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Chapter 12 |  |
Yesterday morning, my personal grog Beate returned from an errand to the kitchen with the news that we had suffered some run-away grogs. I thought little of this, being preoccupied with a particularly awkward problem I had encountered in the design of my laboratory. By late morning it was clear that I need to modify my plans for the furniture and sent for a carpenter (and interpreter, as none of the carpenters speak any civilised language) to check that what I was planning was practical. I was much annoyed when Beate reported that she could not find a carpenter to spare even the few diameters necessary for this consultation. I went down to lunch angry and determined to discover which member of the Covenant was monopolising the carpenters in this way.
I was met by four similarly incensed magi, all making the same complaint. Our Vilicus, Jehan, informed us that the run-aways were two of our three carpenters. Given their vital importance to the furnishing of our laboratories, we were at once stirred to urgent action. Fortunately Jehan had already embarked on some investigations. He had dispatched grogs to Quintin from whence they had originally come, to see if they had returned home. While being an obvious and necessary measure, it would not give us any information until the following afternoon at the earliest. Meanwhile he had dispatched our Centurion, Jacques, with some trackers and guards to follow what seemed to be their trail to the south. I was a little disturbed that a mission of this importance had been mounted without our best tracker: Beate, when transformed by myself into a wildsow, clearly out performs any human tracker. I would have been quite willing to free her for this service for such an important mission. However it was clearly too late for that. The Centurion and his party were gone some hours.
We could not stand-by idly. We required information so Intéllego on Corpus and Imáginem seemed the Arts most in demand. Magus Speculor, our Intéllego-Imáginem specialist, took the lead. He gathered hairs from a sleeping pallet and used the arcane connection to cast Ear for the Distant Voice. I was tempted to repeat this myself, as I also know this spell. However I was discouraged by my inability to understand any of the grogs even face-to-face. Speculor did little better as the target was speaking in the local dialect, which even our French magi cannot understand. Instead he turned to Summoning the Distant Image, which he cast from one of our library books. This gave him sight of the fugitives and a further horrifying revelation. The criminals had not only stolen grog-property, which we had already heard, but laboratory equipment too. Further casting (The Inexorable Search) revealed that they were in the nearby town of Moncontour, and apparently had stopped there. This was not surprising as they must have started quite early in the night to have got so far already. Also the Centurion's party seemed to be returning although what if anything they had discovered was not discernible at range.
I decided that it was time for direct action. Changing Beate to sow to accompany me in my heart-shape, we set off at once for Moncontour. On the way, we were overtaken by a mounted grog dispatched by our Princeps to divert the Centurion to the same place. However their inferior form and weight of equipment would delay them considerably. It is about two leagues to Moncontour, which we made with all haste to have the best chance of catching the rogues before they moved on. On arrival, I found myself in something of a quandary. Given my ignorance of the local barbarian tongues, I could scarcely achieve anything by entering the town. Accordingly I determined to keep the place under observation, until either they left, or reinforcements arrived. Regrettably I had to dispatch Beate home, as her transformation would expire at sunset, and I lack the means to renew it in the field.
In the morning there was no sign of reinforcement but two travellers laden with our stolen goods left to travel further east. Clearly they could not be allowed to escape: I gave chase. I waited until they were out of sight of the village and its inhabitants before closing in. I could easily have killed them. However their usefulness meant this might not be the best approach. Besides, examples are best made where they can be seen, not on lonely roads. I made myself Outlandish Sized, and temporarily silenced myself for the charge. Regrettably knocking both over was not practical but I easily knocked the legs out from under one of them. I stopped ahead of them and adopted human form. They were clearly terrified. I tried addressing them in Latin, but they clearly understood nothing. Accordingly I decided to put them to sleep. I lack a suitable formula, and in the prevailing Dominion aura, I would not normally expect to be able to achieve a Sun duration sleep spell. However, powered, I think, by my anger, I succeeded on both of them. I hid both them, and their booty, away from the road, and embarked on locating our grogs. Fortunately I was able to find them but was dismayed by the lack of Latin speakers. I led a couple of the party to the sleeping fugitives, but then proved unable to more than temporarily rouse them, as I could not match my earlier magical efforts.
This seemed however of little consequence. I made sure that one of the grogs, who knew the whereabouts of the robbers, had met up with the rest of the Centurion's party. If our Centurion could not handle the matter from there, then he is unworthy of his post. I have returned to the Covenant confident that the matter will be handled as is appropriate. I trust that the matter of disciplining the offenders can be adequately handled by the Vilicus and Princeps. I have been diverted two days from my laboratory by these scoundrels, which is two days too many.
I am left wondering on the turpitude of carpenters. I had already had cause to punish the third carpenter for gross over-familiarity. Why does this trade attract such base characters? I blame the Dominion: if I heard Brother Joseph correctly, he said once at supper that they worship one.
Saskia Apera Bjornaeris, filia Ottonis, filiaque Franzienis Idaeque,
Socia Principialis ad Saxo Caribeto in Gallia Transalpina,
ex Tauro Candido et Communí Prisco in Germania.
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