“All right, Vlandar. There’s sense in that. You have my word.Who else goes?”
The warrior turned down fingers as he went. “Myself, apaladin called Malowan, a young thief who’s his ward, two rangers, a mage namedNemis, and you.”
Khlened glanced at Lhors. “That’s seven. What of the lad,here?”
Lhors shook his head. His skin felt suddenly cold. “I’m not mean-”
“The village was his,” Vlandar replied and gazed thoughtfullyat Lhors. “It’s his choice, if he wants to come with us.”
Lhors’ eyes went wide. “I… but Vlandar, I can’t. Imean, I’m no fighter!”
Vlandar held up a hand. “I think you can. Your father beganyour training, Lhors. I’ve watched you these past days. You have skills thatwould be useful. You know your limits, you can follow orders, and you listen. We’ll be a small party, and we could use someone who won’t be worn out fromconstant travel, someone who can serve as extra eyes and ears and hands.”
Lhors had never considered this. Since coming to Cryllor, he had expected to be on his way after requesting the lord’s help. He had neverdreamed of being asked to help against the giants. He had Gran to think of…but he knew that was a false excuse. As a village wisewoman, she wouldn’t lackfor care.
He had no family to which he could return. He thought of his father and remembered the aging soldier impaled upon a giants spear. In his mind, he saw his father’s life leaking away as the man lay in a pool of his ownblood. That faded but was replaced by the memory of screaming, terrified children, too young and helpless to defend themselves. Lhors saw again Bregya’sthree year old as the giant took him and…
Something cold stirred inside Lhors. Again he saw the giants laughing as they slaughtered women and children and burned his village to the ground. “I’ll go.”
Even the Fist barbarian looked taken aback at the sudden change in the youths voice and the stern set of his gaze.
“Good lad,” replied Vlandar. “I’ll see to it the king’ssteward finds someone to return that horse and have him take word to the old woman-Gran, was it? We’ll have to fit you up with weapons and armor of somesort. Your father taught you to use javelins, right?”
Lhors nodded, afraid to trust his voice. The mention of his father brought back memories that he could cherish later, but now he needed them for other reasons. His fear was still there, but it had now been joined by something else: rage and a sudden thirst for vengeance.
3
The preparations for departure took even longer than choosingthe company had. Lhors spent much of his daylight hours helping Malowan set up a staging area in the stables. They acquired horses and pack animals, tack, packs, and bags that could be fitted on saddles and racks. He and the paladin went over the food and drink, which then went into bags that would be checked a final time by Pferic, a stolid, middle-aged soldier who would serve them as horseman and cook. Lord Mebree provided a small company to travel with them by horse as far as Flen, where a flatboat was being readied to take them to Istivin.
“It’s our best choice,” Vlandar told the company on thesecond evening when they all gathered. “From Cryllor to Flen is a reasonablyeasy ride, two days without pushing the horses. The river Davish-”
“The river,” Rowan objected, “goes from its joining with theJavan River due west, and the last time I saw it, Vlandar, it was a fast-moving stream.”
“Then you saw it in the spring,” Vlandar replied. “This islate autumn. Not only is the water low and not nearly as swift, but this time of year the wind most often sets from east to west, flowing into the westernmost corner of Sterich where the Crystalmist Mountains and the Jotens meet up. Lord Mebree has ordered a flatboat for us with sails in case there is wind-and thereshould be. The south bank and the lands beyond rapidly move into the Jotens where the Steading is, but most of Sterich is flat and we will be able to see far in three directions most of the time. I need not remind you that there will be bandits, pirates, giants, and all manner of unpleasant folk watching the Davish?”
“Pirates?” Nemis murmured and rose to his feet. “Your pardon,Vlandar, but I fear I must decline this journey. You warned me of giants and other monsters and horrors, but you said nothing about pirates!”
Lhors simply stared at the mage, astonished-as did several ofhis companions. But this seemed to be Nemis’ idea of a joke. Malowan andVlandar broke into laughter, and the mage grinned. “That is well though,Vlandar. Personally, I prefer a boat under my feet to a horse between my knees. But what if there is no wind?”
Vlandar shrugged. “We pole. This time of year, the water willbe shallow and slow. It won’t be so bad.”
That evening was given over to readying for the chance that they might become separated. Bread and other rations were divided up and put in separate small packs that each of them would carry at all times. Individual tins of flint and tinder were also stowed.
The next morning, Lhors went with Vlandar, who had him fitted for thick trousers of brown boiled wool, a soft tunic to match, and a knee-length cloak and hood of waterproofed wool that could also serve as a blanket. The warrior then took him into the armory and acquired a leather harness and case for javelins, then had it cut down so it fit snugly. Seven short throwing javelins, each tipped with sharp steel, went into the case, which could be covered over and tied down so that he wouldn’t lose the weapons if thecase tipped. To Lhors’ surprise, Vlandar also bought him two long-bladeddaggers, a sling, and a bag of hurling stones.
“The blades are for defense and only as a last resort. Thesling is as good at a distance as the javelins- possibly better since they workat greater distance with less effort. Mal is better at the sling than I. I’llget him to show you.”
During those three days, Malowan and Vlandar also found the time to track down people who knew the land near the Steading. They even found one fellow who’d been taken prisoner by one of the hill giants but had managedto escape. None of them had any desire to return no matter how great the reward, but they talked freely and answered questions that Vlandar incorporated into his precious maps. He now had four. The first was a general map of the lands of southern Sterich and the Joten mountains. Another that he’d drawn himself was ofthe Steading and the lands around it for two leagues. A third, even rougher, showed the outside of the fortress-like building-what he’d been able to learn ofentries, guard towers, and the like. The last, mostly blank, was an outline of the outer walls. Vlandar had roughly marked the location of the main entry and the doors leading into the rest of the building. His only source of information had escaped by hiding amid the cloaks and wrappings piled in the entry. With the chaos of so many coming in at once, he’d been temporarily forgotten.
The first meeting of the full group-again, after dark, sinceit gave the members of the company an opportunity to comb the market for things they would need for the journey-was less pleasant than Lhors had expected.Plowys returned, sullenly mouthing threats and trying to pick fights with everyone, including Lhors.
Khlened finally picked him up by the collar and tossed him into the night. Khlened himself was in an obnoxious mood, picking on everything he saw as poorly planned. He seemed both fascinated and repelled by the rangers and raised one objection after another over division of treasure. The rangers exchanged annoyed glances whenever he turned away.
The two rangers also spent some time helping Vlandar and the others in the company work out a rough series of hand-signs.
“Maera and I have our own,” Rowan explained, “but it’scomplex-”
“-and private,” Maera interrupted. She didn’t look at allpleased, and Lhors wondered if they had quarreled about sharing their code.
Rowan glanced at her and moved her index finger and thumb sharply.
Maera nodded and added, “Mostly, it’s complicated-a twinthing.”
“But we think there might be times when it’s dangerous tospeak aloud,” Rowan went on, “and so if we all had a set of signs for suchthings as ‘danger’, ‘monster’… Vlandar, you’re our captain, you’ll knowbest what we need besides what Maera and I have worked out.”
“Well thought,” the warrior admitted. “We’ll have a littlemore time here and some time on the road each
