“Be careful,” Reneeke advised.
Jaikus didn’t even hear him. Taking hold of the handle, he pulled open the door. As the door swung wide, torchlight filled the room beyond. Boxes and barrels were stacked along the left wall. Near the room’s center sat a large chest. To the right were several tables piled with a hodgepodge of clothing. His eyes focused on the chest.
He gave the floor between the doorway and the chest a cursory examination. It was but simple stone with no apparent mechanism for catching the unwary. Still, he proceeded toward the chest with caution.
Reneeke waited with Arno on the other side of the doorway. They watched him come to the chest, nudge it with his toe and then moved around to the back of it. Gripping the lid with both hands, he pulled.
The lid opened freely with a slight protest from its hinges.
Jaikus’ eyes gleamed with avarice as the lid opened fully. Two doublets, one red and the other green sat folded neatly right at the top of the chest. They had long since seen their heyday and obscured whatever else the chest might hold. Jaikus used the tip of his knife to snag each in turn and remove them. Below those were matching britches.
Avarice quickly turned to annoyance as he removed the britches to find yet more clothes. Ten layers in all, and all he found were clothes no longer serviceable. Most tore or fell apart as he removed them from the chest
“Is that it?”
He glanced up to where Reneeke and Arno stood out in the passage.
“Looks like it,” he said with extreme disappointment. A cursory check of the bottom, sides and lid revealed no hidden compartment.
“So,” Arno began, “this is just a storage room?”
“So it would appear,” Reneeke replied.
Jaikus turned from the chest to the boxes and barrels. “Could be something in there.” Moving to the first one, he opened it only to find more of the same types of clothing. Then he checked the rest. Others contained spoiled foodstuffs and a sundry of everyday items, none of which were particularly valuable. A few tools he came across were set aside as they might have some nominal value.
After a thorough search, he found Reneeke and Arno resting in the hallway; Arno was snoring.
Reneeke saw the disappointment written across his face. “We can’t expect something behind every door.”
Sighing, Jaikus gathered the few tools deemed to have value more than a copper and joined Reneeke in the hallway. He took great pleasure in dropping them next to, and thus startling awake, Arno.
Their captive sat up and looked around. “Are we done?”
“We?” Jaikus asked. “Reneeke and I are. What we are to do with you has yet to be determined.”
“What would you suggest?” Reneeke asked.
“I’d say let him go,” Arno interjected. “I’m sure he would trouble you no longer.”
Jaikus eyed him questioningly. “Or drop his body in the pit back there.” When Reneeke’s expression darkened, he chuckled. “Just kidding.”
“Jaik, he’s a confessed bandit. I think we should deliver him to the first town we come to and let them determine his fate.”
Arno shook his head. “That’s a bad idea.”
Ignoring him, Jaikus nodded. “Agreed.”
Reneeke came to his feet. “Are we through here?”
“I think so.”
“Maybe there’s a secret door behind all those boxes and crates?” Arno asked hopefully; anything to forestall his being given up for due justice.
Jaikus shook his head. “Checked and if there is one there, it’s hidden better than I can find.”
Taking hold of Arno’s shirt, Reneeke helped the bandit to his feet. “Let’s go.” He then took up the chest and they headed for the altar room and outside.
The sun was still up though it was later in the day. A couple hours remained until dusk. They had spent the better part of the day rooting around along hidden passages and secret rooms with little to show for it.
Reneeke led them to where Mackum and the Halfling had left their horses and pony.
Jaikus perked up a bit upon finding the four horses they took from the Keep along with the ones for Mackum and his henchman. All their loot had been brought along as well.
Coming to the horses, Reneeke patted his and said, “At least we’re better off than when we left Reakla.”
Jaikus nodded. “And there’s still the Adventure when we arrive at Kith.”
“But before we do,” Reneeke said, “we need to return the chest to Master Tuppin. He might already be at Split Oak by now.” He turned to Arno. “Do you know how far it is to Split Oak?”
He shook his head. Since learning that they intended to hand him over to the authorities, he had grown less communicative.
“Maybe we should remain here tonight,” Reneeke suggested, “and head down in the morning.”
“Okay,” Jaikus agreed.
Once camp was set up, Jaikus went through the equipment brought by Mackum, his henchman and the Halfling. None of which proved the least bit valuable.
They tied Arno sitting to a tree, which he complained about profusely until they finally gagged him.
“We’ll sell three of the horses,” Reneeke suggested. “Might be able to get at least leather armor, scrolls and potions. All which we desperately need.”
While Jaikus would have preferred acquiring magical items of rare and wonderful power, he conceded to the necessity of the items Reneeke mentioned.
“If after every Adventure we end up better equipped than the one before, we will eventually be able to accomplish some of the more noteworthy deeds bards love to sing about.”
Jaikus liked that. “Such as the tale of Thereon and the Ice Giants? Or maybe How Dougal the Red overcame Three-Score and Five Lizardmen.”
Reneeke nodded. “Something like that.”
The fire crackled as deeds both probable and miraculous ran through his mind. In each, he was the central hero with Reneeke there to back him up. He had the first watch and spent the time strolling the perimeter. Time passed uneventfully until it was time to wake Reneeke for his turn.
Jaikus laid out on his bedroll near the fire and Reneeke set the chest down next to him.
“Keep an eye on this.”
Glancing to Arno, he found the bandit still secured to the tree and head lolled to the side in sleep. “I don’t think we have much to worry about.”
“Still, it would be better if it remained by one of us throughout the night.”
Shrugging, Jaikus pulled it close. Positioning one of his packs for a headrest, he laid on his side facing it. Beyond the chest the fire danced in the night. Feeling its warmth being blocked the by the chest, he pushed it to the side so it rested just above his head yet still remained in his line of sight. In its new position he received the full warming benefit of the fire. The night was quite cool.
Reneeke passed into the shadows to better acclimate his vision to the dark. First checking on the horses, he made a circuit around the camp listening to the sounds of the night.
Not far from their camp loomed an overlook. He climbed up to it and sat on it for a while, staring at the stars and the shadows of the valley below. From time to time he would glance toward the camp only to find Jaikus still asleep and the chest safe and secure next to him. He will be so glad to be rid of that chest. The responsibility of it weighed on him and the sooner he delivered it, the sooner they could continue on to the Adventure at Kith.
They’d already spent far too much time since accepting it and he worried that they may arrive too late to do anything about it. Most bard tales agreed that a timely start to an Adventure was the best way to solve the problem. They had given their word and he wanted to make sure they kept it.
When the cool of the night began seeping into his bones, he returned to camp to warm himself by the fire. True, it addled his night vision, but figured it wouldn’t be a problem seeing as how all their current enemies laid dead in the bandit’s lair.
Current enemies…
he shook his head at that. Back on the farm, he hadn’t had any enemies. This life he and Jaikus were embarking upon held more danger than he had anticipated. One thing was for sure, it kept one on their toes.
Arno snored from where he sat tied to the tree. His head still lolled in the same position. He liked the bandit, but knew that turning him loose would not be the right thing to do. Though he might keep his word to trouble them no more, there were still the other travelers that he and his kind would continue to harass, steal from, and murder. No, despite his liking of the man, he had to be turned over to the authorities.
Warmed and contented, he headed back to the shadows.
As his captor left the light of the campfire, Arno worked again with the small blade that he had secreted within his sleeve. Already several threads of the rope securing him to the tree had been severed. While Reneeke had warmed himself by the fire, he feigned being asleep and had ceased his attempts at sawing the rope. He feared that even the whisper of sound his blade made would be overheard. For if his attempt was detected, he’d lose the knife and any chance at freedom would be gone.
He could only move it a little at a time. As each additional thread parted, he would strain against the rope to see if it had been weakened to the point where it would break. When it didn’t, he would continue.
The tread of his captor as he walked in the shadows came to him from out of the dark. Where he was or how far away was difficult to determine. During the times when the footsteps drew closer, he would cease his efforts only to resume them when they walked away.
Thread by thread, he worked through the rope until he felt the rope give way. With the bottommost coil of the rope severed, he was able to loosen the rope sufficiently so he could wriggle out. But as Reneeke’s footsteps drew closer yet again, he feigned sleep. Arno hoped that he would return to his lookout on the outcropping. It was far enough away that his efforts to escape might go unnoticed. So he waited.
An hour passed, during which Reneeke returned to the fire to add wood and warm himself before returning to the shadows. Arno listened as he walked away and realized that he was heading to the outcropping. In the dim moonlight he saw Reneeke’s dark silhouette as it made its way there. He saw his head swivel to look back at the camp. When it turned back, Arno knew his chance had arrived.
Wriggling out of the rope, he then removed his gag and got to his feet. He would only have minutes, maybe less to make good his escape. The horses had been picketed on the far side of the camp. Moving toward them, he cautiously maneuvered around the sleeping Jaikus.
The chest sparkled in the firelight. Jaikus was curled around it but the top was free. Such a magnificent chest must surely contain valuables. A glance to where Reneeke stood on the outcropping revealed his silhouette to still be looking out over the valley. He turned back to the chest.
Stepping cautiously around the sleeping Jaikus, he reached for the lid.
The night was so peaceful. He had always enjoyed this time of night. The world had yet to awaken and when a slight breeze blew like it did now, peace would settle over him. Taking a deep breath, he let it out and felt his cares and worry melt away.
He figured maybe two days to rejoin Master Tuppin. At least they had horses now. Their future would look so much better from the back of a horse.
Overhead the stars were out in brilliant form. The moon was partially hidden behind a wisp of cloud yet sufficient light managed to get through to cast the valley floor in a tapestry of shadows. All in all, Reneeke felt very good.
Glancing back to the fire, he saw Arno still bound to the tree and Jaikus asleep near the fire. The chest remained safe and secure next to him.
Turning back to the valley, he reminisced about his folks back home. His parents had been against him running off with Jaikus to be Adventurer’s. They said nothing good would come of it and such a life could only bring him to an early end. Thinking back on the scrapes he and Jaik had lived through, he couldn’t say they had been wrong.
At least his parents still had his two brothers and sister to help them out. Reneeke was the oldest with his sister being the third child. She was going to be a beauty when she grew. The woman she would become had lately begun to let herself known. And considering how the boys now flocked around her, their parents would have their hands full.
Smiling to himself at the image of his father beating off several boys with a large stick, he turned again to glance toward the campsite. His smile vanished when he saw the tree to which Arno had been secured no longer held the bandit.
Turning, he started running back to the camp. Then he saw Arno kneeling next to Jaikus, his hands upon the lid of the chest.
“Don’t!” he yelled as he crashed through the underbrush. Master Tuppin’s words came back to him, Don’t open it,” Master Tuppin had warned, “not that you should be able to. But there is a fell curse guarding it that will trigger if opened improperly.”
The lid swung open and he saw Arno’s eyes widen. Then the bandit fell back with a cry and began thrashing about.
“Damn!” Reneeke cursed. Drawing his sword, he doubled his speed.
Arno began changing. His cries turned to growls and cloth tore as his upper torso expanded beyond their limits. Every inch of exposed skin began to sprout hair. In his thrashing he rolled several yards from the camp.
Reneeke hollered, “Jaik! Get up.” But in his exhausted sleep-state, his friend failed to respond. He emerged into the firelight, vaulted over Jaikus and headed straight for Arno.
Arno was no longer himself. Opening the chest had unleashed the curse and he was changing into one of those creatures they encountered at Fort Spindlewynne. Reneeke knew he could not allow the completion of the metamorphoses. As Arno thrashed, howled and raked deep furrows in the ground with his claws, he reached his side.
The beast that had been Arno snapped at him but in his partially-altered shape, didn’t have sufficient motor skills to be deadly.
Reneeke looked in his eyes, saddened that this had happened to him. Raising his sword high, he said, “Sorry it has to be this way.” Then he brought the sword down and impaled him through the chest.
Howling and spasming, Arno-beast swiped claws at him but he easily danced out of the way. Pulling his blade from the beast’s chest, he thrust it down again. Over and over he struck the chest of Arno-beast. When the thrashings began to slow, he severed its neck and just to be sure the threat had been neutralized, he cut the arms away too. The pieces grew still as life drained away.
Bending over, he picked up a section of Arno’s shirt that had ripped and fallen away during the transformation. He then used it to clean his sword. A noise behind him drew his attention.
“Jaik, Arno opened the…,” be began then halted upon spying another of the beasts behind him.
Standing on two legs, it raised its head and howled.
Reneeke’s eyes went to Jaikus’ empty bedroll, the shredded clothes lying next to it, and then turned his gaze on the beast.
“Jaik?”
Again the beast howled.
Reneeke half-heartedly raised his sword. “Jaik…no.”
Acting as if it was going to launch an attack, the beast abruptly turned and fled into the night.
“Jaik!” Reneeke yelled.
The only answer he received was the sound of Jaikus-beast crashing through the underbrush.
Chapter 16
Reneeke had been shocked that Jaikus-beast hadn’t attacked. Could there be some remnants of Jaikus still remaining? If so, maybe there could be a way of helping him. He couldn’t leave his friend as he was. Rushing after him, he left the camp and raced off in pursuit.
It was easy to track Jaikus-beast. Aside from the rustle of his passage through the underbrush, there were the intermittent snarls and howls. What concerned Reneeke most was not finding him, but what he would do once he had caught up with him. Would the part that remembered him remain forever? Or would it gradually be destroyed by the beast? Either way, he had to try. Jaik
us counted on him.
Minutes passed as he followed the sound of Jaikus-beast through the brush. Moving along the mountainside, they returned to the trail that they had followed to get there. About that time, the sound of Jaikus-beast’s passing stopped. Reneeke slowed his approach.
Jaikus-beast stood in a small clearing along the trail. Its head swiveled from one side to the next. As Reneeke drew closer, he heard it sniffing the air.
A foot settling upon a branch caused it to crack and Jaikus-beast turned toward Reneeke. Its red eyes glared in the dark. Reneeke heard it sniff the air and saw its claws clench and unclench. Just when he thought it would leap, a tremor went through it.
It started forward toward him only to stop and take a step back.
“It’s me, Jaik,” he said in a calming voice. “It’s Rene.”
Jaikus-beast growled and swiped the air. It took a step forward, then two before backing up a step.
Reneeke was at a loss as to what to do. He figured if a curse caused this transformation, a temple should be able to reverse it. The problem was how to get Jaikus-beast to a temple. Could he subdue it without killing his friend? The previous beasts had been very hard to overcome even when he laid into them with all had. He took a step forward.
A howl went up from Jaikus-beast and he raised his sword.
“I’m here to help you,” he said soothingly. “We can make you better.”
It leaped at him only to come to a stop when its foot next touched the ground.
Then it growled but it didn’t sound like any growl a beast had hitherto made.
“Jaik?”
Bestial rumblings sounded deep within its chest and when it burst forth, it came out like “Goooooooo…,” then transitioned into a howl. It bunched its hind legs as if to leap forward.
Reneeke stood ready with sword before him.
Then just as it seemed it would attack, Jaikus-beast turned ninety degrees and darted off into the trees.
Reneeke remained there a moment, his sword gradually drooping to the ground. “Oh, Jaik.”
Caravan to Kittikin Page 17
