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Tranquil Waters: The Lead Crown Ch 8.4, A Dozen Tails Told

Aodhan was not particularly surprised that more than half of his traveling companions refused to take part in opposing the church in an attempt to save the Sisters Divine but it didn't lessen the sting. At least Sir Umberto resolved to aid them; there was some comfort in knowing that he had the support of someone who knew his way around a fight since there was little chance that they would be able to get out unopposed. Regardless, the Wolf ardently hoped it would not come to that.

Tobias Severna was a bit of a surprise; Aodhan had honestly expected him to join the rest of the traveling caravan in seeking out the Princess but the Prong Horn was good to his word and reaffirmed that he was dedicated to aiding them in rescuing the Sisters Divine. True, the scholar was no warrior and most of his knowledge was devoted to the study of nature, but an extra pair of eyes and a pair of astute ears would assuredly come in useful.

Despite electing to part ways, Lady Arnswold gifted them continued use of the carriage. Aodhan promised to return it to her, or else he would leave it on the outskirts of Cathedral Square if they failed. Sister Aurelie wasn't particularly pleased about his promise of 'if' because the Cat had no intention of failing... but the Wolf was unwilling to plan for no chance of failure... the chances of that, sadly, were very real indeed.

Friar Arlowe and his son Cruffington had also elected to aid them, which was a great relief since they had began their grand adventure together in the church and it seemed somehow poetic that it would come to its conclusion in the same way. Weeks had passed, lives had been lost, and realizations had been brought to light but, in the end it was coming full circle. The wolf greatly hoped that it would close for the better.

Rounding out their group, and perhaps the most important of all was the enigmatic Sada de'Ahm. It was the Otter woman that brought them through the back streets and dark alleys near the Church grounds after they exited the carriage. She was the one who guided them through a section of weak cobblestone wall where the loose stones were stacked together so as to hide the fact that a hole had indeed been created for passage. Thankfully there were no particularly huge men in the group, though Umbrto, as the largest still needed aid in squeezing through.

Once inside, Friar Arlowe spoke up, apparently recognizing the area immediately. "We are in the herb garden."

Sister Aurelie acknowledged his assessment. "On the northern side... but all this has done is seen us past the main gate."

Sada frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. "This is the first step. You didn't think it would be THAT easy, did you? Still, even that much deserves SOME gratitude, don't you think?"

Aodhan stepped between his Eyara and the Otter. "Yes, Ms. de'Ahm, thank you. This is further without detection than we would have come alone... but Sister Aurelie is correct... we've only barely just begun."

Sada nodded at that and moved over to a carefully kept, neatly trimmed hedgerow that came up to roughly waist-height. "And in that we can ALL agree... this IS only just the beginning."

After speaking, the Otter moved to the fourth-from-the-right bush and knelt down to tug at the wooden frame into which it had been planted. With seemingly no effort at all the frame and the dirt inside it pitched up and backward as if on a hinge, revealing a metal grate beneath it. "Rather than close up the drainage tunnels beneath the garden they just covered up the grates... several of the grounds keepers built the hinges into the frames in case the tunnels ever needed to be serviced. Other then them not many people know about it."

Tobias nodded, absently rubbing at the plaster-like bandage on one of his horns. "Convenient for laborers and rescuers alike."

The Prong Horn spoke the words in a matter-of-fact way that belied the humor in them. It helped to break the tension but everyone had wits enough about themselves to avoid laughing, and the discussion continued at a whisper. The Otter went first. "The priest of my order who saved me told me about the tunnels years ago. I continued learning what I could about them over the years but I never really saw them or used them until Brother Jessen asked us for help in saving his brother from the Church's influence."

Sir Umberto's fur puffed up at that. "What do you mean 'saving him from the Church's influence', exactly?"

Sada spoke up from below as she descended. "They had been wards of the Church. Brother Jessen became a Templar after he came of age. Once he learned about all of the dark things going on behind the walls he wanted to escape and free his brother too."

Following down after the Otter, Tobias was the polite gentleman in continuing the discussion in a slightly less combative direction. "Oh? So did his brother join everyone back at your place of worship afterwards?"

Although Aodhan could not see her, he was left with the impression that Sada shook her head. The thought was reinforced by her next words. "No. Brother Jessen sent him to Graddin so he wouldn't be at risk like the rest of our order had been. The Church has no love for the faithless, but even less so for those with a different view of what faith should be."

Aodhan aided Sister Aurelie into the hole and followed down the ladder immediately thereafter. Sir Umberto came after him, speaking his mind, albeit in a low voice. "The Church is not evil, and if their wards find God and take into His service all the better. I can't understand why a Templar would not wish that life for his brother."

Sada echoed up from below in a rather terse reply. "The Church here may not be the same as what you've experienced in the past."

Almost at the bottom, Aodhan paused when the sound of flint and steel striking together heralded the faint flicker of a torch coming to life. Everyone was gathering up around Sada, who had given them each two torches so she could light them. The rest of the party quickly gathered up and took their own light source. A few more moments passed as the Otter woman gained her sense of direction and then pointed toward the Wolf's right. "This way."

Surrounded on all sides by worked stone, the group proceeded quietly. The ground was damp, but little more than hard mud; Aodhan was particularly pleased that they were traversing it during the dryer part of the year as he could only have imagined what it would have been like during the rains. As the party traveled deeper and deeper down the tunnels, the Wolf came to realize that the walls had shifted from hewn stone to cobblestone blocks. He ventured his assumption in a quiet whisper. "We must be getting closer."

The sound of his voice carried down the tunnel and Sada paused long enough to look back at him, her face illuminated in the torchlight as she brought a finger to the end of her muzzle and issued forth a reprimanding "Shh!"

The Wolf remained near the front of the group as the proceeded walking arm-in-arm with his Eyara. Sister Aurelie hadn't said a word since descending into the tunnels but he could only imagine what was going on in the Cat's mind. The darkness was absolute save for their torches and the only sounds to meet their ears was the returning echoes of those sounds they made themselves and the ever-pervasive drip-drip-drip of water in some far off corner of the underground.

Behind Aodhan Cruff exchanged some muted words with Friar Arlowe; the only ones that reached the Wolf's ears was some indication that the younger Raccoon Dog had apparently made an assumption as to where they were. "...under the prayer room right about now."

If Friar Arlowe had any guesses he didn't bother giving a voice to it.

And so their travel continued for more minutes than Aodhan bothered counting. He slowed at one point, coming to a stop to do a quick check over everyone and make sure the party was still together. It was during that time when several gasps from those ahead of him caught the Wolf's attention. It was Sister Aurelie's murmur of disbelief and horror that worried him the most. "What could have done this?"

Aodhan moved up to join the Cat and saw that their illumination had met with at a large wall made of worked stone brick. There was a massive fissure in the retaining wall and it was to the break that all eyes were focused. The sound of dripping was not water after all, but a constant dribbling of rancid blood leaking from the torn stone. Beyond the break was a veritable sea of bodies in various stages of death and decomposition-- not a one of them seemed to have died peacefully.

Umberto's question was demanding, but thankfully still hushed. "What in God's name?"

Sada's humor was certainly barbed. "All of this, apparently."