Quest Call

by Kirk Dougal

  “I was watching at supper and it seemed like just as many went through the line as normal.”

  Trellac walked to the fold down table on the side of the wagon and grabbed some of the same food I had eaten, piling it high in a wooden bowl.

  “Some of those men went through the lines as many as four times to give you the same head count,” he said without looking up. “You were too busy counting bodies to notice the same faces.”

  I opened my mouth to protest, but then let it close. He was right. I could not remember one of the Horde's faces during the meal.

  “I didn't see anyone leave.”

  This time when Trellac looked up, his lips were curled in a sneer.

  “Not riding up front by the wagons, you didn't. Ride at the rear sometime if you want to keep track of people. Everything is in front of you that way.” He turned his attention back to his food. “They started dropping off the sides of the road in two and threes after noon. The rest of the day, a few more would disappear at a time.”

  “So, where'd they go?” As soon as the words were out of my mouth, my stomach flipped.

  “They're not with us and they're not ahead of us,” he said with a shrug. “And there's thick woods on both sides. That doesn't leave a lot of choices for where they went.”

  Saleene and Bree walked out of the darkness, silver hair reflecting the light of Spoon's fire. The dagger was in her hand as she spoke.

  “There's smoke rising behind us,” Saleene said.

  “Big fire.” Bree nodded her head in agreement.

  I stared into the night sky, but I was not sure if I actually saw smoke or just imagined it against the sliver of moon. I turned back to see Trellac's reaction to the statement, but he was gone.

  Chapter 19

  The smoke was not much easier for me to see in the morning. But a few wisps floated against the pink sky, fingers of ghosts that told of something happening in the night.

  I was not the only one to notice. A lot of the Horde glanced up at the sky, and then looked toward Spoon's wagon where I leaned against the wheel, watching them. A few returned the stares, but most looked away and continued breaking down their camp. Three Fingers also watched the sky, but he stared openly, not caring who noticed him.

  DeBrest, however, never looked up. Pagul talked to him while they gathered their breakfast, speaking low enough that the duke needed to lean in close. As they walked away, DeBrest still holding his head down and listening, Pagul glanced back at me and nodded. At least I knew he was aware of the danger, as well.

  Despite my skin crawling in warning, the day passed without event. In fact, the next few days slid by, mile upon mile, with only some rain to act as a nuisance. We traveled around the end of the White Mountains, horses and wagons traveling up gentle slopes that, to our left, stretched higher until the peaks hid behind the rain and clouds. On the far side, the hills leveled onto a great plain, grasses reaching up to our mounts' bellies. With the change in ground, the cool rain disappeared and heat followed, humidity sticking clothes to our bodies in a perpetual sweat.

  I did not need to ask DeBrest. We had crossed into Farwolaeth.

  Pagul rode back along the line, stopping several times to talk to members of the Horde, laughing at some points and becoming serious at others. After a while, he heeled his horse around and fell into step with me. He saluted Spoon on the wagon a few feet away, a grin splitting his face. But when he looked forward again, his lips were set in a straight line.

  “DeBrest wants to talk to you,” he said.

  “Did he see the—”

  Pagul's head jerked around, and I felt the weight of his glare. “Not now!” he hissed, the words escaping through a clenched jaw. A moment later, his face softened, and he glanced toward Spoon and the others before facing me again. “Later, RJ. We'll talk about it later.” His normal grin, wild and threatening to break into an outright belly laugh, cracked his lips apart and his voice rose. “Go on, go see what the Lord Duke has to say.”

  I heeled the bay forward, my mind whirling. Pagul had used my real name, not Wolf. The change had been done with a purpose, and I thought of the message from Card. The other FBI sleeper was somewhere in the game, and I wondered if the tattooed warrior was that person I could trust.

  Saleene and Bree were riding behind DeBrest and Three Fingers. Neither appeared to be happy with the open plain, their heads swiveling back and forth in constant motion.

  I passed them and slowed my mount as I pulled next to the duke.

  “You wanted to see me, Duke?” I asked.

  “Yes, Wolf. I never had a chance to fully thank you for finding my parents. Now is the time I pay my debt.” He reached into a pouch on his waist and pulled out a folded cloth. When he lay it open across his thigh, I could see it had a map drawn onto its surface.

  “This is a copy of the map of Farwolaeth I found in the monks' archives,” he said. “We are here,” his finger stabbed down on a spot, “and here in the cusp of the semi-circle is where we will find Dinas Farwolaeth.”

  I stared at the map and noticed we were not far from our objective, no more than two or three days’ ride.

  “Do you want me to ride ahead and scout?” I asked.

  “No, Captain Three Fingers has already sent men ahead to see to that. I want you to look here on the side of the mountain.” He gestured toward another spot.

  I leaned over and squinted at the painting, bobbing up and down with the horse's movements. It took me a few seconds but the image soon came into focus. “A bird?”

  “An eagle,” DeBrest said. “It is a temple of Dziewona, The Huntress. You could visit the temple before our battle. It's the least I could do for the loyal Searcher.”

  “Rumor is that an oracle sits deep in the mountain beneath the temple,” Three Fingers said, “if you believe in that sort of thing.” He laughed. “It's probably just a whorehouse, but don't tell the men that or we'll need to turn the whole company that way.” His laughter rolled across the grass tops.

  DeBrest smiled, but the humor appeared forced, the lines around his mouth growing tight.

  “Take Saleene and Bree with you and visit your temple,” he said. “You will still have time to join us before the Farwolaethans pay for their crimes.”

  I glanced at the map again, memorizing the squiggling lines of rivers and the direction from the temple to Dinas Farwolaeth. “Where should we meet you?”

  “We will stage the fight from here.” DeBrest pointed to a point just behind the left arc of the mountain spur. “Meet us there. In three days, we attack.”

  I nodded and checked my mount, allowing Saleene and Bree to pull alongside. “Did you hear?”

  “Yes,” Saleene said. “The change of company will be welcome.” I saw her gaze jump to Three Fingers before falling back to the head of her horse.

  We dropped back until we were beside Spoon's wagon again. He already had extra water bottles and a pack of food ready for us to take.

  “Pagul told me what you're doing, Wolf. It's a big country for only three people, no matter how well they fight.” He handed over the supplies. “I'll be sorry to miss our talks every night. May the Huntress watch over you.”

  I did not know how to tell him that I was looking forward to being away from the Horde without the men nearby hearing so I simply nodded. “May she watch over us all. I'll see you as soon as I can, Spoon.”

  Chapter 20

  We camped on the lower slopes of the mountain, gnawing on dried venison and travel biscuits without a fire while huddling in the black beneath an outcropping deep enough to hold our mounts and where even the moonlight could not reach. Near dusk, Saleene had found a winding path leading up, doubling back and forth against itself and lessening the steep climb. We moved up to put some distance between us and the grassy plains but, afraid to risk our horses on the slope in the fading light, we moved a short way off the roadway so we could watch for any other travelers and settled into our hiding place.

  I stared out
over the plains, searching for some sign of Duke DeBrest and the Horde. From this height, and with little in the way of trees or shrubs to block my view, I expected to see their campfires in the distance.

  “They must be running a cold camp, too,” I said, mainly to myself. “Spoon won't be happy about that.”

  “Not necessarily,” Saleene said, her voice coming from deeper in the shadow. Soft footsteps followed, nothing more than a whisper of her leather-soled shoes against the rock. She knelt beside me and her hair shimmered in the low light. “You city people always think that what you see is exactly how the land is. You can't think beyond street level.”

  I hesitated for a moment. The statement could have just been about living inside Quest Call, but something in her voice made me think she was talking about the real world. If so, then Saleene's player was reaching out in a way to connect beyond the game. Not even Voice did that inside The City. The gesture made me think of Evelyn and how close we had become in the same game, making my heart skip a beat.

  But then I remembered that Evelyn was dead because of our relationship.

  “I was born and raised in the city.” I hoped my words had remained steady.

  Saleene chuckled. “I thought so. There are rises and swales all across the plains. You could hide whole armies in one of those troughs and we'd never see their fires even up high. Just the same, they'd be smart to go without the light.”

  “I thought you and Bree were from the forest.” The fact is, I had never had the chance to ask them about their backgrounds in the game. A few seconds passed in silence, and I wondered if I had offended her by not replying about my life outside in a more open statement.

  “Well, I haven't always been from the forest.”

  This time there was no mistaking she had been talking about her life outside Quest Call. I kept my mouth shut, but I was sure she could hear my heart pounding against my ribs.

  “This is a good place to stay for the night,” she continued. “Nothing will bother us until morning.”

  “I'll keep watch,” I said.

  “Don't run yourself out of hours,” Saleene whispered. “I've got a feeling we're going to need all we can log in for the next few days.”

  “I'll be fine. Go ahead and step out.”

  “You were right, Bree.” I heard more scraping against the rocky floor, and I noticed another shimmer of silver on the other side of Saleene. “He's a sleeper.”

  “Not very smart, Wolf,” Bree said, her words also spoken in a hush as if she was worried someone in charge might overhear. “You'll get yourself caught and they'll suspend your access.”

  “Fuck access,” Saleene said. “You'll get yourself hooked and go DIOD. A friend of my brother did it, and by the time they found him, he looked like a damn mummy, just skin stretched over bones. Even then, he kept trying to sneak back inside. They eventually had to lock him up inside a hospital someplace just so he wouldn't die.”

  I thought of my battles with DIOD, the months I hid away, paying peeps under the table to watch my body until all my money was gone, my nerves crawling as I tried to quit. Now I was being paid by the FBI to do what the government and every health department in the world claimed was too dangerous for anyone to attempt.

  “I'll be okay. It's under control.”

  Saleene stood up but not before dropping a hand to my shoulder. “That's what Tim's friend always said, too. It's not worth it.” She gave a squeeze and moved back under the rocks again.

  I turned and stared after her for a few seconds, even though I could not see where she went. When I turned around, however, Bree was still sitting on her haunches, the moonlight reflecting off her eyes as the bore into me.

  “Yeah, maybe you should just leave,” she said before following her friend into the darkness.

  I stared after her in surprise, not at the words but how her voice had slipped deeper.

  *****

  The sun stared straight down the next day, heat ripples rising in the air over the rocky ground. Small patches of grass brightened some spots and handfuls of scrub pines gripped to the sides, roots burrowing into the rock and clinging for their lives. On the far side of the mountain the slopes flowed gently down into valleys. Rain sprouted green everywhere you looked, right up until the snow capped the peaks. Life was abundant there, but here, it scraped and clawed for every moment just to fight for the next.

  I think that is why I was so surprised when the roadway led up to a sheer cliff, and then dived down through a crevice in the rock. Cool air rushed out of the opening and caressed my face, taking away the heat of the blast furnace coming off the mountain. But I only enjoyed the respite for a heartbeat before I forgot about it.

  Standing in the middle of the road was a knight, the mid-morning sunlight reflecting off his armor.

  We stared at each other for a few seconds, his gaze finally traveling over my head to Saleene and Bree. I wondered if they had drawn their bows.

  “Go back to the plains where you belong,” he said, moving to a point between us and the opening. “There's nothing here for you.”

  Heat flushed my cheeks despite the cool relief blowing on my face. People were dying in the real world according to the message from Card, more every day. Yet I had to play along in this stupid game, pretending that magic and demons were real, that eagles could speak and deities walked the earth. Meanwhile, time drifted by and more blood was spilled because I was still trying to get to some place with what sounded like a made-up name, trying to find answers to questions that I still had not been able to ask.

  My patience had run out. If the game wanted to throw a test in front of me with some kind of protector who needed to make sure I was worthy before I could enter the temple, I was past caring. I would run the bastard down if I had to.

  I heeled my mount forward. “Out of the way,” I said. “We've business with the oracle.”

  “Uh, Wolf…” Saleene never finished what she started to say.

  The knight waited until I was only a few paces away before he sprang into action. He dropped the kite-shaped shield from his shoulder and raised it high, reflecting the sunlight back into my horse's eyes. The bay shied to the right, probably saving me from broken ribs.

  While the horse and I had both been blinded, the knight must have pulled the weapon from his belt. A stud-headed flail beat into my right leg, and I screamed. I was saved a broken leg by only inches as most of the blow landed on the edge of my small shield, the knight missing me because of the horse's movement.

  My rage numbed the pain, and I grabbed the hilt of my sword, clearing the first two inches. That was as far as I got.

  It was time for bolts to shoot up my arm as my wrist was grabbed in a vise and pulled sideways, jerking me out of the saddle. I landed on the rocky path with the sound of a bag of potatoes, skin breaking on the stones. The flail rained down again, but this time I saw it coming and raised the shield. The round head flashed as it struck the metal and my protection melted, running like half-settled dough around my hand and forearm. I heard the twang of a bowstring and saw an arrow bounce off the knight's breastplate, no more worrisome than a gnat buzzing around a steel cage.

  The flail rose again, spinning above the knight's head. With my shield ruined and sword pinned beneath my body, I threw my right arm up, stunned that I was going to fail in my job for the FBI.

  The blow never landed. I glanced up, still expecting the pain to begin again. But the knight was still staring at the bracer on my wrist. He finally shook his head and stepped back, settling the weapon on his belt.

  “Don't shoot at me again,” he said over my head. “Come on down and get him on his feet.”

  Hands grabbed my shoulders and Saleene and Bree helped me up. When I was standing again, leaning on Bree for support and grimacing at the pain in my leg, the knight took off his helm. A bushy beard covered his chin, dark eyes sitting above and staring at me.

  “You're a Searcher?” he asked.

  “Yes.” I did not feel l
ike answering a bunch of questions, but I realized I really had no choice. This knight could have sent me into reset without breaking a sweat despite the heat.

  “For the Huntress, Goddess Dziewona?” He waited until I nodded. “Why did you attack me, lad?” He pulled his cloak around and showed me the back. Emblazoned in gold thread across the white surface was an eagle in flight. “We worship the same lady. I am Xavaern, Holy Crusader for the Huntress. I was worried you were some of the blackhearts from across the plain come to plunder the temple. If you had only told me who you were, I would never have raised my weapon to someone like you.” He laughed. “You know, I started my service as a Searcher as well. It feels like a long time ago now.”

  “And you could have ended his,” Saleene said. “We thank you for sparing our friend's life.”

  Xavaern stepped closer.

  “Is this your first adventure?” He had dropped his voice, reminding me of Saleene and Bree the night before.

  “Yes.”

  “Fuck, I'm a holy crusader with an enchanted lightning flail and a blessed shield of power.” He laughed. “You've got more balls than brains, buddy. Let me give you some advice from someone who's played his share of games over the years. It's not always about who can fight the best. Sometimes, using your head and some diplomacy will get you a lot farther…and with less bruises.” He turned and walked inside the opening, returning with a horse. He climbed into the saddle, and then stopped by the three of us. “Go ask the oracle your questions and listen to her wisdom. I bid you good luck.”

  “Sir Knight,” Saleene said, “could we interest you in joining our fight?”

  He shook his head before turning his horse toward the path down the side of the mountain.

  “I cannot,” he said over his shoulder, “not even for a Searcher of my faith. I have a quest that is too important with too many lives at stake.”