The Kinstrife
Part
45
In
which Aradan accuses Ragnor
of conspiring with Giladan; Aerin
and Brand exhume Boron; Halbarad explains the
practicalities of arresting known criminals; we interview Hwiniel,
who agrees to give information in return for joining the Cor
Aran; Hwiniel gives us five names, one of which is Ioreth.
I take
counsel with Brand, Aerin, Misternil
and Ilviren: I think we must take Hwiniel
but it’s not safe for Ilviren to re-enter the Blind
Voyager, though she’s willing to do so. Instead Misternil
is volunteered for the job of finding its hidden exit. Meanwhile I must talk to
Aradan. Brand suggests exhuming Boron’s body to
confirm whether he was killed by sorcerous ritual and
I ask Aerin to liaise with the Watch over this.
Aradan
keeps Brand and I waiting for a quarter hour while he completes a prior
audience. Neither Brand nor I recognise the man when he leaves but we find Aradan in poor temper so whatever that man had to say can’t
have been good news.
I explain
our suspicions regarding Hwiniel and Aradan demands her immediate arrest. He believes Halbarad knows her residence and is itching for a chance to
move against her. (This doesn’t sound quite like the Halbarad
I know but then Aradan has known the captain of the
cavalry far longer than I.)
Reluctantly
I turn to the subject of my appointment, at which Aradan
demands if I’ve spoken to Giladan. I tell him the truth, that I exchanged no more than a couple of sentences
after Aradan left his father’s bedchamber yesterday.
Then Aradan and I have a conversation regarding conspiracies but
it becomes apparent that while I’m talking about the sorcerous
conspiracy that has struck down his father, he believes Giladan and I to be conspiring
against him with the King.
He abruptly
declares the audience closed, observing darkly that it would be ‘very convenient’
for Dor-en-Ernil to fall in to the hands of the King.
As I withdraw, I reply that while it may be true, I do not believe the King is
implicated in the sorcerous attack on his father, but
I’m sure Aradan isn’t listening.
Aerin
and Brand cajole two workmen in to exhuming Boron while I talk to Halbarad. As I suspected, Halbarad
is not exactly straining at the leash. He’s confident that he could arrest Hwiniel (with her co-operation), but he’s equally confident
that some very influential people would intervene on her behalf as soon as she
faced any serious charges. Halbarad suggests the best
option might be simply to talk to Hwiniel and ask her
about her involvement openly.
Brand and Aerin return from the exhumation. Brand looks a little pale
but he perceived the same emanations he got from Maeglin’s
wife, confirming our suspicions. Aerin confirms that
Boron’s throat was cut but it’s not clear exactly how.
So we have
another discussion regarding Hwiniel. My plan is to
have Halbarad arrest her at home and have Ilviren’s
men capture her from Halbarad’s and sail out to sea; then
have a castle torturer put her to the question before consigning her to the
deeps. The ‘So Much For Subtlety’ wouldn’t be able to
put in to Lond-Ernil for some time but I suspect Ilviren
and Rastorin could live with that.
However, it
would be difficult to keep my own involvement out of local gossip and Halbarad reveals that Hwiniel has
supporters even in Pelargir – in fact she’s rumoured to work for the Straight
Man! Ergo para-legal operations against her could
incur severe repercussions.
This
changes things quite a bit; I had thought Hwiniel to
be just a twopenny criminal. Mulling things over, it
seems Halbarad’s advice is the best after all and Ilviren reminds me that she still has a coin with the mark
of the Straight Man to serve as an ice-breaker.
So we pay a
visit to Hwiniel’s residence. Her door is answered by
someone rather heavier build than a doorman really needs to be in a reputable
house and he’s perhaps lacking in civility but we are shown in to Hwiniel’s parlour where Ilviren
tosses her the coin and I remark that we have a mutual acquaintance.
Hwiniel
proves surprisingly forthcoming; showing an insolent confidence that she’s
reasonably immune to formal legal process. She admits to recruiting Boron but
claims not have been personally involved with his actual death. I get a very
distant feeling that in some way she would like to distance herself from that
crime – perhaps she didn’t realise that Boron’s death would herald the sorcerous attack on Prince Adrazôr until too late?
So it seems
she’s willing to give us names – for a price. That price is her appointment as
head of the local Cor Aran! Well I suppose I must
applaud her ambition; I’m not sure there’s even a Cor
Aran in Lond-Ernil, though I wouldn’t be surprised. It seems she’s eager to
open a lot of other people’s letters.
However, it
occurs to me that a letter to Bauglir could get her
recruited and then she could form her own cell. I advise her that I am willing to
send such a letter. She returns that that’s not exactly what she asked for but
she’d be willing to accept that if I can also get her a letter signed by Aradan and Giladan guaranteeing
her immunity to prosecution regarding involvement in Prince Adrazôr’s
affliction. I point out that Aradan and Giladan are unlikely to put their names to the same piece
of paper but she’ll be happy with separate letters.
I think it
quite possible that Giladan could draft a form of
words agreeable to both him and Hwiniel but privately
I’m far from confident I can get Aradan to put his
name to anything like this; however we can but try – and scrub ourselves raw in
a hot bath after.
But,
recognising we have nothing from Hwiniel to show for
our pains, I ask her for something to show faith. She writes down five names,
saying these are all members of ‘the other organisation’. I recognise only the
first, Ioreth.
We take our
leave and I brace myself for another interview with Aradan.
How do we crack his paranoia? I think if he accuses me of conspiring with Giladan again I must challenge him to a duel of honour.
To do list:
Find and
interview Vorondil and Arthradur
Talk to Aradan – ask him for letter of immunity for Hwiniel and permission to approach his brother
Talk to Giladan – ask him for letter of immunity for Hwiniel
Write
letter to Bauglir advising him that the Cor Aran have a potential recruit in Hwiniel
Establish
what is to be done about Morthond – it can’t keep the Royal army out long
without strong political leadership
Survey my
estates and produce a plan to improve them
Ensure
Brand looks for the 5fth part of the Key of Fuinur’s Well
Who was Tevildo from the Benish Armon tomb in the Ethir Anduin?
Inquire
after Perhaladin – might be a cult for Ragnor