Elias had spotted the glint of the golden pin on the man's tunic, reflecting off the fire's glow, and felt an answer swirling somewhere deep within his brain. The dirty raggedness of this outsider stood in direct contradiction to the singular decor.
When had he come in here? Elias had not seen a single person of his look enter the town while he was at his post. It must have been when Noah had taken his position. But why would he have let some wanderer like this beyond the gate at such a time when he had already told the boy to be cautious.
The questions melted around in his mind, driving him to keep listening to the man's tale. It all came together when mention of the farm came about. What first started as a sadness, boiled over into rage as the story continued.
An absurd claim of creatures stalking the countryside, causing him to lose his horse without any proof of personal history. Forcing us to all take him at his word. The fools he had gathered around him might have fallen right into the story. Humphrey and his friends. Of course they would fall for such a thing. They would gladly let any vagabond pass our gates if they told them they were pretty enough. Not Elias. And the golden pin was all he needed to prove it.
It took all his might to resist bounding over the fire and seizing the filthy man right then and there. To bring club to skull. But he knew that this was not the place for it. He needed to wait, and watch for where he would go next. To be around fellows he could more trust. And, when Humphrey offered the man some coin for a mule at the East gate, Elias knew he had him. The guard made his payment for the meal, and left.
Too soon. Simply too eager. By the time he had made it out the door and spotted the man a few yards down the street, he had looked back at Elias, and the two made eye contact. 'Damn,' he thought, 'he knew I was watching him. He knew the whole time. But I can't make a scene now.' Elias noted the cobble stone streets coming to life with vendors and buyers. Soon the gates would both be open, and he would lose the man entirely.
He hung back fifty yards, never taking his eyes off the outsider, always staying behind two or more people, always off a bit into the man's blind spot. But he knew. He knew that he was just as much aware of his pursuer as Elias was of his prey. The man knew that if he ran now, he would look suspicious to all about, and would give Elias full reason to stop him. And so they played their game of pretending not to notice each other.
"Morning Elias. How goes the world?"
An older woman carrying a bundle of wool slung over her back took the chance to remove one hand from its strap to wave at the man. Elias halted, glanced between his prey and the woman then sidestepped towards her, keeping the man ever in his view. He spoke in a low tone.
"Avice, I need you to go find Joseph. He should be patrolling the town market at this time. Tell him that Elias needs his help apprehending a criminal at the East gate's stables. Hurry, go."
Before she gave any type of response, he stepped around her, and continued his trailing. Avice turned to ask him a question, but the street had evolved into a current of people marching their way to business. So, seeing that Elias had been swallowed by the residents, she joined them continuing on her way.
Find Joseph indeed. She thought with a huff. Who does that man think he is bossing her around? But her feet carried her in his direction all while she complained.
Giles chatted with the stable's owner. A kind man with curly black hair, several years his senior, but about a foot shorter. Seeing that Giles was an outsider, and had clearly been through some sort of ordeal, he agreed to send him and the mule to the next town for only three copper pieces.
He took Giles over to the stalls where three horses munched away at their straw. At the end was a brightly coated fat mule. A lazy type of look was in her eye. She had already consumed her portion of the food, and now took chunks away from the nearby stallmate.
"Don't worry about how old Mabel 'll get ya there. Trained her myself on where to go. She probably knows more paths around this country than most locals, ha."
He gave her a loving pat on the neck, before turning back around to Giles.
When he did, Giles noticed his eyes glancing past himself before meeting his gaze. It only lasted a moment, but he glimpsed a note of concern in the man's brow, before settling into understanding, then back to his normal joyful smile.
"Well then, let's see. You would be leaving the east gate so the nearest inn would be The Carp's Tail. About a half a day's march from here on foot. Lucky for you you got Mabel here."
He gave her neck another pat. Giles had not been fooled. The hairs on his neck had prickled up at the man's shift in manner, and his senses went to work, noting the sly footsteps creeping up behind.
Had he been up against any other man in town, Giles might have succeeded in his plan to swing around fist shooting out to strike the assailant. Instead, he felt his forearm smack into the other's own as he blocked the strike. The contact sent a shooting pain through his bones, and repulsed him a step backwards. His opponent remained unfazed.
"Why are you following me?" Giles looked the man up and down, noting his confident stance and sharp eyes. His arm felt as though it might go limp at any moment. "You think I haven't noticed? Leave, before I call the guards."
The stable owner stepped outside the overhanging roof, and away from the two men.
"Elias, what is going on? Who is this man?" Giles moved back a step, glancing over his opponent's attire, for the first time noting its uniformity. Same as that boy at the gate. Only, much more worn.
"Look, I want no trouble here. I just mean to be on my way." He took another step back. "I have committed no wrong here, to you or anyone else." The other man made no move to come after Giles as he backed away, and only nodded towards his tunic.
"That pin says otherwise, boy."
It caught Giles in a moment of contemplation on what his next move might be. Should he run, or fight, or even try talking his way out? So, when the mention of a pin upon his clothing was made mention, he instinctively looked to his upper chest. His undoing.
Out came the club, cracking hard against his leading leg's knee. Just as he readied to scream out his agony, something else struck him from behind and he went sprawling forward, face smashing into the dirt in front of the stalls. Then something was on top of him, grasping at his arms, working to pin him.
"Well done, Joseph." Came the man's voice. Giles struggled for a moment, but stopped once his face had twisted free enough to see the man looming over him, club at the ready.
Giles was lifted to his feet. Apparently, the same awareness of someone sneaking up behind him had not been as sharp as he had thought. A younger man, perhaps his own age, and much stronger and larger than the stable owner, bound his arms behind him with rope. This Joseph, whom Giles had thoroughly forgotten meeting in the tavern, then held his prisoner's shoulder in an iron grip, and looked between him and the other man.
"What's all this Elias? Who is this man?"
"Take him to the cells. Keep him there until I return to you." Was Elias's only response. It was all Joseph needed. With noticeable force, Giles found himself being led away, back the direction he had come. Back to the West, up the river's current.
Once the two were gone, Elias flexed his left arm. He could already feel the bruise forming beneath his sleeve, and wondered if anything had been broken. He sat down on a nearby fence post, nursing his limb. The stable master came over.
"What was that all about, Elias? Who was that boy?" Elias did not look up at him, but only stared ahead.
"Wasn't no boy Aengus. Only a man. And a killer at that." Elias stood. "Sorry for the trouble so early in the morning. You can keep the copper."
Having finally made his way back to the town center, he found the sun had come up over the wall. Already the clouds from the West had only a few more inches of blue sky to take over before the light would be gone once more. So, while he could, Elias took the few minutes he knew would be free to him and soaked it up. The night's cold had finally been driven back as the orange glow washed over his tough skin. The tribulations that he knew were on the day's horizon were gone from his mind, and he could think again. Then it was gone, and the chill returned.
He opened his eyes. Upon the wall, a figure stood in the way of the sun. Its black silhouette looked down. Though the bustling square ran with people all about, the figure was looking at Elias.
"So, I heard you arrested that Giles fellow."
"Noah, come down here." Contrasted with the boy's own tone, Elias did not shout his words. However, also unlike Noah's words, there was no hint of joy in them. He made his way along the wall to the wooden steps left of the gate, never once taking his eye off of Elias as Elias never took his eye off the boy. Noah's face, starting from a curious wide look, turned with each step into confusion, then concern. Elias's brown never lifted.
Once the boy was within reach, Elias's hand shot out and seized him by the scruff of the neck, holding him in place. He brought Noah's ear within a whisker of his mouth before speaking.
"What did you do, hmm?" Noah tensed, but did not pull away. He knew strength was no competition between them.
"I didn't do anything." His voice went up an octave.
"You let him in here. You let him in with our women, our children, our old. You." Elias threw him away, causing Noah to crash into one of the wall's support beams before spinning to the ground. Anyone who stopped to spectate, quickly moved along when seeing who the two men were. Best leave guard business to the guards. Elias ran his fingers through his beard and over his face.
"I didn't just let him in, you know." Elias spun around, eyes wide, jaw clenched.
"What did you say?"
"I said I didn't just let him in. He told me who he was first, and his whole story of where he came from. Same story I assume he told you. Must have since you arrested him." Elias took a step closer to Noah.
"How did you know I arrested him?" Noah got up, brushing himself off. His eyes now mirrored Elias's
"Because it is all anyone is talking about. His story got spread all around the market area. You think the news of the town guard arresting that same man would spread?"
"Humphrey. Damn him." Elias grumbled.
"You know Giles' story the same as me. If you don't believe him, that's fine. But why would I question it? He hasn't done anything since he got here other than eat and talk." Elias's eyes lowered, and he let out a long sigh before looking back to Noah.
"Where does he come from, Noah?" Noah furrowed his brow.
"What? He said he was a hunter."
"Where does he come from, Noah?"
"He-" Noah searched in his memory. "He didn't say. I supposed he was from one of the neighboring towns." Elias raised his hand. He let the silence hold over the last of youth's words before taking a step closer.
"You suppose. You guard these gates. You decide who is allowed inside these walls. You choose the fate of every single person sleeping in this town." Elias put his hand down upon Noah's shoulder and leaned in close, bringing his voice to a near whisper. "The next time, your supposing could kill us all, Noah. You are never to suppose when dealing with our lives. Do you understand." Noah jerked his head up and down.
"Yes, sir. I understand." Elias patted him on the shoulder and stepped away, facing the square again.
"Good. Never forget." He crossed his arms and observed the people. Young and old. Weak and strong. They all went about life, a smile glinting on each face.
"Did Giles do something? Why did you arrest him?" Elias didn't turn to answer.
"Because he killed my friend. And I want him to hang for it.