" 'Champion of all,' " Kaz muttered, reading the script that circled the edge. " 'Hero of the people.' Where did you get this, Delbin? Come on, now. Think hard."
The kender screwed up his face in concentration, then grinned. "I remember! The man in gray gave it to me!"
"A man in a dream gave it to you? You know that can't be."
"But he did! I remember! After he told me to go to you, he gave me the medallion. I think he said you lost it! Isn't that neat? That's what I mean about the dream. It's important. I've never had a dream like it before."
Kaz almost threw the medallion into the fire. He had indeed worn one that resembled it… until the day he decided that his life would not be lived-or lost-in the arena. Fighting as a slave-soldier under the human and ogre masters had seemed preferable to the insanity and hypocrisy of the circus.
This could not be the same medallion… could it?
"Do you know what it is, Kaz?" asked Delbin.
Kaz knew exactly what it was, a medallion given to the supreme champion of the games, the greatest warrior of any of the arenas, including, of course, the Great Circus. The supreme champion could challenge the emperor to single combat for the throne, and the emperor would have to agree to fight or lose face. When the two met, it was always to the death. Combatants did not leave their rivals alive to foment discord or challenge them again and perhaps win the next time.
The Great Circus made for glorious entertainment for the masses.
"No," Kaz finally replied, putting the medallion into a pouch attached to the belt of his kilt. His eyes watched the campfire's darting flames. "No, I don't."
He sat down, leaning his axe nearby. Delbin watched him solemnly, wisely saying nothing. Kaz had forgotten about the kender. The dancing tentacles of the fire resurrected images of past opponents locked in duels. Kaz watched himself wrestle to the ground a reddish black minotaur taller than him, but then that adversary became a shorter but more muscular one carrying an axe longer than Honor's Face. Kaz deflected the blow with an axe of his own, then countered with a bone-cutting swing. The images went on and on, battle after battle, until somewhere along the way Kaz fell asleep.
When the next day came, Kaz said nothing to the kender about the previous night's conversation. For the time being, he allowed Delbin to ride beside him. He still did not want to put Delbin at risk, but silently welcomed the kender's company. Delbin could be so diverting that Kaz might forget for a time the dangers awaiting him in the imperial capital of the minotaur kingdom of Mithas.
For the next two days, they traveled in relative peace, the only vexation being the kender's relentless questions about the minotaur lands. Some of them Kaz had answered more than once over the years, ever since he first encountered Delbin on a dock in the southern reaches of Ansalon. Now and then the kender asked a question about the minotaur's own life, which Kaz deflected by telling him something fascinating about his homeland.
"One thing I can never understand-why are there two kingdoms?" Delbin asked, for the umpteenth time.
"Because it's more competitive. Each kingdom strives to raise the greatest champions." Although there was only one emperor, the minotaur homeland was divided between the kingdoms of Mithas and Kothas. Mithas, with the imperial capital located within its boundaries, had some advantage, but Kothas was known for its own share of emperors.
"You were in the arena, weren't you?"
"All minotaurs go to the arenas."
"But you were in the arena a lot! You must have been a great champion! Don't champions become emperor if they defeat the old emperor, because that's what I heard, and you said something like that once, so if you were a great champion, then you could have become emperor, which-"
"Take a breath, Delbin!" Kaz suddenly snarled. He tried to be patient with the kender, but couldn't help the occasional angry outburst. The kender overflowed with questions, and endlessly repeated his favorite ones. This time Delbin shut his mouth and remained silent for nearly a mile, something approaching a miracle.
On the fourth night, they made camp near a range of hills. The woods had grown thicker. The forest covered everything. Kaz was vaguely familiar with the lay of the land, but their progress was slowed a bit. All the better- each day's travel brought Kaz nearer a place to which he had no desire to return, a place that in some ways he feared.
After tethering the horses, Kaz decided it was time to tell Delbin that he could go no farther. His life would be in jeopardy. The minotaur was surprised at how guilty he felt about letting his small companion ride this far. But the woodlands would provide good cover for him as he retraced his steps and found other kender to rejoin.
"Delbin-" Kaz started to say, turning… but the kender was nowhere to be seen. His mount was tied up and some of his belongings lay near the fire, but Delbin himself had vanished.
The moon Solinari was only a wisp in the heavens, but the stars were visible this night. Trust Delbin to go exploring now. Snorting in annoyance, Kaz searched the ground for some sign of the direction in which the kender had departed. Delbin's race was notoriously light-footed. The minotaur knelt to peer for tracks.
"Kaz! Look what I fou- What're you doing there? Did you lose something? Can I help?" Delbin materialized out of nowhere beside the minotaur and fell to his knees. He earnestly began surveying the ground for whatever he thought Kaz had dropped.
"I was looking for you!" Rising, the beast-man looked down at his small comrade. "That's it!" He overplayed his attitude, pretending to be very annoyed. "Come tomorrow, Delbin, you're heading back to your kind! You can't go running off at night in the middle of nowhere… or even during the day, for that matter!"
"I was just curious-"
Kaz thrust a finger at the kender. "In Nethosak, or any other place in the homelands, being curious like that will get you killed, Delbin… and me along with you, by the way! I want you to promise to return to your people at first light!"
Delbin Knotwillow looked down. He seemed tiny and vulnerable at the moment, so chastened that Kaz found himself feeling guilty again.
"I… I don't want to. They all think I'm so serious! All 'my friends stay away from me!"
"What? Why?"
"Because I get bored with them! They're not as much fun as you and Helati are, Kaz! Not in the same way! You always come up with interesting things to do, interesting places to see! I told them all about everything we've done, and they were interested at first, but then they got tired of hearing about minotaurs and wanted to hear about anything else, and Noppel even made fun of you, and I didn't like that, so-"
"Take a breath, Delbin." The minotaur blinked. "So this… Noppel… made fun of me, and you got angry because of that?"
A wide smile spread across the kender's childlike features. "You're my friend, Kaz!"
And obviously a worse influence on you than I could have imagined, the minotaur thought. He felt a slight twinge of shame for making his companion a veritable outcast among his own people. He could not send the kender away… not after learning that Delbin had stuck up for him… well, at least not right away.
"What did you find?" Kaz asked.
Smiling, Delbin reached into his pouch. "You should see it! I think I know what it is, but… Hey, here's my book! Just what I was looking for!"
It was one of the few times that Kaz could recall having ever seen the fabled book. It was battered and filled with loose sheets of paper that he suspected had been "borrowed" from everywhere the kender had visited. Somehow the sheets stayed more or less within the battered leather cover. Before Kaz could make out the lettering, though, Delbin put the tiny book back into the pouch and removed something else.
"Here it is!"
The kender's latest acquisition was almost as unnerving as the medallion. Every muscle in the minotaur's body tensed. Suddenly the forest seemed even darker, more filled with danger, than before.
"Isn't this a neat knife? You know, I think this handle is bone, which makes a pretty sturdy handle, I guess, beca
use bones hold our bodies up pretty good, don't they-?"
"Be quiet, Delbin!" the warrior whispered. He seized the knife, turning it over. The handle was made of bone, just as his companion had said. But what Delbin did not know was that the bone had probably come from a thinking creature, possibly a human or even a minotaur.
Ogres did, after all, have preferences.
The knife was in very good condition and hardly rusted at all. "Did you clean this up?"
"No, I found it just like this-"
Kaz waved him silent and glanced out at the shadowy forest. The knife could have been lost some time ago, depending on the weather, but the very thought that ogres had ventured this far south almost made Kaz want to head back and warn the others. It occurred to him, however, that with the number of minotaurs now living in the settlement, it would take a fairly large force of ogres to attack them. Such a large force could certainly not have remained hidden in this region. Ogres were too clumsy not to leave signs of their passing.
"Show me where you found this."
The kender did. The place was surprisingly close to the campsite. Delbin had found the knife lying next to a tree. It was proof of just how superior the short creature's night vision was that he could have spotted it. Kaz found no other trace of ogres, but he knew the darkness might be masking some proof. When he rose at first light, he would do a thorough search of the vicinity.
The two of them returned to the fire, Kaz still clutching the blade. First the medallion… his medallion… and now this ogre weapon. There could not possibly be any connection between the two other than Delbin finding both, yet, the weary minotaur could not help but wonder.
Delbin sat, with a hopeful expression, next to the fire. Kaz realized that the kender wanted the knife back. It was a treasure to Delbin. The minotaur started to hand the blade over, then hesitated. He grunted. "I'll give this back to you on one condition, Delbin."
"What's that?"
"Don't find anything else for a while, okay?"
The smile widened. "I'll try real hard, Kaz."
Snorting, Kaz handed back the knife. He turned his attention to food, his stomach reminding him that it had been a long time since either of them had eaten. The minotaur looked forward to his simple meal. Food had a way of temporarily erasing worries.
Often in the past he had grumbled to himself and others that the gods must surely be out to test him. How else to explain the rocky path Kaz had journeyed over the past several years? In his mind, he had suffered more than his share of trial and tribulation. The short time he had spent in the home he and Helati had built had been the only peaceful period in his life that he could recall. That respite was over now, though. Once more, it seemed as if he had become a pawn of the gods.
Maybe I'm just tired, he thought as he passed a bit of bread to Delbin. Maybe it's just my imagination that the gods are steering me toward some dire adventure.
His arm came to rest against the pouch into which he had placed the medallion Delbin had supposedly been given by the gray man. He yanked the arm away and, ignoring the kender's curious glance, chewed his food as if doing battle with it.
Tap-tap went the staff of the man sitting on the high rock.
"On the path again… but do you know the way?"
Kaz stood in the middle of a mountain path. High peaks rose on each side of him. Ahead, the path seemed narrow, barely wide enough for him to pass. Behind him, it was wide and flat. In that direction, the minotaur could make out a beautiful forest and in that forest a dwelling he recognized as his own.
From the mountains in the other direction he heard what sounded like a child crying.
"He who hesitates is lost, they say. Are you lost?" The questioner tapped his staff against the rock again. He was a tall, elderly human… elderly but certainly not frail. He wore a hooded cloak that covered most of his form, and on his hands he wore long gloves that went up his wrists, eventually disappearing into his sleeves. On his feet the human wore boots that rose
up almost knee high.
A long gray beard obscured what was a plain yet somehow intelligent face. The gray beard blended into a gray face, which in turn blended into the gray coloring of the cloak.
Kaz's eyes narrowed. Everything about the man was gray, even his teeth, tongue, and eyes.
The crying continued.
"Will that crying never cease?" Kaz rumbled.
"He is out of balance." The explanation seemed to suit the gray man despite its vagueness. "Hail to you. Supreme Champion."
"NO!" roared Kaz, waving his hand in denial. "I've not worn that title or-" He suddenly realized that the medallion hung around his neck. With one massive hand, he tore the medallion from its chain and threw it as far as he could. The gray man watched him do it, his expression perfectly bland. "Not worn that title or that medallion since I left Nethosak! I reject what it stands for!"
"But what swings one way must always swing the other. What one rejects, one must later accept-if one is to remain in balance."
The crying grew more shrill, as if demanding to be heard.
Kaz tried to ignore the sound. "I'm not putting up with such nonsense! I'm going home!"
He turned toward the path leading to the woods, only to discover that instead of the forest, he faced the Great Circus of Nethosak. Cheering rose from inside, and a line of minotaurs stood at attention, awaiting him.
Kaz stepped back, but as his foot came down, the mountain path transformed into the flat, sandy floor of the arena. Instead of the gray man and the rock, a high wooden platform stood before him. The platform was several yards across and towered above him. A dozen of Kaz's kinsmen struggled at levers, their efforts causing the structure to slowly rotate.
Frozen, Kaz watched as a figure hove into view. The figure slowly came nearer as the rotating platform brought him around.
Still the child cried, but now he sounded older… not adult… but definitely older.
The face of the figure on the platform came into view.
It was his own face.
"About time you got here," the other Kaz called.
Kaz tried to speak, but as he opened his mouth, a great shadow darkened the sky. The other Kaz looked up… and was swallowed by that darkness. The arena was gone.
"Definitely out of balance," remarked the gray man, now standing next to Kaz. "The past should be past by this time."
Eyes widening, the minotaur glared at his peculiar gray companion. "I know you, don't I? I've forgotten you, somehow. I remember about Huma and-" His words were cut off as the shrill voice cried still louder. It was too much for him to stand. "By Paladine and Kiri-Jolith! Can nothing be done about that?"
"I can do nothing." The gray man held up his hands, which were bound by what seemed a twisted version of his own staff. He seemed indifferent. "You must complete what you have left undone."
Kaz did not care to ask what the gray man meant, his gaze already turning back to the mountainous trail. The cry for help was stronger, closer. He wished he had his axe, then realized it was in his hands. That was the one thing that so far did not disturb him; Honor's Face always returned to his hands when he most needed it. One of its magical qualities.
"Paladine preserve me!" Kaz grunted, starting up the trail.
"Perhaps he will," replied the gray man from behind him. "He understands the need for balance."
This made the minotaur turn, but when he looked, the man in gray was gone. Snorting his annoyance, Kaz listened again to the cry. It was stronger, closer, but now he thought he heard the sound of running feet and the heavy breathing of determined pursuers. Someone was after the voice.
"Did you hear that, Kaz?" asked Delbin, but the kender was nowhere to be seen.
Keeping the axe ready, the minotaur picked up his pace. If there were others, he had to hurry. They might catch up with their prey at any moment.
Despite his hurried pace, though, it seemed as if he walked through a miasma. Ever so slowly, Kaz made progress along the path,
but with each renewed cry, he knew he would be too late.
Then the cry came again, so close that he knew its source
must be just out of sight. All he had to do was reach the point where the path before him twisted to the right. There was still time.
Suddenly Kaz was at the turn. He raised Honor's Face in preparation for a swing and followed the twist in the path.
A shadow loomed over him.
It was a dragon.
Kaz woke with a start, realizing that everything had been but a dream. The minotaur cursed. It was still dark outside. Kaz estimated that he had been asleep for perhaps an hour, possibly two, but no more. He peered around the camp, muttered in annoyance, and tried to settle back down to sleep.
He did not hear the single figure that had been observing the camp move off into the night.
"I told you that story earlier."
"I want to hear it again."
"Not now, Delbin."
"Please? It'll help pass the time, and I always like to hear about it, especially the part-"
"All right." It would be easier simply to relate the tale… again.
"Thanks, Kaz!" piped in Delbin. He reached for his pouch. "I should write it down this time! I always forget It would-say, I wonder where this came from?"
Kaz eyed the newfound object with some trepidation, but it turned out to be only one of his own fire flints. Giving the kender a look, he reached out and retrieved his property. "Just forget the book for now, Delbin, or I won't tell the story."
That gave the kender pause. Kaz sighed, then began, "In the beginning, there were the ogres. They were not the animals we know today, but beautiful creatures, the envy of all other races, including the elves. They built glorious cities and created great works in all fields. All respected their accomplishments and abilities."
"What happened to them?" asked Delbin. He asked the same questions at the same points in the story every time Kaz related it.
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