The Halfwit Halfling: A Bard's Tale, page 11
“Hey, you,” I whispered. “Come here.” I didn’t want Lily to hear our conversation.
The man flashed the same knowing smile as before. “I’ve been expecting you,” he said. “The bones foretold your arrival.”
“Please, spare me the speech. Did your bones tell you why I’m here talking to you right now?”
“That’s not how divining works.” His smile faded. “I saw a Champion arriving in Blacknail’s Table and setting the city ablaze. I don’t know how or why he’ll do it, or even what it will look like, but when my divination works, it never lies.”
“What makes you think I’m this champion?” I asked.
“After your conversation with the shadows on your first night here, I knew it had to be you,” he answered.
“I’m not a champion, mate, but I’ve heard that the Champions of Pestilence are on their way here. I’m pretty sure chaos follows them wherever they go.” The man stared at me, probably processing the information I had shared with him. Any other time, I would’ve pandered to his ego, but time was a luxury I didn’t have. Even though Cook had gone home, Hruk could question my prolonged absence. So, I got straight to the point. “I’m staging a prison break. Are you happy in here or would you like to explore the possibility of getting out.”
“What do you need from me?”
“If I got you the bones, could you create a replica of this?” I showed him Gor’s locket. “You do that, and we’ll take you with us when we break out of here.”
“What then?” He asked. “You’re going to burn this city of innocents down so you can escape?”
“Look at me, mate!”
“It’s Sloane—”
“Don’t you think if I had the power or intention to set the city ablaze, I would’ve done that already? Bloody hell, if I had any power at all, I wouldn’t hang around here much longer.” I sighed, regretting my volume. I wanted everything in place before sharing the plan with Lily. It was probably too late now. I could see her face pressed against the bars as she watched us. “I’m hoping we’ll escape without any casualties. Can you help or not?”
“I guess letting the sexy aelf mind flay an innocent capper is the best way out.” He took the locket from my hand and inspected it. “Shoddy craftsmanship,” he commented. “Looks easy enough. I won’t need my tools. Get me a handful of bones, and I’ll Manipulate them into the same shape.”
I had come prepared. To save on cost, Cook brought entire animals instead of butchered meat. He wouldn’t teach me how to take them apart, but disposing of the bones was my responsibility. Sloane accepted the handful of bones hungrily. He picked through them, set aside three pieces and stuffed the rest into his pocket. The scrimshaw whispered strange words under his breath until the bones glowed a bright purple. They flew out of his hand and orbited an invisible point above his palm. I watched them speed up until they blurred, looking like a ring of purple.
When his spell ended a few minutes later, an almost exact replica of Gor’s locket dropped into his palm. Sloane handed it back to me. I’d need to find a bit of twine and some colour to finish the look, but Gor would hopefully fall for the forgery.
“When do we get out?” Sloane asked me.
“Soon,” I said, after taking a moment to find my words. Unlike Mind Magic, Sloane’s methods had a more tangible effect. Though extraordinary, it wasn’t enough to leave me speechless. “You’ll know when I get your cell door open.”
“Fair enough. It’s not like I’m going anywhere.” He sat down with his dinner and tucked into it. “Is there anything else I can help you with?”
“Yes. What manner of magic was that?”
“That’s a very personal question to ask a stranger,” Sloane replied. He ate a spoonful, looking me up and down. “Covenant. I made a Covenant with an entity that lets me shape, manipulate, and reinforce dead bone matter. Is that all?”
“For now? Yes.”
Once done with him, I approached Lily. I showed her the mock totem and told her to get ready. We didn’t have a plan for what we’d do after she escaped her cell but hoped the Mind Magic and Sloane’s abilities would do the rest of the work. I still didn’t like the thought of Lily turning Gor into a puppet, but what other option did I have? Sloane had foretold it, and the crypt troll had confirmed it: the Champions of Pestilence would soon set the city ablaze. The cappers didn’t seem worried, but the thought had me terrified.
My betrothal to Lefa added to my urgency. As unattractive as I found cappers, race had very little to do with my unwillingness. Sure, I didn’t like the thought of spending my life among a warrior based society. Lefa was beautiful, had perfect proportions and sweet. However, that wasn’t a good enough reason for marriage.
After discussing our plans with Lily, I returned to the stairs. I found Hruk waiting for me at the top. He looked up at me with wide tear-filled eyes. “You’re leaving?” Hruk asked.
“I’m sorry, mate,” I said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I know we’ve become great friends, but I can’t stay here. Where I come from, proposals involve rings. I didn’t realise a flower carries so much weight.”
“That was no ordinary flower, Perry. You gave her a Heart Tulip! Why didn’t you just speak up and say something? Lefa is an understanding woman. She’d understand jovian culture is different from ours.”
“Do you really think so? I did it in front of all of her and Grog’s friends. Bloody hell, even if Lefa is okay with it, I don’t have it in me to disappoint Grog. Every time he smacks me on the back, it feels like my skeleton is going to jump free of my body.” I understood where Hruk was coming from. Despite their unbelievably ridiculous customs, cappers had proven themselves sensible and understanding. To some extent, I was behaving like a coward and a douche. However, I worried, even if Grog didn’t go full-on murderous-goblin warlord on me, he’d increase security or take away my freedom of movement. I needed the ability to move around freely to escape the city. “It doesn’t matter, Hruk. I don’t know how much you heard, but you can’t tell them—”
“I won’t,” he said, interrupting me. “Perry, you’ve opened my eyes. I don’t want to stay here anymore. My people don’t care about me in the slightest. Maybe out there I’ll find someone who has a fetish for short, skinny, green-skinned men.”
“That’s the spirit, mate. Perhaps we’ll find your kink too.”
Chapter 17
Escape From Blacknail’s Table
The following morning I followed Gor when he set out to deliver his meals. Obsessing over the late vegetable delivery, Cook didn’t care when I left the kitchen. Creeping through the shadows, I maintained a healthy distance from my mark. I felt horrible about what would happen to him. Some part of my consciousness hated me for facilitating it. I still had the real totem in my pocket. Gor hadn’t bothered studying the necklace when I returned it to him. Though the shape matched the original perfectly, the colours weren’t quite right.
“What’re you doing here, Hruk?” Gor paused when passing the room where Warden stored the prisoners’ belongings. As planned, Hruk had set himself there, waiting for us to escape. “Shouldn’t ye be fixing the stairs in the lower basement?”
“I’ll get to that later today, Jailor Gor,” Hruk said, stuttering. The little capper and I made eye contact as I peeked at them from the shadows. “I just thought I’d clean around here first in case Warden does an inspection.”
Okay. He deserved more credit than I had given him. It was a good enough lie. However, I worried his twitching eye and stiff posture would give Gor reason for concern.
“He’s been threatening to do that for a while, hasn’t he?” Gor laughed. “Just don’t take too long, alright lad? My back is in bad enough shape already.”
“Yes, Jailor Gor.” Hruk nodded.
『 Sneaking has progressed to Novice: Rank 6 』
My heart rate picked up as Gor finished delivering meals to the cappers. Watching the middle-aged capper struggle with the cart, I found myself tempted to help him. I wanted to tell him to leave the cart at the top of the stairs and just take two bowls down to Sloane and Lily. As lovely as Gor was, he didn’t come across as the brightest of light bulbs—did Game World have electricity? Perhaps lanterns or torches would be more appropriate.
After several painful minutes, he reached the floor dedicated to foreign prisoners. “Damn floor,” he grumbled when the wheel got caught in a crack. I clenched my fists as the wait became agonising. The capper kicked the cart free and trudged along, grumbling about his sore back. Even though Lily promised her magic wouldn’t leave any permanent damage, I didn’t believe her. I guessed the life debt wouldn’t keep her from lying to me unless the falsehood had a chance of causing me harm.
Gor didn’t pause in front of Lily’s cell. Instead, he pushed straight past her towards Sloane.
“Wait!” she called after him, holding out her empty dinner bowl through the bars. “I’m hungry.”
“What now, lass? Ye finally want to eat green-skinned cooking?”
“The jovian turned me.”
“Ye leave that lad alone, ye hear?” Gor scolded, ladling our porridge for her. He passed it to her with an apple. My chest tightened as I waited for her Mind Magic to take effect. Gor didn’t deserve this. “It’s not like he’s long for the prison anyway.”
“Oh, you’re setting him free?” Lily asked.
“The lad’s marrying the chieftain’s daughter,” Gor answered.
“That’s a shame! I like it better when he brings me my meals. It’s a nice break from your ugly face.”
“Aren’t ye a sweet talker.” The capper laughed. “Don’t ye worry. I’ll find a new helper sooner or later. You’ll get someone new to play with.”
“You better make him pretty, Mister Jailer. I don’t want this someone new to be another capper.”
The longer they spoke, the more friendly Gor’s tone became. So, her Mind Magic needed some time to take effect. I recalled it hitting me almost instantly. Perhaps, the higher a target’s Perception, the longer it took. I dared closer as Gor’s body language relaxed. His eyes had a glassy sheen to them. When I saw him unlock Lily’s cell without her prompting, I knew she had taken control.
“Open the human’s cell, green-skin,” Lily commanded. He obeyed. Neither of the two full-sized individuals could stand up straight in the corridor. “Lead the way and disable all the door wards, please.”
“Yes, Inmate Dawnstar,” Gor said.
“You may address me as Mistress. Come on now. Lets not dilly dally.”
Gor didn’t recognise me when I showed myself. Instead, he kept glancing between Lily and the way forward. It was almost as if we had never met. Leaving the food cart behind, we climbed up towards the prison’s main floor. As discussed, we headed straight towards where Hruk was waiting for us.
Gor opened the door to the storage, and all the inmates rushed in. Sloane adorned himself in a long hooded coat. The scrimshaw squealed like a little girl when he got his hands on a long white staff. Etched runes and carvings of some strange four-legged creature covered it. It took me a moment to realise the tool was a solid length of polished bone. Sloane adorned himself with necklaces and hand-sized knives of the same material.
Not caring about our eyes on her, Lily stepped out of her clothes and pulled on a long charcoal dress. Everyone’s eyes widened when the flash of exposed breasts came and went. She tightened it with a leather belt and then fastened a cape around her shoulders. She dug through the untidily piled weapons and came away with a long dagger and a cane. Lily strapped the former to her thigh and kept the latter in hand.
Hruk took the longest. I guessed the tiny capper had never worn fitting clothes. He tried on several sets of clothing and only settled on an outfit after Lily threatened to use her magic on him too.
“So, how do we get out of town?” I asked.
When Gor ignored me, Lily repeated the question to him.
“The front gate,” he answered, the Scottish accent gone from his speech. Cosmic shit! What more could Mind Magic do? “The safest method of escape would be to stow away in an outbound cart. Since Chief started preparing for Lefa’s wedding, more shipments have been arriving in town, and the guards have gotten lax with their inspections.”
Gor and Hruk led us through the less-populated streets. Going unnoticed proved impossible. Our full-sized companions appeared human with their hoods up. However, even in the emptier streets, people recognised me. I guess high Charisma did have its downsides,
“It all starts with confidence,” Lily told me. “As long as you don’t give people any reason to worry, you can hide in plain sight.”
So, I played along, greeting anyone who stopped to say hello or waved at me. Not letting concern affect my expression proved difficult when a warg rider waved at me. I almost tripped when returning the gesture. Fortunately, he didn’t come any closer.
To avoid the shaman and his rambans, we stayed far from the market street and walked through residential areas instead. Unlike the rest of us, Hruk remained stiff and kept his eyes on the ground. No one paid him any attention. Wearing proper clothes, he blended in with the local populace more than anyone.
Besides my attention-grabbing cloak and still growing infamy, Sloane’s staff drew the most attention. Due to their tribal heritage and the shaman led religion, Blacknail’s Table obviously had a decent market for a scrimshaw’s wares. However, I couldn’t help but wonder whether the other communities of Game World had much demand for bone tools, weapons, or trinkets. More than one capper paused to admire the art etched into the polished length of white.
I sighed in relief when we finally reached the stables. So far, so good. Everything had gone according to plan. Now we needed to find carts to hide in. Unfortunately, all four of us couldn’t fit into the same vehicle. So we split into pairs. Hruk and Sloane climbed into a cart of wine barrels together. It had enough room for them to lie down between the wooden casks. While the distracted merchant haggled with the stablemaster, we went over our plans again.
“A half a day’s ride down the mountain, the road will split into two,” Sloane said. “Disembark there and wait for us. We’ll need to stick together to survive the wild’s on foot.”
“Understood.” I shook hands with him. Hruk looked like he needed a little assurance, but before I could say anything more, the aelf returned. Lily and I scrambled to duck behind a bush, while Gor remained where he stood with a blank look on his face. “Lily, which cart looks like our best bet?”
She shushed me. “Let’s wait until they’re out first,” Lily said, pointing at the warg riders chatting next to the gatehouse. Gor’s information wasn’t up to date. The frequency of inspections might have gone down, but they had canines to sniff out contraband and any unwanted individuals.
I held my breath as the wine merchant whipped his reins, guiding his horses towards the city exit. My heart leapt into my throat when he paused by the gatehouse. He lifted a small cask, no bigger than a human head, off his cart bed and threw it to one of the guards. They hooted in delight and waved him through.
“Great.” Lily sighed. “Now which one looks comfortable enough for a long ride—”
She didn’t get to complete her thought. I managed to pull Gor into the shadows just as Cook arrived, running. The chubby capper approached the guards panting and red-faced. I hoped the tubby man would collapse. He didn’t. Instead, Cook spoke loud enough for everyone around the gate to hear. “Warden says to put the city into lockdown! There’s been a prison break. The foreigners have taken Gor and the jovian hostage.”
Cosmic damn it! The guards jumped into action. Half a dozen pushed the wooden doors closed together, ignoring the merchants voicing their displeasure. Catching his breath, Cook spoke to them in a hushed tone. Everyone around the gate had their ears strained, trying to eavesdrop. I guessed the capper authorities didn’t want visitors and residents to find out their prison system had failed.
Lily grabbed my hand, and we ran into the narrow alley between tent-houses. Gor followed hot on our tails. We stayed close to the walls. Did Lily want to brave the wilderness on foot? I didn’t fancy testing my speed against the wargs. Just as I thought of them, their howls sounded not far away. I hoped they’d take a few minutes to organise themselves before tracking us.
We weaved through private courtyards and people eating breakfast around communal fires. Too many people spotted us. Sooner or later, they’d alert the guards of our presence.
“Gor, is there another way out of the city?” Lily asked, coming to a stop after ten minutes. “As crappy as your walls are, I don’t see any openings in them.”
“We’re not the best builders, Mistress, but us green-skins know how to put together a good defence,” he said, beaming with pride. “That was the only safe way out.”
“He keeps emphasising the word safe,” I told Lily. “Ask him what other exits the city has.”
“You heard him, Gor. Out with it.”
“The tunnels, mistress,” Gor replied. “I wouldn’t recommend it. They’re too dangerous, and no one’s been in there for years.”
“What about the other two?” I asked. “What if they’re out there waiting for us?”
“They’re on their own now,” she answered, before turning her attention to Gor. “Take us there.”
“But, mistress—” Gor winced, clutching his head. “Yes, Mistress. Whatever you want, Mistress.”
“I wish you wouldn’t do that,” I commented. “He’s one of the loveliest people I’ve met in this city. He doesn’t deserve this.”
“How about you leave that for when we’re not being hunted, love. You’re sweet, but there is a time and place for such sentiments.” Her cold tone and display of power shut me up.
