The Hekamon (16 page)

The chain was comprised of small, tear-drop shaped
links. While the pendant was slender, oval shape, a little under two
inches in length and an inch or so wide. Galvyn's experience of
working with metal was mostly limited to iron and bronze rather than
silver, even so, he thought it to be no ordinary silver.

Perhaps it was of greater purity than anything he'd seen
before, he wasn't sure exactly, but there something about its
ethereal glow. It almost seemed to reflect more light that fell on
it. The patterns shifted in the light, too, more than might be
expected, as though they floated a fraction above its surface.

Galvyn allowed the pendant to rest on his hand and as he
did, he heard a voice. It sounded so close that it startled him.

He couldn't place where it came from, but it had such clarity and,
more worryingly, it sounded familiar. It was the voice of somebody he
couldn't possibly have heard.

Remaining seated on his stool, Galvyn held his breath
and listened. Several second passed, but he heard nothing more. He
looked around the workshop but saw nobody there. Nor did there seem
to be anyone outside, at least, not visible through the door or
window. He thought about getting up and taking a look, but quickly
dismissed the idea. He must have imagined it.

Having spent the morning in the darkness and silence of
the mine, his senses were now understandably heightened. Something
like it had happened before, only not so profoundly. Realizing it was
probably nothing, he relaxed and returned his attention to the
necklace, and tried to determine its origin.

While the chain could have been Coralainian, the
patterns on the pendant were what he would have described as
Fennrean. Not that he had come across much by way of Fennrean
jewelry, or anything else Fennrean for that matter. It could just
have easily been from further east, but was certainly from that way.

The inscriptions were not in a language he could read, and certainly not
from Demedelei.

It wouldn't be that surprising if such jewelry did
find its way here to Serfacre, what with Fennelbek being only a few
miles to the north east. But the Fennreans themselves tended to stay
there, at least, as far as he knew they did.

With Galvyn immersed in his study of the pendant, a
shadow passed across the threshold of the workshop. The door was set
into the south-east corner of the building, and on sunnier days, an
approaching shadow was usually the first sign of a potential
customer. Especially when Galvyn was at his workbench, with eyes cast
down at the job in front of him.

Such was the level of his focus, that on this occasion,
the figure was halfway through the door before he became aware of
them.

In one deft movement, he slid the necklace under a cloth beside
him, drew the wrist guards across his desk and raised his head to
greet the visitor. The man who had just walked in didn't look happy,
but then, he rarely did.

"Where is he?" The imposing figure demanded.

"Captain Tregarron, good day to you, sir. He, er,
Mr. Croneygee you mean?" he said, flustered by the sudden
appearance of the Captain of the Demedelite Guard.

"Of course Mr. Croneygee, who else would I be
looking for?" Tregarron said, striding into the shop and looking
around, seemingly for the master armorer but when it came to
Tregarron, Galvyn could never be sure.

What did seem apparent, was that if the captain had been
looking for Mr. Croneygee when he'd entered, he was looking for
something else now. The man gazed at the shelves of bronze armor, the
racks of polished swords, the shiny metal shields that adorned the
walls, before moving around the shop and stopping in front of a
bronze shield.

"He left a few minutes ago with—" Galvyn
hesitated. He knew that Tansley either hated or feared Tregarron, or
most likely both, and he wouldn't want him to say that he'd been in
the shop, but it was too late. He'd hinted that he knew who his boss
was with and now would have to say.

Lying to Tregarron was dangerous
and Galvyn wasn't a good liar, even at the best of times. And being
in the presence of Tregarron wasn't a good time, even with his back
to him, the man was intimidating. Tregarron could simply turn, fix
him with a stare, and the truth would out.

"Left with who?" The captain asked, calmly and
seemingly disinterestedly, and yet Galvyn suspected he was neither.
Still he faced away from him.

"A
tradesman from near the pass," and as he said it, Galvyn took the
chance to position the cloth over the necklace to cover it more
thoroughly, feigning to clean some pliers as he did so.

The fake was
unnecessary, since Tregarron was looking the other way. Yet, in
the short time he'd been at Tivitay, Galvyn had become aware of the
man's powers of observation. He saw,
everything
.

"Which tradesman?" Tregarron started to turn
and began moving the other way around the shop, looking at the items
on the racks, out of the door, at the floor, anywhere except at
Galvyn. Yet the apprentice felt like the man was seeing him clearly,
and when their eyes met in the reflection of the window, he could see
that he was, and not just via reflections.

"Er."

Tregarron turned and looked right at him, and right
through him, "Was it Tansley by any chance?" The captain
asked, walking over to the workbench and picking up one of the
bracers Galvyn had been working on.

Dilapidated military cast offs in
for repair meant Tansley had been in, and he'd been evasive about the
fact.

"Yes, sir." Galvyn returned an apologetic
look. At least he could tell Tansley he had not given his name up too
easily, but he should have known better.

Tregarron had been forced to ask three questions when
one should have sufficed. The captain was Lord Jephson's chief
interrogator, among other things, but interrogating was what he was
reputed to do the best, and by some accounts, enjoyed the most.

"It's Galvyn, isn't it?"

"Yes, Captain."

"Galvyn, I'm going to assume for the moment, that
you thought it a good idea to apply some discretion out of politeness
to a loyal customer, and in the process you momentarily forgot who it
was you were talking to. You realize you have made a mistake,
sincerely regret it, and will answer honestly from now on. Am I
right?"

"Yes, Captain."

"Good," Tregarron said, leaning forward and
fixing him with a stare.

At the same time, and without breaking eye
contact, he removed the cloth covering the necklace. Galvyn blinked
disbelievingly. Nothing got past Tregarron and nothing surprised him.

It
was then that the captain looked down to see what he had been hiding,
causing Galvyn to correct himself.
Almost
nothing surprised Tregarron.

An expression crossed the captains face
that he had not seen from him before, not just a look of surprise, or
shock even, but a flicker of horror in his eyes and a gasp escaped
his lips. It was a few seconds before his usual impassive expression
returned. His gaze moved from the necklace to Galvyn, and when he
spoke, his voice was edged with anxiety.

"Who does this belong to?"

"A customer brought it in for repair, the chain is
broken." Galvyn found his own voice to be laden with anxiety.

"I can see that, which customer? I want to know who
owns it."

"They didn't give their name," Galvyn even
surprised himself with this answer.

"Have you seen them before?"

"Not
that I recall," he felt compelled to say.
What
was he doing?

"Was Mr. Croneygee here when it was brought in?"

He hesitated, at what point could it truthfully have
been said to have been brought in? "No, he was upstairs at the
time."

Galvyn knew he was playing a very dangerous game now, if
Tregarron were to ask outright if it was Tansley, then he would have
to admit it that it was, and there would be consequences. Excuses
like, I promised not to tell, wouldn't wash with
Tregarron. A sprinkling of truth among a lie was still a lie and
maybe the most devious kind.

Galvyn remained seated on his stool, not blinking and
hardly breathing. Tregarron had leaned in closer as he had questioned
him, and their faces were now only inches apart. They remained that
way for several long seconds.

Abruptly, Tregarron straightened and
broke eye contact, lost in his own thoughts, seemingly satisfied that
Galvyn had been telling the truth. He then suggested the matter with
the necklace was closed, by turning is attention back to the
whereabouts of the master armorer.

"So, you said your boss left a few minutes ago?"

"Yes," he replied, his relief at the change of
questioning not well concealed.

"With Tansley?"

A
bead of sweat formed on Galvyn's brow.
He's
going to speak with Tansley.
"Yes."

"Then why didn't I pass them on the way here?"

"They left by the mine, Tansley said it would be a
quicker way to get to the fort and Mr. Croneygee agreed."

Tregarron considered this and seemed satisfied, before
looking again at the necklace on the workbench.

He then reached down, and lifted
it carefully by the chain, before slipping it into his guardsman's uniform and
tapping the pocket of his blue coat where it rested.

"When the owner of this necklace returns to
collect, tell them I have it and send them to me. I will be very
interested to speak with them. Thank you for your help, Galvyn, good
day to you." Tregarron politely concluded their conversation,
turned and walked out.

Galvyn
sat, mouth open.
He
took it
. Is he
allowed to do that? He's the captain of the guard, of course he is.

He rested his head in his hands. Why had he lied?
He hadn't lied,
he
had with held certain truths. But he never did that either, so why
now? When Tregarron catches up with Tansley he might find out right
there and then. Tansley had told him
to keep quiet, but would
he
?
No. Tansley would tell Tregarron so he could get the necklace back
from him.

He sighed. It couldn't be undone now, but why had he
gone out on a limb for Tansley, it's not as though his visits here
were a secret, or bringing in items for repair a novel thing.

The more he thought about it the more he realized that
it wasn't the tradesman he was trying to protect. It was the necklace
and its rightful owner. When he'd held it, he knew it was stolen, he
could feel it. And the thought weighed on him, that as long as he was
in possession of it, he was party to the crime.

When asked who the owner was, he'd been reluctant to
say, not to protect Tansley, but because to say Tansley was the
bigger lie. He didn't know who the rightful owner was, that was the
truth of it. All he knew was they would be looking for it, and as
strange as it might seem, Galvyn thought the necklace was looking for them,
too.

The swift blow that he'd aimed at the back of the old
man's head should have been enough. Enough to knock him down, dazed
if not unconscious, but the old man was wily, sinewy and tough. He
was a fighter, that much Decarius could tell immediately. The man
didn't just make armaments, he'd used them, too. He was battle
hardened and his parry and been that of trained soldier, redirecting
the blow rather than resisting it.

He'd dropped his bag to free his
hands and shouted for help, forcing Decarius to use his whole body to
subdue him. As a result, he found himself face to face with his
victim. Fortunately, he'd disguised himself for just such an
eventuality.

His intention had been to simply steal the gauntlets
back, by striking the man down and taking his bag. It hadn't worked
out like that, but there were advantages to resolving the matter this
way. He could restrain and subdue the man instead, then speak with him.

He would have to wait for the man's resistance to
subside first, and while he did, he would take the opportunity to
catch his own breath.

Decarius had become convinced that the merchant knew
that the gauntlets were no ordinary item. The man had brought them to
the more experienced armorer to confirmed his suspicions. The armorer
had obviously understood their importance, since he was bringing them
to the fort. The fact that Decarius had been asking after the
gauntlets at the trading posts didn't matter now. Once the
authorities here had established they were the Plautius Gauntlets,
then they would know exactly who took them back and why. It was the
Eagle Standard of Coralai, and it would serve any Demedelite right if
they were party to its theft.

But Decarius knew it was important how it played in
Coralai, too.

The brutal murder of a merchant on the Regis Highway?
That was one thing, and it wouldn't play well. But saving them from
falling into the hands of Lord Jephson? Rescuing the Eagle Standard
at the last moment and doing so in the very shadow of the fort. That
was another matter entirely. That scenario he couldn't have planned
any better. He would be the returning hero.

Even so, there was still the matter of returning. It
would be preferable if he could deal with the armorer and bring
closure to the matter. Decarius decided he would let the old man
bargain for his life. He would wait for the man's struggling to end,
then he would make him an offer.

The gauntlets were stolen, he would tell him, and he
would take them back into his possession. In return, the old man
would live, only that, he would pay him. Call it a reward, a
finder's fee. It was a very generous offer, the old man would have to
agree, and no more would need to be said or done. The crime resolved
and no further reason to consider the armorer had been involved in
it. An amicable solution for all concerned. He was about to put this
to the old man, once he'd stopped struggling, when he was
interrupted.