<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><head><META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=us-ascii"><meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 12 (filtered medium)"><style></style></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><o:p> </o:p><o:p> </o:p><o:p> </o:p> The road up to the castle was at a shallow grade but it paralleled the castle the entire way. Not once during the ride were they out of arrow range of the walls. At this distance he noted that the walls which he had taken for stone were actually of brick! Normal, kiln fired brick. Still it was an impressive structure with tall, strong walls and towers. The legate noted at least a dozen figures on the wall watching them and he assumed they were archers. There was a short wait at a small gatehouse before the carriage clattered through the stone building and into the open area beyond.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The carriage came to a halt in the inner courtyard of the castle. The legate slowly stepped down into a courtyard alive with activity. The courtyard was over a fifty yards wide and was ringed on all sides by tall, multistory buildings of the same brick as the walls and topped with red tile roofing.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> He saw brother-knights and civilians moving about on various errands. A pair of young boys came forward and unhitched the horses from the carriage. Tucked against one wall was a simple fountain whose water burbled and splashed adding a soothing sound to an otherwise busy place. The legate noticed that sitting prominently on one side was a large church whose spire was topped not by a simple roof but a tall watchtower. That tower made the legate tense; a church was supposed to be capped by a spire with a carillon of bells whose sweet and sonorous peals would toll out the hours calling people to prayer in praise of Eli and his glorious creation and salvation. Witnessing a military structure on top of a house of Eli made the legate's skin shiver and pimple with Goosebumps. There could be no doubt that these people were devoted to the Ecclesia but were also soldiers and warriors.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “This way please,” Sir Harrick said and pointed to a set of stairs leading to a second floor landing. Behind the landing was a large, wide building with many arched windows, each with a black painted metal shutter. Standing at the top of the steps was a middle aged woman wearing a blue dress with a gold cross on it. Her black hair was barely shoulder length and was bound up in tight braids.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The woman quickly descended the steps and curtsied to the legate. “My name is Arveline Dewitt. My apologies for the small reception, Father, but matters here are unsettled. The Knightmaster has been informed of your arrival and he wishes to see you immediately.”<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The legate nodded his head. “Good. I wish to see him as well and with all haste.”<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Arveline motioned to a pair of servants standing nearby. “See to the legate's baggage please.”<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “Yes, milady,” the two servants, both young boys on the cusp of manhood, responded and hastened to the carriage.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “I'll see that your baggage is delivered to your rooms. Our accommodations are a bit spare but they are clean and wholesome,” she said with a measure of pride revealed in a slight dimpling of her cheeks.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The new visitor recalled that no less than twenty of the Order's rules were dedicated to cleanliness and such matters as not allowing a latrine upstream from where drinking water was drawn. Common sense really but such sense was sadly lacking in many other places.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The trio climbed the steps and passed through a doorway with a rounded arch. The corridor beyond led deeper into the fortress, the gloom lit only by the narrow windows and tar-scented torches lining the opposing wall. They walked swiftly down the corridor without turning. “A small question,” the legate asked with a faint smile on his lips. “What is your role in the Order? You wear the colors of a knight, but no Order of the Ecclesia allows women to bear arms in combat.”<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “The Order of Protectors is the same,” Arveline replied with a return faint smile. “I am the Senior Lay Sister here. My duties are to command all the lay members of the Order. I am devoted to the Order but I'm not a knight nor do I bear arms. Although my son is a knight,” she said with renewed pride. “As is my husband.”<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “There has been a Dewick in the order since it was founded,” Harrick added as if he were an uncle fondly dwelling on his nephews and nieces. “Her son is the fourth generation. Often father to son.”<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “Sometimes father to cousin too,” she added. “Uncle Godwick is a fine brother.”<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “Father to son?” The legate asked with some skepticism, making a mental note to review the Rule for the Protectors at his earlier convenience. “Does not the Order practice celibacy like the Order of the Shields?”<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “Most brothers have taken a vow of celibacy,” Harrick explained slowly. “But not all. We are devoted to Eli but it is also understood that the Great one does love children and upholds the sacred union of marriage.”<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The legate nodded slowly and tried not to show both his surprise and a bit of his ire at those words. It meant that either something else he had been told about the Order was wrong, or something far more dangerous. “The Order's Rule approved by the Patriarch specifies celibacy. Does it not?”<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “It does,” Arveline answered slowly and deliberately. And so too did their pace. “But things change.”<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “The brothers used to all take a vow of celibacy but often the flesh is weak,” Harrick said as they continued down the corridor, shadows once simple, now suggestive of even more secrets hiding within the Order. “One such weakness by a knight-brother resulted in a son born inappropriately. Later that boy grew into a fine young man and himself joined the Order.”<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “The Order did not discipline the knight?” The legate asked in surprise. “And they accepted a bastard?”<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “Of course the brother was disciplined! He broke the vows and rules of the order. And as for the child; Why shouldn't we accept him? He was not responsible for the circumstances of his birth,” the knight countered. “Still his early years in the Order were not easy and he was subjected to prejudice because of it. He persevered and quickly rose through the ranks.” Harrick's lips turned into a moue. “The knight who sired him... he did not rise in the ranks. He was a better father than he had been a Knight brother.”<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “When brother Alwyn became Knightmaster Alwyn,” the woman added. “It was decided that perhaps the order should honor the sacred union of marriage.”<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “There was some cold logic behind the decision,” the knight explained. “It allowed many to join who were already married. And it also allowed access to a source of brother-initiates that had never existed before - the sons of knights. What son doesn't want to follow in the footsteps of their father?”<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “But to marry a Brother needs special dispensation from the Knight master himself,” she explained. “There are only a small number who are married. Around three hundred at last count.”<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “You both are well versed in that argument,” the legate commented coldly. “A little too well perhaps.”<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> 'It is an old argument,” Harrack said with a cool warning girding his voice. “That's always brought up when someone like yourself visits the order. Twice they have come solely because of it.”<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “I see,” the legate said slowly. “I will defer any further inquiries until I have studied the Rule of your Order myself. For now, I offer you my apologies if I have accidentally insulted someone. I am not here to condemn or condone the Order's family habits as such. That would be a simple matter compared to my purpose.”<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “You're here about the civil war,” Arveline offered bluntly. “It's the only reason you could be here.”<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “The only time the Patriarch sends a legate is to discuss some problem,” Sir Harrick muttered. “They always bring trouble. Never praise or to offer help.”<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “Perhaps the Ecclesia have for too long ignored the Order," the legate offered for the sake of charity. “I am aware that the Order's pleas have been ignored in favor of other pressing issues. But I assure you there have been many pleas from many places of late.”<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “Yesulam is a long distance from here,” Harrick added. “Physically and emotionally.”<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “That is no excuse, as Eli is always near, and the Ecclesia is as close as the nearest priest,” the legate reminded a bit more sternly than he would have liked. “I am here to discover what happened and to seek how to correct the problem regardless of what that might entail. If it leads back to the Ecclesia and Yesulam not responding to a plea when they should have, then so be it.”<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Their steps finally came to an end in front of a closed oaken door. “The Knightmaster is waiting for you in here, Father,” Arveline announced.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The woman rapped on the door several times and it opened a small way and she leaned in. “The Legate is here to speak with the Knightmaster.” The legate didn't see who she was talking but the door quickly closed. Then it opened wide.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “Please see the legate in,” came a voice from the room beyond the door.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The room where the Knightmaster was holding session was of modest size; some twenty feet wide and about twice that long. It was sparsely furnished with only a simple Follower cross hanging on one of the whitewashed walls. Wooden tables and benches were placed along the walls, telling of the rooms other duty as a dining room. At one end of the room stood Sir Godric Neville Kenward Knightmaster of the order of Protectors. The legate was surprised at how short the man was; barely five feet tall. Short enough that he had to stand on a small block of stone to be seen by the twenty men assembled in front of him. All twenty-one were wearing plate mail armor, over which was a blue tunic. Prominently displayed on the chest of all was a gold Follower cross, marking them as Knight-brothers of the order. The legate noted that all the brothers he had seen were wearing armor. He wondered if they ever took off the armor? Did they sleep in it?<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The legate looked at the Knightmaster and saw the man staring back at him. His face had the rough and weathered look all soldiers seem to share. His eyes were piercing and the legate was sure the Knightmaster missed not one detail of his appearance and bearing.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “Good afternoon Knightmaster Kenward,” the legate said and bowed deeply. “Thank you for seeing me so promptly.”<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The Knightmaster returned the bow. “You are welcome, Legate Tuscus. I understand you are here to discuss the Order's actions in the recent civil war.”<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “Some disturbing reports have reached the Patriarch as of late,” the legate replied as he folded his hands before him.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Kenward gave a wave of the hand and the legate came forward.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “These are my credentials,” the legate said and produced a scroll from the sleeves of his robes.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The Knightmaster took the scroll and opened it. For several moments he read what had been scribed on it. Then he carefully rolled the scroll closed and handed it back. “You have arrived just in time. We have only just begun,” he gestured to the knights assembled in front of him. “These Knightbrothers are here to explain what happened at their Chapters and their own actions.”<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The Knightmaster looked to the knights and pointed to one standing a few paces away from him. “Continue brother Marcus.”<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “We were ordered to stage a major raid into Sathmore. Those orders came from Bishop Ammodus himself,” the blonde-haired knight said. “It had his seal.”<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “We were attacked first,” a second brother added. “I knew of the war when one of my patrols was ambushed and a half dozen killed.”<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “Ambushed by who?” The Knightmaster asked.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “By Lightbringers,” was the quick answer but there was doubt in the voice and confusion on the man's face. “At least I thought they were Lightbringers. Now I am not so certain.”<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “It seemed so clear and simple then,” Marcus said slowly and shook his head. “Now it's all confused and jumbled.”<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “It was clear and simple to the Yesbearn knights,” another remarked with acid in his voice. “It still is.”<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “Everything seems clear and simple to them,” the Knightmaster commented sarcastically. He opened his mouth to say more but then shut it just as quickly.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The legate was aware that there had always been tension between the two orders. The Yesbearn had always seen the Protectors as too easy going and lax. The Protectors always considered the Yesbearn too harsh and uncompromising. Both the Protectors and the Knights of the Shields despised the Yesbearn. It was one of the few things they both totally agreed on. The last message to the Patriarch from the Protectors concerning the Yesbearn used the word fanatic no less than four times. That warning sign should have been heeded and a legate sent out then. It could have saved many lives. But that side of this affair was already being investigated and was of no concern to him for the moment.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “They had the signed authorization of the bishop himself. They wanted us to provide support for a raid into Sathmore. They said the Lightbringers were planning more attacks and we had to strike first,” the knight explained.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “To protect all the people,” another added.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The legate leaned forward. “What did you do?”<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “We refused,” came the answer.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “You have raided into Sathmore before,” Tuscus pointed out, with a quick glance at Harrick who remained at the far end of the hall. “Why did you refuse then?”<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “This was different. They were talking of killing and destroying all the unbelievers,” the knight explained. “The earlier raids weren't really raids. Few people are really hurt in the back and forth skirmishing. Usually it was a lot of shouting and punching and kicking.”<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “It's mostly limited to stealing cattle and goods,” another added. “Harassment.”<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “In other places such behavior is called theft and brigandage,” the legate said. “And here it is normal, nay, expected?”<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “It was a release, Father," the knightmaster explained. “There is always tension here between Follower and Lightbringer. Such small acts often kept anger low and tensions at a minimum. It was a way to allow anger to dissipate without open bloodshed.”<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “It also keeps this border from being peaceful,” the legate noted.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> A knight laughed and gave a wry smile. “This area hasn't seen peace in over five hundred years. Not since the collapse of the empire.”<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The knightmaster slowly nodded. “All too true. But perhaps we have allowed such pettiness to go on for far too long.”<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Sir Harrick nodded. “This has never been an easy place to rule over but I agree. As knights we are supposed to be above such pettiness.”<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “When they asked you on those raids...”<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “Ordered,” Marcus interrupted. “They did not ask. They ordered.”<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “You disobeyed a direct order from a superior?” Kenward asked in measured tones. “Why?”<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “Why?” Marcus asked with a look of surprise on his face. “Because it ran counter to the rules of the Order.”<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The Knightmaster gave a nod of the head and a small smile. “I am glad to see that you lived up to the rules of the order. At least in that point.”<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The legate glanced briefly at Harrick and then at the other knights assembled. He wondered how many of them took the rules of celibacy seriously. Still, he said nothing of that, for it could wait for another more appropriate time. He had far more important matters to ponder. “When you were ordered and refused what happened then?” he asked. “Did you not try and stop them?”<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “No,” the knight said slowly. “But we should have. Brother Karlis decided to not help them but also not to stop them.”<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “Where is Brother Karlis?” The legate asked coldly. “He is the castellan here.”<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “He was the castellan,” the knightmaster said in clipped tones.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “Where is he now?" Tuscus asked.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “He is dead,” was the response from one of the knights in a pained voice.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “Dead,” came the whispered echo from the crowd.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “His death was,” the knightmaster started and paused. “Unnatural.”<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The cold visage on the legate's face vanished, replaced by a look of surprise and concern. “I am sorry to hear that. I'll pray for his soul. But tell me, you say his death was unnatural. Why unnatural?”<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “Thank you for your prayers, Father,” the Knightmaster said in a pained tone. “He was a close friend. But of his death...” his eyes strayed to the looks of horror that lingered in the eyes of many of the other knights. “But of his death I cannot speak here.”<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Tuscus sighed deeply and nodded. “Thank you. Even though he is dead it seems Bishop Ammodus' corruption continues to claim lives.”<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “Indeed," someone answered.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “Is there anything you wish to add or comment?” The Knightmaster asked the knights assembled in front of him.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “No sir,” came the collective answer.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> “Then you are dismissed. You have just enough time to prepare for Vespers,” the Knightmaster said slowly.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p></div></body></html>