"That's convenient," Patrina muttered as more than a dozen men surrounded them.
"How's that?" Alto asked.
"Some of them have Stalker rings—saves us the trouble of hunting them down."
Alto nodded and drew his sword. "So it does," he agreed. His friends drew their weapons and waited.
"Mind the poison," Alto called out.
"Don't worry about it," Patrina said loud enough for everyone to hear. Even their enemies. "I've got the cure that witch gave me."
A few of the thugs glanced at one another, their focus disrupted by her words. Alto leapt forward, his sword flashing through the air and bouncing off the short curved sword of the gray-eyed man. Alto's opponent cursed and leapt back, his sword clattering to the floor from the force of Alto's strike.
Garrick and Carson leapt out as well, taking their cue from Alto and attacking. Garrick's mighty sword powered through his opponent's defenses while Carson drove two men back, one with each blade, and kicked out at a third to put him on the defensive. His next strikes killed the man in front of him and gave him time to dance around the other two and keep the assassins off balance.
Karthor struck aside an attack from an assassin and had to jump back to avoid another one. Mordrim twisted and cracked Karthor's second attacker's spine with his hammer, hard enough to snap it and drop him to the ground. The priest kept going and broke the arm of a rogue who tried to stab Mordrim in the back, and then he reversed his swing and felt the satisfying crunch of his mace ruining the man's face.
Patrina used her axe with short and controlled swings that kept the two rogues attacking her at bay. A hearty shout preceded Mordrim crashing into the both of them and bearing them to the floor under his heavy plate armor. Patrina let her axe fall on one as he scrambled free of the thrashing dwarf.
The gray-eyed man drew a dagger from his waist and lunged at Alto. Alto shifted and took the strike on his chain-covered belly, and then he drove his fist into the man's jaw and knocked him back. He staggered a step and shook his head, only to have Alto's sword come across with the edge turned so that the flat of the blade smashed into his head and dropped him to the ground like a rock.
Alto turned as another killer came at him and slipped to the side of the short blade that was thrust at him. He hacked the man's arm off and followed after him as he stumbled back. Alto grabbed him by the throat and yanked him forward, unsettling him. He punched out, never letting go, and knocked the man to his back. Alto's sword fell on him, silencing his grunts and gasps.
The warrior turned back around and saw that only a few of the killers were still standing. Garrick had two of them backing up as he swung his heavy sword like it was a toothpick. Carson was toying with his opponent, batting the man's sword back and forth between his blades before he kicked up and knocked it free from the man's hands. The assassin grabbed for it in the air and received the pointy end of two swords in his chest for the effort.
Mordrim rose up and stared at the blood beneath him. He dropped a metal-clad elbow on his face to make sure and then picked up his hammer from the floor and stood up. He snorted, spat on the dead man and turned to look at the others. "Bah! We killed them all?"
"Not all," Alto said. He went over to the gray-eyed man, sheathing his sword as he went. He grabbed the unconscious man and dragged him over near a corner where some crates blocked them from the rest of the warehouse. He nodded at the doors and said, "Guard the doors."
Carson, Garrick, and Mordrim each went to a door to stand ready. Karthor and Patrina joined Alto and stared at the wounded man. Blood slowly ran down the side of his face from where the blow to his head had torn his scalp.
Alto slapped the man hard but only succeeded in rocking his head to the side. "Wake him up," Alto demanded.
Karthor frowned. "I don't suspect Leander will approve of using his boon to torture people."
Alto turned to look at him. He nodded and said, "Let him decide. I accept the responsibility for this."
"It's not that simple," Karthor explained. "I am His messenger. I must act in ways that I believe are in Saint Leander's best interests. My interests must be the same, and I'm troubled by the path you are taking."
"Karthor," Patrina interrupted. "I don't know what happened before but I have been a member of a royal family my entire life. I have seen my father and uncle make decisions that were questionable. Questions that hurt people and challenged their beliefs. They made those decisions because they had to. Because in order to fight evil, they had to be evil."
"It is a treacherous road you tread," Karthor said.
"I'm aware of that," Alto told him.
"Aware of it, yes, but does it scare you?"
Alto smirked. "You forget, I have argued with Saint Jarook. I know my fears, and I know that no matter what I may do, it will pale in comparison to what these people are capable of."
Karthor frowned and nodded. "I love you as a brother, Alto. You may not be afraid but I am. For you. I have looked in your eyes and seen a darkness. Take care that you remember that in your quest to rid the world of this evil that you do not create a new evil in its place."
Alto weighed the priest's words and nodded. "That is counsel I would be wise to take. Stay at my side and never fear to speak plainly to me. There are times when I suspect I might need it."
Karthor nodded and turned to the unconscious man. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before beginning his chant and pressing his glowing icon of Leander to the man's forehead. The man snorted and jerked, and then scrambled to get away from Karthor and his glowing pendant.
Alto was there to stop him from escaping. He knelt down next to the man and produced a ring he'd taken from one of the dead men. He twisted it and popped out the needle, and then held it up between the two of them. "You know what this is?"
The man glanced at it and then nodded. Alto saw his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed. "I was stabbed with one of these the other day. It didn't kill me, but I'm told that's unusual. Do you think you'd be so lucky?"
The man stared at him. Alto brought it closer to his face and then stopped. "I made you a deal earlier. A deal you weren't interested in. Are you now?"
His eyes shifted, glancing at Alto's companions and then trying to see beyond them. By moving him into a corner, Alto had taken away his ability to see the rest of the warehouse.
"They're all dead. Your friends, I mean. My friends killed them. And none of my people were hurt. These are the men who fought against giants and ogres. These are the men who helped to kill a dragon. Did you really think you stood a chance?"
"I heard those were lies," he mumbled.
Alto reached down and drew his sword. He moved it close to the man so that a green tint began to radiate from the steel. "This is the sword that killed Sarya," Alto said. "It glows green, the color of Saint Jarook, when it senses fear. Are you afraid?"
The man's eyes widened. He stared at the sword and then at Alto. "What do you want to know?"
"Are you a Stalker or just a lackey?"
He shook his head quickly. "Just a go-between, a messenger."
"Some of the dead were?"
He nodded. "There's a contract out for you."
Alto frowned. He glanced at Patrina and received a nod of support from her. He turned back to the man. "I'm putting out a contract on them. Every Stalker killed earns a bounty from me."
The man gasped. "Who are you?"
"I'm Alto," Alto stated as though it should have been obvious.
"And I'm Lady Patrina, Princess of Holgasford," Patrina said. "My realm endorses this bounty."
"How do I find them?" Alto asked. "The Stalkers have my friend and I'm going to get him back. Where is he?"
"They'll kill me!"
"I'll kill you," Alto promised.
"You might as well," the man said.
Alto drew his sword back, calling his bluff. Patrina stepped up and put her hand on his shoulder. "Alto, wait." She turned to the doomed man. "As much as it disgusts me t
o do so, I can protect you. Head to our ship and you will be kept safe."
His eyes narrowed. "Why should I trust you? I tried to kill you."
Patrina turned and pointed at Karthor. "This man healed you. Do you see his amulet? He serves Leander, the patron saint of honesty. Leander wouldn't grant him magic to use on you if we lied."
"Besides," Alto added. "What do you have to lose?"
He looked at the three of them and then closed his eyes. "Your friend is Namitus?"
Alto stiffened. "You know him?"
"In passing. I ran the streets when he was here years past. I heard he'd returned and that he was asking questions about the Stalkers and the Order, then I stopped hearing about him."
Alto shifted to kneel on his other knee. "Do you know where he is?"
"No, but behind some crates, you can open one of the crates and go into a tunnel that will take you into the Shadows."
"Where next?"
He shook his head. "Anywhere. The Stalkers run thick in the River District. There are secret passages to nearly every building. Not even the owners of the buildings know of them in most cases."
"That's not very helpful," Alto pointed out.
"It's all I can give you."
"All you can, or all you will?"
"All I have. The Stalkers are here, under our feet. The leaders of the Shadows are farther north and east."
"You mentioned the Order of the Dragon. What do you know of them?" Alto asked.
He shook his head. "Almost nothing. They worship dragons, it's said. I've heard some of the nobles are involved, but I've never seen anything myself. It's an old religion, isn't it? All but gone?"
"By the time I'm done with them, they'll be gone," Alto promised. He rose up and stared down at the man. "I should kill you, but a promise is a promise. Find the Kraken and tell the captain, Taldar, that we sent you. Make sure he puts you to work."
"Taldar?"
"You know him?" Patrina asked.
He hesitated and then shook his head. "No, I've heard the name, that's all."
"What have you heard?" Alto demanded.
The man's eyes danced about as he tried to remember what he'd heard. "Something in passing about delivering a payment to a man of the same name. It may be nothing. There are many men with that name."
Alto and Patrina shared a glance. "No doubt," Alto said. Patrina hesitated and then nodded.
"Very well, be on your way. Hurry, I expect word will travel fast when we breach the Shadows."
His cheeks paled. He struggled to his feet and nodded. "Uh, thanks," he offered, and then turned and moved away.
"Garrick, let him go," Alto told the barbarian. "We're headed the other way."
"Other way?" Mordrim asked as he and Garrick rejoined them.
Alto offered a humorless grin. "You'll be happy, Mordrim. We're going underground."
"Underground? What's under Mira?" the dwarf asked.
"The Shadows."
Chapter 16
Ketten split away from the paladins once they reached Highpeak. He walked his horse through town, heading straight for the south gate and the lands beyond. Aleena turned to Celos once the mountain man was out of earshot and sighed. "That was the longest two days of my life!"
Celos frowned. "Why?"
"Why? Because I wanted to talk to you!"
Celos raised an eyebrow. "You did talk to me."
"No, not about Queen Rosalyn."
The paladin snorted. "We'll see about that."
"What do you mean? She's right; there is no realm in the mountains. If the creatures of the mountains accept her as their ruler, then she is."
The paladin was silent for a long moment as they walked towards the baron's estate. "I don't like her," he finally admitted. "Her story doesn't add up. How does a woman become the ruler of a land of savages who prefer to raid and pillage? At first sight of her, they would think only of taking her prisoner and—"
Aleena waited for him to finish but he only glanced at her and then looked away. "And what? Raping her? Killing and eating her?"
Celos sighed. "Yes."
"I'm not a child and I'm not a delicate flower, Celos. I'm a warrior, the same as you. I bleed just as red as you do. Don't treat me like a lady; treat me like a dame."
"But you are a lady!" Celos blurted out. He clamped his mouth shut and looked away, and then shook his head. "You're difficult."
Aleena laughed. "Yes, I suppose I am. And I understand, you're very rigid and proper. Very old school. I remind myself of that every time I want to smash a shield into the back of your head."
Celos's puff of breath as he looked at her brought a smile to her face. "Smash a shield into my head?"
Aleena smiled at him. "Sometimes. But I can go on for days about the things about you that I admire and the things that upset me. We don't have that kind of time. So let's just agree that you're a very flawed person who also happens to be an outstanding knight of Leander. Now we can talk about Rosalyn."
Celos stared at Aleena for a long moment until he shook his head. "You are a baffling woman," he admitted.
"I have to keep you guessing," she said.
"I shouldn't need to guess. I should always know I can rely on you."
"You see, that's one of those things that makes me want to bonk you with my shield," Aleena said. "You know you can count on me."
Celos opened his mouth and then shut it. He nodded. "Very well, back to the mountains."
"Yes, good idea," Aleena agreed. "I really think Rosalyn is onto something."
Celos snorted.
"Maybe if you'd grown up as a girl you’d understand," she snapped at him. "Girls don't have it easy. We're taught the only way to get anywhere in life is to latch on to a good man. The ultimate goal of a woman? To bear her man children and hope he treats her well. To cook and to clean for him. I can't speak for royalty, but I imagine it's not so different. They have servants but they still have to bear heirs for their husbands."
"Woman do not have the stomach for fighting, nor the steel in their hearts," Celos insisted.
"By Leander's grace, do you even remember who you're talking to?" Aleena raised her voice as she chastised him. "Do you forget the blood my sword has spilled? The decisions I've made that caused good men to die so others would live?"
Celos had the good sense to blush. "You're different," he admitted.
"I'm different because I was given a chance to be different," she asserted. "Leander saw something in me when I came to him and He gave me a chance to prove myself. All the other girls out there? They don't know how to do that. They've lived and breathed a life of domestic slavery."
"Domestic slavery?" Celos echoed. "They life free and can do what they choose! They are protected and respected. They don't need to pick up a sword or mace. Their husbands and fathers want them to stay safe. It's called chivalry."
"Thus slavery is gilded with lace and made pretty enough to be acceptable."
Celos fell into a brooding silence as they continued their walk. Aleena risked several glances at him before she finally asked, "What is it about Rosalyn that bothers you?"
Celos took a deep breath and let it out before he responded. "I don't know. A lot. Anyone that holds congress with such creatures would be suspect, be it a man or a woman."
Aleena nodded. "I'll even agree that, if Rosalyn were a man, I'd be suspicious."
"But you're not because she's a woman?" Celos challenged. "How did a woman rise to such a position among those…people?"
The dame frowned as she considered Celos's question without bias. "I saw no sword and she didn't have the look of a warrior. Perhaps she's a witch?"
"My thoughts exactly," the elder paladin said. "Has she ensorcelled them or do they fear her? What evil is she capable of with her power?"
Aleena wiped the bitter look off her face almost as quickly as it arose. "For the sake of conversation and diplomacy, what you say is possible," she admitted. "But is it not also possible that her words ring
of truth?"
Celos ran his tongue over his teeth before he responded. "Yes, it is possible. But very unlikely."
"She invited me back," Aleena said. "I think I should go."
"Now you're in need of a shield to your pretty head," Celos muttered.
Aleena stopped dead in her tracks and stared at him. Celos turned and cocked his head when he saw the smile on her face. "You just called me pretty," Aleena said.
He sighed and shook his head. "Pretty. Strong. Skilled. Pious," Celos rambled off several words. "That and more. I've told you as much before. You've earned your position with these traits. It's nothing to gloat over."
"I'm not gloating," Aleena said. She resumed walking. "You've just never called me pretty before. It surprised me."
"Knights of Leander don't focus on being pretty," he said.
"No, they don't," she agreed. "But I'm a woman, too, and we like to hear that sort of thing."
Celos threw his hands up in the air and muttered an almost silent prayer to Leander.
"What was that?" Aleena asked.
"I was thanking Leander for reminding me and testing me by putting you in my life. Then I was asking him for the strength to keep myself from strangling you."
Aleena laughed. "Be careful, Sir Celos, that's a fight you might not like the outcome of."
He shook his head and turned to the doors of Tristam's manor. The guards opened the doors and Celos surged ahead and marched straight through, ahead of Aleena. She gasped and stumbled a half step before she glared at him. Both guards looked on in surprise as she passed them.
"What was that?" she snapped after the heat in her cheeks faded.
"Didn't you say you disapproved of being treated like a lady?" Celos asked.
Aleena's jaw dropped as the paladin moved ahead of her down the hall. She shook her head and narrowed her eyes and then stormed after him. She reached out and grabbed his shoulder and pulled him around, nearly causing him to fall. She pushed her finger into his chest and backed him into the wall.
"Don't twist my words against me, damn you," she hissed, her face only inches from his. "I have shed blood, sweat, and tears for you, and I deserve some respect. That's what I'm asking for, not to be put on a pedestal."
Order Of The Dragon (Omnibus 1-4) Page 34