Unbroken Chain: The Darker Road (single books)

by Jaleigh Johnson

  The caravan mustering ground was a large open space near Tower Hevalor-Ashok wondered if the names were the same on this side. He’d never thought to ask Skagi or Cree about this.

  He saw the brothers standing with a group of humans and shadar-kai. The group checked tack and wagons and prepared to harness the horses for a procession through the portal. Ashok was vaguely surprised to see Tuva and Vlahna among the shadar-kai.

  Skagi and Cree waved him over, and Tuva nodded when he saw him.

  “Tatigan’s up front with the other merchants,” Skagi said, and added, “Caravan’s bigger than I expected.”

  “Tuva and Vlahna have led caravan missions in Faerun, or so I heard,” Cree said. “Uwan put them in charge of all the guards, including the humans.”

  Ashok noticed that Cree, true to his word, had been to the inker sometime after Olra’s funeral. A serpentine tattoo with delicate black scales curved around his cheekbone and across his closed left eyelid, which was heavily scarred and had no lashes. The tattoo ended in a snake’s head just above his left eyebrow.

  “Have you seen Ilvani?” Ashok asked. “I went to her chambers, but she’d already left.”

  Skagi looked around and pointed. “She’s there, talking to Daruk.”

  Ashok followed his gaze and saw a dark-skinned human in breeches and a deep gray tunic. He smiled when he spoke to Ilvani, but the witch’s face was impassive.

  “Who is he?” Ashok asked.

  “He’s my bard.”

  They turned and saw Tatigan. The merchant spoke to two of the human guards and sent them off to stow extra gear in the wagons. Then he took off his spectacles and cleaned them on his sleeve. His eyes were bright with anticipation.

  “You travel with your own bard?” Cree said.

  “No wonder the caravan’s so big, if he brings all the home comforts with him.” Skagi snickered.

  “Oh yes, Daruk went on several caravan runs with me, back when I operated alone,” Tatigan said. “When I formed this little coster operation, he was the first one I asked along on the journey. I think you’ll find him interesting, perhaps even helpful, company. In fact, this whole venture promises to be very interesting. I simply hope I have enough parchment to record it all.”

  Tatigan walked away, grinning.

  Ashok watched the other shadar-kai as they formed the horses and wagons up into a line. He counted six of them, and though the human guards far outnumbered them, the shadar-kai warriors looked seasoned and deadly.

  The caravan lined up to move two abreast and eleven deep, with guards at various points on all sides. Vlahna determined guard placements and ordered everyone to their positions so she could survey how secure the caravan would be and if there were any weak points. She kept the six shadar-kai together in one group and ordered them to the front. Ashok, Cree, and Skagi she sent to guard their backs. Ilvani would ride in the rear wagon as spell support if necessary.

  Ashok saw a shadar-kai cleric among the contingent at the front, and a human cleric of Tymora rode in one of the wagons. Tuva and Vlahna took up roving positions on either side of the caravan.

  “What of these shadar-kai guards?” Ashok said to the brothers as they went to their posts. “Do you know them?”

  “Not by name. Sellswords,” Skagi said, with an edge of distaste.

  “How many of them?”

  “All six, as far as we know,” Cree said. “They’re all affiliated either with Tatigan or one of the other merchants.”

  “Why didn’t they join the military when Uwan lifted the ban?” Ashok said.

  “I don’t know, but they’re not the only ones,” Cree said. “There’s an entire faction of shadar-kai who kept their old professions. I heard rumors Uwan’s decision caused a stir among some of the merchants. Lifting the ban on military service caused them to lose some of their best warriors, and they had to offer the rest more coin as an incentive to stay.”

  “More coin’s one thing, but they can’t feel too kindly toward us that used to call them Blites, either,” Skagi said.

  “Some still do,” Cree said, with a pointed glance at his brother. Ashok nodded. It made sense. He’d been naive to assume that all shadar-kai would want the honor of service to Ikemmu, that they would willingly go where they hadn’t been welcome before and where they might still be scorned. The city had a long, delicate road ahead.

  “Eyes to the front!” Tuva called to the gathered crew. “We’re breaths away from the Diteen bell, and that’s the signal to move out. I want no stragglers through the portal. Remember, departing caravans use this location on every run, so ambushers know exactly where to lie in wait for us. When we go through, we’re vulnerable, so I want weapons out and eyes on the hills. For those of you just joining us on this little parade”-he shot a glance at Ashok, Skagi, and Cree-“the place where we’re coming out has low hills for a mile or so; then it’s flat country along the Clearflow River to the north. The good news is that means we’ll have fresh water and game to hunt, so we won’t have to eat into our supplies. The bad news is that it’s open ground, and with winter coming on fast, we’ll have bitterly cold days and nights that’ll make you wish you were back fighting the dust storms on the Shadowfell. But make no mistake, friends, this is the easiest part of the journey.” Tuva smiled, exposing a gap between his two front teeth. “Once we join up with the Golden Way and head for the Sunrise Mountains, things are going to get a lot more interesting.”

  Ilvani came to join them. She wore a heavy black dress and her cloak with its drape of chains. Her green pouch hung at her waist as usual, and she carried an extra pack on her back. She climbed into the back of the wagon and sat down. Ashok tried to catch her eye, but she didn’t acknowledge him.

  “Greetings, Ilvani,” he said. “Are you ready for the journey?”

  She looked up at him. Her eyes were still heavy with fatigue. He could see the bandages poking out of the sleeves of her dress. Ashok hoped she hadn’t added any new wounds since he’d seen her last.

  “She died again last night,” Ilvani said. “The storm turned her into a living corpse. I can’t get the smell out of my room.”

  “You had another dream?” Ashok said.

  She looked away. It was answer enough.

  “We’ll fix it,” Ashok said. He put as much confidence as he could into the words.

  Tatigan and Tuva were speaking at the front of the pack. Ashok saw four others with him: a human man and woman who stood close together, a dwarf with black hair and beard braided through with streaks of gray, and a human man who stood a little apart.

  These must be the other merchants, though the young human didn’t look old enough or confident enough to be master of anything, Ashok mused. His gaze darted between Tuva and Tatigan, as if he didn’t know what to make of either the grizzled shadar-kai warrior or the eccentric merchant. The man and woman beckoned to him then, and the young one went to join them. When they stood together, Ashok saw a resemblance among the three that marked them as one family. The young man had his father’s stance and slenderness, but he had his mother’s deep brown hair and eyes. Tatigan turned then and spoke to the family, and they listened attentively.

  The dwarf, as far as Ashok could see, stayed silent through the whole conference. Though he appeared to pay attention to the proceedings, he kept shooting glances at the horse and wagon preparations. Once or twice, he went to help the guards by separating two incompatible horses or helping tie down crates and barrels that weren’t quite secure in the back of the high-walled wagons.

  A veteran, Ashok thought in approval. Tatigan’s coster may have been a new arrangement, but there were people on board who knew what they were doing. That was a hopeful sign for their success.

  “He’s right about the portal,” Cree said. “I overheard some of the humans talking-a group of them paid for passage with the caravan beyond Rashemen-about the portal being in one spot for too long. Bandits are leaving their scouts in the hills to watch for caravans from the Underdark. Th
ey know the wagons will be fully stocked, so when one comes through, they send word to their fellows to set up an ambush.”

  “What about guards on the other side of the portal?” Ashok said.

  “We have them,” Cree said, “but secrecy is a more effective weapon, according to them. I agree.”

  “I’ve heard worse tales,” Skagi said. “Wagons snatched as soon as they come out of the portal. They kill the guards, drovers, and steer the horses into the hills before anyone can get his breeches in order.”

  As Skagi spoke, Vlahna passed near them on her horse. She rode bareback and had a shortbow slung over her shoulder in addition to the chain wrapped around her arm. “You won’t have to fear that happening with Tuva,” she said. “He’ll pose as drover on the lead wagon and make any attacker pay a steep price if they want to make off with it.”

  “No matter what we do, we’ll have to fight off our share of bandits,” Ashok said. Looking at the three shadar-kai, he could tell that none was about to complain. An eventful journey was a successful journey, in their eyes, for it meant they never had to worry about fading into oblivion.

  Vlahna sidled her horse closer to Ashok’s mount. He saw her animal’s nostrils flare, then it tossed its head as if it smelled something unnatural. Ashok tensed, half expecting it to cry an alarm, but the horse just edged away.

  Vlahna laughed. “I guess she doesn’t like you,” she said, addressing the disguised nightmare. “Can’t imagine why-you’re stunning.” She put out a hand to pat the horse’s neck, but Ashok pulled on his reins to draw the stallion out of reach. Vlahna looked at him questioningly.

  “He doesn’t like anyone,” Ashok said.

  “Except you?”

  “No, he especially hates me,” Ashok said. “But we have an understanding.”

  She laughed again, spurred her horse with her knees, and rode away. Ashok saw Skagi and Cree watch her go. At the front of the line, Tatigan and Tuva had finished their conference with the other merchants and were taking their places in the wagons.

  “Prepare to move out!” Vlahna called to the assembly. “All of you, mind your horses and weapons, keep your eyes open, and-above all-keep to your stations. Tymora give us all a kiss and a smile.”

  With those words, she took her bow off her shoulder and nocked an arrow. Ashok readied his chain, and the brothers fell in beside him on their horses. The rest of the caravan either rode on horseback or took cover in the wagons. Ashok noted with interest the tension in the body language of the other races, and the relaxed, almost playful atmosphere among the shadar-kai-all except Ilvani. The witch sat with a vacant expression.

  Skagi leaned over. “A kiss and a smile? Is she offering, do you think?”

  Ashok and Cree laughed. “You’re not getting either,” Cree said.

  “Well, what do you think, pup? Are you ready to taste Faerunian air?” Skagi slapped Ashok on the shoulder.

  Ashok glanced at Ilvani. She met his gaze and said, “I put on my boots.”

  “I suppose that’s something,” Ashok said. “Let’s go.”

  As he passed through the portal, Ashok looked up and saw the gray, cloud-heavy sky. His first feeling on seeing a sky so similar to that of the Shadowfell was one of intense disappointment.

  I was looking for the sunlight, Ashok thought. Darnae had once described to him how the heat of highsun in the city where she was born had scorched her skin and caused bright orange spots to burst in front of her eyes. But that was during the summer months, and Ashok knew they were too far north to feel that kind of heat at any point during their journey.

  He returned his attention to the caravan and heard the twang of the first crossbow bolt just before it hit the side of a wagon. The second bolt caught Ashok in the shoulder and knocked him off the nightmare’s back.

  He fell on his shoulder, but the impact left him more surprised than hurt. When he got his breath, he found himself staring at a clump of grass and a strange, three-leafed weed growing from the earth. Ashok cursed himself. He let his attention wander for a breath, and the ambush caught him completely off guard.

  Shouts went up among the caravan. Vlahna and the six shadar-kai riders broke away from the others and charged up the low hills. From his vantage, Ashok couldn’t see how many attackers they pursued. He looked for Ilvani and saw the top of her pale red head just above the wagon wall. At least she’d had the sense to take cover. He wished he could say as much. Sighing, Ashok rolled onto his back and yanked out the crossbow bolt.

  Cree jumped off his horse and came to Ashok’s side. “Are you all right?”

  Ashok threw away the bolt in disgust. There was no blood on it. “I’m fine. It didn’t even penetrate my armor.”

  “Aren’t we going after them?” Skagi wheeled his horse around, kicking up dirt and grass. “Those other Blites can’t have all the fun!”

  “They won’t catch them,” Ashok said. “These were just insect stings. If it was a real ambush, they would have aimed for the horses first.”

  “He’s right.” Tuva weaved through the wagons, checking the beasts and arranging the drovers in a defensive formation. “There were only three of them. They were testing our reaction.”

  “Maybe the sellswords will make them think better of trying a real ambush,” Cree said.

  “Or more likely they’ll simply return in greater numbers,” Ashok said.

  “You in one piece?” Tuva asked him.

  Ashok nodded. As the leader walked away, Ashok put his hands against the ground to lever himself up. He stopped when he felt the grass beneath his palms. He pulled off his gloves.

  Green blades, tinged with brown from the first frosts, were spongy and soft, very different from the sparse, brittle vegetation of the Shadowfell plains. He felt moisture beneath them, and a rich, earthy smell drifted up.

  The air, too, held a great deal more moisture than the Shadowfell. It had rained on this spot, or maybe snowed, very recently. Ashok looked around at the hills and low-hanging clouds and became aware of other striking differences between his home and this new world.

  Colors.

  Some of the clouds were dark blue around the edges, and a variegated mist hung over the horizon. Rain in the distance-he smelled it in the air. It would reach the caravan before nightfall. The grass swayed and bent in the wind. The subtle movement had a hypnotic quality-as if the land itself were alive and aware of their presence. The rustle of the wind through the grass was different from the sound of its hissing over barren, eroded soil. A glance at the horizon revealed nothing to confuse the sky with the ground. They were different entities, but Ashok still felt disoriented. He couldn’t quite find his balance-he didn’t know where to rest his gaze. Everything moved, and so everything could be a waiting threat. Seen in that light, Ashok felt uneasy for the first time.

  “You sure you didn’t crack open your skull?” Skagi asked him.

  “I’m fine,” Ashok said.

  The big man scratched his chin. “Good, then. You think you might get up to join us, or should we pick you up on the way back from Rashemen?”

  Ashok blinked. He felt as though he’d just come out of a trance. Distantly, he heard Tuva order everyone back to his or her place. They were moving out again, and Ashok was still sitting in the grass. He stood up.

  At last, he was in Faerun.

  Vlahna led them from the entry point to the banks of the Clearflow. The river, she said, was to be their constant companion until they joined the Golden Way. It rushed along over rocks and through stands of weeds. The shallows often had a skin of ice over them.

  Up and down the line of wagons, Ashok saw breath fogs and people huddling under their cloaks. The more they traveled in this climate, the more they would grow accustomed to it, but the sudden shock of the open cold stiffened everyone’s movements. It would get worse the longer they were on the road that day.

  Despite the frigid air and their initial stumble, the caravan moved along at a steady pace for two miles until the sound of ho
ofbeats from the east made Tuva call a halt. Ashok and the brothers rode up their flank to support a defense, but everyone relaxed when they saw it was the shadar-kai party returned from hunting the ambushers.

  “What news, Kaibeth?” Tuva said.

  A woman with short, yellowish hair and a tattoo of a spider clutching her shoulder spoke up. “We lost them in the hills. The terrain became too rough for the horses, but the bandits knew their path. Wherever they went had to be underground.”

  “There can’t be many of them,” said another of the sellswords. He had an ugly set of burn scars that covered his right cheek. “Unless they’ve tunneled under the whole countryside.”

  “It’s probably an outpost. They’ll wait for cover of dark and ride off to warn their larger force,” Kaibeth said.

  “Agreed,” Tuva said. “Nothing to do now but wait for them. Back to your places, you six. The rest of you, this isn’t a pleasure ride. We move forward.”

  The group broke up. Ashok saw Kaibeth watching him. She smirked when she rode by.

  “Hope you didn’t bruise your backside falling off that horse,” she said. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen an emissary of Tempus felled by a cheap crossbow bolt.”

  Ashok stared back at her and said nothing. He saw that she wore the symbol of Beshaba, goddess of misfortune, as a tattoo on her neck. The others in her group laughed as they returned to the front of the line. Ashok paid no attention. He should have known how it would be with the sellswords. To them, he was still Ikemmu’s champion, higher in rank and favor.

  Beshaba had been Vedoran’s adopted goddess. He’d worshiped misfortune-or at least had given the appearance of worshiping it-until the day Ashok killed him.

  Ashok had not witnessed Vedoran’s funeral rites. He’d been too weak from his tenday in the dark to see how the city bade farewell to the warrior. Had Uwan spoken on Vedoran’s behalf, coaxed his soul on to Beshaba’s realm? Something inside Ashok told him the leader would have prayed for Vedoran-whereas Ashok had done his best not to think of the warrior since the day he died.