T Lain - City of Fire

“That is not for me to say. Who knows what could have happened, or what might have been? You must learn from today and act tomorrow.” Alhandra smiled and added, “And that, my friends, is the extent of my philosophy.”

They passed a few moments in silence then, staring at the new dawn.

“And your other companion? The dwarf?” Alhandra asked finally.

Ian waved a hand away to the southwest and said, “He’s back on the path, between here and the village. We can collect him on the way.”

Alhandra started to turn Windlass in that direction and Early moved to follow, but Regdar and Ian stood still.

“What?” Alhandra asked.

Regdar shifted uneasily but Ian remained firm. Looking from one to the other, Naull knew what they were thinking.

I’ve got to hand it to them, she thought with a mixture of admiration and horror. They’re all business.

Naull glanced from Alhandra to Early. The paladin seemed to understand, but said nothing. Early hadn’t a clue.

“The treasure.” Ian said matter-of-factly. “The orcs’ plunder. It’s down there,” he waved toward the dell. “Let’s go get it.”

Alhandra said nothing, but Early started turning red. He lurched forward a step, painfully, and jabbed a thick finger at the half-elf.

“You want treasure? After all this? What about Trebba? And Yurgen?”

Ian didn’t back down. In fact, he sneered.

“They’re dead. So are the orcs,” the half-elf said. “Let’s get our reward before it’s gone.”

“The village is paying us. Our reward’s there.”

Ian huffed, “That pittance? That and the gold I’m getting from the city merchants barely covers my time. I’m here for the orcs’ plunder, and I’m going to get it. You want to go back to the village? Fine—more for me.”

Early bunched up his fist and took another step forward. Regdar moved to get between them, but before he could, Alhandra spoke quietly.

“Calm,” she said simply.

For a moment, Naull wondered if it was a spell, because all three men stopped. Indeed, Early dropped his fist and Ian even seemed to lose some of his haughtiness. Regdar looked back and forth at the two of them.

“That’s enough,” he added. His voice was firm, but Naull could hear the uncertainty. “Early, nobody’s more upset about Trebba and Yurgen than I am. I planned the ambush, and I made the decision to attack the lair—it’s my responsibility. Don’t be angry with Ian for wanting to do what we all set out to do.”

“Reg—” Early started, but the fighter had already turned to Ian.

“Ian, take it easy. You’re hurt, Early’s hurt, and we’re all upset. I know you came here for the reward and the treasure. So did I, but we don’t have to forget our friends.”

Ian met Regdar’s eyes. He didn’t nod or say anything, but there was some unspoken acknowledgement.

“We don’t all have to go into the lair again,” Regdar continued. “Early, if you don’t want to, that’s fine. You can go with Alhandra.” He waited to see if the paladin was willing to submit to his impromptu plan, and she nodded with understanding. “Pick up Yurgen. Ian, Naull, and I will search the lair. If there’s anything nasty down there—which I doubt—we’ll head back to the village. If not, we’ll carry off what we can and stash the rest. We’ll meet you along the road. All right?”

No one had any objection. After a short break for a cold breakfast and a mutual checking of bandages, Alhandra and Early made their way back to the path and headed south. Ian led the way back into the lair.

Naull could tell Regdar wasn’t as confident about the lair’s emptiness as he sounded. Despite the clanking his armor made, he insisted on going in first, with Naull and Ian a good thirty feet behind. But he’d been right. If anything remained in the lair after the ogre left, it had departed soon after.

If any of the three expected large mounds of gold or jewels, they were disappointed. Most of the caravans from the north carried manufactured goods that the orcs either destroyed at the scene or brought back and broke for their amusement.

The orc lieutenants each had decent weapons and armor and some amount of treasure. The trio also found a few rolls of fine silk that the ogre had used for a giant pallet. They could be salvaged, if the soil and stink could be gotten out, but they were too heavy to carry. Almost by accident, Naull discovered a bag under a stone in the ogre’s cave. It held nearly all the gold, silver, and jewelry they found in the lair.

“What do you think?” Regdar asked.” About a thousand?”

Naull shrugged and said, “You wish. Some of these stones look pretty rough.” She held up one large gem in their torch’s light. “I’d say seven, eight hundred. Maybe.” She tossed it back onto the pile. “I’m no expert, though.”

The fighter sighed.

“How about this?” Ian asked, tossing the wizard a small vial.

She popped the stopper, dipped a pinky in, and tasted it carefully.

“I’m not sure. It’s a potion, but I don’t know what it does. Sorry.”

The half-elf shrugged. There’d be time enough for detailed examinations later. He gathered up all the decent-looking weapons and armor—not a large amount of either—as well as a ring carved in the shape of a snake. All of it lay on a large, filthy blanket.

“All right; stand back,” Naull said.

She gestured and looked at the pile. Not surprisingly, only a few items glowed with the hue of magic. She pointed at them, and the other two separated them from the pile. Concentrating, Naull read them as best she could.

“Sorry, Ian,” she said with a grin, “no magic ring.”

“So,” Regdar said, “three arrows, a dagger, and a bead.”

He bent over the smaller pile and picked up the spherical shape.

“Careful with that,” Naull cautioned.” It’s the strongest of the bunch.”

“Then you better take it,” he said, tossing it to her.

Fumbling with momentary panic, Naull caught the small bead and glared, open-mouthed.

“Regdar!”

“Naull!” he mimicked, then smiled.

She smiled back and put the bead into one of her empty spell pouches.

“If you two are through playing,” Ian said, “I’d like to get out of this stink.”

Naull wrinkled her nose and said, “Hear, hear.”

The party regrouped just outside the edge of the forest. Alhandra’s horse was burdened with two corpses, both bundled in old bedrolls and tied carefully on its gray back. Early waved at the trio solemnly as they approached from the woods.

“What is it?” Regdar asked as he jogged toward the road.

Early lifted his arm and pointed south. A thick plume of black smoke rose above the hills.

Regdar cursed. He started to sling the sack he carried over Windlass’s saddle, but the horse shied. Alhandra stepped up to him.

“What is it?” the paladin asked. She still had her helmet off, and she squinted toward the smoke.

“The warning fire,” Naull said. “Before we went hunting the orcs, we set up a bonfire in the middle of the village. We planted alchemist’s fire and some coal dust logs. We told the villagers to light it if there was trouble. Wouldn’t help much during the dark, but…”

“Sure shows up good in the mornin’ light,” Early rumbled. He held his sword in one hand and his chipped shield in the other.

“Let’s go,” Regdar said. “Alhandra, would you…?”

“I beg you to let me accompany you,” she interrupted the fighter.

He nodded.

“Thanks,” Naull said.

The party jogged down the road as quickly as they could. The village lay only two miles south of the treeline, but they had to pass over and around several hills. The smoke grew as they ran and they took that as a hopeful sign—it must have been lit recently. The pile was built to burn fast and smoky, not long.