Alto turned and saw that the large warrior had his great sword in one hand and his hand axe in his other. "Carson?" Alto asked.
"I'll take the other three," he promised.
"All three?"
"Well, not at once," he admitted. "I've got the bow. They'll probably aim for me."
"That's not very reassuring," Alto said.
"I'll keep the men on the ground busy," Mordrim growled.
"There's six of them," Karthor pointed out.
"They taught math in that church, did they?" Mordrim responded.
"Enough! Surrender or die," the man demanded.
"Death it is," Alto said.
Garrick raised his hand axe and threw it, and then turned and ran after the dwarf, who was already pounding the ground. Carson's first arrow struck the archer high on the chest, piercing him just under his clavicle. It fouled his shot and made him fall back into the room away from the window. The other two loosed their arrows, only to have them both strike the ground where Carson had already leapt away from.
Alto, Patrina, and Karthor charged the men ahead of them. Namitus let out a curse and followed at a slower pace, limping as he ran. Two more men climbed from trap doors at the base of the buildings as they passed by, stopping Namitus and forcing him to face them with the tulwar he'd taken.
The battle was brief, with steel striking steel and then smacking wetly into flesh. Mordrim was left fussing over a dent to his armor from a sword strike while Patrina turned at the sound of a curse and saw Namitus being backed up by the two men. She started towards him to help when Alto grabbed her shoulder.
"He needs help!" Patrina hissed. "He's hurt—see how he's moving?"
Alto nodded. "Why isn't he fighting with dagger and sword?" he wondered aloud.
"He's not used to that sword," she said.
Alto nodded and watched as Carson moved behind Namitus, and sent an arrow into a window just as the fourth archer stepped back into it to fire. He fell away, pierced through the throat by the ranger's shot. Carson continued to circle and tried to find an angle to help Namitus without risking the rest of them in the background.
Alto scowled and ran forward. Namitus was taking too long. The hero of the north thrust his sword into the back of one of the Stalkers, distracting the other one and causing him to turn on Alto. He lunged forward before Alto could free his blade from the ribs of the man he'd killed, jabbing his sword into Alto's side hard enough to dig the point of his blade against Alto's skin through the chain links.
Alto slapped the sword aside, gouging more of his flesh in the process. He swung his sword up and over and had to jerk his head to the side to avoid an upwards thrust from the assassin's tulwar.
His sword crashed down at an angle on the killer's shoulder, cutting him only a little with the edge but slapping hard with the flat of the blade. The man grunted from the impact and staggered back a step, giving Alto a chance to grab his arm and tug him off balance and spin him around. Alto shoved his sword up and in through the man's side, and then pushed him off the blade and watched him fall to the ground.
"Poison on those blades?" Alto asked Namitus.
The rogue glanced at the sword and then his own. He shook his head. "Just their daggers."
"Alto!" Patrina hissed. "Come on!"
Carson, Namitus, and Alto jogged over to meet them. Carson held out Garrick's hand axe for the man to reclaim. The street ahead was lit with light streaming out from taverns and houses but the foot traffic was lighter. "Back to the Kraken," Alto said. He reached down to his side and pulled his hand away to see it had blood smeared on it.
"You're hurt!" Patrina cried out.
Alto shook his head. "Just a scratch. Not poisoned either," he reassured her.
She frowned but finally took her eyes away from the dark spot spreading on the tunic under his chain shirt.
"Should have worn your plate," Mordrim muttered.
"Ship. Now," Alto reminded them. "Namitus, lead the way."
The rogue sheathed his sword and slipped ahead of them. He looked up and down the street and then stepped out into it and led them down the road to the north. At the next cross street, they saw several people milling around outside of a building. They stared at it and talked to each other while Namitus led them through the crowd.
"Is there a fire?"
"Someone said they smelled smoke."
"It'd serve him right if it burned down!"
When they were clear, Mordrim chuckled and shook his head. "Must be this was where we were at," the dwarf guessed at the snippets of conversation they'd heard in the crowd.
"You put the fire in the tunnels out, right?" Patrina asked.
"We did," Carson insisted.
"You started a fire in the Shadows?" Namitus asked.
"It was an accident," Alto said, his eyes darting to a blushing Carson. "And we put it out."
The rogue shook his head. "You're going to get me killed yet," he muttered. "Come on."
He turned down another street and stopped abruptly. A group of guards was approaching them. Namitus glanced back and then turned. "Come on, hurry!"
The rogue took off at a jog across the street to a shop with a ship's helm on their sign. The guards cried out, forcing Alto and the others to catch up to him after he ducked into the building. They slammed the door shut and looked up at a surprised clerk who was straightening some coils or rope.
"Can I help you?" he asked, his eyes narrowing as he took in their rough appearance.
"Just passing through," Namitus said.
The clerk stood up straight. "Passing through?"
"You have a back door?" Alto asked even as Namitus was moving down an aisle.
"Yes, but—"
"My thanks," Alto said. He dug a few coins out of his pocket and tossed them on the coil of rope in front of the man. "Sorry about the door."
"What about the door?" the surprised clerk asked. He was answered a moment later when the guards pushed against it and found it locked. They hammered their fists against it and then resorted to their shoulders, smashing it open just after the last of the companions had slipped into the back room of the store.
Namitus led them through a doorway into another alley. He glanced left and right and hesitated. He nodded to himself before Alto could ask and pointed to his right. "This way," he said.
"There they are!" a guard shouted as they hurried down the alley.
Alto cursed and looked behind him, only to run into Namitus a few steps later. The rogue grunted and swore at him as he staggered. He looked ahead and saw several Stalkers gathering. On a whim, Alto glanced up but saw no open windows with archers in them.
"We're trapped," Namitus hissed. "Maybe we can give ourselves to the guards?"
Alto shook his head. "That won't go well for us."
"Nobody likes you very much, do they?" the rogue asked.
"He grows on you," Patrina offered with a grim smile.
"Twelve guards and eight of the Stalkers," Carson said as both groups approached them.
"Aye, but that doesn't leave anyone for you to fight," Mordrim said.
Garrick chuckled. "And he's only half the man you are."
Carson smirked and shook his head.
Mordrim scowled and swung his hammer, causing the barbarian to leap back to keep his hips from being crushed. Garrick snarled and drew his great sword. He chopped down at Mordrim but the dwarf raised his axe and blocked the strike. Garrick staggered back towards the Stalkers, his hands ringing from the parry. Mordrim stalked after him.
Garrick recovered and swung his sword, forcing Mordrim to fall back to avoid being clipped by it. As soon as it passed, Mordrim bellowed and charged, raising his axe and running. Garrick continued the swing, using the sword's momentum to pull him around and out of Mordrim's path.
The short but stocky warrior kept running. He charged into the surprised group of assassins. Garrick was a step behind him, recovering from his spin and launching himself forward. The two warriors dr
opped a Stalker each and stood back to back as the others recovered and pressed against them.
Alto met the guards who had broken into a jog at the sight of the fresh battle. He kicked out at one and blocked another with his blade. An arrow jutted out of the chin of a third guard and then Carson tossed his bow aside and drew his twin swords. Patrina and Namitus joined in as well but Karthor turned and ran to join the dwarf and barbarian in the other direction.
Namitus fought more like his old self, slipping around and looking for openings. He seemed sluggish with his sword but still struck true when he had the opportunity. Patrina's armor continued to serve her well, pulling strikes that would have crippled her to the mail and deflecting them. It also served to distract one guard with how low cut it was, allowing her knock his sword aside and use the pick at the end of her axe to poke a hole through his ring-studded leather harness and into his belly.
Alto led the fury of the battle, as always, but Carson wreaked his own havoc with his unique fighting style. The guards were unable to fend off the two aggressive warriors and when they tried to escape, they ran afoul of Patrina's axe or Namitus's sword. Soon they stood among a pile of freshly slain, breathing heavy and bleeding from lesser wounds.
Mordrim and Garrick walked back towards them, both warriors cradling their weapons over their shoulder. Karthor stared at them from behind and shook his head, his only testimony to their violent but effective fighting styles.
"Is everyone all right?" Alto checked.
"No," Patrina said.
Alto turned, concern in his eyes. "Are you hurt?"
Patrina ignored his question and turned on Namitus. She stepped closer to him, her axe still in one hand, and glared at him. "I'm not going any further until I know who you really are!"
Chapter 19
Rosalyn gasped as the final barrier parted before her. She stared at it, seeing with her mind what her eyes could not. She felt the energy beyond the barrier. It called out to her and urged her to come in. She ached to join with it and feel it surge through her. To be enveloped in its warmth.
"Queen!"
Rosalyn gasped and blinked. Her concentration was broken but she still saw the image in her mind's eye. She'd reached out and felt her fingers touch it. She shook her head and pulled her hand back from where they'd brushed the statue. She turned and saw a goblin standing and looking everywhere but at her.
She took a deep breath, shuddering as it filled her lungs and stretched ribs. Rosalyn swallowed against the dryness in her throat and rose from the floor. She grabbed a goblet filled with tepid water and drank from it as though it was the sweetest wine.
"What?" she growled at the goblin.
He opened and closed his mouth, making small squeaks as he tried to say what he needed to. Finally he gave up and blurted out, "Humans!"
Rosalyn sighed. She had to teach them her language. She could learn theirs more quickly, but the tongue the goblin-kin used was so crude. In this case, she knew what he meant. She had visitors. With Ketten gone searching for word of the warrior, she had to rely on her non-human minions. It was frustrating, but a good step, she supposed. The concept of a kingdom had been growing on her.
"Take me to them," Rosalyn said. She looked down at herself and frowned. Her clothes hung on her gaunt body and she hadn't changed in a few days. Ketten had at least forced her to take better care of herself. The goblin looked at her, confused. "One moment," she said.
She walked over to a side chamber that she'd claimed as her bedchamber until proper lodging was built. Her worldly possessions where within, which consisted of a satchel of clothes, two more filled with books, and a pack that contained her alchemical equipment. Rosalyn rooted through her clothing and pulled out a dress. She stripped down and heard the goblin's sharp intake of breath. She ignored him. Therion had purged fear of modesty away from her.
Rosalyn paused. Had the goblin been surprised by her nudity, or had he seen the magical ink her former master had covered her in? She looked down at her body and then back at the goblin. He was staring at her with his jaw hanging open. For him it was her nudity. She sighed and glanced down at herself again. Yet one more reason why equality was important. A woman's flesh should be no more tantalizing than a man's.
She traced a line of ink that curved around her belly. The tattoos had been used as a means of controlling her. He had caused her pain with them. Crude, but effective. She had improved on his art and used similar magic to bind Ketten to herself and to steal Therion's magic from him when she killed him.
Now she wondered if she could use it in another way. Could it protect her from Sarya? She'd nearly given herself to the dragon's essence, a move that would have proved fatal, she was sure. She had to be more careful, but if caution went to the four winds when she was that close, how could she be?
Rosalyn nodded and rubbed her thumb against the tips of her fingers. They still felt warm from where they'd touched the statue. She put the robe on and ran a comb through her hair, working out some snarls. She tossed it down and turned. "Take me to them," she said.
The goblin shook his head and turned away, and then glanced back over his shoulder at her. Rosalyn ignored him until he started moving. Then she followed him through the tunnels of the mountain down to the main entrance where Ketten had led Aleena and Celos before.
Rosalyn looked out over the small valley at the base of the mountain as the mid-afternoon sun shone down on it. Birds flew about, searching for the lizards and insects exposed as rocks were exposed and moved. Crude stone walls were being built, though with little thought given to a grand design beyond a single building at a time. With different groups of creatures working on them, that often caused the buildings to run into each other and fights to break out. She sighed and realized the construction of a town was no closer now than it had been weeks ago.
Beyond the town, her eyes came to rest on a host of people bearing the standard of Highpeak. "Oh!" Rosalyn said, surprised to see so many men. She frowned, fearing the worst, and then realized that only a handful of them rode horses and carried weapons and armor. Her own people had gathered near them and shifted about anxiously.
Rosalyn picked up the skirts of her dress and moved through the ruins that she hoped might one day be a town. The goblin rushed to keep up with her until a large ogre crossed the field and fell in beside her.
"Grack," she greeted him. "How is my captain today?"
"Why are humans here?" he growled.
Rosalyn sighed. "I'm here, Grack. I'm a human."
He scowled.
"I don't know," Rosalyn admitted. "But I'm here to find out."
He snorted. "You always with statue."
"I'm not now, am I?" Rosalyn pointed out. Even if she wanted to be, it was best she had gotten away before the desire to commune with Sarya destroyed her. She rubbed her fingers against her palm.
They fell silent as they approached the group of men from Highpeak. Men and women, she corrected herself when she saw Aleena sitting astride a unicorn at the head of the company. Rosalyn smiled and received an answering smile from the paladin.
"A unicorn? Most impressive," Rosalyn said.
"His name is Moonshine," Aleena said. The unicorn lifted his head, tossing his mane slightly and lightly stomping his foot. "He said he's pleased to meet you."
Rosalyn chuckled. "The feeling is mutual. Tell me, Dame Aleena, what have you brought with you?"
"Your Highness, I have brought Baron Tristam of Highpeak and some of his best men with me."
Tristam swung his leg over his horse and slowly lowered himself to the ground. He winced as he steadied himself and then took a step forward and bowed. "Queen Rosalyn, it is an honor," Tristam said.
"Mine as well, Baron," Rosalyn offered. "Are you tired from your journey?"
"No," he said, waving away the matter. "Just an old wound that ended my days of wandering."
"Your leg?"
"It's no matter," he assured her.
Rosalyn smiled. "Perhap
s not to you. It pains me to see an honored guest uncomfortable."
Tristam turned to look at Aleena and saw the paladin smile at him. He turned back to her and coughed politely. "I thank you for your concern. Now, if you'll notice the several dozen men behind me, you'll see men of Highpeak. Men who have been displaced for lack of work recently."
Rosalyn's smile faded. "Baron, if you've come to threaten me about the mines—"
Tristam shook his head. "No, Your Highness, I have not. I was upset at first—very upset—but now I think I've come up with some alternatives that will work out for everyone."
Rosalyn turned to Aleena and saw the knight blush slightly. Rosalyn hid her smirk at the baron's claims of coming up with his own ideas. "Pray tell, Baron, what those might be?"
He swept his arm across the breadth of the valley and said, "It looks like you're having some trouble building up a proper city. It just so happens I have a lot of men familiar with stone, looking for work. I've even got a few engineers who could help design things for you."
"I see," Rosalyn said. "And what are you expecting in return?"
Tristam grinned. "A woman after my own heart!" He laughed when he saw Rosalyn smile with him. "I want you to let my men work in the mines. Pay them in silver they mine or just a fair wage."
Rosalyn raised an eyebrow. "What about the construction?"
"An effort of goodwill between nations," Tristam said. "Much as offering us a favorable rate on any ore or finished goods that come from the mountain would be a token of goodwill. In return, as crops are harvested, we would offer better than fair market value to you."
Rosalyn glanced at Aleena and saw the woman unable to hide her grin. The paladin's head moved a hair, just enough to make Rosalyn think that she was nodding to her and her alone. "A very interesting offer, Baron. My people will require patience. For many of them, their command of our language is spotty, at best."
Tristam nodded. "I expected as much. I've brought along many men skilled in both the goblin tongue and their own."
Rosalyn nodded. "Very interesting. Please, do come in out of the sun. I don't have much yet—we're still in the formative phases here—but I suspect our alliance may prove very beneficial."
Order Of The Dragon (Omnibus 1-4) Page 37
