Blood, Faith, and Steel Read online

  There are many tales I could tell of our adventures, and perhaps someday I shall. But I think it best to return to the story at hand.

  Ah yes, we were running for our lives.

  Lelliani led us down a small game trail that started in the middle of dense underbrush near the mouth of a small stream. How she ever knew it was there perplexed me, but then again she was as skilled of a tracker as I knew.

  Within a half an hour, we had escaped the orcs. They were obviously not as accustomed to running as we were. Our party had become quite proficient, having run from all kinds of creatures we couldn’t handle: a very annoying Water Spirit that had the uncanny ability to jump from pond to pond, a Will-O-Wisp that was invulnerable to anything we threw at it, and of course that dreadful Purple Worm, as big and fat as a three-story tavern. We’d managed to escape them all by simply putting one foot in front of the other as fast as we possibly could.

  Our path took us right back to Waterbourne, the city in which Matthias had poisoned us.

  Waterbourne, like most grand cities, was filled with both the most grandiose and the rattiest of neighborhoods. We entered the city through one of the slummiest sections. There, our dirty and torn clothing did not stick out as we wandered through the muddy, scent-debilitating streets. Even Birch didn’t smell as bad as some of the people we passed.

  It was foul areas like those that Elanor thrived. She knew whom to talk to, whom not to, and how not to get noticed.

  Elanor approached me. She wore a gray robe, whose ends were frayed and saturated with mud. Where had she found that? From the smell of the thing, it was most likely removed from a corpse.

  “Here, put this on,” Elanor said. She jammed a circular piece of shabby rug atop my head, which was supposed to pass for a different style of hair. I thought my eyes would go cross as I perceived small bugs leaping gleefully around my head.

  “I’m certainly not wearing —”

  Elanor put her hands on her hips and gave me a stern look. “We’ve got a bounty on us, Sweetums.” The tone of her voice made that my fault somehow. Had Elanor forgotten that she found Matthias in the first place? Her look didn’t soften as she continued. “Put these on. You stick out like a Shining Holy symbol in the middle a bunch of zombies. Remember when you wouldn’t listen to me then?”

  My whole body involuntarily convulsed. That had been a very bad day. Two weeks after that particular incident, I still pulled zombie bits out of my ears.

  “I shall wear these disgusting things. For you, dear.”

  As I put the robe on, the barbarian chuckled. “Look like street urchin, Butter Mumkins.”

  Sometimes, I really didn’t like Birch.

  I looked at each member of our party. Nobody looked like themselves. Celliann’s nose looked to be growing warts so big they threatened to explode at any moment. She was not happy about her attire, either.

  “It’s necessary,” Elanor explained. “Word is the Omega Brotherhood has corrupted the city guards and has a five-thousand gold piece bounty on our heads.”

  Birch clapped Cellian on the shoulder. “Celiann no worry. Not first bounty on group’s heads.”

  “But it is the biggest,” Mina said.

  That didn’t look to make Celiann feel much better. In fact, she paled noticeably.

  “At least it’s the first bounty we’ve had in Waterbourne. I think we need to vacate the city as soon as possible,” I said.

  Celiann grabbed my arm with more strength than I thought she would be capable of. “We can’t leave, my brother may be here somewhere and —”

  Mina took Celiann’s free hand. “We’ll help you find your brother. But Brady’s right. We can’t stay here.”

  “Should go back and kill orcs,” Birch said.

  Elanor and I shook our heads at the same time. “There’s too many of them, and they would be expecting us,” I said.

  Lelliani’s grip tightened on her bow. “We’ll kill them all.”

  Elanor looked at them. “Remember how we lost Dresten and Saklen?”

  A hurt look formed on Birch’s face, though Lelliani merely shrugged.

  Dresten and Saklen were former members of their party before I joined. Both had died suddenly, and from what Elanor told me, quite stupidly. They picked a fight with a den of trolls, although they had not planned on the troll mage that led them. It’s probably why they were willing to take me on: they didn’t have a healer after those two died.

  “We need a boat,” Elanor said.

  Berythal guide me, I hated ships.

  Before any of us could argue, Elanor had already disappeared into the alley, off to make a contact.

  “Birch need drink,” the barbarian said as he popped his knuckles, and started toward the closest tavern.

  Elanor darted back to the group before he went two steps. “This way. Hurry!”

  Birch sighed, but followed the rest of us into the refuse-strewn alley that smelled of rotten vegetables. If a small trickle of light from the rooftops hadn’t been sprinkling into the narrow corridor from above, we would have needed a light source.

  For what must’ve been an hour, we twisted and turned through a maze of alleys, only crossing over regular streets when it was absolutely necessary. Men and women with malevolent faces looked down at us from above, and we passed a few that leaned too casually against the walls.

  I was certain Elanor was relatively confident that our passage would be safe. She was a member of the local thieves’ guild, and it was likely that without our knowing, she communicated with each person who crossed our path without ever saying a word.

  Finally we stopped in the middle of a very long alley, and she poked me in the ribs. “I need your gem bag.”

  My eyebrows rose. “Oh really.”

  She looked at me, her green eyes sparkling. She grinned and held out her hand and batted her adoring eyelashes at me. I managed a sigh of revolt as I gave the bag of gems to her. Chances were good I was not getting any of them back.

  Once she had my gems, she ascended a couple of steps that led to a stout metal door. She rapped upon it several times, and three of the larger gems from my pouch tumbled into her hand. A small, rectangular slot opened in the middle of the door, just big enough for a hand to reach out and motion for payment. Elanor dropped the gems in the hand, and in a flash it was gone.

  Several minutes passed. “What’re we waiting on?” Celiann asked. She gripped her broadsword and scanned the alley behind us.

  “They’re seeing if the gems are worth the price of helping,” Elanor said.

  “Birch have gold if Elanor need,” Birch said.

  Elanor shook her head. “These people only deal in gems. They’re safer and much more valuable. Gems hold their worth and are easier to transport.”

  Birch’s brow crunched together. “Birch have gold if Elanor need.”

  Elanor’s gaze snapped to the door as several latches clicked and the door opened.

  A tall, lanky man’s form was outlined by the light of the room beyond. Gray hairs danced through his full black beard and hair that fell to his shoulders. “Enter, and welcome to my humble establishment.”

  I sighed as Elanor gave him the rest of my gems as she entered. “Thank you for agreeing to help.”

  The man’s eyes danced as those gems found his hands, and I marveled at how quick they disappeared. “It shall be a pleasure doing business with you.”

  An hour later, I had eaten a spiced beef soup that was ordinary but delicious. We’d not eaten anything since our flight from captivity except trail bread, which was as bland as eating the sole of a shoe. Elanor assured us there would be no poison in the stew; I was too hungry to disagree, though Matthias’ laughter haunted me at every spoonful.

  We sat in an otherwise abandoned inn at a big table. Frederick, the man who had taken my gems, sat with us. A dozen of his men lounged a bit too nonchalantly around the room. Little was left in anyone’s imagination what would happen if one group crossed the other.

&nb
sp; “So, you need passage on a boat, eh?” Frederick asked.

  Elanor nodded. “Lorzik assured me that you would be amenable to assisting us to find a reliable captain, one so inclined to leave as soon as we reach the ship.”

  Frederick’s eyes rose. “Well, he mentioned that you needed passage on a ship, but immediately? That will be more costly and —”

  A knife appeared in Elanor’s hand, the point drawing blood just under Frederick’s chin. “Don’t. The guild made clear our needs. You shirk and your men won’t stop us from voicing our complaints to the Guild Master.”

  Ever so slowly, Frederick swallowed. Beads of sweat formed upon his forehead as his eyed darted to Birch, Cellian, and Lelliani. All three had drawn weapons and stood ready to deal with any misunderstandings. Mina was under one of the tables, her hands glowing with electrical energy. I had not moved, only sat next to Elanor with a practiced, unworried look on my face. Sure, I was nervous, but two-to-one odds against us were nothing compared to the trouble we usually faced.

  “Ah. I’ve just remembered a fine ship happens to be leaving the docks this afternoon. I’ll send word of your arrival,” Frederick said.

  The knife vanished, the only sign of its existence being the droplets of blood on the well-stained wooden table.

  “Pleasure doing business with you,” Elanor said.

  An hour later, we found our way to the southernmost docks. The ship was called “Windsoaker”. Like most ships, it was manned by halflings, who as a race were unquestioned masters of the sea. Halflings had an affinity for the sea. A Halfling ship would always be faster, more reliable, better constructed, and cleaner than the ships of humans or elves.

  Elanor’s face was grim. She didn’t like boats, nor would any thief, for there was no place to escape if something suddenly went missing.

  “Everyone stays here,” I said. “I’ll speak with the captain.”

  “I’ll go with you. I love boats,” Lelliani said.

  I sighed. “If you must. Just don’t say anything, please?”

  Lelliani nodded. “Okay.”

  We climbed the short ramp to the dock, where two halflings stood guard. One stood as tall as my waist, the second nearly to the top of my thigh. Their gruff faces were tanned and weathered. Each was clean-shaven, their hair unkempt and windblown. Both wore hardened leather armor, with bracers and protective leggings to match. Small rapiers hung in their belt loops.

  “I’m here to see Captain Dristake,” I said.

  “And who would you be, to disturb the captain?” The taller halfling asked, eyes running up and down my frame.

  “Brady Theirot. I’m here with Elanor and the rest of our party at the bottom of the ramp.” I gestured behind me.

  “Captain’s busy. Come back tomorrow,” the shorter halfling said.

  I shook my head. “Let me talk to him now and I will mention how polite you were to his customers. We can forgo the half-orc down there becoming displeased.”

  Their tiny hands darted to their weapons, but too slow. Two short swords pointed at them, sharpened steel points upon each Halfling’s weapon hand. “Frederick sent us, little ones. Run along and tell the captain or I’ll slice and dice your sword arms into fish bait.”

  Both halflings looked at Lelliani, and then at each other. Then the shorter one yipped as the point drew a small bead of blood upon the back of his hand.

  Lelliani smiled.

  Inwardly, I tensed, knowing she was capable of killing them. Outwardly, I remained calm and nodded. “Better listen. Last time this happened, her blade slipped and the poor buffoon was henceforth unable to make his water standing up.”

  They slowly backed away and walked up the dock.

  “Was that necessary?”

  Lelliani shrugged. “I didn’t bleed them. Just bypassed all the banter.”

  “You drew blood on the smaller one.”

  “Oh that? That was nothing. I hadn’t even got started cutting when —”

  A voice thankfully interrupted her. “Frederick sent you, did he?” The halfling wore a blue and gray suit, fancier than any other sailor I’d ever seen. He smoked a straight pipe, something most sailors could rarely afford. This, then, was Captain Dristake.

  I nodded at him. “We seek passage from Waterbourne.”

  “And you expect me to take you, do you? Just drop everything and sail my ship to wherever you fancy?”

  “We would like to leave immediately, but we’re not particular to where. Any port away from here would do just fine.”

  Captain Dristake’s eyes wandered past us to the four others at the bottom of the ramp. “Lucky for you I owe Frederick a favor or two. We don’t accommodate many passengers.”

  “I am a servant of Berythal, and would gladly use my skills to tend the aches and pains of your crew,” I said.

  His eyebrows rose as he took a puff of his pipe. “A healer, eh? Well, perhaps we can use you. But what of the others? Anyone sailing aboard my boat is expected to contribute.”

  I started to speak, wanting to tell him that my gambling winnings would surely do, but withheld the comment. We were desperate to leave, after all.

  Lelliani said, “I’m the best shot with a bow that you’ll ever see; the tall guy with the tusks is Birch. He’s strong as three oxen. The pretty redhead is Elanor. She’s a practiced locksmith and —”

  Dristake’s eyes narrowed. “A locksmith, is she?”

  I wanted to slap myself for letting Lelliani come with me. “Elanor is honorable, Captain. I’ll vouch for her.”

  “Clerics of Berythal are known for their word. But before I’ll take your party upon my boat, I’ll know what’s chasing you.”

  I nodded. There was little sense in lying. “Orcs working for the Omega Brotherhood.”

  I heard him chomp on his pipe several times. “Orcs? In Waterbourne? Working for them? Preposterous.”

  “Afraid so, Captain. They captured us, though we don’t understand why. We managed to escape and currently have bounties on our head. We ask that you help us.”

  After a few silent moments, he nodded. “Aye, I shall allow you aboard my ship. Anyone running from orcs is a friend to Captain Dristake. Your locksmith stays in her cabin; Windsoaker’s locks don’t need fixing or picking. And, under no circumstances are you to go anywhere near the main storage hold. It’s strictly off-limits. I have merchandise there that is considerably fragile, and I wouldn’t want any… misunderstandings.”

  I inclined my head. “We will conform to the laws aboard your ship, good captain.”

  Chapter 3

  A week out to sea, what were we doing? Exploring the main storage hold, of course.

  Really, would you have expected us not to?

  Every time Mina or I tried to use magic in the middle of the ship, it wouldn’t work. Anti-magic was powerful, and rarely innocent. Anything associated with it was dangerous, valuable, or mysterious. None of the halflings possessed the magical talent to cast such a spell. In fact, the only magic item that Mina and I discovered was the captain’s sword. The glimmer from the small blade was very minor, barely magic at all.

  What was below stored decks that could warrant such magic? Everyone knew halflings would carry just about anything on their boats as long as proper payment was supplied. That made it all the more unsettling.

  We had built a layer of trust with Captain Dristake. I found him to be decent, if a bit ill-tempered. Fits of anger aside, his words meant something, and he garnered respect from his crew. Captain Dristake also asked for, not demanded, our assistance during the voyage. Birch used his phenomenal strength and helped move and fix items that required a strong back. Lelliani taught lessons with the bow. Mina entertained the crew with fireworks, tricks, and oddities. I used my healing powers to cure a multitude of sicknesses (Berythal guide me, sailors contract all sorts of nasty bugs), and Celiann trained the crew in combat maneuvers.

  The good captain showed his appreciation by no longer having his halfling guards trail us everywhe
re we went. He even agreed to let Elanor above deck after the first three days on the condition I escorted her.

  Of course, Elanor left my side, and more often then she should have. She discovered how to access the main cargo hold and also how to bypass the rather complex lock, both of which she completed in the briefest of times once she had disappeared from my side. Much as I implored her to honor Captain Dristake’s agreement, Elanor and rules never seemed to mesh. Berythal guide me, how had I ever fallen in love with such a rogue?

  After Elanor told us what she found, we felt compelled to investigate. There was an entire section of the hold that was bare except for a long, rectangular box. It was secured to the floor of the storage room by thick straps that were hooked to metal eyelets and bolted to the floor. The box itself was gold-encrusted; runes lined one entire side of the box. It had no hinges, no visible creases, and there was no apparent way to open it.

  “Any traps?” I asked.

  “None that I can see, and I’ve been over the entire area three times,” Elanor said.

  Birch flexed his muscles. “Birch open little box.”

  Elanor shot him an “are you serious?” look. I knew that particular expression too well.

  “Those runes are significant,” Celiann said. “Old runes. I can recognize some of them, but they are ancient. Most of these symbols I’ve never seen.”

  Elanor pointed to various ruins upon its surface. “There are some languages that I’ve deciphered,”

  “There are divine runes. I can read those,” I said.

  “I can see arcane writing,” Mina said.

  “We’ll have to work together then,” Elanor said as she squeezed my hand. “Let’s get to it, Butter Mumkins.”