“Well, in Balta magic wasn’t frowned upon like it is in this backwards continent. We appreciated magic for the beauty and power that it could give one. My bloodlines aren’t as strong as Quinton’s were, but I have the gift. I knew that going to train with magic would allow me to get closer to Quinton.”
Torun faked a smiled. Quinton, Quinton, Quinton. Does this girl do anything that doesn’t revolve around him? He thought to himself. “Lovely, such dedication.”
“I learned magic in Balta and of course I continued my studies in Elderwood. With the war, we started focusing on magic that would be useful in war. I have a talent for fire spells.”
“As do I,” Torun said.
Envee started talking about how she learned magic, and Torun quickly realized she had decent powers, but nothing of note. He started to shut out her ramblings and started focusing on the problem at hand. Kiana Clairmont was a dangerous opponent. Lord Zellox’s spies had reported her being involved with many of Nathan Stoneblood’s missions and she’d proven herself adept. The fact that she’d been trained in Pailtar at the Thieves’ Guild meant she was not going to be caught off-guard by simple tricks. Something his men had proven with their failed ambush. He should’ve been there to assist, but he’d been meeting with another of Lord Zellox’s spies in Elderwood to learn of Raze’s failed mission. Next time, Torun would deal with the girl himself, and he’d use Envee to do it.
The bartender came over with the two plates of food. He placed them down. “Would you like more ale?” he asked Envee.
“Yes, good sir, I would.”
The bartender nodded. “As the lady wishes. And I should have that information you’re looking for soon. Your servant here informed me of what you seek.”
Envee nodded. “Excellent.”
As the bartender walked away Envee smiled at Torun. “It looks like he bought our story.”
“Indeed, it does.” Torun said before starting to eat.
They were barely done with the meal when the bartender returned. “One of Paulo Ventego’s ships left the port a few hours ago. A young woman on it.”
“I see,” Torun said. “Destination?”
“Supposedly Mykoznia, but their path took them farther south. I’d say they were headed for Pailtar.”
Torun scratched his chin. Pailtar made sense. He still wasn’t sure why she was taking Quinton’s body to Pailtar, but he didn’t care either. His job was to kill her, not figure out her motives for doing strange things. “We’ll need a ship.”
“I already took care of it. You leave within the hour on the Dark Mistress. You’ll find her on dock three.” The bartender turned to Envee. “Good luck on your mission, miss.”
Torun slammed the last of his ale and stood up. “We should go Lady Carson. We have a ship to catch.”
8
Kiana
“Be careful,” Captain Tanner said. “Pailtar is rougher than when you left.”
Kiana had heard the same things about her old home. But it was still her old home, rougher or not. She knew how to navigate it, and while the city might be rougher, she’d also changed a lot since her time in Pailtar. She’d matured, physically and emotionally, not to mention all the training and fighting she’d done since then. If anyone from Pailtar still thought she was a wet-behind-the-ears trainee they’d be mistaken. “Thanks, Jacob. I’ll be careful.
“Morton’s Stables still has the best horses. I don’t think they have any covered wagons like you used in Solotine, but they’ll have sturdy wagons.”
“Is it the old man still?”
Jacob shook his head. “No, the son runs the business now? You know him.”
Kiana nodded. “Jeff Morton. I know him.” Jeff had been a student at the Thieves’ Guild when she’d been there. She wasn’t surprised that he’d followed in his father’s footsteps. He hadn’t shown a lot of promise as a thief. A nice enough fellow, but too slow and clumsy for the work.
“You want us to sail east to throw off anyone who might’ve followed from Venecia?”
“No. If they get this far, they won’t be fooled. Besides, I don’t know how long my trip is going to take. It could be two days; it could be a month.”
Jacob Tanner grinned. “A paid vacation for me and the boys. We’ll sit around in the taverns and learn what we can about Pailtar, while keeping an eye out for anyone following you.”
“If you do see anyone, don’t try and stop them, I don’t want you boys getting hurt.”
“Aww, the boys and I know how to handle ourselves.”
“That may be true. But I’ll be heading into the badlands. Anyone that wants to follow me there is welcome to.”
Jacob grinned. “I get the feeling I wouldn’t like you for an enemy.”
Kiana smiled. “What? I’m just a sweet and innocent young lady.”
Jacob laughed. “And I’m just a simple sailor.”
The ship docked and Kiana jumped off, onto the docks. “I’ll be back for my cargo, but first I need information.”
Kiana headed to one of the places that she knew she’d be able to find information, the Barnyard Pub.
Entering the building, Kiana saw that the room was half full. She casually made her way to a small table and took a chair with her back to the wall.
A serving girl came to the table. “What can I get for you?”
“A bottle of Venecian wine.”
The girl raised an eyebrow. “Sorry, we don’t serve that here.”
“Nonetheless, I’d like a bottle,” Kiana replied.
The girl nodded and headed to the bar. The bartender stared at Kiana and then whispered something into the girl’s ear. She then took a flight of stairs to the building’s second floor.
Minutes later, a rugged-looking man came down the stairs and made his way to Kiana’s table. Without asking permission, he took one of the chairs across from her and sat down. “You about gave the poor serving girl a heart attack, asking for Venecian wine.”
Kiana grinned. “Hello, Colby. Long time no see.”
“Too long. How’s your mother?”
Kiana’s grin disappeared. “Gone. Murdered by one of Lord Zellox’s spies.”
“Sorry to hear that. She was a good one.”
“Yes, she was.”
Colby waved the serving girl over. “A bottle of the good stuff and bring us some lunch.”
The girl quickly brought over two glasses and a bottle of rum.
Colby poured them both a shot of the alcohol. He lifted his glass. “To Lilliana Clairmont, one of the saviors of Pailtar.”
Kiana raised her glass and downed the rum. It tickled her throat and warmed her belly.
“Now what can I do for you?” Colby asked. “You have the look of someone on a mission.”
“I need a necromancer, and not some half-baked mage trying to talk to his Aunt Nelly.”
Colby ran his hand through his thick brown hair. “That’s not a good idea.”
Kiana smiled. “It’s not what you think.”
“Are you sure?”
“It isn’t for my mother. Her soul is in a good place. I already know that.”
Colby sighed. “I’d say that is impossible, but you’re friends with that Stoneblood boy and his family are capable of all sorts of magic I thought not possible.”
“Hanna Halfblood,” Kiana said in agreement. “She has spirit magic, and the ability to connect others with the spirits, that is why I know mother is in a good place.”
“I’ve heard about Hanna and her friend with the demon spirit. Are they as beautiful as the rumors suggest?”
“More so, and even more dangerous.”
Colby grinned. “My sort of ladies. OK, you’ve convinced me that you aren’t trying to concoct some sort of crazy plan to revive your mother. What you’re really up to, that’s a different story, and one I don’t want to hear. You remember old Julie Bones?”
Kiana frowned. “Vaguely.”
“Has a psychic shop on 5th street. She was the one th
at would run down main street naked every full moon.”
“I remember now, she’s nuttier than a holiday fruit cake.”
“Yup, that’s one way of describing her. But the truth is while she’s a little touched, she is no fraud. She’s connected to the spirit world. And if anyone would know who the real necromancers are, it would be her.”
The server brought over two bowls of stew and a half loaf of bread.
Colby ripped a chunk off of the bread and dipped it into his stew. “Dare I ask how things are going in Solotine? If they got to your mother, things can’t be good.”
Kiana described the turmoil in Tarnstead, the havoc caused by the spy George, and the rest of the goings on, including the news of dragons.
“Troubling times,” Colby said. “We’ve heard plenty of talk of dragons from sailors coming from Droll and Partha. At first it seemed far-fetched, but one of our recordkeepers went through some of the old Guild papers, and talk of dragons was plentiful till about a hundred years ago. Seems that myth about dragons disappearing to a magical land was no myth at all.”
Kiana nodded. “It’s true. Dragons are back, but for now they aren’t the big problem.”
“No. They aren’t,” Colby agreed. “Lord Zellox has to be stopped.”
“It will happen,” Kiana said.
“You think so? His armies are powerful, and he has more mages than you can shake a stick at.”
“If there is one thing that I’ve learned since I left Pailtar it is that you don’t want to anger a Stoneblood.”
“He’s only one man.”
“His father once stopped a massive horde of northern warriors all by himself.”
“How’d he do that?” Colby asked.
“By killing the leader.”
“I suppose if you could cut the head off the snake, that would do the trick.”
“And it isn’t just one man. Nathan has many powerful friends.”
“Including you. I can tell your magic has grown since you left.”
Kiana shrugged. “I can handle myself.” She took the rest of the bread and dipped it in her stew. The food was delicious. That was one thing she always had liked about Thieves’ Guild pubs, sure you might get pickpocketed or beaten while you were there, but one thing you always got was good food.
Colby got up. “Best of luck. You need any help, you come see me. The guild protects its own.”
“Thanks, Colby.”
Finishing her meal, Kiana headed towards 5th street. She found the old witch’s shop and entered.
Julie Bones stood behind her counter. Her back was turned to the door. “Welcome back to Pailtar, Kiana.”
Kiana’s brow furrowed. How had she known it was her? “You know why I’m here?”
“Of course. The Bones always know. You seek help for your in-between friend.”
“In-between?”
“Stuck between planes. His spirit sticks when it should go. The seven hells, or the heavens above, I cannot say where he belongs, but I can tell you his spirit is in neither place. He can be saved, but it will come with a cost.”
“How do I find someone to help him?”
“You already know the place,” Julie Bones said as she turned to look at Kiana.
The old woman had frizzy white and grey hair, and eyes that seemed to look normal one second, cloudy and distant the next.
“Arkoma.”
“Yes, the forbidden desert lands hold the key. You must look for the rain in the desert.”
Kiana frowned. “The rain in the desert?”
“Aye. Find the rain. Save the boy.”
“Can you tell me anything else?”
“Go to the Burhonah water hole, your search starts there.”
“Go to Burhonah and look for the rain in the desert,” Kiana said skeptically.
“Exactly. But that isn’t the end of your journey. Bringing your friend back from the dead isn’t the end, only the beginning.”
Kiana sighed. More riddles. “Thank you, Julie Bones. Is there anything else you can tell me?”
“There is darkness coming. The wings of power will cast a shadow over all the lands after the false emperor falls. The giants’ blood will boil with power and spit out black magic for all to fear. A once fallen king will become a weapon for the one worthy of calling upon it.”
Not sure what the old witch was talking about, Kiana asked, “Is that good or bad.”
Julie Bones broke into a laughing fit. “Depends on the when, depends on the who. All will see bad, all will despair.”
“Thank you, Julie Bones.”
Kiana got up to leave. Julie grabbed her arm. “You must not fail. Find the rain. Begin your journey. Mithbea goes as you go.”
Kiana left the shop with more questions than she’d started, but at least she had her destination narrowed down. She’d started with the desert region of Arkoma, but the psychic Julie Bones had told her to go to the Burhonah watering hole. A small little-known location on the northwestern edge of the Arkoma region.
Next, Kiana headed to Morton’s Stables. When she got there, she spotted Jeff curry-combing a bay mustang in his corral.
“Hello Jeff.”
Jeff looked over the horse at Kiana. He stared for a moment then blinked. “Kiana Clairmont?”
“In the flesh.”
Jeff laughed. “I didn’t recognize you at first. You’ve grown.”
“It has been a while. How’re things here.”
“OK. My old man decided he’d had enough dealing with horses so I took over the business. He went to the Isle of Mandilla and is living on a beach somewhere. He sends me letters every so often telling me how he’s doing. At first, I didn’t think he’d last down there, but I think he might’ve met a woman cause he don’t send so many letters anymore.”
Kiana laughed. “As long as he’s happy.”
“Yah. I suppose. Not that I’m complaining. I’m a better stable master than I ever was as anything else. I heard you ended up in Solotine, what you doing back here.”
“Just visiting.”
Jeff kept combing the bay. “Place isn’t as friendly as it used to be.”
“I don’t recall it ever being friendly,” Kiana said.
“True enough, but it has gotten worse. Lots of the good families left, as you well know. Now they’ve been replaced by young men from all over the world. People seem to think Pailtar is something special because we held off Morton’s army. But it only seems like the troublemakers come here. It is kind of frustrating, but at least we aren’t under the thumb of that Lord Zellox fellow like Morthon and Balta.”
Kiana nodded. As bad as Pailtar might’ve gotten, the situation certainly could’ve been worse. “You still renting out wagons?”
“I have a few. You just need one for around the city?”
“No. I need to go south.”
“OK,” Jeff said. “I’ve got one for that. Wider rim wheels, better for the sand. You carrying a lot of weight?”
“Myself included, about three hundred pounds.”
Jeff stopped combing the horse and scratched his head while he did the math. “That including water?”
Kiana shook her head.
“You’ll be wanting a barrel. Some of the old waterholes have been filled in so that any armies coming from Morton can’t use them. The smaller holes are still there, but I wouldn’t rely on them. Anyways, that still keeps you under four hundred pounds. I have a mule that is tough as nails and needs less water than any horse. She also is smarter than any horse, meaner too, but she tends to like women.”
“Sounds perfect.”
“How soon you want the wagon?” Jeff asked.
“Yesterday,” Kiana said.
Jeff chuckled. “Tell you what. You finish up on old Henry here and I’ll get your wagon ready.”
“Deal,” Kiana said as she accepted the curry-comb from Jeff.
Kiana started combing the mustang. It was obvious that Jeff took good care of his animals and, like his fat
her, had a good eye for horse flesh. The bay was well put together.
A few minutes later, Jeff came back leading a mule harnessed up to a buckboard style wagon. “This here is Ellie May. She’ll take you wherever you need to go.”
Kiana smiled. Ellie May was small, swaybacked, and had a look like she’d sooner bite you rather than listen to you. Walking up to the mule, Kiana slowly placed her hand in front of the mule’s head. Ellie May sniffed her, then pulled back and bared her teeth. Kiana didn’t flinch. She just kept her hand where it was. Ellie May shook her head then placed her forehead against Kiana’s hand. Kiana started scratching between the mule’s ears.
“Well, seems like you two are going to get along fine,” Jeff said. “I had a hunch. I don’t get to send Ellie May out with customers too often. She’s kind of an acquired taste. You need anything else?”
“She’s a beauty, aren’t you Ellie May,” Kiana said as she scratched the mule. “A tarp and straps.”
Jeff went into his barn and came back with the supplies. “Here you go.”
Kiana handed Jeff a gold coin.
Jeff raised an eyebrow. “That’s too much.”
“I don’t know when I’ll be back,” Kiana said.
“Alright. I’ll take this for now, and we’ll square up when you return.”
Kiana shook Jeff’s hand and then jumped on to the wagon. She took the reins and gave them a quick tap. Ellie May responded immediately.
When Kiana got back to the ship, Captain Jacob Tanner took one look at Ellie May and started to laugh.
“What in the seven hells, Kiana? You couldn’t find a proper horse? That thing looks too small and broken down to carry anything.”
“You come down here and say that to Ellie May.”
Ellie May brayed loudly.
“Not a chance. She looks like she’d bite my nose off if I got too close. She’s got those evil eyes.”
“Smart man, and don’t you be judging Ellie May. She’s a fine animal and perfect for what I need.”
Captain Tanner shrugged as his men loaded the wagon with the crate and her gear. “I’ll take your word for it.”
Kiana smiled. “Like I said, smart man. Now you make sure you and your boys stay away from the dock bars, otherwise you’ll end up on a ship to Caruana.”
Necro Mage Page 4
