Against the Giants

6

The rest of the party was awake and finishing a plainbreakfast of corn gruel when the three returned. Nemis sought the packet of dry herb he sprinkled on everything he ate before filling his shallow bowl. Malowan settled down next to Vlandar and sent his ward to get breakfast for both of them while he helped fill in parts of the map.

Lhors was eager to hear what they had discovered, so he sat himself a few paces away, trying to remain as unobtrusive as possible while he kept his ears open.

“I would suggest we start an hour earlier tomorrow,” Malowansaid. “There is a guard change at about first hour, and the servants had alreadybegun work in the kitchens. Still, we discovered a fair amount about the place.”

The paladin had just begun to sketch on the map when Agya returned with his breakfast. He drank down the rather gluey mixture from its two-handled bowl while it was still hot.

Agya only sipped at hers and fell asleep before it was half gone. Malowan caught the wooden bowl as it slipped from her fingers and eased her down next to him, tucking the woolen cloak around her. He smiled down at her and then turned back to the map.

Vlandar and the paladin spent the next several minutes going over various details and debating tomorrow’s plans. Lhors tried to payattention, but Mal’s details of twists and turns and doors and this and thatsoon began to jumble together in his head. He was beginning to doze off himself when something piqued his interest.

“…but this chamber,” Malowan was saying, “is where I sawthe map.”

Vlandar drew a blank hide from his pile of mapskins and handed it over. Malowan closed his eyes briefly then began to sketch in such details as he recalled.

“It may be a council chamber, and I think the map showedsites they plan to raid. I do not read their script, unfortunately.” He closedhis eyes again and scribbled several more lines of runic script at the bottom of the hide. “There. That is everything I remember-for now, at least. With a littlesleep, I might recall more.”

“Go sleep, then,” Vlandar said. “Well done, my friend.”

Malowan shook his head. “There is more, though. Wait.” Hepatted his pack. “We also found several scroll cases deeply hidden among thebalks of wood.”

“Scroll cases?” Vlandar said. “Have you looked at them yet?”

“I did not take the time in there, but if they are messagesin Giantish, it would have done me little good. I can speak some Giantish, but I read none of it. I believe Nemis does, though.”

“He said so, back when he and I first spoke.” Vlandar thoughta moment. “Let’s look at them now, you and I. If we need Nemis to translate forus, that can wait until after you’ve slept a while.”

Lhors stood and gazed over Vlandar’s shoulder. The two meneither didn’t care or didn’t notice that he was so blatantly eavesdropping.

The scrolls were written in well-formed, large letters, but neither man could understand a word of what was written there, not even the glyphs at the bottom that must be the mark of the sender. “Or Nosnra’s glyph, ofcourse,” Malowan said gloomily.

“They could be anything,” Vlandar agreed as he furled thelast scroll and slid it into its tube. “Keep them, Mal. We’ll get Nemis’ helpafter you both wake up. Meantime, I’ll finish out the individual maps as best Ican. Likely, I’ll take your advice and we’ll enter the fort an hour earliertomorrow. I want to avoid a melee, especially if there’s a chance to get backinto that chamber and learn something about why Nosnra and his underlings are attacking Keoland.”

“We won’t learn that by launching an open attack,” thepaladin agreed. “I trust if you plan on stealth that you have put the fear ofthe gods into young Plowys?”

“As best I could, Mal. Still, I may need your aid inrestraining our young hero.”

“There is,” the paladin said severely, “not enough sleep inall the world to prepare me for that.” He tugged his cloak around himselfsnugly and worked off his boots, settling down where he was.

Malowan woke some hours later to find Agya awake andreplaiting one of the straps on his pack.

“They’re at it.” She grumbled and indicated the group aroundVlandar with a minute jerk of her head. “Your warrior friend’s picked ’is teams,and no one wants to be with anyone else.” She drew a dagger and cut a slit onthe side of the pack, threaded the braided strap through, and began working the ends in so it would hold. “Thought it were bad enough in th’ city when ourmaster chose which ’prentice thieves to send out with which journey-lads. No oneever wanted who they got, journey or ’prentice.”

Agya finished her task neatly and shoved the bag his way. “You left it out in th’ open where anyone could’ve taken those things we found,”she said severely. “I don’t trust half ’em, specially that boy.”

“Boy?” the paladin asked his ward in the sudden quiet. “Iknow Lhors is ill-trained-”

“Nah, th’other: Lord Pretty Prince of the Heavens.” Agyascowled at Plowys, who was pacing by himself and occasionally spinning on one heel to half-draw a blade. “Th’ rangers’ve asked him to give over before he cutsone of us, playing with his shiny toys in here. Ask me, let ’im play-if luck bewith us, he’ll trip and skewer ’imself.”

“Harsh,” Malowan said mildly.

His ward gave him a hard-eyed look. “Nah. Harsh is what I’lldo to ’im if ’e does something to get you hurt.” She shoved the bag asideand leveled a finger at his face. “I know you. You’ll give someone like thattries and tries again and get yourself hurt trying to keep ’im safe.”

“Just as I did recently with a young market thief, a skinnygirl masquerading as a boy and nearly old enough to be caught in that deception by the city guard-or her fellow thieves?”

Agya blushed and turned her back on him.

“We’re all flawed, Agya.”

“You know how th’ thieves guild uses girls,” she muttered,“or what happens to girl thieves tossed in th’ cells. But even if I weren’tready to leave off thieving, I’d’ve done nothin’ to get you hurt.” Her chin cameup. “And I never stole but enough to keep m’self fed.”

Malowan laid a hand on her shoulder. “I know, and now youshame me for reminding you. But you have changed. Perhaps Plowys can, especially this far from his mother.”

“P’raps,” the girl replied dubiously.

Malowan gripped her arm briefly then got to his feet to find out what plans had been set for the coming night.

Khlened snarled something. Vlandar leaped to his feet, but before he could utter a word, Maera cut him off. “Lower your voice, fool of abarbarian! The fake wall our mage put up to block the entry is to trick eyes not ears! They could have heard you down along the river, just now!”

Khlened grumbled under his breath, but Vlandar cleared his throat and chopped a hand for silence.

Vlandar was visibly holding onto a formidable temper at the moment. When Plowys and Khlened both began talking at the same time, the warrior snarled a curse that silenced both and left Rowan blinking in surprise.

“I was put in charge of this sortie,” Vlandar said evenly,“and all of you knew that from the first-including you.” He scowled at Plowysuntil the young man’s mouth twitched. “Now. I will often ask for opinions,particularly from those of you who have fought giants or can speak or read Giantish, or who have skills other and better than mine. I may even follow such advice if it seems sensible, but I am captain here. The responsibility for all of us-and to the king and Lord Mebree-is mine. I made my choices fortonight for my own reasons, and I am not called on to explain them. Do what you must to get ready, because we move out two hours before first light.” And withthat, he turned away, beckoned for Malowan to follow him, and settled in the narrow corner where he’d spread his blankets.

“It was a poor choice putting me in charge of thisbunch,” he growled.

Malowan smiled. “You manage well enough. How did you divideus up?”

Vlandar sighed heavily. “Khlened and the rangers are going tolearn what they can about the door where the wolves and their keeper went. The northerner is upset to be put with females, and they in turn are offended by him. I put Nemis with you and Agya. You need to learn where that downstairs goes, and he needs to either copy that map or take it.”

“You plan on all of us getting inside unnoted by theresidents?” Malowan asked.

Vlandar shrugged. “I do not believe the Steading isultimately responsible for the attacks. Nosnra is a brutish oaf, cunning but not a planner. If he does report to someone else, I want to learn who and if there is a way to find that someone. We may decide to do as much damage to the Steading as we can before going after Nosnra’s superiors then. Likely not,though. If Nosnra learns what we’re up to, he’ll warn his superior, if he istaking orders. Better if we can avoid walking into a trap, don’t you think?”

“Of course.”

“I will take Lhors and Plowys to see what else we can learnfrom the feasting hall, then join you in the council room. I don’t want any ofus wandering off. Our goal should be to get in and get back out with that map and anything else useful.” Vlandar sighed again. Now he sounded merely tired. “Ineed your help, Mal. We can’t go into that fort in this mood.”

“I agree,” Malowan said. “We act as a team or die asindividuals. I’ll talk to Khlened and the rangers. Young Plowys-he won’t listento me. You’ll have to do your best with him.”

But as it turned out, there was no need for anyone to searchfor information on the Steading’s arrangement. When Nemis went through thescrolls Malowan had brought back, he found a detailed map of the main floor.

“I see the steps you found, Mal,” the mage said and pointedthem out, “and another set here, just off the kitchens. But there are no plansfor the lower level.”

“This is still useful,” Vlandar said. “It tells us thereis a lower level-though I was certain of that anyway. Besides, there appearsto be no reason for us to go anywhere but that council chamber.”

Khlened stirred. “Then this will be no sneak raid?”

“Yes,” Vlandar said flatly. “The council room is here”-hepointed out the small chamber not far from the north wall-“so if there areguards in the corridors, we avoid them. If we cannot, of course, then we kill them as quickly and quietly as we can.”

He glanced at Nemis, who was gazing at the scroll. The mage’sexpression turned suddenly grim, but Vlandar didn’t think anyone else had seenthis. “Everyone eat something and make certain your gear is ready. We leaveshortly.”

He waited until everyone but Nemis and Malowan had moved off, then touched the mage’s arm to get his attention. “What is it? What does itsay?”

Nemis tapped the scroll. “It is a set of orders on where andwhen to raid certain villages in southern Keoland-the dark of the next moon. Icannot tell where it was written.”

Malowan spread the scroll out. “But it is signed, isn’t it?That certainly looks like a signature to me.”

“It is signed,” the mage replied grimly, “by one ‘Eclavdra’.”

“Eclavdra?” Vlandar asked. “Is that a place or a person? Canyou tell?”

“I can tell.” Nemis swallowed. He looked tense. “I had hopedI would not need to tell anyone this, but I see no way past it. Eclavdra is a drow, a dark elf.”

Malowan shook his head. “I thought there were no drow leftanywhere in the Flanaess!”

“Not in, but under,” Nemis said. “They left thesurface ages ago. They live in deep caverns and when they do attack, it is in secret, and they leave no survivors.”

“Well,” Vlandar said dubiously, “then how do you knowabout them?”

“Because the man who was my master in my apprentice dayssought out the drow and pledged himself to their service in exchange for whatever magic they could teach him. They do have some like my old master who serve as their ears and eyes above-ground. Daylight is painful to them. Furthermore, they are so unlike any other race that they would be known for what they are. They are small and delicate to look upon, very black-skinned, with silvery hair. They are dire fighters and dread sorcerers. My master was bound to serve Eclavdra.” Nemis licked his lips. “When he died, I found a way to escapethe drow.”

“You said nothing of this back in Cryllor,” Vlandar said.“Why, I wonder?”

Nemis gave him a bitter smile. “Because I knew you would lookat me the way you are now. ‘He dwelt with drow. Perhaps he served them. Perhapshe is their spy.’ I could think of nothing I might say to persuade you that I amnot. I still cannot.”

“You forget that I can tell if a being serves good or evil,”Malowan said mildly. “Give me your hands.” He gripped them gently then shook hishead. “You are no servant of evil, Nemis, though I had no doubt of that beforenow.”

“That is good enough for me then,” Vlandar said.

“Thank you,” the mage said simply. “I see nothing else usefulin this, and no way to tell where Eclavdra is. If she remains in the great underground city where I left her, there is nothing we can do about her.”

“Then we will do what we can to render her servants lessuseful to her,” Vlandar said. He waited until the mage went off to hisspellbook, then eyed the paladin sidelong. “You are certain of him, Mal?”

“I am.”

“You had better be,” the warrior replied. “Meantime, you andI need to go over this map. I want no dithering once we are inside.”

It was still very dark when the party crouched in a closehuddle near the top of the hill so that Malowan could orient them. The air was cool and damp, and a misty rain fell now and again. By the time they were ready to move on, Lhors’ hair was plastered to his skull where his hood had developeda hole. In the still, pre-dawn air, the party could clearly hear two deep-voices growling curses or insults at each other from the fortress.

Nemis translated in a soft whisper. “That is the towerguard-two young ones who are wet, cold, and out of ale. They have a long hourbefore the relief guards come, and it is so foggy that they can’t see anythinganyway.”

“Not really watching, then,” Khlened whispered.

Plowys scowled at his hands. At the moment, he wasn’tspeaking to anyone. Just as well, Lhors thought, since he had a carrying voice and a whisper sharper than Khlened’s.

As Lhors triple-checked his quiver of javelins, Vlandar gripped Malowan’s fingers and nodded. The paladin started down the slope withAgya on his heels and Nemis bringing up the rear. The others waited. It remained quiet except for the distant conversation of the two guards.

“Rowan, go,” Vlandar breathed.

The ranger eased out of sight, Maera close behind her. Khlened stayed behind only long enough to sheathe the spear he carried. Smart of him, Lhors decided. A man could stab himself, if he slipped on his way down. Lhors checked his own blades for the fourth time to be certain nothing was likely to come loose.

A few more moments passed, then Vlandar tapped Plowys on the shoulder and started down the slope, gesturing for the others to follow. Lhors remembered to take a slow count of two before following. As he reached the shelter of the boulder and brush, he could just make out the sound of a dislodged stone some distance below. Fortunately, one of the tower guards began coughing as if he’d choked on something. His companion broke into raucous laughter.

Vlandar set off once again, Plowys ahead of him and Lhors coming last. The ground beneath his feet was crumbly, but it leveled out before very long.

The fog was thicker down here, and the early morning was still very dark. Lhors could see little except for Vlandar’s reassuring formjust ahead of him, but as they reached the main doors, he could make out Agya doing something to the doors. Picking the lock, he assumed.

A moment later, she stepped back as Malowan and Nemis leaned into one of the huge slabs of wood. The door moved quietly back, just enough to admit them. The mage pointed to the opening and shook his head, signaling that there was no one on the other side of the door. To Lhors, the sight of that vast door three times his height and thicker than his arm brought home that they were about to enter a mighty hall, full of the dreadful creatures that had destroyed his home. He bit his lip.

Vlandar was going in first, sword in one hand and a heavy-bladed javelin in the other. Plowys was right on his heels. The rangers followed. Khlened trailed after, then Malowan and his ward. Nemis gave Lhors a smile probably meant to encourage him and gestured for him to go next. Lhors’fingers moved across his dagger hilt-much good that would be against even ahalf-grown giant! He pulled three javelins from his pack, gripped one in his throwing hand, and drew a deep breath as he crossed the threshold. Nemis eased the door shut behind him.

There was little light except for a flickering torch partway down the passage that led to the guard tower. The place reeked of mold, rotting food, and other things-he didn’t want to think about what they might be. Vlandarturned to smile, then gestured for him to follow.

Rowan and Maera, listening intently, flanked the double doors leading into the great hall. Khlened stepped forward to try the doors, but the rangers gestured a firm no.

Overhead, one of the tower guards was still coughing, and his companion snarled something. The coughing subsided, there was a sudden thump, then Nemis grabbed Vlandar’s arm. “Everyone out of sight!” he hissed urgently.“One’s coming down for wine!”

Vlandar signed, enemy coming! Rowan, Maera, and Khlened were already out of sight. Lhors ran for the rack of cloaks, and as he hesitated, Rowan leaned out to gesture for him to join her. Lhors did, but he moved the cloak just enough so that he could still see.

Massive feet clomped down the wooden steps. The others seemed well hidden. Lhors could see none of them except for Nemis, whose lips moved silently-casting a spell perhaps. A keg near the tower hall briefly glowed adull red as the wizard’s magic set in. Some sort of revealing spell, perhaps?Lhors wondered. The mage moved the other way, clambered over a long bench along the west wall, and dropped out of sight.

Lhors’ attention was drawn away from the passage as he sawmovement in the center of the room. Someone stepped out from behind a stack of kegs. Lhors could scarcely believe his eyes. Before anyone could catch him, Plowys had thrown himself back into the open and begun brushing frantically at his hair. Bugs from the cloak, Lhors thought. They must have a nasty sting.

Vlandar leaped back into sight, grabbed the would-be hero’sarm, and began to try to haul him past the cloak rack. It wasn’t much shelter,and Vlandar was checking to make sure the corridor beyond was empty when Plowys caught his breath.

Light from a torch down the passage shone full on his face. Vlandar clutched at Plowys’ arm to pull him back but missed. The youth ranforward, drawing his sword as the door creaked open and a hill giant stepped into the room. The gigantic wretch was as tall and dirty looking as those who’dattacked Upper Haven, but he was obviously very drunk. The stench of foul ale and cheap wine overpowered even the smell of the chamber. His eyes were bloodshot and teary, and he held his spear in a wobbly, loose grip.

The giant stared at the youth, visibly puzzled as to how the young man had come to be here. Plowys stiffened in shock at the sight of the creature. The giant was more than twice his height and obviously more of a foe than the youth had ever faced. The point of Plowys’ sword wobbled, and he tooka hesitant step back.

The tower guard took two quick steps forward and with one swift motion, skewered Plowys on the end of his spear. Plowys’ sword rattled tothe floor as blood and bile gushed from his mouth and nose. Lhors leaned back against the wall and bit his lip, praying he wouldn’t be sick.

Just then, Nemis spoke-another spell, perhaps. Lhors forcedhimself to move, hands tight around his javelins. Vlandar came up next to him, swords at the ready, but the young giant stared at them blankly. The spear fell from his hands, and Plowys collapsed lifeless to the floor.

“Leave him be,” Nemis said very quietly. “I put a spell offorgetfulness on the guard. He will come out of this shortly, fetch that cask, and go back the way he came. We will avenge our companion at a more opportune time.”

True to the mage’s word, the ensorcelled guard lumbered overto the wine cask, his spear and the corpse completely forgotten. He hefted the barrel, wobbled uncertainly, then proceeded back up the stair.

Malowan came into the open and gazed down at Plowys, his face expressionless. “Thank the gods it was swift and that he didn’t bleed much.” Heglanced at Vlandar. “We cannot leave him here.”

Vlandar was tight-lipped and pale. Grief and rage played across his features. “No,” he rasped. “We’ll go, all of us. We can take the bodyback to the camp and bury him. Khlened, you and the rangers go now to make certain there’s no one outside. We’ll gather Plowys and follow.”

“We’re leaving?” the barbarian asked. “Because of-”

“I don’t want us splitting up, and we can’t leave him here tobe found. We’ll try again tomorrow. Do as I say, Khlened. Now.”

Khlened mumbled under his breath, but he turned and helped the rangers drag the door open. After a brief glance out into the fog, he followed Rowan out.

Malowan gathered up Plowys and gestured for Agya to go. Once the girl was out the door, Vlandar grabbed the spear and pulled. There was a sickening scrape as the haft ran against bone, and another gush of blood splattered onto the floor.

Lhors winced and clamped his jaw shut. I will not be sick! he thought.

Plowys’ dead face, his eyes wide and staring, gazed up atthe ceiling. It had obviously been a painful death, but a quick one. He had not suffered long.

“Gods,” Vlandar gasped. “Curse the young idiot for hisfoolishness! I should have been watching him more closely.”

Malowan put a hand on his friend’s shoulder and said, “Youdid what you could. It’s too late to assign blame to anyone. What’s done isdone.”

Vlandar nodded. His jaw tightened as he turned away from the corpse. He leaned the guard’s spear in the corner and mopped up the worst of theblood with a cloak. After bundling the sodden fabric, the three of them hefted the corpse and left the chamber.

It was nearly light by the time they’d placed the last rockson the grave-a deep, narrow cut in one of the shallower caverns. Vlandar gazedat the down at the rubble. “Fool of a boy. His mother will tear her heart out.She deserved better.”

“She had what she created,” Malowan said quietly. “A pity,all the same. If we return to the king’s city, I’ll give her a tale to make herproud of the boy. It’s the least I can do for my dislike of him.”

Shortly thereafter, the others went back to the cave, but Lhors and Vlandar stayed behind.

“I should feel something,” Lhors said finally. “Even if hewasn’t very nice, he was alive and now he’s dead.”

“It was sudden,” Vlandar said quietly. “Sometimes a mandoesn’t feel much when it happens like that.” He sighed. “I feel angry with theyouth and angry with myself for not having a better grip on him.”

“My father told me that when things like that happen, youcan’t change it, so there’s no point to being angry or upset. I did not likehim, but his mother cared, and he might have changed if he had lived.”

“Your father sounds like he was a wise man.” Vlandar squatteddown to sort through the slain youth’s weapons. He set aside the swords,serviceable daggers, the case of javelins, the bow, and one small dagger-ajeweled belt-toy Plowys probably used to clean his nails. Vlandar slipped the lock of hair he’d cut from the youth’s head into the sheath and put the daggerback. “This I will return to his mother, if I can. As for the rest of these, Ihope your father warned you that a sensible man never leaves behind weapons that might be found and turned against him.” He handed the bundle of javelins toLhors. “You are next to Maera at skill with these, and the daggers may come inuseful.”

“Thank you, sir,” Lhors stuttered. “I’ll try not to let youdown.”

Vlandar got back to his feet, wrapped an arm around the boy’sshoulders, and led him back to their cave. “I am not much worried that you will,Lhors. Maybe though, if there’s a little time today, you and I will gettogether, and I can show you a few tricks with those blades.”

“I’d like that.”