Vaehandre: Where The Stars Fall [Under Revision]

Chapter 36: More than One Threat

An hour past noon, Aiden waited by the entrance of the great hall. He was staring hard at the gate when a knight on watch announced, "The first company approaches."

He saw his men gallop towards the gates. As the carriage came closer, he noticed the blood on the side of the carriage and that the driver had traces of blood on her sleeve. A bit young for a coachman, Aiden thought.

Aiden walked down the stairs and went near Henry, who was taking off his helm. His attention was turned when the carriage door opened.

The Knight Protector stood by his side.

"Good day, healers of the Academe." Aiden bowed and glanced at Ingrid. "Are any of you hurt?"

"Not severely. We've healed up since," replied Gytha, who was the healer closest to him. "We've managed to fight off our attackers, my lord,""She twisted backwards and eyed Distira. "All thanks to our warrior here."

Raising a brow, Aiden, "I didn't know the Academe taught mages how to fight."

"I'm from the South," Distira said dismissively.

"I knew you looked different," Finnian put in while raising a finger.

Distira glared at him.

The marshal scratched the back of his head. "Your eyes are different thinner looking, but no doubt your training in the South has greatly benefited you today."

Tilting her head, Ingrid cleared her throat. Catching their attention. "How are the sick?"

The Lord of Rathorn glanced to the side. "Fifty dead since the plague began. We might begin setting up pyres for the dead." He looked at Ingrid directly in the eyes.

She lifted her chin and said to Gytha and Distira, "We must go there now. Are the potions okay?"

"None of them were damaged," Distira replied.

"Good. Henry, when you're ready." Ingrid motioned to her brother.

Henry looked at Finnian. "Prepare to escort them to the Central Infirmary."

The gathered group had dispersed, and Henry was walking back to his horse.

Aiden grabbed his arm. "I'm accompanying you down there."

Narrowing his gaze on Aiden, the Knight Protector answered, "The last thing we need is a sick lord."

"That's why coming with you dressed as one of your knights." Aiden let go of his hand. "This is happening." After saying that, Aiden brushed past his shoulder and headed for the infirmary.

● ● ●

Descending from the mountain top, Aiden felt something heavy come upon his chest. He feared what he would see. This was yet another kind of death he hadn't seen before, one with no true source of blame.

The division of the Elite still looked elegant, sturdy, and strong, but the sight of it made his stomach turn when they neared the houses of man. There had been many things he ignored, and this divide was one of them. They crossed the Center Square, the widest of the courtyards, arriving at the still muddy road.

People stared, and the Lord of Rathorn felt that their eyes peered into his soul. Did he fear the people? Or was it guilt that made him anxious?

Aiden directed his gaze to the path ahead, constantly trying to shake away his troubling thoughts.

The Central infirmary wasn't far from the Eastern Square.

Two local healers were going back inside the infirmary when they saw the carriage approaching. All the healers promptly went to work.

After dismounting his horse, Aiden glanced at one house to the other while guiding his horse to a hitching post. The path had forked into two different paths, one leading to the Eastern Square and the other leading to more houses. The closest establishment was a bakery, across from it a grocery, then a diner, and the last one before a residential home was a two-story pub.

Aiden glanced at the second floor and saw three men with dirtied red coats. They seemed to have kept an eye on him as well. Looking around thou, several people were paying attention to him. He ignored the three and eventually made his way to the entrance of the infirmary.

As an hour went by in the afternoon, clouds gathered in the sky, and a downpour of rain had begun. Mud splashed on Aiden's boots, and the smell of dung from the horses was washed away.

The Lord of Rathorn glanced back at the pub. They were still there, but Aiden gave them the benefit of the doubt and observed them another hour. The three men were still there.

Aiden peered inside the infirmary and called for Henry. He stood right in front of him and asked him to look over his shoulder. "Do you see them?" he said.

The Knight Protector subtly glanced back at Aiden. "Three men on the second floor?"

"A good knight would stop trouble before it's began. They look like trouble to me. Use your keen hearing; what are they saying."

Turning his head slightly, Henry paused for a while. "Nothing, not a word from them."

"What was Alard's victim wearing?"

Henry crooked his mouth and scoffed. "A red coat."

"They must be Ursaignis. Lucan told me about them."

"Ursaignis? Wait, Alard was ine."

Aiden shot his gaze downwards and sighed. Squaring his shoulders, he said, "I have a feeling it's not just rogue assassins we have to worry about."