Chain of Bargains dm-5

by Jeff Inlo

  "Are you telling me I cannot die?"

  "Not without dire consequences."

  There was no shriek of agony, no painful denial. It was not death Heteera sought. She searched more for the safe haven of oblivion. She made a rather simple request to acknowledge her current state.

  "I'm still alive now, right?"

  "Yes, but I don't know how long that will last. The magic is completely consuming your consciousness, and even the unconscious portions of your essence that keep you alive. Ultimately, you will stop breathing, your heart will stop beating. You will die, and the magic will explode out of you."

  "Am I a danger at this instant?"

  "No, but I can't continue to absorb this level of energy forever. When I leave your essence, the magic will erase what is left of your mind. The danger will almost instantly become critical."

  For the first time, Heteera spoke with a degree of confidence.

  "I've been focused on pulling in increased amounts of magic. I was trying to completely extinguish myself. I see that's not possible. Fine. It doesn't matter any more. I don't have to do more. I've removed enough of myself to find what I need."

  Enin saw one last chance to try to help the sorceress.

  "If you were able to direct the flow of magic, then maybe you have more control then you will allow."

  Heteera, however, took no comfort in the offering.

  "I've always been able to absorb vast amounts of power. It's using it that I'm incapable of, but that's no longer an issue. I will cease absorbing additional magic. I will only take in enough to maintain what I have now. I will allow the barrier to hold and my body to remain in its current state. I will not die, and I don't have to live. I have found solace in the emptiness."

  "Are you sure about this?"

  Surprisingly, the sorceress asked for alternatives.

  "Do you have any other solutions?"

  "At this point, no."

  "Then, I'm sure."

  Immediately, Enin felt the flow of magic diminish to a trickle. He ceased all attempts to capture it and let it refresh the barrier as well as Heteera's life force.

  "Satisfied?" Heteera asked, but her tone revealed a complete indifference to the wizard's concerns.

  He was not satisfied, but the wizard had nothing left to offer. He pulled himself from the sorceress' essence without another word. When his own awareness returned to his mortal body, he turned his focus to Jure.

  "Do not attempt to access the magic within her, but tell me what you feel."

  Somewhat stunned at the abruptness of the request, Jure reached out to the waves of energy surrounding the sorceress as well as the flow of magic he previously felt surge through the room.

  "It's less," he noted, "a great deal less."

  "Yes, she was responsible for the increase. She tried to bury herself in the magic. I explained the threat and she acknowledged it. She has reduced the absorption of magic. She left enough of herself that she will remain this way. The danger has passed."

  "So what do we do now?"

  "Nothing."

  "Excuse me?"

  "She's chosen isolation over madness. It was what she wanted."

  "And you're going to leave it that way?"

  Enin sighed.

  "I hope not to, but right now, I just don't have a solution. She's stable again. For now, it's the best we can hope for. Look after her."

  Jure simply nodded, baffled and distressed as Enin left the room.

  Chapter 17

  Holli and Ryson stepped upon the western bridge that led into Huntston, disregarding the guards that waited at the other side. The elf showed little to no concern over the soldiers-they were mosquitoes buzzing around in the distance, nothing more. She didn't even place the forester's cap over her ears. Instead, she focused on the large warehouse that stood just behind the guard shack across the river. According to Huntston's captain, it was there that the goblins congregated.

  She couldn't sense them from the far side of the bridge, but she did feel the flow of magic. It overwhelmed everything and made it difficult for her to focus on the location of any dark creatures. Just as it had done on their first visit, the energy coursed through the town. There was no spell activity, no taint of evil intention. The energy just poured in from every direction and then flowed back out, as if the town itself called to the magic and then simply released it on a whim. The entire concept defied logic and it needled at her desire for comprehension.

  The entire puzzle burdened her. She did not approach such quandaries with a delver's curiosity. She faced them with an elf guard's purpose… threats could not be fully faced and removed unless they were understood. Turmoil had come to the valleys and it was leading to a crisis back in Connel and Burbon. As a guard, it was her duty to protect her home, even if that home wasn't an elf camp in Dark Spruce, but a city filled with humans and dwarves.

  She and Ryson had uncovered many surprising details about the upheaval in the Great Valleys, but no matter how she arranged the specific parts, she could not find a suitable explanation for the problem as a whole. Not one of the discoveries explained the dilemma. Instead, they were all symptoms of a larger cause

  Frustration did not come easily to an elf guard. It was an emotion to be shunned or conquered. Frustration led to impatience and carelessness, and Holli found such errors in judgment nearly unforgivable.

  Still, so many questions plagued her. Why did some of the human farmers leave and others stay? What did the goblins hope to achieve by infiltrating human towns? For that matter, why were inferns guarding human cities as opposed to burning them to ash? What caused the mystifying flow of magic and what purpose did it serve? Most perplexing, what did Prilgrat stand to gain from the turmoil he seemed most eager to create?

  She doubted she would find specific answers to any of those questions in Huntston, but she remained determined to discover the purpose of the goblins. It was not so much the need to find a key to the puzzle that brought her back. It was more of a desire to fill in the gaps between questions. Isolate and remove single issues-that was now her objective.

  Toward that end, she found the goblin behavior extremely intriguing. Goblins could be manipulated, but they weren't complete stooges. There had to be some enticement for them to peacefully gather in human cities and towns. If she could establish their reasons for infiltrating Huntston, she could then refocus on her remaining questions and perhaps link it back to Ashlan.

  There was also the matter of the magic. She didn't believe the anomaly was caused by the goblins, for they were not normally prone to use the energy. Goblins, however, were often part of a larger threat. Mages of power often used them as minions. Once more, it all came down removing the mysteries behind the diminutive monsters so that she could concentrate on the real danger.

  While Holli moved across the bridge with firm resolve to investigate the goblins, Ryson focused on the more immediate hazards.

  "You sure about this?" the delver wondered aloud as he eyed the soldiers at the town's edge. He knew they were not skilled guards, but inviting a conflict during the middle of the day hardly seemed like wise tactics.

  Holli understood Ryson's concern. Though she did not wish to dismiss his unease, she saw the potential risk in a larger context and recognized the soldiers posed no real danger.

  "They will not try to take us again."

  She sounded absolutely certain, and yet the delver's confidence remained shaken. Ryson remembered that the regional steward had promised to rescind the arrest order, but such a message could not have possibly reached Huntston so quickly.

  "How are they going to know the steward already talked to us? Even if Prilgrat sent out a message to revoke his orders, it probably hasn't reached here yet."

  "Do not worry. I am certain Huntston's guard captain has already taken care of it. After what happened last time, he will not want us captured again. It would only make him look that much more of a fool, and that is something he would try to avoid. Trust me." />
  "I trust you, I just don't trust that captain. Maybe he told his guards to shoot us on sight."

  Holli chuckled.

  "You give him entirely too much credit. Look for yourself. The guards can see us, but not one has drawn a bow."

  "They don't look too happy though."

  Holli offered a different reassurance.

  "Do you want your sword back?"

  Ryson shook his head. He wasn't ready to take back the weapon. It wasn't the thought of holding a deadly blade that caused his reluctance. In fact, he missed its weight on his back. Not so long ago, it was a welcome reminder of all the hardships he had previously faced and overcome with the help of the sword's magic. That, however, was before the attack of the inferns, and the blade's enchantment weighed upon him in a much different manner.

  He still remembered how close he came to being incinerated by demon fire. He could almost smell the unnatural flames. He saw the pale face of the half-demon within a white hot blaze. In his mind, the horrible expression of the infern became one with fire that could burn the air around him in an instant.

  As a delver, the magic was a part of him. If a demon could fix upon energy caught within rocks, then what of the magic within him? And if demon fire could cross great distances simply by following magical energy, how could he ever hope to avoid such danger? Adding an enchanted blade to the mix simply heightened his distress. Just as the turmoil in the valleys vexed the elf guard, the magic confounded the delver and fear didn't always listen to logic.

  "Please just hold onto it for now," Ryson requested. "When we really know what's going on, then I'll take it back."

  "As you wish."

  Holli marched across the bridge with Ryson at her side. She sighed as the guards at the far end of the span failed entirely at displaying any authority or control. Instead, they appeared confused. From their reaction, she knew that at least most of the soldiers recognized her and Ryson, and they were clearly in a quandary as to what to do.

  Indecision. Weakness.

  Eventually, they decided on at least one form of action. A single guard was sent back toward the center of town, probably to alert the captain. It was basically a plea for help, but beyond that, the soldiers made no move to defend the bridge.

  As Holli and Ryson reached the far end of the river crossing, one of the soldiers finally felt brave enough to carry out the orders that placed him at the edge of the river. He signaled for Holli and Ryson to stop before exiting the bridge, but did so without much self assurance.

  "What's your business in Huntston?"

  Holli did not wish to waste time, but she wanted each guard to appreciate her view of their authority.

  "It has nothing to do with you. Has your captain not informed you of that?"

  The soldier appeared perplexed.

  Holli shook her head. She would have to lead him to a clearer understanding of the situation.

  "You know who we are, yes?"

  The soldier nodded.

  "And you are no longer under orders to arrest us, correct?"

  "Yes, but…" the guard's voice trailed off as he considered the new orders of the town's captain. It was as Holli expected. The captain had informed the town guard that she and Ryson were not the two Prilgrat wished to question, and that they were not to be arrested again.

  "Then you know our business is none of your concern and we will be on our way," Holli stated, as if the issue was closed.

  The one soldier, to the displeasure of his comrades, did not hold the same viewpoint.

  "We aren't supposed to hold you, but we are under orders to question anyone who crosses this bridge."

  Holli sighed again, but then decided to take advantage of the apparent inconsistency in the guard's directive.

  "You do not question goblins," she pointed out with an accusing glare.

  "You're not goblins," the soldier stated defiantly, still hoping to regain some control.

  "That is true, but why do you have to question us when you do not question goblins?"

  "We know where they're going."

  "We are going to the same place." Holli then pointed to the warehouse just past the guard shack.

  The response further shattered the soldier's confidence. The rest of the guards found even greater dismay at Holli's proposal.

  "We're not supposed to disturb them," the soldier said.

  "And we do not have to follow the same orders," Holli noted.

  The quandary deepened for the soldier. The goblins had been allowed free passage in and out of the city for as long as he had been a guard. The captain made those orders very clear. The monsters were not to be detained, delayed, or disturbed. The people of Huntston offered little objection to that order, and the guards' directive had been made easy… until that moment.

  "I don't think I can let you do that."

  Holli almost laughed, but she retained her composure as she painted a clear picture that left the guard speechless.

  "If you are not authorized to arrest us, then what will you do when I dismiss your wishes? Are you prepared to draw your weapon? I would advise against that." Upon receiving silence from the soldier, Holli then looked to the rest of the guards. "Anyone else? No? Then we will be on our way."

  She stepped passed the guards and made her way to the warehouse where she knew the goblins waited.

  "I think you enjoyed that," Ryson reflected, as he smiled at his companion.

  "Perhaps," Holli admitted, "but it also confirmed my suspicions. The soldiers have all been ordered to ignore the goblins. They really do not know what the creatures are doing here, but we are going to answer that question… one way or the other."

  Ryson looked back over his shoulder as they made their way past the guard shack.

  "They're not following us."

  "Of course not. They have been ordered to guard the bridge, not to harass the goblins, and not to arrest us. What choice do they have?"

  "None, I guess."

  With the threat of the guards behind them, Ryson turned his full attention to the warehouse that waited about a hundred paces before them. It appeared to serve more as a temporary holding facility as opposed to any long term storage house. It probably allowed farmers temporary cover for grain wagons before processing their harvest into silos. Merchants might have also utilized it as shelter for their wagons while they met with potential customers. Low inclined ramps offered easy access for horse drawn carts to pass through wide archways. The larger bay doors that served those openings, however, were bolted shut. Ryson spotted only one entrance that appeared serviceable-a small door at the center of the building. All of the windows had been covered with tarps from the inside.

  "Doesn't appear as if they want anyone to know what they're doing in there," Ryson pointed out.

  "And the town's captain has accommodated them," Holli added.

  They circled the building completely from a distance, both noting as much information as possible without moving too close to the structure.

  "Only one entrance and no way to get a look at what's going on inside," the delver offered, as he continued to analyze their objective.

  "What do you hear?" Holli asked.

  "Oh, they're in there," Ryson stated with confidence. "I can hear them and I can smell them. Quite a few, too. My guess would be at least two dozen. They're scattered around, but I don't think they know we're coming. I haven't noticed any shift in their activities. They can probably look through small slits in the tarps and get small glimpses of what's going on out here, but there are so few windows that they couldn't possibly get a clear view of every direction."

  Holli agreed with the assessment and offered her own.

  "I doubt they are watching the streets. I have not seen any movement of the window coverings. They have probably become dependent on the town guard keeping away any curious outsiders, and the townspeople showed a deep inclination to avoid such activity the last time we visited. I do not think they are concerned with being interrupted. Stil
l, the door is narrow and might have at least one guard."

  "We can't go underneath," Ryson noted. "There's a wood foundation, but it's boarded up all around right to the ground. We could try the roof… probably move some shingles and drop down inside without having to go through the door."

  "No, our greatest asset is speed. The door is not strong enough to hold us. We will kick it in, and subdue any guards. We are no longer going to rely on quiet surveillance. As I said before, I want answers… and not the deceptions and half-truths we received from Prilgrat."

  Ryson noticed the irritation in Holli's voice but accepted the strategy. He was willing to confront the goblins, but he hoped to do it in a particular way.

  "Let me handle it, okay?"

  "No unnecessary risks in order to save the lives of goblins," Holli responded with all due respect to Ryson's principles, but with equal regard toward limiting the potential dangers of facing startled goblins in an enclosed facility.

  "You want answers," Ryson reminded her. "Dead goblins can't talk."

  "Neither can dead delvers. I will not deliver a corpse to your Linda because I was worried about harming a goblin."

  "Point taken. Still, they're only goblins and I've been dealing with them for quite a while now."

  "I know you are capable, I am just reminding you of what's at stake. Prisoners are of great value, but you are worth more."

  "I appreciate that, and so does Linda."

  "Very well. As long as we understand each other, I will follow you inside and provide you with cover fire." Holli removed the bow from her shoulder and took hold of four arrows from her quiver. "Whenever you are ready."

  They were still several paces from the front of the warehouse when Ryson drew the war blades from their sheaths. He nodded to Holli and raced toward the door in a blur of motion. He slowed before it with perfect balance, but utilized his forward momentum to add to the power of a strong kick. The door burst open and he raced inside.