Mazik lobbed the spell into the air and intoned its name. “Mazik Explosion.” The spell erupted, blossoming in a violent shockwave of blue-white light overhead.
“So, did you get anything new from that?” asked Mazik, relaxing and stepping away.
Gavi’s hand brushed the arrowhead hanging from her neck. She consciously forced her shoulders to relax. Even observing a spell so intently was draining, in its own way. “I’ve heard most of it before, but it was good to have a refresher.”
“Good to hear. In that case, it’s your turn,” said Mazik.
*
Gavi’s eyes snapped open. “Crescent Slash!” she said, and swung.
There was a crackle of mana near her hands, then nothing. The drooping branch she had been aiming at remained.
Gavi’s shoulders slumped. “I lost it again. I can’t seem to get the mana to move the way I want it to.”
“Yet!” said Mazik. “Like I said, it’s difficult. You’re just going to have to keep trying. You’ll get there, trust me.”
“Right.” Gavi knew he was right. Even with all her prior experience, she had only been training every day with Mazik and Raedren for a month and a half now, so it was too early to expect much. She raised her sheath to try again.
“I understand you have a plan to deal with this orck menace,” said a voice behind them.
“Ahhh! Kill it kill it kill it!” Mazik spun around, nearly dumping himself off the bench.
Gavi glanced at Mazik, her expression dry. “Stop playing around.”
“Bah. You’re no fun.” Mazik turned until he was facing the tree. He pulled his legs onto the bench. “So. You came.”
The Blue Boar stepped out from behind the tree. He was in full costume again, all blue leather and brown fur, with his face concealed by his mask. Like Gavi, his gear showed only a few signs of damage from the previous night. She could only guess if he shared the sore muscles and plentiful bruising that had made waking up so pleasant.
The Blue Boar nodded in greeting. Gavi accepted her sword back from Mazik, sheathed it, and bowed. “Thank you for coming, despite our friend’s attitude last night.” She glanced at Mazik.
Mazik stared at the Blue Boar, his elbows resting on his knees as he locked eyes with the superhero. “Yeah, sorry about that. I have this habit of saying what I’m thinking.”
Raedren’s staff clonked Mazik on the head. Mazik didn’t even flinch.
The Blue Boar’s head dipped, apparently accepting Mazik’s apology. He turned to Gavi. “As I said, I understand you have a plan. I would like to hear it.”
Gavi slid her sword back into place on her belt. It made her feel silly, talking to a man with a snout, but she tried not to think about it.
“We think the orcks may be after something other than wholesale destruction,” said Gavi. “Last night, I found a gold chalice on the orck you were fighting when we first met, and earlier in the night we fought two orcks who were ransacking a jewelry store. As you may know, an interest in jewels isn’t usual for orcks.
“We spoke to the Saffir Guard earlier today, and they told us that other thefts have been reported since the attacks began. Other humans may be responsible for them, but no one knows for sure. Add in the unusual pattern of these attacks—attacking different areas of the city each time, only attacking at night, and a strange willingness to withdraw, at least for orcks—and we think something is up. We want to investigate the orck camp during tonight’s attack and figure out what that is. Unfortunately, the city guard isn’t interested in exploring this possibility, and hasn’t authorized us to enter the orck camp.”
“We’re doing it anyway,” said Mazik.
The Blue Boar considered this. “What do you think they’re after?”
“It could be any number of things.” Gavi repeated the possibilities they told Sergeant Redsna earlier. “Personally, we think a ritual of some kind is most likely. That could explain the strange thefts, and why they’re only attacking at night.”
The Blue Boar nodded. “If what you say is true, the situation could be dire. Or we could leave the city vulnerable while we’re chasing a dead end. What if you’re incorrect?”
“We mess up their camp on the way out, make sure they don’t get a good night’s sleep.” Mazik shrugged. “It’s a risk. We think it’s a good one.”
“Hmm. What’s in it for you?” asked the Blue Boar. “I’ve yet to see mercenaries work for free.”
“We’re not mercenaries,” said Mazik through grit teeth. He sat up, like a dog arching its back at a rival. “At least, not any more than your average guard or soldier. We’re adventurers. That means we try to get paid for what we wanted to do anyway.”
“Quiet, you.” Gavi pushed Mazik back down. “If you’re going to get angry every time someone calls us mercenaries, you’re going to spend all your time pissed.”
Mazik subsided.
“To answer your question,” said Gavi, “we tried to arrange payment ahead of time, but we weren’t successful. We decided to go ahead with the plan anyway. If we find anything useful, we’ll try to get the city to pay us then. And you as well, if you help.”
The Blue Boar waved a hand. “I don’t need payment. Protecting the people of Saffir is enough.”
Gavi nodded, not sure what to say to that. Then she had a flash of inspiration. “There’s another reason we’re doing this. Exposure.”
The Blue Boar’s expression didn’t change. “I assume you don’t mean that in the usual sense.”
“What?” Gavi realized what the superhero was saying. “No, not that.” Her face flushed, and she shot Mazik a glare, just in case. He held up his hands like he was offended.
“I meant, it will improve our reputations.” Gavi tried to remember how Mazik had said it, back when they were doing their first quests in Houk. “It’s publicity. If we do well with this, it’ll help us get other quests in the future. We’re still relatively new adventurers,” she added.
The Blue Boar stroked his chin, even though it was covered by his mask. Gavi glanced at her friends. Mazik gave her a thumbs-up and mouthed, Good idea.
After several long seconds, the Blue Boar spoke. “Why me?”
“We think you can help us, and would want to help,” said Gavi. “We don’t know where the orck camp is, and no one will tell us. We heard you’re known as a great detective, so we thought you might be able to help us find it. We could also use your help during the infiltration. Hopefully it won’t come to a fight, but if it does, we’d like to survive, and we’re a bit on the light side as far as close-up strength goes.” Gavi’s smile was laced with chagrin; as the team’s forward, she felt like that was her fault.
“Also, if it helps, we have some experience with this kind of quest.” Gavi told him about the kidnapper quest in Houk.
“That’s very impressive!” said the Blue Boar, after she finished. “But you misunderstand. I was asking why you’re asking me, rather than one of your mercenary friends. You were with a number last night. I’m sure some of them would come along.”
“Not everyone is willing to work for only the possibility of pay,” said Gavi. “Plus, for a stealth quest, fewer is better. Also …”
“We have a bit of a credibility problem,” said Mazik. Everyone looked at him, and he glowered. “Because yes, we’re mercenaries, and yes, we work for money. You, on the other hand, don’t. If we come back with vital information, they might not believe us, but if you vouch for it, they might listen. We’re not gonna get paid, and not gonna help anyone, if no one believes what we say.”
“Ah. That makes sense,” said the Blue Boar. “You realize that I won’t allow you to withhold any information we may uncover while you’re negotiating payment, correct? Anything we find must be given to the authorities immediately. And if these invaders have taken hostages, I’ll insist that we save them.”
“I agree,” said Raedren.
Everyone turned to Raedren. He sat with his staff resting against his chest, his bo
dy relaxed—but there was steel in his eyes.
“Mazik is plenty good enough to negotiate payment after the fact,” he added. “And if there are hostages, I wouldn’t leave them behind either.”
The Blue Boar stared at Raedren for several seconds, and then tossed back his head and laughed. “Good, good! I like you. And you as well, Mis.” He bowed to Gavi. He glanced at Mazik. “You’re all right.”
“The feeling is mutual-ish,” said Mazik.
“If the three of you are willing to risk your lives for the people of this city, then it’s my duty to make sure you succeed!” The Blue Boar clapped Mazik on the back. Mazik rolled his eyes and bit back a growl.
Gavi glanced at Raedren. She hadn’t often heard such unequivocal statements from him. She would always prefer to save innocent people as well, but Gavi had a good imagination, and could imagine plenty of situations when the right choice might be to leave them behind. She worried that they might have their very own justice freak on the team—and was worried that this worried her.
“Our first order of business is to find out where this camp is!” said the Blue Boar. “Do you have any leads?”
“No, but we have some guesses.” Gavi laid out what they had discussed with Sergeant Redsna earlier.
“Hm.” The Blue Boar nodded, apparently not discouraged. “In which case, I will talk to some people I know. How should I contact you when I’ve found it?”
“How about we meet back here?” said Gavi. “Or, we’re staying at the Barleywater Inn. That’s closer to the center of town, so maybe it’s better to meet there.”
“The Barleywater Inn it is! I’ll be there no later than an hour before sundown. What rooms are you staying in?”
“3B & C,” said Gavi.
“Excellent. Look to your window at an hour ’til sundown. In the meantime, feel free to take a moment to admire our neighborhood’s pride and joy, the statue of Colonel Dihil.”
Gavi glanced at the statue behind her. “It’s nice, but we should probably—” Gavi stopped. The Blue Boar was already gone.
She rushed over to the tree and circled it, looking for clues. “Wow. I wonder if he uses a divine magick to do that? Or maybe illusions. That could be useful for infiltrating the camp.”
“Naw. I saw him sneak away.” Raedren stood up and stretched. Gavi winced as his back popped. “It just didn’t seem polite to point it out.”
Mazik glowered. “I regret this already.”
Gavi cuffed him on the head. “Quit complaining. No one likes a whiner.”
Mazik grumbled. “I guess it’s time for us to figure out where the orck camp is as well.”
“Do I need to think up a plan for that too?” asked Gavi.
“Naw, I’ve got this one.” Mazik rubbed his head where his friends kept hitting him. “We just need to ask someone who already knows. And preferably, someone who doesn’t know they’re not supposed to tell us. I have an idea.”
*
Mazik and Raedren stood in front of a tiny, two-story hospital near the center of Saffir. Aegisian medicine being what it was—most doctors no longer believed in the efficacy of bloodletting, though only just, and they routinely papered over their ignorance with magick—the medical industry was in its infancy. This hospital was nicer than most they had seen, save for its modest footprint—the building looked like it had started life as a bookstore, with its red-shingled roof and tastefully frosted windows, only to be transformed into a hospital barely larger than Mazik and Raedren’s old apartment building. It was also where most of the injured from the failed attack on the orck camp were being treated, which was why Mazik and Raedren were there.
Mazik took the steps to the hospital’s side door two at a time. Dressed in trousers and a collared shirt with one too many buttons open—and not his robes, which he had left with Gavi, who was continuing her magick practice in a nearby park, along with his knives, Raedren’s staff, and anything else that identified them as adventurers—Mazik strode through the swinging doors like he owned the place. Raedren followed him, trying to look inconspicuous.
Unlike the front door, which opened directly into the reception area, the side door was for employees only—or was supposed to be. Inside, the hospital’s quaint exterior gave way to a soothing hallway of stained wood floors and blue-green walls. To one side, a doctor wearing a white blazer was examining a fistful of forms, a thin unlit cigar between his lips. Mazik breezed right past him, Raedren dutifully following. The doctor never even looked up.
Looking like you’re supposed to be there is half the battle, thought Mazik, fighting to keep a grin off his face as they strode past an—um, orderly? I think I’ll call them minions. They paused at an intersection. Mazik chose a corridor at random and kept moving.
Unlike the hospital—which had taken several hours of careful questioning of guards and soldiers, mostly by Raedren, who was less intimidating and could honestly claim he wanted to help heal the wounded—they found who they were looking for quickly. There were a number of injured soldiers on the first floor alone, all of them lying on rickety beds separated by thin cloth dividers. Their bloodstained uniforms and brand-new weaponry had been laid on the tables beside them.
But they weren’t looking for any soldier. They were looking for one type in particular.
Mazik nodded. “That guy looks good,” he said as they strode down the middle of a room crammed full of beds. The cloth dividers had been arranged so that there was only a small opening at the foot of each bed, giving the injured soldiers some privacy. Mazik and Raedren stopped at the opposite door and leaned together.
“He’s young, injured—though not too injured—and everyone around him looks asleep. Him, too, but that’s fixable. Also, he looks gullible.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Come on. It’s me you’re talking to.” Mazik tried to look hurt. “I know gullible when I see it. I could probably sell him a new sword while we’re at it.”
Raedren looked doubtful, but he didn’t object. Mazik took that as agreement.
They walked back down the aisle and slipped into the young soldier’s “room.” Each room was only two paces wide, and between the bed and the table near the soldier’s head, there was little space left for standing. The cloth partition waggled as they shimmied along the side of the bed. Raedren’s hand began to glow dark green as Mazik prepared to shake the soldier awake.
“Remember, don’t Du—don’t you know what, until we’ve talked to him,” whispered Mazik. He had almost said the name of Raedren’s divine magick, Dull Pain, until he remembered that declaring he wanted to deny a man some sweet, pain-killing relief when the person in question might not be totally asleep probably wasn’t wise. “After, sure. Until then, you ‘forgot.’”
Raedren nodded.
Mazik shook the soldier awake. He came to slowly, his eyelids opening and closing like they had been stuck together with gum as he struggled toward consciousness.
“Hmm?” The soldier rubbed his eyes. He was definitely young, Mazik decided—no more than a year out of high school. The yawning soldier still had the familiar awkwardness of youth, with his gangly arms and shoulders that looked one size too large for his body. He ran a hand through his hair, which was lightly frosted with blonde. He wore a ring with an expensive focus crystal on his right hand, a crystal larger and purer than the standard Jihnsruckian military-issued crystals Mazik had seen.
The young soldier looked between Mazik and Raedren. “Is it time for another treatment?”
Look at that lack of suspicion, thought Mazik. I wonder if he’s a rich kid? How adorable.
“Absolutely,” said Mazik quickly. He kept his voice low, to avoid waking the other patients. “Doctor, would you mind getting started? In the meantime, I need to ask you a few questions”—Mazik glanced at the insignia on the man’s folded uniform—“Private.”
“Yes sir,” said the soldier.
“Is any place bothering you in particular?” asked Raedren, his glow
ing hands poised to begin. “If so, I can start there.”
The young private tapped his chest and described a few of his pains. Once Raedren had begun, Mazik flipped open a random report he had plucked off a desk on the way here.
“Now, I’m going to ask you a few questions. It’s very important that you answer me clearly. Do you understand?”
Worry knitted the private’s brow. “Is something wrong with me, doctor?”
Mazik clicked his tongue and flipped back to the first page. “No … well, maybe. That’s what we’re here to figure out. There’s something strange going on with your treatment. We’re trying to figure out what that is.”
“Something strange?” There was worry in the private’s voice for only a second, and then his military training slid into place. “Yes sir. What are your questions, sir?”
Mazik patted the private on the shoulder. “I don’t want you to worry. My guess is that you were exposed to a poison or some kind of spore, hopefully a mild one, during your operation. I just need to ask you a few questions to find out what it may be.”
The private frowned. “What happened to my usual doctors, sir?”
“They called us in,” said Mazik. You’re not going to outsmart me that easily, kid. “I’m a specialist on plants in this area, while Doc Morlil here”—he patted Raedren on the shoulder, inventing names wildly—“is my partner.”
The private started to say something, but Mazik cut him off. “Now, I said I don’t want you to worry, and that’s because we’re going to help you. But if you don’t talk to us, your life could be in danger.” Mazik shifted his feet so he was leaning over the soldier, counting on his height and standing position to subtly intimidate. “Please remember that regeneration magick can do little when a poison is present, save for slow the pace of its spread, and barriers don’t always prevent them. You may have encountered one and not even realized it. Now, please. May I continue?”
The soldier nodded.
“Good. I see that you suffered some fairly serious wounds in your last engagement. Were they dressed in the field, or did you wait until you returned to Saffir?”
Freelance Heroics (Firesign Book 2) Page 13
