The Haunt of Danzig Ruin

In Ruin

             Somehow Nora found sleep that night, but it was in large part due to the source of heat from the fire pit to her front and Petrich settling to sleep to her back.  With him so near, uncommon peace came upon her despite all the events of the day that had kept her tense and anxious.  She wanted to reach out to him with her mind (and her body) just to let him know the peace his nearness brought to her, but held back.  That would have to wait a bit longer.
            By time she woke, it was dawn and the sun was bright, but clouds were gathering to the east. By this evening there could be rain.  Leon and Fitz hovered over pinned down maps, discussing, well, debating, the best route for the last 15 miles of their journey. 
            Nora rose, immediately rolled her sleeping pallet and took up a small bucket to fetch some river water.  Petrich had already thought of this and was at the river's edge already. 
             He had only just finished shaving and neatly trimming his mustache using a travel mirror no bigger than a cigarette case.  As she approached, he looked up at her and grinned the same grin she fell fast for nearly four years prior.
            "Should I just go clean shaven?" he asked.
            Nora laughed. "Then how in the world would I recognize you?"
             His grin turned roguish. "Oh, you would."
             "True, but I would not prefer you as I do now." she teased, spying a bucket of dry palm sized river stones. "And what are these?"
                "Oh! Careful not to touch them!" he warned, "They've been heated by the fire."
               He came over to her and using thick, folded linens poured a goodly amount of the stones into the bucket she brought. He then took his own bucket, emptied it and brought her fresh water to pour over the hot stones.  Steam hissed up out of the bucket.
              "Now, let that sit and warm up.  Much nicer than cold river water to clean up with."
               "Ah! Clever! Your idea?"
               Petrich laughed. "You know I love the outdoors, but I prefer not sleeping and cleaning up in it. No, Leon is the one to thank for the warmed water idea."
                After a few moments, Nora dipped her own cleaning cloth into the bucket and held it to her face. "Oh, yes!" she sighed.
                Petrich made to leave for her privacy, but Nora bid him to stay.  "We are but months away from being bound, Petrich," she reminded him.
               "Yes, I know." he said, keeping his gaze out to the river. "But that doesn't necessarily mean. . ."
               "Don't worry, I won't disrobe completely. Besides, we've had so little time to just be alone."
              Petrich sat a little way off, fished around his tweed waistcoat pocket and brought out a small clay pipe and busied himself with the tobacco.
              "The note found on the body." Nora said, as she finished up cleaning. "You've been quiet about it."
             Petrich smoked and calmly nodded. "Difficult to know what to say, actually.  I do not believe in demons, so I am much more prone to believe the use of the word is not to be taken as literal, but more metaphorical."
             "Still concerning."
             "Oh, indeed it is." Petrich agreed.
              "It. . .couldn't really be referring to the document tapestry, could it?"
              Petrich considered the question for quite a while, puffing on his pipe, staring off down the river.  "As I said last night, I hope not." he replied.  "But there are legends, of course, of documents becoming cursed objects. There were even specially trained scribes to break such curses. All that is lost to antiquity now."
              "So . . .what are we prepared to do if that has happened?"
              Petrich looked at her and shrugged, "We shall have to play it by ear."
               Nora laughed. "I've been playing that way with you for nearly four years, Petrich."
               Petrich laughed with her. "Yeah, that's true enough. You're most brave, being with me."
               Nora shook her head. "No. I'm not brave. Only in love."
It was no secret between them, but hearing it ever so often from her always gave Petrich a bit of a pink tinge on his neck and cheeks.
When they had returned back to their campsite, Leon and Fitz had packed away the maps and were busy gathering stones from nearby toppled fire pits. When enough had been gathered, two picnic blanket sized canvases were laid on the ground and some stones were laid on top of them. Between Leon and Petrich the stones were carried in the canvas to the site of Davin Rowe's remains. They made four trips, with Fitz and Nora reloading each canvas. Soon there were plenty to construct a cairn to cover as well as mark the site for whomever would ultimately come after the remains for interment.
Fitz wrote the approximate coordinates in her notebook report.
"As if the Kush authorities even care." said Leon.
"Probably not, but it still needs to be on file somewhere." Fitz replied, "Besides, his mother will want to know. Mothers most often do."
"Do they?" Leon asked grimly with a hint of contempt. "Mine didn't."
When the cairn was complete they all stood around it silently.
"Um, should we say a few words or something?" asked Petrich.
Fitz nodded, gently cleared her throat and clasped her hands in front of her.
"We did not know you, Davin Rowe, but we found you. If this is to be your final resting place, may you find peace in it." Fitz then bowed her head, turned and walked back toward the river. The others followed, as if they were a true funeral party.
It was still before noon and they had found the best river crossing notated on one of Fitz's maps. It was a half mile further down river in the opposite direction from where they came, but it was well worth it.
Finding their way back to the original trail was daunting. Without the modified maps, and Leon, getting lost would have been a guarantee. Even back on the Danzig trail, however, travel was not much easier. Great lengths of the trail were obstructed with debris and many detours had to be made time after time.
It was nearing early evening when they could finally make out the silhouette of the hulking ruin that had at one time been Danzig Castle. At this point, the trail was far more defined and had even widened into an actual road.
"Believe it or not, this same road led from the river, where there had actually been a crossing bridge to the very gates of the castle." said Leon, looking back over the miles they had crossed. "But there is nothing that time and neglect will not destroy."
Past the crumpled front gate was an overgrown courtyard. In the middle of it was an ancient oak tree, whose hollows showed signs of major decay.
"A good stiff wind will be able to topple this giant to the ground before long." Petrich observed.
"It is said that this was the tree from which Crinoline Danzig hanged." Fitz said, looking up high into the naked branches, despite it being summer.
The entrance into the castle itself had no roof above, exposing a grand stone staircase leading to nothing but a heap of rumble. To the left was the grand hall. The roof was still intact for the most part and here is where they decided to make their camp. The telltale sounds of rumbling thunder could be heard only moments before the rain started to fall.
Broken pieces of heavy wooden furniture made their fire, and for the rest of the evening they discussed how to go about finding the document tapestry displayed (or not displayed) somewhere in the great ruin.
The decision was made that as soon they woke next morning, Petrich and Nora were to explore the library and study, or what was left of it. Fitz and Leon would search the family's main living quarters, wherein were located the rooms the family had been found, as well as, the location of the Gardarik officers.
Nora went to sleep that evening to the sound of pouring rain and eerie shadows cast upon the great stone walls.  When she woke just before dawn, Nora found herself alone.