Caged: Book 2 Of the King's Hand Series

by B. A. Monaghan

  Roland reached down, picked up the bow and the bundles of arrows. The bow was now glowing brighter than it had when he arrived earlier, if that was possible. He couldn’t walk around town with a golden bow. He cast a spell on it, making it look like his old long bow, happy that it wasn’t glowing through the illusion.

  Chapter 8

  Pirate Captain Baal

  Roland and Shadow arrived at Eli’s office early on the date specified by Eli. It was exactly two weeks to the day after they had returned home from their adventure in the swamp. The first week went by slowly until he picked up his new bow from Gnorbit. He still hadn’t given it a name yet. He thought about calling it the Golden Bow of Death, and Roland discovered that he hadn’t had to refresh the illusion spell upon it. The bow was still as accurate and deadly as when he received it, and no one but he and Shadow knew what it really was. The one thing that he hadn’t done to the illusion that showed up anyway was Gnorbit’s mark. How that worked was a mystery to him.

  Eli was sitting behind his desk looking up as they entered his office. “You’re prompt as usual Roland. I thought Gnorbit was making a new bow for you. It looks like you still have your old one. Can I take a look at it?”

  Roland was caught flat footed. How was he going to explain the bow and the illusion? Eli didn’t like having illusions cast in his office. From the time of their first meeting, he had demanded that Roland not have an illusion on himself or on Shadow. This meeting might not go so well.

  Roland took the bow off his back and handed it over to Eli, who took the bow and handled it like it was Roland’s old long bow. Eli looked closely at the bow, examining it. He looked up at Roland and handed it back to him. “I thought maybe you had cast an illusion of camouflage on the new bow. Well, if Gnorbit ever gets around to making a new bow for you I would love to see it.”

  Roland grabbed the bow and to him it felt like the new bow. That was really weird. Surely Eli had to know it was the new bow, didn’t he? He looked over at Shadow. He had to know, right?

  Shadow shrugged. He didn’t seem to realize it was an illusion. Maybe this bow is more than Gnorbit even realizes. It is a bit unusual.

  Roland had to bring his attention back to Eli before he got suspicious. “What do you have for us? You said you had a job for us to do. I speak for Shadow when I say that we have sufficiently recovered from our trek into the swamp. I don’t plan on ever going back, if I can help it.”

  Eli laughed at that comment. “Roland, you’re a member in good standing with the Adventures Guild. You will be back in the swamp in due time. Alchemists always have need for items from the swamp. I also hear that two small pieces of Screech Bat fur were sold at auction yesterday. They say that fur is the softest ever felt, superior even to mink. I’m thinking a guild member will be asked to get some more of the fur very soon. Maybe you won’t have to go into the swamp so deep.”

  “Surely someone besides me could bring back a Screech Bat hide.”

  “Maybe, but you were the only person to ever think about checking it out as a usable fir. They do have a small mana gland that the alchemists want. They don’t pay well for it, but they do buy them.”

  “Let someone else have the glory of killing the nasty things.”

  Eli just gave a knowing smile. “Well, to the reason I asked you to come by. I have something very important for you to do. I would have sent someone else to do this, but you might be the only person who can do what I need. We have finally discovered within a five-mile area of where Captain Baal’s base is. He seems to disappear and reappear in the same general area.”

  “We chased them out of Port Orchard because we have the new Crown ship. The problem now is that we need to keep the ship to escort ships leaving and returning to that port. The King can’t afford to build another ship at this point, and they take way too long to build anyway. The pirates have been capturing ships going to and from the Continents of Canistan and Lancaster. The other continent is having its own political turmoil at this time and they don’t have the time or resources to deal with the pirates.”

  Eli continued. “The King has asked the ambassador from Karagandy to intercede on behalf of his country to put a stop to the pirates. Karagandy is attempting to take over the entire continent. The Samarkand and Kulob countries have put up a bigger fight than Karagandy had anticipated. We would have tried something ourselves, but it was difficult to locate the pirates. This way we can take care of the problem and we can get some good will from Karagandy.”

  “You should know that Karagandy is a power-hungry nation. Their king is from a long line of kings and this newest one is a spoiled brat. We hope this keeps his eyes off us. We have as much land as they do, they just have a lot more people than we do. The Karagandy Straight also keeps us separated from him. We are hoping this can help in those two areas. Get rid of a pirate and appease a spoiled brat. A strong spoiled brat I might add.”

  Roland was thinking about the political strife on a continent he hadn’t known much about. How could something so far away affect him here, on another continent? “Where is this pirate base and do I have to take a ship to get there?”

  Eli continued his official briefing. “That is the good thing. You don’t have to take a ship to get there. They are located at the end of the Painted Mountains, where the Painted Desert starts. Somehow, they have found enough water to keep them alive in that infernal place. I know you can get there the same way you traveled to get the lizard glands. If you made it half way into the desert, I’m sure you can make it all the way to the coast.”

  “What I need you to do is figure out how we can get our ships into his docks, port, or whatever they are using. I don’t want you to endanger yourself. I need you to do a nocturnal reconnoiter, and then return here to report your findings. We will send in the new Crown ship with a few other older vessels. There is no need for you to endanger yourself. Get in and get out. Do you have any questions?”

  Roland was concerned about the job. “Do I need to pick up a job from the Adventures Guild?”

  “Imala has a job for you. The job will tell you to meet with the centaurs on behalf of the king for the purpose of a treaty. We already have a treaty so you don’t need to worry about that. It will just be a cover story if anyone sees you traveling toward the Painted Desert. You of all people should know the Thieves Guild houses a connection to the pirates. You can never be too careful.”

  “When do you need me to go Eli? I need to pick up some supplies before I leave.”

  “We would like to take care of this problem as soon as possible. If you could leave in the next day or two I would appreciate it. When you get back from this trip I would love for you to come by the house. We have been so busy we haven’t been able to invite you for dinner since you have been back. We do appreciate when you are able to come by for dinner.”

  Roland enjoyed dining with Eli, and especially Eli’s daughter. He could almost smell the perfume she would wear when he visited in the next few days. That was when Shadow interrupted his thoughts.

  You do smell the perfume. It is on his coat. She must have hugged him when he left for work. Snap out of it lover boy. If you like her so much, make her a part of our pack.

  That’s a bit more complicated Shadow. She is a bit of a wildcard for me. She seems to know more about us than should be known.

  I have no idea what a wildcard is.

  That made Roland’s head spin. You know what lover boy is but you don’t know what wildcard is. Where did you hear the term lover boy anyway?

  Hazel and Vivi call you lover boy all the time.

  That made no sense at all. Why would they call him lover boy? He really needed to understand women better. I’ve never heard them say that.

  Shadow just shrugged.

  They said goodbye to Eli and headed out.

  The first stop was the at guild hall where they picked up the job.

  “Hey Imala, how have you been doing today?”

  “Hey Roland, I’m doing well
. I’m sorry to hear about Damari. Mateo is taking it poorly, as well as the rest of the group. I haven’t seen you since you returned, and now you’re off again. I hope this won’t be as long as last time.”

  “I will be gone for a while, but it shouldn’t be nearly as long as the last trip. I’m sure it isn’t going to be near as difficult either. Any change with you since we last spoke?”

  Imala sighed. “No, same old same old. I come to work and watch everyone go adventuring. My life is boring compared to everyone else around here.”

  Roland almost felt bad for Imala. “When I get back I’ll tell you all about it. Remind me of that when I come in to pay my guild tax. I’m sorry I didn’t this last trip, but I wasn’t in the mood to talk with anyone. I’m sure you can understand.”

  “Oh Roland, I do understand. Everyone has lost at least one friend in the guild, and some have lost many friends. That is why a lot of people never join our guild. It is just too dangerous.”

  Roland took the job, and sure enough it was to visit the centaurs. He flipped Imala a silver coin and then he and Shadow headed to the market.

  They picked up spices, dried fruit, travel bread, and some jerky. They picked up one potion of moderate heal from the Alchemists, then headed home.

  Once they arrived home, Roland began filling his new pack for the trip. He packed his quivers with the new arrows. He cast an illusion on his arrows so they would look like his old ones. They too took on an appearance like the bow did when he had cast the illusion on it. This illusion was better than any he had ever cast, and for some reason it never had to be refreshed.

  He went to the basement and added a mix of elixirs to his pack. His poisons were always in his pack. He then filled the rest of the pack with an extra set to clothes and his sleeping blanket. He added an extra canteen for this trip. They shouldn’t need the extra canteens now that they knew where the water was, but as they were travelling into a desert, they should always be prepared for the unexpected.

  That night Hazel and Vivi prepared a special dinner for Roland since he was leaving for another adventure in the morning. Roland felt bad because he wasn’t able to spend much time with either of the girls. Hazel had been working hard on her apprenticeship. Vivi had a bustling business with both the Adventurers and Mages Guild.

  Hazel was first to discuss his upcoming trip. “Roland, I appreciated the fur from that bat, but I’m not sure it can help us out much. I was told that if we obtained more of the fur it would be purchased immediately for a good price. With you heading in the opposite direction that source of income is broke. If you could find something that we might be able to sell from the centaurs that would be great. To offer the sale of items only we can provide would be awesome. All I’m asking from you Roland is to see if we might have different options for products to sell.”

  Roland chuckled. “I will see what I can do. The centaurs aren’t very cordial to men. To say they put up with us is a more accurate description than anything else. I will keep my eyes out for something unique that we can sell. I did bring back some new elixir recipes. Are those working well?”

  Vivi jumped in. “They are selling very well. I don’t think that I will have to worry selling our elixirs. They don’t work as well as the potions from the alchemists, but people can at least afford our products.”

  Hazel jumped back in. “That is my point Roland. Our elixir business is doing well, but we need to begin to think outside the box. Never put all your eggs in one basket, you know? As a journeyman merchant, I will be able to bring in items from outside the capitol. We can lease a building to sell our wares from, but Vivi will probably always sell more elixirs from the market square. I need to find some items that the other merchant houses haven’t already secured and gain a larger corner on the market. If we are going to be successful in business, we need to keep our eyes open and right now the only eyes we have outside the capitol are yours. We are depending on you Roland, so don’t let us down.”

  Roland was wondering how he had become the one responsible. “Hazel you know I can’t sell anything, or purchase anything for that matter, without being taken to the cleaners. My charisma is still pathetic.”

  Hazel almost jumped out of her chair. “Roland whatever you do, don’t buy anything. I cringe at the thought of you purchasing anything. Just look around and see if you can see something that you have never seen being sold in the capitol. Then I’ll decide if it is worth purchasing, and I will do the purchasing. That reminds me, you probably purchased trail bread and jerky for your trip, didn’t you?”

  Roland was getting uncomfortable. “I had to get ready in a very short notice, so yes, I did make the purchases. I wasn’t able to give you a heads up about what I needed and also be ready to leave in the morning.”

  Vivi spoke up. “He purchased trail bread, dried fruit, spices, and a potion. In the market, everyone talks about the adventurer who wears black armor and has a dog. They love him because he always pays a premium price and never haggles.”

  Hazel was exasperated. “Vivi, from now on we will purchase these items and keep them down in the basement so that when Roland is called away at the last minute he will always be ready. Did you take any elixirs Roland?”

  “I took several. I didn’t think you would mind.”

  Hazel was all smiles. “I want you to take the elixirs Roland, but I need you to tell either Vivi or myself what you took so we can keep track of our inventory. We keep track of spoilage, theft, and breakage. If we are going to get the most out of our investment, those things are important to track. We are here to take care of you Roland. You took care of us and it is our turn to take care of you.”

  Roland was happy at that thought. “How are we doing, financially I mean? I noticed that we have some nice drapes at all the windows, and you hung some things up on the walls.”

  Hazel was all smiles again. “We are doing very well. Yes, we hung some drapes and some decorations. The young ladies in this house like to live in a welcoming environment. I know the house you rented by the gate didn’t have a lick of decorations in it. Don’t you think this is much nicer?”

  Roland looked around the place and noticed a lot more on the walls than he had remembered, including over the mantel place. Hazel looked expectant. “Oh, it looks real nice.”

  Vivi spoke up. “Hazel, he just now noticed the things you placed on the mantel. Did you see his face? He’s a hopeless man.” Both girls laughed and the conversation, as far as Roland was concerned, went downhill from there.

  The next day Roland and Shadow were up and long gone before the girls awoke. It was so much easier to deal with just Shadow. They really did understand each other and house decorations definitely never came up during their conversations. The guards at the gate barely recognized when Roland or Shadow left the city. It seemed they only cared about who was entering.

  They headed in the same direction that they had many months prior on their adventure to the swamp. After resting these past few weeks, and eating well, this trek to the Painted Mountains was easy and pleasurable. Roland didn’t want to walk through a stinky swamp the rest of his life. He was sure he would have to return there eventually, but he wasn’t going to like it. Roland stopped for dinner at a few of the farmers’ houses along the way. He would give the farmers the news of what was going on in the capitol, and in return he received a meal and usually was able to stay in a spare room or the barn. Well, Roland did. Shadow would usually hunt in the nearby woods and then find a safe, warm place to settle down for the night.

  When they finally entered the centaurs’ controlled land, Roland and Shadow were quickly met by two centaurs. They escorted him all the way to their home. Manfred and Wenham met them as they entered the tranquil valley. Wenham gave the official welcoming. “Welcome back, friend of the centaurs. What brings you back to our land Roland?”

  Roland always felt small standing next to the centaurs. “I’m on my way to the coast along the mountains. I’m just trying to see if there is some
place along the coast where water is available from the mountains for ships. There is Port Dickson and Port Richmond, but they are a long way apart and the King would like to have another stop off point along the coast, if possible. I’m just doing a little reconnoitering for the King, and the pay is good.”

  Manfred spoke next. “You will stay with us at least a day, won’t you? We couldn’t let a friend travel through our land without giving you some rest and feeding you. It would feel like an insult to you if we weren’t hospitable.”

  Roland felt compelled to stay a day with the centaurs now. He didn’t want to insult the friends he had gained. “I would love to enjoy your hospitality.” With that out of the way, they went into camp where a small feast was prepared. The one thing Roland knew was that the centaurs were the best at providing more than he could eat. He stayed an additional day and then they were off. The centaurs escorted him to the edge of their lands and let him know that they would expect him on the return trip.

  Shadow was ready this time to find the hidden water points. Now that they knew what to look for, it was easy to find the water. When it began to get light, they would locate a cave at the base of the mountains and find water. There were times that wildlife had to be killed to claim the cave for themselves, but that just helped keep them in fresh meat. Both Roland and Shadow had developed a liking for scorpion meat the last time they were here. When they killed one, they were very happy for the meat it provided.