Denadyne’s brow suddenly relaxed then furrowed in thought.  “I have heard of him, yes, but he is an unpopular topic.  I will save you some time in your search, though.  I am fairly certain there won’t be any records of good deeds because he didn’t have any,” said Denadyne with such disdain that Kaylan rested her hand on her sword for her own self-assurance.  Kaylan studied his expressions but they gave away nothing of discomfort or concern.  His posture, however, did become more rigid as he talked.  “I know he traveled extensively in and throughout the kingdom while he was Marshall.  Some stories indicate he had picked up some rather bad habits during his travels that left him deep in debt as well.”  He stopped for a minute to give Kaylan an opportunity to respond.  When she said nothing, he continued, “He liked to gamble but rarely had much luck at it.  His temper was probably as bad as his gambling and it is said that there were more deaths during his time as Marshall than any other simply because he would have to recover the next morning everything he wagered the night before.  However, the accuracy of that statement is unclear since, as I stated earlier, I’m sure there are decades of missing history.  Some of which has been lost for so long there is not a soul alive that remembers.”  Denadyne’s eyes narrowed shrewdly, the corners of his mouth twitched slightly then his face resumed its neutral appearance.  Kaylan could now see he clearly disliked the Marshalls but for what reasons, other than the normal and customary ones, she did not know.

Kaylan sighed deeply, she had hoped for more than just this.  She knew Haedis was not popular and was, more accurately, an extremely appalling individual but his story was crucial to her quest.  This tidbit, however, she had already decided she would not disclose – even if she thought it might gain her more in return.

Denadyne straightened in his seat and said, “There was one legendary tale I had heard regarding Haedis, although it isn’t to his credit, not saying any of them were but this one in particular is not.”  He watched Kaylan and waited for permission to continue. 

She nodded her head.  “Very little of what Haedis did in his life was to his credit,” she stated solemnly. 

She motioned to Denadyne to begin. “When I was visiting a sister church in the Quimby parish near the Balleran district, I had come across a weaver that ‘specialized’ in weaving tales.  She was a strange elderly woman that spoke as if she were still a Springtide maiden.  She would tell stories as she wove and it is said that the story was woven into her work,” he explained.

Kaylan sat up straighter upon hearing Denadyne’s description of the weaver woman.  It sounded entirely too much akin to Vatia’s description.  Kaylan made no mention of the likeness but said, “I’ve heard of them, their words are like magic speaking the stories into their fabrics as they weave thus preserving their stories for future generations.  Their finished products are supposedly ‘one-of-a-kind’ because of it.  I have to admit, I have never seen it done.”  She was actually jealous that he had witnessed this taking place especially since he did not seem to give any credence to its validity.

“Yes, well, I can’t say that I believe in the magic part of it but I can say that the stories are supposed to all be true.  It is also rumored that the weaver cannot speak an untruth for they would lose the ability to speak at all if they did.  Again, that may just be the weaver’s way of causing people to believe whatever comes out of their mouth.”  He did not seem to hold any faith with the liklihood that any of it could be true but he believed it enough to have remembered the story the weaver told.

“So, what was her story?” Kaylan asked trying not to sound overly interested.  Even if the story had nothing to do with the Marshall family she would still want to hear it.  She’d always wanted to bear witness to a weaver’s tale but, to-date, had not had the opportunity to do so.  Her skin prickled at the notion.

“I’m not a very good storyteller,” he laughed, “but she told about a time when Haedis was in the Quimby parish to collect some debts owed to King Trau.  While he was there he managed to get involved in a game of Crodus, it seemed to be his game of choice.  He had already wagered his horse and lost it so the only thing he had left was his station.”  Kaylan sucked in her breath.  That was unheard of – no one wagers their station!  How could that be possible?  Denadyne grinned to see her astonishment.  “I gather you had not heard that part of the Marshall legacy?”  Kaylan could do nothing but shake her head.  “Apparently, he regained his station but only after he removed his sword from his opponent’s gizzard claiming ‘Marshall Rule’ as justification for his actions.  The man he killed happened to be the lesser son of one of the more notable Quimby land barons, a Baron Tucker from the Porter district, if I recall correctly. 

“King Trau was less than pleased with Haedis and almost removed his head for it but as luck would have it, the Baron was not completely displeased as his son had been an embarrassment to his father for years.  There was no request for an investigation or restitution thus allowing Haedis to continue with his duties as he deemed appropriate regardless of justice and continually unchecked by the King...”  Denadyne ended his tale abruptly.  Kaylan felt there was more to the story but she could see from his expression that he was not going to add anything more to it, at least not out loud and certainly not to her. 

“That’s the only story you’ve heard?  Have you heard any pertaining to his mountain region adventures?   I know he spent weeks at a time between the High Seat, Crystal Cliffs and Chatelaine, and visiting the smaller villages in between.  I’m sure he spent time in other parts of the kingdom as well, but again, due to his disgrace, it is difficult to find any accounts, written or otherwise, in our own histories,” she was talking softly but with caution.  She knew he was not intimidated by her, that was obvious, but he should at least defer to her due to her station if for no other reason.  She firmly believed - beyond a shadow of a doubt - that any deference he displayed was due to conscious effort.  She did not think that he truly felt he should be subject to her at all.  That possibility left Kaylan extremely curious. 

“I have never heard his name mentioned up here.  As I said, he is not a popular subject of discussion,” he got a glint in his eye as he smiled at Kaylan then resumed, “I did see, however, in the library at the Vacchón Monastery north of the Crystal Cliffs region, an excerpt from an account of Haedis’ adventures.  It was written by his wife so I would be unable to vouch for its accuracy.  So far as I am aware, it is the only place that houses any written account of Haedis’ exploits, none of which are good.”  His lips split into a wolfish grin that made Kaylan feel defiled. 

She was not accustomed to people being so openly aggressive toward her.  She was used to them running away or hiding, maybe spitting in her path after she was gone, but this – this went far beyond what she expected.  She pondered both his words and his actions.  She glanced at him from the corner of her eye and saw him watching her warily.  He is up to something.  I just wish I could put my finger on it.  She kicked herself silently because she was not usually this dense when it came to figuring people out.  It was one of her strongest assets as a Marshall.  She had a knack for knowing when someone was lying and when they were telling the truth.  Denadyne was an absolute puzzle to her though.  One minute he seemed to be the most honest person she had met and the next minute he seemed to be the most devious, cunning individual with numerous secrets locked behind his green-grey eyes.  It was equally frustrating and distracting.

The sun was directly over the gazebo now casting shadows underneath.  Denadyne faced the west side of the gazebo gazing out over the lush garden.  Kaylan tried to follow his gaze but found nothing of great interest on which to focus.  He turned his attention slowly back to her still waiting for a response.

She thought about the location he’d said the account rested and said, “I don’t understand why a monastery would have accounts of Haedis when our own family does not.”  She gave him a level look in hopes it would shake him up.  To her dismay, he seemed unperturbed by her look which frustrated Kaylan further.

Denadyne flashed a brilliant set of teeth with a smile that, she guessed, was supposed to make her feel at ease.  “Please keep in mind, Marshall, the church has a responsibility to preserve Kestrian history – regardless of the embarrassment caused by some of its history makers.”  His smile increased with the apparent joy the last of his statement gave him; his condescension did not go unnoticed.  He seemed to enjoy the way Kaylan shifted irritably in her seat.

He’s dangerous.  Not only is he not afraid of me but he’s not afraid to provoke me either.  If he was, he would do better to guard his tongue and disguise his obvious discontent for the Marshalls.  His obeisance earlier when I arrived must have been for the benefit of the others that were present.  So much of this makes little sense.  There has to be more to this puzzle than he’s telling me.  Worse, I think he may know exactly what it is I’m trying to find.  Her mind started working quickly.  She now knew she would need to leave as soon as possible to report back to Tramadon before she could trek to the monastery on a possible wild goose chase.  The king was already upset with her for making this particular trip whether under false pretenses or not.  She sighed with the irritation building between her shoulder blades for nothing was working out the way she had hoped.

“Perhaps this is true,” she conceded in more ways than one.  “You said it was written by his wife, though.  Doesn’t that lend one to believe it would be a rather biased version?” she asked.

“As I said, Marshall, I cannot vouch for its accuracy.  All I can tell you is that as of four years ago, when I was visiting the monastery on furlough, I did happen to see several volumes of Kestrian history that are known not to exist elsewhere.  That just happened to be among one of the volumes.  I was not interested in it myself so I cannot tell you details of its contents,” he flashed another of his brilliant smiles in Kaylan’s direction.  That was starting to grate on her nerves.

He does know what is in that account, he has to.  He’s too patronizing not to know.  She was determined to leave for Vacchón as soon as possible.  She would still have to let Tramadon know her change of plan.  It would mean no less than a ten day setback if she rode hard and slept little and that was only if she could convince Tramadon that she needed to go to Vacchón without delay.  She watched Denadyne closely as her mind worked to rearrange her plans to include a return trip to the Fortress, then on to Vacchón.  She could save eight days’ time by simply sending a message by dispatch to Tramadon but with the wolf-grin that Denadyne had she doubted the message would ever reach her king.

Kaylan returned Denadyne’s smile with an equally sinister one of her own.  She was pleased to see that something she did finally made him a little less confident.  “I suppose if that’s all you’ve seen of our chronicles, then I guess that’s all I have to go on.  If you say there was nothing noteworthy in Secily’s account then there is no reason for me to waste a trip to the monastery.”  She was still smiling at him, “Thank you for saving me three weeks’ time.”

Denadyne visibly squirmed this time.  “I said I could not vouch for its accuracy.  I never said I read it.  I told you, it held no interest for me,” he replied defensively with a bite to his tone.  He apparently did not appreciate her underlying allegations.

“Oh come now, Father,” it was her turn to be condescending, “do you honestly expect me to believe that a man of your obvious education, with an almost as obvious distaste for Marshalls, would bypass an opportunity to read about the worst embarrassment to the Marshall house?  Really?”  She gave a low giggle, “I may be young for a Marshall but I am not stupid.”  She practically spit the words at him with such vehemence as to cause him to rise from his seat and take a few steps back from her.  “Yes, Father, that’s the first wise decision you’ve made today.”  Her voice was level but she could feel her body heat rise and the blood pumping through her veins as her anger rose steadily.

Denadyne tried to regain his composure, cleared his throat and said, “A thousand pardons Marshall, if I have offended you in some way.  That, of course, was not my intention.”  Humility, somehow, no longer seemed to suit him.  She realized quickly that her perception of him had changed drastically in a very short period of time.  There was definitely more to him than what he portrayed.

She gave him a menacing look and said, “I know my station Father.  It is you who seems to have forgotten yours.  It also seems as though we have exhausted our discussions, unless of course you suddenly recall the contents of the chronicles you didn’t perchance read.”  She stood to emphasize her desire to leave.  He moved to lead the way, then stopped as if to ask her to lead instead.  He doesn’t want me behind him.  That’s a comforting thought.  When she made no motion to do so, he stepped down to the garden path and they followed it back to the vine covered arbor.