Steffen entered the room hesitantly, eyeing Leandor's hand where it rested on his sword.
"Don't be afraid, we won't harm you," Ceileigh said, guiding him to sit on a bed while motioning for Leandor to stand down.
"Forgive me," he said again. "My nerves are most frayed these days. My search takes all my time, and now I hear rumours that others are searching. I fear they may reach it before I do." He grabbed Ceileigh's wrist, looking at her earnestly. "That would not do, Arisen."
"Why don't you tell me more about the tome?" she said, gently removing his hand and sitting next to him.
"It is not just any tome - it is Salomet's Grimoire!" he said, an eager gleam coming into his eyes. "'Tis said its pages hold the power to grant the reader command of arcane magicks. The book itself is imbued with power, you see. Even one born without magick is as a grand wizard with it in hand. The possibilities!"
And what would a half-crazy old man do with such power? On the other hand…"Who else is after it?" Ceileigh asked.
"I have heard only whispers, but if they are correct…." he shook his head at the thought. "In my research I have dug deep into matters most men would rather stay out of. Supposedly there exists an order of zealots who want the dragon to destroy this world. I know not why or who they are, but if they possessed the grimoire they would use its power for evil."
"Master, if they support Grigori they will surely move against you," Leandor said. "We must find this book quickly."
"I agree. Do you know where Aernst Castle is?" Ceileigh asked Steffen.
"'Twas built by a duke of old in the southeast. Do you know Moonsbit Pass? The canyon below it. 'Tis usually free of creatures. Safer." He looked down at his fingers as he counted on them. "Pass through the waycastle, then follow the trail southeast, then turn west at the split, turn left, turn right, then walk into the castle." He looked at Ceileigh and smiled widely. "It is all on the map!"
Thank the Maker we have more to rely on than his directions! "May we borrow your map for the journey?"
"Yes, yes, of course! And here," he said, reaching into his belt pouch. "As soon as you have the grimoire, use this ferrystone to return here. Just throw it into the air and say where you want to go. After a few seconds it will transport you there. I will await you near the Pawn Guild. Oh, and the book is large, full of runic writing, and bound in red leather."
They next day they rose before first light. Ceileigh entered the Rift and chose a fourth pawn for the journey. She was a slim but shapely black-haired strider named Vibeke. She had yellow eyes and wore a tight-fitting dark blue shirt with puffy archer's pants of the same color. Her only armor was a thin chain mail vest that ended at her waist, and a black belt and pouch circled her hips.
"I am ready to serve, Arisen!" she chirped with a dazzling smile. She glanced brightly around the Pawn Guild. "Where are we off to?!"
"Aernst Castle in the southeast. We're stealing something from a bunch of bandits."
"Sounds like fun!" Vibeke said happily.
"Sure," Ceileigh said wryly as her new pawn bounced out the door.
Ceileigh felt a twinge of anxiety but a bigger thrill of anticipation as they left the city for the first time since arriving almost two months prior. She also felt a brief pang of homesickness knowing they would be traveling closer to Cassardis. She couldn't believe it had been so long since she'd seen home or anyone she knew.
It wasn't fully light out as they approached the incline to the mountains. A few goblins lurked behind a large bush beside the road, imagining they were well-hidden for an ambush. Ceileigh put arrows into the first two and Vibeke followed suit with the third. Instead of going up through the gate to the Moonsbit Pass, they turned left into the canyon below. The walls were even higher than those in the pass above, and the narrow path wound tightly back and forth.
"Visibility is poor, Arisen. Stay on your guard," Vibeke announced as they rounded the first curve. One by one they ducked under a tree that had grown out of the wall at an angle and fallen across to rest against the other side. All except for Vibeke, who jumped onto it and ran up the length to get a view ahead. "The path is clear for some distance! And I can see the very top of the waycastle from here!" she called out happily with both arms in the air, then did a front flip off of the tree to land gracefully on the ground. I swear the dirt didn't even kick up under her feet! Ceileigh thought. She's going to be perfect.
Ceileigh chuckled when Vibeke made a little curtsy and ran ahead with a big smile on her face.
"She certainly is full of life!" Ceileigh said with amusement.
"She does seem very…vibrant, if a bit over assured," Leandor agreed with a raised eyebrow.
"I do wonder that she does not wear more armor," Hannah added.
"If things go as I wish, she won't need armor," Ceileigh told them.
True to Steffen's word, the trip through the canyon was uneventful. At the other end they climbed a few stair-like shelves of rock and came out at the start of Moonsbit Pass, with the waycastle to their left.
"Hail, Arisen!" the guards greeted her as they approached.
"Hello!" she called. "Looks like some people know me already," she said to Leandor with a wink.
"What brings you here today?" one guard asked.
"We're headed to Aernst Castle, do you know it?" she asked.
"Yes, but why would you go there?" said the other. "The Iron Hammer Bandits own it now. Not even we soldiers go there unless we have to. Wouldn't want to stir up trouble."
"Aye, just weeks ago they almost killed a man on this very trail! They don't usually come down all the way to Manamia Trail," said the first one, gesturing at the road ahead. "They mostly stay up in the Vestad Hills, close to the castle. Thankfully it was a small group - only five men - and we ran them off, but not before they took everything the poor bastard had to his name."
"We agreed to help someone who asked us," she answered them. "They may have something he's looking for. How big is this band?"
"There must be…what," he looked at his fellow guard. "Seventy? Eighty men?"
"Good to know," Ceileigh said resignedly.
"The Arisen will prevail!" Vibeke exclaimed happily from the middle of the road, standing with her hands on her hips.
"I suppose if anyone can match them, it's you!" agreed the second guard with a flourish. "Good luck t'ye, Arisen!"
Let's hope so! "Thanks for the information," she said with a wave.
A little farther down the road, they turned right onto a short uphill trail. It veered left, while the ground on the right dropped away to a forest below. Beyond the treetops a strip of the sea was visible.
"What is that?" Ceileigh asked Leandor, pointing into the trees as they walked along. There was a greenish-brown, man-sized lizard asleep on a flat rock, laying flat on its stomach and holding a long spear in one hand.
"'Tis a saurian, Arisen," Hannah said softly, just as Vibeke shouted the same thing enthusiastically, raising her arms in the air again. The saurian rumbled and twitched.
Ceileigh sighed. "For someone with such high stealth skills, she sure is loud," she murmured to Leandor.
"What is her part in your plan, master? What is the plan?"
The path split and they followed it to the right. They could see the castle in the distance. The path to the left was obscured by a wall of fog. How strange, I wonder what that is, Ceileigh thought. "He might be willing to sell or trade for the grimoire, and if not, I'm hoping Vibeke can sneak in and steal it. Supposedly she is a very good thief."
"I can do it, Arisen!" announced the pawn in question, effortlessly juggling her daggers as she walked briskly down the path in front of them.
When they reached the castle, a big man wearing an incognito hood pointed an axe at them and demanded to know why they were there. The wooden entrance doors stood open, revealing a room that had mostly crumbled to the ground. Through a broken section of wall, they could see a very large courtyard full of tents and men.
"We're here to see your leader. We have-" Ceileigh started, but the man cut her off.
"I'm Hammer," he said.
"Uh, nice to meet-"
"They call me Hammer because I use this axe on my enemies. To hammer them." He looked a bit uncertain at that point. "I reckon we have absolutely nothing to talk about," he finished, crossing his arms.
"I would have to agree," said Ceileigh, arching an eyebrow. "We do have something to discuss with your boss though. We're peaceful, we just want to ask him a question. Can we come in?"
"Okay, but I'm coming with you," said Hammer, swinging his axe a couple times and looking pleased with himself. He led them through the wall to a tent in the very middle of the courtyard that was surrounded by many other tents, tables and campfires. Inside was a man in a scale coat, furs and a helmet that looked like it was cobbled together from the bones of various creatures. But is that…a human skull? Ceileigh thought, trying to suppress a shiver. He was sitting on a stool, ripping into a rabbit he'd just pulled off of the fire.
"What is it?" the man asked grumpily around a mouthful of meat.
"Chief Maul, this girl and her friends wanted to see you. They said they have a question," said Hammer.
Maul glanced up at them. "You are brave to enter here. I will hear your question." Ceileigh tried not to flinch as saliva and shreds of meat flew from his mouth.
"Thank you, Chief. I have an offer for you. We heard that you might have a certain book, and I know someone who wants to buy it from you. It's a big leather volume, kind of a manual, written by a man named Salomet."
Maul threw down his food and stood up, towering over her. "Aye, the grimoire is here with me. Sadly, I've no mind to give it up, nor do I have want of your coin. Now if there were aught I wanted and gold had failed, I would next try steel. Well? Have you the mettle, ser?"
Leandor stepped up next to Ceileigh and half-drew his sword.
"Do not be careless," Hannah said so quietly it was almost a whisper.
Ceileigh raised her hands and took a step back. "I did not come here to fight. If there is nothing we can offer you in exchange for the book, we will be on our way."
"As I thought," said Maul, planting his hands on his hips and looking down his nose at them. They backed out of the tent, then turned and walked back toward the entrance with Hammer trailing behind them.
"When I mentioned the book, Maul glanced in the direction of that tower across the courtyard, and there are three men guarding the top. I'm betting that's where he keeps his stolen prizes," Ceileigh murmured to Leandor.
Hannah edged closer to her as they walked. "Leave it to me, Arisen. I will divert their attention," the small pawn whispered. Her staff shone briefly as she glanced over her shoulder and flicked her fingers. A large flagon flew from a table and hit Hammer in the back of the head as he walked by. Ceileigh bit her cheek to keep from laughing as he spun around angrily.
"Who did that?!" he demanded, glaring at two other bandits who happened to be walking by.
"Did wot?!" one of them snapped back.
"Yeah, why are you yellin' at us?!" the other one whined, taking a step toward him.
"Wot's goin' on here?!" growled a fourth bandit, standing up from a different table and brandishing a wooden cudgel studded with metal spikes.
"This one's falsey axcu- escoo- He's sayin' we did sumfin' we didn't do!" said the first passerby.
"You stay out of it!" Hammer shouted, pointing at the newcomer. At that, the club-carrying bandit's five friends all threw down their food and stood up to defend him.
"Dis'armony among brothers?! That won't do at all!" one of them said with a grin. He grabbed his knife from the tabletop and stomped toward Hammer.
"Oi! He said stay out of it!" said the second passing bandit, and punched him in the nose. Soon all nine men were engaged in an all-out brawl and more were running over to join in.
"Now's your chance!" Ceileigh whispered to Vibeke as they were surrounded by a crowd of cheering men whose full attention was on the fight. "Once you have the book, meet us back where the path splits." The upbeat pawn nodded once with uncharacteristic seriousness, though the enthusiastic gleam remained in her eyes. She slipped away quietly and Ceileigh lost sight of her for a while until a flash of blue and black showed through one of the tower's upper windows. Ceileigh subtly motioned for Leandor and Hannah to come with her, and tried not to glance at the tower too often as they let themselves get pushed to the back of the crowd.
They started walking nonchalantly toward the hole in the wall. Ceileigh glanced back over her shoulder to see Vibeke at the very top of the tower, running along the narrow parapet as easily as a cat, toward the guards. Shit! She's right out there for everyone to see! Thankfully nobody looked up with the fight going on. As they ducked through the wall, Ceileigh turned again and gasped a little to see Maul burst out of his tent and start yelling at his men just as Vibeke snared one of the guards with some kind of cable, slit his throat and threw him over the edge.
The bandits dispersed reluctantly as their leader berated them, checking their injuries and still hurling insults at each other. Vibeke snared the second guard and threw him over, but the last guard turned just in time to see it happen. His shout was cut short as Vibeke yanked him down behind the parapet with her snare, then ducked down herself. Maul and several other men looked up sharply.
"Where are the guards!?" Maul shouted. "Caravel, Falchion - get up there and check it out! Those travelers are tryin' to pull one over on us!" A few men started to look around suspiciously and shouted when they saw them looking back through the wall.
"Time to go!" Ceileigh said as they ran for the entrance. She could only hope Vibeke would be joining them.
Vibeke stabbed the last guard in the heart and peeked over the wall. The men below had finally realized something was going on, glancing in her direction, pointing and shouting orders. Two men broke away from the crowd and ran into the tower. She didn't have much time until they made it up the spiral staircase to where she was. There was no book or anything else up here anyway, she guessed they were wrong about where Maul's treasure stash was.
As she glanced around urgently for a way to escape, she suddenly saw something she'd missed. The staircase she'd come up was broken, ending in a straight drop to the ground. The guards had been stationed on a small strip of bricks which were all that remained of the floor beyond, which was where she was crouched now. From this angle she could see another floor above the staircase. A perfect hiding place, she thought with a grin.
She could hear the bandits stomping up the stairs inside. She didn't have anything to lose by showing herself now, so she hopped back onto the wall, got a running start and leaped. She grabbed the edge of the upper wall and flipped herself up onto it. Sure enough, there was the chest. She reached into her shirt for her lock picks and opened it quickly. She heard shouts just below her as she pulled the grimoire out from under a pile of coins, jeweled goblets and other trinkets. Too bad there's no time to gather more, she thought regretfully as she looped one end of her cable around a top piece of the wall and jumped over the side.
The two bandits saw her jump and started back down the stairs. All three of them reached ground level at the same time, only they were inside the courtyard and she was outside, already running around the castle and toward the road. The bandits yelled for help and a group of them vaulted over the low wall, sliding down the steep slope below to chase after her.
Ceileigh, Leandor and Hannah ran for their lives down the main road. They were almost to the meeting place but several bandits were right on their heels. Hannah flung down patches of ice behind them to slow their progress, but it wasn't enough.
"There's no time to stop and use the ferrystone," Ceileigh panted. "We have to fight them off."
Leandor spun back toward the nearest bandit without warning, completely running him through. The one behind him couldn't stop in time and ran onto the sword as well, a shocked look on his face. Leandor shoved both of them off with his boot and charged into the middle of the group, dealing equal damage with sword and shield. Ceileigh took out one with an arrow to the chest before they were on her too.
A big man with an axe slammed into her but she managed to stay on her feet. She ducked his first blow and sliced across his torso with both her daggers. He growled and swung down at her, but she rolled away onto her knees and sent an arrow into his stomach. She took out two more men from that position before a strider like herself flipped over her head to land in front of her. She was surprised when he crumpled with an arrow through his head.
"Look, Arisen! Vibeke is almost here!" Hannah called from atop a nearby rock. The petite strider was firing arrows into the fray as she ran toward them. Hannah froze the arms of the men closest to her and Leandor shattered them with his sword. The men fell to the ground, screaming and writhing. Ceileigh didn't know whether to be relieved or horrified.
"She brings yet more enemies!" Leandor shouted as he whirled to block the final bandit's cudgel blow with his sword. "We still have no time for the ferrystone!" He knocked the bandit back with his shield and used the tusk toss to skewer and throw him aside.
"We have to retreat! Maybe we can hide in that mist!" she told them. "Vibeke, follow us!"
They all ran down the other fork in the road and were soon enveloped in mist so thick they couldn't see their hands in front of their faces. They didn't notice that the bandits had stopped some yards back with fear on their faces, shaking their heads and muttering about a curse.