Thork reached behind a table and lifted out a goblin with bright blue skin. It flailed its arms until Thork set it down on the ground. The goblin snorted and pulled its hide tunic back into place.
“Bonky, take dese people to da surface,” Thork told him. The goblin, Bonky, turned and scrunched one eye closed while he studied them. He crossed his arms and shook his head.
“His name is Bonky?” Tristam wondered aloud.
Thork nodded. “Him’s my assistant.”
“Why isn’t he talking?” Trina asked.
“Barndoor cut out Bonky’s tongue,” Thork said. “Him can hear you jus fine.” To the goblin’s credit, he opened his mouth and pointed at the stub of a tongue that remained.
“A swamp troll toying with magic and he’s got a goblin assistant!” Kar threw his hands in the air.
“Bonky does da taste testing!” Thork said. Bonky made a sour face behind him. “Now you take dese people to da surface or else!”
Bonky stood his ground and glared at the towering troll. He stomped his foot and shook his head.
“Or else what?” Namitus asked softly.
“You fink blue is bad?” Thork grinned wickedly. “Thork’s workin on a pink potion!”
Bonky gasped. He held up both hands and shook his head, and then ran to a table and dove under it. Pots, boxes, casks, and various other items came flying out as he cleared a path, and then crawled out from under and started tugging on the table. Thork chuckled and went over to help move the table out of the way. Bonky jumped into the opening as soon as he could and triggered a secret release that revealed a doorway built into the wall.
The goblin motioned for them to follow him. “Go wif Bonky. Him will get you out safe and sound,” Thork said. “An’ if you see Barndoor, bash him once for me!”
“Thank you, Thork,” Alto said to him after the others had begun filing out. “For helping us and for saving my friend.”
Thork grinned and nodded. He moved over to a shelf and grabbed a vial, and then tossed it to him. “Thork likes you. Dis will help you if you get bashed. You got a bashin stick already, dat’s good!”
Alto looked at the club in his hand. He chuckled and held up his bashing stick. “Took this from a mountain troll after they broke my broadsword. I’m better with a sword.”
Thork looked thoughtful for a moment and then shrugged. “Bashin’s bashin.”
Alto considered the sage advice and said, “I guess it is.” He shook his head and chuckled, and then turned and hurried after his companions.
He ran into Trina less than a dozen feet up the passage. “What were you doing?” she snapped at him.
“Saying thank you,” Alto said. “What are you doing?”
“Making sure another one of you stupid boys don’t get yourself hurt!” She spun away and stormed off.
Alto stood still and watched her retreat until he realized the light from Karthor’s holy symbol was fading away. He jogged after them until he caught up, and then wordlessly took the rear guard.
Bonky led them for what felt like hours. The passage opened into natural hollows in the rock occasionally but it never once had a side passage cross it. The blue goblin stopped and pointed at a section of the wall that looked no different than any other. The only thing that distinguished it was that it was in front of them rather than on either side. They’d come to a dead end.
Bonky pantomimed pushing it and walked up to it to show them where and how. Alto and Tristam joined him and heaved against the rock. It rolled away slowly and threatened to crush them if they let go of it.
“Go!” Alto told them. “I’ll hold it.”
The others filed through the opening and into the cold mountain air of the surface world. Stars shone down on them from above, proving they’d been in the caves another day. Alto let go of the rock and leapt out before it rolled back into place and sealed Bonky, and the tunnel, off from the outside world.
“Saved by a troll and a mute goblin,” Namitus wondered aloud.
“That was no ordinary troll,” Kar said stiffly.
“What gave it away?” Karthor blurted out.
Kar leveled a disapproving gaze at his son’s sarcasm. “His weapon and shield, for one. I’ve heard that tribes of ogres, trolls, and other savages have shamans amongst them. Some have even claimed to have seen shamans among large goblin tribes. Even so, Thork was special, I think. Tired and without support from me, I suspect fighting him would not have gone well for us.”
Alto thought to the small metal flask he’d tucked into his pouch. He agreed; Thork was definitely out of the ordinary!
“Now where are we?” Tristam said after a few moments of quite reflection passed.
Kar turned and stared at the stars above. His breath puffed out before him as he pointed at constellations in the sky. He muttered to himself and then nodded. “Amazing, we’ve come some distance underground. We’re near the coast, in Kelgryn lands.”
Trina gasped and turned to stare into the darkness at the hills around them. She marked a few stars she knew from sailing and turned to the south. “I’ve never been here, but if you’re right, the wise-woman isn’t far off. A few hours? Less than half a day’s travel, I’m sure of it!”
“We’re not being paid to escort a Kelgryn princess,” Tristam grumbled.
“What about rescuing one?” Alto asked.
Trina turned on Alto and clamped her jaw shut at the last moment. “We’d rescued ourselves!” she protested.
Alto held his hands up. He hadn’t meant it that way! “No, I meant—”
“He’s right,” Tristam said, interrupting him. “Returning you to your people will no doubt be rewarded.”
“Might go a ways toward thwarting any ill will between nations, too,” Kar advised.
Tristam nodded and grinned. “Might be we can wangle a reward from both kingdoms!”
Through it all, Trina glared at Alto. She turned and stormed away, brushing past Namitus without even noticing him. Namitus watched her go and then turned to look at Alto. He offered a sad smile and a brief shake of his head.
“In the morning then,” Tristam said. “Let’s have a camp and be rested for it. I expect we’re safe here but all the same we’ll have no fire. It’s to be a cold night, but the first man that thinks to snuggle with me will feel my fist warming his nose.”
William and Karthor chuckled. Alto joined in but his thoughts followed the young Kelgryn woman who stood a distance away and stared into the night.
Chapter 16
William was the first to bemoan the lack of horses the next morning. The walk through the foothills and along the coastal plains took several hours, but they were hours in which everyone knew something was amiss. Even the herds of elk and the wolves that stalked them were absent.
“It’s begun already,” Kar noted.
“What’s begun?” Tristam snapped at him.
“The war,” the wizard said. “Or at least a marshalling of forces.”
“Maybe we’ve earned a bit of respite after the last few days,” William suggested.
“He’s right,” Patrina said. “My people should have patrols out; we’d have been seen by now and stopped for questioning.”
Alto decided to risk her wrath by asking a question. “Where are they?”
“The horns must have been blown,” she mused. “They’ve gathered the Kelgryn to search for me.”
“Or to avenge you,” Kar suggested.
“Horns?” Alto asked, ignoring the wizard’s dark thoughts.
“Signal horns,” she said. She lapsed into silence as they walked, and then pointed to the northwest. “There—the wise-woman lives at the base of that mountain.”
“A few more hours then.” Tristam judged the distance.
“Shouldn’t we hurry?” Alto asked. “If things are in motion, there are lives at stake!”
Tristam chuckled. “Things will happen the way they happen, lad. Besides, we stand a better chance of earning more contracts if there�
�s strife in the northern reaches!”
Alto’s scowl matched Trina’s gasp. Tristam turned and chuckled when he saw them. “I can almost remember being young and full of ideals once. Almost. Don’t worry. We’ll do our part in putting an end to it before it gets too ugly.”
They lapsed into silence and continued walking. Flies plagued them across the plains, adding discomfort. They endured the walk until a road became visible in the distance. Sensing an end to a part of their journey was near, they picked up the pace.
Kelgryn guards wearing mail shirts over padded leather met them when they followed the road into the foothills. One wielded a long spear with a broad blade and the other had a poleaxe. Both had long, curved knives tucked into the belts.
“State your business,” one of the guards challenged Tristam.
“I’m here to see the wise-woman.” Patrina stepped out from behind Tristam and Alto. She threw back the hood on her robe so they could see her clearly.
“Lady Patrina!”
“I thought she wasn’t a lady?” Alto whispered to Karthor. The priest scuffed a boot and shrugged.
“There’s much more to this young woman than we know, I think,” Kar mumbled behind the young men.
“These aren’t the Jarl’s men with you?” the other guard said after studying the Blades of Leander.
“My father’s men were killed by bandits and thugs hiding in the guise of Kingdom soldiers. These men found me in the caves beneath the mountains I’d been taken to and helped me escape from the goblinkin that I’d been turned over to,” she said. Alto noticed how Patrina held her head high and her back straight. It wasn’t so different from when he’d first met her in the cave.
“I’ll take you to the wise-woman at once,” the first guard said. He glared at his companion to keep from speaking out of place again.
“Thank you,” Trina said. She glanced at the others before adding, “Please see to it that my friends are fed and tended to; we’ve had a long journey and many battles.”
“Sounds like a tale fit for song,” the guard said with a smile.
Trina glanced at Namitus long enough to remember she didn’t want to look at him. “Perhaps it is,” she offered.
She said no more as the guard led them down the road and into a small village. He spoke to a few other Kelgryn before leading Patrina down the road and out of the village, farther into the hills. Alto watched her go until one of the Kelgryn cleared his throat to remind Alto that he was being honorably escorted elsewhere.
They were taken to a long building that had several tables set up within it. Once seated, they were left alone in the building to look at one another and the trophies that adorned the walls. The heads and furs of bear, elk, wolves, and other creatures boasted the skill and strength of the Kelgryn warriors.
“So what more is there about Trina?” Alto looked at Kar and asked.
Kar held up his hands. “Short of communing with powers beyond your understanding, I can’t begin to guess.”
Alto’s brow furrowed at the confusing answer. Tristam tapped the table with his fist hard enough to draw his attention and keep his mouth shut. Three Kelgryn women entered, bearing food. The first set a large plate of bread on the table before them; the second placed a pot filled with a steaming stew. The third carried bowls and empty tankards.
“The ale’s in the barrels; help yourself,” she said after placing the cups before them.
“This is why we do it.” William grinned to Alto and climbed from the split log bench. He moved to a tapped barrel and poured the ale into his cup. He sampled it, the foam clinging to his lips like the mustache of an old man.
Alto turned to look at Kar. He laughed before he could stop himself. “What?” the wizard asked.
“William looks a little like you,” Alto said with a grin.
They turned to see the confused warrior looking at them. He licked the foam from his lips, helping everyone understand what Alto had noticed. They laughed, with the exception of the surly wizard.
“Bah, this is no time for drinking. There’s trouble afoot! Drowning your senses won’t help you figure a way out of it.”
Tristam rose from the table to join William. “Perhaps not, but a little might take the edge off your sharp tongue,” Tristam said. Karthor followed suit and soon only Alto and Kar remained at the table. Alto shrugged and rose up. He was curious; he’d never tried anything but water, milk, and some foul-tasting teas his mother had made when he’d been sick as a boy.
Alto found the ale bitter but it had a thickness to it that suited him. He sipped at it slowly, afraid he’d make a fool of himself if he went too fast. Namitus passed out the bread and they dipped their bowls into the pot to fill them with stew. Within moments, even Kar’s mouth was too filled with food to worry about talking.
With the pot empty and the companions groaning at the stretching of their bellies, Tristam turned to Namitus. “Seems you’ve overstayed your welcome here,” he began.
Namitus frowned and then nodded. “It does look that way.”
“You’ve proven yourself to me; you’re welcome to come with us,” Tristam offered.
Namitus tilted his head as he considered it. He opened his mouth but Tristam held up a hand. “But if you do,” the warrior said, “I’ll not have any surprises that come back to haunt me.”
“That’s fair,” Namitus said. “I only hid my past from the Kelgryn for fear of my life.”
“That worked out well for you,” Kar observed.
“I’m still alive,” Namitus pointed out, drawing a chuckle.
“So what more should we know about Lady Patrina?” Kar persisted.
Namitus sighed. He looked to Tristam and the others until his eyes rested on Alto. “Her father is the jarl, which is akin to a prince in the Kingdom. He—”
“Nonsense!” Kar spouted. “Jarl is the same as a duke. A prince is a prince!”
Namitus nodded. “Normally, yes, but it’s little known outside of royalty that Jarl Teorfyr is the half-brother of King Eomund.”
Alto gasped. “So she really is a princess?”
“Yes and no,” Namitus said. “If the king were to die and his sons and daughter with him, then Teorfyr would be next in line and then Trina would be a princess.”
“So she’s important, but only in the most desperate of situations. In all likelihood, her life will be uneventful and the common man will never know the difference,” Kar reasoned.
“But she’s important enough to start a war over,” Karthor reasoned.
Kar belted out a laugh. “Most women are, boy! A bat of their eyes and they can drive the sanest of men mad with passion.”
William let out a sigh beside them, and then blushed when he drew the attention of the others.
“Even our archer here knows the truth of it!”
William grinned and nodded. “I’ve known a few in my time.”
“You’ve paid for a few in your time, you mean,” Tristam jibed.
William shrugged. “Far cheaper to pay up front than the rest of your life!”
Tankards were raised in salute to the man’s advice. They drank, Alto finally finishing his first cup, and were making ready to refill them when several Kelgryn filed into the hall, one at a time. One of the last Alto had to glance at twice and then stare openly before he could be certain it was Trina.
The Lady Patrina looked like deserving of her title. The dirt and blood was gone, as was her torn and dirty clothing. She wore a pale blue dress with lace stitched onto it. Her blond hair was pulled back by a gold circlet. It fell down her back and was tied in cords every six to nine inches until it fell to the small of her back. Alto hadn’t realized how long her hair was before.
“Close your mouth before you start drooling,” William whispered. Kar snickered off to the side.
The gathering Kelgryn faced the Blades of Leander. Everyone was on their feet by that point but the Kelgryn outnumbered the Blades two to one. Alto noted that three of the Kelgryn were wome
n, though they bore weapons and wore helms much as the men did. Some of them were dressed in mail shirts like the guards while others wore leathers and hides.
“I’m Ayerl, the chief of this village,” a man with a helm adorned with chain links to protect his neck said. “I thank you for returning Lady Patrina to us. I’ve heard her tale and welcome you to our lands. What more thanks can be given is up to the jarl, but he has sounded the call to arms and prepares for war.”
Tristam scowled. “That’s our next trek. Do you have any horses we could borrow?”
He shook his head. “We’ve nothing to spare. Our warriors have taken all that we have and joined the jarl.”
Tristam’s scowl deepened.
Patrina stepped forward and walked up to Namitus. She stared into his face. Her chin quivered until she stiffened and blinked away moisture in her eyes. “For your deception, you are banned from Kelgryn lands. This is my gift to you.” She stared at him until he nodded and offered her a small smile. She returned it, and then turned to look at the others. “My time with you has been exciting. I would continue it if I could, but my fate lies elsewhere. Those of you who may are welcome in our lands and seas anytime. It would brighten my heart to see you again.”
Alto strained his back trying to draw Patrina’s attention. She seemed to be looking at everyone except him. Her eyes even passed over Namitus a time or two, but she refused to acknowledge Alto.
“The day has grown long with our travels. Rest tonight and leave in the morning. I know you seek to put to right the troubles between our {kingdoms/lands}. Enjoy our hospitality, what little we have left.”
“You make a good princess,” Tristam offered with a smile.
A flash of irritation passed over her face. Ayerl stepped forward. “Do you mock the lady?”
Patrina held up her hand. “No, it’s a private joke we shared on the road. He meant no offense.”
Ayerl nodded and relaxed. Alto felt his own shoulders droop as the immediate threat lessened.
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