Adventure of Frieda 1

At the archive landing, Sir Eleutherius does not give way. The Bishop's men crowd the stairs, but he raises his hand instead of his sword.

A signet ring flashes in his fist, Imperial seal stamped deep in the wax. The nearest soldiers hesitate at once, their blades dipping as if the air itself turns to law.

The Clerk jerks upright on the landing, color draining from his face. He looks from the ring to the Bishop's men, then to Frieda, and understands too late who Eleutherius truly serves.

One soldier lowers his weapon. Another steps back. The Bishop's line breaks by inches, not from fear of steel, but from fear of being wrong.

Sir Eleutherius holds his ground between Frieda and the stairwell, the Imperial seal still raised like a verdict.

Frieda keeps her voice level on the landing, the seal still holding the stair. The Clerk flinches as if the words strike him harder than any blade.

He swallows, then names two more by sight, giving up the faces and the way they stood on the day of the assault. One of the Bishop's men lowers his eyes, while the other tightens his jaw at being described so plainly.

The Clerk's answer lands, and the words cost him. He has to brace one hand on the stone to keep from folding, and the packet slips closer to Frieda's arm as if the fear itself pushes it toward her.