Death Or Fortune

by James Chesney

  98. Wish

  Using a large shield as a make shift litter, we carried the body of our fallen friend back to the Black Vault. While we were making the slow walk, people started to pour out of the former slave compound. They were silent, respectful and in awe of what had happened. Kandella on the other hand was beside herself. She wanted to blame me or the gods for what happened to the paladin. Windfall had to pull her aside at one point and talk with her. I don’t know what was said to her and I really didn't care but it seemed to work. While she was still upset, she didn't blame any of us for the loss. In the end we all came to accept the fact that once the door was opened for Michaels to end things quickly, nothing we could have done would have stopped him. While I still regret the loss of my friend, I know his soul rest well in the afterlife. We were able to find a wagon and horses to put him in so we didn't have to carry him all over the place. After placing him in the back of the wagon I thought about covering him but the people started to file by, giving their thanks to him. The rain did not stop for close to an hour, the Othos people called it the tears of the god.

  My mind was shattered, I still could not come to terms with what we had witnessed. I wanted to be alone with my thoughts for a short time. I saw Pare standing at the rear of the wagon, offering his hand of each person who came by to see Michaels. Most seemed to ignore the halfling others seemed repulsed by him. Windfall had Kandella well in hand, she never moved far from his side. Bryce had the Dead Squad searching the area of the event, looking for any Orc who might have gotten away. That is what we started calling it, the event. What else do you call the hand of a god smiting an entire army at once? For the first time in what seemed to be months no one needed me, no one was looking for me. So I drifted off to sit in the shade of one of the tents, sipping from my water skin. I didn't even mind the smell of the dead Orcs on the other side of the canvas. That I could deal with, that was easy, that smell I could understand. The power we saw that day isn't easy to understand. While every day you could see proof of the gods touch on the world, it was never like this. It isn't every day you see a scorch mark in the earth over a mile long.

  As the crowd started to thin out near the wagon I could see a few of the Othos people gathered around Kandella and Windfall. Part of me wanted to know what was going on, another part of me didn't care at all. All I cared about was sitting there until they wouldn't let me do it any longer. I knew at some point someone would come to me with a problem, it was only a matter of time. There was plenty of food and water in the camp and while the Orcs were cruel they understood that dead slaves couldn't work. I tipped my water skin up for the final time, draining the last of the cool liquid inside, thinking about getting back to my feet. Thinking was all I did until I happened to look to the west. The only trail leading that way went to the ship yard. I thought I saw a flash of something and I got to my feet. I could see men coming up the trail. When I pulled out the spy glass I could see Nelson and the crew of Nathans Bounty returning to the slave camp. Fearing the worst, I went out to meet them on the trail before they could start to talk to anyone else. I didn't want any bad news they carried to start a panic.

  When Nelson saw me he started to trot ahead of the sailors who were not looking well. 'Sir, what in the nine hells happened? We could hear Michaels speaking, then there was a flash and...' I held up my hand to stop him from talking. I told him about the sacrifice Michaels made for all of us, how he destroyed the Orc army as it advanced on us. 'How?' he asked me in a stunned voice. I explained to him that it was an artifact of his god and how it worked was beyond me. I then asked him why they were coming back from the ship yard? 'Well between the voice, the flash we saw and the dust cloud, they got spooked. So I did the only thing I could think of, brought them back here.' I put my hand on his shoulder and told him he did fine, I then told him to go find something to eat. He was going to be headed towards the ship yard before the day was done. When Captain Nathan and his men caught up I told them the same story. It is a story I would tell many times over the next few days. It gets a little easier each time I tell the story but it doesn't change how I feel about the loss we suffered. I sent the Captain and his men off to get food and drink. I then told Captain Nathan that if he searched the tents, they might find something a little stronger than water. 'That is a fine thought lad, while the boys don't need it right now, there is always tomorrow.'

  I had to smile at the man. Even after living as a slave for months, he wanted to keep his men sober until the day's work was done. I watched as they joined the rest of the Othos men and women, waiting in line for the food and drink that was being passed out. They seemed to fit right in with them. It was then that I noticed what seemed to be joy in the crowd of former slaves. Smiling faces, laughing, just people glad to be alive. There was a celebration going on right there and for the life of me I couldn't figure out why. Granted, today I understand and can forgive them for trying to have such a good time while standing feet away from my dead friend. They were free after all that time of living under Orc rule. I put my hand on my sword and I started to walk towards Windfall and the group around him. I knew that our job was not done yet. While Michaels made things easy for us, there were still Orcs in the Othos city that had to be dealt with. Before I could get to Windfall, Pare stepped out from between Windfall and another man and came running towards me. 'You won't believe it Darmot, they want to build a statue of Michaels, they want to have a big funeral for him and bury him in the temple of Solarth with the god of the dwarves!' I looked down at my little halfling friend, I tried to keep the smile on my face but I could feel my mind breaking. I then told him that the Keltor in the temple wasn't the god of the dwarves. That he was just named after him.

  I had to hold my ground for another minute or two, I could feel my temper ready to explode. I had to keep things in check. I was in command so I at least had to appear to be capable of it. I asked Pare to go find Bryce and to have him recall all the men. We had some things to talk about. After Pare ran off I turned my eyes towards the group around Windfall again. While walking towards them with slow even steps I was trying to keep my breathing in check. As I got close to them, the group stopped talking, all of them turned to look at me. The look on Windfall's face was one of relief on seeing me, Kandella was cold and emotionless. One man stepped forward, he looked close to forty years old. He bent over slightly to bow to me. 'I am Dhanso. I am the eldest of the Othos gathered here. I was speaking with your companions here. Am I to understand that you are all from across the sea, even the savior?' I told him that his name was Michaels and yes, we were all from across the sea. He then turned to the other elders gathered there, they said nothing, only making eye contact. 'So when he told you to take him home, he did not mean to the great temple? My companion was on the wall with you and yours. He heard the exchange between the two of you before the savior confronted our captors. He wanted you to take him back across the sea?'

  I was about to answer when Kandella exploded at him. 'That is what we have been trying to tell you for the last hour, are you daft?' Once again Dhanso turned to the gathered elders, making eye contact once again. He then turned to Kandella, 'I am sorry demon. I know you are one with the good god but we need to hear these facts from a human, one of Solarths creations. I am sorry if we appear not to trust you.' Kandella was starting to turn red, I had to step up between the two to stop what was about to happen. I asked him if he knew what an elf was? 'Over the years we have discussed the possibility of other races, until the Orcs came here we were not sure any of the others were real. Five years ago a conference was held, we determined that humans were the only real creatures to live under Solarths light. Others were deemed to be only a myth.' I tried to assure them that the other races were all very real. I then pointed out the fact that the outsiders that ended the war between the Othos and the Melkor were elves. 'You are telling me that Keltor was one of these elves?' I told him that he was and that Delmon Windfall who helped build the great temple on the Plain of Hope was als
o an elf.

  I was starting to see the difference between the Othos and the Melkor. The Melkor lore keepers passed on the history as it was. The Othos discussed it in great detail and discounted anything they did not understand or that did not fall in line with their view point of the world. 'You have given us much to consider. When this time of trouble has passed, we shall meet again and discuss the significance of these new details. As for now we have much rebuilding to do. I ask you this, what do you have planned now?' I told him that we knew there would be more Orcs in the Othos city that had to be taken care of. We were not going to leave them until every single one was removed from the city. Dhanso turned to his companions again, this time they all looked like they smelled something rotten. When he turned back to me he had the same look on his face. 'We would rather you leave now. We will be able to deal with the remaining Orcs without you. You have our thanks but we insist that you do not enter our home. It has been infected with others for far too long.' Now it was my turn to look as if I something smelled rotten. I didn't understand why they didn't want us to help them free their city.

  'Now, we shall take the body of the savior to the great temple. He shall be placed in the sacred crypt on the lower level. He shall remain there until we and the Melkor to the south have chosen new temple guardians. Once that is done we shall complete the burial rights.' I turned to look at Windfall and Kandella. Both gave me a knowing look as if they were telling me this is what they had been dealing with. I decided it was time to make things a bit more clear for Dhanso and the Othos. I told them no, that we were taking Michaels home as he requested. 'You do not understand, he is our savior and we need...' I told him no once again. His voice started to take a hard tone and he said 'We insist he stays with us.' I reached up and removed my helm, shaking out my hair. I turned to my mentor and handed the helm to him, asking him if he would mind holding it. When Windfall took it from me I stepped forward as close as I could get to Dhanso, looking him dead in the eye. I told him that Michaels was coming home with me. If anyone other than my men or I touched his body, they would die at my hand. 'There is no need for threats. We can come to some kind of agreement that will please us all I am sure. We do have items of value to trade if you wish.'

  I told him that my friend wasn't for sale and nothing they had would change that. He was my friend, my family. There are something’s that you just don't sell. 'I must insist.' His voice started to remind me of a splinter I once had under my finger nail. I then told him if he insisted he would have to take Michaels over my dead body. 'We don't want to hurt you as you were the savior’s companion but...' I stopped him mid thought by calling out to Windfall, asking him what kind of damage we could do. 'Well, I figure there are a good four hundred of them here. While I am sure you want to avoid killing them all, some will die anyway, it can't be helped. They are soft. I should be able to take two hundred of them easy. You can handle the rest.' I looked back at Dhanso. I told him that he needed to believe my friend. He needed to understand that we were very capable of fighting every one of them off and still leaving with Michaels. If he was going to be an elder or leader of his people, he should know when protecting his people is more important than satisfying their desires. He started to shake his head at me, 'You do not understand.' That was the last thing Dhanso said to me. He did not understand that I had reached my limit. Michaels asked me to take him home and no one was going to stop me from doing that.

  While I did not want to hurt the man I knew we were not going to get anywhere. I only had to hit him once, dropping him to the ground. Kandella started to yell at me, one of the other Othos clutched at his head as if he was in pain, the rest looked at me in shock. I told them to care for their elder and that I was sorry for hitting him. I then told them that we would follow their one wish to leave the island but they were not keeping my friend. I honestly could not wait to be off their blasted island. Once Bryce returned with the Dead Squad I had Pare find Captain Nathan to tell him we were headed towards the ship yard. I walked behind the wagon with the Dead Squad; I walked away from the Othos and never looked back. I kept my eyes on the body of Michaels, Solarths Fist still clutched firmly in his hands. Windfall and Pare drove the wagon with Kandella between them. Every now and then she would turn to look at me, the anger on her face was clear. After more than two hours of that I called for a stop, to allow the men to rest. Not that they needed it but I needed to talk to her. When she stepped down from the wagon I asked her to follow me. 'Will you strike me if I refuse?' I didn't answer her. I only walked away from the wagon.

  The fields along the way to the ship yard were full of tree stumps. Everything within miles of the Black Vault had been cut down. It would be twenty years before the forest they butchered re-grew. I walked far enough away from the men and the wagon to take a seat on one of those stumps. I looked at what was left, if I had to guess it was some kind of cottonwood tree, honestly it was hard to tell they did such a good job of removing them. As I sat down I looked up at Kandella and pointed to the stump closest to mine. 'You didn't have to strike him. There is always another way.' she told me. I asked her how long they had been talking to him about them keeping Michaels. 'Close to an hour, I thought we were making headway when you came over.' I smiled at the scribe and told her that the Othos people thought she was a fairy tale creature of some kind. Odds are he was just trying to humor her until I came over. I then reminded her that he continued to insist that they were keeping Michaels. 'Yes but they are a different kind of people, you have to understand their ways. You can't just beat them until they see things your way. They got enough of that from the Orcs.'

  I shook my head at her and told her no. While I understand that every culture is different, this was something that they were not about to give up on. We would have been there for months trying to get him back to see that his final wish was completed. 'Is this the type of Lord you are, the type of leader who demands respect with his fist, instead of commanding it with your presence?' I told her that I didn't know what type of lord I was. That I was just a man trying to get a job done and to grant my friend his final wish. 'I honestly don't know why Bishop Hans sent you. How well do you know him?' I told her that Hans and I were very good friends. That we had stood side by side to battle evil, that he had saved my life while I protected his. We were brother’s just as much as two people who shared the same blood. 'He adventured with you?' I told her that he did more than just adventured with me. We went to war together and together we were victors and that without him, I would not be here today. I then told her that he sent me for one reason and one reason only. 'What is that?' she asked me. I told her he sent me because someone under his care was in danger. He knew that I wouldn't say no and he knew that I would be able to what he asked. 'And how many people did you kill along the way?' she asked. I thought about it for a moment before I stood up. As I started to walk back to the wagon I told her, far too many, far too many.

  99. Blaze

  Even with as slow as things were going, we made good time to the ship yard. As the full yard came into view from the trail I was glad we no longer had to worry about burning them to prevent the army from launching. Had we torched that many ships, odds are it would have taken half the island with it. Close to a hundred completed ships, more would have been built in time. I asked Captain Nathan if he knew where his ship was and how soon he could have it ready to sail. 'Aye lad, I know right where it be. What are ya gonna do about the troll and the Orc guards?' Everyone stopped to look at the sailor, I asked him what troll? 'Swamp Troll, nasty bugger. They keep him chained up on the docks. Every now and then it sleeps in the water close to shore. It will lay under there and wait for folks to walk by. You don't see anything but a big green arm come out and snatch.' As he said this it looked like he was trying to grab something out of mid-air. 'Best pray to the goddess that you are not chained to the poor sap that became breakfast. The Orcs wouldn't do anything other than laugh and call you lunch.'

  I shook my head for a minute as I
could not believe that we were that close to leaving and still had problems to deal with. All I wanted to do was get on a ship with my friends and sail away. We stood there and looked down on the ship yard for what seemed an eternity. Looking for some sign of activity from the guards below. When there wasn't any, I told Windfall to come with me, I wanted everyone else to stay put until I called for them. Pare stood up on the wagon and started shouting 'What about me?' I told him to stay with Kandella, to keep her safe. I then had to tell the same thing to the wolf that was trying to follow behind me. Every time I turned around the thing was trying to follow me. As we made our way down the trail I could hear Windfall laughing. When I asked him what was so funny he said 'He will follow you till you or he dies. He is smarter than a typical animal, even with his bond broken he is trying to follow the last order he was given. He also knows you are the pack leader. He might follow me once we get home, he knows me well enough. I wouldn't count on it though. The good thing is this, he is old for one of his kind. He might only live on for a couple more years.'

  The smell of the ocean was strong but there was something else I could smell. Like the smell of rotting garbage and stagnate water. 'Shouldn't we have seen something or someone by now?' Windfall asked me. I could only shake my head while drawing my weapon. There were three large buildings on the dry side of the docks. One was a lumber mill where they cut wood for the ships. A second massive building where they wove cotton for the sails. The last building looked to be a warehouse of some kind. The door on the front was smashed to splinters, we checked that one first. Before we got there I felt a strong hand on my arm, 'wait, listen.' As I stood there I could hear what sounded like a metal chain rattling. It was coming from inside the building with the smashed door. I held up one finger to my lips, telling the half elf to be quiet. Not that I had to tell him, he was silent as a ghost most of the time as it was. I couldn't even hear him walking behind me as we started to move towards the door again. As we were standing in the door way, we could see that the Orcs used this as their sleeping area. Beds were over turned, weapons all over the place and there were dead Orcs everywhere.