Of Crows and Jackdaws

Part 2 - The Case of the Affrighted Cowherd

"Did him good it did, whatever 'twas. Now, if you want, I could show you me cow that was gutted last night. 'Tis no pretty sight. Come with me."

They followed Old Hobson to his byre, a large half-timbered building with a thatch roof. It was empty except for the ravaged carcass of a cow. Having seen his share of corpses, Barcias was unfazed. As for Elias, he looked intrigued more than anything else. The animal had been ripped apart and, according to the enchanter's scrutiny, some of its internal organs were gone, most notably its heart. Its intestines and stomachs had been thrown aside and strewn on the ground. The carcass and the gore were frozen and had not thawed despite the warm summer weather. Elias leaned on his short wooden staff

"Did you also find your lad here?" the wizard asked.

"Aye, Master Elias, I did two mornin's ago. I reckon we thought it strange that somethin'd gut a cow like this an' not do the same to the lad"

The wizard knelt to have a feel of the ground. "I suppose he'd come before dawn to let the cows out of the barn and lead them to the field."

"Aye, exactly."

"Did he have a block of salt on him? Like cow herders sometimes have," Elias said after licking his finger pensively.

"He did, an' when we came to find him, it'd turned black, burnt like."

Elias started walking out of the barn.

"Most probably a frost fiend, a demon spawn of the Southern Desolation. Bloody abomination! If Artibasos of Locrea is to be trusted, which I'd wager he is, they seek to devour the warmth of the living above all else. That is why they go for the hearts of their prey, as it's the hearth of the body. They can be destroyed by the light of the sun, a blessed flame or an incandescent blade of some kind, and running water also dissolves them, I think. The salt that your boy was carrying saved his life: precious few cacodaemons can stand it. Unfortunately, we can't do anything about it today."

"You mean me family and I have to live with this soddin' monster roamin' about?"

"During the night, the creature is too dangerous to face. It usually burrows in a cave during the day, so we'll have to unearth it to dispose of it. I'm no tracker, so I've no way to find out where it slumbers. We'll ask Father Darian to come exorcise and bless your fields as soon as possible. Until we come back, you shall line your doorsteps and your windows with salt and never leave your home before dawn."

The old man looked relieved, but still seemed disappointed and a bit frustrated.

"Fine, then. We'll do as you say, Master Elias."

"As for you, Uncle, I'm sure you can do better for that lad than an herbal broth."

"O' course. I'll make him Errenlay's decoction: like fire in the belly. That oughta put lil' Hambron back on his feet."

"Good. Off we go, then."

The wizard stopped and seemed to remember something. "I was about to forget..." He said while taking out a medallion decorated with the symbol of an eye. "Members of my Order have pendants bearing a raven to signify their affiliation and their dedication. This one means that you're under my protection. If you ever find yourself in a bad situation, show it to one of my people, and if you're alone, hold it up and whistle the first notes of the Lay of the Jackdaw."

"The Lay o' the Jackdaw? 'Tis a bloody nursery rhyme..."

Elias threw him the pendant and turned around to take his leave.

"Yes, it is." he cried as he left the barn without looking back.

"Well, I, um..." Barcias heard the old man mutter. "Bloody wizard!"

They left the farm and started walking down the road headed for Ostwood. After a few hundred paces, Barcias chalked up a question on his board.

"You know, I don't have the slightest idea. There are just more monsters and I think they are getting more and more powerful. That's all I know. Ten years ago, vampires were just oddities that sodding peasants hunted down and burned at the stake. And then last week, Riza of the Lauss proclaimed himself king of the vampires of the South and formed his own clan or pack or whatever the Hell he calls it. To think even that hasn't deterred those damned fools in the Council from trying to negotiate with him..." Elias sighed and rested his staff on his shoulders. "We should ask Zelphrid for her help in tracking down the fiend."

Barcias shrugged. He didn't know who she was.

"She's the widow of the huntsman of the little lord who lorded over Ostwood until last year," the wizard said. He then added with irony: "When the dukes deposed His Majesty and elected His Imperial Highness."

He punctuated his sentence with a deep breath.

"Thing is, I don't think the newly crowned emperor even knows or gives a damn about Ostwood being a 'free city'. The wizards who come here from the North are always surprised when we tell them. Must be that they're in enough of a pickle up there with the wars and the purges not to care."

They walked the rest of the way in silence until they caught sight of a young man, barely out of boyhood, coming from Ostwood and running toward them, shouting.

"Master Elias! Master Elias, me name's Gowan. One o' the enchanters o' your circle sent me ta find you."

"Who?"

"Errr... a lad named Yvennec, I reckon."

"He's just a disciple, my boy, not an enchanter yet," Elias said and raised a pedantic finger.

The boy paused and shot him a perplexed look. "Right. Many thanks for correctin' me, Master. Now I jus' feel foolish about me panicking jus' cause o' a few trolls."

"Trolls?"

"Trolls."

"Forest trolls?"

"Trolls."

Elias grunted. "Rokchew and his band again?"

"Aye, 'twas them I reckon."

"And where is the city watch?"

"Captain Erveldt took some o'em ta deal with some Craglings o'er in Keldrigg and others are escortin' Master Thalor to Bannerbrock," the boy, counting on his fingers.

Elias shook his head. "Lead the way, lad."