Death Or Fortune (30 page)

     
There were two fights that day after I fell.  First was between my friends
and the mercenaries on the road.  The second was between Zender and death.
With just his blessed medallion and a few potions it was all he could do to
keep me alive while the poison did its work on me. While he was able to do so,
it wasn't easy without his powers.  I remember patches of haze where I was
aware of them moving me.  Stripping my armor off and getting at the minor
wound in my shoulder.  Zender later told me that had the crossbow bolt
done anything more than scratch me I would have died on the spot, there is
nothing any one would have been able to do.  Maybe it was the gods looking
out for me or maybe it was my own dumb luck.  All I know is that I am
grateful to my friends for keeping me alive.
      When I did wake up it was the middle of the
night.  I felt like I was going to puke up everything I had ever eaten in
my life.  I was just happy that I could see clearly.  I was still stripped
to my waist and laying in the back of the wagon.  I started looking around
and I felt a small bit of panic.  We were sitting outside the walls of the
White Spire.  I looked around for my friends who were sitting on the
ground not far from the wagon.
'Welcome back to the land of the living.
'
Zender said to me.
'The rest of your armor and weapons are in the back. Get
dressed and we will bring you up to speed.
' It was then that I saw a
strange man sitting with Zender and Zackary. He was wearing an old set of
leather armor and wearing a short sword on his hip. It wasn't until he turned
and looked at me that I realized who it was.
'You heard the captain, go get
your gear
.' This was the first time I had seen the young mage without his
robes. I just nodded my head and went to do as I was told.
     I put on my armor and gathered the rest of my gear.
The sick feeling I had when I first woke up had passed and now I was only
hungry.  I pulled some rations out of my bag and went to join the others.
 I could not take my eyes off Lomark, he looked so different.  Yet he
could not hide his eyes or his tone of voice.
'They will not let us in until
morning but they were more than happy to take most of the food stuff from the
wagon. Once it is morning and they know we are not going to burst into flames
they will consider our offer to join them
.' At first I had thought the mage
had gone mad. It was then that Zender handed me a scroll and told me to read
it.
'They can hear our every word. We told them we are mercs looking for
work. We told them we met up with the wagon and were coming here together. We
told them we were attacked by a giant. We are mercs, nothing more. Once we get
inside we will have to lay low until we locate the rod
.' It was then that I
looked back at Zender and noticed he only had his armor on, his priestly white
robes were nowhere to be seen.
        I handed the scroll back to Zender and
nodded my head.  As I ate I looked around, there were patrols on the top
of the wall. One of them just stood and watched us. I then looked at the tower,
it was perhaps the most impressive thing I had ever seen. I thought back to
Lomark telling me that Ramanthus had shaped it all himself out of the mountain.
We later learned that it was him and a team of wizards that worked on it over
the period of a year. They were all white robes, Ramanthus had convinced them
that they would use the tower as a magical bastion to help cleanse the infected
land.  He traveled far and wide to find them.  When the tower was
completed he killed each and every one of them.  He felt he had to keep
the towers creation a secret until he had raised an army to defend it.
 From what we were told, the wizards were still around somewhere.  At
least their bodies were anyway.  We never saw them and I am glad for it.
     Zackary collected our bed rolls from the wagon and
brought them all over to us. When I offered to take the first watch Lomark said
'Why bother'
as he was pointing towards the man at the top of the wall.
 I thought about laying down to get some rest but it dawned on me that I
had done nothing but sleep for the last several hours.  I sat down and
just watched off in the distance. Zender gave me a knowing smile before he laid
his head down.  After an hour or two I started to get restless, knowing
there was a man on top of that wall watching every move we made was getting to
me. When I was a child my mother took me to see a traveling troop of
entertainers. They had captured and caged a few monsters.  I remember
looking on them and feeling something I did not have the words to understand
then.  Everyone took pleasure in the singing bards and the tumbling
acrobats.  Yet I felt pity for the caged monsters who would be more than
happy to eat my guts.  The longer I sat there next to my sleeping friends,
the more caged I felt.  I stood up and began to pace about, trying to
think about anything other than that man on the wall, watching me.
     I was trying to think of anything to get rid of that
feeling. I thought about my wife and how I missed her.  I thought about
Pare and if he was keeping out of trouble.  I started to think about
planting season and how to improve shipping lumber.  Yet in the end
nothing helped.  He was still on that wall, watching me.  I didn't
even have to look up any more, I knew he was there, I could feel his eyes on
me.  It was then that I drew my sword.  I could see the light of the
moon and stars reflect off the blade.  I then went into the practice
routine that had been taught to me by Windfall.  The same one I practiced
for more than a year every night in the stables of the road side inn of John
and Marta. The same one I taught to my wife when she first told me that she
wanted to learn how to fight.  Soon the only sound I could hear were my
feet on the ground and my blade cutting the air.  Forgotten were the eyes
on the wall or the crazed wizard inside the walls.  As I finished the
routine, I would start it again.  Filling my lungs with the cool, clean
mountain air.  Soon sweat was rolling down my back and my arms started to
burn.  I felt alive for the first time in a long while.  Then and
only then did the man on the wall go away in full.  Oh, he was still up
there but I was no longer the beast in the cage.

     I returned
my sword to the sheath and walked over to where my friends were sleeping.
 Just as I was about to sit, Zender popped up from a dead sleep drawing in
a deep breath.  Like a man coming out of a deep pool of water, gasping at
the air.  I went to his side to ask him if he was OK.
'I felt him, I
can feel his presence.
' I ignored Lomark rolling over to look at us. I
don't think the wizard ever slept. I went down to one knee and asked him again
if he was OK and tried to remind him where he was.
'It must be this place
.'
he said as he put his hand over the center of his chest.  I knew what he
had under there, behind the cloth, pressed against his flesh.  I pressed
my hands to each side of his face, making him look at me.  I told him he
needed to relax and that it was just a dream. I saw no signs of sleep in his
eyes, he was wide awake and of clear mind.
'You are right, it was just a bad
dream, sorry if I startled you.
' I watched as he laid back down on his
side, slipping the medallion of Solarth out of his shirt.  While he was
silent, I could see his lips move in prayer.
     I wished at the time that there was some way I could
have convinced him to get rid of it.  I was sure that as soon as we were
inside the walls they would figure out who we were and from there it would be a
fight for our life.  I stood watch over him and the others until first
light. It was then that I noticed something I had not during our time in Toryth
Vol.  There was a sickly green haze that covered the land, hanging in the
air like some kind of evil fog.  It stopped just about mid-way up the
mountain from what I could see. There was no stench of death in the air, it
almost felt like a brisk morning at home.  I woke the others up one at a
time.  Zender had a beaming smile on his face, I thought for sure he had
lost his mind.  Zackary and I cleaned up the small camp site while Lomark
and Zender went off to the side to talk. To this day I do not know what it was
that they talked about, I really didn't care. I was more worried about the men
marching out of the main gate at the time to care.
     I saw them come out in two by two, forty men and all.
Each one wore a white tunic with what looked like a rising sun on the chest.
 This was the symbol of Ramanthus, a star burst sunrise half behind the
horizon.  They were being lead out the gate by a large man in polished
black armor, his tunic was black with the symbol in white. As they swarmed out
I dropped my hand down to the handle of my sword, I would not go down without a
fight. I looked to my side to see the others gathered behind me, Zender put his
hand on my shoulder and just shook his head.  My mind was screaming to
fight, yet there was this look on his face. It was the only thing that held me
back.  I quietly told him that I would not stand by and be slaughtered
like some kind of lamb. He gave me a quick smile and spoke his final words to
me that day.
'Don't worry'
he told me,
'everything is going to be OK
.'
I wanted to shake his head until his teeth rattled lose and make him see what
was going on.  I asked him what was going on and he only time me
'there
is no time.
' The men surrounded us, lined up one side of the road and down
the other.  The four of us were standing side by side when the leader
stepped forward.

    
'I am
General Malkov, leader of The Coming Dawn as appointed by Lord Ramanthus. I see
before me four men of interest to Lord Ramanthus. As you have watched him, he
has watched you, he wished for me to tell you this.  We had hoped that the
Chosen ones would take care of you. As you have easily dispatched them and you
have traveled all this way the interest in you has increased tenfold. Lord
Ramanthus is eager to meet you. On his behalf I welcome you to The White Spire,
he hopes that you will agree to be his guest. He has many things to discuss
with you and hopes that you will agree to join his cause.'
I was ready to
explode, I saw in my head who I would kill first.  I saw the fight in my
mind, each and every step planned out. When Zender stepped forward and told
them that we accepted
'the most generous invitation of Lord Ramanthus'
I
thought I had died.  I looked over at my friends, Zackary gave me a
sideways glance and just shrugged.  Lomark seemed to know it was coming as
he had pulled out his robe and put it back on again.  As the three of them
started walking forward and I stood and watched them, I refused to move.

     General
Malkov seemed rather pleased and dispatched two men to show them in.  He
then turned towards me and took a few very dangerous steps forward.  I
refused to let go of my sword.
'Lord Kromwell of Arcadia. I see that look in
your eye. Yes, you would kill quite a few of my men before we could put you
down. As a representative of the Kingdom of Arcadia I expected better from you.
When Ramanthus is crowned king of Toryth Vol, this will reflect poorly on your
homeland. Are you sure you don't want to join your friends?
' I looked at
them as they were walking into the gates of the spire. I wish they had felt the
need to include me in their plan. I felt lost, angry and alone. I just looked
at Malkov and stared into his eyes.
'I almost hoped you would resist. You
wounded my mount when they took the rod from Eystlund. The wound took a long
time to heal, a very long time.'
With that he turned from me and walked
away. Ten men drew weapons and escorted me in the spire where I spent the day and
following night deep under the Spire in one of the many cold and dark cells.

     As the
little halfling approached the Kromwell Estate he could smell a fire. Not a
blazing out of control fire but more like a cooking fire. The closer he got the
more he could smell it, then he could hear the people talking, laughing and
having what sounded like a good time. When he could see the front of the house
he saw all the people gathered around the fire.  He saw what looked to be
a good thirty men all gathered around, from the look of them they were all
workers from the lumber camp.  Make shift tables were set up around the
area, as well as places to sit. Not far from the fire pit, where they were
roasting what looked to be a whole pig, Pare saw Jasmin and Charles sitting
together.  After he tied off his horse so it wouldn't walk away he started
to make his way through the pack of near drunken lumberjacks. When Jasmin saw
him approaching she gave him a wave and a big smile.
     "What is going on here?" he asked.
     "Charles and I are headed back to the city
tomorrow.  I wanted to do something for the workers here before we left.
Windfall is in the house, he said if you were to show up to send you in."
Pare only nodded his head and started to turn away. Before he took more than a
step he was grabbed from behind by Jasmin who bent over and embraced the
halfling. "Windfall told me all that you did, Darmot would be proud and I
am as well. Thank you." Pare smiled up at the woman after she let him go,
turning around again before he started to blush at her.  He tried to
remember just what it was that he did but could not think of anything he should
be thanked for.  He had nothing to lose in showing Windfall where the
thieves’ guild was, in his heart he knew it was the right thing to do.
 When he entered the house he found Windfall sitting alone in the kitchen.
 He pointed to the chair across the table from him. Once he sat down the
half elf leaned forward placing both hands on the table.
     "Next time I tell you to leave a room, it better
happen.  Are we clear on this?"
     "But..." he tried to speak but Windfall
pressed on.
     "I have to know that the people who work with me
are going to follow orders.  I told you to leave for a reason, I wanted to
protect you.  I had no idea what Basil was going to tell me. I didn't want
to put you in any danger or have you hear something you shouldn't have.  I
need to know you will follow my orders from now on.  Is this something you
can do?" Pare started to answer the question and stopped, the words
falling from his mouth.

     "What
do you mean?" he said after what seemed to be the longest time.
     "You are good in a fight, you have a good head on
your shoulders most of the time and I like you for some reason. I want you to
come with me, work with me. It won't be an easy life. Always out on the road,
tracking down vile people. In the morning I am leaving for Eystlund. There is a
new group of bandits working the roads west of Eystlundtowne near the forest.
We will spend a day or two at my home with my wife but other than that we will
be busy. What do you say Pare?"

    
"Are you serious? You want me to work with you?" Pare was stunned.
This was honestly the last thing he expected.
     "Do I look like I am joking? I think we would
work well together."
     "Wow, wait until my mother hears this. Her son
Pare working with a famous bounty hunter. She would fall over dead laughing and
I can only imagine what my dad would say."
     "Is that a yes then?" Windfall asked.
     "I am sorry but I can't leave here now. Darmot is
my best friend in the entire world.  He asked me to say here and keep an
eye on Jasmin while he was gone.  I would never forgive myself if I left
her here alone.  What if something happens to Darmot and I am not here to
be with Jasmin. These two people have never questioned or doubted me.  I
have traveled all over the place but this is my home now.  I really can't
go but I am sorry."
     "Well, if you ever change your mind, just about
any guard in Eystlundtowne can tell you were I live.  I will be back here
in a few months.  Maybe by then you will have changed your mind. Keep the
armor I gave you. It may come in handy one day." Windfall then stood up
and offered the halfling his hand.  Standing on his own chair he reached
forward and took it. "I will be seeing you little thief." he said as
he turned to walk out of the kitchen and then out of the house.  Pare just
stood there in his chair for the longest time, still unable to believe what had
just happened. One of the most feared bounty hunters in the land just asked him
to work with him.

 
       Once Pare was over the shock he went
back out into the night with the horde of drunken lumberjacks and took a seat
next to the wife of his friend. They were there until just before the mornings
first light when the three of them set off for their home in the city where
they belonged.  True to his word, Windfall returned months later to catch
up with the little halfling and his human friends.  Just in time for him
to set out again with his old student and his little friend.  Just in time
to set off to the east, where they went to face danger in the form of a great
many beast.
     In the days to come, the little halfling stood by
Jasmin's side.  Each of them waiting for a husband and a friend.  Yet
Pare never forgot just what it was that Windfall had said.  A seed was
planted and started to grow.  So while he spent his days as guardian of
his best friend’s heart, he spent his nights as a guardian of another kind.  Some
say it was the city watch cracking down on the thieves that made things so much
better.  Yet some will tell you it is something else altogether.  Ask
any thief that had fled the city and they will tell you the truth.
 Something they will only speak of under the light of day.  Something
they will not talk about until they are far away. They don't know where it came
from but in the city of Arcadia there is a little demon on the loose.  He
comes from the shadows, fast as could be. With a hundred hands he strikes out
at you with nails sharp as steel. Laughing his high pitched laugh as he leaves
you tied up and runs off with whatever you tried to steal.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    
After leaving the office of Captain Turk, Hans set about the task of returning
Emily to the home of her owner.  Noticing the guard on the ground starting
to rise he hastened his step. "Well, now it is just a waiting game isn't
it Emily. We will wait for the help I need and then we will wait to hear word
of your master. I hope he is well. I don't believe he is hurt or dead, yet why
are you here? Why would you come to the temple of all places, you seem to be a
smart girl, why not just go home? Aaah well, we shall find out soon enough.
 Maybe we should stop at the inn, see if Pare is there.  He might
know something if there is anything to know, then again do I really want to
spend the rest of the day with a drunk halfling?  Not that he is a bad
sort, good lad really but he does love his drink.  No, we will just head
to your masters home and hope there is good news waiting for us." When
Hans arrived at the Kromwell home in the lords district he did not expect to
find such a hub of activity.  As he knew where the stables were, he
started to lead Emily back. When he saw Darmot's servant Charles, he gave him a
wave.

    
"Bishop Hans, may the light bless you this day, how may I serve you."
he said while bowing at the waist.

     "I
found this pretty girl at my temple." he said patting the horse on the
neck. "Has there been any word on Darmot, has he returned home?"

     
"I am sorry to inform you that he has not returned.  Let me take the
horse, it would not be good if Lady Kromwell saw it. She may begin to worry.
 In fact, it may be best if you returned to your temple with it.
 Master Pare would see it for sure and then there would be no containing
him.  He is in such a fragile state as it is."

     "What
do you mean fragile?" Hans asked with a bit of worry in his voice. While
the halfling could be annoying, he was still a friend.

     "It
is a rather long and drawn out story, it has something to do with a problem
between Lord Kromwell and Lord Hetaron.  It would not be right for me to
stand here and gossip with you on these matters where others might over hear.
If I hear anything on Lord Kromwell, I will be sure you are informed.
 Now, please excuse me Bishop Hans.  I have many things to do before
the sun falls from the sky." Once again, bowing even lower than before.
 Hans watched in stunned silence as Charles then turned and walked away.

     
"I think we have been dismissed Emily. Well, I hope you will not be too
upset at having to live with me for some time. The temple stable is nice and we
only have one other horse in there. Just an old nag really but Missy has a good
heart." Hans started to notice the people on the streets watching him talk
to the horse so he started keeping things to himself.  The longer he
walked with Emily, the more he thought about what Charles had to say. "No,
something isn't right there." Hans then stopped where he was there in the
middle of the street. "I must know what is going on now." Hans knew
that Pare wouldn't hold anything back so he started to turn around, only the
fear of being turned away again by Charles kept him from doing so in full.
"I will just go to the inn, odds are that is where he is anyway."
Turning off into another direction, Hans and Emily started down a different
road. "You should have seen this place during the riots, Emily. The King
has done a good job making sure things are rebuilt.  Half the buildings on
this block were put to the torch."

      Not
far from the Red Dragon Inn, Hans stopped at the open end of an alley between
two buildings.  Remembering the woman he saved here during the riots.
 Just as he was about to start walking again he heard the faint cries of a
woman, sobbing.  At first he thought it was just his mind playing a trick
on him, shaking his head he started to move again.  When the cry was more
pronounced he turned and looked towards the alley again. "That was no
memory, let’s go Emily." Hans started to lead her into the dark alley but
she stopped short. "Come on girl, there is someone down there in
trouble." No matter how he pleaded, the horse would not move any further
down the alley. "Fine, you stay here.  I will be right back."
Shaking his head at the stubborn beast he started down the long dark alley in
search of the sound he had heard. When he saw the first pool of blood on the
ground, he started to walk faster.

     As his
eyes adjusted to the low light levels he started to see forms ahead of him,
four men standing shoulder to shoulder. Standing still while a woman spoke,
Hans couldn't see her yet but he knew she was there. "Hey you there, what
are you men doing?" he called out to them.  Each one turned at the
sound of his voice. It was then that the first pangs of fear tried to take hold
of him as he looked into the eyes of four undead.  He quickly brushed the
fear away, fearing for the life of the unseen woman instead.  Pulling out
his medallion of Solarth he removed it from around his neck and held it out to
them. "In the name of the god Solarth, I smite you creatures of unholy
darkness." With these words the medallion of Solarth began to glow in his
hand, shedding the light of the god on to the creatures.  Each in turn
burst into flames, then crumbled to dust. "May the god grant you rest and
keep your souls." Hans then looked up at the woman, who stood there with a
stunned look on her face. Wearing old tattered white robes and bits of armor
she stood still, pressed back into the wall at the end of the alley. "Come
forward child, I am here to help you. Are you hurt in anyway." Hans looked
at the woman, holding his hand out to guide her forward, it was then that he
noticed the bloody mace hanging from her hip.

     "You
are a cleric of Solarth?" the woman asked in a bewildered voice.

     
"Yes child, are you one of the order? You look like you have been in quite
the fight.  Come on, I will get you cleaned up and set right again."
For what seemed to be the longest time she stood still, eyes wide open looking
at Hans.  Just when he started to think that she was rooted to the spot,
she took a step forward.

     
"I was of the order, I am from Westheath.  I have never encountered a
priest so powerful, who are you?" Hans watched with care as her hands went
from being crossed over her chest to resting on her weapon. "I have no
effect on you at all." Again, the bewildered voice she said all the while
getting closer to him.

     "What is your name
child?" Hans asked again, no longer looking at her hands but only at her
cold empty eyes.

     
"I have no name, it was taken from me along with my soul." She
continued to walk forward until she was within arm’s reach.  Hans felt a
slight chill as the hair on his arms started to stand. "What are you?"
she asked as she let go of the mace and placed her hand on his chest.

     
"I can help you." he said as he placed his hand over hers.  As
she stood next to him, the chill went away, he felt a warmth building inside of
him.

     
"There is no helping me or you!" Hans never saw the knife in her hand.
 He never saw where she pulled it from.  He only stood and looked at
her as she thrust it into his heart.  As he dropped to his knees, she let
go of the knife and backed away. The creature of Ramanthus thought that she
only had to wait a moment or two longer and she would have another undead to
command.

     
"Wait, you said you have no soul?" Hans said through a pain filled
haze. Gripping the knife that was still deep in his chest. With the strength of
one who had been wounded in battle many times over, Hans pulled the weapon from
his body, feeling his life blood pump out of the wound and down his chest. It
was then he was reminded of the elven cleric in the tomb and the words he spoke
that day as he felt the blood flow stop. He started to wonder if he would ever
die as the pain of the wound started to fade away. Hans looked up again just in
time to see the creature advance on him again, this time with the mace firmly
in hand.