The Affairs of Mortals

Chapter 4

When Vero woke, she was lying in a bed of filthy straw. As her mind slowly moved into motion, the first thing she became aware of was the overpowering odor of dung. She held a fistful of cloth from her dress across her face as a mask to offer some relief from the smell.

The room she was in was pitch black at first, the effects of her spell had worn off, but her eyes began to adjust naturally to the lack of light. She was in a prison cell. It felt damp, but not as cold as the earl's room had been. She presumed she was located somewhere beneath the tower. The smell came from the walls which were covered in human waste. There were no windows, and as far as she could tell the only way out was a single solid wooden door.

She did not fancy the prospect of checking for secret passages behind the walls, so she focused her attention on the obvious exit. The only light in the room creeped in from beneath the door. It emanated from torches or candles somewhere in the hall beyond. A tray of food had been slid underneath the door from the hall.

At first, eating was the last thing on Vero's mind, but after a few minutes of searching her surroundings, she could not think of anything else she should do. There was some moldy stale bread and a tin cup with water. She said a prayer to Vedio, scraped off as much of the mold as she could manage, and pressed it against the wounds on her wrist and head. She drank the water and ate about half the bread, leaving the rest for later, since she had no idea when she might be fed again.

Stupid fool of a girl. You couldn't even remember the simplest rule of all.

Vero had left her mind unguarded and allowed the spirit to put a deathly terror into her. She had made it all that way, only to flee like a craven and be captured. Now she would be trapped in this horrible dungeon until she was hung or until the Marquis soldiers pulled her out like a weak little kitten. She could not even decide which of the two possibilities she dreaded most.

Pathetic!

She stayed there for what felt like hours, but it was difficult to be sure. Eventually she did relent and checked the walls for any weaknesses, but found none. No footsteps ever went up or down the hall, but listening at the door she could hear the sounds of someone in the room off to the left of her cell. With no other obvious options, she decided to try speaking to her captors.

"Hello? Is anyone out there?"

Silence prevailed for a moment. Then she heard the voice of the templar.

"Veronique? You were injured when we subdued you. How does your head feel?"

"Throbbing. I didn't expect you to be my jailor."

"The men were afraid when they saw the signs in blood written on you. These bumpkins are terribly superstitious and feared that you were a witch. They intended to burn you before I stopped them. Now I don't trust any of them to keep watch on you."

"Why are you so concerned about my welfare?"

"I was the one who allowed you into the city armed. Any crimes you may have caused are ultimately my responsibility. Standing vigil over you is part of my penance."

"You have my word I won't mention the matter to anyone."

"I have already informed my mother-confessor of my failure and she has relieved me of my previous rank. I have nothing to hide and I would never ask you to lie for me." Vero heard the templar sit beside the door. "Veronique, this is important. Did you harm anyone else in the city before coming to the tower? I promise you there will be no further repercussions against you, but if there are injured people somewhere in the city-"

"Don't be ridiculous. The only person I've harmed since I arrived in this city is you."

"Are you telling me the truth? You swear if before the gods?"