Land of the minotaurs lh-4

by Richard A. Knaak

  Scurn saw that it was true. He might want Kaz captured, tossed into the arena, and killed there, but deep down, the captain's greatest pleasure would be to defeat Kaz in hand-to-hand combat once and for all. Of course, that did not mean that Scurn would work to see that dream come true. First and foremost, he wanted Kaz… period.

  "What do you want from me?" Scurn finally asked. "It must be something important. It can't really be that kender, can it?"

  Fliara did not remind him of her presence again. Scurn could be ignorant, but he was not stupid. However, Kaz also knew that by allowing his rival to think that he, Scurn, controlled some bit of the situation, the scarred minotaur was more likely to go along with their demands. Kaz was familiar with the way minotaurs such as Scurn thought. The captain would be working on the assumption that he would betray his captors at some point. He would, if things went as planned, agree to help them.

  "You're our guide," Ganth informed the prisoner. "We are all going to see His Holiness."

  "You expect me to take you into the temple?" Scurn started to laugh, then remembered Fliara's sword. "You might as well surrender to me now. At least you'll have a chance of dying honorably in the circus."

  "Nobody needs to die, Scurn, not if we do this the way I ask. That includes you."

  "So you say, but I'm more likely to get run through from behind when you don't need me anymore, aren't I?"

  Kaz stepped closer, matching gazes with the other. "I don't want that to happen. Do you?"

  Scum was the first to look away. "No, like you, I want to see the axe coming!"

  "Your choice, Scurn. Your life and freedom. All you have to do is lead us inside and past the acolytes. What we do after that is up to us."

  The captain straightened. "All right. Not that I've got much choice. You'll be walking to your deaths, though. The high priest is not as kind as I'd be."

  "Aye," Ganth interjected, "you're kindness incarnate. Now turn around."

  Scurn obeyed. Ganth reached into a pouch and from it removed badges identical to the ones Fliara and Scurn already wore. Despite himself, the prisoner could not help but grunt in surprise.

  "Amazing how these things can be found lying around," Ganth commented. Members of the guard faced serious reprimand for lost badges, so they generally took care of them.

  "Where did you get those?"

  "No time for questions now," Kaz reminded him. Even he did not know where Ganth had found the old badges. The mariner had asked his son not to ask, and Kaz respected that wish.

  "Are we leaving now?" asked Hecar.

  "Yes, we're ready to leave." Kaz faced his companions. "We need to be in and out of there. You all know your tasks. Anyone who doesn't want to commit suicide with me can leave now."

  "You gave that speech before, Brother," Fliara piped up. "None of us paid it any mind then, and none of us does now." She tapped Scurn on the back. "Except maybe this one here."

  "Let's get going, Son," Ganth commented. "I've got a pair of new grandchildren I'm looking forward to meeting."

  "Let's move, then."

  The party started toward the temple. Scurn walked in front, with Ganth on one side and Fliara on the other. Kaz followed, with Hecar close behind. Everyone now had their weapons drawn except for Kaz, who had a role to play, and, of course, Scurn.

  Nethosak never truly slept, especially these days, but few minotaurs roamed the streets at this hour. A few passed by the group, but other than a furtive glance, most looked quickly away. It was not healthy to bring oneself to the attention of the guard.

  They neared the temple much too soon. Torches lit the entrance, and two sentries clad in the colors of the priesthood stood at attention. Kaz glanced at the windows of the edifice and saw that most of them were dark. By now, the high priest would have retired, along with most of his staff. There would be some guards on duty, and a few acolytes.

  "You don't think this'll work, do you?" Scurn whispered.

  "It'll work, or the last thing you'll feel is this blade running through your stomach," Fliara commented matter-of-factly.

  "Amusing," replied Scurn. "But not as amusing as this little plan of yours."

  They marched up with Scurn looking as if he were in full command of the situation. The guards looked poised to block their path, but Scurn showed his badge of rank and informed them, "I've got a prisoner that the high priest wants to question." He indicated Kaz. "A companion of the chief fugitive being hunted tonight. Let us pass."

  The pair looked at one another, then the larger of the two nodded, at which point they stepped aside.

  Expression set, Scurn led the.group past. The doorway opened from within. Another pair of guards waited, but they were the only ones Kaz could see.

  An acolyte met them when the doors were closed behind them. He looked slightly irritated, as if they had just disturbed him from his catnap. It was interesting, Kaz noted, but the higher the rank of a cleric in the temple of Sargas, the less devout they seemed to be. Oh, they performed all the same ceremonies, but their smug attitudes made them almost interchangeable with the staffs of the eight members of the Supreme Circle.

  "What is it you want, Captain? His Holiness has retired for the evening."

  "I've got a prisoner he'll want to see first thing in the morning," Scurn replied without prompting. "A companion of the chief fugitive, Kaz. He knows the kender, too."

  The acolyte nodded approval, looking past Scurn. His mouth twisted in distaste. "Such betrayal to the cause is ever shameful. You are sure he is one of the traitors?"

  "He's traveled with Kaziganthi for years. Knows him better than anyone. As I said, he is also acquainted with the kender."

  "A kender. Can you believe it? A minotaur who travels with a kender. This Kaziganthi has fallen low."

  "Captain," Hecar interjected. "Maybe we should get this honorless one in a cell before he slips free again." That there were cells in the temple was common knowledge. In the course of their duties, the clerics of Sargas were forced, so the high priests always insisted, to treat heretics as criminals. No emperor, however popular, had ever had the courage to question the existence of this private dungeon.

  "A cell?" blurted the robed minotaur. "He should be thrown into the arena! Take him there."

  Fliara casually tapped her sword against Scum's side. He quickly spoke up. "I'd rather he were kept here, Brother. And the high priest would surely agree. He is too valuable to waste in the arena-not yet at least."

  The acolyte weighed this seriously. "I am not accustomed to making such decisions. That was the duty of Brother Merriq."

  "Then get him."

  "Brother Merriq," the other said frostily, "is no more. He perished bravely, capturing… capturing the other prisoner. A fire of some sort, I understand."

  Kaz could barely refrain from smiling. So Delbin had not been captured without a good fight. Kaz had no pity for Merriq. He had been the epitome of what was wrong with the minotaur homeland.

  The robed figure was taking much too long to consider the matter. Hecar spoke again. "Captain, can't we just put the prisoner in the cell ourselves and take responsibility?"

  Scurn frowned, but Hecar's words made the acolyte brighten. "Of course, if you want to take responsibility for the prisoner, you may go ahead. I cannot say how His Holiness will react, but as long as it is your responsibility…"

  Even Scurn seemed disgusted with the robed minotaur's attitude. The acolyte was one of those middle-level subordinates who would do anything as long as it didn't threaten his own well-being. It was the type who never rose very high in the ranks, but seemed to last forever.

  "We'll take responsibility for any taint he leaves in the holy temple," the scarred minotaur answered somewhat sarcastically. "Just tell us where the cells are and we'll take him there. You won't have to worry about a thing."

  "I'll have to have someone lead you there."

  The robed figure stepped away quickly before anyone could suggest that he himself lead the party to the cell
s. Scurn glanced at Kaz, who kept his expression neutral.

  A couple of minutes later, the acolyte returned with what was obviously a novice. The novice, a shorter, muscular minotaur, seemed caught between fear and anger, most of it aimed at his superior.

  "This one will take you to the cells. Be about your business, then depart this building. Make certain the prisoner is completely secure before you leave, or it'll be your heads. In the morning, someone will alert His Holiness."

  He turned away again before there could be any objection. The novice watched him depart, then looked at the others with a scowl on his face. "Come this way. Walk quietly, for the high priest rests now."

  "Will we be passing near his chambers?" Scurn asked on his own. Fliara shifted ever so slightly toward him.

  "No, his private rooms are beyond the great audience chamber. The cells are below."

  Kaz was relieved to hear that. The farther they were from Jopfer's rooms, the better.

  The novice led them down one corridor after another, gradually descending into the bowels of the temple. All along their journey, the eyes of Sargas watched them.

  Here was a relief of Sargas saving the first minotaurs. Over there was a tapestry showing him building the border mountains. One image showed Sargas raising ships from the sea. Artisans had worked diligently to create the illusion that Sargas watched the viewer even as he performed his miracles.

  They descended deeper. Kaz counted the levels in his head, estimating distance and time. He hoped the cells would not be much farther. One fortunate thing was that they had passed only a few sentries and never more than a pair at one station.

  "This level is where the traitor should go," the novice finally said, just when Kaz was beginning to think they were never going to reach the bottom. "We'll take him down-"

  The entire party paused as four sentries blocked their path. Unlike the previous ones they had passed, these sentries were alert and bristling.

  "No one comes down this way," commanded a dark minotaur who was the apparent leader. "By orders of the high priest."

  "We have a prisoner-" the novice began.

  "No one."

  "The high priest'll want this one in a special place," Scurn interrupted. Fliara's weapon had suddenly found itself nudging his back. "He's a companion of the renegade we've been searching for."

  "We've got our orders."

  Scurn tried again. "He's also a friend of the kender you have prisoner. The high priest will be glad to have him nearby. He'll be able to make use of him. Leverage and that sort of thing."

  For the first time, the sentries seemed uncertain. The leader looked at his companions, then at Kaz. "I don't know…"

  Ganth glanced at his son. Kaz nodded slightly. Choosing a moment when the guards' attention was elsewhere, he stepped past Ganth and Scurn, in front of the guard leader and one of the other sentries. Raising his hands, he brought forth Honor's Face.

  Startled, the guards looked up at the magical axe as if it were Sargas himself. Kaz quickly lowered the axe shaft with both hands and struck wide, hitting them both. The flat side of the axe head caught the second sentry squarely, knocking him completely over. The leader stumbled back, stunned but able to keep his footing.

  Ganth reached out and shoved the novice's head back against the wall. The novice struck the wall hard and, with a grunt of astonishment, slid to the floor.

  "Don't try anything!" Fliara commanded Scurn, who had started to reach for a weapon dropped by the guard leader.

  Ganth seized the guard leader and threw him against the wall, just as he had done to the novice. Hecar and Kaz moved forward. The remaining pair of guards, suddenly outnumbered, backed away. They did not get far before Kaz and Helati's brother caught up to them.

  Kaz made the most of his axe in the narrow passage, swinging it diagonally. This action forced one guard back, while leaving Kaz wide open to an attack from the other. Hecar filled the gap, however, countering the other minotaur's attempted thrust and bringing his blade up underneath, stabbing the guard in the stomach.

  The death of Hecar's foe drained the fight from the remaining temple guard. He dropped his blade and fell to one knee, hands over his head. "I yield myself."

  Hecar came up and took charge. Their foes had been too stunned to give an alarm. To Ganth, Kaz said, "We need to bind him and put them in another cell. The dead one, too."

  "What about him?" Kaz's father asked, indicating Scurn.

  "We still need him. Just make certain he knows what'll happen if he opens his mouth at the wrong time."

  "I think Fliara's taught him about that already."

  They gathered up the guards and located the nearest cell. From the pouches on their belts the party removed rope and cloth. Within a few minutes, the guards were secure. The only traces that remained in the hallway were i some bloodstains, which they could do nothing to hide. "I have the keys," Hecar said, holding them up and dangling them. "Now we just need to find him. Surprised he hasn't picked the locks himself and met us already." Kaz brought the head of his axe to bear on the one guard still conscious. "I'm going to remove the cloth around your muzzle, and you're going to answer the question I'm about to ask. You get one chance, or you join your dead friend. Understand?"

  The guard nodded.

  "Good. Now where's the kender?"

  The guard answered, "Third corridor, second cell, but you'll regret-"

  Replacing the cloth over the prisoner's protests, Kaz joined the others. "Let's go."

  With Fliara keeping an eye on a suspiciously docile Scurn, the group hurried in that direction. The halls were darker here, only an occasional torch illuminating the area. As they passed each cell, Kaz peered inside. He had had a notion to free the other prisoners, but not one cell was occupied.

  "Jopfer must want a lot of privacy for the kender," Ganth remarked. "There should be at least a few poor heretics being retrained down here."

  Kaz was the first to reach the third corridor. He peered inside, seeing little more than darkness. These cells were far larger. The torchlight barely illuminated part of a chair and possibly a small table.

  He tugged on the door. It opened.

  Delbin had escaped… but where was he now?

  "Kaz! Look what I just found!" Hecar came toward him with a squirming bundle. It was a gully dwarf. "This is the same one I think helped capture me. He did something to my harness!" The minotaur raised the sorry figure up so he could look it in the face. The legs of the gully dwarf… a male, Kaz thought… kept spinning, though his feet were high off the floor. "Well, now we can talk about the lesson I'm going to teach you-"

  "Hecar-"

  "No hurt Galump!" the gully dwarf pleaded. "Galump is Delbin's friend! Good friend!"

  "What's that?" Kaz moved forward, seizing Hecar's arm. He had his companion lower the creature called Galump to the ground. The creature tried to dash away, but Hecar maintained his grip. "Stop that!" Kaz commanded. In a softer tone, he asked, "You're a friend of Delbin's?"

  "Yes! Galump is Delbin's friend! Yes!"

  "Do you know where he is? It's important."

  The gully dwarf hesitated, then murmured, "High one will eat us if I say… He shouldn't have gone after her." The gully dwarf leaned forward and hesitantly asked, "You Kaz?"

  The minotaur blinked. "I am. How did-"

  "Delbin's friend." Galump attempted to think. It was manifestly a strain. "Delbin's friend. Delbin wanted to help Galump. Galump help Delbin." He broke into a childlike smile. "I show you."

  The gully dwarf twisted out of Hecar's grip and started down the hallway. After a moment's hesitation, the minotaurs followed.

  Galump hurried deeper into the temple. Kaz was amazed and horrified at how many cells there actually were beneath the temple. Finally, Galump pointed at a cell door midway down a corridor. Kaz hurried past him and peered through the grill into the darkened cell. He could neither see nor hear anything within.

  Then a chain rattled slightly. Kaz heard a short g
asp that did not sound like the kender. In fact, it sounded like a female, but not really like a minotaur.

  "Delbin!" He called, trying to keep his voice quiet enough so that it would not echo. "Delbin! It's Kaz!"

  The chain rattled more. He heard someone rise.

  "Delbin!"

  "Kaz?" came the kender's hopeful voice. "Kaz!"

  The chain dropped to the floor with a loud clash. Delbin burst out of the darkness from one side of the cell… followed, to Kaz's astonishment, by a human female in her early or mid-teens. The girl paused only when the chains she wore yanked her back.

  Kaz snarled, studying the length of chain. More and more, he desired the high priest's neck between his hands. What right did Jopfer think he had to do this to a harmless, innocent child? She could not be any real threat to a minotaur. There was no honor in the cleric's actions, only evil.

  He turned away from the door. "Where are those keys?"

  Hecar raised the ring of keys, but Delbin was already at the door. Before any of the minotaurs could say anything, there was a click. A moment later, the kender pushed the door open. "The manacles are really hard, Kaz, but the doors are simple. I locked it when I heard someone coming, just in case."

  "Amazing," grumbled Ganth. "Minotaur locks are some of the best in the world, and this little one flicks them open without a care."

  They followed Delbin inside. The kender took the girl by the hand. She was staring at the minotaurs in open fear. "Don't worry. We're all going to rescue you."

  "Who is she, Delbin?" Kaz studied the girl. She looked as if she had some elven blood, but was otherwise unassuming.

  "She's-" The kender frowned. "She says she doesn't have a name, Kaz."

  "Is that true, girl?"

  "I don't think I've ever had a name."

  "Why didn't your parents give you one?"