"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 dropped 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. "Perhaps 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."
Tristam nodded. "That's what I was hoping, Your Highness. Let us have a dinner and, if you're of the right mind to do so, we can discuss rates and opportunities."
"Dame Aleena, you will join us?"
"Yes, Your Majesty," Aleena said with a deep bow of her head.
"Excellent. I have little for lodging at the moment, but you have your choice of the field to set up your quarters."
Tristam chuckled. "We'll make do, and thank you, Your Highness. I'll see to it immediately. Give us an hour to have things prepared?"
"An hour it is," Rosalyn said. "Until then, I shall have things prepared for us."
She turned and strode back to the mountain with Grack at her side. She smiled more and more as she walked away. "This just might work," she mused aloud.
"Grack want that human," the ogre reminded.
Roslyn nodded. "Ketten is searching for him as we speak, my friend. Rest assured, you will get your chance."
Grack grunted and started to turn away. Rosalyn stopped him with a hand to his hairy arm. "Grack, could you see that some food and water is brought to the tent they make? A lot—I've many men to feed."
Grack grunted again as he walked away to fulfill her requests.
"Vengeance, my own kingdom, and an ally that requires my goodwill and well-being in order to survive," Rosalyn whispered. She chuckled to herself and nodded. Perhaps Therion hadn't ruined her life after all.
Chapter 20
"Patrina!" Alto warned her.
"No," she said without taking her eyes off the rogue. "This man isn't who he claims. He doesn't fight like Namitus and he's a coward. Namitus may be many things, but coward is not one of them."
"Reckless," Alto agreed. He drew his sword that he'd recently sheathed and looked at the man. "Something hasn't sat right with me either."
"Alto!" The man sputtered. "Look at me! How could I not be?"
"Tell me about the fire?"
"The fire? What fire? The one you said you nearly started in the tunnels? I wasn't there for that."
"No, in Portland," Alto said.
Namitus hesitated. "I don't remember the merchant's name," he said with a shrug.
Alto turned to Patrina but kept his mouth shut when she gave him a curt shake of her head. He sighed and turned back. "What else about it?"
"What else is there? It was a fire. You and I saved them."
Alto raised his eyebrow. "How many of them were there?"
"The merchant and his family."
"What else?"
"What else?" Namitus asked. "What else was there?"
Alto felt the twisting in his stomach grow heavier. "We brought out something else—what was it?"
Namitus searched his eyes and glanced at the others. The rogue's gaze went to Alto's sword before he guessed, "The merchant's pet!"
Alto followed the imposter's line of sight and noticed the green glow coming off his blade. He clenched his teeth and then snarled. "Where's Namitus?"
The false rogue saw that he'd been surrounded. His back was to the wall of a building and he had no escape. "Taken by the Order," he snarled. "Don't worry, you'll be joining him soon."
Patrina tightened her grip on her axe and demanded, "Taken where?"
"Throw down your weapons and I'll sh
ow you," he said.
Garrick and Mordrim snorted at the same time. The two warriors looked at one another and shared a smirk.
"You first," Alto insisted.
The false Namitus said nothing but reached for the sword at his side. He smiled as he drew it and then let it fall to the ground. He shifted as it happened, his body blurring before their eyes and growing. In the time it took to draw a full breath, Namitus had changed into a being that stood half a head taller than Garrick, without the barbarian's girth. The new creature had a mottled brown and tan appearance and instead of hair and flesh, he was covered in scales.
"Demon!" Garrick cried out.
"Splisskin!" Mordrim growled, correcting his tall friend. The dwarf raised his hammer and took a step forward. "Wizard too, by my guess."
The snakeman chanted a few arcane syllables, confirming the dwarf's guess. He clapped his hands together but the sound was lost as a blast of concussive air swept over them and knocked them back. Mordrim and Carson kept their feet while the rest were driven to their knees or onto their backs.
The splisskin wizard began another spell but he was thwarted by an arrow that pierced his forearm and made him hiss in pain. He spun on Carson, his reptilian eyes promising a cold and unpleasant fate. Carson fitted one of his last arrows to his string and let it fly, but the creature stumbled back two steps from the impact of Mordrim's thrown hammer.
"Watch out!" Alto cried out as he rose to his feet. His fall had given him the accidental chance to see the end of the alley where the Stalkers had come from. Several hooded figures approached, each of them tall like the wizard they faced.
Garrick turned and saw the reinforcements. He brandished his sword and started towards them. Karthor trailed after him, one hand on his holy symbol and the other carrying his mace.
"Hold, you fools!" the wounded wizard shouted. He climbed to his feet and glared at them. "Against men you might prevail, but fighting my people will earn you a painful death."
"Where's our friend?" Alto asked again. "Tell me this time or you'll all die, even if you've brought a pack of dragons hiding under those robes."
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