1st Skyday of Bales
Dark clouds hang over Farkash Citadel as two riders approach. The Pigeon Knight makes camp outside the walls while the Gilded Knight rushes to Lady Inga's chambers. His wife is sitting at the window praying. When she hears that the Veiled Seers had revealed Avert's whereabouts she thanks the Mother but never gets up to meet her husband. Afterwards the company decide to aid Perilake in his quest even if it means to leave the Citadel without rulers for a long time: Nobody knows where the Thrice-Ninth Kingdom lies and only the Pigeon Knight can lead them there.
During the Council meeting Perilake impatiently listens to the numerous complaints and doesn't care about the details. "Send Arkadiusz back to Kranach", he demands "or make him apologize!" The Axebearer is non of his concern: "Let the Marshall deal with them!" When Istvan mentions that the soldiers haven't received their pay he drops his golden armour on the floor. “Sell it!”
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| The Bard |
They leave at Dawn under constant rain. Zoltan is drawn to the South but he admits that his instinct had shown different directions before. They travel through a forest into an overgrown ravine and need to hack their way through brambles and it is dusk when they emerge on the other side to make camp near a brook. Heldris has to search for a while to find dry wood. He hears drums and hoarse singing. When he comes upon a clearing a bard in gaudy clothes is singing vile lyrics about the company. Heldris demands that he should stop but the Bard doesn't react. With a sardonic smile he questions Heldris manhood, disrespects his wife and muses that the precious stone she adores must satisfy her in a way the Dove Knight can't. But how can he know the jewel, the troubled past of the Tankard Knight, and twist it into a grotesque tale? Enraged Heldris smashes his drum and before he realizes it, he drives his sword through the unarmed man. As if in a dream he cleans the sword and returns to his friends. Milos sees that he is distraught but the others just blame his curse and how he is often troubled at night. When the Knights are asleep Sir Heldris asks Sir Milos about that night in Bohat and the presence he felt. The Fox Knight reveals that he had dealings with the Fae before and has received a gift unaware of the consequences. Now it is Sir Heldris' turn to confess and he whispers into the Fox Knight's ear what he doesn't dare to say out loud.
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| A shallow Lake in the Fog |
The morning wind brings the smell of stagnant water from the south. They travel through a fetid bog under the burning Harvest sun, past ancient menhirs and plagued by mosquitoes. At noon a thick fog rises and their steeds trot through a shallow lake. From somewhere they hear calls and soon a Knight emerges from the mist. He seeks the Child. He is willing to sacrifice it so that the Demon won't tear the Realm apart: Knights, Seers and Vassals all. “You would kill a child for the Realm?” Perilake asks incredulously. “Yes!”, the rogue Seeker Knight proclaims. “Are you with me?” The Gilded Knight is not in the mood to talk about harm that comes to a child. “You are a fool and a coward!”, he spits and the Knight howls in anger: ”A fool I might be. A coward I am not!” and charges forward. Perilake smashes the Knight's shield but barely escapes his counter. Their steeds rear and they hack at each other until Perilake is hit by a terrible blow to the head and tumbles onto the ground. The Knight jumps from his horse and raises his morning star for the coup de grâce but Heldris cuts his hand off and as the night before runs his sword through an unarmed man
Zoltan cradles Perilake's head while Anastasz binds his wounds. Milos approaches Heldris carefully but has to dodge a wild swing from the Dove Knight. Only when he realizes he almost struck his brother does Heldris lower his sword.
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