Land of the Minotaurs

by Richard A. Knaak

  “There was a kender, too, was there not? Where is he?”

  Steadying himself, Scurn replied, “The guard is still out hunting him, Holiness. He escaped in the confusion when these two resisted.”

  “A kender, a lowly kender, escaped a squadron of the guard? Are you becoming that incompetent? The kender should have been the least difficult of the three.”

  “We weren’t expecting this one,” protested Scurn as he pointed at Ganth. “We were told to watch for Kaz, not the old one.”

  “And who is he?”

  “I am Ganthirogani de-Orilg,” announced Kaz’s father, standing proudly. “I’m a loyal son of the empire, which is more than I can say for these bits of flotsam. You should know me—”

  “You will not speak again unless spoken to,” intoned the high priest, cutting off Ganth. He leaned back and studied Kaz again. “Kaziganthi of the clan Orilg, we have watched your activities for some time. Your reputation is both a credit and a shame to the minotaur race. You have fought bravely against great foes, but you reject the destiny of your people. You act as an independent when you must play your part in the great plan. Your place is here, working for the future that is to be ours, but you rebel, fomenting discord among your own kind. Because of your past, you could be forgiven, but now you return to the empire, attempting to increase your power at a time when all minotaurs are needed for the grand conquest.”

  “That’s ridiculous!” snapped Kaz, surprising himself.

  The high priest ignored his effrontery. “What you have achieved is admittedly admirable in many ways, but it cannot be allowed to go on, I’m afraid. For the sake of the future, a settlement such as yours cannot be tolerated. The minotaur race cannot be divided so. We must be one strong axe arm ready to cleave all foes in our path. No minotaur can be allowed to act alone.”

  “I always thought we prided ourselves on our fairness,” Kaz returned, more defiant than fearful now that he had heard the high priest’s exalted words. “We are the race where anyone may become emperor, where males and females are equal, and where honor is individual.”

  The high priest visibly checked his anger. Putting on a smile as false as his words, the hooded figure shook his head. “This is a time of sacrifice, my son. In the name of the Great Horned One, we must put aside some of our freedoms so that we can sooner claim the world for him. The time is ripe. The unity of the race is now paramount, greater than the personal desires of one rebellious minotaur. You should understand that.”

  “I understand much.”

  “Do you?” The high priest shifted. “I make you an offer, Kaziganthi. Talent such as yours should not be wasted. There is room for you in the empire, but only in service to the empire. What you have achieved in the wilderness could be put to good use here. Commanders who compel such respect and loyalty from warriors are always invaluable to the cause. You could be the greatest commander since Mesonus, who led the attack against the elves even though he and his warriors were outnumbered three to one!”

  “Mesonus lost that battle, however glorious it’s been proclaimed since,” Ganth returned, snorting.

  “You will be still, Ganthirogani. Think of it, Kaziganthi. Legions at your command. You are respected by humans. You can be feared by them in the same way. You understand their tactics better than any of our present officers. Your service to your people could lead to the throne itself before long, you know.”

  “I’ve no desire to sit on that piece of abused marble.”

  “Consider carefully. This offer is not made lightly.”

  Kaz snorted. “That’s no offer. That’s a threat. I want nothing to do with your coming debacle.”

  At a slight nod from the cleric, Scurn abruptly turned on Kaz and slapped him with the back of his hand, causing his head to rock to the side.

  The high priest eyed him quietly for some time, then glanced at Scurn. “Captain, the criminal Kaziganthi is guilty of endangering the integrity of the state. He has become the focus of dissension and has undermined the authority of the emperor himself. The patriarch of Clan Orilg has already agreed that there is a debt of honor here so great that it can only be judged in the circus.”

  “What’s that?” Ganth snarled. “Even he wouldn’t agree to such nonsense! You can’t mean that! What could have gotten into you, Jo—”

  A member of the guard struck Kaz’s father. Ganth clamped his bleeding mouth shut, but continued to glare at the high priest.

  Despite what had happened to his sire, Kaz remained silent. He listened carefully to what the cleric said.

  “They will be brought to the circus, there to face a chosen adversary against whom they will be allowed to regain some portion of the honor they have squandered.”

  “Yes, Holiness.” Scurn looked at his former opponent with some satisfaction. “You heard. Come with us willingly or be dragged, Kaz.”

  Kaz smiled slowly, allowing both the high priest and Scurn to digest the smile. “Let’s go, then.”

  His attitude disconcerted not only Scurn, but, much to his satisfaction, even the high priest. The cleric was quick to recover, however, “Remember, my sons, you will be fighting to recover your lost honor. Dwell on that thought.”

  And at the same time, remember we’re not supposed to survive, honor or not, Kaz thought. He snorted at the hypocrisy.

  “Come on,” growled the captain.

  “One more thing, Kaziganthi,” called the hooded figure. “It is always possible for you to avoid this sentence if you see the error of your ways. Not simply you, but also those close to you.”

  “I’ll try to remember that.”

  The high priest turned away from them.

  As they were taken from the audience chamber, Ganth muttered, “I can’t believe what’s become of that lad! He’s turned into a foul creature, he has!”

  “What’re you talking about?” asked Kaz, only partly paying attention. He had been thinking that despite their predicament, this was still an opportunity. Hecar would be in the circus also. This would be a chance to speak to him. Kaz knew the circus well, including the underground passages and gates. Once they located Hecar, he could see a possibility of the three of them escaping. Honor’s Face would prove invaluable there. Scurn might have it for now, but it would turn up when Kaz needed it. It always did.

  “It’s him! Jopfer!” Ganth hissed. “He sailed on Gladiator when Hecar did, then went to work for a member of the circle. He was a studious boy who should’ve been seated in the circle by now. How, by old Sargas, did he come to be the high priest … and why does he act as if he doesn’t know us?”

  “Jopfer?” Slowly the name brought recognition. That was why the high priest seemed familiar. Kaz had a memory for faces, even ones he had seen only once, but that had been years ago and Jopfer was much older now.

  “He was one of Hecar’s best friends, once.”

  Hands shoved both of them forward. “Pick up the pace and stop talking!”

  Kaz grunted, wishing his hands were untied. To Ganth, he finally muttered, “Well he’s not one now.”

  With some concern, the high priest watched the two prisoners depart. Kaziganthi was a minotaur of impressive personality, the type that could be a great asset to his plans if only it were possible to make the prisoner see that his best hopes lay in cooperation, not defiance. A minotaur like this one, however, would be hard to break, much less bend. The techniques that could have been employed would leave him a shell. Someone like Kaziganthi would grow only more stubborn under torture. The high priest knew that. He had spent lifetimes studying the race.

  No, Kaziganthi and his equally recalcitrant sire were best left to the circus for the time being. If, in the end, the former could not be convinced to join, not even for the sake of his companions, then the master cleric would see to it that their deaths would make them sterling examples of what happened to those who defied the destiny he had worked so long to impress upon the minds of his children. Their deaths would spell the end of Kaziganthi’s se
ttlement. There would be no more desertions. The plan he had worked on for so long, first for her, and now, astonishingly enough, for himself, had to proceed. There would be a master of Krynn, and it would be he.

  I will let neither a rebellious minotaur … nor a potentially volatile infant … destroy what I have worked centuries to build, he thought. The minotaur will die in the arena if necessary, and the female … my female … will remain my permanent guest. So it will be.

  Thinking of the other, the one who was most important to his continued existence, the high priest decided it was time to visit again his secret guest. If the fools who followed his commands only knew what she was, they would have fled from the citadel in outright fear. Fortunately, even she did not truly understand the truth.

  By the time she did, she would be his puppet. By then, Kaziganthi de-Orilg would also be his to control … or dead and burned, a memory of ashes soon to fade from the minds of his children.

  However, there was one matter with which the hooded cleric still had to deal. He reached to his side and pulled an almost invisible cord. A few moments later, one of his chief acolytes appeared.

  “Yes, Holiness?”

  “Tell the emperor I wish to see him … now.”

  “Yes, Holiness.”

  The high priest ignored the acolyte’s departure; his thoughts returned to the future. His future.

  I will not let this opportunity escape me. The world is ripe for my picking … and the minotaur, if he will not obey, is expendable in the end.

  Chapter 8

  Escape Plan

  ———

  Helati carried the infants outside and stared in the direction in which Kaz had ridden off so many days ago. She knew he would not suddenly come riding up to her, but the desire to see him was so strong that she could not help but continue to wait and hope. The twins were unusually quiet, as if they, too, watched for their father’s return.

  “Not back yet, is he?”

  She had been so preoccupied that she had not even heard the newcomer. Turning, Helati shook her head and replied, “No, Brogan, but it’s much too early. You know how long it takes to reach the empire, much less Nethosak. He will have just entered the city by this time.”

  “Which doesn’t make us any less concerned about him.” Brogan walked up next to her and leaned forward. His voice was steady. “Just say the word, Helati, and I’ll gather the others. We’ll ride to Nethosak and help him.”

  “I can’t do that, because he wouldn’t want me to do that. Kaz works best with little assistance from others.”

  “Then what about that kender? I still can’t believe you’d tell that little thief where he is but not let us follow! What aid can one of those creatures give a minotaur?”

  The twins began acting up. Helati hushed them. “You don’t really know Delbin or you wouldn’t ask that. He’s a kender, true, but he’s come to Kaz’s rescue more than once.”

  Brogan snorted. “I find that hard to believe.”

  The conversation died abruptly as the sound of hoofbeats made both look up. Helati’s heart pounded, but her wild hope that it was Kaz and her brother faded as she saw that the riders were unfamiliar. There were two, yes, but one was a male and the other a female. New additions to their community, they had a look to them she had come to recognize.

  “May your ancestors watch over you,” Helati said, approaching.

  “And yours, you,” replied the male. He glanced briefly at Brogan, then returned his gaze to Helati. “I am Zurgas, and this is my mate, Keeli. Is this the clan Kaziganthi? We were told we could find others like us here. Others … who have tired of the old ways.”

  Clan Kaziganthi. Helati glanced at Brogan, who, despite their conversation, could not repress a smile. Kaz’s fame had grown more than either of them had realized if the settlement was already being called by such a title among the people.

  “This is the place, friends,” Brogan replied, “and you’re welcome here.”

  The two riders looked relieved, but Helati, despite her forced smile, was not. If these minotaurs had come to call the settlement the clan of Kaziganthi, then so did others. Soon, if not already, the emperor’s people would hear of this new clan, one that did not acknowledge the power of the emperor, the circle, or the high priest.

  What would happen if they heard of this while Kaz was still in Nethosak?

  It was not until the next day that Kaz was reunited with Hecar.

  An older minotaur with half his teeth missing chuckled as they were led into the prison section of the circus. He eyed Kaz with great joy.

  “I heard they had you in their clutches! By Sargas! It’ll be good to see you in the circus again, even if it’s for a short time!”

  “What’s that, Molus?” asked one of the guards, curious at the jailer’s remark. “Who’s this supposed to be?”

  “You’re young. You would’ve been a child. This is Kaziganthi, of the clan Orilg!”

  “I know who he is.”

  Molus shook his head. “You know a name. This is Kaz the Undefeatable! He fought his way to the rank of Supreme Champion! He was the greatest gladiator in all the empire! There’s been none like him since!”

  Kaz pretended indifference but, beside him, Ganth smiled.

  The guards were all impressed, but the same one who had asked Molus the question persisted. “If he was supreme champion, why isn’t he emperor or dead?” Those were the only two routes generally left to the supreme champion. He had to challenge the emperor and defeat him or die in the attempt. “What happened?”

  Molus eyed Kaz with curiosity. “I don’t know why, but he quit. He abandoned the circus, abandoned everything he’d fought for. He turned down commissions, rank benefits, and every sort of glory that should’ve been heaped on him. He went into the war just a simple warrior!”

  The others, save for Ganth, looked at Kaz as if he had suddenly turned into something distasteful. The guards muttered among themselves, trying to understand so uncharacteristic an action. Any warrior who had made it to the most exalted rank of Supreme Champion was expected to seek the throne. It was insane to work so hard and rise so high otherwise.

  “Just why did you quit?” Molus asked Kaz.

  “I saw no good reason to continue.”

  “Maybe he turned coward,” suggested a guard.

  “Him?” The jailer laughed. “Not likely. But it doesn’t matter. He’ll be fighting in a day anyway. You boys should watch. It’ll be a good battle, even if it’s a little one-sided.” He turned away. “Bring them this way. They can share the cell with their friend.”

  Kaz and Ganth were dragged to the door of a dingy cell that contrasted greatly with the clean environment of Nethosak. Molus unlocked it, signaling the guards to put the prisoners inside.

  The cell was dark, which was why they did not see Hecar at first. When the flames of one of the guards’ torches finally revealed the other minotaur, Kaz and Ganth dropped their jaws at the pitiful sight.

  “He was … more skilled … than he looked,” Hecar muttered, forcing a smile onto his battered face. “I heard them … talking about you coming here. I’d like to say it’s good to see you, Kaz, but—” Hecar glanced at the other minotaur and frowned. “Ganth?”

  Hecar had lost a great deal of weight, and scars covered his chest, arms, and legs. Bandages were wrapped around both his left arm and his right leg. He was covered with the grit and grime of the arena, not to mention a layer of dried blood.

  “This is no way to treat a minotaur,” Kaz snarled at his captors, losing his temper for the first time since being led from the sanctum of the high priest. “By right of victory, even as a criminal, his wounds should be cared for and his body cleaned.”

  “By right of victory, he should be a free warrior now,” Ganth pointed out, eyeing Molus. To his credit, Molus lost some of his good humor and briefly looked even a little guilty. “He should once more be an honored member of the race.”

  “The orders come from the emperor
and the high priest,” the jailer mumbled. To the guards he commanded, “Chain these two up next to Hecar. He can entertain them with stories of what to expect.”

  “Where’s your honor, Old One?” snarled Kaz, struggling against his captors. “What has happened to the honor of the circus?”

  As they forced the two new prisoners to the wall and chained them, Molus whispered, “You idealistic fools wouldn’t understand.”

  Moments later, Molus and his guards departed, leaving the trio to themselves. Kaz’s eyes grew accustomed to the cell’s dimness. He looked at Ganth, then at Hecar. “What happened to you, Hecar? How did you end up here?”

  “I don’t really know.” Hecar sounded better now that their captors had departed. There was a glint in his eye. He was obviously worn out, but evidently hardier than he wanted the jailer to know. “I’ve broken no laws that I can recall. I looked around, asked a few questions, and suddenly found others asking me questions. I stopped to see an old friend, but I couldn’t find him. That’s when they came for me.” He took a breath. “Kaz, you remember Scurn?”

  “We met him,” interjected Ganth. “He brought us in.”

  Hecar looked at the older minotaur for some time. “You! You’re supposed to be dead.”

  “You should be, too. Give me time.”

  “But Gladiator—”

  “He’ll explain later, Hecar. Go on with your story.” Kaz needed to hear everything.

  “They seemed interested that I knew Jopfer, but—”

  “I told you he did, Kaz, remember?” Ganth said, interrupting again. To Hecar he asked, “And did you ever get to see Jopfer?”

  “No, I didn’t.”

  “You would’ve, if you’d been brought before the high priest himself.”

  Hecar snorted. “What does that mean?”

  “What he’s saying in a roundabout way is that your old friend Jopfer is the high priest now.”