Ru Emerson - Keep on the Borderlands

Behind him, someone cried out, and Eddis yelled, “Are you mad, Jers? No, Flerys-behind me and stay close, do it now!”

She brushed past him then, knocking him off balance and back into the wall, leaping out of the way, sword swinging in a shining arc as M’Baddah’s bowstring twanged and one of the black-fletched arrows Mead had foundburied itself in a hairy shoulder. The bugbear roared a curse and clutched at it but couldn’t pull it free.

Spears were flying both ways. Jerdren shoved to his feet, got a two-handed grip on his sword-hilt, and settled in next to Eddis, hacking and slicing, though so far all he’d done was leave cuts in poorly tanned, hardenedleather armor. He ducked as one of the brutes jabbed at him with a thick spear, slammed his blade down across the exposed forearm. Blood ran down the bugbear’sfingers and pooled on the floor, and it lost its grip on the spear. M’Baddah’sarrows finished it in short order.

A crossbow quarrel pinned one bugbear to the wall by its hand. The beast snarled and strove to tear it free, but too late. Eddis stabbed high, plunging the sword deep into the female bugbear’s throat, angling up. Thecreature sagged, quarrel tearing through its hand as it went down. A little blood trickled from the gaping wound, then stopped.

“Good one!” Jerdren shouted. Eddis rolled her eyes and backedaway from the entry, drawing Flerys with her.

“Move!” she ordered him. “You want to get pinned by one ofyour own spearmen?”

Another cry of pain from up the hallway, then Mead strode into the open, lips moving and hands out before him. A spear whistled by his head, barely missing his ear, but he stood his ground and brought his hands together.

It was the same spell he’d used on the bandits, Jerdrenthought, but in this enclosed place, the result was incredibly bright and loud. The bugbears were caught dead center. By the time the light faded, all the guards lay unmoving, and the air was filled with the stench of burning hair. Sword at the ready, Jerdren moved forward to check the bodies, but Mead shook his head.

Brief silence, broken by a sudden clamor of voices from the far ends of the chamber. Men, Jerdren thought-but other things, too.

“All right, people! We’ve got the guards down, and we’ve gotlocked cells at both ends of the room here! Anyone hurt back there, get help from our priest here, or Mead, or M’Baddah. Kadymus, I need you!”

He was aware of Eddis’ sneer as the young thief swaggeredinto the dungeon and edged around the dead guards to search for keys.

Willow joined Jerdren, who was looking up and down the long, narrow chamber. “Panev’s silence spell is holding. Any guards up that slopewon’t have heard anything.”

“Good. We’ll move fast anyway,” Jerdren said. “We don’t knowwhen they change guards here, and we’ll be slowed by our injured and what hurtmen we find here.”

The priest nodded and went back to keep watch partway up the stairs, taking two of the archers with him.

“Kadymus, keys?” Jerdren added tersely.

“Ahead of you,” the thief announced and handed over a heavyring of them before producing his bundle of lock-picks.

“You go to the right, boy, but wait until Blor or Eddischecks that pen before you open it. I’ll take the other. Two of you Keepspearmen come with me, in case there’s trouble.”

He strode down the passage and peered into the gloomy pen. The air was fetid, close, as though the straw littering the floor hadn’t beenchanged in a long time. There were several beings inside, chained together, but the only light was down by the entry, so he couldn’t make out much else.

“Light,” Jerdren demanded, and one of the Keep men broke outa candle lantern and flint and tinder.

An odd lot, Jerdren thought as he peered into the cell: three hobgoblins, two gnolls and-yes, a bugbear. And a wild-looking, wild-eyed man,who blinked and threw up an arm to shield his face from the light. The bugbear grumbled as his chains tightened, and the man kicked at him.

“Die of it, ye filth,” he growled.

Jerdren grinned.

“Wouldn’t be a feller named Hebold, would you?” he asked.

“Might be. Who asks?”

“Fellow who’s talked to a merchant named Zebos. Fellow whowas rescued from hobgoblins a while back, just around here. Said he’d appreciateif we found you and got you out.”

The man stared at him for a long moment, then began to laugh. “Beats all, how the luck follows a man! Aye, I’m Hebold, all right. Break me outof this foul pit, and I’m for another chance to smite a few monsters.”

“I’ll see you get it,” Jerdren said. He finally had the rightkey, and the lock turned easily. “But what about these others?”

“Don’t speak Kobold or Gnoll myself, but he does.”Hebold indicated the bugbear with a jerk of his head. “And, being here as longas I have, I’ve picked up enough Bugbear to get by on. He’s in forleading a revolt against their chief. Was a lot more of ’em, but they’re allgone now. Likely dead and probably eaten as well. Him and them other creatures have been planning how to get free, kill what bugbears are still around here. I was trying to get ’em to take me along, but not getting too far.” He grinnedfiercely. “Seems they don’t think a man’s strength counts for much, compared totheirs, and they weren’t too sure they could trust me.”

“Would you trust them, if we were to let ’em out ofhere?” Jerdren asked.

The man shrugged. Didn’t know or didn’t care, perhaps.

“Mead!” Jerdren called out, and when the mage came up, heexplained. “Any way to tell if we can trust ’em not to pick a fight with us ifwe loose ’em?”

“They’ll die if they stay here,” the mage said. “They’llstarve, if nothing else. Wait.” He stepped into the cell, squatted down, hishands moving in a curious gesture as he asked a question in some language Jerdren didn’t know. The hobgoblins sat up straight, and one of them replied,the words spilling from it. The gnolls spoke then, more haltingly. The bugbear merely growled deep in his throat.

“I asked if they would fight bugbears if we released andarmed them. They said yes, and they told the truth.”

“Great,” Jerdren said. “I think. Someone find these fellowsweapons! Those dead guards won’t be needing theirs.”

“I will go talk to the others,” Mead said and strode down tothe far end of the chamber. Jerdren ran through a number of keys before he found the one to free the chain from the wall and then the one to undo the shackles. Hebold came into the passage blinking and stretching.

He was a big man, Jerdren realized: as tall as he, but half again as broad through the shoulders, and his neck was massive. Hair paler gold than Eddis’ was tangled wildly with a red-gold beard and moustache that Jerdrenthought must ordinarily be very neatly trimmed. His eyes were an unexpected brown-so pale as to be nearly tan.

“By Kord, it feels good to move again. I owe you a life, man.Now, where’s these bugbears?” he added eagerly.

“Soon,” Jerdren promised as they started back toward theentry. “There’s a few more prisoners there. We’ll free them before we move on.” Alook assured him that Kadymus had the cell open.

Mead emerged moments later, two wan-looking men following him, and an assortment of thinnish kobolds, goblins, and orcs stumbling in their wake. A dwarf came last. He gazed down at the dead bugbears and spat, then reached into the mess to come up with a battle-axe. His eyes gleamed as he patted the haft.

“All clear down there?” Jerdren asked.

Kadymus nodded.

“All right, let’s do this fast. Mead, you translate for me.You prisoners don’t owe us a thing, but if you want to help us, there is a guardroom or a barracks up the passage from here, beyond the stairs. We believe all the other guards here are dead. The chief’s wife is dead, but he went out asecret door, and our priest says there’s a minotaur on the other side. Now, hemay have run, but I think myself he’s gone to find help. Any who want to comewith us when we leave here, so long as you swear not to harm us, you can do that. We’ll know if you lie. Any who want to stay and fight-that’s your choice.”