The Tomni'Tai Scroll (Book 1)

by Sam Ferguson

  Kai almost started to argue with Boots about Horkin, but then he realized that would mean that Horkin would not be with Boots when Kelden and the others arrived later. “If you feel it necessary to baby sit me this time, feel free. Maybe Horkin will learn a thing or two from me.”

  Boots chuckled, making his round belly bounce up and down with each laugh. “That’s why I like you, Brass,” he said with a nod. Then he handed Kai a small piece of paper with an address and time on it. “You will meet Daren,” Boots continued. “He is a merchant from Shausmat. He will be dealing with a local shop owner named Jinkis. Jinkis is a retired engineer and now owns the Black Saber armory shop. That’s where Daren and Jinkis will meet. It should be a dull assignment, but Daren feels it necessary that we ensure his safety at all times.”

  “A merchant, huh?” Kai mocked.

  “There are all kinds of merchants,” Boots said with a wink. “I never said he was an upstanding trader, but he pays well enough so we are going to follow through.” Boots took another drag on his cigar and relaxed his head back into his chair as he exhaled. “Oh, I almost forgot,” Boots started. “Daren has, on occasion, purchased a couple of girls from Gurn for him to take back to various brothels in Shausmat. So, do this right, and you will be getting your foot a little father in the door with Gurn.”

  Kai felt his stomach flip and his blood broiled up in his chest, but he managed to keep himself in check. He forced a smile across his lips and nodded his thanks. “I will make sure I do not waste the opportunity to impress,” Kai pledged.

  “Keep in mind that Daren doesn’t help with any of the finding or ordering, he just happens to purchase when the fancy strikes him. So, it isn’t a big step, but it is still a step in the direction you want to go,” Boots said. “You have about an hour before Daren is to meet you. I suggest you go now and make sure the meeting area is secure and then circle back to the tavern at that address.” Boots pointed to the paper he had handed Kai.

  Kai nodded and looked at the address. “And Horkin will come with me?”

  Boots shook his head. “No, he will shadow you. You do this as though he isn’t around. You likely won’t see him anyway. He’s a mountain of a man, but you’d be surprised how well he can stick to the shadows.” Boots slicked his hair back again and pulled another long pull on his cigar.

  *****

  Waiting inside the tavern proved uneventful and boring. Kai sat at table thirteen, as the small paper instructed, and waited. The patrons went on their daily business and hardly even noticed Kai. A short, stout man approached and smiled grumpily at him.

  “What will you be havin' sir?” the man asked.

  “I will take a small baguette and a glass of water,” Kai replied.

  “What? This is a tavern! Who comes to a tavern to eat bread and drink water?! If you want that sort of fine dining why don’t you try the local dungeon?” the man retorted.

  Kai leaned forward and slid his cloak back to reveal the hilt of his sword. “Perhaps I will,” Kai said coldly.

  “Aye sir, bread and water it is,” the man answered nervously. He quickly hopped into the back and retrieved Kai’s order.

  At the appointed time Daren strolled in. He looked just as Boots had described him. He was a tall, slender man wearing a red, long sleeved tunic under a black vest. His black hat easily shaded his face beneath its wide brim. A slender, but deadly, rapier hung from the man’s belt on his left hip. Daren looked around cautiously, inspecting the tavern before coming around to see Kai. When his eyes met Kai’s gaze the ex-Ranger nodded and rose to his feet. Daren walked over to Kai with an almost ethereal gait.

  The ex-Ranger studied Daren’s movements. Kai’s instincts told him that this man was much more than just a merchant. Kai was experienced enough to recognize the tell-tales of a good warrior. Daren’s awareness of his surroundings, the way his rapier was fastened to his sword belt, and even Daren’s walk showed Kai that he likely dealt in death as much as goods and supplies. This made Kai wonder why such a man would feel the need to hire a bodyguard.

  Kai would keep a sharp eye on this fellow.

  No words were exchanged as the two shook hands. They silently nodded at each other and then Kai left a few copper coins on the table and followed Daren out the door.

  They kept the silence as they hastily made their way to the Black Saber. Kai eyed the crowds and the buildings as they walked. He had served as a bodyguard many times and he was well accustomed to the procedure. In his mind he quickly replayed some of his former escort duties, taking note of the contrasts and similarities that each assignment had with his current duty. Then he thought of his sister.

  If he had followed her for a few minutes more, he would not be in his current situation. He would have protected her, he would have saved her, and he would still be able to walk openly in the city of Rasselin. Furthermore, the Ranger unit would not have been sent away, and perhaps they could have protected Captain Lador from being slain, and maybe he would have been able to catch the governor’s assassin. His heart throbbed with pangs of guilt. A sudden wash of emotion overcame him. The sorrow, guilt, and regret threatened to crush him to oblivion. His eyes started to well up, but he shook his head and focused on Daren. Kai brought back his rage, and projected it onto Daren. A fire started within his chest and welled until it replaced his sorrow and guilt. He felt as if he would erupt and take Daren down in a flash of lava-hot anger. This brought him back to his assignment, to his goal. He refocused on what he had to do. Soon, it would be over.

  The two of them reached the Black Saber. Daren paused at the door and turned to speak to Kai. “You may wait here. My business is private.” Daren's voice held a stone cold tone, and his eyes confirmed the presence of a definite threat.

  Kai knew that whatever this business was, Daren wanted no intruders and would kill any person who would attempt to eavesdrop. Kai didn’t fear the threat, but he wasn’t ready to strike either.

  Boots had been correct about Horkin’s ability to tail someone from the shadows. Kai had not seen a hint of the gargantuan man all day. Plus, Kai figured it would be best to strike Daren after his business with Jinkis was concluded, that way he could follow up on any interesting leads afterwards. So he waited patiently outside while Daren disappeared through the door to the Black Saber.

  Kai crossed his arms and leaned back against the doorway. He scanned the crowd. People filled the street in this part of Blundfish. The hurried back and forth, some carrying baskets of fish, others pushed wheelbarrows of rocks or dirt, but most just hustled through the street, going about their daily lives. Kai watched a mother as she nearly dragged her young son by the hand through the throng of people. The boy seemed oblivious to everything, holding a toy sword in his hand and mouthing something as he tried to swing at imaginary foes while his mother keenly steered him far enough away from passers-by so as not to hit anyone. Kai almost smiled at the sight. He went back to scanning the crowd and his heart nearly skipped when he saw a familiar figure across the street. He couldn’t see the man’s face but the way he moved reminded him of someone. The man walked with strength, yet with stealth, the crowd barely noticed him at all, but Kai knew at a glance who it was. It was a Ranger.

  *****

  “Jinkis hello,” Daren greeted with an insincere smile.

  “Hello my friend,” Jinkis returned, bowing his balding head nervously. “What can I do for you today? I have many swords made with the finest of Zinferth steel, I have shields made from oak and plated with bronze, or I even have a few shields of steel in stock. Or would you prefer bows this trip? I have many…”

  “No, that will not be necessary this time Jinkis.” Daren raised his hand, palm out, to silence the old shopkeeper. “This time I come for something else.” Daren leaned onto the counter and looked at Jinkis.

  “I see,” Jinkis sighed. “I had hoped you would forget about that,” Jinkis admitted.

  “No, old friend,” Daren responded. “I do not forget debts.”

&nbs
p; Jinkis pulled his spectacles from his face and wiped the lenses with the bottom of his shirt. “Perhaps I could whet your appetite with a free shipment of arms?” Jinkis pointed to the door to his storeroom. “I have sufficient weapons and armor to equip enough men to…”

  Daren shook his head and slapped the counter with his hand. “Don’t waste my time, Jinkis. You didn’t have a problem with the price before, remember?”

  Jinkis replaced his glasses and nodded weakly. His eyes stared out the window. “My daughter won’t even speak to me now,” he remarked. “Ironic, isn’t it?”

  “What your daughter does now is of little concern to me,” Daren said flatly. “I brought you the medicine she required, and I risked a lot in smuggling it to you from Shausmat. In return, you promised me the—”

  “I know,” Jinkis said, cutting Daren off. “I know what I promised. I just didn’t realize how much I would come to regret it.”

  “You aren’t trying to back out on me are you?” Daren pressed. “Because if you are, I can still find your daughter and finish what her illness started so long ago.”

  Jinkis shook his head. “No, old friend, I am not trying to do anything.”

  “Good,” Daren replied. “And let’s not forget that without my patronage your shop would have failed long ago. It is because of me that you make enough to keep your doors open and put bread on the table.”

  Jinkis sighed and turned to walk into the back room and search through his inventory. He passed by several racks with spears and halberds standing in them neatly, as if already in formation and just waiting for soldiers to pick them up and wield them. Large, wooden crates held the plates, fittings, and leather strips and padding used for suits of armor. He walked around a row of crates to a small desk, cluttered with bolts and iron fittings. Jinkis pulled the side drawer out and reach his hand into the back of the drawer. His fingers found the brass ring and he gave it a pull. A secret door in the wall next to the desk slid open and he walked through.

  The old man placed his hand on a smaller wooden crate and sighed. The box was marked as containing horseshoes, but in fact there were only a few of those inside. Underneath a false bottom in the small crate was a shipment of daggers that Daren had ordered only two months before. Jinkis looked to a larger crate next to it that was marked “Textiles” and he cursed himself, for he knew it was really filled with swords that Daren would sell to rebels along the borderlands to fuel the continuing border disputes and raids between the two countries.

  “How did it come to this?” Jinkis asked himself. He knew the answer though. His daughter had been near to death, and his wife had long since passed on. He had no money, being dismissed from the engineer corps. He had almost made a good life with his armory before his daughter had fallen ill. That is when Daren had stepped into his life with a promise to change everything.

  Jinkis learned how to be a successful smuggler very quickly under Daren’s direction. He developed a knack for making things appear as if they were something else. He could conceal almost any kind of weapon and he never had problems getting the right paperwork and documentation necessary to ship his disguised goods. His most reliable clientele was the kingdom of Shausmat. Their ore had been almost entirely used up many years before, and they could not produce weapons of half the quality as the Kiblan mines of Zinferth could make. Daren worked closely with high ranking officials in the Shausmatian kingdom to fashion an agreement to buy large quantities of weapons from Jinkis to help his business prosper. At first, Jinkis had no regrets about the deal. The money allowed him to provide for his daughter, and he was ultimately able to convince Daren to acquire the medicine his daughter needed. Medicine that was made from a special herb found only in Shausmat. Jinkis hadn’t thought twice about Daren’s price for the medicine then, but now he began to lament his involvement.

  Jinkis weighed the future of his homeland against his daughter’s life. She no longer lived with him, but Jinkis knew that wouldn’t stop Daren from finding her if he were to back out of the deal now. He dropped his head as he approached the wall and pulled a loose brick from its place. He knew what he should do. Simple logic dictated that destroying the items Daren sought would save far more lives than it would cost, but he could not betray his daughter. Jinkis pulled a set of rolled parchments from the large hollowed-out space and stared at them for a moment. Then he took the parchments back to Daren and set them on the counter.

  “Here you are Daren,” Jinkis whispered. His hands rested on the counter helplessly as he watched Daren unroll it.

  “These are accurate?” Daren inquired.

  “Yes sir, down to the last line,” Jinkis assured. “They are complete with sewer maps, scaled details of each building and street, and they even have a mark of where the most vital buildings are in the cities of Rasselin, Blundfish, Khatthun, and Kobhir. All of the military buildings are drawn in green, the residential and general commerce buildings are drawn in blue, and the government buildings are drawn in red. It would be easy enough for a child to plan an effective attack using these maps, especially if it was a surprise attack.”

  “Good. Well Jinkis, neither I nor the kingdom of Shausmat shall need your services any longer.” Daren slowly moved his right hand towards his left hip.

  Jinkis’ eyes grew wide with fear as he realized his life was no longer an asset to Daren. Instead, he was a liability. Jinkis started to open his mouth in protest but he quickly shut it and replaced his expression of fear with one of puzzlement as a small bag of gold coins was thrown onto the counter. Daren smiled at Jinkis and gave him a wink.

  “That was not funny,” Jinkis said with his face still blanched.

  “Oh? I thought it was rather amusing at the least,” Daren remarked. “Consider this a bonus, for old times’ sake.”

  Jinkis let out a breath of air and the color returned to his cheeks. Daren turned to leave, took a few steps away and then in a flash of movement Daren spun around and Jinkis felt a sharp pain running over his chest. Jinkis looked down to see a shallow gash starting at his right shoulder and ending just above his left nipple. Blood seeped out onto his shirt.

  “Now that,” Daren started as he inched closer to Jinkis, “was simply hilarious.”

  “I don’t understand,” Jinkis replied as he put his hand on the stinging wound.

  Daren smiled wryly. “To see you turn pale white, then to regain your sense of security, only to have it stolen from you again in a flash.” Daren breathed it in. “Mmm, that was most entertaining.” Daren set the tip of his rapier against Jinkis’ throat for mere pleasure as he teased his prey. “One thing before your die,” Daren said. “It was I who made your daughter ill.” A wicked smile pulled at the corners of the man’s mouth. “Did you not think it more than coincidence that your daughter would contract bone-rack, a disease normally found in the hinterlands of Shausmat?”

  “How?” Jinkis asked in a whisper.

  Daren winked. “I placed a few drops of tainted blood into one of her drinks,” he admitted. “Actually, I tried going for your wife first, but her constitution was so weak that she died before you even knew what had happened. Fortunately, your daughter proved to be a bit tougher.”

  Jinkis’ chin quavered and tears fell from his eyes.

  “Good bye Jinkis.” The words barely escaped Daren's mouth before the blade bit through Jinkis' throat. “All traitors die, for no one can trust them,” Daren announced over Jinkis’ body.

  *****

  Kai watched intently as the Ranger weaved in and out of the crowd. He knew he was being hunted. He also knew that there was probably another Ranger that he didn’t see. Usually sending one Ranger after a fugitive was enough, but Kai was not the usual fugitive. He knew that soon it would be too late if he did not find a way to get out of sight. He figured his best bet would be to intrude upon Daren’s business. It would be better to face the wrath of an unknown stranger than to tangle with a Ranger. Kai turned and pushed the door open forcefully. As he entered the Black Saber
, he caught an unsuspecting Daren square in the face with the door. Daren let out a yell of pain and anger as he landed hard on his rump.

  Kai turned to close the door just as an arrow struck the doorjamb. He looked into the crowd and saw the first Ranger was sprinting full speed in his direction. The second Ranger was on a nearby rooftop stringing another arrow to his bow. Kai kicked the door shut and bolted the lock.

  Daren rose to his feet and drew his rapier with such speed that even Kai was surprised. Daren glared down at him, but the ex-Ranger quickly thought of an excuse, and a way to ally Daren with him against the Rangers.

  “You are being attacked!” Kai yelled as he grabbed Daren’s arm. “Come we must run!” Kai urged Daren toward the back of the shop just as the front door burst open. In came the first Ranger. Kai threw Daren to the floor and dove behind a rack of shields as three throwing knives went sailing through the air in their direction. It was then that Kai noticed the dead body on the floor of the shop. Kai guessed that this was Jinkis. It angered Kai to see an unarmed old man lying cold on the floor. The ex-Ranger mentally vowed that if he lived through this, he would pay Darren back for his merciless cruelty.

  To his credit, Daren was not afraid. He crouched at the ready and waited for the Ranger to approach. Kai then noticed that the parchments Daren had been holding were unrolling. Even from a distance, Kai recognized the map of his home city. Boots had mentioned that Daren had purchased women in the past, what else might he be planning that he would need detailed maps of the major cities? Perhaps Daren was more involved than Boots had let on.

  Kai made Daren his first priority.

  “Ranger!” Kai yelled from behind the shield. “I am not your enemy!”

  “What are you doing?” Daren grunted from his position.

  “I’m tracking others connected with my sister’s kidnapping and I think this man may have been involved,” Kai explained.