by Rick Brown
Abigail’s shoulders sagged as Lee explained. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have spoken out. My quiet life seems to have turned crazy overnight. I’m afraid I haven’t adapted to that yet.” She got up and walked to her bedroll. There really wasn’t a space to escape in our small camp. Taking pity on her, I walked over and sat beside her.
“I feel a fool,” she said as I approached.
“It’s all right. Barad will do something stupid soon and it will all be forgotten,” I replied with a smile.
“This group is so confusing. You are doing something so important, and yet you are all so kind. I’ve been around a lot of important people, growing up in my family. They were all so rude. I guess I’ve come to associate arrogance with importance.”
“I’ve had a little more time to think on all this than you have. It seems our little group here may be doing something that could save not just Alsselya, but all the kingdoms. As weird as it sounds, what we are doing right now might be the most important mission ever,” I said as I motioned to my friends. “Following Lee to stop Dommeran, and more importantly, its god Gorath. It may save the world. I can’t think of something more exciting than being here.”
Abigail nodded as she listened. “I can understand the rest of this group, but why am I here?”
“According to Lee, you might be the strongest magic user there is, next to him. I think you fit in perfectly.”
I could see Abigail’s mind work as she took that in. Taking on a determined face, she got up and walked over to Lee. “I’m ready, teach me something else.”
Lee worked with Abigail the rest of the evening, and Father Yagen agreed to start working with her when Lee could not. By the time I was settling in to bed, Abi as creating a wind gale that was clearing the path we would take in the morning.
As I laid on my blanket watching, Barad came and unrolled his canvas and blanket next to mine. “You know it’s going to be very cold out here tonight.”
“No,” I answered before he could ask his question.
“But, the cold.”
“We are not sharing blankets in front of everyone. You can sleep there, but stay on your side.”
Lee was walking around the fire, staring at it. “I wonder,” He mumbled. After a moment I noticed that our camp was warming up, but it was also getting very smoky. “Sorry,” Lee called out. “Hold on a moment. I forgot to add a chimney.”
After another few moments the smoke started to clear, but the warmth remained. “What did you do?” I asked.
“I built a shield that would hold in the heat of the fire. Sorry, at first I forgot to put in a hole to let the smoke out.”
“You might want to add a vent of some sort too, so we don’t lose our air.” The ever thinking Ryan stated as he walked around the camp.
Lee looked serious for a moment. “There. I added a few air holes. I think I made them so the cold would be kept out, but let me know if you feel a draft.”
“This is something,” Jacob said in wonder. “I’ve been camping with a lot of nobles, but none could do this. I feel like I should complain about it being unnatural, but really I’m just relieved I’m not going to freeze out here.”
“Well, I find it unnatural,” Farloc complained. “I’m finally starting to feel at home as we near the mountains. Yet still you humans feel the need to alter nature.”
“Is this something you can maintain?” Father Yagen asked, ignoring the ever-complaining Farloc.
“I think so. Nothing is beating at my shield, so I don’t really feel much of a drain. At least we can try it and see what it does. If anyone notices something irregular, tell me, even if I am sleeping.”
“Can you keep it going while you sleep?” Father Pild asked.
Lee shrugged. “I guess we’ll find out.”
Chapter 18
(Lee)
For the last two nights of our trip, I was able to keep the camp warm using a magic shield. I was very happy to find in the morning that the shield had stayed up overnight. One downside was the snow we camped on melted, leaving the ground a soggy mud. It was a small price to pay for staying warm.
I glanced at Bri and Abi, who were covered with mud and looking miserable. So, maybe not everyone thought it as a small price. Still today we would be arriving at the mining camp. Abigail had taken the lead and was blowing the loose snow out of the path as we rode. Jacob rode behind her, giving instructions on which paths to take.
As we neared the camp, the trail widened and we were no longer forced to ride single file. Abigail ceased blowing away the snow so we didn’t draw anyone’s attention.
Midday we rode into the camp. It was a miserable looking place. I motioned to Abigail to take a spot in the center of our group. I didn’t worry for Brianna. It would be a death sentence for anyone to bother her.
The roads that wove through the camp were ankle deep in mud on the horses. At least, I hoped it was mud. The town had a smell that suggested that wasn’t completely true. The structures could barely be called shacks. Most were just sticks and mud, just having pine boughs for roofs.
There was one real building in the camp. The bar. We rode up to the entrance and dismounted into the mud. “I’ll stay here and watch the horses,” Jacob volunteered. “Just looking at that place makes me feel like I need a bath.”
I had to agree with him, but we couldn’t turn back now, just because the place looked ready to fall in on itself. I walked up to the door, only to realize it had no hinges. Instead, I just pick it up and moved it aside. I walked in and the others spread out around me.
It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the dark interior. The ceiling was so low that I had to slump my shoulders to avoid hitting it. While not pretty, it was a bar. Tables were arranged around the room. Some had proper chairs, but most seats were just tree stumps.
There were a couple of men sleeping at the tables. Or so I thought until I noticed the dagger sticking out of one of them. Abigail gasped behind me as she spotted it.
As we were still looking around, two men came up and grabbed the corpse, dragging it outside. “Sorry folks,” one of the men called out. “Just have to take care of this real quick.”
After a moment he returned. He was a large man with a recently broken nose and a black eye. “You people look out of place here. Still, I’m happy to take your money. We offer yesterday’s ale or week old ale. What can I get you?”
Barad started to make an order, but Bri wisely stopped him with a glare. I suspect these drinks are more poison than ale. “Thank you, good Master, but we are looking for someone.”
“HA! Of course you are. You’re too damn clean to be miners. Still, people come here to be forgotten, not taken back to their problems. Sorry, I won’t help you.”
“They aren’t being arrested. I have a job offer,” I explained.
“And no one here wants to work. You don’t understand, boy. Ain’t anybody here that wants to be found.”
“Please,” Father Pild stepped forward. “We are on a holy mission.”
This time the man howled with laughter. “There isn’t no gods up here Father. “
Barad was getting frustrated. “Look, we are just looking for a dwarf…”
“What, him? Why didn’t you say so? I’d be glad to see that no good swindler go. I almost feel guilty sending him with you. Still, that’s your problem.” The bar owner turned to his assistant, who was struggling to carry the other body out alone. “Devlin, where did you put Orlik?”
“I dumped him down by the creek. I was hoping he’d freeze to death.”
“We’ve already tried it. The fool has more ale than blood in his body. It don’t freeze. Bring him back up here, these people want to hire him away.” Devlin looked at us like we were crazy, but dropped the body his was carrying and left out the door again.
“He’ll be right back,” the owner told us. “Sure you don’t want a drink?” I shook my head no. The man turned away in disappointment.
A Moment later Devlin returne
d carry a stocky bundle over his shoulder, which he unceremoniously dumped on top of a table. The dwarf lay on his stomach, a large axe strapped to his back.
Walking to the table, I turned the prone figure over. It was the first time I had seen a dwarf. It was hard to tell, him lying flat, but I estimated he would come up to my chest. Still, what he lacked in height, he made up for in girth. The dwarf looked to be solid muscle and had a full bushy red beard. I was happy to see that his barrel shaped chest was still moving.
“Move back,” the bar owner warned. A moment later, a bucket of water was dumped over the dwarf’s head. He mumbled something incoherent and went back to sleep. The bar owner cussed. “Hold on, this might take two or three more buckets.”
On the third bucket the dwarf finally woke. “Hells! Who’s drowning me? I’ll skin ya alive!” He threatened as he sat up, wiping away the water.
“These people want to talk to ya,” the bar owner explained.
Orlik looked us over. “Well, maybes I don’t want to talk to them.” With that he hopped down from the table and started towards the door.
“We’ll buy you a drink,” Father Yagen offered. The dwarf stopped mid-stride.
“Well, why didn’t ya start with that? You’ve just been wasting time that could have been spent drinking!”
With that he came back and sat on one of the stumps. Father Yagen tossed the bar man a silver coin. “Serve him as much as that gets.” The man nodded and left, quickly returning with a bottle of ale.
Orlik grabbed the cork with his teeth and yanked it out. Quickly he took a deep drink from the bottle. “So, what do ya fools want?”
Farloc stepped forward. “Do you know the tunnels under my people’s mountain?”
“Aye, of course I do. You think I dig in the dirt with these idiots? There’s a whole system of tunnels there, just waiting to be plundered.”
“So, that’s how you do it,” the bar owner growled. “Never thought to share that with the rest of us?”
“No,” Orlik said, staring right at the man. “I never once thought about that.” The bar owner stomped off.
“We need a guide through those tunnels,” I stated, bringing the dwarf’s focus back to me.
“Ah, I see. Why didn’t you say so?”
“So, you’ll do it?” Abigail asked.
“No, but it would have saved us all a lot of time if you just told me that in the first place.”
“This is important. We have to get to Illiner! The world depends on it,” Ryan begged.
Orlik turned to look at him. “Look lad, I’ve been around a long time. The world has depended on many things that failed. Yet it’s still here,” with that he stood up and took the last swig from the bottle. “And now your times up. With that he started towards the door.
Before Orlik was halfway across the floor, Devlin burst through the door, blood streaming down his face. “Dommerians!” He yelled as he grabbed a sword from behind the bar.
Jacob followed quickly after. “He’s right, the camps under attack. I’ve hid the horses behind the bar.”
Orlik turned and looked at us. “What sort of trouble did ya brings with ya?”
“We didn’t invite them,” Barad answered as he pulled out his sword. “Should we make our stand here?” He asked as he turned to me.
I could hear screams from outside the door. I turned to him and nodded. No reason to invite trouble. Let’s use the time to make a barricade.”
Everyone immediately started tipping over the tables, including the bar owner. “I knew you were trouble,” he mumbled as he worked.
Ryan was struggling with the large slab table. Orlik walked over and grabbed it, easily flipping it over. “Stay out of the way pup. This ain’t no place for a boy.” Ryan stared darkly at the dwarf, but climbed over the barricade to join us.
“I should have known,” Orlik mumbled to himself. “You look too much like your damn family not to be an Eberon. Now you bring them cursed peoples to my doorstep.”
“You knew my family?” I asked stunned.
“Aye, it was many years ago, but I knew’em. This ain’t the time for chatting.” His comment was emphasized by a ball of flame shooting through the door and impacting our barricade.
A head briefly popped through the door, narrowly dodging an arrow from Bri. “They’re in here!” was shouted by our spotter.
Suddenly more flames shot through the doorway, this time answered by Abigail and Father Yagen. The shots through our door stopping as there were screams outside. I glanced at Abigail, but this time I could see determination in her eyes.
We could hear shouting outside, but weren’t able to make out the words. Soon smoke started coming from the log walls and dry thatched roof.
“They’re burning us down,” Barad yelled.
“We’re not going to die like this,” I stated. Reaching out with my magic, I exploded the front wall and roof away from us, showering the soldiers outside in splinters. Screams could be heard as the dust and snow settled showing the damage in the street.
The entire wall was blown out killing at least six soldiers that I could see.
Orlik looked at me, “You did that without the sword? You’re stronger than I thought. You just might be the one after all.”
I had no to time to ask him to explain. Dommerians came rushing through the now open front of the building. Bri, Lenux, and Farloc were taking as many as they could with arrows. Abigail and Father Yagen did what they could with their fire, but those soldiers they burned were pushed forward by those that followed.
I drew my sword as the first soldier breached the wall. I quickly ran him through and tossed his body back into the soldiers following him. Looking down the line, I could see everyone else doing the same. Even Ryan had made his first kill, but mistakenly let the body fall on him, trapping his sword.
Whilhoit stepped forward to take the next soldier and Ryan wrestled his sword free. Abigail and Father Yagen continued to fire flames into the oncoming soldiers, but I knew that couldn’t last.
Looking to my other side, Orlik seemed to be easily cutting through soldiers with his axe as a lumberjack might a tree. “Come’re you devils. Let me send ya back to that crazy god!’ He smiled gleefully as he took on the hoard.
If I didn’t do something, we would soon be overwhelmed. Using my magic, I created a cyclone of the splintered wood from the front of the building. Placing a shield over our group, I pulled it into the soldiers, sending the merciless tornado into their ranks. Soon all that stood before us were dead.
“Well where the hells is the fun in that!” Orlik complained. “We could have sat here all day killing Dommerians.”
“I have to agree with the dwarf,” Barad said with a grin. “I haven’t had fun like that since we left the front.”
“Speak for yourself,” Ryan jumped in. “I only killed five and I’m ready for a break.”
“Nice try,” Barad called out. “I counted. It was two.”
“Two or five, I’m glad we had the extra sword,” I defended.
A shot of flame came from somewhere across the street and impacted my shield. “Can you hold that shield boy?” Orlik asked.
I shook my head, “Not for long.”
“Then can you knock a hole in the back wall? There’s a cave entrance not far from here.”
I turned and looked the bar owner who just sighed. “Just try not to hit any of my ale.”
Looking at the wall I used my magic to punch a hole through it. This time I made it just big enough for a person to fit through.
Orlik was the first one through followed by the rest of us. The bar owner and Devlin ran off into the woods. Jacob led us to where he had hidden the horses. We quickly mounted and started to ride from the camp. Flames started firing over our heads as the priests figured out what happened. Using my shield, I was able to keep any from hitting us.
Orlik ran ahead of us on foot. Even with his small stature, he was able to set a fast pace through the trees. I could he
ar the shouts of soldiers following us. Leading us through a crevice, he led us down a narrow channel up to a cave entrance. “It’ll be tight, but I think you can get your horses through here.”
Dismounting Mabel, I pulled her through the opening. Barad’s horse was kicking up at the idea of going inside the cave.
“Blindfold it, you ass!” Orlik yelled.
Barad grabbed his blanket and threw it over the horse’s head. The horse continued to thrash, but Barad was finally able to lead it in.
“You’ll all need to cover them horse’s eyes if you expect them to move in here at all. They don’t like caves,” Orlik explained.
We followed his directions and threw our blankets over the horse’s eyes. Orlik held a torch up to me. “Can ya light this?” With a thought I ignited his torch.
I could once again hear the soldiers coming, this time straight towards our cave entrance. Orlik sighed. I’m gonna miss this place.” He looked up to me. “There’s a big rock over the door. Can ya knock it over?”
I looked out the cave entrance and saw the stone he was talking about. Pulling my head back in I used my magic to push it away from the mountainside. The first soldiers appeared just as the stone fell between us.
“I don’t suppose any of you found a crystal?” I asked the group. They just shook their heads.
“And what would you do with a crystal?” Orlik asked.
“I can use it to produce light. Without it we’ll be in the dark.”
“Ah well then, I’ve been digging in these caverns for years. I have a stash of stones and crystals for the taking. This torch should be enough to get us there.”
“Umm... Your Majesty?” Jacob called with a lot more respect than usual. “I wasn’t planning on going all the way with you.”
I turned to Orlik. “Aye, there’s another way out. For the best anyway, there’s no way to get the horses all the way through.”
“What?” Abigail asked in concern as she stroked Dreamer’s nose.
“Don’t worry, miss,” Jacob said. “I’ll take them back to Lord Faluth’s. They’ll be safe there until you return.” Abigail nodded still petting Dreamer’s nose.
