The Devil in the Details

9. Back on the Road

The young man named Driss did indeed rejoin them two days later, when Deirdre and her friends were still several days out from Westport. It embarrassed her how much she enjoyed having the young fellow again in their company, and for a time she felt so self-conscious of that fact that she was sure that everyone could see her inner thoughts.

Her reaction was to shield her feelings by being unpleasant to the young man, which alternated with her smiling at him in various silly ways. She realized that wasn't a terribly flattering look, so she soon took to avoiding him entirely.

For his part, young Driss was a perfectly charming and amiable companion. He had been informed that Sir Alexis had departed Pepperdine to rejoin his companions, so it was with the knight's companions that the young fellow intended to remain.

The lands thereabouts were governed by an elderly lord who was vassal to Baron de Vere. And as Deirdre and her friends travelled south, various riders came and went along the road, including soldiers and messengers of the lord, a fellow named Sir Constantine.

There was something ill afoot, there was no question about it.

She wasn't quite certain where the Fiend was during those days. Reverend Ainsley had remained behind at the spring under the guise of giving the place further study. No doubt he followed along as he sometimes did, getting into no telling what sorts of mischief and deviltry as he did.

They would see him soon enough, in one guise or another.

In the meantime, Deirdre enjoyed travelling with Isabel and the mother superior. Among her many skills, the nun was foremost an historian, and as they rode and while they rested the sister regaled them with the histories of the various peoples of Albion and the eastern continent.

The woman even knew a great deal of zoology, and Deirdre and Isabel had spent part of the afternoon on their third day after the spring listening as Mother Ignatia explained the peculiar history of the Gelt, the ugly little horse that Isabel had obtained in northern Albion.

"Okay ...," said Isabel, when the nun stopped to take questions. "You've talked about the great Gelt migrations. What does that have to do with my horse?"

"Darling child," said the cleric, "the horses merely are named after the people. The Gelts are an ancient tribe who migrated into this part of the world more than a thousand years ago. Those little plains ponies were a mount much favored by them."

"So, where are these Gelts, now?" asked Deirdre. "You said they conquered half the world."

"Why that's easy enough, young miss. I'm a Gelt! ... And you're a Gelt. Most of the people of Albion, Ghitland, the Frisian lands, and even the folks of the Reef, trace their roots to the Gelts."

"But not Avaria?" asked Deirdre.

The nun glanced at Isabel, who all save Deirdre thought to be a native of that land. "Perhaps. People do love to spread their seed around. But most folk in Avaria and Haute Bisk are of a different stock altogether. They are more closely related to the folks of Etruscia."

"And what of the Dacians?" she asked.

"Ah. They are an entirely different people."

"Some say they're not people at all," said Deirdre.

"Bah, such scandalous chitchat," was the nun's sweet reply. "If they aren't people, then what are they?"

"I was raised to believe they are kin to the trees."

Her words got the nun to laughing in earnest. "Such things people say, such things."

Their small party was not spread out. One of the guards, a fellow named Beck, rode well ahead, but the sergeant and the other guard were always nearby. The various messengers and patrols that they had seen warned of more raiders in the area, so the men were on their guard.