Christoph and his crew made the long journey south-east from the barrow. The first stop was Mer Khazer, Stiff’s ghost town. They had their choice of buildings to sleep in. A few families had moved here, attracted by the free housing. They had begun to turn the surrounding area over to agriculture. But Stiff himself had done nothing yet, seemingly abandoning the town as soon as it was built.
‘What is the point of it?’ Larik asked him, bemused.
‘I think Stiff intended for it to be a base for exploration.’
‘It could be a base for exploring the dungeons hereabouts,’ suggested The Bludgeoner.
‘It could. But at the moment, events seem to be taking him east. And with Usa’s murder…’
Larik nodded. ‘There will be repercussions, I am sure.’
The next part of the journey took them from Mer Khazer to Eisenberg. It was all in his own head, probably. But Christoph felt like he was accorded a bit more respect in the group now he had gained Level 3. Perhaps because he had started out as a Level 1 novice, it had taken a while for people to notice the improvements he had made.
He certainly felt more confident. As he walked with Ashlyn, he was reminded of a brief conversation with Manslayer.
‘Edmund once told me I should master the bow before I moved on to the sword.’
‘Is that right? And now you feel ready?’
‘Well. I suppose so.’
‘Then I shall teach you.’
That evening, Ashlyn began to tutor him in sword strikes. He had to learn both attack and defence. He had to be able to strike along many different angles.
Fortune joined them for a spar. ‘Let me see what you've got, boy. How do you find the blade?’ He tested Christoph out, clearly so much more skilled with the weapon that it made Christoph feel clumsy and slow.
‘It’s a lot more technical and, well—less fun, than I thought it would be.’
‘And yet you seem to have learned the basics pretty well,’ Fortune commented.
That made Christoph feel better about it. Eddie Rich wasn’t the kind of man who gave out free complements.
‘He’s a quick learner,’ Ashlyn said.
‘Aye. To master the sword, you must learn to love it,’ Fortune said. ‘But if not, you certainly have the skill to reach competence. And you need to learn a proper melee weapon. Bows and knives have their place. But a time will come when you will need to deal with an opponent who is determined to kill you. And a good sword is your best option there. Trust someone who has survived in this business, against the odds.’
The final leg of the journey was Eisenberg to Avolo. They had carried their haul of treasure a long way, and some of the squad seemed anxious to spend it.
‘What does Stiff do with the coins and such?’ Smoke asked.
‘Last time,’ said Pecs, ‘he was exceedingly generous.’
‘That’s exactly what I wanted to hear, chommie.’
The word in the city was that Stiff was back at The Rose—except now it was called The Smashed Marbles. The name had been a suggestion of Auntie Femke’s, and it made him wonder how she, Wade, and Eden were getting on back at the farm. A surprisingly strong sense of homesickness came over him at the thought.
When they arrived at the inn, Stiff took a look at them all and said they should all get cleaned up before he spoke with them. By the time they all returned to the lounge, they were a tired looking group. Perhaps that is all part of Stiff’s plan, Christoph considered. Last time they met, the collective blood was up and all anyone could talk about was vengeance for Usa. Now Christoph felt like all he wanted was bed.
‘Suzie,’ Stiff said. ‘Get Murder to fetch Izil, will you?’
When Murder returned, Izil was in chains.
‘What’s this, Stiff?’ Smoke demanded, his eyes dangerous.
‘What does it look like?’ Izil asked. ‘I’ve been imprisoned ever since my brother’s death.’
Stiff raised his palms. ‘For his own protection. He’d have run off on a quest for vengeance and be dead by now.’
‘That’s his choice to make,’ said Ashlyn.
‘Just listen will you? All of you. You too, Izil. There are things you all need to know before you send all your righteous anger my way.’ Stiff recounted a meeting in which Sal Blair had talked of a goblin army heading for Dorwich. A goblin army large enough to obliterate the entire colony in Gal’azu.
‘What if the bastard is lying?’ Twerk asked.
‘It’s possible,’ Stiff conceded. ‘But it doesn’t seem like it.’
‘So what?’ said Izil. ‘You just agreed to work for Sal and Rylan Blair because he came to the council and asked nicely?’
‘No. I said there was no way The Apples and The Blades could work together. And I walked out.’
That changed the atmosphere in the room. Stiff had won over some sullen respect.
‘The Blairs, The Blades, and Dorwich City can all go to the twenty-three circles of fiery Gehenna for all I care,’ Stiff declared. ‘The thing is, once this goblin king, and his mage, and his thousands of warriors, destroy The Blades, everyone else will be next. And I’m not sure what we should do about that.’
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
***
Lothar met Urkal Foberoy in the councillor’s house. It was just the two of them, and two generous helpings of whisky.
‘You got what you wanted,’ Foberoy said. ‘Mayor Chorley has delegated me to speak for him and the council. Anything we agree on here, they will ratify.’
‘Good. Because I have my demands.’
‘You may think you have us over a barrel, Sauer. But I won’t agree to just anything. If you want to destroy the province of Gal’azu, so be it. I can sail away and set up my business somewhere else, if I have to.’
‘I didn’t say my demands were unreasonable. For one, you merchants need to be making the most of your international contacts. A number of interesting items just came into my possession. Such as an elven bow named Dragon Spine; and a dwarven axe named Splitter. I think it would be most useful to spread such news among any contacts the council has in the elven and dwarven realms.’
‘We can do that. Sounds eminently sensible. What else?’
‘Then there is the question of payment.’
‘Which must be tied to a commitment from you on what The Rotten Apples will do to protect Gal’azu. A refusal to work with The Golden Blades makes it nigh impossible for those with the money to agree to part with it.’
‘On that, I cannot budge.’
The two men talked for a while longer, but there seemed no way around the impasse.
Meanwhile, the goblin horde was getting closer.
Rosalind came to The Smashed Marbles.
‘We need to sort this out, Stiff.’
‘Sort what out?’
She looked at him as if he were mad. ‘We are facing a terrifying war of survival, Lothar.’
‘Oh. That. I thought…maybe you meant us.’
‘Well, I guess I appreciate that you value “us” so highly that our relationship is what’s on your mind right now.’
‘Of course it is. I’ve seen my share of terrifying wars. This one hasn’t got me worried yet.’
‘Fine. Then for my sake, listen. You need to talk with Sal Blair.’
Lothar anxiously looked behind him, in case any of his mercs were listening. ‘You’ve got to be joking.’
‘How else can we sort this out? Come to my house with me.’
‘He’s at your house?’
She sighed, frustrated. ‘Please tell me this isn’t jealousy. You think, amidst all this, I’ve decided to betray you with the man you hate the most?’
‘No, it’s just—’ Lothar sighed. ‘Alright. I suppose it’s time to get this done.’
It was strange, seeing Sal Blair at Rosalind’s kitchen table. He looked so ordinary—perfectly at home. But he didn’t belong there. He was an enemy. KILL SAL BLAIR. That’s what Lothar’s mission board said. Not SHARE A DRINK AND GET TO KNOW HIM.
Rosalind started—she knew there would just be awkward silence if they were left alone. ‘The Auster is our defence at the moment. The goblins will have to cross it somewhere. In theory, they could do so at Avolo, but the river is at its widest here, and they are a long way from the city. For now at least. Dorwich is the obvious target for them. Anywhere else?’
‘Linby,’ Sal said. ‘It was the main crossing point of the river before we built Dorwich. It still has its bridge.’
‘Urlay also has a bridge, so I’m told,’ Lothar said. He couldn’t help mentioning the location of Rylan’s crime.
‘They’re not going to march all the way to Urlay to cross the Auster over a tiny little bridge,’ said Sal.
They stared at one another.
‘Look, Stiff, you want an apology for Usa? I’m sorry. It’s not what I wanted. I lost three good mercs over it, which you’ve benefited from. My brother is a fucking liability. I didn’t tell him to do it, if that’s what you think. But we need to move past this. I have to return to Dorwich tomorrow, whatever gets decided here. I could use some help. I could use some hope, if I’m being honest.’
Stiff shook his head. ‘If we’re being honest, I don’t know how things work in the Blades. But the Rotten Apples don’t do what I tell them half the time as it is. After Usa, there’s no way they’re going to fight side by side with your lot. Even if I can see the logic in it. The only chance is if you hand Rylan over.’
Sal’s eyebrows raised at that. ‘Did you know we’re out of Durnost?’
‘I’d heard.’
‘The three of us grew up in the merc trade. Cole the Maimer was our father. Ran the toughest, most fearsome squad in the kingdom. Taught us many a lesson, he did. Vicious bastard.
‘You don’t want me to tell you what he did to my sister. We turned on him, when we were strong enough. Killed him. That day looms large in the memory, I can tell you. We were ready to become his heirs. Only, his crew refused to follow us. They were quite willing to carry out all kinds of crimes. But for some reason, they drew the line at patricide. Suddenly developed a weird moral compass.
‘We were left with few choices. The best option was to come out here to Gal’azu. Use the skills we’d learned. And we were doing pretty well, until recently. The reason why I’m sharing is this—me and my siblings all suffered under my father. I’m the one who got off lightly. My brother’s not quite right in the head. But it’s not his fault. The three of us are in this together. I’ll never betray them.’
‘Wow,’ Lothar said. ‘Never realised before now what a nice guy you are.’
Sal shook his head. ‘You know, we could have killed you as soon as you set foot on Gal’azu. What great crimes did we commit? Broke a couple of fingers. Asked for a measly payment of shillings, which you only coughed up a couple of times.’
‘There was no point in killing me, when you could use Cap to take my crew from me.’
‘So you did kill him?’
‘No. The orcs did that for me.’
‘I wonder what you would have done, had the shoe been on the other foot? Welcomed the three young Blairs to Gal’azu? Laughed, like a jovial uncle, as they began to steal your mercs from under your nose?’
Lothar puffed out his cheeks. ‘At last, maybe you have a point.’
‘Dorwich and Linby,’ Rosalind said, seizing on a moment of understanding. ‘They both need defending. What if you take a town each? Hold off the goblin advance for a few precious days, while the council organises the defence of Avolo. Your mercs don’t need to cooperate. You,’ she said, pointing at Sal, ‘can ensure your brother stays far away from the Apples.’
‘A fifty fifty division of responsibility?’ Lothar said. ‘You heard him at the council meeting. He has forty mercs, including the very best in Gal’azu. Plus forty guards. I have ten true warriors, at most.’
‘You have Bletcher,’ Sal retorted. ‘Who you stole from me, by the way. With a goblin mage coming for us, he’s the most valuable asset there is.’
‘If we’re to be equal partners, then there’s no more protection money. And any merc is free to work for whichever order they want.’
‘Fine,’ Sal conceded.
Lothar pursed his lips. ‘The council?’ he asked Rosalind.
‘If I present this deal to them, you’ll both receive a hefty sum of money, covering all your expenses many times over.’
‘Expenses?’ Sal said. ‘We’re both leading our squads to almost certain death. What use are expenses to us then?’
Blair gave Lothar a look. Lothar nodded in vigorous agreement. Suddenly, on this issue at least, they were allies.
‘I’ll ask the council for more,’ Rosalind said.
‘More?’ Lothar asked her.
‘More than they were willing to pay. More than they can afford, what with everything else that needs doing. Many times more than either of your services are worth.’
‘Such a sum,’ Lothar said, ‘would be acceptable.’