“But he knows about it. He said he wouldn’t stop us,” Aldie added, nudging Bernard with his elbow. “And the other pilgrims are really nice. They know what it’s like to be cursed. They don’t shun us for the way we look.” He noted the lack of encouragement in Edge’s eyes and gestured at the female trollkin. “And-and it’s been working. Meg’s slime has started to go away.”
“It has!” said the trollkin with the beady red eyes. She stuck out her hand and slime dripped from her skin in long stringy ribbons. Meg looked at her hand and hurriedly put it down. “Oh, well it’s like this right now, but it’s been much better lately. E-ever since we stopped at the barrier.”
Any reduction in her slime was likely due to dehydration, Artemus observed coolly. The air out here is abysmally dry.
“Have you been out to the barrier, Sir Edge?” Aldie asked.
“No,” Edge began, but the trollkin cut him off in excitement.
“Oh! It’s amazing,” Bernard said.
Aldie nodded. “There’s this place where the air just shimmers and when you reach out and touch it, your whole body just vibrates. It’s a feeling that’s so unique.”
“It’s a feelin’ that’s tellin’ you that if you keep pushing on the barrier, it’s gonna vibrate yer dag-blamed skin off!” Lenny said disapprovingly. “Folks should stay away from it.”
Meg scoffed. “We’re smart enough not to touch it for long. All pilgrims know that. We mainly go there in hopes of seeing one of the Khobareth.”
“I don’t know if I believe that part,” said Bernard.
Deathclaw cocked his head in partial recognition of the word. It seemed to mean something to Artemus too, because he let out a contemplative hum.
Edge pursed his lips. As much as he liked seeing Aldie again, this conversation was getting them nowhere. “Well, we’ll let you continue on your pilgrimage. We are in a hurry ourselves.”
“Oh,” said Aldie, looking a bit disappointed. “Are you trying to catch up with your wife?”
Edge froze. “You saw her? Where?”
Bernard’s eyebrows rose in surprise at his reaction. He pointed up the road northward. “Uh, just on the far side of Hoolahan Crossing.”
“Hoolahan Crossin’?” said Lenny. “Never heard of it. That a village or somethin’?”
“It’s a pilgrim tent city,” Aldie explained. He peered back the way he had come. “You can’t see it from here because of all the steam, but it’s huge. You can’t miss it. Just stay on the road for a few miles and you’ll get there. She was camped on the northern outskirts with another person. We wanted to stop and talk to her, but she was asleep when we went by and a man yelled at us and told us to leave.”
“Are you certain it was her?” asked Deathclaw.
All four trollkin nodded in response. “We could never forget our king’s favorite sister,” said Meg.
“I saw her braids and green ribbons,” Bernard added.
“Are they still there?” Edge pressed.
“I-I don’t think so. We hung around a little while and saw them packing up to leave,” Aldie said, taken aback by the intensity in his eyes. “Is she okay? Do you want us to go with you?”
Edge considered it. The trollkin were formidable allies. They were strong and the behemoth had given them regenerative abilities that allowed them to shrug off fearsome wounds. That could come in handy when they had to face the holy site’s guardians.
Nevertheless, he shook his head. He couldn’t ask them to put their lives on the line for his sake. “Thank you for offering, Aldie, but it’s dangerous and I don’t know how long this will take.”
“Oh,” said Aldie slowly. “Are you going into the Whitebridge?”
“I’m fairly certain we’ll have to,” Edge replied.
Aldie nodded. “At least let us give you something that could help.” He held his hand out to the fourth trollkin, Ebner. The part-human gave him a surprised look. Aldie gestured urgently. “Come on. The orb.”
Meg put a hand on Aldie’s arm. “Are you sure?”
“It’s been useful to us, but this is for the king’s sister,” Aldie said.
Meg licked her lips, but dropped her hand. “Give it to him, Ebner.”
Blinking, Ebner reached within his cloak and pulled out an object that Edge recognized right away. It was a wooden ball, perfectly round and polished. There were no visible runes on its surface, but as it came into view, Edge could feel the bewitching magic radiating from it.
The three warwielders flinched as they felt it. “What is that?” asked Evastus.
“It’s a talisman,” said Aldie. “It repels insects and predators. It won’t stop anything smart, but it will keep away much of the nastiness in the desert.”
The prophet Matthew had made several of these items and had used them to protect a small village from the mindless aggression of trolls. During the war against the Troll Mother, Matthew had given Deathclaw one to help him travel through the swamps unmolested. Edge wondered if the Troll King knew that Aldie had taken this. “Are you certain you can part with this?”
“We were gonna use it to get through the desert ourselves so that we could stand before the stair to Alsarobeth,” said Bernard. “But when we got there, uh.”
Aldie cleared his throat. “We thought about it, but everyone says not to. It’s really dangerous and really hot.”
“And dry,” added Meg. “Also, the orb won’t chase away dragons.”
Edge took it from Ebner reverently. “Thank you. All four of you. I’ll tell Jhonate of your generosity.”
Aldie smiled. “I hope you find her soon.”
“Me too,” said Meg.
“Good luck!” added Bernard.
The fourth trollkin gave him an encouraging gesture but said nothing. Perhaps it couldn’t speak.
Edge gestured to the rest of the party and they continued down the road towards the sweltering rocky valley. The ground still steamed in places, but most of the puddles left by the rain storm had already evaporated, leaving the dirt surface of the landscape cracked.
Deathclaw lingered behind for a moment and approached Aldie. “You have been to the barrier at the edge of the Known Lands. How were you able to do this without crossing the desert?”
“Oh, there’s many places where you can reach the barrier in this world,” Aldie said.
Deathclaw gave him a dull look. Of course, he knew that. The barrier surrounded the Known Lands after all. The Trollkin had intimated that they had done so here in the north.
“We went around the Whitebridge,” Meg explained. “If you reach the stream at the edge of the desert, you can follow it east until you almost get to the Wide River. Then there’s a safe route north to the barrier. Most of the pilgrims go that way.”
Deathclaw let out a disappointed hiss. Without saying another word, he moved past them and hurried to catch up with the others, leaving the trollkin standing there perplexed.
Now that Edge knew a place where Jhonate and the thief had last been seen, Edge was in no mood to tarry. He had Fist tell Rufus to grow so that he, Fist, and Deathclaw could ride him. Then he handed the orb to Deathclaw and the raptoid put it away in one of his bags.
“What’re you doin, Son?” Lenny asked as he watched the rogue horse extending the length of his back so that Deathclaw could fit.
“We’re going to rush ahead to the tent city,” Edge explained. “If we get lucky, we might find someone who knows exactly where they were headed. You and the Bash Brothers can meet us there.”
“Sure,” said Lenny with a frown. “But why don’t we just hurry there together?”
“Yeah. We can run really fast,” Evastus assured him.
Edge let out a frustrated sigh. “Because with Fist’s power we can get there faster. Every minute that goes by makes it less likely we’ll find someone who saw them.” He didn’t bother to add the fact that if he didn’t get there as quick as he could, his head might explode.
“There is no use trying to talk him
out of it when he gets like this,” Deathclaw said as he leapt up to perch on Rufus’ leonine back end.
The dwarf’s frown deepened into a scowl. “I hear you, but dag-blast it, what if you catch the trail and get too far ahead of us? We ain’t the trackers in this group.”
“Well, that’s where your new connection with Edge will come in handy,” said Fist, pointing to his temple. “You won’t be able to lose track of us.”
“It’s a good test of the magic,” Edge agreed and called out mentally for Rufus to run ahead.
“What’s he talking about?” Chester asked the dwarf.
Lenny hurried over to Albert and climbed up into the saddle. “He’s sayin’ we’d better well get our dag-gum arses in gear so’s we don’t get left behind.”
Rufus rushed down the road in a full-on gallop. The rogue horse’s large size was the only thing that kept him from sliding on the road’s still-muddy patches. Still, it was a rougher ride than usual. Deathclaw was forced to grab onto Fist’s robes to keep his balance.
Alright, Fist, Edge said through the bond. Now.
Fist hesitated before using his power. Are you sure you want me to do this? he asked Edge through the bond. If we use up too much of Rufus’ energy he won’t have it when we need it.
It’s just to get us to the city, Edge said. I’m tired of being patient.
The ogre grinned. Then I suggest you hold on tight.
Edge wisely grabbed a double fistful of the mane that ran down Rufus back.
Fist reached into his bond with the rogue horse and tapped into the vast well of power within him. Then he reached into his connection with his mace and its quickening power. Are you ready, Rufus?
“Ooh-ooh! Yes!” Rufus huffed. Fist connected the two magics and poured speed into the rogue horse.
Edge’s stomach lurched as Rufus darted forward, his arms and rear legs a blur. The landscape passed quickly by them and he found himself laughing as they careened down the road. This is the kind of speed he had wanted to move in from the moment he had felt Jhonate’s presence leave the ring on his finger.
Deathclaw wasn’t quite as happy with the ride. Edge was sitting in the most stable place on Rufus’ back, while the raptoid was crouched on the rogue horse’s rear haunches. Deathclaw was bounced and jostled and he instinctually gripped into the tan fur of Rufus’ rear with his talon-like claws.
“Ouch!” Rufus bellowed.
Sorry, Deathclaw replied, but he didn’t dare loosen his grip. Fist sent his thoughts into Rufus’ body and caused the skin on his back to thicken and toughen so that it no longer hurt.
In contrast to the frantic speed of the rogue horse, Artemus spoke coolly in Edge’s mind. While I slept, I remembered more about Alsarobeth. Edge, we do not want a servant of the Dark Prophet to reach that place.
Edge’s interest was piqued. He hadn’t expected the wizard to have more knowledge about the holy site, but he shouldn’t have been surprised. Despite regaining his sanity, spending two centuries as a frost elemental had caused Artemus to forget many things.
Hopefully we catch up to them before they get there, Edge said.
If we do, and the thief is exposed, will Jhonate still wish to go there?
I guarantee she will, Edge replied. She would still want to meet with Seer Rahan after all. Why? What have you remembered?
Sarine and I went there with John once, Artemus said.
Edge was intrigued, but not surprised by the development. Artemus had been one of the Prophet’s companions before the Dark Prophet’s priestess of war had killed him. You saw it?
No, said Artemus. My memory of those events is fuzzy, but I do recall that John had us wait at the entrance while he went up to commune with his master.
Is there anything else about it that you can remember? Edge asked.
The wizard grunted to himself. I remember that John impressed upon us how important the site was. I . . . His tone became frustrated. There was more. I know there was! It is not a place one should approach lightly. I shall meditate on it more. Perhaps I can wring more from my dusty mind.
Thank you, Great Grandfather, Edge replied.
There it is, said Rufus from within the bond. He sounded disappointed that the ride was coming to an end.
The tent city of Hoolahan Crossing spread across the rock-strewn horizon like a white blanket. If not for the hazy distortions caused by the heat, he might have thought it was snow.
“Huh,” Edge said. He had seen larger encampments before, enormous armies awaiting battle. This one was impressive in a different way. These were people of every race and nationality, united for a purpose other than war. Perhaps he had been too dismissive of these pilgrims.
Fist released Rufus from his mace’s magic as they drew near to the city and the three bonded slid down from the rogue horse’s back. “A peaceful encampment,” said Fist, echoing his thoughts. “Impressive.”
“This is no proper encampment,” Deathclaw replied, his upper lip curled.
Edge’s rising level of respect for these people only lasted until they entered the city. Then he understood Deathclaw’s distaste. The smell of the place was the first thing Edge’s heightened senses picked up. It was foul.
In a military encampment, soldiers were ordered to dispose of their waste in proper fashion. In this city, there was little to no oversight in such things. He saw many children running around the city’s outskirts and hoped dearly that their families wouldn’t stay long before moving on. Disease was likely to run rampant.
“Stinks!” said Rufus with a shake of his head.
“These people need proper leadership,” Fist said.
Edge agreed. The cause that kept these people together was too tenuous for such things. There was little order to this place until they entered the center of town and stepped into the bazaar. Now Edge understood the true reason this tent city existed.
The bustling center of the city was a merchant’s paradise. Tents with colorful entrances lined the road. They could sell whatever they wanted, charge whatever they wanted, even swindle who they wished. There was no oversight here. There was no police force to enforce laws. There were only the mercenary guards standing at the entrances to the largest tents.
Between each merchant tent, lesser sellers hawked their wares, yelling out to passers-by. Edge wondered how long this place would be able to exist. Did the humble pilgrims that came through here have enough gold to make it worth their while?
Fist looked around at the vendors with curiosity, but Deathclaw hated the place more than Edge did. He never had liked being in such a tight press of people. Fortunately, the tight press of people managed to leave a gap between themselves and Edge’s frightening bonded. Even the vendors took one look at their party and decided that it wasn’t worth bothering them.
Let’s continue to the north side of the city, Edge sent. He had intended to ask around and see if anyone had seen Jhonate passing through, but she wouldn’t have lingered in this place. Even if she had decided to buy something, she wouldn’t have revealed anything about herself.
When they made their way out of the bazaar area Edge felt a sense of relief. The northern side of the city was a more orderly place. The tents were spaced farther apart and it didn’t stink as much as the southern side. He wasn’t sure why there was such a delineation. Perhaps there was leadership in parts of the city.
They continued down the road looking for any evidence of a site that had been recently vacated. If they could determine where Jhonate had been, they’d have a better chance of finding someone who had spoken to her.
Edge’s determination faded as the light of the day waned. He and Fist began to ask around at different campsites, but if anyone had seen her, they refused to talk. These pilgrims were protective of each other and Edge and Fist were obviously not part of their movement. He began to regret his decision to deny Aldie’s offer of help. If they had brought the trollkin with them, not only would they have been able to find the right spot, but people m
ight have been more willing to talk.
Without finding the actual site where Jhonate had stayed the night before, the close press of people kept Deathclaw and Rufus from picking up any scents. It grew obvious that their best bet was to get away from the city and try to find their trail once more. They decided to make camp just outside the city.
Lenny and the Bash Brothers caught up to them just before dark. All four of them looked weary. Evastus’ eye was already starting to twitch.
“There you are, you arse-headed nose-lifter!” Lenny barked as soon as Albert drew close enough for Edge to hear. “You better’ve learned somethin’ to make this rushin’ ’round worth it!”
“Nope,” said Rufus. Edge just gave him a dull look.
Shaking his head, Lenny climbed down from his horse and began to unload his things near the fireside so that he could start dinner. “Sorry to hear it, Son.”
Edge sighed. “We’ll make it a short night and keep moving down the road in the morning.”
“At least, you found us okay,” said Fist, heading over to help the dwarf with his preparations.
Lenny shrugged. “It weren’t hard at all. I could feel where you was the whole time. To tell you the truth, I could even kinda tell it weren’t goin’ so well.”
“Then why did you ride up acting so surprised?” Fist asked.
“I wanted to give you ignorant log heads a hard time, but yer dag-gum sad puppy faces took the fun out of it,” the dwarf grumped.
Lenny made a quick stew of dried beef and spices and tossed in a special sort of rice that he had purchased in the tent city. It fluffed up quickly in the pot, absorbing the water almost instantly.
The Bash Brothers seemed to be in a funk. Rufus approached them wanting to joke or wrestle, but they waved him off. When dinner was ready, they walked up and ate their share, then went promptly to lie down.
“Are you three okay?” Edge asked.
“Just tired,” they said in unison, then closed their eyes.
Chester and Delvin began to snore right away. Edge figured that it was best not to press the issue and returned to the fireside to refill his bowl. As usual, Lenny’s cooking was both flavorful and filling. Edge had even grown to appreciate the heat from the added spices.
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