Keep on the Borderlands

position. They had seen what Mead hadfound. Half a breath after, two arrows tore through the leaves and branches from opposite sides. With a gurgling cry, an orc fell to the ground and lay in a still huddle, M’Baddah’s arrow deep in its chest, M’Whan’s nearly as deep in itsback.

“That it? Just one?” Jerdren whispered.

Mead nodded. His dark eyes, his whole attention, was fixed on his fallen brother who lay as still as the dead orc.

Panev had drawn a small wooden box from his belt-pouch, and, having prayed over the contents, he sprinkled a few grains of a yellowish powder all around the arrow. Head bowed over the slender elf, he remained still for some time, praying in a breathy whisper. Mead started, hand outstretched in protest as the priest slowly withdrew the arrow. The priest’s other hand clampeddown on the mage’s arm.

Eddis watched, astonished. Willow was still breathing in shallow gasps, but the outpouring of blood didn’t follow the point. Willowfetched a deep breath, let it out on a sigh, and seemed to sleep. The priest sat back on his heels, his face gray with exhaustion.

“You… restored his life?” Jerdren whispered.

“No,” Panev replied softly. “Though I think he would havedied quickly, without what I used.” He sighed. “Mind no one else takes such ablow between now and morning, because I cannot use that powder again this day.”

“We’re going, now,” Jerdren informed him.

They reached the campsite not long before the sun set. A cool wind sprang up as the last rays of sun left the treetops, and Eddis pulled her cloak close. Two of the Keep men went for water and another built a fire in the second pit, over the trove they’d already buried. Jerdren set another to dig outthe other. There were two spare blankets and an extra cloak to share out for those they’d rescued. The merchant and his still-bespelled wife were huddledtogether under the cloak, close to the fire, the two guards each wrapped in a blanket. M’Baddah, Mead, and the priest tended to wounds and the torn bare feetof the rescued guards.

There was hard bread to begin with and a thin soup once the fire was properly going. Willow woke long enough to drink a little broth and eat the bread his brother held for him, then fell asleep once more. The merchant and his wife lay sleeping close to the fire.

“They are exhausted only, I think,” Mead said, “and afraid.The armsmen will be all right.”

“If we can send them back to the Keep, they’ll recover,”Jerdren agreed. He raised his voice a little to include all the company. “Thatwas good work today, all of you. By tomorrow evening, our horses should be back here. Any of you wants to go with ’em, there’s no shame in that, and you’veearned your share of what we’ve found so far. But I say we’ve got a rest coming.We’ll stay here tomorrow.” He glanced at Eddis, who nodded.

“Sensible,” she said. “We can use the time to upgrade yourmap and plan our next move.”

“I thought so,” he said. “How’s the arm?”

“Just stiff.” She glanced at him. “We’ve found a fair amountof treasure so far. Maybe we should send it back with the merchant and his wife, lodge it with the castellan?”

“You think that’s wise?” Blorys asked. “I mean, the man’shonest, but what if we finish up here and for some reason some of us would rather not return to the Keep? Makes sense to me not to keep everything out here, of course. It could be found by accident-someone coming by and digging theash out of the fire pit, going a little too deep. Or if something followed us back here and saw where we’d buried their coins and such? Eddis is right though.There’s a fair amount of gold and all and that after just two days. Maybe we’relucky, but maybe there’s that much more, back there. In which case, we’d be wiseto send some back to be locked in Ferec’s vaults. Make certain we’ll all get afair share, whichever way we go.”

Jerdren considered this, finally nodded. “Makes sense. We’lldo that.” He looked at Eddis. “So. What’s next?”

“Why ask me?” she said gloomily. “You may as well tossM’Baddah’s fortune-sticks and ask them. Still, we know there’s morecaves, we’ve seen some of the openings, and what Zebos told Blor bears that out.It’s odd, though. Kobolds, hobgoblins, orcs, and goblins all living that closetogether. From what I’ve always heard, they’d be warring with each other, and itwould be nasty and brutish. But so far, all we’ve seen is barred doors andguards.”

“Maybe someone’s brought them together,” Blorys suggested.

Jerdren laughed shortly. “Why anyone would-”

“Why not, Brother? Some warlord ousted from another land.Maybe even a powerful sorcerer who’s been chased off by others of his kind.Someone who wants to rule the lands hereabout, possibly take over the Keep- maybeeventually rule all the realm.” He looked at Jerdren, who grinned and gesturedfor him to go on. “It just seems to me that anyone with such ambitions and halfa brain wouldn’t flaunt himself right under the castellan’s nose the way thosebandits did. You’d want time to build a fighting force, time to acquire funds tobuy weapons-all that.”

Jerdren considered this but finally smiled and shook his head.

Blorys sighed gustily. “Don’t discount the idea. Probablyit’s wild and foolish both, but I’m just saying it’s possible.”

“I won’t, Brother,” Jerdren assured him. “Not here. Only afool would do that, and I’m foolhardy-according to you, anyway. But even youwouldn’t say I’m foolish.”

15

“Things are working out well,” Jerdren told himself as hepaced around the camp perimeter and watched his company getting ready for another day of fighting. “Our company,” he added and cast a sidelong look atEddis, who was some distance away, checking her arrows. “A full day to rest up,thanks to those prisoners we rescued, a good hot soup last night, thanks to the riders, and fresh supplies.” His map was up to date, showing the caves they hadcleared thus far, how many monsters they’d killed. He had a separate list hekept deep in his belt pouch of how much trove they’d amassed and where they’dhidden it.

Now the guards were gone again, heading back to the Keep at first light with the four rescued prisoners, and Jerdren-and Eddis-had threemore men-at-arms.

He cast Eddis another sidelong glance. Shed recovered nicely from that wounded arm, though shed been cross most of the previous day.

But she’s never been cut like that before, he remindedhimself. First one’s always a shock. At the moment, she was talking to the girlBlot. No, Flerys. Funny, insisting on the name change. The kid was used to being called Blot, wasn’t she? Odd, too, the way the swordswoman left the girl inM’Baddah’s charge most of the time. I thought women doted on children.

Mead had stowed his spellbook and was dividing the arrows he’d found in the ogre’s cave, half to his brother, half to M’Baddah.

“Magic arrows-huh,” Jerdren said dubiously. He hadn’tfelt anything unusual about them, but since elf and outlander were the best archers, it made sense to give them the extra shafts.

The company was about ready to move out. Time for a last look at the map.

Eddis came over as he unfolded the thing. “I thought weworked everything out last night,” she said. “We’re still going back after therest of those hobgoblins, right?”

He shrugged. “I was just thinking. Usually, there’s onetorture chamber per clan-or so I’ve heard. Sure, we didn’t take out the leadersor finish ’em all off like we did the kobolds, but I’m thinking they’ll keep.”

“The leaders know by now that we’re out here someplace,”Eddis reminded him. “You said only a pack of fools would give themthe chance to come at us.”

“Yeah. We killed just about every hobgoblin we found. Whywould they come looking for us? Anyway-” he shrugged that aside-“you got methinking about prisoners. Maybe you’re right, Eddis. Nobody deserves to die likethat. Remember that madman’s story about the fellows who rescued him and thengot grabbed themselves? Way he described ’em, I’d say it was bugbears.”

“I wouldn’t know, but those men are probably dead by now,Jers. It’s been too long since Zebos got out.” She sighed faintly. “If we aren’tgoing back to that last cave, what’s your idea?”