Arthur Daigle's Blog - Posts Tagged "fantasy"

Homecoming

By Arthur Daigle

Soldiering was supposed to be filled with danger, excitement and riches, but Castmal was certain that walking belonged at the top of that list. Three years a soldier and he’d walked something over a thousand miles through mud, brush, rocks and whatever else the world could throw at him. He could count on one hand the number of times he’d ridden by wagon or boat, and it had never been for long. Travel might broaden the mind, but it certainly wore out the boots.

“When shall we reach our destination?” Balefire asked.

“Soon,” Castmal said. “I can see the lights from here.”

Normally he didn’t like talking to Balefire, but today he traveled alone. This road to Ironcliff went through farmland. The broad fields had been harvested long ago and farmhouses were few and far away. This late in the year there was little traffic so he wouldn’t arouse suspicion. It was also getting dark, so there would be even fewer people who might see Castmal talking to himself.

“It shall be good to find friends,” it said, “worthy allies to serve your rise to power.”

Castmal sighed. “I told you to cut it out. You’re going to get me killed talking like that.”

“Your concerns are warrantless,” Balefire told him. “Your future was set when we met. This journey will only add to your strength once we reach your friends and kinfolk. We can count on their support in the years to come.”

“I just hope they’re all right,” he said as he passed a farmhouse. “A lot can happen in three years. I’m proof of it.”

“If your kin are in danger we will protect them,” it said with its usual boundless confidence. “If they have left for greener pastures we will find them. If they have gone to the next world, we will mourn them and avenge their passing.”

Balefire no doubt meant that to be reassuring, but it didn’t know IronCliff. Castmal had grown up in the city and knew the heights and depths it could reach. A hundred thousand people in one place left a lot of room for thieves, assassins and other vermin to hide, like serpents in a wheat field. He hadn’t worried about what might happen to the people he loved when he’d joined the army, but now that he was coming home the thought was foremost in his mind.

Ironcliff hadn’t been dangerous for Castmal when he’d lived there. One look at him convinced most people to leave him alone, and that had been before he’d joined the army. Tall, strong, with dark hair and scars alone his jaw, he was an intimidating sight. Fighting had only added to that. The worn clothes he’d once had were replaced with chain leggings and shirt, a steel breastplate and a shoulder guard on his left arm. He’d kept his long sword and two daggers when he left the service. The weapons might arouse suspicion in other cities, but not in IronCliff. Castmal wore a cotton uniform and cloak over his armor, a backpack and a leather strap wrapped tight over his left arm from the elbow to his fingers. The strap never came off around people.

“Are those lights in the distance Ironcliff?” Balefire asked.

“That’s home,” Castmal answered.

“We will not reach it until well after nightfall,” Balefire cautioned.

“Yes, mother,” he said sarcastically. “I’m not going to travel at night. I’ll find a place to stay, and you need to keep quiet.”

“I was quiet for centuries. It is overrated.”

Castmal looked at the farmhouses along the road. There weren’t many to choose from, and most of those were already sealed tight. He knew better than to knock on closed doors at night. The countryside wasn’t as dangerous as Ironcliff, but there were dangers that crept out under the cover of darkness. Only fools let in strangers at this hour.

That put Castmal in a predicament. He could drive off enemies with a look, but that would close doors, too. He’d rather not spend another night under the stars. It didn’t help that he’d run out of food this morning.

There was a farmhouse not far ahead with an open door. A young man sat outside sharpening a hoe with a steel file. His clothes were a simple cotton tunic and trousers, and he looked bored. The next nearest house was miles down the road, making this his best bet.

“Greetings,” he called. The farmer looked up in surprise. Castmal stopped a healthy distance from the man and said, “Forgive the intrusion, but can you spare space on your floor for a man in need? I wouldn’t ask, but it’s getting dark and I don’t trust these roads at night.”

The farmer looked him up and down. “I can’t see anyone bothering you, night or day.”

Castmal shrugged. “I’ve learned not to tempt fate. I can pay for the help, provided you accept trade.”

A young woman appeared at the door. Castmal guessed she was the farmer’s wife, and judging by her belly they’d have a son or daughter before the month ended. She asked, “What kind of pay?”

Castmal dug into his backpack and pulled out a handful of furs. “Rabbit and squirrel. I caught them earlier this week.”

The farmer and his wife came over to look at the furs. The farmer studied Castmal’s armor while the woman ran her fingers over the furs. She smiled and said, “These are good. I can make mittens from these.”

“We can put you up for the night and feed you, but as you say, the only place to sleep is the floor,” the farmer told him.

“That’s generous.” Castmal kept his face neutral, but he was surprised how quickly they let him into their home. In his experience people ran inside and barred the doors when armed men appeared.

The couple let him inside and the wife quickly put the furs away. The farmhouse was a small, one room building. Farm tools and clothing took up one corner opposite a bed with a straw mattress. The kitchen was a brick oven against the back way. There were bags of dried food and clay pots filled with local spices and pickled fish.

“You’re back from the war?” the farmer asked. He offered Castmal a stool while he and his wife sat on the bed.

Castmal sat down, only too glad to stop moving. He slid off his backpack and set it on the floor. “I was mustered out two months ago.”

“Is it going well?” he asked.

“Wars never go well.” Castmal would have liked to end it at that, but the couple looked eager for more. They’d probably let him in so they could hear news of the outside world. If words could smooth his stay then he’d talk.

“The fighting is a mess,” he said. “We lose men and the Principalities lose men. I suppose someone’s keeping track and one day they’ll decide who won, but for those of us doing the fighting you win if you live to see the sun rise.”

“You must have seen interesting places, though,” he pressed.

“They’re not interesting after they’ve been fought over.” Castmal looked at the fire in the brick oven. It reminded him of the last town he’d been in before he left the army. “Soldiers take whatever they can find. They have to when supplies don’t come in. All the animals are killed for food, wild and domestic. Wrecked homes are broken up for firewood. If there’s anything of value it’s sold for food. The locals run away if they can and beg for help if they can’t.”

The farmer whistled. “You couldn’t pay me enough for that.”

“What did they pay you?” his wife asked. Her husband looked at her, and she held up one of the furs. “You said you’ve no coin. I’m happy with the furs, but I would think you’d barely be able to walk under the weight of your wages.”

“My wages.” Bitterness crept into Castmal’s voice. “I was promised ten silver pieces per month and three meals a day. I’m owed three hundred silver pieces back pay, and there are better odds of me flying than ever seeing it. As for the food, we did well if they fed us three meals a week. We foraged for the rest. Creator help me, there were days I wondered whose side our generals were on.”

The farmer’s wife handed Castmal a wood bowl filled with oatmeal and a small wood plate with two eggs. “Sounds beastly. I know it’s not as much as you’d like, or need, but it’s what we can spare.”

Castmal took the food and smiled at her. “This is good food for the little I gave you. Eggs. It’s been a long time since I had eggs.”

Castmal wolfed down the food, glad to have a full stomach. He was halfway done with the simple meal when the farmer said, “But you must have taken money from the enemy.”

“Let him eat!” his wife chastised him.

Castmal ate one of the eggs and said, “Principalities soldiers were paid as poorly as we were. They had few coins and no jewelry. We sold what little we found to merchants for food. We used the weapons we took from the enemy when our own swords broke.” He tapped his long sword’s handle and said, “This used to belong to an enemy officer.”

“Don’t suppose you found any treasure,” the farmer said.

It took a lot of effort not to look at his left arm. “Nothing I could sell.”

They’d found treasure in the early days of the war, looting enemy homes and castles for anything of value. Officers had a bad habit of taking the best pickings for themselves, so Castmal and his fellow soldiers had to be quick. ‘No sir, nothing here, sir’. Castmal’s captain, an aristocrat named Becack, had suspected them of holding back loot and ordered the men searched. That had ended badly.

Castmal didn’t tell the farmer that, or any number of horrible things that had happened. You can’t explain to a person what war was really like. The long weeks of boredom between battles, the intense fear waiting for an enemy, or how even a farm field can become a place of horror when a battle begins. Nothing in normal life could compare to the gut wrenching fear of a fellow soldier screaming, ‘Wizard!’ before fire and death rained down around you.

“Were there monsters?” the farmer asked.

“Husband!” his wife said sharply. “You’ll have to forgive him, he seems to have left his manners outside.”

“There were monsters,” Castmal said. He finished his food and handed back the plate and bowl. “There were wyverns and chimera. We fought a hydra once. The blasted thing wouldn’t die. Finally ended up burying it alive when we collapsed a stone tower on it. Not sure if it’s still breathing down there, but I wouldn’t risk digging it up. Monsters weren’t what we really worried about.”

“No?” the farmer asked. He leaned in closer.

“There were never many of them on the front,” Castmal explained. “Monsters eat too much. You could feed a platoon with what one monster ate, and nothing but meat would do. If they didn’t get fed they’d attack their own men. They never followed orders well regardless of what the beast tamers say. Monsters panicked if there was a big fire and they ran if a fight got too serious. Smart that way.”

Castmal chuckled. “Funny thing happened once with a mimic, though. The thing looked like a big wooden chest with a fancy metal lock. Real convincing. It wasn’t working for the Principalities, just saw the fighting and snuck in for a free meal of horsemeat after a failed cavalry charge. The fool thing stayed too long, though, and my captain spotted it. He though he’d found an enemy pay chest and stuck it rich.”

“What happened?” the wife asked.

“It kept pretending it was just a chest. The captain couldn’t get it open, so he ordered some men to get an ax and cut it open. The mimic heard that and ran off screaming. It knocked the captain over and ran right over him! We laughed so hard a company of crossbowmen came over and then some lancers. The captain kept ordering us to shut up and we just laughed harder.”

The couple laughed. It was funny, one of the few happy memories Castmal had from the war. Happy times were few and far between back then. Of course getting back to Ironcliff was no guarantee things would be better, but they’d have a hard time being worse.

Worried by what the answer might be, Castmal asked, “Has much happened in the city?”

The farmer shrugged. “Taxes went up a couple times to pay for the war. It’s all we can do to keep a roof over our heads and food on our plates. There are executions, sometimes three a week. A lot of thieves end their lives hanging from a tree.”

Three executions a week was normal for Ironcliff and no threat to Castmal’s friends and families. They stayed clear of that kind of trouble. But there were bigger threats that could sweep up the innocent with the guilty. He asked, “No plagues or riots? No fires?”

“No, Creator be praised,” the farmer’s wife said.

“Good,” Castmal said. “I was worried a refugee might have brought in a plague. A sword’s no good against that.”

The farmer’s wife smiled and got up. “I have a blanket you can lay on, and you’re welcome to sleep by the fire. The bricks will stay hot most of the night.”

“Generous of you,” Castmal said. He looked at the door and asked, “Mind if I step out for a moment? I like to look around before I go to sleep. Old habit.”

The farmer nodded. “Feel free.”

Castmal got up and opened the door. He studied the farmland, looking for threats. It was foolish to think something would happen here. He heard only the wind and some bugs. There was nothing to see but farmland as flat as a table, and the stubbly on the field offered no cover for attackers. Now that he thought of it, there was no one who might attack. The Principalities was far away. Monsters wouldn’t come this close to a city. There were bandits, of course, but they attacked people with money. One look was enough to tell that none of these farmers were prosperous enough to bother robbing. But Castmal had done this every night for three years, and likely would until he died.

The farmer walked up alongside him. “Crickets are singing. They’ll be gone when we get a strong frost.”

Castmal glanced at the man, not sure why he’d said that.

The farmer looked at the setting sun. “They only live a year. They spend all their time in one field, then one day there’s a frost and they’re gone.” He looked ashamed. “I don’t want to be like that. I love my wife, but I don’t want to spend my whole life here, never moving, never seeing anything but these fields.”

The good reception made sense now. The farmer didn’t just want news. He wanted more than his simple life here, and hearing stories was the closest he was likely going to get. It wasn’t surprising. Castmal had been seduced by the same dreams of wealth and adventure, as had many of the men he’d served with. Some had joined out of desperation, running away from debts or the law, but most had been tricked into thinking they were going on to glory instead of horror and deprivation.

“I’d give anything for the life you have,” Castmal told him. “Anything to take away the last three years.”

The farmer stared at him. “You want this?”

“Yes. So would the men I’d served with. I’m going home broke, but some of them are returning crippled. A lot of them aren’t returning. I’m not even sure what I’m coming home to. You have a livelihood here with your farm. You have a wife and a child on the way. You have a future. I’m not sure I do.”

“Ahem.”

“Did you hear something?” the farmer asked.

Castmal rapped his left arm against the doorframe. “No. I…wait.”

“What is it?”

“The cricket’s stopped singing.”

A cloud of fetid air washed over them, heavy with the stench of rotting flesh that Castmal had become familiar with. The farmer coughed and covered his mouth and nose with his shirtsleeve. Castmal drew his long sword and stepped away from the farmhouse. He couldn’t see the source of this stench, but it wasn’t natural.

The sun was nearly set, but a full moon offered at least a little light. Castmal peered into the darkness. He heard something moving, crushing the wheat stubble underfoot. There were one, two, three things moving out in the fields. The footsteps were irregular and make no effort to avoid making noise. The stink got worse, and Castmal saw three shapes that might be men shuffling through the fields ever closer to the farmhouse.

“Inside, now!” Castmal ordered the farmer.

The farmer backed away. “I—”

“Do you have a weapon?” Castmal demanded.

“A pitchfork,” he said.

“Get inside and grab it. Bar the door if you want to see the morning!”

The farmer ran inside and slammed the door shut. Castmal heard a thunk as the door was barred, followed by the farmer and his wife speaking in worried voices. The shambling forms were a hundred feet out and coming closer. One tripped on the stubble and got up slowly. They weren’t moving fast, but they weren’t stopping.

Castmal unwrapped his left arm to reveal a silvery gauntlet covering his arm from elbow to fingertips. It was a masterpiece, beautifully embellished with a dragon.

“Finally,” Balefire said.

“We’re earning our meal tonight,” Castmal said. He stepped away from the house to give himself room to move. “Zombies. I count three.”

“I despise these abominations,” Balefire said in disgust. The gauntlet warmed up and flowed like melted wax, oozing down his arm. He held up his left hand as the silvery liquid reformed into a short sword with a dragon emblem on the blade. It lit up like a torch, providing much needed light.

The light showed that Castmal was right. The three shambling things had been men once. Their clothes were muddy rags. Their skin was discolored and torn. One of the zombies had no eyes, but that didn’t slow it down as it advanced on Castmal. They would be on him soon.

Castmal charged the closest zombie, hoping to dispatch it before all three were on him together. The nightmarish thing tried to grab him, its movements slow and awkward. He stepped to the left and swung his long sword in a low arc. His aim was good and he took off one of its legs at the knee. The monster fell, but no sooner had it landed than it crawled after him.

Zombies didn’t die like men or animals. Their organs were just dead weight, so a blow to the chest or stomach was worthless. They couldn’t bleed to death, either. Castmal had fought their kind before and knew he had to behead them, and the best way to do that was to cripple them first.

“The others are coming on your right,” Balefire said.

Castmal brought his long sword down on the crawling zombie, taking its head off with one blow. The monstrosity slumped to the ground as the second and third zombies came at Castmal. He lashed out and took off one of his attacker’s hands with his long sword, then followed up by driving Balefire into its belly.

“Burn!” he ordered.

Balefire blazed with a terrible white light, cremating the zombie from the inside out. The light spilled out of its mouth and open wounds as it arched its back. Then decaying flesh and bones alike burned away. There was nothing left of the zombie but ashes on the field.

The last zombie grabbed Castmal by his left arm. It pulled him to the ground and leaned over him, its jaw opened wide for a bite to his throat. He brought his legs up and kicked it in the head with both feet. That was enough to knock the zombie on its back. They both scrambled to their feet, but Castmal was faster. He swung his long sword and took off the last zombie’s head before it could stand.

“Well done, my King.” Balefire said.

“I told you to stop that!” he shouted. He sheathed his long sword and pointed at his brow. “Do you see a crown here?”

“A temporary situation. I served kings and was buried with one. When you freed me from that wretched tomb I knew I served another. One day you will rule.”

Castmal grumbled and bent down to inspect the last zombie he’d defeated. “There are rope marks on the neck and wrists. This man was hung. He’s not too far gone, either. A necromancer must have stolen the body after he was executed and animated it.”

“Check the other one.”

The first zombie he’d killed was in better shape. “No rope marks or wounds. No signs of disease, either. He was pretty young. I think this one may have drown.”

“Both are freshly dead, no older than a week,” Balefire said.

Castmal rubbed his chin. “Zombies are mindless, but they serve their maker. Why would a necromancer want to kill these people? They have nothing to steal.”

Castmal’s mind raced. “Could be someone wants the farmland. It’s got to be worth gold, and if the owners are dead it could be claimed. It might be the work of the Principalities. No one can spread fear like a necromancer, and killing farmers would keep food from soldiers still on the front. Or the necromancer might want bodies and not be picky how they die.”

“Or the necromancer is insane and there is no reason,” Balefire suggested. “Madness is an occupational hazard in their profession.”

“Yeah,” he said. The air was still foul, more so after he’d cut open the zombies, but he heard nothing. There was no sign that he was still in danger, but he kept both his long sword and Balefire drawn. “I’d bet gold to silver than whoever made these is close by. They’d have to be to recover the zombies after the attack. Wouldn’t do to let them wander around and be found.”

“Zombies can’t follow complex orders. He could order them to kill the farmer and wife, but they wouldn’t remember a second order to come back afterwards.”

“Why do you say he? Could be a woman who did this.”

“This is the fourth necromancer I have faced. They’re always men.”

“Then he’s going to come pick up his zombies,” Castmal said. “When he gets here he’ll find them in pieces. Has to figure if someone took them down then he’s in danger. You think he’ll run? Running would be smart.”

“It wouldn’t be smart,” Balefire said. “If he killed the family and left with their bodies, few could say who or what did the deed. But with witnesses and destroyed zombies, there would be no doubt who was responsibility for the attack. The authorities would begin a manhunt of epic proportions, turning over every stone until they found him. The punishment for necromancy varies by kingdom. It starts at burning at the stake and gets worse from there.”

“So he’s got no choice but to fight,” Castmal said. “I hate fighting people with no way out. They do stupid things. Dim your light. We’ll wait for him and finish it here.”

As Balefire’s light diminished, there was a creak behind them. Castmal turned to find the farmer opening his door. Before the man could say a word, Castmal shouted, “I said keep that door closed! This isn’t over, and it’s going to get worse!”

The door slammed shut.

“We could be in a lot of trouble,” Castmal said. “The necromancer could attack the farmer and his wife, or one of the other farms here. I’d have to defend them and fight him at the same time. Can’t call on the farmers living here for help, either. Poor weapons, untrained, they’d be butchered.”

“A bad situation to be sure, but we will be victorious. Honestly, though, you don’t need two swords even for a job this important.”

“If men saw me using you, they’d kill me without a second’s hesitation to have you for themselves. If they don’t see me with a sword at all then some idiot would pick a fight, maybe try to rob me. You stay covered up and quiet unless you’re needed.”

Castmal waited in the darkness. The ghostly light from the full moon helped a little, but not much. He didn’t hear anything approaching. The stink of the dead zombies clung to him, making his stomach roll. He tried to guess how much time had passed. Clocks were rare even in cities, but there were some in Ironcliff so he was used to thinking in terms of hours. An hour crept by, then two.

Ironcliff was still visible in the distance as a collection of lights. There were fewer of them burning at such a late hour, but it was still a beacon in the night. He thought again of his home city, of the family he’d left behind. Oddly his mind kept coming back to his favorite restaurant, a nameless, dimly lit little hole in the wall that cooked the best meals he’d ever had. Of course with no money he couldn’t eat there when he got home.

There was no getting around it; he was coming back empty handed. He had no money and nothing he could sell except his armor and long sword. Three years of his life gone and he didn’t have a coin to show for his sacrifices. How could he face his family?

He had Balefire, but he dared not sell it. The sword was alive. You didn’t sell living, thinking beings. But even if he was that depraved, he was smart enough to know that anyone who might buy it would prefer to kill him and take it off his body.

His old captain Becack had tried to kill him. When he’d ordered the men searched for holding back loot, he saw the leather strap covering Castmal’s arm. Becack guessed something was under it besides a wound and tore the strap off. One look at Balefire and the fool’s eyed had lit up with greed, and drew his sword. It had been all Castmal could do to fend off Becack’s furious attacks. The other soldiers had saved him and made it look like a sniper killed the captain.

But Castmal had more immediate problems. “You’ve fought necromancers. What can I expect?”

“I thought you’d fought zombies before?”

“Zombies, but not necromancers.” Castmal was silent for a moment before he said, “It happened before I found you. The Principalities hired a necromancer and had him animate the bodies of our dead, then sent them at us. Happened three times in a week.”

“That must have been horrible. What happened to the necromancer?”

“It ended when a Principalities platoon came under a flag of truce and gave us the necromancer’s head. They said they weren’t party to hiring him, and once they realized what was going on they did something about it.”

“An ending worthy of such a fiend.”

“What can I expect from him?” Castmal asked again.

Balefire’s voice took a harsh tone when he spoke. “Most of their magic is devoted to creating the undead. They have dangerous combat magic as well, but the range is limited.”

“Arrow range or knife range?”

“Their magic reach as far as a thrown rock, but does terrible damage. I will offer warning if I recognize any of his spells. Hold back nothing against this foe, for he will show you no mercy in battle or in death.”

That was a possibility Castmal hadn’t considered. If he died the necromancer would animate his body and send him to kill others. He’d be nothing but a mindless puppet with the necromancer holding the strings. The only mercy would be that without his mind he couldn’t control Balefire.

“He’s here.”

Castmal crouched down at Balefire’s warning. “Where?”

“You see those light coming up the road? They’re called corpse fire, a necromancer’s way to light the land. He can see through them, too.”

Castmal stared down the road and saw pinpricks of light floating at head height. There were five of them, bobbing up and down as they came closer. They were a mile away and moving lazily toward him.

“Not much of a rush,” Castmal said. With his enemy so far off he stood up straight again. “Figure he knows something’s wrong?”

“I don’t know. He’s too far away to see the zombies or the farmhouse they were going to attack.”

The corpse fires came closer. They spread out across the field, moving at a leisurely rate. Castmal saw figures moving far behind them. There were five of them, four shambling and one walking more smoothly.

“He’s got more zombies. Those corpse fires, can they hurt me? Can I hurt them?”

“No to both questions.”

Castmal frowned as the corpse fires spread out farther. “Doubt we can avoid them. No place to hide except the farmhouse. We’re going to have to fight them head on.”

The corpse fires, zombies and necromancer came ever closer, showing no sign of haste or alarm. It was tough odds even with Balefire. The thought that he might die within sight of Ironcliff disgusted Castmal. He’d survived terrible battles for years. To die so close to home seemed wrong. And if he died the farmer and his wife would be the necromancer’s next victims.

The corpse fires came close enough for Castmal to see them clearly. They looked like flaming skulls hovering through the air. One of them floated over the first zombie Castmal had destroyed. The other four circled about until they found the second destroyed zombie. Then one saw Castmal.

He smiled at it. “Surprise.”

That corpse fire backed away while the others approached. Two studied the farmhouse and the other three circled Castmal.

“You’re sure I can’t kill these things?”

“Quite certain.”

The corpse fires kept their distance as the necromancer and his four undead minions came ever closer. They still didn’t hurry. That annoyed Castmal. The necromancer had proof that two of his zombies were destroyed, and the third was missing and presumed dead. This called for action! But the necromancer continued his stroll like a man on a shopping trip. It was almost offensive how little this seemed to bother him.

The zombies and their master finally got to within thirty feet of Castmal before they stopped. Two corpse fires hovered over their master while the other three stayed by Castmal. The four zombies were far more decomposed than the three he’d already face, missing their eyes and skin. It was a good bet they wouldn’t last the week even if Castmal didn’t defeat them. The necromancer kept behind his minions, but Castmal still got a good look at him. He wore billowing robes and leather boots. But his boyish face caught Castmal off guard.

“I thought he’d be older,” Castmal whispered.

“A common misconception,” Balefire whispered back. “Few necromancers live long enough to get gray hair.”

“You were right, it’s a man. I owe you a beer.” Balefire chuckled in response.

“This is annoying,” the necromancer declared. He had a petulant expression and an annoying voice that made Castmal want to slap him.

“We went past annoying a while ago,” Castmal replied. He considered the reasons why the necromancer might be here. The man didn’t look insane, just spoiled. That meant this night’s horror was probably over money. “You’re not getting paid enough for this.”

The necromancer’s look of irritation slipped for a moment to show surprise and a touch of fear. But he recovered quickly. “And what are you being paid to die tonight?”

“Me? I got two eggs.”

“Eggs? Eggs!”

Castmal nodded. “Eggs. And some oatmeal. Truth is I’d have done it for free. Do you know where I’ve been?”

The necromancer folded his arms across his chest. “You’re another washed up old soldier, battle fodder for whatever war is popular this year. Your kind infests the roads like lice on a peasant. No one cares where you’ve been and no one will care when you die.”

“Can you say otherwise? Is anybody going to care when you don’t come home tonight?”

The necromancer’s face flushed red. “I’ll show them! All of them! My parents, my classmates and the people who laughed at me! They’ll know my name and they will weep for years to come!”

“Don’t lie to me. I saw the look on your face when I guessed this was about money. You have excuses, but if you’re getting paid then that’s all they are. Kid, I’ve put enough men in the ground to fill a cemetery. I took down three of your rot bags without getting a scratch. Four more aren’t going to save you. I’m giving you a chance to be smart. Walk away now and this ends.”

Hopefully it would end in a platoon of Ironcliff soldiers chasing the necromancer down and hanging him. Castmal wondered if the fool had thought that far ahead.

“You’re right on one count,” the necromancer sneered. “This ends.”

The four zombies came at him while the necromancer stayed back. They were close enough that they’d come at him in a group rather than one at a time. But they were clumped together, and he could use that.

Castmal charged the zombies and hacked at the first one’s leg. He didn’t take it off, but he cut through enough muscles that the zombie fell over. The next zombie stumbled over the first one. The other two went around the pile, giving Castmal enough time to attack the fallen zombies and decapitate one. The two still standing attacked, and he backed away and stabbed one with Balefire.

“Burn!” Castmal shouted. The zombie went up like a torch, burning away to ashes in seconds. The necromancer shielded his eyes from the sudden light. That left Castmal to fight only two zombies and the necromancer, and he could handle three to one odds.

The necromancer spoke strange, forgotten words. His eyes turned black and he threw back his head. A gurgling noise bubbled from his throat before he vomited out a stream of black steaming liquid like a geyser. The filth stunk like boiling tar, and there was far more than his stomach could possibly contain. Castmal jumped out of the way as the glistening, ebony stream splashed where he’d been standing. It struck the two zombies on the ground, one dead again and the other struggling to its feet. Both dissolved under the caustic spray and left behind nothing but bones.

“Two more behind you,” Balefire warned.

Castmal backed away from the necromancer and what he’d thought was the last zombie. He glanced behind him and saw two zombies coming from up the road. The necromancer’s slow pace made sense now. He’d directed two of his undead minions to attack Castmal from behind and waited until they were in place. But the attack’s timing was off. The zombies were coming in two groups and could be handled separately.

The necromancer stumbled away. The spell had clearly taken a lot out of him and he needed time to recover. Castmal charged the last zombie in front of its master and hacked off its left arm. He tried to push past it and get to the necromancer, but the thing grabbed him with its remaining arm and tried to bite him. Its teeth didn’t break through his chain shirt, but the force of the bite bruised his arm. Castmal stabbed it in the face with Balefire and forced it off, then took off its remaining hand. His next blow removed its head.

The necromancer shook himself like a wet dog and stood straight. He pulled a thighbone from inside his cloak and pointed it at Castmal. The necromancer spoke more foul, forgotten words, and the bone began to glow.

“Cover your eyes,” Balefire said.

Castmal wrapped his right arm over his face and turned away just as the thighbone shattered into a cloud of long, sharp bone splinters. They hit Castmal like a wave of nails. Most broke against his armor, but some drove through his chain leggings and shirt, and two cut gashes across his forehead.

“Die!” the necromancer screamed. “Just die, you pathetic, washed up tramp!”

Castmal pulled his arm away and wiped the blood off his brow. The last two zombies were almost in range to attack. Whether he faced the necromancer of his zombies, the other could strike him from behind. But the necromancer was the bigger threat, and more importantly, he could feel fear.

Howling a battle cry, Castmal charged the necromancer. His enemy cast another spell and produced a shadowy viper ten feet long. The magic snake hissed and threw itself into the air at Castmal, its jaws wide enough to fit his entire head inside. Castmal swung Balefire and jammed the blade through its head, pinning its jaws shut. He followed with a stroke of his long sword that cut the serpent in half. The snake turned to a viscous slime that splatted across Castmal and the farm field.

The necromancer’s jaw dropped in surprise and he ran with Castmal a step behind. But the necromancer wore no heavy armor, and with each step he put more distance between them. Once he had enough breathing room, he cast another spell. His hands twisted like squid tentacles and he cried out in pain. His fingernails suddenly stretched out until they were a foot long and glowed sickly green.

Castmal swung his long sword at the necromancer’s chest. He needed only a glancing blow to draw blood, and a solid hit could cripple his foe. The necromancer countered the blade with his freakish claws. Sparks flew as he stopped the sword cold. The necromancer swung his other hand at Castmal’s face. Castmal blocked with Balefire, and neither the magic sword nor his enemy’s claws gave way.

For a moment the two pressed against one another, swords and claws locked together. Castmal would have bet anything that he could knock over the necromancer, but the fiend held his ground. Neither budged an inch.

“Why kill these people?” Castmal shouted at him.

“Someone had to be first,” the necromancer snarled in reply. “They’ll all die, everyone here, screaming and begging and—”

“The zombies are catching up to us!” Balefire warned.

The necromancer stared at the sword in confusion. It was all Castmal needed. He stepped back and the necromancer stumbled forward. Castmal went left and swept his long sword at the man’s ankle. It wasn’t more than a glancing blow, but enough to cut through the man’s boot and his Achilles’ tendon. The necromancer screamed in pain and fell forward as his leg gave way. He reached out with both hands to break his fall, which kept him from blocking an attack with his claws. Castmal drove Balefire through the necromancer’s gut and pulled it out again in a flash. The necromancer fell to the ground.

“Behind you!”

Castmal whirled around to find both zombies within arm’s reach. He swung his long sword at a zombie’s head, but his aim was off and the blade sunk deep into its shoulder. The two zombies pummeled him with their fists and drove him to his knees. Castmal hacked through a zombie’s knees with Balefire. The monster fell backward, and when it did it took the long sword with it, pulling the weapon from Castmal’s hands. The other zombie grabbed him by his neck and throttled him. He rocked back and forth, trying to break free. He pulled at the zombie’s hands, and to his horror he tore off its fingers.

Behind him, the necromancer pulled himself to his knees. He pressed both hands against his wound and began to cast another spell.

Castmal drove Balefire into the standing zombie, but his throat hurt so much he couldn’t order Balefire to burn. The zombie clubbed Castmal with its arms. He pulled Balefire free and plunged it into the zombie’s knee. The zombie fell on top of him and he threw it off. Both zombies were down but not destroyed, and they crawled after Castmal.

The necromancer continued with his spell. He stopped twice, gasping in pain, but did not stop. Castmal ran at the necromancer and reversed his grip on Balefire so it pointed down. He grabbed the hilt with both hands and kicked the necromancer over, then drove the sword through the necromancer’s heart. The necromancer gasped and fell to the ground, finally dead. The crippled zombies slumped over at their master’s death, and the corpse fires winked out, plunging the land into darkness once more.

“How badly are you hurt?” Balefire asked.

Castmal slumped down to the ground next to the necromancer’s body. He croaked, “Give me a minute.”

He put the sword down and rubbed his throat. Castmal pulled the bone needles from the necromancer’s thighbone weapon out of his arm. His arms and face hurt, and he likely looked like he’d wrestled an ogre. He was bruised and cut in a couple places, but he’d been hurt worse than this before.

“Why didn’t you burn the necromancer when you first struck me with him?” Balefire asked.

“Need, need his face. Someone might know who he is, and they can’t identify a pile of ashes.”

Balefire turned into a silvery liquid again and slithered up Castmal’s left arm. It reformed into a gauntlet and asked, “Do you need a healer?”

“No. I need a week to rest.” He laughed, his voice sounding harsh. “And I’m not getting it.”

“What do you mean?”

Castmal struggled to his feet and stumbled over to the two zombies. He grabbed the hilt of his long sword and put his foot on the dead monster’s chest, then pulled hard. The blade came out so fast he nearly fell over. He stood on unsteady legs and pointed the sword at the necromancer. “Someone hired him to do this. Someone knew who he was and what he did, and they hired him anyway. They did it outside my home city. There’s a price to pay for that.”

Staggering back to the farmhouse, he asked, “You know what we’re going to do? You and I are going back to the farmer and his wife, and we are going to tell them everything is okay, that this is over. And we won’t be lying, because we are not walking away from this mess. In the morning we going home and find anyone who will still talk to me, and I’m going to tell them what happened here.”

“Does that include the authorities?”

Laughing even though it hurt, Castmal said, “They couldn’t even feed me when I fought a war for them!” Thinking better of it, he said, “I’ll tell them. If I don’t the farmer will. But I’m not going to hold my breath waiting for them to fix this. You, and I, and my friends and family, we are going to find who is behind this. We are going to hunt them down no matter where they are or who they are, and we are going to kill them.”

Balefire glowed brighter, and its voice was heavy with pride. “As my King wills it, so shall it be done.”

Note: This story first appeared in the free ebook anthology Hall of Heroes. It is too long to post the entire piece on GoodReads, so I am submitting it in two parts.

A gorgeous summer day was coming to an end as Dana Illwind and Sorcerer Lord Jayden led a small merchant caravan. They’d protected three wagons for eleven days, a task Dana had been certain would have been boring. After all, they were far from hostile borders and nowhere near wilderness areas that could harbor threats. To her surprise (and no one else’s), they’d had to earn their pay guarding the wagons.

“I still don’t get what they were thinking,” Dana said. She was a woman of fifteen, wearing a simple dress, fur hat, backpack and leather boots that came up to her knees. Dana had a knife and was giving serious thought to getting a better weapon. She had brown hair and brown eyes, and was pretty enough that men working the caravan had been a bit too friendly for her liking during the trip. She’d told two of them to stop and drawn her knife on a third.

“Bandits aren’t known for clear thinking,” Jayden told her. Jayden was a walking contradiction. He wore expertly tailored black and silver clothes and had long blond hair that was perpetually messy. Jayden carried no weapons, but as the world’s only living Sorcerer Lord was dangerous even empty-handed. He was handsome, confident, skilled and a wanted man for constantly harassing the royal family and their supporters. Smart men avoided him, which should have made their guard duty as dull as dry toast.

Dana counted off fingers, saying, “They recognized you. They knew about the manticore you killed singlehanded. You gave them a fair warning. And somehow they still thought attacking was a good idea.”

“They were likely desperate, stupid, drunk, or some delightful combination of the three,” Jayden replied.

The caravan’s owner winced from where he sat on the lead wagon. “And now they’re not anything.”

“You’ll find the road safer with their passing, as will your fellow merchants,” Jayden replied. The fight with the bandits had been brief, one sided and exceedingly messy. Dana had been repulsed by the consequences of the battle, but she couldn’t disagree with Jayden. Those men would have gone on to hurt others if he hadn’t stopped them.

That was the problem with being around Jayden. Dana liked him, in a sisterly sort of way, but he dealt harshly with foes. She’d decided to join Jayden on his journeys partly in gratitude after he’d risked his life for her town, but also to limit how much damage he might do.

And he’d done a lot of damage. Jayden had been the end to many threats in the three months they’d traveled together. Bandits preying on travelers, wolves and bears preying on livestock, and monsters that preyed on everything, he’d faced them and won. But Jayden had an intense hatred of the king and queen, one Dana didn’t fully understand and he wouldn’t explain. It had taken all her efforts to keep him focused on defeating dangers to the common man rather than going after the royal family like a starving dog after a bone. So far she’d guided him down the right path, but it was a constant effort.

The caravan owner stood up and pointed at a dim light in the distance. “That’s the town of Jumil. I’m afraid it doesn’t have much to offer. The inn is cold and cramped. Their blacksmith specializes in mediocre work. Salt is an exotic seasoning. And the residents, well, they try hard.”

“Yet you wish to go there,” Jayden remarked.

“They pay well for spices and produce good furs,” the owner replied. “I’ll make a fair profit here even with your ten percent share of the cargo.”

“Why don’t other merchants come here if it’s so nice?” Dana asked him.

“They used to, but the roads have been a nightmare ever since the civil war.”

Shocked, Dana said, “That was twenty years ago!”

“I wouldn’t lie to you,” the man replied. He tipped his hat to Jayden and said, “No offense, but you’re not the first to clear this road. It’s been done many times by many men, but monsters and bandits keep cropping up, drawn in by the chance to rob farmhouses and travelers.”

Jayden yawned as he walked. “Keeping the roads safe is supposed to be a job for knights. It’s a shame they’re too busy getting ready for war to care what happens to their own people.”

The caravan owner chuckled without mirth. “As far as they’re concerned, we’re as far beneath them as livestock.”

The town of Jumil was if anything less impressive than the caravan owner’s description. The houses looked sturdy enough and properly maintained, but there were no decorations, no boardwalks to keep people from walking in the mud, and pigs wandered the streets rooting through garbage thrown out windows.

If the town wasn’t pleasant, the residents were another matter. A cheer rose up when the caravan approached, and men ran out to greet them. Most of them were shopkeepers and homeowners eager to buy a share of the cargo, while some men came hoping to sell what goods they had. Still more people came to see the newcomers. It took Dana a moment to realize that a caravan’s arrival was a spectacle for them rather than an ordinary occurrence.

“You’re the first strangers here in a week,” a town guard told them. He studied Jayden’s odd clothing with some concern.

“And we are indeed strange,” Jayden replied. “Nevertheless, we come bearing only the best of intentions.”

The guard frowned. “You, ah, you’re the Sorcerer Lord, aren’t you? There are wanted posters for you in every town with more than fifty souls.”

“Is that going to be a problem?” Jayden asked. He looked relaxed, even bored.

More guards came, but only to escort the caravan inside town limits. The first guard made no effort to alert them, instead saying, “If you cause no trouble then there will be no trouble. No bounty is worth dying for.”

That cheered Jayden for all the wrong reasons. “Pray tell, what’s my head worth?”

“The price on you goes up by the month. The latest bounty is five hundred silver pieces.”

“Five hundred?” Jayden looked at Dana. “It’s offensive. A cow fetches twenty silver pieces. A plow horse is worth fifty. I’ve bedeviled the crown for five years, robbing them, humiliating them, yet I’m worth only ten plow horses. Clearly I have to improve my performance.”

“Helping caravans and towns in need might bring the price down,” Dana countered. Jayden’s smile showed how little that mattered to him. “Settle up with the merchant and I’ll see about getting us a place to sleep tonight.”

“Agreed.”

Dana spotted the town’s inn and slipped through the growing crowd to reach it. She had to work fast. Jayden got bored easily, and when that happened his thoughts turned to harassing the king. She had hours at most to find something, anything, for him to do that would bring in cash and possibly magic.

The caravan’s owner had summed up Jumil’s inn quite well. It was clear they got little business with their few rooms, and would be totally unprepared if more than twenty visitors came to their town. There were a few men drinking at a table, so the inn wasn’t totally deserted. The innkeeper watched the caravan through an open window while a boy swept the floor.

“Hi there,” Dana said cheerfully. “My friends and I need rooms for the night.”

The innkeeper pointed at Jayden, still outside and happily talking with excited children. He did love attracting attention. Sounding more curious than worried, the innkeeper asked, “You’re with him?”

“Yes.”

“Listen, we don’t want trouble.”

“You already have it. We were attacked by bandits on our way here.”

One of the men drinking set down his mug. “It happened again?”

“It happened for the last time,” Dana corrected him. That cheered the men if not the innkeeper. “It was a paying job, and one that helped your town. We don’t have another job lined up after this one, though, so I thought you might be able to help. My friend is interested in old ruins, the older the better, but he’s open to other opportunities. Are there threats nearby? Monsters, bandits, problems you’d like to go away and never come back?”

The innkeeper’s brow furrowed. “There’s an old stone tower north of here. We don’t go near it, what with the howling at night.”

A man at the table waved for Dana to join him. “We know places you could earn some coins and do us a good turn. Innkeeper, get the lady a drink and put it on my tab.”

The next hour proved better than Dana had hoped for. The innkeeper provided directions to the tower and a history of the place going back three generations. More potential jobs came from the other guests. They had a litany of complaints, including thieves, highwaymen, walking skeletons and a wyvern responsible for eating cattle. They also knew of a nearby mayor fond of confiscating cargo from passing merchants. It was a good list that would keep Jayden busy and profitable.

Speaking of Jayden, the Sorcerer Lord was noticeable by his absence. Dana looked outside in the growing darkness and saw Jayden chatting with the guards. It was odd to see them so friendly with a wanted man, but she’d seen that people in isolated towns like Jumil took a relaxed view of the law. They worried about their families and neighbors. Anything happening outside their little world was beyond their control and of little interest.

Dana had been the same not long ago. Her father was mayor of a small town, and she knew firsthand how hard people worked just to put food on the table. If some injustice or disaster fell on people a hundred miles away, there was little they could offer besides their sympathy. And if a stranger came with a dubious past, men were willing to overlook it provided he behaved and had something to offer.

Jayden had a lot to offer. He’d learned the magic of the long dead Sorcerer Lords, and in a kingdom with few wizards that made him a rare and precious commodity. He could handle big threats, like when he and Dana destroyed the Walking Graveyard a month ago. If a man was desperate, had some gold saved up, didn’t mind property damage and had no connection to the royal family, he could hire Jayden. That might be what was happening outside.

It was so dark that stars twinkled in the night sky when Jayden finally entered the inn. The caravan owner and his men came next, laughing and with coins to spare. Their wagons were already loaded with furs and safely stored in an empty barn. The innkeeper cheered at the increase in business and readied rooms for his guests.

Dana and Jayden shared a table near the back of the inn’s common room. Smiling, Dana told him, “I found places we could go next, all within five days walking distance.”

Jayden smiled back. “Two hours in town and you’re already sharing girlish secrets with the ladies?”

“I spoke with men in the inn.” She frowned and added, “I don’t get along with other women. They’re always so catty, like my being there is a threat.”

“I imagine it has to do with having husbands with wandering eyes. You are efficient as always, Dana, but there’s a matter I have to attend to first.”

Worried, Dana asked, “What kind of matter?”

“We’ll discuss it on the road tomorrow. For now, eat, drink and enjoy what little this town has to offer.”

* * * * *

The next morning brought a sparklingly bright day. Jumil’s people were still giddy from having the road open to traffic and trade, and the innkeeper brought a simple but filling breakfast. They were still eating when an older and visibly drunken man staggered into the inn.

“What brings you, mayor?” the innkeeper asked.

Dana prepared for the worst. Jayden’s reputation meant there was no telling what sort of reception he’d receive, and the mayor might have come to arrest him. But the man brought no weapons or guards, and in his inebriated state he was a threat to no one but himself.

Steadying himself against a wall, the mayor took out a scroll and unrolled it. “This came last night by royal courier. It…you need to hear it.”

Reading aloud, the mayor announced, “By decree of His Majesty the King and his beloved wife the Queen, from this day forth there is a tax of one copper piece per person per day staying at an inn, hostel or hotel, to be collected and sent to the capital each month.”

“Mercy, you’ll bankrupt me!” the innkeeper protested.

Still reading from the scroll, the mayor said, “Furthermore, the owners and operators of these establishments must record the names and destinations of all customers, to be reported to the capital on a monthly basis and at the owners’ expense.”

The caravan owner and other guests at the inn edged away. If the king knew who you were and where to find you, he could tax you. Rates started at twenty percent and went up from there. The king could also take offense at where a man went and who he did business with, resulting in fines, arrest, imprisonment and possibly execution depending on royal whim.

“Hold on, now,” the caravan owner began.

He needn’t have worried. The mayor rolled up the scroll and said, “So for legal reasons none of you were ever here. Just, you need to know what’s going on, and that other mayors might obey this foolishness.” The man looked despondent as he left, muttering, “I used to like this job. I’m sure I did.”

“Every innkeeper in the kingdom just became an informant for the crown,” Dana said.

One of the men at the table grimaced. “This wouldn’t have happened before the king remarried. He’s not the same man he used to be before that wench and her clan got their hooks into him. The kingdom’s been a dark place since the old queen passed away and her son was exiled, and growing darker by the day.”

“Truer words were never spoken,” Jayden said. He smiled in genuine friendship rather than his usual sarcastic grin. “It pains me to leave such good company, but we’ve work to do. I bid you good day, gentlemen, and wish you luck.”

Dana followed him out onto the streets, where he headed north. “Jayden, you said you’d tell me what this was about when we got onto the road. Where are we going?”

“I accepted the job to help those merchants for a reason I didn’t share with you before. I’d heard of a company of infantrymen marching the same road we took to reach Jumil. I want to know where they’re going and why they were sent here. I spoke to the town guards last night. They confirmed the company’s arrival two months ago, and which road they departed on.”

“We’re going after an entire infantry company.” Dana put a hand over her face. “Jayden, you’re strong, but you can’t fight eighty men. It’s insane!” Nearby people turned and stared when she shouted. Lowering her voice, she said, “I like you. I respect you and know what you can do. I don’t love the king any more than you do, but one man taking on a kingdom is insane. You’re going to get killed.”

“Possibly. Dana, the king and queen are planning a war of conquest against neighboring lands. Why would they send away troops they’re going to need? Why send them to a part of the kingdom that’s more or less safe?”

“Less safe than more,” she told him. “There are monsters in the woods.”

“So many they need eighty men to defeat them?” They left the town limits while Jayden spoke. “I’m not an idiot, contrary to all appearances. The adventures and opportunities you’ve found for me all take me away from more civilized parts of the kingdom, places where I could strike at the king and queen. I don’t mind, as your leads have produced gold and two inscribed spells of the Sorcerer Lords that enhanced my strength. But my goal has not changed. I intend to either bring down the throne or hurt it badly enough to prevent it from visiting the horrors of war on other lands.”

“This isn’t a good idea.”

Jayden shrugged. “The alternatives are worse. You are, of course, not obliged to join me. I’m sure your parents would be glad if you returned home.”

“I’m trying to save your life!”

“I know.” Jayden was uncharacteristically polite. “I appreciate your concerns and the risks you’ve taken on my behalf. No one else has done the same, and I have helped many in the same way I did you and your town. It nearly cost you your life when we fought the Walking Graveyard.”

“That thing only ate my shoes,” Dana said. “I liked those shoes.”

“It could have taken your feet. You remained with me after that happened, and I’m grateful. Dana, if I’m right then something is dreadfully wrong and could get much worse. I’m not sure I can prevent it, but I must try.”

Dana hated this. She’d tried her best, but Jayden was dead set on taking on the army, a force far worse in character than it once was. The kingdom was short of manpower even since the civil war, so short that citizens were only obliged to join local militias rather than become soldiers. The king got around that by hiring mercenaries from other lands, brutal men whose loyalty depended on monthly pay.

“So where are we going?” she asked.

“The men went north to an unpopulated and isolated region.”

Dana stopped in her tracks. “Wait, north? There are ruins of a stone tower north of here. The innkeeper said nobody’s gone near there for decades because of weird noises.”

Jayden rolled his eyes. “I normally don’t hate being right.”

And here is the second part of Idiot's Graveyard. We now continue your story, already in progress.

Dana and Jayden traveled the entire day, leaving farmland far behind and entering rolling hills and forests. The road they followed was narrow and winding, but there were fresh wagon ruts and countless boot prints in the dirt. Men had come through in great numbers.

“The innkeeper said the tower is all that’s left of a larger ruined settlement,” Dana told Jayden. “It was always in bad shape, but long ago there was a flood that took out everything but the tower. People used to go there to scavenge bricks for their houses. They stopped when they heard weird noises with no source.”

“Have livestock or people disappeared?”

“Nobody got close enough to risk it. They’ve been shying away from this place for generations. The only men who came close were fur trappers, and their traps stayed empty no matter how long they were out, the bait drying out instead of being eaten.”

Jayden frowned. “The duration of the problem suggests powerful magic is involved. Whatever it is, it hasn’t been freed yet, a blessing indeed. If these mercenaries dig up the source of the power, they risk causing devastation across a wide area. Thousands could be in danger.”

“Could this be magic from the old Sorcerer Lords?” she asked. The original Sorcerer Lords had died out over a thousand years ago, torn apart by internal divisions and finished off by the elves of old. Long gone they might be, but they’d left behind ruins, artifacts and monsters that survived their creators’ passing.

“Possibly. They produced horrors the likes of which this world hadn’t seen before, and some of their evil lives to this day. Such willingness to commit terrible deeds is far from unique. Many have perpetrated equally foul acts since the fall of the original Sorcerer Lords and could be responsible for this problem.”

The countryside became ever more wild, with tangled weeds and trees twisted in unnatural shapes. At the same time there were few animals present and no signs that men lived here except the road itself.

“We’ll leave the road and travel near it for the next few miles,” Jayden said. “That way we may miss sentries posted by the mercenaries.”

Dana worried she might pick up ticks in the tangled brush, but she found insects and vermin just as absent as larger animals. Marching through the brush slowed their progress and left a trail even an idiot could follow.

“What do we do if they found whatever caused the trouble?” she asked.

“Steal it if possible, destroy it if necessary, or run for our lives if it’s as dangerous as I think.” Jayden smiled at her and added, “I dislike running, but it’s best when the alternative is dying. I’d like to put that off as long as possible.”

“I’d never guess,” Dana said dryly. The going was tough with the thick underbrush. It didn’t help that there were no animals to eat it, and it looked like dead briars and brambles weren’t rotting, either. She practically needed an ax to force her way forward. Casually, she asked, “Jayden?”

“Yes?”

“Do you think the man behind that tree is trying to hide from us?”

He glanced to their right. “The one behind the oak?”

“Yes, him.”

“I imagine so. It would be impolite to ask, but then I’ve never been accused of being good mannered. Hello!”

The raggedy man broke from cover and ran for the road. Now that he was in the clear, he looked like an escaped slave or prisoner. His long brown hair was tangled, his clothes torn and dirty, and he had fresh bruises. Jayden walked after him at a leisurely rate while speaking arcane words that formed a black whip in his hand. He swung it and the whip stretched wildly until it reached ahead of the fleeing man. The whip burned through the underbrush, hacking through curling trees and twisted brambles, finally cutting through an oak. The man skidded to a halt in front of the shredded plant life.

“I see you like a captive audience,” the man said in a polite tone. He held up his shackled hands and rattled the chains running between his wrists.

Jayden and Dana walked over to the man while the whip retracted and disappeared. Smiling, Jayden said, “Now then, what’s a fine looking gentleman like yourself doing on a lonely road?”

The stranger smiled back. “Trying not to die. It’s a full time job as of late. I suppose introductions are in order. I’m—”

Dana marched up to the man and poked him in the chest. “You’re Jeremy Galfont, the grave robber! My father has a wanted poster with your picture. You’ve desecrated graves across the kingdom!”

“I, madam, am an asset recovery specialist,” Galfont replied. “In my defense, the wanted posters got my bad side. I’m quite handsome when I’m allowed to shave, bathe and eat regular meals.”

Jayden cast another spell, forming a sword of utter blackness edged in white light. He pointed it at Galfont’s throat, making the man sweat. “That answers one question and demands another. You look like someone whose past caught up with him, but we found you on the road with no guards or men chasing you. Care to explain your situation?”

“Certainly, but would you mind pointing that sword somewhere else? It makes me nervous.” Jayden answered Galfont’s request by lowering his blade from the grave robber’s throat to hover between his legs. “That’s not much of an improvement.”

“It wasn’t meant to be. Answer my question.”

Galfont gulped before he began. “I’d like to start by saying this isn’t my fault. The lady’s description of me leaves a lot to be desired. I recover riches that would otherwise be of use to no one and reintroduce them into the economy.”

“You rob graves!” Dana yelled.

Galfont rolled his eyes. “Must you put a negative spin on it? My profession requires patience and skill. I do hours of research to learn which graves have valuables to recover. I’ve never hurt a man nor beast, and I always spread the wealth.”

“Jayden, can I hit him?”

“If his story doesn’t progress, then yes.”

The grave robber sighed. “No one appreciates the hardships I go through. Three months ago, I was spending hard earned coins in a tavern when a very polite young man came to my table. He said he was interested in hiring me. Despite the young lady’s poor opinion of me, I don’t hire to anyone. Employers either want the profits of my hard work, or they want me to do something dangerous and repugnant.”

“Like rob graves?” she asked.

“If I may continue,” Galfont asked peevishly. “The man knew a lot about me, never a good sign in my line of work, and promised a reward for my services. I thanked him for his offer, threw my drink in his face and ran out the back…where I found a number of men with swords. I was arrested and told my reward would be keeping my head and neck close friends. My work was to help dig up a treasure in an ancient ruin.”

“The stone tower north of here?” Jayden asked.

“The same. I was taken there with eighty mercenaries, men without any sense of humor, I might add. I work best alone, but they insisted on staying with me night and day. We spent months digging and sifting through the ruins. I told them it was pointless! It was clear to any with eyes that these were elf ruins, and elves don’t bury their dead with anything, not even clothes.”

Dana tried to imagine that and blushed. “That must make for awkward funerals.”

“Closed caskets are required,” Galfont told her. “The ruins were trapped with magic wards, old and very powerful ones. I got around them with one part skill, one part experience and eight parts blind luck, but early yesterday morning I found a hidden room in the tower containing a silvery box three inches across. My captors recognized it and were very pleased to get it.”

Jayden lowered the sword and pressed closer. “This is very important. Did they identify it?”

Galfont shrugged. “They called it Vali-something or other. I’d never heard the word before.”

“Validendum?” Jayden asked.

“No. It was harsher sounding than that.”

“Valivaxis?”

The grave robber snapped his fingers. “That’s it! Wait, you knew the word. Oh dear, that’s not good for me, is it?”

“It’s not good for anyone. How did you escape?”

“I was tied up and thrown into a wagon while the mercenaries broke down their camp. They’d only just started when there was a terrible scream. Something, and I’m glad to say I don’t know what, attacked their camp. I heard its death cry, a ghastly sound, and I heard them pile wood on the body and burn it. I gather they lost a lot of men. They got back to breaking down their camp and were ready to leave. This time I saw one of the men carry the Valivaxis. It got all glowy, and a shiny door opened in front of him. This, I’m sorry, I can’t describe it without using the word ‘thing’, came out and attacked. I broke free and ran.”

Frightened, Dana asked, “What happened to the men?”

“Some tried to fight and others fled. The ones who ran lasted longer. I know a few of them got away because I heard them stumbling around in the dark the same as me. There was a terrible screaming sound, so I think the second monster was killed.”

“We’re in trouble,” Dana said.

“We are, as is the town of Jumil and everyone else within five hundred miles,” Jayden said. “We have to close the Valivaxis before anything else escapes from it.”

“I doubt I’d be much use in my current condition,” Galfont said. He wasn’t lying. The man was unarmed and had obviously suffered during his incarceration. He held up his shackled hands and said, “I feel I’ve been of some use in this matter. Might I be so bold as to ask for payment, kind sir?”

Jayden cut through the shackles with his sword and allowed the black blade to vanish. The grave robber bowed, and before leaving said, “I’d tip my hat if I had one. Wizard though you are, sir, I’ll wish you luck, because magic alone won’t be enough.”

“Wait, you’re letting him go?” Dana demanded.

“We can’t turn him in for the bounty money given my own wanted status, nor would I want to considering the tortures he would receive. That means we either kill him or let him go, and I choose mercy when possible.”

Galfont made a hasty exit while Jayden walked onto the road and headed for the stone tower. Dana followed him and asked, “Jayden, what is this thing?”

“I’d read about the Valivaxis long ago. It dates to the Ancient Elf Empire, one of the many magic artifacts that survived its collapse. Its more common name is The Idiot’s Graveyard.”

“A grave for idiots? It must be full to overflowing.”

Jayden smirked. “The name refers to the royalty buried there. In elven society it’s considered a heavy blow for an enemy to desecrate the graves of your ancestors. Elven emperors were very worried about the loss of face they’d suffer if their dead were disinterred. They built the Valivaxis, a gate to an inhospitable world where they placed their dead.”

Puzzled, Dana asked, “Why is it called The Idiot’s Graveyard if that’s where they put their leaders?”

“The elves never got over the fall of their empire. They had to blame someone, and the emperors were a popular choice.”

Dana snapped her fingers. “The monsters that attacked the mercenaries came from the Valivaxis. They were meant to defend it, weren’t they?”

“This is why I like traveling with you, Dana. Yes, the ancient elves knew if someone stole the Valivaxis they could use it to dig up the former emperors. As a further safeguard, they stocked it with their wizards’ failed experiments, monsters created with powerful magic and too unstable to control. Elf wizards placed those abominations in a magical slumber, neither moving nor aging, wakening only if triggered to be a final guard against attack. Opening the Valivaxis is easy, but there is a specific way to do it to avoid waking its foul defenders. The mercenaries did it wrong and paid with their lives.

“And it remains open. The Valivaxis has only been opened once before, releasing monsters twice a day until it was correctly sealed. That one horrible mistake cost the lives of many good people before it was closed, however that was done. Now that it’s open again, it will continue releasing its guardians, horrors created by an ancient and debased people, and they will attack any and all they meet.”

Worried, she asked, “How many monsters are in there?”

“No one knows, and I’d rather not find out.”

Dana jogged in front of Jayden and asked, “But why would the king and queen send men to find it? What good are graves with no treasure and monsters no one can control?”

Jayden scowled. She knew him well enough to know he wasn’t mad at her asking the question, but instead at the answer he’d have to give. “There are two equally disturbing possibilities. The first is they didn’t know that the emperors were buried without even the clothes on their backs and hoped there were riches to recover. Vulgar as that is, I wouldn’t put it past them.”

“And the second?”

Jayden stopped walking, seething in anger. “They knew there is no treasure and want the monsters. Such an uncontrollable force can be a benefit depending on where they are released. Suppose a spy working for the king snuck into an enemy country with the Valivaxis and opened it. The monsters would attack the first people they met, sowing destruction and discord, costing countless lives. The royal couple could then send in their armies to finish off whoever survived and claim land now conveniently devoid of people.”

Dana felt a cold, empty feeling in her stomach at the thought. “They wouldn’t be blamed for it, either. No one could link them to the monsters.”

“I don’t know how they discovered the location of the Valivaxis. Perhaps they found some ancient texts describing where it last was, or they hired a wizard or seer to locate it. Once they knew the location, they seized Galfont to help recover it without heavy loss of life. It was a brilliant if revolting plan that would have worked, except one of their men must have accidentally opened it. And now we have to close it if we’re to save Jumil and all the towns nearby.”

* * * * *

Jayden and Dana spent the rest of the trip in silence. Dana was terrified of what they’d find. Two monsters had been freed from the Valivaxis and then destroyed, but eighty men had died to do it. She’d been worried how Jayden could fight so many mercenaries, but how could he defeat monsters that were able to win such a fight? Jayden, confident as ever, marched to a battle he might not win.

The land became ever more desolate as they progressed. The soil was rocky, so much so that boulders jutted up from the ground. Thin soil supported few plants, and even those were thin and sickly. By and by the road grew steeper until it took a lot of effort to climb up. Eventually the road leveled out and brought them to the ruins.

“I was wondering how a flood could destroy an entire ruin,” Dana said.

“This would do the job,” Jayden agreed.

The stone tower was on the very edge of a gorge going sixty feet down to a dry, rocky riverbed far below. Stone tile roads led to the edge of the gorge, showing where the rest of the ruins had been. Some long distant flood had weakened the ground so much that it had gone down the gorge as a rockslide, taking with it whatever buildings and roads had survived until that time. Now only a stone tower fifty feet tall and twenty feet across remained alongside freshly dug pits.

There were new additions to the ruins courtesy of the mercenaries. Flattened canvas tents littered the ground next to crushed wagons, smashed crates and broken wood barrels. Snapped spears and bent swords were scattered about. There were charred remains of two bonfires, one cold and the other smoldered with glowing embers. Dana spotted a ribcage three feet across in the older fire, and a mound of large, blackened vertebra in the second. Here and there some of the mercenaries’ property survived by luck or good planning. The pits still had intact digging tools in them, as if the owners would soon be back.

And there were bodies. Most had been placed in the pits and covered with a thin layer of soil. A few remained above ground. They’d suffered serious wounds, many crushed to death as if a great weight had fallen upon them.

“I’ve no love for mercenaries, but no one deserved this,” Jayden said as he walked along the edge of the pits.

Dana shied away from the fallen men. “I’d heard from my father that some of them had come from as far away as Skitherin Kingdom. Imagine traveling so far just to die.”

Jayden pulled open a destroyed tent and searched through it. “We have to work fast. The Valivaxis could open again at any time.”

Dana picked a spot far from the dead mercenaries and looked for the silvery box. “The grave robber said some mercenaries escaped. How long until they bring reinforcements?”

“The closest towns have small garrisons, too few to help.” Jayden found a pouch of coins and tossed it aside. “Gold. Any other day that would be a worthy find. Nearby town militias are too poorly trained to be of much use. Surviving mercenaries will have to travel for days to reach the nearest town big enough to offer help, then spend days further bringing them here. This assumes they don’t simply flee the kingdom after such a loss. No, we don’t have to worry about mercenaries in the near future.”

More searching turned up a host of loot. There were coins, rings, weapons, some armor and plenty of tools. Dana might be a mayor’s daughter, but her family was still of modest means. A pile of valuables like this would be worth a fortune to the poor people back home. But no matter how hard she looked she didn’t find anything resembling the Valivaxis.

Dana found a handsome blue cloak and bundled treasure into it. It bothered her to take things off a battlefield, and made her wonder if there was really a difference between this and what Galfont the grave robber did. True, he disturbed graves and left families of the dead traumatized, while she was taking what was freely available for any who walked by. She could live with the distinction.

“Some of these silver coins are tarnished black,” Dana observed. “I think the mercenaries found them while digging for the real treasure.”

“I’ve come across other antiquities,” Jayden told her. “There’s nothing of great value and no magic, but it’s still more than I expected. I’d thought all the remnants of the Elf Empire were long since looted.”

“How long do we have until the Valivaxis opens?” she asked.

Jayden overturned a damaged wagon and sifted through its contents. “The legends said it opened twice a day when activated.”

That news made Dana stop working and stand up. “Galfont said two monsters already came out, and that was yesterday.”

“Which means either another one has already been set loose or will be so soon. Keep looking.”

Dana searched with a renewed vigor. They had to find the Valivaxis for their own sake and for the people in Jumil. She could only imagine what would happen if a monster tough enough to fight a company of infantrymen attacked such a small town. It would be terrible!

Wait, what was that glittering in the bottom of one of the pits? Dana had missed it earlier because there was a body in it and she hadn’t wanted to touch it. Gingerly she climbed down and shifted the dead man aside. “Jayden, this might be it.”

Jayden ran over and climbed down beside her. The Valivaxis was in the hands of a younger man once handsome to behold and dressed like an officer. “This must be the man who arrested Galfont. He found his prize and paid for it.”

“Can you close it?” she asked.

Jayden took the silvery box and studied it. “The good news is it’s safe to touch. Once opened, the Valivaxis has no further defenses. The bad news is it will remain dangerous until closed, which I don’t know how to do.”

“Bad news seems to understate the problem.”

Dana and Jayden left the pit and sat down. Jayden touched a small panel on the Valivaxis and slid it over. “It’s a puzzle box. Arranging the panels in the right pattern will close the gateway to the other world.”

Jayden slid panels across the box from one position to another. Somehow the panels could move from one side of the box to another without coming off. Dana saw two panels together form a word in elven, but Jayden separated them and moved them into new positions.

“There is a pattern to it,” he said. “The dragons represent years, months and days, while the words list specific elf emperors. I believe the dates match important events for the emperors, birth, death or coronation. The problem is many of these dates don’t correspond to any of the three.”

This was far outside Dana’s training or experience. She left him to the box and kept an eye on their surroundings. After all, Jayden might be wrong about the mercenaries leaving. Survivors could return to reclaim their prize if they were scared to come back without it. There could also be a monster about, whether from the Valivaxis or one native to the kingdom.

“Why do you think people living nearby heard noises?” she asked. “I mean, the box was sealed and the monsters were asleep.”

“Sleepers stir in the night, and no door is ever entirely closed,” he replied. “Those noises might have been what alerted the king and queen to the presence of the Valivaxis in their land. Let’s see, slide this one here…no, that’s not right. Emperor Clastisin wasn’t born for another century.”

It had taken most of the day to get here, and even summer’s long days had to end. The sun began to set and clouds turned a lovely shade of orange. Dana rummaged through the destroyed camp and found food and water. She was eating a late dinner when she saw a glint far down the road.

“Someone’s coming.”

Jayden’s attention remained on the Valivaxis. “Tell them to wait, or better yet to leave. When was Emperor Laskimaxil born?”

The last rays of light struck the approaching figure. As it neared, Dana could make out a man wearing a suit of silver plate armor set with jade panels, easily the gaudiest armor she’d ever seen. As the man neared, she noticed elaborate etchings on the jade. The knight was unarmed and moved without haste.

“Someone weird is coming,” she warned.

Still looking at the Valivaxis, Jayden asked, “How weird?”

“His armor has jade on it.”

Jayden set down the Valivaxis and stood up. Studying the approaching knight, he said, “That is a strange suit of armor. It looks ceremonial with the jade. Wait, elves favor green jade above all other precious stones. They call them eternal leaves.”

The jade knight reached the edge of the ruins and destroyed mercenary camp. He stopped walking well away from Jayden and Dana but stood facing them. A sour, acidic smell permeated the air.

“Name yourself,” Jayden called out.

The jade knight answered with a shriek no man or animal could make. His shoulders shifted forward, and a sickening cracking sound rang out. Eight oozing green tentacles sprouted from his back and stretched out thirty feet to grab intact swords and spears. Armed, the hideous knight advanced on them.

“The Valivaxis must have released this abomination before we arrived,” Jayden said. He backed up and cast a spell to form his black magic whip. “Get behind me, and whatever you do, don’t let it touch you.”

Slime dripped from the jade knight’s back as he walked into battle. Dana ran to the left, and from there saw a crack running down the horrible creature’s armored back. Those tentacles sprouted from the crack, and inside it she saw what looked like pulsating organs.

“I’m not trying to enter the Valivaxis,” Jayden told it. “I’m trying to close the gate. You can help me do it. We can close the doors and keep the emperors’ graves safe. Do you understand?”

“Burning, changing, twisting, winding,” it hissed, and swung three swords at Jayden. Two blades came from the right and one from the left. He ducked two swords and struck the third with his whip. The whip burned through the sword and cut off the tip of a tentacle. The jade knight howled and backed up, but only for a few seconds. It grabbed a shovel with the disarmed tentacle and attacked again.

“I’m not your enemy!” Jayden shouted.

“Twisting words, bending thoughts, burning minds, winding ways.” The jade knight was totally mad, its mind as warped as its body. It pressed the attack with swords and shovel coming straight down. Jayden ran from it and swung his whip again. This time he caught a tentacle and the whip wrapped around it. There was a hiss as the whip burned through the tentacle. The jade knight howled again, but didn’t flee. Instead it ran at Jayden and swung its remaining weapons with wild abandon.

Jayden took cover behind a damaged wagon while the hideous knight dropped down on all fours and scuttled around it. More cracks appeared on its armor, this time on the legs and arms, and still more tentacles stretched out. It lunged at him, swinging a host of weapons, and Jayden barely dodged the attacks. He cut a spear in half and leaped over a sword aimed at his ankles. Jayden lopped off another tentacle, forcing the jade knight back. It dropped its weapons and grabbed the damaged wagon with its tentacles, then lifted it up and threw it at Jayden. He hacked the wagon in half, and ducked when the jade knight jumped fifteen feet and sailed inches over his head.

Quite by accident, that jump brought it close to Dana.

“Run!” Jayden ordered.

Dana grabbed a shovel, the only weapon at hand, and headed for the tower. The jade knight scuttled after her, its arms and legs splayed out like a lizard’s. Its tentacles swung at her and she swatted one aside with the shovel. When another grabbed her around the waist, she drew her knife and slashed it. The tentacle spurted yellow ichor and let go.

Jayden caught up and stabbed the jade knight in the leg. Black sword met shining armor, and the magic blade pierced deep. The jade knight howled and ran off fifty feet.

“Pay attention to the man with the sword!” he yelled at it.

The jade knight gibbered and howled, a frightening mix of random words and animal noises. Its tentacles grabbed tent poles, shovels, picks, anything it could use as a weapon, and it charged Jayden again. He ran to the left and it followed, leaving Dana safe for the moment.

This would be a good time to run for her life, but that wasn’t an option when this abomination was faster and tougher than she was. If it beat Jayden, it could come after her and there was little she could do to stop it. She took a step closer to the stone tower, wondering if there was anything in it that might help. That thought ended when her right foot got so hot she jumped back and cried out in surprise. She looked down to see that she’d stepped into the remnants of the second bonfire. Her leather boot was blackened where it had touched the still hot embers.

Thinking fast, Dana scooped up red-hot embers with her shovel. The jade knight had its back to her while it was fighting Jayden, and she saw those wide openings in its armor where the tentacles emerged. She ran after it, and just as it was attacking Jayden she threw the shovel’s contents straight into the hole in its back where those freakish tentacles sprouted.

The jade knight screamed a high-pitched screech of agony. It threw its weapons aside and flailed about, knocking Dana to the ground. It clawed at its back, trying to dig out the embers burning it from the inside. Jayden rushed in and drove his sword through the panicked beast’s chest, impaling it and lifting it off its feet. The magic blade winked out, and he let the jade knight drop to the ground. It twitched and squirmed for a few moments, then became still.

Jayden ran over and helped Dana up. “Are you hurt?”

“Bruised, but I’ll live.” She stared at the abomination shaped like a man. It was dead, a blessing, but many more could soon arrive. Even now it disgusted her in the way it parodied a knight yet had those awful tentacles growing from its body…growing longer. “Jayden, the tentacles you cut off, they’re healing! It’s getting better!”

The jade knight stirred. Its wounds began to seal shut, and it tried to get up. It got on its hands and knees before falling back to the ground. Dana realized now why the mercenaries had burned the other two monsters. Hard as it was to hurt them, they could recover if they fell in battle and had to be completely destroyed.

Jayden pressed his hands together and began chanting. The jade knight hissed and sat up. Its tentacles slithered about until they found idle weapons to grab. A tiny spark formed within Jayden’s hands and he continued chanting. The jade knight struggled to its feet just as Jayden finished his spell. The spark flew off and slipped inside the monster’s armored body through the crack in its back.

“Get in the pit!” he shouted. Dana jumped into the nearest pit and Jayden leapt down beside her.

BOOM!

The spark expanded into a fireball twenty feet across. When the flames subsided, Dana got up and saw that the jade knight had been consumed by the blast. Only shattered bits of jade and melted scraps of armor remained. Nearby tents and wagons were burning, as were some weapons.

“That’s a new one,” Dana said as she climbed out of the pit.

“It’s actually the first spell I learned,” he replied. He followed her and leaned against a broken wagon, this one not on fire. “I don’t use it often because it takes so long to cast. Enemies are rarely obliging enough to let me complete it.”

Something glowed to their right. Dana and Jayden turned to see the Valivaxis shine and its many panels slide about.

Dana stared at it. “You have got to be kidding me.”

A glowing door appeared ten feet in front of the Valivaxis. Dry, cold air spilled out of the opening, and they heard a multitude of growls. The magic door was only four feet across, but it widened as some new horror pressed forward.

“Can you close it?” Dana asked.

Jayden ran over and snatched the Valivaxis off the ground. He slid the silver panels on the little box, but the moment he took his fingers off the panels they immediately started moving again. “No! We’ve got another one to deal with, and soon!”

Countless clawed hands grasped the edges of the magic door. At first Dana thought it was a large number of monsters coming through at once, but as the slavering green horror kept pushing forward, she realized there was only one creature. The dozens of green, slimy, wide jawed monsters were connected, with limbs fused together to make a single abomination. The many heads had no eyes, only gaping mouths, yet they turned to face Jayden and Dana.

Jayden threw down the Valivaxis and remade his black whip. To Dana’s surprise, the magic door moved when he dropped the silvery box. She shouted, “The door is linked to the Valivaxis! It goes where the box does!”

“What?”

There wasn’t time to explain. Dana grabbed the Valivaxis and ran for the gorge. As she ran the magic doorway moved with her, carrying the monster along. The monster kept coming out, more and more horrible bodies like an entire crowd. She didn’t know exactly how big it was, but it kept crawling out of the magic door. She’d nearly reached the gorge’s edge when the monster figured out what she was doing. It grabbed at rocks and ruined wagons, trying to stop. Jayden struck it with his whip and it let go, allowing Dana to keep running until she was at the edge of the gorge, and the magic door was ten feet over the lip.

The monster tried to pull back into the magic door, but there was too much of it through already, and it fell screaming to its death.

Jayden looked down at the creature at the bottom of the dry riverbed below. “Dana Illwind, you are without a doubt my favorite person in the world.”

* * * * *

A full day had passed since their battle, yet Dana and Jayden had not left the ruins. Dana had gathered up a respectable pile of treasure while Jayden had covered every square inch of dirt with formulas and math equations. He’d spent the entire night and all of today trying to find the right combination of panels to seal the Valivaxis. He wiped a patch of dirt clean and scratched new numbers on it, and then scowled.

“Any luck?” Dana asked.

“That depends on your definition of luck. I have three configurations that might close the Valivaxis. The problem is there’s no way to know which one will work until it tries to open again.”

She walked alongside him and frowned. “What do we do when we close it?”

“Take a boat three days out to sea and throw the Valivaxis overboard. I see no alternative.”

“How soon until it opens again?”

“Two or three minutes, assuming this configuration is wrong.” He stood up and stretched his arms. “We’re running out of time. We have to be long gone before the king’s men come. Still, this is the best place to close the door without endangering others.”

Dana looked over the edge of the gorge and two ash piles at the bottom. Jayden had cremated the first monster Dana had dumped over the gorge, and then the next one that had appeared around breakfast time and plummeted to its doom. Would the Valivaxis open again and another monster fall to its death? They’d know soon enough.

The sun began to set, and to Dana and Jayden’s frustration the Valivaxis started glowing. But this time something was different. The panels didn’t move across the box and a magic door didn’t form. The glow came from one side of the box and then another, as if it was searching for a way out. Finding none, the light died away and the Valivaxis fell silent, releasing no new walking atrocity upon the world.

Jayden gingerly picked up the Valixavis and wrapped it in a cloak once owned by a mercenary, then stowed it in a backpack with treasure he’d found in the camp. “Come, Dana, let’s be on our way. We dare not stay longer when the king’s forces could soon arrive. I’d tell you this is over, except our lives are in danger until The Idiot’s Graveyard is safely hidden where none can ever find it.”

“Whoever put it in the tower thought it was safely hidden,” Dana said, highlighting how hard their task would be. She followed him from the camp with all the loot she could carry. “Life’s never dull around you, Jayden. It might be short, but never dull.”

This story was originally intended for the Tales of Ever After anthology by Fellowship of Fantasy. It's divided into two parts because it runs a tad long, which is why it didn't end up in the anthology. I hope you enjoy it, and part 2 will be coming soon.


“You said the Walking Graveyard was dead,” Dana said as she scraped mud and bone shards off her boots. “You promised.”

“I thought it was,” Jayden replied. The Sorcerer Lord dunked his head in a nearby stream to wash his long, blond, messy hair clean. Most of the mud came out, but he had to scrub hard to remove the last few bits of soil. “The first time we fought the blasted thing I hacked it to pieces and dropped a stone tower on it. You’ll forgive me if I thought that was enough.”

Dana pointed at the foul remnants of the Walking Graveyard. The trail they were on ran through an idyllic pasture with blooming wildflowers filling the air with their perfume. An otherwise gorgeous scene was ruined by three tons of mud, bone fragments and shattered tombstones spread across the trail. “It followed us across the kingdom.”

“I normally admire tenacity, but not in this case.” Jayden waved for her to get off the trail. “Perhaps this can put the monster to rest for good. Cover your ears.”

Dana walked away while Jayden chanted. Dana was a girl of fifteen with brown hair and brown eyes. She wore a dress that had been dirty before the recent battle and now was in desperate need of cleaning, along with leather boots that came up to her knees. Dana was armed with a dagger and carried a backpack and sack loaded with coins, jewelry and other minor valuables.

Not long ago, Dana had been a simple farm girl, her father the mayor of a small frontier town. A terrible monster had menaced her town, and in desperation she’d reached out to Jayden, the world’s only Sorcerer Lord. He’d helped, but it was clear Jayden was deeply troubled. There was no telling what he might do if left alone, so she’d joined him to steer him from self destructive behavior, like attacking the king and queen of their kingdom.

The chanting grew louder as Jayden continued his spell. He was handsome and charming, and dressed in outlandish black and silver clothes. He carried no weapons, but his magic made him equal to nearly any foe. Jayden carried his own backpack loaded with treasure, rewards from their missions together. Most men would rest and celebrate after acquiring such riches, but money was of little interest to Jayden. He wanted the king and queen overthrown. Nothing less would do.

A spark formed in Jayden’s hands and flew to the defeated monster. This was the second time they’d fought the Walking Graveyard, a horror of mud, stone and bone, and apparently possessing enough of a mind to take offense at their earlier victory to track them down for a rematch. It might be dead this time, but Jayden wasn’t taking chances. The spark reached the Walking Graveyard and detonated into a white-hot blast of fire that cremated and scattered the monster’s body.

“That better be enough, for its sake as well as ours,” Jayden said. “I’ve better things to do than relive old victories, and as odious as that monster was, I’ve no desire to see it suffer needlessly.”

“And we don’t want it following us into a city,” Dana added.

“That wouldn’t do. We should reach our goal before lunchtime, and I don’t want to place people in danger because of me.”

With that done Dana and Jayden resumed their journey. They were on the western edge of the kingdom and close to the sea. Dana could already smell salt water, and the ground was a mix of dirt and sand.

“Admittedly there’s a certain mayor I’d like to introduce the Walking Graveyard to,” Jayden said casually.

Dana rolled her eyes. “Not this again. We were in the town of Rustile less than half a day. Let it go.”

“Their mayor is a pompous, overbearing halfwit who thinks blind loyalty is a virtue,” Jayden replied. “It’s fools mindlessly obeying orders that make this kingdom a dystopian nightmare. No critical thinking, no mercy, no faith, only slavish obedience to those who put him in power and keep him there.”

Dana shrugged. “At least he was honest about who he is.”

“How is that to his credit?”

“He didn’t hide his beliefs like some people. Being a lying two-faced weasel would be worse. Haven’t you ever heard people say just be yourself?”

That stopped Jayden in his tracks. “That’s terrible advice! What if a man was a drunken, illiterate bigot? Being himself would be the last thing anyone around him would want.”

“Fine, so what should you do?”

“Be better,” Jayden said as he resumed walking. “Be superior to who you were the day before, the week before, the year before. Learn, grow, improve, and never stop, because the day will come when people need you to be better for their sake and your own.”

This was typical of Jayden. He was judgmental and didn’t tolerate flaws in others. When villains committed terrible deeds, Jayden’s fury was terrible, and it lasted. It might take months for his ire to die down.

Jayden also had a thin skin when it came to the royal family, and anyone actively supporting them was a valid target for his temper. The major of Rustile learned that the hard way when he received orders to obtain pastures for the king and queen’s horses to graze on. The mayor tried to follow the order by evicting farmers from their land, which would have worked except Dana and Jayden had been passing through Rustile at the time. Jayden had no trouble scattering the mayor’s bullyboys, and followed that up by first looting and then torching the mayor’s house.

“We’ve reached our destination,” Jayden told her. He pointed to a city at the end of the road, a sprawling mix of wood and stone buildings that hugged the coast. “I came here once and was impressed by the number of ships in the harbor. There may be fewer today, but I trust we can hire one to take us out to sea.”

Dana looked at Jayden’s backpack, which contained a small silvery box called the Valivaxis. It could create a gateway to another world, except the only things on that world were dead elf emperors and living monsters that made wyverns and chimera seem tame in comparison. “What do we do with you-know-what once we get there?”

“Throw it overboard far from shore, where no one can ever find it,” Jayden replied. “It’s a pity given how rare the Valivaxis is, but I don’t feel we could find a safe place for it or person to entrust it to.”

They walked for hours more, but to Dana’s surprise they saw no houses or farms, just small pine trees. There were ruins, burned or rotted away, but few signs of men. “Where is everyone?”

“The soil is poor and supports few crops,” he explained. “There are lumberjacks in the countryside, but most of the wealth comes from fishing.”

As they reached the city’s outskirts, Dana asked, “What’s this place called?”

“Welcome to Fish Bait City, once the richest city in the kingdom,” Jayden said dramatically.

“You can’t be serious,” Dana told him.

“Obviously it’s glory days are behind it,” Jayden admitted. Rats scurried down alleys strewn with garbage. Most shops were closed forever rather than for the day, their doors and windows boarded over. Brick buildings were common and somehow decaying, with crumbling bricks and many holes. The few citizens on the street wore patched clothes that should have been thrown out. Topping off an incredibly bleak picture, the salty sea air stank from rotting fish.

“I mean you’re kidding about the name, right?”

“Shockingly, no. It was once the hamlet of Fish Bait, grew to be the town of Fish Bait, and with the coming of trade routes bloomed into the city of Fish Bait.” Jayden saw her disbelieving expression and added, “It’s considered bad luck to change a settlement’s name, no matter how silly. People believe renaming a town or city risks offending the dead buried there and drawing their wrath.”

“Has that ever happened?”

Jayden shrugged. “Twice that I know of. Both events were overblown.”

Dana stepped over a pothole as deep as a cooking pot. “What happened here?”

“It’s the king and queen’s doing.” Jayden led her through the streets, where they drew little attention from passing men. “Fish Bait City had the good fortune to avoid the worst of the fighting during the civil war. Unfortunately, the conflict that devastated the rest of the kingdom left the treasury empty. Existing taxes were raised, new taxes were made, and old forgotten taxes dug up from the grave and pressed into service. Government officials robbed merchants blind, and in time the merchants stopped coming.”

Dana rolled her eyes. “The civil war was twenty years ago.”

Jayden gave her a lopsided grin. “Taxes often outlive what they were meant to pay for. Three hundred years ago there was a wine tax to fund a war against a league of necromancers. The war lasted two years and the tax is still with us.”

They traveled through the edges of Fish Bait City until they reached a large harbor. Five medium sized fishing boats were docked alongside many rowboats. There were two larger merchant ships missing their sails and masts. Fishermen and laborers were present in small numbers.

“Grim as the city is, it has one thing we need above all else: boats,” Jayden said. More softly, he added, “It shouldn’t be expensive to hire one for a few days and take our most unwelcome guest out to sea. Make arrangements for our stay. I need to have a potter cover the Valivaxis in clay and bake it into a brick to better contain it.”

“Don’t you think I should be doing that?” she asked. He looked at her curiously, and she pointed at his gaudy clothes. “We’re not in the wilderness or a small town anymore. Which one of us is going to draw less attention from the authorities?”

“I’m sure they’ll notice me.” Jayden grinned and added, “I’m equally sure there’s nothing they can do about my presence.”

With that Jayden left her alone in the city. This was the first time Dana had visited a city, even a decrepit one, and the experience was overwhelming. Countless streets ran in every direction, brick buildings loomed over her, and nothing could prepare her for the smell. The ocean lent a pleasant odor to the air, but it couldn’t compete with the stench of manure, unwashed bodies, rotting fish and boiling tar. That last vulgar smell came from fishermen coating the hulls of their boats with tar to prevent rot.

If the city was unpleasant, the people were worse. The few men on the roads refused to make eye contact. Dana’s friendly greetings went unanswered as if she didn’t exist. When she hesitated at a crossroad, an older woman sweeping out her house spoke.

“You stay indoors tonight, young lady,” the woman said. She didn’t look up, just kept sweeping. “A fog is coming. Feel it in my bones.”

“Uh, thanks,” Dana replied. That was weird. She was going to chalk up the encounter to the woman being a touch off in the head, but nearby people nodded in agreement.

“Sorry about that,” a young man said. Dana stopped and looked at him, surprised that someone was talking to her. The youth had black hair and brown eyes, and the muscular build of someone used to hard work. He wore simple leather clothes, and more importantly he carried a spear. “It takes these people a long time to warm up to you. They wouldn’t even look at me for four months.”

“Weapons can have that effect.” Dana had a natural aversion to armed men and tried to slip around him, but the man followed her. He shifted his spear to his left hand and reached out with his right.

“Chuck Lowroad, at your service. I’ve never seen you before.”

Dana adjusted her baggage to shake his hand. “Dana Illwind. I’m new in town, Mr. Lowroad. My friend and I are only staying for a short time. Um, is there a reason why you’re armed?”

Chuck laughed. “I’m not anyone’s mister. Call me Chuck. I’m with the militia. I know, I don’t look like the soldier type. I was two weeks off the farm, looking to find my place in the world, when a pressgang gave me a job, a spear and two weeks training that revolved around where to find the best ale in Fish Bait.”

Puzzled, she asked, “How does that help you protect a city?”

“It doesn’t, especially since I can’t afford a drink. The city is six months behind in paying the militia and only sort of feeds us. I’ll be rich if I ever get my back wages. Say, I can’t get you a drink, for obvious reasons, but maybe I can do you a good turn. You’re new here so let me help. I know places in the city you might like to visit and a few you’ll want to avoid.”

Dana had met her fair share of helpful young men, and she’d learned that most of them were too romantic for their own good (or hers). Chuck looked nice, but she’d rather not trust her luck. “I wouldn’t want you to get in trouble with your boss.”

Chuck nodded to a drunken man slouched down in a chair outside a tavern. “Leo, I’m skipping duty.”

“Bring back booze,” Leo called back.

“See, problem solved,” Chuck told her.

Dana stared at him. “Your baron is okay with this?”

“Weapons won’t solve the problems in Fish Bait City. We don’t even have crime since there’s nothing to steal. To be honest, half this job is knowing when to tell the baron we followed orders when we didn’t. You wouldn’t believe how vindictive he is. Let’s find a better topic of conversation. Do you have family here, or are you getting away from them?”

She edged away from Chuck. “This is getting personal.”

Chuck laughed. “Oh come on! Listen, people say I have a good eye for details. Let me guess your past. With those clothes you’re fresh off the farm. You’d doing okay for yourself with so much baggage. And you look confident, which is rare around here, so you’ve got an ace up your sleeve. Am I right?”

Indigent, she demanded, “What’s wrong with my clothes?”

Still slouched in his chair, Leo called out, “Talking like that’s going to get you kneed where it hurts, Chuck.”

“I’m just trying to be helpful,” Chuck protested.

“You want to be helpful?” Dana asked. “I need an inn room for the night. Point me to a good one and I’ll let that ‘fresh off the farm’ comment go.”

“It wasn’t an insult!” Chuck sighed and said, “I’ll take you to the best in Fish Bait City. It’s not what it used to be, but the food’s good and the doors have locks.”

As Chuck led Dana away, Leo said, “Don’t get mad at him, girly. He’s not evil, just dumb.”

The tour through Fish Bait was far from scenic. Streets swarmed with beggars and orphans. The stench had been bad at the city’s edge, and as they walked it actually got worse. Dana had grown up in a small town and was no stranger to farm life and the smells that entailed, but the city’s rancid odor was appalling.

Dana put a hand over her nose when she saw men leave buckets of fish entrails in an alley. “What are they doing?”

Chuck shrugged. “Fed goblins cause less trouble than hungry ones.”

Dozens of goblins scampered through the shadows, and some stopped to eat from the buckets. They were two to four feet tall and had skin colors ranging from red to gray to green. No two goblins looked alike, some having webbed fingers, pointed ears, stunted wings on their backs, sharp teeth, and one had a third arm. They dressed in rags and were armed with clubs and slings. Filthy goblins babbled and hooted as they made mischief and set traps for anyone foolish enough to follow them into the alleys.

“This is disgusting,” Dana said.

“Don’t you have goblins where you come from?”

She frowned and said, “Not this many. They sneak into town to eat table scraps before we can feed them to our chickens. Sometimes they set traps like making outhouses tip over when you use them. I once threatened to give my little brother to the goblins when he was naughty. He asked if I could help him pack. I know goblins aren’t that bad, but there are so many of them here!”

“Yeah, it’s hard to deal with,” Chuck admitted. “If you get too many goblins together they can work some kind of magic. Some old coot said goblins are so stupid and crazy that too many of them close together can warp space. I thought he was joking, right until I found myself flying into the ocean when I chased a goblin.”

“How can that be?” Dana asked. No sooner had the words left her mouth then the air began to ripple and smell musty. Her skin tingled, and live eels appeared from nowhere to rain down on her. She covered her head as goblins laughed and an old woman gathered up the eels for supper.

Dana stared at the goblins and gave Chuck a disapproving look. Chuck raised his hands in mock surrender and said, “I know it looks bad, but we leave goblins alone here. Leo gave me two pieces of advice when I was forced to take this job. Number one is which bars have good mixed drinks, which I have to take his word on until I get paid. Number two is leave beggars, orphans and goblins alone, no excuses. The Shrouded One hunts anyone who hurts them.”

“You’re afraid of a fairytale?” she asked. Nearby goblins laughed as Chuck’s face turned red. “I heard that story when I was five. The Shrouded One lurks in doorways for thieves and bandits, punishing cheating merchants and greedy mayors, stealing miser’s gold and sinking pirate ships.”

Chuck looked down as the color drained from his face. “I’ve seen that fairytale. I’ve seen men try to kill him and what happened to them for trying. And he sunk two ships.”

“You, you’re serious.”

“You bet I’m serious!” Chuck’s earlier bravado vanished. “I used to think The Shrouded One was a boogieman to scare little kids, but he’s real and lives here. You think I’m joking? Come with me.”

Chuck led Dana to the center of Fish Bait City. The buildings were larger but shockingly run down, the brickwork crumbling and wood walls rotting. Across from the ocean was a cathedral that dwarfed nearby buildings. It was in far better shape, but the windows were dark and the only people near it were beggars.

“You’re old enough to remember when the king and queen ordered the Brotherhood of the Righteous out of the kingdom five years ago, right?” Chuck asked. He pointed his spear at the cathedral and said, “The baron who rules Fish Bait City couldn’t wait to chase out the priests and monks so he could steal their property. He threw a party in the cathedral with his friends to celebrate taking it over as his new house.”

Dana eyed their surroundings nervously. No nobleman would allow beggars so close to his home. “I’m guessing that didn’t work too well.”

“A dense fog rolled in that night, and The Shrouded One came with it. The baron and his friends ran screaming into the night. The baron won’t come into Fish Bait City unless he has to, and he leaves before nightfall. These days only the homeless stay at the cathedral. That was five years ago, and The Shrouded One hasn’t left. He comes some nights and every time there’s a fog, punishing the guilty and protecting the unwanted. Hit a beggar, kick a goblin, ignore an orphan’s pleas, and you’ll pay.”

Still skeptical, Dana asked, “You’ve seen him?”

Chuck pointed at the two large ships in the bay. “Two months ago the baron ordered us to ambush The Shrouded One when he came with the fog. We waited on those two confiscated smuggler ships with every militiaman in the city. The fog rolled in, we heard church bells ring for midnight, and when the last bell tolled The Shrouded One was standing between us. I saw him get hit by arrows, spears, swords, fists, and Leo even head butted him. We just made him angry. If brotherhood priest were still here maybe they could banish him. As for us, we learned our lesson and keep out of his way.”

Dana put a hand over her face. “What is it with me running into weird monsters? Wait a minute. Why did your baron send militiamen instead of soldiers or mercenaries?”

“Oh, them.” Chuck laughed without mirth. “The king and queen are throwing a war, and everybody’s invited. Soldiers and mercenaries who are supposed to protect Fish Bait City got called away months ago. That’s why I got pressganged into the militia. Someone’s got to protect the city. The baron conscripted guys like me to do it, with a death sentence for deserters.”

Jayden had a deep and burning hatred for the royal couple, and he was sure they were going to invade neighboring kingdoms. If a city as large as Fish Bait had been stripped of defenders and left with only militiamen, then the war couldn’t be far off.

“Your baron couldn’t hire more mercenaries?”

Chuck shrugged. “Mercenaries come in by sea from time to time. The king’s agents hire them the moment they step on dry land. Doesn’t matter that we need them when the war needs them more. We even had an elf wizard show up a week ago. He left the next day with a job to hunt an enemy of the king. It wouldn’t have helped if they’d stayed.”

“Wonderful,” she said sarcastically. “It’s one hideous monster after another lately.”

“You need a place to stay tonight,” Chuck continued. He pointed out to sea, where a mist hung on the horizon. “There’s going to be a fog tonight, and that guarantees The Shrouded One will come. I’m sure you have money to pay for an inn room, but if you want protection—”

“Don’t you ever stop?”

Chuck studied her from head to foot and smiled. “I’ve got a good reason not to.”

To her relief, Dana saw Jayden coming down the street toward them. She pointed at him and told Chuck, “And there’s your reason to be a good little boy. Meet my traveling companion.”

Chuck looked worried as Jayden approached. “Wait, I’ve seen wanted posters for that guy. You travel with him? There’s a huge price on his head, and it keeps going up. The latest wanted poster puts the bounty at 1000 silver pieces! That kind of money attracts dangerous men who wouldn’t mind hurting innocent girls.” Chuck paused and gave Dana a questioning look. “You two aren’t…you know?”

“What? No!”

“So I’ve still got a chance with you?” he asked hopefully.

Dana went through her belongings until she found a gold coin. Once upon a time she would have been shocked to have such wealth, but since traveling with Jayden she’d come to see gold as a tool to be used. She pressed the coin into Chuck’s hand and said, “Here, I’m paying you to go away. Try those bars you heard about and have a drink on me.”

“But—”

“Scoot!” she scolded, and pushed him away. Chuck left looking like a puppy that had been kicked.

Jayden smiled at the spectacle. “And you thought I’d attract too much attention.”

Dana blushed. “We’ve got bigger problems than teenage boys. A fairytale lives here, and not one of the nice ones.”

And now for the exciting conclusion to Fairytales.


It took minutes to relate Chuck’s story to Jayden. He seemed curious rather than frightened, and said, “The potter I spoke with warned me to stay indoors tonight, but didn’t explain why. That’s one mystery solved.”

“I heard about The Shrouded One while I was growing up. He hunts evildoers, and lots of people think you’re a bad person. If The Shrouded One thinks so he might come after you.”

Dana and Jayden left to find an inn. Chuck had been showing her the way before he’d brought her to the abandoned cathedral, so she sort of knew the way.

“I’ve heard tales of The Shrouded One,” Jayden told her. “There are dozens of versions of the same basic story. A criminal or corrupt authority figure hurts a deserving person and The Shrouded One comes to avenge the injury. Violence ensues, The Shrouded One suffers wounds that should kill a dragon yet remains standing, and the villain suffers a terrible fate. Burned, buried, trapped, enslaved, transformed into a wombat, The Shrouded One’s penalties vary from tale to tale, but are always severe.”

They walked by more sullen residents, and Dana said, “That explains why people here act so weird. They’ve had a monster in their city for years. Why don’t the king and queen send soldiers to kill him?”

“Why risk soldiers to save a city they already ruined?” Jayden asked.

“I don’t want to fight this fairytale,” Dana said.

To her surprise, Jayden agreed. “We can’t risk losing possession of the Valivaxis. Whoever or whatever The Shrouded One is, we need to avoid him for now.”

They eventually found a two-story inn called The Oyster Beds, with a worn sign near the door showing an oyster sleeping in a luxurious bed. They’d nearly reached the inn when a filthy goblin jumped out of an alley in front of Dana and shouted, “Boogey, boogey!”

Dana put her hands on her hips. “Oh come on, was that supposed to scare me? I’m not a child!”

The goblin looked at her for a moment before saying, “You’re living in a kingdom ruled by men who would kill your parents, siblings, neighbors and cat, no questions asked. That better?”

She hesitated before asking, “Can we go back to boogey, boogey?”

The goblin folded his arms across his chest and marched off. “No. You ruined the moment.”

Jayden chuckled as he watched the goblin leave, and then he and Dana entered the inn. It wasn’t as rundown as the rest of Fish Bait City, but still looked worn out and sad. There was a common room with large empty tables, and a bar against one wall with a shocking number of whiskey bottles behind it. The only people present were a man behind the bar and a young girl mopping the floor. If the inn wasn’t impressive, at least it smelled nice from some kind of perfume.

“Ah, it’s so good to see you again, Alfonzo,” the man said. He stepped out to greet them with a smile. “I see you brought your daughter with you. So good to see you again.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Dana asked. “I’m Dana Illwind.”

“Dear girl, of course you’re not,” the man told her.

Jayden raised one eyebrow as he studied the man. “I’m not familiar with this game. You’ll have to explain the rules.”

The man pointed to a paper nailed to the wall behind the bar. “Our illustrious king and queen ordered innkeepers to report the names of our guests, and their comings and goings. Some men would rather not say such things, for reasons I don’t question, but that’s not a problem. The only guest my inn gets is Alfonzo the woodcutter, a poor but honest man who stays here when he comes to sell firewood. Sometimes dear Alfonzo brings his wife or his daughters and sons, charming children, truly.”

Jayden smiled. “I see. How often does Alfonzo stay here?”

“Why, you’ve been here quite often, sir. For tax reasons you stay in our cheapest room, but you might find a more pleasant one to your liking just this once, eh, Alfonzo?”

“Your baron doesn’t notice this?” Dana asked.

The innkeeper shrugged. “Our baron is a troubled man. I see no need to upset him.”

Jayden tossed the innkeeper a gold coin. “A room for me and another for the lady. If you serve meals we’ll pay for dinner as well.”

The innkeeper caught the coin and smiled. “We serve meals, and you’d be wise to buy them rather than go out. The only restaurants worth visiting are across town, too far away to reach before nightfall.”

“And before the fog arrives,” Jayden said.

Their host’s smile dimmed. “Ah, you’ve heard of that. Just as well. But don’t worry. If The Shrouded One didn’t come when the elf stayed with us then he won’t come now. Girl, show Alfonzo and his daughter to their rooms, and chase out any goblins that got inside.”

Their rooms were spacious and clean, but like the rest of the city had seen better days. Dana set her belongings on the floor and tested the room’s large bed before going downstairs. She met Jayden as the girl brought hollowed out loaves of bread filled with soup.

“You had an elf guest?” Jayden asked as he ate.

The innkeeper shrugged. “Elves, dwarfs, why, Alfonzo was once a young troll. But the elf we had last week, ah, he was a piece of work. The elves I’ve met were loud, rude, always complaining, but this one raised it to an art form. I lost track of how many times he told us he was a wizard and about the monsters he’d defeated. He left after one night’s stay, and without paying, I might add. He did give me this.”

Jayden leaned in as the innkeeper reached behind the bar and took out a potted plant. It was gorgeous, with leaves glittering like gems, large purple flowers tipped with gold, and perfume wafting from its blossoms so magnificent that it concealed the stench from outside.

“That’s an Imperial Starflower, a rare and magical plant,” Jayden said. “It’s also expensive.”

“He said it would improve the quality of my inn, which I can’t question, and that I could divide it into two plants once it grew larger.” The innkeeper placed the flower back behind the bar and added, “I seldom deal with wizards, but if I can sell one of the plants after dividing it then his stay may have been worth it.”

“The elf showed some class after all,” Jayden said.

The conversation ended when they looked through the windows to see residents of Fish Bait City seeking cover. Men shuttered their windows while women ushered children inside. Doors slammed shut across the city, and every chimney in view began billowing smoke. The Oyster Beds was no different, as the young girl closed doors and windows while the innkeeper piled dry wood in the fireplace.

“Worried your city’s less than esteemed guest might come down the chimney?” Jayden asked.

The innkeeper threw more wood on the fire. “It has happened but not here. I plan on keeping it that way.”

Dana’s attention was drawn to more papers tacked to the wall near the bar. These were different from the order demanding innkeepers inform on their clientele. Namely, each paper had a drawing of a man or woman, and the price the throne would pay for their arrest. Jayden’s face was on several of those papers.

“Um,” she began, and pointed a spoon at the papers.

Jayden and the innkeeper both looked at the papers. Jayden ate more of his dinner before saying, “You know who I am.”

The innkeeper seemed unbothered. “I do. I’ve even met men you’ve saved.” He cleaned a cup and put it behind the bar. “They spoke well of you and what you’ve done to save our kingdom, even though it’s bound and determined to destroy itself. It gave me hope that one day I’ll have more customers, and Alfonzo won’t be staying here anymore.”

For a moment Jayden looked bothered. “I fear that is a day long in coming.”

“I can wait, so long as it comes. Have no fear that the militia might try to arrest you. I hand out the occasional free drink to keep them happy, and most are honorable enough not to carry out our baron’s more offensive orders.”

The rest of dinner was a silent affair. Dana finished eating and went to her room on the second floor. The room was still dark when she set her belongings on the floor and searched for a lantern. She found one and lit it before closing the door.

And once that lantern was lit, she saw the words, “Little girl lost, go home,” written on the wall in tar.

Dana shrieked and raced from her room. She cried out, “Jayden!”

“Over here.” His voice sounded muffled, and in her panic it took her a few seconds to realize he was in his room and speaking through the closed door. She ran to it and grabbed the handle before she froze.

“Are you decent?”

“Morally speaking, no.”

Dana blushed again. “I mean are you dressed?”

“Oh, that. Yes.”

With that potential embarrassment out of the way, she opened the door and looked inside. Jayden’s room was no different than hers in its decorations. That included writing on the wall in tar that said, “I know your real name.”

“This is bad,” Dana whispered.

Jayden replied, “The Shrouded One is making an issue of my presence in his city.”

The innkeeper ran upstairs and into Jayden’s room. His face turned white as a sheet, and he grabbed Jayden’s arm. “I’m so sorry! I, I don’t know how he got in. The doors, we locked and barred them all! I’ll get you new rooms and clean these ones. Please, don’t ask for a refund! I can’t afford to lose the business!”

Jayden pulled free from the innkeeper and marched to the nearest window. He pulled the bar off and opened the shutters to show the street below engulfed in a dense fog. Thick as it was, the white mists didn’t hide the tall man wrapped in a ragged cloak that covered him head to foot. The strange man looked up at Jayden before moving silently down the street.

Jayden’s features hardened into a scowl. “You don’t get to walk away after that.”

“Sir, no!” the innkeeper begged in vain. Jayden ran from the room and headed downstairs to the entrance. Dana went after him in the hope she could prevent this from turning into a fight. She was two steps behind him when he unbarred the door and ran onto the foggy streets. She heard the innkeeper call out to them, but Jayden paid no attention to the man’s warning. Instead he ran into fog as dense as a cloud after an enemy who by all accounts was a fairytale given form, and one who faced many militiamen without injury, much less defeat.

“He went this way!” Jayden shouted as he turned a corner.

Their foe may have done just that, but as Dana and Jayden went around the corner they came upon a brick wall twelve feet high, with no doors or windows The Shrouded One could have gone through or places for him to hide.

“Looking for me?”

The echoing voice came from their right, but when they turned around they found The Shrouded One standing behind them, his return as silent and mysterious as his disappearance. Up close he was intimidating. The cloak didn’t leave an inch of skin exposed. What little should have been visible was covered with strips of dirty cloth wound around his body. The Shrouded One was unarmed yet showed no fear of Jayden, making him even more frightening.

“You entered my room uninvited,” Jayden replied. He cast a spell and formed a sword of utter darkness in his hands, the blade outlined in light that offered just a hint of illumination. “My coming shouldn’t surprise you.”

“Yet a surprise it remains, for all thought you long dead.” The Shrouded One’s voice came from their left, and then from behind them when he spoke again. “I first saw you twenty years ago and marveled at a boy with such promise. I mourned when I heard you’d been put to death, but seeing what you have become is far worse. You assumed the title and magic of the Sorcerer Lords, monsters in all but name. The elves of old killed those fiends, yet you took up their ways.”

Jayden hesitated before answering. “If you know who I was, you know the road I walk is not of my choosing.”

“Excuses,” The Shrouded One replied, his voice coming from above them and to the right. “Many in this land have known untold suffering without resorting to dark ways. Your acts would horrify the boy you once were. I’ve heard too many tales of the damage you leave in your wake. Fish Bait City is my home, my responsibility, and it has known too many hardships without you adding more. Others have faced me and failed. Bring chaos to these people and you will fall as they did.”

If Jayden had been spooked, it passed quickly. “For such a staunch defender your name doesn’t conjure good feelings among the people of Fish Bait City, and your claim to have met me twenty years ago rings hollow when you first appeared here five years ago.”

“Your ignorance is staggering,” The Shrouded One retorted, his echoing voice coming from near his body this time, but farther back than it should have been. “I come from this city, birthed when I am needed, dying when I am not. I was here when you first came and your face showed hope, your actions mercy, your words love. I did nothing then or for years more, staying in the shadows because I wasn’t needed.

“But now I am needed, even if I am not wanted,” The Shrouded One declared from their left. “This city was deafened by the cries of its poor, every stone soaked in their tears until I had no choice but to come. There will be no more suffering here. The baron thought otherwise. Pirates, thieves and men called knights but blackguards by their deeds came to spread evil. They regretted their deeds, as will you.”

“I take offense at you grouping me with those fiends,” Jayden said. “And if you want to compare which of us faced greater odds and won, you’ll find yourself coming up short.”

Dana rolled her eyes. “Oh for the love of God!”

The Shrouded One turned to face her. “What?”

Hoping reason would win over bravado, Dana got between Jayden and The Shrouded One. “Congratulations, you’re both intimidating, so can we move on to the part where you don’t kill each other? The only one who wins that fight is the king and queen, who hate you both.”

Turning to The Shrouded One, she said, “I’ve traveled with Jayden for months. He’s hurt men who hurt innocent people, and who would have hurt even more if he hadn’t stopped them. He’s killed monsters and saved lives. We didn’t come to hurt anyone. We have to hire a ship and leave for a few days, no damage done. Calm down and don’t start a fight you don’t need and might not win.”

“Who is this?” The Shrouded One asked from five different directions.

Jayden walked alongside Dana. “She’s a friend, and a better person than I am.”

The answer seemed to satisfy The Shrouded One. “If one innocent and pure is willing to speak on your behalf then you might not be lost. Return to The Oyster Beds inn. Leave in the morning as you plan without harming others and there shall be no fight between us. But know this, Sorcerer Lord: the darkness inside you could consume you, your one friend in this world and countless others. Turn back while there is still time.”

With that The Shrouded One drifted over to a wall with a hole at the bottom from bricks that had crumbled away. The opening was only six inches high and a foot across, but as The Shrouded One neared it his cloak slipped inside. His body shriveled and twisted as he fit into the hole until he disappeared into it.

Dana felt nauseous. “That was disturbing.”

Jayden allowed his magic sword to vanish before he turned to Dana. “That was very dangerous.”

“Fighting him would have been worse. You might not have survived, and if he’s as strong as you then this city might not have survived you two brawling.”

“True. Let’s go inside before the innkeeper locks us out.”

As they headed back to the inn, Dana cautiously asked, “The Shrouded One said he knew you, and that you had another name.”

“He spoke the truth. I came here many years ago, so long ago it feels like it happened to someone else.”

“So, feel like telling me this other name of yours?”

Jayden stopped and put his hands on her shoulders. “Dana, you’re my friend, the first one in such a long time that I wondered if I would ever have another. I trust you, I respect you and I like you more than I like myself.”

Dana blushed again. “Oh.”

“That’s why I’ll never answer that question.”

“Wait, what?”

His grip on her shoulders tightened ever so slightly. “Officially I’m dead, and safer if all men believe that. You’ve tried to protect me from my enemies and from myself, but if my real name becomes known and that I still live, that knowledge is a death sentence. I worry that The Shrouded One has this information, but I doubt he’d tell my enemies. Make no mention of this to anyone, for your sake as well as mine. Let’s get what rest we can, for tomorrow has trouble enough waiting for us.”

Jayden headed back to the inn as if the conversation was over. Dana frowned and said, “Fine, if you won’t say then I’ll guess. Let’s see, you were nice if a scary nightmare fairytale actually liked you. You would have been younger than me back then, and I bet you were cute. All the girls chased you.”

Jayden rubbed his eyes. “Dana.”

“But you didn’t notice because you were always reading books.”

That got his attention. “What makes you say that?”

“You read spell tablets from the old Sorcerer Lords, and they died out over a thousand years ago. You don’t learn that just anywhere, so somebody got you books about ancient stuff like the Sorcerer Lords and you read them. Books like that must be expensive, so your family had money.”

“Let’s stop this conversation right now,” Jayden said firmly.

Dana smiled. “I’m getting close, aren’t I?”

They’d nearly reached the inn when Dana paused. The dense fog concealed many of Fish Bait City’s poor features, but it didn’t hide the city’s sickening smell. Dana grabbed Jayden’s arm and pulled him to a stop when she said, “Jayden, hold on. That smell, it’s beautiful.”

Jayden inhaled deeply. “Gorgeous, and out of place here.”

“It’s like that pretty flower at the inn the elf used to pay for his stay.”

“I pay no one” a bombastic voice called out. “I helped a stupid, ugly, clumsy man by giving him a flower. But I accept your meager praise of the Imperial Starflower I grew.”

Dana and Jayden fell back as they saw a male elf dressed in white and green robes. He was handsome in an arrogant, sneering kind of way, his black hair styled and trimmed, his youthful face and pointed ears flawless. The elf carried a staff sprouting living vines, and those vines wrapped around his waist and grew to thick vines with arrow shaped leaves and beautiful flowers.

“It’s a variant I bred with a longer lifespan, more fragrant blooms and resistance to common plant diseases. I wouldn’t expect a destructive brigand like you to understand the work it took, but there’s a chance your second rate mind might appreciate beauty, culture or making a lasting improvement in the world.”

Jayden put himself between Dana and the elf. “Fair warning, I’ve already been insulted tonight, and it’s left me in a foul mood. Name yourself and the reason for this meeting.”

The elf came closer, the vines slithering around him as he walked. “Your kind could never hope to pronounce my name, so I use the pseudonym Green Peril when dealing with the weak minded. I trained under the greatest nature wizards of the Elf King, and I have no equal. As for why I degrade myself by visiting this cesspit of a city, the old saying that a picture is worth a thousand words applies.”

Green Peril took out a rolled up sheet of paper from inside his robes and tossed it to Jayden. Jayden unrolled it to see a picture of himself with a bounty listed at the bottom.

“More accurately, you’re worth a thousand silver pieces, a paltry reward, but one it seems I must accept,” Green Peril said.

Jayden cast a spell and formed his black magic sword. “I have no quarrel with you.”

“No,” Green Peril admitted. “You have a quarrel with the local human king. He and his shrewish wife are tired of your antics. I came to become their court wizard, and hopefully bring this nation of knuckle dragging halfwits up to an acceptable level of culture. Their representative was so impressed with me that he used a magic mirror to call his king. Your nemesis approved my offer of service and promised adequate pay, but only if I proved myself worthy by bringing back your head. Elves put an end to the Sorcerer Lords in ancient times, so the offer was almost wise and well within my abilities.”

The nest of vines grew and spread as Green Peril neared. “I thought it would take weeks to track you down, when to my surprise I learned from the birds of the sky that you came to the very port where I’d first entered this festering kingdom. I hope killing you is a challenge, because finding you was child’s play.”

Dana gulped nervously. Green Peril might be a legitimate threat. Bad as that was, Jayden still had the Valivaxis. He’d had a potter bake it into a clay brick, but if Green Peril was thorough he might find it. The Valivaxis was a gateway to the graveyard of ancient elf emperors, which might tempt the elf wizard into opening it, releasing the monstrous guardians within.

Then the elf noticed Dana. “And who is this? A servant? An apprentice? A pet? Regardless of the answer, her head is of no value to me. Send her away.”

Dana glanced at Jayden and asked, “Seriously?”

“I try not to stereotype, but all the elves I’ve met were insufferable,” he told her. He looked at Green Peril and said, “You’ve no doubt researched me, but I’ve recently learned new spells and am more of a threat than you know. Your chances of winning this battle aren’t encouraging.”

Green Peril smirked. “We shall see. Sorcerer Lord Jayden, I challenge you to a duel. Let us see which of us is the greater wizard.”

Desperate to keep this fight from starting, Dana said, “How is this fair? I mean, a Sorcerer Lord versus a magic gardener?”

Jayden and Green Peril both stared at her. The elf yelled, “What?”

“Jayden kills powerful monsters like the Living Graveyard and you make pretty flowers, which you pay your bills with. Gamblers wouldn’t bet money on you. You said you studied under great wizards. If they could see you now, groveling for a job from a human king and killing for him.”

“I’m placing myself in a position of power to influence this kingdom and set it on a course that will align it with the Elf Kingdom.”

“You’re trying to get a job, and from the start you’re going to be disloyal by manipulating your boss into doing what you want,” Dana said. “Why would they hire you? Everybody within five hundred miles knows Jayden, but I’d never heard of you before tonight. For all that boasting you’re a nobody. The king and queen can do better for a court wizard. They’re just using you to do their dirty work, then bang, out the door you go without so much as a thank you.”

Before the elf could yell again, Dana asked, “And what’s with that sapling you’re carrying?”

“It’s a magic staff to focus his magic and prevent misfires,” Jayden told her.

“Why don’t you have one?”

Jayden smirked. “For the same reason healthy men don’t use crutches.”

“So take away that twig and he’s in trouble,” Dana said. “I’m not impressed.”

“You!” Green Peril yelled, but he regained his composure. “You’re trying to bait me into acting foolishly and making an error in battle.”

“Or embarrass you into not attacking. You don’t have a good reason to fight him. He’s saved lots of lives in this kingdom.”

Green Peril looked at Jayden. “So that’s why you keep her around.”

Jayden shrugged. “Clever, brave, moral compass, her value knows no limits. If you seek to curry the king and queen’s favor, know that many have tried to steer the royal couple onto a safe course. They failed. The patrons you seek care for no one save themselves. If you want to improve the kingdom then there are other ways. I can help you do it.”

Jayden’s words had as much effect as arrows fired at a brick wall. Green Peril sneered and replied, “I made a pact with the king and queen you seek to topple, and my word is my bond. You shall die tonight, and this kingdom’s future will be better in my hands than yours. Foolish man, you won’t survive this night.”

“This is ridiculous.”

Green Peril frowned as The Shrouded One drifted down the street toward them. “Sorcerer Lord, mere minutes have passed since I warned you not to bring chaos to this city, and I find you in a duel.”

Jayden pointed his ebony sword at Green Peril. “For once I didn’t start this.”

“Who or what is this?” Green Peril asked.

“The Shrouded One, fairytale come to life,” Dana said. She pointed at the elf and added, “Green Peril, elf wizard, jerk and hypocrite.”

“I won’t tolerate battles within this city,” The Shrouded One said. “Whatever quarrel you two have, settle it elsewhere.”

Green Peril shrugged, and the vines around him stretched across the misty street, wrapped around The Shrouded One’s chest and crushed him like an egg. Dana screamed as the vines tossed The Shrouded One’s tattered remains aside.

“That settles that,” Green Peril said.

“It settled nothing.”

Dana, Jayden and Green Peril whirled around to see The Shrouded One rise up behind them. The Shrouded One faced Green Peril before speaking. “You chose this fight, wizard. Now feel the wrath of an entire city.”

Green Peril’s vines grew explosively until they nearly filled the street. Half the vines struck at Jayden while the rest went after The Shrouded One. Jayden hacked away the nearest vines while The Shrouded One was torn apart again. Green Peril began casting a spell, but never finished it. Bricks flew through the air as thick as raindrops in a storm, all of them aimed at the elf. Green Peril’s vines batted most of them aside, but one struck him in the stomach and broke his concentration, ruining the spell.

“Get back!” Jayden ordered Dana. He cast another spell and formed a shield three feet across made of spinning black blades. The shield hovered in front of him, and when one of Green Peril’s vines wrapped around it the shield tore it to shreds. Two more vines struck the shield and were reduced to pulp. Jayden hacked apart another vine with his sword when it came too near, but Green Peril’s vines grew and replaced what it lost.

“This battle ends now,” The Shrouded One declared as he rose up from the misty streets. Torrents of boiling tar poured down from the roofs onto the vines, scalding them to death. Green Peril’s plant tried to regrow, but Jayden lunged in and hacked it apart. The elf fell back as Jayden and The Shrouded One advanced on him. “You had your warning. Now suffer as those before you did.”

“Your other enemies weren’t wizards, or elves,” Green Peril retorted. He cast a spell and caused roots to burst up from the street. They wrapped around The Shrouded One’s head and crushed it, destroying him once again, but no sooner had he fallen then he rose up again farther down the street. “By oaks and ancestors, how many times do I have to kill you?”

“Until you get it right!”

Jayden charged Green Peril and had nearly reached him when the elf drew a glass bottle from inside his robes. He threw it at the wall of a nearby building and it shattered to release hornets. Once free, the hornets quickly grew as big as dogs. Green Peril pointed his staff at Jayden, Dana and The Shrouded One, and the hornets flew after them.

Jayden slashed one hornet in half before a second attacked him. The monster went straight for his face and would have stung him except it hit his black shield first. Dana heard a hideous shriek as the shield ground the hornet into mush before the spell failed and the shield vanished. Two more hornets went after The Shrouded One. They’d nearly reached him when the side of a two story tall brick building peeled off and fell on them. Both hornets were crushed, leaving two more flying after Dana.

Dana ran for her life with two flying monsters in hot pursuit. Thankfully, the giant hornets weren’t as fast as their smaller cousins, and she managed to stay ahead of them. She raced down the misty streets, the sound of buzzing wings not far behind. One hornet flew up high and tried to dive onto her. Dana climbed under an empty wagon on the street. The hornet landed and tried to go after her. The moment it did, she got to the other side of the wagon and pushed hard. The wagon was heavy, but Dana was strong from years of farm work, and she rolled the wagon wheels over the hornet. Squish!

She looked around and saw the other hornet still in the air. It came closer until she heard Green Peril shout, “Not the girl, you idiot! Kill the Sorcerer Lord!”

The hornet flew back to the battle and Dana raced after it. The hornet was flying close to the ground, and as it approached Jayden it lowered its stinger, long and sharp as a dagger.

Dana charged the hornet and leapt onto its back. Her weight was enough to force the monster down. She and the hornet rolled across the filthy street until they hit a wall. The hornet struggled to get free of her as she wrapped her legs around its back. It was still trying to break loose when she drew her dagger and drove it between the armored plates on the hornet’s back and neck, taking the monster’s head off.

She returned to find the fight still in progress. Green Peril plucked a green sprig off his staff and cast a spell on it. The sprig grew into an enormous plant, easily as large as nearby buildings, and it opened a gaping maw filled with teeth. Jayden tried to hide behind a wagon on the street, but the plant swallowed him and the wagon. Green Peril followed this up by casting another spell that caused his staff to sprout a sickle blade made of wood. He sneered and marched toward The Shrouded One.

“One down, one to go,” Green Peril announced.

Dana spotted three buckets sitting in an alleyway. They smelled of rotting fish, and as she approached she saw they contained fish entrails, a disgusting bribe to placate the city’s goblins. One bucket was still full, and she grabbed it and ran after Green Peril. The elf had nearly reached The Shrouded One when she caught up and splashed rotting fish guts over the elf.

Green Peril screamed in outrage, “These are new robes!”

Dana clobbered him over the head with the bucket. “Let Jayden go!”

She didn’t know if the elf could do what she demanded, but the matter soon became moot. The plant monster cried out in agony as it coughed up the wagon it had eaten along with Jayden. It kept coughing, then threw its head back and howled as Jayden’s black sword cut it apart from the inside. The monster fell dead to the street and Jayden hacked his way to freedom.

It was dark and foggy, but Dana could still see how furious Jayden was. He dripped with sap, his long messy hair was plastered to his head, and his clothes were torn where the plant monster’s teeth had cut. He barred his teeth as his magic sword vanished and was replaced with a black whip.

“I…have had…enough,” he declared.

“A pity, because I can keep this up all night,” Green Peril replied. He kicked Dana away and gripped his staff/sickle with both hands. “So, who dies first?”

“After you,” The Shrouded One told him.

It was hard to see what happened next. The fog rippled, and Dana’s skin tingled right before a rowboat came flying through the air. It was an old wreck with a large hole below the waterline and seawater pouring out of it. Green Peril saw it hurtling toward him and leapt out of the way before it crashed into the street where he’d been standing.

Green Peril charged The Shrouded One and sliced him in half at the waist. The Shrouded One rose up from the fog a block away, and the elf yelled curses into the night. “I’ll kill you a thousand times if that’s what it takes!”

Jayden was on the elf before he got a chance to carry out the threat. He swung the black whip and it wrapped around Green Peril’s staff. The whip sizzled as it ate through the staff. As Green Peril tried to pull free the staff snapped in two.

“You needed that staff to focus your magic,” Jayden said. “It’s a limitation the magic of the Sorcerer Lords doesn’t share. Losing it won’t prevent you casting more spells, but it should weaken them enough for me to end this.”

“I have no limits!” Green Peril shouted. He cast another spell, but it took him longer and his body shook at the effort. Briars with long thorns grew up around him, spreading so fast that Jayden and Dana had to retreat. The wall of briars was twenty feet thick, five feet tall and had thorns three inches long that dripped what was almost certainly poison.

“How quaint,” Jayden said. He swung his whip at the briars, and was rewarded with a hiss as it burned through them. Briars fell to the street, still sizzling, and Jayden swung again to hack more briars down.

Green Peril began to panic. Jayden came from one side while The Shrouded One came from the other. Sweat poured off the elf as Jayden destroyed the briar wall, and there was terror in his eyes as he ran away. Jayden and The Shrouded One followed him as Green Peril fled to the port. He cast another spell, gasping at the effort it took, but he grew another nest of vines around him. Green Peril got into one of the smaller boats and his vines seized the boat’s oars. He managed to row the boat out to sea.

“You brought suffering to this city, wizard,” The Shrouded One said. “Do you really think I’ll let you escape so easily?”

Small anchors tied to tarred ropes swung from one of the large ships in the harbor and caught the edge of Green Peril’s boat. Green Peril tried to pull the anchors off, but the ropes went tight and held him in place.

On shore, Jayden began to chant. A tiny flickering spark formed in his hands as he prepared one of his more devastating spells. Green Peril saw this and cast a much faster spell that made roots burst up from the street. The roots grabbed a nearby house and collapsed it on The Shrouded One, destroying him once again, but the ropes didn’t slacken when he fell. Green Peril cried out in fear as Jayden finished his spell and sent the tiny spark flying at the elf. He jumped from the boat as the spark hit and detonated into a ball of fire.

For a second that seemed to be the end of it, but a giant hawk burst from the sea and flew away. The huge bird bobbed up and down as it fled into the night.

“Transformation magic,” Jayden said as Dana walked up alongside him. “I didn’t think he’d be strong enough to cast a spell that difficult without his staff to focus the energies. I can’t follow him and none of my spells have enough range to reach him. Still, using so much energy without a staff will exhaust him. Our foe lives, but will need days to recover his strength and months to replace his staff.”

Dana wiped sweat off her brow. “Looks like he’s not going to be the court wizard.”

“Likely not. The Shrouded One hasn’t reappeared. Hopefully he’s satisfied how the battle went and won’t cause us trouble. Let’s return to the inn. I need a bath, and we need to be out of this city before its people ask awkward questions in the morning.”

“Why aren’t people asking questions right now?” Dana asked.

Jayden and Dana looked at the houses around them. The battle had been deafeningly loud and done considerable damage to the city, yet no doors or windows opened. Militia and citizens alike made no move to investigate the disturbance.

“This is what fear does to people,” Jayden told her. “Year after year of threats they can’t stop, and the men and women can only keep their heads down and hope danger passes them by. No one should live like this, helpless and frightened, yet so many in the kingdom do. This is why I fight the king and queen, for their rule has brought suffering to good people.”

Dana paused. “Wait here.”

“Why?”

“Just wait,” she told him, and headed to the house Green Peril had destroyed. It was abandoned, thank God, but she dug through the rubble anyway until she found the tattered remains of The Shrouded One’s cloak. And in those shreds of fabric she found a small bruised goblin only two feet tall. “Are you hurt?”

“I’ll heal,” the goblin told her. He had lavender colored skin and wore leather clothes. There were straps on his waist and back where thin wood posts once connected him to the cloak of a much taller man. The goblin sat up and blinked. “How did you know?”

“My skin tingled when your warp magic threw the rowboat at Green Peril. I’d felt the same thing earlier when goblins warped live eels on me. You made The Shrouded One.”

“Sort of.” The goblin looked down as more goblins crept in. “We knew the story and how it scared people. We used to laugh how things that don’t exist frightened men. But then the civil war came, and the old queen died and the king got a new queen, a bad one. People got scared of real things, their own leaders. One day they took away the brotherhood priests, the only men left in Fish Bait City who tried to help. We had to do something, but we’re so small.”

More goblins came, some carrying bricks, others empty buckets coated with hot tar. The first goblin looked at Dana and said, “But The Shrouded One is feared. Bad men would be too scared to fight back if they thought they were fighting a fairytale. So we played a trick on the whole city. We made cloaks that fit over us like a man, and when it’s dark or foggy we come out to protect people.”

“Were any of you hurt tonight?” she asked.

Another goblin held up a shredded cloak. “Green Peril aimed high, just like all the others.”

Dana studied the growing crowd of goblins gathering around her. “You threw the bricks that flew at Green Peril. I heard your voice coming from different places because there were lots of you talking for The Shrouded One. And you were on the roofs and dumped boiling tar on him. How did you make the wall fall on his bugs?”

“Half the city is abandoned,” a goblin told her. “We’ve rigged walls and whole buildings to come down when we need them to.”

More goblins peeked out from the large ship in the harbor where they’d snared Green Peril during his escape. Others came with shredded cloaks and a few with intact cloaks folded up. It was hard to see them in the fog and impossible to guess their numbers.

“Dana?” Jayden called out.

“Give me another minute!” she called back.

The lavender goblin took Dana’s hand. “Please, you can’t tell anyone about us. We only get away with this because men are afraid. If they figure out we’re just goblins, that we can die like anyone else, they’ll hunt us down. When we’re gone Fish Bait City will get worse. I know these people deserve so much more, but we’re all they have.”

Dana looked at the mob of goblins. It was strange. Fish Bait City’s baron was an evil man who stole land from the brotherhood and no doubt did many things as bad or worse. Fear kept the baron in check. If he wasn’t afraid anymore, people who’d already suffered so much would suffer more. Jayden helped good men across the kingdom, but he could only be in one place at a time. Once he left a town or city its citizens were on their own. These people might fear The Shrouded One, but they needed his protection.

“Tell me one thing,” she said. “You said you knew Jayden as a boy. How?”

“He was part of a royal expedition, one of hundreds who wanted to improve Fish Bait City. He was young, so full of promise, but the king and queen put an end to that.” The lavender goblin looked down, as did the entire mob. “If he’d grown up to be the man we thought he would, nobody would need The Shrouded One.”

“Dana?” It was Jayden, his voice carrying a hint of concern.

“Coming!” she called back. She looked to the goblins for more information, but they said no more. Perhaps they wanted Jayden to have his secrets the same way they had theirs.

The lavender goblin looked into Dana’s eyes. “If you tell them what we’re doing, they’ll kill us.”

Dana bent down and stroked the goblin’s cheek before she left. Their lives were in her hands, and thousands of people depended on them. What choice was there? She smiled and said, “Silly goblin, you can’t kill fairytales.”

Ocean waves tossed the merchant ship Dawn’s Hope back and forth so much that most of the human passengers were violently ill, which normally would have cheered up Brody immensely. Not that he was a cruel goblin, but the men and women onboard had been constantly insulting him during the voyage. This came close to evening the scales. But seeing men who’d mocked him fighting to get to the railings before their lunches made a return appearance offered Brody no mirth after what he’d seen outside Ballop’s Hole.

Julius Craton walked up alongside Brody by the ship’s mast. “Are you all right?”

“I’ll manage.” The blue skinned goblin shivered, not from the cold but from the events he’d seen.

“I understand why you’re upset,” Julius said. “The fight was harder and more brutal than I’ve experienced in a while.”

“You had those revolutionaries on the ropes from the beginning. Why didn’t they surrender?”

Julius gazed out over the rough sea. Tall, strong, handsome, the hero was a sight to behold, but he looked troubled. “Desperate men make poor decisions. They sacrificed so much, even their lives, because they saw no hope for themselves. I’m surprised we took as many prisoners as we did.”

The battle that troubled both man and goblin had occurred outside the town of Ballop’s Hole, a small fishing community known for flooding. Fifteen years earlier, Julius and other members of the Guild of Heroes had helped save the town and surrounding settlements from a small army of bandits that were looting the countryside.

Except those men had been revolutionaries, not bandits, drawn from the poor and desperate of their kingdom. They’d envisioned a better future for themselves, which sadly revolved around leaving others with no future at all. Another generation of the disaffected and dissatisfied had risen up to take their place, and it had fallen on Julius to help the authorities put it down before it destroyed communities like Ballop’s Hole. The second generation of revolutionaries had been fewer, less organized and worse trained than their predecessors, but the fight had still lasted twenty days and been messy.

And after all that, Julius and Brody were on their way to another fight.

“I’m rethinking your line of work,” Brody told his friend.

The ship hit a large wave, rising and falling hard. Julius put a hand on the mast to steady himself before answering. “It would have been worse without us.”

“But you saved the same town twice.”

Julius frowned. “Some days you have to settle for partial victories. There’s a town in the Raushtad Mountains that specializes in slave trading, black marketeering, brewing poison and selling dangerous magic. It’s a nightmare. The town has been destroyed four times that I know of, once by me, but evil men keep rebuilding it because there’s money to be made.”

“And we’re heading after some gang called the Red Hand,” Brody said. “Do we have friends to turn to for this one, or is this one of those situations where the locals don’t like you?”

“I’m not sure,” Julius admitted. “The king’s knights had a feud with me, for reasons I never understood. I’m told their king put an end to that. There was another group there I wasn’t on good terms with, The Ladies Gardening Guild, but the assassination threat is over.”

Goblins were used to confusion and nonsense, and were the leading source of both on Other Place, but that statement was so odd it gave Brody pause. “The Ladies Gardening Guild hired assassins to kill you?”

“They’re more dangerous and deranged than they sound. The Ladies Gardening Guild is the only all woman group in existence where every man gets a vote. I insulted their leader when I turned down a marriage proposal by her eldest daughter, who had an unhealthy interest in taxidermy squirrels. And they didn’t so much hire assassins as send angry guild members after me. Thankfully their leader was deposed in a violent coup.”

Brody put a hand over his face. “Leave jokes to the professionals.”

“Jokes?”

Their conversation was interrupted when a well-dressed merchant staggered over and pointed a finger at Brody. “You, you swine, I know you’re behind this plague.”

“Sir, you’re seasick, nothing more,” Julius said. “It will pass once you’re on land.”

“Don’t you tell me what my problem is!” the merchant shouted. Equally sick passengers looked up from the railing at the commotion. “I’ve traveled by sea for years and never been ill. Your goblin poisoned the food!”

Julius stepped in front of the merchant. “He was never near the kitchen or store room, and he had no access to your meals. Brody only brought his swimming paddles and the clothes he’s wearing, and has no place he could hide poison.”

The merchant went around Julius to point at Brody again. “You did this, you!”

Brody tended to avoid confrontations, a healthy choice for a goblin three feet tall and not too strong, but he had limits. He stared back at the merchant and began to sway opposite to the rocking ship. The effect was that he seemed to stand still while everything around him moved.

“You’re not feeling well because of the ship,” Brody said as he swayed. “I don’t blame you, the way it’s going back and forth, up and down, churning and churning and churning.”

“I,” the man began, but he stopped as his face turned pale and he ran for the railing.

“That wasn’t very nice,” Julius said.

“I’m in a bad mood.”

Captain Yeaver, the brightly dressed owner of Dawn’s Hope, walked up to Julius and nodded. “We’ll reach Oceanview Kingdom’s capital Sunset City by nightfall. Sir, it’s been a pleasure having you aboard. Our journey has been peaceful, aside from complaining passengers, but I’m always happy to have a man good with a sword when these seas have known bad times.”

“I’m grateful you got us here as quickly as you did,” Julius replied.

“We’d be there sooner except the winds are dying down.” Captain Yeaver looked to the northwest, where lights were visible in the growing night. “You, ah, were very eager to get here fast, sir. Pardon my saying so, you tend to go places others would avoid, but I’ve heard of no trouble in Sunset City. Should I be worried about entering the port?”

“There’s a gang called the Red Hand in Sunset City. They settled here after other gangs drove them from Nolod. The king wants help dealing with them. I don’t expect too much trouble since they’ve already been beaten once and don’t know I’m coming, but you may want to keep your men alert and armed.”

“I appreciate the warning,” Captain Yeaver said, and tipped his hat to Julius. “I’ve heard of the Red Hand. They’re a nasty lot. Hopefully they’ll give up or move on rather than fight. If fortune favors us, you’ll be bored and I’ll have cargo to transport instead of men.”

Sea travel was still picking up long after the threat of the Pirate Lords was over. Dawn’s Hope was a medium sized ship capable of carrying tons of goods, but the ship’s hold was only half filled with bales of cotton. Captain Yeaver made up the difference on this trip by carrying paying passengers like Julius and Brody. It kept his books in the black, if only just, and passengers created their own problems.

“Seaman, wash those planks,” Captain Yeaver ordered.

“I did it ten minutes ago,” one of his crew protested. Then he looked down and saw that the merchant who’d accused Brody of poisoning the food hadn’t reached the railing in time. “Curse our luck. I’ll get the mop.”

Night was falling as Dawn’s Hope reached the port of Sunset City. It was a large city, prosperous and built to survive the worst the sea could throw at it. Buildings were made of brick and in good condition, with a high sea wall to take the brunt of the ocean’s fury. The city was lit with oil lanterns mounted on stone pedestals scattered across the streets. Captain Yeaver eased his ship into an open berth on a short dock before lowering a gangplank. His passengers wasted no time in departing, while Julius and Brody went ashore with the captain.

“The harbormaster is going to want a share of those men’s passage fee,” Captain Yeaver said. He sounded resigned to losing what little money he had. “Still, I hear merchants here need help moving goods to the nearest market. With luck I’ll be gone by noon tomorrow.”

Brody studied the dock and frowned. It was nearly night, when men usually went to sleep, but he’d expected someone on the docks to demand taxes and tolls. “Where is the guy?”

Captain Yeaver looked across the dock. “I don’t know. A harbormaster always meets my ship the moment we dock.”

Julius put a hand on his sword, Sworn Doom. “I was supposed to be met by the king’s representative when I arrived, night or day. I don’t see inspectors to check incoming ships for contraband, either.”

“We are running late because of those revolutionaries,” Brody reminded him.

“I wrote ahead to the king to explain why we were delayed and when to expect us,” Julius replied.

Brody listened intently for snaps, breathes, jingles or any other out of place sound that might suggest trouble. The problem was there were too many noises with the waves crashing and an indistinct rumbling from Sunset City.

A crewman from Dawn’s Hope called out, “Captain, should we unload our cargo?”

Captain Yeaver took a step back toward his ship. “Not yet. I don’t like the smell of this. Sir Craton, perhaps we should hold tight here until—”

Screams tore through the night air as the passengers ran back to Dawn’s Hope and raced back up the gangplank. The crowd nearly trampled Julius, Brody and Captain Yeaver. Seconds later they saw the reason for the panicked flight, as dozens of armed men ran for the ship.

A spearman with a red hand painted on his wood shield pointed at Julius and shouted, “There he is! Kill him!”

“I can’t take you anywhere,” Brody told Julius.

“Get back on the ship and raise the gangplank,” Julius ordered, his voice calm and collected. He drew his sword, and Sworn Doom glowed like a lantern. Captain Yeaver ran for his ship, but more armed men burst from concealment and blocked his way.

Brody had too much experience dealing with armed men, and as their attackers charged he had a moment to study them. Surprisingly, he wasn’t impressed. Most of them had no armor except for a few with leather breastplates and helmets. Their weapons were daggers, lassos, hatchets and staffs that had legitimate purposes and could be explained away to nosy authorities. Only a few had proper weapons like spears, and even those looked handmade. The men came in a disorganized rush rather than a formation.

Spearmen in front of the mob tried to impale Julius. He swung Sworn Doom and hacked off the spear points. A few men tried to tackle Julius, but he grabbed one with his free hand and shoved him into the bay. Brody tripped another, and he and Captain Yeaver rolled the man into the water. Ten men tried to overwhelm Julius and might have done so, except crewmen aboard Dawn’s Hope threw bales of cotton overboard onto them. Their attackers cried out in surprise as many of them were knocked down. The few still standing had to go around fallen comrades or jump over them.

“Take him down!” the now disarmed spearman shouted while staying back. “Hurry!”

Armed crewmen from Dawn’s Hope ran down the gangplank to support their captain. One man tossed Captain Yeaver a sword, which he snatched out of the air. “Well done, boys, and not a single bale went into the drink.”

“You sound surprised, captain,” one of his men said in a pained tone. “It’s not the first time we’ve done this.”

The ragged attackers pulled back, dragging their wounded away. They retreated only as far as the nearest street corner before stopping to dress their wounds. They still outnumbered Julius and the crew of Dawn’s Hope, but made no move to attack.

“Get your cargo back onboard and prepare to leave,” Julius said. He watched the Red Hand and pointed at one of them. “That one looks like the leader. He’s got them holding their ground, not fighting or running. What are they waiting for?”

Just then a second group as large as the first ran onto the streets near the port. The two groups merged together and pushed forward with spearmen leading the charge and archers behind them.

“Ah, reinforcements,” Julius said. “Everyone board the ship.”

Captain Yeaver rolled a cotton bale up the gangplank. “Faster, men!”

Dozens of Red Hand killers ran screaming down the dock. Julius stood guard at the gangplank as the last man of Dawn’s Hope boarded the ship. Terrified passengers begged them to leave as the howling mob neared. Julius looked up and saw the ship’s sails were slack with no wind left to fill them. The ship was going nowhere. His face was expressionless as he swung Sworn Doom at the gangplank and sliced it in two. Both halves fell into the water as Julius sheathed his sword and turned to leave. He was surprised to see Brody alongside him.

Julius ran as fast as he could in his armor and shouted, “Why aren’t you on the ship?”

“If I was going to bail out on you, I’d have done it months ago.”

Julius and Brody fled for their lives with the Red Hand steps behind them. The pair went down an alley and found it nearly blocked by junk. Brody went first and Julius followed, pulled down stacks of driftwood, scrap lumber and other garbage to slow their pursuers. They escaped to the sound of men cursing as they tried to force their way through the junk.

Julius led them through the port until they stopped at a crossroads. He turned to Brody and said, “I appreciate your vote of confidence, but I really did want you on that ship.”

Brody gasped for breath. “The ship you chose not to board?”

“The spearman leading the first group said, ‘kill him’, not kill them. They want me, not the ship or anyone else on Dawn’s Hope. I destroyed the gangplank so the Red Hand couldn’t board it. I didn’t go on myself because the ship can barely move until the winds pick up. The Red Hand could throw lit torches on it and burn it to the waterline, and there would be nothing I could do to stop them. They’re safer without me.”

Pointing back at the harbor, Brody said, “So you save them and pretty much doom yourself! Julius, you keep risking your life like this and sooner or later you’re going to lose it. I don’t want that to happen. Lots of people don’t want that to happen, including a shocking number of men with marriageable daughters. Can we please find a way out of this that doesn’t involve you dying?”

Julius just looked at Brody for a moment without speaking. He finally looked around and said, “That would be nice. For now we’re on hostile ground. We can find help at the city’s garrison or nearest watch house, but that’s risky. I’ve been here before so I know the city’s layout, but we have to assume the Red Hand does, too.”

“So they’ll have ambushes ready if we go for help,” Brody said. “Since we’re on the topic, where are Sunset City’s soldiers and watchmen?”

“That’s a good question.”

They used their brief respite to study their surroundings. There were plenty of houses and shops on the street, their doors locked and the windows barred and shuttered. No one was on the roads so late at night, which was normal, but they still heard noises. Brody strained to figure out what they were, and frowned when he did.

“There’s fighting north of here,” he said.

“That’s where the city garrison is located. It looks like the Red Hand is mounting multiple attacks across Sunset City, at the docks to intercept me and at the garrison. I’m surprised they’d attack soldiers. Most gangs aren’t that aggressive.”

Brody sniffed the air and frowned. “I smell smoke, too much to be kitchen fires. I think they’re burning down buildings the way you thought they might burn the ship. This is bad. Where do we go?”

“If we go to neighboring watch houses we can gather watchmen and head for the garrison. We’ll attack the Red Hand from two sides and destroy them, then deal with the group at the bay…which just caught up with us.”

Red Hand killers ran out onto the street a block away. They struggled to see under the dim light of lanterns posted on the street, but still spotted Julius. The spearman from before (now armed with a club), pointed his weapon at Julius as yelled, “After him! A hundred rils for the man who takes his head!”

Julius grabbed Brody’s hand and ran. “Come on, the nearest watch house is this way.”

“What’s a ril?” Brody asked as an arrow arced high over them and broke against a brick wall.

“Local currency,” Julius explained as they turned a corner. “It’s worth about a third of a guilder.”

A hatchet flew past Brody and clattered across the cobblestone road. “The last guys who wanted you dead were paying ten times that.”

A Red Hand killer armed with a club lunged out of an alley and swung at Julius’ head. Julius grabbed the man by the wrist and spun him around, sending him face first into the nearest brick wall. “Prices on my head went down. I blame the weak economy.”

Julius and Brody kept running with the baying mob of killers in hot pursuit. They lost them briefly when they went into the alleys again, but the Red Hand was expecting the move and sent scouts after them. The few minutes the move bought them was enough to reach a burned out stone building still smoking. The furniture and wood support beams were nothing more than hot cinders.

“Let me guess, watch house,” Brody said.

“One of many.” Julius peered into the smoldering interior and said, “I don’t see bodies. Looks like the watchmen escaped before it was burned. Brody, this is a takeover attempt. The Red Hand is attacking anyone who could oppose them, but from what the king told me the Red Hand numbers only five hundred men. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a move this bold.”

“Or stupid.”

A Red Hand killer with a hatchet ran out onto the street. He charged Julius and screamed, “He’s here!”

Brody was used to being ignored and happily took advantage of the killer’s mistake. He tripped the man and sent him flat on his belly. Julius stomped on the man’s hand, forcing him to let go of the hatch, which Brody grabbed before the man could recover. Unarmed, the man snarled as he scrambled to his feet and fell back. “I found him!”

“There’s another watch house a few blocks away,” Julius said as he and Brody fled. “It might be burned down as well, but I don’t see a better choice.”

A door opened as Julius and Brody came near, and a frightened looking man peered out. Julius shouted, “Stay inside!”, and the man slammed the door shut.

Two men wearing red helmets came out of an alley ahead of Julius and Brody. The first man drew a sword while the second raised a horn to his lips. Julius rammed the first man and knocked him over while Brody threw his stolen hatchet at the second man, shattering the horn before he could blow it. The second man pulled a knife from a belt sheath, but Brody grabbed the man’s belt and yanked down hard, pulling his pants around his ankles and showing the man’s red and white poke-a-dot underwear. Julius pushed the man over and led Brody away.

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t do that,” Julius said.

“The one I got will need more time to get up.”

“I know, but—”

“It’s him!” The Red Hand finally caught up to them in numbers large enough to fill the streets. They formed crude ranks around Julius and Brody, blocking all exits as still more men joined them. Julius drew his sword and backed up against a wall. The odds were badly against him, but Julius had defeated so many threats that the Red Hand wasn’t guaranteed victory.

“If you do this, not many of you will see the morning,” Julius warned.

A man with a bandaged face stepped into the front of the Red Hand. “We’re doing this, and we’ll toast our victory over your dead body.”

Sworn Doom snicker at them. “Better men than you have tried. We’ll accept surrender from however many of you survives the first two minutes.”

The crowd around Julius and Brody raised their weapons and howled like demons as they charged. They’d gone only three steps before a carriage pulled by four horses raced down the street, and their howls turned into screams of terror. Men scattered, many dropping their weapons as they scrambled out of the way. The carriage went right in front of Julius, slowing down just long enough for a young man dressed in gray to reach out his hand. Julius sheathed his sword, grabbed the offered hand with his right hand and taking Brody’s hand with the other. He vaulted into the carriage and pulled Brody along. The carriage rocketed down the road, nearly running over a handful of men as it escaped.

“Sir, it’s such an honor!” the gray clad youth shouted over the sound of the carriage clattering over the cobblestone road. He was one of many passengers already in the carriage. “Kadid Lan, sir, wizard of earth magic, and a big fan! Officer Dalton is driving the carriage.”

“A pleasure, sir!” the watchman called back. Julius collapsed into a seat, only to have a large dog sit on his lap. “Shep, no!”

Kadid tried to pull the dog off and failed. “And, uh, the goblin is—”

“Habbly, yes, we’ve met,” Julius replied. He shook the goblin’s hand and waved to Brody. “It’s a bit of a reunion. What brings you here?”

“Kadid and I came to save you,” Habbly said. The carriage moved so fast that the goblin’s long braid whipped behind him. He held up two handfuls of papers, offering one to Julius and another to Brody. “Someone’s been plastering posters across entire kingdoms. They tell secrets, like that you were on your way here to fight the Red Hand. We saw them and came to warn you, but the Red Hand saw them, too.”

Julius studied one of the paper and scowled. “Who wrote this?”

“We don’t know, sir,” Kadid said. He picked up an elaborate staff off a seat and waved it at the papers. “It’s been happening for months with stories about Ocean Kingdom, Kaleoth, Ket and independent cities like Nolod. So far no mention of the Land of the Nine Dukes, but give it time.”

Brody looked at his copies and frowned. It was hard to see the flowery blue writing under such poor light, but there was another reason for his trouble. The strange markings made no sense to him because he couldn’t read a word. He’d lived most of his life alone and never learned the skill. Whatever terrible secrets were contained on these pages were lost on him.

“The Red Hand got this information before we did!” Officer Dalton shouted over his shoulder. He slowed the carriage as it took a wide turn at a corner. “They’ve mounted surprise attacks on watch houses across the city, hitting us before we could hit them. We’ve fallen back to the city’s garrison and are organizing a counterattack. Kadid and Habbly found me fighting my way to the garrison and told me you were coming. The papers say you were going to help us beat the Red Hand, so thought you could save the city. Shep, no, stop licking the man’s face!”

“How far have they spread across the city?” Julius asked as he wrapped an arm around the dog’s neck and pulled it into his lap.

Kadid replied, “We’ve run into groups of them every few blocks. Watch houses across the city have been destroyed, but a few are holding out with help from citizens.”

Brody pointed up and shouted, “More are coming!”

The others looked up and saw Red Hand men running across the roofs of houses on the streets. Two of them threw spears and missed. Another drew a dagger and jumped screaming from rooftops for the carriage. His monstrous howl became a terrified cry of panic as he fell eight feet short of his target and hit the road with a thud.

“He didn’t time that well,” Habby said.

“No, he really didn’t,” Julius agreed. “Officer Dalton, how fast can you get us to the garrison?”

“We’re two blocks away,” Dalton called back.

Officer Dalton drove the carriage around another corner onto a large, open courtyard. Ahead of them was a large two story building manned by watchmen and average citizens. These men held the windows and doors against dozens of Red Hand killers. The unruly mob rushed the building and was pushed back by an equally determined resistance. Dalton slowed the carriage, but it still moved fast enough that the Red Hand barely had enough time to avoid being run over. A wooden double door twenty feet across opened just long enough for the carriage to enter before slamming closed.

Julius jumped off the carriage and helped the others down. “Who’s in charge of this garrison?”

A watchman with gold medals on his chest ran over and saluted. “Sir Craton, I’m the ranking officer. We’ve been hit hard, but the city watch still stands. Enemy attacks have been going on for hours, and their strength is flagging. We’ll be able to take the offensive soon and rout them.”

“They’ll fall back the moment they realize they’re lost the advantage, scattering across the city or fleeing it entirely,” Julius responded. “We have to strike before they run or we’ll need weeks to track them all down.”

“The men are tired, sir,” the officer replied. “They can’t take a prolonged fight without rest and reinforcements.”

Julius looked at the nearest window, where frightened men armed with spears prepared for another enemy attack. “They need a quick victory that won’t cost them. Buildings in Sunset City are all made of brick, little risk of a fire spreading. Officer, I saw lanterns across the city. Do you have lamp oil on hand?”

“Well, uh, yes sir, plenty of it,” the officer stammered.

Brody had spent enough time with Julius to know how his mind worked. Panicked, he pushed his way past the others and pleaded, “Julius, no, you can’t.”

For a moment Julius’ face looked pained. “Many will suffer far worse if I don’t.”

Puzzled, Kadid asked Officer Dalton, “What are they talking about?”

Dalton struggled to keep his dog under control. “Sorry, no idea.”

“At least give them a chance,” Brody begged.

* * * * *

More members of the Red Hand poured into the courtyard around the city garrison, including a man swathed in bandages. Others saluted when he neared.

“Staback,” one of them said. “We’ve got a battering ram ready to take down the door. Say the word and we do it.”

Staback was still hurting from when a swarm of bees had stung him weeks earlier. The pain would make most men timid, but instead it drove him to a hatefulness rarely seen. He pointed a hatchet at the assembled men and said, “We’ve enough men to do the job. Bring those doors down. Leave no one alive.”

With the order given, twenty men picked up a mast they’d stolen from the docks and charged the doors. Dozens more men followed them, screaming and waving their weapons. The battering ram struck the door with a boom that echoed throughout the city. Red Hand killers roared in approval as they struck at men guarding the windows. They pulled the battering ram back for another blow when civilians poured lamp oil out of the garrison second story windows.

Men fell cursing as the oil splattered over them. The ones holding the battering ram couldn’t keep their footing and fell. They were still yelling and cursing when the double doors opened and Julius stepped out with a lit torch. The men frozen in terror.

“Hello. I’m Julius Craton, and before you ask, yes, I will do it.

“I’ve fought men like you for more than half my life. It’s kind of sad how many people would kill their fellow man as if they were less than animals. I’ve always found it troubling that of all the ways I have to deal with threats like you, violence seems to be the only way that works. I have to be like you to stop you. That bothers me. It bothers people I care about. I’m tired of it.

“So, this is how we’re doing this. A person better than any of you asked me to offer mercy, so I’m giving you a chance. Surrender and accept full punishment under the law for your crimes. I have received the garrison commander’s word of honor that none of you will face torture or the death penalty. You’ll live and make restitution for your actions.”

Julius held his torch high above his head. Light from the torch made the oil on the men glisten. “Throw down your weapons or I throw down mine. I’d rather not do it, but like I said, I will do it.”

Staback made a guttural, growling noise as he tried to rise to his feet. “I won’t—”

His own men tackled Staback and gagged him. A lone man dropped his spear at Julius’ feet, then another and a third. Bit by bit the Red Hands disarmed, and watchmen took them prisoner. One by one they were led away to the garrison’s cells.

“Sir, that was amazing,” Officer Dalton said. “I’d have never thought of using our oil supply as a weapon.”

“Then you’re a better man than I am,” Julius said. “Some of the Red Hand who attacked us at the bay aren’t here. We didn’t get them all and have to comb the city for the rest before they regroup or flee to cause trouble elsewhere.”

Kadid Lan walked up with a stack of posters written with blue ink. “What do we do about these? Whoever is writing them nearly got you killed, and they’re still writing more.”

Brody took a poster from Kadid and studied it. He couldn’t read the words, but the paper felt silky in his fingers, not rough like cheap paper. The writing was smooth and flowery, and he’d never seen anyone write with blue ink. So few clues wasn’t much to work with, but it was a start. Brody’s mind raced as he tried to figure out the puzzle. It was a tall task for a small goblin who couldn’t read, but one thing he’d learned by traveling with Julius was that no problem was impossible if you had help, and he’d met people who could help.

“I know guys who can find the authors,” Brody told the others. It was an inspirational promise of hope totally ruined when Officer Dalton’s dog Shep tackled the little goblin and licked his face.

Dana Illwind and Sorcerer Lord Jayden are back in part 1 of A Fair Deal.


“Why do the ports we visit smell like something died?” Dana asked as she got off the boat. She’d been cooped up on the ramshackle fishing boat for five days, an experience made worse by the overpowering stench of dead fish permeating the wood vessel. Dana had assumed getting on land would relieve the problem, but the city of Pearl Bay smelled like a horrible mix of spoiled meat, rotting produce, manure and unwashed bodies.

“It’s a common feature of large cities,” Jayden replied. “Too many people, poor sanitation, add summer’s heat, and you have a recipe for olfactory offense.”

The captain sailed his miserable boat up to the long docks stretching out over the water and moored them to the nearest open berth. He and his three-man crew got out of the way as Jayden and Dana left their boat. The captain, a grubby man who’d seen better days, held an open out hand to Jayden.

“Deal was one gold coin going, one more on shore and no questions,” the man said.

Jayden went through the bags he’d brought along for the trip and paid the captain. “My word was given, and is kept. Good day to you, sir, and for both our sakes I suggest you forget meeting us.”

The captain grinned, showing off the few teeth he still had. “Smart men keep their mouths shut these days. They live longer that way.”

Jayden nodded to the captain and left with Dana. They headed down the dock to the stinking metropolis of Pearl Bay. Jayden swept his hands over the revolting city like he was presenting a rare prize.

“Behold, Pearl Bay, once known for rich pearl beds, excellent fishing and access to the spice trade. The pearl beds were plundered to exhaustion and poisoned by human waste, the spice trade was strangled by excessive taxes, and I’m told fishing is fair to middling. I’ve been here before and have friends we can call upon.”

Dana and Jayden left the docks and headed to the busy streets of Pearl Bay. Now that they were off the boat and away from its crew, Dana felt safe to speak. “Do you think the captain believed your story?”

“I think so,” Jayden said. The sorcerer lord was a tall man, handsome to behold. His yellow hair was perpetually messy and wore black and silver clothes that had suffered some damage in a fight with an elven wizard. He carried no weapons, but had a heavy load of baggage containing gold and minor riches. Jayden had a smirking, superior expression most of the time. Dana was actually glad to see that smug look on his face, because he was a terrifying force when he gave in his to rage. “Our trip should provoke little comment when I have a reputation for strange deeds.”

“Like trying to overthrow the king and queen,” Dana commented.

“Most men want to do that,” Jayden said. He smiled at a gnome leaning against a barrel, and resumed talking once they were far from him. “The difference is I carry out my plans. But I digress. The dear captain believes we were going to meet someone out at sea, and I hope you’ll agree I looked annoyed when no one appeared.”

“I think you scared those men,” Dana replied. Dana was a girl of fifteen with brown hair and simple clothes. She’d followed Jayden since spring when he’d saved her village from a monster. Joining him was risky, but she’d seen the good he was capable of as well as the danger he posed. Jayden needed someone to help steer him away from trouble and toward doing good. So far they’d defeated monsters and an elf wizard, and survived meeting the Shrouded One, a fairytale in Fish Bait City that was actually a mob of goblins.

Dana had a knife in her belt and carried nearly as much baggage as Jayden after their successful missions together. There was one item missing from their belongings, though, and God willing it would never be seen again.

“That might keep them quiet,” Jayden told her. “I dislike frightening people, but the fewer men who know we dumped the Valivaxis overboard during that trip the better. You did an excellent job distracting them while I got rid of it. Those men think we went for a meeting that didn’t happen when the other side didn’t arrive, a story that shouldn’t inform enemies of our real objective.”

“Is it safe, now?” Dana asked as they left the dock and went onto street crowded with men and a few dwarfs. The Valivaxis was a gateway to another world where the elves of old placed their dead emperors. They’d placed guards in the tomb, terrible monsters who’d survived the passing of centuries and could come out if the Valivaxis was opened.

Jayden smiled. “I selected that location to place the Valivaxis because there is a deep trench in that part of the ocean. The pressure of the water above it will create enough force to make it impossible for anyone to reach the Valivaxis, and that same force will help keep it closed. Our unwelcome guest is gone for good, and we may turn our attention to other goals.”

Dreading the answer, she asked, “Such as?”

“We’ve been busy for weeks dealing with the Valivaxis. I need to learn what events have occurred before making plan.”

Dana and Jayden slipped through the crowd as best they could. Their passing drew little attention, for the crowd included some men in very elaborate outfits. These included merchants hawking their goods, mercenaries from distant lands and entertainers playing music or juggling to earn coins. Dana stopped for a moment to watch an acrobat, but she hurried along when she saw a suspicious person.

“We’re being followed,” she told Jayden.

Jayden kept walking. “Describe him.”

“It’s a gnome with black hair, dressed in leather clothes. He was at the docks, and now he’s here.”

Jayden shrugged. “He could be a thief or an information broker.”

“A what?”

“Someone who learns important information and sells it. I once bought secrets from such a person, only for him to sell my location to agents of the crown. He and I had a discussion afterwards, which he eventually recovered from. If our new friend is wise he won’t make the same mistake. Ah, here we are. Welcome to The Hole in the Wall, a disreputable tavern with surprisingly good cuisine.”

The Hole in the Wall lived up to its obnoxious name. The building was dingy, dark, crowded and smelly. The tavern’s patrons were mostly human, but Dana saw two dwarfs at the bar and an eight-foot tall hairy brute of an ogre seated in a corner. Most of the rough looking men sat at small tables, drinking grog and eating unwholesome looking dishes. When Dana backed away from a man gorging what looked like skinned snakes in red sauce, he demanded, “What’s the matter? You never saw a man eat eels?”

Dana had been born and raised on a farm far from sea, and honestly replied, “I’ve never seen eels before.”

That earned her braying laughter from the man. Jayden ignored him and led Dana to a table near the back. He gestured for a waiter to come and ordered food for them. “Tell Charles I said hello.”

“He knows you’re here and wishes you weren’t,” the waiter replied tartly. “Try not to make so much of a mess this time.”

“Yep, you’ve been here before,” Dana said.

The waiter had barely left their table before a clearly drunken man stagger up to their table and asked, “Girl, what do you charge?”

Dana didn’t understand the question and was about to ask when Jayden shot to his feet and cast a spell. Shadows across the tavern stretched out to form a massive, clawed fist. Huge fingers wrapped around the man’s chest and threw him out of the tavern. Patrons across the tavern cried out in surprise and ducked under their tables. Jayden let the spell fade and addressed the crowd.

“The next man to insult the lady’s honor can expect far worse.” Jayden sat down as if the matter was settled. To Dana’s surprise, the tavern’s patrons calmed down and returned to their drinks. No one went to help the man Jayden had ejected from the building. The dwarfs even raised a toast to Jayden, and the ogre chuckled.

Confused, Dana said, “What was that about?”

“Don’t ask.”

Their food came quickly, a filling meal of grilled fish on roasted vegetables and bread. Their host came nearly as fast, a large and irate looking man with blond hair and worn sailor’s clothes.

“Ah, Charles, how good to see you,” Jayden said.

“You idiot, what were you thinking coming here again?” Charles replied through gritted teeth. “I have delicate business matters in this city, and I don’t need you drawing attention to me.”

“You run a tavern with good food and better gossip,” Jayden replied. “I’ve been gone a year and need to know what’s changed in the city. Who better to go to than you?”

“Anyone!” Charles roared. That drew attention from the patrons. Charles glowered at them until they went back to their drinks. He sat in a chair across from Jayden. “You want to know what’s changed? I changed. I have a side business that makes good profit. These men won’t inform on you, even the one you threw out. The crown doesn’t pay for information, and men who want their business kept secret deal harshly with informants. But if you make a disastrous mess like you always do, knights will search the city and might learn my secrets by accident.”

“You’re worried about your grain smuggling?” Jayden asked. Charles gasped. “I heard about that months ago. Farmers sell you their wheat rather than have it confiscated, and you sell it to smugglers who sell it in Nolod’s grain markets. That wheat would have gone to feed the king and queen’s army. I’m rather proud of you, Charles.”

Charles recovered quickly. “Then you know why I don’t want royal attention.”

“I’ll happily leave your delightful corner of the underworld alone. All I need is you to provide me current information on the king and queen’s doings. I’ll pick a target far from here, giving the loving royal couple somewhere else to send their knights.”

Charles grumbled and said, “It’s worth it to get you out of Pearl Bay. The city barely recovered from your last visit and doesn’t need your return. Who’s the girl?”

“Dana Illwind,” Dana said. “I’m his friend.”

Charles glanced between them. “I’ve never heard of you having friends, Jayden, only temporary help.”

“Dana is an exceptional woman.”

“She’d have to be to keep you in line. All right, I’ve help, for a price.”

Jayden and Charles began haggling over how much Charles’ help would cost, and Dana’s attention drifted off. The tavern was dark and dirty, so she looked out the windows where men struggled to get through crowded streets. To her surprise she saw a woman navigate the packed thoroughfare with ease. People made way for the simply dressed woman, greeting her warmly as if she was a blood relative to everyone on the road.

“Who’s she?” Dana asked.

Charles’ hard expression softened at the sight of the woman. “That’s Sarah Gress, wife of our old sheriff. The poor woman’s been on hard times since she lost her husband.”

“What happened to him?”

The question earned Dana surprised looks from nearby tables. Some men were outraged, but Charles waved them off. “She’s new in town, boys.”

The men calmed down, and one said, “Do yourself a favor and go back wherever you came from. It can’t be worse than here.”

Charles shrugged. “I’ve been in worse, just not often. Hural Gress used to be sheriff in Pearl Bay. Big man, strong like an ox and good with a sword. He upheld the law the same for rich and poor, and he was the first man to ask judges for mercy. He knew when to turn a blind eye when no harm was meant, and he could get most folks to talk over their problems rather than fight it out or go to court. He convinced men to do the right thing, or beat them down with his fists if he had to. In ten years he only drew his sword eight times. Those eight times, well, those men needed killing.”

Puzzled, Dana said, “You respected him.”

“I didn’t used to be a smuggler,” Charles replied. He sounded resigned to his situation. “Sheriff Gress was respected by all men and a fair number of dwarfs and elves. Too bad he wasn’t respected by the throne.”

Jayden scowled. “What did they do to him?”

Charles finished his drink with one swallow. “Five months ago the king and queen wrote new laws and sent copies to all the sheriffs on how to carry out their duties. Criminals were sentenced to forced labor no matter how petty the crime. No pleas accepted, no deals, no mercy. The more criminals sentenced, the more pay a sheriff gets. Sheriffs could cut men down at the slightest offense. It used to be they had to explain it to a judge when they took a life. Nowadays nobody questions when a man is killed.

“Sheriff Gress wrote a letter to the king listing why he couldn’t obey these rules, how they ignored laws hundreds of years old and the rights of men established by the founder of the dynasty. He said this would make more trouble than it would solve. He asked to be relieved of his duties on account of no man could act like that and still be called a man.”

The tavern fell quiet as customers listened to the grim tale. Charles stared down at the floor as he finished.

“Sheriff Gress got summoned to the capital. Good men told him to run, offered to help get him out of the kingdom, but the sheriff did his duty. Two months later his wife got a letter saying he’d died along the way from bone break plague.”

Dana’s jaw dropped. “There’s plague here?”

Charles held up his cup for another round, and the waiter filled it. “There hasn’t been plague in these parts for twenty years. Wouldn’t matter if there was, since Sheriff Gress had bone break as a boy and survived it. A man gets a sickness like bone break or red eyes, he never gets it again. We started hearing from other cities how men ‘died from plague’, plagues real specific about who they kill. You work for the crown and complain, appeal a ruling, question an order, and you get called to the capital to answer for it. You never seem to make it there.”

“How many times has this happened?” Jayden demanded.

“Dozens of times I can prove, hundreds more I’ve heard of.”

Shocked, Dana asked, “What did your mayor do when this happened?”

Charles scowled. “He didn’t want to end up the same way, so he kept quiet. Most folks do. Worse thing is those good men get replaced with bad ones. We got a new sheriff named Hemmelfarb a month later, and he’s got no problem with the new laws. He confiscates goods for the crown or for his own pocket, and God help anyone who protests. Sheriff Gress used to live in a house provided by the crown. That house went to Hemmelfarb, and Sarah Gress and her kids got put out on the street. We help her when we can.”

“Are you sure he’s dead?” Dana asked. “Maybe he was exiled or imprisoned.”

Charles watched Sarah Gress select fruit from a vendor. “Sheriff Gress loved that woman more than life itself. If he were alive, he’d fight through armies to reach her.

“It was a lesson to us all,” he continued. “Life was never easy here, but we got by. After what the king and queen did to Sheriff Gress, we don’t try to be honest anymore. There’s no reward for hard work when the throne can take everything you make whenever they please. As bad as the new punishments are, starving is worse.”

Jayden got up from his chair and marched out of the tavern to Sarah Gress. She glanced up from the fruit cart as he stopped in front of her. “Madam, I’m told you have suffered greatly. I would like to help.”

Most people were awed or fearful when they saw Jayden. Sarah Gress looked him in the eye. “Sir, it may surprise you to know that I have heard of you. You do not disappoint in your appearance. I hope you will forgive me, but while I am sure your offer is genuine, I have not yet fallen so far that I must accept aid from criminals.”

“You’re certain there’s nothing I can do?”

“I have lost much, sir. Leave me at least my dignity and good name.”

“As you wish.” Jayden bowed and returned to the tavern. He went to his table and looked at Dana. “I should have asked you to do that. She would have been more receptive.”

“I can try if you want,” Dana offered.

Jayden shook his head and turned to Charles. “I need a list of men she does business with, honest men I can give coins to discretely pay for her needs.”

“I know two men who can help,” he replied. He got up to leave, saying, “It’s best if we meet them quietly so your reputation doesn’t damage them. The first is Samuel Sti—oh no, not now, you fool.”

The street outside the tavern cleared as men ran to avoid a swaggering swordsman in a blue and gray uniform. He was tall and strong, healthy and young, handsome to look at, but his cruel expression showed how little he thought of the people around him.

“So, I heard a ship dropped off passengers,” the man sneered.

Jayden scowled. “Dare I ask, or is the answer too obvious?”

“That’s Sheriff Hemmelfarb,” Charles answered. “He’s as bad as he sounds. Ships he inspects lose a lot of cargo, and arrested men find their wallets a good deal lighter.”

Hemmelfarb pushed past a few men near the tavern’s door. He glanced briefly at Sarah Gress. Gress met his gaze the same way she had Jayden’s. Hemmelfarb went by her without a word as he put a hand on his sword hilt.

“We’ve been having too much of that,” Hemmelfarb said, his tone belittling. “Men seem to think they can come and go as they please without paying proper respect. That’s what this is about, respect. I’ve been here long enough I should be getting some instead of every yokel going on about a dead man who used to have the job.”

The waiter quickly poured a drink and set it on the bar. “No need for trouble, sheriff.”

Hemmelfarb made no move to accept the drink and instead drew his sword. “I think there is. Men I trust in this city said strangers came here with full bags. I’m wondering what’s in those bags. I’m wondering why they came here. I’m wondering why I have to keep making the same points to you halfwits about the law.”

Dana slid down lower in her chair, trying hard not to be noticed. When she saw the look on Jayden’s face, she reached out and took his arm to stop him. It didn’t work.

“Give me room,” Jayden said. Nearby men backed away until there was a clear space around him. Jayden cast a spell and formed an ebony sword rimmed with light. He stepped forward so the sheriff had no trouble seeing him before he raised his magic sword. Speaking loud enough to be heard outside the tavern, Jayden answered the sheriff’s challenge. “I am the man you seek. You have my undivided attention. Allow me to demonstrate why that’s a bad thing.”

“You…” Sheriff Hemmelfarb froze. His sneer disappeared and lips quivered as he took a step back. His face turned pale. Then he ran.

“What are you doing?” Sarah Gress shouted as Hemmelfarb raced by her. The sheriff tripped, dropping his sword when he landed. He left it there as he scrambled to his feet and kept running. Sarah ran after him a few steps, shouting, “Get back here!”

A few men in the tavern smirked while the dwarfs shook their heads in shame. The ogre burst out laughing. The waiter handed Jayden the drink he’d poured for the sheriff, saying, “That’s worth a round on the house.”

Sarah Gress marched over to where Hemmelfarb had fallen and picked up his sword. Her expression was so fierce that men got out of her way when she marched up to Jayden.

“You offered aid, sir, and you provided more than I could have asked for.” She held up the sword and called out, “Sheriff Hemmelfarb is supposed to uphold the law, to protect us from criminals. A wanted man with a price on his head stands before us now, and our sheriff ran! This is the measure of the man our king and queen sent to guide us, defend us, to rally us when the city is in danger! This is the man our king and queen favor after they took my husband! Tell your family, your neighbors, your friends and strangers you meet on the street! Tell them our sheriff is a coward!”

With that said, Sarah Gress stormed off with the sword. Jayden let his magic sword dissipate as he watched her leave, saying, “That is quite a woman.”

Charles slapped a hand over his face. “Of all the ways you could have ended that…go out of the back. I’ll meet you at the Kraken Hotel. God willing I’ll still have a business left in the morning.”

Dana and Jayden left, stopped only briefly when the ogre insisted on patting Jayden on the shoulder. They found the streets buzzing with gossip as men and women spread word of his showdown with the sheriff. A few men recognized Jayden and got out of his way, but otherwise their reactions were minimal.

Not sure how to begin the conversation, Dana said, “I’d never seen you cast that spell.”

“I found a spell tablet from the old sorcerer lords when I saved your town months ago,” he replied. “It took me longer than I’d like to translate and master the spell, but you saw its effectiveness.”

Hesitantly, she said, “And you thought a crowded city was a good place to use it?”

Jayden led her down a side street away from the docks. “The man at the tavern was a drunken idiot who needed a lesson, and the other patrons needed to see my abilities to prevent further insults. Throwing the lout out did both without killing him.”

“I wasn’t angry with the man, and you can do more good easily and quietly if people don’t know who you are,” she pressed. “Picking fights like that makes enemies and lets your enemies know exactly where you are.”

“I was angry with him, and I plan on being long gone before the king and queen learn of our visit.” Jayden pointed to a large hotel surrounded by rich shops. “Here we are, the Kraken Hotel. You’ll find the accommodations unusual, the prices high and the proprietor open to bribes.”

“How is any of that a good thing?”

Jayden opened the door for her, and she entered a place of dreams. Weird dreams, but dreams nonetheless. The entrance hall was bigger than her home and included a large bar, gaming tables, carpeted floors and gorgeous paintings. There was a huge beak three feet across mounted on the wall along with dozens of sharp spikes three inches long. The room’s décor was an underwater theme with shark skeletons prominently displayed above doorways.

An elf behind the bar smiled when they entered. “Ah, Sorcerer Lord Jayden. I’d heard you were in town and hoped you would grace us with your presence again.”

“Charmed to meet you again, Elegant Crane,” Jayden replied as he walked up to the elf. Jayden flipped two gold coins to the elf and added, “I’ll need a room for myself and another for the lady. The king and queen recently demanded inns and hotels report who stays with them.” Jayden tossed another gold coin. “I trust you can overlook our visit.”

“You needn’t worry about that,” the elf replied as he pocketed the coins. “Reports we send to the capital about our guests have no basis in reality. Dinner is at eight and the evening’s poker game starts at ten. Here are your keys.”

“What’s poker?” Dana asked as she followed Jayden out of the hotel’s main room.

“You must have games of chance in your hometown.”

“Sure. Pins and swings, clam toss, apples and angels. Poker is new to me.” Jayden opened a door for her and waited for her to go in. “We need to talk.”

“I see.” Jayden went in ahead of her and sat down on a large soft bed in the center of the room. Dana followed him and closed the door behind her.

Feeling nervous, she asked, “Charles wasn’t happy to see you. What did you do the last time you were here?”

“So that’s what’s got you worried. Last year I learned the king and queen were importing weapons. Namely a ship came to Pearl Bay loaded with a hundred thousand arrows. I found the ship before it was unloaded and encouraged the crew to leave.”

Dana rolled her eyes. “And by encouraged, does that mean you threatened their lives?”

“No, but your idea has merit. I offered them a bribe roughly three times their yearly salary. I’d take credit for being so generous, but I’d stolen the money from the mayor’s personal vault. Once the men were gone I burned the ship down to the waterline. I escaped without any great difficulty, largely because the late and much lamented Sheriff Gress was hunting bandits in the countryside.”

“Burning a ship is a hanging offense.”

Jayden smiled. “I commit hanging offenses every month, more often during summer.”

“It sounds like you made life harder for the people here when you burned that ship.”

Jayden looked more thoughtful as he answered. “I knew that could happen before I acted. It was a choice of which was the greater wrong. Charles and others here no doubt had their lives turned upside down when the king and queen learned what I did. At the very least security in Pearl Bay must have been tightened and citizens harassed by soldiers and mercenaries.

“But a hundred thousand arrows can kill a great many men, foreigners I’d never met and owed no debts to, but that doesn’t make their lives less important. I could greatly inconvenience many men or allow thousands or tens of thousands to die. I didn’t make the choice lightly, but given the opportunity I would do it again.”

Dana hesitated before she spoke. “There are ways to help these people and the kingdom without getting a bigger bounty on your head. They won’t be as satisfying, but you can save lives like when you closed the Valivaxis and dumped it in the ocean.”

“We sealed the Valivaxis,” he corrected her.

“There are threats out there just as big. I’ve heard of monsters, bandits, ancient curses, threats that make big parts of the kingdom off limits to everyone. If you fixed those problems you’d make the kingdom a better place. It might satisfy the king and queen since they’d have so much more land open for farmers, loggers and miners. They’d have enough land without going to war.”

“An idea I’m sure the dearly departed Sheriff Gress would agree with,” Jayden replied.

Dana’s heart sank at the mention of the old sheriff. She’d never met him, but he sounded like the kind of man she would have liked.

Jayden went on, his voice calm but his words relentless. “Dana, your idea is valid, but you used one word that ensures it won’t work. Enough. That word doesn’t exist in our enemies’ vocabulary. The king and queen control an entire kingdom. Taxes generated from these lands, if they were managed properly, should be enormous. For you and I that would be enough, more than we could possibly spend, but the king and queen want to conquer a neighboring kingdom. They seek land equal to the massive quantity they already possess. Giving them a few dozen square miles can’t compare to such a bounty.”

Softly, she asked, “Did you ever wonder if what the king and queen have done is a response to what you’re doing to them? You scare people, and scared people make bad choices.”

“I wonder a great many things, Dana. The king and queen may indeed be panicked by my actions. I hope so, although evidence to support the idea is sparse. But I have lived longer than you, traveled farther and seen more of our kingdom, and I have learned the offenses inflicted on this kingdom go back years before I began my crusade against the throne. Their misdeeds grow in number and cruelty, but they aren’t new events.”

“It’s just, this is the second city I’ve been two, both dumps, and I don’t see how what we’re doing can change that.” Dana pointed at the window and said, “Pearl Bay stinks and the people are miserable.”

Jayden kissed her on the forehead, making her blush. “Your concern does you credit. I admit nothing I do is going to help these people in the short term. Men in neighboring kingdoms deserve better lives, too, and I want the same for our people. For that to happen there must be no war. I’ve made hard choices to make that a reality. Not all those choices were correct, but they’re better than a hundred thousand arrows being fired.”

Their conversation ended when someone banged on the door. Dana opened it to let a very angry Charles into the room. He shut the door behind him before turning his fierce gaze on Jayden. “Sheriff Hemmelfarb came back with thirty mercenaries. It took some fast talking and a substantial bribe to convince him I don’t know you, so I still have a tavern.”

“I’ll toast to that,” Jayden replied. “I’ll have a bottle of wine sent to the room.”

“I’m going to need more than that.” Charles took papers from inside his shirt and laid them on the bed. He unfolded them and said, “My smuggling contacts are in port and eager for more business, but nearby farmers either had their crops confiscated or sold them to me long ago. I need product to move, the sooner the better. You want to hurt the king and queen? I need money to cover what I just lost. We can do both at once.”

Jayden rubbed his hands together. “Charles, you don’t disappoint.”

Charles showed Dana and Jayden a rough map of the docks and nearby streets. He pointed at an isolated dock and said, “A ship is scheduled to come to this dock tonight. New security rules demand ships send a cargo manifest before arriving at harbor, and this cargo is worth having. Get it for me and I’ll give you enough information to make you rich and the king and queen furious.”

Jayden shook Charles’ hand. “It’s a fair deal.”

“What’s in there?” Dana asked.

“One of my associates snuck the cargo manifest out of the harbormaster’s office.” Charles handed it to her and pointed at the middle. “The ship carries goats, sheep and one steed, all property of our new sheriff. There’s a high demand for livestock, so I can move those quickly, and I know men who will buy a horse no questions asked. But there are guards at the dock we need to deal with.”

Jayden looked at the map and asked, “Militiamen won’t be a threat. How many mercenaries are in Pearl Bay?”

“Normally none, but it’s gone up to sixty mercenaries, fierce, well trained and loyal if they’re paid on time. They obey Sheriff Hemmelfarb and no one else, and they patrol the docks at all times.”

Dana frowned as she read the cargo manifest: 34 sheep, 25 goats, 1 steed. “Why does a sheriff need sheep?”

“Livestock in the region have been commandeered to feed the army,” Charles explained. “No sheep, no wool. No wool, no clothes. No clothes, no money. Those sheep are worth gold.”

“Who else can you count on for this job?” Jayden asked.

“You, me, your girl, my smuggler friends on their ship and a dozen local boys.” Charles frowned and added, “I was going to write this off as too dangerous, but then you showed up.”

Dana held up the paper and said, “This doesn’t make sense.”

“What part?” Jayden asked.

She pointed at the manifest. “They list the animals but have one only as steed. Why not call it a horse?”

Charles looked annoyed. “The harbormaster is a barely literate drunk. Doesn’t surprise me he’d be sloppy. As for the horse, these are people with money. They can’t use simple words when they have fancy ones like steed.”

“What else is there?” Jayden pressed.

Charles pointed at other buildings on the map. “There are four warehouses nearby. Three are filled with trade goods, low value, high bulk, but still worth money.”

Jayden smiled at the news. “A distraction at one of those warehouses could draw the mercenaries away long enough to get the animals. How close are your smugglers?”

Charles pointed to a ship on a neighboring dock. “Here. We take off the animals, herd them onto our ship and send them off. Shouldn’t take more than a few minutes if we do it right.”

“And what will the sheriff do when his animals get stolen?” Dana asked.

“Don’t know,” Charles said as he rolled up his papers. “Don’t care, either. It’s getting impossible to earn a living in Pearl Bay, and when the smugglers leave I’m going with them for friendlier lands. You can have your one-man campaign against the throne all for yourself, Jayden. I’m through.”

Shocked, Dana asked, “You’d abandon your homeland?”

The look Charles gave her made Jayden step between them. Charles regained his temper and said, “My homeland killed the one person I respected. Everything good here has been squeezed out. I didn’t used to be a criminal, girl. I don’t like being a criminal. And if there’s somewhere out there beyond the waves where I can go back to being a tavern keeper, where kings don’t make good men disappear, I want to live there. Think of me what you will.”

Charles headed for the door. “I’ll send for you when the ship comes.”

Once he was gone, Dana said, “I’m sorry if I made that worse.”

“Don’t apologize,” Jayden told her. “I’ve found most men can only be called upon for help a limited number of times. Ask too much and they grow weary or break under the strain. Charles has suffered much and needs time to heal.”

Here is the conclusion to A Fair Deal, with Sorcerer Lord Jayden and Dana Illwind.


It was late at night and Dana was fast asleep when there was a knock at the door. She woke to find Jayden still up waiting patiently. He opened the door to reveal the same gnome they’d seen earlier that day. The gnome tipped his cap and said, “Your assistance is needed.”

“Wait, you were at the dock when we came here, and you followed us,” she said.

The gnome smiled and took off his cap when he saw her. “Mr. Charles hired me to watch the docks and tell him when interesting ships and people come.”

Jayden left his baggage behind and told the gnome, “Lead the way, good sir.”

Dana and Jayden followed the gnome out of the hotel. They found the inn’s common room packed with men, elves and dwarfs playing poker. A lone troll was beating all comers at cards, and he beckoned them with a scaly hand to sit at his table. “You in, wizard?”

“Another time,” Jayden replied.

Dana, Jayden and the gnome went out into the cool night air. Pearl Bay’s streets were nearly deserted with the coming of darkness. The few people on the streets traveled quickly and in groups to lessen the risk of mugging. Goblins scurried between buildings to snatch up garbage and items dropped during the day. Overall it was a time and place Dana would rather be in bed with a locked door.

The gnome led them through the streets. Shapes moved in the darkness, but none tried to bar their path. It took nearly an hour to reach an empty shed lit by a single candle where Charles waited with a mob of scruffy looking men.

“Saints and angels, Charles, I thought you were bluffing when you said he was coming,” an armed man said.

“I wouldn’t have gotten you out of bed without good cause,” Charles said. His men looked nervous, so Charles walked up and put an arm around Jayden’s shoulders. “Me and the sorcerer lord have worked together before.”

Another man pointed a dagger at Dana. “Who’s this one?”

Charles hurried over and put a hand on the man’s arm, pushing it and the dagger down. “Someone he’s protective of, so let’s not annoy either of them.”

Jayden smiled. “Gentlemen, tonight I’m at your service. I can handle the heavy lifting for this endeavor, and Heaven help those who face us in battle, because nothing else can save them.”

“How much is he charging?” the man with the dagger asked.

“I’m covering his fee,” Charles said. “Now if you’re done gawking, we have a job to do. The ship we’re after arrived on time, no small accomplishment, and most of the crew disembarked to get drunk. We need to deal with only a few men onboard and distract nearby mercenaries. Jayden, can you handle the hired swords?”

Jayden studied his fingernails under the dim light. “That shouldn’t be an issue.”

“Then no more delays,” Charles said, and he blew out the candle.

Charles led the motley band out of the shed and onto the docks. They found the docks well lit by lanterns and patrolled by mercenaries wearing chain armor and armed with spears. Charles directed his men into the shadows and pointed at a distant warehouse before telling Jayden, “That’s the only empty building near the docks, and far enough away for our needs.”

Jayden nodded before he took Dana aside. “Stay here. I’ll come back soon.”

With that Jayden ran off into the dark streets. Dana pressed her back into the nearest corner and waited. She wasn’t certain of the loyalty or friendliness of the men around her, and her heart raced. Minutes went by without incident, making her wonder what Jayden was planning.

“Hey there,” a squeaky voice said. Dana nearly shrieked before she saw it was just a goblin. The filthy little creature stood only three feet tall and was dressed in rags as dirty as the bulging bag over his shoulder.

“Hi.”

The goblin set his bag on the street. “Kinda late for a little girl to be out.”

“Don’t start,” she warned him. She hesitated before saying, “I…I may be in a bit of trouble.”

The goblin’s face twisted into an insane grin at the news. “Do tell.”

“My friend has gotten himself into the kind of trouble that gets you executed, and by being around him I think I’m in just as deep.”

“That’s how you know it’s going to be fun.”

Dana frowned. She shouldn’t be saying anything to the goblin, but she was scared and needed someone to talk to, even a stranger. “He’s fighting for a good cause, but he’s going to get killed and maybe get other people killed. We’re stealing stuff owned by your sheriff. I know the sheriff is a jerk, but is that enough reason to rob someone? It seems like we’re on a slippery slope, where just working for the throne is justification to attack someone.”

She looked at the ship they were about to rob. It was ordinary enough, lit with lanterns and watched over by a few men. She frowned again and looked at the goblin. “What kind of ship is scheduled to come to port at night? That’s more dangerous than docking during the day, right?”

“Oh yeah,” the goblin replied.

Charles heard the conversation and came over. “What the, a goblin? You’d better not screw this up for us.”

The goblin laughed. “Oh please, like I owe the sheriff any favors. Speaking of favors, hold off starting the fun for a few minutes. I know some guys who’d like to watch.”

One of Charles’ followers waved for them to come. “Your friend did it.”

“Did what?” Dana asked. She came closer and saw mercenaries running toward the distant warehouse Charles had pointed out to Jayden. The building was burning brightly and sending smoke billowing into the air. Mercenaries ran over, shouting for help as they got buckets and tried to put out the flames.

Jayden soon joined them. “Setting fire to rotting wood isn’t easy.”

“That was why the warehouse was empty,” Charles told him. “A good third of the buildings in Pearl Bay are just as bad. But now that the mercenaries are busy we’ve got a ship to board. Jayden, can you clear the way?”

Jayden smiled. “Gladly. Dana had an excellent idea earlier today on how to do it.”

“I did?” Dana asked as Jayden marched up to the docked ship. She suddenly realized what he meant and ran after him. “Jayden, no!”

Too late. Jayden walked up the gangplank onto the ship. Only three crewmen remained, and they looked bored and sleepy. One man squinted as Jayden stepped in front of him.

“Who are you?” the man asked.

Jayden cast a spell and formed a black whip he swung across the ship’s deck, burning a jagged cut through the wood planks. Men cried out and backed away as Jayden pulled back his arm for another swing.

“Leave, and live long enough to grow old,” he told them. Two men ran off the ship and one jumped into the water. Jayden looked at Dana and told her, “That worked better than I’d thought, and was much cheaper than the last time I emptied a ship.”

“Tactful as a dragon,” Dana scolded him.

Charles led his ragged mob onto the ship. “Good work. Let’s clean this ship out before those men bring help. You four men keep watch. The rest of you follow me and Jayden below deck.”

Jayden opened a heavy wood door in the deck and led them into the dark, stinking bowels of the ship. Dana had grown up on a farm, so the smell of livestock and dung didn’t bother her, but there were other odors here, brine, sweat, and something sour and acidic. Rooms were lit with candles dripping wax on the floor. They found a bunkroom with seven hammocks for the crew and a small storeroom, but no animals.

Jayden came across a locked door at the front of the ship and hacked off the lock with one of his black magic swords. He looked inside before telling Dana, “This looks like the captains quarters. Search it for valuables while we check the lower deck.”

“This is definitely stealing,” she told him as Jayden led the men away. Dana frowned and looked through the room. It was a simple affair, with a hammock, wood chest filled with clothes and a smaller chest filled with papers. She couldn’t find coins, jewelry or anything else of value. With nothing else to do, she went through the papers.

“Tax payments, IOUs, registration form for a pet wombat,” she said as she flipped through the papers. “Bill of sale. This one looks new. One steed, combat class, one thousand guilders! What horse is worth that?”

The paper also listed the 34 sheep and 24 goats, and dates for the last two months, with the number of animals going down by one each day.

“Oh no.” Dana ran out of the room with the papers clutched to her chest. She ran through the ship until she found two men standing next to a wide staircase leading down. One man opened his mouth, but she pushed past him, yelling, “No time! Jayden!”

Dana raced onto the ship’s poorly lit lowest deck to find Jayden, Charles and a few men standing by a nearly empty room. There were tufts of wool in the corners and smears of dung on the floor, and one wall ended in a locked door that Jayden was preparing to hack open with his magic sword. She grabbed Jayden’s arm before he could swing. “Everyone, off the ship, now.”

“What the devil?” Charles snarled.

Dana held out the paperwork for the others to see. “The sheep and goats are gone, all of them, one a day. The only animal left onboard is the steed. Seven crewmen and a captain couldn’t eat an entire animal a day even if they wanted to.”

Jayden took the paper from her and read it. “Let’s take a few steps back, soft, quiet steps.”

Charles snatched the paper from him. “What’s going on?”

Dana backed up as she spoke. “We’re used to the word steed meaning horse, but it could be any animal a person could ride on. What sort of animal eats a sheep or goat a day and is hungry the next morning, but a man can ride it?”

Jayden replied. “Manticore, chimera, wyvern, possibly griffin, any of those are large, trainable and ravenous predators. Charles, you said Sheriff Hemmelfarb owns the contents of this ship?”

“He does,” Charles said. “Oh. Jayden, I’ve been a touch angry with you for burning a ship the last time you were in Pearl Bay, so I hope you won’t think me a hypocrite for asking you to do it again.”

“Not at all.”

Dana gulped as she tried to slip away. Docking the ship in at night made sense now. The new sheriff was bringing a very dangerous animal into a large, crowded city. People would panic if they saw it, and it might attack anyone it saw for food. Bringing the monster in at night meant the roads would be clear and the monster might be too sleepy to cause trouble.

Something on the other side of the locked door growled. There was a hiss, and what sounded like bleating.

“Chimera,” Jayden whispered. “We woke it up. Keep moving, nice and slow.”

Charles looked at the paper again. “It says here they ran out of animals to feed it days ago. The captain drugged its last meal to keep it quiet.”

There was a loud sniff before something bumped into the door.

“It smells us,” Jayden said. “Out, now!”

Jayden took up the rear as they ran out of the ship. They heard loud bangs behind them, followed by the sound of splintering wood. They reached the next floor and heard roars below as the monster followed them. Dana ran onto the fresh air of the deck just as the monster got to the ship’s second floor.

A man Charles had left on guard duty saw her and asked, “What’s go—”

“Run!” The men scattered at Dana’s command just as Charles and Jayden led the remaining men out of the ship. Dana heard a large animal bounding through the interior of the ship toward the door. Jayden slammed the door shut and found a nearby bar to seal it. He did it just in time, for the chimera slammed into the door and made stout timbers creak.

“Get off the ship so Jayden can burn it,” Charles ordered. They fled down the gangplank with Jayden acting as rearguard. There was a bang from the ship, then a louder one. “Jayden, do it!”

“That spell takes time,” Jayden said. He began chanting, and a tiny spark formed in front of him. He kept chanting as the chimera roared and rammed into the door holding it in. He was halfway through the spell when the chimera broke free and took to the sky.

The chimera was a hideous mismatched collection of animals fused together. The core of it was a lion, larger than is should have been by about two hundred pounds, but otherwise like pictures Dana had seen in books. Any comparison to normal ended there. Huge bat wings sprouted from its back and beat furiously to keep it in the air. It had two more heads, a goat head to the lion’s right and a snake head to the left. The goat head was twice the size it should have been and had sharp iron horns as long as swords. The serpent head was equally big, and a hood opened on its neck when it hissed.

Jayden finished his spell and send the tiny spark high into the sky. Dana had seen this spell kill monsters as terrible as this one, but the spark flew slower than the chimera, and it detonated into a terrible fireball too far back to do more than light up the night sky. Jayden’s spell did have one effect, though, for the monster looked down and saw him. Instantly it changed course and swooped down on him.

Jayden saw it coming and dove into the bay. The chimera showed no interest in following him and slowed down before landing on the dock. It surveyed the port with six eyes, growled and hissed, then spotted Charles and Dana. The lion head roared, and it took two steps forward before a black sword drove up through the dock and cut into one of its paws. The monster howled and took to the air again.

Dana and Charles ran to the end of the dock and helped Jayden back onto land. Charles pointed at the monster overhead and asked, “Can you kill it?”

“I’ll have you know I’m quite good at killing monsters,” He said as he squeezed water out of his hair. “I’ve brought down a manitore, estate guards, two monsters I’d rather not discuss and the Walking Graveyard.”

“We killed that one twice,” Dana corrected him. “I hope it stays dead this time. Jayden, I know you can kill it, but what do we do if it flies off and attacks people in Pearl Bay?”

Jayden stepped away from them and watched the chimera turn in flight to come back at them. “Your confidence is appreciated. Don’t worry about it killing random strangers. Chimeras are known for being fierce, strong, trainable and incredibly vain.”

“Meaning what?” she asked.

“Meaning I hurt it, and it won’t let the wound go unavenged. Charles, get your men out of here and come back with help.”

Charles ran as instructed while the chimera swooped down for another attack. It stayed too high for Jayden to strike it, and instead the snake head opened its jaws impossibly wide before spraying a stream of green droplets. Jayden and Dana dodged the attack as the chimera flew over them. The droplets splattered across the dock and stuck on fast. It bubbled and smelled foul, a harsh, acidic stench like she’d smelled on the ship.

“It’s spitting acid at us!” she yelled.

“Technically it’s acid and poison,” Jayden told her. “This would be a good time for you to run. I’ll keep our new friend occupied until help arrives.”

“If help arrives. Charles was using you to steal animals that were eaten days ago. He hasn’t got a reason to help now that the reward is gone.”

Jayden put and hand on her shoulder. “All the more reason for you to leave. This fight is about to become incredibly violent, and I don’t want you to get caught in the crossfire.”

The chimera returned, this time flying lower. Jayden pushed Dana away as the lion and snake heads tried to bite them and the goat tried to impale them on its long horns. It missed by the barest of margins and tried to fly away again.

Jayden cast a spell to form his black whip and swung it. The whip stretched ridiculously long, but again the monster flew so fast he barely grazed its flank. Minor though the wound was, the chimera howled in pain.

“Run!” Jayden ordered.

Dana fled only a short distance while Jayden scanned the dark sky for the chimera. Dana worried that running in the dark might accidentally bring her closer to the monster, not farther. She knew cats could see well at night, so chances were good the chimera could see her and Jayden with the eyes of its lion head.

She spotted the chimera flying low between warehouses to give it cover from Jayden’s spells. It came for another pass and again sprayed venomous acid across the dock. Jayden dove out of the way and lashed out with his whip. This time the monster got away clean and flew into the night.

“Look at that!”

Dana spun around to see people gathering around the edge of the docks. Most wore the simple clothes of commoners, but she saw some wealthier men join them. A few men were armed with daggers and clubs.

The goblin Dana had met earlier waddled over and said, “I asked you to wait.”

“Things kind of got out of hand,” she said. “This is as dangerous as it looks. You need to get out of here before the chimera comes back.”

“That’s why I should stick around,” the goblin told her. More people came, including three elves and a troll who’d been gambling at the Kraken Hotel. A few women showed up, too, until the crowd numbered over a hundred. “A fight like this needs witnesses.”

“I’m putting everything I’ve got on the wizard,” the troll said.

“You’re on,” an elf told him.

The discussion ended when the chimera came diving out of the sky. Jayden had to run to prevent the monster from landing on him with all four clawed feet. It missed by inches, a move that cost it dearly when the dock gave way under the force of the blow. Wood boards snapped in half as the chimera’s front paws broke through. It pulled itself free easily enough, but for a few seconds it couldn’t move. Jayden swung his whip and struck the monster’s right wing. This time it was no glancing blow, but a hit that burned deeply. The chimera tried to fly off and howled in pain from the effort.

More people joined the growing crowd of spectators. They made no move to help Jayden, but that was no surprise when so few of them were armed. Instead they shouted out warnings, crying out, “Monster! Monster! Call the guard!”

Grounded, the chimera folded up its wings and faced Jayden. It was still a formidable opponent on the ground and could kill him. Instead of attacking, the monster studied him with all six eyes, one terrifying predator sizing up another. It walked to the left, closer to the ship that had brought it. Jayden followed it and casually swung his black whip from left to right.

“Someone call Sheriff Gress!” a woman screamed. Then she gasped and put a hand to her mouth. “Oh. Oh no.”

More people came, swelling the crowd past two hundred. Dana recognized some of them from The Hole in the Wall tavern. This included the ogre, the furry beast now looking silly in a nightcap and pajamas. Still more came, and new arrivals brought weapons.

The chimera charged Jayden, eating up the distance between them in seconds. He swung his whip at the monster, only for it to leap over the attack. It came down short of Jayden by a few feet and spit poison at him, missing as Jayden ducked. The chimera lunged forward just as Jayden cast a quick spell that made a globe of light. The light flashed in the monster’s many eyes, and it turned away at the last second. Jayden swung his whip again and hacked off one of the goat head’s horns. The chimera bounded off, blinking and shaking its heads until it recovered from the flash.

“Make way for the sheriff!” The crowd separated as Sheriff Hemmelfarb led sixty heavily armed mercenaries onto the docks and shoved aside anyone too slow to move. Twenty mercenaries lowered their spears for a charge. It took Dana a second to realize they weren’t pointing them at the chimera.

Sheriff Hemmelfarb stayed behind the spear wall. He’d gotten a new sword and pointed it at the chimera. “I’ll deal with this.”

If anyone thought Hemmelfarb had changed his ways, they were disappointed as he put a whistle to his lips and blew. The chimera’s goat head glanced at him while the lion and snake watched Jayden.

“Heel!” Hemmelfarb ordered. “Heel! You must obey!”

The goat head refocused its attention on Jayden. Hemmelfarb blew the whistle again to no effect. He held up an amulet and shouted, “Look! I own you! The beast trainers taught you to obey anyone holding this symbol. Heel and obey!”

Dana didn’t know much about monsters, but she knew a fair bit about trained animals. Hungry animals were less likely to obey commands, and injured ones even less so. The chimera had gone days without food and suffered serious wounds at Jayden’s hands. It wasn’t listening to anyone.

But the people of Pearl Bay were listening to Hemmelfarb. They watched him try and fail to control the monster. Many of them had seen him run away earlier that day, eroding what little faith they had in him. The crowd kept growing and its temper became increasingly foul.

Dana got behind a few men and egged on the crowd. “This is your monster? You brought a man-eating beats into our city!”

“Shut up!” Hemmelfarb yelled back. He waved the amulet in the air. “Heel! Heel! Obey!”

“You put your own people in danger!” Dana yelled. Nearby people looked at her, but in the poor light they assumed she was a fellow citizen.

Hemmelfarb lost his patience. “You’re not my people! You’re mud grubbing peasants! This is my chance at greatness, to ride a chimera at the head of the army in the coming war! I won’t lose this chance! I won’t let you vermin pull me down until I’m as low as you are!”

“That’s what we are to you?” The voice was soft and deadly. Men got out of the way as a woman wearing a nightgown approached. It was Sarah Gress, holding the sword Hemmelfarb had dropped earlier, and looking more terrifying than the chimera. “We’re not brothers and sisters to you, not even people.”

Hemmelfarm ignored her and ordered, “Kill the wizard! Feed his body to the chimera!”

“He’s on the monster’s side!” Dana yelled. The crowd looked angry to the point of going berserk, but the mercenaries’ spear wall kept them back. They edged away and shouted abuse at the sheriff.

Mercenaries advanced on Jayden at a steady march, their spears pointed at his chest. He saw them coming and backed away while the chimera watched. The mercenaries were only four yards away when Jayden swung his whip, not at the chimera but at their spears. The black whip twisted around the spears, hissings as it burned through them. Mercenaries tried to pull away, but their spears burned in half, disarming twenty of Sheriff Hemmelfarb’s men at a stroke.

There was a moment of quiet as the broken spears fell clattering to the dock. For a second no one moved, a brief lull that ended when the chimera roared and charged Jayden. The crowd of enraged men, women, dwarfs, elves, even the troll and ogre yelled war cries as they charged the mercenaries, turning the dock into a battle fiercer than anything Dana had ever seen. Even goblins swarmed from the alleys to join the townspeople.

Dana ran to help Jayden. She dodged mercenaries grappling with furious men and women. The outnumbered mercenaries were better armed and armored, but they were set upon from all sides, and not all their enemies were farmers and fishermen. The ogre bellowed as he slapped mercenaries to the ground, then grabbed one and hurled him at the others. The troll tackled another mercenary. Goblins tripped a mercenary and stole his wallet. Hemmelfarb shouted orders no one heard and insults no one listened to, impotent to stop the battle around him.

Dana struggled to get around the battle when she ran into a disarmed mercenary. The man tossed away his broken spear and drew a knife. Dana snatched the broken chimera horn off the ground and blocked his swing, then smacked him over the head with the horn. His helmet saved him from being killed, but the blow stunned him for a moment. Dana tried to run, but the mercenary grabbed her by the arm. She blocked another knife attack with the horn.

The ogre grabbed the mercenary by the arm and squeezed until the man screamed and let her go. Outraged, the ogre bellowed, “You attacked a child?”

Dana slipped away as the ogre knocked the mercenary to the ground and stomped on him. She worked her way through the fight to find Jayden still battling the chimera. The crowded battlefield kept both wizard and monster from fighting at their best. Jayden couldn’t use his whip without hitting bystanders and replaced it with his magic sword. The chimera knocked people aside, striking civilians and mercenaries alike to get at Jayden. The two met again and Jayden swung his sword at the monster’s goat head. It blocked the swing with its remaining horn, then clawed his shoulder hard enough to force him back.

Dana looked around for something, anything she could use as a weapon. She had the severed horn, plus a knife in her belt, but those couldn’t do enough damage to seriously hurt the chimera. She needed an edge.

A mercenary staggered by her before the troll knocked him over. Startled, she looked at the two and saw the ship behind them that had brought the chimera. It was still empty, and she saw tarred ropes tied to the sails. That might be enough.

Dana ran onto the ship and grabbed the nearest rope. It was tied tight to the ship, but she cut it loose with her knife and tied one end into a lasso and left the other end attached to the ship. Dana ran down the gangplank into the battle to find Jayden running from the monster. It followed him out of the confusing melee, only realizing too late that Jayden had only fled far enough to get room to fight. He lashed at it and scored a minor hit on the snake head, then another on its paw. The chimera spat poison at him once more. Jayden dodged the stream of acidic poison, but two mercenaries weren’t so lucky and cried out in pain.

Dana ran up behind the chimera and swung the lasso over the lion head. The monster didn’t realize what had happened and tried to maul Jayden. He fell back, and the chimera’s triumphant charge ended in a strangled cry as the lasso tightened around its neck. That held it in place long enough for Jayden to drive his black sword up to the hilt into the chimera’s body between the lion and goat head. The monster’s three heads cried out one last time before the beast fell limp at his feet.

Exhausted, sweaty and bleeding from the shoulder wound, Jayden staggered back and smiled at Dana. “Dear girl, you’re worth your weight in diamonds.”

Hemmelfarb saw his monster fall and screamed in outraged. “You fool! That animal was worth a fortune! I’ll make you suffer like no man in history!”

The sheriff raised his sword and managed three steps toward Jayden when he found his path blocked by Sarah Gress. There was a befuddled look on his face when she raised the very sword he had abandoned, and it changed to a look of terror as she swung it at his head. Hemmelfarb fell back to his men and found them overwhelmed by the enraged crowd. Sarah Gress kept after him, not giving up for a second.

“Oh my,” Jayden said. He was too exhausted from fighting the chimera to join her, but his eyes never left the widow. He staggered a few feet forward until Dana sat him down and bandaged his wound. “She is without a doubt the second finest woman I’ve had the privilege to meet.”

“Only the second?” she teased.

“You have to ask why she’s not first after what you did?”

Dana blushed. She’d nearly finished covering his wound when the battle flowed over them. It would have terrified her, except the mercenaries were fleeing for their lives. The armor that made it so hard to hurt them also slowed them down, and enraged citizens piled on them. The mercenaries fought their way to the ship that had brought the chimera, boarded it and went out to sea with the ship’s crew still on land shouting for them to come back.

With the fight nearly over, the troll turned his gaze on the battle between Sheriff Hemmelfarb and Sarah Gress. The troll nudged the elf he’d been gambling with and said, “I’ll give you two to one odds on the widow.”

“I lost enough money to you tonight,” the elf said, “and there’s only one way that fight is going to end.”

Dana watched Sarah slash at the sheriff and drive him back. A lone mercenary tried to intervene, only for a giant hand made of shadows to scoop him up and hurl him at the fleeing ship. Sarah glanced at Jayden and nodded before turning her fury against the sheriff once more. Their duel lasted only seconds longer.

Jayden managed to stand and staggered off with Dana. They hadn’t gone far before he said, “Look who finally came back. Hello, Charles. Did you enjoy the show?”

“Nothing goes to plan when you’re around,” Charles said. He’d returned with his men, now armed with swords and shields. Charles pointed at the docks and said, “We got no livestock from this job, no horse, and a riot broke out. I was supposed to get enough money to quit this city forever!”

“I see no reason why that should change,” Jayden said. “You told me Sheriff Hemmelfarb had the bad habit of robbing suspects and ships he inspected.”

“What do you mean had?” Charles asked suspiciously.

“Let’s just say the sheriff’s office and house are going to be unguarded for the foreseeable future. Aren’t you curious what he might have there? I know I am.”

* * * * *

Dana woke the next morning in the Kraken Hotel. She looked out a window to find Pearl Bay oddly calm. People of all races walked the street as if nothing had happened. The only sign that anything was amiss was a street vendor selling chimera kabobs.

The same goblin from the night before waddled out of an alley and smiled at her. “Hiya.”

“Hi.” Dana smiled back. “Thank you for bringing those people last night. They helped a lot.”

“I told them what they wanted to hear,” the goblin replied. “The gamblers wanted a fight to bet on, fishermen needed to know their ships might be damaged, and a lot of guys wanted to see the sheriff get what he deserved.”

The goblin’s cheerful demeanor disappeared as he gazed at her. “Goblins talk to goblins, and word travels fast when the news is important. You kept the Shrouded One’s secret in Fish Bait City. We owe you for that. Goblins might be small and weak, but we do right by our friends.”

“Thank you. Is there anything I can do in return?”

“If a plate of cheese ended up in an alleyway, that wouldn’t hurt none.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

Their conversation was interrupted by a town crier who called out, “Hear ye, hear ye, citizens of Pearl Bay. Last night foreigners of unknown nationality and race caused a disturbance on the docks. Any citizen with information on these criminals should contact the mayor’s office. Furthermore, any citizen who knows the location of Sheriff Hemmelfarb, or an identifiable portion of the sheriff’s anatomy, is encouraged to report this information to the mayor’s office.”

“You can’t believe that,” a passing elf said scornfully.

The town crier frowned. “Look, I don’t write this stuff, so lay off.”

Dana gathered up her belongings and left her room to look in on Jayden. His room was empty and she eventually found him in the hotel’s common room. He was sitting at a gaming table studying a stack of papers.

“How’s the shoulder?” she asked.

“It will heal in time, as have all my other wounds. You’d be happy to know Charles was here and left, this time for good. As promised he provided a list of potential targets in the area that will keep us busy for weeks.”

“And you gave him a whopping pile of loot from Sheriff Hemmelfarb’s house.”

Jayden shrugged. “I have enough money and he deserved compensation for his help and for the trouble I caused him. I hope he finds the peace he craves.”

“About that,” she began. “The mercenaries guarding Pearl Bay ran off and Sarah Gress took out Sheriff Hemmelfarb. There’s going to be massive repercussions for these people, and we’re responsible.”

“I doubt there will be trouble. The mayor of Pearl Bay knows what happens to people who disappoint the king and queen. He has no desire to ‘die of plague’ and every reason to tell a believable lie. I sent him a letter listing a few good lies. My favorite is blaming the whole thing on pirates and smugglers, close enough to the truth that it won’t raise questions.”

“Won’t other people tell the truth?”

“Witnesses to the event are on our side. Even if the king and queen wanted to investigate, they can’t afford to send soldiers or mercenaries with the war so close at hand. Those men are needed for the invasion. Pearl Bay is safe for now, and if their mayor wants to live he’ll lie like never before to keep the city safe.”

“How soon do we leave?” she asked.

Jayden hesitated. “There’s someone I want to speak with first. I received word that she’s on her way.”

“She?” Dana’s brow furrowed, then she smiled. “The old sheriff’s widow wants to talk with you?”

“Yes, and be polite. That’s her coming now.”

Sarah Gress entered the hotel and spotted Jayden. The elf proprietor poured her a drink as she sat across from Jayden.

“I see you are well despite the injury you suffered last night,” she said formally. “That pleases me. Sir, I have come to apologize.”

“You don’t have to,” he assured her.

“I do. I spoke cruelly to you when we first met. I judged you by your reputation without considering that those who spoke ill of you are the same ones who took my husband from me. You are a man of questionable means, but you proved your good intent when you killed Sheriff Hemmelfarb’s monster. In doing so you further proved to these people what a wretched man he was.”

“I doubt your neighbors needed more evidence of that,” Jayden said. “While your apology is unnecessary, there is something I’d like to ask you.”

Sarah Gress took a sip of her drink. “What might that be?”

“Join me,” he offered. Sarah Gress looked shocked, but Jayden persisted. “Many in our kingdom suffer as you have. Many more will suffer unless they receive help. I saw a woman of unquestionable bravery last night, and shockingly good with a sword. You saved the lives of innocent men and prevented further injustices. I can do so much more with help. You could be the difference between good men living and dying.”

Sarah blushed and looked down. “I can’t.”

“I know I ask much, but I can help you do it.”

“Your offer,” she began, and hesitated before she continued. “I am tempted more than words can say to accept, but I have responsibilities. My husband and I had two sons, the younger only now starting to walk. Last night I gave in to my anger. My sons have already lost their father, and if the battle had gone differently they could have been left orphaned. It was a mistake I can’t afford to repeat. I can’t risk my life when they depend on me.”

“I see,” Jayden replied softly.

Sarah reached over and took his hand. “I am in your debt, as is every soul in Pearl Bay. Were life fair we could repay you as you deserve. The day may come when we can offer more, but for now we can only thank you, and speak well of you to any who will listen. Forgive me for such a paltry reward.”

Sarah Gress bowed to Jayden and left the hotel. He was silent until Dana said, “You were so flirting with her.”

“Yes I was.” He frowned and got up. “There’s nothing more for us here and work to do elsewhere. Come, let’s leave before we have to pay for another night’s stay.”

When Dana got up to join him, Jayden pointed at something sticking out of one of her bags and asked, “And why are you holding on to a chimera horn?”

“I used it last night. It’s got good balance, about the right length, and it has a sharp edge. I know it’s not perfect, but do you think you can craft it into a weapon?”

Jayden smiled and rubbed his hands together. “Now that is an interesting question.”

“Dear mom and dad,” Dana wrote as a man staggered by her and fell to the floor. He’d nearly gotten back up when an angry dwarf trampled him to get an elf on the other side of the bar. “I hope you are well. I’m doing fine.”

“Keep your brawl away from the bar!” the tavern keeper yelled. “I swear I will end the tab of anyone breaking my glasses!”

“I know I have been away from home for a long time, but I found a problem so big I had to do something,” she continued. That was a diplomatic way for saying she’d met the world’s only living sorcerer lord and was trying to keep him alive. It was a full-time job. “I will come home as soon as I can, but for now I have to keep trying to fix this mess help out. I have come into some money and am sending it back with this letter.”

Two more men barreled past her table and slammed into a third man, knocking him into a wall made of tree trunks stripped of bark. The floor was packed dirt covered in sawdust, while windows and fire worms kept in glass jars provided light. The air smelled of beer, unidentified grilled meat and sweat.

Such rough surroundings were common to the market town of Despre, a dingy little community in the mountainous north of the kingdom. Buildings were crude and dirty, the people rough and hardy, and the land equal parts rich and desolate. The barely tamed north had both endless resources of timber, fish, furs and copper, while being so newly settled that there were few people willing to face monsters, storms and bandits.

“Who are you writing to?” Jayden asked from across the table. They’d taken a corner booth in the tavern and were out of the way of the brawl engulfing the tavern. Jayden’s reputation kept back men fighting nearby, and he ate a light dinner in peace. Dana had finished her meal before she started writing.

“My family. It’s been so long since they’ve seen me they must be worried.” Dana kept writing, saying, “Please give my love to Emily and Rachael, and tell Lan to stay out of my stuff while I’m gone. I’m sure he’s already eaten all my chocolates, but if you’re not careful the little pest might put my old clothes on a pig.”

“He can’t be that bad,” Jayden told her.

Dana covered the letter with her left hand. “No peaking! This is a private message, thank you very much.”

A young troll only six feet tall staggered by their table, with three men grappling the scaly brute. The troll tossed one man aside before grabbing the other two and swinging them into one another. “Feel free to jump in any time, wizard.”

The tavern keeper frantically waved his hands. “The wizard stays out of this!”

“I don’t have a horse in this race,” Jayden told the troll. “I can’t say I understand the issue, either.”

The troll pointed at a nearby dwarf. “We started that mine and it’s ours. If the dwarfs want one they can get their own instead of muscling in on our turf.”

“We did get our own!” the dwarf yelled before he was hit in the head with a chair.

“Yeah, by digging a shaft a hundred feet from ours,” the troll replied. “It’s the same ore vein, stumpy.”

Dana pressed three silver coins onto her letter and folded it over them before stuffing it into a crude envelope. Dana was a girl of only fifteen, soon to be sixteen. She had brown hair that was getting long and brown eyes. Her clothes were a mix of the thick dress and fur hat she’d had when she first met Jayden with new boots, bags, knife and a belt with an empty scabbard she’d gotten during her travels with him. Her father was the mayor of a frontier town a bit bigger than Despre and much more orderly.

The simple life she’d known ended when she’d called upon Sorcerer Lord Jayden, who sat across the table from her now. Jayden was in his thirties, handsome to behold in a roguish sort of way with his sardonic smirk, perpetually messy blond hair and black and silver clothes. Jayden carried some baggage but no weapons, as his magic was enough to keep smart enemies at a distance and deal with anyone stupid enough to challenge him.

Jayden was smart, strong, bold, charming when he felt like it, and had a near pathological hatred for the king and queen. Dana didn’t know the root cause for his rage, but in her travels with Jayden she’d seen ample evidence that such enmity was well earned. The royal couple had tried to seize the Valivaxis, a gateway to a world of dead emperors and living monsters. They’d hired an amoral elf wizard, banished the Brotherhood of the Righteous from the kingdom, killed an honest sheriff and replaced him with a cowardly fraud. Worse, they were planning a war against a neighboring kingdom, heaven only knew which one, which could kill tens of thousands.

Few men loved the king and queen, but Jayden’s hatred was so great he would do almost anything if it meant harming them or preventing their war. Dana tried her best to redirect him to helping the common man, but her efforts were temporary at best. Jayden wanted the king and queen gone. He wasn’t strong enough to end their reign yet, but he’d grown in strength in the few months they’d traveled together. It was only a matter of time until he was that powerful, provided he didn’t die first.

Dana’s train of thought was interrupted when a dwarf complained, “That scaly lummox isn’t being fair. There’s enough copper ore for decades of mining.”

The troll threw a table at the dwarf, missing by inches. “And it’s ours! Find your own claim!”

“How much longer do we have to stay here?” Dana asked as the dwarf threw a chair at the troll.

Jayden said, “Only until the dwarf I hired finishes making the chimera horn you brought from Pearl Bay into a proper weapon. He was almost giddy at the prospect of fashioning it into a short sword, and eager for the coins I paid him. I’ve seen his work and it’s splendid. He’s also one of the few swordsmiths not on the royal payroll, and can keep his mouth shut about jobs he does.”

The troll knocked a dwarf into a table before swatting aside a man. More men, trolls and dwarfs joined in until the brawl spilled over into the street outside the tavern. Struggling to be heard over the noise, Dana asked, “Is it always like this?”

Jayden smirked. “The local baron issued the license for this town to act as a marketplace for small communities around it. He doesn’t care what happens here so long as he gets a monthly fee. Half the trade here is smuggled goods. You’d be shocked how much the baron is involved in smuggling, and a sad testimony to our kingdom that even a nobleman has to do so.”

“And how does he feel about you visiting?”

“We have an understanding. I don’t cause trouble in his backyard and he lets me do business here the same as everyone else.”

A glass flew over Dana’s head to shatter against a wall. The tavern keeper pointed at a man and yelled, “I saw you throw that, Biff! Do you have any idea how much those cost? That’s it, say goodbye to your tab!”

More softly, Jayden added, “There is another reason why we came to Despre. The king and queen are preparing for war, with the kingdoms of Kaleoth, Brandish and Zentrix the obvious targets. Three weeks travel from here is the only bridge over the Race Horse River to Kaleoth. Destroying that bridge leaves only a few shallow sections of the Turtle River to ford, areas easily bottled up by defenders.”

“Destroying the bridge would shuts down trade to Kaleoth,” Dana said.

“I assume trade would end when the war starts,” Jayden pointed out.

“You’re also assuming the army is going to invade Kaleoth. If it goes after Brandish or Zentrix then destroying the bridge doesn’t do any good.”

“True,” he admitted as men, dwarfs and trolls intensified their fight. “Sparing one kingdom the possibility of invasion is worth the risk. The king and queen won’t be ready to launch an invasion for many months, giving us time to close down one avenue of attack.”

Dana frowned as people fought around her. Rough as the fight was, it was thankfully bloodless as no one drew swords or daggers. She was willing to accept that meager blessing.

Jayden saw her expression and said, “I should have made arrangements for us to stay outside town. There are times I forget your peaceful upbringing.”

“This is normal for you?”

“It didn’t used to be, but circumstances have forced me to adapt. Try not to hold this against them. At heart these people aren’t evil, even if they are crude.”

Dana did her best to ignore the fight as most of the brawlers moved outside. The tavern keeper grumbled as he set the tables and chairs upright. Thankfully the building and furnishings hadn’t suffered noticeable damage. She was surprised when a young man in wool clothes entered the tavern and took a seat not far from her and Jayden.

Smiling, the youth said, “Quite a fight going on, eh?”

“I’ve been in worse,” Jayden told him.

The youth’s smile faded as he said, “I guess nothing could be as bad as the underground lake.”

Jayden’s eyes narrowed, and he shifted in his chair to face the youth. “There are three people alive who know the relevance of that statement, and you aren’t one of them. Explain yourself while you can still breathe.”

“A friend of yours sent me,” the youth replied.

“I have one friend in this world, and she is sitting across from me.” Jayden stood up and spoke strange, arcane words to form a black sword rimmed in white in his right hand. The youth yelped and jumped up from his chair as Jayden advanced on him. “I’m giving you a second chance to avoid a closed casket funeral. Explain yourself.”

The youth held up his hands as he backed up against a wall. “Hey, wait a minute!”

The tavern keeper rolled his eyes. “You kill him, you clean up the mess.”

“I can explain,” the youth said hastily as Jayden drew near. “The guy with the cat hired me to get you. He said you’d understand the reference.”

Jayden paused. “What cat?”

“Big, black, evil, that cat. He keeps it with him all the time, and heaven help the man who gets closer than ten paces, because that ball of fur and hate goes right for your face.”

The answer must have been sufficient, for Jayden lowered his sword. “I will listen to you. If this is a trap, I assure you the cat is the least of your worries.”

The youth rolled up the sleeve on his right arm to show six inches of his forearm covered in fresh bandages. “The cat is bad enough. The guy showed up outside town on a river barge three days ago with five men and that furry psychopath. He hired me to find you and bring you to him. He said you two have worked together, and he needs help.”

“Doing what?” Jayden asked.

“He didn’t say.” The youth looked down and added, “I was given five copper pieces to deliver this message and promised another five if you come back with me. I need the money, and this guy made it sound like you’d get some kind of a reward.”

“This merits further examination,” Jayden replied. “I’ll go with you, but if there is any sign of betrayal you can count this as your last day. Dana, given the risk involved it’s best if you not come with me.”

“Leaving me here is safer?” she asked. As if on cue, there was a bang on the wall behind her, followed by a groan of pain from outside.

Jayden frowned. “That is a valid point.”

The youth hesitantly raised a hand. “I know I’m already not your favorite person, but Despre has ten men for every woman. I don’t think anyone here is stupid enough to attack the lady, but she’s going to get a lot of attention if you’re not around.”

“Too late,” Dana said as she held up three letters. “I’ve already got admirers.”

“When did you get those?” Jayden asked.

“One was handed to me when I was served lunch, another got slipped into my pocket, and I have no idea where the third came from.” Dana got up from her chair and joined Jayden. “If the guy knows things about you that no one should then it’s probably not a trap by the king and queen. Besides, who else would want to hurt you?”

Jayden chuckled. “That list goes on for quite some time.”

“So,” the youth began, “we can go meet the man with the cat, I can get paid, and you can hopefully put the nasty black sword away?”

“The black nasty sword stays in my hand until we meet your employer,” Jayden told him.

Jayden, Dana and the youth left the tavern to find the streets of Despre a battlefield. Men, dwarfs, elves, trolls and even gnomes brawled across the town in a fight that seemed to have no sides or end in sight. Dana and Jayden worked their way around the edge of the melee and to the edge of town. Most people stayed clear of them, and the few who got too close saw Jayden’s sword and gave him a wide berth.

“Where are we going?” Dana asked.

“There’s a river an hour’s walk from Despre,” the youth explained as they walked by exhausted fighters. “The river barge is moored there.”

“I’m told the wilderness is dangerous, yet you’re going with us unarmed,” Jayden pointed out.

The youth shrugged. “We have fewer problems since an ogre clan moved into town. They’re great lumberjacks, pretty good builders, and they ate the nearest monsters. You have to go pretty far to find trouble.”

The ogres in question were nearby building a barn. The furry brutes stood eight feet tall and favored kilts. One ogre was setting up a sign that read, “Clan Arm Breaker Traveling Contractors: You’ll fall before the house does.”

“I can see where they’d deter most problems,” Jayden remarked. The ogres saw him walk by and nodded, a show of respect ogres rarely gave.

The land outside Despre was hilly with fields in the places flat enough to farm. Here and there rocks jutted up from the ground, and tree stumps were common. Farther out were dense forests of pine trees. Despre’s lumberjacks had already taken a heavy toll, but despite their damage the forests seemed to stretch on forever.

“Not much farther,” the youth promised. “The river is just ahead.”

Sure enough, there was a distant roar of swift water crashing into stone. They soon came to a wide river with rocks on both shores. Not far upstream was a river barge tied to the far shore. Flat-bottomed boats like that were a common sight transporting good across the kingdom. They also saw men standing on the barge and fishing off the side. One of them smiled and waved as Jayden drew near.

“Ah, I knew you’d come. Jayden, it’s been too long.”

Jayden’s response was more subdued. “I must admit your presence surprises me, and I find it a touch disturbing that you found me.”

The man walked down a gangplank to shore and hurried over. He didn’t look like much, average height, a few too many pounds on his stomach, brown hair and eyes, and a thick mustache. His clothes were well-tailored leather, common enough. There was a twinkle in his eyes and a ready smile on his face.

“Allow me to introduce myself to the lady. I am Sir Reginald Lootmore of the Kingdom of Zentrix. You weren’t exactly hard to find, Jayden. Tales of your deeds flow as fast as this river. Wherever Sorcerer Lord Jayden goes chaos is sure to follow. It may surprise you to learn that you are credited with dozens of acts of violence committed a hundred miles from here, some of them on the same day.”

“Then why haven’t the king and queen found us?” Dana asked.

Lootmore smiled. “They have men looking for you, but few try very hard after what happened to the elf wizard Green Peril. Word is he found you and fled the kingdom the same day. The king and his loving wife will find someone more up to the task eventually, but for now your pursuers aren’t interested in finding their quarry. It helps that dear Jayden has the good sense to avoid more prosperous and populated parts of the kingdom where defenders are stronger and more numerous.”

Lootmore stopped in front of them and smiled at Dana. “This must be the young lady I’ve heard you travel with these days. I was wondering when you’d take an apprentice.”

“Dana Illwind,” she replied and curtsied. “I’m Jayden’s friend, not apprentice.”

“She’s trying to keep me from getting killed,” Jayden added.

Lootmore smiled. “Ah, a woman who likes challenges.”

Dana blushed when Lootmore kissed her hand. Jayden rolled his eyes and pointed at the men on the barge. “And who might they be?”

“Men who have long served the Lootmore family,” he explained. “You may trust them as you do me.”

Dana wasn’t sure how to address Lootmore. He called himself a knight, but he had no weapons or armor, nor the arrogance she’d seen in the few knights she’d met years ago. Instead he looked like the sort of man who any second might offer to sell her insurance. Strangely, Jayden lacked Lootmore’s enthusiasm about their meeting. She dearly wished she knew what had happened between them.

“Why did you hire that boy to get us instead of coming in person,” she asked.

“A fair question, young lady,” Lootmore conceded. “While there is currently no conflict between our kingdoms, my presence risks drawing unwanted attention and potentially causing a war. For that reason I have been careful who knows I’m here. In locating you he lived up to my every expectation.”

Jayden frowned. “Yes, you’ve found me, now kindly tell me what this is about.”

“Soon enough,” Lootmore said. He dug through his pockets and came up with copper coins for the youth who’d led them to the river. “Five copper pieces as promised. Be a good boy and never mention this to anyone.”

The youth pointed at Jayden and a black cat following Lootmore. “And get either of them mad at me? Thank you, no.”

Dana smiled as the cat came closer. It was a healthy animal, big with yellow eyes and a shiny, thick coat. “Ooh, she’s adorable. What’s her name?”

“His name, actually, and it’s Jump Scare,” Lootmore answered. “Best keep your distance before—”

There was no hiss or growl before Jump Scare leapt at Dana’s face. She didn’t have time to cry out or back away. Jayden snatched the cat out of the air and threw it into the woods, where it landed on its feet and scampered back to Lootmore.

“He does that,” Lootmore said. “My apologies.”

Jayden folded his arms across his chest. “Why do you insist on bringing that animal with you?”

“I left him home once when I went on a mission,” Lootmore replied. “Injuries were extensive. But that is neither here nor there. I am on an important mission and need help carrying it out. Of the three people I fought along side at the underground lake, only you were close enough to call upon. My task is risky, but the rewards equal the danger.”

“This is the first time I’ve heard of you having a partner,” Dana said.

“You never told her about me?” Lootmore asked. He clapped a hand over his heart and looked away in mock shame. “The horror, to learn I’ve been edited out of your life’s story. What sin have I committed to be considered so low?”

“Being overly dramatic, and owning a cat that by all rights should be tormenting condemned souls in the netherworld,” Jayden said. “May I remind you how our one and only job together went?”

“We were all nearly killed, but I believe if you review your no doubt excellent memory, you’ll recall it wasn’t my fault,” Lootmore answered. “And you came away from that caper richer and with a stone tablet containing a spell of the old sorcerer lords.”

Jayden didn’t look convinced, so Lootmore waved for them to join him at his barge. “I have the details for the job over there. I think you’ll find it worth your while.”

Jayden frowned before following Lootmore to the barge. “I’m going to regret this.”

Dana followed them onto the barge. It was as nondescript as its owner, a simple vessel, fairly old and beaten up with little cargo. The men onboard were young and wore wool clothes. There were no weapons in sight, no armor, no money. If Lootmore was a knight, he hid it well.

“On to business,” Lootmore said eagerly. He unrolled a map of the kingdom and pointed to the northern regions. “We are here, far enough away from proper civilization that the authorities don’t know of our presence. Downriver is an estate owned by Baron Scalamonger, a man known for his vineyards and his loyalty to the throne. In three days he is expecting Commander Vestril of the royal army to bring a caravan of soldiers, two knights, and this is the important part, supplies.”

“What sort of supplies?” Jayden asked suspiciously.

Lootmore smiled. “The best kind. Spies in my homeland have noticed your beloved king and queen amassing weapons, hiring mercenaries, training soldiers and so on. The forces and materials they need to wage war are currently scattered across the kingdom. Last month the order went out to bring them together. It’s war, Jayden, and soon, a war the Kingdom of Zentrix might not survive.”

Jayden stared at the map. “I thought I had more time.”

“We both did.” Lootmore drew a line across the map with his finger. “Those forces are converging on the capital. From there they will train, take on more arms and prepare for a war Zentrix officials think will come in early spring. Most of these caravans are too large or far away to attack, but this one is temporarily vulnerable.”

“Temporarily vulnerable why?” Jayden asked.

“Commander Vestril is going from town to town picking up manpower and supplies. In two weeks he’ll have enough men that the caravan will be too strong to take. Until then there is a window of opportunity to attack it. The commander knows this and is being very careful, stopping at night in every town or manor he passes, going around areas known for bandits or monsters, and he’s avoiding any place you’ve been seen.”

Jayden perked up at the news. “Really?”

“I thought you’d like that. In three days Commander Vestril will visit the estate of Baron Scalamonger. The baron traditionally pays his taxes in the form of wine, and he’s known to be a very good host to visiting officials.”

“He gets them drunk,” Dana said.

“Roaring drunk,” Lootmore told her. “If I’m right, Scalamonger’s contribution to the war effort will be wine. Vestril will stop his caravan for the night, load up a copious amount of alcohol and enjoy the baron’s hospitality, leaving him and his soldiers too drunk to be a threat. This leaves us an opening.”

“How can stealing wine prevent a war?” Dana asked.

“I’m not interested in the wine.” Lootmore pointed to a town on the west of the map. “Commander Vestril stopped here a week ago and picked up eighty suits of chain armor from another baron. I’ve been sent to steal it. Less armor for the enemy and more for my people won’t prevent the war, but it tips it ever so slightly in our favor.”

Lootmore rolled up the map and put it away. “Jayden, you’ve been trying to hurt the king and queen for years. Taking this armor does that. But if you’re undecided, I can sweeten the deal.”

Lootmore reached down to open a secret compartment hidden in the barge’s floorboards. He took out a black granite tablet with writing in white marble. Jayden’s eyes lit up at the sight of it.

“I’ve been nearly as busy as you since our last encounter,” Lootmore said. “In one mission for my kingdom I came across what looked very much like the spell tablet you found in our too brief partnership. The writing is shorter than the one you found two years ago and seemed so excited by. I was rather hoping it’s a spell you don’t already have—”

“I don’t,” Jayden said.

“And might want,” Lootmore continued.

“I do.”

Lootmore held onto the tablet. “I also know you are addicted to destruction. I don’t see the appeal, but I haven’t lived the life you have. Hopefully I won’t offend you when I say you might be tempted to destroy the armor or dump it in a lake rather than let me take it. So I propose a deal. I give you the tablet here and now. In exchange you help me complete this mission, including stealing the armor.”

Jayden’s eyes were locked on the spell tablet. He made no move to take it. “I promise to do whatever is possible to help you, but I can’t guarantee results. If it comes down to letting Commander Vestril keep the armor, I’ll have no choice but to destroy it.”

Lootmore handed him the spell tablet. “I can’t ask for more. Let’s be on our way. The trip will use up most of the time we have left, and I’ve seen worrying signs in this part of the kingdom.”

Concerned, Dana asked, “What kind of signs?”

Lootmore addressed his men before he answered her. “Break down our camp and throw evidence of our visit into the river. Were I a fearful man I would call them ill omens. I saw what looked like footprints, each one two feet long and half as wide, with a stride four feet long. Stranger still, there were no toes or heel on the prints.”

Dana covered her face with her hand. “Not again.”

“Excuse me?” Lootmore asked.

“How many times do we have to kill it?” Dana asked.

Jayden held up his empty hands. “Twice didn’t do the job.”

Lootmore gave them a long-suffering look. “Doubtless there’s a story here. Feel free to share it.”

“It’s the Living Graveyard,” Jayden explained. “We found it guarding a castle on the coast and killed it to retrieve a rich treasure. The Living Graveyard doesn’t die easily, or permanently. We killed it a second time outside Fish Bait City. It reassembled itself, again, and followed us here. It seems we have two good reasons to leave quickly. Dana and I can come back later to get her new sword, which should be finished by then, but for now we should be on our way before that monstrosity finds us.”

“Then let’s begin our adventure, and may it have better results than our last one,” Lootmore said.

“It could hardly have worse,” Jayden muttered.

* * * * *

Dana, Jayden and Lootmore spent the rest of the day sailing downstream. They left the wilderness behind and entered more settled lands. There were farm fields and ranches, and occasionally small towns. Their passage drew no attention, for there were other boats engaged in fishing or trade on the river.

Lootmore stopped his barge in a small tributary where few people lived and made camp among trees growing along the river. Lootmore and his men settled down on the riverbank while Jayden stayed on the barge.

“You’re not going on shore?” Dana asked him.

“Too many people live here who are loyal to the throne or live in fear of it. Lootmore is unknown in these parts and won’t attract attention, so he can sleep where he pleases, but I have to be more careful. You may sleep on shore if you like.”

Dana settled down next to him on the barge. “I think I’ll stay with you. One of Lootmore’s men already asked if I was seeing anyone, so I’ve got my own reason to keep my distance. So, what’s the story with you and our new friend?”

Jayden kept his eyes on the shore while he answered. “Two years ago I was desperate for funds and magic. I’d heard of a cave so large there was a lake in it, and what sounded like ruins of the old sorcerer lords as well. It sounded promising, so I went there and began exploring. I wasn’t alone.”

“There were monsters in the cave?”

“Were I only so lucky. News of the cave had reached more ears than just my own. The king and queen had sent an expedition to loot the cave of valuables. There were too many men for me to fight alone, when to my surprise I met Reginald Lootmore. He’d been sent by his queen to take whatever riches were within the cave. Lootmore had already secured the aid of the famous archer Ian McShootersun. Less wisely, he’d also partnered with the alchemist Suzy Lockheart.”

Dana gave him a mischievous smile. “Were you two romantic?”

“What? That giggling lunatic nearly killed us all.” Jayden waved his hand like he was shooing away a fly. “Lootmore made a deal with me to share rewards equally and I’d get any spell tablets, a fair trade for my services. We snuck past the expedition, explored the ruins and nearly escaped when they caught up with us. It was a close fight that nearly ended in disaster when Suzy Lockheart decided a large cave with an unstable roof was the perfect place to set off explosives.”

Jayden shuddered. “It was pure luck that we weren’t crushed by falling rocks. The expedition wasn’t so fortunate. I left with a small pile of treasure and one spell tablet, and we parted company shortly thereafter. Lootmore had to report back to his queen, McShootersun had heard of better opportunities far to the north, and quite frankly I didn’t care enough to ask where Suzy Lockheart was heading. I’d assumed that was the last I’d see of them.”

“Wouldn’t it have made sense to keep working together?” Dana asked. Jayden gave her a dark look, and she hastily added, “Not Lockheart, obviously, but what about the other two? You could do so much more with help.”

“It wouldn’t have worked.” Jayden turned his attention back to the shoreline before he spoke again. “Lootmore’s loyalties are to his homeland. That’s no discredit, but he has to be careful what he does as a knight of Zentrix. His actions could start an international incident if he’s caught, meaning there are places he can’t go and deeds he can’t do. As for the other two, McShootersun is a braggart with no cause to live for except the next payday, and Heaven only knows what madness run through Suzy Lockheart’s diseased mind.”

“She came onto you, didn’t she?”

“It didn’t happen like that,” he said firmly.

“You accept help from me,” she pressed.

“That’s different.”

“How?”

Jayden looked at her and said, “I’m trying to overthrow the king and queen because of the harm they’ve done. I’ve taken great risks for little reward or none at all because I truly believed I’m making the kingdom a better place. Lootmore, McShootersun and Lockheart have no interest in that because this isn’t their homeland. They don’t love it, fear for it, dream of it, and they won’t sacrifice for it. This is your homeland. You love it, you fear for its future, you want what’s best for it, and you’ve already proven you’ll sacrifice for its wellbeing. When, not if, the worst comes to pass, I wouldn’t be able to count on them, but I can count on you.”

Dana blushed. “Thank you.”

“Now be a dear and duck. Lootmore’s cat is back.”

Dana dropped to her knees as Jump Scare made another attempt on her life. Jayden caught the hissing ball of rage as it went for her face, but this time he threw it in the water. The cat yowled and splashed to shore before heading into the camp.

“Sorry,” Lootmore called out.

“Get the cat under control or you are going to lose it!” Jayden yelled back.

It took another day to reach the estate of Baron Scalamonger. The soil was rich and had many farms and vineyards. There were no cities, only three towns and many scattered farmhouses. The baron’s manor was a wood building three stories tall surrounded by vineyards, and located miles from the nearest town. Lootmore stopped his barge at dusk in a spot where the river was flanked by trees.

“Allow me to introduce our target,” Lootmore said. “I have an old floor plan of questionable accuracy for the building. Reports say the baron has a dozen guards and can call upon fifty militiamen. There are no tamed monsters or magic weapons. It seems the baron had a bad experience once using an Industrial Magic Corporation levitating wand and has since sworn off magic.”

“Which begs the question why you need my help,” Jayden said.

“If all goes well we’ll be in and out undetected. If there is a hiccup in the plan, we’re going to be badly outnumbered. Firepower can balance the scales.” Lootmore brought out a map and showed it to them. “The estate—”

“Has a basement floor not shown on your map,” Jayden interrupted. “It also leaves out a small treasury on the third floor and an armory on the first.”

“You’ve been here before?” Dana asked.

“A very long time ago,” he replied. Jayden found a quill and inkpot among Lootmore’s supplies and drew new details on the map. “You’re missing several walls, too.”

“Are the remaining details correct?” Lootmore asked. When Jayden nodded, Lootmore said, “There is a barn outside the main building where Baron Scalamonger keeps livestock, and where he’s sure to place the oxen and wagons when they come. The caravan is scheduled to arrive tomorrow night. Once it’s dark we climb over the brick wall around the manor and barn, steal the wagons cargo and all, drive them here and load the armor onto the barge, leaving the wagons and draft animals behind. With any luck no one will notice our intrusion until morning, giving us hours to escape.”

Jayden finished fixing the map and handed it to Lootmore. “Your plan depends on our enemy being too complacent and inebriated to effectively guard their property. If nothing else, though, it means we don’t have to enter the manor where most of the guard will be stationed.”

Lootmore studied the new and improved map. “This is why I like contracting local help. Thank you, Jayden. There may have been changes made since your visit. We have time until Commander Vestril arrives, so I intend to scout out the area and ask questions from lowly underpaid residents who’d appreciate free drinks and heavier wallets.”

“Who’s there?” a woman called out from the shoreline.

“Jayden, keep back,” Lootmore said.

“I’ve got this,” Dana said. She ran over to the barge railing, smiled and waved. The woman on shore was middle aged and carrying a load of firewood. “Hi! We’re heading through the province and had to stop for the night. Sorry if we surprised you.”

“Oh, no worries,” the woman replied. She squinted as Lootmore and his crew got between her and Jayden. Jayden grumbled as they provided cover. The woman turned her attention back to Dana and said, “I was hoping you had goods to sell, but it doesn’t look like you’ve got much cargo.”

“Temporary situation,” Dana said cheerfully.

“Say, are you looking for work?” the woman asked. “Because I know fifty people who could use a hand. You could earn money to buy cargo.”

Dana’s brow furrowed. “We’re not going to be here that long.”

“You’re sure?” the woman pressed.

“Quite sure, but it was lovely to meet you,” Lootmore replied.

The woman shrugged and left. “If you change your mind, throw a stone and you’ll hit a person who can pay for help.”

Dana looked at Jayden and asked, “Is it just me, or was that weird?”

“It was a first for me,” Lootmore told her.

“People have tried to hire me before, but never as a day laborer,” Jayden added. “Lootmore, how secret does your mission have to be?”

Lootmore frowned. “As much so as possible. Why?”

Jayden pointed upriver, where an older man gave them a curious look before ambling closer. Lootmore frowned at the sight and said, “I did not anticipate this.”

“Perhaps you could introduce him to Jump Scare,” Jayden suggested. “A few grievous injuries should deter further visitors.”

The cat seemed to like the idea and jumped up onto the railing. Lootmore grabbed it before it could attack. “Don’t give him ideas.”

“Say there, young fellas,” the old timer called out. “Any of you picked grapes before, because I could really use a hand.”

It took half and hour to convince the man that they weren’t looking for a job, and another twenty minutes to explain that to the next person to walk by. Lootmore never got the chance to scout the area and looked frustrated to the point of madness, while Jayden simply rested and Dana scratched her head at their warm reception. Strangers coming to her hometown were treated with wary politeness, since they could be thieves as easily as merchants, colonists or laborers. They could earn her people’s trust, but it took time. She couldn’t see why Baron Scalamonger’s people were so quick to accept them.

It was late at night when the last farmer gave up on hiring them. They were settling in when Lootmore grabbed Jayden by the shoulder and shook him.

“Get ready, all of you. The caravan is early.”

Dana had nearly fallen asleep and needed a moment to get her bearings. “Wasn’t it supposed to come tomorrow?”

Lootmore pointed to lights on the horizon, where four wagons pulled by oxen slowly made their way toward the manor. Spearmen followed the wagons, and two knights on horseback followed them. The caravan moved glacially slow, finally stopping outside the manor’s outer walls. A cry went out and a gate opened to admit them.

“Hurry,” Lootmore said. He and his men opened secret compartments on the barge and took out swords, daggers, pry bars, rope and black clothes. They put on the black garments and coated their weapons in coal dust to hide any glimmer of reflected light, then followed by smearing coal dust around their eyes.

Worried, Dana whispered, “Jayden, what kind of knight dresses like that?”

“Lootmore is a knight by birth and thief by training,” he replied equally softly. “His kingdom sends him when they need work does discretely. It isn’t glorious and won’t win the love of his peers, but Lootmore has saved many lives and ended terrible threats.”

“You’re being more diplomatic than normal,” Lootmore said as he picked up his cat and set it on his shoulders. “Five generations ago my ancestor stole a crown from an enemy king and presented it to the King of Zentrix, who was so pleased he offered any reward my ancestor asked for. My ancestor asked to be made a knight.”

Lootmore was no longer the harmless looking man Dana had met. Now he was an ominous shadowy form, armed and terrifying to behold. The men he’d brought were almost as terrifying (they didn’t have Jump Scare). When Lootmore spoke, it was with the anger of a long-suffering man.

“My ancestor dared to rise above his station, an offense worthy of severe punishment, but he had his king’s promise. His king granted the request and at the same time showed his anger for such presumption. My family was made knights with the surname Lootmore. Loot more, Ms. Illwind. Knights shouldn’t desire loot, and my family was cursed with a name that ensured no one would ever forget how we essentially bought our knighthood with a stolen crown. I have lived with that shame for my entire life, as has five generations of my family.”

Lootmore waved his hand at the distant manor abuzz with activity. “For five generations we have been knights assigned the tasks of thieves, providing plausible deniability if caught. My superiors despise me, so they can blame me for any misdeed I commit for our country. ‘Lootmore? Doesn’t surprise me he committed a crime. The whole family is bad to the core.’ They send me out again and again to save a kingdom that despises me.”

Dana stared at him in horror. “Why do you do this if your own people hate you?”

“Because I love my country. Because there are a few men who love my family, and that number grows with each generation of Lootmores. And because I know that many kings have conquerors at the base of their family trees and criminals of the worst sort scattered among their branches. One day my family will be respected, if takes another five generations.”

Dana might be moved to tears, but Jayden wasn’t. “If I’m not mistaken, I’m here for plausible deniability as much as for my magic. Your being caught here could start the war you fear. But if Sorcerer Lord Jayden was involved, a man who hated the king and queen, the blame could be put on my shoulders if we’re seen.”

“True,” Lootmore admitted. “Be fair, Jayden, when have you ever shied away from taking credit for your actions?”

“I’ve avoided the spotlight once or twice when the situation called for it,” Jayden replied. “This isn’t one of those times.”

Lootmore looked at the manor where men brought in the caravan. “We should set out. Everyone inside will be exhausted and drunk by the time we arrive.”

They headed out on foot, a slow trip because they had to climb over fences heavy with grapevines. Fortunately no one was present to hear the noise they made. By the time they reached the manor, the men from the caravan had gone inside while the oxen, horses and wagons were in a barn. Lanterns lit up the ground between the manor and outer wall, and they heard constant loud noise from inside.

“There are no guards stationed outdoors,” Jayden said.

“Baron Scalamonger is far from hostile borders and monster infested woods, and his wine barrels are too large to easily steal,” Lootmore replied, and scaled the wall with his men.

Dana was reasonably good at climbing, but this looked beyond her. There wasn’t much space between the bricks in the wall and no vines growing on it for her to grab onto. Her hesitation gave her the time to see posters glued to the wall by the gate. There was enough light to read them thanks to the lanterns in the manor.

Several were handwritten posters on cheap paper advertising employment. She couldn’t figure out why so many landowners and businesses were short of workers. One poster was larger and made of better quality paper, and judging by its faded colors it was also the oldest.

Good citizens, come to the defense of the crown! The King and Queen call upon any man of good health to consider military service to protect the kingdom. Uniforms and weapons will be provided, with three meals a day. Recruits with criminal records will have them erased after one year’s service. Spearmen get 10 silver pieces per month! Archers get 20 silver pieces! Officers get 50 silver pieces!

Jayden walk up alongside Dana, and she heard him growl, “Protect the kingdom?”

“That’s rich,” Dana replied. “They’re the ones going on the warpath.”

Lootmore reached the top of the wall without difficulty and lowered a rope for Jayden and Dana. They climbed up and dropped down to the ground next to the barn. Lootmore and his men were already working on a lock sealing the barn door. Jayden began to cast a spell, but Lootmore waved for him to stop. In thirty seconds the lock was open and they went inside.

“Jayden, light,” Lootmore said.

Jayden cast a spell forming a small glowing globe to illuminate the barn. They saw the knights’ horses, four wagons and sixteen oxen. The animals gorged on fresh hay and drank deeply from water troughs. Lootmore climbed onto the nearest wagon and froze.

“The armor isn’t here,” Lootmore said. His men checked the other wagons and shook their heads. “I saw Commander Vestril load it with my own eyes. Where is it?”

“You described Commander Vestril as being careful to the point of paranoia,” Jayden said. “Baron Scalamonger must feel safe to not post guards, but it seems the commander is taking no chances and brought his cargo inside the manor for safekeeping.”

Lootmore climbed down from the wagon. “That must be it. Our task is more complicated and riskier, but not impossible. You said the manor has a basement. That would be the place to store so much armor. We’ll break in, get the armor and load it onto the wagons.”

“Without being seen?” Dana asked. “There are dozens more people inside the manor besides the baron’s usual staff and guards. How are we going to get eighty suits of armor out without them noticing?”

Lootmore petted his murderous cat perched on his shoulder. “I know a few ways.”

Jayden dispelled his magic light and they left the barn for the manor. There were ten windows, a main entrance in the front and a servant’s entrance at the back. All were locked, but that was little problem for Lootmore. The knight/thief picked the lock on a window and peered in. He waved for Jayden to come closer.

“It looks like a servant’s room,” Lootmore said. “Your additions to my map showed the entrance to the basement across the hall from this room. We’ll go across and take out the armor a suit at a time.”

Lootmore picked up his cat, whispered into its ear and set it on the floor. The cat went to the door and waited for him to open it, then walked casually down the hall. Dana, Jayden, Lootmore and his men then looked out the door.

There was constant noise as the baron’s staff and guests ate and spoke. They saw serving girls walk by carrying plates of food. Once they were gone, Lootmore snuck across the hall to the door leading to the basement. He opened it briefly before returning to the others.

“I spotted the armor. It’s loaded in crates and two men are guarding it. They’re watching the stairs and will see anyone who tries to go down. We need to deal with them before they raise an alarm.”

Dana watched more serving girls walking by. They wore regular clothes rather than uniforms or maid outfits. Dana had also gotten a good look at the map when Jayden had been correcting it.

“I can handle that,” she told the others. Before Jayden could stop her, she left the room and headed down the hall.

The kitchen wasn’t far from the servant’s quarters. Dana peered in from the doorway and saw an older lady preparing one plateful of food after another. Two serving girls took them as fast as the old woman set them on a table.

“Get moving, girls, and watch those soldiers,” the old woman warned. “Men like that have roaming hands.”

The girls giggled and left with the meals. Dana had to slip into a closet to avoid them, and when she came out she found the old woman had already filled the table with more plates loaded with food. Dana grabbed two plates when the woman wasn’t looking and hurried off to the winery. The winery had horizontal wine racks containing hundreds of bottles of wine, many of them covered in dust. Dana took the dustiest one, cleaned it off on her dress and took it with her.

She came back to the entrance to the basement. Smiling, she opened the door and walked downstairs. The basement was larger than her house in her hometown, and it included multiple rooms with barred doors. The rooms must not have been enough, for crates were stacked up on the floor. Two spearmen stood next to the crates.

“That’s close enough, girl,” one of them said. “Staff isn’t allowed in the basement until after we leave.”

“I’m bringing your dinners,” Dana said. She set the plates of food down on the nearest stack of crates and put the bottle next to them. “You must be hungry.”

“Roast pork!” the second man exclaimed. He set down his spear and snatched up his meal. “I haven’t had meat in weeks.”

The first man set his spear aside to eat. “That’s very generous.”

“Baron Scalamonger appreciates the sacrifices you make on behalf of our kingdom,” Dana said. She curtsied and turned to leave.

“Uh, miss,” the first man began. “You left the bottle and didn’t pour us cups. For that matter you forgot our cups.”

Dana smiled at him before she went back upstairs. “Two grown men can’t finish one bottle of wine?”

Both men cheered up at the news, and the second shouted, “We get the whole bottle? This keeps getting better!”

Dana left and slipped back into the room where her friends were hiding. She looked at Jayden and said, “I gave them the oldest wine I could find. Give them time to drink it and we can get started.”

“That has got to be the most…” Lootmore began before turning to Jayden. “I see why you work with her.”

Jayden smirked. “She’s one of a kind.”

The next hour was spent is silence as they waited for their opportunity. Voices outside their room grew louder and more cheerful as men sang drunkenly. It looked like the baron was trying to buy good faith with good wine, and it was a rousing success.

Two serving girls walked by, and Dana heard one say, “I don’t know who served them, but the guards downstairs are fed and got their hands on a full bottle.”

“They’re not allowed to drink on duty,” another servant replied.

The first girl laughed. “Good luck getting it away from them.”

Jayden and Lootmore eventually left the room and checked the stairs to the basement. Moments later they waved for the others to follow them. They found both guards passed out on the floor and snoring loudly.

Lootmore pointed to two of his men. “You keep watch and you harness the oxen in the barn. The rest of you load armor onto the wagons. Stop work if you see or hear anything suspicious.”

Working quickly, they carried one crate after another out of the basement to the servant’s room, then through the window and to the barn. They had to stop work twice when servants walked by, but they were otherwise undisturbed as the soldiers partied and drank. It took an hour to remove the twenty crates they could see. Jayden opened one of the barred doors to find thirty more crates stacked up. Removing those took another hour.

“We have thirty more to go and it’s getting late,” Jayden said.

“There’s still time to finish the job,” Lootmore replied.

Lootmore’s men were about to unbar another door when they heard a cough through a different door. Everyone froze. Dana was closest and pulled the bar off as Jayden came up behind her and cast a spell to form his black sword. Dana opened the door only an inch and peaked in. Worried, she looked to Jayden.

“We have a problem,” she said, and opened the door to reveal fifteen girls. Dana guessed their ages between ten and thirteen. The girls wore dirty dresses, and they blinked at the sudden light. Many of them crept to the back of their makeshift cell, while others clutched at one another.

Jayden looked shocked as he stepped in among the children. He let his sword dissipate and knelt down to look the nearest girl in the eyes. “Who are you?”

The girl looked down and mumbled, “Misty Rokath, sir. I hope we didn’t upset you, sir. We tried to be quiet. Are you our owner?”

Dana came in alongside Jayden and put a hand on his shoulder. She didn’t know what was going on, but the expression on Jayden’s face looked ominous.

“Slavery is illegal here,” Jayden said softly. “What made you think I could own you?”

Misty looked confused. “We were bought, sir. The harvests were poor in Skitherin Kingdom. Our families couldn’t pay their taxes. My father, he said he was sorry, but this way I’d be fed, and my owner would be kind if I did what I’m told.”

Another girl dared to speak. “We won’t cause you any trouble, sir. We’re good with a loom, and we learn fast. You’ll get your five guilder’s worth.”

“Five guilders,” Jayden began. The girls gasped and backed away as Jayden’s face turned red in fury, he gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes. He turned to face Lootmore. “These girls were sold for the price of a pig.”

“I swear I didn’t know,” Lootmore said. His expression was hidden behind his mask, but he sounded horrified.

“We’re taking them with us,” Jayden ordered, “and to blazes with the armor.”

“We’ll take them and the armor, I promise,” Lootmore said.

It looked like they were going to argue when a voice at the top of the stairs called out, “Change of shifts! You two can drink your fill and leave us to…what the devil?”

Two spearmen froze at the doorway as the looked down at Jayden, Dana, Lootmore and three of his men. A spearman opened his mouth to shout a warning when Lootmore’s man on guard shut the door and tackled him. The second man was too surprised to more than gape at them when Jump Scare leapt at the man’s face.

“Get it off! Get it off!” The spearman flailed about before falling down the stairs. Jump Scare leapt off him to land in Lootmore’s waiting arms, then licked his paws clean.

Lootmore and his followers quickly overpowered the two guards and shoved them into an empty room in the basement. Jayden barred the door as Dana asked, “Did the soldiers hear us?”

Jayden stood as still as a statue as he listened. “I only hear merriment and drunken singing. We’re in the clear.”

Except they weren’t. A man in plate armor and a helmet stormed into the basement with four spearmen behind him. “The serving girls tell me you’re drinking on duty! When I—”

Jayden cast a spell and formed his black whip. He swung it high, lopping the blades off the men’s spears and leaving them temporarily defenseless. He ran up the stairs and shouted, “Get everyone out of here! I’ll hold them off!”

Lootmore drew a sword and ran after him. “Nothing’s going right tonight. Finish the job, men!”

The soldiers fell back and drew swords from their scabbards. The man in plate armor yelled, “We’re under attack! All soldiers to me!”

The situation turned into bedlam. Lootmore’s men tried to herd slave children out of the basement, except the girls were screaming in panic. Jayden pushed forward and drove the soldiers back with his whip. The sound of merriment elsewhere in the manor ended and was replaced by frightened shouts and the stomping of approaching men.

Dana followed Jayden and Lootmore into the hallway. They found the soldiers still falling back until they ran into more spearmen and four archers. The packed hallway made it hard for the soldiers to use their superior numbers effectively. An archer shouted, “Commander Vestril, I can’t get a clear shot!”

Commander Vestril, the man in plate armor, ordered, “Go around to the other hallway and catch them from behind!”

Jayden swung his whip at the lead soldier’s sword. The whip wrapped around it and hissed as it burned through the blade until half the weapon fell to the floor. Soldiers panicked at the sight, but not their commander.

“Back to the main hall!” Vestril ordered. His men did as instructed, and Jayden pressed them further.

“We have to hold them a while longer,” Lootmore said. He turned to see soldiers coming at them from behind. “Keep this group back and I’ll deal with the others.”

That was a tall order when the second group had archers, but Lootmore had Jump Scare. The black ball of fury raced across the floor and ran right up an archer’s body. The man had only a second to wonder what was happening when the cat reached his face. He screamed in terror and threw down his bow before grabbing at Jump Scare.

Dana stayed with Jayden as he pushed the enemy back. He got them as far as the main hall, a huge room filled with long tables, benches and a crowd of soldiers and guards. Serving girls kept behind the soldiers, as did a minstrel and two cooks. A staircase led to a second story balcony, where a drunken man so richly dressed he had to be Baron Scalamonger watched in befuddlement.

The baron swayed back and forth as he asked, “Exactly what is going on here?”

There was a momentary lull in the battle as both sides eyed one another. The soldiers and guards had a massive advantage in numbers. Jayden let his whip swing back and forth, daring any to approach him. He bared his teeth in a snarl before casting another spell to form a shield of spinning blades in front of him.

“I’ve heard of you,” Commander Vestril said. He pointed his sword at Jayden and said, “You’re the so-called sorcerer lord, a wanted man.”

Jayden pointed at the baron and yelled, “And you are a slaver, a buyer of human life! Slavery has been outlawed since the founding of the kingdom. What depths have you fallen to that you’d break this law?”

If the baron was confused before, now he was totally baffled. “W-what? The girls? Laws concerning slavery were changed five months ago. We’re allowed to buy foreigners. With so many men leaving for military duty there’s no choice but to have them or we couldn’t get any work done. H-half the nobles south of here own slaves. Don’t you keep up with current events?”

Dana gasped when she heard this. The people who’d tried to hire them and the help wanted posters made sense now. Wars require huge numbers of men to fight, and while the king and queen had hired many mercenaries, that wouldn’t be enough to invade a kingdom. Every man who signed up to become a soldier was one less worker in the fields or vineyards. Commoners had to beg for help from anyone who passed by.

But it wasn’t the same for nobles and rich landholders. With slavery accepted, men with enough money could buy the workers they needed, scooping up the poor and desperate from other kingdoms for pocket change. The young girls in the basement and who knows how many others were nothing more than property.

Commander Vestril stepped forward supported by dozens of men. “I give you one chance to surrender, a mercy you don’t deserve. Submit to royal authority and your life will be spared.”

Oh, that was the wrong thing to say. Jayden’s fury doubled, and he hissed, “I spit upon the mercy of those who buy and sell children. I scorn the authority of a king and queen so vile they debased their own people like this. I will see this house fall and all those within it flee for their lives!”

“So be it,” Commander Vestril replied. “I’ll send you to the devil.”

Boom!

The noise came from outside the manor, the sound of thick masonry shattering. Men and women gasped and backed away, crying out in confusion.

“Jayden, what’s going on?” Lootmore called out.

“Fiend, what have you done?” Vestril demanded. The wall behind the commander creaked and began to buckle. Wood beams six inches thick splintered as some great force pressed against them.

“It caught up with us again, didn’t it?” Dana asked softly.

Jayden watched cracks spread across the wall like a giant spider web. “It did.”

Dana forced a smile and announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, the Living Graveyard!”

The wall caved in, filling the main hall with dust, and the Living Graveyard lumbered into the room. The monster was made of grave dirt, broken headstones and shattered bones, stood twelve feet tall and was eight feet across at the shoulders. There was no head, only thick legs with tombstones on the soles of the feet, long arms that ended in oversized hands with splintered coffin wood for fingernails, and a bulbous body with a cluster of human skulls in the center. Two headstones rose up from the monster’s shoulders, both with messages gouged into them. The left one read No Rest, and the right one No Peace. Lastly was its scent, the overwhelming stench of rot.

This monster had fought Jayden and Dana twice, died, and somehow reassembled itself. Such losses didn’t deter it. It had followed them halfway across the kingdom for another battle that could mean dying at their hands again, and yet it still came.

For a moment the Living Graveyard stood still, the skulls turning to study the room with their empty eyes. Then it spotted Jayden and Dana. With its quarry in sight, the Living Graveyard marched toward them. This meant crossing the entire main hall packed with armed men. The soldiers didn’t know they weren’t the monster’s target, and as it advanced they panicked and attacked.

Arrows struck the Living Graveyard. Spearmen stabbed it and swordsmen slashed at its legs and arms. Such attacks did little to a body of dirt, stone and bone, but it did catch the monster’s attention. The Living Graveyard’s skulls opened their grinning maws and howled like a hundred tormented souls. Soldiers and servants alike screamed and fell back as the monster marched on.

“Form ranks!” Vestril ordered. He dragged fleeing spearmen into a rough line and pushed them toward the monster. Their spears were no more effective a second time. Arrows flew over the men’s heads and embedded themselves in the towering monstrosity. Its response was to casually swing one arm and swat the spearmen aside.

“Get the militia!” Baron Scalamonger shouted over the chaos. “Hurry!”

The crowded hall turned into a maelstrom of chaos. Servants ran for their lives, getting in the way of the soldiers. Some soldiers banded together and fought Jayden or the Living Graveyard, while others threw down their weapons and fled. The Living Graveyard knocked over tables and chairs, splattering the floor with food and wine, but fighting only those between it and Jayden.

Jayden strode through the hall like the personification of vengeance, remorseless and unstoppable as his whip and shield of blades cut through spears, swords and arrows with equal ease. He struck anyone foolish enough to get close to him, and Dana watched him head directly for Baron Scalamonger.

“We’re not after him!” she shouted to Jayden. He marched on.

Dana shook her head in dismay and ran after him. She tripped a spearman coming after Jayden and threw a bowl of hot gravy into the face of an archer. Both men were so slow to react that she wondered if Jayden had cast a spell on them, but she remembered the soldiers were exhausted from the march here and drunk from the celebration. She, Jayden and Lootmore were the only ones at the top of their game, a slender advantage that might save them.

Jayden and the Living Graveyard met near the middle of the hall. The monster swung its right fist at him, knocking men and furniture aside before the blow even came near its target. Jayden raised his shield of blades to intercept the attack. Fist met blades, and sprayed dirt and bone shards across the room. The shield broke under the pressure, but not before mincing through the Living Graveyard’s right arm up to the elbow. The loss didn’t bother it in the least, and it raised its left arm for a swing.

“Get out of the way!” Jayden swung his whip and wrapped it around the Living Graveyard’s chest, and the whip hissed as it burned deep wounds. The Living Graveyard grabbed the whip with its left hand and pulled hard, dragging Jayden across the floor toward it. The monster slapped him with the back of its hand, sending him sprawling on the floor. Jayden rolled out of the way before the Living Graveyard stepped on him. He got to his feet and replaced the whip with his black sword. He howled and ran past the monster, bounding up the stairs to the balcony where Baron Scalamonger trembled in fear.

“I had to do it,” the baron sobbed as Jayden grabbed him by the throat. “It was this or bankruptcy.”

“No one has to do evil!” Jayden yelled. There was the sound of wood splintering, and Jayden looked over his shoulder to see the Living Graveyard tearing apart the stairs. Jayden pointed his sword at the abomination. “The only difference between you and that horror is that its evil is plain to see. You hide yours behind riches and a noble title.”

“You don’t understand,” the baron said. “You don’t know what it’s like being in charge, the expectations, the demands.”

Jayden howled like a wounded animal and threw the baron off the balcony onto the Living Graveyard. The baron screamed and fell onto the monster’s chest. It had no interest in the baron, grabbed him and tossed him aside. Jayden jumped off the balcony and landed on the Living Graveyard’s back. His knees bent when he landed, and he drove his black sword into the monster. When it grabbed for him with its left arm, he hacked it off at the wrist. Anything else would have died from those wounds. The Living Graveyard simply ran forward into the nearest wall, smashing through it and throwing Jayden off.

Dana worked her way through the panicked crowd to help Jayden. She’d nearly reached him when Commander Vestril saw her. He drew his sword and charged, screaming, “You side with him, you can die with him!”

Dana ducked between confused soldiers, dodging the first few attacks. Vestril kept after her, slashing away. He raised his sword for another attack when a black clad fighter blocked the swing with his own sword. It was Lootmore, bruised and battered, but not out.

“Try fighting a man,” Lootmore said.

Dana saw a blur of black race across the room. “I’d worry more about the cat.”

Jump Scare leapt onto Vestril, but Vestril’s plate armor offered no easy avenue for attack. This didn’t bother the cat, and it satisfied itself by shoving both front paws into the eye slits of Vestril’s helmet. Vestril staggered back, blinded with his eye slits jammed, and Lootmore attacked again and again.

Soldiers regrouped now that Jayden and the living Graveyard were busy with one another. Dana saw an archer take aim at Lootmore. She drew her knife and ran up behind him, then slashed the string of his bow. She ran past the shocked archer, grabbed a full wine bottle off the floor and clubbed a spearman in the head with it. The bottle shattered and the spearman fell.

“Get Jayden!” Lootmore shouted. He struck Vestril again and again, but his sword didn’t even scratch the commander’s plate armor.

Dana struggled to see Jayden in the melee. She finally found him getting up off the floor and heading after Baron Scalamonger. The baron hid behind a few spearmen, but they scattered when they saw Jayden coming. Terrified, the baron staggered back and bumped into the Living Graveyard.

“Not again,” the baron pleaded. The Living Graveyard kicked the baron aside and lumbered after Jayden. More spearmen came to attack both of them. The Living Graveyard howled again, and the men fell back in terror.

Jayden yelled back at the nightmarish monstrosity and swung his sword, shattering half the skulls on its body. The Living Graveyard tried to club him with its left arm, but he ran in close and struck the monster’s right knee. It buckled and the monster fell to the floor. With the biggest threat dealt with, Jayden turned to face Baron Scalamonger again. The baron was hurt and limping away when he saw Jayden heading for him.

“No, wait, I can pay a ransom,” the baron said.

A loud bang caught both their attentions. Lootmore had given up trying to cut through Commander Vestril’s plate armor and instead clubbed him with a stout oak chair. The blow staggered the commander, and another sent him to his knees. Jump Scare leapt off Vestril and returned to its owner’s shoulder.

One of Lootmore’s men ran in and reported, “We’re ready to go.”

Lootmore tossed the chair aside. “The job’s finished, Jayden. Come on.”

Jayden kicked aside the last soldier still fighting back and marched up to the baron.

“We won, Jayden!” Lootmore shouted. When that got no response, he turned to Dana and spoke more softly. “You are to my knowledge the only person he likes. If you know words to reach him, use them now.”

Dana’s mind raced as Jayden advanced on the baron. She’d seen him angry before, but never like this. What had set him off? The girls! Their plight had driven him to this, and it might be enough to redirect him.

“Jayden, the girls are free, but Baron Scalamonger called for his militia. They’ll catch the girls and bring them back. They’ll only get away if you protect them.”

For a second it seemed like she’d failed, but slowly, ever so slowly, Jayden stopped. He was breathing hard when he jogged back to her and Lootmore. Exhausted and bruised, he looked like if he had his way he’d continue the fight. Jayden took up the rear as they left the manor through one of the holes the Living Graveyard had made.

Outside they found Lootmore’s men had loaded the wagons with crates and the girls, and they had tired oxen yoked to pull them. Jayden helped Dana and Lootmore onto the last wagon and was about the climb on when they heard a now familiar howl.

“You must be joking,” Lootmore said.

It was the Living Graveyard. It had lost its right arm up to the elbow, the left at the wrist, most of its skulls and so much of the right leg that it dragged the ruined limb when it walked, and still it hunted them. It pushing through the same hole they had fled through and limped after them.

Jayden cast a spell to form a huge hand five feet across from shadows. He reached out with his real hand and sent the huge hand hurdling into the Living Graveyard. He slammed the monster into the manor.

“Die!” he screamed. His phantom hand slammed the Living Graveyard into the manor again and again until that entire side of the manor peeled off and collapsed on the monster. “Die and stay dead!”

A slave girl tugged on Dana’s arm and asked, “Does the scary man own us?”

“No one owns you, now or ever,” she promised.

* * * * *

It was late the following morning when Lootmore stopped his barge to let Dana and Jayden off. They’d traveled through the night until they were sure no one was following them. The heavily laden barge couldn’t travel fast, but it managed to reach an unpopulated wilderness. Lootmore changed back into his regular clothes and used the brief respite to address the girls he’d help rescue.

“I lack the means or money to send you back to your families. It wouldn’t be safe to even if I could. People would think you’d run off and would return you to the baron. What I can do is offer you three choices. The first is I can adopt anyone who wishes into the Lootmore family. We are not rich or respected, but we look after our own. I can apprentice you to tradesmen I know and trust. Or if you prefer I can send you to a Brotherhood of the Righteous orphanage. You’ve no need to make a decision this important hastily, but know that whatever you choose, you will be cared for.”

“Now that’s how a knight is supposed to act,” Dana said. “I don’t care how his family got their title, they deserve it.”

Lootmore got off his barge and approached Jayden. Before he could speak, Dana pointed at Jump Scare perched on the bow of the barge like a figurehead. “Your cat tried to attack me twice. Won’t he go after the girls, too?”

Sounding far more sheepish, he said, “Jump Scare calms down after he’s had a few dozen victims. He’ll be quiet for the next week or so.”

Dana stared at the cat. “What is wrong with him?”

“I used to think it was a traumatic event in his youth or a poor upbringing. Now I’m convinced he’s just evil. Still, he can be used for good purposes.” Lootmore frowned and turned to Jayden. “The good news is we got all the armor and saved these children. I admit this didn’t go as well as it could have, and I take part of the blame for that.”

Jayden had been silent since leaving the manor. He didn’t look at Lootmore when he said, “Call upon me when you need help.”

Taken aback, Lootmore asked, “Really? After that?”

“I make the offer because of what happened. In my worst nightmares I never imagined my people could sink so low. I doubt I can prevent the coming war, but I can slow it down, weaken it, anything to keep the evil we saw from spreading.”

Lootmore saluted Jayden. “It has been a pleasure, sir. I need to get these unfortunates to safety and the armor to my superiors. I hope to find you well in the future.”

With that said, Lootmore returned to the barge and sailed off. Jayden stood where he was, saying and doing nothing.

When he didn’t move, Dana said, “You said you knew that manor because you’d been there before, but the baron didn’t recognize you. It must have been a long time ago, like when you were a kid. What kind of kid is invited to the manor of a baron and ends up as the world’s only sorcerer lord?”

Jayden didn’t react at first. He turned slowly to face her before speaking. “It happened so long ago he didn’t recognize the man I’ve become, and I didn’t recognize the monster he’d turned into. I’m sorry for last night.”

“You had a reason to be angry.”

“It’s more than that.” Jayden paused before speaking again. “Last night you saw me at my worst. I gave in to a hatred I’d thought I had control of, a rage so great I could have done terrible deeds. You helped me back from the brink of becoming the villain so many people think I am, and I am indebted to you. I…won’t think less of you if you wish to return home. God knows you have good reason to after what I almost did to the baron.”

“You mean besides destroying his house, humiliating him in front of his peers and followers, freeing his slaves and knocking him around?”

Jayden managed a weak smile. “Yes, besides that.”

“I’m not walking out on you.”

“Thank you. Your loyalty is touching.”

Dana took his hand and smiled. “Nobody could have seen what we did last night without reacting, and I’m with you for another reason. Five months ago the laws in the kingdom were changed so a man could buy foreigners, and girls no different than me were made slaves. Five months from now the laws could change again, and it could be me on the auction block, or my sisters. This has to stop, and you’re the best man to do it. Now come on, my sword should be ready by now.”

As they headed north along the river, Jayden began to regain his confidence. “It’s funny you should mention that. The swordsmith has no doubt produced a weapon worthy of you, but I know ways to infuse magic into weapons. It won’t be as impressive as my spells, but I think you’ll like it.”

Smiling, she asked, “Does that mean I get to chop monsters apart?”

“Let’s start small and work up to that.”