by Warhammer
'Still, it got us here,' Adelrich pointed out as they watched the boatmen poling the barge back into the current. 'That's saved us a week or more.'
'Aye, and the horses are well-rested,' Dietz added. 'They've had a hard journey already, no sense making matters worse by overworking them.'
After buying salted meat, flat bread and dried fish to replenish their stores, the travellers rode out. They followed the river around, moving quickly, but not at breakneck speed, and after two days in the saddle they spotted a large, solidly built town up above, set before the lowest of the mountain peaks.
'Grenzstadt,' Adelrich confirmed, looking up at it. 'Behind it lies the Black Fire Pass.'
As it turned out, they did not even enter the town. Grenzstadt was set below the entrance to the pass and a wide, rough path led around it to the guard post there. They took the more direct route and walked their horses up to the guards, who had seen them coming and were waiting for them by the heavy wooden barricade. Kleiber's status as a witch hunter, combined with Hoist's military papers and Kristoffs trading privileges, got them past the barricade and into the pass itself. They also asked the guards if a heavily laden wagon had passed this way two or more months ago, and the captain confirmed the presence of such a vehicle. They were heading in the right direction.
The Black Fire Pass proved very different from their expectations. Dietz knew the stories, that here Sigmar had held back the final attack of his enemies and forced them back beyond the mountains, protecting the lands that became his Empire. He had assumed the pass was merely that, a narrow channel cut through the mountains. Instead they passed beyond Grenzstadt to the mountain itself, up a wide path, and into a small valley worn between two cliffs. The ground was uneven, forming small hills of solid rock in many places, with other passages branching off on either side. The cliffs above were not smooth either and bore ledges and crevasses all along their lengths.
'You could hide an entire army in here,' Hoist remarked as they rode, which did nothing to increase their comfort. As soon as they reached the valley he deployed his soldiers around the others, with Adelrich in front and several guards on either side and behind. Swords were kept loose in their scabbards and spears in hands, and Dietz knew they were all thinking the same thing. This was an ideal place for an ambush.
A few moments later they topped a rise to find Adelrich waiting, sword in hand. The reason for his unsheathed weapon was readily apparent as they glanced beyond him. The path narrowed below them, flattening into a small ledge at the bottom before rising again on the far side of the valley. High walls loomed alongside, chipped and notched by many caves, nooks and trails. This spot was ideal for an ambush, and judging from the corpses they saw littering the ground below, one had already occurred.
'Soldiers,' Adelrich confirmed as they rode down the slope and threaded their way between the bodies there. 'Dead less than a day.' He gestured towards one man who had been cut almost in half. 'An orc axe, by the looks of it.' His hand tightened on his sword hilt. 'A warband did this.'
Hoist's men tightened around the others, spears raised as everyone glanced about: an ore war party here? No wonder the Grenzstadt captain had not wanted to let them pass. How long had he been blocking this pass against the invaders? And why hadn't he warned them of the danger?
While everyone looked this way and that, Adelrich was still, eyes distant as he listened intently to the sounds beyond their own horses. 'Someone is coming,' he declared finally, leaping into his saddle. 'A great many someones.'
'Defensive positions!' snapped Hoist, and his men surrounded the travellers, spears bristling outward. Fastred raised his crossbow, Kleiber his pistol, and Adelrich his bow, while Alaric and Kristoff drew their swords and Dietz his knives. For a moment nothing moved save the wind whistling through the rocks above. Then they all heard what Adelrich had, the clump of many feet marching closer.
The sound grew and they tensed, ready to fight. Then, not ten feet away, shadows appeared from a small passage in one wall. The shadows stretched towards them as the figures casting them grew closer, reaching the valley itself.
The entire group sighed in relief at the sight of men in Empire armour, soldiers, much like the ones at their feet.
'Stand down!' a voice bellowed, and Hoist nodded to his men, who raised their spears and set the butts against the ground. Weapons were lowered as more soldiers appeared, surrounding them.
'Identify yourselves!' the man shouted again, and now Dietz could distinguish a man among the soldiers wearing a plume in his helmet, a sergeant like Hoist.
'Alaric von Jungfreud-' Alaric began, but was interrupted, by Hoist, surprisingly.
'Farlun Hoist, Sergeant, Middenheim Count's Guard,' he declared crisply, stepping forward to confront the other sergeant, 'escorting important personages into Black Fire Pass on vital business of the elector count and the Empire. Request permission to meet with your commanding officer!'
The other sergeant nodded. 'Follow me!' His men formed up around him, and at a gesture Hoist's did the same for him and the travellers. They followed the Empire soldiers down the narrow pass from which they had emerged, two separate groups close together. Adelrich eased his horse up beside Alaric as they rode.
'He didn't intend it as a slight,' Dietz heard the scout say softly. 'Hoist figured the other sergeant would respond better to him, that's all.'
Alaric laughed lightly. 'I took no offence, I assure you,' he replied. 'If I thought it would help I'd happily let Hoist do all the talking all the time!'
'No you wouldn't,' Dietz commented from behind them, chuckling at the look on his employer's face. 'I know you - after half an hour you'd start lecturing on something, anything.'
Alaric laughed with him, a touch ruefully. 'Perhaps you're right,' he admitted. 'I have such an excellent voice it's hard not to use it often.' They all laughed, and the mountains suddenly seemed less overwhelming.
The Empire commander, Meinard Haas, was a short, stocky man with thick red-brown hair and a short bushy beard. His camp sat in a wide clearing at the end of the pass and the tents were laid out with proper military precision, arrayed around his own command tent. The sergeant escorted Alaric and the others to the front flap, announced them, and then stepped aside to let them enter. He had confiscated their weapons upon entering the clearing, however, and had detained Hoist and his men by the outermost tents.
'Commander,' Alaric began, stepping inside and bowing. 'Alaric von Jungfreud,' at your service. We are here on urgent business from Elector Count Boris Todbringer of Middenheim.'
Haas nodded back. 'Captain Verten allowed you entrance to the pass, so I assume you have legitimate business here. What can I do for you?' He remained standing and did not offer them places to sit, or anything to eat or drink.
'We seek a wagon,' Alaric explained. 'It came from Middenheim some months ago and was heading here, bearing a single large, heavy, covered object. Captain Verten remembers allowing it through.'
'I've not seen anything like that,' Haas replied, 'nor do I care. I have other concerns.'
The battle we stumbled upon?' Fastred asked, and introduced himself when Haas glanced his way.
'Yes, that,' the commander admitted, 'and more, if you had gone over the next rise you would have found battle for yourself. Sergeant Druber informs me an ore war party was waiting just beyond for a second ambush.' He laughed at Alaric's involuntary shudder. 'Hardly a pleasant outing, is it, lad? This is war you've stumbled across.'
'War?' Kristoff spoke up from one side. 'I thought the Empire held this pass?'
Haas shook his head. 'We did - until the Storm of Chaos. Ores flooded through here and down into the Empire beyond. After the war many fled back this way.' His face wrinkled in disgust. 'Grenzstadt couldn't hold them off, not enough men.' The last three words were said with a snarl, and Alaric realised the disgust was not aimed at the town and its soldiers, but at the rulers who had left it too weak to defend itself. 'We've been sent to clean up,' Haas added hea
vily, 'but too late. The ores have had time to organize. The various bands are united now under one leader - he must have killed his rivals. Now he's got a proper warband behind him and they hold the pass. We've been picking away at them, but they're strong and they've had time to entrench.' He paused and glanced up at them again, a strange look fleeting across his face. It was almost embarrassed, and Alaric realised the commander had said more than he'd intended. The moment passed and Haas was all business again as he walked right up to Alaric, his voice gruffer than before.
'Now,' he demanded, glaring up at Alaric. 'Why are you really here?'
'I told you, we're after a wagon-' Alaric began, but the commander cut him off.
'So you say, but I've not seen anything like that here.' His eyes narrowed. 'We've had looting, though, someone prowling among the dead, stripping their valuables.' He eyed Alaric and the others. 'You lot are a motley crew -look like you've been living hard. Are you scavenging among what's left of my men?'
'How dare you?' Kleiber began, red-faced, but Dietz and Fastred grabbed his arms and kept the witch hunter from launching himself at the Empire commander.
'I understand your outrage, commander,' Alaric said carefully, keeping his face and voice calm, 'but I can assure you we did no such thing. You are welcome to search our belongings if you like. You can also send a man down to Captain Verten, who can confirm that we rode through Grenzstadt yesterday morning. We came from Nuln by river barge, and that too can be confirmed. We are here for that wagon, not to desecrate the dead.'
Haas continued to glare at him for a moment, and then stepped back. 'Aye, it's easy enough to prove what you say,' he admitted. 'I apologize. My men are dying about me and even their bodies are not safe.' He suddenly looked very tired, and gestured them towards the rough stools scattered about his tent, no doubt for strategy sessions. After they'd all sat down, Haas sank onto one himself and, producing a wineskin from a small table, offered it around.
'How important is this wagon?' he asked finally.
'Very,' Alaric replied, and the others nodded.
'The fate of the Empire itself may rest upon our mission,' Kleiber intoned, and Haas glanced at Alaric for confirmation.
'That may be overstating it a little,' he admitted, 'but only a little. We have to locate that cargo and destroy it, commander.'
Haas grimaced. 'That might not be so easy. This entire pass is riddled with hidey holes. We'll never be able to find it.'
'It will be somewhere bloody,' Dietz pointed out, and Alaric nodded.
'That's right,' Fastred agreed. 'They're placed to receive sacrifices. Most likely it will be near the site of a battle, or perhaps in the orc camp itself.'
'My scouts have not seen anything unusual in the orcs' camp,' Haas said, 'but they weren't looking for much beyond the enemy's numbers and placement.'
'I can scout it,' Adelrich offered, rising to his feet. 'If your men can direct me, I'll go at once. I know what we seek.'
'They'll kill you if they find you,' Haas warned, but the scout shrugged.
'Every mission is like that,' he pointed out.
Alaric did not like the idea of sending Adelrich alone, but he knew better than to argue. The scout had demonstrated time and again his speed and stealth - no one else could keep up with him, and one man stood a better chance of evading notice than three or four.
'All right, go,' he decided finally, 'but be careful, and do not venture any closer than you have to.'
Adelrich laughed. 'What, I'm not to wander among the orcs without good reason? Don't worry. I'll stay as far back as I can.'
Haas stood and joined him at the tent flap. 'Druber!' The sergeant appeared at once. 'Guide this man towards the orc camp,' he instructed, 'and give these men back their weapons.' The sergeant saluted and marched off, Adelrich right behind him.
'Now,' Haas continued as he returned to his stool and accepted the wineskin back from Fastred, 'while we wait, tell me what transpires in the world beyond.'
It was hours before Adelrich returned. Haas had proven a decent host once convinced of their sincerity, and had provided them with plain but decent food, cold mountain water, and several tents whose former owners no longer needed them. Most of the party had taken the opportunity to get some rest, but Dietz sat outside, watching for his friend's return, Glouste curled in his lap.
'Couldn't sleep?' Adelrich asked as he appeared out of the shadows, making Dietz jump and then yelp, as Glouste registered her displeasure by digging sharp claws into his thigh. 'Sorry,' the scout added with a laugh, sinking to the ground beside him and accepting a full water skin.
'Anything?' asked Dietz, slapping the tent behind him to wake Alaric. He continued until he heard movement within. A moment later his employer had emerged, bleary-eyed, and was sitting beside them. Kristoff and Fastred had also heard the commotion and were out a moment later. Adelrich waited until everyone was present before replying.
'Nothing,' he admitted. 'I found the camp easily enough, thanks to Druber's scouts. They've got a large force here, perhaps as large as those beastmen back in the Howling Hills.' The others winced at the thought of that many ores arrayed against them. 'No sign of the statue, though, and they don't use tents so it couldn't have been hidden inside.'
'Could it be hidden in a crevice nearby?' Alaric asked, and the scout shrugged.
'Could be,' he admitted. 'I couldn't search them all, not without risking discovery myself. I didn't see anything, though, and no signs of its being dragged that far down the pass.'
'We know it's here,' Dietz pointed out, 'somewhere.'
'It would be somewhere important,' Fastred commented, accepting the water skin from Adelrich. 'Somewhere they could offer it sacrifices.'
They might have moved it, though,' Kristoff said, ignoring the others' groans. 'Well, they might. Either because they feared discovery or because they found a better location.'
'It hasn't left this pass,' Adelrich asserted. 'I'm sure of it. Haas would have noticed if they'd carried it across to the other side, and they wouldn't bring it up here and then carry it back into the Empire.'
'I agree,' Alaric said finally. 'It's here somewhere. We just have to find it. We'll search every pass if we must, but we will find it.' He glanced around, noticing the fatigue on everyone's face. 'We'll start tomorrow.'
CHAPTER TEN
The next morning they woke with the dawn. All around them the Empire soldiers were rising, washing, eating, relieving themselves, and receiving orders for the day. Alaric gathered his companions off to one side and they discussed their own plans over the meagre breakfast Druber had provided.
'We'll need a map of the area,' he pointed out, and continued briskly to get past the dismay he felt and saw in the others as well. Renke would have loved the Black Fire Pass, with all its side passages and tunnels. 'Hoist, ask Druber for one - he's more likely to give it to you.' Hoist nodded. 'Adelrich, we'll need to start scouting the rest of the pass. Speak to Haas's scouts and tell them what we're seeking -not why, just a general description. That way if they see it we'll know.' Adelrich nodded. 'The rest of us can search as well. We'll cover more ground if we spread out, though we'll stay close enough to hear one another shout. I don't want anyone getting jumped by orcs.' He thought about it. 'Adelrich, I'll want you checking upper passes we can't get to. We'll watch the ground.' He glanced around. 'Right, then?' They all nodded. 'Good. Let's get to it.'
The day passed slowly, as did the next. They learned a great deal about the Black Fire Pass, about its cracks and gaps, and tunnels and caves, and cliffs and ledges. They learned to hate the sight of the cold stone around them and the feel of the wind dipping down into the pass, and the chill of the rock below them when they slept. They learned to tolerate Druber's short answers, and dry biscuits and over-salted beef. They learned to respect Haas's tactical sense and his concern for his men. They also learned that, though the Black Fire Pass had thousands of hiding places suitable for the statue, not one of them held anything of inter
est, at least none of the ones they had yet found.
As the second day wound down, one of Haas's scouts burst into the camp, barely slowing as he dodged between soldiers and ran for the command tent. Alaric and the others had just returned themselves and were telling the commander their lack of success when the scout appeared at the tent flap.
'Sir!' The man stood at attention until Haas waved for him to continue. 'The orcs are on the move, sir!'
'How many?' asked Haas quietly, turning his attention towards the map spread across the one large table in his tent. It showed the Black Fire Pass and had the ore camp clearly marked, with a mass of lead pellets representing the enemy.
'All of them, sir!'
That got Haas's attention. 'What?'
'They're all on the move, sir! The entire camp!'
'The full warband is moving?'
'Yes, sir!'
A rustle at the tent flap drew their attention, and Sergeant Druber stepped in. 'Just heard, sir. Other scouts confirm it. Entire warband mobilised.'
'Show me,' Haas commanded, and sergeant and scout both stepped to the map. Alaric and the others followed.
'Travelling back towards us,' the scout explained, cupping his hand around the pellets and sliding them down through the Black Fire Pass. 'At their current speed they'll be here by midnight and here by dawn.' He indicated two spots on the map. Druber glanced at the locations and nodded his agreement. Haas considered, then selected one pellet and set it on the further location.
'We will take them here at first light,' he stated. 'Druber, prepare the men. We attack with full force at dawn.'
Druber saluted and he and the scout left. Haas watched them go and his eyes trailed across Alaric, and then returned to him. 'You and your men as well.'
'What?' Alaric stepped up to the map. 'Commander, I appreciate what you're doing here, but we have our own mission to complete.'
