As they wait for their meeting with the Baron, the party members pursue their own interests. As he later relates to the others, Eric visits the camp of refugees from
Kalm, bearing the simple jewelry and Hayley Hayward's journal from the burned wagons, hoping to give some closure to whoever knew those people. He meets Hayley's mother's sister, Anne, who is very upset to learn of her family's demise and says that the Hayward family were cobblers in Kalm.
Speaking to the
Tandun at the camp, Eric learns a little of the plague: called
Mind Fire, or "orc fever" among the common folk, it is believed to spread through the air and quickly degrades a person's mental faculties over a couple of weeks before putting them into a coma, leading to eventual death. There are no visible symptoms.
Eric also encounters his mentor, the performer
Rudolph von Estermont, who gives him the journal of an adventurer named Anthor and invites him to investigate. The journal speaks of a fight against a dragon in the hills north of the
Dagger Rock moors, a few days southwest of
Diamond Lake; after the fight, one of the adventurers fell into a pit while bearing an apparently magic sword and gold-inlaid onyx statuette.
Wishing to avoid Karsus's fate, Eric also seeks out and hires a bodyguard: one
Bruno Gazza by name, an ex-soldier and veteran of the
Shadow War.
Sylman tells Eric and Mongo something of his past. He used to work with his brother,
Lucas, in the antiquities trade in
Redwall. Unbeknownst to him, he says, Lucas was forging some of the artifacts, including those sold to Baron
Alcar Borgen. When the forgeries were revealed at a dinner party, Sylman and Lucas earned the baron's enmity as well as that of the thieves' guild for not paying them a percentage. Lucas was imprisoned while Sylman left Redwall to avoid trouble. Now, he relates, he has received a message from Borgen, offering to free Lucas if Sylman will only listen to the opportunity Borgen has to offer. Borgen also claims that Baron
Ashwood has not told the whole truth behind his search for
Anasazi artifacts. A meeting would need to take place at some unspecified future time, however, as Borgen is not currently in Redwall.
Mongo, meanwhile, has heard heartfelt words from
Father Stone, warning him that the
Black Wind is a curse, that Deston Ashwood is meddling in dangerous things, and that in seeking out these tombs and artifacts Mongo risks his very soul. He asks Mongo to leave these unholy acts behind him and travel to a
monastery on the
Thunderhead mountain, both for his own sake and because some fellow monks who have traveled there on a pilgrimage of initiation will need escort back to Redwall.
Father Stone's words have a profound effect upon Mongo, and he ponders them deeply. He purchases three amulets from the market and asks Father Stone to bless them, then gives one each to Eric and Sylman as protection from the curse of the Black Wind. He also gives some of the gold he received from Baron Ashwood to Father Stone for the work of the church, and gives an equal amount to his friend Phinneas. Eric too quietly gives some gold to Father Stone, asking him to use it to help Phinneas find his path in life.
October 17, 1203 AR
The date of their dinner with Baron Ashwood arrives, and the three of them travel by carriage to his manor. The guards who grant them entrance are members of the
Azrinath, the church's military, diplomatic, and missionary order. They are escorted into a room they've been in before, a chapel; but the benches have been cleared away to make room for a dinner table. Overlooking the room is a statue of
Khirdan Gazel, the Chosen Prophet of the
Maker and the founder of the faith.
Baron Ashwood welcomes them and introduces them to the four other guests. Mongo and Sylman recognize the elderly, bearded
Professor Thaddius Winthorpe, an expert in Anasazi folklore who was abducted from a caravan by orcs some months ago; Sylman and Mongo participated in the search for him and his bodyguard,
Sildar Hallwinter. The orcs compelled Winthorpe to use his knowledge to open the
Tomb of Blood Overflowing so that they could seize an ancient relic,
Atsah's Talon, but then set him free; he seems mostly recovered from his ordeal. The other guests they do not know: a beautiful dwarven woman and archivist at the university for over a century,
Zuri Palebrand; an elven man clad in yellow robes and bearing an unusual sword,
Ambassador Oshin Kansuke; and a tall, regal-looking man with short-cropped brown hair and wearing a prominent holy symbol of the Gazel Ministry,
Sir Brayden Penrose of the Azrinath. "Thank you for coming," says the Baron; "I look forward to our discussion and being able to share some information with you."
The group engages in small talk over a dinner of roast boar and imported vegetables. Eric briefly converses with Zuri in dwarvish and Sylman compliments the wine, which the Baron notes with a shrug is from the Borgen estates.
As the meal concludes, the conversation turns to business. Baron Ashwood reveals that he and the others are participants in the
Animus Project. Its goal is to find a link—if one exists—between the Black Wind,
dream crysts, and the increasing manifestations of witchcraft among the people ("
The Mark"), with the overall objective of ensuring that the tragedy of
Midvale Pass is not repeated. Dream crysts are the rare magical stones that are used to craft magical items. When the Shadow War began, the need to manufacture more weapons and armour led to increased mining and the discovery of significantly more dream crysts. Baron Ashwood himself wears a necklace bearing a dream cryst.
The mandate for the Animus Project, the Baron says, came from Cardinal
Roland Sellers of the Gazel Ministry. Sir Penrose is the Cardinal's representative. The project is being kept secret to avoid raising fear among the populace, as many believe anything touching on the Black Wind to be inherently evil.
The Project's current focus is on the Anasazi and their knowledge of these phenomena. More specifically, they wish to know more of the historical figure of
Atsah and his use of the magical artifact known as the "
Frozen Flame."
Penrose interrupts Ashwood, ignoring the party: "I still disagree with bringing in more outsiders." "The Cardinal agreed to this," Ashwood answers, before Sylman speaks: "we've been in the middle of this for a very long time. I assure you, we understand the seriousness of this matter. You need have no concerns about our discretion." Penrose's face curls into a sneer: "you've been nowhere near the middle." Biting his tongue, Sylman says, "forgive my presumptuousness, then."
After a moment, Baron Ashwood picks up the conversation. "To the matter at hand. Our scouts have found what we believe to be the resting place of Atsah himself. But there are… complications." The tomb was found by the study of an ancient amulet provided by Cardinal Sellers; the amulet itself is magical, and imparts to the wearer knowledge of a ritual that, the Project believes, will be needed to open the tomb. But the amulet is, or should be, in the possession of one
Mateo Hastwyck, a student of the occult in his youth, now an alchemist, and also a resident of the plague-infested town of Kalm. "Our information is that Hastwyck still lives," Ashwood reports, "and is currently in the tent city set up by the militia just outside the town." The town itself is under quarantine; those deemed free from infection are allowed to leave and are being housed in the tents until the town is free from the plague. As an alchemist, Hastwyck is presumably involved in preparing and administering the cure for the plague to those infected. He is supposed to have been studying the amulet for more information on the ritual.
"The second complication," Ashwood continues, "is our information leak." If Baron Borgen or someone else were to learn of the location of Atsah's tomb, there could be dire consequences, as there were in the search for Sinzil's resting place. Sylman agrees bitterly: "your leak cost us a companion." "And your incompetence cost us our artifacts!" responds Winthorpe spitefully. In wrath Sylman rises from the table as if to walk out. He holds Winthorpe responsible for Sildar's condition, and for enabling the orcs to create warlocks by giving them Atsah's Talon.
For his part, Mongo has grown increasingly disturbed by the topic of conversation: men speaking of the curse of the Black Wind as if it were something to be analyzed and understood. He also stands up to leave, assuming that Sylman shares his sense of outrage.
Then Baron Ashwood raises his hand. "I apologize on behalf of the Professor," he says, and turning to Winthorpe: "I will not tolerate you insulting my guests." After a moment, Sylman sits back down; awkwardly, Mongo remains standing for another 30 seconds before he too resumes his seat.
Ashwood continues. "I understand your hesitation to travel to Kalm," he says. Though the plague is properly called Mind Fire, the common name of "orc fever" is not unjustified. He explains that the disease originates with the orcs, and is to them as influenza to humans; but when a human is infected with it, the result is a horrible mental degeneration. The plague spread too quickly in Kalm to be contained, and there are horrifying stories of murders and mob violence from the early days of the plague. But the reports indicate that the quarantine is working, and those without the walls are safe. The cure is gradually being administered to the infected, and is said to be always effective, but it acts slowly, so it will still be some time before the town returns to normal.
When Sylman raises the topic of compensation, Sir Brayden laughs cynically, and Baron Ashwood looks crestfallen. He chooses his words carefully. "I understand where you're coming from," he says, "but fighting this plague is necessary for us all." Mongo speaks suddenly—"it's not a plague!''—and then falls silent again. Ashwood continues. "We are in the service of what's good and right… we are mindful of the risks, and we appreciate the sacrifices that you have already made. But if we need to secure your cooperation with coin, then so be it." "We are not born into privilege," Sylman answers, "we are simply trying to better ourselves." Baron Ashwood smiles ruefully: "true nobility is not something you're born into."
The party asks for twenty-four hours to consider; the others agree, and the dinner ends somberly.
After they return to The
Bent Coin to discuss these events, Mongo can no longer remain calm. "This is wrong," he says. "You're trying to find a physical solution to a spiritual problem!" He packs his belongings and leaves for the Morning Star Abbey. After he departs, Sylman reveals that Baron Borgen also mentioned the dream crysts in his message, calling them the key to power and wealth in the kingdom.
Arriving at the abbey, Mongo immediately goes to speak to Father Wilhelm Stone. "Mongo, my boy, what's wrong?" he asks. Mongo tells him that he's been thinking about Father Stone's words, and about returning to his faith; but then grows increasingly worried and agitated as he describes the dinner, the Animus Project, and the involvement of Cardinal Sellers. Is this research mere vanity, meddling with evil? Or is it a blessed cause, and holy?
The Cardinal is a member of the
Khir-Adun, the Ministry's Order of the Mind, Father Stone tells him. It's not unexpected that he would be involved in this kind of research, and the church surely wants to redeem those afflicted with the Mark. But why keep it a secret? "Something happening here is too dangerous," he tells Mongo. "I worry for your safety. I cannot in good conscience concur with you agreeing to the Baron's request. I do not say that the Baron is evil, but he walks a path that could cause more harm than good." He blesses Mongo, and tells him they will speak more in the morning. Mongo spends the night deep in prayer.
Meanwhile, Sylman goes to the
Fist and Flagon tavern and orders a shot of the establishment's specialty, a liquor known as the "
Hag's Breath." His informant,
Nalia Drox, tells him that no-one knows when Borgen will return to Redwall. However she has identified one of the baron's employees, a maid at his city estate named Adrielle Blackbar. She's also found the residence of
Gideon and
Kyra Hawthorne, a second story apartment near the
Wayfarer's Guild in the
Trade District, and gives him directions on how to find it. After he pays her for the information, she gives Sylman the drink on the house.
On the possibility that—with Borgen out of town—the artifacts from Sinzil's Repose might still be in the Hawthornes' possession, Sylman and Eric decide to investigate yet that night. Eric brings Bruno along for protection. Following Nalia's directions, they make their way through the dark city. Finding the apartment at the top of a rickety wooden staircase, they climb to the landing with a rope and grappling hook. After Sylman picks the lock, Eric and Sylman cautiously explore the interior by candlelight while Bruno stands guard. The first room of the two-room apartment is not as they expected; the boots by the door, the remnants of the evening meal, and the booster seat on a chair all seem to show that the place is the residence of an adult and a child. There is no evidence of weapons, sorcery, or the artifacts. When a sleepy little girl appears at the curtained doorway leading to the bedroom, rubbing her eyes and asking, "are you elves?", they shush her and leave as quickly and quietly as they can. No alarm is raised.
October 18, 1203 AR
The next morning, Mongo comes to see them at The Bent Coin. He declares that he has made a decision to reaffirm his faith. Having discussed the dinner with Father Wilhelm, he is more sure than ever that the Animus Project is on the wrong path. "It won't solve anything."
Sylman does not disagree, but tells him that despite his immense respect for Father Wilhelm, the priest is an older man, set in his ways. The world is changing. People of good faith and good moral standing are needed to set the world on the right path, and dangerous artifacts like the amulet should not be left to those like Lord Deston and his companions who pursue their own agendas.
Newly conflicted by Sylman's words, Mongo asks him and Eric to come talk to Father Wilhelm themselves.
En route to the abbey, they pass by the
Whitestone Manor asylum, where Sildar and others afflicted by the Mark have been committed. A small mob of a dozen or more people are gathered outside, struggling with the guards and shouting, "get those monsters out of our city!" A larger number of spectators watch. Such protests are regular occurrences at asylums throughout the realm. Those with the Mark have long been feared and persecuted. Before the King declared that those afflicted by the Black Wind would be offered safety and protection, a group within the Azrinath, the
Tenzen, hunted down warlocks wherever they appeared, and executed them.
When they arrive at the abbey, Father Wilhelm is once more teaching a group of children, and they wait patiently for him to finish. Later, in a private room in the abbey, they discuss in more detail the dinner at the Baron's, and the proposed mission to Kalm. Father Wilhelm remains skeptical of the Animus Project's intentions: "what do they hope to find?" But he seems relieved when Sylman and Eric agree that opening Atsah's tomb would be bad.
The priest reluctantly agrees that it would better for the party to find the amulet than for others to do so. But he gives them this charge: when they find the amulet, to bring it to the ministry instead of to the Animus Project. He will speak to the bishop, and seek ways to destroy it.
But first, he says, he still wants Mongo to make the pilgrimage to the monastery.
