Death Or Fortune

by James Chesney

  As I was getting dressed that day I decided I needed something more. This was the first time I had worn the new armor out in public. With the blue dragon skin cloak and the new armor I looked pretty impressive if I do say so myself. As I came down stairs I could hear Pare talking with someone in the kitchen. I found not one but two Halflings in my home that morning eating a meal at my table. 'Morning Darmot, Chuck had the cook make us breakfast, do you want any?' Pare asked when he saw me. The second halfling, the one I had carried around half the city the day before jumped up right away. She came over to me and stopped, 'Mi'lord' she said this as if it was all one word. Bending at the waist she said 'I am Miri Rivermyst, pleased to meet you Mi'lord. Pare said it would be ok but...' as she started to stutter I gave her a little laugh and told her that any friend of Pare was a friend of mine. 'Oh thank you Mi'lord!' she said as she extended her hand to me. I took her little hand into mine and told her that she could call me Darmot. I told them both that I had a meeting to keep but to enjoy their food. I then told Pare that we were going to be on a ship, perhaps for a few months. He was cheering as I turned to leave.

  I mounted up on Emily and took off to see Turk. When I arrived at his office, I found Michaels there as well. I had forgotten he was going to be there. He was keeping an eye on the scout that the dragon had returned to us. Turks office was attached to the barracks of the royal guard. There was a small war room behind his office but to get to the barracks you had to go outside. In the war room were a few chairs but most of them were never used. He had a large table filled with maps and maps of the different regions of Arcadia lined the wall. On the large table was a new map that had just been finished a few hours before. 'Keep in mind, this isn't to scale and we don't know how accurate it is.' Turk told me. 'From what Eli was able to remember and the things Hans was able to give us it is the best we can do for now. Here on the northwest side of the island is where the ship yard is. This is what my men will be going for. Eli is one of the best scouts we have so I am going to trust his placement of the landmarks you see. This here is the temple they were going to find, it is on the edge of a cliff. There are wooden bridges over the gap to the east and west of the temple.'

  'Eli said all the Orcs are working for the wizard. Most of them are to the north in these camps here. They took over the biggest of the human cities there and from what he was able to see there are hundreds if not thousands of them. They are well organized and militaristic. Something about it doesn't set right with me, an entire army of Orcs under the command of a human. This Argon, the wizard must be in control of them somehow or he has something they want. Eli told us the wizard is living in the temple, not with the Orcs in the city. As I said, all this information could be wrong. The main slave camps are here to the south, no more than a day’s walk from the temple. This is your target Darmot. This is where Eli and the others were held. It is two days forced walk from the temple to the ship yard. The men I send will sneak into the ship yard. Set fire to all the ships except for one, that one they will take and sail back to the south of the island where they will wait for you. They will only wait so long Darmot, remember this. There is a second holding pen for the slaves that work the ship yards. If we can free those people before hand we will. Anything that adds to the confusion will help. What questions do you have?' I placed my hands on the table and looked over the map. While it was going with me, I wanted it in my mind.

  'Who is Eli?' Michaels asked. Both Turk and I turned to look at the Paladin, unsure he really just asked that question. 'Oh, the scout. I am sorry, I was thinking about something else. Please continue.' I told Turk that I didn't like the idea of splitting up into two groups. If anything went wrong in the ship yard, we would be stranded waiting for a ship that might not ever come. 'Well then I trust you will be able to figure something out My Lord. Remember, you are not going there to free these people. You are going to get our people, cause as much havoc as you can then get out. Now, if you happen to free some slaves and start a little revolt. It can only help us.' What about this wizard I asked him? 'Well, we don't know anything other than his name. He might not even be real, Eli never saw him but the Orcs talked about him. He told us Kandella saw him though. If you can take him out, do it but it isn't why you are going there. We want our people back.' I told him I understood. Turk was taking this personal. Those men were there because he asked them to go. It wasn't something he had to do. He did it as a favor to a friend. He felt guilty over how his men ended up. It isn't easy sleeping at night when you know you sent good loyal men to a life of slavery. When the trip shouldn't have been anything more than a simple joy ride around the ocean.

  The only question I had left was when we could leave. 'It will take a few more days for me to gather the men. Each one will be the best I can spare. We cannot afford to make mistakes. I want to have everything and everyone ready no later than two weeks from now. Sergeant Bryce will be in command of the troops who hit the ship yard. Runs with the eastern rangers, just an all-around tough son of a bitch, you will like him once you get past the fact that he talks entirely too much. Who are you taking with you? Will you need any more men to hit the slave compound?' I told him it would be Pare, Windfall, Michaels and I. I also told him I was going to attempt to get one more. I did not want to speak for Zackary without talking to him first. This turned out to be a good thing. I figured with five men we could make a quick strike, find our people and get out. Nothing ever goes as planned in my life and I wasn't sure why I thought this would be a first time. As I could not see anything wrong with the plan that was laid out, I told Turk to keep me up to speed. I wanted to see to Zackary before it got too late in the day. As I was walking out I noticed Michaels was coming with me. Not that I minded his company until he started to talk.

  'He is wrong Lord Kromwell.' he said to me not long after his office was behind us. I asked him what he meant. 'He was right when he said we are going there to free our people. The entire island is populated with those who worship Solarth. They are being held in the bonds of slavery. We are going there to free my people, my brothers and sisters. I will not rest until I am dead or the last person on that island is free.' I stopped dead in my tracks and looked at the paladin. I asked him if he was paying attention, that there could be thousands of Orcs on that island. I asked him how his god was going to help him deal with that. I seriously considered leaving him behind at that point. I thought he had started to develop some kind of madness. I very suddenly wanted to; no needed to, talk to Hans right away. I couldn't afford to have these types of problems once we landed on that island. 'Do not worry my friend. I will not do anything to put the mission in jeopardy. Yet as they say, there is more than one way to skin a cat.' I never had a reason to doubt Michaels but what he said made me a bit uneasy.

  I told Michaels to return to the temple and to be ready for the long trip. He gave me a smile and told me that he would be ready for anything. I shook my head as I walked away from the paladin, setting off with Emily to the Red Dragon to track down Zackary. When I arrived there wasn't an empty table in the whole place. The smell of roast beef rolling out of the kitchen made my stomach scream at me. It must have been the smell that filled the place in the middle of the afternoon, it was incredible. I made my way to the bar where Linda was doing all she could to fill the orders as they came in. I looked around, Zackary was no were in sight. She stopped when she saw me, a strange look settled on her face. 'Lord Kromwell, you look like you are going off to fight a war.' I couldn't say anything so I just asked her where Zackary was. Her pale face started to turn a little red as I waited for the answer. By the time it started to match the color of her red hair I asked her again where Zackary was. 'No!' was all she said. Her eyes started to well up as she stared at me. 'You can't take him from me. I can't do it again, I will not bury another husband.'

  I will give her credit for knowing how to hit me. I thought long and hard about it, right there on the spot. Her first husband died while under my command. I couldn't do it to her a seco
nd time. While I am sure Zackary would have joined me, it was for her that I decided to leave without him. I told her that I was going to be leaving the city for a long time. I asked to pass a message on to Zackary, asking him to keep an eye on things for me. As the tears started to run down her red cheeks I turned away from the bar and made my way home. My only regret was not staying long enough to get something to eat. I took myself and Emily home. After I fed and watered her, I took care of myself. I saw Charles for less than a second, long enough to learn that my wife was in the cellar. Unsure of why she would be down there I went to find her. There she was, with my old sword, working the forms I taught her. I said nothing, I just waited for her to finish. She was very good at that point, I was impressed. When she stopped she looked at me and smiled. From that point on, the rest of my day was lost in the haze of her energy and beauty.

  That night after tucking her into bed I went to my office. To see to all that Charles had left for me. Also to set things in order so that should something happen while I was gone, Jasmin and the rest of my family would be taken care of. While she would lose the house and servants should I die, she would still own the two inns. She would also have enough gold to last her a life time. While I would not have to tell Jasmin this, Pare was also to be taken care of should I pass on. My life could end but I know somehow that he will live. The world will be a cold and dark place without him in it. It is the one thing I do not want to ever think about. I heard the door open but never looked up to see who it was. After signing the last bit of papers I looked up and saw Windfall. His long hair was pulled back and his clothes were black and well worn. It wasn't often that he took his armor off. I wasn't sure what to expect, when he spoke his voice sounded hollow and distant. 'Darmot' he said to me. 'You are like a son to me. I knew you as a boy and I am proud of the man you have become. What I must tell you now, will not leave this room. I want you to understand. My own sons have been told this story, I will now tell it to you.'

  78. Enchanted

  "Long ago there was another wizard who lived in this area. Well settled here is more like it. His name was Argon; he sought a way to lengthen his life in order to live alongside his elf bride. I was able to find some of his work, not all of it and some of it is beyond me still. I looked for other things of his but the trail ran cold. I assume he killed himself in the process or ended up as a lich. Still, it was a good find." -Hetaron during the trip to Eystlund-

  Windfall sat before me. I waited for him to start this story he had to tell me. He was looking off into the dark corner of my office, perhaps looking past the walls and into a world beyond. 'Do you know how old I am Darmot?' he asked me. When I said no, he continued. 'I am, one hundred and five years old. As a half-elf, I should be near middle aged. If I was anyone else, I might expect to live another fifty years. Seventy five if am lucky. To your eyes I look the same as I did when you were just a child. To my wife, I have not aged a day since I had first met her. I have not aged a day in close to fifty years.' I asked him if he was talking about how humans see him. 'No my friend, I am being literal. I have not aged a day in fifty years. It was the last thing my father did to me. I am sorry but I am starting in the middle, when I should be at the beginning.'

  'My father was a gifted wizard. I believe even calling him that is an understatement. I do not know the land of his birth. There is much I don’t know about him. I did manage to learn some of what I am to tell you by what is left of my elven family in Kemmermer. I later found his journals were I learned more but not until long after he was gone. My grandfather on my mother’s side was something of an important figure. His family was descended from a line of clerics of Solarth. In fact, my name was given to me to honor my mother’s great, great grandfather, Delmon Windfall. Elven clerics do not shy away from taking mates. There are so few elves in the world as it is. My grandfather Telonna was also a cleric of the good god, even after the fall at the hands of the followers of Asmodai. My family kept the faith, clung to it. Even when there was no church, they held on to the belief. I am losing the path again, forgive me. They were in Toryth Vol, when the chance meeting happened. A raiding party of gnolls attacked my grandfather and his companions. It did not go well for them. They were nearly all killed and would have been if not for my father.'

  'Using his magic, he saved them. Telonna was so grateful to him that he offered my father a large reward. He only had to travel with them to the elven lands to get it. It was there that he and my mother met. He was captivated by her beauty and she was from all I have been told, very beautiful. She was interested in my father right away. No one understood why, I think she was the only one who knew. As his reward for saving my grandfather he asked to stay there to study magic with the elven wizards. My father was in the elven lands for close to a year when the accident happened. No one really knew how close my parents were until my mother became pregnant. Telonna was outraged at first but agreed to let his daughter marry my father. He made them leave the elven homeland though. The Order of Solarth was in ruins, the shame of having a bastard half elf in the family was too much for him to live with. They set out on their own for Eystlund. My father knowing his human lifespan would be but a brief flicker of light when held up to that of an elf became obsessed. During his time in the elven lands he sought a way to extend his life span. He was so in love with my mother and could not stand the thought that one day she would have to watch him die of old age.'

  'It was there that he began to learn how to alter a person using magic. You know some of the things he did to me from what I have told you in passing. You do not know all of it. The two of them traveled for some time, they took their time as she was with child and the wagon ride was rough on her. From what I understand, they spent some time in Toryth Vol so my father could continue his work. It was in Eystlund that it happened. No more than a day's ride from the home my family lives in now. Mother was in the back of the wagon resting, she saw them first. The bandits that were descending on the two of them. Twenty men in all attacked them. They paid dearly for attacking them but as you know, a wizard has his limits. There is only so much one can do without rest. He killed all but three of them, three men who were angry and hurt. The leader of the bandits was named One-Eye George. He and his two men that were left alive decided against killing the two of them. No, they wanted to first have a bit of fun with them.'

  'They tied my father to a tree and made him watch. Between the beatings he took, he had to watch them beat and rape my mother. This went on for a close to a full day before a farmer found the wagon and horses on the trails. He was taking his produce to town and when he saw blood on the road he had his boys search the area. Three big lads they were, they scared old George and his men off. They saved the life of not only my father but mine as well. I am sad to say they did not save the life of my mother. One of the farmer’s sons drove my father’s wagon with the two of them in the back. They were going to take them to town, to find a healer. It was then that I was born, there in the back of that wagon. My mother lived long enough to see my eyes one time and give me my name. My father was a broken man after that. Not just his heart but his mind. When he burned my mother’s body that night, I believe his soul rose up to be with her in the afterlife. Leaving behind a man who was someone altogether different.'

  'The next day, with his new son, my father set off to the east. To find a place to live where he could continue his work. You see, even after my mother died he continued to research ways to prolong his life. He also started to experiment with other things as well. Any spell caster could increase your strength but it would not last. My father found a way to make it last, so the effect never went away. He cast the first spell on me when I was five years old. He would say to me, never again Windfall will you be harmed by bad people because you were not strong enough. You will not fail as I did. He continued to do his spells on me for years to come. I thought it was normal, my father was the only person I knew at the time. He kept me away from the town. Told me that it was a haven of evil pe
ople and I had to stay away. When I was a little older than you were the first time we met, he brought in someone else. Every day for two years after that I spent most of my days training on the use of weapons with a man named Quinn. I was so excited to meet another person and I just wanted him to like me. I did my very best to learn from him, to make him happy with me.'

  'When Quinn felt I had learned all that he could teach me about the art of fighting, he started to teach me other things. How to hunt and track animals. When he felt I knew enough about that, he taught me how to track a man. While it is the same idea, men are different. We spent a total of five years together, all day every day. The nights I was not being experimented on by my father, I was alone. The older I got, the less I saw of my father. He was at home but I was not allowed to bother him for any reason when he was working. He would hide away, doing his research for days on end. When he felt he had perfected something he would summon me. He told me that I was special and that I was destined to do great things. He was making me ready for it all. I believed him, he was my father. He was pretty much my whole world. The day I turned twenty years old he came to me with three things. My first set of armor and my first sword. The third he told me was the first step towards my destiny. It was a list of names, the names of the men who killed my mother. Kill them all he told me. Avenge the death of your mother and when you have done that, return to me.'