by Jeff Inlo
Chapter 19
Sazar strolled through the clearing toward Burbon with confidence. He watched the previous night’s battle from the hills. He received many reports from goblin scouts. He knew the dwarves were forced to retreat, he knew the casualties they suffered.
He also knew the humans were tired, probably incapable of fighting off another assault. He knew of the powerful wizard, but he understood magic and how it would take time for the magic caster to regain enough energy to return to a true threat. He knew of the great damage to the wall, and as this allowed him clear sight of Burbon's streets, the destruction of so many buildings offered him little surprise. Indeed, he knew much, and he knew the great opportunity which awaited him.
It was not Burbon that enticed him. Though his forces could easily defeat the remnant forces of the human guard, his greed centered upon more worthy riches. His snake-like eyes gleamed like the treasures that waited within Dunop; light gems, diamonds, gold. His scaly tail swished with delight at the thought of such wealth.
It would be easy. He would need only a platoon of goblins and his shag. The shag would overpower any dwarf sentinels and the goblins would quickly collect the treasures. Any other resistance from the dwarves would be token at best. The fight of their warriors had been shattered by the power of the wizard. There was little left of their pride, and probably less of their desire to fight. All he needed now was to follow the weakened force back to its home. His mind focused upon the new tunnels dug by the dwarves. He wanted access to them. His own captured tunnel led from Burbon to the hills, but these new tunnels, they led directly to the dwarf underground city. Of course, he could have used his smaller tunnel to access this new passage, but his shag would exhaust itself in digging to make the connection. He did not wish to waste the time or his shag's energy, especially when a better alternative waited within Burbon itself. Besides, he wished to keep his own tunnel a secret. It might be needed in the future.
Defiance blazed in his eyes as he glared at the battered, tired guards that stood in the rubble of Burbon's western gate. He was unarmed. He was alone. The hills were at his back as he stepped over open ground. He was surely an inviting target for one of the guard's spears, but he did not fear such an attack.
The guards watched the serp with equal amounts of suspicion and fatigue. No goblins escorted the creature. There was no sight of a raiding party or a shag bodyguard. Still, the soldiers knew of the serp's reputation. Though they stood in near exhaustion—an entire night without sleep and facing the dwarves in battle—they knew they could not lower their watch against the approaching serp.
Sazar stepped up to the guards as if he were approaching simple ticket handlers at a sideshow. He spoke with disregard to their importance.
"I wish to speak to the captain of your guard."
One guard exhaled heavily before responding. "What do you want?"
"I just told you what I want," the serp replied with impatience.
"So what? You think you can walk up and speak to the captain? Give me a reason why I shouldn't run you through right now."
The serp scowled. "If you kill me, there will be no one to control the horde of goblins that stand ready to attack."
The threat forced the guard to retreat from his aggressive stance. He looked to one of his partners. "Go get Sy."
With a weary nod, the other guard accepted the task and jogged off in a tired gait. The first guard kept a close eye on the serp even as he felt the heavy drag of exhaustion on his bones. He was quite happy to see his partner return with Sy in attendance.
Sy nodded at the guard before placing his focus squarely on the serp. Though fatigue hung on his spirit as well, the captain appeared fresh and aware.
"I'm Sy Fenden. I'm the captain of the guard. What do you want?"
Sazar did not waste time explaining his desires. "I want access to the tunnels used by the dwarves. I wish to follow them with a force of my own."
"Excuse me?"
Sazar sighed. Dealing with humans was extremely tiresome. "I want access to the tunnels used by the dwarves. I want to pursue them to their home city. Is that so hard to understand?"
"Yes, it is," Sy said angrily. "What are you going to do?"
"That is not your business."
"So you just want me to let you walk through town until you find one of their tunnel entrances, and then you'll just be leaving?"
"Not just me. I will bring one shag and several goblins with me."
Sy's face turned to stone. "Forget it." He turned to the guards. "Take him prisoner. He's caused us enough trouble over the last season. This is it for him."
The words of the captain were unwelcome, but not unexpected. Sazar enlightened him. "I wouldn't do that. An entire army of goblins waits beyond those hills. They wait and they watch us, even now. If you take me, they already have their orders. They will attack immediately."
Sy fought off the concern which he felt rising in his midsection. "How many goblins?"
"Do you think I will tell you?"
"It's probably just a small raiding party," Sy shot back.
"I am the serp who has taken control of a shag's mind. How many goblins do you think I might then also be able to control? Ponder that while you also consider the current status of your own town. There is little left of your wall. Your western towers have been leveled. Your men are tired. They are not prepared to face another full assault, especially one consisting of crossbow fire. Do you have many archers left in position? Do they have many arrows remaining? I think not."
"We were able to defeat the dwarves. We can stop you," Sy growled.
"Yes, yes, the dwarves. Give my congratulations to your wizard for that powerful display of his. Quite impressive. Creating a ball of fire, daylight before sunrise, quite a powerful spell. And a force blast on top of it. Indeed powerful. I give him his due. Of course, I'm sure he's not prepared for another such spell. I'm sure he's quite tired."
"We're all tired, but we'll fight you if we have to."
"But you don't have to," Sazar noted. "Listen and listen well. I want supplies for the dormant season. I could take them from you. Your forces are out of position, and your defenses are crushed. It would take little effort to break through the clearing on this day. Once we reach the rubble that is left of your town, how would you fight us? My goblins are small. They could use the broken remains as cover. They can hide in every crevice and fire at will. The thing is, I don't want anything from you beyond access to the tunnels. The dwarves have what I want. I wish to follow them now. I will take a raiding party of goblins with me, as well as my shag. I do not wish to be stopped or questioned. I will also need safe passage when we return. Again, I expect that I won't have to answer to you."
Sy grimaced. He did not wish to give the serp what he wanted.
Sazar acknowledged the glint of defiance, challenged the captain with his own understanding of the situation.
"Do not misunderstand what I offer. I do not offer any kind of alliance. We will not become fast friends. We are on different sides. That will always be the way. I assume after you rebuild your town and regain your strength, we will again become hard adversaries. But right now you have something I want. I also offer something you desperately need, a respite. I can hold off any attack against you. By now, you must realize that I have been behind the many goblin raids against your town."
"Raids that have consistently failed," Sy interjected with a steely, proud tone.
Sazar scoffed. His snake-like eyes peered deeply into the captain’s face. His own voice grew colder, harsher. "That is when you had a wall and well rested guards. At this moment, you have neither. Let me ask you again, how would you stop a full-fledged goblin assault at this moment? My forces can move in the day as easily as in the night. I have a shag at my disposal. I would lose goblins, I do not deny that, but what would be my reward? I could own this town. Take the tunnels by force. You can not afford to fight me now. Admit it. The plain t
ruth is so simple. You would have survived the dwarf attack only to be decimated by an army of goblins. Everything you own would be mine."
Sazar held up a clawed hand to hold any rebuttal until he was finished. "We have diverged from my true point. I do not want to attack you this day. The reward would not be worth the effort, especially when a more profitable bounty waits at the end of the dwarf tunnels. That is what I will have this day, with or without your acceptance. The question for you is simple. Will you make me take the tunnels by force, or will you accept my proposal for a temporary truce?"
Sazar allowed a knowing smile before continuing. "Perhaps you should consult with your elf friend. Oh, do not act surprised. I know there is a contingent of elves here, allies in your battle against the dwarves. I also know that they are just as tired and out of position. Elves like to fight from elevated positions. Look around at the crumbled buildings and at the shattered wall. Where will the elf archers perch themselves? There are no rooftops left in this section of town. The dwarves saw to that."
Sy turned from the serp. He looked far into the hills. He tried to guess how many goblins might be hiding out of his sight. He thought of his soldiers. He didn't believe they could survive another attack. Still, the thought of offering assistance to this abominable creature gave him pause.
"I don't think I can help you," he said almost despondently.
"Then you invite attack."
Sy rubbed the back of his neck. Fatigue clouded his thoughts. "What other choice do I have?"
"You can accept the inevitable."
"Maybe I can't. The thought of helping you makes me sick."
"Do not be so stubborn, human. Do not think of it as helping me. Think of it as protecting those that live in this town. Is that not your responsibility? You are not helping me; you are simply giving me passage. That is all I want from you. Don't be foolish."
"I could take you prisoner, use your worthless life to bargain for time," Sy shot back suddenly.
The serp did not hesitate for a moment. "Then do so. Do so right now. Lead me away from this spot. As you do, watch the hills. My goblins will rise over them before I move more than three steps."
"Maybe not. If I threaten your life, they might stay back."
Sazar laughed, a deep hearty laugh. It surprised Sy.
"What's so damn funny?"
"You give the goblins more credit that they deserve. Do you think they can act on their own? They have their orders. They will follow these blindly. They would walk into their own stupid death. They are as dim-witted as the rocks around you, but they do not question my commands. They will attack if you even try to take me hostage. It will probably mean my death, but it will mean yours as well, and the death of everyone you're supposed to protect."
The serp’s eyes sparkled. His forked tongue danced with the rhythm of his words. "Don't you understand why I came here like this? There is only one choice for you. It is not between giving me what I want or sending me away. It is between giving me what I want or seeing the complete obliteration of everything around you. I know you won't have that. You fought too bravely against the dwarves to let it end like that. But that is why I am here. There is no bargaining, no alternatives. You give me what I want and we all live. Deny me, and there is death. Death for me, yes, but also death for you, and more importantly death for the other humans you are sworn to protect. I understand that. Do you not accept this?"
Sy did not respond.
Sazar did not wait for a reply.
"Good. We finally understand each other. If it leaves a bitter taste in your mouth, I take pleasure in that."
Sy folded his arms at his chest. "Before you leave, I want more assurance from you. You say you won't attack if I let you pass, but what happens when you return with whatever it is you want? I have no idea how long it will take you. You could be back before noon and then order an attack. My people will still be tired, the wall will still be down. Seems to me that I really don't have any alternatives at all. You have an opportunity to attack, you just want to wait until you get your hands on some of the dwarf treasure first."
Sazar responded as if insulted. "I assure you, I will want nothing from you after I succeed with my initial quest in Dunop."
"Not good enough. Right now, you want the tunnels, but after you get what you want, you might not resist attacking us anyway. Now, I'm not foolish enough to believe you will stand by your word, but I think we can come to a different understanding."
"And what might that be?" Sazar asked with a growing dislike for the human's tone.
"You say you're willing to die right now. I don't believe that. I think you're here alone only because you know I won't do anything while the threat of your army hangs over my head. What's more, I think if you get what you want from the dwarves, you'll want to stay alive that much more. So here's my deal. You come through with your goblins and your shag. We won't stop you, but when you come back, you stay with us for two days. That will give us time to rest and rebuild some of our defenses."
"You can't be serious," Sazar said.
"You stay," Sy said firmly. "You and you alone. You can send your shag and your goblins back, but you remain here. It's very simple. I know that you won't order an attack if your life is really in danger. I can bet on that."
"And how do I know you'll keep your word."
"I promise," Sy responded with a wry smile.
"No, no. Once you rebuild your wall, you might simply kill me. I can not take that risk."
"Then go order your attack," Sy said firmly.
"You would sentence the humans of this pathetic town to their death so quickly?"
Sy stood firm. His tone indicated he would not move from this stance. "I'm here to protect them and I believe I found a way to do just that. We're not safe as long as your goblins are ready to attack. I can ensure that won't happen if you remain our guest for a couple of days. You want access to the tunnels, that will be the price. You stay with us for two days after you return from Dunop, then you can leave. As for your worries about me keeping my word, I have no reason to break it."
Sazar took one last stab at Sy's fears. "You realize I could simply order an attack now and take the tunnels without making any bargain."
"You can, but it is a risk. How much time will you lose if you have to fight us? What if we offer just enough resistance that you miss your opportunity? You wouldn't like that. And what if we all realize we're fighting for our lives. Maybe we won't be as tired as you think. And maybe our wizard isn't as tired as you hope. From what I've learned, I know that dwarves are resistant to magic, but goblins aren't. I bet you aren't either. What if our wizard has enough power for one last spell, a spell to fry you where you stand? That's your risk. Do you wish to take that or accept my proposal?"
Sazar frowned. Then, he laughed. "You speak with a sly tongue, human. I honor that. Though I do not believe you could stop me from taking the tunnels by force, we will have it your way this day. I will accept your invitation to stay with you when I return. I expect you will honor our agreement. I will return shortly with my escorts."