Imperial Gangsters
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The next morning, with his face still stiff from his encounter the night before, and a pounding headache to go along with it, Lord Saldur rode up on horseback. He looked at the two men who were standing over by the tree in the clearing where they had been attacked yesterday.
The sun was rising behind him now, and he could tell that it would be another bright day for their expedition into the Imperial Woods. He didn’t care. It meant little to him if it rained or snowed; he knew he would have no trouble navigating those woods anyway.
He turned toward them and nodded. “You’re looking a bit better,” he said to Lord Bandon, then asked Lord Dravan, “Do you feel well enough to ride?”
Bandon’s eyes narrowed as he glared at Lord Saldur. “I’m feeling much better, actually.” His voice was cold as his gaze. There was a strange light in his blue eyes. He glanced over to the other man riding beside Lord Bandon and noticed that Lord Saldur was not alone.
Another man—a tall one, dressed like a soldier in leather armor with a cloak thrown over the top of all, stood behind him. This man’s hair was long and blond as the sunlight glinted off its silvery shine. It shone in contrast to the black beard covering most of his jawline and chin.
The man also wore a sword on his hip. Both men stared down at them coldly as Lord Saldur spoke again. “This is Master Aric. My personal bodyguard. He will accompany us on our journey today.”
Lord Dravan raised an eyebrow and frowned at Lord Saldur, who merely smirked back at him. Lord Dravan turned his attention to the stranger standing behind Lord Saldur. “My lord, I am glad to see you have finally brought me the reinforcements we discussed last night,” he said with a grin.
“We may need them soon enough, after all. You’ve got quite the reputation among these Imperials hereabouts. Perhaps it will prove useful to have your muscle around while we search through this forest.”
Lord Saldur smiled and replied, “Perhaps so, perhaps so.” He nodded to the other man. “Master Aric, meet Lord Dravan and his companion, Lord Bandon.”
Aric bowed slightly to each of them. Lord Saldur watched as their eyes met. They seemed to hold a silent conversation without ever speaking out loud. Then he turned and motioned to the horse that was standing nearby. He took a step forward and helped the younger Lord onto the saddle.
“Now,” said Lord Saldur, “let’s get started.” He turned away and led the way into the trees. As he did, his men followed suit. Their horses’ hooves thudded through the leaves of the trees, making a racket that echoed throughout the forest.
Lord Bandon rode alongside the older man in the front, holding reins in one hand, a small crossbow slung across his chest and a dagger in the other. His gaze never left the woods ahead of them. He felt nervous about venturing deeper into this place, but there was nothing else he could do.
With a sigh, he tried to keep up with Lord Saldur’s quick pace. He was worried about what kind of things might lurk within those forests. But more than anything, he wondered if he would ever find the people who had murdered his family. And if he should be able to kill any of them if he ever found them. That was something only time—and luck—would show him.
They moved on quickly that morning, riding through the forest at breakneck speed, leaving behind the clearing where they had camped the night before. Soon Lord Dravan began to slow down, and the other two followed suit.
After a short while, Lord Saldur stopped in the middle of the forest and pointed up toward a thick wall of brush that covered most of the area. “There,” he said, pointing to a narrow trail cut through the undergrowth leading upward through the woods. “That leads to the upper reaches of this forest.”
Lord Dravan frowned and shook his head. “It’ll take some climbing to reach the top of that,” he said, then paused, frowning. “But we don’t have much choice but to follow it.”
He looked at the others and shrugged his shoulders as he continued. “If you want to know why it is because I think you should see these lands from above before we begin our journey.” The men exchanged glances and nodded their agreement.
Lord Dravan dismounted and led his mount up the trail. His companions followed suit. The men climbed for nearly half an hour until the path grew too steep for them to continue. At that point, they decided it would be easier to go back down rather than ascend.
They were halfway back down when Lord Dravan saw a small opening in the brush off the trail. The opening seemed to lead downward, so the three of them went down. In a few minutes, they came upon a cave mouth.
Lord Dravan motioned everyone to silence before stepping inside. He pulled the entrance door closed and locked it behind him. A low murmur of voices echoed loudly from beyond. Then Lord Dravan turned and beckoned the other two men closer.
He put his finger to his lips and motioned for them to move on in, still keeping quiet. Lord Bandon and Master Aric both nodded their understanding of the need to remain undetected and followed after him. Within moments, Lord Dravan stepped out of the cave with a man standing behind him, facing them.
The first man wore leather armor and carried a long sword strapped to his side. It wasn’t until he spoke that anyone realized he was a foreigner. His voice and accent marked him as an Orc. “I’m sorry to disturb you so early, my lords,” he said in a low whisper, bowing briefly to each of the three men.
“But I thought it best to come right in and announce myself. These are dangerous times, and there’s no telling which direction danger might appear from.” His speech was strange to Lord Dravan and Master Aric, but not unfamiliar. It had the familiar feel of a tongue learned in other parts of the world and spoken with a different set of accents.
Lord Dravan and Master Aric shared a look. Both knew of Orcs in this kingdom, but they rarely traveled far from their own land and seldom crossed into Eltabbar.
Lord Dravan nodded slowly and said, “We understand.” He turned to his companions and explained the situation with a slight shake of his head. “We’ve been summoned here by Lord Saldur and Lord Bandon.” He glanced at the Orc as he continued. “This one is known as Rorik. He claims to be a friend of Lord Saldur.”
Master Aric nodded slightly and said, “Indeed.”
Rorik’s eyes widened a bit when he heard Master Aric speak and added another bow of acknowledgment.
Lord Dravan and Master Aric turned toward Lord Bandon. “And what do you think?” he asked the older man, nodding toward the Orc.
Lord Bandon gave a quick glance in the Orc’s direction and nodded his agreement. He looked at the two men for a moment longer and said, “Let’s get started.”
In silence, the four men walked deeper into the woods. The path took a turn and they emerged onto a hillside. From here, they could see the city of Kaelin Dorain spread out beneath them. It was larger than any other town or city they had ever seen. The buildings stretched away for miles, seeming to extend forever, rising high above the treetops in places.
At length, Lord Bandon pointed to the south and said, “There lies the city of Korwell, home to the elves.”
The rest of the group studied the view for a time before turning away to climb back down the hillside. Once back on the trail, Lord Dravan slowed their pace considerably and kept his gaze focused straight ahead, ignoring all distractions.
They rode along in silence for about a half hour and soon reached their destination. At the edge of the woodlands where the forest ended, they stopped and waited while Lord Dravan dismounted. The young lord stepped forward with a nod to Lord Bandon.
He removed a key from his belt and unlocked the gate in the wall of the large building that faced them. After he did, Master Aric and Lord Bandon also stepped forth to unlock it and allow the party access inside. When everything was ready, Lord Dravan pushed open the heavy metal door and entered first.
Master Aric brought up the rear with the three men from his homeland. Their horses were already saddled outside the gates, so they left them there. Master Aric handed Lord Dravan a horse blanket to cover their mounts and then mounted his own. Once the others had done likewise, the four rode into the main hall of the fortress.
It wasn’t much more than a large barn of a place. A stone fireplace dominated one end, while several large tables made of rough wood stood against the opposite walls. A number of wooden barrels of ale stood off to one side.
In between, two dozen people sat around the tables playing games of chance with dice and cards. As soon as the four approached, heads rose from the card game nearest to them, and every person at each table stood. They all bowed deeply to the newcomers.
One of those who had risen from his seat waved at Lord Dravan and said, “Welcome to our humble fortress. You must have been summoned here.”
“Yes,” said Lord Dravan with a bow of his own. “That we were.”
A few of the people laughed at that comment and Lord Dravan smiled briefly and waved them back to their game. He turned back to Lord Bandon and Master Aric and said, “If you would be good enough to take these horses and tend to them in one of the stables, I’ll go meet your masters and make certain they know you’ve arrived safely.”
He pointed to a small door at the side of the entrance. “That should lead directly into the dungeon. I’ll meet you there.” With that, he led his companions deeper into the complex.
Lord Dravan walked quickly, making sure not to trip over any stray bits of debris or trash. He moved through a series of corridors leading toward the dungeons without speaking. At length, he came upon a pair of heavy, solid double doors with no locks visible anywhere. The guards who stood beside them saluted when Lord Dravan approached.
Lord Dravan returned the salute and said, “I’ve come to visit Lord Bandon and the others imprisoned within.”
The guard with an eye patch nodded. “Of course, my lord.” He motioned to a younger man standing behind him and said, “You’re new to us.”
With a curt nod, the young man stepped closer to the door. “I am, sir. I was only recently appointed.”
“Excellent. We need some fresh blood to keep things going smoothly,” said Lord Dravan.
The young man grinned. “My duty is yours, my lord.”
With another slight bow, Lord Dravan passed through the doors into the dungeon. He glanced around, and after a moment nodded once and said, “This way.”
He led Master Aric and Lord Bandon further into the complex, stopping before a set of stone steps heading downward. “Down you go, then.”
Master Aric descended slowly, glancing about and taking in the dungeon’s dark interior. Lord Bandon remained near the bottom of the stairs and watched with interest as Master Aric explored.
After a few moments, Lord Dravan followed. When he reached the bottom, the guards closed off the trapdoor behind them and locked it tightly. Then, they all turned back to face each other.
“So, this is where you’ve taken Lord Bandon?” asked Master Aric. “Where else would it be? It would hardly do to lock him up in your own home, now would it?”
Lord Dravan smiled faintly. “Indeed. No, you can find him elsewhere. There are plenty of dungeons around that you might prefer.”
Master Aric nodded thoughtfully and turned to Lord Bandon. “I hope you haven’t suffered too badly.”
“We didn’t suffer anything worse than the usual indignities,” replied Lord Bandon. “What I’m most interested to know is what they plan to do with me.”
Lord Dravan raised his hand and pointed at Master Aric, saying, “As for that, he has a great deal to tell you.”
Master Aric looked back and nodded at Lord Bandon. “Very well then. You may begin by telling me of your plans to capture my son.”
“Ah yes,” said Lord Dravan, nodding his head vigorously. “Now you know all our secrets.” He took a step forward and bowed slightly. “I regret to say that we did indeed kidnap your son. I believe you have already been told about your wife’s death?”
At this question, Lord Bandon froze momentarily. Finally, he said, “No. That was not true.”
“How very odd,” said Lord Dravan. “I suppose there must have been some mistake.” He turned to the younger man beside him and said, “See if you can find someone more experienced to play the role of my assistant. I need a change of scenery anyway. And perhaps someone who will be better able to play the part of my servant.”
With that, he left Master Aric alone with Lord Bandon. For a long time, there was only silence in the chamber, broken only by the sounds of the wind whistling outside. Eventually, Lord Bandon broke the stillness himself by asking, “Why did you kidnap my son?”
Master Aric shrugged and said nothing, waiting instead for Lord Bandon to speak.
After a short pause, Lord Bandon began to answer, “I wanted a hostage. Someone to control the other nobles and compel them to accept our terms.”
Master Aric’s expression darkened. “I don’t understand. What exactly were those terms?”
Lord Bandon shook his head and said, “Nothing specific, really. They included a promise that we would protect the borders from any incursions. And they wanted to know how many troops you intended on sending. Of course, I told them you had no intention of doing so.”
Master Aric’s eyes widened, and he leaned forward intently. “Did they ask you why I hadn’t sent any soldiers?”
“Only indirectly,” said Lord Bandon. “They seemed rather disappointed when they learned that you refused their request. Apparently, they were counting on having enough manpower to overwhelm us.”
Master Aric sighed deeply and leaned against a wall. “And you never mentioned to them the reason we wouldn’t send anyone?”
“Well,” Lord Bandon said, “we did discuss it briefly in our meeting with them. But the details weren’t very important.”
Master Aric’s face grew red with anger. “I’m sure you did your best, Lord Bandon.”
At this remark, Lord Bandon chuckled and said, “Yes, we certainly tried to convince them that we meant no harm. The truth is, I doubt they ever believed us completely.”
Master Aric’s jaw hardened. “Then let me tell you something else,” he said. “There are only two things that could possibly stop the war.” One was to make sure that Lord Bandon and his men were dead. The other would be for me to return and put an end to it myself.”
Lord Bandon laughed again. “I think that would be quite a task. After all, there were over a thousand of your knights killed here.”
Master Aric looked away, unable to respond to such a statement. Instead, he turned toward Lord Bandon and said, “If you truly believe that killing everyone in this castle will bring peace, then it is you who are mistaken. We’ll have enough trouble as it is without adding your name to the list. Besides—” his voice grew low and angry, “the people out there need to hear the truth about what happened here today.”
Lord Bandon nodded slowly. “I see. Perhaps it would be better if I were kept alive.”
Master Aric turned back and glared at him. “Of course not,” he said. “You should realize by now that I have little interest in letting you go free.”
The older man’s mouth twisted into a sneer and he said, “That’s good to know.” Then he waved a hand at one of the guards standing near him and said, “Take him to the dungeon.”
Master Aric nodded once and walked toward the open doorway. At the threshold, he paused to look back at Lord Bandon, saying, “I wish to remind you that I am willing to offer amnesty to every person who remains inside this fortress. All you need do is surrender yourself.”
For a moment, it seemed like Lord Bandon might actually listen to him; after all, he had just promised that he was ready to talk. But the next instant, he shook his head and said, “No, I won’t be making a deal with you. If you want to take the castle, you’re welcome to try.”
Master Aric’s face flushed red, and he spat upon Lord Bandon’s feet. As the younger man turned away, he heard Lord Bandon growl in response, “Do enjoy yourselves.”
Master Aric knew that Lord Bandon probably didn’t intend for any of them to escape from the fortress. Even if someone was bold enough to attempt it, the sheer numbers of his forces would be too great to overcome. No matter how badly they needed freedom, he doubted even they would dare attempt to fight against him.
And yet, despite this knowledge, it still galled him that such a chance would never come. He was sure that most of his fellow prisoners would choose to die rather than give up any part of their lives to Lord Bandon. It made him feel like a fool—as if his own pride had gotten the better of him. Yet, he realized that he could never blame any of them for it. After all, he was in no position to criticize others’ choices when his own fate was being decided right before his eyes.
Lord Bandon’s men led him down several hallways to an open door where he saw a number of torches burning. Inside the room, he found another group of men sitting around several long wooden tables covered in parchment.
They wore black hooded robes and bore short swords. Each man held a small leather pouch or bag on their lap, and they were constantly opening and closing, pouring the contents onto the parchment. Most appeared to be counting the money, but Master Aric couldn’t see exactly what each man was doing.
When he entered the room, the men all stopped what they were doing and stared at him with blank faces. Then one of them cleared his throat and said, “Lord Bandon sends greetings.”
Master Aric nodded and sat down beside one of the tables. The man across from him said nothing in return, and instead pulled a scroll from his lap and began reading. As the others in the room worked feverishly over their piles of paper, Master Aric studied the man opposite him and realized that this wasn’t the first time he had met this man.
He was a bit taller than most of the others in Lord Bandon’s army; his hair was streaked with gray, but his skin was dark and wrinkled. His eyes were deep-set and set into narrow slits, which gave him a fierce glare when they met those of the wizard.
Although his expression remained neutral, he seemed much less friendly than the other soldiers in the room. Master Aric had already decided that he would make some sort of a bargain with Lord Bandon as soon as the opportunity came along. And although he felt sure he could do so without offending the soldier opposite him, it was worth asking anyway.
As he waited for the man to speak, he looked over the pile of coins and jewels lying on the table before him. He had counted them only moments ago, but it was hard to tell how many there were. Some of them had been rolled tightly with pieces of string or thread, and he couldn’t easily tell which had gone through the proper channels and which hadn’t.
Master Aric leaned forward and tapped the man lightly on the shoulder, causing him to jump slightly. When Lord Bandon glanced up from his work, Master Aric smiled and said, “Good evening.”
“So I see,” Lord Bandon replied. There was something about the way he spoke that caused the hairs on the back of Master Aric’s neck to stand on end, but he didn’t seem to notice. Instead, he returned to his counting.
After a few more moments, Master Aric asked again, “Have we met before?”
Lord Bandon’s lips twitched in a slight smile and he finally glanced up again, but his attention was immediately drawn away by one of the other men. Master Aric had thought Lord Bandon might ignore his question completely, so he was relieved to hear at least that much.
The wizard then continued, “If you’ve forgotten your name, my apologies, but I am Lord Bandon.”
Master Aric nodded his head once and waited for Lord Bandon to resume his counting. When he didn’t, Master Aric turned to the man across from him and said, “I have not forgotten anything, Lord Bandon. Your name has simply been absent from my memory since the last time we met.”
Lord Bandon frowned and muttered something under his breath.
Master Aric tried to keep his voice casual when he said, “Is something wrong?”
Lord Bandon shook his head and turned away, returning to his papers. As Master Aric watched the other man return to counting, he noticed that the man in charge of keeping track of the money also held a small silver amulet that glowed with a faint golden light.
This meant that Lord Bandon knew exactly where all of the money was at all times. That explained why they were all working so feverishly.
Although it troubled him greatly, Master Aric could not fault Lord Bandon for it. It was common among the thieves’ guilds for one member of the hierarchy to have direct control over the wealth of the entire organization. In fact, it was quite often the case.
But even though he agreed with Lord Bandon’s methods, it did cause Master Aric some difficulty.
Master Aric turned away and resumed examining his own pile of gold and jewels. As he picked up a coin to look at it again, he heard Lord Bandon muttering under his breath. At first, he assumed that Lord Bandon was merely speaking to himself.
Still, after several minutes passed, Master Aric began to wonder if the wizard was talking to someone else altogether. He listened closely and was surprised to hear the sound of Lord Bandon speaking in the ancient language of Roldem.
The End