Chapter 10. Rogue

elenus had always resented his older brother.  People found Mog’s good natured folksy demeanor charming while Belenus decided it was contrived to lure people into believing Mog was a harmless bumpkin.  It did not help matters that his brother was also the superior mesmer of the two of them.  He wondered what their father would think of them now.  Simagh had encouraged Mog to become a fighting member of a prestigious guild, but the idiot had ended up as an itinerate musician squandering his talents on backwater dung heaps like this one.  Mog had received all the privileges and attention growing up.  He was Simagh’s shining boy while all Belenus got was criticism about his sloppy technique and lack of motivation.

What did Mog want with a five person guild whose leader had died and had no compunction about inviting the likes of Pendaran?  There were pickpockets and there were accomplished thieves, and Pendaran was about as crooked a thief as he had seen.  He idly wondered how much of the construction going on around him was as a result of the man’s accumulated swag.  Pendaran was a little too fond of jewels and women and was now hiding beneath a veil of respectability with a wife and children while living off the proceeds.

Spying on the man was nearly impossible.  Pendaran did not trust Belenus for starters and grew reticent and evasive when he sensed him nearby.  Gods, did he never put down his mental defenses?  There had been a few embarrassing moments where he had thought himself undetected only to see Pendaran turn sharply and head straight toward him with a furious glint in his eye.  How was he supposed to bring the man to justice if he could not get within twenty paces of him?

Still, the reward money was substantial enough that he was not about to give up until he had exhausted all possibilities.  He could afford to hang back and watch the man, find the flaws in his armor, and determine when he was alone and most vulnerable.  Belenus did have physical size and strength on his side, but he had no idea how much combat training Pendaran had or what quality of magician he might be.  Asking around after him would raise too much suspicion.  Clearly he was a decent mentalist, but he was lightly built and perhaps a little too pretty.  The man was vain.  He would not be difficult to bully into submission if Belenus threatened to do in his perfect face.

Belenus currently perched in a secluded corner of the garden behind the great hall, watching the wide doors for his quarry in the predawn twilight.  A small sliver of sun hovered above the high walls of the fortress when Pendaran stepped out alone hugging a fawn silk jacket to his lean frame against the early chill.  A thrill of excitement shuddered through Belenus as he rocked lightly to his feet and followed, careful to move into the open only when Pendaran had slipped out of sight.

He followed the man through the high postern gate that overlooked the sea and the long pier.  Down the lichen encrusted steps he trod as Pendaran left the stair and moved into the gloom of the forest toward the beach and the formidable bulk of the Dunvael long house.  The forest thinned a little and the lithe figure of winged Melandru emerged from the shadows amid the chiming of falling water where her likeness marked the newly consecrated shrine.  He drew into the shadows of a small copse of spindly fig trees up slope from Pendaran and watched as the man knelt before a simple monument made from black marble. 

Bored, he began to nod off, stirred awake when Lemony showed up and perched nearby to watch.  He smirked to think of how easily the stupid little monk had trusted him, not even questioning his hard luck story.  There was something satisfying about taking advantage of such naiveté, particularly in someone old enough to know better.  She had the emotional sophistication of a small child and about as much sense as a pigeon.  He had already considered using her to lure Pendaran into a trap but Mog was overly protective of her.  Still, she might have her uses.

Now a shout drew his eyes back to Pendaran and he watched as a lean figure wrestled with him in the leaf litter.  What a pathetic fighter.  The ranger slugged him several times while he did little more than shield himself from further blows.  Pendaran did not strike back, only struggled to escape and finally broke free when Sister Lemony shouted at the ranger.  Things were beginning to look up.

He waited, listening, savoring the hatred that oozed from the ranger’s lips.  It was potent stuff, liquid iron that could be tempered into the perfect tool for his designs.  Pendaran strode past him, followed soon after by Sister Lemony departing in tears.  Once they were gone, he rose slowly and moved down the slope, kneeling before Melandru’s shrine and waiting until the ranger had stopped pacing like a caged wolf.

What a figure of menace that man was, his visage harsh, his shadowed gray eyes darting suspiciously under his down-turned brows.  Belenus bided his time, allowing the man’s fury to boil away, his mind awash in it.  Finally the man moved away from the shrine and knelt before the simple black monument.  To Belenus’ surprise, the man was racked with grief, his stifled sobs bubbling out of his bent form like blood gushing from a fatal wound.  It sickened him, his own senses violated by its vividness.   He pitied the man, and he seldom felt pity for anyone.

He pushed the oppressive flood of emotions away, focusing instead upon the slow chatter of water descending from the multiple tiers of Melandru’s fountain.  Little birds perched on the lip of the shallow basins and bathed or drank their fill as the morning aged.  The ranger mastered himself and rose from the monument, pale and exhausted as he took up his perch behind the shrine, his bow strung across his lap against non-existent threats.  Entirely unsuited for the job of guardian, he fidgeted and attended to his weapons.  Fighting he understood and peace did not sit well with him, particularly in the face of so much hatred.

“This is a beautiful place,” Belenus said calmly.  Better to start in neutral territory, best not to rush to his purpose.  The ranger’s angry gray eyes bored into him.  Belenus was put in mind of the mythical creatures fabled to have the power to petrify with their gaze.  He swallowed, determined to press on.

“What do you want?” the ranger demanded.

“I came merely to seek the harmony of Melandru.  I am visiting this fair place for but a short time and was surprised to find such a shrine.”

“You are Belenus, the brother of Mog Ruith,” the ranger snapped, “Another rogue in a place that already harbors too many.  I do not wish to speak with you.  Finish your business with Melandru and then kindly leave me in peace.”

Belenus chucked good-naturedly.

“Master Ranger, you are indeed astute, for I am a rogue, it is true.  However, I sense there is a greater rogue than myself on this island and perhaps I could help you root him out.”

The ranger stirred uncomfortably but Belenus could sense a small tickle of interest.  He had waved a morsel of meat before the wolf’s muzzle and gained its attention.

“Go away,” the man said at last.

“I am a bounty hunter and I seek to bring Pendaran Caradec to justice.  I believe we have a mutual interest.”

“Dead or alive?”

“Alive he is worth more, although given those who seek him, I am sure he will not long remain that way.  And I imagine he will be fitfully punished for his crimes.”

“Not for the ones he committed against me and mine,” the ranger rumbled coldly.

“Well, you could help me, and then you’ll have some measure of vengeance, yes?  Do you have a name?”

“Morisedd.”

An uncomfortable silence lurked between them, the clicking over of the ranger’s thoughts nearly audible to Belenus’ raw and undisciplined senses.

“I cannot leave this area,” Morisedd replied at last, surprising Belenus with his unspoken refusal to help.  He could almost taste the man’s hatred for Pendaran boiling up from the depths of his psyche, dark and potent.

“How far can you go?”

“To the beach that was touched by a servant of Melandru and the stream that flows from this place to where it meets the sea,” the ranger replied coldly, “Pendaran will not come back here now that he knows this is my place.”

“Are you certain?”

“Stand up, snake.  If you are going to plot the death of another man, do not do so while kneeling before the goddess.”

Belenus rose quickly and backed away, worried the searing hatred of the ranger was about to be leveled upon him.  He needed to discover a way to strip away the man’s sense of honor; he needed to play upon that hatred and pain.

“It must be difficult knowing Pendaran is even now corrupting your nephew and using your sister.”

Belenus clenched his jaws against a wave of bitter pain that flashed through his mind. He backed away when he heard the ranger take to his feet.

“I want him to die,” Morisedd choked, “I don’t care how, I just want him dead.”

“I am willing to help make that happen, but he is well protected and has many allies on this island.”

“You can pull a skiff up into the undergrowth on the shore,” Morisedd rumbled, “There is one tied at the dock.  I can poison and cripple him while you render his spells useless.  He favors illusion, sensing it is what will serve him best should I ever attempt to strike him down.  He does not anticipate an attack from your kind.”

Belenus nodded.  Excellent, he had never favored illusions himself, but he knew their weaknesses and could prepare accordingly.  Master Caradec would be little trouble between the two of them.  Now they just needed to lay the trap.

“I am not certain I can row the skiff alone,” Belenus said, remembering the large boat bobbing beside the long pier.  It was meant to be propelled by two men and it was a good hour of hard labor to arrive on the mainland shore.

“I am coming with you.”

Belenus gazed upon the ranger suspiciously.

“If you assist me and your help is unseen, the blame will stay with me.  If you leave the island with me, they will know you were involved and condemn you.”

“I am already condemned,” Morisedd said bitterly, “I wanted exile.  Pendaran took even that from me.  I will at least regain one thing he has stolen.”

“Now we just need to decide how we will draw him away from his friends.”

“Gather what you need to contain him, I will handle that detail.  Now go, before I regret my decision.”