Kaz the Minotaur h2-1

by Richard A. Knaak

  “The people, Delbin-I sense their presence. They watched as we walked by. I felt it. They are frightened of something.”

  “Tesela says they are, and she oughta know, because they’re surely afraid of her. That old man was only the third one to come to her since we arrived here five days ago. Death was ready to claim him, Tesela said. He was afraid she would demand payment or hard labor from him before doing any healing. He was also afraid she might send him away or beat him like-” Delbin hesitated and looked over toward the room where Darius lay-”like one of the knights had already done.”

  “What?” Kaz cursed silently. “Come in here with me,” he added, indicating a door that probably led to a back room for storage.

  Such was the case. Kaz found a box that smelled slightly of rotting oak and sat on it. It creaked but held. Delbin found a small stool and planted himself with great eagerness.

  “Go on,” Kaz said grimly.

  Delbin’s story confirmed the rumors the minotaur had been hearing. In this territory, the knighthood’s actions had grown to resemble the very cruelties that had led its founder, Vinas Solamnus, to turn on his master, the emperor of Ergoth. Solamnia now faced ruin and panic. The knights of Vingaard Keep, heart of the Orders, no longer even pretended to patrol the land, and now goblins and other vultures were stealing into the area to raid those too weak or too listless to defend themselves.

  “This is madness; this is evil,” Kaz whispered angrily.

  Delbin cocked his head. “Are you still going to Vingaard Keep? It could be dangerous, but if you go, I’m going, too, because I was worried about you, and when I thought you’d died, it was awful. Don’t you dare die for a while, promise? Say, I should write down what happened to you!”

  The kender reached into his pouch and pulled out something out that in no way resembled his cherished book, although it was made of paper. It was a scroll, to be precise.

  “Hmmph! Look at this! It’s got funny writing on it, Kaz-and it mentions you!”

  “Let me see!” Kaz tore the paper from the kender’s hands and read the scroll. “Myname’s on it.’… has been found guilty of the dishonorable and heinous crime of murder, and thus, by order of the emperor’s council, this oath breaker is proclaimed criminal in all lands. Those who bear this document are servants of the emperor of the minotaur race and have been granted whatever power necessary to obtain the capture or execution, if necessary, of the murderer. Cooperation with the bearers of this proclamation is requested.’ Very polite and formal.” The minotaur crumpled up the paper in a sudden rush of fury and threw it at his companion. “ ‘Emperor’! An ogre toadie still clinging to power! How did you get this, Delbin?”

  The kender’s eyes grew wide. “That’s what I wanted to tell you! The short minotaur, the leader-remember how he threw the spear?”

  “I could hardly forget, Delbin.” Kaz frowned. “Only, I remember something else. They seemed to be fighting amongst themselves…”

  Nodding in excitement, Delbin cut him off. “That’s right, Kaz! One of the other ones came up behind him, and when he saw what the shorter one had done, he hit him hard. They fought, and another of your people, I guess it was a female, stood nearby watching. The shorter one had a knife, and he tried to cut the bigger one’s throat with it, but the bigger one finally got his arm around the shorter one’s neck and twisted his head. I guess he broke his neck. The female, she came over and helped him throw the body into the river, and then they ran off together into the woods. A little later, I found a nifty-looking pack on the riverbank, and I thought it was yours, only there was nothing in it but some food and that scroll. I guess I forgot all about it till now.”

  A fight among his relentless pursuers? A fight that left Greel dead? Curious.

  A loud crash from the front of the inn brought Kaz to his feet. He burst into the main room and saw Tesela moving toward the door. One of the windows, which previously had been shuttered, had been broken open by a large and very heavy rock.

  “What happened here?” the minotaur demanded.

  “I think that the townspeople want your companion,” the cleric said quietly, indicating the unconscious Darius. “The knights are not loved here.”

  “We have to stay the night, healer.”

  “I know.” She glanced outside, but there was no one there. Closing the door again, Tesela walked over to the window and managed to fix the shutters. “I need more time with him. Why don’t you two get some sleep? We’re safe. I don’t think these terrified villagers can cause much trouble, other than throwing a few stones and running away.” She glanced at Kaz. “All the same, I think we should be away from here before sunrise.”

  “Agreed.” Kaz watched her return to her meditations. Grabbing a curious Delbin by the scruff of his collar, he retired to the far end of the room. Kaz deposited the kender on one bench and, after removing his axe from its harness, stretched out on another bench nearby. He closed his eyes just as the kender decided he could remain silent no longer.

  “Where’d you get that neat axe?” Delbin whispered. “Is it of dwarven make? How come it shines so brightly? I bet it’s magic! Who gave it to you? Or did you win it in a fight?”

  The prattle went on and on until the kender looked more closely at his friend and decided that Kaz had fallen asleep. Delbin itched to see what Tesela was doing or to explore the village outside, but he had promised the human that he would behave himself, and now Kaz was here and he would expect only the best of his small companion… The kender fell asleep only seconds later, snoring lightly.

  Kaz opened his eyes a fraction. Delbin could be predictable at times, and the minotaur knew the kender must have been exhausted. Carefully Kaz’s fingers stroked the handle of the battle-axe. Tesela might think they need fear little from the locals, but Kaz had learned that even the most apathetic group could be turned into an angry mob in an instant if given an excuse to vent their frustrations.

  Closing his eyes slowly, Kaz allowed himself to fall into a half-sleep. All around, he could sense something happening, but at the same time, he could not discern what it was. It was a respite of sorts, therefore, but not a restful sleep. There would be time for real sleep when the matters of Solamnia, Vingaard, and his own dilemma were settled.

  Kaz woke with a start as he detected the sounds of a pair of feet moving lightly across the inn floor. Kaz gripped the axe and raised his eyelids a crack. The healer was standing by the inn’s entrance. She seemed to be looking for someone or something outside. Kaz rose slowly and, without disturbing Delbin, joined her. In one huge, clawed hand he held the axe.

  “Did you hear something?” he asked quietly.

  “I don’t… know. It might have been just the wind, but…” Tesela had lost her mask of confidence, and once more she seemed to be an ordinary, frightened person. She had probably heard nothing more than one of the locals daring to spy on them. Probably…

  Something heavy bounced off the roof of the inn, shaking it to its foundation. Delbin rose, blinking. Outside, a violent wind tore objects loose. There was another sound, but the howl of the wind rose to smother it.

  “What’s happening out there?” Kaz snarled.

  “What is it, Kaz? Is some kind of tornado? Do you think it’ll tear the inn down, and if it does, shouldn’t we get out of here before-”

  “Take a breath, Delbin,” Kaz muttered automatically. He nudged Tesela aside and peered out into the gloom. It was still not yet dawn, but the moons were not visible, either.

  Somewhere nearby, Kaz heard the crash of wood and a very human scream. Tightening his grip on his battle-axe, he tore out of the inn and followed the dying arc of the noise. Around him, he could hear the inhabitants of the village as they scurried to cower in their homes.

  “Fools! Cowards! One of your own is dying!” His words had no effect. These people had little spirit.

  Kaz stumbled. A building that had suffered a mysterious disaster was suddenly before him… as was something else, something very larg
e, very powerful, and very vicious.

  The thing that was in the process of reducing the building to splinters rose, revealing itself to be more than twice the minotaur’s height. As Kaz retreated hastily, he heard a beating noise, identical to the flapping that had passed over him days earlier-the beast, he had no reason to doubt, that had killed an entire band of knights save one.

  The beating of the wings was in his ears, and Kaz knew the creature was practically right on top of him. If he was to die a victim of a dragon, if a dragon was what it truly was, then the minotaur wouldn’t die without striking at least one great blow.

  Even as Kaz whirled, his dwarven axe swinging in a vicious arc, massive talons passed over his head, missing by mere inches. The skillfully crafted battle-axe struck harshly against the flank of the behemoth and bounced off with a loud ringing sound. Kaz stumbled around, waiting for the next attack, but it never came. The creature was flying away as if Kaz were nothing but a momentary obstacle.

  Kaz felt the edge of the axe head. It was chipped.

  “Come back here, dragon… or whatever pit-spawned creature you arel Face me!” What the inhabitants of the village might think, he did not care. He only knew that he wanted that thing.

  It did not return, but Kaz realized that the monster, dragon, or whatever it was had come from the north and now was returning in that direction. If it kept to its present path, it would fly over Vingaard Keep itself…

  Kaz cursed and swung the damaged axe into its harness. Ignoring the whispers and whimpers rising from within the various houses and huts, he rushed back toward the inn. Whether alone or not, he knew that he had to reach Vingaard as soon as possible. Vingaard Keep was the key to everything. There he would find the answers he was seeking…

  … and possibly a dragon as well.

  Chapter Nine

  Kaz burst throuqh the doorway of the inn looking much like a demon from the Abyss. Delbin gave a squeak, and Tesela’s hands clutched tightly around the medallion she wore. Darius still slept, but he seemed to twitch momentarily as the minotaur strode over to the human cleric.

  “You have a horse, Tesela. Can it carry me?”

  “Carry you? Why?”

  If Kaz could have seen himself, he might have hesitated, for the cleric and the kender gazed upon the frenzied eyes of a berserker. His eyes said he would accept only one answer, regardless of the consequences.

  “Can… it… carry… me?” he repeated through clenched teeth.

  Tesela nodded, pale. “I–I think she should be strong enough, but-”

  “Where is it?”

  “Around back! Kaz…”

  He was through the inn and out the back door in seconds. Tesela’s horse was tied up next to Delbin’s pony. Both animals were nervous, and it took a little doing to get the cleric’s mount to hold still long enough for him to mount. Kaz climbed into the saddle-and abruptly fell off as the horse sat down.

  “Sargas take you, you blasted beast! Stand up!”

  The horse refused to do so. Kaz tried to pull it to its feet, but the animal’s front hooves dug into the ground, and the minotaur only succeeded in losing his grip and slipping to one knee.

  “Kaz!” Tesela came rushing out. “Stop that!”

  “Is this thing part mule?” Kaz grumbled. He was certain the horse was mocking him.

  Tesela laughed nervously. “I tried to tell you, but you wouldn’t listen. She only lets me ride her.”

  Kaz muttered something and rose to his feet. “Is there a stable? Where can I find another horse?”

  “You won’t find anything here. These people don’t have any horses.”

  “Kiri-Jolith’s horns, human! I have to get to Vingaard Keep!”

  Folding her arms, Tesela said with authority, “Then you will wait until we are ready to go. You cannot go alone, Kaz, and we will not let you. Give me a chance to see if the knight is healed, and then we will prepare to depart this place together. It will mean a much slower pace, I’m afraid, but you can put that time to good use thinking about what you intend to do once we arrive. I mean really think about it,”

  He let out a great breath. “You confuse me, cleric. You are so contradictory at times.”

  She smiled slowly and moved to take the horse’s reins from him. “You should try dealing with a minotaur.”

  Kaz nodded slowly, thinking to himself that she might have a point.

  Darius was awake and feeling much, much better. He stared at his hands, flexed his arms and legs, and stood. “Praise Paladine!”

  “And Mishakal,” Tesela reminded him.

  “And Mishakal, of course. My thanks, cleric.” He bowed nervously to her and she reddened a bit.

  “Does this mean we can go?” Kaz asked impatiently. He was happy for the knight-no warrior likes to be helpless-but each second of delay tore at him, especially since he knew that they only had two mounts for four people and would have to travel at a slow pace.

  The knight forced his eyes away from Tesela. “Go where?”

  “To Vingaard Keep, of course. Your dragon was here only a short time ago, and now I think it flies in the direction of the keep itself.”

  “The dragon?” exclaimed Darius. “Attacking Vingaard! We have to leave!”

  “What can you possibly do that all the knights in Vingaard could not do?” Tesela asked.

  “That is not the point, milady! I am a knight-”

  “Who should know better than to go rushing into battle-” she glanced at Kaz-”like a minotaur. You might try putting on whatever still remains of your armor. The sword would come in handy as well.”

  It didn’t take long for the group to ready itself. Only Darius really had any difficulty, and that was due to some of the dents and bends in his armor. Kaz helped there, taking some of the pieces and utilizing his astounding strength to straighten them out as best as possible. The knight, who had never fought a minotaur, automatically uttered an oath to Paladine. Tesela shook her head in amazement. Delbin, who had seen Kaz do similar things in the past, tried to tell everyone about each and every such incident. By unanimous consent, he was told to take a deep breath and get the horses ready.

  They departed the village-none of them had ever discovered its name-just as the first sunlight spilled over the horizon. Kaz had little hope that they would actually have a sunlit day. Beyond a certain point in the morning, the orb would find itself hidden behind a thick mass of clouds. This weather was not right, the minotaur knew. It reminded him too much of the war and of the lands about to fall to the servants of Takhisis. Where evil ruled, the sun rarely shone, it was said, and evil could not prevail in Solamnia. Not in the homeland of Paladine’s earthly champions.

  Could it?

  Kaz buried the thought deep in his mind as they traveled. Vingaard Keep would be visible before day’s end. He would have his answers soon enough.

  The trek was hardest on Darius, though not because of his injuries. Those the power of Mishakal had healed completely. Rather, it was the land itself that seemed to affect the knight. Like so many others, he had expected Solamnia to be well on its way to recovery by now. This-this was a wasteland.

  “How do so many survive here?” he asked Kaz in horror. “How do they survive?”

  ‘The land’s not completely dead, human, but I agree it must be near impossible.”

  No goblins harried them; no dragon or other beast swooped down to throw them about like toys. The day would have actually been pleasant, if not for the specter of the land itself. Kaz noted that Tesela constantly fingered her medallion. Thinking of Delbin, Kaz glanced at the small figure perched atop the pony next to him. Delbin was growing very moody, an odd reaction for one of his kind. Kender were habitually cheerful. Kaz thought of asking his companion what was worrying him. The thought of a kender trying to explain such a complicated emotion made him hesitate, however, and the matter slipped away.

  With the early evening came a distant, mist-enshrouded surprise.

  Darius was the first to
recognize it as more than just another indistinct speck on the horizon. Only he made the connection between where they were and the relative size of the thing.

  The one word he uttered was barely more than a whisper. “Vingaard!”

  Kaz narrowed his eyes and tried to make out anything more than a blur. “Are you certain?”

  “What else could it be?”

  ‘True.” Even though they had made far better time than Kaz would have thought possible, the citadel of the Knights of Solamnia was still a goal they would not reach until tomorrow. Kaz hated the thought of stopping when they were so close, but reminded himself that this land had both goblins and some great unnamed beast wandering about. Let the enemy come to them. Better that than walking into an ambush. Besides, although they had not as yet seen any Solamnic patrols, who was to say there was not one nearby even now?

  It was an uneasy group that made camp that night. Both Kaz and Darius searched the skies continuously. Delbin, as moody as before, fell asleep almost immediately after finishing his meal. Tesela, having slept the least the night before, soon joined him.

  Darius offered to take first watch. Kaz argued with him briefly, but gave in. It turned out not to matter very much. Neither one could sleep well that night, and each spent the other’s watch period waiting impatiently for the dawn.

  The night was so uneventful that Kaz had to wonder if he, too, should carry a blank book, much like Delbin’s, to record such rare nights. Yet despite the calm of the evening, the minotaur rose at dawn with such anxiety that his hands were quivering in anticipation of… what? He could not say for certain. It was the same feeling that had been growing inside him for days. He both needed and loathed the impending confrontation with Lord Oswal.

  They passed a few more poor settlements where ragged people lived phantom existences. One or two hardy souls cursed at them, but no one attempted to do them any harm. Kaz could not say what disturbed them more, his presence or that of the knight, Darius. It was apparently evident to Darius as well that some of the folk were glaring at him. He gave Kaz an agonized look. For one who had decided to devote his existence to the glory of Paladine, this was a slap in the face. The Knights of Solamnia were supposed to be the benefactors of the people, not their cursed enemies.