The not-immortal Blacksmith

062 The Not-Immortal Blacksmith II – Crimes against the Kingdom Part 6

The hills of Pondge.

20th of Kusha, the month of Harvest.

2290 Years since the New gods came.

Morning

“My dearest husband,” Brianna said over breakfast, “I need to return to the mayor’s office and continue my research.”

“The man it too lucky to have your presence.” Maxwell replied around a mouthful of scrambled eggs with bacon, cheese and onion mixed in. “Good luck on your paper pushing.”

Bri smiled as she departed for the day. As she walked the road to the village, she came across a disheveled Grendel slowly making his way back to the farm. As she approached, he looked up and smiled.

“Ma’am! You ain’t gonna believe this!” Grendel all but yelled before grabbing Bri’s hand and yanking her onto a small path that led to the large cliff easily seen from the road.

Grendel all but ran to the cliff, and started climbing at a rapid pace. “C’mon! I know you can climb!” He yelled.

After a quick look around, Bri gathered in her dress and ascended the cliff with Grendel, and they soon could themselves at the top.

“Look at that!” Grendel pointed straight out from the cliff face.

Bri turned from surveying the top of the cliff, and looked. She was looking straight at the farmstead. What she could also see was that the farmstead was surrounded by a giant circle of standing stones. But not exactly stones…but trees. Trees that had been grown in such a way as to resemble, no be, standing stones.

Bri looked at Grendel, “Is this why you have been gone all night?”

Grendel frowned, “Well, that and by the time I figured I had watched the stones long enough, the light had faded to the point that I wasn’t going to risk climbing down without a rope. A rope that I forgot to bring up here. So, I slept in the little grotto over there. It’s dry, and has seen a lot of use, I think.”

Bri looked over to the small cave, and nodded. “Thank you for showing me this.” She waived her hand towards the farm and “stones”. “I will be heading to the mayor’s office for the day. I suggest you go and clean up, then help out for an hour or two before you disappear for the rest of the day.” She winked at Grendel. “Might I add, there seems to be a deep stream a half mile south and west of the farm? It seems to have a glut of fish in it.”

Grendel smiled like the child he still was.

-

Maxwell, Lady Chelsa, and the “surgeons” Mac and Greg, stood around the largest table in the Dead Well. Max looked at the neatly lined up body parts. “So, according to the bird, we need to magically observe each piece,” he waived at the body parts, “And assemble like to like?” He looked to Lady Chelsa, “Did I get that right?”

“It is a little more complicated than that,” Lady Chelsa replied, “But that is the gist of it. Now remember, not too much magic, or you will separate the last vestiges of a soul from the parts, and send them into the void.”

Max nodded, and they started the grisly task.

-

Grendel relaxed in the mid-day sun next to a wide and deep stream, fishing pole to his side (leaning on a forked branch he had pounded into the ground with a rock). He sighed in contentment as he watched the occasional leaf float by. When a fish took his bait, he fought the “beast” and landed himself a fat trout with a rainbow hue to its scales. A small fire, some cleaning of the fish, and a sharp stick later, he had a fabulous snack.

On a whim he went through the fish’s stomach, and found something of interest. The thing of interest was so interesting that he ran back to the farm, grabbed a large, deep plate, and ran back to the stream.

-

Brianna slowly walked down the winding road from the town to the farmstead, her mind whirling from the day’s events. After finishing her research with the mayor, she had been invited by his wife to join them for an entirely delicious homemade meal. The three of them had talked and gossiped deep into the evening before she had excused herself and taken to the road. Now, as he walked, she stopped to observe the midnight rose slowly spread its petals in the dim moonlight. When the beautiful display ended, she finished her walk to the farm.

Upon entering the farmhouse, she was greeted by the sight of Max, the surgeons, and Lady Chelsa sitting at the table drowning their sorrows.

“That last one…there was almost nothing left of the babe!” One of the surgeons was saying. “Certainly nothing that we could stitch together!”

“We will put…it? Her? Him? In a small blessed box and give it a proper funeral at first light.” Lady Chelsa said, then looked to Bri, “Ah, lady Bri. Welcome to this disheartening affair.”

Bri took a seat at the table. “What have I missed that has led to this?” She waived an arm, encompassing the entire table.

Max spoke up, “The last few victims have been…children.”

Bri blanched. “Oh.” Then she shook her head. “I have some…possible better news?”

The table nodded at her to continue.

“It would seem from the records the mayor and I have been sorting through, that the previous mayors have been mostly responsible for the disappearances, and subsequent sacrifices.”

The listeners snapped to attention.

“There was an old ledger hidden in the bottom of the mayor’s desk that was written in code that Mayor Linden couldn’t decipher.” Bri said. “An old elven battle code. We deciphered it today. It is a list of all the disappearances, murders, sacrifices, and next intended targets. The people listed as “Targets” were almost always the next mayor.”

“So, is Mayor Linden?” Max asked.

“No. The ledger is always in the same script, and Linden’s writing is very much different.” Bri said. “I should have noticed sooner that most of the old records were written by the same hand, but I blame the light in the storage room.”

“What now? Lady Chelsa asked.

“We could have all the villagers submit a writing sample.” Max suggested.

Bri smiled at her husband, “Except that the pool of people who are illiterate in the village is quite large, and if the perpetrator is smart, they would just fake it.”

Max shrugged, “I guess we’ll have to keep an eye out for that writing style.”

“Yes.” Bri matched her husband’s shrug. “Oh, and another thing, thanks to Grendel, I found out why the farm was targeted.”

Again, the table of people looked at her expectantly.

Bri nodded at them, “There is a ring of standing stones surrounding the house and barn. Or should I say, a ring of standing-stone shaped trees.”

Max cursed under his breath, “So that’s what I’ve been feeling today.”

Bri cocked an eyebrow at him, “Husband?”

“There has been something gently knocking at the back of my head all day. It started just after we put together the first body.” Max shook his head. “Thanks to you I can feel the shape of it properly; it’s the trees. I’m going to need to speak to them in the morning.”

The table of drinkers broke up for the night, and Bri peacefully slept while dreaming of the beautiful midnight rose.