Ru Emerson - Keep on the Borderlands

Leave be, she thought tiredly. If he’s cocky, he’s probablymore use to us.

“Good,” Jerdren said. “Stay close. If these don’t work, we’llneed you and your lock-picks.”

“I’ll use ’em anyway,” Kadymus said. “Free ’em all so muchthe faster.”

“Good thinking.” Jerdren slapped the youth on the shoulder,staggering him, then turned to survey those chained to the far wall. “Onlyrelease the humans, though. We’ll need to be sure what the others will do, if welet ’em go.”

There were four humans, and two-a chubby older man and aragged-looking woman with wild, staring eyes-couldn’t have been here long, Eddisdecided. The man would’ve lost the belly straining at his filthy robe, thewoman’s hair was still partly a mass of worked curls atop her head, though someof it was plastered to the side of her face and stiff with dried blood. The other two had the look of armsmen, though they wore only torn jerkins and trousers. Both were barefoot and bloody, but they looked alert enough as their eyes moved across the invaders.

Just beyond the merchant, an orc cringed away from the party, babbling or muttering in its own language. The gnoll stared fearfully at the far wall or at some nearer delusion, panting and licking its lips.

“We’re here to get you out,” Jerdren said. He began tryingkeys one after the other on the older man’s fetters.

“I know him!” one of the Keep men said. “He used to sellpottery in the Keep!”

“Get us… get us out, by all the gods, please get us outof here!” the man begged, his teeth chattering. “They’ll kill us, me and mywife!” He swallowed. “They keep saying they’ll kill us tonight, and… andthere’s a b-banquet, and-”

“Don’t, man,” Blorys urged. “We’ll keep you from that, Iswear it. Kadymus, free the lady, will you?”

“We… haven’t anything to give you.” The potter’s voicequavered. “They… took everything, but I have gold, a bag of it, I left itin the Keep. It’s all yours, every gold piece, if you’ll only-!”

“We don’t ask a reward,” Eddis said as she came up. “Justhold still, if you can. The manacles will come off faster.”

“We were guarding the merchant’s wagon,” one of the otherprisoners said. “Bunch of those things came down on our camp, late at night. Wedidn’t have a chance. Free us, and we’ll serve you. Though I wouldn’t blame youfor doubting we can fight, seeing where we are.”

“She just said,” Jerdren replied, a nod of his head to Eddis,“this isn’t for reward. Likely you’d do the same for us, but we can talk it overlater, after you’re all safely out of here.”

The merchant’s wife seemed to come out of a half-swoon, andbegan shaking her head frantically. “Out of… no, you can’t, we can’t! If weeven think about escape, they’ll… they said that they’d-” She broke intoterrified, wracking sobs, and tears ran down her face.

Blorys caught the woman’s shoulders in a gentle grasp. “Theycan’t do anything, because we’ll be gone from here before they know you’veescaped. The two who guarded you are dead. We’ll see you safely away from here,back to the Keep.”

The woman beat at him with soft little fists, and when her husband staggered the few paces to take her arm, she shook him off, her voice spiraling into hysteria.

“Here, let me have her,” Mead said. He drew the woman aside,speaking quietly. The shrill cries broke off suddenly, and when Mead turned to lead her back, she came willingly and quietly. Her eyes were unfocused, and the merchant eyed her, then the elf, with fear.

“I bespelled her. A simple and harmless charm. She feels noneof the terror that crippled her mind, and now she believes herself safely home. I will waken her from that spell once we are far from these caves.” He beckonedto Jerdren. “That orc told my brother that he will aid us against the hobgoblinsif we give him a weapon.”

“Oh?”

“I do not trust him, any more than you do, but to leave himhere for other hobgoblins to find, and their two comrades dead on the floor…? Or that poor, mad thing,” he added, his eyes flicking toward the gnoll.

“I don’t trust either of them,” Blorys said, before hisbrother could speak, “but if you want to free them, mage, I’ll watch them.Neither looks strong enough to be a threat.”

“Don’t trust that,” Mead warned.

“We won’t.” Jerdren looked around the room. “We’ll have totake turns to lead the woman-or carry her. Anyone have spare daggers or spearsfor these two men?” In short order the two were armed with boar spears and along dagger each. “Priest, still quiet out there?”

Panev smiled narrowly. “Of course it is, since the spellholds. Beyond it?” He walked out of sight, was back in moments. “Still quiet.”

“Good. Kadymus, free that gnoll. I’ll deal with the orc. Mostof you get back over there, ready to move. Eddis, you and Blor stay here, help me keep an eye on these two until we’re certain they’re not up to some trick.”

Silence, as Jerdren fought the key into rusted locks. The gnoll hung limp in his restraints, but as soon as Kadymus jiggled the last lock and opened the final leg iron, the brute leaped forward, barking and giggling madly. It flung itself at the youth, who whipped out a pair of daggers, but went sprawling as it knocked him aside. M’Whan let it charge past him, then broughthis spear around two-handed across the back of its head like a club, reversed his grip and plunged the point through its chest. The gnoll twitched feebly.

The orc stared at the fallen creature, fell back trembling as Jerdren freed it.

“Tell it, Willow,” the man said. “I haven’t the words for it.Tell it that it can earn a blade from us if it behaves. Ask if it knows the way out.”

A short exchange of guttural, clicking speech.

“It claims to,” Willow said. “What it says agrees with whatZebos told us.”

“Good. We go now, then,” Jerdren said. “Prisoners in themiddle, and no stopping this side of that barred door!”

The passage to the main door was shorter than the one they’djust traversed, well-lit and smooth-floored and very quiet. The orc stayed well ahead, with two of the Keep men and Blorys watching it closely. The men traded off carrying the merchant’s wife once it became clear she was too weak to walkvery fast, and Willow kept a supporting arm around the merchant’s shoulders. Thetwo rescued guardsmen clutched their borrowed weapons, their heads moving constantly, jerkily, as if they expected an ambush momentarily. Fortunately, though they appeared to have been worse used by their captors, they had been stronger than the merchant or his wife to begin with, and even barefoot they managed to keep up with the company.

The lights were left behind, all at once. They stopped for a long moment while Mead and Kadymus went on to scout. Some long, anxious moments later, a door eased inward, creaking slightly and letting in a little daylight. The party hurried through the portal into a short cavern, waited for the mage and thief to close the way behind them.

If they can replace the bar on the inside of that door, somehow, Eddis thought, we’ll leave a pretty riddle for those monsters to sortout.

Willow had gone ahead to check the lay of the land, returning as Mead came away from the door.

“It is sealed,” Mead said quietly.

“It is very still out here,” Willow said. “We have come outpartway up the south flank of the ravine and well west of where we went in. It is late afternoon. If we want to reach camp before sundown, we had better go now.”

Several long, tense moments later found them back on level ground. There was a path leading down, but it was steep, riddled with loose stones and thick with dust. The Keep men simply lifted the merchant off his feet between them and strode downhill, leaving the path entirely.