by Beam, Brian
I say this because they looked completely different than when I‘d last seen them. Yes, Crooked Nose still had a crooked nose, but the three men were clean and dressed in well-oiled leather armor. They looked like soldiers.
However, Crooked Nose and Lily Pants also looked like men who wanted to hurt me, their brows drawn down in anger. They rose from their seats as we approached. Lily Pants reached for the hammer hanging at his side, while Crooked Nose went for the sword hanging at his. The flickering orange light of the fire cast a threatening flush across their faces. My hand reflexively went to my own sword.
Bill put a restraining hand around my arm and held his other hand out to the two men. “Hullic, Ispan, stand down.” The two men hesitated. “Now,” Bill growled. The two men reluctantly released their grips on their weapons, but they did not sit down, continuing to stare daggers. Given I’d sort of roughed them up, I could understand. Crooked Nose had extra reason to want to hurt me with that whole knee to the situation back in Galius’s basement. It’s a guy thing. We don’t let transgressions like that go very easily.
Bill released my arm. “Don’t be stupid, men. You can’t hurt him anyway. Remember what I told you about Contracts? Now, get these three some stew and water.”
Both men made it clear that they weren’t happy about the order with their glowering expressions, but they turned to comply. Niliv stood and approached me as the other two set to getting our food ready. The narrow-faced man had a long forehead with short, receding blond hair and a thick beard. With a welcoming smile, he held out his hand.
“’Ello, I’m Niliv. Korin, right? Nice to be meeting you. Tilrook has not shut up a lick about you.” His accent sounded western, maybe from Watersdeep. He heavily accentuated his vowels.
Til’ beamed up at me with a childish glow. I shook my head, smiling, and took Niliv’s hand. “Pleased to meet someone who isn’t interested in beating me.”
Niliv seemed amused by my response. “Suppose that’s expected. Hullic and Ispan will come around in a bit. Come, sit.” He gestured to the rocks that Crooked Nose and Lily Pants had vacated.
“Come on, Korin,” Til’ prodded, grabbing my sleeve and tugging me forward. “Niliv makes great stew. He’s right about the other two. It took a couple days for them to calm down around me.”
It felt good to sit, even on a rock. Briscott sat on a log beside me, while Til’ plopped down on the dusty ground under the rocky overhang. Nearly every one of my muscles screamed in pain. My bandaged chest and stitched shoulder were aflame. The tashave leaf had mostly worn off, prompting me to pray I hadn’t been led into a trap; I’d be close to useless in my condition.
Crooked Nose and Lily Pants came back with bowls, wooden spoons, and cups of water. After ladling generous portions of stew into the bowls, they handed them to Til’, Briscott, and me—not without a scornful glare—before Bill called them over to stand beside him.
As I attacked the flavorful stew—rabbit meat with carrots, potatoes, and onions—Bill approached and crouched down on the other side of the fire, orange light flickering across his tattooed face. “Will you tell me what you know of Contracts now?” he asked.
I swallowed a big spoonful of stew, wiping my sleeve across my mouth before answering. “I’ll tell you that they’re not the smartest way to make a living.”
Bill wore a pinched expression, but he didn’t prod me further. My gut was beginning to tell me that he didn’t have any ulterior motives. I was pretty sure by this point that he had no intentions of carting me off to Galius. Helping Til’ find me, saving my ass, and filling my belly with something that Max would’ve swooned over had earned Bill enough trust for me to be a little more open with him.
“Free will is the secret to getting around them.” I went back to my stew with fervor. Til’ was right; Niliv made a damn good stew.
“I do not quite understand,” Bill admitted, confusion clear on his face.
Between bites of tender rabbit meat and seasoned vegetables, I explained how Til’, Sal’, and Max had taken the “gem” back from Galius by choosing to do so using their own free will.
“Interesting,” Bill mused, rubbing the fingers of one hand over his clean-shaven chin. “So that is why Hullic and Ispan could hurt you at first. When I think on it, Galius never actually told them to attack you. Such simplicity.” It may have been a simple concept, but no one had figured it out for a thousand years.
“So, Bill,” I began, setting my empty bowl in my lap, “I can’t help but notice that your men don’t seem quite as . . . rough around the edges as they were back in Byweather. I have to admit that at the time they didn’t seem like men you’d be associated with.” I twisted to gesture towards Crooked Nose and a growling Lily Pants, who were glaring at me from a few paces away. The motion tore fire through my chest, setting my jaw to clenching. Despite my exhaustion, I didn’t see myself getting any sleep that night unless I took some more of the tashave leaf.
“Are you okay?” Bill questioned with concern.
I nodded, shutting my eyes and taking a couple of slow breaths. The pain ebbed slightly. When I opened my eyes again, Briscott was holding out a pinch of the dried tashave leaf. I graciously accepted it and washed it down with my water.
After several moments of eyeing me as if to make sure I was really okay, Bill responded to my observation. “I typically work alone, but when Galius told me that you had others with you, I hired a little extra muscle in Byweather,” Bill explained as he rose to his feet. “Of course, Galius obviously did not tell me everything, so I still would have been unprepared, had the wizard still been with you.”
“Two wizards, actually,” Til’ corrected with a grin.
“As if I needed any other reason to hate that man,” Bill muttered. “Well, something about working with others again just brought me back to earlier days—”
“Bill was in King Agolin’s army! Did you know that?” Til’ interrupted cheerfully, happy to provide the information.
My eyes widened a bit. “Really?”
Bill nodded. “It was many years ago. I was a squad leader.”
“Did you know of Chasus Karell?” I asked, completely surprised that Bill had been a member of King Agolin’s army in my home kingdom of Alandrin.
“By Vesteir’s blood. I should have known from your name. You are related, aren’t you?” Bill asked incredulously.
“He’s my uncle,” I answered proudly.
“He retired shortly after I joined, so I never had the pleasure of meeting him. I have heard the stories, though. Your uncle was well renowned and revered among all the other captains. He was the one they all strived to emulate.”
I swelled with pride while also feeling a pang of sadness. It had been over three years since I’d left Chasus’s home in the Ravenspire Mountains after four years under his tutelage. Without his training, I would’ve never made it through the tribulations I’d faced. “I was trained by him,” I said, reminiscing of long days spent sparring in the cool mountain air.
“I am glad we never came to blows, then,” Bill laughed.
“Yeah, I would’ve hated to embarrass you in front of your men, here,” I joked with a smile. The tashave leaf was beginning to kick in. “Why did you leave the army?”
Bill sighed. “I felt too constrained. I wanted to travel the world on my own terms. I wanted more freedom, to be on my own.”
Bill’s eyes shifted to take in Hullic, Ispan, and Niliv. “Yet, it felt good to have men under my command again in Byweather, so I offered Hullic and Ispan regular wages and training to continue assisting me with my Activated Contracts. They accepted. They also recommended I hire Niliv; he’s the best archer I have ever seen. I would put him up against the best in Agolin’s army.”
“And he’s a great cook,” Til’ exclaimed around a mouthful of stew.
“They have taken well to my command so far, and as you have noticed, I have been able to smooth some of those ‘rough edges’ you spoke of. With their help, I should be
able to take on more Activated Contracts, especially once I have been able to work more on their training,” Bill explained. “Given what you have told me of Contracts, I am sure that having them will help me avoid situations like the one I found myself in with Galius.” Bill sneered when mentioning Galius’s name. “And speaking of Galius, was his gem really so valuable?”
I arched an eyebrow. “You could say that,” I answered at the same time that Til’ exclaimed, “It was a dragon egg!” Bill straightened, seemingly taken aback.
I let Til’ explain how hundreds of years ago, wizards had stolen a dragon egg and gifted it to the Kolari. Til’ told them of Galius’s beggar past and how the Kolari had kindly taken him in during his time of need. Til’ did little to hide his anger when he recalled Galius secretly taking the egg from the Kolari once he’d realized the egg’s power.
In an effort to prevent Bill from even dreaming of trying to track down the now hatched egg, I loudly interrupted Til’. “Sadly, the egg was destroyed shortly after we took it back from Galius.” It wasn’t a lie; I just didn’t specify that it had been destroyed by means of hatching into a baby dragon.
Briscott had been leaning forward, his eyes wide during the story. “I’ll be a blighted god,” he said, awestruck. “A dragon egg. I always thought dragons were just a myth.”
Til’ sat up straighter. “No, they’re real. I even saw—”
I cut Til’ off with a sharp glare. We didn’t need to be spreading any rumors about dragons having crossed over the Glacial Mountains. The less people who knew about dragons having access below the mountains, the better. If that knowledge were widely spread, panic would surely ensue.
Trying to change the subject, I turned to Briscott. “Why don’t you tell them about what’s going on in Gualain?” I prompted.
Briscott told Bill about the trouble in Gualain while I helped myself to seconds on the stew. Bill remained silent, fascinated by Briscott’s explanation of the rocks, the undead, and the king’s mysteriously expanding army.
When Briscott finished, Bill blinked a few times and shook his head. “I would think that given the kingdom’s past, Gualain’s king would know better than to try such a thing. He must be either daft or mad.”
“Either way, it’s a blighting mess out there,” Briscott said, letting out a deep breath. “It’s like history’s repeating itself. The blighted wizard king, Lyrak, created Contracts a thousand years ago during the Power Wars to control his armies in Gualain. Now Gualain’s current blighted king is doing the same thing with the rocks, except that he’s working with much darker magic.”
“So Gualain’s king is using these eldrhims as well?” Bill questioned. It was clear by Bill’s accentuation that he was still skeptical about the existence of eldrhims.
“Or someone working with him is,” I replied softly, wondering if that was the part that Raijom was playing in the war.
Bill locked his eyes on mine. “You said that you have encountered them before. How did that come to occur? Where do the creatures even come from?”
I stopped mid-chew, spoon in hand, wondering if I should reveal the whole issue with Raijom and the prophecy. Aside from Til’, I barely knew any of the other men around me. I finished my bite before deciding to myself, what the hell?
I told everyone about Raijom, the prophecy, the eldrhims, and Prexwin. I explained how the prophecy was the cause for me being sent away from my birth parents and the reason that Raijom wished me dead. I finished by revealing that Raijom was supposedly involved with the trouble in Gualain.
“Now we’re on our way to the Wizard Academy to find two of our friends, and then I’ll be going to Gualain to figure out exactly how Raijom fits into the big picture,” I finished. “I’m not sure what I can do, but I know I must go to Gualain. I do believe that everything happening there is somehow connected to Raijom, and for all I know, I may be the only one who can stop him. That may be the reason he wants me dead.”
I was met by complete silence. Everyone stared at me, agape and incredulous. Just before I could start feeling uncomfortable, Til’ broke the silence. “I helped kill some of those eldrhims, and did you know their blood can burn your skin? It hurts really bad. There was this one with a tentacle for an arm, like an octopus . . .”
As Til’ rambled on, Bill spoke. “I am not sure if I buy all of your story, but if it is true, it sounds like you guys have had quite the adventure.”
“I won’t deny that,” I responded with a laugh. “Trust me—I won’t hold it against you if you think I’m lying. It feels like I’m living out a story, like the legends my adoptive father used to tell me as a child. I think I’d rather be living out a story about a man who had a boring life spent fishing off the coast of the Dyanac Ocean.” In my head, I mentally added, with the sorceress love of his life.
“I want to come with you,” Briscott announced abruptly.
I turned to meet Briscott’s eyes. “What?”
“If you don’t mind,” he added. “Look, my family—my entire life—was taken from me. There’s nothing left for me except for the hope that I can help prevent the same from happening to others. Whoever is behind these blighted undead, whether Raijom or not, I want to do anything I can to help stop them before this war gets out of hand. Even though there’s little we can do by ourselves, I think the only way for me to ever truly be happy is to know that I’m fighting to avenge my family.” Tears shone orange in the firelight as they trailed down Briscott’s cheeks into his beard.
“Of course you can join us,” I said, grabbing Briscott’s shoulder. I didn’t want to put any other lives in danger, but I could see in the Briscott’s eyes that he needed to take a part in taking down those responsible for the death of his family. I couldn’t deny him that.
“Just wait until you meet Max,” Til’ said. He’d never actually stopped talking during our conversation. “Those creatures won’t stand a chance against him and Sal’. They’re wizards, you know.”
As Til’ continued, I turned to Bill. “What about you, Bill? Care to take on an evil wizard or two and an army of the undead and enslaved? Should be fun.”
Bill shook his head with a rueful smile. “Sorry, Korin, but that is not a decision I can make so rashly, or so lightly. Maybe you are correct about this prophecy you speak of, but if not, we would be but a single drop of water against a rainstorm. After tonight, my men and I will head back to Estus and see what the guilds there have to offer for Holders.” Bill turned to his men. “Though, if any of you choose to join Korin, I will not object.” Bill’s words were met by silence.
“No need for apologies, Bill,” I said. “I completely understand the stupidity in what we’re doing.” I looked to Briscott, but his eyes were still determined. “But stupidity happens to be one of my strengths.”
Bill chuckled as he pushed himself to his feet. “Be that as it may, your intentions are noble. The least I can do is allow you to share our camp tonight. My men and I will take turns on watch so that you can get a good night’s rest. I can spare some food to help get you to the next town. After that, I consider us squared up.”
“More than squared, really. Thank you for everything, Bill.” I stood and clasped his hand in appreciation. “Just one question, though. What’s with the whole crazy tattoo thing?” I waved my other hand in a circle around the lower half of my face. “Now that I know you’re from Alandrin, I’m pretty sure it’s not some tribal custom.”
He looked at me thoughtfully. “Were you intimidated when you first saw me?”
“Yeah, I may have nicknamed you Mess With Me And Die A Slow, Horrible Death.” Til’ paused in the middle of talking to Briscott to laugh at that.
“There’s your answer,” Bill said, smiling.
I found myself smiling with him. Bill was one crafty bastard. Between his tattoos and intimidation-by-silence skills, I was sure he wouldn’t have many Setters brave enough to attempt pulling one over on him.
He turned to gesture to his men. “Ispan, get some
bedrolls for our friends, here. Niliv, you and Hullic take first watch. Ispan and I will head back towards where those creatures attacked. I want to cover our tracks and make sure there are none coming after us. Korin, I’ll be back within the hour if you need anything.”
“We’ll be fine. You’ve done more than enough for us already,” I assured him, my tongue feeling heavy in my mouth. The tashave leaf was really taking hold. I could barely feel my various pains anymore.
Once we had our bedrolls, Bill and his men had set out to ensure the camp was safe. Briscott, Til’, and I sat around the fire, exhausted yet unable to sleep. Fighting eldrhims and the undead can do that to you.
“Briscott, would you mind giving me and Til’ a moment alone?” I asked.
Briscott stood and stretched. “Sure thing. I think a short walk will do me some good. Got a lot on my blighted mind,” he answered.
I nodded in gratitude before Briscott turned to walk away.
Til’ immediately burst into conversation. “Korin, can you believe we’re finally going to go rescue Max, Sal’, and Xalis? It’s sad that once we do, I’ll be leaving you, but I made a promise to Bhaliel. I wonder if I’ll get to see a lot of dragons. Do you think they’ll be mad about Bhaliel? How cold do you think it is in the mountains? Have you—”
I held up a hand, laughing as Til’ jumped from one question to the next without giving me time to answer. “Slow down, Til’.” My laughter faded as I looked into his large eyes. There was something that had been concerning me since he’d first appeared back at Jefren’s camp. “Til’, you really seem to be taking all those deaths back there pretty well. Are you really okay?”
Til’ blinked a few times, his eyes dropping from me to the flickering flames. “In Isaeron, almost every death can be attributed to age or illness. I’ve been away long enough to understand that out here in the rest of Amirand, it’s different. I’ve grown to accept that.” His downcast eyes shone with regret.
Letting out a sigh, I stepped around the fire to sit next to Til’. “My first day with the rock in my chest, Kait’ made me kill men who couldn’t fight back. I also killed one of the men who attacked Jefren’s camp tonight, one who only attacked us because he was forced to. It hurts so much to remember. I should be devastated beyond belief.”