20

“Ah, well, you see, now, we come to Dierk’s secret. While Vix and Elsin were old friends since childhood and only friends, the truth of the matter is that Dierk and Vix were lovers for a long time. Dierk said they have had a relationship for almost six years. That is why he decided he must go. He is totally heartbroken at losing the love of his life and while either of them would do their duty to their families and marry, now that Vix is dead and killed in such a horrible way, Dierk could never live here and be reminded of Vix’s death everyday.”

Everyone around the table sat in silence thinking about the loss of a loved one. It was not unusual for husbands or wives to have lovers outside of marriage. Marriages were first and foremost business arrangement to improve and solidify fortunes, to increase land holdings and to form bonds of kinship and build allegiance between peoples. No one expected marriage partners to remain faithful as long as everyone played by the rules. Even most bloodlines were so mixed up that the important things were obedience and loyalty to the family not necessarily if bloodlines ran true. Men often had male lovers; they spent so much time together, hunting and fighting, training and traveling together.

“It was not easy to watch such a big man break down in tears over the loss of Vix. Dierk was truly heartbroken. Since he had told me everything, he now felt comfortable asking for a favor. He wanted to know if he could have Vix and Elsin’s belongings so he could take their things back to their families. I, of course, told him that it would be no problem and it was a good idea, since he knew their families well.

“Once I had agreed to that, he felt he could ask for more. Next he asked if he could take their bodies home with him. He knew that the families had already been told of Vix and Elsin’s deaths. He thought it would be less painful if they could bury their sons instead of waiting and grieving longer than necessary. I agreed to this also. We spent the next several hours getting a wagon, filling it with straw and hooking it to mules. We then went to the ice house and loaded the bodies of Elsin and Vix, covering them with more straw. They were fairly well frozen, so we were confident they would stay cold on the trip home.

“I rounded up Mortimer and sent him to my house to get the dead men’s belongings. He seems to have taken a couple of detours playing with the dogs that run around Zell. He tells me you have no dogs over here and so he can not resist them when he visits us. Eventually, he returned with the bundles, one slung over each shoulder.

“We finished packing the wagon with the bundles and also with Dierk’s belongings then sent him on his way.”

Tomas was tired of talking. He sat quietly drinking his ale while the others thought about what he had told them.

“Oh!” Alena yelled into the silence startling Helmut who had fallen asleep. He jerked awake and knocked over his cane which Balder tried to catch. Instead, Balder knocked over his cup of wine. It fell to the floor and shattered in many pieces. Some people scrambled to clean it up, moping up the wine that had also soaked Balder’s tunic. Others turned to Alena wondering what could cause her to exclaim so.

“I am sorry,” she said to Balder and the room at large. Her cheeks were burning pink with embarrassment.

“What was it that you thought of?” asked Tomas. A rumble of thunder was heard in the distance and as they felt it vibrate under their feet they saw the lightening flash between the cracks in the shutters and brighten the glass panes.

“It looks like you will be staying the night, Tomas,” said Balder. “I guess my wet tunic will no longer matter.” He smiled at Alena. “What were you going to say, dear?”

“It just dawned on me that Wolfram has black hair,” she said. “He knew Vix and Elsin.”

“Yes, Alena, I thought of that too, but Wolfram did not know Makt as far as I have been able to tell. Dierk says that he had never met Makt before and he is fairly certain that Elsin and Vix had not met Makt before coming here.”

Another clap of thunder sounded in the distance but closer than the last time. The lightening flashed shortly afterwards. They all knew it would not be long now before a big thunderstorm would be over their heads. Once it arrived, no one would be leaving until it moved out of the area. Thunderstorms over Deepshade were often violent and could last for hours as the storm would circle over them, hemmed in by the mountain peaks and the revolving air flows.

“I could not find any connection between Makt and the others except you and that connection was slim at best.” Tomas shrugged his shoulders. They seemed to be at a dead end as far as the killings were concerned.

Alena thought of another black haired man and quickly pushed his image out of her mind. While she knew that Greydere had lied to her and the town’s people, she could see even less of a connection between him and the others. Of course, she had not known that the others had all known each other, so her knowledge was not very good.

The storm was now directly over them. Thunder cracked and lightening streaked across the sky. Rain pelted the roof mixed with hail that pounded down the slate tiles. Alena was glad she had just had the shutters repaired.

“It seems we are back where we started,” said Ebba. She shouted over the rain and thunder. “Has anyone got any new ideas we can try? Or do you think we should attempt this process all over again?”

No one answered her and some just shook their heads.

“I have to pee,” said Rufus in the momentary silence. His statement was followed by another boom.

“No one is taking you out to the toilets in this weather,” said Tomas. “Just hold it in.”

Several huge crashes over head reverberated around the room, lightening flashed repeatedly. Some of the children whimpered and ran to adults. The door to the hall burst open on a gust of wind that whipped around the room; it guttered the fires and extinguished candles. Ran fought its way into the room along with three dark figures, soaked and falling in on the floor.

Children and women screamed. Men fought to get the door closed and the candles relit. The people gathered around the men lying on top of each other on the floor. Men brought over more candles and a couple lanterns. In a halo of light, they could see one of the men trying to scrabble out from under the other two men. One grabbed the escaping man’s ankle while they other man tackled him around the waist. All three were grunting like animals; they made a lot of noise but no intelligible sounds came out of them. No one knew what to do or who to help.

Once the initial shock was over, Tomas gave orders to grab all three men and separate them so he could figure out was going on. The men in the hall pulled the pile of bodies apart.

“Do not let him go,” yelled one of the men. He stopped struggling with those who hand a hold of him but he kept his eyes on the man he was trying to hold on to. The second man quit struggling, too, but the third man fought all the harder once he was on his feet. All three men looked starved and haggard, drenched to the skin, with cuts and bruises on every visible place on their bodies. Their clothes were ripped and worn, faces covered in dirt and unshaven beards. Despite their appearance, Alena recognized all three men. She gasped aloud.

“Greydere.” She pointed at the first man who had risen and quit struggling. “Georg.” He was the second man who had quit struggling. People looked at them with dawning recognition. They turned to the third man, who continued to fight despite the two big men that held him tight.

“Wolfram.” Alena could not believe her eyes. “Where did you come from?” She looked from one man to another, finally resting on Greydere. He had his head down, using the men who were holding him for support. He seemed totally exhausted as did the other two, but Alena really only had eyes for Greydere. She continued to stare at him in wonder. He must have felt her staring at him. He looked up and their eyes locked. Alena felt a queasy feeling in her stomach and an ache in her loins. Tingling pin pricks ran up and down her arms and legs. Everyone else in the room had disappeared for her.

Alena jumped when Balder the Druid touched her arm. He had been talking to her and she had not heard what he said.

“Alena, these men look like they need food and rest.” Balder had the men help Georg and Greydere to the table to sit down.

Tomas had another chair brought for Wolfram. His arms were tied behind his back at the wrists. He was then tied to the chair in the same way they had tied Rufus. Once he was bound, he seemed to accept that he had been caught and he was relieved to be sitting and no longer struggling. His chair was placed near the fireplace so that he could dry out. His head hung forward, chin on chest. To everyone’s amazement he was soon snoring.

Greydere and Georg sat next to each other at the table. They were brought cups of water to start. Both men gulped the water as if they had not had any in days. Once Alena had organized Marta to get them some food, she sat down at the table across from Greydere and did not take her eyes off of him. She held onto all of her questions. She would wait until they had a chance to eat and rest a bit.

Marta brought the men bowls of stew broth with the vegetables mashed up, but no meat. Meat would have to wait until their stomachs had gotten used to food again. They also got some bread for dipping and some mead for energy. Marta called the grooms over to get together dry clothes for the men. Everyone else waited patiently for them to finish eating. They finally did finish eating then went off to a side the side to put on the dry leggings and tunics.

The storm outside raged, but it did not take up anyone’s attention anymore. Rain and hail pelted the walls and bounced on the roof, but it only served as a back drop to the pent up energy inside. Greydere and Georg returned to the table, dry and more comfortable then they had felt in days. Their cups had been refilled and nuts had been placed out for them to nibble on if they got hungry again while they were telling what had happened.

Wolfram snorted in his sleep. Greydere turned and looked at him. Georg nudged Greydere in the ribs and laughed. He laughed so heartily that it became infectious and everyone else started laughing too. Everyone but Alena and Greydere.

“Why did you tell me you were a slave?” Alena asked Greydere her question quietly. Greydere looked at her sitting across from him. He did not answer her for several minutes. Georg looked back and forth between the two of them. He laughed again.

“Just tell her how it was,” Georg said to Greydere. “She will understand. Your pride has gotten us in to this mess. Now, get us out of it with the truth, brother.”

“You are brothers?” Alena asked Georg. “One of you better tell me what is going on.”

Greydere cleared his throat and rubbed his temples. He seemed to be having trouble getting started. Alena smacked the palm of her hand on the table.

“Tell me now!”

“Georg and I are brothers,” said Greydere. “I am the oldest of my father’s children but my mother’s only child. She died when I was twenty. My father loved her well as did I and we both grieved deeply but in our own ways. My father married Georg’s mother shortly after my mother’s death.”

“You are not that different in ages, maybe three years apart,” said Alena.

“We are four years apart. I am twenty nine.”

“So, Georg is your step-brother.”

“No, we are half brothers. Georg’s mother was my father’s mistress while my mother lived, his wife after my mother died. We found out we were brothers when my mother was dead even though we had known and liked each other all of our lives. I was angry with my father so I left home and went to seek my own fortune.

“I did not lie to you about being a slave. I stretched the truth a bit. While on my travels I had been captured by some slavers and sold to a sultan for a big sum of gold. I have a few skills he found valuable. He liked my storytelling and I have an ability with languages. I can read and write several languages and I am good with numbers.

“After being away from home for eight years, growing up and seeing much of the world, I escaped my captor and returned home to my father. I got back shortly before you made your plans to find a husband. I was taken for dead, so Georg had taken my place as the oldest son. Upon my return, he was moved to the side. He took it well enough. I did not want to take his place but he and my father insisted. Then your messenger came and he took his chance.

“I came along to see what he was getting himself into. Unfortunately, once I saw you I fell in love with you. Georg was willing for us to change places, but we could not figure out how to go about doing it so you would not hate us. And then men started dying and that piece of offal attacked you and you were driving me crazy.

“I knew that Wolfram would never leave you alone. Or us, if I could convince you to marry me after the mess Georg and I had made of things. So, Georg and I set off to find Wolfram. We found him on the first day we went out looking for him but soon we found out that he is completely insane. We lost our horses and all of our supplies because of him. We had nothing to bind him with except strips ripped from our clothes. Georg and I had to take turns holding on to him to keep him from escaping.

“He bragged to us about all of the people he has killed. He says he has killed many of his own people, but he also says he poisoned your husband. Before Konrad left to come back here on his last trip, Wolfram and he had a drink. Wolfram had slipped a slow acting deadly poison into Konrad’s beer. The poison quietly killed him in his sleep.

“Wolfram says he knew Vix and Elsin. He had tried to keep them away from here but they would not listen. Then Vix’s lover, who was Dierk, beat Wolfram, so Wolfram decided to kill Vix in revenge. Elsin walked in to the room while he was killing Vix, so Wolfram killed Elsin to stop him from talking. It seems that Makt was listening at the door when Wolfram killed Vix and Elsin. He tried to get gold from Wolfram. Wolfram said he would give Makt the gold. He lured Makt out onto the heath and killed him too.

“Wolfram did all of these things so that he could have you, Alena. He wanted Crab Apple Farm and he wanted you so that he could teach you some manners and respect for your betters. He hated that you told him no and wanted you to pay.”

Greydere was done talking. He was exhausted and wanted only to sleep now. He had spilled every thing out and knew he did not stand a chance with Alena. He put his head down on the table without looking at her or any of the others.

“Oh, brother, do not be sad,” said Georg. “There are other women in the world. I’m sure we can find you another.”

Greydere looked up at his brother with a ready angry retort on his lips. He saw that Georg was smiling at him. So were Alena and everyone else in the room.

“Well, it looks like you have solved all of our problems Greydere,” said Balder the Druid. “You have provided us with the answers to our questions and if I am not mistaken, you yourself will be the husband for which we were seeking.”