The Road To Kalbakar, Wyrms of Pasandir #1

CHAPTER 12 - CAUGHT! (2)

Beyond the corridor was a small cave, mostly in darkness. There was only one area with torches burning. Here a man sat, watching me enter. Hornal stood behind his chair, his face hidden in darkness.

'Come here,' the man in the chair commanded.

Out of politeness, I dismissed my own light as I approached him. I stopped before his chair and gave the greeting I remembered from my early years.

The lord and I looked at each other. He had a skin of the same off-color gray as mine, but wrinkled, and dotted with darker spots like an old man. His face was gaunt, ill-shaven and framed by long white hair. His body armor had seen better days; here and there patches of rust pointed to neglect. Only the large sword over his knees was oiled and well cared for. He didn't move; just his pale eyes watching me.

'Are you the one who claims to be Kambish's grandson?' he said after a long moment. His voice was hoarse, as if he'd been shouting too much.

'I am Eskandar. I don't claim more than my name,' I replied.

Again we stared at each other as I waited for him to continue.

'You wear the claw,' the man said. 'How do you come by it?'

'I have had it as long as I am aware,' I said. 'I know nothing of its origins, its purpose or how I got it.'

'Why not?'

Before I could answer, the old woman Adagatha came in with the others. Amaj Mir slipped past them and went to stand beside the man's chair.

The old woman's eyes flashed angrily as she looked at them together.

'Started the interrogation already, have you?' Adagatha said thinly. 'Shouldn't we do the niceties first?'

The man snorted. 'We're at war, but if you need to, go ahead.'

'Be polite to your allies,' Adagatha said. 'You haven't got all that many.'

'Allies?' Amaj Mir said arrogantly. 'Them ragtag robbers?'

They all ignored him and he flushed darkly.

'True,' the man said. 'But are they allies, woman?'

'Who knows?' The old woman grinned, but I saw no humor in her eyes as she turned to us. 'Behold the mighty Oshan Mir, once Lord of the Reaches of Kalbakar. The good catch my late father promised me. He lost the good within a year of our marriage, when the monks captured our castle. The little bugger beside him is his son. Mine is out fighting the mad monks, not playing at soldier under Hornal's wings.' Her face was bitter as she spoke, but underneath I thought to hear malicious pleasure.

'Enough!' the man said, but his voice sounded weak. 'My dear wife is right, I am Lord Oshan, though these caves are not Kalbakar's halls. We'll win those back, one of these days.'

'That's what you've said the last twenty years,' Adagatha snapped. 'You're weak, great lord. You need allies.'

Lord Oshan banged his armrests. 'There aren't any!' he shouted. 'These three? Children. Am I to ask the help of children?' His arm shot out and pointed at Kellani. 'You! Who are you?'

Kellani raised an eyebrow. 'I am the Lady Kellani of the Kell,' she said. 'Broomrider in the Weal's service.'

'You say you're a noble lady? Dressed like that? And what by Bodrus' Peaks is a broomrider? You're cleaning the house, or something?'

'I ride a broom through the air. And I'm a battlemage.' She crouched as she spoke and with a swipe of her arm threw a ball of fire across the dark cave. It exploded against the opposite wall, sending flames to all sides. Then she rose. 'I clean battlefields.'