White Plume Mountain

entering a region blanketed by Iuz’s patrols and allsorts of lordless banditry. Do what he tells you. Once you cross the river into enemy territory, the party will be under his command.”

Slurping wine, the baron pushed up from his chair. He ignored his visitors as priests, clerks, and scholars all stood to their feet.

“We will also offer you a guide, an experienced trail-blazerwho is willing to guide the party into the Bandit Kingdoms.” The baron snappedhis fingers. “Summon him. Priests, bring your men. Plan your journey tonight.The recovery team leaves at dawn.”

Men bowed as the baron, his wine jug, and his goblet all retired from the hall. Priests glared at one another then swept from the keep to summon their agents. Escalla brightly waved them all good-bye then helped herself to the largest remaining jug of wine.

“So, Jus, we dodge in, we flit out. We grab the treasure andrun!” The faerie gave a great, expressive shrug. “What could be simpler?”

Sitting down at the abandoned table, the Justicar helped himself to wine, roast kid, and bread. “I don’t like it. He knows we are coming.He wants us to come. For some reason, the librarian wants us in his lair.”

Lair! Cinders grinned his big white grin. Cinderssniff! Fire burn! Kill!

Blissfully happy, Escalla raised her wine in a toast. “See?Cinders has it. Couldn’t be simpler!” The faerie reclined on the table andhelped herself to a large chunk of the Justicar’s food. “Look, take it fromme-adventuring is all just a matter of bringing the right talents to bear. We’vegot these Trigol City rubes for monster fodder, we’ve got you two guys formuscle, and me for brains! We’ve even got a guide!” The girl lay on herback and scissored her long legs in a twinkle of pure glee. “It’s perfect! Whatcould possibly go wrong?”

A soldier opened a door across the hall and admitted a new visitor. Striding happily into the room, the party’s guide took one look at hisnew companions and brayed for joy.

“It’s you, son! So there you are, finished skulking atlast!”

The Justicar jackknifed forward, almost choking on his wine. Brimming with joy, Polk the teamster whacked the big man across his hell hound-covered shoulders. “We’ve got a job, son! You and me! There’s a realadventure to be done. Real work, not this investigation stuff you waste your time on. A dungeon- now that’s where a hero should be! You stick withme, son, and I’ll make you a hero despite yourself!” Polk leaned to whisperloudly in Escalla’s ear. “We gotta talk him up, give him confidence. Poor kidwouldn’t know a portent from a portable hole.”

Escalla looked up at Jus and gave the man a big smile. Polk reached for the wine and poured drinks for all, throwing arms about all three of his adopted friends.

“Here’s to adventure! The stuff of legends and the spice oflife!” Polk stuffed a beef bone between Cinders’ jaws. “Drink, son, drink!We’re off to make history!”

With a heavy sigh, the Justicar surrendered to his fate. By the time he finished the wine jug, the world had still steadfastly refused to improve.

12

In the gray hours before dawn, the baron’s castle laysleeping. Sentries leaned on the battlements while guard dogs snoozed. In the stables, a few yawning milkmaids and grooms stumbled about the first of the day’s chores.

Cinders grinned happily, his teeth set and his eyes gleaming. Splayed on her belly in an old cot, Escalla made peaceful, ecstatic little noises as she clutched onto her bed. Jus had been tramping in and out of the room for almost half an hour, noisily getting ready for the journey. Escalla was aware that he was trying to wake her and perversely decided to remain exactly where she was.

An earth-shattering crash of metal, leather, and junk shuddered through the floorboards. Jus had deliberately dropped his armor and weapons belt right beside Escalla’s bed. Escalla hugged the bed, finally liftingan eye up out of the blankets.

“Is there any particular reason why you can’t just relax theway other people do?”

“We leave in three hours.” Jus was noisily beginning hisdaily task of attending to the edge of his sword. After this would come exercises, armor maintenance, and breakfast. “We have to pack.”

Escalla gave a mighty yawn. “Face it, man. There is nothingto pack. It all fits in one backpack.”

Jus spread Cinders out across his bed and brushed the happy hell hound’s fur. He shot a dire glance at Escalla, who still remainedsteadfastly in bed.

“Escalla, what are you doing?”

“I’m lying naked on an ermine fur blanket.” The girl gave ahappy wriggle. “What does it look like?”

Jus looked at her in confusion. “Why?”

“You know, you have got to loosen up more.” The faeriesat up. “All right, I’m up! The world is saved! Show me a map of where we’regoing, and I’ll try to find where breakfast is kept.” The girl stretched again,showing a fine set of little white teeth. “Hey, Cinders, how’s my favoriteflaming pooch?”

Happy! Good smells. Pretty faerie!

“Cinders, you’re a gem!”

Jus hefted his rawhide armor into place and jerked the fastenings tight. His suspicious eye glared at the little faerie as he said, “Where did you get an ermine skin?”

“Mrs. Baron lent it to me.” Escalla sat up naked in bed andstretched luxuriously. “It’s her best coat.”

“‘Lent’?”

“In a sense. It was only for a night!” Escalla shook out herclothes and began getting dressed. “Faerie dust adds luster, man. Everyone knowsthat!”

The Justicar deliberately busied himself with his back turned to Escalla as the faerie wriggled into her skirt. Tying herself in, Escalla flitted through the air to hang above her friend’s shoulder, looking down at thedocuments he had spread out across the tabletop.

“So partner, where’s this map?”

“Here. It’s a long march.” Jus pointed to the painted linesscrawled all over his map. “River, canyon, here’s the volcano-easy to spot, hasa permanent steam cloud above it.”

“Do we know what the labyrinth is like?”

“No maps of it.” Jus folded the map and stuffed it carelesslyinto his backpack. “Maybe in Greyhawk, but we don’t have the time.”

“Hey, I’m game!” Escalla flew over to the door and struggledwith the latch, laboring to swing the portal open. “When in doubt, we send apriest down each corridor first. We’ll find this trident and hammer, stop thecivil war, kick the librarian’s ass-simple!” The girl hovered happily,fluttering her wings.

“Come on,” the Justicar growled, “let’s eat.”

Jus carried his backpack outside while Escalla followed her nose past the garrison kitchens and out into the officer’s mess. Someone hadthoughtfully laid out a breakfast of kippers, bacon, scrambled eggs, and strawberry tart for the baron. Escalla whistled happily as she cast a floating disk spell and absconded with the entire meal, plates and all, not forgetting the salt.

She found Jus sitting by a little flowerbed behind the stables. Escalla spread breakfast upon an old horse rug and settled herself down to a double helping of tart.

“A farewell breakfast, compliments of the baron. Dig in!”

Sniffing in puzzlement at the food, Jus sat down, over-salted his eggs, and began to eat. Escalla made herself comfortable on his knee and helped herself to anything and everything edible in sight. Cinders sucked on a kipper’s tail, his red eyes gleaming above his eternal manic grin.

Thoughtfully breaking a piece of crisp bacon, Jus looked down at the faerie and said, “So you just found this?”