"They were decadent, vain. They wasted their achievements, instead playing with power that should've been cultivated in order to cement their greatness. Some of them, however, saw that they were destined for savagery if they continued like that and tried to speak sense to their brothers. The others wouldn't listen, and the race sank further and further into degeneracy. They fell from the grace of the Great Horned One, Sargas, so the story goes, and he finally cast out the ogres, condemning them to be the animals they truly were. Those are the ogres of today, degenerate monsters who can't even recall the wonders of their own ancestors."
"But the minotaurs…"
"It's said that Sargas took pity on those who tried to remain on the path of glory." Kaz disliked mentioning Sargas; he no longer followed that god, who many believed was also known as Sargannon, consort to the Dark Queen. Still, this was the story as it had always been told, and Kaz was a believer in the traditions. "Reaching down, he took those most worthy and placed them far from the other ogres. In order to mark them as his true children, he reshaped their forms, making them look like himself."
Kaz leaned forward so that the kender could get a good close-up of his features. It was a theatrical habit he had picked up from his father, who had told the story to him many times when Kaz was a child. The kender shivered, but more in pleasure at hearing the tale than because he was really scared.
"We've taken up the destiny that the ogres tossed aside." Kaz closed his eyes. " 'We have been enslaved but have always thrown off our shackles. We have been driven back, but always returned to the fray stronger than before. We have risen to new heights when all other races have fallen into decay. We are the future of Krynn, the fated masters of the entire world. We are the children of destiny.' That's an old minotaur saying."
"I heard it was the Graygem that changed ogres into minotaurs," Delbin cheerfully interjected. "It just moved through the area, and after it left there were ogres and there were-"
Kaz growled. "Minotaurs weren't created by magical happenstance!" He looked at the kender. "If you want to hear the story again, you'll never repeat such foolishness to me, understand?"
"Yes, Kaz. Sorry."
"Good. Now try to keep quiet for a little while. We have a long day ahead of us."
"What's the minotaur kingdom like?" asked his companion, already ignoring his injunction to be silent.
"Not now, Delbin. Later."
His tone was ominous, and the kender obeyed. The rest of the day passed without incident, as did the night that followed. They were able to get an early start the next morning. The minotaur could scarcely believe their good fortune. Usually, it seemed, his journeys were fraught with daily peril.
"See those mountains in the distance?" Kaz asked, feeling less moody than the day before. "Those are the first signs that we're nearing the minotaur kingdom. We've still got the last part of the journey, though."
"I like mountains," his companion commented, staring at the distant peaks. "Especially ones with caverns."
Kaz shuddered. He did not like caverns. Too many things had happened to him in caverns. "I don't think we need to worry about caverns."
"You found a dragon in a cavern once, didn't you?" Delbin grew more excited. "It was just after the war with the Dark Queen, when dragons were supposed to be gone, but you accidentally found a whole dragon, and she was trapped by this evil sorcerer who-"
"Take a breath, Delbin." Kaz had told the kender the tale once long ago, but had refused to tell that one ever again. He'd hoped Delbin had forgotten. Thinking of dragons always made him recall the silver dragon who, in human form, had loved Huma of the Lance. Memories of Huma were painful, for the knight had been-would always be-Kaz's truest friend. "I don't want to talk about that now."
"But you flew a dragon once, didn't you? I remember you mentioning that, too."
Despite himself, the minotaur smiled slightly as he recalled that particular dragon. "I flew one during the battle in which Takhisis was defeated. His name was Bolt. Young, eager, and as battle-hungry as I was. He was a bronze dragon, brash but brave." Kaz grunted, the memory turning dark again. "They all vanished after the war was over, both the dragons of light and their darker counterparts."
"But you found the other one after that."
Seeing that the kender would not be put off, which was how things generally went, Kaz finally nodded with a sigh. "Only a short time after the war. The dragons had all disappeared. I'd just left Solamnia"-he had left Solamnia after paying his last respects to his friend and comrade- "and was simply traveling. Times were still dangerous, though, and many didn't trust my kind since we'd served as slave-soldiers to the Dark Queen. I was often forced to run rather than hurt innocent fools."
"Don't forget the monster!" piped up Delbin.
"It wasn't a monster, Delbin-"
"You said it was a dragon-man! That sounds like a neat monster. I wish I'd seen it. You said it was taller than you and all scaly! It was made by the mage who captured the dragon and her eggs-" The kender shut his mouth when he realized that Kaz was glaring at him again. "Sorry…"
"Why do you even ask me to tell the stories? You seem to know them by heart."
"Please tell it again! I like to hear you tell them, Kaz. You lived them!"
Yes, he had lived them. Images of the past racing through his mind, Kaz related the short battle between himself and the creature, who had fled into the night, and then his own capture not long after by a sinister mage. The mage, a human named Brenn, had indeed captured a dragon, a great silver female. He had captured her by stealing her eggs and luring the frantic mother into a trap, using the eggs as bait.
"He was turning her eggs into monsters, wasn't he, Kaz? Making more dragon-men!" Again, it took a severe look from the minotaur to quiet the overeager kender, who still managed to ask one more question. "Why didn't the dragon stop him?"
Kaz recalled all too well. "An illusion. He threatened her eggs, placing an illusion of them just out of her grasp. In return for their safety, he demanded her magic to aid his own in an experiment. She couldn't know that he was using her magic on the real eggs, changing the young into beast-men."
"What happened?"
"With her help, I killed Brenn and his monster, but she died." Her dedication reminded him of Huma's silver companion. "I took what eggs I could find and brought them to a place where I thought her mate, who had also remained behind, would likely come." He exhaled. The story dredged up other memories. "I waited nearly three weeks before he came, and when he did, I thought he would die as well." Kaz eyed the kender as if daring him to interrupt.
Delbin was wisely silent.
"He and his mate had not been the only dragons left, after all. How it also could have been there, I don't know, but there was a great black, one of the most evil of dragons. The silver fought the black, killed it… with a little help from me… but was so badly wounded that he could barely carry the eggs. You see, once free of the mage's spell, they grew at their normal pace. By the time he came, they were close to hatching."
The kender's mouth formed an O of wonder. "Did he live?" he blurted.
"The last I saw of him, he was flying off… I think it was to the north… with the eggs in a sling that I'd made for him. He couldn't even transform. His magic barely worked." Kaz scratched his chin. "I never knew the female's name, but his was Tiberion, I think."
"That's a good story!" Delbin reached for his pouch. "Oops! I should write it down so I don't forget it!"
Kaz, who had no inclination to discover just what Delbin would pull from his pouch this time, quickly said, "Forget that for now. We've got to pick up the pace. I want to make those lower hills by tonight. Besides, you know the story almost as well as I do. You can always write it down later."
Delbin pouted but obeyed.
They did make the hills by nightfall, albeit barely. Kaz was grateful for yet another uneventful day of travel and hoped it was a good sign. Once they entered the minotaur lands, he would have to be ev
en more on his guard, but until then, the minotaur wanted to be able to relax and build up his strength.
They located a likely spot for camp and dismounted. Kaz took charge of both animals while Delbin cleared the grounds.
"Delbin, see if you can find some food. I'll work on the fire." Regardless of his other traits, the kender was an expert gatherer and trapper when he put his wandering mind to it. Seven times out of ten he was likely to bring both meat and fruit back with him, along with a few items that Kaz had to be convinced to try eating.
The kender scurried off. He would be back within the hour. When he and Kaz had traveled together, they often set traps in the hopes of catching game that they could use for the next day's meals. Kaz would set a few of his own before the evening was over, but he had spent so many years living off the land that this work seldom took long. So far, they had been fortunate, catching a good supply of rabbits and an occasional bird. Nuts and berries added to their repasts.
Kaz had just finished his own tasks when the kender reappeared. The fire was burning merrily, the camp in good order.
"Kaz! Look what I caught! They practically jumped into my hands!"
The minotaur snorted. Typical kender luck. The kender had two rabbits on a string-rabbits mostly for Kaz's benefit-plus a full bag that likely contained fruits and whatever other plant life Delbin thought edible.
They settled down to sleep not long after eating. Kaz was so relaxed, he immediately drifted off.
He was awakened soon after by a sound he could not identify, save that it somehow seemed out of place with his surroundings. A sense of foreboding coursed through him.
"Did you hear that, Kaz?" asked Delbin, rising from the other side of the fire.
"Quiet!" the minotaur whispered, rising at the same time. He seized the great battle-axe by the handle. "Stay here, Delbin."
"But, Kaz-" The kender damped his mouth shut at the sight of his companion's ferocious visage.
Staring into the dark forest, Kaz estimated where the noise, whatever it had been, had originated. He took off on foot. His present circumstances reminded him of his dream. True, he was in the forest rather than the mountains, but other than that he felt as if the two were somehow connected.
That was what he was thinking about when a figure as tall as the minotaur nearly crashed into him.
The ogre was as surprised as Kaz, possibly more so. Armed with a studded club, it gaped at the horned warrior, then grunted and attacked.
Kaz met the blow with his axe. Honor's Face cut through the club unhindered, sending a good third of the ogre's weapon flying. The ogre was stubborn, however, and pulled the weapon back for yet another try. Even in the dim light of the moon, Kaz could see the murderous intent in his adversary's flat, brutish face. The ogre snarled, revealing long, vicious teeth accustomed to tearing raw flesh from either a fresh kill or an enemy warrior… which was often the same thing to one of its kind.
Kaz did not wait. Even before the ogre could complete its second swing, Honor's Face sliced under the monster's guard, digging in deep at the midsection.
With a cry, Kaz's foe fell back, the ruined club dropping from a lifeless hand. The ogre ceased breathing even before its body struck the ground.
There was more thrashing in the woods as other figures moved in his direction. Kaz made a quick estimate based on the patterns of noise and counted at least four other ogres, all heading his way. One was bad enough, two worse, but if he had to face three, possibly four, at the same time, then he was dead.
Kaz abandoned his position for one farther to his left. He could hear the movements of but one figure over there… so he hoped, anyway… and against one ogre he would prevail.
The newcomer continued to trample through the forest. Ogres were less concerned with stealth than minotaurs. Brute strength was all that mattered to most of them, though it was never wise to underestimate them. Kaz had been forced to serve under ogres when he had been a slave-soldier in the armies of the Queen of Darkness, and he was fully aware just how cunning and treacherous they could be.
A dim shape materialized, a shape that coalesced into an ogre, with an axe almost as long as Kaz's. The ogre was breathing heavily. It paused and sniffed the air.
Kaz gave no warning. The minotaur warrior emerged from his hiding place with the axe already in flight. To its credit, however, the ogre succeeded in dodging the blow.
"Minotaur," growled the toothy monster. "What do you think you are doing?"
"I would've thought that obvious." Kaz did not want to waste time talking, but the ogre's attitude confused him.
"We've not failed," insisted the ogre. "Camp is near."
They were interrupted by the sudden arrival of a second ogre, this one wild-eyed. "Minotaur…"
Two now. Kaz shifted to compensate for the change in numbers. The second ogre carried both a sword and net, the latter one of the throwing kind used by some races when hunting prey.
This ogre eyed Kaz's axe. "Squallin dead… by axe."
"You not be from Nethosak," blurted the first at the minotaur. Its axe rose.
Its words were punctuated by a pained growl as Honor's Face caught its weapon arm, leaving a great gash. The axe dropped from the ogre's hand. As the creature grabbed its wounded limb, Kaz whirled on the second one, who was already advancing.
A web enveloped him. Quicker than its partner, the second ogre had tossed the net with accuracy. It covered the minotaur well. The angle made it difficult to properly wield his axe, leaving Kaz nearly defenseless. The ogre's mouth widened in triumph. It raised its sword for a killing stroke.
Bending forward, Kaz charged.
The attack was not what the ogre expected. Kaz's horns plunged into the wide torso of the minotaur's foe, the force behind them more than enough to pierce the ogre's thick hide. The monster's gasp was as much from surprise as pain. As Kaz pulled away, the ogre gasped again and tried to stanch the flow of blood.
The first ogre had retrieved its axe, but its attempt to swat the tangled minotaur with it was spoiled by its awkward swing. Kaz dodged the axe and backed away, at the same time using one hand to pull himself free of the net. The ogre he had gored collapsed.
He had the net half off when the other ogre attacked again. Although he was able to raise his own weapon to defend himself, the angle was such that his opponent's axe clattered and slid down along the handle. Kaz grunted in pain as the edge scraped his arm, nearly making him lose his grip.
Once more the ogre brought the axe up, but obviously being more used to using its other hand, it moved slowly and without precision. It gave the minotaur time to free himself completely and still raise Honor's Face in time to deflect the next attack.
Far to his right Kaz heard a gruff shout. Taking advantage of the distraction, the minotaur charged, battle-axe swinging low and fast. The ogre brought its own axe down in an attempt to pin Kaz's to the ground, but over-compensated. The ogre weapon sank into the earth and before its master could pull it up. Honor's Face cut across both legs.
Its legs collapsing beneath it, the ogre fell forward. Kaz pulled away. Unable to stop, the ogre impaled itself on the head of its own double-edged axe.
Kaz turned to face any newcomers. To his surprise, not only were there no new attackers, but it sounded as if the others were retreating.
They were heading in the direction of the camp.
Delbin was alone.
Snarling epithets at random gods, Kaz ran as fast as he could, fearing he was already too late.
Chapter 4
Ogre Attack
It was only a few minutes before the first of the hunters came within sight. He was only a black outline, but Kaz had no trouble identifying him as another ogre. The hunter carried a net and club.
Just a moment later, a second shadow moved toward the camp, what looked like an axe in one hand and possibly a net in the other. They were surprisingly deft for their kind, but to Kaz they were noisy enough to wake the dead. Leaning Honor's Face against a t
ree, he removed a knife from the belt of his kilt and moved silently toward the nearest ogre.
The ogre never noticed him, so intent was it on the lone figure by the campfire. Kaz came up behind the stalker, then, when the ogre paused to scout the area, the minotaur struck. With one hand he covered the ogre's mouth. Then, before the creature could comprehend what was happening, Kaz drove the blade into his adversary's throat. The minotaur had no qualms about doing so; the ogre would have done the same-or worse.
With a muffled gasp, the ogre slumped. Kaz held on, cushioning the body to prevent it from falling to the ground too heavily. He gently lowered his victim, then, wiping the blade, looked around.
The other ogre was no longer in sight, but Kaz had a fairly good idea of where it had gone. Crouching as low as he could, yet still move swiftly, the minotaur darted among the trees. Suddenly, he spotted the second ogre waiting impatiently for some signal. Kaz moved at an incautious pace. He was almost on top of the ogre. Only a few steps more…
Then something, some slight movement on the minotaur's part, made the hunter turn. The ogre spotted Kaz and hesitated. It would be only a moment before his opponent realized that Kaz was not an ally, so the minotaur did the only thing he could. He threw his blade, burying the knife deep in the ogre's chest. The creature dropped its weapons and tried to reach for the blade, but its life was already draining from it. It fell before its hands were even halfway to the hilt.
Kaz rushed to the body, hoping no one had heard it fall, and reached to retrieve his knife.
A bird called out. The minotaur froze, knowing that such birds were not usually in the habit of chattering at night.
From the other side of the campsite there came the rustling of vegetation and the heavy grunting of moving figures. Kaz heard a gasp that had to have come from Delbin. A deep voice snarled an unintelligible order. The minotaur cursed. Seizing his blade, he thrust it into his belt and ran for the camp. Even before he reached it, he was able to make out what was happening. His heart sank.
There were five of them, two minotaurs and three ogres. One ogre was trying to hold a squirming Delbin while the others looked around for obstacles to their fun. All of them looked very disappointed.
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