Death Comes To All (Book 1)

by Travis Kerr

  "I could pose as Roland's betrothed," she suggested. "It would only be fitting for a bride to keep her face hidden before her wedding, and few guards would want to break that taboo without a good reason. As long as the two of you don't give them that reason, I don't think we need to worry about them looking too closely at my face."

  "That's not a bad idea," Raiste, now Grant, replied. Now that Roland knew that his true name was Raiste, he found it difficult to think of him by any other name, but he was wise enough to know how dangerous that was. Calling him by the wrong name could get all of them killed, especially if he called him Raiste in front of guards who were looking for them.

  Don’t think of him as Raiste. Think of him as Grant, my father. Should I call him dad?

  He also knew how important it would be to change his own name, just in case they came across a patrol. They could be looking for a large man named Roland, if they had gained that much information. He had already been considering that as they traveled, and had come to a decision as to what he wanted to be called from then on.

  "Roland is dead for now," he said. "From now on, call me Bane. I will try my best to be a bane to our enemies, so it seems only fitting that I be called that as well."

  Raiste, now going by Grant, chuckled, a high, cackling sound that one would expect from an old man. It reminded Bane of the sound that Sloan had made, when he thought he had them where he wanted them. He did his best to suppress the shudder that followed the thought.

  "That does seem fitting," he agreed. "How about you Tara? If they find out anything about us from our stay at the inn, they might learn your name as well."

  "I'll just go back to Raine I think," she decided. "No one is looking for me under that name, and I'm rather fond of it truthfully. It's common enough that no one should think anything of it."

  "Easy enough to remember too," Grant commented. "You've used it often enough before. Still, it's as you said; no one has had reason to search for you under that name. It should be safe enough to use. If everything goes as planned, we won't have need to tell anyone our names at all."

  "I thought you said that this road is used more often than those we've used before?" Bane reach up to scratch at his face, but managed to stop himself. He knew that the glue that held on his facial hair should have set already, but he didn't want to take any risks. He could ignore the annoying itch for now.

  "Didn't you tell me before that it was customary for merchants to exchange pleasantries and information when they passed on the road?"

  "That tends to be true on the smaller, less traveled roads, but not along this route. Generally, those that travel the back roads are not honest merchants, but smugglers and thieves. Such people are untrustworthy by nature, and therefore less likely to trust others that they meet. On the main road the merchants are more likely to be honest, to a point anyway, and are less likely to want to talk with those they meet. Since these roads are watched so carefully they don't fear bandits as much as those traveling less protected routes. They don't need to get a feel of those they meet. Only a few bandits are brave enough to harass travelers here, and they don't actually walk the road but wait in ambush instead. Even those few foolish souls tend not to last long before running into the guard. That's probably what happened to the trog who commissioned Ocean's Hand."

  "From what you've told me about Bloodheart, I wouldn't think he would care enough about his merchants to protect them so well."

  "Merchants who are robbed of everything they have can't pay his outrageous taxes,” Grant pointed out. “Those that keep their goods are having a hard enough time doing so. He isn't protecting them so much as protecting his investment in them. Even the worst of men can do good things, however they tend to do so only when it's in their own best interest.

  “The guards along the road would be a good thing if those that give the orders weren't so corrupt. Some of the guards are corrupted as well, though there are just as many trying their best to help others. There might be times you are given no other choice but to kill the guards in our path, but it's usually best to avoid doing so if you can. Not everyone who opposes you will be evil. It's an unfortunate truth, but a truth none-the-less. Far better for everyone if we can avoid them altogether. Should we come into contact with them, we will just have to hope that our disguises pass their scrutiny."

  Trick once again took to the air, leading the group from his elevated position. It did not take them long at all to reach the road. With a final push they forced their way through the last of the thick growth onto a wide dirt passage.

  This is a much newer road compared to the one we used to get to the city, Bane thought to himself.

  The older road had been constructed of far more durable materials, however so much time had passed since its creation that little was left of its original splendor. This new road was just a path of hard packed dirt. Since it was well kept it had few holes dotting it, and made for much smoother traveling.

  Now that they were on the road they mounted their horses and set off at a brisk trot. Bane had tied the tether of the pack horse to the back of his saddle, leaving his mind free to navigate his own animal.

  He had rarely ridden horses. They had little use for such animals at his father's farm. Sorvinians were powerful enough that they didn't need to hook a plow up to an animal; they could pull it themselves easily enough.

  Bane did not really feel confident enough in the saddle to ride and try to control a second animal at the same time. Luckily, both his mount and the pack horse were well trained animals. They would not throw even a piddling rider unless frightened, which they apparently didn't do easily.

  Grant led the way, with Bane and the pack horse bringing up the rear. They kept Raine carefully placed between them as if to protect her from harm, though Bane had little doubt that the feral woman could handle herself as well as either of the men could.

  Still, were she a helpless woman, betrothed to marry into a poor merchant's family, that would be how they would treat her. It was important that they kept up appearances.

  They passed several merchants, some traveling the same way by foot and others heading toward the city they left behind. For the most part those that passed almost completely ignored them. If anyone questioned how such a bent old man could sit so strong and confident in the saddle, they didn't choose to say anything about it.

  They also passed two guard patrols as they rode. The first looked closely at Bane, but then dismissed him after a glance at his companions. They were looking for a two men, after all, a middle aged man and a young man with flowing locks of red. They weren’t looking for an elderly man and his fair-haired son, traveling with the younger man’s bride.

  The second patrol was a bit more cautious. The patrol leader strode up to them imperiously, his right hand draped confidently on the hilt of his sword. He took them all in at a glance, his gaze lingering, only for a moment, on Bane.

  “We are looking for two men,” the man stated with an obvious air of self importance. “One of them you would have remembered, a giant of a man with flaming red hair and a massive great sword strapped on his back.”

  “We were just coming from the city,” Grant said, his high-pitched voice crackling as he spoke. “We haven’t passed anyone heading in that direction that would look anything like that. Are these men dangerous? We don’t have anything that most highwaymen would be interested in, but we couldn’t afford a guard either. Should we be concerned?”

  “These men would have been coming from the city as well,” the guard said in answer. “They weren’t heading in that direction. These two men killed a government official and, we believe, fled the city. Have you seen anyone who might fit that description leaving the city or heading away from it?”

  “Is that why we were questioned at the gate when we left? I would like to lodge a complaint about that. They held us up for nearly four hours....”

  “You can deal with a little delay,” the man said, cutting him off. “I don’t have time to lis
ten to every complaint from every merchant who passes my way. Now have you seen anyone fitting that description or not?”

  Grant’s eyes glazed dangerously for a brief second at the guards rude demeanor, but quickly caught himself. Bane could tell that the assassin would have liked nothing more than to teach the man a lesson, but there was not any way for him to do that without breaking his cover, and that was out of the question.

  “I can honestly say that I have not seen a single person on this road that fits that description,” he answered instead, biting back the retort that was surely on the tip of his tongue.

  He wasn’t lying either, Bane realized with some amusement. They had changed their appearance long before they starting using the road, so they really hadn't seen anyone who fit that description while on it.

  “Well, if you see anyone like that than tell the guards at once,” the man replied in a dismissing manner.

  “Should I be concerned about these men?” Grant asked, his voice wavering slightly in mock fear.

  More likely he’s trying to keep from laughing, Bane thought.

  The patrol leader either didn’t hear him or didn’t think he was worth answering. Whichever the case, he certainly never suspected that the old merchant he was talking to was in fact the very man he was supposed to be looking for. He never asked a single question about who they were or where they were going.

  What a useless man, Bane thought. He’s so absorbed in his own self-importance that he can’t see what’s staring him right in the face.

  They traveled until nightfall, leaving the road and going perhaps two miles eastward before finding another wide clearing. This one did not have any sort of water on its borders, but they weren’t trying to hide from the people on the road now either. Instead they were hiding right in plain sight, and wanted to look and act just like any other merchant family would be doing.

  It would be safe to build a fire and cook themselves a hot meal now, and perfectly in character for them to do so. The campsite they were using was further from the road than most of the merchants would use, but an old merchant, like the one Grant was posing as, might know of better sites further away. It wasn’t too out of character for the group to use it.

  They didn't have time to hunt before it was too dark to see, and Grant didn't want to take the time to do so in any case, so they had to cut into their supplies for their dinner. Bane at least was able to roast some of the peanuts that he had gathered the day before, but everything else was food they had bought in the market. Once they were another two or three days beyond the city they could start taking time out of their day to hunt, fish, and gather food once again. The more they could save out of their supplies, the better off they would be.

  This time Bane took a watch as well. He wasn't sure if he had completely recovered from his use of his magic; he was in fact fairly sure he hadn't, but he had more than enough energy to stay awake a few extra hours and keep watch over his friends as they slept. He decided on first watch, as he thought it would be easier to stay awake a little longer than it would be to wake up early and try not to fall back to sleep.

  Raine, who had not fought in the battle the day before, decided to take second watch, which was often the most difficult of the three. It was hard for most people to wake up half way through the night, stay awake for a few hours, and then go back to sleep until morning without feeling drained the next day. Grant, who tended to often wake up early anyway, took the last watch.

  The night passed quickly and uneventfully. When Grant woke him the next morning Trick was already on his shoulder, chatting merrily in his ear. The assassin absently fed the dragonling another small piece of jerky. Bane suspected that the man had been doing so for some time that morning. At least it wasn't likely that Trick would stop them demanding food that day, though he doubted that their sapphire colored friend would have done so along the road anyway.

  He had been absent most of the day before, pretty much from the time they started traveling the road until they left it to make camp. Bane thought it likely that Trick knew exactly how dangerous it could be for them if he were spotted in their company. While it was unlikely that the guards knew about the animal, as he had kept out of sight most of the time they were in the city, he was still an unusual enough sight to make a lasting impression.

  Anything that brings attention to us is a danger best avoided.

  Trick flew off on his own once more before the group set out for the day. Once on the road they continued to follow it southward. Bane wondered how far Grant planned on following it. He was fairly certain that the trade route they were on stretched all the way to Miani, however he didn't believe that they would be going that far. At some point they would have to leave the road, either to start down another path or to create their own. Either way he was certain that Grant's unerring sense of direction would lead them true.

  They passed several merchants traveling towards the city, as well as another guard patrol. This far from the city the patrols were fewer and farther between, with fewer guards in them. They also passed a guard station, where the men that patrolled the road were housed.

  If the guards here were looking for them at all, they showed no signs of it. They didn't stop the group as they passed, nor did they ask any questions. Bane thought it likely that they would have been told to keep a look out for them, but if so they didn't appear concerned about finding them. Undoubtedly they simply didn't expect their quarry to have made it this far without being spotted.

  Bane found himself slowly getting used to riding, though every night when they settled down to rest he felt as if every muscle in his body was sore and stiff. Being bounced around on the animal, holding the same position for such a long time, was clearly taking a toll, but not one he couldn't bear.

  At least he doesn’t expect me to practice after this riding, he thought when they stopped for the first night, carefully trying to work a painfully sore muscle in his lower back.

  Of course his aching muscles wasn’t the reason, he knew. The only reason he wasn’t forced to practice was simply because the guards might think it strange if a poor merchant's son was seen practicing with a blade, even a wooden one.

  Keeping the cover is more important than anything, even training.

  His companions didn't seem to have any difficulties. They were used to riding on horseback at times, while he was certainly not. Still, he wasn't going to complain about a little stiffness. The distance they could travel on horseback in a single day would take three or four days on foot, and they needed to make good time.

  They were four days out from the city when things abruptly changed. They had only recently passed another patrol, who had almost pointedly ignored them, and Bane felt certain that they had escaped their pursuers without arousing anyone's suspicions. The guards they passed seemed to be more concerned about bandits than they were about whoever it was that the mage in the city had asked them to look for. One glance at Grant was all that they needed to turn them away.

  Trick had stayed hidden in the trees while they were on the road, joining them only at night when they set up camp. He suddenly flew down in front of them, startling the horses. He chirped three times, short, quick sounds, then flew to the pack horse in the back of the line. He forced himself in one of the packs, squeezing himself into the tight space, and disappeared into the void inside.

  "What was all that about?" Raine asked. Bane was glad someone else had asked the question. Most of the time his companions understood the dragonling, but he rarely had a clue what the animal was trying to convey.

  "I don't know for sure," Grant answered vaguely. "Something scared him. I don't know what it could have been. I've never seen him that frightened before."

  The group didn't have long to wait for their answer. With a sudden roar that pierced the air and caused the horses to rear back in fear a huge creature flew by overhead, blocking out the sun with its massive bulk. Bane struggled to gain control of his horse, which almost succeeded in dumping h
im to the ground in its fright. Finally forcing the animal to submit, he looked up in the direction of the sound.

  Bane couldn't believe his eyes. Deep crimson, glistening scales reflected the sunlight in a dazzling display of color. In everything save its size, which was easily five times larger than the horse he was riding, and its color, the massive dragon looked almost exactly like Trick.

  It’s so beautiful!

  Never in his wildest dreams had Bane expected to see a dragon in the flesh, but now that he had he was both awed and terrified. He knew, without a doubt, that the creature was looking for him and his companions.

  "Don't make any sudden movements," Grant whispered. "If we're lucky, it won't look too closely at us. I don't know if it can see through my disguise or not, but I don't want to take any chances. Just act frightened. That's what anyone else would do if confronted by a dragon."

  "Who needs to act," Bane mumbled. He was as nervous as the horses, who stamped their feet and nickered loudly.

  The dragon flew over the group in a wide arc. It circled them once before continuing on, following the road. As it flew out of sight Bane noticed something strange about the creature. Its scales seemed to shimmer in a strange way, reminding Bane of the way the top of a rock shimmers in waves from the intense heat of a summer's day.

  For a moment Bane could have sworn he could see through its wings. It was as if, for just a moment, the dragon wasn't actually there at all. He waited until it was completely out of sight before speaking.

  "How thin are a dragon's wings?" he asked once he found his voice again. The sound of his voice sounded like a weak whimper to his own ears. He hated the thought of what it must have sounded like to his companions.

  He coughed once to bring back the strength in his voice before continuing. "I thought for a moment that I could see through it. Could that possibly be a weakness against them?"