“Pacha’s having a laugh at our expense right now, I know it.” Aveline didn’t put much stock in the idea that the gods themselves had a hand in everyday misfortune, but strange events mounted too quickly for her to completely dismiss the notion.
“Pacha needs to mind his own business.” Tasha patted Aveline’s leg. “Let’s go check on Aerik and Yun. I’m cold and hungry.”
Chapter 25
Yun returned to camp with an armful of sticks and branches sufficient to start and keep a fire going through most of the night. Aerik’s search for nuts and berries turned out less successfully. Among them, they shared only a handful of mealy walnuts and acorns. Fortunately, Aerik’s propensity for carrying copious amounts of cured, dried meats provided enough to sate them.
Removing her feathered cloak, Tasha made herself comfortable sitting against a tree. She placed the mantle across her legs, watching Yun clean the weapons and armor procured from the draks and human guards at the mine. Although focused on his task, the caprikin noticed her attention and raised his head to view her.
“How did you get hired as a caravan guard without speaking the languages of the lands you’re traveling to?” Tasha smiled, expecting little more than a grunt and nod in reply.
“Hire for sword. Not speak.”
Aveline laughed. “You understood everything we’ve been saying this whole time?”
Yun shrugged. “Not all. Some.” His mellifluous voice sounded deeper than Tasha expected. “No pay for listen or talk. Only pay for to keep Raj and Jaz safe.”
“You should come to the Watches with Therkla and me.” Aerik held up a strip of jerky, offering it to the caprikin. “Lots of trading goes on in Haefstaad.”
The caprikin shook his head. “No meat. I go where Raj pays.”
The three humans conversed with Yun late into the night. Tasha sensed Yun possessed greater intelligence than many might assume based on his limited vocabulary. As the conversation faded, they settled in. Tasha watched the evening stars wheel overhead until sleep overcame her.
When morning arrived, Yun roused them all. The sun peeking above the horizon greeted them. Tasha’s body ached from the previous day’s exertions. Forcing herself to get moving, she tried not to miss her own bed too terribly.
As they gathered their gear, Aerik distributed the last of his jerky to serve as their morning meal. While she ate, Tasha checked in with Korbin and Revan. One of the crows circled the mine entrance, as the other, perched on a tent, preened himself. Tasha identified Therkla and the faelix siblings, as well as their horses. Detecting no ill forces, she drew comfort from the quiet in their immediate area. Soon after eating, they were once again underway before the sun had fully risen.
Navigating the forested hills near the mine proved difficult, especially while carrying Vasco’s body. Folk from Curton found the region east of the Iron Gate mountains too rugged to exploit, so there were no roads, only well-camouflaged game trails through the dense underbrush.
The sun continued its skyward climb, casting dappled light through the canopy of leaves above them, as they worked their way through the forest. A gentle breeze carried the scent of pine, as well as a familiar musk Tasha recognized as drak. She alerted the rest of the group, and they slowed their pace. As a precaution, Tasha summoned Revan and Korbin to her.
She reached out with her mind, feeling the teeming life of the forest around her, taking in the warmth of Gaia and letting it expand her senses. Within a few moments, she located the draks and understood why she could smell them. Just over the next ridge, a large group of the diminutive dragon kin congregated in a makeshift camp. Their life-force shone like a beacon against the background of the forest.
Further, Tasha sensed in an instant these were not the same draks as those calling themselves the Hands of the Master. While she could not be sure why she felt confident in her evaluation of their motives, Tasha suspected her feathered cloak played a part in increasing her awareness.
Tasha glanced across a bush at Aveline, nodding, then gestured for the rest of the group to gather around. “I think we’re safe. There’s a large group of draks just up the ridge. They’re not involved with the Master Under the Mountain.”
Aveline adjusted her grip on her mace. “How can you be sure?”
“She is the Crow Queen.” Aerik smiled. “She would know such things.”
Tasha felt her cheeks grow hot. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that. But, Aveline, I can sense them, and they don’t feel… malevolent. Not like the ones at the mine.”
“Fine.” Aveline secured her mace to her belt. “We’ll approach peacefully, see what they want. Maybe these are the draks the dwarves told me about.”
As they lifted Vasco and prepared to climb the hill, Tasha paused. “Maybe I should approach alone. There’s no need to carry Vasco up there if the draks are just passing through.”
Aveline chewed on her lip. “Very well. Shout and we’ll come running.”
Tasha reassured her friend with a pat on the shoulder and a smile. She ducked beneath a branch, then made her way up the hill. Near the top of the ridge, a faint electric charge filled the air, lifting the ends of the feathers on her cloak ever so slightly and causing the hairs on her arms to stand on end.
Upon reaching the summit, Tasha turned in a circle, searching for evidence of the draks she detected. The air stood still, and she noticed the distinct lack of buzzing insects or singing birds. Closing her eyes, she focused her mind. While she stood not quite in the center of the area where she perceived the draks made camp, she continued to feel their presence. The longer she dwelled on the area, the more her sight cleared, and faint outlines of lean-tos and makeshift shelters appeared, along with ghostly, shimmering shapes resembling the diminutive dragon kin.
“I know you’re here, draks. I’m not your enemy. I’m Tasha, an apothecary from Curton, to the west.” Dropping to her knees, she bowed. She offered the traditional drak greeting. “May the strength of Rannos protect you. I’m… I’m sorry, I don’t know the words in Drak.”
A slight shimmer enveloped the area, and the electric tingling ceased. The shelters she perceived surrounded her as well as half-a-dozen, spear-brandishing draks. Scores more regarded her from behind neighboring trees.
One member of the group, a stout white-scaled drak limped toward her on a game leg. He held a glowing pinecone. “We want no trouble.”
Tasha saw no sign of injury to the drak’s leg. She assumed it was a malady of advanced age or lingering pain from an old wound that didn’t heal properly. “Neither do we. We’re returning home after… well, it’s a long story. Dwarf traders told us about a substantial number of draks passing through the mountains. Maybe they were talking about you?”
Looking over his shoulder, he spoke in Drak to one of the warriors, who answered with a curt nod. The white-scaled drak returned his gaze to Tasha. “Our scouts saw a dwarf caravan in the mountain pass. We sought to avoid their notice.”
“My friend is Captain of the City Watch”—licking her lips, Tasha rocked on her haunches—“so I must ask for her—why are you here? Are you just passing through?”
He gestured to the ever-growing crowd. “We fled our homes. Oroqs marched west along the mountains. We escaped before they slaughtered us.”
Tasha furrowed her brow. “Did they give chase? Are they coming after you?”
“No.” He shook his head. “They razed empty villages, too, for whatever they wanted and continued west. We seek a new life, away from oroqs and hairy men who drink too much.”
Despite herself, Tasha laughed. “Dwarves or humans?”
The drak’s expression remained stony. “Both.”
“You’re in human lands now. As far north as the great ocean. The elves of Raven’s Forest are about the only bastion of fae, and they do not welcome outsiders.” Spreading her arms, Tasha regarded the assembled draks. “But there is plenty of space in these lands. There are other drak villages. There are many of your kin in Curton and i
n some of the other cities. I’m sure you can build a home here.”
Narrowing his eyes, the aged drak rubbed the bottom of his snout with the pinecone. “You can speak for the humans here?”
Tasha lowered her eyes. “In truth, no. But I have some influence with some of the leaders.”
“Then we will stay here for now. Our scouts are getting the lay of the land. When we’re ready, I may approach the town of which you speak and learn how hospitable you truly are.”
The sorceress rose to leave. “Then I shall return to my friends and continue our journey. I will tell those in town who will listen that you are friendly, although I promise I shall keep your location secret.
Bowing his head, the old drak crossed his free arm over his chest. “Then, go in peace, Tasha the Apothecary. We will move, and you will not find us here again. Perhaps one day, you can explain how you penetrated my enchantment.”
“Gladly.” Tasha returned his bow. “May I know your name?”
“I am Klatt, High Elder of the Icescale clan.”
“I look forward to our next meeting, Elder Klatt.” Tasha bowed again before leaving. Feeling Klatt’s enchantment as it camouflaged their makeshift village once more, she returned to Aveline and the others.
When she reached the bottom of the hill, Tasha found Yun watching over Vasco’s body. Aveline and Aerik sat at the base of adjacent trees conversing. Aerik gestured toward Tasha.
Aveline rose to greet her friend. “Well? I assume they’re friendly. Or, at least, indifferent.”
“They’re the same draks the dwarves saw.” After Tasha took her place at Vasco’s feet, they lifted their fallen companion. “They’re fleeing an oroq march and just want some place to live in peace.”
“An oroq march?” Aveline grunted when Vasco’s weight shifted while Aerik sought a comfortable grip. “March to where?”
“They weren’t certain. The oroqs marched west along the mountains. They took everything from the draks’ villages, but they didn’t pursue them.”
“A war band.” Aerik fell into rhythm with the rest as they resumed their journey to the mine entrance. “They march toward a foe beyond the drak villages, but they aren’t above scavenging provisions along the way.”
“What’s west?” The lands south of the Iron Gate mountains remained unfamiliar to Tasha. As far as she knew, south of Curton lay a harsh land of boundless ice and snow. Anything beyond or adjacent was a mystery.
“I’ve never been there.” Aerik shrugged. “Brackeborg is west, but it’s weeks south of the mountains. Perhaps they mean to turn north where the Dragon Spines meet the Iron Gates and conquer the Western Wastes.”
From the stories Tasha heard, the Western Wastes—a harsh, barren land filled with ash, lava, and demons—seemed the perfect place for a war band of oroqs to sate their bloodthirst without running afoul of militarized nations.
“Is there anything there even worth conquering? Fire? Demons?” Aveline glanced at Tasha. The sorceress, having no answer for her friend, shrugged.
“Endless sand and rocks. Heat. Maybe they’re going to hunt the great sand worms.” Aerik chuckled. “I hear there are nomadic elves there with ships that glide on top of the sand.”
“Are we talking about the same place?” Aveline glanced over her shoulder at Aerik.
“Well, I’ve never been there. Maybe your stories are more right than mine. Therkla might know what her kin are up to.”
Ignoring continued speculation, Tasha concentrated on providing a somewhat smooth passage for Vasco as they carried him toward whatever would become his final resting place. By the time the sun reached its zenith, the entrance to the mine lay within their sight once more. Therkla and the faelixes led their mounts to them.
“Tasha, take Silvermane or Socks, whichever you’re more comfortable riding.” Aveline detached her saddlebags from the stallion. She slung them over her shoulder. “I know I can trust you to tell the pertinent people in town what they need to know.”
“You can ride with me.” Tasha mounted Silvermane, then held out a hand to Aveline. Shaking her head, the knight-captain stopped Aerik and Yun from slinging Vasco over Pepper’s back.
“I’m not going back to Curton, Tasha. I’m staying here.”
Chapter 26
Tasha searched Aveline’s eyes for an answer to the unspoken question. Why?
“All those people in the mine, I failed them. It shouldn’t matter who they are or how they earn a living. They’re all under my protection. They all look to me for justice, and I failed.” Aveline took Tasha’s hand. “The dead deserve better than to be left in a pile in the belly of an abandoned mine.”
“Don’t be stupid.” Therkla snorted. “You can’t carry them all up here yourself. You don’t even have a shovel, or an ax for wood.”
“I don’t intend to.” Aveline kept her attention focused on Tasha. “Tell Lieutenant Valon to recruit volunteers. I’ll need at least one grave digger. Any family of missing folk who want to try to identify their loved ones are welcome. I’ll also need provisions, at least a week’s worth. More if you can’t arrange a regular supply run.”
Tasha squeezed Aveline’s hand. “I should stay behind too. To help.”
“No.” Aveline shook her head. “I need you in town to arrange all this. You know who to talk to and how. Leave Vasco here. He can rest with those he tried to save.”
“Very well.”
Aveline glanced toward the mine entrance. “Send several casks of ale and wine. I think we’re all going to need it at the end of each day. When we’ve retrieved all the bodies, I’ll post a guard to keep anyone from stumbling into the rift. At least until you’ve heard back from the Arcane University. If they won’t help, we’ll collapse the whole damned mountain.”
“I’ll take care of it.” Tasha gestured for the rest of the group to prepare to move out. “What are you going to do in the meantime?”
Gesturing to the area behind her, Aveline sighed. “Clean up the camp, dispose of the wizard’s minions, and gather as much equipment as I can. It’ll keep me busy for the next couple of days, I expect. Certainly long enough for the first group of helpers to arrive.”
“Be safe, Aveline. I’ll have Korbin or Revan check on you regularly.” Tasha pressed her heels into Silvermane’s flanks. She led the group toward Curton.
Aveline watched them until they reached the top of the hill before turning her attention toward the camp. Already, the dead bloated and attracted vermin, so she gathered as many small branches and sticks as she could and built a small pyre behind the rocks to the left of the mine entrance. She started with the dead draks. The tent in which Therkla killed one of the sleeping draks when they first arrived swarmed with flies, so she broke the supports and added them to the pile.
When she finished building the pyre, Aveline set it alight. She then sought the camp’s rain barrel, finding the water stagnant and fetid. Kicking it over, Aveline emptied it. Dark clouds moved on the horizon, and she hoped fresh rainwater would fill the barrel by morning. Lacking any for now, she resigned to hiking to the nearest stream to clean the blood off her hands and refill her waterskins. She recalled hearing a babbling brook between the drak camp and the mine. Retracing her steps, she found the stream without difficulty.
By the time she returned to the camp, the sun neared the western horizon. Her stomach grumbled, and she sorted through and inventoried what provisions she had left. While supping on a meal of stale bread and cheese, she cleaned out the remaining tent. Then she removed her breastplate, repairing the damage caused by the wizard’s minions when they took it from her. When she could work no more, Aveline drifted off to sleep.
* * *
Leaving Aveline behind at the mine, Tasha pushed the group to journey as far as possible before stopping to rest. They traveled deep into the night, stopping when a rainstorm made it impossible to continue farther safely. The Queen, in her new phase, remained dark, and the light of only a single moon engulfed with cloud cover pro
vided too little illumination during the downpour. While the others hunkered down to rest during the storm, Tasha prepared to send a magical messenger to the archmage and the council.
She lowered herself to the sodden leaves and cleared her mind, recalling the incantation, even as swirls of emerald ether surrounded her.
“Ageliofedros.” The wisps coalesced into a shimmering emerald bird. It cocked its head, awaiting her message. A bird? That’s not what happened last time. Could the cloak be affecting this magic?
“Go to the Arcane University in Muncifer and find the archmage.” Tasha introduced herself, explained the situation to the bird, and requested the archmage’s assistance with the chaos rift. Then she sent the messenger on its way.
The next morning, as they rode, Tasha left the faelix siblings, Yun, Aerik, and Therkla to talk among themselves while she kept an eye on Aveline through Korbin and Revan. Although confident Aveline could take care of herself, Tasha worried undiscovered dangers lurking in or around the mine might pose a threat.
The walls of Old Town appeared as they broke through the forest and descended the hills. Tasha guided them south around the outskirts of the city expansion beyond the walls until they reached Miners’ Gate. Although the guards gawked at her companions, they recognized Tasha and permitted the group to pass upon her explanation of the situation.
Tasha addressed her companions. “I have many people to contact here. I trust you will return our horses to the stable?”
Aerik cut off Therkla’s retort with a bow of his head. “Of course, Crow Queen. Is there anything else we can do to help?”
“Not yet. I have a lot to do this afternoon.” She glanced at the faelix siblings and Yun. “Maybe we could all meet up at the Bristled Boar tonight after I’ve taken care of it all?”
“Where is that?” Raj stared wide-eyed at the throngs of townsfolk moving between the gate and outlying buildings. In return, those close enough to notice the group stared at the cat-like faelixes and goat-like caprikin, pointing and murmuring to each other.
Summer of Crows Page 19
