They each got their own small cell, one of the rangers asked the servant to provide them with food and water. As he walked away, Nopsa immediately took the chance to start complaining.
"Really?! This is the thanks I get for saving the life of the king? And I got a dagger thrown at me, as well!"
The more sympathetic-looking of the rangers explained. "The situation is confused, and you're obviously involved. Now, you did come along calmly here, which is a point in your favor. That note of hers is another. But we have to make sure, and until we know enough, it's possible that you could be part of a more complicated plot. And speaking of daggers, we'd like you to give us all your weapons for safekeeping, please."
Janos carefully pulled out the dagger, making sure to only touch the rag wrapped around it. "Here. Thrown by the escaping assasin at poor Nopsa here."
Nopsa continued grumbling, but also gave his sling. "Make sure you don't lose those special stones! I paid a pretty penny for them."
The ranger nodded, then took their table daggers as well. "Now, I'm sorry, especially for Nopsa here," – he grinned – "but I'm going to have to ask you to not speak with each other until we've interrogated each of you. I hope it will be soon, but I can't promise anything."
"Can we get someone to defend us? We're just simple country folk!"
"This isn't a court of judgement yet. But you make a good point. You can certainly name people who might speak in your defense."
"Right! Old Will, he's a ranger, and we told him about this stuff!"
Liina spoke up. "Yes. In addition, we've brought our concerns to the attention of Baron Filippa. In this, we were helped by Ulrika, daughter of Mantlind, the landed knight St. Gosbrook. We also spoke to what turned out to be a member of the Inquisition yesterday, and he gave us that note of mine."
"Uhmm, yes, about that. The seal's here, alright, but it's not signed?"
"We're sorry. We met him in the cathedral library, and thought him a librarian first. He seemed a bit absent-minded at times."
"Well, I guess we can ask from the scribes – or the servant of the inquisition here – about the hand-writing. Someone should recognize it."
"Hey, he told that he'd talk to his bretheren! That would mean the other inquisitors, right?" With the servant returning, Nopsa lowered his voice while rolling his eyes. "If he remembered…"
Liina continued. "And, of course, Katrin, wool merchant of Kassburg, brought us here from Wortbank, with his assistant Elmar. She had arranged lodgings for us during the coronation at the Longtree warehouse in the Trade district."
"Well, that should be enough to go on for now, if there's no one else?"
The three of them looked at each other, then shook their heads. He nodded then turned to the servant. "Bring some blankets for them, will you. I don't suspect they'll be here for long, but after the stress of the recent excitement leaves them, they might need those. And for you three, in case it matters, I'm Keiho."
Keiho divided the bread and cheese brought by the servant in three and gave each a portion, then had them drink their fill and gave each a full mug of water besides, then made sure their cells weren't too uncomfortable. The one lantern they had he hung in the middle of the hallway between the two cells for Liina and Nopsa, then cursed for not asking the servant to bring another one, but Janos reassured him that he'd be fine even if it was darker for him. As the servant returned with blankets, Keiho actually apologized for the situation – mostly to Nopsa – and then left them to wait, suggesting they try to get some rest. After having eaten his food, Nopsa decided to test his luck by asking Liina how long she thought they'd be here. She didn't respond right away, which was for the best, as their gaoler soon appeared and reminded that they were to stay silent. He snorted, gathered the blanket around him and took a nap.
Unfortunately, by the time he got up, they still hadn't been released. He began to amuse himself by building a small tower by leaning bits of straw against each other, but was soon interrupted as the servant came by and informed them that they had their a visitor. It was the inquisitor from yesterday, looking in their cells, and with a few small books as well.
"Here. Something to do to pass the time."
"Uhh, thanks, I guess, though this is more Liina's thing. You think the servant could bring more straw instead?"
"You do know how to read, don't you?"
"Wee-ll, yes, sort of. I mean, I know the basic words, but I have to speak out loud the letters for the longer ones. And books often have difficult words."
His face fell. "Oh. Well, maybe it would be a good use of your time to learn now? Unless your other friend – oh, it's probably too dark for him."
"You know what? Sure, give me the easier one. Might as well practice my reading. They'll probably want me to sign something soon anyway."
Liina had come up to her cell door, taking the other book. "Thank you. Now, you can testify to whoever is running the investigation that you've seen us, both now and previously?"
"Well, yes, though they seem to mostly just be running. As in back and forth. Heh, sorry, I'm not that good at lightening the mood, am I? I'll try to make sure they remember you, but I fear me that they have more important things to do, deciding whether to go on with the coronation as planned."
"Ah, yes, I suppose we aren't at the top of the list for anyone. Are there any news you can tell us?"
"Rumour often grows like a vine at times like these, twisting and turning in all ways. That is, I wouldn't trust any of this for sure, but there at least was a bit of rioting in the main square, and almost certainly some dead. The king-to-be is fine. Otherwise, there is a lot of talk of assassins, but details vary wildly."
"Well, I suppose that will have to do for now."
"Yes, patience. Always good to cultivate it. Now, I'll have to leave. I have to present some quick notes on emergency procedures concerning certain rituals regarding the royalty."
Nopsa looked up. "Umm, since you've now seen us, could you ask the servant to bring us something… or you know, could I maybe sing or at least whistle? I'm getting a bit bored."
"I guess that's fine. And I'll ask him to bring another lantern for your friend."
Somewhere above ground, the Sun traversed the sky, providing Samuela's warmth upon the people. In the cells, Nopsa stretched the limits of his inventiveness, even calling the gaoler to bring back the book he'd given to Janos to read – Liina seemed happy enough with hers. A few times, excitement was provided with a new person being brought in by the church guards. They weren't anyone Nopsa, Liina or Janos could recognize, though, and the newcomers quickly subsided to silence once put into a cell further down the row. They got some stew with beans and vegetables, and Nopsa cursed out when he realized that he was missing the feasts, until Liina reminded him that those were almost certainly on hold as well. Napping provided some relief at times, but he wasn't all that tired. Finally, a man with a slight limp approached, and Nopsa recognized old Will. He greeted Nopsa and Janos, told them not to worry, and then took Liina away for an interrogation. That, too, took so long that Nopsa's imagination had invented dozens of stories of what might have happened, most absurd enough that Liina or Janos could have easily punctured them with a single sentence. When she finally came back, looking a bit tired, Will took pity on Nopsa and allowed him to go next. They went into a simple room with manacles on the wall and a slightly uncomfortable smell, but Nopsa got to sit at a table with old Will on the other side and a scribe at the end. What followed was a fair bit different from the earlier friendly chat – Will went through everything that had happened since they left Wortbank, though more quickly with the trip than what they had seen in the city. He sometimes asked the same things again in a slightly different way, wanted clarifications and continued with follow-up questions that didn't seem to make sense, asked about things that Liina or Janos had done, or what they'd said about something. Nopsa got irritated and snapped a few times, but Will just shrugged and continued. The scribe said very little, only asking for clarifications on what parts to record. When they finally got to the end, Nopsa tried to get Will to answer a few questions, but he mostly evaded, only saying that the worst part should be over soon. When Nopsa got back to his cell, he immediately went to sleep, only waking when the gaoler came to open the door. Liina was already waiting for him, ready to answer his qustions as they started walking out, following a novice that had been tasked with guiding them.
"Hey, where's Janos? And where are we going?"
"The answer to both of those is that we're going to be spending the night in the dormitories here, and Janos is going back to Longtree to inform them of this and get some of our things."
"Oh. Well, I'm fine with that, I guess. I was just hoping I'd get to see and hear what happened."
"Well, now… I guess that's allowable, from what I understood. The bigger challenge is, you're not supposed to tell what you did. Not yet, at least. Well, the same applies to me and Janos as well, but it's less of a problem for us. Keep quiet about all the … secretive things we saw, as well as what we did, until they've had time to investigate and catch the people we saw."
"Ah, crap, I figured it would be something like that."
"Language. Anyway, Janos will be with you, and he can nudge you or kick you under the table if you're getting too specific with your stories."
"Well, can I tell about our trip to Kalaun? Or what we saw at the tourney grounds?"
"I can't really say for sure. Of the trip, I'd say yes. At least most of it. We'll should get to talk with someone before we go to sleep, maybe they can tell you."
"I don't feel sleepy at all. I feel like I could celebrate all night!"
"Well, no chance of that now. I heard most of the festivities have been moved to tomorrow."
Their guide nodded.
"See? Sorry, Nopsa, but with an actual assassination attempt against the king on the day of the coronation, things change."
"The king? He's fine?"
"Oh yes, crowned and everything. Even made a short speech, though I'm guessing not the one that was planned."
Their guide spoke up. "Apparently, it was rather stilted, not really all that recitable to neighbours or relatives, but it went over well enough in the event. He did seem genuinely sad over the half a dozen dead and many dozens hurt."
Nopsa was shocked.
"What?! That many?"
"Oh, yes. Though many of the injuries happened when the crowd panicked. Still, an evil omen for the beginning of his reign, all around."
Liina nodded. "Well, at least that's not our problem. We just have to figure what we're going to do – or allowed to do – in the coming days."
As they arrived at the common room of the dormitories, Nopsa could smell freshly baked goods, better than anything that would've been available at the warehouse. And no chores! He'd have to take joy in the little things, at least until he could freely tell his stories again.
Janos appeared in a little while, bringing some clothes and other personal belongings. They were shown their bunks, right next to the door, with Liina having her own on the women's side. She decided to take the opprtunity of using the baths, so Nopsa and Janos got to eating some dinner and talking with the novices between the two of them. As had been predicted, the rumours were swirling thick, and some curiosity was directed at the pair staying with the novices for the night. Janos was able to ward questions off pretty easily, though, telling the novices that the three of them had indeed been present in the main square while the attack happened, but also couldn't say more, on the account of both a Royal Ranger and an Inquisitor forbidding it. After Nopsa clearly establishing himself as a country boy with his eager stories from home or the trip to Kalaun, the discussion quickly moved to speculation of what was going on, as well as descriptions of the rituals held in the cathedral for the king before his coronation. Nopsa mostly listened, having a bit of a hard time understanding the complexity of the thought paths and processes the novices were talking about. He was roused from his stupor when a priest, dressed in surprisingly practical clothes, entered the room and stopped the theoretical ponderings. As everyone else rose up to greet her, he noticed that she was walking straight towards him an Janos. He heard the whispers of "inquisitor", quickly stood up as well and walked up to greet her.
"Hmm, Nopsa and Janos, I assume. Where is Liina?"
The brusque manner was more in line with what Nopsa had heard of inquisitors.
"Ah, she went to bathe, since we weren't warned that you'd be coming." He looked around at the novices. "Someone can probably go fetch her?"
"Yes, do that. Well, don't overly rush her. I can have a bite to eat while I wait, and my companion hasn't arrived yet either."
She went over to the opening to the kitchen and grabbed some food, then took the nearest table and waved Nopsa and Janos over. The novices, seeing that she didn't forbid it, also quickly moved themselves to sit around the nearby tables.
"You two – and the rest of you lot as well – probably want to know what's going on."
There were nods and murmuring agreements all around.
"Well, I have a bit more to your three guests here, and what I'm saying next should also be kept within the church until the castle has made it's announcements, you understand?"
Again, the murmuring and nodding.
The inquisitor put some force in her voice. "By the Seven?"
In a chorus, the novices agreed. "By the Seven."
"Good, right." She began speaking, taking a bite or gulp of water in between every now and then. "So, there was indeed an assassination attempt on the king while he was making his way here this morning. There was a pair of assassins, southerners, with one having been caught, badly injured, and the other still at large, though believed to be trying to escape. They also had an exotic weapon, a strange cross between a ballista and a sling, from what I understand. On those topics, I can't say more, since the Rangers are handling that side." She paused, took a few more bites, drank some water, and continued.
"More important for the church, the missiles for that weapon seemed to have been infused with some sort of diabolic power, as they pierced with concerning ease a shield called forth to protect the king, and the poison they contained could not be easily cured. Because of this and other evidence, we have reason to believe that there is a powerful cultist working within the city, possibly with some of the higher nobility, and also against the king. Thus, if you hear of things supporting this, please go to one of the inquisitionary assistants and tell them. We'll determine how to work on from there."
Another pause, letting her eat a bit more, looking around if there were any questions. "Now, there will be a lot questions from the laity regarding these events in the coming days. Those of you further along in your studies should have been taught the protocol in these situations, so you can ask them for advice for now. Prepare to wake up early tomorrow, for there will be a quick lesson on the topic in the morning, before the cathedral opens to the public again."
She turned to Nopsa and Janos. "Now, you two. Tell me a little about yourself while your friend gets here."
This talk was actually easier than the interrogation by Will. The inquisitor introduced herself as Vilja, and mostly asked about their life in Wortbank and the trip to Kalaun. Janos was a bit more guarded, seeing barbs in some of the questions, but Nopsa quickly settled into his usual babbling. When Liina appeared in a little while, her hair wet but otherwise looking quite happy, Vilja had finished her meal and asked them to join her in a private study nearby. Nopsa and Janos were ready to comply immediately, but Liina took a bit of food for herself before joining the others.
In the study, Vilja looked over them a second time, then pulled out a large linen cloth, the finest weave any of them had ever seen, stitched with many circles, triangles and stranger figures, in different threads and a multitude of colors. Liina gasped – she recognized it as one of the safer divination methods, but still, the descriptions she'd read had been couched with warnings about divination in general. Vilja noted her reaction.
"If you think about the word inquisitor… I'm being inquisitive. And I've learned to use this over the years reasonably well." As Liina puzzled about the the small runes, Vilja took out a few small bags, measuring a small amount of different seeds into a tiny earthenware cup, then looked at Nopsa.
"We'll start with you. Invoke the god of your choice, then sprinkle these from your hand on to the cloth." She formed a cup in one of her hands, motioned for Nopsa to do the same, then poured the seeds into his hand. To the surprise of no one, he invoked Ripats, then Vilja began looking at where the different seeds had dropped. She repeated the process for Janos, keeping her full concentration even as Keiho entered the room. After she was finished, she greeted him.
"Oh, hello. I've one more to do, then we can talk. Grab yourself something to eat in the meanwhile."
By now, Liina had finished her meal, so she was able follow the divination more closely for herself than for the other two. She had a moment's hesitation, but in the end invoked Samuela. With Nopsa and Janos, she hadn't felt much anything, but now it seemed as if she was some stringed instrument, and Vilja was feeling her strings, not plucking them as such, merely trying to test them out for the sounds they might make.
"Stop that. You need to relax for this to work properly. I was told you've learned some of the holy meditations, so tell Samuela of your problems."
Liina was taken aback. Vilja could notice that she was having a vision of sorts? Still, she tried her best, and Vilja was soon done. With Keiho returned, Vilja quickly took him outside for a chat, then they returned a some moments later. She began with the explanations.
"Now, you three, what shall we do with you? As it looks right now, you three are heroes, but… as often is the case, politics are interfering. Keiho?"
"Indeed. Many of my companions are right now on an intense chase, trying to ferret out who the people you saw were. Nopsa seems certain that the baron Burkhart is one, and he's certainly not acting in a way that would lessen our suspicions. The others… most knights of the royal court have learned to act more carefully and put up a good face, so that's keeping Vilja's fellows in the Silk busy. We rangers don't have much capability there. Vilja, what's your assessment of Liina's powers?"
"Oh, she's due a novicehood at the cathedral, alright, at the very least. I can't be sure, but I think her powers seem to work best when those working against the Seven are actively doing something."
Vilja stammered. "A… novice? Just like that?"
"Oh, you'll have much reading and other learning to do, but it seems like that won't be much of a problem for you. Where you'll end up, I can't say for sure, but at the minimum… I'm guessing there would be many an inquisitor wanting to take you along, to spy on purpoted cultists. Though, if your power can be trained and refined, you might have the makings of an inquisitor yourself."
"What?!"
Keiho interrupted. "Sorry to be rough here, but that's in the future. What we need right now is some way to identify those conspirators, and as I understand it, you didn't hear them speak, nor did you see any faces. And only the last one you saw caused the vision, right?"
"Yes. Except for the assassin working that strange bow."
"Turns out he had some … unsavoury spiritual assistance as well, so your visions are consistent there, at least." He sighed. "So, then to Janos. You heard them, but distorted."
"Yes."
"But you were able to recognize Burkhart, maybe because you'd heard him talk earlier?"
"That's my guess, yes."
"So, if we can reverse that, and get some of our suspects talking so you can hear them – in secret, of course – you might be able to recognize them as well?"
"Some of them. The leader, Glove, most likely. A few of the others, maybe. I can't promise anything."
"Neither can Liina, but we'd like to have her secretly spying while you're listening. Maybe ferret out those one or two, if we could. It would help a lot."
Nopsa sighed. "And I've got nothing I can help with. I knew I should've insisted on getting to the roof with you."
Keiho looked serious, almost insulted. "You helped plenty enough already. You almost certainly saved the king's life. It's not exactly in our usual duties, but it is in the vows, so in a way, you bested every Royal Ranger in the main plaza. And that number is more than the fingers on one hand."
Nopsa looked stunned, then Keiho continued with a grin. "Still, don't think we're angry at you. You had the opportunity, you took it, everything ended well enough. We in the rangers are trained to look at the end results and not become overly prideful of our own worth. When you get as capable as we do, it's good to be humbled every now and then, have a country boy do what you couldn't. Just don't ever go boasting about this to the King's Guard. Which brings us to the main point of this talk…"
Vilja continued. "We can, and would like, to keep you here until you're leaving back towards Wortbank with Katrin. Say you were trampled or something. It's an unfortunate lie, but it might be necessary. You see, if there were multiple liege lords involved in this, as seems likely, that's a lot of powerful enemies. As long as that cultist leader is out there, he might try to scry you out as well in some fashion, and even if he's on the run, if he can contact his allies in the nobility, they almost certainly would want revenge on you."
Liina looked grim. "Remember, Nopsa, I counseled for care? This was why."
"Dang, they never talk about the noble's petty revenges after the hero saves the princess or vanquishes the evil wizard. If this goes on, I might soon swear off stories!"
Liina looked sympathetic. "Well, let's hope it doesn't get that bad." She turned back to Vilja and Keiho. "So, you want us to spy on some nobles, either here or possibly in the castle, for the next few days. Then, we return to Katrin, the temple finally having had time to heal our wounds, and leave before anyone in the city can identify us, and especially Nopsa, as the the people responsible for stopping the assassin?"
Janos spoke up. "Interfering with his first shot. I'm pretty sure it was a ranger that incapacitated him with that impossible arrow from the castle."
Keiho grinned. "Yes, we're hoping we can make that the main part of the story." He looked at Nopsa. "If you really want to take the glory, we won't stop you. It just that you don't have nearly the protections that we do."
"I hate to say it, but you're probably right. And I don't really want to join the rangers either, like Janos here, even if it means a better chance at heroics."
"Well, maybe we can work something out. I'm pretty sure the king does want to reward you, just in a more … covert way. We can probably arrange him giving you a medal, in a small private ceremony a year or two from now, when we've exposed what nobles we can."
"That sounds like a long time off, but maybe it's worth the wait."
"And in the meanwhile, how about a trusted servant position with baron Filippa? She and Ulrika both know you've played some part in this, so we probably have to tell them soon. Ulrika can first give you some training, then you get a place in Filippa's court. A natural enough rise in position, and, well, how far you get will depend on your own talents."
Liina snorted. "That's a lot more long-term planning than Nopsa usually manages. Still, maybe the prize will make him grow up a little, or at least teach how to give off the appearance." She grinned at him to soften her words.
Vilja brought things back to track. "So, you know understand the stakes? There are many in high places, both nobles and clergy, who are in debt to you for keeping the order. At the same time, we don't have a clean sweep of the conspirators and cultists, so we don't dare reward you publicly. Liina has a place in the clergy, Janos seems ready to try to succeed among the rangers, and Nopsa will be given a chance to advance his estate in his local court. I hope those will be enough for you. And, of course, you have already made many valuable contacts."
Liina sighed. "I still don't know if the clergy is right for me. Maybe I'd be more fulfilled just as a scribe."
"You may begin on that path if you feel like it. It's not uncommon for the mightiest of priests to start as the ones most doubting."
Nopsa grinned. At least he could blaze his own path.