[Mkguild] Crossing Paths

[joeschoder2 at charter.net]

Wow, in my outline I had nothing of the last few chapters, the story seems to have taken on a life of its own.  When I started writing, Ashley and the people of Mycransburg, and even the Lutins were only a minor side show, now they're a main event.  

Well, time to get back to the summoners, who had been traveling across the ocean during all this time and have finally reached land.  Unfortunately it isn't exactly the best place to come ashore...



Crossing Paths
Chapter 1
By: Joseph Schoder Jr.


Drake and Dimalya had made good time, Leviathan swimming faster than any sailing ship could match.  Within a month they spotted land on the horizon.

It was an intimidating sight.  As far as they could see there were sheer mountain faces jutting up to the sea, there seemed to be nowhere to berth.  Leviathan turned to the South.  He seemed to know where he was going, so Drake didn't interfere.

Within the day the land began to flatten out but still Leviathan swam.  It was getting dark when they came to the delta of a great river, wide enough for ships to sail through.  Leviathan turned and headed inland.  Before long they were surrounded again by the mountains, a light fog swirled around them lending the night a slight chill.  The going was slow and a dark, foreboding feeling was descending on them.  Leviathan seemed to sense it as well as he lowered his body in the water, Drake and Dimalya had to stand to avoid being soaked, their pace slowed to a crawl and the wake nearly disappeared.  At the pace they were going they were nearly invisible in the dark.

“I don’t like this, not one bit.  I don’t really know where we’re supposed to be going but this is not it.”  Drake’s voice was so low she could barely hear it.  He hunched over nearly in the water to diminish the light of his magic as he brought two dark travel cloaks from his stores and handed her one, “Here, put this on.  Something tells me we don’t want to be seen here.”

There was no sound, no birds, no insects, only the whistle of a strong breeze through the canyon.  Then, in the waning moments of dusk just before the moon would rise they heard a far off sound.  It was the sound of waves cresting on a beach, and the sound of the creaking timber of ships amplified by the rock walls around them.

Suddenly one of the canyon walls dropped off and they were looking out across a harbor, it seemed as though a dark pall hung over everything, small wisps of fog rose out of the water, the glow of the lanterns seemed dim.  Moored at the docks were a variety of ships, most bore the look and feel of war vessels.  As they approached the dock a bell tolled and a voice called out, in the language of the sailors of Whales, but with a strange accent.  

If they heard correctly it was the twenty-first hour, three hours before midnight.  The two shared a look of surprise but said nothing, the feeling of doom that hung over this town was nearly overwhelming and neither of them wanted to attract attention.

Leviathan swam around and under the docks, coming up to the seawall.  The two walked along his length to stand on his head, grasping the large spines there for balance.  At this hour there was no one about to see the two strangers suddenly rise up and step onto the dock.

Drake patted the scaled head, “Goodbye, my friend.”

The head retreated back to the water, Leviathan turned and swam into the depths.  The surface showed a muted glow for a moment as the creature disappeared.  

On the dock, Drake sagged back into Dimalya’s arms, unwilling to reabsorb the power of the summoning as the light would surely bring unwanted attention.  His power would be recharged by the end of the day anyway.

The two walked off the docks and into the city proper, all around there was filth and grime as if no one cared what the city looked like.

Looking around Dimalya spotted a man, apparently a beggar, down a polluted ally.  She took Drake’s arm and led him over, “We need information and this one’s probably the least likely to cause us any danger.”

He nodded as they made their way up to the man.  Looking up, the man cried out and cringed away from the two dark shapes and covered his head with his arms.

Dimalya spoke up, soothingly, “Please, we do not mean you harm.  We are travelers and have just arrived here, tell me, what is this place?”

He looked up again, confused and fearful, “This be Arabarb.  Travelers? If you know what’s good for ya, you’ll travel back where you came from as fast as ya’r able.”  He looked around furtively then, in a whisper, “They say, Nasoj is coming here.”	 

“Nasoj?”

The man looked at them for a moment then broke down in a fit of wheezing laughter, “Go, leave now, and if the gods are with you, you may not have to suffer the knowledge of that evil wizard.”

They hurriedly left the ally and continued down the road, Dimalya said, “I’m beginning to think we should have picked a better place to land.”

"I agree, but we're here now, I think we should find a place to stay for the night."

Dimalya pointed to a building on the other side of the street, its sign showing it to be the Lost Lutin inn, "That looks as good a place as any."

The main room of the inn was only slightly cleaner than the street they had just left, and it was rather crowded, most bore the look of sailors probably from the ships docked at the pier.  A large fire roared in the hearth, yet far from being comforting, the flickering light seemed to lend a more sinister air to the room 

The summoners walked to the bar, a rather heavyset man stood there, staring in thinly veiled disgust at them, and in a gruff voice said, "And what do you want?"

Not liking this man's attitude, Drake replied just as gruffly, "A room."

"Costs two gold," He leered at them, "You got two gold?"

Drake put his hand under his cloak to hide the telltale glow of his magic, and pulled out his money pouch.  He removed two pieces of gold, the imprint of king Iro's head telling of their age.  

Many years ago the fool king had created one of the greatest disasters in the history of Irombi by attempting to hold a great Demon and use it to defeat the fleet of Whales.  The Demon was somehow released and ended up destroying most of the city.  The king, it is said, was doused in flame when the creature escaped, and burns still, alive in the arms of the Demon, forever.  The tale of the Burning King is still told as a parable to young children. 

Drake laid the coins on the bar and the innkeeper picked one up and bit the edge, grunting he pointed to the stairs, "Upstairs, second door."

Dimalya followed Drake through the crowded dining hall to their room.  They were almost to the stairs when a hand reached out and grabbed the inside of her thigh!  "Com'ere you, les' have some fun."

She looked down, seeing the hand attached to a man as dirty as the rest of the town, her voice like ice she said, "Get your hand off me, pig!"

He sneered at her, " 's that any way to talk to your betters, whatta you goin' do if I don't?"  His hand moved up.

The summoner's eyes narrowed, blazing with livid rage, she raised her arm, electricity arcing across her fingertips as she closed her hand into a fist, and backhanded him right across the face.  As her fist hit, a peal of thunder cracked through the room and a flash of light sparked from her fist.  The man flew clear over the table to land with a crash on the next table over.

Conversation throughout the room stopped dead, allowing her voice to echo through the hall, "Touch me again, churl, and I'll cut out your heart and personally deliver it to Ba'al himself!"  

She looked defiantly at the people nearest her, daring them to try anything.  Most were still staring at her hand, where small sparks were still jumping from finger to finger.

She turned and stalked toward the stairs, stifling a sigh.  Drake followed behind.  She hated it, being thought of as a piece of meat, a toy, but she was also used to it by now.  As she walked she hoped that this group would get the message the first time.

The room, when they reached it, was a sorry affair.  It had a bed by the right wall, which had probably not been cleaned for a week.  There was a window across from the door.  The one redeeming quality was the hearth, which lent unexpected warmth to the room.
	
***************************

They woke in the morning, well rested despite the squalid surroundings.  Following the surprisingly good smell coming from the kitchen they went downstairs to find breakfast.  As soon as they came into view, the noise in the room fell to a whisper, the boisterous conversations became hushed comments and furtive exchanges.

They took the nearest empty table, and no sooner had they sat down than the innkeeper himself rushed over to take their order.  The gruff demeanor he had shown the previous night was gone, replaced with apparent fear, if not outright terror.  He bowed slightly to Dimalya, his voice wavering as he spoke, "W-what can I get you this morning, pr-priestess?"

Dimalya blinked, confused, but didn't correct him as she rather liked the change in attitude.  They both ordered a meat and vegetable stew, and the innkeeper left, returning in less than a minute with their order.  As he placed the steaming, wooden bowls on the table he also put down three pieces of gold.  "Please, forgive me for what happened last night, had I known... I-I never would even think of charging a priestess of Ba'al.  Pl-Please, have wh-whatever you want, on the house."

Dimalya straightened in her chair, a look of shock flashing across her face for an eye-blink before she got back in control.  As the outrage of being mistaken for a Moranasi faded, she composed herself, trying her best to look the part of the imposing priestess.

As soon as she could, she spoke, in an appropriately dark tone, "That will be all."

The innkeeper left hurriedly and Dimalya looked to her husband, incredulously, "A priestess of Ba'al?"

He chuckled and said dryly, "Yes... I wonder whatever could have given them that idea."

Glaring, she poked his chest, "Quiet you, or the almighty priestess will smite you."

He leaned forward, smiling, "You've already smitten me, a long time ago."

Dimalya sighed, "Had I known such a small display of power would be taken so, here, I wouldn't have done as much."  

"It was more likely your words than your actions that brought this on."

"Well, I suppose being thought of as a priestess may help us while we're here.  Though I wouldn't want to keep it up for long, the Dark One will probably Not be amused if I do."

Midway through their meal a thought suddenly occurred to her.  Looking over to Drake she said, "So where are we going anyway?"

Drake looked back and smiled slightly, "I don't know.  I know I would recognize the surroundings if I saw them, but as for a location, or even a direction, I don't know."

Dimalya looked incredulously at him, "So, you expect to just walk through this continent and hope to stumble upon this castle?"  

She sighed, "Can you describe it?  Perhaps someone will know of it."

His eyes closed as he thought, "It was a castle on a hill.  The castle itself was obscured in my dream by snow.  But I saw its people.  Some of the defenders were human, but there were others who... I do not know how to describe them.  They had the appearance of animals, yet walked and fought like men."

"Metamor" a hard voice spat out behind them.

They turned to see a rough looking man in a dark cloak, "I'm sorry to disturb you priestess, but your companion was describing the Keep of Metamor.  If you are looking for that demon infested pit, you're too late.  The battle was lost over a month ago, from what I saw even someone of your skill wouldn't have made much difference."

Drake's face fell, "So the Keep has fallen?"

The man look confused, "No, they threw back our attack.  I was a mercenary hired by Nasoj.  I see now I was a fool to take his offer, but at the time it was too good to pass up.  I barely escaped the rout with my life.  I just want to find a ship to get me out of here."

Dimalya spoke, "Where can we find this Keep?"

"You don't want to go there."

She looked at him, "Yes, I do.  And I must, tell me where it is."

"They'll kill you, but what do I care.  It is a long journey to the south, at the edge of the giantdowns, in the center of a canyon.  Guarding the only path farther south.  It is a center of the Lothanasi faith, they will not well abide one such as you.  But as I said, I care not."  He stood and made his way to the stairs.

If possible, the room seemed to become even more foreboding than before.  Dimalya leaned closer to her husband and whispered, "We are among those that you saw attacking the Keep!"

He nodded, but the innkeeper returned to clear the table before he could respond.  As the man turned to leave he stopped, and turned back, "Oh, i-if I may pr-priestess, Nasoj should be arriving tomorrow."  He stated it as though he thought it should mean something to her.

Drake echoed him, "Nasoj."

"Yes, I... I assumed that he was why you are here, you are both servants of the Dark Prince after all."

Frowning Dimalya replied, "Very well, leave us."

Drake turned to her, "The one who hired the mercenary.  The beggar yesterday said an evil wizard was coming here.  If a true wizard of Ba'al is coming here..."

"We want to be elsewhere when he arrives," Dimalya finished.