Glyph

Chapter 2

Dirk awoke to yelling in the streets. He quickly put on a white cotton shirt and a pair of loose pants, pulled on his boots and stumbled downstairs. 

He found Crowley looking worriedly out the window. 

"What happened?" Dirk asked blearily. 

"The girl accused of witchcraft escaped", Crowley said nervously as he served a bowl of some type of steaming grain to Dirk. 

Dirk could easily guess what happened. Chairman DeGrey had found some way to smuggle her out of the Inquisitor's headquarters. Noble of him, but foolish. It would just make the Inquisitors angry. 

He walked briskly out the door, trying to look purposeful in order to avoid a guard asking questions. He did not have anything to hide of course, but questions could take up time and he did not wish it to. 

His efforts to go unnoticed did not seem to have any effect. As Dirk walked across the street a guard caught his eye and walked towards him. Dirk sighed and stopped, waiting for the guard to reach him. The guards were citizens of Highridge themselves, and most of them were good people. Some, of course, were not. This one appeared to be the latter.

 The guard took his time, sauntering slowly across the thoroughfare towards Dirk. When he reached him, he said, "Good morning, citizen. I am here to ask about the escape of one Brooke DeGrey from the custody of the king's soldiers. Do you know anything about this?" 

Ignoring the sharp retorts that sprang to mind, among them, "Do you know anything about how to walk at a normal pace?," he said, "No, sir." 

"Well, then, let me inform you. The man guarding her cell was physically assaulted. It is a hanging offense to assault one of the king's soldiers. Furthermore, anyone hiding hiding a convicted witch is guilty of treason." Suddenly he grinned, showing blackish teeth, "Now, are you sure you have no idea where she is?" 

"No, sir," Dirk said, trying not to hit the condescending, sneering face of the imbecile in front of him. 

"Well, make sure you keep an eye out, citizen," he said, obviously trying to project authority. 

Dirk just rolled his eyes and walked off. 

When Dirk walked in, Surd shot his head up. "Oh, hello there, Dirk. Just the usual chores, please," he said. 

Dirk thought he was acting strange, he never said please, but it wasn't his business. Shrugging, he grabbed a broom and started sweeping. When he finished with that, he started tidying up the clothes and putting them in their proper places again, working from the front of the shop backwards. 

He always wondered why they did that several times a day, instead of just once before closing. Surd always said, "Customers are less likely to buy from a messy store." It seemed inefficient to him. 

As Dirk removed a shirt from the shelves in back, he heard Surd shout, "No, not back there!" But it was too late. The face of Brooke DeGrey stared out at him, with a wide frightened look in her eyes.

 *** 

"Why would you hide her? Do you know how much trouble you will be in? How much I will be in just by association?," Dirk hissed. He followed Surd around the shop as Surd put out all the lights, yanked the curtains together and put out the closed sign. 

When he finished, he turned to Dirk. "I had to," he said. 

Dirk looked at him. "You did not. You could have left well enough alone. Now we are all going to die for your foolishness!" 

Surd took a step towards Dirk, eyes flashing. Then he took a deep breath and stopped. "Do you remember when I told you about biting your tongue and moving on?"