"When fear cometh as a storm."
Proverbs 1:27

*********

"Three times, Ian Blackthorn"
"Three times... "

"Having traveled most of the day, I came to a place of refuge by God's good mercies just at nightfall. Although there was a fire lit and the windows and door open to the air, I found no one about, and decided my benefactor must have left in a rush to hunt or on some urgent errand, and so settled myself in to wait for his return. To my shame, Father Master, I failed in my vigil and fell asleep, and woke this morn to find myself still alone (if one does not count the mule). After saying Matins and eating a meal of porridge and journey cake from mine host's supplies, I have done as you asked me and made the first of what I hope are many entries to this journal of my time outside St. Cmry's Monastery, and will see if I may find the owner of this cabin and offer him recompense for my room and meal."

With that, Brother Llwyd blew softly over the parchment until the ink had dried and then placed it reverently away in the small wooden desk stand the other monks had presented to him just two days before. Just two days! It seemed a lifetime ago! Llwyd had been a foundling, left at the monastery gate, living his whole life within its cloistered walls. Nothing had prepared him to be the eyes of the Order in his mission to investigate the state of the kingdom after the Orc Wars. And nothing had prepared him for this freedom.

Looking back over his shoulder at the cabin, he frowned. An innocent he might be, but even a monk had enough common sense to realize there was something wrong here. Where had the people gone who had lit the fire? Why were the windows open, the door flung wide? An overwhelming sense of dread filled him and he turned his head quickly away to let the view before him calm his soul. The mountains of Northern Wales stretched out before him, and Llwyd silently gave praise for the beauty God had created. He sat on a boulder near the edge of a deep cliff, sunlight and wind wrapping about him in the morning, and smiled as a bird suddenly floated up from the crevasse to hover a few yards from the edge. Then another joined it... and another... and another... :corbies! His heart caught in his throat as he looked at the carrion eaters.

As if in a dream his legs propelled him slowly to look over and down to where the birds had come from. Perhaps 50 yards down the face of the cliff was a jagged outcrop, and the birds were swarming all over something Llwyd could not make out. He kicked some pebbles over the side, the flock scattered, and then the monk gasped in shock. There on the ledge, dressed in leather and mail and with limbs broken and entangled, lay two women.

Two dead women.

There was a sudden gust of wind behind him, Llwyd felt himself pitch forwards, and then all went black.

5/99


Fiat Lux: Part II

"With arrows and with bow shall come one hither... "
Isaiah 7:24

*********

Ian was barely out of Camelot that overcast afternoon when the pain around his neck began. It struck him so hard and suddenly he bent over the in the saddle, gasping for air.

"Three times, Ian Blackthorn. This is the first."

A mist surrounded horse and rider even as Ian cursed. "Not now, I can't do this now."

"Why not?" the voice of the goddess Arianrhod whispered. "You just divorced your 'shurrukai' did you not? You are a free man. Well... " she chuckled softly, "almost a free man, hmm?" Ian pounded his clenched fist into his leg. "No! You can't take me away for another month! Skye will think I left... "

"WHAT DOES IT MATTER WHAT SHE THINKS!" The voice seemed to boom from all around. "She is no longer your wife. And you, you are my servant!" As if to emphasize the last, the golden torc suddenly appeared on Ian's neck, and he once more reeled in pain. "Do as I want, and you have my word I will return you back to Camelot."

"Not good enough. If I do what you want, I'll be able to come and go along the Road as I see fit, when I see fit... or else... "

"Or else... what? " Arianrhod's voice hissed softly in Ian's ear. "I sit on my bloody arse wherever you are sending me and do not one thing!" For a moment Ian heard no reply, and then the goddess laughed. "Very well, Iannonvethallion... I agree to your terms. You may come and go to Camelot as needed while doing this task I set you. Agreed?" Ian nodded, though uneasy about the ease with which he'd won the concession. "Agreed. So... what is so important, hmm?" The mist swirled faster. "Two women are dead. Find out why, and you may find out something of value to you as well" The mist flared bright blue, and suddenly was gone.

*********

Two things struck Ian immediately. The first was the bright morning sunlight. The second was that he and his horse were sitting only a few feet from the edge of a cliff. A second later, a third thing caught his eye: a man dressed in monks robes, his arms flailing wildly, standing at the cliffs edge and about to go over. Blackthorn edged his horse closer, then his arm darted out, his hand grabbing the monk by the cowl. "Careful, brother!" but the man made no reply. Ian sighed. "Passed out." The bay turned his neck, looked at the man dangling in Ian's grasp, then snorted and backed quickly away from the edge. Ian lowered his catch and himself to the ground, then wet a cloth from his saddlebags with his water bottle. He wiped at the unconscious monks face until the man began to stir. "You're all right, Brother. Rest easy!" But the monk shook his head, moved Ian's hand away. "No... you don't know! They're dead. Both of them ! Dead!" He pointed towards the cliff with a shaking hand as Ian handed him the water bottle "There!" Ian walked over and looked down, swearing softly. "Aye, so they are."

"And I'm going to find out why!"

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Fiat Lux: Part III

"Going down to the chambers of death... "
-Proverbs 7:27

********

"We have to get down there!"
"W-w-e d-d-do?" Llwyd frowned as his voice sounded like a frightened child's. He pushed himself to his feet to look at the stranger on equal footing, and soon realized he would have to climb up on the huge horse to look his rescuer in the eye. Quite simply, he was the tallest man the young monk had ever seen, and clad all in black and silver. Some sort of uniform, Llwyd guessed. The man's eyes were deep blue, slightly slanted, and the light blonde hair tied back in a warrior's braid gave a glimpse of not overly large but sharp tipped ears. The only finery besides his wedding ring was a golden torc that seemed perhaps too tight, and a great bow and quiver of arrows hung from his back next to a longsword.

Llwyd's head tilted up as he looked again at the man's face. "We do?"

The man nodded. "I'm quite sure they are dead, but I could be wrong. And we cannot just leave them for the corbies, can we?" He cocked his head and smiled slightly, knowing Llwyd had no choice but to agree. "So... I will go down. You will stay here with Horse and um... protect him." Again he smiled, as if at some private joke, and then strode towards the hut where Llwyd had spent the night. Once inside, he walked over to the chest set into the wall and opened the lid. "Ah, good!" He pulled out several coiled ropes. "I would have had to use other methods if the rope was not here. I didn't bring any with me, and it's not wise to walk the Road with the dead. Coming?" He turned and walked out before Llwyd could reply, leaving the smaller man scurrying to catch up.

"Hmm... by that plaque by the door, I make us somewhere between the towns of Llandaf and Penally, heh?" He chuckled at whatever expression went across Llwyd's face.

"Aye... there's a plaque. It's a wayfarer's station, built by both towns and provisioned by them for travelers between them. A quaint but thoughtful custom."

Outside he unslung the bow, quiver and swordbelt, followed by his large black cloak. "Too warm for it anyway". Then he set about securing the lengths of ropes to each other with an intricate knot until he had one long coil. One end he looped about the horn of his saddle with another of the knots, then he led the beast closer to the edge, all the time murmuring to it in some strange fluid tongue. When he reached the spot he seemed comfortable with, he looked at Llwyd. "Brother, back inside in that chest, you will find several blankets. Bring them out and spread a few out over by that rock." He pointed. "Be ready." And with that, he coiled a length of rope about himself and began traversing down to the ledge towards the bodies.

*********

They were young, so young.
Llwyd felt such overwhelming sorrow.
The warrior, (for Llwyd was sure he was one, given all the weapons) spent half an hour just examining the ledge and the bodies. Then tying a rope around one, he called out something to the horse. So sudden was the movement that the monk nearly fell over as the bay slowly backed up, pulling the body up as his master guided the line from below. "Untie the rope and toss the end back down, Brother!" And much to his own surprise, Llwyd found himself obeying the command. Never mind he had never touched a woman, let alone a dead person. He untied the knots with trembling hands, tossed the rope back down, then repeated the process. Finally, the tall man hauled himself up and sat breathing heavily as the bay nibbled playfully at his hair. He nodded to Llwyd. "Nicely done, Brother... hmm... what is your name?"

"Brother Llwyd of St. Cmry's Monastery... by Cerdigion." The man struggled to his feet, then bowed formally. "Ian Bl... Ian of Camelot will do for now. So, Brother Llwyd of St. Cmry. Did you see anything strange about the bodies?" He walked over to the first, an average sized woman with close cropped blond Hair. He crouched beside her. "Her dagger still in its sheath. See? And the faces. Look at their faces!" Llwyd did as the other man bid and then shook his head. "They look normal enough to me! "He glance over at the smaller dark-haired body. "Nothing unusual, no."

"No? Look again, Brother!" He lifted the chin of the blond woman. Her eyes were closed, face composed. "Does that look like the face of a woman who is falling off a cliff? A woman about to die?" And then Llwyd understood. "You mean they died elsewhere? In the cabin?" Ian of Camelot nodded his head.
"Aye."
"They were murdered."

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Fiat Lux: Part IV

"O that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain, that I might weep night and day for the slain".
Jeremiah 9:1

********

Llwyd spent the next few minutes watching Ian as he examined first the hut and then the ground outside it. The tall man opened every drawer, chest and door inside, picking things up, turning them this way and that. He paused longest over the food, frowning, but only shook his head when the monk asked him what was wrong with them. His brow knit as he walked out to crouch down and push about at the weeds by the door. He hissed softly as he uncovered deep bootprint in the mud. Even Llwyd could conclude it was too large to have been made by either woman's foot.

Lastly he walked outside and looked at the bodies again. He waited for Llwyd to turn away so he could remove their clothes to check for hidden wounds. "Nothing". He redressed them, then sat back on his heels and looked at Llwyd. "No other wounds. I think they were drugged." He looked down at two small sword shaped pins in his scarred palm. It took a bit of time before Llwyd realized what Ian had said.

"Sweet Christos... they were still alive... they were alive, and thrown off the cliff!"

"Aye. Asleep, which I suppose was a mercy. But still alive." He tossed a pin to the monk. "See this? They were Blade Sisters. Female mercenaries. I had a few in my old Company. There's a band who work out of Penally. I think that is where these poor lasses are from. And whoever killed them drugged their food, tossed them off the cliff, and then replaced all the food in the shelter, because that is how they did it. The drugs were in the food bags. Those bags in there... you had to open them, right? Brand new bags of meal. All signs the women removed from the place as well." He shook his head. "This was well planned. They were counting on the beasts to destroy the last of the evidence. That, and the drop. But in the dark last night, they could not see the ledge so close below."

Llwyd crossed himself. "But why? Why would anyone kill in such a manner? They have no gold! There is nothing of value here!"

"Exactly. Nothing of value. Because whoever did this is a greedy man. I think the answer may lie in what they were doing here in the first place. And... " he rose to his feet. "the only place we can find that out is in Penally."

"And the women?" Llwyd stood as well, his stomach churning as he once more looked at the bodies. "We bury them, Brother. And then, we spend the night in Camelot" It seemed so ludicrous, the monk simply stared at Ian, then he blinked. "But we are some three hundred miles... "

Ian gave a sad smile as he fetched shovels from the hut. "Believe me, Brother. I know exactly how far away it is from me."

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Fiat Lux: Part V

"I know not how to explain it, Father-Master, but somehow this man guided me through what I must conclude were a series of caverns to arrive miraculously at St. Thecla the Unready, a small monastery not far from Camelot. He left me here at the hospitality of our Brethren In Christ, promising to return for me this morn and accompany me to Penally, and look into the deaths of the two unfortunate women whose bodies I found. It is nearly the time we agreed on, and I will await his arrival at the front gate, with Brother Cythwillfhythr, who is, I suspect, the gossip of the house."

**********

By the time Ian of Camelot arrived at the front gate of St. Thecla's, Llwyd had assigned himself enough penance's to last until the next century. Cythwillfhythr babbled on so incessantly that Llwyd would have MOST un-Christian thoughts towards the elder monk and so assign himself a penance. So it was with a sigh of relief and a fervent prayer of thanks that he watched the approach of the horsemen. The morning sun's glare forced him to shade his eyes with his hand, squinting a bit at the bright metal flashing from horses and riders.

Ian of Camelot seemed to be in animated conversation with his companion, a smaller silver-haired figure who Llwyd at first took for an old man, but then saw as they drew closer was a young boy. Neither rider were holding the reins of his horse. Rather, their hands were being used as part of the conversation, and the young monk marveled at the ease with which they rode and talked thusly. Finally, Ian clapped the boy on the back, the lad laughed (Llwyd realized it was the first sound he had heard either make) and turning his horse with only a squeeze of his legs, rode away at a fast clip, arms held high, calling back a loud farewell.

A muffled gasp from his companion startled Llwyd. "You didn't say it was HIM!" was followed by the hasty departure of Cythwillyfyr and the shutting of the gate behind him. Llwyd was left standing alone outside with his mule as Ian reined to a halt with an ironic smile.

"Ah... all ready to go, Brother? We should make Penally by nightfall if we hurry!" Despite his strong doubt such a journey were possible, Llwyd clambered aboard his mule and coaxed it alongside the larger war steed. He sighed. He was going to have a sore neck staring up at the taller man along the way, he supposed. But he nodded. "Alright then. I am ready! Lead on!" The other nodded, murmured something in the strange language to the horse, and the beast turned and started back down the road leading to St. Thecla's.

Behind them the gate creaked open. "Begone, Blackthorn, you foul pagan!" A slam of the door followed the querulous voice and punctuated the monk's surprise. Ian Blackthorn! He'd heard the man's name before, even read a report of a battle the man had fought with his mercenaries in France, the siege of a brigand lord's castle. A myriad of questions ran through his mind, none of them asked as he stared in fascination at the man riding in front. Then Ian reined in his big bay, turned in the saddle and looked back at Llwyd. "Is there a problem, Brother?"

One brow rose up on Ian's face in question. "Is it true? Are you Blackthorn?"

Ian grinned, nodding his head. "Aye. For my sins, I suppose one of your faith might say. Does it really matter if I am or not, when we are talking about finding the killer of two women?" He smiled as he spoke, and Llwyd could not help but smile back. "No, no it doesn't." He moved his mule up beside Blackthorn once more. "At least it will give us something to discuss on the journey."

"Well, Brother Llwyd," Blackthorn laughed, "it might not take that long". He gestured, and suddenly a thick gray fog began to form around them, quickly casting a dark pall over the bright day. From above and to his right, Blackthorn's voice echoed into the gloom. "Welcome to the Road, Brother."

7/99


Fiat Lux: Part VI

They rode on in silence. From time to time Ian would look back at the monk, watching to see if the smaller man would panic. But Llwyd rode on, occasionally glancing to one side or another as the horses continued on. Blackthorn slowed his big bay and smiled. "Tell me, brother... do you notice anything unusual about my chosen route?" He watched with a slight smile as Llwyd shook his head. "Just the walls of a cave. I must say, I hadn't realized there were so many about here! The mountains must be honeycombed with them!"

"And what if I were to tell you this was no cave, that what you see as walls are really mists, beyond which Arianrhod and Rhiannon of the Silver Bells hold court, and Arawn leads the Wild Hunt?" Blackthorn leaned across his saddlehorn, awaiting Llwyd's answer as the monk gazed back with a thoughtful expression. "Then I would say to you to put aside these pagan myths and embrace the One True God."

He would have said more, but Ian threw back his head and laughed so loud the sound echoed down the passage in either direction. "I don't believe in gods of any kind, Brother, but spoken as a true member of your faith. Yet, Brother," he continued as he straightened back up and began to ride on once more, "you might ask yourself this question: if this is a cave, and neither one of use is carrying a torch, how is it we can see each other at all?"

Llwyd blinked at that, and began to look about himself with a bit more caution. By the time they emerged from the mouth of a cave, the walls seemed a bit less substantial to him. Blackthorn pointed to their left where a raging stream plunged down a steep ravine and past perhaps a dozen buildings by its banks. The water flowed with such force that clouds of spray obscured the view, and Llwyd wondered if there might be more to the village than could be seen from this vantage point.

"Penally," Blackthorn said. "We have to lead the horses the rest of the way down. Poor footing." The monk nodded and swung down, and as he did, he could have sworn he heard the sounds of silver bells, and felt the soft touch of a woman's hand on his cheek. He hurried out of the cave's mouth, pulling his reins gently as he urged the horse down the path. He'd just reached the first turn on the path when he chanced to look back up the way they came... and saw no opening for a cave, but a smooth wall of rock. A second look provided the same view, and Llwyd could not suppress a sudden shiver as he turned away. A trick of the mist, he told himself.
Just a trick of the mist.
He suddenly was looking very much forward to reaching Penally.

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Fiat Lux: Part VII

" Penally is a medium sized town at the meeting of two main roads in the mountains to the west of Camelot. Blackthorn (I am not sure how to address him... Captain? Lord? General? He seems not to care for titles.) pointed out the large prosperous looking inn. He also made a running commentary oh how the place was most likely defended from the cliffside caves during the recent orc invasion . At any rate, he led me straight through the town and directly to a heavily fortified area. Our greeting, to say the least, was quite the experience."(from the Journals of Brother Llwyd)

Ian rode straight through town, eyes straight ahead after they passed the Bleddyn Inn. A small smile played across his lips at the name: "Little wolves" indeed! It did not seem to have caught the monk's attention. Ah well. He was fresh out of the monastery after all. At the end of the street, just where it curved around the wall of the cliff and away from the river stood a walled enclave. A rock wall surrounded two large buildings on three sides, the fourth side being set against the mountain.

As they rode closer, Ian eased his shield off his back so his arms were displayed, but even as he settled it against his chest, a sharp click echoed off the rocks followed by the loud thud of a crossbow bolt embedding itself right in the center of the shield. Llwyd gave a small cry of surprise beside him and seemed to pale even more than he already was, if such a thing was possible. Ian stopped and glared at the gate ahead of them. "A poor greeting indeed! Is this the hospitality of the Shining Crows for one of the brotherhood?"

"Depends on who the brother might be. The next bolt is aimed for your throat." The voice echoed off the stone around the enclave. "State your name and company, and then your business."

Blackthorn gave his companion a reassuring grin and then facing the gates boomed out his reply in a voice used to roaring commands on the line of battle. "Firnadan of the Twisted Otters. And tell the Old Crow she still owes me 20 gold from the knuckle bones game at Carcasonne."

"Ian? Ian Blackthorn? " The gate opened first a crack, then swung open as a gnarled old man came out and set aside his crossbow. He waited until Ian swung down off his horse, then he hobbled over to take the half-elf's arm in a warrior's grip. "We heard you'd settled off in that Camelot, serving under Blackhawke! What brings you here? "

"Bad news, Iolo. Is the Crow about?"

A half hour later they were sitting in a small room with cushioned chairs that Llwyd had not thought might be the usual sort one found around mercenaries. Blackthorn did not sit, but rather stared at a tattered banner hanging on the wall, a white crow on a black background. A woman about the same age as the sentry stepped lightly into the room and then walked over to embrace Blackthorn with a smile. "We're between contracts, Ian. I fear you've come a long way to be told I can't pay you 20 gold. "

"I'm sorry, Branwen." He held out two leather strips, each holding rings, luck pieces and insignias. "Truly, I am. We found these on two Blade Sisters who were killed at the shelter on the mountain road to Llandaf." He described the scene as he and the monk had discovered it, talking in short spurts as he weighed the effect his words had on the old woman.

When he stopped, she sat silently looking at the tokens and brushed at her eyes. When finally she looked up, her face was as hard as the walls that surrounded them. "They were Marcassa and Genovefa. `Cassa was still learning the craft, Gen had taken her on as her second. They…" she shuddered for a second, then went on, "they were contracted out as trail guards to Heryn over at the Inn. It was a way for them to sharpen their skills... and to bring some money into the Crows. We've fallen on hard times, Ian. They were the last of our young ones. They were our future." Her voice trailed off and Ian placed a hand on her shoulder. "We'll find the killers, Branwen. My word on it." Llwyd nodded in agreement, but deep inside, a small voice asked what had he gotten himself into, and just what one small monk could do to catch a killer.

8/99


Fiat Lux: Part VIII

They spent another half hour talking with Branwen. Ian did most of it, the tall man asking some questions about this Heryn that the two dead woman had worked for as guards. Llwyd, for his part, could only offer a brief expression of condolence and the assurance that he would remember them in his prayers. That seemed to please her and Ian gave him a small nod.

The walk back to their horses at the gate was a somber one. Blackthorn finally broke the silence with a savagely muttered curse in whatever dialect of elven was native to him; all the monk could make out was one word, "t`si". He decided, as they reached the gate and stopped that now was not a good time for him to ask for a translation. They stood this way in silence for a few minutes as Ian stared up the street, then the taller man spoke. "I'm thirsty."

Llwyd's jaw dropped. Branwen had insisted they drink and eat while they talked, and Blackthorn had willingly done so. "You can't be serious!"

"Sometimes, Brother, it is necessary to make sacrifices to reach the truth." He started walking towards the tavern, horse following behind. "Let us hope we exhibit extreme self control for the next hour or so. Coming?" Llwyd frowned, hurrying to catch up, then stopped short as the joke finally hit him. "Oh my!" Ian was nearly inside the inn before Llwyd caught up.

********

The Bleddyn Inn looked much the same on the inside as the few inns that Llwyd had thus far visited on his journey had. A large stone fireplace dominated the right wall of the common room, and a bar stood next to the kitchen entrance on the right. The floor was covered with rushes, and the room as a whole seemed cleaner than some he had seen. A gold coin tossed to a passing tavern wench got them two frothy tankards of ale and a promise to let Master Heryn know they wished to speak with him. A few minutes later a solidly-built short man with a ruddy complexion approached them to speak. "Heard you were askin' to see me? What about?" Blackthorn smiled. "Master Heryn, pleased to meet you. It is business, unfortunately. We found the bodies of your trail guides yesterday, up at the shelter at the pass. We thought you'd like to know I'll be looking into the matter."

"And who are you to be looking into anything in these parts?" Heryn raised his voice so all in the room could hear. "We take care of our own, right, lads?" A general murmur of assent rose about them as Ian took a sip of ale and then looked back at the innkeep. "Ian Blackthorn... of Camelot"

"Camelot? That's days away from here! Go back and tend to there. We'll handle this, it's none of your affair!" Blackthorn rose, and seemed to keep rising, as he was much taller than Heryn. He smiled. "I'm making it my affair." Then he drained his tankard of ale, and slammed it top down on the table with such force even Llwyd gave a slight start. "Come, Brother Llwyd, I'll help you get settled in at your chapel". He strode for the door, Llwyd once more scurrying to catch up.

********

The tavern door had barely closed behind them when Ian set off to a building a few doors down. It was, indeed, a chapel, one in a sad state of disrepair. Blackthorn pushed open the door with a grunt. "You'll need help. I'll send someone."

"But... I can't... you can't!" Llwyd sputtered. "I am supposed travel... report back to Father-Master... "

"I'll send a message to him. I'm sure he'll cooperate." The knight leaned against the wall, a slight grin on his face as he saw the look on the monk's own. "Come now, Brother Llwyd! I am due back at court for some business. And they will not tell me what they might tell a harmless monk. Didn't you notice something about Heryn?"

"Aye. I noticed he's the surliest inn keep I've met yet."

"Well, yes. There is that. But doesn't it strike you as odd," he asked as he walked back outside, " that he never asked about the rest of his men or shipment, hmm? Be my ears and eyes here, Brother. I will do some checking back in the city."

"I've made this my affair. I intend to solve it."

8/99