Lacedaemonian
A Plume of Smoke
I have polished the chapter up a bit, though it is far from being the finished article. Only had an hour spare today at work in which to do it, so the last third of the passage is quite poor. It is also 3100 words long, so please forgive me. Here goes:
Emerald Fields - Interview
They sat there behind the great oak table, ten faces stern and sceptical. Why the sceptism when he had yet to speak, Emerald thought to himself. And what a truly fantastic table, his eyes absorbing its sheer magnitude. He cast his eye along the row of faces, reminding himself don’t look shifty, don’t look shifty.
“I am the Cardinal Gregory Rouge. When last we met your thoughts had been, how can I put it, less coherent.” The Cardinal smiled then. Standing smug and draped from head to toe in scarlet with that self satisfied smile, Emerald considered that even had he not already planned to kill the Cardinal, that smile would have earned him passage to the next life.
“Was I drunk on the wines worships? I often is these last years of life.” He could well remember the last time he had met the Cardinal. Down in the bowels of the citadel. Down below even the deepest dungeons, to a place the guards had simply called the Deeps. Aye he remembered that smug twinkling of eye. That slight curve of lips that was almost a smile. He had been strung out on a rack at the time, feigning delirium.
“You were most certainly drunk Fields, but not on the wines I hasten to add. Do you remember the Deeps?” The light filtered down from a window way up high in the roof of the hall. It cast about the Cardinal in his fine robes, making him appear ethereal. Though Emerald knew otherwise.
Do I remember the Deeps? Oh aye I remember that gods forsaken place. A place of true horror. A place where I had almost broke; Emerald thought to himself but stilled these thoughts before they could unman him. “Was that the name of the Inn we met your worships? I rarely take a passing interest in names of places I frequents. Well perhaps that is a poor truth, and it is flowing of the wines in my blood that makes me forgets.”
The Cardinals mask of calm slipped with a sudden look of vexation. Emerald smiled at him, flashing his teeth. A smile usually reserved for the ladies. The Cardinal recovered from his momentary lapse, “When last we spoke Fields, you spoke quite passionately about you brother Crimson. From what you said and from what I can determine from covert reports, your brother is a warrior without equal. A man, it could be said, who is capable of defeating the Constable Danae.”
““Just let me tells ya the way I seen it. Let these words guide your minds to a history that was my life, entwined as it was with that o’ the greatest warrior of this age. As bairns we’s fought at the Spurn. Danae led what was later known as the Fifty into a successful guerrilla war against the army of Duke Hal Yashin for nearly a year. Aye we’s never lost a battle. Ne’er lost a single man. Not that any of us was men. Just scruffy furrowed bairns playing in the woods wi our pig stickers. ‘Cept we wasn’t sticking pigs. Nay we was carving the souls from men. Danae could not be bested in battle. Could not be bested in arms. Could not be bested in all things.”
He looked down the table to see if they had absorbed his words. Disappointed he carried on, “I sees ya not wanting to hear my tale. I feels like my words are not good enough for this ‘ere audience.” He cast his eyes to his feet, feigning a wounded look. What happened to my boots? He wondered.
“We already know about the war with Duke Yashin, Fields.” This from a nameless, faceless man dressed for war. “Guerrilla warfare is the most cowardly form of warfare. Only barbaric men resort to such means.”
“Aye is that what you thinks? Barbaric men you says? We was bairns General... sorry we are not acquainted?”
“General Bravario of the 3rd Army.” The General introduced himself, with too much pride Emerald thought to himself.
“Pleased to meet you General Bravario. I was a general too once sir, though I am embarrassed to says I often employed those eh cowardly tactics, fit as you says only for barbarian men. I was not schooled in the arts of wars; in fact I was not yet finished my schooling. Was not long fifteen years of life when I campaigned in my first war. Had me fifty boys not one of them sixteen against a force of five thousand trained soldiers. I ne’er lost a man against odds of a hundred to one. Tells me again General that we was cowards?” Emerald barely checked his rage.
“No General…?” Bravario was taken aback, and appeared to try and redeem himself.
“Nay call me Emerald, sir. My warring days is done.”
“I shall afford you the respect that you deserve General Fields. I forgot myself momentarily. The tactics employed during that war were of the highest order.”
Emerald stood taller and straightened the creases in his dirty off white smock. Whatever happened to my beautiful green cloak? He puzzled to himself. “I forgives your momentary lapse General, and understands your distaste for said warfare. It was not nice, in facts it was about as ugly as it comes.” He met the Generals eyes and something passed between them, but Emerald could not place what it was. “What is it that you wanted to know sir, if you do not want to hear about my warring days?”
“Tell me about the war leader Crimson Fields. Is he capable of defeating Danae in this civil war?”
Emerald scratched his chin as if in deepest ponder, “Though some says my boy brother Crimson could smite Danae down in half a shudder of the heart, I knows different. These eyes, sparkling bright, that you look-see into presently have stared deep into the duller less fortunately beautiful eyes of my boy brother Crimson and sort out that truth. Aye I says it now and I says it loud in clear, my little ankle biter brother would be going to his own execution fighting the good Constable.”
Emerald cast his eyes along the row of sour faced men looking for a challenge to his words. His eyes met the young Princess Vae Yashin’s and he acknowledged her with a slight bowing of his head. Here was an ally, he thought to himself.
‘They say that Crimson Fields slew half a battalion of Swallow Foot Knights.’ The man dressed in black cloths to sitting to her right stated in a matter of fact tone, with the effect of catching Emerald off his guard. How in hells cunny did the ******* know this? Emerald asked himself.
Emerald pretended to take in the bright mosaics that covered almost every wall in the hall. They are all images of war, he thought to himself. “Aye tis true he did. Though they forgets to mention that he had Ash at his side at the time.”
“And who is this Ash?” The Cardinal asked as if losing patience.
“I forgets yous don’t know mine kin. How does I puts my brother Ash into words? Of the things that Ash is and does, the mostest important of all is that he keeps Crimsons vanity from flourishing out of hand. Lets him knows that all the nice things peoples says about dear boy brother Crimson is all a steaming mound of ****. People thinks he is crazy but I knows different. He has the clearest eye for truth in this world of heroes and villains. Nobody argues with Ash Fields. He is right we are all wrong.
“You paint pretty pictures of your family Fields. The clans are filled with heroes you would me believe?”
“Nay just the one, but he is the only true hero of this tale. Of this world in truth. He is the slayer of heroes. And villains too Cardinal…. The south have sent their heroes forth and they were annihilated. The Reservation sent the last hero of their age forth too. Ah Ferrol Blu. I played a wordless dirge when we buried him. Couldn’t summon the words. Just plucked at me harp and wept freely like a little girl, pardon me expression princess.”
“Ferrol Blu is dead?” Exclaimed the Princess, much to Emeralds surprise.
“Danae killed the Commander of the Swallow Foot Knights?” Asked that man in swaddled in black, who clearly and worryingly appeared to know too much. Was he her bodyguard? He wondered to himself.
“To us ere mortals he shall never be seen again. Gone where the elves go when they go. Where does the heathens go Cardinal?”
“They wander lost for eternity.” Answered the Cardinal in a flat lifeless way. He has said them rehearsed words so many thousand times that he is tired of hearing them himself, Emerald pondered.
“I likes that, they wander lost for eternity, I hopes I goes there whens I dies. Sounds utterly magical does it not Princess?”
“Not particularly Emerald.”
“Rest assured it is not magical and you are going there Fields.” The Cardinal stated once again in that matter of fact voice of his. I shall cut that little **** tongue from his little **** mouth first, Emerald fantasised.
“I is? Danae says we shall never die him and me. Says that we sold our souls to the devil when we was bairns. Stupid promises made to some crazy marsh witch. Can not be any truth in it me thinks? Can you lift curses Cardinal; I likes the idea of wandering lost for eternity? Sounds better each times I hear mine self says it. Magical….”
“So you now would have us believe that Danae can not perish?” There it was again that self assuredness. I would like to poke the little **** eyes out if his little **** head.
“Not mine words Cardinal. Were you not taking notes? The blithering marsh witch saids them there words. Ugly as sin she was, aye and the brother Ash… you knows what he says when we sees her. ‘I saw her first lads’. He would lie with owt with a heart beat he would. Or perhaps he could sees what we coulds not. Perhaps the marsh witch was something more than we weres supposed to knows. Ash to this day swears she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Mind he was only thirteen then, at quite an impressionable age.”
“Thirteen?” The Princess asked, her black hair all wavy and long, her skin all creamy and soft… “Emerald?”
“Eh sorry m’lady. What was you saying again? Aye he was early to the heather was our brother Ash.” I was several breathes from the gallows there, stay focused Emerald.
“That is not what I meant. Ash was one of the Fifty who defeated my cousin Duke Hal Yashin at the Spurn?” She asked looking a little blushed.
“Aye and Crimson was there too with a bow and arrow and getting under our feet the whole time. It was very embarrassing for Ash and me, having our ten year old brother along with us, buts our father was ten years dead at the Betrayal and mother was a little touched in the head. Kept saying she was going to eat little Crimson. Well we hated the little ******* but we could not leave him to that fate. Thought we’d get him killed at the Spurn instead.” Aye it is true, Emerald chortled to himself, we thought we would get the lad killed. I forgot about that until now. Gods above imagine if we had succeeded?
“You would do that to your own flesh and blood?” Some nameless cleric asked.
“Eat them? Not out of choice… friend. I am after all no great lover of meat.” This drew a few chortles from the table.
“We tire of you Fields.” That flat tone again like his mind was already decided.
“So Crimson plodded along with Ash and me, and got on our tits the whole time with endless questions. We was contemplating our deaths, thinking to ourselves that our days was numbered, and little Crimson is asking ‘Emerald why do you not carry a sword? Why do the girls laugh at you Emerald?’ We hated him more and more each day.”
“Aye but the lads loved him. You see we was just bairns playing soldiers, but I guesses that wi Crimson being there we felts like we was older. When battle took us into its dark midst the lads fought a defensive shield around Crimson. I prayed the whole time for an arrow to take him but it ne’er came. People love Crimson to which I doesn’t understand, he is the dullest little boy that plopped out of my mother’s cunny. Pardon the expression princess. But when he kills three men when he is only ten years old, he claims he killed more but that is childish fancy, then people tend to hero worship.”
“He killed three men when he was only ten? We have heard this rumour but assumed it was exaggerated.” The General stated, flustered
“The real truth and one which Ash reminds Crimson with regularity is that Danae killed half a thousand men. The clans did not want to love Danae and so they loved Crimson instead. It is a betrayal to the memory of that day. The Duke sent out twenty or so sons of nobles and merchants to wet their swords and make a spectacle of us. Whilst we huddled wet and cold and filling our breaches with piss and ****, Danae rode/strode out to meet them at the Spurn. After a short discussion Danae killed them all. He was always a shy boy, not comfortable expressing himself in large groups.”
“What did he say to them?” The princess asked excitedly. Now I have their attention, Emerald consoled himself.
“Ah lass I could not hear a single word over the top of the crying noises coming out of mine mouth. Ash swears he could read his lips, but alas Ash is crazy. I told you about the marsh witch did I not?”
“Yes you did. General Fields, what did Ash say he read on Danae’s lips?” Bravario demanded appearing extremely uptight.
“I will avenge your deaths.”
The hall descended into mumbled conversations amongst the various interrogators. Emerald saw the opportunity to try and ingratiate himself further with the princess. “Doesn’t mean much to me, not at all. What does you thinks it means Cardinal? I think perhaps Ash was lying. Though Ash never lies. Not ever to me his kin and eldest brother. Canst I bereft you of some of that fine honeysuckle flavoured water mine princess?”
“Forgive my poor hospitality Emerald.” She begged with absolute sincerity.
“Nay princess stay your fine hand. The bodyguard wi haunted eyes that see passed mine every word will fetch it.” This drew a scowl from the bodyguard, which mad Emerald flinch.
“Hospitality? You are a prisoner not a guest. An enemy of this kingdom, a heathen warrior. You are an enemy of the church and will be crucified as befits your crime.” The Cardinal brought back him around to reality. Though Emerald could not help but notice the lack of self assurance in the Cardinal’s voice.
“I aint never killed a man in my life, never mind a man of the south or a man of the church. I likes the ideas of your church and was thinking o’ becoming one o’ those ere Spreaders of the Divine Word that you send up north to tries and divide the clans. I likes them, they makes some interesting arguments about heavens and hells and that there only being just the one gods and we’s being wrong about everything. I loves them. Ash used to kills them before Danae stayed his hand. Says ‘It is their master who will perish not these here innocent men’. I likes the constable too; he never killed a man who did not outright ask to be killed.”
This drew a hush from the interrogators. “I sometimes asks mine self the question, who in their right minds would ask that question of the good constable? Seems to me it would be a fool’s game to go dancing down that ever so dark road with Danae.”
“I will not sit here and listen to a heathen threaten the Emperor and his people!” The Cardinal was fuming now and Emerald was concerned he had pushed him too far.
“I wouldn’t either yours worships. Oh sorry you means me? Princess I assures you I never made no threats ever. Never had no bone with the Emperor neither. Got no bones with no man me. I loves the Emperor but I tells the I loves his daughter more. Never rolled in the heather with a woman before. Peoples says I am a queer one for not wanting to. I says that I never met a girl who tickles mine fancy. I tells the I have thought of little else this passed year. Aye it is true Princess; you have captured the heart of Emerald Fields. Alas you have doomed me to live a life of lonesome sorrow. I shall never knows a woman’s touch. I feel the tears coming, Cardinal be a good man and sees me to my room please.”
Emerald beamed as his insolence finally registered with the Cardinal. “What? Guards take the prisoner back to the dungeons”
“Thank you good man.” Emerald bowed his head ever so slightly in mock reverence.
“Actually take him into the Deeps, he is too high spirited for a heathen.”
****! He thought to himself but would not leave the hall defeated, “Ah bless you Cardinal. A room without a view, suits my mood it does. I shall contemplate in all innocence the love of my life. Princess please find it in your heart to forgive me for being such company poor today…” Crack. The pommel of sword cracked into the side of his jaw. “Who blew out the candles? Cardinal fetch some servants to relight the candles, we can not have the Princess sitting in darkness..” Crack. What was that noise? Emerald thought to himself before slipping into darkness……
They stood there huddled on the fell looking across the valley at the five thousand soldiers of Duke Hal Yashin. Danae slipped down from his horse and simply stated “Best go and let them know our intentions.” With that sad smile, the only one he had, he turned and strode forward toward the army alone.
