LEGEND OF NEVETSECNUAC
THE ASSASSINS- SECTION 7
Unarmed Brandt intrepidly faced Stark and then pointing to Duan's corpse, tersely exclaimed, "Incriminating as this may seem, it affected the desired purpose. Heretofore I had to go along, to earn his trust, knowing he would lead me to you both. And I had to make it look good during the fight so as to disarm him and gain such an opportunity to assist your Lordship, Asger Thuxur Marrog Zhon?”
On
saying this Brandt gave another
respectful, though a bit more flamboyant bow to Stark.
Svein,
taken by surprise, turned his questioning, hurtful eyes on his uncle: Asger? Asger Thuxur Marrog Zhon? Is that who you really are? If so, why have
you seen fit to keep this from me in all this time and after all we’ve been
through?
 |
| SVEIN |
Mindful of Svein's stare, Asger's cold, stanch gaze remained affixed on Brandt.
"If
my words prove to be false or misleading, my Lord, you may then consign me to
the sword, and I will not cry out of any injustice." Brandt
paused to cough lightly, clearing his throat, and then continued,
"My Lord, I would like to first declare my undying loyalty and allegiance
to our late sovereign, Zuronghan Alric Therran Valamir and his supporters. I solemnly swear on my honor and on my
ancestor’s grave, to the validity of my claim.”
In his heart of hearts Brandt hoped his father and his ancestors would
forgive him of this very necessary falsehood! As it were, it had taken all
his willpower not to have (choked) gagged on his asserted (avowed), sham
oath. His eyes did not blink staring
straight at Lord Asger’s, nor did his earnest tone waver, when he next
explained, "I had not chosen to accompany this notorious assassin by
(accident) chance, my Lord.”
He
paused and then smiled disarmingly, desiring to elicit suspense. “I was entrusted with this task and pursued
this difficult course at the urging of Lord Shonne Gulbrand, when His Lordship
had received word from the capital that proper authorities clandestinely had
enlisted this assassin Duan to track and murder, your esteemed self. Up until
then, the precursors of Duan had presented no real danger and had required no
such course of action (drastic recourse)."
Brandt’s
reference to Lord Shonne Gulbrand would have easily been dismissed by Svein,
had it not been for the slight change in Stark’s (Asger’s) coloration that
instigated (incurred) his curiosity.
Perhaps
this was unperceived or simply overlooked by Brandt who’d unceasingly continued
with his accounts, “I’d pursued Duan covertly for day and a half, until one evening
I fell into his adroit ambush. At sword
point I was forced to concoct a convincing tale, chiefly that I too, was
dispatched by the authorities, to observe and if need be, fight alongside him
for this mission’s success. Lord Shonne Gulbrand with his foresight and seeing
to every detail had fortunately furnished me with official looking forgeries.
Duan was outraged and threatened to kill me at first, but on a moment's
reflection, he stayed his sword poised to strike at my throat and asked to see
my credentials plus these so-called instructions. After brief scrutiny he was ascertained of
their authenticity and begrudgingly consented to my company. For reasons known
only to him however, he kept the documents on him, in the inner pocket of his
upper garment. If you fetch them, these false documents at least will verify
part of my story.”
Brandt had altered the truth only slightly, in fact
both Duan and he had been from the very start secretly dispatched from the
capital by Lady Lingrace. She had seen
to every possible contingency and provided Brandt with the documents. Neither Emperor nor Lord Shonne Gulbrand had
anything to do with it. Her ladyship had
insisted Brandt accompany Duan on this
task, and Duan after demanding more payment to compensate for this weak link,
had reluctantly agreed to it.
A
nod from Stark (Asger) sent Svein over to Duan’s corpse; his upper garment had
been discarded during the intense fight, some time prior to his eventual
death. After a brief search, Svein
returned with the waxed leather case and handed it over to his uncle. Svein
(Asger) kept a close eye on Brandt, as he, after removing the airtight outer
casing, briefly examined (perused) the contents of it. Somewhat satisfied, Stark
(Asger) simply tucked them away in his side-pocket.
“You may continue.” He next commanded Brandt, with still cold
indifference.
Brandt had only guessed where Duan had kept the
papers. Fortunately, they had
survived destruction from the slashes of the intense fighting earlier on.
"For
over two years, my Lord,” Brandt
pleased with the outcome, continued in earnest. “I remained undaunted by countless obstacles
and hardships that villain had put me through. He left a bloody trail behind of
unimaginable horrors. All the while, he took such perverse pleasure at my
sufferings.” He closed his eyes fleetingly then shook his head as if to purge
dreaded images from his mind.
“I
had to adapt my Lord, had to be more like him, till eventually, I gained his
confidence and thereafter I gleaned through observance or from whatever few
civil words he cast my way, some insight into his strengths and weaknesses. Do not judge me too harshly my Lord; for had
I not timely interceded, albeit in perceived treasonous manner, I'm afraid that
competent as you both are, hmm.” Brandt
hesitated for a moment, before putting it more delicately.
“Let us say, Your Lordship had not yet seen
his utmost capacity. He was only toying, biding his time till he unleashed his
worst on you both. Had he chosen to
flee…?” Brandt shook his head
dourly. “Oh, I’ve seen him (in a flash)
instantaneously disappear into thin air.
Had he done that and then descended upon your Lordship and company
later, the inexorable dire consequences would have indeed weighed heavily on my
conscience. My Lord, he could move like
the devil's wind on treetops or through earth, sand and snow leaving no tracks
to follow him by.” He looked up squarely at Asger.
"Surely
now, your lordship can understand the necessity for all my prior deceit and
alleged, dishonorable conduct."
Stark
(Asger) was not at all swayed by this remarkable performance; moreover, he
suspected Brandt of being far shrewder and wilier an adversary than he led on.
“Hmm,
the gravity of our situation (precarious existence) is further burgeoned by the
fact that these two has done the impossible; they have succeeded in where that
Usurper with all his resources and manpower has failed to do in twenty years. And why Lord Shonne Gulbrand, why pick him?” With a stone face,
Stark (Asger) inwardly pondered.
 |
| STARK |
As
it were, Lord Shonne Gulbrand, because of the scrutiny from Capital lasting
till present, for both their sakes, had remained quite out of touch with Asger
or any other existing insurgent groups.
“Yet now he would risk all, undertaking
such a perilous feat?” Stark further mused.
His
eyes piercing Brandt’s, hmm, he may or
may not have accomplices. Stark studied Brandt, while on the outset seemingly
taken in, assiduously listened to the rest of latter’s yarn.
This
close call had nevertheless, warranted caution and in order to obtain further
pertinent data, Stark (Asger) needed time to at length interrogate (grill,
probe) this albeit cunning and definitely sly adversary. Well before this undertaking, however, he
needed first to clarify a few more specifics.
"I
am inclined to believe you sir. “Stark (Asger), breaking his silence, injected
thoughtfully. "Still, what further
proof can you present to win my confidence?"
"That
has already been arranged, my Lord.” Brandt
complied respectfully and bluffed.
"After Lord Shonne Gulbrand had assisted your esteemed self's
escape, he had, with due discretion, dispensed the necessary funds and manpower
to procure the other of your twin swords before it fell into the enemy hands.”
Inwardly elated Brandt congratulated
himself, for his quick thinking and postulation (conjecture).
Lack
of any reaction, adverse or otherwise, on Asger’s part had reaffirmed Brandt’s
longstanding hypothesis. So, Lord Shonne Gulbrand
had a definite hand in Asger’s escape after all!
Outwardly,
meanwhile, Brandt maintained an even tone and continued without cessation. “His Lordship had done this, with the utmost
confidence that one day when the time was ripe; he would present it to your Lordship,
perhaps upon your next meeting.” He halted his narrative with a barely
discernible hint of a query in his tone.
No? No reaction, none?
So, there has been no contact with Lord
Shonee Gulbrand since then. Good!
With
confidence now, Brandt added. “When it became necessary to send me on this
errand however, he entrusted it to me as a means of winning your Lordship's
confidence.”
That’s highly unlikely!
Stark mused, while pretending to acquiesce.
“Please examine the sword that now lies on the
ground. I dare not make a move to
procure it, lest you’re Lordship and your respected nephew here suspects me of
a ruse." Having said this, he
looked directly at Svein with a certain glint in his eyes, a slight semblance
of a dare, as he artlessly donned an infuriating, bemused smile.
"There
is no need to examine it”, came Stark’s (Asger's) icy response.
"Svein, please be good enough to retrieve
it for me."
"Don't
trust him, Uncle.” Svein murmured a warning as he, (recovering it,) handed over
the sword.
Stark (Asger) merely grunted his concurrence
then, oblivious to the raging snowstorm, continued to interrogate Brandt
further with more penetrating questions. After a time, Asger, seemingly
satisfied with Brandt’s responses, appeared by degrees more accepting of
Brandt.
In this entire time, obliging as Brandt was
with his answers, not being as hardy (resilient) as Stark and Svein, he had gradually
succumbed to the effects of fatigue and cold.
 |
| 03 -BRANDT DUSTIN |
At
first, Brandt’s complexion progressively paled; the next instant, in
mid-sentence his face gone completely ashen, he’d faltered, swayed on his feet
and simply collapsed face down onto the ground already cushioned with thick
layer of fresh snow.
Svein darted
over to Brandt’s side. Crouching over the body, he turned Brandt over and brushed off the snow before examining Brandt’s vital signs. Brandt
was clearly unconscious, however still suspecting a ruse; he guardedly
examined Brandt’s apparent injuries. He
did have a few serious bruises, lacerations, slight frostbite in fingers and a
big bulge, sort of swelling (lump) on top of the head, underneath that mop of
hair.
“I
suppose the combat, contusion, the strain of inquiry and the elements were all
in all too much for him!” Svein with an
air of disdain concluded his findings.
Stark’s
(Asger’s) cursory examination of Brandt’s discarded stiletto (dagger) meanwhile
had revealed that the blade had predictably been laced with a rare but very
potent poison. Asger’s mind had at once recalled another such incident where
this poison had been used with equally dire consequences.
Concealing
his unease however, Stark (Asger) simply nodded; then on his directive, Svein
hauled Brandt over his back and
followed his uncle to the stables.
There,
they found a comfortable spot for Brandt
to lie, well away from the horse, where they had kept some of the (non-essential)
winter supplies. They lit a brazier and stacked it with wood to make sure it
would last out the night, then fetching the medicine and such, Asger with due
diligence tended to Brandt’s wounds, while Svein at the outside secured both
Brandt and Duan’s horses and after a cursory scrub housed them also in the
stables alongside Fiery Comet.
Stark
(Asger) had scant reaction to Svein’s subsequent news, that judging by the
obvious tracks, Duan’s corpse had already been swiftly carted away by pack of
wolves, (if not some hungry predatory beasts); therefore, negating any
necessity of a proper burial or pursuit of the remains.
~
(END
OF SECTION 7)
