When the next morning came, Delbin raised a protest. “I want to go with you!”
“There were minotaurs with that band that tried to capture us, maybe even kill us. I don’t know how they knew we were there or why they wanted us in the first place, but some of them escaped.” Kaz did have certain suspicions, but none he wanted to voice just yet. The only ones who had known he was coming to the homeland were the minotaurs of the settlement. “That means we might come across them again, maybe even in Nethosak. They make mincemeat out of kender. I’ve enough to worry about without worrying about you as well. Go visit Helati again, Delbin. She’ll treat you kindly. Wait for me there.”
“But, Kaz,” interrupted the kender, who was bringing the horses. “I told you! The gray man said I have to go with you to help you.”
“Maybe you misunderstood him, Delbin. Maybe he wanted you to be around to help me last night. You’ve done that, so now you can go back.”
The kender thought this over. “Do you think so?”
“I’m sure of that.”
“But I don’t want to leave! You’re my friend!”
The minotaur sighed. Kaz was indeed fond of the kender, which was why Delbin had to leave. He did not want to see him hurt; nor was he very comfortable baring his emotions in this way.
“Listen to me. The minotaur lands are near. They’re dangerous. Nethosak is the worst of all. I was a fool to bring you this far, and last night’s attack only verified that. I don’t know why they wanted us … But I think that bringing you to my homeland will only endanger you further. You have to understand that I’m sending you south because I don’t want any harm to come to you.”
The short figure stared at the ground. “I don’t want to go …”
“Delbin.” The kender looked up. “I hope you understand how serious this is. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you.”
“I know, Kaz.”
“You’ll go south, like I asked?”
“Yes, Kaz, but—”
“No.” The minotaur folded his arms, looking as impressive and stern as he could. “Helati needs your help, since I am gone. She has children to take care of.” Inside, Kaz winced. Helati would not soon forgive him for making a kender even a short-term member of her household. She cared for Delbin in much the same way as Kaz, but kender had a habit of “accidentally” removing any item left sitting around for more than a minute. Still, Delbin did have a way with children, even minotaur infants, which might prove valuable. That might assuage Helati some.
“I understand,” Delbin replied, trying to look big and solemn. Breaking into a smile, he said, “I do like Helati, too! She cooks well for a minotaur and can hunt and knows neat tricks with a dagger, which she showed me once when she hit a target real far away …”
The kender babbled on and, although the constant flow of words drove Kaz to distraction, he allowed Delbin to talk freely. And when the kender at last departed, less than an hour later, Kaz felt strangely hollow.
Pull yourself together, he reprimanded himself, once Delbin was out of sight. You’re a minotaur, a warrior. That’s the way you have to act when you enter the empire. Hecar needs you to be strong.
Thinking of Helati’s brother helped strengthen his resolve. Prior to departing, Kaz searched for signs of the hunters’ retreat. He counted only five mounts. It was possible there were reinforcements elsewhere. He was positive that his decision to send the kender back had been the correct one. Ogres and minotaurs did not willingly work together unless there was a good reason.
He would find Hecar. There was no question about that.
The day passed slowly. Kaz found that he missed the kender’s company more than he could have imagined. Delbin had been as loyal a comrade to him as any he had known … more loyal than most.
The woods grew thinner and thinner, becoming simply grassy hills dotted with the occasional copse of trees. The southern end of the mountain range that marked the border of the minotaur kingdoms was only a few days away. As he rode north, Kaz also experienced some bad weather. The wind picked up, with cloud cover coming not long after. It started to rain just before the sun set, and the rain intensified soon after that, becoming a full-fledged storm. Ragged bolts of lightning striking in the hills ahead made him finally decide to make camp.
Kaz found an overhang large enough to conceal both him and his horse. It was no surprise to find it there; he recalled it from another journey long ago. There was no way he could start a fire, so the minotaur satisfied himself with eating cold, cooked meat and fruit left from his portion of the supplies. The rest he had given to Delbin. The kender had been more than fortunate in his scavenging, so he and Kaz both had plenty of food.
The storm grew worse. Unable to sleep, Kaz stared out at the countryside, identifying landmarks. In his thoughts, he considered what he would do when he arrived in Nethosak. Possibly his best bet for aid would be from the House of Orilg. While his relationship with his clan was not as good as it once was, the house had no reason to turn him away. Kaz had cleared himself of any accusations of dishonor, and his reputation outside of the homelands had even given him a unique prestige among his own kind. It was known that the Knights of Solamnia, one of the few human organizations the minotaurs respected, honored him as a warrior.
Of course, Orilg aside, Kaz had one or two other contacts, providing they were still alive. He touched the pouch that contained the medallion Delbin claimed had been given to him in a dream. As much as he hated to lay claim to his past status in the circus, there were those who would aid him simply because he had once owned the rank of supreme champion.
A particularly brilliant flash of lightning lit up the landscape. Kaz leapt to his feet, momentarily disturbing his mount. He could have sworn that he had seen a figure standing untouched in the storm, a bearded figure clad in a long, flowing robe and bearing a staff. It was a figure that, even from a distance, looked much like the gray man from his dream.
“Well, I’m awake now!” he snarled. Suddenly oblivious to the elements, he charged out into the storm, heading for the spot where he had glimpsed the gray man.
Lightning crackled across the sky, but nothing illuminated the figure. Kaz moved swiftly, fearing not only that he might lose his quarry in the dark, but also that he might have imagined everything in the first place. His axe remained behind, but the minotaur did not worry; Honor’s Face would be in his grip when he needed it.
Thunder rolled. The rain worsened, slowing Kaz. He peered through the storm. Kaz wondered if the gray man, despite not wearing either the red, black, or white robes of the calling, was indeed a mage; he certainly had the look of one. Something about him was familiar, too, and not just from the dream. It had to do with Huma of the Lance, of that he felt certain, though in all honesty he could not have said why.
Another brilliant bolt lit up the area, revealing to Kaz a form huddled near where he had last seen the gray man. Despite being drenched, the minotaur allowed himself a toothy grin. He had the elusive figure at last.
“Get up!” he roared as he neared the dark, huddled mass. “Get up! You’ve got some things to answer to!”
Lightning flashed again and, for the first time, Kaz saw that the figure before him was not the man in gray.
It was Delbin … and he was bleeding.
Chapter 5
The Minotaur Kingdoms
———
Water splashed in Hecar’s face. He flinched and coughed but could do nothing; his hands were manacled. After a few moments, though, he was able to blink his eyes clear enough to see … not that there was anything he needed to see. It was the same grimy cell and the same, squat, scarred minotaur, many years Hecar’s elder, who grinned down at the prisoner with a mouth only half filled with teeth.
Molus, so old he was completely gray-furred, was an enthusiastic jailer, ever delighting in ways to further strip his charges of their dignity. “Time to fight again, criminal. Got a good match for you today.”
Behind Molus wai
ted four well-armed members of the State Guard. Scurn was not among them. Hecar had not seen Scurn since his arrest, though he was fairly certain the disfigured minotaur had graced the stands at least once.
Every muscle in his body ached, reminding him that at least he was still alive. By rights, he should be dead. Combats involving criminals of the state were usually balanced so that the outcome went against the convicted.
Hecar had fought two combats so far, one against two skilled warriors and the other involving a very hungry bear obviously taunted into savagery by its trainers. He had won both combats, in great part due to tricks he had learned from Kaz, but for some reason his captors were holding back the worst. He knew that many prisoners faced even greater odds. His combats were winnable, as he had proven. Hecar was no champion of the level that Kaz had once been; he was good, even better than average for his kind, but not great.
It seemed as if they were giving him a chance to live longer, and that worried him. It meant they wanted something they thought he could give them.
“Unlock those manacles,” Molus commanded. As one of the guards obeyed, he added to Hecar, “Today you fight an ogre … then, if you survive, Captain Scurn wants a word with you.”
Another fixed combat, this one more winnable than the others. What did they want?
I should have listened to you, Kaz. I should have listened to you—
Kaz? As the soldiers dragged him to his feet, Hecar wondered if he had stumbled on the answer. Was he somehow being given the chance to survive because of his relationship with Kaz?
Scurn might hold the answer to that, providing Hecar survived this latest combat. Perhaps today was when everything would begin to make sense. Hecar snorted, knowing that he had to triumph if only to assuage his own growing curiosity.
He almost pitied the ogre.
Kaz allowed Delbin to continue to slumber while he readied things for the journey. It was clear that he was stuck with Delbin. The wound, which had turned out to be little more than a scratch on the kender’s right leg, was the result of an encounter with a far-ranging minotaur scout who had chased the kender for several miles. Of course, Delbin admitted that he had been trailing Kaz, hoping to rejoin him at some later point. Kaz surrendered himself to the fact that he would have to allow Delbin to travel with him or forever look over his shoulder for the irrepressible kender.
The storm had cleared just before sunrise, but the sky was still greatly obscured by clouds. Kaz had the horse saddled and ready by the time Delbin managed to wake. The kender rubbed his eyes, looked around in temporary confusion, then smiled at Kaz. “It’s stopped raining.”
“That it has. How do you feel?”
“Better.”
Most kender, of course, possessed strong constitutions. Delbin seemed almost completely recovered. Kaz, who still felt some of his own aches and pains, marveled at Delbin’s recuperative powers.
“Do you remember now how you found me?”
“I just knew.” The kender’s face was all innocence.
Kaz dropped the question. “You were supposed to go to Helati and the other minotaurs. Paladine’s shield! You’re likely walking into danger if you stay with me!”
Crossing his arms, Delbin, trying to look firm, replied, “I’m not going back. I want to go with you.”
“Oh, you’re going to come with me, all right. I don’t really have a choice now. Any time wasted means Hecar might die … if he isn’t dead already. You should’ve kept going south, but now that you’re with me, understand this. Don’t stray. Obey every command I give you, even if it seems demeaning or confusing. You’re going to act as my slave as long as we’re in the kingdoms. I’ll have to treat you like one. It’s your only chance of coming out of this in one living piece. You understand that, Delbin?”
The kender was undaunted. “I understand … and I’m not afraid. Not with you by me, Kaz.”
Kaz released an audible sigh. “You’ve got too much faith in me … or did your man in gray tell you something else?”
“No, he didn’t say anything else in the dream.”
“Did you dream about him while you were riding south? Is that why you came back after me?”
“I only dreamt about him once.” Delbin seemed sincerely perplexed.
“You didn’t see him during the storm?”
“No, Kaz.”
The minotaur gave up. “All right. Mount up. I’ll lead the horse a little while until the trail gets better, then we’ll ride together for a time. Remember what I said. We may start running across my people, especially an outland patrol or something.”
“I’ll do good, Kaz. You’ll see.”
“You’ll have to.”
The sky never completely cleared, but no additional rain fell. The good weather stayed with them the entire day and the next two as well, by which time they had reached the empire’s southernmost border. They were fortunate, at least as far as Kaz was concerned, not to meet anyone else, but that changed as soon as the pair, both mounted, entered the first border pass. A party approached in the opposite direction. Kaz quickly made Delbin dismount. He then looped a noose he had made earlier over the kender’s head, tightening it just enough for appearances.
“Looks like a patrol, Delbin. You know what we discussed. Stay quiet and act frightened and obedient. Pretend you’ve been walking for a while.”
“Okay, Kaz.” Neither the kender’s giggle nor his smile bolstered Kaz’s confidence.
They were spotted moments later. The other party immediately turned toward them, cutting them off. The newcomers were indeed members of a patrol, one that had been out in the wilds for some time. The leader, an elder female with two fingers missing from her right hand, called for the two to halt.
“Who’re you and what are you doing coming up through this passage?”
“My name’s Edder of the clan Mascun.” Mascun was an obscure clan that Kaz knew about only because one of his close comrades, during the years he had fought as a slave-soldier, belonged to it. Edder had been a competent warrior whose lack of originality had finally gotten him run through by a Solamnic lancer. No one, not even a minotaur, ought to stand fast when a trained knight on a war-horse came barreling toward him with a long, sturdy lance aimed for his chest. In his excitement, Edder had forgotten that critical bit of common sense.
The female seemed satisfied with his answer, but frowned at Kaz’s companion. With her mutilated hand she pointed at Delbin. “And what in the name of Sargas is that thing doing with you?”
“I caught him trying to steal food from my camp. He seemed fit enough, so I made him a deal. He serves me or he dies. He’s found out it’s safer to serve me. It is only proper. After all, we are destined to be the masters of all soon enough, aren’t we?” Kaz looked meaningfully at the others. All of them had served as slave-soldiers. Becoming masters of slaves would certainly be to their liking if they were typical of the minotaurs he recalled from his own experience.
The other minotaurs nodded or muttered agreement. The female smiled. “Before long, maybe we’ll all have one of those.”
“A kender? Why bother?” snorted another. “Let’s just wipe ’em all out. Let’s wipe out all the lesser races! All of Krynn will belong to us then! We should start with this one here. The only good kender is a dead one, eh?”
More than one member of the patrol seemed to find this an agreeable thought. Kaz decided to cut off the notion before it could gain further support. “And do you feel like cleaning the streets or dumping the refuse? Scrubbing the docks clean? Why should we do that when there are lessers to do it for us! We’re meant for battle and adventure, not demeaning tasks like that! If we are to be the masters of Krynn, then we must have menials to command.”
“I like the thought of a few slaves of my own,” agreed the patrol leader. “I spent all my life obeying humans and ogres who I could’ve squeezed to death with just this hand!” She held up the three-fingered hand for him to see, grinning. “I like that thought a lot.”
“And it’ll be soon, won’t it, Telia?” called one of her comrades.
She nodded, her attention still fixed on Kaz. “But not soon enough for me, y’know?”
Kaz grinned back. “I’d sell you this one, but I think I’ve got him trained real nice. Maybe on my way back out … if I’m tired of him by then.” Kaz urged the horse along. “May your ancestors guide you.”
To his hidden relief, Telia replied, “And yours.” She shook her head. “Watch that kender, though. Give me a human slave over one of those. I wouldn’t trust a mischievous kender.”
“He learned what happens when he disobeys.” Kaz showed them the wound on the leg. “Come along!” he snarled at Delbin. “We’ve got a long way to go yet.” The kender, mouth clamped, hurried to keep up.
“Mind you watch yourself, Edder,” the patrol leader called. “The clerics have been touchy the past few weeks. They’ve had the guard clamp more than a few in irons for not cooperating. Do what they say and do it fast, and maybe you’ll be all right.”
“My thanks.” He waved, then turned so that none of them could see his face. Whispering, Kaz said to Delbin, “You’ll have to hold out until we’re far enough so that they won’t see us. Then I’ll let you ride for a while. A couple more days, though, and we’ll both have to walk most of the time. The trail winds.”
The kender said nothing, but nodded ever so slightly. Kaz was impressed. Delbin was clever enough to know to keep his mouth shut, and trotted alongside the horse as if he could have done so all day.
They were troubled no more that day, though at one point they did see a trio of riders heading south. Kaz studied them from hiding. While he had nurtured the wild hope that one of them might be Hecar, none of them was. The riders stayed to another trail and soon were lost from sight. Kaz let Delbin ride a little, knowing he would soon have to make the kender walk almost all the time.
On the third day in the mountains, during their midday meal, Delbin looked around at the high peaks and said, with typical kender awe, “I’ve never seen mountains so high, Kaz!”
Land of the Minotaurs Page 7
