The man had brought ropes, cords, parchment, a ten-foot pole, iron spikes, silver mirrors, lanterns, oil, holy water…
With a snort, the Justicar ignored the whole matter. It would all end up scattered behind the party after the first two miles. Jus’ mainworry was that it would leave a trail that an enemy could follow.
Popping into view and flying merrily across the river, Escalla invited herself over to inspect the equipment pile. She saw the huge mound of gear and instantly clasped her hands against her heart.
“Ooooh, real adventurers! Professionals at last!”Escalla rooted happily through the equipment pile. “Here’s a question: just whatexactly is the ten-foot pole for?”
“I would not expect a mere pixie to understand.”
“Fine, fine! Just ring a little warning bell when you decideto use it, and I’ll be there to watch.” The faerie did a back flip through theair and hovered before the Justicar’s eyes. “This is going to be more colorfulthan I thought.”
The raft delivered two more men-the paladin resplendent insilver plate mail and a tall, cadaverous sorcerer rattling with wooden bandoliers of spell components-both from the baron’s guard. The sorcerer laboredup the shore. He looked across the landscape without the slightest bit of interest, seeming more concerned with taking an inventory of his magical charms.
Reaching the high ground, Sir Olthwaite the paladin struck a typical pose, leaning on his sword to survey the land.
Cinders’ hackles rose, and the hell hound gave an evilmental growl. Burn…
“Not yet.” The Justicar walked past the paladin. “Dump thearmor. We’re marching twenty miles a day.”
Touching a scented handkerchief to his nose, Sir Olthwaite decided to ignore such uncouth suggestions.
“No need. I am used to hardship.”
The Justicar never answered. His dark glance at the man’svelvet cloak and silver armor spoke far more than words. Cinders gave another warning growl, and Jus reached up to pat the hell hound on the skull.
“Just do your job and stay away from my dog.”
Cinders gave an unvocalized little growl. The hell hound’ssinister appearance was enough to send most casual bystanders into retreat, but it appeared that the paladin was made of sterner stuff. He gave the hell hound a thoughtful look then simply walked away.
Rattling with quivers and sheathed in a swelteringly hot armor of plate and mail, the barons archer looked suspiciously about the shoreline as he slicked back the black oily rat-tails of his hair. Avoiding the Justicar, the man made his own scan of the grasslands, keeping an arrow knocked to his heavy bow.
The Justicar looked away. His new allies had causes, none of which interested him. They wore equipment too heavy for the march, too noisy for stealth, and too clumsy for speed. Hating the encumbrance of his companions, Jus waved a hand to Escalla as she reappeared over the last raft load of goods. Much to Jus’ annoyance, Polk the teamster stepped off the raft, unshipped the lastsupplies, and showed no inclination of returning to Trigol.
Polk’s arrival was sealed by the man happily taking out anenormous stone jug of whiskey and slinging it like a backpack across his shoulders. Seething, Jus felt his own foul temper rise to the boil.
As the teamster approached with a huge grin, the ranger simply looked at him and said, “Go away.”
“Go and leave you? Cut you off without a guide?” Polk clippeda long hose to his belt. The ingenious arrangement apparently allowed him to sip from the whiskey jug as he walked. “Now see. That’s what I’m talking about.Can’t be done, not heroic. I’ll have to educate by example.”
With a strangled sound of frustration, Jus stomped off into the weeds. He checked his own light travel goods for comfort and was silencing the last tiny creaks and clanks as Escalla came whirring happily through the air.
“Hey, J-man, we moving out?”
“Time to go.” The party tagging in their wake would slow themdown. Jus was more than a tad annoyed by it all. “I’ll lead these idiots as wemarch.”
“Great! And I’ll buzz around and check out the trail ahead.If you want, I can go invisible for half an hour and zoom up high to look for trouble.”
“You can’t stay invisible longer than that?”
“I told you, it itches and it gives me dandruff!” Standing ona hummock, the girl held out a long streamer of pure golden hair. “Look at thisstuff, softer than a virgin’s kiss.” Escalla whirred her wings and rose into theair. “Hey, I’m two feet tall. Who’d set a trap for a wee flying girl?”
She began to whirr off into the weeds.
The Justicar gave a little frown and called out, “Becareful!”
“All right! All right!”
“Come back every fifteen minutes so I can see you’re alive.”
The girl looked back in annoyance. “No problem!”
“Right.” Jus loosened his sword in its sheath. “And scream ifyou see anything!”
“I got it.” Escalla hovered, her fists planted on her hips.“You know, I already have a mother.”
“Does she know you dress like that?”
“Get bent!” The faerie dusted off her eye-opening littleoutfit. “Quit fussing about my safety. There’s nothing I can’t handle. Hey,remember”-the girl jabbed at herself confidently with one thumb-“no one touchesthe faerie!”
With that, Escalla fluttered off into the grass, leaving nothing behind her but a spicy scent of roses drifting in the breeze.
14
The long march proceeded hour after careful hour in an almostabsolute silence. Almost absolute, for Polk the teamster had ideas of his own on how marches ought to be conducted. He strolled beside each party member for a while, burdening them with one of his monologues. Sir Olthwaite was affable. The two priests were cold. The sorcerer and archer were just suspicious enough to hedge their answers carefully. Polk fixed upon the Justicar as his firmest friend and his personal education project. Somehow, the teamster always managed to match Jus’ pace, even though Polk had laden himself with enoughadventuring equipment to last a thirty years’ war.
Polk’s services as a guide were thankfully unnecessary. On agrassy plain, the volcanic cone of White Plume Mountain was absurdly easy to spot. The continuous feathers of white smoke and steam shooting high into the clouds helped make the place even more conspicuous. The Justicar kept his party hugging the low ground while he alone crept across the low hummock lines and crests, hunting for the slightest sign that they had been discovered. Nothing larger than a plague fly stirred, and no tracks passed beneath his gaze.
Caution turned the Justicar’s every sense into a perfecttool. Lying between the seed grasses atop a narrow rise of ground, he breathed the air and revelled in the simple fact of being alive. They were on the trail with work to be done. Even here in the blighted lands, the wintry sun shone warm. He reached up to pat at Cinders’ fur, hearing the thump-thump-thump ofthe hell hounds tail as they took the time to simply rest and listen to the breeze.
Down in the hollow behind them, the party had taken yet another rest. Unable to endure the sheer heat caused by walking in armor, the Bleredd priest had finally stripped off his arm and leg harness and loaded them upon his back. Unnecessary equipment had begun to disappear. After only half a day, the pace was beginning to beat them. Only the ever-resplendent paladin and the garrison archer, a silent professional, seemed able to keep up with the march.
Escalla had only checked in twice. However, it was now time for lunch, and even the thought of food had failed to make the faerie appear.
The little wretch still had a faerie cake hidden in Jus’backpack. Surely her sweet tooth would have called her back for a snack before now. Sitting up, the Justicar slowly turned to scan the grass, his face frozen in a frown.