?" Aniketta said, but before they could answer, a shout went up. "Gabriel! Gabriel! You need to come and see this!" Catriona quickly moved outside so that Gabriel could exit the wagon. She looked for the source of the shouts, but waited to follow the innkeep's lead. Gabriel had the look of a fighter who had been punched in the head one too many times, but he was up and out of the wagon right behind Catriona. "What is it?" he called. The speaker was Jonty Swain, the village carter. He led them down the street and then to the path that led to the lake. It was churned mud at the moment - this way the townspeople had come when they sought to gather water from the lake. But Jonty did not go down to the lake itself. Instead he turned off and started to walk along a narrow path that led to the reed beds that bordered the Ghost Fens themselves. Mist, at Gabriel's side, shivered suddenly, and began to whine. Jonty turned again, a side path that led towards the lake. "Me and Ross deciuded to go for a swim, to wash off the smoke," he explained. Only ... from the water ... we saw ... " They came now into a clearing, where the rushes were trampled. Ross, a great lake fisher, was crouched on his haunches, at some distance from a still, pale figure. Yuanna ... and eyes stared sightlessly upwards while across her pretty throat and ugly raw gash spoke all too clearly of her end. Catriona's eyes hardened at the sight of the body. She halted, perched on the edge of the clearing, and signalled for Keir to wait with her while Gabriel approached. Gabriel trudged up to her, a straight path, but somehow still had the presence of mind to avoid any tracks that might have been left. It was an unconscious thing, for his attention seemed riveted to the girl. He knelt, lifted her head and shoulders, and closed her eyes. He knelt there, silent, for a long time. As Gabriel mourned, Catriona murmured to Jonty and Ross, "Keep everyone else out of the clearing until I finish searching." She signalled to Keir that he should guard the path as well, then stepped carefully into the clearing. Her eyes scanned the ground for tracks or any other signs as to who had done this, or where they passed after savagely killing the woman. She first followed in Gabriel's footsteps, and came close enough to touch his shoulder lightly in consolation for a moment. Then she moved a little further away, and began her search again. Out of respect for Gabriel's mourning, she did not touch Yuanna, but first scanned what she could see on and around it with her eyes. She then resumed her hunt for tracks or other signs in an ever widening circle, with the body as its epicenter. She saw - from the marks that had not been obliterated by the rain - that Yuanna had clearly struggled as she was brought towards the clearing. Then dragging marks indicated that she was unconscious as she was pulled the last few yards and laid down. Only then, the bloodstains told Catriona, had her throat been cut - and then three men had headed for the Ghost Fens. Gabriel mumbled something; Jonty and Ross were a little distance away, but Catriona was closer and could hear him say, "They want a war? They've got one." He turned his head slightly, said louder over his shoulder, "Get the Septon, would you, Jonty? She'd want to be buried blessed by the gods." His tone belied his own feelings on the subject. "And Ross? Be careful. Spread the word. The Fens aren't safe. Not now. Not for a long time. There will be death there." After Gabriel spoke, when her search brought her closer to where Ross crouched, Catriona addressed him in a low voice. "Did you notice anything or anyone unusual right before you found the body? Or right afterwards? What about prior to the start of the fire, or after it started?" They both shook their heads. They had been in the tavern, enjoying a quiet drink and chatting to Yuanna in one of the smaller rooms. She had disappeared to serve someone - they weren't sure who - who had called for her. Then there had been the whumf! and crackle of fire and the alarm raised, so they had gone outside at once and started working to put the fire out. "There's not a man in town who won't help you smoke out the water rats that did this, Gabriel," said Jonty. "We all liked Yuanna. She was a good woman." "My sword is yours, Gabriel," Catriona added. "I don't know who did this, or what exactly they want, but they will pay." She paused, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot before she continued. "Your lady fought those who dragged her here. Then the 3 cowards fled into the Ghost Fens. If you wish, Keir and I can track them further before the rain obliterates the signs of their passing." "Do that," Gabriel said. "I don't want to send you out alone like that, but time is pressing. Be careful... I'll wrap things up here." He was looking farther ahead, along the edge of the marsh, where a small plot of land had been farmed by one of the local farmers. The corn he had planted had not grown well, and the scarecrow sat broken and lonely on his post. Hopeful crows were already circling overhead, attracted by the smell of blood. "I'll meet you as soon as I can," he said, still looking away. "Aye," Catriona replied in acknowledgement. She took a moment to adjust her cloak against the rain and inspect her bow and sword. She had to brush some soot away, but otherwise both seemed to have weathered the flight from the inn intact. The hunter took one last moment to inspect the tracks leading into the Ghost Fen before she began following them out of the clearing. "With me, Keir," she ordered. After Catriona had left, Jonty looked up at Keary. "What now, Gabriel?" he asked. Gabriel looked down at the body in his arms. "Will you stay with her until the Septon arrives?" he asked. "I need to make some arrangements at the Song and Sheep. And then I will come back this way." He did not exactly say, 'Back here'... "We'll keep vigil over here, Gabriel," said Jonty, and Ross nodded his agreement. (Continued in In the Marshes) |
