Ru Emerson: Keep on the Borderlands

“Minotaur!” Hebold’s eyes gleamed.

Jerdren winked at Eddis, who sighed. “Any of you men, or you,dwarf, who want to stay with us, we’ll arm and feed you best we can, and seeyou’re rewarded for helping us. We’re doing our best to cleanse these caves,though. You might find yourselves dead, just as any of us might.”

“Better than what the bugbears offered,” one of the men said.

“For a chance to avenge my murdered clansmen?” the dwarfdemanded in a harsh voice. “But I am armed already, human. This axe was takenfrom me when I was brought here, ten days ago.”

“Good. Stay with us, and stay close,” Jerdren ordered. “We’regetting out of here and back to our camp, fast as we can. We’ll talk then.”

The kobolds, the bugbear, and gnolls needed no urging to attack the remaining bugbears. Jerdren led the way up the stairs then stood aside to let them race up the passage. He grinned at the ensuing howls of surprise and pain. There was a very brief clash of weapons up the sloping passage. Eddis tapped his shoulder and gestured the other way, then started out at a long-legged stride for the outside world, Flerys right on her heels, and M’Baddah behind the child. Kadymus, a heavy sword in one hand and a bugbear macein the other, came on behind them.

They made the outside without incident, but the sky was a dirty black. Thunder rumbled in the distance, and a muddy flare of lighting briefly lit the clouds, somewhere to the south. More thunder-distant, for themoment, but by the wind and the look of the sky, the storm was moving straight for them.

“Not good!” Eddis had to raise her voice to be heard abovethe wail of wind over stone and through trees. “We’d better find shelter, unlesswe’re going to run all the way back to camp! But under all those trees is theworst place to be in a storm like this!”

“It’s not that close!” Jerdren replied. “If we go now….”

He looked back to make sure everyone was out of the cave. The rest of his company-their company-was out. Two of the hobgoblins, one bleedingfrom a head wound, came into the open and tore down the hill, running as fast as they could for level ground.

Hebold was staring all around him, teeth bared in a fierce smile. “Know this place,” the man said suddenly. “There’s orcs over yonder-eastof here. The filth. I owe ’em something.”

He swung around jerkily, waved an arm. The rebel bugbear came into the open, two bugbear heads dangling from one hand, a heavy broadsword in the other. The gnolls were with him. Hebold shouted something Jerdren couldn’tunderstand, slapped his chest with the axe, and took off running. The bugbear threw aside his trophies and followed, the gnolls and a hobgoblin loping after.

Blorys stared after them. “He’s mad!”

“No,” Jerdren said. “Angry. Do you suppose we should goafter-”

“You’re the madman, Jers!” Eddis yelled. “We’ve got wounded,we’ve got rescued prisoners, and there’s a bugbear chief probably making a dealwith a minotaur right now, and it’s not gonna be good for us if we’re here whenthat deal’s made! We are not in any shape just now to take on a twisty cavernfull of orcs!” Tense silence, which she broke. “That-that ‘hero’ doesn’t haveany responsibility except to himself, Jers! You and I have others depending on us not to get them killed for no good purpose, remember?”

He sighed and finally nodded. “You’re right, of course. Let’sgo.”

They made it to level ground without incident, but as Jerdrenturned to lead the way east, lightning flared, turning the forest blue-white, and a nearby tree exploded. Thunder shattered the air. Jerdren staggered to his feet, but his legs gave way. He looked dazed, and blood trickled from his nose.

“Back!” Blorys shouted above the din of sudden wind,drenching rain, and more thunder. “We could all die out here! Back to thatcavern!”

Thunder roared, drowning his words.

“No!” M’Baddah blocked the way. “We would never make it, notin this weather!” He pointed. “This way-against the cliff! Perhaps we can findan overhang! Everybody move-now!”

Eddis helped Blorys get Jerdren moving, letting Flerys carry her bow. Another brilliant flare of lightning and a loud crack! M’Baddah jumpedback just in time to avoid a huge branch that crashed down from high above, then leaped over it and kept going.

There was no overhang, only more trees, and the lightning had intensified as they fled, thunder deafening and non-stop. Wind drove the rain sideways, lashing their faces and hands, soaking everything.

M’Baddah waved his arms and pointed as they came into theopen. Just ahead, a vast, dark opening loomed. Eddis caught up to him, and her nose wrinkled.

“Gods, M’Baddah! I never smelled anything so horrid!” She hadto yell to be heard.

“You want to look for another shelter, woman?” Jerdren yelledback.

Lightning stabbed into the trees a short distance away. Flame and smoke licked greedily up the branches but was doused by the rain.

“Or you want to die out here? Come on, we won’t go in veryfar!”

“You got that part right!” Eddis screamed and ripped hersword from the sheath as she stepped into darkness. Flerys hesitated, then dove after the woman as thunder cracked across the sky. The rest followed hastily.

They huddled together as near the entrance as they dared.

“Keep watch,” Jerdren ordered. “Every last one of us, bothout there and behind us. And we’ll stay close together, if no one minds.”

“What are you watching for ?” Eddis snarled at him.“Anything in here is dead. Very, very dead.”

“Who knows? Whatever killed what you’re smelling?”

The storm raged on. Bushes bent to the ground under the intense downpour and more branches came crashing down. Lightning was everywhere and though the storm seemed to be gradually moving away, each time Jerdren started to get up, another strike hit close by.

“I swear,” he mumbled, “the filthy storm is trying to keep us here!”

“None of that,” M’Baddah said sharply, before Eddis couldreply.

Flerys hunkered down between M’Baddah and Eddis, her faceburied in the outlander’s cloak. She started violently whenever thunder crackednearby. Kadymus alone seemed unfazed. He was wandering around, straying farther from the others by the moment.

“Wretched little dungeon-bird, you stay put!” Eddis orderedhim, but the thief shook his head. “Don’t disturb anything in here!” she addedsharply.

“You said it yourself, Eddis,” he replied with the smile thatso annoyed her. “Everything in here’s long dead. But, you know, with such a messall around, there’s just got to be something valuable hidden!”

He’d search for golden eggs in a pile of chicken droppings,Eddis thought. “Listen to me, you light-fingered little man. You come away fromthis cave reeking of dead things and you will sleep in the road. Because you will not have a place around the fire tonight!”

Kadymus held out his hands and laughed. “I won’t touchanything dead, all right? But it can’t hurt to look, can it?”

“If it’s you that’s looking, it just might-” Eddis said, thenshrugged and fell silent.

Jerdren shook his head. “Blor, keep an eye on him. Kadymus,you stay where we can see you. You should know by now that any cave in this place can hold just about anything. And I’m not talking about treasure.”

“If there is treasure-” the thief grinned-“I’m the one tofind it. C’mon, Blor. You hold the lamp for me, and I’ll share evens with you.”

“You’ll share evens with all of us, you little rat,” Eddis growled, but shedoubted he’d heard her. He was already wandering around, peering into the gloomwhile Blor got out flint and tinder and lit the stub of candle in his lantern. “Keep him quiet and close, will you, my friend?” she asked quietly as Bloryslooked down at her on his way back into the reeking cavern. “This place is-Idon’t know! I just feel like something’s back there in the dark, watching us.”