The next morning the two rose early when the sky was still gray and breakfasted on hard rye bread and boiled eggs purchased from one of the farmers who came into town daily to sell their products. Both had rested well and felt alert and ready for what they had planned. Justin was surprised to find that he wasn’t nervous.
It was almost as if he wasn’t even there. As if he was only watching from a short distance. First they retraced Justin’s steps of the night before through town. When they reached the north end, Justin continued alone back through the fields to the house where the gifts were kept. The sun crested the horizon to his right just as he stepped into the small field that was his destination. The early morning light made sparks of the dew lying everywhere but did nothing to warm the air. Justin was thankful for the cold light though, when he stepped into the building. He wouldn’t have wanted to grope around in the dusk for the vest. He slipped it into a bag he carried over his shoulder for that purpose and quickly turned to go. This was the only part of the plan that he felt was truly risky. There was no reasonable explanation he could give if he were discovered while getting the vest. So he breathed a sigh of relief when he stepped out of the small convocation field. He smiled at how smoothly things were going as he slipped back across the other fields to where Wyatt was waiting just outside of town. As he crested a small knoll he came upon a young boy sitting and playing in the grass. He turned in surprise and then smiled up at Justin. Justin smiled back and made as if to go on around the child, but the boy spoke and Justin had to turn back toward him.
“I’m waiting on my dad, he forgot his water skin and went back for it, what are you doing, are you here to work with us?”
“Well, no, I, uh, I’m meeting some other men on the other side of town to work with them this morning.”
“Oh, good day then,” and the child went back to the imagined game he was playing.
Justin looked around and moved quickly away, glad to be gone before the father came back into view. A few more moments of walking brought him to where Wyatt was waiting.
As the two walked around the town in the direction of the manor the sun was rising quickly. By the time they skirted Roth’s grounds and headed toward his stables, it was a bright yellow circle in a cloudless light blue sky. Justin could feel the chill starting to leave his body and the warmth beginning to seep down from his head where the sun beat on him.
When they came into sight of the tree where Wyatt had hidden the weapons, Justin felt a slight jitter in his stomach. To shake it he spoke. “You said that Roth goes early to the seer.”
“Yes. I do not think he would have the courage to confront him in the evening and probably the earlier the better.”
As they got nearer the tree, Wyatt left the dirt road. Justin stopped for a moment waiting. Wyatt looked pleased as he took the tools down from the branches he had rested them on. He returned to the road and handed one to Justin. “Anyone who sees us will take us for reapers.” The two continued for a way in silence. The sun continued to grow warmer. By the time they reached the tunnel access it was half way to its peak.
They stopped and Justin handed his scythe to Wyatt and unshouldered the bag containing the armor. Wyatt then brought out a rope that they secured to a stake in the ground next to the opening, obviously for use by Roth and his men. A sweat of excitement covered Justin as he pulled the metal vest over his head and it settled with a satisfying series of musical clinks into place. The bright sun overhead was reflected from a thousand tiny facets on his chest into his eyes. He squinted around at Wyatt, took a deep breath and said, “I’m ready.” Wyatt handed him the scythe, and clapped him on the back making the mail jingle again. Justin took another look around and a couple of deep breaths and then said, “Alright, see you in a while,” and squatted down, placing his hands on the sides of the opening. He tensed his arms and lowered his body into the hole, then after a second suspended there, he let go. As he dropped, however, something dark, stiff, and putrid smelling flapped up into his face and engulfed his head taking his breath away. His arms shot up instinctively and as he landed he succeeded in pulling the thing violently from his face, and holding on to it with his one empty hand. Adrenaline surging and ready for a fight, he looked down to see what had attacked him. What he saw made his heart quail within him. The thing that had flown into his face was the vest. He had no idea what supernatural forces were at work, but his magical mail had been transformed into a shirt of torn rags, and it was stained and caked with dried and stagnant blood. He couldn’t believe what he saw. He touched it gingerly with his free hand. It was stiff in places where the thick, clotted blood had dried nearly black. Other parts were crusty with dark red blood. The stench of it almost choked him. Justin lifted the bottom of it slightly preparing to take it off, but the thought of it passing over his face was unbearable. Not knowing what to do he let it fall from his hand. As he did so however, the air that had been inside the shirt wafted in a tiny gust up through the neck hole and into his nostrils. He felt his stomach lurch upward and had to swallow violently to keep from vomiting. When his stomach and throat stopped contracting he stood perfectly still, so as not to stir the air and catch another whiff of the putrid smell. Suddenly Tory’s words of speculation, about what might happen if they tried to use the gifts without The King’s blessing, came rushing back into Justin’s mind.
He dropped to his knees and a lump of terror began to rise in his throat. This would be no protection against the deadly arrows of Roth. A little shower of dirt and the sound of Wyatt’s jogging footsteps roused him from his bleak thoughts. Suddenly the whole plan seemed insane to him. He attempted to cry out to Wyatt above, but had no voice. He swallowed hard and forced out a croaking, “Hey, wait!” He swallowed again and emitted another weak, “Hey!” But Wyatt was gone. Justin grabbed the rope and frantically put his foot on the first knot. He jerked himself up and quickly climbed to the second. He had to stop Wyatt before it was too late. Just then the rope shifted and a shower of dirt rained down on him as he fell. He landed with a thud on the earth floor of the tunnel with the unknotted top of the rope lying on his hands, which still clutched the middle portion. When he looked up he could just see the thick top portion of the strong stake still fast in the ground.
