Land of the minotaurs

Chapter 4

It was only a few minutes before the first of the hunters came within sight. He was only a black outline, but Kaz had no trouble identifying him as another ogre. The hunter carried a net and club.

Just a moment later, a second shadow moved toward the camp, what looked like an axe in one hand and possibly a net in the other. They were surprisingly deft for their kind, but to Kaz they were noisy enough to wake the dead. Leaning Honor's Face against a tree, he removed a knife from the belt of his kilt and moved silently toward the nearest ogre.

The ogre never noticed him, so intent was it on the lone figure by the campfire. Kaz came up behind the stalker, then, when the ogre paused to scout the area, the minotaur struck. With one hand he covered the ogre's mouth. Then, before the creature could comprehend what was happening, Kaz drove the blade into his adversary's throat. The minotaur had no qualms about doing so; the ogre would have done the same-or worse.

With a muffled gasp, the ogre slumped. Kaz held on, cushioning the body to prevent it from falling to the ground too heavily. He gently lowered his victim, then, wiping the blade, looked around.

The other ogre was no longer in sight, but Kaz had a fairly good idea of where it had gone. Crouching as low as he could, yet still move swiftly, the minotaur darted among the trees. Suddenly, he spotted the second ogre waiting impatiently for some signal. Kaz moved at an incautious pace. He was almost on top of the ogre. Only a few steps more…

Then something, some slight movement on the minotaur's part, made the hunter turn. The ogre spotted Kaz and hesitated. It would be only a moment before his opponent realized that Kaz was not an ally, so the minotaur did the only thing he could. He threw his blade, burying the knife deep in the ogre's chest. The creature dropped its weapons and tried to reach for the blade, but its life was already draining from it. It fell before its hands were even halfway to the hilt.

Kaz rushed to the body, hoping no one had heard it fall, and reached to retrieve his knife.

A bird called out. The minotaur froze, knowing that such birds were not usually in the habit of chattering at night.

From the other side of the campsite there came the rustling of vegetation and the heavy grunting of moving figures. Kaz heard a gasp that had to have come from Delbin. A deep voice snarled an unintelligible order. The minotaur cursed. Seizing his blade, he thrust it into his belt and ran for the camp. Even before he reached it, he was able to make out what was happening. His heart sank.

There were five of them, two minotaurs and three ogres. One ogre was trying to hold a squirming Delbin while the others looked around for obstacles to their fun. All of them looked very disappointed.

He did not hesitate. Roaring at the top of his voice, Kaz leapt into camp just behind one of the ogres. The hunters looked up in time to see him raise his arm and open his empty hand. The look of surprise in their eyes when Honor's Face materialized in his grip amused Kaz even though he had already witnessed that shocked look countless times in the past. The magical axe always had returned to him when he most needed it, and certainly now figured to be a time of need.

He cut down the first ogre while the creature was still gaping. The one holding Delbin tossed the kender aside and readied its weapon. One of the minotaurs started forward while the second backed quickly away, retreating into the woods.

Kaz met the ogre axe against axe. The ogre was a veteran warrior, so the two traded blows at first. The other minotaur moved in after that to give the ogre a hand, forcing Kaz back. Behind them he could see the remaining ogre turn on Delbin menacingly.

Hard-pressed as he was to concentrate on anything but his two opponents, Kaz did not at first know why the ogre in the rear abruptly slipped and fell. Only when Delbin's small figure darted past his field of vision did he guess what might have happened.

"Stand still!" cursed the second ogre, rising. It had a sword nearly as long as Kaz's axe and was trying to cleave the moving kender in two. Kaz would have laughed, if not for the fact that his own enemies were separating in order to further divide his attention.

"Surrender and we'll see that your death is swift," the minotaur in the woods demanded.

"I don't surrender to those without honor."

His words angered the other minotaur, who swung carelessly with his blade. Kaz used that anger to his advantage, catching his foe's weapon by the hilt with the edge of his axe and tearing the sword free. The blade flew at the ogre, who, though it was in no danger of being hurt by it, stepped back in astonishment.

His minotaur antagonist tried to stop the flow of blood from his wounded hand. Kaz immediately turned to the ogre. Its advantage lost and its footing awkward from backing away, the ogre swung its axe far too high. Kaz ducked enough to allow the weapon to pass harmlessly over his head, then brought his own battle-axe down on the ogre's forearm.

Honor's Face cut through the arm with as much ease as it did most everything else. The ogre screamed and pulled away, leaving behind its hand and part of its forearm. The wounded minotaur had retreated.

"Sargas take all of you!" cursed the second minotaur from the darkness, his words for his companions, not Kaz and Delbin. Seeing Kaz about to battle against it, the remaining ogre decided that escape was the best course of action.

Not willing to let any more of his foes escape, Kaz charged after the fleeing ogre. However, he had only reached the edge of the campsite when he suddenly became entangled in a number of tree limbs that materialized before him. Kaz tried to shove them aside, only to discover that they clung to him with the tenacity of serpents.

One of the nearest trees started to move, its branches reaching out in what looked to be an attempt to seize his axe.

"Paladine!" He tugged Honor's Face back before the tree could succeed, then swung it around, slicing through the harassing branches. As they clattered to the ground, more sought to seize him, but he cut through those as well. No normal axe could have severed so many limbs so quickly. If Kaz had used any other weapon, he was fairly certain he quickly would have become trapped… or worse.

The animated tree suddenly loomed above him, black shadow in the black night. Kaz hefted his weapon, but as he prepared to strike, another tree moved toward him. ft now appeared that the trees intended to crush him on all sides.

Unwilling to accept such a fate, the minotaur gripped his weapon and leapt into the nearest tree, which tried unsuccessfully to seize him. Kaz continued climbing into the upper reaches, avoiding branches from below that tried to drag him down.

Peering down, Kaz caught sight of an unnatural red gleam. He faintly glimpsed a minotaur holding something aloft in his left hand, an item that was the source of the gleam… and likely the reason the trees had become so lively. Hooking the axe into his harness, Kaz crawled swiftly along a strong limb that led toward the mysterious minotaur.

Movement to his left and right informed him that the other trees were squeezing in closer. Kaz took one look each way, estimated the distance to the other minotaur, and jumped.

He landed just short, but his abrupt appearance so startled the second minotaur that the latter dropped the gleaming red artifact, a crystal. Kaz, charging forward, did not waste time. The other minotaur tried to retrieve the magic talisman, placing a hand on it just as Kaz reached him. The pair collided, and the gem flew away.

Neither had time for words. The darkness made the battle more confusing. Kaz sought to get a grip on the other minotaur's arm in the hope of twisting it, when he backed into a tree that he did not think should have been there. His amazement might have given the advantage to his foe, but for the fact that the tree pushed Kaz forward, sending both minotaurs scrambling.

What in Kiri-Jolith's name? wondered Kaz. Then he realized the truth. The gem gave the minotaur crude command over the trees he had animated. The trees were ordered to capture or possibly kill Kaz, and if the other minotaur got in the way, they would not notice the difference.

His foe crawled out from underneath him, but instead of trying to continue the fight, he took one look at the oncoming monsters and rushed off after his comrades. Kaz did not have much respect for his fellow's sense of duty and honor, though he did have some regard for his common sense. There was no use dying needlessly.

Tree limbs sought him again, but he managed to roll away. Kaz landed against another trunk, this one belonging to a stationary tree. The minotaur took momentary cover.

Attacking with Honor's Face occurred to him, but Kaz did not like the idea of wading into the huge monsters no matter how formidable his battle-axe. There had to be another way. He could outrun ogres, but then he was afraid some other person might run afoul of the animated creatures. Kaz had no idea how long the enchantment would last. The only one who could have answered that question was the minotaur who had been controlling the gem-

The gem! I've been a fool! He quickly scanned the darkness for it, seeking the red gleam. A faint crimson glowed in the foliage to his far left. It could be only the talisman.

One of the trees had shifted closer to try to seize him, but he managed to evade it. Behind him Kaz could hear the animated trees pursuing. Kaz gritted his teeth. He was not far away now. Just a few more yards.

His legs became entangled in some branches. Kaz lost his balance and fell face forward. Almost before he had even hit the ground the hapless warrior found himself being dragged backward. He tried to reach for his axe, but it was difficult. The trees had him in their clutches.

A small figure suddenly materialized near him. "Kaz?"

"Delbin! Find the red gem! It glows in the dark!"

Even under these dire circumstances, the kender's tone was merry. "It does? Gee, that'd be neat to see! I-"

Another set of tree limbs caught hold of his legs. Kaz managed to seize hold of the axe, but doubted he could wield it successfully from his present position on his stomach. "Be quiet, Delbin! Find the gem! Quickly! It's over to your side."

Delbin looked around. "I don't see it!"

Under other circumstances, the kender could have found the tiniest trinket, even if it had been lost and buried for years. Kaz wondered whether he should just surrender to his fate now.

His companion turned his head. "Oh! There it is!" He hurried over to the gem and picked it up. "I've got it, Kaz!"

About time, the harried minotaur thought. "Hold it in your hand and command the trees to stop!"

"It'll make them do that? I never saw-"

"Delbin!"

The kender immediately raised the gem high, shouting at the same time, "Stop, trees!"

Nothing happened. The trees continued their work. One of them was trying to lift Kaz by his legs. The minotaur had the axe out, but trying to strike effectively from upside down was not easy, even with his cherished weapon.

"I said that you should stop, you trees! Stop that!" Delbin paused. "I don't think it's working, Kaz!"

"Break the damned thing!" It was the only other idea he could think of at the moment.

"I don't have anything to break it with. It's pretty hard, Kaz!"

The warrior could think of only one article that either of them owned that might be able to shatter the magical gem. Loathe as he was to give up his only defense, Kaz focused on the kender, cocked his arm, and tossed Honor's Face toward the small figure. "Use the axe! Hurry!"

The other trees clustered around him. His view of Delbin was blocked off. He did hear the kender moving around, but that was all.

"The axe is heavy, Kaz!"

"You don't need to raise it very high!"

His inhuman foes closed on him. Kaz's position became untenable. In minutes the trees would crush him between their trunks.

A brilliant flash of crimson light illuminated the immediate area.

The trees ceased moving. Kaz held his breath, waiting for them to resume, but they did not. He exhaled and laughed.

"Kaz? Are you okay?" Delbin's upside-down head appeared between two of the trees.

"Good enough." He had the arm wound and a splitting headache now, but that was negligible in comparison to what could have happened. "I think I'm going to need your help in freeing myself, though."

"Okay."

With his companion's aid, Kaz was soon able to free himself from the tight little copse. There was no sign of the other attackers. Kaz guessed that he had seen the end of them. Not a very competent group, he thought, not even the minotaurs. He thought about pursuing them, but decided that it was not wise to chase around in the dark. Turning to Delbin again, he asked, "How about you? Are you all right?"

The kender nodded. If anything, he looked thrilled by the night's festivities. It was yet another trait of the race that Kaz would never understand.

Feeling guilty for having left his companion alone, the minotaur added, "Sorry I had to do things that way. I thought we'd have a better chance if I could catch some of them unaware. I'd hoped to do more damage." He was slipping a little, though. He and his companion very well could have been killed. Had his time trying to raise a family dulled his wits some? "I'm sorry."

Delbin appeared unconcerned. The kender looked at the dead ogre and surveyed the remnants of the attack. "It's okay, Kaz. I knew you'd save us."

The statement was said so confidently that Kaz could not dispute it. Delbin resolutely believed in him. Kaz felt embarrassed.

"I knew you'd save us," the kender repeated, looking up and smiling. "The man in the dream said so just before I woke up."

"The what?" Now that had an unsettlingly familiar ring to it Kaz's eyes narrowed- "The man in gray?"

"Yes, Kaz! He said not to worry, because the time hadn't come yet to test the balance. He said you'd see us through to that point. We have to be somewhere else for the balancing test."

"By Paladine! That does it!" The minotaur turned his gaze skyward. "I don't know which one of you it is, but I'll not be your puppet again! I'm going to rescue Hecar and then I'm going straight home to my mate and children! Get another to play your infernal game, whatever it is!"

Kaz doubted that the Great Dragon, as the Lord of Good was called by some, was behind this. Paladine was just and fair, but there were other gods, either of Good, Neutrality, or Evil, that, in his eyes, toyed with creatures when they themselves could not act outwardly.

The night sky, of course, did not respond. Kaz snorted in anger and looked at his companion. The kender seemed interested in his words, but made no comment, for which Kaz was grateful. At that moment he came to a decision that he felt was right under the circumstances. It was what he should have done in the first place.

"Tomorrow you'll head south to the settlement and Helati, Delbin, You'll go there and you'll stay there."

The kender started to protest, but Kaz turned his back on him, beginning the grisly task of disposing of the ogre remains. He did not look at or talk to his companion again for the rest of the night.

When the next morning came, Delbin raised a protest. "I want to go with you!"

"There were minotaurs with that band that tried to capture us, maybe even kill us. I don't know how they knew we were there or why they wanted us in the first place, but some of them escaped." Kaz did have certain suspicions, but none he wanted to voice just yet. The only ones who had known he was coming to the homeland were the minotaurs of the settlement. "That means we might come across them again, maybe even in Nethosak. They make mincemeat out of kender. I've enough to worry about without worrying about you as well. Go visit Helati again, Delbin. She'll treat you kindly. Wait for me there."

"But, Kaz," interrupted the kender, who was bringing the horses. "I told you! The gray man said I have to go with you to help you."

"Maybe you misunderstood him, Delbin. Maybe he wanted you to be around to help me last night. You've done that, so now you can go back."

The kender thought this over. "Do you think so?"

"I'm sure of that."

"But I don't want to leave! You're my friend!"

The minotaur sighed. Kaz was indeed fond of the kender, which was why Delbin had to leave. He did not want to see him hurt; nor was he very comfortable baring his emotions in this way.

"Listen to me. The minotaur lands are near. They're dangerous. Nethosak is the worst of all. I was a fool to bring you this far, and last night's attack only verified that. I don't know why they wanted us… But I think that bringing you to my homeland will only endanger you further. You have to understand that I'm sending you south because I don't want any harm to come to you."

The short figure stared at the ground. "I don't want to go…"

"Delbin." The kender looked up. "I hope you understand how serious this is. I wouldn't want anything to happen to you."

"I know, Kaz."

"You'll go south, like I asked?"

"Yes, Kaz, but-"

"No." The minotaur folded his arms, looking as impressive and stern as he could. "Helati needs your help, since I am gone. She has children to take care of." Inside, Kaz winced. Helati would not soon forgive him for making a kender even a short-term member of her household. She cared for Delbin in much the same way as Kaz, but kender had a habit of "accidentally" removing any item left sitting around for more than a minute. Still, Delbin did have a way with children, even minotaur infants, which might prove valuable. That might assuage Helati some.

"I understand," Delbin replied, trying to look big and solemn. Breaking into a smile, he said, "I do like Helati, too! She cooks well for a minotaur and can hunt and knows neat tricks with a dagger, which she showed me once when she hit a target real far away…"

The kender babbled on and, although the constant flow of words drove Kaz to distraction, he allowed Delbin to talk freely. And when the kender at last departed, less than an hour later, Kaz felt strangely hollow.

Pull yourself together, he reprimanded himself, once Delbin was out of sight. You're a minotaur, a warrior. That's the way you have to act when you enter the empire. Hecar needs you to be strong.

Thinking of Helati's brother helped strengthen his resolve. Prior to departing, Kaz searched for signs of the hunters' retreat. He counted only five mounts. It was possible there were reinforcements elsewhere. He was positive that his decision to send the kender back had been the correct one. Ogres and minotaurs did not willingly work together unless there was a good reason.

He would find Hecar. There was no question about that.

The day passed slowly. Kaz found that he missed the kender's company more than he could have imagined. Delbin had been as loyal a comrade to him as any he had known… more loyal than most.

The woods grew thinner and thinner, becoming simply grassy hills dotted with the occasional copse of trees. The southern end of the mountain range that marked the border of the minotaur kingdoms was only a few days away. As he rode north, Kaz also experienced some bad weather. The wind picked up, with cloud cover coming not long after. It started to rain just before the sun set, and the rain intensified soon after that, becoming a full-fledged storm. Ragged bolts of lightning striking in the hills ahead made him finally decide to make camp.

Kaz found an overhang large enough to conceal both him and his horse. It was no surprise to find it there; he recalled it from another journey long ago. There was no way he could start a fire, so the minotaur satisfied himself with eating cold, cooked meat and fruit left from his portion of the supplies. The rest he had given to Delbin. The kender had been more than fortunate in his scavenging, so he and Kaz both had plenty of food.

The storm grew worse. Unable to sleep, Kaz stared out at the countryside, identifying landmarks. In his thoughts, he considered what he would do when he arrived in Nethosak. Possibly his best bet for aid would be from the House of Orilg. While his relationship with his clan was not as good as it once was, the house had no reason to turn him away. Kaz had cleared himself of any accusations of dishonor, and his reputation outside of the homelands had even given him a unique prestige among his own kind. It was known that the Knights of Solamnia, one of the few human organizations the minotaurs respected, honored him as a warrior.

Of course, Orilg aside, Kaz had one or two other contacts, providing they were still alive. He touched the pouch that contained the medallion Delbin claimed had been given to him in a dream. As much as he hated to lay claim to his past status in the circus, there were those who would aid him simply because he had once owned the rank of supreme champion.

A particularly brilliant flash of lightning lit up the landscape. Kaz leapt to his feet, momentarily disturbing his mount. He could have sworn that he had seen a figure standing untouched in the storm, a bearded figure clad in a long, flowing robe and bearing a staff. It was a figure that, even from a distance, looked much like the gray man from his dream.

"Well, I'm awake now!" he snarled. Suddenly oblivious to the elements, he charged out into the storm, heading for the spot where he had glimpsed the gray man.

Lightning crackled across the sky, but nothing illuminated the figure. Kaz moved swiftly, fearing not only that he might lose his quarry in the dark, but also that he might have imagined everything in the first place. His axe remained behind, but the minotaur did not worry; Honor's Face would be in his grip when he needed it.

Thunder rolled. The rain worsened, slowing Kaz. He peered through the storm. Kaz wondered if the gray man, despite not wearing either the red, black, or white robes of the calling, was indeed a mage; he certainly had the look of one. Something about him was familiar, too, and not just from the dream. It had to do with Huma of the Lance, of that he felt certain, though in all honesty he could not have said why.

Another brilliant bolt lit up the area, revealing to Kaz a form huddled near where he had last seen the gray man. Despite being drenched, the minotaur allowed himself a toothy grin. He had the elusive figure at last.

"Get up!" he roared as he neared the dark, huddled mass. "Get up! You've got some things to answer to!"

Lightning flashed again and, for the first time, Kaz saw that the figure before him was not the man in gray.

It was Delbin… and he was bleeding.