Chain of Bargains dm-5

by Jeff Inlo

  Ryson paused as he realized the elf guard wasn't going to like his next suggestion, either. He decided not to dance around the subject. Holli appreciated decisiveness and clarity, and so, he would make his case expressing those attributes.

  "You also have to take my sword. They're looking for two travelers, one with a sword on his back. If I'm not carrying this, what are the chances anyone's going to recognize me? I look like a human, and Ashlan is a big city. I'm going to blend right in. If I don't have the sword and I'm by myself, no one is going to even ask me any questions."

  Holli found it difficult to argue with Ryson's logic. From their encounter with the soldiers in Huntston, it was obvious the guards were on the lookout for an athletic couple with the male carrying a sword and the woman a bow. Other details were certainly included, such as looking for her pointed ears or a woman strangely wearing a cap during the heat of the high sun season. If they walked into Ashlan together, without making any changes to their appearance, they were bound to be noticed eventually. She did not agree, however, with acting reckless, and she certainly didn't wish to leave Ryson defenseless.

  "And you would enter the town without a weapon?"

  Ryson pointed to the two war blades he wore at his hips.

  "I'm not unarmed."

  Holli was well aware of the weapons Sy Fenden had given to Ryson, but she also understood the delver's nature and his reluctance toward causing harm.

  "I am talking about weapons you would actually use. You still carry those blades at Sy's behest, but I know you do not unsheathe them."

  Ryson scowled. He didn't like to think about when he used the battle swords. It hurt, but he offered a very real truth to help aid his position.

  "I've used them when I had to."

  Holli saw the pain in the delver's eyes.

  "I know you have, but you do not like to. If we are together, there will be less of a chance for you to need them."

  "Actually, there may be more. If we get identified in Ashlan, what's going to happen? You're not going to let them take us prisoner this time, not when we'd be in Prilgrat's hometown. And we're going to be dealing with different soldiers, probably much better trained than the ones in Huntston. We're going to have to fight, that makes things more difficult and more dangerous. I'm not going to want to pull out the Sword of Decree and have it light up like a beacon for everyone to see. Not in Ashlan. If I need a weapon, I'm going to pull the war blades."

  Holli sighed as she began to accept the truth.

  "I see your point," she admitted. "If we separate and I take your sword, the chances of you being recognized fall dramatically."

  "And if I'm careful, there won't be a need for any weapon at all."

  "Very well, but keep hold of the sword for now."

  "You still don't like the idea, do you?" Ryson asked.

  "No."

  Ryson didn't press the issue. He knew the elf guard would eventually accept the plan. Instead, he decided to focus on another question that tantalized his delver curiosity.

  "Does it annoy you that Enin sends you off to explore with me?"

  Holli raised a single eyebrow, offering a curious expression, then turned her gaze in every direction to gauge their surroundings. They were moving quickly on foot, despite avoiding all travelers and patrols throughout the valleys. They traveled both day and night, taking only short breaks for rest. Ashlan was not yet in sight, but it would be before the sun set that day. With a quick scan complete, she turned a robust smile upon the delver.

  "You feel you are some great calamity to me?"

  "I hope not," the delver responded cheerfully, quite happy to see the broad smile of his companion.

  "You are not," the elf assured.

  "But I'm still kind of a pain, right?"

  "The only thing that pains me is that you can outrun me. That has always bothered me."

  "But I don't take off without telling you first. You have to admit that."

  "I admit nothing of the sort. Delvers run off after the first shiny light in the distance."

  "Well, we like shiny things, and mysteries."

  "Then you must be enjoying this."

  Ryson considered the point. The valleys certainly offered a mystery-no denying that. Goblins taking over farms, entering towns and cities as if they were invited guests; it defied logic. He could almost understand why humans would take on the exodus to cross the plains, but he found nothing that would explain the underlying cause for it all. That was the mystery they fought to solve, and it continued to elude them. Difficult mysteries, however, were a delver's treasure.

  In that, he had to admit he was enjoying the adventure. Exploring new grounds, meeting new people, seeing new sights; it was more than a simple treasure. It was a delver's delight. He couldn't deny it. Only the gravity of the situation gave him pause. Dark creatures watched the valleys from both near and far. He did not wish to believe something sinister was behind it all, but little else explained the circumstances.

  "I don't know that it's all fun and games, but I can't deny it's been exhilarating," Ryson finally admitted. "What about you?

  "I have been given a task, and I intend to accomplish it. That is what an elf guard does, and thus, I am content."

  Ryson noted a hint of dissatisfaction in the elf's tone. He believed he might know the cause.

  "But if you're here with me, you're not guarding Enin. Isn't that your main objective these days?"

  The elf's smile was pressed aside by a slight grimace. Surprisingly to the delver, she spoke honestly of her pain.

  "There is very little I can do to protect him that he cannot do himself. Even with the magical energies he shares with me, I am a dust speck compared to his power. Mostly, I keep the curious away from him. As for guarding him from true threats, I am no longer sure what those threats are."

  That caught the delver's ear and stoked his curiosity even further.

  "You think something is threatening him?"

  Holli did not answer. She turned her gaze about to check their flanks.

  "Holli?"

  "I don't know if anything can truly threaten him," Holli finally answered without looking at the delver.

  "I'm not sure if I agree with that. He got himself caught up with Baannat, separated himself from his magic. He was in a great deal of trouble then."

  "And that was a threat I could not save him from."

  "You think that was your fault?"

  "I am not wallowing in self pity, if that is your question."

  "No, I'm just trying to understand what you're talking about."

  "I am talking about his own failings, not mine."

  "I don't know if I'm following any of this."

  "There is little that needs to be followed. Enin can only truly be in danger if he places himself in danger. If that occurs, there is little I can do about it. As an elf guard, I have to accept those simple truths. I focus on what I can accomplish, both in how I can be of service to him and to the land. That is what he wishes, and that is how it must be."

  "It sounds like you would like it to be something else."

  "I want only to be useful. He is training me to be a sorceress, to use my magical abilities. I do so in a way that will increase my effectiveness as an elf guard. That is all I have ever wished to be."

  Their chatter ceased as they closed on the outskirts of Ashlan. They had successfully avoided contact with patrols, but their proximity to the city forced them to move with greater care. They came to a stop on a hill near a dusty road that snaked through vast grain fields of outlying farms. They made one last survey of their objective together before making their final approach.

  The city was substantially larger than any either had ever seen. Six wide roads led to Ashlan's borders from various directions surrounding the city and appearing like spokes on a wheel with a massive collection of buildings forming the center hub. Even from a great distance, both Holli and Ryson could see the tight cluster of structures that lined every street. Spac
e was not to be wasted.

  "It's big," Ryson acknowledged the obvious.

  "Big enough to get lost in a crowd," Holli stated, balancing advantages against possible drawbacks. "But first, we have to enter. Do you see any guards stationed along the main roads?"

  Ryson pulled the spyscope from his pouch. Peering through the lens, he searched the roads for checkpoints and guard stations. His attention, however, quickly focused upon oddities beyond the main roads and within the city. He moved slightly about the hill to change his position and alter his perspective. The spectacle before him engulfed nearly every portion of the city he could see.

  "This just keeps getting stranger," he muttered. "There are goblins again, but this time they're not hiding. They're just about everywhere. In the streets, walking in and out of buildings. And no one's running from them. They're like… part of the population. This is bizarre."

  "How many?"

  "I don't know. Too many to count. Hundreds. Probably thousands."

  The elf guard did not doubt Ryson's observation and she did not ask for the spyscope to check for herself. She contemplated the meaning of the new information and put it in context with everything they had learned.

  "The humans are otherwise acting in a normal fashion?" she finally asked.

  "I guess. They seem to be minding their own business. I don't see any of them mixing with the goblins. They're all staying apart. No scuffles, but it's not like they're trying to distance themselves from each other, either. Don't see how they could. They're all over… both goblins and humans."

  Holli frowned again, a deeper scowl that revealed her growing misgivings at each finding. She looked up into the sky to gauge the position of the sun. It was just after midday.

  "Not only walking about the city, but doing so in broad daylight." She shook her head, but then refocused on their needs. "What about guards?"

  "There are soldiers, but they're just mulling about. They don't seem to have any purpose. They're certainly not doing anything about the goblins."

  "Any other dark creatures?"

  "None that I can see from here, but like you said, it's midday. There may be others that don't come out until night."

  "Any checkpoints that need to be passed to enter the city?"

  "No. No restrictions. People-and goblins-are walking in and out of the city from every point I can see. No one's being stopped or questioned."

  "That will make things easier for us." She took another look at the sun before continuing. "These longer days of sunlight will prove to be both a blessing and a curse. I will be better suited for movement in darkness, but the daylight will benefit your endeavors."

  Ryson placed the spyscope back in his pouch and looked to Holli. "So what's the plan?"

  "You go in now, alone and without your sword. Use your senses. Discover everything you can. Try to discover why the goblins are allowed to enter the city and what they do here. See if you can find the offices of the land councils that are distributing farmlands to goblins and see what information you can obtain. Most importantly, find Prilgrat. He should have a home and an office. As a regional steward, he is most likely powerful and wealthy. Search near the center of town and look to more prosperous homes."

  "What about you?"

  "It will be harder for me to remain inconspicuous. I will be holding your sword and I will not relinquish my bow. Though they will be looking for two travelers as opposed to one, I will still stand out. I cannot hide my ears without a cap and wearing one in the heat of the day will surely earn attention if not raise suspicion."

  "You're going to stay out of the city?"

  "Only until night. I will use the darkness and I will utilize the rooftops. I also have many spells to help conceal me in the shadows. They will not see me." Holli paused as she bowed her head and began searching the ground. "Once we separate, we must come up with a way to find each other again."

  "Do we setup a meeting place and time?"

  "Yes, but we will do more as well."

  Holli picked up two stones, each smooth and roughly the same size. She could hold them both easily in one palm and did so. She pressed her free hand over the top of the stones and whispered strange words. A flash of green light burst between her palms. She then held out the stones for Ryson to take.

  "Take both of these."

  "What did you do to them?"

  "They are beacon stones. Enin usually only creates one, but his perception over magic is much stronger than mine. He could sense what is happening to you with a single stone. For me, I do something a bit different. I create two stones. When they remain together, I sense them as a single entity."

  "So if I put them in my pouch, you'll think there's only one?"

  "Exactly, but if they are separated by any measurable distance, I will sense both. If you are ever in need of me, whether you have important information or are in need of assistance, take one of the stones and cast it away from you. Hold on to the other. At that point, I will sense two beacons instead of one. I will track them until I find you."

  "Impressive."

  "The spell only lasts for six days. After that, the beacon will fade. We must meet again before that time." Holli cast a quick glance back at the city in the distance. "Do you see the tall building at the southwestern outskirts? The one that lines up beneath the sun?"

  "Got it."

  "We will meet on the rooftop of that building just before midnight four days from now. That should be sufficient time."

  Chapter 10

  "Looking at you!" the goblin hissed.

  "Not!" another goblin reacted almost violently.

  "Staring right at you!"

  "Looking over my head!"

  The goblin that made the initial accusation spat and snarled. Strange words came bubbling out of its mouth-nothing intelligible to the ordinary human ear-but to another dark creature, they formed a stream of angry curses.

  A third creature entered the debate, quickly made its own observation clear, and sided with the cursing goblin.

  "One looking at you. The other looking at the wall. You pay half."

  "Not paying any."

  "You pay half."

  Ryson had just entered the tavern when the commotion started. Immediately recognizing goblin scent within the room and hearing the familiar guttural tones of their voices, he knew the dark creatures were the source of the uproar. He kept his distance, but found the growing clamor too loud to ignore. He stepped slightly closer toward the animated conversation and gained a clear view of a round table set back in the corner. He was thankful no one was watching him. Despite witnessing hundreds of goblins throughout Ashlan, the scene before him simply defied reason, and he couldn't hide his expression of astonishment.

  Upon wooden chairs with blocks on the seats to give them a boost in height, seven goblins sat around the table with small stacks of coins in front of each filthy creature. Three of the goblins gnawed on a strange substance that the delver could not identify. It looked very much like seaweed-leafy and colored in various shades of green-but it was very stiff and apparently extremely chewy. Mugs of ale wobbled perilously at the table's edge. One even fell over and clanged about on the floor. Thankfully, it was empty, but the monsters showed little care one way or the other. They all were engulfed in the growing dispute.

  The rest of the tavern patrons-all human-ignored the argument, as if they had heard it all before, many times. Instead of glaring at the goblins with disdain for the disturbance, they kept their attention elsewhere, mostly on their drinks or their plates.

  In direct opposition to the growing quarrel of the goblins, the humans sat subdued and disinterested, devoid of passion. Those that engaged in conversation did so in hushed tones. They whispered and nodded, but not much more. There was no enthusiastic banter, no telling of grand stories, no cheerful drinking songs, no levity of any kind. The only true source of liveliness came from the back corner where the goblins continued their outlandish debate.

  As Ryson's glance s
wept over the center of their table, he saw two large, round eyes resting in the center. They appeared like the eyes of a shag-Ryson had enough encounters with those hairy beasts to recognize their distinct pupils-and they appeared real, as if they had been carefully plucked out, but not so carefully cleaned. He almost turned away, not wanting to focus further on the spectacle, but the argument continued. His delver curiosity burned, and despite his misgivings, he kept his attention on the table and its grisly contents.

  "Not looking at me!" the one goblin continued to object, but the others disagreed.

  Like a grouping of the undead turning toward a human cry, the other six goblins glared at the protester with growing malice. They growled out their decisions without the slightest hint of sympathy.

  "Looking at you!"

  "You lose!"

  "Pay half or quit game," a final goblin screeched out an ultimate ruling, "and won't be let back… ever!"

  The creature that argued the initial verdict didn't wish to be banned, and with spit frothing at its mouth, reluctantly threw a coin to a goblin across the table.

  With the bet finally paid off, yet another goblin snatched up the shag eyes and shook them in one clawed and disfigured hand. With one swift flick of the wrist, the pint-sized monster threw the two round objects into the air above the table. It was just a small toss, meant to lift the two orbs slightly toward the ceiling and then bring them down upon the center of the table in a random position

  Every goblin watched the detached eyes with delight as the orbs twirled in the air, bounced upon the table top, and then rolled about before coming to a rest. The goblins themselves were very animated during the toss, twisting and turning in their seats as if trying to avoid the gaze of each eye. When Ryson began to understand the point of the ghoulish game, it became clear that this was exactly their intention.

  As the eyes rolled to a halt, the goblins examined the directional view of each lifeless pupil. They gestured at each other, grunting and snorting with both delight and contempt. One eye had come to rest looking directly into the table top-a lost throw-and so there was no debate as to the outcome. The second eye, however, seemed to stare directly at the goblin that didn't wish to accept the outcome of the previous roll.