Section IV.

To do list:
~Get away, get away, get really far away.
~Read Bible. Or think about it.
~Buy new cross.
~Pick up more jerky at market.
~Fly.

So Kellson ran out of the city as fast as he could, started flying northeast (or northeastish, by his observations), and read the Bible while he was flying. Plus, he could be flying while heading to another town where he could get more jerky and a new cross. So he was knocking out all available birds with one stone.

Rather good.

He read Revelations and Leviticus first. Revelations was exciting, because it was the future. Leviticus laid down some ground rules, some of which could be ignored for two reasons: Christ, and lack of food. Ye shall not eat the swine, for while it parteth the hoof, it cheweth not the cud, it is unclean unto you. Or something. If he was starving he’d bloody well have some bacon, and like it. But Kellson liked how Leviticus was written. Imagining God saying in an extremely deep and frightening voice that squid were an abomination was kind of funny.

After, he generally flipped through, picking out random pages sometimes and reading through entire sections at others. There wasn’t much else to do while flying. You couldn’t run into anything. There were no other travelers to worry about.

He reached the next town sooner than he expected. Long-distance flying became a lot faster each time he tried it. Maybe his bones were hollowing, like a bird’s. And also, and this pleased Kellson to no end, whenever someone gave a distance ‘as the crow flies,’ it applied directly to him.

Landing out of sight from the town, he stored his wings in the…in the…He stored his wings and walked the distance to the town.

The prices for a good amulet crucifix were outrageous. Kellson was amazed. But if God was looking to talk to him, he shouldn’t just palm one as he would usually do if prices were this preposterous. For that matter, he shouldn’t be running as though he could escape from Death and God. He couldn’t. He didn’t know why he was. But when they did find him, he should be wearing a crucifix. He lost the last one.

“How much for that one?” he asked the owner of the stall. The crucifix in question had small golden gems on the four points of the cross and the standard image of Christ on.

The owner peered at it. “Topaz cross, very nice, complementary silver chain, it two hundred shekel, you pay up front.”

“That’s crazy.”

“No, that topaz, very nice sparkle.”

Kellson sighed and forked over almost all of the money he had been paid for killing the sultan. Walking away and fastening the chain around his neck, he found a cheap food stall and bought some supplies for the rest of the money. God had better bloody well talk to him soon.

He dropped by the local pub. He didn’t bother buying a beer; there was no money left and, if the expressions of the drinkers were anything to go by, the beer was frankly piss. Sitting down, he caught snatches of conversation.

“Bloody outrageous is what—”

“What’s wrong with this beer?”

“Somebody ought to kill the Duke up—”

“Isn’t doing to well, he caught the mumps and—”

“How much would somebody pay me to kill the Duke?” Kellson asked as he sat down at a table with two gruff looking men. Trappers, he thought. They wore lots of fur.

“You think you could kill him? Don’t be a damn silly fool,” one said. Kellson waited patiently. “All right, go north a ways, then turn west. Town called Haress. You heard o’ it?”

“Not really, but I know where you’re talking about,” Kellson said. He was lying. He’d visited in passing before.

“Go talk to Dernham there. He’s the local cobbler there. He’ll set you up with a fee. About two days of a walk as the crow flies, but a lot longer unless you’ve got some wings to fly over all the mountains.. What’s so funny?”

“Nothing. I’ll be seeing you.” There was nothing else that needed to be said. Kellson turned northwest, now, and, out of the town, spread his wings and prepared for a less than two days of flying.

OoC: Hrumph. I can't really go where I want with this until Field Trip is finished (if you haven't taken a look at that yet...what're you waiting for, an engraved invitation?) because Kellson needs the amulet in the cave there. Actually, Kellson doesn't, but the other Kellson does. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, go read Jingo by Terry Pratchett (who else?) and learn of the mystic Trousers of Time. They are Vital.

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Kellson (Deceased). Johnny Bones (Only Technically Deceased).A witticism goes here.