Chapter 2: Guarding a dwarf and winning a wager

It had been two weeks since I had found myself here, besides my morning practice with Samil, I now found myself practicing medicine. Many of the drugs I had to use, I had to learn to use or make the old ones myself, like penicillin. My evening martial arts classes now numbered around two dozen, mostly women and children, although there were a couple of men who came.

Gentle and Paul were the two guards that I had called when the men from the guild had come for Sam. They were among my students, not all could show up every day so some of the faces changed daily. Margaret and Tom were there everyday. Tom’s cut had healed up nicely. I tried not to turn anyone away if they needed medical help. To tell the truth I had not turned anyone away, whether it was for food, shelter or medical attention.

My evening class was just ending when the six guards came in the gate with a dwarf in the middle of them. I gave the class leave to start the cool down stretching and then to hit the bath, and then I headed to the gate to greet the guest. I knew one of the guards was Samil when they had entered the gate, and I recognized two others from the practice field.

When I reached them the dwarf stepped forward. He introduced himself, “My name is Garth. I have been informed that you might be for hire.”

I looked at the guards and then the dwarf, “It looks like you have enough guards.”

Garth shook his head, “Not for what I have planned.”

I thought about it, “I have several questions.”

Garth looked surprised, “ask.”

I looked at him, “why? Why another guard and why me? When do you need me and for how long? What do you want me to do and where am I going to do it. Last is how much are you paying?”

Garth hesitated, and I shook my head, “if you do not answer or lie I will not work for you.”

One of the guards closest to me suddenly lunged at me with a dagger. I was a blur as I stepped to the side, grabbed the wrist, twisted and took the dagger. With another step, the dagger went through the guard’s upper arm before I threw him back and down. I stepped away, slowly and carefully.

Samil had not moved, nor any of the other guards. I waited, and Garth stepped forward and bowed low, “my apology, it was a test. I was told you were good, but I had to be sure.”

With a wave, the guards stepped away. The guard that had attacked me stood, and I looked at him, “do not try to pull it out.”

Turning I saw both Sam and Cat standing nearby with the light crossbows I had made at the smithy. The crossbows were made with a skeleton stock; the stock cocked the bow when folded. I looked at Cat, “get the small trauma kit and Sam to get some sterile water and bandages.”

I had started keeping both on hand. I walked up to the guard; the dagger was still through the arm. He had been wearing a type of chain armor, and the dagger had gone through both sides of the chain. I was looking at the arm when Sam came back, “This will hurt.”

With a quick pull the dagger was out. What I did next startled them all, reaching up and grasp the chain mail at the shoulder with both hands. Before anyone could ask what I was going to do I ripped the chain mail like it was a light cloth, tearing it around and down the arm. They all looked at me as if I had grown another head, even Samil.

The guard had gone pale, from the feel of him I knew it was shock from the wound. After cleaning and tending to the wound, I stitched it up and had Sam bandage it while I watched. I gave the guard directions for taking care of the wound and then as an afterthought, “do not ever try that again.”

When I turned back to Garth it was to a much subdued dwarf, even Samil looked more alert. Garth cleared his throat, “I expect serious ... challenges and want the best. We will need you in three days, for three or four days. You will be paid one hundred gold pieces to protect the ... site we are going to use.”

I knew this was not a standard amount, “I will do the job but I will be bringing Sam and Cat with me.”

He raised his eyebrows, and I shrugged, “They are my apprentices.”

Garth nodded and looked at me, “I will not pay for them.”

I had two days before I would start to work for the dwarf, and then I would be gone for up to four days. I found John and a willowy blond girl of maybe twenty named Jenny. They were in the baths with the rest of the students. I told them when I would be gone and for how long, I wanted them to go through the basic forms with the others while I was gone.

Taking John aside, “I will get with you before I leave to go over the house.”

We had pretty much cleaned everything up; we had stopped for three days while we built a large kitchen next to the smithy and added bunk beds in the stables. It seemed like I had as much help as I needed. The neighbors tended to just stop by and start helping with whatever needed doing. Probable because I made sure everyone was fed.

Before leaving two days later I gave a heavy purse to John and Ann just in case of emergencies. I also gave John what I called the budget purse. It was enough to cover the expenses while I was gone. The weapons that I had taken from the Shaffer’s had not been reported stolen so I had modified two of the swords and two daggers.

I had been right about the metal being stronger than steel. It had taken quite a bit to work them down to what I wanted. I had actually started teaching Sam and Cat about a week ago. They had the basics down, only needing to refine themselves.

We met Samil at the practice field in the late afternoon and he escorted us to an area I had not been to before. The building Samil led me to reminded me of skyscrapers. Only it was just four stories tall, even if it seemed to take up the entire block. When I greeted Garth he looked at Samil, “I want you to remain on my left.”

I remembered that had been where Samil had been when I had met Garth. I asked, “why?”

Garth shrugged, “Samil said you are better so you will replace Samil there.”

I shook my head, “no. Obviously you are expecting something and Samil is used to being there. I will take the right front where the injured guard was.”

It was several hours before we set out, there were another twenty guards, not to mention the dozen or so dwarves that joined us. As we headed out I had Sam and Cat stay to the outside of the main group with their crossbows ready. The walk was only supposed to take ten minutes, we were halfway there when I heard someone on a roof.

I stopped the party with a simple hand signal, looking in the direction of the sound. I reached out with my sense of touch, I found them quickly. Without warning I stepped forward and to the side. The arrows appeared as if by magic, one I caught in my left hand and the other was struck down by a sword that no one had even seen me draw.

For a stunned moment no one moved and then there was a rush to hurry forward. I yelled, “STOP!”

The assassins on the roof were retreating after missing their shot. I could feel something else in front of us. At first I did not know what it was and then I realized the smell was not right and slowly walked forward reaching out as I did. I was twenty feet in front when the black veil dropped on me and I heard the cries from behind me.

I could feel that they were all right so I waited. I might not be able to see but I could still feel, smell and hear. They came with a rush from the alley that had been twenty feet in front of me and I met them with my sword. The first I took with a slash across his middle that cut through the leather armor as if it was not there and then almost cut the man in half.

The next two came together, blocking the descending sword on my left I lunged, putting the sword through the man’s heart that had been on my right. Then in a spin that ended with me cutting the throat of the man that had been on the left. The fourth man came at me with his sword low. I blocked that and then moved my sword to his right and up.

Then in a downward slash I cut into the man’s neck at the shoulder, the blade splitting him down to the belly as I stepped away to face the next man. With a downward slash I broke the next man’s sword and I kill him by a sudden lunge that ended with my sword in his left eye. In the middle of the fight I felt the other.

It must be the mage from the way he felt. I could feel that he was doing something else. Drawing my long knife I threw it in a tight arc that ended in the mage’s chest. Just as quickly as the veil had come it disappeared, revealing the five remaining fighters I faced. Even as I stepped forward to engage them two bolts raced past me.

They stopped suddenly in the chests of two of the men. With a rush that sent the last three running the other guards charged forward. It was over as quickly as it started, seven fighters lay on the ground around me and a mage lay in the street twenty feet away. I moved forward to check the mage.

I pulled my long knife out and wiped it off. After putting it away I checked the mage for anything that might give me information. I took two pouches off him, one small, the other large and heavy. There was also a very nice mythril dagger and a thin silver ring with a green catseye stone.

When I stood up I signaled for the others to move. When Cat and Sam caught up I handed the ring, dagger and pouches to Cat. It was only a few minutes later that we reached our destination and one of the dwarves went forward to knock. A tall man answered the door and I immediately recognized him as an elf like Samil.

As we entered I saw that the new elf seemed to look down on Samil. Once in the entranceway the other guards were dismissed. The elf tried to dismiss me but I ignored him as if he were only a servant trying to direct his betters. When he flushed and his eyes squinted up I looked him coldly, “I will be staying with Garth.”