Chapter 85 Journeys in the Night
Islas de Luz.
The soldiers stationed on the Islands of light were not the best in the army. Most had been sent to that posting as punishment for drinking ale while on duty. Some of the servants were suspec ted to be men who were attracted to other men. Therefore, their masters had sent them to two islands inhabited solely by men. At two bells of the morning, only two men remained awake in the tall towers, ready to light large bonfires if any ship approached. A merchant ship rang its bell to signal to the watchtowers that they needed them to light the bonfires to guide them through the deep waters between the two islands.
The Shark Fin did not sound its bell. The warship from Puerto Blanco was slowly advancing. Four small boats, filled with knights armed with spears and swords, were moving almost silently towards the two islands. The soldier in the tower on the northern island was drinking from a bottle of strong ale and thinking about the women in a brothel on Isla Fortaleza. From time to time, he glanced out at the sea, but the ships that passed by at night were few and far between. The soldier in the tower on the southern island was almost asleep. It was cold at the top of the tower, a strong wind was blowing, and the clouds obscured the moons. He began to dream of the cook who offered sexual favors to other men in exchange for a wine.
The boats landed at the islands just minutes apart. Unarmored knights began carefully climbing the rocks toward the castles. They wore dark clothing and carried only short swords. Half an hour later, they had entered the castles and silently opened the gates. Twenty knights clad in black leather armor and armed with large weapons entered each castle. They rushed through the corridors, finding most of the soldiers asleep. Only a few offered resistances. In less than an hour, both castles were captured with only one death and five wounded. The knights of Puerto Blanco suffered no casualties.
The sleeping soldier woke up to find three swords pointed at his face. He surrendered immediately. The knights lit a large bonfire in the enormous steel vessel to signal the location of the island. The drunken soldier saw the fire and ran to ring the bell to raise the alarm. A few seconds later, a spear pierced his back, and he fell to the ground. He was the last defender of the islands. These knights also lit a large bonfire.
The Shark Fin passed between the islands easily with the guidance of the lights. The most powerful warship of the kingdom was searching for any armed ships from Costa Lunas to destroy them.
Northeast of the Islas de Luz, three warships of the kingdom were moving through the night to block the sea lane. Dawn was only a few hours away. With the two castles and the three ships, the fleet from Puerto Blanco would have to fight for days to break through.
The prison bedroom of Clemente.
The door opened and Esteban looked at Manuelo: Get up and follow me, right now.
In the hallway, the count looked into the eyes of the middle-aged man. His body displayed large muscles and war scars.
Esteban: Where have you served?
Manuelo: I fought in the north, at the Ridges and Puerto Blanco. I was a lancer and later a sergeant-at-arms.
Esteban: Tomorrow, the queen is going to form a militia of servants. I need a leader. Your punishment for the escape of the priest is military service. Can you command the servants and pages to defend the queen?
Manuelo: Yes, Count. My life for the kingdom.
Inside the bedroom.
Clemente had saved most of his remaining energy for this moment. He opened his walking stick and took out the bread, apple and the salt. The fruit and bread were as fresh as the day he had hidden them. He reached for the bottle of wine and opened it.
He retrieved his cane and used it to stand up. He poured the wine in a large circle on the bedroom floor. He covered that same circle with a layer of salt. He placed the pieces of bread and apple together at seven points around the circle.
Clemente whispered: One for the head, two for the wings, four for the legs.
The old priest sat down and looked at the circle. From his mouth came the gentle sounds of a Pegasus. Shortly afterward, he spoke with the words of bipedal beings who had died centuries before the kingdom of the Costa Lunas. After the ritual, he felt as if he were going to die.
All-Mother in the mind of her rider: One more sunset, my son, and you will be able to rest.
The two looked through the eyes of the man. A mouse crept into the room, ate a piece of apple, and carried a piece of bread back to its nest. An army of ants entered and carried much of the food into tiny holes in the wooden walls. More mice appeared and carried the rest of the food to their nests, deep within the stone walls.
True magic requires sacrifice. The messengers of the natural world accepted the offering of food for the goddesses and gods of the world.
Far from the room, two minds awakened. They got up and walked silently to the road and ran until they could fly.
They both thought: We hear you, All-Mother. We are coming.
In the castle of Colinas Gemelas.
Paco died at four bells of the morning. The Sister of Shadow covered his face with a black cloth to indicate that the young man had left this world. His family wept, and the father placed a gold coin on the chest of his son. The Sister of Shadow took the coin and spoke in a soft voice.
Sister: Do you want me to return him to our father with earth, or to our mother with fire?
Father: Our father. His courage was great. He wanted to serve the God of the Greenwood.
Francisco, from Colinas Gemelas, would be buried by the Sisters of the Shadow after a few days of mourning.
In the bedroom of Marisela.
Marisela and Patricia were still wearing the black clothes of the Sisters of the Shadow, but they had removed their headdresses and veils.
Marisela: Your ladylove broke her oath to help me, did she not?
Patricia: She breaks her vow every time we make love. She understands the danger.
Marisela: Please, give a bag of gold to the family of Paco. It is a small gesture for the life of this man.
Patricia: Yes, my lady. Your lover chose the queen. I am sorry. Why did you not tell him?
Marisela looked at her most loyal maid with a sad smile: You know?
Patricia: Your time always comes when the small moon passed beneath the large moon. There have been two months without mention of pain or bleeding. Women understand things that men choose to ignore.