Chapter 10

Andrew had the party up and moving two hours before the sun had come up. He had explained he wanted to be away and well ahead of the caravan as quickly as possible. Waylon was very unhappy about what had happened and the changes this had caused in his manning of the run. He would make it, it was just a thinner margin of error now.

Andrew set the order of march by taking point. Aston followed behind at thirty to forty feet back. Brena and Ledger rode close to the rear of the wagon. Ledger and his wand making for a powerful defense. The first five days on the high coast road went without any problems. They would be up before dawn, on the road just as the sun crested the horizon, break at mid-day to eat and rest the horses for three hours. Then back on the road until one hour before sunset. This gave them time to make camp and care for the horses. On day six they came to the next town and caravan stop. Aston saw to the supplies and Brena made contact with her guild for the real road status. What she learned this time was troubling.

“Ok guys, here’s the situation up ahead. About two days out we will start hitting ambushes. Most of the groups are small, no more than a dozen each. One though has close to one hundred men and women as raiders. They moved in and set up to hit the last big caravan coming in.” Brena sipped her tea, a bitter brew that was making sure she couldn’t get pregnant. They will be able to take us just with sheer numbers.”

Her pronouncement did not sit well with the men. Ledger was fidgeting like he wanted to get up and yell. “Ok Ledger, what is it?” asked Andrew.

He smiled and giggled, then held up one of the old spellbooks for Brena’s pack. “I have been able to get a feeling for the spells listed on each page by feeding them a touch of power. This book has a spell that makes everything easy. I was able to replicate it on this quartz; stone and wood wouldn’t take.” He handed the stone to Andrew, then one of the old books that they couldn’t read. Andrew held the crystal and looked at the thin, handwritten script on the page. He realized he could read it.

“The last fight with the Vampire left only ten of us alive. He is trapped in the crypt and hopefully will not be dug up anytime soon. Salator took the largest chunk of the crystal and vanished. He said he had a place he could hide it away in that the old one could never find it.” Andrew turned the page and continued.

“I can’t figure out the dating system he used here, but it looks like several months may have passed between entries.” “We have split up, each taking a chunk and are scattering to the winds. The heavier gravity of the world is taking its toll on me. I found a widow on a farm and am doing the best I can to run it. I’ll admit it, I am getting too old for this shit. Bloodrend will pass down from father to son, and someday he may be able to finish the job I failed at.”

“These were the last entries.” Andrew looked at Ledger, “What else have you learned?”

“Well, I can’t cast them the way they were meant to be cast, but I can recreate them in wands, or stones, actually gems. Stone and wood will not take the effects. Wood is good for light and that’s about it. Stone can handle heat and cold, but not much else. I can do the low weight on wood, but it doesn’t hold as we found out. I wish I had some good quality gems. The better the quality of the material, the better the enchantment is.”

“Alright then,” said Andrew. “If you can make a wand out of wood, how is it taking the more powerful spell effects?”

“I can’t explain it. This wand was made were real magic works. I can’t copy it on wood.” Ledger picked up a short bit of thin steel rod he had brought from the wagon. “Now on this though,” he stood and aimed at a rock beside the road and gave the rod a flick and a quiet word, and a ball of fire shot out and hit the stone, cracking it with the sudden blast of heat. He turned and grinned at them. “I can hook it up so it has twelve charges on it. After that it is worthless. I can’t recharge it if completely drained. If it has one charge left, I can reset it to full.”

Aston asked in a near whisper, “Can anybody use that?”

Now Ledger really lit up, “With a little training and practice on the gesture and word of command, yes.” He sat back down.

Brena had remained silent the up to this point. She pulled the bag of holding around and opened it. When she reached in, she asked for and began pulling out a six-foot-long staff. It was crowned with assorted gems and made of a type of wood she couldn’t identify. Without a word, she handed it to Ledger.

The look on his face said it all, “This is a staff of power. It ... I don’t ... It can do so many things,” he finally said. This staff was crafted by a high- level master of the arts. It can create a weather effect of some sort. That much I can feel. I can’t find any way to activate it though.”

Andrew didn’t want to stay in place for too long. The weather was slowly cooling and he knew they had three more mountain ranges to cross before heading down to sea level and Fareham’s Cove. That was at least two month’s travel by horse. Ocean travel this time of year was impossible. The Inner Sea was a violent body of water at its calmest. The fall and winter months had wind and wave that shattered ship to splinters as soon as they exited the sheltered harbors.

It was the seventh day that Aston called a halt without warning. He drew back on the reins and his four horses stopped as fast as the breaks could halt them. Andrew turned and rode back asking in a low voice, “Do you sense something?”

Aston held up his left hand, open and closed three times, indicating fifteen minds ahead of them. He looked at the outcropping of rock that could be seen half a mile ahead, then up at a high cliff, showing two fingers. By now Ledger had ridden around and was next to Aston.

“Ledger, up on the cliff, at least two spotters, do you see anything?” asked Andrew.

Ledger looked up, slowly panning his head back and forth. He froze when he spotted a reflection. It flashed on and off several times. He could tell it was a mirror being used to signal those in the ambush. He reached into one of the saddlebags and pulled out the missile wand. “Want me to take them out?”

Andrew looked at the outcropping, knowing the real threat was down here. They were out of bow range, even for those up top. “No. Hit the outcropping ahead of us. Three shots if the wand can do it. I want to spook them out of hiding.”

Ledger aimed the wand for a few seconds so he could pick the target and fixed it in his mind. He then twitched the up, down, center, then said a word that hurt his throat to pronounce. The wand tip sparkled for an instant. There was a silvery flash then part of the outcropping exploded into gravel and dust. Rather than fire a second shot right away, he waited as the sound of the explosion echoed back and forth up and down the canyon, he yelled, “Come out now or I will blow your lot to paste!”

Much to Andrew’s surprise, weapons of every sort began landing on the roadway. When that stopped, men and women slowly walked into sight, well away from the piled weapons. They all had their arm’s extended up and away from their bodies. A large man that seemed to be the leader was screaming they surrendered.

Andrew walked up to the man, looked him and his crew over then shook his head in disgust. A saw that two of the women had iron collars and chains on their wrist. “Are you slavers?” he asked quietly. When no answer was forthcoming, he grabbed the leader by the front of his shirt and yelled in his face, “ARE YOU SLAVERS?”

The man realized he would die if he said yes, he would also die if he remained silent. “We bought them. Up the road about two day’s walk.”

Andrew looked at the two women, he also noted that three children were chained in the same manner. “Release them.” That was all he said. He had noted that Aston was on his feet, and had jumped down and was now in whip range, Brena had her daggers out and was twirling them in a dance that spelled death, and Ledger had switched wands. Andrew realized he would need to dive to the side fast, taking the woman and children with him. Those fireballs were hotter than any natural flame.

The leader slowly pulled a set of large skeleton style keys from a shirt pocket and stepped carefully back from Andrew to the women. He unlocked them and dropped the collars and manacles to the ground then returned to the spot he had been in.

Andrew looked at the freed women and children; The youngest of the women looked to about 20 years old. Her hair was a dirty blond and was tied in a ponytail that went all the way down her back. Her eyes looked to be a slate grey in color that seemed to look in the distance even when focused on someone. He could also see she was muscled and had a good figure, A farmers daughter most likely.

The other woman was older, closer to 30, Her hair was a dirty brown with some early streaks of grey running from her temples. Her body said she had lived a hard life as well. She didn’t have the farmers look though. He could see a few scars on her face under her eyes, and her nose was slightly bent from being broken at least once. Her eyes were dark and brooding, but he could see smile lines that at least gave her beauty when the rare smile lit her face. Her children though told the real story of her life. Each was different in looks and build. The oldest, Blasco he later learned was eight. His father had been a bounty hunter and had taken her first master away for several crimes, leaving her to fend for herself. She had to work in a tavern as a serving wench and that led to her having Gil, who was six now. His father was a rude mercenary that used woman and then moved on, after never bedding the same one twice. Little Sofia was four. Her hair still had the baby blond in it and was growing in thick and straight. Her eyes were a piercing blue that made a heart melt, making one wonder what she would be like when she matured. She also, because of her brothers, was a tomboy from hell. “You can come with us if you like, you are free to go. Or you can travel with us until we can find a safe place for you to get set up.” Both women took the hands of the children and walked towards Brena. Aston was looking up and to the side said, “Those two are coming down into bow range, they are going to attempt a sneak attack on us.”

Andrew looked and Ledger, “If you would be so kind.”

Ledger frowned, turned to look up until he spotted the movement above them. He aimed and fired the Wand of Exploding Fireballs he had made from the iron rod. The area around the movement exploded into flames an instant later. They heard a sudden scream then silence except for the now burning trees. “Done,” was all he said.

Andrew looked at the men and frowned even more deeply. “I suppose you hoping they would rescue you?” he asked the man next to the leader. Andrew took a real look at the men now. The clothing they wore wasn’t the rags most robbers tended to wear. The weapons he could see on the ground appeared to be of good quality. He had a sneaking suspicion of what was going on here. “Which city do you work for?” he asked.

Nobody spoke. “Fine then. Aston, what do you see?”

Aston stared into the leader’s eyes until the man tried to back away. “The city ahead of us. Pinebluff I think is the name.” Andrew nodded.

“So, you are a city-sanctioned bunch of bandits.” Andrew pulled out Bloodrend. “I wouldn’t normally try to get involved in local politics, but slavers always get me involved.” He jabbed Bloodrend into the bandit leader’s stomach. In seconds a dead-white, the dried corpse fell to the ground. He kicked it to the side of the road and it started to crumble. Andrew took note of that, it was new. He looked at the men and asked, “As I said I don’t like to get involved in these affairs. Was the slave-trading also sanctioned?”

The men shuffled their feet and refused to look up at him. He looked at the women, “Lady’s, you’re being sold in this manner, was it authorized by the city?”

The older woman that had three children trying to hide behind her spoke, “No sir, they bought us to sell to a group they know about further along the way you came from. They also bought us for their own entertainment while out robbing travelers.”

Andrew looked at the one woman in the group of bandits. “You went along with this?”

She sneered at Andrew and then snorted. “They were street whores. They get what they deserve.”

Brena glared at the woman, “Does the local Thieves guild sanction kidnapping for slavers here?”

“What thieves guild. We ran that lot out several years back. We run the city now, not that useless fek of a Gil,” the woman spat, then made like she was going to strike at Brena. She never finished the motion. Brena moved and before the woman could pull back, her tongue was hanging out of the slash across her throat. Brena grabbed it and pulled it as far as it would stretch then let go. She stepped back as the woman dropped to her knees, her hands clutching at her throat in a vain attempt to push things back together. She bled out in a minute. “Andrew, we may have to stop for a few days in this Pinebluff. I need to assert the authority of the guild over the underside of the city.” She knelt down and wiped her blade and hand free of most of the blood on the back of the corpse’s tunic.

Andrew had not even flinched when she had moved and dealt with the woman in such a cold manner. The other men were slowly trying to edge away from her. His head didn’t even turn when Aston lashed out at one of the men with his bullwhip, taking out one of the target’s eyes. He had pulled a small dagger and was readying himself to charge Andrew. “Anybody else feeling brave today?” He looked around at the now reduced group and waited.

“What are you going to do to us,” asked an older man.

“That depends, tell us what we want to know and you might just survive.”

The oldest started talking, telling them the way the city was run and who it was that was in charge. The worst looking of the bunch yelled at him to shut up or he was dead. The old man looked at the boy and shook his head sadly. “Boy, haven’t you figured it out yet? We are all dead for the crime of being slavers.” The man looked at Andrew and asked, “Might I ask who you are so that at least I go to the afterlife knowing?”

Now Andrew smiled, it was a cold smile, but a smile. Here was a man that at one time held his honor as something important. “Very well. I am Andrew Markenin, son of Lann and Lorna.”

The man paled then smiled. “Merc’s. By all that is good, at least I die at the hands of a man of honor.” He fell to his knees and bent his head, showing his neck.

“Hold,” said Andrew. “You knew my parents?”

“Knew them personally, no, of them, yes,” he did not lookup.

“Very well. The charge is slavery, a death sentence in all provinces of this kingdom. How do you plead,” Andrew asked.

“Guilty My Lord,” said the doomed man.

“Very well.” Andrew held Bloodrend out to strike. ‘Make it painless for him.’

“Yes, Master.” Andrew touched the sword to the man’s neck, not even breaking the skin. In five seconds, the bleached, bloodless corpse fell to the road.

Two of the others had fallen to their knees now as well. They admitted guilt and Bloodrend made it quick and painless for them as well. The remaining men refused to accept the offer and Bloodrend made them scream.

The two women had taken their children around the wagon so they wouldn’t have to witness the executions. Andrew went around and asked them what their plans were. “Can we travel with you for a few weeks? If we can get away from here we can both get set up and take care of our little ones.”

Andrew smiled, he knew what she meant about getting set up. “I think we can arrange that. We will need to stop long enough to pick up some additional supplies in Pinebluff though. Will that be a problem for either of you?”

They looked at each other for a second, “Only if we try to enter any of the Taverns or Inns.”

“Then we will avoid them.” Now he turned to Brena, “We will not be stopping for more than an hour, two at the most. The problems here are internal and we don’t have the time to spare to fix every problem we encounter. Remember why we are traveling like this.” Brena slumped a bit but agreed. This would be handled later when they had time and forces, and writ to do the jobs. “Now ladies, are we going to have any more problems on the road locally?”

“Between here and the town should be clear. Going out, you will hit another outpost like this one was. They have a larger force there, about two hours fast ride out.” The older woman looked nervous. She sat down on a log beside the road.

“You are not telling us something. Something important. Spill it,” said Andrew.

“One of the men there, the one that sold me is or was my husband to be.” She said this with a sad look and tears began to run. Brena sat with her to comfort her.

Andrew stepped over to Aston and asked, “Is she telling the truth?” Aston nodded his head that she was. “Damn. We don’t have time for these delays. We will barely make it before mid-winter as it is.”

Ledger stepped over to listen. When they went silent, he spoke, “One way we can get by them is simply get close enough and I can fire the staff at them. That one will stop then cold, literally.

Andrew looked at him for a few seconds, “You got the staff working?”

“Last night. It has ten charges max on it. It shoots a cone of cold so deep it freezes everything solid in the area it covers. The problem is, it takes five charges for that effect. If I drain it, the staff will break down and fall to ash.”