Chapter Three
“No! No! No! You foolish human! No wonder your mother named you Rhode; it must have been short for Nimrhode.
I think perhaps your muscles might be so swollen that they’ve pushed a little bit of that tiny brain out through your ears. In fact, I believe I see some residue right there—nope—just wax.
You really should clean yourself better. I am Elvish, not Elven. The ancestors thought it would be funny or maybe even cruel, I’m not really sure which at this point to call us tainted, Elvish, and besides that, it sounds much better than Humanish.
Elven actually refers to things of the Elves. Still, Elves didn’t care for claiming soiled elves with filthy human blood flowing through their veins. And so, they gave us an addition of ‘ish’... Elvish, as in kind of an Elf, but not actually. They genuinely are maniacal and hateful creatures if you ask me.”
"How many times must you tell me your sob story? I’ve grown up with you, and you know my mother named me Rhoden. You're not a very kind man at all, are you?
Come to think of it—you’re not very much of a man at all! You say your human blood is dirty, insinuating that you believe your Elven blood is clean. Is that correct? Well—this makes me conceive that you're a dirty little elf."
"Little? I'm at least a head taller than you!"
"Arius—my friend, you are a pip-squeak, who’s about as big around as my arm.
You admit that you have filthy blood, and you wear your hair tied up like a princess. Yet still, somehow, you sit on a plateau three levels above everyone else in this foul world. How, precisely, does that work?"
Arius had a look of bemusement on his face. Just as he started to reply, Rhoden raised his large open mitt to his face.
"Oh, wait—I forgot to mention that you squat when you pee in the woods. Also, I thought Elvish was your people’s language."
“It is, Nimrhode! Who told you that it wasn’t?”
“Wasn’t Nimrod some sort of mighty hunter? I guess that’s enough of this nonsense. Let’s just get to business. Did you find out where they set up the lender’s booth while you were in the city this morning?”
“Yeah, at the end of the market, just past all the food vendors. They have a small tent set up with a booth in front, and like usual, the storage cart is in the tent. Both lenders out front with customers, and today there is an old crone inside who seemed to be logging the hawked and pawned wares.
There’s talk around town that she’s a soothsayer. They say they don’t advertise her presence because it is illegal in many places they visit, but she has a regular following in most towns. Usually, wealthy men’s wives with nothing better to do than spend their husband’s gold. I personally think it’s just a bunch of horse manure she uses to take advantage of these lonely women.”
“The old crone is there? Dogs dung, Arius! That woman is a damned witch. We’ll never get away with it. How in the seven hells are we going to sneak in and get that cursed dagger now?”
“Well, you should have never sold it in the first place.”
“I should have never sold it. You were the one crying that we haven’t eaten in days nor slept in a comfortable bed in weeks. You looked so pitiful; I didn’t have a choice. It was either that or listen to you piss and moan for the next month; besides, I was starving too.”
“Oh? You did it for me, did you? As I recall, you were the first one through the door at the whorehouse. Anyway, it’s not like it has much value; it’s not even a real dagger. It’s more like a trinket on a chain. The tiny blue stone in the hilt is probably the only part of it with any value.”
“Oh yeah? They sure took it and paid us for it quickly enough, almost as quickly as you spent the money! Besides, it was a gift from my mother. She said that there is only one other like it in all of Gaia and that it would protect me in my time of need. She said that it would lead me to my destiny.”
“And well, it did protect you. It saved you, nay us, from starving to death. As well as lead you to your destiny, destitute.”
“It did much more than that! How much did your three women at one time cost us, and for the whole night? All four nights! I can’t imagine how you could muster up the strength to rise in the mornings after all of that!”
“Oh, believe me, Rhoden, I rose more than just in the mornings,” Arius giggled and closed his eyes with a grin on his face. “Ahhhh, such good memories. We really need to steal that dagger back, and quickly, so we can sell it again.”
“That will not happen. I’ll never part with it again, should we be lucky enough to get it back. I’ve never felt so empty and weak in my life. Do you think it’s just guilt for selling my mother’s gift?”
“I hope you realize—you are the reason people don’t like us very much. Of course, we’ll get it back. We are, after all, the greatest thieves in all of Gaia.
“That’s not true! I have many friends.”
“Oh yeah? Name some.”
“Well, there’s you…and…um…hmm. So, what! So—you are my only friend. Big deal! That’s because people don’t like you and won’t get close to me because of it! And—if we are the greatest thieves in the world, why are we always broke? Now, how are we going to get that pendant back?”
“You forget Rhoden, I do have some blood that is not tainted with that of a foul human, and with that blood, I have been blessed with certain gifts.”
“Oh, great! Are you gonna try the magic again? Well, you can count me out! Last time you nearly got us killed.”
“Come on, Rhode! I’ve got this. I’ve been practicing. Really, I just need you to go up front and cause a commotion while I become a shadow and slip in the back of the tent. It’s gravy, buddy. In and out, I promise!”
“Was it not your shadow trick that set the manure cart on fire when we were trying to steal…um, whatever in the hells it was that time? Then the time you grew roots around our ankles while we’re trying to get away from the Yellow Cloaks?”
“Hey, man—give me a break! I was trying to make our feet move faster. It was all new to me. I’m still learning. I know most of the runes. I just didn’t put them in the correct order. I got this now, though.
“It’s only a miracle that we weren’t caught and sent to the slave camps. I still don’t know what burned them off, but the scars will always remind me never to trust your magic.”
“I told you I’ve been practicing.”
“Is that so?... How is it that I am with you all the time, and I’ve never once seen you practicing?”
“Surely by now, you know that we Elves do not have to sleep as much as you mongrel humans. I usually practice while you’re chasing whores and barmaids in your dreams.”
“No, I didn’t realize you were an Elf! You just finished telling me that you are not one; and that you were only elvish because of your own mongrel human blood. Furthermore, you said that Elvish is your language, but that somehow is also your animal classification.”
“Just what exactly do you mean by animal classification?”
“Oh, for the love of… I thought you Elvish were supposed to be of a shrewder class. Forget it, man! Let’s do this job, then we’ll take a week off to figure it out,” Rhoden said as he stood and brushed the dust and leaf particles off his dingy trousers.
Arius looked up at him and said, “We can’t take a week off. We are strapped again. Perhaps we can actually steal something worth big coin now that I have my skills down.”
“Yeah, we can steal our shackles—or maybe the whole cursed pillory after the Yellow Cloaks catch us.”
“You’re meaner than an old wet hen when you haven’t had breakfast! Besides that, there are no Yellow Cloaks here in Mitéra Olon. Only the Olonguard, and they are slow and disorganized for the most part. So we’ll be just fine.”
Rhoden reached down and grabbed Arius by the hand, hoisting him as he stood up.
“I’ll need something to take to hawk so I can distract them for you, but we have nothing,” Rhoden said.
“Don’t worry, little buddy. We’ll find something on the way.”
“Little? You skinny, son of a... Let’s just get this over with.”
They descended Great Hill into the city, and as they entered the gate, the delightful smell of freshly baked bread came wafting into their noses. Arius could hear Rhoden’s stomach growling.
“There we go, keep walking. I’ll catch up,” Arius said as he hopped over a tiny picket fence approaching a house on the corner.
Rhoden bowed his head and stepped up his pace heading in the direction of the market street. A few minutes later, Arius caught up carrying two still-warm loaves from the oven, fresh bread, and a berry pie.
“See how easy that was? I told you I’ve been practicing!”
“So, you used your magic to steal bread and pie?”
“No, I didn’t need to. Nobody was around. Now you have something to pawn.”
“Bread and pie? Do you truly think I can pawn two loaves of bread and a pie? Are you delirious? Did you trip and hit your head when you hopped that fence?”
“No—you half-wit—I do not think they will accept two loaves of bread and a pie for a pawn, but you can try to hawk them and then become indignant when they refuse you. Then you can cause the biggest spectacle ever seen in a market.”
“You expect me to look the fool?”
“Well, you are the fool who sold the dagger after all. Remember, I will be the one risking my life in the tent with a witch trying to steal it back for you!”
“I’ll do it then, but only one loaf of bread and one pie. I refuse to look like a fool on an empty stomach,” Rhoden said as he snatched one of the loaves from Arius. He tore it in half and started shoving it in his mouth as he handed the other half back to his elvish friend.
They sat down on the street corner and finished their breakfast and went over their strategy, only to realize that they had nothing to wash it down with.
That’s just the way it sometimes goes; actually, it’s the way things usually go these days. Rhoden thought to himself.
When Arius and Rhoden separated, Arius took the street behind the market. Rhoden slowly strode down the center of the market street. He browsed at the different vendors with his loaf of bread in one hand and the pie in the other, stopping only once to salivate at the wine and ale stand.
Eventually, Rhoden made it to the lender's stand.
The Lenders are traveling marketers famous for stopping by cities, towns, and villages as soldiers come back off a military campaign. They loan gold and silver, usually silver, to the soldiers who use their weapons as collateral.
The soldiers are typically given five to ten days to pay the loan back, dependent upon the local standard furlough. The soldiers generally receive their stipend before the end of their leave and retrieve the weapons and armor they pawned for a pricey fee.
Unless they had been looted from a battlefield, in that event, lenders would sell the armaments in the next town on their route for a twenty percent profit.
Arius waited patiently outside the back of the tent, listening for Rhoden’s signal before slipping in. The sign never came.
“What in the seven hells is taking him so long?” he thought.
Rhoden stepped up to the makeshift wooden counter, a few slats of wood laid across two barrels, and started to ask if he could pawn bread and pie when one of the lenders recognized him from four days ago.
“Hey—Rhoden, right? You made it back. I didn’t think you would. We were thoroughly hoping you wouldn’t—but you did. And with a day to spare.
Where’s your friend? The guy that wears his hair up like a princess. Thought I saw him pass by early this morn,” the lender said with an impish grin.
“Well, actually, he does look a bit like a princess, ha, ha…I…um…would you like some pie? I was hoping we could have a friendly conversation over some fresh pie, or if you don’t like pie, I have this lovely fresh loaf of bread baked just this morning—it’s even still a little warm. I’d like to ask a very small, tiny, in fact, favor. I need to extend my loan for another week.”
“Sorry, my friend, we are leaving town tonight. Headed up to a little village north of the Forrest of the Fallen, called Yadro, then from there to Lave. We won’t be back in these parts for several months,” the other lender answered.
“But that pie smells delicious! I’ll give you eight pents for it,” the first lender declared.
“Well, it is what it is. I wish you’d stay longer; my mother gave me that charm. How about you get me a glass of wine, then we can share this pie,” Rhoden answered as he tried to figure out how he was going to signal Arius. Things were not going as planned at all.
“Caw, caw,” a crow squawked as it landed on the peak of the tent. Rhoden looked up at it, as did Arius from the backside. The crow had a white, crown-shaped patch of feathers on his head. It seemed to cock its head and stare at them with a look of callous disdain in its eyes. Or was it disappointment? It’s just a set of black eyes and a beak that can’t show expression, after all—they both thought to themselves in unison. The crow cawed one more time then flew away.
Tired of waiting, Arius decided to make his move. He traced two runes in the air with his finger. He mumbled a few words and paused for a moment to let a cloud roll over and darken the shadows, then he cut a slit in the canvas and slipped into the shadows.
“Do you think that because I’m blind, I cannot see?” the old crone asked Arius. She leaned forward, showing her face in the candlelight by which Arius had presumed that she was writing. Her eyes were completely grey.
“Shit! You scared the life out of me!”
“Oh, I see—you are the smart one, then.”
“Well...actually, I didn’t know that you
were blind. You are sitting there writing in a book, after all. I just thought you couldn’t see me because I’m a shadow….and, uh.”
“Oh my, a shadow, you say? You must be a powerful wizard then. I suppose you have come to steal the talisman back. Why didn’t you just cast a return spell with the runes—oh mighty one? You are a fool to have sold it in the first place! Well—you can’t have it back! Maybe someday you can earn it back.”
“I didn’t actually sell it, myself.”
“Yes, I see. You are not of the chosen either. You are one of the outcasts. All the more reason you cannot have it.”
“Outcasts?”
“Yes, Yes, a human with elven blood!”
“I resent that comment! I’m an elf with foul human blood!”
“Either way—you’re an outcast or a forsaken, whichever you prefer. A blemish to mankind and a scar on the derriere of elvenkind. Either of which, both would prefer to forget. Where is the keeper?”
“Damn runes! I prefer elvish—if you don’t mind, and can you really see me?”
“Of course, I cannot see you! I am blind! Now, where is the keeper?”
“But...”
“You smell of fresh bread and whores! You really should try cleaning yourself every now and then. Ah—never mind, the keeper is out front sharing a pie with Jonah and Onrey. What a sweet, gentle, loving soul, yet fierce and full of natural strength. Now I understand why he was chosen to bear the talisman of Necrom. It is too bad he is not a little smarter. Do you know if he is witchborn?”
“Witchborn? Talisman of Necrom?”
“Yes, born of Arglan-grathe. Is he?”
“I don’t know. I’m not even sure who that is. You seem to have a grasp on everything, you tell me.”
“It is a possibility; the other keeper is. If you want it back, you must leave tonight and find the crow in the forest of lost souls.”
“The crow?”
“Yes, the crow with a crown on his cap. I believe you have recently seen it. Follow that crow and leave this place tonight. Tomorrow will be too late! The Athroth are coming to raze this town. Take some weapons from the cart; you will need them on your quest. Heed my words, leave this town by tonight or die in it tomorrow.”
“I, um...when can we….”
“Go now! The way you came! Leave and be quiet about it! Find us in Yadro in one month,” urged the crone.
“What crow? Quest?”
“Leave now! And don’t say a word to anyone about this! You don’t want to suffer the consequences of changing the path of the world,” she demanded as she furiously slammed her fist on the table.
Later that afternoon, Arius met Rhoden at the bottom of Great Hill, where they had started the day.
“What in the hells happened to you, Rhoden? You were supposed to give me a signal! Wait a damn second—why do you smell like wine? And, where did you get the coin for that?
“I had a problem. Sorry, I just couldn’t do it. I’ve dealt with those guys so many times they recognized me right away, and they even called me by name when I showed up. I almost felt like I had a couple of friends to add to my long list. I see you got almost everything else in there, and the tent didn’t burn down. You must be getting better with those runes. Did you get my mother’s charm?”
“No—but I did get us some weapons, oh holy chosen one! By the way, it has a name; it’s called the talisman of Necrom. Unfortunately, we have to get the hells out of town tonight, and they are not your friends! They are business, acquaintances!”
“Leave? Why?”
“We just have to! Have you ever heard of Arglan-grathe?”
“No—well, maybe. I think my mother mentioned that name before. I’m not sure—but it sounds vaguely familiar. Why?”
“It doesn’t matter right now. We need to find some horses and hit the road before dark. Here, take this sword and belt.”
Rhoden grabbed the sword and belt and hitched it to his waist. He drew the blade a couple of times and then decided to try hooking the strap around his neck and under his shoulder to have the sheath on his back. He practiced drawing the sword and re-sheathing it after taking a few more practice swings.
“This will work! Now tell me about my mother’s dagger, and where is it? Hey—wait a minute, you didn’t pawn it already—did you? Where did you get these weapons? Hmm….when and where did you learn so much about the dagger, talisman, charm, or whatever you want to call it?”
“Just hold your horses a bit. I’ll tell you everything I know. Speaking of horses, we need to steal some and get the hells out of here. You could have at least saved me a mug of that wine I smell on your breath.”
Rhoden grabbed the pack he had unshouldered earlier to get the sword right and pulled out a wineskin. Tossing it to Arius, he said, “Now give me that charm!”
“Tull’s testicles, Rhoden, I don’t have it!” Arius said as he uncorked the wine and began drinking.
“Why must everybody refer to those? It’s just not right. You say it, then hold up a giant scrotum-shaped bag to your lips. Disgusting! It’s no wonder humans and elves find your people so vile. “
“Vile? Do you truly find me vile?”
“No, just don’t understand why you would refer to a god’s giant testicles, then drink all of the nectar from a huge sack, and then lick your lips when you were finished—it’s just nasty!”
“Oh, come now!”
“There you go again! Just can’t get that scrod off your dirty little elf mind, can you?”
“For the love of...”
“Wow! Love now? It’s only been a few sips. Maybe you should let the relationship develop a little more before using the L-word.”
“Damn it, Rhoden! We don’t have time for this bullshit! We need to steal some horses and leave town!”
“I sure am happy you said shit instead of balls. I’d have had to leave you here to fend for yourself!”
Deciding to ignore that last statement and move on, Arius just gave Rhoden a disgusted look. Then he took another pull from the wineskin and said, “She still has the charm. She caught me trying to steal it. Okay? So, let’s check all of the stables near taverns. We are less likely to get caught stealing a horse by a bunch of drunks than anyone else.”
Arius slung his new bow and quiver crisscross over his back and adjusted his sword belt, checking to ensure that his dagger was in its place as well.
“Wait a second, Arius! What do you mean, she caught you? And why do you get three weapons, and all I get is this battered old two edge sword?”
“Your blade has two edges and counts as two weapons. And I mean she caught me besides that, you get to be the keeper, oh mighty chosen one!”
“The keeper? You still have a lot of explaining to do. Give me that dagger, and we’ll be even.”
“Let’s just find some mounts so we can leave.”
“See, I don’t even know why we have to go or how a blind old lady could catch a magic shadow.”
“I’ll explain on the way. Let’s get going.”
They started to make their way through town, casing the stables near the taverns and the brothels. Most of the stables were well guarded.
Arius told Rhoden of his encounter with the old crone and everything she said. Rhoden was dumfounded about this keeper business and had no clue what a witchborn was.
He had felt mentally and physically weaker ever since he had taken the talisman off his neck to sell it, so he figured there might be something to it.
When they finally happened along a stable that seemed to be unguarded, they entered it. There were several full stalls. It was busy with a whole garrison of the Olonguard back from campaigning. The entire city had been like one extravagantly drunken party for the last week.
“Oh my, the lovely smell of horse manure,” Rhoden groaned.
“Be quiet!”
“Speaking of horse manure, I thought you said that the old witch’s soothsaying was just that?”
“Shush! I said, be quiet!” Arius growled.
“I will if you give me that dagger!”
“I’m gonna stick this dagger where the sun….”
Just then, they heard rustling in the hayloft above.
“Who’s there?” a youthful voice called down.
Arius quickly traced two runes in the air and melted into the shadows. Rhoden saw Arius’s form blacken as he flattened himself against the wall and ground. Then the shadow slipped into a dark corner.
“Hey, Arius! What about me,” Rhoden whispered.
“Oh, now you want to whisper. Good job! I haven’t practiced these runes for two. You’re on your own.”
“I said, who is there.”
Rhoden looked up to see a young man, almost a boy yet, climbing down the latter from the loft. He looked tired, as though he had been sleeping.
“It’s me. I’ve come to pick up my horses.”
“Who are you? You don’t look familiar. Do you have your tokens?”
“My tokens? Well—um, they were in my purse. It was cut from my belt in the market this morning. You know how it is.”
“You soldiers always have some kind sob story to tell. So, you mean to say you don’t have any coin for the boarding, nor the tokens to prove you have horses here? Stay here. I’ll get the registry; we can match your signature. I can hold on to your sword until you pay the fees. I’m sure you’re used to that.”
“Oh, no, I prepaid. No need for that.”
“We’ll see about that. Come over here to the table. You can put your mark on the parchment here, and I’ll match it to the registry,” the young man prompted as he pointed to the quill.
Rhoden stepped up to the table and picked up the quill.
“Well, let’s see here,” he said as he tried to peer over at the registry.
The young man quickly covered it and shook his head. Rhoden looked down at the blank parchment contemplating his next move, when he heard a thwack. The young man’s eyes rolled back in his head, and he slumped to the ground. Arius’s form grew back out of the shadows.
“Damn it, Arius. What in the seven hells took you so long?”
“I was busy looking about; besides, you had it under control.”
“You didn’t kill him, did you?” Rhoden scalded as he knelt to see if the boy was still breathing.
“He’s still breathing. Don’t you have some kind of rune magic you could have used to put him to sleep?”
“Hmm, maybe. I’ll have to work on that one. Do you mind me practicing on you?”
“I certainly do mind!”
“There are two horses in the last stall already saddled with fully loaded packs on them. The gods are smiling on us this day. Let’s get out of here.”
“Let’s go before someone comes for these horses. Surely they’ll not be far along.”
They mounted their newly acquired steeds and headed out of town. As they gradually descended the backside of Great Hill, Rhoden studied his sword.
There were several runes and some writing in the old language engraved into the blade. And now that Rhoden was looking at it closely, he found an azure stone in the hilt with a slight glow.
“Arius, do you know what these runes mean?”
“Nope, I’ve never seen them before.”
“How about these words? It looks like the old language. I believe you elvish like to call it Elvish. It says Paidí tou Nekróm.”
“Yes, and you foul humans incorrectly call it the old language. I believe it means child of Necrom. We should probably head southwest into the Elvish lands where we can find out more about it.”
“You believe? Are you not sure? Could that mean that you are a little more of a foul human than you like to admit? I thought you said we were supposed to find a crow in a forest so we can get Mother’s charm back.”
“Speaking of crows, did you see that crow on the peak of the lender's tent today?”
“I did. I thought the damn thing was there to drag my soul to Artriuss Zane. I did not like the way it glared at me!”
“I had that same feeling—spooky!”
“Caw, caw,” the crow with the white crown of feathers screeched as it flew over them. Both Arius and Rhoden almost jumped out of their saddles.
“Tull’s crusty tunic! It’s that damn crow again.”
“You’re all done with his balls?”
The crow landed on the ground a few paces away and started fluttering its wings as it ran around in a circle squawking.
“Caw, caw from life brings death, from life brings death, caw, caw, caw.”
It was moving round and round so fast that it created a small dust cloud. Arius watched in awe, then noticed far in the distance a similar cloud of dust.
The Athroth are on the move. He thought to himself.
It was coming from the southwest. The very direction that they had intended to go. The crow cawed again and then flew to the east and dropped into the canyon.
“She told me; we need to follow the crow.”
They turned their horses and strode toward the canyon.