Death Or Fortune

by James Chesney

  The next day when his friend Mort woke up he would tell him about how he put up a fight, how he held his own but the bounty hunter got lucky. Abe never told him about how they had been tied up with their own rope. He never told him about waking up as they were being carried on the back of a horse. He never told him about being dumped into this prison cell like a sack full of potatoes. Abe only told him about the fight he put up. Mort would listen to the story in awe but in the end it didn't matter. They were still in a prison cell and Windfall the bounty hunter was in Arcadia.

  48. Waves

  After Michaels rode away I headed back inside to see what my new friends had to say. Zackary was into his second bowl of fish stew and what looked like his third ale. I thought I heard him say something about it being watered down. I was more interested in Zender and Lomark. There was something between them that to this day that I cannot define. I sat down at the table and just listened to them speak for hours on end. As the sun faded and darkness fell on the streets outside, they were still going and not once had they mentioned the mission we were on. I started to wonder if these two were the reason Zackary drank so much. Over time I have learned that isn't the case but I did wonder.

  As the hour grew late I told them that I had rented them a room and that I was in need of sleep. I then asked how we’re going to get to this mountain castle that Michaels had spoken of. 'It is quite simple, we take a boat from here in the bay and take it down stream. When we are close we will strike out on foot.' Zender seemed so sure of himself until Zackary looked up from his tankard of ale, 'No bloody boats!' There was real fear in his voice. 'Zack, that was a long time ago, there is no chance it will happen again. There are only so many dragon turtles in the world.' Hans had told me the story of the dragon turtle and what Zender had done to fight it. I could see his father in him. Windfall was the type of person who would pound on you until you see things his way. Yet Zender had a much softer touch than his father, he would often try to talk his way out of things. As I went to bed that night I did something I had not done in quite some time. I looked to the gods for guidance. As there were no answers for me at that moment, I crawled into bed and tried to get some kind of sleep.

  First thing in the morning I went down stairs and got myself a good meal. Once that was finished I went about sorting out the things I would need for the trip and finding myself another horse. While the port in Rohloff wasn't that far away, it would slow things down if I had to walk. I went to see Tomas who told me I could use one of his mounts before I even got the question out of my mouth. It would seem he wanted a favor from me at some later point; at least that was the impression he gave me. He gave me all that I needed and refused payment. Once I had the new mount and the saddle to go along with it, I was ready to go. I returned to the inn to collect my saddle bags and anything else I had left in the room. In the room we shared Zackary looked like I had felt the day before.

  After a flurry of activity we were off and down the road towards Rohloff. Zackary spent the entire time mumbling about getting on a boat. I trotted up next to Zender who seemed happy to be in the lead and asked him why they were late getting to Klassen. He just pointed back to Zackary. 'Last time we were in this part of the world we ran into a little trouble. We thought we could cut some time off of our trip if we cut through the Tanglewood. Well, being young and quite stupid we ended up getting captured by some crazy cultist. Bunch of folks who worshiped this man who called himself the Messiah.' I felt a chill race up my spine and settle somewhere inside of my head. I asked him if he was sure, that was what they called him, The Messiah. 'Yes, they are all held up in some underground fortress. Hundreds of them. They accused us of being spies. Even once we convinced them that we were just passing through the area on chance they still didn't want to let us go.' When I asked him how they escaped it was then that Lomark spoke.

  'Zender did what he always does when he is presented with a problem his god doesn't have an answer for.' I looked back at the slender mage waiting for the answer but Lomark seemed to tire of talking already. 'I challenged them to a fight' Zender told me. 'I told them I would fight anyone they wanted and if I won they would let us go. If they won, they could kill us all.' I just shook my head in disbelief. They could tell me where the Messiah was. We could capture him and bring him to justice for his attack on the city. When I asked him what happened he then finished the story. 'They gave me my weapons and armor. They took us all to this little arena deep under the ground. We were surrounded by hundreds of men, all loyal to the Messiah. I figured they would sent out some powerful warrior, which they did. I did not expect him to be seven feet tall though. I know the Minotaur had a name but do not ask me to remember it right now. I still have a small mark on my shoulder from where he gored me. Still, I was able to beat the creature and they let us go.'

  I was in a frenzy, I could not believe in all the time I had known Hans he didn't tell me of this. He did not remember it or even think to mention it at all. I reached across the space between us and gripped Zender’s arm and asked him to show me where this fortress was. I told him about the war and the attacks on the city. The man had to be brought to justice. 'While I understand your passion for this, more than you know, I cannot tell you. They blind folded us and when we could see again we were out of the woods. I could point to you on a map where we entered the forest and where they dumped us but where the fortress is, we do not know. I am sorry Darmot.' I thought about turning around right at that moment, The Rod of the Arcane be dammed. If there was any chance at all that we could have found him there, I had to take it. There was too much blood on his hands to ignore it. It was only my commitment to those three men that kept me going towards Rohloff.

  A little past noon of that day we saw the man in the middle of the road. Just standing there waiting for us to come along. When I saw his face, it all came back to me. Here was the bandit leader, same chain armor, same weapon. He just stood there waiting. I stopped my horse, refusing to get closer. I could see the smirk on his face. 'Want to take another run at me?' his voice sounded like it was coming from the bottom of a well. 'No one get any closer to him, stay back. He wants to draw you in so he can use his power on you.' Lomark was nearly shouting at us to stay away. I asked him what he was talking about and he just shook his head and said he did not have the time. Lomark then dismounted from his horse, 'flee back to your master soulless one, we will not submit to your will. Go now, tell him we are coming.' The bandit leader just smirked again, laughing his hollow laugh at the wizard.

  'Oh come on now, you and I would be great friend’s wizard. You can feel it can’t you? Come to me, help me destroy these fools and we can join the ranks of the master. We will sweep this land clean of evil and bring the land into a new era of prosperity for all.' The bandit leader began to take small steps towards us. Slowly walking down the middle of the road, the metal ring in the air was Zackary drawing his weapon. I did then did the same but I could not leave my horse. 'Do it now Lomark!' Zender said while gripping his hammer. The wizard held up one hand, telling us to hold.

  'Yes, do it now Lomark. Come to me and together we will rid yourself of those high and mighty fools who do nothing but hold you back from reaching for true glory.' The bandit leader continued to stalk towards the wizard. I felt helpless. How could this man I had struck down be here now, taunting us? 'Once they are dead I can bring them back. You will have them all for servants. Once we reach the White Spire and my master accepts you, we will be brothers for all eternity.' He took another step forward, closing on the mage.

  'The White Spire you say? Interesting!' It was then that Lomark unleashed the lightning bolt. His hand drew forth a single glass rod and pointed it towards the chest of the bandit leader. For a moment, just a single moment I thought he was standing up to the blast. The bolts light filled the air, blazing brighter than even the sun in the sky overhead. When I could see again the bandit leader was laying in the road, black and smoldering. Each of us dismounted and came to stand beside the wiz
ard. 'Zackary, go build a fire with him as the base. Take nothing from his body, burn everything. Do it quickly, it won't be long before he comes back again.' I asked him what he meant. I only wanted to know what was going on. 'He is one of the creatures your paladin friend is hunting. He is a servant of Ramanthus. He knows who hunts him and he sent that one out to subdue us. Had he not been so bold, this may have had a very different outcome.' I asked him what he meant by that. 'Had he approached us without being seen, as soon as he was close enough to me to use his powers on me, I would have gladly fallen to my knees in worship of him. Then at his command I would have destroyed you all.' He spoke to us in soft, even tones. As if it was all just a matter of fact. The very idea of it all made my blood chill. 'Had he used his power on you, you would have done the same. You would have cut each of us down as if it was the right thing to do.'

  I thought about what he said while we waited for Zack to finish his job. Once the fire was started Zender went as close to the fire as he could, got down on his knees and started to pray. Asking his god to accept the soul of the now burning man back into the fold. We stayed there for the rest of the day, just off the side of the road. Keeping the fire going until there was nothing left of the body. 'There are at least four more out there. We need to be careful. Ramanthus can see into the eyes of his pets. He has seen our faces and he does not need one of these to kill us.' I asked him how he knew so much of this Ramanthus. How he knew so much about these creatures of his. He just turned his head and looked at me out of the corner of his eye. 'The same way I knew you were coming to meet us alone. The same way I knew you had been betrayed by the one called Hetaron. I know, do not question these things.'

  'Oh yes great and powerful one. We will not question you!' Zender said with more laugh in his voice than anything. 'Don't worry about it Darmot. He has a crystal ball that he can use to spy on people or other things. That is how we found the rod. It doesn't always work though.' I looked towards Lomark again but he was beyond us, lost in his spell book. The sight of seeing him there like that was perhaps the most painful thing I had felt that day. It reminded me that Hetaron was gone and our next meeting was not going to be all that pleasant. Even with how he betrayed me, then and still now, I missed him. He was my first friend in Arcadia, even if he had no idea what the word meant. I was just a tool to him, as my shield is a tool he used me the same way. Once the fire was dead Zackary turned the ashes over, filling the burned marks with dirt. Before we rode away, Zender sprinkled holy water over the area, one last time asking Solarth to welcome home his lost child, asking him to bless the ground.

  We arrived in Rohloff in the dead of night. Zender headed to the docks to find us a ship while the rest of us took in a meal at the tavern. There were no rooms open anywhere in the city. So we sat in a tavern, eating a cold meal, drinking warm ale. Lomark had a glass or two of wine while picking at a loaf of bread. When Zender returned he told us we were leaving in the morning on a ship named Nathan’s Bounty. I remember sitting there at that table drifting off to sleep to the sound of their voices. A quick dream of the bandit leader brought me back to life, I did not sleep again for two days. Each time I tried, his face would come to me. Taunt me with dreams of promised power and flowing blood. It was not until I was put to sleep by the gentle rocking of the ship on Darknight Bay. The sound of the water calmed my mind and my soul.

  49. Moving Out

  As the sun light filled the bedroom the halfling started to toss and turn. Deep inside his mind, he knew he had to wake up. There was something important he had to do today. Yet he wanted just another moment there, among the clouds with the wind in his face. Ever since the dragon attack in Eystlund Pare had dreamed of one thing and one thing only, flying. While he had flown before under his own power, something about riding a dragon made him feel alive. As the dragon dove down towards the ground, the world grew brighter as if they were headed towards the sun.

  He thought for a moment that can't be right, it should be green instead of this light. He opened his eyes and was blinded by the sun beam that had found its way inside of his curtain. Cursing to himself for not closing them the night before, he slid out of bed, hoping that if he could get them closed he could catch up with Sparky. The dragon in his dreams. With his hand held out ready to pull the curtain closed it came to him.

  "Yes, I left it open. You must be a paranoid soul to trap a second floor window." Pare turned around and dove towards the bed. His hand slipping under the pillow he pulled out one of his daggers and turned to look at the voice. As he saw the man in front of him the dagger slipped from his hand, falling to the floor.

  "I was given a pardon, full one even! What are you doing here?" his voice was nothing more than a whisper. His mind was racing, long flowing black hair, blue scale armor, big. Well big for a half elf.

  "I'm not here for you little one. I am here to help. I thought I would get here in time to see Darmot but I was too slow. I was fast enough to catch the men outside of your wall last night." Pare's eyes nearly doubled in size.

  "What men?" he asked with a touch of anger in his voice.

  "The ones who planned on walking in here and taking Lady Kromwell away. Not very nice men, you can take my word for it on that. They had a couple weapons and a whole bunch of rope. They were planning on taking her out of here. Her death would have been a long time coming and painful." Pare jumped back up on his bed, sitting there with his head hanging low, his face pressed into his small hands. Kicking himself for falling asleep when he should have been standing watch. "Like I said, I am here to help little one. You are not to blame for any of this. Once I find out who took out the contract on Lady Kromwell, this will be over soon. For right now, you and I will protect her. So pack your bags little one we are headed out."

  "What do you mean headed out? Where are you taking us?"

  "I would like to say that we are safe here but that just isn't the case. The lord’s district is far too condensed. So we will head out to the Kromwell estate. Get us out of the city and in a spot where I can see for more than five feet. I have a dwarven friend who is already headed in that direction. He and his pet will keep watch outside while we protect the inside."

  "What Dwarf? How do I know he can be trusted, how do I know you can be trusted? If anything happened to Jasmin I would never be able to make it up to Darmot." Pare slid back off the bed and started to pace the floor. "Not only that he might even kill me. Also have you seen that place? Everything is covered in saw dust and there loggers are running all over the place. How do we know we can trust them? One of them might get it in their head to do something. Then we would have to fight a whole camp of loggers. I don't want to fight a logger, they whip those axes around like crazy people. Swinging from the tree's like a bunch of monkeys. Have you ever seen a monkey?"

  "Have you ever talked so much that you passed out?" Windfall asked with a slight smile on his face. Pare stopped in his tracks, not sure if he should be insulted or not. "We have nothing to fear from the loggers, if anything they will be the extra eyes and ears we may need. Darmot pays those men very well. I would hate to be in their shoes if something happened to his wife while they stood around and did nothing. So, pack up anything you might need and be ready in one hour. I am going to see Charles now."

  Pare went and picked up the dagger he had dropped on the floor. Other than putting on his armor on and getting his weapons ready, he had no other packing to do. He had hoped Darmot would change his mind and take him along on the new adventure so his travel pack was ready to go. All he had to do was pick it up. After he had his armor on he went about checking the traps he had around the room. "All of them, he disarmed all of them." he said out loud to no one at all. Pare then took the time to go about and re-set them all. Once that was finished he closed and locked his room. As he listened, he could hear that the lower level of the house was moments away from pandemonium. As he made his way down the hall he looked into Jasmin's room and saw her packing a light bag with normal clothes. He also noticed s
he not only had her bits of armor on, she had Darmot's old sword strapped to her waist.

  "Tell me what you know about this Windfall?" she asked Pare when she saw him out of the corner of eye.

  "What I know for sure or what people say? From what I have seen they are very different. The dark blue armor is his trade mark. The cloak, boots and the armor, all of it is elven made. They had to make the armor special I would guess. He is the biggest half elf I have ever seen. He is not to be taken lightly and he is to be feared. Those are all things I know for sure."

  "What about the things people say?" she asked with a slight bit of hesitation in her voice.

  "That he is part demon. That he can walk through walls. I heard from a friend of mine, well a former friend that he saw Windfall punch someone so hard that their nose fell clean off. He can turn invisible at will. He can breathe fire like a dragon though other people say it is frost breath like a white dragon. He can talk to the birds and trees so even they will help him find you. Arrows will bounce off his bare skin and if you make him bleed the demon inside of him will come out and eat your heart."