Death Or Fortune (5 page)

    
Of all things in life I have been taught, this one thing always seemed to be
the most useful. When lost in a maze, follow the right hand wall.  For
three days the four of us made our way past every obstacle in our way.
 Except for one very large and according to Hetaron, magically locked
door.  Both he and Hans studied the door for hours on end and I got tired
of watching Pare get shocked when he touched the door.  I think he was
tired of it as well but he seemed very determined.
     Three days underground and no evil wizard to speak of.
 That being said, we did find humans, lots of them.  Four of them
proved most troublesome but they in fact provided the most information we had
found yet. They also provided the greatest fortune.  It was the day before
or earlier that day.  I was no longer sure what day it was, only that I
was tired and needed a good rest.
"They are from Katja-Lor, a good
people but they will work for the highest bidder."
Hans told us.
 I didn't care where they were from.  All I cared about was the chest
of coins they were guarding.  Then we found the papers on the leader.
 This chest was the last of ten, payment from someone calling their self
The Messiah.  The other nine had already been shipped out it had seemed.
 What the payment was for, it did not say.  Above and beyond the
coins was the armor I found, at the time it was the most beautiful thing I had
ever seen.  I do not know who it was made for but it fit me like a glove.
 If I ever find who made it, I owe them a great deal of debt as this armor
has saved my life, countless times.
     "
I cannot open this without more study. We
need to return back to town
." We all had things to tend to and things
to mend. We had some good information for Turk.  We had clues for smarter
heads to think on. I had my armor and a chest of gold to take account of.
 Oh and Hetaron had that stupid rug he wouldn't shut up about.  I
thought he was crazy at the time, flying carpet.  Who ever heard of such a
thing?  Today I can say it is a wonder to behold but you truly have to be
an insane wizard to use it.  I remember coming up that stair well for the
first time in three days being the happiest man alive.  It wouldn't last
long.  It wouldn't last long at all.
     The city had started to come alive as we were riding
into town.  A new day, new coin, it was a new me.  I told the others
that the first stop would be the inn to get all of the stuff we left behind. We
were going to some place different, some place nice.  Some place that was
clean.  No one argued with me.  I was leading the way, I could hear
Hans and Hetaron talking of something.  I didn't think it was important.
 People in the streets were speaking in those hushed tones again. I didn't
notice and if I did, I wouldn't have cared.  That was when I heard the
terror in Hans’s voice for the first time, when he rode past me, telling me to
hurry.  
"We have to get to Turk!"
It startled me just a
bit.  We did get to him but not at his office but closer to the office of
Captain Nikle.  Outside of the city jail was a large squared off
area.  In the center of that area was the hangman’s gallows.  It was
in this area that people would come to see public executions.  This
morning, the house was packed.

    
Still mounted on my horse I could see Turk on the other side of the gallows.
 He was alone, his face a mask of stone.  A hooded man stood on the
gallows, checking the ropes.  Checking the trap door.  Once he was
satisfied he stood and waited.  The executioner stood still, watching the
door of the guard post.  Knowing his next job was coming.  A large man,
huge axe hanging from his hip.  As he waited he kept reaching down to
touch it.  Almost as if he hoped to use it.  My eyes kept shifting
between him, Turk and the door they were both watching.  Then came the
horns.

     One single
long tone sounded in the air as a hush fell over the gathered crowd.  The
door to the guard house opened and two lines of the city watch came marching
out.  They were clearing a path to the gallows for the condemned.
 Then came the man I had met only a few days before.  Hogan, from the
king’s guards.  He was bound and gagged being pushed forward by Nikle.
 The crowd began to throw stuff at him.  That was when I felt the
pull on my foot.  I looked down to see Pare, white as a ghost.
"Please
tell me I don't have to watch Darmot, please I can't watch."
I pulled
a few coins out of my pouches and told Pare to return to the inn, pay our bill
and to gather our stuff. Pare ran off as if the dark lords had been chasing
him.

    
"On this day, by the order of King Roderick this man will be put to death
for the crimes of murder and treason against Arcadia."
Nikle seemed
pleased with himself.  It was as if he was happy to carry out this order.
 Nikle placed a black hood over the head of Hogan and then the rope.
 The crowd was cheering when Nikle gave the signal for the lever to be
pulled.  I felt as if I was falling with him as I watched him drop.
 I could feel the pull when he reached the end of the rope.  The
crowd began to roar as if it was some great beast, happy to have its meal. I
turned to look at my two friends, Hans was saying a prayer for the departed
soul.  Hetaron seemed even more distant that normal.  I began to feel
sick, I had to get away from the mob.

     We found
Pare back in our old room.  He was sitting on a bed, the color still had
not returned to his face.  I didn't blame him at the time and today I
still don't.  I saw the wash basin in the corner of the room, filled with
fresh water.  I started to strip off my armor and washed myself as best I
could.  Even with days of dirt, sweat and blood washed away I still felt
dirty.  With great care I packed my armor away.  I would not need it
any more on this day.  I dressed myself in my finest clothes, my blue
cloak and that stupid hat, feather and all.  On the way out I paid our
final bill collected my friends and went off to a much nicer place.

     I had seen
the inn twice before, not far from the lords district.  I didn't care how
much it was going to cost me.  I had two things on my mind.  Eating a
hot meal and sleeping in soft bed.  Looking back, I got much more than I
planned for.  Hans never even entered, he told us that he was going to
spend the night in temple to pray for guidance.  Hetaron was off soon
after.  He said he must see his master and work on a spell for the door
that blocked our way.  So there Pare and I stood, with all of our
belongings waiting for a stable hand to take the horses.  I could smell
the food cooking in the kitchen. I think the smell of fresh baked bread even
began to relax Pare again.  He had started to talk about everything under
the sun.  I let him go, his voice was much louder than the thoughts in my
head.

     Today the
inn is quite different. For the life of me, I cannot remember what it was
called that day.  Now it is called the Red Dragon Inn.  Once the
stable hand took care of our mounts Pare and I went inside.  The main room
was very well lit and inviting.  There was a single man sitting at the bar
speaking to a woman on the other side.  I will remember this image for the
rest of my life.  The two of them were happy in that moment, Stephan and
Pamala.  Stephan took my money for two rooms, Pamala gave us food.
 As we sat down to eat and drink the stable hand returned and took our
bags to the rooms we had just rented.  I don't know how long we sat down
there in the main room that first night.  Long enough to see the light of
day had long faded away, Pare had passed out in the chair next to me.  I
asked Pamala if someone could show me the way to my rooms.  A bell was
rung as I picked up Pare and tossed him over my shoulder.

     A tender
voice said to follow and I just struggled to keep up.  Who knew Halflings
could weigh so much.  Up two flights of stairs I followed the yellow silk
dress.  The hem of it was very nice as with Pare on top of me, bouncing
around that was all I had been able to see.  I thought I heard him giggle
once and I almost dropped him on his head.  I deposited him in the first
of the two rooms, when the voice asked me if she should light a fire I told her
no.  I doubted he would be awake before morning.  I tucked the over
fed and slightly drunk halfling into bed and turned to leave the room.  I
turned just in time to see the yellow dress walking out the door, telling me
that my room was just next door.

     I locked
Pare's door and tossed the key on a wash table and closing the door on my way
out. As the door closed I could see the yellow dress going into my room from
the corner of my eye. All of our bags were stacked at the foot of one of the
beds.  The woman in the yellow dress asked,
"Fire my lord".
 I said yes please and walked over to look out the window.  I could
see the lord’s district and the king’s castle beyond that.  The view from
there was incredible.  It wasn't until I turned around that I truly had my
breath taken away.  This was the first time that I had seen her face, the
love of my life, the one who would become my wife, my Jasmin.

    
I spent the better part of the night awake. Under a constant assault from my
own thoughts I could not get any rest. I knew first thing in the morning I
would have to go see Captain Turk. I knew something wasn't right about what I
saw that day. I believe his loyalty to the kingdom was the only thing that kept
him from charging the gallows to save his friend.  He had a look of
helplessness on his face. That was a feeling I understood.

    
Then I kept going back to the face of Jasmin. How her eyes captured me and set
my soul on fire. I kept her in my room as long as I could without touching her
or saying anything to betray my feelings. She was the inn keeper’s daughter.
She was beautiful. She looked fragile yet carried herself with an inner
strength that would make a mob cower from her look.  Her family had money
that much was clear.  She was an only child she told me that night.
 One day the inn would pass to her.  That was a life I could live
with if it meant having her by my side and in my bed.  I would give up all
my plans if it meant I could be with her.  All dreams of glory faded when
I saw the light in her eyes.
     Just when I had started to quiet all the voices in my
head Hetaron came back. Why he insisted on sleeping in the same room as me I
will never know. Looking back perhaps he didn't trust me as I trusted him then.
I will never know. He told me that he would need another full day to prepare
his spell. If it was up to me we could have just waited outside of that door.
At some point, I thought, the wizard would have to come out. At the same time
as I was thinking about how much blood I could get from Hetaron before he would
shut up, word of our adventures was getting back to the wrong people. As I
tried to sleep, the great machine had started to turn. Hoping to catch us in
its wheels and grind us to death between the cogs of its teeth.
     Once I found sleep someone else had found me. I was
awoken by a pounding on the door. I opened it up to see the face of one of the
city guard ordering me to report to Captain Nikle. I was ready to throttle the
man when I noticed that it was mid-day. I had slept several hours yet it felt
as if only minutes had passed. I told the man that I would need some time to
get dressed but I would be along as soon as I could. I only wondered what in
the world he wanted with me. I turned to see Hetaron had already left. Another
quick check found no sign of Hans or Pare. I still don't know why I did it but
instead of just putting on normal clothes I started putting on my armor. I then
took the papers we found so I could pass them on to Turk once I was finished
with Nikle.
     On my way out I saw Jasmin washing down the tables.
With one hand on my sword and the other on my heart I gave her a smile and half
a bow. It was as if she was just seeing me for the first time. Her father also
saw me and he did not look pleased at all. Not that I thought of it, I just
turned and left. Just seeing her face again made me happy, so happy I had
walked half the distance to Nikles office before I knew it. The power she had
over me was incredible. Even the smug face of Captain Nikle seemed pleasant when
I thought of her.

     Nikle was
irritated that I came alone. I tried to explain to him that I figured it was
best to come as soon as possible instead of keeping him waiting for me to
gather all of my friends.
"I have need of you tonight Kromwell."
Nikle began unrolling a map over the top of his desk. It was the first time I
had seen a proper map of the main city.
"I have reason to believe there
are more traitors hiding about. I received word of something odd going on at
this farm house here."
Nikle pointed to a spot on the map well outside
of the city.
"I want you to go there, see what is going on and report
back to me before morning. I don't care if you have to watch that house all
night long. Come back to me with something. The kingdom is in dire need of
resolving this mess and all the trouble makers must be dealt with
swiftly."
I took note of the roads I would need to follow and asked if
there was anything else I needed to know. He only gave me a smile and told me
good luck. The look on his face was enough to give me the chills.
     I had thought of giving the papers we had found to him
but something told me not to. I took everything to Captain Turk. Told him
everything we had learned so far and how we could not advance any more due to
the door. He sat there in silence listing to me speak while he read over the
papers. When I was done I waited for him to say something. The sound of silence
became solid, its weight crushing down on me. Waiting for him to say something,
anything at all. I could see from the look on his face that things were
becoming clear for him. As the sun had started to fade on the world, the light
of understanding was just about to dawn on Turk. At last he just told me that
we had done good work so far and to keep him up to date on everything we had to
find. Then he sent me on my way but not before telling me to keep everything
quiet. Telling me not to trust anyone but him. I then told him about what Nikle
had requested of me. I showed him on the map where he wanted me to go and everything
Nikle had told me. He told me to do as I was asked but to see him before going
back to Nikle. I had started to feel as if I were being pulled in two different
directions.
     As soon as I left Turks office I headed out. I don't
know how but it seemed I had wasted several hours between the two men. The sun
was nearly gone and the moon could be seen over the horizon. It was at least
going to be a clear night. Not a single cloud was overhead. I had made good
time that night. Perhaps better time than anyone could or would expect. Once I
heard the excited bleating of the sheep I knew I was getting close. I kept
going even though the light from Myrrdin reflecting off of my armor made it
look as if I was a signal mirror. I got to the farm house and saw one very
simple fact. Unless I was going to crawl around with the sheep near the house I
wasn't going to get any closer. There was nowhere to hide, just grazing land, a
barn and the house.
     I don't know where they came from. I did not know who
they were. It was honestly the last thing I expected to see. There were three
men, one of them rather large, cutting across the pasture. The two smaller men
had weapons drawn, the other carried a lamp. They were moving fast towards the
small house and had not seen me so I started to follow.  As they hit the
door, I was going over the fence keeping the sheep in. The big one took one big
kick and the door flew into the house followed by the two armed men. Something
wasn't right here.  I heard the sound of a dish shattering and a women
screaming.  Everything else was drown out by the sound of my
breathing.  When I entered into the kitchen, the big man’s lamp was on the
table. I could hear people talking in the other room.  I crept forward
towards the door way between the kitchen and the main room, the two smaller men
had a woman and child cornered. On his knees in the middle of the room was the
husband. I couldn't see the third man but I could hear him crashing around in
another room.
     "Hurry up and kill him."
     "No, you kill him, I want to do the woman."

    
"Really, I thought you wanted the little boy."
     "Oh fine I will do it."
     They still had not seen me. I knew in my mind I could
take them both but I wasn't sure what would happen with the third man in the
mix. The only sound I made was the drawing of steel and it wasn't enough to
warn them of their impending death.  Not yet anyway, like an idiot I
roared at the top of my lungs but it got the reaction I was looking for. Both
men were stunned for a moment, confused even and I was very aware of what was
about to happen. Even more aware when my sword tip entered the neck of the
first man, from tip to hilt the blade slid into his neck as if he had no bones
in there at all.  I twisted my hand to yank the blade free and began
moving towards the second thug.  He at least tried to lift his weapon to
defend himself. Not that it did him any good.  My first stroke hit him
just below the wrist of the hand holding his weapon.  As his sword was
hitting the floor, mine was entering his chest.  He was dead less than a
moment later.
     I turned to the man still on his knees screaming at
them to run, to go, and get to town.  He was shaken sitting still.  I
could hear the big man coming.  I turned to the woman and boy telling them
the same. I ran over and started pulling and pushing them, trying to get them
moving. The boys voice got them both moving, "
run papa
." He
couldn't have been more than ten years old. He was pulling on his mother’s
dress, pulling her out of the house as I was pushing her.  Just as the
father took to his feet I heard it flying through the air. I turned just in
time to see the axe hit him in the chest, his body was now flying with it, it
landed in a heap, the axe still buried deep in him. The boy and woman were out
the door and never saw what happened. I turned to see the large man, the hooded
man pulling the axe out of the old Sheppard.

      As I
was running out the way I had come in, I saw his lantern on the kitchen table.
I knew I had to slow the big man down so I knocked it down to the floor.
 Before I could catch up with the woman and child outside the kitchen was
engulfed in flames. "
Where is my husband
?" she turned to see
the fire and then there was nothing I could do to stop her.  I tried to
tell her that he was gone and she needed to run and run she did.  She ran
right back into her burning house. "
MAMA
!" the boy shouted as
he raced off after his mother. I did the only thing I could do. Go after them.
Before I knew it they were both back inside of the burning home and I was going
in behind them.

      The
heat was incredible. Already I could feel my armor starting to cook me, I knew
if I was in there much longer I would be finished. I heard it one last time “
MAMA
!"
I rushed to hear him in time to see the burning beam come down on top of his
mother and father. I grabbed the boy and kept moving through the house.
"Come on kid, we have to get out of here." I pushed him into a room
that wasn't burning yet. I could still feel the heat rushing to us from behind.
I turned and pointed towards the open window. "Go, out the window." I
turned and in horror watched it all happen. The large hooded man stood outside
of the window, the boy staring up at him. I was moving in slow motion.
 The house behind me had started to fall into its own cellar.  While
I was moving to the window as fast as I could, the axe fell faster.

      I
burst through the window just as the floor at my feet had started to give way.
The entire house was on fire and falling in on itself. The poor boy laid at my
feet, his small body torn in two. I looked around and saw the hooded man
running back towards town. I started to run again, knowing that I had to stop
this man, this monster. The sheep were in the field, running from the burning
house, it was them that gave me time to catch the man before he could get over
the fence and back on the road. I said nothing as my sword arm was flying
towards his back. With a quickness that I had never seen before in a man so
large he turned and blocked my stroke with his axe.

      That
was when it hit me. That was where I had seen this man before. This was the man
who pulled the lever that sent Hogan to his death. This was the kingdoms
executioner before me. We then started to dance around each other, I had the
advantage of armor and he had his size.  Back and forth we went each of us
scoring blows but nothing that caused real harm.  He moved like a man half
his size. For each blow of his axe I blocked on my shield, he dodged my sword.
 I began to wonder why he was doing this and the longer we fought, the
more I had to know so I asked him why.

 
    
"They failed to heed the warnings of the Messiah, their blood was the
price for that failure. Soon the Sons of Mother Arcadia will sweep clean this
land of false kings and betrayers. Soon the Messiah will return to the throne
where he belongs and lead our great nation in a war to unite the sister
kingdoms under one flag, one empire."
It was the most insane thing I
had ever heard but I had to keep him talking. While he was ranting I got him to
stand between the fence and I. I inched closer and closer, I knew I had to be
quick. I had to be faster than him if what I had planned was to work. That was
when I looked out past him and said out loud, ‘take him now’. That was when the
executioner turned and looked for someone that wasn't there.

      I
rammed him into the fence with my shield and before he could react he was
falling backwards, his feet flying through the air. The top rail of the fence
hit him just below his waist. Before he landed I was jumping over the rail
myself, sword in hand ready to strike. Just as he landed face first on the
ground I rammed my sword into his back between his massive shoulder blades. I
held it there waiting for some sign of life, there was none.  I let go of
the blade and stood back.  I watched him there, still not moving, pinned
to the ground by my blade.  I then looked up into the Eye of Myrrdin whose
light was being somewhat obstructed by the smoke.  I wondered how I would
be judged when it was my time to die.  I still wonder to this day.