Chapter 75 – Walking Into a Tomb

The following morning Flik rode off with Viktor and Kahn, heading north for Crom. Sierra took to the air as a white bat and was quickly lost to sight against an overcast sky. He left Nina, Tengaar, and Hix behind in Drakemouth, having decided that a smaller group would evade notice. Even so, Flik worried about an ambush and kept glancing at the surrounding hills. Despite his fears, the trip was uneventful. They followed a well-defined road that led them to the town by the middle of the afternoon.

Crom had been a modest town situated on the Lana River, where the exports of Tinto were placed on barges heading for Dunan Lake and points beyond. In return, food flowed back up the river, purchased by agents of the government. The current crisis had made the town's population swell dramatically. Well before Flik got to the walls, he could see thousands of tents and small huts lining the riverbank. The soldiers of the New State Army, plus Tinto's own forces, were working furiously to build a set of outer walls to encompass this new growth.

As Flik was looking at this, he was suddenly shoved forward from behind. Glancing back, he saw that he was now sharing his saddle with Sierra, who was dangling her legs over the edge. She smiled at him and said, "It wouldn't be prudent for me to change where lots of people can see me. You humans tend to get violent when surprised."

"Why'd you decided to ride with me?" Flik complained.

Sierra didn't answer. Riding down into the refugee camp, Flik was surprised at how orderly it was. The camp was laid out in long blocks with well-guarded food depots. The people that he saw were weary and afraid, but not destitute, at least not yet.

They were stopped at the city wall by a mixed force of soldiers from Tinto and the State Army. A guard from Tinto glared at them and asked, "What business do you have here?"

A New State officer immediately challenged him. "That's Commander Viktor, and there's Commander Flik too." The officer turned to address Flik. "I had not heard you'd be here, sir, but it gives me confidence to see you now."

Viktor cocked his head in Flik's direction. "Why are you more popular than I am, even in my own country?"

The Tinto guard sighed. "It's not proper procedure to let people in who don't have proper passes, but I acknowledge Commander Viktor's presence, as well as Commander Flik's. Who are the other two?"

"Friends of the State," Viktor quickly replied. "They're here to help us take back your city."

That seemed to strike a nerve with the Tinto officer. "It's your fault that Tinto fell. Your men should've stayed in the city, rather than chasing that diversion."

"Don't blame that on me!" Viktor shouted. "That was Jess and Hauser."

Flik blinked in surprise. He'd heard nothing of those two since Muse fell, but apparently they were here in Crom. While Flik was pondering this, Kahn stepped in to play mediator.

"Look, we all want Neclord dead, right? Let's not argue over who lost what or who should've done what."

The Tinto guard crossed his arms. "Fine. You may enter the town. I assume you remember where the command post is?"

"I haven't forgotten," Viktor retorted. He urged his horse forward, and Flik followed, listening closely to the undercurrent of conversation among the soldiers of the guard. It was obvious that there wasn't much affection between the two groups. Flik found it difficult not to naturally side with the State Army. After all, the government of Tinto had sat out the war, refused any help until nearly too late, and was now blaming the State Army for failing to hold Tinto City.

There was also a decided interest in Sierra. Flik could hear several of the men talking about the "beautiful girl" riding behind him, though one suggested that she was "too pale." One soldier laughed and said that it was high time Flik found a girlfriend. When Sierra laughed behind him, all Flik could do was look down and study his horse's mane.

The inside of Crom was a riot of noise. Soldiers patrolled the streets, but all around them, some semblance of normal life continued. Flik could hear a merchant arguing loudly with a government official over the issue of price controls. A well-muscled man in a sleeveless pink shirt bumped into Flik's horse, startling him. The interloper didn't even apologize, but stepped to the side and ran off, his long, thin, black braid flopping behind him. Moments later, a group of angry men charged by in pursuit.

Flik put the probable thief out of his mind as they approached a large house built of white sandstone. This seemed to be the center of activity, with messengers dashing into and out of the structure. Someone must have heard they were coming, for there were a number of grooms ready to take their horses. When the animals were led away, Viktor walked up to the front doors, accepted the salutes of the sentries, and entered.

The interior of the building was even louder than the city. It was obviously a well-to-do residence, but it had quickly been converted into a headquarters. One room was filled with clerks busily scratching on papers. A pair of officials were shouting at each other in the front hall, arguing over shipping priorities. Off to one side was a kitchen where the household staff was cooking a large meal. In the midst of this, an officer approached Viktor, recognized him, and waved him into a back room.

Here, clustered around a little table, were the leaders of the combined armies. Gustav, who was haggard, unshaven, and was working with his sleeves rolled back, glanced up and said, "Looks like Viktor's back."

Riou, Nanami, and Klaus looked none the worse for wear, but Ridley was leaning on a crutch. Flik was glad to see the leader of the kobolds on his feet, though he only offered Ridley a simple nod in greeting. He knew Ridley wouldn't want any more than that.

Viktor also got straight to the point. He gestured and said, "This is Sierra, she's agreed to help us, so I guess everything's in place."

Klaus bowed in the direction of the vampire. "Thank you for agreeing to help us so readily, Mistress Sierra."

Sierra smiled, though she didn't reveal her fangs. "It is always convenient to mix business with pleasure."

Klaus cleared his throat and quickly turned to face Flik. "I'd heard that Shu was going to send you into the theater. What news do you bring?"

"My men have advanced as far as Drakemouth. Shu and Apple are with them and will coordinate with your orders. Also, we've been reinforced by locally hired mercenaries under the command of-" Flik paused, unsure of how to introduce the great swordsman. Finally, he simply said, "-Georg Prime."

Viktor rounded on Flik, a startled expression on his face. "Wait! 'Deathblow' was in your camp and you didn't introduce me to him? I'm very disappointed in you, keeping him all to yourself."

Flik held his hands out, warding Viktor off. "He asked for anonymity, Viktor. I didn't want to go against his wishes."

"But he could be an important ally!" Viktor protested. "You should've had him come so that Riou could meet him."

Before this discussion could progress any further, the door to the meeting room slammed open. In the threshold was a man with long, brown, bushy sideburns. He had the look of a man out of the wild, wearing armor made of boiled leather and a red bandanna. The pair of axes on his waist were serious, though, and Flik moved his hand to the hilt of his sword.

"Calm down, Flik," Viktor said, placing himself between Flik and the newcomer. "This is Gijimu, leader of the Lampdragon bandits. He's with us."

"What's the news?" Gustav asked, his voice betraying impatience.

"A couple more stragglers from Tinto came in," the bandit replied, his voice all business. "My brother Koyu and one of your men. They got news that I think you want to hear." He waved the pair of boys into the room.

Flik recognized Koyu from their first meeting. The other boy was a little older and had the appearance of a scholar, what with those large glasses perched on his beak of a nose. He was wearing a yellow coat over a brown dress gown, and looked worn out from his escape.

Gustav's face brightened at seeing the pair, especially the scholar. "Marlowe! Is that you? Does this me that my Lilly is safe too?" His tone became insistent. "Come in, sit down, tell me the news. Someone get him some wine!"

"Who is this?" Flik asked Viktor.

"I think he's the tutor for Gustav's daughter, maybe?"

Meanwhile, Marlowe demurred, not looking Gustav in the face. "Lady Lilly…uh…"

"She got captured," Koyu concluded. Marlowe's mouth snapped shut, his face turning white.

"What?" Gustav's fist pounded the table with an audible cracking noise. "Is this true, Marlowe? Speak up!"

Marlowe swallowed. "Yeah…uh…I was hiding in one of the luggage trunks when I saw her being carried away. They also got one of the bandits, a woman."

Gijimu suddenly snapped upright. "Sister Lo Wen? Koyu, is this true? Why didn't you stop it?"

Koyu backed away from his brother. "You always told me to run when things get out of hand."

Gustav had fallen back into his chair. "Lilly was still alive when you saw her?" he asked Marlowe. "Why would that demon want my sweet little girl?"

"He wants a bride," Sierra answered. "Neclord was always finicky like that. Only a woman of class will suit his tastes."

With a roar of anger, Gustav surged up out of his chair, grabbed the edge of the table, and upended it, spilling maps and papers onto the floor. Viktor and Flik jumped back, out of the way. Ridley nearly got caught, but Riou and Klaus bore him aside. "Viktor, we must do this tonight!" Gustav shouted. "I won't let that filthy wretch lay a finger on my precious daughter!"

Klaus glanced down at the overturned table, then tried his best to calm the governor of Tinto. "Our forces are not yet concentrated. We must strike deliberately, not foolishly."

Gustav snatched his blue coat off his chair with such force that he launched the piece of furniture into the air. It shattered against the wall behind him. "The men of Tinto will march now, as soon as we're ready! I will not let that vampire defile my city any further!" He scowled and stomped towards the door, his expression making Gijimu jump aside. "If you wish to help us, you should get your men ready too." With those words he disappeared down the hall.

Klaus sighed, closing his eyes. "I advise that we help him, even if he is moving too soon. He will fail without our support."

Riou smiled reassuringly. "It will be okay, Klaus. Get the men ready, while we prepare for our part."

Klaus nodded and walked from the room. Sierra followed after him, mumbling something that Flik thought ended "-lot of cute ones in this army."

Flik shuddered, turning his attention away from the vampire and back to those remaining. "What is this plan, Riou? Are we planning a direct assault on Tinto or is there something else in mind?"

"The attack is a diversion," Riou answered. "We're going to sneak into the city and confront Neclord directly."

Kahn bent down and searched through the papers on the floor. "Gustav assures us we can get in through one of the mine shafts." He found the paper he'd been looking for and held it up, revealing a map. Sure enough, there was a path leading from an entrance east of Crom into the city of Tinto itself.

Flik squinted, trying to trace the route. It seemed to stretch for miles on the paper. "How long is this going to take?"

"We're expecting it won't be much more than a day," Viktor replied. Then he added, "Hopefully."

For a moment, Flik felt a wave of anxiety. He'd been in caves before, but never for that long. Thinking about it now, the possibility of being trapped underground, cut off from light and warmth. Wouldn't it be like walking into a tomb? He shook his head. Riou was going. Nanami was sure to go, if only to protect her brother. Viktor and Kahn and Sierra would enter. They all had their reasons to oppose Neclord.

"I'll come too," Flik said. It wasn't as though he had a personal hatred of Neclord, but rather that he wanted to be alongside Viktor. If this was to be the culmination of his friend's mission to avenge his hometown, then Flik wanted to be there with him.

"You're welcome to join us," Riou replied. He glanced around the room. "Since Gustav is moving up the schedule, we need to get ready as well. Let's do it."

The remainder of the day passed by in a whirlwind of activity. Flik found himself gathering rope at one point, then sitting down with Kahn to go over the planned route at another. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Koyu and Marlowe talking in hushed tones, but wasn't able to make out what they were saying. He finally managed to speak a few words with Ridley late in the day, as the evening light was fading over the mountains.

The kobold general had retreated to an upstairs sitting room, where he'd taken a chair and was massaging his legs. Up close, Flik could see furrows of missing fur on Ridley's muzzle, places where the skin had been broken and healed. Ridley looked up from his work and said, "Is there something I can help you with, Sir Flik?"

Flik wanted to say that he was grateful that Ridley had survived, but couldn't. There were some subjects that soldiers never spoke about, especially right before a mission. Instead, he responded, "How are you feeling?" and hoped that the kobold would get the message.

"There is still some pain in my leg." Ridley grimaced and returned to massaging it. "But I should be able to return to action shortly. I don't think I could abide it if my injuries were crippling."

Flik responded by nodding. He could think of no worse fate than to become a burden to his comrades. Even death might be preferable. He turned at the sound of footsteps on the stairs. Viktor's head appeared, followed by the rest of the warrior as he climbed the last steps.

"There you are. We're just about ready to go." He pounded his fists together. "This time I'll give that damn Neclord the death he deserves."

Groaning, Ridley pulled himself up out of the chair, using his crutch and the wall for support. "Let me walk with you for a little while. Even if I can't fight with you directly, at least I can start you on your way."

"Thank you," Flik replied. Supporting the kobold's free shoulder, Flik helped Ridley manage the stairs with Viktor preceding them. For the first time since entering the house, it was nearly quiet. The clerks, messengers, and even most of the servants had cleared out, leaving only scattered papers and empty desks as evidence that this place had served as headquarters.

It was fully night when they stepped outside, the sky covered by thick clouds that made the light of the Scarlet Moon blotchy and distant. A ring of lit braziers provided more immediate illumination, and Flik could see Riou and Nanami ahead of them, speaking with the vice-mayor of Muse, Jess. Hauser stood stiffly nearby, inclining his head slightly to acknowledge Flik, Viktor, and Ridley.

"I'll never accept you as our leader," Jess was saying. Part of his face was caught in the torchlight. His eyes were intense and angry. "The people of Jowston do not need help from an outsider!"

"Grandfather Genkaku was from Jowston!" Nanami retorted. As in situations like this, she had placed herself firmly between her brother and the perceived threat. Flik couldn't see her face, but he could imagine the anger on it.

"Yet his grave is in Highland." Jess' mouth tightened in anger, but he continued to squeeze a few more words out. "He abandoned country and city, for what, because he disagreed with Mayor Darrel's methods? Because he wanted to live where his actions would be approved of?"

Riou suddenly stepped forward into the light, cutting off Nanami's next argument. His face was composed under Jess' glare. "My grandfather didn't live for approval. He lived to do what was right. When it was right to defend the people of Muse, he fought with every ounce of his strength. When it was right to make peace and end a senseless war, he sat and negotiated. And when it was right to save the life of a friend and sacrifice his honor, he held his blade and would not strike."

Riou smiled. There wasn't the slightest hint of animus in his tone. "I'm not fighting for approval, yours or anyone's. I'm fighting because it's the right thing to do. Because all around me are people who've fled their homes and are waiting for someone to defeat the monster that's taken their city. That's why I'm fighting here. If you want to join us, have your men fall in, but I can't waste any more time trying to explain myself." He turned, quickly vanishing outside the ring of light. Nanami remained a second more, then dashed after her brother.

Hauser approached Jess and quietly asked, "Your orders, sir?" Jess didn't answer. He'd turned his face away so that the shadows hid his expression. "Sir, I must tell you that the men will probably choose to go with Riou whether you give your consent or not," Hauser warned. "I, of course, will abide by your constitutional authority."

"Go," Jess answered, his voice a harsh whisper. "Go, help Riou. It is the right thing to do." Hauser bowed, then turned and trotted off into the darkness. Viktor, Flik, and Ridley started forward, their boots crunching on loose gravel. Jess' head jerked in their direction, his face emerging back into the light. He looked worn out, but there was defiance in his voice as he said, "Go on, you can gloat. I no longer control the fate of my city. I've been defeated by a child." He turned his back on them, staring out into the night sky.

"I think Anabelle would be proud of you," Viktor replied softly. "All that matters is that in the end, you made the correct decision, and that's what will save Muse." Jess didn't offer any response, but pressed his lips together tightly and walked past Viktor, back into the headquarters.

"I'll talk with him later," Ridley offered. "For now, I need to see you two off. We wouldn't want to delay Riou any longer."

They walked down avenues that were filling up soldiers bearing torches, so that a long line of light stretched out before and behind them. For the moment, all was noise and confusion. Officers were shouting for men to get in formation, horses and mules were braying, and, for the soldiers of Tinto, relatives were milling around. Up near the head of the column, Flik found the others mounted on horses, conversing with Gustav and Klaus.

"We will arrive before Tinto City by sunrise, I expect," Gustav declared. "Neclord will know we're coming; the whole point of our operation is to distract him, after all. Once we arrive, you have two days." He held up two large fingers to emphasize the point. "If you don't defeat Neclord by then, I'll try to take the city with my own men. That damn vampire can't have enough zombies to hold the men of Tinto out of their own city!" Behind him, Klaus grimaced, obviously not in agreement with the last point.

Viktor and Flik had mounted their own horses by this time. Sierra had already transformed into a white bat and had disappeared into the night sky. A handful of other men had been assigned to Riou for this mission. They were locals who knew the way to the mine and extra guards to make sure they got to the mine safely. Riou nodded to Gustav. "I think we're ready."

"Go," Gustav growled. "May you have good fortune in the mines."

They went, and though the pace had to be at a walk, they quickly left behind the assembling armies. For some time, Flik could look over his shoulder and see the light from the torches. The light began its own movement, tracking from right to left behind him, until at last he couldn't see it anymore.

They rode in silence and almost total darkness. Flik could hear the clopping of his horse on the hard earth and the animal's breathing. Likewise, he could hear those noises from the other horses. His eyes strained to make out shapes in the shadows. A larger one to his right was Viktor on his horse. There was a little light from the two moons, but it weak, blocked by clouds that covered the sky. It was warm, the warmest night that Flik had experienced in Tinto. Eventually, he began to sweat a little.

There were only a few pauses to break up the monotony, and Flik fell into a kind of doze. The ridge to the east, their destination, was only a solid mass of darkness, growing ever larger the closer they got. Suddenly, one mass appeared to detach itself from the rest, looming right up over Flik. His horse whinnied, feeling his nervousness, and shied away. The motion allowed him to see that this new shadow was nothing alive, but simply a much closer mound, one that rose more than a hundred feet into the sky.

He wasn't the only one who was surprised. "What is that?" Nanami whispered.

The answer came from one of the guides, a whisper clearly audible in the silence. "Slag heap."

Flik didn't ask what a slag heap was. It gave off an unpleasant odor and there was a definite heat rising off of it. He focused on riding around it. There were more ahead. Soon the giant mounds loomed over him on both sides. A clatter of stones nearby startled him, making him draw his sword. He wasn't the only one, for he could hear the rasp of blades all around him.

"Is it an enemy?" Viktor asked.

"No enemy," Sierra called out, from above. "Unlike you, I can see perfectly in this light. Nothing but some rocks settling."

Flik carefully sheathed his sword and urged his horse onward. After the next slag heap, all that stood before them was the side of the mountain and a yawning blackness that signaled the opening to the mine. The hard earth led up to a carved rock shelf, and the entrance, a hole about twelve feet wide and seven feet high. Here they had to dismount. He grabbed his pack, shifting its weight on his back. He knew it would take some time to get used to the several pounds of food and water, rope and spikes.

As the final preparations were being made, Flik walked right up to the opening. He stubbed his foot against a metal rail that ran along the ground. Further inspection revealed several of these, though he didn't understand their purpose. All they served to do now was nearly trip him up.

Viktor started cursing beside him, startling Flik. He looked over to find his friend bent over, examining the ground. Viktor stood up, put his hand on Flik's shoulder, and said, "Some adventure we're about have, right?"

Flik shrugged. "If we don't break our toes on the way in."

Riou came up on Flik's other side, along with Nanami, Kahn, and Sierra. "We'll get some light as soon as we enter. I don't want to give away everything now that we've arrived." He walked past them, a shadow vanishing into the deeper gloom ahead. Nanami quickly followed after.

"It's good to know that someone's eager," Kahn quipped.

"I'm eager," Viktor retorted. "Eager to ram my sword right through that damn vampire's miserable hide! Let's go." He took a step, then another, and was swallowed up by the dark. Sierra walked in with all the grace of a creature who could see perfectly in the dark.

"Hell, I waited for days in the Cave of the Wind," Kahn muttered. "This can't be worse, can it?" He too, was engulfed.

Flik hesitated, waiting for any screams of agony or cries of warning. He could feel nothing but the beating of his own heart. "I suppose Viktor would never let me live it down if I chickened out here." Gathering his courage, he forced his legs into motion, and swallowed as the deepest blackness seemed to reach out to embrace him.