Once Around the Realms (single books)

by Brian Thomsen

  "I'm pretty sure he would be in this cell," Volo said, pointing to a barred window.

  "No problem," Alias replied. "Shurleen, stand around the corner and be the lookout. Give a holler if anyone comes."

  Shurloen kissed Curtis on the cheek and left, taking her position just out of sight.

  "If Volo is right, we should be able to pull out these bars from the window with a minimal amount of help, which is why I brought these fine specimens," she said, indicating the draft horses, "Bush and Heiser, to help us out."

  Volo and Curtis wrapped a rope around the window bars, and handed it back to Alias, who attached it to Bush and Heiser.

  "Pull!" she ordered.

  They did. Nothing happened.

  "Pull!" she repeated.

  Once again the horses strained with all their might. At last, something began to give… but instead of just pulling the bars out, the entire wall section collapsed, showering the jailbreakers with ancient mortar dust and pebbles. Instead of a single inconspicuous hole into a lone cell, the entire back cellblock was exposed. This turned out to be quite fortunate as Passepout, as it turned out, was being held in the cell next door to the one that was being seiged. A chunk from the wall to his cell, however, was loosened by the horses' efforts, and with a little extra help from Dragonbait and Curtis, a hole was made that was large enough for the rotund thespian to get through.

  The prisoner in the neighboring cell, who had obviously spent a long time in the prison by the length of his hair and beard, also took the opportunity to make his escape.

  "Free at last," he cried. "Now I must seek revenge on those who have wrought pain and suffering on myself and my family."

  Dragonbait snorted his disapproval.

  "It's all right," Passepout explained. "He's an innocent man framed by jealous rivals."

  "Yeah, sure," Alias replied sarcastically.

  "It's true," the thespian insisted, and then, turning back to his fellow prisoner, added, "Good luck, Edmund."

  "Thanks, Passepout," the long-haired prisoner replied, "and to you, too. If you get the chance, look me up. The world hasn't seen the last of me, Count Dantes, by a long shot."

  With that the prisoner took off in the direction in which Shurleen was stationed, and disappeared down an alley.

  Alias called to the others. "Quickly, you go west, and we'll go north."

  Dragonbait snorted, and Alias joined him at Passepout's side.

  "My friend here is a paladin," she explained. "Once this crisis has passed, he wants you to turn yourself in and make restitution for the wrongs you have done in the past."

  "I will," the rotund thespian replied.

  "Swear," she commanded.

  "I swear," he replied, "and thank you."

  Alias and her saurial friend mounted their steeds and made ready for a gallop.

  "Give us a few seconds to draw the pursuers, then make haste for Suzail," she instructed.

  Without waiting for further thanks, she and her companion rode off at a gallop.

  In a matter of seconds, Shurleen ran back to the group.

  "The guards were about to come back here when Alias and Dragonbait rode past," she replied, out of breath from running. "They all took off after them."

  "Time's a-wasting," Volo announced.

  "1 know," Passepout replied, thankful to be out of the cramped confines of the holding cell, " 'We're burning daylight,' right?"

  "Right," the master traveler agreed. "Eastward ho! On to Suzail!"

  Quickly mounting their steeds, they headed eastward.

  Keeping his horse apace with Volo's, the chubby thespian called to the master traveler, "Well, at least Captain Gehrard won't be held accountable for my escape this time."

  "How so?" Volo queried.

  "Certain people were so happy that I was to be made an example of that they gave him the day off for bringing me, the dangerous fugitive, in after being at large for so long a time. Gehrard's not such a bad guy, really," Passepout commented, "just a bit obsessed."

  They were out of the city and on their way in no time, and not a single member of the city guard pursued them.

  Chapter 26

  Southeast or Back to Cormyr, and Step On It!

  When they had ridden beyond sight of the city, Volo brought the group to a stop.

  "In the interests of time, I'm afraid that we are going to have to take the fastest route, which unfortunately also happens to be the most dangerous," the master traveler announced.

  "We are with you, my captain," Curtis intoned.

  "This is no time for theatrics," Volo instructed.

  "First, we will have to pass the legendary Fields of the Dead, and then the site of the infamous Battle of the Bones."

  "Yeah, yeah, the possibility of encounters with undead, orcs, and worse," Passepout replied, anxious to bring their quest to an end. "Go on."

  "We will then have to pass through Zhent-infested mountains."

  "Fine," the thespian answered for the group. "Let's just get moving."

  "Don't you even want to stop for lunch?" Shurleen asked.

  "There will be plenty of time for eating at the Dragon's Jaws Inn," he replied. "Now, are we going or staying?"

  Volo was heartened by the change in the thespian, it was as if he had discovered a secret bravery and courage from within that heretofore he was unaware of.

  "Let's go!" Volo replied, leading the group at a full gallop toward the Fields of the Dead.

  The Fields of the Dead made up a barren wasteland that had withered away all that had tried to grow in it. This, however, was a veritable garden compared to the next leg of their journey.

  They entered the site of the legendary Battle of the Bones.

  The soil had a dusty white pallor that mirrored the bones of long-dead warriors that jutted out from the landscape surface.

  "Watch where your horse is stepping," Volo called back to the others. "Many a horse has broken a leg by getting its hoof caught in some long-abandoned rib cage."

  The steeds kicked up clouds of white and gray as they passed through the bleached battleground of carnage, where humans and orcs had engaged in mortal combat for almost a full week of nonstop fighting. Skulls were trampled under their fiery hooves, and shards and splinters that had been once part of human limbs were blown to the side by galloping cascades.

  Shurleen had narrowly missed being thrown from her horse, when it stumbled before leaping over an ossified orc carcass, but she quickly recovered, reining her horse to the side for a moment before rejoining the others in midgallop.

  Several members of the undead watched from their graves, never deigning to give their presence away. There are some sights that hold even zombies and specters in awe.

  The travelers passed out of the fields of former carnage without a single incident.

  Sometimes leading their steeds on foot so as not to be seen, the four travelers carefully navigated the Zhent-infested mountains.

  A single robber brigand who had mistakenly assumed that Shurleen was traveling alone was the only obstacle encountered, and before Curtis had a chance to double back and subdue the pugnacious thief, Shurleen had already disarmed him with a quick kick to the tender parts and was back on her way.

  After many miles of short rations, and hours of riding that were happily shorter than expected due to an unexpected enchantment of speed that the steeds had been blessed with, the foursome soon entered Cormyr.

  Even sooner, the city of Suzail loomed in front of them.

  Chapter 27

  Suzail or There and Back Again

  Kirk had retired a matter of days ago and Duke was already missing his old friend. Stewart, Kirk's replacement, was a nice enough fellow, but a bit too much of a talker, which was a real problem since he also had a tendency to stutter. Duke had seen it take him close to a half hour to tell a passing traveler that it was necessary for him to register at the gate before entering the city due to another one of Vangerdahast's meetings of the War Wizards.
Kirk might have been a bit pugnacious at times, but at least he got the job done quickly and efficiently.

  "St-t-t-t-t-t-t-top! St-t-t-t-t-t-top!"

  "What is he up to now"? Duke thought, getting up from his seniority-has-its-privileges chair in the watch station in just enough time to see four riders race through the gate.

  "Whoa!" the leader stopped the steeds.

  Duke recognized him as the legendary Volo, whom he had first met back when Kirk was assigned to the gate.

  "Khelben," Volo puffed. "Where is he?"

  "Probably at the Dragon's Jaws Inn," Duke replied, "raising a tankard or two with Vangerdahast. The Council of Mages doesn't meet again until tomorrow, and old Vangerdahast likes to take the occasional visiting dignitary out to the local hot spots."

  "Thanks," Volo replied. "We'll register later."

  "No problem," Duke answered, thinking, Fame has its privileges.

  Stewart had just caught up to the horsemen, as Duke signaled for them to go.

  "B-b-b-b-b-u-u-u-t, Duke," the junior geriatric Purple Dragon stuttered. "They didn't sign in."

  "Don't worry about it," Duke replied, and resumed his place of seniority in the watch station while Stewart turned his attentions to an new group of arrivals.

  Khelben was feeling very uncomfortable as he and Vangerdahast arrived at the doorstep of the Dragon's Jaws Inn.

  "Honestly," the ramrod-straight mage with the distinctive streak of gray in his beard said to the older mage, "do we really have to make an appearance here?"

  "Yes," Vangerdahast replied. "The citizens of Suzail enjoy it. It is but a small sacrifice of our time in the larger scheme of things."

  "Speaking of time," Khelben remarked, "I really feel that we are spending too much time in meetings. I've lost count of the amount of times in the past year that you've called a gathering of the War Wizards. Sometimes I feel like I'm spending more time in Suzail than I am in Waterdeep."

  "Well," Vangerdahast replied, "having spent so much time in our fair city, it is only proper that you take advantage of this opportunity to dine at the Dragon's Jaws Inn, the one tavern that any visitor to Cormyr shouldn't miss."

  The two mages opened the door and stepped inside and were immediately greeted by the always-on-the-spot Milo Dudley.

  "Mister Vangerdahast, you honor our establishment, and Mister Arunsun, I'm glad you decided to pay us another visit. As I said to you before, though, had you given me a little notice I could have arranged something special for you, but I guess we will have to make due with our typically exceptional service."

  "I beg your pardon," Khelben interrupted, somewhat confused. "What did you just say?"

  "Our typically exceptional service?" Milo repeated with a touch of uncertainty in his voice.

  "No, before that."

  "Oh, about the last time you were here," the majordomo replied.

  "But I've never been here before," Khelben corrected.

  Milo was puzzled. He never forgot a face, particularly one as famous as the Lord Mage of Water-deep himself. I know, the dwarf concluded, he doesn't want Vangerdahast to know that he's been here before. That must be it. I wonder why? Oh, but wizards are a strange sort anyway.

  "I'm sorry Mister Arunsun," Milo replied with a sly wink. "I must have been mistaken."

  Khelben was now even more confused by the majordomo's subtle wink, but decided to let it pass.

  "Gentlemen," Milo announced, "your table awaits." He proceeded to hustle through the crowd to one of the prime tables that were always reserved for VIPs.

  "First time, eh?" Vangerdahast whispered to his companion, having also caught Milo's subtle wink.

  Khelben just harumphed a response.

  The two mages were quietly enjoying the dwarf-tossing festivities over two tankards of ale, an elven ranger who did not seem to know his own strength had just sent a particularly rotund dwarf sailing out of the playing area, through the kitchen door, and out of the kitchen window into the backyard compost heap. Suddenly a great commotion ensued at the door.

  "Khelben! Vangerdahast! Are they here?"

  Milo was once again on the spot, greeting his rather boisterous and demanding, but also very important guests at the door.

  "Mister Volo," the dwarf attended, "it is wonderful to see you again, but please calm down and observe the simple rules of common courtesy. This is a respectable establishment, after all."

  "Khelben and Vangerdahast," the master traveler repeated, this time as a demand. "Are they here?"

  "They are at one of our special tables in the back," Milo replied, studiously controlling his temper, as a good host is expected to. "Would you like me to see if they will permit you to join them?"

  Having received the answer to his question, Volo and his companions barged across the tavern floor toward the table where the two mages were sitting, despite the audible protestations from Milo whom they had left standing in their wake.

  "What is the meaning of this intrusion?" Vangerdahast demanded, both he and Khelben standing up as the four travelers approached.

  "Sorry for the intrusion, your eminence," Volo apologized, "but there is a grave matter we must discuss with you immediately."

  "You're Volo," Khelben interrupted, "that guide book author."

  "At your service, Lord Arunsun," the master traveler replied with a bow, "but there is a great deal of urgency to the matters at hand. A dark conspiracy is underfoot. It is based in your own Waterdeep, and it threatens the stability of all Toril."

  Khelben began to finger his beard, which Volo immediately realized meant that he was giving the matter serious consideration.

  "Well, then," the Lord Mage of Waterdeep replied, "why don't you and your friends pull up a few chairs, and tell us just what seems to be going on?"

  Volo immediately sat down and began to relate their story.

  "My friend Passepout and I were having a good time here at the Dragon's Jaws Inn when a fellow who looked exactly like yourself accosted us…"

  Volo told the tale as swiftly and efficiently as possible, with Curtis and Shurleen chiming in at various points in the story to allow the master traveler to catch his breath. No one noticed when Passepout withdrew from the table for a moment to pass a piece of paper to a messenger who was waiting by the bar.

  "Get this to Lord Bleth immediately," the thespian instructed.

  The messenger left, and Passepout rejoined the group just in time to wrap up the tale of their adventure. "… so they busted me out of the jail at Baldur's Gate, which was for minor previous offenses for which I am truly sorry," the master thespian rambled, "and we hightailed our way here."

  "We have been aware of the insidious group known as the Unseen for quite a while," Khelben said, "but we were unaware that their influence was spreading and that their powers were on the rise."

  "If they succeed with their plans to establish teleporting gates throughout Toril, there will be no way to control their insidious infection of our social structure. You won't know whom to trust. Anyone, even yourself, Lord Mage, could be a doppelganger," Volo concluded.

  "Quite," Khelben replied.

  Vangerdahast put out his hand toward Passepout.

  "I need one of these necromancer's gems so that I can neutralize the whole lot of them," the mage said. "Please hand one to me."

  Passepout reached into his pouch and felt nothing but air.

  "Oh, no," the thespian said. "I must have dropped the last one on the way in here. What will we do?"

  "I must have one of the gems in order to counteract the influence of the others," the mage insisted. "Without it, we are powerless."

  Shurleen reached into a hidden pocket in her belt.

  "Here," she said, passing a red gem to Vangerdahast, and then turning to the others in the group, added, "I just thought I would keep a souvenir. I didn't mean anything by it. I guess we're lucky I did."

  Vangerdahast examined the red gem carefully, holding it up to the light.

  "This isn't just an
y necromancer gem," the mage announced. "This is one of the legendary jewels of Verne. With just this one stone, I should be able to scry the locations of all the others."

  The mage stared into the facets of the red stone.

  "I see a desert, a roadway, an ocean, Storm Silverhand's farm, some place very hot…"

  "That's probably the volcano on Chult," Passepout explained.

  "That will do," the mage announced, and taking Khelben's hand for added strength and magical support, he concentrated with great intensity, and squeezed the gem with all his might.

  When he reopened his hand, the gem had disappeared.

  "Now all of the gems will act as gates to that volcanic location on Chult," he replied. "It won't affect their locations on Hlaavin's map, though. He won't discover what we have done until he tries it out himself."

  A faint trace of a smile appeared on Khelben's lips. "It will serve him right," the Lord Mage of Waterdeep replied.

  "Oh, and by the way," Vangerdahast added, "the magic that had bound the two of you together and restricted your movements has been removed, as has the buffer that has restricted your magical abilities, Volo."

  "Wonderful!" Passepout replied.

  "Agreed," said Volo, adding, "not that I didn't enjoy your company and all."

  "I'm afraid that I won't be good company for much longer," the thespian replied. "Now that the crisis is over, I have sworn to turn myself in."

  "I don't think there will be any need for that," Khelben volunteered. "I have a few friends in the Baldur's Gate hierarchy. I think an amnesty is in order in lieu of the service you have provided for the security of all Faerun."

  "Wonderful!" the chubby thespian replied, for once without a trace of sarcasm.

  "I'm sure that I can also arrange the release of your parents as well. It sounds like they've served their time."

  Turning to Volo, the thespian whispered, "You know, I'm beginning to like some of these wizards."