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.
Chapter 5
Water splashed in Hecar's face. He flinched and coughed but could do nothing; his hands were manacled. After a few moments, though, he was able to blink his eyes clear enough to see… not that there was anything he needed to see. It was the same grimy cell and the same, squat, scarred minotaur, many years Hecar's elder, who grinned down at the prisoner with a mouth only half filled with teeth.
Molus, so old he was completely gray-furred, was an enthusiastic jailer, ever delighting in ways to further strip his charges of their dignity. "Time to fight again, criminal. Got a good match for you today."
Behind Molus waited four well-armed members of the State Guard. Scurn was not among them. Hecar had not seen Scurn since his arrest, though he was fairly certain the disfigured minotaur had graced the stands at least once.
Every muscle in his body ached, reminding him that at least he was still alive. By rights, he should be dead. Combats involving criminals of the state were usually balanced so that the outcome went against the convicted.
Hecar had fought two combats so far, one against two skilled warriors and the other involving a very hungry bear obviously taunted into savagery by its trainers. He had won both combats, in great part due to tricks he had learned from Kaz, but for some reason his captors were holding back the worst. He knew that many prisoners faced even greater odds. His combats were winnable, as he had proven. Hecar was no champion of the level that Kaz had once been; he was good, even better than average for his kind, but not great.
It seemed as if they were giving him a chance to live longer, and that worried him. It meant they wanted something they thought he could give them.
"Unlock those manacles," Molus commanded. As one of the guards obeyed, he added to Hecar, "Today you fight an ogre… then, if you survive. Captain Scurn wants a word with you."
Another fixed combat, this one more winnable than the others. What did they want?
I should have listened to you, Kaz. I should have listened to you-
Kaz? As the soldiers dragged him to his feet, Hecar wondered if he had stumbled on the answer. Was he somehow being given the chance to survive because of his relationship with Kaz?
Scurn might hold the answer to that, providing Hecar survived this latest combat. Perhaps today was when everything would begin to make sense. Hecar snorted, knowing that he had to triumph if only to assuage his own growing curiosity.
He almost pitied the ogre.
Kaz allowed Delbin to continue to slumber while he readied things for the journey. It was clear that he was stuck with Delbin. The wound, which had turned out to be little more than a scratch on the kender's right leg, was the result of an encounter with a far-ranging minotaur scout who had chased the kender for several miles. Of course, Delbin admitted that he had been trailing Kaz, hoping to rejoin him at some later point. Kaz surrendered himself to the fact that he would have to allow Delbin to travel with him or forever look over his shoulder for the irrepressible kender.
The storm had cleared just before sunrise, but the sky was still greatly obscured by clouds. Kaz had the horse saddled and ready by the time Delbin managed to wake. The kender rubbed his eyes, looked around in temporary confusion, then smiled at Kaz. "It's stopped raining."
"That it has. How do you feel?"
"Better."
Most kender, of course, possessed strong constitutions. Delbin seemed almost completely recovered. Kaz, who still felt some of his own aches and pains, marveled at Delbin's recuperative powers.
"Do you remember now how you found me?"
"I just knew." The kender's face was all innocence.
Kaz dropped the question. "You were supposed to go to Helati and the other minotaurs. Paladine's shield! You're likely walking into danger if you stay with me!"