The Writings of a Paladin: Long Night's Journey into Day (03/02/05)

So now, just before the dawn arrives, as I sit alone on the bow of The Phoenix, Lana being safely put to bed in her quarters below, I at last find the time and solitude to put the events and thoughts of the past few hours into words.



I scarcely know where to begin.



Incredible as they may read, these are the things that occurred, and to my own chagrin, I was stone cold sober....a condition that as I think back on I will in the future do my utmost to remedy.... for sure it is that a dram or two of the finest scotch whiskey made in the hills of the Highlands would make this story more palatible, if not more credible....and much easier for me to swallow, as well.



The night started off in rare fashion, with Lana and I having a most public disagreement...in reality, all part of a scheme I had planned, but still...it leaves an uneasy taste in my mouth, to see her unhappy and to know I am the cause of that. She is quite furious with me. We had a very loud, very public argument in commons area of the Calf earlier in front of numerous witnesses, fully complimented by my amourous affections toward her (a thorough and soundly given kiss, enjoyable to the utmost, even if given as part of my deceptive ploy), folowed by a public rebuke by her....indeed, my cheek still feels the brunt of her fury this morn. No one with effective hearing or vision could have mistaken her anger, nor believed it was anything less than genuine, much because it was, and further events during the course of the evening only served to underscore it, even though those events were largely unplanned and quite a surprise to me. So, that should work quite nicely, as the rumors spread, as they are bound to do, to give the public impression that I am no longer the very good friend and possible amourous acquaintance of one, Miss Lana MacLeod, and that should get back to Erythnul or any of his uncharitable messengers posthaste. The one drawback to this being if I cannot set things right with her in the future. I am reasonably sure that, once things resolve to some sense of normalcy here, I can make her see the reasons for my actions...but that is the chance I will have to take, to see to her safety and well-being now and know that she no longer stands in harm's way, due to an association with me. It was not easy; I dislike being less than honest and I certainly did not wish to hurt her...and I know the truth of that, having looked into those wounded, sea-green eyes of hers, accusitory with the injury that I put there. But it was necessary. At the least now she will be safe.



To which I will make doubly sure, having volunteered to be her bodyguard, whether she likes it or not, for at least the next two weeks, while the one she hired to do the job, Marcus, is mysteriously away. That would give me pause, if I did not know the character of the fellow, although I do not know him well - but I think that night on the docks what I viewed in his expression was an earnest concern for Lana - and it is plain that he cares for her, shunning me in the process. I care not for that; only that he protect Lana. Where he is these next two weeks is some cause for concern, and he will have my words on the matter when he returns.



Then, a very serious incident occurred tonight, if the evidence is to be believed - a murder. The Calf was full and the patrons well on their way to an enjoyable evening, when the ominous sounds of a brawl erupted from an upstairs room. Those sounds usually accompanying a pasttime of later-night rowdy adults, we would have paid little attention, save for one thing: Elspeth Gray was present and her father, Nathaniel Gray, had just recently ascended the stairs to engage in a proper business transaction, or so we mostly assumed. Elspeth is an unusually gifted and intuative child and it was clear to those around her that something was quite amiss upstairs, possibly involving her father. As a few of us investigated, we did unfortunately discover a broken window and a corpse, complete with copious amounts of blood and the strangest stick figurine tucked within the bedclothes. It was not Count Gray, but the man he apparently was meeting, according to Elspeth, a Mr. Gibner. The guards were called, a messenger sent to the Duchess, but the man was beyond human help, probably even before we were able to access the room. I believe there was also some sort of book found, that Lana now has possession of, but it was at this point that something strange happened to me, and so the details of what else occurred with regards to the scene of the crime are, for me, sketchy, at best.



I had a vision - perhaps real, perhaps imagined, as the vision herself implied. At any rate, she is connected to the brand on my hand, and the other five who are likewise marked. I had questions, of course, many - but she would not answer them, only left me with a pendant for protection, an agate stone she called the Eye of Haydes, and a riddle in her departing words to me: "And here is the sixth, strong of will yet doubtful in spirit is the Apostate. Take freely this gift of the protectress and though the Mother smiles upon you, take heed. For betrayal is and always has been the consequence of doubt."

Apparently, reference to the Apostate is the same as reference to me. While it is a title I cannot deny....I would hope to abolish it as time goes forth, perhaps.



As her words faded from my ears, so too did her form fade from my eyes and I found myself quite alone standing outside the tavern looking at -- nothing -- and unknown as to how I came to be there. But the amulet was real, as my fist was clutched around it, and Elspeth told me then that the others all had similar charms - but these apparently a double-edged sword, at best, for although they might protect us from Erythnul and provide us with the power of sight of him and other evils, it also allows him to view us, acting more or less like a two-way mirror. No one has used theirs yet, Els believes, but this must be a positive sign in an otherwise deepening plot of despair....or so shall I choose to believe.



The night then wearing on, I implored Lana, who was well on her way to a serious drinking episode, to stay put while I accompanied Elspeth home...again the urge to round up everyone in town and lock them up in one place, just so we can all protect each other...it would be so much easier that way....but impractical. The night wound down without further incident -- Elspeth safely at home where she would be cared for by those in her father's employment, although unfortunately still no sign of the infamous Count himself -- and Lana in a quiet, although a bit drunken, stupor at the Calf, still where I left her earlier. I tossed her over one shoulder, carrying her much like a sack of potatoes, and made my way to her ship, still moored at the docks - the advantage being that in this state, she was no trouble whatsoever and I easily maneuvered her into her bunk to sleep it off - the disadvantage that it made for a long night indeed....and one without the presence of Pene. How did I come to depend upon her presence so readily and so easily? Its a question I sometimes ask, when random thoughts of her punctuate my mind during the day, and although I have no answer, it does not worry me overmuch. But now...this first night apart in the few since we've known each other....how I miss her touch, her calming influence, her voice of reason in a sea of turmoil....but the separation will, with luck, be short-lived. As the day begins to stir, I will slip away, once the crew of The Phoenix is up and about and I can delegate the watching to one of them for a bit, to let her know in person of my station here for the next two weeks as Lana's bodyguard. No doubt she will see the validity of my choice to be here, once I explain it to her, for we are so of like mind....my other soul, I sometimes think. And the time hopefully to pass quickly, the future to anticipate with hope once again. The only thing lacking -- that bottle of scotch that I now intend to keep on hand for life's emergencies, which I will procure from the tender at the Calf before returning to the ship.





~~~ Sir Antonio Sabatier ~~~

First Knight and Diplomatic Liason

to the Duke of Bradenford

The Marquis of Pantera, a.k.a., The Black Panther



"What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within." ~~ Emerson