Chapter 4: This is not a warning

Jacob stared dumbfounded at the half completed citadel gleaming in the afternoon sunlight. On each of the turreted towers, banners snapped in the brisk autumn wind. Guards patrolled the crenelated battlements of the sensational castle, the only hint of a darker purpose to the otherwise romantic looking structure. Faint sounds of construction drifted on the wind to where Jacob had stationed himself on the eastern hill, now dubbed Castle View by the locals.

Vaguely he wondered if the riders could proceed without their missing brother. He shuddered at the thought. Over one arm was draped the cape that had been loaned to him earlier in the week. His original intention had been to go to the castle to return it, hoping to get a glimpse of the building's progress. His feet, however, had taken to the eastern hill where he had first caught sight of the riders. With sinking dread, he could see the progress clearly and knew that closer inspection would only confirm his fears.

The construction was moving at a terrifying speed.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” asked a voice nearby.

Startled, Jacob jumped and scanned the area. A short distance away, the Conqueror was seated with his back against an outcropping of rock. In his preoccupation, Jacob had failed to notice him resting in the shadows.

“I, um, was going to return this.” said Jacob lamely as he approached the warrior and held out the cape.

“You are on the wrong hill to do that, don’t you think?”

“Um, I wanted to get a look at the castle first.” responded Jacob.

“Coming along nicely.” remarked the Conqueror gazing at the structure. “It has to be one of the best War has done. I think he may have missed his calling.”

“I’m sorry?” Jacob said blankly.

“He makes a great architectural engineer as well as a wonderful project manager. I suppose this translates directly from his military background. It is impressive how well he can coordinate troop movement, field direct battle formation, and engineer successful supply lines, all at the same time.” The Conqueror sighed. “If he ever left his current profession, I would miss his innate sense of strategy and ability to maintain a siege over a prolonged period of time. He is a joy to work with. But, credit where credit is due, he builds amazing fortifications.”

“I thought you said castles were outdated.”

“I did.” conceded the Conqueror. “But I have to admit, this one really surpasses his past work. It not only combines several elements of style, but it also incorporates modern components that make it not only fully functional, but also comfortable.”

“It really will be.” chimed in a new voice. “As soon as he gets the Wi-Fi up and running.” Jacob looked away from the castle and saw that Pestilence had joined them. A new sore was oozing on the man’s beefy neck just below where the stubble of a beard was showing.

“I was thinking of naming it Mirum Principium Castle.” The Conquer proclaimed.

“It’s not really his first, you know.” Pestilence replied as he studied the structure on the opposite hill.

“No, but it is pretty amazing.”

“I’ll give you that.” conceded Pestilence.

“Besides, this really is the first of our greatest campaign ever.” continued the Conqueror. “It will be a wonderful headquarters from which to direct our efforts.”

“I hate this waiting around.” grumbled Pestilence. Jacob coughed.

“Pesty?” The Conqueror narrowed his eyes on his brother.

“What? I didn’t do anything!” he replied, holding his hands out innocently. “Can I help it if this guy goes around without a coat and shoes? He probably caught a cold the other morning standing around in nothing but a tee shirt and sandals.”

“You should probably hang on to the cape.” the Conqueror said, turning his attention once more to Jacob. “He’s right, you know. You tend to be a bit under dressed for the weather.”

Pestilence smiled cooly at Jacob.

“I, umm.” Stammered Jacob. “Won’t you need it?”

“Do I look cold?” asked the Conqueror rising from his seat. With a grunt, the Conqueror shook out the light paludamentum he wore over one shoulder. The rich embroidered vest Jacob had admired a few days before had been replaced with a basic tunic that stretched over his broad shoulders underneath loose chainmail, making him look more the role of a soldier and less like an administrator. “I am going over to the castle to talk with War about supplies and to let him know I decided on a name.” He nodded his farewell and began his descent down the hill.

Jacob watched thoughtfully as the Conqueror strode away toward the impossible construction site. The greaves that wrapped his lower legs glinted in the shafts of late afternoon sun, accenting his calves beneath the pteruges he wore. Jacob noted his longsword had been replaced with a shorter gladius. Leather sandals completed his garb. He was the perfect picture of a Roman soldier.

“You needn’t worry about his well being. He has spent a lot of time in the elements over the years and never catches so much as a cold. I can assure you that this is mild weather for him.” noted Pestilence as the Conqueror moved out of earshot.

“Does he name all of War’s castles?” Jacob asked to change the subject.

“Sure.”

“And War lets him?”

Pestilence shrugged. “The arrangement seems to suit War fine. I think he gets a kick out of the names Conqueror assigns them. He’s very proud of his castles.”

“How many has he built?” Jacob’s curiosity grew about the rider he had had little contact with.

“Too many to count.” Pestilence shook his head. “And not just the castles. He has built other structures too. He designed and built my place. Wife loves the modern conveniences woven into the sixteenth century manor house. It is a little big for the two of us, but the kids come and visit all the time, so the space comes in handy.”

“How many kids do you have?” Jacob looked more closely at Pestilence trying to guess his age. Like the Conqueror his hair was cropped short and his features were clean cut, save the stubble that was appearing along his chin. From outward appearances he could have been in his late 40’s. Small lines creased his forehead as he turned his formidable figure toward Jacob.

“More than I care to mention.” he said dryly as he regarded Jacob. “Why do you ask?”

“Just curious.” Jacob answered hastily. He coughed again.

“You should put on that cape. The jacket you’re wearing really isn’t suitable for this weather.” Pestilence gave a sly smile. “A simple cold can quickly turn into something nastier if you aren’t careful.”

Jacob opened the cape and put it around his shoulders under the steady gaze of the larger man. Uncertain of what he should do next, he turned back to the castle. In the silence he knew he was still being watched, and tried desperately not to squirm.

“Do all of War’s castles go up this fast?” he asked, trying to change the subject once more.

“Oh heck no!” chuckled Pestilence. “This is actually the fastest I have ever seen construction take place. Who knew you could put up a castle in a coupla days? Conqueror was right, it really is amazing. Before this, the quickest I have ever seen a castle built to completion was five or six months, give or take. Most usually take much longer, depending on where he sources the building supplies. In the fourteenth century there was one pesky project that took him nearly thirty years. Then it wound up being razed to rubble barely ten years after he built it.”

Jacob looked shocked. “He built castles in the thirteenth century? How long have you all been around?”

“Oh, ages I suspect.” Pestilence sat down on the rock outcropping the Conqueror had been leaning against. Jacob noted that he moved at ease in the long robes and riding cape that he wore. At his waist was a long broadsword, sheathed in a leather scabbard inscribed with writings Jacob could not read.

“I thought you all were, um, younger? You don’t look, well, old.” he said, still staring at the sword, wondering if the writing gave any indication of its age.

Pestilence laughed. “I will take that as a compliment.”

“But War’s kids, they are much younger, right?” asked Jacob as he thought back to his meeting of Alexander.”

“I guess, relatively speaking.” nodded Pestilence.

“How relative?” blurted out Jacob. Pestilence turned and looked at Jacob once more.

“What exactly is your interest?” asked Pestilence after a long pause.

“War’s son Alexander came by a day ago for some drawings from the university, and my assistant went with him for lunch and a tour of the castle. They have been together quite a bit since then.”

“You needn’t worry about your assistant. Alex is a perfect gentleman.” retorted Pestilence testily.

“I didn’t mean that,” sputtered Jacob. “It is just that she is young, and…”

“Pretty?” finished Pestilence.

“Well not just that.” replied Jacob. “She is my friend.”

“Oh, I see.” nodded Pestilence with a smirk on his face. “He took your girlfriend out.”

“No! It’s not like that.” insisted Jacob.

“You don’t like her?” countered Pestilence. “I take it she's not your girlfriend?”

“Yes, I mean no. I mean I like her, but no, she’s not my girlfriend.”

“So what, you pay her to be with you, to “assist” you.” Pestilence wiggled his fingers in quotations.

“No!” Jacob shook his head, flustered with the turn of the conversation. “I just worry that he might be too old for her!”

“Do you have something against relationships with age differences?”

“No, I don’t!” insisted Jacob blushing.

“Well then, what is it?” asked Pestilence evenly.

“I just, it’s um, well. I worry about her.” his voice trailed off.

“I see.” Pestilence said quietly.

Jacob cringed under the larger man’s steady gaze.

“What exactly is your job?” queried Pestilence.

“I work for the university restoring and cataloging old texts. Rachel is one of the university students who studies rare books and documents.”

“And Rachel works for you?” prompted Pestilence.

“Yes. She’s really good at her work, so when I received additional funding, I hired her to help with the backlog. There’s too much to do at the lab for just one person. We really ought to have a full staff.”

“Ah.”

“Anyway, that doesn’t really matter.”

“No?”

“Well not about our staffing.”

“What then?” Pestilence cocked his head.

“We work on really old and rare manuscripts. That is how we knew you were coming.” Jacob continued. “We found an old document buried in the binding of a book that we were restoring. It’s happened before, with Beowoulf, you know. Some writings became unpopular over time and were used to strengthen up covers for newer works.”

“So the crowd on the hill came out to see the start of the end of times?” Pestilence scratched his arm, revealing a rash.

“I don’t think they really understood the finality of events.” Jacob said simply.

“They didn’t know it was the start of the end of the world?” Pestilence was surprised.

“Um… probably not.”

“So what the hell were they all doing out picnicking before dawn?”

“I suppose they thought it was just a show.”

“But you knew what was going to happen wasn’t just a show.” Pestilence said thoughtfully.

“Well, not exactly.” confessed Jacob.

“Not exactly?” frowned Pestilence. “I thought you said you and Rachel uncovered a lost document about the event.”

“We did, but it didn’t really have a whole lot of details. Just information on the location, weather, and the time. There was something about the foliage in the area, which made it easier to confirm the location.”

“So you know everything the document contained.” stated Pestilence.

“Yeeeess, but I don’t really have much more to go on. That was sort of where the details ended.” responded Jacob.

“Seriously, are you telling me that you haven’t read anything else pertaining to the end of the world?”

“Well, nothing that I know of.”

“Revelations doesn’t ring a bell?” Pestilence sounded impatient.

“It, it does.” stammered Jacob. “I’ve read some of it. But there was a lot of other stuff in it. And none of that has happened.”

“Paperwork. Red Tape. Bound to happen at the end of times.” Pestilence sighed.

“At first I thought it was all a promotional affair. But then I met you guys...” Jacob’s voice trailed off.

“And now?” pursued Pestilence.

“Well, not so much now. You appear to be the real thing.”

“Glad we could be real for you.” intoned Pestilence sarcastically.

“I assure you, you are very real. I see that now. Since all the other stuff that was supposed to happen got tied up, I want to thank you all for the warning you have given us.”

“Warning?”

“Of what might come. What will happen if we don’t start taking things more seriously and take care of the earth and stuff. Now that we have been warned all of you can go home.” Jacob spoke quickly, hoping he had convinced Pestilence that this was the obvious course of action.

“Why would we do that?” asked the incredulous Pestilence.

“So that mankind has a chance to make a change? Start taking care of the environment and, and, things? Alter the future.” squeaked Jacob. “You are going home now, right?”

“You watch too many movies.”

“The world can’t just end! People need to be given a sign!” cried Jacob.

“Do I look like a billboard?” snapped Pestilence.

“No.”

“No, I don’t. And I’m not about to become one either. Think of me more as a postal worker. I deliver things.” Pestilence stood up. “There have been plenty of signs and warnings. Thousands of years of them. Look buddy, the package has left the warehouse. Sending out the email notification it’s in transit is not my job. I’m just here to deliver it.”

“I don’t think anyone knows it’s coming.” replied Jacob quaking.

“Not my problem.” snorted Pestilence. “Guess you will have to sort that out.”

“When can we expect, well, all of it to start?” whispered Jacob.

“Beats me.” shrugged the tall man, his voice and body losing all menace. “Our timetable is a little out of whack. It’s up to the Conqueror. He is the guy in charge. Speaking of which, I promised him I’d check on the horses.” He turned and began to descend the hill.

“See you around.” he called back to where Jacob stool transfixed to the spot.