Wychling

Chapter 20

Corby had checked and rechecked the bodies, including the broken mass on the ground, and they had a whole list of similarities. They all carried the Holy Book of the One Great God. Cheap copies with the same spelling mistakes on them all. Or maybe it was written in the Old Imperial tongue. He had never really paid that much attention to his letters; it could be either.

All of the dead also wore similar clothes. Same style, same cut. Simple homespun wool. Different colours aside from the uniform brown cloaks, and pretty anonymous; they could have picked them up in nearly any farmers market for a few hundred miles. That left the cloaks, again homespun wool, but thicker and the tell-tale dark brown of Acolytes of the Great God. The one who had put up the fight had an interesting tattoo on his back. It looked religious, and given the Holy Books, Corby decided to ask some questions before he reported back to the Barracks.

The tattoo itself was fairly simple in design, a giant X in a grand style surrounded by writing that appeared to be a quote, most likely from the Holy Book he carried. It was on his left shoulder, and all across the rest of his back, separate from his more recent wounds, were several deep scars and lacerations.

They looked older, repeated, and all were cut in the same direction. The wounds were uniform size and around the same area. Corby had seen enough sailor's scars to know what flogging looked like after the fact, but something about these bothered him, they were too extensive, too repetitive...his gut told him they were self-inflicted. His stomach roiled thinking about the kind of person that would inflict such pain on themselves for the sake of, what Corby considered, made up stories.

His Father had believed in the many Gods that were ubiquitous across the Western coast and beyond. In some places they were named differently, but they were the same Gods to be sure. Gods, to Corby, were legendary figures, like people, but far more powerful. They served as examples and reflections of man and womankind, great figures with all of the faults and flaws that mankind possessed. They fought and cheated and drank. They were glorious, sadistic and wise; their petty infighting leaving many scars on the World.

The idea of the One God had changed everything. He said that He had created the world perfect, and that Man was to blame for all the world's ills. It didn't make any sense to Corby though. How could man be blamed for earthquakes, diseases and all the other natural horrors that killed thousands indiscriminately? He shook his head as he approached the Church that was closest to the Barracks, and on the way to his report. If he was passing through there was no reason not to have a local Acolyte confirm the cloaks as belonging to members of his Church.

They were generally a loud and obnoxious bunch, but if he didn't know there had been a murder...perhaps Corby was just enquiring as to some stolen items. Here to help the victims of a heartless crime...and just like that he could give Shimon the confirmation that they needed. Especially with things as delicate as they were with the Church in the City, they needed undisputable evidence at every level.

He had to play this careful though, pretend he was sympathetic to their cause. He knocked on an ornate wooden door on the side of the building. It was carved with complex geometric shapes around the outside of the door and at waist height from both sides it flowed in to form an ornate X at the centre.

-Definitely in the right place then- Corby thought grimly.

He started to regret not bringing back up, but then a doddering old priest opened the door. Frail and harmless as they came.

"Yes?...Who is it? You'll have to speak up I'm a bit deaf you see..." he asked tottering backwards with the light door.

He was tiny and skinny, with sagging skin and very little wispy grey hair left. He looked something like a plucked vulture in a brown cloak. He had the permanent stoop that occasionally came with age and, after opening the door halfway, limped forwards to get a better look at Corby.