The Staff Of Naught Part 9

"I've told this tale three times now," started Tanner.

"Once to Shamki, once to Lousa, and now to me," said Jorum. "I hope it won't be too dull to say again."

"I've gotten good at summarizing," replied the merchant and sat back in the chair, aware of the mayor's heavy-lidded eyes fixed upon him. "That ship was driven onto the rocks thirty years ago by the Light of Ras. Seymour the Bright was after something on it and demanded salvage rights but was denied. Since then the taint of undeath has infiltrated the Great Salt Marsh so much so that priests and priestesses of the G.o.ddess of death now haunt its region in fairly large numbers."

The mayor nodded his head, "and?"

"That's really about all I learned, Mister Mayor," said Tanner with a shrug of his shoulders.

"I see, and what did Lousa tell you about her findings."

"I thought I'd leave that up to you and her," said Tanner his face hardened into an impa.s.sive expression. "I'm not sure what is going on with everything but I don't want to get any more involved than I already am."

The mayor scratched his nose and pulled a chicken bone off the plate, put most of the bone in his mouth and sucked at it with slurping sounds. "I can understand your trepidation to become more deeply embroiled in this scheme," said the mayor after he pulled the bone all the way out of his mouth and examined it carefully for any sc.r.a.p of meat. "But, this is a serious matter and I'm afraid that I will insist upon you taking sides. In the spirit of disclosure I will tell you what I already know."

Tanner sat impa.s.sively, although below the desk line, where the mayor could not see, his hands twisted around one another and his left foot hooked the heel of his right.

"I know they took the Staff of Naught up to Iv's Leap. I know that it is related to the uprising of undead creatures. I know that since the staff has left the bay the dead are no longer rising from cemeteries. I also know, and this is extremely valuable information, Tanner, I know that Seymour the Bright wants that staff and he wants it so badly he is willing to pay almost any price to the man who can deliver it to him."

"Do you know why Seymour wants it?"

"I'm not ready to give you that information, Tanner; I hope you understand that I do want you as an ally in this little adventure but I must play my hand closely and carefully."

"I understand completely, Mayor," said Tanner.

"Now, do you have anything to add?"

"I don't think Lousa is trying to work against you, Mayor. That thing scares her, frankly, so it scares me too. She is worried that Seymour wants it to use in battle against Doria. You've heard rumors about their new warlord, the darkling. I don't see why this wouldn't be something that could be used against us. I think we should report this all to the queen and let her handle it. It's way above my head."

"Lousa tends to make men think what she wants them to think. It is her special talent, well, one of her special talents. One of the reasons I've stayed away from that cave is that when I get too close to her my judgment has a discouraging tendency to become less reliable. But I hope you are correct. The decision becomes, destroy the staff or sell it Seymour, don't you think?"

"Again, Mister Mayor, I'm not sure I'm the person to be asking all these questions."

"But you are the only one who has come down to discuss it with me."

Tanner looked at the mayor who stared back at him with large eyes that seemingly never blinked. "You'll have to talk to Lousa," said Tanner after a long pause.

"How are your wife and children finding town?" asked the mayor and suddenly turned away and pulled out some papers from a stack on the right side of his desk.

"I don't know," said Tanner. "I sent them here right after we got to the cave and I came straight to see you after reporting to Lousa."

"Well then, I'm keeping you from your family," said the mayor with a nod of his head and a small smile. "Why don't you go to them and if I need you again I'll send for you."

Tanner nodded his, "That sounds fine, thank you," and got up to leave. As soon as the door closed behind him the mayor looked to the ceiling above him with a sharp glance. "Come down now, and you have to stay deeper into the wall to avoid detection; I saw the blue halo but luckily Tanner has yet to meet you."

At these words the ghostly image of Khemer slowly appeared, first a faint blue glow, and then the entire body floated down from the ceiling. "The woman wants to destroy the staff," said Khemer.

"I had managed to figure that out for myself," replied the mayor not even bothering to look in the direction of the ghost.

"Seymour will pay greatly for it," said the ghost, floating in front of the mayor, who continued to ignore it while he wrote down little dabs and jots on the parchment with an occasionally dip into the nearby ink well.

"We must get it away from Lousa," continued Khemer as his voice rose an octave. "The woman will find a way to destroy it with the help of that half-orc barbarian lover of hers."

The mayor's mouth twitched at this last comment and Khemer noted it with a slight grin that he quickly suppressed. "I've already dispatched Myris to Sea Fen to find a Tarltonite trader to pa.s.s along the information but it will be months before we hear back from Seymour about any ransom. In the meantime you can continue to report from the cave to determine if they are getting closer to finding a way to destroy the thing. I don't see any need to rush into action at this stage."

"They might abscond with the staff," suggested Khemer his blue aura growing a bit brighter. "And the two of them up there carrying on with the children in the same cave ... a half-elf and a half-orc, it's disgusting."

"Their personal life is no concern of mine," said the mayor although his fingers tightened on the pen to such an extent that the muscles in his wrist flexed noticeably. "Children need to learn about s.e.x sooner or later. Now, you go up to that d.a.m.n cave and stop coming down here so much or they'll get suspicious." With this last word the mayor flipped his wrist towards Khemer although kept his gaze on the paper in front of him.

Khemer floated nearby for a few moments looking at the mayor but eventually wafted back up through the ceiling and the dim glow that permeated his body soon vanished entirely from the room. The mayor sat scratching at the paper in front of him for a good ten minutes but eventually looked up and around the room before he hurled the quill across the chamber. "b.i.t.c.h!"

Chapter 12.

The sun beat down heavily on the courtyard outside the royal palace of Tarlton where a man in billowing yellow robes and the dark skin of a native sat next to a man of even darker complexion whose thick muscles and calloused palms bespoke a life of labor. The stench of horses emanated from him but in Tarlton that is a sign of honor. Two soldiers stood about ten paces away near a pair of closed, heavy stone doors. Near the soldiers stood an orc dressed in a simple white tunic with a long steel sword strapped to his side by a single coil of heavy twine. The howling of the wind sounded above the shrieks of children at play across the other side of the yard in the pool serviced by a ma.s.sive fountain of four rearing stone horses, standing hindquarters towards one another, with water pouring out of their mouths.

"It has resurfaced," said the man in yellow who touched his chest where something circular glowed under the robes.

"With humblest apologies, master, how can you be certain?" asked the second man who bowed his head and bobbed it two or three times.

"The thing and I have a long history," said the first man and again touched his chest where the glow seemed to brighten somewhat. "I must make haste for the City of Spiders, horse master."

"Yes, Master Seymour," said the first man with a bowed head. "You wish to make the land journey rather than sea? The ocean would be faster and your new ship awaits you in Shark Harbor."

"I will be expected by sea," said Seymour. "The spider worshippers will want to use the staff for their own ends."

"You will require geldings then, master?"

"Of course, we cannot have any royal breeding stock falling into the hands of infidels. I expect a detailed route plan and horses enough for me and the others."

The dark-skinned man bowed deeply three times, "Your will is my command Sun Master, High Priest of Ras." With that he backed away from Seymour the Bright. As the Master of the Horse backed away the broad-shouldered orc approached Seymour and nodded his head ever so slightly. "We journey?"

Seymour looked up at the man not with a raised head but simply with raised eyes, "The staff has resurfaced, my old friend."

The heavy orc curled his lips to reveal long fangs backed by yellowed teeth. "It has been many years; we were young then, inexperienced in the evils of the dark world."

"It will not get away this time and anyone who dares use it will be burned by the Icon of Ras," nodded Seymour in agreement.

"Shall I gather the others at the Light of Ras?" asked the first man his hand lightly caressing the simple sword-hilt at his side.

"No, Oliver. We shall travel overland and come upon the enemy from the mountain region they call The Maw. If we travel by sea they will know our approach too quickly. The staff holds great power, as you know, and anyone who wields it will quickly fall under its sway."

"The stables then, in the morning?"

"Prepare yourself for a Holy Journey, my friend. Make your purification tonight at the temple. I shall lead the ceremony. Alert my brother that I shall be leaving the kingdom for some months."

"And the warlord?"

"Tell that black-skinned heathen nothing," said Seymour and looked up for the first time. "When the time is right you will be the one to kill him."

"Thank you, master," said the orc his face unchanged and his black eyes steady. With that Oliver turned and walked with even strides out of the courtyard and to the large doors. The guards snapped to attention and looked straight ahead in silence as he pa.s.sed.

Chapter 13.

"You're absolutely certain," said Lousa as she looked at the disturbingly faint and tenuous form of Khemer. The blue ghost was clearly faded; the light he emanated far less than half of what it was only a few days before.

Humbort stood in the far corner making little whimper sounds as Hazlebub stared keenly at the ghost and reached into her seemingly limitless pouch for a vial of something that might help.

"Poor Khemer," said Ariana and reached up to soothe the creature, but her hand pa.s.sed through it as if it weren't there at all. "How long do you think you have left?"

"Not long," said the ghost its normally mournful tones exaggerated into almost a foghorn. "We must take the staff to be destroyed now or all might be lost."

"So, you've remembered the ceremony then," said Lousa with a quick glance at Shamki whose hand was on the steel sword hilt at his side.

"Most of it," gasped the ghost as if in pain. "I think I'll remember the rest by the time we ... ooh ... get to the ceremonial site."

"And where is this site?" asked Tanner.

"It a site of the Old Empire, one of the ancient stone ruins," said Khemer and waved his arms in a manner reminiscent of Hazlebub as she cast her magical spells. "It is in the mountains you call The Maw. It is there that the power of the ancients can come together to break the power of the Staff of Naught!" said Khemer as he came to a shrieking conclusion that saw his aura grow to a brightness heretofore unseen.

"Feeling more chipper," asked Lousa with a raised eyebrow.

"Look, your blue is back to full strength!" said Ariana with a happy smile.

The color quickly faded to a duller shade and intensity, "I ... I still have power but I must ... maintain ... as best I can," managed Khemer, the words dragged from his mouth.

"Bulls.h.i.t," said Unerus from the corner under his breath so that no one could hear. "That ghost is up to something. First he vanishes for days at a time and now we have to take the staff away from here? I don't think so." No one paid any attention to his words but he vowed to keep a close eye on the spirit in the future.

"Someone will have to carry the staff," suggested Ariana. "I mean, I've already done it once so there isn't any need to expose anyone else to its ba ... baleful influence."

"I don't like that idea," said Lousa and turned away from the ghost whom she watched intently.

"I'm not carrying it!" said Tanner and looked a little startled at his own exclamation.

"Don't look at me," Hazlebub. "I'm just the witch."

Lousa looked to Shamki who shook his head with a single no and did not elaborate. "Maybe I should carry it," said Lousa her mouth wrinkled at the edges and her hand twitched slightly.

"We need you to help us," said Humbort in a girlish shriek. "Let the girl do it, she's expendable!"

"She's my sister!" said Unerus and stood up tall but still not much more than half the height of the quarter-ogre. "I'll do it."

"No," said Ariana her little jaw set firmly. "I'll carry it. Everyone knows it's me who has to do it. So nothing out of you!" she finished and stomped her foot exactly the way she saw Almara do when the woman scolded young Tylan and Shalalee.

Lousa looked closely at the girl for a moment before she finally gave a big sigh, "You're right Ariana, but I want you to tell me right away if you feel something strange or if you hear voices, or if you start to get cold, or if anything out of the ordinary happens. I'm not going to let you do it unless you promise me."

The young girl looked up at the woman and saw that her eyes had changed to the deepest of greens, like the ocean when a big storm is brewing, "I will, I promise," said the girl and then Lousa came over and took her in a hug that engulfed the small girl almost completely.

An hour later they were on the road in Tanner's wagon headed west towards the Thilnog Mountains. It wasn't too cramped in back with Ariana, Lousa, Almara, and Shalalee as the wagon hauled trade goods for long distances but the men all stayed away. In the wagon driver's seat sat Humbort and Tanner with the merchant at the reigns while his son, Tylan, sat behind them eagerly taking in the sites.

Alongside rode Shamki on a powerful horse with a white blaze on its nose. The ghost Khemer floated near the donkeys that pulled the wagon and young Unerus walked next to Shamki. "What are the Monks of Thilnog like," he asked the warrior who wore a heavy chain shirt and an iron helmet for the first time that Unerus had seen. "Are we going to be fighting? I heard there are lava creatures that spit fire on the slopes, is that true?"

Shamki leaned down and patted the boy on the head, "Monks fierce, bald, fight probably, spit liquid fire, burn bad," he said and pulled up the material on his right leg and revealing a patch of skin wrinkled and discolored.

"Wow," said the boy, his eyes opening wide and a huge grin appearing on his face. "Did it hurt?"

"Hurt," said the orc. "Pain better than dead."

"I'm pretty good with a knife," said Unerus. "You know from having to keep my food at the table but I don't know how to use a real blade. Do you think you could teach me some?"

The big half-orc nodded his heavy head while the perfectly fitted iron helmet stayed firmly in place. "Good sword, long life," said the warrior. "We practice."

"Oh boy, oh boy," said Unerus and jumped up and down so much that he almost tripped on a rock in the road.

"Eyes always open," said Shamki. "Lesson one."

Unerus nodded his head in rapid fire little motions, "Eyes always open, eyes always open." With that he looked around carefully and took note of the birds in the high tree limb, the squirrel that dashed just behind a big tree with a ma.s.sive trunk, the pine wheels of the wagon that turned in steady circles, the crack of the whip from Tanner as he idly urged the donkeys on. "How do you know what's important to look at and what's not?"

Shamki shrugged his shoulder and his chain mail rattled a bit, "Just watch," he finally said.

Back in the wagon the women also discussed things and Shalalee looked at little Ariana with a grin. "I like your hair, who cut it?"

Ariana immediately grinned and looked at Lousa. "It was kinda dirty before, me and my brother lived in the flops and gutters mostly unless we could find an old house with some other kids."

"Was it awful?" asked Shalalee who covered her mouth with her hand.

"As long as Uney was there it wasn't so bad," said the first girl. "He always brought back food and stuff."

"Did you ever know your parents?"

The younger girl shook her head, "Uney says they drowned on the lake but I think they just never loved us."

"Oh, sweetie," said Almara and reached over to give the girl a hug. "Of course they loved you. I'm sure it was something awful that forced them to leave. Maybe your brother isn't telling the whole truth, but every mother loves her child."