Chapter 11 - Part VI

A thin column of sunlight peered directly through the gaps between translucent green leaves of maples and oaks.  It bounced directly off of the shiny plate of silvery steel that adorned the man Keubroc as he knelt in the warm hummus of the forest floor.

"Clearly, we do not track a lynx." his tall companion noted, looking around at broken branches and trampled brush.

"No, clearly not.  She was an Eirdred native, perhaps she'd never even seen outside the walls of the Red City before the last Minor Moon." he dipped his hand into the soil, feeling for the moisture that would have pooled in the foot print from the prior week's thunder storm.  "She went this way perhaps three or for days ago.  No longer than that.  I am sure."

"If that is so, I'm surprised she yet lives.  These forests may be tamed, but they are still forests."

"Yes, that is curious, Lord Vaughn." Agreed the man as he stood to face the Empire man.

"I'd appreciate your insight SecondSword." the bei'thal continued,  "We have zigzagged from a beeline heading due west to abrupt 120 degree angle turns to the north east, and then back again.  We've nearly avoided every village, until we made a 180 degree turn to the east right to the heart Vokdren, and since then we've gone through every village in a northwest line."

"Where exactly does this woman think she is headed?"

"Is that the correct question?"

Keubroc paused in thought.  "I see your point." he considered, "Perhaps we are giving her too little credit."

"Perhaps.  Tell me, what do you know of the alliances of former Lady Archne?  What had Augur scouts learned of over the years?"

Keubroc scrunched dull tan lips on his smoothly shaved bronze face for a second in contemplation, "She is a bit of an unknown.  From what we've gathered, she used to run some type of upscale consort service in Nogrem District for several years and that is probably how she first met the late Lord Archne.  We don't know much of her associations before that point."

"It's too bad you do not have one of us working from within the Augur." Vaughn mindlessly stroked his dark goatee struck with occasions of grey.

Keubroc pondered, "One of you?" He smiled.  "Surely Lords and Ladies of the University have better things to do than bide their time within the Augur."

"Surely they do."

"But you seem to enjoy our company enough.  So perhaps your Lordship is a bit of a misnomer.  Yet I can attest no knowledge of your calling."

"Nor would you.  We are a little secretive.  But we have ways of finding things out and using that information to prevent catastrophes such as these."

"That is an interesting concept."

"Perhaps you would be interested in learning more?"

"We have enough to do simply keeping her Wisdom's peace in the city."  With a smile, he squinted, his sandy brown eyes liquefying against the rays of the sun.  When Vaughn did not respond, he returned to the topic at hand, "It's possible that she is being helped, that there are others making tracks for her benefit.  She did not have many friends inside the city.

"Nogrem has at best an ambivalent opinion of her.  It may be her home district, but nobody of any importance knew her as anything more than entertainment.  The Tsituls have historically loathed House Archne second only to House Nogrem.  She may have had friends among the Trik. Records indicate that Horleih Trik visited the Archne estate not a minor moon ago to renegotiate bee keeping agreements on Trik farms.  Subsequent interviews indicate the old man appeared horrified and shocked at her explosive exit.  But perhaps outside the city?"

"The rural lords."

"Yes, I don't know the extent of her interactions with them.  She traveled rarely." Keubroc admitted, shaking his head.

"What ties might have the late Lord Archne had with the rural lords?" Vaughn probed further.

"Ah, that's right.  The Lot House I believe has its origin with the Archne House.  It is perhaps a 300 year old connection, but I suppose that is a connection.  Parent houses usually make a trip every other tide or so to reconnect with their daughter houses.  I don't know how well the Archne House kept up on this tradition."

"So we might be dealing with Reinfeld.  That's over a minor moon and a half away by foot.  Keubroc, head back to Vokdren to deliver a letter.  I will have Gregor head to Reinfeld to investigate Thenae Lot and his household to assess that connection.  In the meantime, I will set up camp here.  I have an idea on how to determine if these tracks are hers or if they are made to throw us off."

"As you will Lord Vaughn.  I shall return shortly." Raising his ungloved hand to his head, he touched his forehead lightly and gave the bei'thal a short nod in deference.