“Ortham?”
“Yes. It seems unlikely that Novir would lead us to where the orb is truly headed.”
She was right. Only a fool would have done so. Still, Novir had to make the orb’s destination plausible. He said as much and asked, “Where might they be going that is in the same direction? And is there any proof that they are headed this way?”
“From what I learned, all proof about the orb’s location was from reports they came to Novir. There is no way of knowing what they truly contained, and we must assume that they were not entirely accurate.”
“Great. So he could have lied.”
“Yes, but this may be another reason to visit the town. They are presumably not under his influence of that of the orb, which would not have come this way. Perhaps they are aware of its movement. I heard nothing that led me to believe the orb is not headed north, so it may be headed this way, just not to Ortham.”
“It’s a long shot, but we will ask the town, assuming they cooperate.”
“Yes. As for other destinations, I know of nothing as plausible as the portal at Ortham. Novir did not strike me as a clever man, and he may not have thought of a compelling lie.”
“Maybe he expected that leviathan or the cave-in to stop us.”
“Unlikely, given your reputations and my presence. It seems clear that he wanted Brazin and Sebast alone, as it was his idea that I accompany you to the save, which made it easier to defeat the leviathan.”
“Do you think he just wanted to injure or delay us? He seemed in a hurry to flee.”
“Possibly. I noticed his haste, but I thought it was fear. Perhaps not.”
“Maybe the Lords of Fear don’t know we’re coming, and he hoped to warn them. He knew our plans at least.”
“This is likely.”
“Do you think we can trust Denir?”
“I think so, but perhaps he is compromised. Let us get to the town and see what they know. From there we visit Ortham and possibly gather more information along the way.”
Eric sighed. It was as good a plan as any. He and the others were bound to the quest, and if the orb was going in a completely different direction, they would have to track it down. That would take considerably longer. And that meant more time away from home. The possibility of never returning always hung in the air. The price of failure was steep, even if they lived.
That mind reading spell of Soliander’s seemed more and more like a good idea. He knew Matt better than the others and wondered if they should discuss doing it. The techie was as pragmatic as himself and could be persuaded with a good line of logic. Neither was as principled as Anna or Ryan. If they ever used it on someone, it would have to be when the other two weren’t around or Eric would never hear the end of it. Matt would likely admit it was Eric’s idea, sparing himself the judgment. Or at least some of it.
Besides, everyone knew Eric was the calculating one who would bend ethics when required. It came with his former life and he didn’t mind his friends knowing it. He sometimes felt they needed to accept the situations they were now in with these quests and that being honorable was great and all, but not if you ended up dead over it. He was the first to ditch such ethics and didn’t feel bad about it in the least. No one knew they were unwilling imposters ripped away from their lives without warning, and while the summoning wasn’t unethical by intent, it kind of was for the result. Being ignorant of a crime doesn’t make you not guilty of it, and while a summoning wasn’t a crime, it was still a great wrong done to them. If they had to bend ethics to survive, then so be it. They didn’t ask for this. Didn’t want it. Weren’t qualified. They just wanted to go home and back to their lives.
There was no sense in worrying about that, so he turned his mind to Novir. Why didn’t Novir just take the orb and fly to Ortham on Brazin’s back? Instead, he had taken part in summoning the Ellorian Champions. Eric went cold. Was Novir trying to bring them to the orb so they would get enthralled? They would be an enormous prize, one that might warrant being awarded a kingdom for it.
But then why would Novir help them get the fish eyes they needed for the spell that would prevent it? Because that spell didn’t exist on Rovell, so he hadn’t known about it when they were summoned. He must have been improvising, taking them to the dangerous Kirii Cave, hoping something happened to them. He got Sebast killed, but he must have known that Jolian could carry all four champions if necessary and it would only slow her. That must have been the intention. If he had gotten out of sight in time, they would not have known where to track him. The cave in and flight would have given him a head start to reach Ortham and tell the Lords of Fear that the plan to enthrall the Ellorian Champions would not work. This meant Eric and the others now had an advantage. They could pretend to be ensnared long enough to get close to the orb. It all made sense but was conjecture. He sighed but felt he had made sense of it, but he knew that he may have just been fooling himself.
Jolian soon banked to begin her landing, the tilt helping Eric see the ground. Sebast’s green dead body still lay where it had been among the trees and bushes. Nothing seemed to move. He saw no sign of the others and hoped this meant they were just staying out of sight. He looked for signs of fighting and saw none. Jolian landed smoothly despite carrying her brother in a front foot. She laid him down as Eric scanned for danger and saw his friends emerging from the tunnel entrance, unscathed. He climbed down to meet them and quickly filled them in.
“Did anyone eat the food they gave us? It may be poisoned,” he concluded, taking a few of the throwing knives that Ryan had collected for him. He had a half-dozen.
Ryan grunted and replied, “No. Didn’t think of it. We arrived a little before noon and the Quest Ring always makes us feel like we just ate a solid meal an hour earlier.”
Matt said, “If Novir knew that, he would have known we wouldn’t eat soon. Poisoning our water would have made more sense, but we all drank some before entering the cave before.”
“Nothing since?” He looked over at the saddle for Jolian, which sat upright on the ground. The one for Sebast was still on the dead dragon, half of it under the giant corpse. They wouldn’t be reaching anything they needed from that side unless Jolian moved the body. He wondered what was where. “Okay, listen, we’ll just replace everything in town.”
Looking at the unconscious Brazin, Ryan asked, “You’re sure he won’t wake up while you’re gone?”
Jolian responded, “He may but is well bound and cannot do magic for now. Keep a close eye on him. I suggest Soliander be ready with a binding spell if needed.”
Matt nodded, but Anna frowned at Eric and said, “I thought we agreed not to separate. Now you want to again.”
Eric assured her, “You guys should be safe here like before, just a little while longer.”
She persisted, “And what about you? I mean, sure, I understand that you have a dragon to protect you, but we know nothing about this town.”
Jolian, still in her natural form, interjected, “I am familiar with its reputation and we should have no trouble. There are far worse that we could visit, and they would be cause for concern.”
Anna didn’t look convinced. “What can you tell us? I really dislike not knowing about the places we go.”
“Yeah, I know,” Matt agreed. “I wish I had a spell that would help with that sort of thing.”
To Anna, the dragon replied, “Humans built Valegis before knowing the dwarves were here underground, but the dwarves knew of the town and kept an eye on them. Valegis exists to mine these peaks for metals and gems, and the dwarves weren’t interested in sharing what they might find. They believe the mountains belong to them.”
Ryan asked, “Are these the same dwarves of Hamarven?”
“No. We are too far north, and if their territory spread all this way, Harmarven could claim the entire mountain range. But the dwarves in one place are much the same as another for not sharing. They are good-natured and came to the rescue of Valegis during a troll attack lo
ng ago. There has been an alliance ever since, with agreements on where the town can mine, and how deep, in exchange for dwarven help with safety, gem cutting, even tunneling. Valegis is where the dwarves barter with much of the outside world, so it is a trading town. We will find many dwarves there. This may reassure you we have little to fear. Still, the guards will be surprised to see Andier and I approaching on foot.”
Matt asked, “Do you need a good story to get into town? Or to see the leader? Do we know his attitude?”
“I do not know who it is. I am trusting our Silver-Tongued Rogue to get us where we need to be.”
Everyone looked at Eric and he admitted, “I will have to improvise. The big question we need an answer for is where did we come from? Why are two apparent humans walking around in the mountains?”
“Speaking of that,” began Anna, turning to the dragon, “your appearance when you look like a human is pretty striking. Do you have control over that? I knew when I first saw you that you probably weren’t human despite your shape.”
Jolian nodded. “Yes. That is how I choose to look, but I will choose something more appropriate.”
Eric gave Anna an approving look and turned his thoughts to what to tell the guards. If he and Jolian lied to get past them, and that became obvious while talking to the mayor, or whatever his title was, that could prevent cooperation. But what of the truth could they say? Talking about the Orbs of Dominion might not work if people didn’t believe they were real. Remote mountain town guards might not have heard of them at all. But being on a mission from King Orin of Minari would get their attention and likely get them an audience quickly. But what mission could they admit? Maybe he refused to say it to anyone but the mayor. That might work.
But why would anyone believe them? He couldn’t even claim to be Andier of Roir, one of the Ellorian Champions. For all he knew, this town thought the champions were still missing, and no announcement of a quest went out because King Orin was enthralled and would have interfered, so no one would expect this. That truth would not pass the smell test. Besides, with only himself present, being one of the champions was hardly convincing. How often did the real champions go around alone? He imagined saying his title and getting a snide response that the guard was really the King of Gisla.
And Andier was a known smooth talker not known for honesty. Admitting to their identities didn’t seem like a good move, or at least, not to some guard at the gates. Jolian could prove she was a dragon and impress upon them that something serious was afoot as a result, but that would just get them shot with arrows.
But he had an idea the others agreed to, and with time precious, he helped Ryan carry Brazin into the mouth of the tunnel to Kirii Cave so everyone could stay out of sight while he and Jolian were gone. Eric walked up the dragon’s red wing and sat on her spine again. Scattered leaves and dirt filled the air as she lifted off. He felt like he was getting used to this, but he didn’t have long for this ride.
Valegis was hours away by foot, partly due to steep and challenging terrain, but they were near within a few minutes, Jolian flying low so that no one from the town saw them. She also didn’t fly directly at it, but toward a wilderness area suspected to have fewer witnesses. For their story to hold up, they could only approach on foot from one direction—that of Kirii Cave—and this limited their landing options to that side of town. She glided between the peaks, just above the trees, and finally touched down with surprisingly little sound halfway up a mountain. Then she crouched down behind the trees and transformed to humanoid to get out of sight, hopefully no one witnessing the change.
Jolian looked more human this time, her red hair in a tight ponytail and less fiery. Looser, black leather that seemed functional, worn, and used had replaced the sleek, form-fitting red, her boots appearing scuffed. She gave the impression of a well-paid and skilled warrior who could pass for someone on a mission from a king. She took Novir’s sword from him to complete her disguise.
“There isn’t much of a path from Valegis toward Kirii Cave,” Jolian observed, “but it is there. The town is around the next mountain over. I did not think getting closer in the air was wise. We should move quickly.”
“At a run.”
“Agreed.”
They carefully ran across the bare earth, where small stones and boulders jutted up. The pine trees were sparse enough that they did not need a trail. Eric kept alert for signs of trouble, which could have just been animals, not ogres, trolls, and similar threats, but the way became more dangerous once they reached the way toward Valegis simply because traffic, however rare, might be expected there. It was just wide enough for one person. As they went, they sometimes had to walk because a rising cliff wall or boulder obscured the sight of any trouble ahead. Even when they could see for fifty yards because only smaller boulders dotted the landscape, the stray tree or bush near, they knew a traveled path invited scrutiny. Was anything waiting to ambush travelers? It seemed unlikely only because, as Jolian observed, few went toward the Kirii Cave. But just because they didn’t go all the way there didn’t mean the path wasn’t used at all. An abandoned guard tower suggested the area was largely deserted.
They descended from their landing spot into a valley and took a brief break before resuming. When able to, they left the trail to stay near a line of trees, or even a cliff wall that was away from the trail. Anything to minimize being in plain view of something watching. But they faced no trouble as late afternoon began casting darker shadows. Danger would increase before long, so few breaks preceded them ascending again on widening path, the trees of a valley dropping below them on one side as they climbed toward a pass between two mountains. A pair of guard towers with black flags snapping in the breeze lay ahead. Eric assumed that the town lay beyond.
“They have seen us,” Jolian observed, her eyes keener.
Eric had suspected as much and badly wanted some water and to catch his breath, sweat creasing his brown despite the air cooling. Once back on Earth, it was time to resume the jogging they had only just started. Anna and Matt would complain, but their lives could depend on it.
They continued jogging up the path until they saw a group of warriors doing the same in their direction. Giving a sense of urgency would just get the guard’s tension up, so they slowed to a walk. Jolian tucked the spare sword into her own belt, having carried it because it had no scabbard, and running increased the odds of hurting herself with it. Now they did their best to seem non-threatening as the dozen warriors came to a halt ten feet away, most wearing studded leather and carrying a rectangular shield, swords of various lengths on their hips in scabbards. Only a few had a helm at all, each of steel. A tall, black-haired man in front was the obvious leader because of his chainmail shirt and finer tunic atop it. It bore the same insignia that seemed to adorn the flutter of black flags—a mountain with a sword and hammer crossed before it. Eric thought he had seen it before on a corpse in the entrance to Kirii Cave.
“Ho there!” said the one wearing chainmail, taking two steps toward them. “What business have you with Valegis?”
“We seek the town’s aid. I am Eric of Arking in Minara. This is Jolian. Are you important?”
The man cocked an eyebrow, seeming amused but disdainful. “I am Talis, Captain of the Watch. And I am more important than you at this moment.” His men laughed.
Eric smirked, feeling he had a handle on them. “Letting you think that amuses me, so I will allow it. Who runs the town?”
Talis scratched his stubble beard. “That would be Ogren, not that you’ll be meeting him, except in chains.”
Eric offered his wrists. “Would you like to try putting them on me? I’ll tie one hand behind my back to make the fight fairer.”
Talis smiled. “Well, I haven’t had an offer that tempting in about two hours.”
Jolian stepped forward. “If you boys are through playing, we urgently need to see Ogren. Will you take us to him?”
Talis appraised her with an obvious appreciation fo
r her beauty, which did not appear to sway him. As if he meant no offence, he pleasantly remarked, “If I took every mongrel that wandered in from the mountains to see Ogren just because they asked, I wouldn’t be Captain of the Watch.”
Eric drawled, “And if you don’t take us, you won’t be Captain of the Watch much longer when he finds out too late why we’re here.”
Talis’s green eyes hardened, and he stepped forward, one hand on his sword hilt. “I am not accustomed to threats.”
Eric took a step forward so that they were within arm’s reach. “Yes, you are, or you wouldn’t be Captain of the Watch.”
Talis looked flatly at them. “Enough games. What do you want? Why are you walking around out here with no supplies? Where did you come from?”
Eric felt like this had gone as far as it could. Time for his story. “Our supplies are back at the Kirii Cave. Maybe you can go back and ask the leviathan to return them.”
Cocking an eyebrow, Talis frowned. “I don’t believe you.”
Eric pulled a dead fish from a pocket, having brought one from Matt’s bag. “Well, do you know anywhere else I can get a fresh one of these? It would have been handy to know before going there.”
Talis appraised him with new respect, and Eric saw that he’d gotten the captain’s attention. “What were you doing at the Kirii Cave?”
“The King of Minari sent us to get these fish for a spell we need.”
“You are not wizards and do not wear an insignia of any kind, not to mention one of Minari.”
“Our wizard is still at the cave. Listen, a force of men left Castle Arking some days ago and is headed for Ortham in Gisla. We mean to stop them, but as you noticed, we are short on supplies.”
Talis’s eyes looked away for a moment and Eric thought the man knew something about this, but the captain only smiled at him next. “You plan to purchase our falcons to get there sooner? With what? Dead sparis?”
“No, that was for you.” Eric tossed him the fish, but the captain let it strike his chest and fall to the rocky trail between them.
The Light Bringer: An Epic Fantasy Adventure Novel (The Dragon Gate Series Book 2) Page 12
