A Cross to Bear, Part Two by JezMiller, literature
Literature
A Cross to Bear, Part Two
"Are you all right, Father?", Erramun asked softly.
Brother Aimeric blinked the sleep from his eyes. He and his men were occupying the largest chamber in the inn, a barren room with nothing but a few narrow beds in it. It was, Aimeric thought wryly, appropriately monastic. Erramun occupied the cot next to Aimeric’s own.
"Yes, why?"
"You were mumbling in your sleep. It sounded like a name – Astrid? And Varangian? Is that a place?".
"No, just something from my past. I must have been dreaming about it. Old men do". Although he hadn’t dreamed about Constantinople in years. He wondered why it should have happened tonight. Was some buried truth trying to surface from the depths of his mind? If so, it wasn’t in any hurry to show itself. "Sorry to disturb your sleep".
Erramun grunted dismissively. "Is something worrying you?".
Aimeric grimaced. "Aside from the obvious? Something’s nagging at me and I don’t know what".
"Stop thinking about it, then. It’ll probably come to you when you
A Cross to Bear, Part One by JezMiller, literature
Literature
A Cross to Bear, Part One
“The news isn’t good, Brother”. Erramun, a taciturn Basque soldier, was seldom cheerful, but now, his face and voice were almost funereal. “I’ve been talking to the innkeeper. There’s a new gang of bandits roaming the roads hereabouts. Nobody seems to know anything about them, but by all accounts, they’re vicious, and they’ve got numbers and some pretty decent weapons and armor”.
I am getting too old for this, Brother Aimeric thought to himself.
“We’ve only three men”. Erramun’s thin, dark face, tanned by the southern sun, was creased into an anxious frown. “We can fight off the usual small fry and riff-raff, but not a gang as big and well-equipped as this one’s supposed to be. We’d be better off waiting here for a larger party to pass through, one with more guards, and travel with them when they leave”
He was a good and honest man, Aimeric thought resignedly, giving good and honest advice. But it was advice that he’d have to reject, for reasons that Erramun couldn’t be allowed to
Unholy Writ, Chapter Twenty-One by JezMiller, literature
Literature
Unholy Writ, Chapter Twenty-One
The guards’ torches were doing an admirable job of lighting the way through the silent, deserted streets, but the downside was that it was very difficult to see past their glow. Even the cathedral, looming up in front of them now, appeared to be no more than a darker mass against the night sky, with the occasional paler glint where the moonlight reflected off the new stone.Emma caught another glint near the main door of the cathedral; Marc de Sarum’s white hair was unexpectedly bright in the light of the moon. He raised a hand in greeting as he saw them and strolled closer. As the light from the torches fell across his face, she could see ...
Unholy Writ, Chapter Twenty by JezMiller, literature
Literature
Unholy Writ, Chapter Twenty
The mists parted around them, revealing the Fortress realm, pristine and white in weak winter sunlight. Marc looked down. He hadn’t been paying attention to the maze last night, but now he could see that the Fortress version was made of slabs of dark grey slate, embedded deeply in the turf, marked with more of the parallel-line runic symbols. At the centre, a single large expanse of slate was marked by a circular design with runes around its edge, like a zodiac.The journey had felt different this time. He hadn’t been following Ranulf’s movements, he’d been anticipating them. On some level he could feel the path, as he might have felt a chi...
Unholy Writ, Chapter Nineteen by JezMiller, literature
Literature
Unholy Writ, Chapter Nineteen
Rainaut’s bulk was comfortably settled in a large chair next to the fireplace in the Hundred Menne’s Hall. His head was lowered over the simple wooden cross in his hand, and his lips were moving soundlessly in prayer. Emma was doing her best to keep still and quiet out of consideration for him, but it was becoming harder and harder to fight down the urge to pace restlessly. Her stomach was churning from nerves.The Jackdaw was standing in the shadows well away from the fire. He wasn’t having any trouble keeping still, she noticed resentfully; she wasn’t even certain that he was breathing. Between his dark clothing and his Mediterranean co...
Unholy Writ, Chapter Eighteen by JezMiller, literature
Literature
Unholy Writ, Chapter Eighteen
They arrived back in Southampton at dusk. Emma stood on the prow of the ship, her eyes on the squat cylindrical tower of Southampton castle, looming high above the town on its great mound. Her mind was fluttering from topic to topic like a caged bird, unable to settle. In a strange and twisted way, the past – how long had it been, nine, ten days? – had been an escape from reality. Just a small group of people, cut off from the world on a small ship, united in a common purpose. Now she was returning to a real world, a real world that no longer contained her uncle, the linchpin of her existence for as long as she could remember.“Sorry it’s o...
Unholy Writ, Chapter Seventeen by JezMiller, literature
Literature
Unholy Writ, Chapter Seventeen
There was something comforting about routine, Marc thought morosely, and the nightly conference atop La Cristiane ’s castle had become a comfortingly familiar routine during their voyage. It helped him to ignore the stiffness and weakness of his limbs, the insidious way that the chill was creeping into his bones, and the reedy thinness of his voice.And at least there was still hope of reprieve – from his excommunication, as well as from age and infirmity.“I’ve healed your crew”, Ranulf told Edith as he bounded up the ladder to the castle. “Now, let’s take a look at that shoulder”Edith turned. “It’s just shallow cuts, nothing to worry abou...
Unholy Writ, Chapter Sixteen by JezMiller, literature
Literature
Unholy Writ, Chapter Sixteen
The atmosphere aboard La Cristiane had changed subtly since Ordhurst. Orsini’s crimes had brought home to everyone both the need to stop him and the risks of going up against him. The ship had a grimly purposeful air which it hadn’t had before. When Rainaut – it was usually Rainaut – held Mass, people were paying more than casual attention to him. Emma had stepped up her knife training and her crossbow practice – a couple of shattered wine-barrels, fortunately already empty, bore mute testament to the latter.Tensions had risen as they’d gradually made up the time they’d lost and closed on Orsini’s ship. By the fifth night, they were past...
Unholy Writ, Chapter Fifteen by JezMiller, literature
Literature
Unholy Writ, Chapter Fifteen
Past the village, the cliff rose gently, leveling off at an elevation about fifty feet above the top of the church tower. There was a well-trodden path leading upwards, although it didn’t seem to go anywhere apart from an expanse of grass and a small cluster of rocks. Maybe the villagers used it for grazing, although Marc couldn’t see any animals in the field.He leaned against one of the rocks and gazed down at the distant shapes of the church and other buildings, shadowy and indistinct in the fading dusk light. He took several lungfuls of cool air. The clammy miasma of evil around the village had faded once they’d gathered up the bodies a...
Unholy Writ, Chapter Fourteen by JezMiller, literature
Literature
Unholy Writ, Chapter Fourteen
“So far, Julien’s tracking spell hasn’t told us anything I couldn’t have guessed”, Dame Edith said briskly. “They’ll hug the coastline for as long as possible, until they’re way past Northumbria, probably, and only break across the northern ocean when they absolutely have to. No Captain worth his salt gets too far away from land when it’s not needful. Even with our greater speed, we don’t have much chance of overtaking them until they’re well past the Dover-Calais strait, maybe not until they reach Norfolk or Suffolk. That’s in our favor, actually. It means we’ll come upon them by night, when Matt’s able to help us”She was speaking to a sm...
A Cross to Bear, Part Two by JezMiller, literature
Literature
A Cross to Bear, Part Two
"Are you all right, Father?", Erramun asked softly.
Brother Aimeric blinked the sleep from his eyes. He and his men were occupying the largest chamber in the inn, a barren room with nothing but a few narrow beds in it. It was, Aimeric thought wryly, appropriately monastic. Erramun occupied the cot next to Aimeric’s own.
"Yes, why?"
"You were mumbling in your sleep. It sounded like a name – Astrid? And Varangian? Is that a place?".
"No, just something from my past. I must have been dreaming about it. Old men do". Although he hadn’t dreamed about Constantinople in years. He wondered why it should have happened tonight. Was some buried truth trying to surface from the depths of his mind? If so, it wasn’t in any hurry to show itself. "Sorry to disturb your sleep".
Erramun grunted dismissively. "Is something worrying you?".
Aimeric grimaced. "Aside from the obvious? Something’s nagging at me and I don’t know what".
"Stop thinking about it, then. It’ll probably come to you when you
A Cross to Bear, Part One by JezMiller, literature
Literature
A Cross to Bear, Part One
“The news isn’t good, Brother”. Erramun, a taciturn Basque soldier, was seldom cheerful, but now, his face and voice were almost funereal. “I’ve been talking to the innkeeper. There’s a new gang of bandits roaming the roads hereabouts. Nobody seems to know anything about them, but by all accounts, they’re vicious, and they’ve got numbers and some pretty decent weapons and armor”.
I am getting too old for this, Brother Aimeric thought to himself.
“We’ve only three men”. Erramun’s thin, dark face, tanned by the southern sun, was creased into an anxious frown. “We can fight off the usual small fry and riff-raff, but not a gang as big and well-equipped as this one’s supposed to be. We’d be better off waiting here for a larger party to pass through, one with more guards, and travel with them when they leave”
He was a good and honest man, Aimeric thought resignedly, giving good and honest advice. But it was advice that he’d have to reject, for reasons that Erramun couldn’t be allowed to
Unholy Writ, Chapter Twenty-One by JezMiller, literature
Literature
Unholy Writ, Chapter Twenty-One
The guards’ torches were doing an admirable job of lighting the way through the silent, deserted streets, but the downside was that it was very difficult to see past their glow. Even the cathedral, looming up in front of them now, appeared to be no more than a darker mass against the night sky, with the occasional paler glint where the moonlight reflected off the new stone.Emma caught another glint near the main door of the cathedral; Marc de Sarum’s white hair was unexpectedly bright in the light of the moon. He raised a hand in greeting as he saw them and strolled closer. As the light from the torches fell across his face, she could see ...
Unholy Writ, Chapter Twenty by JezMiller, literature
Literature
Unholy Writ, Chapter Twenty
The mists parted around them, revealing the Fortress realm, pristine and white in weak winter sunlight. Marc looked down. He hadn’t been paying attention to the maze last night, but now he could see that the Fortress version was made of slabs of dark grey slate, embedded deeply in the turf, marked with more of the parallel-line runic symbols. At the centre, a single large expanse of slate was marked by a circular design with runes around its edge, like a zodiac.The journey had felt different this time. He hadn’t been following Ranulf’s movements, he’d been anticipating them. On some level he could feel the path, as he might have felt a chi...
Unholy Writ, Chapter Nineteen by JezMiller, literature
Literature
Unholy Writ, Chapter Nineteen
Rainaut’s bulk was comfortably settled in a large chair next to the fireplace in the Hundred Menne’s Hall. His head was lowered over the simple wooden cross in his hand, and his lips were moving soundlessly in prayer. Emma was doing her best to keep still and quiet out of consideration for him, but it was becoming harder and harder to fight down the urge to pace restlessly. Her stomach was churning from nerves.The Jackdaw was standing in the shadows well away from the fire. He wasn’t having any trouble keeping still, she noticed resentfully; she wasn’t even certain that he was breathing. Between his dark clothing and his Mediterranean co...
Unholy Writ, Chapter Eighteen by JezMiller, literature
Literature
Unholy Writ, Chapter Eighteen
They arrived back in Southampton at dusk. Emma stood on the prow of the ship, her eyes on the squat cylindrical tower of Southampton castle, looming high above the town on its great mound. Her mind was fluttering from topic to topic like a caged bird, unable to settle. In a strange and twisted way, the past – how long had it been, nine, ten days? – had been an escape from reality. Just a small group of people, cut off from the world on a small ship, united in a common purpose. Now she was returning to a real world, a real world that no longer contained her uncle, the linchpin of her existence for as long as she could remember.“Sorry it’s o...
Unholy Writ, Chapter Seventeen by JezMiller, literature
Literature
Unholy Writ, Chapter Seventeen
There was something comforting about routine, Marc thought morosely, and the nightly conference atop La Cristiane ’s castle had become a comfortingly familiar routine during their voyage. It helped him to ignore the stiffness and weakness of his limbs, the insidious way that the chill was creeping into his bones, and the reedy thinness of his voice.And at least there was still hope of reprieve – from his excommunication, as well as from age and infirmity.“I’ve healed your crew”, Ranulf told Edith as he bounded up the ladder to the castle. “Now, let’s take a look at that shoulder”Edith turned. “It’s just shallow cuts, nothing to worry abou...
Unholy Writ, Chapter Sixteen by JezMiller, literature
Literature
Unholy Writ, Chapter Sixteen
The atmosphere aboard La Cristiane had changed subtly since Ordhurst. Orsini’s crimes had brought home to everyone both the need to stop him and the risks of going up against him. The ship had a grimly purposeful air which it hadn’t had before. When Rainaut – it was usually Rainaut – held Mass, people were paying more than casual attention to him. Emma had stepped up her knife training and her crossbow practice – a couple of shattered wine-barrels, fortunately already empty, bore mute testament to the latter.Tensions had risen as they’d gradually made up the time they’d lost and closed on Orsini’s ship. By the fifth night, they were past...
Unholy Writ, Chapter Fifteen by JezMiller, literature
Literature
Unholy Writ, Chapter Fifteen
Past the village, the cliff rose gently, leveling off at an elevation about fifty feet above the top of the church tower. There was a well-trodden path leading upwards, although it didn’t seem to go anywhere apart from an expanse of grass and a small cluster of rocks. Maybe the villagers used it for grazing, although Marc couldn’t see any animals in the field.He leaned against one of the rocks and gazed down at the distant shapes of the church and other buildings, shadowy and indistinct in the fading dusk light. He took several lungfuls of cool air. The clammy miasma of evil around the village had faded once they’d gathered up the bodies a...
Unholy Writ, Chapter Fourteen by JezMiller, literature
Literature
Unholy Writ, Chapter Fourteen
“So far, Julien’s tracking spell hasn’t told us anything I couldn’t have guessed”, Dame Edith said briskly. “They’ll hug the coastline for as long as possible, until they’re way past Northumbria, probably, and only break across the northern ocean when they absolutely have to. No Captain worth his salt gets too far away from land when it’s not needful. Even with our greater speed, we don’t have much chance of overtaking them until they’re well past the Dover-Calais strait, maybe not until they reach Norfolk or Suffolk. That’s in our favor, actually. It means we’ll come upon them by night, when Matt’s able to help us”She was speaking to a sm...
