|
Matter of Thyme by Vlork
previous |
1 |
2 | 3 |
4 |
5 | 6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 | 11 |
next
As they neared the castle gates, the raven sniffed.
“Smells awful in this town. Eugh!” he commented. “Wait!” The raven
cocked his head, as though listening.
“Men. Coming this way. Wearing chain mail, armed with swords,” he
croaked. “City Watch.”
The man muttered darkly. “How many?”
“At least half a dozen, maybe more. There’s an alley over there. Oops.
Too late.”
Seven men came running down a side street. The sounds of splashing
water on metal were now easily audible. As the raven had said, they
wore chain mail, and each had a broadsword in a sheath at their belts.
They also each wore a dark blue cape over their shoulders, with a gold
star emblazoned across it. When they saw the man and the raven, they
unsheathed their swords.
The guards whispered among themselves for a few moments. “He’s the
one.” “Look at that raven!” “Description matches.”
The man sighed. “What can I do for you?” he asked after a moment.
One guard stepped forward. “You there! Stand where you are!
You are under arrest in the name of the Crown!”
“What is the charge?” the man asked.
“Assault and robbery against law-abiding citizens!”
The man looked confused for a moment. Then he realized what the guards
meant.
“Oh! The muggers in the alley. Yes, I incapacitated them. However,
they could hardly be called law-abiding citizens. I acted in
self-defense – allowable under Ordinance 457: Self-Defense against–”
The guard interrupted him. “Self-defense? You lured three men into an
alley, and attacked them, stealing all their money!”
“I stole nothing.” The raven spread its soaking wet wings and cawed
vehemently, almost as if to emphasize the point, the guard thought.
“Mr. Urthold, the man who escaped your clutches, claims otherwise! He
testifies that you stole forty-five crowns from him!”
“He’s lying!” the man snapped. He took a deep breath and composed
himself. “Since he escaped ‘my clutches’ as you put it, and was not
incapacitated as his companions were, how could I have robbed him?” he
asked.
The guards considered this for a while.
“In fact,” the man continued. “Mr. Urthold’s appearance and demeanor
was not that of one who is financially well off enough to carry
forty-five crowns with him. His clothing was rather drab and
well-worn. Had he been wealthy, he would have no doubt replaced it
long before. Furthermore, what reason could anyone possibly have for
walking the streets at three in the morning with such a sizable amount
of currency? The clothing shops and outfitters are no doubt closed at
this hour.” This statement had the desired effect. The tired and
soaked guards were now confused as well.
“Since he lied about being robbed, and about having money to be robbed
from him in the first place, could he not have lied about the rest of
it as well?” He paused. “It’s late. In fact, it’s early.” He smiled
pleasantly at the guards. “Why don’t you all go home, out of the rain,
and go to bed. You can have a talk with Mr. Urthold in the morning.
Sound good? You could be nice and dry. Don’t worry. I won’t report
this little misunderstanding to your superiors.” The rain intensified
and thunder boomed, accentuating the man’s point.
The guards considered this, and seemed to like the idea.
“Yes,” the guard said. “That sounds good to me. Let’s go home, men!
Our shift’s about over anyway.” He turned back to the man. “Sorry to
trouble you, my lord.” The guards hurried away, drawing their cloaks
tightly around themselves, in an attempt to ward off the rain.
The raven made a noise in its throat, which was probably a chuckle.
“You got them good! Now I see why Tommy picked us for this one!”
The man sighed wearily. “The Master deserves respect, Quom. And if one
patrol is looking for us, others may be alert as well. We should hurry
to the castle.”
* * *
previous |
1 |
2 | 3 |
4 |
5 | 6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 | 11 |
next
|
