The fourth bandit had a pair of hand axes that he clanked together menacingly as he stalked forward, stepping over the bodies of his fallen companions.
Kiana stepped backwards. This bandit was the most dangerous of the five. He was methodical, unrushed and not wasting his breath threatening her.
The archer ran around the side of the wagon and turned to fire at her.
Kiana threw her knife and struck him high in the chest.
The axe bandit looked at his fallen friend and shook his head, but he kept coming forward. He saw that Kiana had no weapon and assumed she was now helpless.
It was a mistake.
Kiana raised her hands together and cast a fireball spell. The bandit was only a few feet away from her and the magical ball of fire caught him square in the chest.
Looking around, Kiana saw that there were no more bandits. The attack was troublesome. These men had been working with the same man who’d killed her mother, the same man who’d tried to kill Quinton, and they’d known who she was. Did they have more spies in Elderwood? Did they know what she was doing, or did they have orders to kill everyone associate with Nathan Stoneblood?
Using her levitation spell, Kiana loaded all of the bodies into the back of the bandit’s wagon. She then carved the words Bandits working with Lord Zellox and a man called Torun into the side of the wagon. She released the horse and slapped it on the butt. It ran a few hundred yards before stopping to eat grass. Kiana wasn’t worried about the horse; she just didn’t want it starving while waiting for someone to come along. Jumping back onto her wagon Kiana took off. She wanted to be far from the ambush site before any of these bandits’ friends came looking for them. She wished she knew more about the bandits’ plans but at least she knew they all worked for Lord Zellox, and had at least one leader who they answered to in the area. The man called Torun. When Kiana got to Venecia she’d send a note back to Nathan and Lady Avera about the attack and the man Torun. Hopefully a patrol from Elderwood would find the wagon and relay her message to them.
5
Envee
Envee Oke was riding down the road when she spotted a wagon on fire. A man was standing beside the wagon with his head down, his horse beside him.
“What happened?” Envee said as she reached the man and the fire. She held her nose, the smell of burning flesh wasn’t pleasant.
“I’m not sure, but it looks like these men were bandits,” the man said as he pointed to the word bandits carved into the side of the wagon. There seemed to be more written but it had been burned by the flames.
Envee frowned. When she first saw the wagon, she’d hoped that it might be Kiana and Quinton in the flames, but it was the wrong type of wagon. “Kiana must’ve done this.”
“Who?” asked the man.
“Kiana Clairmont. A witch.”
“A witch?”
“Well, she’s a magic user, and I think she’s turned to dark magic,” Envee said.
“Sounds like a witch to me. She should be stopped.”
“Yes,” Envee said enthusiastically. “That’s what I’m trying to do. She has taken the body of my beloved and I think she intends to use it for dark magic. I have to stop her and give him a proper burial by fire.”
The man looked carefully at Envee. “She has your beloved?”
“Yes. Quinton Albet. I was to be married to him,” Envee said with her chin high.
“Ah. I don’t know the name. I’ve heard of a Quinton Bayson, who is kin to the Albets.”
“His father was a traitor to Balta, I call him by his mother’s name,” Envee said. “He doesn’t deserve the stain of his father’s deeds.”
“Ah forgive me. I do know who you speak of. His death is a tragedy. Why would this Kiana steal his body?”
“He was a powerful mage; she probably wants to steal his magic.”
“The dark arts,” the man swore.
“Yes. I have to stop her.”
“By yourself?”
“I fear this is part of a bigger plot. Lady Avera and others are involved.” Envee leaned closer. “I don’t trust that Nathan Stoneblood. I think he’s corrupted them.”
“Nathan Stoneblood. I’ve heard strange things about him,” the man said.
“He’s just awful. Tricking us to come from Balta to this awful place.”
“And you think he’s behind the body of your beloved Quinton being stolen?”
Envee nodded.
“That is terrible. I fear for you, chasing down a witch. It would be my honor if you’d let me accompany you on your noble quest. I have some magical abilities of my own. Perhaps I could help you stop the witch before she uses the dark magic on your Quinton.”
Envee straightened. “Thank you, stranger. It is good to know there are still good people in this world.”
The man smiled. “It is nothing. Please allow me to introduce myself. I am Torun Wain.” He took Envee’s hand and kissed it. “It is a privilege to accompany you. Together we shall stop this dark witch.”
6
Kiana
Kiana arrived in Venecia at mid-day. She’d travelled all day and night, stopping only long enough to change horses once in one of the villages south of Elderwood. She immediately went to the estate of the one man in Venecia she knew she could trust to get her passage to Pailtar with no questions asked.
“Kiana Clairmont, it is good to see you,” Paulo Ventego said as he opened the door. He then frowned. “I just yesterday heard about the tragic events in Elderwood. You have my condolences. Your mother and Verin were good people. They will be missed.”
“Thank you,” Kiana said as he showed her into his home.
“Is there anything I can do for you?”
Kiana nodded. “Actually, that is why I’m here. I need transportation to Pailtar.”
Paulo poured himself a glass of wine. He offered Kiana one but she shook her head. “The Baltan fleet is still based in Venecia. You don’t want to use one of the royal ships?”
“I need discretion. I don’t want anyone knowing who I am or what my cargo is. I need someone you trust implicitly.”
“You fear spies?”
“Yes. It seems that Lord Zellox’s reach is far and wide,” Kiana said. She then explained the ambush she’d encountered on the way south.
“This is troubling,” Paulo said. “Lord Zellox is becoming more aggressive, but instead of full attacks like he’s used in the past, he’s using targeted attacks to create fear and chaos. I fear he’ll be using both soon enough. We’ve spotted more of his ships off the coast lately.”
“What about Balta?” Kiana asked.
“Balta is a shell of its former self. Lord Zellox controls it, but he only has a small number of people there, slaves from Morthon brought in to work the mines, and farms. But without the skilled tradespeople that fled to Elderwood they barely make enough for Lord Zellox to justify keeping it. However, it does give him a port close to Venecia from which to launch an attack.”
“Has he tried to take Pailtar again?”
“He’s sent an army across the desert. It was defeated. Ever since then he’s abandoned his attempts to control Pailtar. But since he holds Balta, he hardly needs it.”
Kiana was relieved to hear that Pailtar was still a free city. That at least was good news.
“I’ll have a ship ready. How much cargo do you have?”
“One crate and a few bags of supplies,” Kiana said. She’d considered asking to take the wagon across, but that was impractical and would limit the number of options when it came to ships. There were plenty of smaller faster ships that could take her across that didn’t have room for a full-sized wagon.
“I have just the ship. I’ll have them ready to go in an hour. If anyone is watching the harbors, they’ll notice the ship is gone, but there is nothing that can be done about that unless we wait until darkfall.”
“How quick is the ship?”
Paulo grinned. “Nothing will catch it, and I can have the harbormaster ru
n inspections on any ships leaving Pailtar. That will buy you more than enough time to get to Pailtar unmolested.”
Kiana nodded. “Thank you.”
“It is my pleasure. As I said. Your mother and Verin were friends, and I owe them, along with Nathan Stoneblood. I’ll go get things sorted.”
“Do you have pen and parchment; I need to get a note back to Lady Avera.”
Paulo went to a desk and grabbed the parchment, an ink well and pen. “I’ll be back shortly.”
While Paulo went to arrange her ship, Kiana wrote a letter to Lady Avera.
Lady Avera,
I encountered bandits outside Elderwood. They were watching for members of the royal family and immediate friends. They knew who I was. They were working with Lord Zellox and a man named Torun. I don’t believe they know about my cargo, but can’t be sure. Nathan must be warned about the bandits. I suspect there are more working with Zellox.
Kiana
When Paulo returned, Kiana handed him the note. He folded it and sealed it with wax.
“The road to Elderwood is dangerous, it is important that Lady Avera get that note,” Kiana said.
“Don’t worry. I’ll send Maka and a couple of his men.”
“I don’t know Maka.”
“Ashuna’s brother. Fights like Ashuna, only angrier.”
Kiana knew all about Ashuna, the Chundo warrior who’d helped Nathan several times. If Maka was anything like his brother there was nothing to worry about. The note would make it to Lady Avera no matter how many bandits tried to stop them. But no one would see a group of Chundo warriors riding towards them and try and stop them. The nomadic horsemen were known for their skills and love of battle. “I think Maka is perfect for the job.”
They went outside and both got onto the wagon. They headed to Paulo’s company docks where a small cutter was being prepared. A pair of rough looking sailors came and unloaded the wagon without any questions. They placed the crate and Kiana’s gear into the cutter’s cargo hold and then rejoined the rest of the crew.
“I’ve listed the cutter’s destination as Mykoznia. That might throw off any spies, but I wouldn’t count on it. For the right amount of gold even the most loyal will spill secrets.”
“That’s fine. Once I get to Pailtar I will have the advantage, I just need to get there ahead of any enemies.”
“That I can promise. Captain Jacob Tanner will get you where you want. He’ll be at your disposal as long as you need him.”
Captain Tanner came up and introduced himself. He was a younger man with unruly blonde hair. He carried himself with a certain swagger that made Kiana suspect he was more than just a normal sailor. The word that came to mind was pirate, but she kept that opinion to herself. He accompanied her to the ship and with a wave to Paulo they were off.
7
Torun
“I was hoping to catch them before they reached Venecia,” Envee said.
Torun shrugged. “As did I. But the gods haven’t favored us this day. Kiana obviously pushed hard to reach the coast. Without fresh horses, we had little chance. Now we must do our best to find them.”
“But how? Venecia is so big, what are the chances of finding anyone in a city this large.”
“I’m familiar with Venecia, there are shady and dark places where any information can be found. Normally, I would avoid such distasteful establishments, but in this case, I think I can make an exception. However, I don’t feel comfortable asking you to demean yourself in such a way.”
Envee shook her head. “I would do anything for Quinton. I will go wherever necessary, no matter how dark or evil. Anything to save his soul.”
Torun smiled, Envee Oke was fanatical in her devotion to Quinton. It was obvious to him that she’d been obsessed with the man for years and never gave up on her dreams of them becoming a couple. Even after his death, she wanted to control his destiny. In truth, Torun was happy Quinton was dead. At least Raze, in his guise as the minstrel, George, had done that right. Killing so many of Nathan Stoneblood’s closest allies wasn’t the same as killing him, but it served Lord Zellox’s, and Torun’s, purposes. While Raze had been tasked with killing Nathan Stoneblood, Torun’s task was much simpler; kill his most dangerous allies. The list was impressive, Nathan Stoneblood had managed to surround himself with powerful allies; mages, warriors and Thieves’ Guild members. Kiana Clairmont was among the allies on his list, and when she’d been spotted leaving Elderwood it seemed a perfect opportunity to kill her. But his men had underestimated the girl and now Torun had to deal with her himself. That this young woman Envee had come along was a boon. A man and woman traveling together was far less conspicuous than one man alone. That and she was a sorceress of some skill, who seemed to hate Nathan Stoneblood and his friends, friends like Kiana Clairmont. It wouldn’t take much manipulation to convince Envee that killing Kiana was the only way to save Quinton’s soul. “I admire your bravery and dedication, Lady Envee. I will do whatever must be done to save Quinton’s soul from that dark witch.”
“Thank you, Torun. Where do we start?”
“In these port cities, the docks tend to be the destination. If that witch Kiana is intending on taking Quinton’s body to some other kingdom for her dark magic then that is where she’ll head. There are taverns in the dock district where sailors and other low-bred characters share information. That is where I suggest we start our search.”
Envee nodded. It was so good to have a gentleman like Torun at her service to help navigate having to deal with the lower classes. Even in the city of Elderwood, where that false prince Nathan Stoneblood had tried to keep the upper class down, her family had strived to keep a degree of separation between themselves and the commoners. The Albet family had always been a little too friendly towards the lower classes and it had always been Envee’s hope that once she and Quinton were together that she’d help him see the error in his ways, that the elite citizens provided more and deserved more in return. But now that was all history. Everything she’d been striving towards was destroyed, and the only thing she had left was to make sure Quinton’s body wasn’t desecrated by dark magic. How Kiana and Nathan had convinced Lady Avera to allow such evil to happen was beyond comprehension, but that was a problem for later. “Lead the way, Torun.”
“We’ll drop the horses off at a livery and then head to the tavern. However, Nathan Stoneblood had many associates and spies in Venecia. I suggest we use false names while we’re here. If his allies were to believe we want to harm Kiana…”
“Say no more,” Envee said, “you may call me Marie, and what shall I call you?”
“Tomas should suffice,” Torun said. “But we’ll avoid using names as much as possible. The more discreet we are the better. Our cover story, if necessary, shall be that you are a noble traveling abroad and that I’m your escort.”
“Intriguing, and where am I from?”
“The Isle of Mandilla. There are few travelers from there, and that will make the story harder to poke holes in,” Torun said.
“Marie Carson, noble from the Isle of Mandilla,” Envee said. “And my trusted servant Tomas.”
Torun forced a smile. Envee was starting to get on his nerves, but he needed the girl. “Exactly.”
After finding a livery, they left the stables in search of information. The tavern Torun had in mind was the Randy Rooster. The bartender was among the trusted spies of Lord Zellox in Venecia.
They entered the dark and dingy tavern and Torun escorted Envee to an empty corner booth. “Wait here, I’ll speak to the bartenders, they tend to know who to talk to,” Torun said.
Envee nodded.
Torun approached the bar.
The bartender, a balding man with a face like a hawk was casually wiping a dirty glass with an even dirtier rag. “What’ll ye have?”
Torun leaned across the bar. “Two ales, good stranger.”
The bartender nodded in understanding. He put down the dirty glass and found a pair of moderately clean mug
s. He filled them with ale and handed them to Torun.
Torun glanced around the room, there were several patrons in the bar, but none were within hearing distance. “Safe to talk?” He said just loud enough for the bartender to hear.
The bartender nodded.
“A young woman came into town in the last day with a wagon. Kiana Clairmont from Elderwood. I need to track her down.”
“If she’s from Elderwood and looking for a ship she’d be talking to Captain Vermont of the Baltan fleet or Paulo Ventego, he’s a merchant with ties to Nathan Stoneblood. If she was looking for discretion she’d go to Paulo.”
“Can you find out?”
“I can send one of the boys to the docks and see what ships have left port or are leaving port today.”
Torun nodded. “Do it.”
The bartender looked over at Envee. “What’s with the broad?”
“An ally. As far as she knows this is her show and I’m just the concerned citizen helping a lady in despair.”
The bartender frowned. “She necessary?”
Torun looked over at Envee as she tried in vain to wipe clean the blood stain on the table. “For now.”
“Got it. I’ll bring the info to the table when I have it.”
“Good, and while you’re at it, get some food brought in from another kitchen.”
The bartender grinned. “You don’t want to eat the food here?”
“No, I certainly do not.”
“Smart man. The pub up the street has decent food. I’ll have them send a few plates over.”
Torun placed a gold coin on the bar and took the ales back to the table where Envee was waiting.
“What did he say?” Envee asked when he sat down.
“He has a few associates who can ask around. It’ll take a little while, but they’ll be able to track down Kiana faster than we could.”
Envee nodded. “So we just wait here?”
“Yes. In the meantime, tell me a little more about yourself. I find it fascinating that a young lady of obvious upbringing attended a magic school. What did you learn?”
Necro Mage Page 3