“Lookee here.” Alva had wandered a little way away.
Moz was so focused on the ship he’d lost track of the bandit. That was a potentially fatal mistake. He’d gotten too comfortable around the man. It’s not like they were friends.
“What did you find?” Moz went to join him.
“A ladder.” Alva was looking up at the ship and shading his eyes with one hand.
Sure enough, a rope ladder hung down from railing. It was kind of disappointing. You’d think a flying ship would have a magical way of getting on board. Not that he was complaining. A ladder Moz knew how to use, a spell not so much.
“After you,” Moz said.
Alva eyed the ladder then Moz. “You want me to climb up there?”
“Unless you want me to leave you tied up down here. Can’t have you running off.”
“I’m hardly going to run off into a city filled with giant snakes. I’ll be right here when you get back.”
Moz drew a sword and pointed it directly in between Alva’s eyes. “You can climb or I can tie your ankles together and leave you lying on the ground. There’s no third option.”
Alva grumbled, but reached for the rungs with his remaining hand. He scrambled up and Moz followed right behind. When they reached the top Moz looked around, but it wasn’t all that different from a normal ship. Only the helm was odd since there was no wheel. A door in the rear must lead to the cabins and lower decks. If there was anything to find, that’s where he’d find it.
Together they went through the door and down a dim staircase. The narrow hall at the bottom was almost pitch black.
“Hang on.” Moz dug a candle and a fire-making kit from his satchel. A few clicks and the candle caught fire. “Okay.”
In the flickering light they went to the first door. It was unlocked and beyond waited a simple stateroom. Really simple, nothing but an open trunk and cot. They moved on, finding two more identical rooms before stopping in front of the final door. If this one was empty, he was out of luck. With a silent prayer to any god that might be listening Moz pushed the door open.
The last room was three times as big as the others and featured a large round table in the center. A map was spread out on it and weighted down on the corners. Moz set his candle down and took a closer look. It was easily one of the most detailed maps he’d ever seen, especially of the far side of the mountains.
Five locations were marked with an X. One was this ruin. The second was the swamp where he lived and hunted. Whatever was at that X must be what brought Rondo to his front door. The third was somewhere in Carttoom and the remaining two were on the western side of the mountains.
“What do they all mean?” Alva asked. The bandit stood across from him and looked over the map.
“I wish I knew.” Moz left the table and searched the rest of the room, finding little for his trouble. Looked like he had a few more locations to scout out. “Come on. We’re done here.”
They backtracked up to the deck then climbed down to the ground. First thing in the morning they’d retrieve the horses and ride for home. Maybe Callie knew something about those sites. If not, the college had a fair-sized library, not that research was Moz’s thing.
A noise from the tower drew his attention. Moz dropped to the ground and peered under the hulls. And who should be coming out the door but his old friend Rondo, all dressed up in his black robe.
Moz grinned. Finally, his luck was taking a turn for the better.
“Who’s—”
Moz grabbed Alva and yanked him down beside him. “Shut up,” Moz whispered.
As Rondo strolled around to the right, Moz eased left, careful to remain silent and in the ship’s shadow. Rondo appeared perfectly calm. He must be aware that the monsters couldn’t get to him here. Interesting.
Rondo was a good twenty yards from the tower door with his back to them. Now or never. Moz grabbed Alva’s wrist and dragged him along as he darted across the plaza. The bandit did a credible job sneaking around. Probably got lots of practice ambushing innocent travelers.
“Stay here,” Moz said in a harsh whisper. “If you run, I swear to all the watching gods I’ll hunt you down and feed you to that snake.”
Alva held his bound hand up and shook his head. That was the best reassurance Moz could hope for.
He drew his left-hand sword and crept up behind Rondo. Any moment Moz expected him to turn or run, but he appeared totally oblivious.
Moz laid the edge of his blade against Rondo’s neck and the man went rigid. “Long time no see, Rondo. Turn and face me, slowly.”
Rondo obliged. When he saw Moz his eyes nearly bugged out of his head. “You! How could you find this place? The route is a secret known only by Lord Black’s cadre. Even I haven’t memorized it yet.”
“You lot left a trail any competent tracker could follow. Now, I have questions. If you’re a good boy and answer them, I’ll leave you alive and return you to your father. For some reason he seems to want you home. The gods alone know why.”
“I think I’d prefer you killed me than take me back there.”
Moz shrugged. “That works too. Now, tell me what you and your new friends are up to.”
A couple jabs with the tip of his sword got Rondo talking and once he started, he didn’t stop for most of five minutes. There was a lot of magic involved and Moz only understood a little of it, but it was clear that if Rondo’s new master, this Lord Black, succeeded in his plan, it would be bad for the world and for Ariel, which was his main concern. One of the dragonspires was what brought Rondo to the swamp and finding Ariel was just an unlucky coincidence.
Rondo and his friends clearly hadn’t given up on her. Her ability was the key to making their whole plan work. The sooner Moz got back and warned Callie the better.
A twitch in Rondo’s eye was all the warning Moz got. He instinctively ducked his head and slid left.
Something heavy slammed into his back and sent him tumbling.
Moz rolled to his feet in time to see Rondo and Alva running as fast as they could toward the far end of the plaza.
He took a step after them and winced. It felt like he’d cracked his collar bone and twisted his ankle. Gods damn him for a fool. Alva had been so well behaved he never considered the bandit might suddenly grow a spine.
He looked again and there was no sign of either Rondo or Alva. The sun was low in the sky and soon it would be too dark to see the tracks that marked the safe path out of the city. Hopefully the snake would eat them both, but either way, it was too risky to pursue them tonight.
The moment it became clear that the ranger wasn’t after them, Rondo slowed and stopped. The prisoner paused a few steps later. He’d struck Moz with a piece of broken statuary that burst into shards on impact. Rondo doubted it caused any serious damage, but it did buy them a chance to escape.
“Got anything to pick these locks with?” the man said.
Rondo wasn’t entirely sure he did. He studied the stranger in the dying light. He was a rough character for sure. A scruffy beard covered a dirty face. His nose was crooked, probably from getting it broken a few times. He wore clothes that wouldn’t have been out of place on a bum. All in all not the picture of a man you wanted as your ally.
Unfortunately, Rondo didn’t have any other options. He patted his pockets and finally came up with a length of wire he used to clean narrow crevices of new artifacts and approached. “What’s your name?”
“Alva.”
The man held out his arms and Rondo started fiddling with the lock on his good wrist. “How did you end up in the ranger’s company?”
The lock proved to be a simple one and Alva rubbed his wrists together. “Bad luck. My crew and I were raiding south of here and he found us. Killed them all but me.”
“Why spare you?”
“Because you and I serve the same organization. He wanted to know where the Dark Sages’ headquarters was. I led him there in exchange for my life.”
“Are you one of o
ur mercenaries?” Rondo had serious doubts Lord Black would stoop to hiring someone as wretched as this.
“Something like that. I reported directly to a man named El-Kalim who in turn reported to one of the sages. Don’t know which one.”
Rondo nodded. The name meant nothing to him, so it was probably one of the other high sages that employed El-Kalim.
“I suggest we join forces, at least until we get back to headquarters,” Rondo said. “Once we report in, it will be up to Lord Black to decide how to proceed.”
“You read my mind,” Alva said. “Going to be tricky getting out of here after dark.”
Rondo reached into his robe pocket and pulled out one of his few personal magical items. It was a rune-marked silver disk twice the size of a standard scale. He rubbed the runes clockwise and it began to glow. With each swipe it got brighter and brighter until they could clearly see the area around them for about thirty feet.
“I’ve made the journey twice and you’ve made it once,” Rondo said. “Between us, we should be able to puzzle our way safely out of here.”
Alva gave him a dubious look, but finally nodded. What other choice did he have, go back and take his chances with the ranger’s mercy?
They set out, the light coin, their memory, and a dagger the only things between them and an ugly death. The first part of the journey went smoothly enough. They followed the twisting path, conferring twice as they went, but always agreeing in the end on which was the correct direction.
As they walked Alva asked, “Have you seen the giant snake yet?”
“No, though Shade’s warned me often enough about the dangers lurking in these ruins. He wasn’t terribly specific. I actually thought dragons a more likely danger, though I suppose a giant snake could kill you just as well. If possible, I’d like to avoid both snakes and dragons.”
“I like that plan. So how did you end up with the Dark Sages?”
Rondo sighed. It seemed Alva was going to be the chatty sort. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to talk, it would distract him from the dangers all around. A little anyway.
“I didn’t get along with my family, so I struck out on my own a few years ago. I wanted to be a ruin explorer, maybe find some great lost treasure. While I was researching potential targets, I ran into one of their agents. He found my knowledge sufficient and offered me a meeting with his overseer who in turn offered me a position. That was two years ago. What about you?”
“Nothing so elaborate in my case. I’d been running a bandit crew when El-Kalim showed up and offered us a lot of scale to shut down a new settlement. Sounded like easy money. And it was until we ran into the ranger.”
They’d both suffered losses at Moz’s hands. The bandit might have been an ignorant brute, but for a moment Rondo felt a hint of kinship with him. He doubted they’d ever be friends, but fellow travelers, for a few days anyway, would be okay.
A hundred yards later Rondo stopped. The street was divided by a line of fallen buildings. Did they go left or right? He cudgeled his brain but came up empty. All he could remember was one way was safe and the other not.
“I am uncertain which way,” Rondo admitted.
“Likewise.” Alva scratched his chin. “Maybe there’s some mark that’ll tip us off. If that bloody ranger can pick his way through this ruin, then the two of us ought to be able to. Could you move that light a little closer to the ground?”
Rondo obliged and Alva crouched to get a better look. He studied the street for a minute, then two. Nothing about his expression filled Rondo with confidence.
Finally, he straightened. “I’m pretty sure we need to go left. That sound good to you?”
Rondo would have shouted that he didn’t know, but he didn’t want to draw attention. As it was, they couldn’t just stand here all night.
“Sounds right to me. Lead on.”
Alva motioned with his hand. “You first.”
“Thanks.” Despite his grumbling, Rondo set out.
Rondo took a few steps and when nothing immediately tried to kill him relaxed a fraction. They must have made the correct choice.
They’d gone about fifty yards when Alva said, “This isn’t right.”
Rondo froze and turned to face his companion. “What isn’t?”
“Those columns.” Alva gestured to indicate a row of stone pillars just at the edge of Rondo’s light. “We didn’t pass those on the way in.”
Rondo thought for a moment then shook his head. “Gods damn it, you’re right. I’ve never seen that. Let’s head back before…”
He trailed off as Alva’s eyes grew as big around as tea saucers. The bandit scrambled back, spun, and ran. A faint hiss and the rustle of scales on stone came from behind Rondo.
It felt like his feet were nailed to the earth. A burst of adrenaline smashed the sensation a moment later and he ran, not daring to look back and see what was behind him. If he was going to get eaten, he’d just as soon not know what did it.
A sharp whistle drew his attention. He looked to see Alva waving at him from his right.
In his panic, Rondo had gotten off course.
He veered toward the bandit just as something slammed into the space he’d occupied a moment before. Alva grabbed him when he arrived, stopping him from overshooting the path.
Rondo panted, doubled over and wheezing. “I’m tempted to take my chances with the ranger.”
“Suit yourself, but I’m free now and I don’t plan to change that if I can help it.”
Rondo straightened and peered out into the dark. A pair of burning red lights bobbed and wove thirty feet above the ground. The owner of the eyes stayed just out of his light.
“It was one of those bloody snakes,” Alva said. “Damn thing’s eyes glow in the dark. Creepy.”
Rondo would have said terrifying, but he didn’t trust himself to speak just then. After a few deep breaths he said, “Shall we try right?”
Alva grinned like a madman. “Sounds good.”
They set out again. Hopefully they wouldn’t have any more trouble. Rondo needed to get back to headquarters and warn Lord Black that their plans had been compromised. Scary as the snake had been, thinking about Lord Black’s reaction really frightened him.
Chapter 21
A little after noon, after a few days of hard riding, Yaz and his companions came within sight of Alchemy Supplies’ main processing center. It was a walled compound ten miles east of a small city called Kant. They had actually gotten a whiff of the place miles before it came into view. It smelled like the love child of a foundry and a rendering plant. Yaz talked to the company’s agent once when he arrived in town. Apparently, the business started inside the city, but after three months the mayor made it clear they needed to relocate before a mob with pitchforks and torches showed up to burn the place down.
A six-foot wall surrounded it, probably to keep animals out more than anything. Not that Yaz could imagine any animal with a working sense of smell coming within a mile of this place. No guards patrolled the area, not that he could see anyway, though he suspected there would be a few armed people on the grounds. The was a lot of valuable merchandise on the premises, much of it flammable or explosive according to what he’d read.
“So what’s the plan?” Brigid asked.
“This is a place of business, so riding in and asking to speak with whoever’s in charge shouldn’t be a problem.” Yaz shrugged. “I figured I’d just ask him where our people were. You know, nicely.”
“And if he doesn’t tell you?” Silas asked.
“I’ll ask again, firmly.”
“Is there any way we can do this without bloodshed?” Brigid asked.
“Sure, lots of ways. Unfortunately, their success or failure all depend on others doing what we want. I have no desire to hurt anyone, but I will see our people free, one way or another. Isn’t that what you want?”
“Of course it is.” Brigid looked away and sighed. “It’s just when we go around attacking people and threatening th
em at knife point, I feel like we’re the bad guys. Like we’re acting like criminals.”
“We are criminals,” Yaz said. “According to the law, your parents and mine along with everyone else properly belong to the people and businesses that bought them. In the eyes of the law, we’re thieves at best. I’m sorry if that bothers you. I’m not crazy about it myself, but what are our options?”
“I know, I know. Gods! I’m not cut out for this life. When we were home all I wanted was to get out and see the world. Now all I want is things back the way they were.”
Yaz eased his horse closer to hers, reached out, and squeezed her shoulder. “I know. Things were good before. Not perfect, but good. I wish I could tell you when this job of saving everyone is done, everything will return to the way it was, but I can’t. Things will never be the way they were. Being made slaves will have changed everyone. The gods know that after everything I’ve done, I’m not the same. The important thing is that we’re together. We know where pretty much everyone is being held. Rescuing them isn’t going to be easy, but we’re on the downhill side now. One last big push and we’ll finish it. I need to know you’re with me because I can’t do this without you.”
Brigid looked into his eyes and nodded, her expression hard. “I’m with you. To the end.”
Yaz nodded back. “Good, now let’s go down there and make a few polite enquiries.”
Brigid led the way and Silas eased over beside Yaz as they rode behind her. “You make a good speech.”
“Sometimes it helps to have the situation laid out in front of you. I just offered her some perspective. I’m glad she took it the way I hoped instead of panicking.”
“What would you have done if she had?” Silas asked.
Yaz wished he had an answer. The truth was, he had no idea what he would’ve done if Brigid had quit on him. He couldn’t give up on finding his parents, so he’d have to keep going, but without her he feared what he might be capable of.
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