Faith and Fury Read online

  Vacinne called out, “Hello, is anyone here?”

  “Uh aahh,” came a voice from the distant corner, behind the bar. The figure wore dark clothing, and she’d completely missed him before. He groaned as he stretched once more. Then he let out a big yawn, followed by another. Then he slowly rose to his feet and removed his plumed, wide-brimmed hat.

  “Good evening, Warden. Welcome to The Setting Sun,” he said with a flourish and a wobbly bow. “How may I assess you?”

  Vacinne snapped, “You may not assess me, or assist me. You’re drunk. Let me speak to the owner.”

  The barkeep scratched his forehead. “The owner’s drunk too.”

  Vaccine huffed, “I’ve had a miserable day—”

  “You too?” asked the barkeep before she finished. “I thought it was just me.”

  She took a deep breath.

  “Then I suppose I’m left to deal with you. Do you have any clean rooms available?”

  The barkeep swayed a bit before putting his hands down on the bar to steady himself.

  “All the rooms are clean, my dearie. Just look around if you’ve any doubt to our prowess with mop and broom,” said the man with a sweeping gesture, which subsequently led to him swaying once more.

  “How much for one night, a hot bath, and a hot meal in the morning?”

  “Depends. You need room for more than one?” he asked.

  “Ugh, why on Kurein would I want company?”

  “I’ve got a few ideas,” he quipped with a shrug. “Just suggestions, you know.”

  “Truly, you men are all the same perverse heathens. It’s disgusting,” she said while shaking her head.

  The barkeep nodded in agreement and put up a wagging finger. “Right you are, my dearie. It’s true, the whole lot of ‘em. But I know one guy unlike the rest.”

  “Oh really?” she said skeptically.

  “Yep,” the barkeep said with a nod and nothing else.

  Sarcasm, one of her true gifts, replied, “Well you’ve got my knickers in knots now. Who is this prince charming?”

  The barkeep did his best to stand up straight and tall with shoulders back and chin up. Then his hands moved about as he fixed an imaginary bow about his neck. “Me of course, my dearie.”

  Vacinne played along, and coyly moved forward not only to get a better look at her suitor, but to toy with him. The firelight was low but allowed her to get a good look at his rugged features. Longer dark hair feathered out from under his absurdly large hat. He had an uncommonly darker complexion, pale green eyes, a pointed nose, thick dark stubble, and a teasing smile.

  “Oh my,” she said, before realizing she was thinking out loud.

  Embarrassment painted her cheeks, but she was always quick on her feet. She said, “What makes you different than all the other men in Ketabo?”

  Without missing a beat, the surprisingly sharp-witted drunk said, “Unlike them, dearie, I’d be there to keep your bath and bed warm. After all, someone’s got to keep the coals burning. All in the name of your comfort and safety, of course.”

  “And the price?”

  “Ahh, my dear,” he said in a silky voice, “some things in life pay for themselves.”

  She quickly replied, “And the price without company?”

  “Three crowns,” he said while holding up four fingers, then realizing and laughing to himself.

  “Well, much to your disappointment, I’m not the kind of woman that needs such comforts,” her countenance hardened as she pulled the golden coins from her coin sack. “Three crowns, now to a room with a bath. Oh, and stable my horse as well.”

  “That’ll be an extra crown,” he said while extending his hand.

  “Not tonight, barkeep,” she argued.

  “So, Ellie is sleeping outside tonight?” he asked, with feigned innocence.

  Vacinne sighed, pulled another coin free from her purse, and handed it over.

  “Much obliged, my dearie. Follow me,” he said while standing and walking as if he were completely sober.

  What the...

  “How’d you know her name?”

  He merely winked before saying, “This here is our main dining area of course. Hot breakfast will be served at seven in the morning. It won’t be hot if you come any later. Ellie will not be groomed tonight. It’s too late in the evening, but she will be fed and sheltered in the stable out back.”

  He led her around to the hallway over on the right side of the room. The hallway was long and had eight doors coming off of it. After reaching the end of the hall, the suddenly sober barkeep opened the door to his left and showed her in.

  He said, “This should serve you well. It’s our warmest room, and the closest to the bath, which is right straight across the hall. I’m assuming you’ll want your bath tonight, so I’ll start heating the water. Towels and a robe are on the bed.”

  Vacinne stood there stunned, and speechless.

  Her mind raced, what the—, how the—, who in the Nine Hells are you?

  Never missing a beat, he winked and said, “It’s late. I leave you to retire for the night. See you at breakfast, Warden Vacinne.”

  And with that, he left and pulled the door closed behind him. She stood there confused and rather flustered.

  “What in the three realms just happened?”

  She contemplated the rather strange barkeep for a moment before the exhaustion of the day’s events hit her.

  “I’ll get some answers out of him in the morning. It’s time to get cleaned up and get to bed. I better check in with Grand Master Jherenon first.”

  Vacinne pulled a well-cut stone in the shape of a hexagon from a pouch on her belt. The black stone’s surfaces were well polished save for the engraved rune on one side. She ran her hand over the engraving and spoke the command word, “Viz-nal.”

  The conjured face of the temple’s grand master was projected from the vision-stone. Jherenon was old. His long, narrow face was wizened from age. She’d been told that no one really knew his age, but the man had to have seen at least eighty years. His skin was wrinkled and sagged, his bushy eyebrows and long beard were stark white, and his eyes bore a dull, milky sheen that suggested he might nearly be blind.

  “Greetings Warden Vacinne,” he answered with a warm smile and a gentle voice.

  “Evening Grand Master. I’m sorry to have awakened you,” she replied in a reverent tone.

  “Nonsense. You know these old bones don’t sleep,” he countered with a dismissive wave of the hand. “You look awful. What have you found?”

  Vacinne replied, “The town of Dunmorrow has been attacked. There... were no survivors.”

  “No survivors?” asked Jherenon, his voice rising with alarm.“I found one man badly wounded. As I came to aid him, a vorthor stepped through a rift and killed him. It was an absolutely massacre, Grand Master.”

  “You faced the vorthor?” he asked with concern.

  Vacinne hung her head in shame. “I did, Grand Master. I failed.”

  “Nonsense. You’re alive, aren’t you? Lift your head, Warden.”

  She complied.

  “Good, now where is the demon now?”

  Vacinne replied, “North from Dunmorrow. I will track him down, but he’s too strong for me. I’m in need of aid.”

  “There’s no way I can get aid to you in time. You must stop the demon before it proliferates,” answered the Grand Master, his tone growing hard.

  “I know, Grand Master. I’ve gone to Ketabo for help. I’ll hire a mercenary; it seems they frequent these parts.”

  “Very well, Warden. Have you any sign of Warden Masoc?” he asked.

  “None yet. Hopefully I can find him before the demon does,” she answered.

  “Indeed. Light be with you, Warden,” said the Grand Master in closing.

  “Light be with you, Grand Master,” she replied, ending the communication.

  His image disappeared. Vacinne tucked the stone away and let out a deep sigh. Then she began to remove her
gear. Vacinne paused. She finally took a moment to look around the room. She was so tired and preoccupied that she didn’t really notice how nice it was when she first walked in. The whole inn was built like the lodges in the Bellamar Hills, with the large stone blocks and beautiful pine logs. It was a place she visited with her family when she was young.

  That seems an age ago.

  Vacinne smiled. “I know it’s the past, but nostalgia feels good, and after the day I’ve had, I’m going to soak it in. Soak! The bath!”

  She smiled like a child as she kicked off her boots and started discarding her armor and garments. Within minutes she was completely undressed, and wrapping herself in the thick, clean robe that had been laid out for her. Then she made her way across the hall to the washroom. The room had a large coal stove off the one side and a large tub at the other. A large water barrel with a hand pump affixed to the top stood next to the tub.

  “Okay, this is my cool water. My water on the stove should be getting hot soon.”

  That is when Vacinne noticed a trough running along the wall. It went from the tub all the way around the room’s outside wall, back to the massive cauldron that was being heated on the stove. The stove itself was short and squat compared to most of the stoves she’d seen, but it was rather wide. This allowed the massive cauldron to sit on top of it quite nicely. The cauldron had a metal pipe protruding from the side. She took a closer look and realize it was a spigot. She turned the valve, and her excitement grew as she watched the hot water flow from the heated cauldron, into the trough, then around the room, and into the large wooden tub.

  “How in the three realms does a small inn in a forgotten and lonely town like Ketabo have heated indoor plumbing? Ingenious. I must meet the owner of this establishment before I leave,” she said with a smile

  Vacinne put the stopper in the tub’s drain and filled her bath till the temperature was perfect. It was late, but her sore body needed a good soaking. So, she sat back into the depths of the tub’s warm waters, closed her eyes, and took her sweet time.

  This is the life.

  3

  Sell-Sword

  Vacinne was reluctant to crawl out of the bed the next morning. It wasn’t until she was able to shift her thoughts back to the mission that she found the will.

  “I’ve got to go, but heavens, this bed is amazing. Perhaps I’ll revisit you on my return trip. Yes, I think another visit is in order,” she said with a smile.

  The previous night’s bath had done much to refresh her. Vacinne pulled her hair back into a tight bun, then she started to get dressed. She moved about the room with a controlled energy as she pulled on the black leathers that would go under her armors. Vacinne fit the leg plates over her thighs and secured them in place with the straps that were built into the leathers. Once they were buckled in place, she reached down and pulled her greaves on. They came with tall plate guards that would extend from just above the ankle all the way up and over the kneecap. Once they were all the way on, she went about tightening the straps that held the guards securely in place. Then she methodically went about her preparations with the rest of the layers of her gear. The confining nature of the breastplate wasn’t the most freeing fit. She was quite certain that the armors were not made with females in mind, but it always made her feel safe. It always left her baffled that so many women throughout Kurein would opt for less effective options that would leave little to the imagination.

  “Tramps,” she muttered as she pulled on the finely crafted pauldrons. Each bore a smaller golden cross, slightly different from the large one upon her breastplate. It too was a symbol of the Rift Wardens.

  Okay, good to go now, she thought.

  The large plate armor gave her a rather bulky appearance despite her lean frame. Fortunately for her, the Wardens could afford the finest smiths in all of Durghast. The way the layers of intricate metal linking was done beneath the plate, it offered the wearer superior range of motion and flexibility. Really it was the same way for the whole set of armor. The armoring technique was called Kantosian, named after the smith who engineered the layered micro-plate meshing. A single coat of armor like this would take a master smith weeks to complete, but it was several times more effective than even the best chain mail. The key draw back was that the technique was only feasible with drenamine, the rare metal only known to be found in the mines of the great city of Drenamere. The Wardens invested a small fortune into each suit of armor, but that’s what you do for the most well-trained fighters on the continent.

  Once her gauntlets were on, she fastened her freshly washed cape to her armor, down over her armor. She looked down at her breastplate. Surprisingly it was free of blood. The golden insignia of her order was formed of something like a fancy lowercase t and still shone brightly. Vacinne shifted her focus to her belt. She pulled it tight around her waist and fastened it. Her scabbard and the runeblade within it now hung from her waist. She shouldered her pack and grabbed her shield before heading out the door.

  A genteel old fellow met her in the main hall. He didn’t have many teeth, but he smiled all the same as he greeted her.

  “Good day, good day, my lady! The sun’s rising, and the food is hot!”

  “Well, hello there, kind sir,” she said, half laughing in response to his youthful exuberance. “I thought breakfast would only be hot at seven. I’m quite sure it’s well past that hour now.”

  The rail thin old man slid a steaming hot bowl of biscuits and gravy across the polished bar. “True enough, my lady, but the master said you’d be needing your rest and a right good meal, he did, so I thought I’d be keeping it warm for ya!”

  She beamed, “I love biscuits and gravy! Well done, kind sir. You have my heartfelt thanks.”

  “That’s not all!” He rushed off into the kitchen only to reappear with a plate that offered a sizzling slab of beef as well as a bowl of cut up fruits.

  “My, my this is as hearty a breakfast as I’ve found on the road yet!”

  “I do what I can, my lady. Now would you prefer your cider warmed or chilled?” asked the old man with a childlike grin.

  Her eyes grew wide. “Oh, warm cider sounds perfect for a chilly fall morning. Thank you.”

  “Coming right up,” said the old fellow as he disappeared into the kitchen once more.

  Vacinne started eating when another voice interrupted her.

  “I trust the accommodations have been adequate?”

  She finished chewing while looking over to see the man from last night. He stood tall, dressed in dark leathers and a dark cloak, his head uncovered. The daylight that spilled through the room’s windows gave her a chance to see him much better than the previous night. His green eyes seemed even lovelier than before.

  Heavens he’s handsome, she thought.

  Before she answered the old man returned with her mug of hot cider. “Good morning, Master.”

  “Good morning Gerald,” he answered.

  Vacinne laughed, “You’re the owner?”

  “Guilty as charged,” he said with a smile.

  “Last night, the bit about the owner being drunk? But you weren’t really drunk at all, were you?”

  The man laughed, “Well, I was working on it.”

  “So, the whole thing, it was a ruse, a charade?” she asked.

  “It can get boring around here. Sometimes you just need to have a little fun,” he admitted.

  “At my expense, no doubt,” she muttered.

  “You looked like a big girl. I figured you could handle it.”

  Vacinne scowled. “What’s your name?”

  “Renlar Demas. So, did you find the accommodations adequate?”

  Vacinne had an incredulous look on her face. “Adequate? More than adequate. I don’t travel a lot, but I’ve been on the road for the past two months, and I’ve yet to find any accommodations that come close to this. The bed was fantastic, and the bath was exquisite. Quite the ingenious design in there. Must have cost a fortune to have someone des
ign and build it for you.”

  “Master Demas built it himself,” boasted Gerald as he headed toward the kitchen once more. He shouted, “Designed it and everything.”

  “Not in front of the guests Gerald, you’ll make me blush,” replied Renlar modestly. “I should leave you to your breakfast, while it’s still hot.”

  He nodded and turned to walk away.

  She said, “I thought it would be cold.”

  “Gerald thought better of it,” he said with a smile before he left the room.

  “Before you go, I’m in need of some help. I’m a long way from the temple. Unfortunately, it appears I’ll be forced to find some hired help. Am I correct in my understanding that there are some bounty hunters in town?”

  He stopped in his tracks but did not turn back toward her. “What kind of job is it?”

  She continued, “A demon arrived in Dunmorrow yesterday. I’ll need help tracking it down and killing it. I’m also searching for a Warden and his company that went missing down this way. It’s a dangerous mission, so I’ll need the best Ketabo has to offer.”

  Without turning back, Renlar said, “Once you’ve finished your breakfast, you’ll want to head over to the Gaggled Goose. It’s got the roughest crowd around. If anyone knows who to hire, it’ll be the owner, Braydus.”

  “Thank you. I’ll eat and be off then. Would it be okay if I left Ellie in the stables until I return from the tavern? I’d like to ask you a few more questions anyway.”

  “Sure,” was all he said before leaving the room.

  Vacinne turned to Gerald, who was just now returning to the room. “He acted strange when I mentioned bounty hunters. What’s that all about?”

  “They have a... reputation is all,” said Gerald with a smile and a shrug.