Death Or Fortune (45 page)

    
I awoke the next morning feeling different.  I laid there for a moment
only looking at ceiling above my head.  I didn't move or even twitch.
 Just looking above me, all the events from the day before came back to my
head.  My friend, who I would not say no to, asked me to risk my life to
save a cleric that could very well be dead.  My king, who wasn't too thrilled
with the idea at last agreed to let me go as this was something that could
cause us a problem if we just ignored it.  At first he wanted to amass a
great fleet of war ships and attack them.  Truth be told, while there are
some ships out there in service to Arcadia, we do not have what you would call
a powerful navy. After a bit of talking, we settled on one plan.  A small
group of elite troops would land on the southern shore of the island.
 Make our way to the slave camp, free our men.  A second group would
steal a ship from the Orcs and cause as much damage to them as we could on the
way home.  Roderick was also going to draft a letter and send it to King
Darius in Eystlund.   As we didn’t know who the target of this
invasion would be I thought it would be best to inform them. Just in case we
failed to make an impact.
     All of this was nothing to the news Jasmin gave me the
night before.  I was going to be a father.  I did not care if it was
a boy or a girl. I did not care about anything.  I only hoped that it was
healthy.  Since I have sat down here to write today, the child has walked
in and out of my office twice, looking for Pare.  At three years old, my
son is convinced that there are monsters in our house and only Uncle Pare can keep
them at bay.  I keep meaning to talk to him about this but it is harmless.
 I remember rolling over that morning, to look at my sleeping wife.
 Never before has she looked as beautiful.  I reached out and pushed
the hair away from her face, exposing her ear. I leaned forward, slowly and
kissed her just below the ear on her neck.  I continued to do this until
she was awake.  As she rolled over to look at me I gave her the best smile
I could and asked her if she needed anything before I left that day.  We
talked for a little bit, then talked some more.  By the time I rolled out
of bed I was just about talked out and she was drifting off to sleep again.

     As I was
getting dressed that day I decided I needed something more.  This was the
first time I had worn the new armor out in public.  With the blue dragon
skin cloak and the new armor I looked pretty impressive if I do say so myself.
 As I came down stairs I could hear Pare talking with someone in the
kitchen.  I found not one but two Halflings in my home that morning eating
a meal at my table.
'Morning Darmot, Chuck had the cook make us breakfast,
do you want any?'
Pare asked when he saw me. The second halfling, the one I
had carried around half the city the day before jumped up right away. She came
over to me and stopped,
'Mi'lord'
she said this as if it was all one
word.  Bending at the waist she said 'I
am Miri Rivermyst, pleased to
meet you Mi'lord. Pare said it would be ok but...'
as she started to
stutter I gave her a little laugh and told her that any friend of Pare was a
friend of mine.
'Oh thank you Mi'lord!'
she said as she extended her
hand to me.  I took her little hand into mine and told her that she could
call me Darmot.  I told them both that I had a meeting to keep but to
enjoy their food.  I then told Pare that we were going to be on a ship,
perhaps for a few months.  He was cheering as I turned to leave.

     I mounted
up on Emily and took off to see Turk.  When I arrived at his office, I
found Michaels there as well.  I had forgotten he was going to be there.
 He was keeping an eye on the scout that the dragon had returned to us.
 Turks office was attached to the barracks of the royal guard.  There
was a small war room behind his office but to get to the barracks you had to go
outside.  In the war room were a few chairs but most of them were never
used.  He had a large table filled with maps and maps of the different
regions of Arcadia lined the wall.  On the large table was a new map that
had just been finished a few hours before.  
'Keep in mind, this isn't
to scale and we don't know how accurate it is.'
Turk told me.
'From what
Eli was able to remember and the things Hans was able to give us it is the best
we can do for now. Here on the northwest side of the island is where the ship
yard is. This is what my men will be going for. Eli is one of the best scouts
we have so I am going to trust his placement of the landmarks you see. This
here is the temple they were going to find, it is on the edge of a cliff. There
are wooden bridges over the gap to the east and west of the temple.
'

     'Eli
said all the Orcs are working for the wizard.  Most of them are to the
north in these camps here.  They took over the biggest of the human cities
there and from what he was able to see there are hundreds if not thousands of
them. They are well organized and militaristic. Something about it doesn't set
right with me, an entire army of Orcs under the command of a human.  This
Argon, the wizard must be in control of them somehow or he has something they
want.  Eli told us the wizard is living in the temple, not with the Orcs
in the city.  As I said, all this information could be wrong.  The
main slave camps are here to the south, no more than a day’s walk from the
temple. This is your target Darmot. This is where Eli and the others were held.
 It is two days forced walk from the temple to the ship yard.  The
men I send will sneak into the ship yard.  Set fire to all the ships
except for one, that one they will take and sail back to the south of the
island where they will wait for you. They will only wait so long Darmot,
remember this. There is a second holding pen for the slaves that work the ship
yards. If we can free those people before hand we will. Anything that adds to
the confusion will help. What questions do you have?'
I placed my hands on
the table and looked over the map. While it was going with me, I wanted it in
my mind.

     'Who is
Eli?
' Michaels asked.  Both Turk and I turned to look at the Paladin,
unsure he really just asked that question.
'Oh, the scout. I am sorry, I was
thinking about something else. Please continue.'
I told Turk that I didn't
like the idea of splitting up into two groups.  If anything went wrong in
the ship yard, we would be stranded waiting for a ship that might not ever
come.
'Well then I trust you will be able to figure something out My Lord.
Remember, you are not going there to free these people. You are going to get
our people, cause as much havoc as you can then get out. Now, if you happen to
free some slaves and start a little revolt. It can only help us.
' What
about this wizard I asked him?
'Well, we don't know anything other than his
name. He might not even be real, Eli never saw him but the Orcs talked about
him.  He told us Kandella saw him though.  If you can take him out,
do it but it isn't why you are going there. We want our people back.'
I
told him I understood.  Turk was taking this personal.  Those men
were there because he asked them to go.  It wasn't something he had to
do.  He did it as a favor to a friend.  He felt guilty over how his
men ended up.  It isn't easy sleeping at night when you know you sent good
loyal men to a life of slavery.  When the trip shouldn't have been
anything more than a simple joy ride around the ocean.

     The only
question I had left was when we could leave.
'It will take a few more days
for me to gather the men. Each one will be the best I can spare. We cannot
afford to make mistakes. I want to have everything and everyone ready no later
than two weeks from now. Sergeant Bryce will be in command of the troops who
hit the ship yard. Runs with the eastern rangers, just an all-around tough son
of a bitch, you will like him once you get past the fact that he talks entirely
too much. Who are you taking with you? Will you need any more men to hit the
slave compound?'
I told him it would be Pare, Windfall, Michaels and I.
 I also told him I was going to attempt to get one more.  I did not
want to speak for Zackary without talking to him first.  This turned out
to be a good thing.  I figured with five men we could make a quick strike,
find our people and get out. Nothing ever goes as planned in my life and I
wasn't sure why I thought this would be a first time.  As I could not see
anything wrong with the plan that was laid out, I told Turk to keep me up to
speed.  I wanted to see to Zackary before it got too late in the day.
 As I was walking out I noticed Michaels was coming with me.  Not
that I minded his company until he started to talk.

     'He is
wrong Lord Kromwell.'
he said to me not long after his office was behind
us.  I asked him what he meant.
'He was right when he said we are going
there to free our people. The entire island is populated with those who worship
Solarth. They are being held in the bonds of slavery. We are going there to
free my people, my brothers and sisters. I will not rest until I am dead or the
last person on that island is free.'
I stopped dead in my tracks and looked
at the paladin.  I asked him if he was paying attention, that there could
be thousands of Orcs on that island.  I asked him how his god was going to
help him deal with that.  I seriously considered leaving him behind at
that point.  I thought he had started to develop some kind of madness.
 I very suddenly wanted to; no needed to, talk to Hans right away.  I
couldn't afford to have these types of problems once we landed on that island.
'Do
not worry my friend. I will not do anything to put the mission in jeopardy. Yet
as they say, there is more than one way to skin a cat.'
I never had a
reason to doubt Michaels but what he said made me a bit uneasy.

      
I told Michaels to return to the temple and to be ready for the long trip.
 He gave me a smile and told me that he would be ready for anything.
 I shook my head as I walked away from the paladin, setting off with Emily
to the Red Dragon to track down Zackary.  When I arrived there wasn't an
empty table in the whole place.  The smell of roast beef rolling out of
the kitchen made my stomach scream at me.  It must have been the smell
that filled the place in the middle of the afternoon, it was incredible.
 I made my way to the bar where Linda was doing all she could to fill the
orders as they came in.  I looked around, Zackary was no were in sight.
 She stopped when she saw me, a strange look settled on her face.
'Lord
Kromwell, you look like you are going off to fight a war.'
I couldn't say
anything so I just asked her where Zackary was.  Her pale face started to
turn a little red as I waited for the answer.  By the time it started to
match the color of her red hair I asked her again where Zackary was.
'No!'
was all she said.  Her eyes started to well up as she stared at me.
'You
can't take him from me. I can't do it again, I will not bury another husband.'

     I will
give her credit for knowing how to hit me.  I thought long and hard about
it, right there on the spot.  Her first husband died while under my
command.  I couldn't do it to her a second time.  While I am sure
Zackary would have joined me, it was for her that I decided to leave without
him.  I told her that I was going to be leaving the city for a long time.
 I asked to pass a message on to Zackary, asking him to keep an eye on
things for me.  As the tears started to run down her red cheeks I turned
away from the bar and made my way home.  My only regret was not staying
long enough to get something to eat.  I took myself and Emily home.
 After I fed and watered her, I took care of myself.  I saw Charles
for less than a second, long enough to learn that my wife was in the cellar.
 Unsure of why she would be down there I went to find her.  There she
was, with my old sword, working the forms I taught her.  I said nothing, I
just waited for her to finish.  She was very good at that point, I was impressed.
 When she stopped she looked at me and smiled.  From that point on,
the rest of my day was lost in the haze of her energy and beauty.

     That night
after tucking her into bed I went to my office.  To see to all that
Charles had left for me.  Also to set things in order so that should
something happen while I was gone, Jasmin and the rest of my family would be
taken care of.  While she would lose the house and servants should I die,
she would still own the two inns.  She would also have enough gold to last
her a life time.  While I would not have to tell Jasmin this, Pare was
also to be taken care of should I pass on.  My life could end but I know
somehow that he will live.  The world will be a cold and dark place
without him in it.  It is the one thing I do not want to ever think about.
 I heard the door open but never looked up to see who it was.  After
signing the last bit of papers I looked up and saw Windfall.  His long
hair was pulled back and his clothes were black and well worn.  It wasn't
often that he took his armor off.  I wasn't sure what to expect, when he
spoke his voice sounded hollow and distant.
'Darmot'
he said to me.
'You
are like a son to me. I knew you as a boy and I am proud of the man you have
become. What I must tell you now, will not leave this room. I want you to
understand.  My own sons have been told this story, I will now tell it to
you.'

     "
Long
ago there was another wizard who lived in this area. Well settled here is more
like it. His name was Argon; he sought a way to lengthen his life in order to
live alongside his elf bride. I was able to find some of his work, not all of
it and some of it is beyond me still. I looked for other things of his but the
trail ran cold. I assume he killed himself in the process or ended up as a
lich. Still, it was a good find." -Hetaron during the trip to Eystlund-
     Windfall sat before me.  I waited for him to
start this story he had to tell me.  He was looking off into the dark
corner of my office, perhaps looking past the walls and into a world beyond.
'Do
you know how old I am Darmot?'
he asked me. When I said no, he continued.
'I
am, one hundred and five years old. As a half-elf, I should be near middle
aged. If I was anyone else, I might expect to live another fifty years. Seventy
five if am lucky. To your eyes I look the same as I did when you were just a
child. To my wife, I have not aged a day since I had first met her. I have not
aged a day in close to fifty years.'
I asked him if he was talking about
how humans see him.
'No my friend, I am being literal. I have not aged a day
in fifty years. It was the last thing my father did to me. I am sorry but I am
starting in the middle, when I should be at the beginning.'
    
'My father was a gifted wizard. I believe even
calling him that is an understatement. I do not know the land of his birth.
There is much I don’t know about him.  I did manage to learn some of what
I am to tell you by what is left of my elven family in Kemmermer. I later found
his journals were I learned more but not until long after he was gone. My
grandfather on my mother’s side was something of an important figure. His
family was descended from a line of clerics of Solarth. In fact, my name was
given to me to honor my mother’s great, great grandfather, Delmon Windfall.
Elven clerics do not shy away from taking mates. There are so few elves in the
world as it is. My grandfather Telonna was also a cleric of the good god, even
after the fall at the hands of the followers of Asmodai. My family kept the
faith, clung to it. Even when there was no church, they held on to the belief.
I am losing the path again, forgive me. They were in Toryth Vol, when the
chance meeting happened. A raiding party of gnolls attacked my grandfather and
his companions. It did not go well for them. They were nearly all killed and
would have been if not for my father.'
    
'Using his magic, he saved them. Telonna was so
grateful to him that he offered my father a large reward. He only had to travel
with them to the elven lands to get it. It was there that he and my mother met.
He was captivated by her beauty and she was from all I have been told, very
beautiful. She was interested in my father right away. No one understood why, I
think she was the only one who knew. As his reward for saving my grandfather he
asked to stay there to study magic with the elven wizards. My father was in the
elven lands for close to a year when the accident happened.  No one really
knew how close my parents were until my mother became pregnant. Telonna was
outraged at first but agreed to let his daughter marry my father. He made them
leave the elven homeland though. The Order of Solarth was in ruins, the shame
of having a bastard half elf in the family was too much for him to live with.
They set out on their own for Eystlund. My father knowing his human lifespan
would be but a brief flicker of light when held up to that of an elf became obsessed.
During his time in the elven lands he sought a way to extend his life span. He
was so in love with my mother and could not stand the thought that one day she
would have to watch him die of old age.'
    
'It was there that he began to learn how to alter a
person using magic. You know some of the things he did to me from what I have
told you in passing. You do not know all of it. The two of them traveled for
some time, they took their time as she was with child and the wagon ride was
rough on her. From what I understand, they spent some time in Toryth Vol so my
father could continue his work. It was in Eystlund that it happened. No more
than a day's ride from the home my family lives in now. Mother was in the back
of the wagon resting, she saw them first. The bandits that were descending on
the two of them. Twenty men in all attacked them. They paid dearly for
attacking them but as you know, a wizard has his limits. There is only so much
one can do without rest. He killed all but three of them, three men who were
angry and hurt. The leader of the bandits was named One-Eye George. He and his
two men that were left alive decided against killing the two of them. No, they
wanted to first have a bit of fun with them.'

    
'They
tied my father to a tree and made him watch. Between the beatings he took, he
had to watch them beat and rape my mother. This went on for a close to a full
day before a farmer found the wagon and horses on the trails.  He was
taking his produce to town and when he saw blood on the road he had his boys
search the area.  Three big lads they were, they scared old George and his
men off. They saved the life of not only my father but mine as well. I am sad
to say they did not save the life of my mother. One of the farmer’s sons drove my
father’s wagon with the two of them in the back. They were going to take them
to town, to find a healer. It was then that I was born, there in the back of
that wagon. My mother lived long enough to see my eyes one time and give me my
name. My father was a broken man after that. Not just his heart but his mind.
When he burned my mother’s body that night, I believe his soul rose up to be
with her in the afterlife. Leaving behind a man who was someone altogether
different.'

     'The
next day, with his new son, my father set off to the east. To find a place to
live where he could continue his work. You see, even after my mother died he
continued to research ways to prolong his life. He also started to experiment
with other things as well. Any spell caster could increase your strength but it
would not last. My father found a way to make it last, so the effect never went
away. He cast the first spell on me when I was five years old. He would say to
me, never again Windfall will you be harmed by bad people because you were not
strong enough. You will not fail as I did. He continued to do his spells on me
for years to come. I thought it was normal, my father was the only person I
knew at the time. He kept me away from the town. Told me that it was a haven of
evil people and I had to stay away. When I was a little older than you were the
first time we met, he brought in someone else. Every day for two years after
that I spent most of my days training on the use of weapons with a man named
Quinn. I was so excited to meet another person and I just wanted him to like
me. I did my very best to learn from him, to make him happy with me.'

     'When
Quinn felt I had learned all that he could teach me about the art of fighting,
he started to teach me other things. How to hunt and track animals. When he
felt I knew enough about that, he taught me how to track a man. While it is the
same idea, men are different. We spent a total of five years together, all day
every day. The nights I was not being experimented on by my father, I was alone.
The older I got, the less I saw of my father. He was at home but I was not
allowed to bother him for any reason when he was working. He would hide away,
doing his research for days on end. When he felt he had perfected something he
would summon me. He told me that I was special and that I was destined to do
great things. He was making me ready for it all. I believed him, he was my
father. He was pretty much my whole world. The day I turned twenty years old he
came to me with three things. My first set of armor and my first sword. The
third he told me was the first step towards my destiny. It was a list of names,
the names of the men who killed my mother. Kill them all he told me. Avenge the
death of your mother and when you have done that, return to me.'

     'I was
happy to do it.  Hell I wanted nothing more than to see my father happy.
To give him that one thing he had asked of me. I never thought it would take so
long to find them. It was two and a half years before I returned home. I killed
them all, without thought, without hesitation. The first was a man named Riley.
After the business with my parents, he gave up his life of crime. He took up
the black smith trade. When he saw me standing in his shop he knew why I was
there. He knew the elf woman died but he never knew her name. Before I killed
him he asked me her name, pleaded with me to tell it to him. I only said her
name after his head was rolling across the floor of his own forge. The second
of the men I found in Manchrist. His name was Tomas. He was missing a leg when
I found him, living on the streets begging for coins. I remember dragging him
into an alley by his hair. Asking him if he remembered what it was that he did
to her. I almost let him live, my reasoning was that death would have been a
way out for him. I changed my mind when he stabbed me. I punched him, over and
over again. His head shattered like an over ripe melon.'

     'Old
George never settled in one place very long. I think the only reason I caught
up with him was his old age. I found him in a little dirt hole of a town on the
western edge of Arcadia. I followed and watched him for close to a month. At
first I wanted him to suffer so I waited and watched for the right chance. One
night he was in the only tavern around, drinking his life away. I watched as he
tried to get a whore to sleep with him, when she turned down the old fool,
George started hitting her. Well, I couldn't sit there and watch that. I got
between him and a couple rough necks who kept the place from burning down every
night. I told them I would take care of the old man. I tossed him out the door
and followed after him, picking him up out of the street. He tried to push me,
calling me a dirty elf. I remember kicking him once, just once. The only sound
I heard was the sound of his ribs breaking as I planted my foot in his chest.
His breast bone shattered under my kick, stopping his heart. He was dead before
he hit the road again. I left him in a in a pile of trash alongside of the
tavern.'

     'When I
got back home my father was gone. I was so looking forward to seeing him, yet
he was nowhere to be found. So I waited for two long years, never leaving the
house unless I had to. I wanted him to be proud of me for doing as he wished.
After two years of waiting though, I started to wonder if he was still alive. I
gave up waiting and decided to live my life. I wanted to know more about my
mother. That is when I went in search of her family. That is how I learned of
my father’s past, my grandfather knew of his daughter’s death. He was not very
warm towards me.  I think he wanted to blame me for her being dead. Yet he
still told me what I wanted to know.  My uncle, he was much more welcoming
to me.  He made my armor and gave me my cloak. He also gave me some things
that belonged to my mother.  Among them was the medallion of Solarth that
Zender carries. He found it all by himself when he was young; he said it just
called to him.  I guess some things are just destined to be, no matter how
hard I tried to talk him out of it. I left Kemmermer after a week with my
grandfather and uncle.  Grandfather had passed away when I returned the
next time.'

     'I
returned to my father’s home.  I planted a garden, gathered some
livestock. After twenty years I started to think he was dead.  I was sure
he was gone for good, I lived a peaceful life. Just when I started to think
about starting a family of my own, he returned. Thirty years had passed and he
looked much like I remembered. When I told him that I had done as he asked he
was pleased, for a time. He then asked me what I had been doing since I had
returned from his task. I told him of my trip to find my mother’s family. He
told me he expected this but he wanted to know what else I had been doing since
he was gone.  I took him out, showed him the farm. "This is all you
have done, all this time and this is it." I wanted him to be proud I had
done something worthwhile with my life, I helped feed people. That is when he
hit me with the lightning bolt.  I had never felt anything like it, he
attacked me with everything he had. I didn’t wake up for two days.  I was
tied to his table in the cellar where he did all his work. It was the first
time I had been down there since he left.  He was over me when I opened my
eyes. He asked me how I felt.'

     'I told
him I felt fine but I knew he had done something to me. "Windfall my
son" he said to me. "You have wasted much time and squandered the
gifts I have given you. Evil is festering in every corner of this land. I
thought I had set you on the path to battle it where ever it may be. I see I
did not do enough, not until now." That is when he told me of the curse,
he told me it was a gift but it is a curse. I am compelled to seek out those
who do harm to innocents. If I avoid it for long, I start to get ill. He also
told me he did other things to me to help. I didn't know until years later what
it was.  I had always aged slowly but this; even the long lived elves do
not see me age. I have not changed one bit since he untied me from that table.
He put his arms around me and told me how much he loved me. I will be compelled
to hunt criminals and others who have done evil until the day he dies he told
me. This was his way of making sure I used the gifts he had given me. He left
the farm that day and I have not seen him since. I had not heard another soul
speak his name until the other day with Hans in the temple.'

     
Argon I said to him. He nodded to me, with a somber sigh and said
'Yes,
Argon. When Hans told us that story I was worried, when he said the name I
became terrified. I always wondered what had happened to him, where he had
gone. Now I know and it does not make me feel any better my friend. I would
like to keep this between us.  I do not want the others to know it is my
own father we will be hunting
.' I told him that I would keep his secret, it
was the least I could do for him.  I had always wondered why he took such
an interest in me as a child, now I understood it a little bit better.  He
saw my relationship with my own father and he saw what my father was trying to
do to me.  Windfall gave me the strength to chart my own path, find my own
destiny. As I sat there in the dark office with my mentor and oldest friend it
dawned on me that we were no longer going to just find our people.  We
were going to hunt a dark and evil man.  The very thing he wanted his son
to stop, he had become.