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Back to the previous chapter: Towers
Second Draft
The forest was cool in the late morning sun. From their current vantage point, the party could see the mines, a mile away. Kasey was still in Farran's saddle, watching the buildings from his position in the shade of the forest. Near the Church Knight, Sturm, on foot, was using Bilbus's spyglass to spy upon the structures and the orcs walking between them.
Eric hopped down from his horse and tied it to a nearby tree. He took a few cautious steps towards the treeline. A slight breeze blew from behind him, barely rustling a few leaves overhead. He glanced back towards Sturm. "Do we need to worry about them smelling us?"
Sturm stopped looking through the spyglass. He shook his head. "We're too far away, and their sense of smell is not much different than ours. They just like things that smell bad."
Breanna watched the Sun Knight resume using the telescope. "Sturm?" she asked nervously. "Could they see light getting reflected off of the glass?"
Sturm glanced upwards. The sun had nearly reached its peak. "It's midday. If it were evening, I would be worried. Right now, there is no possibility of their seeing us." He observed the mines for another minute. "I see several patrols on foot. There are a pair of orcs walking along the slopes just above the mines, and another pair just opposite it in the valley. Those two patrols are less than a hundred paces from the buildings. There are six orcs, at least, watching the largest building down there, the one that is closest to us. Do you want to bet there are prisoners in there? I also see two tents near that building. One of the tents is guarded."
Bilbus hopped down from Acquisition and tied the horse's reins to a sapling. He walked over to Sturm and looked towards the mines. "We'll need a distraction to keep them busy while I sneak in to see what's in those tents."
Eric turned back towards his friends. "Didn't the captain of the Sea Ghost have an invitation to visit the orcs?"
Sturm walked back to his warhorse and loosened some straps on the left saddle bag. He lifted the flap open and rummaged about in the bag for a minute. When he stepped back from his horse, he held a folded sheet of parchment. The Sun Knight unfolded it and skimmed over the words before he took the few steps towards Eric. "That's what this letter said."
Bilbus tromped through the brush to peer past the Sun Knight at the letter. "Hmph," Bilbus grunted. "Do you think they know what Captain Sigurd looks like? I got a pretty close look at him. He's pretty big, about Sturm's height. His hair was pretty dark, like Sturm's." The mountebank chuckled to himself. "Do we still have the captain's greatcoat? To an orc, humans all look alike anyway, right Rishala?"
Rishala hopped down from his horse and adjusted the wool plaits of his kilt. "I kinna say. Maybe so. Orcs tend to look alike to us. Then again, these orcs may ne'er have met Sigurd. But Sturm kinna go alone."
Eric nodded in agreement. "I could be 'Sigurd's first mate." He looked up at Kasey. "Can you play a pirate, Kasey?"
Kasey drew his Church dagger from its sheath and placed it between his teeth. He had a deadly smile behind the dagger. "Arrgh!" the knight said enthusiastically.
Eric shook his head and smiled. "Good enough."
Bilbus looked thoughtfully towards the mines. "Adria can stay here with me. She is pretty good at..." He stopped to change what he had intended to say. Adria did not want her companions to know about her past. "...at archery. I may need someone to cover me if I get spotted, after all." He turned to flash Adria a cocky smile, then turned his attentions to Sturm. "If you can find out where the commander is, or where he keeps his maps, signal me. I can get in there and grab the goods, no problem."
Sturm nodded. "Sigurd had several wives, from what we saw in his notes." He looked towards Breanna, then added, "She could come with us."
Breanna's eyes widened, looking like those of a scared deer. "You want me to walk into a camp of orcs?" She looked at her companions, panic on her face. "I ... I can't do that. I ... can't." Kasey looked alarmed, as well.
Kasey ageed, "You can't send ladies into an orc camp. Breanna should stay here with Adria, where it's safe. Bilbus can stay here and guard them."
Eric smiled. "Yes, that is a good idea. The ladies will stay here, and Bilbus can stay here to guard them."
Bilbus looked at Eric in puzzlement. "Guard them? No, I'm sneaking into the compound to get some papers."
Eric lowered his voice. "Tell him that you are going to stay here and guard the women."
A flash of comprehension appeared on Bilbus's face. He straightened. "Why, yes. Of course. I will stay here and," he turned to Kasey, "guard the ladies."
Rishala had watched the planning in silence. "What about me?"
Sturm considered the Caledonian for a moment. "I suppose someone like Sigurd might have a cook."
"A cook," Rishala echoed levelly.
"Do you have a better idea?" Sturm asked. "Not even an orc would mistake you for a guard, Rishala."
Rishala's shoulders slumped an inch. "Aye. Rishala the Cook. I'll fix ye some good sheep stew, cap'n."
Sturm walked back towards his horse. "We need to set out soon. If we don't approach the mines from the road, the orcs may get suspicious. Since the road's on the other side of the camp, we're going to have to circle wide around this valley to get to the road without them seeing us." He untied his horse's reins and climbed into the saddle. "Is everyone ready?"
Eric jogged back to his horse and hurried to catch up with Sturm and the rest of the erstwhile Sea Ghost "crew" as they rode south.
Bilbus watched the four riders depart. As soon as he was sure they were out of earshot, he turned to Adria and Breanna, both of whom had dismounted. "Okay. Here's the plan." He turned towards the valley and gestured towards the low hills south of the mine. "We're going to cross over to those hills. It looks like there's some bushes growing along the hillsides that should be good enough to cover our approach. They are pretty thick."
Breanna interrupted. "I thought we were going to stay here. You are going to guard us."
Adria let out a short bark of a laugh. "We don't need him. We can take care of ourselves just fine, Bree."
Bilbus scowled at the blonde noblewoman. He then faced Breanna. "No, Bree. We need to get close. Those four are just riding in as a distraction to keep the orcs occupied while we get the maps and take out the orcs' commander. These orcs are probably bored to death guarding the miners. Their commander is probably the only thing keeping them from wandering away and attacking Hillsdale or just disappearing back to wherever they came from."
Bilbus looked at the deep green woolen dress that Breanna wore. "While that is a nice riding dress, Bree, you are going to want to wear something else." He met her eyes once more. "Please tell me you have breeches. Something practical?"
Breanna nodded nervously. "I have a pair of leather breeches and a jacket. I got them when my brother was teaching me swordplay."
"Perfect," Bilbus said. "You two need to change." He grinned lopsidedly. "I won't watch." He turned towards the mines and took several steps away from the two women.
Adria stomped towards her horse, grumbling just loud enough for Bilbus to hear her. "This is such a stupid plan. Typical. 'Let's sneak up close to the orcs. Then we'll figure out what we're doing once they're breathing down our necks.' Just wonderful. I thought I had some half-baked plans before Jerryn straightened me out. I'm surprised Bilbus hasn't his neck stretched already."
Adria dug deeply into one of her saddle bags. She kept her armor well buried, beneath carefully-folded dresses, underclothes, and other personal effects. She did not want anyone to find out that she was anything more than a noble, but Bilbus was determined to force her to reveal her other side.
Her fingers ran along the folded leather jacket. The thick leather was supple and comforting. Adria had spent hours caring for the armor, following Jerryn's instructions to make it flexible in spite of its thickness. She pulled the armor out of the saddle bags, then glanced back towards Bilbus. The mountebank was standing near a tree, one arm out to prop himself up against it as he surveyed the valley. He had started whistling tunelessly. Adria quickly started loosening the ties on her bodice and shrugged out of her dress.
A few minutes later, she stood next to Bilbus. He was eyeing her appreciatively, taking in every inch of the black leather with a half grin frozen on his face. Adria scowled at him, but his eyes were not on her face. She walked back towards Breanna, who had finished putting on her armor.
Breanna's armor was a dark brown, not black, but she had not selected it for concealment at night. There were scuffs in the thick leather where rapier blunts had been jabbed into it, but the leather was still stiff. The armor had not yet been broken in.
Adria passed the other noblewoman to retrieve her longbow and rapier. Adria strapped the sword belt around her waist, then strung the longbow. When she returned to Bilbus and Breanna, Adria noticed that Breanna would occasionally steal sidelong glances at Adria's obviously well-worn armor. Breanna stood nervously, self-conscious about her very non-noble clothing.
Bilbus still had the cocky half-grin on his face as he looked at the two leather-clad women.
Adria cleared her throat loudly. When Bilbus's eyes finally met hers, she said, "Okay. Let's get this over with."
Adria overheard the mountebank when he quietly muttered about a "nice fit", but he shook his head before she could slap him. "Let's go," the mountebank said. "Remember: if we run into anyone, my name is 'Sanbalet'." He reached into one of his coin pouches and withdrew a black adamantine medallion. He looped the fine chain over his head, then made sure the medallion was prominently visible on the chest of his armor.
Bilbus led the two women south through the trees for a few hundred paces, until the low hills south of the mines blocked his view of the buildings. He paused on the edge of the forest for several minutes, watching the hillside through his spy glass for any sign of orc patrols. Satisfied that the orcs were not patrolling all the way up the hillside, Bilbus walked into the clear. Adria followed close, keeping her two-pace-long bow in hand and her eyes alert. Breanna paused a moment longer before following the other two into the open.
Sturm led Kasey, Rishala, and Eric along the Hillsdale Mine road. The sun had already slipped well past its midday peak, and the shadows of the horses and riders were stretching ahead of them. There were still a few hours before sunset. If everything went well, the four men would be able to leave the orc encampment before dark. Otherwise, if anything went wrong, the orcs would have a substantial advantage thanks to their ability to see well in the dark.
To either side of the road were nearby hills that were just tall enough to block any view of the surrounding region. Lonely trees grew here and there on the hillside, while large clusters of sandhill plum bushes and other shrubbery created a patchwork of dark greens on the light green grass carpeting.
Sturm kept his warhorse's pace slow. Bilbus better not take too long to get to the mines. We may not keep the orcs busy for long. That he was relying on a thief to collect the intelligence galled the Sun Knight, but Sturm could find no other way to get to the information without staging an attack.
Sturm rounded a curve in the road. Beyond the curve, the valley widened abruptly, revealing the mines. The four buildings on the near end of the complex were closely spaced, with just a couple of paces' distance separating them. They were arranged in a square pattern, instead of lined up. Just south of the four buildings was another, longer, building, with its long side facing north. The road cut between the large building and the other four. Two more smaller buildings faced the large one, and a pair of large buildings stood on the far side of the developed area. The entrance to the mine was near those large buildings, a dark opening shored by timber that led into the northern hillside.
Orc sentries still patrolled along both the northern and southern slopes of the shallow valley, and four more orcs stood idly near one another in front of the nearest buildings. One scratched at its backside, then stuck its sickly greenish head around the corner of the building to peer back towards a pair of white tents at the far end of the compound. The orc then stuck its snout into the air and started sniffing. One of the other orcs noticed Sturm and his companions approaching. The orc elbowed its comrade and pointed towards the horse-mounted men.
Without taking his eyes off of the orcs, Sturm quietly said, "Okay, team. Show time."
The orc who spotted the approaching party and the orc that it had elbowed sauntered forward, shoulders rolling in a casual manner. When it was about ten paces away from the riders, the first orc raised one hand upwards, its palm towards them. It grunted something vaguely obscene while its compatriot idly fingered the hilt of a large sword hanging from its hip.
Sturm gently pulled his horse's reins. The horse stopped, its nostrils flaring as the sour stench of the orcs drifted over the riders. Three paces behind Sturm, Farran laid his ears back. His fore hooves danced slightly, and he tugged at his reins.
Kasey leaned forward and whispered harshly at the warhorse. "Not yet."
Moving slowly in the hopes the orcs would not overreact, Sturm reached into the pocket of the greatcoat he wore over his leather armor. He drew the folded invitation from the coat's inner breast pocket. Once he unfolded the paper, he held it towards the orcs and spoke slowly. "I am Captain Sigurd. Your commander invited us to visit."
The orc holding out its hand lowered it and growled something.
Sturm dismounted. "Take me to your commander." He touched his chest. "Sigurd. Where is your commander?"
The lead orc glanced over its shoulder at its three companions and uttered a string of coarse grunts and growls. One of the orcs who had remained by the buildings turned and trotted lazily through the camp towards the tents. Sturm watched it go to the guarded tent, where it spoke to the guards before being admitted to the tent.
After a minute, the orc exited the tent, followed by another, larger orc. The new orc had several colorful braids tied around one shoulder of its plate armor, and the large grip of a mighty two-handed greatsword jutted over its right shoulder. The two orcs walked back to the edge of the mining compound.
The new orc walked past the others, straight to Sturm. When it stopped in front of the Sun Knight, it looked down nearly a foot to make eye contact with the human. In a deep, growling voice, it spoke in the Kelltic tongue: "I am Krat. You are Sigurd?"
Sturm nodded.
"You are staying at the mines this night?"
Again Sturm nodded.
The orc turned and strode towards the nearest of the four buildings. He pointed at it. "That is your room. Bring your horses." He kept walking past the building.
Sturm led his warhorse as he followed the orc. He heard his comrades following, still on horseback, as Krat led the party towards the larger building south of the one he had assigned as their quarters. Krat stopped at the door. "Leave your horses in here." The orc continued towards the two tents at the far end of the camp.
Sturm opened the door. The room beyond was large and open, filling most of the building. Windows covered with oiled cloth provided a subdued light to the interior of the room, revealing several long bench-like tables thrown haphazardly against the wall the entrance. A pair of iron ovens and a cooktop were one the wall to Sturm's left, but no other cooking implements had been left in the room.
The Sun Knight glanced over his shoulder at his companions, who had dismounted their horses. "Looks like this was a mess hall."
Sturm led his horse into the building, then tossed its reins onto his saddle. He slapped its flank, prompting the horse to trot clear of the entrance. It stopped to look around, then dropped its head to the ground, sniffing for any food. After Sturm stepped back outside, the rest of the riders led their horses into the former dining hall.
When Kasey released Farran's reins, the Church Knight said quietly to the horse, "Keep an eye on them. We may need to leave quickly." One of Farran's ears flicked before he walked away from the Church Knight, his ears still flat against his head and tail switching in agitation.
Kasey went back outside, shutting the door behind himself as he left. He had to run to catch up with his friends, who were following Krat towards the tents.
The orc pointed towards the nearer of the large buildings on this end of the compound. "That is our cook room. It is also the forges room."
Sturm walked a few paces behind the orc. He looked at the chimneys atop the building. No smoke came from any of them. To Eric, Sturm said quietly, "The forges aren't hot. It takes some time to heat them up, so they must not be processing ore right now."
Eric nodded as he studied the building. "Maybe they aren't using the mines right now. Or, maybe the smiths are being used as miners."
Krat passed the last building, which had a fenced corral attached to it. As the humans passed the corral, Eric noticed bare human footprints in the soft soil. He nodded slightly towards the building. "Where do you think they are keeping the miners?"
Sturm looked at the footprints, then watched the guards walking around the building. "That was our guess when we were watching the guards. The footprints confirm the guess, I would say."
The orc Krat stopped in front of the guarded tent. Both tents were plain white canvas, about ten feet to a side. The three guards stood to one side of the tent flap at stiff attention.
Krat turned to his human guests. "This is my tent. You will stay out. You may go to your room now." Without waiting for a response, the orc entered the tent.
When no one moved for a moment, Rishala suggested, "Perhaps we should go to our room."
Sturm looked at the hillside beyond the tents. There were plenty of bushes dotting the hillside, ranging from a few little more than a pace wide to one cluster of bushes that covered an area of about seven by three paces. The large bush was about fifty paces away from the tents. Some movement near the bush caught Sturm's attention. It repeated a moment later, several branches on the far side of the bush rustling frantically. Sturm turned his back towards the bush and scratched the back of his head with his middle finger.
Bilbus crouched behind the tangled patch of plum bushes. A pair of orc sentries had walked towards the bushes, threatening to discover the three humans hiding behind it, but they had turned a mere ten paces away, unaware of their proximity to the man and two women. As soon as he was sure the orcs were moving away, Bilbus turned to the women.
In a whisper, he said, "We're fine here. We can see all of the buildings, and the orcs are not patrolling this far up the hillside."
Adria nodded as she shifted her balance forward, onto her knees. She was not going to need to spring to her feet to ambush the orcs, after all. She asked, "Did you see Sturm or anyone else?"
Bilbus shook his head, then poked his head up to peer over the bush. "Not yet... Oh. I see them. They're following a really big, ugly orc towards the tents." Bilbus drew his spyglass and watched them for a moment. He suddenly shook some nearby branches, then waited and shook them again. He choked off a laugh and gave the spyglass to Adria. "Message for you, m'Lady."
Adria took the spyglass and peered towards the tents. She spotted Sturm's finger scratching the back of his head, then slapped Bilbus squarely on his shoulder. Maybe the gesture was obscene in other circles than just the thieves'.
Eric led his friends into the room Krat had assigned. It was nothing more than a single-room dormitory, about seven paces to a side. The beds had been thrown against the walls to make room in the center of the room for several small chests. The chests had been smashed open, and the contents had been emptied into a pile. It looked like there were no valuables, only personal effects that had been damaged or ruined. The windows were covered in thin oiled cloth to keep insects out, but still admit light. One of the cloths had been ripped, and it flapped lazily in the gentle afternoon breeze. The room had that sour smell of poor housekeeping combined with poor grooming; the breeze helped to freshen the room, but only a little.
As Eric looked at the ruins of the room. "It could be worse," he observed sardonically.
Rishala went to one of the beds and flipped it back onto its feet. Kasey did likewise with one of the other beds. The two set about gathering the torn, filthy bed covers that had been scattered in the room and piling the covers against one wall.
Eric watched the two organize the room, then decided, "I am going to take a walk around and see if I can figure out where the orcs are staying. The tents are too small for all of them. Maybe if we know a little bit more, we can come up with a way to get rid of the orcs."
The explorer stepped out of the dormitory and looked around. The orcs were no longer standing by the adjacent building. Eric pulled the door closed, then walked casually towards the other building.
The oiled cloth in the nearest window on that building had been torn out. Eric stopped next to it and peered inside. The interior was in worse shape than the room he and his companions had been assigned. The beds had been smashed into timber, and the remains had been scattered throughout the room. Some of the bedsheets had dark brownish stains on them, and there were similar stains on the timbers of the floor and walls.
Eric heard the clanking of armored figures approaching. He turned towards the sound, which was coming from the space between this building and the one in which his friends were waiting.
Four orcs walked out from between the two buildings. Eric was sure they were the same orcs who had been watching the road when he had arrived. The orcs grunted and snarled to one another as they loomed over Eric, but they kept walking without stopping. Once the orcs rounded past the far corner of the building, Eric slinked back along the path from which they had approached.
The orcs walked past the second row of buildings. Once they had passed the far corner of one of the buildings on the second row, Eric sneaked over to the building to inspect them. A quick peek through a ripped window on the first building revealed another abandoned dormitory with ruined furnishings.
The other dormitory was occupied. While the oiled cloth windows had been torn, the beds had been used to block the light from shining into the room. A distinctive snoring sound, like the ripping of several jagged-tooth saws, rumbled from the open window. Eric risked a look through a gap in the panels.
Several orcs slept in the semi-darkness. Eric was not sure how many, since he did not want to spend too much time looking, but it was at least six. They had removed the blackened plate armor that they wore, and much of the padding underneath the armor, exposing far more of the sickly greenish orc flesh than Eric had ever wanted to see. Eric moved away from the window.
After a quick glance around, Eric stepped towards the next building on the near side of the road, opposite the dining hall.
Bilbus rocked back and ducked as the orc patrol once again turned, far too close for comfort. Even with nearly four paces of bushes between him and the orcs, Bilbus did not want to risk being spotted. He glanced towards the noblewomen.
Adria was sitting several paces away, the fingers of her right hand touching her longbow, which lay on the ground on one side. A pair of arrows lay on the ground on her other side, loose for quick access. Breanna crouched next to Adria, against the bushes as if she were getting ready to crawl into them.
Bilbus waited until the orcs were another five paces farther away, then crawled to Adria. He rocked back into a squatting position so he could speak quietly to her.
"Eric is on his way back to the building where Sturm and the others are. He took a look at all of the buildings except the corral. The orcs shooed him away from it." Bilbus looked down for a moment as he untied a wineskin from his belt, then looked back at the women. "Do either of you have a cup or bowl?"
Breanna opened her healing kit and pulled out a shallow stone bowl. She offered it nervously to the mountebank.
Bilbus took the bowl and set it on the ground. "What a shame to waste a good wine like this," he muttered as he poured some wine into the bowl.
"What are you doing?" Breanna whispered nervously.
"Watch," Bilbus instructed as he waved a hand over the bowl. He directed a flow of Heka into the wine, shaping it into a weave he had learned years ago while studying forbidden books in a Church library. He shut his eyes and visualized the interior of the nearest of the two tents -- the one that was unguarded.
Bilbus heard Breanna gasp. When he reopened his eyes and looked into the bowl, it was as if he were looking into the top of the tent. Everything had a pinkish cast from the thin layer of wine in the bowl, but he could still see clearly. There was a table that occupied half of the tent, with several charts and maps piled on top of it. One map had been spread out on top of the others, with rocks on the corners to keep the curling edges flat. From the viewpoint above the table, Bilbus was able to recognize the outline of the Middle Ranges mountains on the map. The map covered a region from the Dales in the west to free city Arabel Cinlu in the east. Bilbus concentrated on moving the view closer to the table so he could read some of the details.
Adria suddenly pointed at a spot on the wine. "Is that a letter?" Her finger traced one of the papers as it moved across the scrying surface. It disappeared out of view. "Go back. Left. There. Can you get closer?"
Bilbus brought the view close to the paper in question. When the view stopped moving, he read the letter.
Commander Krat
Move your orcs to the Hillsdale Mines and take control of the area. Do not harm the workers! They will provide the needed labor to extract the ore from the mines.
Additional orcs will be dispatched from the Stone Fist Tribe shortly.
When the mines are secured, send two squads to raid Hillsdale and take their smiths to start working the ore. Do not worry about human casualties. The village will be yours for the taking once the additional squads arrive.
When you have secured the smiths, visit at Castle Woodsguard. Travel south to the river. Follow it west. You will see my tower before you reach the cave falls.
Obey and be rewarded,
Axransa
When he finished the letter, he glanced up at Adria. The blonde noblewoman nodded, so Bilbus concentrated on viewing the interior of the other tent. The image in the wine shimmered and blurred. When it once more was steady, the three people were looking inside the other tent.
The large orc who had led Sturm and the others through the camp when they had first arrived sat on the single chair in the tent. On the grass at his side was the large sword he had carried. A small chest, opposite the tent flap, currently served as a foot rest for the commander, who had slouched in his chair with his arms folded across his chest. His eyes were closed, and his breathing was shallow.
As the three watched, the orc absently raised a hand to his face and scratched lazily at an unseen irritant before dropping his hand once more onto his armor-plated abdomen. His chin slowly dipped forward until it touched the breastplate of his armor.
"The ever-vigilant commander," Bilbus ventured.
Bilbus shifted the focus of his scrying on the building in which Sturm and the rest of "Captain Sigurd"'s entourage had been sent. When the shimmering scrying surface once more stabilized, he was looking down at Eric, Sturm, Rishala, and Kasey. Eric held a scrap of parchment with the curious orc script. Sturm had Eric's journal opened to a blank page. The Sun Knight kept glancing at the orc script, then wrote in Eric's journal.
"What is he writing?" Adria asked.
Bilbus brought the scrying surface's view close to the paper, then read the writing in a hushed tone.
"An additional platoon moves to join you. Workers are also traveling to support the camp. We look forward to taking the human village.
Arrival in one week
good journey and warm meat
Rettorg"
"Can you talk to them?" Adria asked. "Or is this for viewing only?"
Bilbus shook his head. "We can see them, but they can not see us. We can't even hear them. They have no idea we're watching them unless they have the appropriate warding magicks in place, and I would bet that they don't know the wards. Why?"
Adria straightened to peer over the brambles. The orcs were not nearby. She ducked back down. "Because you still have no idea what we're going to do next. We should coordinate with them. I have no intention of dying here."
"We could send them messages some other way." Bilbus peeked over the bushes to look at the side of the dormitory building. "One of their windows is pretty easy to see from here. We could tie a message to one of your arrows and fire it through the window. I can watch them in the bowl until they are clear of the window. It should be an easy shot from here with that bow of yours."
Bilbus scratched his head absently as he surveyed the mine buildings. A smile crept onto his face, and he ducked down once more. He looked at Breanna, still smiling.
Breanna leaned away from Bilbus. "What?" she asked nervously.
"You're an apothecary, right?"
"I'm still in training," Breanna protested.
"Yeah, right. I've seen what you can do. Did your master teach you any alchemy?"
"Yes. Why?" Breanna asked, unsure where Bilbus's questions were leading.
"Did you learn how to alter skin and hair? You know, to pretty up the women for holidays and all that?"
Breanna paused. "I did learn those formulas. Why?"
Bilbus glanced from Breanna to Adria and huddled closer to them. "How's this for a plan: I can make Adria and me taller, say, about orc height. You can alter our hair and skin so we look like orcs. We could walk right into their camp and get close to the commander's tent. I can slip into the tent and grab the papers while Adria takes out the commander."
"But why would Adria do that?" Breanna wondered.
Bilbus ignored the question. "I will distract the guards so no one sees her. I can use some Heka to allow me to speak their language."
Adria had been looking disbelievingly at Bilbus. She finally took the pause in Bilbus's planning to ask, "Are you insane?"
He looked at her levelly. "Do you have a better idea Adria?" When she did not answer immediately, Bilbus added, "We need to get close to their camp. There is no way we can approach it unseen. Don't you think they would be suspicious of a pair of humans running towards their commander's tent wearing these outfits?" He slapped the chest of his heavy leather jerkin to emphasize his point.
Adria finally nodded reluctantly. "We'll need to tell them," she acquiesced as she pointed towards the image of their companions floating in the wine.
"Yes," Bilbus agreed. "Bree, do you have paper and ink in your bag?"
Breanna nodded as she rooted through her healer's kit. She produced some small sheets of paper and a pen and ink that she used to keep inventory of her supplies. Bilbus wrote a quick note:
We are hiding near the bushes south of your building. Adria and I are going to be disguised as orcs so we can get to the commander. I am able to see the interior of your building, but can not hear you. If you write notes on paper, I can read them from here.
Bilbus the Great
Bilbus handed the note to Adria.
Adria asked, "Bree, do you have any thread?"
Breanna quickly produced a spool of fine thread from her healer's bag. Adria unwound a foot of thread from the spool, then snapped the thread. She took one of her arrows and rolled the note around the shaft of the arrow. After wrapping the thread around the paper, Adria finished tying the note onto the arrow. She picked up her bow and looked at Bilbus.
Bilbus poked his head up over the bushes. The orcs had just turned away towards the other end of their patrol route, and no other orcs were facing this hillside. The mountebank peered at the scrying bowl. None of the four men were near the window.
"Now, Adria," he said.
Adria stood up, bringing her bow to the ready as she turned towards the oilcloth window of the nearby dormitory building. She released the arrow, watching its flight just long enough to know it would pass through the window, then quickly dropped to a knee.
The three gathered close to the scrying font. When the arrow tore through the oilcloth and embedded itself in the floor of the room, all four men jumped into action. Both knights drew their swords and went instantly to a guard position. Rishala leaped towards one of the walls, where his bow rested. Eric stood and placed one hand on his Azirian sword's grip while he looked at the arrow. When he noticed the paper wrapped around the shaft, Eric released his sword and took the two steps to the arrow. He pulled it out of the wooden flooring and untied the string keeping the paper in place.
The knights relaxed as Eric read the message to them. The four men engaged in a heated discussion, gesturing towards other buildings in the complex. After a moment, Eric opened his journal to a blank page and wrote a note: "We will come up with a distraction to cover your escape. Be ready for a signal."
Bilbus let the dweomer on the wine unravel. "There's no sense putting this off. Are you ready, Bree?"
Breanna nodded nervously, then pulled a number of small pouches and containers from her healing kit. She mixed the components in a small bowl, then gathered some soil and grass to add to the concoction. She finished the preparations by channeling Heka into the mix. When she finished, she looked up at Bilbus. "Okay. I think this is ready."
Bilbus glanced at Adria. "Ready?"
Adria sighed quietly. "As I'll ever be. Hurry up. The patrol is moving away from us right now, but they're getting close to the far end of their route."
Bilbus channeled Heka towards Adria. The weave formed an invisible mesh around her, and the blonde woman grew two feet taller. Bilbus then directed an identical flow of Heka into himself. The world around him appeared to shrink a fraction.
Breanna looked at the two giants, her eyes goggling.
"Hurry, Bree," Bilbus urged.
Breanna broke the end of a branch off the bushes. She dipped the branch into the bowl she held, making sure the leaves had an ample supply of the greenish-brown mass. Breanna then turned to Adria. "Sorry, Adria," she said as she started wiping the mash on Adria's face.
As the mash touched Adria's fair skin, her appearance changed drastically. Her skin turned a mottled greenish-brown, nearly identical to the skin coloring of the orcs. A few warts bulged out of her face, and some sparse patches of hair jutted from her chin. The discoloration spread quickly beyond where the leaves had touched the woman's skin, until soon even her hands had the unhealthy appearance of an orc's.
Breanna then shifted to Bilbus, rubbing the remainder of the mash on the back of his exposed hand. Soon Bilbus, too, had the unpleasant pallor of an orc. Breanna quickly returned to her healing pack, grabbing a few more packages and making another mixture. When she completed her mixing and enchanting, Breanna applied the mixture to Adria's long golden hair. The hair shriveled as it turned black. Breanna applied the mixture to Bilbus's hair, which did not change as drastically from its already-dark hue.
Bilbus grinned when she finished. The apothecary leaned back, with a disturbed look on her face. Bilbus asked, "How do we look, Bree?"
"Hideous."
Bilbus-orc winked. "Thanks." He turned to Adria-orc. "Let's go." The transformed mountebank peered over the bushes. The orcs had nearly reached the far end of their path, so Bilbus stood and trotted around the bushes. He barely heard Adria following him.
Either the orc patrol heard Bilbus and Adria, or they had reached the end of their patrol route. In either case, the orcs had turned around. They spotted the two strangers approaching and started jogging towards them to cut them off.
As the orcs approached, Bilbus shaped another magickal casting. Using his left hand, he signed to Adria, Let me do the talking.
The sentries stopped several paces away. Bilbus slowed to a walk and raised an empty hand in a gesture that he hoped meant "peace" to orcs as well as humans. When he spoke, his voice was the guttural snarl of an orc's. "We from Axransa. Her Grunt. Her dumb. Me Thrag." Bilbus paused for a moment. Should I really be using pidgin speak?
One of the orcs replied in its tongue. "What are you doing here?"
Bilbus decided to speak normally. "Axransa sent me to speak to Commander Krat. Grunt is my escort."
The sentry grunted, a deep, rumbling noise, then turned around. "Follow me."
As soon as the second guard turned, Adria drew an arrow, nocked it, and released it. The arrow flew through the middle of the first orc sentry's back, killing him instantly. The other orc turned about, reaching for one of its own arrows. Adria once more fired, missing with her first shot. She cursed under her breath as she readied a third arrow. The second orc opened its mouth to shout as it brought its bow to bear. Adria lined up the arrow on her longbow and released it, watching the arrow sail high into the orc's chest. With a gurgle, the orc fell to its knees, dropping its bow. It grabbed desperately at the killing arrow as it collapsed to the ground.
Bilbus grabbed one of the bodies and hurriedly dragged it behind some nearby bushes. Adria helped him with the second, then the two jogged once more towards the tents.
An orc's head poked around the edge of one of the tents. When it spotted the two unfamiliar orcs approaching, it disappeared behind the tent for a moment. Two orcs ran around the edge of the tent and approached the strangers at an easy lope.
One of the orcs called out, "You stop now!"
Bilbus slowed to a stop. He heard Adria approach until she was a pace behind him, and off to one side. The two orc guards kept walking closer, wary, but not yet threatening.
"Where is the patrol?" one of the orcs asked.
Bilbus replied, "I saw no sentries. I thought I saw a human on the other side of the hill. Maybe they saw her too?"
The orcs looked at Bilbus, waiting for something.
Bilbus-orc continued to speak. "We are Thrag and Grunt." He jerked a thumb at Adria-orc, who smiled. At least, Bilbus thought it was a smile, considering the twisted sneers that the two orcs made towards her. "We are from the human Axransa. We need to speak to Commander Krat."
The orcs considered the demand. "Follow us," one said before turning towards the tents.
The orcs loped easily back to the pair of tents. In front of one of the tents -- guarded by one other orc -- one of the guards pulled the canvas flap aside and peered into the tent. A dull ripping noise drifted out of the opening.
The sentry released the flap and turned to Bilbus. "Commander Krat is busy. Wait."
Bilbus turned to Adria and lowered his voice. "Go around back. Wait until I call you."
Adria stared at him blankly.
Not wanting to switch to Kelltic, Bilbus repeated his order slowly, as if he were speaking to a simpleton. "Go around back." He used to fingers to mimic walking in a circle, then pointed to the tent. "Wait until I call you." The orcs were not paying much attention to him, so Bilbus switched to the subtle gestures of Thieves' Sign. Go around back. Wait for signal. Adria nodded and stomped around the tent.
Bilbus mimicked the guttural snarl that passed for an orcish laugh, then gestured towards the departing Adria-orc. "Females are so stupid."
All three orc guards laughed. Bilbus then noticed one of them passing its bow to one of the other orc guards. The now unarmed orc looked appreciatively at Bilbus. He noticed the orc had curves in its breastplate that were much more pronounced than the other orcs' armor. The face was shaped slightly differently. Uh-oh, Bilbus managed to worry as the female orc walked towards him, swaying her hips suggestively. When she was a pace away from Bilbus the orc, she swung one hand around to his back, grabbing his posterior as if she were going to tenderize him.
"Yow!" Bilbus shouted as he stumbled away.
The female orc turned her mouth into a leering grin, then pushed him towards the stables, twelve paces away. She snarled, "I will show you a stupid female, stupid man."
Great, Bilbus lamented. I just discovered an orc pick-up line. Why can't I have it this easy with Adria? Well, Adria needs a distraction. This should keep the orcs distracted. As long as they don't kill me. Bilbus smiled and laughed loudly, then slapped the orc hard on her upper arm. She returned the slap, harder. Bilbus staggered back several paces, hoping his arm was not broken.
Eric looked at each of the men in the dormitory. "Everyone is ready?"
Sturm returned Eric's gaze impatiently. "Yes. Bring the orcs in here, two at a time, and Kasey and I will deal with them. Rishala will stay clear and help mop up. There is enough brandy in the cask to get their attention."
Eric nodded to himself, then cracked the door open. He stepped out of the building and glanced around quickly. The four orcs who had been guarding the roadside approach to the mines were once more leaning against the other dormitory building, out of sight from their commander's tent. Eric walked towards them slowly, opening a flask of brandy.
One of the orcs glanced towards him, only passingly interested in the human.
Eric offered the flask to the orc. "Do you want some brandy, orcs? We have a lot of it in our room."
The orcs now were all looking at him. The first orc took the flask and sniffed at it, its porcine snout flaring. It took a cautious sip, then growled something to its comrades. The other orcs barked laughter. The first orc passed the flask to its fellow guards, who each took a few sniffs from the flask.
Eric smiled what he hoped would be a non-threatening smile, then gestured sweepingly towards the orcs. He took a couple of steps back towards his dormitory. The orcs started to follow him, so he put up a hand. The orcs stopped, confused. Eric extended two fingers, then pointed at the orcs. He then extended the two fingers again, pointed them towards his eyes, then pointed towards the commander's tent. Two of you watch for the commander, the other two come with me.
The orcs debated in quiet snarls. Finally, two of them walked towards Eric. The explorer turned and strode back to his building. He went through the open door to the far side of the room, where Rishala stood. The orcs entered the building, walking right past the two knights who had hidden to either side of the door. Eric's smile vanished.
The two knights struck from behind with no warning. The two orcs fell to the ground, blood pouring from deep cuts to their upper backs. Before the bodies hit the ground, Rishala and Eric were rushing forward. Rishala leaped past the orcs to push the door closed, while Sturm and Kasey dragged the bodies behind a pile of broken beds. Eric grabbed a double handful of torn bedding and dropped it on the blood, using his boot to push the makeshift mop across the pool of blood and the trail leading towards the hidden bodies. He picked up the soaked linens and dropped them on the bodies behind the broken beds.
"That's two," Eric said.
Kasey and Sturm moved back to their hiding positions. Once they had taken cover, Rishala opened the door, then returned to the far side of the room. Eric refilled the flask from the cask, then went back out.
The orc female slammed Bilbus-orc against the exterior wall of the stables. Even after tensing himself for the hit, he nearly doubled over. I'm as big as they are, but I didn't get their strength, he belatedly realized. The female smiled at him, then shoved him roughly to the ground. Looking past her at the other orc guards, Bilbus realized that they were watching the fight intensely, with savage grins on their faces. A quick glance around the mines showed Bilbus that the other orcs had stopped patrolling and guarding to watch as well. Looking back to the tents again, Bilbus saw Adria behind the tents, drawing her bow. She fired an arrow into the tent, through the heavy canvas. There was movement in the tent, followed by a hoarse shout, that drew the guards' attention back to the tent.
Doubling both fists, Bilbus shouted and smashed the female's leather-armored shin. She stumbled back, laughing, and fell to the ground. The sentries at the tent had turned back to watch the courtship, giving Adria the opportunity to fire again at the tent. Bilbus painfully regained his feet and circled wide of the female on his way back to the sentries at the tent.
Still snarling in the guttural orc tongue, Bilbus said, "Women, huh?"
One of the sentries shifted his attention past Bilbus. The mountebank looked over his shoulder to see the female charging towards him, head lowered. Bilbus quickly turned, interposing himself between the orc and the commander's tent, then crouched, bracing for the impact.
The orc female slammed into him at full speed, throwing him back into the guards. The tangle of orc bodies fell backwards into the tent. One of the supporting poles snapped, and a couple of ropes pulled loose. The white canvas collapsed onto the three orcs and the transformed human.
Behind the collapsed tent, Adria dropped her bow and drew a dagger. She waded into the tent as Bilbus cried out in Orcish, "Grunt! Cut us out of the tent!"
The false orc slashed the canvas open. She found one of the orcs trying to fight his way loose of the entangling mass of canvas. With a deft thrust, Adria drove her dagger into the orc's neck, just below the base of the skull. It fell without so much as a shriek.
Adria kept digging through the canvas. Another orc wriggled loose and stood before her. Adria shifted the dagger to conceal it from the orc. The orc raised one hand and wriggled its index finger. Don't kill me! It then signed, Not me, Lady!
Bilbus-orc helped Adria-orc find the other two orcs in the fallen tent. Under the pretense of cutting the orcs free of the tangle of canvas, Adria dispatched both of them readily. Bilbus noticed that the other orcs in the area were watching with some interest. Bilbus loudly apologized in the orcish tongue as he and Adria struggled to erect the tent once more, despite the broken pole and pulled ropes. Once the tent was up, Adria disappeared into it to arrange the bodies. Bilbus remained outside the tent, to keep the other orcs at bay if they became too curious.
One of the orcs began to approach the tent. Bilbus peered inside, taking the opportunity to sign Adria with his next plan. When the mountebank faced the orc, he said loudly, "The commander is having some fun!" He demonstrated the "fun" with some obscene hand gestures that earned appreciative chuckles from the orc.
Adria emerged from the tent, her armor partially undone and the tangled mess of her hair more disheveled than usual. She made an exaggerated sigh of exhaustion and arranged her armor, as if she were still dressing. The orc goggled at her, then returned to his post.
The knights had finished hiding the second pair of bodies. Rishala and Eric quickly used the remainder of the bed linens to clean up the gore, but the stains in the wood were unmistakable. Once the two men had discarded the linens over the dead orcs, Sturm glanced out the tear Adria's arrow had made in the oil cloth window. There were no signs of orcs nearby, and the two he could see had their attention focused on the far end of the camp.
"We still need something to distract the orcs," the Sun Knight said. "How much brandy is left in that cask?"
Eric kicked the cask and listened to the hollow thump from it. "Not enough to get the rest of the camp drunk."
"Is there enough to fuel a fire?" Sturm asked.
"It'd be a shame to waste good brandy like that," Eric replied. "But there should be."
Sturm walked to the rear wall of the dormitory. He drew his dagger and cut a slit in the oil cloth covering that window. He peered through the opening at the building behind theirs. "There are orcs sleeping in that building?"
Eric shuddered unconsciously at the memory of the tangled mess of undressed orcs. "Yes. There were eight."
"That would give us a distraction," Sturm suggested. "We can get the horses ready, set the fire, yell to alert the other orcs, and get out of here. I can see two sides of the building from a spot where the rest of the camp can't see me, so I can take out any orcs who try to flee."
Eric pondered the plan, then nodded. "Rishala, you and Kasey will go for the horses once the fire starts. Sturm can cover the building to keep those orcs from escaping, and I will cover you two in case the other orcs attack."
Rishala rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Okay," he acquiesced.
Sturm picked up the cask and went to the door. Eric opened the door and peered out. There was no sign of orcs. Eric stepped back to grab his bow, then went out the door and to his right. Sturm followed him around to the side of the dormitory, then down the two-pace wide space between the two front dormitory buildings. They reached the front window of the orc-occupied dormitory.
Sturm set down the cask, then returned to the dormitory where his companions were. He returned a minute later with bed linens that had been torn into strips. Eric removed the top from the brandy cask, and the two men soaked the strips in the brandy. Sturm dropped some strips into the torn window, then lit one and dropped it onto the pile. He picked up the brandy cask, kicked the front door open, and rolled the open cask into the room, spilling its contents on the board floor. He tossed another lit strip onto the alcohol puddle, which flared quickly. The orcs were just waking from their slumber.
Rishala and Kasey ran towards the former dining hall as Eric readied his bow and stepped out from behind the building so he could see the rest of the camp.
An orc, its hair burning, ran out the front door. Sturm dispatched it with a deadly bowshot from two paces. "Get the horses," the Sun Knight shouted as he readied another arrow. He released the arrow almost immediately as another orc staggered out the door.
Rishala stopped at the entrance to the mess hall. "Fire!" he shouted towards the tents. "The barracks are on fire!"
Kasey threw the door open hard enough that it broke off of its hinges. The horses jumped, startled, and started to run towards the far end of the building. Farran trotted towards the door as Kasey ran in to grab the reins of Sturm's warhorse. Rishala followed the Church Knight in, catching Eric's horse and leading it to his own.
Kasey jumped onto Farran's saddle. "Get out of here!" the Church Knight shouted as he flattened himself against Farran's neck to avoid the top of the doorway. The warhorse rushed out the doors, followed closely by Sturm's horse, whose reins Kasey still held.
Rishala raced out of the building moments later, astride his own horse and leading Eric's. The two riders raced their horses past the burning building, then stopped them in front of the dormitory where they were supposed to stay, hidden from the rest of the camp. Sturm ran from between the buildings and vaulted himself onto his horse's back. Eric rushed to his own horse and quickly climbed into the saddle. Moments later, the four horses galloped down the road towards Hillsdale.
Bilbus and Adria loitered in front of the commander's tent, acting like guards as they waited for some signal from their companions sequestered on the other side of the camp. Rishala's voice called out after a moment. Bilbus looked towards the far end of camp. One of the buildings was burning, and the panicked screams of orcs gained in volume. Kasey and Rishala emerged from one of the other buildings, riding their horses and leading the other two. Bilbus let the weave of Heka that had been giving him the ability to speak the orcish tongue expire.
"There's the distraction," Bilbus observed. The other orc sentries were running towards the conflagration. "Keep an eye on the orcs while I grab the maps."
Adria nodded as she drew an arrow. Bilbus ducked into the other tent and quickly swept the papers on the table together. He took one of the unfurled maps and rolled it around the other papers, then crumpled the ends to form a makeshift tube. He grabbed the letter he had seen earlier and tucked it into a belt pouch, then quickly rifled through the remaining papers and charts, grabbing several at random that may have been of interest. Once he was sure he had enough interesting tidbits, he quickly drew upon the Heka to ignite the remaining papers. He pushed the tent flap aside and jumped back out of it, making sure that his rolled map was still holding the other papers.
"Time to leave!" he shouted a little too loudly.
Adria nodded, looking past him to make sure the orcs were still busy with the burning building. Bilbus ran towards the plum bushes where they had left Breanna, with Adria close behind, still carrying a readied bow.
Breanna poked her head above a bush and waved wildly towards the two disguised humans. She finally stood up, quickly slinging her healing pack over a shoulder by its strap, and ran to meet them.
The two pseudo-orcs and the young apothecary ran towards the treeline, a mile away.
Fifteen minutes later, the three had made it back to the safety of the forest. Breanna quickly changed back to her riding dress as Bilbus dispatched the magicks disguising both him and Adria.
"Hurry up," Breanna urged. She saw the four horses approaching from the south. "Kasey's almost here!"
Bilbus grunted as he pulled the lacings on Adria's bodice tight. "I'm trying!" He looked at the back of Adria's head. "Why do you have to wear these contraptions? What's the matter with breeches and a nice barmaid's bodice?"
Adria ignored the mountebank as she kept adjusting the front of the bodice. She nearly turned to strike Bilbus when he put his foot against her back and pulled. It felt like her stomach was going to be squeezed into her throat. After too long, Bilbus stopped pressing, and the bodice was secured.
"Done!" Bilbus called triumphantly.
Adria pulled her outer dress over her head, arranging it as it fell over her under dress. Bilbus pulled her hair out of the back of it, then quickly drew the lacings tight, not as tight as the bodice, but tight enough. He patted Adria's back, then said, "You're done. Let's get nonchalant."
Adria turned to face the mountebank. He had produced a deck of cards, and he was heading towards a nearby sapling. Bilbus winked to her, then settled at the base of the small tree. He shuffled the cards and dealt them into three piles. Adria glanced at Breanna, who had a blank look of confusion on her face, then looked back at Bilbus.
"What?" he protested. "Don't tell me you don't know any card games! Sheesh..."
Adria gave Bilbus a disapproving stare, then sat down on her horse's saddle blanket, which served nicely as a seat cushion. She arranged her skirts neatly around her and waited. Breanna giggled and leaned against a stout oak to watch the riders approach.
When the four men reached the temporary camp, Sturm noted, "You made it back from the camp."
Bilbus sprung to his feet. "That we did." He picked up one of the maps and unrolled it. "We can see where these orcs came from." He pointed at the chart. "The Middle Ranges. And, if this chart is accurate, we can find their camps."
Sturm nodded. "If you're ready to go, we can head back to Hillsdale and look through those papers."
Adria stood up and gathered her saddle blanket. She quickly saddled her horse while the rest of the party waited.
Once Adria was in her saddle, the riders wound their way south through the forest to the wide stream that they had followed from Hillsdale.
They reached the stream late in the afternoon, and they turned west to follow it back towards the town. Ahead, in the near distance, a column of smoke reached upwards. A hill obscured the source of the smoke from the riders for several minutes. When the party had passed the hill, they could see the source of the smoke. Flames leaped from the top of the ancient tower that the party had investigated earlier in the day, and the column of smoke rose from that fire.
Bilbus snorted. "It looks like the braziers you knocked over lit the floor, Sturm. I'm surprised it didn't catch fire earlier, considering how old that floor was."
Adria watched the tower burning as she rode. "At least no one will be able to get that dark blade now."
The party passed the tower at a distance, following the gently burbling stream into another forest.
Back to the previous chapter: Towers
Continue to the next chapter: Temples
Back to the Book I Index.
Back to the Dark Mysteries Campaign Chapter Index.
Second Draft 14 March 2002
First Draft 29 November 2000
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