Heavy weighs the mind

Chapter 4- Part 1 Law & Order

Mar 19, 2025

Previously, After visiting the jail, Balgair asked Parcival if his scouts could get to the canyon before the main body. Captain Rydell was informed that there was a new Sheriff in town, and he meant business. After listening to the proposal, Rydell agreed and made plans to dispatch his two best scouts out ahead of the main body. Meanwhile, Heather was waiting for Ben and Delilah so she could introduce them to each other. Her first act as a matchmaker could have unintended consequences, and as such, she was extremely nervous, something that Methak picked up on and teased her about.

Last Scene

From the Begining.

Lucius and Fennar, the two scouts, gathered their equipment and returned to where Rydell was waiting for them.

“Do you have everything you need?” he inquired as the two set their packs on the ground and wrapped the winter cloaks around themselves.

“Yes, sir,” Lucian said, tugging on his beard. “We’ve got food for four days, dry clothes, flint and tinder, water, a soul stone, and our weapons.” He listed out what they had in their packs. “If we need more food, we’ll hunt for it.” His companion, Fennar, nodded in agreement.

The captain shook hands with both scouts. “Be careful.” He badly wanted to smoke his pipe but couldn’t justify it under their current conditions. “If you need to, where will you leave messages?”

Fennar raised a brow and sucked on his teeth. “We’ll communicate by soul stones, but if we need to leave in-depth messages, we’ll put them in green bags halfway up a tree. We won’t hide them where you can’t see them.”

With all their contingencies covered, Rydell nodded. “Good luck, gentlemen. May the Guardian be with you.”

Lucius chuckled, “The Dreamer will be our guide, sir. May he who watches protect you.”

~ ~ ~ ~

Had there been anyone watching the patrol, they would have missed it when the two scouts broke away from the main company, circled wide around them, and started making their way toward the canyon off in the distance.

When the two scouts were far enough away from the main body, they dismounted and led their horses. As they made their way through the snow-covered plains, they kept an eye out for enemy stragglers or any new massacres. Neither man spoke, long since having gotten used to the silence. Even the horses made not a sound.

Even when the main body stopped and bedded down for the night, Lucian and Fennar kept moving. Unlike most scouts, these two were proficient trackers, even by moon and starlight.

Five hours into their night’s work, they came upon a deep mound of snow that was horribly out of place on the otherwise tranquil plains. Leaving their horses out in the night, they carefully approached the mound, Lucian grimacing as the tangy smell of dried blood and rotting corpses filled the air.

After sharing a telling look with Fennar, the scout slowly and carefully dug into the snow until the burned bones of a wagon could be seen. With a sigh, he reluctantly searched the wagon for the corpses he knew he would find.

What he found didn’t shock him or his fellow scout. After seeing what someone had done to the farmers and ranchers, the sight of the men chained to the wagon wheels and the devastated bodies of the women in children in the back of the wagons only steeled their determination to find these savages and bring them to justice.

“Better let the Adjutant know,” Lucian stated as he started putting the snow back in place. “This is weeks old. They probably killed this group on their outward search.”

Fennar nodded, digging his soul stone out of his pocket. Moments later, he was telling the adjutant where this massacre was located. He knew that the adjutant would pass the location along to Parcival. “By the gods, I will kill these savages when we find them.”

“Not if I get to them first,” the bearded scout promised.

~ ~ ~ ~

Early the next morning, Balgair was staring down at the sand table and the new marker. Parcival was standing on the opposite side of the table, his mouth set in a frown.

“Lucian and Fennar called it into Rydell’s adjutant sometime last night. He waited until just before dawn to call it into me.”

The newly minted sheriff wore a look of disgust. “Was it the same as the others?” he asked, indicating the other three sets of markers.

“According to Fennar, it’s an older site.” His cup of kafe had grown cold on his desk. He didn’t feel like drinking anything at the moment. “Two men, two women, two children.” He tried to be dispassionate in his report. “The men were tied to the wagon wheels and disemboweled. The women were treated the same as the other sites, and the children were cut in half.” He closed his eyes, coughing as he felt queasy. When he opened his eyes, he gave Balgair an imploring look. “What are your orders if we catch these people?”

Balgair breathed deep through his nose. He knew what his goddess would want him to do. After praying for the victims’ souls, he shook his head. “Tell Rydell to bring them in, dead or alive.” He’d take them alive, but it wouldn’t bother him at all if they were killed.

“When will the scouts get a look at the canyon?” he asked, gesturing to the map. He wanted to be there when the capture was made and would need a timetable in order to prepare.

Parcival shrugged as he measured the distance from the latest massacre site to the canyon in question. “Sometime tomorrow. Maybe around noon, if not shortly afterward.” His fingers rubbed the back of his neck. “Are you going to try to be there for the capture?”

Balgair nodded as he looked out the window behind the table. “I would like to be, and if I’m going to go, I’ll have to travel fast.”

The Iron Guard glanced up from the map. “It’s too bad we don’t have a cutter.”

Balgair blinked, wondering why Eola didn’t have one. “Why doesn’t a town this far out on the frontier have one?”

Parcival shrugged, “You’d have to ask the mayor, but I’m betting you won’t get him to answer.”

~ ~ ~ ~

Balgair was so deep in thought that he didn’t hear the door to his out office open, nor did he hear the two sets of footsteps that crossed the outer office.

The cup of kafe that the Iron Guard had given him had grown cold, as had the breakfast tray that one of the night jailors had brought up for him.

When his office door opened, Delilah and Heather silently walked in and watched him for a moment. Finally, with a soft sigh, Heather walked up behind him, put one hand on his shoulder, and tried to get his attention.

“Maighstir?” When he didn’t answer, she leaned in closer and showered his cheek with soft kisses. “Bear?”

Hearing the endearment from Heather’s lips brought Balgair back to the present. “Yes, mo te alainn?”

Heather glanced at Delilah, then moved around and brazenly sat in Balgair’s lap. When he instinctively wrapped his arms around her, she leaned into him. “You were up and out before anyone else awoke. Did something happen?”

“The scouts found another one,” he whispered, the weight of the deaths settling on him. “Two men, two women, two children who will never be seen again. Six more souls for the great wheel before their time.”

Hearing the heaviness in his voice, the blond bhanna prayed for him. “Have you eaten yet?” She hesitated to ask him but almost knew for a certainty that he hadn’t eaten.

“No,” Balgair admitted. “I’m not hungry.”

She understood why, but it was her duty to at least try to get him to eat something. “I know, my big bear, but you need to eat something. If you don’t, Amalie will have my hide.”

The mention of his red-headed bhanna brought a wry smile to his lips. “We wouldn’t want that to happen. You have such a beautiful hide.”

Heather giggled as she disentangled herself from his arms. “I brought you something from the house. Nell made it this morning.” She nodded at Delilah, who was bringing the basket into the office.

~ ~ ~ ~

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Crann na beatha

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