Well Dead

XVIII. Return and Remain

The wagon arrived back at Sevenport a few days later, without any more adventurous episodes. The return to their home however became something of an event in itself – mostly, Harun suspected, because of Edith: When traveling far through brigand-infested lands, it is no uncommon fate to return one man short, to arrive one woman up however was something of a novelty, and especially so in a village in which you could count the number of interesting news on the fingers of an unsuccessful Arabian thief.

Not only the castle maids and servants but also people from the village crowded around the wagon, pelting them with questions about where they had been, who this girl was, where she had come from, and why the heck she was wearing a curtain.

“Please, be quiet for a minute, will you?” Wenzel made himself heard over the chatter at last. “I can’t very well tell you anything if you go on babbling like that. My friends, this is Edith. Edith, these are…well, some people, anyway. We picked Edith up on the way, she was running away from raiders… yes, that is a child she is carrying and not a supply of gold-trimmed embroidery. No, I don’t know whether the raiders are heading this way. We brought Edith along so she can tell Sir Christian about the raiders. Now will you please get out of the way? We’ve all had a trying time and would like to get to bed as quickly as possible.”

The crowd parted to let them through. Wenzel helped Edith, who was still carrying her boy, down from the wagon, and led her through the lines of staring people. Harun hurried after them. He was still a bit miffed with Wenzel, but what of it. Better follow the man and keep an eye on what passed now.

Wenzel entered the castle, servants, maids and other guards following him like the tail of a comet. They approached the chapel, for it was the time of evening mass. Harun reflected for a moment on the fact that more than three quarters of the inhabitants of the castle had interrupted the communion with their God to see a girl in a curtain arrive. Interesting.

Of course Sir Christian was among the quarter who had remained.

Wenzel stopped, squinting through the crack in the chapel door which stood a little bit ajar. There was the lord of the castle, standing right in front of the rest of the congregation, his gaze fixed upon the back of Father Ignatius, who was standing behind the wooden enclosure surrounding the altar, hardly visible in the thick fumes of incense surrounding him. Wenzel waited outside, obviously thinking interrupting the good Father might make him incensed inwardly as well as outside, and in a not really very holy way.

There was singing from inside.

“We’ll have to wait,” Wenzel whispered to Edith.

“Of course,” she said. “We can’t interrupt the holy mass. I only wish I could join in.”

“Then why don’t you?”

All heads turned to Harun. They could not have looked more surprised if the remark had come from a headless tap-dancing badger.

“Yes, why don’t you,” repeated Harun. “You…um…surely want to give thanks to your go…to the lord for your safe delivery.”

And impress on Sir Christian with your poor, pitiable piety into the bargain, my girl. That would make him feel very sympathetic to you and might improve your current desperate situation. Think ahead, girl, think ahead!

“Aye, but won’t I disturb them?”

“No devout soul seeking communion with her God from the gracious hand of a priest could ever disturb others of like mind.” Only after a few seconds of silence following this remark, Harun realized that it might be deemed a bit odd, considering its origin. “At least that’s what I’ve heard,” he added.